"Mm..."
Hestia puffed out her round cheeks, and the rising steam turned into soft clouds before her adorable face, revealing a faint blush.
The boy's confession was sincere.
To hear him say he liked everything about Hestia, words that almost sounded exaggerated, and yet not contain the slightest trace of falsehood, left the goddess shaken.
"But... but..."
It felt as though peach blossoms were blooming inside Hestia's heart, scattering an indescribable joy through every part of her body.
She tried to suppress her surging emotions, but for a moment, she had no idea what to say.
"Goddess-sama, just think of it as me talking to myself. Forget everything I just said."
Bell spoke the rest for her.
"Mm... how could I possibly forget something like that, idiot..."
The blush on Hestia's face seemed to have soaked into the steam itself. No matter how much she breathed out, it would not fade in the slightest.
She had received many confessions before.
But this was the first time she had ever felt so helpless.
She could not forget it, and she could not give an answer either.
To reject him would go against her heart, and to accept him would as well.
The goddess had fallen into a tangle of feelings that could only be called [unknown].
"Goddess-sama, can you answer one question for me?"
Bell asked softly.
"If it's about replying to your confession..."
Hestia did her best to push down her embarrassment and examine her own heart.
But no matter how much she thought about it, she could not pull a clear answer from that tangled mess.
"No, it's a different question."
Bell took a deep breath, then slowly said,
"Goddess-sama, what kind of liking is your liking for me?"
"..."
Hestia brushed aside the black hair hanging over her forehead, clearing her view a little.
The word like looked simple, but in truth, it held many different meanings.
Did she see Bell as a child, the way some gods saw their followers?
No.
Hestia was certain that from the very first moment she met Bell, she had seen him as an equal.
Was it the love of family, like between siblings?
Hestia pressed her lips together.
She was often jealous of other girls, and that was absolutely not the kind of feeling siblings should have.
If not that, then did she see Bell as a friend?
That did not seem quite right either...
If he were a friend like Artemis, he would never stir so many ripples in her heart.
Jealousy, worry, all the bittersweet emotions she felt. Those were not feelings that could be explained away as something so simple as friendship.
So then what was it?
If she really had to define what liking meant, then Hestia could only answer that because the other person was Bell, that was why she liked him.
Hestia blinked and slowly replied,
"Bell... I don't know the answer to that question either..."
In Hestia's eyes, Bell was her one and only treasure.
She did not want to share that feeling with anyone else, and she did not want Bell to be hurt even a little.
And yet, contradictory as it was, Hestia had never hidden away that treasure.
Girls gathered around the boy like blossoms, drawn in by his pure white soul, forming bonds that could not be shaken.
Calamity struck him again and again, tempering his abilities through hardships beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
No matter which side it was, Hestia never tried to hold Bell back. She simply supported his dreams in silence.
She knew very well that her feelings were far too unusual.
"I'm sorry..."
Hestia truly could not understand what kind of emotion this was.
"There's no need for Goddess-sama to apologize. That answer is already enough."
Bell had spent a long time with the goddess and understood her nature very well.
Even though Hestia often tried to act mature in front of Bell, the moment he became even slightly assertive, she would immediately shrink back and avoid him.
That little girl trying to act like an adult was also one of Hestia's adorable sides.
"Since the way we each mean like is different, let's leave it unsettled for now and compare our answers later."
Bell voiced his thoughts.
He did not force Hestia to give him an answer.
Since she herself did not understand what kind of liking it was, that meant this feeling in Hestia's heart was something special, different from family and friends, something even she could not yet define.
With that unknown bud right in front of him, Bell naturally had no intention of crushing it or tearing it out.
"Even a troubled Goddess-sama is adorable, so I think things are fine the way they are now."
Bell came to that conclusion.
"But... that's too unfair to you, Bell..."
Hestia said guiltily.
"It's not. I already told you before, I'll always stay by Goddess-sama's side. I'm not going anywhere."
Bell made the promise gently.
"So when the chance comes, let's bathe together again and think about the answer then."
"You really won't go anywhere?"
Hestia held the rabbit toy against the center of her chest.
"Yeah. I promise."
Bell answered gently, as if soothing a little girl.
"Even if you say that... you still almost left me..."
Hestia lowered her head sadly.
The secret of [Sacred Flame] was something she could only keep buried in her heart. She could not tell anyone except the boy himself.
Leaving aside the girls' worry, a miracle involving life and death was considered taboo among the gods.
If anyone else learned about it, it would definitely bring trouble to Bell.
"But right now, aren't I sitting here in front of you just fine?"
Bell tried to comfort her.
"It must have been Goddess-sama's protection that saved me. So if you ever feel worried in the future, Goddess-sama can lean on my shoulder as much as you want. Even hugging me is fine."
"My flame doesn't work like that at all... and when you say hugging and all that, you've definitely said the same thing to other girls too, haven't you?!"
Hestia puffed out her cheeks and complained.
"No. Goddess-sama is the first."
Bell answered honestly.
"..."
Hestia froze in surprise.
She had not expected that after Bell had formed ties with so many girls, those words would actually be true.
"W-we can talk about that later. I'm getting out now."
Hestia's face was bright red.
The goddess had only just started to move when Bell cut her off with his next words.
"Goddess-sama, we still haven't talked about the important matter."
"Wh-what matter?"
Hestia played dumb.
"That dagger engraved with sacred writing. How exactly did Goddess-sama get it?"
Bell did not give the goddess any chance to dodge the question and went straight to the heart of it.
He raised a hand and added,
"If you lie, I'll throw the towel somewhere Goddess-sama can't reach."
"Ugh..."
Hestia buried her chin in the hot water and muttered softly,
"I asked Hephaestus to forge it for me..."
"Mm, and then? A dagger that incredible must have cost a matching price, right?"
Bell had already guessed as much, so he pressed the question immediately.
"Haha... I just wrote an IOU..."
Hestia waved her hand like it was no big deal.
"Goddess-sama..."
Bell's gaze slipped through the gaps in the steam and landed on the goddess's body.
"Ugh, fine, I get it, stop staring at me!"
Hestia hurriedly answered.
"Hephaestus made me sign an IOU for two hundred million valis..."
"..."
Bell frowned.
"How much?"