The Magic Stone lamp glowed beside the signboard, and the scent of wine drifted out from inside the shop.
The chase ended once again in the boy's victory.
With Filvis joining in, Lefiya had gained another opponent. At first, she was still set on punishing the boy, determined to pay him back in full for all that embarrassment.
But before long, Filvis had pulled ahead of Lefiya too.
It was only to be expected. As a [Magic Swordsman], Filvis's agility was far above Lefiya's. Even so, the golden-yellow-haired elf still felt a little frustrated.
It felt like she was falling behind in some way...
Without realizing it, the run had turned into a competition between the two girls.
Naturally, Lefiya lost completely.
She forgot all about punishing Bell and began seeing Filvis as her new "rival."
"Phew... phew... Is this the shop you were talking about?"
Lefiya peered inside, still gasping for breath.
After that subtle shift in her feelings, she instinctively moved closer to the boy, as if placing herself in the role of his proper girlfriend.
Beside the counter hung a sheet of parchment announcing that customers could experience grape-stomping and brew their very own wine.
"Yeah. I'll go talk to them."
Bell gave Lefiya a look, signaling for her to keep an eye on Filvis and not let her slip away.
"Wait. Maybe we should forget it after all? We can come back next time."
Filvis spoke hesitantly.
She had almost said that someone as filthy as her had no right to do something so offensive.
But Filvis knew those words would only make Bell and Lefiya sad.
Back in the Dungeon, the two of them had already accepted her body. Bringing it up again now would only profane those precious memories.
"It looks like the event ends today. Next time, we'd have to wait until next year," Bell told her honestly.
With Orario's craftsmanship, brewing a properly aged wine would take at least a year.
The shop only held this event for a few short days at a time. The owner would seal the wine, have the customers write their names on it, and let them come back to collect it the following year.
"We're lucky. Today just happens to be the last day of the event. Filvis-san, let's go in together!"
Lefiya played along with Bell and made her appeal.
"B-but stomping grapes? Isn't that a little... um..."
A shy murmur slipped from Filvis's lips.
"Come on, it'll be fine. No one else will be watching!"
Lefiya firmly grabbed Filvis's sleeve and pulled her toward the back of the shop, almost like she was coaxing her.
The one who greeted them was a slightly plump middle-aged woman.
"Welcome... Little Rookie?!"
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, and a smile immediately spread across her face.
According to her, she and her husband had been making a living in Orario since the Dark Era. Back then, dark forces ran rampant, and their business had been driven to the brink.
Thanks to Astraea Familia's help, she and her husband had managed to hold on until the day light finally returned.
"A deposit? We don't need anything like that. You saved Goddess-sama. We can't thank you enough!"
The shopkeeper warmly led them to a spacious room in the back.
She explained the winemaking process, then left the rest of the time to them.
"...Bell's reputation really is impressive."
Filvis murmured softly as she looked around the room.
Although the two of them had never had the kind of physical contact lovers usually did, she still felt happy for the boy.
"Well, it's Bell, after all..."
Lefiya looked curiously toward the center of the room.
Inside a huge wooden tub lay piles of brightly colored grapes.
"Filvis-san, let's hurry up and try it together!"
Lefiya suggested with a bright smile.
"Um..."
Filvis glanced at the boy, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.
"I'll cheer you two on from here," Bell replied gently.
According to the shopkeeper, if they wanted to make good wine, the ones stomping the grapes had to be cute girls!
Under that principle, Bell had become a spectator.
"I promise that starting today, I'll look forward to it every single day until the wine is ready," Bell declared.
"Huh? You mean Bell will be the one drinking the wine in the end?!!"
Filvis immediately furrowed her brows.
"Huh?"
Lefiya also belatedly realized something was wrong.
The grapes the two of them crushed with their bare feet would eventually become fine wine and enter the boy's mouth.
...
Wasn't that a little strange?
But if that was the case, it would also become a one-of-a-kind promise...
For a moment, Lefiya was torn.
"No, no, no... Absolutely, absolutely not!"
Filvis tried to flee, only for Lefiya to block her path.
"Filvis-san! Let's stomp them together! Don't think too much about it. Just pretend the grapes are Bell Cranel and step on them!"
Lefiya grabbed the black-haired elf in a panic.
"..."
Bell had no idea where to even begin.
This careless elf girl really was an idiot, wasn't she?
Lefiya must have blurted it out because she was worried Filvis would leave, but did she actually understand what she had just said?
"That would just make me think about it even more!"
Filvis glanced shyly at the boy.
"No, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
Lefiya answered loudly.
"I won't!"
"You definitely will!"
"I don't have that kind of fetish!"
"What fetish? Never mind that! Let's just have fun together!"
"You're so annoying. I'm going back!"
"I am annoying!"
The two girls went back and forth, refusing to give an inch.
After thinking for a moment, Bell offered some assistance. "Anyway, I've already discussed it with the shopkeeper. If Filvis really doesn't want to stomp them, I'll just go call some other girls over."
"That won't do!"
Filvis objected without thinking.
Aside from her and Lefiya, the boy had many other lovers.
What if those two rumored goddesses of peerless beauty took off their shoes and stockings, revealed their delicate feet, and stomped on the crimson grapes while teasing the boy? What would happen after that?
Just imagining it made Filvis's chest ache faintly.
If she really left now, her thoughts would run wild, and she would fall into the painful illness known as delusion.
"Fine. Let's stomp them together!"
Fighting spirit burned in Filvis's crimson eyes.
"Ooh-ooh-ooh?!"
Lefiya was swept up by that fierce momentum.
She raised her fist and skipped toward the small bathing room.
Filvis, however, seemed to have no intention of doing the same.
She slowly approached the wooden tub, took off her white ankle boots, and stepped right in.
"Filvis?"
Bell had seen plenty of things, but even he frowned at that moment.
Lefiya turned around blankly, her blue eyes filled with shock.
"Huh? Huh—?!!!!!!"