"Your turn, Ouka."
Hermes slung an arm around Ouka's shoulders with a mischievous grin. "Don't be shy, speak boldly! We're all friends here. I swear on my divinity that no one will breathe a word of this, and no one will laugh at you."
Spurred on by Hermes's encouragement and the catalyst of alcohol, Ouka, a hulking, muscular man, blushed and confessed his preferences. "I... I like the type like the Loki Familia's 'Great Severing', Tiona. Th-That kind of seemingly alluring yet perfectly balanced healthy beauty... and that developing body is also... quite dazzling."
"Understood. 'Flat is justice,' am I right? You're a hidden flat-chest fanatic, my boy," Hermes instantly deduced, piercing through the veil of secrecy with a single sentence.
Takemikazuchi looked at the captain of his Familia with a bizarre expression. He never expected that this burly macho man would actually prefer the petite, cute, and underdeveloped type.
"Enough about me, what about you, Aiden? What type do you like?"
Having his preferences exposed, Ouka immediately tossed the hot potato to Aiden.
"Well, as for me..."
Aiden rubbed his chin and spoke with utmost candor, "I like girls with white hair. Compared to mature women or little girls, I prefer the maiden type. It would be even better if she were a goddess. Of course, the prerequisite for all of this is that she must be beautiful."
A fanatic for white hair, a fanatic for teenage girls, a fanatic for goddesses, and a fanatic for pretty faces.
These were his undisguised preferences.
Hermes looked at him, utterly speechless. "You... you might as well just say the name of your Focalors."
Furina hit a home run on every single one of Aiden's preferences. A perfect match.
"That's just a coincidence!"
Aiden waved his hand dismissively. Fueled by the alcohol, he shamelessly bared his ambitions in front of his male friends. "I admit that I do like my goddess, but I like others too! I am a man destined to become the Harem King!"
"Oooohhh!"
Hermes was instantly thrilled, the light of gossip and approval shining in his eyes. "A harem is a man's ultimate romance! Little brother Aiden, you have the true demeanor of the Great God Zeus. I fully support you!"
While the men chatted about trivial topics on the balcony in the night breeze, the goddesses and girls were discussing their own "trivial" topics inside the hot spring.
The indoor hot spring of the Palais Mermonia was a masterpiece of design.
The temperature of the natural running water was perfect, and the entire space was shrouded in curling white mist.
The edge of the pool was built from natural black rock, and several magic stone lamps embedded in the stone walls emitted a soft glow, dying the steaming vapor in a hazy, warm hue.
A faint scent of sulfur and flower petals filled the air. The murmuring sound of water was incredibly soothing to the soul.
Snow-white skin flickered in and out of the warm water. Long hair—be it blonde, black, or red—spread across the surface like seaweed. The beautiful girls chatting and laughing merrily formed a breathtaking picture that could make any man's blood boil.
It wasn't clear who started the topic, but the girls and goddesses actually began discussing their preferred types of men.
"Me?"
The Goddess of Agriculture, Demeter, leaned lazily against the edge of the pool. She wrapped her arms around her bountiful chest—which was massive enough to instantly obliterate any opponent present. A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she smiled and said, "I prefer cute boys."
"What's so great about men?"
Loki curled her lips in disdain, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. "I still prefer cute girls much more."
Before she even finished speaking, she pounced toward the girls beside her like a starving wolf, an incredibly lecherous smile on her face, clearly intending to take advantage of them.
However, the adventurer girls present reacted with lightning speed. Daphne, Tifa, and the others shifted their bodies and easily dodged her harassment.
After missing several times, Loki locked her sights on Misha, the Guild employee who looked the most harmless.
"Kyaa!"
The pink-haired girl let out a tragic shriek as Loki hugged her tightly from behind.
"Eina, save me!"
Being groped all over by Loki, Misha could only cast a desperate plea for help to her best friend.
However, Eina simply shuffled silently to the side, wearing an expression that said I'd love to help, but my hands are tied.
Better her than me. Misha would just have to endure the grievance.
The commotion in the hot spring quickly subsided, and the topic resumed.
Hephaestus leaned against the pool wall, gently touching the black eyepatch over her eye. Her voice was flat as she said, "I... might like the kind of man who doesn't mind the ugly appearance beneath this eyepatch. Or perhaps, a child who can forge a piece of work that truly satisfies me."
The moment she said this, the atmosphere in the hot spring slightly froze.
All the girls present were curious about the true face beneath the Goddess of the Forge's eyepatch, but no one was tactless enough to ask.
They had all heard rumors about Goddess Hephaestus to some extent. It was said that the face beneath that eyepatch was incredibly terrifying, having been mocked and ridiculed by the gods, and had even frightened her own children.
But they truly couldn't imagine just how terrifying the sight beneath the eyepatch could be. After all, looking only at the unhidden half, Goddess Hephaestus's beauty was absolutely on par with any goddess.
"My turn?"
When it was Furina's turn, she was perhaps still a little dizzy, the alcohol not having completely worn off yet.
She abruptly stood up from the water, hands on her hips, and proudly puffed out her chest—which possessed some justice, albeit not much—and announced loudly, "Of course, I like my Aiden the most!"
"Wow~ You really aren't holding back at all. So bold, Focalors."
Demeter and Hephaestus weren't too surprised by this; they simply exchanged a knowing smile.
After all, a romance between a patron deity and their Familia child was practically a common occurrence in Orario.
After the goddesses finished, it was the human and demi-human girls' turn.
"I like younger boys, meow!"
The Cat Person, Chloe, raised her hand high without hesitation, her eyes sparkling. "Especially shotas with perky butts, meow!"
This earth-shattering declaration instantly made many of the girls present blush furiously.
The hot spring instantly became a display of myriad reactions.
The bashful ones, like Chigusa and Cassandra, shrank into the water after being teased a few times, leaving only their beet-red heads exposed.
The shameless ones, like Chloe and Lunoire, made no secret of their preferences. Those like Robin and Asfi simply smiled as they watched everyone goof off, cleverly diverting the topic away from themselves.
And then there were those like Syr, who tried to act cute to bluff her way through, only to be forcefully dunked underwater by Chloe and Lunoire for a 'ruthless interrogation.'
The entire hot spring was filled with cheerful, slightly ambiguous laughter.
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