"Honestly, by Amazon customs this doesn't even register as a thing! And besides... if you've fallen for someone, go after him! You know what they say, when a woman chases a man, there's barely anything standing between them. Plus you're gorgeous, you've got class, you're a noblewoman from the Far East, and you're crazy strong! You're literally a maxed-out stat sheet, no weaknesses whatsoever!"
"A woman like you, in all of Orario, what man could possibly resist? If word got out that the Astraea Familia's Yamato Rindou, Miss Gojouno Kaguya, was looking for a man, the whole city would lose its mind!"
"Hehehe!"
"And don't worry about getting pushed around. Our beloved goddess and the entire Astraea Familia have got your back!"
"Come on, Kaguya! Say the lucky bastard's name out loud and let us help you figure this out!"
As her words landed, a wave of low laughter rippled through the room.
"..."
Listening to her companions laugh, Kaguya bit down hard on her lower lip, her cheeks scarlet.
Her slender fingers curled inside her flowing sleeves, quietly clenching into fists.
Her lowered face hid her expression from view, but her ears and neck, flushed a crimson that threatened to drip, had already given her away.
But even mortified to this degree, she stubbornly held her silence, refusing to respond no matter how her friends tried to draw her out.
She knew these people too well. The moment she opened her mouth, any hope of quietly downplaying this, sweeping it under the rug, and letting it die a silent death would be gone for good.
In a Familia like this, especially one made up entirely of women... there were no real secrets.
Goddess Astraea sat elegantly to the side, simply listening as her Familia members took turns offering Kaguya "advice," watching with a smile but saying nothing.
Yet a flicker of something beneath that seemingly calm gaze hinted that her thoughts were far from as serene as she appeared.
Until, a few minutes later.
"Kaguya."
The goddess called softly, and every pair of eyes in the room snapped to her.
Kaguya looked up shyly, stole a quick glance at the goddess, then dropped her head again.
Seeing the Yamato Rindou, the woman who was sharp-tongued at home and ice-cold to outsiders, acting like a bashful maiden... everyone was shocked and, at the same time, found the whole affair increasingly entertaining.
Meanwhile, a certain useless elf who knew absolutely nothing about romance was staring wide-eyed, expression blank, completely unable to comprehend what was wrong with Kaguya.
She didn't understand...
It's just a man's name. What's the big deal about saying it out loud?
Then, just as everyone was savoring Kaguya's rare display of flustered embarrassment, the goddess spoke up abruptly:
"It's that child from the Demeter Familia, Leon Hart, isn't it?"
"..."
Kaguya didn't answer. She just buried her head even lower.
"I... I... I... it's not..."
Her voice was barely a whisper, a frantic denial so faint it was nearly inaudible.
The goddess narrowed her eyes slightly, then smiled knowingly, her tone still gentle:
"I know nothing has happened between you two yet. But you don't need to worry that your feelings will cause trouble between our Familias."
"After all... I'm not some morality enforcer like Artemis."
Mentioning her old friend from the heavens, the goddess's lips curved into an amused smile.
"Come to think of it... Demeter and I have always been on quite good terms. A match between our Familias wouldn't be a bad thing at all."
"Besides, our Familia has never had a rule against romance."
"So..."
Her tone shifted, eyes sparkling with curiosity. She even put on a pleading face, gazing at Kaguya with a pitiful look:
"Could you... tell me about the story between you and him?"
"Please... just a little bit! Come on, Kaguya, indulge my curiosity, won't you?"
Faced with such soft, wheedling words from the goddess herself, Kaguya's resolve wavered just a fraction. Her face burned, and a hint of hesitation crept across her features.
But she hadn't noticed the flash of cunning that darted through Goddess Astraea's eyes.
As everyone knows...
Whether mortal women of the lower world or goddesses of the heavens, the love of gossip seemed to be a trait woven into their very nature by the world itself.
Even Astraea, the perfect goddess who perennially topped "that certain ranking," was no exception.
Lyra: ...
Alise: ...
These two, whose eyes had been ping-ponging between the goddess and Kaguya, weren't naive enough to miss that little detail the way Kaguya had.
Watching the goddess's true nature threaten to burst through the seams, Lyra groaned internally:
Lady Astraea, your image! Your gossip addiction is practically written on your face!
...
...
While the Astraea Familia was having their lively commotion...
The Loki Familia headquarters, freshly targeted by Evilus, wasn't faring much better on the peace and quiet front.
Top floor of the tower. The captain's office.
The Big Three of Loki Familia, along with their patron goddess Loki, were all assembled.
"The final tally on yesterday's losses is in."
Finn shook the parchment in his hand and reported to the other three:
"The outer walls of the compound sustained massive damage. Full repairs will cost a significant sum."
"Supplies consumed were worth roughly three hundred million Valis. Worth noting: those were drawn from the reserves originally set aside for the Expedition."
"And lastly, the most critical issue... casualties."
Here, Finn took a deep breath:
"Twenty-seven wounded. Three critical cases were rushed to the Dian Cecht Familia Treatment Center and won't be combat-ready anytime soon. Eleven with moderate injuries. Thirteen with minor wounds."
"That's nearly a third of the Expedition force knocked out of action. So..."
The report finished, the room fell silent.
Loki uncrossed her legs, planted both hands on her knees, and leaned forward.
Those perpetually squinted eyes opened for once, crimson irises glinting with a dangerous light.
"Heh. Those Evilus scumbags really outdid themselves this time."
"Gotta hand it to 'em. They actually made me eat a loss this big."
Riveria spoke up in a cool, measured tone:
"Loki, I'd advise against any rash moves right now. Even if you want revenge on Evilus, it needs to wait. We can't afford another hit like that."
All eyes turned to her.
Riveria's expression didn't change as she continued calmly:
"Under normal circumstances we could absorb this, but Evilus hit us at our most vulnerable moment. Our finances aren't just in the red. We're deep in debt."
"Everything we'd scraped together for the next Expedition, all the supplies and provisions, was meant for that push. And the day before departure, Evilus kicked our door in."
"You can guess the result. A huge chunk of the Expedition resources got burned up in that fight."
"The remaining supplies are technically enough to explore the new floors as planned, but only if... we don't account for the return trip."
Riveria laid out the brutal reality without sugarcoating a word.
After hearing her report, Loki deflated and collapsed back into the sofa, her expression the picture of existential defeat.
"Money... what a headache."
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