Dealing with Devils Pt. 3

Alice and Chloe sat down on the chairs next to Lana, dropping off all the bags they were carrying.

"Phew, not a bad haul," Alice said. "I'm surprised this is all we have though."

"...You mean this isn't normal?"

"Normal? Of course not, darling. Whenever we go out shopping, we can easily end up with dozens of bags hanging off our arms."

"Doesn't that make it a hassle to move around?"

"A little, but it's nothing we goddesses can't manage. Anyway, Lana? How'd it go?"

Exactly as we expected," she replied. "I put a fresh thread into Aikami, the one that Chloe spun yesterday. He was approached by two girls asking for his Line ID, but contrary to what the thread had in store for him, he turned them down."

"I see. We'll keep trying in different situations. At the very least, we'll gain some kind of progress today."

I don't know how I feel about being their little lab rat. Am I annoyed? Not really. Mad? Definitely not. But there is definitely something there, hiding in plain sight. Maybe fear? Most likely. I've already stepped out of my comfort zone just by being here today. Who knows what else is gonna happen if this goes on?

"Anyway, let's continue!" Lana exclaimed. "You ready for round two, Aikami?"

"R-round two...? You mean we're not done?" I gulped.

"Done? We're far from done! Not with the experiment, and definitely not with shopping! Fists raised high, girls! Let's go!"

"L-let's go!" Chloe shouted in the quietest way possible.

Hand in hand, those two psychopaths disappeared into the crowd, heading for who knows where.

"Hah. Sorry, Aikami," Alice smiled as she stood. "Shopping is one of our go-to activities whenever we wanna kill time. In most cases, it ends up taking more than half of our day. Looks like you'll be stuck with us for a bit longer."

I let out a prolonged sigh. "I figured... Guess I have no other choice."

"Oh, quit making it sound like it's such a bad thing."

"It might be crazy what I'm about to say."

"Don't say it." A dark undertone cast a shadow over her face. "I'm warning you."

"...Whatever the hell happened to freedom of speech?"

"The petty laws of you mortals don't apply to us. Now, let's go."

After a short walk, we went into a massive luxurious clothing store, where a kind lady standing near the front welcomed us in. She had the most luscious pink hair, curled to perfection as it cascaded down her back. Her gentle eyes of red curled with joy as if she had not known a single moment of sadness. 'Beautiful' is an understatement to describe her.

What's more, she is currently being mobbed by a group of men. For a moment, I stopped to stare at her with nothing else on my mind, but just as quickly, I felt myself being pulled back to reality. What on Earth... was that?

When the lady noticed us, she quickly said her farewell to the men and rushed over to greet us.

"Hello, my dears! Welcome in! Were you looking for anything in particular?"

Chloe leaned in closer to get a better look at her face.

"L-Lady Aphrodite...?" she gasped.

"Hm? Oh, yes!" the lady replied. "If it isn't the fates. What brings you to my humble little shop?"

"Humble...?" Lana mumbled.

"A luxury brand shop like this?" Alice added in.

"O~hoho! Well, I tend to leave that part out, but yes. I'm the manager here. Anyway, out to do a bit of shopping, are you? Or..." Aphrodite's expression was suddenly filled with fear as her voice faltered. "No way! Are you here to cut my thread?! Whatever you heard, I've done nothing! Nothing, I tell you!"

"Relax, Lady Aphrodite," Lana said. "As you said, all we're here for is a bit of shopping."

"Oh. Ah, yes! Yes, I see! Then allow me to... Hm? Oh~!"

Her eyes turned to me, and again, I felt that strange sensation from earlier, one that literally disallows me to look away. She rushed back the girls and stood right in front of me, leaning in so close that I had to bend my body backward to avoid our faces touching.

"And who do we have here?" she smiled. "A mortal? With the fates? Hanging out?! How lovely! My boy, what is your name?"

"Uh... I... It's Aikami Enzou... Ma'am."

She took my hand and aggressively shook it. "My, my! What a beautiful name! It's truly a pleasure to meet you, Aikami! My name is Anna, but what most people don't know... It's actually Aphrodite! Ta-da~!"

"Y-yeah... I figured."

"...Oh?"

She leaned in much closer than before, which caused the girls to react.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Lana exclaimed.

But Aphrodite ignored her, continuing to look deeply into my eyes.

"How curious... You... Why does my charm not work on you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You must've witnessed what was happening right when you showed up, no? All those men with heart-filled eyes, vying for my attention. Among them were married men, so that should give you an idea of how powerful my charm is. But you... It's not working on you. You're clearly a mortal... but something is off."

"Aphrodite."

She turned around to meet Alice's dangerous glare, one that sent chills down my spine even though it wasn't directed at me.

"Back away from Aikami. Now."

"Ah! It appears I've overstepped," Aphrodite smiled nervously. "My apologies, dear. Do carry on, and let me know if you are in need of assistance! Goodbye now!"

With that, she bolted away, finally leaving us alone.

"Are you alright, Aikami?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah... I think so," I sighed. "That woman... Aphrodite, the Goddess of Beauty. I didn't expect her to be so... eccentric."

"She wasn't always like that," Alice said. "There was a time when wars split the gods apart. At least she seems to be enjoying herself now, so that's good."

"Haa~ Counting Hades, I guess that makes two gods. Just how many more am I gonna meet?"

"Realistically, probably a lot now that Aphrodite is aware of your existence. Contrary to her prominent status as an Olympian, she likes to gossip... a lot."

"...Well shit."

"Anyway! It's your turn to conduct the experiment, Alice," Lana said. "I'm gonna go shopping! Come on, Chloe!"

"C-coming!" she replied.

And they both scurried off. Now, Alice and I were all that was left. Of all people, it had to be the one person I'm scared of the most.

"Well, Aikami," she smirked. "I suppose it's just you and me now."

"Y-yeah..." I gulped.

"No need to be so nervous. Just do you as you normally do."

She waved her finger around, casting an illusory thread that attached itself to my chest. Just like before when Lana had done it, the thread disappeared, creating a new 'fate' within me. Or so I think.

"Now, go ahead and pick out whatever you want," Alice said. "Don't worry about the price tag. I'll handle it."

"Um... Alright then. Here I go."