Chapter 77: An Invitation and Three Wary Glances

His voice. It was the first time I had heard it in this new life without the filter of a divine monitor, and the sound was a physical blow—warm, gentle, and kind.

“Are you okay?”

My divine supercomputer of a brain went completely, utterly blank. I just stood there, frozen in the middle of the now-sparkling guild hall, my mouth opening but no words coming out. I was a goddess, short-circuited by a two-word question.

“Say something, you idiot!” a voice screamed in my head. It was my own.

“Also, ask him if he has any carrots,” Mochi’s voice squeaked from my shoulder. “This seems like a good time to leverage our current social capital for snacks.”

Natsuki took another step closer, his kind eyes filled with genuine concern. His harem followed a pace behind him, a phalanx of suspicion.

The tall, elegant elf wrinkled her perfect nose slightly. “Natsuki, be careful. Her magical energy is… strange. It’s chaotic and completely undisciplined.”

The fierce-looking rogue with the twin daggers grinned, crossing her arms. “Looks like the little pixie can do more than just sparkle. That was a pretty good flashbang, you gotta admit.”

The petite mage adjusted her spectacles, her gaze intense. “It wasn’t a standard incantation. It was… raw, emotional projection. Very unstable.”

I had to say something cool and mysterious. “I-I’m fine!” I blurted out, my voice an octave higher than intended. “I was just… testing the structural integrity of the ceiling with a… a tactical glitter-based diversionary tactic! It’s all part of my plan!”

The guild hall, which had started to recover, fell silent once more. The rogue let out a single, sharp bark of laughter. Natsuki just blinked, his expression shifting to one of gentle, bewildered confusion.

“Your… plan?” he asked, a small, amused smile playing on his lips. It was the smile that could disarm armies and melt my tsundere heart. My brain promptly blue-screened again.

“Yes! My plan!” I insisted, digging myself deeper. “To… uh… to assess the guild’s reaction time to unexpected magical phenomena! A stress test! For… safety! Congratulations!” I finished with a flourish that was completely undermined by my trembling knees.

Natsuki’s smile widened. He just chuckled softly, a warm, gentle sound. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. That was a pretty impressive display, even if it was just a test. You’re new here, aren’t you?”

This was it. My chance. “I am a wanderer,” I said, trying to sound mysterious. “A traveler on the winds of fate, with no memory of my past, searching for my destiny.”

The rogue snorted. “Wow, lay it on any thicker and you could build a house with it.”

“Kaelen,” Natsuki said gently. He turned back to me, his expression earnest. “No memories? That must be tough. My name is Natsuki. This is Lirael,” he gestured to the elf, who gave me a curt nod. “Kaelen,” he pointed to the rogue, who gave me a lazy, mocking salute. “And Elara.” The small mage offered a shy wave. “We’re the Crimson Blades.”

“Aki,” I managed to say, my voice barely a whisper. “My name is Aki.”

“Well, Aki,” Natsuki said, his smile returning. “It’s not safe for a new adventurer to be on their own. We were just about to grab some lunch. Why don’t you join us?”

The invitation hung in the air, a perfect, beautiful, terrifying lifeline.

“Natsuki,” Lirael the elf said, her voice a low, elegant murmur. “Is that wise? We know nothing about her. Her story is… convenient.”

“Oh, lighten up, Lira,” Kaelen the rogue countered, leaning on Natsuki’s shoulder. “I think it’s a great idea. She’s hilarious. Maybe she can teach me how to weaponize sparkles.”

Elara the mage just pushed her glasses up her nose. “Her presence is… disruptive,” she stated quietly.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Three pairs of female eyes were locked on me, a united front of suspicion and jealousy. I should have said no. It was the smart thing to do. But I was looking at Natsuki’s kind eyes, at his genuine offer of friendship, and I was completely incapable of saying no to that face.

“Okay,” I squeaked.

Natsuki’s face lit up. “Great! Gretta!” he called over to the guild master. “Put our lunch on the Crimson Blades’ tab!”

“Whatever you say, kid,” Gretta rumbled.

And so it was that I found myself seated at a large, round table in the corner of the Adventurer’s Guild, the glitter slowly settling around us like magical, humiliating snow. My grand, romantic, universe-breaking plan was turning out to be more of a cringey, high-stakes job interview, and I was failing spectacularly.

Just as Natsuki finished a story about a grumpy griffin, he looked at me, his expression thoughtful. “You know, Aki, since you don’t have any memories, you probably don’t have a place to stay either, do you?”

The three women opposite me immediately stiffened.

“We could let her sleep in the stables,” Kaelen suggested with a sweet, venomous smile.

“An inn would be more appropriate,” Lirael added, her voice frosty.

Natsuki frowned. “That’s not very nice. She needs help.” He turned back to me, his kindness a warm shield against their hostility. “Look, our party rents a house together. We have a spare room. You can stay with us until you get on your feet.”

The offer was a supernova of hope. It was also, judging by the murderous glares being directed at me, a declaration of war.

“I… I couldn’t possibly impose,” I stammered, my tsundere instincts kicking in.

“It’s no imposition at all!” Natsuki insisted, his smile unwavering. “Right, guys?”

Lirael’s jaw was tight. Kaelen was examining her daggers with a little too much interest. Elara looked like she was calculating the trajectory needed to launch me into the sun.

“It would be… crowded,” Lirael finally said through gritted teeth.

“But if our leader insists…” Kaelen added, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

Natsuki, completely missing the subtext, beamed. “See? It’s settled! Welcome to the Crimson Blades’ house, Aki!”

And just like that, I had a place to live. I had also just moved directly into the lionesses’ den. My quest to get close to Natsuki had just taken a very dangerous, very domestic, and very, very complicated turn.