Chapter 78: The First Awkward Steps as a Party

The walk from the Adventurer’s Guild to the Crimson Blades’ house was the most stressful ten minutes of my long existence. Natsuki, bless his clueless heart, was a cheerful tour guide, while the three women behind us radiated pure hostility.

“That’s the best bakery in town,” he’d say, pointing. “Their sky-berry tarts are amazing.”

“I don’t like this,” Mochi whispered in my mind. “The pointy-eared one looks at you like you’re a bug. The stabby one looks at you like you’re a bug she wants to stab. And the quiet one… she looks at you like she knows you’re not a bug, and that makes her very, very angry.”

“We’re fine,” I thought back, my own smile feeling brittle enough to shatter.

Natsuki pushed open the door to a charming stone cottage. “Welcome to our humble abode!”

The main room was a chaotic but cozy mess of armor stands, monster teeth, and a large map covered in notes. “It’s… homey,” I managed.

“It’s a mess,” Lirael corrected, her voice tight with disapproval as she started gathering discarded tankards. “Natsuki, I’ve told you about leaving your sparring gear in the middle of the floor.”

He just grinned sheepishly, kicking a stray gauntlet under a chair. “Right, the tour! The spare room is upstairs. Let me show you.”

He led me up the creaky stairs, the glare of the three girls burning a hole in my back. He opened a door to a small, simple room with a single bed and a window overlooking the garden.

“It’s not much,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture so familiar it made my heart ache. “But it’s yours for as long as you need it.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, the words completely sincere. I felt a desperate urge to ask if he remembered me, but all I could say was, “You’re very kind.”

His smile was soft. “Everyone deserves a little kindness.”

The moment was shattered by Kaelen’s voice booming from downstairs. “Hey, loverboy! Are you going to show the pixie her room or are you going to elope? Some of us are hungry!”

Natsuki’s face flushed. “Right! Dinner! I’ll let you get settled in.” He practically fled, leaving me alone with the weight of my impossible situation.

Dinner was an exercise in extreme social anxiety. Lirael reorganized the spice rack with military precision, Kaelen sharpened her daggers with a rhythmic shing, shing, shing, and Elara just read a thick tome, occasionally peering at me over the top of it. Natsuki, bless him, tried to make conversation.

“So, Aki, since you’re an adventurer now, have you thought about what kind of quests you’d like to take?”

“Maybe a quest to retrieve a lost kitten,” Kaelen suggested without looking up from her whetstone. “Seems about her speed.”

“I-I’m good at support!” I insisted. “My glitter magic is very… distracting.”

“I’m sure it is,” Lirael said, her voice dripping with ice.

After the excruciating meal, the girls dispersed, leaving me and Natsuki alone. He was cleaning the dishes, a simple act that felt strangely intimate.

“Don’t mind them,” he said quietly. “They’ll warm up to you. They’re just… wary of new people.”

“I understand,” I said.

He finished the last plate and turned to face me, the firelight casting a warm glow on his face. “I’m really glad you’re here, Aki,” he said softly. “I’m not sure why, but… I have a feeling you’re supposed to be here. It just feels… right.”

His words shattered my defenses. The divine rule screamed in my head: Do not form emotional attachments. But it was too late.

“I’m glad I’m here too,” I whispered, and it was the truest thing I had ever said.

He bid me goodnight, and I retreated to my room, my mind a chaotic mess of joy and terror. I had survived my first day. But as I lay down, a new, chilling thought occurred to me. My presence here was a cosmic anomaly, and anomalies tended to attract attention.

Unseen by anyone, a shadow detached itself from a large oak tree in the garden. Two silver eyes, cold and ancient, stared at my window. Isao had followed me. This was different from his games with the other mortals. He had warned her about ghosts, but he was starting to realize he wasn't just worried about her godhood. He was worried about losing her to one. His vigil had just begun.