Chapter 27: Now They Are Seniors, What About Five Days Later? (Patreon)

What should I do if my gorgeous goddess 'mom' suddenly wants to move in with me?

Rozz couldn't find a single reason to refuse. Who would say no to a goddess like Hestia — rich, generous, and showering him with perks every single day?

Absolutely no one would!

Still, from a practical standpoint, he looked around the tiny one-room apartment. It was just the right size for him alone, but if a beautiful girl moved in—

—it would definitely get cramped.

Besides, Rozz still couldn't be sure whether Hestia was doing this because of the stir Loki's sudden appearance had caused.

"Um..."

"I'm happy about it, honestly, but there's a lot to think through practically. We shouldn't just decide on impulse."

"Mm-hm~"

The girl hummed softly, her cheeks flushed red.

In truth, Hestia had thought this through long ago. When founding a Familia, no matter how tight the finances, you needed a Familia home base.

That was a matter of face!

Of course she wanted to keep things as they were — just the two of them, growing closer day by day. But she had to think ahead.

Dungeon exploration.

Especially trips into the mid and lower levels — that wasn't something Rozz could handle alone. He'd need other members backing him up.

That would ease the pressure on him!

And if her own ragtag little Familia wanted to recruit anyone, having a base of its own was an absolute must.

"I've thought this through very carefully~"

"Besides, the Adventurer Guild has rules. When it comes to Familia rankings later on, having a base is one of the requirements."

"It'll make recruiting new members easier too."

Hestia explained patiently. True as her words were, who wouldn't want to spend every day Cuddling up close with a flustered Rozz~

Noticing the faint furrow in the boy's brow, she decided to exercise her divine authority and settle the matter herself: "It's decided, then! I'll figure out the money somehow!"

"If it really doesn't work out, we'll just move to a bigger room for now~"

After all, working for Hephaestus did pay decently — just not a lot. Setting aside equipment rental costs, she only had 200,000 valis left.

But renting a slightly bigger place to use as a temporary Familia base — and, well, a home for her and Rozz — that was definitely doable!

"Fine..."

He clearly hadn't been given the option to refuse.

Thinking of his exploration earnings, which had steadily gotten on track lately, Rozz glanced around the cramped little room. It really was a bit tight these days.

He said earnestly, "Lady Hestia, my exploration earnings have improved a lot recently. I should have about 5,000 valis in surplus each day."

"I want to do my part too."

"..."

The girl goddess waved a hand, instinctively trying to brush the offer aside.

But all Hestia could see was the resolve in Rozz's eyes. "As a member of this Familia, building it up is my responsibility too."

"Having such a considerate Familia member really is a blessing!"

She gazed at the boy's profile — after all, once the Familia grew, it would belong to Rozz too. Once she'd thought it through that clearly, Hestia felt no more hesitation about it.

"Well, then..."

Looking down at the boy resting his head in her lap, she tucked back the hair falling across her cheek, right as their eyes met.

A faint blush colored Hestia's skin, pale as a newborn's.

The girl could even hear her own heart pounding as she murmured, "How should I reward you?"

"..."

As an upstanding young man of the new era, Rozz had zero tolerance for gambling or drugs — but staring into his own goddess's gentle, sky-blue eyes, what upright official could really pass a test like that?

He cleared his throat and asked, curious, "Is there really a reward?"

"Of course!"

—

Love, after all, calls for taking things slow.

That was the conclusion Rozz had reached after playing more Galgames than he could count — though he had to admit, Hestia really was his ideal type.

Gentle.

Not just because of her impossibly petite, beautiful figure, her indescribable beauty, or that figure that put everyone else to shame.

If he had to put it into words — Rozz liked to think of himself as above such shallow interests. He'd never lose his nerve just because the national power grid's voltage ran a little low.

"Mm..."

"I feel like my drive to explore today beats anything I've felt before!"

After getting up, he savored the seemingly endless Stamina that came with his body's return to youth. Next up: fighting for a bright tomorrow!

After a quick wash-up, Rozz put on his Adventurer gear and headed out to grab breakfast at the Tater Tot Stall, planning to meet up with Lili before starting today's Dungeon run.

Except... he didn't even need to go wait at Central Park. Right there at the Tater Tot Stall, he spotted the Supporter girl already waiting for him.

"Morning~"

"..."

Unlike her usual getup, she wasn't wearing her grayish-brown cloak this time. Lili just stood there in front of him, looking fresh and lovely.

How to describe it?

She looked great!

Her short, chestnut hair curled gently and fell naturally along her cheeks, her features delicate — not to mention her figure.

At least ten Lokis' worth.

But looking at Lili's petite frame, Rozz felt a strange disconnect. He hesitated a moment before asking, "Can I ask you something a bit forward?"

"How old are you this year?"

"Fifteen."

"?"

So this guy wasn't just a rookie Adventurer — he didn't even have basic common sense!

Lili, blushing, turned to face the middle-aged stall owner and said firmly, "Two orders of plain Tater Tots."

"I'm a Pallum."

"By now... I'm actually already an adult, you know. Or did you think this whole time that I was still... not grown up?"

"..."

"Until just now, yes. That's exactly what I thought."

Rozz truly hadn't seen that coming.

Over his time in Orario so far, he'd run into all sorts — Beastmen, gentle catgirls, elves.

But looking at the girl in front of him, he found himself marveling anew at just how wondrous this other world could be.

Rozz looked at the Tater Tots Lili handed him and greeted her again with a smile. "Nice to properly meet you, Miss Lili."

"Let's set that aside for now."

She had the distinct feeling this guy was teasing her!

Lili lowered her head and nibbled on her Tater Tots. Maybe it was because he was standing beside her, but somehow they tasted even better than usual.

As they headed toward Central Park, she didn't forget to explain: "Yesterday... those Adventurers from the Soma Familia came to me. They want me to steal that sword of yours."

"I agreed."

"!"

"After that — I should be able to buy us five or six days. During that time... they shouldn't interfere with you at all."

"So during that time, do you think you can hold your own against them?"

"..."

If Lili had truly sided with them, she wouldn't have told him any of this — let alone gone out of her way to buy him this time.

So, facing the girl's upturned face and her eyes full of expectation, Rozz smiled easily, though his tone left no room for doubt: "Right now, they're my seniors in the Adventurer trade. So in five days..."

"So what do you think they should call me instead?"

[Author's Note: I saw there were quite a lot of comments on Chapter 23, mostly centered on 'If you have no talent, then just keep repeating it.' Honestly, that stirred something in me too — because when it comes to writing novels, I really don't have any talent. I've just kept trying and failing my way to where I am now, and even now it's only barely readable. But the core of creation, for me, is just the author's own inner urge to express himself — my quirks, my kinks — hoping to see them realized through the novel, and that's why I wrote what I wrote. (Also: tomorrow being Sunday, there'll be a bonus update in the early morning, meow~)]