Chapter 140
"I can’t eat any more, I really can’t." Hestia had tears in the corners of her eyes, her voice muffled by all the food stuffed in her mouth.
"Really?" Across the table, Kiriya paused in feeding her and looked down at the Hestia in his arms with a sigh.
"You just burned through so much energy. How are you supposed to recover if you don’t eat properly?"
"Kiriya... you big meanie!" Hestia’s cheeks flushed pink.
She shot him a glare and puffed out her cheeks.
"Me, mean? You started it. Pulling a stunt like that on me!" Kiriya pointed at himself, playing innocent.
"I... I did not," Hestia shot back at once.
"Hmph! I’d just gotten home. The second I walked in, there was the cutest, prettiest little maid standing right there. If I could’ve held back, would I even be a man?" Kiriya said it without a hint of shame.
He’d only made the same mistake any man would make.
Then again — no, Hestia had been his for a long time now, so how could that even count as a mistake?
"The maid outfit... that’s my work uniform." Just bringing it up made Hestia cross. "And you got it all dirty. Ruined it, even! You owe me a new one."
Kiriya glanced at the maid outfit lying in tatters in the corner of the sofa.
First he silently thanked it for its noble sacrifice.
Then he asked, "Work uniform? You’re going out to work?"
His eyes went wide with disbelief. "Don’t tell me you’ve spent all the money in the house?"
Not long ago, he’d taken down the Apollo Familia single-handedly and swept up everything they owned.
Property and all, it had come to well over a hundred million valis.
Even after splurging on top-shelf gear, armor, and weapons, he’d still set aside nearly ten million valis in reserve.
Had this little goddess really blown through all of it?
"As if!" Hestia shot to her feet, her small face full of anger. "Is that really how you see me? Some spendthrift who’s only good at throwing money away?"
"Well, hard to say," Kiriya muttered.
In the original story, after Hestia took the Apollo Familia’s mansion as her base, she’d spent a fortune fixing it up, burning through all those millions of valis in one go.
With a precedent like that, his mind naturally jumped to the same conclusion.
"It’s fine. Whatever else I am, I’m a strong adventurer now. A few trips into the Dungeon and I can earn plenty." Kiriya comforted her gently.
Even if she were a useless goddess who could only be spoon-fed, it wouldn’t matter.
He could afford to keep her!
"Look — can you please just let me finish?" Hestia went to headbutt him and teach him a lesson, but her breast worked so well that she only bounced right back herself.
"..."
Feeling that remarkable softness, Kiriya’s hands started to wander.
Hestia went pale and grabbed those roaming hands, her voice trembling. "Stop it. I’m talking about something serious."
"What a coincidence. I was also thinking about something serious."
"The girls from the Hostess of Fertility asked me to help!" Hestia said loudly, trying to change the subject.
It worked.
Kiriya froze at once and looked straight into her eyes. "The Hostess of Fertility?"
"That’s right." Delighted, Hestia launched into the story, talking fast.
As it turned out, the day before, Hestia had been bored and gone to find her god friends to pass the time.
Unfortunately, all of them were busy.
Hephaestus was busy forging, Miach was busy making medicine, and even Takemikazuchi was busy training his Familia in martial arts.
Not wanting to bother them, Hestia had gone for a walk through the streets instead.
That was when she ran into a maid from the Hostess of Fertility — Syr Flover.
According to Syr, the shop had been so busy lately that they were short-handed, and she wanted to hire Hestia to help out.
She’d even brought a maid outfit along for the occasion.
"I wanted something proper to do anyway, and I’d get to try out life as a maid. Plus you hear all kinds of interesting stories in a tavern. So I was tempted," Hestia explained.
"Syr actually invited you to work there?" Kiriya swallowed. "Isn’t she afraid you’ll blow the whole tavern sky-high?"
After all, back when Hestia first came down to the mortal world for a part-time job, she’d once blown up a food stall because she couldn’t work the magic-stone ignition device.
Even after Kiriya joined her Familia, she still left the kitchen a little worse for wear now and then.
A "kitchen killer" through and through.
It was a wonder Syr had the nerve to invite her at all.
"What’s that supposed to mean? What’s that supposed to mean?" Hestia was not pleased.
She reached out two small, pale hands and tugged at Kiriya’s cheeks.
"Does everywhere I go just explode? Am I some goddess of bad luck?"
"No. I think you’re the goddess of beauty." Kiriya’s face turned solemn, his voice warm and gentle.
"Otherwise, how could I have fallen so hopelessly in love with you?"
"...Don’t think saying that will get you forgiven." Hestia’s face went red fast, and she turned her head away.
Kiriya pressed his forehead to hers and murmured, "Sorry for leaving you home alone. It must’ve been lonely."
Hestia paused, then smiled. "You know, it’s strange. Back in Heaven, I was alone in my temple for tens of thousands of years and never thought a thing of it. But after coming down here — especially after meeting you — I feel lonely so easily now.... Maybe that’s part of what makes the mortal world so charming."
"I’ll try to come back more often from now on." Kiriya breathed in the scent at her neck and spoke softly.
"Hey, hey. What do you take me for? Some sulking wife who just waits at home for her husband?" Hestia laughed and gave him a light smack, then lifted her chin proudly.
"I’m a goddess. The goddess Hestia!"
"I do look forward to spending more time with you. But watching you grow makes me proud and happy too. And parting is like a fine wine — the longer it sits, the richer the flavor. It’s because we part that we treasure being together all the more. Isn’t it?"
Kiriya studied her, honestly impressed.
"I’m seeing you in a whole new light, Hestia.... I thought you were just a freeloading mascot, but it turns out you’ve got some pretty good lines in you!"
"Hmph hmph! I’ve always been amazing." Hestia planted her hands proudly on her hips — then, as the rest sank in, she rounded on him in a fury.
"Who are you calling a freeloading mascot? How dare you say that about your own goddess? That’s a serious crime! I’ll punish you for this!"