Loki propped her elbow on the café table, cheek resting against her palm as she idly tapped her spoon against the edge of an empty dessert plate. Across from her, Ais was quietly finishing the last bites of her own cake, completely unfazed by Loki's exaggerated sighs.
"Ais-tan~" Loki drawled, dragging out her name in a way that she hoped would get a reaction. "You're too quiet. You're supposed to talk to me during a date, y'know?"
Ais barely looked up, cutting another small piece of cake and popping it into her mouth without a word.
Loki pouted dramatically. "So cold… After all we've been through…" She sprawled across the table, reaching for Ais's hand. "At least feed me a bite?"
Ais paused, glanced at her, and then… went right back to eating.
Loki groaned, flopping back into her seat. "You're no fun," she muttered before lazily shifting her gaze toward the large window beside them.
The café's second floor had an excellent view of the street below, and the afternoon sun bathed the bustling crowd in warm light. Loki's eyes wandered absently over the sea of people—until something caught her attention.
A small figure with black twintails, bouncing slightly as she walked.
Loki straightened, blinking.
'No way.'
She leaned in closer to the window, her sharp red eyes narrowing as she watched the unmistakable form of Hestia stepping into a boutique.
Alone? No, there was someone with her.
Loki's focus shifted to the figure beside Hestia—a young man, slightly taller than most, dressed in light armor with feline ears and a tail swaying lazily behind him. His dark hair and golden eyes made him stand out even more.
'Who the hell is that?'
Loki remained frozen, staring at the boutique entrance long after the door had closed behind them. She barely registered Ais finishing her dessert.
Had she just imagined it? No way. She wasn't drunk—yet.
"Oi, Ais." Loki nudged the blonde's arm without looking away from the window. "Did you see that just now?"
Ais blinked at her, then followed her gaze to the boutique. She stared for a second, then turned back without much interest. "What?"
Loki huffed. "That was Hestia, wasn't it?"
Ais tilted her head slightly, as if considering it, but only gave a small shrug before reaching for her drink. "Maybe."
Loki frowned. That reaction wasn't helpful at all.
Her mind raced. The last she checked, Hestia didn't have any Familia members, so why was she walking around town with some adventurer-looking guy?
Loki tapped her fingers against the table, waiting. Seconds turned into minutes, and still, there was no sign of movement.
Just as she was about to get annoyed—
The boutique's door finally swung open.
Hestia stepped out, hugging a small bag to her chest, her expression softer than usual. The young man followed beside her, his tail flicking idly. They weren't talking, but the atmosphere between them was… comfortable.
Suspiciously comfortable.
Loki's eyes narrowed.
'Wait a minute. Don't tell me—'
She abruptly pressed her face to the window, her nose almost touching the glass as she stared.
Ais, seeing her ridiculous posture, her eyebrow twitch and let out a small sigh but didn't comment.
Loki's mind whirled with possibilities. Was that guy just some helpful adventurer? A new friend? Or—
Her lips curled into a slow grin.
"Ais-tan…" she drawled, mischief creeping into her tone. "What if I told you… that Hestia might have a secret lover~?"
Ais glanced at her, unimpressed. "…I don't think so."
Loki huffed, waving a hand at the window. "C'mon, look at them! They're all cozy coming out of a boutique together! We haven't even done that yet for our date! Why is she experiencing it ahead of me, huh?!"
Ais just stared at her, blinking slowly.
Loki crossed her arms, pouting dramatically. "Unfair. I'm the bigger goddess, y'know? I should be the one walking around, shopping with my cute Ais-tan, having that vague-but-definitely-there something in the air! But noooo, little Hestia's out here, living the dream first."
Ais sipped her drink without comment.
Loki groaned, slumping back into her seat. "Damn it. Now I want a shopping date too."
Ais, after a pause, finally spoke. "…I don't like shopping."
Loki gasped, clutching her chest as if wounded. "Ais-tan, how could you say that to me?!"
Ais tilted her head slightly, confused.
Loki clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she stared back out the window. "Tch. Unfair. Totally unfair. This world is too cruel to a poor goddess like me."
She dramatically slumped forward onto the table, her forehead pressing against the cool surface. "I can't believe this…! My heart's shattered into tiny pieces…! Hestia, of all people, getting a sweet little moment before me?! This is the worst day of my life!"
Ais blinked twice, paused for a second, and then kept eating when Loki was freaking out, quietly took another bite of her dessert.
"This… this betrayal…! My heart can't take it…! I need to drown my sorrows…!"
Loki peeked up at her, then sighed heavily. "Guess there's only one thing left to do."
She sat up, clapped her hands together, and declared, "I'm drinking tonight. I'm absolutely drinking tonight. Hostess of Fertility, here I come!"
Ais blinked. "…You just want an excuse to drink."
Loki smirked, winking. "Yup~!"
And just like that, her heartbreak was solved.
---
The Hostess of Fertility buzzed with life, adventurers laughing, drinking, and chatting after a long day. The warm glow of lanterns and the scent of freshly cooked meals filled the air.
At the counter bar, Loki lounged on a stool, her elbow propped up as she swirled her drink lazily. Next to her, Ais sat with a plate of small snacks, quietly sipping her juice.
"Ahhh~ nothing beats a cold drink after a long day," Loki sighed, stretching her legs under the counter. "Ais-tan, don't you think this is the best part of life?"
Ais simply continued eating.
Loki smirked and nudged her. "C'mon, don't just sit there like a statue! This is our date, y'know?"
Ais, unimpressed, took another sip of juice.
Loki chuckled but didn't push further. She downed another gulp of alcohol, feeling the warmth spread through her body—until her instincts flared.
A deep, primal sensation of danger.
A predator was coming.
Loki played it smart. She didn't react. Instead—she faked sorrow.
"Haaaah…" She let out a long, dramatic sigh, slumping forward onto the counter.
Ais blinked but said nothing.
"So unfair…" Loki muttered, just loud enough for Mia and the nearby patrons to hear. "Why is life like this…?"
Ais reached for another small snack.
Loki sniffled dramatically. "Why is Hestia enjoying the best time of her life while I'm here, suffering?"
Ais took a sip of juice.
"I mean, look at her! Shopping, walking around with a cute boy, being all happy and stuff! And what about me?!"
Ais took another bite.
Loki groaned, slamming her forehead onto the counter. "I haven't even had a proper date with Ais-tan yet!"
Mia, wiping a mug behind the counter, raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
Ais still said nothing.
Loki clutched her chest. "I'm a goddess, damn it! I should be drowning in love! I should be the one walking around, holding hands with a cute girl, enjoying sweet moments—but noooo! I'm here drinking my sorrows away!"
Ais picked up another piece of food.
"And another thing!" Loki slammed her mug onto the counter. "Why—why is Hestia already a couple while I'm still struggling to make Ais-tan love me back?!!"
Ais paused mid-bite.
Loki sniffled dramatically. "WHY AM I STILL ALONE?! I DIDN'T WANT TO GROW OLD ALL ALONE LIKE RIVERIA—"
Silence.
A deep, heavy, unforgiving silence.
The kind that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
Ais, who had been letting Loki dig her own grave, quietly put her drink down. Not because she cared—but because she felt it.
The air changed.
The Hostess of Fertility, once lively, fell into absolute stillness.
Laughter died.
Conversations cut off mid-sentence.
Adventurers—hardened warriors who faced the Dungeon's horrors daily—froze.
Mugs stopped mid-air. Forks halted inches from mouths.
Then—as if following a silent command—they moved.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Pouches of valis were dropped onto tables.
Without a word, adventurers stood up, paid their bills, and left.
Not in a panic. Not in a rush. But with the quiet efficiency of men who knew danger when they saw it.
One by one, the customers cleared out.
Until only a few remained.
Loki—who had been about to take another drink—froze.
The air was cold.
The stare was suffocating.
Loki felt it—cold, sharp, and unyielding.
She swallowed, suddenly aware of how eerily quiet the tavern had become. The absence of laughter, the missing clatter of mugs—it all pressed in on her like a weight she couldn't shake.
Ais, ever patient, simply reached for another piece of food.
Slowly—**very slowly—**Loki turned her head.
Her breath caught.
There she was.
Riveria Ljos Alf.
Arms crossed. Expression unreadable.
Eyes locked onto Loki.
With a kind smile on her face.
A horrible chill crawled up Loki's spine.
'...Oh. Shit. I dug too deep.'
The silence dragged on.
And on.
And on.
Loki, sweating, let out an awkward chuckle. "Heh… ehehe… H-Hey, R-Riveria… you, uh, you're back early…?"
Riveria didn't answer. She simply moved.
With perfect grace, she took a seat on the now-vacant stool beside Loki.
The adventurer who had been sitting there before? Long gone.
Riveria folded her hands neatly on the counter, tilting her head slightly as she regarded Loki.
Then, with the same kind smile—
"Interesting."
She let out a soft chuckle.
"I didn't know I had already reached that age."
Loki turned pale.
Pure, unfiltered survival instinct kicked in.
She tried to run.
But before she could even shift her weight—
A hand settled on her shoulder.
Gentle. But absolute.
Loki froze.
Riveria's voice was calm, unwavering.
"We're going home. Now."
There was no room for argument.
Even Mia—who never hesitated to speak her mind—stayed silent.
Riveria stood up, leading Loki out of the tavern like a mother escorting a misbehaving child.
Loki willed Ais to help her. To say something. To do anything.
Ais just sipped her juice.
'Loki should've stopped talking three sentences ago.'
The remaining adventurers pretended not to see anything.
Out of pure survival instinct.
---
Loki slumped over her desk, arms sprawled across a sea of paperwork. The room was suffocatingly quiet, save for the occasional scratch of a quill and the rustling of parchment. A soft afternoon breeze drifted in from the window, but even the gentle touch of fresh air couldn't lift her spirits.
Her normally mischievous expression was hollow—dead.
Her prison was the study within Twilight Manor, a room she usually avoided like the plague. Now, it was her world. Stacks of documents loomed like dungeon walls. Reports, ledgers, supply requests—everything she had gleefully dumped onto Finn and Riveria over the years had come back to haunt her.
And the worst part? She had to do it sober.
"Ahhh, I can't take this anymore!" Loki groaned, flailing her arms dramatically. "This is cruel! Inhumane! Where's the love for your Familia's adorable goddess, huh?!"
Across the desk, Finn Deimne barely looked up from his own stack of documents. "You'll finish today's quota, Loki-sama."
Loki's face twisted. "Finn, my boy, my beloved right hand—where's your sympathy?! You've been drowning in paperwork for years, shouldn't you be against this kind of suffering?!"
Finn calmly signed another document. "I am. That's why I distribute the workload fairly. Welcome to fairness, Loki-sama."
Loki clutched her chest as if physically wounded.
In the corner, Gareth Landrock let out a hearty chuckle. "You had this comin', Loki. I warned ya before—one day, your antics were gonna bite ya in the ass."
"And they bit deep," Loki muttered, her cheek pressed against the desk. "How the hell am I supposed to survive a whole week of this?!"
"By working," Finn said simply, flipping a page.
Loki let out a long, suffering groan.
She turned her eyes toward the one responsible for this misery.
Riveria stood by the window, calmly reviewing another set of documents. She hadn't said much, but she didn't have to. The weight of her presence alone was enough to keep Loki in check.
Loki gulped. "H-Hey, Riveria—about the alcohol ban, don't you think that's a bit much? Like, seriously, c'mon, a goddess needs her fuel—"
Riveria didn't even glance her way.
"No alcohol."
Loki flinched as if struck. "N-Not even a tiny sip?"
"No."
"But—"
Riveria finally turned, her emerald gaze piercing.
"Loki," she said, voice calm, steady. "One. Week."
The finality in her tone made Loki wilt.
"A week?!" Loki gasped. "I won't survive!"
"You will," Finn said. "Whether you like it or not."
She slumped deeper into her chair, staring blankly at the never-ending pile of work.
She had lost.
Not just today. Not just tomorrow.
But for an entire week.
No booze. No fun. No escaping.
Just paperwork.
Loki let out the most pitiful, defeated sigh of her life.
For the first time ever, she truly understood despair.
And the worst part?
She couldn't even complain.
Because she knew she deserved it.