Once Takumi slipped out of the banquet, Hestia agreed without hesitation. There was no way she was letting him stay there any longer—not while a swarm of goddesses kept chatting him up and "accidentally" getting handsy. Just thinking about it made her face go green.
Outside the Banquet of the Gods, Takumi finally let out a long breath.
"Shame Astraea didn't come tonight… Her Familia really is out there working themselves to the bone for justice."
Even though the fight with the Evilus was over, the Astraea Familia was still on the front line—patrolling Orario, helping set future policies, taking on the exhausting cleanup work. Tonight's banquet missed a few Familia like that, plus the ones currently roaming outside the city.
"…I should keep a closer eye on the Artemis Familia too."
Takumi murmured as he checked his system panel.
[World-Crossing Gate Progress: 2400%]
One trip to a banquet, and the rewards were ridiculous. The bar had exploded upward; he was closing in on three thousand again, which meant another blue trait upgrade soon.
But staring at that speed only made his ambitions bigger.
Three thousand wasn't enough—he wanted to stockpile ten thousand… no, a hundred thousand, and pull a straight-up golden trait.
At the pace he was accumulating now, it honestly wouldn't take that long.
Still thinking, he arrived at the battered old church.
"Tomorrow we're moving. This place is too small—I can't even stretch my legs."
The basement only had a handful of rooms. If their numbers grew, forget sleeping—one bed wouldn't even fit everyone sitting on it.
The moment he stepped inside, Haruhime appeared as if she'd been waiting at the door, dressed in a kimono. Her face was flushed a shy pink, but her eyes were soft and inviting.
"T-Takumi-sama… welcome back~~"
Her fox tail swished like it had a mind of its own, and her gaze looked so wet it was practically dripping.
Then Lili popped out too—and somehow she'd grown fox ears and a fox tail as well.
She flicked the tail behind her with practiced confidence, smiling like a temptress who'd rehearsed her lines. "Takumi-sama, we've been waiting here for a long time, you know~"
"One big fox and one small fox—getting bold huh," Takumi said, cracking his knuckles as heat rose straight through him. "Alright. Looks like I need to tame you properly."
He was going to have to tame Mahoraga soon anyway, so he might as well treat this as an experience pass—get used to how intense taming could be.
And since the church was tiny and definitely not soundproof, Takumi didn't even hesitate. He swept an arm out and dragged the two beautifully dressed fox girls straight into his Spacetime Realm.
Their figures vanished in an instant.
Time stopped with them.
Then, in the next moment, Takumi reappeared—alone.
He exhaled slowly, looking both satisfied and a little regretful.
Sometimes he was honestly too much of a beast, and that was its own kind of problem.
"…Whatever. I'll wait for Hestia."
He stepped back outside into the night breeze, standing at the church entrance as he looked down the street.
The difference between a goddess and a mortal really was enormous.
He waited—expecting Hestia to return first.
But the figure that appeared in his line of sight wasn't Hestia.
It was Meteria.
She wore a pure white formal dress, tailored close enough that her waist looked impossibly slender—like a delicate branch that somehow bore a lush, heavy fruit. She had the same breathtaking beauty as Alfia, yet without Alfia's icy sharpness. Meteria's presence carried warmth instead, a gentle, maternal softness that made you lower your guard before you even realized it.
The instant their eyes met, her gaze shimmered with watery light.
"Takumin… you really are here."
"Meteria? Why are you back already—where are Hestia and Hephaestus?"
Hearing him say her name like that made the sultry warmth in her eyes deepen. She walked closer with slow, elegant steps, her hips swaying deliciously.
Even the white skirt couldn't hide the round, perky curve of her ass as it moved. When she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the whole gesture radiated mature charm.
"Takumin, I like it when you call me that," she said softly. "As for the two goddesses… they're still at the banquet."
Her smile turned tender, and her voice lowered like she was sharing a secret.
"I was worried you'd be home alone. It gets lonely at night, doesn't it? It's okay… I'll stay with you."
Meteria held his gaze, and her mismatched eyes were overflowing affection and love that refused to fade, no matter how hard she tried to pretend she was calm.
Tonight, Takumi had shone at the banquet as the center of every god's attention… and to her, that brilliance felt like pride—and danger.
When Freya openly poured out her love, it had struck something deep inside Meteria. Even a goddess as untouchable as the Goddess of Beauty could be that hungry for him.
If Meteria kept only watching from the side, she feared that one day she'd be left in a corner—alone, with nothing but regret.
Takumi could see it in her eyes: the loneliness, the quiet fear.
Meteria was kind to everyone, but it was a surface kindness—a warmth she offered without truly letting people in. The only ones she genuinely cared about were her sister… and Takumi.
Understanding that, Takumi opened his arms and pulled her in without hesitation, holding her like she was something precious he refused to lose.
Her scent drifted up—clean, soft, and intoxicating. The silk-smooth feel of her body against him made restraint feel pointless. Meteria's face turned vividly delightful—flushed and glowing—and even though it wasn't their first time being close like this, it was the first time she'd come into his arms carrying feelings this heavy.
The boy she once held so easily had grown into a man—solid, dependable… and hard in a way that made her breath catch.
"Mm—"
A sweet little moan slipped out of her as her strength melted, her body going pliant in his embrace.
With her pressed against him, Takumi could finally feel just how gorgeous her figure really was. Under the squeeze of his hold, the neckline of her dress shifted and parted slightly, teasing a glimpse of pale cleavage—just enough to make his blood jump.
Her legs were smooth and firm, not an ounce of softness in the wrong place—full, elastic, and impossibly good to the touch. Every curve screamed mature temptation, that rich, older-woman allure that made a man want to lose his mind and call it worship.
Takumi stopped holding back.
He dipped his head and kissed her mouth—slow at first, then deeper, like he'd been waiting all night to do it.
Meteria closed her eyes, sinking into it completely, and Takumi did too—letting the moment swallow everything else.
…
Far away on the other side of Orario, Alfia—who had followed Freya back to her Familia—suddenly felt warmth bloom on her lips.
A strange, sweet tremor surged through her body, rushing upward like a tide.
"…Little sister?"
Alfia's breath hitched as heat sparked inside her, spreading fast enough to burn her thoughts white. And in that blinding haze, it felt like Takumi's presence descended and hauled her up from the flames.
[Dual Fate] revealed another terrifying side of its power.
"Hm?"
Freya, still savoring her earlier confession in her own private satisfaction, blinked toward the door.
Alfia stumbled in—so abruptly she nearly rolled to Freya's feet.
Freya froze, confused for a beat.
…Wait. What? Isn't this usually my thing?
Why do you look even more desperate than I do right now???
Sitting stiffly in her chair, Freya frowned awkwardly for a moment—then decided to dump the problem on someone else.
"Horn, handle it."
"…Huh? Freya-sama?"
Horn, suddenly taking control of the body, stared blankly at Alfia, completely at a loss.
What exactly was she supposed to do here?
Join in?
Hearing Alfia murmur "Takumin" under her breath, Horn's small fists clenched tight.
Him again. Always him.
Because of him, the goddess fell like this.
And now even Orario's strongest—was also…
(T/N: I'll do the R-18 version this weekend)