Akira's gaze lingered on Astraea's face, soaking in every detail, the way her long hair draped loosely, the gentle curve of her lips, the elegance that mingled with a trace of nervous expectation.
Leaning close, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered his answer.
Astraea's eyes widened instantly. Her usually composed expression, the one that didn't falter even before waves of evil, crumbled in an instant. A flush of crimson spread across her cheeks like wildfire.
"You..." She stammered, her voice soft, "I am your goddess, you know?"
But there wasn't a trace of anger in her words. If anything, it was laced with helpless surrender.
"At the same time, this goddess named Astraea is also my lover, right?"
Akira smiled as he leaned back slightly and sat down on her soft thighs. The heat of his body burned against her. Her thighs trembled slightly from the contact, but she didn't push him away.
Instead, she murmured, "You only say such things at moments like this…"
He reached out, gently holding her hand. "I know my goddess is the best. She won't reject me."
In his mind, a tiny version of himself gave a proud thumbs up: "Well done!"
Astraea took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her divine composure began to return, though her reddened cheeks betrayed the chaos swirling beneath the surface.
"If I promised... then I'll do it properly."
She nodded slowly.
"Let's get ready."
Hearing her finally agree, Akira leapt to his feet with excitement.
"Then... I'll be counting on you, Astraea-sama."
But in that moment, as his shadow fell across her, Astraea suddenly understood the true meaning of the phrase: "Too much talk leads to mistakes."
'I've stepped right into his trap…' She thought, groaning inwardly.
Her fingers twitched with hesitation, lingering in mid-air as though struggling between reason and impulse.
Eventually, she surrendered. Her pale hands reached out, slowly, hesitantly, as if enacting a sacred ritual.
Finally, she accepted her fate... and took a bite of the midnight snack Akira had brought.
"Hmm—" Astraea's eyes widened as the taste exploded on her tongue.
Though she hadn't experienced it herself before, as a goddess who once witnessed all things, she had been coerced by some of her fellow goddesses to read those... embarrassing manga. And now, she understood all too well.
Time passed—painfully slowly.
Each second stretched like an eternity, and Astraea felt the weight of each moment pressing against her divine dignity. Akira, on the other hand, was glowing with enthusiasm.
"Astraea-sama, as the goddess of justice, you can't waste food." He declared righteously. "The children would be heartbroken."
Astraea rolled her eyes at the ridiculous logic, but with no better choice, she begrudgingly chewed and swallowed. She wasn't about to let this get messier than it already was.
"Ha... ha... that's enough…" She gasped, breathless, wiping her lips.
She felt like she'd nearly choked from the sheer embarrassment alone but Akira wasn't done.
"There's still some of the midnight snack left, goddess." He said with a playful smirk, pointing at the untouched portion.
"We'll use that next."
Astraea followed his gaze downward.
A heavy silence fell between them.
"…What the fu—" She began, only to stop halfway.
She didn't have the strength to argue anymore.
'Forget it.' She sighed inwardly. 'This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later anyway… Might as well let him do as he pleases.'
And in that instant, something shifted within her. A part of her heart, once steadfast and pure, quietly gave in to the current, willingly swept away by the mischievous torrent named Akira.
A new day had begun.
Astraea slowly opened her eyes, her silver lashes fluttering in the gentle morning light. Propping herself up from the bed with a languid motion, she sat upright, her gaze naturally drifting toward the nearby chair. On it, a neatly folded set of clothes lay in quiet order.
She blinked. Then she yawned softly, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
"...What a nasty guy."
A soft mutter slipped from her lips, tinged with helplessness and a faint trace of affection.
Memories from the previous night surged in like a gentle tide.
Last night, still dazed from fatigue and emotion, she had foolishly agreed to Akira's reckless request. What followed had been a series of shameless gestures and expressions, things she had never thought herself capable of doing, let alone with such abandon.
Even in the long, unending course of her divine life spanning hundreds of millions of years, never had Astraea felt such utter embarrassment.
And yet...
Though she would never say it aloud, a warmth still lingered in her chest. That time she spent with Akira was undeniably filled with happiness and satisfaction.
Shaking her head with a faint sigh, she rose and walked to the chair. One by one, she picked up the garments and began to dress. Yet with every item she put on, a memory stirred. A detail replayed itself in vivid clarity, as if the fabric itself was woven with last night's emotions.
By the time she fastened the last clasp, her cheeks had flushed again. Still, she stepped toward the window and drew the curtains open.
Sunlight flooded the room in golden shafts, illuminating her pale figure with a soft glow.
The warmth brushed against her skin, but it couldn't quite drive away the sense of residual shame tickling at the edges of her thoughts.
"Really… how could I have agreed to that request…" Astraea murmured, her voice barely audible as she tried to chase away the memories swirling in her mind.
Although the two had stopped short of crossing the final line, what they had done was already a tremendous leap for her.
A goddess who upheld order and justice, surrendering herself to that kind of indulgence…
The thought alone made her want to bury her face in her pillow.
Downstairs in the kitchen, the girls were already up and gathered around the breakfast table.
The smell of freshly baked bread and stew hung warmly in the air.
As Astraea entered the room, the rustle of her robes and the gentle click of her footsteps caught their attention.
Alise looked up first and greeted with a wave, "Good morning, Astraea-sama."
But the moment her eyes focused on Astraea, an odd thought popped into her head.
'Eh? Is it just me… or does Astraea-sama look a little... a tiny bit vulgar today?'
Alise furiously shook her head, slapping her cheeks with both hands. 'No! Get out, get out, you blasphemous thoughts! Astraea-sama is pure and beautiful!'
Watching the red-haired girl's flustered self-exorcism, Astraea felt a stab of guilt run through her. Alise's intuition was sharp, perhaps sharper than it should've been.
But she managed to smile softly and offered a composed reply, "Good morning, everyone."
'Though my mouth still feels sore... probably from eating too much midnight snack…'
Kaguya stood up and courteously pulled out a chair. "Astraea-sama, you woke up rather late today. That's rare."
Her tone was warm, but her eyes quickly scanned Astraea's neckline.
A faint red mark.
'I knew it. Akira definitely did something along with updating his status last night.' Kaguya silently concluded, her expression unchanging.
"I was quite worried about all of you yesterday, after all." Astraea answered with a composed chuckle, gracefully taking her seat.
She looked around, but the familiar silver-haired figure was nowhere in sight.
"Speaking of which, where's Akira?"
The spoon in Maryuu's hand twitched slightly.
He ran off so early? Seems even he knew how outrageous he was last night...
"Akira-chan? I don't know where he went after breakfast." Maryuu said sweetly, resting her chin in her hands.
Lyra, seated nearby, swung her small feet under the table with an unconcerned expression. But deep down, she was sulking.
'He didn't come see me last night. I waited all night, too… hmph.'