"Swooning over him, are we?"
"!?"
The face that suddenly appeared at close range startled Hephaestus. When she saw who it was, she exhaled and shot the captain a glare.
"Loki, could you knock before you come in?"
"How do you think I came in?" Loki thumbed back at the door. It was opened the ordinary way—not kicked in. How was that not "normal"?
"I came in properly. But you, in here, looked a little improper—wearing that lovestruck face. Still drowning in Tsunayoshi's proposal from yesterday, are we?"
"...You knew?"
Loki gave her a look. "What do you think? I was the first one that kid proposed to. He told me as soon as he got back. We agreed from the start—whoever he develops feelings for, he tells me."
"There was a pact like that?" Hephaestus was a little taken aback.
"Did you think I'd let bad women get near him?"
"'Bad women' meaning…?"
"Women who are lustful without even realizing it. Like that greedy Freya, and the shameless Ishtar." Two names flew right out of Loki's mouth. "Anything tied to 'beauty'—not a good woman among them."
It was a sweeping condemnation, but Hephaestus found herself agreeing. "True. Freya and Ishtar have terrible reputations. Still, I doubt it—Tsunayoshi's taste isn't that poor."
"...That I do agree with."
Both goddesses relaxed. The child they liked didn't have such lousy judgment.
Once the talk started flowing, the awkward air between them thinned. "So, anyone else on your side? I only have Tsubaki," Hephaestus said.
"On mine it's just Tiona and Tione," Loki replied. "They've always been close to Tsunayoshi, they're about the same age, and he shows them a lot of what he can do. Naturally they got closer."
Hephaestus nodded. That tracked. Tsubaki and the Amazon sisters were among those who spent the most time with Tsunayoshi. Add in how he never hid his abilities around those close to him—talent that bright, plus long contact, and "liking" wasn't exactly surprising. Amazoness and Dwarf alike didn't dance around feelings: if you like someone, you pursue them.
As for her and Loki, Hephaestus had been accepted head-on—overwhelmed by a fierce confession and proposal. She wasn't sure about Loki's exact moment, but it was probably similar.
"There've been plenty of lower-world children who fell for gods," Loki mused, "but two goddesses both liked by the same child—and even proposed to? That's rare."
"Well, gods and children have that gap in lifespan," Loki went on, pointing at herself and then at Hephaestus. "If it's those flighty gods who fall in love every other week, they move on even after a child dies. But some of us aren't like that. When we take love seriously, it's only once."
Hephaestus' mood lifted at the affirmation from another goddess. "But… is Tsunayoshi really alright? With what he is, he's our best hope of reaching that goal. Isn't the pressure too much?"
"I used to worry about that," Loki said.
"Used to?"
"Yeah—used to. As in, before this morning." Loki sighed, half helplessly. "I thought he'd chip away at the limit of lifespan bit by bit. Who knew he was outrageous enough to make a 'backup plan'?"
"He has a backup plan for longevity?" Hephaestus was stunned.
"He made a Grail that can reverse life and death, and meddle with space and causality," Loki said. "I knew his powers could speed him along that path, but I didn't expect he'd already prepared a contingency. Since his ability can aim for longevity on its own, he'll try that first. If it fails, the backup goes into play."
"No wonder," Hephaestus exhaled. If a backup existed, then pushing his abilities and seeking a different route to longevity wasn't unreasonable.
"Which reminds me—what did you come for today?" she asked.
Loki's mouth twitched. "We scheduled to talk about the Joint Expedition. Don't tell me you forgot?"
Hephaestus paused, propped her chin in both hands, and answered with certainty, "Of course not. I meant—since you came in and laid it all out, what else did you want to discuss?"
You totally forgot, Loki thought, pouting inwardly, but let it go. "Besides the expedition, it's about going to that other world.
"Tsunayoshi's ready for the two worlds' time flows to start moving, and he's prepared to tell his mom about our world."
"Tell her directly?"
"Mm. Right now, time between the worlds is relatively static, but once contact increases, the flows will begin to sync. So when Tsunayoshi's here, a puppet of his has to hold the fort there. His mom knows him best—she won't be fooled by a puppet. So he plans to tell her. And of course… tell her about the two of us."
Hephaestus nodded. That would be hard to hide. "So?"
"So I was thinking—we should prepare a gift for Tsunayoshi's mom. He'll be spending long stretches here from now on. We can't leave his mother there without any assurance."
"That's true," Hephaestus agreed. "As it happens, I don't have anything else pressing. I'll get started and make sure the gift is done right."
(End of Chapter)
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