Passing through the eastern wall of Orario, Bell and Ais made their way back. Cradled in Ais's arms was a white sword, warm to the touch. Yet, beneath that gentle warmth lay a heat extreme enough to reduce elite adventurers and monsters to ash in seconds.
Sun had begun its descent, casting a curtain of pale orange over the city as evening surrendered to night.
They continued in silence, eyes fixed on the path leading straight to Loki Familia's Twilight Manor.
"So, you're like, forbidden from roaming around at night without supervision from another executive?" Bell asked, keeping his gaze trained ahead.
"Mmn." Ais hummed in agreement, sneaking a sideways glance at him.
"I can understand why. What if you get deceived by someone?" He mused, nodding to himself.
Ais didn't reply. Instead, her cheeks puffed out as a whisper escaped her lips.
"...I'm not a child."
She pinched Snowflake's spine forcefully—using the sword as a clear stand-in for Bell's face. He caught her gesture from the corner of his eye and wisely chose not to push further.
Silence settled between them once more.
"Say, Ais... Have you ever thought about what you'd do after achieving your goal?" Bell asked, his gaze lifting to the sky, which bled together like a melting painting of light. It was a question to himself as much as to her.
Ais tilted her head, her brows scrunching together. Bell kept his eyes locked above, watching clouds drift with lazy energy, as if they had all the time in the world.
Several minutes passed before Ais finally spoke, her tone uncertain.
"Live?"
Bell snapped his eyes to her, face blank. Slowly, his expression melted into a light smile.
Live, huh?
"I'll buy you a treat before we reach Twilight Manor. You should be hungry, right?" He asked, glancing around for any nearby food stalls.
Ais stared at him, eyes slightly dazed.
"First time being treated by someone of the opposite gender?" Bell asked as she continued to study his face.
Without waiting for a reply, he headed toward a nearby crepe stall. She said she liked crepes earlier, right?
"A crepe, please."
A woman with a long ponytail worked the stall, glancing up at his voice. She blinked once, taking in his features, then jerked upright. Her hands flew to her chest, eyes sparkling.
"Are you, by any chance, Bell Cranel?" she asked, barely containing her enthusiasm.
Bell felt his smile crack. He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly awkward. People looked at him like some kind of savior, completely ignorant that he was the very reason a war of that scale happened in the first place.
Honestly, I would've preferred to stay under the radar for as long as possible. But it is what it is.
"Haah... I'm Bell Cranel."
"Oh my gosh, I'm a huge fan—!" The woman squealed.
He tuned her out after the word 'fan' left her mouth, letting the rest of her rambling go in one ear and out the other.
After what felt like a solid minute of droning, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Ahem. My crepe, please."
She blinked, snapping out of her daze. "S-sorry! Here you go!" She then thrust the crepe toward him, flustered and red-faced.
"It's alright, I understand." Bell waved it off and reached into his pocket to pay, only for his fingers to close around empty air.
Fuck.
"Miss, do you take credit here?" He asked, his smile twitching, feeling mortified inside.
"Oh... Don't worry about it. Just consider it my treat." She said with a warm smile.
Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Bell looked back at her to offer a parting compliment.
"Thank you, miss. You look beautiful, by the way."
"Oh my~" She clutched her chest, but Bell had already pivoted on his heel and walked away.
"Bell, take my address before you go~" She called after him.
He froze for a second before scrambling away even faster. Reaching Ais, he grabbed her hand and dragged her along with him.
They didn't stop until they were a considerable distance away.
Bell then handed the crepe over, but before taking it, Ais stared at him blankly and asked,
"Why would someone give you their address?"
Bell opened his mouth, then closed it. What was he supposed to say to this innocent creature?
"It's nothing. She just wanted to hear me sing, so she invited me over to her home." He tried to brush it off casually.
Ais seemed to accept this. Then, to free up a hand for the treat, she shifted her grip on Snowflake. Wrapping one arm securely across her chest, she pinned the white rapier against her torso, seemingly reluctant to let it leave her embrace even for a moment.
With her now-free hand, she reached out and took the crepe from him, taking a small bite as she held Snowflake tight.
"... I want to hear you sing too... Should I invite you inside Twilight Manor?" She asked between bites.
Bell's legs petrified on the spot, refusing to move forward.
If Loki heard those words...
"Something wrong?" Ais asked, taking another bite. Mid-chew, she glanced down at her half-eaten crepe, then back up at his face.
Before he could reply, she silently pushed it toward him.
Bell looked at her, then her offered crepe, half-eaten.
"It's fine, I'm full." He tried to decline.
Ais didn't react, instead pushing the crepe closer to his face.
"I really am." Another push, and the pastry nearly smooshed against his cheek.
"You're so stubborn, Ais." With a resigned sigh, he opened his mouth and took a bite, earning a satisfied nod from her.
They continued toward Twilight Manor from there. Along the way, Ais would push the crepe toward his face each time, forcing him to open his mouth for another bite.
Bell wouldn't admit it, but he loved every moment of it.
By the time they reached Twilight Manor's gates, the crepe was gone.
Ais stepped toward its entrance, then turned back to face him. Wind stirred through her hair, Snowflake clutched to her chest, and a slight curl lifted the corner of her lip.
Bell looked at that. Smiled.
And turned on his heel.
"Goodbye."
His whisper floated to her as he walked away.
Ais pulled Snowflake tighter against her chest, seeking its warmth as his shrinking back grew smaller and smaller.
"Bell..."
Only his name was left on her lips.
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
I really have a soft spot for Ais, because she reminds me a lot of Artoria Pendragon, my favourite in all anime. So, I might be a bit more biased with her compared to Goddess Astraea, still writing about Ais and Bell's interaction was really interesting, hope I did justice to at least Ais' personality.
In fact, many people would've wanted something spicy to happen, but I don't think something like that will happen so soon, because both of them are people, not cardboards, its better to let their bond develop and emotions build till a crescendo before any sparks ignite.
Anyway... Take care and have a phenomenal day, everyone!