Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"It feels like when Eina looks at that child, it's like she's looking at her younger brother, like she can't just leave him alone. Whether she's talking to him, getting angry, worrying, or even when she mentions his gentle smile, she always has that feeling."

She's totally like an older sister.

Eina was somewhat surprised to see Misha smiling as she spoke these words.

Am I being a little too protective?

"..."

Eina looked back at the room. Bell was blushing and flustered, while Ais smiled and said something, making his face even redder. This scene kept repeating itself.

Looking at the two of them, who brought a smile to everyone's face, Eina said with some emotion.

"Yes... I can't keep treating him like a younger brother."

After all, it's impossible to take care of him for the rest of his life.

No, it should be said that sooner or later the boy will break free from Eina's protection and become independent.

Because he's an adventurer.

Eina had already foreseen the joy, pride, and loneliness that would come with that deadline.

Eina knew that the sibling relationship had to end.

The boy's face was flushed, and he seemed to be mustering his courage to ask the girl for something. Watching his figure, Eina narrowed her eyes with a sense of loneliness.

"You can't keep treating him like a younger brother... So does that mean Eina has to treat that child like a man and then act without hesitation?"

"Misha... what are you saying...!?"

"Wow, Eina is truly farsighted!"

Faced with Misha's teasing, Eina couldn't help but shout.

—What kind of relationship will we have after we break away from the sibling relationship?

Eina pondered this matter in a corner of her mind, while simultaneously scolding her colleague with an expression that turned bright red.

Short Story: Goddess's Part-Time Job Anecdotes

The online translation is from the Kingdom of Light

Translation: cleverchm

Image source: uiop031

The day after the Monster Festival incident had settled down.

Bell, full of pride, took his new weapon, "Hestia's Blade," to the dungeon to grind monsters.

Meanwhile, the two pillar gods are meeting.

"Then, according to our agreement, you'd better get to work properly."

"Please, please show mercy..."

Before Hephaestus, the goddess of blacksmithing who stood majestically with her arms crossed, Hestia stammered.

This is the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia. The curtains blocked out the sunlight, casting a dim light over the office, creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

Facing Hestia, who was trembling and desperately trying to force a stiff smile, the red-haired, red-eyed goddess looked down at her and raised her chin, letting out a soft snort through her nose.

“Have mercy? Sorry, I won’t show any mercy to fools who have huge debts and turn a blind eye to them.”

Seeing the cold-hearted words and actions of her friend, Hestia realized a terrifying truth: her friend had already abandoned her.

A few days ago, in order to support the determination of her fellow clan member, Bell, Hestia bought a weapon from the great blacksmithing faction, the Hephaestus Familia. This weapon could probably only be made by the goddess who is known as a divine craftswoman in the heavens—that is, the one in front of us—because the method of making it is very special, so there is only one in the whole world.

Of course, the cost was enormous. As a result, Hestia incurred a debt far exceeding her ability to pay—a debt that would likely make Bell faint on the spot if he knew about it, given that she had obtained the weapon.

Hestia is currently awaiting specific instructions from Hephaestus in order to pay off her debts.

"You'll have to work at one of our lower-level stores first. All your daily wages will go towards paying off debts, so you won't get paid. Of course, I'll take your current work schedule into account, so you'll still be able to earn some money for food. I'm thinking of you, so just work hard for me."

"Woooo..."

"Working hours are in principle eight hours a day, with no overtime pay, and rest days are... two days a month."

"A ghost! A demon! Aa ...

Hestia cried out.

"What are you talking about? You don't even deserve a break, do you? You think you can easily pay it off within the deadline? Keep dreaming."

"You... what you said might make sense... no, but you're clearly trying to make me die from overwork, Hephaestus!?"

"I don't deny it."

Why don't you deny it for once!?

"After all, if I overlook you, you'll definitely become despondent, so this is perfect opportunity. From now on, you'll be my slave."

Hephaestus, who held the power of life and death over Hestia, coldly declared.

Hephaestus brushed her red hair off the huge eyeband with her hand, then squinted at her exposed left eye.

“'I’ll prove to Hephaestus with my body that my love for Bell is genuine.'...You said that, didn’t you? Then prove your love to me properly.”

"Damn it!?!"

Bell, the young goddess's lament echoed through the void.

Then, two more days passed.

"Waaah, I didn't get any rest..."

Hestia was already hoarse from working for days on end.

This is the Tower of Babel, a skyscraper that stands in the heart of the labyrinthine city. Her workplace is a tiny shop on the fourth floor. Adventurers are pouring in, so the shop is currently overwhelmed with customers—

Faced with this unprecedented busyness, all the remaining energy in this young body was completely drained.

Hestia looked at the red apron-style work uniform she was wearing and sighed, thinking, "The uniform is actually quite cute."

"Hey newbie over there, stop talking nonsense and get to work! You can't even handle it on your second day?"

The half-dwarf shopkeeper, only three times her own head tall, warned, "No…" Hestia replied weakly. It seemed she had already warned them not to be polite to her; all the demi-human shop assistants around her showed her no respect and bossed her around at will. It seemed Hephaestus truly showed no mercy to Hestia. Hestia first stretched her body, which was about to collapse, then raised her head to look at the sea of ​​people in the shop.

Oh dear, we have more guests. This time it seems to be a couple.

They appeared to be a human boy and a half-elf girl. How wonderful! I'm so envious! I wish I could go on a date with my own kind too—Hestia thought to herself as she arrived at the shop entrance.

Seeing the white-haired human boy, who seemed somewhat familiar, and with her tired brain still unable to think clearly, Hestia put on her well-practiced business smile, which she had been wearing for the past two days.

"Welcome! Dear guests, how can I help you?"

A scene from the short story about elves

"..."

Ryu, an elf, was looking at her palm.

The location is a tavern called "The Abundant Mistress," where the overnight staff are preparing for opening early in the morning.

Many cat people were ventilating and cleaning, but only Ryu stopped what she was doing.

"Ryu, what's wrong, meow? You've been spacing out since yesterday... Are you feeling unwell, meow?"

"No, I'm sorry... I'm fine."

Anya asked the cat-girl who was moving a table.

Faced with the girl wagging her tail incessantly, Ryu immediately answered, but her gaze remained fixed on her palm.

(...I let him hold my hand.)

Something that happened yesterday afternoon is weighing heavily on her mind.

A young boy's dagger, a personal item belonging to an acquaintance, was stolen by a dwarf. When she retrieved the dagger and returned it to the thief, he grasped her hand in gratitude. And at that moment, Ryu didn't feel any resistance.

Ryuu revealed a curious expression as she pondered, which also awakened memories of the past.

In the past, Ryu was an adventurer.

She belongs to a certain [Family] and spends each day in Orario surrounded by her companions.

"Seriously, you actually beat up five adventurers... It's true that they were wrong to provoke us, but you still went too far, Gale!"

"I'm sorry, Alize."

The two were sitting on the roof. Ryu's best friend from the [Family], who loved heights, had brought her here and then began to lecture her.

Elves with high self-esteem and beautiful appearances have a custom of "not allowing people they do not agree with to touch them," but not all elves are like this. This is related to their environment since birth, so Ryu is often troubled by this custom.

The girl, who thought "your name is too troublesome to pronounce" and therefore called herself Gale, gave a mischievous smirk.

"Well~ but I think your intuition is pretty accurate, isn't it? After all, you've never swatted away my outstretched hand, have you?"

The girl grasped Ryu's hand and then raised it directly to her chest.

Ryu would often slap away the hands of others who tried to touch her, especially those she was meeting for the first time. But she had never slapped away the hand of the girl in front of her.

During their first encounter, she took his hand and invited him to join the group with a big smile.

Ryu felt that the cheerful girl had a pure heart, which is why she accepted her immediately.

"Yes...you are indeed very beautiful, and you are always very positive. You treat everyone with kindness and without any barriers. I respect you very much."

Ryu spoke earnestly, but her best friend blushed instantly.

At this moment, the color on her cheeks was exactly the same as her beautiful red hair.

"You said such shy things so calmly... You really are a very proper elf..."

Seeing her companion's face flushed and her voice hushed, Ryu tilted her head. Then, as if to change the subject, her companion suddenly said loudly, "Let's not talk about this for now, Hayate."

"Listen carefully! If one day a man appears who can hold your hand, no matter how ugly or frail he is, you can't run away! After all, the number of men you can accept is extremely small! You could say they're an endangered species, absolutely!"

"Absolutely, is it?"

Absolutely!

Seeing her assertion, Ryu lowered her head and fell into deep thought. Then she kept her best friend's words in mind.

The two sat side by side, admiring the streetscape of Orario, and that's what happened that day.

Consciousness finally returned from that irreplaceable memory.

As Ryu looked at her slender, fair hands, she thought about Bell.

The white-haired, red-eyed boy didn't seem very reliable. But during our brief conversation, I sensed that his heart was as flawless as his hair color.

This innocent-looking boy with a pure smile is probably the true love that his best friend mentioned.

(But he is...)

After repeatedly pondering her best friend's words, Ryu, who had just returned to work, witnessed this scene.

Outside the window, a girl working with him inside the store was handing out a lunchbox, which the boy took.

It's unclear when it started, but this female colleague began bringing lunch to the boy who was preparing to go to the dungeon every day.

Hill's face beamed with happiness, while Bell smiled apologetically.

“…Alizee, I knew I couldn’t do that.”

Seeing this scene, Liu smiled.

That was the object of Hill's affections—she was also his benefactor—and he absolutely could not do something like stealing her away.

Ryu left the place while softly calling her best friend's name.

*

Then, a few more days passed.

Liu is making lunch in the kitchen.

—Because, the good-for-nothing Hill slept in.

Just now, this colleague rushed into the tavern saying, "Please help me stall Mr. Bell!?", but that was impossible. Ryu knew that Hill always spent over an hour experimenting while making lunch.

Ryu, who is naturally loyal and earnest, decides to help her colleague cook and then walks towards Bell, who is being stopped at the shop entrance.

"Ah... Miss Ryu?"

“Mr. Crannie, Hill is busy with preparations right now... This is what she asked me to give you.”