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

Miss Chunji timidly looked up at me and asked me hesitantly.

"Of course." I was delighted and readily agreed, and she quickly extended her right hand.

"May I hold Haruhime's hand...?"

“Eh!”

The unexpected request left me speechless.

Froze on the spot, I knew my face was burning. I felt a slight sweat on my forehead, and I was about to say, "Uh, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"... but Miss Haruhime's face was flushed, and her outstretched hand was still waiting.

Her trembling fox tail and ears made me feel so sorry for her. Without understanding what was going on, I cautiously touched her slender little hand.

"what……"

Good ice.

Miss Haruhime's right hand was shockingly cold.

It was already early summer, yet... she must have washed a lot of clothes with water early that morning, which was why her hands were so cold.

I reflexively grasped that cold hand, and Miss Haruhime's shoulders twitched, and she shook her body and tail awkwardly.

"W-Could you please cover it with your hands...?"

"Ah, okay..."

I immediately complied with her request.

I wrapped my hands around Miss Haruhime's cold right hand, and she placed her left hand on the back of mine, as if we were shaking hands.

What's going on here?

Still fidgety, Miss Haruhime closed her eyes and gripped my hand tightly, as if wanting to feel the warmth of my palm. Her face—and mine too—was flushed.

My heart was pounding faster and faster, and I'm not exaggerating; I really started to shrink back.

"What are you doing, Haruhime?"

“Ahh!?”

We held hands for about a minute.

Suddenly, a deep voice called out Miss Haruhime's name from very close range, startling her so much that she jumped up.

I was startled too. Right to our side, the deity was standing with his arms crossed and legs apart, facing our clasped hands.

Her jet-black twin ponytails were like the surging waves of a goddess. "Heave-ho!" A chop to the neck slashed at our hands.

Ouch! ? I let go of Chunji's hand.

"Bell is already a worry, but you're an even bigger headache for me, Haruhime~. I'm so worried about you, I have to keep a close eye on you all the time~"

"H-Goddess Hestia!? No, no, there's a deep reason for this...!"

"You're blushing so much, and you say there's a deep reason?"

The outrageous behavior of Miss Chunji, who lives a secluded life in her boudoir and is naive to the ways of the world, seems to have angered the gods.

Only then did her azure eyes completely forget about me, staring intently at the fox-girl. I was held back by her fidgeting twin tails, covered in sweat—it was so embarrassing to be seen by a fairy—I dared not move, and Miss Haruhime hurriedly gestured to explain the situation.

When I heard about the request, the deity glared at me, but after hearing the explanation, he unexpectedly became serious and crossed his arms.

"Hmm, I see. Well, there's nothing we can do about it then—"

"Then... then...!"

"—You~ thought~ I~ would say~ that?!?!"

"Goddess, please forgive me!?"

The deity had just nodded generously when he suddenly raised his hands high in a rage, feigning an attack that startled Miss Chunji, causing her to scream and cower in fear, covering her head with her hands. The deity swung his arms wildly, causing his even fuller breasts, which were more voluptuous than Miss Chunji's, to sway.

The argument between the former noblewoman and the furious, somewhat foolish goddess made my face twitch.

"Haruhime! I forgot to mention, in my [Family], impure interactions between the opposite sexes are strictly forbidden, and boys are also not allowed to shake hands with girls!"

“Eh!?”

Shock—!? Miss Haruhime was taken aback.

Uh, this is the first time I've heard of this either...

Besides, if even holding hands isn't allowed, it might cause problems when exploring dungeons...

"Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm known as one of the three top 3 virgin goddesses of the heavens, and I'm very strict about discipline!" the goddess said condescendingly. Miss Chunji froze, her gaze shifting between me and the goddess Hestia, before finally hanging her head dejectedly.

"I am very sorry, Goddess Hestia... I will be more careful in the future."

"Yes, I'm glad you understand."

Seeing that Miss Chunji was clearly dejected, the immortal nodded solemnly.

Miss Haruhime curled up into a small ball and turned her back to me, following the faction's rules—just as I was thinking this.

The thick tail that extended from the waist swayed gently, then rustled.

It wrapped around my left wrist as if its tail had started moving on its own.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The tail made a soft squeaking sound, and both I and the immortals were speechless.

Miss Chunji remained listless with her back to me, her fox ears twitching.

"Heave-ho!"

"null!?"

The deity once again used a hand chop to knock off Miss Chunji's tail.

The fox girl let out a fox-like cry.

Seeing the goddess fly into a rage again, and the girl desperately bowing and apologizing, I broke out in a cold sweat under the early summer sky.

*

"Listen up, everyone! I'm not telling you not to date, but you can't disrupt public order."

After breakfast, the deity spoke these words in front of everyone.

In the spacious living room on the first floor of the mansion, we were summoned by the gods before heading off to explore the dungeon, and we sat around the table.

Today, a rare day off for a god, I look around at everyone's faces.

"Therefore, in my [familia], boys are not allowed to have contact with girls, nor are they allowed to hold hands."

"You're being too domineering!!"

Upon hearing the deity announce this with his eyes closed, Lily angrily retorted.

Miss Haruhime, who was practically the culprit behind this conversation, seemed very apologetic. After serving tea to everyone in her maid outfit, she curled up in a chair.

Hmm... this could be considered a rule that [familias], whose things and attributes are governed by the gods, would have... but prohibiting contact seems a bit unreasonable from a practical standpoint...

"If that's the case, then Goddess Hestia is no exception, right!? You're also forbidden from having any contact with Lord Bell and Lord Welf!?"

"I...I am the supreme deity!?"

"So what if he's the supreme deity! If the supreme deity doesn't set an example, do you think his followers will listen to him!?"

How am I supposed to update my [ability stats] like this? — In that case, please don't set up random rules in the first place — and so on, the fairy and Lily were arguing fiercely across the table.

Like me, Miss Fate was also sweating, while Welf sighed softly.

"In short! Excessive contact is strictly prohibited, and you are absolutely forbidden from dating children from other factions!"

“Eh!?”

The latter part of the deity's speech prompted me to react.

"What, Belle, isn't this perfectly normal? Or are you trying to get close to some kid from another faction? You're not going to tell me you want to date them, are you?"

"Uh, no, well... I didn't mean that..."

The deity's inexplicably barbed tone left me speechless.

Interacting with members of other factions with whom you have no connection, or even discussing forbidden love, will harm your [Family]. The deity is right; it's only natural, and while that's true...

I looked around the table. Even Lily, who had just defied the deity, had closed her eyes, put on a stern face, and remained silent. Miss Haruhime kept stealing glances at me and the deity, and Welf said, "There's really no other way," and put his hand on his neck.

makes sense……

I was dejected and did not resist the gods.

"Excuse me, does this decision mean that... well, one cannot harbor feelings of love or affection for deities?"

At this moment, Miss Ming timidly raised her hand to ask a question.

Seeing her cheeks slightly flushed, both the immortal and we were taken aback.

"Oh, right, fate is on A-Jian's side..."

"N-No! It wasn't directed at Takemikazuchi! I...I was just...!?"

"If that's the case, I won't interfere! Wait—that's not right!?"

At that moment, the fairy seemed to have thought of something, and her twin ponytails bounced.

"On the contrary, I think it's great! Gods and children coming together for a romantic encounter! Of course, we absolutely can't let some weird god fool us, but if it's a good person like Ah-Jian with a noble divine nature, then it's perfectly fine!"

"A call...?"

We were all taken aback when we heard her voice suddenly become high-pitched and drift far away.

When the deity used unfamiliar terms, leaving Miss Chunji puzzled, the goddess Hestia greeted me with a radiant smile.

"Isn't this just like the fairy-tale romance between a fairy and a child that was popular before we arrived?! Right, Belle!? You think it's so dreamy and wonderful, don't you!?"

"Huh! Uh, um..."

When the question was suddenly asked of me, I nodded ambiguously.

The love story between "fairies" and humans or demi-humans is indeed one of the story themes that has been passed down from ancient times to the present.

But fairy tales... especially heroic tales, mostly end in tragic love stories.

Ignoring my panic, Lily seemed to suddenly notice something and leaned her upper body forward.

"No, Lord Bell!? Don't let her trick you into falling in love with a god! The love affairs of those gods whose ages are unknown are the most complicated! They're all bound to be clingy! Once you're entangled with them, you'll have to support them for the rest of your life until they die!!"

"Hey—!? What do you take us for—!?"

Lily vehemently denied it, saying that it was utterly absurd to talk about love with the gods who were beyond existence, Deus Dea. Goddess Hestia first scolded her, and then looked at Welf.

"What do you think, Welf!?"

"I... think Goddess Hestia is right."

"Are you serious, Lord Welf!?"

"There's no need to define love between humans and gods as forbidden love, is there? There are plenty of people who are favored and cherished by the gods. If the gods wish it, there's nothing strange about humans establishing an equal relationship with the gods. At least I would want to establish such a relationship."

Upon hearing Welf's answer, Lily exclaimed loudly, and I couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

"Huh! Welf, you're interested in the goddess...?"

"I love only the goddess Hephaestus."

"Oh—!? Hmm, you can't find such a genuine child these days! Welf, I support you!"

"Uh, oh..."

I also heard him talk to Miss Tsubaki on the 18th floor, but... just as I was feeling shocked, Goddess Hestia became smug and slapped Welf, who was sitting next to her, several times.

Welf was bewildered when a deity much shorter than himself patted him on the shoulder.

"Did you hear that, Belle!? Love knows no race or whether you're human or god!?"

Seeing the immortal seize the opportunity and become smug, I couldn't help but shrink back in my chair.

Before they knew it, the conversation had turned into a discussion about love with the gods.

The calm and collected Welf and the blushing Miss Fate were supporters of the gods' opinion.