Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Chapter 269

"Hello, Miss Syr."

Kiriya raised a hand in greeting.

"Where’s Miss Ryuu?"

"H-Hello, Kiriya-san. Ryuu is in the back taking care of a few things."

Syr quickly recovered and forced a smile as she answered.

Then her gaze fell on Jeanne, and confusion appeared on her face.

"And this young lady is...?"

"Oh, this is Jeanne. She’s a new companion who just joined the Hestia Familia."

Jeanne stepped forward at the right moment and gave Syr a slight nod.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jeanne d’Arc. Kiriya has mentioned you before. Thank you very much for taking such good care of him."

The corner of Syr’s eye twitched.

She had called him Kiriya right from the start.

That was awfully intimate.

Syr herself was still calling him Kiriya-san.

And what was with that phrasing—thank you for taking such good care of him?

Wasn’t that the sort of thing a wife or girlfriend said when subtly declaring her position?

This was definitely a declaration of territory, wasn’t it?

Hestia was standing right there too.

Wasn’t Jeanne acting a little too much like the lady of the house?

And even if Syr ignored Hestia, she and Ryuu had known Kiriya first. So why was this woman somehow the one giving off the air of the main heroine?

A thousand complicated thoughts immediately ran through Syr’s mind.

"Miss Syr, are you all right? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jeanne’s voice pulled her back from her spiraling thoughts.

Then Syr met Jeanne’s clear, guileless gaze, and the faint resentment in her heart disappeared almost instantly.

’Such a pure eyes... and such a pure soul. Even the most flawless jewel in the world could hardly compare.’

Syr stared for a moment.

’She really was just thanking me. So... I was the one reading too much into it?’

"Hey, Syr! How long are you going to stand there? Hurry up and bring us the menu!"

Hestia had already taken a seat at the table. Seeing Syr still standing there in a daze, she slapped the tabletop and called out impatiently.

"Ah! Right, coming!"

Syr snapped back to reality and hurriedly brought the menu over.

"I’ll have one steak, one serving of lamb chops, fried meatballs, seafood fried rice..."

Hestia rattled off one signature dish after another with practiced familiarity, making Jeanne’s eyelids twitch.

"That’s enough, Hestia. If you order too much, we won’t be able to finish it."

Jeanne hurriedly tried to stop her. After all, she was now part of the Hestia Familia too, so naturally she had to think about the finances of their household.

"It’s fine. Today is a special occasion, so there’s nothing wrong with splurging once in a while."

Hestia was all smiles as she pointed at Kiriya.

"Besides, this guy has a huge appetite. No matter how much we order, he can finish it."

Jeanne looked toward him questioningly.

Kiriya smiled and nodded.

"Don’t worry. Nothing will go to waste."

Syr mechanically wrote down everything they ordered, but her mind had already wandered somewhere else.

’That looks so nice. I want to eat together with Kiriya-san too. And if I could feed him myself... that would be even better.’

The thought of certain scenes filled with pink bubbles made Syr’s cheeks turn red.

"Idiot Syr! What are you standing there spacing out for? Bring me the customers’ order already!"

Mia had just finished preparing a dish when she poked her head out and saw Syr staring blankly into space.

Her temper immediately flared.

Syr jolted and hurried over to hand Kiriya’s order to her.

"Seriously, the place is already busy enough. Don’t start slacking off now, stupid daughter."

Mia sighed, then noticed Syr repeatedly sneaking glances back toward the table and could not resist giving her another warning.

"You’ve seen it yourself. That brat is a complete womanizer, and there’s always another girl appearing beside him. I’m telling you, you’re better off not making trouble for yourself."

"What are you talking about, Mama Mia?"

Syr smiled brightly.

"There’s no way I’d give up just because of a little difficulty. Don’t underestimate how stubborn a girl can be when she’s serious about love."

"Ottar and Hedin already tried before, and their strength was practically a joke to that brat. Even a Goddess of Beauty’s Charm doesn’t work on him, so monopolizing him is basically impossible."

Mia continued trying to reason with her, but when she saw how little Syr seemed to care, something suddenly occurred to her.

"Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to share him with the other women... You’re—"

"Mama Mia, Hestia is a goddess too, and even she hasn’t objected, has she?"

Syr left those words behind and turned away, her graceful movements perfectly blending a young woman’s softness with her natural liveliness.

"Whatever. Do what you want. I’m done worrying about you."

Mia clicked her tongue, shook her head, and returned to preparing the food.

With the hand speed of a Level 6, she soon had dish after dish ready and arranged across the table.

The spread was dazzling, while the rich aromas alone were enough to make anyone’s appetite surge.

Hestia immediately forgot all about maintaining a goddess’s dignity and dug in with both hands, eating with great enthusiasm.

Kiriya occasionally placed more food onto her plate, and Hestia accepted everything without hesitation.

Before long, her cheeks were puffed out like those of a greedy little hamster, making Jeanne stare in surprise before breaking into an amused smile.

"The gods of this world really don’t put on airs at all."

"You should eat too. These are some of the most distinctive dishes in all of Orario. There are plenty of techniques and flavors here you won’t find anywhere else."

Kiriya placed several pieces of meat into Jeanne’s bowl and urged her to try them.

"Mm."

Jeanne gave him a sweet smile before picking up a piece and slowly chewing it.

Her eyes immediately brightened.

"It really is delicious."

"Hahaha, of course! Mama Mia’s cooking is definitely the best in Orario—no, the best in the whole world, nya!"

An orange-haired catgirl named Anya happened to be walking past. Hearing Jeanne’s praise, she proudly puffed out her chest.

"If you like it, you can come eat here every day!"

As one of the tavern’s waitresses, she never forgot to bring in more business.

In a word—Dedicated.

"Then I’ll have to come more often."

Jeanne readily played along.

"Mm-hm! Especially you, mister."

Anya leaned down and casually hooked an arm around Kiriya’s shoulders before lowering her voice.

"You haven’t been here in a while. Syr and Ryuu have both missed you a lot. They keep spacing out while they’re working."

"Really?"

Kiriya looked somewhat doubtful.

After all, this catgirl had a habit of exaggerating things, so the accuracy of that statement was questionable.

"Talking behind your coworkers’ backs isn’t something a proper employee should be doing, Anya."

A cool voice suddenly sounded from behind her, making every hair on Anya’s tail stand on end.

"Ah! R-Ryuu! Weren’t you moving things around in the back?"

Anya looked toward the beautiful blond elf and immediately began stumbling over her words.

"I’ve already finished."

Ryuu’s expression remained calm, but there was unmistakable pressure in her gaze.

"It seems I came back at just the right time. Otherwise, I might never have heard what you apparently think of me, Anya."

"Ah! Mama Mia is calling me! I need to go serve food!"

Thinking quickly, Anya immediately chose retreat as the best strategy and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Hey, Miss Ryuu. Good evening."

Kiriya greeted her with a cheerful smile.

"Mm. You want a beer?"

Ryuu did not look at him.

Her gaze remained fixed somewhere else entirely, and even her voice was perfectly flat, without the slightest fluctuation in tone.

Kiriya glanced at the still-full mug sitting on his table.

"No, I was just—"

"So you want a large one. Understood."

Before Kiriya could finish, Ryuu had already turned and walked away.

Throughout the entire exchange, she had not looked at him once.

"That’s obviously weird."

Hestia chewed on her food as she gave Kiriya a sideways glance, her words slightly muffled.

"Kiriya, did you do something to make her angry?"

Jeanne leaned closer and lowered her voice as well.

"Kiriya, did something happen between you two?"

"What could I have done? I didn’t do anything."

Kiriya looked completely baffled.

All he had done was save her in the Dungeon, kill the Juggernaut that had become her nightmare, and later fight beside her against the Freya Familia.

How had that aloof elf somehow ended up acting this awkward around him?

Thud.

Ryuu returned without looking at him and placed the beer on the table. She said nothing before immediately turning away again.

Her steps were so hurried that she looked as though something terrifying were chasing her from behind.

She made it all the way into the kitchen in one breath, then grabbed a wooden barrel meant for garbage and started carrying it outside without a word.

"Idiot, that barrel was just cleaned."

Mia shouted after her, but Ryuu showed no reaction whatsoever and simply kept walking.

"Seriously, none of these girls ever give me a moment’s peace."

Mia grumbled before turning back to the food she was cooking.