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The wave of regret that hit him was completely expected. The urge to commit a 'Ding-Dong Dash' was repressed. The Cat-girl that answered the door was unexpectedly cute.
"Hi, are you part of the Loki Familia?" he asked politely, trying his best to give off a vibe of normalcy.
As she looked him up and down, Godou did the same. Two cat ears sprouted above her long black hair, which matched her short and strapless dress perfectly. Bracer-donned arms folded in front of her chest as she smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, we're not really looking for new members right now."
"That's fine," Godou said. "I'm not looking to join. I just need to talk to Loki."
The girl blinked. Then her lips dropped the smile and instead let out a dejected sigh.
"How much money does she owe you? I promise we'll pay you back."
"Uhm..." Godou had spent the whole morning preparing for this meeting, anticipating every possible scenario. But even a century's worth of brainstorming couldn't have prepared him for a response like that.
"Ooph!" The Cat-girl immediately realized that she let something she shouldn't have slip. Her face turned red and she covered her mouth. "W-what brings you here then, Mister..."
"Kusanagi. I'm Kusanagi Godou," he told her.
Godou didn't like the way her face lit up with recognition when he said his name. He also didn't like the way her tail and ears swished and perked up with excitement. And he most certainly did not like the way she immediately turned around, brought one hand to her mouth, and shouted, "Loki! Kusanagi Godou is here to see you!"
Before, there had been sounds of habitation in the house. The sound of utensils colliding. Idle chatter. Footsteps. But suddenly there was complete silence instead.
Indeed, that had been the response of the Hostess as well when he'd announced that he would be taking the afternoon off to visit the Loki Familia. Poor Syr had been so caught up with rambling on with her delusional fantasies afterwards that Godou was forced to stuff a fried potato into her mouth.
Unfortunately, the complete silence in the Loki Familia's headquarters also meant that Loki's squeaky and excited reply, despite being muffled by several walls, was quite audible to him and everyone else in the house.
"EH? STALL HIM! I'M STILL IN MY PAJAMAS!"
The Cat-girl smiled weakly. "There you have it. I'm Anakitty, by the way."
Godou let out an exasperated breath. "Guess I'll wait then. It's almost past lunch time, does she usually wake up so late?"
"Only when she's hungover," Anakitty said cheerfully, opening the door wider and making room for him to enter. "Would you like me to show you around the place? We have some time to kill while Loki gets ready."
Godou had mixed feelings about her offer. Screw it, he realized. There couldn't be anyone worse than Loki in her Familia, right?
XXXXXXXXXX
To his pleasant surprise, Godou was actually correct.
The adventurers of the Loki Familia were normal. In fact, Godou would have even said that they were pleasant to interact with, except Bete Loga, who kept giving him the stinkeye. Clearly the Werewolf was a very good grudge-holder. Anakitty led him around the mansion, introducing him to everyone.
Godou found watching the Loki Familia go about their daily life refreshing.
When they trained, they were serious and diligent. Godou felt oddly entranced observing them practice their magic and technique. It reminded him that the life of an adventurer wasn't an easy one, even if it was simple. He wouldn't lie, his fingers felt pretty itchy after watching them.
When they were chatting, they were polite and welcoming. Godou found it easy to talk to anyone Anakitty introduced him to, though he slightly regretted not being able to remember each and every single one of their names. The Loki Familia was much bigger than he initially thought.
When they ate, they were boisterous and relaxed. The dining hall was huge. It could probably sit about half as many as the Hostess could. Anakitty even offered to whip up an extra serving of lunch for him, which he graciously declined. He sat with the ever-silent Aiz as she ate, but the adventurers around him still gave him a very homey atmosphere.
Overall, the Loki Familia seemed to be considerate, hardworking, and normal.
Everything Loki was not.
Which was such a shame, because she'd finished freshening herself up and was now ready to see him.
He knocked on the door and opened it. "I'm coming in, Lady Loki!"
"Hi Godou, finally changed your mind?"
The redhaired goddess was sprawled across the sofa. A mischievous smile donned her face as she twirled her hair and sat up straight. The way her eyes seemed to dart up and down made Godou feel as though she was sizing him up like a piece of meat.
He was about to shoot off a witty retort but stopped himself when he realized she wasn't alone. Finn was sitting behind a mahogany desk at the back of the room, and the blond Pallum's attention was shared between him and the stack of papers on the desk. Riveria was leaning against the bookshelf, a heavy-looking book in her hand as she adjusted her glasses and gave him a greeting nod. And then there was Gareth, the stout Dwarve who was sitting in an armchair across Loki.
"Oh. I didn't expect so many people to be here," Godou admitted. "I was kind of hoping this to be a more personal talk."
"Don't be shy." Loki laughed, slapping the seat next to her. "You have to meet the Executive Committee if you want to join the Familia anyway!"
Godou blinked. "I uh...didn't come here today to join your Familia."
There was a mixture of reactions to his short, but frank, statement.
The book in Riveria's hand snapped shut.
Finn let out a giant
sigh.
Loki looked genuinely confused.
Gareth unleashed a roar of laughter.
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Want to read more?
The next 10+ chapters are already available on my Patreon!
By joining, you'll get:
📖 Early access to future chapters
🗳️ Polls to shape the story
🎁 Exclusive content for Patrons
🔥 Bonus scenes & content you won't find anywhere else
👀 Don't fall behind—others are already ahead!
👉 patreon.com/FanfictionTakashi
(If link doesn't show, just search on Google: FanfictionTakashi Patreon)