Authors note:
Daylights savings time so for some people around the world the chapter might be like an hour later than usual, but what can ya do
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The Hostess of Fertility was busier than Yuji expected by the time he had exited the Dungeon. The Sun was beginning to set when he had made it out.
He'd returned from the Dungeon under an hour ago and went back to the Twilight Manor to have a shower to wash off the dirt and grime that accumulated from the Dungeon crawl. He didn't exactly feel like eating in today, no offence to Marlene and her cooking, but after spending eight hours in the Dungeon surrounded by damp stone and silence, he needed a change of pace.
The tavern was exactly the same as when he visited last time he came with Loki Familia for their celebration dinner, before things turned sour and awkward.
Yuji pushed through the double doors and stepped inside.
The interior was warm and well-lit, packed with a mix of adventurers and civilians occupying nearly every table. The smell of roasted meat and fresh bread hit him first, accompanied by the distinct scent of ale and fruity liquor.
At the bar counter that ran alongside one wall, the large woman known as Mia Grande was directing the waitresses and making sure everything ran smoothly. Seeing Yuji step in, she yelled out across the room to him. "Seat yourself if you can find one! If you can't, wait by the door and don't block traffic!"
Yuji spotted an empty seat by the far end of the counter, tucked away into the corner where the L shape met the wall. He made his way over and sat down on the wooden stool, lowering his hood and taking in the environment.
The moment he settled in, a waitress appeared by his side. She was the elf he saw last time he was here, tall with green hair and blue eyes. She wore the standard tavern's green uniform but her eyes were dead set neutral despite the chaos around her.
"Good evening. Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility." Her voice was measured and polite, carrying the same professional routine of having said this line over and over. "May I take your order?"
"Whatever the house special is tonight, and water." Yuji replied succinctly to her.
The elf nodded and began to turn when she paused, her blue eyes lingering on him for a moment longer before she asked, making sure her voice was low. "Are you a new member of Loki Familia?"
Yuji raised a brow at her question, "How would you know if I was?"
"You came with them last time, and Loki Familia seldom spends time with people outside of their own Familia." She replied with the same neutral tone.
"Hmm, that right?" Yuji hummed and leaned on his hand, propping his elbow against the table. "What if I am."
"I see." The elf said, before nodding at him. "Congratulations. I will return with your order shortly." She turned to walk away right away, gliding between the tables with little difficulty despite how crowded and rowdy the people here were.
Yuji could tell she wasn't just a mere waitress, unless he was led to believe waitresses in this world were strong enough to that most people in this tavern would pose no threat to them.
Before he could dwell on it for much longer, a different presence slid into the seat beside him.
"Hiii there, nya! Haven't seen your face before!"
A brown haired girl with cat ears and a matching tail plopped herself onto the adjacent stool, her green apron slightly askew and her expression radiated pure extrovert energy.
"You're tall, nya! And your hair is really pretty! Is that natural, nya?" She leaned in, her ears twitching with curiosity. "Oh! Oh! Are you from the Far East? We don't get many from there, nya!"
"Anya." A voice cut in from behind. The elf had returned with Yuji's water, her expression unchanged but her tone carried a sense of tired exasperation. "You have tables to attend to."
"But Ryuu, he just sat down, nya! Someone has to make him feel welcome!"
"This is what taking his order accomplished. Which I have already done."
"You're no fun, nya." Anya's ears flattened, but she didn't move. Instead, she turned back to Yuji with a renewed sense of interest. "So? So? What's your name, nya? Where are you from? How old are you? Are you friends with Loki Familia? Are you single, nya?"
Before Yuji could even come up with a reply, someone else interjected.
"Anya." This time the voice came from behind the counter. The large woman known, Mia Grand, hadn't even looked up from the plates she was arranging, but her voice made Anya's body twitch from its tone. "Get your tail back to work or I'll dock your pay."
"Nyaaa! So mean, Mama Mia!"
The catgirl scrambled off the stool and disappeared into the crowd, her tail swishing behind her, looking depressed. Ryuu watched her go with an exasperated sigh, having witnessed something like this countless times.
"I apologize for the disturbance. She would do anything if it means she gets to slack off." Ryuu said, placing the water in front of him.
"I don't mind." Yuji said, offering a wry smile.
"Most do not, initially. By the fifth visit, it becomes testing." For a moment, something that might have resembled amusement crossed her facial features before she turned to return to her duties,
Yuji sipped his water and watched the tavern around him bustle with life. The waitresses moved between tables with years of experience under their aprons. A second catgirl with black hair was attempting to sneak toward the back entrance when Mia's voice boomed across the room without the woman turning around.
"Chloe, I can see you."
"Tch."
The black haired catgirl reversed course with a look of genuine frustration before returning to her section.
A third waitress, this one with ash grey hair and a gentle smile, was carrying an empty tray as she passed by Yuji. She paused as she did so, her eyes meeting him for a brief moment. There was something in that brief glance of hers which Yuji picked up on, a quiet assessment masked by a friendly expression, and it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand.
"Enjoy your meal." She said warmly and continued past.
Yuji watched her go, his expression not betraying the slight sense of wariness that made his instincts flare when she locked eyes with him.
His food arrived a few minutes later, delivered by Ryuu. She placed down a plate of roasted meat and grilled vegetables, heavily seasoned and accompanied by thick bread. The portion was quite generous and the smell alone told him it would be good.
"Enjoy." Ryuu said as she returned to her work.
Yuji was three bites into his food when a familiar voice reached his ears from the other end of the tavern.
"-and he just keeps talking about her! 'Miss Whatchamacallit this, Miss Whatsherface that!' I swear, Take, if I hear that name one more time, I'm going to scream!"
Yuji looked over his shoulder and spotted the familiar pair.
In a corner booth near the back of the pub, two figures were hunched over a table crowded with empty cuts and half-eaten food. One was Hestia and the other was Takemikazuchi. Her face was flushed pink, with her gestures growing larger and more animated with each word.
Takemikazuchi instead had on a wry smile as he patiently listened to her vent and complained about how her only Familia member was doing. His own cup was barely touched as the tirade had been going on for at least thirty minutes.
"Hestia, perhaps-" Takemikazuchi attempted to speak but was quickly interrupted.
"Don't 'perhaps' me! You don't understand! She's out there being all tall and beautiful and strong with her stupid golden hair and her stupid golden eyes and her stupid sword, and my bell is just…" Hestia took a large drink of her cup and slammed it down onto the table. "He's falling for it! The Wallensomething trap!"
"I believe her name is Wallenstein."
"I know what her name is! I refuse to say it properly on principle!"
Takemikazuchi let out a sigh, lifting his cup and taking a measured sip.
"Bell is young, Hestia. Young men often admire those they aspire to be like. It doesn't necessarily mean-"
"Oh, don't give me the 'it's just admiration speech. Take, I've seen the look in his eyes when he talks about her. That's not admiration. That's…" She started gesturing wildly, knocking a few empty mugs over. "That's the thing! The dangerous thing!"
"Love?"
"DON'T SAY IT!"
Several nearby patrons turned to stare at the, but recognizing it was a pair of deities, they decided to turn back to their own people and food. Takemikazuchi took another sip, longer than usual.
Yuji turned back to his food, shaking his head with a wry smile. He recognized the Goddess from the sweet potato booth, and hearing her have a meltdown over Aiz was quite something.
'Besides their presence, you can't tell them apart from normal people.'
He continued eating, letting the noise of the pub wash over him. He had to admit, he felt comfortable eating here, and not just because the food was exceptional, but because nobody was watching him with calculation or suspicion. He was just another customer in a busy tavern.
Mia Grand appeared in front of him without warning, slapping a second plate of food onto the counter.
"You finished that fast. You must be hungry." She said, her dark eyes appraising him with a blunt look. "First plate's on me. Second one, you pay."
Yuji raised a brow at this unexpected gesture. "Did I do something to warrant a free meal?"
Mia let out a scoff before smirking. "I still remember what happened when Loki and her kids came here for dinner a week or so back. I don't usually like to butt my head in, but seeing you stand up for the squirt against them, let's just say I wasn't the only one who appreciated it."
That was when he spotted the ash haired girl peaking her head from behind Mia and a wooden pillar towards him. The moment their eyes met, she flashed him a smile and a wink before scurrying away.
"I see. Well, I won't turn down a free meal." Yuji said, pulled the food towards him, a bowl of pasta, and he began digging in.
"You're Loki's new kid." Mia then abruptly said, which caused him to look up. She closed an eye and tapped the side of her head. "It's still being kept quiet, but for someone like me, that sort of info is too hard to pass on."
"Aren't there hundreds of adventurers registering each day?" Yuji asked her.
"Sure there are, but it's not everyday that the same adventurer joins the strongest Dungeon exploration Familia in the city." Mia replied before turning away. "Eat up before it gets cold."
Yuji watched her move back to managing the tavern's operations and couldn't help but think to himself.
'They sure are nosy.'
He ate in comfortable silence and wasn't disturbed again after that. Hestia's voice rose and fell in the background as she continued her venting, and Anya's 'nya' could be heard through the noise every so often.
He could see why people liked coming here, it felt alive.
'I should eat here more often.'
Yuji thought to himself as he finished his second meal. Paying for just the second plate since the first was free, he left a generous tip that made Mia raise an eyebrow, but she didn't speak out against it.
At the door, Ryuu stopped him with a polite nod.
"Will we see you again?"
"Probably."
She nodded a second time. "In that case, my name is Ryuu Lion. I hope you will enjoy your next visit."
Yuji returned the nod. "Yuji Itadori. I'll see you next time."
"I shall look forward to it. Have a safe evening."
He stepped out into the night air as the sound of the tavern became muffled once the double doors shut behind him.
He turned and began walking back to the Twilight Manor.
A few moments later, another figure pushed open the double door and hurried out of the tavern, looking in the direction Yuji had left, but his figure was long gone.
Her eyes were filled with regret over the missed opportunity, only realizing later who else was in the tavern. Her twintail hair blowing in the night's cool air.