186. A total of 10 envelopes.
186. A total of 10 envelopes.
"So my Hero is really good at the keyboard?"
"Ah, yes."
Hestia looked at me with a bright smile.
"I wanted to learn piano once too...."
But I had no choice but to stay home to protect the household.
She soon became sullen.
"And the electric guitar was really cool!"
"Thank you?"
Hestia looked at Minerva.
"I wanted to try learning the harp at one point too..."
But I had no choice but to remain at my post to guard the fire.
"I enjoyed watching the drumming too. Watching it made my insides feel so refreshed!"
"It's the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art."
While looking at Mai too.
"All I could barely manage was poking around with burnt firewood...."
Once I trusted the home and left my post, and nearly starved that day.
The Goddess of the Hearth gradually rotting away.
Just as it became ambiguous whether what she held was an orange or tequila, Ur, who was standing beside her, cautiously spoke up.
"Then....shall I help you?"
"No. Even my being here right now is because things worked out really well."
If I did something here out of selfish desire, wouldn't that be inexcusable then?
Hestia said it was fun anyway and handed me the orange juice she'd been drinking earlier.
"Today was fun, Hero. I wonder when the next time will be?"
"....Probably when the drug wears off, I'll come again."
I drank the orange juice immediately.
"Keuh...!"
This sensation of my throat burning up.
I nearly spat it out the moment I drank it, but I forced myself to swallow, and quietly asked Hestia.
"....Is this alcohol?"
"Something better than alcohol."
She overlapped her index finger and thumb above her lip.
Hestia then showed her tongue slipping out between them, licking.
I wondered what this was and looked at her tongue, when suddenly a thought occurred to me.
'I definitely drank the juice...but the amount didn't decrease?'
I saw it. I definitely saw it.
I saw my Adam's apple gulp as it went down.
Yet despite that, the amount didn't decrease, which meant...
[Hot Hearth's Blessing][Rank: B]
-Expands the target's 'vessel'.
-Greatly promotes the target's 'digestion'.
-After 3 days, this blessing disappears.
"No way."
I looked at Hestia.
She smiled brightly.
"Wanna receive it directly next time?"
".....I'll politely decline."
This virgin bitch-like thing.
******************
The deal with Hestia was successfully concluded.
I'd never imagined Ur's intervention in the middle, but it was actually good, since she seemed to enjoy it more thanks to that.
Additionally, the blessing's effect worked more actively on my body, proportionate to the personal interest infused into it.
"Though I only grew 1cm in height."
Should I call it my body's composition? Or its quality?
I could physically feel the foundation being solidly built from the inside.
'Will it work out if I keep going like this?'
Meet Hestia once every 3 days to renew the blessing.
And thus restore my physical condition to its original state as quickly as possible.
It was a plan that couldn't even be called a plan, but for now, this was all—
".............."
"....You startled me."
—Rhea appeared.
Without a word. Without a sound or warning.
Rhea appeared beside me as if she had been there from the beginning.
'Mai and Rhea both.'
Was popping out silently everyone's hobby?
Rhea blinked her two eyes wordlessly as she looked, then slowly approached me.
And then
—Tap....
"....Hm?"
A lightly extended fist.
—Tap....tap.....
".....Uuuuhm???"
She struck my body with her fist several times, and then
"............"
"....You want me to hug you?"
Rhea spread both arms out blankly.
Once I held her in my arms as she wanted, Rhea still said not a single word and stayed in my embrace.
"..........."
Silence so deep I couldn't even hear her breathing.
She stayed held in my arms like that for about 3 minutes, then came down on her own——and disappeared just like that.
"....What the."
A span of not even 10 minutes in terms of time.
But the things that happened during that time were far too absurd for me to ponder alone.
'First.'
If my head's insufficient, it's better to discuss with others.
I got up from my spot and headed to the room where Mai and Minerva were.
—Knock knock.
"Busy right now?"
Two knocks.
No response.
—Knock knock.
"You're in there, right?"
The bathroom light was off too, and even if they were in another room, no TV or phone sounds could be heard.
So they were probably in the room. I waited a moment, then grabbed the doorknob, opened it, and went inside.
"Girls. I have something to discuss for a momen—"
""───!!!""
The two jumped in surprise.
They were even wearing headphones together in friendly fashion.
What could be seen behind their backs was.
[No, ah♡ not there!!]
".....Oooh."
Would I be trash if I said I already knew about this and had played it?
I looked at the two of them for a moment, then said quietly.
"On the first start page logo, press the right eye of the raccoon mascot on the far right 3 times, and a cheat item comes out."
"We already know that."
"Yeah?"
Still, they probably didn't know this one.
"Get all 5 main heroines pregnant, then the day before, make a 'declaration of farewell' and confess to the little sister, and you get the Nice Boat ending."
"....Lies."
"Also called the dismemberment ending."
"..........."
"And for reference, the little sister gets the balls."
"That's a lie!!!"
Mai made an expression that oddly resembled the Higurashi crying face.
Hard to accept, right? Honestly, I can't accept it either. When I first saw it, I wondered if it was some mix of 'genkan combine' + 'Nice Boat' + 'harem of the apocalypse' and so on all jumbled together.
'They're probably doing achievement hunting, right?'
That's how they knew where the cheat items were.
I told them the hint for the last remaining achievement, felt a sense of pride, and quietly closed the door and came out.
"As if I'd have fallen into NTR Academy for nothing."
That's what happens when you can't tell shit from soybean paste and end up boiling shit stew.
I returned to my room and continued playing the love simulation game.
Huh?
Training? Discipline?
I already rolled and tumbled to the point of wanting to vomit from the start, so doing it again now is a bit...
"I'm human too, human!"
You gotta rest well when it's time to rest, no?
It felt like a cheers☆ to me for having run so hard up until now.
"....Hm?"
But something was strange.
Something, something was strange.
[I-I...didn't bring this for you, okay!]
"Huuuuuhm...."
I felt like I had forgotten something.
But since I still couldn't remember it, it probably wasn't a big deal.
Anyway, if it were truly an urgent problem, the main gods would tell me on their own, or it would suddenly come to mind.
[1. If it wasn't brought for me, I shouldn't accept it.]
[2. Still, since she's giving it, let's gratefully accept.]
[3. Chocolate was used as an aphrodisiac in the Middle Ages.]
"........Oh."
More than that, it was the choices, choices.
Indeed, should I choose comedy, the royal road, or openly choose a trap?
If I was agonizing over what to choose, it would be right to Save.
I created a Save file and then headed straight for choice number 3.
[A-are you stupid!]
"Right?"
It was such an obvious content that I was about to roughly skip past it.
[I...am your Valentine's chocolate today...♡]
"Cough! Keub, kaehek!"
Suddenly, a 19-Gold CG was unlocked with her body coated in chocolate.
...It was a choice that wouldn't be forgotten for many reasons.
...
..
.
Meanwhile, around that time.
At the Ares Guild, in Mars Mama's office.
"Did you have a good walk?"
"..........."
Silent and unanswering.
Though she gave no answer at all, Mama took milk out of the refrigerator and handed it to Rhea.
"Wanna drink?"
"........Yeah."
This time she answered.
She approached Mama and took the milk.
"Tch."
"........."
"I told you, didn't I?"
"......Uuh."
No, she tried to take it.
But she couldn't take it.
Mars Mama pulled the milk back and stared silently at Rhea.
"If you want something, what should you do?"
"...Milk, please."
"Yes. Here's your milk♬"
"........"
Rhea hesitated and accepted the milk with both hands.
Then she bowed toward Mama and said.
"Thank you...."
"Mm! Very well done!"
Rhea received head pats, scritch scritch.
These two hadn't had this kind of relationship from the start.
It was just that time together increased while trying to act as Mars Papa, and as that happened, something like conversations naturally came and went.
'What do I do? It feels like seeing Mars when she came home being ostracized back in the day....!'
She couldn't just stand by and watch.
A child who outwardly only looked about 2nd or 3rd grade of elementary school.
Normally she went around wearing Papa's skin, but her essence was a little girl who was completely empty.
Empty.
Nothing was inside.
No, seeing that she liked milk, she wasn't completely empty.
But the appearance as though she had been 'erased' by something kept drawing Mars Mama's heart in.
As a result, what began as a small meddling had now become a nosiness that extended even to etiquette education.
Even she herself thought it was absurd, but she still couldn't let go.
'I couldn't help it.'
Because she looked like she could disappear at any moment.
Because she had eyes that a child her age should never have.
Still, recently, there had been a feeling of vitality gradually returning to her eyes.
And on top of that, seeing that today she even said she was suddenly going out for a walk...
"Did you have a good conversation with Chrono?"
"........?"
A look asking how she knew.
I mean, if she went anywhere, would it be beyond her master's side?
Mama smiled wordlessly, and Rhea quietly lowered her head.
"Originally, it's hard to be satisfied from the very beginning. What's important is advancing step by step, one at a time."
"............."
Silence.
Mama didn't mind.
She was used to these kinds of conversations by now.
"So....what words did you say and come back?"
"............"
Rhea pouted her lips slightly as if pondering for a moment.
A figure deeply contemplating something.
Soon she rose from her spot and approached Mama.
—Tap, tap.
"Hm?"
Lightly, twice.
She made a fist and tapped the body.
—Squeeze.
"Oh my?"
She spread both arms and hugged.
Mama also hugged Rhea back while stroking her head.
"Haaaaa....."
A breath full of sincerity that she unknowingly let out.
Did this child know? That every single one of those actions right now was unbearably cute to death!
"Were you upset that Chrono didn't pay attention to you? And you also wanted to receive praise matching how hard you worked."
".......!!"
But that was that and this was this.
Mama stroked Rhea's head while objectifying Rhea's feelings for her.
"Next time, make sure to say it. That you're diligently helping me. So please praise me."
"........No."
"Oh my?"
An unexpected refusal.
Rhea distanced herself from Mama and said.
"I'm not weak."
"....Is that so."
That she was diligently helping. That she was working hard.
So asking for praise was the same as being weak.
Seeing that Rhea at least felt that way, Mama nodded her head.
"Indeed, wishing for praise from someone is a behavior shown by the weak."
"Yeah."
Rhea agreed.
Following that, Mama spoke.
"But Rhea is still young. To the extent you're young, it's okay to act a little more spoiled, you know?"
"....I'm not young."
"Fufu♬"
What was she saying.
How could she so exactly resemble Mars.
Mama stroked Rhea's head and said.
"Do you know? The word 'young' is said to come from the word 'foolish'."
A strong child. But a foolish child.
How perfectly those words resembled Mars.
'....No, is that not it either.'
Ultimately, she was able to have her lacking parts filled by another man, so it was clear she was a strong child even if foolish.
And to the extent she was strong, she'd certainly handle her own business too.
But Rhea was different.
She could be strong if possible, but no one had filled her yet.
So what could be done.
"I'll give you allowance."
".....?"
"With that allowance, buy a present for Chrono. Ah, and make sure to say 'I bought this with money I earned by working hard.'."
"..........."
Why should I.
An expression that looked awkward and bothersome.
Mama smiled brightly and took something out of a drawer to show her.
"!.....That's...!"
Black and dark Garu.
A glossy hue that tempted ceaselessly even when she wanted to tear her eyes away, yet couldn't.
The 'forbidden Garu' that felt like having just this one thing would mean possessing all of heaven.
"Je-ti."
"......Uuh...uuuuu...!"
She wanted to refuse, but
"Total 10 packs."
"Uuuuuu....!!!"
It was far, far too much Je-ti.