“Good morning, Fei.”

Asahi gave Hephaestus a beaming smile as she approached the entrance of the workshop. Chiaki popped her head out of Hephaestus’s shoulder, her face lit up in joy at the sight of him.

“Father!”

Hephaestus’s eyes also sparkled when she saw him, but she tried to remain nonchalant. “Shouldn't you be somewhere more important?” she asked, with a sly smile curving her lips. “You know, for the big festival tomorrow.”

“That’s being taken care of as we speak.”

He didn’t reveal the real reason, that he was politely asked by Grayfia and Shizuka to enjoy his last day as an ‘unmarried man.’ He took the chance to spend some time pestering the lovely blacksmith goddess.

Hephaestus raised a brow. “I forgot that you’re the Emperor of the Great Imperial Dynasty of Devils and Angels. You only have to say a word to move the entire world.”

“Fei knows how wonderful her future husband is.”

“I’m but a lowly goddess compared to your magnificent status, Your Majesty.”

“The goddess who can enchant anyone with her beauty. I really like—”

“Hephaestus!”

Asahi paused as he noticed the white bullet out of the corner of his eye. He moved like lightning, shoving Hephaestus aside. The goddess, who was trying to ambush Hephaestus, flew into his arms, her breasts pressing into him like soft cushions.

When she stepped back, Asahi and Hephaestus could finally see her. She was a petite goddess with long dark hair that perfectly complimented her white mini dress. Another thing to note was the shiny blue ribbon at her neck and the other one tied around her breasts.

Asahi was able to identify the goddess from her dress, as opposed to her appearance. She seemed a lot taller and curvier than he remembered, standing at 157cm tall.

(I may have sneakily changed some things… I want to be the only legal loli in my love’s life. Please.)

‘Geez. You could have just told me if that was the case.’

(Hehe.)

‘What about Ophis?’

(She can shapeshift to a mature form, so she doesn’t count.)

‘Your reasoning is kinda off… To be honest, I prefer this version of Hestia.’

Hestia shoved Asahi back and shook her head rapidly, swinging her lush hair around. She then looked at Hephaestus, and a look of pure joy came over her. She scurried to Hephaestus and hugged her.

“I found you, friend!”

Hephaestus revealed a soft look as the bubbly goddess hugged her. “You took your sweet time in getting approval.”

“Don’t talk about that. They make me so mad. I was in pending for years!”

Hephaestus couldn’t help but laugh. Hestia wanted to descend together with her but her popularity and connections as Divine Smith allowed her easy approval through the system, whereas Hestia was made to wait until the most unique event in Orario — Astraea’s wedding.

“I came running to check on the special man Astraea found. He has to be a god-like man to pierce her heart filled with justice.”

Hephaestus subconsciously glanced at Asahi, a grin on her face. “The man Astraea fancies isn’t god-like; he is a god from a foreign realm. You’ll find him interesting.”

“Hm,” Hestia stepped back, smirking. “You speak of him as if you two are very familiar—” Her smirk faded as she regarded Hephaestus’s face. The lack of eyepatch on Hephaestus’s face made her gawk. “What happened to your eye?!”

Hephaestus glanced at Asahi, rolling her shoulders in a shy gesture. “It was healed.”

Hestia gawked. “How? Who had the power to do such miracle…? Wait, did Astraea’s fiance do it?”

Hephaestus pointed at Asahi. “You are looking at him.”

Hestia shifted her gaze to Asahi. He smiled coyly and stepped behind Hephaestus.

“Fei, I’m shy around strangers… Can you introduce me?”

Even Chiaki rolled her eyes at his terrible acting.

“...He is Astraea’s betrothed,” Hephaestus paused but Asahi egged her on with gentle pats on her back. “He is also my… lover.”

Hestia received a bigger shock than the one from hearing the announcement of Astraea’s wedding. “Hephaestus has a lover… I can’t believe it.”

She had thought Hephaestus would remain a virgin like her. The status changed while she was in Heaven. The shock was too much for her that she couldn't find any words.

“You said you’re Astraea’s betrothed. You’re also Hephaestus’s lover. How does that even work?”

“We both fell for the same man.” Hephaestus shrugged. “I met him because of Astraea and things took a weird turn from there.”

Hephaestus couldn’t help but cringe when she thought about her past self doubting Asahi.

Hestia showed a baffled look at Hephaestus’ maiden-in-love act. “You aren’t Hephaestus. You are a clone. I don’t believe you’re my awkward friend.”

“How did you jump to that conclusion?”

Hephaestus was tired of retorting to Hestia. She turned around and unlocked the door to her workshop.

Hestia looked at Asahi, her sharp eyes piercing into him. He was extraordinarily handsome but so were the deities.

‘Hephaestus doesn’t care about face. He just healed her scar and she fell for him. Is that all? No, there has to be more!’

“Here we go again.” Asahi shook his head and sighed. “Hestia, I’m tired of people doubting my relationship with my lovers. I know you want to make sure Hephaestus doesn't get duped. It’s still annoying to deal with.”

Hestia could see the frustration on his face, and it saddened her to bring him trouble. While she wasn’t all convinced by Asahi, she decided not to throw any more shades at him.

“Asahi is trustworthy, Hestia. I’ll get you the tastiest snacks in Orario.” Hephaestus looked over her shoulder with a smile. “Come inside.”

Hestia always had an appetite for delicious things; Hephaestus used it to diffuse the tension in the air.

“Thanks for your permission. I’ll definitely come inside you when we fuck.”

His teasing brought a lovely blush to her face. “You… are such a pervert.”

(Chiaki is here, my love!)

Chiaki crossed her arms and glared at Asahi. Her pursed lips revealed her judgemental expression. “Pa…”

He ran a hand through his dark hair sheepishly. “Loki’s company did wonders.”

“Loki? Why are you bringing Loki No-Boobs into this?” Hestia curiously asked.

“Loki is my lover.”

Asahi was aware of the tension between Loki and Hestia, and knew that disclosing his relationship with Loki would only further Hestia's doubts. He still didn’t lie about anything.

Hestia gaped in disbelief. This was her second shock since she'd come down from Heaven, and it was only the first hour of her journey.

“What did you say?!”

Hestia’s voice echoed through the entirety of Babel tower.

...

After some minutes, Asahi was sitting face to face with Hestia and Hephaestus while Chiaki rested on his shoulder. Hephaestus’ insistence and the aroma of fresh snacks took her mind away from her trust issues with Asahi.

“It’s… tasty,” said the goddess with her mouth stuffed full of cookies. Asahi’s stare made her self conscious, and she looked away. “Hephaestus, what is happening in Orario?”

“…What do you mean what is happening in Orario? It’s Astraea’s wedding tomorrow. People are celebrating it in their own way.”

“I know that.” Hestia shrugged. “I overheard some adventurers talking on my way here. They were talking about rescuing the Ladies of Justice from the Demon King. Wasn’t Orario a peaceful city? Why do we have a Demon King now?”

Hephaestus opened the desk drawer and pulled out a neat book. She flipped the pages and muttered to herself, completely ignoring Hestia.

Asahi exhaled deeply. “I’m that Demon King.”

Hestia nearly choked on her tea in surprise and sprayed it out of her mouth. Asahi waved his finger, and the warm tea bounced off an invisible barrier, suspended in midair like a curtain. It moved in the direction of his finger and settled back in Hestia’s cup without spilling a drop.

He showed a satisfied smirk at his handiwork. “Done.”

Hestia was mesmerized. Her eyes sparkled with amazement. “Woah! You should be a magician!”.

“...”