Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After the Takemikazuchi Familia left, Vahn introduced Mikoto and Haruhime to Milan, Tina, and Ryuu. Since she was their senior with the Familia, Ryuu was very nice to the two girls while Tina seemed to be a bit standoffish now that there were two more people around Vahn. Milan didn't seem to mind at all and was mainly focused on the matters regarding Preasia, who still hadn't woken up. Vahn inspected her condition earlier and knew she was simply fatigued and allowed her to continue sleeping. Fenrir seemed very protective of Preasia, so Vahn left her to look after the small sheep girl.Milan also stayed nearby while teaching the twins how to properly prepare meals since their cooking was somewhat substandard. Since they were from a nomadic tribe, their cooking skills amounted to the ability to roast and season meat with spices they ground using a pestle and mortar. Tina was focused on interacting with Haruhime and Mikoto and was learning about the past of the two girls. She already knew Vahn was searching for Haruhime, but it was the first time Tina learned of the situation behind her captivity. Soon after, any inhibitions she had towards Haruhime faded away and she decided to become friends with her if she could.While this was going on, Vahn had moved to the highest balcony within the Manor and was overlooking the premises with a thoughtful gaze. Ryuu stood at his side because they were discussing matters and trying to come up with a way to deal with the Ishtar Familia without being overly reliant on the Alliance. Loki had already started preparing to mobilize some of her Familia and had even sent notice to the main expedition to return early if possible. Hestia was currently in her room writing messages through the network and reading through the logbook to see if anything important had been mentioned since earlier.Since it was still quite cold, even though it was now the afternoon, the wind blowing through the balcony was somewhat biting. Though he was unaffected, Vahn noticed that Ryuu's aura was faltering a bit and knew she was probably cold. With a sigh that caused a large cloud of condensation to build up, Vahn turned around and smiled at Ryuu as he said, "You don't have to stay out here with me Ryuu." As he spoke, Vahn handed her a three-layered mantle that was lined with dense furs on the inside.Ryuu accepted the mantle with a smile and didn't respond to Vahn's words as she wore it around her shoulders. Vahn gave her a wry smile and notice that her ears were turning red, not from a blush, but because of the cold. Using [Hands of Nirvana] and the warmth of his body, Vahn covered Ryuu's ears and felt the cold sensation transmitted through his fingers. When he saw Ryuu's aura flare up a bit, and a slight blush appear on her face, Vahn smiled and the two stood in silence for a while until he had completely warmed her body.Since elves only allowed their loved ones to touch their ears, Ryuu was somewhat sensitive to the intimate contact. However, she felt very warm from Vahn's touch as well and didn't resist his actions at all. She had already allowed him to see her naked body and even allowed him to touch her ears when they took a bath previously. Since she had already made her resolve, Ryuu just enjoyed the warmth and stared into Vahn's aquamarine eyes with a slight smile on her face.Now that his mind was a bit calmer, Vahn expanded his domain and used [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to warm up the entire large balcony. Ryuu felt a warmth similar to spring spread through the area and gave a hum-like laugh before she said, "Did you forget you could do that?" Vahn blushed slightly at her words and removed his hands from Ryuu's ears. He had been so focused on the matters with the Ishtar Familia that he hadn't paid any mind to the cold until he noticed Ryuu's condition.Tilting her head to the side slightly, Ryuu asked, "Do you like lap pillows Vahn?" Vahn turned his head back to Ryuu and considered her words for a short while before nodding his head. Of the things he liked to do when relaxing, laying on the lap of a girl was something that brought him a lot of comfort. He had even fallen asleep on several occasions in the past so there was no way he could refute the words. Seeing Vahn's nod, Ryuu also nodded her head as if affirming something before taking off the mantle and spread it on the floor. Even if Vahn had warmed up the air, the cold stone of the balcony was still biting to the touch.After she sat down, Vahn realized what Ryuu was doing and a small smile appeared on his face as he sat next to her. She looked into his eyes for a moment before smoothing her apron with her hands and nodding. Vahn took her offer and rested against Ryuu's thighs while looking up into her sky-blue eyes from below. Repeating the actions of Hestia, Ryuu began to stroke Vahn's hair affectionately. Though her thighs weren't remotely as soft as Hestia's, Vahn still very comfortable against the somewhat springy and firm thighs of Ryuu. He didn't fall asleep, but Vahn closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment shared between the two of them.Hestia eventually showed up on the balcony and saw the scene before locking eyes with Ryuu who had noticed her arrival. For a moment, Hestia felt a little jealous of Ryuu but also remembered her earlier actions of leaving Vahn to her care. While she was thinking of leaving the two to themselves, Vahn raised his body and turned toward Hestia since he had already detected her arrival. Ryuu also removed the wrinkles from her apron before standing and folding the mantle after they stepped off of it. Hestia felt a little awkward since she thought she had spoiled the mood but returned to normal when she saw the natural smile on Vahn's face.The trio made their way inside where it was warm and closed the doors of the balcony behind them. Since Vahn always carried around a bit of furniture in his inventory, he set out a sofa which they all sat on so they could discuss what Hestia had learned from the network. Ryuu sat slightly away and showed a small smile to Hestia as if encouraging her. Since Hestia still felt like she interrupted them earlier, Ryuu's encouragement felt a little awkward but she still accepted the small kindness and even felt a little emboldened as she sat in Vahn's lap.As it wasn't the first time she had done so, Vahn was fine with Hestia's action especially considering that her body was almost unnaturally light. Though he had inspected her from himself with his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn believed there was a unique quality to Hestia's body that made her softer and lighter than other girls and goddesses. When everyone had situated themselves, Hestia explained, "There is an ongoing investigation into the illegal slave trafficking ring that you had tipped the Guild off about. They are tracking down several of the people listed in the customer list and are also trying to bust other fake brokerages that had connections to the facility you discovered."Vahn nodded his head thoughtfully and wanted to ask about the matters concerning Preasia but Hestia continued, "I talked to Loki and Hephaestus about Isthar, and Loki seems to be planning to challenge the Ishtar Familia to a Wargames to prevent them from approaching us about Haruhime. Though I didn't originally mention it to Loki, she also knows about Haruhime's magic because Hephaestus didn't want to keep it a secret since Haruhime would probably follow you on expeditions in the future anyway. They did stress that her magic is kept confidential in most situations, at least until the probationary period between the Alliance and our Familia expires."As he had similar thoughts, Vahn stated, "Don't worry, I will protect Haruhime until she becomes stronger. I have plenty of allies to help as well..." Vahn gave a glance over at the smiling Ryuu and she nodded her head almost imperceptibly. Hestia had been leaning against Vahn's chest with her eyes closed, so she missed the look as she nodded her head and continued, "It was the consensus of everyone that, for the time until now and the Denatus, you shouldn't leave the Manor much. Even though Fenrir might have an urge to kill monsters, I think she will be stable while she is tending to Preasia. Let Loki deal with the Ishtar Familia for now and focus on protecting everyone within the Manor while trying to relax a bit before things pick up and you're pulled into some other unavoidable trouble..."Towards the end of her words, Hestia looked up at Vahn and arched her head enough to where he could look down into her eyes from above. He could see the worry in her eyes and even felt Ryuu nod her head outside his line of sight. All of the girls around him, including Eva in the orb, had been telling him to relax more. If not for the matter regarding Haruhime, Vahn would have followed their advice and focused on his personal life for a bit. Now that she was under his protection, as long as Vahn paid attention to the security of the Manor things should be fine. Even if they had a specialist, there was no way for someone to enter the premises of their grounds without Vahn or Fenrir picking up their presence.Vahn squeezed Hestia's hands that had been holding onto his and displayed a compliant smile as he said, "I think relaxing sounds like a great idea...I'll still continue my training a bit, but I want to treat my hobbies more casually for a time. I also want to try and create my own network of guy friends and maybe even spend some personal time to myself and continue my studies..." Vahn's words made Hestia sigh slightly since his idea of 'relaxation' still revolved around performing several actions that others committed a lot of effort to. Unless she and the other girls forced him to relax, he would probably immediately return to some tedious task and place all of his focus on it.She did note his desire to have more male friends though, and it had actually been mentioned several times on the network. Hephaestus and Eina especially wanted Vahn to interact with more males so that he could experience a different kind of bond than that between a boy and a girl. Because of Vahn's behavior, it was difficult for him to have actual female 'friends' since he always treated girls deferentially and with a lot of empathy. This closed the distance between Vahn and most girls and gave them a somewhat tense relationship that could easily devolve into feelings for each other depending on the situation. It was their hope that, if Vahn relaxed with other guys and saw how they reacted to women, his mentality would change a bit and he wouldn't be so easily influenced by girls in the future.Of course, not all the girls agreed with this, at least not in the same vein as the hopes placed forth by Hephaestus and Eina. Though she didn't consider herself part of the 'faction', Hestia somewhat agreed with Syr and the girls at the Hostess of Fertility. She was okay with Vahn having male friends, but she didn't think it would be good for them to enter the Familia. Since a lot of girls around Vahn had some trauma related to men, they weren't easily willing to expose themselves to an environment where they were living with a man other than Vahn.Syr even brought up the rhetorical situation of what might happen if one of the men got jealous and made passes at some of the girls within the network. Though it would be fine if the feelings were reciprocal, on the off chance that something adverse happened it would cause irreversible harm to the group's unity and would also heavily impact Vahn as a result. Even Eina wasn't able to refute her words easily since she was also aware of the situation of many of the girls around Vahn. It was his kind and gentle nature that allowed them to be around Vahn easily without fear of anything happening, but that wouldn't be the case if other men were added to the equation.While contemplating the matter herself, Hestia asked, "Do you know any guys you want to be friends with?" Since it was something he had thought about recently, Vahn said, "Ouka seems like a good guy and has the drive to become stronger...I think Take' isn't bad either, though his actions are a bit offputting at times...I think Welf and I can be good friends and I want to help with his research...I think Gareth would be a good role model, especially since I'll be a father in the future..."Hestia had been listening to Vahn and trying to imagine each of the guys he mentioned in her mind as she considered if they would be a good or bad influence on Vahn. She was also somewhat unnerved by Takemikazuchi, since he had the natural tendencies of a gigolo and flirted with girls casually. Hestia felt like he would actually be a terrible influence on Vahn even though she wished he would take away some of the less impactful women out of Vahn's life. Suddenly, while she was lost in her own thoughts, Hestia felt like a gong had sounded in her mind when Vahn mentioned Gareth and becoming a father in the future.Even Ryuu's eyes widened a bit at Vahn's words, even though she had already heard the news about Hephaestus's apparent pregnancy. It was still too early to see any signs, but Hephaestus had apparently confirmed the matter with a goddess of fertility that she trusted. Though she believed Vahn's words, she couldn't help but get a second opinion and had been in a jubilant mood ever since. Now that Ryuu was hearing Vahn speak of the matter though, it had a slightly different impact. Since elves were long-lived, she hadn't considered the matter of children but now thought of Vahn being the father of some of her own...Hestia felt a bit of anxiety welling up in her heart since she realized Vahn was already undergoing a shift in his mentality with a focus towards fatherhood. Though she didn't understand why Hestia felt like the window of opportunity for them to grow closer together was shrinking rapidly. She affirmed her decision to meet up with Hephaestus more often and even planned to discuss matters with Loki, even though she wasn't fond of her 'former' rival. Though she hadn't met him, Hestia knew Gareth was a member of the Loki Familia and wanted to vet him to see if he could be a good role-model for Vahn in the future. It seemed that, while Vahn was going to be focused on relaxing, she was going to become progressively busier in the future. However, the more she thought about it, the more excited Hestia felt because she began to realize what she could do for Vahn from now on...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Loki, she protec, she atak, but most importantly she act','Relaxing vacation full of training, forging, and research','The seeds are planted...')I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

After their discussion, Vahn drew up a schedule alongside Hestia and Ryuu that had several large blocks of time devoted to 'relaxation'. Vahn would be waking up early, just like every other day, and he would begin training Haruhime, Emiru, and Maemi in basic CQC techniques. Even if Haruhime only wanted to focus on magic, Vahn still wanted to improve her endurance and agility as well. The twins only wanted to be support units, but Vahn wanted them to be agile as well to make proper use of their racial traits. Both girls' agility parameter was their highest stat and they had lithe and flexible bodies suited for agility-based fighters.Once their morning training was completed, Vahn had his first block of relaxation and was free until lunch to do whatever he wanted. Hestia emphasized he needed to use part of his time to relax and told him to clearly tell people what he wanted to do. If he left it to others, Vahn would just get wrapped up in the momentum of things again and it wouldn't be relaxation at all. After lunch, Vahn was 'allowed' to work, but only if it wasn't a serious project or something that could cause strain to his body. The day would wrap up with a bath, dinner, and then finally bed time. Even though he thought it was 'relaxing', Vahn was prohibited from using his massage technique unless it was during the afternoon. Unless it was for more intimate purposes, Vahn should spend his evening resting instead of pushing himself to satisfy others.As he was drawing up the schedule, Vahn couldn't help but feel like it wasn't going to be as simple as what they drew out on the paper. He had the weekends off, but it seemed strange to him that his primary 'job' right now was meant to be relaxation. Knowing other people would be hard at work while he was supposed to be lazing around didn't sit well with him, but he still finalized the schedule and agreed to adhere to it unless something happened. Afterward, Hestia transmitted the schedule through the network while Ryuu and Vahn returned to the others to explain things.Ryuu had taken on the position of Vice-Captain in the Familia, so she was the person that would be in charge most of the time and would help the girls train. Other than a bit of guidance, Ryuu wanted Vahn to focus on developing his own skills instead of worrying about others. It was impossible for most people to emulate his combat style, and the girls were similar to Ryuu in the fact they would be agility oriented. Since Ryuu was also incredibly talented with magic and [Concurrent Chanting], she was actually the ideal candidate to train the girls.Vahn's ultimate role ended up being converted into a sparring partner and observer while he was meant to be training his own skills. Mikoto, who had moved into Haruhime's room, would also be training primarily on her own since she practiced a unique form of swordsmanship and also specialized in detection magic. Vahn was surprised to learn that her skill, [Yatanoshirogarasu] had the ability to detect hidden enemies as well as track allies within the same Familia. It wasn't nearly as developed as his own sensory abilities, but it was still an impressive technique that suited the role of a scout and vanguard unit.By the time the afternoon rolled around, Preasia finally woke up and Fenrir immediately entered a high-tension state that drew Vahn's notice. He realized that she seemed receptive to the fact he could sense her aura and now used it to communicate with him if he was far away. After a short while, Vahn gathered everyone into the dining room while the twins helped Preasia out of their room. Though she looked very tired, Vahn saw that the light had returned to her light-grey eyes and felt more than a little relieved to see her on the road to recovery.After settling down onto a sofa, Vahn sat across from Preasia while flanked by Haruhime and Hestia once again. Both girls had very gentle looks in their eyes and Vahn felt like the entire atmosphere had turned a little lighter while everyone was showing concern for Preasia. He felt like this was the ideal situation and something he wished he could see more often. The sight of people working together in concert to support each other had been something he aspired to see ever since the expedition in the dungeon. Vahn liked to see everyone helping each other out to bear the burdens of one another.Preasia must have felt the atmosphere as well since her eyes were watery even though she didn't begin crying again. Though it was a strange way to describe it, she had a very sheepish and timid nature but it was a great improvement compared to her catatonic state from earlier. She hung her head low and peeked up through her curly bangs and said in a muted tone, "Thank you...for healing me..."Vahn showed a gentle smile and spoke quietly as if he was afraid to startle her, "You are very welcome Preasia. I'm happy to see you're recovering a bit...feel free to stay in this Manor for as long as you please. You don't have to worry about anything, just go at your own pace...everyone here will help look after you." Until she stabilized or made a decision on her own, Vahn didn't want to put any pressure on Preasia at all. At least until the matter with the Ishtar Familia was resolved, he wanted her to stay alongside girls like Haruhime and Fenrir since Vahn believed it would be therapeutic for her. Milan and Tina were also around, and Milan was very receptive to the suffering of Preasia and would hopefully be able to heal her heart after they get to know each other better.Preasia heard Vahn's words and looked around at everyone and noticed that, other than Vahn, every else in the vicinity was a girl. They all had happy expressions on their faces and showed concern for her, so she began to feel like this really was a safe place. Back when Vahn had first purchased her, she thought he was just scheming against her until she dropped her guard. She was afraid that the moment she thought it was safe, Vahn would reveal his real self and then drag her into a deeper pit of despair. Instead, he treated her kindly since the beginning and even healed the wounds on her body.After several long seconds of looking around at everyone in the room, Preasia turned her gaze back to Vahn and nodded her head before turning her face down and saying, "Thank you..." For the next few minutes, Vahn reiterated the schedule for the future days while Hestia tacked on a few things while also talking about the regulations of the Familia and their relationship with the Alliance. She let everyone know about the dangers of the Ishtar Familia and to always be on guard unless they were inside the Manor or accompanying Vahn, Ryuu, or someone else that was trusted by them.Though it was a quiet atmosphere after that, the mood had turned for the better when everyone started eating dinner. Since Milan was staying over, she had cooked a lot of food for everyone in order to celebrate all of the new members of the Hestia Familia and welcome them into the Manor. The twins assisted her and even made a few light dishes alongside Tina such as salads and porridge. Since Preasia wasn't able to keep down foods well, the porridge had been made the help nurse her back to health. After her earlier words, Preasia had turned silent and only made curt responses in a very quiet voice whenever Fenrir said things to her. Since Fenrir had always been around her ever since she arrived, Preasia was slowly dropping her guard against the voracious wolf-girl.After dinner, all of the girls went to take a bath together while Vahn relaxed in the men's bath by himself and just enjoyed the heat of the water. Though he had expected Ryuu or Hestia to try and join him, he was actually a little relieved to lay back in the water on his own while enjoying the cold night air on his skin. Because they were only separated by a wall, Vahn could hear the somewhat cheerful sounds of the girls next door and it made him feel very relaxed knowing they were enjoying themselves as well...---On the other side of the divider between the men's and women's pools, all of the girls were in the largest pool and had somehow devolved into a discussion regarding each other's bodies. It had started when Fenrir made a passing remark to Preasia and then matters exploded when Haruhime made a comment asking about Vahn's taste in women. Though not everyone was discussing things at first, it quickly developed to the point where they were each proactively discussing Vahn's assumed preferences.Representing the busty and petite faction, Hestia proudly flaunted her large, flawless, incredibly fair breasts to the rest of the group. With a somewhat haughty expression on her face, Hestia claimed, "Even if Vahn doesn't care about breast size, I know he thinks mine are the softest~!" In response to her words, many of the girls looked between their breasts and Hestia's as if to compare them. Other than Milan and Mikoto, everyone else had either modest breasts or still-budding breasts like Haruhime.As if to confirm Hestia's claim, Ryuu had snuck up behind her and reached around before coping a feel that made Hestia shriek out before shying away from the sneaky assailant while muttering, "Only Vahn can touch my breasts..." Ryuu looked at her and commented, "They really are very soft." Ryuu then touched her own small breasts and felt they were a little firm because of her lean and athletic figure. She also began to poke and prod around her body while feeling the tension of her own muscles with a strangely concerned expression on her face.Though they hadn't said anything at first, Emiru and Maemi began to mimic Ryuu's actions while inspecting their own bodies and the body of each other. Since they were identical twins, there were little to no differences between them and they appraised each other as if they were looking at themselves. They also had somewhat lithe figures with modest breasts and were on the thinner side due to their racial traits.Fenrir was everyone's strange behavior and said, "Vahn likes pat pat. Vahn no care about other things. Be good and Vahn give pats to everyone!" Since she had been talking to the twins, they both tilted their heads in the same direction and asked, "Pat pat?" Every girl in the room, with the exception of Emiru, Maemi, Mikoko, and Preasia had a reminiscent look on their faces as they recalled all of the 'petting' they had received from Vahn in the past. Several of them had even received his massages while others had been a victim of sorts.Even Haruhime had been stroked by Vahn on their very first meeting and she had a pleasant smile on her face that was noticed by Mikoto as she asked in a low voice, "Is Vahn really that kind of boy? He seemed like the honest and polite type to me..." Haruhime's smile widened into a radiant expression as she began to preach the virtues of Vahn with a healthy amount of embellishment. Her speech was so momentous that every girl that had received 'pat pat' from Vahn pitched in their own comments, even the relatively taciturn Ryuu. By the end of the discussion, the phrase 'godhand' had become the agreed upon way to refer to Vahn's technique. For those that had received his affections in the past, they had expectant looks on their faces while the four girls that had yet to experience it had mixtures of anticipation and curiosity.The only two that didn't proactively participate in the discussion much were Fenrir and Preasia who were sitting at the side. Fenrir made a few remarks, but Preasia just listened to everyone's words in silent. After matters started calming down and people were getting ready to leave, Preasia asked Fenrir in a low voice, "Is it really...such a nice thing?" As if she had been asked the easiest to answer question in the entire world, Fenrir's eyes blazed a bit and she stated proudly, "Vahn is the best, super good!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Routine Established','Celebration : Silence','Herald of the Godhand')I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

While Vahn was enjoying a comforting lap pillow from Hestia, the other girls were helping tend to Preasia's condition. After wiping down her body and helping to warm her up, the twins clothed her in a fresh sweater and shorts before carrying her to their room. They thought about taking her upstairs to where Fenrir slept, but navigating the stairs with an unconscious body didn't seem ideal. Even though Vahn had given them both their own beds, the twins spent most of their time together when they could and only used one of them. They set Preasia in the leftover bed and went about their other assumed duties while Fenrir and Haruhime watched over her.Since it was still somewhat early in the day, only around 10 AM, it took a while for some of the people on the network to mobilize. Hestia had let everyone know of the arrival of Haruhime earlier and had just informed them earlier about the incident regarding Preasia before finding out about the previous night's murders. Eina wanted to come back over but was busy with her duties thus the first members to show up at the house were Ryuu, Milan, and Tina. Ryuu was only a temp worker now and both Milan and Tina had the weekends off, to begin with. The only reason they didn't stay at the Hearth Manor yet was that Milan didn't want to immediately leave the Hostess of Fertility that had shown she and her daughter kindness.Maemi had been expecting guests since earlier and politely escorted them to the study where she and Emiru did their best to explain the situation with as many details as they had learned. Milan was somewhat reminded of her own recent trauma and empathized greatly with Preasia while Tina found it hard to hold in her own tears. She didn't have any outbursts, but she did hug her mother silently with wet eyes. Ryuu had a somewhat cold look to her eyes but was more worried about Vahn's current state of mind than anything else. She knew Preasia would be fine while staying at the Hearth Manor, so Ryuu wanted to make sure Vahn was okay since he was the core of the group within the Manor.When she went upstairs, Ryuu lightly knocked on the door before opening it when she heard Hestia's quiet words. Looking into the interior, Ryuu saw Vahn asleep atop Hestia's lap while the petite goddess gently stroked his hair in an affectionate manner. A little bit of the worry in Ryuu's heart diminished as she showed a small smile and bowed politely before closing the door and returning to the study. She was able to tell that Hestia was tending to Vahn's mental state and didn't want to interrupt the peaceful atmosphere. In hindsight, Ryuu realized she had never given Vahn a lap pillow in the past and wondered if it should be something she did more often to help him relax.The second group to arrive at the Manor, slightly after lunch had started, was the Takemikazuchi Familia. Take' had arrived with Ouka, Chigusa, and a long raven-haired girl wielding a katana. Since they had been waiting for their arrival, Vahn immediately awoke when he sensed their presence and stared up into Hestia's stark blue eyes for several seconds in a slightly dazed state.Hestia's hands came to a stop after she wiped away Vahn's bang and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Unfortunately, perhaps due to her inexperience in the matter, Hestia hadn't considered the size of her breasts in the equation and ended up pressing them into Vahn's face before they both had small reactions of shock.Vahn enjoyed the incredibly soft sensation until Hestia moved away which caused him to laugh slightly as he sat up from the bed. Leaning over, Vahn gave Hestia a light peck on the lips before whispering, "Thanks, Hestia, I feel a lot better now." Though her eyes had widened slightly at the kiss, Hestia's smile returned to normal and even grew marginally as a happy expression appeared on her face. She ushered Vahn out the door and the two made their way down to intercept the Takemikazuchi Familia that was nearing the front door.Seeing Ryuu in the foyer, Vahn smiled and thanked her even though he wasn't sure why. She simply returned his greeting politely before returning to inform the others about the arrival of new guests. Before they could know, Vahn opened the door and welcome the Takemikazuchi Familia into the Hearth Manor while taking a look at everyone in attendance. Ouka had once again accompanied Take, as he should, while Vahn also got a glimpse of two different girls, one he had seen, and the other he had only observed in the manga.Hitachi Chigusa was the girl he had met during the kidnapping incident and she was a petite and docile girl that stood around 149cm tall. She had a gentle and timid disposition with medium-length raven black hair that covered her green eyes. Other than her nearly non-existent breasts, the most striking thing about Chigusa was that, even though her size was diminutive, she had a large shield on her back. Vahn couldn't imagine the small girl as a frontline vanguard no matter how he thought about it...The other girl Yamato Mikoto, who was around 151cm and attired in the same type of lavender kimono as Chigusa except, unlike Chigusa, Mikoto had a visible sarashi that wrapped around her growing breasts. Since both girls were only around 14 years old, they hadn't grown into their manga counterparts yet but Mikoto was quickly approaching her future self. Like Chigusa, she also had raven black hair but with a pair of equally black eyes to accompany them. To contrast Chigusa's timid disposition, Mikoko had a serious and cool look on her face even though Vahn could see her aura flickering with a bit of excitement.Take' bowed politely after Vahn invited his Familia into the Manor and each of his children followed his example and showed proper courtesies. However, the moment courtesies were exchanged, Ouka looked directly at Vahn and asked in a somewhat brash tone, "Where is Lady Sanjouno?" Take' laughed awkwardly Ouka's words and politely bowed as he said, "Forgive Ouka, he is in somewhat high tensions after we received your words so suddenly. Since we've been on the trail for three years, the fact you completed the task within three days was a bit of an impact on everyone in the Familia."As it wasn't Vahn's first meeting with Ouka, he hadn't taken offense at his words and merely bowed politely to Take' before escorting the group to the study. Vahn held the door for them and revealed Haruhime sitting on one of the sofas while the twins tried arranging tea on a cart to the side with less-than-practiced motions. When she saw the sight of the Takemikazuchi Familia, Haruhime's eyes watered a bit but her expression remained gentle as she stood up and bowed deeply to the approaching group.Ouka released a relieved sigh before placing his hand on Vahn's shoulder and using his deep voice to say, "Seriously, thank you." After his short words, Ouka followed Take' into the room with Chigusa close at his back. She bowed politely to Vahn at muttered in a quiet voice, "Thanks, Vahn..." Vahn nodded toward her as Mikoto stepped forward and looked between him and Haruhime. As Haruhime's best friend, she was the most affected by her safe recovery and felt very grateful to Vahn for his assistance. She bowed low before saying in a serious tone, "This is our first meeting, I am Yamato Mikoto. Thank you for saving Haruhime, if there is anything I can do to return this kindness, please let me know."Vahn shook his head with a smile before gesturing toward Haruhime and saying, "We're allies Mikoto, don't worry about matters like repayment. I saved Haruhime because I wanted to, not simply because I was asked to. Instead of worry about me, you should go to her and think about other things later." Mikoto stared into Vahn's eyes as he spoke and her serious expression didn't fade at all before she eventually bowed again and made her way into the room. Vahn watched Haruhime hug the two girls as Ouka stood off to the side with a gentle expression with Take' making polite words to the twins. Vahn noticed the two girls blush slightly and raised his brow a bit at the strange sight.Hestia had stopped next to Vahn and stared into the room at the sight of the reunion for a few seconds before asking in a low voice, "You're not gonna try to get close to those two girls as well, are you? I think the small one likes the big guy, but the serious looking one might be a good choice..." Since Vahn hadn't been thinking about the matter at all, he was surprised to hear Hestia mention it as he turned toward her and saw an expression of mock humor on her face. He realized that she was actually teasing him and laughed a bit before making his way into the room with a smile on his face.Vahn didn't see the expression of humor on Hestia's face turn slightly serious as she released a sigh and looked at Mikoto before turning her sights to the twins that seemed to be getting smooth-talked by the handsome Takemikazuchi. She could tell that the two girls were receptive to others, so there was a chance they wouldn't be so reliant on Vahn in the future. The problem was, she had seen the serious look on Mikoto's face earlier and saw the genuine tears in her eyes when she embraced Haruhime. They seemed to be very close and were likely even near the same age as well.Since Haruhime would be living in the Hearth Manor, Hestia expected to see Mikoto around the Manor more often in the future and knew something would probably happen because of Vahn's gentle personality. Even though he had a weakness for girls with a tragic past, most of the girls on the network knew that Vahn actually liked the serious and hardworking type more than the fragile type. This made Mikoto, who was similar in age to Vahn, somewhat of a contender if she decided to enter the circle in the future...After everyone settled down, the group took their seats and the Takemikazuchi Familia was surprised when Haruhime sat close enough to Vahn that there was zero distance between their hips and even wrapped her tail around his waist without changing her elegant disposition at all. Hesta sat on the opposite side of Vahn and frowned slightly before pretending to ignore the tail. She had already 'allied' with Haruhime earlier and could get affections from Vahn when there were fewer eyes trained on them. Scanning over the group, Hestia saw the contemplative look in Mikoto's eyes and released a sigh inside her mind while Vahn opened the discussion.Vahn recounted the events of the rescue operation and also brought up the matter of how Ishtar had already anticipated his arrival to an extent. Though they had bought some time, the matter wouldn't officially come to a conclusion until the Ishtar Familia was dealt with. Though he didn't mention it to the group, Vahn had noticed that the quest hadn't actually been completed even though he already rescued Haruhime. This implied there was still a scheme running behind the scenes that needed to be dealt with before the quest was concluded. Since one of the failure conditions now stated 'Escape of Ishtar', Vahn knew he would have to do something to deal with the goddess in a somewhat permanent fashion.When he was finishing up the story, Vahn stated firmly, "Because of her own choice, Haruhime has joined the Hestia Familia and has fallen under my protection for the foreseeable future." Vahn's words caused Take's brows to rise slightly but he didn't seem against the idea while even Chigusa and Mikoto actually had relieved looks on their faces. The greatest affected seemed to be Ouka, but he just grits his teeth and remained silent because he was aware of his own weakness. They had no easy way to flee the City and return to the Far East and there was nothing his Familia could do to resist the Ishtar Familia at all. Even a single one of their Level 4 members would be enough to take out his entire group...While a silence had overtaken the atmosphere, Haruhime spoke out with gentle words, "I have decided to stay with Vahn by my own volition. I am grateful to everyone for their efforts...truly, I can't express my gratitude for all you have done for me. However, I must follow my own heart on this matter because I want to be able to live a happy life from now on. Vahn saved me from that nightmare and it is now my dream to live alongside him..." Though she couldn't put much force into it, Vahn could feel Haruhime's tail tighten around his waist and everyone in the Takemikazuchi Familia had noticed her reaction.Take' had a small smile on his face as he bowed politely and said, "Vahn, please take care of Haruhime from now on. She is in safer hands with you and I believe she will also be much happier here." As if to piggyback off of his words, Mikoto spoke out, "I want to join the Hestia Familia as well, at least until this matter is concluded. I might not be strong enough to contribute much, but I want to help protect Haruhime." Without waiting for Vahn or Hestia's response, Take's smile widened a bit and he said, "That is a great idea, it will also increase the bond between our two Familia in the future."Vahn wasn't too surprised since he had seen the look of conviction in Mikoto's eyes earlier. Haruhime seemed especially happy that her friend wanted to stay with her while Hestia, who had also expected something like this to happen, just stared into the void with lazy eyes and a practiced smile. She knew that, even if Mikoto only meant it as a temporary leave, she would probably stay around just because Haruhime was here. Since Haruhime wanted to support Vahn, that would mean Mikoto would be at his side a lot in the future as well. Simply due to his nature, they would probably grow closer over time as Haruhime whittled down both of their defenses...After it was officially decided that Mikoto was going to join the Hestia Familia, the Takemizuchi Familia left after a celebratory lunch. They were celebrating the safe recovery of Haruhime and also sending their well-wishes to Mikoto and the prosperity of the Hestia Familia. On their way out, Ouka approached Vahn and had an earnest expression on his face as he said, "I know it won't be easy, but I will work hard to overcome you in the future. We may not have started off on the right foot, but I think of you as a worthy rival. Lets both work hard to protect the things we care about..." Ouka then reached out his hand and Vahn gave him an appreciative nod before accepting the handshake and saying, "With the right mentality, you can become much stronger. It's not well known, but I am also a [Master Smith]. If you or the Takemikazuchi Familia have any equipment needs, please feel free to patronize the Hearth Manor in the future. I'll be more than happy to forge equipment for those I consider friends..."Ouka's expression turned especially serious as he nodded his head and briefly thanked Vahn before leaving alongside Chigusa and Take'. Chigusa looked back at Vahn for a moment and had a small smile on her face as she bowed before turning back and standing near Ouka. Vahn could see that not only Chigusa's but Ouka's aura gravitated toward the opposite person a bit. Though he wasn't sure of their relationship, Vahn felt like the two had a mutual liking for each other. With a small smile on his face, Vahn reaffirmed his desire to make a network of male friends to talk to and share advice. He felt like they could learn a lot from each other and Vahn also knew that his situation was somewhat unique compared to many others. If he wanted to relax and take things slowly like people kept telling him, Vahn figured the best method would be to spend more time for himself and make some friends...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Peaceful Silence','Hestia Familia Recruitment Drive In Full Swing','Vahn's desire for brotherhood grows')I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Chapter 262: Silence