The kiss ended, leaving a charged silence in the forge workshop. Hephaestus slowly pulled away, her face intensely flushed, her breathing slightly ragged, just like Hachiman's. Her reddish-brown eyes, now both visible and clear, fixed on his with a tenderness and depth that left him completely lost. "Thank you, Hachiman-kun," she repeated, her voice a little shaky.
Hachiman just stood there, static, his mind a complete blank. The warmth of her lips still tingled on his, the intensity of the moment overwhelming him. He, who always analyzed everything, had no idea what to say or do. First kiss. From a goddess. A goddess he had... healed? The situation was too absurd.
It was Tsubaki, with her practical sense and perhaps a bit of amused impatience, who broke the spell. She cleared her throat loudly. "Well, lovebirds, as adorable as it is to see the Chief finally showing some human emotion," she began with a wide grin, ignoring the glare Hephaestus shot her, "I'm afraid we'll have to cut it short. The Denatus starts this afternoon, remember? And it's almost time."
Denatus. The name brought Hachiman back to reality with a jolt. The meeting of the gods where Level Ups were made official and Aliases (nicknames) were granted. He had just reached Level 2. Aqua would be there. And they would decide his... title. A shiver of dread ran down his spine thinking about the names Aqua might come up with.
Hephaestus also seemed to remember her obligations, the blush deepening on her face as she realized Tsubaki had called them 'lovebirds'. "Ah! R-right! The Denatus!" She composed herself, adjusting non-existent clothing. She took Hachiman's hand for an instant, a surprisingly natural gesture now. "It will be made official today, Hachiman-kun. You will receive your title." Hachiman just nodded, his mind still slightly fuzzy. "Don't worry," Hephaestus continued, her voice firmer. "I'll be there. And I'll fight for you to get a worthy title, one that won't embarrass you." She smiled slightly. "The gods can be cruel, especially with novices from small Familias. They like to use us for their amusement." Before turning to leave, she picked up the eyepatch that was on the workbench and placed it back over her now-healed right eye.
"Hephaestus-sama?" Hachiman asked, confused.
"It's better this way for now, Hachiman-kun," she explained softly. "If I suddenly show up without it, after millennia... the questions will be inevitable. And the only recent variable in my life that could explain a miracle like this... was you. I don't want other gods or Familias coming after you out of curiosity, greed, or to try and replicate whatever you did. It's for your protection."
Hachiman understood. It was a logical, protective decision. He nodded. "Thank you, Hephaestus-sama. For everything."
"We'll see each other after the Denatus," she said. And then, with a quickness that surprised him again, she leaned in and stole another quick kiss on his lips before hurrying out the workshop door, her face ablaze.
Tsubaki laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Looks like the Hephaestus Familia has a master now! Be careful, kid, you've conquered something more dangerous than a dragon!" She winked and followed her goddess, leaving Hachiman alone in the workshop, still trying to process the last few minutes.
'Denatus... Aqua!' the thought struck him. He needed to go home immediately. He ran out of the Hephaestus Familia headquarters, ignoring the stares his haste attracted. He sprinted through the streets to his new house and burst in, finding Aqua about to leave, already dressed up (in the expensive dress from the day before) and looking very excited.
"Aqua!" he gasped, putting his hands on her shoulders before she could leave. "The Denatus! The title!"
"Yes! I know! I'm going right now! I'll make sure everyone knows about my amazing Level 2!" she said, full of herself.
"No! Listen!" he held her firmly, panic starting to rise. "Aqua, please. For the love of all that is holy or profane. Stop them from giving me an embarrassing title! You know what the gods are like! They'll try to make fun of me! 'Dead Fish Eyes', 'Loner King', 'Armored Tsundere'... anything horrible! Please, use your divine influence, bribe someone, do whatever it takes, but don't let it be something stupid!" He practically begged.
Aqua blinked, then puffed out her chest with arrogant pomp. "Honestly, Hachiman! Such lack of confidence in your glorious goddess! Leave it to me! I guarantee your title will be the most incredible, the most powerful, the most envied in all of Orario! It will be a title that reflects your strength and my wise guidance!" She said this with such absolute, radiant confidence that Hachiman's stomach turned to ice. 'Oh, no. She's too confident. This is terrible.' He knew Aqua; her concept of "incredible" could be disastrous.
Exasperated, he just sighed, accepting his fate. "Okay, Aqua. Do your best. Try... try your hardest not to make it embarrassing, please."
"It will be magnificent!" she declared, gave his shoulder a condescending pat, and floated out the door towards the Pantheon.
Hachiman was left alone at home. He needed time to process everything, to calm down. And he needed to wait for the result of the Denatus. He decided the best place to wait and perhaps distract himself would be a noisy, anonymous environment. He went to the Hostess of Fertility.
Upon entering, he immediately noticed the atmosphere was different from yesterday. The whispers were still there, but now charged with the confirmed news of his Level 2 status. The comparison with Bell Cranel was inevitable and audible.
"...Level 2 in a month! Faster than Wallenstein!" "...But that Cranel kid also leveled up fast, right? A month and a half, they said?" "...Yeah, but this Hachiman was even faster! News about him came out yesterday, Cranel's only today!" "...Two novices from small Familias rising so fast... strange..."
He spotted Bell at a table with Syr and Ryuu. Bell looked a bit more confident than before, perhaps due to his own level up (which Hachiman assumed must have been updated already), but he still seemed slightly intimidated in the presence of the two waitresses. Hachiman chose a distant table in the opposite direction, ordering only a drink.
It wasn't long before Syr got up from Bell's table and came skipping over to his, leaving Bell and Ryuu alone. "Hachiman-san! Congratulations on Level 2!" she said with a radiant smile, sitting down across from him uninvited. "It must be amazing to be so strong so quickly! What's it like? Tell me everything! Was it very different from the fight against the dragon? Did you use that bow again? What are your plans now?" Her eyes shone with a curiosity that seemed to go beyond simple admiration; it was analytical, almost hungry for details.
'Freya,' Hachiman concluded definitively, feeling the same subtle pressure he had felt looking up at Babel. He remained calm. "Thanks, Syr-san. It was just a lot of training and a bit of luck," he replied vaguely. "Level 2 is still just the beginning. The Dungeon remains dangerous." He began giving concise, carefully neutral answers to her questions about monsters, training, and the feeling of leveling up, without revealing anything about his skills, specific magic, or real plans. He needed to maintain the facade of not knowing who she really was.
Syr/Freya seemed a little disappointed by the lack of juicy details but kept smiling. "Even so, it's inspiring! Many adventurers dream of reaching Level 2, and you did it in a month!" She leaned in slightly. "There must be some secret, right?"
Before Hachiman had to deflect another probing question, Ryuu appeared beside the table. "Syr. Customers waiting." Her voice was neutral, but there was an implicit warning. She glanced briefly at Hachiman, and he again noted that complicated expression in her eyes – it wasn't open hostility, but perhaps a mixture of distrust, reluctant respect, and... warning? She gently pulled Syr away. "Let's go."
Syr pouted but stood up. "Oh, alright. See you later, Hachiman-san!" And she skipped off after Ryuu.
Hachiman let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'That woman is dangerous.' He glanced towards Bell's table. The boy was watching him, and the mix of emotions was clear even from a distance: admiration for the feat of the fastest Level 2, envy for apparently having surpassed Bell so decisively, and perhaps a bit of resentment for the attention Hachiman was receiving (especially from Syr). 'Complicated feelings, for sure.' Hachiman just looked away and focused on his food.
He ate quickly, ordered a good portion of food to go for Aqua, and left the tavern as dusk fell, just in time to avoid the mass exit of the gods from the Denatus. He arrived home and found Aqua already there, pacing back and forth with an expression of immense pride and self-satisfaction.
"Aqua?" Hachiman asked, his stomach churning with apprehension. "The Denatus... my title?"
Aqua stopped, turned to him with a triumphant smile that Hachiman found deeply worrying, puffed out her chest, and pointed at him with all the divine arrogance she possessed.
"My dear Level 2 Hachiman! Prepare to be revered! For from this day forth, your name shall echo through the halls of fame as... Dragon Slayer!"
Hachiman stood in silence, processing. 'Dragon Slayer?' He had expected the worst. Expected 'Dead Fish Eyes', 'Cynic Lord', 'Armored Tsundere'. But 'Dragon Slayer'? It was... incredibly cool. Heroic. Relieved, he almost fell to his knees.
"How?" was all he managed to ask, his voice hoarse with relief. "How did you get such a... decent title?"
Aqua laughed haughtily. "Hmph! With my divine charm and unparalleled eloquence, of course! Some jealous gods tried to suggest ridiculous names, but I put them in their place!" She shrugged casually, though Hachiman had a strong suspicion there was more to the story. 'Hephaestus-sama definitely helped behind the scenes,' he thought with silent gratitude. He could live with 'Dragon Slayer'. Definitely.