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A figure suddenly stumbled into the room from the doorway.
"Ow! Alise, why'd you push me?!"
"Hehe, eavesdropping isn't something righteous and pure-hearted folks like us should be doing! If we're gonna peek, let's do it openly!"
"Wait… if it's 'open,' then it's not really 'peeking' anymore, is it…?"
"Details, details!"
The girls from the Astraea familia had clearly been waiting just outside the door for a while. Now they couldn't wait any longer and barged into the room in small groups, chatting excitedly.
For a moment, it felt to Dan like he'd been dropped into a kingdom of women. All the curious stares made him a bit uneasy—but only for a second. He quickly pulled himself together.
Back in his past life, he'd never had this kind of calm—typical otaku life didn't exactly prepare him for this. But thanks to having shared a body with Silent Suzuka, he had personally experienced plenty of her moments…
Yes, including those mortifying dance performances in front of thousands.
He'd gotten a good taste of the shame that came with singing and dancing on stage while everyone stared at you. Thanks to that, this situation didn't even register as embarrassing anymore.
Off to the side, Lyra raised an eyebrow as she quietly watched, swallowing the biting comment she'd been about to throw to chase the others out.
Interesting…
Kaguya gave Dan a glance and dramatically placed her hand against her cheek, speaking with the flair of a performer plucking a pipa.
"Ara~ I thought you'd be completely bewitched by our dear goddess, but I guess you still remember us two plain old girls who risked our lives for you~"
Dan groaned and rubbed his temples, feeling the headache coming on.
"I am seriously grateful you saved me, but can you not say things that give the wrong idea...?"
Lyra crossed her arms behind her head and let out a chuckle.
"Don't mind the ramblings of women in heat. Besides, didn't you go all out bringing in reinforcements for us? I'd say we're even."
"And honestly, I never expected you to get the Loki familia to show up. When I saw that elven royal blow the whole enemy base sky-high, I thought she might accidentally blast me into dust too..."
Just remembering the scene made Lyra shudder with lingering fear.
Hidden among the group, the masked elf finally spoke up.
"Lyra, you shouldn't speak so disrespectfully about Lady Riveria!"
Kaguya instantly turned her head and fired back with a smirk.
"Oh my, the uptight, squeaky-clean elf lady speaks after everything's over as usual."
"Wh-what?! I came to help too! It's just… by the time I got there, the battle was already cleaned up!"
"Then you should've gotten there faster!"
And just like that, the two of them started bickering over something completely pointless.
Everyone else in the familia gathered around to watch, clearly used to this kind of thing. Some covered their mouths to stifle laughter.
"Oh boy, here we go again. Another round of the 'stubborn elf vs. the Far East princess' insult match..."
"My bet's on Kaguya winning!"
"Uh… has Ryu ever actually won one of these…?"
While the girls laughed and teased each other, their leader Alise had somehow snuck up beside Dan. She casually threw an arm around his shoulder like they were old friends and flashed a bright, carefree smile.
"I'm Alise. So, handsome, what's your name?"
"Uh... just call me Dan."
"Dan, huh? Hmm, I like it! Good name!" Alise grinned with a playful twirl of her red ponytail.
"You know, Dan, you've become pretty famous among both the gods and adventurers lately!"
She looked incredibly proud of him for some reason.
"Hehe, a guy who hasn't even been blessed by a god yet, and you outran level 2 adventurers? People are saying you're like some ancient hero reborn—one who existed before the gods even descended!"
Lyra sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"You say that like you were the one who pulled it off… What're you getting all smug for?"
Dan raised an eyebrow and calmly shook his head.
"People just like to exaggerate. I just saw an opportunity and took advantage of their surprise, that's all."
He knew exactly what level he was working with. Even if he factored in the strength of a Horse Girl, at most he'd only be around level 2.
After all, Horse Girls might be fantasy creatures, but they weren't really built for battle.
Alise blinked in surprise at Dan' mature and grounded attitude, then smirked.
"Fufufu, not bad at all. No wonder both Kaguya and Lyra risked their lives to save you. You've got a good head on your shoulders!"
Then she leaned in a bit, still smiling.
"Hey, Dan. What do you say—wanna join our Astraea familia?"
"....."