Is It Wrong For Me To Start With Three Skills In Danmachi ?!

Tione and Tiona exchanged glances, both helpless and amused.

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Inside Ais' room.

The first impression Fron had upon entering was that it was tidy, so tidy that it didn't look like it had just been cleaned up. Then what was the girl fussing about earlier with all that clanging…?

Blinking suspiciously, Fron decided to bury the question in his heart. He'd never had any girl as a friend, but that didn't mean he lacked emotional intelligence. Asking about that would only make the girl embarrassed.

"Um, please sit."

Ais' room was like a projection of her personality: simple, monotonous, yet exquisite.

A magic stone lamp, a neatly made bed, a wardrobe, and a large floor mat, that was basically all.

Though the furniture was sparse, each piece was clearly a carefully chosen fine craftwork, and the little decorations placed about gave the space a comfortable feeling. In some details, one could see the girl's care.

"Th-that, sorry. There's no chair, sit here."

Blushing, Ais lowered her head and patted the spot beside her, wondering if she was being too forward. Riveria had said… girls should be more reserved.

"..." Though a bit awkward, Fron still instinctively sat down on the bed.

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, turning their faces away from each other. But because the distance was so close, they could even feel each other's warm breath against their skin.

Nervous, uneasy, expectant yet a little scared, mixed emotions boiled together into a strange, bittersweet soup.

They just sat there. The girl's fragrance drifted over, and Fron sneaked a glance at her side profile out of the corner of his eye. From her neck to her cheeks, even to the tips of her ears, she was flushed crimson, looking utterly embarrassed.

"..."

"..."

The stalemate between them made things difficult for both.

"Ahem, um. Haven't you gone to update your status yet?"

As a man, Fron took the initiative to break the silence, proving that he was sensitive enough to notice the girl's shyness.

"Mhm, "

"I'll go with you."

"Mhm, "

"..."

Their awkward small talk ended in just a few sentences… Fron racked his brains but couldn't find a topic, until his head hurt.

When the two finally left the room together, Lefiya, hiding around the corner, had bloodshot eyes filled with veins.

"M-my Miss Ais, my Ais~"

As for Tione and her sister, they were grinning ear to ear.

"Where are they going?"

"Don't you think, if it were the old Ais, she would've gone to Loki to update her status right away? But this time she hid in her room, very suspicious."

"C-could it be… she was waiting for Fron to go with her???"

"Oho, Ais has grown too, her heart's full of girlish feelings!"

Yes, if it were the old Ais, how could she have asked someone to accompany her?

But Fron made it happen.

...

In the second-floor atrium, inside a large meeting room.

Whoever decorated it had lavish taste, walls lined with bookshelves full of books, the floor completely covered by a luxurious carpet.

Directly opposite the door was a spacious area with a massive rosewood desk, a sofa with a coffee table, and nearby, a fireplace with the familia's banner.

The elegant decorations stood in sharp contrast to the cityscape of Orario, almost like two different eras.

Perhaps this was the difference between the Tenkai and the lower world.

When Fron and Ais arrived, they were surprised by the figure inside.

"You are… Eina?"

After thoughtfully opening the door for Ais, Fron stepped in and was slightly surprised to see who was waiting.

"Hello, Mr. Fron. Sorry to bother you."

The half-elf stood, bowing slightly as she explained.

"Were you here to see Riveria? I remember your mother…"

"Nope, here for me."

From the cabinet, Loki pulled out a cup, setting it on the table, her expression fixated with feverish excitement on a bottle of wine.

That bottle, with its familiar mark, Fron knew it too well. He still remembered there were some left in the vault of his workshop.

"Soma's divine wine?"

"Oh ho, you know your stuff, brat."

Seeing Loki's proud grin, Fron tugged Ais over to sit on one side of the sofa and curled his lip.

"Bought on the market? Then it's a failed product. If you want the real thing that never circulates outside, I've still got some in my workshop."

Truthfully, Fron wasn't that passionate about fine drink; he only tasted it casually, unlike the drunkard Loki.

"W-what?? You have Soma's genuine divine wine!"

With a "whoosh," Loki's eyes shone as she lunged, arms wide, trying to tackle Fron.

But at that critical moment, the girl raised her hand and pressed Loki's face aside, sending her crashing to the floor with a smack.

"Ais-tan~~"

"Don't bully Fron."

"?"

"?"

Everyone in the room was full of question marks. But in the corner, Riveria folded her arms, watching silently, a kind look in her eyes, smiling like a fond elder.

What did that mean??? She's defending him too much!

"N-no way, Ais-tan, you… you and Fron…"

Loki trembled, pointing at the embarrassed young man.

"..." Not wanting to deal with them, Ais turned her blushing face away without answering.

But her attitude itself was proof… there was something between the two!

"Ahhhhhhhh, I'm gonna die!!! My Ais-tan!" Loki broke down.

The weeping, noisy deity put on a dramatic scene, but everyone present knew Loki's true nature, the god of mischief.

So Fron and Ais completely ignored her.

In the end, it was Mama Riveria who stepped in, unable to watch any longer. After all, Eina was her junior; letting her lose too much face wouldn't do. She restrained Loki, who was on the verge of a drunken tantrum.

"Well then, Eina-chan, ask what you want. I'll answer what I can, on account of the divine wine."

The goddess, suddenly like a different person, sat on the sofa, carefully poured herself a glass of "divine wine," and after a sip, began to speak.

This change of demeanor nearly stunned Eina. But once it turned to business, she pushed up her glasses and asked seriously:

"It's like this, I wanted to ask you about the [Soma Familia]. Of course… if it's inconvenient for you, I don't mind."

"..."

"..."

At those words, Fron suddenly realized. So that's what this was about. He'd been puzzled earlier, thinking maybe his familia had gotten into trouble with the Guild. But now he understood, it was probably because of someone's affection, wasn't it?

Still, thinking more carefully, it didn't quite add up. At the Monsterphilia, he had already given Lili a new path to follow. Could it be she didn't listen? Or… had something happened that even he didn't know?

As he recalled, an image of a bespectacled man flashed through his mind.

"Could it be… that the captain of Soma Familia found out? Hm." That possibility seemed the most likely.

After all… that man was no good person, and he had deep ties with those in the Orario's darker side.