Feeling the warmth of the hug fading from his body, Aston felt a bit embarrassed. If he remembered correctly, Ray's dream was to hug the person she liked, right? Did that mean Ray had taken a liking to him? But they had only known each other for less than two days.
With a slightly odd expression, Aston couldn't quite figure out what was going on. Was it because he enabled them to live on the surface that he had gained her affection? It seemed like a real possibility.
Shaking his head slightly, Aston didn't dwell on it. He already had enough emotional debts; one more wouldn't make a difference.
Leaving the reception room, Aston went to the workshop that Hestia had prepared especially for him and started processing various materials she had bought today into potions. After converting all the materials into potions and taking a shower, Aston, along with Hestia and a large group, headed towards the Hostess of Fertility.
It was quite noticeable to see such a large group walking together. Even though it was night, passersby still frequently glanced at Aston and his group. Arriving at the Hostess of Fertility, Aston opened the door and led everyone inside.
"Welcome," came the usual greeting from the counter, where Mia Grand was. However, upon looking up, Mia Grand was visibly startled. She quickly realized that these were the patrons who had reserved seats earlier in the day.
"You must be the adventurers Syr mentioned, come on in," Mia Grand said with a smile. While she greeted them warmly, her mind was anything but calm. "When did Orario get a new Level 6 adventurer?" she wondered, wiping a glass.
When she saw Aston, she sensed danger from him, a feeling she only got from adventurers of similar level. Her adventurer level was Level 6, and clearly, Aston, who also gave her a sense of danger, was at that level too. And from his aura, it seemed he had been Level 6 for a while, not just recently promoted, or else he wouldn't have given her such a feeling.
'Was he hiding his level?'
The large number of people caused the adventurers dining and chatting in the pub to fall silent, all eyes turning towards Aston's group.
They initially thought it might be the Loki Familia's main goddess with their adventurers, but a closer look revealed it was not the usual scenario. The customers then returned to their own conversations, quietly discussing Aston's group, trying to understand the situation. Aston paid no attention to this.
Leading the group, Aston approached Mia Grand and politely asked, "Excuse me, where are our seats?"
"Syr, the adventurers who reserved seats are here, come out and receive them," Mia Grand called out.
Immediately, several heads popped out from the kitchen door like in a battlefield; Syr Flova (Freya), Ryuu, Lunoire, and the two catgirls Anya and Chloe.
Well, all the waitresses were in the kitchen, no wonder Mia Grand had greeted Aston when he came in. Normally, it should be the waitresses' job to greet customers.
"Aston-san, you're here!" Seeing Aston, Syr's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked towards him with a beaming smile, wiping her hands.
This scene broke the defense of many customers in the pub. Syr's smile was obviously not just a waitress's smile, but one from the heart, unrelated to her job. At that moment, many customers were emotionally moved.
"How unfair, I wish I could have Syr look at me like that too!"
"Aston, is your charm really that strong?" Standing next to Aston, Hestia, with her hand on his shoulder, teased him with a playful tone.
Behind Hestia, Eina also looked at Aston with a strange expression.
It seemed that Aston had been dealing with women since he became an adventurer until Eina joined the Hestia Familia.
In the morning, she hadn't noticed this point, but now it was clear to her that the waitress obviously had feelings for Aston. This realization ignited a sense of crisis in Eina's heart.
She joined the Hestia Familia not only because of Aston's comforting presence but also because she liked him. Now, with a competitor appearing, it was not a good sign. For a moment, Eina regarded Syr as her second biggest rival, the first being Hestia herself. However, Aston was oblivious to Eina's reaction.
At that moment, Aston was speechlessly looking at Hestia.
Seeing Hestia's expression, his eyes twitched slightly. Clearly, even Hestia had not realized Freya's true identity. How to describe it? Quite oblivious, yet quite strong. No need to say which one outweighs the other.
"Aston-san, please follow me," Syr said, coming up to Aston with a smile and leading the way. The group soon followed Syr deeper into the pub. There were about a dozen empty tables, clearly reserved for Aston.
"Aston-san, what would you like? May I recommend some dishes for you?" Syr asked with a smile as soon as they were seated.
"You decide, Syr," Aston responded with a slight smile, taking charge.
Since Hestia had left the preparation of the feast entirely to Aston, she didn't intervene.
"Alright, then let me recommend some dishes for Aston-san. Please wait a moment," Syr said, nodding happily before leaving.
The pub was quick to serve. In less than ten minutes, plates of sumptuous food were brought to the table.
This gathering was a Hestia Familia meal, and Aston didn't give any motivational speeches like he would have in his previous life as a CEO. He simply said a few inspiring words before letting everyone start eating.
During the meal, Syr often used the excuse of serving food to come over and chat with Aston. Her frequent appearances turned Hestia's teasing expressions darker.
Originally, Hestia was just teasing Aston about his popularity with women, but now it seemed that the pub's waitress was seriously interested in him, as if planning to snatch away her 'cabbage'.
Therefore, Hestia immediately issued a warning to Aston.
"Aston, you're not allowed to come to this pub anymore."
Aston: "Huh?"
Eina: "Well done, Hestia-sama!"
In fact, Aston wanted to say the same. Since his goddess forbade it, he had an excuse not to come in the future.
"Excuse me, did I do something wrong? Why isn't he allowed to come here anymore?" Syr (Freya), who had overheard Hestia's words, approached and asked with a slight frown.
This question made Hestia quite embarrassed. After all, her words, though not explicitly negative, were clearly understood as such by anyone with insight.
"We just can't come here, that's it," Hestia said, crossing her arms and turning away, firm in her stance.
Aston: "..."
Syr (Freya): "???"
Freya, in her heart: "I'll remember this, Hestia."
Then, disregarding her status, Syr (Freya) started to argue with Hestia right there. This scene turned the pub into a spectacle, with everyone starting to gossip.
From behind the counter, Mia Grand watched the scene and shook her head helplessly.
****
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