The broom swayed left and right, a pair of blue eyes looking out the door as if searching for someone, scanning the outside road for a certain silver-blue haired kitten. There was half an hour until they needed to open the Hostess of Fertility.
"She's been sweeping the same place for the past 10 minutes, nya," Anya observed, her cat ears twitching as she watched Ryuu.
"Someone should really say something to Ryuu before mama gets mad, nya," Chloe added, her tail flicking in amusement.
"Why is she acting like this?" Syr asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Ever since that cute cat boy came with her, she's been like this," Chloe replied, drooling slightly at the thought of the young Asriel.
"Ooo, I see," Syr said, a teasing smile forming on her lips.
She approached Ryuu, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Ah, who stole my precious Ryuu's heart?" Syr asked in a playful tone.
Ryuu's stoic expression was thrown out the window as she heard Syr's words. "W-w-what?" she stammered, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.
Anya and Chloe exchanged amused glances, their ears perking up with interest. "Oh, did our cool and composed Ryuu fall for a cute cat boy, nya?" Anya teased, her eyes twinkling.
Ryuu's blush deepened, and she tried to focus on her sweeping. "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered, her voice unconvincing.
Chloe leaned in closer, her smile widening. "Come on, Ryuu, you can tell us. Is he really that cute, nya?"
Ryuu's grip on the broom tightened, and she avoided their gazes. "I… I just met him. It's nothing like that," she insisted, though her blush betrayed her words.
Syr giggled, clearly enjoying the rare sight of a flustered Ryuu. "Oh, Ryuu, it's okay to have a crush."
"I do not" Ryuu muttered as she kept sweeping the floor.
Syr placed a comforting hand on Ryuu's shoulder, still smiling. "Relax, Ryuu. We're just happy to see you interested in someone. It's a nice change."
As the bar opened and customers began to fill the Hostess of Fertility, the teasing didn't stop. Syr and the others found every opportunity to make a comment or throw a suggestive look Ryuu's way.
"Look, Ryuu, isn't that your crush over there?" Syr whispered as they served drinks, pointing at a random customer.
Ryuu shot her a withering look. "Enough, Syr. Focus on your work."
Anya sidled up next to Ryuu as they took an order. "So, when are you going to introduce us to this Asriel, nya?"
"Never," Ryuu replied flatly, though her heart skipped a beat at the thought.
Chloe chimed in from behind the bar. "I bet he called you beautiful, didn't he? I can see it now, our Ryuu blushing like a maiden in love, nya."
Ryuu's mind flashed back to that moment, Asriel's sincere eyes and gentle smile. "He… he called me a fairy," she whispered, almost to herself.
Syr caught the words and grinned. "A fairy, huh? That's adorable. And did our fairy let him touch her hand?"
Ryuu blush, and she turned away. "It's none of your business."
The day continued with more teasing, the girls finding every little thing to poke fun at. Ryuu did her best to ignore them, but it was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere, often drifting back to that fateful encounter.
As the time came to close the Hostess of Fertility's doors, the waitresses gathered in the changing room, a place ripe for more teasing directed at poor Ryuu.
"So you haven't seen him in the past two weeks?" Syr asked, her voice laced with a mix of concern and frustration. She was clearly upset that Asriel had left Ryuu with a promise unfulfilled.
"Yes," Ryuu admitted, a hint of sadness in her voice. But she quickly defended him, her heart unwilling to accept the worst. "I feel like he didn't do it on purpose. Something must have happened to him for him not to visit."
Syr's brow furrowed slightly. "You really believe that?"
Ryuu nodded with confidence. "He was pure when he said he would come back to eat here again. There was no lie in his eyes."
"I see," Syr replied, her tone softening.
Lunoire, another waitress, chimed in with a teasing smile. "Protecting your crush, huh?"
Ryuu's cheeks turned a deep shade of pink as she realized she had been defending Asriel without even thinking about it. "I… It's not like that!"
Anya joined in, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, come on, Ryuu, we all saw how you were looking out the door earlier. Admit it, you miss him."
Chloe, ever the instigator, added, "Yeah, Ryuu, you can tell us. It's just us girls here."
Ryuu finished dressing in her sleeping clothes and said her goodbyes and good nights, quickly walking to her room. The giggles from her colleagues didn't stop, but each parted ways to their own places of sleep. As she lay on her bed, still blushing from all the teasing she had endured throughout the day, she couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment. This was really unlike her.
"Don't let him go, Lion," her friend's voice echoed in her mind.
"Not you too, Alise," Ryuu muttered as she rolled around on her bed, trying to shake off the memories of the relentless teasing.
Mia, heard her and went to check on her. "What are you blubbering about, Ryuu?" she asked, grinning at the elf.
"Nothing," Ryuu murmured into her pillow, her voice muffled.
Mia laughed heartily and sat on the edge of the bed. "He really made an impact on you, didn't he, Ryuu?" she said with a knowing smile.
Ryuu hesitated, "Well—"
"Don't make excuses," Mia interrupted, her tone gentle but firm.
Ryuu sighed, her voice barely above a whisper, "Fine… he did," she admitted, feeling a weight lift off her chest as she finally acknowledged her feelings.
"He touched my hand… and… so… it kinda…" Ryuu said, her words drifting off, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.
Mia raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting to one of understanding. "Oh," she thought, "she's really, really in love with that guy." Seeing Ryuu's vulnerability, Mia decided it was the right time to have the talk with her. Ryuu had never shown affection to any man before, and Mia felt the need to impart some wisdom.
"Hey, Ryuu, is this the first time you've fallen in love?" Mia asked.
Ryuu nodded shyly, her eyes avoiding Mia's.
"I think it's time to bestow upon you some knowledge about love," Mia said.
Ryuu looked up, her curiosity piqued. "Huh?"
"You see, Ryuu, when a man and a woman love each other very much…" Mia began, preparing to share the knowledge she had been given by a certain silver-haired goddess of war, love, beauty, fertility, and… sex.
As Mia continued to explain, Ryuu listened intently, her face a mixture of curiosity and embarrassment. She had some information about love but the information of Mia was new and overwhelming, and as the night went on, the young elf found herself contemplating everything she had learned.
That night, Ryuu's dreams were heavily influenced by Mia's talk. So vivid and intense were her dreams that she had to sneak out at dawn to wash her sheets before any of the other waitresses were awake. The mere thought of seeing Asriel again made her heart race and her face burn with embarrassment.
The young elf was unsure if she was ready for what happens when a man and a woman truly fall in love. Or perhaps, she was more ready than she realized.
"When did I get so lewd!?"
(Author note)
Not the best but still good . (I'm not the best writer tbh, btw)
This side story doesn't effect they story a lot, perhaps the part of the talk does greatly influence the story with Ryuu. The introduction of syr might influence the story too but I haven't gotten that far yet.