encouragement and misunderstanding

this is a bit of a boring chapter, but I need to set up the foundation for later chapters, sorry if it bores you, enjoy!

-

After eating my breakfast, Mama Mia sent me to the market to buy some vegetables and meats. As for the reason why she sent me, even I could not comprehend her reasoning.

With my impaired vision, I cannot tell the difference between fresh and stale products, only relying on the touch of my hand, and even that is unreliable.

Thinking about my options, I decided to ask a good-natured person nearby to help me. I controlled my soul-search I have on to focus on other souls, and slowly orbs of many colors revealed themselves around me.

Many were white and gray, but there was one that caught my attention, a soul with innocence but a dormant revenge within. Quickly approaching the person with that soul, I overheard them talking to one of their friends.

"Hey Aiz, let's go buy some clothes," a short-haired brown-skinned girl invited.

"I'll think about it," the golden long-haired girl replied plainly.

"Excuse me, can you help me with something?" I called out to them from behind.

"Huh?" both of them turned around and saw me wearing my Hostess of Fertility outfit.

"Oh, someone from Hostess of Fertility, what do you need?" the brown girl cheerfully said.

Ais stayed silent.

"Well, Mama Mia sent me to buy some vegetables and meats, but as you can see, my vision is impaired, so I cannot tell between fresh and stale," I explained my current situation.

"Huh? Then why did Mama Mia send you to buy them?" the brown girl said while looking perplexed.

"Even I do not know, so it is useless to ask me about it," I helplessly said.

"Alright, we will help you. Wanna help too, right, Ais?"

"Yes," Ais nodded.

"Let's go to the market then. Right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Tiona, nice to meet you," Tiona extended her hand unconsciously.

"My name is Xián yǎ, it's a pleasure to meet you," I grabbed her hand and shook it.

"Ha? If your vision is impaired, how could you see I extended my hand?" Tiona looked puzzled.

"I always have my magic active to feel my surroundings."

"Whoa, that's cool. Could I learn that?" Tiona looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"If you are able to control your magic that is out of your body, maybe you can," I gave her a vague answer.

"Oh, come on, I can't even control my magic inside my body, let alone outside," Tiona lamented.

After that, we went to the market, with me listing what ingredients I needed and Tiona and Ais picking the quality of them.

-

-Bell's POV-

"BELL, WHERE WERE YOU LAST NIGHT?" Goddess Hestia crossed her arms while I was kneeling on the ground.

"Goddess Hestia, I got into a fight, bu-but I'm alright," I tried to explain.

"HUH, you got into a fight!?" Hestia rushed to me and checked my body.

"Where were you hurt, who dared hurt my Bel- *sniff* I SMELL A WOMAN." Goddess Hestia suddenly screamed.

"HUH?" I momentarily froze for a moment, remembering that I slept with Xian.

"G-Goddess Hestia, I can explain!" I tried to explain, but Goddess Hestia did not want to hear my excuse.

"Bell Cranel, you were hanging out with a woman late at night and slept, heaven knows where, leaving me alone, worrying about you," Goddess Hestia angrily said.

I hung my head low from making Goddess Hestia worry for me.

"Goddess Hestia, let me explain."

"Fine, I'll listen to you. It better be a good excuse." Goddess Hestia looked at me seriously.

I explained what happened last night, from finding Xian cornered in an alley to her healing me in my sleep.

"So you wanted to save a blind girl because you saw her cornered by two adventurers?" Goddess Hestia mentioned one of the moments of last night.

"Yes."

"And you went in to get beaten by the two adventurers, but the blind girl stopped them and killed them?"

"Yea."

"And you woke to find her sleeping next to you?"

"Yes, but- but it's not what yo-" I tried clarifying.

"Oh my poor Bell, you went through a lot, didn't you?" Goddess Hestia suddenly sobbed and jumped onto my arm.

Catching her, I fell back to the ground while Goddess Hestia cried on my chest.

After a while, Goddess Hestia stopped her crying and looked at my face.

"Bell, be careful next time. Even if you think it's the right thing to do, you can't do anything if you charge like that recklessly." Goddess Hestia lectured me.

After Goddess Hestia calmed down, I spent some time with Goddess Hestia and planned to go to the dungeon. But before that, I went to Hostess of Fertility to pay for the bills I forgot to pay yesterday.

-

Arriving at Hostess of Fertility, I looked inside and saw Mama Mia cleaning the bar table. Mama Mia sensed someone at the front door and saw Bell standing there.

"Ah, sorry for coming back. I wanted to pay back the meal yesterday," I nervously entered and handed her a bag of valis.

"I'm glad you remembered that you didn't pay last night," Mama Mia said while putting the bag of valis on the counter.

"Well, if you didn't come back, I was going to come after you," Mama Mia threatened me.

"I- I'm sorry." I quickly bowed my head to Mama Mia.

"Now, don't apologize anymore, Bell," Syr said next to me.

"I'm happy that you're fully healed now. You're going back to the dungeon today, right?" Syr pulled a lunchbox from behind her.

"Here, I made you lunch!" Syr handed the lunchbox to me.

"Oh, I couldn't take it," I rejected her offer.

"But, I made it just for you. Can you take it, please?" Syr pleaded.

"I'll take it, thank you." Receiving the lunchbox, Syr happily rushed to the back of the pub.

"Make sure you thank Syr, and especially me for sending Xian away and making Syr able to give you the lunchbox," Mama Mia winked at me.

"Anyway, go back there and continue adventuring. No matter what they say and how they laugh at you, if you come out alive, then you will be the one who wins in the end." Mama Mia encouraged me.

"And if you're strong enough, you can get Syr and Xian to go out with you." She winked at me and patted my shoulder, pushing me through the exit door.

"Me and Xian are not like that," I said in embarrassment.

"Whatever you say, kid. Just come back alive, would you? If you die and make Xian and Syr sad, I would not forgive you." Mama Mia said and shuttered the door to the pub.