endless path infinite cosmos Pt. 2

chapter 214

Hestia's question caused Vahn to nearly burst out laughing at how silly her words were. She spoke with such confidence earlier and had been steadily building the atmosphere for the last few minutes and then suddenly dashed it away at a moments notice. Fortunately, Vahn had relatively decent control over himself so he just showed a 'happy' smile on his face that reached all the way to his eyes. Though he was letting her lead him at first, now he tightened his grip a bit and said, "I rented a room at an Inn not too far away. We can rest there for tonight before looking for a permanent residence for the Familia tomorrow."

Hearing his words, Hestia beamed before lifting her index finger and wagging it back and forth with a cheeky grin and saying, "It isn't 'the' Familia, it is 'our' Familia from now on~! Remember this, Vahn, we're family now!" Her words echoed in his mind as he repeated 'family' over and over in his head in a dazed state. Though Vahn treated people well, there were few people he thought of as 'family'. He wanted to create one in the future, sure, but having someone tell him they're family 'now' was a big hit.

Vahn took a big breath before exhaling and smiling at Hestia. She still had her finger up and a big toothy grin on her face as she waited for his response. Vahn ruminated over his own thoughts before saying the only thing that seemed to come to his mind, "Thanks, Hestia..." Hestia's eyes began to twinkle as her smile turned into a more natural one and she said, "Of course, Vahn."

Afterward, Vahn led the way to the Boars Tooth where he tried to book an additional room for Hestia even though it was already quite late. She adamantly refused the offer and said that she 'trusted' Vahn enough to know he wouldn't do anything untoward even if they shared a room. Her words inspired his own confidence and allowed him to affirm his resolve further. As long as she didn't make any advances, Vahn decided he wouldn't pursue Hestia and just focus on building their Familia into a stronger organization.

His resolve was immediately tested, however, when Hestia watched him change with fiery eyes as if she had found a delicious meal. Vahn ignored her gaze and eventually joined her in bed. The clothes she wore had self-cleaning functions and she didn't need to change them, so Hestia went to sleep in the same clothing she wore around town. Though Vahn thought it was a bit strange due to his own hygienic habits, he remembered she did the same thing in the manga and put the matter behind him.

When they finally laid down to go to sleep, they both kept a relative distance between each other at first, but about an hour after Vahn had fallen asleep he felt Hestia using his body like a hug pillow. Her actions had awoken him, but after he saw she was still asleep he decided to ignore her. As if his inaction had been taken as a sign of consent, it wasn't long before Hestia ended up replacing the bed she had been laying on for Vahn's body. Vahn was positive she was still asleep and confirmed it when he rolled her body off of his.

Another hour after that, Vahn was once again woken up to the very same sight and released a sigh before conceding. Since she was very light and the feeling of her breasts was unlike anything he had experienced before, Vahn decided to just relax and enjoy the moment. He couldn't help but remark in his head that, due to how she was watching him earlier, they had completely forgotten to perform the Familia induction ceremony. Because of that, they were essentially two people that had just met a few hours ago that had no prior connections or bonds that were now sharing the same bed. If not for Hestia's defenseless nature and apparent trust for him, Vahn would have thought she was acting very forward.

Vahn eventually fell asleep for a few hours before waking up and entering the orb as had become his habit. Inside, Eva had noticed his strange behavior and 'silly' smile on his face and began pestering him about if he had obtained a new woman. Vahn explained that he was just joining her Familia, but when it got to the part about how they were currently sleeping together, Eva gave him a look as if he had said something profoundly stupid. For the next three days, she had him tend to her even more and teased him every time they were laying together. Since she knew there was a woman using his chest as a pillow in the real world, Eva wanted to torment him for the first time in a while.