Chapter 93: A Date With Ais?

Riveria stepped forward with a soft smile and tried to smooth things over. "Well now, Loki, you're a god. No need to squabble with a child like Akira, hmm?" She chuckled gently after speaking, unable to hold back her amusement. Hearing her words, the corners of Loki's lips curled upward into a cunning smirk. She turned her head slowly, her crimson eyes narrowing as they locked onto Akira. "Hey, Akira..." She called sweetly, far too sweetly. "Tell me, do you think Riveria qualifies as a good mother?" Akira blinked, his thoughts still drifting elsewhere. He hadn't quite registered the change in tone, let alone sensed the trap that had just been laid at his feet. Still lost in thought, he replied absentmindedly, "Mm... I guess so. After all, Riveria-san is kind of old." The words had barely left his mouth before a chill ran down his spine. Wait— Akira's eyes widened. That's not right! I fell into a trap! Loki had deliberately used his name instead of a teasing nickname—too natural, too familiar. That was what had caught him off guard. He'd lowered his mental defenses... and paid the price. Finn and Gareth exchanged looks of genuine admiration, while Ais gazed at him with sparkles of worship in her golden eyes. Bang. Bang. Two clean, crisp thuds rang out in rapid succession. Riveria, having moved with speed that defied her elegant appearance, had already raised her staff. One end cracked across Loki's head, the other slamming directly into Akira's with equal precision. The staff descended like divine judgment. Her long, arched brows lifted. Those sharp emerald eyes glared at the two offenders with the piercing authority of an older sister who had put up with far too much nonsense. Akira bowed his head, both hands raised in apology. Even though he'd been baited into saying it, he had still let those words fly without thinking. "I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me, Riveria-san." He said earnestly. Riveria exhaled softly, her expression still stern, but a tiny huff escaped her nose—almost like a snort of pride. It seemed like she had decided to let him off... for now. But then, her gaze shifted toward Loki, and in an instant, a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. Loki's shoulders visibly twitched. She broke into a nervous grin and quickly got behind Riveria, her hands gently massaging the elf's shoulders with exaggerated care. "Aahaha, I get it, I get it—I went too far! I'll behave, I promise!" At the gate of the Loki Familia's base. Riveria lifted her lips into a soft smile, her tone gentle and warm as she said, "Well, this is as far as we'll take you. Enjoy your outing." Then she reached into the satchel at her waist, pulled out a bulging pouch, and handed it to Akira. "This is some pocket money. You can use it for lunch." Loki, who had been watching this exchange, grumbled in her heart, 'That's why everyone calls you Ais's mom. You're already spoiling the new kid too.' Akira stared at the heavy coin pouch in front of him with wide eyes, baffled. "Um... shouldn't Ais be the one to handle this kind of thing?" He asked hesitantly. "I mean, why are you trusting me with this?" In his mind, he was shouting: Seriously? You're just handing me this? Do you really trust me that much? Sure, Ais could be a bit airheaded sometimes, but she wasn't that bad. She had basic common sense... right? Riveria sighed, brought a hand to her forehead, and shook her head as though she had expected this exact question. "If I gave the money to Ais..." She let the sentence hang for a beat before finishing it with a resigned tone. "...You'd end up eating nothing but fried potato balls for the rest of the day." She glanced at Akira, her expression now tinged with pity. "Can you live with that, Akira?" Akira's lips twitched. The image instantly formed in his mind: Ais clutching a mountain of fried potato balls, munching happily while everyone else stared in silent agony, forced to chew the same starchy food endlessly. Just imagining it was horrifying. But also... strangely plausible. With a long sigh, Akira reached out and accepted the pouch. "Alright, fine. Better give it to me after all. Don't worry—we'll have fun." He gave his chest a firm pat, promising with all the seriousness of a knight accepting a quest. — — — Their first stop was the Valka's Crimson Chamber, headquarters and workshop of the renowned Hephaestus Familia. The scent of molten metal and hot flame filled the air as they entered the bustling forge. Akira headed directly for the master smith, Tsubaki, and relayed the key information that he hadn't included in his guild report. Akira said, his tone solemn, "In short, that's the situation. I didn't trust certain people in the guild, so I didn't submit the details. Also, I already secured all the Kaensekis—if Evilus is planning something, they'll be forced to search covertly." Tsubaki listened quietly, arms crossed and brows furrowed. She glanced at the Kaensekis, then clasped her hands over her chest in contemplation. After a brief silence, she nodded. "I get it now. That makes sense. I'll report this to Hephaestus-sama truthfully." She said with a firm voice. Her gaze then shifted to Ais, who was chewing on snacks while still clinging to Akira's hand like a little sister. A flicker of curiosity sparked in Tsubaki's eyes. "So... what's going on between the Astraea Familia and Loki Familia these days? You two look cozy." She had met Ais before—back when the girl had been in a dangerously self-destructive state. At the time, Tsubaki had even refused to forge weapons for her. Akira scratched the back of his head and smiled. "Haha, it's nothing that deep. Just thought I'd take this little adventurer out for a bit of fresh air and fun." He patted Ais's head fondly and added, "She's always diving headfirst into dungeons. It's not healthy." Ais puffed out her cheeks and muttered in protest, "You're just as annoying as Riveria, Akira." "Yes, yes. I'll reflect on my behavior." Akira chuckled. Then he turned back to Tsubaki. "Anyway, we'll take our leave now. I'm leaving these Kaensekis with you—I've no use for them, your workshop can make better use." He gently pulled Ais toward the door as he spoke. Tsubaki blinked, momentarily stunned. She had been prepared to negotiate a price for the stones, not to receive them as a gift. "Well then!" She laughed. "Leave it to me. With this haul, I'll forge even better weapons. You'll see." She gave him a hearty thumbs up. Akira waved back. "Looking forward to it." Outside the workshop, Akira stretched and looked over at Ais. "Alright, now we've got the day to ourselves. Anywhere you want to go?" Ais pointed toward the massive city wall that loomed in the distance, surrounding Orario like an eternal guardian. "I want to go up there with Akira... and see the view."