"Darling~, I'm home."
Bell didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.
He looked up just in time to see two soft mounds about to smother his face. With a helpless sigh, he rubbed his slightly aching forehead.
The airborne culprit froze mid-pounce.
"Artemis, I've told you so many times—don't leap at me the moment you get home. And don't jump straight down from the second floor."
"Mmm~ Darling, hurry and let me down."
"Haa…"
He knew Artemis would never listen. She behaved perfectly in every other matter, so why was this one habit impossible for her to fix?
Bell sighed and gently placed Artemis onto the empty seat beside him on the sofa.
"Darling~"
The moment she touched the cushion, Artemis threw herself at him again.
Her fair, delicate arms wrapped around his neck, her face pressing against his cheek.
"Chu~"
She planted a kiss on his still slightly youthful face.
Bell held onto Artemis, who was trying to climb onto him again, and voiced a soft, resigned complaint:
"So… can you please not do this every time you come home?"
But even as he said it, a blush crept onto his face, just like always. Artemis noticed every time, which was exactly why she ignored his complaints—she took them as his unspoken approval.
"Hehe~ I'll try not to next time."
The half-hearted answer made Bell's eyelid twitch. He knew she'd do it again.
It was simply one of Artemis's bad habits.
But even worse was Bell's own problem—he still blushed far too easily when girls got close to him.
Even though he often trained with Hestia and Hephaestus.
To Bell, training was training—but contact with girls wasn't part of training. That belonged to a completely different category, one he wasn't yet used to.
Freya, seated on Bell's other side, glanced at Artemis and let out a soft laugh.
"You know… instead of wasting time doing that, maybe try figuring out how to convince your other half."
Artemis stiffened, glaring sharply at Freya.
"Freya…"
But Freya remained completely unfazed. She simply resumed her graceful posture, quietly sitting at Bell's side.
"If your other half won't make a decision, she'll keep stopping you. And you'll stay stuck right where you are. Is that really what you want?"
"....."
Of course not!
Artemis's lips trembled in frustration.
If not for the other half of her consciousness holding her back, she would've already done the same thing Freya had—instead of lingering in this stage of "maintaining the relationship."
Even Bell had said that some things required the other half's approval, leaving Artemis genuinely troubled about how to convince her.
'We both love Darling—so why hold back these feelings?'
Artemis truly couldn't understand what her other half was thinking.
They were one heart and one body. She naturally knew everything the other half felt.
And just like her, the other half was drawn to Bell… perhaps even more intensely.
But she kept suppressing it instead of releasing it the way her other self did.
'How could I possibly be like you!'
The original Artemis quickly seized control of the body again, pulling her consciousness back into place.
With the shift in awareness, her appearance changed as well.
The silver-haired, long-haired Artemis from moments ago reverted to the blue-haired, short-haired Artemis.
"!?"
The moment she regained control, Artemis realized exactly where her hands were—and that her face was still pressed against Bell's.
Her cheeks flushed instantly as she scrambled to pull her hands away.
"Sorry, Orion… she did that again."
If there was one clear difference between the two Artemis, aside from their appearance and hair color, it was how they addressed Bell.
The Artemis from the Type-Moon world liked calling him "Darling," while this world's Artemis preferred "Orion."
"I don't mind. You're the one who ends up at a disadvantage."
"I… it's not really a big problem."
Artemis twisted her fingers nervously. Hearing Bell say she was the one taking the loss made her blush even deeper.
Was it really a "loss"? Artemis didn't particularly mind… to be honest.
Maybe she should even… thank him for the hospitality?
Freya, sitting beside Bell, understood the entire scene instantly.
'So it isn't actually a problem.'
'Looks like Artemis just can't get over her own internal hurdle.'
Since Artemis herself said "it's not a big problem," her stance was already obvious.
'Though she clearly hasn't realized that yet.'
'As for the other side…'
Watching Bell remain utterly clueless, Freya let out a small sigh.
'Bell has no self-awareness either.'
'Though in his case, he probably hasn't thought about it at all… considering how overly passionate the other Artemis is.'
Thinking about it, Freya couldn't help but smile despite her sigh.
Who knew when those two would finally realize? Hopefully it wouldn't fall to Hestia to break the tension for them?
'If it does come to that, we're going to have a lot of fun watching.'
Freya slipped fully into spectator mode, already imagining the chaos to come.
Two of the Tenkai's most famous virgin goddesses falling completely, plus herself, Hephaestus, and that tomboy Loki.
When the truth eventually came out, it would probably scare half the divine population senseless.
And yet… Freya couldn't help but look forward to that day.
"Speaking of which… haven't Hestia and Hephaestus come back yet?"
Bell glanced at Artemis as he thought of the two who should have been with her. The three of them should've returned together—so why was Artemis so much earlier?
"They're already back."
The voice came from the second floor, saturated with jealousy.
Bell tilted his head up and saw Hestia standing at the edge of the staircase, her face dark with displeasure—with Hephaestus beside her, also looking a little emotional.