(Heartfelt thanks to 'You Bi Ji Yue', 'Wufeng Haotian', 'Xianyu Laike', 'World's End Ballad', 'Chenfeng☆', and 'Unknown◎Moyan' for their tips!)
When dusk fell, Noah returned to the Hestia Familia's headquarters. The instant he stepped through the door, he was met with an indescribable silence.
In the hall, Hestia, who had been reading, remained sprawled across the sofa, staring blankly at Noah without any reaction.
More precisely, she was staring at the prum girl beside Noah.
Bell, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, also spotted the prum girl standing beside Noah. Holding a spatula, he blinked a few times. Once he confirmed he wasn't seeing things, he too froze.
Still carrying her enormous backpack and draped in a white robe, Lili stood nervously beside Noah. Under Hestia's stunned gaze, she bent deeply at the waist and bowed to Hestia.
"H-Hello, Lady Hestia! I'm Liliruca Arde! I've come to join your Familia because of its reputation!"
Lili's words did not break the silence in the not-so-spacious hall. Instead, they made the atmosphere turn stiff in an instant.
That stifling atmosphere made the already nervous Lili break out in a cold sweat, her face full of unease.
Of everyone present, only Noah remained as calm as ever. Still, he sighed and let out a wry laugh.
"That's what she says. If you two keep spacing out, wouldn't that be rather rude?"
Yet this time, even Noah's words failed to snap Hestia and Bell out of it. They continued staring blankly at Lili, not making a sound for a long while.
Only when the atmosphere had become unbearably stiff did Hestia finally murmur as though sleep-talking.
"Finally..."
"Finally?" Lili's eyes widened as she waited nervously for Hestia to continue.
"Finally?" Bell blinked again, looking completely confused.
"Finally?" Even Noah was bewildered, unable to