The Second Familia is a God?

Ten minutes earlier.

Tonight, the Hostess of Fertility was unusually quiet, with only a few tables occupied.

At the entrance, Anya was waving off the last of the regulars: "Come back again soon, nya~"

Just as she flicked her tail and hopped back into the shop, she spotted Ryu clearing a table.

She paused, brow furrowed, as she looked toward a table in the corner of the room.

Anya crept lightly over to Ryu's side, following her gaze.

At that very moment, she saw Syr carefully pushing a freshly filled mug of beer toward Thor.

Thor gave a slight nod and said something to Syr, likely a polite "thank you" or something similar.

"Nya~" Anya brushed the tip of her tail against Ryu's leg, tilted her head, and whispered, "The atmosphere seems pretty good, nya?"

From her perspective, Syr was making a move, and Thor was responding—wasn't that a good thing?

Ryu was startled, only then realizing that the foolish Anya had snuck up beside her.

A flicker of imperceptible worry flashed deep in her eyes as she repeated in a low voice, "Pretty good... you think?"

She saw things far more clearly than Anya did.

On the surface, Thor responded to almost everything Syr did.

But looking closer, those responses were purely polite; there wasn't a shred of warmth directed toward Syr.

What truly worried her was the smile on Syr's face—

That smile was flawless and impeccable, yet those grey eyes, fixed on Thor's profile, were brimming with a sense of loss and unspeakable sorrow that threatened to spill over.

That smile seemed like her final suit of armor, an attempt to hide the crumbling fragility beneath.

Ryu sighed silently in her heart.

She understood Syr's persistence, and she understood that this gaze would likely never receive any response.

She forced herself to look away, refocusing her attention on her work.

She picked up a rag and scrubbed the table she had just cleared with extra force, as if trying to wipe away the worry she felt for her friend.

However, no sooner had she finished cleaning the table and caught her breath than a commotion in the corner caught her attention.

Thor and his group seemed to have finished their meal and were standing up to leave.

Just as Thor was about to take his first step.

"Mr. Thor, please wait a moment."

Syr's voice rang out clearly; it wasn't loud, but it shattered the silence of the shop.

In an instant, the attention of every waitress in the shop was quietly drawn to that corner.

They all pricked up their ears, curious about what was happening.

Was Syr actually going to confess?!

Now? Right here?!

"You mentioned last night that you were hoping to recruit new Familia members, didn't you? If... if Mr. Thor doesn't mind, would you let me join your Familia?"

"Crack!"

A sharp, abrupt sound of splintering wood exploded, shattering the deathly silence!

Behind the bar, Mama Mia, who had been silently polishing a glass, had crushed a thick wooden beer mug in her hand! Wood shavings fell in a flurry from between her thick fingers.

The entire restaurant seemed to have been hit by a time-stop spell.

Anya's lively cat eyes went wide, her mouth formed an "O," and the fur on her ears and tail stood straight up, frozen in mid-air like a startled, puffed-up cat statue.

The plate in Ryu's hand clattered onto the cloth-covered tray with a dull thud.

She forgot even to pick it up, standing frozen in place, her green eyes filled with a look of disbelief and shock for the first time as she stared fixedly at the grey-haired girl who had just uttered such earth-shattering words.

The kitchen curtain was ripped open with a "whoosh!"

Chloe, Lunor... one face after another, all filled with shock and bewilderment, poked out.

They had clearly been "eavesdropping" behind the curtain, and now, unable to contain themselves, every one of them wore an expression as if they had just heard that the world was about to end.

The air had completely frozen.

Thor was clearly surprised by Syr's bold request; he raised an eyebrow slightly and let out a short, meaningful "Oh?" from his throat.

For the first time, his gaze truly landed on the grey-haired, grey-eyed girl before him.

As a god of this world, she was actually asking to become a member of my Familia?

Things...

Seemed to be getting interesting.

A moment later, the bustle of the restaurant on the first floor gradually returned.

The bell at the entrance chimed as several adventurers, having just finished their day of exploration, walked in carrying exhaustion and hunger.

They headed familiarly toward their usual seats near the bar, their gazes habitually sweeping the room in search of those familiar and vibrant figures.

"Huh?"

A dwarf adventurer carrying a heavy battle-axe was the first to voice his confusion.

He looked around, only to see a white-haired boy standing behind the bar, looking slightly awkward while wearing an apron that clearly belonged to the establishment.

The boy was Bell.

"Hey, kid!" the dwarf boomed, his voice loud and tinged with a mix of bewilderment and impatience. "Where's Miss Syr? And what about Anya and the other waitresses? How come it's just you?"

In his memory, this shop was always adorned with those sweet or capable girls, making it a feast for the eyes; this desolate scene felt quite unnatural to him.

The other adventurers chimed in as well.

"Yeah, where did all those cute girls go?"

"Did they all take a collective day off? But today isn't a holiday."

"Kid, are you new? I haven't seen you before."

Focused under several gazes filled with scrutiny and inquiry, Bell felt his back tighten.

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the nervousness in his heart, and mimicked the smiles of Syr and the others, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

"Good evening! The manager and the other staff... uh... they... have some business to attend to on the second floor for a moment. Please, take your seats, and I will serve you!"

He scrambled to pick up the menus and handed them out to the adventurers one by one; though his movements were still a bit clumsy, his attitude was sincere enough.

Although the adventurers muttered things like "What's going on?" and "How rare," they sat down as requested and began to look over the menus.

As Bell carefully noted down the orders, his gaze couldn't help but drift uncontrollably toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

It was silent there, as if it were cut off from another world.

Are we finally going to have a new companion?

This thought surged within Bell, stirring up a strong sense of anticipation and an indescribable excitement.

The Familia had finally taken its most important second step!

He couldn't help but start worrying about the situation upstairs.

All the staff had rushed to the second-floor staff quarters, and Bell recalled the shocked expressions everyone had worn just moments ago.

He couldn't help but feel anxious.

Would Miss Syr's joining really go smoothly?

The narrow hallway outside the second-floor staff quarters was now packed almost to the point of bursting.

Ryu, Anya, Chloe, Lunor... all the female staff of the shop held their breath, squeezed together at the doorway, peering inside with looks of disbelief.

Their faces were a mix of shock, incredulity, and a trace of imperceptible worry.

Ais and Lefiya, the two "outsiders," could only be squeezed to the very edge of the crowd.

Lefiya stood on her tiptoes, trying hard to see the situation inside, while Ais looked at the nervous staff in confusion, not understanding why they were so tense.

Inside the room, the atmosphere was completely different.

Manager Mia stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching over the scene with a steady presence.

Her brows were knitted together, and there was no telling what she was thinking.

She only felt as if she were witnessing the beginning of some forbidden ritual.

Syr sat quietly on the edge of the bed, seemingly oblivious to the scorching gazes from outside the door.

She took a deep breath, a flicker of determination flashing in her gray eyes.

She reached out and slowly pulled the zipper of her dress.

The fabric made a faint "rustling" sound, which seemed exceptionally clear in the silent room.

The zipper slid down slowly, gradually revealing the fair, beautifully contoured skin of her back.