After exchanging a few more casual words, he stood up to take his leave.
"I'll head out first. Let's grab a drink sometime."
"Sure thing! Keep it up, rookie!"
Returning the tray to its original spot, Ryota turned and left.
Stepping out from the hall and crossing the courtyard paved with red bricks, several Familia members greeted him warmly as he passed by.
Ryota politely responded to each one.
Though he hadn't joined long ago, he could already keenly sense the atmosphere of this Familia. Despite their relaxed and casual attitudes, there was a subtle discipline—a professional flavor—in everyone's actions.
Yet, even upon leaving the courtyard, he hadn't caught sight of Loki, Finn, Riveria, or any of the other core members.
"They're probably reviewing the failure of the 58th Floor expedition."
As one of Orario's strongest Familias, even a single defeat would never be taken lightly.
Review, adjust, and prepare again.
That was the daily routine of the strong, and also why this Familia stood firm and unwavering.
"Well, I'm just a rookie anyway. No need to worry about that stuff," he muttered to himself, stepping out through the gates.
What Ryota didn't know was that Loki had drunk herself silly and hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.
…
At a corner near the main road on Orario's West Street—
Two catgirls and an elf girl, all dressed in their iconic pale-green uniforms with white frilled aprons, stood listlessly in front of the entrance, holding brooms in their hands.
"Achoo—!"
"A—choo!!"
Anya Fromel shook her head, a faint blush instantly appearing on her delicate face.
Noticing the curious gazes from passersby, she pouted slightly and muttered in a low voice:
"If I sneeze one more time, I'll eat this broom, meow!"
"Don't say something so scary, meow! Anya eating a broom sounds terrifying, meow!"
Chloe Lolo, the other catgirl beside her, tried to console her.
As soon as she finished speaking, drowsiness overtook her, and she couldn't help but yawn widely:
"Mornings in Orario are so chilly, meow. I really want to sleep another five minutes, meow."
"Pull yourself together, Chloe."
The serious tone alone made it clear this was the elf girl speaking.
"Ryuu is always full of energy. I wish I could be like you."
Chloe lazily held the broom, her tail drooping and swaying behind her. Though she complained, the way she swept the ground was lazy to the extreme.
Her broom barely touched the ground, hardly disturbing even a speck of dust.
Ryuu Lion merely glanced at the black-haired catgirl with a cool expression before lowering her head and continuing to sweep.
She maintained her usual calm and reserved demeanor, as if the surrounding commotion had nothing to do with her.
Suddenly—
"Hey, hey, hey! Look over there, meow!!"
Chloe abruptly cried out, as if she'd discovered some rare treasure. Holding the broom in one hand, she excitedly pointed toward the street corner with the other, her tail shooting straight up, her voice rising uncontrollably:
"It's a hand—some—guy, meow!!"
The instant her voice came out, Anya rushed over to join her:
"Where, where, where, meow?"
The two catgirls huddled together, craning their necks toward the street corner.
Standing there beneath the morning sunlight was a dark-haired young man, seemingly glancing around with a slightly confused expression, clearly searching for something.
His features were handsome, his bearing clean, and he was dressed neatly and attractively.
"99.9999%, meow! Totally my type, meow!" Anya earnestly evaluated, tugging at Chloe's sleeve. "You said last night when you were drunk that you like this type, meow!"
"No, you're the one who said you liked…"
The two catgirls began arguing back and forth, growing increasingly nonsensical.
Ryuu Lion, standing to the side, listened helplessly to their chatter, stopped her sweeping, and shook her head gently:
"Honestly…"
She didn't say anything further, merely raising her eyes to glance in the direction they'd pointed.
Whoever could cause these two catgirls to squeal so loudly probably wasn't an ordinary person.
Through the hazy morning sunlight at the street corner, Ryuu's gaze landed upon the figure standing there—it was Ryota, who had just walked out of the Loki Familia.
He stood by the sidewalk, looking somewhat tired, yawning widely:
"Looks like they really went all out last night…"
"Should I even head to the Dungeon today?"
Ryuu Lion observed him talking to himself and paused for a moment, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly, almost imperceptibly.
A hungover person…
Even from the stern perspective of an elf, she couldn't help silently marking him with that label.
Ryota, completely unaware he was being watched, shook his head to clear it and prepared to move forward.
But the moment he raised his head, a familiar signboard appeared in front of him:
"The Hostess of Fertility."
"…"
Ryota paused for a second, looking at the wooden sign hanging at the entrance, then at the apron-clad maid girls lazily swaying in the morning breeze.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully scanning the familiar figures standing by the door. The more he looked, the more familiar they seemed.
Ryota stayed silent for a moment:
"The Hostess of Fertility… counts as a 'landmark' building, right?"
"I'm definitely not here to check out girls! This is purely to complete my mission!"
Putting away his map and recomposing himself, he stepped forward towards the three girls.