The moon hung high over Hearthstone Manor, a familiar golden orb that no longer felt like a harbinger of doom. The remodeling of the former Apollo Familia home was complete, and the night air was filled with the scent of grass and the distant hum of Orario.Haruhime Sanjouno sat on the edge of the wooden *engawa*—a porch built specifically at Mikoto’s request to mimic the architecture of the Far East. Her golden tail lay still on the wood. She had found a new purpose here, serving the Hestia Familia and supporting the boy who had reached into the depths of the Pleasure Quarter to pull her out.She had accepted her life. She was happy to be Bell’s ally, his fox-eared shadow, or even a mistress if he ever had need of one. She had resolved to spend her life atoning by being useful to him. Yet, as she looked at her hands, she still felt a invisible wall between them.*Master Bell is a hero,* she thought. *And a hero deserves a pure, stainless maiden to walk beside him. I can be his tool, or his comfort in the dark... but I can never be his equal.*"M-Miss Haruhime?"Haruhime jumped, her fox ears twitching violently. She turned to find Bell Cranell standing at the corner of the house. The white-haired boy looked as if he were about to fight a floor boss without armor. He was sweating, his face was already a shade of pink, and he was wringing his hands together nervously."Master Cranell!" Haruhime scrambled to her knees and bowed low. "I apologize! I was lost in thought. Did I disturb you? I can return to my room—""No! No, please stay," Bell said, his voice cracking slightly. He walked over, his movements stiff. He sat down on the porch, leaving a respectful distance of two feet between them.
>>284618380kill yourself
>>284618380"I... I have to tell you something," Bell stammered. He squeezed his eyes shut. "I have to. I promised myself."Haruhime’s expression softened into a look of melancholy devotion. "You need not be troubled, Master Cranell. I know my place. I am content to be your ally, to help you reach the heights of the Dungeon from the sidelines. Even if I am... a woman of the Pleasure Quarter, I will be the best servant I can be."Bell took a deep breath. He remembered the conversation he’d had with Aisha just before they left the ruins of the Pleasure Quarter. *“Listen, rabbit,”* Aisha had said, grinning that predatory grin while Bell turned beet red. *“That girl is an idiot. She thinks she’s soiled goods. You better set her straight, or she’ll be moping around your mansion forever.”*Bell swallowed hard. His face felt like it was on fire. He had never talked about *this* kind of topic with a girl. It was improper. It was embarrassing. It was... necessary. "Miss Haruhime," Bell started, his voice trembling. "Do you remember... when we talked? About how you... fainted?Haruhime flinched. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands, shame coloring her cheeks. "Yes... I am a failure even as a prostitute. The sight of... bare skin... it was too much for my weak constitution. I would lose consciousness before... before the deed began."
>>284618380>>284618415Silence stretched between them. Bell stared at the moon. Then he stared at his boots. He looked like he was vibrating with nervous energy. He had saved her because he believed her life had value regardless of her past, but there was a truth he had to share—one that he knew mattered deeply to her. She looked down, tears pricking her eyes. "I would wake up hours later, the customer gone, the money left behind. I assumed... I assumed they had their way with me while I slept. It happened hundreds of times. I am... thoroughly used."Haruhime stared at him, wide-eyed. Bell turned his whole body toward her. His face was now a deep, glowing crimson, matching his eyes. He looked like he wanted to run away to the deepest level of the Dungeon, but he forced himself to stay."Miss Aisha... she told me," Bell managed to squeak out. "She said... she said the Berbera... they protected you. Every time.""Yes," Bell said, rushing the words out to get them over with. "Aisha said you... you never actually... did anything. When you fainted... Aisha or the others would come in. They would... um... take care of the customer. They never let anyone touch you."Bell took a deep breath, his hands gripping his knees so hard his knuckles turned white. He had to be clear. He couldn't use euphemisms, or she wouldn't believe him."She said... no man has ever touched you, Miss Haruhime," Bell whispered, his voice shaking with a mix of embarrassment and intense sincerity. "Because you always fainted... they protected you. Aisha said... she said you're a... a v-v-virgin."Bell let out a sound like a dying kettle and buried his face in his hands, steam practically rising from his ears.
>>284618380>>284618415>>284618436Haruhime sat frozen. The internal wall she had built—the one that labeled her as "unworthy" and "soiled"—began to crack. For years, she had repressed her true feelings for Bell, tellling herself that someone like her had no right to love a hero. She had relegated herself to the role of a mistress or a shadow because she believed she lacked the "purity" a hero’s wife should have."I..." Haruhime’s voice was barely a breath. "I am...?""Yes," Bell mumbled through his hands. "Aisha said you're as pure as snow. She said you're just a 'dimwit fox' who didn't realize everyone was looking out for you."Haruhime’s hand went to her chest. She felt her heart beating against her ribs.For years, she had lived in a cage of shame. She had believed herself stained, a broken doll discarded by her family and used by strangers. She had accepted that she could never be the princess in the fairy tales she loved, only the tragic figure in the background.She remembered the tough love of the Amazon women. She remembered Aisha’s harsh words, which she now realized were always accompanied by a rough shove away from danger.*“Move it, fox. You’re in the way.”**“Go sleep in the corner.”**“I’ll handle this one.”*They hadn't just been bullying her. They had been guarding her. In that den of desire and vice, the ones supposed to ruin heroes had kept the white flower from being trampled."I..." Haruhime’s lip quivered.Bell peeked through his fingers, his red eyes filled with concern despite his embarrassment. "So... you don't have to say you're 'soiled' anymore. You're not. You never were. You can be... you can be the hero's companion. Or the princess. Or whatever you want."
>>284618380>>284618415>>284618436>>284618466The tears that spilled from Haruhime’s eyes now weren't the cold tears of resignation she had shed on the bridge. They were hot, overwhelming tears of relief.She threw herself forward—not in a bow of servitude, but simply collapsing onto the wooden deck, weeping openly. "Thank you," she sobbed into her sleeves. "Thank you, Master Cranell. Thank you... Aisha..."Bell, unsure of what to do and terrified of touching her for fear of fainting himself, hovered his hand over her back awkwardly. "It's... it's okay now." "I thought... I thought I had lost the right to dream," she cried, her golden tail fluffing up, shaking with her sobs. "I thought I was broken.""You were never broken," Bell said softly, his embarrassment fading just enough to let his kindness shine through.Haruhime lifted her head, her green eyes shimmering with water and moonlight. She looked at Bell—the boy who had fought a level 5 adventurer for her, the boy who had defied a goddess for her, and the boy who had just nearly died of embarrassment to give her back her dignity.She didn't have to be just a mistress. She didn't have to be a "soiled" ally hiding in the shadows. The purity she thought she had lost, the one thing she felt made her unworthy of standing by Bell's side as an equal, had been there all along."Master Cranell," she said, her voice thick with emotion as she lifted her head. Her green eyes shimmered with a new light—one that wasn't just gratitude, but the spark of a love she no longer felt she had to repress. "I... I thought I could never be the princess in the stories. I thought I could only be the ruin of a hero."
>>284618380>>284618415>>284618436>>284618466>>284618503Bell scratched his cheek, looking away with a shy smile. "Well... I'm glad."Haruhime wiped her eyes, a radiant, slightly mischievous smile breaking through her tears. Now that the weight of her perceived "shame" was gone, the feelings she had been pushing down began to bubble to the surface."If I am indeed... 'pure'..." she whispered, looking at Bell with a gaze that made the shy boy's heart skip a beat. "Then perhaps... I can dream of more than just being your mistress."*Poof.*Haruhime’s face turned a violent shade of red as she realized what she had just implied. The realization that she was no longer "bound" by her past allowed her heart to leap forward faster than her modesty could keep up with."M-Master Cranell! Please forget I said that! It was too bold! Far too bold for a maiden!" she squealed, covering her face with her wide sleeves, her tail thumping rhythmically against the wooden porch in her agitation."I-I-I... it's okay! I mean, I didn't—!" Bell was stumbling over his words, his hands waving in front of him as if trying to push the awkwardness out of the air."THAT’S QUITE ENOUGH OUT OF BOTH OF YOU!"A window directly above the porch slammed open with a resounding bang. Hestia, the diminutive Goddess of the Hearth, leaned halfway out of the frame, her pigtails quivering with indignation. She had been crouched by the sill, eavesdropping on the entire heart-wrenching—and then heart-racing—exchange.
"G-Goddess?!" Bell shrieked, jumping nearly a foot into the air."Haruhime-kun! I am very happy for your... uh... 'medical' update!" Hestia shouted, her face a mix of genuine relief for her new child and intense territorial alarm. "But let’s not get ahead of ourselves with the dreaming! Bell is a growing boy who needs his sleep, not a romantic moonlight rendezvous!""Lady Hestia! I apologize!" Haruhime scrambled into a bow, her face still steaming. "I did not mean to... I was merely...""I know what you were 'merely' doing! I recognize that look! It’s the same look Lili gets! And Freya! And half the city!" Hestia pointed a finger down at Bell, who was trying to merge with the floorboards. "And you! Mr. 'I-have-to-tell-her-the-truth'! Mission accomplished! Now get inside before your heart explodes through your chest!""Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Bell didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, gave one last, panicked, yet strangely lingering look at Haruhime, and bolted through the sliding door.Hestia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the fox-girl. Her expression softened just a fraction. "Haruhime-kun... I'm glad you're feeling better about yourself. Truly. But don't think being 'pure' gives you a free pass to my Bell! The line starts behind me!"With a final hmpf, Hestia pulled herself back inside and slammed the window shut.Silence returned to the garden, though the air still felt charged with the remnants of Bell’s honesty and Haruhime’s realization. Haruhime remained on the porch for a long time, her hands pressed to her burning cheeks.She wasn't a mistress. She wasn't soiled goods. She was a member of the Hestia Familia, and for the first time in years, the "Princess" in her heart felt like she finally had a right to the story.
