By the time their little class was over, Orion was completely drained to think that he would be able to go dungeon diving anymore.
The "Dungeon Schooling," as Orion put it, was much worse than he had anticipated. The usual tedious process of an advisor stuffing a thousand years' worth of dungeon wisdom collected by fallen adventurers into a newcomer in a single day so they could survive was already hard enough. However, this wasn't just anyone Eina was dealing with.
There was something about Orion which Eina found interesting; he smelled so sweet, something about the boy attracted her, something unprecedented.
Thus, Orion's safety wasn't just Eina's duty anymore, it was her personal goal that this boy survives.
This all led to a four hour "Dungeon Crash Course," in which the entire hours were reserved for drilling the idea that an adventurer shouldn't go around looking for adventures.
Orion had an intense urge to tell her that he wouldn't be dying, but the disaster that would happen if she actually believed him in the first place would be too immense.
"I'm beat…" Shoulders slumped, looking a bit ragged and lacking the energy he earlier had, Orion emerged from the advisor's cabin with Eina.
If it was anywhere else, people might have thought it was something else entirely that made him so tired. However, this was the adventurers' guild, and most adventurers had suffered through "Dungeon Schooling" in their life by their advisors at one point, so they all knew better.
"Minor inconvenience which would result in saving your life… Orion. Make sure you remember everything I explained to you. Especially that adventu—"
"Adventurers should never go looking for adventures, I know Miss Eina…" Orion halfway completed her sentence, worried that the caring big sister would start another class here.
"Huff… I'm just looking out for you, you know." Eina's mouth puffed up, looking away with slight dissatisfaction.
"Sorry, sorry… I didn't mean to be rude, but it's just that I—"
Rumbling…
Before Orion could even finish, his stomach declared rebellion.
"Hungry…"
Orion still somehow completed his sentence and then looked away in embarrassment.
It wasn't just the embarrassment about his angry rumbling stomach but also his current financial condition—he couldn't afford it.
Part of the reason he wished to rush back to the dungeon this early was this: he was broke.
Eina froze.
Half the clerks two desks over paused, glanced over, and then politely pretended they heard nothing at all.
But Eina heard it. Oh, she definitely heard it—and judging by the instant pink rising across the boy's cheeks, so did Orion.
"Um… have you eaten anything this morning?" she asked gently. Considering the ungodly time the boy arrived, apparently not.
Orion scratched the back of his neck, sheepish. "No, not really… I kinda don't have money yet either so… I planned on going to the dungeon and hmm earn some before getting a meal—" Orion averted his eyes. He didn't know why it felt so embarrassing to be broke, but he felt like finding a quiet dark corner to settle there permanently right now.
Eina's eyes softened when she heard it. It wasn't uncommon for new adventurers to be completely broke—she was used to it—but her heart flipped when the boy looked so embarrassed about this matter.
So every responsible bone in her body screamed that she had to take care of this poor, starving, ridiculously handsome disaster of a boy.
"Come with me," she said decisively.
"Huh?"
Orion blinked, hairs standing on end. If this woman went for another lecture then he'd have to sleep empty today as well. There'd be no dungeon diving for him today.
"I'll treat you. You can't go in the dungeon on an empty stomach—if you faint from hunger."
Orion blinked, then smiled with such sincere gratitude that Eina nearly combusted.
"Bu… but I don't have any money to pay you right now, hmmm I…" Orion hesitated. He knew Eina was the caring type, but taking advantage of that felt bad.
"No buts, you're coming with me." Eina put her hands to support her modest bust and leaned slightly before saying it in a commanding manner.
Orion was left flustered…
[Oh, do cease thy fretting. If the young lady offers to treat thee, then accept her kindness. She speaks no lies. In thy condition, thou couldst not even best a goat—thy rumbling belly would surely scare the poor beast away. Go now, and eat, before pride starves thee senseless.]
Marika's comment with a huge roll of her beautiful eyes came in just in time, finally making Orion take the decision.
He was about to accept anyway—shame or not, he was hungry.
She cleared her throat, flustered. "A-Anyways! Let's go. There's a place nearby—the Hostess of Fertility. Their breakfast is excellent."
Orion's joyous smile instantly cracked the moment that was mentioned. He didn't know all the information, just a few fanfics he read stating that there was one girl in that place who was dangerous.
'I should have completed Danmachi when I had time…' Orion muttered under his breath, mind coming up with all sorts of curses.
He didn't know exactly why most Danmachi fics made that girl out to be dangerous. He never read them completely since going any further went into spoiler territory which he didn't want.
Sighing, Orion just prayed to his guardian deity as his eyes shifted to the flying goddess near him, then decided to go with the flow. The rest would be a problem for his future self.
Thus began Orion's very first unofficial date in Orario, though he had absolutely no idea that Eina considered it one. Not that Eina considered it one.
Not at all…
The Hostess of Fertility was warm, lively, and already bustling despite the early hour. Eina guided him to a table near the corner, trying to ignore how close he sat next to her simply because the bench was a bit small.
Little did she know, Orion, the eternal loner, was a hundredfold more conscious about how close he was to a beautiful girl.
Only his constant exposure to Marika had made him endure this level of interaction with the fairer sex.
So just like her, he too did not succeed at ignoring it.
Moments later, Mama Mia stomped out from the back, towering like a war general. "What'll it be for you two?"
Orion glanced up at her like she was a final boss. He swore he heard boss music playing for a second.
He of course knew her from the story and the fanfics, but only barely—nothing more than the fact she ran the Hostess of Fertility and was one heck of a woman.
However, his instincts told him that she was strong.
Really strong.
'Could be a former adventurer for all I know.' He pursed his lips and mentally noted to behave here if he happened to come next time, which likely wouldn't be the case if he had any say in the matter.
Eina stepped in quickly.
"He'll have the breakfast set. And for me, tea. Lots of tea." She said, recalling the four hour "Dungeon Schooling," and suddenly felt all her energy drain.
Orion nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, ma'am. Whatever she said."
Mama Mia grunted approvingly and stomped away.
"Mama Mia is not the one taking orders, nyaa… I'll handle them for you…"
Suddenly a joyous sound came from behind them. Orion turned around to see a girl looking curiously at both of them.
Only that girl had a tail and cat ears.
'A real-life cat girl… me dying finally seems to be worth it.' He couldn't help the smile creeping up on his face.
Nothing perverted—he just liked the very concept of the fantasy world he found himself in. Though the energetic energy around her did kinda attract him.
The cat girl bounced over, tail swishing. Then she paused as she was about to ask, repeating the order.
Her little ears twitched and then she turned to Orion.
'Oh, don't tell me it's the "Dungeon Perfume" on me that she smells.' Orion's smile slipped instantly.
After killing goblins and being covered in blood, he didn't have any opportunity to bathe. He only somehow found a water source to clean himself yesterday.
"Nyaa~ customer smells nice today! Smells like… forest? And sun? And something sparkly!"
'Smell nice… is this what cats like…blood and gore?' Orion genuinely wondered about the bloody preferences of various races of this world now.
Eina stiffened. Sparkly? What sparkly? Why sparkly??
Her eyes drifted to Orion, who looked in a daze, still thinking whether dog girls existed in this world and if so then would they like the smell of bones?
Would skeletons be considered popular among them…
It was basically nonsense…
Eina finally asked, "Wait, you can smell something too?"
"Mm-hmm." Anya leaned in close—too close—sniffing him. "Nyaa~ very nice. Very rare. Smells like magic!"
Eina, without thinking, grabbed Orion's sleeve and tugged him away protectively. "A-Anya! Don't bother the customer like that! He's… new!"
Anya grinned mischievously. "Nyaa~ so protective, Eina-senpai."
Eina turned so red she could've boiled water.
Orion meanwhile was trying not to die—from a cat girl sniffing him one moment to being violently dragged to a beautiful elf's side the next. And if that wasn't enough, his goddess was a constant source of distraction for him.
"Uh… thanks? I think?"
'Wait…'
And that's when he finally recalled what Eina said just now.
'She can smell something too?'
That's when the food arrived. Turns out Mama Mia did take the order after all.
Orion devoured it with the desperation of a man who had survived three wars and a famine.
Considering that he came from an office, under direct "supervision" of his boss and then died, came back to life in another world and then died again to goblins, found a new religion and a new goddess, then died a few more times by Mr. Rick…
Who felt like John Wick at that time.
Yeah, that war description wasn't that out of context anymore.
Eina watched, both amused and slightly horrified.
"You can slow down," she said softly. "The food won't run away."
"Sorry—" he said between bites, "—just… really good. And I was starving. Thanks for treating me."
Her heart fluttered again. "It's… it's nothing. Really."
They talked between bites—about the Guild, about his lack of paperwork, about why he wanted to be an adventurer. Orion tried to ask about her too, but the moment he complimented how pretty her hair looked, she nearly choked on her tea.
'Okay… point noted, no flirting.' He subconsciously fell back to his last life's default setup at the first point of defeat he saw.
Still, she managed to tease him back once.
"So," she said with a tiny smile, "do you always charm girls this quickly?"
Orion sputtered. "W-What!? I–I charm them… really!"
He asked, half confused, half hopeful. If it wasn't Eina dealing with her own embarrassment for a comment just not too long ago, then someone could have seen the desperation in his voice.
The breakfast came to an end quickly, an inevitability given how fast Orion was devouring everything.
They stepped out into the fresh morning air. The sky was finally brightening, the air fresh, the sunlight gentle and caressing, birds chirping.
'Surely, everything becomes better with a full belly.' Orion had a big smile on his face.
Orion felt lighter—not just from food, but from the warmth of the entire outing.
"This was really nice," he said sincerely. "Thank you, Miss Eina."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I-It was nothing. Just part of my job as your advisor."
She was lying. She knew she was lying. But it was better than blurting out that she enjoyed every second of it.
And just as they were about to exit the Hostess of Fertility, they nearly bumped into a girl who came running inside wearing a maid uniform.
"Sorry Mama Mia I'm—"
She never completed her sentence when her eyes fell onto Orion.
She paused.
Her steps slowed to a stop.
If anything, she retreated two steps in mere shock.
Mouth slightly open and eyes as wide as they could be. She just got lost in his light.
That grace…
"Syr? You're back early! Nya…" Anya called from inside.
xXx
A/N : Okay. We all saw this happening. As for why I didn't made him know who Str was, cause he clearly had only show the first season and that too not completed.
As for what happen next, tell me. What do you think would. Or want to happen.