Anime: Passive Inheritance System

Warm milk, a small cake soaked in honey, and a tray full of various cookies…

Kai rested his chin in his hands, watching Hestia puffing her cheeks while eating and drinking. For a moment, it felt like he was back in the modern world.

If this really were the modern world, having such a cute, big-breasted loli as his companion might actually be a pretty delightful thing, right?

"…Huh?"

Noticing Kai's fixed stare, Hestia's hand paused mid-bite. Then she reached out, picked up a cookie, and held it out to Kai's mouth with an affectionate look in her eyes.

"Lady Hestia, I'm not a kid anymore…"

Seeing that she wanted to feed him, Kai instinctively shook his head and refused. But the cookie was shoved into his mouth just as he opened it to speak.

"…?!"

Caught off guard by Hestia's sudden ambush, Kai froze. Before he could react, the rich, grainy aroma of the baked cookie was already spreading through his mouth. But along with it came another sensation.

Something cool, soft, and sweet was touching his tongue.

His pupils dilated slightly. Instinctively, his tongue flicked across the unfamiliar object. Then he understood what it was.

It was Hestia's finger.

Maybe she'd pushed a little too hard trying to make the cookie fit, and part of her finger ended up in his mouth too.

"…Gulp."

Kai swallowed the saliva in his mouth, now mixed with the cookie's flavor and another odd, sweet taste.

Across the small round table, the god and the man stared at each other in silence, eyes wide.

Kai was the first to recover.

He leaned back, opened his mouth, and let Hestia's finger slip out. Then he forced a laugh and said, "Th-This cookie… really is tasty… ha… hahaha…"

"…"

It wasn't until Kai heard Hestia's awkward laugh that the dazed look in her eyes returned to life.

She pulled back her finger, feeling the slight dampness at her fingertip and the warmth from just now. A soft blush slowly rose on her pale cheeks.

Then, as if to hide her embarrassment, she lowered her head and started eating cookies.

"L-Lady Hestia…"

Watching Hestia bury her face in the cookies, Kai had the sudden urge to remind her that her finger was still wet with his saliva…

…

After enjoying the discounted desserts, Kai took Hestia out of the sweets shop and headed straight to the 13th floor of Babel Tower using the lift.

Even though he promised to spend the day with Hestia, he hadn't forgotten his main objective—purchasing two new swords.

On the obsidian storefront sign, silver characters engraved in elegant calligraphy read: "Hephaestus Familia Specialty Store."

It was the same weapon and armor shop Hestia had taken him to before.

But this time, Kai didn't need Hestia to use her divine seal to buy weapons. His wealth was more than enough to cover the cost.

"Let's go, Lady Hestia."

Holding Hestia's right hand, Kai wore the confident smile of a successful man (or a rich one), standing tall as he walked through the shop's door.

Last time he came here, it was to redeem Hestia's divine seal. He hadn't expected to return so soon.

"Welcome, Lord Kai!"

The moment Kai and Hestia stepped through the entrance, the bunny-eared reception girls on both sides blushed and bowed in greeting.

Back when he came to buy back the divine seal, Kai's cool manner of dropping tens of millions of valis like it was nothing had left a deep impression on them.

"Hmph!"

Seeing the bunny girls flirtatiously glance at Kai, Hestia suddenly felt a strong wave of displeasure. Her previously good mood began to sour.

"Lady Hestia, is something wrong? You don't look too happy…"

"I'm not unhappy."

Turning her head away from Kai's gaze, Hestia couldn't quite explain what she was feeling, only that it was intensely uncomfortable.

A scene unfolded in her mind—

In a dimly lit corner, Kai was cuddled up with a cute bunny-eared girl, whispering sweet nothings, and then proceeding to do unspeakable, indecent things!

And thinking about it carefully, with Kai's personality… something like that wasn't entirely impossible?!

Aaaah! Why am I even jealous like this?!

Shaking away the image in her mind, Hestia stared at Kai with a chilly, resentful gaze, her dissatisfaction steadily building.

Meanwhile, the Kai in her imagination—painted as a total scumbag—was currently chatting with the mature store manager while inspecting sword hilts and choosing suitable weapons.

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired a One-Handed Sword (Black)]

[Rating: 47/100]

[Black-Clad Swordsman Talent "Swordbone" conditions not met]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired a One-Handed Sword (Silver)]

[Rating: 22/100]

[Black-Clad Swordsman Talent "Swordbone" conditions not met]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired a One-Handed Sword (Blue)]

[Rating: 50/100]

[Black-Clad Swordsman Talent "Swordbone" conditions not met]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired a One-Handed Sword (Red)]

[Rating: 39/100]

[Black-Clad Swordsman Talent "Swordbone" conditions not met]

…

Even after examining every sword hilt on the rack, Kai couldn't find one that surpassed his old 53-point black sword, so he was still unable to reawaken "Swordbone."

Noticing his faintly disappointed sigh, the mature store manager smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Didn't find one to your liking?"

"It's okay…"

Shaking his head, Kai walked back to the rack and drew two swords—one black and one blue.

The black sword was rated 47, and the blue one 50. These were the finest-crafted swords in the entire rack.

Given the previous black sword's durability, the quality of these two wasn't low. With the "Swordbone" enhancement, they were just barely passable.

"These two will do."

He placed the swords on the counter, pulled out a magic stone card, and swiped it through the card slot.

Beep!

With the crisp beep, the manager's smile deepened. She sheathed the swords and handed them back to Kai.

"Thank you for your purchase. That'll be 16.47 million valis. We hope to see you again."

Receiving the swords, Kai fastened the scabbards to his belt.

"So, Lady Hestia, do I look cool?"

Placing both hands on the sword hilts, Kai struck a flashy pose like Captain Levi and looked at Hestia.

"…Yeah. You look really cool, Kai."

Hestia nodded and smiled warmly at Kai's excited expression.

Though she didn't want to admit it, Hestia had to say—Kai felt like a completely different person when wielding swords. Once his hands touched the hilts, his sharp aura drew everyone's attention.

"Dual-wielding really is every man's romance."

Hearing Hestia's genuine praise, Kai let go of the hilts, his aura fading.

…

After buying the swords, Kai spent the rest of the day with Hestia in Babel Tower and Orario. As dusk fell, they returned to the church.

"Right… Lady Hestia, I have something I want to give you."

Closing the church doors, Kai turned with a mysterious smile and reached into his black coat.

"…Eh?"

Seeing Kai's mysterious expression, Hestia blinked. Then, from his coat, Kai pulled out a long, pale green gift box, delicately wrapped.

A fancy blue ribbon tied into a bow added an elegant touch.

"This is… for me?"

Hestia's eyes widened as she stared at the box in front of her.

"Of course. It's your first date, isn't it, Lady Hestia?"

Smiling brightly, Kai said, "And no date is complete without a gift from the guy."

"…Mm."

Staring at his smile, Hestia slowly took the box, holding it like it was a priceless treasure.

Watching her hesitate to open it, Kai gently nudged her. "Lady Hestia, open it. I picked it out just for you."

Urged on, Hestia untied the ribbon.

The lid opened, revealing a pair of hair ornaments shaped like azure petals, with a tiny silver bell in the center.

"Well, Lady Hestia? I have good taste, right?"

Seeing Hestia's deeply moved expression as she stared at the ornaments, Kai grinned.

"…Thank you," she said, her eyes glistening. "Thank you, Kai. I love it."

"As long as you like it."

Nodding, Kai took out a wooden comb from his coat and walked behind her, guiding her to sit on the church pew.

"…Kai?"

Letting herself be seated, Hestia looked up at his faint smile, wondering what he was up to.

"Sit still, Lady Hestia."

He gently patted her head, lowered it, and undid the worn-out ribbon tying her hair. Then, he started brushing her hair.

"Mmm…"

Feeling the comb glide through her hair, Hestia's face turned as red as the setting sun.

She suddenly understood why she'd been jealous earlier.

As a goddess, Hestia had developed strong feelings for the first member of her Familia—Kai.

Originally, she had come to the lower world to help its children grow and live colorful lives. But Kai had become her support and strength, bringing her Familia prosperity. Before she knew it, she was relying on him for everything.

It had only been a month or so, but she was used to having someone plan ahead for her, someone always dependable in any situation.

Hestia really loved that calm, reliable version of Kai.

Because of that, she had developed an intense sense of possessiveness.

She wanted to be with him always, to be the only one in his eyes…

"Hey, Kai…" she said while twiddling her fingers as he brushed her hair, "Do you have any plans for the future?"

"Plans? I guess just traveling to the places I've always wanted to visit, meeting the people from those stories."

"No!"

Hearing Kai talk about leaving, Hestia trembled and instantly shouted, "Kai, promise me—never leave me… our Familia, okay?"

"…"

Kai didn't answer immediately. He simply finished tying her twin tails with the new hair accessories.

"There. All done."

"Kai, you still haven't answered me!"

Seeing his flustered expression, Hestia pressed again. Kai smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

On the pale-blue system screen only he could see, the red countdown ticked down.

[9 D:5 H:37 M:06 S]