The basement of the old church grew cold once again after the glow of the hieroglyphs on Natsu’s back faded completely.
Natsu picked up his shirt, folded neatly on the worn-out sofa, and casually slipped it on.
He buttoned his clothes one by one, feeling the subtle yet definite changes within his body.
Even though on paper his base strength had been reset to zero, his physical foundation felt far denser and more solid after his Falna status was updated to level two.
Hestia remained seated in her chair, tidying up Natsu’s status parchment with careful movements.
The goddess’s face looked much brighter than before.
The heavy burden that had been pressing down on her shoulders seemed partially lifted.
She was no longer alone.
“Well, our Familia is officially born,” Natsu said, breaking the comfortable silence.
He rolled his shoulders slightly to relax his muscles.
“And tomorrow, we head to the Guild.”
Hearing this, Hestia nodded enthusiastically.
“That’s right!
We have to officially register your name as a member of my Familia.”
Natsu simply replied with a light chuckle.
He walked over to the wooden table, leaning against the edge as he looked at Hestia.
There was one thing that had crossed his mind ever since he accepted the goddess’s offer.
“But before that,” Natsu said in a casual tone, “how about we have a feast to celebrate the birth of our Familia?”
That suggestion instantly made Hestia’s smile vanish.
Her enthusiastic expression was replaced by a look of worry and hesitation.
The Goddess of the Hearth cast her gaze downward, staring at the hem of her white dress, which looked dingy and a bit shabby from the street dust.
Since being kicked out of Hephaestus’s home, Hestia knew perfectly well how harsh life in Orario was without Valis coins.
“A feast…?” Hestia mumbled softly.
She looked up at Natsu with calculating eyes.
“Wouldn’t it be better to save that Valis for your dungeon runs, Natsu-kun?
You need to buy armor, weapons, and healing potions too.”
For Hestia, Natsu’s safety was the absolute top priority.
Venturing into the underground labyrinth was not something to be taken lightly.
She didn’t want Natsu getting hurt just because they splurged on a fancy meal tonight.
Natsu smiled faintly, seeing his goddess’s concern.
He remembered the pouch of Valis coins he received in Preblica after selling one of those crystal stones he had initially considered just toys.
Thinking back on it, Natsu occasionally still felt a twinge of regret.
During his five years in the forest, he had piled up those monster drop stones until they formed a giant mountain, only to shatter it with a single punch before leaving because he didn’t know their value.
Despite regretting throwing away a literal “mountain of money” for nothing, the proceeds from the single small stone he had left over were more than enough to buy a nice dinner and live comfortably for several weeks.
“I told you, money isn’t an issue,” Natsu said calmly, reassuring Hestia.
He crossed his arms over his chest.
“I still have plenty of Valis saved up.
And for right now, let’s just go feast.”
Hestia looked into Natsu’s eyes for a few seconds, searching for any hint of hesitation.
Yet, all she found was absolute calm.
Slowly, a smile blossomed on the black-haired goddess’s face once again.
Her stomach had been rumbling for a while, and the prospect of eating something other than Jagamarukun fries sounded incredibly tempting.
“Alright, if you insist!” Hestia cheered brightly, jumping up from her seat.
“Let’s go find a good tavern on the main street!”
Hestia was about to head toward the stairs, but she stopped when Natsu gently held her shoulder.
The young man looked at Hestia from head to toe.
Natsu’s dark eyes took in just how simple and worn-out the clothes the goddess wore truly were.
As someone who was now his responsibility, Natsu felt uncomfortable letting Hestia walk around in a dirty, single-layered dress.
“But before we feast,” Natsu said, shifting his gaze toward the exit.
“Let’s get you some decent clothes first.”
Hestia blinked in confusion.
“Eh?
My clothes?
But these are still wearable, Natsu-kun.
There’s no need to waste money on—”
“No arguments,” Natsu cut in quickly with a tone that brooked no refusal, yet still sounded gentle.
“Let’s go.”
Without waiting for further agreement, Natsu walked up the church stairs, leaving Hestia to trail behind him with hesitant steps.
They emerged from the old building and strolled through the night streets of Orario.
The night air felt cool, decorated by the glow of magic stone lamps illuminating every corner of the city.
Natsu led the way to the commercial district, where various clothing and equipment shops were still open catering to adventurers returning from the labyrinth.
After walking a few blocks, Natsu spotted a clothing boutique that looked quite nice but not overly flashy.
He led Hestia inside.
The scent of new fabric and clothing dye immediately greeted their noses.
Natsu didn’t waste much time.
He browsed through the racks of women’s clothing and picked out a few comfortable, soft cotton white dresses, along with some casual wear for everyday use.
The designs weren’t extravagant, perfectly matching Hestia’s simple yet elegant image.
He also grabbed a pair of light leather flat sandals to replace Hestia’s worn-out footwear.
Hestia simply stood stiffly near the checkout counter.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Natsu place the stack of clothes in front of the shopkeeper and pay for it all with a pouch of Valis coins without a shred of hesitation.
“Here, these are for you,” Natsu said as he handed the purchased clothes into Hestia’s arms.
He then pointed toward the fitting room in the corner of the shop.
“Go change right now.
Your old dress is too dirty to wear to a nice restaurant.”
Hestia accepted the pile of fabric with trembling hands.
She looked down at the clothes in her arms, then back up at Natsu.
During her nearly two months of living like a vagrant in Orario, no one had paid her any mind, let alone bought her anything.
All the gods mocked her for being poor, and no human spared her a glance.
Yet now, this young man who had just become her very first Familia member was treating her like someone truly precious.
A warm feeling suddenly exploded within Hestia’s chest.
Tears welled up in her blue eyes and spilled over, wetting her cheeks.
“Natsu-kun…” Hestia called out with a trembling voice.
Before Natsu could even respond, Hestia lunged forward and hugged the young man tightly.
She buried her face in Natsu’s chest, crying tears of joy.
Her sobs weren’t loud, but Natsu could feel the petite goddess’s shoulders shaking.
Natsu was slightly taken aback by the sudden reaction.
He stood still for a moment, letting Hestia pour out her feelings.
Natsu looked down at the top of Hestia’s head and let out a soft sigh.
She really is a crybaby, Natsu thought casually.
Natsu began to realize that Hestia’s personality was far more emotional than it appeared.
Behind her cheerful and clumsy demeanor while selling food on the roadside, the goddess harbored a deep loneliness.
Natsu slowly raised his hand and patted Hestia’s back gently to calm her down.
After a little while, Hestia’s crying began to subside.
She pulled away from Natsu’s embrace, rubbed her face which was flushed red with embarrassment, and quickly walked toward the fitting room.
While waiting for his goddess to change, Natsu walked around the shop.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something on an accessory rack near the counter.
The young man’s footsteps came to a halt.
There, hanging on the rack, were various hair ribbons.
However, what caught Natsu’s attention was a pair of white ribbons with a blue pattern running down the middle.
Seeing the object, fragments of memories from his first life on Earth suddenly surfaced.
Memories of how Hestia’s visual character design was always strongly associated with this one iconic item.
Ever since their first meeting, Natsu had felt something was missing from his goddess’s appearance.
Shortly after, the sound of the fitting room door opening was heard.
Hestia stepped out wearing her new white dress, complete with the perfectly fitting flat sandals.
She looked much cleaner and fresher, but Natsu felt the figure before him wasn’t quite the version he knew.
Natsu walked over to the accessory rack.
He took the two blue-patterned white ribbons off their hooks, then turned around and approached Hestia.
“Hestia,” Natsu called out.
The goddess looked up.
Natsu immediately held the two blue ribbons out to her.
“Put these on,” Natsu instructed.
“And tie your hair into twintails on the left and right sides.”
Hestia looked at the two blue ribbons in Natsu’s hands with a furrowed brow.
Initially, Hestia found Natsu’s words strange.
Asking a goddess to change her hair to a specific style in the middle of a clothing shop was incredibly random.
Up until now, she had always let her pitch-black hair fall freely down her back.
Tying it into two separate sections on the sides of her head wasn’t a style she usually wore.
However, since it was a request from her first member who had just bought her clothes, Hestia decided not to ask too many questions.
She did exactly as Natsu asked.
Hestia placed her dirty clothes on a nearby chair.
She took the two ribbons, then deftly combed her hair with her fingers.
She parted her black hair into two equally sized sections on the left and right sides of her head, then tied each section using the ribbons with neat knots.
“Done,” Hestia said, smoothing down her dress.
“Does it look weird?”
Natsu didn’t answer right away.
He grabbed Hestia’s wrist and guided the petite goddess over to a large mirror mounted on the shop wall.
Hestia stood still as she looked at her own reflection.
Her long black hair was now tied neatly into low twin tails.
The ribbons tying her hair provided a fresh accent of color, making her round face and blue eyes look much more vibrant and prominent.
Natsu stood behind her, also looking at the goddess’s reflection in the mirror.
He crossed his arms over his chest with a satisfied smile.
“It suits you perfectly, doesn’t it?” Natsu said.
Natsu stared at the reflection in silence.
His mind compared Hestia’s previous messy, free-flowing appearance with her current look.
Natsu thought Hestia with the blue ribbons looked much more fitting and full of life.
The moniker ‘Blue Ribbon Goddess’ suited her perfectly, exactly like the canon story Natsu remembered.
Hestia tilted her head slightly, looking at her reflection with a sparkling expression.
She touched the end of the ribbon in her right hair, feeling she really liked the small touch that changed her appearance.
Natsu gently patted Hestia’s shoulder, making the goddess turn to look at him through the mirror.
“I bought those blue ribbons as a gift for you,” Natsu said.