Bell Cranel, the protagonist of the Danmachi world, possessed the accelerated growth skill known as "Liaris Freese." At this moment, he was secretly observing Ais.
"Although Bell admires Ais deeply, I remember seeing in the comments before that they seem to have gone their separate ways."
Shirou, in his previous life, hadn't read the original Danmachi light novels, but he loved Danmachi fanfiction. Once, while searching for fanfiction, he stumbled upon the original light novels and saw this information in the comments below.
"But no matter what the original story is, I can't let Ais go to Bell. Although Bell is a true hero, his luck with women is simply too good."
Thinking this way, Shirou no longer had the energy to care about anyone else. After all, he was a popular figure in the Familia at the moment. Countless people came to drink with him, whether they admired his strength or coveted him. Soon, Shirou drunkenly collapsed onto the table.
"Heh! I knew this would happen!" Shirou, who had anticipated this situation before coming, mumbled as he lay on the table and quickly fell asleep. Half-asleep and half-awake, he seemed to hear the sound of arguing. But he couldn't deal with it anymore.
"Sleep first!"
"So, it's because Bete got drunk and started causing trouble, arguing with Ais, and that's why Ais is like this today?"
Standing on the balcony with Tiona and Lefiya, Shirou helplessly rubbed his forehead, looking at Ais sitting alone in the courtyard.
"Why can't that guy just quietly fall asleep like me when he's drunk?"
"His drinking manners are terrible!"
"Forget drinking manners, I think his character is terrible too!"
Tiona, who had always had grievances against Bete, unreservedly criticized his character, then turned to Shirou, saying, "This is up to you now. Aren't you Ais's brother?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Shirou, who had been forcefully woken up by Tiona bursting into his room, yawned and mumbled, "Hold on a second, someone's already gone over." Standing high up, the few of them clearly saw Riveria walking towards Ais.
"As expected, it still comes down to Mom-san!"
"Indeed, truly Mom-san!"
"I want Mom-san's love too!"
Hearing their playful remarks, Shirou chuckled, "If Riveria heard that, she'd definitely give you a good scolding!"
"Hehehe!"
After Riveria left, Shirou finally went over and sat in the chair next to Ais.
"What's wrong? I heard you're a bit down today!" Since it was her brother, Ais didn't hide anything, as she had already told Riveria.
"I see, so the one Bete made fun of was also at the Hostess of Fertility?" Shirou feigned understanding, as he already knew all of this. In the Dungeon previously, Ais had saved Bell at the last minute. But out of shyness or surprise, Bell, whose face was covered in monster blood, fled the scene. Bete saw all of this. So, at yesterday's banquet, after getting drunk, Bete brought it up as a joke. And he said that extremely provocative line: "Those without strength have no right to stand beside the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein."
This sentence was a devastating blow to Bell, who admired Ais, and under Bete's provocation, he fled the tavern. This made Ais feel very guilty, believing that she was the cause of the boy's involvement. But Shirou felt it was more than that.
"Anything else? I don't think simple guilt would make you like this!" This was what Shirou wanted to ask.
Hearing Shirou's question, Ais paused, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "In him, I saw a shadow of my younger self!"
"I see, empathy? So, Bete's words yesterday not only provoked Bell but also made Ais see her younger, weaker self. No wonder! Shirou knew how much Ais's childhood experiences had affected her."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to apologize to him."
"And compensate him?"
"Mm!"
"Leave it to me then!"
"Eh?"
Looking at Shirou's serious expression, Ais tilted her head in confusion.
"As an older brother, isn't it natural to share your sister's burdens?"
"..."
Hearing Shirou's declaration, Ais's eyes welled up. Although she had called Shirou "Brother" before, it was merely a title. In her view, all members of the Familia were her family. Especially Finn and Riveria, who cared for her like parents. But Shirou's words today deeply moved her. This was a completely different kind of emotion.
"Yes!" Ais gently lowered her head, not daring to let Shirou see her expression. In response, Shirou simply reached out and gently stroked her hair; that was enough. And so, the two quietly savored this warm atmosphere. Savoring this moment of warmth.
"Did Ais sneak into the Dungeon alone again? It seems she's really cheered up!"
"More than that, I wish she would get some proper rest."
Deep in the Dungeon, Shirou, holding a magic book, was discussing Ais with Riveria. Among the three executives of the Loki Familia, Shirou had the best relationship with Riveria. Due to their high positions, the three of them were often busy, rarely having opportunities for private conversations. They only truly became familiar during the expedition. After all, Shirou had only joined the Loki Familia for about three months, and he was usually busy improving himself. But with Riveria, he became familiar with her because he had previously learned parallel chanting techniques from her.
And after the Dungeon expedition, seeing the power of Shirou's magic and his lack of various magic techniques, Riveria made him come to the Dungeon every day to study magic knowledge. This also led to them becoming teacher and friend.
"Hmm? I haven't seen Lefiya today!"
"Today is the Monster Feria, Lefiya seems to have gone out with Tiona and Tione. Even Ais was called away by Loki. What, didn't you know?"
"Now that you mention it, I do recall Lefiya telling me about it a few days ago, but when I thought about going with the four of them, I declined. After all, what would I be doing crashing their girls' gathering? But Riveria, weren't you invited by anyone?"
"Loki invited me again, but I declined." As an elf, she truly didn't like such lively places.
"Is that so? The Monster Feria... I haven't experienced a festival in Orario yet. Your reminder makes me want to go again." Gently stroking his chin, Shirou thought for a moment and then suddenly said to Riveria, "Why don't we go together?"
"What?"
"The Monster Feria! Let's go together, Riveria!"
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter