Chapter 87

Chapter Eighty-Eight: A Date, Izay’s DNA Reacts (Fourth Update)

After leaving the Sacred Bathhouse, Artemis let her still slightly damp azure hair flow freely down her back. Just by changing her hairstyle, she exuded an unexpectedly intellectual and gentle demeanor.

Walking along the bustling streets filled with adventurers, passersby couldn’t help but turn their heads to look at her, both men and women captivated by her charm.

However, she stopped in her tracks upon rounding a corner and spotting a familiar figure.

“Izay?”

“Hmm?” x2

Hearing his name called out, Izay turned around to check, as did Mihe, who was talking to him at the time, following suit.

“Miss Artemis!?” Izay seemed somewhat surprised after recognizing her.

Originally, after being chased out of the Familial Group by Loki, he had considered heading over to the inn address Letsha gave him last night to see how things were going.

But considering Artemis’s hangover, Izay decided to postpone it a bit, thinking he’d spend some quality time with the Goddess later.

He hadn’t expected that aimlessly wandering around would lead to bumping into Artemis right here.

Looking at her still slightly damp long hair, this must be fresh from the bath?

The Sacred Bathhouse is nearby…

“Why are you so surprised to see me here?”

Noticing the surprise in Izay’s eyes, Artemis lightly huffed and tilted her head up slightly, “questioning” him.

“No, no, not at all! I just think Miss Artemis looks incredibly beautiful with her hair down!”

Izay naturally wouldn’t explain himself.

Explaining would be admitting what Artemis suspected, right?

At moments like these, one needs to adapt quickly, attributing that initial surprise to something else—like her appearance.

After all, which girl doesn’t love being complimented on her beauty?

If there’s any, it’s probably when someone they dislike is doing the praising.

Though Artemis is a Goddess, hearing Izay’s praise still made her happy.

“Yes… really? I usually tie my hair up… letting it loose feels a little inconvenient.”

Like during battles, hunting, or while traveling.

The Goddess twirled the ends of her cascading blue locks with her delicate fingers.

“But you look truly beautiful. If you changed your outfit a little, it would look even better.”

“By the way, Miss Artemis, there’s a Clothing Store up ahead. How about I take you there?”

Izay evaluated the Goddess’s transformation without holding back on his compliments, smoothly extending a natural invitation.

“This… isn’t it a bit inappropriate… Letsha and the others are probably still waiting for me to return.”

With a hint of hesitation, Artemis fell into a small dilemma.

And Izay opened his mouth, wanting to tell her: the girls in your house have probably already scattered by now.

The reason for his judgment was because the leader, Miss Letsha, had promised him yesterday that she would take everyone out early today, creating the perfect environment for Izay and Artemis to be alone.

But after pondering for a moment, Izay decided not to mention this.

To avoid being suspected of having ulterior motives.

Even though those motives aren’t pure～

“Hey… Are you Artemis?”

Beside them, Mihe, who had been ignored for quite a while, finally recognized the Goddess he’d met in Heaven after staring at her for a long time.

“Ah, Mihe? You’re here too?”

？？？

What do you mean ‘too’… here?

Even someone as good-natured as Mihe couldn’t help but feel a little off-put at this point.

He has been here since the beginning, alright?

So you were only paying attention to Izay?

Hmm, this hit a nerve.

But Mihe quickly adjusted, his gentle smile returning as he greeted her casually.

“It really is you, Artemis. It’s been a long time.”

“Uh-huh, it has been a long time, Mihe.”

Truthfully, the scope of Heaven is vast, very vast.

But despite its boundless expanse, the deities who lived together in the Celestial Streets for countless ages almost all knew each other.

Because they’ve lived for such an extended period, they’ve developed connections among themselves.

At the very least, they know each other’s divine names.

Mihe and Artemis weren’t particularly close, merely nodding acquaintances who exchanged pleasantries when they passed by each other.

Initially, Artemis’s change was so significant that Mihe almost didn’t recognize her and stood there stunned for a while.

After exchanging greetings, Mihe redirected his gaze back to Izay.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Izay, I won’t interrupt your date with Artemis.”

The amiable deity gave Izay a knowing smile.

As soon as the words left his lips, Mihe departed.

Leaving behind Artemis, whose face flushed red upon hearing the word “date,” and Izay, who smiled faintly.

In the end, Artemis couldn’t bring herself to refuse and obediently allowed herself to be led away by Izay.

Gripping the Goddess’s petite, soft fingers, Izay took Artemis through the streets.

Their destination was the North District.

This area is renowned for industries related to clothing.

The region boasts an unparalleled concentration of clothing stores across the entire continent, meticulously categorized by race into various large establishments.

Upon entering the human clothing store, Izay pulled Artemis inside without hesitation.

They say shopping with your girlfriend and helping her pick out clothes is a grievance shared by many male comrades.

But in Izay’s case, the situation seemed reversed.

Artemis, who had never previously worried about her attire and lacked any real opinion on fashion, left everything entirely up to Izay.

Although it was just simple clothing coordination, her excellent physique ensured that anything looked good on her.

Her water-blue hair, now combed down, paired beautifully with a light blue chiffon dress. The subtle floral embroidery on the dress added an enchanting touch.

And the knee-high white stockings Izay personally selected added a personal flair…

Watching the Goddess before him blush shyly, slightly lowering her head with her hands pressed in front of her, Izay suddenly felt his DNA stir…

Seemingly sensing this, Artemis’s gaze carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

“Are you thinking about something inappropriate right now?”

“How could I? I’m just thinking that seeing Miss Artemis looking like this, I could eat three big bowls of rice at lunch.”

Rice exists as a staple food in Orario.

Having often traveled outside, Artemis frequently carried rice balls as emergency rations, making her well-acquainted with them.

Upon hearing Izay’s straightforward comment, her shyness deepened.

Unable to resist, she lightly punched Izay, much to his delight.

However, the two didn’t linger in the clothing store for long.

Considering Artemis’s situation, having too many everyday outfits would only cause inconvenience.

During the process, they tried on only three sets of clothes, each carefully chosen based on Izay’s DNA preferences, and paid under the watchful eye of the shopkeeper’s aunt-like smile.

“Speaking of which, should Miss Artemis consider purchasing some battle-appropriate clothing?”

“Battle-appropriate clothing???”

Battle gear?

Piqued by Izay’s sudden topic shift, Artemis followed his gesture.

A moment later, upon seeing the signboard and storefront decorated in purple tones nearby, the Goddess froze.

Even from the open doorway, one could see the extremely revealing outfits displayed within—an Amazonian clothing store.

The shop was almost entirely dominated by “left-right-bottom” three-piece outfits.

The display items were the kind that anyone with even a shred of modesty would instinctively look away from—it was practically the same as wearing underwear…

Is this what constitutes battle-appropriate clothing?

Artemis wanted to question Izay by tapping his head, but the overwhelming sense of embarrassment rendered her powerless.

Thus, the Goddess took a step back, instinctively placing her hand on Izay’s waist and squeezing hard…

“Ouch—”

Zing!

Izay winced, closing one eye and drawing in a sharp breath.

Why can even a Goddess who hasn’t experienced love master this move without instruction?

Could this be an innate skill every woman possesses?

Love it, love it.

Under Artemis’s patient persuasion, Izay eventually abandoned his bold idea.