Detesting The System: Sundering Fate

Sighing at the disappointment I derived from thinking of how badly I'd spend my first night in this new world, I promptly left the Church Grounds. Fate, however, seemed to have other plans in store for me as the moment I turned the corner to re-enter the main street, I saw her… Her short stature and imm.a.t.u.r.e face, long black hair tied in that unforgettable twin tail style, and most obvious of all... those bountiful mountains on her c.h.e.s.t. Who else could this be but Hestia?

Patiently, I waited by the side of the road as she was heading in my direction. From where I stood, I could see that she had a wicker basket in her hands and as she came closer to my side, the contents of the basket were revealed. A saddened and partially cringe-filled smile appeared on my face as I witnessed first hand the pitiful meal of a real Goddess. Eight croquettes lay on her basket and I could only intensify my negative feelings as I imagined she might have to share those scraps of food with Bell.

Soon enough, the loli Goddess walked close enough for me to pull her aside. "Hestia! Excuse me..." I did the best I could with me lacking skills in Japanese and though I was far from being polite, I succeeded in getting her to stop.

"Yes?" Luckily, I was awarded a single word response. Better yet it was something I recognized.

"I can… your familia?" F.u.c.k! That probably didn't sound right…

To my "question" Hestia responded with two expressions. First, she was confused as anyone would when confronted with a grown man communicating as if he knew less than a toddler. But then, as if in direct response to understanding the message I was trying to convey, her face froze as she asked, "Are you serious?"

At this very moment, I too responded in two ways. First by affirming with a serious, "Yes!" And secondly, in complete amazement in response to how I managed to understand her words. Who'd have known that my years of listening in on anime subs and hearing the term "Majide" repeated god knows how many times would come now to save me? I hadn't even learned this in university!

Unfortunately, my luck ran out after that and the next string of words she fired off at me failed to land spectacularly. I couldn't understand anything she was saying and for some reason, she never seemed to stop talking! With as much class as someone interrupting another could possibly have, I cut in and said, "I don't understand. I'm still learning Japanese..." As a foreigner entering the scene of Japanese communication, who knows how many times I've uttered those two sentences when doing a Language Exchange?

"Oh? Well, what language can you speak, then?" To my utter shock, Hestia went from fluent Japanese to equally fluent English too fast for me to process. Wait, she wasn't speaking English. Her mouth's movements clearly didn't at all line up with the English I understood, and to be honest, even with my lack of proficiency I could tell that it didn't look like Japanese either…

Returning the best response I could whilst trying to keep myself reserved, I said, "I can speak English and a little Chinese, but please stick with English."

She seemed to have stopped using whatever sorcery let us communicate and started speaking English that actually matched with the movements of her mouth, saying, "Ok then, as I was saying… Why do you want to join my familia? Don't you know we're the weakest familia around? We can barely sustain ourselves, and by ourselves, I mean just me and another boy… Not to be rude, but you don't seem to be the fighting type and though I wish to increase the number of children in my familia I can't afford to support any freeloaders..."

I knew my appearance, I knew what she meant, and if I was her, I too would reject a beggar who looked like he had nothing to offer me aside from unwanted costs. Calmly, I said, "How about this? I won't ask for any resources. You don't have to pay me, feed me, or even let me live in your… residence… All I ask is to receive your Falna so I can gain excellia. I just want to become an adventurer and make money in the dungeon."

Hestia returned a strange face as she looked at me with intrigue. She appeared to be in her thoughts as it took a couple seconds before she said, "Kid, you're a strange one alright… There's not a trace of deceit in your eyes and your will seems… Unbreakable?" She flashed a most bright smile in my direction and without hesitation locked arms with me as she finished her thought, "You can join my familia, but not as an outsider. Come, my residence isn't anything too pretty, so don't get your hopes up. But as long as you strive to further your pursuits as an adventurer with that fiery spirit of your's, my doors will be open to you!"

In an almost cartoonish manner, the loli Goddess dragged me back over to her Ruined Church and "introduced" me to my new home. She gave me a better look at the living area and even offered up one of the two pillows on her bed; seemingly embarrassed by the fact that both the bed and sofa were taken, leaving me to sleep on the floor. I declined her kind gesture, but kept it at heart along with the rest of the hospitable treatment she conducted herself in. Subtly deciding to change my plans once again, now I wasn't feeling so inclined to leave for a higher ranking familia after I started my conquest of power.

Though I ignored the hostile glares, snickers, and curses I could understand from those around me, the bitterness revolving around it all remained ingrained in my heart. No one had been as open as this poor Goddess and she didn't even have a reason to be so forthcoming. I wouldn't mind spending some of the extra money I made in the future to help Hestia rise among the rankings of the Gods and depending on how much goodwill she showed, I'd reciprocate it all when I got the chance...