I love time travel the most!

Kobayashi explained, "You encountered a Minotaur chasing you when you were on the 5th floor, right?"

"Yes, that's right..."

Bell looked somewhat frightened; being chased by minotaurs was something he least wanted to recall.

"But why would you..."

"Because I caused this."

"what?"

Under his surprised gaze, Kobayashi explained the whole story.

"...That's how it is. Because of my negligence, the dungeon triggered the [Monster Feast], which also gave you bad memories. I'm very sorry."

"N-no, it's alright! I accepted Mr. Kobayashi's help too, didn't I?"

Bell quickly waved his hand.

He felt no anger towards Kobayashi, after all, Kobayashi was also a novice adventurer like himself, and it was understandable that he didn't know about this rule in the dungeon. Most importantly, it was because of this that he encountered the Sword Maiden Ais!

...Although the situation at the time and what happened later (being mocked by the werewolf Bert) were somewhat unpleasant, at least he had the motivation to move forward.

Kobayashi said to him, "That's right! Why don't I treat you to a meal?"

"what?"

“I know this isn’t really compensation, but at least let me treat you this time. Bell can order whatever he wants to eat, and I’ll pay for it.”

"Really, really?!"

Bell was thrilled.

But the thought of his own god eating hash browns in the basement made him lose his appetite.

"Hestia, the High Goddess..."

"In that case, let's set the dinner for tomorrow. You can bring Bell's main god along too."

"Really? Thank you, Mr. Kobayashi!"

With Kobayashi's understanding arrangement, Bell readily agreed and left happily.

Watching his departing figure, Kobayashi remained silent.

Beside her, Liu Zi asked, "Lord Kobayashi, you seem to think highly of him?"

"Yes, because he's special." Kobayashi nodded.

The labyrinth city, or rather the entire "DanMachi" series, is extremely dark, but Bell is kind and sunny. How can such a breath of fresh air not catch people's attention?

and……

“He is different from me. I am a hero because I was chosen by the goddess, so even if I am not a hero, I am still a hero. But Kobel is a true hero. Even if others do not recognize him, his essence is that of a hero. And that is the biggest difference between him and me.”

Chapter 225 Gleipnir

That was on the morning of the third day after I ate and dashed.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry about the day before yesterday, I ran away without paying..."

The thin, white-haired boy with red eyes hunched over, his abdomen tucked in, and he held a small bag of farils above his head with both hands. His eyes were closed, and he had an indescribable sense of embarrassment about him.

At that moment, Bell wished he could dig a hole and hide.

Before him stood a pretty maid with short, silver-gray hair. She wasn't angry about Bell's escape and smiled at him as before.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're back like this."

Without asking why, her gentle understanding almost moved Belle to tears. She pretended some dust got into her eyes and quickly wiped them away.

The female shop owner, Mia's mother, emerged from the doorway behind the bar. Her sudden and unparalleled presence, along with her massive size—larger than Bell both horizontally and vertically—caused the thin boy to involuntarily take a few steps back.

"You've come to return the money? That's very thoughtful of you."

Mia's mother wore a hearty smile, but it was clearly a threat, as if to say, "If you don't come soon, I'm coming for you."

Bell clenched her buttocks and tensed her body, thankful that she hadn't tried to skip out on the bill, otherwise she would definitely have been killed.

"But there's no need for money."

"……what?"

"Someone paid for your meal, so you didn't dine and dash, and I didn't go looking for you."

"You paid for me?"

Bell was slightly taken aback.

No one he knew was present that night, so who paid for his bill?

Could it be a sword...?

"It's a man."

"...I think so too."

Bell covered his chest and sighed dejectedly.

He thought it was the swordswoman Ais who paid for his bill, and he was thinking how wonderful it would be to meet her again. But when he heard that she was a man, his mood plummeted as he realized the truth.

What are you expecting, you idiot!

He silently cursed himself.

Then, he looked up and asked, "Who is that person? I'd like to express my gratitude to him."

"do not know."

"Yeah……"

"However, he has become Anya's... that cat-girl's sworn brother. If you want to know, you might as well ask her. Anya, come here."

Mia's mother, unusually concerned about outsiders, even took the initiative to call out her own shop assistant for Belle.

Soon, the cat-eared girl swished her tail and hopped out of the kitchen.

Explain your intention.

Anya said dejectedly, "My brother? He hasn't been here for two days. I don't even know where he is."

"……Eh?"

Bell blinked.

Then Anya raised her fist again, cheering herself on, "But I think as long as I stay in this shop, my brother will come someday!"

"……you're right."

Bell wholeheartedly agreed.

“Then, every night Bell would come here once to ask Kobayashi if you had come, naturally to express his gratitude for your help.”

Hill spoke gently and softly, slowly recounting what Bell had done.

Kobayashi remained silent.

Bell's ability to come every day, just to express his gratitude, further convinced Kobayashi of his true nature.

"But I'm also curious, Mr. Kobayashi, how did you meet Bell?"

The maid beside him had a hint of curiosity in her eyes, as well as a hidden, unyielding quality deep within her pupils that forbade lying.

She had no idea that the two children she had her eye on would end up together.

In this situation, Kobayashi recounted in detail the unintentional things she had done that had caused Belle suffering.

"I see... So that's why Mr. Kobayashi said that the danger Bell suffered was caused by you?"

"...Yes, that's it."

Kobayashi simply admitted it.

Hill's eyes flashed with worry and realization.

The Freya Familia's intelligence-gathering abilities aren't particularly outstanding, so even now she doesn't know the specifics of what happened, only classifying the "Monster Feast" as an unexpected event. Now that she knows, she finds it amusing, like a twist of fate.

Then, after the cat-eared girl Anya repeatedly begged him, Kobayashi promised to come at least once a week before he was allowed to leave the tavern.

If I didn't know her personality, I would have suspected that her exaggerated enthusiasm was just a ploy to win over customers.

Wait, could it be intentional?

And so, Kobayashi returned to the hotel.

The second day was another tedious monster-hunting session, but unexpectedly, I ran into an acquaintance on the way back.

"Ugh, I'm so tired, so incredibly tired! If this keeps up, I feel like I'm going to throw up! When will this ever end!" The Amazonian girl walking in front waved her hands and complained loudly, while the blonde girl following behind remained silent.

"Ais, don't you feel tired?"

“…I’m not tired.”

Seeing her own Fiora shake her head, the Amazon girl became even more frantic.

Why are my companions always so active in dungeons, seemingly with endless stamina, grinding monsters like crazy? I can understand the deep hatred between my companions and the monsters, but they're going way too far!

In comparison, my mindset became unbalanced.

"No, no, I want to go play! I want to go eat a big meal!"

"But Tiona, aren't you still saving money?"

"I've worked so hard for so long, can't I even enjoy myself?"

Tiona, who is naturally playful, urgently needs to release the pressure that has accumulated over this period of time, and she clamors to go to the tavern to drink and indulge herself.

She spoke loudly in the underground city, attracting the attention of many people.

Kobayashi was one of them.

"Miss Ais? Miss Tiona?"

"Hey, it's Kobayashi!"

"...Xiao Lin."