My Goddess is a Tsundere

"You're back early!" Eir shouted eagerly before quickly dialing back her excitement. "How are you?" she asked in a more serious tone. Her feelings for her recruit were still hard to understand. She'd never been skilled at sharing her emotions.

"Yes, there's great news, Eir," he said, smiling.

"What is it?!" Eir asked eagerly, clenching her fists in excitement.

"Tomorrow, I'll have enough for the repairs."

"Really?!" Eir's ability to flip emotions was truly a sight to behold. Bane could never quite understand what she was feeling.

"Yes, really. I made a lot today. Thanks to your gift, I'm getting stronger—fast." Bane thanked her, unable to keep his emotions in check. He rushed up and squeezed her in an embrace. It was as if his body had taken over; the only other time they'd touched was when their foreheads had met.

Bane held the embrace while Eir showed no sign of returning it, her soft warmth pressed against him. When he realized what he was doing, he released her and stepped back. "Sorry, Eir!" he apologized, kneeling.

While he waited for a punishment or reprimand, Eir just stood in a daze, her face slightly flushed. Hearing no such thing, Bane glanced up.

"Eir?" he whispered. "Eir?" he said louder, snapping Eir out of her trance.

"Why did you hug me?! So gross!" Bane was quickly relieved. 'Eir is back.'

'Could you have done it longer?' Though Eir said what she said, her true feelings were very different.

Bane woke up to the same sight he had seen the past few mornings: a void before him. Eir's hair spread across the stone floor in a pool of black. He didn't have any complaints about waking up like this. As a teenager, waking up to a woman with the looks of a goddess, he couldn't complain.

Guilt washed over him once again that morning as he glanced at areas he shouldn't have. Frowning to himself, he stood and made his way to the dungeon. He had two goals: set up a meeting with Winter and earn enough to cover the repairs of the faction building.

The walk to the guild was uneventful, as always. He soaked up the sun's rays as he stretched his arms. Every few steps, he would feel for the void sack at his waist, confirming it hadn't been stolen. He was now more wary than ever about running into Luna and other would-be thieves.

Bane entered the guild hall at his usual time. "Hey, Bane!" the ever-happy Winter greeted him with a wave and a smile.

"Good morning, Winter. How are you?" Bane asked the bubbly girl.

"I'm good. The morning rush is over, and now you're here." Her cheeks reddened slightly, but her smile didn't fade.

"I'm glad," Bane said before moving to his reason for coming to the guild hall. "I heard that I could request a meeting with you for some questions I have," Bane inquired, causing Winter to nod happily.

"Yes, you can. Would you like to schedule one?" Winter asked, grabbing a clipboard from under the desk.

"Yes, I would."

"What time were you thinking?" Bane looked around. The guild hall was practically empty, and there were dozens of clerks chatting behind the counter.

"Could now be a good time?" Bane asked, wanting to get it over with so he could get to the next floor of the dungeon.

"I don't see why that can't work," Winter said, turning and heading to the group of clerks.

Bane heard her tell the group she was heading to a meeting and asked if they could cover for her. The group assured her they had the hall under control, and Winter stepped out from behind the counter.

It was Bane's first time seeing her from behind the counter. She stood just shorter than him and wore the guild's blue garb: a long skirt and a comfortably fitting top.

"We can head upstairs. There are meeting rooms up there," Winter said, motioning for Bane to follow her. The two made their way up the mahogany stairs in the corner of the first floor. The stairs led to a long hall with multiple doors. Winter knocked on one that seemed vacant and walked in.

Winter took a seat at the head of the long meeting room table, and Bane plopped down next to her. "So, what can I help you with today?" Winter asked, maintaining her calm smile.

Bane trusted the girl who sat across from him. She always showed genuine concern and happiness for him. If it were a lie, Bane would believe his whole life was a lie. Obviously, he didn't share anything about the system or anything of that nature—just the circumstances with Mr. Grey.

"So, in exchange for a void sack, Mr. Grey from Old Grey's Forging Shop is getting a ten percent stipend from all of your profits," Winter clarified. She quickly picked up on the nuance of the situation.

"That's exactly right, and he told me to come here and share it with a guild clerk," Bane said.

"I see. You don't have to worry about anything from here. I'll put it in the guild's records, and we'll automatically deduct ten percent from every sale." Bane was surprised at how quickly Winter resolved the complex situation.

"I see. So, that's it?"

"Yep," Winter said, smiling. "Do you have any other questions?" she asked, closing out the meeting. When Bane shook his head, Winter shifted from a formal to a more friendly tone.

"Mr. Grey must really trust you, giving you such an item." Though realizing what he had at his waist, her face became shrouded in worry.

"What about Luna, though?" she asked, her concern for Bane and his safety on full display.

"Don't worry. I've been steering clear of her," Bane said to the jittery Winter.

"Okay, but still… if you lose it, you have to pay back its value in full to Mr. Grey," Winter said, concern lacing her words. That was another rule Bane had been told. Losing the void sack would spell the end of him and likely the Eir Faction altogether.

"I know, but I won't lose it. I made a promise to Mr. Grey and to myself," Bane reassured her.

Winter's expression remained shrouded in worry. "Then promise me too," she said, looking up with a slight blush on her face. "Too many promising adventurers have taken similar deals or gotten ahead of themselves, causing their downfalls. Promise me you won't do the same." It seemed Winter was familiar with his situation—one that almost always went wrong.

Bane lowered his head and spoke slowly and calmly. "Winter, I promise you I will not lose the void sack." His words were sincere, a mirror of his inner feelings. With his promise, Winter's expression cleared up, making way for her usual happiness.

"I see. Then, if you have no more questions, we can head back down, and you can get on your way. I'll start the work for the stipend. I should be done by the time you return. All I have to do is write some paperwork and put it in your file." Bane trusted the guild system. He nodded, understanding it.

"Nope, I have no more questions. Let's go," Bane said. The two of them rose from their seats and exited, descending the same mahogany stairs.

They reached the counter, and the two exchanged a brief goodbye. Winter returned to her post and got to work on the contract, while Bane headed for the dungeon.

'Fast Travel: Floor Three Entrance.' Almost instantaneously, Bane, hidden from sight, was teleported to the third-floor entrance. He looked back to see the familiar boss room before descending to the unexplored third floor.

When the bottom of the steps came into view, Bane received a notification:

[Quest Unlocked!]

Floor 3 Completion:

Slay all enemy types on the third floor of the dungeon:

Unknown – Incomplete

Unknown – Incomplete

Rewards: 10,000 Shill, two Skill Points

Bane gazed at the notification. He had expected such a thing to appear. It seemed every floor had a specific quest for conquering it. Bane had no idea what to expect on the third floor. He reached the bottom of the steps and was met with a slightly different environment.

Until now, the dungeon walls and floors had been a combination of rough and smooth stone, respectively. While those features remained, moss had started to grow on the walls and ceiling. Slowly but surely, the landscape was changing.

He made his way through the open expanse, thinking of some potential enemies.

'Hounds, dragons, elementals.' Bane ran through a few fantastic possibilities before his questions were answered.

Stick. Bane walked forward, feeling his movements being restricted. He glanced down and saw a sticky string stuck to him.

"What?" Bane spoke aloud, trying to pull himself away. The more he struggled, the more noise he made, and soon the beast came his way.

Furry, giant, terrifying. Large enough that each of its eight legs made audible sounds.

'I hate spiders!' Bane thought as he held back tears.