“Huh? Floria, are you going to dance now?”
Kousuke asked, tilting his head, after finishing dinner and realizing some time had passed as he watched Floria head towards the practice grounds with a sword.
It was unusual for Floria to dance at this hour.
Floria nodded in response to Kousuke’s question.
“Yes. I thought I’d sweat it out a little. …Lately, I’ve been cooped up in the management layer and haven’t moved properly.”
Looking at Floria, who had a wonderful physique that hadn’t changed at all since they met, Kousuke tilted his head again.
“I don’t think it’s something you need to worry about that much? Well, if you want to exercise, I won’t stop you. In fact, I’d love to see it.”
Lately, there have been many opportunities to see Floria’s dance, and it’s always wonderful.
“That’s fine, but… it won’t be as visually impressive without music, you know?”
“That’s fine, that’s fine.”
Kousuke, knowing the great impression Floria’s dance made even without music, waved his hands lightly.
Here, Kouhi unusually stepped forward and made a claim.
“In that case, shall I provide the music?”
Kouhi’s first offer surprised Floria more than Kousuke.
Kousuke, speaking for the stunned Floria, blinked and asked,
“That’s unusual, what’s up?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much. Mitsuki is here now, so it’s okay if I step away.”
“Ah, I see.”
Dinner cleanup was finished, and Kouhi and Mitsuki were both present.
Tonight, by chance, there were only the four of them in the management layer, so it wouldn’t be a big problem if Kouhi left Kousuke’s side.
Rather than that, she decided it would be better to earn points for Floria by providing music.
Although, Kousuke wasn’t actually scoring Kouhi and Mitsuki in his mind.
Beside the understanding Kousuke, Floria’s expression became a little flustered.
“Does that mean… Kouhi will provide the music?”
“Yes. That’s how it will be.”
Kouhi nodded nonchalantly to Floria, who was flustered by this first-time event.
Seeing Kouhi’s determined face, Floria understood she couldn’t escape.
“…Well, since it’s an opportunity, let’s enjoy it.”
“Yes.”
Kouhi smiled brightly and nodded at Floria’s words.
***
Kouhi parted ways with Kousuke to prepare the musical instruments, and Kousuke entered the practice grounds holding a certain item.
“What’s that, Kousuke?”
Floria, looking at what Kousuke was holding, couldn’t help but give him a sidelong glance.
“Well, I thought I’d have something to go with my drinks since we might see something good.”
In Kousuke’s hand was alcohol and a cup.
The fact that two servings were prepared meant that Mitsuki would be joining them.
“Haa, honestly… Well, it’s fine, I guess.”
After all, dancing is often performed at drinking parties.
Of course, there are times when only the dance is watched seriously, but it is fundamentally performed at banquets and other gatherings.
Floria had never danced at such events, but she recognized that this was how it was done, so she had no qualm about dancing in front of Kousuke, who had been drinking.
If anything, she was just amused.
With Kouhi ready with the instruments, Floria’s dance was about to begin.
By the way, Kouhi showed no reaction to Kousuke and Mitsuki preparing drinks.
She had seen Kousuke heading to the dining hall, so she had expected it to some extent.
And so it was that Floria’s dance began with Kouhi’s accompaniment, but it was not a perfectly structured performance.
Floria’s initial goal was to practice dancing, not to perform it.
However, feeling that it would be a bit lonely otherwise, and with spectators present, Floria herself declared that she would perform a proper dance at the end.
Kousuke was satisfied with that and was present with their approval.
The practice session of Floria’s dance, accompanied by gentle music, passed by in a relaxed manner.
The sounds Kouhi was playing on her instruments were less like a song and more like a steady rhythm for the dance.
However, her stamina in playing the music continuously from the start was truly remarkable.
“…Hmm. Well, Kouhi is as expected, but Floria also has considerable stamina.”
A considerable amount of time had passed since they started practicing.
During this time, she alternated between dancing and pausing, and from Kousuke’s perspective, she was almost constantly moving.
Despite all this, Floria’s breathing was barely disturbed.
Mitsuki, who had been watching Floria equally intently, responded to Kousuke’s words.
“Floria hasn’t been doing nothing all this time either.”
“That’s true.”
After giving birth to her child initially and her time as the Queen of Razek Amamiya, Floria had little time for herself.
However, after abdicating the throne to Towa, she had more free time and began to dabble in various things.
It was Kousuke’s words that sparked Floria’s interest in dancing, but with the acquisition of the divine tool, the sword, and the appearance of Miku, a musical genius in a different field, she had begun to focus even more on dancing.
In addition, she had taken up swordsmanship, and was diligently working on her physical fitness.
Furthermore, although Floria herself had not yet realized it, by interacting closely with Kousuke and other goddesses, she was on her way to becoming a divine race.
This was true not only for Floria but also for the other members.
It was because of this foundation that her stamina had become superhuman.
Unaware of these changes, Floria continued her dance practice and finally performed a dance as Kousuke had hoped.
Kousuke and Mitsuki, having watched it, applauded her generously.
“Wow, you’re amazing. As always, it was magnificent. No, perhaps even more so than before?”
“You’re not supposed to tilt your head there! She’s improved properly.”
Mitsuki glared at Kousuke’s subtle wording and praised Floria wholeheartedly.
However, the person being complimented, knowing Kousuke well, seemed happy enough with that.
***
And so, Floria’s dance viewing session came to an end, and they moved to a different location for drinks.
However, instead of a regular table, they somehow ended up in the bath.
This was not Kousuke’s suggestion; rather, Floria had suggested drinking in the bath since she had worked up a sweat dancing.
Kousuke had no objections, and since there were few people in the management layer, no one would interfere unnecessarily. Thus, the bathtub became their banquet hall.
However, considering the location, it was dangerous to drink too much, so the amount of alcohol prepared beforehand was limited.
And so, the night in the management layer, with a rare small gathering of only four people in recent years, deepened.
W-why did it end up with a bath in the end? Σ(゜Д゜)
The plan was just to have evening drinks in the dining hall…
W-well, it’s fine for a change.
…It’s fine, right?
