Floria’s dance continued for about fifteen minutes.
She had been dancing the entire time, so her stamina should have been severely depleted, yet not a single sign of fatigue was visible until the very end.
While she had been building her stamina to improve her sword skills even before coming to the tower, her ability to continue dancing without showing any signs of exhaustion was truly remarkable.
Furthermore, this could be said not only for Floria but also for Mia, who had been accompanying Floria’s dance, providing music the entire time.
Some amateurs might think that simply sitting and strumming strings is easy, but Streep’s performance is not that simple. It requires not only the technical skill to play the Streep but also the stamina to keep playing continuously.
After finishing her dance, Floria, showing no signs of fatigue, bowed and then turned her gaze towards the spectators with a smile.
In response, the others erupted into thunderous applause.
Floria attempted to respond by raising her right hand, but she stopped halfway and suddenly looked up at the ceiling of the practice hall.
Of course, she wasn’t actually looking at the ceiling but at the entity that had appeared in the sky above.
Immediately, she knelt down and showed her respect to the being who had descended.
“Welcome, Great One.”
As Floria spoke to the being and almost simultaneously, everyone except Kousuke and the children realized who it was and knelt down.
Prompted by their mothers, the children also knelt.
Kousuke watched this scene with a wry smile, then raised his right hand and approached the being to whom Floria and the others were kneeling.
“Yo. It’s rare for Spica to show up at this timing.”
“Floria has met the conditions.”
Spica responded with her usual brevity, prompting Kousuke to tilt his head.
“Conditions? You mean that dance just now?”
“Yes. She was able to come because she has my blessing.”
Kousuke felt a sense of unease at Spica’s subtle wording.
“Hmm? Because she has my blessing…? Does that mean other goddesses might be able to come as well?”
“Yes.”
Spica gave a small nod and glanced at Miku.
From that gesture, Kousuke understood what Spica was hinting at.
“… I see.”
In essence, Spica was implying that if Miku could master the Streep and perform Floria’s dance, she could do something similar to what Spica was doing now.
Moreover, it was possible that one day Miku might be able to bring about a god’s descent solely through her own performance. However, this was purely a possibility, and neither of them dared to voice it.
After a few minutes, Kousuke, who had been talking with Spica, suddenly remembered.
“Ah, sorry, sorry. I came to see Floria, didn’t I? Did I waste your time?”
As Kousuke bowed with his hands clasped, Spica shook her head.
“Don’t worry. I wanted to talk with Kousuke too.”
“Oh? Well, that’s fine. Shall we take care of the reason for your descent first?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Spica nodded and turned back to Floria.
“Floria.”
“Yes!”
Addressed directly by the descended Spica, Floria responded with uncharacteristic tension.
Kousuke inwardly rejoiced at seeing Floria in such a rare state, though he certainly wouldn’t make such a foolish remark aloud.
By the way, Floria, naturally, possessed a Divine Union Tool made by Kousuke, so she had engaged in Divine Union with Spica to some extent. However, she had never met her directly like this, and her tension was rising sharply.
Without paying attention to Floria’s state, Spica spoke in her usual manner.
“I think you should dance more. And please, make me and those around me happy.”
“That…”
“Of course, it’s not mandatory. Dance whenever you wish.”
While it seemed contradictory, this was Spica’s greatest concession. If Spica were to command Floria to dance, it would become an oracle and thus mandatory. Spica wouldn’t be able to enjoy it under such circumstances, which is why she added the latter part of her statement.
“… Thank you.”
Floria bowed politely, and Spica, with a rare change in her expression, said,
“And since you’re here, you should try to make your husband fall even more in love with you.”
“Buh?!”
“Kousuke?”
As the target of the sudden remark, Kousuke sputtered, and Floria, looking in his direction, blushed slightly, another rare sight.
Before Kousuke could even attempt to dodge the remark, Spica pressed on.
“Kousuke falls more in love with you every time he sees you dance. This puts you one step ahead of the others.”
“S-Spica!”
At Spica’s words, the gazes of the other wives, excluding Floria, sharpened. Sensing this, Floria chuckled softly.
“While I can’t say I’m a step ahead, I’ll try dancing with various new approaches from now on.”
“Yes, that would be good.”
Floria said with a bright smile, to which Spica nodded in her usual, detached manner. She naturally ignored Kousuke, who was flustered beside her.
One might argue about a goddess showing favoritism to a Human, but since Floria already had Spica’s blessing, it wasn’t actually a problem. Besides, none of the people present would make such a boorish comment.
Kousuke, sighing, asked Spica, who had shed her initial tension and was now conversing calmly with Floria.
“So, did you descend all this way just to tease me using Floria as an excuse?”
“Of course not. I have another task.”
Saying so, Spica turned her gaze to Miku.
“I will bestow my blessing upon Miku.”
Spica stated this as a fact rather than a question, surprising Kousuke. Then, understanding the reason behind it, Kousuke sighed again, this time with a different kind of weariness.
“Is it so serious that Spica has to act directly?”
“Yes. Floria’s dance just now has agitated the spirits further.”
Spirits were already naturally drawn to Miku’s music. However, with Mia accompanying Floria’s dance, Miku’s consciousness had learned to perform in harmony with others, rather than solely by herself. Even after just one viewing, it had a significant impact on Miku. The spirits had keenly sensed this change in her.
Kousuke understood from Spica’s brief explanation that Miku could potentially be overwhelmed by a large number of spirits. He then turned to Miku’s mother.
“What do you think? I believe it’s best to grant her the blessing as Spica suggests.”
“As Spica-sama wills it.”
Peach replied to Kousuke’s inquiry, then bowed deeply to Spica. There was no real choice in the matter. In fact, it was a great fortune that Spica herself had taken the trouble to come.
Spica nodded slightly at Peach’s near-instantaneous reply.
Spica then pointed her right index finger at Miku. A small light emanated from her fingertip, floated towards Miku’s forehead, and was absorbed into it.
“For now, this will suffice. Once she grows and can understand reason, I will properly obtain her consent.”
“Yes, that would be best. Thank you for going to such trouble.”
“It is no trouble. It is necessary for me as well.”
Spica dismissed Kousuke’s polite bow with a shake of her head. Thus, the performance of Floria’s heartfelt dance concluded, amidst an unexpected (or perhaps expected?) descent of a goddess.
Spica, who descended on account of Floria’s dance, also took the opportunity to reserve blessings for Miku. It is important to note that this is a reservation; she has not fully received the blessing yet. Currently, her status reads “Blessing (Pending)”.
