Our Hestia Has Changed – 2

The clothing store was packed with students enjoying their weekend. I pulled Hestia slightly toward me, tightening my grip on her hand so I wouldn’t lose her.

“Eep!”

“Oh, sorry. There are too many people. Did you dislike that?”

Hestia tensed up and resisted. I apologized immediately. Had I been too forceful without saying anything?

“No, it’s not that. It was just… a bit sudden.”

Hestia avoided my eyes. She was being extremely unnatural.

“Hestia, did something unpleasant happen to you?”

“No.”

Hestia denied it in response to my question. Something was clearly wrong.

She felt a bit different from usual. Like how she was late this morning. Technically she wasn’t late, but she who always arrived way before our meeting time came rushing in right on the dot, so she was later than usual. Besides that, today she kept avoiding eye contact with me and seemed to be trying to distance herself.

“Really?”

I tilted my head sharply to make eye contact with her. She turned her head in the opposite direction. My head followed her eyes. I leaned my waist toward her, attempting eye contact, but again, Hestia turned her head the other way. This awkward dance, cringe-worthy to any onlooker, continued for several rounds.

After shaking her head horizontally like a child adamantly refusing something, she finally squeezed her eyes shut tight.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“I told you, no.”

I felt her hand tightening its grip on mine. I let go. She began browsing clothes as if nothing had happened.

After looking around the store for a while, Hestia stopped in front of a sky-blue dress.

“How about this?”

She held the flowing dress against her body and asked. The dress complemented her snow-white skin, showing off her figure. Of course it suited her. Even though she hadn’t tried it on yet, it looked good at a glance.

I gave her a thumbs up.

“It suits you incredibly well. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

Hestia smiled happily, but then her face suddenly hardened as if remembering something she’d forgotten. Then her expression completely froze. The change was so abrupt, like a Chinese face-changing performance, that I couldn’t keep up.

“You haven’t even seen me try it on yet.”

“Huh? Oh. That’s true.”

“I’ll go try it on.”

Hestia bit her lip repeatedly, then turned around radiating a cold aura. I stared blankly at her retreating figure. What’s going on? Is this puberty?

Our kind, considerate, gentle, and well, all positive adjectives wouldn’t be wasted on her—our Hestia had suddenly become prickly. Is this how a father feels when his daughter tells him not to do laundry with her? My daughter is going through a rebellious phase.

I slumped my shoulders and just waited for Hestia to come out. A moment later, Hestia emerged in the dress, her face flushed red as if she’d never been cold, walking with small, quick steps.

“How is it?”

“I told you, it suits you incredibly well.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Hestia lifted the skirt of the dress slightly and twirled around. She smiled brightly, clearly pleased with the dress.

As I was watching her, I noticed something strange.

“Hestia, what’s that on your lip?”

“My lip?”

Hestia touched her lip and let out an “Ah!” sound. A small amount of blood stained her fingertip.

“Let’s wipe it with this. Oh no. There wasn’t any injury like this earlier.”

At my words, Hestia gave an awkward smile.

“I think I bumped into something and got a small cut. Anyway, should we go with this dress?”

I nodded. For now, we’d leave it with the clerk and look at some other clothes.

“Let’s go with this one.”

“Let’s do that… wait, no! I just realized I don’t like it. I want to look at some other options.”

Hestia smiled broadly while examining her dress from different angles, then suddenly shook her head vigorously. Just like before, she abruptly changed her attitude as if remembering something she’d forgotten, and turned her head away coldly.

I felt a bit put off. I wasn’t planning to buy just this one item anyway, and I wasn’t particularly upset, but this was too suspicious. It’s like she had bipolar disorder or something. It was so different from the usual Hestia.

“Then let’s look at some other options. I was planning to buy several outfits anyway since we’re already out.”

When I answered as if nothing was wrong, Hestia asked in a slightly shrunken voice.

“Um, aren’t you angry?”

Angry? Why would I be angry?

“Why would I be angry?”

“Because I said I liked it but then suddenly changed my mind saying I didn’t like it. Are you really okay with that?”

My mischievous side activated. I straightened my back and stroked my chin—a pose that suggested deep contemplation. I deliberately frowned a bit.

“Of course…”

“I’m sorry! But—”

Hestia began to whimper at my behavior and rushed toward me as if she was about to cling to me. The effect was better than I expected. I blocked her approach by pressing her forehead.

“It’s fine.”

“What?”

When I pressed her forehead, Hestia, who had been struggling and seemed about to burst into tears, looked up.

“Did I seem like someone who would get angry over something like that? I’m truly disappointed.”

At my answer, tears welled up in Hestia’s large eyes. I didn’t think it was such a big joke to make her cry. I feel a bit sorry.

“Are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!”

I gently wiped the corner of her eye with my thumb. She definitely was crying.

“Hestia, have you been having a hard time or feeling anxious about something lately?”

While today was particularly strange, she’d been like this for a while now. She’s clearly anxious about something. Actually, these signs had been showing since that incident with Cordelia. But I became certain after that drinking session last time.

It’s not something I can dismiss as drunk talk. Don’t they say people become honest when drunk? Even if she doesn’t remember at all, the words and actions she directed at me while intoxicated can’t be erased.

“Um, no, I don’t?”

Hestia strongly denied it. But she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.

“Really, nothing?”

“Nothing.”

I firmly held her hand.

“Hestia, whatever you’re thinking, you’re always my priority. There’s no need to worry unnecessarily.”

Hestia hastily pushed my hand away, covered her ears, and made “abababa” sounds. I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. She’s not a child.

“Will that stop you from hearing?”

“I don’t know. I can’t hear you.”

“This isn’t even bad news or anything.”

“I don’t care. I can’t hear any of it today. I’m going to change back now!”

Hestia quickly pulled away and escaped to the changing room.

A moment later, Hestia came out in her original clothes. She was holding the dress she had been wearing. She approached the employee with small, quick steps.

“I’ll buy this, can you hold it for me for a bit?”

Hestia came to my side as if nothing had happened.

“I thought you weren’t buying it.”

“I changed my mind again.”

Without saying anything, I just smiled with a “hmph.” Hestia seemed displeased with my expression and made a disapproving face.

“Let’s look at some other clothes. And stop smiling so strangely.”

“Alright.”

The street was filled with all kinds of delicious food smells, making it clear it was lunchtime. I asked Hestia, who was struggling to keep up beside me.

“Aren’t you still a bit cold?”

“I’m fine. I’m wearing a cardigan.”

Hestia must have really liked the first dress she picked, as she changed into it right after buying it at the store. When I asked if she might be cold, she also put on the cardigan we bought together.

I stopped briefly and held out my hand to Hestia. She looked at my hand as if asking what I meant.

“Give them here. I’ll carry them.”

“It’s fine. They’re not that heavy.”

Despite offering to carry them for her several times already, Hestia adamantly refused. However, contrary to her words, her slender body kept staggering. I somewhat forcibly took the packages from her hands.

“Ah!”

“It’s for my comfort. Mine.”

They’re not that heavy. How heavy could summer clothes be? But it’s a bit concerning that she was staggering while carrying them.

Hestia pouted, unhappy with my action, but she didn’t ask for them back.

“By the way, Hestia, you need to exercise a bit.”

“Exercise?”

“Staggering while carrying this is a bit much, don’t you think?”

At the mention of exercise, Hestia’s face went through several expressions showing her aversion.

“I don’t want to!”

“You dislike it that much?”

“I don’t understand why people would deliberately make their bodies hurt and sweat. Ugh.”

She shuddered as if she’d seen a bug. Her strong aversion made me want to make her exercise even more.

I casually raised one arm. Hestia looked at me with an expression asking what I was up to now.

“Try hanging from this.”

“Hang from it?”

Hestia tapped my forearm with her small hand. She seemed genuinely concerned if this was okay. I snorted.

“Who’s worrying about whom? Just try hanging.”

“Well then, hup!”

At my words, she seemed slightly annoyed and jumped with all her might to grab my arm. Then she immediately landed on the ground. What is she doing? She just jumped a little?

“What are you doing?”

“You said to hang!”

“Is that hanging? You’re just holding my arm while standing.”

“I hung for a moment just now!”

I asked incredulously. Hestia tried to argue earnestly, but it didn’t work at all. If you asked ten passersby, even including one bystander who’d been watching, all eleven would say that wasn’t hanging.

This time, I tried telling her to do something else.

“Then this time, bend over and touch your instep.”

“Why do you keep asking me to do weird things?”

She grumbled but diligently did as I asked, bending at the waist. She held her breath and slowly bent down. I averted my eyes. Perhaps because she was bending over, her big-heartedness seemed particularly emphasized.

“I did it!”

I turned my head to look at Hestia.

“That’s it?”

“Ugh! I can’t go any lower!”

Anyone could see she was just bowing. Hestia’s waist was bent at exactly a right angle and showed no intention of going any further. Her legs were trembling, suggesting this really was her limit. I was about to press down slightly on her back but stopped, afraid of what I might hear.

“Just stand up.”

“Phew, I survived. But why did you make me do that?”

“I’ve decided.”

Hestia had a question mark floating above her head at my non-sequitur.

“Let’s exercise a bit, Hestia.”

Her expression immediately contorted.

“Why!”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

It’s seriously concerning—she might be the most unfit person I’ve ever met. I can’t fully assess her physical condition just from this, but conversely, isn’t it too much that she can’t even do something this basic?

“I don’t want to! Isn’t it enough to be able to carry books and breathe?”

“You wake up early in the morning anyway. Let’s just run a little together. Okay?”

“I won’t do it! No, I can’t do it!”

After several rounds of this argument, Hestia was the first to give in.

“Let’s try it for just one week and decide then. Okay?”

“One week?”

Hestia made a groaning sound and nodded. Even now as she reluctantly accepts, she doesn’t seem at all eager.

“Then grant me one wish.”

“Sure, why not.”

Just one wish. It’s not like Hestia would ask me to do something unreasonable. I trust her common sense.

Now, what exercise should I make her do? Do they have yoga here?