Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 6 by Fujino Omori

group. He’s wearing his usual charming smile, his eyes narrowed.
    “Feh.” Lord Takemikazuchi doesn’t seem to be too happy about this.
    Miss Asfi is right beside him, her silver glasses sitting comfortably on her face. “Lord Hermes, please lower your voice…” There’s a hint of protest in her tone as she sighs under her breath.
    “Why did you come over here? We haven’t had direct contact for very long at all.”
    “Hey, c’mon, Takemikazuchi. Didn’t we just work together? Don’t leave me out in the cold!”
    Lord Hermes slips by the obviously perturbed Lord Takemikazuchi after giving us an energetic greeting.
    A few moments later, he’s standing in front of me, showing off a toothy grin. “Hi there, Bell! Love that jacket, that’s what I call style! And Nahza, wonderful dress!”
    “Th-thank you.”
    “Appreciated…”
    “What’s this? Got some butterflies in your stomach, little Mikoto? Your cute face is going to waste!”
    “C-cute…?!”
    Unlike Lord Miach and myself, Lord Hermes is dressed rather casually. He goes around our circle, complimenting everyone from my goddess to Nahza. His eyes twinkle like a kid who’s found a new toy when he turns to face Mikoto. He reaches out and takes her hand before pressing his lips onto her fingers.
Poof!
Mikoto’s face practically explodes in a deep red blush.
    Thud! Smack!
Lord Takemikazuchi slaps Lord Hermes in the back of the head at the same time that Miss Asfi drills her heel into his shin.
    “Many of us have come out tonight.”
    “This time the children are with us. Tonight’s Celebration promises to be a bit livelier than usual.”
    Lady Hephaistos and Lord Miach strike up a conversation to try and ignore Lord Hermes’s whimpers of pain after he collapses to the floor.
    But they’re right…This is starting to feel like a party. Even our little corner of the ballroom is starting to get noisy.
    I think I’m getting used to this atmosphere, though.
    “—My guests! I’m glad to see you’ve all arrived!”
    A loud voice echoes through the ballroom.
    Every head around me instantly turns to face the other side of the room.
    There is a god standing in front of the opposite wall.
    He has blond hair that seems to shine like the sun. The bright and wavy locks glide over one another like early afternoon sunbeams. With a smile that is equally as brilliant, his handsome looks are powerful enough to make me, another male, stand and stare.
    He’s pretty tall, too, and wearing a crown of laurels on top of his head.
    Two very powerful-looking adventurers, a man and a woman, are standing just behind him on either side.
    There’s no doubt about it. This has to be Lord Apollo.
    “An idea came to me about how to make this event special. How do you like it? Dressing up the ones we hold most dear and bringing them to our Celebration—what could be more delightful?”
    I can clearly hear the excitement in the voice of our host. Quite a few other gods agree with him, shouting and clapping in approval.
    “Seeing so many of my kin and the faces of their beloved children fills me with great joy. Tonight is a night destined to be filled with grand opportunities and new meetings. I have foreseen it.”
    I step to the side to get a better view, when suddenly—
    Lord Apollo’s gaze sweeps over the crowd, but then seems to instantly lock on me.
    …?
    I frown for a moment and look behind me over my shoulder. Lord Apollo doesn’t seem to react; he’d already started talking again as soon as I turned back toward the front.
    …I might be overreacting because of what happened between me and
Apollo Familia
. That has to be the source of this awkwardness I’m feeling. I should just ignore it.
    “The night is young. I have assembled only the finest wines and freshest food. So by all means, wine, dine, and enjoy yourselves!”
    He raises his arms high into the air as the last echoes of his voice make their way through the ballroom.
    There’s another cheer, mostly