Chapter 2: Reunion

The time was around 6 o'clock in the afternoon. Kazuma and Megumin appeared wearing the same clothes as before the explosion in front of an ordinary Japanese road. But Kazuma instantly recognized it.

"Megumin, this is the spot where I first died. That means my house isn't far."

Kazuma started to lead Megumin toward his family home. It hadn't been so long that he'd forgotten. They talked as they walked.

"Kazuma, how will we explain this to your parents? How will we…"

"We'll just tell them the truth. We have plenty of proof. Your eyes glow, for crying out loud!"

Megumin looked at Kazuma, still concerned that his parents wouldn't believe their story. They arrived at the front door of a normal Japanese house, and Kazuma knocked. His father opened the door, and stared at Kazuma in shock.

"Honey, you won't believe this! Come to the front door!"

Kazuma's mother came to the door.

"Kazuma! You're alive!"

She quickly embraced her son. Her grip was quite strong, and Kazuma was soon begging for mercy.

"Mom… can't breathe…"

She released him and then Kazuma's father gave him a strange look.

"How do you expect us to believe that our dead son has come back to life? Do we look crazy to you?"

"Kazuma… I knew this would happen…"

"Quiet, Megumin. Dad, ask me a question only I could answer."

Kazuma's father thought about it for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"Alright. What's my birthday?"

"November 12th."

"Your mother's birthday?"

"January 2nd."

"What was your first love doing when she broke your heart?"

"What a horrible question to ask your own son…"

"Megumin, relax. She was riding on another boy's motorcycle."

"Who's your waifu?"

"Rem."

"It's him all right. Glad to have you back, son!"

Megumin looked very confused after the last question.

"Who's Rem? What's a waifu?"

Kazuma started laughing, and then remembered that Megumin actually didn't know who Rem was. Kazuma's father began to explain.

"A waifu is a female anime character to whom a male fan has an unhealthy attachment. Rem is a blue-haired demon maid from an anime Kazuma likes."

Megumin gets up close and whispers in Kazuma's ear.

"So you've got a thing for demon girls, huh?"

Kazuma decided not to respond to Megumin's accusation. She did have a point though. Kazuma did find her Crimson Demon traits rather attractive. A few moments of awkward silence then followed, which Kazuma's mother broke.

"Please, come inside."

Kazuma and Megumin came through the open door and sat next to each other on the sofa in the living room. Kazuma's parents sat down as well and Kazuma's father turned to Megumin.

"My name is Tsuyoshi and my wife here is Kumiko. I'm assuming you're Megumin?"

"Yes, my name is Megumin."

Kazuma noticed that Megumin had stolen his catchphrase. Not fair!

"Kumiko, your name reminds me of my sister. Her name is Komekko."

Kumiko smiled at Megumin's words. Kazuma and Megumin then proceeded to summarize their time together in the other world. Tsuyoshi seemed like he was having trouble believing what he was hearing, especially the part where two different girls had confessed to his former NEET of a son. Kumiko just listened and nodded occasionally. After Kazuma and Megumin had finished retelling the series of events that had led them here, Kumiko turned to Megumin.

"It sounds like you two have been through a lot together. Consider yourself part of the family."

Right as Megumin was about to respond to Kumiko's kind words, Tsuyoshi asked Kazuma a question he'd rather not answer.

"Kazuma, just how old is she?"

Oh no. Kazuma could see it all come crashing down before his eyes. He could see his parents sending Megumin into foster care and publicly shaming him as a lolicon. The horror! He wanted to lie, but he knew that Megumin would absolutely lose it if he did. He had no choice but to tell them the truth and face the consequences. He relished the moments he had left as a normal member of society and then began to beg for mercy.

"Mom, dad. Do you... promise... not to call me... a lolicon?"

Kumiko replied first.

"Kazuma, if you love each other and she's old enough to understand what that means, I won't judge."

"Thanks, mom, dad… I always knew I could count on you."

"Not so fast, son. I reserve the right to call you a lolicon depending on just how young she is."

"I'm nearly 15, for your information! Don't you know how rude it is to ask a girl her age?!"

Most women get self-conscious because they feel old, Kazuma thought to himself, but he didn't know if he would survive saying such a thing out loud. He hadn't even done anything the last time she killed him.

"Hmmm, it's close... but you pass, son. Congratulations!"

Megumin glared at Tsuyoshi and refused to shake his hand, for obvious reasons. Kazuma turned to Megumin.

"Megumin, in Japan being a lolicon is much more serious than in Belzerg. A lolicon in Belzerg is just another kind of run-of-the-mill pervert, but here you can end up in prison if you're not careful."

"Cecily would not like it here."

Kazuma chuckled. Cecily would certainly be on some kind of watchlist. He had found it strange how lax Belzerg's laws were at times, but he'd eventually gotten used to it. The transition back to Japan's legal system would be unpleasant. He'd have to make sure Megumin didn't get arrested for anything stupid. On second thought, maybe he should just set aside bail money for when she does.

"No, she definitely would not."

Kumiko then spoke up.

"Now that we've had our introductions, we need to resolve the issue of Megumin's documentation."

Or rather, Kazuma thought, the complete lack of any identifying documents. Without a birth certificate or citizenship, Megumin would hardly be able to function in modern-day Japan. Kumiko continued.

"The easiest way to resolve the citizenship issue would be to officially adopt her into the Satou family. We can deal with her birth certificate at the adoption office."

Megumin, his step-sister? Immediately, certain internet videos involving step siblings came to mind. Kazuma snapped out of it soon enough, but not soon enough that his mother didn't notice.

"Unless dating your step-sister makes you uncomfortable, Kazuma. If you were to marry Megumin, she would also become a Japanese citizen. Would you prefer that?"

Kazuma's mother was starting to remind him of Megumin's mother Yuiyui. He needed to act quickly. He had no idea how Megumin would respond to this ridiculous suggestion, but he didn't want to find out. Megumin then began to speak.

"I wouldn't mind…"

Kazuma was in full panic mode. He couldn't allow her to just propose to him on the spot like that. Wasn't the man supposed to propose first? Nonsense! Kazuma was an advocate of true gender equality. He had no issue with Megumin proposing to him when the time was right. Frankly, Kazuma didn't think he'd have the balls to pop the question, so he'd even prefer it if she asked instead. The real reason he was panicking was because he wasn't ready for marriage yet. He could picture the sheer chaos that would result. If dating a girl Megumin's age was proving to be an issue, imagine marrying one! He didn't want to be branded a lolicon, but he had to act quickly.

"What she means to say is that she wouldn't mind getting married later. After all, neither of us have a job or income. And I'd rather not resume the NEET lifestyle."

Kazuma felt a wave of relief rush over him, and turned towards Megumin to see her pouting. Did she really want to marry him that bad? The same day she met his parents? How clingy... Tsuyoshi thankfully interrupted this chain of thought.

"She'll have to learn how to read and write in Japanese at some point. Kazuma, how about you teach her? You were always good at tutoring your little brother Yamato, and she seems to like you well enough."

Tsuyoshi gave Kazuma a suggestive wink, and Kazuma rolled his eyes. Speaking of Yamato... Kazuma's brother came down the stairs and looked at Kazuma in shock. He looked at Megumin then looked back at Kazuma and his mouth hung open even wider.

"Kazuma's alive?! And he has a girlfriend?! What kind of sick joke is this?!"

"Hi, Yamato! Long time no see, huh?"

Kazuma found Yamato's reaction quite entertaining, as did Megumin, but Kumiko gave her youngest son a quick recap on what Kazuma and Megumin had told them.

"You can ask Kazuma to give you the full story some other time, but right now they need to bathe and get some rest."

Kazuma's mother, of course, was right. Kazuma and Megumin were completely drained from the grueling day they had just gone through. They had both died, had an emotionally taxing encounter with the goddess Eris, and managed to convince Kazuma's parents that they actually came from a fantasy world. After all that, the least they could do was go to bed a bit early.

"Honey, shouldn't they eat first?"

Somehow neither Megumin, Kazuma, nor his mother had realized that they completely skipped dinner. Kumiko hurriedly ordered takeout and it didn't take too long to arrive. Megumin thought it tasted amazing, but the others didn't share her enthusiasm.

Kazuma decided to let Megumin shower first. She was a guest in his house, after all. He showed her the controls for the shower and left her to enjoy the wonders of modern plumbing. She was a smart girl after all, so Kazuma was confident she wouldn't have any issues.

"Kazuma! The shower knob is stuck and I can't move it!"

"You sure you can't handle this yourself?"

"Kazuma!"

It sounded like the start of a B-rate hentai, but Kazuma was far too tired to try anything lewd. He got a paperclip from his room and then entered the bathroom. Megumin was standing in her towel, shivering. He used his lock-picking skill along with the paperclip to unjam the shower knob, and finally turned to leave the room.

"Okay, if it gets stuck again just call me, alright? I'll be waiting for you to finish."

A mischievous grin creeped onto Megumin's face. Kazuma sensed trouble.

"Unless you'd like to join…"

"I said I'll wait!"

Kazuma left the bathroom and went to get a spare mattress to put in his room. Megumin would surely insist that they share his bed, but Kazuma refused to give in to her charms. He was tired, and that was that. Megumin would just have to learn to wait. He heard the shower stop, and Megumin soon walked out. Kumiko had already lent Megumin some spare clothes, so Kazuma was free to take his shower undisturbed.

"Megumin, you can take either the spare mattress or my bed. I don't mind either way."

"Oh… okay…"

Megumin was, predictably, disappointed at this turn of events, but it seemed to Kazuma like she had given up for the night. His shower was uneventful, and when he entered his bedroom he saw Megumin on his bed reading a magazine she had found. Given the composition of his magazine collection, and how Megumin had been acting tonight, chances were high that it was something lewd. He didn't care that she'd found his collection and was just thankful she wasn't giving him a hard time about it. He got onto the mattress and tucked himself in. She definitely knew he was here, yet she kept reading. Megumin's cheeks were bright red as she flipped through the pages. Haha. Definitely something lewd. He decided to mess with her a little.

"Hey Megumin, whatcha reading?"

"Oh, I'm just entertaining myself since my boyfriend says he's 'too tired' to."

His plan had completely backfired. Megumin was completely shameless about perusing his lewd stash, and she was using it to try and get him to give in! The nerve of this girl! Well, two can play at that game.

"I'm so easily replaced by naked pictures? Then I guess it shouldn't be a problem if I get some rest."

The sound of Megumin pouting let Kazuma know he had won. Congratulating himself on protecting his virginity for one more day, Kazuma drifted off to sleep.

"Idiot… no wonder he's still a virgin."

Megumin lamented how much of a coward Kazuma could be, and wished he was a bit more assertive. That being said…

"If he wasn't such a wimp he probably would've bedded every woman in Axel by now. Maybe his cowardice isn't such a bad thing…"

With that thought on her mind, Megumin finally drifted off to sleep having forgotten to put away the magazine.