Chapter 2- Explosion Series: A New Day
"Kazuma...please return them...it's drafty down there…"
Kazuma woke up in the morning. He felt well-rested but his eyes were burning. He tried getting up, not remembering that a very cute Crimson Demon was lying down on his chest.
And then it all came back to him. The crying. The kissing. The hugging. Usually, he would've screamed out of embarrassment. Yet, he was calm. Why was there a need to equate love to a war and be all tsundere, when he could simply be in the moment and enjoy what time he did have left with her?
His movements caused Megumin to wake up. She looked up blearily, and then whined, holding on to Kazuma. "Wahhhh Kazuma, don't move so much so early in the morninggggggg." Kazuma's heart skipped a beat. He immediately pulled Megumin closer to his chest and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you so much",he whispered. She didn't respond, but instead hugged him tighter.
"I could get used to this kind of love in the mornings, heh.", both of them thought as they snuggled together under the blanket.
"Well, I have to make breakfast now, so if you will excuse me, girlfriend.", Kazuma said with a sweet smile that made Megumin blush profusely.
"A-alright, we can't go hungry after all.",she replied with a pout.
Kazuma got up, albeit reluctantly, and went to make breakfast. He was motivated and was ready to create the absolute best breakfast he could.
He checked the pantry and found some leftover red marbled crab. He then remembered that Megumin had loved eating the crabs. And thus, it was decided. He was going to cook up the absolute best Crab Egg Casseroles he could.
…
"MMMM! This is...delicious. No, it's beyond delicious! Kazuma, what the hell, you'd make a fantastic househusband one day!", Megumin ranted while inhaling the crabs.
Kazuma choked on his crab and turned red."Stop saying things like that so carelessly!", he shouted at Megumin, who was too busy gorging herself on the crabs.
Kazuma sighed and looked at her excited face. "She really is cute when she's happy. Hey, what if…"
"Oi, Megumin, do you want to try those with sake? You do know it tastes farrrr better with that, right?", Kazuma said with a wink.
Megumin audibly gasped and then looked around surreptitiously, as if Darkness and Aqua were going to pop out of nowhere and slap her. "R-really? Are you sure, Kazuma? This better not be a ploy to get me drunk and take advantage of my weakness, you know!"
"YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT! I would never do that! Anyway, you're already more or less grown up now that we have kissed and slept together. So, a bowl of sake should be just okay! Do you want it or not?!", Kazuma said.
Megumin hesitantly took the sake and poured a bowl of it over the fire, in a crab shell brought specially for the occasion by Kazuma. She made a cute face (A/N: think of the face she makes when Kazuma shushes her and puts his finger on her lips), blowing on the sake carefully.
Kazuma could practically see her salivating. Unconsciously, he reached out and rubbed Megumin's head. Immediately, he retracted his hand, learning from his previous experiences. But Megumin too reacted instantly and put his hand back on her head.
"I like it when you do this, you know…", she said, blushing once again, before taking the shell with sake in her hands, and taking a tentative sip. The sip turned into two, which turned into four, which turned into eight, until the shell was empty.
Megumin hiccuped cutely, before giggling. "Hehe Kazuma… I think I am drrrruuuuunkkkkkkk! Heee heeee sake is goooood!"
"What the hell are you saying?! How did you get so drunk from just that much?! Hey, you're not pretending, are you?!", Kazuma asked frantically.
"Why would I preeeteeeennnnndddd- woop!", Megumin slurred as she slipped while trying to get up. Kazuma managed to catch her and she leaned into his chest while turning around so her head was pressed into him.
"Mmmmmm… you smell so niiice Kazuma. I just want to inhale you and enjoy you all to myselffff!", Megumin said while practically drooling over him.
'Me-megumin! Please stop, you're not youRSELFFF-?!", Kazuma tried admonishing her, only to scream as she pushed him onto the floor with her superior strength and straddled his waist.
Kazuma inhaled sharply. It's not like he didn't enjoy Megumin doing that- but he wanted their first time to be one where they both were sober!
He tried pushing Megumin off, but she refused to let go and instead started grinding against him. Kazuma gasped, thrown off, but then made up his mind. Shaking his head vigorously to clear it, he used Bind and wrapped Megumin up in his mithril alloy rope, which he always kept on his person.
"Ooooooooohhhh, Kazuma wants to do things to me while Iii'm tied upp? How. Very. Lecherous.", Megumin said with a smirk.
Kazuma ignored her, and carried the girl to bed and tucked her in. "I can't untie you until you fall asleep because I don't know what you'll try to do. You may hate me now, but I refuse to do it with you when you are drunk, no matter how seductive you are."
"Ohhhhh what a coooool man you aare, Kazuma. I loooove youuuuuu.", said Megumin, ending the sentence with an air smooch, before falling asleep yet again.
"Honestly, what a hopeless girl. I really should keep her away from alcohol.", thought Kazuma, absentmindedly petting Megumin.
…
Megumin stretched and yawned. How was she in bed again? Didn't she just have breakfast?! And why was it so bright considering it should be early morning? And why was she tied up and unable to stretch?!
"KAZUMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SOMEONE'S TRYING TO KIDNAP M- ow!", Megumin tried screaming, before being karate chopped on the head by Kazuma.
'I-d-i-o-t. You drank sake and then started drooling everywhere, and became exactly like Darkness. You kept climbing up all over me and tried to...do that...with me. But I, the noble Kazuma, stopped you and put you to bed.", said the chivalrous and noble Kazuma.
"Usually I'd find that hard to believe but...I do remember small fragments here and there so...thank you, Kazuma. I really do appreciate it.", she said with an adorable smile that made Kazuma's heart explode erratically.
…
After that, they went out to the best restaurant in town for lunch, singing the Explosion song on the way.
"Ahhhhhh that was delicious!", said Megumin while stretching and sighing happily. "We should do this more often!"
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind doing this every other day! If only we weren't held back by the idiots in the party who'd embarrass us given the slightest chance…", said Kazuma.
And then out of the blue, he was hit on the back of the head by someone, who then proceeded to sling one arm over his shoulder.
"Kazuma! What's up?!", said the voice enthusiastically.
"Hai, Kazuma desu.", replied Kazuma in a monotone before turning his head and seeing that a silver haired tomboy with a scar and a bright, bright smile that had the potential to revive a dead person.
"Chris! Hi, how are you?"", Megumin asked enthusiastically, to which Chris replied, "I'm doing well but…"
She then leaned towards Megumin, and asked in a conspiratorial tone,"What are you doing here with the Panty Thief? If he has kidnapped you, blink twice, I'll rescue you!"
"You two do realize that I'm right here, right?"
Chris giggled a bit but then looked at Megumin with resolute eyes, determined to showcase her will to rescue her, only to be put off by the bright red stare of Megumin.
"Kazuma is my boyfriend. We both love each other. He has not kidnapped me!", Megumin said without any hesitation at all.
"Ahhhh, he has hypnotized you- SORRY, IT WAS A JOKE, I KNOW YOU TWO ARE DATING! PLEASE DON'TTTTTTTT!", said Chris, only to be interrupted by Kazuma wagging his fingers in the way he was famous for.
Of course, Kazuma knew Chris was joking because after all, she was the goddess Eris who often peeked into Belzerg from heaven. There was no way she didn't know about their relationship. Still, it felt good to get back at her for the teasing, and it felt even better to go back to his roots as a brute, though his finger wagging lacked initiative and felt more unnatural now.
Kazuma sighed, and then told Megumin to go on ahead, as he wanted to say something to Chris. Megumin nodded, and then went ahead, skipping every now and then, and humming the Explosion song.
"Kazuma...I apologized already so please don't steal my panties…", said a teary-eyed Chris.
Kazuma sighed again, pulling Chris into a side alley.
"You know Kazuma...don't try anything bold. I don't mind fighting you if yo-mmh?!", said Chris warily, before Kazuma put a finger on her lips.
Chris slowly tried to grab her dagger but was immediately put off by a Kazuma who bowed to her, and apologized.
"I am sorry for constantly touching you or trying to hold your body. It was...beyond wrong of me, especially when you're a goddess and probably have some rules and what not. But still, apart from that, it's still wrong of me...and I'm deeply sorry. So, please forgive me if you can."
Chris looked at the figure of the bowing bow with wonder in her eyes. Just what had happened in the past few days for him to change like this?! Sure, she hadn't peeked into his life too much, at least not more than a handful of times recently, but surely no human could change this much in such a short period of time?
Kazuma looked up from his bow tentatively, and was disheartened to find her staring at him with shock. Still, he steeled his heart and accepted it. After all, he was absolutely in the wrong.
As he began to tear up, he was interrupted by Chris lifting his shoulders, and then hugging him hard.
"I always treated it as a joke, and was fine with it, honestly. But...this apology means a lot to me. So, thank you Kazuma. I appreciate it, I really, really do!"
Kazuma was caught off guard. He had expected a slap, not a hug.
Kazuma then hugged her back, and felt beyond grateful for being blessed with good friends in this terrifying world.
Maybe everything wasn't all bad.