Megumin's POV
"By the way, I only remember taking a few gulps of beer and it wasn't even that hard. How come I always blackout that quickly? Shouldn't I be building up a tolerance about this?"
"Uh…"
"Kazuma? Do you know something I don't?"
"Yeah. I know a lot of things you don't-"
"Shut up! You know what I mean!"
"Well… why don't you check your adventurer's card thoroughly?"
"Let's see… Explosion, explosion damage boost, quick casting, chant-less cast, cooking, improvised dish… There are so many explosion perks…"
"Stop getting turned- oh forget it…"
"WAIT! What is this?!"
"Remember when you gave me your adventurer's card? After the crimson demon village? Well, I saw that you had some cooking skills and thought that it would be funny to give you alcohol vulnerability."
"Why does that even exist?!"
"I thought about that exact thing. Wiz told me that it's for those with an extremely high constitution or poison resistance to keep enjoying booze. Heck, I'm pretty sure Darkness and Aqua both have it."
"So now I can't even drink a mug of beer without blacking out? This sucks…"
"On top of that skill, you had a pretty low constitution to begin with. Not sure if that's because of malnutrition or-"
"Shut up! I'm going to kill you!"
###
Kazuma's POV
This isn't right… How did I get here? Megumin didn't kill me, I remember drinking something-
"Eris?! How'd I-"
"You have been poisoned. Aqua-senpai's already in the process of bringing you back."
"Wait, poison?! How'd that happen?!"
"Kazuma, do you recall where you found that drink?"
"Hm… It was where Darkness usually sits-"
Don't tell me…
"Darkness requested that Aqua-senpai make her a strong brew because of her constitution. Naturally, in her lazy- er- efficient nature, she prepared poison and mixed it with sugar and tea."
That idiot!
"You mean to tell me that she literally tried to poison Darkness? Are you kidding me right now?"
"It appears as though Megumin is saying the same thing to Aqua-senpai right now."
She's… doing that for me?
"K-Kazuma! Are you ok? I got Aqua to let me talk to you! P-please, I get that life is hard here and you've died way too many times, but please don't go! I need you here! I'll let you do anything you want, just-"
"Woah, woah, woah! No need to get hasty, I've been through this plenty of times already."
"Please come back! Kazuma! I-"
"Enough! Just stop shouting already, I'm coming back! Why would you think that I wouldn't?"
"I… thought you were mad at me… Because last night, I flipped out at you-"
"Eh, I had it coming. Besides, I already made a deal with Vanir."
"Kazuma…"
"I know. I also need to stay with you."
Annnd, we're back. Having Megumin hug me isn't a bad perk of dying.
"Hey, why aren't you 2 doing anything? I just died, you know!"
"What's so bad about that? I can just bring you back."
"Yes, this has already happened quite a few times, so it was no cause for concern. I was also sure that you would come back, if not for anything else, then to not die a virgin."
"How can you say that?! Don't you 2 feel anything when he dies? Every time, I feel like I'm going to lose him for good! I'm scared that he's going to leave us!
"Hey, I'm happy that you care about me dying, but relax. I'm not leaving you guys."
"Really? Even with all the trouble we cause?"
"Even with all that."
"See? I knew that Kazuma would calm her down!"
"I swear, if it weren't for Megumin, I'd be out of here in 3 days, you useless goddess!"
"How can you say that? I, the goddess Aqua-"
"Useless goddess-"
"Shut up! Kazuma, you'd be dead so many times over-"
"I'd never have died if it weren't for you!"
"You're gonna regret that-"
"Stop!"
Once again, Megumin plays the straight man.
"Guys, do you want Kazuma to prefer leaving? Because I don't! Kazuma, promise me, no matter what, that you'll never leave me."
I wasn't expecting that, but alright.
"Sure."
"Sure?! That's all I get? A sure?"
"Hey! Ok, ok, I promise! Stop channeling explosion magic!"
Eh? What's with the sudden hug?
"T-thank you so much Kazuma…"
I tentatively wrapped my arms around her as my girlfriend broke down and sobbed in my arms. Honestly, if it weren't for how worried Megumin was, this would be quite the nice experience.
Megumin's POV
"Hey Kazuma?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go for my daily explosion?"
In the few days following that incident, Kazuma's birthday drew nearer. Naturally, I had prepared a few gifts for him. On top of this, his recent death had made me realize something.
"Sure. Where are we headed?"
"How about that hill where you stopped me from being able to enjoy a good drink?"
"Uh… you're not still mad about that, right? I know, it was a stupid joke and I shouldn't have done it."
"At least you apologized. Besides, at least I won't have to pay as much for strong beer."
"Let's head off. Oh, also, don't forget to use the bathroom first!"
"Shut up! I just need to grab something from my room. I'll be right down."
Perfect. No scratches or blemishes.
"Megumin? Did you use the toilet already?"
"Shut up already! Yes, I used it, ok? Now let's hurry up and go!"
Geez. It's almost like he wants me to back out.
"Hey Megumin?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you planning anything in particular for this explosion trip?"
"W-why are your eyes glowing purple, Kazuma?"
"Answer the question."
"U-uh, no…"
That can't be good. His eyes just turned red.
"You do realize that today is a special occasion?"
"W-what are you t-talking about?"
What does orange mean?
"Heh. Well, I'm sure to be prepared for absolutely nothing."
Before long we reached the hill.
"This… takes me back."
"Yeah. I still hope that you aren't mad at me for that whole alcohol vulnerability thing…"
"Just relax."
Last chance to back out. Not that it matters.
"Kazuma?"
"I'm Kazuma."
"Listen closely."
Deep breaths Megumin, deep breaths.
"I've already poured my heart out to you, but I'd do it 10 times over if I had to. These past few years have been amazing thanks to you and the rest of our party. We grew in strength, defeated that dullahan, the destroyer, and heck, even the devil king!"
I can already tell that he's forcing himself to not interrupt… God, I hope he never changes.
"But the best part of it all? I had friends. Real friends. And that was all thanks to you. I'll never forget the kindness you showed me by letting me in."
Aww, he's blushing! And… so am I, probably.
"So Kazuma, we've been through a lot, haven't we? There was always so much, but now? I just want to spend the rest of my life with you."
That smile on his face is telling me everything I need to know.
"But that's enough! With the power which I've been accumulating for nearly 15 years, I shall unleash my full power! Burst forth, explosion!"
Heart, heart, heart, heart-
"This… Megumin, you're amazing."
That's… a good sign...
"K-Kazuma… Will you m-marry… me?"