Kazuma opened his eyes as the light of dawn peeked through his windows. Waking up so early was intentional, as he wanted to head over to that Daniel's office before the girls woke up. He didn't want to deal with any questions. After taking care of his morning hygiene, he carefully stepped up to Megumin's room and peeked inside. Her room was the only one on the way to the front of the mansion so he only bothered checking hers. Aqua would never wake up this early, and Darkness woke up at normal hours.

He witnessed the crimson demon facing him, thankfully asleep. He sighed in relief before-

"Ah! Ex-ex-EXPLOOO~shun... zzz." She went right back to sleeping peacefully.

To be quite frank, Kazuma would've said that was cute if she hadn't been screaming it so loud to the point that he almost had a heart attack. Shaking his head in disbelief, he made his way outside of the house.

Daniel had just opened up his office when a knock at the door alerted him to someone's presence.

"Come in!"

He was mildly surprised when Kazuma was the one to walk inside. From what he had heard from people, Kazuma was the type to sleep in on most mornings if he could. Nonetheless, he was happy to see the boy.

"Uh, hi, sorry to come here so early." Kazuma stood awkwardly to the side of the couch, eyeing it curiously. "I didn't want the girls see me coming here."

That's odd, two of his friends had already come to his office, so why would he be self-conscious of coming?

"No problem at all, please, take a seat." Daniel waved to the seat, and the boy took it. "Now, from what I understand, you are the leader of your party, correct?"

Of course, Daniel was well aware of who Kazuma was. However, while he did not base his interactions on hearsay, he still had to account for them. Darkness and Aqua, if he took into account what they said of Kazuma, was that while he was mature and was willing to speak his mind, did have his own issues, as did everyone else ever. Based on Aqua's admissions, Kazuma was formerly someone who did not go out often, and mostly spent his time indoors, away from others. Kazuma was not nobility, so it must have been a personal decision. He was inclined to believe it to a degree, due to the fact that she knew him the longest and they were still on good terms. Moreover, Aqua was certainly the type of woman to speak her mind no matter the circumstance, so Kazuma had to be aware of what she thought of him. But assuming never did anyone any favors. Plus, he had no idea why that changed. Clearly, he was not that much of a shut-in nowadays, or at the very least, no longer to such an extreme degree. Perhaps it was just a phase in childhood.

Kazuma gained a bit of a smug look on his face. "That's right, you're looking at the guy who has defeated multiple Demon King generals!"

Daniel noted the abrupt change in attitude. Kazuma came in unsure of himself, unlike Aqua who made herself at home as soon as she stepped inside, nor Darkness who sat down of her own accord. Of course, Kazuma's behavior wasn't anything special, but it did open him up a bit. When meeting with someone in a new place, much less a stranger, it takes some semblance of confidence to do things without someone else telling you to. Some of this could just be attributed to his age, he was a young man after all who lacked some life experiences, but not all of it could be explained away so easily.

There is a lot that someone can gleam from minute details in how a person moves. Naturally, you can't make anything of it besides surface level details, but it still helped. Aqua laying down on the couch without any prompting spoke volumes about her haughty attitude, and it coincided with her belief in people worshiping her. For someone who receives so much attention, it would be odd if she was still shy after it all. Never mind the fact that she was probably used to being the center of attention. Darkness was a nice middle road. She wasn't disrespectful, but she knew what she was allowed to get away with in the presence of others, depending on their status and her relation to them. On the end of the spectrum, you had those like Kazuma. Unsure of themselves at times and needed small pushes to move before taking decisive actions, or until circumstances forced them to act.

"Indeed, I have heard of your party's accomplishments. All of you have done a splendid job so far." The compliment was genuine. To accomplish such feats at the age he was, was nothing short of extraordinary.

"So, have Darkness and Aqua caused you any trouble?"

A laugh escaped Daniel. "No, I would not say so."

Kazuma gave out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, I don't know what I'd do if they gave yet another person trouble. Well, maybe not so much Darkness, but Aqua..." He shuddered in his seat at Aqua's lack of intelligence.

"Anyway, how have your adventuring days been? With all those accomplishments of yours, you must have some stories to tell! And please, be completely honest here. Any negative or positive thoughts are perfectly fine." Daniel had an inkling that Kazuma would do so. While he may not see himself as so, others do view him as a sort of authority figure, and usually people listen on that basis alone. Although, Kazuma would probably be willing to share the good and the bad so long as he wasn't judged about it.

Kazuma rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you, Daniel. Those girls may seem all nice and pretty, but they are hell to deal with on a daily basis." The boy took a deep breath before continuing. "If I had to pick a certain quest, it would have to be this one we had to do in Winter time. It was common seasonal quest to kill some snow sprites. At least, I thought they were common." Kazuma rubbed his neck unconsciously. "Long story short, as we're destroying them, this big winter shogun beast comes out of the winter fog and makes way to attack us."

"I see, were you not aware of that monster? It's a common tall tale these days."

Kazuma cringed. "Definitely not, Aqua was the one who neglected to tell me about that thing! But when he, or it, showed up, we had to bow down it in order to get some sort of forgiveness to let us go because the shogun was like... their dad or guardian. Darkness wouldn't do it, something about 'being knightly', and I had to force her down onto the ground. But I hadn't dropped my weapon yet, so the shogun attacked me!"

Daniel leaned in a bit. "And then?"

The adventurer made a slicing motion across his neck with his thumb. "He decapitated me so fast that I didn't even realize I was dead."

"And yet here you are before us?"

"Well, thankfully, Aqua is useful for one thing, and that's because she has the resurrection ability. I'd be long dead by now without it, as much as it pains me to admit that."

"Yes, I did see that on Aqua's adventurer's card. It is quite a rare and frankly, nearly legendary ability to have. Only the highest leveled and most experienced healers are even capable of trying it, let alone succeeding."

Kazuma scoffed. "Yeah, I just wish she was as effective with her other abilities as she is with that one. On the few occasions she has used it, it's saved us quite a few times from certain defeat."

This peaked Daniel's interest. "You've died more than once?"

"Hm, yeah, I guess I have." Kazuma stated nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders.

"And does that not bother you? Surely dying so many times in, what I could only imagine brutal ways, must do something to you emotionally, at least."

"I mean, it sucks, but it doesn't do me any favors to care too much."

"When you died the first time, did you know Aqua could bring you back to life?"

"Uh, no, I didn't."

"And what did you feel when you thought that it was the end for you?" This was a test of sorts. How would Kazuma react to death? Relief? Depression? Anger? A mix of them all? Each emotion would speak volumes.

The light behind Kazuma's eyes dimmed a bit as he thought back to the moment that he died that first time, that idea that he would never see Aqua, Megumin, or Darkness ever again. His adventuring days would be over and he would be buried in some random, shallow grave who only a select few would remember, and even then they too would forget him. He would lose all of his memories, both from Japan and this new world, before being sent back to Japan for another shot at life. At that moment, he was grateful. He would have done anything to escape the unfairness of the world he was thrust into.

But... the thought of losing his companions, his friends, hurt his heart in a way he could not piece together at that time. The tears had fell down his face unconsciously. But he understood what that was about now.

"I was... glad. For a good second, I thought about how great it was that I would be done with my life in this world and move on to something else, something... better." Kazuma balled his hands into fists on his lap. "But then... the idea that I would lose everyone I knew and never get to talk to them again was a lot to handle. I never wanted to feel that way again. Once was already enough."

Daniel caught that ending portion quickly. "Once was already enough? What do you mean by that?" A previous experience with loss?

Kazuma thought over if he should bother explaining to Daniel that he was reincarnated into this world from another one. It would sound absolutely outrageous, but he already opened up to the guy, and Aqua and Darkness seemed to trust him enough to tell him about their problems.

"You may not believe this, but I was living in another world prior to this one, where I died and was sent over here to be some sort of hero and defeat the Devil King." Kazuma leaned back into the couch with his arms crossed. "I don't blame you if you think I'm on something."

To his surprise, Daniel merely shook his head. "Frankly, after confirming Aqua's divinity, I'm inclined to believe anything."

Kazuma's eyes nearly jumped out his skull as he abruptly sat up. "You believe that Aqua actually is a goddess? Are you an Axis cultist?! Is this a set-up to get my signature?!" He looked around searching for something akin to a camera or a hole in the wall.

"Heaven's no, I just checked her adventurer's card."

"... what?"

"As you heard it."

"Wow."

"That was what I thought when I first realized it as well."

Kazuma shook his head at the scene he imagined in his head. "Well, whatever. So, you believe me then?"

Daniel nodded. "Very much so. Although, if I may be so bold, this first death you had in this other world of yours, what happened?"

At this, Kazuma's mood dwindled even further, "Do we really have to focus on that? I'd rather not get into it, I get enough laughs from Aqua about it."

"No, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't pry any further."

"Thanks. Just know that it wasn't exactly something... dignified. So, Aqua always makes jokes about it. I don't think it's funny at all." Kazuma scowled at the thought of her. "She's a total bitch."

Daniel could see it. Like children who were endearing and adorable at times, they were also little monsters who would make you want to punt them across a room at times in annoyance. Indeed, Daniel understood the sentiment.

"What about your loved ones? Do you miss them at all?"

"Tch, what's to miss? When people you loved and cared about laugh at you on your deathbed, there isn't much to miss. My mom and dad laughed at me, my little brother did the same, and all the doctors around me even did it." Kazuma shook his head as he leaned his head back against the top of the couch in what could not have been comfortable. "I'm not too surprised though, I was a failure in their eyes for a while before that. I dropped out of school and didn't do anything but stay in my room all day and night and rarely came out for anything else." He closed his eyes. "If anything, my death was a boon to them. I was a leech, a parasite that just sucked away at their finances." The young boy's voice stuttered. "I-I wouldn't even be surprised if they threw a party when I died. Now, they can focus on the son that actually means something to them." Tears leaked from his eyes and he put his face in his hands. "Damn it, this is so unfair." He wiped at his eyes with his sleeves.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you, Kazuma?"

"Yeah, I have! And for some reason, no one understands that!" Kazuma got angry. "Is it really so wrong for me to want to enjoy an easier life with more hardship!? Isn't that what anyone would want?"

"No, there is nothing wrong with that. We all walk different paths."

"Exactly. I don't need anyone breathing down my neck about my choices. I can do whatever I want with my life!" He huffed before breathing in deeply and calming himself down. "Whatever."

"I see, but let's switch gears for a moment. You seem to be in a relationship with Megumin, I believe."

Kazuma's face colored in embarrassment before he nodded with a thick swallow. "It's not exactly something I go announcing to the world... how do you know about that?"

"Sorry, but that is confidential information. I can't just give out information like that on a whim unless you are the legal guardian of whoever told me, in which you are not as far as I'm aware."

That made Kazuma a bit frustrated, but Daniel had been serious with him, so he let it go.

"Regardless of that, how do you feel about Megumin?"

Kazuma blinked at him. "You mean as a person? Or as a-uh, lover?"

"As a person."

"If I can be honest, at first, I found her to be an idiot. I mean, seriously, who the heck calls themselves a mage when they only use one kind of magic spell?! And even then, it may be super strong, but she can't even use it inside any area we might be in or she'll collapse the building and kill us all. Worse off, she doesn't even think about that because she'll try doing it before we stop her. I figured she would be another Aqua, a problem child I would have to keep around and make things worse for myself." He huffed in anger before his face softened. Daniel took note of the change. Kazuma wasn't really speaking to him, more like speaking out loud and Daniel was just around to listen.

"But... despite it all, I really like how she is so dedicated to her dumb explosion magic. No matter what, she always tries to improve with it, and maybe she'll get to a point where she can use it without falling over one day. I like how she's probably the smartest of the girls, even if she can be a bit crazy at times. It also helps that she's a Crimson Demon beauty. Plus-" Kazuma sighed, "-she's the only one that has ever truly cared enough to defend me from people who hate me. Don't pretend, you've heard of the names that are thrown out at me. 'Scumzuma' or 'pedoneet'. That last one isn't even fair, Megumin and I are only two years apart!" Kazuma took a deep breath to steady himself. "But sometimes, I feel like most of them are right. I mean, I'm just an adventurer, Daniel. What the hell is a guy like me supposed to do against the Demon King, huh?"

Daniel remained silent.

Kazuma laughed to himself. "As a kid, I used to be in love with this girl at an old school of mine. We would walk to school and home together every day, until one day, she left with some other kid and left me in the dust. We promised that we would marry each other one day, and she just threw that away on a whim. A whim! And now, when I see what Megumin and I are becoming, it makes me nervous. I think back to what happened all those years ago and think, 'is that going to happen again?', and frankly, I think it may. Look at me, I'm nothing special."

Daniel decided to speak up. "I don't think that's true at all."

"Really? Look at me, I'm as basic as it comes. I've got boring brown hair. I'm not very muscular, I'm not strong at all in anything besides my luck and intelligence, and I probably would have been better off being some lame merchant at a vending stall."

"For all that talk of intelligence, you really seem to have missed the ball, Kazuma." Daniel sat up straighter.

"How?"

"Do you really believe that Megumin, or your party for that matter, care about your appearance more than who you are?"

Kazuma looked sheepish. "Well, no. But I'm not exactly leader-material here." He pointed a finger at himself. "Most party leaders are the strongest or toughest in the party! I'm probably the weakest one of them all!"

"Even if that were the case, since when has your party ever catered to the status-quo?"

The boy laughed at that. "Pretty much never. In fact, I would say that we are probably the biggest gang of weirdos there is in Axel."

"Given that, I think it's fair to say that you are probably the best to lead your friends. Can you think of anyone else who would put with all their eccentric personalities?"

"No, I really can't." Kazuma pondered the idea. "Well, I could think of one guy who would put up with Aqua, but not so much the other two."

"Seems like you are the right man for the job, then."

"Fine, I guess I am."

"And you all will go on to defeat the Demon King, no?"

Kazuma gained a confident look on his face. "Yeah, we will, one way or another, even if Megumin has to blast him with one hundred explosion spells."

Daniel stood up and walked up to Kazuma and held out his hand. "Then I look forward to hearing about it, Kazuma."

The adventurer stared at the hand before getting up and grinning. "That's right." He gripped Daniel's hand firmly. "We'll get it done."

Daniel gave him a smile in return. "Go on, then." Kazuma took the hint and walked out while giving Daniel a thumbs up.

When Kazuma had made it back, and saw that only Megumin was up, he realized that his time with Daniel really hadn't been that long at all. However, he was pretty exhausted from it, so he made his way for the stairs.

"Kazuma, where were you?" Megumin questioned with her eyes narrowed. She'd never suspect him of doing something really wrong, but it was still Kazuma, at the end of the day.

Kazuma cringed inwardly as he tried to think of a way out of this one. "Uh, I was just visiting a friend I know." He turned to her with as natural a face he could muster, as if he didn't care about it all. That proved to be a mistake.

Megumin gasped when he looked at her. Quickly, the jumped out of her seat and ran up to him. "Kazuma, who made you cry?" She asked angrily.

'Damn it, I forgot I cried over there!' Kazuma thought to himself. "Uhhh-"

"It was that therapist guy, wasn't it?! Aqua came home with those same red eyes." Megumin fumed angrily. "I'll have to have a talk with that guy. To think I actually thought good of him when he came over here." She made for the door.

"Megumin, wait!" But she ignored him entirely. A few moments passed by before Megumin came back with an embarrassed red face.

"Um, can I have his address?" She pleaded with her hand out awkwardly.

Kazuma, dumbfounded at this, merely reached into his pocket and gave her the slip of the paper with Daniel's address. Before he could get a word out, she left once again.

Daniel had been organizing some papers on his desk when there was a knock at this door. Curious, he opened the door to see a small girl angrily looking up at him.

"Ah, hello Megumin. Would you like to come in?"

She scowled at him. "Move over then." As Daniel closed the door behind her, she spoke again. "Now tell me," she said with her eyes glowing ominously, "why did you make Kazuma cry?"

Sorry that this chapter was later than the rest, December got a bit ridiculous with finals and the holidays. Also, Kazuma actually gave me some trouble while writing him, as I was trying to keep him in character throughout, but then I realized something. Kazuma, for all his flaws, is a kid, a teen. Many times where he can't express himself, it's because he's with a girl and is nervous to say his thoughts or feeling out loud and it comes out as word vomit. I can't recall a time where he was such a way around a male character, so I figured that so long as someone just sat and listened to him, he would open up. Someone that he doesn't think is weird or crazy, a sense of normalcy, and he would likely open up much easier. Sometimes, that really is all it takes. You'd be surprised how many people in real life would open up to even a stranger if it was the only choice they had. And really, I don't know who else he would be able to tell all this stuff to in the canon universe. If at any point anyone feels like Kazuma acted out of character, please let me know. I always am aiming to improve, and I'm not entirely satisfied with this one. So, if any issues come up I'll go back and correct the chapter.