Darkness shivered when she went into the lingerie shop, 'Everyone knows, everyone knows I've got no panties on, everybody can see me squirm… the humiliation…' She shivered and shuddered as she followed Kazuma's instructions. 'So lewd… How dare he command me so brazenly to buy these dirty… filthy things. Why else would he do this but to defile me… shame me… oh Kazuma!' She squirmed at the counter as she slapped them down, her mouth opened wide as she breathed hard, hot, and heavy and shouted, "I w-wish to buy these panties!"
The shop was an expensive one, meant for courtesans, mistresses of the rich, and it was thus only lightly patronized by women, but those who did go in, spent enough money to enrich a dozen common shops in the first hour of every day's business.
From various racks hung lacy, expensive items in mostly solid colors, but then there were the costumes that let normal humans pretend to be demihumans. The most common patrons were the succubi of the city who dressed in as little as they could get away with in public, 'How I envy them, to so wildly live to experience bliss…'
Her outburst however, drew every eye, human and nonhuman alike, toward Darkness herself, turning her face red with shame. The woman behind the counter, a young woman who appeared only a little older than Darkness herself, was nonplussed. "That will be a gold coin each."
Darkness didn't blink at the price, but she saw she was still drawing stares, and to get away from them, she looked around the shop again, "A-A-And that!" She said and pointed to something hanging from the rack."
She rushed over and snatched the outfit from where it hung and rushed back to the counter, slapping it down so hard that the counter cracked, split, and collapsed to the floor. "I shall p-pay for that as well!" Darkness squeaked out, and dropped a small sack of coins.
"Just go… just… just go." The merchant woman said with a groan. "I think you've bought enough." Darkness nodded her head up and down as stiff as if her neck and head were made of stone. Her blush deepening when she heard the woman mutter, "Even the succubi won't buy that outfit."
Darkness snatched up her purchases and rushed from the shop as fast as her legs could carry her, the shame exciting her body and because she wore nothing beneath her outer garment, fear of being exposed only made it all worse.
Being surrounded by the morning crowds of people she was sure they all knew. Darkness' bright eyes darted around, 'Can they smell my lewdity, my shame, can they tell, do they know?! What would they do if they could… to I… a female crusader… a knight sworn to protect…'
Her imagination spiraled out of control, made worse when she realized she'd rushed out with the panties and that shameful… shameful costume openly in her hand. 'They think me a whore! A loose woman! A wanton with no shame… their eyes, hungry, wanting on me, seeing me holding these things, these lewd, dirty things and imagining me in them, or taking me out of them! They only pretend to go about their business, but I feel their eyes! I must flee! But if they pursue… What will I do?!'
Darkness asked herself that as she rushed down the cobblestone street and wove in and out of the crowd until she finally made it back to the manor of Kazuma Satou.
She flung open the door and slammed it behind her, the noise let the whole residence know she'd returned, she found Aqua and Kazuma sitting in the library waiting expectantly for her.
With neither Megumin nor Komekko present, Darkness rushed over to them with items in hand. "Here they are! I bought what you told me to! I was sooo humiliated… Oh, it was bliss! I mean ah, it was unacceptable to make me do such things, even if it were to solve a mystery!"
Darkness shoved the panties into Kazuma's hands, "I didn't tell you to go to a lingerie store! Just any would do! And what is with that!" He pointed to the erotic costume in her other hand, "I didn't tell you to buy that either!"
"Pervert." Aqua said, staring at him with her lip curled in disgust.
"I didn't! You were there you idiot!" Kazuma shouted, waving his hands around in frustration.
"Then why are you waving her panties around like a trophy?" Aqua asked, raising a hand up to chest height and then angling one finger up to point out what he was doing.
"You're so sadistic…" Darkness said and clung to the costume she purchased, looking down at it with longing.
"I am not and I am not and…!' Kazuma exclaimed, then stopped and set the black and red pair down on the table. "Look," he said and began to rub his forehead, "we're going to lay a trap. Darkness, I want you to invite Megumin into your room for something, it doesn't matter what, just make something up, let her see you put one pair away. Don't let her see the other at all. Then after she's gone, invite Komekko in, let her see you put away the other pair. The pair that goes missing will tell us who the thief is."
"Oh hey, that's smart!" Aqua said, duly impressed.
"Very." Darkness agreed.
Kazuma struck a pose with his fingers spread out over his forehead and one arm resting on the other when it folded over against his body. "Well yeah, I've got the highest intelligence stats on the team."
"But then what?" Aqua asked, "Even if we know, what do we do?"
"We…" Kazuma stopped, 'Wait, what 'do' we do?'
He dropped his arrogant pose and said finally, "We ask why. Then we work it out from there."
"Alright." Aqua and Darkness said in unison.
"Aqua, you stay with me, Darkness… put that thing away immediately. If I see one of them first, I'll send them to you. Don't let them see it, Komekko and Megumin are still children, we don't want you ruining their innocence."
"I-I would never!" Darkness stammered while Aqua and Kazuma for once nodded in uniform agreement, stared at her and hummed until the crusader spun around and left in a huff.
"I didn't even know that kind of kink existed in this world." Kazuma muttered when Darkness was gone.
"She might be a bigger perv than you." Aqua said, still looking in the direction that Darkness had gone in.
"I know, right…?" Kazuma replied, then stopped, "Hey! I am not a pervert!" He shouted, and they were still arguing when Megumin came through the door.
"What are you two arguing about this time?" Megumin asked as she entered the library holding Komekko on her hip.
"Nothing!" The two said with exasperation.
"Ohhhhkay. If you say so." Megumin said and entered the library. The two began to browse through various books looking for something to read.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kazuma said offhandedly, "Megumin, Darkness wanted to talk to you privately."
Megumin stiffened, "Oh… okay then. Komekko, why don't you stay here and read, I'll… go see what Darkness needs."
"You wanted to see me?" Megumin asked when she entered Darkness's room. The crusader was just putting away a dark pair of panties she had in her hand, and closed the drawer.
"Yes, it's about Komekko, I heard back from my family, they're willing to take her-" Darkness said, only for Megumin to stamp her foot and hold her fists at her sides.
"I'm not willing to send her!" Megumin exclaimed, "She's my sister, and after all that, I don't want to be away from her!"
"But you will be away from her. Or do you plan on giving up adventuring?" Darkness asked the question, and Megumin bowed her head.
"No… but I can hire someone to watch her!" Megumin pointed out.
Darkness looked toward the door as if to be sure it was shut. "Kazuma fully intends to take on the devil king. What happens if we lose?" 'Oh, to be his plaything!' The thought rose to Darkness' mind unbidden, but she forced it down to focus on the matter at hand.
"We won't! We've beaten everything he's sent and then some! Kazuma always finds a way!" Megumin insisted.
"And if he doesn't? This is the devil king, he has been around for centuries and nobody has ever beaten him. So many heroes have come and gone, and none have even entered his castle except in chains!" Darkness felt a shiver of excitement runt through her body at the thought of chains.
"But..." Megumin started to say.
"Nothing. Please, if you truly want Komekko's best interests to be looked after, at least consider my family estate." Darkness asked, "I'm not doing this to be cruel. I enjoy being hit, more than attacking, but she is just a child and so are you. What you're willing to do is admirable, but 'admirable' does not equal success. As someone who has an aim as bad as my courage is true, I can tell you this is the case. Please… think about it." Darkness implored.
"Alright." Megumin said without commitment, and backing away, she quietly left the room.
Darkness waited patiently, and sure enough, Komekko made her way to Darkness' room, she poked her head in through the door and said, "Y-Yes, everything okie?"
"Oh, yes, Komekko, everything is fine." Darkness said with a sweet smile on her face and picking up the red pair of panties from the bed, she put them into another drawer, ensuring Komekko saw her do it.
"I just wanted to ask how you liked it here, are you okay?" Darkness said and crouched down so she was on eye level.
Komekko felt her heart start to race, fear started to rise, "Wh-Why?"
"Because… I am worried about you, I just want you to be alright. I know you didn't have things easy and I was wondering, if you're not comfortable here, I have a wonderful estate full of servants to take care of you. We could give you a good education, good food, and you wouldn't have to worry about anything ever." Darkness said with a little smile.
Komekko's lower lip began to tremble, she spun around, began to bawl, and fled from the room.
"That… could have gone better." Darkness muttered and took a seat, "Maybe I should have just bought her a treat and used that as an excuse."
Night finally fell over the manor and they each in turn retreated to their rooms, but one pair of bright red eyes remained awake. 'Oh no you don't, dirty boob lady!' Komekko thought while she pretended to sleep beside her sister.
Inch by inch, she moved herself out of the bed until her feet hit the floor, then down she went, creeping forward to the door and out of the room.
Her red eyes had little issue in the shadows, they wreathed around her like old friends now, concealing her from her prey, she hummed a little sneaking tune to herself as she went from shadow to shadow, statue to statue, corner to corner. The silence of the estate adding to the thrill, she crept into the evil boob lady's room. The woman slept, tossed and turned, but slept.
Komekko opened the drawer, removed the panties she found there, and rushed from the room as quietly as possible. She breathed very little, sneaking down to Mr. Kazuma's room, 'I'll give him these and he'll be happy.' Komekko told herself and snuck within.
He slept on his side, and just as she'd done before, she dropped the pair into his open hand and departed the way she'd come.
AN: For an advance look at releases for original work, Overlord, Resident Evil, and Konosuba, as well as PDF downloads of completed works provided about once a week join my author discord and on the intro channels section go to 'self-assign roles' and click thumbs up under 'librarian of nazarick'. Discord access is available via: discord dot gg /4YHwsxbqWf