AN: New chapter and I turn up the steaminess a little bit on this one. The rating system on FF confuses me, because I get very different answers to what is allowed to show in a mature rating in terms of violence and sexuality. The general approach seems to be to post and pray to not get deleted. I simultaneously post my work on AO3 under the same story names for safety's sake.


Kazuma was waiting for Aqua in her room, exactly as she instructed before vanishing to take a bath. The goddess opted not to use the large hot spring of the hotel and instead settled for the small tub in her separate bathroom.

Megumin and Yunyun had run off to decide who would be next after Aqua whilst Darkness held Eris captive in her room for precious girl time. None of that mattered now, since he had to concentrate on fulfilling the request of his useless goddess satisfactory to get her off his back. Aqua being grumpy was a nuisance. Aqua being grumpy with sudden superpowers painted a much more grim picture.

Naturally, he sat a bit straighter when the door to the bathroom opened. The goddess came towards him in a confident stride, steam still coming from her skin and only a towel wrapped around her body. She unhooked the knot on the thin piece of fabric and unraveled from the towel, holding it behind herself to block his view. Kazuma's sight on her naked body remained blocked until she had laid down on her stomach and repurposed the towel as a skirt.

"Stop gawking and start rubbing." Aqua opened a small drawer on her nightstand and tossed him a bottle. "Use the oil."

Kazuma did just that by applying a healthy amount of the slippery fluid on his hands and starting with her exposed upper back. After a few minutes he went down to her hourglass waist, circling back up and accidentally bumping into the side of her boobs.

"She's so soft..." Kazuma thought with a stuttering breath, quickly changing to massaging her arms.

The thighs and calves didn't contribute to calming his emotions down. At his fingertips was a goddess, in the literal and figurative sense, with her perfect silky smooth skin glistening in the dim light of their room. Every satisfied moan of hers strained his nerves to the breaking point and one glance back would reveal how much she affected him.

Especially in his lower area.

Lying prone she bent her knees on both legs, lifting her feet and pressing their soles in his face. "They hurt from walking," her great toes poked him in both cheeks. "kiss and pamper them to make it all better."

Despite the bratty demand rubbing him the wrong way, he gently began kneading her soles and working the toes. "You always push it beyond the reasonable, useless goddess."

"Do you like them?"

He put his lips on every single toe in order. "You have very cute feet."

Several seconds of silence followed and Kazum had the nagging feeling she thought hard about something. His feelings were verified by the way she couldn't look him in the eye during her next question. "What about the rest of me?"

"You are gifted with an incredibly hot body. I would say nobody in my old world came close to being the full package. Maybe some models had better parts, but they would severely lose in almost every other category against you."

She still wouldn't look at him, mumbling into her pillow with bright red cheeks and ears. "Name them all. Praise me, HikiNEET."

Kazuma wondered if all deities had the innate desire to be worshipped or whether it had been his dumb luck to stumble over the most vain from the bunch. He decided to indulge her wish and simultaneously profit from it as well.

What better way to showcase what he meant than to adopt a hands-on approach?

His left hand touched Aqua's back to slowly slide under her armpit towards the front, squeezing gently as soon as he touched the soft tissue of her boob. "Your breasts are perfectly shaped with adorable pinkish areolas and perky nipples. Don't question how I know this. You have a very loose dress code when drunk."

The goddess shuddered as his fingers started playing with the sensitive nub and her breath hitched as the other hand grabbed her butt. "Your ass is firm and has the right amount of jiggle, which in part is only possible because of your silky smooth skin. In fact, I would say your skin is near flawless with no visible blemishes and impurities."

The hands kept rubbing and squeezing while his nose buried in her neck to take a deep breath. "Luscious, fragrant hair in a vibrant blue color, framing an aesthetically pleasing face capable of a drop dead gorgeous smile."

His lustful administrations stopped as quickly as they had started. "Aqua, you have your deficits, but your looks were never one of them. You are a beautiful woman."

A swift kick to the chest toppled him over on his back.

When he tried to get up angrily she already sat on his lap facing him, the towel around her body gone and discarded on the hotel floor. Warm wetness dampened his shirt where her crotch connected with Kazuma's abdomen and he doubted massage oil had found its way all the way down there.

"If you feel like this, why are you holding back? Why did you never do anything?" Aqua asked visibly upset and sealed his lips with a kiss before he could answer.

Her fingers curled in his hair as their tongues tussled, Kazuma's mind getting muddled from having a naked girl writhing against him. His fingers found back to her behind, grabbing on for dear life to control her gyrating hips. Loss of balance forced them to change position and Aqua ending up lying beneath him with a flushed face, panting heavily which emphasized the erect nipples on her heaving chest.

This was it.

The time had finally come to cash in his V-card.

"Great isn't it? I can't wait to see how you fuck this up, idiot."

Cold dread filled Kazuma from this thing speaking from inside his head.

"You always fuck up, dummy. Back then with the succubus you got cold feet too."

A familiar inner voice. Something he hadn't heard since coming to this world.

"Is all your blustering and confidence only skin deep? Stop wasting time and get on with it, you indecisive asshole!"

Unmeasurable anger at himself welled inside the young man. Stupid mind goblins wouldn't determine his life and actions like they've done back on earth. Those doubts and insecurities died with the old Kazuma twice already!

"A paper-thin facade of bravado…"

Now he was powerful! Now he was rich! Now he could have everything!

"...ripped and wrinkled by the slightest disturbance..."

Nobody could take that away from him.

"...so fleeting and fragile."

"Kazuma…" Aqua shuddered under his intense gaze, spreading herself open and showing him all of her.

"That's a pretty pink…"

Aqua giggled, visibly amused by his frazzled behavior. The sound helped the young man to power through his hesitation and continue his massage at her front. Hands on her breast and mouth on her lips, Kazuma reveled in kissing and fondling the quivering goddess beneath him.

Her knees squeezed under him to push him away once again, only this time one of her legs instantly followed up to rub against the bulge in his pants. Skillfully, her toes hooked in at the waistband and pulled his pants down along with his underwear, revealing the raging erection beneath standing attention.

Aqua stared silently at his engorged and most private part. Under this much scrutiny, Kazuma couldn't help but feel self-conscious about how he compared to other guys. A laugh at this point would shatter his male pride to pieces and Aqua wasn't known for holding back.

Then, as if Aqua had felt his insecurity, she licked her lips. "Little Kazuma passes the test of his goddess. Don't you feel honoured to be deemed worthy?"

Her comment was playful without malice, the usual banter between them he answered with his own blend of cynicism and rudeness. Unfortunately, she had chosen to challenge him in the form of a question and any answer had to be truthful.

"I am. I'm not good enough for anybody."

The big, catlike grin dropped from her face and the smoldering hot atmosphere turned cold like a dead fish. It didn't help that both parties involved were surprised by the answer. On the contrary, the gobsmacked expression on his face added its own layer of frustration.

"Why would you think you're not good enough?" Aqua asked, momentarily forgetting to be smug.

Kazuma just knelt there on her mattress, staring into space and scaring the piss out of the goddess. Answers forced by the truth enchantment were usually immediate, but this time the powers at work took their time.

The eventual reply came in a hoarse voice and dry tone. "Because I hate myself."

Sometimes, your feelings kept hidden deep enough to fool even yourself, which made their discovery a truly raw experience. And once out in the open, they would haunt him until he found a way to confront them. Which wasn't tonight, evident by him putting back his pants and turning to leave.

Aqua had managed to achieve her deepest wish by pure accident. After hundreds of lost arguments against the infuriating shut-in, the goddess finally had come out on top and the sweet victory tasted like ash in her mouth. None of her words seemed to ever have any lasting effect on him. Even the worst she'd ever been to Kazuma, their introduction after his death and a level she never again dared to approach, he took in stride and retaliated instantly. The Kazuma Satou she got to know was a petty, vengeful and vindictive man, never letting any slight against him lying down.

She hated this feeling of being witness to an unmovable rock suddenly crumble away under her influence, the HikiNEET she knew becoming undone at the seams.

The urge to stop him forced her hand around his wrist. "You're not going anywhere until I say so."

"Just give me a break for once. I know you enjoy my misery but…"

The goddess draped herself over him from behind, pressing her naked body against his back. It was the duty of a shepherd to look after her flock, especially lost lambs like Kazuma who needed her divine guidance. That's the story she would use if somebody asked what was wrong with her head for choosing him.

The truth was much simpler.

"Hey Kazuma, do you love me?"

"Yes."

"More than the others?"

"I don't know."

Aqua hid her frown by burying her face in his back. "Stay tonight and keep me warm."

They wordlessly laid down in her bed, she spooning him from behind and softly peppering his neck with kisses until he had fallen asleep. He didn't question her actions, because the half-devil was simply too tired and drained.

Aqua's mind wouldn't even let her think about sleep. It was too occupied with processing everything that happened tonight to form a new battle plan. She would tolerate sharing a space in his heart with the other girls, but this didn't mean she would accept anything less than the largest part, fitting for a goddess of her stature.

With that thought deeply ingrained in her mind, Aqua's arms slid around her sleeping champion and down in his pants to take care of a very stiff problem.

"Sweet dreams HikiNEET…"


KONOSUBA!


The following morning was much less awkward than expected, despite him waking up with Aqua's hands around his dick and she drooling on his shoulder. His goddess was a notorious heavy sleeper and wouldn't wake up until late afternoon at the earliest.

This suited Kazuma just fine.

After a hearty breakfast and some almost breaking of each other's bones, the three remaining girls of his party finally could settle for the order of their favors. It was mostly the two crimson demons fighting for first dibs. Yunyun would get her shopping trip with him through Arcanretia from morning till afternoon and Megumin the rest of the day for her explosion walk.

The nature of Darkness's request put her at last for the next day, since visiting her father would be more involved and time consuming. The tall blonde didn't mind much, because her attention was currently focused on the thief locked up in her room.

She had a lot to talk about with her first friend, so Kazuma wouldn't get an opportunity to clear things up with the undercover goddess until later anyway. He was dying to finally settle this matter with Eris, but mending bridges between the two girls took precedence.

He was looking forward to a nice and relaxing trip through the city with Yunyun. From all of his female companions, the shy crimson demon with the big heart and even bigger boobs was always like a calming balm for his nerves.

And she was already waiting outside, still wearing his green tracksuit. Clothes shopping for her would have been on the list regardless of her demand. Yunyun wore this tracksuit since he gifted it to her, only taking it off to bathe and wash the clothes. It suited her though, although the upper part hadn't been made to cover a chest as big as hers.

Various shops and stores later, the cute duckling had transformed into a gorgeous swan. After the multitude of reference material they've been through with the crystal ball, countless hours of anime, cartoons, TV-shows and even video games, Yunyun had chosen a deceptively plain outfit. An ensemble consisting of a white crop top, a black leather skirt and brown boots. A practical choice for an adventurer, but also insanely hot once you got down to the details.

The top showed a lot of midriff and clung to Yunyun like a second skin. The skirt was insanely short and incorporated suspenders to keep it from slipping, building another device to emphasize her breast as the straps slightly dug in their sides and pushed the bountiful pair together.

Only the bare legs and normal boots confused him.

"There's one shop left I want to visit, but men aren't allowed in there. Would you wait for me?"

Kazuma nodded and thought the whole way about what kind of store wouldn't allow access to men. His question was answered by the items displayed in the window. Yunyun blushed under the scrutinizing gaze of her companion towards the assortment of high-class dessous.

And suddenly he knew what her outfit was missing and why they were here. The clever girl knew what parts of her garnered the most attention and decided to capitalize on it.

"Black is your best color, in case you were wondering. God, those silk stockings to the left would make any guy swoon over your legs."

Another massive blush showed that the cute girl was still there beneath the mask. "Just… wait at the cafe over there and order something!"

As he had hoped, Yunyun was the perfect person to distract him from his worries. Deep personal discoveries didn't come without pressure and knowing what's the problem was only a small step to solving it. Not liking yourself wasn't a unique problem. Lots of people hated themselves and lived their life, so dealing with this would just be another thing on the pile.

Adapt and move on.

Getting sad doesn't change anything. Feeling sorry for yourself doesn't change anything.

Kazuma spent his waiting time at a nearby cafe as ordered by his lovely date. The weather was nice and the tables outside naturally occupied, until some patrons recognized him and offered their seats. The blue Vergil outfit stood out among the crowd and every axis follower worth their salt had an interest in getting in the good graces of their pope.

"Your eminence!"

A group of six orcs called out for the attention of the half-devil. The six feet tall green brutes did a formal bow as a show of respect and the one in the most armor stepped forward. "Our freshly formed adventuring group would be honored to receive our first quest from the saint of monsters."

"Another title for the list…" Kazuma thought with an eye roll and inspected the group. These monsters were wearing gear from pretty high level classes and Kazuma recognized the leader as a crusader. Two were in identical rogue leather armor and the remaining three wore robes for either mage classes or priests.

Asking him for work had become like a rite of passage among the monstrous adventuring folk and he indulged the bunch to keep them happy. He looked through his inventory for a certain scroll. The half-devil was a busy man nowadays and started to keep a todo list for keeping track of his tasks. A quick scan showed him the perfect chore he could pass on to those eager greenskins.

"A group of dryads has an interest in joining our city, but they don't trust any teleportation magic and their kind are very sought after as material for magic bows. Alone, they would get attacked along the way by human adventurers and carved out for loot. Somebody would have to escort them through the marches and ensure their safe arrival."

Long, tedious and not too hard. The right amount of challenge to test their mettle. The orcs seemed motivated as well, seeing it as something really important since it came from his personal scroll.

"How would they recognize us as your followers?"

"Asking the right questions, very good." Kazuma praised the leader and felt instantly very uncomfortable when the giant orc blushed like a schoolgirl. "Show them your adventurer cards as proof. Who else but us would grant non-humans job classes?"

They thanked him for the opportunity and ran with top speed towards the city exit, leaving Kazuma to ponder in what strange times they were living now.

Adventuring monsters was a bizarre concept but necessary. How else would it be possible to gather this many followers in such a short time? Many arrivals used the chance to become adventurers and escort missions were a natural byproduct of so many wanting to come here.

Most of Sylvia's forces worked now day and night to gather the scattered remains of the devil king army and other creatures willing to join. Convincing the local guild had been easy enough due to being run by mostly axis cult members. Casualties were minimal since no human party going after low level mobs expected to suddenly fight goblin clerics, troll druids and imp warlocks.

It's only logical when you think about examples from his environment. Wiz was a mage and became a lich. He was a lowly adventurer and became a devil. Why shouldn't a monster be able to become an adventurer?

He saw Yunyun approach his table with a large bag under her arm. Even from far away, Kazuma recognized the black stockings on her legs and smiled before frowning at a stray thought entering his mind. The thought had not much opportunity to fester before three figures blocked his sight from the young girl. These gentlemen seemed to have noticed her new outfit as well and tried their luck.

Curiosity about her reaction and the results of their labour took hold of him. There hadn't been any field test so far, but he liked what he was seeing from the crimson demon. Yunyun acted confident and level headed to their obvious advances, never allowing herself to get pressured into their rhythm. A dark shadow fell over Kazuma's face though when one of them touched her arm, his urges to kill rising in tandem with the bile in his throat.

Two seconds later they all hit the ground in a smoking heap, the prodigy mage casting a lightning spell quicker than human eyes could see. Pride for her pupil filled Kazuma, which she shared if her slow sauntering with a big smile was any indication.

Instead of using the opposing chair, Yunyun sat down on his lap. "You saw a defenseless little girl get harassed by those perverts and didn't step in?" She lifted her left leg from her sitting position to rub her shin against his neck, letting him feel the silkiness of the stocking. "Don't you care about me, Kazu?"

"Bitch, I've seen your adventurer card. You need nobody to fight for you."

She answered with a sharp knee against the chin. "Fuck you, a girl needs to feel special and appreciated from time to time!"

They stared at each other through a long silence, then started to laugh.

"Yunyun, that mask of yours is scary good! You even got me for a second and I know about it."

"So, how was our little date, sensei?"

The little minx had changed so much in a very short amount of time. All she needed was somebody to help her just a little bit to unlock her potential. Kazuma was grateful to have been that person, although something had to be said to ensure it stayed that way.

"I had fun today, but ultimately I have to deduct some points for your performance."

The mask of confidence slipped from her face and Yunyun became insecure again. "Why?"

He put his hand pointedly on her stocking clad thigh and pointed towards her bag with the other. "Are there any dessous in this bag which aren't exactly like the one you are wearing now?"

Yunyun shook her head.

"You only chose outfits that I would like," Kazuma stated and the girl nodded, earning a deep sigh from her teacher. "Yunyun, I'm flattered you value my opinion so much, but nothing will change if you only try to appease me. When I inevitably turn out to be a disappointment, you will be back to square one all over again."

"You will never let me down. Kazuma Satou isn't that kind of person."

Nobody in this world could convince her otherwise. Sitting here like that, bantering and laughing together with another person, would have been a pipe dream just a few weeks ago. People in her life had always either ignored her or exploited the girl's ignorance. Even her father, who loved her dearly, never had any expectations for his daughter.

Kazuma never doubted she could achieve her goals, but also never sugarcoated what she had to do for it. A single "I believe you can succeed if you really want to" in a sea of voices telling her to accept her place.

"Your faith in me is unwarranted," Kazuma said and took a bite of his dessert, a slice of apple pie with cream on top, only to drop his fork in shock when Yunyun suddenly pressed her lips against his.

She forcefully prodded for entrance and caused a giant mess due to his mouth being full of delicious food. Albeit more aggressive than the goddess, the girl in his lap had much less experience and showed it by the clumsy movement. It didn't lessen the sensual nature as she grabbed him by the hair while they shared the sweet treat between them, cream covered tongues rubbing against each other.

She released him from their kiss, licking off the filling which had spilled out on his chin. Her forehead pressed against his, planting a few more quick kisses on him between panting for air.

"I don't care if you don't share my belief in you. You taught me to be assertive to get what I want." She cupped his face with both hands. "And I want you, got it?"

"Understood..."

In one single swoop Yunyun had assured Kazuma that she would be ok. This was the intensity and confidence he was hoping to awaken in her, although he rather not have it directed at him through anger.

"Great to see we are on the same page, Kazu. Now kiss me again and put some effort into it!"