AN: Before we begin, there are three things I want to say quickly here.

First, due to the length of this chapter, I had to cut a part out; that being Kazuma spending the day with Megumin's parents and doing 'stuff.' This has been moved to the start of the next chapter.

Two, some may feel there's some Megumin bashing going on here in this chapter at a certain point. Please know that wasn't my intention if you feel any bashing is going on. I just felt the response to her revealing how a certain incident played out, concerning herself, Yunyun, and Komekko would get a certain response from some people who would hear it. Hopefully, I wasn't to rough on her.

And third, there is a moment where Kazuma sings, which is sort of cannon as he does sing a little diddy with Megumin in Fantastic Days. The reason why I had Kazuma sing here is to set up ome of the plot elements that will be happening in the next arc, also involving Megumin, them two wicked fruits.

And now, its time to...

Chapter 3: Run For Your Life, Satou Kazuma

============={ Part 1: What Awaits Inside The Shrine To The Patron Deity }=============

"How's your neck feeling, Kazuma? Does it still hurt at all?"

Asked Cielo, making me try turning my head from one side to side.

"I think it's good now. Still, I should take it easy with moving it around at least for the next few days."

"Want to play it safe, huh? Good call as serious neck injury isn't anything to wave off, even with having Healing spells and potions available to counter said injuries."

Said Darkness.

"I still can't believe you forgot that you weren't on ground level, Kazuma? And why the need to make a run for it also? Did you think I was going to be mad at you if you hadn't? You should know me better than that."

Said Megumin, letting out a sigh.

What do I say to them? Should I tell them about my remembering what happened to me after the Orcs kidnapped me; tell them about the vision I had before shit got real?

No... no, I think I'll keep that to myself for now.

I don't want to worry them about this issue right now; at least not until I know how to properly deal with it myself.

"(laughing nervously while scratching the back of my head) I... don't really know myself. I guess I was being effected by the lack of sleep, seeing as I hadn't gotten any proper sleep since before we left Axel."

The three girls look at me; giving me looks that stated that they didn't quite believe me here.

Their doubting gazes only make me continue to laugh nervously as I find myself leaning away from them.

Finally, they sigh as Darkness turns to Megumin and ask-

"Well, putting that aside for now; where do you plan on taking us first, Megumin?"

Megumin thinks about it for a second, then says-

"How about I show you three the village Shrine to our clan's patron deity."

Cielo cocks her head to the side, clearly confused before asking Megumin-

"You Crimson Demons actually have a god or goddess that you all worship?"

Megumin gives us a sheepish look before saying-

"Yes... and no. No one in the clan actually believes that our deity is an actual divine being. It's more for the tourist that come around the village than anything else. Still though, we do hold yearly festivals to honor our deity and whenever members of our clan are leaving the village, for any reason; it's tradition for those leaving the village to stop by the shrine to offer up a prayer for safety and success. Many also go there to say a prayer to have success for any old thing that they can come up with."

"Like when someone is planning on doing a love confession to another in, or outside, the clan?"

Asked Darkness.

Megumin shrugs, then says-

"Yeah, I guess... Anyways, shall we get going then? There's a LOT to see in the village and I want to see just how much we can cover before we need to meet up with Yunyun over at the academy."

It wasn't long after that we found ourselves arriving at the shrine; which looked like your average Shinto shrine you'd see back home.

After a moment in which each of us ring the thick hanging rope that was connected to two large spherical bells-

We stepped inside and, upon seeing the statue of Crimson Demons patron deity, I came to a dead stop; my eyes wide due to both shock and disbelief.

"And here it is; my clan's patron deity in all her glory. So, what do you all think?"

Said a proud Megumin, standing beside the painted marble carving that sat atop a pedestal.

"Wow; she's certainly... an interesting looking deity."

Said a stunned Cielo; her eyes shifting between looking at the statue and at me.

Darkness was also doing the same thing; probably also guessing at my thoughts here.

She then looks at Megumin and ask-

"So... does this... deity have a name?"

Megumin nods as she looks at the statue before looking back at us and saying with all pride-

"Indeed she does; be honored my friends for you stand within the presence of the great and all powerful... Nekopara!"

That was a name I knew very well as I owned the hentai game of the same name back home, made so much sense considering what I was looking at here.

It was a cat girl, wearing a Japanese style schoolgirl swim attire; standing on one leg while making a cutesy cat like pose with crimson sparkling eyes.

Megumin then looks at me and ask-

"So Kazuma, what do you think?"

"I say she looks... good. Her name is familiar to me, but not because of her being any patron deity or anything. Back home, in Japan, we... have a 'clan', if you will, called the Nekopara clan that's made up entirely of cat girls. The nature and purpose of the clan is... something I can't share with you all but I can assure you guys that they have a vital role in Japanese society."

AKA, they make good wanking material for people like me.

Megumin comes in close to me, her eyes wide and filled with amazement.

"Really Kazuma? Nekopara exist, sort of, back in your homeland? That's great; it makes me wonder if there's a connection between my clan and the people of your homeland."

Oh, I'm sure there is though I feel it will be better to NOT tell you, or your clan, the details there.

"Heh; yeah (nervous laugh) I guess so..."

"So, were too next, Megumin?"

Asked Darkness.

"Actually, before we leave; could the three of you step outside for a few minutes? While I'm here, I might as well to the traditional Crimson Demon prayer to Nekopara. I won't be long here."

"Is there something about the prayer that you can't show us, Megumin?"

Asked Cielo.

Darkness smirks as she was quick to add-

"Does it involve you needing to strip down to the nude and do anything indecent here?"

"(embarrassed blushing) NO! It's nothing like that. It's just a rule that we are to keep this little detail a secret from outsiders. The only way an outside can learn of this great secret is if they marry into the clan."

"Then why not let Kazuma stay and watch you, at least? I mean, either you or Yunyun, if not the both of you, are going to become his wife slash wives one day, right?"

Darkness's teasing makes Megumin quickly push us outside before returning inside the shrine, only to return for a second and shouting out at us-

"Don't any of you dare peak inside, got it!"

Once it was just the three of us, Cielo tugs on my sleeve and ask-

"Kazuma, you know something more about this Nekopara that we don't, huh?"

"I'm guessing you know even more than what the Crimson Demons do as well, right?"

Adds Darkness.

I give them a nod then say-

"Yeah, I do. I'll go ahead and tell you two but don't let anyone know about this. We don't want to crush their beliefs and destroy the fantasy now, do we?"

They shake their heads and I go ahead and explain the perverted truth behind cat girls and the name Nekopara.

To say that they found the whole thing hilarious was an understatement.

Once they were done laughing, Cielo surprises us by suggesting-

"Say, why don't we sneak a peek inside. I'm curious about this ritual prayer that Megumin had to do."

"As I'm I."

Adds Darkness, making me nod as well as the three of us carefully, and quietly, sneak our way back over to the shrine.

We then carefully take a peek inside and find ourselves needing to exercise as much self control as we can muster at what we were seeing.

Megumin had put on fake cat ears and a tail and was now moving around the statue in a cat like way; occasionally making cleaning motions with on of her hands, all while saying "Meow, meow, meow" in a sings-song kind of way.

And every couple of moments, she would stop to stand on one leg while making a cutsey cat like pose while proclaiming out loudly "Mew-Mew-Purr!"

Unable to bare it, the three of us make a break for it; running a good deal away from the shrine till we were confident that we were far enough away-

And then we burst out into a fit of laughter, even falling onto the ground while holding our sides.

By the time we had recovered from our giggle fit and had gotten back to our feet, and made our way back to the shrine, an impatient Megumin was standing there, waiting for us.

"Where the heck did you guys go? No time for goofing off here. Let's hurry on to the next place."

I look at Darkness and Cielo as they look at each other and at me; all three of us nod as we decide to go with my little suggestion I had given them should Megumin say anything to us about being MIA.

The three of us then say together-

"Understood... 'meow-ster Mew-gumin'!"

Megumin's then raged at us for around fifteen minutes for having peeked after she had told us not to.

{Insert Image 1}

================{ Part 2: What Awaits Them Within The Red Prison }================

After Megumin had calmed down, she continued the sightseeing tour.

First, we stopped by the village's local Wishing Pond attraction.

Long story short; it was said that anyone who tossed an item into the waters would be blessed with good luck; the more important the item to you that is tossed in, the greater your luck will be after and the longer this boost to your luck would last.

Truth be told, it was a total sham; something set up by the blacksmith in order to score some free materials to forge items with.

And on that note, we then paid a visit to the local blacksmith who just so happened to be located close to the wishing pond, seeing a small artificial lake set up behind the shop.

Looking into said lake, we took notice of a beautifully crafted blade sticking out of the earth.

When Darkness asked about that, the shopkeeper said-

"Oh, why that's the legendary holy blade. It is said that those who can successfully pull it out from the earth will gain the power to slay any foe with just a single hit. Its blade will never dull, or rust and it will never harm the pure of heart or those the wielder sees as friends."

"Sir, may I try pulling it out?"

Asked Darkness; her eyes showing that she was definitely curious about owning such a weapon.

The shopkeep nods, making sure to have her sign a waiver stating this neither the shop nor the village would be responsible for her accidentally drowning in the attempt.

Darkness quickly signs the waver before stripping down and excitedly hopping into the water.

Megumin pulls me and Cielo close so to tell us in quiet confidence.

"Darkness won't be able to pull it out. It's all a ruse; that sword was carved out of rock coming up from under the pool of water. And what was said, just hog wash told to the tourist that stop by here. From what I understand, the idea for this came about about fifty years ago when some traveler came around and told some story from his homeland. Can't recall the details other than it was some old legend."

"Arthurian Legend to be exact. This must be based on the Sword in the Stone and the Lady of the Lake part of the tale combined."

I said, getting them to look at me; my reply being I would tell them more about what I know of the tale another day.

After that, the three of us decide to continue on our way while Darkness, after she came up for air, said that she would be hanging around here for a bit longer, partly because of the sword challenge and partly because she wanted to talk to the blacksmith about some things.

We next visited the local tailor and, after an... interesting introduction, Megumin asked him about getting more cloaks like the one she was currently wearing.

Seeing as he had a dozen of them or so, Megumin ask to buy them all before turning to look at me.

"Say Kazuma... can you please buy them for me?"

"Eh? Why do I need to buy them for you? You should have enough eris to do that yourself, right?"

"... Y-Yes, I do... but... please Kazuma; pretty please? I'll be your best friend."

She then gives me big pleading puppy dog eyes, making me sigh.

"Fine, fine; but just to be clear, your dad already told me that you consider me your best friend as you said you saw me as such in your letters home."

After that, we continued on again till we came into sight of the center piece of the village; it's massive observation tower.

Megumin said that there wasn't anything special about it; that it just had some sort of magical ability to allow people to see any location they wanted when looking through some viewing lens that they had to put an eris coin into.

That did sound interesting to me and Cielo though Megumin didn't feel it was worth our time though.

I wonder why?

I did notice something curious about the flagpole atop the tower though.

Using Farsight, I took note of the fact that it had a very interesting shape to it; namely that it looked like a rifle.

Guess that this village likes to use the craziest design choices for things in their constructions.

And next on our little tour was a place Megumin was very excited for, her old school.

As we approached the large building, that looked like someone had taken an old prison and given it some Harry Potter-esque flair, what caught sight of Yunyun; sitting on a bench with her legs swinging back and forth as she looked around wantingly.

As soon as her eyes caught sight of us, she immediately jumped to her feet excitedly.

"There you guys are. I was starting to worry about... where's Darkness at? Did she not want to come?"

"She decided to hang back at the blacksmith shop; said she wanted to talk to the shop keep about something. Probably about ordering some special enchanted armor or something."

Answered Cielo.

Yunyun nods before looking at me and asking-

"So... you ready to come inside?"

"Not so fast, Yunyun. First... me and you need to look the part. Kazuma, Cielo, would you two mind waiting here for just a few moments. We'll call you inside once we're ready."

Asked Megumin, making the two of us nod.

As she and Yunyun then disappear inside, we go to sit on the bench Yunyun had been sitting at.

"So Kazuma, what are you thinking about this place so far?"

I take a moment to think about her question before I answer.

"Well, I can definitely see why Megumin ended up the way she is right now. How about you?"

"Well... (pause) I think this is a nice place... once one can get use to it. Yeah, this place is nice, in its own way."

After a pause, Cielo then adds-

"Just between you and me, I like it when we have these sorts of times given to us, when it can just be the two of us, ya know. I... strange as it may sound, I like it when it can be just us two for a bit, like how it was just us two who got paired together back inside the Labyrinth."

"Yeah, that's true. You are the most normal one in the group..."

Though Yunyun was definitely in a position to claim that title from you, not that I'm going to say that aloud as I'm sure it would ruin the moment here.

After that, there is a few moments of silence as I can feel a nervous air forming around Cielo.

Finally, she says-

"Kazuma, I was wanting to ask you something..."

"Hm, what is it?"

"Well... (Cielo begins to fidget nervously) … I was wondering, once we get back to Axel... maybe we could..."

"KAZUMA, CIELO; YOU CAN COME INSIDE NOW!"

Shouts Megumin, making us both jump before we are quick to get to our feet; deciding it would be best to hold off finishing whatever it was Cielo wanted to ask me for another day.

Once we had stepped inside, we are both stopped upon seeing Megumin and Yunyun had changed their clothes, now dressed like they were about to attend classes.

"And now my friends; please allow us to properly welcome you both to our very amazing school; the Red Prison."

Said Megumin with all the pompous and grandiose flair that she could muster.

Beside her, Yunyun nervously fidgets as her eyes dart between looking at me and looking at the floor.

"So K-K-Kazuma, what do y-you think? Does this make me-I mean us look good?"

I give her a nod, then say-

"Y-Y-Y-Yeah, it does actually. I think you both look awesome..."

My words make Yunyun, and Megumin too, blush as they both look away from me.

In fact, if I were to be as brutally honest here as I could be, I would say that they looked so... hot in their schoolgirl outfits that it made me want to dress up like a teacher so I could have them join me for some 'private lessons' later.

I'll need to find some way to talk them into bringing these outfits back home with us once this was all over.

"Yeah, Kazuma's right. They really do suit you two."

Said an amazed Cielo, which gives me an idea.

"Say Megumin, Yunyun; how about we have Cielo dress up as a schoolgirl as well? It could be fun, even if its only going to be for a few minutes."

Cielo jerks her head to look at me, screaming "WHAT?" while the two Crimson Demons, on the other hand, think its a great idea; making them grab onto Cielo, who was telling them that it wasn't necessary, and drag her away into another room.

A few minutes later, the three of them emerge and Cielo, in between her own bashful nature, looks at me and waits my response to her now being dressed up as well.

{Insert Image 2}

"Yeah, no doubt about it. You ALL look amazing dressed like that."

They all look away with their cheeks a noticeable shade of pink.

And me? Yeah, there was no doubt in my mind now; I had to get them to take the schoolgirl look back home with them.

If only because seeing them this way makes me want to teach them SO MUCH now.

"Well-well-well, if this isn't a surprise. Look who's finally decided to come back to school now."

Those words make us all jump, bringing us out of our specific thoughts as we look in the direction of the voice; finding three girls standing before a large set of doors.

They then take on various poses while introducing themselves.

"My name is Arue; Archwizard and she who will one day be known as a great writer."

"And I am Funifura; famous among the Crimson Demons for having a brother complex... even though I technically don't have a brother... (nervous laughter)."

"And I am Dodonko, well known for being... um... what was I well known for again, you guys?"

The four of us look at them for a moment; I am the first to answer with the obvious response.

"I'll become your brother if you want!"

For that remark, Megumin stomps down on my foot, before addressing the three of them.

"It's been a long time you three, how have things..."

"ARUE! I've been looking for you since yesterday evening..."

Yelled Yunyun as she races up to the heavily well-endowed girl, getting very close to her in order to better show off her angry expression.

"You have? Hm, I do recall everyone around the village saying as much. What's wrong, did something happen?"

Megumin then runs up to Arue too, answering for Yunyun.

"You bet your way to big chest there is. Do you have any IDEA what you put us both through with that damn letter you mixed in with boss Hiropon's message? Any idea about what it led to?"

"Yeah, Megumin's right. Why didn't you make it clear from the top that it was a work of fiction and not an actual vision Soketto had."

The girl named Funifura looks at them, confusion now on her face as she asks-

"What's going on, what are you two talking about?"

After a quick explanation, both Funifura and Dodonko give Arue a shocked look.

"I'm in agreement with the two of them. Why did you do that, Arue?"

"Surely you must have known what such a thing would do without proper context?"

Said Funifura and Dodonko.

Arue, surprisingly enough, didn't look at all bothered by their words.

"Hm, not really? When you think about it, they should have known something about it was off, right? I mean, these two are suppose to be the smartest out of everyone in our class. You mean to tell me that they weren't able to understand the nature of the words, nor were they smart enough to look on the back to make sure it wasn't one of my works they were reading either? Sounds like more of a 'you' problem then a 'me' problem here."

Megumin and Yunyun continue to glare at Arue and, for a second, I feared that they may pull out the big card to use on her here-

Namely, that one of them... hell, perhaps the both of them, would say that they were now carrying my children within them now.

Luckily, they didn't as the girl named Dodonko steps in the calm the situation.

"OK you three; let's not start anything here unless miss Panyatopi shows up and we all get detention, even you two who have already graduated. Besides, we still haven't been introduced to your two friends there."

She points to us, making the glaring contest come to an end as Megumin and Yunyun rejoin us.

"So, is it really true then? Did Yunyun actually make friends and join a party? And has Megumin actually started to show an interest in matters of the heart as well?"

Asked Arue, making Yunyun say "Yes" bashfully while Megumin yells out "NO! … at least not the matters of the heart interest bit."

Funifura gives Megumin a suspicious look before turning to me and Cielo, asking us for our names.

"I'm Cielo; a priestess in training who hopes to one day become High Priestess of the Eris faith. I also have Monk skills as well. I guess you can say I'm a multi-class..."

Said Cielo, scratching the back of her head nervously.

I then take a step forward, bringing my hand up to mostly cover my face; leaving just one eye exposed as I say-

"And I am the stranger from a stranger land; having come into your world to offer up my hand, Satou Kazuma, all part of the plan."

Funifura gets stars in her eyes following my introduction, saying-

"Wow, this guy is way cooler than he first looked. Mm... maybe I should make him my 'brother' after all?"

Dodonko doesn't say anything, but she does sway back and forth, probably do do shock.

Megumin and Yunyun just look at me with their eyes full of stars again, once again confirming what it was I needed to do to make them swoon over me.

Arue, however, just smiles kindly as she says-

"Cielo and Kazuma, huh? Well, it's most lovely to meet you both."

"Wait, that reminds me..."

Says Dodonko, coming back to reality and making us all turn to look at her.

"Funifura, wasn't 'Kazuma' the name you suggested Megumin name her familiar back when she introduced us to it?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah... that's right. I did suggest Megumin name Chomusuke 'Kazuma' instead, as I thought she was a boy at first and I felt the name Chomusuke was to weird, even by our clan's standards. Yunyun, I recall you suggested that she be named Kuro, right?"

Yunyun nods while I look at them, making Megumin explain the whole naming situation to me.

"I see, now things are starting to make sense here. Now I understand why you were so taken aback when I introduced myself to you that day in Axel. (I then look at the three Crimson Demon girls and say) Personally, I feel Nia would be a better name for Chomusuke than... well, Chomusuke. She seems to like my name better too."

"Kazuma, don't be starting that..."

Megumin's complaint towards me is cut off as we hear those three say-

"The outsider is right though. While Nia isn't a name we would normally go with, it is still better than what that poor girl has to endure."

"Funifura, do you think this was what your big sister meant when she told Megumin to 'take care of Kazuma' back then?"

"Yeah, I do, Dodonko. Soketto must have meant this Kazuma here and not poor Chomusuke."

Megumin turns away from me, going to yell at them but is stopped as we hear the sound of someone clapping their hands together loudly.

We turn to see a girl, dressed like a teacher... who's attire was a little revealing in certain areas, having entered the large room without us having taken notice of her before.

"Now,-now-now, let's try to avoid making such a fuss while inside the hallways. Arue, Funifura, Dodonko... I believe you three have been gone long enough now. Please return to class if you will. Tell the others I will be along shortly as well."

The three of them quickly nod before excusing themselves while the young looking teacher turns her attention onto us.

She then looks directly at Megumin and Yunyun, giving the two of them a warm smile.

"Well, well; so our two prodigies have returned home at last. Have you both been well since setting out to see the outside world?"

Megumin and Yunyun nod, then start to tell the young woman before us of the events they had experienced after leaving home.

Once they had finished, she nods at them before turning to look at us; looking at me to be specific.

"And who are your two friends here? I can see one dressed like we normally would but she's clearly not a Crimson Demon. An exchange student maybe?"

Cielo shakes her head before I introduce us.

"My name is Kazuma and she's Cielo. We are members of the same party these two are in."

"Mm, I see-I see. Well, my name is Panyatopi; currently a teacher here at Red Prison academy."

"She graduated the same year as we did though it was because she was in her last year proper."

Said Megumin with Yunyun quickly adding-

"So, you really did manage to become a teacher as was your dream, Panyatopi?"

"That's surprising considering your grades were always so bad back in the day."

Joked Megumin.

Panyatopi waves those words off, saying-

"Eh... details-details. Who needs anything like that? Well, seeing as you both are here right now, and dressed for the occasion; would you both like to attend a class... for old times' sake. You could join as well, Cielo. The current topic we're covering is one I'm sure you three would be most interested in."

"And what is today's subject anyways, miss Panyatopi?"

Asked Yunyun.

"Curious, are we? Well, if you WANT to know, then come join us for today's subject matter."

"Sorry, but we'll have to pass for now. We still have a LOT of stuff to show our friends here. You understand, right?"

Said Megumin, getting a nod from Panyatopi.

She then pulls out a monocle like object and places it over her right eye.

She then looks at all of us; letting her gaze linger on me for a few moments more.

Yunyun then seems to take notice of something, making her said-

"Say Megumin, isn't that one of your dad's..."

Hearing Yunyun's words makes a look of realization come over Megumin, making her quickly jump in between Panyatopi and me.

"Hey, don't be going around using that perverted item on our Kazuma here. I won't allow it."

"Wait, perverted...?"

I shout, making Yunyun explain-

"That's another invention made by Megumin's dad. It's purpose was to show the person wearing it all the stat and skill information a person has when looking at them. The downside is that it also allows you to seem them in the nude as well as it can see through all clothing items a person is wearing."

That sounds both super cool and super dangerous.

And that's why, in order to save face with these girls, I say-

"Megumin, is it OK if I spend a few hours with your dad tomorrow; maybe see if I can help him improve his creations a bit... or maybe see if I can talk him into finding something better to use as his professional trade?"

"Only if I can be present as well. I'm worried about leaving you alone with my father... for any amount of time."

By this point, Panyatopi had removed her monocle then approaches me, making Megumin spread her arms wide in a defensive manner.

"Oh, will you just calm down, mad bomber. I was only looking at his skills set. I'm already in a relationship with a guy anyways, so what he has going on downstairs isn't an interest to me."

Yunyun quickly steps forward, asking-

"Miss Panyatopi, you have a boyfriend now. Who is it? Can you tell us?"

Panyatopi blushes bashfully before saying in a nervous fidget kind of way-

"Um... well... it's Pucchin."

Megumin then steps forward, shouting out-

"W-Wait, you're dating mister... but isn't he the same age as our parents?"

"(nervous giggle) Well, there's no law that says we can't have relationships with older individuals."

After a little back and forth, Panyatopi finally says-

"Anyways, I need to be getting back to class. Megumin, Yunyun; it was good to see you two again. Cielo, it was nice to meet you. And Kazuma... would you mind coming with me for a few minutes?"

"Pardon?"

I asked, making the three girls also look at Panyatopi with suspicion.

Noticing that, she gives them a confused look.

"What's wrong? I have no ulterior motive here, if that's what you're thinking. I just need to borrow this man for ten minutes as... an outsider's insight would be valuable for today's lesson."

"And what exactly is today's lesson?"

Asked Megumin, clearly not trusting her right now, probably because of the whole monocle thing.

She waves of Megumin's concern, then says-

"Oh, nothing big, I assure you. Mostly about how an outsider would see, approach, and handle sudden surprising events happening."

"Then why do you need Kazuma? Shouldn't Cielo also serve such a need well?"

Asked Yunyun, making Cielo jump.

"Simple; because my charges are all girls; they have little interactions with the boys of the village, outside any from their families. Having Kazuma present for this will help them start to feel more comfortable around boys in general."

Seeing Megumin and Yunyun giving her a doubtful look; Panyatopi quickly adds-

"Alright, it's because he has a few skills I could have him show off to help prove the point of today's lesson. Pretty please, you two. I promise I'll only need ten minutes."

Megumin and Yunyun look at each other for a few moments, then at me, then finally back to Panyatopi as Megumin says-

"OK... we'll let you borrow him for ten minutes... and ONLY ten minutes. A second longer and we will come running. And... if any funny business happens to Kazuma here, then we will also be coming back around, and you won't want that to happen."

Yunyun nods at Megumin's words.

"Understood... well, Kazuma. Will you please come with me as we do have a time limit here."

I look at Megumin and Yunyun, giving them a look that ask if they were sure about this.

They nod so I follow Panyatopi down the hallway; wondering just what was awaiting me just ahead.

Little could I have known just what kind of mess I was about to find myself getting into.

============{ Part 3: What Awaits Them As They Run From Mana Addicts }============

(Megumin POV)

"This is taking too long here. I'm not liking this one bit."

Said Megumin as she frantically paced back and forth around the main hall.

Off to the side, Yunyun and Cielo were being a bit calmer, having taken a seat though Yunyun, who's eyes were following Megumin back and forth, was looking pretty nervous herself.

"Megumin, please just relax for a few moments and sit down. Watching you go around like this is making me feel pretty antsy here."

Megumin stops and looks at her, saying-

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm making you feel antsy, Yunyun. It's not like I'm making you keep your eyes on me here and besides, I can't help it. Every fiber of my being is telling me that letting Kazuma go with that woman was something akin to a death sentence for him. Cielo, what's the time?"

Cielo, who had been keeping track of the time with her pocket watch, looked up at Megumin and said-

"One minute, three seconds to go."

Megumin growls for a moment, then takes in a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down.

She then turns her attention to the hallway she had seen Kazuma walk down with Panyatopi while her foot begins to impatiently tap the floor.

She then grabs her head, her fingers furiously ruffling her hair as she screams out, making Yunyun jump.

"GAAAHHH, I can't take it anymore. I'm going to go make sure he comes out that door at precisely ten on the dot."

Megumin then goes to start marching towards the hallway, but stops as she sees Yunyun's face, making her ask-

"What's wrong, Yunyun. You look like you're trying to fight against having the runs or something."

Yunyun jumps to her feet, her face red from embarrassment as she shouts out-

"Megumin, that's... girls shouldn't talk about stuff like that so openly. I was just trying to think; think about what sort of subjects that would require a request for Kazuma to be present. Let's see, if I remember right, the sort of subjects that would have been covered this year includes how to deal with outsider's should we ever interact with them, history of the Kingdom of Belzerg, and... oh no!"

Hearing the worry that was in Yunyun's voice, Megumin was quick to approach her and ask-

"Yunyun, what's wrong?"

"Times up; miss Panyatopi's requested ten minutes are over."

Said Cielo as she to stood up.

Megumin decides to hear what Yunyun had to say before the three of them would go storming in to get Kazuma back.

"Yunyun, hurry up and tell us already. We have to go grab Kazuma..."

"Megumin, we need to go get him NOW. I just remembered what one of the BIG subjects we would have been made to learn about this year was."

Cielo cocks her head, asking-

"And what would that..."

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Came a scream from within the building; a familiar sounding voice, Kazuma's voice.

Then Yunyun says, her face pale and voice filled with fear-

"I think miss Panyatopi borrowed Kazuma for something relating to Sex-Ed week."

Immediately, all the color fades from mine and Cielo's faces before the three of us break into a run towards the hallway; terrified on what Kazuma must be going through right now.

Just as the reach the hallway, Kazuma comes into view; running like a mad lad as he appeared to be desperate in his need to escape.

"Kazuma, what's...?"

Yunyun tried to say but Kazuma cuts her off as they feel the ground begin to shake.

"Run you fools. Those starving beast are coming for me."

Starving beast? Before any of the three girls could ask what he meant by that, they had their question answered by the sight that then came into view.

A group of twenty or so Crimson Demon girls were chasing after Kazuma; their eyes glowing brightly with a dangerous hunger in the looks they were giving him.

Knowing that it would be better to talk while on the go, the three of us waited till Kazuma had reached us then the four of us made a quick beeline for the entrance.

Once we had made it outside, Cielo decided to ask the big question as we continued our escape into the village.

"Kazuma, what happened back there? What did you do?"

"Me? I think you meant to ask what that damn sempai made me do back there? I can't believe she made me do THAT to the whole class; it's turned them into a bunch of demi-mana addicts."

Yunyun gives Kazuma a confused looked, asking-

"Kazuma, what do you mean by... oh no. Oh no-no-no-no-no; please tell me she didn't...?"

Kazuma gives us a sad, remorseful nod as he says-

"She did... she made me give them all a taste of Demi-Mana by way of Drain Touch!"

A scowl immediately comes over my face; making me pissed that Kazuma would share OUR special thing with anyone else without my consent first.

Which I would never ever give unless it was an emergency, like back when dealing with the Entropy poisoned Hans back in Krakta Valley when I had been OK with Yunyun getting a little taste.

I then turn to Kazuma and yell out-

"Why Kazuma? Why did you betray me like that? I though... I thought that was something special for just the two of us to experience together?"

"It must have been miss Panyatopi's famous Hypnosis spell. She must have used it on Kazuma."

Suggested Yunyun; making my eyes twitch angrily.

Kazuma nods before telling us what had happened-

(flashback: Kazuma POV)

"OK class, we are going to have a change of plans for today's lesson here. While I'm sure that three of you have already met him, I will still like for all of you to give a warm welcome today for our special guest here..."

Panyatopi then pushes me forward, making me bow nervously before the classroom full of girls.

Once I was done bowing, I took a moment to look around and all I could say was DAMN!

Each and every one of these girls was a super-hot beauty; cute faces, lovely eyes, very well-developed knockers that would make any guy have difficulty paying attention in class.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons guys and girls were educated seperately?

Thanks to this, I was beginning to see more and more about the truth of things.

Yunyun, physically, was exactly like these girls but was considered an odd duck because of her more introvert personality.

And Megumin, I can see now why she would be so insecure about her body; always being surrounded by girls who had been developing in the manner that was natural for girls in their clan.

And I'm also sure these girls' personalities would be more align with Megumin's than Yunyun's too.

Anyways, better get this introduction over and done with so we can hurry up and... wait, why am I in such a hurry here?

Hanging around with a classroom full of excellent wanking material isn't a bad way to spend one's day.

"Um... yeah; I am the stranger from Axel and a traveler from a distant land. A master of many skills that I use to explore this land. And I am known as Satou Kazuma."

I try to do a cool looking pose as I say this, but I was pretty sure I came off as silly looking to these girls here as I didn't use anything specific here.

It still seemed effective though as several of the girls did seem quite taken by it though.

Panyatopi then steps forward, saying-

"Yes, this here is Kazuma; a close friend to our two early bird graduates; Megumin and Yunyun."

This causes all the girls to begin to chatter amongst themselves, with Arue, Funifura, and Dodonko confirming her words and telling them of what they saw.

Then, one of the girls who name was Nerimaki, takes notice of my sword, and ask-

"Say, is that a sword you have on you? Can we see it? What's its name?"

Panyatopi then leans in close to me and says-

"Nerimaki wants to one day be known as the Crimson Blade Archwizard and as such, has a keen obsession with swords."

I nod before I pull my partner out and show it to the class.

Several of the girls seemed rather impressed with my blade; Nerimaki was definitely loving it as she had jumped from her seat, ran over to me, and was now closely examining it.

"Amazing, simply amazing; I've never seen a sword like this before. What's its name? What's its name?"

Unable to say it aloud, mainly because it still left me feeling embarrassed, I simply move my hand clear so as to let her read the name herself, while explaining-

"Just so you know, this name wasn't my idea... It was Megumin's actually. I know this is the sort of name that Crimson Demons would like and all but there's something about it that..."

I stop, taking notice of the shocked look Nerimaki was giving me.

"Y-You said that M-Megumin was the one who named it?"

I nod, feeling nervous all of a sudden as I feel Nerimaki's mood go from being one of excitement to being one of great sadness now.

She then becomes teary eyes as she looks away from me, saying-

"On behalf of the village, I apologize for the evil she has cursed this amazing looking sword with. You have my sympathies."

Eh? What the hell are you talking about? What has Megumin done...?

Before I could ask her about that, Nerimaki turns away, back to the class, as she painfully says-

"Megumin... she, she... she has sullied this beautiful and sexy beast of a blade by giving it the ACCURSED NAME!"

They all gasp as I hear Funifura, at least I think it was Funifura as these girls also looked a lot alike to my eyes here, say-

"The accursed name...? Wait, do you mean... 'Chunchunmaru' here?"

Nerimaki nods sadly, which makes me ask-

"Wait, what's going on here? What does Chunchunmaru mean for you Crimson Demons?"

The other girls, even Panyatopi, look away while Nerimaki gives me a mournful and heartbroken look.

"Chunchunmaru is an insult term, one we use to describe someone who appears to be lazy, pathetic, worthless, unreliable, and so on. To think, Megumin would see such an amazing weapon like that is... it's truly heartbreaking."

Unable to bare it anymore, Nerimaki simply falls to her knees and openly begins to weep.

Me, on the other hand; I find myself clenching my fist as I return my partner to its sheath, my thoughts now being-

That damn legal dwarf, just wait till we get back to the mansion; I'm going to take you over me knee and give you one hell of a spanking.

Panyatopi claps her hands together and again, getting our attentions back onto her.

"OK, OK here people; I'm running out of time I am being given with this boy so I would like for us to begin here. Nerimaki, please return to your seat now."

Nerimaki nods, sniffling before getting up, hugging me, then returning to her seat.

Once that was done, Panyatopi then begins the lesson she brought me here to help her with.

"OK class, we shall continue where we left off yesterday... or so I would like to say but the presence of this man here, and seeing the kind of skills he has available to him, has gifted us with a potential rare chance to experience something most amazing and wonderful here."

Why was I sudden feeling very afraid here, especially when Panyatopi turned to look at me with a devious grin.

This made me gulp nervously as I said-

"You know, maybe I should be getting back to the others now. After all, we still have so much sightseeing left to do and all..."

Panyatopi then quiets me with a finger before bringing said finger up so that I could see it glow clearly.

"Hypnosis!"

Immediately, my head becomes all weird as the edges of my vision turn a pinkish color.

I then hear Arue ask-

"Isn't the usage of Hypnosis forbidden except in the case when its a poor dumb animal?"

"Exactly!"

Panyatopi replied in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

I notice several of the girls' giggle at hearing that.

I, naturally, wanted to protest her words but, seeing as I had been hypnotized and all, that wasn't really an option.

Panyatopi then turns to me and says-

"I'm so sorry about this, mister Kazuma. For what I'm going to need you for, this will make it go by quickly, far quicker than it would if you still had a say-so about it. First, let me ask you... have you ever used a combination of Drain Touch and Demi-Mana on anyone before?"

And what business is it of yours, woman?

"Yes."

Eh? Why did I just answer, and with a trance like voice too... oh no, don't tell me that her spell can also make someone speak when spoken to and speak honestly on top of that.

Panyatopi nods, saying-

"Good, good; and who have you used it on? And what was the effect such a combination had on them?"

Why would you want to... oh no, please don't tell me today's lesson is about-

"I've used it on Yunyun once and Megumin multiple times. The effect it has had on Megumin is similar to having an orgasm from my observations. Yunyun, with the one time I used it on her, also showed similar signs of such an effect."

Crap, crap, crap; stop talking me, please. I know where this is going here and it's not going anywhere good.

Panyatopi smiles as she turns away from me and addresses girls in the room.

"OK, we shall now continue our dive into sexual education. I know that today's subject was originally meant to cover the pregnancy period all girls will likely eventually experience, but with the talents this boy can bring. I have decided this could be a good chance for all of you to experience what a true orgasm can feel like. But first, I will test his abilities out in order to make sure it can live up to expectations."

Panyatopi then turns to me and says-

"Now then, Kazuma; please use that combination upon me; let me see if it really is all that."

I fight with all my might to resist her words, but my body moves without my consent, taking hold of her hands while switching over to Demi-Mana then sending my enhanced mana into her through Drain Touch.

After a few moments, Panyatopi lets out a hotly moan as her legs begin to shake.

She growls, moans more, and makes some very scary looking motions; all the while the girls in the room watch on with a combination of awe, wonder, and maybe a mixture of fear and anticipation.

And then, suddenly... Panyatopi hugs me tightly; her panting and moaning becoming louder and louder until... she lets out a scream before collapsing to her knees; breathing heavily.

"Miss Panyatopi... are you OK?"

Asked a worried Dodonko.

"Of course she's not OK. Forcing someone to do that against their will is definitely NOT..."

I stop, realizing that the hypnosis on me had worn off... thank god.

I immediately go to make a run for it, only for Panyatopi grabbing onto me and, before I could break free, she manages to cast hypnosis upon me again.

Damn it; I'm in big trouble here.

Panyatopi then gets back onto her wobbly feet, before giving me a most satisfied smile, then turning to the girls and saying while trying to compose herself.

"Hm... while I can say that experience was lacking a... 'physical' aspect to it, I can still confirm that it... oo, that was a DAMN GOOD example of what an orgasm can feel like. (she then gives me a quick look) I can now understand why even a girl like Megumin, who was never interested in such things from what I've heard, would want to keep it all to herself."

Panyatopi then turns to the class again and says matter-of-factly-

"So, do any of you want to find out just what heaven feels like here?"

Oh no, please know. While there was a time I would have welcomed giving multiple super-hot girls a chance to feel very VERY good in my life; all my instincts here are telling me that if this happens, then my life will more or less be over here.

All the girls look at each other, uncertain at first until Arue stands up and approaches me.

"This experience could help me become an even better writer; especially for the upcoming chapter of my book when Yunyun gives her virtue to her chosen lover. And, on that topic, I must thank you Kazuma, for giving me a name to give to her lover."

After that, Funifura and Dodonko and Nerimaki all come down to join her and moments later, all the other girls in the room as well.

"Very good; now Kazuma, will this still work if they only touch you with a single finger?"

Don't answer, don't answer, don't...

"It should, so long as there is physical contact being made between them and me."

"Excellent; will you please role back your sleeves so there can be as much skin present for them to touch."

My body does as she commands, revealing my arm up to just before the elbow. I also extend both arms out with my palms open as Panyatopi tells them to touch me wherever.

Once they were all touching me, she tells me to begin-

And my fears grow by leaps and bounds as I see their eyes begins to glow as I start sending Demi-Mana into them, along with the same pants, moans, and such coming from them as had come from Panyatopi before.

No, I think it was even worse with them as, unlike Panyatopi assuming her words before were accurate, they didn't have any previous experiences where this was concerned.

"Amazing... this feeling... it's so amazing..."

Said one of the girls.

Another girl, Funifura I believe, manages to pant out-

"You... you said to me... before... said that you would be my b-brother. (huff huff) I think... I think I want you to be my brother now..."

Off to the side, I hear Panyatopi say-

"Just wait, my friends... the best is coming up fast; in more ways than one."

No, please; I'm begging you woman. As much as I wish I could say otherwise; I really don't want to be here once they reach their finale.

Not that I had a choice in the matter as their pants and moans became louder and louder, until-

They all let out a shriek like scream, all of them collapsing onto the ground with labored and heavy breaths.

And, like before, I found myself finally regaining my senses but unlike last time, I was much quicker with making my way towards the exit.

And, like before, Panyatopi was also quick in her actions; this time blocking my way.

I glare at here, saying-

"Please get out of my way. I did what you wanted me to here, even if it was against my personal wishes. Regardless, the deal is done, and I think it would be best for all of us, me especially, if I take my leave before things really get out of hand. Besides, I'm sure the others won't like what you have been making me do here."

I hoped hearing that would make Panyatopi see reason and allow me to escape before anything else happens here.

Instead, she shakes her head before smiling deviously.

Behind me, I could hear the girls that had collapsed working on returning to their feet.

"So, now that you have been given a taste of heaven thanks to this man, what do you all say? Should we go ahead and let him go or should we 'ask him nicely' to give us another taste of paradise?"

I feel myself begin to shake, badly; my head slowly turns to look back at the girls whose eyes had locked onto me with an intense and scary looking glow.

Each and everyone answer to Panyatopi's question was clear as they begin to approach me.

It was then, in that moment, that I saw the truth that was now coming for me.

It wasn't a small army of super-hot teenage girls coming at me I was seeing here-

No; it was the army of female Orcs that had kidnapped me before.

I did all that I could because of this truth; I scream at the top of my lungs as I somehow knock Panyatopi out of my way, then force the door open and start running like hell as the army of crimson eyed girls hot on my tail.

{Insert Image 3}

(flashback end; Megumin POV)

"And you all know the rest!"

Kazuma had finished his explanation as the four of us tore through the village, getting the adults who saw us to give us the most curious of looks.

Probably wondering what sort of game the academy was having us play today.

Not that I really cared as I had something more important on my mind at this moment.

"That damn bitch sempai of ours. I swear once we resolve this situation, I'm going right back to Red Prison and introducing my foot to her ass."

"Talk about getting revenge later. Right now, we need to figure out how to get out of this situation. Oh, and by the way, they're starting to catch up with us..."

Yelled Yunyun, making me look back to see that they were indeed getting closer.

"Kazuma, I must admit that I am surprised. I would have thought having an small army of hot looking girls wanting you would be like a dream come true for you?"

Said Cielo, something I had to agree with even if I did so begrudgingly.

"Normally yes, it would be. But when I look at them right now, all I can see are the Orcs all over again."

Poor guy, he must still be suffering trauma over that. Guess it was a foolish assumption in thinking that telling him about our birthmarks would be enough to help him fully heal from that.

"And also, I already have a enough hotties in my life between the three of you, as well as Darkness and Chris. Possibly Lynn as well. I don't want to be greedy and push my luck beyond that."

He adds, making the three of us look at him.

I'm not sure what the others are thinking, but I know his words meant a great deal for me personally; hearing that he sees me as a being hot.

Also, the knowing that we were more than enough for him in his life.

Very well, it's time to take a stand; I know what to do in order to end this.

I come to a stop and turn back with my arms spread wide.

The others stop too, with Yunyun asking-

"Megumin, what are you...?"

"Funifura, Dodonko, Nerimaki, Arue, everyone... I hereby invoke the right of the Crimson Claim now."

This makes the incoming group of girls come to a dead stop, looking at me.

Yunyun, having realized what I was thinking, walks over to stand beside me.

"What are the terms, Megumin?"

Asked Arue.

"Simple; we will battle here and now; no magic of any kind, just pure ability. If we win, you all will give up chasing after OUR Kazuma here. If you all win, then we will relent and allow you to share Kazuma as you will."

The girls look at each other for a second before they start laughing at us.

"Do you realize that it's just the two of you against all of us. Even if Yunyun was the best when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, your chances here are next to impossible."

Said Nerimaki.

Funifura quickly adds-

"That's right Megumin the joke mage and intermediate Yunyun; do you really think just the two of you can take us ALL on?"

"Correction, it's the three of us against all of you!"

Said Cielo stepping up as well, then looking at us to make sure it was OK for her to join in; me and Yunyun both nod at her.

I then look back at Kazuma and say quietly to him-

"Kazuma, as soon as this begins, make a run for it. Find someplace to hide; we'll find you later once we're done here."

I could tell he wasn't keen on leaving the three of us behind, but I give him a smile to show my confidence here which makes him finally nod reluctantly.

I then turn back to our foes and, after a momentary pause, we all charge each other; ready to fight over who gets to keep Kazuma all to themselves...

==============={ Part 4: What Awaits Them After The Painful Reveal }================

We had won, naturally.

It had taken about ten minutes in order to achieve victory, but we had won the fight.

Their cockiness over their numbers had been their undoing-

Well, that and the fact they had clearly forgotten one very important detail.

That detail was that the three of us would be way higher level than all of them were, due to us having been out there where the action was.

If memory serves, by this point and time, students in our class would only be around level ten to twelve while the three of us were well into the twenty's by now and even without the use of magic or skills, we still held the greater strength levels, especially with Cielo on our side.

Still wasn't easy though.

I was standing there, breathing heavily as were Yunyun and Cielo; our eyes looking around in order to make sure all of our opponents were unconscious.

"I can't believe we won..."

Said Yunyun.

"It was quite a workout, I'll admit. Still, compared to some of my dad's training regiments I had to endure growing up, this was nothing."

Adds Cielo, getting Yunyun to look at her and ask-

"Are you saying you could have done this all by yourself?"

"(shrug) Possibly, though it would have been a close one, I'll say that much. So, Megumin, is this over now?"

"Yeah, it's over... we won. But there is ONE more little detail I feel that needs pointing out here."

Yunyun gives me a confused looking, asking me-

"What? Did I forget a little... oh no, wait Megu-"

Before she could finish, I quickly reach out to grab one of Yunyun's leg, yanking out from under her and making her fall before I do a low spinning sweep to knocks Cielo off her feet as well.

As they groan and look back up at me, I raise a hand victoriously into the sky as I proudly declare-

"I WIN AGAIN!"

"Megumin, what the..."

"You forgot that one little detail. Technically, there is no teamwork in this kind of match. Its everyone for themselves. Only the last one standing can be seen as the true winner here."

I laugh happily as I look back at Yunyun and Cielo and say to them-

"That's right and seeing as I am the winner, that means Kazuma is mine, all mine. But don't worry though, I'll still let the two of you experience his 'touch' every now and then, should the need arise that is."

The sudden sound of clapping reaches our ears, bringing me down from my victory high.

I look back while Yunyun and Cielo return to their feet, and we all see that it was Panyatopi who was clapping at us.

"Well done, Megumin. Looks like you're the winner which I must confess did surprise me. Guess it goes to show just how strong a young girl can be with such an 'amazing' reward on the table. Funny, I would have thought only a monetary or food-based reward would make YOU go that hard."

I scowl at her before charging forward, grabbing her by the strap that ran around her large boobs.

"YOU! I am SO glad you decided to grace us with your presence, sempai. Saves me the trouble of having to hunt you down like the dog you are. Do you have any idea about what it is you've done here?"

"Yeah, she's right. Kazuma was recently attacked and nearly raped by those female Orcs that live near the village... or did anyways. No matter, because of that, he has been heavily traumatized and now, because of you, it may have been made worse, to say nothing of what the damage will bring about."

Adds Yunyun as she and Cielo run up to join me.

"Oh really? Gee, I wish I would have known that before. I would have just done a one-on-one experience as opposed to the group orgy version."

She then cracks a smile at me, making me REALLY want to hit her with an Explosion right here and now.

Cielo then ask-

"Tell us; just why did you do that to him to begin with? How did you even know to do that anyways?"

Yeah, that was a good question.

Kazuma had told us that when under the hypnosis; she had asked him questions but that was only to confirm the end results.

How would she know that it was even possible to begin with?

"Hm? Oh, that's an easy one. You see, me and Pucchin like to role play; often times I pretend I'm still a student, willing and eager to learn and he the teacher who has SO much to teach me..."

We give her a dangerous glare, letting her know to hurry up and get to the point already.

"Anyways, he has a magic item, one created outside our clan, that can simulate the undead skill Drain Touch. In other words, it can send mana from one person to another in an emergency. One day, we tried an experiment and discovered that if a Crimson Demon receives mana from someone of the opposite sex, or if it comes from someone they love deeply, it will trigger an almost sexual like rush through us."

"Thanks to that monocle magic item Hyoizaburoo created, I learned Kazuma had access to both Drain Touch and Demi-Mana... which was very impressive. I mean, he isn't an undead yet knows their skills which was something I didn't think was possible. Same with Demi-Mana as I had been told it was something only demi-humans could have as it was a racial trait, not an actual skill."

"Getting to the point, having met such a rare find here, I decided I wanted to test him out in order to confirm something and... oh-boy, did I ever discover something BIG. You know, Megumin... Yunyun, you both are very lucky here. To have twenty-four-seven access to what he can give you. I confess I am SO jealous of you both. I don't suppose there's any chance I could talk you two into..."

"NO!"

We both shout out together, making her sigh.

"Such a pity, really. Well, I guess I better be on my way here. And I'll be taking them with me."

Panyatopi then pulls out her wand and cast Float on our former unconscious classmates.

"Oh yeah, quick question here. You miss... the outsider girl? (Cielo says "Yes?") Have you, by any chance, ever received a taste of his Drain Touch and Demi-Mana combination before? If so, what effect did it have on you? My question is simply one of a scholarly nature here as I find myself wondering if it would affect all outsiders in this way or if such an effect only applies to us Crimson Demons?"

That is a good question, actually. While I want to keep that little experience to being just between Kazuma and me, I suppose I could allow Cielo a one-time exposure if only to see what the results would be here.

Maybe Darkness too... no, scratch that; I don't want to take the risk of having that pervert getting that kind of addiction towards Kazuma here.

Cielo shakes her head and says-

"No, I haven't."

"I see... well, if you ever do; please send me a letter with details on what it did do to you. It could go a long way towards helping me confirm a few things about this clan and the source of our great power. Well, better get these girls back to class before they wake up. I may be able to convince them that it was all just a dream."

Well, that would be helpful if it was true, and it works.

Panyatopi begins to walk away, but stops and looks back at us one last time to say-

"Oh yeah, why don't the three of you go ahead and take those academy uniforms back home with you. You know, just in case any of you would like to do a little 'role playing' with Kazuma one of these days. I'm sure I don't need to explain what I mean here."

She then laughs as she continues on her way, making me fume while Yunyun and Cielo just blush as they look away.

"OK, now that we've finished THAT! Let's hurry up and go find Kazuma before anything else happens here."

They nod as we begin our search for our precious friend.

Oh, and on a side note, I decide to follow through on that woman's advice-

Meaning, I decide to go ahead and take my academy wear back with me when the time comes to return home... for the memories, of course...

For the next few hours, we looked here and there; all over the place yet not finding any trace of Kazuma anywhere.

We checked Yunyun's house; we even took a trip back over to my house yet couldn't find him.

No one in the village seemed to have spotted him at any point either.

Could Kazuma have played it safe and went outside the village to hide for a bit?

Who knows but it soon started to get late, with the sun beginning to set and we were starting to become very worried!

"I hate to say this, but what if Kazuma was kidnapped by the General's forces as he was running for it?"

Asked Cielo, getting a shake from Yunyun.

"Let's hope that isn't the case here. Perhaps he used Teleport and went back to the mansion. I could learn Teleport right now and go check there?"

I stop and look back at them, an idea forming in my head, one I wish I had thought of sooner.

"Before we go THAT far, I want to try out one final thing here."

I then pull off my hat, finding Chomusuke MIA from my head, making me then stick my hand into my hat and start fishing around inside.

I then smile as I feel her soft fur as I take hold and pull her out.

Cielo, having watched me, gets a dazed look on her face as she says-

"W-W-What the...? Did you just pull her out from inside your hat, Megumin?"

"Oh, that's right. You probably don't know this, Cielo, but Crimson Demon hats and pockets have the same storage capabilities that the Adventurer's pouches have. Pretty handy when you think about it."

Said Yunyun.

I stroke Chomusuke's fur a few times before waking her up; that action making her give me an annoyed look.

"Sorry about that, girl. But I'm in need of your expert tracking skills here. Kazuma's missing and we're hoping you can find him for us."

Hearing me say that Kazuma was missing makes Chomusuke go into high alert as she quickly breaks free from my hands and begins to sniff the ground.

Cielo, clearly confused, ask-

"Wait, can she... really locate Kazuma's scent? What, is she part blood hound or something?"

I smirk as I look back at her, saying-

"Blood hounds wish they could track someone like she can here. When it comes to finding ANYTHING, there is no better tracker than my Chomusuke."

Speaking of, my familiar mews loudly before she takes of at a speed one wouldn't think she could achieve with both her small size and short legs.

The three of us smile at each other before we follow after her.

Within a few minutes, we had found ourselves exiting the village proper; going onto the road that led back to my family's home.

Didn't we already check there earlier?

We probably just missed him or something, I guess?

It wasn't long after that when we finally spotted Kazuma sitting with his back against a tree up on the high ground, his attention being drawn towards a book resting on his lap.

"Kazuma, are you OK?"

Said Cielo.

Kazuma says as he turns to look at us-

"Yeah, I'm OK... well, about as OK as one could hope to be after seeing an army's worth of hot girls chasing me while my mind makes me think its an army of female Orcs. I really hope this doesn't mean I've been permanently scarred because of that otherwise my future love life could be in trouble."

That's a feeling I have no doubt we share here.

"Why are you sitting out in the open like this? What if we had lost and they were still hunting you?"

Adds Yunyun.

"I knew you three wouldn't lose; not to weaklings like them. (he then flashes a confident smile that makes us all blush bashfully) Even if you three had lost though, my Enemy Detection skill would have alerted me to them getting close. And, in addition, sitting here allows me a good few of the road which I could check on things using Farsight if I detected anyone coming my way."

Made sense.

I then focus my attention onto the book Kazuma was reading, deciding to ask him-

"So Kazuma, wanna tell us what that book there is about? And have you been here since splitting up from us?"

Kazuma shakes his head, then says-

"First, I haven't been here the entire time. I first stopped off inside a few shops around the village, mainly to hide though they did afford me a chance to take care of a few things first; things that were on my to-do list to have taken care of before we head home. As for the book here...?"

Cielo then interrupts him, saying-

"Before that, Kazuma; could you tell us about these few things you were wanting to do while we're still here?"

Yunyun nods and I confess I too was wanting to know as well.

His response to Cielo's question was to make a familiar looking action; one we have seen Chris use plenty of times in the past which is quickly followed by him saying those annoying words of hers-

"That's a secret... though I promise you'll know before to long. In fact, one of my plans will become known before we all hit the hay tonight."

"Oh, hah hah there, Kazuma. Real funny of you. My family has to live inside an converted old barn and you use the word hay. That's so clever of you there."

I say sarcastically though in truth, I did think it was a 'little' funny.

Kazuma, for his part, makes a fake hurt expression before saying-

"I actually wasn't trying to make a joke there as that phrase is a common one from back around my old stomping grounds... sort of. In any event, before I move on to explain what it is I'm doing with my nose in a book here, you two (pointing at me and Yunyun) need to tell me what they meant when they called you Megumin the joke and intermediate Yunyun. I already have a good idea behind why they were calling you a joke, Megumin. But what about you, Yunyun?"

Oh crap, this was a story I had hoped I would never have to actually talk about with anyone; had hoped Kazuma would never learn about.

I was afraid how it would make them... make HIM look at me once heard.

I look to Yunyun who returns my look with an expression that was asking "What should we do here?"

Finally, I let out a sigh; knowing it would be better to go ahead and tell him now.

That it would be better for him, and Cielo, to hear this from me overhearing the truth from someone else.

And so, I told them the tale of my past, about how my obsession dictated my actions during my school days, with my personal actions-

And, how my obsession made me hesitate at a most critical moment; that being when my sister's life was in danger-

And how it was Yunyun, making the big sacrifice instead by learning Intermediate Magic, and in doing so, changing both her future and how our clan would look at her from here on out.

Once I was done, it took me a moment to look back at Kazuma and Cielo; to see what looks they were giving me.

Kazuma expression was neutral while Cielo's was a mixture of anger and, I believe, shock and disgust.

"Megumin... are you saying... are you telling me and Kazuma...that when your little sister, your own flesh and blood, was in danger, you found yourself hesitating all for some dream that you didn't want to delay for just a little bit longer?"

"Wait Cielo, I know it sounds bad from hearing it but... I know Megumin was going to make the sacrifice which I didn't want her to do. Me learning Intermediate Magic was my choice in that moment. It had nothing to do with Megumin hesitating in that moment."

Thank you Yunyun, for trying to defend me here, but now that they know, I won't run from my grievous mistake from that day anymore.

I'll accept whatever consequence comes from Kazuma and Cielo knowing about this now.

"Yunyun, don't... Cielo, you're right. What I did that day has haunted me ever since. Not a day goes by when I don't think back on that moment and feel nothing but disgust with myself. I can't begin to tell you how often I wish I could go back and do the right thing there. But I can't. All I can do is to never forget that day and make sure that it never happens again."

Cielo didn't look any happier despite my words though I know she shouldn't be any happier about them as I sure as hell wasn't.

After a moment, Cielo then decides to ask me-

"Tell me, Megumin; why then have you continued to focus only on Explosion magic then? If you are truly remorseful about your actions, then don't you think you could stand to learn a few more spells... if only to show that you do regret that choice you made THAT day?"

Her words leave me speechless, stunned even as that thought had never crossed my mind before.

Yunyun, clearly wanting to defend me here, says-

"But if she were to do that now, wouldn't that be seen as negating my..."

"No, it wouldn't, Yunyun. Yes, you made a sacrifice that day, which says a great deal about the kind of person you are. But, and as much as I hate to say this and all, the fact Megumin HASN'T gone and made any personal sacrifices herself since then also says a lot about her character and none of it is good. What about you, Megumin? What are your thoughts and feelings about all this?"

Cielo's words make me look at her; seeing tears falling from her eyes as this was clearly something that was hard for her to say here.

But she was also right as well; what sacrifices had I made since then to show that I had grown and learned following that experience?

Without realizing it, I had pulled my Adventurer's card out and was now looking at it.

Perhaps... maybe it was time I finally stop acting like a stubborn child and grow up already?

"That's enough, everyone."

We all jump from hearing Kazuma's voice; the tension on the moment having made us forget that he was even present.

I then look at him as he stands, feeling a new sense of dread within me like none I had ever felt before.

What were his thoughts and feelings on this matter? How did finding out about this effect his opinion on me?

Right now, that question was the one I most dreaded hearing the answer to.

He sighs after a moment then says-

"There's no point in judging Megumin for a past mistake now, is there? Komekko is alive and was unharmed so there's that. All that matters is the lesson you take from that and how you'll apply that lesson going forward. Megumin, only you can decide what the right path for you moving forward is."

I'm not sure if that was a good outcome with him towards me here or not?

Kazuma then looks at Cielo and ask-

"Can that be enough for you, Cielo?"

Cielo sighs as she crosses her arms over her chest, then says-

"Yeah... I guess it is... but I'm going to be honest here by saying Megumin will need to work hard before I can feel like I can trust her to have my back when we're in a pinch in the future, to have everyone's backs really."

Kazuma gives her an understanding nod before turning back to me and says-

"Well Megumin... what about..."

A loud booming sound makes us jump as we quickly turn to see some smoke rising into the air nearby.

We all nod before racing in the direction of the smoke; wondering what new bit of drama was awaiting us this time.

============={ Part 5: What Awaits Them When They Meet The General }=============

It wasn't long before we had reached the source of the commotion, finding Darkness facing off with a pack of strange looking creatures I hadn't ever seen before and a very tall tanned skinned woman.

"Darkness, are you OK?"

Cried out Cielo to the exhausted looking Crusader.

Darkness looks back at us, a smile forming on her face as she says-

"Everyone, be careful here. This is the General that's been attacking the Crimson Demons as of late."

Hearing that brings all of us to the ready; prepared to launch our attacks if needed.

Darkness then looks back at our foe and says-

"I can't believe this. My luck has been nothing but shit since we left to Axel to come here. First, I find myself being heart broken when I learned that all the male Orcs in the world were dead and gone. And then, when I come to search for the General, hoping that I could make up for that sadness with a risque encounter with him; I discover that he was a she. Why am I being denied all the nice things in life?"

"Darkness, is now really the right time for this?"

Shouts Yunyun.

We then hear a sigh, making us look at the General to see her shaking her head.

"Why am I not surprised. Here I thought if I tried a different tactic; see if I could sneak into the village in order to achieve my goal and yet, I still end up being spotted. Oh well, guess I'll need to go with that plan then... (realizes she had been speaking aloud) Um... can we pretend we didn't hear anything?"

Seeing that we were still watching her, she sighs again before saying-

"No...? Well, that figures, I guess. Seeing as we're already here and all, I guess I should go ahead and introduce myself. My name is Sylvia; General of the Devil King and his head researcher. Now, mind telling me your names?"

Before any of us could answer her, I hear Kazuma chuckle a little before he stepped forward.

"Sure, we can do that. But let me give you a clue first and see if you can guess who we are?"

"What is this? Trying to buy time in order for the villagers to arrive on the scene?"

"Not at all, Sylvia. I'm just curious about if our infamy really is known amongst the Generals of the Devil King; wanting to see if you are as smart as your title would suggest you to be."

Aw, I see where this is going. Kazuma was acting all cool and calm here; probably hoping that he can make Sylvia rethink her plans for my village and possibly make her want to leave the area.

"Anyways, here's the clue; our group is the same group that has defeated the undead General Verdia, the Devil of Forsight Vanir, and most recently even the king of the deadly poison slimes Hans... though I'll confess that Hans was more of a mercy killing on our part."

Sylvia takes a few noticeable steps back, her mouth hanging ever so slightly open from shock.

"W-Wait... your group is the same group that... does that mean you are Satou Kazuma, the very man the Devil King has taken such an interest in here lately?"

Kazuma chuckles again before pulling Chunchunmaru out and then, confidently responding with-

"Who can say? I'm just a 'stranger from a strange land' leader of a party that includes two all-powerful mages, a Crusader who can tank any hit without even flinching, a Monk/Priestess whose punches can only be topped by her healing prowess, and the world's greatest thief."

Hearing Kazuma speak of us with such confidence and conviction made my whole being feel warm and appreciated. I wonder if the others feel the same too?

"So, what happens here now, Sylvia. I'll confess I didn't come here to start another fight with yet another of the Devil King's Generals. If you are willing to withdraw, both from this place, and from any further attacks against this village, then I will be willing to let you leave here alive this day."

Sylvia was clearly taken aback at first by his words, but she was quick to recover and says-

"You are a confident one, I'll give you that mister stranger. But are you really so confident that you and your party could win here against me? I can easily bring my entire army of beast down upon you all at a moment's notice here you know."

"Yes, I believe you could. Now please allow me to send your own question back at you, Sylvia. Are YOU really so confident that you could win this fight, especially when your fellow Generals have already fallen? Well, the next move is yours..."

From behind me, I could hear Yunyun and Cielo whispering between each other; just barely-

"Do you think Kazuma's bluff will work on her?"

"Don't know but who says it's a bluff? With all of us here, the odds are in our favor after all?"

I hear Sylvia sigh, making me look back at her as she says-

"Oh well, I don't get paid enough to take these sorts of risk anyways. Very well then, mister stranger. I will withdraw this day though I can't make any promises about not returning to this village someday to continue my assault. Perhaps we'll have a chance to dance together another day..."

And with that, Sylvia gets onto one of her strange looking beasts before they leave the area.

Once they were gone, Kazuma returns Chunchunmaru to its sheath before letting out a relief filled breath.

"Geez, that was nerve racking. For a second there, I was really thinking she would want to fight it out with us. Man, I really don't need this sort of tension in my life."

"Funny, it looked like you were having fun from my point of view. Good job there, Kazuma."

Said Darkness as she walks up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kazuma, I thought you were pretty cool looking back there. Anyways, what should we do now?"

Kazuma looks back at Yunyun to answer her question, saying-

"Yunyun, I want you to go alert your dad about what just happened. Also, let him know about what we have just learned about the General too. This will be helpful should she plan on making another attack here in the sooner or if she tries to play the role of a tourist next time she comes around."

Yunyun nods as she turns to leave, with Cielo quickly following after her while saying back to us-

"I'll go as well... say Yunyun, can I also stay with you at your parents place tonight?"

Once they were gone, I walk up to Kazuma and Darkness and ask-

"So, what do we do now, Kazuma?"

Kazuma thinks for a second, then says-

"Megumin, are you feeling up for doing your daily Explosion today?"

His question reminds me that I haven't actually done it today, bringing a smile to my face.

"Yeah, I am. Is it OK if I use the open plains between the village and Sylvia's base, Kazuma?"

"Sure, why not... just don't actually try to hit her base at this time. Let's use your Explosion as more of a scare tactic here; make her see that launching another attack against the village would be a fool's game now."

He then turns to Darkness and says-

"Could you go with her, Darkness? There's something I need to go take care of."

"Sure, I can do that..."

"Wait Kazuma; what are you saying? Suggesting I go do my Explosion but then asking Darkness to... why can't you come with me?"

"Like I said, there's something important I need to do. You'll understand once you both get back. Tell you what; if my reason for having Darkness take you for this one isn't good enough in your opinion once you both get back, I'll do anything you want me to do for the rest of our stay here in the village."

Are you sure you actually have something that's more important though? This isn't just some attempt on your part to have some 'away' time from me just because of...

"What's wrong, Megumin?" Don't want the two of us to have a little alone time together?"

Asked Darkness, doing a poor job at trying to sound fake hurt here.

I look at her, saying-

"No, that's not it... I-I just like doing my Explosion routine with Kazuma is all..."

Kazuma then puts a hand on my shoulder as he says-

"I'll do it with you tomorrow, promise. Anyways, I think there's something you need to tell Darkness about, right? Or, do you think it would be better for her to hear it from someone else?"

Kazuma was right; I did need to tell Darkness about 'that' too, huh?

I finally nod my head, accepting this plan of his before me and Darkness take off so I could let one off while Kazuma, with Chomusuke, continued onwards towards the house.

I still couldn't help but wonder though... was Kazuma trying to avoid me now too?

I really hope not as I'm not sure if I could bare having him think of me in any kind of negative light...

==============={Part 6: What Awaits Them When They Come Home }================

Me and Darkness were on our way back to my family's home, following my Explosion practice for the day.

Since Kazuma wasn't present, I had decided to only do the one Explosion in order to be able to walk back; mainly because having to get a piggyback ride from Darkness, when she was wearing her armor, was one of the least pleasant experiences one could imagine.

Plus, there was also the fact I just really liked Kazuma's back way more than anyone elses too.

As we had walked back, I had finally broken down and told my dark and shameful secret to Darkness too and following that, she had been nerve rackingly silent.

The silence between us was starting to get very uncomfortable so I decided to break the silence between us.

"Darkness... please tell me your thoughts right now. Are you... are you mad at me? Do you hate me too?"

Darkness finally responds by looking at me, her eyes filled with concerned.

"Mad? Hate? No, I'm neither of those things, Megumin. I'm a little disappointed, sure, but never mad. And as for the hate part? Why would you think telling me what you did would make me hate you?"

"(I turn away as I say) Well... I think Cielo may hate me now. Her asking Yunyun if she can stay with her out of the blue like that, I can't help but..."

Darkness stops walking as she places a hand on my shoulder, making me stop as well to look up at her.

"Megumin... Cielo doesn't hate you; I'm sure of that at least. I think... she's just wanting to make some space so she can figure some things out. I can understand the why she would though, knowing what I do about that incident. Give her time and she'll want to be around you again, even if things don't ever go back to the way they were between the two of you again."

"What about you, Darkness? Are you wanting to also have a little space with me as well?"

I asked her, getting a reaction I hadn't expected to see here.

She pulls away from me and turns away, a closed fist being placed over her chest.

"No Megumin, I don't... because if I did, then it would make me a hypocrite here. After all, at least your mistake didn't actually end with anyone dying... apart from the monsters that is."

Eh? What are you saying, Darkness?

After a moment, Darkness finally looks back at me and says-

"I know what you must be thinking, Megumin. All right, I'll go ahead and tell you a big secret about my past here. In return, will you promise me that it'll stay just between us for now. Nobody knows about this, not even Chris or even Luna as she didn't start working at the Guild till after this incident."

I nod as I wait for Darkness to begin.

"This happened about three years ago, when I was fifteen... I think. I had first come to Axel to become an Adventurer. Back then, I didn't go by Darkness but instead; I went by the name Hope which was my mother's name. To see how I looked back then, few would probably recognize that girl as the me of today. It only took me three days before I found a party to join and my life as an Adventurer began."

"At the time, I had wanted those day, filled with fun and laughter, to last forever. But in reality, it didn't even last a month before it all came crashing down."

"What happened?"

I asked her.

"One day, we took on a quest; nothing big, nothing we knew we couldn't handle. Found a den of Rookie Killer cubs while on the way. I insisted that we should kill them before they had a chance to grow to maturity and become a threat. My party was hesitant at first but ultimately agreed with me. It was easy enough, until the parents returned before we could finish up. I tried to use my great strength and defense to keep one pinned to the wall while the others finished off the other."

"I could have killed the one I was keeping detained if I had wanted as it had a scar on its underbelly I could have easily stabbed and exploited. Instead, I was having too much fun toying with it, letting my fetish make me mentally debate what would happen if I let up on it just a little."

"I was so lost in my fantasy that I failed to notice another Rookie Killer had arrived and my old party crying out for help. Not until only me and our party's leader were left. I was horrified at what had happened and had been ready to fight to the death in the hopes of avenging the others."

"Instead, our leader who was of the rare Berserker class grabbed me and tossed me outside the cave the Rookie Killers had been using as a den before using his brute strength to collapse the entrance, trapping him inside with the beast. That day, I suffered the greatest dread any Adventurer could ever experience in life; seeing their team die and knowing it was all because of their foolish choice."

"Darkness..."

I was stunned, unsure of what to say to her.

"After that, I actually destroyed my Adventurer card and drank a forbidden level rest potion to undo all my progress I had made. I even returned home and would remain so for about a year; before the urge to become an Adventurer returned. At first, I tried to ignore it but soon, father was able to convince me to give it another shot and... well, here I am now. I returned to Axel, sporting a new look, taking on the name Darkness and meeting Chris soon after followed by my meeting you all. You know the rest there."

"And the name Darkness?"

"A reminder to me; of that day; the darkest day in my life... well, one of them anyways. I decided to give this life another go, wanting to make up for that past sin. Not sure if I've been doing a good job there, all things considered. But seeing as I haven't gotten anyone killed yet this time, I'm assuming I'm doing better than before."

She then gives me a confident smile though it was also a smile filled with much doubt and uncertainty.

She then sighs before saying-

"We've both made mistakes in our past, Megumin; we both have made choices we both regret. We can't change that. All we can do is keep moving forward and hope that we can avoid making those same mistakes in the future. That's all anyone can do, really."

I smile at her at first, then look down as I once again pull out my Adventurer's card.

"But there is more that we CAN do though, right? I mean, we could... should both stop being stubborn and do the one thing we have yet to do. I could learn other magic spells and you could learn an offensive skill to fix that accuracy problem. But we don't, we just keep holding onto our selfish ways despite how much better we could make things go for our friends. What does that say about us?"

"It say we're both a bunch of stubborn, hardheaded idiots. That's why I always make sure I keep a few skills points available at any given time so that I can learn an offensive skill if... IF the need for me to do so really does come along. What about you, Megumin? Maybe it's time to keep a couple in reserve, just in case you ever find the need to learn something else. After all, Beginner level magic is cheap enough, right?"

Yeah, you're right, Darkness. I should at least do that... though Beginner Magic?

Perhaps she was good at guessing my thoughts or perhaps I was just that easy to read in the moment; no matter as Darkness then says to me.

"Let me guess; the idea of a Crimson Demon learning the weakest class of magic is disturbing to think about, huh? Don't forget what our fearless leader has shown what one can do with the weakest magic so long as they have a decent imagination to work with. And, seeing as YOU are the one with the highest intellect within the party, just imagine what you could come up with."

I look at her again; her reassuring smile making me feel more confident now.

Yeah, I shouldn't just brush off Beginner magic, not after seeing what one can do with it thanks to Kazuma.

"You're right; thank you Darkness. I'm starting to feel better now."

"Good, now let's hurry up and get back to your parents place so we can find out what was so important that Kazuma felt the need to hand you over to me."

Agreed, let's go find out what he's up to.

After a bit of walking, me and Darkness finally reached the main road heading to the old house when...

"BIG SISTER!"

I jump before quickly turning around to see Komekko running towards me with my parents casually walking behind her.

Komekko jumps into my awaiting arms as I give her a warm hug.

"Hey Komekko, did you do anything fun today?"

She pulls away from me and nods happily before saying-

"Yeah... daddy made one his his new potions go all 'BOOM' on his face and mom needed to spend most of the afternoon trying to return his face back to normal instead of working on her translation job."

I then turn to look at me dad, giving him a deadpan look before saying-

"What were you failing at making this time, dad?"

"Megumin, I wasn't failing... I was experimenting. There's a big difference there. In this case, the experiment just... got a little out of hand..."

"And all over your face as well, right honey."

My mom then laughed, making my dad look at her with pleading eyes.

I sigh before saying-

"Dad, have you ever considered you are in the wrong line of work here? Maybe it's about time you try to find a different field to thrive in."

Dad gives me a shocked look before saying-

"What are you saying, my daughter? I'll have you know that I am continuing the family trade here; one that I inherited from my father and he from his, going back generation after generation. To give it up now would be an insult to all that they have built up over the years..."

"But aren't you already doing that by making those shitty potions and items, daddy?"

Both me and my father look at Komekko with a shocked expression while our mother gives my sister a most curious look.

And, off to the side, I hear Darkness snort just a little.

I did agree with Komekko's assessment though; I just found her choice of words to be most alarming.

My mother then leans in and ask-

"Komekko, where did you learn such a... curious word as 'shitty' at? That's a word only grownups should use, not a sweet innocent flower such as yourself."

My sister cocks her head to the side before saying-

"Bukkatoli... I think..."

Me and mom look at each other before we both sigh.

Of course, it had to have been Bukkororii who was filling my innocent little sisters head with such 'filth', just like he had done before by introducing her to the word 'pimp.'

"Well, that's another thing I need to add to my to-do list for tomorrow. Kicking that idiot... Anyways, dad... will it be OK if me and Kazuma hang out with you for a bit tomorrow. There's some things we need to talk to you about."

"Hm? Oh yeah... sure, I'm fine with that. In fact, both me and your mother were wanting to spend some time with him tomorrow if it was possible. Your mother especially as you had told us in your last letter that Kazuma can actually read the ancient language on the old ruins scattered around the village. Seeing as you mother is the one currently in charge of the translation attempt, his service would be of great help."

My mother nods before adding-

"Do you think Kazuma would be OK with helping me for a while, Megumin?"

"I, I think so as I did ask him if he could do that very thing before. Anyways, let's be heading home. I want to find out what Kazuma's big surprise is."

"I was wondering where he was..."

Said father as we turn to head home.

We began to walk back home; chatting about the excitement that had gone down that day; something my mother found especially humorous when suddenly...

Komekko starts to sniff the air, then says-

"I can smell something yummy... (sniff sniff) … coming from the house!"

Before I, or anyone else for that matter, could react to his sudden words, Komekko had wriggled her way free my my hold, then racing off at a speed I had never seen her achieve before.

"Komekko, wait... where are you...?"

I tried to shout out to her, but she was already gone from my line of sight.

Beside me, Darkness releases an impressive whistle before saying-

"Damn, that little sister of yours sure knows how to book it. (looks at my parents) Did either of you know she could run THAT fast?"

Father shakes his head while mother...

"I've only ever seen her move that fast when there's food involved which is weird as we don't have that much to offer at home... at any point."

Something I knew very easily... wait, Kazuma had said he had done a few things around the village during those few hours he was away from us.

Could he have...?

I find myself breaking into a run with Darkness and my parents being right behind me.

Once we had cleared one final hill, the old house came into view, and we had arrived just in time to spy Komekko practically destroy the door as she hurried inside.

A few moments later, we had arrived ourselves and that's when we were finally able to smell it; that heavenly fragrance my sister must have been alerted to before.

And it was a very familiar smell to me too.

Moving through the house into the small kitchen; the sight that awaited us confirmed my thoughts.

Kazuma was in there, doing some cooking; and I mean a LOT of cooking as there was a ton of food already finished and waiting to be served.

Sitting on his head was Chomusuke, drool around her mouth; and standing close to Kazuma, using a stool to help her get a better look, was my sister with wide eyes filled with wonder and no small amount of drool dripping from her mouth as well.

"Kazuma?"

I finally managed to get out, then taking a quick moment to look at my parents to see that their reactions were mirroring that of Komekko's.

Kazuma looks back at us and says-

"Ah, there you guys are. Can you all go ahead and get the table ready. Dinner for today will be ready here in a couple of minutes."

Kazuma's request seemed to snap my parents out of their dreamy gaze towards him... or was it towards the food? Probably the food as they give him an affirming nod before turning away to get to work.

Kazuma then looks at Komekko and says-

"And as for you, Komekko; better go wash your hands before we start eating, OK. After all, we don't want any nasty dust to get onto our food now, right. That will make it not taste as good or yummy."

I couldn't help but crack a grin at that; that grin growing bigger as my sister cheered in agreement.

Darkness then called out to my sister, telling her to come with her and she will help make sure she washes properly.

Of course, Darkness had to walk over and pull Komekko away as my sister found turning her eyes away from the food was impossible; a fact that was made even clearer when she complained about being taken away.

As Darkness, with my sister in her arms passes me; she stops long enough to give me a wink and says-

"He's all yours..."

Once it was just the two of us, I walk over to Kazuma and look at the food he had made before looking at him.

"So Megumin... was this an acceptable reason for me to skip out on doing our routine for today?"

My response was to wrap myself around his arm and nuzzle my cheek against his shoulder.

Not the most comfortable of actions; cheek to shoulder I mean, but I didn't really notice the discomfort.

"Why didn't you tell me you were planning on doing something like this, Kazuma? You know I would have helped you out."

He looks at me, gives me that charming smile of his before saying-

"Yeah, I guess I could have done that. But if I had, then it would have spoiled the surprise here. So, what do you think of it?"

"... Thank you, Kazuma. For you do to this... I mean, this all means SO much to me, and to my family too. I'll never forget this day, ever."

And I meant that too; him doing this for me and my family would stay with me forever.

In fact, I better make sure to add this moment into my 'Kazuma' diary, which keeps track of any and all things Kazuma related within my life so that I can always make sure I can remember.

"And this is only the beginning too, Megumin. Just you wait now for this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what I have planned for your parents and little sister."

His words make me look up at him; my face being one of clear confusion as I ask-

"What do you mean, Kazuma? What else are you...?"

Kazuma stops me from speaking with his free hand, pressing a finger to my lips.

I confess that, for a split second, the thought of opening my mouth to let said finger slide inside so I could let my tongue taste whatever yummy flavor my nose was picking up from said finger.

I didn't do that however, thankfully, as I would have died from the embarrassment of doing that at this time. Instead, I ask him-

"Kazuma... what are you... what do you mean?"

His smile turns into a cheeky grin before he says-

"And spoil the surprise here. (he then wags the finger he had used to silence me before me) You'll have to wait two more days before I can answer that one. I promise though, it will be worth it."

I puff my cheeks out at him, saying-

"But I want to know now! Can't you please tell me at least?"

I was never one for patient type.

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait. I promise it will be worth it. Now, care to help me take all this food out there so that we may begin the feast?"

I really wanted to make him tell me what his big plan he was hiding was, but I knew he wouldn't.

Besides, he did say I would find out in two days so I guess I could wait.

For right now though, I decide I will be content with eating all this yummy looking food which I knew would taste amazing.

After all, it was all cooked by Kazuma so how could it not be!

Dinner that night was probably the best dinner I had ever had in my life; I knew it was the best my family had ever experienced at least.

Mom and dad had never looked so happy and content; Darkness and they chatted about all kinds of things.

Komekko was having the time of her life. She would alternate between stuffing her cheeks full, grabbing hold of those puffed cheeks with jovial glee, and staring at Kazuma with stars in her eyes.

Kazuma would occasionally talk with us and the rest of the time he would just be sitting there with a smile on his face.

And as for me? Well, let's just say this made things all the easier for me to do what it is I wanted to do.

{Insert Image 4}

========================={ Part 7: Crimson Snowfall }=========================

Where am I?

My eyes had opened into the darkened room; my hazy mind needing a few moments to awaken as well before the sight I was looking up at finally registered in my mind.

It was the ceiling of the bedroom; I was once again in the bedroom.

But when had I...?

I curse myself for having done it again as I finally recalled what must have happened before.

Downstairs, during that amazing dinner Kazuma had made for us; I can recall resting my head upon his shoulder as all the food had made me feel drowsy.

I must have actually fallen asleep right after.

Why did I do that again? It was just like during the campfire that night with me and Kazuma...?

Speaking of, where is Kazuma? Did mom lock us in here together again? Did he make an escape through the window...?

"So, finally decided to wake up, sleepy head?"

Kazuma asked me, making me sit up and look around to see him sitting before the window.

"Kazuma... so you are here with me tonight?"

He nods before saying-

"It would seem so. Your mom used her sleep spell on me... like she did with everyone else too. Door's locked again so we're stuck in here till morning."

She did? I swear, that woman sometimes... well, I won't complain given the circumstances.

I thought then occurs to me.

"I see you decided to not go running off by way of the window again, like you did last night."

"Of course not; it's eve colder out there tonight than it was last night. Besides, I did promise you this morning I wouldn't do that again."

Oh yeah, I did make him promise me that should we find ourselves in this situation again.

"About that, Kazuma. Why did you run away last night? You never told us the reason when we asked you earlier. And about both last night and tonight, why didn't you just wake me up and talked to me? I would have said I was fine with us sleeping together... I mean, next to each other."

Kazuma was quiet for a few moments before he said-

"I was planning on waking you... asking you last night but as I was going to do that, my memory of what happened after I had been kidnapped by those Orcs came back to me. It through me into something of a panic attack and... well, I ended up making an impact upon the ground outside."

"And as for tonight... I guess I didn't want to wake you up. I mean, you were looking so content there; I was worried I would pull you out of the good dream you seemed to be having... if you were having one that is."

Had I been having a good dream before waking up? Hm, I honestly can't recall here.

I shake my head, preparing to tell Kazuma to hurry up and get in bed with me when I take notice of the book he had in hand; the same book we had seen him with his nose in earlier.

"Kazuma? What's with that book? I remember seeing you with it when we found you before."

I ask this as I get crawl over to join him beside the window, taking a seat beside him.

After a moment, he finally decides to tell me.

"Back when we were at the Labyrinth, I found this in the same room me and Cielo found the Mason Gloves. Seems to be some sort of powerful divine tool, much like the gloves. For some reason, I was able to use it from the start. The book has the power to answer any question you ask it, so long as it isn't about the future."

Wow, that's amazing. I wonder if I could try asking it some questions I have on my mind?

That's a question for another day as I find myself looking at the page Kazuma had been reading to see what he was currently using it for.

"How to create new forms of magic and skills? Kazuma, what's all this about?"

"I've been thinking; what if I could bring the 'skills' that we have from back home over here. I've been looking through the Guidebook, and I've even asked this Know-It-All just exactly what magics, and skills currently exist for Adventurer's to tap into. I can see there being so much more than can be given to everyone here."

This makes my eyes go wide as I had never once given that any thought.

Why simply settle with what we already have on hand? Why not go beyond and create what we want?

In my case, why settle for Explosion just as it is? Why not take it to a whole new level while I'm at it too?

I'm sure if I could succeed, that would make master Wolbach very happy on the day we finally meet again.

"I'm so disappointed with myself, Kazuma. I'm said to be the smartest of our clan but the idea to create new spells or spell variations has never once crossed my mind. So, can you do it? Can you show me the spells and such from your homeland?"

He chuckles as he closes the book, then looks at me.

"Eventually yes, assuming I can succeed in making what I know from back home real here. I've more or less got the gist on how to do it. It's just a matter of getting the materials then doing the work to make what lies inside my noggin' real to be shared with all."

I immediately pull away, going to sit on my knees as I give him a determined look.

"Just tell me what you'll need; write it down at that. Before we leave, I'll make sure you get whatever materials our village has to offer."

"I'll probably need to give you some eris too in order to get those materials."

I shake my head at him, telling him-

"There will be no need for that. Once I explain what the materials you'll need will be for, I'm sure they will be given to us free of charge as my people will want to have new spells to play with."

He laughs at my excitement, an act that makes me glare at him for a second before I giggle, realizing how I must look to him right now.

"I'm sure, I'm sure; and on that note, Megumin. If I do succeed in creating new spells, would you be interested in learning any of them? You, who has proclaimed that she will only ever learn Explosion?"

His question is a good one; would I be willing to learn other spells if they came from Kazuma himself?

Before I could reply, I find myself turning away towards the window to see-

"Hey, it's started to snow outside. Been a while since we last had any around here."

I then raise myself up to get a better look through the window, an act Kazuma was quick to follow.

He then takes notice of something, making him look at me to ask a question I knew he was going to ask-

"Red Snow?"

I hold a finger up to him, taking on a lecturing manner as I say-

"Technically, we call it Crimson Snow. You see, Kazuma; the special barrier we have around the village does more that act as a defense mechanism for us; it also has several other properties to it too. Like what you're seeing now. Any snow that falls onto the village, once it passes through the barrier, will be magically changes to a crimson color... to match our particular style."

He chuckles as he says-

"Why am I not surprised?"

For the next few minutes, the two of us just wait there in silence as we watch the snow fall.

In that time, I mentally begin to build up my nerve, preparing to say the words I've been wanting to say to him for a good while now and just as I'm about to say them-

Kizutsuki, kokoro ga kowasa wo oboteku

(Feeling so hurt, The heart starts to feel fear)

Setsunaki, kokoro ga nanika ni motareteku

(Feeling so sad, The heart aches with need)

Tsuyosa was, subeto wo tsutsumikonda toride

(The strength inside, Is the fortress that can envelope all)

Yashisa, namida wo shirazu ni wa katarenai

(The kindness inside, It cannot be told without shedding tears)

Tonight, Tonight

Yureyu honoo wo heto hazashita

(Pointed to the wavering flame is)

Midnight blue

Yami yo... Ame yo... Ima oshiete

(Oh darkness, oh rain, tell me now)

Ysuki yo... Kaze yo... Ima kotaete

(Oh moon, oh wind, answer me now)

Tooku... Tooku... Haurka tooku

(Oh far, so far, far in the distance)

Tabi no hateni nani ga aruno

(What awaits me at the end of my travels)

Yami yo... Ame yo... Ima oshiete

(Oh darkness, oh rain, tell me now)

Nami yo... Kage yo... Ima kotaete

(Oh waves, oh shadows, answer me now)

Tooku... Tooku... Haurka tooku

(Oh far, so far, far in the distance)

Tabi no hateni nani ga aruno

(What awaits me at the end of my travels)

Once he had finished, Kazuma looks at me, seeing my stunned face.

He gives me a moment to recover before I say-

"Kazuma... was that... were you singing just now?"

He gives me a sheepish look as he says-

"Yeah, one of several songs from back home I have memorized. Don't know why I started singing all of a sudden like I did. It just felt... right for the moment for some reason."

"What did the words you say mean? I'm guessing that was the language of your homeland you were speaking in."

He gives me a nod which makes me then ask-

"Kazuma, do you think that... maybe, one of these days, you can teach me how both read and speak your homelands words? Could you teach me to cook as well as you do too?"

"I can do that, yes. But on one condition, Megumin."

"What is it?"

"You'll have to wear that cute little schoolgirl uniform when I'm teaching you. Deal?"

My response was to give him a deadpan look, one that quickly fails and turns into a laugh as I say-

"You're just trying to be a pervert here, aren't you?"

"Maybe; doesn't mean you won't be learning anything though."

"(sigh) What am I going to do with you? Oh well, you got yourself a deal... professor Kazuma."

"Just Kazuma-sensei will be fine here. Now then, we both should be getting back to bed, don't you think?"

"But there's a lot more I want to talk to you about... (quietly to myself) … and so much I want to do too."

I feel him pat me on my head; the act that both annoyed made me feel happy at the same time.

"How about we save the rest for tomorrow night, Dynamite? After all, seeing as we know what your mother's going to do, we can just beat her to the punch, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right. But you better be ready, Kazuma. I have a lot of questions I want to ask you. Questions I expect you to answer."

As well as a few things I plan on doing too.

He gives me a nod; I then move back over to the covers before looking back and inviting him to join me.

He is hesitant at first, but I give him the OK, that I was fine with him being beside me.

Once he had joined me, I catch him off guard by letting him have the pillow while I rest my head upon his chest.

This was awkward, for the both of us; that much I knew.

But, as I drifted back into dream land, I couldn't help but feel that there was something nostalgic about this as well.

In a strange way, us being like this felt like we had done it plenty of time before.

It just felt... right-

Next time: Kazuma finds himself spending the day with Hyoizaburoo and Yuiyui, helping them out with their issues. Kazuma also has Yunyun help him out with a little matter involving her father. And then, the third night for Kazuma and Megumin; but just how much will they get to do and say to one another before Sylvia arrives to launch her big attack. Find out next time...

Image 1: Two images; one has Kazuma, Cielo, and Darkness peeking inside the shrine to see Megumin doing her cat dance around the statue. The other is said three doing their own cat poses to a shocked Megumin.

Image 2: Megumin, Yunyun, and Cielo wearing the traditional Red Prison girl's attire.

Image 3: A terrified Kazuma running from a ton of Crimson Demon school girls, who have glowing eyes; a shadowy image of the female Orcs hovering above them.

Image 4: Kazuma, Megumin, her family, and Darkness sitting 'round the table; eating and enjoying themselves.