Chapter 4: So Much Good Stuff...

====================={Part 1: A Maiden's Waking Thoughts}======================

I awoke to a warm and comfortable feeling surging through my body-

A feeling and comfort so strong that I almost decided to just go ahead and go right back to sleep.

But I then recalled that today was the day my parents wanted to spend some time with Kazuma-

Wanting to get to know him better; to help mother out with her work as the villages premier translator.

So, I better go ahead and get up and make sure he was up and ready to go too.

Anyways, where was Kazuma at? If I could recall correctly, last night he and I...?

I then remember as I turn my head upward, seeing his still sleeping form breathing lightly.

Seeing him like this warmed my hear in ways I never thought would be possible.

In fact, much of the feelings Kazuma seemed to be able to make me feel I had once thought only possible to experience solely through Explosion magic.

As I look at him, I send to him a silent thank you, both for still being here with me now-

And for giving me, without question, the best night of sleep I had ever had in my entire life.

Strange, to think being with him could make me feel THIS well rested upon waking up in the mornings-

Perhaps I should consider asking him if we could become roommates from here on out?

As I muse on that thought, another couple were quick to join in; making a little dance within my mind.

One of these thoughts was the realization that, during the night, I had moved my body even closer to his-

Instead of sleeping beside him, with my head resting on his chest-

I had moved so that I was pretty much laying right on top of him, for the most part.

And while that only was fairly embarrassing to realize, it was the other part that that filled me with equal parts dread and wonder here.

And the reason for that? Well, I could feel something poking me down there, around my stomach-

Which was perfectly positioned over Kazuma's crotch.

Now, while I was still a noob when it came to 'this and that' stuff, I wasn't so naïve as to not know just what it was I could feel poking me there.

Still didn't stop me from pushing against it ever so slightly, feeling a twitch from it in response.

For a second, my mind went into panic mode over how I should respond here now.

Should I immediately go into a 'freak out' which could result in any number of outcomes-

Most, if not all of which, I'm sure I would regret doing later?

Or, should I-

I feel myself smiling smugly as I look down at the 'tent' Kazuma had in his pants, moving my body just enough to be able to make it out.

Seeing... knowing that being with me like we had been last night had caused Kazuma to get...

What did I hear Bukkororii call it again? 'Morning wood' or whatever?

Either way, the fact I had caused Kazuma to have it filled me with bountiful pride here.

It just further proved that, despite my lack of certain physical attributes, I was still more than capable of being seen as desirable among the opposite sex.

Of course, I was only happy about this discovery because it was coming from Kazuma.

If it was any other guy, I have no doubt I would have slapped them and called them a pervert and such.

Anyways, we really need to be getting up right now, though I guess Kazuma was already doing that...

OK, that was a bad choice for thoughts there from me.

Still though...?

I find myself looking back at his cute slumbering face.

He still looked so peaceful and content in his slumber that I hated to bring him out of it now.

But if I didn't, then I was sure mom would be coming around before to long to do that for us.

And I'd rather NOT have her suddenly come barging in to see this scene.

Neither of us would ever hear the end of it.

So, how should I wake him up?

I then find my gaze returning to the south and for a moment, my eyes just stare at it again.

And it was then, that a thought crossed my mind; a most perverted and depraved thought-

One I had never had before.

I immediately try to push that thought from my mind as it was a vulgar and disgusting thought-

And yet, there was also something about that thought that warmed my cheeks and made my own lower area tingle ever so slightly.

Without even realizing it, I began to move myself downward till I was better positioned to his crotch.

Well, since I was 'here' and all, I suppose there would be no harm in taking a peek and all, right?

After all, it's not like I hadn't seen 'little Kazuma' before, right?

In fact, I had seen it twice already; once being the night we stayed at the mansion for the first time-

And the other being the bath incident involving the two of us and Cielo.

I recall during THAT time, Cielo had reached out and timidly touched it while all I had down was stare, being unaware that it could do something like THAT!

It was that day that so many things had started to make sense to me about the whole baby making system.

Of course, she had quickly freaked out; we both did when we realized what it was we were doing there-

We had then, quickly, ran him upstairs and placed him onto his bed before retreating to out rooms to 'think about' what had happened back there.

At least that's what I had done as Cielo had never told me what SHE had done once hidden away in her room that day.

Anyways, need to get back to this moment here.

As I move a hand to grab the edges of Kazuma's pants, I find myself coming to a stop.

Just what the hell am I even doing here?

Am I really just about to violate his trust here by pulling his pants down, all so I can get another look at 'big little Kazuma'?

If I were to do this, I would have to acknowledge that I would be OK with him coming to me when I was asleep and doing such lude and perverted acts to me as well.

I mean, it would only be fair to do so... if he ever found out I had done this to him first, that is.

I take in a deep breath, probably not the best idea here as my face was right above his crotch area.

By accidentally taking in his scent now, it ignited something from deep within me-

A voice that demanded and screamed at me to continue.

My smug, prideful attitude returns in full force; my decision made.

I will go ahead and allow myself to expose it, to look at it and study it for a few minutes here; nothing more than that.

And if Kazuma does end up wake up before I was done, then... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it won't we.

As I start to slowly, and carefully, remove his pants, I become aware of a pair of eyes locked onto me.

I nervously turn my head to look at Kazuma's face; seeing that he was still asleep so then who...?

"Mom, what's big sister trying to do with big brothers pants?"

Came the voice of Komekko, making my heart freeze as I turn to see my mother, sitting on her knees while holding my sister in her arms-

Komekko had a confused yet curious look on her face while mother's face had her own smug grin present.

"Oh, she's just wanting to give your new brother a 'generous wake-up call', sweety."

My eyes go wide with horror, all the color quickly draining from my face as I stutter out-

"M-M-Mom... K-K-Komekko, w-w-w-w-what are you two d-d-doing in here?"

My mother, as expected, just smiles all the more as she says to me-

"Mm, oh don't mind us. Please, continue here..."

Forgetting what my current position on Kazuma was, and the fact my hands were still gripping his pants-

I scream at the top of my lungs, my actions more or less dictating how the rest of this day was probably going to go for me... and for Kazuma here too.

======================={Part 2: Parent's Day- Megumin}=======================

"Have a good day dear. Make sure you stay on you best behavior. Kazuma, I'll see you at lunch, OK?"

Shouted my mother as we watched Kazuma and Darkness leave with my father.

Back inside the house, I could hear Komekko laughing happily as she played with Chomusuke, who didn't sound nearly as happy about keeping my sister entertained.

Darkness had decided to go along with them, at least until they got to the village proper where she would then break away from them to go join Yunyun and Cielo in order to do more sight seeing.

As I watched them head off, I found myself crossing my arms over my chest and huffing just a little bit.

"Why do I have to stay back here with mom? I was really wanting to go with Kazuma..."

I mumbled under my breath, though I knew mother heard me, based on her next choice of words.

"Aw, why are you being so mean today, my little Megumin? Don't you want to spend time with your mother, who has been oh so worried about you these past few months."

I turn my head to look at her, giving her a 'don't give me that' look before saying-

"You say you're were worried about me yet you had zero issues with locking me into a room with a boy you were warned by Darkness was a potential threat to me and my chastity."

My mother's response was to give me a devious smile before she pointed out-

"And yet, I seem to recall a certain young maiden who, not even an hour ago, was about to pull the pants of that particular boy off him while he was still deep asleep. Something tells me either your chastity isn't something you're worried about in general or isn't a worry where he's concerned."

Her words make me blush as I look away from her.

I still can't believe I did that... or I was about to do that anyways. I mean, just what the hell was I thinking back there in that moment anyways?

My mother then laughs happily before saying-

"Ah, to finally see my first born growing up and starting to take an interest in boys. Oh, how it warms a mother's heart so. (She then leans in close) So tell me, not mother to daughter but instead girl to girl here, just how much have you and him done together already?"

I immediately pull away defensively, saying as I do so-

"We-We haven't done anything yet, I swear. (I then turn my head away from her gaze and mumble to myself) Not anything really..."

"OH? Is that so, my to stubborn to admit she's love sick daughter. Are you REALLY sure about that?"

I glance back at her, seeing that piercing gaze in her eyes; the kind that could penetrate deep within your very soul and somehow get the information she was wanting out of you.

I hated when she gave me that look as it always worked with making me confess anything and everything to her.

I try to not look at her, to avoid its power but just knowing her stare was upon me was more than enough to finally make me break.

I should really get her to teach me how to do that while we're here. Could be useful in the future.

"OK, OK, fine. I'll tell you. Kazuma has seen me completely naked once and topless another time. He's touched my chest four times, two of which had them fully exposed to him. I've observed him as he took a pee though he didn't know I was in there with him at first. I've seen him fully naked once, twice if you count that peeing moment and I'll admit that here recently, I have been feeling these 'urges' where Kazuma is concerned. There, happy now?"

I huff at her, making my mother smile brightly as she pats my head; an act to which I immediately stop by pushing her hand away.

I won't accept any head pats from anyone anymore unless they come from Kazuma...?

Wait, did I really just think that here?

"Well, I guess you becoming curious is only natural as you are at that age and all."

"(sigh) What's wrong with me? I was always so adamant about me being not interested in this sort of stuff and yet here I am, suddenly finding myself becoming more and more interested. Is this really how it goes for us girls, mom? Are we really so weak willed when we reach a certain age when it comes to stuff like this?"

To my surprise, my mother shakes her head before saying to me-

"Believe it or not, no. There are a lot of girls out there who, from a young age, have made a declaration to never submit to what can be seen as base, carnal desires and are able to achieve this goal. Never falling in love or seeking a romantic life. Even within our own clan, where we woman are known for being very 'curious' creatures, there are some who never succumb to such desires, like your aunt Chericheri."

Wait, is that really true?

"Then why...?"

"Why did YOU end up falling for a guy then? I'll tell you right now, Megumin, it wasn't because you're some sort of weak minded girl who can't overcome her carnal desires. Instead, it's because you met someone who you want to have that sort of relationship with. Your one and only... your soul mate if you will!"

The only one I would want to do those sorts of things with? My soul mate?

"So, what you're saying is that I wouldn't have these urges or curiosities with just anyone here. Instead, it's simply because it IS Kazuma that I'm starting to think and feel this way now?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

I sign in relief, knowing that it wasn't a bad as I feared it would be.

"Now, getting back to that initial question. Why are you upset to be staying with me this morning instead of being able to go with your father and Kazuma? Did you NOT want us to have some time together?"

I shake my head to her question, then I reply-

"No-No, it wasn't anything like that. I was just wanting to be there with Kazuma in order to make sure dad doesn't say or do anything I wouldn't approve of him doing. We would have had our time together too, once Kazuma came back around to help you out after lunch."

Hearing me say that makes my mother nod her head in understanding.

"I see, I see, I completely understand. But there's no need to worry there. Your father has promised me that he will be on his best behavior today with Kazuma. Doubly so after that divine meal he made for us last night. I doubt your father would want to risk losing that experience again, especially seeing as Kazuma said he would cook for us again tonight. By the way, I have to say you and the rest of your party are really lucky to have such an excellent cook to serve you each and every day."

Oh, you have no idea there, mom. Between Explosions, his special touch, both with and without the Drain Touch/Demi-Mana combo, and his food, a day doesn't go by when I... when we don't feel like we're in Heaven with him.

"There is a reason behind why I wanted us to do things this way, Megumin."

I then heard my mother say, her tone being more serious now, which makes me give her my full attention.

"What is it?"

After a pause, she says-

"There are things I want to talk to you about. Some of which are things I should have talked to you about before you even left to begin with all those months ago."

OK, you have my attention here. I wonder what it is she wants to talk about here?

Hm, I wonder if educating me on certain subjects I didn't learn from school is among the things she wants to talk about?

Oh yeah, before we begin doing that-

"Before that, mom. Can you tell me about your old relationship with boss Hiropon from back in the day?"

My question catches her off guard, making her ask-

"Well that's an odd question to be sending at me from right out of the blue there. You want to know about me and Hiropon? Why? Where did this question come from?"

I tell her about the meeting we had with Yunyun's parents, making her sigh.

"It seems I have two people now I have to go smack around a little bit. The first is Bukkororii for teaching your sister some questionable words while she's still so young. (I tell mom to also include all the stuff he said to me when I was younger too) And now I also need to pay a visit to Hiropon and put him in his place for trying to perv himself with you."

She must have sensed my eyes still being locked onto her as she had talked with herself, bringing her back to reality.

She then takes me back inside and tells Komekko to take Chomusuke outside to play for a bit.

Once we were alone and sitting on the floor, she finally begins to talk details-

"OK, first things first, Megumin. I need to give you some background information about our family here. To start off, I'm sure I've told you before; about the curse the women on my side of the family have been forced to deal with for several generations."

"I remember you saying something about it before; claiming that it was this 'curse' that's the cause behind why we have these small and underdeveloped bodies. To be honest mom, I never believed it, instead I thought it was simply because we didn't get enough to eat. I mean, if it was a curse, surely it could have been lifted by now, right?"

"I wish it were that simple, I really do. If it was just a simple case of malnourishment, then I would be more developed than I am as I didn't have it as rough as you had it growing up. No, we are cursed. No 'if and-or buts' about it."

But that still didn't make sense to me. If it is a curse, then why hasn't it been broken yet?

Perhaps because she knew the kind of thoughts I was having here, mother decided to explain.

"It started with your great-great grandmother. She, along with her best friend at the time, decided to break from tradition and leave the village in order to see the world and expand their great knowledge and experience towards all things magic."

"While out there, they met and befriended a boy, a traveler from a far distant land, like your Kazuma. The three traveled for a time and both came to fall in love with him, but he only returned our granny's love which made the best friend very angry and jealous. This led her to do something cruel, maybe even evil."

"Using her knowledge of potion making she gained while out there, she created a potion that she claimed would make their wedding night go be even more amazing. Instead, it cursed our granny, causing her well developed body to shrink and become how our body's look right now."

"Naturally, she was questioned about this, but refused to ever confess any wrong doing. Instead, she claimed that our granny must have suffered a mandatory curse due to breaking tradition by marrying an outsider, something that was considered a taboo back then. Of course, no one seemed to remember that she herself had wanted to marry said outsider as well."

As mom takes a moment to breath from her explanation, I mull over her words inside my head.

"If this curse was done up in a potion form, doesn't that mean it can be broken? What about dispel magic? Surely that could work here too?"

Mother shakes her head, saying-

"Each and every type of dispel magic has been used, over several generations even including me myself. It has never done anything as there's something about this curse that shields it from being broken in that manner. Seeing as it was done up in the form of a potion; we have all determined that it COULD be broken if we knew exactly what went into the making of it."

I lean forward; an earnestness present in my voice as I say-

"Then let's go ask that vindictive rival's family? I'm sure they must have..."

Mom stops my words by shaking her head.

"They don't, I'm afraid. It seems she never wrote down how she made this potion. Nor did she share it with anyone either. No, I'm afraid she took it with her to her grave. And it wasn't old age that did her in either. Rather, it was an Advance Stalker; a cousin to the Rookie Killer family, that killed her while she was out. Some believe that maybe she had been working on a potion to dispel the curse as it seems she had shown signs of regret for her actions later on. Sadly, we'll never really know."

"Now, getting us closer to the present here, to the point where I can answer your question. The girls in our family gained something of a reputation which made it hard for us to make friends. You see, there was a fear that the curse we suffered from could affect other girls if they socialized with us which made things rather lonely. I know it did for me as I didn't have any friends growing up..."

"That is, until I met your father at age eight. He was an oddball himself, actually wanting to make friends with a girl which was something male Crimson Demons that age usually didn't seek. They thought we were all infected with 'the blushies' as they called it."

I roll my eyes at hearing that; not surprised to learn the boys of the clan were really that stupid.

"To be fair though; us girls were in a similar boat as the boys. We all thought that hanging around them would make us become as stupid as they were in our eyes. Did you ever think like that back then?"

Did I think like that back when I was eight? Huh, I guess I did.

"At least we were right, huh mom?"

We both giggle before she continues.

"Anyways, despite that thought being paramount in my mind, I still accepted your father's friendship as I was desperate for a friend. Over the next few years, we grew closer and closer and I finally told him of my family's curse. Your father, being the son of the villages potion and magic item maker, swore he would find a way to free us from our curse. His words were filled with so much confidence that I believed him straight away. Even to this day, I still believe he will one day do it."

"Then dad needs to hurry up. I'm tired of waiting."

Mom chuckles at me before her face shifts to being one of sadness.

I don't fail to notice that, making me ask her what's wrong.

"Oh, just remembering the one part of my childhood I never wanted to remember again. This incident occurred when I was around the same age you are now. It began when an outsider passed through our village. She was an amazing mage, a master of powerful magic of a scale we had never seen before. She was invited to teach a few classes at the academy for a few days which she accepted."

"While there, she talked about a lot of stuff; including things about her homeland. She told us of the bad boy character type, saying how all girls from back home liked it when their man was a bad boy rebel type. Her words made us all swoon, wishing we had our own boy in our lives."

"Hiropon became aware of this and as a result, he reinvented himself into looking and acting like a bad boy; which he still sort of does to this day thanks to his spike collar and leather themed attire. Because of this, all us girls naturally flocked to be around him. We were even fine with his perverted actions as we had been told it was all part of the ascetic of the bad boy."

"And, because of that, I did and said something very cruel to you father."

Hearing that makes me blink in surprise.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"I-I started to push him away, started to become cold to him; the guy who had been my best and only friend for so long though by this point in my life, I was starting to become friends with the other girls in my class, like Rikarika, as they realized that the curse wasn't one that could be spread around."

"There was also rumors being spread around the village about your father; how he always tried to reach to far only to fall flat on his face and that anyone who married him would only ever have a life of suffering awaiting them. Long story short, your father was seen as a bad luck charm. Even to this day, I still don't fully understand why as it can't just simply be because of his creations."

"Doesn't matter I guess as, either way, I ended up not associating with him for around four years. I won't go into detail about those four years beyond saying I made a few questionable choices during those days. But eventually, the bad boy obsession all us girls had faded away and for me personally, it also took with it my Crimson Fantasy. It was then I finally understood just how stupid I had been."

"It took another couple of years of work on my part, but I was finally able to make things right again with your father. He forgave me of all the hurt I had caused him and I in turn made a promise to myself. I swore I would always stand at his side forever, support him no matter what. I believe you know the rest."

Hearing that was a lot to take in, I must admit.

After she wipes a tear or two away, mom then looks at me and says-

"From your letters, I can assume you have also made choices in the past, in regards to Kazuma, that you greatly regret. Am I right?"

I nod, then say-

"Yeah, I have though it was just because I was being stupid. It had nothing to do with any Crimson Fantasy. I don't know about anyone else but I can at least say with confidence that my Fantasy has no control over me."

Mother leans in close to me before responding with-

"Don't be so foolish with that belief, Megumin. Even if none of your past mistakes were caused because of you were being driven by the Fantasy doesn't mean it won't ever happen. It's when you think you are free of it is when you are at your most vulnerable to be controlled by it. Look, all I'm saying here is be careful. Otherwise, you may end up with a regret that you'll never be able to overcome."

"OK, I get it. I hear what you're saying. Can we go ahead and move on to what it was you were wanting to talk to me about here?"

Mom gives me a sad look, clearly not believing in me or my confidence on this matter.

She then sighs before pulling away.

"Alright, if you're sure. We'll move on now. What I want to talk to you about is all the customary ways we Crimson Demons do things; how we start and end messages (I think I got that gist of that already), how we should properly conduct ourselves with outsiders (already know how to do that), and how us Crimson Demons go about doing a love confession to another (EH?)."

"Wait, hold it right there, mom. I don't need to be told anything about that last part. I mean, why would I ever need to know something like that? It's not like I'm ever going to..."

"So, you're saying you aren't ever going to confess to Kazuma at some point in the future."

"What's to confess? He's just a friend, an important friend and my best friend, but still just a friend only!"

"You say that and yet there was that little moment I caught you doing this morning."

That makes me blush hard as I sputter for a few seconds before saying-

"That-That's just because I'm curious, nothing more. Does it mean it's love just because I have a natural curiosity to check something out?"

Mom just sighs as she shakes her head and I was confident I heard her mumble something about the Crimson Fantasy though I decide to not pursue it.

She finally looks at me and says-

"So, you're saying that you really mean it about how you will never see him as anything more than a friend then?"

I nod, though I couldn't help but feel a little twinge of pain from inside my heart as I did so. Weird!

"No boyfriend or husband possibility there? (I shake my head again, this time showing my annoyance) How about as a friend with benefits?"

Huh, a what now?

Mom, seeing my confusion there, leans in close again with a big devious smile-

"That's right; a friend with benefits. That means that even though you both maintain being strictly friends with one another, you both can still engage in ALL the activities that would normally be exclusive to actual lovers. That means you both could still go around kissing each other and doing all the sex related acts with one another, but without the need to say you are anything more than just friends."

Hm, us becoming friends with benefits?

I can vaguely recall having heard that word said once or twice in the past, but I had never paid it any mind.

"Well... I suppose that COULD be an option for us... I guess..."

Mom then pulls back and claps her hand together happily.

"Excellent, excellent. Seeing as you have said that, would it be OK if I go ahead and teach you all about the many, many different ways we have to pleasure one another, Megumin? I mean, if the two of you do decide to add the benefits part to your status as best friends, then at least you will know what things you can do with him."

Well, I guess there's no harm in doing that... right?

I finally nod at her, agreeing to let her teach me about this stuff though I still couldn't quite believe I was doing this.

"Great, then let us begin at once. And, who knows my daughter, perhaps if the two of you do add benefits to your friendship, then maybe it could eventually lead to romantic love in the future?"

I glare at mom, making her laugh.

"Hey, it can happen. So, even if you say you aren't interested in learning it, I'll go ahead and teach you how to do a proper confession too, OK?"

I wanted to say no, to tell her to not waste time on that but I ultimately relent and accept her teaching me here.

The next three hours were... awkward, to say the least.

Some of the stuff mom ended up telling me filled me with absolute dread.

I mean, how could some of that stuff even be possible? Or considered legal and acceptable?

And yet, I found a warped sort of curiosity rising up within my about some of it too.

When lunch time came around, Dad and Kazuma finally returned.

Kazuma looked OK, happy even. And father; I don't think I've ever seen as much excitement on his face before as he had right now.

He and my mother talked briefly though I failed to hear what was said between them.

All I know is that whatever it was, it seemed to get mother all excited too.

Father also handed her two potion bottles and said to make sure both she and Komekko drank down the WHOLE thing.

When we sat for lunch, I found myself unable to sit beside Kazuma, or to even really look him in the eyes.

Every time I did, images would flow into my head; images of him and me doing some of the stuff mom had spoken to me about. Honestly, I was way to embarrassed to look at him.

Once lunch was over, I left to spend a few hours with dad while Kazuma stayed behind with mom and Komekko.

"Mom, don't forget to talk about you know what with Kazuma."

I yelled out, talking about the love confession bit.

Our clan's way of doing it was definitely a curious one; one I wanted to make sure Kazuma was aware of, just in case it ever did come up from either me or Yunyun.

Not that it would, of course; but it still doesn't hurt to play it safe.

As we walked towards the village, I decide now was as good a time as any to ask the question-

"So dad, what made you all smiles when you came home for lunch? Both you and Kazuma seemed to be happy about something."

"Hm? Oh that. I'll explain in detail once we get to the shop, but for now..."

"Let's just say our families fortune's may have finally been changed for the better here..."

========================{Part 3: Parent's Day- Kazuma}========================

"Well Kazuma, I'll be going now. I shall see you both later."

Said Darkness as she makes a graceful bow before turning to walk away.

"Yeah, see you later then. Make sure you don't go doing anything I wouldn't do... and for that matter, don't go doing anything YOU would probably do either!"

I yelled out, making her look back and wave away my concerns here.

Hyoizaburoo comes to stand beside me, saying-

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She strikes me as a calm, cool, level headed kind of girl."

"Then clearly you haven't spent enough time around her yet because I can assure you that she's anything BUT those things."

I said, giving him an incredulous look.

He stiffens for a moment, thinking who knows what here before turning his attention back to me and saying-

"S-So, shall we head over to my shop then. Let you see what I do around here."

As we walk, pops ask me if I've ever wondered what goes into making a magic potion or item before.

My response was that I never really thought about it in the past but seeing as he had asked me that question, I can't deny now that I was just a little bit curious here.

Our conversation reminds me of something important.

"Oh yeah, by the way... Be prepared to be asked a question by Megumin once she comes to hang out with you for the afternoon here."

"What kind of question?"

"It's relating to that magic lie detection bell you've made. From what I learned recently, I was told it was a big commission placed upon you by the kingdom, one that would be paying generously and make things for your family become easier. Clearly, that didn't happen and I'm sure she's going to be asking you why that was the case."

Hearing my words makes pops sigh before bringing a hand up to rub his temples.

"I was afraid that day would eventually come as I knew she'll be chewing me out for that one."

"Wanna go ahead and tell me? I might be able to help you come up with something better to say to her."

"(pause) I wish I could say it was something big, a failing brought upon us by the kingdom. Truth is, I really should have read the fine print better when I made the deal. If I had, then I would have seen it say that I would only be paid AFTER they had been given a certain amount of the bells. One million bells to be exact. So far, they have only ordered ten thousand from me and I can't afford to produce any more than the number they ask me to make.."

I just stare at him for a few moments before I finally say-

"I don't know if I find myself hating this stupid kingdom all the more now because of what you said or if I want to smack you upside the back of your head for being so stupid."

Pops jumps away, begging me to not do that; mainly because he was sure he lost a fair number of brain cells from the smacks Yuiyui had made him suffer when he had confessed this truth to her.

Maybe that's why she insisted on reading over any contracts personally he receives from now on?

"You really are going to be getting an earful from Megumin once we switch up for the day. And let's be honest here, you definitely deserve it too. And also, don't be surprised if she also chews you out over the bell for it almost getting me killed one time."

I then explain to him what I meant by that last part, making him apologize to me repeatedly.

Soon after, we arrived at his 'shop', if you could call it that.

From the outside, it looked like one of those rent-able storage sheds one could use to store old junk inside-

And when I say storage shed, I mean the small ones here.

Once we step inside, I find a small work station with a fake wall beyond it.

Passing through a small cut out opening, I entered the back of the room to see it was nothing but shelves lined with various items I assumed where ingredients for his magic potions and components for his magic items.

"So, what do you think?"

He asked me.

After I finish looking around, I turn to look at him and say-

"Honestly, I think the shop sucks. Why doesn't the village give you something bigger to work with? For that matter, why the hell does the village even allow you to live in a shitty barn and not help you all when it comes to food and other necessities? Surely the clan would want to look out for its members?"

"Well... that's a bit... complicated to talk about here..."

He said as he turns his gaze away from me.

"Oh? Then by all means, please explain to me here exactly why its ALL so complicated!"

My tone was deadly serious here.

I already had plans to go meet up with Yunyun later this afternoon; to ask her to help me out with a certain request I was going to make to her father.

But depending on his THIS conversation here goes, I may either need to add to my plans or make a few adjustments to them.

Pops begins to look here and there, clearly wanting to avoid my gaze and avoid my question.

He then quickly directs me to the work table he had set up while saying nervously-

"The table... I mean, the potion there on the table. Would you like me to explain that to you? It's my latest creation. Haven't decided on a name for it yet but I'm sure it will a big hit. Yes, a real success once it's out there."

I wanted to press the topic further, but I instead decide to relent for now with a sigh.

I'll look up the answer to my question later with the Know-It-All.

I then join pops over at the table and ask him-

"So, just what exactly can this new little potion of yours do?"

He takes on a stance; like he was trying to sell me on his product in order to make me want to buy it; perhaps even endorse it too.

"I'm so glad you asked, Kazuma. This amazing little number here can do it all. When drunk, it will temporarily buff all your stats to the max for around ten minutes. You will be stronger, faster, smarter, and overall more powerful than anyone not empowered by this elixir. Hell, you could easily take on the entire Devil King's forces without any help with this baby here. It'll make one a real god among men if I do say so myself."

I give him several sage like nods as he speaks and then, once he was done, I ask him-

"And what about the draw backs? I'm familiar with your products, as I often frequent the one shop I know that stocks them over in Axel. Each and everyone of of your products has some sort of negative to them."

Pops becomes deflated at my words, drooping down onto the ground-

"I know, I know; I really suck at this. Potion and item making has been the job of my family for generations, you know. I was happy to continue on our line of work here. And I have been told; praised even, that my potions are of a far superior quality to those created by my forefathers before me."

"But, unlike them, it seems my superior creations all have a downside to them that makes them more of a hassle than a blessing to use in the end."

"Then why not simply make the normal variants that your predecessors made instead? At least then you could make more eris than you're currently making otherwise."

Pops gives me an incredulous look as he says-

"You can ask me that question after having spent so much time around my daughter, Kazuma? And here I thought you had already come to know us Crimson Demons fairly well by now?"

In other words, its not that he couldn't do it. Rather, it was his pride as a Crimson Demon that prevented him from doing anything less than his best here-

Even if his best did more harm than good. Knowing all this just makes me feel even more bad for Megumin and her sister now.

I sigh then say-

"Back to my question; just what are the downsides to this particular creation of yours?"

"Oh right, that. It's nothing big really. It's just going to be very hard to mass produce as several of the ingredients are rather rare. (lengthy pause) And... it may be a one time use only for anyone who takes it... and it may permanently reduce all ones stats to 1 after using it too."

I stare at him for a good minute before shouting out-

"JUST WHO IN THE HELL WOULD WANT TO DRINK THIS AFTER HEARING ALL THAT? I MEAN, YOU'D HAVE TO EITHER BE INCREDIBLY STUPID, OR BE AQUA, TO GO DRINK SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

"Who's Aqua?"

"Ah, some blue haired bimbo who claims to be a goddess, the one who sent me to this world to begin with. And if I ever see her again, I'm going to strangle her until her whole face is as blue as her hair!"

Oops, I may have made a little booboo with my words just there; saying I was from another world.

I look back to pops, seeing him giving me a curious and confused look.

"What do you mean by another..."

"Hey, Hyoizaburoo, are you in there?"

Shouted a voice from outside which makes us both jump.

"Oh crap, I forgot. That's my ingredient supplier. Excuse me for a moment Kazuma, I need to go talk to him about getting another extension on my payments. Be right back."

And with that, pops quickly leaves the room to go talk with his supplier.

Once I was alone, I let out a sigh before walking over to the work station and picking up the bottle that held the dangerous magic potion.

"You know, the positives you can bring do sound pretty cool. But those negatives... such a shame. If it wasn't as bad it is, I would suggest calling you the 'Hercules Elixir.' Hm? What's this?"

I put the potion back down onto the table and pick up the piece of paper that had been sitting beside it.

After giving it a look over, I say-

"Looks like an ingredient list for this things, as well as instructions on how to make it. (quick pause to think) Hm, I wonder if...?"

I put the paper back down then quickly pull my ink pen out from a pocket and scribble the name 'Hercules Elixir' at the top of the page.

I then pull out the Know-It-All and ask it to show me how to make said potion PROPERLY.

After seeing it glow, I open the book and then compare the instructions it was giving me to the ones pops had written down on the paper, already seeing several key differences.

I then flip the paper he had written on over to copy what was being shown to me by the Know-It-All and then, once that was done, I began to follow the proper instructions in order to make my version of this magic potion.

"Yes, yes, I understand. I'll get your money right away..."

Said a nervous pops as he quickly enters his shop again, his body freezing as he sees me at work.

"K-Kazuma, what are you doing? Don't be going around messing... with my... stuff?"

He watches on dumbfounded as I put the finishing touches onto the potion I was making; a soft glow beginning to form within the large bowl I had been using to make it in.

Pops immediately rushes forward, his eyes going from it to me and back quickly as he stammers out nonsensical words.

"W-W-What... h-h-how...?"

I look at him, giving him a smile as I say-

"So, think its any better now?"

Immediately, pops activates the Appraisal skill I had seen Wiz use a few times here and there, carefully examining the contents of the new potion I had made.

I then hear the guy outside yell about what was taking so long, making me sigh as I get up.

"I'll go take care of that annoyance. You just wait here and look it over."

I then head outside to see a short, rather irritated looking man waiting.

"Eh? Who are you, kid? Hyoizaburoo apprentice or something?"

"Not really, though I guess I could potentially be his future son-in-law one day? Anyways, what's this about a debt, sir?"

"Oh right, that. Well, your "father" owes me a fair bit for all the years I've been working with him."

"How much exactly?"

After a moment for him to think-

"Let's say five million eris here."

Something told me he was lying about that. People like these will usually at least double the debt when talking with someone speaking for the one who owes the debt in order to see a greater profit return.

"I'll go ahead and pay it on his behalf."

I then pull out this world's version of a check book and write down the amount before handing him the paper.

"Hot damn, I actually got paid for his business for once. Thanks for the eris kid. See around next time.:

I really hope not, if I'm being honest here.

Once he had gone, I go back into the shop to see pops still looking at my potion.

I clear my throat, making him look back at me with wonder.

"Kazuma... what did you do here? The potions... it's... its..."

I give him a smile before saying-

"So, can I safely assume that it's now safe to use by anyone?"

Pops gives me a giddy nod then starts explaining what differences exist in the new version.

Long story short, it still can max out ones stats for ten minutes. Once the buff ends, you'll suffer a temporary debuff to all your stats, cutting them by half their usual value, for a few hours. And, you can only drink the potion once every forty eight hours in order to see the buffs added. Drinking it again before then won't produce any results.

Not much of a change, really; but still far better than the original version offered.

After that, I showed him my revised instructions on how to make it.

Pops then reads it over, comparing it to his original instructions.

"Incredible, why didn't I think of any of this? I mean, it's so obvious. Kazuma... you're a genius, son."

I shake my head at that.

"Not really sir. I'm just lucky with the fact I have a book in my possession that can answer almost any question I ask of it. It only works when I ask it stuff I'm afraid but it is still very useful when it works."

He nods agreeably at me before his eyes light up with some kind of thought.

He then runs over to a file cabinet and pulls out a whole bunch of papers which he brings over to me.

"Say, would you be willing to look all these over for me?"

"Sure, I guess I can. What are they anyways?"

"The instructions I made for ALL of my works. Thanks to yo, and that magic book of yours, maybe you can be the one to turn my family's misfortune into actual fortune here."

I see, that makes sense I guess... wait?

I smile as I recall the words Vanir had spoken to me before we had left; about how I could potential makes things better here at the Crimson Demon village... for a lot of people.

This must be what he meant when he said that, or at least part of it anyways.

I got to work, using the Know-It-All to give me the perfected versions of all the old potions and magic items Hyoizaburoo had made in the past-

His eyes watering with joy as he reads the changes I jotted down, even taking the time to test a few of them out on the spot.

Once I had finished, I feel him place a hand on my shoulder which makes me look at him.

"Kazuma... (laughs) I can't believe I'm hearing myself say this, all things considered given the letters my daughter sent home, but... I am so glad and so grateful you came into her life now. Into OUR lives. Know that I now give you my blessing to pursue any form of relationship you may wish with her in the future."

I laugh nervously at his words before saying-

"Yeah... thanks for that, sir. That-that really means a lot to me here."

He nods before another thought seems to cross his mind.

"Say, I have a question for you... well, not for you but for that book of yours. Can you ask it for me?"

"Sure, I can do that. What is it?"

His question wasn't one I expected and the explanation he gave me after was even more shocking too.

Though it DID answer a few big questions I had about Megumin and her mother here.

I then ask the Know-It-All his question and the answer it returned made pops become very excited.

For the last half hour of our time together, we two worked together to make up three special potions.

Two he took into his possession and the last I would hold onto to give to Megumin later tonight.

Not long after, we left the shop and pops was quick to notice his supplier was MIA, making me remember I had dealt with him myself.

After hearing that, pops did something embarrassing by hugging me for what I had done.

Yep, something tells me I definitely had his favor now.

After that, we returned home and had lunch with the girls; miss Yuiyui getting all excited when pops whispered to her all that I had done for them.

She then looked at me with an even greater degree of warmth and pride than what she had before.

Megumin, on the other hand, was acting all weird as she was sitting a good ways away from me, unable to look at me for more than a second before looking away with an embarrassed expression.

Hm, I wonder what happened while she was here alone with her mother?

After that, Megumin left with pops, leaving me alone with Yuiyui and Komekko.

"Now then, shall we get to work here?"

She asked me, getting me to nod.

"Oh yeah, before I forget..."

She said as she grabbed onto one of the bottles we had brought back and drink it all in one go.

After that, she smacks her lips a little, saying-

"Mm, bubbly. So, do you think it will really work, Kazuma?"

"Well, I can say with total confidence that it will work for Komekko, given how young she is. Megumin is a fifty-fifty sort of deal here. As for you? I can't be sure of anything though seeing as your ancestor was 'reduced' following her being cursed, it isn't impossible for you to get... 'enlarged' from drinking that. Should it work, I can't say how long it will take before it takes effect with you."

Yuiyui nods before calling Komekko over and telling her to drink the second potion.

At first, Komekko adamantly refused to drink it, even after being told what it would do for her in the future.

If I had to guess, it was probably because Komekko had most likely figured that it had been her father who had made the potion-

And the little girl was smart enough to know the potential dangers that came from drinking anything made by him.

Yuiyui then tells her that I had made it for her and ask her if she would really turn her nose up towards a gift from me to her?

As soon as she heard that I had made it, little Komekko grabbed the bottle and drank the whole thing without any further trouble.

Yuiyui then looks at me and says-

"It seems I was right, Kazuma. My second born really has become quite taken by you as well."

I don't know why, but hearing that set of a flag inside my mind.

Not long after, the three of us had arrived outside an old looking building out on the outskirts of the village.

Occasionally as we walked, Yuiyui would send nerve racking glances my way; probably because Komekko had wanted to hold my hand as we went and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Not that Yuiyui seemed to mind here, which only made me worry more.

"Well, here we are, Kazuma. What we Crimson Demons like to call 'the old factory.' Here, let me show you to the first set of ancient writings."

I followed around to one side of the building; quickly spying a sign over the main entrance displaying words written in Japanese.

She then looks at me and ask-

"So, can you read it?"

I could hear the hope present in her voice as she spoke.

I take a few steps back, in order to get a better view of the large writing before saying-

"Hm, it says 'Great Majin Masterworks: Mage and anti-Mage weapons production factory.' I'm surprised the creator of this place didn't throw a Buu into the name anywhere."

"Buu?"

Asked Komekko, making me look at her.

"Oh, just the name of some ancient demon that's fairly well know back where big brother is from. Majin Buu to be exact."

"Sounds like a fart."

She said in response.

Yuiyui, on the other hand, was ecstatic here, quickly jotting down what I had said before.

I then recall the special item I had prepared beforehand and retrieve it from my pouch, then handing it off to her.

"Here, I believe this will help you in the long run."

"What is it?"

She asked me, accepting the large book as she did so.

"Translation guide on how to convert Japanese into the local dialect. Should be helpful for you in the long term, once it comes time for me to leave. Just so you know, it may take a good while to learn the whole thing. Japanese has a lot, and I do mean A LOT, of characters in our writings. And many can have different meanings based on certain little details. For example, the character for Moon could also be read as Light. The guide I gave you will explain it all better."

"Thank you for this, Kazuma. And you don't need to worry about me taking time with getting this all memorized. I'll have you know my memory retentive skills are among the best of the clan."

We both laugh with Komekko laughing too, but only to act like she understood what was going on.

"So, miss Yuiyui, is there any more writings out here you want me to take a look at or should we head inside and see what we find?"

"Let's head inside. That's where all the good stuff can be found."

Yuiyui led me inside, showing me all the various rooms found there in.

Thanks to me translating all the writing we found along the way, Yuiyui said that we were walking deeper into this place than anyone had ever gone before.

However, as we walked, I couldn't help but feel that we were being watched for some reason.

Soon, we reached two massive doors with both writings above and to the side of them.

"... And this, Kazuma, is where is said to rest the greatest enemy of the Crimson Demon clan, the Mage Killer."

"What's that mommy?"

Asked Komekko before I could ask myself.

Yuiyui shrugs then says-

"Well, we don't really know for sure exactly WHAT it is. Only that it has the power to defeat us Crimson Demons and that any magic user in general who comes face to face with it would be powerless against its might. So Kazuma, what does it say around the door?"

I step forward, taking a few moments to read what had been etched into the metal.

"Hm, the top line says 'Project Medusa Storage Chamber.' …Project Medusa? I feel like I've heard that somewhere before. Can't quite put my finger on it though."

"That's pretty ominous sounding. The name Medusa I mean. Does that name mean anything to you, Kazuma?"

Asked Yuiyui.

"Sort of. I can recall reading some old tale back in school that talked about a great hero who took on a woman with snakes for hair that had the power to turn anyone she looked at to stone."

"Oooo, that sounds really cool."

Said Komekko, making us look down at her with a smile.

I'm guessing Komekko was imagining herself having snake hair and turning anyone she looked at to stone with just a simple look.

I could already tell this little girl would be dangerous enough one day as is so she didn't need anything more to work with.

"We can talk more about that later. For now, what does this side text say?"

I turn my attention to the side text, as asked, and begin to read it aloud.

"It says 'to all my fellow countrymen that find this place, please use the Konami code in order to gain entry. Please be advised that I am not responsible for anything bad that happens to you once inside."

Wait, the Konami code? Please don't tell me...

My eyes gaze a little further down below the message, finally taking notice of the object sticking out of the wall.

While fairly old looking, and covered with dust, it was clear that I was seeing an replica on an old Nintendo Famicom controller awaiting usage.

"What a surprise, the guy was from Japan after all. Of course this would be something 'we' would do."

I said in a deadpan tone before Yuiyui approached me excitedly.

"Kazuma, Kazuma (that was unexpected), does this mean you know how to open the door here?"

I hesitate for a moment before saying-

"Yeah, I know how to do it. In fact, I can...OW?"

I felt something sting the back of my neck, making me quickly try to smack the bug that had done it.

Wait, why would I be stung while we were still in the middle of winter?

I then realize that weird feeling I had been having for the last few minutes; like we were being watched, had suddenly ceased.

In the back of my mind, something told me I should be on high alert now.

"Kazuma, is something wrong?"

Asked Yuiyui, placing a hand onto my shoulder. Komekko was also looking up at me with concern.

"I'm fine... but before we go any further inside, I think we should bring along some additional hands to back us up. Just in case there's any nasty surprises awaiting us inside."

Hearing the more serious tone in my words, Yuiyui nods as the three of us proceed back outside.

"So, what happens now?"

I asked.

"I'll go make preparations with the villages defense force to loan us a few guards for a deep dive into this place come tomorrow. We'll also want to have the village on high alert, just in case the mage killer awakens by accident. Once that's done, I'll head back to the house and start memorizing what you wrote down in this book."

I nod at her, then ask-

"Sure there isn't any other place you want me to check out while we're together?"

Yuiyui shakes her head-

"There are, but it would be better for me to try to translate those for myself. I'll have you check to make sure I was accurate afterwords. So, what will you do with the rest of your day, Kazuma?"

"I want to go pay boss Hiropon a visit. I need to ask him about something. And also, I can't help but feel that we were being watched ever since getting here. It may be a good idea to strengthen the barrier that protects the village too. Once I'm done, I'll be sure to grab some more food to cook for dinner tonight so look forward to that."

She gives me a nod then looks to Komekko and says-

"Hear that, we get to eat all fancy again tonight, and all thanks to your big brother here. (Komekko cheers before hugging my leg) Anyways, we should go, Komekko. Big brother has a lot of stuff he still needs to do before he can make us dinner."

Komekko immediately grabs onto me, shaking her head furiously as she says-

"No-no-no, I don't wanna, I don't wanna. I wanna stay with big brother, can I?"

Yuiyui looks at me and gives me a happy laugh.

"It seems my baby really has taken quite a liking to you, Kazuma. I wonder what it is about you that has made both my girls become so smitten with you?"

I laugh nervously, scratching the back of my head as I say-

"I... hehe really don't know how to answer that one, ma'am."

"Stop with the ma'am bit, Kazuma. I'm fine with you calling me mom, you know."

That only makes me feel even more nervous here.

I then realize Komekko was still holding onto my leg tightly so I needed to do something to bring that to an end, and I think I know just the thing here too.

I kneel down to get to eye level with Komekko and I say to her-

"I know you want to come along with big brother, sprout. I mean, it's only natural that you would want to do so. But I think you should go with mommy for now as big brother has a lot of stuff to go do and needs to do quickly so I can come back and make you another yummy meal."

"I-I know, but I really want to..."

I stop her by placing a finger over her mouth followed by me saying-

"How about big brother makes you a promise, sprout. If you can be a good girl and do what mommy says... and if you can do as well in school, once you start attending Red Prison Academy that is, as you sister did in her time, if not better, then big brother will teach you an amazing magic spell. One that no one else, apart from big brother, knows how to use at present."

Hearing that makes Komekko's eyes go wide with excitement as she ask-

"New magic that no one else but you knows? Is it powerful, big brother?"

"(chuckle) I would say so, yes. In fact, don't tell your sister this but it may be even more powerful that her beloved Explosion magic. So, do we have a deal then?"

Komekko's response was to cheer loudly as she danced around me and her mother. Shouting out as she does so-

"I'm going to learn a new spell, I'm going to learn a new spell..."

"Only if you're a good girl and can do as well or surpass what you sister had achieved at the academy, little one."

Reminded Yuiyui before looking at me.

"So, what kind of spell will you teach her? Can I see it?"

"Well, that's a little problematic at this moment as I don't have access to it... yet. One of the things I need to do before we return to Axel is get the materials needed to create the skills I want to bring over from my homeland that don't currently exist within the skill pool here."

Yuiyui also gives me a wide eyed look as she ask-

"Wait, you can actually do that? Create new skills? I though the knowledge on how that was achieved had been lost long ago. How did you rediscover this knowledge, Kazuma?"

I shake my finger at her, saying-

"Now-now-now, if I went ahead and revealed ALL my trade secrets to you, then there wouldn't be any mystery's left about me would there? We can talk about that another time."

This makes Yuiyui cry tears of joy, for some reason, as she happily says-

"I'm so happy my little girl met you and has chosen you to be her partner for life. Possibly both of them. You're going to make an excellent son-in-law for me."

"I don't know about that... (I said to myself in a doubtful tone) Anyways, I better getting going now. Oh, should I give you Megumin's curse breaking elixir to give to her since you'll probably see her here before I do tonight?"

Yuiyui shakes her head at me then says-

"I'll leave giving it to her to you for tonight. And Kazuma... please make sure she's finish's what she started with you this morning for me, OK?"

Before I could ask what she meant by that, Yuiyui walks over and scoops up Komekko and the two of them went on their way to do whatever it was they were going to do next.

I, meanwhile, just stand there looking dumbfounded for a moment before saying aloud-

"Wait, just what that hell did that legal dwarf do to me... or tried to do to me this morning?"

======================{Part 4: Plans Made with the Shadow}======================

I waited in my chambers for the communication I knew was coming from my master.

I wasn't looking forward to giving him the bad news; that I still hadn't managed to get anywhere closer to the target sight within the Crimson Demon village.

I wondered... if I couldn't find success here, would I be replaced with someone better, more capable than I?

The idea sent a shudder down my spine.

I hadn't launched another attack over the last day as I had wanted to build up my force to be as large as possible.

Maybe it was time to just throw caution to the wind and launch a final all-out attack and left fate decide the outcome for me right then and there.

After all, it would be far better for me to die in battle than suffer death by his hands.

Just then, the small little 'spy' I had created to keep watch over the target sight came buzzing into my chambers.

I hold out a finger, letting it come to rest upon it as it gave me a telling look.

"Something has finally happened? Show me, quickly..."

I ordered, getting it to fly up and stick its stinger into my forehead.

Immediately, I saw the events it had witnessed play out in my mind as if I had been there, heard all that was said as well, bring a smile to my face.

I then begin to laugh as I had finally gained the information I needed here.

Just then, the center of my room lit up as a sphere of light formed from out of nothingness, the sphere then taking the shape of a figure I knew very well.

I was quick to stand, walk over to the glowing figure, and bow respectfully.

"Master..."

"Sylvia, I take it something good has happened?"

Wait, did he already know? Had he been waiting for this exact moment before contacting me?

What am I saying, of course he must have. He was my creator, my 'father' after all.

"Yes, master."

"Then, by all means, do tell me of what you have learned and how will you make use of this information?"

I nod as I stand up to face him directly.

"I have learned that an outsider can read the ancient writings and also knows how to access the inner chamber where the Mage Killer is said to be stored. In addition, my spy stung him, leaving a little tracking marker I can use to find and capture him."

"Very good, when will you strike?"

"I'll wait till after midnight tonight. I'll have my forces attack various locations while I'll use that stealth power you gave me to sneak inside the barrier and acquire the target and use him to get my hands on the weapon. After that, I'll test it out on those Crimson Demons in order to make sure it still works."

My master nods at my plan, silently letting me know that it was one he agreed with.

He then ask me-

"And what will you do with Satou Kazuma after you have used him?"

"Satou Kazuma? Is that who he is? How do you know that master?"

He chuckles for a moment before saying-

"I'll have my ways, Sylvia. Let's leave it at that for now. Anyways, what do you plan on doing with him?"

"I know there are certain individuals who would like him to be kept alive, but all I care about is what you would want done with him. So, what do you want me to do here, master?"

"(pause to think) I'll leave it up to you, child. Kill him, let him live beyond this night. Either way, it won't effect the plan for this place any. If you do decide to kill him now and we find out we need him later, then no matter... we do, after all, have plenty of back-ups we can tap at any time if need be."

I chuckle at the thought as I bow again-

"Of course, master. I shall contact you once my mission here is done."

"Very good. I shall be awaiting you communication, Sylvia..."

With that, the image fades and the room returns to being nearly pitch black.

After a moment, I exit my room to begin making preparations.

Enjoy the time you have left Crimson Demons for it will soon run out...

======================={Part 5: A Moment with this Shy Girl}=====================

As I made my way through the Crimson Demon village, I was making sure to keep my eyes wide open, looking every which way I could here.

Part of the reason for this was because I was keeping an eye open for my other party members.

But the main reason was because I really wanted to avoid coming into contact with any of those crazy school girls from the day before.

I mean, while I wasn't apposed to the idea of giving all those girls a little 'taste of heaven', as their teacher had called it, again and as many times as they would want-

I was also afraid that it would trigger me into having another 'episode' so I feel it would be best to avoid that for the time being.

Besides, I feel my current company of female companions was more than enough at this time.

Anyways, back to my search. I wonder just where they would be right now?

I was thinking I would try Yunyun's parents house first, seeing as I needed to go there to talk with her parents about a certain little matter anyways-

But I'd like to be sure she would also be there when that meeting happens, if only to have her backing me up where her dad is concerned.

A thought then crosses my mind; a thought that makes me smack myself upside my own head.

I could just use the Know-It-All to tell me their current location.

I quickly pull the book from my pouch, and ask it where they currently were at.

Turns out, all three of them weren't that far away, paying a visit to the local fortune teller.

It was even nice enough to give me a map to follow here.

As I approached the home of the fortune teller, I saw two familiar faces come into view.

"Hey... Darkness, Cielo... over here!"

Hearing me call out to them, I see their eyes light up as the two of them come running over to me.

"Kazuma, what are you doing here?"

Asked Cielo.

"And where's Megumin?"

Added Darkness.

"I came here looking for Yunyun. I need to ask her if she can help me with something. As far as Megumin goes, I believe she's still hanging out with her father over at his shop... if you could even begin to call that place a shop? What about you two? Did you both get your fortunes told?"

Darkness gives me a nod while Cielo just shyly looks away from me.

"Yeah, we did. Yunyun's still in there as the fortuneteller wanted to have a word with her about something. So, did anything happen with you today, Kazuma?"

I give them a smile before saying-

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I've managed to help Megumin's parents out big time so hopefully, it'll mean her family's fortune's will finally be changing for the better."

"That's good to hear. Kazuma... do you know if Megumin's mad at me about what I said to her yesterday?"

Asked Cielo.

I shake my head, then say-

"If she is-was, then she's done a damn good job over hiding it. Honestly, I think she's more angry with herself about that than anything. So, I'm guessing you're feeling guilty over it, Cielo?"

Cielo nods while Darkness tells me that she learned from Yunyun that Cielo didn't get much sleep last night over the whole thing.

"I still stand by what I said to her but I can't help but feel guilty about it too. After all, I'm not her so I don't know how she feels about it all. Plus, Yunyun explained to me that with Crimson Demons, things aren't always so simply resolved because of the curse of the Crimson Fantasy."

I nod understandingly at her as I say-

"She's told me about that too, right after she joined the party. So... seeing as you had your fortune's told here, and by someone we were told is always on point with her predictions, did the two of you hear anything interesting about your futures?"

The two of them glance at each other nervously before looking at me and saying-

(flashback- Darkness)

The young woman named Soketto told me to place my hand on the crystal ball which I did-

She then places both her hands upon the side of said item, making it glow as does her crimson eyes.

A sort of mist, or fog, begins to pour from the item, swirling around the room as flashes of light erupt from within.

And then, in a trance like voice, she says to me-

"In your future, I see you receiving a letter, the contents will throw your mind into doubt, into fear, into... chaos. You will be compelled to act rashly and, in doing so, risk making many willful request that could bring great pain and regret upon both yourself and your friends."

"No matter what, you must not allow yourself to succumb to these impulses as it will alienate yourself from those you hold dear. Don't push those you love away for in doing so, it will bring about an even greater pain and regret and for one of your friends, could mean the difference between life and death."

I try to ask Soketto what that means, ask her what was going to happen-

But she, and the room, return to normal as the crystal ball goes silent.

She finally looks at me and says-

"I've told you all that I can tell you. The rest is all on you to discover. Just remember my words always less you risk making the future I saw become reality. Now, go ahead and let your friend in. Oh, and one more thing before you go, do not..."

(flashback- Cielo)

Like what I was told to expect by Darkness, the room seemed to grow darker as the fog began to swirl around us.

I was beginning to feel nervous as I looked around before turning my attention back to Soketto.

"I can see that soon... very-very soon, you will find yourself being embarrassed by your family as well as having a reunion with your old friend who will make a request of you. Do not fear accepting the request as it won't interfere with the path you have chosen to walk. Instead, it will only be a temporary detour you will make while walking that path."

"And also, don't be in to big of a rush where a certain someone is concerned. There will be plenty of time for you to go and make the request you know you wish to make. Be patient and wait till the right time and you will receive a favorable answer. And when the right time comes, you will know it."

"And, like I told Darkness here before you, do not always place trust that the face you see before you is the person you believe it to be. Always look deeper and see them for who they are through their actions and words. And be wary for you will have yet another run in with an accursed item that not to long ago caused so much sadness for you all; an encounter that could bring even more pain and regret if you fail to realize it and fight back..."

(present)

"Sorry Kazuma, that's private!"

They said in unison which makes me jump back in surprise, if only because of the power felt in their words.

"Well, if you say so I guess. Anyways, what are your plans now?"

"Guess we'll go ahead and head back to Megumin's parents place. Cielo does want to have a little private girl talk with Megumin after all."

"I just want to apologize to her and make sure she still thinks of me as a friend."

I nod before deciding to ask-

"Say, could the two of you go ahead and pick up some stuff for me to make dinner with tonight. I could do it myself once I'm done with the business I want Yunyun's help me with, but seeing as I don't know how long that's going to take me, it may be faster this way if you both do it for me."

They nod then Darkness ask-

"Yeah, we can do that. So, what is it that you need from Yunyun, Kazuma?"

I wave them over to me, then whisper my plans into their ears. Once they had pulled away-

"Kazuma, you-you're rally going to do that for them?"

"There are times you're to nice for this world, you know that, Kazuma. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't think of doing that myself."

Said Cielo and Darkness.

They agreed to keep it all hush-hush for now, then they depart to get the groceries and tell me they'll see me here soon.

Once they had left, I look back to the house and wonder how long Yunyun will be before she comes out?

An idea then pops into my mind, making me hide myself off to the side, just out of view of anyone who could be coming out of the house.

Not long after, Yunyun finally emerges and, for a moment, I find myself being taken aback by the sight of her.

She wasn't wearing her adventurer's attire that I had picked out for her, nor was she wearing her academy attire either.

Instead, she was wearing a violet colored dress with almost knee high boots.

I'm guessing this was some casual wear for her.

Anyways, I sneak up behind her as she looks around, probably search for the others, then wrap my arms around her waist and pull her back against me.

She yelps, probably preparing to cry out for help but doesn't as I lower my head down and let out a breath against her ear before saying-

"You know, Yunyun... you should be careful about walking around in such a nice and enticing dress like this. It could make hopeless perverts like myself want to do all sorts of lude and questionable things to a beauty like you."

I could feel her visibly relax as I spoke softly into her ear, her body feeling like it was becoming warmer as well.

She then turns her head oh so slightly in the direction of my head as she says-

"Well, so long as its just you and only you, I think I'm willing to take that chance every now and then."

I laugh before releasing her, not failing to notice the visible pout that showed up on her face.

"Man, I really must be a bad influence on you, huh? The Yunyun I recall first meeting would have never said such a thing back then."

She gives me a warm smile, then says-

"You are not wrong there. And yes, you are a bad influence on me, Kazuma... not that I'm complaining about it, mind you. Like I just said, so long as it's you and only you, then I'm fine with it."

We both laugh, then decide to get serious with the moment.

"So, did Darkness and Cielo leave already?"

"Yeah, they've headed back to Megumin's parents place. I'll be heading back there myself once I take care of a few things in the village. After all, they need me to cook dinner for them."

Yunyun nods before saying-

"Darkness told me about that. Thank you for being so kind to them, Kazuma. I wish the rest of the village would do such things for them more often."

"Any reason why they don't?"

"Stigma's really; a fear that the curse Megumin's maternal family is under will somehow pass onto them and the bad luck of her paternal side will rub off on them as well. Our clan has a lot of positives and a lot of negatives to go alongside those. That's one of the things I hope to change one I become the next chief."

"Well, if you need any help with that, please let me know, OK?"

"I will... actually, Kazuma... can I ask you to help me with something right now?"

"Sure, what's up...?"

Not long after, we found ourselves leaving the safety of the village, reaching a place known only as the testing grounds for the villagers.

In short, it's where all Crimson Demons come to train with the most dangerous of their magic spells.

As we had walked, I asked Yunyun if she would be willing to help me with a little matter I wished to talk to her father about.

She didn't hesitate for a second before saying yes to me; adding that regardless of what it was, she was sure I would have her mothers support as well.

She then asked me what it was about and I told her, after she had promised to stay mum on the subject when around Megumin.

Once I was done explaining my plan, Yunyun looked at me with a new found respect in her eyes, not that I hadn't already earned her respect that is. I just greatly added to it now.

I also asked her about what her fortune was, which made her become very flustered and unable to look me in the eyes for a fair bit.

I also asked her if I should pay Soketto a visit as well; Yunyun telling me that Soketto would see me the day before we leave to return to Axel, according to her predictions that is.

I still wondered what it was Yunyun had been told that was making her become all flustered now?

Oh well, I'm sure I'll find out one day!

Once we had arrived at the sight, I asked Yunyun-

"So, what will you be showing me here, Yunyun? And what is it only I offer you here as well?"

Yunyun fidgets nervously for a few moments before saying-

"I want to show you the strongest spell I have in my magic arsenal, Kazuma. A spell so powerful that it can rival Explosion in its destructive fury. If Explosion is the strongest AOE type spell, then this could be said to be the strongest single target spell... though it can be used to take out a fair decent sized group of enemies if used right."

"Sounds cool. So, what's it called?"

Seeing as it was just the two of us, and because it was me who was with her, Yunyun made a confident pose before proclaiming loudly-

"Light of Spear!"

Yeesh, these people and their naming conventions.

Yunyun then explains the history of this spell and from that history, I learn that Light of Spear was considered to be an impossible spell to cast for two reasons.

One was because of the sheer amount of mana it demanded, just as much if not more than Explosion.

And the second, it took a powerful mind to shape and form it; a focus very few had, even amongst the Crimson Demon clan.

"I see; that sucks to hear. So, even your clan can't handle this spell then? Wait, even if you say that, you still brought me out here to show it to me. Does that mean that you can...?"

Yunyun shakes her head at me, then explains-

"No, not exactly. The other day, after you all left to go to Megumin's parents place, I came out here with my parents to see if I could do it. In the past, Soketto had told us that I would be the one to realize the greatest of our clan's power and I did have it unlocked on my card."

"Because of my experience while out there, they said they wanted to see me give it a go and so... I tried to create it. At first, it started to work as it began to take shape. But before it was fully formed, the spell shorted out on me. Dad figures it was because my mana levels aren't high enough yet to fully energize it."

I nod understandingly before it dawns onto me why Yunyun brought me out here for.

"Let me guess, you want me to transfer some demi-mana into you to give you a power-up?"

She nods as me sheepishly as her cheeks turn a bright pink.

"You sure about this? I mean, we already know how doing this effects you Crimson Demon girls. Seeing as this will be your first time receiving it solo here, aren't you worried what it might make you do once done, what it might cause?"

"I-I-I'm willing to take that risk, Kazuma. Please, do what you must here."

"OK, if that's what you want, Yunyun."

Yunyun then turns her back to me, allowing me to place my hand against the back of her neck...

Or, at least, that was my plan before she turns back around, grabs my hand, and places it right on her chest over her fast beating heart.

"Um... I remember Wiz telling me once that doing it here is one of the best places to do it at."

I could recall her telling me that too, as well as other spots.

"She told me as much as well in the past, right before she kissed me so as to drain some mana from me... or was it me who was sending her mana? Can't quite recall."

Yunyun's eyes go wide before I hear her mumble something, then say quietly to herself-

"I'll... ask him to do that... next time... (she then says to me) Please begin, Kazuma."

I begin to send the demi-mana into her body, Yunyun wasting no time in starting to show the perverted effects doing this have on Crimson Demons; perhaps even all girls in general?

I really need to do an experiment with Darkness, Cielo, Chris, and maybe even Lynn too one day.

Like I had expected, Yunyun's legs began to shake and quiver as she pants out heavy breaths, making 'curious' sounds.

I knew I should probably pull my hand away, knowing that she probably had enough to work with here, but I let it go on as a part of me wanted to see where this would lead with her.

And I found out moments later as she suddenly makes a 'kee!' sound before her eyes seemingly roll into the back of her head and she collapses onto me, forcing me into wrapping my arms around her in order to support her.

"Hey... Yunyun, are you OK? You still with me here?"

I asked with a concerned tone; worried that maybe I had let it go on to long.

Slowly, her eyes returned onto me and within them, I saw an intense hunger present. Not unlike what I had seen from her former classmates after I had been forced into giving them that 'taste of heaven.'

For a moment, it looked like she was going to make a rather bold move towards me, but she instead pushed herself off me though I could tell how badly she didn't want to.

"Sorry about that, Kazuma... I... I guess I was..."

"Don't worry about it, Yunyun. After all... (I give her a coy grin) … there's always next time. Now, how about showing me you killer move."

Yunyun nods before turning around and begins to chant her spell.

I watch on on awe as I see a spear of light take shape in the sky's above us, looking similar to Light of Saber, except its shape was far more defined.

Once Yunyun had finished her chant, she extends her right arm, pulls it back, then swings it forward with all her might, sending the spear shaped magic attacking flying forward.

{Insert Image 1}

It was beyond impressive to say the least but before it could hit the targeted mountain she had been aiming at, the spear began to grow dim and finally fade into nothing.

Yunyun sighs in exasperation before her legs give out and she collapses, making me rush forward to catch her before she could hit the ground.

I could tell right away that she had exhausted all her mana, just like Megumin does when she uses her Explosion.

"Dammit, I was so close. But the mana that makes it up can't be maintained long enough to make it viable to use outside the danger zone."

What she meant was that it would fail unless the target was inside the area that would risk the castor being caught up in the blast as well.

Yunyun's guess as to why it had failed now was simply because she didn't have enough mana at the moment to fully energize it, making me say-

"Maybe so, but that was still damn impressive to see. I'll give that two hundred points."

It looks like I've added another training ritual to my everyday life now.

After that, I got Yunyun onto my back as we began to head back to the village.

It was a strange feeling, piggy-backing a girl that had a rather well developed chest like Yunyun.

Until now, it had just been Megumin who I generally gave this treatment to...

And that one time I did it with Lynn as well.

"Kazuma, are you sure you'll be OK with helping me master Light of Spear going forward?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. With your talent combined with my giving you demi-mana and add to that the magic ring I gave you, I'm sure you'll make it you defacto killer move one day."

"Thank you, Kazuma..."

I could feel her hold on my increase just a little here.

After a moment, I decide to ask Yunyun the question I had asked Megumin the night before.

"Say... Yunyun, I've recently been looking into recreating spells from my homeland, to add to the pool of skills that already exist. I've learned from Megumin that your clan has access to the items needed to make that possible. I was wondering, if I can succeed in making these new powers, would you want me to teach you any of..."

"YES! Yes, of course, Kazuma. I would love to learn anything and everything you would be willing to teach me."

She said to me excitedly before adding that she would make sure I got all the items I would need to make my plans here possible, just like Megumin.

After a moment, she then ask-

"So, what kind of spells from your home would you want to teach me?"

"I could tell you, but that will spoil the surprise if I did. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

"That's mean of you... but fine, I'll wait... just now."

I could tell she was really happy here and I had a good reason as to why too.

And not long after, I could tell that she had fallen asleep on me as well.

Heh, just like Megumin, Yunyun could also find sleep so easy to experience when I carried her.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing? Oh well...

I turn my head to see her's resting against me as I say-

"Sweet dreams, Yunyun..."

Hm, I wonder what kind of dreams she has? And on that subject, I wonder what it was Soketto had told her with her fortune reading?

(flashback- Yunyun)

I had forgotten just how creepy this could all get when Soketto does her thing here.

I turn my eyes towards the crystal ball as she begins to speak-

"Before you know it, Yunyun. You will find yourself in the warm and comforting arms of the man who has filled your being with so much hope and joy... several times within short order it seems. And his touch will add even more fuel to the great fire that burns within you."

Hearing this makes me blush and poke my index fingers together shyly.

"Do not fear if you often find yourself feeling like you're taking a backseat roll in his story as this will soon change. Once the time of the 'Trials' you are destined to undertake comes, if you can make sure that he's the one you have as your partner, you will find the rewards to be well worth the efforts you will have to put into making it all happen."

Soketto's words make me start to fidget as my mind goes wild with many different thoughts here.

"A word of caution though. Always trust you instincts should they start to warn you that something is off in your life, especially where he is concerned. I can foresee several attempts at deception and treachery that will come and it could cause great sorrow if you fail to notice the signs. And, I would advice you to place the 'the mark of risk' upon him before you return to Axel as failure to do so could cause you all to lose him forever..."

The 'mark of risk?' You don't mean...?

After I got confirmation about that detail from Soketto, she sent me on my way, telling me also to let Kazuma know that he should come see her himself on the day before we were to leave and return home.

And as for her other warning? I won't forget what she said there either.

And if anyone tries to hurt Kazuma or do something that would leave a nasty stain upon his name-

Then they would have not just my wrath, but the whole clan's wrath coming for them without fail...

========================{Part 6: A Long Awaited Moment}=======================

Once I had gotten Yunyun home, and with help from her mother, had gotten her all nicely tucked into bed-

Me and miss Rikarika had a little sit down and talked about my request.

Boss Hiropon was unable to join in the conversation due to him having suffered an 'accident' while he had been out 'patrolling' the village earlier.

After I had finished explaining to full extent of my request, including my reasons for it-

Rikarika had quickly agreed to it, telling me to stop by tomorrow afternoon so she could escort me to the finished product.

Best part about it was she told me I didn't need to worry about paying to have the job done, instead I should see it as a thank you from the village for the kindness I had shown to both its future chief and most skilled mage.

After that, and after we just had a nice little chat, I left to return to Megumin's parents home where I once again took care of making their dinner for the night.

It was another fun time, with Megumin's parents even telling me that they wished they could hire me on as the family's personal chef-

And Yuiyui had also added in having me also be Komekko's babysitter too, something pops wasn't as keen on as she was.

Of course, Megumin had refused both offers, telling them I had far more important business to attend to back in Axel.

Speaking of, it seemed Megumin and Cielo had succeeded patching things up as they had spent a fair bit of time that night chatting happily with each other.

Well, they did that in between Megumin needing to yell at her sister for sitting on my lap whenever she wasn't looking, something that made Darkness smirk as it gave her yet another reason to go around teasing us.

After dinner, as I was about to start on the dishes, I heard the sounds bodies hitting the floor before I was joined by Yuiyui who, not surprisingly asked me to help get 'everyone' moved upstairs.

Of course, it started with Megumin and no sooner had I laid her down upstairs, my whole world went dark as well.

When I was next aware of anything, it was the feeling of something stroking my hair gently.

I opened my eyes to see Megumin was hovering above me and it only took a moment to realize what was going on here.

My head was resting on Megumin's lap and she was the source of my hair being stroked.

Her lap felt better than any pillow I had ever rested my head upon in the past and the feel of her fingers moving through my hair was utter bliss too.

And so, I closed my eyes and simply allowed myself the time to enjoy this tranquil moment for the next while, until...

"So, how much longer are you planning to pretend that you are still asleep here, Kazuma?"

She asked me with a quiet and gentle voice.

There was no hint of annoyance, no indication that she was getting tired of us being like this.

Instead, her words were merely one of curiosity on her part, one that deserved an answer.

"Hm, how long can I get here?"

She opens her eyes and looks down at me with a warm smile as she says-

"Forever, if you want. I wouldn't really mind, Kazuma. But... I do think we have a few things to talk about while we have the chance, don't you think?"

Yeah, I guess we do at that.

I let out a sigh before sitting up, something I was already regretting as I could easily tell she was lamenting me doing also, if the look of disappointment on her face was any indication here.

"So, you said we have some things to talk about? Where do you want to start?"

Her response was to point to the window, showing me a most curious sight-

It had been frozen shut; the sight of which made it dawn on me just how cold the room actually was right now, which makes me shiver.

I then look at Megumin, who was giving me an accusing look.

Realizing what her gaze upon me was meaning, I quickly bring my hands up and start shaking my head furiously as I deny any wrong doing here.

This makes her laugh as her accusing face shifts into being one of amusement.

"I was just joking there a moment ago, Kazuma. I know you didn't have anything to do with that. Obviously, it had to have been my troublesome mother's handy work, probably thinking that if she made the room as cold as possible, we would have no other choice but to cuddle close together for warmth."

"So... think it will work here?"

Megumin laughs before saying-

"In a bit, yeah. But, before we snuggle in for the night, let's have that talk first shall we?"

She then directs me to go rest against one of the side walls which I do; Megumin quickly moving to sit at my side before wrapping us both up with a thick looking blanket.

She then rest her head on my shoulder and for the next few minutes, we stay like this before she finally gets our talk started.

"So, I heard you had an interesting time with my parents today. Thanks to you, mom's work as a translator can finally truly begin and she'll be able to finally live up to her title as the villages number one historian. And dad told me that thanks to you, all his potions are now perfect. Some of his magic items are as well. Thanks to you, my family's money troubles are finally going to come to an end."

"We can only hope. It'll take time before any eris starts coming in but so long as Vanir can get around Wiz's... bumbling antics, things should be getting better for them within a few months."

Megumin nods then says-

"My mom also said that you... well, you and dad, made a special potion for the three of us to drink as well. She and Komekko have already drank theirs so that just leaves me here. She never told me what it's suppose to do though; said she'll let you explain the details."

Potion? Oh, right... I still need to give Megumin her potion to drink here.

Seeing as I still had my pouch hanging off of me, I reach in and pull it out before placing it in Megumin's hand.

She then pulls her hand of the cover to examine the glowing item more closely before looking at me and asking what it does exactly.

"Your dad told me earlier about the curse your mom's family has been under for the last few generations. I used Know-It-All to look it up and it told me THIS potion here will break the spell. Just drink it and you should be getting the body you've always wanted here soon."

At hearing my words, Megumin's eyes go wide with excitement as she pops the cork off the bottle then goes to drink it but stops, looks back at me, and says-

"Um... what do you mean by 'should', Kazuma?"

"I mean exactly what it sounds like. This SHOULD do the job, assuming the information we were given is accurate. Know-It-All did say that it won't be an instantaneous thing though. You could wake up tomorrow and find yourself with large breast or it could take as long as a year. Same with your mother. It may be to late for her to gain the growth she always longed for or she could be needing to go buy some new clothes within a weeks time."

Megumin nods before turning her attention back to the bottle and, like her mom had done, drinks it all down in one go.

After that, she tosses the bottle off to the side, smacks her lips, then chimes in about the bubbly taste.

She then gives me a coy smile before saying-

"Well, if it DOES work for me, I will then reward you with the first viewing of the new Megumin. Well... I should say the second viewing as I will naturally be getting the first."

I chuckle at her enthusiasm here before saying-

"Can't wait, Dynamite."

After a pause-

"So, did you get a chance to ask you dad about that strange magic item? You know, the one that seemed to have a memory recorded onto it about 'us' and your mother doing a very similar act with us that she's been doing over these last few night?"

Megumin's eyes go wide before smacking her head with her exposed hand.

"Damn it, I forgot about that. I need to remember to ask him about that tomorrow at some point."

"You and me both, seeing as it also slipped my mind earlier."

"Looks like we have one 'to-do' thing for tomorrow now. By the way, Kazuma... why didn't you come home with mom and Komekko earlier? Darkness told me you need to go speak to Yunyun's parents about something. Mind telling me what it was about?"

"Sorry, but that's still a secret for now. (Megumin begins to make a pouty face at me) Don't worry, Dynamite. If all goes as plan tomorrow, both you and your parents will be finding out what little secrets I've been hiding before dinner. I know you aren't the patient type, Megumin. But please wait just a little bit longer. I promise, it will all be worth it."

Megumin grumbles at that but she doesn't press the issue any further.

I do hear her say within her mumbles "It had better be."

After another pause, Megumin's eyes light up, as if she had just remembered something here.

"Oh yeah, Kazuma... I just recalled that I never gave you an answer about the question you asked me last night."

"Last night?"

Oh right, that question.

"You asked me if you can successfully recreate skills from your homeland, would I be interested in learning any of them?"

"Yeah, I remember... so...?"

Megumin is quiet about it for a long minute, clearly mulling over an answer here.

Or perhaps she had already decided on her answer but was having a last second debate about it.

Finally, she looks at me and says-

"As I've told you before, Kazuma. I am the archwizard who has dedicated herself to walking the path of Explosion only and I can't allow myself to turn away from that path less I lose that which makes me stand out from others."

"(I nod) Understood, well... if you ever change your mind...?"

She stops me from further speaking by placing a finger on my lips, then says-

"However... if it's a spell that Kazuma has made for me... me specifically, then how can I turn down such a gift. In other words, Kazuma, I am willing to make an exception but only if it's coming from you. I can't promise I'll make use of any spells you give me until after I have achieved my dreams here, but I will learn them and try them out at least once before that day."

"Understood, Megumin the tsundere..."

"Don't go ruining the moment here, Kazuma!"

I laugh as she glares at me, making her relent as she joins in as well.

Finally, after that had come to an end, she ask me-

"So, what spell or spells specifically do you want to teach me?"

I take a moment to think about it before I say-

"Hm, which ones would I remake specifically for you? I'll need to take time to really give that some thought here. Right now, there is one I can think of that I know would be perfect for you, Megumin."

"Oh? And what spell would that be, Kazuma?"

I shake my head at her.

"Sorry, but I'm going to keep THAT a secret, at least until I know I can actually recreate it here. But, I can tell you this much. The spell I want to teach you first was the spell that one of the greatest mages from my home was known for most. A spell that almost never failed to kill a foe with a single blow. If a foe could survive being hit by it, then it was seen as a testament to just how strong that foe truly as."

Megumin's eyes sparkle as I spoke. She then ask me what the name of this mage was.

"Her name... was Lina Inverse!"

After another pause, Megumin asked-

"Kazuma, I know we already talked about this before, during the campfire, but could you please tell me even more about you homeland? I feel the more I can learn, the more I'll come to understand you here."

You want to learn more, huh? Sure, I guess I can do that...

But what exactly should I tell her? I mean, I'm not quite ready to share with her... or anyone here really, the full account of MY life from back there. Not yet, anyways.

And trying to explain a lot about Earth and its history would be complicated too.

Wait, I know what I can do here. I'll use my favorite MMO as a temporary stand-in for the time being.

I mean, it's not like I would be lying to her; I would be telling her the truth... just from a certain point of view as they say.

"OK, I guess I can do that. So, is there anything specific you'd like to know?"

And with that, I began my account of my past... sort of.

I told her of the past party's I had been apart of, though I explained to her that those party's weren't anything like our as they were usually only made up to handle a few quest together before we'd break apart, sometimes to never see one another again.

Because of this, I never really had any 'real' friends because it didn't make much sense to do so when it felt like I would never see any particular person again after the party we formed broke up.

Thankfully, this allowed me to avoid talking about a rather painful subject, that concerning my one actual childhood friend and how that ended for me.

I was also able to mostly avoid talking about the subject of my family, being telling her that I was never 'close' with them which made my 'adventuring' back home easier for me.

Megumin was very interested in the way we could grow while 'out there in the world' as I told her that we didn't have Adventurer Cards to instantly learn skills with. Instead, we had to do it 'the hard way' by training ourselves over the long hall.

In factual terms, I meant that in order to learn skills and perks in the MMO I liked, you had to perform specific actions or use certain early learned skills X-number of times to gain the next greater skill.

And finally, she asked me a lot of questions about the 'great enemy' that threatened my homeland; the infamous 'Sorceress of Genocide', who was the big bad final boss of the MMO game.

"Amazing Kazuma, that sounds so amazing. I confess that there were parts of that I found hard to believe but I don't feel like you were lying about any of it either..."

Well, I wasn't lying... exactly... but I now find myself wondering if I should have said all that? Maybe I should go ahead to explain the truth of that to her less I make her angry with me in the future?

"I'm also amazed that this Sorceress of Genocide, as powerful as you said she is, hasn't become known by us over here on this continent yet."

"That just goes to show just how far away my homeland is to yours, Megumin."

I said, laughing a nervous laugh.

"I guess you're right..."

After that, we fell into silence again and I could tell Megumin was struggling mentally, trying to either find something to say to me or find the courage to do something here.

Maybe she just wanted us to stay up a little longer here?

I too was trying to think of something else to say in this moment, and then...

I pull out my Adventurer Card, then say to Megumin as I present it to her.

Seeing me do this, Megumin gives me a confused look before saying-

"Kazuma?"

"Here, take my card for a second and tell me if you notice anything unusual about it."

She does as I ask her too, taking my card and spending the next few minutes looking through it.

She finally says, without looking at me-

"Hm, looks normal to me, Kazuma. Just what is it do you want me to... wait a minute..."

After another moment, she turns to me and ask-

"Kazuma, how do you have SO MANY skill points saved up?"

"I could tell you but I think you'll understand better if I show you. See how many skill points I have here? Remember that number and see what happens after a learn a new skill."

She nods before looking at it again, then hands me the card back.

I then bring up the Intermediate Magic skill, telling her how many it will cost to unlock it-

I need to remember to thank that old man from back in Axel for teaching me Intermediate Magic too, just like I need to thank his old visiting friend, the retired Paladin, for teaching me Shield and Group Shield as well.

I then finally learn Intermediate Magic before giving the card back to Megumin.

"Kazuma... you... you didn't use up any skill points when learning Intermediate Magic?"

She said, making me nod at her.

I then point to my stats and add-

"Did you notice this too, Megumin?"

"Huh? What the... why haven't your stats gone up any? You're level seventeen now and yet, your stats are still rock bottom. Why?"

I take my card back from her and explain that I didn't know. Nor does Luna or anyone else I've asked no either.

For some reason, I can learn skills so long as I have the amount required which, at this point, was enough for me to learn all skills without having to actually pay for them.

Likewise, my stats didn't appear to ever go up even if I try to use skill points to do so.

I also point out the strange glitches that occasionally appear on my card; taking the form of little balls and squares of static that float around like dandelion seeds on the wind.

And then, I tell her the biggest secret of all-

"... Also, my class isn't Freelancer like I've said before. The kanji that makes up my class name reads as Stranger!"

"Stranger? What does that mean, Kazuma? I mean, I know what the word stranger means here. I meant what does it mean when it comes to your class? Was Stranger the name of you class back home, Kazuma?"

I chuckle as I shake my head at her.

"No, Stranger wasn't a class at all. It was simply a word. Now Freelancer, on the other hand; everyone began as a Freelancer until they reach a certain level of growth at which point they could spec into something more specific."

"In my case, I started off as a Thief and then took on Archer as a secondary later on and then later still, I merged the two into the Ranger class. It's all long and complicated to be honest. How about we save talking about how all that works for another day? If I were to try to do it now, we'd be up well past sunrise."

Thankfully, Megumin agreed with waiting for me to explain how we grew in the MMO that I claimed was my life from back home... which, to be fair, was technically the truth as I did 'live' in that world for a long time.

As I go to put my card away, I take notice of something important.

My three other Lich skills, Specter, Apathy, and Bone Scythe; they were no longer locked out from being usable by me. When had that happened I wonder?

After another moments pause, Megumin then suddenly ask me the most random of questions.

"Kazuma, I was wondering... what is the creation myth of your homeland like?"

See, what did I say, random!

"What's bringing this one all of a sudden?"

"Well... this may sound weird to hear me say but... you knew a lot about Nekopara and so I was wondering if she was a creation goddess from your homeland, or at least had a connection to the creator god?"

I laugh as I shake my head, explaining that Nekopara wasn't THAT kind of deity.

Probably best to NOT explain to her just what exactly it was a deity of and to who.

But her question DID give me an idea on a new topic to talk about now.

"Megumin, are you familiar with the creation stories as told by the Eris and Axis faiths?"

"A little but it was never really something I much focused on before."

"Understandable. I recently learned of them and I have to say that they are both fairly similar. Both say that their patron deity emerged from a never ending void; the Eris faith say that Eris came into a land of endless light while the Axis say that Aqua emerged from the eternal ocean."

"Regardless of which you believe, the rest is more or less the same. They would pant the seen of creation, resulting in the birth of the tree of life and the formation of the holy land of Empyria. And on this land, the first of all life was born, destined to soon leave and spread across the rest of the world."

Megumin nods, then says with a only half interested tone.

"That sounds... kind of dull, actually. So, does your homeland have a similar myth?"

"Once upon a time, I think? Now though, many believe that the creator god emerged from someplace greater into the void that is creation and unleashed a Big Bang to fill that void with all that we know."

"Big Bang?"

She asked, making me grin at her. Oh, I know she's going to love this. It's the reason I'm saying it to her after all.

"Think of the Big Bang as being... the ultimate Explosion, Megumin! (this makes her eyes go wide with excitement) That's right, all that is in the here and now was made possible by an Explosion so powerful that only THE god could achieve unleashing such a force."

Megumin then begins to laugh happily as she says loud and proud-

"HAH! I knew it, I knew Explosion magic was the greatest thing ever. It is so amazing that even the creator god would need to harness its power in order to bring all things into being. Thank you for telling me this, Kazuma. Armed with this knowledge, we'll see if anyone will doubt Explosions worth now?"

Don't expect everyone else to be as convinced about this as you were, Megumin.

I then find myself letting out a yawn, one that Megumin follows up moments later.

"Well, I think we've had enough chit-chat for one night. What say you about going and getting some sleep now?"

Megumin nods in agreement but neither one of us seemed keen on moving.

A final question then comes into my head, and I decide to go ahead and ask-

"One last thing, Megumin. During lunch, I noticed you looked rather nervous, unable to even look at me. Did something happen when you were hanging out with your mom before?"

Megumin's response was to look away from my shyly, the words she spoke being soft and quiet.

"She... told me a lot of things, some of which were very embarrassing for me to hear her say aloud. Stuff that could involve... me and you..."

I then reach out and place a hand on her cheek, making her look back at me.

I then go to ask her 'what stuff' when at that moment, the light of the moon comes shining into the room, the ice covering the window adding an almost ethereal glow to it.

It makes Megumin's skin glow with a pale light as her eyes begin to glow as well.

Instead of my question coming out, I find myself lost in just how beautiful she looked in this moment, my other hand coming out and up to touch her other cheek.

This was just like that night back at the campfire; I could see a desire in her eyes, matching the desire I found myself feeling at that moment too.

I then begin to lean towards her, my hands guiding her closer to me as well.

I knew, and she knew as well, that what was about to happen was something we both really wanted now.

We drew closer, and closer, and closer... and just as I could feel my lips touch against hers...

"ATTENTION, ATTENTION, THE DEVIL KING'S FORCES HAVE BEGUN AN INVASION..."

{Insert Image 2}

The two of us just stay frozen in place as the warning alarm plays again, and then...

Megumin jumps to her feet, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"THAT DAMN GENERAL BITCH! SHE JUST HAD TO GO RUIN MY FIRST KISS EXPERIENCE HERE!"

She then looks down at me and says-

"Kazuma, hurry up and get up and get ready. We are going to go find that clam jammer, kill her something terrible, and then we are coming right back here and continuing right where we got interrupted at."

Clam jammer, huh? Oh right, that was the term that is to girls what cock blocker is to us guys.

I get to my feet, watching Megumin strip out of her night wear before me without shame, something I can't help but watch for a few seconds before turning away and changing into my Adventurer's attire too.

"I'm all down for that. But will we be able to recapture the mood once all is said and done?"

Megumin jerks back to look at me, giving me a nice view of her naked chest as she says angrily-

"Damn the mood. Once we get back to what we were doing here, the mood will return quickly enough. Now hurry up and get ready. I don't want to spend the rest of the night on needless things."

She then goes back to getting ready, making me smile at her dedication to this matter.

"Yes ma'am!"

Next time: The battle for the Crimson Demon Village, the awakening of the mage killer, and some bad-ass moments for our heroes. And finally, the Mason Gloves are called upon...

Image 1: An excited Yunyun firing off her Light of Spear with an astonished Kazuma standing behind her.

Image 2: Small panel close up of Kazuma and Megumin's lips about to touch and large panel of them being stopped by the alarm, done up in a comedic way for the large panel image