Kazuma was having one of those days.

Not the types of days you're thinking of, probably. Not just a hard one, or a long one. Kazuma was having one of those days. The ones where everything was just too hard to handle, including getting up in the morning. The ones where the concept of motivation itself was practically nonexistent. That was the kind of day Kazuma was having as he stared up at his bedroom ceiling, feeling utterly useless and empty.

Amongst the white noise that was the constant droning of negativity bouncing around inside his head, Kazuma did briefly wonder how he had managed to get through days like these in the past, before he became closer with his party members now girlfriends. Perhaps the biting edge of his cynical persona he used to maintain back then was just enough motivation he needed to get out and do quests. More often than not, Aqua and any one of the other girls would barge into his room and nag him to get up, kickstarting his irritability and allowing him to brute-force his way through the day until he could slink away into his room to silently cry.

Who knows, and at this point…who even cares?

A quiet meow snapped him out of his thoughts for a moment, and Kazuma's eyes flicked down to Chomps, who was now perched on his chest with what he dared to call a concerned expression. Frowning, he lightly patted her head and sighed heavily.

"Not now, Chomps. Please."

Managing a frown of her own (or the closest approximation a cat could achieve), Megumin's familiar hopped off Kazuma's chest. The young man thought he could finally have an ironic moment of peace to sink further into a spiral of his own making, but that was proven not to be the case when the cat nudged his head with her own, almost trying to coax him out of his bed. Kazuma just sighed.

"Alright, fine. I'm up."

Slinking out of bed, Kazuma shuffled over to his closet, staring into it for a few beats too long before finally grabbing a casual outfit and moving back towards his bed. Over the next five minutes, he managed to throw on his new clothes before shuffling over to the door, pausing as his hand rested on the handle.

The girls are probably all downstairs in a good mood, you know, a cold, emotionless voice warned him inside his mind. Can you really bring yourself to go down there and ruin everyone's good time just because you're sad? To basically tell them, 'Hey, I'm depressed. Stop what you're doing and make me feel better,' like the needy leech you are? What a boyfriend they chose…

Kazuma shut his eyes and released a quiet growl, lightly banging his head on the door. Thoughts like that were common on days like this, always lingering just out of sight, and as such mind. Still, he took a deep breath, using the exercises that Dr. Grey taught him, and slowly willed himself to open the door and step out into the hall.

As the former hikikomori slogged through the halls, his brain fooling him into thinking he were traversing through a heavy blanket of snow or something of the like, Chomusuke walked by his side. When he glanced down at his 'roomie', she meowed softly up at him. A part of Kazuma wanted to bend down to pet her or scratch her ears or at least do something to reassure the cat that he was doing fine…

But he just couldn't be bothered…

Eventually, he made his way to the kitchen. It was empty, much to his surprise, but it's not like it particularly mattered either. He considered brewing himself a cup of tea, or at the very least something warm, but decided against it with a silent shake of his head. He wasn't feeling up to that either…

Eyeing a small bag of bagels sitting next to the breadbox, Kazuma settled for that since it was easy and he just wanted to distract himself from his own thoughts more than anything. As such, he did his best to ignore the painful reminder that he was a terrible cook by slathering his piece with butter and seating himself at the empty table. Kazuma took a small bite of his breakfast…and already felt sick.

Willing his stomach to behave, Kazuma reluctantly swallowed his bite and went in for another one, slower this time. Same as the first bite, he felt nauseous trying to eat it and only barely managed to shove it down his throat. Kazuma looked down at his barely eaten bagel in disgust before pushing it aside ruefully and leaning his head on his arm.

What a waste of food…

"Ah, there you are, Kazuma!" A familiar voice chimed out from nearby, prompting the boy to weakly turn his head to face Wolbach, who was standing in the adjacent hall holding a mug of tea, blissfully unaware of his current situation. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd be joining us today. I suppose it was only a matter of time, yes?"

Logically, he knew he could trust her, trust all of them. Kazuma wanted so badly to confide in Wolbach but he just couldn't bring himself to do it in this state. So, without looking her in the eyes, he responded with a simple, "Hey."

Wolbach paused mid-step, her eyes slowly drifting over to Kazuma as her smile disappeared, shifting into a concerned frown as she regarded him for a moment. "Kazuma, are you...feeling alright? You seem a touch downtrodden."

Just tell her how you feel, you coward, she's your fucking girlfriend for fuck's sake! Angrily bit an angry voice within Kazuma's mind. Still, despite that, he kept his voice even as he spoke. "Could be better, I guess. Think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Wolbach's stare didn't falter as she pursed her lips and continued to watch the young man in front of her. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but when you're a few thousand years old, you learn to notice when people are lying...and furthermore, when they're not themselves.

"Okay, well, the others are out on the porch relaxing in case you're wondering," Wolbach stated coolly, walking beside her newfound lover and planting a soft, comforting kiss on his cheek. She whispered the next part, "I think I speak for all when I said we'd love for you to come join us. It's a beautiful day out today, and having you to share it with would only make it better."

For just a moment, there was a flicker of warmth in Kazuma, a brief but present reprieve from the gloom and lethargic energy festing in him. He flushed slightly, and managed a simple nod and a muttered response. "Sure. I'll...I'll try and swing by."

"Just don't force yourself, alright?" Wolbach reassured with a soft squeeze of his shoulder, staring into his reluctant eyes with subdued understanding. "It's not a race. You can simply stop by, say hi, and go back inside to rest. No one will judge you, I promise. Everything is going to be okay."

Yet again, Kazuma was struck with some hope, if only for a moment. She was so patient with him, Eris above, they all were. While dark thoughts about how he didn't deserve them did linger further back in his mind, he still managed a small, real smile to the dark goddess, one of appreciation.

"Thanks, Wol. Just…let me finish up here and I'll…I'll drop by. I promise…"

Wolbach offered him a patient nod, and just like that, she was gone. Leaving the young man with his thoughts once more. The dread started to sink back in, slowly, but it wasn't as overencompasing as it was before. Kazuma still had that shred of hope within him, and as he slowly forced himself to his feet, he remembered something that might help him a bit more.

Moving over to the potion cabinet (which was basically the fantasy equivalent to a medicine cabinet), Kazuma shuffled some of the contents aside until he carefully pulled out the half empty bottle of a yellow elixir which had his name written on a label alongside a bunch of medical jargon he never really understood. Despite this world not inventing pills and such, potions and elixirs were the go to medicinal supplement for pretty much everything, mental illnesses included. Kazuma couldn't help but feel illogically guilty about being prescribed this by Dr, Gray and already having gone through half of it, but he understood this was for the best.

It wasn't like potions were a cure-all for his condition, either. They just helped a little, made the weight easier to manage and such. Given how he was feeling currently, he knew it was time for another dose. Pouring out the recommended amount, he downed it just a bit too easily before putting what was left of the potion back.

He was half-tempted to go for another dose just to be extra safe but stopped himself once he realized what the hell he was trying to do. Though the thoughts in his head scolded and berated him in a needlessly harsh manner for it, he was still inclined to agree. Nothing good ever came out of overdoing one's medication. He walked out of the kitchen, far away from the cabinet so he wouldn't be tempted again. Perhaps he should ask his therapist if that stuff was known to be addictive next session.

It still took him a minute or two to work up the nerve to walk out to the porch, a bit of pacing in the main hall did the trick though. Eventually, he managed to step out into the real world, and admittedly...the sunlight made him feel just the slightest bit better.

Just as Wolbach had said, everyone was chilling outside on the porch this morning, the dark goddess herself present among them with her other half perched on her shoulder (Chomps must've jumped ship while Kazuma wasn't looking). They were all nursing their own cups of tea and chatting pleasantly to one another without a care in the world. Again, while not much, it did warm the young man's heart ever so slightly just watching his girlfriends be content and happy with each other like a real family unit.

The momentary feeling of warmth, however, ironically faded when Aqua noticed his silent presence and offered him a bright smile that put the morning sun to shame in his opinion.

"Kazzy! There you are!" She greeted with her signature enthusiasm, one the poor boy couldn't hope to match at that moment. "C'mon over, we saved you a seat!"

Nodding quietly, Kazuma sat in between Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness without saying a word. Whenever he was like…this, his old shut-in tendencies kicked in and he did his best to try and blend into the background. Kazuma didn't know why he always does this with them, they already knew of his condition and he knew he could trust them about how he was feeling.

But, of course, the irrational guilt of being stand-offish with them again even after all that they've been through began to eat away at him, triggering the rapid palpitations within his chest, threatening to burst out of him like an alien parasite, making him fear as though his whole body would collapse in on himself – !

"Kazuma? Are you alright?" Darkness asked from his right, prompting him to open his eyes and tilt his head to face her, concern evident on her face. "You look a bit pale. Have you eaten anything yet today?"

"I, uh…ate part of a bagel this morning," Kazuma answered after clearing his throat, his voice uncharacteristically soft and reserved, trying his hardest not to offend anyone with his burden again. "Wasn't very hungry though…"

All three girls looked at him at this point, and while the stares held no malice, he still shrank back despite himself. Dammit, they were already putting the pieces together. Even when they were just relaxing, he had to find a way to muck it all up. He turned his gaze downwards and clenched his fists, embarrassed as all hell. Why couldn't he just be normal?

"Is it one of those days…?" Megumin inquired softly. She and the others got their answer when they watched their boyfriend bring his knees up to his chest and slowly nod, staring blankly into the horizon with stray tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm s-sorry," he whispered shakily, holding himself back from crying and making the situation worse for himself. "I'm sorry I ruined your good mood. I'm being s-selfish right now, I shouldn't've come out…"

"Hey, hey! Don't you dare talk like that!" Aqua chidded lightly, taking both hands and cupping her boyfriend's face, tilting his head up slightly to meet her gaze. "You haven't ruined anything, Kazuma. We're always more than happy to help you, when and wherever. We love you."

Now the tears were rolling down his cheeks and contaminating Aqua's delicate hands, causing Kazuma's chest to convulse dangerously as a sob was building up inside of him that he desperately wanted to quell. Yet he spoke his dark thoughts aloud anyway.

"Y-you wouldn't h-have to though if I w-wasn't like this," he sputtered pathetically, emotions running rampant at this point. "I h-have such am-amazing girlfriends and yet I'm s-still unhappy for some reason. And now I'm m-making all of you unhappy!"

"You are doing no such thing! Your condition is not your fault, Kazuma. We would never blame you for that!" Darkness insisted, taking one of Kazuma's hands and giving it a soft squeeze while Megumin took the other and mirrored the action. "We are here for you. If you need anything at all, we will provide. I swear it."

Kazuma's face was a teary mess at this point. He knew they were right but it unfortunately didn't stop him from feeling lower than dirt at that moment. He cast his gaze down before shamefully indulging in his selfish wishes with the ones he currently thought were being more generous than they had any right to be.

"…I just want these thoughts to go away already…"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Kazuma." Wolbach replied softly from his left, offering him a sad but reassuring smile as she patted his shoulder. "Those thoughts will pass in time, and while you wait for them to do so, you have us."

Kazuma nodded miserably, fully aware of how this works. It did very little to make him feel at ease but he at least recognized that he needed to hear it all the same.

Leaning his head on the crook of Aqua's neck, he muttered, "I know I'm being annoying right now but can I please stay with you all? I…don't feel comfortable being by myself in this state."

"Of course you can, Kazuma. You don't even have to ask." Aqua assured him without pause, her agreement backed up by the rest of the girls as well as they all rose from their seats, with Aqua now taking Kazuma's hand. "C'mon, I think I might have something that'll make you feel better."

Kazuma said nothing as he allowed Aqua to guide him like a little child, which the demon in his brain had a field day with making fun of him for. Despite feeling like utter shit, the troubled teen had a funny feeling of what his girlfriends had in mind for him. It had become almost a sort of therapeutic tradition for whenever he was like this. And while it didn't completely make him feel better (Nothing ever would) he'd be lying if he said absolutely no part of his sorry state didn't enjoy it on some basic, social level.

Still…"You sure you wouldn't rather just drink tea and take in the morning air?"

"Eh, we got more than enough already. Tea's boring anyways." Megumin assured him with a cute smile, keeping pace beside him along with Darkness and Wolbach. "Now snuggles, on the other hand? Can't get enough of them, totally worth ditching hot leaf water for."

That was enough for Kazuma to crack a small smile and snort a little at his wizard girlfriend's joke.

Not too long after, Kazuma was guided into Aqua's room, with the rest of the girls splitting off to go to the nearby closet, proceeding to retrieve every blanket available within and walking back over to the bed, offering him pleasant smiles all the while.

"Alright, you know the drill, mister!" Aqua reprimanded playfully like a toned down drill sergeant. "Flop on that bed, on the double! It's blanket burrito time!"

Kazuma huffed slightly, but the small smile held as he did as instructed, flopping onto the bed and proceeding to get swaddled in several blankets, all of which were exceptionally comfortable. Even in his current state, Kazuma had to give his girlfriend props; her taste in blankets was awesome. By the end, he was in an aptly named blanket burrito.

"Alright, we got the 'wrap' all ready," Aqua declared triumphantly before turning to the others. "Now it's time for the best part: the 'fillings'!"

Off her declaration, the other girls grabbed their own blankets, and slowly started to wrap themselves up alongside Kazuma, ultimately ending up in one large blanket pile, all snuggled together in an admittedly ridiculous display.

"There we go, all warm and safe and toasty," Aqua sighed contentedly before gazing into her boyfriend's unfortunately empty eyes and asking softly, "How you feeling, Kazzy? A little bit better I hope?"

"...yeah. A bit." Kazuma admitted quietly, shifting in his own blankets as he nodded slightly. He wasn't back to normal yet, not even close...but being around the people he loved most in the world honestly did help him a lot. "Thank you, guys. I...I love you all. So much."

"And we love you all the same, Kazuma," Darkness reassured from within her blanket wrap beside him. "No matter what those traitorous thoughts tell you otherwise, know that you will never be a burden to us solely due to your condition. It takes immense bravery and inner strength to come to us whenever you feel like this. As a crusader, that's something to be admired, you know."

"Darkness is right! You're probably the strongest person I know!" Megumin chimed in from her own bundle, sticking her head out and offering Kazuma another bright smile. "You've had to deal with so much, but you still keep going, strong as ever! You're a certified badass, Kazuma!"

Kazuma scoffed lightly at such a notion, but it also didn't deter his small smile either. "Thanks for the vote of confidence…even if I don't feel deserving of it…"

"Well, you do. You deserve all the love in the world, and we're gonna be the ones to give it to you. No ifs, ands, or buts!" Aqua assured him with a slight nudge, the most comforting gesture she could manage in the bundle. "You got it, mister?"

The tears started to well up again. For what reason, Kazuma didn't know or particularly even care as he silently cried and nodded his head in compliance.

The girls snuggled up to him further upon noticing this, resulting in a big pile of blankets all squashed up on each other. However, Kazuma felt comforted all the same, and within a few minutes he even managed to slip into a peaceful sleep. For a time, he found some peace.

When he woke up, Kazuma had lost all sense of time and location. That momentary disorientation didn't last long, for when he still saw light out the windows and all his girlfriends resting atop and beside him in a mess of blankets, he put the pieces of the puzzle back together fairly quickly.

To be honest with himself, he felt a lot better at this point. The elixir, as well as time and love, had done its job and allowed him to mellow out a little. Things weren't perfect, by any means...but they were also distinctly better now, and he'd be lying if he didn't admit a small sigh of relief escaped him as he shifted a little in his burrito.

A quiet, almost undetectable meow alerted Kazuma to Chomusuke's presence. Despite the light coming in through the windows of Aqua's room, the little furball still found a way to blend into even the faintest of shadows. She gently rested a paw atop her sleeping buddy's forehead, an action which Kazuma noticed made the resting Wolbach beside him smile ever so slightly. Shared mental links he assumed.

"Heh. Missed you too, Chomps." He muttered quietly, a thankful smile resting comfortably on his face as he snuggled back into his bundle, gradually nodding off once more. It's not like he had anything else planned for the day. And what could be better than this?

Maybe having your feline roomie join in on the snuggle fest by turning herself into a living neck rest for you while you sleep, out of the kindness of her heart? Maybe that…