"Are you really sure paying them a visit is a good idea?" Aqua asked her boyfriend quietly at the front door of the mansion, making Kazuma pause and turn to her with a surprised expression. "I mean, I know we've worked out a majority of our problems, but...I still don't like the thought of you going over there alone."
"First…I appreciate the concern for me, thank you," Kazuma admitted with a small smile before knitting his brows together. "Second…it has been a while since we last checked on them, yeah? I understand why you're worried, Aqua, but I don't think they're going back to burning down cities anytime soon, not after everything that's happened. If Vanir and Wolbach can be reformed, why can't they?"
Aqua made that same, pouty expression she always did whenever her boyfriend made a good point, before audibly huffing and stepping closer, wrapping Kazuma in a warm hug, snuggling into him for a moment. "I know you're right. Just...be careful, please. Not everyone in Axel has warmed up to them as much as we have."
"I'll be fine, don't worry," Kazuma chuckled lightly as he gladly returned his girlfriend's snuggle-hug. "Have a little faith in me. When have I ever steered you guys wrong? Actually…don't answer that."
Aqua snorted in response to the joke, and gradually released Kazuma from the embrace, a bit more reassured for the moment. After a proper goodbye and a promise to be home before dinner, Kazuma headed out down the main path and into town, making his way down to the former demon general's apartment.
After crashing at their mansion during the first month of peace in Belzerg, Akarui and Serena had scrounged up enough quest money to fend for themselves since they were technically registered adventurers. The pair had opted to rent a low income apartment around the back walls of town, in the more rundown part of Axel. Of course, just because they were willing to peacefully end the war that they technically started (even if Belzerg's government drew first blood), that didn't necessarily mean they were welcomed back into society with open arms, especially given the attempted siege on Axel. As such, the two willingly choose a secluded housing district and mostly kept to themselves while attempting to right their wrongs.
By the time he arrived, Kazuma's nerves had managed to kick up a little, less out of fear of the generals themselves but more so over intruding. It had been a week or so since the last time they talked, after all, and it was entirely possible that they finally decided to just cut the cord and go their own way. That particular concern, bizarre as it was, had lingered in the back of the young man's mind for quite a while now.
It's just the nerves talking, Kazuma reassured himself as he stood outside the door to their apartment. If they really wanted to stop keeping in touch, they would've been upfront about it. They're straightforward like that. Besides, this isn't the same as texting or shooting an email; ghosting someone isn't an invented concept in this world…right?
Shaking his head with a muted huff, Kazuma pushed the concerns aside for the time and knocked on the door before him. After a few seconds of silence, the door swung open...and admittedly, Kazuma had to restrain a chuckle. Serena stood before him in a particularly unkempt state; her clothes were ruffled and her hair messy, as if she'd just now rolled out of bed to answer the door.
"Listen, we paid the damn rent already, so why don't you…! Oh, it's just you, Kazuma…" the sole follower of Regina realized mid-rant, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "You do know dropping by unannounced at the crack of dawn is less than ideal for your unsuspecting hosts, yes?"
"Ah, yeah. My bad. Guess so notice would have been nice, huh?" The young man managed with an awkward chuckle as he scratched his cheek, suddenly aware of the flaw in his planned visit. "Just figured that since I haven't heard from you guys in a while, it couldn't hurt to check up on the two of you."
Serena sighed through her nose but ultimately relented out of civility. "I suppose that is not an unfair argument, even if it has only been a week since the last visit. Very well, come in. I was just about to brew some coffee anyway."
Nodding as Serena stepped aside, Kazuma entered and looked around, releasing a low whistle of appreciation. Despite the apartment being less than glamorous, the two generals definitely made it feel a lot more homely during their time there. Nice purple curtains, a throw pillow here or there on their seats nearby. It tied the place together with surprising ease.
"Y'know, it still amazes me how you two managed to spruce this place up," Kazuma couldn't help but comment as he took a seat on the couch, watching Serena trudge her way into the kitchen corner. "Then again, I guess quests posted around these parts don't pose much of a challenge for ex-generals. With all that money saved up, you could probably afford to build a log cabin or something out of town if you really wanted."
"I've suggested as much to Akarui before, but no dice. She's content staying here in Axel, and I suppose I can't complain too much either." Serena mused wearily, going about preparing her morning coffee while grabbing a second mug. "We keep to ourselves for the most part, and our neighbors react in kind. Right now, she's out for her morning run, a habit she never managed to kick from you-know-when."
"Ah, I gotcha," Kazuma remarked, glancing down at his hands folded into his lap. He and Serena were on decent terms now but it wasn't like they were friends exactly. Ironically, he felt more comfortable with Akarui in the room, acting as a sort of medium between the two. He only had himself to blame for getting too antsy and dropping by earlier than usual.
After a moment of hesitation, Kazuma looked back at Serena and carefully asked, "How…how is she doing, by the way? Adjusting okay?"
"It's...a process. She still has bad days, few and far between as they are." Serena admitted, pouring both cups of coffee before offering Kazuma one, a small, subdued frown on her face. "It wasn't just her father she lost after all. Along with the empire, Sylvia, Hans, Beldia. Sure, Wiz and Vanir are still around, but they don't make any effort to reach out anymore than we do. As for Wolbach...ugh, you already know."
"Yeah…" Kazuma drawled before taking an awkward sip of his coffee, only to quietly wince as he forgot to blow on it first. "I can definitely see how that could be affecting her. Uh…and you?"
Just like that, Serena stiffened a touch, as if she really didn't expect him to ask for her perspective on the matter in turn. After a moment, she sighed, setting aside her cup and crossing her arms.
"I didn't have half as much to lose. I was never particularly close with anyone, even our fellow generals." She admitted quietly, a certain amount of discomfort shining in her eyes as she spoke. "I was always the new girl, the callous human monstrous enough to serve alongside monsters. Akauri was the only one who ever treated me close to normally, and even then it still took time."
Kazuma nodded, listening intently. This was the closest he'd ever seen the woman to being vulnerable while he was around. As such, he elected to save any and all questions and comments until the end, motioning for her to continue.
"…That's it," she stated plainly, giving the young man a somewhat terse look. "What? Did you think I was just going to give you my life's story that easily? Sorry, Satou, but that's not how I work. Maybe in due time and if you're still interested, I can tell you, but until then, all you need to know is that I'm making the best out of what I have."
Kazuma huffed a little at that, but raised his free hand and relented as he took another swig of coffee, not entirely surprised by the sudden shift. She wasn't going to trust him off the bat, and he wasn't going to press further than he needed to. "Mhm, fair enough. Consider my curiosity quelled."
Right as the two came to a mutual understanding, the rattling of the apartment door's lock alerted them to the arrival of a certain general. Akarui entered her home, wearing a sports bra, jogging pants, and a small sweat towel loosely wrapped around her neck. The woman sighed as she stepped into the living room, stopping the second she noticed she had a familiar guest accompanying her roommate and closest thing left to a family.
"Ah, Kazuma! What a nice surprise!" She greeted pleasantly, offering the young man a small wave and a remarkably relaxed smile. Somehow, she'd eased up a lot faster compared to her fellow generals when it came to trust. "What brings you to our humble abode so early on this day?"
"Oh, you know, just making sure you haven't decided to lose my address yet," Kazuma responded jokingly before waving himself off. "I'm kidding…mostly, but I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were faring. Probably could've waited a little in the afternoon though..."
"Perhaps, but I'm glad you decided to visit all the same." Akarui replied, before stretching and starting for another room at the far side of the apartment. "Just a moment, please. I'd like to freshen up before I join the two of you."
"Don't let me hold you up," Kazuma remarked, resigned to sipping away his cup of coffee as he and Serena waited for Akarui to draw up a quick cleanup bath. Despite not normally being a fan of long swaths of silence with present company, he actually didn't mind it quite as much when it was with the dark priestess. The two recognized their differences and seemingly came to an unspoken agreement that if there was nothing else to discuss concerning the two of them, then there was no need for unnecessary small talk.
And the mostly reformed hikikomori knew the pain of forced conversations all too well.
A few minutes later, Akarui returned in a far more relaxed outfit, taking a seat in one of the two couches in their living room, with Kazuma and Serena ultimately following suit before she started to speak. "So, how have things been on your end, Kazuma? I'm sure you and your friends have been enjoying what downtime you can have between missions."
"Yeah, things have been pretty good, all things considered," Kazuma nodded, a small smirk lingering on his face at the thought of his crazy but loving family. "Uh, heh, believe it or not, but yet another girl who I didn't know had a thing for me has joined the ranks recently: Luna. You know, the blonde counter lady over at the guild?"
"Really now? I do remember her, from that birthday party we attended." Akarui replied, a slight smile forming on her lips as she leaned back in her seat, obviously amused at the notion. "Well, you certainly have a way with women, don't you? Never would have expected that from you, truthfully."
"Brutally honest? Same," Kazuma agreed, cracking a small smile when that earned him a sharp "HA!" from the older woman. "I know I used to talk big like any other jackass adventurer you'd find in a pub but, really, I didn't think I'd actually get this far with my 'popular phase'. I try not to think too much about it nowadays; wouldn't want to go picking up old habits again."
"I can certainly relate. Luckily, I've only really managed to hold onto one in particular over the last few months." Akarui admitted, an easy smile still resting on her face while Serena sat beside her, still yet to chime in. "Obviously, a general's workout routine isn't quite as easy to replicate without the equipment, but I've made due regardless. There's certainly worse hobbies to pick up."
Yeah, like chronic masturbation, Kazuma thought but obviously refused to share. That was a secret he would take to his final grave. Besides…it was also a "hobby" he'd long since dropped anyway. For self-explanatory reasons.
"You still take time to relax and decompress, right? Working out and adventuring is good to keep you busy and all but there's merit to having one or two off days. I should know, I'm speaking from professional experience here."
"Oh, of course. I try to pace myself, taking time to wind down and such." Akarui assured him, before turning to Serena and lightly nudging her as she continued, a more knowing smile rising on her face. "Serena here actually helped me find something new to enjoy, a book series from a local shop."
Kazuma turned to the dark priestess with raised brows, inadvertently making the girl shift ever so slightly in her seat.
"So I'm a bit of a bookworm, what of it!?" Serena defended in a manner not unlike that of a tsundere in Kazuma's opinion. "I'm a magic-caster, we tend to immerse ourselves in books! Is it really that hard for you to imagine?"
"No, I get it. Honestly, I've never been too much of a reader myself, but to each their own." Kazuma replied, tilting his head as a curious smile rose on his face. "What kind of genres do you prefer? Few times I've been able to get into a story, it was usually Sci-Fi."
"Oh, I have no particular preference. Just as long as it's well-written and consistent," Serena sighed, shrugging her shoulders loosely. "Although I can't say I've read anything in the 'sci-fi' genre before. What is that again? I faintly recall you mentioning it when we attended your birthday party. One of your 'video games' was linked to it, yes?"
"Yeah, they're a bit related." Kazuma confirmed, having the self-control not to snort over the priestess' phrasing. She sounded old and out of touch, but it couldn't be less her fault. "If you're looking for a label, I guess Sci-Fi can be described as...speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. Like robots, or aliens. That kinda stuff."
"Pardon me if I come across as uneducated, but how are people from foreign countries considered a 'futuristic concept' exactly?" Akarui suddenly interjected, further highlighting how they were worlds apart from the young man (in every sense of the word).
"A-ah, right. You don't have any idea about the other context to that word." Kazuma mused, before leaning forward and clearing his throat, preparing to give both girls a crash course on the subject. "What I'm referring to when I say aliens are actually species from other planets. They can look human, or more monstrous. There's tons of literature about space adventures running into dangerous creatures out in the cosmos, usually not going too well for them."
Both Akarui and Serena's eyes widened as they stared at the boy in awe, still processing the information given to them. If there was one aspect of getting reincarnated into a fantasy world that Kazuma could never have predicted (excluding where it behaved more like real life and less like a game), it was getting to explain concepts such as aliens to two reformed generals of a Devil King. Moments like these were something the young man would cherish always, as they weren't something every Japanese was blessed to experience in their life.
Over the next half hour, Kazuma proceeded to talk the two through several popular Sci-Fi tales, though most of them weren't completely ingrained in literature. Regardless of wherever they started, he held their attention all the same and showed off one hell of a genre that they didn't even know existed. A part of him wondered if he could talk Chris into getting a hold of a few books from Earth, or even a few movies that he could show all the girls!
"Well…that certainly changes how I view the night sky," Serena commented after Kazuma had finished summarizing a story about a parasitic, shape-shifting alien. "If life really were to exist among the stars, I pray to Regina they aren't as…hostile as you described."
"Ditto on that front. Honestly, I've always been kinda skeptical on whether aliens really could exist." Kazuma replied with a chuckle, leaning back in his seat and sinking into the couch slightly. "Then again, only two years ago I learned gods were real...and magic...and DEMONS...maybe aliens aren't too much of a stretch."
"It just goes to show that you really are from another world altogether," Akarui remarked with an amused shake of the head before adopting a more contemplative look. "Though, by that logic, wouldn't that technically make you yourself an alien, even if you are human like us?"
"...huh. Never really considered that, honestly…" Kazuma admitted with a thoughtful expression, another low chuckle escaping him as he shook his head. "Well, that's a lovely little existential question, thanks for that one."
"Don't mention it~" Akarui mentioned with a sly wink before closing her eyes and sinking back down into the couch, a genuinely relaxed smile resting on her face. "Thanks, by the way."
Kazuma blinked. "For what?"
"For being yourself," she responded plainly, as though it were obvious. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find people who are comfortable with being open around others. A lot of adventurers will often wear a mask or hide behind a persona, and while you may have followed that trend in the past, you eventually grew out of it. That's one of the reasons I've kept in touch with you since moving out."
"Really? Well, I'm flattered to hear it, honestly." Kazuma replied after a beat, having worked himself up to actually accepting the praise rather than batting it away like he used to. Another lesson from Ms. Gray put to good use. "I gotta ask, though. What other reasons are on that list of yours? I mean, I'm glad you've stuck around, but you've really piqued my interest this time."
"Well, aside from being from another world and playing a part in ending my father's war, willingly or otherwise, you're just…nice to be around," Akarui supplied after a moment's hesitation, sitting up straight, a near undetectable flash of vulnerable in her amber eyes. "Nice to talk to, about anything and everything. Aside from Serena on occasion, I never really got to experience what I imagine were normal things a girl my age should've experienced. Ever since my father's…'crowning', my life went from being average to one filled with war and bloodshed. I've seen and done many terrible things, Kazuma, things that still make it hard for me to sleep at night. But talking and being around you makes me forget those terrible things, if only for a moment."
And just like that, the mood turned a lot more sobering for Kazuma. He knew as well as anyone that you never truly get rid of your personal demons, you just found new ways to deal with them. Knowing that he helped Akarui with that, even on the simplest level...it filled him with a strange sense of pride.
"Well...I'm glad to be of service, then." He replied earnestly, offering Akarui a genuine smile of appreciation and reassurance. "Anytime you need to talk about anything, I'm more than willing to do my part. Pinky promise."
The orphaned woman briefly eyed his extended pinky incredulously. However, it was quick to fade into heartfelt gratitude as she accepted the offer. "Why do I get the feeling you picked that up from a certain blue-haired goddess?"
"Like you said, worse habits to pick up, right?" He chuckled in turn, before turning to Serena and raising an expectant eyebrow, extending his other hand. "Offer applies to you too, you know. I know you and I still have a ways to go, but if anything ever comes up…"
Serena stared long and hard at Kazuma's waiting pinky. Eventually, she huffed and shook it with her own, a dead look on her face as she did so. "Not a word about this to anyone outside this room. Got it?"
"Consider my lips sealed, fearsome follower of Regina." Kazuma snarked in reply, though he did plan on keeping quiet about this exchange. Slow progress was still progress, and honestly it was just nice to have more people in his corner, and to know he was welcomed in someone else's. "Well, this has certainly been an eventful morning."
"Indeed it has. Though a pleasant one regardless," Akarui agreed before standing up to stretch. "But while I did appreciate your little check up today, could you kindly keep it to afternoon visits please? I usually work out early in the mornings and my lazy bum of a roommate is usually asleep during."
"Sure thing, I'll keep it in mind for the future, all future visits will be both properly announced and scheduled for the afternoon." Kazuma agreed, rising to his feet and conducting his own stretch. "With that in mind, I think I'll leave you two to your afternoon. I'm sure you've got more than enough to do without me around."
"Yes, well, trying to atone for past war crimes certainly keeps one busy," Serena grumbled with her arms crossed. "Meanwhile, generals like Vanir get off scot-free simply by virtue of having been apathetic towards the war effort. It still baffles me how that smug bastard became a model citizen in the eyes of the community…"
"Trust me, I haven't the slightest idea myself. If you figure it out before me, please do share." Kazuma snorted, before starting for the door. "I'll see you guys around, yeah? Maybe swing by for a visit over the weekend?"
"I see no reason why not," Akarui said, sending a small wave Kazuma's way. "Stay strong, Kazuma. And wish Wolbach well for me, will you? We may not have been particularly close but tell her I wouldn't mind reconnecting if she doesn't mind either."
"I'll be sure to pass the message along." Kazuma assured her with a small smile, before stepping out onto the street and returning the wave to both of the girls. "See you guys later! Good luck with whatever else you had planned today!"
With a goodbye from Akarui and a silent departing nod from Serena, Kazuma excused himself from the pair's home and began heading back to his own home, feeling a bit lighter in his step prior to visiting. Once again, his anxieties were proven baseless as usual. The two were far from being done with him, and that helped put him at ease.
Back in the apartment, Serena once more flopped onto the couch with a loud sigh, as if she'd endured some immense hardship, prompting her roommate and friend to chuckle. "Oh, come now. You act as though it was miserable. You don't have to pretend like you don't like having him around, Ser."
"It's not that, Aka…" Serena moaned, head hanging over the sofa cushion, blank eyes glued to the ceiling. "I just can't get those horrific aliens he described out of my mind…ugh."
"I'm sure you'll get it out of your system eventually." Akarui assured her, lightly patting her shoulder before starting for the door herself. "Plenty of daylight left for us to grab some new reading material as well."