Formal Names
"Why didn't you do it calmly, instead of immediately accusing Yunyun with a hostile manner in the middle of the crowd. You could just bring her aside and discuss the problems you had with her, what's so hard about it?"
"U-Um... i-it's..."
Megumin stuttered in embarrassment and... shyness? Kazuma and surprisingly Yunyun noticed the change in her mood and become tense. If such a bold person like Megumin showed such attitude, as the ones who knew her quite well, especially Yunyun, they couldn't help but be cautious.
"It's because I thought you were taking me seriously by asking my formal name-"
"WHAT?!"
Yunyun interrupted her with a shout, snapping her head towards Kazuma who looks quite confused. Kazuma thought that it was accidental, so he didn't really put much thought into it. But now that Yunyun showed an abrupt reaction, he began to have a vague feeling. A quite weird one, to be precise. Not bad but not good either.
"Kazuma, did you really ask her that?"
"Um, yes? I was just curious. To be honest, I didn't know how important a formal name could be, because I didn't possess the knowledge."
What he meant is that he never attend the academy to learn basic notions and information. Yunyun acknowledged that. But there's another problem.
Yunyun redirected her gaze to Megumin, who was unusually looking down timidly, with a nervous yet passionate gaze on her shade of bright, crimson eyes. She managed to grasp something and cried in shock.
"You! Megumin! You didn't tell him the taboo of the formal names, didn't you?!"
"H-Huh? What? Yunyun, I know you are my rival but stop with the denial of my own success!"
"You! You are so shameless! Too shameless!"
"Hmph!"
Kazuma, who was looking quite lost immediately asked.
"What it is? What is the taboo of formal names?"
Hearing Kazuma, who previously stated such a fantastic hypothesis, inquiring in wonder makes them unconsciously compromise with a quick meeting of their gazes and they answered harmoniously. Kazuma who witnessed the abrupt transformation couldn't help but think in annoyance.
'Why didn't you two do that earlier?!'
"Taboo of Formal Names. Before knowing the taboo, you have to know what is formal names first."
Yunyun started the explanation by introducing the crucial part.
"Formal names are the names Crimson Demon use to attend formal meetings, conferences, gatherings, banquets and many more. We knew that our names that we're proud of definitely sounds weird in the ears of many. That's why a rule was established by our ancestors, it was stated that every single Crimson Demon must possess a formal name. To avoid the mockery of the mass and resulting in a conflict created by mere bickerings. As you know, we Crimson Demon are prideful, we even removed the Pride from the seven sins, to show how much we worth our pride."
Megumin continued, it's weird but their tone and rhythm are almost identical. As if it was planned beforehand. Kazuma nodded in acknowledgement before looking at Yunyun, expecting her to continue. Yunyun fulfilled his expectation almost immediately.
"Formal names are one of our identities, because we, Crimson Demon, like mysteriousness very much."
Yunyun paused and glanced at Kazuma, which brought her back to the previous event. She was flustered for a moment before continuing. Megumin, witnessing her shyly performances snorted in disdain. Showing extreme competitiveness.
And what is the object, or even subject that they competing for? Kazuma thought in confusion. But he merely shrugged as Yunyun voiced her explanation. Completely overlooking a certain possibility.
"By that, the establishment of formal names was immediately supported by all of the Crimson Demons. Of course, time brought changes, and the rules which stated that formal names were used for formalities got amended."
"Now, every Crimson Demon possessed two formal names and a public name. One formal name for formalities, one for affection for the closed ones, only the closest people could know this and one was obviously for the people to know our names! To know the difference, formal names used in formality often was asked and announced in formality, whether the formal names used for affection was asked in... i-in informality."
At the end of her explanation, Megumin stuttered before turning into her unusual mood. Yunyun frowned and Kazuma slowly looked at them. But Yunyun continued nonetheless.
"And back to the original problem. It wouldn't matter much if an attendant of a formal event asked your formal name, nor would it matter if someone asked your normal name. What Crimson Demon put importance the most was the formal name used for affection to the close ones. It was stated that for the same sex to ask your formal names, it means that they wanted to be brothers or sisters closer than blood. If a male asked a female her formal name, it means that he wanted her to be his lifetime companion. And if a female asked a male his formal name, it means that the female was willing to do anything so she could be with him for eternity. The last statement rarely happened, because in our notion, a male should fight for what they wanted to possess, not a female.
Males possessed incomparable pride, while females possessed incomparable tenacity. That's what our history showed us. In general within the Crimson Demon Clan, males were the ones who should fight for what they wanted, while females were the ones who protect everything they possessed."
"So... in short, Crimson Demon possessed three names, one for formality, one for affection and one for publication? And Crimson Demon puts the one for affection at utmost importance?"
"Yes."
Yunyun nodded, still looking concerned by Megumin's unusual antics. Kazuma took a deep breath, striding to them in slow motion and stood still.
"Is this rule... if graded from 1-10 in importance, which number do you think is appropriate to grade it?"
"10! No doubt!"
"9."
Megumin shouted in ecstasy while Yunyun calmly answered. It was like that before Yunyun directed her gaze at Megumin at such frightening speed. A look full of shock plastered clearly in her eyes.
Kazuma could guess. While what Megumin stated was a moment of ecstasy, Yunyun's was real. 9 and 10 don't really differ much.
"W-Wait... does that mean-"
"That Kazuma asked my formal name nonchalantly? Yes!"
"K-Kazuma-"
"Yes, I did."
Such a rule and notion was out of his expectation. Kazuma Satou would deny it outrightly and think of it as a stupid thing. But Kazuma, the prideful Crimson Demon, knew that while Crimson Demon is odd, rules are the things they put at utmost importance the most. It's not a joke at all, what kind of actions shall befall upon the defier is by what was stated in the rules. No compromise, no negotiation, nothing. Only punishment. And what's that?
Either abandonment, exile, or death.
Crimson Demon do things with coercion. It's not cruel nor it is against humanity, it's to keep their clan at its peak prosperity. And guess what? It's indeed prosperous.
Their territory, their rules. A statement known by many. Who cares about what others thought when they have no idea what happened?
Kazuma took a deep breath. Megumin excitedly hugged herself and Yunyun showed a look of disbelief.
"W-Wait!"
"What now?!"
Megumin, whose expectation kept getting interrupted showed a look full of annoyance. Yunyun puffed her cheeks in anger and frustration and shouted.
"Read!"
An opened book appeared out of nowhere and it shoved itself before Megumin's face, staggering her backwards.
"Ack!"
"Hmph!"
Megumin wanted to retaliate and counterattack but once she read what was contained within the book, her expression changed.
"What?! Who made such a rule?!"
"It appears when the seventh amendment commenced!"
"There's no such a thing as the seventh amendment!"
"Hmph! As the Heiress, you think I can't do it?"
"Y-You! Yunyun, since when did you become so shameless!"
The opened book was thrown aside and the rivals' bickerings continued. Kazuma, who was looking at the spectacle blankly crouched and picked up the book. The black cover showed a big "CRIMSON DEMON'S LAWS" in a thick, bright, red font. Its pages were made out of leathers, and in the opened section, there's a newly engraved statement.
The formal names used in affection functioned only when both occupants reaches the age of 13.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow. If Yunyun truly rejected the idea, then wasn't she supposed to completely amend the rule so it would be invalid by the amendment? Then rationality hits him. If rules that were amended and perfected for many years could be changed just like that, then what's the use of all of those amendments?
"-this is too much Yunyun!"
"You're the one that's too much!"
The bickerings still going on. Kazuma pondered for a moment before standing up. With his towering figure, both girls noticed the change of the light around them and glanced at the culprit.
Kazuma stared at them and let out a tired sigh.
'Too reckless.'
Kazuma Satou knew that for laws to be amended, there must be countless conferences and committees, containing countless discussions, objections and arguments. So for Yunyun to just changed it within the span of a few seconds...
"Both of you are the same. Too reckless."
His new juniors are too naughty.
Kazuma sighed again.
Megumin and Yunyun immediately shut up and changed their attitudes. Showing their dejected feelings by their downcasted complexions.
"Let's solve this with mediation. No need to shout at each other."
It was a solution created solely by Kazuma Satou.
They obediently nodded.
It's weird. Their age was merely two years apart yet both of them genuinely feel like juniors, when they don't even treat the generation above them with this much courtesy. They felt like it was instinctual, to listen and do what the person before them told them to do. Despite their prideful nature, they don't feel condemned, not in the slightest
Instead, they feel delighted.
It was a new feeling. And they planned to keep it as their personal secret.
Kazuma wouldn't know what hit him in the future.
an: formal names are not canon, they were made up. Similar to many things that were stated in this story.
