(Hello again, everyone! Welcome to chapter 4 of my little fanfiction! We FINALLY get some closure on what happens when Dust meets up with Kazuma after he first asked about a 2 weeks ago, know why Sakuya had cheated on Kazuma that day and maybe even get Luna to finally spark Kazuma's romantic interest! At time of writing, I was still trying to think of how I could do this, which means that this might be my shortest chapter yet (unless it turns out to be otherwise). Anyways, enjoy, and I'll see you at the bottom of the page!)

Chapter 4 – cAn I fInAlLy CoMe To YoUr HoUsE + the backstory of a delinquent childhood friend

"Oh, that's simple," she replied. "Some goddess allowed me to get reincarnated, and I chose the cheat ability to be able to locate anything and anyone I want to find by teleporting somewhere safe nearby it, and here we are!"

Kazuma's eyebrow raised.

"And now," he continued. "Why did you find me?"

Sakuya didn't seem to sense the seriousness Kazuma was trying to implement in the room and gave him a big smile.

"Why else?" she replied. "When I heard of your death, I was in such pain to lose you –"

"Oh, shut up about losing me," Kazuma said, his irritation only getting worse. "If you really cared about that, you wouldn't have left me to those bastards to be harassed by, or at least helped me when the whole school was killing the ambivert version of me – in fact, if you were truly in pain to hear about my death, you'd regret even thinking about kissing that guy."

"So what did you die from then?" Kazuma asked bitterly. "Get to the point already, I don't have time for your crap."

Sakuya was on the verge of tears, and yet managed to hold back all of them. All she could do was whisper, her voice uncontrollably silent from having to keep in her sadness.

"Oh, that's simple," she said. "I blew him and his friends up, then shot myself."

"Wait, WHAT?" everyone except Sakuya shouted.

"My family was struggling. You didn't see it, Kazuma, because you never went to my house, remember?"

Kazuma could only nod out of shock.

"I'm… glad you didn't. It was either freezing or too hot, and we couldn't afford a care home for my grandparents. They eventually passed, with only a flower growing in the place we buried them at night to remember them by. Food was scarce, and someone was always having an emotional breakdown – sometimes, I would too."

"Now, you'd actually know how poor I was if you looked closely at what I was doing whenever I was at school."

Kazuma didn't remember any of the sort – then, as if it were a miracle – flashbacks came. Hard.

Each one he saw, he could feel himself slowly tearing up – both on the outside and the inside.

She'd carry multiple water bottles to school in a bag, and fill them all up with water when school ended, but Kazuma never pointed it out.

Her school clothes weren't washed too frequently, just to the point where someone notices.

She wouldn't eat anything – heck, she'd even ask Kazuma to buy something for her, and he'd never turn down a request from his best friend, not even expecting something back.

They had always shared books and resources, and Sakuya had once told him how lucky they were to get in high school together. It wasn't just their friendship – it was the fact that he was so… kind.

Not hesitant to help out a friend, even without knowing whether or not she needed it or not.

But she did.

Then, a memory of her dad came into view. He had made him secretly promise between the two of them that Kazuma would make her life the best it can be with all his ability. Apart from that, he was a pretty cool and kind adult to be around, too.

"But… how did you afford the school trip?" Kazuma asked. Despite seeing what he saw, he still wasn't convinced.

"The money was from a charity organisation that had just started, and had gracefully given some money to some other poor families in Japan besides us. In a stupid vision of hope, my dad decided to use most of the money to the field trip, when we could've spent it on money, food and possibly another job opportunity. He thought more would come. But I watched a TV news show in America that talked about how a 'new charity centre in Japan' was shut down when the owner of it was accused of being a pedophile to many children, and the case was successful. He had been arrested, and the charity shut down. Why they didn't simply let it have a new owner, I have no fucking clue."

"Now this is where the story gets familiar to you."

Kazuma's eyebrow raises, but knows where it's going.

"On a certain day that I'd like to take out of my head, my uniform couldn't be washed, and it was starting to slightly stink. There were some dirt marks on places that everyone could see, but I had no choice – I had to continue my education to get out of poverty, just like my parents wanted. So that I could achieve their dream for them."

"I turn a corner, and who do I find? Upper-classmen with bikes, looking down at me as if I was just a piece of trash."

"They pushed me onto the ground, and held me down by my throat whilst they tried to search for something to steal from me."

Kazuma was in a state of horror. So were Yunyun and Liliruca.

"When they found nothing, they laughed at me for being poor, and they were taking pictures and saying things like "looks like this trash is goin' on my TikTok, guys" as if it I was nothing but a source for clout."

"Then, one of them runs from the bridge across and to the group, and said that you're nearby in a flower shop. They wanted to punch him to death, but then one of them recognized me as your only friend (Yup – Kazuma's only friend was her) and put two and two together, and BAM! You had a crush on me."

"Whilst they had found out, I myself recognized that one of the upper-classmen was Ryuji Takasu, the rich kid at school. What the hell was a rich kid doing with these poor-ass gangsters? I tried to ignore the fact that you had a crush on me whilst I tried to find a way to escape, but then it was too late."

"Ryuji, being the rich show-off he is, had cheques in his bag to give to anyone who he 'deemed worthy'. He then picked me up by the collar of my school shirt, and showed me the cheque. He took a pen and wrote: '100,000 yen' on the cheque. Afterwards, he told me, 'Pretend to give up your feelings on that useless bitch in front of him when he comes, and I'll give you this.'"

Kazuma also put two and two together, and felt extremely guilty.

"I thought that you would forgive me after. I was going to tell you to run after I'd said those disgusting words. I didn't want to let them even touch you, but 100,000 yen is a lot of money for my family. I would've told you after so you could understand. But no, that vile smile on my face kept spreading to ensure that I got the money."

Both were in tears now, choking from them.

"They kept paying me, even after I realised that you didn't go to school anymore, and I was terrified. After all that, they wanted me to pretend that I was his girlfriend, and I still did it for the end, I didn't want to continue living this hellhole of a life anymore, even if I was now the breadwinner of the family."

"Ryuji's parents, besides being business owners for other companies, had a local restaurant as well. When it was closed, his friends would hang out there inside, pissing off the staff until they quit and left. He'd never get scolded because his parents already had tons of businesses to get money from, so them inside without any staff in was normal."

"I stole a policeman's gun and ran to the restaurant. Sure enough, it had bullets, and I managed to take the safety lock off. Luck was on my side for this one. Then I managed to get his friends to gather up in the kitchen so that I could show them a cooking tutorial to post on TikTok. They agreed, so I put the cooking range to full heat. Then, I made some fried chicken, which I intentionally made bad, before telling them to wait in the dining area. I took off the pans and toss them aside, and grabbed a defibrillator on the wall for medical emergencies. Then, I snatch one of their phones, which somehow gets them all chasing me, before I put it on the naked flame along with a fully-charged defibrillator. Amazingly, it explodes. It blew up the whole ceiling of the restaurant, and everyone was crushed and died. Except for me – out of stupidity, I jumped out thinking I was going to survive. I get crushed on the upper part of my body, and yet I'm still alive, but in massive pain. I felt bones broken all over my body."

"That's when I remember that I had a gun that I stole from the policeman, and that it was part of my plan. To end this hell once and for all."

"And so I met some cute goddess wearing some purple nun outfit, told me about my death, sympathised me before telling me about reincarnation. I wouldn't have taken it if it weren't for the fact that I remembered that you were essentially an otaku, and considered the chance you'd choose to be reincarnated too."

Whilst Yunyun and Liliruca where trying to take in all the info – especially the part that she and Kazuma had been reincarnated by a goddess – Kazuma was thinking deeply.

Her backstory on arriving to this world sounds so much cooler than mine!

What should I do at this point? I know nothing about helping suicide victims recover mentally…

My ass hurts from listening to her story for what felt like an hour.

Damn, that was some sad shit. It makes me almost wanna say that I forgive her already.

Did the carriage stop just now?

"So now you're here, wanting to apologize to me for all the crap that I went through all those years," he said after some momentary silence.

Sakuya nodded, hope in her eyes.

Another moment of silence, before Kazuma let out laugh.

"I pity your story, but I can't just up and forgive you straight away – I've dealt with my own crap as well in this world, you know, and it feels super similar to what happened last time."

Sakuya's face dropped.

"R-right," Sakuya chuckled silently. "Of course not…"

But Kazuma wasn't done.

He stood up after acknowledging that the carriage had now come to a stop.

Then, he put a hand on her shoulder.

Sakuya made a confused noise.

"However," Kazuma said, pity and sympathy in his voice. "That doesn't mean that there won't be a way for you to get my forgiveness."

Then, she showed a side that Kazuma didn't know she could possibly attain.

She jumped from her seat.

"EEK! NO!" she screamed. "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU USE ME!"

Yunyun let out a "PFFFT", whilst Liliruca's eyes widened before dying from laughter.

Kazuma tried not to let the humour get to him.

"I-Idiot," he giggled, completely failing to do so. "I was about to say 'join our team'."

Sakuya then sat down, the blush gone from her face – which now had an understanding expression.

"Ohhh," she said. "Well, at least I lifted the miserable mood in here – I hate being too serious… Anyways, what can I do to get your forgiveness?"

Kazuma was about to talk when the carriage door opened.

"I'll tell you on the way."

-Later-

Dust was drinking with his party discussing about what adventure they should do next when he saw Kazuma enter the guild. He decided to greet his friends.

"Oh, Kazuma!" he greeted him. He looked behind to see three girls walking behind him. "Oh, and Yunyun as well! And, uhh… you two girls?"

He shook his head, as if telling himself to forget it. "Anyways, can my party still go to your house for a chat? It's literally been about a week and a half since I asked."

"Sure," Kazuma accepted. Then, he gestured toward Yunyun and the other two girls. "I'll introduce you to the others once we get there."

"Alright," Dust replied. "Lean! Taylor! Keith! Come on, we're going to Kazuma's house now!"

"Ok!" Lean said.

How the hell did that Adventurer get new teammates so quickly? Keith thought to himself.

-At Kazuma's House-

"So," Dust started. "You mind telling us who these girls are?"

Everyone was sitting on either on a couch or at a chair that Kazuma had to get from the dining room because there wasn't enough space on said couch.

Kazuma gulped down one of the many bottles of wine he found underneath Aqua's bedroom after remembering that he didn't have anything to serve his guests due to being away for so long.

"So the fox-girl you see there is Liliruca Arde," Kazuma said, moving his arms to indicate toward the girl with a red scarf and a white fur-coat. Dust also realised that part of her hair were actually fox ears, and saw a tail on her back. "She joined my party after that quest to take down the band of thieves. There had been some large misunderstanding, and there were actually two bands of thieves in the area, one of which were both trying to hunt down the other band of thieves for the reward and also happened to have Liliruca in it. She joined my team because her teammates were harsh on her, and probably because she sympathised me too."

Then, Kazuma stopped, and facepalmed.

"Damn it, I feel like a goddamn hentai protagonist by not letting them talk," he muttered through his hands. Dust's party laughed.

"Well, I guess it's too late for Liliruca, so I'll let Sakuya do the talking for herself, I guess," Kazuma shrugged.

"Oh, come on, Kazuma-kun!" she whined, but showed little resistance.

Sakuya stood up. She felt nervous – they seemed like close friends, so they'd definitely know about what had happened between her and Kazuma. How would they treat her if she said that she was the girl in his story?

She took a deep breath.

No. If I truly want forgiveness, I'll be honest and give it up straight to them.

"I am Sakuya Iyazoi, and I used to be Kazuma's best friend!" she said, chuckling nervously afterwards.

A – did she really just change her nickname to THE Sakuya Iyazoi from Touhou? Unbelievable, Kazuma chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile, Dust's party gasped, and glanced to a smiling Kazuma, who nodded.

"Don't worry, guys, we've reached an understanding. I'll give you a hint as she tells us what she went through – her backstory is much, much sadder than mine."

Sakuya gave Kazuma a disapproving glare, but then went on to tell her story.

-After what could've been 1600+ words-

"Oh, damn," Keith said.

The rest of the party, similar to Kazuma's story, was silent out of sympathy and pity, whilst processing that he and her were reincarnated into this world.

"Anyways, why hasn't Kazuma forgiven you yet?" Lean asked.

"He told me that whilst he's sorry for my story and what I went through in Japan after we stopped being together, he can't forgive me yet, and wants me to regain his trust by joining the party. Then, when the time is right, can he forgive me. Oh, yes, and I'm also pretty thankful that he was kind enough to offer me food and stuff back in Japan, so I couldn't say no."

The party looked suspiciously at Kazuma, particularly Lean.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't you dare pull any… moves on her, Kazuma-kun," Lean said through snake-like eyes.

Kazuma chuckled.

"Oh, please, my asexuality can confirm that," he said.

(Explains what being asexual means again)

When they asked Yunyun and Liliruca if they can confirm that he was truly asexual, they nodded.

Taylor pours himself a small amount of wine in a glass.

"Sexual preferences aside, are you going to go on any adventures yet?" he asked.

Kazuma thought about it.

"Maybe, but I'll have to teach Sakuya stuff about this world, and get her an adventurer card at Axel," he explained. "That way she can get stronger as we go on them. We'll also need to teach her about monsters, fighting styles and more. In the meantime, it's simply finding an outfit for her-"

"WE'LL HANDLE THAT!" Yunyun, Liliruca and Lean jumped from their seats excitedly, dragging a surprised Sakuya out of the door.

"Save me, Kazuma-kun…" her scream faded away down the stairs.

"…Oookay, then I guess that's settled," Kazuma said hesitantly, knowing that Sakuya's childish attitude was often accompanied with a tomboyish personality – which results in her dreading to go shopping for clothes.

Especially with other girls who'd dress her up with stuff they weren't even going to buy.

Kazuma didn't expect that a magician, a Crimson Demon and a fox-girl would take a human shopping, and laughed at the thought.

"So, guys, what should we do?" Kazuma asked. "Go to the Succubus Café?"

Taylor, Keith and Dust looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, right. Asexual now," Kazuma sighed with a chuckle.

-With The Girls-

Sakuya eventually gave up resisting the girls' pulling force to the shops, knowing that it was useless to fight back. She pouted as she walked behind the group. Deciding not to think about it, she decided to look at her surroundings.

Axel seemed beautiful at night. It was peaceful – with the exception of the occasional merchant packing up for the night – and the dark-blue sky was lit up by a thousand tiny, white stars.

It reminded her of when she and Kazuma had snuck out of their homes to view the fireworks instead of spending the night doing homework and studying. It had been a daring move, but it had been worth it.

Well, for the moment.

That was the night before all that shit happened.

Where she had finally confessed to him, even though all the teasing she had done were meant to hint to Kazuma how she felt. But he was dense as hell – and, when she thought about it, he'd probably cringe from being so dumb.

She frowned, shook her head then tried to think of something else. No need to linger on bad memories if they hurt that much.

"We're here!" one of the girls chirped, and Sakuya was dragged into a store that smelled of cloth, metallic armour and scents from potions that she could see.

Finally, something to take her mind off of.

"Alright, listen," she said firmly. "No cutesy stuff, OK?"

Yunyun gave her a look that looked like a sigh.

"Quite the tomboy, I see," she replied. "Well, good thing there's tons of cloaks, capes, maid outfits, vests – why did I say maid outfit? – and other stuff."

Sakuya was ready to walk off when a hand landed on her shoulder.

It was Lean.

"Ah, but WE get to dress you up!" she said.

Well, shit, Sakuya thought.

-After trying on tons of clothes-

Sakuya felt extremely bored putting on and taking off the waterfall of clothes that the girls poured into the wardrobe. Most of them were things that looked nearly identical to their outfits (well, as far as she could remember), whilst others were completely random – dresses, maid outfits, etc – that she didn't expect them to actually like.

Just when all hope was lost, she found it.

The perfect outfit.

It included a large, leaf-shaped cape with golden borders at the edges, some green shorts with a belt, black boots (not the tall kind) and a hooded shirt that only reached up to her belly button, but that was her kind of style.

After some time, she emerged.

"Ta-da!" she announced. "How do you like the outfit?"

The girls examined her with thought, whilst Liliruca had gotten bored of the whole thing and went to look at potions and other materials.

"It… suits you really well!" Lean told her, and Yunyun agreed.

"Aw, thanks guys! Well, then, looks like I owe you guys some money after this," Sakuya said admiringly, but Yunyun pulled up her hand.

"No need, consider this a gift for being a new member of the group and being my friend, as well as Kazuma's," she said.

Sakuya gave Yunyun a hug.

"Thanks, Yunyun," she thanked her.

Lean was curious as to why the Crimson Demon blushed ever so slightly when Sakuya gave her a hug, then shrugged.

Kazuma did mention that he was friends with someone who had always wanted friends…

- 1 week later, Megumin's POV-

Fuck all of this.

Just… fuck it all.

My life's gone to shit ever since I left Kazuma.

It was a mistake. The biggest mistake of my life.

I looked at my staff as I sat in the alleyway, wanting to do Explosion on myself and the building next to me with Aqua in it.

But at the same time, I couldn't help thinking that the world would be a sadder place for Kazuma without me, even though he probably hates my guts right now.

In the end, I gave up my "chuunibyou" phase and became serious.

I mean, who am I kidding? Who needs a mage that can only do one spell a day before passing out on the floor?

I chuckled bitterly, but I didn't blow myself up still.

Why am I doing this?

The only way to be happy again is to either end my own life now, or actually go out of my way to find Kazuma, whether he's still in Axel or not.

And whether or not the entirety of Axel knows about our situation and wants to murder me.

Then, Liliruca looked at me.

"Author-kun, when THE FUCKING HELL WILL I BE SHOWN AS A MAJOR CHARACTER IN THIS FANFICTION OF YOURS?"

Ok, Liliruca, JEEZ, you'll get your part soon enough!

And Megumin will too. And so will Luna, and much, MUCH MORE (please be patient)

(Anyways, I APOLOGISE deeply for the late publish of chapter 4 and the fact that it sucks, but I was very busy during the whole week, and I couldn't work on it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed, because Chapter 5 is coming soon!

Love you guys, and thanks for your support!

R1n_Kagam1n3)