Kazuma and his friends...girlfriends? It didn't sound quite right, but that's technically what they were now, wasn't it? All the same, they'd gathered for breakfast after their emotional reaction to his acceptance of their confession. Now, sitting around the table with fresh food laid out around them, they sat in an almost awkward silence, none of them quite sure what happens next.
Deciding that the silence was too unbearable to sit in any longer, Kazuma was the first to break it. "So, uh...how was everybody's morning?" His voice still sounded a little raspy from all the crying he did, but he'd manage.
"Uh...it seems to be going pretty well, I'd say." Darkness replied with a slight chuckle, taking a quick sip from her coffee mug before continuing. "I can say with utmost certainty that I wasn't expecting to have finally confessed today, which I'm sure you two can agree with."
"Yeah," murmured Megumin. "Truth be told, I thought it was gonna be a long time before we confessed. Don't ask me why."
"We were fully prepared to confess at one point." Aqua added on, smiling in an almost wistful manner. "The night that you ended up in the hospital, after the ambush. We were all waiting here for you to return, so we could finally pop the question!"
"Wow, really?" Kazuma said in genuine shock. "What rotten timing then, heh." His eyes darted from girl to girl before he worked up the nerve to say what was on his mind. "Hey, do you guys mind if I ask you something? You can stop me if it's too personal. Well, then again, I guess we're technically dating now so we gotta get personal at...some...point…right?"
"I don't see any reason why not." Darkness remarked, turning to Aqua and Megumin and receiving nods of agreement. "Alright. Ask away, then."
Sending a mental prayer to Eris, Kazuma breathed in and asked, "You three are really just okay with...sharing me? Like, no problem at all?"
The three girls once again looked at each other before answering, starting with Aqua. "Well...we did at first. A while back. Way before we even entertained the idea of it, we all realized that we were...kinda falling for you."
"Make no mistake, there were plenty of arguments we had in private concerning the matter," Darkness elaborated. "It was an arduous process, but we did eventually work past our differences and came to a mutual understanding. I like to think we came out stronger because of it."
"Wow. I...gotta admit, I wasn't expecting such a straightforward answer." Kazuma admitted, humming in thought. "You mentioned it started a while back. If it's alright that I ask...when?"
"Only a few days after we defeated Sylvia," Megumin answered. "I think we all had an epiphany when we realized how well-coordinated we were when saving my village. We trusted Darkness to run off to protect Komekko, Aqua trusted you with your crazy plan to trick Sylvia, and I trusted you with my innermost thoughts the day after. We just realized how well we clicked and...the rest is history."
"Well then. I guess that settles that. Thanks for answering my questions!" Kazuma replied, before faltering slightly as all three girls fixed him with a pointed look. "...what's that for?"
"First of all, the way you said that made it sound like you were taking our surveys," Aqua explained, making Kazuma cringe slightly once he realized how he must've sounded to them. "Second, we wanna hear your side of the story. When did you start liking us back?"
"Oh. Uh...ok, fair enough." Kazuma replied, shifting slightly in his seat and clearing his throat. "The truth is...I kinda always felt something for all three of you. Ever since we met, there was this...fuck, it sounds cheesy, but this spark that just kinda permeated throughout our time together. Yeah, you all had your issues. Rampant masochism, adoration over one particular spell, attracting undead from miles around to harass us and get us into trouble…"
"Kazuma…" Megumin warned, prompting him to hold up a hand.
"But, I like to think that it started to go beyond that shortly after our battle with Sylvia. Ironic, I know. But it's just like what you said, Megumin, I thought about how well we...clicked. Of course, I pushed it into the back of my mind and tried not to dwell on it, but it was always there I think. Then we explored that deathtrap of a dungeon and, uh, yeah. Don't know why that death in particular set you all off when all my other deaths didn't, but…" He shrugged.
"Right. The dungeon." Megumin hummed, grimacing slightly. "Personally, I think it was just the shock of it all. We were finally coming to terms with our feelings, and then we almost lost you. Obviously, Aqua could always bring you back, but I think it was the initial fear of loss that really got us so frazzled that time."
"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure it also had something to do with…" Aqua stopped herself, trying her best to force the words out. "With...the manner in which you died."
Kazuma grimaced again, idly brushing a hand over his throat with a brief flinch. It had certainly been one of his more...painful deaths. Not the same as being beheaded, or blown to kingdom come. It was...visceral. Every second was agony. Even his worst death, at the hands of Hans, had been relatively short lived.
"O-oh...shit," He said quietly, speaking more to himself really. "I really was being a jackass then."
"I don't think we can rule that out, no." Aqua agreed, clearly just as uncomfortable as he was. "But...I sorta understand why you reacted how you did. You said it yourself, we've never really reacted so strongly before. Still, you were getting far too comfortable with dying for any of our liking."
"Yeah, I guess that's true," Kazuma concurred, taking a moment to look at things retrospectively. "Heh, I still can't believe I convinced myself you guys were cursed or mind-control. Hell, I was about ready to believe in alien impersonators at some point."
"Seriously? It was that out of the realm of possibility for you?" Megumin asked with an amused whistle. "Dude, c'mon. Was it that big of a stretch to think that we might have feelings for you after all we've gone through together?"
"Heh, you should've seen the journal I kept about it. If you read it, I guarantee you would've thought they were the schizophrenic scrawlings of a mad man."
"Well, at least it's all sorted now. No more scrawlings or misunderstandings. We're finally all on the same page." Darkness remarked pleasantly, pausing before continuing. "So, with that in mind, what shall we do today?"
Kazuma blew a raspberry as he leaned back in thought. "Well, as much as I would love to take a year-long nap, I think it would probably be in all our best interest to get out there and help clean up the place. You may now proceed to think I'm being mind-controlled myself." He added with a hint of snark.
"Oh, the horror! Aqua, where's the nearest notebook?! I need to scribble down every possible thing Kazuma does because he might be MIND CONTROLLED!" Megumin teased, breaking off into a laugh and shaking her head. "Yeah, I'm not letting that go anytime soon. Seriously, though, I wouldn't be opposed to helping the others in town."
"Indeed. It seems great minds think alike after all," Darkness agreed, before breaking out into a cheeky smile herself. "Well, those that aren't being controlled, anyway."
"Aqua, I swear, if you say anything smart, I'm cutting your bubbly allowance." Kazuma warned with no real heat, barely restraining his own smile. "Don't test me."
The teasing goddess smiled while keeping her lips pursed. "I haven't said anything yet~"
"I know, but you're thinking about it, aren't you?"
"Oh, I would never! C'mon, Kazuma!" Aqua protested, cracking a wide smile. "Quit being so paranoid~."
Sighing through his nose, Kazuma looked away while pretending he was having a private discussion with himself. "You're dating them now...This is what you've signed up for, Kazuma…You should've read the fine print..."
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Megumin retorted, trying to ignore how flushed her cheeks had become just from Kazuma acknowledging their new relationship. "Let's clean up so we can go into town already!"
Clearing their plates and setting them aside to be washed later, the girls and their new shared boyfriend headed out into the frigid air of Axel Town. Or, at least whatever was left of it, anyway.
Unsurprisingly, the damage on the outer limits wasn't too bad, with only some minor fire damage and some simple repairs to a few buildings. The farther into town they got, however, the worse the damage became. Broken streets, decimated buildings, and piles of shattered bricks and cement littered the entire area, while handfuls of adventurers and kingdom assigned workers did their best to pick up the pieces and repair what could be repaired.
"Damn, we really got hit hard last night, huh?" Kazuma commented solemnly as he and his...girlfriends (Better learn to get used to that.) carefully navigated through the ruined streets.
"That we did. As you said this morning, we are quite lucky that it wasn't worse." Darkness agreed, still frowning as she scanned the surrounding destruction. "That said, it is quite the tragic sight to see so much destroyed. Do you think this was all over the guild hall?"
"Sounds as likely as anything to me. Don't really know why they'd even attack Axel, honestly, given how it's gone for them in the past." Kazuma replied, recalling Beldia's previous assault. "You'd think they'd learn sooner or later that this city just doesn't crumble."
The girls all hummed in agreement as the group continued traversing through the streets, occasionally having to make slight detours thanks to some buildings that had fallen over. Eventually, they all made it to Axel's famed Adventurer's Guild, and boy what a sad sight it was to see.
The building was a shadow of its former self, charred and dilapidated in a horrific state. A place that he and his friends had frequented so often over the last year was now little more than scorched tinder and ash...and that upset him more than he expected.
Kazuma clenched his fists, trying his best to suppress the sudden bout of rage he felt for what those demon assholes did to his guild. It was then that he felt some hands place themselves on his shoulders, and he turned around to see each of them belonged to the girls.
"It's alright, Kazuma. Sooner or later, the hall will be rebuilt, and we'll be able to do everything we did there before!" Aqua assured him with surprisingly inspiring confidence. "It'll be just like before. Maybe even better!"
"She's right, there's still hope to be found," Darkness added, her bright blue eyes shining with determination. "And one day, we'll make the Devil King and his lackeys pay for what they've done!"
"Hell yeah they're gonna pay!" Megumin added on, smirking with a certainty that was to be expected from her. "And we'll be there the day they do, right?"
"Yeah...yeah, we will." Kazuma agreed, a relieved smile blossoming on his face as turned to each girl. "Thank you, girls. Really. I think I needed to hear that from you more than anyone else."
All three women responded in kind with bright smiles adorning their cute faces...Wait, what?
Shaking his head slightly, Kazuma led the group to the steps of where he had his face off with Daddy's Little Devil. He spotted a particular Kazuma-shaped crack in the center and cracked a bit of a smile, an odd mix of discomfort and amusement filling him. On one hand, he'd almost died in that very spot the night before. On the other...it looked pretty funny now that his life wasn't in danger anymore.
"Heh, hey guys, have I told you how pissed I made The Daughter when I told her that her old man fucks? I mean, she had to come from somewhere, right?"
"You think she's adopted or something? Maybe a step-daughter?" Megumin mused curiously. "It'd explain that pent up aggression. Still, I wonder...could the Devil King conceive a child?"
"I don't know, and I don't think I want to know," Aqua said while sticking her tongue out in disgust. "The idea of that creature procreating gives me the willys something fierce!"
"That is fair on every level. Darkness, any thoughts?" Kazuma asked, before noticing the crusader's flushed face and frowning. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me. Dark, you're not really..?"
Blinking, the blonde woman shook her head in viscous disagreement. "N-no, of course not! I was just...thinking about the logistics of it was all."
"The 'logistics'? Really?" Kazuma retorted, crossing his arms and fixing her with an expectant look. "What logistics then, exactly?"
Darkness rubbed her arm as her blush intensified thanks to Kazuma throwing her under the bus unexpectedly. "Well...I'd really rather not say. T-To prevent Aqua from hearing anything more of the subject, that is, yes!"
"Hey - don't rope me into your excuses!" Aqua sputtered in exasperation, shaking her head viciously. "You need an exorcism!"
She needs a therapist, Kazuma thought sarcastically before actually giving it some consideration. Come to think of it, we all need therapy to some degree. What a strange family we are. Not that I'd trade it for anything in the world, but still.
The latter half of the thought made him smile a bit, tuning out the momentary fussing of his friends. He was brought back to reality, however, as a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Kazuma! Over here!" Chris called out with a wave, before making her way towards the assembled group from the far side of the courtyard. "I hadn't heard from you or the others since last night! Glad to see you're all ok!"
Kazuma raised his hand stiffly in a simple greeting. "Chris, hey! It's good to see you in one piece too! What have you been doing?"
"Oh, trying to pitch in where I can. There's a lot of work to be done, after all." The thief replied, planting her hands on her hips and shooting him an annoyed look. "You and I still have to talk about the fact that you broke your house arrest last night. I'm sure your friends have already given you an ass-chewing, but I have my own problems to settle."
"Yeah, yeah, I know and- -" Kazuma stopped himself once he fully processed Chris' words. "Wait, how did you know I was under house arrest this whole time?"
"I have my ways. A thief never reveals her secrets, you know?" Chris replied with a playful wink, unknowingly earning her a glare from Aqua.
The goddess unexpectedly wrapped her arms around a confused Kazuma like he was her pillow as she spoke, "Well I, for one, think it's rude that a friend of ours would go around and snoop in our personal lives. What say you, girls? Do you think that's pretty rude?"
"...I think it's pretty standard for a thief, actually." Megumin replied, quirking an eyebrow at her friend's apparent jealousy. "No need to get so riled up, Aqua."
"I concur with Megumin. Besides, Chris has been my friend for quite some time! My very first friend, in fact!" Darkness added on, smiling brightly at the thief. "I see no reason why she shouldn't be well versed in my personal life!"
Aqua's eyes bulged as she rapidly looked between her friends and Chris. Whatever she was trying to incite, it's clear that no one had her back, nor did anyone approve to begin with.
"Well, if we're all airing our opinions on the matter, I don't see the problem either." Kazuma remarked, not really trying to escape Aqua's embrace as he turned to her with a confused expression. "There isn't a problem, right Aqua?"
The water goddess proceeded to pout like she never pouted before and clung onto the boy further. "No, I guess not…" She grumbled.
I have no idea what's going on right now, Kazuma thought. Luckily, whatever bizarre air had settled seemed to dissipate as Chris spoke up again.
"Well, if you guys are interested in helping, we have a few sites that need some spare hands." She stated, pointing to several different directions in town. "Down by the market square, there's a fresh group who just got started, and on the far side of town Wiz and Yunyun are helping with some of the worst areas that were affected."
"Huh. Well, in the interest of not embarrassing myself in front of a new group of people, I vote to help Wiz and Yunyun." Kazuma stated, turning to the girls around him and quirking an eyebrow. "Any objections?"
"No, not really. Although you really gotta work on socializing more, man," Megumin said, earning her agreements from her fellow teammates. "Just sayin'."
Kazuma looked away from her. "You say it like it's just that easy."
"It's not really that hard." Aqua countered, some of her usual spunk returning after having her brief lapse of jealousy. "I'm sure you could whip up some of that Kazuma charm and convince people to like you! It worked on us, didn't it?"
"Am I supposed to be flattered or offended by that 'Kazuma charm' remark?" The teenager questioned skeptically. "I'm serious, by the way."
"It's a compliment!" Aqua assured him, a mischievous quality entering her eyes as she interlaced her hand with his, smiling brightly. "It certainly helped win me over."
Kazuma rolled his eyes while trying to hold back a sheepish smile. "Well, thank you for the vote of confidence...I, uh, honestly kinda needed that today…"
"Well, we're all here for you, Kazuma." Megumin assured him, taking his other hand and flushing slightly. "Every step of the way. If you need us, we're there."
"Whether it be a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent your frustrations at, we're here," Darkness added while taking his other hand as well, giving it a reassuring squeeze (but not enough to break his finger bones).
Kazuma couldn't help but flush a little at all the attention he was receiving. It was definitely new, but not something he minded in the slightest. However, he found himself briefly distracted with the look Chris was giving him and the trio, one of surprise and contemplation.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to interject real quick." She started, glancing between the four of them in curiosity. "Are...all four of you dating?"
Kazuma started sweating bullets at the thief's suspicious question before saying, "...Hypothetically, what if I said yes? You wouldn't beat me up and call me Pervzuma, would you?"
To his surprise, Chris cracked a broad grin and shook her head, crossing her arms and smirking at him with what almost seemed like an impressed expression.
"Oh, not this time, no. In fact, I'm fairly certain you just won me a fair share of eris." She stated, before continuing off the confused looks she was receiving in return. "The entire guild had a betting pool on which one of your friends you'd end up in a relationship with, and I'm the only one who said all three."
People have been SHIPPING me with my own party members and taking BETS!? Kazuma exclaimed in his head. Who the hell ships people IRL!?
Unsurprisingly, the girls looked equally shocked by this, all three turning a bright shade of crimson and releasing Kazuma almost instantaneously.
"What?! Why?! Since when?!" Megumin spewed, fidgeting in embarrassment. "I can't believe people would bet on such a thing!"
Chris shrugged her shoulders, too carefree to take the situation seriously. "Well, they did. We thought any one of you would make for a great power couple. Can you blame 'em?"
"W-well, I suppose not…" Darkness answered, looking thoroughly turned on by the news, much to her friend's chagrin. "Still, to have such an intimate subject brought up for betting and sport! It's so humiliating!"
"Yeah, sure. Not like I'm standing right here or anything." Kazuma deadpanned, rolling his eyes at the general theatrics of his party. They weren't even remotely surprising at this point, but that didn't make them less...well, them.
"Well, what's done is done," Chris surmised. "Either way, I get to make bank once everything goes back to normal. Drinks on me when that happens!"
"I am keeping you to that, swear on Eris herself." Kazuma retorted, missing the amused gleam that flashed through Chris' eyes at the mention of the goddess. "Well, now that we've had our fill of revelations for the day, how about we go check in with Wiz and Yunyun.
With everybody nodding in agreement, Chris led the gang further downtown to where the two powerful magic-users were aiding in the efforts to put Axel back together. To assist in the process, both were making use of summoned golems to assist the builders in the harder parts of reconstruction, sticking around to supervise and make sure nothing goes wrong.
When the two noticed their friends approaching, they both waved as Wiz exclaimed, "Hi, Kazuma! Hi everyone! We didn't know if you'd be out here with us or not."
"Hey, Wiz! And yeah, I figured we should come and help out with the reconstruction efforts." The young man replied, before watching one of the nearby golems pick up a large chunk of wall and slam it into place, prompting him to whistle. "Wow, that's...a new one. I didn't know you and Yunyun could summon!"
Yunyun, at the mention of her name, dug her foot into the ground as she gazed downward. "Actually, we learned that skill today just so we could help out in any capacity. Um...I'm not really suited for manual labor and I'd feel bad for not contributing somehow."
"Well, color me impressed all the same. That was very kind of you to invest in such a skill just to help others." Kazuma remarked, legitimately impressed by the Crimson Demon's dedication. "Guess I should expect nothing less from you of all people, huh?"
Not used to such praise being handed out so freely, Yunyun seized up and did her best to hide her face from the intense blush taking over.
Jeez, that girl makes me look like a social butterfly in comparison, I swear, Kazuma thought amusedly to himself. He did sorta find it to be endearing in a strange way though.
"So, is there anything we can do to help, Wiz?" Darkness asked politely, watching one of the golems lift more debris with a surprised expression. "It seems as though you have it mostly covered here."
"Actually, there is something you could do that would be of huge help now that you mentioned it!" Wiz declared optimistically. "You all could distribute food and water to the other workers around here. I'm sure they would greatly appreciate the act of kindness!"
"Sure, we could do that." Kazuma agreed with little pause, turning to his girlfriends and tapping his chin. "If we split up into groups of two, we could cover more ground and help more people. Who wants to pair up with who?"
"Oh, oh! I wanna be paired up with Kazuma!" Aqua shouted as she jumped up and down. She quickly turned to Darkness and Megumin while giving them puppy dog eyes. "Pleeeease?"
"Ugh, fine. You can have him." Megumin replied with a dramatic eye roll and groan. "Just try to keep him in one piece this time, won't you?"
Aqua gave a silly salute to Megumin as if she were her captain and proceeded to prance around her boyfriend without a care in the world. Wiz chuckled at the sight, turning back to the remaining members with a bright smile.
"Well, Lady Aqua seems even more cheerful than usual!" She remarked pleasantly. "I wonder what has her so pleased?"
Kazuma didn't say anything at first. It wasn't until Megumin elbowed him that he got his act together and remembered what he had to do. "O-OH! Right, uh...Heh, well, that may have something to do with the fact that she along with Megumin and Dark are...kinda...dating me now."
Wiz blinked once, then twice. Her expression...well, it sort of fell slightly. Even her golem stutter stepped briefly and almost collided with the wall it was repairing. However, as quick as the shift occurred, it was gone, and her expression was back to that cheery smile.
"That's absolutely lovely to hear! Congratulations!" She replied politely, trying her damndest to keep her emotions in check. "If I may ask, what prompted this development?"
Kazuma, the arbiter of awkwardness, merely responded with an unsure, "...Words? Yeah, words prompted it, let's go with that."
Wiz blinked again, before turning to the girls and raising her eyebrows, silently pleading for a proper answer. Luckily, Darkness was kind enough to provide one.
"What he means is, we had an intimate discussion regarding repressed feelings that we all needed to get off our chests. As fate would have it, Kazuma felt the same way, and we all agreed to enter a relationship with him together. As bonded soulmates~"
Who would've thought it'd be the raging masochist who could be so flowery and poetic with her words, wondered Kazuma, slightly envious at how natural it was for her. He really needed some pointers if he wanted to put a stop to the cringe spewing out of his mouth.
"Well, that sounds positively romantic!" Wiz stated, her tone still sweet despite the rising emotions within her. "Well, I shouldn't keep you any longer! Food and water are being prepared right over there, so once you're ready feel free to grab what you can and start distributing!"
"Will do. Thanks, Wiz!" Kazuma said as he and Aqua branched off from the group to retrieve the food that was being prepped on what Kazuma could only assume were magic grills by surviving chefs from the guild hall. However, before he could make a grab for the cups of water placed on a nearby table, his hand was stopped by a certain blue-haired girl.
"Who needs regular old boring water when you've got a water goddess as your girlfriend!" She chirped, winking at Kazuma playfully. Of course, still not being entirely used to this kind of treatment, the boy got flustered easily.
"Jeez, Aqua. Not so loud." He pleaded, before noticing her expectant expression and rolling his eyes, "Fine. Show me what you can do, O' goddess of mine."
"Ooo, I like that sound of that," Aqua admitted before pulling out her Japanese fans and giving them a twirl. "Point me to the nearest worker and I'll show you what I can do!"
Kazuma nodded, and after grabbing a tray and stacking it high with freshly cooked food, started down the road to the nearest group of resting workers.
As he predicted a mile away, Aqua used Nature's Beauty to supply the thirsty works with fresh, clean water. They graciously thanked her as she smiled brightly, and Kazuma couldn't help but blush slightly when she did.
Y'know, even before any of this happened, I always did kinda think she was really beautiful when not running her mouth off or landing us into debt. He thought to himself, still admiring her smile. Guess I did something right in the last life if I ended up with her by my side.
"See something you like~?"
Jumping like a spooked deer, Kazuma failed to realize that the girl he was just admiring to himself had sneaked up right next to him and whispered that into his ear.
"Gah! How'd you do that?!" He hissed, earning a giggle from the goddess and sparking his competitive side. Two could play at that game. "And for the record, yeah. I did."
Aqua blanked briefly, before an evil smile crept up her lips and she closed the distance between them, determined to win this battle she's started.
"Oh, did you now?" She hummed blissfully, her voice sweeter than he'd ever heard it before. "Anything...in particular you like to share with me?"
Kazuma refused to back down, although he couldn't help the stutter. "J-J-Just your beautiful smile is all! So there!"
The goddess was not expecting that as his answer, for she held her hand up to her mouth without even fully realizing it. Worse yet, a round of amused chuckles erupted from the workers nearby, who had been watching the show with no small amount of amusement.
Despite being thoroughly embarrassed herself, Aqua shot Kazuma a playful glare and said, "You may have won the battle, Satou. But I have yet to win the war!"
"Oh, is that a promise, Aqua?" He played along, cackling menacingly. "Well I guess we'll have to see exactly who wins this war, one way or another."
"Yeah, I guess we will," Aqua agreed, childishly poking him until he tried to swat her away in vain. The workers, meanwhile, continued to eat and drink as they watched on in amusement. The show alone was enough to make their hard work worth it. Young love could certainly be entertaining.
Eventually, the pair ceased bickering and moved on, making their way up and down the entire street and helping pocket after pocket of workers. They kept up their routine for another hour or so before all the workers were either fed or had finished for the day and started to pack up and head back home.
"Well, I'd say this was a productive day in the end, huh?" Kazuma said aloud as the two went to the meetup spot where Megumin and Darkness would be waiting for them. "Gotta admit, it kinda put a pep in my step!"
Aqua suddenly stopped in her tracks, faking a huge gasp in the process. "WHAT!? Kazuma, actually enjoying a hard day's work!? It's like I don't even know you anymore!"
"Hardy har har, very funny." Kazuma scoffed, a smile never leaving his face. "What about you? Any thought on what we accomplished today, O' goddess of mine?"
"It may not be much, but it's a start," Aqua answered seriously. "Besides, boosting morale is important, don't ya think, Kazzy?"
"Kazzy, huh? I'll admit, I expected worse." The young man snarked, before taking the goddess' hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "But yeah, keeping spirits high was pretty fun. I'm glad we could do it together."
The water goddess flashed Kazuma another one of her stunning smiles, causing the young man's eyes to drift away slightly as a small of his own began to form.
Maybe...Maybe I could get used to this relationship thing after all, he pondered while they resumed their walk. Eventually, they returned to the agreed upon meeting point, finding Megumin and Darkness waiting there.
"Hey you lovebirds!" Megumin joked while waving her hand. "How was work for you two? Didn't get sidetracked, now did ya?"
Kazuma flushed at the implications, coughing into his fist and averting his gaze. "And here I thought Darkness was the perv of our party. Nice to know you have it in you, half-pint."
"You wanna go?" challenged the mage as she assumed a fighting stance and waved her hands in a "threatening" manner. "Because them's fighting words."
"Easy, Megumin. Just poking fun." He relented, holding up his hands in order to placate the diminutive mage. "Though I'm not quite sure what you think you can do to me."
"I have my Crimson Demon ways," Megumin proudly proclaimed, unaware of everyone's amused eyerolls.
"Yeah, I'd hate to incur your wrath." Kazuma replied sarcastically, before deciding that, since today was going so well, might as well take a shot in the dark. "Any chance we could bury the hatchet with a hug?"
The girls all looked at him like he was crazy before Darkness softly said, "Kazuma, you don't have to ask for a hug...We'll always be more than happy to oblige."
"Oh." Was all that Kazuma could manage to say in return, slightly surprised with this news. He wasn't exactly familiar with how to engage in physical affection when it came to hugs and such, so for them to be willing whenever...well, it was an unexpected comfort. "That's good to know."
Before he knew it, Kazuma was already enveloped in a group hug with his new (and technically first) girlfriends. He had to restrain himself from breaking down right then and there for the girls' sake. It wasn't like he never had hugs before, he just never fully realized how little he received them in the past.
"Thank you." He muttered quietly from within the embrace, surprisingly content with his current position. "I really appreciate that you guys always know how to help me; that you actually give a shit about me..."
"Hush now, don't talk down to yourself like that," Darkness reassured, slightly rocking the group to and fro during the course of their hug. "It's me who you're supposed to talk down to, remember?"
Kazuma didn't bother biting back the laugh that bubbled up in response to the crusader's joke (at least what he expected was one). "Right. How could I forget?"
"But she is right you know," said Megumin as she looked up at Kazuma with sad eyes. "You shouldn't talk, or even think, like that. It'll only drive you crazy. I should know, I had to see it from Yunyun when we were growing up."
"Well, I'll try to refrain from doing so in the future then." He promised quietly, before chuckling slightly as he shot her a playful look. "And no offense, but I hope you take better care of me than you did Yunyun. Poor girl's a nervous wreck at the slightest compliment."
Megumin scrunched her face and looked away in shame. "Yeah, I guess I was a hard ass to her during our school days. I thought she needed tough love but I guess she just works differently. I mean, it's how I was taught at home…"
"Everybody works differently, I guess. Can't expect everyone to act the same." Kazuma replied, before shifting slightly. "Not to spoil the moment, 'cause I am quite comfortable here, but I'm starting to run out of air, so...release me from this comfy prison!"
The girls laughed before freeing their boyfriend so he could greedily suck in some precious oxygen. After having his lungs sufficiently filled with air and his heart filled with some much needed love, Kazuma smiled back.
"Alright, so, who's hungry? After spending all day feeding people, I could go for some grub myself."
"I myself am quite famished." Darkness agreed, looking amongst her friends for a consensus. "Does anyone have any ideas of what we should eat?"
Before any of them could even begin to offer an answer, a sudden shout from nearby caught all three of their attention, as well as those of the surrounding workers and adventurer's that remained.
"Kazuma Satou! Where is Kazuma Satou?" Sena practically roared, scanning the surrounding area before she spotted him, making her way forward with a stern expression. "You need to come with me at once!"
"Wha-Sena? What's going-" Kazuma started, before the prosecutor grabbed him by his hand and started dragging him along, away from his friends. "Whoa, hey! Hang on a second!"
"Hey! Where are you taking him?!" Aqua protested, flanked by both of her fellow party members as well as a few of the remaining adventurers. "Get back here, you hussy!"
The guard escort that had been lagging behind Sena stayed behind and blocked the way, enduring the shouts of protest from the surrounding adventurers and workers alike.
"Guardsmen, what is the meaning of this?!" Darkness demanded, prompting on of the guards to shake his head and step forwards, his tone solemn but firm.
"Apologies, ma'am. We can't let you follow them." He intoned, looking amongst the assembled crowd before lowering his tone as he whispered the next words. "Whatever the prosecutor needs him for, it's as serious as it is above our paygrade."
Meanwhile, Sena continued to practically drag Kazuma across Axel while he badgered her with questions all the while. Eventually, they reach the temporary command center that the guard had set up, resulting in Sena practically shoving Kazuma inside and slamming the door behind them.
"Sena, seriously! What the fuck is going on?!" Kazuma shrieked, rounding on the prosecutor with a terrified expression. "Did you just fucking kidnap me?!"
"Kazuma, please calm down!" Sena pleaded, suddenly a lot less confident and authoritative then she looked before. Hell, she...actually looked pretty nervous. "I'm sorry about what's just occurred, but the matter regarding your assistance is time sensitive and...I really need your help."
Despite himself, Kazuma's irritation and panic faded a bit when he realized just how worried the normally stoic Sena looked. If she was this freaked out…
"Listen, Sena. I'm willing to hear you out, but you need to level with me here!" Kazuma insisted, putting a hand on the prosecutor's shoulder. "What is going on?"
Sena sighed heavily, taking off her glasses at meeting Kazuma's eyes as she revealed the truth.
"Wolbach has agreed to cooperate with me in exchange for a vast amount of information regarding the Devil King and his activities. In return...she wants you to be the one conducting the interview."
