As Kazuma woke up that morning, he found himself remarkably refreshed. Guess I really needed sleep after all that shopping yesterday. He thought to himself, hunkering down between his pillows and sighing blissfully. Had his bed always been this comfortable?

"Ah, Satou, I see you're finally awake," said a voice. Kazuma's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to the side to find Wolbach lying right next to him on the bed like it was completely normal. "Were you able to get some more tea on your grocery run?"

Kazuma lurched backwards instantly with a terribly undignified shout, practically falling out of bed in the process. "Wolbach?! How the hell did you get in here?!"

Said dark goddess sat up and smoothed the blanket out in front of her as she offered a calm explanation. "Well, that would have something to do with the fact that I was already in here prior to you barging in. This is my room after all."

"This...this isn't my..?" Kazuma sputtered, trailing off as he looked around and realized that he was, indeed, in her room. "O-oh. Oh, god, I am so, so sorry! I was wiped after I got home last night, I must have just...gotten turned around."

Wolbach shrugged. "That's fair. It happens to the best of us, and you did immediately pass out on my bed the moment you came in here without acknowledging my presence. You're fine."

Kazuma blinked at her, honestly not expecting an answer like that. He had watched enough anime to know that this would've been the part where he got unfairly beaten up and called a pervert over a simple misunderstanding. But...no, not this time apparently. He wouldn't have to fight back in the name of self-defense.

"Oh. Ok. Thanks." He managed, chuckling nervously as he scratched the back of his neck, shaking his head. "You know, I expected that going a lot worse. Glad you're not mad at me."

Wolbach cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"W-well...just, the implications of...you know." Kazuma stated awkwardly, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. "It's just a thing. From where I come from, that is. Misunderstandings have the potential to go much, much worse than a brief argument."

With swift and precise movements, Wolbach removed herself from her sheets and proceeded to make her bed as she spoke. "That may be true, but that's why communication is an invaluable skill to possess. I may be a dark god with anger issues, but even I'm not that unreasonable as to kick you out the window without hearing your side of the argument first."

"Huh. Guess you're right." Kazuma muttered, before standing and dusting himself off, offering Wolbach a small smile. "Well, thanks for hearing me out, 'Bach. I appreciate the trust."

Wolbach put a pause on tucking the sheets in as she gazed at Kazuma in a curious manner. "'Bach'?"

"It's a nickname. You know, Wolbach but shorter." Kazuma explained, quirking an eyebrow. "Would you prefer Wol, or...no nickname?"

Both parties stared at each other neutrally, with Kazuma getting progressively more anxious the longer they stared. Thankfully, Wolbach shrugged lightly while resuming making her bed. "Either one is fine, call me as you wish. But only when the situation is appropriate for such nicknames."

"Uh...ok, sure." Kazuma relented, considering asking what constituted as appropriate before simply deciding he'd figure it out as he went and continuing his conversation. "So, did you four get up to anything while I was out yesterday?"

After making her bed nice and tidy, Wolbach moved to her closet to retrieve her cloak. "Not much as far as I'm aware. Aqua was less than a welcoming host for me, so I excused myself from their group. Although judging from the commotion I heard downstairs, I believe they were playing a board game together."

"Sounds about right. Can't trust those three to get along when playing those games. Brings out the worst in them." Kazuma snarked lightly, chuckling to himself as he imagined the three bickering over another round of "three-way chess". However the hell that worked. "You know, I can try talking Aqua into being nicer if you'd like. I make no guarantees, obviously, but I'm willing to give it a shot!"

"There's no need for you to force yourself to do that," Wolbach nodded while buttoning her cloak. "Even before I was exiled, Aqua and I never got along. Of course, it doesn't help that she has a bratty attitude on top of being incompetent, but I digress. The point being, we've always butted heads and I don't see that changing."

"Fair enough. Just wanted to see if I could help." Kazuma replied, before re-equipping his boots and pants. "Well, I should get going. Gotta make sure those three haven't burned down the house without supervision, PLUS I have to yell at Megumin for making me hunt for those damn apples."

Before he could make it out the door, however, Kazuma was stopped by a remarkably cold hand landing itself on his shoulder. "The girls will be fine being left alone for a few more minutes. Besides, there was something I was wondering if you could help me out with."

Kazuma paused for a moment, a brief flash of unsavory thoughts passing through his mind before he tucked them away to be dealt with later, turning to Wolbach instead and fixing her with a quizzical look. "Oh, yeah? What might that be?"

"If I am not mistaken, you own a cat, yes? I wish to see her for myself if that's no problem."

Kazuma blinked, surprised with the simple request. He didn't peg Wolbach as an animal person, but then again, he didn't know her particularly well. Maybe she liked cats? "Yeah, sure. I can take you to Chomps. Just a bit of forewarning before we find her, though, she's been a bit skittish lately. I wouldn't recommend rushing her or going for a pet until she's comfortable."

"That's quite alright, I'm well aware how cats are when they're- -" Wolbach stopped herself suddenly, making Kazuma do a double take just to make sure if she was alright. Eventually, though, she found her voice and said, "Excuse me, but…'Chomps'? Is that really the name you gave her?"

"Nickname, again. Sorry. Megumin named her Chomusuke." Kazuma explained, waving his hand dismissively. "I like Chomps more, but hey! She's not my familiar, so nicknames are gonna have to do."

This had marked the second time Kazuma threw the former demon general for a loop. She stared down at him with the most incredulous face he had ever seen from a dark goddess before. "...Chomusuke? The little one honestly calls her that?"

"Oh yeah. It's weird, right?" He replied with a laugh, shaking her head. "Still not sure if it's a Crimson Demon thing or a Megumin thing, but she has terrible taste in naming just about anything. Be it cats, swords, or...well, I can't think of a third thing, but I know she's done something!"

Wolbach couldn't resist shaking her head in amusement at Kazuma's lighthearted response. She snorted, "Sometimes, I can't help but worry for that kid."

"Trust me, I can relate." Kazuma retorted, before flashing the goddess and broad grin and shrugging. "Still, with the both of us on her side, I'm sure she'll be ok, right?"

Wolbach nodded in mirth before getting back to business. "Right. Now, about...Chomps. Where is she at the moment?"

"Oh, uh...last I checked, she was in my room. Like I said, she's been skittish lately." Kazuma replied, before snapping his fingers and humming to himself in surprise. "Alright, new idea! You and I can scrounge up some food for her, and then I can introduce you two! Sound like a plan?"

"Very well then. You'll have to show me where you keep the cat food though."


After grabbing the cat food, as well as a small dish of water, Kazuma and Wolbach made their way to Kazuma's room in order to feed the feline. Kazuma himself was particularly excited with the idea, though he couldn't quite explain why.

Maybe I am a cat person, he pondered in contemplation. I mean, Chomps has made for a great bunkmate and I already thought she was cute to begin with. So...fuck it, I guess I'm a cat person!

"You mentioned that Chomps has been acting very skittish lately." Wolbach stated, bringing Kazuma back to reality and fixing him with a curious look. "When exactly would you say this shift began?"

"If you could believe it, right before you guys struck Axel," Kazuma responded. "I figured it was because of some animal sixth sense or something but she has yet to calm down. It's making me a little worried actually."

Wolbach didn't respond outside of a quiet hum of consideration, making Kazuma tilt his head to her in question. "Do...you have a theory on why she's acting weird?"

"...you could say that, yes…" she said, but didn't elaborate. Kazuma kept silent as he waited for her to continue, yet she never did.

"...ok. Well, we should be there in just a few seconds…" Kazuma remarked, before turning the last corner and spotting his room. "Ah, sweet paradise. So, you ready to meet Chomps? Remember, take it slow. No sudden movements or anything, alright?"

Kazuma was taken aback slightly when he saw Wolbach glaring at him. "Are you patronizing me? I already made it clear that I understand the behavior of cats. Now, quit stalling and open the door."

"Alright, alright! Jeez, no need to get so testy!" He shot back, rolling his eyes as he approached the doors. How was it that two out of the three goddesses he knew had a habit of snapping at him when he did nothing wrong? "Alrighty, here we go!"

As soon as Kazuma opened the door to his room, Wolbach immediately swept in like it was her's (Ironic). The actual owner of the room walked in and carefully set the food and water down by the entrance of his closet.

"Chomps? You in there, girl?" He asked, rapping on the door lightly. "I brought you some food, and a visitor!"

A few seconds went by and...nothing. Not even a curious meow.

Wolbach sighed, "Alright, that's it." Before Kazuma had a chance to ask her what she meant by that, the demon went straight for the closet doors and swung them open, revealing Chomusuke tightly backed into a corner. The cat hissed dangerously in response.

"Woah, woah! 'Bach, relax for a second!" Kazuma protested, only to fall silent as the goddess shot him a near murderous glare. Unfortunately for her, this was exactly what Chomusuke needed as the cat practically launched out of her corner, skidding past both of them along the floor and making a beeline out the door and into the rest of the house.

Kazuma gave Wolbach a pointed look. "So what was that about understanding cats and shit? What the hell, Wol!?"

"Shut your mouth, Satou!" Wolbach growled in irritation, her eyes sharp and full of thinly restrained anger. "You have no idea what you just cost me! Now what could have taken seconds could take us the rest of the day!"

"Honestly? I'm not so sure if I trust you with the cat now. Seriously, why'd you do that? I thought you just wanted to pet her or something!"

Wolbach looked about ready to strangle him then and there, but after taking a moment to breathe and compose herself, she managed to talk herself down from the notion...for now. "Alright, fine. Since you've insisted on making this hard; Chomps is not really a cat. She's a split division of my powers that was torn away from me by Aqua and the other gods when I was kicked off the council. I wish to reclaim her to return to my full strength, a goal that I've had for nearly a decade at this point, which you just ruined!"

Kazuma's blood ran cold over what he just heard. Taking slow, fearful steps back, he stuttered, "S-so that's what this was about? Th-that's why you were dead set on joining my team, w-wasn't it? So you could return to full strength and raise hell!"

"Oh, please. Don't be so short sighted." Wolbach snorted, her scowl dropping slightly. "While I'll readily admit to my other half's presence contributing to my decision to join you, I still meant what I said in the cell; I trust you to keep our end goals aligned, which is why I thought you'd help me with this!"

Even so, Kazuma was still debating with himself on giving Aqua the okay to obliterate the dark goddess. In fact, he was having a difficult time grasping with the fact that Wolbach just flat out told him her true intentions. It didn't make the situation any less unnerving for him, but still. Now he was on edge and unsure of how to proceed.

"Look, I didn't want to deceive you, but I knew that you would have this kind of reaction if I mentioned it!" Wolbach insisted, her irritation finally having boiled down into mild annoyance "I understand if you're unsure of our current position, but I need all of my powers if we are ever to defeat the Devil King, far as it may be down the road. So please, Kazuma, help me with this one task, and it will be worth it. I swear to you on my unholy power itself."

Kazuma narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he spoke, "Assuming if I go through with this and you keep true to your word on helping us kill the Devil King, what's stopping you from immediately killing us with your powers and taking the throne for yourself? Absolute power corrupts absolutely, ever heard of that saying?"

"How many times must I express the fact that I have no interest in attacking you or your friends?! We are on the same side, and intend to respect that to the fullest with my powers intact!" Wolbach insisted, before scoffing and waving her hand dismissively. "And for the record, I have no interest in the Devil King's throne. Compared to my current position, it'd be a laughable downgrade."

Sighing once again in annoyance, Wolbach collapsed her hands together and did her best to make herself appear as non-threatening as possible. "I don't expect you to trust me overnight. Hell, judging from what I've seen of your character, I doubt you'll ever trust me at all. But I need you to understand, if you want to get rid of the Devil King for good, you need me at my full strength. From all the stories I've heard about you, it seems you've managed to win most of your fights thanks to your ludicrously high luck. But even the best luck in the world can run out at some point. You need all the help you can get, Kazuma."

Kazuma pursed his lips and considered her words, knowing deep down that she made a good point. Beldia, Vanir, Hans, Slyvia. All tough opponents brought down by the most unexpected means. Luck played it's fair role, and Wolbach was right to insist that it wouldn't be enough in the long run. They were going to need the firepower and strength to take on the Devil King one day...Wolbach had a good amount of both.

After a moment of long, hard, careful consideration, Kazuma's hands were tied. He relented, "Okay, I get it, you've made your point. I'll...I'll help you reclaim your other half. But just for the record, I still don't trust you, and I'll be sleeping with one eye open."

"I can live with that result if it means my power is restored and our respective survival is mutually assured." Wolbach replied sternly, before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now then, if you were my other half, where would you go?"

Kazuma cupped his chin to think before the answer dawned on him. "...Megumin."


And that was the start of what proceeded to be a very exhausting morning. Kazuma and Wolbach were able to find the mage fairly easily, as she had not yet left her room since the prior night. Sure enough, Chomps was there, but the second she spotted the two in the doorway she went into "hyper-panic mode", as Kazuma so eloquently described it.

After practically destroying the poor girl's room, the cat had once again escaped into the halls, this time with both Kazuma and Wolbach on her heels. After a lengthy chase, one that ended with Wolbach falling down a flight of stairs and Kazuma beneath a very confused Aqua, they ended up losing Chomps. Again.

"UGH! Why must my other half be so damn stubborn!?" Wolbach shouted to herself before punching a hole in the drywall next to her. Kazuma bit back from scolding her about the property damage seeing as how he had the money to have it repaired.

"Well, my guess is she learned it from you." He offered in deadpanned, barley flinching under her glare this time. "Look, clearly chasing her isn't working. Maybe we...set a trap? Ugh, I feel gross for even suggesting that."

Wolbach gave him another pointed look. "A trap...Really? Do you truly have that little faith in the intelligence of my other half? There is no way she would fall for something as predictable as leaving conspicuous food out for her to eat."

"Well, what the hell do you suggest then?!" Kazuma snapped, surprising the goddess slightly as his apparent irrigation came to a head. "I don't even want to be a part of this, but since you insist that we need to catch her, you can figure it out yourself!"

Before Kazuma could so much as blink, he suddenly found himself off the ground as a royal pissed off dark god yanked him by his cloak and stared into the windows of his soul. Her eyes were flaming with so much restrained rage he could practically feel the heat coming off of them.

"I don't care much for your tone," Wolbach all but growled. "Now, how about you be a good boy and cooperate with me? Am I understood?"

Now, Kazuma had been in positions like this before, obviously. Vulnerable, at the mercy of a power greater than himself. Most times, it didn't end too well for him. And yet, staring up at Wolbach, all he could manage at first was a near delirious sputter of laughter.

"Are-are you kidding me?! You think you can threaten me?" He asked in semi-insane amusement. "Aside from the fact that even if you did kill me, strike me down with all your dark magic-y might, three different women would be on you in seconds, fully prepared to kick your ass senseless. And to cap it off, I'll just get revived again! You and your fellow stooge generals have somehow managed to make me desensitized to death! You can't scare me with it anymore, because I've died 8 times and keep coming the fuck back! So, in summary, get the HELL off of me and do your own dirty work, you two-bit, infuriating excuse of a goddess!"

The sheer delirium of his reaction was enough to make Wolbach recoil in a mix of fury, fear, and perhaps just a touch of concern. Kazuma wasn't entirely sure, though, as he found himself back down on the floor after Wolbach slammed him down on his back. She then proceeded to step on his chest before walking out of the wheezing boy's sight.

"So be it," she stated simply. "I'll start my search for her outside. I better not see you for the rest of the day."

And just like that, she was gone, leaving Kazuma to catch his breath and grumble to himself over his luck when it came to goddesses.

An hour passed, then two. Then three. More and more time passed, and Wolbach didn't return. Eventually, Kazuma joined the girls for lunch, letting them in on what exactly he and Wolbach had been up to that morning, earning a general reaction of surprise and disdain...excluding Aqua, naturally.

"I knew it! I knew that hussy was up to something nefarious!" She crowed victoriously, looking just a bit too pleased with herself as she retook her seat. "I'll accept your applause at any point now."

Everybody pretty much ignored Aqua's delusions of grandeur as Megumin looked to Kazuma with disbelief written all over her face. "Kazuma, how could you possibly go along with this? Chomusuke is my familiar; she's like family!"

"Yeah, I know! It started to set in more and more what it was Wolbach was asking me to do, so I...kinda snapped at her." Kazuma explained, shaking his head with a rueful scoff. "I mean, what right did she have to ask me to turn on a member of our family, cat or no?"

"I must say, I'm surprised that Wolbach revealed her hand so easily." Darkness interjected, looking troubled by the situation as a whole. "While I don't condone her actions, would it not be better to ask a bit further about them before we make any assumptions?"

It was after Darkness made the suggestion that Aqua snapped out of her self-congratulatory moment and looked at her incredulously. "Assumptions? What is there left to assume!? It's so painfully obvious! She's evil and was scheming behind our backs the whole time! C'mon guys, open your eyes already!"

"Aqua, just because you don't like Wolbach doesn't mean she's pure evil incarnate." Kazuma retorted, before sighing and shaking his head. "Look, for now, I say we give her some space, at least for the rest of the day. If she's still acting like this tomorrow, then we'll sit her down for a serious talk."

Two out of three of his girlfriends agreed to their boyfriend's proposition. The third one (take a wild guess) was still passive-aggressively protesting. She glanced at Megumin and said, "So you're seriously okay with letting a fallen goddess run around the house all night looking for your cat? That doesn't bother you in the slightest?"

"Of course it bothers me, Aqua!" Megumin retorted sharply, throwing her hands up in frustration. "But what are we going to do?! You said it yourself, she's a goddess! The only way she'd stop is if we changed her mind, and I'm not sure any of us could manage that!"

Aqua cracked her knuckles before responding, "Unholy magic is weak to holy magic. I could have this over in a jiffy. Just say the word…"

"Aqua, no." Kazuma deadpanned, fixing the goddess with a tired glare. "She's not allowed to use dark magic, so I'm not going to let you kill her with your magic. If you're so certain that she can't be trusted, then at least let us guarantee it before you get to smiting."

Sighing loudly, Aqua slumped back down to her seat and poked at her food like a stubborn child. She eventually grumbled in agreement and that was likely the best they were going to get from her, so they allowed it for the time being. She still had some work to do on her attitude towards Wolbach and vice versa.

"Alright, so for now, unless she gets near Chomps or directly gets confrontational, just leave Wolbach alone for the rest of the day." Kazuma reiterated, standing up and stretching with another sigh. "Hopefully, we can resolve whatever her deal is in the near future, but on the off chance we can't...just be ready."

Soon night befell the town and everyone (minus one fuming dark goddess) prepared themselves for bed. However, it took much longer for Kazuma in particular to fall asleep. On top of insomnia and distressing thoughts plaguing his mind, he realized that he actually missed having Chomusuke around to keep him company. As embarrassing as it was for him to admit, he really felt that Megumin's cat helped to make the nights a little more bearable for him.

Goddamn it, I really am a cat person, aren't I? He groaned internally.

Shortly thereafter, he hauled himself out of bed and got redressed, convincing himself that going on his own hunt for Chomps in order to keep her safe was about as good a use of his time as anything else he usually did to deal with his insomnia.

Kazuma started with all the usual hiding spots: under the dining room table, behind the kitchen trash bin, even up the living room chimney (it was a one time occurrence but it didn't hurt to check). But as he expected, the cat was nowhere to be found. After an hour of aimlessly roaming the halls, Kazuma came to the disturbing realization that Wolbach was also nowhere to be found. A small jolt of panic briefly seized his body as the worst immediately came to mind.

Shit, shit, shit! Please tell me she didn't find Chomps! He hissed to himself, moving hastily from room to room, checking every spot he could think of. Dammit, the only place left that I could check is outside! If neither of them are out there…

Kazuma didn't even want to entertain that line of thought as he made a mad dash to the front door and swung it open. The freezing nighttime winter air hit his face, but he didn't care as he stepped out the front lawn. Kazuma used his Farsight skill to amplify his vision as he scanned the yard for either Chomusuke or Wolbach, hopefully with either one alone.

Sure enough, he spotted Wolbach on the far side of the property, sitting underneath a tree. There was no sign of Chomusuke, which further fueled Kazuma's panic as he started to make his way towards the back section of the property, where Wolbach resided.

The Devil King defector did not move nor make mention of Kazuma's presence once he was within hearing range. This did not bode well for the boy as he cautiously made his way closer to Wolbach until he was standing directly in front of her. Attempting to stuff his creeping fears back down, Kazuma made the first move and spoke.

"Did you find Chomps?" He asked calmly, receiving no particular response from the goddess and immediately feeling the fear in his chest rise to a fever pitch as his fists curled in preparation. "So help me, Wolbach, if you touched as much as a hair on her fuzzy little head, I'm gonna have Megumin blast you to ashes! Now answer me!"

Finally, after an agonizing eternity of silence on Wolbach's end, she let out a sigh. She gazed up at Kazuma, and from under her hood he saw just how dead her eyes looked. It was almost like looking into a mirror after pulling an all nighter.

"Spare me your empty threats, Satou." She huffed quietly, her tone somehow toeing the line between indifferent and emotional. "I have no damn idea where 'Chomps' is. I wasn't able to find her once she made it outside. I suspect she snuck back in when I wasn't looking, but I can't say for sure. Of course, her running away altogether is entirely possible too."

Still reserving some level of caution, Kazuma grilled, "So you're just giving up? I thought absorbing Chomusuke back into you to become whole again was a matter of life and death. And now you're just sulking about it instead?"

Wolbach huffed again, crossing her arms and tilting her head away from Kazuma, almost making him laugh when he realized what she was doing. Wolbach, fallen goddess of sloth and wrath alike, was pouting like a child because he called her out on her bullshit. Eventually, however, she did answer him, her tone quiet and exhausted.

"Satou, you can't possibly understand my current situation. The entity you dub with nicknames and shower with affection is the violent, unstable half of my power. Aside from how dangerous that is on it's own, do I not deserve to feel whole? To have a piece of my very soul returned to me? I may not have the cleanest hands in the world, but I am not a monster like the Devil King or his daughter. I have earned my right to a degree of peace, so why is it being denied to me?"

As Wolbach lamented, Kazuma felt his initial rage dissipate gradually the more he listened and absorbed her words. Was that cat really half of her very soul? As ashamed of himself as he was to admit it, Wolbach made a point: he really couldn't understand what that must've been like for her.

"Does, um...does it hurt? Having a piece of you missing, that is?" he asked cautiously, trying his best to avoid setting off any landmines.

"...yes and no." Wolbach answered slowly, turning slightly to face Kazuma once more as she considered his query. "Physically, no, not in the slightest. However, there's this sort of...void, this emptiness that plagues me knowing that a piece of me is gone, permanently out of my grasp. It doesn't feel good, knowing that a piece of yourself is off doing god knows what to god knows who. So, no, I suppose it doesn't hurt in a physical manner, more along the lines of it hurts my...spirit, I suppose."

Kazuma bit his lip, fully aware how unequipped he was when it came to situations like this. He racked his brain thinking of the right words to say but having a difficult time. Much like with Wiz, what was he supposed to say to someone who's been on this earth longer than he's been alive? "Sorry to hear that"? Yeah right...

Deciding to just go by the seat of his pants, Kazuma started speaking before he had time to overthink it. "Well, you finally found your other half after all this time searching. So...why not just accept that you know where she is now and move on with your life like she has? Now hear me out for a second, I know that sounds stupid, but I mean...Chomusuke's been doing just fine on her own. I may not be her but I can imagine she feels a similar emptiness in her heart like you do. Even so, she's been living with us as a happy, well-fed cat for quite some time now. If she can be content and find solace in her new life, can't you?"

Wolbach looked ready to retort when Kazuma had begun, but by the time he finished, her irritation had seemingly decreased, and she seemed to mull over his words with no small amount of consideration.

"There...is a logic to your argument. I'll readily admit that." She replied carefully, the slightest hint of desperation appearing in her eyes. "But what happens to me in that scenario, Satou? My other half gets a family, a peaceful life. What do I get in return? The lingering emptiness in my very being? The cold embrace of a lonely existence? How could I possibly find the solace you speak of on my own?"

Without thinking, Kazuma found himself sitting down next to Wolbach as the words came flying out of his mouth. "You're part of the team now, aren't you? That automatically makes you part of our family, whether you realize it or not. You already know Megumin and she seems to look up to you ever since you saved her and taught her Explosion magic. Darkness, even though she's a masochistic perv, can easily get along with pretty much anyone and is willing to help out. As for Aqua...yeah, she gets on everybody's nerves, I can attest to that. I don't expect you two to get buddy-buddy with each other but...she has made some improvements over her prejudice towards anybody deemed 'unholy'. Wiz is living proof of that. Or is it nonliving? You get the point."

Wolbach found herself stunned by Kazuma statements, momentarily flabbergasted to the point that she couldn't form words. How could he say that, after the way she'd acted only a few hours before? To eagerly accept someone as flawed as herself with open arms...either Satou was a fool of unrivaled caliber, or a man with a bigger heart than most gave him credit for. Either way, she managed to pull herself together to answer him, attempting to keep her voice steady as she did so.

"If you really are willing to take me in, and make me a part of your...f-family," She started, stumbling over the most important word slightly as it registered a second time just how much that meant. "I think I would like to join you. Properly, this time. No strings attached."

Completely unaware of the impact he had on her, Kazuma smiled and nodded his head. "Then welcome aboard, soldier. For real this time. I'm still trying to work on the whole 'trusting others' thing myself, so I guess we can learn together, huh?"

"That sounds...nice. A lovely change of pace, actually." Wolbach replied, feeling her own smile grow before another sigh escaped her lips as she was struck with a realization. "Of course, that means that I should make amends with 'Chomps', doesn't it?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, both goddess and mortal heard a curious meow directly above them. The shaking leaves from the tree they were resting under made them look up to see the very cat in question poking her head out to stare at them.

"...oh, you cannot be serious." Wolbach groaned, before turning her glare to Kazuma, who was trying and failing to stifle his laughter. "Do not start with me, Satou, I can still kick your ass while being a part of your family."

"Believe me, it wouldn't be anything new," Kazuma chuckled as he carefully reached up to grab the feline from the branch she was resting on. She purred into his arms before he turned her around to face...her other half. "Chomps, I think there's something Bach would like to say to you."

The dark goddess grumbled slightly as the cat turned and meowed at her, almost expectantly, before she got over herself and ground out the required words. "I'm sorry for trying to absorb you back into my form. You clearly have your own life and subsequent desires, and as such I should respect that. So...truce, I suppose. Permanently."

The last thing Wolbach possibly expected was for her fragmented self to boop her on the nose. The cat retracted her paw and simply meowed after doing that, as if the conversation had reached a mutual agreement.

"Well, that settles that, then." Wolbach mused with a slight chuckle, offering a small pat on the head to Chomps, and earning a purr for her efforts. "So, what happens now, Kazuma?"

"Well, I think it'd be in your best interest to explain all this to the others. We don't want any misunderstandings and you did say that communication is key to prevent those. So how about we call it a night and rest up for tomorrow morning?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Wolbach agreed, rising to her feet and dusting herself off, before noticing the small smile that rose on the young man's face. "...what's that look for?"

"Hmm?" Kazuma shook his head as he tripped over his words again. "Oh, uh, nothing. Just...just thinking how weirdly far I've come. I-I mean, I've isolated myself for so long that I thought I could never talk to people again. Okay, I still can't talk for shit sometimes, but I never imagined myself reassuring a fallen goddess. It's like, something I'd never see myself doing in a million years y'know? Heh...heh."

"Well, as I've said in the past, you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for." Wolbach replied, offering her own kind smile as she lay a hand on his shoulder. "You will never cease to surprise me, or your friends for that matter, but you will continue to improve. I can promise you that."

Kazuma gulped, nodding slightly to both himself and her. After a moment of simply standing idly by, he shivered. "I'm gonna head inside now. I don't want to die a 9th time because of hypothermia of all things."

"Indeed. That would certainly be embarrassing." Wolbach replied, before humming to herself in consideration and ultimately deciding to temporarily shed her cloak, draping it over Kazuma, who spared her a surprised look. "Don't let it go to your head, Kazuma. Now let's get inside."

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Kazuma thanked Wolbach as he tightened it around himself and Chomusuke. The two walked back to the house in a peaceful silence, a significant upgrade from an awkward or tense silence. Yes, it seems progress was being made between the two of them indeed. Kazuma only hoped things would continue to improve like this with the rest of his family from here on out.