"Alright, you're gonna have to walk me through this." Kazuma stated as he addressed Sena from across the small table the two were seated at, having taken a load off at a nearby café both for lunch and to discuss the former prosecutor's current predicament. "How the hell did you get fired?"

Sena sighed despondently as she stared blankly down at her latte. "It's...actually rather embarrassing, looking back on it. Either some files got misplaced or it was simply a matter of miscommunication. Regardless, I apparently had no proper authorization to grant you custody over a high-profile prisoner like Wolbach. In fact, she was not to be released under any circumstances by order of the kingdom. Of course, I just had to find out about this after I got laid off…"

"Wow, that's...kinda screwed, actually." Kazuma replied with a low whistle, shaking his head. "Was there no way to appeal or explain the mistake? Did they really just cut you out without a second thought?"

"When you're the royal prosecutor, you can't afford to make such grave mistakes," Sena explained while shaking her head softly. "It's a position with a high risk-reward system; you do the job right, you get special privileges and are more than compensated. Fuck up royally like I did, and they'll fire you faster than you can process what you even did wrong."

"Damn. Sounds like a tough job, then." Kazuma mused sympathetically, trying his best to relate. Aside from a week or two of work at his uncle's house, he'd never had a real job before, let alone one as important as a royal prosecutor. "Honestly, I don't think I could handle the pressure."

"Well, it's certainly not for everyone," Sena commented, actually allowing herself a small smile. "It's a prestigious job, one that you have to be willing to break your back over. The constant late-night visits, the daunting stress, the paperwork - gods, the ungodly amount of paperwork! That's definitely the one aspect of my job I won't miss anytime soon."

"I can understand that for sure." Kazuma agreed with a small chuckle, before tilting his head curiously. "Still, I gotta ask; do you have a plan B? Anything in case things ended up like this?"

Sena's short burst of mirth quickly disappeared when Kazuma asked her that question. She removed her glasses to rub her eyes as she quietly moaned, "No, I never had a backup plan in mind. Being this kingdom's royal prosecutor was one of my life goals when I was but a little girl. So I...never actually accounted for what would happen if I got laid off…"

"Damn. I was hoping you had something in mind." Kazuma replied with a short huff, tapping the table as he considered what options Sena could have. "Once the Guild Hall officially reopens, they might have openings for new staff. Maybe you could apply there, even part time?"

The former prosecutor took a sip of her beverage before speaking, "I suppose that's always an option. Though I'm not sure how well-received I'll be from the patrons considering I threatened them all with jail time when I accused you of being a terrorist."

"That's...fair. Plus, it's kinda hard for me to picture you in the hall." Kazuma admitted, humming in thought before snapping his fingers. "Ok, maybe you could work with Wiz and Vanir? With the three of you working together, I'm sure you could keep the shop in a relatively good financial state."

The thought of working part-time with two former demon generals left a bitter taste of irony in Sena's mouth. However, beggars can't be choosers, so she reserved herself to rest her head in her arms while mumbling, "If I can't find any other openings in the papers, I'll consider it as my last resort…"

"Hey, fair enough. Just wanted to make sure you had options." Kazuma replied, before pausing as he considered his next words carefully. "Onto the next problem; lodging. Do you have a place to stay long term?"

"I figured I could rent a hotel room in town while I work out my unemployment crisis. Luckily, I've saved up enough money in my main bank account, so I'm secured financially for the time being."

"Well, if you're willing, there's always another option." Kazuma retorted, gesturing vaguely to himself. "It wouldn't be any trouble for you to crash at the mansion. We've got more than enough room to spare, and it'd take some of the financial burden off you."

"Oh. Th-that's, uh, awfully considerate of you, K-Kazuma," stuttered Sena, unprepared for her lowkey crush to offer her a place to stay at his mansion. "However, you already have Wolbach and your...girlfriends to contend with. I'd rather not be a burden."

"You wouldn't be one, I promise!" Kazuma retorted, offering the woman a sympathetic smile. "I won't force your hand if you're not comfortable, but I really do think that you'd be more than welcome at the mansion."

The raven-haired woman crossed her arms and looked away in contemplation. There was no doubt living with Kazuma would make confessing to him somewhat awkward in the presence of his girlfriends, even with their permission. However...it would make for a great opportunity to see him in his element and perhaps get to know him a little better. Kazuma has always been a wily character in Sena's book; this could be her chance to get closer to him while she finds herself a new job...

"I...I suppose you make a good point." She muttered quietly, before sighing and steeling herself with a more certain look. "If you'll have me, I'd be more than happy to momentarily take you up on your offer."

"Sweet," Kazuma said with a smile. "Also, no need to be so formal around us. We're your friends after all. Besides, the mansion is a place for all of us to decompress and take a load off."

"Of course. I'm...not particularly well versed in such environments." Sena admitted with a small amount of embarrassment. "I try my best, but outside of prosecuting, I've never been particularly good with people. Talking to them is much harder compared to interrogating them in a courtroom."

"Hey, I'm the king of awkward small talk!" Kazuma joked as he gestured at himself thematically. "I don't think you'll have much to worry about in regards to making conversation. Just observe what I do, do the complete opposite, and you should be golden."

Sena chuckled a bit at Kazuma's instructions, finding herself bizarrely at ease despite her defeated state she'd been wallowing in not a minute ago. Perhaps she truly was that comfortable in Kazuma's presence that he was able to calm her down with the simplest of assurances.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," she giggled, before blushing slightly. When was the last time she giggled like that? "Still, I'll be out of your hair before long. It just feels so...wrong to be unemployed after working for so long. It may be the workaholic in me speaking but I really feel the need to get back on the saddle soon or else I might go stir crazy."

"Well, don't stress yourself too much over it." Kazuma replied, flashing another small smile. "You're entitled to a break, especially after working your ass off for as long as you have. Who knows, maybe you'll find unwinding after a while."

Sena stared skeptically at Kazuma for a moment before sighing, "Perhaps you're right, Kazuma. Very rarely have I ever gotten the chance to relax and express myself when off duty. And even when I am issued a mandatory day off, more often than not, I get dragged back to work anyway! I think I've just about had it! Maybe getting fired was a blessing in disguise."

"That's the spirit! Can't let the world get you down, can you?" Kazuma remarked pleasantly, allowing his own amused chuckle. "Well, now that you've got a decent plan in place, you ready to start heading to the mansion, or is there anything else you need to pick up before we head out?"

Sena footed the bill before standing up to grab her suitcase and small backpack. "Nope, this is all I have: just the essentials and everything I cleared from my desk. I'm ready when you are."

"Alright then." Kazuma replied, nodding to his new housemate before turning on his heel and making his way out of the cafe. "Here we go, then."


After making a quick pit stop at the bakery to pick up treats for everybody (one new guest included), Kazuma led the way back home to his mansion.

"Now, just as a heads up, the girls can be kind of a handful sometimes," Kazuma warned Sena as the woman took a bite out of her treat of choice. "It's not as bad as before we started dating, but things can get a bit...eccentric."

"I've noticed this on the few occasions I've had to speak to them one-on-one." Sena replied, recalling their meeting regarding the various crushes that the other girls had on Kazuma. "Still, I think I can handle them well enough."

"That's good to hear. Hopefully having you and Wolbach around will help balance out all the crazy that goes on around here," Kazuma chuckled as they approached the mansion. "Okay, to give them some credit, they do have their moments of normalcy. Mainly Darkness and Megumin. Aqua's kind of a lost cause."

"I believe that, as aloof as your arch priestess can be, she does have her moments as well." Sena replied, once again reminiscing on how the self-proclaimed goddess had given the assembled girls permission to explore the possibilities of a relationship with Kazuma. "Still, I won't counter the fact that those moments are very, very rare."

Kazuma hummed in agreement as he went to unlock the front door. The moment he opened it, he and Sena were greeted by shouts and slurred words from within the living room. He groaned in worry.

"Oh no…"

"Oh no is a troubling response. Not quite as troubling as whatever's happening in your living room, but still troubling nonetheless," Sena replied, quirking an eyebrow as the audible sound of stumbling footfalls echoed from the far hall. "You don't think that they've taken to drinking this early in the day?"

"Aqua maybe, but- -" Kazuma's words temporarily got stuck in his throat when he witnessed what appeared to be a tipsy Wolbach tumble into view. "...'Bach? Wol, is that you?"

Wolbach turned her gaze to Kazuma, blinking a few times and narrowing her eyes before answering, her words slurred and slow. "Ah, 'Azuma. Wonderin' where you 'er. Your ditzy 'goddess' said you'd' take yer shweet time comin' back."

Both adventurer and former prosecutor were stunned into silence. A drunk demon general/fallen goddess who went AWOL? Now they've officially seen it all.

"Wolbach?" Kazuma questioned carefully, unsure of what type of drunk the normally calculated woman was. "What happened? Where are the others, do you know?"

"O', the res' of yer girlfriends?" Wolbach slurred, rolling one of her hands dismissively to the side hall she'd just stumbled down. "In 'ere, 'aving a drinking contest. Darkest can hold her own, but Aqua's a fugin' lightweight, hehehe!"

Looks like she's not the only lightweight either, Kazuma thought sardonically before a dreadful realization dawned upon him. "Oh god - DID YOU LET MEGUMIN DRINK!?"

"Wha? 'Course not!" Wolbach hissed, immediately, wobbling on her feet slightly as she stumbled closer and jabbed a finger in Kazuma's direction. "I may be drunk, but the lil' one will always be my responsibility. None of us let her 'rink."

"Oh that's a relief!" Kazuma exhaled while wiping his forehead. "I knew I could count on you, even if you somehow managed to fail me at the same time. Are you some kind of living paradox or what?"

"Watch'er word, Statou." Wolbach grumbled, now close enough to jab the boy's chest physically, though her aim was less than stellar. "I've turn' people inta ash fer less, so don't think I'll take it easy on you just 'cuz I like ya."

Sena nearly choked on the muffin she had absentmindedly been nibbling on this whole time. She managed to clear her throat and decided to speak up. "I should...go and pick a room to unpack in. I trust you can handle this business yourself, Kazuma?"

"Yeah, I got this. Make yourself at home!" Kazuma replied, flashing Sena a small smile as she departed before he turned back to Wolbach, sighing in slight irritation. "And you need to get a hold of yourself. The wrong person hears that, and they're gonna get the wrong idea."

The drunk dark goddess glanced at the direction Sena scurried off to before turning back to Kazuma. "Why's she here, eh? 'Nother hoe to add to your harem? Hehe...you naughty boy youuu, hehe!"

"Ok, first of all, please don't refer to Sena that way," Kazuma huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose and asking the gods above what he'd done in his past life to deserve his current predicament. "As far as your question goes, she's gonna be staying with us for a while. She got fired over a miscommunication because of your 'release into my custody' thing."

It was a good thing Kazuma had learned patience when dealing with a drunk Aqua because dealing with a drunk Wolbach proved to be not that different. She stared vacantly into space for a moment before the wheels finally starting turning in her inebriated head. "Oh, I see! HAH - hic! Serves dat bitch right! I was a...crap, whaz the word again…? Oh right, MODEL prisoner and yet she gave me no respec' at all! Ridiculous...Heh, dickulous."

"Wow. Drunk Wolbach is a lot more laid back and snarky than sober Wolbach." Kazuma mused in slight astonishment, before chuckling slightly. "Maybe we should booze you up more often, 'Bach."

Suddenly, the young man found himself in a headlock as the intoxicated goddess practically dragged him with her. "Listen Kaz, we need you to be the, uh...person who judges stuff. Who won the 'rink off, me or dat crybaby loser?" Wolbach leaned closer to Kazuma's ear and gently blew on it, sending involuntary shivers down his spine. "I'll give you a hint...is meee~"

"Easy there, 'Bach. I'll, uh...be the judge of that." Kazuma chuckled nervously as he tried to free himself from the goddess' grip, eventually managing to slip out of the headlock. "Guess I should get a head count anyway, make sure that the girls will be able to function tomorrow."

Making a left turn, Kazuma and Wolbach entered the living room where the rest of the party was hanging out. Darkness was cradling a small wine class while sitting next to Megumin on the couch. Aqua, meanwhile, was sitting cross-legged on the carpet surrounded by empty bottles. She looked up from her glass when she heard footsteps and all but squealed at the sight of Kazuma.

"KAZZZY! YER BACK!" She cheered while jumping up to hug him haphazardly, almost making him fall. She briefly glanced at Wolbach before saying, "Also, would you min' tellin' this skank that yours truly won the drink off? Pretty pleeease~?"

"Hey, Aqua. Good to see you too." Kazuma greeted with slight amusement, before glancing between the twin goddesses and humming in contemplation. "Honestly, I'm still not quite sure. It's kinda neck in neck from what I've seen thus far."

"Well you're the tiebreaker either way," Megumin commented from the couch. "I say Wolbach beat Aqua by a hair but Darkness thinks otherwise. We were hoping you would come to settle the score for us."

"Hmm. Well, in that case, I suppose there's only one way to settle this." Kazuma mused, breaking out with a mischievous smile as he addressed the two goddesses. "Considering you two seem to be on an equal level of tanked, we're gonna have a proper tiebreaker. You each get one more glass, and then race to the front door and back. Wolbach brought me here in, say, thirty-ish seconds. If either of you get back in that timespan, you win."

Aqua blew a raspberry as she scrambled down on the floor for a discarded bottle that hadn't been completely drained. "Daz all? Pssh, whatev. Nuthin' a goddess like me can't handle!"

"As if! I 'an make that distance twice as fast as you, Agwa." Wolbach snarked, snatching her own glass from the nearby table and pouring herself a fresh glass, downing it with frightening ease. "Imma whip 'er ass, blue thing."

Aqua blurted, "No you!" before pushing Wolbach out of the way, with the dark goddess in hot pursuit. Kazuma watched them turn the corner before looking back at the two sober girls sitting on the couch.

"So, in the few seconds we have before they get back, you mind filling me in on how this even happened?"

"Well, it's not really that complicated." Megumin admitted, standing from her previous position on the couch and stretching. "After you left to get us that new table, we decided to play a few less destructive games. Eventually, that escalated to a challenge from Aqua to see who could hold their liquor better."

"Naturally, Wolbach wasn't one to let Aqua get the better of her, so she accepted the challenge," Darkness stated after taking a small sip of her drink. "They offered to let us join, but I only helped myself to one glass. Megumin obviously wasn't allowed have any."

"Well, good to see at least one of you was thinking straight. Two, I guess, since Megumin didn't do anything either." Kazuma muttered, considering that a 50/50 split wasn't half bad when it came to his party's usual antics. "So, you think either of those nimrods are gonna make it back here?"

Coincidentally, as soon as he asked, Kazuma heard Sena from out in the hall exclaim, "Oh what the fuck!?" and he went out to investigate. What he found didn't surprise him in the least: two goddesses passed out on the floor, each with a puddle of rainbow vomit spilt next to them (although the one next to Wolbach had its colors dulled interestingly enough).

"Guess that answers that then. Damn. I was willing to bet eris on Wolbach, too." Kazuma hummed, before sighing and shaking his head. "Oh well. Guess I got another mess to take care of now. Sena, would you help me move these two please?"

The woman stared at him blankly for a moment before slowly asking, "Is this what you were referring to when you said things were…'eccentric' in this house?"

"Not specifically, but yeah, this falls under the umbrella of shenanigans we tend to engage in." Kazuma confirmed, slowly lifting a wobbly and whimpering Aqua to her feet. "Easy, Aqua. We're just gonna take you back to the couch in the living room, ok?"

"I-I...I win did…?" the water goddess murmured while still half-conscience.

"Sure you did, O'goddess mine." Kazuma allowed with a slight chuckle, passing the disoriented woman over to Sena, who led her towards the living room as Kazuma tried his best to get Wolbach to her feet. "C'mon, 'Bach. Up and at em'! Second wind, any second now!"

Surprisingly, Wolbach smacked Kazuma's hands away as she attempted to get up herself. "I waz a war general y'knooow. I can...do it...mahself…" Despite her claim, she clearly struggled to support herself without intervention, leading Kazuma to sling her over his shoulder anyway.

"You can do it yourself, huh?" Kazuma teased, earning him a jumbled slur of drunken grumbles from the goddess as he guided her down the hall slowly, making sure that she didn't stumble. "You know there's no shame in asking for help when you need it, right?"

Wolbach gave Kazuma an amusing little pout as she softly muttered, "Supposed to be the other way 'round…"

"Well, it can't be that way every time. Sometimes, you gotta ask us for help, and we'll be happy to provide," Kazuma assured her, smirking slightly. "That being said, maybe you should mind your tolerance more in the future. As entertaining as you are drunk, I think I might just prefer sober 'Bach instead."

After letting out a small burp in response, the party leader chuckled at his party member before successfully guiding her back into the living. Kazuma also happened to arrive while Sena was in the middle of explaining the reason for her presence to Megumin and Darkness while a groggy Aqua laid on the couch.

"As such, I am sadly no longer this kingdom's royal prosecutor and am now unemployed. I was planning on renting a hotel room but your boyfriend was generous enough to allow me a free room here until I find a suitable job replacement. I just hope my temporary stay doesn't bother any of you."

"While I can't speak for the four of us, I am more than alright with you joining us for the time being. I see no reason why you shouldn't be welcome here, Sena." Darkness replied, before glancing the direction of Kazuma and nodding. "It was quite gracious of Kazuma to offer you a room here, and I concur with his decision entirely."

"Same. Besides, it gets kinda lonely with just the five of us living in this big empty mansion," Megumin commented. "So I don't mind you crashing with us. The more the merrier, right?"

"Thank you both. I'm glad to hear that my temporary arrangement won't be of any trouble." Sena replied with a relieved expression. "Kazuma already assured me as much, but I will readily admit to having doubts."

"Hey, I'm the one who harbors doubts in this household!" Kazuma said in mock sternness. "But seriously, you're fine bunking with us until you get back on your feet. Well, financially, you're already secured, but I don't mind you staying with us until you find another dream job. Just don't dig your own grave worrying about it so much. That's all I ask in return."

"A more than fair deal in return. I'll do my best to keep from going overboard." Sena assured him with a small smile, before her gaze flicked to the two hungover goddesses now sprawled across the two couches in the living room and prompting a sigh. "I should only hope these two share your disposition, however."

"You and me both," Kazuma sighed back before tossing some treats Darkness and Megumin's way. "Here. I made a snack run after I bought a new table for us. Don't let Aqua or Wol have any though, I wanna see them earn it after they sober up."

"Sounds like a fair enough arrangement to me. Thank you, Kazuma." Darkness replied, before her eyes widened in realization. "Goodness, I completely forgot! How did your efforts in finding a new table go?"

"Pretty good all things considered. Meet a new shopkeep named Horace and he sold me a nice table made out of wood from a fairy forest or something. Said it was really sturdy too, so hopefully I won't have to worry about future game nights from here on out."

"That's a relief to hear. Not that we weren't gonna try and dial it back the next time we play a game, but…" Megumin trailed off with a sheepish look, knowing full well that this house was chalk full of competitive people and a stronger table was definitely for the best.

"Y'know, sometimes I wonder if you people even know what casual means," Kazuma deadpanned.

A short round of laughter bubbled up following his statement, allowing the young man to take a seat on the remaining couch and sigh in relief, surprised with just how much he'd accomplished in a few short hours. Maybe he should try being productive more often, even if such aspirations did stem from broken tables!


A few hours later, after both goddesses had sobered up and come out of their stupors, the group assembled for dinner once the pair finished cleaning their mess from the drinking competition (both in the living room and the hallway). Aqua and Wolbach were still a bit sluggish, resulting in Kazuma suggesting he try his hand at cooking.

"I mean, how hard can it be? As long as you know how to read, you can cook anything, right?" said the man who, up until now, had only ever whipped up a meal as complex as instant ramen. Naturally, Aqua was a little skeptical towards his proposal.

As it turns out, she was right to be. After overcooking and undercooking a majority of the food, as well as starting three fires, Kazuma was about ready to throw in the towel. The only upside was that the girls all seemed fairly entertained watching him try and fail to boil noodles, cook chicken, and absolutely desolating a vegetable stir fry.

In the end, Kazuma settled with stubbornly making a platter of basic sandwiches with salad to go with. Again, the girls seemed to be entertained with the way he grumpily tore into his sandwich during the course of their dinner. They assured him he made a valiant effort, even if his food wasn't anything to write home about. This only caused him to sink further into his seat, making everyone chuckle at his antics.

"It's official. I'm swearing off trying new things, especially cooking." He deadpanned as he finished off his sandwich with a huff, earning another round of giggles. "I'm serious! No more! There's only so much a guy can take, and botching three meals is all I can muster. My pride, small as it may be, won't allow anymore."

"You are an adventurer, are you not? I find it bizarre that you haven't learned how to cook by now given your profession," Wolbach commented, still out of the loop regarding the boy's true origins.

"Yeah, well...I didn't really have much experience in the kitchen back home." Kazuma admitted begrudgingly, coming out of his funk slightly as he recalled the few times he'd tried to cook before coming to this new world. "I have my gripes with my folks, for sure, but they never let me go hungry. If I can give them props for one thing, that'd be it."

"Didn't they at least have the decency to teach you how to cook? Even a little?" Sena asked, treading carefully as she was well-versed in Kazuma's less than stellar home life.

"Nope. Not really." Kazuma answered, sighing heavily as he recalled a less than stellar memory. "My mom tried to teach me, once. I think we got...say, ten minutes into making some seafood based dish when she got fed up with my questions and told me she'd handle the meal herself. Apparently, I was 'taking too long' to follow her instructions and it was irritating her."

"Now hold on, what kind of backwards-ass logic is that!?" Megumin declared, becoming infuriated with each new piece of information she received regarding his parents. "It was your first time making anything. Of course you wanna take your time to learn and get it right! And yet she gets annoyed when you ask questions? What sense does that make!?"

"Not much, obviously, but I was only twelve, so I didn't talk back." Kazuma replied, grimacing slightly as he recalled the few shouting matches he entered with his parents when he was older. "Guess she just didn't have the patience to teach me. Never really brought it up again, so I guess that's a little bit my fault too."

"I beg to differ," offered Darkness, her calm exterior masking her underlying frustration. "As I understand, it is the parents' inherent responsibility to properly protect and raise their children, so that they may be ready to leave the nest one day. Considering you were young at the time and likely didn't know better, the failing falls squarely on them, not you."

Kazuma didn't try to counter the crusader's claim. In fact, he clammed up for the rest of the meal. Once they'd all finished eating and cleaning up afterward, Kazuma silently departed from the group, making his way towards his room in silent contemplation, leaving his friends who watched him walk off with no small amount of concern.

"The more I learn about Kazuma's home life, the more I feel bad for making fun of him for it in the past," Aqua muttered with her arms crossed and her head hung low. She'd only skimmed through his life in Japan before meeting him for the first time, so she hadn't truly realized the nuance that came from his time spent as a shut-in until now.

"Clearly, he still has reservations about the past. Troubling ones, at that." Wolbach tacked on, earning a surprised look from her fellow goddess and rolling her eyes. "As much as you detest me, I willingly admit that Kazuma's recollections of his home life are...upsetting, to say the absolute least."

"Agreed. As someone who was unfortunate enough to lose her own mother at a young age, it breaks my heart to hear just how...apathetic Kazuma's mother was," said Darkness covering her chest with her hand. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to shower her lover with all the affection in the world to compensate for his lack of a supportive family.

"I know, it feels awful." Megumin agreed, shaking her head with a forlorn expression adorning her face. "My mom showered me and Komekko in love growing up. Every opportunity she gets, she tells us that she loves us with all her heart. To think that Kazuma's mom saw him as little more than an annoyance and obstacle...it pisses me off and makes me depressed at the same time."

"Whatever trauma he's been through, the road to healing is going to be a long one for him to take," Sena sighed despondently. "Which is why I'll do my part to make him feel appreciated. It's the least I can do after all the flack I've given him before."

"Honestly, I'm still surprised Kazzy really cut you as much slack as he did." Aqua mused, turning to Sena was a curious look. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like he holds grudges or anything, but he really did just kinda...give you a second go at things."

Sena blushed and cleared her suddenly dry throat, "W-well, that just so happens to be one trait of his I happen to admire; that he's kind enough to give those who wronged him a second chance. It's...rather humble of him." Wolbach snickered at the ex-prosecutor's words, causing the woman to briefly glare at her in return.

"Ahem, my apologies. I just can't help but find it amusing how you've all grown so infatuated with Satou after what is a relatively short period of time." She explained, pointedly ignoring the looks she earned with her words. "Kazuma is certainly a loyal party member and a decent man, but you lot have fallen under his spell even faster than I could have expected."

"Yeah, so what, huh?" Aqua all but spat at the dark goddess. "We've known him longer than you have and we just want to make sure that our boyfriend is happy. What does a demon like you know about love anyhow?"

There was a beat of silence there, before Wolbach's expression tightened and her eyes flickered with restrained power as she growled out an answer. "Watch your tongue, Lady Aqua. I wasn't implying that you shouldn't do what you can to improve Kazuma's spirits. He is yours, after all."

There was an edge to the dark goddess' words, but she stormed off before the argument could go any further. Aqua scoffed and grumbled a series of insults at the retreating goddess, but Darkness and Megumin shared a look of mutual curiosity. That was something to keep an eye on going forward.

Meanwhile, Kazuma crashed down onto his bed, sighing heavily as he sank into his blankets. He was wiped, physically and emotionally. He'd had a long day, and with it finally winding down, he was hoping to get some proper shut eye for once.

Something fuzzy and warm brushed against his cheek, and he opened his eye to find his cat roomie curled up right next to him when she noticed him crawling into bed. He smiled softly and scratched Chomusuke's ear, earning him an endearing purr.

"Hey there, Chomps. How's your day been?" He asked playfully, earning a mew in response and prompting a soft chuckle. "Really? Well, I had a pretty good day myself, thank you for asking."

But of course, that dark voice that always lingered in the back of his mind just had to focus on the recent negativity that sprouted from talking about his old family. As much as he wanted to simply forget about them like Dark said, Kazuma was having a difficult time bringing himself to cut them out completely. And who could really blame him: they were his mom and dad! He wanted so hard to love them and have them love him back. But the more he truly dwelled upon it...the more he was beginning to realize that may not be the case.

It was also beginning to take its toll on him as he continued to ponder about it against his better judgement.

Did they really love you? I mean, could you neglect your child that much, treat them as little more than a nuisance for so long, and still tell yourself that they even gave a damn about you? The voice rattled off, making Kazuma sink further into his comforter as he tried to keep himself from shattering into a million pieces. Can you justify everything they put you through? Can you really?

I mean...they wouldn't have bothered to leave food out for me if they really didn't care, right? Kazuma internally argued with himself. However, he merely faltered once he realized how weak of an excuse that was.

Really? That's all you can manage to justify it? The voice hissed, distinctly angry at the very prospect that he was trying to make excuses. They laughed at your goddamn corpse. The loss of their own flesh and blood was little more than a joke to them! How can you possibly try to defend them, after everything they did, both to you and after your demise?

Megumin's cat jumped when it felt the bed's comforter move up suddenly to cover Kazuma's head. By now, the teenager had been driving himself crazy with all these disturbing thoughts and revelations regarding his parents. It felt like his entire worldview was being crushed by his own doing, and not since closing himself off from society had he ever felt more scared and alone in that particular moment in time.

It was a terrible truth he had to face, but...gods above, he wasn't ready for it. He couldn't be. The last true sliver of his old life, his old world, his old family. Could he bring himself to tear that all away? To do away with those memories, bad and good, just to quell a few demons lingering in his heart?

Kazuma was thankfully torn away from these questions (for the time being) when he heard a tentative knock at his door. "Kazuma?" he heard Megumin's muffled voice call out. "Can we come in?"

"...yeah." He muttered, before clearing his throat and answering louder. "Yeah, come in."

The door swung open, and in came Megumin, Aqua, and Darkness. His three girlfriends, best friends, and the people he considered his true family. And they all looked so terribly worried, over little ol' him. It was...different, to say the least, but in a bad way.

Fuck, I probably dragged them down during dinner, goddamnit! Kazuma cursed at himself internally while sitting up and pretending everything was normal. "So, uh, fancy seeing you here. What's up?"

"What's up is that we're worried about you, Kazzy." Aqua answered gently, immediately making Kazuma fidget slightly. Seeing Aqua so serious always made him the slightest bit uncomfortable, but he knew it was important to listen to her when she got like this. "You seemed upset after dinner, so we wanted to come check on you, see how you were doing."

"Oh...well, I'm fine enough. Just kinda tired after running around all day, that's all," Kazuma replied, not entirely lying but not entirely telling the truth either.

"Still, if there is something bothering you, you need only tell us, Kazuma." Darkness insisted, looking upon her boyfriend with great care and worry. "I understand if you're not comfortable to discuss some things with us, or if there's topics you'd prefer to avoid, but we want to help you. However we can."

Kazuma felt his heart race, both out of fear of spilling his innermost thoughts and admiration for his girlfriends' willingness to be his support group. He figured if was going to make this relationship work, he'd have to put in the legwork and put trust into them as they did for him, so...Fuck it, what did he have to lose?

He gulped as he avoided making eye contact, "O-o-okay, umm...y-you remember when you guys told me I was better off forgetting about my parents? That cutting them out of life would be better for me in the long run?"

The three girls all nodded silently.

"...uh...w-well…" Kazuma covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his words as though he were speaking taboo. "I don't know if I can b-bring myself to do that…"

There was a beat of silence after that admission, one that ended when Megumin joined Kazuma on his bed, sitting beside him and taking his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I understand, Kazuma. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to." She insisted, before looking him in the eyes with a distinctly pleading expression. "But your parents weren't good to you, and you have to acknowledge that. They treated you wrong, and I know you know that. You're afraid to face it, like anyone would be, but it is just gonna come back to bite you if you don't deal with it soon."

"How would you know? Your parents loved you," Kazuma challenged before immediately regretting his choice of words and wincing. "Sorry, that came out wrong!"

"It's ok. I know what you meant." Megumin supplied him, offering a sad, understanding smile. "Like I said, at the end of the day, it's up to you to decide what to do regarding your parents. Maybe you don't have to forget them, or block them out completely, but you can't keep treating them like they weren't a detriment to you when you were growing up."

Aqua and Darkness soon joined the two on the bed, with the former adding, "Y'know, when I was still in charge of guiding the departed, I've met some clients before who've had parents objectively worse than yours. Like, going straight down to the bottom of Hell kind of worse. So while your mom and dad aren't the worst human beings in your world, you still have to admit that they weren't exactly the best either."

"I believe Megumin put it best. You don't have to forget where you came from, or who your parents were. You don't even have to stop loving them if you don't want to." Darkness assured Kazuma, before taking his other hand and staring into his eyes. "But you have to promise yourself to be better than them. To make the right choices, and to recognize that they made mistakes in raising you."

Kazuma sniffled and just barely held back the waterworks, only letting a few stray tears roll down his face which Aqua gingerly wiped away for him. After a set of controlled breathing exercises, he leveled himself once more and smiled sadly at his party. "I fuckin' love you guys, you know that? I don't say it often, but I really do. Just...thank you..."

"We love you too, Kazzy." Aqua replied earnestly before embracing her boyfriend, an action that was mirrored by Megumin and Darkness alike. The four of them sat there on his bed, holding each other, protecting each other. They were a family, and they faced their problems together as one.

"Still, sorry for making you guys fret over me like that," Kazuma murmured from within the group hug. "I'm worried I'm gonna end up making this relationship all about me like a selfish crybaby. Some boyfriend I'm turning out to be, huh?"

"Hey! Cut that out, you!" Megumin demanded, jabbing him lightly without disengaging from the hug and shooting him a playful scowl. "We care about you, so we want to help however we can. You'd do the same for us, right?"

"Well, yeah, but- -"

"But nothing, that was rhetorical. You've more than proven that by now, and there's nothing you can say otherwise. You deserve to be happy along with us, damnit, so we're gonna make sure you're happy! No ifs, ands, or buts about it!" the Crimson Demon declared with finalty etched in her tone.

Kazuma glanced at Aqua and Darkness, who nodded along in confirmation with equally determined looks as Megumin. He chuckled softly, wondering just how he'd gotten to be so lucky as to have these three wonderful girls by his side when he needed them most.

His eyes flicked back to Aqua, and there was something more there, now. There was care and love, yes, but also a silent question, one Kazuma wasn't quite sure how to answer. As it turned out, he wasn't going to get the chance, as the goddess suddenly leaned forward and captured his lips with her own.

The kiss was fairly short, but in that moment, Kazuma felt the worries of the world go on pause as cliché as that sounded. However, there was no better way he could describe what was essentially his first direct kiss in...ever. He didn't kiss back, mainly due to the initial shock and lack of personal experience, but he did feel its lingering presence long after Aqua's lips parted with his.

Still dazed from the more than kind gesture, he looked to the water goddess lazily, making her giggle slightly at his dopey expression.

"You look like a dork, Kazzy." She hummed pleasantly, before nuzzling his chest and sighing comfortably. "Luckily for you, you're our dork. Isn't that right, girls?"

Kazuma's other two girlfriends laughed but didn't object, far from it. In fact, Megumin scooched a little closer to Kazuma and said, "You know it, and there's plenty of dork to go around. Isn't that right, Kaz~?"

Kazuma only managed a nervous chuckle as Megumin took after Aqua's lead, leaning up and pressing a short but sweet kiss to the young man's lips. Once more, Kazuma was left in a state of bliss and surprise, all at once. He was slightly more prepared for it this time, however, and made a somewhat awkward but honest attempt to kiss back. Once the two eventually pulled away, Kazuma hesitantly stared back, quietly awaiting her approval.

The young wizard's cheeks turned as red as her eyes, for she too was as inexperienced as everyone else present in the room. "Heh. Well, uh, that sure was something," Megumin chuckled nervously. "But I think I like it. You?"

"I definitely don't have any complaints, so...yeah." Kazuma replied, finding himself out of breath. He barely had any time to pull himself together before he met Darkness' gaze, finding that same question in her eyes. "Dark? Do you want to...?"

At the mention of her pet name, the crusader froze on the spot and her face turned an intense shade of red. Gradually, Aqua and Megumin began chanting her stage name as a form of encouragement for their fellow girlfriend. After bracing herself from the heavy duty pressure of embarrassment, Darkness followed suit and simply went in like the others did, even making Kazuma grunt in surprise.

The kiss didn't last any longer than the previous too, but all the same, when Darkness pulled back, Kazuma found himself flushed with a sensation that could only be described as...well, loved. There was a warmth that just radiated around them in that moment, one that pierced the young man to his core. He loved them with all his heart, and they loved him in turn.

"Heh, if only that jerkoff of an upperclassman could see me now," Kazuma said with a smirk. "I think I could get used to this."

"Try not to get too big a head over it, Kazuma." Megumin instructed with a roll of her eyes, though the smile never left her lips as she indulged further in their embrace. "You definitely need work in the future. Then again, I think the three of us will be more than happy to provide whatever help we can, right?"

Darkness and Aqua both hummed accordingly and sank further into their collective group hug, causing their lover boy to become all kinds of flustered. "H-Hey! That's not fair! I'm supposed to be the badass of the group, and you're all here making that difficult for me!"

"To be fair, I can't help but feel that the position of 'badass' doesn't really belong to any of us." Darkness replied with an amused smile, before tilting her head in consideration. "Wolbach is the closest I would equate to such a title, and she hasn't even shown us everything she can do yet."

"C'mon Dark, we may be idiots but even we have our shining moments," Kazuma argued. "It's just when things come down to the wire that we somehow find a way to get our act together...along with a handful of Resurrections, but that's neither here nor there."

"It feels like it might be wither, Kazzy." Aqua retorted with a playfully warning tone, before shaking her head and shrugging. "Hopefully, there won't ever be a need for another Resurrection spell ever again. Not while you have us."

Kazuma smiled and closed his eyes, succumbing to the embrace once more as he said, "Right. With three beautiful girls, their fuzzy cat, and one reformed goddess as my family...I think I'll be in good hands. I can't thank you enough for that..."

"Well, no thanks required. We're here for a reason, after all." Aqua replied happily, more than content with the position she and her fellow girlfriends found themselves in. "You matter to us, Kazzy. And that's never going to change. I promise."

Light snoring brought the blue-haired priestess out of her reverie when she looked down to find her boyfriend miraculously fast asleep in the girls' arms. He really hadn't been lying when he said he was left feeling tired after dinner, and it showed.

"Heh. Look at that, he's all tuckered out." Megumin snickered, slowly disengaging with the rest of the girls and laying the young man down in his bed, before making their way to the door as quietly as possible. "Goodnight, Kazuma."

As the door to Kazuma's bedroom softly closed shut, a certain jet-black cat resumed her rightful spot next to the sleeping man's head, swiftly joining her roommate in dream land.