"I don't want to continue our relationship anymore."

Kazuma laid down on his bed, simply staring upwards toward the ceiling, not a movement to be seen. It was difficult to tell if he was even breathing.

"I don't think I'm ready for a true romantic relationship right now, you understand don't you, Kazuma?"

"Where did I go wrong?" Kazuma asked no one in particular. Being a shut in ever since his last relationship failure in his childhood days, Kazuma expected were it to happen again he might cry or even do something drastic. But as it stood, he felt nothing. No semblance of emotions to be found, just emptiness. He wasn't sure if Aqua or Darkness knew about what happened yet, he hoped they did just so he wouldn't have to recount it himself.

A knock came to his door. Feminine voices followed afterward. Speak of the devils.

"Kazuma, we heard about what happened... may we come in?" He heard Darkness speak before Aqua butted in the crass way she always does.

"Yeah, let us in already! We want to talk to you!"

He didn't move, nor did he even look at the door the voices originated from. But he did allow his voice to reach them-

"Open it."

Accepting the invitation, Aqua strode in with Darkness with faux confidence but halted when she got close enough to view his face. There were massive bags under his eyes, signs of sleep deprivation. His eyes looked so dull compared to the normal irritation they normally held for her.

"Um, Kazuma, Megumin told us about what happened... and we'd like to talk to you about it if you wish." Darkness approached carefully and sat on the bed's edge, as did Aqua.

No response.

"Listen, we know you may be feeling down, but there are tons of women out there, like that Yunyun girl! So c'mon, get out of your funk already!" Callous as ever, Aqua tried her own approach to comfort. A miserable attempt really. He didn't particularly expect anything wise from Aqua though, he strongly doubted she had ever been in love before. But hearing their voices did remind him of the one person who was missing. The girl that completed their little party.

"I- I understand this may be very sudden, so I'll just be away for the day to process this I guess, I'm really sorry. We can talk about it later if you'd like?"

The abandonment he felt was so immense, that he felt like he was just kicked into a pit of spikes by the person he trusted most. His face morphed into what could only be described as immense emotional turmoil.

"Kazuma, please say something to me! I don't want to have hurt you."

'Too late for that.' He thought bitterly. Kazuma turned his head towards the girls who were practically talking to the wall his bed was put against.

"No, there isn't anyone like her." And like that, he turned away from them and got under his covers, effectively ending the conversation.

The girls shared a worried look between one another, before sighing and leaving Kazuma to himself.

In the morning, when Kazuma decided that the puny amounts of sleep he did manage to get was enough, he got up from his bed and headed outside after dressing in his typical adventuring gear, he had no appetite for breakfast. He went out for a walk. Before he knew it, he was at the grassy hill that he and Megumin had shared a heartfelt 'explosion' together after coming home from her village. He sighed sorrowfully at the memory, and sat down. There was no wind to distract him from his thoughts. He took out the coveted short sword she had named so ridiculously.

He started inspecting the blade, the black handle along with its black sheath, and the short blade that followed. He had wanted a katana at first, but it turned out to be too big for him and so it had to be shortened. Quite considerably in fact. Kazuma thought it was a travesty, but it was probably for the best in the end. He had no experience in handling such a big sword anyway, and he had almost accepted it for what it was. Until Megumin named it what she did. He couldn't even bear to look at the name inscribed, it just brought up even more painful memories of her.

As he sat there, his hunger reached alarming levels of pain, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He hadn't eaten in nearly a whole day and he felt weak as it was. More clouds started to form above him, inevitably going to lead to rainfall very soon. Good, it represented his feelings at the moment. His thoughts continued to consume him as he recollected all their dumb interactions.

"Kazuma, Kazuma!"

"Yes, I'm Kazuma."

"Look at this amazing artifact! It appeals to my Crimson Demon values. We must take it home."

"Are you insane?! This thing is obviously cursed if it's in some weird ruin like this!"

She took it anyway. All hell broke loose afterward. Aqua cried a lot.

Kazuma almost chuckled at the memory, they had been exploring some new found ruins near a dungeon. It had been totally overgrown and mossy while looking like it hadn't seen any human interaction for one hundred years.

"Megumin?"

"Yes, Kazuma?"

"Why are you so tired and laying down in the middle of the afternoon? You haven't been using Explosion in the no-no zones I mentioned before right?"

"No-no zones? Are you mocking me? I'm no child, of course I didn't do that!"

*Stares*

"Maybe just this one time..."

Sighs. "I'm gonna get complaints again."

The rain had started falling now, a light drizzle at the moment. Kazuma felt his throat clog up at the unfairness of it all.

Megumin and him had been sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace when she decided to give him a beautiful gaze. It made him embarrassed to be stared at so intensely.

"D-Do you really love me that much?" He asked timidly, looking away as he did so. She merely smiled even more once he finished asking-

"I do!" Megumin said it with so much passion and happiness. His stomach felt like it did fifty back flips.

The dam broke. Kazuma felt the tears start to slide down his face, mixing with the rain. The sniffles and hiccups followed quickly after. He stayed in that sorry state for a half an hour before he heard footsteps behind him.

"On your feet boy, it reflects poorly on moi's reputation if anyone saw my business partner sulking all by his lonesome."

Shocked, Kazuma turned to the voice while trying to save what little dignity he had left by wiping his face with his sleeve. Vanir stood tall with his trademark mask, holding a large umbrella.

"V-Vanir? What are you doing here?" He asked incredulously. The demon merely looked down at him with a somber expression.

"Moi has seen you with moi's power of foresight. You look quite pitiful and moi does not like the taste of despair. Plus, the worthless shopkeeper upon being informed of the state of your emotions requested moi escort you to the shop in exchange for extra effort on her part. So, come along." The duke of hell turned on his heel and started walking away while holding his umbrella a bit further out to his right, indicating Kazuma to start walking by his side.

By the time they made it to Wiz's store, they had closed for the rest of the day with Vanir talking about some new stock needing to be moved around. Kazuma didn't buy it, but he did not voice his disbelief. Vanir entered first, holding the door for Kazuma.

"Mentally-challenged shop keep, I have brought you our young charge." He announced to the woman behind the counter.

Wiz turned and clasped her hands in happiness. She completely missed Vanir's insult at her intelligence and went to hug him.

"Oh thank you Vanir-oof!" The demon in question quickly sidestepped her attempt at affection and thanks, closing his umbrella with finesse while Wiz flopped to the floor quite pathetically. She got up while pouting at him and dusting off her clothing with her hands.

"Why don't you ever accept my hugs?"

"Moi is adverse to any open displays of affection towards moi." Vanir responded with the most monotone voice possible.

"Sigh, anyhow, thank you for bringing Mr. Kazuma here." She told him with a smile. Vanir averted his eyes from her, while walking away complaining about shop keepers who couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

Once Vanir had gone to the back, Wiz finally laid her eyes on Kazuma. She gasped at his red and sleep-deprived eyes. He looked horrible, not that she voiced her opinion.

"Kazuma, please... take a seat."

The boy in question did as he was told without a word, questioning why he was even here in the first place. Wiz grabbed some tea she had prepared while setting a cup for herself and him. He looked towards her with a questioning look, not really trusting his voice at that moment.

"As you know, I asked Vanir to bring you here when he told me you were quite upset. I know we aren't particularly close, but I like to think we're friends." Kazuma nodded at this. "As such, if you feel distressed, I'd like to help you through it as best as I could or at least be someone who will listen to you, without judgement of course."

He looked down for a moment, contemplating whether he should tell her or not. It would be better than talking to Darkness or Aqua, because not only were they complete weirdos but they would have a heavy bias. Wiz was (is?) a girl too, even if she is a lich now. She had shown nothing but kindness since he met her, but he wasn't too sure if he wanted to expose himself to her. Although, maybe someone far removed from the situation would be the best person to tell after all. Mind resolute, he began to tell her everything. The moments they shared together from the start to the finish. Finally, he came to the present day.

"Megumin broke up with me." She gave him a sympathetic gaze. "I don't understand, we were so happy... I was happy. All of a sudden she tells me she doesn't want to be with me anymore. What did I do wrong, Wiz? What was I missing? Why... why am I not good enough?"

"Oh Kazuma, there isn't anything you did wrong or could have done. Sometimes, a person's heart just feels different. Love is a fickle thing. A lot of the time, it can change out of nowhere. Other times, it is a long time coming. I'm of the belief that if two people are truly meant to be together, then they will be." Wiz said.

Kazuma perked up at this slightly.

"Are you saying she may come back to me? You think it's possible?"

"That I can not say for certain, and I won't lie to you. It could very well be she won't want to resume your relationship, and you have to respect that. Don't get this confused, Kazuma. She isn't doing this to spite you or make you feel bad about yourself, she is just doing what she feels is for the best. After all, would you rather stay in a false relationship where you aren't actually being loved?" She finished with a sad smile.

He looked seriously at her.

"I guess not, but it still hurts so much right now. How can I make it stop?"

"Well, like all wounds, the younger it is the more it hurts. It will fade with time. However, if you'd like to feel better quicker, speaking to someone about it will relieve some of the stress from your mind. Never take on that emotional baggage all by yourself Kazuma, it can hurt you in the long term." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, a silent form of support. Wiz was glad when Kazuma squeezed back. She then let go while he went to stand up.

"Wiz, I have to admit, I didn't think you would have such wise words about relationships, no offense." He laughed to himself.

"It's fine, and I know I may not look knowledgeable about the subject, but I speak from experience." She said, nearly whispering at the end.

Kazuma looked at her with an indiscernible expression, before giving her a hug in thanks.

"Thank you Wiz, I appreciate you taking the time with me. You didn't have to do that."

Under normal circumstances, Wiz would have assumed Kazuma had some underhanded perverted reason to hug her, but for right now she knew better. As such, she hugged him back strongly. After this, Vanir walked back into the room. The pair separated upon his arrival.

"Thanks Vanir, I guess you aren't as evil as you claim to be." Kazuma noted.

Vanir stilled, his lips formed into a grim line before he spoke.

"You have five seconds to escape before moi does something moi will not regret."

Wisely, Kazuma walked out quickly. He heard Wiz complaining to Vanir about 'ruining the moment'. His tea was left untouched.

Thankfully, the rain had let up at this point. As such, Kazuma decided to take the scenic route back to the mansion. As he looked around the dirt path he was treading upon, he really started to appreciate the beautiful landscape around him. The rain had truly brought out the beauty in it, even creating a rainbow. Pollution wasn't even a factor on this world unlike Earth, so the air was clean and crisp.

'Actually, what is this planet even called? Eh, whatever.' He shook his head of those irrelevant thoughts and came up to the gate to his mansion. Pushing it open, he saw someone at the door. A short girl with black hair. She even looked like some kind of mage. She stood with her back turned to him, speaking to Aqua and Darkness.

Kazuma stopped walking abruptly. His heart started hammering in his chest and he seriously wanted to run away. But to where? This was his home, he had to face her eventually. This wasn't a battle he could just side step. He took some calming, long breaths before taking steps forward.

Darkness and Aqua saw him approach which caused Megumin to turn around as well. Thankfully, Darkness had the sense for the mood and pulled Aqua away before gently shutting the door. For once, Aqua kept her mouth shut and let herself be dragged away.

"Kazuma?" Megumin asked.

He braced himself to speak.

"Yes, I'm Kazuma."

Fin.

A/N - I actually had wanted this to be way more depressing, without any resolution because I really enjoy sad stories in an otherwise happy go-lucky show. It brings out a side of the characters you never get to see. However, I decided on going towards something at least somewhat positive while leaving the resolution up in the air. You can interpret how their conversation would go, it would likely fit regardless. Lastly, I tried using the way Vanir speaks in the light novel with the "Moi" thing but I'm not too sure I like forcing myself to use that type of wording when he speaks. It seems off when everything else is in normal speak. Anyway, hope whoever reads this enjoyed it even though it was kind of short.