KonoSuba: A Tale of this Beautiful World Vol2

by Dknightodin

The second volume of the series.

2. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Part 1

A couple days later as I sat in the living room tinkering away at a new invention, Megumin came up to me.

"Kazuma, Kazuma," she said, smiling proudly. Her expression quickly changed to wonder as she peered down at what I was making. "Oh, what're you making now?"

I peered up from my work. "Ah, just something else. Anyways, what's up; did you need something?"

Megumin quickly took a seat beside me, seemingly ignoring my query. "What is it though; I know it's something from Japan."

I smiled faintly at her level of fascination. "Well, it's something called a 'microwave'; I got the idea to make one after the food went cold a couple days ago."

"Micro…wave?" Megumin looked confused as she tried to piece together the name and its relation to its function. "…so, it…heats things up…using waves?" She answered with a bit of hesitance.

I smiled as I stared at her in slight astonishment. "Yeah, good guess."

Megumin smiled childishly.

"Still trying to wrap my head around the heating element though," I said, stroking my chin. "That aside," I looked at Megumin, "what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Ah, oh…well"—she smiled proudly once more—"I bought land."

"Oh, you bought—YOU BOUGHT LAND?!"

Seeing my reaction, Megumin scoot back and gave a nervous grin. "I-I bought the land around the Demon King's castle."

I raised my brow as I calmed down. "Why'd you do that?"

"Kazuma, don't you remember; the place is filled with manatite deposits. If we can get a hold of that, then I could cast Explosion as many times a day as I want."

I facepalmed. I knew it had to be such a childish reason, but it wasn't all bad; acquiring such a vast quantity of manatite could provide a steady income outside of the inventions.

"Ok…how much did you spend—or rather, how much of my money did you spend?"

Megumin averted her eyes as I stared at her. "One, one billion…"

My jaw dropped as I looked down despondently. When I looked back up, I was scowling at Megumin, slowly extending my hands out towards her.

"W-Wait, Kazuma," she said, sliding back some more. "I made a deal with Iris."

I stopped. "Iris?"

She nodded. "Originally, the representative offered us a 30:70 split for the manatite and 1.5 billion for the land ownership; I was obviously gonna turn down the whole deal, but Iris managed to give us a 70:30 split and drop the price to one billion."

I was still frowning at Megumin, but I sat back and sighed. "You should've told me before you did something like this."

Megumin looked down with genuine remorse. "I'm, I'm sorry, Kazuma; I wanted it to be a surprise."

Seeing her look so sad made my anger melt away. "Well, it was a surprise…anyways, nothing I can do about it now." I crossed my arms and gave a faint smile.

Megumin smiled and leapt forward, hugging me.

"I take it the whole area is gonna be mined then?" I asked, gently pushing her away from me.

She sat up and nodded. "Part of the reason the price was so steep was because the capital was looking to claim the area themselves."

"Obviously…controlling that amount of manatite would be a boon to anyone who held it."

Megumin continued. "There was a lot of 'red tape' involved, so I let Darkness handle it."

"Ugh, why would you do that to Darkness; I know she's a glutton for punishment, but I don't think she's into that kind."

Megumin giggled. "She offered to help; I wouldn't willingly put her in that situation, Kazuma."

"Well it's good to see you guys are being so amicable with each other again."

She looked away; a pained expression filled her face. "I…I told you we were ok."

Feeling a tinge of regret, I scratched my head and also looked away. "Sorry."

The front door opened and Aqua stepped in, Irene not far behind her.

"Thanks for your help, Irene," She said with a smile.

Irene bowed. "It's no issue whatsoever, Aqua-sama; gardening is part of housekeeping so it's also a duty of a maid. Shall I prep a bath for you?"

Aqua's smile grew as she beamed with happiness. "Please do!"

With a short nod, Irene turned to us and bowed deeply. "Megumin-sama, Satou-sama, is there anything I can get you before I prep a bath for Aqua-sama?"

Me and Megumin exchanged looks. Megumin answered. "No, that's ok, I think we're fine for now."

With that response, Irene once again, bowed and left towards the bathroom. Aqua approached us.

"Hey, what are you two newlyweds doing?" She asked with a mocking grin.

Both of us grew embarrassed, Megumin slightly more so. "Nothing," I replied. "Megumin was just telling me about a land purchase she made."

"Oh?" Aqua looked at Megumin. "Where'd you get land?"

"The area around the Demon King's castle."

Aqua crossed her arms. "Hmm, why'd you do that?"

"The manatite," I answered.

"Ah, that's right; that place was chock-full of it. But what're you planning on using that much manatite on?"

"We're selling it."

Aqua looked at me derisively. "Kazuma, aren't you rich enough; perhaps you should consider making a generous donation to the Axis—"

"As if. Look, right now we're well off, but you know how easily something like that can turn around. I don't wanna have all my eggs in one basket; the product licensing with Vanir has been going pretty well, but I don't know if it'll always be like that."

"Hmm, good thinking; after all, you can't trust a devil."

"Bold of you to say that; if you were more useful in that aspect—or any for that matter, maybe I wouldn't have had to."

Aqua gasped, she appeared as if she was gonna fire back a retort, however, she didn't. "Kazuma, you know my birthday is coming up; there's several things you still owe me."

"Tch, why do you suddenly have a good memory when it comes to things like this?"

Aqua smiled proudly. "By the way, where's Darkness?"

"Ah, she went to settle some matters regarding the land purchase for me," Megumin replied.

Irene returned. "Aqua-sama, the bath is ready."

"Thanks, Irene," Aqua said, smiling once more. She turned back to me and flicked her hair. "Well I'm off to bathe so don't bother me."

"Uhh, sure."

After Aqua left, Megumin turned to me. "Kazuma, do you wanna go on our daily?"

"Hmm, well, I was gonna finish this, but since I'm kinda stuck at the moment, sure, why not?"

"I'll have the bath ready when you return, Megumin-sama," Irene remarked.

"Umu, thanks."

As we walked towards the usual spot, Megumin grabbed my hand. I looked over; catching my glance, she smiled.

"Kazuma, when are you gonna follow the path of explosions with me?"

"Heh, I think it's gonna have to wait a bit longer; after all, I recall someone choosing another class for me."

She gave an embarrassed smirk. "Y-You have the Adventurer class; you can always learn it."

"Would've been easier if I could get more skill points though," I said with a sigh.

"Kazuma, the Smithing class gives five skill points per level."

"Huh, really?"

"Umu, typically speaking, advanced classes give more since their skills require more points to level or obtain; however, classes that specialize in life skills also get a large amount of points per level."

"Why though, I mean I understand advanced classes, but I don't even know what the smithing class is all about."

Megumin turned to me with a bewildered look on her face. "Huh, how don't you know?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

She shook her in disbelief. "Kazuma, life classes are every bit as important as combat classes; in the village we're taught this. If you level up skills pertaining to the class—things like smithing, metallurgy, crafting, repairing, etc. it'll rank your class and allow you to make better equipment."

"Sounds like the same effect for just leveling the skills though."

She shook her head once more. "Class upgrades level all the pertaining skills at once and give immediate bonuses to successes and the quality of work. Since there's so many skills under the umbrella of a single life class the amount of points you get per level is as high as the advanced combat classes."

"Did you know this when you picked it?"

She smirked as she looked out the corner of her eye.

I smirked as well; though Megumin would act childish a good portion of the time, times when she showed her vaunted intelligence often impressed upon me.

"Here we are," She said.

Going through routine, Megumin let off a powerful explosion over the scenery. This time, however, was different; everything about it was perfect; the sound, the shape, the intensity, even the reverberations hit with just enough force to instill excitement.

"Perfect," I said, smiling as I felt its effects.

Megumin fell to one knee panting, she was also smiling.

"It felt different this time," I said. "Everything about it was perfect."

"Ha, I'd expect no less; after all, I finally mastered Explosion."

"Oh, you just saying that or—"

Megumin proudly whipped out her adventurer's card and gave it to me.

"Oi, level 55, when'd you gain so many levels?!"

"Huh, I thought you knew?"

"Knew—how was I supposed to know this?!"

"It was during the battle against the Demon King's daughter."

"Ah, that's right; not only did she get the finishing blow on the Demon King's daughter, she also nearly wiped out the entirety of the Demon Army in the process."

I continued examining her card.

"100 skill points available…this girl…"

As I scrolled down to "Explosion" I noticed a small star and the word, "Mastered" beside it; I clicked it and its associated stats filled the surface. Cast time, maxed; Attack Power, maxed; Mana Consumption, maxed; Range, maxed. There was nothing else to be leveled on it; Megumin was actually a master of the spell, Explosion.

"What are you gonna do now?" I asked as I handed her back the card.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you have a hundred skill points to spend and nothing to spend it on; don't you think it's time for you to—I don't know, learn a new spell or put some points into mana?"

Even though I expected her to immediately reject the idea, Megumin stayed silent; she bore the same face she gave me during the end of the Crimson Demon Trials; the same one she bore when the same situation arose.

"Ah, just forget I asked," I said, waving it off.

"Kazuma," She said, her voice serious. She looked at me with a sense of fear in her eyes, like she was stepping into the unknown.

"Really, Megumin, just forget I—"

"Can you teach me?" She interrupted.

I froze.

She quickly looked away.

"You don't"—I sighed—"you don't have to if you don't feel like it; I was merely giving a suggestion."

"…Explosion magic is the best…right?" She stared at me as if looking for confirmation.

"Of course…and you're the Master of Explosion magic."

"That'll never change."

I gave a faint smile.

"So, teach me something else."

Once again, I froze as I stared in astonishment. "Megumin, I already told you—"

"I want to be useful!" she yelled. "I want to be useful…to you; I love Explosion magic, but I can't…please…"

I felt as if she was requesting me to assist her in committing suicide.

She stuck out her adventurer's card and stared at me with determination, her eyes glowing red. I stared at her for a couple moments, and then reached out to grab the card; her hands trembled the closer I drew. Finally, I stopped and stared at her once more.

"Megumin, this isn't like—"

"Kazuma…I want this…please."

I took a deep breath. Something so simple, yet it was perhaps one of the most difficult things ever asked of me.

"First of all, you'll need some mana." I transferred some of my own into her.

Megumin stood up waiting with an anxious expression.

I cleared my throat. "We'll do something basic; I'll teach you Freeze."

"Freeze," Megumin repeated. She gripped her staff tightly and nodded.

Scrolling through her list, I could see a variety of different skills; I kept scrolling until I reached Freeze. I looked up at her, she stared back trembling, after taking a deep breath, she nodded. As I was about to press it, I stopped; I turned the card around to her.

"This is you; you need to do it."

Megumin swallowed deeply, her finger slowly extending towards the skill, Freeze. As she was about to press it, she stopped and whimpered, "Kazuma, please…help me."

I was crushed by how difficult this was for her; in truth, I no longer wanted her to go through with it, but once Megumin was determined to do something, she always saw it through; she wouldn't back down. I sighed and took my place behind her, I grabbed her trembling hand and slowly pressed on the skill. The confirmation screen came up.

Megumin looked at me with tears in her eyes, I stared at her; finally, she nodded once more. I let out another sigh and pressed the "confirm" button. Megumin froze and a moment later she fell to her knees gasping. She broke out into tears as I knelt down and consoled her.

"Megumin, why?"

She shook her head and wiped her face of the tears. Shooting up angrily, she turned away from me, yelling, "FREEZE!"

A moment later an explosive blast of icy wind knocked us several feet back. Coughing from the force, we stood up in bewilderment.

"What the hell was that?" I said, looking at her.

"I, I don't know; I just used it and…"

"It exploded; Freeze is not supposed to explode."

"M-Maybe I just didn't get it right; I'll try again!"

Megumin stood up once more and yelled, "FREEZE!"

And again, the results were the same.

As we got up coughing once again, Megumin shot up yet again and angrily yelled, "FREEZE!"

Needless to say, she tried several more times and every single time, it bore the same results; a small icy explosion.

Megumin collapsed to her knees and began laughing.

I stared at her with concern. "Oi, you ok, Megumin?"

"Kazuma," she said, still chuckling slightly, "I think I just figured out what I wanna do."

"Oh?"

Megumin got up. "Teach me more magic." Her eyes glowing a bright red and her face no longer bore regret or fear; in fact, it was radiant and determined.

The next one I taught her was, Tinder. Once more the spell resulted in an explosion, this time, it was a fiery one; less concussive force but more heat behind it.

Megumin smiled excitedly, she turned back to me. "More, Kazuma, more!" She said happily.

"Ok, ok, but, hey, aren't you getting tired though; you just let off a couple spells and you're still standing, seems kinda odd."

"Hmm, I feel a little bit tired, but I'm not casting Explosion; I'm genuinely trying to cast these spells, but they just keep exploding."

Then it dawned on me; Megumin's never used any other spell but Explosion. For years, it's the only thing she focused on, practiced, lived; of course learning any other spell would be an issue. For anyone it might cause varying levels of trouble, but particularly for Megumin, whose mind is full only for the love of explosions, it's only natural the results would be as such.

"Alright then, here's the next one."

I taught her Create Wind, Earth, and then Water; EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. EXPLODED.

Megumin stumbled back and began laughing once more. "Kazuma, this is…this is the best, yes"—she whipped around towards me—"I know now what I need to do. My vision was so short, how couldn't I see it?!" She laughed hysterically.

If anyone saw Megumin now, they'd think she was actually crazy…in fact, I was starting to think that.

"Megumin, what the hell are you going on about?" I asked, slightly concerned with her behavior.

She flicked her mantle as she struck a pose. "I will become a true master of Explosion magic; today, Kazuma, you just witnessed the birth of a new type of Explosion magic; ELEMENTAL!"

As those words came out of her mouth, it sent a shiver down my spine. "My god, what have I brought upon this world?"

"Now then," she said, her eyes narrowing on me, "fill me up, Kazuma; the next one is gonna be a real Explosion."

"First of all, phrasing and second, there's no way I have enough mana to give you."

She instantly looked deflated.

"Actually…" I walked over to her and grabbed her hand, placing my ring over hers.

Like before, the rings split open. We could hear each other's heartbeat and hear each other's thoughts.

Megumin smiled at me, and even though her lips didn't move, I heard her say, "Thank you". She placed her head on my chest as the rings began to release the mana within their manatite cores. After several minutes, Megumin stepped away.

"Thank you, Kazuma," She said once more.

"Umu, I'm kinda curious to see what you got in store; so, let's see it, Master of Explosion."

"Humph." Megumin turned around and flicked her mantle once more. After standing silently for a couple of seconds, she took a deep breath, and thrust her staff into the air, chanting:

"Winds of the farthest north come forth and coalesce into a maelstrom of chaos. I, the Master of Explosions, the summoner of ruin, the aspect of destruction, beseech you. Combine with my deep crimson and let loose a wintry howl. I seek not a gentle coat or the breath of your steely gaze; give me your fangs, your claws, your daggers and rain down upon my enemies. I call to you! Now, manifest! BOREAL EXPLOOOSION!"

In an instant, the temperature around us dropped and high above the sky an icy wind combined into a swirling vortex. The winds howled as they continued to wrap chaotically around themselves. Megumin dropped to her knee as she struggled to maintain the spell, gritting her teeth as her eyes flared in response.

A moment later, the winds completely crystalized and then shattered with a thunderous explosion. The next second, thousands of sharpened ice blades rained in every direction, piercing trees and nearly every object they came in contact with. Without thinking, I quickly grabbed Megumin, and ducked into a small alcove. After several more seconds, the icy hail finished.

I looked out in shock as my eyes met with the devastating effects of the newly created spell.

"Insane," I muttered.

Megumin smiled weakly; her tone just as meek. "It's…beautiful."

As I turned back to look at her, I could see she was passed out. Not only did she use Explosion once again, but she even managed to combine it into a whole new spell, not to mention with such short notice; I was starting to see why she was called the Genius of the Crimson Mages.

After that, I returned to the mansion with Megumin on my back (as per usual).

"Welcome back," Irene said as she opened the door. "I see Megumin-sama is incapacitated at the moment; this isn't due to your brutish nature, is it, Satou-sama?"

I frowned.

Aqua, who was reclining on the nearby armchair, laughed. "No, Irene, I think they just went out for Megumin's Explosion daily—although saying that…"

"Oi, that's enough," I said, placing Megumin down the couch.

I let out a breath of relief and plopped down beside her, slumping down as I did.

"You seem quite tired, Satou-sama, should I draw a cold bath?"

"You mean hot?"

"That's what I said."

"…" I ignored Irene and sighed once more.

"What's wrong?" Aqua said; she was eating a parfait; I assumed the accursed maid made it for her.

"Oh, that looks pretty good—"

"Should I make you one, Satou-sama?"

"Eh, no, I have a feeling you might do something to it."

"Nonsense; if I had intentions to do so, I would just tell you."

"Oi, what an impertinent bitch."

Despite my protest to the contrary, Irene left to the kitchen to make me one.

"So, did anything happen between you two?" Aqua reiterated as she took a bite out of the dessert.

"Ah, no, not really; just Megumin—hey, did you know she was level 55 already?"

"Hmm, oh yeah; I'm level 49, and I think Darkness is…44?"

"H-How? I mean I guess I can understand you, but Darkness?"

"We did a lot of work during the fight against the Demon King's daughter; all while you were out lounging around."

"Hey, I take offense to that; I was kidnapped."

"Excuses, excuses, Kazuma."

I frowned at her.

"Anyways, you were gonna tell me something about Megumin?"

"Ah, was I; now I suddenly forgot. Sorry, guess you're just gonna have to go on not knowing."

Aqua knit her brow and pouted. "Must've not been that important then."

"Umu."

Her eye twitched. "Kazuma!"

"Kazuma?" Megumin said, slowly opening her eyes.

"Hey, you finally awake?" I said, smiling at her.

"Ugh, I feel drained."

Irene returned with my parfait. "Here you go." As she was about to hand it to me, she quickly turned and presented it to Megumin.

"Oh, thanks, Irene," Megumin sat up slightly, and taking the dessert from her, began eating.

I frowned, once again sighing at the situation. Irene smirked as she returned to the kitchen once more.

Megumin looked at the parfait and then at me. "Want some?" She said, smiling somewhat shyly.

"Umu, sure," I quickly took the spoonful she had prepared.

She stared at me with a measure of surprise.

"What," I said, "you expected to be afraid of eating something you took a bite of? Pfft."

"N-No, I, I just, I just didn't expect you to—to take so much!"

"Oh?"

"Say, Megumin," Aqua interrupted, "did anything different happen between you two today?"

"Huh, what are you"—Megumin looked at Aqua and then stared at me—"w-what are you telling Aqua?!"

"Huh, why are you getting so flustered, are you dumb; like I'd ever tell Aqua about any…stuff between us."

"Huh?!" Aqua shouted, sitting up angrily. "How come?"

"What are you, some pervert on top of being a useless, freeloading goddess?"

"Tch, it's not like I'm asking for details; I just wanna know if you guys are doing lewd things so I'd have something to talk about with the guys at the guild."

Both of us stared at Aqua disapprovingly.

"And you wonder why we never tell you anything," I said, shaking my head.

"Ah," Megumin said. She struggled to fully sit up, so I gave her some mana. "There was something magnificent that happened today."

Aqua smiled and began listening.

"Tea and biscuits," Irene said, coming back from the kitchen. She placed the tray on the table centered, but slightly out of my reach. "I'll excuse myself."

"Please do," I said with mild spite.

Seemingly unaffected by remark, she left.

Megumin continued. "I created a new class of Explosion magic; elemental."

"Huh?" Aqua said; prepping a cup of tea. "How?"

"Ah, well, she—"

"I learned new spells!" Megumin interjected somewhat proudly.

Aqua smiled and clapped. "Our little Megumin is finally growing up." She sipped some of her tea as she grabbed some of the crackers.

"Aqua, please don't treat me like I'm some child."

"Please don't," I said, "if you do, I'll start to have lingering regrets."

Megumin frowned at me.

"Does that mean you'll actually start using spells other than Explosion?" Aqua asked.

"Of course not! The spells I learned are merely the foundation for my new explosion spells."

Part 2

"Meaning?"

I answered. "Meaning, she won't stop using explosions…unfortunately."

Megumin frowned at me once more. "Kazuma, why are you saying that so dejectedly; you're an explosion connoisseur; you should be happy to know that new explosion spells are on the horizon."

"If they're anything like the one you pulled off earlier, then I'm afraid; Explosion is scary enough as it is, and its effects are instant; this new one goes on for far longer than I care to know."

"It still needs some fine-tuning; I agree with you there, but you have to admit, it was a beautiful sight."

"Well, it was like nothing I've seen yet, so, in that regard, perhaps."

"By the way, Kazuma," Aqua said, sitting back in the chair. "I've noticed you're building something else from Japan; what is it this time?"

"Ah, it's—"

"A 'reheat box'," Megumin interjected.

"A microwave," I corrected, slightly annoyed.

Aqua sat up excitedly. "A microwave; that's what we were missing. There's been so many times I wanted to have a warm glass of milk at night and could never get it; now, with a microwave, it'll be possible."

"You know, you could've just used the stove—wait, that's it," I said, jumping up, "the heating element could use a smaller version of what the stove uses." I smiled, basking in my "eureka" moment.

"Kazuma, Kazuma," Megumin said, tugging on my shirt.

"Hm, what is it, Megumin?"

"How about the…umm, what was it called…the…the—"

"The A/C?"

"The A/C's, that's it; what about those, you said we were all getting one."

"Ah, right. You know, thinking about it, Vanir must've already completed a couple more. Maybe we should pass by later and see."

"Hmm, doesn't sound like a bad idea," Aqua said, reclining once more. "I'd like to see what that lich has been up to since the barrier's gone down."

"Well, I'm gonna take a bath," I said.

Aqua shot a glance at Megumin.

"W-What are you looking at me for, Aqua?" She remarked in embarrassment.

Aqua gave a sly smirk. "Oh please, this wouldn't be the first-time you guys have taken a bath together."

"I'm kinda uncomfortable that you're ok with this," I stated bluntly.

"Kazuma, you two seem to forget that I'm a goddess; as such, the concept of sexuality and nakedness doesn't bother me like it does you two. As long as love shared between to individuals is lawful and doesn't involve undead or devils, I'm absolutely fine with it."

"Doesn't stop you from running your mouth at the guild though."

"I know how to tell a good story; you always seem to wonder why I always have a crowd around me."

"Yeah, but I don't think it has anything to do with spinning a good story. In any case, I didn't say I was heading to take a bath as an invitation; I was simply saying—"

"Is it a problem though?" Megumin interrupted.

Both of us stared at her.

She continued. "I-I mean, Aqua's right; it wouldn't be our first time…and…I'm also…kinda…I NEED A BATH TOO!" Megumin shouted hurriedly, her face and ears growing red.

Aqua raised a brow and looked at me. "You still need to defeat the other Demon Kings and their God, so no funny business; I won't be able to take care of kids, Kazuma."

"Even in the narrow chance I did have kids, you'd be the last person I'd leave 'em with."

"Huh, why?!"

I waved her off and headed to the bathroom; Megumin trailed after me.

"Are you really going?" I asked her, a bit surprised.

She nodded in determination. "We're married couples; taking a bath together should be a normal thing…right?"

"…I don't know if I'd call it normal, Megumin."

"Satou-sama," Irene said, stepping in front of us.

"What is it, Irene?"

"Are you headed to use the bath?"

"Umm, yeah, why?"

"Let me remove the bath salts then."

"Huh, no, that's fine, bath salts are—"

"I wouldn't like you to shrivel up, Slug-sama."

"Oi!"

Megumin giggled. "Irene, it's fine; we'll be…sharing the bath."

Irene's eyes widened in surprise. She gave a small cough and bowed. "Very well, Megumin-sama; I'll try to not disturb you." With that, Irene left towards the living room.

After that, both of us entered the familiar setting of the bathroom. As I glanced over at Megumin, I remembered the first time we both shared a bath, the trouble that ensued, and the amount of time that's passed between now and then; the circumstances are so different. If someone told me that Megumin would willingly enter the bath with me in the future, I would've probably died of laughter.

I undressed and Megumin stared as if she was entranced.

"Hey, it's kinda weird if you stare so intently."

"Huh—oh, sorry," She said, quickly turning away. She began to undress, but tentatively glanced over at me as she did.

"Why is she acting so timid; where did the all the boldness and assertiveness she had, go? Her attitude seems to have reverted after that night I did stuff to her. Hey, Megumin, you ok?" I asked as I wrapped a towel around my waist.

Megumin panickily replied, "Y-Yeah—of course, why wouldn't I…be ok?" Her eyes darted away from my own, but slowly traced back every few moments.

I stared at her some more and then smirked. "Did my actions destroy her self-confidence?" I stepped towards her; Megumin leaned back defensively, slowly covering herself. My smirk grew to a grin. "Yeah, I think that's it…"

"W-What are you doing, Kazuma?" She asked, desperately trying to avoid my gaze.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You're really cute when you're like this, Megumin."

She closed her eyes as her ears grew redder than what they already were. "S-Stop saying such stupid things, Kazuma; I know what you're trying to do."

"Oh, do you?" I said; I stepped forward until our skin was almost touching.

She swallowed deeply and faced me; her chest heaving as she pouted. "I-I know you, Kazuma; y-you won't…" Her voice squeaked away as she attempted to continue.

I reached out to her chest and she quickly flinched. I laughed loudly. She slapped my arm in frustration. "Why're you teasing me?!"

"Oh, don't you remember you did the same; now when suddenly the tables are turned you wanna act all meek?"

She stared at me, the attention a half-way mixture between angst and courage.

"Well then," I said, once more stepping close to her, "now I'm gonna enjoy watching you squirm a bit."

She pressed her back against the wall. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom proper.

"Sit," I said, reminiscent to how she used to tell me.

Megumin stared at me, but nervously complied. I took one of the nearby washcloths and tossed it in front of her, then I grabbed the bar of soap and tossed it on the cloth, finally, I sat down in front of her; face to face.

"What—"

I placed my finger on her lips. "I'm gonna wash you, Oujo-sama."

She slapped my hand away. "Kazuma, stop being so—"

I ran the cloth over her shoulder causing her to shudder abruptly. I smiled and began rubbing in the soap.

"Are, aren't you supposed to wash someone's back?"

"Umu, but I'm gonna give you a 'special' wash, Oujo-sama."

I could hear her gulp and feel her tenseness as I ran the cloth slowly over her slender arms. I stared at her with a smirk as I slowly drew back to her neck. I slowed down, pressing keenly beneath her collar bone; the washcloth straddling the edge of her towel.

Megumin's chest rose strongly, her breaths becoming more pronounced as her eyes narrowed in growing captivation.

She grabbed my arm weakly. "Kazuma…that's enough," She said, her voice slipping into a breathless moan.

"I didn't think you would get this excited, Megumin; I haven't even done anything." I was slightly surprised, but more fascinated by the effects of my modest foreplay.

At this point, she was completely entranced; I continued, washing her sensually, pressing firmly every time I drew close to the towel line.

"Let's get rid of this, shall we?" I softly tugged on her towel, causing it to slip off, exposing her chest.

I paused and stared at her; Megumin stared back feverishly. Though I expected her to become somewhat aroused, the amount she was showing was beyond what I imagined; the uncalculated response spurring my own excitement. "Why was this girl becoming so easily excited?" I thought.

I pressed the washcloth to her breast and scrubbed, squeezing softly as I did. I was beginning to lose track of the main reason why I even started this; becoming more enamored in the sensation of feeling Megumin up, rather than cleaning her.

Megumin no longer held my arm in an attempt to stop me, rather, she held it as a form of support, both mentally and physically. As I moved the cloth lower, she crossed her legs shut. I could hear her breaths turning into pants as I now used my free arm to continue squeezing Megumin's small breasts, my other arm continuing lower.

Finally, she leapt on me and kissed me fiercely. After a few moments of this, I forced her onto her back, hovering over her.

"No, not yet," I said.

Even though I said this, I was eager to go; seeing Megumin so worked up had the effect of rousing me as well, but I wanted to tease her; I wanted to watch her squirm some more, as she did to me before. It wasn't merely for the satisfaction, or the boost to my ego, but also the previously stated reason; exciting her, excited me.

"No, please, Kazuma, that's enough; how long are you gonna keep this going?"

I grinned. "Till I'm satisfied."

Megumin frowned, her face still flustered with pleasure. She wrapped her legs around my waist and drew me close; the only thing separating our sensitives from each other being a thin towel.

"Da—Megumin, what the hell do you think—"

She smiled deviously; her boldness was returning. The towel was pressed firmly against her, the contour of my lower half wedged between her own; Megumin moaned as she began to grind against it. I quickly covered her mouth and looked towards the door; after several seconds, I looked back at her.

"You're being…too loud," I said as I tried to hold back the sense of pleasure that she was giving me.

Megumin pulled free from my other arm and wrapped herself completely against me; both her arms and legs holding my body tightly.

"Are you gonna get rid of yours as well?" She whispered breathlessly into my ear.

"This is bad…I can feel myself slipping—and I honestly don't think there'll be anyone to stop me this time."

It wasn't that I didn't wanna have sex with Megumin—quite the contrary, but for some reason, I felt it wasn't the right time; I didn't want to rush into it, I didn't want it to be a mere spur-of-the-moment thing; I felt I owed it to her, to make it right…for this girl who loved me so much.

As I felt the last vestiges of my resistance begin to wane, I hugged her tightly and with bated breaths whispered into her ear, "You deserve better".

At this, I instantly felt her tense up and then let go; when she did, she stared at me in complete astonishment, full embarrassment overtaking her. Megumin's boldness had disappeared as swiftly as it returned; she quickly took the towel and covered herself.

"Why…why did you say that?" She looked up at me as she asked.

I sat back, trying to calm myself down. "Cause it's true; I think we could've crossed-the-line a couple times already, but…I wanna do right by you."

Megumin looked down remorsefully. She crawled over to me and laid her head on my chest.

I always asked myself why I never willingly pushed myself to cross that point with her; it wasn't that I was scared to have sex…no—and while it was true I was nervous around the whole topic, I knew I would eventually follow through—hell, I almost did with Darkness. But when it came down to it, with Megumin, for some reason, I couldn't. However, that was my point exactly; I knew I could—I would, given the opportunity, but when it came to her, it was different; now I think I understood why.

The whole thing I found perplexing, I didn't consider myself a romantic; I had little interest in it, but for Megumin…I made an exception; she was my sole exception.

Suddenly, the door slid open with Aqua falling face-first through it; both of us stared blankly at her.

She laughed nervously as she got up and dusted herself off. "Ka—Megumin, uh, hi, how are you—"

"I knew it!" I yelled. "I knew you couldn't resist!"

"S-Stop saying it like I'm some sort of pervert! I only came by because I was concerned for Megumin's wellbeing!" She squealed.

"Wellbeing—what the hell do you think I'd do to her?!"

"I, I don't—I heard a lot of 'concerning' noises coming from here."

Megumin looked away, her face—once again—being consumed by embarrassment.

"Oi, I came to take a bath, so I'm gonna take one; get out!"

"Megumin," Aqua said in a similar tone she would use to call over Chomusuke, "why don't you take a bath later; I can take one with you if you'd like."

"S-Sorry, Aqua, b-but I fully intend to bathe with Kazuma, my…my husband."

Aqua stared at her worriedly, and then sighed; she then turned her attention to me. "Kazuma, I'll allow it, but one questionable noise from here and I'll curse you, I'm serious."

Figuring accepting Aqua's threat would appease her, I did. "Now hurry up and leave already," I said shooing her away.

She pouted, and then took one last worried glance at Megumin before leaving.

After the doors closed, I turned towards Megumin. "Hey, you really wanna take a bath?" I asked her.

She nodded and quickly ran behind me, grabbing the washcloth and pressing it to my back. As I expected her to begin, she laid her head on my back and embraced me.

"I love you, Kazuma."

I smiled faintly and after sighing, replied, "I love you too, Megumin."

The rest of the bath was uneventful.

Afterwards, we all decided to pay Wiz that visit. As we walked to the shop, Chomusuke meowed loudly from the protection of Megumin's robes while Zell hopped angrily on Aqua's head, flapping its stubby wings zealously.

Entering the shop, Chomusuke quickly leapt free from Megumin and ran towards the undead shop owner who was currently preoccupied stocking shelves. As Chomusuke purred and scratched at her heels, Wiz turned around.

"Oh, Kazuma-san, Megumin-san—Aqua-sama!" Wiz smiled nervously. "W-What can I do for you guys today?"

"Hey, Wiz, where's Vanir?" I asked, looking around.

"Oh, Vanir-san is in the back at the moment."

Aqua sat down in her usual seat. "Wiz," She said expectantly.

"Ah-Ah, right, Aqua-sama, right away." Wiz ran off to the back of the shop.

I sighed. "Aqua, you should really stop abusing Wiz like that."

"Like what?! That lich is lucky she's still around; serving me tea is the least she could do for me looking the other way."

"Sometimes I wonder who's the real goddess."

"Ah, moi knew he smelled something putrid." Vanir emerged from the back. "Brat, please don't bring trash within the shop; there's enough of it around with the shop owner's wayward tendencies."

Aqua shot up; just as she looked like she was about to do something, Zell nested itself on Vanir's head. "Tch!" She sat back down.

"Yo, Vanir, I was wondering if you've completed more A/C units."

Vanir, who was staring at Megumin, smiled and then looked to me. "Does the brat need some more? Moi assumes the constant steamy situations he and the Crimson Demon girl find themselves in is the culprit behind the warm nights."

Needless to say, this devil was more than adept at eking out embarrassment, it was no different this time as well; me and Megumin stood reddened by the announcement.

I cleared my throat. "Well…did you?"

Vanir smiled. "Of course. I assume thou had no problems with the prototype?"

"Umu, it's working great."

"Ah, moi has also gotten word about a land purchase the Crimson Demon girl made."

I looked at Megumin; she shrugged. I assume Vanir simply used his abilities to glean as much.

"The Demon King's castle was surrounded by vast quantities of manatite; is the brat looking to sell?"

"*Sigh* I can only assume you're asking because you know the answer already."

"Don't be boorish, boy. If thou are looking to sell the manatite, moi can be of great use."

"Manatite won't sell very well here; this is a town—"

"Who said anything about here? No, recently moi has decided to expand the shop's influence."

"Oh; don't you have enough trouble keeping this shop afloat though?"

"Only because of the blundering shop owner," Vanir replied with a frown.

Seemingly on cue, Wiz reappeared from behind the shop carrying the usual tray of biscuits and tea; she continued past us and placed it in front of Aqua with a reverent bow.

Refocusing his attention, Vanir continued. "Thou might've noticed that Zereschrute isn't around; indeed, moi has sent him to open up the new store in the capital."

"Isn't that a bad idea though, Zereschrute is a devil, right?"

"He also happens to be well-acquainted with the nobility of the kingdom; as such, his presence in the capital is of little worry."

"I see. So, how do you wanna do this then?"

"Simply put, once the manatite is extracted, have it sent to the shop in the capital; since thou have already entered into a contract splitting the proceeds, moi shall be lenient and take a meagre 20%."

"Essentially turning the profits from sales into a 50:50 split for me; of course, he had to have known that from the start."

Vanir handed me a small slip of paper.

"What's this?" I asked, unfurling it.

"The location of the shop." Vanir smiled widely. "The brat's future is blinding."

"Huh, what's that supposed to mean?"

Vanir laughed. "Moi charges for his divinations, brat."

I scoffed and waved him off.

Vanir handed me two large boxes near his feet; these were obviously the units and were just as heavy as I expected them to be.

"Oi, Aqua, Megumin, you each grab one," I said, struggling to maintain my grip on the two I had.

Megumin grabbed one and shook uncontrollably. "Pfft, this thing…is heavy," She said, straining under the weight.

Aqua continued drinking her tea as she harassed Wiz.

"Oi, Aqua!" I yelled once more.

"What?!" She replied angrily.

"Grab the damn"—the boxes shifted in my hand; with great effort, I readjusted them—"GRAB THE BOX!"

"Aqua, hurry; I don't know if I can hold onto this very long," Megumin said, her arms and knees beginning to tremble.

After getting Aqua to carry the box, we quickly headed back to the mansion; Irene answered the door. We rushed over to the table where we dropped the boxes onto, and then proceeded to collapse on the various seating arrangements around it.

"May I get you all something to drink?" Irene asked.

"Not a bad idea," Megumin said, panting.

"That'd be nice," Aqua replied.

"Sure," I added, taking a deep breath afterwards.

Irene bowed and headed to the kitchen.

"Gah, why are the climate control boxes so heavy?" Megumin questioned, stretching out on the couch as she did.

"A/C," I said breathlessly; I slumped down beside her.

"Wait, A/C?" Aqua said; she sat up in the chair. "Like an actual A/C?!" I believe Aqua just realized what was meant when we mentioned it earlier.

"Huh, didn't you know?" Megumin said as she reclined on my lap. "Kazuma, had these made some time before the Demon King battle."

Aqua beamed with happiness. "You mean I can finally have a nice, cool room?"

"Thank you," I said, frowning at her lack of gratitude.

"Right; thank you, Kazuma-san. But if you ask me, it was about time you made something that benefitted the rest of us and not only you."

"Umu, it's a good thing I wasn't then."

Aqua knit her brow at my remark.

Irene returned with lemonade; however, my cup was filled with mostly lemons and ice.

"Oi, what's this?" I said, staring at her.

"Lemonade, Satou-sama," She answered, her tone completely serious.

"No, try as I might, I believe this is anything but lemonade."

"Ah, forgive me, you're right, Satou-sama; it seems I've forgotten a crucial ingredient." Irene grabbed the pitcher of cold water and poured more into my cup.

"Thanks, Irene—"

"One second, I'm not done yet."

"Huh, what are you—"

She scooped up some sugar and mixed it into the drink. "Enjoy," She said with a slight bow.

I took a sip and instantly spit it out. "It's bitter!"

Irene looked down at the container of sugar and spun it around. "Forgive me, I made a mistake; this was salt."

"Bullshit, you did that on purpose!"

"Satou-sama, I wish you would stop believing my very existence is emphatically-driven to making your life as miserable as possible."

"Oi!"

She looked away with a tiny hint at a smirk.

"Is this chick being cheeky with me?! Goddammit, why am I always the subject of attention when it comes to odd women? Oi, Irene, I'd appreciate it if you stopped."

Irene looked at me sternly and cleared her throat. "Satou-sama, I'm the maid of this house; I wouldn't go out of my way to cause anyone discomfort—especially the head of the house."

I stared at her, and then quickly looked at Megumin and Aqua for confirmation; they stared back at me with an absolute lack of support.

"Argh, forget it," I said, placing the cup of "lemonade" down on the table.

"Was the lemonade not to your liking, Satou—"

"Of course not; the thing's practically saltwater!"

"Should I get you some water then; it'd be difficult for me to mess up on plain water."

"I'm sure you'd find a way—no, I'm good."

Megumin handed me her lemonade, and then turned her attention to Irene. "Can you get me some more lemonade, Irene?" She asked with a gentle expression.

Irene bowed deeply; her face unequivocally stoic. "Of course, Megumin-sama."

When Irene left, Megumin looked at me with a juvenile grin.

"You know she intentionally does those things, don't you?" I said, frowning at Megumin while I sipped away at her lemonade.

She slowly averted her eyes; a smirk still visibly expressed on her face.

"Do you like the idea of her being mean to me?"

"Doesn't feel so good when it's done to you, huh, Kazuma?" Aqua interjected.

"Tch—I'm not asking you, so why don't you keep your mouth shut?"

Aqua stuck her tongue out. "Personally, I think it's nice to have another woman around here who doesn't take your garbage personality to heart."

"Aren't you a walking bundle of ironies; are you even aware of half the stuff you say?"

Aqua ignored me, continuing to slowly sip away at her drink.

"Your lemonade," Irene said, returning from the kitchen. She handed it to Megumin.

"Thank you, Irene."

She nodded. "I'll be in the garden, should you need me."

"Ah, I'll go with you," Aqua said, getting up happily.

"Oi, Aqua, try not to plant anything dangerous; I'm not tolerating any other oddity!" I yelled as both she and Irene walked out the front.

The door closed and Megumin and I were once again, alone.

She looked up at me and smiled.

I raised my brow. "What's with that look?" I asked.

"Can you put the…A, C in my room?"

I sighed and smiled. "Sure, let's go."

After lugging the heavy unit upstairs, Megumin opened her door and let me in. It was the second time in recent memory that I was here; much hadn't changed from my last visit. Megumin followed me as I walked over to the window and placed the A/C unit within; the opening was too wide.

"Damn," I said, placing it on the floor. I scratched my head as I stared at the issue.

"Is it too big?" She asked.

"Erm, the window is too wide…ha, I think I got it." I picked up the unit and placed it in the window once more. "Megumin, can you hold it in place?"

"Uh, sure." She did so.

Part 3

I cast a combination of Create Earth and Water, and then followed up with a light application of Freeze; the loose gravel combined into a slurry. Following more dirt, it thickened to the consistency of something similar to concrete. After shaping it, Freeze solidified the mixture.

Placing my hands on my hips, I stepped back to admire my improvised work. "It's not a permanent fix, but it should hold for now; I'll get some concrete later."

Megumin stared at me with childlike wonder. "Kazuma, honestly, your ingenuity is astonishing sometimes."

I smiled proudly. "Yeah, sometimes I even surprise myself."

Megumin turned it on and stood in front as the chilled air blew onto her. "Mmm…nice and cool…haaah…" Megumin ran over to her bed and jumped on it.

As she lay enjoying the cooling room, I began to walk off.

"Where're you going?" She said, quickly sitting up.

"Hm, I'm leaving; you just wanted me to set up the A/C, right; or are you expecting something else?" I said with a suggestive smirk.

Megumin quickly looked away shyly. "Y-You already said—"

"I know what I said, and it wasn't anything about doing absolutely nothing."

Her eyes began to glow, and her ears reddened as a result.

I smiled, and then laughed at her embarrassment; teasing Megumin was fun.

"I, I wanted"—her voice tapered to a whisper—"to…sleep together."

Her coyness triggered an emotive response in me; I grew flushed in embarrassment. "Uh…sure."

Megumin's bed was large enough to fit all of us should a situation ever arise; fitting the two of us was no problem. I climbed on and laid down, Megumin quickly scoot over to my side and lay staring at me.

Now I was avoiding her gaze.

"Kazuma," She said.

"Hm?" I steadied my sight on her.

"My mother told me married couples go on something called a 'honeymoon'."

Oddly enough, the topic of a honeymoon was more calming to me than lying in silence next to Megumin.

"Ah, a honeymoon; yeah, married couples do usually do that. You do know why they go though, right?"

Megumin glanced away briefly; she nodded timidly.

I gave her a mocking smile. "Why, you wanna go on one?"

She shifted slightly closer to me. "You know I wouldn't mind."

"You say that like I would."

She looked at me in surprise, it swiftly changed to confusion. "I thought…did you just say those—"

"I meant what I said, I still do."

"So…I don't understand."

I laughed lightly. "Don't think about it too much, Megumin; I don't really have a plan. All I know is when it does happen, I'll make sure to do right by you."

Megumin blushed deeply, her eyes brightening as well. "…when the time is…right…"

I flicked her forehead. She quickly winced, covering her head in response.

"Didn't I just say not to think about it too much?"

She pouted.

"Better question," I said, "is why you of all people say nothing about that maid's blatant harassment of me."

Megumin relaxed; a childlike smile cropped up on her face. "Why do you think that is?"

I raised my brow. "Oh, we're playing a game?"

She smirked and then nodded excitedly.

"Heh, sure, why not." I began to ponder her question. "Why would Megumin, the most defensive of us—especially when it comes to me—allow someone to bother me so freely? Do you know Irene from somewhere; maybe one of your 'thieving' escapades?"

Megumin shook her head. "No."

"So, she doesn't know her. Maybe Darkness asked her to convince me; makes sense, Darkness definitely knows Irene. Maybe her and Darkness cut a deal? Did you and Darkness make a deal?"

"Deal; what for?"

"To convince me to hire her."

Megumin giggled. "Why would Darkness ask something like that of me; anyways, no, no such deal."

"So, no deal with Darkness either…How about Aqua?"

"Nope." Megumin smiled widely; she seemed to be enjoying herself.

I sighed and closed my eyes in deep thought. "Think, Kazuma, you know Megumin; why would she be so open to someone so hostile to me? No deals made and no prior associations; Irene is a complete stranger to her with no attachments, there should be no incentives to help her besides just plain altruism. I wouldn't say Megumin is indifferent to the suffering of strangers, but then again being completely selfless is not something she's really known for."

"Do you want a hint?" Megumin said, interrupting my thoughts.

"Is it gonna cost me anything?"

Although I said it as benign as possible, I assumed Megumin took it another way seeing as she quickly blushed once more. She shook her head, but there was some hesitance to it; this girl.

"Ok, so what's the hint?"

"Kazuma, you're a pervert."

"Oi."

"That's the hint."

"Are you making fun of me right now, you little brat?"

Megumin smiled playfully.

I sighed and closed my eyes to think once more. "No prior connections, no attachments, no deals made…and I'm a pervert…is it simply on a whim; did she just take a liking to Irene? No…the hint is I'm a pervert"—thinking it, wound me up slightly—"I don't get it; does she think I'd do something—no, that's it!"

I grinned. "It's because I wouldn't do anything to Irene, or rather, she wouldn't do anything to me; you wanted a maid"—I gave a short chuckle at the realization—"you wanted a maid that wouldn't tempt me; one that wouldn't be a threat to you. You do know that's jealously, right?"

Megumin seemed to be seriously astonished at the declaration; she shirked back some, her demeanor becoming increasingly angst filled.

"I," she said, her eyes darting away from me, "I-I didn't…I—"

"Did you plan it?" I asked calmly.

Megumin, who was now almost in a panic-stricken state quickly replied, "No—I, I just"—she slowly pulled down her hat in shame—"I just…I'm sorry…are you mad at me?" She raised the rim just enough to look up at me.

I smiled weakly. "I'm a bit surprised, if I'm honest; then again, can't say I don't really expect this from you."

She looked down; Megumin appeared to be really disappointed in herself.

I grabbed her hat and lifted it off; she briefly stared at me in shock. "Megumin," I said, taking a deep breath, "while I may be good at taking risks, I don't really like 'em; I placed everything on the line for you, I took the biggest gamble I've ever taken in my life; I did it for you, you understand?"

"Kazuma." Her eyes narrowed as tears began to stream from them. She placed her head on my chest and squeezed me tightly. "I'm sorry," she said through her sobs, "I'm just…I'm just afraid that you'll try to leave again, that you'll…leave me—"

"Stop saying dumb things." I hugged her back. "I'm already too invested in you, Megumin; can't you see that?"

I felt her embrace tighten slightly; she hesitantly looked up at me, her eyes glistening with warm, flowing tears.

"I'm glad I stayed…I'm glad I was able to stay with you all…I'm glad I was able to stay with you. I won't leave you; I promise."

Megumin pressed her head to my chest once more, her ear over my heart; I could feel her relax in my arms. "Kazuma, I'm glad I fell in love with you," She said with a feeble smile.

I froze momentarily and stared at her; my chest burned. I pressed Megumin closer to me and closed my eyes. If she were to ever leave me, I didn't know if I could ever recover from it; if my first rejection caused me to become who I was now, I wondered what would the loss of the one girl I truly loved, do to me. As I opened my eyes to look at her, I noticed the slow and quiet breathing, the relaxed expression, and the gentle smile she wore; Megumin had fallen asleep.

I closed my eyes once more and smiled. "So am I, Megumin."

-That evening

"Megumin," Aqua said, knocking on the door. "Are you in there; Kazuma's not in his room."

I opened the door.

"Kazuma, what are—did you guys—"

"Does it always have to be? Me and Megumin just fell asleep after I installed the A/C."

Aqua raised her brow in slight doubt. "Well…dinner's ready; Irene cooked since you were nowhere to be found. By the way, you still gotta install the A/C in my room so don't forget!"

"Why don't you do it?"

"So, Megumin gets special treatment; I see."

"I know this is a bit of a tall ask, but stop being stupid, Aqua."

She gasped and then pouted angrily.

"Look, I'll install yours later. I'll wake Megumin, and head down for dinner; see you there."

As Aqua was about to say something else, I shut the door, and walked over to the bed.

"Oi, Megumin," I said, rocking her gently.

She stirred and slowly opened her eyes, stretching as she sat up. "Kazuma, what happened?" She said, looking around wearily.

I quickly pulled her close and whispered into her ear, "Me and you had sex."

Megumin instantly perked up, turning a dark shade of red in the process.

I let go and laughed. "I'm just kidding."

She threw her pillow at me and then timidly looked down, grabbing the end of robes tightly.

I smiled, putting my hands on my hips. "Can't say I'm not tempted though…"

Megumin shot me an inadvertent gaze.

"Dinner's ready; they're waiting for us downstairs," I remarked as I stepped out the room.

As I sat on my bed, I stared at the door. "Idiot Kazuma, I don't get him; how could he throw something like that out so casually, but freeze up when the opportunity presents itself?"

I quickly changed into my casualwear and headed downstairs.

"Darkness," I said happily, "you're back!"

Darkness, who was seated at the table speaking with Irene, looked over; she appeared to be exhausted. "Ah, Megumin, sorry it took so long; I forgot how difficult these types of situation can be."

I took a seat beside her. "It's ok, I'm glad you could help me though; I don't know if I would've been able to do it without you."

Just then, Aqua and Kazuma came out of the kitchen with plates and trays of food; they placed them on the table and grabbed their seats.

"I had to check if there was anything wrong with the food," Kazuma said, frowning at Irene.

"Satou-sama, food was made for everyone; that would be poor planning on my part if everyone else were to become ill just for your sake."

Kazuma stared blankly at her, and then at us. "Really, does no one has anything to say about this? Fine, Irene, you're prohibited from making food—or drinks—or anything for that matter; in fact, don't do anything, just leave."

"Kazuma, stop being dumb; if Irene leaves, how are we supposed to eat?!" Aqua exclaimed.

"Irene, have you been trying to harm Kazuma?" Darkness queried.

"Of course not, Lalatina-sama; no harm has come to Satou-sama; however, he seems unsatisfied with the services I've been providing him."

"What services?! All you keep doing is making me miserable!"

I snickered.

"Oi, and why are you laughing, you're part of the problem."

"Satou-sama," Irene interrupted, "I assure you, the food and drinks are perfectly fine; this is, after all, the first time I've cooked for this house."

I glanced at Kazuma; he stared dubiously at Irene and then crossed his arms as he sat back in his chair.

"Someone, switch plates with me."

I rolled my eyes and handed him mine.

"Someone other than you; she probably assumed you'd be the one to hand over your plate."

I scoffed. "Kazuma, now you're just acting ridiculous."

"Darkness, give me your plate."

"What?" Darkness said in surprise. "Why?"

"Cause there's no way in hell she'd ever do anything to oujo-sama's food; yours is the safest one to bet on."

Irene smirked and then looked at Darkness. "Lalatina-sama, it's fine; I made a special plate for you."

"Then that's the one I'll have!" Kazuma interjected. "Darkness, you can keep your original plate. Give me her 'special' plate of food."

Irene stared at Kazuma, and then sighed. "Very well, Satou-sama." She withdrew Darkness' "special" plate of food from the nearby cart and handed it over to him.

He glanced up at her once more, and then took a bite of the food. "Ugh." Kazuma pushed the plate away. "What the hell is this; tastes like I'm eating unseasoned food."

"It's Lalatina-sama's meal of choice, rich in proteins and made with very little seasoning; it helps reinforce her strength of will. Satou-sama, each one of your plates was tailor-made to be eaten by its appropriate owner."

"…fine; I'll have my own." Kazuma pushed the "special" plate towards Darkness and slid his own in front of himself. Once again, he looked up at Irene; she stared back stoically. "Rice and curry," He said as he stared at it.

I interrupted. "Kazuma, if you're so worried, I can—"

"No, I'm sure she's thought of this."

Once again, I rolled my eyes.

Kazuma took a spoonful of the curry and ate it. After several seconds of chewing, he swallowed…then he went silent, slowly sitting back in his seat.

"Kazuma?" I said worriedly.

He shed tears as he covered his eyes and face.

"Kazuma, are you ok?" Darkness said with equal worry.

"Oi, Kazuma, is it too spicy?" Aqua queried.

Kazuma sobbed. "It's…just like ka-san used to make it."

"Ka-san…Kazuma's mother. Is it good—do you like it?" I quickly asked.

He wiped away his tears. "Yeah, it's good; it's not anything out of this world, but...I wasn't expecting that."

"I'm glad it made you cry…I mean brought tears to your eyes," Irene remarked.

Kazuma cleared his throat. "Sorry I doubted you."

"Oh? To hear such things from Satou-sama, surely it's worthy of praise; one might even wish to inscribe this on a tablet somewhere."

"Oi, don't carried away; I just gave you a compliment."

"Satou-sama, while a compliment is usually associated with good feelings, hearing it come from you makes my skin crawl; I feel molested."

"Oi, what's with you?! Tch." Kazuma glared at Darkness. "You."

"Me?" Darkness said, becoming somewhat worried at Kazuma's angry stare.

"You must've known that she acts this way!"

"I…Kazuma, I promise, Irene's never been so caustic to anyone in her life; definitely not while she was at our household."

"Forgive me," Irene interjected. "I'm may be honest to a fault; I've never had the need to be so openly unreceptive to someone. Satou-sama, this is a testament to just how awful you are as a creature—human."

"While I wouldn't go as far," Aqua said, "you're definitely pretty close with your assessment of Kazuma."

"Oi, go back to Heaven—go!"

With all the liveliness at that table, I couldn't help but giggle again. Though, I firmly rejected Irene's view of Kazuma, I could understand why she thought of him that way; at first glance, Kazuma didn't really give a friendly impression—it wasn't a terrible one either…just one that filled you with doubt; his actions—particularly when it came to women, however…

After we finished eating, Irene tended to the dishes and table. Aqua laid on the couch playing with Zell, while I sat in the nearby chair with Chomusuke. Kazuma was continuing his work on the reheat box; Darkness sat on the chair opposite me staring attentively at Kazuma's work.

"So, this applies heat to food put in it?" Darkness asked.

"Umu, that's right," Kazuma replied, keeping his eyes on his work.

I sat up quickly. "Hey, Darkness," I said, "guess what?"

She shifted her focus to me. "Hm, what is it, Megumin?"

I smiled proudly. "I learned new spells."

Kazuma interrupted. "You know, for someone who loves Explosion so much, you sure are taking quite a lot of pride in saying you learned other magic."

I knit my brow and pouted. "Kazuma, the other magic directly improves my Explosion magic; it's a noble sacrifice in the pursuit of the ultimate class of magic."

"Wait, what's going on?" Darkness said, actually paying attention.

"Megumin learned some new magic to make more dangerous explosions," Aqua replied trivially.

"Not more dangerous, Aqua; powerful and versatile," I corrected. "While Explosion remains the most powerful attack spell, I realized after mastering it, that it has…shortcomings." It hurt to say that.

Kazuma chuckled. "You just now realized that?"

Once again, I frowned at him. "You have something to say about Explosion magic, Kazuma; you know, I won't hold back if you talk bad about it, even if it's you."

"Right, right, you love Explosion magic. There," he said, flipping the device over. "I think it'll work now. Hey, Aqua wanna heat up some milk or something?"

"Hm, not a bad idea," she said, sitting up. "Irene!"

"Yes, Aqua-sama?" She said, popping her head out from the kitchen.

"Can you get me a glass of milk, please?"

Irene gave a nod and retreated into the kitchen once more.

A couple seconds later, she came out with the requested item and handed it to Aqua. Aqua promptly handed it to Kazuma, who inserted it into the reheat box. After shutting the door of the device, Kazuma pressed a couple buttons and the machine came to life. As it worked, it let out a droning sound; it made me slightly uncomfortable, but Aqua and Kazuma seemed to be completely unaffected by it, in fact, they seemed to be somewhat enjoying it. Darkness, on the other hand, stared at it in complete confusion.

After another minute or so, the box let out a loud beep and shut off.

Kazuma smirked. "Good, it seems to work; alright time to see if it actually heated it up." He opened the door of the device and grabbed the glass…and then instantly recoiled away, screaming, "Fuuuuuuuu—it's hot!" He grabbed his arm and stared at his deeply reddened palm, tears in the corner of his eyes.

"Heal," Aqua said nonchalantly. She stared into the box and frowned. "How am I supposed to drink something that hot, Kazuma?"

"Tch." Kazuma grumbled. "Guess it needs some tweaking; I need it to be more wave-like. Right now, it's basically acting like a high-powered Tinder."

"Why not just use mini explosions to heat it up?" I suggested.

"Do I even have to tell you how much of a bad idea that is? The last thing we need is more explosions."

Darkness reached into the device and grabbed the steaming glass of milk; as she held it, her face began to grow more relaxed, and then slip into a more pleasured expression.

"Would you quit that?" Kazuma said, grabbing the glass with a small tablecloth.

Darkness slumped over dejectedly; even though she held onto the glass for several seconds, her hands were barely anymore reddened than when Kazuma held it. Aqua promptly healed her.

"Hmm, I could probably create a magnetic coil if I had the materials."

"Oh, Kazuma, I'm surprised you know how it actually works," Aqua remarked.

"Well, not completely, but I know if I ran a current through something like copper it could become a heating element; microwaves use something called magnetrons—way more complicated and something I have no idea how to make."

"Is it really that difficult to create, Kazuma?" I asked.

"Hm?" he said, rubbing his chin. He looked up at me. "Ah, yeah, if I had something like the internet here, I could probably end up making anything with enough time."

"Inter…net?"

"Mhm," Aqua said, nodding with a smile. "It's this thing can share information instantly to any part of the world; you can find out about anything you want on there."

Kazuma nodded, confirming her explanation.

"That sounds amazing," Darkness said.

"Eh, now that I think about it, it is; guess it's easy to forget how good we had it over in my world; this one helps puts things in perspective."

I sat up; I was now interested in hearing more about this "internet". "Well, how does it work, this…internet?"

"Hmm, well you gotta have something that can connect to it; like a computer or a mobile device, some sort of connection from the device to a modem or router, and then an internet application."

I considered myself to be a smart individual, but the way Kazuma spoke about this completely foreign thing made my head spin; there were so many questions I had.

He continued. "Long story short, if you were able to connect to the internet you basically had communication and information at your fingertips; you could find anything on there."

Aqua smirked. "Yup, and a lot of the time Kazuma spent his looking at porn."

"Oi!"

"Porn? What's porn? Is that some type of information?"

"Nevermind that, Megumin," Kazuma said, waving it off; his face was slightly red.

"But—"

"It's not important; just something I…ahem…enjoyed on my off time."

"And you had plenty of off time," Aqua said with the same wily smirk.

Kazuma shot her a damning glare.

"Now, I'm interested," Darkness said.

"No, you're not, both of you; it's not important."

"Fine," I said, "if you won't tell me…" I turned to Aqua. "What's porn?"

"Aqua, don't you say a word."

She smiled proudly, crossing her arms in the process. "Kazuma, if you don't want them knowing about porn then maybe you shouldn't have lived such a decadent life."

"I'm serious, Aqua; if you say anything, I'll sell your raiment."

"You wou—"

"I would and I will; don't push me."

Aqua sighed. "Megumin, don't worry about it, it's not something someone like you should have any interest in anyways; mostly lonely guys like Kazuma sit around watching it."

"So, it's something you watch," I concluded. I began trying to piece together some clues and Kazuma caught onto this.

"Megumin, stop thinking about it—why are you even thinking about it, it has nothing to do with explosions—"

Aqua snorted. "Maybe not her version of explosions."

"Oi, when'd you get so openly talkative about this subject?!"

"Wait, other types of explosions?" Aside from the explosions I was familiar with, I only knew one other; I could feel my ears and face grow warm.

Aqua noted my flushed expression, and then turned towards Kazuma. "Kazuma, does she…"

He facepalmed and shook his head. "Look, Megumin, whatever you're thinking it is, it isn't; so, stop thinking about it."

I swallowed as I tried to clear my mind of what I was imaging it to be. "So, what is it then?"

"It's irrelevant; you'll never know because it can never exist here, because the internet will never exist here, so there's no point in knowing."

Darkness watched us in silence; she seemed to be trying to draw her own conclusions.

"Look, it's pointless to continue this conversation; I'm going to bed."

"Kazuma, wait!" Aqua said, grabbing him.

"What?"

"You still gotta install the A/C in my room."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Ah, ok I guess I'll just tell them all about—"

He whipped around. "You think you can threaten me; go ahead, tell them—tell them and you'll get real comfortable sleeping in that stupid pen you made for your pet chicken!"

Aqua shirked away. "It-It's not fair, you and Megumin have one—and I even asked you earlier!"

"…ugh, fine."

Aqua clapped her hands together and smiled.

"Wait, A, C?" Darkness queried.

"Yup," I said, "remember the climate control box? We got some more from Wiz's shop; now all of us can enjoy it. There's even an extra for Irene."

Irene, who was sweeping, looked up. "Megumin-sama, if it requires the master to enter my room, I beg you to deliver me from such a fate."

I smiled and turned to Kazuma. "Why don't you just install all of them right now; we could help."

"Help in what way, stare at me while I literally do the heavy lifting?" Kazuma retorted.

"We'll help."

"Sure you will." Kazuma sighed.

We spent the next hour or so installing the other climate control boxes; by then it was already well-past evening and closer to night.

Part 4

I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling; although, I didn't really do much today I was tired, and installing those A/C units for Megumin and the others drained me. I yawned and then looked at my hand; I stared at my ring and slowly spun it on my finger. "What to do?" I thought; after a couple of minutes of thinking I gave up and closed my eyes.

There was a knock on my door. "Kazuma." Megumin.

"Come in," I said.

She did so; Megumin was dressed in her pajama tops with some shorts, she was holding onto a large plushie which had an oddly similar appearance to me.

"What's up?" I said, sitting up in the bed.

She walked over and sat beside me. "I wanted to…sleep with you."

I smirked. "Always sounds suggestive when you say that."

Her eyes glowed slightly.

"Why, you got cooling in your room now."

"Kazuma," she said, kicking her feet lightly, "should I just move into your room?"

The question surprised me. "Uh, why; don't you want your own privacy?"

Megumin stayed silent for a moment. "…we're married," she replied, looking over her shoulder at me. "Should we be keeping secrets?"

I smiled weakly. "I don't think we're keeping secrets; I just think there are some things even married couples do in private—I mean, that's the feeling I get…"

"Like what?" Megumin turned completely around; she slowly crawled over and then sat up, clutching the stuffed doll in her chest.

I sort of forgot that despite Megumin's behavior and oddness, she was still a girl at heart; seeing her clutch at the plushie plucked at my heartstrings.

"Come on, Megumin, you definitely know what I mean."

She scoot closer; it made me sort of nervous. "Isn't that…something…I can handle?"

"This girl is more wild than I initially gave her credit for; that'd she be…no, perhaps this is how she's always been; only now she has any reason to show it. I'm not against it…but you know what it'll lead to—and you know how I feel about that."

She hugged the doll tighter. Then she gave me a tender, but weak smile. "Funny how in the beginning you were always the one bursting at the seams; now I can't seem to get the thought out of my head. It's become so difficult to think about anything else."

"How about thinking about explosions?"

"Really, Kazuma?" she said in disbelief. She went silent for a couple seconds, and then spoke once more. "I feel…so…dirty."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I just feel…since I can't stop thinking about it…I feel"—she buried her face in the doll—"I feel like a huge…pervert."

I laughed and she slapped my arm, her face still mostly buried behind the doll.

"Does it really count though?" I said, calming down. "Does it really count as being a pervert if you're only like that with the person you have feelings for? Should it even matter?"

Megumin was silent but stared at me intently, her eyes were smoldering like crimson embers.

"Megumin, I think you should still sleep in your room; I don't mind you coming over here—even if it's to sleep, but I think you should still have your own privacy."

She looked down dejectedly and grabbed at the arm of my tracksuit. "How do you do it?" She whispered.

"Do what?"

"Hold back; is it because I'm not appeal—"

I kissed her and then pressed her down on the bed, hovering over her; she stared back in shock, her eyes' brightness growing in their intensity.

I pulled away slowly and stared at her. "…I do it because I love you," I said resolutely. "I do it because, because if I treated you how I wanted to, then you'd be no different from any other girl out there." I breathed heavily as she stared back at me in overwhelming astonishment. In truth, it took everything I had to hold myself back, but more than my want to have her, I wanted it…to be a good experience for her; as I said before, I felt I owed it her.

"Megumin," I continued, "you're"—I smiled and then chuckled a bit—"you're absolutely beautiful…and every moment I'm with you like this I can't stop thinking about it either." I lowered my head in slight exhaustion. "It's really hard to keep myself from…" I sat back and took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I did.

I heard Megumin get up. I quickly opened my eyes; she had her back to me. "Thank you, Kazuma," She said as she hugged her doll tightly. Then she left the room.

I stared silently as the door closed shut. For several seconds, I sat unmoving before—finally—allowing myself to fall back down on my bed. Every one of these "encounters" drained all my fortitude; owing to this, however, allowed me to fall asleep with little difficulty.

-Next Morning

When I awoke, I found myself thinking about what to do; amidst the contemplation was the lingering thoughts of last night and things that I said. Although I had no problem with what I said to Megumin, just saying it was embarrassing; I was still shitty at expressing myself when I needed to be.

I sighed and then thought about tackling possible problems at hand.

There was the largest and most immediate threat of defeating the Demon Kings, however, I had no intention on embarking on that quest for at least a couple more weeks—if not, months. The next thing was nobility; what did it actually mean to be a noble, was I responsible for certain stuff now—did I have something I needed to do? I didn't have the answers, but I could always ask Darkness.

Funds, money; it was always a concern, but at the moment, it wasn't. Everything seemed to be in order…and this irked me for some reason. I could finally just relax but I felt antsy while doing so. Then I thought about it, I could focus on improving my skills; Megumin is trying her best to forge a new path, so should I.

After getting dressed in my adventuring attire, I headed downstairs.

"Morning, Satou-sama," Irene said as she dusted the walls.

I stared at her. "What, no snarky remark today?"

"Of course not, Satou-sama; you look like a respectable individual today."

I sighed; I was asking for it. "Where are the others?"

"Aqua and Lalatina-sama have went out to accompany Megumin-sama on her daily Explosion. If I may ask, is the Master deciding to do something worthwhile today?"

"…I'm headed to the capital."

Irene stopped and looked at me. "Dealings?"

"Not that it's any of your concern, but I wanted to speak with a certain smith over there."

As if she lost interest in the conversation, Irene turned back to dusting. "The Royal Smith perhaps?"

"You know him?"

"Who doesn't; Master Holt is renown the world over for his talents in smithing."

"I guess he is."

Just then, the door opened, and the others came in; Darkness, who was carrying Megumin, put her down on the couch.

"Ah, Kazuma, you're awake," Darkness said.

"Yo."

"Hey, you look like you're headed somewhere."

"Umu," I said, walking over. I glanced over at Megumin; she was fast asleep. "She cast her new Explosion?"

Darkness nodded.

"Kazuma," Aqua yelled, "you didn't tell me that new spell was dangerous!"

"I feel like it was self-implied—why, what happened?"

Darkness began to squirm.

"Oh no, it had something to do with this pervert."

Aqua continued. "Well, when she finished casting it, there were like a thousand pieces of sharp ice flying all over the place; if it wasn't for Darkness shielding us, I'm sure a couple of them would've went right through us."

"Wait, did they hit you, Darkness?"

She clutched herself tightly and nodded stiffly.

At first glance I didn't catch it, but as I looked over her armor, there were several deep dents and even some holes; since she wasn't bleeding anywhere, I could only assume Aqua healed her. Still, the fact that Darkness was able weather that frigid hail was, once again, evidence to how resilient she was.

"Actually, Darkness, let me repair your stuff."

"Huh, are you ok with that?" She queried.

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't."

Irene came over. "Lalatina-sama, I'll draw a hot bath for you and Aqua-sama."

"Ah, thank you, Irene."

"My pleasure." She quickly walked off towards the bathroom.

Darkness turned back to me. "Do you want to repair it now or…"

I nodded. "Just give me a sec while I get my stuff."

Once I returned, Darkness removed her armor and was sitting in her undergarment.

"Why'd you suddenly want to repair my armor, Kazuma?"

I took a seat on the couch and grabbed her breast plate. "I kinda wanted to improve my smithing skills," I replied, striking at the dents.

Darkness leaned forward and rested on her arms as she watched. "Something peaceful about watching you work, Kazuma," She said with a minor smile.

"Probably the fact that he doesn't do it too often could be kind of appealing; I bet it's something like seeing a rare animal in the wild," Aqua remarked.

I frowned but kept silent; I was focusing on the repair. After I got through the last dent, I held up the piece of armor; the surface was still mildly bumpy but in much better shape than what it came back in. The bigger issue was the holes present.

"Damn, I think I'm gonna need some adamantite." I placed the breastplate on the floor and turned to Darkness. "Hey, Darkness, is there anything I should be doing as a noble?"

She looked at me with mild surprise and then sat up in her seat. "Well…not really. While the house is powerful, it only means that you can wield that influence with authority. I think you're getting confused with the responsibilities of a Lord, Kazuma."

"Lord."

"Lords own territory, land; in that scenario, there would be many responsibilities expected of you; however, as it is, simply being the Master of a Great House just means your authority falls short of the royal family's."

Aqua sat up. "Wait, so does that mean we can tell other houses and Lords what to do?"

"Well…kind of, but not really." Darkness sighed. "Talking about all this is exhausting. The long and short of it is, try not to abuse the authority you have; while it is great, there's a limit to how much people will sway to that authority."

"But I do own land now, right?"

Darkness took a second to register what I said. "Ah, right, the land purchase. Yes, you're right, Kazuma; you do own land, but no one lives there; there are no subjects for you to rule over."

Aqua interjected once more. "So, all we have to do is buy land and get people to move in, right?"

"How about you don't do that; I don't need bigger responsibilities."

"But, Kazuma, if you're the Lord of a land that means you can make rules and stuff, right, Darkness?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose."

"Then that means when we get a lot of people, we can just have them all convert to the Axis Cult, right?"

"If I did something like that I'd probably be ran out of my own town; in fact, if I ever did become a Lord, the first thing I'll do is impose a ban on Axis Cultists."

Aqua gasped. "That's discrimination, Kazuma!"

"The last thing I need would be more crazy people to worry about!"

"My followers aren't crazy, Kazuma; I told you, they're devoted!"

"Well, no use thinking about it; I'm not looking to become a Lord."

I grabbed Darkness' pauldron and began working at the kinks in the armor.

Irene returned. "Sorry of the wait," she said with deep bow, "the bath is ready, Lalatina-sama, Aqua-sama."

While Aqua and Darkness went to take their baths, I continued repairing Darkness' armor until I could no longer. I sat back and sighed. Chomusuke came by and hopped on my lap.

As I played with her, I said, "Guess I should go to the capital now, huh?" She purred deeply, snuggling into my finger.

"Kazuma?" Megumin woke up, she rubbed her eyes wearily.

"Hmm, you slept longer than usual; you ok?"

She nodded and leaned on my arm, grasping it as she dozed off once more.

"Oi," I said, shaking her gently. "I gotta go to the capital."

Megumin woke up once more. "Capital, what for?" She said, slightly more alert.

"I wanna go see the Royal Smith."

"Master Holt?" she queried; her drowsiness now completely gone. "Not Iris?"

I chortled. "Heh, why is every time I bring up the capital with you guys, it always seems to lead to Iris-chan?"

"I wonder…" Megumin replied, her eyebrows knit.

I sighed. "The primary reason I'm going is for the smith…but yeah, I guess I'll stop by and see Iris too."

"Then I'm going."

"Are you really jealous of her?"

"I see—I know how you feel about Iris."

"This again, I keep telling you that I only see her as a little sister."

Megumin looked at me; her eyes began to glow a dark red. "Then give her back the ring."

I looked away briefly. "If I give it back to her, that'd be as good as confessing to her."

"And wouldn't that make you happy?" She said with a pout.

I frowned. "Look, if you wanna come, then by all means; just cool it with the jealousy." I said, getting up.

Megumin tugged on my arm; as I glanced down at her, she looked away despondently. "Sorry," She said.

I sighed heavily. "…don't worry about it…now, come on, I need someone to keep me in check over there."

She gave me a small nod and got up, smiling faintly.

-On the way to the Teleport Station…

"You really taking her?" I said, looking at Chomusuke; the creature was tucked into Megumin's robes.

Megumin nodded. "She hasn't really been out; she's my familiar so she should be able to enjoy new sights and learn new experiences."

I smirked. "More like emergency rations."

"Hey!" Megumin shouted; she looked away, saying, "not anymore" in an embarrassingly low tone.

As we approached the station, a familiar Crimson Demon appeared.

"Megumin, Kazuma-kun; how are you guys?!"

"Oh, hi, Yunyun," Megumin said in a completely jaded tone; she even looked away as if uninterested.

"Megumin!" Yunyun yelled; she pouted at her friend's mocking disregard.

"Yo, Yunyun, what're you doing here?"

"What do you think, Kazuma," Megumin interjected, "she came to see us, right, Yunyun?"

"Uh, well, umm…yes…is it an issue?" Megumin stared at her blankly; after several seconds of intense staring, Yunyun began to panic. "It-It's not an issue, right?!" Her eyes darted over to me. "Kazuma-kun?!"

As much as I enjoyed the teasing, I felt bad for Yunyun, so I went to reply "no", however, Megumin interrupted.

"No, of course not, Yunyun," she said. "You're my best friend; you're always welcome at the mansion."

I sighed. "What a best friend," I thought.

"If Megumin's my best friend I wish she would stop teasing me so much."

"Yunyun, if you weren't so disposed to being teased then I would have no reason to tease you."

"There's definitely some type of fallacy with that logic," I remarked.

"Nonsense, Kazuma, the argument is sound; Yunyun is easily teased, therefore I must tease her."

"I don't think that's reasonable," Yunyun protested.

"Yunyun, you poor child, it's alright, I won't tell Kazuma about the abysmal logic scores you got in school."

Yunyun flailed her arms in embarrassment. "Megumin!"

"Oh," She said, covering her mouth and looking away with a self-satisfied grin.

To be honest, that didn't really mean much to me; in fact, I felt it was more of a compliment for Yunyun. After all, Crimson Demons weren't known for their logic—well in any positive capacity; their lack of common sense—or normal sense, was more infamously known.

Yunyun covered her now deeply reddened face.

"Yunyun, me and Kazuma are off to the capital; care to come?"

Yunyun looked up, her embarrassment completely replaced with joy. "Can I?"

"Of course; I assume since you came to visit me, you have nothing else to do; I'd feel somewhat bad if I were to leave you to wait for me."

"Aqua and Darkness are at the mansion; I'm sure—"

"Quiet, Kazuma."

I sighed. "Look, we're wasting time; let's get going."

"Ah and perfect timing too, Kazuma," Megumin said, grabbing me. "Yunyun can teleport us to the capital, can't you, Yunyun?"

"Uhhh, sure."

"See, Yunyun's showing her usefulness again."

"Again?! You say it like I'm rarely useful."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Yunyun; Megumin likes to offload her own shortcomings on others." I glanced over at Megumin and saw the remark completely destroyed her; for some reason, I couldn't help but grin.

-The capital; on the way to the Royal Smith's

"Oh come on, you can't be mad still," I said, looking over at Megumin.

She glared at me and then swiftly turned her face away. Yunyun snickered.

"What are you laughing about, Yunyun?" Megumin said in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing," She replied, trying to hide her smile.

Suddenly, Megumin dropped her anger and turned excitedly towards her. "Hey, Yunyun."

"Hmm?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Oh, Megumin has; what?"

"Can…Yunyun teach me some magic?"

She stopped in her tracks; Yunyun seemed to be completely shocked and bewildered by what was just said.

"Ah, that's right," I said with a rather offhanded demeanor, "Megumin knows some new magic."

Yunyun stood completely frozen, her eyes wide with overwhelmed shock.

"Yunyun," Megumin said.

Yunyun remained frozen.

"Yunyuuunnn." Megumin waved her hands.

No change.

"Oi, Yunyun!" Megumin said, waving her staff in front of her.

However, Yunyun was still unresponsive. Megumin backed away, scratching her head; she appeared to be slightly concerned.

I was too. "Hey, Yunyun," I said, walking over to her.

Suddenly, Yunyun leapt forward and hugged Megumin.

"Ahhhh!" Megumin yelled; even Chomusuke meowed loudly at the abrupt action.

"I knew you could do it; I always dreamed Megumin would be a true mage!" Yunyun said, crying tears of joy.

Megumin pushed her away, fixing her robes and resetting a frightened Chomusuke. "Don't be silly, Yunyun, I've always been a true mage."

Yunyun nodded excitedly. "Of course, but now Megumin can actually be"—Megumin narrowed her eyes—"s-she can…" Yunyun was having trouble figuring out what to say. "She can be…"

I sighed and crossed my arms. "Sorry to break your heart, Yunyun, but she's not using any new spells."

"Huh?" Yunyun looked at Megumin for confirmation.

"Umu, what Kazuma says is correct; I'm not using any other spells."

I spoke. "Well, she is using new spells, but not like you'd expect."

Megumin smiled proudly as she struck a pose. "Fufu, Yunyun, I am now a Master of Explosion!" She withdrew her adventurer's card and showed it to Yunyun.

As Yunyun stared at the card, she slowly took it. "Oh wow, Megumin is a Master of Explosion." She continued scrolling through, and then began smiling. "These are basic level magic spells; even so, I'm proud of you, Megumin."

She snatched her card away, tucking it back into the small pouch on her belt.

"But, what's this about not using the new spells; why learn them if you aren't gonna use them?"

Megumin gave a pompous smile. "Yunyun, I always knew my calling was for explosion magic; therefore, since I'm a qualified Master, it only stands to reason that I should pursue something else, right?"

Yunyun was listening attentively; she nodded.

Megumin continued. "What's that something else you ask? Perhaps you believe I'm seeking to expand into other Detonation-class spells? NO, I say!" (Even though this was going on for longer than I wanted, I allowed it, knowing that Crimson Demons felt good enacting their often theatrical and dramatic tirades) "Explosion is the only spell for me, Yunyun, and that will always remain true; no other spell can satisfy me like Explosion—in fact, I was affirmed the moment I cast the others, that my destiny lies in Explosion."

"B-But you already mastered it, what more can you do?"

Megumin grinned. "I'm glad you asked, Yunyun. I will become a true Master of Explosion; the first of its kind. Yunyun, I have created…elemental explosions—and it won't stop there! I'm sure now, I can combine other forms of magic with the brilliance of Explosion magic and make it a true magical art!"

Yunyun stared in awe. "Elemental explosion magic; that would be the first of its kind."

"It is, isn't it?" Megumin said proudly, once again posing dramatically.

"Uhhh, Megumin, Kazuma-kun is walking away."

"Ah, Kazuma, wait!" Megumin caught up, Yunyun right behind her; once she did, she frowned at me, pouting once more. "I wish you wouldn't just leave me behind."

"Ah, I didn't wanna interrupt; I figured letting you go on was more important than meeting with the smith." I sneered.

She shoved me lightly, and then threw her arms around my own.

I looked over my shoulder at Yunyun; though I expected her to be displaying embarrassment at such open affection, she was smiling sincerely, unaware of my attention. For a girl who lacked friends for most of her life, Yunyun was a good one. As we continued walking, I caught a skinny man following us; he appeared to be trying to tail us, quickly darting between obstacles in order to thwart our attention.

"Kazuma, Kazuma," Megumin said, "I think that man is trying to tail us."

"Umu, I think you're right."

We sped up; the man, seemingly caught by surprise by the change of pace, swiftly followed.

"He's still following," Megumin whispered.

"What's happening?" Yunyun said, walking hurriedly to our side.

I shushed her and gave a quick nod behind us. "Don't look," I quickly whispered.

"What do we do?" she asked worriedly. "Should we tell the guards?"

"Tell them what, we think someone's following us?"

Megumin interjected. "I could just use—"

"Stop it; we'll end up in a jail cell instead. No, I have a plan."

We continued to walk quickly, darting between the crowds of people; however, the man seemed determined; he followed us every step of the way.

"He's persistent, I'll give him that," Megumin said, glancing briefly over her shoulder.

We were now approaching the plaza and the adjoining market district; this area was full of crowds and could easily serve as a means of escape; however, I wasn't interested in escaping.

"Over here," I whispered, pulling Yunyun and Megumin into an alleyway.

As the man rounded the corner, I yelled, "BIND!" The rope quickly coiled around man, disabling him.

"Oi," I said, crouching in front of him, "what's the big deal; why are you following us?"

"Ha, I knew it!" the man said excitedly. "It is you!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry—sorry," he said, looking at Yunyun and Megumin. "I didn't mean to worry you. Uhhh," he said, trying to adjust himself in the binds, "mind if you let me free—I promise you; I mean you no harm."

I stared dubiously at him, and then looked to Megumin and Yunyun; they both nodded.

"Listen," Megumin said, "I'm a Master of Explosion magic; if you—"

"I know who you are—I know who all of you are."

"Huh?" we all said in unison. I spoke. "How?"

He tried sitting up but was visibly struggling due to the rope; I removed it.

"Ah, thank you," He said, rubbing his arms.

Part 5

"So, you gonna tell us who you are?" I said in a slightly hostile tone.

"Ah-Ah right, right. Ahem!" The man stood up and placed his hands on his hips proudly. "I am Bartholomew Vincent, Grand Historian and Curator of the Grand Archives of the Royal Library."

All of us looked at each other in disbelief.

"What the hell is a guy of his standing tailing people?! What are you doing out here then; shouldn't you be at the Royal Library?"

"Ah, well, you see, I was just on my way back."

"But…"

"Well, I had the fortune of coming across you lot—the Goddess Eris works in the most mysterious ways."

"Right, so then you decided to tail us?"

"W-Well, at first I was unsure, so I wanted to take a closer look; I apologize if it looked like I was out to do you harm, that wasn't my intention."

I sighed deeply. "Well, ok, nice meeting you Bartholomew-san, but I have to—"

"Wait," he shouted, prostrating himself, "please come back to the library with me; I have much I want to ask you about."

"Ah, well…" I scratched my head. "I was off to—"

Megumin nudged me.

"What?" I whispered.

"Let's go see what he wants; it's not like going to see Master Holt later is gonna be any different."

I sighed. "Alright, we'll go with you," I said.

Vincent quickly got up and dusted himself off. "Thank you, you won't regret it; right this way then."

As we followed, I stared at him; he appeared to be a noble. I say appeared merely because of how he dressed. If going by physical appearances, he would be anything but; his unkempt dark hair, scraggly beard, and bag-ridden brown eyes gave the opposite impression. He walked quickly, or so I initially thought, but his height gave him the advantage of wide strides; it was no wonder he was able to keep up with us so easily.

Finally, after some time, we arrived at a large and opulent building covered in white-washed stone; the front steps looked much like the ones leading up to the palace, with just as many of them to climb. Inside was even more sublime; the floor was laid with the commonly sighted black marble, the pillars leading into the main hall, white. Of course, the shelves were made of wood, but going by the appearance Megumin and Yunyun gave it, I could only assume it was of high-grade.

Rows and rows of books lined the shelves; there were so many, that piles of them were commonly stacked throughout the halls. Tens of staff members were tending to the assorted piles, pushing carts of various scrolls, books, and other reading materials. All the while, a large number of people were browsing the shelves, many seated at the numerous tables.

"This is amazing," Megumin said. "It makes the library back at the school look like a hovel by comparison."

Yunyun nodded silently; she was also awestruck.

"Ah, is this your first time here?" Vincent said as he led us through the building.

"Yeah," I answered, looking around.

Even though I wasn't as surprised as the other two, it was still a sight to behold; there were few buildings of this size and splendor in Japan but, interestingly, a lot of them were in fact libraries.

"The Grand Archives itself houses over 40 million pieces of reading material with the main hall holding another 20 million; as you can see, the amount of material far outweighs the amount of available space."

"60 million pieces of reading material…that's absolutely insane; I don't think even the National Diet holds as much. How, how are you even able to get this much stuff; what's it consist of?"

Vincent stared at me with a bemused expression. "What stuff? Surely you jest; everything is housed here—well as far as we know, this library holds a copy of every single document that's been written and publicly available."

"Even stuff from other parts of the world?"

"Ah, well…there are some documents from other nations; however, it is quite difficult to procure some of the more…sensitive items. That being said, while the Royal Library is magnificent, it isn't the largest library in existence."

"It isn't?" Megumin queried.

"No, that title belongs to the Lux Apocrypha. Anyhow, he we are."

Vincent withdrew a set of old-looking keys and unlocked the door in front of us. Once we entered, there were a set of even larger double doors blocking us.

"Now, we enter the Grand Archives proper," He said, unlocking them.

The doors slid open automatically. Stepping in, even I was cowed by the sheer scale of the domed structure; it was an absolute wonder how this wasn't immediately the thing someone saw when they looked out towards the capital.

"How?" I said, dumbstruck by the volume of books and shelves.

The entire dome was lined in shelves and seemingly never-ending ladders; a large bridge led to the center of the structure which then led to a spiral staircase. There were staff members in here too, but they wore heavily decorated robes and were blindfolded; despite that, they moved cautiously and with purpose, never tripping or stumbling.

"Come," Vincent said, leading us towards the center of the dome.

Once we were there, we could see that it was a sort of private study; even here there were shelves of even more books. Vincent took a seat behind a large desk; I could only assume it was his.

"Welcome to the Grand Archives and my private study; now, for the purpose I've brought you all the way out here. I'd like for you to recount to me your story; as a historian getting all the details is of the upmost importance to me. Oh—do forgive me, please, have a seat," He said, gesturing to the nearby bench.

Megumin and Yunyun took a seat, but I remained standing.

"You haven't even said how you know of us."

"Really; come now, who in the capital doesn't know of you." He slowly looked over all of us. "Yunyun, next-in-line to be Chief of the Crimson Mages; Satou 'the Crimson Annihilator' Megumin, and you, Satou 'Slayer of the Demon King' Kazuma. You're heroes worthy of legend and great prose."

I raised a brow.

"Of course, Kazuma-dono, there are some in the capital who are rather…shall we say, envious of your quick ascent and success."

"Of course, something like that is expected."

"Particularly your close relationship with some rather powerful families."

"And are you one of those people?"

"Heavens no! People like you, heroes—legends, I absolutely love them!" Vincent stood up. "You see, Kazuma-dono, my passion lies with history and everything it entails. When a new hero or legend is born it's like a golden age has arrived for me; for as much as I love history, much of it is repetitive with only names changing hands. Your arrival on the stage has given me something to look forward to; I only wish to see what happens."

"I think him and Arue would be good friends," Megumin noted.

Vincent looked over at her. "Are they a history aficionado as well?"

Yunyun spoke. "Well, Arue is more into stories; her interest in history only goes as far as to serve a purpose for her writing."

"Ah, I see," Vincent replied; he looked slightly disappointed. "She's a writer then?"

"An aspiring writer."

"A terrible one," I added.

Vincent smiled lightly, and then sat back down. "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it; this is as true as the sunrise. As a historian, I can tell you I've seen much of the same events play out several times throughout history; however"—he leaned back with smirk—"there are times when certain individuals show up and change the course of history; I believe you are one of those people."

Megumin and Yunyun looked at me; Megumin smiled, Yunyun stared with slight confusion.

There was a moment of silence before Vincent stood up once again. "Did you know," he said, pacing slowly, "that this library is over a thousand years old?"

We all looked with some measure of surprise.

I replied, "No, can't say I did."

"The Belzerg Royal Family, and by the extension the kingdom, has been around for some fifteen-hundred years; they were the first heroes of this place…but also different from the heroes that would come later. Though the Belzergs are known to be warriors, they always searched for an alternative to fighting; diplomacy and intelligence. This library was commissioned in the pursuit of intelligence; they knew that knowledge was a powerful tool, but instead of hoarding it to themselves, they gave it to their people." He briefly stopped and smiled proudly. "Fifteen hundred years, and their name has never faded from the history of this nation; an amazing feat considering most families don't even last half that time."

"Umm, Listen, Bartholo—"

"You can call me Vincent."

"Vincent-san, I think this is great and all, but—" Megumin tugged on my shirt. "What?" I said, looking at her.

"Why not tell him the story; you do it all the time in the Guild."

"Yeah, to women."

Megumin frowned. "Why are you so worked up about seeing Master Holt?"

"No reason, just wanted to—"

"Holt?" Vincent said, perking up. "As in the Royal Smith?"

"Uhh, yeah; why?"

"Ah, no real reason," he replied, waving it off. "Talented fellow though. Anyhow, if you were off to see him then I shouldn't keep you; you can recount the story to me at a later time. You know where I am, I do hope you'll visit."

"Uh, ok; guess we'll be—"

"Hold on, I'd just like to ask you one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Your weapon, what's its name? We need it to go on record as the Demon King slayer."

My eyes widened in dread. "It's—"

"Chunchunmaru."

"NOOOO!" I grabbed Megumin. "Why must you ruin my moment?!"

"Kazuma, what are you talking about; how are you not satisfied with such a cool-sounding name?"

"Chunchun…maru?" Vincent repeated.

"Yes."

"NO!"

"What does it mean?"

"I'd like to know too," Yunyun said, looking at Megumin.

Megumin looked at all of us perplexedly. "What are you guys talking about; it just sounds cool."

"Com 'ere you lil…" I angrily pulled at Megumin locks. Chomusuke meowed loudly as her owner was being assaulted.

As we exited the Royal Library, Megumin rubbed the sides of her head.

"To think you gave a meaningless name to my partner," I said dejectedly. "…I think I would've been happier to know if it meant something stupid rather than nothing at all."

Looking at me, Megumin turned away slightly; she was filled with some remorse. A moment later she enlivened and jumped in front of me. "Kazuma, Kazuma."

"What?" I said flatly.

She smirked proudly. "If you're so worried about it being meaningless, why not give it a Japanese meaning? Chunchunmaru should mean something back in your home country."

I stared at her with a slightly frustrated expression and then thought about it. "Chunchunmaru…ughhh, this just makes it worse."

"Well, did you come up with something?"

"It could mean…a lot of things," I said, looking even more distraught than before. "None of them good."

In reality, the most appropriate translation would've been akin to something like "beloved chirping blade" but should I have said that, I couldn't live with myself.

Megumin looked away with a smug grin and stifled laugh.

I grabbed and shook her; Chomusuke meowing as Megumin wailed. "Damn you, you little chunniloli; how dare you insult me like this! You knew this from the start, didn't you?!"

"Ahhh, what are you talking about, Kazuma; I don't even know your language."

I let her go and sighed in aggravation. "Tch." She was right; there's no way Megumin knew Japanese when she decided to give my blade such a ridiculous-sounding name.

"Hey, Kazuma," She said, straightening out her robes.

"What is it?" I replied as we began walking.

"Why don't you teach me?"

"Teach you what, Japanese?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Why, what'd be the point?"

Once again, she jumped in front of me, this time with her staff pointed at my face. "There is a point; it's the language of your home country, that's reason enough to learn it."

I raised my brow and moved her staff away. "It'll be complicated to teach you."

"Humph, did you forget who I am, Kazuma; stop saying such nonsensical stuff."

True, Megumin was quite adept a picking up new stuff rather quickly; perhaps a new language wouldn't be too difficult.

I sighed. "Fine, I'll teach you some Japanese on some downtime, but don't come crying to me telling me it's too hard."

Megumin smiled childishly. "Alright, teacher!"

I looked away and smiled faintly; that response reminded me of the newbies I used to teach back in my MMOs.

After that, instead of continuing to the Holt's shop (which was nearby), we decided to grab something to eat at the guild hall.

As we sat down to order, a familiar barmaid came over.

"Ah, Satou-sama," the girl yelled, "it's me Lily, remember?!"

"Oh no, this is"—I glanced over at Megumin; her eyes were glowing—"bad." I cleared my throat loudly. "Ah, I can't really recall too well; I think I was—"

"I still have the signature you gave me," she said, peeling back the flap of her shirt; she was dangerously close to revealing her breasts entirely. "It's a good thing you wrote it in rune ink."

"Yeah, Kazuma, it's a good thing," Megumin said, her eyes growing brighter as she narrowed them.

Noticing Megumin's rising temperament, Yunyun tried to calm her. "Ah, Megumin, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation here."

"Oh, Satou-sama, are these your companions?" the barmaid Lily asked curiously.

"Lily!" once more, I heard the sound of yet another familiar barmaid.

"Oh, Rosa, look who's back."

The girl, Rosa, who initially shouted exasperatedly at her, quickly calmed as she laid eyes on me. "Satou-sama!" She yelled happily.

I tugged at my collar as I nervously glanced over at Megumin; despite Yunyun's efforts, Megumin's eyes were now glowing a brilliant red, her face covered in a scathing expression.

"Satou-sama, do you remem—"

"No, I don't," I replied tensely. "Sorry, I was kinda drunk that night and—"

"Ah, well, that's to be expected," Rosa answered; she stepped back some and slightly pulled down the side of her skirt. "I still have the signature you gave me though."

Megumin slammed her hands down (Chomusuke meowed in alarm) on the table and sat up; her eyes appeared to be on fire and her face was plastered with a dangerously stoic look. "You'd better have a good explanation, Kazuma."

The barmaids looked at each other; Lily hid behind Rosa while Rosa looked at us uneasily.

"S-Sorry, are you two—"

"Married," Megumin growled as she punched the table unflinchingly.

The fact that the table's surface actually cracked made me exceptionally worried; even Yunyun stared in fear.

"Oi-oi, Megumin, calm down; it was the night of the wedding and I was—"

"NIGHT OF—" She yelled, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself.

"Damn it, Kazuma, why the hell did you say something so stupid?! M-Megumin, look," I said, trying to pacify her, "I was a bit nervous about the whole thing, so I came here with Dust—"

"DUST?!" both Yunyun and Megumin said in unison. They exchanged looks and their anger now seemed to be split between Dust and myself.

"I should've known that stupid thing had something to do with this!" Megumin snarled. "And, Kazuma, you're not innocent in this whole thing; even if you're not as disgusting as that idiot, I know you had more than a hand in what happened here!" Megumin turned to the barmaids. "And you two, if I ever see you around my man, I'll make sure the next thing written in rune ink will be your graves."

The two nodded frightfully and ran off.

Megumin reached over the table and grabbed me by my shirt. "You're gonna take responsibility for this, aren't you, Kazuma?"

"What, you want my signature too?" I said with a nervous grin.

I felt her grip tighten as she glared at me. "…you'll have to spend more time with me," She said sort of timidly, her grip loosening.

Honestly, I was surprised at the leniency, I half expected Megumin to beat me senseless.

"Sure," I said. "Now can you let me go; people are staring."

Megumin quickly looked around, and indeed, the entire guild hall was staring in varying levels of surprise and expectance; she let go, sighing deeply as she settled back into her seat. As I looked at her, she lazily averted her attention.

The lead receptionist came over. "Is everything alright here…" She looked at all of us. "Megumin-san, Yunyun-san…Satou-dono? What's going on, I had two of my staff—"

"They were being troublesome," Megumin replied.

"It's nothing, Maya-san." I answered; I wanted to say it was Megumin getting jealous, but I honestly didn't need to toss a drum of gasoline on that fire.

"Just a slight misunderstanding," Yunyun said disconcertingly.

"Right," the receptionist said, giving a slight cough. "Is there anything I can get you all?"

"I'll have a beer and plate of the house special," I said.

Maya took note, and then looked over at Megumin. "Give me something I can drown my sorrows in," Megumin said, staring out the corner of her eye.

"Oi, what an overly dramatic girl. Just give her some juice and the same," I interjected.

Megumin's brow twitched.

"And you, Yunyun-san?"

"I'll have a juice as well and a…strawberry and jam cake."

"Strawberry and…jam? What the hell, Yunyun sure likes odd stuff."

The receptionist gave a courteous bow and left.

Megumin sat up and stared at me. "Why do you keep treating me like I'm a child, Kazuma?!"

"I'm not; you're just being over dramatic. The last thing I need is you being angry and drunk."

Megumin frowned but otherwise said nothing.

Eventually, our food came; it was served by other barmaids. As we ate, Megumin spoke.

"What an odd combination, Yunyun," She said as she fed Chomusuke.

"Eh, strawberry cake with…blackberry jam? Yunyun, wouldn't that give you a stomachache?" I questioned.

Seemingly unfazed by our comments, Yunyun happily ate away at the overly sweet pastry in front of her; she shook her head. "I've always had this," she said, smiling timorously. "It's one of my guilty pleasures."

"Oh?" Megumin said, casting a brief glance at her. "No wonder Yunyun has so much fat."

The spoon clattered onto the plate as Yunyun froze in embarrassment. She quickly covered her face. "I-I'm not fat," she stated with a hint of uncertainty; she quickly turned to me. "I'm not fat, right, Kazuma-kun?!"

"Eh, well, no, I don't think you're fat, Yunyun."

She let out a breath of relief and then smiled. "See, Megumin, even Kazuma-kun says I'm not fat."

"Ohhh…if Kazuma says it, then it must be true," She replied with a playful smirk.

I sighed silently as I continued eating. "Hey, Yunyun," I said.

She looked at me; Megumin as well, though just barely. "Hm?"

"If Megumin says pastries are making you fat, there's an easy way to solve this."

"Oh?" Both she and Megumin sat up. "How?"

"Just feed her some pastries," I replied. "There's no denying Megumin is skinny, right; so, should she grow—"

"Kazuma!" Megumin shouted, pouting; her face tinged slightly red.

I grinned. "I don't know, Megumin, could give you the breast size you always wanted."

She looked at me bashfully and then down at her chest, then over at Yunyun. "D-Does it, does it really…"

I snickered.

In response she frowned. "I-I'm perfectly happy…with…with my…" She lowered her head as she trailed off.

Megumin pulled her cloak tightly over herself and then her hat.

"There, there, Megumin," Yunyun said, rubbing her back, "I think you're wonderful being you."

"Easy for someone with a large chest to say," She retorted, a mixture of spite and dejection present.

"Gah." Once again, Yunyun froze.

"Honestly, Megumin," I said, "big breasts wouldn't suit you."

Upon hearing this, Megumin looked up hopefully.

I continued. "You have a small frame so it wouldn't look right; at best, I'd say B-cups are probably the largest you could have without it starting to look odd."

"B-cups?" Megumin and Yunyun looked at each other. "What the heck's a B-cup?" Megumin queried.

"Wait, what?" I said, putting my fork down in disbelief.

"What's a B-cup?" She repeated, sitting up; a confused look on her face.

"It's—do you guys really not have a measurement system for breast size? How the hell do you shop for bras then?"

"Ah, we do, but it's not called…B-cups."

"Hmm, true, cup sizes using our denoted alphabets would be kinda odd; still if that's the case…so, what do you use?"

Megumin looked away with a minor hint of coyness. "Y-Yunyun, why don't you go ahead and say it?"

"M-Me?! N-No, I think Megumin is much braver when it comes to matters like these."

"Ah, Yunyun, I thank you for your praise, however, seeing as you probably shop more often than myself, I'll concede to your level of expertise on the matter."

"T-That's silly; M-Megumin is obviously wealthier than me, so—"

I interrupted. "Oi, you two, it's not a big deal; it's just bra sizes. Now tell me, I'm kinda interested."

"I-I—why is Kazuma-kun being so perverted now?!"

"Y-Yeah, Kazuma, why is your true nature revealing itself in s-such an untimely manner?" Megumin stammered.

"What—of all the topic I would've considered 'steamy', bra sizes wouldn't be one of them. Can you guys stop acting like innocent flowers and just tell me."

"Gah, K-Kazuma-kun; I-I'll have you know t-that I've"—Yunyun froze as her face turned completely red—"t-that I've…that I've…" Yunyun covered her face.

"Ah, Yunyun, you I can understand somewhat, but you," I said, pointing my fork at Megumin, "you're anything but."

Megumin also turned as deep a shade a red as Yunyun. "K-Kazuma, w-what are you talking about?! I'm still…"

"Argh, forget it; not like it really matters anyways."

Megumin quickly slammed her hand down. "I-I'm"—she closed her eyes tightly—"a…sprite…size."

"Huh?"

"S-Sprite," She repeated, trying her best to recompose herself.

"Sprite; is that like the smallest size?"

"Gah!" Megumin clutched at her heart.

Yunyun looked away with a slight smile. "T-The sizes go, Sprite, Squirrel, Bunny, Bear…and Dragon."

"Ohhh, makes sense; so, if Megumin is a Sprite you must something like Bear, right?"

Yunyun quickly began to twiddle with her fingers, fidgeting slightly at the mention. "W-Well technically, Megumin…" She trailed off as Megumin glared at her.

"Wait," I said, turning to Megumin, "you don't wear bras."

Her eyes widened as beads of sweat began to appear.

"Could it be that…you're…"

Megumin covered her face in shame.

I tried to hold back my growing feeling to laugh.

"I, I am…Sprite-sized…it's just…" Megumin looked down sadly.

My want to laugh was swiftly replaced by pity; Megumin probably didn't buy bras because she felt embarrassed doing so.

"Hey, Megumin," I said, staring at her. She looked up, though she wasn't crying, she looked well on the verge of doing so. "It's fine, right?" I made a scrubbing motion with my hand.

A moment later, her eyes widened in realization and her face reddened as a result; she gave a meek smile.

Yunyun looked between us, trying to decipher what was said.

After a few more minutes of eating and drinking, I paid. As we were about to leave, Megumin pulled on my arm, pointing at the quest board.

"What?" I said.

"Let's go see if there're some quests we can do."

"Quests; didn't you say you were fine staying home for a bit?"

"I don't mind, but I don't want…I think it's best for us if we took a quest or two from time to time."

I raised my brow. "Hmm, alright, but we're just looking."

As we browsed the board, we noticed an abundance of low-level quests.

"Huh, that's odd," I said, rubbing my chin, "so many low-level quests near the capital."

"That is odd," Yunyun agreed.

An adventurer who was nearby overheard us and spoke. "Ah, yeah, ever since the Demon King was defeated, most of the high-level bounties have gone with him; strictly speaking, it's gotten harder being able to live comfortably as an adventurer."

"Then again," Megumin interjected, "the need to do more dangerous jobs has gone down too, right?"

The man was sort of surprised by her counterargument. "Eh, well, yeah, I suppose."

There were still a couple high-level quests left on the board, but for the most part what the adventurer said was right; high-level and, consequently, high-paying jobs were now scarce.