KonoSuba: A Tale of this Beautiful World Vol2

by Dknightodin

The second volume of the series.

8. Chapter 7: A Dangerous Celebration

Chapter 7: Advent of a Dangerous Celebration

Part 1

As we sat in the back of the church watching the children eat, Cecily smiled.

"The mission's a success, Aqua-sama." She sighed with relief, her modest smile growing into wide grin.

"Good, Cecily. I'm happy to know that you're one of my followers." Aqua munched on one of the pastries.

Some of the children had offered their own portions to her; those that had, were now playing amongst themselves in the yard.

"Here you go, Kazuma," Aqua said, handing me a piece of cheese bread. "I'll allow you to share in the spoils that Cecily so valiantly acquired."

I sighed but grabbed the bread anyways. As I ate, I looked to the other two who were amongst the children. Megumin was trying to play the older sister role but looked like she was the big kid of the playground; the pompous actions she was displaying didn't help her dispel this imagery either. Darkness, on the other hand, appeared like she was at home with the whole situation; she sat with a small group of children recounting some stories of, presumably, our early adventures.

"Aqua-sama," Cecily said, happily trying to get her attention.

Aqua replied with a mouthful of bread. "Yesh, Sheshily?"

"You know there's a huge celebration going on in Alcanretia at the moment."

Cecily said this almost as if she was suggesting something; I didn't like where this was going.

"Oh?" Aqua looked at me. "Kazuma, we should—"

"No, I'm not going to Alcanretia."

"Why?!"

"What do you mean, 'why'. I refuse to set foot in that town; one time was enough for me."

"Do you have something against my followers?!"

"Of course I do!" I retorted, pointing angrily at her as I did. "Who the hell doesn't?!"

"Hey, Aqua-sama, this man is being impertinent; do you mind if I purge him as a devil?"

"Kazuma-san," Aqua said, shaking me gently, "please; won't you do this for my birthday?"

Hearing Aqua plead so genuinely sent a chill up my spine; I felt as if it was the most unusual thing I've experienced since coming here…and that's saying a lot.

"I refuse."

"WHHYYY?!" Aqua began shaking me angrily. "Why won't you be nice to me?! And even after I said it so kindly, you stupid pedohikiNEET! Dummy! Kazutrash! Scumzuma!"

"Arrrgh, get off," I said as I tried to push her away.

"You know, the Axis Birth Celebration festival is a pretty big deal," Cecily said in an oddly reserved manner.

I pushed Aqua away. "In what way?" I said, fixing my attire.

"People from outside Belzerg come to it; it's similar to the festival the Eris Cult holds annually."

"You mean the Eris Cultural Festival."

She nodded silently. "And since Alcanretia is the City of Water and Hot springs, most people just show up wearing skimpy clothing…or nothing at all." She grinned slyly.

"Kazuma," Megumin said as marched towards the Teleport Station, "why are we going to Alcanretia; I thought you said you never wanted to go back?"

"Quiet, Megumin. Today is Aqua's birthday; what kind of companion would I be if I didn't take her to her hometown on her birthday?!"

"Ehhh, I'm not sure about this."

"Listen, just relax; try to take a page out of our Crusader's attitude."

Darkness was smiling happily, her eyes closed as if she was imagining life in Heaven. Aqua was similarly grinning blissfully, humming as we made our way.

"Don't worry, Megumin-chan," Cecily said with a deceptive smile, "I'll be here to make sure no perverts touch you."

"I'm more concerned with you own behavior, Cecily onee-san."

"Wha-How could you say that, Megumin; your onee-chan only wishes to protect that beautiful, silky soft body of yours."

"I-I have my staff back now; if you start doing strange things to me, I'll use Explosion!"

I pitched into the conversation. "I can't help but think that'd put you in a pretty bad scenario; unable to move, around a bunch of people like her."

Megumin shuddered. "Why, why must I endure so much of this harassment?"

"Oi, you do it to yourself; maybe if you had some other spell besides Explosion, you'd be able to defend yourself properly."

"I refuse to use any other spell; it's bad enough that I had to learn other ones already. I feel like it's diminished my quality as a top-tier mage."

"In what world are you a top-tier mage?"

Megumin punched me in the ribs.

After arriving in Alcanretia, we quickly decided to head over to the inn. True to what the dangerous nun said, the city was packed with people of different classes, looks, and races. There were elves and dwarves as I came to expect, but there were also demihumans; rabbit-eared people, ones with fluffy tails, foxes, even ones with characteristics that girl-mage, Lin had.

"Woah, is that a lizardman?!" I said in awe; my excitement at seeing such fantastical things hadn't been this high since I first came to this world.

"Would you calm down, Kazuma; it's rude to point out such things so blatantly," Darkness said.

"Shut it, Darkness; you can't appreciate the awesomeness of unique races like I can."

As we walked through the crowd towards the hotel, I looked around; many people were indeed dressed in light clothing, but to my disappointment, I was yet to see a beautiful girl from another race walking around naked.

And in spite of the new scenery, one thing didn't change and that was the Axis cultists running around trying to swindle people into joining; given the occasion, they seemed to be stepping up their efforts…which was something I didn't think possible. Luckily (I think) for us, since we already had two Axis cultists in our midst, dodging recruitment attempts was made far easier.

"Hey, Kazuma," Aqua said, "I'm gonna go with Cecily to the Axis Church; I'd like to get a good look at all the effort everyone's been putting in."

"Eh, sure."

"Megumin-chan, won't you join us?" Cecily said happily.

Megumin looked away nervously. "Uhhh, no thanks; I'll stick with Kazuma and Darkness."

The nun gave a disappointed sigh. "Ok, well, be careful; there's a lot of weird people in town for the celebration, I wouldn't want them doing anything—"

"G-Go already!"

Cecily giggled, and then walked off with Aqua.

"Now what?" Megumin said as she turned to us.

I rubbed my chin and smirked. "I don't know about you guys, but I came to relax—"

"Didn't you say you came because Aqua wanted to? And why would you come to Alcanretia if you wanted to relax? And what's with that questionable smirk of yours?"

"Stop asking so many questions! Anyways, you two are welcome to join me in the mixed baths if you want."

Megumin looked at Darkness, who stared back at her in the same manner, then she looked at me. "No thanks."

"Oi, really? You're still being stubborn after the many times we've seen each other naked?"

"Wait!" Darkness said in disbelief. "How often do you guys—"

Megumin interrupted. "C-Cool it with your imagination, Darkness! A-Anyways, we'll go to the hot baths later."

"Aww come on, this is why I can't take both of you seriously; sending me mixed signals, expecting me to take the lead, but when you guys are put in the same situations you just chicken out too!"

"What?!" Megumin shouted. "Are-Are you seriously saying that; I'm never the one who chickens out!"

"I-I didn't back down either!" Darkness added.

"Ok, so what's the problem?" I replied. "It's just a mixed bath anyways; do you guys really think I'll make moves on you in a public bath?"

Darkness and Megumin exchanged looks.

Finally, Megumin sighed. "No, I suppose not; you're too much of a coward to do it when we're alone so I doubt you'd have the tenacity to go that far."

"Oi..."

Darkness chimed in. "That's right, at the end of the day, Kazuma is the type of guy who likes to talk a big game but ultimately lacks the stones to do anything."

"Hey, what's with this harassment? If you guys keep saying things like that, I'll make sure to use Steal on your towels."

"On second thought, Darkness, maybe we shouldn't go—"

"I-I was just joking. Anyways, where would you two go? Despite a festival going on, we are still in Alcanretia."

While Darkness smiled dreamily, Megumin shook her head in worry; she sighed once more. "I hate to say it, but it seems like being with you might be the best of our alternatives."

"Are-Are you sure, Megumin?" Darkness remarked hurriedly. "We can always visit the Axis Church with Aqua, and then come back to the baths later."

"Last place I'd like to visit is the Axis Church; no, if we go there, we're liable to be assaulted; especially with you showing that Eris amulet so deliberately."

I stared at Darkness who was almost drooling at the mention; there's no doubt in my mind she was hoping for such an outcome.

"I'm a proud Eris follower, Megumin. Besides, this is the amulet both of you got me for my birthday; what kind of a friend would I be if I hid it when I would need to display it most prominently?"

"Darkness, there's no need; in fact, I would say this is the one situation that you definitely shouldn't!"

"Ah just let her, Megumin; you know this pervert can't pass up chances to be abused."

"T-That's not true! I-I, I'm just—"

"Yeah, yeah, we believe you. Now, let's hurry to the baths before we get harassed by Axis cultists."

Getting there took longer than it should've thanks to the constant barrage of recruitment attempts we had to thwart. Thanks to the festival, the attempts were more group-focused rather than the more individual targeting that cultist usually did; this allowed us to escape more easily, slipping away when the cultists shifted their attention to other passersby.

"Gah, finally," I said in relief.

We entered the hot bath and proceeded to the reception area.

"Welcome to…"

"…"

The receptionist and I pointed at each other while Megumin and Darkness got into a defensive stance.

"Y-You, w-why are you here?!" The receptionist was none other than the former Demon King General, Seresdina; although, I personally knew her as Serena the Bitch.

I replied in similar fashion. "Seriously?! Why are you here?!"

"I"—she looked down despondently—"I…work here."

I quickly covered my mouth in an attempt to quell my budding smile and building laughter but alas, I couldn't. "Gwahahaha!"

"You little shit head, how dare you laugh at me! How are you even alive, I was sure I killed you!"

I calmed myself, wiping away the tears dotting the corner of my eyes. "You did…but I have an Archpriest who's capable of using Resurrection in my party."

"Tch. That annoying priest is actually capable of using Resurrection? I would've never guessed. However"—Serena brandished a metal shiv—"she's not here right now, is she?"

Darkness and Megumin almost leapt forward, but Serena held the blade out towards them, saying, "I'm still under the dark goddess's protection; anything you do to me will be reflected unto you."

Darkness continued to inch forward, but I grabbed her. "Alright, just clam down," I said, trying to pacify the former General.

"No, screw you, Kazuma. You think I'm just gonna let you walk out of here after putting me through all that humiliation?"

Darkness interrupted. "Was, was it really humiliating?"

Serena peered out at her while keeping the weapon drawn in front. "This bastard…the things he did to me…" She quickly closed her eyes in grief, her jaw clenched, and brows knit in recalling anger. "The things he's done to me are irredeemable—unforgivable!" She shouted, furiously slashing the air in rage.

Darkness covered her mouth; her eyes were wide in surprise, her body, trembling.

"Kazuma," Megumin said with a hint of worry, "what exactly did you do to her?"

"That, that's not important," I replied as I avoided her gaze.

"No, of course it isn't," Serena said, clutching the weapon in her hand tightly. "What's important is that I make you pay for all of it!"

"Hey, you stupid girl!" An elderly lady yelled.

Serena quickly stiffed at the sound of her voice. She hurriedly hid the shiv in her clothing and turned around with her fake iconic smile adorning her face. "Yes, proprietress?"

"What did I tell you?! Call me Ba-chan! BA-CHAN! Do I have to punish you again?!"

Serena's composure look like it was falling apart; the corner of her brow and lips twitched. "S-Sorry…Ba-chan." She lowered her head in a spiritless manner.

"There you go, that's better. And what of the new customers, why are you making them wait?!"

"A-Ah, w-well, t-they were just—"

Megumin interrupted. "We were wondering if we could use the baths, but she said she doesn't serve Axis affiliates."

"WHAT?!" The old lady yelled louder than any of us expected, her eyes growing bloodshot in fury, her face, red.

Serena quickly looked back at Megumin who stared back with a smug expression.

"Proprietress—I mean, Ba-chan, I-I would never say such a thing!"

The little old lady shuffled up to her and leapt up. She somehow managed to grab Serena by the hair and haul her off towards the back of the reception hall. A few seconds later, several smacking sounds could be heard followed by some protests, wailing, and whimpering. A couple minutes after that, the old lady returned to us with a smile.

"Sorry about her, she's fairly new, so she's unfamiliar to way we do things here; please forgive her."

"Uh, sure," I replied.

"So, will it be you three?"

We nodded.

"Alright, that'll be twenty thousand eris."

"Twe, Twenty thousand eris?" I said in slight surprise. "That's way more than what I paid the last time I came here."

The old lady, still smiling, replied, "Ah, here's a complimentary bar of soap for your troubles. Also, if you sign up to—"

I quickly handed her the money.

Despite saying they were gonna join me in the mixed baths, Megumin and Darkness bailed at the last moment and headed over to the female-only section. As I grumbled angrily to myself, I entered the mixed baths. To my misfortune, there was only one other person present, an oji-san with greying hair. He laid against the edge of the bath staring at the entrance.

"Ah, finally," he said with a smile, "I was starting to think no one would ever come."

I raised my brow and sunk into the refreshingly warm waters. "Are you waiting for some beautiful ladies to come too, oji-san?"

"Hmm." He rubbed his chin in thought, and then smiled once more. "I don't really mind who comes; just as long as they've come to enjoy these precious waters with me."

Once again, I raised my brow in suspicion.

"Hmm, are you an adventurer, young man?"

"Ah, well, yeah, something like that, I guess."

"I see. Since you entered the mixed baths, I assume I can entrust you with a bit of a secret."

"Oh?" I shifted slightly in the water. "What kind of secret?"

The oji-san grinned. "The type of secret that can only be shared between men."

"I…I'm not really fol—"

He quickly drifted over to my side, and just as I was about shoot back in defense, he whispered. "There's an inconspicuous hole I've made in the wall of the bath."

"!"

He sneered. "The hole's been there for quite a long time without anyone noticing."

This old man…he was a brother-in-arms. I clasped his hand in reverence. "Oji-san, show me your secret."

He chuckled lightly. "Umu, by the way, the name is Zesta."

"Zesta? Where have I heard this name before? Hmm, nevermind. Zesta-san, my name is Kazuma, Satou Kazuma."

"Ah, Kazuma-dono, nice to meet you. Come, let me show you the secret I speak of."

We rose out of the bath and made our way to a small bush in the far corner of the baths. Overturning one of the stones in place, Zesta pulled on a small rope which caused a hidden door to fall away from the bath wall.

"Wha-How—"

"Shhh." He gestured me to follow as he dipped through the hole.

Moving through the expertly hidden trap door, me and Zesta traversed the outside wall of the baths. Normally I would be overcome with excitement at such a thing, but since the hot springs in Alcanretia were situated on high peaks near the mountain, one false step could spell death.

"Eh, Zesta-san, this seems a bit…dangerous."

"Ah, indeed it is; you can hold onto me if you'd like."

"Ehhh, no, I think I'm fine."

I swore I heard Zesta mumble something, but I shrugged away the thought.

"Here we are," He said, waving me over.

I peered through the makeshift hole and could instantly see numerous bare-skinned backs; women of all sizes and races sat or walked along the bath's edge, carelessly conversing amongst themselves. Apparently, according to Zesta, the hole was covered by some sort of pipe-like item, this made it difficult to spot from within the female's bath.

"Zesta-san, you're a saint amongst men."

"Haha, well thank you, Kazuma-dono, but I also would like to take a look."

"Ah, uh, sure."

As I was about to move away, Zetsa grabbed my shoulder.

"?"

"There's no need for you to move, Kazuma-dono. I'll peek from behind you, that way we can both enjoy the view to our hearts content."

"Ah, well, I mean…" If Zesta sat behind me, he'd be close, uncomfortably close; even the view beyond the looking glass wouldn't be enough to quell the anxiety I'd be feeling in such a scenario. "No, no, it's alright, Zeta-san; you made this, so it's only right that—"

"Nonsense, Kazuma-dono, as one whose occupation lies in helping and sacrificing one's self for the sake of others, I couldn't take away this moment of bliss you're experiencing."

"No, it's ok; I'm familiar with self-sacrifice too. You go ahead and—wait, what exactly do you do, Zesta-san?"

"Ah, I'm an Archpriest."

"An, an Archpriest? Like…of the Axis Cult?"

He chuckled. "That's right; I'm the former Patriarch of the Axis Order."

I felt the heat drain from my body; now I remembered where I heard the name, this man was the former head of the band of nutcases. Surely, under his direction the Axis Cult showered others in their depraved acts. I was in danger; I could sense I was in utter danger.

"Well, Zesta-san, it's been nice; I'm gonna head back and—"

Zesta blocked the path back. "Nonsense, nonsense, Kazuma-dono; come, please look through that hole to your heart's content; I will also peer into it. Let us share this moment together, engrave it into our memories."

I staggered back and gulped nervously. "I-I actually have to go meet up with my companions, so I can't really stay, b-but I'll be sure to pay a vis…it."

Zesta quickly pounced and grabbed me.

"Wait, no! I don't consent to this!" I yelled as we wrestled against each other.

"Kazuma-dono, please, don't be so rigid; relax, all we'll be doing is peeking through holes. If you'd like, I can let you stare at that one while I stare at—"

"NO!" I cried out, pushing him away with all my force.

"Wha, oh." Zesta slipped on the edge of the rocks and fell over the edge. Before I could process a reaction, he disappeared into the foggy cliff below.

I quickly peered over the edge. "Zesta-san," I whispered nervously; however, there was no reply.

Did I just…kill a man? No, I couldn't—I didn't; I was defending myself. That's right, it was an act of self-defense…still…even if it was in self-defense…I peered over the edge again; there was no way anyone could survive a fall from this height.

While I contemplated the scenario before me, I could hear the sound of several female voices worriedly wondering about the sounds coming from the rear of the bath.

"Shit!" Despite the overwhelming feeling of guilt, I ran back to the mixed baths.

-Meanwhile…

"Megumin, do you think Kazuma is still waiting in the mixed baths?" Darkness asked.

"Mhm," I replied in a relaxed manner. After a couple seconds, I opened an eye and glanced at her; Darkness was staring rather glumly at the water. "Why?" I asked her.

"Hmm? Ah, well, I was just wondering is all…"

"That's not it, is it? I forget how much of a libido you actually hide, Lewdness."

Darkness sunk into bath in embarrassment. While having flushed complexion was normal under the circumstances, for Darkness, water of this temperature wouldn't incite such a reaction in such a short amount of time.

"Did you actually want to go?" I asked.

Darkness looked away slowly.

I sighed and allowed myself to sink lower. "You don't seem to be enjoying the woman's-only bath; why don't you try the mixed? I'll stay here for a while."

Darkness stared at me in surprise. Then she stood up and cleared her throat. "Y-You're right; I-I'll go see if the mixed bath is all it's talked up to be."

"Umu."

Still feeling somewhat guilty over the death of Zesta-san, I quickly left the bath as soon as I made it back. I wanted to go back home and hide under my pillow. Maybe in a few days' time I would forget about it all and go on with my life. As I stepped out of the changing room and into the reception hall, I was quickly pulled into a room.

"Got you, fucker." Serena held the shiv to my neck as she grinned deviously.

"Really? Come on, just let me go; I just went through something traumatic."

"Trauma—you dare speak to me about trauma, you son of a bitch?! Ooooo, I wanna stab you so bad!"

"Don't, don't do that. Oi, what's wrong with your face? Why is it all…beaten…wait a minute; if this a result from her being beaten up by the old lady then…You, you lost your powers; you lost your powers, didn't you?"

"Wha, what are you talking about?" Serena tried to put on her regular smile, but having seen it so many times, I knew what she displayed now wasn't a cockiness or derisive expression, but nervousness; she was smiling nervously. "Are you so scared that—"

SMACK! Serena stood in shock.

"Umu, I knew it, your powers are gone; you're no longer protected by Regina, are you?"

"You!" She pressed the blade to my neck angrily. "I'm tired of you; ever since I've met you, all I've experienced is regret!"

"Oi, oi, just clam down; why don't you take a dip in the—"

"No, shut up! SHUT UP, Kazuma! I'll kill you; I'll kill you for good this time, and then burn this fucking place to the ground!"

"Whoa, whoa, I-I know how you feel right now"—She pressed on the blade, drawing blood—"Trust me, I do! I have to deal with a bunch of incompetent people every day, clean up after their messes, and go along with all the troubles they cause. Killing me isn't gonna solve any of your problems; it'll just cause some more."

Serena stared at me; her eyes and blade held firm. I stared back anxiously. I felt the shiv press forward, and then pull away. As I was about to gasp in relief, Serena, collapsed and began crying.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way, dammit; why?" She whimpered. "You were all supposed to fall to the Demon King's Army, so why? How?!"

I felt awkward at the turn of events, but perhaps because of the time we spent together I felt some pity towards her.

"Honestly, I don't really know; I suppose I just got really lucky."

"Luck?! LUCK?!" She shot up, rage permeating every inch of her face. "FUCK YOU, KAZUMA! No one's that lucky. Even the Goddess Eris herself would be hard-pressed to pull off such bullshit!" She threw her hands around my throat and squeezed viciously. "What's your secret?! Tell me, dammit! TELL ME!" She seemed to reach her breaking point; as she strangled me, tears ran down her face.

Finally, moments before my vision completely tunneled, she let go and fell to her knees once more. I stumbled back into the wall and slid down, coughing violently.

"This is…so unfair," Serena said with a defeated smile. "What bullshit." She looked up with the same expression and closed her eyes. "I'm through with this, Kazuma."

She raised the shiv to her chest and thrust down with all her force.

"No!" I quickly grabbed her arm and pulled.

In spite of her level, she was surprisingly strong; either that or she really didn't want to live anymore. Nevertheless, Serena put up a struggle as I wrenched the makeshift weapon from her hands.

"Give it to me, you bastard!" She yelled, pouncing on top of me.

"No, stop, get away, don't—no!"

The door to the room opened and standing at its entrance was Darkness and the old lady.

"Kazuma?" Darkness said in surprise.

"Pro, Ba-chan, I can explain," Serena said in a completely fearful tone.

Part 2

Afterwards, Serena was heavily ridiculed (and I assumed, "punished") by the old lady while me and Darkness walked off to lounge to wait for Megumin.

"Kazuma, what exactly happened?" Darkness asked.

"I told you; I came out of the baths and she grabbed me and tried to murder me. See, I even have her weapon." I showed her.

Darkness shook her head, and then sighed. "We should tell the authorities about this."

"Eh, just leave it alone; I don't wanna get involved with anything including Axis cultists."

"But she tried to—"

"I know what she tried to do; I was there."

Darkness sighed again. "If only she didn't have that curse; I'd break every bone in her body…on second thought—"

"Sit down, you weirdo." Darkness did so. "Anyways, we won't have to worry about that if we ever run into her in the future; she's no longer protected."

"Wait, how do you—"

"I tested it."

"Ah, of course you did; trying to keep up your reputation as Kazuma the Brute, I see."

"Oi, don't call me that, ok? And who the hell gave me that name in the first place?!"

"There you guys are." Megumin walked into the lounge; she gave a quick glance towards Darkness, and then me. "Are you two done; should we get something to eat?"

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," I answered. "Darkness, put your amulet away—"

"I refuse."

"Come on, they aren't serving you anything as long you keep it out."

Darkness placed a hand on her cheek and smirked happily. "To willingly allow one to starve…" She shuddered.

"Ugh, hopeless," Me and Megumin said in unison.

"Kazuma, Kazuma, look!" Megumin said as we walked through the swarming district of stalls. "They're serving Gehjoda Gecko Burgers, and they're the inferno kind too!"

"Oh, I thought those were served for a limited time?"

"Hmm, that's odd," Darkness said, "Gehjoda Geckos are usually hibernating around this time of the year; I wonder how they managed to get some."

I was feeling fairly suspicious about it, but Megumin was already at the stall, ordering.

"Alright, little lady, here you are, three Gehjoda Inferno Burgers; that'll be 300,000 eris."

"Three—are you insane?! There's no way these are worth that much!"

The stall owner stared angrily at Megumin. "Thief! Thief!" The owner began to yell. "I'm being—"

Megumin quickly covered his mouth and turned to me nervously.

I crossed my arms. "What are you looking at me for?" I didn't want anything to do with this.

"Um, c-can I borrow some…money?"

"Huh? What happened to all of yours?"

"I, uh, well"—Megumin stared at the ground despairingly—"spent it."

"…"

"I-I'll pay you back as soon as—"

I sighed. "Why'd you even buy three?"

"Well, I wanted all of us to eat so…"

"Guess there's no helping it. Darkness go ahead and pay."

"What?! Why should I pay?"

"Because you haven't been of any use lately; paying for this will at least give you something to say you've done."

"Ah, w-what about me saving you from that dastardly woman?!"

"Huh, who said you saved me?"

"…"

"Now hurry up and pay before things get worse."

Darkness tearfully pulled out her coin purse.

"Hey, wait," the stall owner said, "is that an Eris Cult amulet? There'll be an additional 100% fee for serving monsters."

After Darkness paid, we unwrapped the burgers and began eating. Just a couple bites into it and I already knew we've been had. Before I could mention anything, Megumin whipped around and began to angrily shout at the stall clerk.

"This isn't Gehjoda Gecko; it's just a normal sand gecko, isn't it?!" Megumin then gave a quick but discerning glance at the gecko in question. "And…is it painted—did you paint this?!"

The man gave himself up after being exposed…is what I want to say, however, these were Axis Cultists; nothing was ever so simple.

"Hey, are you calling me a liar?! Not only are you a broke, thieving little loli, but you're also trying to swindle me into giving you a refund?! Well, too bad, I don't do refunds!"

Noticing Megumin's glowing eyes, I quickly grabbed and restrained her. While I wasn't happy that we've just been scammed, this was par for the course when dealing with Axis Cultists; to be honest, we should've known better. I decided to cut our losses rather than deal with an angry cultist on their home turf.

"Why'd you stop me, Kazuma; that man was deserving of an Explosion."

"Quit it. While I agree with you, using Explosion would've made things infinitely worse for us." I sighed.

We threw away the burgers due to the fact they had paint in them, so, hunger was still an issue for us.

"Hey," Darkness said, "why don't we go to the restaurant we went to the last time we were here?"

I shrugged. "By the way, are you really gonna keep that amulet out?"

She replied in a serious manner. "Absolutely."

On our way to the restaurant in question, we passed by many kiosks selling food, trinkets, souvenirs and even things you really couldn't buy anywhere else. Regardless of what they were claiming to sell, we gave them as wide a berth as possible. Finally, we arrived at the restaurant and ordered; besides the usual mistreatment against Darkness, we had a fairly normal time.

I looked around; the restaurant, the streets, the buildings were all packed with people. How was Alcanretia such a popular tourist spot? Sure, they had the hot springs, but even the hot springs couldn't be enough of an attraction to put up with the constant harassment the Axis Cult did.

"Kazuma, look," Megumin said, snapping me out my thoughts.

She pointed towards the large fountainhead sitting outside the restaurant. In front of it was a sign describing some upcoming event.

I began reading it aloud. "Revelation of the Goddess Aqua tonight; come one, come all. Just five hundred eris. Come get blessed by the one true goddess and to have guaranteed luck for the rest of your life."

All of us went quiet as I finished.

"There's so many things wrong with this that it's not even worth mentioning," I thought.

Megumin sighed. "Leave it to the Axis Cult to make the revelation of their goddess a paid event."

I looked over at Darkness. She was staring happily at the bowl before her; this time the restaurant had served her a bowl of rock salt.

"I-I shouldn't let these go to waste," She said, about to grab one.

"Could you stop it?!" I slapped her hand. "People are gonna figure out I'm traveling with a bunch of weirdos."

"Weirdos?! H-How am I part of this?!" Megumin retorted.

"How aren't you?! I mean sure, you've been sort of behaving , but—"

Megumin slammed her palm onto the table and stared at me angrily, her eyes growing a dark red. "…whatever," She mumbled, sitting back down with a pout.

"Ah, not gonna say something after all that, perhaps I misjudged you; maybe you have grown a bit."

She seemed to take my response badly as her eyes glowed a darker shade and her brows knit deeper; however, Megumin remained silent, crossing her arms while wearing a scowl.

Normally, I'd take off to do something, but this was Alcanretia; there was little to do here in terms of relaxation and having watched a man die at the hot baths, it was no longer a place of relative comfort to me; not to mention, a former Demon King's General being an employee.

"Let's go find Aqua," Darkness suggested in the immediate silence.

"You mean, let's go to the Axis Church," Megumin corrected.

I stared at Darkness and sighed heavily.

"Wha-What's with the heavy sigh, Kazuma?" She questioned.

"I just realized as long as we're here you're even more hopeless than Aqua and almost just as useless."

"!"

"No, wait, I think that's just how you are all the time."

"Geez, Kazuma, you're being a bigger jerk than usual," Megumin said offhandedly.

"You should be happy I'm so honest with you guys; I'm not the type of person to say things people wanna hear."

Megumin sighed, and then gave a faint smile. "Yeah, I guess you aren't. Anyhow, let's go see what Aqua's up to."

"She's with the nun, right? I don't think we have to imagine too much to know what they're up to; they're on their turf with a bunch of tourists."

"Well, I can definitely see Cecily-san doing something dishonest, but Aqua—"

"Aqua's just as bad, especially when she surrounds herself with people just like her."

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?"

"I'd say go home, but"—I gave a great huff of regret—"it is her birthday, so…"

Against my wish, we headed to the Axis Church in search of Aqua.

"Here we are," I said as we approached the lion's den.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Darkness said.

There was an enormous line of cultists seemingly waiting for something inside.

"Excuse me," Megumin said, approaching one of the cultists in line.

"Hmm, are you also here to see the High Priestess?"

"High Priestess? Are you talking about Aqua?"

The lady nodded with a fervent smile. "The High Priestess and Goddess of the Axis Order has come to lead us to our destined future."

"Wait," I interjected, "you guys know that Aqua's a goddess?"

"Of course!" She shouted with an almost manically happy expression. "What else could she be, if not our Goddess incarnate?!"

"No, you're right about that; she's definitely your goddess." There was nothing else she could be except the Goddess of a borderline illicit and insane cult.

"Well, what exactly are you waiting for?" Megumin continued to question.

"I'm going for a blessing for tonight's gambling event; Aqua-sama's gonna help me get rich."

Oh boy, if most of the cultist were here for similar reasons, I'm afraid another uprising is imminent.

The cultist went on. "All of us are here for various reasons; some have come to confess their sins and others have come from faraway to pledge their undying loyalty to the one true goddess. Such is the majesty that is the High Priestess, Aqua-sama."

Me, Megumin, and Darkness stepped away from the line.

"How are we going to get to Aqua?" Megumin queried.

"We could always just walk in, no?" Darkness answered.

"Of course not," I interjected. "Skipping a bunch of Axis cultists who are waiting for an audience with their idol; doing something like that in Japan would get you murdered, I can't imagine it'd be any different in this scenario."

"I'm starting to think Japan is a pretty dangerous place," Megumin commented.

"We don't actually have to go see her; we could just wait till tonight or something."

"And in the meantime?"

"We could head to the inn; I'm actually pretty tired after everything that's happened."

"Everything that's"—Megumin stared at me, and then Darkness—"You…y-you guys didn't actually do anything, right?!"

"What are you talking about?"

Darkness quickly spoke. "N-No, Megumin; I, uh, we, didn't really…"

I looked between them. "Didn't what? What didn't we do? Was I supposed to do something?!"

Megumin gave a sigh of relief. "It's nothing, Kazuma. As for your proposal, I guess we could do that."

"No, forget about that; I wanna know what I was supposed to do."

Megumin frowned. "You're supposed to remember who you're married to. Now enough of that; let's head back to the inn."

I plopped down on the bed and let out a breath of respite.

"Where's Darkness?" Megumin asked from the opposite bed.

"She went to get something to eat from the lounge."

"Ah, that's right, she hasn't eaten anything yet."

"Her own fault for keeping the amulet out."

There was a minute or so of silence, then Megumin spoke again. "How exactly are you so tired; you were at a hot bath the entire day."

"You're kidding me; are you forgetting where we're at?"

"Ehhh, good point…still…"

I opened an eye. "You suspecting me of something?"

"Not really. I mean, earlier I was, a little, but to be honest I don't think either of you would go there; even if you did, I don't think you'd be able to keep it a secret."

"Well, you don't really have to worry about it; I'm not gonna do something like that behind your back."

"Good."

"First, I'd tell you, then maybe—"

POOF! A pillow hit me in the face.

"Honestly, Kazuma, I wonder why I fell for a man like you."

"Hmm, I'm pretty sure you said it was because my irresistible charm."

"Or maybe the lack of." Megumin giggled.

I smirked silently. "Oi, Megumin."

"Hm?"

"I'm going to sleep, wake me up later; I'll appreciate it if it was sometime tomorrow." As I closed my eyes, I felt the bed move. Instinctually, I reopened them to see Megumin laying in front of me. "Oi."

She smiled cheekily. "Sorry, I'm going to sleep too." She took her hat and placed it upon our faces, instantly shrouding us in darkness. "Oyasumi, Kazuma."

"Good—"

I felt her press her lips softly against my own; a moment later, they parted. Before I could do anything in return, she turned around, taking the hat with her. I really couldn't keep up with this girl's antics.

-Several hours later…

I rubbed my eyes wearily as I woke up. Looking to my side, I saw Megumin was still asleep. I turned the other way and saw Darkness sleeping as well…wait.

"Oi." I shook her awake. "Darkness, what are you doing here?"

"Huh?" She groggily replied, and then promptly fell back asleep.

"Oi…forget it." I let her sleep.

Looking out the window, I could see it was already evening and nearly dark. The fountainhead where the event was supposed to be taking place was visible; a large crowd of people already assembled even though it still a couple hours early.

"Kazuma?" Megumin drowsily turned towards me and sat up.

"Oh, you're awake?"

"Just now," She replied, rubbing the sleepiness away. "I see Darkness came back."

"Umu."

Megumin leaned over me and stared outside. "Is the thing starting?"

"No, not yet, I don't think."

"People are actually going."

"Yeah, I'm as surprised as you."

"Hey, this could be our chance to go see Aqua."

"Hm, maybe."

Megumin reached over and shook Darkness. "Darkness, wake up."

"Stop it, Chris; I don't wanna go to a healer's."

"…"

"Maybe we should leave her," I remarked.

Megumin sighed, and then shook Darkness more aggressively; finally, she stirred awake.

"Huh, what's…what's going on?" She said, slowly sitting up.

"We're gonna go see Aqua, you coming?"

"Huh, uh, sure."

When we reached the church, the sprawling line that was present earlier was now nearly gone.

"Wow, there's still people waiting," Darkness said.

"Yeah, but at least now we can make the line," Megumin replied.

"I'm surprised you're even considering it," I commented.

"What are you talking about, Kazuma; I'm the epitome of calm and collected." She frowned. "Stop making me sound like I'm unstable."

"You're saying more and more ridiculous-sounding things."

"Oh, would it more in character if I used Explosion at this moment?!" She readied her staff and began chanting in my direction.

"Whoa, whoa, ok, stop, stop!" I panickily grabbed her.

"Humph!" Megumin pulled away with a pout.

A few minutes later, the last cultist left the church and we entered. There was no sign of Aqua, but if the blonde-haired nun she was always with was anything to go by, I'd say she was in one of the confessionals.

"Ah, Aqua-sama," she said, "it's Megumin-chan and your friends."

"Megumin-chan?!" A familiar voice came from inside one of the other confession booths nearby. The door rattled a couple of times and a half-naked old man came rolling out.

"Oh no," Cecily said with a wry smile, "what are you doing tied up in one of the booths, Zesta-san; did one of your perverted acts go wrong?"

"Stop talking nonsense, Cecily, you know you were the one who tied me up."

She looked away and began whistling.

"Zesta-san?" I said in mild surprise. "How the hell is this old man alive? I'm pretty sure he fell into the cliff."

Zesta turned his attention to me. "Ah, Kazuma-dono, have you come to repay me?"

Megumin looked at us. "Wait, Kazuma, you've met this perverted oji-san before?"

I looked away slightly. "Unfortunately…"

Finally, Aqua, stepped out of the booth. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

Megumin responded. "We came to see you, of course."

Aqua smiled happily, and then flicked her hair pompously. "Really? Well, I've been quite busy. I have to go to an event now, so if you guys want, you can just go see me over there."

"Oi, what's with this girl's cocky attitude. Stop acting stupid, Aqua; it's time to go home, we've been here long enough."

Zesta, who seemingly broke out of his restraints, protested against the idea. "Kazuma-dono, Aqua-sama must definitely attend tonight's event; it's by her grace that I've managed to survive my earlier ordeal. If you still intend to take her back, I'm afraid I must ask for compensation. Your—"

"I refuse."

"Megumin-chan, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Come, give me a hug, let me embrace your—"

"I refuse."

Zesta shifted to the remaining member in our party; he stared at her.

Darkness began fidgeting uncomfortably. "Ah, what's those lustful eyes, I feel like this man wants to—"

"I refuse," He said resolutely. "Even I have standards; a shame, by all accounts you'd be a worthy catch, but that thing"—He pointed at the Eris amulet—"I WILL NOT BE LED ASTRAY!"

Darkness collapsed in tears, yet, the conflicting smile on her face made me lose whatever shreds of pity I had for her.

"Hey, Aqua-sama," Cecily said, "we should probably get going; I'm sure a lot of people are waiting to see you."

Aqua nodded. "Then I shouldn't keep them waiting, but first I'd like to get a bit of food."

"Umu, not a bad idea."

"Good," Zesta remarked. "You accompany Aqua-sama, Cecily; I'll go with Kazuma-dono and Megumin-chan."

"No, no, Zesta-san, you're not needed; why don't you go fall off a cliff properly this time?"

"Ahahaha, Cecily, are you that insecure about yourself? I see, the only shot you have at going steady with anyone is if this old man died; doesn't that make you want to fall off a cliff? Here, come with me, I have experience in such matters. I can show the way to do it, so you don't fail like I have."

"Ah, Zesta-san who swings both ways, I'm sure things like standards are actually pretty difficult for you to understand, but unlike a certain old man, I have preferences that I like to stick to."

"Ahahaha, is that why you're still single? Ohohoho, it's definitely because of your devotion to Aqua-sama, and not because it was the last resort for you, right? Ahahaha."

Cecily slowly wrapped her hands around his throat. "Ahahaha, of course, Zesta-san, I have only the utmost loyalty to Aqua-sama. I'm definitely not attempting to strangle you by the way, I'm just giving you a well-deserved massage."

Zesta gurgled incoherently as he tried to break away from Cecily.

"Zesta-san, why are you resisting? Please, allow this humble servant to help you; you've done a lot of things with that mouth and throat of yours today so I'm just trying to alleviate the pain you're surely feeling."

Eventually, Zesta passed out and Cecily let go with a beaming smile.

"Ok, Aqua-sama, Zesta-san fell asleep; I can accompany all of you now."

"Scary! What the hell, this nun is scary!"

As per Aqua's request, we made our way to the restaurant near the fountain. When we arrived, the Axis Cultists nearby flocked to her, praising and worshipping unceasingly. Me, Darkness, and Megumin sat on some benches across the forming crowd.

"I can't believe she's grown this popular," Darkness said, watching more and more people gather.

To be honest, I was surprised to see this as well; then again, Axis Cultist's are the most fervent believers and followers of their goddess and her "teachings", so perhaps such actions shouldn't be seen as so surprising.

"She seems to be enjoying herself though," Megumin remarked.

Indeed, Aqua seemed to be basking in the constant praise and attention her followers were showering her in, had it been me, I would've already grown tired of it. She just came from providing alms to a litany of people after all, so I was sure she would turn them away; however, Aqua continued answering and proselyting to her flock happily…even as she tore into the food and drinks before her.

I shrugged. "Well, at least she's staying out of trouble."

Megumin looked at me. "Saying things like that, it's almost as if you want something bad to happen."

I looked over at the fountain; the event would be starting pretty soon.

"Alright, alright!" The scary nun shouted. "Aqua-sama will see you all soon; for now, let her have her fill."

"No fair, Cecily-san, you've been with Aqua-sama the whole day!" One of the cultists shouted.

"Yeah, let us have a moment with her!" Another yelled.

"You and Zesta-sama are the worst; she's not your personal goddess, you know!" Yet another cried out.

"Hey, all of you shut up! Or I'll make sure to lobby for a raise in tithes!" Cecily retorted.

Aqua intervened. "Now, now, all of you don't worry; I'll be seeing you guys soon, ok?"

"AQUA-SAMA!" The crowd cried out dreamily.

Cecily then shooed them away and waved us over.

"You look happy," I said, sitting down in front of Aqua.

"Of course," She replied, biting down on some fried food. "Nothing brings me more happiness than leading my followers to happiness."

If I didn't know any better, I'd believe she was a model goddess. "Right." I glanced over at the others; Megumin was being harassed by the nun and Darkness was being harassed by the restaurant staff…nothing new.

"Are you having fun?" Aqua asked.

"Ehhh?" I thought about my experiences today, and then sighed. "I can't wait to get home," I mumbled.

Aqua took a couple more bites of food. "You know," she began, "today hasn't been a bad day, but I haven't been able to hang out with you guys."

I raised a brow. "Not a big deal, we live together; we see each other every day, right?"

She paused. "Hmm…I suppose you're right." Aqua continued. "Still…while it's nice to be around all of my devoted children, it's also pretty nice being around you guys too."

For some awkward reason, this surprised me more than it should've.

"Ah, well, maybe after all this we can have a game night back at the mansion."

"Hmm, that sounds nice. You should cook something too; while eating stuff like this isn't bad, I'd like something homemade once in a while."

I smiled faintly. "Sure, I guess; been a while since I've cooked anyways, would be nice to make something."

"Good," She said with a smile. "Now, I have an event to do, so I'll see you guys after."

"One sec." I grabbed her napkin and wiped off the crumbs around her face. "There ya go. Now, go do your best, goddess."

Aqua gave a childish smile, and then skipped off with Cecily towards the event grounds. Apparently, while I wasn't looking, a small stage was erected.

The crowd that was around her earlier had transitioned to the front of the stage and were waiting eagerly for her appearance. More and more people began to gather, even ones who weren't cultists. Eventually, hundreds were stood around the square waiting for the event to begin in earnest.

Part 3

There was a loud clap of attention as Cecily stepped on stage.

"Welcome to the Axis Order annual celebration! To those of you who've traveled from far away places, please don't forget to sign the form we're handing out for complimentary gifts; it's a prerequisite to gaining the blessings of Aqua-sama."

"Of course, there's no way they'd let such an opportunity slip by…"

"This year's event is a little different and a lot more special. This year, Aqua-sama has graced us with her presence, her holiness in human form; without further ado, I present to you, Aqua-sama, High Priestess and Goddess of the Axis Order!"

Almost as if recited, Aqua made her appearance from the depths of the fountain, arms spread out and face plastered with a pompous smile. As she stepped on to the stage, the crowd erupted into cheers and claps. Axis cultists clamored to the very edge of the stage attempting to gain a single touch of their revered goddess, while Aqua smiled and waved to each of them.

As I watched her act, I thought, "Hmm, she would make a pretty good idol if this was Japan."

In fact, the event went on without a hitch (oddly enough). Aqua performed many of her party tricks garnering more onlookers, and afterwards she began giving divinations, healing, and advice; besides her healing, I would be wary of the other two services, however, the people involved had no such reservations.

"Kazuma-dono." It was Zesta. "Enjoying the event?"

"Ah, Zesta-san…doesn't really have anything to do with me."

"Hmm, I wonder if that's true."

"?"

"Sure, you're not participating, but if it wasn't for you, all these people and Aqua-sama herself wouldn't have had this experience. You're as important to this occasion as the occasion itself. I feel like our goddess has a good example of humanity to follow."

"So, you all actually believe that Aqua's a goddess?"

"Always have."

"Even when we first came to Alcanretia?"

"Well"—He gave a rough cough—"let's not talk about that time."

I smirked.

"You know, you're an unusual person, Kazuma-dono."

"Oi, really? Coming from you it feels like a joke."

Zesta laughed. "You're not from here, are you; you're from Japan."

"…" This old man was more observant than he let on.

"Ah, that silence says everything. Japan is a beautiful place, isn't it? A place where everyone could be themselves and enjoy whatever they want without scrutiny, hm?"

"Ehhh, I don't know who told this oji-san that, but…"

"Well, I feel a bit sorry for you…if you had to leave such a wonderous place for our own."

I stared back at the stage-performing goddess, and then at my other companions off in the distance. "…this place isn't too bad. Sure, it has it's faults, but I don't think Japan is without faults either."

Zesta stared at me in slight surprise, and then gave a faint smile. "I see."

Both of us looked at the performance for some time before Zesta spoke once more.

"You know, Kazuma-dono, it was my wish to make this place like Japan."

"Like Japan?"

He nodded. "A place without scrutiny, a place of freedom to be who you want and what you want."

I didn't want to burst the old man's bubble; Japan wasn't what he thought it was. There were many things that were tolerated, but they weren't without scrutiny; even outside Japan, it was the same.

He continued. "Aqua-sama has spoken of the many virtues of such a place; it was my goal as the Patriarch to bring about that place, here, so that all her faithful could enjoy the pleasures of Japan."

"Bring Japan here, huh?"

In a way, such a dream was already underway; the ones like me, who were transported here, brought with them small bits of knowledge and Japanese culture. And I, with my own knowledge and the help of a certain devil have brought even more change. It made me wonder, if things kept progressing the way they have, how long would it take for my own world's culture to completely overtake this world's own?

"Ah, well that enough of the ramblings of this old man. Kazuma-dono, the event should be wrapping up pretty soon." He stood up, and then bowed deeply. "Please continue to look after Aqua-sama."

Another person who asked me to do something so unreasonable.

I sighed. "Sure."

"And shall we meet again at the hot springs."

"Don't hold your breath."

Zesta chuckled, and then walked off.

After a while, the celebration ended like Zesta said. Aqua and the others came over to me after saying their goodbyes.

"Kazuma, did you enjoy my performance?" Aqua asked, proudly smirking.

"Umu, it wasn't bad; you'll have to teach me some, one of these days."

"I already told you I wasn't against, but you'll have to give me something appropriate in return."

"Right."

Megumin spoke. "Kazuma, are we heading back?"

"Yeah…hey," I said, looking around, "isn't the nun going back?"

"Ah, Cecily-san said she wanted to stay in town for a little while."

I gave a sigh of relief, and then looked to our Crusader. "What's with your hair?"

"Oh, some of the kids tied her hair to the stage."

Darkness cupped her hands around her face and smiled. "The shock I felt when I tried to run after that child who stole my sword."

I glanced at Aqua. "Would you do something about your followers already? I'm sure now that they know your true identity, they'll be more likely to actually listen."

"Why should I? It's Darkness' fault for not making sure her stuff is tightened securely."

"She shouldn't have to; stuff like this doesn't happen in Axel."

"Humph." Aqua pouted and looked away.

"Don't worry, Kazuma," Megumin assured, "I managed to get it back." She showed me the blade hidden beneath her cape; it was attached to her belt.

I sighed once more. "Alright, let's get going then."

-Back in Axel; arriving at the mansion…

"We're back," I said as we came through the door.

"Welcome home," the maid said with a slight bow. "Would you like me to prepare dinner?"

Aqua settled herself into her armchair and let out a tired breath. "No, that's alright, Irene; Kazuma said he was gonna cook once we got back."

"Oi, I don't appreciate you assigning me things to do," I retorted.

Aqua sat up with a frown. "But you did say you were gonna cook."

I did, but now I felt tired. Dealing with Aqua and her followers was draining even if you didn't have to do anything.

"Kazuma," Megumin interjected, "if you want, me and Irene can lend you hand."

"I'd like to be of some help as well," Darkness added. "I know I'm not too good at making complex dishes, but I could at least deal with the vegetables and ingredients."

"That's not a bad idea; let's all make a dish together."

I gave a slightly worried expression, and then smiled. "Yeah, alright, why not?"

Aqua flicked her hair, and then sat back comfortably in her chair. "Me and Emperor Zell await our cuisine. Come, Zell, Mommy hasn't seen you all day."

It was one of the times the pet chicken actually listened; Zell took its place on Aqua's lap and puffed up as it began to doze off.

A few hours passed and it was now well past evening and into the night; a late dinner. As we all sat at the table finishing what was left, Aqua laid back in the chair and stretched.

"All that's left now is some good alcohol," She said, rubbing her stomach as she did.

"Eh, some alcohol, you say?"

She looked at me suspiciously, and then knit her brow. "What, can't I enjoy some alcohol on my birthday?"

"Umu, going by that logic, everyday would be your birthday, wouldn't it?"

Aqua frowned at me, and then crossed her arms.

"Anyways," I continued, "here ya go." I brought out a wrapped present from within my satchel.

Aqua quickly reached over the table and stared at it happily. "What is it?!" She shook it, but it made no discernable sound.

"Hmm, seems pretty light, and it's in a box…"

"Go ahead and open it," I said with a smile. "I feel like it represents you completely."

The rest of us stared as Aqua eagerly tore away the wrapping paper.

"A box," She said, proud to be right about her deduction.

"Mhm." I urged her on.

Aqua lifted the lid of the box with a wide smile, revealing…

"What's this?"

"What's it look like?"

Darkness and Megumin peered over.

"There's nothing here," Darkness remarked.

"Is it hidden with a spell?" Megumin queried.

Aqua flipped the box over, but nothing came out.

"Umu, I got you the same thing you got me for my birthday, NOTHING! Remember that?!"

Aqua flinched, and then looked down sadly. Then began her trademark sniffles as she stared up at me with tears dotting the corners of her eyes. "Ka, Kashuma…how could you be so…so MEANNNN?! WAHHHH!"

Aqua shot out of her chair and ran away crying.

Everyone else instantly sent their glares my way.

"Wow, Kazuma," Megumin said.

"Ugh." Darkness bit her lip. "I, I'm torn by what you just did right now…I can only imagine how bad Aqua feels about this. Ugh, can you imagine the anticipation of thinking it's something worthwhile, only to open it and reveal emptiness…the crushing disappointment." Darkness covered her face as she began to shudder.

No matter the situation this girl never breaks character, does she.

The maid silently stood up and left the dining room.

"Oi, relax, did you guys actually think I'd be that mean to her?!"

Both of them averted their gaze.

"Oi…really?"

Megumin responded. "I mean, you've done some pretty scummy stuff, Kazuma; you can't really blame us for thinking it as a possibility."

I scoffed, scratching my head in slight embarrassment. "Well…yeah, I guess…"

Darkness spoke. "That means you actually got her something, right?"

"Of course."

They smiled.

"I'll go get Aqua, while you two get your presents ready."

Eventually, we all gathered in the living room; the maid helped Darkness with the box that contained her gifts, while Megumin brought Aqua back. Aqua stared at me angrily.

"Oi, would you stop?"

"Humph!" Aqua looked away, a scowl still adorning her face.

"Guess you don't want the present I actually got you."

She instantly sat up with a smile. "Present? What did you get? It isn't just another empty box, is it?"

"You really think I'd waste my time making two of them, of course not. And don't shake this one, just open it." I handed the gift over.

Aqua took it and cautiously opened it, glancing curiously at me every couple of seconds.

"Another box," She announced with trepidation.

"Hey, you don't have to be so worried about it being nothing, alright; I just wanted to joke with you a bit. This one is an actual present, so just hurry up and open it."

Aqua stared at me for a couple of seconds, and then removed the lid. Her cautious expression quickly faded into a sort of calm. She took the item within the box and stared at it for a couple of seconds.

"Holy Reverie," I said. "I think it's about time I made up for the last one."

"How…did you get it?"

I crossed my arms and smiled. "Wasn't easy. Let's just say I had a lot of help."

She pressed the bottle to her chest in a loving embrace. "Thank you, Kazuma…but you should've given this to me a long time ago."

"Oi."

"Aqua, Aqua, here's mine," Megumin said excitedly. She brought out the odd rock-like object and handed it to over.

Aqua stared at it inquiringly, raising it to the light.

"Do you like it?"

"…it's a weird rock." Aqua tilted her head.

"So…"

"Looks weird with all this powdery white stuff; maybe if I wash it a bit there'll be something nice underneath it. Thank you, Megumin."

Finally, Darkness shifted the large wrapped boxed towards Aqua.

"Ohhh, this one is really big." Aqua smiled excitedly. "Wow, Darkness, I wonder what you got me; to be honest, I thought you'd get me the most useless gift out of all three of you."

Since we all knew what Darkness' gift was, we looked away nervously.

Aqua unwrapped the box and lifted the top revealing the many letters and drawings from the kids of the town. As she looked through them, her face remained somewhat expressionless.

"Umm, Aqua, do you…like it?"

Aqua didn't reply to Darkness, she simply kept looking through all of the remaining items. Minutes later, after she placed the last letter down, she sighed.

Darkness, Megumin, and Irene stared at her in anticipation.

"Thanks, Darkness; your present is the most useless"—Darkness began to grow red—"but it's also the most heartfelt."

After the addition, Darkness fell to her knees with a breath of relief and said, "Irene helped as well."

Aqua turned to the maid and smiled. "Thank you, Irene. Just know if anything bad should happen, you can always seek shelter with the Axis Order."

She gave a slightly forced smile. "I'll keep that in mind, Aqua-sama."

Aqua closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A few seconds later, she opened them with a wide smile, saying, "This an occasion for celebration!" She placed the bottle of Holy Reverie on the table. "Be grateful, today you get to taste some of the best alcohol this Kingdom has."

I smirked. "I was gonna get sneak me some if you didn't offer anyways."

"Everyone except Kazuma."

"Oi!"

We ended up drinking the entire bottle well into midnight. By then, only Aqua and I were awake. Megumin had dozed off on the couch and was sleeping on my lap. Darkness was helped by Irene to her room, and since the maid herself didn't have much to drink, she simply went to bed soon after.

"You know," I said, "this stuff's not half bad; I feel a little numb, but not really all that drunk."

"Mhm." Aqua smiled blissfully; she had the most drinks by far. "Thank you, Kazuma."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I broke your other bottle so—"

"No, I mean for sticking with me."

"Oh? Well, sometimes I question that decision."

Aqua went quiet.

"…hey, come on, don't go quiet all of a sudden; it's not like you."

"…umu. I'm really glad for it all." She turned her head towards me. A single tear slid down her cheek. "I wonder if I'll find happiness like this once you're all gone."

Her words sent a chill throughout my body; for the first time in a long time, I felt like a human, a mortal. Sure, I always thought I was weak, but having friends in high places helped stave off the feeling of helplessness and the dread of death. Her words shattered that perception, and for a second, I felt all those fears flood into me like a valley at the bottom of a broken dam.

I looked away sharply. "Don't…don't say something like that."

I swallowed deeply, trying to hold back the odd feeling in my chest. A future without Aqua…I didn't really have to think about it; it was possibility, but not a certainty. However, for Aqua, it was the opposite; one day, we'll pass, and she'll still be around. I realized, the feelings in my chest weren't my own emotions, but hers; I could understand how she felt right now, the feelings of losing something precious to you, forever. I pitied her.

She broke the dreadful silence between us. "You don't have to worry about that though; as long as I'm around, I'll make sure you to bring you back, ok?"

I stared at her, and then looked away slightly. "It's not something you have to worry about either; that won't happen for a long time. I'm sure between now and then…"

Aqua closed her eyes and smiled. "A hikkiNEET will always be a hikkiNEET; you're no hero, but that's why I think it's fun being around you. Thank you for everything, Kazuma." She stood up and gave me a reassuring smile. "Goodnight."

She began walking off towards her room.

"Aqua!"

"Hm?"

"…goodnight."

She smiled once again, and then continued to her room.

Once she disappeared out of my sight, I sighed deeply. I stared at the sleeping girl whose head was on my lap; even the normally calming expression she had when she slept wasn't enough to quell the roiling feelings of negativity within me. I sat in silence for several minutes, the light crackling and warmth of the fireplace helping to soothe my soul.

After some time passed, I felt myself return to some semblance of normality; there were still lingering feelings, but for the most part, the more depressing thoughts were gone. Normally, I would take Megumin to her room, but tonight I felt particularly vulnerable, so I brought her to my own. As I settled into my bed, I quietly laughed to myself; to think that I'd be seeking comfort in a girl younger than me.

Megumin stirred awake. "Kazuma?"

"Hey, is it alright if you stay tonight?"

My question seemed to knock all weariness from her; she sat up slightly. "Everything ok?"

"Ah, yeah, just had an odd conversation with Aqua earlier."

"Odd? Like what?"

"...can we not talk about it?"

"…Kazuma…are you sure you're ok?"

"…umu."

She stared at me worriedly. "…I'll be back; let me go change."

"Sure."

At my response, her brows scrunched together slightly. After a few more seconds of worried stares, she left.

I stared up the dimly lit ceiling and pulled the covers up to my neck. As a few minutes went by, I closed my eyes to attempt to sleep. My door opened; Megumin returned, she was in her pajamas.

"That was fast," I commented as she slid into the covers.

"Umu, I was worried about you."

"I already told you, I'm fine."

"You're clearly not."

I frowned. "So, you can suddenly tell—"

"Of course, then again, it wouldn't even take a Crimson Demon to be able to tell."

"…"

"Kazuma, if you don't wanna say anything about it, I understand." She briefly went quiet, seemingly recalling something. "It's ok, you don't have to worry about it." Megumin scooched closer to me and wrapped her arms around my stomach, her head laying on my chest. "I'll be here if you need me."

"…thanks, Megumin."

-Afternoon

As I woke up, I sat up and yawned.

"Finally awake?" Megumin said; she was seated at the small table in my room.

She was clothed in her adventuring robes, so I assumed she woke well before me.

"I hope you slept well," She continued with knit brows. "Because you wouldn't wake up, I had to go do my Explosion routine without you."

I yawned once more. "Ok, so what's the problem?"

"What do you mean, 'what's the problem'?! I didn't have someone to rate my Explosion! If it was merely to go cast it, I would've been fine with anyone, but I feel like today it was a really good one and there was no one around with as much knowledge on explosions like you or me!"

"Alright, alright, I get it; I'll make sure to go with you next time."

Megumin smiled. "Good."

"Hey, have you been here all this time?"

She nodded. "After I came back with Darkness and Aqua, I slept on the couch for a couple hours, and then decided to come up here and do some reading while you slept."

"Eh, couldn't you do that in your own room?"

Megumin looked away slightly. "I was still sort of worried about you."

I grinned proudly. "Ah, hearing you say things like that really helps me forget how much trouble you could be sometimes."

She stared angrily at me, but otherwise didn't react strongly to my comment. "By the way, Kazuma, Darkness found a pretty good quest for us to do."

"Quest? What for?"

"We've been idle for a while now, aren't you bored?"

"Not really."

Megumin sighed. "I thought as much. Still, we should take a quest from time to time and this one doesn't seem too bothersome."

"How so?"

"It's a quest for land clearing."

"Land clearing? And Darkness chose it?"

"Umu."

I scrunched my brow in suspicion. "Oi, Megumin, you'd tell me if there was something odd about a quest like this, right?"

"Of course."

"Is it really just land clearing? Why would Darkness choose something so safe? And why would this girl go along with it; as far as quests go, she's as unreasonable as Darkness. That's right, Megumin wouldn't take such a benign quest unless it rewarded an amazing amount of experience. So, let me get this straight, there isn't anything strange with this quest; it's just a simple land clear?"

Megumin nodded.

I frowned. "I don't buy it. There's gotta be something going on with this if both of you are onboard."

"Hey, what do you take me for; even I'm ok with simple quests from time to time."

"Sure, I mean what do you get from all this?"

"I get to cast Explosion and the experience yield from the quest is supposed to be quite high."

"So, my assumption was correct. Didn't you cast Explosion already; how are you—"

"A manatite crystal."

"Right…I still don't get why Darkness would choose it though. What did Aqua have to say about all this?"

"She was ok with it after we explained its simplicity. Along with the high experience yield, the money reward is also large since the amount of land we'll be clearing is pretty huge."

I rubbed my chin; it all seemed too good to be true. Sure, I didn't need the money, but experience was always something I wanted to capitalize on, and if I could get a ton of it without having to fight dangerous enemies, all the better. "One last question; if it's such a simple quest with great rewards, how come no one else is taking it?"

Megumin smiled. "The quest is actually pretty difficult because the of the amount of land that needs to be cleared. Lucky for you, you happen to have an expert on clearing large amounts of space; with Explosion we'll be able to wrap up this quest quickly."

I still felt some reservations, but since all my questions were answered, I couldn't really turn down such an opportunity.

"Alright."

Darkness and Aqua were ready when me and Megumin came down.

"Kazuma, Megumin." Darkness looked to us both. "Are we taking the quest?"

"Sure," I replied. "And just to make sure, there's nothing weird with this quest, right; we're just clearing land?"

Darkness nodded. "The quest objective is to clear land for the plotting of more farmlands. Axel has been gaining more people, so the agricultural committee posted this request in order to make sure there's enough food to go around. As adjutant lord I couldn't really turn it down, so I'm kind of glad you accepted."

"Eh, so that's it; you could've just told me it was for that reason."

The rewards involved were starting to make sense with this revelation. I looked over at Aqua and noticed she was polishing away at the weird rock Megumin gifted her. She didn't seem to be sad anymore, more like distracted, as such, I felt some relief.

"Alright, let's get going."

Part 4

-On the outskirts

"This is it," Darkness informed.

I looked back; the city walls weren't far behind. "Hey, aren't we a bit too close to town? Using Explosion from this distance will just end up blowing another hole in the wall."

Megumin interjected. "Heh, you should know by now how much control I have over my explosions; I'll just tweak it a bit."

"Oi, listen here, if something happens to the wall, I'm not paying for it; you'll have to look for a job."

"Eh?" Megumin quickly turned away and pulled her hat low. "S-Something like this is child's play to someone of my caliber." She struck a pose and smiled confidently. "That's right, there's no problem; watch me, Kazuma, I'll produce the finest explosion yet. Having missed the one from this morning, I'm sure you're eagerly anticipating it."

"Ehhh, right." I pulled out a large manatite crystal from my satchel and handed it to Megumin.

After absorbing the latent mana it stored, the crystal shattered and turned to dust.

"Alright, here it goes!" Megumin yelled. "EXPLOOOOOSSSION!"

A massive shockwave swept across the field, stripping the land bare of fauna and revealing the terrain below. True to her word, Megumin tweaked her Explosion precisely; its effects were felt far and wide, however, the walls behind us took miniscule, if any, damage.

"Umu, that was a good one, Megumin." I surveyed the aftermath; besides a fairly large crater, it would seem our objective was met.

"Ha! Told you, Kazuma," She replied, face down in the dirt.

"Yeah, I gotta say I'm impressed; would be more impressive if you weren't in such a disgraceful state though."

"I, I can't help it."

"Right, right. Ok, let's head back to the guild and collect our reward." As I went to pick up Megumin, the ground started to shake. "Oi, what's going on; is it an earthquake?"

Darkness withdrew her sword with a smile. "It's here, it's here!"

"No wait, what's here?!"

Suddenly, the ground burst open and a massive centipede-like creature emerged.

"Wha, what the hell is that?!" I yelled.

Darkness giggled happily. "It's an Antlion Queen."

"You idiot! You knew this was gonna happen, didn't you?! Why the hell is something like that so close to town?!"

Aqua, who quickly hid behind me, tugged at my shirt. "Ka-Kazuma, this seems dangerous, maybe we should just leave it to the guards and adventurers."

"I'll cover you, Kazuma; take the others and—"

"Are you stupid?! There's no way you can take on something like that by yourself; we have to retreat!"

"B-But the town; if we leave now, it'll be in danger."

"This stupid girl! Goddamn it, why do they always have to do so many unnecessary things?!" I quickly assessed our options. "Fighting this thing on our own would likely be a death sentence and the only one capable of putting any damage on it is currently face down in the dirt. Our best course of action is to—"

"KAZUMA!" Aqua yelled. "What are you doing; it's headed this way!"

"Ahhh, damn it!" I picked Megumin up. "Darkness, let's retreat!"

"But Kazuma."

"Shut up and run you idiot!"

As we turned to do just that, the monster slid past us. Though it was large enough to completely ignore the wall, it chose to assault it directly. The guards manning the ramparts began to attack it, which in turn grabbed the monster's attention.

"Kazuma!" Darkness yelled; she stared angrily at the situation unfolding on the wall.

"I know!"

Suddenly the town's sirens blared, and an emergency broadcast went out announcing the Antlion Queen as a high bounty target.

Megumin shook my shoulder lightly. "Kazuma."

"What is it?"

"Get me some more manatite; I'll be able to kill this thing if I can just hit it with Explosion."

"You can't, it's already too close to the town."

I felt her grasp me tightly in frustration.

"Kazuma-kun, Megumin." Yunyun showed up with Vanir, Wiz, and Gren.

"Yunyun, what are you doing here?" Megumin asked from my back.

"I was—nevermind that, why are you guys running away from the walls?"

"I'm out of mana."

"So, that Explosion earlier…" Yunyun sighed. "Of course." Then she smirked. "Don't worry, Megumin, I'll deal with the monster."

"Eh, you deal with the monster; nope, not possible; only magic of the grandest scale would hurt something like that. Unless?!" Megumin quickly sat up, causing me to stumble slightly. "D-Did you learn Explosion too, Yunyun?!"

"Of course not!"

"Ah, I see, I was about to welcome you wholeheartedly; I would've proudly called you my rival."

"P-Proudly? Does that mean…ahhhhh, forget it! Wiz-san is a better mage than either of us so—"

Megumin stiffened up. "Wi, Wiz?" She began squeezing my shoulders tightly. "T-That's right, Wiz knows Explosion, doesn't she?" Megumin started to laugh nervously.

"Explosion?" Wiz queried. "No, I wouldn't—"

"That's it! Kazuma, give me another manatite crystal!"

"Oi, didn't I tell you—"

She shook me furiously. "I refuse to be showed up! No, I mean, the town, I refuse to let the town be assailed by the forces of darkness! That, that's right, my Crimson Demon blood calls out to me to protect the misfortunate from such creatures! Big, long, and hard things like that are the only things my magic is good enough for!"

"This…does this girl know no shame? Oi, Vanir, you gonna take part?"

"Moi, take part thy current engagement? Is it not thy party's fault for causing this mess in the first place?"

We looked away sharply.

"Or perchance is it thy insidious pet priest's fault; after all, moi seems to recall it's its 'day of birth'."

It was a challenge, but I managed to hold Aqua back whilst dealing with Megumin.

"In any case, moi will be helping with the protection of the helpless ones within the town."

"Hm, I see."

"Kazuma-sama, it's nice to see you again." Gren bowed deeply.

"Ah, Gren, it's good to see you too…I guess."

"Shop assistant, come with moi, thou needs thy help with securing the little ones around town."

"Oh?" Aqua said smugly. "And here I thought Kazuma was the only questionable person around children."

"Oi!"

"Seems odd considering your alignment."

Vanir laughed haughtily. "Says the petulant priest who's often seen socializing with the same children."

"…"

"SACRED EXCORCISM!"

"HWAHH." Vanir dodged gracefully.

And the beam hit Wiz. "WAHHHHH!"

"Wiz!" All of us but the two tied in the current bout yelled.

"YOU IDOIT!" I quickly grabbed Aqua by her collar.

"Wha—Kazuma, what do you think you're—"

"Look at what you've done!"

"Ah, Wiz…just give her a little bit of mana and she'll be fine."

"That's not the point, you idiot, who's gonna deal with the monster now?!"

"Ah…oh."

Vanir laughed. "Seems like the foolish priest has finally shown thy true colors; moi says, thou and thy kin are the true agents of chaos."

Given all her past actions, I found it kind of hard to argue with Vanir's insult. After transferring mana to Wiz and Megumin, Vanir and Gren left to tend to their original goal.

"Kazuma, we should head back and deal with the monster," Megumin remarked.

Looking at Wiz, although she was no longer disappearing, she was in no condition to fight.

"I agree with Megumin," Darkness said.

"What exactly can we do, we're not really equipped to handle urban combat," I retorted.

Yunyun interjected. "Don't worry, I'll help."

"Hey, Darkness…Kazuma-kun?" It was the Goddess of Luck and my silver-haired companion. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Chris," Darkness replied. "We're about to head to the wall."

"Hmm…is she ok?" Chris pointed at Wiz.

"She'll be fine," Aqua said offhandedly.

"Guys, we're wasting time here," Darkness said with a bit of seriousness in her voice.

"Right. Hey, Boss—I mean, Chris, is there any way you can look after Wiz?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Thanks, alright let's—"

"Hold on, Kazuma," Megumin interrupted. "I still need more mana; I won't be able to do anything in my current condition."

Yunyun quickly responded. "Using Explosion in the town is gonna make matters worse, Megumin; you can't use it!"

Just as Megumin was about to fire back, I stood up. "She can't use it in town, so we'll just have to…Darkness, go ahead and distract the monster, pull it away from the walls as best you can. Yunyun, help Darkness pull aggro, but stay to the rear. Aqua, help the others with your support spells."

"Kazuma, Kazuma, what about me; what should I do?"

"Come with me."

-Back at the mansion…

"Are you looking for a manatite crystal?" Megumin queried as I rummaged through a large lockbox.

"Yeah, but most of the ones here won't be enough."

"It's fine, smaller ones can still restore my mana; we'll just have to use multiple."

"Alright. Listen, Megumin, the plan is simple, me, Darkness, and Yunyun will draw the monster's aggro to pull it away from the town. Once we're far enough away, you go ahead and unleash your Explosion to finish it."

"Umu, got it." Megumin nodded.

-The front gates…

"Dammit, the walls are taking heavy damage and we've sustained heavy casualties."

"Captain."

"Lady Dustiness, what are you—"

"Pull the wounded back, my companion will take care of them."

"Ah, it's Lady Aqua. Thank you, Dustiness-sama, I was unsure how much longer we'd be able to stop it from breaking into the town."

"I'm headed down to confront it on my own; have the others fall back."

"Ah, L-Lady Dustiness…gah…such bravery. I'm sorry we're so useless!"

"Nonsense, you all are the pillar of strength we need; you've done your part, now, let me do mine."

The captain bit her lip in regret but ordered the retreat.

"Good, now I have it all to myself. Now, I hope Kazuma and Megumin take their time—"

"Darkness, what are you doing; why is that thing still near the walls?!" It was Kazuma.

"Gck. Kazuma, did you find everything you needed?"

"Umu; Megumin is ready to go. Get down there and use Decoy, me and Yunyun will head towards the forest and bombard it from afar."

"Right, leave it to me."

For some reason, as Darkness headed down the ramparts, she had small tears beading the corner of her eyes.

"Kazuma." Megumin got my attention. "Go with Yunyun, I'll get into position."

"Ok, I'm counting on you."

"Umu, don't worry, it'll be spectacular."

"Eh, no, no, it just needs to be a normal Explosion, nothing spectacular."

Megumin nodded with a wide smile; it was not reassuring. Nevertheless, I got off the wall and met up with Yunyun.

"Kazuma-kun." Yunyun was hidden behind a small overgrowth along the road.

"Hey, Yunyun." I knelt beside her.

"Are we simply supporting Darkness-san?"

"No, that blockhead is durable enough to take a couple hits from that thing…I think. We'll head towards the forest and hit it from afar; once it pulls away from the town, Megumin will hit it with Explosion."

"Ok, sounds good."

Normally, taking shelter within the forest would be a foolish move, but thanks to the Devil King's defeat and the presence of such a powerful monster, anything that could pose a threat would either be drawn to it or scared away. That's right, my plan was simple, but I felt proud in coming up with such an effective strategy; any possible issue was already covered for.

After me and Yunyun arrived at the edge of the forest, I withdrew a special arrow made for such fearsome foes.

"It might not be as good as the real thing, but even its earlier versions were able to seriously injure a Demon King's General."

"Oh, Kazuma-kun, is that one of those Explosion arrows?"

I nodded, lit the fuse, and then silently took aim at the back of the large monster.

"Go for it, Yunyun! SNIPE!"

I released the arrow and as it flew off, Yunyun started her own offensive.

"CURSED LIGHTNING!"

The attacks made contact at nearly the same time. When the small cloud of smoke cleared, the carapace of the Antlion Queen was barely damaged, however, they were still effective at pulling its attention from Darkness and more importantly, the town.

"Alright, Yunyun, it's headed this way; cast Teleport and take us back to Axel."

As soon as we arrived back in Axel, we ran towards the ramparts to meet up with the others.

Upon arriving, I saw that Megumin was still standing proudly; meaning she hadn't fired off her Explosion spell yet.

"Oi, what's the hold up, didn't I say—"

"Oh, Kazuma, you're back; I was waiting for your return."

"Are you stupid?! What's wrong with you guys?! Hurry up and hit it with Explosion before it decides to head back over here!"

Megumin glared at me but quickly turned towards the monster near the forest's edge.

"Oh, cursed fiend, blame your fate upon the dark gods which realized your creation. From the fiery pits you came, and from whence you shall return. Burn to ashes. BLAZING EXPLOOOSSION!"

A blinding fireball erupted in the distance, a second later the sweltering heatwave embraced us all, instantly causing shield our eyes and face. When the enormous glow died down, we look towards the forest.

"Ah, the forest, the forest is burning!" One of the adventurers yelled.

"The forest? No, not the forest!" Said another person.

"Oi…"

"We need the forest to live!" Cried out a citizen.

"Wait…"

"No, the lumber trade; Axel depends heavily upon it!" A man who appeared to be a merchant revealed.

"Hold on…"

"Why, who would do such a thing?!" An old lady said as she dropped to her knees.

"It was the crazy loli mage!" Another adventurer said.

"Yeah," a certain blonde-haired delinquent said. "She's the only one who knows Explosion around here!"

"Eh?" Megumin quickly looked around nervously; of course, in her vulnerable state, she looked to everyone frantically. "I-I'm not the only one who knows Explosion technically!"

"Hey, don't blame the beautiful shopkeep for your blunders!" Dust yelled.

"That's right, Dust, you tell her."

"I-I, I, I did it on Kazuma's orders!"

"Eh?"

Everyone shifted their attention to me.

"OI, YOU! I thought you were supposed to be on my side!"

"Don't worry, Kazuma," Aqua said as she noticed the commotion, "lucky for you, I'm the Goddess of Water; putting out a fire like this is no problem. SACRED CREATE WATER!"

A familiar deluge of water fell upon the forest and instantly snuffed out the fire.

Aqua smiled proudly, and then nudged my arm. "Go ahead and praise me; I just saved—"

"Hey," one of the adventurers nearby said, "doesn't it look like all that water is heading towards us?"

"…" Aqua stiffly looked towards me.

"YOU DAMN IDIOTS!"

"Everyone, get off the wall, it's headed this way!" The adventurer warned.

I wanted to leave the one responsible for all of this on the floor, but against my dark wish, I picked her up and ran.

Moments later, the flood of water crashed into the wall. Small cracks began to form as water shot through them, eventually, the entire section collapsed and the southern district of Axel was once again, flooded.

-Back at the Guild…

"Kazuma-san." It was Luna, the lead receptionist of the guild; she was smiling, but I knew what it meant.

She waved us over; we were seated at one of the tables awaiting the calculation of payment but headed over to the window once she signaled us.

"Ok, you're awarded the initial 6,000,000 eris for completion of the terrain clearing and the additional 650,000 for the extermination of the threatening monster said to live underneath."

My eye twitched; it seems like possible threats were outlined in the quest log.

"For defeating the high bounty target, The Antlion Queen, your party is awarded an additional 220,000,000 eris bringing your total rewards to 226,650,000 eris."

"Right, so now…"

"Now, as for the fees incurred. It'll be 225,000,000 eris to fix the broken section of wall."

I let out a sigh of relief. "At least there's something left."

Luna flipped the page and continued.

"345,000,000 in district and infrastructural damage, 20,000,000 for the displacement of homes and businesses, and an additional 228,000,000 in estimated impact to the future lumber trade; your total debt is…591,350,000 eris."

At that moment, I felt my soul leave my body.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of the living room; it appears I was still alive.

"Hey, Kazuma's awake." It was Darkness's voice.

Honestly, I felt dying would've been less stressful.

"Kazuma, are you feeling better?" Megumin asked.

I sat up and looked around. Megumin was at the foot of the couch, Darkness was to the armchair at the side, and Aqua in her own; our usual configuration.

"Oi, all of you have some explaining to do."

They averted their faces from my gaze.

"I, I don't know what you're talking about, Kazuma," Megumin said somewhat nervously. "Maybe you were just having a bad dream."

"Oi, don't fuck with me! Because of all of you we've racked up a huge debt!"

Aqua quickly interjected. "What's the problem, can't you just pay it off?"

I couldn't believe the gall of this blue thing. I chuckled lightly. "I'M NOT PAYING FOR A DAMN THING! You all were responsible for this; you're paying for this!"

"How is this my fault? I only used my water spell because of Megumin!"

"A, Aqua?!" Megumin looked to me nervously as I narrowed my eyes on her. "I, I only used my fire explosion because it was an insect-type monster!"

"Oi, what does this loli think this is, poke—"

"Besides, if I used normal Explosion, pieces of the monster would've been sent flying everywhere; it would've caused more damage."

I knit my brow further; I highly doubt she put that much thought into it.

"Hey, what's with that skeptical look? I really did consider such things!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Darkness was the most useful person during this whole thing; not only did she—wait…because of her, I took this quest in the first place. Nevermind."

"Wait, Kazuma, you were—"

"I was gonna say that you're the one with the most fault here."

"Huh, how?!"

"Don't 'how' me! We took the stupid quest because of you! Not only that, you clearly knew there were monsters when I asked you!"

"I-I told Megumin about it!"

"Huh?! Liar, you only told me there were Antlions, you never said anything about it being a queen!"

I interrupted. "It doesn't matter! All of you screwed up! So, this time I'm not bailing you guys out; you're getting jobs to pay back the debt."

Aqua quickly pounced on me and began wailing loudly. "KAAZUMA! Kazuma-san, I'm sorry!"

"Get off, I'm not changing my stance on this no matter how much you cry! I always have to end up paying in some way for your mistakes; this time, you guys will pay on your own, see how much you guys like it."

"How can you be so mean; it was my birthday yesterday!"

I pressed my finger into her forehead. "That's right, you said it, 'yesterday'. And just to let you guys know how serious I am about this, I decided to give you guys punishments until the debt is cleared."

"P-Punishments?" Our resident masochist stuttered.

"Aqua, you're cut off; no allowances of any sort. Megumin, I'm not accompanying you to your explosions. And Darkness, you…" I stroked my chin in an effort to find something suitable as a punishment; annoyingly, she waited with bated breath. "You, I'm gonna call you Lalatina until all of this is done." Darkness let out a displeased squeal.

They shuddered nervously at the declarations. I wanted to smile at my genius but kept a stern expression. Not only did I not have to worry about the troublesome things like Aqua's allowance or Megumin's Explosion trips, but these punishments also served double as a form of stress relief because of it.

"Well, I'm off; you guys should probably take this time to figure out how you're gonna pay all of this back."

Megumin spoke. "Wait, are you really gonna go out and have your own fun while we handle this debt?!"

"Oi, I'm going out to take care of something important!"

Megumin and Aqua frowned.

Before they could question me further, I headed out the door, leaving the girls to themselves.

"Knowing him, he's probably off to that shop," Aqua said angrily; she took a seat in her armchair.

"Shop?" Darkness queried.

I sat down as well. "Yeah, it's a certain café he tends to visit."

Darkness also took her seat. "A café?" She rubbed her chin inquisitively. "I didn't think Kazuma would frequent such places."

Aqua giggled. "That place is made for guys like him. Hmm, maybe we should go over there and destroy it."

"That's vandalism, Aqua."

"And it'll likely make things worse for us," I added. "So, now what?"

Aqua shrugged. She was petting Emperor Zell and looked unconcerned with the current events. "I don't think we should worry about it too much; give it a bit of time and Kazuma will definitely forget about it."

"I don't believe this is one of those things he'll forgive and forget, Aqua," Darkness informed. "Split evenly, each of us is responsible for roughly 197 million eris; no matter how we look at it, the total debt between us is absolutely massive."

I grimaced at the depressing levels of information. "The only way we're clearing this debt is going after high bounty targets; taking on regular jobs means it would take years."

Aqua interjected. "Again, I think you guys are thinking way too much on this. Why don't you follow my example and just relax?"

"Forgive me." Irene, who was standing in quiet observation, spoke. "Lalatina-sama, you could always just ignore the master's pettiness; it might be out of turn for me to say such things, but the master is certainly capable of paying of a debt he, no doubt, is responsible for."

Darkness shook her head. "No, Irene; this time the fault falls on me. What he said is basically all true; Kazuma isn't responsible for anything this time. Besides, even if it wasn't the case, I can't leave my friends to deal with such matters by themselves."

"…I see." She bowed. "Forgive my foolhardiness."

Part 5

Darkness shifted her attention to me. "Going after high bounty targets isn't a bad idea, Megumin, but they'd need to be on the level of the Antlion Queen or higher for it to be worth the time."

"High bounty target?" Aqua said. "I'm not doing something so dangerous; you guys can deal with such things yourselves."

I bit my fingertip in thought. "Without Aqua we'd be in big trouble."

Darkness went on. "If I'm being honest, we'd likely need more than just the three of us. While I don't mind acting as the shield for all of us, we'd be lacking another vanguard."

"Kazuma never said he wouldn't help us clear the debt, but I'm sure he wouldn't like to take part in another bounty; still, if it was just a normal quest, it probably wouldn't amount to much…ughhh…debt. Wait a minute."

"?"

"We could just do things to rectify our mistakes, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Aqua, you could help with the wall's reconstruction; with your aid, I'm sure the resulting wall would be even sturdier than before. Darkness, me and you can go plant some new trees near the forest."

"I see, good thinking, Megumin. If we're able to complete such things, I can see about getting some of the debt waived."

"What do you think, Aqua?"

She sat up lazily. "I don't mind doing a little construction with the boys; it's been a while."

I grinned at the small triumph. "Alright, since today's almost over, we'll set about doing this tomorrow morning."

"I'll start preparing dinner," Irene announced.

-A few hours later; late evening

"I'm back!"

When I returned the three of them were seated on the couch playing video games.

"Ah, welcome home, Kazuma," Darkness said.

"Is this what you guys been doing since I left?"

Megumin glanced up from the game and answered. "We'll start doing things tomorrow; it was already too late."

"Good." I took a seat beside Aqua, who appeared to be next in line for the control. "So, what did you guys decide on?"

"Hm—oh, Aqua's gonna do construction, Darkness and I are gonna plant some trees in the forest."

"Oh? I'm actually surprised you guys picked such tame stuff to do; I honestly believed you'd pick something stupid like another bounty target."

Megumin flinched and the onscreen character died. She begrudgingly passed the controller. Aqua and her exchanged positions.

"Heh, do you think that's all we're capable of, Kazuma?" She spoke with a sense of pomp and assuredness, but the intermittent twitch of her brow gave her away.

"…that's totally what you were thinking of, wasn't it?"

She looked away, and then quickly gazed at me with a more anxious expression. "Kazuma, this debt is almost as large as the one you once had; if I'm being honest, I don't know if I can pay it all off."

I raised my brow. "Giving up? That isn't like you, or are you trying to get out of it?"

She looked back to Darkness and Aqua, and then spoke in a semi-hushed tone. "Unlike Aqua or Darkness, I'm not good at holding a job."

I stared at her; her gloomy expression made me feel a bit of pity for her. I remembered some of the entries of her diary, the way they recounted her multiple failures at doing menial labor. It wasn't that Megumin was incapable of doing them, rather, her abrasive attitude often got her in trouble.

"It's been a while since you've worked, hasn't it?"

She looked back to me and nodded.

"Then maybe whatever was holding you back has changed. You should try doing it again before you come to that conclusion, I mean, you're not the same Megumin as before, right?"

She stared at me with slight surprise and then looked down with a faint smile. After closing her eyes briefly, she fixed her gaze upon me once more, this time with a pleased smile. "You're right; maybe I'll go around town tomorrow and apply for some jobs."

To think that I'd be capable of encouraging someone to get a job…

Shortly after that conversation, I went to eat the dinner that was saved for me, and then headed for the bath. The mansion was dark when I came out; it seemed to me that everyone turned in early. Due to today's events, I felt somewhat tired. As I laid down and closed my eyes, I could feel my consciousness slip away and soon enough I fell asleep.

-Next morning

"Probably wise to lay off using Explosion for a while," I said as we walked through the town.

Darkness looked at me incredulously while Aqua asked, "Are you ok, Megumin?"

"I'm fine; in fact, I feel quite good. I just figured using Explosion so soon would probably ruin our case in waiving some of this debt. Darkness, I'm gonna do a few things before we head to the forest; feel free to go do whatever you need to."

"Hmm, in that case, I'll go speak with some of the administrators about coming to an agreement."

"Good idea. Listen, don't worry about me, take your time; if I need help with the planting, I'll just ask Yunyun or something."

"Well, this is me," Aqua said. "I'll see you guys later."

Me and Darkness waved as Aqua walked off towards the construction site.

"I should probably go speak with the foreman about making a deal since we're here," Darkness remarked.

"Umu. We can meet up at the guild hall if anything."

"Ok, see you."

With Aqua and Darkness gone, I set about looking for a job. As I went around to the shops and stands throughout town, I was quickly coming to the realization that finding an employer in Axel would be just as difficult, if not, even more difficult than finding one in the Crimson Village.

The issue was that everyone I spoke to knew me as the "Crazy Explosion Mage", the "Loose Cannon", and the newly acquired, "Firecracker Mage"; who was spreading such disgraceful names? In hindsight, losing my cool in front of prospective employers probably wasn't helping to erase these sentiments about me.

Sitting on a bench in a small section of town, I huffed at my lack of success; it seems things still haven't changed since back then.

"Ahhh, if it isn't the crazy Crimson Demon girl who has a knack for acquiring unsavory epithets."

I looked up to see the masked devil in front of me.

"Are you here to simply make fun of me?"

He laughed. "Moi sees uncertainty upon the expression of thy face; care to share what causes thee distress?"

I frowned; getting involved with this devil was touchy at best. "I'm, I'm looking for a job."

"Hmmm, a job thee says?" The devil rubbed lining of his chin, and then smiled widely. "Moi is always looking for new assistants."

"I'm looking for a job, not to be an unwitting volunteer."

"MWHAHAHA, moi forgets thy penchant for patience is severely lacking."

"I don't have issues being patient." I said this, but I could feel my face scrunch up in anger. "Anyways, if you don't have anything for me, go ahead and scurry along; I'm sure you've got your hands full."

Vanir adopted a more serious expression and stood up straight. "If payment is what thee needs, need moi not remind you that thy cheeky brat received his fortune from moi himself; be of ample and suitable service to moi's needs and moi shall reward you handsomely."

Giving it thought, Vanir was the reason we were pulled out of poverty and into the privileged class. Though dealing with him was something me and Aqua always disapproved of, one couldn't deny, he always delivered on his promises.

I bit my lip. "F-Fine; first tell me what you need of me, then I'll see about working for you."

Vanir stared at me stoically, and then, after a few moments, grinned. "Moi would simply like thee to join thy kin in planting some trees in the forest."

"Planting…is he reading my thoughts?"

His lips curled as I pondered this. "A simple task, no? So, what says thee?"

"If it's planting some trees it's perfect, this is, after all, what I set out to do with Darkness anyways. Fine, I'll do it."

"Wonderful! Thy friend awaits at the shop, follow moi."

When I entered the shop, I saw Yunyun browsing several wares on the shelf. First to greet both me and Vanir was Gren, which in turn, caught Yunyun's attention.

"Megumin, what are you doing here?"

"I wasn't aware I needed a reason to be here."

"T-That's not what I meant!"

Vanir interrupted. "Crimson Demon friend, moi has sought further assistance for the task assigned. Would thee go with thy companions and finish this request?"

Yunyun looked between me and Vanir, and then settled her eyes on me. "Megumin's is helping with planting trees?"

"Of course. I was sitting at the park when this devil asked for my help. Being the great friend I am, I couldn't just leave you to do this task all by yourself."

"Ehhh? Technically I was going with Gren-san, so I wouldn't be alone."

"…"

The masked devil pitched in. "And didn't thee ask moi for help seeking employment?"

"…"

"MWAHAHA, thy humiliation is a fitting snack for moi; please continue telling such embarrassing lies."

I wanted to blow this devil up.

-On the way towards the forest…

"I'm surprised to see you alone, Megumin; where are the others?"

"Kazuma's at the mansion sleeping, Aqua's helping with the reconstruction, and Darkness went to ask for some favors."

"Hmm, so Megumin wanted to do something worthwhile today, how noble."

"Quit patronizing me, Yunyun. Hey, Gren-san, don't let this girl fool you, she's been a loner as long as she's lived and tends to inflate her ego by telling lies to make—"

Yunyun quickly threw her hands over my mouth. "Ok, ok!"

Gren giggled lightly. "Megumin-san, sorry to ask, but has Kazuma-sama found anything regarding my sister?"

"Ah…I'm not sure; he hasn't said to me about it." Gren looked down in gloom. "Rest assured," I quickly said, "we're trying our best to find leads concerning her whereabouts though."

Hearing this, Gren smiled faintly. "Thank you. Even if the information gathered should be the worst, please, don't hesitate to inform me; I've been restless with concern."

"…I understand; I too have a little sister."

"Oh, Megumin-san does?"

I nodded. "Her name's Komekko; that girl is always making her older sister worry."

Yunyun spoke. "Despite how she looks, Megumin is actually a pretty caring person."

"Hey, what do you mean 'despite how I look'?"

The two of them laughed and after more bickering and conversation we were stood at the edge of the burnt forest.

"Geez, Megumin, you really did a number on this place."

"I know; isn't the power of my Explosion a fearsome thing to behold?"

"It wasn't a compliment."

"Alright, quit your nonsensical talking, did you bring the seeds, Yunyun?"

She sighed, and then dug into the small pouch on her waist. "Vanir-san said to only use three seeds, ok?"

"Then why'd he give you so much more?"

Realizing how stupid this was, Yunyun stared at me in embarrassment. "J-Just—HERE, three seeds!"

"Huh, don't give them all to me; I came to help, not do all the work. There're three seeds and three of us, so we'll each take one. I'll go over there and plant this one, you two should spread out."

"Good thinking, Megumin-san," Gren said in praise.

After walking some distance away, I searched for an open spot to plant the seed.

"Alright, this looks like a good place."

I squat down and dug a fairly deep hole with my hands. The soil was pitch black and warm to the touch; even a day after, the heat of the flames still lingered deep within the earth. I took the small container attached to my belt and opened it, pouring a bit of water into the hole. No sooner than touching the dirt did it disappear, the ground hungrily absorbing it like a living entity.

I dropped the seed into the hole and covered it up. A few seconds later, a small stalk sprouted from the dirt, its deep green complexion a stark contrast to the surrounding black.

I smiled and cleaned off the excess dirt from my hands.

"AHHHHHH!"

A screamed pierced the relative silence; it came from the direction of the others. I quickly got to my feet and sprinted towards it.

When I arrived, I saw Gren halfway up a tree, hanging on for her dear life; below her, were several Antlions, their enormous vices gnawing eagerly at the air.

"Megumin!" Yunyun arrived shortly after. "Oh no, Gren-san."

"Damn, Antlions; these must be part of the hive. After killing the queen, they must've broken off. Yunyun, I need your help."

"Megumin…do you have a plan?"

"Umu. Use your magic to get their attention, get them as far away as possible. I'll use that opportunity to get Gren-san down, and then regroup with you."

"Alright. LIGHT OF SABER!"

In an instant, one of the Antlions was hewn in two; the rest, turned towards Yunyun and retreated underground; they were preparing to attack. As per my instruction, Yunyun ran in the opposite direction, the Antlions surfacing just behind her in chase.

"You can come down now, Gren-san."

She did. "Megumin-san, what about Yunyun?"

"She'll be fine for the moment, but don't worry, I'll go save her. Find someplace safe and far away from here, ok?"

Gren nodded, and then took off.

After watching her to make sure nothing else troubled her, I turned in the direction where Yunyun ran and made my way towards her.

"Yunyun!"

"Megumin!"

The Antlions had surrounded her and were slowly approaching. Yunyun looked around nervously, her wand pointing tentatively at the numerous targets.

"Yunyun, use Teleport and get out of here!"

"But, Megumin, if I do that, you'll be alone!"

"Humph, do you really believe a bunch of Antlions are a threat to me; I took out their queen, these grubs are nothing to me!"

"Stop saying such stupid things, Megumin only knows Explosion, if I leave and you cast it, you'll be in a vulnerable position; what would happen then?!"

"Eh." I shirked back in realization but quickly regained my composure, clearing my throat loudly in the process. "You're running out time, Yunyun; don't worry, I got this!"

"You're being irresponsible again, Megumin; you just want to fire off your Explosion! Our efforts will be pointless!"

"Hey, shut up and go, already!"

"Ahhh, Teleport!"

The loner vanished and the Antlions instantly turned their attention to me.

With a smirk, I pulled off my eye patch. "Rue this day, foul creatures, but worry not, for I am your merciful destroyer. Soon you will be reunited with your louse of a queen…in Hell. Disintegrate! EXPLOOOOOSSION!"

"Really, Megumin, how could you be such an idiot?!" Yunyun yelled as she carried me.

"There was no choice," I declared with a satisfied smile.

"If we coordinated a little bit, I'm sure I would've been able to take care of them without you having to use your Explosion spell and without having to ruin our work! What do you think Vanir-san is gonna say—or Kazuma-kun?!"

"!"

"I'm sure once Kazuma-kun knows you blew up more of the forest he's gonna be even more—"

"It-It's fine; he won't know, cause he won't find out, because you won't tell him, right?"

Yunyun sighed heavily. "You should really consider how much trouble you cause other people with that unrestrained attitude of yours…"

Gren, who was walking alongside us, said, "Personally, I believe Megumin-san's spell was a sight to behold; even as far as I was, I could still see it."

"Aha, another person who can appreciate the magnificence of Explosion magic."

"Gren-san, please don't enable her."

She smiled playfully.

"Really, Megumin, we wasted those seeds—"

"Did you really think I fired it off without thought; I made sure to tweak my Explosion to be enough to destroy the Antlions but nothing else."

"The swathes of fallen trees say otherwise."

"They're burnt, it wouldn't take much to have them fall over."

Yunyun sighed once more. "Well, I suppose it's ok then."

"Umu. Even if the seeds were uprooted, I don't think we have to worry."

"Why's that?"

"Cause I made sure to plant the other ones you had."

"…"

After returning to the store with Yunyun and Gren, I received my payment in the form of a manatite crystal and small pouch of eris. According to the masked devil, the payment was in direct correlation to my work, and despite wanting to fire back, I held my tongue; I had to try and rein in this argumentative attitude which caused me so many problems.

Taking my compensation, I said my goodbyes and decided to return home. I had originally planned on meeting up with Darkness at the guild hall, but it was becoming fairly late and I was tired and dirty from messing around in the forest.

"I'm home," I said as I entered.

Kazuma was lounging on the couch playing on the handheld. He was still in his tracksuit and his hair was messy, so I could only assume he woke up recently.

"Ah, Megumin. How'd everything go?"

"Busy." I collapsed beside him, my body slumping into his.

"Guh—oi, you stink."

I glared at him. "I was working…unlike someone."

"Oh? Then go ahead and wash up."

I looked around curiously; the house was quiet. "Is Aqua and Darkness back?"

"Hm? No, I don't think so; you're the first I've seen."

"How about Irene?"

"Ah, the maid? She said something about needing to do some personal work, so she left sometime earlier."

"Oh, I see."

Kazuma sat up. "In celebration for getting a job, how about I cook something for you?"

"Cook something…I don't mind."

"Ok, what do you want me to cook?"

"Anything's fine."

"Really, you're gonna waste a request like that?"

"Fine, how about something with a lot of meat in it?"

"Hmm, the season is good for a hotpot; I'll see about making a shabu-shabu."

As he went to get up, I grabbed his arm.

"Megu—"

"Hey, Kazuma, do you want to take a bath together?"

"…"

"Nothing silly, just a simple bath, I promise."

Kazuma stared at me worriedly, and then sighed. "Well, I haven't taken one today so…"

The door opened and Kazuma walked in, towel around his waist. "So, do you wanna go first or—"

"Me first, please."

He took a seat behind me. "Umm, I-I can't really wash your back with the—"

"Right." I shifted the towel, so my back was exposed.

I waited in anticipation, but when the washcloth pressed against my skin, I flinched. After a few minutes of scrubbing, Kazuma dumped a bucket of warm water onto me. He scooped another, and then dumped it on himself.

"Oi, Megumin, I know you said nothing silly, but…"

I felt my body slowly curl up in reflex; my muscles beginning to tense, my heart rate, rise. Suddenly, I could feel my hair slowly lift from my back.

"Hey, Megumin, your hair is pretty long now."

"Umu. Do you…like it?"

Kazuma remained quiet, but I felt him run his fingers through, finally he said, "Yeah."

With how hard my heart was beating, I thought it was about to burst through my chest. I swallowed deeply. "Do you want it longer?" I asked.

"Longer?" Kazuma went quiet once more, then after nearly a minute, he spoke. "Is it too much trouble? I heard having long hair is somewhat annoying for a girl."

"It is…but it can't be helped." I leaned back and stared at him with a smile. "It can't be helped if my hopeless pervert of a husband demands it."

"Oi, I never demanded—"

I giggled, and then got up. "Your turn."

"My turn?"

"Umu, to wash your back."

"Ah, right."

We traded places. As Kazuma took his seat, I stared at his back. With how often I saw him lazing about, it was sort of unthinkable to believe that it was this defined; had it always been? I touched it curiously. Similar to me, Kazuma flinched.

"Megumin?"

"Sorry, you had a cut on your back so…"

"Ah…"

I began scrubbing and just like earlier, silence befell us.

"Kazuma."

"Yeah?"

"Have you been…exercising?"

"Hm? Not really; why?"

"You haven't?"

"I mean, not deliberately anyways. Why, am I starting to gain weight or something?"

As he spoke, I began to notice that Kazuma was fairly muscular, but not overly so; he was quite lean. They were details not readily apparent under normal circumstances.

"No, you're fine; just wanted to ask."

"…why, do you like muscular guys?"

"I like Kazuma; so, it doesn't really matter."

"…I mean…would you be fine if I turned into a ball?"

I smiled. "Kazuma is already other forms of inanimate objects so being another wouldn't really change anything."

"Oi, come on; I mean if I gained a lot—"

"I know what you mean, but I didn't fall in love with you for your looks." I could feel Kazuma's body tense up. I couldn't help but giggle in response. Pressing my forehead to his nape, I continued. "I fell in love with who you are; I've accepted everything about you, Kazuma, I've told you this."

After a brief moment, I pulled away and dumped the bucket of water onto him.

"Here." I handed him the washcloth and took one of my own.

I pressed my back against his and began scrubbing the rest of my body.

"I thought you were gonna—"

"No silly stuff, remember? I know how difficult it is for Kazuma to resist, so I'm not gonna tempt you."

"A little late for that, don't you think?"

I smirked. "Just finish scrubbing yourself."

Kazuma sighed.

Though there were some awkward moments and mild feelings of reservation, the rest of the bath was peaceful.