Megumin is the winner and OW-
I CLAIM VICTORY IN THE NAME OF THE CRIMSON DEMON CLAN!
Megumin's Path Part 1: Love is an EXPLOSION!
A guitar riff followed by blaring trumpets filled the smokey air, the silhouettes of four posing Adventures lit by the lights behind them.
Darkness was the first to break her pose, dancing to the forefront, her cheeks flushed as she sang.
My name is Darkness,
I'm the toughest tank around!
I'll be your shield, never fear! (Konosuba!)
With my incredible armor,
and limitless strength!
Next it was Kazuma's turn, and he sprang forward, moving in rhythm to the beat, sweat trickling down his face.
My name is Kazuma,
I'm the party Adventurer
I've got the most skills! (Konosuba!)
I'll take just what I need,
with my ultra Stealing Technique!
Kazuma resumed his pose, and the party sang the chorus together.
Yes we are! We've just got here!
Konosuba! Konosuba!
The most elite Adventuring Squad!
We'll save the day every time!
We're the Adventuring Elite Forces!
We'll show you our special fighting pose!
Konosuba! Yeah!
Twirling out onto the stage, Aqua pirouetted and grinned, winking at the audience.
I'm Aqua!
The cutest party member!
I keep my party's spirits up
With my healing and buffs (Konosuba!)
With a goddess on your side,
How could you ever fail?
Gracefully, Aqua resumed her pose, and they sang the second verse together.
Yes we are! We've just got here!
Konosuba! Konosuba!
The most elite Adventuring Squad!
We'll beat the devil king,
Just you watch us, no fear!
We'll laugh and drink and fight!
Konosuba! Yeah!
Now it was time for the finale. There was a blaze of flame and crack of thunder, and Megumin appeared on the stage, her red eyes gleaming as she began her intricate and alluring dance.
Behold! I am Megumin!
The mistress of Explosion Magic!
With a single blow, (Konosuba!)
I'll defeat the mightiest of foes!
I'm the Mightiest of the squad
With my Crimson Might!
Take heed, O King of Evil
For your doom approaches!
Behold! EXPLOSION!
The whole party stepped forward, dancing in synch as they sang the final verse.
Yes we are! We've just got here!
Konosuba! Konosuba!
The most elite Adventuring Squad!
The best of friends, we're in it together!
Join us now, in our incredible dance!
Let our song lift your spirits!
Come on! Super Adventuring Squad!
Yes we are! We've just got here!
Konosuba! Konosuba!
The most elite Adventuring Squad!
Darkness!
Kazuma!
Aqua!
Megumin!
Konosuba! Elite Adventuring Squad!
Yeah!
Everyone snapped back into their poses, breathing hard. At first, Kazuma smiled, just because of how much fun it had been to finally get to display the dance they'd been working on for weeks. Aqua looked excited, Darkness flushed and satisfied, and Megumin was beaming with pleasure.
And then the booing started.
"What the hell was that?"
"Get off the stage!"
"Who let the Crimson Demons in here?"
"Man, I knew these guys were losers, but wow."
The only person in the whole room who was clapping was Yunyun, who was standing up on the table and cheering. "That was great guys! Megumin, you're amazing! How did you come up with such an incredible dance!?"
"I am so embarrassed," Darkness moaned. "They're all looking at me, mocking us! I can't stand it!"
"Keep that between you and Becky, alright," Kazuma hissed. Becky wasn't her real name, but Kazuma could not pronounce the gobbledygook that passed for a name among succubi. At least Darkness had someone to keep her happy, because Kazuma just couldn't anymore. Even he wasn't that perverted.
Aqua started giving as good as the party got, yelling and waving angrily at their hecklers. But when Kazuma looked at Megumin, his heart just about broke. She was standing there, trembling, tears in her eyes, as her dreams shattered around her. For weeks, she'd looked forward to being able to share this with their friends at the guild, seeing it as expression of her hometown culture. This hadn't just been a silly song and dance to Megumin, this had been what she'd poured her heart and soul into, and to have that tossed back in her face was clearly hurting her.
"Hey, it's ok," Kazuma said, stepping over and putting an arm around Megumin as they walked off the stage that had been set up for the First Annual Axel Adventurer's Guild Talent Show. "Screw 'em. That was great! Best I've ever seen! You looked really cool out there, a true Crimson Demon!"
Megumin leaned up at against Kazuma, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. "Those stupid morons. They don't know a proper Crimson Demon greeting and Theme Song when they see it! Just wait, I'll call down Explosion magic on all of them! Any that get away, I'll hit them with a Fireball!"
"Calm down, Tiger," Kazuma laughed, ruffling Megumin's hair. "We still need the Guild Hall for quests. Don't forget, we've made a pretty penny in the past few months, even with Winter here. Remember when you beat the Winter Shogun?"
"Yes," Megumin admitted, looking away. "B-but, Kazuma, you died then…"
"Eh, Aqua brought me back again, and you roasted his ass, so it's all good," Kazuma said with a shrug.
Megumin looked like she wanted to argue, but then Yunyun ran up, out of breath, her eyes sparkling. "Megumin! That was INCREDIBLE! You know I'm not usually one for, um, some of our peoples, er, odder aspects, but that was great! You have to teach me how to do that!"
Just like that, Megumin's earlier travails seemed to be forgotten, and she eagerly started to discuss plans with Yunyun for bringing this new found knowledge back to their people. Kazuma was about to wander away and get an ale, when Megumin grabbed him and pulled him back in.
"Kazuma's the real genius behind this, Yunyun," Megumin said, giving him a smug grin. "He's the one we need to take back to the village. His talents for poses and the revolution of theme songs are astonishing for one not of the Clan."
"What, Kazuma came up with that?" Yunyun said, frowning as she looked back and forth between the two fo them. "I'm...surprised."
"Ha! You should know that I carefully selected my party, choosing only those who fully embrace the ways of the Crimson Demons!" Megumin bragged.
"I thought you joined Kazuma's party because you were starving and wouldn't let me buy you any more food, and he was the only one who let you along?" Yunyun asked. Megumin jerked, her smile starting to slip slightly.
"Nah, we had to practically beg her to come along with me and Aqua," Kazuma said with a dismissive shrug. "We had no offensive power, and I'm just an Adventurer while Aqua is, you know…"
They all looked over, to where Aqua had forgotten her earlier anger, and was now leading the bar in a rousing drinking song while performing an elaborate dance and shadow puppet routine.
"...special," Kazuma finished.
"Um, yeah. But what I meant is, you're really growing up, Megumin," Yunyun explained. "I'd have thought you would have taken all the credit for yourself. You must be really good friends in your party…"
Yunyun looked so crestfall that even Megumin was moved to pity. "Hey, it's OK. You should come back to the mansion with us, Yunyun! Kazuma says that originally, there were supposed to be five people as a part of the pose. He calls it the 'perfect tokusentai squad.' Well, we need a fifth member, and I think as my personal best friend, you are clearly the best pick!"
"Y-you mean it?!" Yunyun gasped. "B-but I don't know a theme song, and I'm really clumsy...I don't know if I could learn to dance like the rest of you."
"Heh, you should have seen Darkness! She was hopeless at first. But do not fear, under the tutelage of myself and Kazuma, you too can learn to become a prodigy of the Crimson Demon Clan!" Megumin proclaimed.
They ended up leaving early before the rest of the acts were finished, even though it had been Kazuma and Megumin who had organized the talent show in the first place. With their own act thoroughly rejected, Kazuma understood why Megumin would want to be done with the whole thing. He felt bad they'd gone through so much effort only to have it thrown back in their face. He'd have to work extra hard to keep Megumin's spirits up for the next few days. He didn't need his parties' newly functioning DPS machine breaking down. Plus, seeing her hurt was almost worse than dying again for some reason.
Yunyun ended up basically moving in with them for the rest of the winter, and she spent long hours with the party practicing their newly modified theme song. She also seemed to fit in remarkably well with the others, and having an extra Archwizard on hand meant they could take on even more challenging quests than before.
There was just one problem: Megumin and Yunyun ended up spending an awful lot of their free time together. It was only natural, they were childhood friends and all, but Kazuma felt himself growing increasingly jealous and sulky despite his best efforts. To try and get out of his funk, he ended up going into town more often to hang out with Dust. Which of course, inevitably led to the Succubus Cafe.
Absently, Kazuma let his mind wander as he filled out his card. What did he want? Last time he'd asked for a bit titted older woman, but that wasn't what he wanted. He started listing attributes of his perfect dream girl, getting pretty detailed. He held it up to double check, but as he was reading it the bottom dropped out of his stomach and he felt sick. He'd just perfectly described Megumin. Right down to the propensity for melodrama and red eyes. He shredded the form and fled the cafe as Dust called after him in confusion.
Sitting down with a beer in the Guild Hall, Kazuma, tried to drown his sorrows. He was NOT falling for Megumin, no sir. She was jailbait! A crazy chuni mage with an Explosion fetish. So what if she'd grown up a lot in the past couple of months, taking a more active role in the party? It wasn't like he enjoyed their time practicing that dumb theme song and poses. Which was why it was sort of disturbing that he found himself humming the tune so often...Bah, whatever. It was just that stupid Mere Exposure effect he'd read about. Really, he was just as attracted to Megumin as the rest of the girls.
He looked up, spotting Chris handing out with some of her friends and smiled. Now there was a , and more mature. Her breasts were nice, just enough curve to remind you she was a woman, with short hair. I'd be nice if she was a little more animated though. He wondered what she would look like posing, and what her theme song would be?
That was enough. Kazuma gave it up as a bad job and fled back to the mansion.
The next morning, Kazuma sat at the table, a mug of tea in his hands, feeling sorry for himself. He'd had to listen to Darkness' happy moaning all night again. Dammit, why couldn't that have been his kink? She'd been willing it was just...he couldn't do it. Aqua skipped in and smiled at Kazuma. "Did you hear? It's spring! That means we can get back to questing, and being the Devil King! I made sure everyone's gear is ready, weapons polished, the works!"
"Yeah ok, thanks Aqua," Kazuma sighed. "Good work." He handed over another sticker, and Aqua eagerly pasted it in and rallied the troops. Megumin and Yunyun came in, all smiles and conspiratorial giggles and whispers. Kazuma rolled his eyes. At least someone was happy.
They set out once more, and Kazuma forced himself to smile. Really, things weren't that bad. He had friends now, even Yunyun. He watched Megumin as she talked with Darkness, laughing and smiling, talking animatedly about how they could pose together after they defeated the den of One Punch Bears. At least he had that to look forward to. Relaxing, Kazuma let himself enjoy the day and company.
The bears were no problem, especially since with Darkness in the mix, they utterly failed to live up to their names. With her new Advanced 2-Handed Sword Skill, Power Strike, and Charge, Darkness was now a formidable tank. True, she couldn't really put out that much damage, and she only killed a single bear on her own, but she kept the rest of them safe. Kazuma stayed in the back with Megumin and Yunyun as usual, sniping at any stragglers while Aqua kept Darkness healthy.
When they were done, Megumin played their music, and they all struck a pose together. Everyone was too tired for the whole thing, but it was silly fun and everyone laughed.
"Come on, let's head back home you two," Yunyun said loudly to Darkness and Aqua.
"Us two?" Aqua asked, confused. "But what about-"
"Indeed, I believe we must head out, posthaste," Darkness said seriously, putting a hand on Aqua's back and hurrying her forward.
"But I didn't get my stickers," Aqua mumbled as the three of them hurried off.
"Don't worry, I'll buy you some snacks in town," Yunyun assured Aqua. "You were really amazing today, Aqua! I could feel my magic getting stronger with your buffs!"
Kazuma blinked, watching as the other three rapidly faded into the distance. "What's up with them?" He glanced at Megumin, who had stayed at his side. "Come on. Let's head back too."
"Actually," Megumin said, looking to the side and taking a hold of Kazuma's sleeve. "I was, um, hoping we could go by an old castle I found. I, um, haven't used my Explosion in a while, and I was hoping you would take me there."
"What, don't you want your best friend to take you?" Kazuma asked.
"I, um, do," Megumin said, blushing and looking up at him.
"But Yunyun's gone," Kazuma pointed out.
Megumin blinked, and sighed. "Kazuma, I want you, my best friend, to take me on an exciting excursion. Just the two of us. Some would, in fact, call that a date."
Now it was Kazuma's turn to blush. "Oh. Um, is it a date?"
"Apparently not," Megumin said, and started in the direction of Beldia's castle.
Once his brain kicked into gear, Kazuma hurried up to Megumin. They walked in silence for a while, Megumin's eyes fixed forward, he staff in her hands. Kazuma wasn't really sure what to do, so he just shoved his hands in his pockets and walked at her side. Absently, he started to whistle to himself.
As they walked, Megumin started to sing along to his whistling.
Explosions, Explosions, la-la-la
The next thing Kazuma knew, he and Megumin were skipping through the meadows, holding hands as they sang the stupid nonsense song. He knew he should have felt silly, but instead, he felt content and happy.
They arrived at the old castle, and Megumin set up to cast her spell.
"Hmm, let's see. 'Darkness of my soul, come forth, manifest thine self in crimson glory!' Hmm, no, not quite, I used that one already…"
"Does the chant actually matter?" Kazuma asked, curious. "They're all kinda similar, but never use the same one twice."
"Of course it matters! It has to be as cool as possible! Otherwise the magic won't work properly! I thought you understand that, Kazuma!" Megumin snapped, turning to glare at him.
"Oh, no I get that," Kazuma mused, rubbing his chin. "It's just that, are there any restrictions? If it has to fit a pattern, that makes sense. But if not, you could get really creative."
Pausing, Megumin looked around. They were alone in the middle of an empty field, but she sidled up to him, tugging at his cloak for him to bend down. He did, and she cupped a hand to whisper in his ear. "I haven't needed to use an incantation for Explosion in a long time. I can cast it completely silently, with no preparation."
"What!? That's so cool! So you could just like point, and 'BOOM!' no more bad guy?!" Kazuma gasped.
Megumin's face drew into a smile similar to that of Chomuske after she managed to steal someone's dinner. "I know, right? But I'm not going to reveal it until a suitably dramatic moment. It would be a waste if I went around casting silent Explosions all the time."
"Yeah, not to mention the tactical advantage," Kazuma agreed. "But listen. Gothic poetry is cool and all, but you seriously have to practice some witty one liners."
Megumin blinked. "Witty one liners?"
"Yeah, you know. Say, for example, you're casting an ice spell. You'd be all 'ice to see you!' and then BAM! Frozen baddy. Or if you were using your Mire spell, you'd say, 'Stick around, why don't ya.'"
"That's great!" Megumin said excitedly. "A cool little line, and then bang!"
"Right! So, the first time you do a silent Explosion you have to be all, 'That's my secret. I'm always ready for an Explosion.' Then you turn away, put on your sunglasses, and snap your fingers, and BOOM! The coolest heroes ALWAYS walk away slowly as Explosions go off behind them."
"We HAVE to practice this!" Megumin gasped. "Alright, hmm, let's see. What about, 'Looks like she went out...with a bang.'"
"That's awesome. Right, get your glasses ready!" Kazuma and Megumin both put their shades on, facing the castle.
"Looks likes he went out," Megumin said, spinning on her heel with Kazuma. She raised a hand, and snapped her fingers. "With a bang."
The Explosion flashed in the distance behind them, and Kazuma and Megumin each took a single, slow step away as the fireball rose into the sky.
Then Megumin let out a moan and slumped over. Kazuma barely managed to catch her.
"I forgot," Megumin muttered. "I always fall over whenever I use my Explosion spell."
"Yeah, but it was totally cool until you did that," Kazuma assured her.
"You think so?" Megumin asked, looking up at Kazuma, a strange look in her eyes.
"Of course. It was exactly the sort of thing I'd expect from the Genius of the Crimson Demon Clan," Kazuma grunted, moving Megumin onto his back.
"Thank you," Megumin whispered, leaning her head against his neck.
After that, they made a habit of going out to practice Megumin's Explosion and witty one liners whenever they had a day off or Megumin didn't need to drain too much mana questing. Kazuma also began to purchase some manatite from Wiz, to make sure Megumin ended up always having extra mana left over. He tried to justify it to himself as a precautionary measure with two archwizards in the party now, but really he knew he just wanted to spend more time with Megumin, even if she never again called their outings a date.
Of course, the good times came to a screeching halt when the mobile Fortress Destroyer appeared.
Or they would have, if Kazuma's party hadn't been training practically non-stop for months. Aqua was able to easily dispel the barrier on the Destroyer, then Megumin hit it with an Explosion at the same time as Yunyun, who had also picked up the spell at Kazuma and Megumin's insistence due to its effectiveness against large bosses just like this.
When the core started to overheat, Yunyun teleported it some distance outside of the Crimson Demon village, where it would harmlessly explode. As the fortress overheated, Aqua had a rare moment of clarity, and suggested she use her cooling waters to prevent it. Then, just to make sure, Kazuma had Megumin ready her spell again after a hefty dose of manatite.
"You ready for this?" Kazuma asked as they assembled a short distance from the wreckage.
Grinning, Megumin raised her staff. "I am prepared!"
"Do it!" Kazuma cried, and braced himself.
"Looks like that Destroy," she snapped her fingers, and a massive Explosion spell annihilated what remained of the Desttroyer. "Couldn't handle the heat."
Once he got up from being knocked flat on his ass, Kazuma ran over and helped Megumin up, handing her some manatite. "Hurry, we have to act fast!"
"What? Why?" Megumin said groggily as she absorbed the mana. "It's destroyed, right?"
"What? This is your moment! We have to do our team pose!" Kazuma said. He whistled sharply, shouting and waving to the others, who quickly ran over to see what the matter was. By then, Megumin was back on her feet.
"Kazuma, we don't have to do this," Megumin sighed. "They'll just boo us again."
"Well screw 'em! What we did was awesome, and it deserves a celebration! Right, Super Adventuring Squad!?"
Everyone, even Yunyun, was on board for it, and so, standing atop the small hill Megumin had cast her spell from, they performed the whole routine. When they were done, panting and sweating, still marked from battle, Kazuma glared down at everyone. I dare you to make fun of us now, you bastards.
This time, however, they were rewarded with cheers and applause.
"Those Crimson Demons are nuts, but they're powerful!'
"The Crimson Demon Clan saved Axel!"
"Did you see that Explosion? Never seen anything like it…"
To Kazuma's surprise, Megumin didn't look happy. Instead, she turned away, her face hidden by her hat, a grimace on her lips. He scowled and looked around to see if anyone was mocking them, but no one was. Confused, he turned back to Megumin. "Hey, what's-"
Megumin was leaning on her staff, and practically bawling, tears and snot dripping down her face as she shuddered.
Kazuma wasn't sure what to do. He looked for Yunyun, but she was talking animatedly to several other Adventurers, apparently ecstatic to be making new friends. Darkness was blushing and acting coy at the attention, while Aqua was wallowing in it. So, he did what he could.
Gingerly, he put a hand on Megumin's shoulder. "That was a pretty good one liner," he said, feeling lame and ineffective. "Not too shabby. Too bad you didn't have time for a proper incantation. But I think killing a world class threat is a good use for your first public instant Explosion. Very dramatic."
What Kazuma had expected Megumin to do, he didn't know, but suddenly wrap her arms around him and give him a bright and earnest smile wasn't it.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For believing in me. For taking in a useless mage who only knew Explosion Magic, and turning her into a legend."
"H-hey now, you did that yourself! I was just, you know, the set up guy. You girls did all the hard work!" Kazuma protested, gingerly putting his hands around Megumin and patting her once on the back.
"Don't think I haven't noticed," Megumin said, a familiar scowl coming back onto her face.
"N-notice what?" Kazuma gasped. Crap, did she know he loved the feel of her boobs on his back when he carried her home!? Or about the sock sessions afterwards?!
"You're not a Crimson Demon. But you respect that I am. You encourage it, even. You're doing the same with Aqua and Darkness. You didn't try to change any of us. Instead of yelling at me to learn other magic spells, you thought of a way to save my pride, by giving me something even more valuable to take back to my people. I never would have consented to learn other magic under threat or from you pleading, but you found a way to reach out to me. Thank you."
"Oh, um, well, I-" Kazuma stammered, but Megumin continued.
"You didn't reject Aqua because she's an idiot, or mock Darkness because she's a pervert. Even Yunyun's hopeless attempts to make friends found success with you. You care about us, don't you, Kazuma?"
Suddenly, Megumin pushed Kazuma, knocking him off balance and causing him to yelp and drop to one knee so that he was the same height as her. He just about hit her back, but then she leaned in and kissed him, right on the lips. It was just a gentle kiss, a light brush of her lips on his, but it left him paralyzed. "Well. I care about you, too. So don't think I'll let this debt stand between us. I shall find something you want, and one day, I shall give it to you."
And just like that, she dried her tears on a hankie, then flounced off to brag.
Two weeks later, Kazuma still wasn't sure where the two of them stood. Megumin hadn't done anything further, aside from going on the same daily Explosion ritual. She spent long hours with Yunyun though, whispering in corners or in their room. Whenever Kazuma approached, Megumin would clam up and look at him with a serious, almost irritated expression, while Yunyun giggled.
Damn tsundere mage.
Check Point reached! Game Saved. Continue?