Chapter 7: Adult period

Editing and Proofreading: LordVTP and Marv

Part 1

On my 20th birthday, I had an epiphany.

It has been two decades since I was born into this world.

Looking back at the time that has elapsed, I can't say I've used that time wisely.

Memories of staying up all night grinding in MMO's come to mind.

When I saw the candle in the shape of the number '20' lit up before me, instead of feeling festive, I only felt pangs of anxiety and a vague feeling that something was chasing after me.

During bus rides to school I often find myself thinking about the subject.

I got to thinking about something else.

I'm 20 years old and still living with my parents.

I am now considered an adult.

University students of my age often move out to dormitories or rent an apartment to live in by themselves, or they share the rent with roommates.

A week after my 20th birthday, I brought up the matter with Cecily-san.

We met up in a cafe to discuss the matter.

"Che!"

For some reason, my request for advice was met with scorn.

Cecily-san glared at me as she drank her tea.

When she placed the teacup down, she said,

"How lucky for you youngsters. So eager to join the adult world and society, huh? You won't be so careless when you have to worry about rent and taxes and job security, and…!"

"I approached Cecily-san because she's been through this before. If you're just going to lecture me, then tell me now so I can ditch you with the bill and study for an important test coming up."

"...If Kazuma-kun pays for the bill, I'll give you some advice. Very well, then. I say that Kazuma-kun has the right idea. It's time to move out."

Cecily-san then proceeded to tell me a tragic tale.

It was the tale of a young woman full of promise. She was the pride of her parents.

Her parents always encouraged her, especially when she started her matriculation at a top-tier university.

While taking care of the tuition, the parents also assured the young woman that she'd always have a place in their home, and that there was no rush to move out.

However, several years into this girl's university matriculation, the parents had this to say:

"'Oi. Aren't you supposed to graduate already? Wasn't it a four year course? Don't tell me you changed your major again. It's time for you to move out.' That's what my folks told me, Kazuma-kun. Now, do you get it now, Kazuma-kun? The moral of the story?"

"I think I do. Cecily-san didn't develop a sense of urgency since she was coddled by her parents. Her parents eventually realized their mistake and forced Cecily-san to grow up by taking her out of her comfort zone and forcing her to find a place of her own. I see now, what valuable advice."

"Wrong! The moral of the story is to get as much money out of your parents while they still see you as a cute kid! Kazuma-kun should ask his parents to pay the down-payment for an apartment before their love for you wears thin! Do you get it now, Kazuma-kun?!"

"As expected of my boss. What brilliant advice!"

"Hehe. Did Kazuma-kun have any doubts? Now, go! Don't delay! You become less and less of an adorable child in your parents' eyes as the days go by! Soon they'll see you as an overgrown man child who takes up way too much of the family budget that they could instead be using for vacation trips and expensive appliances! It seems that my advice has given Kazuma-kun the inspiration he needed! I like the look in your eyes! Ah, don't forget to pay the bill, Kazuma-kun. You promised~!"

Cecily-san drank the rest of her tea and handed me the bill.

Part 2

Like Cecily-san said, I didn't have any problems convincing my family.

"It seems like it was only yesterday when I carried Kazuma in my womb… They grow up so fast... "

My mother had a nostalgic look as tears were pooling around her eyes.

Even though my parents usually regarded me coldly and were stingy with their money, they were acting like this as they were influenced by nostalgia.

If I had loafed around and leeched off the family budget for a few more years, they would have kicked me out without any remorse or financial support, like what happened to Cecily-san.

As expected of my boss, she gave me solid life advice.

"Eh? What's this? Nii-san is moving out? How can I spy on his lovey-dovey sessions with Megu-nee if he moves out?! This is a crisis!"

Kazuto, who still hadn't let go of his creepy obsession over Megumin, provided me with yet another reason to move out of this house and get my own place.

"The real matter we should be concerned about is whether or not Kazuma-kun will ask Megumin to live with him. Ohoho~!"

"No! No way! Cohabitation is definitely not allowed!"

To my mother who was getting excited, I said,

"Cohabitation… That's a pretty big deal, isn't it? As the parents, shouldn't it be your job to stop me from making rash decisions? Why is it that my own parents are the ones who always encourage me to make bad decisions?"

"I trust Megumin-chan to make the right decisions. And I've been told that despite having had a girlfriend for a few years now, Kazuma-kun is still a virgin at heart."

"What do you mean by 'virgin at heart'?! And why am I talking about virginity and stuff with my own mother, anyways?! Gross, disgusting! Stop this at once!"

"It's Kazuma-kun who is in the wrong! I've been talking with Yuiyui-san and she also agrees that it's time we see our beautiful grandchildren! Please consider it! Sometimes I wake up in the morning and feel my bones ache and I think, 'Ah, I'm pretty close to dying, aren't I? I'd like to see my grandchildren at least once before I die'. This may seem like a foreign concept to you now, but once Kazuma-kun becomes a parent who has a twenty year old child, he will understand! Life is short, do you get it, Kazuma-kun?! How about this, I'll pay! I'll pay for the down payment and even the monthly rent as long as Kazuma promises to…!"

"OK, I think that's enough, dear…"

My father had to take aside the mother who was getting a bit too worked up.

He took her upstairs while Kazuto and I stayed in the living room.

We had been drinking tea and watching a television program when I had brought up the subject of moving out.

Shortly after...

"Nii-san. Please reconsider."

Kazuto spoke up.

"No."

"Think about it this way! If you move in with Megu-nee, our mother and her mother will try all sort of schemes to try and get you two to make babies!"

"When did you hear me say that I plan to move in with her? I'd like to try living on my own before I take on that kind of burden."

"Oi, are you saying that living with Megu-nee would be a burden? At least give her a chance before you say that."

"Changing your tune just like that, huh? By the way, since we're talking about this, I've never really brought this up since I considered your crush on Megumin as a phase that all kids go through, but isn't Kazuto already past that age? Please let go of your childhood crush already. Trust me, you'll just regret it later!"

"Why does nii-san sound so convincing when he said that…? I mean, I won't waver, never!"

He pouted and looked away from me.

I rubbed the back of my head while thinking about what to say.

I didn't really have any 'serious talks' with Kazuto before.

But, I felt that it was about time I addressed this awkward issue with Kazuto.

"Um, even if Kazuto gets what he wishes and Megumin breaks up with me or something, she's not the type of girl to go ahead and date the brother of the boyfriend she just dumped."

He was still looking away from me but I saw his shoulders soften.

"...Does nii-san think I don't already know that?"

He finally turned towards me. With defeated eyes, he said,

"I knew it was silly, crushing on Megu-nee when it's impossible… But, I can't just let go! People who fall in and out of love and are temperamental with their crushes, I don't get it! Like my classmates at school who will whine about a bad break up one day, but they'll immediately start going out with another person in a couple weeks. It doesn't make sense to me!"

I was once Kazuto's age.

That susceptible age when relationships carry an undeniable weight and meaning, when even casual connections and acquaintanceships inflict heartbreak should they disappear.

"What about Iris, who Kazuto is spending a lot of time with recently? Kazuto should try to woo her."

"Woo her…? Who says that anymore? And Iris? Ew! I admit that I had a bit of something for her at first but once I got to know her and saw her rotten personality, I regret ever having felt any attraction towards her. She's cute and has a nice body but she's definitely not girlfriend material. In regards to Iris, she's 'Nut & Go' material."

How did this boy become so crass?

I'd like to know where he got this trashy personality from.

"If I were to 'woo' anybody… Maybe Komekko-chan wouldn't be so bad? She does look more and more like Megu-nee everyday. In fact, with the way she's growing, she could even surpass Megu-nee in terms of physical allure?! And since we're childhood friends, I can raise that flag if I want… Nii-san?! What's with that evil look you're giving me?!"

I glared maliciously at Kazuto who was starting to get dangerous thoughts.

Part 3

The following day, my mother took me to tour some apartments around town.

Since my mother was a real estate agent, albeit a rather mediocre one, as she admitted herself, she had some connections and knew someone who could get me a good deal, or so she claimed.

"What's the benefit of having these connections? People always say in a self-assured manner 'Don't worry, I have connections', but what do these connections actually provide in terms of perks and benefits? I don't think we will be receiving any discounts and other such considerations today, so if mother is just showing off, please stop this right now!"

I said this to the mother who had been bragging about her connections as we drove to the first location.

"Having connections means… Um, it's less likely that they'll rip us off since I personally know them and it'd be awkward if we stumble across each other on the way to the market after they gave me a crappy deal, or something? It's that kind of thing, you know? Ah, we're here!"

After saying those vague, almost irresponsible words, she parked the car in front of a three floor apartment.

There was a small garden in front of the building. The plot was filled with daffodils that were spread far apart from where each was planted to give the illusion of volume when, in fact, there were only a handful of flowers and other miscellaneous shrubbery planted.

When we came inside, we were greeted by a woman wearing a tidy business suit.

"Ah, Satou-san! Thanks for coming. And this must be your youngest, Kazuto-kun."

"...I'm not Kazuto. I'm Kazuma."

"E-Eh? The one who is a NEET? What are you doing outside?"

I looked to my mother who was avoiding her eyes and sweating.

She had been gossiping about me, huh?

"So this person is part of my mother's 'connections', huh? Excuse me, lady, when was the last time you talked to my mother?"

"Um… That would be four years ago, I believe. It actually surprised me that your mother called after all these years… And to be honest, we've only talked a few times, and in those times she'd only complain about her 'useless NEET son' and…"

"Wah! Please stop! This mediocre son expects his parents to be spectacular, or something?! Hasn't Kazuma-kun heard the phrase 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree'?!"

I calmed my mother down before she had a panic attack.

"A-Anyways, let's begin the tour. The apartment is on the second floor, so it's not that high of a climb. Follow me."

We went up the stairs to the second floor while the real estate lady gave us commentary about the building.

The trivia was rather limited as there wasn't anything interesting to say about this generic building you could find anywhere.

When we made it to the room, the lady fumbled with the passcode before we could enter.

"What's that smell?"

I said as I smelled a strong fragrance as I entered the room.

"Ah, that's just the new paint! As you can see, there's new paint on the walls."

One room, one kitchen/dining room area, and one bathroom.

The rest was an empty space that defaulted as a living area.

There was one double casement window that showed a view of the street below. I could see an old lady selling takoyaki below.

Since I imagined that most of the apartments I would be visiting would be similar to this one, the deciding factor was the monthly rent.

"Let's see- for this place, it's 75,000 yen a month, including basic utilities."

The real estate agent said as I inquired about the price.

"How is that price compared to the other places we will be visiting today?"

"It's pretty reasonable. The next place is about 59,000 yen in rent, but it doesn't include basic utilities. Another apartment is fully furnished and costs about 79,000 yen, but that doesn't cover utilities either.."

As long as I had a fridge, stove and a toilet, I could make do without expensive furniture.

I could even make do with just a futon. I was a university student, after all. Such a frugal way of living is fitting for me.

I took my mother aside and said,

"I'll check out the other places, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one."

"Is Kazuma-kun sure? Why don't we look for a cozier place suitable for Kazuma-kun and Megumin-chan's babymaking?"

"...Babymaking? At such a young age?!"

The real estate agent turned to us in surprise when she heard my mother's careless words.

I made my mother shut up before she could say anything unnecessary.

Part 4

"Uwaa… That was pretty tiring."

My mother said as she reclined on her seat.

After visiting five more apartments, we stopped at a burger joint to rest.

Pausing to finish my fry, I replied,

"I thought that choosing one would be easier, but I still need some time to think."

"It's not as easy as it seems, is it? Be sure to really think about it. And Kazuma-kun should know that he doesn't need to be in any rush to move out."

"...That goes against what mother was saying about baby making earlier."

She blushed and turned her face away from me.

"I-I got carried away. Sorry if that bothered you, Kazuma-kun…"

Oi.

You're a forty year old woman with two kids. What's with this cutesy act?

"Um, despite what I said, it's Kazuma-kun's life in the end. You're already an adult now. It's time to make your own decisions."

It was my turn to feel embarrassed.

I've never had any of these one-on-one serious talks with my parents before.

We had always been distant ever since I became a NEET.

"Thanks…"

I could only mumble out in reply.

"Hey, remember when I used to take Kazuma-kun to burger joints like this? Whenever you were in a bad mood, I'd take you out and treat you to a meal. It would instantly raise your spirits and you'd give me the biggest smile. You were such a cute kid before! Hehe… Before…"

Don't emphasize the 'before' part while you have a look of deep nostalgia.

"I remember one day, you seemed particularly upset. I took you out to a burger joint and got you your favorite meal set. However, to my surprise, you didn't even take a single bite. After that, you started cutting class and well…"

"..."

My mother suddenly brought up my dark past.

"...Even if mother looks at me like that, what am I supposed to say?"

"A part of me thinks that we failed you, that we could have done more. I just wanted to ask Kazuma-kun… That day… What happened?"

I looked into my mother's eyes.

Memories of my childhood friend riding in the back of a delinquent senpai's bike flashed through my mind.

I took another fry and then another, until I was stuffing my mouth with them.

"Eh?! Kazuma-kun?! What are you doing?!"

I gulped it all down with a soft-drink.

"If I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to talk about it! Geez!"

"Eh?! Kazuma-kun, it's better to talk about it, you know?! If you talk about it and let your feelings out, you'll feel better!"

"I'm not going to talk about this with my mother! That's the most painful kind of embarrassment a young man can go through! Talking about past loves with my own mother is definitely a no-no!"

"So it's about a past love?! Someone Kazuma-kun loved before… Wait, don't tell me it was that girl from the neighbor's…?! Eh, Kazuma-kun, where are you going?"

I left the restaurant before my mother could humiliate me any further.

Part 5

"Kazuma, I heard you're shopping around for an apartment. Why didn't you rely on my expertise?"

After rehearsals, Aqua said this to me in a lecturing tone.

"What kind of advice can the idol Aqua give to a poor student like me? Aqua lives in a high-class condo that only hot shots can afford. If I were to take Aqua with me to the house tour I went on, I will have to put up with you laughing at the pitiful selection."

"That's not true at all! What do you take me for!"

I already knew Aqua's personality well after spending so much time with her. She couldn't fool me.

Aqua, muttering angrily, worked to remove the makeup that was meticulously applied before the show.

It always made me cringe a bit knowing how much time and effort it took to apply that make-up, only for Aqua to unceremoniously wipe it off with afterwards.

Same with her set outfits. As the one in charge of cleaning up her house, I'd often find fabulous designer dresses thrown carelessly on the floor.

It was also due to Aqua's sloppiness that I couldn't look at a woman's undergarments and get excited anymore.

"That was a nice rehearsal, Aqua-chan! As always, you're a fast learner when it comes to these things!"

Coming into the dressing room while giving vague, almost backhanded, compliments was Cecily-san.

"Thanks for taking care of me the other day."

"Oho? How surprisingly polite of Kazuma-kun. Perhaps now that he is moving out he feels like an adult now? Is Kazuma-kun trying to be more gentleman-like?"

With these kinds of unpleasant people, it's really hard to show basic courtesy towards them without having your words twisted in strange ways.

"When will Kazuma-kun officially move in?"

"Once midterms are over I will have time to move in."

"I don't think Kazuma has a lot of personal belongings to move, though. And in terms of lewd materials, most of that stuff can be viewed digitally now."

"There is still an appeal when it comes to physical copies of… Oi, what are you trying to make me say!"

"Ouch!"

I bopped Aqua on the head as she almost made me say something that would surely get me blamed for sexual harassment.

"Speaking of sexual harassment, what about Megumin-chan?"

"Why is my boss thinking about her subordinate's girlfriend when the word 'sexual harassment' comes up? And what about Megumin?"

Cecily-san had a wicked grin on her face.

"Well… Seeing as you two are now adults, and Kazuma-kun now has a place to himself, it wouldn't be too strange if the two of you moved in together~!"

This topic came up again.

"That's a good idea, isn't it, Kazuma?! Since Megumin lives in a slum anyways, it wouldn't be much of a downgrade if she moves in to Kazuma's new rathole apartment! Ouch! OK, I'll stop…"

Aqua finally got the message once I gave her another bop.

"Regardless, we should celebrate once Kazuma-kun moves in! A housewarming party is a must! Since this will be a party among adults, I'll make sure to bring lots of beer and adult entertainment!"

"Oi, what's this about 'adult entertainment'? I'm a man who already has a girlfriend. Please keep troubling stuff like that away from me. I can't afford to cheat."

"What's with that wording? Kazuma sounded like a faithful lover when he said that, but something about the wording seems a bit suspicious."

Cecily-san looked at me suspiciously for some reason.

"A party with everyone! It's been a while since I've gotten loose, and it'll be merrier once all our friends are here! Speaking of which, Darkness should be in town soon. The timing is perfect!"

"Ah, that young lady. I had some fun with her the other time. I hope she learned a lot of things."

Cecily-san said while she chuckled to herself.

By that she means…

"Don't tell me Cecily-san did something weird with Darkness that time?"

I was referring to that time we asked Cecily-san for sex advice.

Cecily-san offered to give us further advice but I declined the suspicious offer.

Darkness seemed very interested, though.

"No, she's too old for my tastes. I merely gave her a lot of tips and attempted to enlighten her about my tastes…"

"Darkness is already corrupted enough as she is. Please don't make it worse."

The road to rehabilitation for that hopeless Darkness just got rockier.

"That girl did make a lot of unreasonable demands from me, though. Asking me things like: 'Cecily-san, I would like to see a direct demonstration of how a woman sleeps with a man'. Saying that she'd pay me whatever amount if I called a guy over and allowed her to watch… That girl is a bit strange. Ha-Ha."

"That's not something Cecily-san can laugh off with a 'Ha-Ha'! You should have called the cops on that girl! That's clearly sexual harassment right there!"

"I didn't really mind her proposition, but like I said before, I'm not too experienced with guys. I only had one boyfriend while I was studying in university. More than men, I'm more interested in… Hehe… By the way, how is that cute little sister of Megumin-chan's doing? Her name is Komekko-chan, right? Hehe."

First Kazuto and now Cecily-san.

That Komekko-chan is suddenly gaining the interest of dangerous people.

Part 6

While I studied for midterms, I settled the matter with the apartment in my free time.

Looking over legal documents to make sure I wasn't getting screwed over… I took care of trivial but necessary chores.

Once I got the matter settled, I could freely come in and out of the apartment room as I wished, though I didn't have any of my stuff moved in yet.

During our day off, I took Megumin to see the room.

"Whoa, so spacious! Kazuma must have splurged for a room like this!"

"There's only a lot of space because I haven't moved in yet."

Megumin excitedly looked around.

Well, there wasn't really anything to see, anyways.

She went over to the window and peered out of it. I joined her and opened the window a bit to let some fresh air in.

"This is a nice view! You can see the nine-to-five corporate slaves walking back home from work up here! Look at how tired they are!"

What about that depressing sight is a nice view?

"Why is Megumin so excited? In terms of buildings, this one is pretty underwhelming."

There wasn't anything inherently bad about it, but there was nothing to be this excited about either.

"I'm not sure. Maybe the fact that Kazuma is getting his own place is exciting to me? I've always thought about moving out on my own. Isn't the sense of freedom exciting for Kazuma as well?"

"I'd rather leech off my parents my whole life, but sadly that's not an option."

Megumin's look of excitement was replaced with disdain.

"I know that Kazuma is the type who'd say something like that, but don't tell me that there isn't some part of you who craves freedom as well. Expanding beyond one's horizons and seeing more of the world…"

"That naive outlook doesn't suit the Megumin who's always acting beyond her age. Although, I can totally understand why Megumin would be in a hurry to leave her home."

"What is Kazuma implying about my home?"

We brought some convenience store food to eat, but since there weren't any tables, we ate while sitting on the floor.

We each got our own donburi set meals along with drinks and some side dishes, as well as pudding for dessert.

As we were eating, Megumin was looking at something on her phone.

"Look, Kazuma, my pet has grown up a lot since back then."

"I didn't know Megumin was raising a digital pet. Won't Chomusuke get jealous?"

"I like digital pets better than real ones because they don't cost any money to feed. Truly, real life pets are inferior."

"Where is Chomusuke right now?! Don't tell me you've already abandoned her?!"

I was worried about Megumin's pet cat as she said those ominous words.

"I'm not that heartless. I am joking anyways… Wait, what's this? I'm getting a discount on another game this company made because I got my pet to level 30?!"

Megumin had sparkly eyes as she stared at her digital pet.

Chomusuke, hang in there.

I should check with the landlord if I'm allowed to keep pets here, for Chomusuke's sake.

"So, where is Kazuma planning to place his furniture?"

"I'm not going to bring in a lot of things. Just all my electronics, including my PC setup, gaming chair, headset, surround sound system, my laptops-for school and gaming-my tablet, my gameb*y collection, all of them… All my retro games… Aside from that I can bring a futon or something, too."

"Why is it all electronics? And you're not even going to bother bringing your bed, huh?"

Megumin gave a sigh and had a look of resignation as she stood up and gathered our trash.

After she disposed of it in the garbage bag we brought along, she said,

"Have you checked if the utilities are working?"

"I haven't started paying for them yet, so I'm not sure."

"You're right, the water isn't running."

Megumin tried to get some running water from the sink, but nothing came out.

"I know that Kazuma will neglect his chores, so I'll have to come and visit to take care of things around here."

"I can take care of myself. I've always pictured myself as a man who can get his act together once it is necessary."

"I suppose Kazuma does have a good track record with turning his life around, but rather than being proud of that, please make sure to live properly from now on."

"R-Right…"

As Megumin smiled knowingly at me, I remembered my mother's words.

"Um… You know, Megumin, this place is pretty close to your campus. I'm not saying we should do it immediately- um- but maybe once Megumin properly becomes an adult, too, maybe you might consider moving in? Haha…"

Somehow, my speech came out vaguely.

"But I am already an adult, Kazuma."

"Err… Is that so?"

"What's with that doubtfulness?! I'm already a full-time university student, right?! Hey, please clarify what you're implying here!"

"Megumin can't even legally drink yet, so maybe bringing things up like moving in together is still a bit too much for Megumin. I'm sorry for bringing it up. Ah, feel free to come for the occasional 'sleep over', though…"

"Geez! Bringing up the subject only to tease me…"

Megumin was pouting, but she still ended up smiling.

"It's a nice place, Kazuma."

"Yeah, it is."

Part 7

Midterm exams went smoothly. I was adequately prepared and didn't need to cram at the last minute.

And so, even as I needed to coordinate with a moving company and finalize some things with the landlord, I was still in a good mood despite being so busy.

"Well, that should be the last of it."

"Thank you for your hard work."

I said my thanks to the moving company as they placed the last of the boxes inside.

I didn't need to be present, but I felt compelled to watch the process anyways.

Megumin was still at school doing her own exams. It wasn't until I had unpacked half of the boxes when she was finally free to come over.

"This place doesn't seem so spacious anymore."

With boxes placed all over the living room, Megumin had to retract her previous assessment.

"I got my PC parts out, just gotta unpack all the other electronics… Ah, I don't really care about the other stuff. We can leave them in the boxes for now."

"Even though I helped Kazuma order that furniture, you only really care about your electronics, huh?"

Megumin didn't like it when I told her that I was only planning to bring a futon and I had no interest in purchasing other pieces of furniture.

She made me go to a department store and we bought some basic living room furniture as well as blinds, lamps, and kitchenware like plates and pots.

"Seriously, Kazuma didn't even intend to buy any plates? Were you thinking of buying convenience store food every day?"

"I don't see what's wrong with that."

"You'll get kidney stones by the time you graduate. Besides, there's nothing like a home cooked meal, and I think Kazuma makes some really good food."

"It doesn't matter how good I can cook my own food. All the prep time and effort completely ruins your appetite. It's like touching yourself; it feels better when someone else does it for you."

"That's disgusting. What kind of comparison is that? And is Kazuma implying that I should cook his meals for him?"

Her tone indicated that she was disappointed, but I could see the glimmer in her eyes.

"I cook all day for Aqua so it gets kind of tiresome, you know~!"

"Geez… Alright, I guess I can help out. You know, if it's come to this, wouldn't it be more efficient if I just moved in? Haha…"

She said it like a joke at first, but her voice started to trail off as she weakly laughed.

Ever since the day I showed Megumin the apartment and we had that talk, she had been occasionally bringing up that topic.

It seems that she was more receptive to the idea than I had first thought.

"Hm… What can I say? It's not like I'm totally against the idea. In fact, I have no qualms with doing the newlywed routine with Megumin."

"Hold on, I didn't say I'd go that far."

She held up her hand as I got a bit too excited.

"Anyways… Before having Megumin move in, I'd like to see if I can live on my own before agreeing to do that. In terms of maturity, I feel like there's a lot I need to catch up on. I've spent all those years idling about and running from my responsibilities, after all. I want to make sure that I can actually survive in this world and I know that's going to be a long trial and error process. Megumin can move in once I have it figured out, so…"

"It's alright, Kazuma, I get it."

She smiled and then nodded to herself.

"That was surprisingly easy."

"I'm not in a hurry to move in, either. Only reason I'd want to do it is to make my mother shut up about it."

So that was the reason, huh?

Megumin headed to the kitchen and began preparing some onigiri with the new ingredients we stored in the fridge.

"When should we prepare for the housewarming party?"

She said as she gave me my share of the onigiri. We ate by the new kotatsu we set up earlier. It wasn't too cold yet, so we didn't use the heating function.

"I think Darkness will arrive from her business trip tonight. We're still not done packing, but I reckon we can finish by tomorrow."

I looked at the boxes.

"Hey, maybe we can have that workhorse Darkness unpack all this stuff for us."

"I don't doubt her capabilities and willingness to do grunt work, but you shouldn't take advantage of your friends like that, Kazuma."

After we finished the onigiri, we went back to unpacking.

Part 8

"Uwaa~ So this is Kazuma and Megumin's new love nest. Sniff, sniff…"

For some reason, Darkness started sniffing at the air.

"It doesn't look like you two have been busy at all. Or maybe you're just good at cleaning stains…"

Aqua was also saying some weird things.

For the party, Megumin and I had bought some snacks and prepared some food.

Aqua had already eaten half of the snacks before Darkness and the others arrived.

I didn't want to go too crazy with inviting people. Aside from the four of us, there was also…

"Thank you for inviting me, onii-chan."

I invited Iris, who had been like a little sister to me recently.

"Thank you for having us…" x 2.

Following after her, like usual, were her retainers, Claire and Rain.

They were regarding me with caution.

For some reason, Iris's retainers started viewing me as some sort of a bad influence on Iris. I don't see why, though…

"Onii-chan! These snacks are delicious AF! Nice crib, btw! It's lit!"

I really have no clue.

"F-For inviting me to your new home, thank you very much!"

We also invited Yunyun, who, as always, was needlessly grateful that she was invited to a social gathering.

"Well, thank you for coming, everyone."

As the host, I offered this gracious greeting to my guests.

"Nii-chan, nii-chan, where's the food? The snacks are already gone."

My heartfelt greeting was ignored by Komekko as she joined Darkness in sniffing around, but this time for food.

Hearing her little sister's words, Megumin emerged from the kitchen.

"I knew that the appetizers and snacks wouldn't be enough. Here's the food, but remember to pace yourself… Oi…"

Komekko didn't even wait for Megumin to finish speaking before she swiped food from Megumin's hands and started gobbling it up.

"Uwaa… Megu-nee really is moving in with my abominable nii-san. Maybe it's really time to let her go…"

Kazuto sighed as he slumped against the walls.

"I already made it clear that Megumin isn't moving in yet. Stop spreading that gossip already."

"Kazuma said 'yet', so there really are plans for that in the future?!"

To Darkness who was way too invested in her friends' love lives, I said,

"Instead of getting so worked up over us, Darkness should focus on her own problems. Of course I'm referring to Darkness not having a lover despite already nearing the end of her prime years…"

"I'm… I'm still quite young! That is, there's still time! And I'm focused on my work and the company, so things like having a lover is not that important right now!"

Spoken like a true Christmas cake.

As everyone was mingling and getting along, I joined Megumin in the kitchen.

"I think we have enough food for now."

She looked at me blankly.

"Considering we have Komekko and Aqua here, there's no such thing as 'enough food'."

She made a fair point.

We stocked the fridge in anticipation of this event, but it looked like we were quickly running out of supplies.

While Megumin prepared more food, she sent me out to for a shopping errand to restock the fridge.

"Hosting parties is really such a pain…"

"Yeah, but it feels good, doesn't it? Having friends come over your home, trying your best to act like good hosts… There's a certain satisfaction in that."

At that moment, I thought, Megumin would make a really good wife.

I kept those happy thoughts to myself as I headed out.

The weather was getting chilly, so I wore a winter coat over my standard street clothes.

I shivered slightly as I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

I didn't need to hurry as there was a convenience store across the street, but I couldn't take my time either, as I was already aware how crazy Komekko-chan's appetite is.

As I crossed the street, I looked back at the apartment building.

I looked to the second floor and spotted my room. Through the blinds I could see the lights peering out brightly and the silhouettes of our guests moving about.

I could make out the form of Aqua boisterously laughing about something and Yunyun fidgeting by the corner, probably gathering the courage to join in on the conversation.

I smiled to myself before I headed to the convenience store.

"Welcome, dear customer!"

The cashier greeted me as I went through the automatic doors.

I pulled out a basket from a stack and surveyed the aisles.

As I was looking over some dry curry mixes, I felt the gaze of someone watching me.

I looked up and met this person's eyes.

"Kazuma-kun? Is that you?"

It took me a few seconds, but I soon recognized her.

"...!"

One of the reasons I became a NEET all those years ago was due to a heartbreak I went through over a childhood friend I had a crush on back then.

And now I was face to face with this same childhood friend.

…

...

"Here's your coffee, Kazuma-kun."

"...Thanks, Tanigawa-san."

"What's with that tone? I know it's been a while, but we were pretty friendly before, weren't we? So what's with this 'Tanigawa-san'?"

We were still in the convenience store. Upon her insistence, we purchased some coffee and took a seat by the longue area reserved for customers.

"I heard you're doing well these days, Kazuma-kun. I heard that wasn't the case a few years ago, but I'm glad you're back on track."

"R-Right…"

I didn't know how it was that everyone seemed to know about my NEET years. Even that real estate agent knew all about it. Just how much did my parents gossip about me?

"Well, that's all in the past. How are you doing these days, Tanigawa-san?"

"Again with the Tanigawa-san… Well, I'm doing alright, too, I suppose. Actually, I'll be moving to Tokyo next week."

I sipped on my coffee. "Tokyo, huh…?"

"Yep! It's always been a dream of mine! Moving into the big city and making a name for myself there. Don't you remember me talking about it all the time?"

I couldn't recall anything.

Actually, when I think about it, there wasn't much I could remember about this girl I had feelings for.

Even back in middle school, when I had my heart broken, we had already started to grow apart.

Our interactions were limited to polite greetings and some small talk we'd exchange with each other when we happened to cross paths.

When I thought about it...

What did I like about her anyways?

The only thing I could think of was that 'promise' we made as kids to marry each other once we grew up.

To think I clung on to a promise we made as kids.

I didn't even know much about this girl, at least, I couldn't recall anything of importance.

And to be honest…

I was only calling her 'Tanigawa-san' right now because I completely forgot her first name.

"Pffft!"

"Eh? Kazuma-kun? What are you laughing about?"

"Ah, sorry. I'm not laughing at you, really."

"...That only makes you more suspicious."

All this time...

I blamed that incident for the reason I went into NEET mode, but in hindsight, any other lame excuse could have worked.

In reality, I was simply running away from everything.

I was running away from my responsibilities and the hard work that came with the grind of everyday life.

I was never broken to begin with.

I thought that I was recovering the pieces I had lost during those idle years, when in fact, I was just starting to lay the foundations for the person I ought to become.

All it took was Megumin showing me all she had, to show me how a person could become whole even if they had very little to work with.

She gave me the push I needed to start finding myself.

"So, Tokyo, huh? Aren't the renting prices there outrageous?"

"Erk! Don't remind me! It's not like the places here are all that cheap."

"Well, it depends on the connections you have. If you have connections in the right places, it's hard for people to rip you off, you know? And if they do, it'll be awkward for them to face you if you come across each other in the marketplace, or something."

"Really? Uwaa… Kazuma-kun is so knowledgeable. You've grown into a dependable adult, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I'd like to think so."

Part 9

We said our goodbyes.

We didn't put up any pretenses of ever seeing each other again. We didn't even exchange email addresses.

Not that we left off on a disagreeable note, our little reunion was actually quite pleasant.

For all it was worth, I was glad to meet her before she left for good. I got some closure for that embarrassing part of my past.

I resumed with my shopping and then headed home.

When I got there, the party was still on full swing.

"Kazuma, you sure took your time! Quick, get cooking!"

"Sure…"

I was reprimanded by Aqua as soon as I got home, with a newly arrived Cecily-san standing beside her.

I waved to her in greeting.

"Glad you could make it, boss."

She nodded to me and said,

"Yeah, sorry. I was busy attending a meeting. Hm… Is it just me, or is something different about Kazuma-kun?"

"Fufu. Maybe Cecily-san is finally starting to see me as a man? Please don't fall for me, I'm already taken."

Cecily-san looked at me seriously for a second.

"You know, as much as we like to joke about it, Kazuma-kun does have his charms, you know? A dependable man who's got it all figured out. You shouldn't carelessly say those lines to other women now that you're committed to Megumin-chan."

"E-Eh? Seriously…? Eh?"

Have I already reached that stage?

The stage where I shouldn't carelessly flirt with women now that I've become attractive in their eyes?

"Pfft! Cecily, you can't be serious! Everyone knows that only a total weirdo like Megumin would fall for a guy like this!"

It was a good thing Megumin was busy in the kitchen, or she would have flown out and started viciously attacking Aqua for that comment.

"Waaa! Waaaaa! I need to find a man soon! How did a young maiden like Megumin get a man before I diiid!"

"T-There, there…"

Off in the corner, being consoled by Rain-san, was Darkness. It seemed that she got a bit of alcohol in her system.

Fearing the consequences, I didn't buy any alcohol for this party, so it seems Cecily-san must have brought some over.

"I feel your pain, Dustiness-san! Why is it that successful, self-sufficient women like us can't find any guys?! Damn them!"

"P-Please don't say my real name so loudly, Claire-san!"

It seems like those three already knew each other from somewhere.

I do remember hearing something about Iris coming from a family of great wealth. Maybe Darkness and Iris's families did some business with each other.

"U-Um, I'm also having problems finding men! Well, I'm having problems finding friends in general! Actually, I'm having problems talking to strangers, too, so…"

Yunyun hasn't even been drinking and yet she was in an equally loose-lipped state as the intoxicated ones.

Well, at least they were getting along.

Meanwhile, the younglings: Komekko-chan, Iris and Kazuto, were off at the corner, playing with my PC.

"Oi, I don't remember giving you kids permission to use that."

"Relax, onii-chan. We're not looking at your porn. We're just checking out the new patch notes for the game."

"I… I'm not worried about you finding my porn or anything…"

As I was reeling from having my worries accurately predicted by Iris, Kazuto leaned up to the screen with his eyes bugging out in disbelief.

"Wait… Doesn't it look like the archer-class is getting more nerfs?! And why does it seem like Iris's class keeps getting buffs after every update?!"

Iris cackled at Kazuto's cries of despair.

"Well~ Isn't that convenient for me~!"

"Don't worry, Kazuto-kun! Since you're the weakest member in this team anyways, the nerfs to your character won't affect us as much as you think!"

"Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence, Komekko-chan. Why won't you two treat me kindly? At least Rorisa-san treats me with some respect, and she just recently joined our party…"

"Rorisa-san is just being polite. She's aware of how useless you are."

"Why you…!"

I left the kids alone as Iris and Kazuto started getting into a heated argument.

I finally headed to the kitchen.

"Kazuma sure took a long time. You like to take your time in everything, don't you?"

"Oi. It takes me a while, but I always pull through in the end, you know?"

"True. But since I've been in the kitchen all day, it's Kazuma's turn to cook now."

"Eh?"

She untied her apron and cheerily tossed it to me.

"Alright, everyone! Who wants to go through Kazuma's porn while he's busy in the kitchen!"

"I've already got a head start, Megumin-san! Look, I found his secret folder!"

Patch notes my ass! I knew those kids were up to something!

Oh, well.

I looked to Megumin who was smiling at me along with the others.

I wondered what we looked like to someone outside walking along the cold streets, as they peered into the illuminated windows of my new apartment.

The me from back then would probably roll my eyes and mutter, 'Damn riajuus, blow up already'.

I looked to the one who helped me shed that bitter attitude.

Once more, I thought about the idea of Megumin moving in.

Doing chores together, cooking meals together, complaining about work and school, having to deal with taxes and unexpected student debt, sorting through voice mail and trying to seperate the scam calls from the real ones…

Everyday filled with ordinary happiness.

In that instant, I saw a glimpse of it.

Our daily lives in this tough, sometimes monotonous, yet wonderful IRL world.

…

...

After the party, Megumin and I were dealing with the clean-up.

"Sigh… We always talk about this, but why don't we just hire a cleaning service to deal with the mess?"

"Because we're both excessively cheap and we'd rather spend several hours cleaning by ourselves than pay people to do it for half the time?"

"You know, in a weird way, we really do fit nicely together, you know?"

She bumped my shoulder as we were washing dishes, making me almost drop the plate I had been washing.

I bumped her back. She laughed.

"Hey, it's getting pretty late out. Maybe for tonight, Megumin should stay over…"

"Yeah, yeah, I was already planning to sleep over anyways. Kazuma doesn't need to act all subtle."

"...Well, for tonight, I'd just like to talk. About us, I guess?"

Now it was Megumin's turn to almost drop the plate she was washing.

"Oi, be careful with those. We just bought those."

"I-It's Kazuma's fault! He knows that I'm somewhat weak to unexpected situations! Saying something like that is…"

I looked away and scratched my cheek, forgetting the fact that my hand was filled with suds.

Megumin let out a snort and a cute giggle before she stood on tiptoes and wiped the soap from my cheek.

"So… Forget the dishes for now. What did you want to talk about, Kazuma?"

I poked her on the forehead with my soapy finger, making her stumble out of her tip-toeing pose.

"Oi…"

"I was just thinking that it'd probably be a while until I get used to living by myself. I had a feeling that I'd get homesick after only a few days."

Megumin glanced around, as if seeing how empty it was in the apartment after everyone else had left.

"So… In that case, won't Megumin stay for a while? At least for a few days. Like an extended sleepover, I guess."

Her eyes widened. She glanced away before meeting my eyes again.

"Hm… I guess that's alright. Maybe my mother won't bother me so much anymore if I at least pretend like I'm trying to make this 'moving in together' thing happen. Alright, if it's only for a week or so, I guess I'm fine with that."

"Yeah, only for a week or so."

And so, Megumin stayed over for a week.

Then another week on top of that.

Then another.

The weeks turned into months.

And the months turned into years.

…

...

A/N: Sorry for the wait. This chapter wraps up the story, but there will be an epilogue in the next chapter.