"Good morning! Welcome to Evergreen Coffee house!"
Aqua bowed gracefully, guiding the customers to their seats before handing out the menus.
You all must be curious about these recent turn of events.
Well, Kazuma being overly protective of Aqua's, made the decision for her to abstain from the arduous kill quests. It would be more fitting for her to take on a less physically exhausting part time job, which would allow her to make ends meet as well. Above all, Kazuma has even taken it upon himself to overlook Aqua's well-being by working as the barista of the cafe.
On another note, Aqua was beyond gratified to be granted exemption in any form of dangerous monster hunts during this period. Though Kazuma initially proposed for everyone to work at the coffeehouse together, Darkness and Megumin did not find the prospect of menial labor attractive in anyway. Hence, this adventurous duo resumed their routinely kill quests without the other two. Kazuma made sure to warn them not to be overly ambitious due to the lack of manpower.
...
The chattering and the commotion, the sound of metal spoons tapping against the porcelain cups all brought Kazuma back to reality. He refocused his watch onto Aqua, whom had just finished collating orders at a nearby table.
"KAAZUUUMMAAAA! Three cups of long black coffee for the gentlemen at that table."
Her voice sang out at Kazuma just as he was preparing the necessary ingredients.
...
Kazuma was still unfamiliar with his line of work, deeming himself unsuitable for work in any form of kitchening environment due to his impatience and clumsiness. Thankfully in this world, his high luck had been imperative in finding success with this new role. Even so, Kazuma proceeded ever so gingerly, spooning black coffee powder onto a sieve before tilting the kettle of hot water to soak the coffee powder through.
With the black aromatic residue gently finding its way into the serving glasses, Kazuma wiped his sweaty palms, signalling to Aqua the completion of his task.
...
"The customers would like to let the Barista know that the coffee was excellent!"
Aqua having completed her serving duties for now, skipped back to the coffee counter to deliver Kazuma the pleasant news. He mused in kind, eyes sparkling from this newfound sense of achievement.
"Heh heh heh of course, back in Japan I used to make coffee for the foreign ministers during international summits."
Aqua smirked in amusement as she caught on to Kazuma's obvious lie.
"Yeah right, in that case you should be making coffee for a goddess like me."
You know, if we weren't in a public place I would have socked you by now.
...
Aqua's lowered her voice as she leaned her elbow against the counter, hand resting against the side of her face apparently deep in thought.
"Hey Kazuma, can I do this more often? Its much more relaxing than kill quests."
...
Kazuma was wiping his hands on the handkerchief, removing any visible coffee stains.
"You have to participate in kill quests if you want to confront the demon king. Either way, these jobs don't pay very well and will get boring rather quickly."
...
"Oh yeah, the devil king..."
...
"After all... You want to return to your goddess chair... right?"
...
Kazuma's voice trailed away as he shifted his gaze away from her.
...
The doorbell chimed against the swing of the door, interrupting their conversation.
Ding ding!
"Hi! Welcome to Evergreen Coff... OH NO ITS YOU AGAIN!"
Aqua was greeted by a tall blonde male in clunky navy blue armor and a legendary longsword. While the man returned the gesture in similar fashion, his eyes widened with confusion, unable to comprehend the sight that stood before him.
"Ms Aqua! I have been looking all over for you!"
Mitsurugi was beaming at her with however, was not pleased at this man's abrupt appearance.
"Well, I was not looking for you. So if you don't mind, find yourself a table or scram..."
...
Mitsurugi swallowed the unpleasant feelings of dejection, allowing an unfazed grin to make its way across his face instead.
This scene prompted Kazuma to narrow his eyes at Mitsurugi in suspicious.
What is he exactly up to?
...
"Actually, since you are here as well, I would like to discuss a proposition over a cup of coffee... Of course it will be on my treat."
"No thanks, I am absolutely not interested. "
Kazuma heaved a sigh of relief.
Now please go away, thank you very much!
Aqua folded her arms and turned away, about to entertain her other customers before he muttered an important detail, making her stop dead in her tracks.
...
"There will be money involved if you agree..."
...
"KAAAZUUUMAHHH! Two cups of black coffee please!"
...
ARGH! THIS WOMAN IS TOO EASY!
Mitsurugi took his seat along the coffee bar, producing a report for Aqua to read.
Aqua as flipped the pages, a wave of ecstasy swept across her face as she studied the numbers displayed on the paper.
"I dont even know where to begin ... How did you get your hands on so much money?"
...
"Well, I am going to face off against the devil king soon, so the guild master decided to write me a blank cheque to gather whatever resources I require. Eventually, I figured that I needed a competent priest on my team to offset the damage of the Devil king. Unfortunately, none of the other priests suit the role except you."
"If you agree to these terms, this sum of money will go towards your personal spending."
That was more money that they could ever hope to make in their entire lives.
It was possible that all the expensive alcohol, luxurious food, and grandiose lifestyle options will become just another day to day commodity.
Aqua was caught in at a standstill, repeatedly turning her gaze towards Kazuma and the contract.
...
...
If Aqua and Mitsurugi defeats the Demon King, it would mean that she would once again transcend to the afterlife; Her original plane of existence.
That would meant that I will no longer be able to meet Aqua ever again.
I would never be able to see his child.
...
Not like it matters right, its her choice to leave me anyways.
The there most burdensome things: A useless Goddess, an arrogant knight and that mistake will be gone before I know it.
I will be able to finally live my own life in peace.
...
Kazuma gritted his teeth and lowered his head in bitterness. His instinctive thoughts all the while leaving behind an ugly sense of satisfaction. The fact was that there were too many details to consider, plaguing his state of mind, resulting his consciousness to flicker in and out of reality.
Clear tricklets made its way onto the surface of the coffee bar.
...
Damn it Kazuma, you have already made your decision. Do not make me hate myself more than I already do.
Damn it, letting go was suppose to be easy.
...
"I will get this, but I would like your help me with something..."
A familiar voice echoed around the confines of this mind, freezing his thoughts. Kazuma pivot his head around, desperately trying to identify the source of the sound.
...
His hands moved spontaneously, reaching out to catch an article that was shrouded in an intense glow.
Opening his palm, the light gradually subsided to reveal the embodiment of his promise he made to Aqua on that fateful night.
I promise to carry out my responsibility to the very end.
After all, it would not have been right otherwise.
...
...
Kazuma opened his eyes; Seemingly reborn into this world.
Nothing will stop me now...
He silently brought his right hand forward, striking his palm open followed by an intense violet glow surrounding his fingertips.
"Anyways Aqua, you just have to sign on the line here..."
"STEEEEEAAAAAL!"
Aqua and Mitsurugi caught off guard by the sudden burst of light, bringing up their hands to shield their eyes.
...
The parchment on the table was gone, plunging Mitsurugi into a full blown panic attack. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the coffee bar, Kazuma's expression was dark, his eyes bulging with sadism, his lips curling into one of the most wicked smiles Aqua had ever seen.
"Hey, hey...Kazuma..."
His right hand rose from underneath the counter, flicking his fingers upright to reveal the rolled up contract resting on his thumb.
...
Rip...
...
...
...
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Mitsurugi shot up from his seat. Pure devastation evidently written all over his face.
...
"HUAHAHAHAHAAH! NOW DESPAIR AND FACE THE DEMON KING WITHOUT YOUR PRECIOUS HEALER! AQUA BELONGS TO ME YOU HEAR!"
Mitsurugi bolted out of the door, his cumbersome armor combined with his foul mood making him walk like a robot. With Aqua and Kazuma spontaneously laughing at his comical exit.
"I was planning to reject it anyways Kazuma."
Kazuma turned his head at Aqua in disbelief. She has got to be joking, every inch of Kazuma calling out bluff; There was absolutely no way she would reject such a generous offer given her personality.
"I don't trust him, I trust you more. Anyways, you promised me you will take care of her."
Aqua rested her palm on her belly, with Kazuma's eyes following her hand gesture. Though, it might not seem obvious at first glance, but Aqua's belly had gotten slightly larger.
However, there was one fact that confused Kazuma a great deal.
"How did you know the gender of the child?"
...
"Well I hope its a girl, I mean boys are perverted and smelly and..."
OH LIKE YOU ARE BETTER HUH?
...
Kazuma pointed a finger at her accusingly. His voice reduced to a mere drone.
"Hey... So girls pretend to be goddesses when they are actually a bunch of useless self proclaimed twats?"
Knowing Aqua well enough, that small insult was enough to drive her into a frenzy. She bit her lips and puffed up her cheeks, sorrow written all over her face.
Heh...
Aqua forcefully collided into Kazuma, her hands curling into fists and slamming pathetically against his chest as she leaned her body weight onto his.
"KAAAAZUUUMAHHH I AM NOT USELESS."
Hai Kazuma des.
"I am sure you are not..."
Kazuma responded nonchalantly as he restrained her aggressive maneuvers by locking her wrists with his hands.
For Aqua however, this calls for some mad payback.
She slumped onto the ground in the middle of the walkway, crossing her legs and folding her arms.
"I am tired and I want to rest..."
Kazuma was appalled at her childish behavior.
"Are you serious? Get up we are in public!"
...
"NO!"
The adamant Aqua sure was throwing a fit.
I need to think of something fast.
...
Kazuma sighed, instinctively turning around until his back was facing her while bringing his hands to his sides, lowering his body into a squatting position.
"Want a lift, dear goddess..."
Kazuma could feel a sudden beam of excitement surge towards his direction, an unfamiliar weight settling himself onto his back and her sweet lavender scented head resting on his shoulder.
What has she been eating?
Meanwhile as Kazuma trudged along the path, he became increasingly distracted as he enclosed his hand around Aqua's exposed thighs. His fingers found them smooth to the touch, massaging, caressing them in a perverse manner, enjoying the lingering electrifying sensations left behind.
HER LEGS ARE NOTHING SHORT OF INCREDIBLE!
Kazuma's senses returned when Aqua hit him on his head.
"You pervert, don't touch me like that or I make this public..."
Kazuma snickered in glee as he turned his head around, only to be greeted with Aqua's hot pink blushing face.
"Its your payment you stinking goddess... Anyways, You were secretly enjoying it weren't you..."
Kazuma question had to wait, as the physical abuse by Aqua may be too much to handle right now.
Megumin and Darkness waltzed into the room only to greeted by a lethargic Kazuma stretched out against the sofa and reading the newspaper.
"Kazuma? Where is Aqua?"
...
"She went to bed already."
...
"Ohhh... Shouldn't you be accompanying her."
Megumin inquired, a mischievous grin forming around her face.
...
"Who do you think I am? Anyway how was your kill quest?"
Traces of irritation was evident from his voice, he himself was tired as well but sleep refused to come.
...
"Er, I will be going to wash up first."
Darkness feeling uneasy from the tension between Kazuma and Megumin, hurriedly pranced into her room.
...
Megumin's lips curling into a deadly grin, bringing her hands into her robe and pulling out a familar navy blue box she had procured earlier.
Kazuma shot up from his seat in pure terror, pointing his finger at Megumin accusingly.
"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!"
...
"Hmm, you should check your pockets before tossing them in the laundry basket Kazuma."
Megumin teased Kazuma by waving the box around.
"Dammit... Give it back!"
"Nope, unless you can beat me in a game. However if I win, you will have to reveal to me everything between you and Aqua."
...
Megumin's whipped her hand out, which Kazuma shook as a sign of agreement.
"As if I had a choice... What game would it be then?"
...
She produced two decks of cards from within her robes and laid out each individual card for Kazuma to see. While the cards having a multitude of unique illustrations, they could be distinguished into two categories: creature or equipment cards. Kazuma felt a surge of confidence flowing through him, finding himself back at home with these cards. The game itself was similar to those of trading card games back when he was still in Japan.
The bread and butter activities you would expect any NEET to invest their time in.
"The name of the game is called Guardians of Axel. Each of us will start of with ten heart points and the objective of the game would be to reduce your opponent's heart points to zero."
Megumin drew a monster and an equipment card from the set and flashed them at Kazuma.
"The chronology of the game is determined by the turn number. With more turns allowing the player to bring even stronger monsters into the fray. To top it off, you can augment your monster cards with equipment cards to create deadly combinations and wipe the floor with your enemies."
...
"Seems easy enough."
...
"On a final note, you can only summon one monster card per turn and only one equipment card is permitted per monster on the battlefield."
Megumin scooped the cards back up and recompiled them into their respective decks.
"I was the best player in the household and I am not going to lose to you!"
Upon understanding the fact that the game mechanics were way less complex than those in Japan, Kazuma unleashed a smile that was beaming in utter confidence.
"Heh, these card games were pretty much a large chunk my life. I will not make this easy for you!"
_
The skies darkened with grey ominous clouds, releasing an occasional flash of lightning that struck the earth, resulting in tremors powerful enough to create deep fissures of volcanic lava, ravaging the already hostile and desolate landscape.
It would not have turn out this way, if not for the Witch and her dastardly schemes.
As for our fateful hero of Axel, Kazuma has finally arrived at the end.
Kazuma hollered across the valley to a dark petite figure in a witch outfit.
"EARTH EATER MEGUMIN! I AM HERE TO STOP YOU!"
...
"WELL, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY!"
Megumin raised her hands as if conjuring a sort of spell, churning the landscape into what seemed like a giant soccer stadium. They stood at the ends of the arena itself, This time only separated by distance.
Kazuma and Megumin whipped out their respective decks and drew three cards in an overly dramatic fashion.
Megumin flung her witch hat high into the sky, revealing her distorted face brimming with malevolence.
"I go first! I summon out Exploding Flame conjurer!"
The arena floor ruptured only, with a flaming skeleton emerging from within its core and crawled to stand alongside its summoner. The creature had multiple horn like protrusions littered across his skeletal construction, but had no visible organs aside from the bright orange flames that shrouded it.
Megumin mused with arrogance, already assuming the fight was over before it had even started.
"Since this is my first turn, I am unable to attack you, but you should know the fate that is about to befall you!"
...
"Well then, its my move!"
"I bring forth the Soul Seeker of Purity and grant him the use of the truth seeking javelin, with this my creature would be able to attack you directly!"
A glowing chrysalis emerged from the grey clouds, bursting itself open to revealing an armored shining angel. It raised its hand up and grasped a majestic spear with divine and sacred construction. Aiming well, he thrust the spear forward at Megumin, its inhuman velocity resulted in a swift transformation into an intense beam of white light.
The spear went straight through Megumin like a laser, the resulting pain spread across her body relentlessly. With Megumin grasping her chest in a futile attempt to distract herself from the agony...
Although she suffered half her health worth of damage. The outcome of the battle was still left largely undecided.
"Its my move then! Next I proceed to summon my faithful Demonic World Eater to ensure your pathetic demise!"
An alligator with searing hot flames with steel plated scales descended from the skies and landed onto the playing field accompanied with a terrifying explosion. Emerging from the dust clouds with Its demonic eyes locked on to Kazuma.
"My two minons! Sick em!"
Both of the creatures lunged forward aggressively with lightning speed, positioning themselves before launching a combined stream of green flames at Kazuma's Soul Seeker, vaporizing it in an instant. The aftershocks created by the blast wave released sheer force enough to send Kazuma smashing into the Arena grandstand.
Megumin released an evil laughter, sending waves of chills down the hero's spine as he struggled to his feet amongst the debris.
"That should take you to the halfway mark as well... Dare to continue."
...
The battle raged on for what seemed like eternity, with no victor in sight.
"This is it Kazuma! My most strongest monster! The Demon God of Explosions itself! Chomsuke the Titan of Destruction!"
A giant cat leapt majestically from across the horizon, its black body littered with numerous volcanic veins and sharp spines. Its ferocious purr capable of tearing a hole through the surrounding landscapes. That creature was fearsome in its own right, leaving Kazuma no choice but to bring out his triumph card to even the odds.
"Then same goes for me! I bring forth the Goddess of Water herself, Goddess of Soul purification!"
The darkened sky above ruptured apart upon his command with an angelic maiden with endless cyan blue hair and cerulean blue eyes descending from the very heavens itself. The bright pink Raiment denoted her status of a goddess, while the rose staff in her hand enforced her role as the strongest purifier. Her very presence gave life barren wasteland, enriching her proximity with abundant greenery that sprouted in a mere instant.
...
"KAZZZZUUMMMMAAAA!"
...
"MEGGGGUMMMINNNN!"
Both godly creatures charged at each other with ferocious might, clashing with destructive vigor, unleashing power so great, altering the very fabric of existance they had sat upon.
The Inevitable The clash of the titans.
...
...
"So... I win Heehehee."
Kazuma widened his grin gleefully, flashing his fingers in a V to add more salt to Megumin's wound.
"Dammit Kazuma, i didn't expect you to be this good at my childhood card game."
...
"Can't call it a childhood card game when you are still a child!"
Kazuma retorted sarcastically as he neatly recompiled the cards back into the deck.
"Kazuma thats not fair at all...How can you be so good at this!"
Megumin reluctantly handed the blue box to an overjoyed Kazuma before burying her face into her arms to mourn her loss. After Kazuma checked the contents of the box carefully, he shifted it into his pocket, at the same time carving a deep reminder into his memory to ensure that he does not repeat the same mistake.
...
A familiar voice rang out that almost broke him into a panicked frenzy. He spun around to meet a sleepy eyed Aqua in her blue pajamas.
"Kaazuuma, whats with the ruckus, I am trying to get some rest for tomorrow..."
Megumin could not find it in herself to tolerate it any longer, prompting her to confront Aqua directly.
"Aqua! What is with you and Kazuma lately, you know because of you Kazuma has been acting so weird!"
...
"Huh? Its not me! Its kazuma's fault for making me pregnant!"
"P...Pre... Pregn...Pregnant?!"
"Yeah tell her its all your fault Kazuma!"
...
Kazuma world shattered before his eyes, now his hidden relationship with Aqua all but revealed.
Oh my god you freaking goddess what have you done...
Megumin was petrified by her revelation. Meanwhile, Kazuma too was equally distraught to think straight, leaving Megumin in the living room before tugging Aqua towards her private room to give him a piece of his mind.
Closing the door gently, he spun around at Aqua and gave her the most anguished expression he could muster.
"What did you do that for?"
...
Aqua's eyes were shivering from the deadly stares that Kazuma threw and her.
"Whats wrong with telling them about our crisis?"
...
Kazuma hardened his fists, trying his utmost best to contain his anger.
"We cannot rope them into our problems Aqua because we are the ones responsible, hence we have to solve it ourselves."
...
..
Aqua broke the silence, slumping her head downwards and sniffling away pitifully with tears brimming down her sleepy cerulean eyes.
A genuinely sad, broken version of Aqua was not recognizable by Kazuma.
Feeling regretful for his harsh words, Kazuma leaned forward to access his damage only to be stopped by Aqua's stinging, sharp words.
...
"Stop it Kazuma! Stop taking everything upon yourself! They are our friends! Isn't that a good enough reason to let them in on this secret! I hate lying! I hate secrets..."
"I don't want our child to be a secret! I want it to be accepted in this world like we are."
A deep sense of guilt gradually took hold of him.
That's right, to have Aqua to lie was to suffer all for my own selfishness.
He gingerly placed his hand on Aqua's face and wiped away her tears with his fingers, much to Aqua's confusion.
...
"I promise we will not hide the child of ours anymore."
That sentence seemed to have calmed Aqua down as her sniffling eventually subsided. With her fatigue finally settling in, she meticulously laid herself evenly on the bed and prepared herself for the night ahead.
She flipped away from Kazuma, irritation riddled all over her voice.
"Leave me alone you stupid Trashzuma NEET..."
...
Aqua was startled by Kazuma's response.
Kazuma laid beside her and wrapped his arms gently around her belly, arching his body to match hers and tangling his legs with her own. Fortunately for Kazuma, everything was going in the opposite direction. Aqua was unable to muster the will within her to resist his comforting embrace.
A soft apology edged its way into Aqua's ear.
"I am deeply sorry..."
...
Kazuma was surprised that Aqua did not reject the hug, instead turning around to bury her face into the crook of his neck, rubbing her wet eyes against his shirt as she slowly drifted off into a slumber. The Warmth and fuzziness eventually worked its way into Kazuma, persuading him to close his eyes to savor its comforting sensations.
"Kazuma, you are still here and awake?"
Although She had slept for a few hours, Kazuma remained insomniac throughout that duration. Still recovering from the trauma inflicted by That particular evening's events. Judging from the position of the moon from the window, It was probably around the wee hours of the morning. He glanced back into Aqua deep beautiful, just as her cerulean eyes slowly crept up face his.
They remained locked in their embrace ever since, heads leaning against the same pillow, facing each other and both unable to find any resolve to seperate.
Aqua who was evidently embarrassed by Kazuma's stares, made a poor attempt to divert her sight, However, she was too entranced by the assertive presence embedded within his brown eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that its really embarrassing."
...
"Why do I want to look anywhere else but the most beautiful person I had ever laid my eyes on."
"Stop gushing at a goddess, it doesn't work and you aren't getting any favors."
Kazuma lips pulled into a soft grin, discreetly studying Aqua's soft facial features.
"Well, not any mortal has what it takes to sire a Goddess, would that make me something else?"
Aqua's face flushed at his comment; A deep shade of crimson perpetually forming around her cheeks.
Thats right Aqua, we promised: No more secrets.
...
...
Here goes nothing.
"It is beyond hurtful for any compassionate father to force the mother to raise a child alone."
Kazuma's hand dipped into his pocket.
"The responsibility of the child's upbringing ultimately belongs to both the father and the mother..."
His fingers wrapped around the blue box.
"This child is the embodiment of love we have for each other."
He pulled the blue box and parked it directly in Aqua's line of sight.
"Without him to bind us, our promises may eventually mean nothing. However, as long as he remains by our side, our promises mean everything."
Kazuma proceeded to uncase the box to reveal the ring, and much to Aqua's astonishment, their full names were etched into the ring in tiny cursive letters.
Well, Kazuma's full name was. Kazuma never got to know Aqua's surnames.
"Aqua, will you marry me?"
Aqua was frozen from bliss, unable to comprehend all the events that were occurring during this moment. The only visible movement from her body was the blinking her eyes repeatedly to hide her tears.
Kazuma snickered affectionately, removed the ring from the box cushion and slid it onto Aqua's finger without experiencing any form of resistance from her.
Unfortunately for Aqua, the tears refused to subside, spurring Aqua to gather sufficient strength to cup her face and hide her embarrassment. However Kazuma was not fond of her idea, instead gently peeling of the ringed hand with his own, encircling their fingers together.
You are being so selfish by hiding your face away from my sight...
"How... I dont... know... How to express my...love... Kazume can you... show...me..."
The clear streams that traversed down her delicate facial features. The cuteness emanating from her smooth and silky voice enhanced by her soft hiccups was too much to bear for Kazuma.
...
"You just have to say one thing Aqua, say Ahhhh."
"Ahhhhh?"
Kazuma moved his head in to seal his lips within Hers. Enjoying her lavish taste of and fragrant scent as their tongues were locked in a passionate duel. However, they separated rather quickly due to their lack of experience.
"After all, remember that I have to feed you whenever You said Ah?"
...
"Well... It wasn't half bad for a Goddess, Kazuma."