Awakening early the next morning, Kenichi found that his party members were all still asleep, and he set about his brotherly duties: cooking breakfast, and making sure everyone had clean clothes. Sure, his mom had been the one responsible for that most of the time, but he knew how to do laundry well enough, and while he wasn't a gourmet chef, he knew how to cook up some eggs, tomatoes, and onions for omelets. As far as the clothes, he just laundered what he found sneaking into the girl's rooms. It was a bit odd to be washing the girls' clothes, but he'd done the same for Honoka and really, what was the difference in the end?

"Even if I'm not strong enough to help them fight yet, I can do this much," Kenichi assured himself as scrubbed at the clothes in the washbasin. It was hard work, and very different than in Japan, but it also wasn't rocket science, just tedious.

Yunyun was the first to wake up and blushed mightily when she found Kenichi scrubbing away, mortifyingly, on her panties.

"Um, good morning," he said, putting his head down and furiously washing. "These, er, were dirty, so, um…"

"Y-you don't have to!" Yunyun gasped, hurrying over and looking rather mortified. "I-I can wash my own clothes!"

"If it makes you uncomfortable, that's fine," Kenichi said, blushing and standing up and cracking his back. "But, um, I did have a little sister, about your age, and, well, I helped with laundry. Everyone needs clean clothes."

"You mean…Honoka? Y-you called Alice that when she was in trouble." Yunyun trailed off, looking concerned. "Did…did she, um…"

"She's," Kenichi mentally mulled over his word choice, settling on, "gone." He turned back to his task, furiously washing as tears trickled down his face. He scrubbed briefly at his nose with his forearm, but continued to work.

Yunyun quietly started to take the wet clothes to hang them up, but Kenichi shook his head.

"No, you guys are doing all the fighting. Let me do this for you," Kenichi told her earnestly. "I do want to become stronger, strong enough to fight alongside you! But for now, I'll be there to support you!"

"Thats…um, Kenichi…I don't think you u-understand…" Yunyun fluttered her hands over her chest, which drew Kenichi's attention to the fact that out of all his party members, she was by far the most…mature.

"I get that I'm sort of pathetic compared to the three of you. I…I really didn't understand just what you guys meant by your classes or levels. It didn't make sense to me," Kenichi admitted.

Yunyun cocked her head to one side, pausing in her confusion. "It didn't…make sense? W-what do you mean?"

"I…I'm not from around here," he admitted, continuing to scrub away at the clothing. He ended up passing Yunyun her wet clothes, and she hung them up on the line.

"I-I see. Well, um…look. M-me and Megumin, um…I don't know how to say…n-no one likes us…"

Kenichi dropped Megumin's robe into the basin, standing up with a look of outrage. "What?! Did someone else make fun of you!? Discrimination based on race is wrong! I know some Japanese people don't like foreigners, but I've always thought-"

"N-no! And, um…well..t-thank you. No one ever s-stood up for me like that b-before," Yunyun admitted, blushing herself and turning around quickly to fuss with the clothes line. "B-but even back in the Village…N-no one liked me. T-they would hang around s-so I could buy them stuff…except for M-megumin. B-but she…she's hard to get along with…I-I'm her only friend, a-and she was mine…"

"Not any more," Kenichi said, putting a wrinkled hand on Yunyun's shoulder. She spun about, gasping and flushing, her eyes glowing suddenly red. "I'm your friend, Yunyun. And Iris."

"Um, don't you mean…?" Yunyun stammered, her eyes still fixed on Kenichi's.

"Alice! I mean Alice! And we're Megumin's friends too." He retrieved the robe, wrung it out, and hung it up. "There, that does it. Go wake up our sleepyheads, and I'll cook us some breakfast. Big day today! Our first real quest!"

Yunyun gazed at Kenichi for a moment longer, then scurried off to wake up the other girls.

While Iris complimented Kenichi's cooking skills and Megumin was clearly enthusiastic about breakfast, neither of them seemed to consider it anything but natural that others should serve them. That seemed natural for Iris, who, as a Princess likely had people wait on her hand and foot. She was very enthusiastic to help with cleanup, but Megumin grudgingly had to coach her on how to do so.

In the manic little mage's case, Kenichi figured that Megumin just naturally expected the world to conform to her expectations and desires because why SHOULDN'T it, she was MEGUMIN! She did seem to have a great deal of patience for Iris's blunders at least, though she did bicker with Yunyun at every opportunity.

"You two sound like sisters," Kenichi chuckled after Megumin challenged Yunyun to a contest to see who could wash the most dishes.

That earned him a smile from Yunyun, and an outraged cry of "WE'RE RIVALS!" from Megumin.

The sun had already been up for hours by the time they got down to the guild, but by the trickle of Adventurers coming in, and the number of people still sitting and eating breakfast, he figured that most Adventurers were late sleepers.

"Good morning! I'm so glad you made it in!" Luna said, bustling up and giving the party hungry smiles.

Kenichi took half a step back, raising his hands in a warding motion. "Just what do you-"

"WE DEMAND A QUEST WORTHY OF OUR MYRIAD TALENTS!" Megumin thundered, striking a pose. She had on the eyepatch again, though this time over her left eye.

"Yes! I would very much like to slay a dragon. Do you have any?" Iris asked eagerly. "Father is always going on about the Dragon Hunts he took my brother Ja-sper on when he was younger."

"I-I would like a quest w-where we can earn a lot of experience. I-I want to learn Advanced magic!" Yunyun declared. Then she blushed. "Um, but nothing too hard…K-Kenichi needs some experience too…"

"Let'snot get ahead of ourselves. Maybe we start with something manageable?" Kenichi cautioned.

"Oh, fear not, I have a quest picked out just for you!" Luna said happily and pulled out a poster from behind her back. "I was saving this for the four of you."

"Aw, just a griffin?" Iris said, sounding disappointed.

Dust, who had just walked in with Rin and two other men, one with a bow, the other with two handed sword, stopped and laughed. "A griffin! That's not a good first quest! You should give that one to us, Luna, we-"

"Dust, we're taking the melon picking one, and that's final," the swordsman sighed. "We have to pay off your bar tab, and that one pays the most."

"But it's so much work," Dust whined. "Give us the griffin!"

"Yes, do you have anything harder?" Iris agreed. "One griffin seems rather easy."

"How are we supposed to split the XP on that one!? We need at LEAST four griffins!" Megumin demanded.

"Y-yes, how are we supposed to level up if we just k-kill one monster?" Yunyun asked, folding her arms under her breasts and looking disappointed.

"Oh, I forgot to mention! It's rumored it's a mated pair with several young," Luna said gleefully, her eyes sparkling.

"Luna!? You're giving THAT to a bunch of newbies?! Kenichi just knows First Aid!" Rin protested, apparently now invested in the conversation.

"We are not simple neophytes, but a band of hardened Adventurers!" Megumin cackled, raising her staff and striking a dramatic pose. "For I am MEGUMIN! Foremost genius of the Crimson Demon Clan, and Mistress of Explosion Magic!"

"A-and I'm Yunyun! She w-who will one day be leader of the Crimson Demon Clan, a-and who has already slain an archdemon with Intermediate Magic!" Yunyun said, putting her back to Megumin's and posing, her own eyes glowing bright Crimson.

Iris jumped in front of both of them, brandishing her sword. "And I am the mysterious swordswoman known as Alice, she who will one day slay the Devil King!"

"And I'm Kenichi, I guess? I'm basically the party medic," Kenichi said. Then he struck his own pose. "But one day, I will gain the strength to stand amongst the greatest Adventurers in the world!"

Rin blinked, then shrugged. "I mean, they do have two Crimson Demons. I guess…if anyone can take that quest…it's probably a pair of them. That sword you have Alice…it looks familiar. Where have I seen it?"

Iris hastily put her sword back in its scabbard and hid it under her cloak. "Oh, well, um, it's a family heirloom, but I'm sure plenty of copies have been made for knights and such."

"What's your class, blondie?" Dust asked, rubbing his chin.

"Rune knight! I am level 10," Iris bragged, puffing up her chest and smiling broadly.

Dust squinted, then shook his head. "I guess that's impressive for a kid, but griffins are serious. Normally, only level 30 or higher adventurers go after them. Go get yourself some real armor, then take those things on. Seriously Luna, give them an easier quest to cut their teeth on."

"Yeah, sorry girls, but I think we really should start with something easier," Kenichi agreed. "Melon picking sounds pretty easy?"

"I can get anyone to do that," Luna sighed, taking emotional damage at her foiled plan. She went over to the board and plucked another quest off, coming back over. "How about this?. A group of Brorilla's have invaded a lumber mill near the forest and turned it into a weight room. Not many parties could clear them out. Just don't destroy the building, OK?"

Kenichi blinked. "Bro…rillas?"

"Yes, they could be a serious threat," Iris mused. "If they have set up a weight room, they'll start doing reps and turning any plants they find into juice."

"If they pump enough weights and get juiced up, they'll go on a rampage," Megumin agreed.

"W-we have to stop them, b-before they start pressing people into their weight room and making them train!" Yunyun agreed.

Kenichi frowned. "That doesn't sound so bad?"

"Humans cannot train at the level of Brorillas," Iris said grimly. "I have heard tales of even the strongest of knights dying of exhaustion after being taken by Brorilla's after only two days."

"That's still really tough for a group of newbies," Dust sighed, but he shrugged. "If Rin thinks they can do it, I suppose I won't try to stop you."

"As if you could. You're just a basic Warrior," Rin scoffed. She smiled at Kenichi's party. "Good luck! Brorilla's are really weak to magic. Try using spells that inflict status effects, and you should be fine!"

While Iris and the Crimson Girls looked rather disappointed, Kenichi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief at the idea of facing a slightly less dangerous foe. They made their way outside of town, walking along for just over two hours. The scenery was nice enough, and Kenichi enjoyed stretching his legs and chatting with his new friends.

At first, all three girls were rather guarded. Yunyun seemed to be hesitant to speak at all, likely because of her obvious stutter that she found rather embarrassing. Megumin mostly just bragged about her power, while Iris could only comment on high fashion and noble pursuits like horse riding or painting, something none of the others were all that interested in.

"What about your sister, Komekko. What's she like?" Kenichi asked Megumin when the conversation stalled out after barely leaving the town gates.

That got Megumin interest, and she smiled fondly. "She is my dear little sister, who I hope to set a good example for as an Adventurer. I also wish to send money back home to my family, so that Komekko doesn't go hungry as often."

"What? Why would she be hungry. Don't your parents care for her?" Iris asked.

Yunyun blushed, while Megumin's face went red, not so much out of embarrassment, but rather anger. "My father is a fool who insists on making useless items, while my mother is always going into the forest to gather materials for him. I was often alone to care for Komekko, and it was difficult to find enough food!"

"W-we made Bukkoroorii promise to help feed her w-while we're gone," Yunyun put in.

Megumin glared at her for a moment as if to say "Just who's sister is she?" but then relented. "Yunyun…helped…sometimes."

"I-I know she's not my sister, but, um…I think of her like that, sometimes," Yunyun admitted, smiling nervously as she walked along.

"That is because you have a soft, weak heart, that is easily exploited! If you are to become my TRUE rival, you must harden your resolve and not be so easily manipulated by plaintive smiles!" Megumin declared. Then she looked down, kicking a rock down the worn dirt road. "But thank you…for saving her…and feeding her…and me…"

"I would like to have a little sister," Iris admitted. "I have my elder brother, but he is often away. That is one reason I was so happy to have Kenichi as my friend! The only ones who ever paid attention to me were my nursemaids, tutors, and bodyguards. There were no other children at my…house."

Kenichi was fairly certain that Iris had been about to say "palace" instead, but he just gave her a somewhat sad smile. "I'm glad to have you too. I…I really miss my parents and Honoka. I had gone to summer camp for a week before, but I'd never been away…and now that I'm dead…"

Iris patted Kenichi on the back, a few tears trickling down her own face. "I never knew my mother…she died when I was quite young, fighting off one of the Devil King's generals. Father put paid to Daniel the Troll King, but still…I miss her."

Megumin muttered something under her breath that sounded like "lack of a consistent back story" but Yunyun shushed her.

"My mother also d-died when I was young," Yunyun said quietly. "My father, Hiropon, raised me, um…"

"My own mother said that your father should have hurried up and remarried instead of moping so dramatically," Megumin huffed. "That's why she made me play with you when we were small: so that you had at least some appropriate influence."

"I thought it w-was because, um, nevermind…"

"I DID NOT PLAY WITH YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU GAVE ME FREE SNACKS AND MEALS!" Megumin shouted angrily, going a deep red of embarrassment. "I'M NOT SOME FREELOADER LIKE THOSE OTHER LOSERS! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE A BUNCH OF RICH JERKS DOESN'T MEAN-"

For some reason, Kenichi's left butt cheek began to burn, and he found himself stepping forward and putting a hand on Megumin's shoulder. "Hey. Look. We all think you're pulling your weight, Megumin. I didn't exactly grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I think I probably had a pretty good family. But now? Now, I sort of feel like I'm the dead weight. You know Explosion magic! It's incredible! I'm going to have to work really hard to catch up to you."

Megumin's mouth opened and closed for a moment, and Kenichi saw tears fill her eyes. She quickly turned away from him, holding her staff close and pulling her hat low. "I don't think you're a dead weight."

"Um, M-Megumin…you're not just my friend…y-you're my rival," Yunyun said. She held out a hand. "S-so let's promise to get stronger together."

Megumin scrubbed her arm across her face, then smiled and shook Yunyun's. "Yes. One day, I will surpass you all!"

Iris stepped forward and gave Megumin and Yunyun a nervous smile. "You know…I have never had a friend before. Could…could you tell me how to be a friend?"

Megumin blinked, then glanced between Yunyun and Iris. "You mean…you're both hopeless losers?"

Kenichi breathed a sigh of relief. "I was pretty much a loner in school too…but why don't you girls find somewhere for us to have lunch? I'll go fill up our canteens."

As Kenichi left, he heard Megumin, in a completely serious voice say, "The first step to being someone's friend is to establish dominance: Prove that you are the superior option as a friend, and they would be a fool not to wish to be around you!"

He shook his head, though when he glanced back Iris was nodding seriously. "I see, so it is much like diplomatic relations."

"Exactly! And what is the best form of diplomacy?" Megumin asked.

"B-buy them lunch?" Yunyun suggested.

"NO! An Explosion! Now, I understand you have not master the superior form of magic, but I-"

Even Megumin's boisterous voice became muted as Kenichi stepped away, he couldn't help but smile to himself. It was almost like having three little sisters now…though maybe not? They were all cute, and not all that much younger than he was. Still, he wasn't sure what he wanted right now, being both exhausted, frightened, and completely lost. For the first time in several years, Kenichi was thinking with his upper brain more than his lower.

Taking the canteens, which were actually more like water skins now that Kenichi thought about it, he bent down by a nearby stream and began to fill them.

"Bro?"

"You can call me that if you like," Kenichi chuckled. "I guess I am starting to really think of you as my sister, Iris, but-"

"Bro! Bro!"

Kenichi blinked. "Wait, that's not-"

Kenichi looked up to see the grinning face of a large, muscular, very hairy man. The man had flat, tombstone teeth, a purple sweatband over his forehead, and absolutely ENORMOUS pecs and abs.

"Whoa. You know, I think you could actually grind meat on those!" Kenichi gasped.

The man grinned and flexed, straining to show off his impressive muscles. "Bro…BRO!"

"Damn, nice. You've got to give me some training tips!" Kenichi stood and flex his own biceps, giving a weak laugh. "Not much to look at, am I?"

The man stopped flexing and reached out, putting his hands on Kenichi's shoulders. "Bro."

"Yeah, I know, I will train, and get stronger! Strong enough to fight alongside my little sisters!" Kenichi vowed.

The man stood up and tossed back his head, letting out a mighty, "BROOOOOOOO!"

"Yeah, you got it, bro!" Kenichi said, and held out his small fist.

The stranger smashed his own fist in Kenichi's, bruising it.

"Ow! Woah, hey, I'm not as-"

And then the man picked up Kenichi and slung the boy over his shoulder, hooting as he sprinted away. "BRO! BRO! BROOOOOOOO!"

"Wait…we were hunting…BRORILLA!? AAAAAAHHH! IRIS, MEGUMIN, YUNYUUUUUUN HEEEEEEEEELP!" Kenichi wailed, as he was kidnapped by an overly muscled gorilla. And that's not derogatory, Brorilla's work hard for their bods.