Megumin, Darkness and Raemis walked through the bustling streets of Axel. It was around noon, having just finished eating lunch at a new restaurant that had opened up near the party's mansion.
Megumin was dressed in her usual winter clothes, bar a light red scarf that Yun Yun had gifted her. She wore it when she was sure her rival wasn't looking.
Darkness was also wearing her usual winter clothing. The soft fur lining her coat kept her warm from the stinging cold.
Raemis was wearing her usual black coat, her horns and face obscured by a large black sun hat and yellow scarf that Darkness had loaned her.
Darkness opened the door to a taylor's store, walking in and enjoying the warmth of the fireplace as they browsed the store.
"Raemis, what about this!" Megumin exclaimed as she held up a frilly purple dress, something you would only expect royalty to wear.
"I don't think it's Raemis' style," Darkness interjected, looking through clothes that were hung up on a rack. Raemis watched from behind her, staring at all the clothes Darkness was carefully examining. "None of these really suit you, Raemis,"
"Sorry…"
"Don't apologize,"
"What about this!" Megumin exclaimed, holding up another frilly dress, this time in a navy blue with white outlines.
"Looks hard to move in…" Raemis replied.
"Maybe we should try another store, somewhere who's demographic are adventurers," Darkness sighed as she walked around the shop, taking one last look at their wares.
"We should have done that in the first place," Megumin replied.
The party walked down the streets of the town once again as they headed for their new destination. Megumin pulled on Darkness' sleeve as they walked.
"Hey Darkness,"
"What is it, Megumin?"
Megumin gestured for Darkness to lean down by waving her hand, Darkness following along, leaned her ear in. Megumin began to whisper into her ear.
"How was your night with Kazuma?"
Darkness almost tripped on her own feet, Raemis looking over confused. If she was being honest, she couldn't remember too much due to the alcohol, but she could remember the fuzzy intimate scene in her head.
"I'll tell you about it later!" Darkness hissed as she began to walk again, Megumin laughing as she watched the crusader turn red. Darkness leaned in again whispering into the mage's ear.
"But thank you, Megumin,"
Before Megumin could respond, a voice rang out behind them that pulled the girls' attention.
"Lady Lalatina!"
The group turned around to see a small blonde girl in a white dress running toward them and a sword sheathed on her back, waving as she approached them.
"Princess Iris! What are you doing here?" Darkness exclaimed as the young ran up to her, her arms wrapping around the crusader.
"I came to see you Lalatina!" Iris beamed as she looked up at Darkness, a big smile on her face.
"Where's Claire?" Darkness asked as she returned the hug. Megumin waved at the princess, smiling as Raemis tried her best to hide her face.
"Oh, um," Iris stumbled as she tried to avoid eye contact.
"Princess?"
"I-I ran away!"
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"Ehhhhhh?!"
"Stay here," Darkness said as they walked into the living room, "I'll go fetch Kazuma,"
Iris nodded in response, leaving the group to defrost by the warmth of the fireplace, enjoying escaping the bitter cold.
Darkness walked down the halls, stopping at Kazuma's bedroom door. She knocked on the door softly, only to get no response.
"Kazuma, are you awake?" Darkness called. She waited for a second, her hand hovering over the door handle.
"Kazuma, I'm coming in," She whispered as she slowly opened the door. She was met with Kazuma sound asleep, laying on his side with his arm outstretched, his other arm resting on his stomach.
Darkness walked over to the head of the bed, crouching down to his eye level. She took a minute to stare at Kazuma's sleeping face, enjoying watching him breathe softly.
"I really shouldn't… but…" Darkness pondered, standing over his sleeping body, gazing down at the empty space on the bed beside him.
Darkness pulled the covers up slightly, slipping in beside Kazuma, laying her head on Kazuma's outstretched arm.
"Only for a moment…" She convinced herself, enjoying Kazuma's warmth. She couldn't help but feel a bit greedy, holding onto him just half a day since the last time they were so close.
Her fingers moved towards Kazuma, brushing against his shirt. She softly grabbed it, holding onto the cloth like Kazuma would blow away with the softest breeze. The blonde inched closer, her head rested on Kazuma's chest, feeling his chest rise and fall with every breath.
Her face was burning, she could feel her cheeks catch fire as her body shook. She imagined what Kazuma would do to her if they were on his bed under different circumstances. Would he be gentle? Treating her like a princess as he caressed her in his arms? Would he be cruel? Treating her like the scum she was, degrading her till he's finished with her?
Her fantasies were interrupted when she felt Kazuma's arm wrapped around her. Her mind receded as she looked up at Kazuma, revealing that he was still fast asleep. The crusader's heart raced as she felt Kazuma warmth surround her body, not daring to move an inch.
Kazuma groaned softly, making Darkness jump in surprise, only for Kazuma to continue sleeping. She sighed in relief, only for Kazuma to begin speaking softly…
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"...M-Megu…..min…"
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Darkness jolted up, slipping out of his arms and quickly standing. She stared at the opposite wall as her heart raced. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, her hands shaking as her mind raced. It felt hard to breathe as Kazuma yawned behind her.
"Wake up Kazuma," Darkness called with all her strength, as he began to sit up. "Princess Iris is here to see you,"
"Good morning," He groaned as rubbed his eyes. Darkness tried her hardest not to break down into tears, clenching her fists. She turned around with a fake smile.
"Come on, a princess is waiting for you,"
"Big bro!" Iris exclaimed as she ran towards Kazuma.
Iris jumped and embraced Kazuma, looking terrible as he woke up a few minutes ago, returned the hug.
"Iris! It's good to see you," Kazuma said as he coped with a slight headache. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you!" Iris beamed.
"Is that right…" Kazuma looked up at Darkness, looking for answers and he gently petted the young princess. Darkness was staring at her feet, Kazuma sighing when he realized he wasn't going to get any answers.
"She ran away," Megumin bluntly stated as she took off her hat.
"Nice," Kazuma gave the princess a thumbs up, who beamed up at him in response.
"D-Don't encourage her!" Darkness exclaimed. Raemis stayed quiet as she tried her best to avoid attention.
"Hey big bro," Iris called as she looked up, breaking the hug as she walked towards Raemis. "Who is this lady?"
Raemis began to sweat, turning around to avoid being seen.
"She has such pretty hair!"
Raemis shook in fear, she knew the power the royal family contained. If Iris were to discover her demonic heritage, she could be wiped off the face of the planet in seconds. Darkness sensing her fear, tried to steer the conversation away from Raemis.
"Iris! You must be hungry! Let's get you some food," Darkness stumbled out, trying to lead her to the kitchen.
"But… that lady…"
"That lady needs to hide her identity, or the world will end!" Megumin exclaimed, trying to help Darkness. "Her face is so intimidating, you'll drop dead if you see it,"
With terrible timing, Aqua burst through the front door, holding a large bottle. "Hey gang! I'm home!"
"Hello Lady Aqua," Iris greeted, waving happily. "Lady Aqua, who is this pretty lady?"
The party were trying to tell her to keep quiet with their eyes and making an x motion with their hands. Aqua, predictably, did not understand their silent message.
"I wouldn't use pretty to describe this demonspawn," she scoffed as she walked further into the house. "Don't get close to her, she's a demon, she'll eat you. Anywho I'm gonna be in my room enjoying this bubbly I bought! Byeee!" She exclaimed as she dashed to her bedroom.
"Damn it Aqua!" Kazuma exclaimed as he shook his fist. The party turned to Iris, who was beaming towards Raemis, trying her hardest to get a glimpse of the demon as she circled around her.
"Lady, please let me see you!" Iris beamed as tugged at her cloak. Raemis sighed, she knew her fate was sealed when Aqua revealed her race. She took off her hat and scarf, looking down at the princess with her scarp yellow eyes as she took off her cloak.
"My name is Raemis, as you can see I'm a demon. I'm staying with Kazuma and his party for now,"
Iris looked up at the tall demon, eyes sparkling as she looked all over her.
"Wow! You're so cool!" Iris beamed. Raemis began to blush at the expected praise, looking away from the princess as she began to circle her, admiring every angle.
"You're not… scared of me?" Raemis asked as Iris held her hands. "Even though I'm a demon?"
"If you're with Kazuma and the others, I'm sure you're a good person!"
"Thank you…" Raemis whispered, her face a bright crimson as she looked down at the young princess. "I'm really not…" she said under her breath.
"Iris, why don't you go play with Raemis while I talk with my party," Darkness asked, patting the top of her head as she crouched down to meet at her eye level.
"Yes, Lalatina!" Iris exclaimed as she started pulling Raemis by the arm, shuffling towards the doorway with the demon in tow. Raemis cried for help as Iris grinned ear to ear.
"Ask her to show you around the house!" Darkness said as she watched the princess exit the room.
"Okay, so what do we do about Iris," Megumin asked, crossing her arms as she sat down on the sofa.
"I mean I'm sure that she had a good reason to run away," Kazuma sighed, sitting down to the mage's right. "She doesn't seem like a girl who would just run away for something minor,"
"We have to tell Clarie," Darkness said, still standing, "We have an obligation to,"
Darkness began to walk towards the kitchen, turning her head before exiting completely. "Would you like some tea? I'm going to brew a fresh batch,"
"Sure," both Kazuma and Megumin replied in sync.
"I'll be right back," Darkness left the room, leaving the two alone in the room.
"Megumin, don't you wanna get changed? It looks hot,"
"No I don't mind, it's not too bad. Also I'm happy you think my outfit is hot," Megumin giggled.
"That's not- wait no, your outfit is hot," Kazuma bluntly replied.
"Y-You weren't supposed to respond like that, geez," Megumin replied, turning red, looking away from Kazuma by looking down at her lap. "We're alone in the living room again,"
"I-I guess we are,"
The crimson demon shuffled closer to Kazuma, resting her head on Kazuma's shoulder. Kazuma looked down at Megumin, who looked up at him in response.
"Do you dislike it?,"
"N-No,"
Megumin placed her hand atop Kazuma's, interlacing her fingers with his. She softly cuddled against him, sighing happily.
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"Kazuma," Megumin cooed as she looked up once again. Kazuma kept his eyes on the dancing flames in the fireplace.
"Yes, Megumin?"
"What did you do with Darkness last night?"
Kazuma began to sweat, his mind raced through the fuzzy memories of last night, terrified of what he didn't remember.
"I-I honestly don't know,"
Megumin gave him a judgmental stare, unconvinced at Kazuma's admission.
"Are you sure you didn't do anything lewd?"
"I definitely remember not doing anything lewd, as unbelievable as that sounds, I did wake up on the couch alone after all,"
"Then what did you do?"
"I can't remember… everything's a blur… but I do recall being a little happy…" Kazuma confessed as he rubbed his forehead.
"Happy…"
"Happy,"
"Are you happy… with me… right now?"
"Megumin, being with you makes me very happy,"
"Shut up!"
"No really! Being with you… meeting you… someone as loud and explosive as you…
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It's brought me a lot of joy.
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Meeting you… is probably one of the best things to ever happen to me," Kazuma confessed as he turned red in the face, trying to avoid eye contact with the mage, who was looking up at him with an awed look in her face. "What are you looking at!"
"What happened to my stubborn, tsundere Kazuma?"
"Hey, that was hard to admit! You don't have to rub it in!"
Megumin giggled as she squeezed Kazuma's hand tighter, returning to leaning her head against Kazuma's shoulder.
"Meeting you… is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Megumin confessed.
"T-Thanks…"
"You could sound more happy about it…"
"It's embarrassing, okay?!"
Megumin laughed as Kazuma pulled on her cheek with his free hand.
"Kazuma, please do that to me too,"
Kazuma looked up to see Darkness looming over him, red in the face as she held a tray with a teapot and teacups.
"D-Darkness! When did you get here!"
"Just now," She replied as she set down the tray on the coffee table, beginning to pour the two some tea. Darkness handed the cup to Megumin who went to grab it with her free hand.
"Take it with both hands Megumin," Darkness said as she pulled back the teacup and saucer.
"Do I have to..." Megumin complained.
"Yes," Darkness sharply replied.
Megumin pouted as she reluctantly let go of Kazuma's hand, extending her arms. Darkness, with an overly satisfied look on her face, returned the teacup to Megumin's vicinity. Megumin snatched the teacup and saucer out of Darkness' hands and slammed it down before Kazuma could even enjoy a sip of his.
"So what are we going to do about Iris?" Kazuma asked as he watched Darkness sit down to his right, maybe a little closer than he would have expected.
"We should send Iris back to the capital," Darkness stated. "And inform Clarie somehow,"
"How did she even get here?" Megumin asked, pouring herself some more tea. "The capital is a few days journey away, I doubt she walked all by herself,"
"How are we gonna get her back anyway? She's not going to go back peacefully," Kazuma added.
"Maybe we needed Iris for this conversation after all…" Darkness sighed. "We don't even know how she got here, or why she came…"
"I'll go grab her…" Kazuma said as he trudged out the room, putting down his tea onto the coffee table before doing so.
The two girls sat in silence for a while, taking occasional sips for their teacups.
"Hey Darkness," Megumin broke the silence. "When Kazuma… makes a decision… we'll still be friends, right?"
"What do you mean?"
Megumin scooted closer to Darkness, setting down her tea. "I'm scared," she admitted, "Whoever he chooses… I'll… lose you… the special relationship we share…"
"Oh Megumin…" Darkness pulled Megumin into an embrace, caressing the back of her head as the young mage's cheeks turned flushed. "Megumin you and I, we share a bond unlike one I've ever had,"
"S-Shut up!" Megumin stumbled as she felt her cheeks grow red, her arms softly wrapping around the blonde.
"R-Really! You're my adorable, junior party member, something as silly as Kazuma accepting your feelings won't break the close friendship we have,"
Megumin felt just the slightest bit comforted by Darkness' words, feeling her muscles lose tension as the crusader slowly stroked the back of her head. She let herself be comforted by the crusader for a moment, her slightly rapid breathing calming to a normal level.
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"W-What if he loves you?" Megumin asked as she pulled back from the embrace, picking up her teacup as she stared at Darkness' soft smile.
"M-Me?!" Darkness asked as her eyes grew slightly wider, looking a little shaken.
"Yes you,"
Megumin caught Darkness' smile fade for a moment. Darkness stared down at the teacup she clenched in her hands. She watched the drink swirl in her cup as she swished it around.
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"I-I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Darkness looked up at Megumin, a weak smile adorning her face as she tried to reassure the mage.
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"Darkness? W-what do you mean?"
"What are you two talking about?" Kazuma asked, looming over her as stood behind the couch, Iris and Rameis standing beside him.
"Nothing," Darkness quickly replied before Megumin could open her mouth, looking up at Kazuma, her usual smile returning once more. "Just some girl stuff,"
"Y-Yeah," Megumin weakly followed up, still slightly unnerved.
"Well I brought Iris," Kazuma said as she walked around the couch, sitting down next to Megumin. Iris followed, trying to squeeze into the sofa, only to find there was no more room.
"Big bro," she called. "Can I sit on your lap?"
"Absolutely not!" Darkness exclaimed, only for Kazuma to pick her up and place her gently on his lap.
"There you go!" Kazuma said with a big smile on his face, Iris beaming up at him.
"Thank you big bro!"
Darkness sighed in defeat, watching Kazuma pat Iris' head with a dumb grin on his face. Raemis continued to stand behind Kazuma, watching over the group as she crossed her arms.
"Hey, tell your big brother Iris," Kazuma began to speak, Iris looking up at him with a curious look. "Why'd you run away? You're usually such an obedient girl,"
Iris' smile faded, looking worried as Kazuma smiled, reassuring the princess.
"Promise you won't get mad?"
"Of course! You can tell me anything,"
"I was angry!" Iris exclaimed, frowning as her hands balled into fists.
"Angry?" Darkness asked, "How so?"
"Claire keeps making me study! Or practice etiquette! When the people I'll rule one day die on the front lines!" Iris looked furious, the party shocked at seeing the princess' outburst. "I want to fight alongside my people, not laze around in a castle!"
Darkness gave Iris a sympathetic look, getting up and walking to the princess, who had crossed her arms, pouting. She crouched down to her eye level, smiling softly.
"Surely you understand, Lady Lalatina, the feeling that you should be protecting the people you rule. Isn't that why you chose to walk the path of an adventurer?"
"S-sure," Darkness weakly replied.
"Iris, how did you even get here?" Kazuma asked.
"I used my sword, big bro!"
"Your sword?" Megumin asked, looking over to the sheathed blade that was propped against the wall near the front door.
"Yeah! E- E-... something-calibur!"
"I don't understand, how could your blade help you travel?" Raemis chimed in, making the princess look up at the demon.
"It's a sacred artifact!" Iris explained. "It has all sorts of powers that are hidden away. It's said that long ago, a beautiful king used this sword to win a holy war! And for winning he got one wish!" Iris beamed as her eyes sparkled looking up at the party. "I think his name was Art- Arto… Pend- something like that,"
"Why do those names feel so familiar…" Kazuma pondered as he continued to listen to the princess' story.
"I wished really hard that I could be an adventurer on the sword, and when I opened my eyes, I was behind you Lady Lalatina!"
"I-I see…" Darkness replied. "Iris your reason to wish on your blade is noble, but you must understand Clarie has your best interests in mind,"
"Come on Darkness, cut her some slack," Kazuma interjected.
"What would happen to this kingdom if the people were to lose their princess? Their future ruler?"
Iris looked up and Darkness, her eyes falling onto a gentle smile, calming the young ruler.
"I know it's frustrating, and it hurts me to do so, but we have to return you to the capital,"
Iris looked down at her lap, avoiding looking at the Crusader as she stayed silent. Kazuma raised his hand and began to pet the top of the princess' head lightly, causing Iris to look up.
Kazuma shot Iris a toothy grin, smiling as Iris looked up at him shyly. "You know, we can't have you leaving for the capital by yourself,"
"I don't understand big bro,"
"He's right, princess," Darkness responded, Iris turning to see the blonde. "And I can't leave my duties here in Axel,"
"So we'll have to send a letter to the capital for Claire to come fetch you," Kazuma added. "That letter will take a few days to reach the castle,"
"I UNDERSTAND!" Iris exclaimed, beaming up at the party with a large smile on her face. "I'll get to stay with you for a little bit!"
"That's right!" The party exclaimed, grinning.