A/N: Revised as of 3/18/2024.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-san… I couldn't find Cecily-san. She didn't even come home last night either."

"That's okay, Yunyun. We'll find her today. But first I gotta tell Wiz I won't be working today. It'll be a good chance for you to meet her too."

Upon hearing that she'd be meeting one of Naruto's close friends, Yunyun's eyes sparkled in excitement.

At first she thought Wiz was Naruto's pet, but the boy had laughed when she asked what type of animal it was and explained that Wiz was his boss… Sort of.

It was complicated. But apparently, Naruto worked at Wiz's magic item shop for free.

Yunyun remembered hearing that Naruto worked for a magic shop from some of the other adventurers and Dust, but only because the shop owner was very pretty. Well, that was a nicer way of putting it at least.

She wasn't worried about such rumors in the slightest, though. Naruto was a good person, so she figured he was helping this Wiz person out because she was his friend.

But upon entering the shop and seeing the beautiful shop keeper behind the counter, Yunyun pulled Naruto to the side and all but hissed into his ear.

"Naruto-san! That woman is beautiful! Why haven't you asked her to be your girlfriend for the bet!?"

Naruto blinked, surprised by Yunyun's sudden willfulness. Where was all of this coming from?

"I can't ask Wiz out… She's my friend."

Yunyun nearly facepalmed upon hearing his reason. It seemed she would have to take matters into her own hands.

"Good morning Wiz! I brought today's lunch! I'll just set it on the table here."

Naruto greeted and placed the container that contained Wiz's daily rations onto the table in the center of the room.

"Sorry for making you do this every day, Naruto-san… I truly appreciate it."

Wiz said with an apologetic smile as she walked around the counter to greet them.

"It's fine, it's fine! I already told you that I make too much ramen for my experiments anyway. So in a sense, you're helping me out by taking the extras."

Naruto responded with a cheeky grin, and the two laughed together.

Yunyun's cheeks were puffed out as if she were about to explode. This was ridiculous! These two were acting like a couple and Naruto didn't even realize it!

"By the way, Naruto-san. Is this that the cute little mage that joined your party?"

Wiz asked, her eyes falling onto Yunyun and causing the girl jolt.

"A-ah! Y-yes… My name is Yunyun! It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Wiz-san!"

Yunyun said and bowed respectively.

"How respectful… Well, I was a mage before I retired as an adventurer. So if you ever need advice or need magical supplies, I'd be happy to help!"

"Ah, t-thank you! I was beginning to run low on manatite crystals!"

"Oh, I have something better than simple manatite! Come with me!"

Wiz chirped and led Yunyun to the back of the store.

'You're taking advantage of the situation, Wiz…'

Naruto thought while smiling bitterly, but followed them regardless. Yunyun was smart enough not to buy garbage.

—Apparently, he was wrong.

Wiz ended up talking Yunyun into buying a special manatite crystal that could hold up to twice as much mana, but at the cost of draining some of the user's mana.

If the purpose of buying a manatite crystal was to avoid using your own mana, then what was the point of buying such an item?

But when Naruto started pointing out the flaws of the item, Wiz ended up crying which caused Yunyun to promise to only buy magic items from her store from now on.

So, here they were. Sitting at the center table during the shop's lunch hour, watching Wiz scarf down her ramen like a lone Silver Wolf that hadn't eaten in days.

"Wiz-san really like those noodles… What is it called?"

Yunyun leaned over to Naruto and whispered.

"It's called ramen, and it's the food of the gods that I learned how to make back in my home country."

Naruto replied and nodded sagely.

'A food from Naruto-san's home country…'

Yunyun thought as she eyed the extra bowl of noodles that sat inside the box in front of them.

Seeing this, Naruto reached over to grab the extra bowl for the young mage.

"If you want, you try this one. I'm sure Wiz wouldn't mind shar-Ouch!"

Naruto yelped and reeled his hand back when Wiz suddenly smacked him with a ladle.

The shop owner blinked, as if she didn't even notice what she had done.

"Oh, where are my manners! Would you like to try some, Yunyun? Naruto-san's ramen is very delicious!"

Wiz asked and placed the second bowl in front of the younger girl.

Yunyun looked at Naruto nervously, and the boy nodded while cradling his injured hand.

"Th-thank you, Wiz-san…"

Taking a hold of the chopsticks, Yunyun picked up some of the hot noodles. She had eaten something similar in her village called udon, but the noodles in this 'ramen' were significantly thinner and had various topping such as vegies and meat.

'…This is!?'

Upon placing the ramen into her mouth, she slurped them down and tasted an explosion of flavor from the soup that had seeped its way into the noodles.

"It seems you have another regular, chef Naruto-san."

Wiz said with a smile as she watched Yunyun scarf the ramen down with a new vigor. She then went back to finish her own bowl, but gasped when she realized it was empty.

"N-no way…"

Seeing Wiz on the verge of crying, Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Don't worry Wiz, I'll bring some more later."

"Sniff! T-thank you, Naruto-san…!"

Wiz sniffled, causing the shinobi to chuckle.

'Now then… To find that troublesome priestess.'

Naruto thought as he stepped out of the magic item shop. He decided to leave Yunyun behind in case Dust showed up later.

…Also, to keep Wiz company seeing as not a single customer had showed up in the duration of his visit.

It was now mid-noon, but the air was still cold thanks to the winter breeze. Naruto's sandals crunched as he walked through the snow covered streets.

'Oh yeah, I still need to get my jacket back from Maria… I just hope the Succubus don't tear me limb from limb.'

Letting out a sigh as he thought about a future chore, Naruto set off to find Cecily.

But first, a little information.

Walking up to one of the many Eris cultists in town, Naruto gave them a friendly wave.

"Hey, where's the nearest Eris Church?"

"Good afternoon, sir. Our humble church is just across town and up that hill."

The priest replied with a friendly smile and pointed towards one of the few hills in the Town of Beginners.

"Thanks!"

Naruto said and was about to take off when the Eris cultist spoke again.

"If you have something you would like to confess, or simply something you would like to get off your chest… Eris-sama would be more than happy to listen to your troubles. Our doors are open to everyone, not just Eris devotees."

The man said with a friendly smile on his face.

"I-I'll keep that in mind…"

Naruto stuttered, baffled by the difference between Eris and Axis Order. It was like night and day with those two. One was overwhelmingly nice, while the other… Was the Axis Cult.

'Man… He didn't even ask if I wanted to join the cult or anything!'

Naruto thought as he picked up his pace again, shivering as he recalled all of the Axis Cultists that had tried to get him to join their ranks.

He hoped he never had to go to that place again.

Eris Church…

"Why!? What do you mean I can't have anymore bread!? Is this how you treat your sister cultists?"

"Miss… You've stepped in line eight times now. This bread is meant for everyon-"

"Exactly! So why am I being withheld from receiving anymore!? You're just going to throw it away later, aren't you?"

"…"

This was the scene Naruto walked in on the moment he set foot in the Eris church. Cecily was in fact where he thought she was going to be… At the Eris church harassing the members. He almost felt like leaving right then and there.

But the Eris cultist that was talking with Cecily must have been new to dealing with Axis Cult members, as they seemed to be on verge of crying.

Holding back a groan, Naruto made his way over to Cecily and the Eris cultist.

"Then it's settled! I'll be taking the rest of this wasted bread-Owie!"

Cecily yelped when Naruto chopped her on the head, but her eyes lit up upon seeing the shinobi.

"Thank goodness you're here! This Eris Cultist is trying to oppress me! They are denying me of my share of bread just because I am an Axis Culti-Owowowow! S-Shtap ith! O-Ohay, I'm sowwy~!"

"I apologize for my party member's lack of common sense. I will do my best to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Naruto said as he continued to stretch Cecily's cheeks.

"I-I see… Well, there was no harm done today. So, all is forgiven in the eyes of Lady Eris."

The Eris cultist said before she picked up the basket of bread Cecily had collected from them and walked back to the growing distribution line.

"Ah! My bread! Naruto, you idiot!"

Cecily cried out as she fruitlessly reached towards the retreating Eris Cultist.

"Hm?"

Naruto growled, earning an "eep!" from his fellow blonde. He then sighed. Might as well ask why she was doing whatever it was she was doing.

"So? What were you thinking, harassing a nice Eris Cultist like that?"

"I was not harassing them. We were merely at a disagreement between Cults."

Cecily denied while adverting her gaze.

What happened to being oppressed?

"As I mentioned before, the Axis Church in this town is low on funds. We needed that bread for our distribution service. I even waited in line like a reasonable person! But now all my hard work is ruined…"

Cecily finished with a huff and folded her arms under her bust to pout.

"Seriously…? If you want funds for your church so bad, then why don't you put yourself to work and earn it?"

Naruto asked with a deadpanned expression. He worked his entire childhood for scraps, and this girl was complaining about waiting in a line? Absolutely not. He was going to make this priestess earn her keep as an adventurer in his party.

"How rude! Are you telling me to sell my body for money!?"

Cecily suddenly barked and turned the front of her body away from the boy protectively.

"Wh-what!? That's not what I said at all!"

Naruto barked back, nearly choking on his own spit when the priestess made such an outrageous claim.

"Although… It would be an act for the sake of spreading Aqua-sama's name. But it would have to be with someone I know so it's not awkward…"

Cecily muttered to herself, causing Naruto's jaw to drop.

'She's actually considering it!? Or rather, wouldn't something like that be less awkward with someone you didn't know!?'

Naruto shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things, he needed to redirect the conversation before Cecily went did something outrageous!

But as he came out of his thoughts, Naruto found Cecily smiling sweetly at him.

Uh oh…

"Naruto, my dear husband-to-be, would you-"

"Hell no!"

Naruto's voice echoed throughout the halls of the Eris Church, catching the attention of everyone inside.

Even Cecily seemed to be taken aback by the shinobi's sudden outburst.

"…Oh Naruto, you shy boy you~!"

"Why you little…!"

"Excuse me, sir."

Before Naruto had the chance to strangle a girl for the first time in his life, the same Eris Cultist from before confronted them. Only this time, her strained smile was directed at him.

"I can understand that frustration can get the best of all of us. But this is a holy place. Unless you wish to be cursed with bad luck, I strongly suggest you ask for Lady Eris's forgiveness in our confession room. Do not worry, Eris is a forgiving goddess."

The Eris Cultist's voice was calm, yet stern. It was definitely a voice befitting that of a devote priestess. Unlike a certain duo Naruto knew.

"Yes… I'm sorry."

"Then, if you would follow me."

Just as Naruto was about to follow the Eris cultist, he turned to Cecily to find that she had no intension of following. If her sticking her tongue out at them meant anything.

"If you're not coming with us, then meet me at Wiz's Magic Item shop. Yunyun will be there, I'll come and get you guys later."

Naruto said with a twitching eyebrow.

"Oh my! Sweet little Yunyun is waiting for me? Why didn't you say so earlier!? I hope my favorite lolita Megumin is there too~!"

Cecily chirped before storming out the door.

Shaking his head, Naruto went back to following the Eris Cultist.

Naruto sat seiza-style in the middle of a large empty room in front of a statue that resembled Eris, the Goddess of Luck, and the one responsible for giving him a second chance at life.

That's right, why didn't he come here to say his thanks earlier? He owed a lot to Eris! Thanks to her, he was able to meet Wiz and Yunyun!

'I guess there's Dust and Kazuma's party too, but they've been real troublesome as of late… Especially Aqua.'

Of course, there was also his reunion with Jiraiya. Had Eris not given him this second chance, who knows how long it would have been until he got to see that old geezer again?

'Oh yeah, prayers… Um, hey Eris! It's Naruto! Long time no see! Or, I guess you can still see me. Anyways, sorry about my little outburst earlier. My teammate can be a little…'

Naruto's thoughts trailed off when he realized the goddess be seeing right through his lies, and so he felt a sudden sense of guilt.

'Okay, I guess that's not true. Yes, Cecily was getting on my nerves. But that's not why I shouted. I guess this whole bet I made with Aqua, and all these girls I've been meeting has really gotten me stressed. I don't know… I'm just not that good at dealing with those types of situations. Ah, as you probably already know, I made a bet with Aqua earlier this week to see if I could get a girlfriend. I don't know where I was getting my confidence from… The only girl I ever had a crush on was in love with my friend the entire time I knew her.'

Now that he thought about, there was a lot more than just the bet on his mind.

'I know you sent me here to defeat the Demon King, and I promise I'll get that done. But my old mentor said I need to build my reputation in the kingdom first to avoid looking like another Demon King... I just don't know how to go about doing that. My first thought goes to questing, or taking on high-target bounties. But I also have to worry about those dumb rumors about me floating around town. Then there's Wiz... I want to support her too, and questing has been taking up most of my time.'

Realizing he was beginning to ramble, Naruto decided to get to the point.

'Um… I don't really know where I'm getting at here, sorry. I guess what I'm trying to say is I need your help. This may sound childish, but I don't want Aqua win. I was going to ask out my friend Darkness, but she ended up being too much for me to handle. If you help me win this bet by blessing me with good luck, then I promise to help Kazuma with his debts. Not that I would leave the poor guy with an additional four-million Eris to his debt in the first place. If not, then I guess I wouldn't mind treating Aqua to more wine. She's not that bad once you get used to her attitude.'

With his thoughts finally straightened out, Naruto finally decided to conclude his confession. He looked up at the statue of the kind and beautiful woman and smile.

"Thank you, goddess Eris."

"Ah~! I feel like a load was just taken off my shoulders!"

Naruto said as he walked out of the confession room and back into the halls of the church.

"I'm sure Lady Eris was pleased."

The Eris Cultist said with a smile of their own.

"Yeah, being cursed with bad luck would have been pretty bad… Thanks, I might come back sometime for another confession."

Naruto said, earning a nod of approval from the Eris Cultist. He then made his way down the hallway towards the exit with newfound energy.

'I don't know why, but I feel great right now!'

With the amount of energy he was feeling, the Winter Shogun wouldn't stand a chance!

"Here I come, Winter Sho-Wah!"

"Kyah!"

Just as Naruto opened the door to the church, he shouted at the top of his lungs. But in doing so, he failed to notice a mop of short white hair in front of him.

"Ah! Chris!? S-sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

Naruto stammered when he looked down and realized that he had knocked the thief girl down.

"N-no, that's okay. I wasn't paying much attention myself… A thief should always be prepared for the unexpected."

Chris said while scratching at the scar on her cheek awkwardly. She was about to pick herself up when she noticed Naruto's extended hand.

"Th-thanks…"

After Naruto helped Chris to her feet, the two stood in silence for a couple seconds.

"So… What were you doing in the Eris Church? Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't strike me as a cultist type."

Chris asked while kicking a pebble on the ground with her foot.

"Oh, that? I came here looking for my crazy Axis Cultist of a party member and ended up confessing to the goddess Eris. Pretty weird, huh?"

Naruto explained with a laugh, earning a chuckle from the girl.

"What did you confess to the goddess Eris? If you don't mind me asking of course!"

Chris asked, adding the last part hastily because some people were very private when it came to their confessions to the gods.

"Hm… It was less of a confession and more of me thanking Eris to be honest."

Naruto looked back into the church and smile before adding.

"I have lot to be thankful for thanks to her."

"I-is that so?"

Hearing Chris's voice crack, Naruto turned to her looking down at the ground, her face beet red.

"You okay?"

"Y-yes! Of course!"

Was her jittery response.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the girl's strange behavior, but he decided not to press and changed the subject.

"So what were you doing here? Oh, wait, I think I remember Darkness saying you were an Eris cultist, right?"

After collecting herself, Chris managed to look Naruto in the eye and puffed out her chest with pride.

"That's right. It's normal for a chivalrous thief such as myself to be an Eris cultist. Since thieves rely on the luck skill a lot, it's only natural that we'd devote ourselves to the goddess of luck and good fortune."

"A chivalrous thief? You mean, like stealing from the rich and giving to the poor?"

Naruto asked, an incredulous smile growing on his lips.

"I-it's true! I don't just go around stealing whatever I want!"

Chris balked, her ears turning red.

"Hm~?"

Hearing Naruto's amused humming, the thief's cheeks burned in frustration. Two could play at that game.

"Isn't the deadline to that bet you made with Aqua-san today? There's not much time left until the sun goes down, are you gonna be okay?"

Chris asked with a knowing smile.

"Oh shoot, you're right! What am I going to do!?"

Naruto shouted and fell to his hands and knees in dismay.

"What happened with Darkness? Did she reject you?"

Chris asked with a raised eyebrow, since the last time they spoke they had been talking about the quirky Crusader.

"Darkness was too much for me…"

Naruto admitted without even looking up.

"I believe it…"

Chris said with a bead of sweat running down her cheek. She then crossed her arms around her back and started kicking her shoes against one another.

"You know… If you can't think of anyone else. I wouldn't mind being your girlfriend, so you can win the bet with Aqua-san of course."

Hearing this sudden revelation, Naruto looked up in confusion.

"Huh? Why would you do that?"

"W-well…! You did give me back my knife when we Kazuma stole my underwear back then, and…"

Chris stuttered while scratching at the scar on her cheek nervously, and she was finally pushed over the edge when she looked down and saw Naruto's expression.

"I-it will only be for the bet! A-also! You'll owe me a favor later, okay!?"

She added while pointing a flustered finger at the grounded shinobi.

After hearing this, Naruto stood up and stared Chris right in the eye.

"W-what? Eek!"

The thief girl yelped when Naruto suddenly grabbed her shoulders. What was this? Why was he staring at her so seriously? Why was her heart beating so fast!?

"Thank you, Chris. You're a lifesaver."

"…"

Oh, the irony was killing her.

A/N: It seems Chris will be the one to pave Naruto's way to victory!

Out of curiosity, how many people saw this coming? I tried hinting that Chris would end up being the girl to conclude the bet through her and Naruto's conversations. So how did I do?

Alright, see you in the next one!