A/N: Revised as of 4/22/2024.

"It's finished."

Kazuma said and wiped the sweat from his brow. After hours upon hours of planning, designing, adventuring, and crafting, his latest project was finally complete. The one he had been looking forward to the most.

Re-shaping the shell of a Bamboo-Snapping Turtle, smelting and attaching a metal hinge to the pieces, polishing and painting it…

Learning the Storage Seal skill from Naruto was easy enough, as the shinobi only needed to demonstrate how the seal worked for the skill to appear on Kazuma's adventurer's card. The adventurer's class was quite convenient in that aspect. Although Naruto seemed disgruntled about it for some reason.

Implementing the seals into Kazuma's design had been the hard part… But he managed it somehow.

A wave of giddiness washed over the boy at that moment, so he jumped onto his feet and held the shiny green object above his head with more pride than he'd ever felt in his life.

"IT'S FINISHED!"

"Bwah!?"

Thud!

Kazuma shouted at the top of his lungs, causing the girl who had been taking a nap on the couch behind him to startle awake and fall to the floor.

"What are you shouting first thing in the morning like that!? Why are you so riled up, huh!?"

Aqua immediately jumped to her feet and complained.

It was noon, but Kazuma didn't feel like retorting for once.

"Heh… See for yourself!"

He said when he spotted Chomusuke, the strange black cat Megumin had recently brought into their home.

The two locked eyes.

. . .

As if sensing the boy's intentions, Chomusuke broke into a run in the opposite direction. But the cat wasn't fast enough as Kazuma had already thrown the object in his hand.

The sphere made contact with the cat's back, causing the feline to yelp in surprise. The markings that covered the ball glowed before it split open from the middle, which revealed even more markings that seemingly came to life as they stretched off of its surface. It was as if the very space around Chomusuke was being sucked into the seal until the cat disappeared into nothingness.

The ball snapped shut before hitting the ground with a clank.

"Got 'em!"

Kazuma cheered and pumped a fist into the air.

It was a complete success! Now he could say goodbye to doing all of that dangerous fighting himself. He was a monster tamer now!

Was there a job class he could change to? He'd have to look into that later…

"...Nerd."

Was all Aqua said before laying back down on the couch.

Kazuma ignored the hater who just didn't understand. But soon, they would all see the glory of this magical item and appreciate it. Not only could he spend the rest of his life free of danger, but it'll also be spent free of poverty too! He'll be safe AND rich!

"What did you do to my familiar!?"

Megumin screamed, having witnessed everything from the kitchen. She ran over to the little capsule that contained the black cat and glared at Kazuma.

"Now now, Megumin. There's no need to be alarmed. Chomusuke is the very first capture this world has ever seen. You should feel honored. Back in my home country, this device was considered a sacred treasure."

Kazuma explained while shaking his head in amusement.

"A sacred treasure to gamer NEETS."

Aqua muttered from her spot on the couch while stifling her giggling.

Ignoring the noisy audience, Kazuma took a step towards Megumin to retrieve the magic item.

Megumin stepped back.

Oh? So she was going to get in his way? So be it.

"I'm in a good mood today, Megumin. So if you return the magic item that now contains my starting partner without a fuss, I may consider taking you along my journey."

"The only journey you're going to be taking is to a healing house if you don't release my familiar from this prison this instance."

The two made exchanges with each other in a standoff.

"Steal!"

"Ah!"

Kazuma shot his right arm out and used his signature skill, causing the mage to yelp as a flash of light burst from his hand.

"Fufufu… Better luck next time, Megumin. Chomusuke and I are… Eh? Hang on, why is my magic item so soft?"

Peeking into his hand, Kazuma found a black piece of cloth that was most certainly not his magic item. He looked back at Megumin, who was blushing furiously while squirming as she pulled the hem of her dress down.

It seemed his Steal skill struck gold yet again.

No, wait. This was actually really bad.

Gulping, Kazuma turned around to find Aqua peering over the couch again. Her eyes were narrowed on him and full of disdain.

"...Loli-NEET."

"AHHH! Fine! If that's what you're all going to think of me anyway, there's no going back!"

Kazuma roared while palming his face with his free hand. He then turned back to Megumin and smiled evilly, prompting the girl to let out an "Eep!".

"D-did you finally go off the deep end, Kazuma!? Did you go and change your class to Pervert!? Well, don't think I'll back down from a little sexual harassment! After all, I'm a mature woman who has already bathed with a man!"

Megumin boasted while holding the magic item behind her back while continuing to pull her dress down.

"Guh…! W-we swore to never speak of that!"

Kazuma snarled and threatened another Steal attack by thrusting his hand forward again, but the girl dove out of the way just as Darkness was entering the room.

"Kyaa!?"

Darkness cried out and held her hands to her armored chest.

"How shameful, to hide behind your comrade to take the-oh, they're white today."

Kazuma shouted at Megumin who was glaring at him from behind their party's tank, then noticed the new prize he held in his hand in the form of Darkness's bra.

"Who's shameful!? Says the man who is stealing his party member's underwear! You're despicable! You deserve the names people have been calling you around town! Scumzuma! Kazutrash! Idiot!"

"K-K-Kazuma, you mad man! To assault a woman the moment she enters a room… As expected of one of the men I've placed my hopes on. No wonder they still call you 'Kazuma the Brute'."

Megumin popped off, firing insult after insult from behind the blushing Darkness who was holding her sides and squirming.

"That last one was just an insult! Also, who's still calling me that!? I'll make them suffer the wrath of my Steal skill too!"

Kazuma demanded, and the two girls averted their gazes. Even Aqua, who had started watching again from the safety of the couch, averted her gaze which was suspicious as hell.

"My own party members!? You know, I was in such a good mood. I have a good sum of money coming in from my deal with Vanir, and I'm going to make even more from the deal I'm going to pitch with this new magic item I just finished. I was planning on treating you all to something special at the guild today, but forget it!"

Kazuma shouted in frustration, earning cries of complaints from the girls. Then, in one swift motion, Kazuma pocketed the underwear and burst forward. First, he used the scroll he'd made with his new skill and a rope appeared in the boy's hands in a plume of smoke, to which he then threw at Darkness.

"Bind!"

Using the skill he'd recently learned from Chris, the rope came to life and wrapped itself around the knight's body like a snake until it constricted her movements.

Pushing the meat shield to the side, an evil smile grew on his face as he stared down the now defenseless mage of his party.

But it seemed Megumin was still far from giving up as she met him full force. She had placed the magic capsule on the ground while he'd been restraining Darkness. The two locked hands in a struggle, and it seemed Kazuma barely had the strength advantage.

How was this little girl so strong!? Was her level that much higher than his!?

"H-hey! You're glowing red! Damn it Aqua! That's cheating!"

Kazuma complained when he noticed the crimson hue on Megumin's form, which indicated a buff had been placed on her.

"Powered! Kick that loli-NEET's butt, Megumin!"

Aqua cheered for the mage from her safe(and comfy) spot on the couch.

"I can feel it… The power flowing through my veins. My hidden potential has awakened to help me defeat this hopeless man! You will rue the day you tried to come between a Crimson Demon and their familiar!"

Megumin's eyes glowed brightly while speaking in an ominous voice as she began to overpower Kazuma in their struggle thanks to Aqua's buffs.

"I won't be… Beaten… By a brat-Owwowowoww! Okay, you forced my hand! Drain Touch!"

"AHHH! NO! Stop it-STOOOOP! Or I won't be able to use Explosion magic today!"

In the midst of being overpowered by a little girl, Kazuma activated his Drain Touch. Not wanting to lose out on using her spell for the day, Megumin went limp in the boy's grasp. This caught Kazuma by surprise as he didn't expect the girl to give up so quickly, so he ended up pushing them forward through the door and into the other room.

Kazuma's first instinct was to pull himself up. After all, terrible things tend to follow a situation like this.

But before the adventurer stood up, something caught his eye. In the midst of their tumble, the magic item must have rolled over into this room.

Snatching the device from the floor, Kazuma let out a maniacal laugh befitting that of "Kazutrash".

Safe adventures, wealth, fame, and glory were all within his grasp! He just had to train the little cat to get stronger, and he could always capture more monsters.

Yes, he could imagine having a full team of powerful beasts to handle any situation this wacky world tried to throw at him!

"Serves you two right for trying to get in my way! Now come, Chomusuke! Time to start our new adventure! Hahahaha… Ah."

Kazuma's laughter died off when he noticed the front door was wide open.

Standing in the opening was Naruto, who was staring at his fellow adventurer like a person would look at their shoe after stepping on gum.

It was at that moment Kazuma remembered where he was.

Kazuma was kneeling over Megumin, with one knee placed between her legs. Her dress had been pushed up to reveal that she wore no more than Adam and Eve, and the only thing keeping the world from seeing the forbidden fruit was the girl's shaky hands.

Kazuma let out an audible gulp when he saw Megumin's flushed face. The shy/nervous expression the girl was making was something he'd never seen or even expected from the normally hot headed mage.

Wait a minute. Why was he getting so nervous? Megumin was just a brat who was under his strike-zone.

No, that was wrong. This brat recently turned fourteen, didn't she? That placed her under his strike-zone. That meant-

"Sorry to interrupt."

Naruto suddenly said and closed the door, snapping the other boy back into reality.

"WAIT A DAMN MINUTE!"

"I knew your party was close, but I didn't know you were all that close. You even had Darkness tied up so she'd be forced to watch. For shame, Kazuma. For shame."

Naruto stood with his arms crossed in a mock-scolding fashion with Kazuma in the seiza position.

"Not to mention, this man was going to kidnap Chomusuke for his weird plans."

Megumin added while stroking the cat's fur. She was sitting on a chair next to Naruto with Chomusuke on her lap while staring down at Kazuma with accusatory eyes.

"But… My adventure… Without a starting partner, it just wouldn't be the same."

Kazuma weakly said, his head hanging low.

Naruto didn't really understand, but Kazuma seemed to be very passionate about this adventure of his. Fishing a hand into his pouch, Naruto pulled out a scroll and extended or towards Kazuma.

"Here, I'll let you take Jerry on your-"

"No thanks. A baby frog like that would be useless in a fight."

Kazuma instantly put a hand up and rejected the offer, prompting the shinobi to pull his arm back like he'd been burned.

"H-how dare you! Jerry would be a better partner than that silly cat with a weird name!"

Naruto barked while pointing at Chomusuke, and it was Megumin's turn to let out an offended scoff.

"What!? As if your baby monster, the enemy of all women, would hold a candle against my powerful familiar! Also, what even is a "Jerry"? Even its name is inferior to Chomusuke!"

Megumin hopped to her feet and declared and the two hotheaded adventurers glared at each other.

"I-I'll take you up on that offer, Naruto. I'll make sure Jerry gets three meals a day, gets plenty of exercise…"

Darkness said, her eyes suspiciously glued on the scroll in Naruto's hands.

"Absolutely not. What are you planning on doing with this child, Eroness?"

Naruto denied and turned his body away from the blushing crusader so the scroll was out of her reach.

"E-E-E-Eroness!? T-t-that's too far, even for you Naruto! Take it back! Or better yet, let me borrow Jerry for a day or five as an apology!"

"Hell no!"

Darkness sputtered at the name the shinobi had bestowed upon her before lunging for the scroll, all while Megumin started listing the reasons why her familiar was better than a frog.

"So noisy! What's a girl gotta do to get a decent nap around here!? Oh, is that Naruto? Did you bring me ramen this time!?"

Aqua, who was woken up again from all the commotion, complained before her eyes landed on Naruto who was currently fending off a teary-eyed Darkness.

"Let them fight…"

Kazuma said in a hushed tone, but his voice was drowned in all of the noise the others were making so he shouted.

"LET THEM FIGHT!"

"!" x4

The room fell silent as all eyes fell on Kazuma.

The boy stood up and folded his arms over his chest.

"It seems we've reached an impasse. I want to take Chomusuke on my adventure, but Megumin won't budge. Naruto claims Jerry would win against Chomusuke, while Megumin claims the opposite. Darkness wants to borrow Jerry, but who would allow such a fate to fall upon the poor creature?"

Kazuma explained while pacing back and forth in front of the group.

"What about my ramen!?"

"I-I-I'm not going to do anything suspicious! Why is everyone treating me like a criminal!? Although, this kind of play isn't bad…"

Aqua and Darkness complained at the same time, but Kazuma ignored them and continued.

"So how do we get past this issue? Well, it's simple… We let Jerry and Chomusuke battle it out to decide who gets their way."

Kazuma declared with a satisfied nod.

"We accept!" x2

Naruto and Megumin said at the same time before locking eyes and smirking at the other.

"When I win, then Kazuma has to return my mana to me so Naruto and I can have another Explosion Showdown!"

Megumin declared and extended her arm, to which Naruto met with his own in a fist bump.

"You're on, Megumin! When Jerry and I win, you three have to help promote our product!"

The shinobi said in response, which got a rise out of Aqua.

"Huh!? Why am I getting dragged into this stupid bet? I don't wanna work for that filthy Lich and devil!"

The goddess complained and stomped her foot defiantly, but Naruto was quick with his response and smiled reassuringly.

"Tell you what, Aqua. If you guys win, I'll make you a bowl of rame-"

"Deal! Come on, Chomusuke! Put those claws to good use! If you win, I'll forgive you for scratching me that one time!"

Aqua cut Naruto off and started ushering Megumin towards the door while cheering on the feline in the mage's arms.

"T-then if I win-"

"Rejected."

Darkness started, but Naruto instantly declined before she could even finish and walked off to follow Megumin and Aqua outside.

"Kuh…! When Did Naruto get so cold? This is not bad at all… W-what?"

Darkness said while shuffling around in her armor as she watched the shinobi leave, then noticed the flat look Kazuma was giving her.

"You're turned on, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. You're blushing."

"You're clearly imagining things."

The two went back and forth, but Darkness refused to admit to anything and hurriedly followed the rest.

Kazuma sighed. What was he going to do with that hopeless Crusader? But he was glad to see Naruto was handling her antics quite well nowadays. He snickered, remembering the days when the shinobi had the wrong impression and even had a crush on his party's M.

"...What are you doing?"

Naruto asked while smiling wryly as he watched his friend drag a stick across the dirt.

"I'm making the stadium to make it more official! Just wait, you'll understand when I'm done… aaaand, there!"

Kazuma explained as he made the finishing touches on his "arena" which was a rectangle with a large circle in the center. He then threw the stick to the side and dusted his hands off as he double checked his work. Satisfied, he opened his arms wide and took a deep breath.

"Welcome to the world's first official battle! I'll be your host, Kazuma Satou!"

He explained while referring to himself in a grand gesture before continuing.

"In the red corner, hailing from the Crimson Demon Village, we have Megumin and Chomusuke! They are fighting for freedom, scenic walks, rights to borrow Jerry, and ramen! Will they be victorious!?"

Kazuma declared and pointed towards the mage whose eyes sparkled in delight at the handoff.

"What an introduction! My Crimson Demon blood is growing excited! I shall win this battle by unleashing the full power of my familiar… Now, Chomusuke! Show us your true potential!"

Megumin declared while striking a pose of her own before shouting out a command to the little black cat who seemed to mirror her owner's determination.

"Mrow!"

Chomusuke meowed defiantly as she stared at Kazuma, almost to say "I'm not going anywhere!".

"In the blue corner, allegedly hailing from a hidden village of ninja, we have Naruto and Jerry! They're fighting for safety from the uncultured noble, no ramen or scenic walk, and the right to take Chomusuke on an adventure!"

This time, Kazuma pointed to Naruto who suddenly raised his hand.

"Why am I the blue corner? That's lame. I want to be the orange corner. Also, what's alleged? Jerry will kick your ass too, y'know."

The shinobi complained with his arms crossed, prompting his fellow adventurer to falter in his announcer stance.

"But it's always red and… You know what? Fine, you can be the orange corner."

Kazuma began to argue back but ultimately relented for the sake of time. He was itching to head over to Vanir to pitch the magic item to him.

"Huh!? What's lame about the color blue!? Apologize! Apologize to the color that represents water!"

Aqua demanded while stamping her foot in frustration, and Naruto's response was to blow a strawberry. The goddess stepped back in surprise, a mixture of shock and disgust on her face.

"Y-you… How dare you! I want to add to the stakes! When Chomusuke wins, not only will you make me ramen and apologize to the sacred color blue, but you also have to pamper me for an entire week to make up for your bad behavior!"

Aqua exclaimed while stomping her way up to the smug shinobi and placed her hands on her hips.

"Okay, but when Jerry wins, you have to be my maid for a week."

Naruto replied with his own demands and extended his hand in a fist, to which Aqua bumped with her own without hesitation.

"Deal! Haha! This is a sure win! Come on, Chomusuke! Teach that little squirt of a toad a lesson! Puhehehe!"

Aqua shouted as she ran back to the red corner to cheer.

"I-I-I also want to be forced to be a mai-I mean, I want to add to the stakes…"

Darkness stuttered her request with a blush on her face, but ultimately went unheard due to Aqua's rambunctious cheering.

"Okay! Without further adieu… Naruto, bring out Jerry and let the battle begin!"

Kazuma chopped his hand down to commence the start of the fight, earning a nod from the shinobi.

"...Hang on, I just realized something. Why is Kazuma on Naruto's side? I mean, that toad is just a little baby… It doesn't stand a chance against Chomusuke."

Darkness suddenly wondered aloud as Naruto pulled out the scroll that contained Jerry.

"Pfft… It's because Kazuma's an idiot! We have this in the bag! I can already taste that ramen…"

Aqua replied while rubbing her hands together gleefully and smacking her lips.

"That's right! They're severely underestimating the power of my familiar! It's time, Chomusuke! Unshackle thy limiters, channel thy fury! Thou art the embodiment of destruction!"

Megumin concurred, her eyes shining a brilliant crimson as she spurred on her pet. Chomusuke's response was another meow, seeming confident in the battle to come.

Naruto opened the scroll.

Thud!

In a plume of smoke, a large orange toad that was easily three times larger than Chomusuke landed on the ground with a thump.

The girls all stared at the toad in disbelief, their eyes bulging out of their skulls.

Wasn't that toad small enough to fit in Megumin's hand not too long ago!? How was it so big all of a sudden!? That thing could probably fit a human head in its mouth!

"What trickery is this!? T-t-t-that's not the same toad! You cheater!"

Megumin shouted while pointing an accusatory finger at the shinobi, fear for her familiar rising in her chest.

Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"What are you talking about? Jerry hasn't grown that much, has he? You're still just a little fella… Aren't ya Jerry?"

The shinobi cooed as he rubbed Jerry' head, and the toad leaned into the blonde's hand affectionately which was quite abnormal behavior for a Giant Toad.

Kazuma let out a dry laugh. Given his party's track record, he had a feeling something like this would happen. Which is why he sided with Naruto. Looks like his luck stat was finally paying off, as that was undoubtedly the same toad from the other day. Giant Toads must grow quickly.

"H-hey… We can call off the wagers, right? We didn't know Jerry was that big so it's only fair, right? N-Naruto-san?"

Aqua requested meekly, her face growing pale as Naruto's smile grew more wicked.

"What happened to all of that confidence from before, Aqua? But don't worry, I won't make you do thaaat many chores. Although, I heard the Eris cultists were looking for volunteers to help clean the church…"

Naruto pondered aloud while tapping his chin in thought.

"I-I refuse to clean my kohai's church! Chomusuke! Teach that overgrown tadpole a lesson! If you win, I'll sneak some fish under the table-Ah! Wait! Come back!"

Aqua wailed before crawling up to Chomusuke and whispering her pleas with a bribe, but the cat turned tail when Jerry croaked and jumped into Megumin's arms.

While Megumin comforted her familiar, Naruto cackled with laughter and walked over to them.

Megumin looked down at Chomusuke, who looked up at her with utmost trust. The poor thing was shaking.

"That's okay, Megumin. We couldn't force Chomusuke to battle anyway. I'm sure Kazuma will show mercy and let her stay here."

Darkness said and placed a supporting hand on the mage's shoulder.

Megumin smiled. Of course. Who could send this innocent child out to battle the spawn of what her party considered to be the bane of all women? What was more important than keeping her child safe?

"I guess that means you girls forfeit the match. But that's okay Megumin, I wouldn't want to embarrass you and your cat anyway. Jerry can be the one to go on that adventure with Kazuma."

Naruto said while throwing a thumb back at Kazuma, who raised a hand.

"No thanks. Jerry would probably eat me in my sleep when he gets bigger."

Kazuma responded with a neutral expression, but the shinobi ignored him and continued.

"It's a shame though, I've been working on my Explosion magic in secret for our next showdown… I even came up with a killer intro too. Maybe next time, kiddo."

Naruto added with a sigh with a shrug.

. . .

"Get out there and make mama proud!"

"Mreow!?"

Megumin suddenly shouted and launched a very surprised Chomusuke towards Jerry-!

"Ah." x5

The group said in unison as the cat fell into the toad's open mouth.

After bribing Jerry with a couple large bugs, they managed to save Chomusuke.

The girls stayed behind to lament their defeat, so Naruto and Kazuma were now making their way towards Wiz's magic shop to present the magic item.

"I'm still surprised you were able to learn the Storage Seal as a skill… It took me weeks to learn it."

Naruto grumbled, his hands crossed over the back of his head as he walked.

Kazuma could see why people would think the shinobi was a delinquent. The blonde's assertive mannerisms were less than subtle at times.

'I guess he was always kind of like that, when he wasn't simping for Aqua for whatever reason.'

Kazuma thought with a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.

"Hm?"

Naruto hummed and cocked his head to the side when he noticed his friend's gaze, which snapped the boy out of his thoughts.

"O-oh yeah, I was just thinking maybe I'd take you up on that offer for training! It'd be cool if I could learn some of your other ninja skills! Hahaha! Hah…"

Kazuma spouted the first thing that came to mind and strained a laugh. Wouldn't want to upset the guy before they got to Wiz's shop.

"Oh! Really? That'd be awesome, Kazuma! We could even get started today! But just know, I won't go easy on you just because you're my friend. Ninjutsu is dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly."

The shinobi explained while nodding sagely.

"Can't wait…"

Kazuma sighed as Naruto went on about responsibility and a "will of fire"(?), whatever that meant. Now look at what he got himself into. Oh well, it should be fine. Naruto may be battle crazed to a fault, but the guy knew full-well how weak Kazuma was. What's the worst that could happen?

As the two were nearing the shop, Kazuma pulled out a scroll from his pocket.

"Okay, we're going to pitch this brilliant idea to Vanir, strike another deal with him, get rich, and live the rest of our days in luxury and leisure. Okay?"

Kazuma said with a serious expression and stuck a hand out to his business partner.

"Don't forget the awesome adventures and crazy powerful monsters we're going to fight."

Naruto added and shook the guy's hand.

"Sure sure, adventures await… Alright, let's do this!"

Kazuma waved his hand dismissively, then proceeded to open the shop door.

"It's useless."

Vanir said while analyzing the magic item with calculating eyes from behind his suspicious mask.

"Eh? I'm sorry, I must have misheard you, Vanir-san. My hearing must have gone bad for a second there."

Kazuma said, clapped his face a couple times, then ushered Vanir to continue.

"Thou must excuse moi for being crass, but moi runs a respectable business and can only sell top notch merchandise. Thy blueprints from before were quite nice and that deal still stands. But this…'Scroll Ball'? Moi cannot sell something that requires such a niche expertise in a town full of beginners. Moi can see it now with moi all seeing eyes… A future where novice adventurers are eaten by the very creatures they were promised would protect them by a certain brat with an obsession with a fantasy from his home country. Although, such a future does not sound that bad. But unfortunately, moi needs live customers that have not been torn to shreds by wild beasts they cannot control. Ah, thy negative emotions right now are quite nice! What a pleasant surprise! Fuahaha!"

Vanir explained with a devilish smile, placing the Scroll Ball back into the bewildered teen's hand.

So many thoughts were swimming around in Kazuma's head.

His item was a failure? But how? It was perfect in every way, shape, or form. He made sure of it.

But the problem wasn't the design… No, of course it wasn't. Then what was the issue? Why wouldn't Vanir sell his item?

Naruto felt bad for his friend, seeing the excitement from before was now long gone.

"I knew we shouldn't have named it the Scroll Ball! What the hell kind of a name is that!?"

"!"

Kazuma suddenly barked angrily, causing the shinobi's jaw to drop.

"Huh!? That name is perfect! It's a ball with the power of a Storage Scroll! It's a Scroll Ball!"

Naruto barked back, ready to defend the name he'd been proud to come up with. But Kazuma didn't back down and the two grappled one another while arguing.

"I think it's a wonderful name and a fantastic magic item."

Wiz chimed in with a warm smile as she placed a tray with two cups of tea onto the table at the center of the room.

"Exactly!"

"Finally! Someone with some sense around here!"

Naruto and Kazuma ceased fire and immediately sat at the table for their tea, but not without giving each other dirty looks.

"Well, it's not so much of a loss in the end. You still have that other deal with Vanir, and you can just enjoy using the Scroll Ball for yourself. I'll certainly keep using it for Jerry."

Naruto said after taking a hearty sip from his cup, letting out a satisfied sigh. Just how did Wiz make such good tea with the cheap stuff she always bought? Did she have a maxed out Cooking skill as well? Her progress in the art of ramen crafting was coming along nicely too.

Kazuma stiffened upon hearing this and averted his gaze, drawing the shinobi's attention.

Naruto continued to stare at the boy, his eyes growing more and more suspicious as beads of sweat started falling down Kazuma's face.

"...What did you do?"

Naruto finally asked through thin lips.

"I… May have taken out a loan to mass produce the magic item."

Kazuma admitted in a meek voice, still unable to meet the shinobi's eyes.

Naruto placed his cup onto the table and sighed.

"How much?"

"...Four million Eris."

Kazuma muttered and the room fell silent.

Vanir smirked, but otherwise continued scanning through the store's digits. Wiz's mouth dropped and turned to Naruto whose expression remained neutral.

The shinobi picked up his tea, took one final sip before placing it back onto the table and thanking Wiz. He took a deep breath-

"WHY!?"

"I'M SORRY!"

-then lunged for Kazuma's throat from across the table.

Kazuma clutched at his pounding heart in the corner of the room. Naruto had nearly shaken the life out of him when Wiz stepped in and calmed the blonde down.

He let his guard down and almost forgot that Naruto could be just as crazy as his party members, only this problem child had the power to casually level a mountain range if he so much as felt like it.

But why was Naruto so angry at him!? It wasn't his fault! He didn't know the magic item wouldn't sell! He was so confident and ended up buying enough materials to make around two-hundred of them.

But now he was in debt, had a bunch of materials to make an item that was very difficult to craft, and with apparently no one to even buy them.

…Maybe he really did drop the ball on this one.

"Ugh… Now what do we do?"

Naruto groaned, his face in his hands as Wiz patted him on the back in an attempt to comfort the blonde.

"There there… I'm sure your magic item will sell! You just have to believe!"

The shopkeeper said to encourage the two moping boys, but their depressed states only seemed to deepen.

"Now I know how Wiz feels…"

"Never thought I'd be on this side…"

They said in defeated tones, earning a flustered look of confusion from the woman.

"Hey, Naruto? I'll try to return the materials that I haven't used yet, but would you be willing to spot me for the interest? I spent the rest of my reward money on this investment…"

Kazuma asked with his hands clasped together pleadingly, and this time it was Naruto's turn to stiffen and avert his gaze.

Oh? What was this?

"Ah, you're right. How selfish of me to ask you for a favor after everything you've already done for me."

Kazuma said and ducked his head apologetically. This was just a theory, but…

"A-actually… I kinda already spent all of my reward money too. The repairs for the inn I destroyed cost a lot… and I donated the rest to the Eris church to make up for my reckless prank."

Naruto admitted and scratched at his whisker marks sheepishly.

Yup. There it was. Looks like it was back to the grind. A life of endless debt and other hardships…

Also, was Naruto an Eris cultist now or something? He heard the guy was visiting the church every now and then. For some reason, that kind of made him jealous. After all, Eris was his true heroine in this god-forsaken fantasy world.

Eris had been joking about Naruto being her type, right?

Right?

"Moi hates to interrupt this delicious fest of hopelessness and pointless jealousy, but moi might have a solution to thy problem."

Vanir suddenly said, and the adventurers perked up upon hearing this. The arch devil grinned when he had their attention and continued.

"There is a village that is well known for their collection of beast tamers. So much so that moi has heard it has influenced their culture similar to that of the Crimson Demons. Moi has no guarantees, but thou should try and do business there."

After hearing Vanir's exposition, Naruto and Kazuma grew hopeful, excited even. Then they remembered who they were talking to, and their eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why tell us this? What's in it for you?"

Naruto asked with his arms crossed defensively.

"Moi is simply offering useful information to moi business partners. Thy designs will prove quite fruitful in moi's ultimate goal of buying a dungeon. The more successful you brats become, the better off moi shall be in the future to come."

Vanir feigned innocence, a look of mock offense on his masked features. But the devilish smile growing on his lips made it hard to accept his words as genuine.

Be that as it may, it wasn't like they had many options. The interest rate was quite high with the loan Kazuma had taken out. If he didn't pay it off soon, he'd be drawing in debt once again.

Kazuma glanced at Naruto, who seemed to be having similar thoughts. They nodded to each other in agreement.

It was worth a shot.

"What's that village called?" x2

A/N: I'd just like to thank you all for following me in this Wonderful journey. It has certainly been a week for myself, so I hope you are all doing well. If not, then may this chapter Bless you with many smiles.

Anyways, this chapter sends us into some original content that I've been wanting to write for quite some time now. Prepare yourselves for a Pokemon inspired adventure!

Spirit out!