I found myself walking to the shop where the goddess had taken me yesterday. The shop's proprietor had told me she was a former adventurer and that I should feel free to ask her for advice.

That was just what I intended to do. Her name was Wiz, wasn't it?

"Excuse me," I announced as I entered the front door. "Eh?"

The charred remains of the shop owner's body lay spread-eagle on the floor. I screamed a little bit like a girl for a second.

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Welcome, rookie adventurer who thought he stumbled upon a murder scene and nearly soiled himself! Moi can assure thee, it will take more than that to end the financial catastrophe that is this dimwitted owner!"

"I-I-I didn't almost soil myself!"

The assistant who works here wearing a strange mask and tuxedo was sweeping a corner of the shop when I arrived. How can he act so nonchalant with Wiz laying in a state like this?

"Mwa-ha-ha-ha, what a scrumptious combination of dark emotions! Though still nowhere near as delightful as the dark emotions of that brat who has the same name as thee, they do carry a sublime flavor of their own!"

I wanted to backtalk about being compared to the dark ruler who was currently at war with humanity, but I took a step closer to Wiz. Her chest was moving, so at least she was breathing.

"What happened to her?"

Vanir brushed his palm against the smooth forehead area of his mask. "Last night while Moi was out on a business meeting, trying to secure just enough money to cover this month's rent for the building, this accursed shopkeeper went against my warnings and purchased a large stock of completely useless merchandise.

"'Vanir, I found a truly wonderful magical item that I am certain will sell this time! They are a new design of magical armor that protects the wearer's eyes from the deadly stare of gorgons and basilisks! They have no drawbacks, either, so they are really useful and powerful magical items! See, Vanir? Even I can learn from my old mistakes!'"

Vanir showed me one of the eyepieces as he explained, which looked like a normal pair of swim goggles to me.

"While it is true that the magical eyewear she purchased will shield any human who wears them from the fatal stares of such creatures as advertised, only weak monsters live near this town. No adventurer would expect to stumble upon a gorgon or a basilisk within at least a two-month's journey from here. So, Moi hit her with a blast of Moi's death ray to keep her incapacitated while Moi attempts to return the useless product before this shop bleeds into the red again."

In other words, Wiz was trying to sell equipment that would be most suited to a late-game dungeon at the starter town. Was she actually more of the ditzy, airheaded type of heroine? I was beginning to rethink my plan of asking her for advice about which skills I should learn.

"Beldia… Hans… Sylvia… Wolbach…" Wiz muttered in her sleep. "I see… a river…"

"Oi, doesn't she sound like she's at death's door?" I asked.

"Technically she is undead, so Moi does not think that phrasing is suitable. If thou pities her, sprinkling sugar water on her will help revive her. Now, Moi will be off to go try to return this junk."

And with that, he shouldered the box of inventory and headed out the door.

"Huh? What do you mean, she is undead?" I asked the now empty room.

Of course, the empty room did not have an answer―

"That's right, the owner of this magic item store who lies before you is a lich."

"Ah! ―Oh my god! That scared the crap out of me!"

I jumped like a rabbit when a large stuffed penguin, that I thought was just another piece of merchandise, spoke.

And that was how I learned that Wiz was a lich. A king of the undead, on par with vampires.

The sugar water actually did the trick. Once Wiz came to, she explained her true nature, as well as Vanir's identity as a duke of hell, an upper-ranked devil in other words.

I was obviously concerned about their status as monsters living in a town of humans, but she assured me they wanted to remain living here peacefully and that the guild didn't even have a bounty on the two of them.

Even when the previous Demon King was still alive, she apparently had an agreement of nonintervention so long as no harm came to innocent civilians.

"And what does that make you? I thought you were a stuffed animal at first," I directed at the talking penguin suit.

"Forgive me for frightening you, boy. I wanted to be certain that terrifying creature was not with you this time before I emerged from my hiding spot. I am Zereschrute. Like Lord Vanir, I am also a duke of hell. Pleased to make your acquaintance." The penguin suit folded its flipper at its waist and bowed as it introduced itself.

If by terrifying creature it meant the goddess, I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, her fight with Vanir yesterday was scary. On the other, she couldn't manage against a giant toad, supposedly the easiest monster for beginners.

"I am Kazuma Satou; no relation to the Demon King."

I introduced myself and awkwardly shook the suit's extended flipper.

"So what brings you to my shop today, Satou? Are you looking for any particular magical items?"

Wiz was finally starting to look… opaque again.

"Not yet, sorry. I promise I will come buy something once I make a bit of money." I cleared my throat. "Actually, I wanted to ask you about something. You said you used to be an adventurer, right? What sorts of skills would you recommend a beginner learn first?"

Wiz pressed the pad of her pointer finger to her lips in thought. "Hmm, well, most mages start off by learning Intermediate Magic and then save up enough skill points to learn Advanced Magic after. Oh, but in the Crimson Demon village, everyone learns Advanced Magic first."

"You mean they don't have to learn Basic Magic as a stepping stone for Intermediate and Advanced Magic?"

"Not at all! And since most mages consider Basic Magic to be too weak to serve any use offensively, they don't even bother spending skill points on it."

"I see." I was actually considering learning Basic Magic as one of my first skills. It's cheap to learn, and instantly provides fire, water, earth, and wind magic. Guess it isn't as useful as I hoped. It's a good thing I decided to ask Wiz about these things first.

"What sorts of skills can Archers learn?"

"Archers, huh? Is that the class you are thinking of? Archers need skills that improve their physical senses and dexterity. There is Farsight and Listen, which boost your eyesight and hearing, respectively. Then there are several skills that increase accuracy, firing speed, and power. Archers can even learn some ranger skills, like Scout, Tracking, and Enemy Detection. And finally there is Snipe, a skill shared by the assassin class, which I believe is heavily influenced by the user's luck stat. And if I'm not mistaken, there is also the Archery Crafting skill for making new or fixing broken bows and arrows. Some Archers believe this skill is vital for long adventures when no shops are around to replenish your store of arrows, while others claim they can always buy more and save their skill points for something else."

That was interesting. So your character build reflects your style as an adventurer. Being able to fashion new arrows or fix a broken bow while out in the wild sounded like a valuable skill to me, but I could picture how a wealthy adventurer might never need it.

Of course, I wouldn't need it either, once I figured out how to use the magical bow with unlimited arrows I was gifted when I came to this world.

I should probably try and learn how to activate my ability before I decide on any skills. It doesn't hurt anything to save my points for now. Learning skills would be nice and give me a power boost for our next monster hunting quest, but even just figuring out how to access my magic bow in the first place should be an instant game changer against most monsters.

That would also give me a little more time to think about which archer skills I wanted to learn first.

"Thanks, Wiz. That helps a lot."

"My pleasure! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me anytime!"

"Well, I guess I do have one more question," I said. Now, how do I put this in a way an NPC unfamiliar with the concept of isekais would understand? "Is there some trick to using magic, like for a skill? Like, say I had a unique skill that let me use a magic bow, how would I, you know, activate it?"

"I am not sure I understand," Wiz frowned. "A―unique skill? That lets you use a magical item? I wouldn't know anything about that."

My shoulders drooped. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"I am very sorry I could not be of more use." Wiz cast a sorrowful glance my way.

"It's fine, I'll just have to figure it out on my own somehow." I turned to face the door. "Well, guess I better get going. See you!"

"Have a good day!" Wiz waved as I left.

Aside from getting my divinely-granted power to work, I still needed to find the goddess, too. Where in the world is she? If she takes much longer, it will be too late to go on a quest today, and I will still be out of money.

As my stomach growled, I started to regret fighting with Komekko. I made up my mind to apologize later and ask her to show me where that Axis Cult or whatever it was called was located.

"Emergency quest! Emergency quest! All adventurers, please head to the main city gate immediately! We advise all noncombatants to find shelter as soon as possible!"

"Huh? What's going on?"

All of a sudden, loudspeakers all across the city rang out an alarm I had never heard before. It sounded like a compulsory event of some sort, and a dangerous one at that. Could it be that the Demon King was finally attacking?

The noise level on the street rose the moment the broadcast shut off. People dashed about, and I heard screams like, 'Get the children inside!' and, 'Oh God, are they here already? Lady Eris, please! Protect us!'

Realizing the situation was serious, I pressed my way through the crowd in the direction of the gate. By the time I arrived, a large number of adventurers were already gathering, eyes watching the horizon.

"What's going on?" I asked a buff guy in a mohawk standing nearby.

"Things are about to get dicey," he enigmatically said, closing one eye.

I couldn't help but swallow nervously. I didn't even have a weapon on me.

Just then, when I was considering turning back and finding shelter as a noncombatant―

"Satou! There you are!"

I turned to find a certain arch priest with a predominantly blue aesthetic approaching me, armed with a white scepter.

"G-goddess!? Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you! What is happening? Is this an attack by the Demon King?"

In my unease, I shot all my questions at her at once, rapid-fire.

Before she could answer, however―

"Everyone, thank you for coming to today's cabbage hunt! This year's cabbages are an especially lively batch! The guild will be offering 10,000 eris for every head you catch!"

The familiar guild receptionist I always see working used an amplifier to elevate her voice over the crowd of adventurers.

"Woo-hoo!" "Yeah!" "All right!"

The ecstatic shouts of many adventurers overwhelmed my confused "Huh?"

"Cabbage hunt? Goddess, do you know what she is talking about? What cabbages?"

"Why, those ones, of course!"

The goddess pointed, and I traced her finger to the horizon.

Far off in the distance, I saw a swirling green cloud that looked like it was headed our way.

Squinting, I muttered dully, "Those are―cabbages?"

Ah, that's right. In this world, vegetables can move and have to be captured before they can be harvested. I almost forgot this world had such an abnormal feature.

"Oh, and here comes Komekko!"

Aqua's statement made me double-back. Sure enough, Komekko was sprinting up the road past the gates to join the pack of adventurers gathered with us. Her trail of drool drifted over her shoulder on account of her speed.

In a moment, she was standing beside us.

"Hail, Satou and Aqua! It must be a diabolic twist of fate to meet the two of you here."

"I fail to see how responding to the same summons counts as a 'diabolic twist of fate,'" I promptly returned. "Not to mention, we are a party."

"I just wanted to say that," Komekko shrugged.

"Sure. I bet the moment you heard there was food involved, you couldn't hold back."

"Indeed! A quest like this is most suitable to a Crimson Demon such as myself!"

I ignored her quirky pose and resumed gazing at the cabbage horde with dull-lidded eyes. "Is all this really necessary? They're just cabbages. How dangerous can they be?"

"Satou," the goddess said, with a tone that made me pay attention, "vegetables in this world are nothing like they are in Japan. They are very lively and can cause plenty of destruction if left unchecked. And in the case of cabbages, all the cabbages that escape eventually roam off into a desert just to dry up and die without being eaten."

Komekko gulped audibly at the words without being eaten.

"So it would be a shame to let even a single one of them escape! Hoo! Bring out the mayonnaise!"

The goddess lifted a fist and shouted like it was a warcry.

"Mayonnaise!" Komekko mirrored her movement.

The first wave of the cabbage swarm was nearly upon us. I held back, waiting to see what the other adventurers would do first.

That was when I saw one adventurer pacing calmly to the front of the pack.

She was tall, with long, elegant legs that were protected by shin plates. A sword rested where it was gird at her lower back. Her shoulders and waist were covered in silver-gleaming armor. Beautiful, long blond hair flowed down her back like a golden curtain. She looked just about my age, or maybe a little older.

Was she also an adventurer? If so, she must not hang around the guild often, because I would have definitely noticed a face that cute in a crowd.

While her beauty caught my attention first, it was the way her voice rang out that made my heart flutter.

"Everyone! Stand behind me! I will handle this!"

A gorgeous female knight in shining armor whose duty was to protect the people. Someone who lived by a code of conduct that was selfless and righteous. Now this was the type of fantasy trope I could get behind!

I may have just found the heroine I was looking for!

The swarm of cabbages approached. The knight drew her sword and took a stance as I watched.

"Exterion!"

With a swing and a flash, bursts of light erupted at the front of the pack. Countless cabbage heads dropped from the sky and bounced to a halt in the fields just before us. I could sense a lot of power in that one attack. As expected of such a noble and charming knight, she was clearly powerful as well!

"Hey, isn't she that one girl?"

"Yeah, that's her, all right!"

I overheard some voices in the crowd. It seems this girl I have just become a fan of is already well known.

Meanwhile, the large swarm of cabbages continued to rush at us unabated.

"We can't let her do all the fighting! C'mon, everyone! Attack those cabbages!"

I don't know who shouted that, but it got everyone to move. All as one, the adventurers in this town rushed forward to meet the cabbages.

And just like that, the scene before my eyes turned into a huge fray.

Now that I could see them up close, the cabbages flew through the air on little leafy wings sprouting from their heads. If they generated enough momentum, they could ram into you with a lot of force. I remembered playing dodgeball in P.E., and thought it wasn't that dissimilar.

A few of the adventurers took out cabbages by slicing them with swords, others hit them with arrows or war hammers. Some just caught them with their bare hands.

"Nature's beauty!"

The goddess produced streams of water from some paper fans, but the cabbages didn't seem to care.

And then, not far from her―

"Fu fu fu fu! My name is Komekko! The foremost devilish little sister of the Crimson Demons, and she who has even slain a Demon King's general! Let the fires and ash surround us in a maelstrom of destruction! Inferno!"

A stream of fire erupted from Komekko's hands and torched dozens of cabbages as they were caught up in the attack. There was no denying now; when Komekko had enough mana to use magic, she was unquestionably strong.

I assume that part about having slayed a Demon King's general is her usual, pretentious way of exaggerating.

All the cabbages in her vicinity dropped to the ground like wounded animals. I caught a voracious grin on Komekko's face before she pounced on the nearest cabbage and chomped into it.

Right. I should try to help too.

"Hey goddess! I'm going to try using my magic bow again!"

"Oh, Satou, about that―"

In most fantasy stories, generating magic is done by focusing your mana. If that also holds true here, all I need to do is concentrate hard enough, and my magical bow should manifest itself.

I closed my eyes, pictured energy flowing to my hands, shaping itself into a bow…

"Hey, Satou―"

"Not now, goddess. I'm trying to concentrate."

"But Satou, I checked some things while I was in heaven, and we have a slight problem."

I opened my eyes. "What?"

The goddess looked away pointedly while touching the pads of her index fingers together. "Well, you see, when you got reincarnated into this world, there was a slip-up with the special ability you chose."

"..."

"Um, so, the guy who came to the afterlife just before you did, he was a bit of a pervert. When I let him pick a cheat, he tried to take the World Pause ability, which stops time for the whole world except the user. But he just planned to use it to look up girls' skirts or grope their chests without being noticed! I couldn't let him have it! So I took it out of the stack and set it aside where nobody else who came to the afterlife later would find it or try and pick that one, but then when you chose the magical bow with unlimited arrows, I kinda-sorta-accidentally mixed up the papers…"

…

…

…

YOU MIXED UP MY BADASS MAGICAL BOW WITH A MOTHER-FREAKING JOJO REFERENCE!?

―Is what I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I didn't. I also wanted to slap this useless goddess silly. The thing is, I am against using violence upon a woman.

Well, this revelation solves the mystery of that moment yesterday when time froze. In my panicked state of being eaten alive, my fight-or-flight response must have activated this World Pause ability automatically.

My magical bow… My awesome magical bow…

"Um, Satou-san, could you please say something? Your face looks really scary…"

I gritted my teeth. "Is there any way I can still get the bow I wanted? Like, can you go back to heaven and switch them for me?"

The goddess shook her head no.

"...I see. Damn it."

I turned my face away to hide it from the goddess. Not that I'm crying, or anything. I just wanted to make it look like I was upset about this.

I definitely am not crying though.

She warily approached me. "I'm sorry, Satou! It's my fault this time, I'll admit at least that much! Um, Satou?" She patted my back a little.

"I-it's okay," I said. "These things h-happen. I don't blame you, Aqua." I brushed my eyes with my sleeve. But for the record, I wasn't crying, I was just acting like I was crying. To make her feel bad. Yeah.

I glanced at her, only to see her face had fallen.

"What did you… just say?" She blinked stupidly.

"I don't blame you for mixing them up, Aqua."

Aqua's lips started quivering. "Hey, Satou, haven't you been calling me 'goddess' this whole time? What happened to that?"

"Oh, did I?" I put my hand to my chin in thought. "Well, we are in the same party now, and Aqua is your name, isn't it? I figured I should start using it."

Next thing I knew, she was shaking me by the collar like a lunatic.

"Wah-hah-hah! Satou! I know you're angry with me for mixing up your cheats, but I'm sorry! You can hit me or pull my cheeks if you want, then I can apologize properly after, but please! Don't stop calling me 'goddess!' Anything but that! I really liked having someone hanging around calling me 'goddess' all the time! Wah!"

"What the hell? Are you a masochist or something? I'm not going to hit a woman! Do you want me to get canceled? Stop shaking me!"

―Even though she was spot on about the reason why I changed my way of addressing her.

"Hey, you two! Watch out!"

"Huh?"

I looked over at a voice that had called loudly to us, only to see a slew of cabbages flying directly at Aqua and me. They had a lot of speed, and neither of us were wearing any armor.

"Oh, crap!"

I didn't react fast enough, and Aqua was still grabbing me―

Whoosh!

A blade, moving too fast for my eyes to track it, sliced through all the cabbages hurdling our way.

"Are you okay?"

It was her.

The girl I saw earlier had taken out all the cabbages before they reached us. Then she turned to ask that, and I got to see her up close for the first time. Her face wore a concerned look, matching her interrogative statement. She was so cute, and so pretty…

―Is this what it's like to have your breath taken away?

When I didn't respond, the blond knight gave me a stern look. "Don't let your guard down! Hya!"

She took out three more with one swing. So cool!

With that, she went on her way, chasing down more cabbages that went flying off another direction.

"She looks so familiar," I heard Aqua mutter.

I had to shake myself out of it. Even if they were just cabbages, we were still surrounded by monsters. I didn't want to look too helpless in front of my adorable, blond senpai.

"Aqua, let's get serious! I'm going to take out some of these cabbages! How do I use my time stop power or whatever?"

"How should I know?"

"Nevermind." I forgot who I was asking.

I took a deep breath, and focused. How did I do it yesterday? I think it was like―

Suddenly, all the noise of battle ceased into complete silence.

When it did, that was when I noticed the eerie sensation passing through my body. And, everything in the world had paused.

Flying cabbages sat still in midair. Adventurers swinging their weapons were frozen in the act. Projectiles even hovered motionlessly like they were floating.

It was truly as if someone had pressed a pause button on the world.

By the way, I couldn't move, either. I couldn't blink or breathe or do anything.

"Whoa, that's the World Pause ability for you!" Aqua remarked, looking around and bouncing on her feet, the only movement in a completely still and silent world.

Stunned by her animation, I let go. The world reverted back to life as usual, and my senses filled with the sights and sounds of battle once more.

"Hey, you weren't affected by it!" I said, surprised.

"Of course not! I am a goddess, after all!"

"You were affected by it yesterday when I used it during the toad attack!"

"I just wasn't expecting it at the time! But since I have realized now that you somehow ended up with World Pause, I am able to put my guard up just in case you get any weird ideas about trying to use it pervertedly."

"I'm not going to abuse my power like that! Who do you take me for?"

"A young man who has a lustful monster hidden inside."

"You're wrong!"

"Look, all you humans are the same! That power should have gone to a nice girl who could be trusted not to use it inappropriately! It wasn't supposed to be given to a boy!"

"Whose fault is that!"

Whatever, I don't have time for this right now. "Aqua, it seems I can't move when I use this power. I get paused too. So here's the plan. I'm going to activate it again, and you use the chance to catch a whole bunch of cabbages. Got it?"

"Understood!"

"All right, here goes!"

"Man, it's criminal how delicious a simple cabbage stir fry tastes!"

We were back at the guild. The adventurers in this town had caught a bunch of cabbage today, so all of the cabbage-based meals were dirt cheap. And I had eaten basically nothing all day.

"Indeed! My mouth feels like it just experienced an Explosion's worth of magical power all crammed into the flavor of this dish!" agreed Komekko.

"It goes even better when paired with some bubbly!" Aqua added before chugging a mug of frothy liquid. Wiping her mouth, she 'ahhed' in satisfaction. "You were truly awesome out there, Komekko! Those cabbages didn't stand a chance against your magic!"

"Fu fu fu! You are correct in your assessment, although the way you created all that fresh water to keep the cabbages cool and hand out drinks at the end was really something as well! Satou, on the other hand… I know you don't have any money, but you should think about buying some equipment as soon as possible. That way, you won't just be standing around next time. Maybe you should consider getting a part time job?"

Man, look at these two praising each other! It wasn't my fault I ended up with a useless power that makes it look like I was just standing there doing nothing the whole time!

I glanced at Aqua, who could have verified my contributions, but she was too busy downing another drink.

I can't breathe when using World Pause. I can't move a muscle. So as a result, the effect only lasts as long as I can hold my breath, like that squatty toad guy from the Ginyu Force. Aqua is somehow the only one who can move while the world is paused.

All the cabbages she tried to catch while my ability was active? They would just squirm and struggle and break loose if she didn't restrain or cage them up before I had to breathe again. So she could only catch one or two at a time.

Komekko took out a huge number of them, apparently, which is what earned us enough money to afford dinner tonight. Turns out that she ate most of the ones she killed, though. Cabbages were technically monsters, so just killing some was worth a small bounty. Selling the dead cabbages to the guild was worth marginally more, but capturing them alive was by far the most lucrative. If we had caught and sold all of Komekko's cabbages instead, we would have made a killing.

Most of the ones Aqua caught using my ability ended up being lettuce. Lettuce.

Lettuce's reward money was worth even less than a killed and eaten cabbage! How does that make any sense? I don't know!

Seems I will be having another night of sleeping in the stables to look forward to.

I resigned myself to my fate and tried to enjoy this suspiciously flavorful cabbage dish when I noticed some visitors approaching our table.

One of them was Chris, the thief I met earlier today at the Eris church.

And walking with her―

I sat up straight and swallowed my food.

"Hey guys!" Chris said with a wave. "Miss Aqua! Um, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

The gorgeous blond knight who had protected us earlier was with Chris! Be cool, be cool! Don't get nervous now, me!

"Oh, if it isn't Chris! And―hey, I thought you looked familiar! Princess Iris, that must be you, right?"

I almost dropped my fork. Did Aqua say princess? Is she even more out of my league than I thought?

"Um, you must have me confused with someone else!" She responded in a way that wasn't fooling anybody. "My name is Alice, and I am the granddaughter of a chirimen store owner, not the former princess or anything!"

Too obvious.

Ah, but she said former princess. Does that mean her station is no longer valid? Do I still have a chance? Come to think of it, the Demon King apparently overthrew the capital and claimed the royal throne for himself, if I remembered the story correctly. Was that related to what was going on here?

"No, I definitely recognize you now! You're surely Princess Iris! It's me, Aqua! Remember? We stayed at the castle all those times! I drew you in that sand painting! And how could you forget the time we all went to Elroad together?"

Her Majesty was looking around in a panic. "I do, I remember you, Aqua! Please stop saying those things about being a princess and living in the castle so loudly!"

So cute. She admitted her true identity so readily.

"For the time being, I am an adventurer by the name of Alice who is living in this town! I don't want anyone to know I used to be the princess because the guild doesn't like giving me quests. Even though I am a registered adventurer now, they tell me, 'Lady Alice, you can't go on this adventure without a party, it's too dangerous!' and when I ask to join any parties that are recruiting, they say, 'Oh, you see, we actually just filled the last spot, so sorry!' That is why I am trying to keep my former identity a secret! So Aqua, please refer to me as 'Alice' whenever we are around others!"

Ah, so it was like that. Even though she tried to hide it, it sounded like everyone knew she used to be the princess. That was why nobody wanted to be responsible for her taking on any dangerous jobs.

I really wished she could join our party. Not only is she cute and courageous, she also seemed to be very strong. Still, wouldn't I get in major trouble if something happened to her?

Anyways, there was no way someone like her would want to join our party so there was no use worrying about it. I mean, I just started adventuring yesterday and didn't have any equipment. Aqua―is useless. Komekko is strong, but her personality and high maintenance costs go a long way to offset that.

"So Satou, I assume you know the reason why I am here," Chris said.

"Oh, uh―"

I did not.

"I told you I wanted to introduce you to someone, remember?"

Oh yeah, she did say something like that.

"Ahem, this is Alice-chan. She is like an adopted little sister to me, but she has been looking for a party to join for some time. Would you consider letting her join yours?"

My heart about stopped. Did I hear correctly?

"Mr. Satou, was it? Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Alice, an adventurer. I may be naive to the ways of the world, and my sword skills still have a long way to go. But I hope you will have me!"

She's humble too!

Aqua's first impression I admit had me swoon a little, although my opinion of her has all but tanked since. Komekko may be on the young side, but I can't say she isn't easy on the eyes herself. And now, a beautiful knight who was like a reliable senpai and was just my type?

Those kinds of stories about isekai protagonists, do they really happen? Could even someone like me have developments with a romantic interest of my own?

"L-let me discuss it with my other party members," I said, trying not to sound desperate or anything. "What do you guys think?"

Aqua nodded and sat back. "Alice was already stronger than the Demon King's daughter, said to be the highest ranking of the former Demon King's generals, back before the new Demon King overthrew the capital. She was just a child back then! We would be crazy to deny her a spot in our party!"

"I am honored by your words, Aqua, but I still have a lot to learn."

Holy moly, was she really that strong? Even as a kid?

"Big sis used to talk about her minion all the time," Komekko said. "She said, 'Hm hm hm! My left hand considers herself my love rival! We shall see who wins in the end!' Guess that must have been you, huh?"

That wasn't really an answer, in fact I had no idea what nonsense Komekko was spouting, but she didn't seem against it.

My luck shouldn't be this good. Most people have equal good and bad traits that normalize their character. Komekko is the perfect example, a powerhouse who has a number of negative traits to counteract it. To think that a Mary Sue who is already stronger than the highest ranked general and has good looks to boot would join our party!

"Well, I guess that settles it. Welcome to the party. My name is Kazuma Satou. I know we share the same name, but I assure you, I am not the Demon King." I extended my hand to shake.

"I am well aware that you are not the same person as my dear Elder Brother."

As we shook hands, I stopped and paused a moment to think about what she just said.

A/N: Those who have reviewed, thank you for your time! To the rest of you, thank you for reading! I appreciate the honest feedback, and even agree with the recent points of criticism that have been leveled at Kazuma's path to becoming Demon King and Megumin. Unfortunately what's done is done and I can't change it now. Well, I'm trying to rethink a few things, and maybe the story will "clarify" (cough retcon cough) some of the details later on. Anyways, you can expect to see more of their story unfold a piece at a time. Meanwhile, this story will continue to mainly focus on this new party that has at last found its final member!

I hope I can improve as a writer going forward, and if I keep getting such positive feedback, I'll have to actually start taking writing this story seriously!