Rest. Sleep. Just relax, Hikaru. Don't think about work, missions, or rewards. Just enjoy the comfort of a good bed…
Yeah, as if.
As he followed Kazuma to his house, Hikaru felt out of place among this peculiar group. The situation wasn't improving in the slightest, especially since the other members of Kazuma's party were staring at him like he was some kind of exotic animal in a zoo.
'Poor me… I can't even rest when I want to.'
To his surprise, the one who broke the silence was Aqua, who was just as blunt as Kazuma had been earlier.
"You're from the same place as Kazuma, aren't you?"
'Wow… so straightforward!'
Kazuma, on the other hand, just sighed deeply. "This goddess is an idiot..." He thought to himself, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had asked the exact same question earlier.
Hikaru didn't even bother reacting anymore. Maybe getting used to these people was the best approach.
"You could say that..."
Hearing this, Megumin and Darkness perked up. Since they didn't know much about Japan, they bombarded Hikaru with questions, barely understanding Kazuma's vague explanations from before.
'They're eccentric, but… kind of fun.'
Despite his initial awkwardness, Hikaru found himself socializing more easily than expected.
After a long walk filled with chatter, they finally arrived at Kazuma's house. Hikaru was shown to his room, and as soon as he touched the bed, he realized it was way different from what he was used to.
Still, exhaustion overpowered discomfort. He fell asleep almost instantly.
The first rays of sunlight slipped through the window, waking him up to a new day.
With no one around to say "Rise and shine, hero!", Hikaru decided to motivate himself:
"Let today be a day of victories!"
Well, not exactly victories… More like a day full of challenges.
As Hikaru stepped out of his room, he found a few people already awake—including Kazuma.
"Good morning, everyone." (Manners first!)
Kazuma responded with a lazy wave.
Hikaru wasted no time.
"Kazuma, remember what we talked about yesterday? Did you tell your party?"
Kazuma blinked, as if the words were taking extra time to process. Then, he scratched his head and gave a sheepish laugh.
"Ehh… I kinda forgot."
Hikaru sighed but wasn't surprised.
"It's fine, I'll explain it myself."
Hearing that, everyone turned their attention to him. Without hesitation, Hikaru dropped the bomb:
"Yesterday's invasion wasn't the only one. In about three hours, a horde of 50,000 undead will attack this city again."
Silence.
And then—
"EHHHHH?!"
Aqua's eyes widened as she grabbed Kazuma's shoulders in panic.
"Hey, Kazuma! He's lying, right?!"
Megumin, on the other hand, looked absolutely thrilled.
"This means… more practice for my EXPLOSION magic!"
Darkness, completely missing the point, blushed and clasped her hands together.
"Oh no! What if they capture me?! How terrifying…!" (This woman seriously has issues…)
Kazuma, already used to their antics, sighed and replied directly to Aqua.
"I'd rather believe him. Let's check it out. If he's right, we can make some money, and you two can satisfy your weird fantasies."
As the group continued to react in their own unique ways, Hikaru simply watched with a mix of amusement and resignation.
Meanwhile, Kazuma's thoughts were far more financially motivated.
'I just want to get rich off this.'
He smirked to himself, already imagining the reward money.
Hikaru, shaking his head, brought the conversation back on track.
"So, are we getting ready? Honestly, I'm starving."
That was all the motivation they needed. Fired up, they headed to the guild for a hearty breakfast before preparing for the invasion.
After finishing their meal and discussing monster strategies, they moved to the city gates, which would soon become the battlefield once again.
"Let's stick to the plan." Hikaru began assigning roles. "Megumin, you'll launch an EXPLOSION once Kazuma gathers the undead into one spot."
"Got it!" Megumin was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Then, I'll cast a large-area Light Magic, just like yesterday. After that, we deal with the remaining ones. Sound good?"
"Sounds good!" The group answered in unison.
Hikaru crossed his arms, taking a deep breath.
'Let's hope this works…'
At that moment, Kazuma, standing at the front, spotted movement in the distance.
"They're coming!"
A cloud of dust rose on the horizon as the massive horde of undead approached the city.
Hikaru clenched his fists, a confident smirk forming on his lips.
"Let's do this!"
The battle was about to begin.