Early morning, the city of Axel welcomed a brand-new day.
Bang!
The door was kicked open with force. Satou Kazuma's eyes glimmered with a hint of light as he surveyed the scene inside. On the messy bed, Aqua, wrapped tightly in her blue pajamas, lay sprawled out. The blanket and pillows had been kicked several meters away.
"Tch!" Kazuma clicked his tongue and kicked the foot of Aqua's bed.
"Aqua, get up already! Did you forget what important day it is for your master today?!"
Bang!
"Huh?" Aqua opened her eyes groggily and swayed her head to assess her current situation. Above her, a pair of glowing eyes stared at her, accompanied by Kazuma's familiar lecherous grin.
"Kazuma!!!" Aqua roared, her voice echoing throughout the room. Pulling her legs back up onto the bed, she stood up and smoothed her tightly wrapped pajamas before charging at Kazuma with her fist raised.
Thud!
Kazuma knocked her head lightly and tossed a maid outfit onto her bed before leaving the room with a look of disdain. "You useless goddess with nothing but decent looks, hurry up and change into your work clothes! Today is extremely important for me. Screw it up, and you can kiss half a year's pay goodbye!"
He paused and added, "Also, as a maid, stop wearing such conservative pajamas. Even if you're useless, you should let your master have a good look~."
Hugging the maid outfit in her arms, Aqua's eyes filled with tears. Just two nights ago, she had returned from Liyue with a generous amount of Mora, a payment from Ningguang for healing the soldiers. Ignoring Kazuma's enraged shouts and previous agreements to work together, Aqua had headed straight for Axel's best tavern.
The great goddess of water deserved a break after working so hard. She ordered the best drinks and the most expensive appetizers, indulging from morning to night. She even went as far as to cover everyone's tab, basking in the praise of the tavern's patrons.
By the time she regained consciousness, she found herself at the tavern's bar, being gently awakened by the owner and his eight burly bodyguards. After a "friendly" exchange, Aqua cheerfully settled the bill for the day-long party and headed home.
… Except, aside from her clothes and underwear, everything else had been cleared out.
"Ugh~" Aqua whimpered, clutching the maid outfit as tears streamed down her face. "Waaaaah~!!!"
The sound of her crying echoed through the house. Meanwhile, Kazuma, who was packing luggage with Megumin, sighed and waved his hand.
"I'll handle it," he said.
"Okay," Megumin replied, grabbing his hand gently. "Come back soon~."
"Don't worry," Kazuma reassured her, brushing his black hair back with a confident smirk.
Leaning closer to Megumin, he said in a heartfelt tone, "My dearest Megumin, I can't bear to be apart from you for even a second. But as the leader of this adventurer's party, I can't ignore a crying teammate."
"So~" he continued, his face inching closer to hers, "my darling, can you wait for me here for just one minute?"
Megumin's eyes sparkled as she held her flushed face, her heart racing. Closing her eyes, she stood on her tiptoes, anticipation written all over her face. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as steam seemed to escape from her head.
Slap!
A hand landed on her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. Megumin opened her eyes to see a drooling Darkness, her fists clenched in excitement.
"Kazuma?" Megumin asked, her brain short-circuiting as she stared blankly at Darkness.
"Oh, Kazuma?" Darkness replied, her voice trembling with delight. "After saying all those flirtatious words, he walked away with a sly grin."
Darkness hugged herself, trembling with excitement. "That man is truly a sadistic genius! After making his fiancé blush and wait for a non-existent kiss in front of others, he left her standing there! It's just… so perfect!"
"Ahhh~~!" she squealed.
Thud!
Megumin punched Darkness into the wall, golden-red energy radiating from her body. Her glowing red eyes fixed on Kazuma, who was grinning smugly as he walked toward Aqua's room. Clenching her fists, Megumin growled, "Ka-zuma!!!"
Hearing her ominous tone, Kazuma shivered but brushed it off. Typing into the glowing blue chat panel in front of him, he wrote:
Satou Kazuma: Hiroshi, your dating strategy is genius! Did you see Megumin's reaction just now? She's never looked so bashful since our first time together.
Satou Kazuma: I owe you big time!
Hiroshi: Uh… Good luck surviving what comes next.
Hiroshi: And don't tell anyone I taught you this. I'm out!
"Huh?" Kazuma scratched his head in confusion but soon grinned. "I'm truly a romantic genius. Just one lesson from my master, and I've already surpassed him."
"Hmph," he laughed, striking a pose he thought looked devilishly charming. "Hiroshi, I'm not like you anymore. I've evolved into a flawless love god!"
"Even Megumin's parents can't scare me. I'm perfectly prepared for everything."
Pushing open Aqua's door, Kazuma leaned against the wall, smirking. "Woman, follow your master."
Aqua looked up with teary eyes and asked fearfully, "Kazuma, do you have a terminal illness? I can see your death flag shining brightly!"
A vein bulged on Kazuma's forehead as he took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "The perfect romantic god like me could never be in danger!"
"Now hurry up, useless goddess, and get ready!"
Waving his hand dismissively, Kazuma walked toward the door. "And if you wet the maid outfit with your tears, I'll dock half a month's pay."
"Okay," Aqua said obediently, standing up to change. With a serene smile, she whispered, "If you're alive to dock my pay, that is~."
As Kazuma stepped out the door, Megumin greeted him with a sweet smile, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest. "Welcome back, my dear~" she cooed.
"Let's hurry to my home. I can't wait to return to the Crimson Demon Village!"