The night was deep, and the grand celebration had ended. The bustling crowd slowly dispersed, leaving only the dying bonfire radiating its last bit of warmth.
Klee and Hinata Gokou, the two little ones, were already dozing off to sleep, their heads nodding adorably. Seeing the two about to fall asleep on the spot, everyone present couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
"It's getting late. These two little ones look like it's time for bed," Hiroshi said as he gently picked up Klee. Ruri Gokou came over and picked up Hinata, and Hiroshi turned to the group, "It was daytime when I came over, so I still have some time. Let's rest for now and head back tomorrow. Everyone's even prepared rooms for us."
"Alright," Mu nodded, then looked down at Xiaohei at his side. "In that case, we'll also head back tomorrow."
Ruri glanced at the sleeping Hinata in her arms, nodded, and quietly said goodnight to everyone. She held Hinata close, her head resting gently on her shoulder. She floated softly like a ghost, heading swiftly towards the nearby inn. Her spiritual energy rippled gently around her, blocking all unwanted sounds.
Watching Ruri drift away, Luo Xiaohei looked at Hinata in Ruri's arms enviously and said quietly, "Sister Ruri really is a good sister."
"Let's go as well." Holding Klee close, Hiroshi followed Ruri's lead, floating silently ahead.
Mu watched the two disappear into the distance, then looked down at the small Xiaohei beside him. Despite his small stature, Xiaohei was no different from the two little girls. Mu bent down, picked Xiaohei up in his arms, gently patting his head. He then glanced over at Kazuma and Megumin nearby. A flash of swordlight appeared under his feet as Mu followed the two ahead, floating quietly.
Initially shy when Mu picked him up, Xiaohei gradually relaxed as he felt the gentle touch on his head. He held onto Mu's clothes and slowly closed his eyes, falling asleep in Mu's warm embrace, a happy smile spreading across his face.
Falling behind, Kazuma watched the three float into the inn, a victorious grin spreading across his face. Glancing at the blushing Megumin beside him, Kazuma couldn't help but grin even more, his heart pounding. He moved closer to Megumin and said eagerly, "Megumin, it's so dark already, and it's not safe for you to go alone. Let me walk you to your room."
Not waiting for her response, Kazuma activated his domain. A flash of cyan light enveloped them both, and they vanished into the inn, leaving behind only the startled cries of a cat whose fur had puffed up in fright, echoing through the night.
Inside the inn, Hiroshi carefully placed Klee on her bed, tucking her in. He stood by the window and noticed a flash of cyan light streak down the street, darting into the building below.
Raising an eyebrow, Hiroshi waved his hand, placing a barrier around Klee's bed. He then sat on a nearby bed, took off his shoes, and crossed his legs. A faint blue panel appeared in front of him. He decided to check the mission results and wait to see how things played out—after all, Megumin looked so flustered that she probably wouldn't be able to handle much more.
Next door, after setting up a barrier throughout the room, Mu lay down on his bed. Xiaohei curled up quietly beside him, sleeping soundly. A blue panel appeared above Mu, and he glanced at Xiaohei. Seeing him still fast asleep, Mu relaxed and began reviewing the mission results.
**[Group Mission: Protect Axel] [Completed]**
**[Mission Objective: Protect Axel from destruction - Achieved. Drive away or eliminate the Demon King's forces and officers - Achieved.]**
**[Mission Time: 11 hours 45 minutes / 24 hours]**
**[Mission Points Reward: Kazuma Sato earned 20k points, Mu earned 20k points, Hiroshi earned 20k points, Klee earned 15k points, Ruri Gokou earned 15k points, Luo Xiaohei earned 15k points, Megumin earned 13k points, Hinata Gokou earned 2k points (minimum participation points)]**
**[Mission Experience Reward: Kazuma Sato earned 20k experience, Mu earned 10k experience, Hiroshi earned 10k experience, Klee earned 11k experience, Ruri Gokou earned 11k experience, Luo Xiaohei earned 11k experience, Megumin earned 6k experience, Hinata Gokou earned 1k experience (minimum participation experience)]**
Looking at the huge experience reward, which was enough for him to take another step on the path to ascension, Mu's calm heart couldn't help but waver. He gently patted Xiaohei's head and whispered, "Thank you, Xiaohei."
Below the mission summary, a rapid stream of messages appeared in the group chat. Mu silently opened it, a smile forming as he read the conversation.
**Kazuma Sato:** @Megumin, open the door! Megumin, I swear I won't do anything.
**Kazuma Sato:** I just slipped up a little, that's all.
**Megumin:** ??? Slipped up? You climbed into my bed! You said you were going to sleep in the bed next to mine!
**Megumin:** You pervert! Lolicon! Freak!
**Kazuma Sato:** Ah! How can you say that to your hero? I was just trying to see if you were feeling feverish.
**Kazuma Sato:** Besides, you didn't object earlier! I just went with the flow.
**Hiroshi:** Whoa, I can vouch! Megumin didn't have time to object, you were just too caught up in the moment.
**Hiroshi:** Only Kazuma the Perverted Lolicon would think of trying something with Megumin, such a little girl.
**Megumin:** @Hiroshi. Don't call me a loli!!!
**Ruri Gokou:** It's a good thing I set up a barrier beforehand; otherwise, I'd be cursing you, Kazuma the Lolicon, for disturbing Hinata's sleep.
**Hiroshi:** Set up a barrier beforehand +1
**Mu:** Set up a barrier beforehand +1
**Kazuma Sato:** ???
**Kazuma Sato:** Why does everyone set up barriers beforehand? Did you all know this was going to happen?!
**Ruri Gokou:** When we saw you holding Megumin's hand with that look on your face, we knew it.
**Hiroshi:** +1
**Mu:** +1
**Megumin:** Ah! You all saw that?!
**Kazuma Sato:** ?!?!
**Kazuma Sato:** That can't be! I didn't feel any resistance from Megumin.
**Kazuma Sato:** @Megumin, open the door, let me explain.
**Megumin:** No way! Go away, Kazuma, your eyes were green tonight!
**Kazuma Sato:** I swear I wasn't going to do anything bad! Please, open the door! Aqua's staring at me funny.
**Megumin:** No! I'm going to sleep. Go back to your room.
**Kazuma Sato:** No, Megumin! Aqua's looking at me with disdain. At least give me my clothes!
**Megumin:** Hah! And you say you weren't going to do anything. Who takes off all their clothes as soon as they enter a room? Go back naked tonight.
**Kazuma Sato:** Megumin, please listen! It was just a side effect of today's battle!
**Megumin:** The person you have called is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
**Kazuma Sato:** No! Megumin!
**Hiroshi:** @Kazuma Sato. Remember to delete tonight's chat history later, unless you want Klee and the others to find out. I don't think you'd want that.
**Mu:** +1
**Ruri Gokou:** +1
**Kazuma Sato:** ???
**Kazuma Sato:** @Hiroshi. The chat group doesn't have a delete chat feature! Did you find a new feature?
**Hiroshi:** Nope.
**Hiroshi:** Can't you just send messages nonstop for the rest of the night and bury this chat in a ton of other messages?
**Kazuma Sato:** ??? Are you serious?
**Hiroshi:** I may not be sure if I'm serious, but if Klee finds out about this chat, I am sure you'll be in serious trouble.
**Hiroshi:** Good luck, man. I'm going to rest. Have a pleasant night.
**Kazuma Sato:** ???
In the hallway outside Megumin's room, Kazuma sat there naked, looking defeated as he scrolled through the group chat. He weakly knocked on Megumin's door.
Nearby, Aqua, who had been watching the drama for a while, glanced disdainfully at Kazuma's lower half and snorted. "Kazuma, stop disturbing everyone's sleep. And come on, it's bad enough you're acting like a perv, but don't parade your junk around in the hallway. It's not even impressive."
With that, Aqua closed her door with a slam, leaving Kazuma covering himself in shame and frustration.
Getting up, he clenched his fists, angrily pounding on Aqua's door. He shouted, "Aqua! Come out here! Tonight, I'm going to show you how impressive I am!"
"Open the door! Open it now!"
The loud banging echoed through the building, waking up many of the sleeping guests.
In the middle of the night, the people of Axel could hear their hero, Kazuma Sato, banging loudly on a door, yelling his teammate's name, spouting shameless words.
They all sighed, putting in earplugs and covering their heads with blankets. After all, as the hero who single-handedly defeated the Demon King's general and his knights, they had no authority to stop his "rampage." They simply resolved to keep their daughters at least a kilometer away from Kazuma in the future.
Click.
Two doors opened. Kazuma turned around, still naked, and was greeted by Megumin's angry shout. A dark object flew at his head.
Without thinking, Kazuma unleashed a wind blade to shred the projectile. As the door slammed shut, bits of fabric fluttered in the air.
Catching the falling pieces, Kazuma recognized the familiar scent. With tears welling up, he looked at Megumin's door, then glanced at Hiroshi, who leaned against his own door, watching with a smirk.
Hiroshi raised a hand to greet Kazuma, smiling at his disheveled state. He opened his door and, before closing it behind him, said gleefully, "Don't forget the chat history."
Outside, Kazuma quietly picked up the shredded remains of his clothes and turned towards his room.
Aqua's door opened again, her blue eyes filled with a knowing glint. She looked at Kazuma's bare figure in the candlelight and laughed. Her laughter echoed in the hallway as she closed her door once more.