Konosuba Short Story

“Well, let’s calm down a bit. I hope you don’t mind me asking a
touch more about this incident. You say it happens every day,
but how many times does it happen per day? This girl can only
use Explosion once each day, so…”
“There’s only one explosion every day.”
The officer instantly answered my question.
“… And just to confirm, when do these explosions take place?”
“Those explosions always happen shortly after Megumin leaves
town.”
“I’m sorry, this girl isn’t doing it on purpose! She just has a
somewhat shorter fuse than most peopleー”
“Wait a minute, Kazuma, why does that make you think it’s
definitely me behind it?”
Megumin grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me irately.
Still, there’s only one person who could do such a foolish thing,
and that’s her.
“Don’t worry, Megumin, I’ll make sure to feed the black
demonic furball every day while you are locked up.”
“Umm, Megumin, the prisons around this time of year tend to
be pretty cold, so make sure you wear something warm before
heading out. I’ll make sure to send in some warm food every
day.”

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“You two too!? Oh fine, I’ll follow this investigation or whatever
to the very end! Officer, you should have a lie detecting magic
item at the station! We’ll use that to see if I’m really telling the
truth!”
Megumin, agitatedly waving her staff around, followed the
officer back to the station.

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 2 ↲

“I’m terribly sorry! To think we actually suspected an innocent
person…!”
“Yes, exactly! In the first place, why do you immediately suspect
me whenever there’s an incident involving an explosion!? Why
don’t you give me a satisfactory explanation!?”
After the interrogation, Megumin was escorted back from the
station by what appeared to be someone pretty important
amongst the police force.
Seems like the lie detecting magic item didn’t respond at all.
“Come on, your name has already been cleared, so just let it go.
Well, I had faith from the very start that it would turn out like
this.”
“I believed you too, of course. Megumin isn’t a girl who would
do that sort of thing. I didn’t do anything that would make me
feel guilty, but you can have the special seat by the fireplace if
you want.”
“Megumin, you must have been cold after spending all that time
outside. I’ll buy some high quality ingredients and cook a good
meal so you can warm yourself up.”
“Hey, you three sure change your tune really quickly. Why don’t
you tell me exactly what kind of person you think I am?”
After giving one last apology to a still clearly aggravated
Megumin, the police officer turned and gave us a bow.

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“Once again, I’m deeply sorry for this incident. You’re Satou
Kazuma-san, yes? I’ve heard many great rumours about you. It
seems like you played a huge role in taking out the Demon
King’s general Beldia and the mobile fortress Destroyer…”
Saying that, she gave me a smile.
She was quite a beauty, seemingly in her twenties, and wore her
chestnut coloured hair in a long ponytail.
“No, no, I didn’t set out to do such things. It was just my pride
as an adventurer that prevented me from running away…”
I boasted, and the police officer’s eyes sparkled.
“You’re selling yourself short, Satou-san! I’ve heard that this
mansion is also owned by you… It must be thanks to the huge
bounty you received after defeating the Destroyer and Beldia!
Ah, my apologies, I’ve yet to introduce myself! I’m said to be
really erotic without my armour, the deputy police chief
Lorielina. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
For some reason, Lorielina started to draw closer to me as she
said that.
Well, I could be said to be the hero of this town, so I suppose
this kind of treatment is just a matter of course.
“P-Please to meet you. Well, I can see why you might think that,
but the truth is, a lot of other things happened after that, so I
landed myself in quite the debt, too. Still, if you want to hear
about the deeds I did back thenー”

“I’ve taken up enough of your time. Megumin-san, my
apologies”

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The moment she heard the word debt, Lorielina abruptly
switched back to a business-like attitude.
… Well, I suppose this is also a matter of course.
“Lorielina-dono, do you have any idea who the true culprit is?”
“Er, well… No. We didn’t think there would be anyone apart
from Megumin who would go out in the countryside and set off
random explosions, so…”
“Hey, why do you all think of me whenever there’s a problem
involving an explosion!? Hurry up and tell me!”
I really wanted to explain to Megumin whose eyes were glowing
bright red what the phrase “You reap what you sow” meant.
“Well, whoever it is, at least we’ve proven that it has nothing to
do with us. It’d be really troublesome indeed if we end up
getting dragged into every little incident that happens in this
town.”
Just as I said that,
“Yeah, that’s right. This is just the work of some other explosion
maniac. Still, for their actions to cast suspicion onto Megumin,
he must be fairly accomplished in the use of the explosive series
of spells. He might even be more skilled at using Explosion than
Megumin.”
The useless thing seated in front of the fireplace that has never
once been able to read the mood said such a thing.

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 3 ↲

The next day.

“Let’s start with investigating those related to the incidents. I’ll
use my Crimson Demon intelligence to suss out who the culprit
is.”

I, who has been forced to get up way before any sane person
should be awake, followed behind Megumin blearily.

Right now, we are headed towards the adventurer’s guild.

Thanks to Aqua’s unnecessary words, Megumin developed a
grudge against the culprit and made a declaration on the spot
that she’ll catch them.

I originally intended to let her go on her own if she wanted to
play detective so badly, but I had to change my plans thanks to
a certain other person.

“I’m counting on you, Megumin-san! The deputy police chief is
behind you, so don’t worry about the small stuff when doing
your investigations.”

Behind Megumin and me followed the deputy police chief,
Lorielina .

“… We’re just doing this on a whim, so there really is no need
for you to accompany us.”

“No, even if you are adventurers, there’s no way I can let
ordinary people chase after what could be a very dangerous
user of Explosion magic. And, call it my detective intuition. I get
the feeling that I’ll be able to get to the bottom of this matter if I

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stick with you. I’m not following you because I still suspect
Megumin-san. It’s just that, if I render assistance to you two, I’ll
be able to gain the favour of Lady Dustiness!”
Rather than spinning some excuse, Lorielina laid all her true
intentions bare in front of us.
Still, I’d definitely bet money that she is still suspicious of
Megumin.
If I leave Megumin alone with the police chief to run amuck
around town, I get the distinct feeling that she’ll end up behind
bars before the day is out.
Thus, I dragged myself along to render aid…
“Well, I guess that’s fine. Let’s start by asking a few questions.”
Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the guild.
Incidentally, Darkness also decided to investigate through her
own contacts, and left the house early just like us.
As for the one who riled Megumin up with her unnecessary
words, it doesn’t seem like she has any intentions of leaving the
fireplace, and she can’t contribute much anyway, so I decided to
just leave her be.
It was still fairly early in the morning, so there weren’t many
people around we could talk to. Instead, we made our way over
to the counter.
“Excuse me, can I ask a few questions? There are a few things I
would like to ask about regarding the recent explosions that
have been happening.”

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“Oh, good morning, Satou Kazuma-san. The recent explosions…
eh? Ah!? You’re the deputy police chief! And even Megumin-
san is… Explosions… Megumin-san… Police. Ah, I see, I
understand what you’re trying to ask now. I also think that
Megumin-san is the most likely culprit.”
“Hey, why don’t you tell me exactly what kind of
misunderstanding you have!? I’m all ears!”
Megumin immediately snapped at the receptionist, but
Lorielina immediately stepped in to clear things up.
“No, I understand why you’d think that, but that’s not the case.
We have already interrogated her. For some reason, the lie
detecting magic item didn’t react at all.”
“Really? Could it be that the magic item is defective?”
“No, that’s impossible. The item we used is the newest set we
had in the station, and it’s been working without issues before
yesterday. What we thought would be an easily solvable case
suddenly became an impenetrable riddle…”
“Hey, if you’re picking a fight with me, I’ll gladly take you on!”
Ignoring Megumin whose eyes started glowing again, I
broached upon the topic that originally brought us here.
“The main reason I’m here is to confirm how many users of the
explosive series of spells there are in this city? Is there anyone
like that in the guild?”
There were three spells in the explosive series, Blast,
Detonation, and Explosion.

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Blast is quite a powerful spell that’s capable of cracking solid
rock, and has a fairly reasonable mana cost. And Detonation, in
exchange for a much higher mana cost, is powerful enough to
take out almost any monster with a single hit.
“Spellcasters skilled enough to use the Blast spell will usually
leave this town after gaining a few levels, and there aren’t that
many people who can use Detonation in this country. During
the festival season, some of those people might be invited to
town to use their talents for fireworks, but they wouldn’t be
around in this season. So the only people in this town that can
use explosive magic right now should only be the owner of the
magic item shop and Megumin-san…”
“… I have to ask, is it really not you?”
“Do you really have to ask again? Haven’t you already proven it
isn’t me!?”
Seeing Megumin get angry with Lorielina again, I fell into deep
thought.
The only person in this town other than Megumin who can use
Explosive magic is Wiz, but it’s pretty hard to imagine her doing
such things.
I just can’t think of anything that would motivate her to do such
things.
… Motive?
“Oh, right, motive! This could be the work of someone who
bears a grudge against Megumin and is trying to frame her.
Hey, Megumin, do you remember angering anyone recently?”

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“Of course not. I can say that I’m the most amiable person in
this party.”
Where is she getting that confidence from?
Then, the lady at the counter bashfully said.
“Umm… Well, there have been several complaints regarding
Megumin-san lately… There was this one where she unleashed
Explosion on a group of goblins just as another team cornered
them, not only stealing their kills, but also almost getting them
caught up in the blast… And Explosion changed the course of
the river, so please get her to stop using it to catch fish… And
other similar complaints…”
Hearing what the guild lady had to say, Megumin covered her
ears and turned away, but the lady continued.
“And, as an adventurer, please stop picking a fight with regular
people just because they mocked your name.”
“I’m sorry, but can you please arrest her?”
“Yes, perhaps it is for the best to get her off the streets for a few
days.”
“Please wait, I have properly reflected on my actions! A-
Anyway, there are a surprising amount of people who hold a
grudge against me! That means the true culprit must be
amongst the people here!”
Saying that, Megumin suddenly grabbed the adventurer who
was at the counter next to us.

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“H-Hey!? M-Megumin!? What are you doing! Cut it out!”
“You were the one who picked a fight with me yesterday, so you
are suspected to be related to the serial explosions case! Let’s
have a nice long chat at the policeーOw!”

After prying Megumin off and pushing her into a rough bow, I
did the same towards the other adventurer.
“I’m really sorry for what this idiot has done. Still, may I ask
you a few questions? You had a fight with her yesterday, right?
May I ask what exactly happened?”
The adventurer rubbed his throat where he had been grabbed
and shook his head.
“Well, it wasn’t really a fight. I was busy reading one of the
notices on the board when I accidentally ran into her, so I said
‘Sorry, I was reading a notice, so I didn’t see you there’. Then,
she went “So you’re saying I’m short!?” and suddenly attacked
me.”
“So you’re just picking fights now!?”
“Ow-ow-ow! N-No, I’m only doing that because adventurers
mustn’t afford to be looked down uponー”

Maybe it would really be best to have her arrested.
“Besides, the serial explosions case didn’t start yesterday, right?
So this person doesn’t even fit the profile we are looking for.”
“That’s true… Then, you should arrest Maribelle who fought
with me last week after comparing the size of her chest to
mine.”

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“I already told you not to just name random people! And you’re
just naming people you don’t like! There’s a limit to how
impudent you can be!”
Lorielina, standing some distance away from the two of us as
we started quarreling again, seemed to suddenly remember her
job as the deputy police chief and took out a notebook.
“Megumin-san, can you tell me the names of everyone who
might have a grudge with you? If there are a lot of them, I can
get the other officers to help investigate.”
Looking at Lorielina’s serious face right in the eye, Megumin
started rattling off a list of names.
“There’s Maribelle that I just mentioned earlier, and then there
are the various shopkeepers that I haggled with back when I
didn’t have money until they collapsed in tears, like the owner
of the weapons shop, the owner of the magic items shop, the
grocery seller, and… There are way too many adventurers who
might bear a grudge against me, so there’s no way I can list
them all.”
“… Is there really no way you can put her behind bars for a
while?”
“Oh, very well. We aren’t a daycare for problem children, but I
suppose we don’t have a choice in this case. Now, then,
Megumin-san, please tell us more details back at the stationー”

“Wait a minute! Please wait… Ah!”
Megumin, who seemed this close to being dragged away by
Lorielina, suddenly shouted.

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“I know who the culprit is! Follow me, you two!”

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 4 ↲

The person she was looking for ended up being at the town
library.
Despite the large number of empty seats available, she chose to
read her book at the table at the furthest corner.
“So here is where you’ve hidden yourself! Yunyun, you are the
true mastermind!”
“Eh!? M-Megumin!? What’s going on!?”
Of course, the person she’s looking for is Megumin’s self-
proclaimed rival, and a fellow Crimson Demon, Yunyun.
Megumin’s appearance destroyed the tranquility of the library,
and she flared her cape and named herself…
“My name is Megumin! As the most intelligent truth seeker in
Axel, I shall reveal the truth! My rival Yunyun! As long as my
eyes are red, your evil schemes shall never work on me!”
“Megumin, what are you saying after suddenly appearing out of
the blue!? I have no idea what you’re talking about! What do
you mean by evil schemes!?”
Yunyun frantically got to her feet and started bowing and
apologizing to the people nearby who shot them disapproving
looks.
After that, I started explaining the situation.
“You see, there’ve been several unexplained explosions close to
town over the past few days.”

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“Megumin you idiot! It’s not enough to do it in the Crimson
Demon Village, now you have to do it in Axel too!? You still
didn’t learn your lesson even after causing such a big ruckus
back home!?”
“Ah!? S-Stop! What are you doing!? Get off me!”
Yunyun grabbed onto Megumin and started screaming at her
through teary eyes the moment I said that, cutting me off.
Then, Yunyun finally let go of Megumin’s clothes and once
again turned towards us.
“I’m sorry! Megumin’s supposed to be pretty smart, she just
never thinks about consequences before doing anything, but
she definitely isn’t a bad person! I’ll go with her to apologize to
the people affected, so please go easy on herー”
“You too!? Why does everyone automatically assume I’m the
culprit with just a little bit of information!?”
“Kyaa, it hurts! Cut it out!”
Just as Megumin grabbed onto Yunyun’s temples, Lorielina
placed a finger to her chin.
“Please wait a moment, you said something about the Crimson
Demon village earlier, right? Did something similar happen
back in the Crimson Demon village?”
“Y-Yes, back then, she managed to avoid trouble by blaming it
on a devil that happened to be passing by, so I’m thinking that
she may have done the same thing here, too…”

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Wait, did she just say ‘blaming it on a devil that happened to be
passing by’?
I’m kinda curious about what happened in Megumin’s past.
[See: Explosions spinoff 2]
“T-That and this are different things! No, it really isn’t me this
time! Please don’t look at me like that… Anyway, Yunyun.”
Even as Lorielina was staring at her with a suspicious gaze,
Megumin pointed a finger at Yunyun.
“You’re currently suspected to be involved in the serial
explosions case. Please come with me to the police station.”
“Why!?”
Yunyun screamed after hearing Megumin spout such
incredulous words.

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59 | P a g e

“There’s of course a reason for it. First off, please state what
kind of relation the two of us have.”
Yunyun suddenly blushed and started glancing between
Megumin and the floor.
“F-Friendsー”
“Yes, you are my rival! Isn’t that right!?”
“T-T-That’s right! Indeed, I am your rival! What about it!?”
Yunyun shouted at Megumin through teary eyes after she
interrupted her.
“So you admit it! As I said, Yunyun is my rival. In other words,
she has the motivation to try and cause harm to her rival!”
“Eh!?”
Megumin ignored the shocked look Yunyun is giving her and
continued.
“Additionally, you are second only to me in the Crimson Demon
Village! Because she wishes to surpass the genius spellcaster
who is capable of using Explosion, it wouldn’t be strange for her
to pick up a few spells from the explosive series!”
“What kind of reasoning is that!? That doesn’t make sense at
all!”
Megumin coolly regarded Yunyun as she wailed.
“Then let me ask you, were you with anyone when the
explosions happened?”

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“… I, I was alone…”
After hearing that, Megumin let out a smile as though she was
confident of her victory.
“I see, so you were alone. That means, there’s no one who can
vouch that you were within the town at the times when the
explosions happened, right?”
“… … Yes.”
Yunyun hesitantly replied.
“As you can see, she has the motive, the means, and no alibi.
Lorielina-san, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Then, please accompany me to the police station…”
“Wait! It really isn’t me! I’m innoceeeent!!”

“ーAnd here I thought for sure that it would be Yunyun. Maybe
we were wrong about the whole revenge thing….”
On the way back from the police station.
Megumin and I headed to the outskirts of the city.
“You know, she’s your friend, right? Even if you are rivals, I
really doubt that someone like her could pull off something so
devious.”

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“Do you really think so? Pretty much all the Crimson Demons I
know have been driven to tears after trying to compete with
me.”
“…Yeah, I still think it’s very likely that someone is trying to
take revenge on you.”
We exited the town and started searching for today’s Explosion
target.
Yes, the reason why we are heading out of town is because this
idiot here insists on performing her daily routine, even under
such circumstances.
“You know, I think it really would be best to lay off your
Explosions for the moment.”
“What are you saying? That would just be as if I lost to the true
culprit… No, perhaps this is the culprit’s goal all along! To stop
me from casting Explosion…! Then, could it be the work of the
construction crews who fill in my craters every time? But, no,
they thanked me for what I’m doing because that meant they
always had work to look forward to… Ah!? Could it be the work
of the Demon King’s army!? Perhaps they are afraid of my
power… “
After listening to the stupid things that Megumin is mumbling
to herself, I really can’t believe that this girl is supposed to have
high intelligence.
“Alright, this far is fine. It’s really cold out today, so just let it off
here and be done with it.”

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“There isn’t much snow piled up here. I think we should pick a
spot where more snow has accumulated. It’ll definitely look
amazing to leave my mark on a canvas of pure white snow.”
“… I see, so it’s similar to how I feel the urge to pee on it
whenever I see a pile of freshly fallen snow.”
“Of course not! Don’t compare the sublime instincts of the
Crimson Demons with your vulgar bodily functions!”
While fending off Megumin’s temper tantrums, we arrived at
the edge of a deep forest.
“If I fire an Explosion into the forests, the woodcutter’s guild
and the hunter’s guild will get angry. So let’s do it around here.”
“Why is your life so bitter? Do you have to make an enemy
every day? Can’t you find a more peaceful way to live your life?”
“I walk the path of destruction. I care not for that kind of life.
Right, here I go! Behold my power!”
Megumin started chanting her spell.
“Explosion!!!”
A giant fireball erupted at a clearing next to the forest.

ーAt the same time
I felt like I heard a faint boom coming from a different
direction.

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 5 ↲

The next day.

“Thus, we request for Megumin-san to stop casting Explosion
for the time being. You may not be the culprit we are looking
for, but please restrain yourself until we find the true culpritー”

“I refuse.”

Lorielina paid us yet another visit and is currently talking to
Megumin.
Perhaps it’s to be expected, but during the time we were out of
town yesterday, a large explosion was sighted near the forest.
From what we know now, the culprit will cast his own spell at
the same time Megumin unleashes hers.
I was with her yesterday, so I was able to vouch for her
innocence, but they still issued an order for her not to cast
Explosion anymore until the case is resolved.

“You might as well be asking me to die! Crimson Demons as a
race are constantly overflowing with magical energy. We’ll die if
we don’t regularly release our excess mana as spells. Indeed, if I
don’t cast my Explosion for several days, my mana would go out
of control and might even destroy this town.”
“Stop spouting such obvious lies! If that were true, the Crimson
Demons would’ve died out as children before they learnt
magic!”

Just as Megumin turned to me and was about to say something
after I interjected between her and Lorielinaー

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“Emergency Quest! Emergency Quest! All adventurers, please
report to the adventurer’s guild immediately!”
The sudden announcement that resonated through town cut
her offー

“Adventurers, thank you for coming! Here’s the situation; a
group of One-Strike Bears that have just woken up from
hibernation have wandered close to the town. There are over
ten of them, and the few crops available in the fields would not
be able to satisfy them. As such, they will most likely head
towards the town in search of food. Adventurers, please arm
yourselves and prepare to intercept them!”
After gathering our equipment and making our way to the
guild, we saw the desperate-seeming receptionist addressing
the crowd of adventurers.
One-Strike Bears are, as their dangerous sounding name
suggests, famed for the great strength of their forelimbs that
they use to deliver devastating blows. They are capable of taking
down even veteran adventurers if they get lucky.
Why would a group of them appear around these parts?
“A group of One-Strike Bears… How could this be!? There are
only newbie adventurers in this town! If we take them on,
there’ll definitely be casualties!”
Lorielina, who came along with us, turned completely pale.
The adventurers who heard that turned to her and said,

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“As you said, there’ll definitely be sacrifices amongst us.
However, fighting for the peace of this town is the duty of us
adventurers.”
“Yeah, that’s precisely why we became adventurers. We’ve long
since come to accept that we might lose our lives someday. Isn’t
that right, everyone!?”
“Yup! Young lady, just leave it to us. We’ll share a few drinks if
we come back alive!”
“They are just a few bears, what’s there to be scared of? I won’t
let a single one of them step foot in this town!”
Lorielina looked at the adventurers like they were a band of
legendary heroes.
And those same adventurers casted confident glances at the
person next to me.
Yes, they were looking at Megumin, even though she didn’t
have her staff with her.
“You guys sure are in high spirits. Guess there’s no need for me
to interfere today.”
“Eh!?” x10
Hearing those unexpected words from Megumin, who would
usually hasten to steal the spotlight, left all the adventurers
agape.
“No, no, Megumin, it’s precisely at such times that you should
play your hand. We might be able to handle it somehow, but

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there’ll definitely be some sacrifices without you. But if you
were to do your thing…”
“Y-Yes, that’s exactly it! We can handle it by ourselves, but
you’ll wipe them all out in an instant!”
“One-Strike Bears can’t even hold a candle to you! If anything,
the name of one strike mage would fit far better on you! Isn’t
that right!?”
“Megumin-san, this is your time to shine! Besides, I really want
to see your cool side!”
It seems like all the adventurers were counting on Megumin’s
Explosion to take them all out in a snap, which is why they were
acting so confident earlier.
“There’s so many adventurers here, and all of them seem so
motivated, so it doesn’t seem like I’ll be needed either. Hey,
Kazuma, I have the important job of keeping the fire back home
going, so I’m heading back first to tend to it. See you when you
get back.”
“Eh!?” x10
And Aqua, leaving those words before exiting the building, left
the adventurers agape yet again.
It seems like being abruptly woken up from her nap in front of
the fireplace has left her groggy and in a bad mood.
The adventurers who were counting on Aqua’s resurrection
magic if the worst happened started to turn pale.

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Then, Megumin spread her arms out like she’s directing a stage
play and addressed the adventurers gathered here.
“In the first place, I’m suspected to be the culprit behind the
serial explosions incident by Lorielina-san here, so I’ve been
forbidden from casting Explosion. I really want to unleash my
spell on a worthy target for once, but it really is a pity. Yes, what
a pity.”
“W-Wait, Megumin-san!?”
Lorielina let out a surprised squeak as Megumin pushed the
blame to her.
Of course, all the adventurers in this room started staring
daggers at Lorielina.
“E-Er… Megumin-san, this is an emergency situation, so we will
temporarily lift the restriction on casting Explosion…”
Withering in front of the gazes of so many people, Lorielina
uncertainly said those words.
Upon hearing that, Megumin exaggeratedly shrugged her
shoulders.
“Only temporarily? That’s to say, after putting my life on the
line to repel the One-Strike Bears, I’ll be prevented from casting
Explosion again? Just hearing that makes my motivation go…”
“Aaaaah, okay, fine, I get it! The ban on Explosion is rescinded,
so please help defeat the One-Strike Bears!”

↲

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Chapter 2: Part 6 ↲

On the snowy plains, a group of bears let out a guarded roar.
And the person facing off against them is the self-proclaimed
strongest spellcaster.
The other adventurers, me included, took up position behind
Megumin to observe and fend off any stragglers in the unlikely
event that any survived her spell.
As we looked on, Megumin started to chant.
After hearing her chant so many times in the past, I quickly
noticed that this chant appeared far slower than usual.
It’s almost like she’s putting on a show for her new audience.
As she concluded her chant, Megumin proudly raised her staff.
“Behold my power! Explosion!”
A ball of light streaked towards the group of One-Strike Bears
and exploded amongst them.
When the dust cleared, all that remained was a large crater
blasted into the earth.
The adventurers let out a cheer as Megumin collapsed from
mana exhaustion.
“A-Amazing… So this is Explosion magic…”
Lorielina, the only person present who has not yet become used
to this sight, said in an impressed tone.

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She came along with us to lend a hand if needed, but she was
completely blown away by the power of the spell Megumin
unleashed.
Seeing her awestruck reaction, Megumin, as I piggybacked her
off the ground, asked with shining eyes.
“This is my Explosion spell… so, what do you think? Were the
other explosions from the serial explosions case this
impressive?”
Saying that, she let out a tired laugh.
Lorielina closed her eyes and slowly shook her head.
“… No, there’s never been such a large crater left at any of the
previous incidents… Megumin-san.”
She looked back to Megumin once more.
“I’m really sorry for suspecting you in this incident. Once again,
I apologize.”
Saying that, she fell into a deep bow.
It seems like this has completely wiped away any lingering
suspicions she has regarding Megumin.
“Haha, as long as you understand. I’m happy enough to be
cleared of suspicion. Plus, I’m in a good mood after taking care
of all those bears, so I’ll forgive you.”
Hearing Megumin’s words, Lorielina let out a smile.

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“I-I’m, err, I’m sorry for suspecting you too! Yeah, even
Megumin wouldn’t constantly do nothing but seek trouble. I’ll
bring some nice snacks to your house next time as an apology,
so…”
“Haha, it’s a small matter. There’s no need to go that far.
Yunyun, you should really learn a little from Kazuma and trust
me a little more. And, Kazuma…”
Megumin sounded somewhat shy as she turned back to me.
“Thank you for believing in me all this time.”
She said with a wide smileー

“ーWhat happened here!? Hey, Kazuma, just what happened
while I was out!?”
Darkness, at the head of a small group of soldiers, emerged
from the mountains and shouted to me upon seeing the crater.
Those people must be the guards employed by the Dustiness
family.
“Hey, Darkness, where did you go? They put up an emergency
quest after a bunch of One-Strike Bears woke up early from
hibernation. If it weren’t for Megumin, this would’ve turned
into a disaster.”
“I-Is that so!? Hmm, they must have been woken up by the
serial explosions. There was one in the forest yesterday too, so
they must have woken up around that time.”

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Come to think of it, the serial explosions case that we’ve been
chasing all this time hasn’t been resolved yet.
“So this is the work of that explosion maniac too? I’ll definitely
resolve this incident tomorrow! You’ll all get to see first-hand
the high intelligence of the Crimson Demons tomorrow!”
Seeing Megumin, who suddenly got to her feet even though I
was carrying her just moments ago, Darkness gave her a wry
smile.
“Ah, that’s… About that case, Megumin, the culprit has already
been found.”
At those words, one of the armoured men besides Darkness
produced a small mushroom from his bag and presented it to
us.
It was a sooty black mushroom covered in thorns. Just seeing it
gave me the feeling that I was in the presence of something
dangerous.
“This is called a mine mushroom. Under certain circumstances,
they will explode violently. These are fairly common around the
mountain paths and summit. We’ll have to send a few people to
gather and properly dispose of them. Also, it seems like there
are quite a few growing in the forests too. We’ll take care of
those as well.”
After hearing that, we let out a deep sigh.
“So all that ruckus was caused by a mushroom? Why did we
even go through all that hassle in the first place?”

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“Really, I ended up getting suspected by a lot of people thanks
to these shrooms. I’ll use my Explosion to take care of them all
at once. Darkness, I’ll leave the gathering of them to you, but
allow me to get rid of them once they’re gathered.”
Hearing my and Megumin’s words, Darkness averted her gaze.
“That’s, umm… I really don’t recommend that Megumin be
involved in getting rid of them. We’ll properly take care of that,
so…”
Seeing Darkness’s reaction gave me a bad feeling.
“… Hey, you said that these mushrooms will explode under
certain circumstances, right? … So, what are those
circumstances?”
After a short period of silence, Darkness said.
“They’ll explode in the presence of strong magic.”
Hearing that, Megumin quickly averted her gaze.
………
“… Wait, so, that means, if someone were to cast Explosion next
to a forest where a bunch of these mushrooms are growing…”
“They will explode.”
“… And if someone casts Explosion near the mountains…”
“Of course, they’ll explode.”
Hey.

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“… N-No, wait, that’s not…”
Megumin broke out into cold sweat and stuttered.
Just what exactly is she trying to say, I wonder.
Lorielina produced a set of handcuffs, and Megumin loudly
shouted.
“Oh, okay, fine, when you think of Explosion, you think of me!
When you think of me, you think of explosions! Fine, feel free to
blame it on me if something similar happens in the future! But,
if I may say something, if you are going to accuse someone, you
should first gather evidenceー”
“What good does it do to say such things now!? I was a fool to
believe you in the first place!”

↲

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A Crusader to Protect
Chapter 3: Part 1 ↲

TL: Cannongerbil
Editing: Striker
[Note: This story takes place sometime around season 2, around volume 3-4 ish, so the
status quo is a bit different from the more recent volumes.]

“Kazuma, a quest! Let’s go on a quest!”
The afternoon on a certain day.
As I was busy working on my side job in front of the fireplace,
Darkness suddenly said that to me.
“Where did this come from? I don’t want to. It’s cold out. Plus,
only the strong monsters are active in winter, right? Wait ‘till
it’s warmer out before talking about such stuff.”
As I stopped working on my leather bags to reply, a voice
agreeing with me popped up from the other side.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s best to keep yourself inside the house during
this season. Do you want to play after I’m done with this
match? Megumin keeps bringing out all kinds of weird rules, so
I can’t manage to beat her.”
“Those aren’t weird rules. The teleport that allows your
archmage to escape from the board and explosion that allows
you to flip over the board once per day are all official rules.”
I looked over to the two of them casually playing a board game.
“You two too, can’t you lend me a hand? Why am I the only one
working to clear our debts?”

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“Megumin and I are saving our energy to be used when it’s
needed. We are the trump cards of this town, so even though it
might look like we are just playing around, this is actually a
really important job. Anyway, this is a crucial moment, so don’t
distract meー”
“Indeed. We are actually hard at work. Now, I’ll launch a
magical attack with my Archmage. Your archpriest dies.”
“Waaah! I’m in a pinch because you distracted me! I’ve next
week’s cleaning duties riding on this game!”
Giving up on the two who have no intentions of helping out at
all, I returned to my workー
“Now is not the time to be caring about such peanuts! Here,
look at this!”
“Ah, what are you doing!? Nevermind not helping, now you’re
getting in the way… Hmm?”
I focused on the piece of paper that Darkness thrust into my
face.
“Mysterious high bounty monster ‘The mighty messenger!’
There’s a large forest towards the south of Axel, next to that
huge lake… Deep within that forest is an abandoned shrine, and
that’s where this monster is said to be residing.”
On the piece of paper is a cutely drawn chibified humanoid
monster with an octopus like face and tentacles for arms.
“… You’re just attracted to this guy’s tentacles, aren’t you?”

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“How rude! Don’t insult the knightly spirit of a Crusader. This
might be a high bounty monster, but almost all details about it
are shrouded in mystery. The only thing we know for certain
about it is its name. According to one rumour, it could even be a
greater earth spirit that took a solid form due to someone’s
conceptions. That’s why the adventurer’s guild made a request
for me to investigate this monster.”
Investigate?
“Why would they ask you of all people to investigate? Are the
guild staff blind? If they wanted to send someone to observe
this monster, there are tons of people better suited for it. Like
someone with the Thief class that can erase their presence, or
an Archer with Farsight.”
In response to my question, Darkness folded her arms and
pressed them tightly against her chest.
“The target is a monster that has a high price placed on its head.
Without knowing what kinds of abilities it has, it’d be too risky
to send a fragile Thief or an Archer against it. That’s why they
decided to send me with the strongest defence in this town
against it first to see what it can do.”
“… I see. True, considering how tough your skin is, you’ll be
able to survive any attacks the monster sends at you, at least for
a while.”
“I don’t like it when you put it that way, but that’s the gist of it.
Since we don’t know what kinds of special abilities it possesses,
it would be best to send me against it first to find out what it
can do.”
… I see.

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“Seems like you’ve put some serious thought into it. In this
case, I don’t mind accompanying you. I was wrong to think that
you just wanted to be fondled by a monster with tentacles. Well,
if it’s just an investigation, I’ll be able to handle it from afar
with my Farsight and Lurk skills. If we can fulfill the request
that wayー”
“What kind of stupid things are you saying!? That would defeat
the purpose of accepting this quest!”
……
“You really are just attracted to this guy’s tentacles, aren’t you?”
“… No…”

↲

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Chapter 3: Part 2 ↲

After heading south from Axel, we ran into a small mountain.
At the base of it lies a small muddy lake, and further beyond it
is a deep and dark forest.
“Hey, I can detect an evil presence coming from this place. My
intuition is telling me to go home and have a drink instead.”
“You just want to go home because it’s cold. Anyway, didn’t you
say you and Megumin were saving your energy to be used when
it’s needed? This is exactly the kind of situation where your
abilities are needed, so hurry up and get to it.”
Dragging a protesting Aqua along, we headed deeper into the
forest.
“So that high bounty monster is hiding in this forest? This is
what I’ve been looking for! Rather than hunting weaker
monsters down one by one, taking out a powerful one for a
large bounty is way more fitting for an adventurer!”
In complete contrast to Aqua, Megumin was in extremely high
spirits.
“The purpose of this quest is just to investigate the monster,
there’s no need to pick a fight if we don’t have to. But, well, on
the off chance that I get entangled by that tentacled monster,
you guys should run without looking back. There’s really no
need to save me, you hear?”
“Even if you cry for help later, I’ll really just leave you be.”

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Ignoring the incorrigible pervert, we headed over to where the
monster was last sighted.
My Enemy Detection skill hasn’t reacted yet.
“Hey, wouldn’t it be best to head home? The monsters active
during winter are all really strong, you know? We’d be in really
big trouble if we run into something other than that high
bounty monster.”
Aqua, bringing up the rear of the party, said that while
nervously looking around.
“That’s precisely why Megumin’s here. Freeloader number two
who only spends her days meaninglessly launching explosions,
breaking stuff, and playing board games is finally being useful.
As freeloader number one, aren’t you afraid of being shown
up?”
“Hey, is that freeloader number two referring to me? If you are,
I’ll take you on right now!”
“Hey, number one isn’t me, right? It isn’t me, right?”
Ignoring the two of them who were making a fuss, I once again
activated my Enemy Detection skill to scout out the area.
I’d really wish they’d stop making so much noise when we are
trying to remain undetected.
Forget the bounty, if some other monsters happen to notice
us…

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ーJust then, I noticed something.
Despite us making so much noise, I couldn’t sense anything
else.
And despite this being such a large forest, I couldn’t hear any
birds chirping.
Nevermind the birds, not even the insects were making any
noise.
I reflexively stopped and started scrutinizing my surroundings.
Megumin and Darkness followed my lead and came to a halt
beside me.
“Just you wait, you shitty NEET! I’m going to do a really good
job today and make you apologize for calling me a freeloader!
Now, don’t just stand there, let’s go!”
Of course, there’s that same, one person who could never read
the atmosphere. I turned towards her and raised my finger to
my lips.
“… Something’s off. Nevermind monsters, I can’t detect the
presence of any birds or insects at all. I’m getting a really bad
feeling about this, so… Hey, I’m not trying to make a promise!”
Just as I told Aqua off for grabbing my outstretched finger in
her pinky, almost as if it was waiting for this moment;
“Ka-Kazuma, Kazuma, there’s something over there! In the
shadow of that tree, something squishy is moving!”

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Megumin shouted with a shaky voice and pointed towards
where something I can’t identify was.
The moment I laid eyes on it, all the hairs on my body stood up
on end and my entire body trembled with fear.
I couldn’t get a clear look at it because every time I tried, a wave
of fear and nausea struck me. From what I can tell, it was a
tentacled monster that bore almost no resemblance to the cute
creature drawn in the poster.
That mysterious high bounty monster emerged from the eerie
shade, and let out a roar that caused the very air to rumbleー

“Run away!!”
“Waaaaah! Kazuma-san! Kazuma-san! Don’t leave me behind,
Kazuma-san!”
“Idiot! Hurry up and run! Megumin, stop crying while chanting
and hurry up and run! That’s definitely something you don’t
want to fight!”
As we fell into complete panic, while crying and hastily
preparing to cast spells, all four of us slowly started to run.
“K-K-Kazuma! T-That’s no good! Only that is physically
unacceptable! Those tentacles are bad tentacles! That’s
something that shouldn’t ever exist in this world!”
“You idiot, why are you talking about tentacles at a time like
this!? You just have to look at it to tell that it’s dangerous! Just
what is that thing!?”

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I led the way, having taken off first. Behind me are Aqua,
Megumin, and Darkness.
“It-it-it should be a greater earth spirit referred to as ‘The
Mighty Messenger’ and ‘Crawling Chaos’, but…!!”
The mighty messenger… Crawling…
Crawling Chaos!?
“Hey, isn’t that one of those really dangerous ones!?”
That’s a name that would be familiar to anyone who has an
interest in games or fantasy.
It’s definitely not something that should be this close to the
town of beginners.
Darkness said it was a greater earth spirit.
In this world, spirits create their appearances from the thoughts
and conceptions of the first person they meet.
Crawling Chaos.
That’s one of the creatures that appear in the Cthulhu mythos,
said to be an evil god that is associated with the earth.
For something like that to exist in this world, someone must
have gone “If you think of winter, you think of the Winter
Shogun, and if you think of earth spirits, you think of…–!!”
“So this is the work of someone from home!!!”

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“Kazuma, what’s wrong? Now is not the time to cry!”
I’m sorry! On behalf of all the Japanese, I apologize!
Still, now that I know that isn’t the real thing, I feel a little safer
in turning around to look at it.
And what I saw when I did wasー
“That guy is definitely after us!”
I can’t see where it’s eyes are, but I get the feeling that it’s
staring straight at us.
It raised one of its tentacles in our direction and fired
somethingー
Just then,

“Explosion!!!”

At the same moment that Darkness leapt into the way to protect
us with her body, Megumin unleashed her spell.
Picking up Megumin who collapsed to the ground after
expending all her mana, we ran flat out without looking backー!

↲

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Chapter 3: Part 3 ↲

After running all the way back to town, I laid the mana
exhausted Megumin down on the sofa.
“Seriously, I’m never taking another quest in the winter! That
thing is seriously disgusting! I’ll definitely have nightmares
about it tonight!”
A shiver went through my spine the moment I thought about
what we just ran away from.
No, wait a minute.
If I know I would have nightmares today, I might as well visit
that store and ensure a good dream tonight…
Just as I was nodding along to this brilliant idea I had, Aqua
said.
“Where’s Darkness? Where did she go after leading us into this?
I won’t feel right if I don’t lecture her for at least an hour for
dragging us into such a scary situation.”
“She went to make a report to the guild after changing in her
room. We did gleam quite a bit of information about it, so we
shouldn’t have any problems claiming the reward. Let’s splurge
a little and get something delicious tonight.”
“That sounds good. Let’s eat some delicious food and some high
grade wine together and forget all about that thing.”
Megumin said with a smile while still slumped over the sofa.

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“Ah, I don’t need any wine today. And I’ll be sleeping outside
tonight.”
“Why!?”
Before I could respond, Darkness returned bearing a large
pouch in her hand.
“I’m back. Thanks for your hard work. From what the guild told
me, it seems like that forest is going to be sealed off for the time
being. That really isn’t something we should be fighting.
Anyway, here’s the rewards from this quest… Sigh. It feels really
heavy…”
Perhaps because she’s tired from today’s battle, Darkness, who
had already taken off her armour, tiredly let the pouch of
money slam on the table.
“Hey, Darkness, just what is with that thing? To be honest, I
was really scared! It’s a good thing that goddesses don’t need to
go to the toilet! If I was a normal person, I would’ve peed my
pants!”
“E-Even if you say that, this is an important task… Aah! W-
Wait, Aqua, are you really that angry!? P-Please go a little easier
on me…!”
Aqua, grabbing Darkness by her hands, managed to pin her
down on top of the table somehow.
“… What’s wrong, Darkness? I’m not really using much of my
strength… Oh, I see. You’re acting all weak and tired to try and
quell my anger. Let’s see how long you are going to keep up
your act for!”

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“W-Wait, Aqua, what are you saying!? Wai-stop! Aaaah!”
I was about to ignore the two of them as they wrestled on top of
the table, but something felt off to me.
“… Hey, Darkness, just what is wrong with you today? Seeing
you who is normally so bullish acting so weak is kind of
enjoyable.”
“Kuh…! Just what is going on!? Hey, Aqua, you didn’t cast any
strength boosting spells on yourself, did you!? T-To think that I
would lose to Aqua in a contest of strength…!”
… Yeah, something is definitely wrong.
Considering Darkness’s serious personality, it isn’t like her to
put on an act like this.
I approached the two of them and swapped places with Aqua.
“!? S-Stop, Kazuma, just what are you planning to do!? And you
too are…! Just when did the two of you become so strong!?”
There’s no mistaking it.
“Hey, she’s become really weak.”
“!?” x3

ーWe let the weakened Darkness sit on the sofa, and the three
of us crowded around her.

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Darkness, who is usually pretty sharp, now seems as meek as a
cat.
“Darkness, Darkness, please arm wrestle with me!”
Megumin, who received a bit of mana from me, cheerfully
challenged Darkness to a match.
“Uu… N-No, I think I’ll refrain today…”
“What? You of all people!? A Crusader of all classes!? Don’t tell
me you are afraid to pit your strength against a spellcaster!? I’m
disappointed! So disappointed! Please bring back the usual
reliable and cool Darkness!”
“Kuh…! V-Very well, let’s have a match!”
“That’s the Darkness I know! As expected of our party’s
Crusader!”
There’s no way Megumin would’ve let such a great opportunity
slip her by.
“Blam!”
“Aah!?”
And Megumin slammed Darkness’s hand on the table without
any hesitation or mercy.
“What’s wrong? Darkness, even if you are up against a
spellcaster, there’s no need to hold back this much, you know?”
Megumin said with a wide grin on her face, placing both hands
on Darkness’s shoulder as she lay on top of the table.

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“Still, where did this come from? Did Eris-sama punish you by
reducing your levels because you did something bad? Ah, you
must be the one who ate the cream puffs I had hidden away!
That’s why Eris-sama punished you!”
“Who would do such a thing!? I have done nothing to be
ashamed of! This has to be a curse of some sort!”
“Yes, it’s just as Darkness said. This is a curse. Plus the one who
ate the cream puffs stored at the back of the cupboard was me.
There’s no way Darkness who helps out every day with the
physically demanding tasks would suffer from divine
punishment.”
Aqua placed a finger on her cheek and stared intently at
Darkness…
“Hey, you were the one who ate my cream puffs?”
“So this is a curse? That means the thing we were fighting
earlier must have placed it on her…”
Aqua nodded in response to Megumin’s words.
“Indeed. This is a slow acting curse that reduces the strength of
the target.”
“Hey, don’t try and brush over it. Go buy some cream puffs
right now. Those were the expensive ones that the massively
popular store sold.”
“Sacred Break Spell!”
Ignoring me completely, Aqua casted a spell on Darkness.

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And then she put on a reassuring smile and said.
“It’s fine now. The thing’s curse is pretty powerful, and it’s a
slow acting curse, so the effects will take a while to go away, but
it shouldn’t take longer than two or three days.”
“Hey. I said hey. Look at me. Don’t ignore me.”
Darkness let out a sigh of relief before standing up.
“Is that so… That’s good. I was worried for a moment there, but
if it’s just that, it shouldn’t affect my daily life too much.
Anyway, I’ll go finish taking out the trash. It’s my duty, after
all.”
Saying that, she moved to pick up the trash bags placed near
the entrance…
“… Kuh…This thing…! Pant…pant… U-Um, sorry, but… Can
someone lend me a hand…?”
She said with a really apologetic expression after failing to lift
those bags.

↲

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Chapter 3: Part 4 ↲

The next morning.
“… Hey, Kazuma, I’m feeling kind of weird today.”
“You are always weird, but I’ll bite. What exactly feels weird?”
Though I can pretty much guess at what Aqua is going to say.
“You see, ever since last night, I’ve been feeling a really strong
urge to…”
As she said that, Darkness was struggling to open the lid on the
jam jar.
“Kuh…! The lid is screwed on too tightly… A-Aqua, I’m sorry,
but…”
“You want my help opening it? No problem. Here, it’s open.”
“Thank you.”
After opening the jar, Aqua came back and whispered
“ーI’ve had a really strong urge to protect Darkness.”
… Well, it’s certainly understandable.
Darkness seems to have grown even weaker than yesterday, to
the point where she has to rely on us for her basic day to day
activities. Seeing her acting this fragile makes me feel…
“Um, sorry, Kazuma. I want to put on some tea, but the teapot
is too heavy…”

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