"Well, I'll leave you to it, Mr. Satou. Good night, and remember; enjoy yourselllllllf!"

The door closed and clicked with a lock.

Kazuma Satou turned.

Sleeping on the floor, nestled in a bundle of ragabond blankets, was a princess dressed in a frilly pink nightgown, with her strands of brown hair gently parting down her baby soft cheeks. Under the covers, her chest rose and fell with each gentle breath. In the corner of the room was her neatly folded wardrobe, a red-black cloak stitched with gold bordering and witches' hex eyes.

Megumin.

Kazuma ran his fingers through his damp brown hair. Now is no time to be enchanted by lewd dreams, he thought.

He paused.

Is it even appropriate to join a bed with Megumin? Kazuma quickly relayed the possibilities of being outcasted as a creep by his own party members, even ignoring his devious history as a panty stealer or a breaker of hearts. Imagine all the stories they'd say back home in Axel; Kazuma the Wicked who Tried to Take Advantage of a Girl while She Slept. Being put on the blacklist of all his favorite succubi parlors across the land, never getting the chance to link up with those sex shop reviewers in the town over. Imagine being labeled a pervert for just wanting to stay warm during a cold night! What was one to do, sit in a ball and freeze like a popsicle?

Megumin turned in her sleep, flipping away from him.

Eris, what to do, what to do?

An icy breeze gusted through the holes in the wall of the room, sending a chill up and down his spine. Kazuma shifted on his barefoot feet, rubbing his arms.

I suppose...well, if it's to fight off hypothermia...I can't be hated for trying to survive!

Slowly, Kazuma peeled open the blanket cover and slid himself into frame. He stared up at the ceiling, which offered a view up into the star-studded night sky above. In the distance, Kazuma could hear the serene hooting of a forest owl, echoing across the trees.

…Crap, now I'm in bed with her! This was the plan all along, wasn't it? This is what her mother wants, sitting at the door peeking through a hole waiting for me to make a move on her beautiful daughter! Kind of weird when you think about it, but nevertheless, what if they pull the rug out from me and say they never agreed to any of this! Suddenly I'm the monster! Put before a kangaroo court and sentenced for crimes framed on him! Oh, cruel injustice of gender, how you betray me so!

Megumin turned over again, now facing Kazuma.

He glanced over.

...It's impossible to deny that Megumin is one of a kind. Her dedication to explosion magic, even if it pales compared to other types of wizardry, is unrivaled and something to be respected. Megumin was one of the best mages in the Crimson Demon clan, at least to me. And of course, she was beautiful, in every sense of the word. The way her flowing red-black outfit complimented the sapphires of her eyes, the way she giggled at Chomusuke chasing after butterflies in the fields we practice in, the emphasis she always put into herself when casting her spells. No matter the challenge, Megumin was always ready for the fight.

Kazuma leaned forward.

How have I been so cowardice this whole time? To not realize that Megumin is the girl of my dreams, that fate sent me across the fabrics of time and launched me into an entirely foreign dimension to meet the girl I love? I've never felt this way for anyone in my whole life. No matter what, Megumin was always by his side with a smile on her face. Megumin is so appreciative and kind and understanding and wholesome and...and...

Megumin's eyes slowly opened. Their lips were only inches apart.

Kazuma froze dead in his tracks. His face turned a beet red.

"Ahah...uhh…" He stumbled.

"...good morning, Kazuma.", she said, meekly.

Kazuma slowly reeled back, trying to hide the obvious. "How did you sleep?"

Megumin propped herself up in bed, rubbing one of her eyes. "Just fine. How long was I out?"

"Mm, it's been about six hours. Everyone else is asleep; I think we're the only two up."

Megumin nodded, accepting his words. She paused. "And why are we in the same bed together?"

"Ehhh, uhhh…" Kazuma stammered. "It was...kind of your mother's idea."

Megumin rolled her eyes and muttered. "Sounds very much like my mother. She hears the first glimmer of wealth and immediately pounces for the kill. That's how her and my father met."

Kazuma didn't press on that statement.

"Unless of course…"

Kazuma glanced up.

"You're making this all up, aren't you?!"

"Ehhhh?!"

Megumin shot up like a rocket and pointed an insulting finger at Kazuma. "Trying to get in bed and in my panties, aren't you, Kazuma the Wicked!"
"Are you being serious now, Megumin-san?! What do you take me for, some kind of deviant monster?! As if I could ever make a move when were staying in the house of your family in the village of your peers! Honestly, hate me for my interests, but a predator scumbag I am not!"

Megumin paused, then lowered her eyes, defeated.

"Y...you're right, Kazuma. I am sorry."

Megumin sat back down, but Kazuma wasn't quite finished.

"In all honesty, it's not just you! After all I do for this party, the least I could ask for is a touch of respect! I house everyone in a lush mansion, cater to their beck and call, and this is the thanks I get?!"

"You...mmm…" Megumin muttered, dejected.

Kazuma stammered; he didn't mean to make her feel that bad.

"N-now, I didn't mean-"

Megumin pressed her index fingers to Kazuma's lips, silencing him. "You're right, Kazuma. I...I have never expressed my gratitude to you before. Perhaps...now I should."

Gently, Megumin picked up Kazuma's hands and pressed them to her forehead, which was lowered. She sucked in a lungful of air. Then...

"Y-you...you remember how I looked when I first came to you in the dining hall, my clothes in tatters and my voice hoarse. Going on a brilliant tangent about being the greatest explosion mage in all the land, before collapsing in a pile of my own chuunibyo."

"But I truly was at the end of my rope, Kazuma. I had been rejected by so many parties before you. Who would want a crazed loli who's party trick is one measly explosion a day? And there were those who took advantage of me, using my magic and leaving me to die. Propping me up just to leave me to fall to the Earth, not to return."

Her voice began to quiver. Kazuma only stared, hanging on every word.

"I hadn't eaten in almost six days until I met you, Kazuma. I was trying my hardest to find just one party that could let me in, even for a day, so I could have the strength to keep going, even if they would reject me the next. If I never found you, I...I…"

Tears began to drip down her face, sparkling in the pale moonlight shining through the scratched window.

"I'm sorry, K-K-Kazuma...you...you're too…" Megumin broke down into a waterfall of tears.

Kazuma's next move wasn't even a conscious one. He pulled Megumin into a tight hug, a hand starting to brush her hair, in an effort to soothe her. For a minute, Kazuma let her cry into his jacket, only trying to make soothing sounds and stroke her hair.

"I want you to listen to me."

Megumin nodded, glancing up. Her eyes were puffy red.

"I can't change your past, as much as I wish I could. I am genuinely sorry for any and all mistreatment and abuse you suffered at the hands of the parties before mine, and I wish with all of my being that I had met you sooner."

Megumin was silent.

"You're one of the sweetest, most kind and expressive people I have ever met in my life; both of my lives, here in Axel and back in Japan. I can't imagine what my party would be like if you hadn't made those first steps towards me so long ago, and I am forever thankful to have you apart of not just our party, but my life."

"And I promise you, to the end of time, that I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe and secure and happy, the same way I would do with Aqua and Darkness and YunYun and Wiz and everyone else."

He pulled away the hug.

"Or, as you would put it…"

In a snap, Kazuma thrust himself upward, striking a dramatic pose. One hand extended out to the sky, while the other was balled in a fist on his heart.

"For as long as my name is Satou Kazuma, the worst adventurer in all of Axel, I vow to protect every member of my revered party to the brink of death!" His voice rose, with a chuunibyo flair. "Though my luck is high and my stats are low, I vow to spend every day ensuring the health and wellbeing for the adventurers I am proud to call my family, as we train harder and harder each day before our battle against the feared Devil King!"

"When we overcome our greatest threat in a fiery show of explosions and magic, I vow to ensure our party's name is echoed across the greatest of lands, and that we spend the rest of our lives in luxury and comfort!"

He paused, and gulped.

"And I wouldn't want to spend mine with anyone but you."

Megumin's eyes were wide and glossy. A ruby red blush glowed on her cheeks. Suddenly, the loli broke out into joyous laughter, hiding her wide grin behind her hand. Kazuma plopped himself back down and sighed, a smile across his face. "Was that too much? People may try, but no speech can compare to the greatest explosion wizard of the Crimson Demo-"

Megumin tackled Kazuma, pinning him to the floor. Kazuma only had a moment to process it and almost squeaked out a rebuttal.

That is, until their lips met.

It was an explosion of the heart, and the most dizzying experience of his life. Even the many kisses that would happen after didn't compare to this one. Kazuma's heartbeat picked up sonic speed, as he embraced Megumin. The heat of their cheeks glowed, which to Kazuma felt like a world class sauna. Kazuma pulled his arms around Megumin and brought her in closer, their chests grinding each other. He could almost feel the pounding of her heart with his.

It seemed like the kiss would never break, until it did.

"I love you, Kazuma."

"I love you too, Megumin. With all of my heart."

…

In the opposite room with a shared wall, Aqua's ear was pressed to a glass cup to the wall. She pushed her wavy blue hair behind her ear and adjusted herself, trying to hear inside better. Sitting upright on their bed, Darkness poured hot tea into a cup.

"Well? Did he do it? Did he kiss her yet?"

Aqua shifted the glass around. "I can't tell, it doesn't sound like it yet."

Darkness folded her arms. "Honestly, he really is unbelievable. He has all the right cards in his deck and he still can't make a move. Isn't it obvious those two were made for each other?"

"Right?"