Episode 33: It’s Okay to Dream a Little, Isn’t It?
Clackety-clack, the train swayed for several tens of minutes before Kazuma reached his destination station.
He got off the train, passed through the ticket gate, and headed home.
“Well then, I’ll be off,” Momoko said.
“Eh? Momoko-chan. Aren’t you coming home with us?”
At the fork in the road, Momoko tried to head in the opposite direction, so Kazuma called out to stop her.
Kazuma had fully expected them to have dinner together.
However, Momoko had work, so she had to return home.
Therefore, she intended to part ways with Kazuma and the others here.
“I have work, so…”
“Urgent work?”
“Thanks to a certain someone, I’m swamped.”
Kazuma, who had far too many culprits in mind, averted his gaze from Momoko’s reproachful stare.
But, unable to bear it, Kazuma apologized sheepishly.
“Sorry.”
“If you’re going to apologize, please don’t do it in the first place.”
“Sorry. That’s impossible for me, even in the future.”
Realizing that similar things would happen again, Momoko almost rolled her eyes, but it was too late for that anyway.
Kazuma always acted erratically and went on a rampage.
Sometimes it was because he thought he was doing good, and other times for the terribly annoying reason that it seemed interesting.
No matter how much she warned him, no matter how many times she scolded him, he never changed.
She probably should give up soon, but that would feel like admitting defeat, so Momoko intended to continue scolding and warning Kazuma.
“…Let me make it clear, I haven’t forgiven you, you know.”
“Aye!”
“Why are you so obedient in your reply, yet you don’t listen to what I say…”
“That’s just my nature. I want to do what I feel like doing.”
“Everyone feels the same way! But everyone else endures it!”
“Enduring things is bad for both your body and mind!”
“I know that! But things don’t always go your way! That’s life!”
“But we have a prime example of selfishness right here!”
Saying that, Kazuma pointed to Sakura Hakanai, who was standing next to him, seemingly enjoying their conversation.
Just as Kazuma said, she was also someone who had lived selfishly and was a woman who seemed to be currently reveling in her freedom.
“…Come to think of it, that’s true. Why am I always stuck with all these problem children?”
“Isn’t it obvious?!”
“It’s because you can read minds, right~? You’re the only one who can see what we’re thinking, report it to the government, and deal with us.”
“Reading one of you is pointless, and your thoughts and actions often contradict each other, so frankly, you’re my natural enemies.”
“(That’s not true! See, I’m a very honest Kazuma-kun!)”
“(How pitiful… She must not have done anything decent in her previous life.)”
Both of them were beaming with wide smiles.
Having read their minds, Momoko’s shoulders trembled with anger, and she clenched her fists tightly.
“Could you please clench your teeth?”
“Calm down, Momoko-chan. Violence is not good.”
“That’s right. We have words, so let’s resolve this through discussion.”
“I learned from you that violence is a second language.”
“…Did I say something like that?”
“You did.”
At this sudden betrayal, Kazuma whipped his head around to look at Sakura Hakanai.
There stood a Vixen, looking forward to the tragedy about to unfold.
“You wench, you betrayed me!”
“I was never on anyone’s side from the beginning.”
“Take this!”
Momoko, having deployed the arm sections of her Powered Suit, mercilessly punched Kazuma.
Since he was the cause of the incident, Kazuma deliberately let himself be hit, partly as a sign of remorse.
“Guhaah!”
“As usual, you take the first hit, don’t you?”
“Well, it’s probably also a form of self-admonishment. He does show remorse, at least superficially.”
“That’s right~. Superficially.”
“Yes. Only superficially.”
“That’s hurtful. There are times when I genuinely reflect on my actions.”
“”Liar.””
“So mean…!”
His credibility was nonexistent, but Kazuma did reflect when he truly needed to.
However, that was only when he made a truly grave mistake.
As for this particular incident, while it inconvenienced a great number of people, it wasn’t that serious a problem.
Unless it was something like hiding his powers and letting his friends and acquaintances fall into danger, like before, Kazuma probably wouldn’t feel remorse.
“This has dragged on quite a bit, but I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Alrighty. Take care.”
“Let’s meet again~”
As Momoko briskly walked away, Kazuma waved broadly, while Sakura Hakanai gave a small, fluttering wave.
Momoko glanced at the two over her shoulder, then, without turning back, gave a small wave and continued home.
After seeing Momoko off, Kazuma and Sakura Hakanai turned on their heels and headed back to Ivy.
“Still, I wonder how long it’s been since it was just the two of us like this.”
“Isn’t this the first time? We usually act as a group of three, including Momoko-chan.”
“That’s true. It’s almost always the three of us.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m nervous just because I’m alone with you.”
“Such a beautiful woman is walking next to you, and you don’t feel anything~?”
“I’ve said it before, your looks are totally my type, but your personality is crap, right? I’ve been treating you like a human lately, but if you seriously show hostility, I’m fully prepared to kill you, you know?”
“I thought I was surprisingly well-liked by you…”
“Idiot. I do like you. As long as you’re an ally.”
Kazuma was lenient with those he let into his inner circle, but that didn’t mean he completely let his guard down.
He treated Momoko completely as family and cherished her greatly, but Sakura Hakanai was a different matter.
She was originally designated as an enemy by Kazuma, so she wasn’t treated as family, but rather as a convenient ally.
Therefore, if she were to betray him in the truest sense, there was no doubt she would be erased from this world.
“I’m bound by Subjugation Magic, so I can’t betray you, can I?”
“Subjugation Magic can only bind a person’s actions. It can’t control their heart, so it’s possible to harbor hostility. It’s just that even if you feel hostile, you can’t cause harm. So, you could sic someone you’ve Brainwashed on me, instead of doing it yourself. Well, if you do that, I’ll make you regret being born.”
“Y-You say such terrifying things…”
Convinced that Kazuma’s words were no joke, Sakura Hakanai broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead.
Coming from Kazuma, a mage who could even use the inhumane magic of Subjugation Magic, he could, without exaggeration, make her regret being born.
Even Sakura Hakanai, who had experience being set on fire, wouldn’t want to face a serious Kazuma.
“I’ll keep that in mind~”
“At least for now, I won’t do anything like that, so don’t worry.”
“By the way, if I’m begging for my life, is it okay to try and seduce you?”
“You failed with that before, didn’t you?”
“Come to think of it, that’s right. I wanted to ask, you’re not impotent or anything, are you?”
“I’m perfectly active! Well, the reason I don’t get too excited even if you try to seduce me is because I’ve been through similar things in the other world.”
“Because you’re a Hero, were you seduced a lot?”
“That’s right. However, it was mainly assassination attempts via Honey Traps. The number of times I was stabbed in bed…”
“But you had some good times, right?”
“Stabbed when I was weakened by poisoned drinks or food.”
“Eh? So, you’re still inexperienced?”
This time, Sakura Hakanai trembled with a different kind of fear.
She had inadvertently asked if Kazuma was a virgin and regretted it, but it was already too late.
Fearing she might be killed by an enraged Kazuma, Sakura Hakanai nevertheless waited for his reply.
“I’m inexperienced.”
“You say that so boldly~. Honestly, I thought you might snap at me.”
“It would probably come out even if I hid it. Besides, you’re sharp about these things, aren’t you? So I figured it was better to tell you from the start.”
“Hmm… Hey, shall I teach you, step by step?”
“I want my first time to be with someone I like.”
“Uwaah… That’s the kind of thing that gets complicated. People like that tend to have illusions about women, so I think it’s better to get it over with quickly.”
“Shut up! It’s okay to dream a little, isn’t it!”
“Didn’t you say similar things in the other world too?”
“Don’t say it like you saw it happen! …That’s right, damn it!”
In the end, Kazuma was provoked by Sakura Hakanai and flew into a rage, walking back to Ivy in a bad mood with a bow-legged gait the entire way.