In the moonlight, the moment he saw that face——Kazuma's mind went completely blank. Short black hair. Pale aquamarine eyes. Small freckles at the corners of her mouth. Ruri Filtia——the Axis Church acolyte he'd helped during that commotion in Calsaad. "[surprised]……Huh?" That was all he could manage. She stared at Kazuma's face for one second, two seconds. Then her expression brightened. "[excited]It's Kazuma!" She was looking straight at him. Still holding her luggage, she took a step forward. Her eyes were serious. No hesitation, no games. Nothing held back. "[serious]I like you, Kazuma." Her voice cut cleanly through the night alley. Kazuma——froze. His mouth hung half-open, unmoving. His brain had given up processing. All strength drained from his body. The cobblestones beneath his feet seemed to recede into the distance. (……What? What did she just say? Seriously, what?) "Uh, ah, no——" "[angry]Hold on, hold on, hold on!!" The door to the Wiltstein Tavern burst open. A blue-haired goddess with long hair flew out, still holding an ale mug in one hand. Aqua——she looked like a perfect beauty on the surface, but inside she was the hopeless, alcohol-soaked goddess Kazuma knew all too well. "[angry]Kazuma's hitting on girls?! In the middle of the night?! That's the worst, the worst, the worst!!" "[sarcastic]No, no, no, I didn't approach her!" "I saw the whole thing! That girl confessed to you!" "So that's not my fault——" "Let's settle this with Explosion Magic." Crimson-red long hair swayed in the night breeze. Megumin Seifert had appeared at some point, standing with her arms crossed. Her small frame——one hundred forty-eight centimeters tall——was topped with glowing red eyes. An Explosion Magic user——a Crimson Demon girl whose magic could blow away a wide area with a single shot, but left her unable to move afterward. "[sarcastic]That won't solve anything!!" "I shall offer myself as a shield." Darkness, clad in armor, spread both hands with what looked like joy on her face. Golden long hair, refined features, and eyes that gazed into the distance——the knight of Kazuma's party, but for some reason she had a habit of getting absorbed in moments like these. "[sarcastic]This isn't a situation that needs a shield!!" The alley suddenly became chaotic. Aqua was shouting something, Megumin was about to begin chanting Explosion Magic, and Darkness was seeking collateral damage. In the midst of that confusion, only Ruri looked around at the commotion. She looked at Aqua. At Megumin. At Darkness. At Kazuma. Then she said quietly: "[gentle]Kazuma, you deal with this kind of thing all the time, don't you? You're amazing." Kazuma's petrification broke for just a moment. It was a voice of admiration. Not sympathy, not sarcasm. Just pure, genuine respect. Somewhere deep in his chest, those words landed with a heavy thud. ——Why does that hit so hard? --- The next morning, the Wiltstein Tavern was peaceful, as if last night's chaos had never happened. The smell of Lutea River trout set drifted across the tables. As Kazuma poked at his fried eggs while trying to organize his thoughts, Ruri appeared with her practice notebook tucked under her arm. "[serious]Kazuma, I'm sorry about yesterday. I startled you." "[sarcastic]'Startled' doesn't even begin to cover it……" "Actually, I have a request." Ruri straightened her posture a little and met Kazuma's eyes. "As an acolyte of the Axis Church——a religious organization that worships the goddess Aqua——I must undertake a training journey. Acolytes who leave the training monastery in Calsaad——the headquarters of the Axis Church——must complete practical training in the outside world before taking the examination to become an official priest. Would you allow me to accompany your party on that journey?" Kazuma thought for a second. "Travel expenses?" "Zero." "Luggage?" Ruri pointed to the baggage she'd brought. Three large backpacks. By any measure, more than one person's share. "[gentle]Sacred texts needed for training, practice tools for chanting, twenty bottles of emergency holy water, and——" "[sarcastic]That's heavy! Why do you have more than everyone else combined?!" "Um, I'm not very good with directions……" "You get lost?!" Zero travel expenses, excessive luggage, a tendency to get lost——three strikes appeared in thirty seconds. As Kazuma held his head, Aqua cheerfully cut in from the side. "[excited]If she's an Axis Church acolyte, then I have a duty to guide her directly! Come on, it'll be fine!" (She says duty, but she's definitely planning to keep an eye on her), Kazuma thought, but didn't say it aloud. Megumin approached Ruri and peered at her face with interest. "[serious]You're the one who made Holy Magic backfire in Calsaad yesterday, right?" "[sad]Yes……I messed up the chant, and then……" "Hmph." Megumin nodded with what looked like satisfaction. "Backfiring from chant mistakes is the same for me. It's a mage's destiny. Don't worry about it. We're comrades." A mysterious sense of camaraderie was born between the two. Friendship was established in five seconds. Darkness was looking at Ruri with an expression of emotion. "[gentle]Even when you were caught in the blast last night, you said you were fine……that spirit shows the makings of a true knight." "[gentle]Thank you so much! I'll do my best!" "[serious]……Noble." Kazuma watched the exchanges between everyone while pressing his temples. He thought, doesn't anyone care what I think? But it was already too late. --- In the early afternoon, Kazuma took Ruri to the guild. At the Axel branch of the Adventurer's Guild——where the receptionist Luna sat at the counter, the headquarters of twelve hundred registered adventurers——he tried to process Ruri's adventurer card registration. An adventurer card is a magical card issued upon guild registration that records the holder's status, skills, and rank. Ranks progress from beginner to intermediate, advanced, super advanced, and hero-class. Kazuma was currently intermediate. Ruri stood nervously in front of the counter. Beside her, Kazuma tried to check the card——and made a mistake. The moment "Steal" crossed his mind, his hand moved. Kazuma's unique skill was Steal——an ability to randomly steal items from a target. It depended on luck value, couldn't be aimed, and couldn't be canceled. Especially against women, the probability of stealing underwear was abnormally high——a black mark on Kazuma's history that his entire party knew about. This time, a white handkerchief flew from Ruri's pouch. It landed softly in Kazuma's hand. (Ah……this is the worst.) Ruri peered into her pouch and tilted her head. Her silver bob cut swayed gently. "[surprised]Huh? My handkerchief……" Her gaze moved to Kazuma's hand. Their eyes met——Kazuma holding the white handkerchief. "[sarcastic]No, this is——" No excuse came to him. He couldn't say anything. He tried to explain that Steal had misfired, but the excuse itself——that his skill went haywire because he was nervous——was too embarrassing to voice. Ruri looked at Kazuma's hand. Then at his face. No scolding, no anger. "[gentle]Your hands are cold, Kazuma." Ruri extended both hands. She tried to gently wrap Kazuma's hand. "Shall I warm them?" Kazuma froze. Something surged up from the core of his being. The discomfort of not being punished——and something far more troublesome, arriving almost simultaneously. "[sarcastic]N-no! I'm fine! My temperature is normal!" He pulled his hand away. Ruri's expression became slightly disappointed. (Why doesn't this girl ever get angry at anything I do……) There was an uncomfortable pulsing sensation around Kazuma's heart. Uncomfortable——or rather, the kind of feeling that spelled trouble. The worst first contact had transformed into the worst kind of heart-racing moment. --- When they returned to the Wiltstein Tavern in the evening, Aqua was waiting. "[angry]Kazuma! Who's more important to you, me or Ruri? Tell me honestly!" "[sarcastic]Why is it a choice between two?" "If you would disdain me as a trial of knighthood……" "[sarcastic]Don't say that now!" "[serious]In such cases, Explosion Magic is the best way to settle things." "[sarcastic]What gets settled by an explosion?! Everyone dies if that goes off!!" Aqua started shouting again. Megumin took a casting stance. Darkness sought collateral damage. It was Kazuma's usual daily life. As Kazuma tried to brush everyone off, something moved at the edge of his vision. Ruri was sitting alone at a distant table. She had her practice notebook open, chanting something. Probably practicing Holy Magic incantations. Her mouth moved slightly——the next moment, there was a small pop, and white light flashed at the edge of the table. A small hole appeared in the wall. Ruri looked at the hole. Then she laughed. "[laughing]I failed again." She wasn't saying it to anyone. It wasn't directed at anyone. She was just laughing to herself. Kazuma felt Aqua's voice suddenly become distant. Megumin's chanting, Darkness's voice, everything else faded into the background——and only Ruri's laughter reached his ears. A small hole in the wall, and a silver-haired girl laughing softly. (Why……am I hearing that first?) Kazuma stood there blankly for three seconds. Then he shook his head and shouted, "Everyone, settle down!" The commotion continued. But somewhere in Kazuma's mind, that soft laughter lingered. --- Deep in the night. After the chaos had settled, Kazuma sat alone at a table in the corner of the Wiltstein Tavern, drinking ale. In the yellow lamplight, most of the other customers had already left. Footsteps sounded. Ruri entered the tavern, hugging her practice notebook. She was looking around uncertainly. "[sad]Um, excuse me……I can't find my way back to my room." "[sarcastic]Your getting-lost habit showed up fast." "[sad]The hallways all look similar……" Kazuma stood up and decided to guide her. He took one more sip of ale before heading into the hallway. Moonlight filtered through a narrow window. Ruri followed behind, clutching her practice notebook tightly. As they walked down the hallway, Ruri spoke quietly. "[whispers]When I was in Calsaad, I used to practice chanting alone at night." Kazuma turned slightly. "Because no one would listen." It wasn't the heat of last night. Not the momentum of a confession. Just a statement of fact, spoken plainly. Kazuma had no words. (I see), he thought. In Calsaad's training monastery——the small practice hall behind the Grand Cathedral where about thirty acolytes trained——that girl had practiced chanting alone at night. Ruri didn't continue. "[gentle]I'm glad I met you, Kazuma." That was all she said before opening her door and stepping inside. Click——the sound of a lock. Kazuma stood alone in the moonlit hallway. The hollow sensation in his chest that he'd felt since last night——the outline of something missing, that feeling——he felt he could finally see it a little. Whether seeing that outline was a good thing or the beginning of something troublesome, Kazuma still didn't know. He gripped the ale mug in his hand a little tighter.