The moment his eyes opened, Kazuma made a decision. Today, he would do nothing. Absolutely nothing. He stared at the ceiling above his bed. Bird calls drifted in from outside. Peaceful. Serene. This was exactly the kind of morning he was born to do nothing on. Kazuma—Satou Kazuma, sixteen years old—narrowed his deep brown eyes and tried to close his eyelids again. Black short hair spread across the pillow. His white shirt was wrinkled somewhere, his slacks loose at the belt. A thin scar remained on his left wrist, faintly white in the morning light. A scar he barely remembered getting. He figured that's just how things were in another world. Right. This was another world. Before this, Kazuma had been in Japan, just an ordinary middle schooler. Nothing he was particularly good at, no real dreams, just games all day. Then he'd dragged a goddess down with him on his way to death, and when he came to, he'd been reincarnated on the Belzarant continent. The goddess's name was Aqua. The same Aqua he lived with in this mansion now. The town of Axel. A provincial city where fledgling adventurers gathered, population around twenty-five thousand. Far to the southwest of the capital, a peaceful place. Monster difficulty was low, and the guild's quest board was filled with requests to exterminate goblins or gather materials. Frankly, it was almost too peaceful for Kazuma's party. Almost. ——Well, we're here, so it's not peaceful anymore. Kazuma let out a bitter sigh and slowly got up. The mansion's hallway was slightly warped. One wall had a crack running through it, with repair marks still visible. Out in the yard, a patch of grass was charred black. All of it—traces of "everyday damage" accumulated over the past few months. The quest-givers at the adventurer's guild probably never imagined the mansion would end up this destroyed. Kazuma thought so too. He descended the stairs and opened the living room door. Three people. Aqua sat on the sofa, chin resting on her hand, staring blankly into space. Megumin had her cheek pressed to the table, eyes open but vacant, gazing at nothing. Darkness stood near the window, arms crossed, looking off into the distance. All three of them were doing absolutely nothing, as if they'd planned it. "…What are you guys doing?" "[serious] Today, I'm doing nothing," the three said in unison. "[serious] I've decided not to do anything," "[serious] Same here. I'm taking a break from explosion magic practice too," "[serious] I as well. I wish to spend today in quiet," Kazuma looked at each of their faces in turn. ——I was planning to say the same thing. "[sarcastic] So we're all just lazing around? Genius," No one answered. Aqua rolled over on the sofa. Megumin buried her face in the table. Darkness kept staring out the window. Kazuma stood there for a while. Well, fine. I decided I wasn't doing anything today anyway. He pulled out a chair and sat. Closed his eyes. Quiet. Bird sounds. Wind rattling the window. This is good. This is the ideal day off. Ten minutes later, Kazuma hit his limit. "[angry] …At least sweep or something. The hallway's dusty as hell," Aqua sprang up. Her long water-colored hair swayed softly. Clear blue eyes glared at Kazuma. She was about one hundred sixty-five centimeters tall, her twin tails bouncing with every movement. She looked beautiful until she opened her mouth—that was Aqua. "[angry] You're making a goddess do cleaning!?" "[sarcastic] I know you eat potato chips in the kotatsu every morning," "[angry] That's a separate issue!" Hearing their exchange, Megumin lifted her head with a grunt. Deep crimson, messy short hair. Red magic eyes blinked open. She was about one hundred forty-eight centimeters tall, her large pointed hat resting on the table. Where all that magical power fit in her thin frame remained a mystery. "[excited] —Then I shall go practice explosion magic in the yard," "[angry] Don't," "[serious] But my body aches for it. The power of explosion must be released—" "[angry] I said don't!" Too late. Megumin was already outside. The moment Kazuma opened the door to chase her, the world shook. BOOOOOM. The window glass trembled. Something collapsed in the distance. White smoke rose beyond the yard. Explosion magic—the highest-tier spell with only fifty users across the entire continent—could supposedly level an area two hundred meters in radius. This time she'd held back; only a neighbor's wall got blown away. The fact that "only" even applied was how much things had changed since Kazuma's party moved here. Megumin lay face-down in the middle of the yard. She'd exhausted her magical power and couldn't move. Every time. It was always like this. "[angry] …Why does this happen every time," "[whispers] Kazuma… please carry me… I can't move my legs…" Kazuma hoisted Megumin up and set out on an apology tour. He bowed to the neighbor's wife, pulled money from his wallet for wall repairs. The adventurer's guild system provided daily income in Axel, but expenses like this ate away at it. Kazuma's luck stat was abnormally high, and he had a steal skill too. But those abilities didn't help in situations like this. When he returned to the mansion, Darkness was waiting at the entrance. Her blonde wavy hair glimmered in the light. Her pale blue eyes held a serious gleam, and she was one hundred seventy-two centimeters tall—taller than Kazuma. As a Crusader, a holy knight, she was reliable on defense. Her attacks just never landed. "[serious] Kazuma. I share responsibility for what just happened. As punishment, please strike me with all your might," Kazuma slipped past her without a word. "Wait—" Darkness called out, but Kazuma was already down the hallway. He laid Megumin on the sofa and sat beside her. Exhausted. The most tiring part of apology tours was explaining while bowing: "You see, my party member…" Every time he explained, his situation became clear to him, and a hollow feeling crept in. Then came a sound from the entrance. A soft clink. Followed by loud clattering. Something falling. "[crying] I-I'm so sorry!! Is everyone alright—kyah!" At the entrance, a woman with pale brown hair sat crumpled in the hallway. She'd tripped on a step, and the large bag she'd been holding had spilled, scattering magical tools across the floor. Glowing stones rolled, oddly-shaped boxes bumped against walls, and somewhere a "pii" sound rang out. Wiz. She ran a magical tool shop in the neighborhood. She looked like an ordinary young woman, but her true identity was a former lich and former executive of the Demon King's army. Now she worked as a shopkeeper, running a perpetually red-ink business where monthly sales didn't cover rent, and here she was, fallen on the floor. "[sad] I'm terribly sorry… I heard the explosion and came to check… but my magical tools…" "[sarcastic] Maybe watch where you're stepping before worrying," "[crying] I apologize…" The two of them began picking up magical tools from the hallway. Wiz apologized politely while Kazuma haphazardly stuffed things into the bag. Glowing stones, strange boxes, mysterious bottles, rings that looked cursed—Wiz's shop had terrible taste in inventory, with cursed items sitting casually on shelves. Then the entrance door opened by itself. No one had touched it. A being with a mask-like face entered with leisurely steps. Vanir, a demon. Co-owner of Wiz's magical tool shop, he had a hobby of observing humans. Kazuma had disliked him from their first meeting. The reason was simple: he could read emotions. "[sarcastic] Hohoho. Kazuma, the emotions I sense from you are—embarrassment, panic, fatigue, and a touch of resignation. Quite a rich emotional palette," "[angry] Get out," "[laughing] I have seen something worthwhile. Then I take my leave," Vanir left just like that. Kazuma had nothing to say back. Because he was completely right. Noon came. "[excited] Alright! I'll cook!" "[scared] Wait," "[angry] Why are you stopping me!?" "[serious] Well… look," Too late. Second time today. Just today, second time. Strange sounds came from the kitchen, and when Aqua returned, she proudly held a pot. The soup arranged on the table was—bright blue. A vivid, deep, blue color. Bluer than the sky. Bluer than the sea. A color that absolutely did not exist in nature. "[excited] I made it using the sacred cooking method written in the Axis Cult's holy scriptures. This color is the sacred hue of the goddess Aqua!" Kazuma, Darkness, and Wiz stared at the soup in silence. For a while, no one moved. The Axis Cult was a religious organization that worshipped Aqua as a goddess, with six hundred thousand believers across the continent. Their doctrine was "Live as your desires dictate." Believers tended to be eccentric. Aqua was the goddess herself, but somehow her doctrine and her cooking color sense seemed misaligned to Kazuma. ——Is that religion really okay? "[serious] I suppose I could try a spoonful…" Megumin raised a spoon. She took a sip. The next moment, she coughed violently. She couldn't move for a while, tears in her eyes. "[angry] But it's delicious! Why!?" "[whispers] …It's not delicious… at all…" Lunch ended with Kazuma baking bread. In the afternoon, someone knocked on the entrance. When he opened it, a messenger in formal uniform stood there. A messenger from Princess Iris in the capital, apparently. They'd brought a gift—two people were carrying a large wooden box. The whole party gathered around the box. Darkness had an excited expression. Aqua's eyes sparkled. Megumin had mostly recovered and her red magic eyes gleamed with curiosity. Kazuma felt a little hopeful too. A gift from the capital. It might be something amazing. A magic sword, rare items— The lid opened. A turnip was inside. A giant turnip, as tall as a person. The four of them stared at it in silence for a while. The messenger left after saying seriously, "A specialty from Her Highness," and departed. Silence. "[surprised] …It's a turnip," "[surprised] …A turnip, huh," "[surprised] …It's huge," "[surprised] …A magnificent turnip," The argument continued until evening. "[excited] If we make it into Axis cuisine, it'll become a sacred turnip!" "[serious] I reject that. If we roast it with explosion magic, the inside will cook through," "[serious] That'll just leave the outside," "[serious] Kazuma, use me to cut the turnip and punish me. I—" "[angry] You shut up," As the sun began to set, Kazuma silenced everyone and stood in the kitchen. He cut the turnip, sautéed it, added it to soup. Seasoned with salt and herbs. This much he could manage even in another world. The ingredients were actually fresher here than in Japan. He'd been decent at cooking even back when he was a game-obsessed middle schooler. No one taught him, but a kid who played games all day still got hungry. The stew was done. The four of them gathered around the table and began eating. Wiz quietly ate from the corner. No one said anything. Only the sound of spoons moving. "[whispers] …It's delicious," Aqua murmured softly. Kazuma glanced at her. Her water-colored twin tails drooped slightly downward. Her blue eyes were on the bowl, not on him. But she'd definitely said it. He thought maybe she could be straightforward. "[sarcastic] You can be honest sometimes," The next instant, water hit his face. Aqua used water magic. Kazuma's face was soaked. "[angry] Forget what I just said!" "[angry] No way! Why'd you splash me!?" "[laughing] Please don't fight…" Megumin sipped her stew and murmured something quietly. Kazuma couldn't hear it. But her voice was unusually calm. Night fell. After wiping his wet face, Kazuma stepped out onto the veranda. Stars were out. Axel was far from the capital, so nights were quiet. A dog barked in the distance, wind rustled the trees, and that was all. Today, nothing happened. They d