—A clothing store in Axel—
Megumin stood in front of the shop assistant, pointing decisively.
"I'll take that mask. And those mittens."
"Oh, and that cloak too. Thanks!"
Chishiya rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Hey. What are you even doing…"
At the moment, Chishiya was wearing a slim-fitting black robe.
It had a gold-trimmed belt, a swallowtail cape, and a stiff high collar.
Basically, the very definition of that chuunibyou fashion Megumin adored.
Her eyes sparkled like she'd found a limited-edition Explosion plushie.
"Sensei! You look amazing! So cool!"
"Isn't this, like, way more stylish than what you usually wear?"
Up until now, Chishiya had always been dressed in plain cloth robes.
But since they were about to visit someone's family, he figured it was time to upgrade his appearance a bit.
Megumin had insisted on picking out his new look herself.
Which led them to this.
After paying, the two of them left the store.
Megumin waved excitedly at passersby.
"Sensei! You're so handsome! Look! Everyone's staring at you!"
Chishiya glanced around at the whispering crowd.
"…Why do I get the feeling it's not for the right reasons?"
Megumin replied seriously.
"It's fine. You're gonna be a huge hit in the Crimson Demon Village!"
Chishiya: "...Let's just keep walking."
———
—Adventurer's Guild—
Walking past the murmuring crowd, Chishiya made a beeline for the reception desk.
Luna blinked when she saw him.
"Chishiya-san, what… what's with the outfit?"
Chishiya deadpanned.
"Don't ask."
"…Okay…"
He cut straight to the point.
"Miss Luna, I'm heading to Crimson Demon Village. I'll be out of town for a while."
"I'd like the Guild to post a notice while I'm away."
Luna tilted her head. "What kind of notice?"
Chishiya answered seriously.
"My prop shop will be holding a new product launch early next month."
"The first 100 customers will receive a mysterious bonus item."
Luna was momentarily stunned.
Was this… a store promotion?
Was this guy seriously using the Guild notice board for an ad?
He really was different from the other hero candidates…
It kind of screamed, "I'm broke."
"I mean… I guess it's doable…"
"Thanks!"
Without waiting for approval, Chishiya slapped the written ad on the board and walked out.
Well, technically he was a "hero candidate." That should come with a few perks, right?
At least now, he wouldn't need to worry about business while visiting the next world.
His plan was simple: visit Megumin's family, then travel to the Slime world.
Stay about a month, recruit subordinates, set up a branch office, then return.
By then, the Labyrinth's facilities should be complete and ready for a grand opening.
———
About an hour later—
The Guild door swung open.
Darkness stepped inside.
Heads turned.
"It's the Crusader from that battle!"
"Thanks for your hard work!"
Caught off guard by the crowd, Darkness looked flustered.
She'd recovered from her injuries and had come today to ask about Chishiya.
Waving her hands in a panic, she tried to explain.
"No, no, it wasn't really anything."
"You all saw what a mess I was at the end, right?"
The onlookers responded enthusiastically.
"Don't be modest. We all admire your bravery!"
Even her former teammates came over to apologize.
"Sorry. We thought you'd lost your mind when you charged in like that."
"But it turns out we were the ones with scrambled brains."
"Huh?"
"N-no, it's fine…"
Darkness's cheeks turned red.
She hadn't expected it to end up like this.
She was feeling flustered and embarrassed… but not in the fun way.
This wasn't the kind of humiliation she liked at all.
Trying not to let it show, she made her way through the crowd to the counter.
Just then—
A girl was quietly speaking to Miss Luna at reception.
"Um, excuse me… I wanted to ask…"
"Is there a Crimson Demon girl here who can use Explosion Magic?"
"Someone around the same age as me…"
The girl seemed super anxious, barely lifting her head.
"Explosion Magic, Crimson Demon girl…"
The image of Megumin immediately popped into Luna's mind.
After all, plenty of parties had filed complaints about her 'accidental' explosions.
"Yes, but she just left."
"She left?!"
The girl looked up in surprise.
Luna then noticed something.
She was a Crimson Demon too.
"Wait, aren't you that girl from before?"
"Yunyun, right?"
Luna remembered her coming with Megumin the first time.
Then disappearing to the corner to quietly play chess with herself.
"Weren't you two always together? Did you get separated?"
Yunyun nodded. "Something happened… we split up temporarily…"
"But we made a really important promise."
"So now I want to find her again."
"I see…" Luna nodded.
"She left with Chishiya-san."
Chishiya?!
Behind them, Darkness's eyes lit up the moment she heard his name.
Yunyun quickly followed up, "Do you know where I can find Chishiya-san?!"
"Please tell me too!"
Darkness leaned in next to her.
Miss Luna jumped slightly at the sudden double interrogation.
"Um… I think they went to Crimson Demon Village…"
Crimson Demon Village…
—Outside the Guild—
Darkness turned to Yunyun.
"You're looking for Chishiya too? Want to travel together?"
"Huh?"
Yunyun froze.
This was the first time someone had proactively spoken to her in… forever.
"Y-yes! Of course!" Yunyun nodded rapidly.
Darkness smiled and offered her hand.
"I'm Darkness. Crusader."
Yunyun blinked, flustered for a second.
"This is so embarrassing… so awkward…"
"No! It's rare for someone to talk to me, I need to do this right!"
She cleared her throat and placed her hand dramatically over her chest.
"My name is Yunyun! Daughter of the Crimson Demon Clan Chief! A first-class mage, wielder of high-level magic!"
Darkness: "…"
The air went completely silent for a moment.
Yunyun's face immediately flushed bright red.
She caught the odd look on Darkness's face and panicked.
"Ahahaha! Please don't get the wrong idea! I'm not weird!"
"Just… just call me Yunyun…"
Darkness blinked, then nodded slowly.
Right. She'd heard that the Crimson Demons were all a bit… eccentric.
Now she'd finally met one in person.
(To be continued.)
***
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