Kazuki had no idea how it happened, but one moment he was lounging under a plum blossom tree, eating rice crackers, and the next, he was being divebombed by a two-meter wingspan blur of feathers and murder intent.
"KAZUKIIIIIII!" screeched a familiar voice from above.
A powerful gust of wind exploded around him as Taka, the majestic Philippine eagle, descended from the clouds like a feathery missile. His wings beat once—just once—and the shockwave flattened half the meadow.
Kazuki yelped and rolled aside, barely escaping a feathery body slam. Taka slammed into the ground, talons first, cracking the earth in a straight line.
"Whoa there, buddy! You almost turned me into sashimi!"
"FOOLISH MEAT-BOY," Taka bellowed in a deep, haughty voice. "YOU ABANDONED ME FOR SEVEN WHOLE DAYS. I ALMOST JOINED ANOTHER PROTAGONIST."
Kazuki blinked. "Wait—there are other protagonists now?!"
"NEVER MIND THAT. I RETURN TO YOU NOW, AT THE TURNING OF THE PLOT."
Behind him, the grass rustled. A long, sinuous shadow slid across the field.
A soft hiss followed.
Kazuki's eyes went wide. "No way. No way. Don't tell me…"
Emerging from the underbrush, silent and majestic, was Himei—the King Cobra. Her scales shimmered in shades of gold and obsidian, and her bright eyes locked on Kazuki like a disappointed schoolteacher.
"You… ran off to a noodle festival without me," she said, her voice smooth as silk and twice as dangerous. "You promised I could try tonkotsu ramen."
Kazuki shrank back. "I—I got distracted! There were fireworks and Smile threw me into a fountain and then there was a guy with no pants—"
"No excuses." Himei coiled beside Taka with quiet menace. "We're back. And we're leveling up. Whether you're ready or not."
Kazuki glanced between the two companions—one feathery and furious, the other serpentine and vengeful—and realized something terrifying.
He was no longer the strongest member of his own party.
Elsewhere in the Land of Kaigara…
Aurelis stabbed his sword into a boulder, panting. The rock split cleanly in two.
"AGAIN!" he roared.
His party clapped, visibly exhausted. "Aurelis-sama, please rest—"
"I WILL NOT REST UNTIL I DEFEAT THAT ACCIDENTAL BUFFOON!"
His cape whipped in the wind, golden armor glinting in the sun. He stared toward the horizon, eyes burning with envy.
"Mark my words, Kazuki. You may stumble your way through every heroic deed like a drunken squirrel… but one day—one day—I shall surpass you. On purpose."
He paused.
"…And then the slime will fear me."
Back with Kazuki…
"Okay okay okay," Kazuki said, holding up both hands. "Let's just… not murder me, alright?"
Taka crossed his massive wings. "Only if you finally let me do the Battle Cry of the Storm-Wind Sky Emperor again."
"That… sounds like property damage waiting to happen."
"I HAVE BEEN PRACTICING MY DIVEBOMB."
"I believe him," Himei added. "He knocked out a wyvern by flapping."
Kazuki sighed and flopped onto the grass. "Fine. Let's go to the Guild. We'll sign up for a new quest. Something easy. Like escorting a flower girl."
At the Guild of Kaigara Town
The receptionist blinked at the trio.
"A flower girl?" she repeated.
"Yeah. Innocent, harmless, easy-peasy," Kazuki said, smiling.
The receptionist glanced down at her quest log. "Um… the only flower girl quest available right now is…"
She hesitated.
Kazuki leaned forward. "Yes?"
"…She's a ten-year-old necromancer who accidentally raised a city of the dead. She's asking for help babysitting her skeletons."
Kazuki froze. Taka cawed ominously.
Himei smiled. "This sounds promising."