Let's spare a thought for Luna, whose romantic hopes were dashed before they could bloom — all during that brief time serving food to the party.
Throughout that half hour of service, Luna kept flashing bright, sparkling eyes at Adam, making him distinctly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Aqua had moved to sit beside him, shielding him from those passionate gazes. Otherwise, he would have been quite unsettled.
Luna was beautiful, but she simply wasn't right for him — that was all there was to it.
Besides, neither of them had shown any real interest before now. She would likely act the same way toward any adventurer who received a noble rank, eager to win their favor.
The only exception would be if the person was particularly unattractive.
Surveying the table laden with delicacies, Adam couldn't help but jest that Aqua might as well become a full-time goddess of banquets. Her talent for ordering food was remarkable — they had everything imaginable.
Thanks to this feast, everyone dined joyfully, making the banquet a resounding success.
While Darkness's absence was a slight disappointment, Aqua's suggestion of "Why don't we have another banquet after we bring her back?" earned immediate agreement from the whole party.
The celebration concluded with everyone thoroughly satisfied.
"Well, I have something to do, so I'll be heading out now. And I won't be back tonight." Kazuma announced abruptly, rising to leave.
He offered no explanation for his destination, nor did he seek permission from Adam, the party leader.
Yet his lecherous grin betrayed exactly what this perverted man had in mind.
The nerve of this boy! I've barely returned, and he's already sneaking off to the Succubus Cafe?
Brazen Kazuma, showing absolutely no respect!
The other two female members of the party expressed their strong contempt for him, and even Adam gave him an unfriendly look.
"That's going too far!"
Kazuma quickly protested his innocence, explaining in a hushed voice: "Adam-senpai, you know how impossible Aqua and Megumin are — I haven't been able to visit the Succubus onee-sans for two months! Please, Senpai!"
He sounded so pitiful and wronged that even Adam felt sympathy.
"Sigh, very well, be careful."
His heart softened and he agreed, even giving Kazuma ξ10,000 to stay at an inn for the night.
With the leader's approval, Kazuma's pitiful expression instantly transformed to joy, and he vanished in a flash.
"This guy..." Adam shook his head with a wry smile, thinking he shouldn't have given in so easily. Setting aside thoughts of Kazuma's pleasure-seeking, he turned to his party's mild-priest and kaboom-wizard, "Ladies, since the banquet is over, allow me to escort you back."
His time playing a Knight in " Re:Zero " had apparently left its mark — he'd unconsciously adopted some knightly manners.
Aqua and Megumin, having nowhere else to go, obediently returned to the suburban mansion with him.
No sooner had they arrived than the two women disappeared into Megumin's room.
They were definitely up to something.
Adam's intuition blared warnings of impending danger, making him uneasy as he sat before the fireplace.
It wasn't that he feared any real harm — these were his companions after all, and even death could be reversed by Aqua's God-Level〘Resurrection〙.
Rather, he dreaded whatever embarrassingly strange scheme they might be plotting.
Aqua's reasoning could be particularly unpredictable, leading to episodes of varying intensity.
He lit the fireplace, letting its warmth chase away the late autumn chill.
As he sat there, his mind wandered. He'd left in midsummer, and now late autumn was giving way to winter in another month. Soon the temperature would plummet, meaning they needed to stock up on warm clothes and supplies.
The mansion's size meant they needed quite a lot. They'd never hired servants, not from lack of funds, but because Adam didn't want Aqua and Kazuma becoming completely dependent.
Especially Kazuma — that guy's moral compass was practically nonexistent. Adam wouldn't dare place obedient maids before him, fearing what depraved acts might result.
Lost in these thoughts, drowsiness began to overtake him.
"It's getting late, I should take a bath and go to bed."
This was definitely setting up for a classic fan service scene — could Aqua and Megumin be planning something?
But no, these predictable scenarios had played out far too many times. Surely they could think of something more original?
After considering this, he decided to skip the bath tonight and just use 〘Water Magic〙to clean himself instead.
However, with no water containers in his room, he'd need to visit the kitchen. The bathroom seemed too risky — better to avoid it entirely.
When he reached the kitchen, he encountered an even more embarrassing sight!
Stifling his surprise, he pressed himself against the wall and observed silently, curious about their scheme.
His sharp hearing came in handy at that moment.
"Um... Aqua, I'm freezing. Is this really necessary? Will it actually make me seem more mature?" Megumin shivered.
The late autumn chill was biting, especially since she wore nothing but an apron.
Even inside the mansion, the spacious kitchen retained a coldness that the delicate Arch Wizard struggled to endure.
"Trust me, Megumin! I read this in a book — it's guaranteed to work!" Aqua declared, thumping her chest proudly, "The book said, 'If you want him to think you're mature, all you need to do is wear an apron, that's the easiest way'!"
"...I get wearing an apron, but why ONLY an apron?"
"That's where you're missing the point, Megumin. Wearing just the apron is what truly shows your maturity!"
Aqua thumped her chest again, radiating absolute confidence in her wisdom.
Hearing their conversation, Adam realized Aqua had completely misunderstood.
The book's line "If you want him to think you're mature, all you need to do is wear an apron" was merely a metaphor — it meant that learning to cook showed maturity in young women.
It had nothing to do with naked aprons!
Making Megumin wear just an apron ...
Aqua, was this genius or pure perversion?
Though Megumin in the naked apron wasn't particularly alluring — the oversized garment completely enveloped her small frame, revealing nothing inappropriate.
If mature beauties like Aqua or Darkness wore it, their curves would create quite a different effect, perhaps with some strategically placed holy light.
But on Megumin's childlike figure, there was nothing to see.
Though since she faced away from Adam, her back was visible — smooth skin, petite frame, gentle curves...
This was dangerous territory!
If he kept watching, his baser instincts might surface. Better to leave them be.
Pretending he hadn't seen anything, he quietly slipped away from the kitchen.
Using Elsa's assassination technique, his feet made no sound as he returned to his room.
He had to leave quickly, knowing Aqua's 〔Advanced Water Element Affinity〕 would detect him if he got too close. Despite wanting to observe more, he retreated with reluctance.
Little did Adam know that he, not Aqua, had misunderstood the situation.
"We cook, of course!"
"What should we make? I don't know how to cook."
"Well, the book says when dressed , we should avoid frying or stir-frying. Stick to steaming, boiling, or cold dishes."
{T/N: The joke here is that, since Chinese writers cannot write smut, they use these culinary terms to "describe" the scene. Don't ask me why or how...}
"Oh, I understand! Stewed dishes, right? I can do that!"
"Perfect, let's try it together!"
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