"Hmm. A familiar ceiling." Kazuma let out a soft grunt.
Through lingering pain, he slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling above seemed familiar — until he realized it wasn't.
Wait, isn't this the main hall's ceiling?!
The bone-chilling winter cold beneath him confirmed he was lying frozen on the floor.
"Ah, you're awake? Stupid Kazuma."
A familiar voice reached his ears. Though the words carried concern, they came with their speaker's natural mocking tone.
It was Aqua. The party's essential High Priestess, who also worked part-time as the Goddess of Water.
How dare she mock him ? He had to strike back!
But thinking it over, he'd let it slide this time. His own carelessness had let that little girl ambush him. Just remembering how he'd been ambushed and knocked unconscious made his blood boil.
Springing nimbly to his feet, he threw his head back and shouted, "Damn that little brat! When I get my hands on her, I'll teach her a lesson!"
He was absolutely fuming, his rage clear from the intense pain she'd caused him.
"Oh? What kind of lesson?"
"Obviously, I'll punish her until she's crying and begging for forgiveness, shouting 'I was wrong'... huh?" Kazuma hadn't expected anyone to respond.
That familiar sweet voice made him instantly shut his mouth mid-rant. An overwhelming sense of danger washed over him!
He turned to look behind him. There sat the little girl from before, still perched elegantly on the sofa.
A cute young girl sat there with cream-colored drill curls and bright, blinking eyes, wearing an elegant dress. She leaned gracefully against a gallant-looking man's chest.
She held a teacup, sipping from it leisurely.
"Eep—!" Kazuma instinctively stepped back when he saw the little girl, letting out a pathetic squeak.
But when he recognized the familiar man with her, he excitedly stepped forward.
"Huh, is that... Adam-senpai?! You're back, Adam-senpai!"
He was overjoyed. These past two months without Adam had been very difficult.
With winter forcing the 『 Hero 』 Party to suspend their adventures, everyone had been idle in the mansion with nothing to do, living like lazy NEETs.
Being a shut-in himself, Kazuma hadn't minded that part. The real problem was that his companions were a bunch of problem children with screws loose!
They'd caused him no end of trouble!
But now things were looking up. Their party leader was back, and he could finally escape from the endless chaos!
He was absolutely delighted!
"Long time no see, Kazuma-kun. How have you been while I was away?" Adam greeted him with a smile.
But he knew very well what must have happened. Without his restraining presence, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness — these three problem children — must have caused countless headaches for this poor kid.
Sure enough, Kazuma began complaining.
"Listen to this, Adam-senpai! These idiots have been causing nothing but trouble!" His face twisted into an aggrieved expression as he poured out his woes to the long-absent leader.
Adam listened quietly without interrupting.
His long absence had caused considerable grief for this trouble-hating young man, so listening to a few complaints seemed fair.
While Adam was willing to listen, others weren't. When Aqua heard Kazuma mention her drinking on credit again, she leaped to defend herself.
"I didn't do it! That person just looked like me — it definitely wasn't me, it was someone else!" Aqua's clumsy lie fooled no one.
In fact, not a single person believed her.
Everyone fixed their silent gaze on her until the Goddess of Water crumbled and admitted her wrongdoing.
"I-I'm sorry! I was wrong! Waaah—!" Aqua wailed, tears welling up.
She clung tightly to Adam's arm, sobbing and begging for forgiveness.
"Is she really a Goddess?" Beatrice questioned, watching this undignified display.
The behavior seemed beneath a divine being.
Before meeting the others, Adam had briefly introduced everyone to Beatrice, explaining that Aqua was the Goddess of Water. He'd also shared basic information about Kazuma, Megumin, and Darkness.
"Well, despite how she acts, Aqua is genuinely a Goddess." Adam explained softly, then addressed the deity, "Alright Aqua, I'll forgive you this time, but if there's a next time..."
"Yes, I'll definitely change! I promise there won't be a next time!" Aqua instantly brightened, flashing a foolish grin.
But seeing her , Adam knew this foolish Goddess had no intention of changing and would certainly do it again.
With that matter settled, there were still two other troublemakers to address!
Seizing this perfect opportunity, Kazuma eagerly reported all the chaos Megumin and Darkness — the other two problem children — had caused during Adam's absence.
The party's Arch-Wizard and Crusader could only grind their teeth in frustration.
They couldn't deny the accusations since they had indeed caused the troubles Kazuma described.
But they weren't about to let Kazuma off the hook either. They quickly revealed how the shameless pervert had been spending his nights carousing at the Succubus Cafe with Chris and the others.
Visibly uncomfortable, Kazuma launched into a fierce counterattack.
The conversation soon derailed as their heated argument devolved into a session of exposing each other's embarrassing secrets.
It was an amusing sight.
They continued angrily dredging up dirt on one another until Adam intervened. Though their squabbling seemed to oddly strengthen their bonds, letting it continue would only cause problems.
Besides, they had a new companion to meet.
"Alright, that's enough. Today is a day for celebration, so I'll overlook what happened before." Adam clapped his hands, drawing their attention. Gesturing to Beatrice beside him, he announced, "Let me introduce you. Her name is Beatrice, and she's a Great Spirit who has contracted with me. By the way, she's from another world."
The four members of the 『 Hero 』 Party were absolutely shocked by his announcement.
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