6

[AI CENSORSHIP BLOCKED THIS CHUNK - RAW ENGLISH RETAINED]

“…and how her life is basically a constant stream of sexual harassment.”

I had heard enough.I got on my knees and bowed deeply to her parents.

Hyoizaburou picked up the thread.“But she says that even so, you’re an important friend whom she could never leave.Even if you are riddled with debt, an unrepentant pervert, have no real combat ability to speak of, abuse your friends every time you open your mouth, and don’t know common sense from a hole in the ground, she says that if she ever took her eyes off you for one minute, you’d die.I assume that if she was willing to say all that, there must be something there…”

He sounded sincere.And while I wasn’t exactly thrilled with everything I’d just heard, it did warm my heart a little to know that she considered me an important friend.We’d been through so much together—the bond between us was strong enough that we could forgive each other’s faults.I didn’t even mind knowing that she had been saying these things behind my back.My trust in her was still…

“After all,” Yuiyui went on, “to hear her tell it, she provides all the firepower in your party—why, if she wasn’t there, your group would fall apart!She’s told us all about how she took out the Demon King’s general Vanir and how she attacked the castle of another general every day to draw him out, then played a crucial role in his defeat.”

…I guess those things aren’t technically untrue.

She’d helped us get rid of Hans recently, too.I wasn’t sure I’d say that we would fall apart without her, but…

“That’s right!And she dealt the finishing blow to Mobile Fortress Destroyer!Ahhh, my little girl makes me so proud!”Hyoizaburou said, continuing where his wife left off.He did seem genuinely happy… And I mean, he wasn’twrong.But still…

Without thinking about it, I glanced over at the sleeping Megumin.She had been breathing deeply, but now she had her back to me…

Don’t tell me she’s awake.

I studied her suspiciously.

“She wrote so many other things about her party and her friends, too,” Yuiyui said.“But if you don’t mind my asking, what about all that debt?I can’t help but worry about my daughter’s party.I’d love to help in any way I can, but our family doesn’t have much money…” She gave me an apologetic look.

“Oh, please,” I said easily, “don’t worry about it.I took care of that debt a long time ago.And I’m expecting a windfall about the time we get back from this trip.So really, we’re fine—you don’t have to worry.”

Hyoizaburou pricked up his ears at this.“…Oh-ho.If I may ask, just how much of a windfall…?”

I didn’t think too hard about the question—maybe because I was a little anxious being at Megumin’s actual house—but replied, “About three hundred million eris, I guess.”

““Three hundred million?!””

…Huh?Should I maybe have kept that to myself?

Hyoizaburou slid a little closer to me.Then he clapped his hands, a perfectly brilliant smile on his face.“Oh yes, Kazuma.Please stay here tonight!You all are friends of my daughter’s, after all—how can I not extend my hospitality?Stay as long as you like—forever, in fact!As adventurers, you must not have a home of your own, right?”

“Oh yes!”Yuiyui said.“Komekko, let’s you and Daddy and me camp out here in the living room tonight!You two girls can sleep in our room.Our house isn’t very large, though.We just have this room and our room and the room that used to be Megumin’s bedroom… It might be a little small for all of you to live in.Say, dear, weren’t we just thinking about remodeling…?”

I wanted to break in before they could get any further ahead of themselves and said a bit hesitantly, “N-no, it’s all right.We have, uh, our mansion back in Axel and all…”

““Mansion?!””

Did it again.

Megumin’s parents were looking at me with shining eyes.I averted my gaze, hoping to find help from Aqua and Darkness…

“And now, for my next trick!I will do something amazing with this little box!”

“Oh!She’s going to open it, and something’s going to fly out from inside!I’m sure that’s it, positive!”

“Wow!Amazing!”

Suffice to say, they weren’t going to be any help.