Kazuma sat in the dimly lit stable, his back against the wooden walls as he hugged his in pure defeat. The air smelled of hay, old wood and the unmistakable scent of livestock. He glanced sideways at Aqua, who had curled up on her blanket with a satisfied sigh completely unbothered by their living situations.
"Hey, Aqua" Kazuma muttered, voice void of any enthusiasm.
Aqua stretched like a lazy cat, kicking at some loose straw before answering. "Mm? What now, Kazuma?
Kazuma sighed deeply. "Where's the money?"
Aqua opened one eye, feigning innocence. "What money?"
Kazuma twitched violently, sitting up. "Don't play dumb! The money that girl—Cecilia—gave us earlier! You had it!"
Aqua blinked, then looked away suspiciously.
Kazuma's patience snapped. "…You spent it all, didn't you?"
Aqua laughed nervously, twirling a strand of her hair. "Define 'spent.'"
Kazuma grabbed his head in frustration. "YOU SAID WE'D USE IT FOR SURVIVAL!"
Aqua huffed, crossing her arms. "Excuse me! I DID use it for survival! I bought divine wine, delicious food, and a celebratory drink because we became adventurers!" She paused, then added casually, "Oh, and a rubber duck for my bath."
Kazuma froze.
Silence stretched between them.
Then, very slowly, Kazuma inhaled—the kind of deep breath people take before they unleash hell.
"WE. ARE. SLEEPING. IN. A. STABLE." Kazuma exploded, pointing at their pitiful surroundings.
Aqua rolled her eyes. "Kazuma, as a goddess, I can sleep anywhere in luxury. I simply choose to see this place as charming."
Kazuma wanted to bury himself in the hay pile and never come out.
As he calmed down, Kazuma rubbed his temples, trying to think. His mind drifted back to Cecilia, the woman who had casually tossed money and a dagger at him earlier.
His frustration momentarily faded.
"…This world…" he murmured.
Aqua blinked. "Huh?"
Kazuma sat up straight, eyes sharpening with thought. "She said 'this world.' She didn't say 'this land' or 'this country.' She specifically said 'this world.'"
Aqua tilted her head, confused. "Yeah? So?"
Kazuma's gaze narrowed. "…That means she's also an isekai."
Aqua gasped, eyes wide with realization."OH MY GOSH! You're RIGHT!"
Kazuma stiffened, already predicting her next thought.
Aqua grinned wickedly, clapping her hands together in delight. "Kazuma! This means she must have TONS of money, connections, and survival skills! We should totally leech off her!"
Kazuma grabbed a nearby piece of straw and stuck it into his mouth, chewing absentmindedly as he stared at the ceiling with dead eyes. "…I regret telling you this information."
Aqua ignored him entirely, bouncing slightly in excitement. "Just imagine, Kazuma! We can get free meals, better quests, weapons! Maybe she even has a mansion! Think of the comfort!"
Kazuma sighed deeply, shaking his head. "And what happens when she realizes we're mooching off her?"
Aqua paused, then smiled innocently. "…We run?"
Kazuma grabbed his own blanket, pulling it over his head. "…I should have stayed dead."
Morning.
Kazuma lay flat on his blanket, staring at the stable ceiling like a man contemplating his life choices. Aqua, however, was positively glowing with excitement, her mind already crafting grand fantasies about mooching off of Cecilia.
"I'm telling you, Kazuma, she's got money!" Aqua declared with enthusiasm. "She's been here long enough to figure things out! If we just stick with her, we can live comfortably!"
Kazuma exhaled slowly, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Aqua. We've known her for—what?—a few hours? You seriously think she's just going to fund our entire existence?
Aqua grinned, waving her hand dismissively. "Of course! People love me. I'm divine! They naturally want to help me."
Kazuma sat up, expression blank with utter disbelief. "Aqua. You spent all our money in a single day."
Aqua huffed, crossing her arms. "Kazuma, please. You don't understand how high maintenance I am. It's a necessity!"
Kazuma rubbed his temples, trying to salvage whatever sanity he had left. "Fine. Whatever. But when we meet her again, you're the one doing the talking. If—IF—she rejects this ridiculous idea, we're not pushing it."
Aqua smirked, nodding confidently. "Oh, don't worry. With my charm, there's no way she'll say no!"
Kazuma stared at her, then turned back over on his blanket. "I should mentally prepare myself for failure."
The two wandered into Axel's busy streets, searching for Cecilia with Aqua practically skipping along, humming as she imagined her future life of luxury.
"Kazuma, imagine it now—comfortable bedding, delicious food, no need to take beginner quests, and maybe even a mansion!" Aqua clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling.
Kazuma sighed. "Right. And imagine the exact opposite, because that's what's going to happen."
Just as Kazuma predicted, Cecilia soon came into view, casually browsing a street vendor's wares.
Aqua brushed herself off, put on her most divine smile, and marched forward with confidence.
"Cecilia!" Aqua called out.
Cecilia turned, raising an eyebrow as she spotted them. "You two actually survived?"
Kazuma sighed. "Barely."
Aqua struck a pose, tilting her head with an overly charming grin. "Now, Cecilia! As you may already know, I am a divine being with unmatched beauty and wisdom."
Cecilia blinked slowly, trying to process where this was going.
Aqua continued dramatically, "You see, the heavens have granted you an opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to assist the most powerful and radiant goddess in existence!"
Kazuma palmed his face, already wanting to crawl into a hole.
Cecilia folded her arms, clearly unimpressed. "…Are you asking for money?"
Aqua gasped. "Oh, not just money! Partnership! Guidance! Assistance!" She gestured with grace. "You see, since you've been in this world for some time, surely you have resources you're willing to share! And in return, you get ME!"
Kazuma lowered his hands, looking at Cecilia with quiet, exhausted resignation. "You can say no."
Cecilia's expression did not change. She simply stared at Aqua with a neutral gaze before replying, "No."
Aqua froze, her divine confidence momentarily shattered.
Kazuma patted Aqua's shoulder, nodding. "See? Told you."
Aqua blinked rapidly. "Wait! Why not?! Don't you realize how amazing I am?! Divine protection! Blessings! Miracles!"
Cecilia tilted her head, her amusement barely concealed. "Last time I checked, you were running for your life from frogs."
Aqua gasped in mock offense. "You dare bring that up?!"
Kazuma smirked, crossing his arms. "I mean, she's not wrong."
Aqua whined, dramatically clutching her chest. "Kazuma! You were supposed to support me!"
Kazuma shrugged. "I am supporting you. I'm supporting your humiliation."
Cecilia chuckled, turning back to her shopping. "Well, if you two actually survive a few quests, maybe I'll consider helping. But until then? I'd rather not waste my resources on something unreliable."
Aqua screamed internally.
Kazuma grinned. "Cecilia, I like you."
And with that, Aqua's brilliant plan had crashed and burned spectacularly.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++
The morning was crisp, and the skies over Axel were clear as Kazuma reluctantly found himself standing at an empty training field just outside the town. His tracksuit was slightly wrinkled, and his expression showed every ounce of regret for agreeing to this.
Cecilia, standing before him with her katana resting against her shoulder, smirked. "Ready?"
Kazuma sighed. "Do I really have a choice?"
Aqua—who had been watching from a nearby bench, sipping what little remained of her fine divine wine—snorted loudly. "Kazuma, stop being dramatic! Training is a great way to become stronger!"
Kazuma turned slowly, glaring at her. "You? Supporting actual effort? Who are you, and what have you done with Aqua?"
Aqua huffed, crossing her arms. "You just don't understand the wisdom of a goddess."
Kazuma rolled his eyes, turning back to Cecilia. "Alright, what's the plan?"
Training Session Begins
Cecilia tapped the pommel of her katana, thinking for a moment before nodding. "Let's start with reaction training."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "That sounds suspiciously painful."
Cecilia smirked, tossing a wooden training sword at him. "You need to move fast enough to dodge attacks, right?"
Kazuma caught the sword, already sensing something terrible was about to happen.
Aqua, from the sidelines, grinned smugly. "Kazuma, try not to cry."
Kazuma whipped his head around. "Excuse me?! Crying is for the weak!"
Cecilia smiled and suddenly vanished from sight.
Kazuma barely had half a second to process what happened before—
THWAP!
Something struck his side. Kazuma yelped, staggering back. "THE HELL?!"
Cecilia stood exactly where she had been before, her katana still untouched in its sheath. "You need to react faster."
Kazuma gripped his ribs, glaring. "Where did that hit even come from?!"
Aqua laughed. "Maybe you should use your adventurer skills!"
Kazuma twitched violently. "I! DON'T! HAVE! ANY!"
Cecilia chuckled. "Alright, again."
Kazuma groaned, already regretting every life decision leading up to this moment.
After several rounds of training, Kazuma finally convinced Cecilia to take an actual quest with them.
Aqua, brushing the dirt off her clothes, sighed dramatically. "Finally! I swear, Kazuma, you almost died in training more than from actual monsters."
Kazuma wheeled around. "I LIVED! THAT'S WHAT COUNTS!"
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "Survived is a more accurate term."
Ignoring her smirk, Kazuma read the quest details aloud as they approached a dense forest near Axel.
After several rounds of training, Kazuma finally convinced Cecilia to take an actual quest with them.
Aqua, brushing the dirt off her clothes, sighed dramatically. "Finally! I swear, Kazuma, you almost died in training more than from actual monsters."
Kazuma wheeled around. "I LIVED! THAT'S WHAT COUNTS!"
Cecilia rolled her eyes. "Survived is a more accurate term."
Ignoring her smirk, Kazuma read the quest details aloud as they approached a dense forest near Axel.
Quest: Eliminate a small group of low-level monsters terrorizing nearby travelers.
Aqua puffed up her chest. "Monsters? Hah! Simple work for a goddess!"
Kazuma blinked. "Aqua, do you even know how to fight actual monsters? Not slimy ones—actual creatures with claws?"
Aqua paused. "...You just hit them, right?"
Kazuma wanted to walk into the forest and never come back.
Cecilia chuckled, unsheathing her katana. "Stay focused. Let's find them first."
As they stepped deeper into the trees, none of them realized just how horribly wrong this quest was about to go.
After a disastrous yet barely successful mission, Kazuma found himself collapsed against a table inside Axel's Adventurer's Guild. His tracksuit was stained with mud, sweat, and regret.
Aqua slumped beside him, groaning dramatically. "I swear, Kazuma, why is adventuring so exhausting?"
Kazuma turned his head slowly, expression blank. "You did nothing."
Aqua huffed, flicking her hair. "I was overseeing things!"
Kazuma wanted to argue, but his body physically refused.
Across the table, Cecilia calmly sipped her drink, watching their misery with silent amusement.
After a moment, she reached into her pouch and placed a small bag of coins onto the table.
Kazuma stared at it tiredly. "What's that?"
Cecilia smirked. "Your share of the quest reward. And also—this is for something more important."
Aqua perked up. "Oooh? More money?"
Cecilia stood up, nodding toward Kazuma. "Come on. You need new clothes."
Kazuma blinked. "...Huh?"
Cecilia smirked. "Consider it a formal welcome to this world. You've survived your first proper battle. Might as well dress the part."
Kazuma stared at her, then down at his mud-covered tracksuit, then back at her.
"...You know what? Yeah. I'm getting tired of looking like an NPC."
Aqua grinned, clinging to Kazuma's arm. "Wait! If Kazuma's getting new clothes, I should get some too!"
Cecilia raised a brow, smirking. "If you spend wisely this time, maybe."
Aqua pouted dramatically, but Kazuma was already on his feet, ready to at least look somewhat respectable.
And so, after barely surviving, Kazuma finally took one step toward not looking like a lost modern-day tourist.