Shichen arranged two rooms for Satou Kazuma and Aqua, then led them to the inn's dining area for breakfast. Since Yunyun had given him her wallet the day before, he currently held the group's purse strings.
The inn also provided breakfast—mostly bread and some kind of meat stew. But to Aqua and Kazuma, it was already a feast.
Actually, the food in this world wasn't bad at all; it just wouldn't compare to modern Earth's cuisine. Yet as far as they were concerned, it was delicious.
The two of them ate like starving animals—devouring plates one after another. Shichen felt slightly embarrassed to be at the same table, but he figured he needed to get used to it. They were a party now, so they would be together most of the time. He couldn't just keep running away from these situations.
He supposed that, for now at least, they'd continue to act like they were starving until they got used to normal meals again.
They went through dish after dish, stacking plates one on top of the other. Fortunately, since Shichen got up early, the dining area was mostly empty, so it wasn't too awkward.
Most travelers or adventurers staying at the inn would sleep in after a hard day's work, so it was still quiet.
Surprisingly, watching Aqua gorge herself so unreservedly wasn't as off-putting as Shichen had thought it would be. It was like watching a pretty anime girl doing a "mukbang challenge"—weirdly captivating. It made him hungrier, too.
Aqua truly was a goddess, after all—extremely youthful, an exceptionally beautiful face, and an otherworldly aura. She practically had a built-in "beauty filter." Maybe he was only seeing her in a good light because he hadn't been around her that long. Give it a day or two, and once she starts acting like her true self, he might change his mind.
Distance does lend enchantment, as they say.
Halfway through the meal, Megumin and Yunyun came down, both wearing the same outfits as yesterday.
"Ahem!"
Satou Kazuma nearly choked when he saw them—mainly because they looked like a pair of little girls. Right then and there, he couldn't help questioning Shichen's tastes.
But hey, this was a fantasy world. Different rules. He decided to keep his mouth shut and pretend he didn't notice.
Aqua kept stuffing her face; two days of hardship had apparently turned her into a ravenous beast. Shichen could only imagine how she'd been surviving.
"Good morning, Shichen." Yunyun greeted him softly.
"Ugh, can't a person sleep in once in a while?" Megumin grumbled.
"You're so young; why do you need that much sleep?" Shichen took hold of Megumin's wrist, pulling her to sit next to him. Then he flicked her forehead for good measure.
Yunyun sat down on Megumin's other side. The seat on Shichen's other side was already claimed by Aqua, who was still engrossed in her meal—so much so that Yunyun found it a bit intimidating.
"Ow! That hurts! Why are you bullying me first thing in the morning?"
"I'm trying to wake you up."
"Darn it, I'm the one keeping you, remember?! At least be a li—mmph!"
"Zip it," Shichen said, clamping a hand over her mouth. Then he turned to Kazuma. "You know how it is, man. I just got here with no money, so I borrowed some from her."
"I get it, Big Bro," Kazuma said, sympathizing completely.
"And she tends to talk nonsense, so just ignore her."
"Got it."
"All right, let me do the introductions. Her name's Megumin, and that's Yunyun. They're both mages."
"Oh wow—that's awesome!"
"Yunyun really is awesome, but Megumin's a bit…"
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Megumin slapped Shichen's hand away and glared at him.
"All right, all right, you're awesome too." He pinched her soft cheek, clearly humoring her.
"Hmph, that's more like it…"
"Yunyun, Megumin, this is Satou Kazuma. He's going to be part of our party now."
"Hello, Satou-san," Yunyun greeted politely.
"That's… a weird name," Megumin couldn't help commenting.
"Huh? My name is weird? Yours are the weird ones!" Kazuma shot back.
"Kazuma, don't mind her. The Crimson Demon Clan is just like that."
"Seriously?" he asked.
"Hey! Got a problem with that?" Megumin demanded, frowning at him.
"No, none at all." Kazuma shook his head quickly.
"You, can't you act a bit nicer?" Shichen asked Megumin.
"No way! You dragged me out of bed, and I've got morning grumpiness!"
"Let it go…" Shichen said to Kazuma. "She's just at that age, a bit bratty."
"I totally understand," Kazuma nodded.
"Who're you calling bratty?!" Megumin objected.
"All you have to do is compare yourself to Yunyun."
"That's just because Yunyun's too soft!"
"That's called being pure."
"Pur… pure…?" Yunyun blushed, covering her face with her hands.
"Ugh! There you go, treating us differently again!" Megumin grew more annoyed.
"Would it kill you to behave?" Shichen teased, ruffling her hair.
"Hmph! That's not happening!"
"Then don't blame me for bullying you."
"Darn it!"
"Okay, okay, calm down. Finish your breakfast, then we'll go do some quests to earn money…" Shichen paused, noticing Kazuma's head was down. "Kazuma, why're you staring at the table?"
"Oh, I'm just eating," he replied, not looking up.
He really didn't want to watch this chaotic back-and-forth. Although he was a bit envious, he believed that one day he'd get his own moments—especially by sticking with Shichen. After all, a lolicon can't be a bad guy, right?
"Hey, Shichen, you said there'd be two new teammates. Where's the other one?" Yunyun asked.
"Oh, she's right here." Shichen gestured at Aqua. "Aqua, could you introduce yourself?"
"Hm?" Aqua looked up, her cheeks puffed out and a ring of crumbs around her mouth.
At that, Shichen immediately regretted having found her "cute" earlier.
"Who's that?" Megumin asked, furrowing her brow.
"Shichen, what exactly is your relationship with her?" Yunyun couldn't help asking.
Neither of the girls seemed dazzled by Aqua's looks. Nonetheless, they could see that Aqua had otherworldly beauty.
"Her name's Aqua; she's a High Priest. We only met today."
"Really?" Megumin still sounded doubtful. So they were already sitting together?
"Ah, I see." Yunyun, however, just smiled—she believed him without issue.
"Why would I lie to you? She came to Axel with Satou Kazuma—the same day we arrived. The 'High Priest' Luna mentioned yesterday? That's Aqua."
"A High Priest, huh… well, okay," Megumin said.
"Aqua, these two are Megumin and Yunyun. We'll be traveling together."
"Oh, hello," Aqua said casually, then went straight back to eating.
"Oh?" Megumin arched an eyebrow. "So you're a High Priest, huh? Is this your way of looking down on me? Challenging me right from the start? Bold of you!" She jumped to her feet.
Shichen quickly held her down. "She's just hungry, calm down. Let's finish our meal first."
"You're siding with an outsider?!"
"She's not an outsider—she's part of our group now."
"What? It's because she's older than me, right? You are so shallow!"
"Would you just eat?" Shichen barked.
"Mmph!"
After their lively breakfast, Shichen led the group toward the Adventurers' Guild. Everyone was pretty excited—except Aqua, who was merely content after filling her stomach.
They walked into the guild and were greeted by none other than the head receptionist, Luna.
"Shichen-san, welcome!" She beamed as she came over.
"Tch~," Megumin clicked her tongue from behind.
"Huh? Why is she so friendly?" Kazuma asked quietly.
"Didn't Shichen tell you his stats?" Megumin shot back.
"Oh, right… Dammit, so the staff treats him differently because he's got max stats?" Kazuma clenched his teeth, jealous.
"Everyone's looking at us," Yunyun murmured nervously.
Indeed, the guild was relatively busy at this hour, but no one was talking; they were all staring—primarily at Shichen.
"That's the guy with the maxed-out stats who still chose the Adventurer class?"
"Ugh, how can someone be that handsome?"
"So this is how a real pro carries himself?"
"Maybe we can recruit him to our party?"
"Seems he's already got one…"
~~~
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