Chapter 96: Aqua: This is the Taste of a Liar!
With a flash of light, Kobayashi and RyuZU returned to the world of Konosuba.
"We're finally back."
Kobayashi stretched his back, a look of contentment on his face.
"It really is better here."
Perhaps it was psychological, or perhaps it was due to the different style, but in that other world, he always felt an inexplicable atmosphere of depression and sadness weighing on his heart, which made him rather agitated.
How could it compare to this place, where even the air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere?
Perhaps it was precisely because of this strong contrast that he wanted to transform that other place into the style of Konosuba.
Looking at the small one-story house in front of him, Kobayashi felt a wave of emotion.
He hadn't been gone that long, but he really missed them. He wondered how they were doing right now.
"...Kobayashi-senpai?"
A familiar voice came from behind him.
He turned his head. It was the same old slovenly figure. He waved. "Yo, Kazuma. I'm back."
"Is it really... is it really you, Kobayashi-senpai?"
Satou Kazuma couldn't quite believe it.
He could see longing, emotion, eagerness, and nostalgia in his eyes, as well as a trace of grievance and sorrow, as if wanting to vent to him. That complex emotional pie chart made even Kobayashi's eyes moisten. Meeting again after a long separation, both were very excited.
"Kobayashi-senpai!"
"Kazuma-kun!"
"Kobayashi-senpai!!"
"Kazuma-kun!!"
"Kobayashi-senpai!!!"
"Kazuma-kun!!!"
The two of them shouted each other's names, seeming to express how much they had missed each other.
And then... there was no 'and then'.
The two of them just stared at each other dryly.
Kobayashi said, annoyed, "Hey, if you're going to hug me, hurry up. Don't dawdle. All the emotion I've built up is going to disappear."
"Sorry, I was just too excited. For a moment, I didn't know what to do."
Satou Kazuma wiped his nose.
He had truly suffered a lot of grievances during this time, so seeing Kobayashi had caused it all to burst out at once, and being just a teenager, he had lost control of his emotions for a moment.
He took a step back, then ran forward quickly, his arms wide open, shouting, "Kobayashi-senpai, you're finally back!"
However—
An even faster, water-blue figure burst out from the house, rushing towards Kobayashi with a terrifying momentum.
The powerful shockwave sent Satou Kazuma, who was still approaching, flying several meters away. Taking the heavy blow, Kazuma fell to the ground and couldn't get up.
"Kazuma-kun—!!!"
Kobayashi made a desperate reaching gesture, very worried.
But in the next second, his own chest was hit by a fierce impact, and he couldn't help but stumble back several steps before stabilizing himself.
He subconsciously wrapped his arms around the figure that had charged him. A familiar, pure scent rushed into his nostrils, and all his frustration and depression were instantly healed.
"You're back, Kobayashi! I missed you to death!"
"...I'm back, Aqua."
How should he put this... it was a good thing to be missed, but could they please take turns? Kazuma was sent flying several meters away. That's just too pitiful!
"Sniff, sniff sniff—"
Aqua's nose twitched as she kept sniffing him in his embrace.
"Aqua, what are you doing?"
"The scent of a woman."
"...Eh?"
"You have the scent of another woman on you, Kobayashi."
He couldn't help but shiver.
Kobayashi's body instantly stiffened. His voice also became unnatural as he said dryly, "What are you talking about, Aqua? What other woman's scent? I don't know."
He was so nervous that small, fine beads of sweat appeared on his cheeks.
"Lick..."
Aqua's tongue flicked out, lightly licking his cheek. The next second, her eyes sharpened as she declared, "This taste... is the taste of a liar!"
Aqua is a goddess, after all. You can't lie in front of her!
I'm doomed! My affairs with other women are about to be exposed!
...Wait, what the hell am I afraid of!
And what's with this act, Aqua? Is this the main wife catching the cheater?!
Kobayashi stared at her with dead fish eyes. Aqua, however, was completely unaware. In fact, she didn't ask any more questions. She just used a powerful magic spell on him.
"—Purification!"
A gentle blue light briefly surfaced on his body, then quickly disappeared.
Aqua sniffed him again, nodded in satisfaction, and then happily shouted and hugged him again. "Kobayashi, you're finally back! I missed you to death!"
"Oh... right... I'm back."
This whole sequence of operations was so typical of Aqua that for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Just then, Kazuma, who had been sent flying, climbed up from the ground. He was extremely annoyed at having been knocked over by Aqua. As a man who firmly believed in gender equality, he showed the Goddess of Water no face at all.
He immediately cursed, "You idiot Aqua! Couldn't you have waited until I was done greeting him? Rushing over like that, what part of you looks like a goddess!"
"I am a goddess, you know!"
Aqua glared back at him, just as annoyed, and retorted, "You're the one who's just too weak, Kazuma! The physical fitness of an Adventurer is actually worse than an Archpriest's. Don't you think that's pathetic?"
"But you're a goddess before all of that, you idiot!" he shot back.
"Ah! So you admit I'm a goddess!"
"Not at all! In fact, I'm even more convinced that you're an idiot!"
"Ngh..."
Aqua puffed out her cheeks, looking at Kobayashi with teary eyes. Her pitiful appearance seemed to be begging him for comfort.
How should one put this...
It was nostalgic.
But this familiar bickering was so nostalgic that after a brief moment of savoring it, he immediately got a headache. He hadn't forgotten that the two people in front of him were, in their own ways, pure problem children.
He rubbed his head.
"Alright, alright. I just got back. Let's not fight, okay?"
Kobayashi stopped the two of them from continuing.
Seeing this, Kazuma chose to back down first. He pointed a finger at Aqua. "Since Kobayashi-senpai said so, I won't argue with you this time. I'm letting you off on his account!"
"Bleh—"
Aqua stuck her tongue out at him.
Kazuma clenched his fists. Remembering what he had just said, he forced himself not to get angry.
It was truly difficult for him.
However, Kazuma then asked, "Kobayashi-senpai, has your attitude towards Aqua gotten better?"
"You noticed...?"
He didn't deny it.
In the past, although he wasn't as bad to her as Kazuma, he had at least treated her fairly, scolding her when she made mistakes, and even deliberately messing with her sometimes.
"But on this trip, Aqua really did help me a lot. I'm quite grateful to her."
—The blue crystal necklace.
Although it had caused him trouble at times, it was undeniable that it had helped him far more than it had hindered him.
Because it was there, he hadn't acted impulsively. He hadn't fallen for [Spectator]'s ability. It had smoothly made Esdeath develop a favorable impression of him. And in the very end, it had even made him immune to the time-stop, allowing him to win by a fluke. Throughout this entire period, the blue crystal necklace had played an indelible role.
"In other words, a lot of things happened to you during this period, senpai? You went on a lot of adventures?"
"Of course! I'll tell you all about it later."
"Then is this big guy behind you... the souvenir?"
Kazuma pointed at the giant Gundam behind him.
—The [Ultimate Teigu].
Kobayashi liked it a lot, so he had brought it back with him.
Hearing him mention it, he immediately became excited, saying in a cheerful, loud voice, "Let me introduce you! This is the strongest weapon from the world I just visited. If it can be successfully activated, it might even be able to destroy an entire country!"
"Ooooh! That's just ridiculous!"
Kazuma was incredibly excited.
A powerful weapon that could destroy a country! Plus its appearance was so cool, it perfectly matched his fantasy of a giant robot.
"Don't worry, Kazuma-kun. I'll let you try it."
"Really? Thank you, Kobayashi-senpai!"
Kazuma was even more excited now.
With this, wouldn't the Demon King's army be as easy to deal with as chopping vegetables? Even the Demon King himself... he'd have to give it a try! At that point, wouldn't he be able to walk sideways through this world?
Kobayashi also fell into this beautiful fantasy.
However—
"Stay right there, robot! Don't you dare destroy my home!"
Megumin's urgent shout came from a small hill in the distance. Before anyone could react, she cast her magic without an incantation, at instantaneous, maximum power.
"—Explosion!"
An Explosion spell descended from the sky, instantly shattering his fantasy. The [Ultimate Teigu], having suffered a heavy blow, was instantly blown to bits.
...WTF?!
(End of Chapter)