Silent Weight
Ruko lay on the grass, unmoving.
For once… nothing hurt. No punches. No shouting. No chaos. Just silence. A calm he hadn't felt in a long time. "…This is nice," he muttered softly. His eyes slowly closed again, not from exhaustion this time—but from peace. And in that quiet… A memory surfaced. A small room. Faint sunlight through a window. Laughter. His sister stood there—arms crossed, annoyed—but her eyes soft. "Idiot," she said, kicking his face. Ruko flinched back to the wall. "Ow—why you always kicking me?" She smirked. "Because you're dumb." Another hit. Then—She pulled him down beside her. They lay there like children. No walls. No distance. Just warmth. "…Don't go anywhere, alright?" she muttered quietly. Ruko didn't answer. But he stayed. The memory faded. Ruko's eyes opened slowly. The afternoon sun greeted him. "…Huh." He blinked a few times. "…I fell asleep out here?" He sat up, stretching his body slightly. Strangely—He felt fine. No pain. No tension. Just… light. "…I... feel so good." For once. He stood up. But his legs wobbled. "…Yeah, never mind."
His stomach growled. Loud. "…Right. Food." He dragged himself inside, moving slowly, almost like a zombie. Step by step. Into the kitchen. He opened cupboards. Empty. Checked the table. Nothing. "…Seriously?" He stood there for a second. "…I'm gonna die." He walked over to the sink and drank water straight from the pipe, holding onto the counter for support. "…At least I won't starve instantly." He wiped his mouth and turned—They were there. The whole party. Standing in the living room. Ruko froze. His eyes slowly narrowed. "…You all ate." Silence. "…And left me nothing." Still silence. "…And didn't wake me up." The atmosphere shifted instantly. Killing intent. They slowly stepped back. "…Uh—" Ruko walked forward. Calm. Too calm. Then—THUD. He blocked the front door. "No one leaves." Kazuma gulped. "…Ahh hah... Ruko, listen—" "Confess." His voice was low. Flat. Dangerous. The party broke. "…OKAY WE ATE EVERYTHING!" Aqua shouted. Ruko nodded slowly. "…Good." Then he raised a finger. "It's time for your guys punishment." They froze.
"…What?" Ruko pointed. "Megumin." She stiffened. "You're my pillow tonight." "…WHAT?!" "Don't argue." She blushed furiously. "NO WAY—!" Ruko moved his finger. "Darkness." She straightened. "You go buy food. Then massage my feet." She trembled. "…Yes." Her face flushed. "Aqua." She pointed at herself nervously. "You clean the entire mansion. Alone." "…WHAT?!" "And massage my shoulders and back." She screamed. "THIS IS SLAVERY—!" Finally— "Kazuma." He stepped back. "…Wait—hold on—" "You cook me something good. And make a proper pillow." "…You're serious?" Ruko didn't blink. Silence. Then— "…Get him." They all attacked. Ruko dodged. Swung. Blocked. Moved like instinct alone carried him. But—It didn't last. THUD. He hit the ground. Again. And somehow—Everything flipped. Minutes later—Ruko found himself cooking. Cleaning. Doing everything. "…Wait." He paused. "…Why am I the one doing this?" They stared at him. "…Because you said it yourself." "…That makes no sense!" Then—Kazuma stepped forward. "…Actually… there's something else I forgot to mention."
Ruko frowned. "…What now?" Kazuma crossed his arms. "…You're under house arrest." Silence. "…What?" Ruko blinked. "…Why?" Kazuma sighed. "We talked about it. At the guild." "…Who's we?" "Us… and Luna." Ruko froze. "…Luna?" Kazuma nodded. "She said you need to be controlled. You've caused too much trouble." Ruko's expression tightened. "We agreed," Kazuma continued, "that you should put to house arrest from 7 PM to 6 AM." Ruko raised a hand. "…Does everyone agreed with this?" Aqua stepped forward. "Obviously. You cause problems everywhere." Ruko pointed at her. "You do the same to our miney allowance." "…THAT'S DIFFERENT!" Kazuma coughed. "Anyway… during the day, you'll help rebuild Axel." Ruko blinked again. "…Come again! Rebuild?" "…Yeah." Kazuma smirked slightly. "You caused the most chaos. So you'll fix it." Ruko went silent. "…And the pay?" Kazuma paused. "…I don't wanna say this but! ...Five copper coins a day." Ruko froze. Then slowly— "…Five… copper?" His brain kicked in Math.
"So ahh? Copper is 5 Eris. Bronze is 50. Since both on low allowance. Silver is about 50–100. Gold is 500. And Mithril is 1,000,000. While banknote is 5000 Eris. After looking at the math of how they will pay him. "…I'm broke." He dropped to his knees. "…I'm actually broke." Kazuma shrugged. "That's your punishment." "…When does it end?" Kazuma smirked. "When Axel is fully rebuilt." Hope. Ruko looked up. "…So I can just finish it fast—" "Without using your skills." Silence. "…What?" Kazuma grinned. "No shortcuts." Ruko's face went blank. Then— "…I'm dead." He tried to run. But ropes tightened around him instantly. "…What—?!" Kazuma waved. "I already planned ahead." Ruko dropped to the ground. "…This is my life now." And it was. Two months passed. Brick by brick. Sweat. Blood. Silence. Ruko rebuilt Axel. Without skills. Without rest. With only five copper a day. Then—It was done. "…Finally." He stood there, tired but hopeful. Reality hit. No one looked at him. No one greeted him. No one thanked him. "…Oh? Yeah right!." He returned home. Quiet. Went to his corner. And sat. Time passed. Four months. Ruko changed. He cleaned. Cooked. Trained. Stayed quiet. The party lived their lives. Laughing. Fighting. Moving on. And keep doing the 'Main Konosuba Storyline'. But Ruko didn't.
One evening—They sat at the table. Talking. Laughing. Ruko set the table silently. Kazuma noticed. "…You've been quiet for half a month now." Ruko looked up. His eyes—Tired. Heavy. "…Four months," Kazuma muttered. "…Six," Ruko replied quietly. Silence. Megumin spoke. "People don't care about you anymore." Aqua added— "Adventurers started avoid you." Darkness finished— "They don't want you in Axel." The words landed. One by one. Silence. They realized too late. Ruko stood up. Aqua reached out. "Wait—" Kazuma stopped her. "…Let him go." Ruko walked away. Upstairs. Slow. Quiet. To his corner. He sat down. "…So this is it." No anger. No sadness. Just… Nothing. He lay back. Closed his eyes. And drifted into sleep. Alone.