The setting sun dyed the stone-paved roads of Axel a warm gold.
Shiho's team dragged their heavy steps, limping through the city gate and heading along the main street toward the Adventurer's Guild.
Mrs. Shizuka was carrying Aqua on her back. That blue long hair hung over Mrs. Shizuka's shoulder. Her face was black in some places, white in others. Her hair was a tangled mess. She looked like someone just rescued from a fire scene.
But even so, Aqua was sleeping soundly.
Her head rested on Mrs. Shizuka's shoulder, her mouth slightly open, drool dripping down the corner of her mouth.
All you can say is, being an idiot really has its benefits. At least you don't have so many worries.
Kazuha was carrying Megumin. Her condition wasn't much better either. After her magic power was exhausted, she was like a pile of soft mud. Her staff was being carried by Hana beside her.
On the way back, Shiho had a dark face the entire time.
Her peripheral vision swept over Aqua and Megumin being carried. The corner of her mouth turned down. She said crossly, "A useless goddess who spends all day dragging everyone down, good for nothing except performing at parties and eating, and a useless Crimson Demon brat who can only use Explosion Magic once a day..."
She took a deep breath, her voice rising a few more notches. "Are all the adventurers in this world like this?"
Aqua turned over on Mrs. Shizuka's back, muttered a groggy sleep talk, and went back to sleep.
Megumin, on the other hand, just giggled foolishly. She was long used to such evaluations.
After returning to the guild, the group sat down, quite exhausted.
Hana pulled out a chair and then collapsed onto the table.
That pair of astonishing soft mounds were pressed into two hemispheres on the tabletop, squeezing out from either side of her bent arms.
Mrs. Shizuka gently rubbed her temples with her thumbs.
Even for her, a woman who had experienced the death of her husband and son and had a mental capacity far exceeding ordinary people, she couldn't help but feel exhausted at the moment.
"Shiho, what are we eating tonight?" Hana's voice was muffled in her arms, weak and listless.
Shiho rolled her eyes. "Thanks to a certain stupid goddess, we didn't earn a single copper coin today."
The women's gazes uniformly fell on Aqua.
Aqua was lying on the table pretending to sleep, but her eyelashes were slightly trembling.
"There's no helping it. Everyone, just bear with it tonight."
Akemi clapped her hands. "Luckily, we already prepaid a week's lodging at the inn. We don't have to sleep outside."
This was probably the only thing the group could be happy about.
Otherwise, they would really have to stay in a stable.
Just then, a voice came from the direction of the entrance, causing the expressions of the three Uzaki women, Kazuha, and Mrs. Shizuka to change dramatically at the same time.
"So this is the Adventurer's Guild in Axel?"
Several people turned their heads to look toward the door.
Kazuha's pupils suddenly contracted. Mrs. Shizuka's eyelids also twitched violently.
'It's him!'
The three Uzaki women, however, all involuntarily broke into smiles.
Hana bounced up from the table, braced her hands on the tabletop, her eyes wide, the corners of her mouth uncontrollably turning up.
"Senpai, how about we come back tomorrow?"
Yu walked beside Makoto, his gaze sweeping over the adventurers drinking and chatting in the hall, and suggested.
Before Makoto could answer, a black shadow shot out from under a nearby table, like a snake wriggling on the ground.
Yunyun suddenly felt something grab her ankle.
"Kyaa—!!"
Yunyun was so scared she jumped back, instinctively lifting her other foot to stomp on it.
"I-it's me... it's me..." Megumin's weak voice came from the ground.
Yunyun paused, looked down for a good while, and only after examining the dirty magic robe and the crooked eye patch did she recognize this face.
"Megumin? Wh-what happened to you?" She quickly crouched down, reached out, and helped Megumin up from the ground.
"I-I just fought the Demon King's army... my magic power is exhausted..."
Megumin's voice was intermittent. "I-I need to eat something to restore my magic power... Yunyun..."
Yunyun's eyes immediately reddened. "Really? Megumin, what do you want to eat?"
Makoto watched this scene and couldn't help but be speechless, 'This flat-chested member of the Crimson Demon Clan really lied through her teeth.'
'But it only worked on Yunyun anyway.'
"Commander—!"
Hana bounced up from her chair and ran toward Makoto.
She was barely 1.5 meters tall, but her steps were very quick. That pair of astonishing soft mounds shook wildly as she ran, like two uncontrolled fleeing rabbits.
Kazuma nearly choked to death on his own saliva. He quickly turned his face toward the corner of the wall. He knew this was not something he could look at.
"You guys came too?"
Makoto blinked, his gaze looking past Hana at Tsuki and Yanagi behind her, who were waving at him.
Not seeing any other familiar faces, Makoto asked, "Chika and the others aren't here?"
"No, they're not."
Hana stopped in front of Makoto, then extended her index finger to point in the direction of the Miyano sisters. "Thanks to Shiho and Akemi, we haven't encountered any danger."
She then pursed her lips toward Shiho. "Shiho is amazing. She knows the weaknesses of every monster."
Makoto's gaze followed the direction of her finger.
He found it a bit amusing.
He had thought that after Shinichi went offline, he would never encounter people from the Grim Reaper elementary school student universe again. He never expected to meet so many at once.
Kazuha's expression changed dramatically in an instant. Her feet, too excited, involuntarily trembled under the table.
Mrs. Shizuka reached under the table, pressed her hand on top of hers, and gently shook her head.
Under Hana's introduction, Makoto's group and Shiho's group moved tables together and sat down.
Yunyun helped Megumin into a chair, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped her face. Megumin, enjoying Yunyun's service, groaned weakly.
"Yunyun, I want the crispy fried toad leg set meal... large size..."
"Okay, okay, I'll order it right away."
Yunyun waved over Luna and ordered the large crispy fried toad leg set meal.
Megumin didn't stand on ceremony either. When the set meal arrived, she grabbed a toad leg with her hands and stuffed it into her mouth, crunching loudly.
Oil dripped down the corner of her mouth. She wiped it with her sleeve and continued eating.
The other teammates sat nearby, watching Megumin feast, and couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva.
Shiho's Adam's apple bobbed. Hana's gaze moved back and forth between Megumin's plate and her own empty table. Yanagi's little hand felt her stomach under the table.
"Come to think of it, it is dinner time."
Makoto waved over Luna, the receptionist. "One of everything on the menu."
Luna was a bit surprised, her little notebook nearly slipping from her hand. "Ordering so much... can you finish it all?"
Makoto waved his hand with a smile. "This is already a small order. I'm planning to go to some other good places tonight too."
Luna looked at Makoto's sincere expression and didn't say anything more. She turned and went to the kitchen to arrange it.
But she clearly didn't catch that what Makoto meant by 'going to some other good places' wasn't going to other restaurants to eat, but to experience the local specialty... the Succubus Den.
However, Makoto didn't want to dream. He planned to have the succubi serve him directly.
Soon, dish after dish of grand cuisine was brought out.
Meat steaks were piled into small mountains. Grilled fish were lined up head to tail in a row. Stews were steaming hot in clay pots.
Beam and the Four Gay Bros didn't care at all that they were sitting at a table full of beautiful women. They grabbed the meat and stuffed it into their mouths.
The sounds of crunching food and bobbing Adam's apples rose and fell, like a pack of wolves that hadn't eaten in three days.