" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

Your POV:

"Hey there, we're back. Oh, Aqua. I see you made it after all. More or less."

Megumin: Ah, welcome back, you guys. Well, it seemed like she managed to avoid capture until the time limit, but...

Aqua: Uuu... Uu... I did as Kazuma suggested and headed for the water purification plant... But I got discovered on the way there... I had no choice but to jump into the small pool they use for agriculture... Then... Then !

"So you wanted her to dive into the reservoir and stay there until time runs out... Honestly, that's quite a good plan. She wouldn't have any problems breathing underwater until evening after all. What next ?"

Megumin: From what I head, the tax collector and the... private army tried to force her out by bombarding the pool with fire magic and laser beams to boil her out. Fortunately, the sun set before they managed to do so, but Aqua seems to be really shaken by it. She's been crying non-stop...

"I see..."

Megumin: ... Oh ? You still haven't unlocked that handcuff connecting the both of you ?

"It's... A bit more complicated..."

Kazuma: You... Did what ?

"Well, they taxed all the profits we made with the corporation. Which includes your share as well."

Kazuma: ... Hey, gimme that.

*Click*

"... Why did you... Kazuma ?"

"I think it has more to do about petty revenge than being unlucky..."

Darkness: To prevent a criminal from easily freeing themselves if they get their hands on a key, each set of handcuffs has a unique key... And the key to this one is...

Kazuma: Somewhere out in the yard because of this idiot. She didn't want me to be able to easily steal it, and she doesn't remember where she threw the key. When it's this dark out, even with my night vision, there's no way to be able to find something this small hidden out in the middle of the yard. There's no choice but to wait 'til tomorrow morning and get her to look for it.

Megumin: Oh. Does that mean that the two of you will have to take a bath together, go to the toilet together, and sleep together tonight ? How nice.

"... ... ... Huh."

Darkness: I- I'm full... ...

Megumin: ... What are the two of you so nervous for ? We've known each other for quite some time, haven't we ? After becoming such close friends, what's the big deal with sleeping together ? If you are worried about being alone, we can join you as well. It'd be good to have all five of us sleeping together, wouldn't it ?

Darkness: P- Please do...

"I honestly wouldn't mind..."

Darkness: Heh ? Hey, as a woman, it's acceptable for me to want Megumin to accompany me... But what excuse would a man like you have for wanting the same thing ? At the end of the day, I'm still a lady, so hearing that doesn't sit well with me.

"With only the two of us on their own, I give it like 15 minutes before a misunderstanding happens, most likely with Aqua spreading all sorts of rumor everywhere. And on top of that, I clearly remember you moving a lot in your sleep, so I'd like to avoid waking up in your grasp with a few broken ribs."

Darkness: W- What are you saying ?! What kind of world would a person capable of doing that in her sleep even exist in ?

Aqua: Oh, speaking of which, I think it would be the first time the five of us spent the night in the same room in this mansion. How about I entertain you all with some ghost stories before we go to bed ?

Megumin: N- No, I think I'll pass on that..

Kazuma: Y- Yeah, this place used to be haunted, you know ? It's best not to talk about ghost stories in a place like this.

Darkness: Seriously, you call yourselves adventurers yet you're scared of a few ghost stories ? It's no wonder we've been receiving petitions about adventurers becoming cowards lately. I really wish you guys would straighten up.

Kazuma: ... Come to think of it, you've been saying that the adventurers have all gotten lazy recently... And petitions ? Oh, right, your house is currently ruling over this town, right ?

Darkness: i'm sure you're aware of the situation; Now that the adventurers in this town have gotten rich, they've become unwilling to take on quests. We've managed to clear the quests that were piled up somehow, but they won't change their behavior that easily. Even now, the numbers of monsters close to the town have been steadily increasing. But with this, everyone will want to work a little harder-

"hey, hold on for just a second there... Are you saying all of this situation is because all the adventurers in this town became NEETs ? Then, the reason behind this emergency summon, and why this was the first time we heard about paying taxes after being exempted for so long is..."

Darkness: Seems like you understand. It'd be a different story if that continued to protect the town as they did before, but there's no need to extend any special consideration to a bunch of NEETs. This special operation is to both raise funds and deal with the NEETs in this town. The guild workers should be quite pleased with this. We've managed to increase tax revenue, by quite a margin, and we've also lit a fire under the adventurers who've been living a leisurely lifestyle. I'm sure the population of monsters around the town will decrease from now on. But don't worry, the money we got from the adventurers will all be used on the adventurers-

Kazuma: Hold on a minute !! Are you saying that I got chased around the town for half a day for such a stupid reason ? To kick all these newly rich and lazy adventurers back into gear ?!

Darkness: Nonsense ! What do you mean by stupid ?! Labour and taxes are the duty of the citizens in this country ! What's wrong with collecting the taxes that we are owed from people who refuse to work ? This country does not need NEETs ! Those who can work but refuse to should be thrown out with the garbage !

Kazuma: That's a party member denying the life I've led up 'till this point !

"Isn't it funny how what you just said applies at a lot of nobles who purposely avoid their taxes ?! Why don't you start worrying about all the ultra-rich not paying a dime before going after the adventurers who risk their lives for their earnings ?!"

Megumin: ... It doesn't seem likely for anything to happen between you two, so I think I'll let you sleep alone tonight. And while you're at it, take this chance to bond a little.

Kazuma: ... ... 'I think you should soon learn what their true relationship is...'

"... Did you know ? There were countries where nobles would hate bathing with a burning passion, and would rather cover their bodies with fancy perfumes instead."

Darkness: Wha- What are you saying ! Even us nobles would take a bath every day ! Just what country do such bath-hating exist in ?! ... It's just, considering our situation, I think it'd be better to forgo a bath and instead wipe our bodies down...

"One, how do you even plan to when these handcuffs don't let us take clothes off ? Second, you spent a good portion of the day running around town. No offense, but you're not getting to bed in that state. Not get over here."

Darkness: N- No, taking a bath means being naked...

Megumin: It's my turn ! Magic Card: Swamp magic. With this, Aqua's monsters will not be able to take action for three turns.

Aqua: ... Uuu, I can't do anything. Pass.

'... Are you really being that self-conscious after everything that happened ? And may I remind you you already barged in the bathroom while I was soaking myself...'

Darkness: 'I- It's not the same, okay ?! I don't really mind you seeing my naked body, so it's fine. In fact, it'd be a reward in some way, so you need not mind.'

'Make up your damn mind already !'

Megumin: My turn. Magic card: Explosion. My opponent instantly disintegrates.

Aqua: Waah ! Megumin, you're really abusing those spell cards ! This is the third time I've lost without being able to do anything !

"Ahhh... I feel better already... Baths are the best..."

Darkness: ... D- Do you really not care about stripping naked while i'm still next to you ? T- To boldly expose your naked body in front of a young noble maiden... No, there's really nothing more I can say about your behavior.

"And you have the nerve of acting all coy and squeamish now..."

Darkness: ... Do you think the adventurers will hate me now ?

"Hmm... That's a tough one. In the first place, nobody knows that this was carried out on your orders, right ? And with how long they've been exempted from taxes, I don't think they'd resent you that much... You probably should refrain from calling them 'Lazy NEETs' though.

Darkness: ... I didn't want to resort to doing this either. But to be honest, the finances of this country are in a bad enough shape that we have to resort to borrowing money from Elroad. The money that we took from them today will eventually find their way back to them many fold... If the adventurers took their jobs more seriously, I wouldn't be doing this either...

"... Well, I guess there is a responsibility that comes with every job... You'd expect people who chose the adventurer to keep on protecting the people even after they earn money..."

Darkness: This is the town of beginners. In order to help new adventurers find their footing, there are a lot of facilities in this town designed to aid them. They are given special treatment under the expectation that they'll continue to protect the people and the country. Journeyman and veteran adventurers still keep their responsibilities in mind even if they become rich, but the beginners in this town are a little... I don't know why, but there's a strange school of thought that has taken root amongst the adventurers in this town.

"... And that would be... ?"

Darkness: Ah, for some reasons, stupid sayings like "If you work, you lose' have been really popular amongst the adventurers of this town as of late.

'... God dammit Kazuma...'

Darkness: What's wrong ? Why have you gone silent ? Seems like you have an idea of why this happened. So, do you have anything to say ? Why don't you share them with me ?

"... No, I don't..."

Aqua: One more round ! This will be the last one, so give me one more round !

Megumin: I don't want to. It'll be the same no matter how many times you try. You're no match for me. So, as promised, I'll have you do a favor for me, okay ?

"Well, I see you lot are awfully lively for the time. It's still a bit early, but I feel like we should go to sleep. I wanna wake up early tomorrow and look for that stupid key before needing a bathroom break."

Darkness: ... S- Sounds good. A- Are you sure you don't want to join us, Aqua ? Megumin ?

Megumin: The two of you can sleep alone tonight. Judging from how you were acting a while ago, it doesn't seem like any kind of accidents will occur. Actually, it'd be better if you two could improve your relationship to the point where those kinds of accidents might occur. It's about time you two acted more like adults.

Kazuma: 'You're saying that literally to the two only adults in this party...'

'Well, if she wants accidents to occur, might as well oblige..'