Chapter Text
Luna sighed heavily as she finally slumped into her seat in the back office of the guild hall, raking a hand through her hair as she finally got a chance to catch her breath. Yet another long shift was coming to a close, and yet again it felt like she’d accomplished too little in one day full of work. The fires just never seemed to stop popping up...both figuratively and literally.
“Another tiring day at the office?” Sena asked her co-worker and close friend as she filled out some last-minute paperwork. Being Belzerg’s former royal prosecutor, the raven-haired woman was no stranger to constant busywork, and while being just a tad cheeky with her fellow guild staff member, she did empathize with Luna…even if she did feel her current job was child’s play compared to her old one. “With the amount of hours you put in, surely they’d let you take a paid vacation by now, right?”
“Oh, you know what they say. No rest for the wicked, and someone needs to make sure the wicked don’t burn down their favorite establishment. Apparently, fate decided that that someone was me.” Luna replied with a quiet huff of a laugh, leaning back further in her chair and offering Sena a wry smile. “Seems like you’re doing quite well as of late, though. Don’t suppose you’d be up to helping me through a few incident reports before clocking out for the day?”
“What kind of incident reports?” Sena asked suddenly, her paperwork temporarily forgotten after hearing this troubling news. “And why wasn’t I told about this sooner?”
“Oh, the guild likes to keep such things hush-hush. No interest in a spectacle, they tell me.” Luna replied, offering the former prosecutor a small stack of papers separated from her own pile. “Most of it is just petty disputes, minor damages, your dime a dozen reports for a place full of rowdy adventurers. The last few that have been rolling in, though...they present a troubling pattern.”
Sena took a moment to peruse through the new stack of papers before raising her eyebrows and adjusting her glasses accordingly. “Suspicious activity reported near the guild’s vault?”
“Yup, that’s the one. No reported items stolen or any breaches to the vault itself, but activity has been reported afterhours by other personnel.” Luna confirmed, staring at the file in question with visible unease. “Needless to say, if someone is attempting to rob the guild, it’d not only be a serious offense but also a major threat to security if news of such an attempt spread to other cities. A well known secret of our trade is that most guilds keep their wealth stored with the same defense system. If one person were to crack that code…”
“Then it’d be more than just our jobs on the line…” Sena finished ominously. Suddenly, she stood up, going into “ultra-serious stoic mode” as many members of the staff have come to call it. “Right, what do you recommend we do? You are the manager here, and thus have the closest ties with the higher-ups. What is your professional opinion on the situation?”
“Truthfully, there’s not much we can do outside of waiting. Without proper authorization, I can’t increase the security myself, and the guild has been a touch stingy with their eris as of late, so I’m not particularly confident they’d even listen to my request.” Luna huffed, leaning forward onto her desk and propping her head up with her arm. “Best idea I have at the moment is an old-fashioned stake out. Set the proximity alarm to max, and wait to see if anyone tests their luck.”
Sena nodded along as she listened intently. “Well then, a classic stake out will just have to do, at least until we can get proper authorization for increased security.” Then, like magic, a ghost of a smile graced the guild worker’s lips as she suggested, “Perhaps you could ask for additional hands for this little operation? Say, Kazuma Satou for instance?”
Luna pursed her lips, trying her damndest to quell the blush that rose on her cheeks at the very mention of her not-so-subtle crush. She’d done such a good job of keeping it under wraps for so long, and the moment Sena started working with her, she seemed to pick up on her feelings instantly.
“I...I’m sure he’s busy. Even if he isn’t, I’m sure sitting back here in the dark with me doesn’t qualify as his idea of a fun Sunday night.” She retorted hastily, clearing her throat and turning away, busying herself by stacking her paperwork. “Really, I should be able to handle it myself. Even if things do get violent, I have a crossbow for a reason.”
Sena’s specter of a smile vanished instantly, clearly none too pleased with her friend’s response. Humming unenthusiastically, she gathered the stack of paperwork she was working on and said evenly, “Well, just a harmless suggestion. You have been working at this guild longer than I have, so you must know what you’re doing. I have the utmost confidence in your abilities.”
“Thank you, Sena. I appreciate the sentiment, truly.” Luna replied, offering the former prosecutor a small smile. “Well, it’s starting to get late and I have quite a bit of work ahead of me before I can grab what supplies I need for my stakeout. I suppose I will see you in the morning, then?”
“Indeed. I wish you the best of luck,” Sena answered, letting slip a small but genuine smile of her own. “Honestly, I get the impression you are overqualified for your job here. I mean, conducting a sting operation all on your own for no extra pay? I have half a mind to use my previous status as a royal prosecutor to make some heads roll…”
“Ha! As fun as that image is, I don’t need extra pay for doing my job, as elaborate as it may seem.” Luna replied with a soft chuckle while she shook her head, smiling at the thought of the stoic prosecutor snapping on any of her superiors. “Honestly, while I butt heads with our leadership, they’ve looked out for me in the past, and kept me on my feet when things got rough. I do what’s required of me to repay that loyalty.”
“If you say so, Lun, if you say so” Sena relented lightly before starting to make her leave. “Well, I’m clocking out now. I’ll finish the rest of this paperwork at home. Stay safe tonight, alright?”
“Will do, Sena. Have a good one!” Luna replied with a short wave, before turning her attention fully back to her work in an attempt to get what she could done before making the necessary preparations. Around two hours later, she’d managed to both significantly reduce her paperwork pile and gather the majority of what she was going to require for her stakeout. Now if she could just find those damn lanterns…
“Yo, Luna!” said a familiar voice which practically made the poor woman “eep!” in surprise. “Heard you needed a lookout buddy tonight, huh?”
“K-kazuma! I, uh, I wasn’t expecting you!” Luna sputtered in surprise as she turned to face him, clearing her throat before continuing with a far less frantic tone. “Who told you I needed backup?”
“Uh, Sena did?” Kazuma supplied, scratching his cheek in apparent confusion. “I thought you knew…unless I got duped as well...”
“Ah, makes sense. I suppose she’s the only other person who knew about my plans.” Luna remarked, having shaken off the initial surprise and now left with a bizarre optimism. “Well, if you’re here, I certainly wouldn’t mind the company! I have a long night ahead of me, and it would be nice to have someone to talk to.”
“Sure! The girls and I weren’t really planning on doing anything special tonight anyway,” the green-clad adventurer said, smirking at the receptionist in a cheeky manner. “Besides, it’d be a good chance to repay you for that free coupon you gave me for my birthday.”
“That was a birthday present, Kazuma. You don’t have to repay me for it.” Luna chided with a chuckle, fixing the young man with her own smile as she offered him an alternative. “If you insist on ‘repaying’ me, though, help me track down the emergency lanterns that are supposed to be in the storage room. Then we can call it even.”
“You got it,” Kazuma responded with a snapped finger gun, following Luna into the back rooms to help her locate the lanterns. After eventually finding them hiding in an incorrectly labeled box (whoever organized the supply room last was going to get an earful for sure), the two made their way to the guild’s vault.
Inside was a fairly basic set up: two chairs, a table, and Luna’s assembled supplies strewn along the latter. Most of it was simple stuff, like snacks and spare arrows for her crossbow, which sat not too far away leaning on the leg of the table itself. Adding the lanterns to the mix, Luna nodded to her new partner and broke out a small smile.
“Alrighty, this should be all we need. Now...to get to work.”
~~~
Kazuma leaned back in his chair, precariously balancing both it and himself on its hind legs. Luna, meanwhile, sat on her chair normally as she helped herself to some trail mix. It’d been a few hours since the two started guarding the vault and aside from some scattered conversations here and there, they were both positively bored out of their skulls.
“Sooo…” Kazuma slowly started again, anything to keep the monotony of sitting around and doing nothing from driving him insane. “When’d you learn how to fire a crossbow? No offense intended, but I always pegged you as someone who couldn’t bring themselves to hurt a fly.”
“None taken, I can understand the assumption. I don’t exactly intend to come off as threatening.” Luna replied before swallowing her latest handful, clearing her throat after she did so and continuing. “That said, I actually learned how to shoot back at my village. After my father’s passing, I wanted to learn how to defend myself and the people around me. One of the local hunters had a spare crossbow and offered to teach me, and the rest is history!”
“Cool,” Kazuma hummed with a smile. “Always a good idea to learn self-defense early on in life. Well…maybe I’m not the best person in the world to preach that considering I didn’t know how to fight properly till I came here. Hell, sometimes I still don’t know if I’m doing it right or not.”
“Mhm, given your track record, I’d say you have a decent handle on combat.” Luna assured him, recalling quite a few tales spread around the hall of his party’s exploits and battles, both the good and less flattering. “As of late, I’ve only heard good things. I think you’ve just improved over time.”
Kazuma chuckled lightly as he sat down properly and reached out to grab a fresh apple from the snack pile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I mean, if Darkness can learn to get good with a sword and even help me train with my own, then I guess anybody can do it.”
Luna chuckled lightly at the quip, quietly surprised by just how well things were going on their stakeout. Granted, she didn’t expect anything dramatic, but just being able to talk to Kazuma in a relaxed setting was refreshing, and was definitely lessening her anxieties about her feelings for him. Maybe...maybe she’d even work up the courage to at least bring it up some time.
Of course, such thoughts were put on hold when a sudden, shrill alarm pierced the calm atmosphere as the vault’s lights suddenly dimmed and the large metal door cracked open ever so slightly.
“Heads up,” Kazuma stated in an even tone as stood up and unsheathed Chunchunmaru 2. “We got visitors.”
Luna nodded simply, grabbing her crossbow and notching a fresh arrow well leveling it in the direction of the slowly opening door. After a few seconds of waiting, there was finally a sign of movement as a shrouded head peaked in...followed by a surprisingly familiar voice.
“Oh, sh*t. Hey, guys!”
“…I should’ve known – goddammit, Chris!” Kazuma couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation once the figure stepped forward and pulled back her cloak. “I thought petty theft was enough to satisfy your urges, ya freakin’ kleptomaniac.”
“Hey! For your information, I’m not stealing from the guild! I don’t have a death wish, thank you very much!” Chris retorted, stepping into the vault proper and planting her hands on her hips while shooting her quasi-boyfriend a mild glare. “They actually hired me to test the security of this place! For a pretty chunk of eris, no less! Tonight was the first night I was able to actually breach the vault, so good on them!”
“Wait, my bosses hired you to test out security...and they didn’t tell me first?” Luna quired, her eyes narrowing slightly as she lowered her crossbow, considering the thief’s words. She’d been left out of the loop on certain changes before, but the actual testing of their vault...it seemed like a bit much. “Do you have any proof that you’re working for them?”
Without wasting another second, Chris retrieved the contract from her equipment pouch and presented it to the befuddled guild receptionist. “All written and accounted for. The Guild Master himself even signed off on it. It’s as legit as it gets.”
Luna took the paper and looked it over, and sure enough, it was official. Sealed and stamped, exactly as it should be. A flow of emotions flowed through her as she stared at the contract. Irritation, confusion, exasperation, and at the end of it all, an odd sort of acceptance. Unfortunately, this was just how the guild liked to operate, which meant she probably shouldn't have been surprised by this turn of events.
“Yikes, sorry Lun,” Kazuma said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I don't know what else to say except…sorry.”
“...honestly? I’m not half as upset as I should be over this. At this point, I might as well just be happy that it’ll mean less paperwork in the near future.” Luna retorted with a slightly numb tone, sighing and handing Chris back her contract. “Well, consider your duty fulfilled, Chris. Report to whoever offered you this job, turn in your results, and I will likely get to shove most of the forms related to this still sitting on my desk far, far away.”
“Uh…y-yeah, sure thing,” supplied the goddess incognito. Even though she had to commit to her role as the charming, playful thief girl, Eris couldn't help but to break character slightly when she saw the hollow look in Luna’s face. “You, uh, need any help cleaning up before I leave or anything…?”
“No, no. I’m sure I can handle it myself.” Luna assured her with a short wave and forced smile, turning away to face the table and gathering what remained of her supplies for the apparently meaningless stakeout. “You’re free to go now. Same goes for you, Kazuma, since our stakeout appears to have reached an anticlimactic end.”
Kazuma and Chris both looked at each other in mild concern for their friend. Ultimately, the shaggy-haired adventurer waved the thief, almost having a silent discussion with her about how he’ll handle the rest on his own. With a trusting nod, Chris took her leave, for once in her life not swiping even just a little bit of coinage on her way out (like anyone would’ve noticed anyway).
Now that it was just him and Luna, Kazuma blew an exasperated raspberry as he figured out to say in that moment. Eventually, he settled with, “Well, if there was ever a silver lining to all this, it was nice just getting to chat with you and eat snacks together.”
“That is...very true, yeah. It was nice to just sit back and talk with someone I don’t work with for a change. Trail mix helped, too.” Luna replied with a short laugh, seeming to come out of her funk ever so slightly as she turned to face Kazuma, offering him a small, sweet smile. “Thank you for even coming out tonight. I was expecting to have to do this alone, and if I did, I might have blown a gasket seeing Chirs come through that door.”
Kazuma laughed a bit at the image of his poor, unofficial girlfriend getting her head chewed off by a very angry Luna. “Good thing I was here then. Chris can be a handful, sure, but she does mean well. She took a chance on me when I started out here, didn’t she? A little rough around the edges I think is the best way to describe her.”
“Oh, she’s not so bad. I recognize Chris can be a bit...well, you said it best, actually. She means well, and at the end of the day, I can appreciate that.” Luna admitted, before picking up her pack and the two emergency lanterns from the table, and turning back to Kazuma with an apologetic smile. “Well, I suppose this is the part where we go our separate ways. It was really nice talking to you, Kazuma...maybe, if you’re not busy next weekend--”
Luna’s remaining words quickly died in her mouth the moment she and Kazuma heard a thundering slam followed by the sounds of tiny locking mechanisms going to work. The two very slowly looked back over to the vault door, fearing the worst. Sure enough, it had closed and locked them inside, effectively sealing them in for the rest of the night until somebody from work would come in and set them free Monday morning.
“Aw sh*t…” was all Kazuma could bother to muster up at that moment in time.
Naturally, they did try to break through the door for about five minutes, to no real success. Making enough noise didn’t particularly matter either, given the hour and the thickness of the steel door. All in all, it took only a few minutes for the pair to settle into their own routines for being confined. Kazuma easily slumped into his chair with little more than mild annoyance, muttering about how he hoped the girls wouldn’t worry too much about him.
Luna, on the other hand...well, Luna was on the verge of a breakdown.
“Uh, hey, Lun?” Kazuma started carefully once he noticed his “cell mate’s” condition. “Try to relax, yeah? I’m not happy about the setup either, but it’s not like we’re trapped forever. We just gotta make it through till morning.”
“Relax. You want me...to relax ? RIght now, in this present situation, you think that I can even consider RELAXING?”!” Luna partially shrieked, making Kazuma startle in his seat slightly as she whipped around to face him, leaning forward and jabing him in the chest as she ranted. “My superiors neglected to let me in on their plans, AGAIN! I’m working on three hours of sleep, maximum , AGAIN! And to cap it all off into the world’s perfect clusterf*ck, I’m stuck in here with you of all people for the next eight hours! I could handle my co-workers, hell, even Chris would’ve been fine! But what in the hell am I supposed to do locked in a room with someone I have feelings for!?”
No sooner did those last words leave Luna’s mouth did she promptly cover it with her hand. Though it was already too late at that point; the proverbial cat was out of the bag now.
Kazuma…well, he spent the first couple of seconds blinking as he processed the f*ckton of baggage and information that was dumped on him. Eventually, though, he found his voice once again.
“You have feelings for me?”
“I...I didn’t mean to…” Luna stuttered, grasping at straws in an attempt to regain some kind of control over the situation she just made spiral out of control. When she found none, however, she shut her eyes and sighed in defeat before nodding. “Yes, I...I have feelings for you.”
Kazuma stared at the mess that was the guild’s normally composed receptionist/manager/underpaid hero before gazing down at the floor in silent contemplation.
“Huh…” he muttered mostly to himself. “Suddenly, that random kiss on the cheek you gave me a while back makes sense now.”
A delirious, broken laugh slipped out of Luna’s mouth as she stepped back to the far wall of the vault, sliding down against the cold wall until she was in a sitting potion, leaning her head back she cupped her face and tried to gather a modicum of composure.
“I...I honestly don’t even know how to feel right now.” She admitted in a desperate tone, briefly retracting her hands and shooting Kazuma a look of utter defeat. “I mean, you haven't said you don’t like me that way yet, but you also have your girlfriends to consider...Eris above, I felt so good for half a second finally saying it out loud, but then I thought about it, and I just feel...ugh.”
“Well…I mean…uh…” Kazuma struggled to find the right words for this situation. Truth be told, he never really saw himself with Luna of all people. Although, that wasn’t to say he didn’t find certain qualities about her to be attractive. Her rare but genuine smiles, her outstanding work ethic, her big - !
Personality! Kazuma intentionally cut himself off from within his mind. She has a big, kind, personality, just like Darkness…along with some other shared traits…l-like their blonde hair! Damn my hormones, man…
“Look, Kazuma. I recognize that the position I’ve put you in isn't fair, and I’m sorry. I should have pulled myself together, not been so flippant with my words.” Luna apologized, sinking further into herself slightly as she gulped before managing her next words. “Y-you don’t have to give me an answer. I already understand. I just wished I hadn’t made a fool of myself in front of you…”
“Woah, now hold on a minute!” Kazuma said suddenly, causing the downtrodden receptionist to look back up at him in surprise. “You’re not a fool for having feelings for someone you like, Luna. If anything, I’m actually flattered that you even think of me in that way at all. Not to ruin the moment, but I never really saw you as having a crush on me of all people. I mean, sure, we’re friendly enough to each other at the guild I suppose, but having feelings for me? Where did that come from?”
“Well, I suppose it really started after we took that trip together to my mother’s village.” Luna admitted, a melancholy feeling settling in her chest as she recalled the experience. “Before then, I didn’t see you as much more than a fellow guild member, if not a trustworthy acquaintance...but after that visit, and what you said about how proud my mother would be of me...I guess I started to see you in a different light. It didn’t happen all at once, of course, but over the last few months, I guess things just started to change.”
Kazuma remained silent as he listened intently to Luna’s speech. In all honesty, he hadn’t put much thought into what he said to her back at the village. At the time, he just said the first thing that came to mind in order to comfort the grieving woman. He still meant it, of course, but he didn’t realize how much of an affect those simple words must’ve had on her since then. It was yet another frightening reminder for him the unintentional power his words had around the people he cared about. It was probably something worth mentioning to Ms. Gray for his next therapy appointment.
“Truth be told, Sena actually managed to crack that one open all on her own.” Luna continued with a wry smile, shaking her head slightly as she recalled all the teasing she received from the former prosecutor. “According to her, it was like clockwork. A giggle here, a flush there. I would say I’m surprised you didn’t notice sooner, but if Sena is to be believed, you’re not terribly good at spotting the signs.”
“Well damn, she didn’t need to be that straightforward about it,” Kazuma grumbled, inadvertently making Luna giggle slightly in return. “I’m still new to the whole romance and socialization thing, okay? So excuse me if I don’t notice when a girl has the hots for me.”
“Well, we all have our shortcomings. It’s just what makes us human.” Luna assured him, before some of her anxieties returned and she worked up the courage to ask the more important questions. “That said, I feel like it’s only fair to ask...do you regard me with any such feelings, or do you not see me in such a light?”
Kazuma raked a hand through his messy hair as he considered his own feelings for her. Again, while he never truly saw Luna as anything more than a friendly, workplace associate…that wasn’t to say he was opposed to getting to know her better. She was always a secret delight for him to see whenever he and the others came to the guild to pick out quests, maybe there was a chance that could blossom into something more beautiful between them?
“Truthfully, no, I never exactly saw you in that light,” Kazuma admitted, holding up a finger when Luna was about to cast her gaze down to the floor. “However…I never exactly saw my party members in that light either. And look at us now: we’re one big, weird, happy group couple. Hell, I’m even intimately close with all my close friends, and I didn’t know they were crushing on me beforehand. So, I-I guess what I’m trying to say is…I’m willing to give this relationship thing with you a shot. We’ll have to run this over with the girls of course, but- -“
“I...I don’t even know what to say.” Luna remarked, cutting Kazuma off as he noticed the look of what he could only describe as pure hope on her face. “Thank you, Kazuma. I know there’s no guarantees to be made, but I just want you to know how much this means to me. For the last few years, I served as the guild’s receptionist, wondering if I’d even find someone who makes me feel the way I do about you. Now that the opportunity is here, I intend to see it to its fullest.”
“Jeez, c’mon Lun, don’t hype me up like that,” Kazuma muttered in embarrassment as he stared straight ahead and blushed ever so slightly. “What if I fail to live up to your expectations, huh? Then I’d have something new to add to my guilty conscience. You wouldn't want that to happen to me, now would you?”
“I have faith that you’ll live up to everything you need to. You don’t need to be the best person to have ever existed to please people, you know.” Luna replied, offering the young man across from her a blissfully warm smile, one that inspired a surprising wave of happiness in his chest. “You just need to be you. That’s enough for me.”
Now it was Kazuma's turn to giggle like a schoolgirl, until he eventually realized what he was doing and promptly stopped. Luna couldn’t help herself as she chuckled at the adventurer’s little slip. He glared at her with no real heat in his eyes.
“You know damn well that praises and compliments towards my character are my one weakness…” he growled playfully.
“Oh, and how I will exploit that weakness in the future, regardless of your girlfriends’ verdict.” The receptionist smirked, before she interrupted herself with a long yawn, making Kazuma chuckle in turn as it seemed to strike both parties just how tired they were. “Mhm, my apologies. Like I said earlier, I...I haven’t gotten much sleep as of late. You don’t mind if I nod off here, do you?”
“Knock yourself out. Literally,” Kazuma joked before yawning as well. “I think I’m going to get some shut-eye too. Sleeping should get us out of here faster anyway.”
“Yes, ‘spose you...have a point, there.” Luna agreed groggily, the consequences of her outburst and long work day catching up to her as she gradually slumped against the wall of the vault, eyes already shut as sleep started to take her. “Goodnight, Kauzma.”
“Night, Lun.” Kazuma replied softly, retrieving the blue wool blanket that Luna had tucked into her pack earlier and draping it across her before returning to his seat and laying his head against the table, tired enough that even with the awkward position, he was determined to get at least some shut eye. “Sweet dreams...”
~~~
“YOU THREE ORCHASTRATED THIS WHOLE THING!?”
Kazuma fumed in front of Aqua, Sena, and Chris, the three of them standing before him in their living room the next morning, heads bowed shamefully as their boyfriend shrieked on Luna’s behalf, since the receptionist seemed a bit shell shocked by the news they’d provided them upon arrival.
“I’m sorry, Kazzy…” Aqua murmured quietly, simultaneously proud and ashamed of herself in a paradoxical manner. “It’s just that...well…we had a sneaking suspicion that Luna was feeling left out and wanted to confess to you. So we thought we’d help…give her the push that she needed. Heh, heh… ”
“Nope, you don’t get to laugh at this! Not yet!” Kazuma stated while jabbing an accusing finger in the water goddess’ direction, before turning his attention to the other goddess in the room and regarding her with equal exasperation. “And you ! How the hell did you manage to get that contract for that job?”
“Would you believe me if I told you that was actually something completely unrelated?” Chris asked while looking up slightly. Kazuma crossed his arms and glared, which, in turn, caused Eris/Chris to mirror his actions. “Well it was, okay? The guild hired me to test out the security for their vault right around the same time we were trying to figure out how to get you two lovebirds together.”
Chris’ glare then softened and she smirked while adding, “You could say that Lady Eris was smiling at us at just the right time~”
“Stop that! We’re not cracking jokes right now, this is serious!” Kazuma refuted, still pretty steamed at his three girlfriends for manufacturing a situation just to force Luna to confess. “How on earth did these two even manage to talk you into this, Sena? I thought you were above stuff like this!”
The former prosecutor let out a small but adorable eep and became incredibly flustered. While Kazuma was still miffed about that coordinated stunt they pulled, he had to admit, it was kinda cute; it reminded him of when he messed with her in the interrogation room way back when.
“I-I, that’s, well…” Sena began, squirming in place as she clumsily wiped her foggy glasses. “Oh, I’m truly sorry, Kazuma. There really is no excuse for me. Truth be told, the whole was incredibly similar to the premise of one of my…um, ‘romance’ novels. I got so swept up in the excitement that I failed to consider how you would feel about it. Gods, what was I thinking…?”
Kazuma huffed to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as his temper gradually simmered. He could tell they were all genuinely sorry about the indiscretion, but that didn’t necessarily excuse them after what they pulled. Still, at the end of the day, he wasn’t the one they really needed to apologize to. As such, he turned to Luna, who’d seemed to have composed herself over the last minute or so, and offered her a curious look.
“Luna, I don’t believe you’ve given us your thoughts on the whole ordeal,” Kazuma stated simply. “What say you?”
The receptionist seemed to weigh her options before speaking, taking a deep breath before she addressed the three mischief makers in front of her. “Honestly? I...I have to admit, I’m actually sort of amazed that you three were so willing to share Kazuma with me that you planned to literally lock us in the same room together just to get me to confess my feelings. I have to ask...why?”
The three conspirators all glanced at one another in silent contemplation before Aqua decided to be the one to provide an answer. “Well, like I said, we kinda figured you had some repressed feelings for our man and were feeling left out. I mean, if Megumin, Darkness, and I were willing to share Kazuma with four of our closest friends, who’s to say you should be excluded from that group. We may have caused you some trouble in the past, but you’re still good to us, Luna. You deserve to be happy along with us, especially given your – quite frankly – thankless job.”
Luna actually felt a bit warmed by Aqua’s answer, surprised by how thoughtful their sentiment really was...even if the eventual execution was a touch questionable. Still, at the end of the day, they were not only willing to share him, but they went through a decent deal of trouble to make it happen. While she would have liked to be asked first, Luna did recognize that a push doesn’t always hurt, either.
The blonde giggled slightly to herself and said, “While I don’t personally think I’m exactly worthy of such praise, I am nonetheless extremely honored. I was already somewhat content with simply being a part of Kazuma’s support group as a platonic friend; to be another shoulder to cry on. But to be included as a part of his…well, I’m not sure what to call it, exactly...Regardless, I am very touched, Aqua. Thank you…”
“My pleasure, Luna! Besides, I’m not the only one who supported the idea!” Aqua replied, some of her usual bluster returning as she elaborated further. “Sena and Chris were the first to recommend looping you in, but when I ran it by the rest of the girls, they all approved too! They all had good things to say about you, and that was all the reassurance I needed to consider you part of our little family!”
“Yeah, that sounds on brand for them alright,” Kazuma admitted with a sigh before turning over to look at Luna. “I guess it is what it is. Welcome to our weird-ass family, Lun. If you weren’t already used to our antics before at the guild, you better learn to get used to them sooner rather than later. Because something tells me you’re gonna get roped into a lot of our stupid sh*t now that you’re officially one of us.”
Surprisingly, Luna’s smile actually brightened at the prospect, as she couldn’t deny the excitement she felt over the thought of being a part of a family again. It was actually probably the best occurrence over the last few months. Being able to rely on people, even a group as wild and bizarre as Kazuma’s...well, it felt pretty damn good, frankly.
“I think I can manage that,” she said to Kazuma with a soft smile and loving eyes. “I don’t work at the Adventurer’s Guild for nothing. I’m used to dealing with all sorts of batsh*t insane people. The only difference is you’re the people I’m proud to call my own.”
Kazuma graced the assembled women with his own bright smile, one that was accompanied with a groan after Aqua cooed about how cute he looked. After a bit more bickering, the group ultimately decided to start preparing breakfast for the others before announcing the good news. Luna followed the gaggle towards the kitchen, and allowed herself to truly take in the moment as she came to terms with the fact that for the first time in years, she had a real family again.
