My Favorite Isekai Adventure (Konosuba)

"Kobayashi, Kobayashi, let's play a game!"

Just as he was preparing to rest, Aqua suddenly ran over, loudly begging him to play a game with her.

"A game?"

He subconsciously glanced out the window.

It was pitch black outside; clearly, it was already night. Since she mentioned a "game," and it was a man and a woman, it could only be—

"Chess, right?"

"That's right!"

"Heh, I knew it."

He wasn't surprised at all.

Were you thinking she'd want to play that kind of indescribable game with him? Don't be ridiculous. This is Aqua. The idiot goddess!

"Wait, I feel like the look in your eyes is very mean, Kobayashi."

"It's your imagination."

He waved his hand, not letting her pursue it, and asked, "You've been a bit strange lately. Why are you so obsessed with chess?"

"What are you talking about, Kobayashi?"

Aqua tossed her long hair and said proudly, "When you talk about a game that is suitable for someone as intellectual and wise as me, it can only be chess."

Intellectual? Wise? Who?

He looked at her speechlessly. A game that required this much intelligence... could she really play it well?

Nope. I can't imagine her being good at it at all.

"Kobayashi, why do you have that 'I have something to say' look on your face?"

"No, I was just thinking, 'To be unable to correctly recognize oneself is truly a sad thing'... or something."

Seeing the idiot goddess puff up her cheeks, looking like she was about to cry, he quickly changed the subject. "Aqua, why don't you go find Megumin? She loves this kind of game."

"No, no way. Megumin has a move where she sends the king flying off the board. I can't beat her at all," she said, dejected.

"Er..."

As expected of Megumin. To actually make Aqua refuse to play chess with her... in that case, I'd better not play with her either. After all, that move is invincible.

Seeing him hesitate, Aqua urged him, "Come on, come on. You just sit there, Kobayashi. I'll do the rest."

"Hmm???"

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

Looking at the pure, innocent-faced idiot goddess, he wondered if he had misheard. Is she really not trying to be lewd?

Oh well. Since she wants to play, I'll humor her for a bit. Just consider it the usual 'teasing the pet' session.

"You want a game of chess?"

"I am the strongest chess player in my village!"

---Two hours later---

"Whyyyyyyyyyy!!!"

In his room, Aqua let out the tragic howl of a losing dog, staring at the chessboard with watery, bewildered eyes. She still hadn't recovered from the shock.

He flicked his hand, lifting his head proudly, and said with contempt, "Mmm, that makes thirty wins in a row for me. Too weak, just too weak. This is bad... don't tell me I have a talent for chess?"

It couldn't be helped; winning was just too easy.

Although he had wanted to go easy on her, no matter how much he did, she would accurately step into every single trap, every single time. For a moment, he didn't know if she was doing it on purpose or by accident.

In any case, she had lost badly.

And the badly beaten idiot goddess slandered him, "You cheated, Kobayashi, didn't you? No, you definitely cheated! You used [Insight] to cheat!"

"How is that possible!"

He tapped her on the forehead and lectured, "When I use [Spectator], the pattern appears on my forehead. Was there a pattern on my forehead just now? Besides, this is a game played with your hands. How could I even cheat?"

Aqua gritted her teeth, looking very unconvinced.

"Kukuku... one more time! One more time to decide the winner!"

"You really don't know when to quit."

He sighed helplessly.

Playing chess with her was fine; he could just treat it as recreation. Teasing the idiot goddess was also pretty fun. But she was always "taking back her moves," which was extremely annoying.

"Hmm? If I do this..."

She seemed to have discovered something, a smug smile appearing on her face. "Uhahaha, I've won this time. Come on, kneel before me!"

Then, she gently moved a chess piece.

"Oh, that's your move? A little interesting. In that case, I'll just... do this! How about it?!"

He also moved a chess piece.

Just a moment ago, he had been forced into a corner, but with a coordinated push, his pieces instantly turned the tide, forming an encirclement.

Aqua froze. "Huh?"

"You... have no more 'next times'," he said, striking a strange pose and speaking like a chuunibyou.

"W-wait...! That one didn't count!"

"Hey! I already said you have no more 'next times'! How many times do you think this is, you idiot Aqua!"

"Only ten or so!"

"That's just for this game! In total, you've taken back your moves hundreds of times!"

Unfortunately, she couldn't hear his complaints at all. She had already fallen into deep thought, as if she had found a way to break the stalemate, muttering things like "this and that, and then that."

...Hey, stop moving my pieces! Can you even call this chess anymore?!

After waiting for a long, long time.

"Haaah~~~~~"

He let out a big yawn.

He had been ready to sleep, but he had been forcibly required to play chess with her. A long time had passed, and even he was getting tired.

"Aqua, it's time to make your next move."

"Don't talk to me right now! If you suddenly talk to me, won't you mess up my train of thought?"

You have a train of thought?

You've been agonizing over this one move, and you still haven't seen that you were in a checkmate-in-three position three moves ago!

—So troublesome!

Looking at the pensive Aqua, he scolded, "By the way, it's fine to think, but could you please stop sitting cross-legged like an old man? You don't look like a goddess at all, hey!"

"No one's watching, so what does it matter," she said, unmoved.

"No, no, no, I'm right in front of you."

He couldn't help but retort.

This, on the contrary, set her off. She gave him a teasing look and said, "Oh my? Don't tell me you're... looking at me with those kinds of eyes, Kobayashi?"

"No, not at all," he sighed, shaking his head.

But she pushed her luck even further, leaning in and saying, "Don't be so shy~ Just say it honestly. Come on, come on~ If it's you, Kobayashi, it's okay~"

From teasing at the beginning to the seduction at the end... it had to be admitted, she understood fan service.

However, he clasped his hands together and put on the compassionate expression of a saint. Full of apology, he said, "No, really... I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry..."

"W-wait, Kobayashi! Don't actually apologize! My pride as a woman! My pride as a goddess! It's all going to become a mess!"

Now, it was her turn to be anxious.

To not be seen as a woman... was to be seen as having no charm. In that case, wouldn't she be no different from Eris?

But!

The Goddess of Water's innate "forced calm" aura... even he couldn't block it! Even if he wanted to have strange thoughts, it was absolutely impossible!

"Aqua."

"Wh-what?"

"...I'm sorry."

"Kobayashi!!!"

That night, not only was her intelligence completely crushed, but even her pride as a goddess was trampled upon.

(End of Chapter)