My Favorite Isekai Adventure (Konosuba)

"Kobayashi-senpai..."

"Kazuma-kun..."

"Is it really okay? For me to go with you..."

"Mmm. It has to be you, Kazuma-kun. If it's not you, then it's no good... I'm counting on you, Kazuma-kun!"

"You really are looking forward to this, aren't you? Well then... let's go together!"

"Let's go!"

---The Succubus Shop.

That secret place that all men yearn for, the holy land that Kobayashi had been dreaming of. Today, he finally had the chance to go and have some fun.

In the past, he would definitely not have gone. Even if he did, he would have been caught and dragged back by RyuZU at the last second.

But today was different!

RyuZU, having had her [Magic Circuits] installed, had to stay at home for a full day of system checks every month to prevent incompatibility or some kind of malfunction. And today was her scheduled maintenance day.

In other words, she absolutely could not leave the house, and he could go to the succubus shop and enjoy himself to his heart's content!

...That's how it should have been.

"Why are you three following us?"

Kobayashi stared with dead fish eyes at the three who had been following behind him and Kazuma.

Unlike Kazuma, who had some flaws in minor matters, these three idiot women behind him had problems with common sense itself. You couldn't look at them with the eyes of a normal person.

Kobayashi looked up at the sky. "Ah, the weather is so nice today. The sky is so blue! It's perfect for relaxing in the mansion's courtyard!"

Aqua: "It is."

Megumin: "It is."

Darkness: "It is."

Kazuma also followed suit, stretching his back and shouting with feigned exhaustion. "Aaaah, today's quest was so tiring! I really want to go back to bed early!"

Aqua: "It is."

Megumin: "It is."

Darkness: "It is."

The three of them also chimed in, completely unaware that they were being an eyesore.

These idiots...

The two of them had made meticulous arrangements for this day. Even though they didn't need to do a quest to earn money, they had still been dragged out to do one, and a high-difficulty one at that. The purpose, naturally, was to exhaust their inexplicably abundant energy so that they wouldn't come and bother them.

He hadn't expected that even though they were exhausted, they would still follow. Why in the world? Wouldn't it be better to go home early and rest?

Kobayashi clenched his fists, glaring at the women who were wasting his time.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, it was Kazuma who spoke first. "Oh, right! Let's go to the Guild to turn in the quest. And while we're at it, how about we treat everyone to a nice meal?"

He sought Kobayashi's opinion while secretly winking, as if hinting at something.

Kobayashi looked at the expectant Aqua and the others and realized that they had been following them all this time because they wanted a big meal after their hard work. He gave Kazuma an approving look and agreed to his request.

"Alright, let's have a big meal!"

"Yeah!" x4

He called out to the group, and they headed straight for the Adventurer's Guild.

Today's mission was to clean up the mine that had collapsed when he and Darkness had gone to dig for ore. Since the main responsibility lay with them, and because cleaning up a mine was extremely taxing on both stamina and energy, he had taken the initiative to accept the quest.

"The reward is 300,000 Eris. Please take it."

"Alright, I'll take it."

He took the Eris from the tray Luna handed him, preparing to spend all of it to let Aqua and the others eat and drink their fill so they would go home satisfied.

"Please wait a moment. Mr. Satou, this is a new commission. Please take it."

Luna called out to them and took out a slip of paper from under the counter, handing it to the slightly surprised Kazuma.

"Wow—, you're just handing it out so naturally, you."

"Is something wrong?"

"Th-that is... let me just state for the record, I'm not a tailor, you know."

"Eh?"

"What do you mean, 'eh'?! Do you think I've changed my class to tailor?!"

"You haven't?"

"I haven't... no, I'm not going to!"

Kazuma glared angrily at the embarrassed Luna. He had been so insistent on being a "fashion designer" before. It seemed the importance of the Adventurer class was above that.

"Just kidding, just kidding! Y-yes... I suppose you're still an adventurer. Mmm, you're an adventurer," Luna quickly soothed the agitated Kazuma.

But didn't the use of "suppose" make it sound even more like a mockery? Is that really the right word to use, Miss Luna?

Even Kobayashi felt embarrassed for her, and for Kazuma as well. After all, he had worked so hard, yet he still wasn't being treated as a proper adventurer. It was too tragic.

But Luna's words made Kobayashi curious.

"What's the commission?"

"Ah, it's a commission from that noble who often asks me to make clothes. This paper has the detailed instructions, and he's asked me to finish the clothes within the specified time." Kazuma helplessly handed the paper to him.

Normally, this wasn't allowed. After all, the client's information and the quest content had to be protected. This was the reason Aqua hadn't said anything before. But they were members of the same party, and he, unlike Aqua, didn't want to show off. It wouldn't be good if it ended up causing a big mess like with that idiot goddess.

He unfolded the paper. There was only a short dialogue on it.

"...Hey."

"What is it?"

"We've been alone together a lot recently, haven't we?"

"Ah, now that you mention it, that's right."

"I feel my heart pounding a little."

"Wh-what's wrong, all of a sudden..."

"So..."

"So?"

"Honestly, are you going to make me say everything?"

Based on the above dialogue, please create an outfit suitable for such a lewd girl in this special scenario.

...What kind of high-level reading comprehension question was this?!

It was just like one of those bizarre, difficult exam questions: "There are two jujube trees... analyze the author's psychological state at the time and write an essay of at least 1000 words."

Kobayashi was completely numb after seeing it.

And judging from that noble's hobbies, this "girl's" outfit was definitely not for a girl to wear. Absolutely not!

"You've really had it rough, Kazuma-kun, in every sense of the word."

"No, as long as the pay is good enough..."

But there are some things in this world you just can't do, even for a lot of money! ...Although he really wanted to say that, in order not to let Kazuma know the truth, he could only hold it back.

Poor kid. To work so hard just to earn some pocket money. I should probably increase his allowance when we get back.

Luna said worriedly, "What should we do? If Mr. Satou doesn't agree..."

"No, I'm fine... but just as I said before..."

"You might not be able to make all of it, right? It's fine, I've already spoken with the client."

Hearing him agree, Luna showed a sweet smile. From that smile, it seemed she had also received a considerable benefit.

Mmm, I should find a chance to squeeze some of that benefit out of her. After all, a member of our party contributed to it.

Kobayashi thought to himself, staring at her exaggerated chest.

"—Hey! Kobayashi! Kazuma!"

From a distance, Aqua called out to them, complaining, "Are you done yet? I'm starving! Can we order first?"

"Aqua..."

"This idiot glutton goddess..."

He and Kazuma exchanged a smile and walked over to where the party was sitting.

In order not to have his plan disturbed, Kobayashi, as if to compensate, let them eat and drink as they pleased. Aqua drank several mugs of sparkling liquor in a row and was not reprimanded. In short, all requests were granted tonight.

After eating and drinking their fill, they should have returned to the mansion.

But...

The three of them sneakily followed behind him and Kazuma.

From time to time, they would hide behind the signs on either side of the road or in the corners of alleys. The passersby who saw them were all startled, and then, as if they had figured something out, quickly ran away.

In Axel, there were female stalkers.

The adventurer protection laws were aimed at men, but were extremely lenient towards women, so some perverted women often did bad things to young boys.

Clearly, they had been mistaken for such perverts... no, there really was a pervert among them!

But in reality, it was a completely different matter.

Aqua pinched her chin like an old man and said, "Something's not right. Very not right! Kobayashi was too indulgent with me tonight. That's not like him at all! Something must have happened!"

She hadn't expected the idiot goddess to be the first to notice the abnormality, and that the flaw in his plan was being too indulgent with her.

"That's right. I'm not old enough, but he let me drink sparkling liquor too, though in the end, Aqua snatched it away and drank it."

"Me too. I wanted to take off all my clothes in the guild, and he agreed, though I was stopped as soon as I took off my armor... hiss— hah— hiss— hah—"

Megumin and Darkness also spoke of the abnormalities they had noticed.

To think that all three of them had noticed something was wrong. He didn't know if this counted as him lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

"Everyone, don't talk! Let's follow them quietly and find out what's going on!"

"Yeah!" x3

The thrill of uncovering someone else's secret was exciting, so the three of them shouted quite loudly. Thus, their stalking operation was exposed before it even began.

"What 'yeah'?! What are you three doing?"

"...K-Kobayashi?!"

To be discovered so easily... the three girls sheepishly came out from behind the sign and stood in a line, as if waiting to be reprimanded.

"Hey, why are you still following us?"

Kazuma, who believed in gender equality, questioned them, annoyed. He had already satisfied them. They should have obediently gone home and not bothered him.

"W-we just happened to be going in the same direction."

Darkness's eyes darted around, her tone a little weak.

This idiot knight was a pious Eris believer and was extremely bad at lying. Even Kazuma had noticed.

The three of them gathered together, whispering about something.

"They're suspicious of us. Is this okay?" Megumin asked worriedly.

Aqua said, as if she had given up, "It's fine. Even if it's exposed that we were stalking, we're doing it for Kobayashi's sake, so we can just follow them openly."

"No, it's best not to be exposed," Darkness corrected.

And Kobayashi had already figured out the reason for their stalking by reading their lips.

So you were worried about me? Thanks a lot! But you're in the way right now! Can you please leave?

He felt a little moved, but mostly, he was just annoyed.

"Hey—, Kobayashi! Kazuma!"

Suddenly, a slovenly voice cut in, attracting everyone's attention.

It was Dust.

"I heard you guys have been having a rough time lately in various ways."

His teasing words were undisguised.

Kobayashi stared with dead fish eyes and said, "If you know, then don't say it."

"Sorry, sorry." His apology had no sincerity. However, he still invited them, "At a time like this, the best way is to eat something delicious and have a big drink. Let me treat you to a tavern later."

"Thanks for the invitation... but I don't need any healing right now."

"Oh my? You don't need healing?"

"Wh-what's wrong..."

"In that case, you wouldn't go to that shop even if I asked you, right?"

"Hmph, that shop is another matter."

The three of them revealed a smile that all men would understand.

Speaking of which, he was just planning to go to the succubus shop later. Since that was the case, he might as well take Dust with him. His appearance could help him get rid of the girls.

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about?!"

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about us."

Perhaps their smiles were too lewd. Darkness's question followed, and Kazuma explained with a bit of a fluster.

Dust also whispered, "This isn't something we can let the girls hear. Let's move a little further away."

"You're right. It's a good chance to ditch them."

The three of them exchanged a look. The tacit understanding between men allowed them to communicate their thoughts briefly.

Kobayashi shouted to the three girls, "Sorry, we have some men's talk to discuss. You guys go on ahead."

"It's fine. We'll wait here."

"Just let us know when you're done."

"Please be quick!"

If we're telling you to go, then just go...

These three idiots had made up their minds to follow them to the end, even though they had already been exposed.

"Speaking of that shop, Kazuma, do you still have a pass?"

Dust shamelessly asked him for a free pass to the succubus shop.

Kazuma, however, said in surprise, "Shouldn't you be the one treating me? Have you already used up all the passes I gave you before?"

"Can't be helped, right? Every night, I ask the big-sister succubi to give us a good dream. They were all used up in a flash," he sighed slightly.

What's a useless person like you so proud of?

"You should restrain yourself a little."

"Don't put all your energy into this, you idiot."

He and Kazuma both tried to persuade him.

But Dust instead pushed the blame onto him. "Oh my~ the fantasies I want to dream of lately are getting more and more intense. Hehehe! I found out that dress-up is actually pretty good too. The clothes you've been making for that noble lately... they're amazing to use!"

"Don't use the clothes for that!... Although they do have that kind of use."

Kazuma subconsciously retorted, but then, thinking of the unique perverted play of the Japanese, he could accept it.

Dress-up play, huh...

Hearing this, Kobayashi's mind also started to get active. The reason he wanted to go to the succubus shop so badly was because he had been enticed by Kazuma's clothes. He wanted to see what Esdeath, Leone, Sheele, and Chelsea would look like in other outfits in his dreams.

Teacher, maid, cheongsam, swimsuit...

Just thinking about it was exciting!

Since a substantial relationship had already occurred, this kind of thing should be forgiven, right?

What? You say why not just use the ring to cross over? Wouldn't it be better to have the real thing?

That's because if he were to waste divine power on something like this, he would feel a little sorry for Aqua... It was like using the money from the woman who was keeping him to go and keep another woman. He resisted it from the bottom of his heart.

"Alright, say no more! My treat!"

"Then thank you very much!" x2

These two guys... were they putting on a show in front of me just to get me to treat them? They're such scumbags!

Oh well. It's just a little money anyway.

But before that, he had to think of a way to shake off the hangers-on behind him.

He inadvertently saw Guard A and Guard B patrolling the street. His eyes lit up, and with a flick of his wrist, two free succubus shop passes appeared in his hand as he went up to them.

"So slow! Those two are so slow!"

Aqua was boredly spraying water, soaking the ground beneath her feet. Fortunately, they were in a corner, otherwise the shopkeeper would have surely kicked them out.

"I feel like something's not right. Why don't we go over there too?"

Megumin had a bad feeling. This proposal also received the agreement of the other two, and they prepared to join the conversation.

But they didn't expect the guards to come over first.

Guard A stared at them with a dangerous glint in his eyes and said coldly, "So it's you three?"

"Th-that is... wh-what's wrong?"

Megumin's expression was a little weak.

She remembered the Explosion magic she and Aqua had cast during the day. Because they were both lazy, they had cast it nearby. Don't tell me they were here to arrest her?

But...

"According to passersby, you three were sneakily following another adventurer. We suspect that you are the female stalkers who have been appearing frequently in Axel recently."

"Eh...?! It's a misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding! We're companions! Companions!"

"It's useless to talk! You can tell us the details in the interrogation room. I will listen to your explanation carefully."

"N-nooooo—!!!"

Because of their previous stalking behavior, the three of them were arrested just like that.

"Alright, the nuisances are gone. Let's go quickly," he said, a relaxed smile on his face.

Dust, however, said worriedly, "Is this really okay? They're your companions, right? They've been arrested by the guards."

"It's fine, it's fine. I told them to treat them to good food and drinks and just keep them for two hours. By that time, Kazuma and I will already be lying in the mansion, sleeping soundly."

"Ooooh, so that's how it is!!!"

Kazuma was also overjoyed.

Then the three of them, with their arms around each other's shoulders, singing a cheerful song, headed straight for the succubus shop.

Just as they opened the door—

"I have been waiting for you for a long time, Master Kobayashi."

"...Eh?"

Appearing before him was not a voluptuous and boldly dressed succubus, but an elegantly dressed automaton in a gorgeous dress.

Meeting his stunned gaze, RyuZU said with no lack of her sharp tongue:

"I never thought there would be a master who would sneak out while his attendant was being tuned. And to go through all that trouble just to come here to play... did you think your plan would succeed? How amusing. But allow me to offer some slight praise for your efforts. Praise for your amusing incompetence."

"Wh-why is RyuZU... aren't you on your regular maintenance?"

He didn't know what had gone wrong.

And RyuZU explained, "Because I asked Lady Aqua to move the time up by one day. The purpose, naturally, was to see what you were up to, Master. It seems that after spending so much time with the other members of your party, your brain has also become a bit... dysfunctional. Alright, let's go back now."

"N-nooo—!"

He let out a pained howl.

In the end, he still didn't get to experience the services of the succubus shop. But the nutrition he was missing was filled by RyuZU's dress-up play.

One could say his wish was granted.

(End of Chapter)