Chapter 052 ⤞ Succubus Cafe

Everyone gathered in the dining room of the newly moved-in mansion, silently eating breakfast. The spacious dining room and hearty meal should have felt nice, but the atmosphere was awkward.

"Um... I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please forgive me." Kazuma apologized in a low voice, his attitude sincere.

"Hmph!" Aqua snorted coldly, ignoring his apology, "Kazuma, you stayed at an inn last night. Are you looking down on me?"

It turned out the high school boy hadn't stayed in the mansion, but had run off to an inn in town.

"You thought that I, a Goddess and part-time High Priestess, couldn't exorcise the Evil Spirits from the mansion, so you snuck out to an inn, didn't you?!" Her anger grew as she spoke, slamming the table. She felt Kazuma didn't trust her abilities as a Goddess.

"That's right, I didn't expect Kazuma would abandon us either." Megumin added mercilessly, "As expected of the scumbag Kazuma — sneaky and petty."

Actually, the reason Megumin blamed he wasn't because he didn't stay in the mansion last night, but because he left without calling her.

'Do you know how much mental torture I endured last night? Why did you sneak out by yourself?!' She fumed internally.

If she was afraid of Evil Spirits, why hadn't she thought to leave for the night? They could have returned after Aqua, Darkness, and Adam exorcised the spirits. Why had she stubbornly stayed? How could she have been so foolish?

"Yes, yes, I was wrong, I was really wrong!" Kazuma clasped his hands, bowing his head in a rare display of humility, "Last night, the doll possessed by the Evil Spirit targeted me first, and I got scared and ran away."

So that explained his absence during the commotion — he'd fled in fear of the Evil Spirit.

"Carter-senpai..." Kazuma gave his party leader a pleading look, hoping for help in gaining forgiveness.

"Satou-kun..." Adam sighed, declining to intervene on his behalf.

Abandoning the teammates is inexcusable. Kazuma's actions were indeed wrong and went too far. It's no surprise that Aqua and the others were reluctant to forgive him.

Darkness, however, remained silent throughout the meal. She ate quietly, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

When she unexpectedly met Adam's gaze, she quickly lowered her head, avoiding eye contact. A faint blush tinged the fair skin of her slender neck.

Oh, Darkness! Your innocence is showing. That aloof beauty image, keeping everyone at arm's length, has instantly crumbled!

Adam felt embarrassed too, but he handled it better than Darkness. At 19, he wasn't experienced, but he wasn't one to shy away from women either. He'd had his share of flirting and dating, though he'd never crossed any lines.

The tempting image in his memory was hard to ignore, but he was confident he could maintain his composure. Still, for some reason, he found himself hesitant to look at Darkness.

An air of awkwardness slowly grew between them.

Eventually, Kazuma was forgiven. He agreed to treat the team to a lavish meal, finally appeasing Aqua and Megumin. Poor guy — his wallet would suffer.

Always mindful of finances, he hadn't asked Adam for his share of the Cabbage Harvest Season reward as pocket money. As a result, his savings were meager.

Now he found himself at the mercy of two big eaters, Aqua and Megumin.

Recognizing the gravity of his actions, Kazuma had no intention of making excuses or avoiding the apology dinner.

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That evening, everyone "reluctantly" enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at Kazuma's "earnest" invitation. In the end, he couldn't escape this ordeal.

"Damn it." Kazuma muttered, counting the few remaining coins in his hand, on the verge of tears.

Adam, unable to bear the sight, gave the pitiful Kazuma ξ100,000 as pocket money.

"Thank you, Carter-senpai..." Kazuma thanked him in a miserable voice.

"What are you thanking me for? This is part of your reward for capturing the cabbages earlier. It's what you deserve."

Although Adam hadn't asked for the reward and had contributed the money to the team's common fund, he wasn't one to only take and never give. He would still provide pocket money when appropriate.

"Alright, now that we've finished eating, we should head back." He called out to the satiated group.

"Wait, Carter-senpai." Kazuma said as everyone stood up to leave, "I'll come back later."

"What's the matter, Satou-kun? Do you need our help?"

"This is my own business... No, Carter-senpai, can you help me?" Kazuma hesitated, then added meaningfully, "I just need Carter-senpai to come alone!"

"Hmm... just one person is needed... alright then." Adam agreed. Since the whole team wasn't needed, it was better to let the others rest, "Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness, you guys head back first."

"Okay." x2

"…" Darkness remained silent, as she had all day. Her condition was somewhat concerning.

After parting with the three women, Adam followed Kazuma.

"Satou-kun, where are we going?"

"Ahem... Just follow me, Carter-senpai."

Kazuma led them through secluded alleys, turning left and right until Adam's head spun. When asked about their destination, he remained evasive.

Finally, they arrived at a hidden cafe in a small alley.

The sign read: [Succubus Cafe]. Below, in small text: [Giving you sweet dreams at night].

Kazuma pointed at the place of his dreams and whispered, "This is a secret among male adventurers — a holy site that Keith and Dust told me about."

"Holy site? It's just a cafe run by succubi." Adam said, unimpressed, "So, what are you suggesting?"

"Let's go in together." Kazuma replied eagerly.

"No, I'll pass." Adam refused without hesitation.

"Wait, Carter-senpai! Please hear me out. These succubi are harmless to us male adventurers!" Kazuma quickly interjected as he turned to leave, "They only work their magic while we're asleep..."

"They simply give male adventurers erotic and exciting dreams. In exchange, they absorb a small portion of our life force as sustenance, while helping us relieve our... pent-up energy. Isn't that right?"

"Huh... you know about this, Carter-senpai?!"

"Of course." In truth, Adam was aware of such succubus cafes, but he'd never sought them out, nor did he intend to experience their services.

"Well, um..."

"Why don't you just go by yourself?"

Adam didn't stop Kazuma, recognizing that the young man had his own journey to make. Every man must face such moments eventually.

"Oh, and Satou-kun, don't go back to the mansion tonight." He added, a thought occurring to him, "Aqua has likely set up a holy barrier around it. Succubi are undead — she'd certainly detect them."

"Uh... you're right, Carter-senpai." Kazuma nodded, confirming his suspicion.

Given Aqua's nature, she would undoubtedly do as Adam suggested and erect a holy barrier near the mansion. How could she let undead succubi roam free?

If a succubus were caught and exposed him, wouldn't that spell social disaster for Kazuma?

After a moment's consideration, he said, "I'll stay at an inn tonight."

"That's fine. I'll explain to the others."

"Thank you, Carter-senpai. I'm off!"

"Be careful." Adam watched Kazuma eagerly dash inside, shaking his head with a wry smile.

This guy might be taking a step towards adulthood mentally, but he's far from truly growing up.

Wait a minute! Isn't this situation even more concerning?

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