Megumin

elegantlazuli​:

The girl was…certainly starving. That much was obvious. Luvia wasn’t sure if she should be appalled by the way the girl was shoveling it in or not, instead she simply chose to eat her own meal. Properly and slowly, as she certainly couldn’t fathom eating in such a way. Perhaps that was just a commoner sort of thing? Further observation would likely be needed before she could make a decision on that thought though.

Of course, no sooner than she thought of the dangers of eating so quickly, the girl choked. Luvia’s eyes widened, and she started to rise from her seat, ready to administer the Heimlich maneuver if necessary, but it seemed in that time, the girl had dislodged the offending piece of food and was settling down. The blonde released a slow, heavy exhale of relief and eased herself back into her seat. “Please do be careful,” she advised. 

But at least, with things calmed down, the girl answered her question…as theatrically as one might expect of a chuunibyou. From what she could gather, it seemed the girl had always had those sort of aspirations, and thus she had eventually joined with one of the powerful clans inhabiting the city. Well, she could at least tell the girl was very much a pyromaniac, given her delight in blowing things up and that she’d purposefully sought out HOMRA for their abilities. 

“I see. That is certainly a marvelous tale, Miss Megumin,” she smiled easily. A rather unusual name too. Was Megumin a nickname? Was her real name, perhaps, Megumi? Well, answering those questions would likely fall outside of the girl’s delusions, so she kept those to herself. “It must be quite nice to have a clan to stand beside you. I happen to fall under the label of Strain…I can’t quite say any clan has drawn me in the way HOMRA called to you.”

After delivering such a grandiose speech about her own origins, Megumin returned to her food, shoveling more spoonfuls of the curry down her throat to sate the ravenous appetite she’d worked up. Mindless of the woman’s well-intentioned and, frankly, wise words of caution, the girl had too much confidence in herself to worry over things such as that. Instead, her concern laid solely in gorging herself on delicious food.

pigheadedboar​:

The fact that the girl had flawlessly parroted his name back to him while he managed to miss hers twice in a row didn’t even register to Inosuke. All that had begun to even click in his mind was that he was certainly riling her up, and he had a self-assured smirk beneath his boar’s head, a confident gleam in his eye. After all, the more dedicated his opponent, the more fun the fight was. Even if she couldn’t measure up to the haughty expectations she was attempting to set for herself, he would have at least a little bit of fun.

After all, his only other plans were to try and find someone worth his time to get into an altercation with to prove his superiority in battle.

“I won’t hold back just because you’re smaller than me!” With that, Inosuke lowered himself closer to the ground, readying his stance, building tension in the muscles of his legs. The feeling of energy tingling in the air increased as the red aura engulfed his opponent. “Here I go!”

With that, Inosuke let the energy he began to build in his body out at once, dashing forward lightning quick, aiming to knock the girl off of her feet before she was even able to use that weird stick of hers.

The fact that Megumin’s Explosion, when unleashed, was overwhelmingly powerful enough to blast Inosuke to smithereens should he be unwittingly caught in the epicenter of the blast, was of course an irrefutable fact. However, it came attached with the unshakeable baggage that such a powerful burst took time and concentration to build before it was ready. This fact alone made Megumin all but useless in close-combat, and coupled with the fact that she was rendered completely out of energy after pulling it off, she also was useless without at least one other battle companion.

But, ever the optimist, these facts did not deter the girl in her unfounded confidence that she’d win. Strangely, though, it wasn’t that she hadn’t considered her own disadvantages. She was, after all, aware of what it took for her Explosion to send off, what that Explosion would look like, and what would happen afterwards.

What she wasn’t aware of, however, was her opponent’s abilities. No sooner had his gruff voice yelled out than he vanished in the blink of an eye. In the next instant, a heavy force collided with her body.

“Unnnngghhhh?!”

With this strangled sound as the air was pushed out from her lungs along with some of the acidic gastric juices from her stomach, Megumin lost her footing, as well as her concentration, and fell back onto the ground. The red aura fizzled out and disappeared from around her, and the staff - that she didn’t even need, truth be told, but it looked cool - had dropped from her hands and slid a few feet away.

Dazed by the impact, Megumin looked around to try to get a grasp of her surroundings, of what had happened. The ground and the sky mingled together in a dizzying dance before her eyes that began to make her feel sick, but more concerning than that--

elegantlazuli​:

A small chuckle left her lips at the girl’s enthusiasm. It was understandable, really. The choices were numerous, and everything was surely delicious. The quality of the food here was certainly commendable despite the quaint atmosphere. The owner clearly put a lot of care and thought into his cooking. She was curious to know what the girl would choose.

She didn’t expect three though, but then again, the girl likely did have a large amount of energy to recover. “Very well then,” Luvia nodded. She’d likely have the house specialty herself, an original recipe that could only be found here. She raised her hand to catch the owner’s attention before giving their order.

After a moment of waiting, their food was brought out, carefully arranged in front of them, and Luvia felt her smile widen. It smelled wonderful, and was certainly worth the decision to stop in. 

“So, tell me,” she began as she started to eat, minding her manners as a proper lady, of course, “how did you become a Crimson Demon?” She couldn’t deny her curiosity, though while it was certainly one of those delusions–the girl was likely the furthest thing from a demon, but a city like this made it all too easy for at least some of the chuunibyou delusions to become real. At least, gaining mysterious powers.

She just wondered what had led the girl to this current path. 

As the extravagant and aromatic dishes were brought out - so fast, too! - Megumin felt an almost visceral reaction in her stomach, a strong pang of hunger, and was only just able to restrain herself from leaping onto the table like an animal by grace of her exhausted energy. Besides being drained of her vigor, the woman treating her was clearly high-class. Still, the starving girl couldn’t contain the trembling in her body, or the surge in her salivation, or her impatient fidgeting.

With great restraint, once the waiter told them to enjoy their meal and left them, Megumin resisted the urge to grab the whole bowl, and instead unrolled the utensils from their little napkin and set to shoveling the food down her gullet.

That she was lacking in proper table manners, the girl hadn’t even a clue what that meant. Growing up in poverty, alas, did not afford her such luxuries, and instead instilled a different set of skills in her. Such as the ability to eat the food so fast, she didn’t even feel the scorching of the still-hot ingredients on her tongue. She barely even tasted it, but this, too, was of no consequence to her.

After polishing off the first bowl, before giving her stomach time to settle, Megumin ravenously began digging into the second bowl. But it was during this time that the proper lady sitting so nicely across from her spoke up, asking the girl about her origins essentially. So, gulping down the latest mouthful of curry, Megumin purposefully slowed her roll so that she could talk and eat at the same time.

“That’s um… ack!” Something lodged in her throat, and Megumin quickly had to pound on her chest as sputtering coughs overtook her body. A moment later, the food dislodged and she spat out a piece of potato on the floor. Then she took the glass of water that had been given  to her with the food, and quickly swallowed a few mouthfuls to soothe the muscles of her throat. Finally, having her fit subsided, she turned back to the woman, red-faced, cleared her throat, and resumed.

“Huh?” Why was she getting so worked up over this little thing? It didn’t seem like a creature of much value to him at all, but most things didn’t unless they actively posed a threat to him, or seemed like they had the potential to, and this cat had neither of these qualifiers. “I’m not here to waste my time with that thing.”

Saying that aloud refocused him to his opponent at hand, who seemed… more concerned with things Inosuke would consider not important. “Megunami?” Inosuke repeated, furrowing his brows together under his mask. “Well, whatever! Why do names matter? I’m just here to fight you, anyway! I don’t need to get your name right to beat you!”

“And why do you need to know my name for me to beat you? Why can’t I just fight you without telling you? That’s unnecessary!” Actually, he had to admit that having his name attached to a victory, even if it was against this weird girl, wasn’t an idea he disliked.

“But I guess it would make you feel better if you know that Inosuke Hashibira was the one to defeat you! Gahahah!”

“Megumin! Me-gu-min!” The boy’s inability to get her name right wounded the girl’s chuunibyou pride. As a great mage, as someone who wielded the almighty destructive power of Explosion, how could someone dare to flub her name like that, not only once, but twice?! That her name carried no meaning whatsoever, and that this pig-headed boy simply did not care to remember who she was, were both possibilities that she could not accept within her heart. So, instead, raising her voice, she screeched her name at him again and again, so that he would get it right. “Megumin!”

Of course, everything about the kid should have told her that he was uncultured and unmindful of such concepts. But her heart, ever seeking greater and greater achievement, longed for nothing more than the epic battle that was sure to commence. Surely, after she displayed her great power for him first-hand, he’d have an awakening of sorts and come to realize just who she was.

“Inosuke Hashibira!” She repeated the name he’d given her for himself, and followed it up with a curt nod. “Very well, Inosuke! Our duel will be a great one!”

And as she spoke, a red aura flared up around her, whirling with power as she pointed the head of her staff forward.

“Very well then,” Luvia smiled easily and began walking in the direction of the quaint little cafe. Truthfully, if she was being honest, she much preferred cozy places such as that, compared to the usual fancy gourmet dining her family was used to. Well, of course she did enjoy those luxurious places, the atmosphere of the more common places was indescribable. She truly enjoyed seeing people going about their normal lives, overcoming any obstacle that came their way through hard work and perseverance. 

It was not a life she could personal live, as she understood that this was simply her place in the world. She had been born into the Edelfelt family, after all. Though there was a part of her that wondered how differently things might have been for her if she was not. Nonetheless, she was content to observe, and to extend a helping hand should it be needed.

Finally, they arrived at the quaint cafe, she helped the young woman inside, fully aware that it would probably look a bit strange to carry her in like she had been. Thankfully, the cafe was nearly empty at the moment which made things a bit easier, so she selected the closest booth and helped the girl sit before taking her own seat across the table. 

“Now that we are here, you may order whatever suits your palette as a great Crimson Demon,” she smiled. “Do not worry about the price, it’s my treat.”

Turning her starstruck gaze onto the menu in front of her, Megumin had honestly never seen such a large and delicious-looking selection before. Making just one decision would almost be too hard. For instance, did she want to go for something rich in meat? But some of the spicy curries definitely looked delectable as well, and resonated with her own love for the crimson arts. Then again, she had a sweet tooth as well…

The girl’s body shook in eager anticipation as her eyes scoured the menu over and over again. Saliva dripped freely from her mouth, which was left inattentively agape. The presentation of each dish on the menu, combined with the delicious smells already present in the cafe, triggered such a strong reaction in her stomach. She wanted it… all of it.

Money wasn’t an obstacle.

Perhaps her appetite would end up being the limiting factor, but Megumin’s mind was far away from that right now.

Inosuke watched as the cat–demon, as this weird girl called it, though Inosuke couldn’t believe that–trotted a safe distance and sat down to spectate the events to come. “I could kick that thing pretty far,” Inosuke bluntly mused aloud, but he would leave it alone. After all, that wasn’t the source of the energy he was feeling, so it was really just a waste of his time.

Inosuke brought his attention back to the girl as she started to go on about her “explosive art” again. He really didn’t get it, since he found her laying on the ground unable to even move about a day ago. Could she really back up all of that gusto of hers? His senses told her that she could, but what he had clearly observed pointed to the opposite.

“Huh?! You’re declaring me a worthy opponent? I already know I’m worthy enough! But are you worthy enough to face me…” Inosuke trailed off, already forgetting the name the weird girl just spewed out. “…Muman?!” Close enough. “You don’t even stand a chance against me! I’m super fast and strong!”

“Ch-Chomusuke’s not part of this, he’s just here to watch! See?” Panic had rushed over Megumin like a wave as the pig-headed kid made mention of kicking him. Of course, if Chomusuke was really a demon, such a thing would never come to pass, but--

Wait, but Chomusuke was a demon of course. Anyways, it didn’t matter because he really wasn’t involved with this.

Getting thusly lost in her chuunibyou delusions once again, Megumin truthfully could not distinguish between her wild fantasies and reality anymore. Not that such trivial matters held any significance for her anyways.

Even if she continued to argue that it wasn’t lame, Sukuna couldn’t help but see it as incredibly pathetic. She had poured all of her skill points into one skill that completely drained her! If she had gotten into a fight with anyone, provided they could avoid her one ‘explosion’, she’d be so easily defeated. She could barely even push the blunt end of his scythe away! So pathetic! It was such an inefficient and boring skill build too…honestly, she wasn’t worth any of his time, or anyone’s time for that matter. The young boy nonchalantly gave the older geezer a response, directing his focus to the man while continuing to poke…Megumin. Really, what the hell kind of name was Megumin? It was obviously a stupid nickname, the girl was probably named Megumi or something but…who wanted such a stupid, childish name anyway? Megumin? What a joke.

“I only came because I saw the explosion. Though in the end it wasn’t worth my time at all…so stupid..” He completely ignored the order to stop poking her, even to go as far as to lightly smack her face with the blunt end of (currently unformed) his scythe as she tried to weakly hit his weapon away. Despite the harsh attack, Sukuna stopped immediately after that, having grown bored. She was spewing nonsense again, and the old guy obviously had no clue who was talking to either. They both were hopeless.

“Tch! Both of you are so annoying…if there had been another explosion, I would have just avoided it. I’m not a complete idiot like this one here,” he complained, motioning towards the ‘crimson demon’ who still was unable to lift herself from the ground.

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Yet again, Narihisago’s opinion that these two were kids whose egos were way too big was proven again as the two bickered amongst themselves. Narihisago sighed, crossing his arms.

“Right… but you still could’ve hurt someone else, even if you didn’t hurt themselves. Do you have anyone that you have to answer to for that?” Maybe she didn’t have parents, but she might’ve had someone who took responsibility for her anyway, given her touting about some “clan.” Narihisago hoped this clan wasn’t anything weird, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that was.

“Do you know how quickly something like an explosion can happen?” he asked, addressing the boy. “You’re assuming too much. Let’s just talk hypotheticals for a moment. If you had gotten hurt, then who would’ve been around to help you?” He looked down at the one who introduced herself as Megumin. “Clearly her ability takes all of her energy, so she wouldn’t have been able to. Had I not been passing through, I wouldn’t have either.”

Frustration gnawed at Megumin’s gut as she was hopelessly, pathetically forced to endure the boy’s mocking as he continuously jabbed the rod into her face. Of course she wanted nothing more than to make him eat his words, by showing him such a spectacular display with her powers that he would never question her ability again. Unfortunately, she had already used her ability today and was now subsequently unable to do anything more. Though she batted and swiped at the rod he was using to prod her so humiliatingly, there was no strength there.

Ultimately, she was just lucky that he seemed to lose interest. Regardless, the damage to her pride had been done. Tears leapt unbidden to her eyes, streaked hot down her face. It wasn’t like she wanted to cry, but rather that the hopelessness of her situation didn’t allow her to do much else.

It was this tearful expression that she turned onto the taller, deep-voiced man as he addressed her with his question.

“A-answer to?”

Frankly, the thought that someone could get hurt from her explosion that she hadn’t intended… had never really been a thought that had occurred to her. She was usually good at selecting abandoned and isolated targets that would trouble no one. But if the man’s posed hypothetical were to occur…

“T-the great Megumin would never make such a careless mistake! Anyone who gets burned by the Crimson Ash is only someone deserving of it!”

Well, honestly, it would probably fall onto her parents if someone got hurt by her mistake. However, Megumin was so confident in her ability to not do that that she didn’t really think it was worth thinking about, let alone mentioning.

She couldn’t help but smile at the girl’s enthusiasm, noting that she seemed to appreciate the acknowledgment of her title. That made sense, she supposed. From what she knew of individuals like this, they were often treated with exasperation or disdain, so the girl was probably over the moon to have someone go along with her fantasy.

The blonde waited patiently as the girl decided what she wanted, a soft chuckle leaving her lips. “Curry, is it? Certainly that seems fitting for one such as yourself.” Her abilities seemed to be fire based, and she recalled certain curries were spicier than others. But the typical curry…that was a mild type, wasn’t it?

“Luckily, I know a place with excellent curry. Are you familiar with a quaint little cafe called LeBlanc?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Admittedly, it was the first place I’d tried curry, and I was quite enamored with the recipe. If that suits your palette, Crimson Demon, shall we head there?”

“LeBlanc?” Megumin echoed back. Thinking back, she remembered walking by a cafe with that name before. Though she hadn’t been able to go in, the smells wafting out had been delectable and she felt her stomach rumbling even now just in response to the memory. “Y-yes, a place like that sounds fine! T-take us there, if you would.”

Of course, there was no way for the blonde lady to know…

“It’s amazing how completely unreassuring that is..” That sentence was mumbled more to himself than to her, his brows knit as his face contorted in a mixture of defeat and displeasure. He’d already agreed to whatever the heck it was that she wanted her to do. Something about being her underling or her bodyguard or something. He’d completely forgotten her pleas considering his sole focus had been on the unwanted physical contact she forced upon him.

He rubbed at the arm she had clung to and shot her a cautious look just in time for her to clear her throat and reintroduce herself. Honestly, if he had been a bit younger maybe he would have even played along. Maybe it was best not to indulge that behavior. Just how old was this girl anyways? Probably about the same age most people mistook him to be. 

“Yata.” He replied simply at first but then decided, wait, he had a pretty cool nickname too. Even though he told himself he wouldn’t indulge her.. “I’m Homra’s vanguard, Yatagarasu!” His chest swelled with pride at the nickname and his title, a self satisfied smirk curling the corners of his mouth up. Well, most didn’t really refer to him as Yatagarasu anyways since Yata was less of a mouthful. The only one who used it was Kusanagi when he was buttering him up for something. 

“Anyways, you want to go somewhere, right?” The smile fell from his face as he slid out from his seat. “If you’re thinking about using these ‘explosion arts’ here you can forget about it. Kusanagi would murder you. And probably me for good measure.” Kusanagi had a lot of rules but if they all had to be compiled into one that even a simple minded idiot such as himself could understand, it was not to fight inside or around the bar. 

The male walked over to the door, bending over slightly to pluck his trusty skateboard from off the floor beside it and tucked it under his arm. It probably appeared that he was eager to get started which wasn’t entirely untrue. If anything he just wanted to get it over with.. But, well.. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to have something to do to kill time with. It could even be fun. 

Upon hearing the boy introduce himself with a cool title, and even cooler name, Megumin’s eyes sparkled in admiration and her jaw popped open slightly. Vanguard definitely sounded cool, and of course the name “Yatagarasu” inspired awe within the girl’s chuunibyou heart as the gears in her head turned and turned in contemplation of the meaning.

But she didn’t get to think about it too much before the boy, Yatagarasu, stood up.

“A-ah, yes. I already found the perfect spot for my target practice earlier this morning. It’s the type of target that, once I break through and destroy it, I’ll have achieved new heights as a specialist of Explosion Magic! Your role is simple. I just need you to carry my limp body back from the site after I’ve unleashed my power. After blasting off an explosion, I’ll be completely unable to move for a while, so that’s where you come in.”

Inosuke didn’t really understand what the girl had meant by “noon.” It was definitely a time of day, but what time of day was it? Time didn’t mean anything to Inosuke, but he might as well just go back to where he had found that weird girl. The sun was high in the sky, and Inosuke could feel the vibrations in the air; the same ones that belonged to the weak girl. Seriously, how could someone so weak have such strong energy…?

Inosuke followed the vibrations and found her standing there, clearly awaiting his arrival. And she had a cat this time. Did she think that little thing would save her or something…? “What the hell? Why do you have a cat?” he asked, tilting his head to the side a bit. He wasn’t too concerned about the fight, after all; he had found her collapsed yesterday. He didn’t think his safety was of any concern whatsoever.

With the clear sound of oncoming footsteps carelessly trampling the sparse vegetation underfoot indicating his arrival, Megumin turned her head to meet the gaze of the pig-headed boy as he stormed onto the site. Well, it would be more accurate to say that her gaze met the bulging, dead eyes of the boar’s head he wore over his head like a mask, but the difference between the two was negligible, especially since, having never seen under the boar head, Megumin just associated everything on the pig face with the kid underneath.

“Chomusuke is not a cat!” she huffed back as she pulled the cat from her shoulder into her arms. “Th-this is a very fierce demon, contracted to do my bidding! If I were to will it, Chomusuke could spew flames hot enough to melt even your stupid swords! But anyways, since that wouldn’t be fair, he’s just here to watch.” And with that, she put the cat onto the ground. With a soft mew, Chomusuke staggered off a few feet before plopping down in the grass.

Having more freedom in her range of movement now without the cat on her back, she turned so that her body faced the pig-headed kid, grasping the staff firmly in both hands.

@foreignerabigail

Perhaps it wasn’t the most unordinary sight. The employee of a clothing store, one that specialized in the kinds of robes, hats, and other materials typically used in cosplay, stood guarding the entrance of the store, recognizable by the red apron bearing the same logo above the door which constituted the shop’s uniform. Clearly tired, he was barring the girl garbed in her typical - yet, unusual - attire evocative of a witch or mage. Unable to get past the resolute employee, Megumin was very animated in her displeasure of the situation, pacing back and forth in front of the shopkeep and waving her arms about as she railed about the injustice.

"Maybe you don’t understand, but that choker… I need that choker! The magical energy stored within it is calling to me! I-it knows that I’m its destined owner!”

Such was the nonsensical drivel spewing from Megumin’s mouth, aimed at the hapless employee whose face twitched whose job it was currently to keep her from entering. The reason for that was--

“I know, you told me already. But, dear, we had too many complaints about a commotion… And besides, we have a no pet policy in the store.” Saying this, the employee’s finger pointed to the cat currently resting on Megumin’s shoulder.

“Chomusuke’s not a pet! I keep telling you, he is my familiar, a fiery demon who can level this building to the ground if he desires!” Black, and plain but for the red cross painted into his forehead and the bat wings strapped flimsily to his shoulders, Chomusuke was, in truth, unmistakably just a cat despite Megumin’s frantic and energized arguments to the contrary, a fact which was not lost on the exhausted employee.

“I’m sure he’s fierce, but regardless, we can’t allow him into the store. Please… just come back with your parents and without the cat…”

“H-he’s really not a cat!”

...

Regardless of her odd behavior or the young age Yata assumed her to be, it was still jarring for the male to have a girl– ANY strange girl enter his vicinity. At first he was able to just wave her off but as she moved a little closer that all too familiar heat rose to his cheeks, tinging them red. Yata stiffened and recoiled slightly under her gaze. Now not only was he flustered but he was just plain confused. 

“H-Huh? Crimson Demon Clan?” Was that her wannabe gang or something? She looked way too young to be apart of one of those, but, he really couldn’t say much considering who his King was. And then it seemed to click in his head. Was she one of those eccentric types? One of those kids with Eighth Grade Syndrome? While she did look pretty young to him she still didn’t look young enough to still be engaging in make believe games. 

His confusion only furthered as her determination seemed to falter and then he practically screeched as the girl, who addressed herself as Megumin, latched onto his arm, causing an explosion of red in his face that even reached his ears. “W-Wha!?” He floundered, his mouth opening and closing as his eyes looked anywhere BUT at her and focused mainly on the point where their skin touched. “A-Alright already! I’ll do it! J-Just move away will you?!” 

Pleading hope burst into exuberant joy as the male’s previous reluctance crumbled and finally relented. Eye gleaming in recognition of her achieved victory, and mouth pulling up into an assured grin, Megumin relinquished her hold on his arm as he’d asked. “Uhuhuhu… A wise choice, and I promise you won’t regret it!” In exchange for the male’s compliance, she offered these boastful words - though they weren’t just arrogant for arrogance’s sake, as she fully intended to somehow see them through as a promise as well. Though in her opinion, juvenile and misguided though it may ultimately be, it seemed that just being there to witness such beautiful, pure destruction was itself plenty reward.

Regardless, she had achieved her goal in obtaining a bodyguard who could at least whisk her away from danger after pulling off her blast. Truly, there was no more time to be wasted.

Although it occurred to her that, even after all this, and despite being in the same clan, she still didn’t know his name. And so, after clearing her throat once to ensure that her voice rang out clear, she addressed him once again.

The girl’s feeble fists hitting his legs just caused Inosuke to grumble in disappointment. Had his instincts been wrong? No, there was still a lingering energy in this girl, no doubt. It wasn’t nearly as strong as what he had felt previously, but maybe she really did just have to recover. There was no way she’d be able to win against him. All he had to do was dodge one little attack and he’d win.

“Tomorrow?” Inosuke scoffed. “You really think you can beat me with that one little trick of yours?” Still, it’d be a shame to have gone out of this way to find this girl and then pass on the opportunity for a potentially entertaining fight. “You know what? Fine! I’ll fight you tomorrow!”

“But you better not waste my time!”

“Hah! Good! Meet me here tomorrow at noon then, and I’ll make you regret looking down on the great power of my Explosion Magic! You will witness first-hand my magnificent explosion!” Despite lying prone on the ground, helpless, a fiery light entered Megumin’s eyes as she spoke, and her mouth pulled up into a cocksure smile. Definitely, when this pig-headed kid saw what she was capable of, he would be forced to change his tune. Maybe he could even sing praises of the raw power exuded from her ability unleashed, but all that was really needed was for him to stop stamping her name (and body) into the dirt.

“It will definitely not be a waste of time! We shall use the results to determine superiority!”

Enough energy trickled back into Megumin’s wracked muscles by this point for her to pull herself - albeit unsteadily - back to her feet, and as she slung these last words, she thrust a finger towards the pig-headed kid, overflowing with determination. Then, starving and in desperate need of some kind of food, she turned and slowly dragged herself away from the scene. To restore her much-needed, precious energy for tomorrow.

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And, come the awaited time the next day, right around noon, in that same shabby, desolate sector of the city…

A lone girl stood.

…Somehow, she strongly doubted that was the case. But if that’s what the girl believed, then she would accept it. After all, this girl was doing something that made her happy. She was embracing life and living it to the fullest! That was certainly something she could respect among those who maintained chuunibyou delusions. While other people might have looked on oddly or made fun of them, Luvia accepted it. 

“I see. Certainly you’re very powerful,” she nodded in acknowledgement. “However, I hope that you have no enemies would unfairly take advantage of such a situation in order to get the upper hand.” She was worried, of course, though. For the girl to be so drained after expending her power…while she supposed it made sense, given the force of the blast, it certainly couldn’t be safe for her to lay there for however long until her strength came back. And given the girl hadn’t exactly answered her question, she could only assume that it was usually a rather long time.

A soft chuckle left her lips at the girl’s apparent embarrassment at her stomach growling. She could understand that. It wasn’t very ladylike, but she wouldn’t comment on it. The poor girl needed her strength right now, and that meant finding a good place to eat with plenty of nourishment. “Quite right,” she nodded. “So what does a Crimson Demon like yourself like to eat? It’ll be my treat.” 

Sparkling awe entered into Megumin’s crimson eye as she gazed at the blonde lady, currently carrying her, as she not only acknowledged Megumin’s title, but also offered her food. Given that Megumin could scarcely ever scrounge up enough funds from her family’s coffers for meals, having someone extend such an offer was ever welcome and vastly appreciated by the starving girl. Immediately, as thoughts of so many delicious foods flooded into her mind, her mouth filled with saliva as she tried to sort out which option would be best.

“Ahhhhh…” Truthfully, everything sounded good right now, and particularly given that she so rarely got such an opportunity to pick what she wanted to eat like this, such a limitless choice seemed almost impossible. She would have happily gone with anything offered to her. However, the question… had been posited onto her.

“I’ll say…” The male said in response to the girl’s mention of her depleted energy and how she had completely just collapsed before him. He sighed as he carefully set her down, being careful to remain within close proximity in case she needed steadying, but her words sounded energetic enough. The sound of her stomach rumbling was not lost on him, and it was a perfect mirror for how he currently felt having not eaten anything in quite some time. At this point he had fully expected to be home now with dinner either prepared or in the process of.

“Come on. I’ll treat you. There’s some things I need to say to you anyways.” With that said, Raymond took off down the alley and towards the ramen shop, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the girl was following suit, and once assured that she was, he proceeded inside the building. This was the type of place where you ordered before you sat, but since there was a bar available, Raymond slid into one of the stools and then motioned for the girl to follow him. At such a close proximity to the menu, the male could properly scrutinize it. 

“Let’s see…” he began, as the server approached them from behind the counter. “Two waters to start. I’ll take a Miso Ramen bowl with three eggs.” He then glanced over at the girl to place her order and once that was out of the way, he pushed his glasses up with his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging it as well as his eyes. His vision blurred momentarily from the action and he pulled his hand away, his frames dropping back down to rest on his nose. “Listen..” he began, turning his head towards the girl and narrowing his eyes. 

There wasn’t very many patrons inside the restaurant, but he still didn’t want anyone to overhear, so he dipped his head down and leaned in, raising his hand  by his mouth. “Did you.. blow up that guy..?!” His voice was low but the shock and confusion was conveyed perfectly well. The events from earlier had all felt like a dream and he wasn’t even sure if it had been real or not. So surreal was that whole ordeal to him that he felt he needed any kind of confirmation to assuage his racing mind.

Rapt attention drawn in by the promise of food extended towards her by the man, Megumin’s fiery spirit was rekindled, shining in her eye not hidden behind the eyepatch as she gazed upon him. Radiant hope flooded into her heart, quickening her heartbeat and sending new energy surging through her body, injecting fatigued muscles with vigor. Although the second part of what he’d said had stirred the inklings of anxiety within her as well, the anticipation of food to sate her ravenous hunger at the moment took precedence. And so she followed after him, a thin line of drool slipping out of the corner of her mouth as she thought about which type of ramen most suited her appetite right now.

Into the ramen shop, where the aroma of fresh-cooked food only caused Megumin to salivate even more as she took it in, and her stomach to burst forth with another cacophonous growl. Overwhelmed by hunger as she was, it truly took every ounce of her willpower to clamp her jaw shut to stop the outpour of drool.

Still following after the cat-man, she wound up sitting on the stool to his right and set her wooden staff on the floor in front of her, leaning upright against the bar so that she wouldn’t lose sight of it. Once it came time for her to order, she settled on tonkotsu ramen and relayed this to their server.

“O-oh dear..!” she was a bit taken aback by the girl’s reaction, though seeing her so scared tugged on her heartstrings. She was once again reminded of Hina, finding it easy to picture her sister in the same situation. Frightened and alone… She really hoped her sisters were safe, but the only way to find out was to make it out of here and get back home…somehow. 

“There, there, it’s alright now,” she murmured, gingerly rubbing the girl’s back. “You don’t know anything either, huh…This is definitely strange..” She furrowed her brows as she looked around their surroundings once more, unable to place it as any place she’d ever seen before. An unfamiliar town, covered in thick, ominous fog… Just what sort of mess had they gotten into? 

Akari let out a deep breath, drawing forth a little of her power in an effort to help soothe the girl. She resolved herself then to help her get back, because surely the girl had a family out there who was just as worried about her as Akari was worried about her own family. “I’m sure there’s a way back, we just have to find it.” It was obvious they needed to be careful as well, since she couldn’t shake that feeling that they weren’t alone–at least, not as alone as it appeared.

Even with her power activated, she couldn’t help but feel a little on edge. She wanted to hope it was simply an abandoned town, but there were too many strange factors for that to be the complete truth. As if on cue, a loud bang sounded somewhere beyond them, and Akari’s eyes widened as she instinctively expanded the radius of the area her power affected, strengthening it. Whatever that was, she didn’t want to find out.

“Can you walk?” she asked softly. “We should..probably find somewhere a bit more sheltered..”

Gentle yet firm hands pressed into Megumin’s back, releasing the tension coiled within her muscles with that rhythmic, soothing rubbing motion. Although the strange unknowns of the circumstances of her being here, in this strange town shrouded in its ominous fog, remained unchanged, a soothing presence entered into her mind, pushing the prevalent fear out to the recesses to be forgotten about. The chill in the air remained, and with it a certain inescapable sense of dread, but for now, the soothing presence asserting itself in the young girl’s mind was enough to instill enough vigor into her body that she could stand by herself.

“R-right, a way out.” Already, the words Megumin spoke were bolder, clearer, tinged with a self-assured certainty. “Aagh, I can’t see anything past this stupid fog!” As she pulled free from her new companion, she scanned her crimson eye around their dim and hazy surroundings to search for anything that would stand out. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the disconcerting feeling of being watched. Of course, the entire atmosphere of this silent town had been off and eerie from the outset, but this feeling was different… like the certainty that, somewhere, sharp, hungry eyes were boring into her, watching, waiting for opportunity.

A flicker of movement.

Or… had it just been her imagination? The relentless fog masked movement to even the most discerning eyes.

Wondering if perhaps she wasn’t imagining things, Megumin willed the red aura which had reflexively sparked up around her to dim and peter out.

If there was truly a threat present, she had no problem bursting forth her chaotic power which would certainly tear to shreds any creature. But if the threat didn’t exist, then wasting her only shot would only be detrimental.

No, wait, was it actually better to just be safe in this kind of instance? Maybe an explosion could drive the fog away, cast light on their surroundings in this gloomy world, could open a way out--

This time, it was a loud, sonorous bang, booming through the still air, which alerted Megumin.

Immediately, she froze. Thoughts halted as the previously blocked fear came flooding back in with full force, weakening her knees and voiding her bladder.

Because there, in the distance, fuzzy and indistinguishable, was… something.

Large, she could tell that much even from here, and some kind of four-legged beast, or else somebody’s hunched figure, it was hard to tell.

But steadily, it was drawing closer.

Megumin managed to thrust a shaking finger in its direction as she turned her frantic gaze back onto the woman with her.

“Th-th-there…”

Fear-addled brain made forming the words needed difficult. Luckily, it seemed like she was already aware of the danger, and Megumin immediately nodded her head in response. “Y-y-yes, w-we… we have t-to get away f-from here!”