Stories in the Quiet Part 1
The mansion had finally gone quiet. For once. No explosions. No yelling. No Aqua crying about something stupid. Ruko walked down the hallway slowly, hands in his pockets, eyes half-lidded. He had just left Kazuma's room—well… more like escaped after accidentally witnessing something he definitely didn't want burned into his brain. "…Yeah, I'm not dealing with that tonight." He exhaled and continued walking. The hallway creaked softly beneath his steps. Then—Thump. Ruko paused. "…Hm?" Another sound. From one of the rooms. He tilted his head slightly, then walked toward it. Megumin's room. "…What is she doing?" Without knocking, he opened the door. "Oi, you al—" "KYAAAH—!" Megumin jumped straight out of her bed like she'd just been struck by lightning, her hat flying off as she stared at him with wide eyes. Ruko blinked. "…Wow there relax... it's just me." "You scared me!!" she snapped, holding her chest. "…My bad." He stepped inside anyway, closing the door behind him. "Well... i was walking through the hallway and I heard something. Thought you were getting attacked or something."
Megumin huffed and sat back down on her bed, fixing her hat. "It was nothing." Ruko didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked over casually and crouched down near the small black cat sitting nearby. "…Hey there Chomusuke." He reached out and started petting it slowly, his usual blank, almost lazy cat expression on his face. "…You're still alive aren't you cutie." "Hey!" Megumin protested. "Don't say it like that!" Chomusuke purred softly. Megumin watched him for a moment… then suddenly laughed. "…You really are like a cat." Ruko glanced at her. "…What?" "The way you act. The way you don't care. The way you just… do whatever you want." "…Is that supposed to be an insult?" "It's just an observation." Ruko went back to petting Chomusuke. "…Then observe quietly." Megumin smiled slightly. But then—Ruko stopped. His hand paused mid-pat. "…Something's off of your mind." Megumin blinked. "What?" "Your voice." He stood up slowly, looking at her. "…Like you're forcing not to talk to me about it."
She froze. "…I'm not." "You are." Silence filled the room. Ruko leaned against the wall, arms crossing. "…So? Care to tell a story." Megumin looked down. "…It's nothing." "Ok... then I'm leaving." He turned slightly. "Wait." He stopped. "…What." Megumin hesitated. "…I want to tell you something." Ruko sighed. "…Let's get this over with due I don't like stories." "I know." "…Then why—" "But just listen." Silence. Ruko stared at her for a few seconds. "…Fine, you can start." He leaned back against the wall. "…But make it quick." Megumin smiled softly. "…Thank you." She took a breath. "…My family… was poor." Ruko didn't react."We didn't have proper food most days. Sometimes we had to eat scraps… or forage just to survive." Ruko's eyes shifted slightly. "…That explains it." Megumin frowned. "Explains what?" "…Why you're small." "…OI!" "…You said it yourself." She clicked her tongue. "…Anyway." She crossed her arms.
"At the Crimson Demon Village, I attended the Red Prison magic school." Ruko nodded slightly. "…You were probably annoying there right." "I was a top student!" she snapped. "A genius far ahead of everyone else!" "…Yeah, that ego checks out." Megumin glared at him. "…Can you not interrupt?" "…Continue." She huffed, then looked away. "I had a rival… Yunyun." Ruko smirked slightly. "…Yeah I know... and you bullied her." Megumin froze. "…I did not bully her." "You definitely did." "…I DID NOT!" "You literally just admitted it." "…Shut up!" Ruko shrugged. "…Continue." Megumin sighed. "…She was my rival… but also… my friend." Her voice softened slightly. "…Even if I didn't say it." Ruko didn't comment this time. She continued. "Then… one day…" Her expression changed. "…I met someone." Ruko raised an eyebrow.
"A woman… named Wolbach." Ruko's eyes sharpened slightly. "…Wolbach?" "Yeah? She saved me." Megumin's voice grew more serious. "And she used… Explosion magic."
Ruko paused. "…Wait." He stood up straight. "…Megumin." She blinked. "…What?" "…Did you… meet a Devil King General?" She looked confused. "…Huh? I don't think—" "Wolbach." "…I don't remember clearly." Ruko stared at her. "…Tch." He looked away. "…Continue your story." Megumin frowned slightly but nodded. "…After that, I decided." Her eyes lit up slightly. "I would dedicate my life to Explosion magic." "…Of course you would since it was the most powerful magic of all and w—." "I refused to learn anything else." "…Of course you did since you pauseme mid–way." She ignored him. "…Then when I was five…" She paused. "…Me and my sister… Komekko…" Ruko raised a brow. "…You have a sister?" "Yes." "…That explains a lot. Since I can't remember or see her." "…Can you SHUT UP?!" "…Continue." She took a breath. "We entered the Tomb of the Dark God." Ruko blinked. "…The what?" "We found a puzzle." "…Let me guess." She looked at him. "…You solved it." "…We played with it." "…And even worse to my answer."
Megumin looked slightly embarrassed. "…We accidentally unsealed something." Ruko stared at her. "…What the hell is even that." She gave him a look. "…Don't interrupt." "…My bad." She continued. "…After that, I lived my life normally." She smiled faintly. "I used Explosion every single day… on a ruined fortress… just to improve." "…And then collapsed after." "…Yes." "…Yeah, that's definitely you." She nodded proudly. "…Of course." Then—She looked at Chomusuke. "…And then I found her." Ruko glanced down. "…That thing?" "Chomusuke!" "…Whatever." Megumin smiled. "I told everyone she was part of my power." Ruko paused. "…Wait wait wait wait wait." He looked at her. "…You said what?" "That she's connected to me." Ruko slowly turned his head toward the cat. "…So the cat… is part of your power?" "…Yes." Silence. Then—Ruko's expression changed. A slow grin spread across his face. "…Interesting." He turned slightly, eyes gleaming with a weird curiosity. "…So if I remove the cat—" "OUT."
Megumin immediately stood up and kicked him toward the door. "DON'T TRY ANYTHING WITH CHOMUSUKE!" Ruko stumbled out into the hallway. "…That's rude." The door slammed shut. He stood there for a second. "…I was just joking." Silence. Then he sighed. "…Whatever." He turned and started walking away again, hands back in his pockets. "…Well I wasn't being rude but I shouldn't be saying that since she is just a kid." Ruko sighed. "Kids these days…" But despite his words—His expression had softened slightly. Just a little. "…Tch." And with that—Ruko disappeared down the hallway.