Stories in the Quiet Part 2
The hallway was quiet. After getting kicked out of Megumin's room, Ruko walked with a blank look, one hand in his pocket, the other rubbing the back of his neck. "Women… are quite troublesome," he muttered. As he turned the corner into the living area, he froze. There she was. Aqua sat on the couch. Still. Too still. No whining. No drinking. No yelling. Just… staring into nothing. Ruko narrowed his eyes. "…This is suspicious." A slow grin spread across his face. "Hehe well it wouldn't hurt then." He quietly stepped behind her. Closer. Closer. Then— "Boo." "GYAH—!" Aqua jumped straight up in panic—only for her head to smack directly into Ruko's chin. "GAH—!" Ruko end up touching Aqua chest out of pure instinct. She is flustered and punch Ruko in the face, sending him across the living room. Both of them dropped instantly. Ruko hit the floor flat on his back. Aqua, panicking, flailed and accidentally elbowed him again. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she shouted. "My jaw… my soul… I saw heaven just now…" Ruko groaned. "That's MY place, idiot!" She stood over him, furious, and slapped his cheek lightly. "Wake up! Don't pretend to die!" Ruko slowly raised a hand and— "Spank" she feel her buttocks been slapped and started throwing a tantrum by punching Ruko's face 5 times. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
After her rush of punches she look at the state she make him into. "…You... just killed me twice." Aqua clicked her tongue and used heal magic. A soft glow covered him. "Stop exaggerating. There. Fixed." Ruko sat up, rubbing his face. "God damn! …You hit like a truck." "And you act like a creep!" she snapped back. There was a pause. Ruko stared at her. Aqua avoided eye contact. "…You don't look like yourself today Aqua," he said. She froze. "…What do you mean?" "You're not the quiet type," Ruko replied. "That's unnatural." Aqua puffed her cheeks. "I CAN be quiet! Even if I wanted to." "…That's even more suspicious." She looked away. "…I just want booze okay." Ruko stared straight into her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you looking at me like that?!" "…Say the real reason." "…There is no—" "Say it." "…Tch." She crossed her arms. "…Fine. But don't interrupt me when I'm speaking." Ruko immediately sat cross-legged like a student. "Go on." Aqua sighed. "I'm broke." "Yeah, I know." She slapped his head. "I SAID DON'T INTERRUPT!" "…Sorry, continue."
She huffed. "I always end up broke because I spend money on things I like… and then Kazuma has to fix everything that I cost." "Sounds about right." She glared. "I'm not done!" Ruko raised both hands. "Continue." She took a breath. "…And when things don't go my way… I get upset." "You cry." "I DO NOT—!" "You cry." "…Well... Sometimes." Ruko smirked. "…Because you don't like being alone is that it." That made her pause. Her expression softened slightly. "…Yeah! I guess I was." Silence filled the room for a moment. Then she quickly looked away. "But that doesn't mean I'm useless!" she snapped. "I'm a highly intelligent and beautiful goddess!" Ruko let out a small laugh. Her fist twitched. "…Continue." She nodded, satisfied. "I just… don't get treated like one. Everyone calls me useless." "The ZZ Goddess, right?" "…You too?!" "Kazuma told me." She clenched her fist. "That idiot—!" Ruko chuckled. "But you are useful anyway," he added. She blinked. "…Huh?" "You clean. You purify water. You fix problems." "…That's just chores…" "Still useful." She went quiet. "…Hmph."
She looked slightly calmer now. Then continued. "I even got stuck in a cage once, trying to purifying a lake!" Ruko burst out laughing. "I heard about that from Mitsurugi." "That idiot break me out of my cage!" she snapped. "Which I saw him at the adventurers guild and punched him in the face." Ruko laughed harder. "That's hilarious." "…You're enjoying this too much." She sighed again. "But still… I do a lot. I help my followers. The Axis Cult loves me." "How many followers again?" "…Millions." "…Thousands." "…A few thousand." Ruko shock in aw and nodded slowly. "…That's rough." "It's Kazuma's fault!" she snapped. "He picked me as his cheat item and then calls me useless!" Ruko reached out and patted her head. "It's fine." She blinked. "…It is?" "You're still useless." She froze.Then exploded. "I TAKE IT BACK—!" "But you're useful too," he added quickly. She stopped. "…You're confusing." "Yeah! Im a confusedly person in some eyes." She huffed, but didn't push his hand away. "…I still help people," she said quietly. "Even if they don't appreciate it." Ruko nodded. "That's true. Truly worthy of a goddess." She smiled slightly. Then continued. "I even learned special skills to entertain people!" "Party tricks." "They're IMPORTANT!" "Sure." She glared again. "…Continue."
She turned away slightly. "…And the undead." "Oh yeah, you hate those." "I don't just hate them—I HAVE to purify them!" "Yet you hang around Wiz." "She's different!" "And Vanir?" "I'll purify him someday." Ruko chuckled. "…You're funny." "I'm serious!" But then her voice lowered. "…I just… miss home sometimes." That caught Ruko off guard. "…The Heaven?" She nodded. "…Even though I said it was boring." Ruko leaned back slightly. "…Then why try so hard to go back since you found it boring?" She froze. "…What?" "You work, struggle, deal with all this… just to go back to somewhere you called boring." She opened her mouth. Closed it. No answer came. Ruko leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "…So what will you do when you get back?" Silence. Aqua looked away. "…I don't know." That was the first honest answer. Ruko watched her quietly. Then leaned closer, talking non-stop in a teasing tone. "Maybe you'll get bored again. Maybe you'll miss this place. Maybe you'll miss Kazuma—" "STOP TALKING!" She covered her ears, flustered. "Why are you like this?!" Ruko grinned. "Because it's fun."
She looked like she was about to cry. Then— "…Continue your story," he said softly. She blinked. "…You're actully listening?" "Yeah... since I enjoy ykur company." Her expression changed. A little brighter. "…Fine." She smiled faintly. "In the end… my life now is just… messy." "Very messy." "But also… kinda fun." Ruko laughed. "…That fits you." Aqua laughed too. Then suddenly kicked him lightly. "Ghaa—" "Be grateful! A goddess just told you her life story!" Ruko stood up, gave a small bow, and took her hand. "Thank you, Goddess Aqua." She froze. "…Huh?"
He smirked. "…In some way." Kiss her hand in gesture. Her face turned red. "You—!" BAM. Her punch sent him flying into the wall. "Gaha—" "IDIOT!" She stormed off to her room. Ruko slid down the wall slowly. "…Worth it." He chuckled to himself. For a moment—Just a moment—Things felt normal. Quiet. Light. Then the silence returned. And deep down… That small emptiness stayed. Unnoticed by everyoneExcept for Ruko Satou of course.