For a split second, a visibly guilty look flashed through her eyes, the same eyes that usually gleamed with mischief.
She instinctively shrank back, waving her hands in a fluster, and even her voice jumped up a pitch.
"Huh?! W-what are you even talking about, Kōichi?! You've definitely had too much to drink. Your brain's been fried by all that alcohol! Eris-sama is a lofty Goddess. How could she possibly have anything to do with a Thief like me who just loafs around Axel all day?! That joke is not funny at all!"
Even as she said it, her gaze kept darting away, and a fine sheen of sweat had already formed on her forehead.
The way she was so desperately trying to hide it, while only managing to look clumsy and adorable, practically screamed to the whole world, "I'm Eris."
Kōichi had no intention of letting her off that easily. Instead, he leaned in even closer, bracing one hand against the windowsill and pinning her into the corner by the window.
"Oh yeah? But I've heard the Goddess Eris sometimes comes down to the mortal world for inspections when Heaven gets too lonely. And, Chris, your luck stat is absurdly high. It's practically like the Goddess of Fortune is using cheats on herself. So, how about I use my [Steal] skill to test it? If I end up stealing something divine, the truth will be obvious."
"W-wait! You are absolutely not allowed to use that skill!!" Chris let out a cute little shriek, both hands clamped tightly over her chest and the pouch at her waist. Her face was red as a ripe apple, and her eyes were full of pleading. "Kōichi! That's way too far! Who jokes like that with a girl?! Get away from me already. Your booze breath is practically blowing in my face!"
That awkward, guilty look on her face made Kōichi almost one hundred percent certain his guess was right.
This cheerful, dashing phantom thief usually carried herself so confidently, yet the moment her true identity was touched on, she showed a side of herself that was unexpectedly girlish.
"Well, since you're begging that hard, I'll pretend it was just drunken nonsense." Kōichi chuckled and stepped back to a safer social distance, raising his glass slightly. "Still, whether you're Chris or Eris, as long as you're my friend, that's enough for me. Did you have fun tonight, Miss Lucky Thief?"
Seeing that Kōichi wasn't going to press the issue anymore, Chris finally let out a long sigh of relief. She shot him an annoyed look, but the corners of her mouth still curled upward despite herself, leaving her with a playful expression that was both embarrassed and a little touched.
"Hmph. You've really got a rotten personality. But... since the fried chicken was so good, I'll forgive you. Tonight... was really fun, Kōichi."
She muttered that under her breath, then, as if trying to cover her embarrassment, grabbed the juice beside her and gulped it down.
And as Kōichi watched her, he was already thinking about how best to make use of this Goddess's special identity in the future.
The noise from the other side of the hall felt strangely cut off from this corner.
Wiz stood there with her head lowered, both hands clutching the purple Curse Music Box that was still trembling faintly. Her chestnut hair covered most of her face, making her look especially frail in the flickering candlelight.
Even though she was a Lich with absurdly powerful magic, right now she looked more like a shy high school girl at a party who didn't know what to do because no one was talking to her.
Kōichi set down his glass, made his way through the drunkards and their nonsense, and stopped in front of the hopeless shopkeeper.
"Wiz, why are you standing here all by yourself? This is a housewarming party. As my friend, you can't get away with not having a drink."
Wiz jolted like a startled kitten, nearly dropping the music box in her arms.
She looked up, her pale violet eyes flickering away uneasily, a faint blush rising on her pale face.
"Ah! K-Kōichi-san! I'm sorry, I... I just thought it was a little too lively here. A gloomy undead Lich like me... if I get too close to everyone, won't I just make the whole atmosphere turn cold...? And besides, nothing in my shop ever sells, so I keep feeling like I'm the kind of person who only causes trouble for others..."
Looking at how deeply that inferiority was rooted in her, Kōichi let out a helpless sigh, leaned against the nearby pillar, and softened his tone.
"Don't say stupid things like that. Just look at Aqua over there. She causes trouble for people all day long, and she still lives without a care in the world. Wiz, I've always wondered about something. You're so gentle, and your strength is ridiculously over the top, so why do you always make yourself seem so lonely? Is there really no one in Axel who'd sit down and have a cup of tea with you?"
Wiz froze for a moment, then gave a bitter little smile that was both nostalgic and lonely.
Lowering her head, she gently traced the cold pattern on the music box with her fingers.
"Lonely... Maybe it's because I'm always standing on the wrong side. Back when I was an Adventurer, I became a Lich to save my companions. Later, to protect everyone, I had no choice but to join the Demon King's Army as a General... Even now that I run a shop, because I'm Undead, people may not hate me, but it's still hard for them to truly accept me. And... I really don't seem to have any head for business. I always spend my savings on useless magic items, and Vanir-san scolds me for it all the time..."
She paused, then looked up at the brilliant night sky beyond the window, her voice as light as a passing breeze.
"Sometimes I wonder... if I weren't a Lich, and were just an ordinary girl who could make a nice cup of black tea, would I be able to sit among these friends more at ease?"
Seeing how heartbreakingly endearing she looked, Kōichi couldn't help reaching out and gently patting her on the shoulder, like he was soothing some frightened little animal. Wiz's body trembled slightly, and even through the fabric he could feel that uniquely Undead touch, cold and yet soft.
"You idiot, Wiz. If you were just an ordinary girl, then who'd sell me all those useless but fun items? And who'd pull off that cool magic whenever we need help?" Kōichi looked straight into her eyes, his voice firm. "Listen carefully. Everyone here is a weirdo. Kazuma is a sadist, Aqua is an idiot, Darkness is a pervert, and Megumin is an Explosion maniac. So an overly gentle Lich like you is actually the most normal one here. As long as I, Kōichi, am still living in this mansion, there'll always be a place for you here. Got it?"
Wiz stared blankly at Kōichi as sparkling tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
Then she suddenly broke into a smile through her tears and nodded hard. It was the brightest, clearest smile you could imagine, without the slightest trace of gloom.
"Yes! Kōichi-san... thank you so very much! Being able to meet you really is the happiest thing that's happened to me since becoming a Lich... no, the happiest thing in my whole life!"
She got so emotional that she moved to throw herself into Kōichi's arms, completely forgetting that she was still holding the music box.
In her agitation, a trace of frost magic slipped into it by accident.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!! Help!! It's so cold!! Somebody save me!!"
The music box suddenly burst apart, releasing an ear-piercing scream loud enough to echo across all of Axel, while a wave of bone-chilling cold swept through the entire hall.
"Waaah! We're under attack! Did the Demon King's Army invade?!"
Aqua, who had been spinning in circles, got blasted by the cold and slid right off the table, landing butt-first in a barrel of booze.
"I-I'm so sorry!! Kōichi-san! I'll freeze it right away! No, wait, it was already ice! Waaaah!!"
Watching Wiz fall right back into chaos as she frantically tried to fix the music box again, Kōichi couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead and letting out a long sigh.
Sure enough, in this world, a warm, heartfelt atmosphere never lasted more than three seconds.