"Bill, if it weren't for you, we might not have lived to see tomorrow."
Adam had never been more grateful for his decision to recruit Bill to the team.
Aqua's 'biological weapon' had proven too powerful — even Wiz the Lich and the entire team couldn't handle it.
Adam himself had suffered the worst!
With the sensitive nose he'd copied from Tanjiro and his proximity to the hot pot, he'd nearly collapsed on the spot!
If their blacksmith hadn't happened to visit, the whole team might have been wiped out!
"Oh no, no, I just happened to be there, haha—" Bill scratched his forehead sheepishly, "Still, even if you live in the suburbs, you can't be this reckless."
"Indeed, though I think they're reflecting on their actions properly." Adam nodded in acknowledgment and called out to Aqua and Kazuma in the distance, "You two, have you learned your lesson?!"
The fault truly lay with those two.
A simple hot pot dinner shouldn't have turned into a dark hot pot duel just because of their argument.
"Yes, we're sorry, we're reflecting." x2
Aqua and Kazuma both knelt before the stove, apologizing quietly.
"Louder, I can't hear you."
"We're sorry, we're reflecting!"
"Even louder! How can you say you're reflecting when you're so quiet?"
"Yes! We're sorry!! We're reflecting!!!"
Really, these two problem children were such a handful.
Though Adam was also at fault — he should have stopped them earlier instead of letting them run wild.
"Well, let's not be too hard on them."
"Yeah, Kazuma aside, Aqua didn't really do anything wrong." Darkness and Megumin pleaded on their behalf.
But Kazuma wasn't having it. He shouted, "Hey! It was clearly Aqua's fault, so why am I the one getting blamed?"
Hearing them obviously favoring Aqua, his anger instantly flared up.
"Hmph! It's clearly useless Kazuma's fault. If it weren't for you, why would I have added the nori fruit?"
Just as the two were about to start fighting again, they heard Adam's cough and immediately sat properly like good children in front of the stove.
Seeing them settle down, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Well, Lady Aqua and Kazuma-san didn't mean any harm, let's forgive them." Wiz also pleaded on their behalf.
"Wiz..." Aqua looked at her with tears in her eyes, feeling like 'maybe this lich could become a friend'.
But this only made Adam feel more apologetic towards her.
"I'm sorry, Wiz. I invited you for a feast, but it turned into this mess."
"No, no, it's fine. I understand your intentions — thank you for inviting me." Wiz smiled gently with her pale face, her sickly beauty striking to the heart.
"Gah—!" Upon seeing this, Aqua instantly dismissed the thought of becoming friends as mere illusion and secretly marked the busty lich as a mortal enemy, determined to purify her.
"Well, since Wiz has pleaded for you..." Seeing their sincere repentance, Adam softened his stern demeanor, "I'll let it go this time, but if this happens again, I'll have to punish you severely, understood?"
"Yes, we won't do it again!" x2
Though Aqua and Kazuma agreed readily, Adam knew they'd be back to their old antics in a few days.
Fortunately, they hadn't added the premium beef yet — those rare ingredients would have gone to waste.
"By the way, Bill, why don't you stay and join us for hot pot? We have some special premium beef."
"Eh?! Is that okay?" Bill asked, surprised by the invitation.
"Of course! If it weren't for you, we would have been done for!"
"Oh! Then don't mind if I do!"
Everyone enjoyed a proper hot pot feast after that. Bill's arrival brought the team closer together, and they all ate happily.
The banquet was lively with conversation and laughter as Aqua performed an elegant talent show.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone lounged on the sofa, sipping premium drinks and contemplating life.
After chatting for a while, Adam suddenly remembered Bill had come with something to discuss.
"Bill, did you have something to tell us when you arrived?"
"Oh, right, I completely forgot!" He smacked his forehead as if just remembering, then turned around and pulled out a large cloth bundle from nowhere.
What kind of skill was that? It was amazing! I want it!
Everyone gathered around, staring at the pure black bundle. Though they couldn't see inside, they eagerly began guessing its contents.
Everyone threw out guesses, but none were correct. With a flourish, Bill unveiled the bundle.
— A pile of pure white cloaks!
"Cloaks...?" Everyone stared in confusion.
Only Adam showed a hint of delight.
"Oh my, they're finished already?"
"Yeah, it was quite the undertaking — my friend was completely exhausted."
The two spoke in riddles, leaving everyone else even more puzzled.
"Adam, what is this?" Aqua draped herself over his back, arms around his neck, holding up one of the cloaks for everyone to see.
Adam explained, "These are our team uniforms."
"Team uniforms?!" Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, that's right, team uniforms!"
He spread out the cloak, which looked very similar to the one he usually wore, just without the characters for "Adam".
He then told everyone, "We are the Hero Party, and to quickly build our reputation, we need distinctive features that are eye-catching and memorable — uniforms are one of those things. These cloaks are made from earth spirit silk, they're soft, elastic, moisture-wicking and breathable, with no drawbacks except the price."
Bill proudly introduced his friend's masterwork, "Each cloak costs about 1 million Eris to make, making them extremely expensive clothing!"
"1 million Eris—?!" x5
Kazuma, Aqua and the others, including the poor shopkeeper Wiz, were shocked.
That price was outrageous! And there were 10 of them, making it ξ10,000,000!
"That's not important now, come on, try them on and see if they fit!" Adam clapped his hands.
He roused the stunned members and handed them cloaks that matched their sizes. Everyone dazedly accepted them and returned to their rooms.
A moment later, everyone reappeared in the hall.
When Adam stood beside them, the whole team stood tall and proud, their presence instantly magnificent.
Cool! Striking! Stylish!
The 『 Hero 』 Party finally had true unity and a presentable image!
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