[ "No way!!" Kazuma woke up with a start in a prison cell, squatting in a corner on the verge of tears: "I wanna go home..."
Rewind to yesterday. The kingdom's prosecutor wanted to arrest Kazuma for treason. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but because he blew up the lord's mansion, they suspected him of being a terrorist.
Facing such accusations, Megumin immediately stepped forward to defend Kazuma: "Without Kazuma's decisive action in the Mobile Fortress battle, there would have been many more casualties!"
"Megumin..." Kazuma was deeply moved by her words. Just as he thought his teammates were reliable, Megumin's tone shifted: "Kazuma only commits minor offenses like sexual harassment at most."
Darkness also stepped forward, stating there must be a misunderstanding: "This man doesn't have that kind of courage. He's the type who'd make beastly expressions at me in revealing clothes at home, but wouldn't even dare to raid at night—he's useless!"
Even the adventurers from the Guild couldn't stand it and protested: "That's right, Kazuma is an adventurer, not a criminal! This is an abuse of state power. Adventurers are free."
"Freedom—, FREEDOM!!!"
Facing this group of adventurers, the prosecutor calmly pushed up his glasses: "The crime of subverting the state applies to those other than the main culprit... If you want to go to prison with him, I won't stop you."
The adventurers who were just shouting "freedom" all quieted down, and the entire Guild fell into silence once again.
Aqua and Megumin immediately distanced themselves from Kazuma, performing a tactical repositioning away from him.
"I remember Kazuma saying something like, 'I'll take all responsibility' back then," Aqua suddenly blurted out.
Megumin, who had just been staunchly supporting Kazuma, also changed her tune. Though no one asked her, she loudly muttered to herself: "If... if I had been there, I definitely could have stopped Kazuma, but unfortunately, I wasn't there, so there was nothing I could do... Mm, nothing." ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Hahahaha, Kazuma truly lives up to his title as the bravest hero with the highest luck stat. How lucky must he be to encounter such a 'united' group of teammates in history?"
"Pfft... Haha, this is absolutely hilarious. Kazuma's useless teammates, if they hesitated even for a second when distancing themselves, it would be disrespecting their friendship!"
Everyone from other worlds nearly died laughing at this 'loving' scene. It was their first time seeing such an absurd hero squad, showcasing humanity to its fullest.
And Megumin, your alibi just doesn't hold up! If you weren't there, then who do you suppose cast the Explosion magic?
.....
〜The Rising of the Shield Hero World〜
Naofumi Iwatani, who had just been summoned to another world, couldn't help but feel a little indignant:
"There were no casualties, and Kazuma saved the town after all!"
A hero who saves a town is treated this way, and each of them distancing themselves is just too much. What kind of teammates are these?
"My teammates should be more reliable!"
Naofumi Iwatani, having just become the Shield Hero, needed to level up and equip himself to save the world. For this, the king arranged for other adventurers to join his party.
Since joining was voluntary, no one chose him. Just as he was feeling down, Miss Myne, with her red hair, expressed her willingness to team up with him.
Naofumi Iwatani was deeply moved by this... Look, compared to Kazuma's teammates, what a considerate girl Miss Myne is!
She would definitely be very reliable. After buying equipment with Miss Myne, his adventure in this other world was about to begin.
〜A Certain Magical Index World, Academy City〜
"Pfft... Hahaha..."
Shirai Kuroko, who had been suppressing her laughter for a long time at this scene, finally couldn't hold it in anymore. She lay on the bed, her body shaking with laughter.
"So, sexual harassment is considered a minor offense when it comes to Kazuma?"
What kind of strange excuses are Megumin and Darkness making? They're only making things worse, practically describing Kazuma as a perverted lecher... Uh, well, maybe they weren't wrong.
But in a sense, Kazuma's party is also very united. They don't even need to discuss selling out their teammate; they distance themselves with perfect synchronicity.
"That useless goddess..."
Misaka Mikoto, beside her, watched Kuroko laughing hysterically, still speechless. This development was a bit off!
According to a normal hero's worldview, a hero who saves a town should then go to meet the king, receive commendations, and gain the princess's favor! Directly reaching the pinnacle of life.
Now, let alone the pinnacle of life, Kazuma has fallen to rock bottom. It's the first time seeing a hero who saved a town end up in jail for such a bizarre reason.
.....
[ Just then, Wiz emerged from the crowd, wanting to take responsibility, but Aqua clapped a hand over her mouth: "No, Wiz, it's best if the casualties are limited to one person!"
"Though it's painful, please bear with it." Aqua then flashed a brilliant smile: "Let's quietly wait until Kazuma finishes his labor reform."
Kazuma wished he could give that useless goddess a good beating: "Even without you guys, I still have everyone in the Guild supporting me!"
As Kazuma scanned the Guild, the adventurers all averted their gaze before meeting his eyes. Thus, Kazuma looked with hopeful eyes at Luna.
The counter lady was startled, looked left and right, then pointed her gaze at the table: "There's dust..."
And so, at the prosecutor's command, Kazuma was thrown into prison, on the verge of tears in his cell. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Kazuma has a reason for not seeing Aqua as a goddess. I have to say, besides being an idiot, Aqua is truly useless."
"She truly, I could cry... It has to be you! Look at Aqua's brilliant smile, what suffering this is."
Honestly, with so many people bullying Kazuma, everyone was a little fed up. If it were anyone else, they'd probably have turned dark long ago!
.....
[ "Boom—!!" Just as Kazuma was on the verge of tears, a huge explosion suddenly rang out from outside. As Kazuma wondered what it was, Aqua poked her head through the iron bars.
That's right, she was there to help Kazuma escape. The earlier explosion was Megumin's Explosion magic, used to attract the guards.
Aqua then threw a wire through the bars to him, looking utterly confident: "First, use this wire to pick the lock, then use your Stealth skill to escape the prison! Finally, go home and prepare to flee tonight!"
After all, the crime of subverting the state carried the death penalty, and for an adventurer of unknown origin like Kazuma, facts might be twisted to have him executed.
"Then I'll wait for you outside!" With that, Aqua left, seemingly even stumbling once.
Kazuma picked up the wire, speechless, and looked at the cell lock... It was a combination lock that required turning 8 digits to the correct position to open.
"Time to sleep..." Kazuma simply tossed the wire away, burrowed into his blanket, and went to sleep.
Snow had already begun to fall, and Aqua was still squatting outside the city walls, dutifully waiting for Kazuma to emerge. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Hahaha, truly the Goddess of Wisdom, Aqua. The plan is good, but the first step is a bit difficult... Is this combination lock trying to kill me with laughter?"
Everyone was stunned by Aqua's astonishing wisdom... Did Aqua not think of using Explosion magic to blow up the wall to attract attention?
But thinking about it, it's too much to ask the not-quite-sane Aqua to come up with a normal plan.
And with Kazuma's luck, he could definitely take his time to figure out the combination lock, or even just run away himself. But after being treated this way, Kazuma had also given up.
.....
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World, Future Timeline〜
"Goddess Aqua... Eh! Never mind, never mind, for her, she's done well enough."
Yuji Itadori sighed. For an idiot, she had done quite well.
Looking at the 8-digit combination lock, then at the wire Aqua threw in, he understood at that moment the importance of having a reliable teammate.
Gojo Satoru said with a smile:
"Although Aqua might not be all there mentally, she did wait outside in the snow all night."
Everyone laughs at Aqua for being a ditz, but everyone wishes they had an Aqua by their side.
.....
[ "Boom—" Another familiar explosion sounded. Aqua returned to the cell, complaining to Kazuma with a bewildered expression.
"They returned without being discovered, yet for some reason, they were immediately identified as the perpetrators of the explosion!"
"The investigative capabilities of this world are not to be underestimated."
However, this time, Aqua was very confident because she had Megumin wear a hood, so she wouldn't be discovered.
Then, after Aqua learned the cell door was a combination lock, she triumphantly pulled out a hacksaw and threw it in.
Kazuma looked at the two-meter-high window sill, speechless: "Can't reach it..."
"No problem, I'm not an idiot!" Aqua looked as if she had anticipated this. She brought Kazuma's stepping stool with her.
But the window was so small, how could she throw it in? This also didn't stump the clever Aqua. She ran to the guard with the stepping stool in her arms.
Then Kazuma heard Aqua and the guard arguing from his cell: "No, this is something Kazuma needs. It's a (comfort item) for him."
The guard was naturally not a fool: "Never heard of a stepping stool as a (comfort item)."
Kazuma was also speechless. Rather than waiting for the useless goddess's rescue, it was quicker to just sleep. He burrowed back into his covers and slept soundly. ]
[ .....]
〜Projection of All Worlds〜
"Hahaha... I can't... I really can't stop laughing this time... Aqua is an absolute genius, nothing can stump her... Haha."
"Wearing a hood... How did she come up with such a brilliant idea? It's the otherworld version of burying one's head in the sand. What good is it besides fooling herself?"
"I'm not an idiot either... Hahaha, where does Aqua get this inexplicable confidence from!"
Everyone from other worlds was practically doubled over with laughter. Goddess Aqua, can't you use your clever little head to think? How many people in the entire town can use Explosion magic? How do you think they found out?
And Megumin and Darkness, these two might just be geniuses on par with Aqua! They actually believed this hooded idea...
It's absolutely brilliant! It almost killed them with laughter. Without Kazuma, the three outside couldn't even collectively form one brain cell.
.....