AN: Chapter 41 of Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken: The Ways Of Strolling In The Demon Country.
'Today at the Arena, we're holding an event called "Dodgeball Tournament"!' Framea thought in excitement. '...Or so I think we are.' Truth be told, she wasn't at all listening to what Rimuru was saying. She was shaking in fear when the one who named her, Luminous Valentine, showed up with Hinata.
The vampire still gives her nightmares...
"Ara? why do I feel like you're thinking rudely of me?"
"I-It must be your imagination!" Framea yelled in panic to the voice behind her.
She forgot she was behind her. She was too afraid to look back, fearing what would happen if she did.
"Still, this exclusive outfit is pretty light. I kind of like it..." She said to herself, pulling the edges of her shorts. Rimuru had generously gifted them outfits for this occasion. A white shirt with her name on it and a pair of short black shorts.
"KUAHAHAHAHAHA!" A booming laugh echoed inside the stadium.
Standing there, Veldora had his arms crossed. Wearing a white shirt and black shorts, along with a baseball cap. Ramiris and Beretta beside him. Ramiris wearing the same outfit as the rest of them, only for her size, and Beretta wearing jerseys only a P.E. teacher would put on.
"Fufufu! The time to strike is now!" Ramiris cackled.
"With all due respect, you might end up losing if you're going to be the team leader this time around. So please do be very careful, Ramiris-sama." Beretta fretted over his master.
"Leave it to me!" Ramiris gave a thumbs up.
Beretta's worries grew. Tremendously.
"KUAHAHAHA!" Veldora laughed with his arms crossed. "I've been researching the manga repeatedly countless times for this very day!" He adjusted his hat. "Now then, which team will stand in our way?"
At the other side of the arena, Shuna's team consisting of herself, Benimaru, and Souei looked rather intimidated.
"There's no shortage of the opponent huh?" Benimaru gritted his teeth.
"Unnn...please be gentle." Shuna pleaded nervously.
Framea felt bad for them. They were up against Veldora, one of the only True Dragons that exist, Ramiris, one of the three ancient Demon Lords, and Beretta, a High Ranking Demon. She turned her head in the direction of one of the newest members of the Enneagram. Rimuru in his slime form was resting on Diablo's left arm, who was holding a ball in his right hand. Diablo was wearing the same jersey as Beretta. A silver whistle around his neck.
"I have received the important task of refereeing from Rimuru-sama." Diablo smiled, said slime shaking in excitement. "The ball will start from Ramiris's team!" He called out. "With that..." He tossed the ball to Ramiris, signaling the start of the game. "...Begin!"
Veldora struck his hand forward. "Ramiris, show them what you can do with the first shot!"
"Yes sir, teacher!"
Veldora smiled. This game was in the bag. After studying manga for days, he knew everything there is to know about dodgeball. And after reading all of the Shounen, he was on the level of an expert. This must be why Rimuru gave him the ball first so that he can show his growth. To show that he was capable of winning a dodgeball tournament. And win he shall. Why you ask? The one who strikes first wins!
'Fret not, Sworn Friend. I shall win this tournament with honor! That I swear on the Storm Dragon's name!' Veldora smiled, nodding to himself at his inner monologue.
Ramiris reached the ball, pulled and-
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion. "How should I grab onto this?" The ball was at least twice her height. She pulled with all her might, calling forth the power of the Demon Lord within her!
...But nothing happened!
"...She can't do it huh?" Rimuru sweat dropped.
"Seems like it." Diablo responded before raising his right hand in the air. "Since the opposing team cannot continue, Shuna's team wins by default!"
"WHAT?!" Veldora yelled in shock.
"Ugh..." Feeling her pride hit rock bottom, Ramiris lost the strength to fly and just laid herself on the ball...before she fell off and landed face first.
"You'd be smash to bits if you took Milim's ball head on." Rimuru told Ramiris. Framea quickly took pictures of the scene with the camera Rimuru gave her.
"So this is a dodgeball tournament!" She said in a childlike voice with stars in here eyes.
"Fufufu, you get what you deserve, disgusting lizard." Luminous's voice spoke out from behind her, her tone haughty at seeing her most despised enemy lose.
Hinata, who was sitting on a chair next to a small rounded table under an umbrella, was spinning a ball on her fingers with a displeased look.
"By the way," She called out to Rimuru. "Why haven't I been called out yet?" Rimuru flinched. Playing dodgeball was the whole reason she showed up after all.
"Well, um, you see..." He spoke nervously. "One thing led to another and the participation ratio has been maxed out-" Diablo casually deflected the ball Hinata threw at his lord.
"I wanted to participate too..." She grumbled.
"I'll say!" Another voice came from behind Framea. "I was the one who suggested this, but Rimuru wouldn't even let me compete!"
"Natsu if you competed, I can only imagine a scenario where the stadium would be in ruins." Rimuru bluntly told him.
Natsu. He's been around since Rimuru's birth. Natsu had been fighting a dragon, but the spell he cast was so large, he ripped a hole in the dimensional barrier and was transported inside a cave. He met Rimuru during his time there. The two meet Veldora later and, to show proof of their camaraderie, Veldora gave Natsu and Rimuru a family name. Veldora Tempest, Rimuru Tempest, and Natsu Tempest Dragneel. From then on, Natsu and Rimuru were stuck to the hip.
They showed up in the goblin village together. They traveled to Dwargon together. They stopped the Orc Lord's forces together. They became the chancellors of Jura together. They became human teachers together. They fought against Farmus together, They became demon lords together. They participated in the Walpurgis together. Whenever one was, the other would definitely be there. They were practically inseparable and cared deeply for each other. Whenever Rimuru was running low on magicules from naming monsters, Natsu would give him his without hesitation. Whenever Natsu wanted to train, Rimuru would complain but would already be making his way to the training area.
Or so Framea heard.
Natsu became close with Luminous too. When he heard how Veldora destroyed her capital city, he took some of Veldora's scales and turned it into a dress for her as a peace offering. Luminous loved it and became interested in Natsu. Somewhere down the line, the two became more...intimate. And by that I mean close. And by close, I mean really close.
Nervously peeking from the corner of her eyes, Framea saw Natsu, lying on his left side, crossing his arms and pouting at the dodgeball matches.
...With his head directly on Luminous's lap.
Luminous Valentine. Queen of Nightmares. 5th seat in the Enneagram. Was giving Natsu Dragneel, a lap pillow.
"Aww, don't be like that Natsu~." Shifting so he was staring at her face, Luminous gave him a teasing smile. "You get to rest your head on my lap, isn't this better than any tournament."
"W-well I.." Natsu blushed as Luminous leaned down on, to the point where the tip of their noses was touching. "L-Lumy, not in front of everyone." He stuttered in embarrassment.
"Aww, why not~." She pressed her head further, her fangs tickling his lips. Just a few centimeters more and-
"Ahem." Rimuru faked a cough, getting their attention. "Do you mind flirting in private?"
"...Private you say~." Luminous wiggled her eyebrows. "Well, if that's what you want then-"
"STOP! STOP! STOP!" Rimuru yelled in embarrassment. "Natsu! Control your girlfriend!"
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"I'm not his girlfriend you know." Luminous gave a fake sigh.
"Yeah! Listen to Lumy-"
"I'd appreciate it if you called me his wife." Luminous gave Rimuru a scolding look. "It's the only title appropriate enough-"
"LUMY!"
Hinata held her head in here hand.
Framea took the time to voice her thoughts on Luminous relationship with Natsu. "I'm surprised you like him so much, Miss Luminous."
The vampire tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"W-well, Natsu-sama's personality is similar to Veldora's. So I thought you would hate him-"
The words died in her throat. The air around her became dense and it felt like a hundred blades were pressed against her. She paled and started sweating like a waterfall. It was then she was reminded, why Luminous was known as a Demon Lord. Her heterochromia eyes stared at her with such coldness she thought she would die any second now. Her fight and flight instincts were channeling, and the flight won by a landslide. She was tempted to run but knew that doing so would lead to a world of pain.
"Did you just compare my cutie patootie Natsu-ie to that repulsive lizard?" She raised a brow.
Framea wanted to respond. But her words couldn't come out. She choked as tears started streaming down her face. This, this is where she'll die.
'Father, it seems like I'll be going on ahead.' She thought in sadness.
"Um, Luminous? I think she had enough." Natsu said in concern, still receiving her lap pillow. Luminous continued to stare at her.
"...I suppose you're right." She sighed. "You're forgiven, Framea. But never make that mistake again, are we clear?"
"Y-Y-Yes!" She straightened out robotically. She inwardly thanked Natsu as if he was the messiah for giving her the chance to see another day.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" A young female voice laughed. They quickly turned their attention towards the one who made the sound. Standing there with a cocky grin was Milim Nava, a Dragonoid and one of the ancient three Demon Lords. "From here on out, I'll be taking over the court!"
Her bright blue eyes suddenly turned into slits as her magic power increased.
"Prepare yourselves!" She grinned sadistically.
"...I-It's gotten rather chilly over here..." Gobta whispered to Gabiru, who nodded in reply. These two were unfortunate enough to be partnered with Milim.
Milim smiled to herself. Everything was going according to plan. When she heard from her uncle that there was a sport activity going on, she knew this was her chance. She'd beat all everyone here and win the tournament. And once she did...once she did...
'Natsu will praise me!' She thought in excitement.
She planned everything from the start.
Step 1, wear the clothes Rimuru gave her and look cute in it.
Step 2, force two of the monsters Natsu named to join her so he'd pay attention to her match.
Step 3, win this match.
Step 4, keep winning matches.
Step 5, win the tournament and get praises and headpats from Natsu!
It was foolproof!
She nodded to herself. She accounted for everything. She even planned who the monsters she'd be teaming up with were. She knew that Rimuru and Natsu split the naming of monsters evenly. Gobta and Gabiru were among those that Natsu named. Gobta was part of the half Natsu named when he and Rimuru first arrived in the village, and Gabiru...was by accident. She couldn't pick any of the females Natsu named, he might pay more attention to them rather than her. And she couldn't pick any of the males either. If they were too capable, it would give her less of a chance to stand out! So she needed males who couldn't do much and everyone doesn't expect to much of.
Which happened to be Gobta and Gabiru.
'Yes, just you watch Luminous. I'll steal Natsu from you and show him how much more womanly charm I have compared to you!'
Let it be known that the Destroyer, Milim Nava, had a crush on Natsu Dragneel.
Feeling smug, Milim looked at her opponents. The other team was Shion's team. Led by Shion herself, Geld, and Gobzo. Should be a peace of cake.
"We can't afford to lose easily." Shion informed her teammates. The opponent is definitely strong, but if she loses badly, it would bring shame to their leaders. And that cannot happen. Geld realizes the weight of the situation and prepared himself. Gobzo, while terrified, just gulped and walked onto the field. They would win for their lords!
...Who didn't really care if they lost or not since this was a fun game!
Diablo blew the whistle and tossed the ball to Shion. She grabbed it and pulled it behind her.
"Here we..." She threw the ball. "...GO!"
The force of the ball teared the ground and was surrounded by a powerful gust capable of ripping through metal. Faster than the normal eye can see, the ball made it's way towards Milim, who just smirked at the approaching target. Without much effort, Milim backhanded th ball into the empty seats behind her.
"Something of that level," She grinned at Shion. "Won't have any effect on me!"
Shion just gaped in shock. She gave it everything she had to throw the ball, hoping to at least catch Milim off guard, bu she just smacked it like a fly. How...how can she ever hope to beat-
Diablo's sharp whistle stopped her thoughts.
"With the opposing team leader out, Shion-sama's team wins." Diablo said.
-Eh?
"W-W-W-WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Milim shouted in shock. "WHY!?"
"You should have listened to the rules properly." Rimuru told her.
Milim felt like an arrow pierced through her heart. Her plan that she carefully crafted...it was going to waste?!
'Did Natsu at least pay attention to me?!' She turned to the Dragon Slayer...who was closing his eyes in bliss as Luminous used her right hand to stroke his hair and fed him grapes with the other. Noticing her gaze, Luminous locked eyes with Milim...and gave the smuggest grin she has ever seen in her immortal life. Struggling not to cry, Milim turned around and covered her face with her hands.
"NATSU YOU IDIOT!"
"EH?!" Said Dragon Slayer opened her eyes in shock. "What did I do?!"
"Oh nothing." Luminous gently smiled at him. "Just stay where you are, no need to see what's happening."
"...Should...Should I be happy about this?" Shion turned to her teammates. 'Winning like this is..."
"Let's just be happy we didn't have to take her head on." Geld told her, Gobzo nodding in agreement.
Since Milim and Veldora's team was out, Shion's and Shuna's were the only ones left. They started the match 20 minutes ago and are still going strong. Souei jumped forward towards the ball and hit it like a volleyball toward Benimaru, who caught it but was pushed back a few meters. Struggling to gain his standing, the red headed oni was pushed back until he was in-front of his story.
"Onii-sama! Are you hurt!?" Shuna cried out in worry.
"I'm still ok!" He yelled. "However..." his gaze fell to the opponents. "..this still isn't over!" He threw the ball with all his strength. Seeing the ball approach, Shion smiled and closed her eyes.
"Geld."
"Acknowledged."
Without hesitation, Geld moved to the front of the group and caught the ball. The wind pressure generated from the throw came over him. But he did not move. Out of everyone in Tempest, who weren't Demon Lords or higher, Geld had the strongest defense. As the winds died down, Geld was still standing, having not move an inch.
"Damn it! Again!?' Benimaru gritted his teeth.
"...I wonder if having Geld is foul play?" Rimuru tilted his body. Diablo had the whistle in his mouth, also debating whether Geld is considered foul or not.
Geld passed thee ball to Shion who smirked. If she remembered correctly, the rules didn't say anything about using magic...
"Judgement, Chef!" Casting magic on the ball, Shion lazily tossed it to a confused Benimaru.
Then the clothes started shredding.
"W-W-What is this!?" Shuna yelled in embarrassment as her clothes were ripped to shreds. "M-My clothes are-?!"
"What the heck?!" Benimaru shrieked his and Souei's clothes started to disappear.
Framea, who was watching on the side, wasted no time and brought out her camera and took pictures like her life depended on it. Luminous, seeing Shuna's clothes disappear, brought out a finnstick and zoomed in on her. What? She enjoyed a women's body. She is a proud lesbian! And Natsuian! Not that Natsu was female, he was just insanely cute. His reactions were adorable. She could spend hours just teasing him and would bee even more entertained than she would've originally thought. His reactions were that amusing.
'Still though,' She thought. 'I wish he would be a bit more aggre-?!'
Before she could finish her thought, her finnstick was knocked out of her hands. Looking down at the culprit, she was surprised at what she saw.
"A-Are you pouting?" She questioned in surprise.
The Dragon Slayer just pouted further. This was new territory for her. Natsu never did something like this before so it was rather surprising. She had no idea what caused him to act like this. Why would he knock the finnstick out of her hand? All she did was look at Shuna-
'Oh.' She thought. She had a look of envy but quickly replaced it with a teasing one. 'Fine then, if she's that important to you, might as well take advantage of it.'
"Are you mad that I was checking out Shuna? Do you hate me ogling your girlfriend that much?" She gritted her teeth She did her best to keep a sweet look on her face, but the anger and jealously couldn't be contained.
"...not that..." She barely heard Natsu whisper something.
"I'm sorry?" She asked, leaning down a bit more to hear him better.
"...It's not that I don't dislike you getting along with Shion." Natsu admitted, looking far off. "I'm happy that you get along with my family. And I'm happy you want to spend time with us. I should have nothing to complain about." He placed his right hand won the shirt where his heart was and gripped it tight. "But whenever I see you with someone else, I get a sad feeling. I don't like it when you look at other people."
Truthfully, Natsu didn't know what this feeling was. It was present whenever Shion and Milim were hanging out with other people, but it had the strongest effect when it was Luminous.
"We're both busy handling our countries so we don't really have time to meet up." He continued. "So when you showed up today, I was happy. We finally got to spend time with each other." He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I know it's selfish, especially when you want to befriend the people here. But if it's not to much to ask...
Natsu turned himself so he was looking directly in his eyes. His eyes that were always bold and held a sense of adventure within them now looked timid. His usually cheery face was now one of embarrassment. His cheeks were tinted pink and he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else right now.
"...even if it's only for today..."
But nonetheless, he still found the strength to look at the Queen of Nightmares in the eye and told her his wish.
"...would you please only pay attention to me?"
Luminous froze as her hair covered her eyes. He was pretty sure he heard the sound of glass shattering.
"...Lumy?" Natsu called out. "Lumy?" He called out again when he didn't get a response. He grew worried when she didn't move after awhile. That was before she grabbed him by the shoulders and brought him into a fierce hug. She quickly adjusted herself so that she was sitting on his lap.
"LUMY!?" He cried out in shock and embarrassment.
He couldn't really see here face. Her hug was tight so he was at an angle where he could only see her back. The vampire herself was busy burying her face in his neck.
'I love him.' She thought. 'I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him I love him.' Her fangs were just above his skin, ready to bite down at a moments notice. 'IlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehim-' She continued to think deliriously.
"So, Natsu," Hinata began, choosing to ignore what her master is doing to him. "what started this whole dodgeball thing?" She asked.
It took him a few seconds to regain his composure. "I-I'm not entirely sure. I heard that the Shuna and Shion fanclubs were having an argument and Rimuru didn't want them fighting. So I said to settle it with this." He answered, gesturing to the match. "Honestly, I just wanted an excuse to play dodgeball." He didn't notice how said fanclubs, who came to watch the games of the two people they admired, were growing pale.
"What were they arguing about?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged from his position, Luminous still intent on squeezing the daylight out of him.
"Hmm, if I remember correctly..." Framea put down here camera and closed here eyes to think, failing to see the fanclubs signaling her to stop.
"...It was whether big breasts or smaller breasts were better."
The stadium grew silent. Luminous stopped hugging Natsu, and reluctantly got off his lap, so they could turn to watch what was unfolding. Shion's and Shuna's team stopped playing the moment Framea announced the cause of the dodgeball games. The leaders of the respective groups had their hair cover their eyes as they stared intently at their fanclubs.
"And since fighting is prohibited in the city, Rimuru suggested they solved the issue with sports!" Framea smiled.
If slimes could sweat, Rimuru would be doing it.
"...Is that so?" Shuna muttered darkly.
"...I've never heard of this." Shion cracked her knuckles.
Shuna grabbed the ball while Shion grabbed something round but less...solid.
"Oya?" Diablo looked at his outstretched arm, only to find it vacant. He looked around for his lord, only for him to widen his eyes in shock at who was holding him.
"You all should-!" Shuna raised her magic power and prepared to throw the ball.
"You guys should really-!" Shion did the same thing. Only, the ball was Rimuru. Without hesitation, they threw the round objects at their fans.
"GET A LIFE!"
"RIMURU-SAMA!" Diablo cried out in worry.
BOOM!
Hinata stood silently as she stared at Rimuru, who was rolling like a tumbleweed.
She sighed. "You're an idiot." She rubbed her temples. Leave it to Rimuru to do something like this.
Luminous tugged at Natsu's shirt. "Do you like. big breasts or small breasts?"
"...Which one does yours fall under?"
"Good answer." She ruffled his hair. "Hey, how about we go to that restaurant you told me about the other day?"
"...Is this a date?"
"Do you want it to be~?"
He couldn't answer fast enough. "Yes."
"Mmm." She smiled. "Let's go then. Hugging you got me..." She smirked as she went to whisper in his ear.
"...All fired up~."
The Dragon Slayer needed time to register her words. When he did, he picked her up bridal style and ran out of the arena. After the restaurant, they stayed at an inn for the next 3 days.
Omake.
"A wife?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah. Seeing how well your relationships are going, I thought I'd give it a chance." Rimuru answered.
Natsu looked deep in thought. "What about Ciel?"
Rimuru sighed. "Natsu, a wife is someone who you treasure with your life. Someone who will be with you through thick and thin. Someone you love with all your heart. Your eternal partner."
"...Soooooooo Ciel?"
Rimuru blinked. "Huh. Yeah. Ciel IS my wife huh?"
A few days later, Rimuru noticed that Ciel stopped calling the Dragon Slayer 'Individual Natsu' and has been referring to him as 'Step-Brother Natsu.'
Weird.
AN: Natsu Dragneel x Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken coming soon. How soon? When I have better WiFi and finish 'Home Is Where The Heart Is.'
