Slime Diaries: Summer Vacation!

Treyni has paid the town a visit and talked to Rimuru when she called for him through a tree outside his house.

Rimuru acknowledged that Deforestation by building their town...caused Climate Change, and asked her to pop a few trees in free spaces in tasteful landscaping that every three buildings, there would be a very tall tree serving as a natural umbrella to provide shade for residential areas, and recreational areas. The Dryad Sisters cheerfully did the task because Rimuru acknowledged the consequence of Deforestation. Though land planning in empty areas are still in the works, so they can plant additional trees later on.

And it thankfully got windier and cooler as a result.

At the last week of Summer when things are starting to FINALLY cool down in anticipation of autumn?

Rimuru held a Tanabata Festival with Shuna as Organizer, being a Kijin Princess and Priestess.

'So, have you kids made a wish yet?' Rimuru asked the group of Japanese kids.

'I don't care for these things.' Hibari shrugged.

'Will it even become real? Kufufufu...' Mukuro chuckled with a bored, dismissive handwave.

'There was a shooting star four days ago and nothing happened!' Lambo whined.

'Maa maa, those wishes are your hopes for the future, attained by both your hard work and support of your comrades.' Rimuru patted Lambo on the head before turning into his slime form, bouncing towards the windows and settled on the windowsill. 'Besides, all work and no play can drive anyone nuts, so I have to hold events once in a while. Tanabata is the first event I ever held now that we're halfway done in building this town, some celebration is warranted!'

'Then...what's sensei's wish?' Nagi asked Rimuru who giggled.

'As a leader, I know my people's wishes and my wish is for their wishes to come true. I watched while we worked together to build this town and they all reached a common consensus whether they know it or not.' Rimuru told them cheerfully before going solemn. 'They want to protect this town and what they gained...things they never had before. If you've seen their living conditions before and suddenly having it real nice, they would never want to go back to that. Their homes...or dwellings from before, reminded me of the story of Three Little Pigs, about the first and second brother who built houses of straw and sticks. That level of appalling.' the japanese blinked at his words.

'Smarter tribes copied humans in wearing armor, but resources are limited to scavenging off of dead adventurers that they usually have garbage for equipment. And hardly anything to eat nor anything to heal illnesses with.'

'They all wish for prosperity and maintaining their new life...huh?' Ryohei mused.

'Seeing all that made me feel that I took many things for granted as Mikami Satoru and Japan's high standard of living, that I easily understood them all.' Rimuru nodded. 'As ruler, I'd naturally want what will make my people happy. In turn I got friends I could trust with my life, things I never got in my days as an adult as life in a white-collared job in Tokyo is ruthless if one wants a promotion. Competition, sabotage, you name it we've done it.' he snorted apathetically. 'There was no peace nor fulfillment even after I got promoted. I consoled myself that it helps pay the bills. I had to carefully judge if I were to place my trust back in the office yet I only found one person to trust since I graduated at age 22 before I died at age 37.'

'So yes, I prefer this world even if I miss my parents and older brother. I'm pretty sure they held a funeral after my death and moved on.' Rimuru finished. 'I could finally have real friends and trust people knowing they would never betray me. Had you graduated high school or college back in Earth, you'll learn that friendships made in school are worth nothing. In the workforce, anything goes. No such thing as friends.' wow, he's so jaded and bitter, they all thought. What did this guy experience in Tokyo? 'I learned that the hard way that in some way, I'm glad Touka and you kids are spared from that life. Here, you can make an honest living and become a good adult and still have good friends by your side.'

'...'

'...how did you die?' Lambo asked him in a stunned wonder.

'Well, a violent mugger stole some woman's purse and she cried for help about three minutes away from me and my work junior at the streets, but guy took out a knife so nobody could from the looks of things.' said Rimuru. 'Unfortunately, Tamura was in the way and since he and this girl he introduced me to are in a serious relationship, I shoved him aside and took the nasty...so I ended up here. Guy probably married her by now.' he said. 'By the way, getting stabbed hurts like hell, don't try that out unless you have a healing skill.'

xxx

Lunchtime...

'Hey Touka, have you made a wish for Tanabata?' Yamamoto asked Touka who blinked. She has Chicken Noodle Soup for lunch.

'Eh? Not yet...' she said.

'How come?'

'I couldn't think of anything.' said Touka sheepishly. 'Because I already got what I want for my life, I'm pretty much satisfied.'

For the grossly-mistreated girl, her wishes are indeed simple. Adults to turn to, do the right thing for her and reliable support. Those three things. She never had the chance to grow up and mature, being fear and pain ruling much of her life that while she was fourteen, she was mentally...younger than kids her own age that she was still ignorant of the differences between genders nor effects of gruesome spars to impressionable minds.

Heck, she's often playing with her tiny students and Lambo when he joins in...

...and no, she really has no crush on Hibari despite Reborn claiming she was lying. It was blatant admiration of a kid to an older brother figure and she had no clue what a crush was. Yeah, there's boyfriend and girlfriend, the 'how' was brought into question. She doesn't even know what Love is...given her home life and school life that she was indeed, fine with dying to get away from it all.

And to think the class idol Kyoko is asked out for dates even within her hearing range, and she has no idea what a date is. Yet she is just as jaded as Rimuru himself, knowing only about the bad in the world and too knowledgeable about the bad stuff in life, nothing about good.

She had a lot of growing up to do, now that she has a good support base.

Yamamoto's wish was to fully redeem himself to her someday.

From another seat, was Mukuro.

"I would never know these things, being in Italy all my life." he thought wryly. Since he had a Japanese Name yet no clue of his past and subjected to torture for years, his past was unknown to him that upon being isekai'd here, he gained skills as a manifestation of his wishes, causing him to learn what happened to his family after he got kidnapped by Estraneo. Rimuru's lessons regarding skills, made perfect sense.

He was NOT happy and upon finding his past out, he was glad he massacred them all when he was ten and already grieved enough that he can simply mourn his parents and two younger sisters in private on his first night in Falmuth. Estraneo was searching for children with powerful flame levels to tinker with all over the world and he had powerful Mist Flames. They barged into his house and his parents protected him and his sisters but they were all killed except for him and he was violently knocked out by a blow to his head. Next thing he knew he was in the cells occupied by other children of various ethnicities unable to remember anything.

He wrote, 'May my family have a better life in the next.' as his wish on his tag.

This is his first Tanabata in his whole life, and slipped his tag in his pocket.

In another seat, Ryohei was anxiously coming up with his own wish. Going home is out of the question. Touka forgiving Kyoko for him ain't happening. Maybe he can go Hibari's route and not write anything?

Nagi was also having her own issues. She never had a happy childhood as her parents never cared nor thought about her unless she did wrong which she hardly ever does. Her routine was an eternal boring repeat. She was also broody that she never had friends to hang out with nor have fun times with. She never knew herself enough to have any wish for herself that she left her paper blank.

Lambo was also thinking.

Sure he has access to his family's money and assets, but nobody had time for him so he did as he pleased to the point nobody can stand him anymore, not even his family servants had patience with him, but as he was the son of their boss, they can only convey their displeasure with words with his antics, and complaining he wasn't raised right that he's such an out-of-control brat they can't deal with.

Word reached his parents through the butler who overheard grumbling maids so he got assigned a tutor who was too stifling and restricted his freedom all he could and rebelled how he can. He doesn't even know his parents, why should he obey them? It was him all alone when his nanny left him now that her services are no longer needed.

He doesn't even know why his parents never looked at him. His world was his nanny.

One day he got called to some guy's office and he was told that he would be trained to be the next family boss if he kills Reborn. Liking the idea, Lambo left home, taking what he could to find Reborn and have the tools to kill him.

Before he got the chance to leave his home city after days of searching, he got isekai'd to here with the others.

He did as he pleased, and suddenly his world went dark, waking up here in Tempest with knowledge he didn't have before, and realized that by not knowing what he knows now and doing as he pleased, he was really, an out-of-control brat everyone disliked to deal with and that, was the equivalent of a bodybuilder punching his stomach in realization that he had been in a state of stupor. He simply dismissed those going-ons as a result of being isekai'd anyway, unaware Mukuro brainwashed new knowledge into him.

He became an obedient kid as his knowledge says he should be because he had nowhere to go, the monsters are nice and he didn't wanna be disliked by these guys...and don't get him started on the human country that summoned them! If he continued his behavior in this world, he would have nowhere to go.

His wish on his tag was 'to be cared for cuz' nobody did back home'.

xxx

When Tanabata Festival came and went, everyone dressed nicely with lots of food and drink on hand, even games were played...

Rimuru later looked at the tags on the bamboo plant.

Since he didn't need sleep, he spent all night looking top to bottom and while some wishes made him laugh or smile meaningfully or sadly at, what horrified him, was Lambo's wish.

That spoke loudly of his upbringing, potentially worse than Touka's.

"What to do with this one...?"

Sure he had been a therapist, but he had never been a parent before in his life.

Long story short, he called Shuna and Benimaru after breakfast, while rewriting Lambo's wish into the native language in the perfect imitation of child's handwriting.

xxx

'...I can see why you're worried, Rimuru-sama.' Shuna looked at the card, shaking in dismay. In the office were three kijin. 'What a terrible wish. Just what exactly is his life back in your world?'

'Appalling would sum it all up probably, to make a wish tag like that.' said Rimuru darkly. 'Children are born because of love, but also, out of convenience or an accident.'

'How on earth can children be born out of accident, Rimuru-sama? It takes two to have children!' Shion gasped out, appalled.

'I'm pretty sure this is the same problem in human countries here.' Rimuru would tell them. 'The accidental part refers to irresponsible lovers who are NOT ready to be parents, getting it on for fun yet when girl conceives, they would deny the child, unable to care for it and dump the baby in an orphanage like Touka. This problem also applies to prostitutes who cannot care for the child while struggling with money themselves.'

'Second problem is politics.' Rimuru continued. 'Children are only born out of convenience for rich families. They are raised harshly with pressure not to bring shame to the family name, and bring glory whatever means necessary. Children who fail or embarrass them are disowned and thrown out. This is the problem among nobility and royalty. This is even worse if father has multiple wives, that mothers heap pressure on their children to win their father's love back on the woman more than both mother and child. Thus children are scarred and traumatized and had to grow up cold-hearted to survive all the pressure or get disowned.'

'Finally, neglect. Another problem in rich families.' Rimuru added. 'Parents are too busy, leaving their kids to nannies but nannies are only employed until child is five years old...and what after that? Sometimes from too much work, parents forget they have children. Children grow up never knowing their parents. No memory of ever being cared for by them. They just get stories from family servants thus just a mythical existence or an urban story to them. There's no connection since day one. But when in need of an heir, only then do they remember they have a kid. Lambo falls to this category most likely.'

'Oh...' Shuna and Shion were downright appalled and dismayed. Benimaru shook out of anger as he cannot believe humans do this to their own children. Monsters are far better to their own children! What the hell?!

He can already guess Rimuru's request.

'That is why I'm counting on you and Benimaru, Shuna.' said Rimuru. 'I would gladly adopt Lambo but I have too many jobs. Not to mention my human form is that of a ten year old boy he might not take me seriously. I hope you and Benimaru would give a good example to Lambo, while he's still young.' he requested. 'Given the behavior, Nagi is also a problem. I see signs of Touka's old behavior in her. So next year, I'm entrusting them to you. For now, they're in the care of the older boys who act as their sibling figures.'

'Yes, Rimuru-sama.' Benimaru reassured Rimuru. 'We can't be parents since Shuna and I are siblings, but we'll teach what a good adult should be for children.'

'Umu. I'm hoping for the best.' Rimuru smiled sadly as the atmosphere in his office was somber. 'Next week I'll plan an outing. Let's give the children lots of good memories. I'll also plan a playground park for children to play in. A childhood should be as happy and colorful as much as possible. Lambo and Nagi's hearts can still be saved.'

That was his hope, at least.

xxx

And so...

'Why are we at a clothing store?' Mukuro asked Rimuru.

'Because we'll do a swimsuit outfitting!' Rimuru chimed. 'We're going to a nearby lake next week!'

'Swimsuit...' Touka croaked out, wide-eyed.

'...outfitting...?!' she and Shuna are of obliviously one mind: dreaming of Rimuru in a swimsuit and went squealing in schweetness, startling the human kids and Rimuru felt a shiver down his slime body.

'Y-you two, don't get any weird ideas...'

But he got ignored as the two began browsing for outfits.

'So this one piece is pretty good...'

'No! This two piece bikini is a lot cuter!' the two girls started arguing on what's cutest, forgetting everyone else.

'Let's add some more frills!'

'Backless, string or tube?'

'Either way looks good as long as it's Rimuru-sama wearing it!' this got Rimuru several 'WTH' looks from the teenagers.

'Oiiii?! You two?!' Rimuru sputtered, starting to feel dread. 'Don't get any crazy ideas about meeee!' he wailed. 'Shion do something!'

'You girls are so naive! A string bikini looks best on Rimuru-sama!' Shion was no better it seems.

'Ehhh that's more YOUR taste Shion!' Touka complained. 'Unless Rimuru-sama grows a pair of breasts using his Mimicry skill it won't look good!'

'That's right! We're aiming for cuteness!' Shuna scolded Shion. 'Cuteness is everything! Cuteness is Rimuru-sama!'

'...er...sensei?' Ryohei croaked out as they backed away from the excited monsters. 'What gender are you again?' he asked helplessly as they stared at the madness going on warily.

'Slimes are genderless though I identify as a MALE dammit!' Rimuru wailed with comical tears. 'They fantasize about dolling me up too much and last month was scary!' the girls dressed him up in cute dresses their minds can come up with and he was the MODEL.

'...so sensei...is a Trap?' Nagi slowly piped up, making Rimuru choke as the boys asked, 'What's a Trap?'

'YOU'RE BETTER OFF NOT KNOWING!'

(Indeed, they're better off not knowing when they asked Nagi later. She has classmates at school into THOSE that the boys felt sorry for the town's slime-boss.)

And so...

They arrived at a lake the next day. At the middle of the lake, is a sand bar.

'Waaaah!'

'It's an open space, large enough for picnics.' Yamamoto grinned widely. 'This is awesome!'

'Let's take a break and lunch first before we go swimming!' Rimuru told the kids. 'Don't get too excited now!'

'Yeah let's eat, I'm starving!'

The boys were of a common consensus...BUT!

'Rimuru-samaa~!' Shion's sweet voice cooed out, carrying a pot that got the monsters horrified. 'I made lunch for yooouu!'

Y-You guys didn't stop her?! Rimuru wailed to the Kijins in horror through Thought Communication.

W-we did say we'd bring our own food, it's supposed to be Shuna doing all the cooking! Benimaru shook in horror.

Touka you're messing with me again aren't yooou? Rimuru whimpered as Touka giggled. The Kijins long since know that if its only Rimuru gonna suffer, she warns. But if a lot of people will suffer Shion's cooking, she does not.

Teeheeheehee...its for the humans to experience the horror called Shion's cooking...

Souei quickly fled in fear and Hakurou pretended nothing's happening.

'But it seems the pot couldn't hold all my love since the bottom's about to break out...' Shion pouted as the bottom of the pot is heating up as if lava was inside until finally, a hole broke out and blue sludge poured out. Sludge! And it's melting the soil! What is that, Nuclear Waste?

The humans shivered at the sight.

'T-Touka, that some kind of monster soup?' Gokudera asked fearfully. 'We're not gonna eat that...right?' that soup! It looks like a certain woman's cooking!

'Lambo-san too young to die...' Lambo whimpered, scampering to hide behind Nagi who was shell-shocked at the horror she witnessed. Come ON, even she can cook in Cooking Classes in school! Nobody can be THAT bad...right?

'Nah, we won't. Only Rimuru-sama will...' Touka has a mischievous smile as she took out a towering bento box enough to feed a group. 'Well, Shion-san's talent in cooking is biology-defying, breaking all laws of physics and causality due to how horrifying it is, its also awesome as a biological warfare weapon since it can even affect A-Class Monsters like ourselves...the first time I tried that, I hallucinated the end of days...'

"YIKES!"

"I'm suddenly glad for that big lunch now." Mukuro twitched as Touka's Lunch Tower at least, smells delicious.

'It's gone into the ground!' Shion pouted as the pot of soup melted into the soil too much to Rimuru and the Kijins' relief. 'So I have a curry bun right here!' she walked to give it to Rimuru but she fell into the hole she made. 'Kyaaa!' and the curry bun that looks like a monster fell out of her hands. 'Somebody catch my curry buuuun!'

Down below, Gabiru WAS gonna catch it, but upon seeing what it was, did not.

Earned him a beating from Shion minutes later.

And so...

'Dang, Touka scared us back there...' said Benimaru as lucky for them, Touka prepared enough food for everybody. Her meals are delicious! As gorgeous as it looks!

'She let Shion cook as a visual warning to the kids, apparently.' said Souei as Shion was unleashing her fury on Gabiru for not saving her curry bun.

'We're saved~ Touka's so reliable if only she doesn't enjoy seeing our terror when Shion cooks before giving us real food...' Rimuru whimpered. 'Maybe she had a personality change when she evolved.'

The older men nodded as one with a grimace.

xxx

'This is yummy Touka-nee!' Lambo squealed in delight as Touka's lunch boxes were as delicious as how gorgeous they are.

'This is delicious!' Yamamoto gushed out.

'This is extremely awesome!' Ryohei chimed as they all enjoyed her food.

'Touka-san what do you want to actually be if not for that thing in Earth?' Gokudera asked her. He's talking about her status as a mafia donna...or a front face before she gets pawned off to some dude.

'Well, I just want simple things in life.' said Touka. 'It seems the more materialistic one is, the poorer you are both in wallet and spirit while living a simple life makes me feel rich. So I'm not really up for what those guys set up for me if not for getting sent here.' she said. 'Being a teacher is also fulfilling I turned out to be good at it. I've seen so many mistakes in our junior high school that I sought not to repeat them and be a teacher the children would respect. Little kids as small as Lambo are impressionable.'

"Well, teachers are downright jerks to her in class." Yamamoto thought glumly. She must have memorized the Evil Teacher trope and set to do the counter to be an admirable teacher for her students.

'You'd be an extremely good wife though.' said Ryohei, remarking with praise. 'Wives who can cook are extreme winners!'

'Ryohei shhh! Shion's nearby!' Touka hissed, stuffing a potato ball in his mouth as Shion was back from Stress Relief on poor Gabiru. 'The words wife and cook will make her go on a cooking spree back home trying to impress Rimuru-sama to death! Gobta actually manifested Poison Resistance Skill after barely surviving her dish! Think about it!'

Awkward pause...and a shiver followed.

'Right...Shion and Cooking are taboo...' Mukuro mused, pale-faced. Hibari was trying NOT to look at the monsters while focused on his own food, but he was visibly shaking. Who would not, after seeing what's supposed to be soup MELT the very earth?

'Its a town-wide taboo actually.' Touka whispered conspiratorily. 'When she says she's cooking, come up with a good excuse unless you're good at running like Souei. The government's usually reliant on Shuna to cook for them but Shion manages to sneak in sometimes. I would if I'm not a teacher with homework and quizzes to deal with...'

Poor, poor souls.

xxx

After Lunch...its time for swimming!

Changing tents were set up and its time to swim!

'Alright! Time to play!' Rimuru declared as while he was happily making his declaration, his 'old man striped swimsuit' was magically replaced with a white swimsuit with blue flowers that got Benimaru and Souei blushing hard and Hakurou coughed awkwardly, pink-faced.

'Y-yeah, let's play!' Benimaru quickly agreed, pink-faced, trying hard NOT to look at Rimuru who was THE PERFECT TRAP. He was both cute and a lovely sight!

As they came out, so did the girls and the other boys in other tents...

'KYAAAAAA! SOOOOO CUUUUTE!' the monster girls squealed in delight. The human boys stared in disbelief at Rimuru who's DEFINITELY defined what a Trap was. Nagi suffered a nosebleed and fainted backwards.

'Kyaa?' Rimuru blinked. 'But I wore a striped full body suit though?' he said, oblivious to what happened.

'Look again.' Souei pointed out, red-faced and his expression worried him so Rimuru looked down...and went beet red and quickly wrapped his arms around himself.

'TOUKAAA!' he wailed as his adoring lady subjects adored him so, and happily dragged him off to the lake.

'...poor, poor bastard.' Gokudera croaked out. 'I pray for his manly spirit.'

'He'll grow up to be a man, but that can be centuries from now.' Hakurou would tell them. 'So for now, he'll have to deal with the ladies'...unique tastes.'

'Understatement of the year, I'm glad I'm born with a handsome face now.' Mukuro remarked snidely. The lady monsters are fond of...crossdressing cute boys with a face type it seems!

'Guys? Red stuff is leaking from Nagi-nee's nose...' Lambo spoke up and the older males looked to see Nagi fainted with a nosebleed...with a rather perverted smile stuck on her face.

'...guess who's joining the 'Lovely Trap' club next week?' Gokudera snarked with a shaky laugh.