I Got Reincarnated! - Kitsune Chronicles
~Extra Chapter~ Season's Greetings: Summer, Part 1
"Fuck. Is it summer already? It's way too early to be noon." Kayo muttered with an annoyed groan as she suddenly appeared at a work site where she had the orcs and her foxes creating something in semisecret a little outside the capital city. "L-lord Kayo?! W-we were not expecting you!" A startled Orc was the first to greet her, having heard a soft chime, not recognizing Kayo at first before giving a deep bow to the kitsune who appeared a little different thanks to the heat that came down upon Rimuru City.
Kayo looked like a young pre-teen human a little shorter then Rimuru in his human form, wearing a light white sleeveless hoodie over a light blue tank top, her tan arms on display as she wore her black fingerless gloves on her hands along with some slightly baggy tan cargo shorts, her footwear absent for today for some reason. The most striking difference was that her dark white tipped hair was pulled into a high ponytail with only 2 thin braids falling over the right side of her face, with some sliver beads clasped around them, exposing the clean undercut that cleared the hair that was level with her pierced human ears with some simple black studs. Around her neck was the blue collar with a sliver bell Rimuru had given her, glimmering in the sun light.
"It's fine. I just wanted to make sure you had applied enough sunscreen." Kayo reasoned as she waved her tails, and several light green bottles appaired on the table nearby that had the plans for the structure they were making. With another wave there appeared another table, this one with many wooden glasses flanking 2 large kegs that gave off some strange mist while out in the heat.
"Also, a little treat for working so hard. It's made from honey and lemons so it's very delicious~." Kayo praised as the few workers she had on the project looked at her with aww as she severed them the lemonade and even helped apply more sunscreen to some of the large orcs who were grateful for the care. The foxes already having tried the drink before and were enjoying it along with the cool break on such a hot day.
Kayo checked the position of the sun where it was just barely over the treetops in the east.
"Hmm maybe I should go do more rounds. The crops could use a checkup, then the hospital just in case." The kitsune pondered, mentally making a schedule to check on her projects and other things she took reasonability for.
~Tempest Feilds~
"Holy Shit! That's hot!" Kayo yelped as she touched the now finished Geld Sr. statue, having grazed it with her hand, only to feel the heat-soaked granite almost give her a sever burn. "Language, Lord Kayo! It's been out in the sun so of course it's very hot." Geld Jr. Scolded the woman, having heard a strange chime before he noticed the kitsune had arrived, having been watering the crops with a little helper.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't think your little helper would be here to Geld. Does her mother know she's with you?" Kayo asked with a bit of worry, looking at the adorable goblin child that had taken to Geld very strongly, then again, she was one of the few children without both parents.
"Hey, Puka. Are you helping Papa Geld water the crops?" Kayo asked the little goblina who giggled and nodded happily at the kitsune, Geld blushing from the nickname. "L-lord Kayo, please. I am not a papa. And yes, her mother does know she is with me." he corrected as Kayo chuckled, smirking up at the Orc Lord. "I'm just saying~. You've got a lot of options Geld. Of the Orc, Goblin, and Kitsune~ verity." Kayo playfully poked the orc who was blushing red but noticing the large orc flinch at her pokes... her smirk fading into a disappointed frown.
"Geld... did you not put on sun block?" She asked the Orc who looked at Puka who looked worried for the kind orc. "Come into the shade for a bit and let me take care of those burns, then I will help apply the sun block before you get back to work." The kitsune commanded and pulled the large orc over to the shade of a water tower tree, the Orc letting the kitsune drag him a bit before he matched her steps, not wanting to create drag marks in the pathway.
Kayo pulling out a familiar green plant out of her tails, carefully cutting it open with a kuni before scooping out the clear goop inside. The little goblin helping the kitsune leader apply the goo onto the affected skin of the orc, making him flinch and then shiver as it was applied to his sun burned skin. The orc idling listening to the kitsune teach the little goblina about burns and how to treat them with a cactus like plant she called, Aloe Vera. The woman's voice soothing the orc into a light slumber, closing his eyes for a moment... only to be gently woken up by the kitsune leader and the goblina not long after.
"Enjoy your little nap Geld? And I thought Souei snored loud." Kayo giggled in amusement as the Orc shot up in surprise. "Apologies, Lord Kayo! I did not mean to doze off, I shall get back to-" he was saying before he noticed that all the crops had already been watered, the soil still dark and damp. "H-how long was I asleep?" he asked and turned to a still grinning Kayo. "Long enough for us to water the crops. You know I made a system that will irrigate the crops, so you don't have to use a little 'ol watering can and tend to them one at a time. Work smarter, not harder is my motto. Then again, I can be a bit lazy." Kayo mussed as the Orc looked at her in shock as he noticed a slight change in the way she spoke, but he only nodded.
"Thank you, Lord Kayo."
"Hey, on the bright side you can play with Puka a bit more. If you want more work, the Daycare is always looking for good staff~." Kayo suggested before she got a message from Great Sage.
'Kayo Tempest, Rimuru has requested information on the effects of deforestation on the environment. Please report to him as soon as possible.'
"What the?" Kayo questioned confused as to why her brother's skill was asking her for information. "Is something wrong Lord Kayo?" Geld asked worriedly as he held Puka in his arms, the little goblina looking worried for the woman who had helped the kind Orc and helped her water the crops. "No. Not really. My brother is just calling me, so I'll be off now. Oh! And here before I forget." Kayo remembered and pulled out a large bottle of sun block for the orc.
"Don't forget your sun block, I don't want to smell crispy bacon coming from you, Geld." she warned the orc, narrowing her eyes sternly as the orc gave an amused chuckle before he nodded. Geld and Puka watching as the kitsune vanished into the shadows right before their eyes.
~Rimuru's Office~
Rimuru was in his slime from, sitting on his desk as he looked out his open window, letting in some of the still hot air and the sound of cicadas entered the Tempest leader's office. While the slime couldn't feel the extremely hot tempters plaguing his city, he could see the effects of it in his two subordinates who were in his office trying to help with his work... or at least Shuna was, Shion was just drawing lots of Rimuru's on her wooden tablet. Regardless, the slime could still see the sweat beads on the delicate white skin of the two kijin females, not that he was paying that much attention to it for any other reason than their health.
"Hey, you two... Aren't you hot in those outfits?" Rimuru questioned with concern as the two looked at him in confusion.
"Not at all. I like Summer." Shion admitted, despite her wearing her suits blazer over her blouse, then again, she did have it open low enough to expose quite a bit of her large cleavage. Shuna on the other hand was in a traditional purplish pink kimono with another marron colored one under it, a purple obi around her midsection, adding more warm layers to the kijin princess wardrobe. Despite the heat, the young lady gracefully whipped the sweat from her face with a cool towel she had with her before addressing the slime with a smile.
"I do hold and official title, after all. At all times I must carry myself in a way that will not bring shame upon me." Shuna explained, a hand over her heart as she remembered fondly what she was thought as the Oni princess, using those lessons to help her as one of Rimuru's trusted aids. "Well as long as you don't keel over because of it..." The slime added worriedly, not believing the two were completely fine in the brutal heat that could almost boil water without a fire.
"No need to worry! If I get to hot, I'll just remove a layer that isn't visible." Shion boasted as she sat up from her place on one of the two green couches in the slime's office, smiling as if proud of herself. "Like today." she added with a smile, pointing down at her body.
"Huh?" Rimuru looked at her with pure confusion, but Shuna was quick to realize what the older woman had removed, looking horrified and disgusted with the shameless woman's actions, so she was going to correct them. "Wa... Hey! What are you doing?" Shion asked as the young Pink kijin grabbed her and started pushing her towards the door of the slime's office. "Excuse us for a moment, Lord Rimuru." Shuna asked, straining a smile as she pushed Shion out of the office and out of site of the innocent slime. Only for Shion to pop her head into view for a few last words.
"Lord Rimuru, this breezy feeling is quite comfortable!" Shion told him with no shame as Shuna gasped, blushing as she pushed the woman out of site again before slamming the door shut behind them.
'What was that about?' The slime questioned, now seemingly alone in his office before he heard a soft bell chime and then a familiar voice. "Shion was going commando, wasn't she?" Kayo asked as she sat behind her slime brother, on top of his desk with her legs crossed over each other.
"WHAT!?" Rimuru questioned, also shocked that his kitsune sister was right behind him and he hadn't noticed, not to mention her delinquent like appearance. "She wasn't wearing underwear. Shuna was quick to pick up on it but you? Seriously? Were you really a 37-year-old Japanese man in your past life?" Kayo teased as she picked up the slime and hugged him, his cool slime body feeling really good on a hot summer day.
"I-I was but... commando... no panties... Ohhhh~" the slime quickly realized why the kijin princess was so eager to get Shion out of his office now, a blush on his slime face, letting the young Kayo cuddle him as he liked the familiar odd warmth that came with her touch.
"Hey Kayo, what brings you here? Aren't you doing anything today? What's with that from too? You look like a mini delinquent." Rimuru asked, curious as Kayo always seemed busy and didn't usually have her hair so high up so the undercut was a surprise to him. "I was told you wanted information about deforestation and its effects on the environment. Besides, it's really hot today and I wanted to try a new look." the kitsune reasoned with an upset pout as the slime tensed.
'Great Sage! You called Kayo for this information!?' He hastily questioned his unique skill who responded coolly. 'Correct. Kayo Tempest is the best source for information requested, as it pertains to the Great Jura Forest. Its active guardian knows it's current and near future conditions in great detail.' Rimuru shivered and groaned as he knew what was going to happen as Kayo gave him a rather manic grin.
"So~… do you want to know how to fix this heat wave? Half the crops in the fields are already not going to do to well." Kayo mentioned, trying not to let her anger and frustrations grow before the slime nodded. "Okay. Give me the details on how we can fix this." He encouraged his Kitsune sister before he had an avalanche of information thrown at him in the form of charts, graphs, and cute animations.
~Later~
"Got that?" Kayo asked as she looked down at the slime after explaining the harsh effects cutting down too many trees caused. "G-got it... how do you know so much? I was older than you and I didn't even know this much." Rimuru asked, grateful for Kayo petting him while he lay in her lap, even as she gave him a very rant filled lecture on deforestation.
"The American Public School system. It's so crap, I just learned random things on my own. Never mind I used to live in Texas where the summers where just as hot as this. Makes me appreciate air conditioners a lot more now." Kayo sighed, she nuzzled her warm face into the cool slime, who came to realize she was using him as a cooling pad. 'This is fine.' He thought, letting her cuddle him before she yawned, plopping onto her side on the couch she was sitting on to give the slime a lecturer, who ended up being used as her pillow for her unintended nap.
Rimuru couldn't help but feel warm deep inside as he watched the kitsune child nap peacefully for a moment. A soft chime catching his attention as he noticed the familiar collar around her neck, pleasing him a little to see the kitsune wearing it like a precious treasure. It was a welcome moment of silence and stillness that didn't make the slime restless like it would have when he didn't have work to do.
"Lord Rimuru! Sorry to keep you waiting. Lord Kayo left us these gifts!" Shion came into the room with a bright smile, no longer in her normal purple pant suit. Now in a lovely, sleeveless, summer dress that hugged her body before flaring wide at the skirt, her large bust being held back by some light blue fabric with a cute black bow just under her bust, the skirt was long and reached the kijin woman's knees and didn't restrict her movement. Her hair done up in a nice bun with a black ribbon to help her stay cooler.
"S-shion." Shuna scolded as she followed the woman, the kijin princes also in a new outfit herself. A soft pink dress that showed off her budding womanly curves with a long-pleated skirt reaching past her knees, while the top of the dress had two thin straps going over her shoulders, only for a shear white blouse to give the young girl some modesty as it covered her from neck to her elbows, with the collar around her neck being decorated with Sakura flowers. While she had left some of her hair fall around her face, the rest was pulled up into a neat, braided bun that was held up by a lovely sliver hair comb with pink Sakura flowers that seemed to bloom right out of it.
Only one small thing the kijin females had in common where the silver fox pendants they wore around their necks, a simple looking fox head acting as the anchor for a dangling little curled tail that held a purple jewel for Shion and a pink one for Shuna.
"Wow~. You two look much cooler now, and very lovely." Rimuru noticed, blushing as the two girls looked very happy with their new summer dresses, Shion happily twirled around and her skirt few up just a little too much. "S-shion!" Rimuru stuttered out... having caught a glance of something he felt he shouldn't have, the blue slime almost turned completely pink. "Yes, Lord Rimuru?" The woman responded with an excited smile before she noticed the sleeping Kayo laying her head on top of the slime, drooling a little onto him.
"Huh? Who is this?" she asked, confused and a little angry that some stranger was drooling, let alone sleeping, on top of her beloved lord. Shuna quickly hushed the older woman and made her sit down across from the two siblings. "Shion, that is Kayo, so please be quiet. She has been working very hard with little rest." the pink kijin scolded the older woman who blinked as she processed that information.
"Eh!? That's Lord Kayo!?" Shion asked loudly in shock as there was a soft chime as Kayo shifted and sat up tiredly. "Eh? What's up?" Kayo asked tiredly as she yawned/whined, yawing tiredly.
"Sorry to wake you from your nap Kayo. Thank you for these beautiful dresses and necklaces." Shuna thanked the sleepy kitsune, a light blush on her face as she gently touched her fox charm, feeling the love and attention the kitsune had put into them. "You're welcome, the dresses are mostly from the goblinas, I just gave them the patterns. I would hate to see either of you two overheat just to keep up your images. So, I thought some western clothes would be more practical." Kayo mentioned with a small chuckle, wiping away the trail of drool from her face.
"Oh yes, I never thought clothes could be so thin and cool. Much better than Lady Shuna's stuffy old-fashioned kimonos." Shion praised, annoying the princess who then looked sad. "That's a matter of preference, the kimono is part of your history and heritage as Oni. You should be proud to carry that on Shion, like Shuna and Benimaru." Kayo maturely reasoned as she pulled the slime into her lap, and he allowed it as he admired the kitsune for the show of tactical social prowess that had a smile on Shuna's face again.
"As for earlier actions, you will be excused from serving my brother directly for the next week." Kayo added as she gave Shion a stern look. "W-what? Why, Lord Kayo? I've done nothing wrong~. Please reconsider!" Shion begged with tears in her eyes as Kayo gave her a flat look. "You were going without your panties earlier. Even if it's a layer that can't be seen, it is important for not only your image but your health to wear your clothes properly." Kayo reasoned, Shion looking defeated before she noticed how Kayo was dressed, but before she could get a word out, the kitsune leader gave her a stern glare.
"I am a Leader of Tempest, an equal to Rimuru. How I dress is no one's business but my own, especially on my hard-earned days off." Kayo hissed at the intimidated woman who closed her mouth and looked down at her lap in shame. "It's your day off!? About time you took one. How about I join you? Shuna, you can handle things here, right?" Rimuru asked, sounding excited that his little sister was finally taking a day off.
"Yes. You can leave it to me, Lord Rimuru." Shuna gave a nod with a sad smile, having wanted to spend time with the slime but noticed he seemed more excited to spend time with his own sister. "Great!" Rimuru chirped excitedly and hopped off Kayo's lap and turned into his humanoid form, putting on his straw hat before grabbing Kayo's hand.
"Let's go Kayo!" He voiced happily, laughing as he was excited to show the Kitsune what summer could be like.
"One sec. You girls be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen, sun burns are no fun." Kayo warned the two fair skinned Kijin's before she set two bottles of the sun block on the table for them, before being led away by the slime.
~Rimuru City, Main Street~
"So cute~." Rimuru gushed as he played with the moving paw of what looked like a Maneki-Neko, only it took the shape a very familiar black Kitsune with her 3 white tipped tails and ears as well as her feet and belly, a light blue collar around its neck with a cute sliver bell attached to it. A pair of large golden eyes helping lure in the slime as he noticed its left paw was raised, beckoning him to take a look.
"A Maneki-Kayo~." the slime gushed as he noticed it was just one of many this shop was selling that had the kitsune's obvious influence. "Oh! They're already selling those?" Kayo asked as she stood beside her brother looking at the cute kitsune statue. "Lord Kayo! Lord Rimuru! Welcome, is there anything from my shop you would like?" A hobgoblin shopkeeper asked, a delighted smile on his face as he recognized the Tempest leaders.
"Your Maneki-Kayo's sure work, I want one!" Rimuru spoke up happily, as the hobgoblin chuckled.
"Of course, Lord Rimuru, but I must ask... what is a Maneki-Kayo?" He asked confused before Kayo spoke up. "They're called Beckoning Kitsunes, Slime ball. Give each of us one of those Jin, and that blue parasol too." Kayo explained and pointed to one of the oil-paper umbrellas with colorful designs on them, the one she wanted was a simple blue one that matched the shade of the clear blue sky, Kayo's favorite color.
"Right away, Lord Kayo." The monster beamed excitedly as he got the requested items for the pair of siblings.
"Maneki-Kayo sounds better. When did you approve of this?" Rimuru asked, picking on his kitsune sibling a little, knowing she didn't like her image being used because of her surprisingly low self-esteem. "I didn't. Rigurd, the goblin lords, and even the Dwarves wanted to use my image for these things instead of cats like I suggested." The kitsune pouted at the explanation, she reached into her pocket to pull out a gold coin as the shopkeeper got the kitsune her parasol.
"I say it was a good idea. You're the good luck charm for Tempest after all." Rimuru told her as he got their stuff as Kayo paid the goblin named Jin, who quickly became busy after they left. Many more monsters where eager to by their own Maneki-Kayo, parasols, and other things form the humble little shop.
"I still don't get why everyone insists I'm a good luck charm." Kayo voiced as she opened the parasol to have it shade her and her brother from the sun. Rimuru chuckled before another vendor called for their attention, this one offering some yummy food.
~Later~
"I should hang with you more often. You're always given the best stuff." Rimuru chuckled as he and Kayo sat at a hidden little shaded aera where the two were enjoying an early lunch. Sitting at a quaint picnic table that was littered with their edible spoils, Kayo using the steel sting to carefully cut the fruit to divide it up between them and Ranga, who was eagerly panting as he waited for the fruity cool treats. "I can always pick the best stuff. Here ya go slime ball, here's some for you too Ragna and water. It's gonna taste way better than my sandles." Kayo reasoned as she handed the slime a large cup full of diced fruits screwed on some chopsticks to make a fruit kabob. Ranga however got a bowl of loose fruit and water, both of which the Tempest wolf happily goggled up.
"Thank you, Master Kayo!" he howled happily before Kayo pulled out some odd items from her pockets and dripped them over her fruits and sprinkled some strange reddish flakes over the odd redish orange goo.
The slime watched as Kayo put the fruit drenched in that gunk into her mouth eagerly and make a very cute mewing noise as she tasted it.
"Oh~ Lord Veldanava~, I haven't had this in so long~!" The kitsune giggled girlishly, swaying in her seat as she was lost in her own world, happily devouring the fruit while Rimuru looked at her with shock and interest, a small smile on his face as he watched the kitsune freely express her happiness. "I guess you're really enjoying whatever you put on your fruit then huh?" he mused, chuckling as the kitsune got some of the off goo on her face but didn't seem to care.
"Hell yeah! I haven't had Chamoy and Tajin in forever!" Kayo cheered, still making adorable cat noises that amused her slime brother but made Ranga whine as he didn't understand her mother tongue. The tempest wolf however did eye her goo covered fruit, some of it dropping to the ground where he eagerly gobbled it up before Kayo could stop him.
"That's really tasty Master Ka-AWWWOOOOOOO!" Ranga was saying before his mouth felt like it was on fire. "Ranga!" Rimuru called out worriedly, confused as to what Kayo had put on her fruit, the kitsune herself busy holding a frantic Ranga before shoving a strange white stuff into the whining wolf's mouth. "W-what was that!?" Rimuru asked in shock as he looked at what remained of Kayo's fruits with uncertainty but also curiously. 'It can't be as bad as Shion cooking... right?' he questions, and great sage confirmed that the fruit was still safe to eat... so the slime tired some of the fruit that was left himself.
"Oh! That's pretty good." The slime licked his lips before it hit him. "WHY IS IT SO SPICY!?" He yelled, whining as he panted to get the burning sensation out of his mouth, but it wasn't helping until great sage nullified it for him. "It's not that bad." Kayo huffed as she offered Rimuru a strange oblong thing that had some red flakes on it. Before the slime could object, it was pushed into his mouth, the taste of yogurt and strawberries coating his tastebuds. Golden eyes going wide as he noticed that it was also frozen and the red flecks where the skins of the strawberries inside it, then there was a wooden stick sticking partly out of it for him to hold.
"Kayo is this... Ice cream?" Rimuru asked, shocked at what culinary creation the kitsune had come up with now. "Close, it's Frozen Yogurt. Helps wash away the capsaicin in the peppers. Was it really that hot or are you just not used to spicy things?" She asked him, looking worried and confused why she had been fine eating the spicy topping. "Yeah, I'm not used to it. I guess you like really spicy foods then. That would explain why you like kissing Benimaru." Rimuru teased, sucking on his frozen treat as Kayo blushed before she looked away. "H-he's not spicy, he's sweet and warm, like cinnamon sugar." she muttered to herself, but the slime still heard her describe the taste of her crimson mate.
"Hey, since we have another Watermelon, how about we give it to the goblins on patrol? I know Gobtia and Gobzo are stationed there today." Kayo suggested, trying to change the subject quickly as she retrieved the other watermelon they had been given, the other offerings were already put away in Kayo's void space.
~Rimuru City, Guard Station #1~
"Kayo! You're the absolute best!" Gobta praised loudly as he eagerly chomped into the slices of watermelon the kitsune had so skillfully cut up for him and the others. Rimuru pouting as he poured the goblins on guard duty some chilled Barely tea that he had personally made.
"Oi. I'm here too, and I made you guys' tea." The slime voiced as the goblins gasped and drank the tea eagerly, Gobta guzzling his down. "Ah~! I feel alive again! So much better than Kayo's tea!" Gobta voiced loudly as the Kitsune shrugged. "I still don't get what's so great about it. It's just smelly water." she muttered glaring at the tea in front of her, the slime soaking in the praise for his tea making next to her. "It goes really great with Watermelon. You just have an unrefined pallet, little sister~." Rimuru teased with a grin as the Kitsune gave the tea a polite sip but looked put off by the taste, sticking her tongue out in displeasure, being more of a coffee drinker even in her new life.
"A lot of things are nice in summer, but this is just essential!" Rimuru boasted, remembering his childhood from when he was human.
"Is that right? What other things are there?" Gobtia asked, curious what else the Tempest leaders considered 'essential'.
"Stargazing, fishing, picking berries, making some sangria~, BBQs, blowing bubbles, making smores over a hot sexy campfire~." Kayo eagerly suggested, only when she mentioned the last one, the kitsune seemed to zone out before pulling out her journal to eagerly write down what she had just popped into her head.
"Hm, when I was a kid, I liked catching bugs!" Rimuru suggested, trying to add to the list as Kayo was distracted by her smut journal, having caught a glance at what she was writing but stopped when he saw Souei's name being written down in her weird code. "What? Slimes catch bugs as kids?" Gobta questioned, confused as both reincarnations stiffened at Rimuru's slip up. "Oh, um..." the slime tried to think of something before Kayo stood up suddenly. "I was never here, and you guys haven't seen me. AT. ALL." She hissed at them before quickly hiding under the front desk of the Guard station. The slime and goblins were confused by her words before they heard a familiar voice call out.
"Hey Gobta, have you seen Kayo? She's supposed to be training with the kits today, but she didn't show up." Kayo's kitsune brother, Anthoy, questioned looking worried for his sister. Rimuru took a glance down at Kayo in confusion, seeing the panicked look in her face as did Gobta but the goblin smirked malevolently, knowing very well why his dear friend was avoiding her kitsune brother. "Nope! Haven't seen her at all today. Maybe try the assembly building or the hospital." the goblin helpfully suggested the far-off places to the Fox leader who sighed tiredly.
"I will, thanks. If you see her let me know, okay? It's not like her to skip out on training." the kitsune muttered worriedly and walked away to find his missing sister.
After a while Kayo popped her head out to see if her kitsune brother was truly gone.
"What was that about?" Rimuru asked Kayo who was still carefully looking out for her brother before she came out of hiding. Gobta chuckling as he crossed his arms with a knowing smirk. "You didn't know Lord Rimuru?" He asked and raised his head proudly at knowing something the slime didn't. "Know what?" the slime questioned, tilting his head before Gobzo blurted it out. "Lord Kayo can't swim, so she has a fear of deep water. That's why she's avoiding the swim classes another kitsune teaches for all the little ones." Gobzo explained helpfully, but Kayo let out a rather pissed off hiss. "Gobta! I told you not to tell anyone!" She yelled at her goblin friend who looked guilty as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey, it was just Gobzo and I got your brother off your trail so now you owe me one." Gobta pointed out with a smirk. The Kitsune looking displeased by this attempt at black mail. "Fine, but don't try and hide in my office next time. Rigur always checks there three times when you play hookie." Kayo informed the goblin who held out his hand for Kayo to grabbed it, shaking it and then they shook with their other hands before making a weird secret handshake that confirmed to the Slime these two where good friends.
~Jura Forest, Outskirts~
"I love bug catching! It really feels like summer!" Rimuru gushed as he had the goblins and Kayo with him out in the wilds of the Jura Forest, armed with only some small butterfly nets and baskets on their hips to hold the insets they were trying to catch. "Um... I'm not too thrilled about this..."Gobta voiced as he looked around, weary of the large monsters that tended to inhabit the undeveloped parts of their territory. Kayo not looking very excited at the thought of bugs as she lagged behind, more interested in the venomous snake that had tried to bite Gobzo then anything.
Gently pressing down on the snake's head to have its fangs bite into a set of test tubes as some clear liquid dripped from its upper jaw. "That's a good snake~. Give me all~ that venom~ and I won't hurt you~." Kayo giggled menacingly as the snake looked terrified of the kitsune, because as soon as she was done with milking it, the snake quickly darted off once let go. "Hmm~ this should be good enough to work with in the lab." Kayo mussed as she carefully eyes the liquid that would become a useful antivenom, tucking it away safely into her pockets that had access to her void space. Looking up the kitsune rushed to catch up with her brother and the goblins only for her blood to run cold at the booming sound approaching them.
'Rimuru! Something big is coming right at you!' Kayo warned before she had her back to a thick tree to hide from the approaching object. Rimuru was confused before he and the goblins started to hear the loud boom of some massive wings. Only to see a monster of a Rhinoceros Beetle flying at an alarming speed right at them! The sheer size of it shocking the slime and the goblins into running and taking cover... only Gobtia was frozen to the spot and was on the receiving end of its horn attack that sent him flying high into the sky.
~Rimuru City, Testing Grounds~
"What's a hot summers day without a good water fight~." Kayo mussed as she giggled eagerly from her spot hidden up in a tree, two prototype water guns, made from a mix of bamboo and wood, strapped to her body, having let her hair down into a low pony tail so she could use her full kitsune skills, her fox ears still having those black studs in them, a single fluffy tail flicking behind her as she carefully eyes the goblins on the other side of the 'battlefield' that was divided by a small stream.
The two Tempest leaders on one side while the six goblins took the other, but to try and make things even, the goblins were given a long water gun and a large one to help even the odds between their leaders.
'Ready, Slime ball?' Kayo informed her brother who grinned, excited for the battle. 'Ready, Fur ball. Let's soak these goblins!' Rimuru thought back as he came out from his hiding spot and attacking the goblins, unfortunately missing do to being too far back, so he had to get closer while avoiding their fire. Quickly, the slime ran for cover that was closer to the goblins, but in doing so he narrowly avoided an attack from their long water gun that had the edge in range. Acting quickly Rimuru grabbed the 2nd water gun and tried to fire it... but the cork that had held the water in had come off at some point. Much to the Tempest leader's surprise he had suddenly become an easy target for the group of goblins.
"Now's our chance! Looks like you're out of ammo, Lord Rimuru!" Gobta yelled, confident as he held a fully loaded water gun along with his group, standing against their Lord Rimuru all by himself... or so it seemed. "We're gonna leave you soaked from head to toe. Head... to... toe!" Gobta chuckled a little to enthusiastically, forgetting about someone who was carefully watching, and prepared to step in at the right time.
"Okay Guys! Bombard him!" Gobta commanded as he took the first shot, missing but still shooting the straw hat off Rimuru's head before the other 4 fired their shots at the slime, only to have them be blocked by a spinning sky-blue parasol that spun the water away from its target, surprising the goblins. "What the? Hey! That's cheating!" Gobta accused in his shock as the other's looked on at the colorful display the drops of water made as they slipped off the makeshift shield as it spun, lifting upwards to show a smirking Kayo and a completely dry and relived Rimuru.
"All's fair in love and water wars~ my friend." Kayo chuckled with the parasol spilling over her shoulder, just as Rimuru grabbed one of the fully loaded water guns from her and fired at Gobta, hitting him right in the face. "AGH! I'm hit! Gobzo!" Gobta called out to their last member, carrying their big water gun that was still two leaders going wide eyed as the large goblin fired his weapon at them, but they managed to doge in time. Kayo used her other water gun to point it at her attacker, but her other hand still held the parasol, seeming to make her unable to fire the two-handed weapon.
"Say hello to my little friend~!" Kayo yelled gleefully as her 'ribbon' fired the weapon for her, hitting the large goblin spot on, Gobzo let out a cry of shock from being soaked unexpectedly before he started laughing good naturedly.
"Cheater!" Gobtia accused as he and the others reloaded, having lost site of the two but... the sound of a little bell caught their attention, they all smirked, knowing Kayo still had that bell collar around her neck. Quickly but quietly, they surrounded the area were the sound was coming from... only to be shocked that they had been tricked using an innocent little blue windchime.
"Commence the Blitz!" Kayo yelled as she, Rimuru and four more armed Kayos, surrounded the goblins and fired, soaking each and every one of them.
~Later~
"That was so much fun~!" Kayo laughed openly as she stretched, Rimuru and herself becoming the 'victors' of their little water war. "Only because you cheated. If this is what your like in a real War, I'm really glad you're on our side." Gobtia huffed as he used the towel the kitsune gave him to dry off a little, the others did the same and were all in a good spirit from having so much fun with their friends and leaders.
"I'm glad you're with us Kayo. It wouldn't have been as fun or exciting. That was pretty smart to use the umbrella like that." Rimuru praised as he dried his hair with the fluffy white towel before he noticed something. "It was nothing, but I'm kinda sad it got ruined though." Kayo voiced as she looked sadly at the soaked and broken parasol, but when she looked back at her brother and the goblins, the kitsune felt a strange vibe from them as they each picked up a loaded water gun... and pointed them at her.
"Kayo~ you're the only one of us not soaking wet~... we can't have that. Now, can we?" Rimuru smirked as the Kitsune gave a look of exaugurated shock. "You to, Rimuru?" She asked, giving a small smile and a nod before they all fired and soaked the kitsune to complete their fun. "I chose a great day to wear light colors." Kayo grumbled, blushing as her white jacket and tank top were nearly transparent, sticking to her body that was still that of a young child that hadn't hit puberty but... it still made her uneasy.
"Then you will have to come home and change into a swimsuit then." Anthony voiced cheerfully as he appeared behind his sister who froze in shock and fear. He also surprised the goblins and Rimuru with his sudden entrance that was a lot like what Kayo did.
"H-hey Antony. You lookin' for me?" Kayo asked as she guiltily waved to her kitsune brother, who gave her a disappointed look with narrowed eyes. "I was, now that I've found you. We can have a private lesson in how to float in deep water." he mentioned with a smile as he picked up his soaked sister who whined giving into her fate, too tired to keep running and hiding. Which is what her kitsune brother had intended to happen so she wouldn't put up a fight.
"Well... it's good to know that's a family trait." Rimuru muttered uneasily, a bit fearful of what other traits the fox siblings had in common with Kayo.
~Next Day~
"I wonder if Kurobe is doing alright. Kaijin didn't even want to stop his work in this heat, I suppose Kurobe won't either." Kayo questioned as she made her way to the Kijin Blacksmith's workshop a bit late in the morning, but the heat was still ravaging Tempest, becoming more worried as she could hear him hammering away and see smoke coming out the chimney of his shop. Having switched out the light-colored top and jacket from yesterday with an ironic crimson t-shirt that had the kanji for Fire painted on the back.
"Korube!" Kayo called out as she pushed open the door, hissing as the doorknob itself was extremely hot, only to get blasted by a hellish heat that made her become soaked in sweat instantly, almost regretting wearing those metal hair beads. "Holy Hell fire! Kurobe, are you okay!?" Kayo asked worriedly as she poked her head in to make sure the kijin had not expired from the heat. The man chuckled good naturedly as he wiped the sweat from his face before greeting the Kitsune leader.
"Ah! Lady Kayo, this is a pleasant surprise. I'm just fine thank you. Did you give those rings to Master Benimaru and Souei yet?" He asked the kitsune with an eager grin, chuckling as Kayo blushed a dark red at his question. "N-no! Don't mention those ever again. I swore you to secrecy along with Kaijin and Dord!" Kayo scolded him as he chuckled at her embarrassment. "Ah~ forgive me my lady. Would you like to see my newest creation? It's like nothing you have ever seen before." he boasted as Kayo fanned herself from the dry heat of the blacksmith shop.
"Okay, let me have a... look..." Kayo was saying before the kijin proudly showed her his rather... nightmarish creation screaming and wiggling in his hands.
"Kurobe... take a break." She commanded the blacksmith seriously, before the kijin collapsed into her arms at the order, Kayo barely holding onto him because of their combined sweat, but she pulled him out of the inferno that was his workplace. Laying him down in the shade of a tree with a cool damp towel behind his neck and one on his forehead. Letting the kijin's head rest in her lap for the moment so she could do a health scan on him while he was so complient, not thinking about how it would look to someone as they passed by.
Kayo was carefully documenting Kurobe's health, still worried about his dehydration and sun burn he would get if she couldn't get him to wear sunscreen. "Seriously, what is it with Kijin not wanting to wear some simple protection?" she grumbled as dabbed the sweat from the weakened kijin's face gently.
"Kayo!"
The kitsune looked up from her charge to see a horrified Gobta running up to her in a panic.
"What's wrong Gobta? Slow down, you're just going to overheat. Take deep breaths and have some water." Kayo advised as she offered the goblin the bamboo flask that she had been using to cool Kurobe down. The goblin eagerly took it and gulped the cool water down, the flask itself seeming near endless before the goblin had to breath. "L-lord Rimuru is holding an endurance contest!" He told her quickly as he panted, Kayo looking a little confused as to why he was telling her. "Oh~Kay?" she responded as her friend still looked panicked. "H-he wants the contestants to sit in the heat and put on layers and layers of clothes in this heat!" he told her, trying to recall what the slime had mentioned was going to happen, taking another drink from the flask.
Kayo sighed and shook her head at the idea.
"That stupid slime. That's not a test of endurance, that's just lunacy. Not to mention dangerous for anyone's health. Wait... is he participating in this too?" Kayo asked, getting a dangerous look on her face as she assumed the slime would also enter, despite him not feeling the heat like everyone else, he would easily win at such a contest, and kill any stubborn idiot who tied to out endure him.
"N-no but-but... they are going to eat hot pot... made by Shion!" Gobta shouted in horror as Kayo covered her mouth, her tongue panicking from the thought of Shion's cooking. "That's really not fair. I'll make sure there are some medics to help with the poisoned." she reasoned, sending a message to her assistants that she trusted with running the hospital for her, to dispatch some nurses to the event.
"B-benimaru is one of them!" Gobta finally told her as the Kitsune frowned. "Benimaru is in on this? What's the prize then? It has to be good if the slime ball is going to poison him." Kayo asked, now more interested in the punishment disguised as a contest.
"T-that's just it! There is no prize, b-besides being declared the victor!" He told her as the kitsune glared at him. "No prize? Well... let me see if I can't make things more... interesting~." Kayo grinned sinisterly before Kurobe bolted awake and paled in horror, quickly getting out of Kayo's lap.
"L-lady Kayo! Please forgive me!" He begged and bowed with hie head on the ground, confusing the kitsune who dropped the sinister grin for a worried frown. "Okay? Are you feeling better Kurobe? Drink some water. Your very dehydrated and you need to get more rest. You haven't been sleeping well lately." Kayo scolded the blacksmith, the kijin chuckled softly at her advice. "Yes, My Lady. I will be sure to rest up. Thank you for worrying about me and... um... could you not tell Master Benimaru or Souei about having my head in your lap?" he asked, blushing as he looked away uneasily.
"Sure? If you will excuse me, I've got to stop my idiot brother from killing our subordinates." The kitsune said with a sinister grin back on her face, turning into shadows and disappeared off to find Rimuru.
"You're not going to tell them, right Gobta?" Kurobe asked the goblin who smirked. "Maybe, but it's gonna cost ya." the goblin seized this rare opportunity that's to his kitsune friend's ignorance of intimate positions for his own gain.
~Jura Forest: Endurance Contest~
"To be fair... I didn't think he would lose." Rimuru defended himself as Kayo and some nurse goblinas took care of the 'contestants' that had made it to the final round of the endurance contest. The Kitsune Lord personally taking care of Benimaru, who's head was in her lap, after she had stripped off the unneeded layers of clothes, leaving him in his sweat-soaked white top as he groaned in pain from attempting to eat Shion's cooking, aka A Code Purple.
Kayo gave the slime an evil glare as she wiped the sweat from the suffering Kijin's face. Rimuru gulping as he cowered in Shuna's arms, as it seemed the kijin princess was not as mad with him poisoning Benimaru as Kayo was.
"Big brother did this to himself. He knew very well would happen if he ate the hot pot. He should be grateful to have you taking such good care of him Kayo." Shuna giggled, smiling as she watched the kitsune care for her comatose brother as he slowly recovered from the poisoning, turning on his side to nuzzle his face into Kayo's body, she felt very cool compared to what he had just endured.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing, Benimaru!?" Rimuru spoke up, getting protective of his sister as Kayo blushed from the flash of dirty thoughts, but brushed them away as his eyes opened, still unfocused as he came to.
"Persimmons?" Benimaru questioned softly as he could smell it so strongly, only confused when he saw crimson fabric and tan skin.
"Benimaru?" Kayo called his name softly as his eyes focused, looking up at her and growing wide in shock. The kijin quickly bolted up from her lap, only to gag as he felt his stomach churn, a bucket was quickly set in front of him as he didn't hold it back. Purging the last remnants of Shion's cooking out of his system as someone rubbed his back. Once done the kijin panted and pushed the disgusting bucket away, before taking the flask he was offered without hesitation, not even questioning the odd taste as it settled and soothed his throat and stomach.
"Ah~ thank you, Shuna." Benimaru thanked his sister who only giggled, smiling as she still held an annoyed Rimuru, not anywhere near her brother. "I'm not your little sister, Benimaru." Kayo corrected giving the kijin a hard look, surprising him as he looked at the unamused kitsune. "K-kayo? That was you? Why do you... smell like persimmons?" He questioned and came extremally close to her, sniffing the kitsune who moved away from him nervously.
"H-hey! I'm drenched in sweat from getting Kurobe out of his hellish inferno of a workplace." Kayo admitted, blushing as Benimaru came closer, to try and confirm the scent as she tried to slip away from him. "Is it your hair? Or some perfume your wearing?" he asked her, curious but at the same time his heart was racing at the familiar sweet scent. "Benimaru, I don't even know what a persimmon is." Kayo informed him as Shuna came over and gave her a sniff, her pink eyes widening in shock. "Your right! She does smell like persimmons, big brother!" she beamed at her brother, much to the slime and kitsune's confusion.
"Okay, I think the heat has gotten to you two. Kayo doesn't smell like..." Rimuru was saying before great sage informed him of a special trait of the kitsune.
Notice: Kitsunes, upon reaching sexual maturity, will give off a musk or scent to attract mates, secernated threw the sweat glands on their bodies, usually taking on a scent that pleases their intended or suitable mates. The musk/scent will become stronger once the kitsune enters their heat but first heats for kitsunes tend to be the most potent due to-
"NO!" Rimuru yelled out loud at his unique skill, not wanting to hear about the 'sexual maturity' of his little sister.
~Tempest Hospital, Kayo's Office~
"So this is Kayo's office huh? Of course, it would have tons of books." Rimuru mussed as he looked around his kitsune's sister's medical office, marveling at it for the first time since there had been many coming in since the heat wave started. Most at first having been suffering from the heat before word got out about how cold the hospital was, so it quickly became a popular place to go to escape the heat... until Kayo suggested on doing vaccination shots and health checks. With the kitsune and her nurses busy the slime was allowed to explore and wonder the impressive hospital his sister had created; having found her office he went to take a peek inside.
It was a cool clean while with cold white marble like floors, a large light blue carpet at the center under a simple black coffee table that was stacked with books and papers, some cozy looking soft green couches flanking either side of it. Off to one wall was nothing but bookshelves filled with books and a few trinkets that were sold in Tempest, while on the other was a white board with messy scribbles all over it, a small cabinet that held what looked like her coffee supplies, and a scarry realistic anatomy dummy of a male, human body.
Looking away from that, he walked over to the large desk and sat in her plush black chair, giggling as it almost felt like a cozy bed, a massive window giving a beautiful panoramic view of Rimuru city behind it. 'I wonder if Kayo ever naps here.' he mussed as he admired her desk that had been made out of solid dark oak with some gold decorating some small details, that made it look elegant. Then he realized that the Kitsune's chair rolled and could spin around!
"Ahh~ I'm so jealous! Why didn't she share this with me?!" he asked, pouting before he took the chair for a spin, giving into his childish impulses freely.
"Having fun, Slime ball?" Kayo asked, smirking as she caught the slime childishly spinning in her chair. Having changed into her black scrubs, comfortable black shoes, and her white doctor's coat to help with the influx of patients. "Yeah, any chance I can get one of these for my office?" Rimuru asked with a beaming smile as he stopped spinning to look at his sister with a fond smile.
"Maybe. Shuna and Shion have a clean bill of health as well as all their shots now. Ranaga however, has some hook worms we need to treat before it spreads to any more of the Tempest wolves." Kayo informed him, sighing as she plopped on the couch tiredly. "H-hook worms!? Wow. I guess it's a good thing you're looking out for everyone's health then. I wouldn't have seriously made a hospital like this. I probably would have just relied on my healing potions." Rimuru mentioned, smiling as he went over to the Kitsune's coffee bar and started to make her some coffee.
"What are you doing, slime ball?" Kayo asked as she watched him try and make her coffee, thankfully she had freshly ground beans already thanks to one of her assistants. The kitsune noticed a stiff, almost robotic movement of her slime brother's body, her ears pinned down onto her head as she got up to check on him, looking over his shoulder as he found the cream, she had in a working model mini fridge she was working on. "Satoru?" She called his human name, but Rimuru was frothing the cream she used for her coffee, but he didn't respond, even when she poked his cheek several times as his body seemed on auto pilot.
Confused she took this moment to try something.
"Soul Seer." Kayo activated her strange skill as she looked at her slime brother, eyes going wide as she saw something that looked like a small star... and then two more, one that was big and bright but also had swirls and lighting around it... then there was one that looked like a fire ball. 'Is this... their souls?' the kitsune questioned before the small star became big and bright.
"And done! What do you think Kayo?" Rimuru asked excitedly, his eyes having gone from a bright magenta, back to gold as he held out the black coffee mug to the kitsune doctor... a cute fluffy cat made out of foam and cream coming out of the mug. "Oh, Lord Veldanava! That is so freaking adorable Rimuru! I didn't know you could do latte art." Kayo praised as she took the mug and admired the cute foam cat for a minute or two before trying the coffee itself, cringing at the taste, not saying anything as she only smiled and pat the slime on his head.
"Thank you, I love it." she encouraged him, the slime beamed proudly at his simple but well received gift to the kitsune.
~Stables, Kayo~
"Agh~ even the nights are hot now." Kayo muttered as she fanned herself with a harmless looking black fan with a blue dot at the center, in the stall with Ivory who was happily enjoying the fresh cool water Kayo had brought to the animals that where in the stable. "At least the ice houses are done. Now it's just a matter of keeping them secret so they don't get misused." She mussed to the winged horse who simply went to eat the feed that was formulated for her by the kitsune.
"I still have to return you back to father; think you can stand being in Dwargon again?" Kayo asked the horse who nayed loudly, making the kitsune chuckle, not thinking the respond had been an intentional answer. "Wanna got for a night flight? Or would that be to scarry for you?" Kayo asked the horse who seemed to be excited about something and but her head against the woman eagerly. "Is that a yes?" She laughed and walked out of the stall to go get a blanket, reins and a simple saddle. Gearing up the winged horse for a ride felt familiar and strange, petting the white feathers of the horse in amazement.
"I never would have imaged I be riding on a real Pegasus at night. It's like every little girl's dream." she mussed, thinking back to her childhood in her past life... zoning out before Ivory pushed her, becoming inpatient with the kitsune.
"Ow! Okay! Okay. Don't shove me." She told the horse and grabbed her reigns, walking her out of the barn quietly to not wake the other animals. Once outside Kayo mounted the horse and they walked for a bit, letting Ivory flap her wings in the still night air before she started to quickly trot down the dirt path to Rimuru City for a few miles, before one strong flap and a jump had them both in the air, flying fast and low towards the glowing city with a sea of trees just below them.
Kayo enjoying the warm breeze a little as they flew just above the buildings that made up the city. A few residences looking up in confusion or fear, as not many flying things came into the city, let alone at night. While there were two young harpy girls who made Tempest their home, they had a sunset curfew and it was dark enough to see a full moon and stars clearly, with the occasional cloud moving across the vast sky.
The moment was only filled by the sound of wind rushing past her ear, but she could hear a familiar melody in her heart, so she started to hum... and then sing it out loud to herself as she looked up at the stars.
Why can't I tell you all of these feelings
It's so much easier when I'm dreaming
I think my brain's about to short circuit
I really wish I could find the words
And now I'm crying under the moonlight
I wanna call you up, but it's midnight
What should I do with all of these feelings
Like a Kaleidoscopic heart
The light that shines down from the moon
Will guide the way
And once again, it leads me to you
The constellations sparkle in my dreams
And so I wonder if it's a blessing
As if by fate we're born on the same planet
Just like a miracle romance
So let us have another great weekend
And I will pray it has a happy end
I'll still be here past, present, and future
Head over heels in love with you
I can't forget the way you looked at me that day
When I met you the very first time
Within the sea of stars under the night sky
I could still find you if I closed my eyes
I love the way the world gives us moments
That we make our own destiny
This miracle will always remain a mystery
Cause once again, it leads me to you
The constellations sparkle in my dreams
And so I wonder if it's a blessing
As if by fate we're born on the same planet
Just like a miracle romance
The kitsune sang as she flew over Rimuru City, and while no one could hear the lyrics, they could feel in their hearts something warm blooming, picking up on the sweet melody that warmed their souls.
~Next Day, Mid-Morning~
Kayo was taking a nap outside, feeling safe and tired enough to just randomly plop onto the wet grass. Laying the sun as the gray storm clouds drifted away, having deposited their blessing upon a parched monster city. "Whew~ glad I bought that Ocarina when I found it. Who knew the Song of Storms could be made real." she mussed excitedly, feeling drained from using the Storm Dragon's power.
"Thank you, Lord Veldora for your blessing." She yawned, not knowing for sure if the storm dragon could hear her or not. Really, he could when she said his name, only confusing the imprisoned dragon as she gave him her thanks, something he was very not used to. Slowly her golden eyes shut as she looked up at the pure blue sky, her breathing softening as she drifted off to sleep for what seemed like a moment before something cold and slimly ran over her face.
"Agh~. Satoru, leave me alone." she whined and turned onto her side, pushing away the slime, but it wasn't who she thought it was. While she was napping, a small colony of slimes had come across the sleeping kitsune and the magicules she let drain out of her and into the forest. Following that trail the slimes came across her and slowly absorbed a small amount she was leaking. A few sliding over her body, making her relax more form the cool sensation, only when one started crawling over her head did, she start to wake up. "What is it slime... ball?" She asked and sat up, only to be confused as she saw that she was surrounded by serval poor copies of her slime brother, a few sliding over her body and under her loose clothes.
"Oh! No no no! Don't you dare go there!" Kayo blushed dark red and quickly pulled out the wondering slime that was going under her baggy dark blue sleeveless t-shirt, and some black slacks. "Agh! What the hell!?" She shouted in surprised, pulling her feet away from a slime that was rolling over her feet, the strange tingling sensation getting her attention. The slimes came closer as she moved away dropping the one, she had been holding quickly.
"Um, shoo? Go away. I'm not playing with you." she told the slimes and started to walk away, after a bit she looked back and started to worry. There behind her... was the small horde of slimes. "Oh fuck." she cursed, her kitsune ears lowered as her mind went into some dirty places. "Just keep walking, they can't keep up with you. This isn't a Hentai. Your BROTHER is a slime too." she muttered to herself as she tried to get away from the trailing blue slimes, panicking just a little as she nearly started to run, but the slimes seemed eager and able to follow her until they got trapped in glass jars by the Kitsune.
"There ya go. Now be good little test subjects~. Since it seems you won't leave me alone, I'm going to make good used out of you." Kayo purred with a wicked grin, and the slimes seemed to tremble from her intenions.
A.N.: Just added this last part because I couldn't remember when they saw the heard of slimes.