Wacky Walter Antics
Iruma POV
"That was a bit disappointing…" Rimuru mutters after we step off the roller coaster.
"Really? I thought it was a lot of fun!" I say to her, confused about why she'd be disappointed after that.
"I'm glad you liked it, but it was a little too slow for my tastes. I'd like to try something a little more 'thrilling', I guess." Rimuru replies with a shrug.
"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly!" Sabnock interjects.
"I enjoyed it quite a bit myself but wouldn't mind going on a more extreme ride after that warm-up." Azz comments.
"What about that beast?!" Sabnock loudly asks, pointing to the tallest, most extreme roller coaster in the entire park. I've never seen anything like it; it's much taller than anything back on Earth, I think, even taller than the ones I saw in advertisements.
"Heh, that one might do the trick. Whaddaya say, guys? You up for it?" Rimuru asks with a slightly scary grin on her face.
"I…I dunno Rimuru…it looks too scary to me." I mutter timidly. I don't want to ruin everyone's fun, but I'm not sure I wanna ride that monster.
"Yeah, maybe you shouldn't go on it, Iruma." Rimuru continues with her tone turning darker out of nowhere.
"Why do you sound so serious all of a sudden?" I ask, put off by Rimuru's sudden tonal change.
"I don't think you should ride that ride. It's not meant for…um…I mean, you probably wouldn't feel well afterward." Rimuru says, sounding a bit hesitant while explaining, her eyes darting around the group to gauge their reactions. It's almost like she's lying about something.
Huh?
{{Since you're human, that ride would likely kill you if you go on it. Demons are studier and can handle it but you can't, okay?}}
Oh…so that's what she meant…
I give Rimuru a small nod in response.
"I'm not really into super-fast rides anyway, so we could just do something else instead," I say, feeling a little bad about shutting down the idea for my safety and my safety alone, but if I can't go on that ride, I just can't; there's no getting around it.
Sabnock looks devastated after I say this; he really had his heart set on riding that dangerous ride.
"Perhaps we could split into two smaller groups? Iruma and I could find something to do while you three go on that coaster." Ameri suggests.
I hear Rimuru let out a fake cough trying to hide a chuckle for some reason.
"I refuse to leave Master Iruma's side!" Azz declares firmly.
Ameri gives him a mean look showing her disapproval of this.
Uh…why's she so mad? Did she want to do something alone with me? Why, though?
I guess at first she was under the impression it'd just be the two of us on this trip, but I don't want to leave my other friend out of the fun though so I speak up.
"Don't worry Azz, you can stay with me if you want," I reassure him.
"Gladly!" he replies with a warm smile.
"B-but…yes, that is fine I suppose…" Ameri grumbles, still upset.
Rimuru sighs after watching this unfold.
"Actually, Azz, why don't you-" Rimuru starts to say but is interrupted.
"Let us go! Just you and I shall conquer that coaster as a way of proving our strength, my rival!" Sabnock shouts, apparently losing his patience with waiting and grabbing Rimuru up under one arm.
"Hey! Wait! Let me go! I was trying to say something!" Rimuru yells in protest, her legs kicking behind her.
But, it's too late; he's already run into the crowd with Rimuru in tow leaving the three of us alone.
Lead POV
How're we supposed to have fun with this guy following us around?
We've been trying to have a blast so we can win, but this Diablo dude just keeps bringing down the mood somehow. He's not glaring at us or anything, but he's definitely not happy to be keeping an eye on us. He keeps talking about how Rimuru is going to win and stuff too. Hell, he keeps bringing her up at every opportunity! He's even worse than Azz is with Iruma, and that's saying something!
We form a huddle, leaving the scary butler out of it.
"We need to do something different or there's no way we'll win!" I complain to my classmates.
"But what, though? It's not like we can ditch him, I can tell that's impossible!"
As we grumble about what to do, I see two men walk up to our group.
"Hey, boys, what're we whining about? Got any cash you feel like shelling out today?" one of two ominous demons loom over us.
One of them is pale-skinned and wearing eyeliner and a black hat while the other is some sort of cowboy skeleton.
Crap…they're bad news for sure! We're totally about to get mugged, I know it!
I start to panic, trying to think of any way to get out of this situation.
Wait! I bet Diablo could chase them off!
I look over at the strange butler but he doesn't seem to be doing anything to help us, instead just watching this all happen.
We're screwed! We're so screwed!
"W-we don't have any m-money!" Camui cries as he tries to convince the two that we're flat broke.
"Hehe, keep your feathers on kid, that's not what we're after!"
" " " "Huh?" " " "
"Just look over there!"
He points to a nearby stand.
"A…shooting game?" I ask.
"Whoever gets the most prizes gets the chance to take all of their opponent's prizes too. You're free to use magic by the way."
"Kehehehehe…what an interesting proposition.' Diablo laughs creepily to himself, still just observing.
"That looks fun!" Goemon says, stepping closer to the game.
"Yeah! Let's show 'em what we got!"
"I don't wanna…too sleepy…" Picero complains groggily.
"I shall win a prize and gift it to Elizabetta! Then she will embrace me tightly, enrapt with love!" Camui squeals.
"Nah, you're too short to play Camui. Just look at how tall the counter is." I point out to him.
It's a normal counter, but Camui is tiny, so there's no way he can play. I guess he could fly to make up for it, but I think that'd hurt his game.
"Just let us take care of it."
He doesn't seem too happy about this but I'm dead-set on playing this myself.
Before I could reach it, Goemon had already stepped up to the counter so I guess I'll let him go first. He aims at the target, closing one eye and focusing intensely while holding the fake gun in his hands.
The trigger is pulled and the bullet shoots out, perfectly in line with the target while dodging the moving blockades that are there to make it harder. But, at the last second, the companion of the guy who enticed us jumps in front of the bullet and blocks it with his own body!
" "What the-" "
"Hey man, we didn't make any promises we wouldn't interfere." the demon cackles smugly.
"Hehe, we call that little strategy the 'penalizing requiem' boys!" his friend adds, also amused.
"That's lame!" Goemon complains.
"Not fair…" I mutter angrily through clenched teeth.
"Ah, too bad, it looks like we're up next then." he chuckles as he takes up one of the guns to play.
"Let's mess them up too!" I quickly say to my friends, not wanting these two dudes to get away scot-free after pulling one over on us.
"Yes, it is only natural to do so," Diablo says, now actually smiling.
We all take turns trying our best to mess each other up while shooting until something unexpected happens.
"I would like to try as well," Diablo says after simply spectating the game up until now.
"Uh…sure…"
There's no way I could say no to someone like him!
Diablo steps up, picks up one of the guns, and rapidly pulls the trigger. Every single shot hit its target perfectly, leaving us all stunned.
There are a few more clicks as Diablo keeps trying to pull the trigger with no more ammo left, and just as I think he's about to grab another pellet gun and shoot at the targets some more, he pulls out two real handguns and instead starts rapid-firing at our rivals, gunshots ringing out lightning fast.
"Woah, woah, what the hell man?!" The pale demon yells as he tries to dodge but keeps getting hit, the heavy-caliber bullets doing much more damage than the game-provided pellets, even punching holes into his skin.
"Keheheheh! Now I'm having fun!" Diablo cackles sadistically.
"Uh, Diablo, are you sure that's okay?" I yell, barely audible over the sounds of gunfire.
"There's nothing wrong with it, they're tougher than they look. This counts towards your competition, right? You might as well take a picture." He suggests with a creepy smile, clearly enjoying himself.
"I guess so!" I reply with a chuckle, pulling out my phone to take some pictures. This is just too funny not to!
"Maeramo, retreat!" the pale demon yells as he runs off amidst a hail of gunfire, quite literally since Diablo somehow pulled out a machine gun from somewhere, and the skeleton doesn't need to be told twice, bolting away just as fast.
"These rounds aren't even magic though! Why are you running away so soon?" Diablo taunts, yelling after them.
Meanwhile, Goemon and Camui are loading the spoils of battle onto Picero's cloud-thing.
"They left their prizes behind, I guess we can keep them!" Goemon says.
"Yeah, good job Diablo!" I cheer, seeing some use in this scary-looking guy.
"We might actually win this competition if we can get more big wins like this!" Camui excitedly says, though when he looks at his phone, his face falls.
We all check our phones and see Azz spamming pictures of Iruma having the time of his life.
"How are we meant to compete with someone who enjoys everything so much?" I mutter.
Rimuru POV
Still nothing…
I've just ridden Satan's Seven Spins, supposedly the most thrilling ride in the park, but I'm still left wanting.
Going off of my human memories, I expected these rides to give me some sort of rush or excitement, but that's not the case. I guess my biology just doesn't allow for that type of thing?
The wind rushing past my face felt nice and I guess it wasn't entirely boring, but it definitely was nothing like I was imagining.
In hindsight, it was silly of me to get my hopes up at all. I mean, with how fast I can move now there's no way a simple rollercoaster would do much for me. This realization doesn't stop me from being disappointed though.
At least it looks like he's having fun…
Sabnock, who ran off with me, is grinning widely after experiencing the admittedly insane-looking rollercoaster. He's a thrill-seeker through and through so I'm not surprised he liked the thing.
"Are you still not satisfied?!" he asks me, laughing at my not-so-excited expression.
"I guess so…"
It's not like anything here will work for me if that last ride did absolutely nothing.
"Then we should go on it again!" he declares.
"How is going on it again gonna help?" I ask incredulously.
"Trust me!" Sabnock insists.
I sigh, not at all convinced but willing to give it a shot.
Once we're about to board the coaster again, Sabnock approaches the ride operator.
"How fast can you make this go?" Sabnock asks. "My friend here found it too boring the first time."
"How much mana can you put into it? This beastie takes as much as it can get and still wants more," the operator replies with a devilish grin, patting the front car.
The eyes of the front car, which I thought were painted on, look towards him.
Yikes, I forgot inanimate objects could do that sometimes… And I get the feeling this guy wants to see how far he can push this ride as if he's bored with normal operations.
"Leave it to me! Sabnock declares. He lays both hands on one of the cars, and as if going super-saiyan, roars while his magical signature of yellow lightning arcs around him.
Soon, the whole coaster train is showing that same magical signature.
"Wow, not bad, some people even look scared of going on now…" the operator says.
"Furthermore, we will ride this without restraints! Rather than being held into our seats, we will hold onto the ride!"
"Sounds even more fun, don't hold it against me if you die though, heh."
They're both adrenaline junkies…
"We might as well take this all the way and be holding on for dear life, right?" I suggest, getting into the spirit of things a bit.
Copying Sabnock, I lay my hands on one of the cars and flood the coaster train with magicules. Now, it radiates immense dark power, emitting tendrils of purplish-black smoke.
The people next in line to ride this thing are definitely terrified of it and only a few guests step forward to face the challenge. But the ride operator looks ecstatic.
"Finally! A worthy rider! This will be legendary!" he cheers.
"You aren't gonna chicken out of this are you, Sabnock?" I ask, seeing that he looks nervous.
"Hehe… There's no way that I, the future Demon King, would be scared of this… No way…" Sabnock says, putting on a brave face.
**Sixty-six laps (three minutes) later**
That was actually pretty fun.
Even as someone who lives more or less above the laws of physics, there's a visceral thrill in clinging to an out-of-control coaster as it whips me around a corner at Mach 1 or 2.
Yeah, I may have gone a bit overboard pumping magic into the coaster, making it break the sound barrier and all, but in the end, everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves.
Well…I may be making an assumption about that since more than half of the other passengers passed out from the intense speed mid-ride.
Nobody died or was badly injured so all's good in my book, given Netherworld common sense.
They even gave us some oddly specific commemorative t-shirts that should be perfect for snapping a picture in front of the ride. We need to share this kind of thing or we won't have the proof of our fun that we need to win this competition.
"Hey, Sabnock!"
"...yes…"
"Doin' okay?"
He looks shellshocked, and his hair is blasted straight back from the intense velocity he was moving at a moment ago.
"That…was…AMAZING!"
"So I'm guessing you're fine then?"
"I'm better than fine!"
"Glad to hear it."
"You still do not look fully satisfied; shall we go on another ride before rejoining the others?"
Even after that ordeal he's rearing and ready to go on another ride?
"Sure, I'm game."
"Follow me then, my rival!"
So I do exactly that (after taking a picture with Sabnock, us both wearing the shirts we won). I'm wondering what the hell he's planning, but I go along with it anyway.
As we round the castle, I spot something that makes my jaw drop.
A gigantic slingshot pointed straight up into the sky, which each time it's pulled back and fired, sends multiple demons hurtling into the upper atmosphere.
It's… It's exactly like what I told off Veldora for building…
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes, it is a ride that flings you high into the sky! Higher than most demons dare to fly with their wings alone!".
"So it just…shoots you up there? Nothing else?"
"Yes, you must rely on your wings to land safely! But I have a wondrous idea for a challenge that will make it even more exciting!"
"What's your idea?"
I have a bad feeling about this. Not for my sake, but for his…
"Instead of unfurling our wings at the peak and gracefully gliding down, why don't we both plummet without them, seeing who can get closer to the ground below before stopping themselves!"
So essentially a game of 'chicken' then.
"I'm sure I can handle that, but will you be okay? I don't want you getting seriously hurt."
I could use a potion on him or something if it comes to that but I'd rather not.
"Fear not, for I am the future Demon King! I shall not pale in the face of a challenge as simple as this!"
"As long as you think you can do it without splatting on the ground, sure."
Sabnock laughs off my concerns and we both board the ride. It allows for two people at once, thankfully. Looking much like a giant slingshot, this ride is extremely dangerous for anyone without the ability to fly, I'm sure.
3…2…1…
We're flung into the sky at incredible speeds, straight into the air.
I look over at Sabnock while we're both hurtling upward and see that he's smiling challengingly as if he's about to prove himself.
It takes a bit for us to reach the peak and we both stop midair for a moment as gravity takes us both.
I quickly reorient myself so that I'm falling headfirst straight down, going for the most aerodynamic pose I can manage.
The wind rushes past me as I plummet downward at faster and faster speeds until I reach terminal velocity.
With the ground fast approaching, I prepare to engage my Thought Acceleration so I can properly time my stop. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself by hitting the ground hard after warning Sabnock to be careful. I'd be just fine physically, but my pride wouldn't emerge unscathed if that happened.
I look over at Sabnock and see that he is showing no sign of slowing down. He shoots me an arrogant smile, posed head-first toward the ground just like I am. I return his smile and pray that he knows what he's doing.
It's getting close to the time to stop and Sabnock is still not looking like he's going to.
Seriously, man, you need to start slowing down already!
But there's no feasible way I can warn him.
My thoughts slow, but not to a ridiculous degree, just enough that I can pull this off.
Aaaaaaand…now!
After waiting until the last possible moment, I pop my wings out and start pushing back against my current speed. I could use my skills to stop instantaneously but that seems like too much of a cheat to me.
Holding my arms out to land on since going feet-first is not necessary, I slow myself enough that I land on the ground and spring off of it, righting myself and gently returning my feet to the ground.
Sabnock on the other hand…
He slammed face-first into the concrete, leaving a crater.
He kept moving too, his face skidding across it before finally stopping, the remaining momentum flipping him forward and slamming him flat on his back into a wall.
Sabnock looks surprisingly uninjured, though, his face being pretty badly scuffed up being his only apparent injury.
Ceil, do an analysis of his condition.
[[The individual Sabro Sabnock is not injured to the point of his life being in danger, but there is some internal and external bruising as well as some superficial abrasions located on his face and back.]]
Just like I thought, he's fine.
I walk over to him, still lying prone on the ground.
"Dude, are you alright? It looks like you cut it too close."
"I'm…grand…as always…"
I sigh at his still-bold attitude despite just crashing unceremoniously into the dirt and slamming against a wall and snap a quick picture to send to our classmates.
After memorializing the moment, I hold my hand out to help this idiot up and he takes it. He winces as I yank him up by his arm, probably sore but otherwise fine.
Jazz POV
"Let's go check out that boutique!" Elizabetta suggests, pointing at some fancy-pants-looking clothing store.
"Yeah! Let's dress up all fancy!" Clara cheers.
"We could take some group photos afterward and send them to the others to show how much fun we're having."
Oh great…
I've been mostly going along with whatever the girls have wanted to do all day, and it's been pretty fun even if it hasn't gone quite how I planned at first. This, though, is on another level!
"Could we maybe do something else? This doesn't seem like the type of place for a guy like me." I cautiously point out.
"Oh, Jazz, don't worry! I'm sure there are some handsome suits in there too, not just dresses!" Elizabetta reassures me, but it doesn't do much to convince me.
That wasn't the point I was trying to make…
"Uh…sure…"
"Don't go stealing anything in there though. I don't want us to get kicked out." Keroli adds, surprisingly sternly.
"Hey, now, I have some self-restraint so you don't need to worry about that," I reply.
"Yes, remember that time he tried to steal from Rimuru? I think he has learned when and when not to steal since then." Elizabetta adds, bringing up that horrible situation.
I don't like that incident being brought up again for the gazillionth time, but arguing about it will just work against my point that I prevent myself from stealing when the time asks for it.
I let out a small sigh as I resign myself to going inside and 'dressing up'. I have to be a man and not mess up the fun for everyone else in my group, even if it means that I gotta do something I normally wouldn't.
I'm also not against the idea of seeing these girls in pretty dresses too, so that's a bonus for me.
Maybe this won't be so bad?
Stepping inside, the expensive jewelry on display immediately catches my eyes, and my fingers involuntary twitch as my instinct to steal kicks in.
No, Jazz, you promised you wouldn't.
I force myself to ignore the enticing prize in front of me and follow the girls and Opera the rest of the way into the building.
…
"Look at me! I'm a mermaid!" Clara shouts, twirling happily (and almost tripping) after putting on a dress that's clearly way too long for her.
The other girls seem less excited about it.
"You shouldn't let the merchandise drag on the ground!" Keroli scolds her.
"Oh, don't even worry about that! Although she does seem to have too large a size." the woman working at the store says. "Oh, Hyu!"
Out pops probably the smallest demon I've ever seen. A tiny, butler-like old man small enough to rest on Clara's shoulder.
"Who are you?" Clara asks, but he doesn't respond.
He pulls out a measuring tape and begins passionately going to work on her dress.
"Hehe, for once you're the one being climbed on instead of the other way around Clara!" I point out to her, laughing a little at my joke.
"He's less 'climbing' on her and more dancing around gracefully…" Elizabetta mutters while watching Hyu work.
But, somehow, this little man quickly altered the dress drastically, making it fit Clara perfectly.
"Thank you, itty bitty grandpa!" Clara thanks him, but calls the man something I'd consider an insult.
"Such a tiny little gentleman!" Elizabetta says, amazed by him.
"Hey now!" Keroli protests.
"Yes, sorry for the trouble sir." Opera apologizes.
"No, no, I'm more than aware of my size and I fully embrace and revel in it," he responds, not offended at all.
"Yes! We have nothing to hide here! We will always be there to help you and be your playmates!"
" "We are the Walter staff!" " they both say in unison.
That sounded awful rehearsed…it must be part of their job to say that or something.
"I know you have such beautiful dresses here, but is there a chance there is something for him to try on as well? We'd like to take some pictures to show to our friends."
Well, it seems like it's my turn then.
"Of course!"
…
Exhausting…
I don't even want to think about what my big bro would say if he saw me right now, dressed in an expensive suit and posing for pictures with a bunch of girls. Wait…maybe he'd be jealous? About the girls, I mean. He's kinda a player, always bragging about all the girls he gets so me sending him a pic of me spending time with my female classmates might be a way of getting back at him, but I'm not gonna risk it. He'll retaliate for sure and there's nothing I can do to stop that.
"It's a shame."
"What is?"
"That the other girls are not here with us. I believe that Ameri and Rimuru would look ~lovely~ in some of these dresses on display." Elizabetta comments with stars in her eyes.
"Are ya sure they'd want to? I mean, both of them aren't exactly very girly." I butt in, knowing that Rimuru wouldn't want that at all.
"Oh, you would be surprised! Ameri in particular has quite a feminine side." Elizabetta responds.
"I don't think she'd want you revealing that to others," Keroli mutters.
"Oh my, you may be right. But Rimuru, though, I'm not so sure about. She likes to keep things simple when it comes to her looks, it seems." Elizabetta ponders.
"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen her wear makeup." Keroli comments.
"Riri doesn't need makeup to look pretty!" Clara insists.
"That is true, but don't you think she could be even prettier with it?" Elizabetta suggests.
"Rimuru is a bit of a tomboy, I think. I can't see her wearing something like makeup or any of these fancy dresses. I mean, have you looked at the pics she's been sending us?" I ask, thinking the idea of Rimuru dressing up like that is ridiculous.
I hold up my phone to make my point, showing a picture sent by Rimuru a little earlier today.
Posed with Sabnock, Rimuru is grinning ear-to-ear standing in front of the most intense roller coaster in the park. They clearly just got off the thing, considering the t-shirts they're both wearing with the words 'I Gave 16 People Whiplash By Tampering With The Coaster At Satan's Seven Spins'.
That is an incredibly specific souvenir…
"This one too," I say, holding up my phone again with another picture sent by Rimuru.
Rimuru smiling again while taking a selfie standing over Sabnock, who's clearly injured and also lying on the ground. He's all smiles too, not caring about his face being a total mess of scrapes and dirt.
"Oh my, they are doing some surely dangerous activities today." Elizabetta comments worriedly.
"And having a blast doing it too. I'm sure you get my point now, right? This is the type of stuff Rimuru thinks is fun, not trying on dresses." I reply.
"I hope that boy will be alright. It appears that Rimuru is pushing him to his limits." Opera comments after taking a peek at the pictures.
"Sabnock will be fine. He's ridiculously sturdy and he looks like he's having lots of fun."
"I suppose so. Rimuru can be quite…extreme, though, so that is why I am concerned." Opera continues.
"Sabnock's probably more 'extreme' than Rimuru. He's always looking for a challenge or whatever; super ambitious and bold." I say back, thinking Opera is being weird about this.
"I highly doubt that…" Opera mutters quietly.
Sheesh, I know that Rimuru can be scary as hell sometimes and stronger than she looks, but she's a pretty laid-back gal when you don't actively try to piss her off. I dunno why Opera is thinking she's crazier than Sabnock.
Clara looks like she's been thinking about something for a while, and out of nowhere she exclaims "If we can't dress up Riri, we should dress up her doggy!"
"Back onto this topic again?" I ask. "Ranga jumped out of the window on the way here, so even if Rimuru's still keeping him summoned, there's no way we can-"
"Got him!" Clara cheers.
To everyone's surprise, Clara is suddenly holding Ranga, and he looks terrified.
"How the hell did you do that?!" I yell in shock.
"Do what?" she asks innocently.
"… That! I blinked and now you're suddenly holding Ranga!" Keroli says.
"I know, he's cute isn't he?" Clara giggles, snuggling the shocked wolf familiar.
"You're not even aware of how absurd this is, are you?" I mutter in disbelief.
Rimuru POV
Hey, Ciel, is something up?
[[No! Not at all! You don't need to worry about this issue Master!]]
Really? Because I'm strongly sensing that feeling of panic you get when you find something incomprehensible.
[[It's not incomprehensible! Surely there must be some sort of logical explanation for this phenomenon… There must…]]
Well, good luck with… whatever crisis you're dealing with. I'm gonna go ride this 'Bobslay Coaster' thing.
The Bobslay Coaster has a notorious reputation as being by far the most dangerous ride in the park.
So how could I not try it out? It's not like I can get seriously hurt by anything here!
Sabnock is very heavy, and the ride attendant warns us that we're likely to crash because of that, but we're not concerned at all. The risk is what we're here for, after all.
The two of us hop onto a bobsleigh, and careen down the slopes, at a… not very impressive speed.
Turn left, turn right, then a gentle helix… This is dull even by the standards of human rides, this thing really isn't all it's cracked up to be.
After a slight drop, there's another turn, but our bobsleigh ends up taking it too fast and going straight off the edge.
Wait, what?
We plummet to the ground, our bobsleigh exploding violently and scattering flaming wreckage everywhere. We both end up faceplanting in the gravel, and after a few moments, we start to clamber to our feet.
"That was incredible!" Sabnock yells, covered in scrapes, burns, bruises, and lacerations.
"Uh, don't move too much, you're losing a lot of blood…"
I check myself and I see that I actually look pretty badly beat-up as well.
[[Being unscathed from this accident would draw unwanted attention, Master.]]
Figured as much.
I mean, my 'injuries' are clearly fake in my eyes since they look like normal bloody scrapes and scratches, not slime-oozing gashes like I'd have if I actually somehow got injured, which is almost impossible unless I allow it for whatever reason.
Anyway, it's convincing enough since a crowd has gathered around us to check that we're okay. I'm fine of course, though I ought to take Sabnock away so I can patch him up.
Thinking back on what just happened, I realize there's a detail I'm befuddled by.
"Wait, why did the bobsleigh explode? It's an unpowered vehicle…"
[[That would be because of these two.]]
"Yo!"
A bandaged man with purple spikes tattooed under his eyes greets us, with what appears to be a cowboy skeleton in tow.
"Who're you?"
"I'm Atori, and this is my pal Maemaro. We saw you two were looking for thrill and danger, so we rigged explosives onto your bobsleigh while you weren't looking. Cool, huh?" he says this with a smile as if that's a normal thing to do.
"Hell yes!" Sabnock enthusiastically agrees.
I really don't understand this world sometimes. Well, when in Rome…
"Wow, I didn't even notice you do it. Are you assassins or something?" I jokingly ask.
"Ha! That's cold! No, we are…"
Atori and Maemaro pose back-to-back, making a W with their arms.
" "The Walter Staff!" " they both say in unison.
"We will always be there to be your playmates! Whatever it takes for you to have fun, we'll see that it happens," Atori says.
"Though don't be like the guy earlier who thought it'd be funny to shoot live ammo at us, those heavy-caliber rounds really did some damage…" complains Maemaro.
"Is that why you're all bandaged up, Atori? I thought that you two had a theme going, like a skeleton and a mummy," I ask.
"No, no, I am very much injured," Atori replies. "Still, can't blame a guy for giving into his desires like that, he was certainly having fun at least…"
"Sounds like a nutcase though," I comment, trying to think of what kind of person would do that.
I hear Sabnock burst out into laughter behind me, and then he shows me a picture on his phone, sent in the group chat by Lead.
It's Diablo, firing a pair of real guns at Atori and Maemaro as they run away. The image is captioned with "Diablo looks like he's having the time of his life. This counts towards the competition, right?"
Oh, dear…
"That nutcase is your butler, Rimuru!" Sabnock says loudly.
Atori and Maemaro glance at each other for a brief moment.
"Ugh, I'm sorry about that. He's a little… sadistic at times. Any way I can make it up to you?" I ask as an apology.
"It's fine, it's fine. We'd love to play some more, but we just got a call to attend a matter elsewhere in the park, so it's bye for now!" Atori says with a smile as he gestures at his earpiece, then heads off with Maemaro in tow.
[[Odd…]]
What's up?
[[The man named Atori lied about having been contacted, it seems he was making an excuse to leave. Either because Sabnock mentioned you by name, or because of your connection to Diablo, Master. Most likely the latter.]]
That's pretty concerning. I hope people in this world aren't scared of me already…
Ameri POV
With Rimuru and Sabnock out of the way, this is probably the closest to being alone with Iruma I'll be during this entire trip.
"Where are we going now?" Iruma asks, eager for whatever's next.
I think for a moment, trying to decide what he'd enjoy the most, and then an interesting idea pops into my mind.
There is that ride…
It's a bit of a gamble, but it should work for my purposes.
"I have an idea, just follow me."
"Okay!"
It only takes us a few minutes to reach the ride I have in mind.
"The Tunnel of Terror! A haunted, pitch-black riverway where anything can happen!" I announce in my most menacing tone.
"Are we really going to brave it?" Asmodeus asks with a nervous expression. "My mother brought me to this park when I was younger, but she wouldn't let me go on this ride because it was too scary. Even the men she brought along for her safety were all shaken to their core by the time they came out the other end. Wait…"
"Come on, let's go!" I say before Asmodeus can make the connection, quickly leading off Iruma by the hand.
Iruma looks a little scared, but I know the true nature of this ride. It's not a horror experience, it's a couple's ride!
"Sorry Asmodeus, it looks like you'll have to go on your own if you're willing to brave this since there are only two seats."
"What the hell, woman?! I insist on riding with my Master!"
"B-but it was my idea to go on this ride! And you're always hogging Iruma, I want to sit next to him for once," I curtly reply.
"Please don't argue guys! I think the three of us could fit in one, even if it'll be a bit tight." Iruma suggests, stepping between us to stop us both.
Iruma is right, it does look like we'd all fit in the two-person bench-like seat of the ride.
"Iruma, you will sit in the middle."
"Uh…sure!"
We take our seats. It's a bit snug, but I don't mind at all.
The brakes on the ride release, and our boat begins to move forward, sinking into the all-consuming darkness of the tunnel.
Iruma looks terrified going in and seems to unconsciously cling to my arm as he looks around, though ten seconds later it's no longer possible to see anything.
Okay, Ameri, you got him in here, it's time to do the thing.
…
I can't do it! This ride really deserves the name 'Tunnel of Terror'!
… Pull yourself together, you've learned to show a steel will in front of hundreds of people, what's so scary about just this? It's pitch black so Asmodeus won't see us… I can do this!
Throwing caution aside, I quickly plant a kiss on Iruma's soft cheek. I had to lean into it a bit more than expected for whatever reason, but there was no problem with that.
It takes me a second to believe that I really did it! I kissed Iruma!
My heart is racing with excitement, and my cheeks feel hot.
Iruma must have been taken by complete surprise because he doesn't respond at all. I can't see his expression in the darkness, but I'm sure he's feeling similar to me.
After we leave the ride, Iruma has his usual gleeful expression, but I must ask him what he thought about the experience. I was very forward and took a huge risk, and I have to know if he's okay with this development.
"So, um… What did you think?" I ask.
"Oh, I think that ride wasn't scary at all! The way you talked it up made me nervous going through it though, I was expecting to get spooked or something!" Iruma replies.
"Not the ride! I meant… You know…"
Iruma tilts his head in apparent confusion.
Don't give me that look, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about!
Then I notice something strange. Asmodeus has a shocked look on his face and is holding his cheek with one hand, blushing a little.
Oh no. OH NO!
"I had no idea…that Master Iruma…why would he…?" Asmodeus is muttering to himself, staring at Iruma in amazement.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened.
"What's wrong, you two?" Iruma asks, likely noticing that we're both flustered.
"Did anything… strange happen for you on that ride?" I cautiously ask, trying to probe for any explanation for how I could have possibly kissed the wrong boy!
"Oh…uh, I guess I dropped my phone mid-ride and had to scramble to find it at my feet."
"So you leaned forward while on the boat?"
"Yeah, but only for a few seconds."
I feel like I could scream in frustration. How bad could my luck possibly be? It must have happened at the exact same moment that I was trying to make my move!
"Look! There's Sabnock and Rimuru!" Iruma calls out and starts running ahead, followed by Asmodeus.
"Hold on a second," I say as I grab Asmodeus by the shoulder to stop him, while Iruma runs ahead.
I can't let Asmodeus go on thinking that it was Iruma who kissed him; that's either going to cause complications between Iruma and his friend, or they're both going to work out that it was me.
Confessing is better than either of those options, but I can't say out loud that I tried to kiss Iruma! Think, Ameri, think! What kind of excuse can I make?
Steeling my will, I say "Asmodeus, I know you're thinking that Iruma kissed you, but what actually happened was that the boat rocked at the same time that Iruma ducked down, and I ended up colliding facefirst into your cheek. It was nothing more than an accident on my part."
Asmodeus looks very surprised for a moment but eventually collects himself.
"Lady Ameri… I know you're lying to me. That felt too gentle and deliberate to be an accident, and the ride was smooth sailing the whole way. So which one of us did you mean to kiss?"
Of course, he saw through that lie immediately… It was worth a try, I guess.
"… Iruma," I admit reluctantly.
"I see…"
Asmodeus pauses for a moment, lost in thought, and his face scrunches into a troubled expression.
"I am aware that you two spend a good deal of time together, and if that makes him happy, I am all for that; but I know how dominant of a person you are, Lady Ameri. Do not force my Master into anything, a relationship or otherwise."
"I would never do such a thing, I promise."
"Good, then we don't have a problem," he says with a smile, then starts heading off to rejoin Iruma.
"So he really does have the Student Council President wrapped around his finger… I should have expected that much from my Master!" Asmodeus muses to himself, giving a fist pump at the end.
"Wait! You're not gonna tell him are you?!" I exclaim as I stop Asmodeus in his tracks again.
"Lady Ameri, I'm not about to lay a woman's heart bare against her will. While I do not wish to hide things from Iruma, I feel that it would be uncouth of me to reveal this."
Well, at least he's a gentleman.
Iruma POV
Spotting my two friends, I start running toward them without thinking.
Rimuru notices my approach before Sabnock does and turns and smiles at me. They're both wearing t-shirts I saw in some of the pictures we were sent and looking a little beat up and disheveled.
"Hi, guys!"
"Hey, Iruma!"
"I gotta say, that was some crazy stuff you did with Sabnock, Rimuru!"
"You can be incredibly daring at times, Rimuru. It still astounds me no matter how many times I see it happen!" Azz adds after catching up with me. I guess I ran too fast since it took a minute for him and Ameri to pop up behind me.
"What can I say? I wanted a thrill so I had to push the envelope a little and Sabnock was all for it."
"You're not hurt, are you?" I ask, looking at what appears to be scrapes and bruises on her face and arms.
What could possibly hurt Rimuru? She's said before that it's not easy for her to get hurt unless it's on purpose.
Rimuru frowns slightly at my concern.
"Not really. You know me, I'm pretty sturdy! So is Sabnock too, so don't worry about us."
Her breezy smile puts me at ease.
I'm guessing this is a situation similar to that time I managed to cut Rimuru's arm off, which means she's let herself get hurt on purpose for whatever reason or is just faking being hurt. It doesn't really matter which.
We chat for a few minutes about the different stuff we did while the other was busy, but for some reason, Ameri has been awfully quiet.
I know she seemed a bit weird after that boat ride, but I'm not sure what's still bothering her about that.
Suddenly, Ameri clears her throat and walks up to Rimuru.
"Rimuru, can we talk for a bit? Away from the others."
That's weird; Ameri doesn't normally like to spend time with Rimuru alone. She's complained about Rimuru teasing her and stuff so it must be about something serious if she's needing to talk with her.
"Oh? When you say 'talk for a bit' do you mean for a couple of minutes, or do you mean we ought to go to that café over there?" Rimuru asks.
"You have the same appetite as your brother… I suppose we might as well go there though."
"Alright! Hey, Iruma; Ameri, and I will be back in a little while; so go on with the others, okay?"
"Sure! If you two end up missing out on something really fun, we can go back and do it together later," I say with a smile.
I'm a little sad our group is separating again but if they need to talk, I'm not going to get in the way of that.
Ameri POV
Since we've rarely gotten to interact outside of our reading sessions during the school term, I thought that this outing with Iruma would be a great chance to get a little closer to him, a step closer to being more than just friends.
But while I've been having fun, I feel like I haven't made much of an impact on our relationship.
Earlier, I got my hopes up and thought we could exchange handmade gifts with each other, but Iruma made his gift for Rimuru instead.
But I'm not annoyed at him for doing that, because what he did was adorable and a perfect example of what I love about him! Rather than using his gift to gain favor with someone as I was trying to do, he just wanted to show gratitude to his security devil, who was clearly surprised but delighted about it. There's no way I can fault him for that, it only makes him more charming if he shows such care for those close to him!
It was frustrating though, and it may have contributed to my reckless and greedy action that followed; I tried to kiss Iruma in the dark, and as if the universe was punishing my forwardness, I ended up kissing Asmodeus instead!
Feeling like I'm at the end of my tether and that this opportunity with Iruma might slip me by, I decided I ought to suck it up and ask the one person who might be able to help me with this. I have some other things to discuss with her regardless, so I might as well try.
Here goes nothing…
I clear my throat and speak up, interrupting the current casual conversation happening between my group members.
"Rimuru, can we talk for a bit? Away from the others."
Rimuru looks surprised by my proposition and sudden seriousness.
"Oh? When you say 'talk for a bit' do you mean for a couple of minutes, or do you mean we ought to go to that café over there?" Rimuru asks, gesturing towards an outdoor seating area.
She wants to talk over food…I'm not surprised at all…
"You have the same appetite as your brother… I suppose we might as well go there though."
"Alright! Hey, Iruma; Ameri, and I will be back in a little while; so go on with the others, okay?"
"Sure! If you two end up missing out on something really fun, we can go back and do it together later," Iruma says cheerfully.
He's so sweet and adorable! Iruma, you really are too good for this world…
"So what did you want to talk about? You sounded pretty serious," Rimuru asks as the rest of our group heads off, and we go and get ourselves seated outside the café.
"Well… I wanted to ask you about those rumors about you, but also-"
"Hold on, what rumors?" Rimuru asks abruptly, interrupting me.
"How you and Iruma came to be in Sullivan's care and the rough pasts that you two have," I explain calmly.
"Ah, didn't think that would become public just yet, but it's no problem. So what's the other thing?"
"I also wanted to ask… about Iruma," I say with a slight blush.
The coy smile that Rimuru gives me is exactly why I hesitated.
"Asking for more help from your wing-girl? If I was doing any more I'd be the whole damn airplane," she says with a chuckle.
"What's an airplane?"
"Uh… that flying vehicle that first appears in First Love Memories when Kakeru is traveling to Rin's hometown to spend the summer with her."
"Oh, I see."
…
Wait, that means she raided the forbidden texts! That man Veldora warned me she'd probably do that, and she did it!
Rimuru has a guilty smile on her face, she knows she messed up.
"… You're a handful, you know that?"
"Heheh, guilty as charged. So what's the issue with Iruma?"
"Well, it's that-"
I cut myself off as I notice that a waiter just arrived, and is ready to take our orders.
"What can I get you two?" he asks.
After a few moments of looking at the menu, Rimuru asks "What's the 'Chocolate Hexagram Sundae'?"
"It's a sundae with cookies, six different kinds of chocolate, and enchanted ice cream that randomly changes between various delicious flavors."
"That sounds utterly depraved. I'll take it!" Rimuru says gleefully.
"I'll just have some tea, whatever's good."
"Will that be all?" the waiter asks.
"Sure, I might as well pay now actually," Rimuru says as her wallet appears in her hand, but she's turned down.
"You two ladies can enjoy this one on the house."
Rimuru looks a little surprised as the waiter walks off.
"… Huh. Was he trying to flirt or something?" Rimuru asks, sounding slightly annoyed by the idea.
"Rimuru, we're both members of the Netherworld's ruling noble families. You should expect to be recognized and given the celebrity treatment from time to time."
It's a rather meaningless gesture from this establishment since this place is hardly upper-class meaning the prices might as well already be free as far as we're concerned.
"That's gonna get tiresome fast," Rimuru says with a sigh. "Should a couple of school kids even be so widely known?"
"The current zeitgeist is one that is highly focused on youth. Many eyes are on us outside of Babyls, eager to see what kinds of changes we might bring about in the Netherworld. It's why so many of the Thirteen Crowns are raising children or grandchildren at once."
"Huh, first I've heard of that. Sounds very insightful." Rimuru says with a small nonchalant shrug.
"Does Lord Sullivan not explain this kind of stuff to you? He's the most outspoken regarding this viewpoint, according to my father."
"Nah, at home he's rarely serious. I think he's just having fun being a grandfather."
"That does sound like him."
After a couple of minutes, we're served our orders, and Rimuru gasps in excitement as she receives her monstrously calorific dessert.
"Goodness, if you didn't tell me otherwise I'd think it was obvious you were Iruma's sister, with how similar you two are sometimes," I say once our waiter leaves.
"Woah there, hold on, if you're gonna speak like that I think we ought to have a bit more privacy… There." Rimuru says, giving her hand a small casual wave.
I look around to try to see what Rimuru did, but I can't tell.
"What did you do?" I probe.
"This," Rimuru says before yelling "Hey, everyone!" at the top of her lungs.
At first, I'm mortified by her pulling such a stunt in public, but no one even seems to notice, so I quickly realize what she did.
"Rimuru! You could have just told me you put up a sound barrier, you didn't have to demonstrate it like that!" I complain, irritated that she'd do something like that.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just used to Babyls students only knowing very basic spells. Thought I had to get the concept across." Rimuru seems to apologize, but her eyes don't.
"You hang out with first-year students, of course they only know the basics. Also, you're not the only one who's done a lot of extracurricular training; I plan to follow my father's career path and join Border Control, where I'll need a wide range of abilities so that I can handle any situation."
"Ooh, and you're gonna practice for it by interrogating me now? I think I'm due for my regular interrogation," Rimuru replies sarcastically.
"I don't dislike you, but surely even you can see how sketchy you are. It would be negligent of me to not ask questions about a freakishly powerful student who's clearly doing anything she can to avoid being figured out."
My comment seems to amuse Rimuru which is a perfect example of what makes her so difficult to deal with.
"I'll admit that my antics must certainly raise some eyebrows. But that's not what you really want to talk about right now, is it?" Rimuru asks with a sly, knowing grin.
"Well…"
Rimuru leans forward, placing both elbows on the table. She folds her hands together and rests her chin on them as she stares at me with interest.
"You're too busy thinking about Iruma, aren't you?" she teasingly inquires.
I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, and I try to stay calm, burying my face in my hands.
"Yup, I knew it," Rimuru says with smug satisfaction, leaning back in her chair again and picking up her spoon to finally start eating her enormous sundae.
Ugh… He's so cute and hot and perfect, and I just desperately need him to acknowledge my feelings because it's too much to bear on my own!
"Wow, sounds like a rough time, falling that hard for someone," Rimuru remarks as she casually enjoys her ice cream.
"Wait, did you read my mind?!" I ask in complete disbelief.
"No, you were muttering vague, desperate-sounding things with your cheeks looking hotter than the hell-grey tea you're drinking." Rimuru points out.
Gah, how could I be so clumsy? Pull yourself together Ameri!
"Please, pretend that didn't happen…" I mutter shamefully.
"There's really no need to be ashamed. I mean, during that tea party you already made it pretty clear to everyone that you want to get engaged to Iruma," Rimuru says with a smirk.
Rimuru truly is the worst kind of demon, seizing upon a weakness and watching me squirm under her gaze. But I have my dignity!
"Enough!" I yell as I slam my hands down on the table, startling Rimuru and making everything clatter. "I'm not going to ask you for advice about Iruma if you're going to be like this!"
Rimuru looks a little surprised at my outburst, then with a sigh, she says, "Alright, alright, I'll stop messing with you. Ask away."
"Well… How do I get Iruma to notice my feelings? Most of the boys his age are looking out for romantic opportunities, and would no doubt see one if a girl acted towards them the way I act towards Iruma. But I can't tell if Iruma is even considering whether there might be something between us, he hasn't shown any signs…"
"Hmm… I think your problem here is that Iruma is very insecure. To him, the idea of being crushed on by someone as beautiful and talented as yourself must seem outright laughable." Rimuru muses, smiling slightly as she continues taking bites of her sundae.
"Be serious," I demand.
"I am being serious!" Rimuru shoots back. "From the sounds of it, he didn't have anyone who cared for him before he came to this world. So, I suppose that the deeper someone's feelings for him are, the harder it must be for him to believe those feelings are real. Of course, there's no room for doubt when it comes to people like Azz, Clara, and Sullivan who wear their hearts on their sleeves. But you're a lot more reserved, so you have to make him believe in your feelings."
That was the kind of environment Iruma came from?!
"He didn't have anyone who cared for him? At all?!" I ask in disbelief.
It's a shock to hear that someone like Iruma could be treated in such a way. Are humans monsters?! Though Iruma is human too…
Nodding in confirmation, Rimuru says "It's certainly left a mark on him. He even had it in his head that I might just leave him after the first term of Babyls, even though I never said anything to suggest that. That's probably because I never specified a timeframe for how long I'd protect him for, and he thought it was beneath me to protect him." Rimuru clarifies, looking a little sad about the subject. It's clear she truly cares about Iruma so it's understandable that him thinking she'd just leave like that would be troubling for Rimuru.
"So how long do you plan to protect him for?" I ask, curious about that since until now I had just assumed she'd stay at least until Iruma grows up, like any other security devil.
Rimuru has to think about that one for a moment.
Eventually, she says "I'm not entirely sure, really. I could stay with him until he grows up, but that's a seriously long-term commitment, y'know? I imagine at some point before then he won't need me anymore, but if I stick it out that long, it'll probably mean I care about him too much to leave simply because I'm not needed."
Her wording was 'until he grows up'… It's an odd choice of words given that they're the same age. Probably nothing more than a sign of her priorities though.
"I don't know where Lord Sullivan hired you from, but I think it's a bit odd to regard your employment in such an open-ended way when you might as well just do your job and get paid until he says you're done. I mean, the position you're in right now seems like the best that a security devil, sellsword, or whatever you are, could ask for at your age."
Rimuru shakes her head.
"I'm not in it for the money, nor am I a professional in my role. Really, I'm just someone who Sullivan realized he could pass off as Iruma's twin sister while actually being a bodyguard. It was a great offer, since taking the role would open a lot of interesting opportunities for me, but more importantly, I genuinely wanted to look after Iruma."
"Why'd you become Iruma's sister to bodyguard him though?"
"Huh? It's so I can reside with him and attend Babyls alongside him, obviously." Rimuru replies as if that's the only possible answer and that I'm being weird by asking.
"No, I mean… Babyls is a school with students from very prestigious families, and some of them have security devils of the same age who live with them and attend Babyls alongside them, exactly as you do. You could have just attended Babyls as a security devil, so what's up with going to such lengths to convince everyone you're siblings instead?"
"… Eh?"
Rimuru looks confused, for some reason. Her eyes have gone wide and she seems to be paying much more attention to my words now.
"Wait…did you not know you could have just done that?" I ask.
"N-no… When I accepted the deal to protect Iruma, Sullivan then sprung it on me that he'd call me his granddaughter, since it 'only makes sense' as he put it. I just went along with it since I didn't know there were other options!" Rimuru quickly explains, her tone somewhat frantic.
"Rimuru…"
She sounds upset, does she feel like she's been cheated?
"That crafty old man just wanted a second grandchild! Not that he actually adopted me or anything, there's no way I'd accept that, but it's not fair to trick someone over a millennium younger than you into agreeing to such an embarrassing arrangement! Being a 'security devil' sounds so much more cool and dignified than having some ancient goofball calling me his granddaughter!" Rimuru whines.
Clearly irritated, she aggressively jabs her spoon into her sundae and quickly shoves the bite into her mouth.
I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. The ever-vigilant Rimuru, realizing she's been completely bamboozled by what I struggle to even agree is a trick?
"I'm surprised that you'd consider it undignified to be publicly known as the granddaughter of one of the Three Greats. And you can't really blame Lord Sullivan for that; it sounds like he simply offered what he thought was the best proposal, and you accepted it without question."
"… Yeah, you're right, it's my fault really. I knew the risks of getting fooled by mustached older men and I let it happen anyway," Rimuru says, accepting the facts and relaxing again. "Besides, thinking on it a bit, it is the best arrangement for hiding Iruma's identity. If I were openly his protector, it would highlight his weaknesses as a human. But as his 'sister', I'm a strong piece of evidence that he comes from a demonic background."
Rimuru takes a sip from her sundae, giving her a cream mustache.
Speaking of Iruma's background, I wonder what his real backstory is. The only thing I know about his old life is what Rimuru mentioned a short while earlier, that there wasn't anyone who cared for him.
I haven't told Iruma that I know he's human, so the only way I can find out anything about his old life is by asking Rimuru.
"Would it be okay if I asked what Iruma's life before coming here was like? Is he… happy here?"
"I'd rather you asked him yourself. I can only imagine he has a lot about his old life to get off his chest, and you'd probably be a better person for that than me." Rimuru replies with a shrug, chewing on some chocolate.
"Oh, okay…"
I frown a bit at the non-answer. I do really want to know whether Iruma feels that he belongs in the Netherworld. But I don't want to tell him that I know what he is, because he seems so proud of being able to thrive as a demon, and he might feel insecure around me if it's clear that I know he's not one.
With a sigh, Rimuru says "Look, I can see you're worried. I can only guess you're scared that Iruma might want to go back. I was scared about that too, but he's chosen this world, so there's no need to worry about him vanishing from your life one day. I've checked personally."
With those words, I feel a wave of relief wash over me.
"Thank goodness… Still, if my father ever finds out, Iruma may not have a choice about returning to the human world, and he'd forget we ever even existed."
"Oh, Mr. Azazel knows, he figured it out as well. Like father, like daughter, I suppose." Rimuru chuckles.
"What?! When did this happen?" I exclaim.
"Back when Kiriwo tried to destroy Babyls. As I said, Iruma has chosen this world; Mr. Azazel offered him the chance to leave, and he took some time to consider it, but in the end, he chose to stay."
"That's good to hear. I'm surprised my father didn't force the issue though."
"I think he was unhappy about letting Iruma stay, but wasn't willing to find out how much of a mess it would turn out to be if he attempted to take him away by force."
Hang on, she implied this happened around the same time that my father put Rimuru on a watchlist. When I found out Iruma is human, she tried intimidating me. So when my father found out, did she…?
"Rimuru, you didn't do anything dumb like try to threaten my father, right?" I ask sternly.
Rimuru becomes flustered and startled by the accusation, clearly caught off guard.
"Huh? No no no! … Well, I wouldn't call it threatening him exactly…" she replies as she coyly scratches the back of her head.
That explains why she's on a watchlist…
"Damn it, Rimuru. That is just…" I give a long sigh, exasperated by the absurdity of this girl. "I guess it worked, at least."
"And that's what's important!" she says proudly.
Now I know why my father wanted me to monitor this girl. She must have said something stupid when she felt she might lose Iruma.
"No, you really need to watch what you say. Speaking of which, I'd like to talk about those rumors now, and-"
"No way! The only reason I ever accept being interrogated is that it's way too easy to mess with the other person, I don't actually want to be pried into like this!"
Why is she so secretive? It sounds like she's feeling the heat and doesn't want to talk anymore. Still, this has all been a very worthwhile discussion.
"Fine, keep your secrets. I'm sure I'll find them out eventually anyway," I say teasingly to get back at her a bit.
"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that! You've figured me out well enough already!" Rimuru whines.
"Somehow I doubt that."
"Really, you're wasting your time worrying about me… I guess this was kinda fun, but it's about time we rejoin the others, don't you think?"
"I think so too."
We both stand up from the table, ready to reunite with our group.
Rimuru POV
After my little one-on-one with Ameri, it's about time I get back to Iruma.
Based on one of the pictures sent during my time away from them, I think I know where the trio is without even needing to use my skills to track them down.
I spot Sabnock from quite far away. The guy is super tall, so it's not hard to notice him even when he's in the middle of a crowd.
Walking up to him, I see that he's talking with Azz…or more like arguing.
The two boys are having a full-blown shouting match for some reason. They like to fight, so I'm not surprised by this or anything.
"Hey guys, cut it out!" I shout, interrupting whatever nonsense they were prattling on about. I didn't even bother to try to figure out what it was about since there was no point.
It was enough to shut them up, at least.
"My rival has returned!" Sabnock says with a wide smile, happy to see me.
"Oh, you're back Rimuru! Did you and President Ameri have a pleasant chat?" Azz asks, immediately shifting his demeanor to a more friendly one with me.
"I guess so." I casually reply.
"Yes, it was a very productive one," Ameri adds.
But, as I'm about to start a discussion on what we should do next, I notice something's off. Something is missing…or should I say, someone.
"Hey…uh…where's Iruma?"