Author's Note: Hey, readers! I just want to do a little self-promotion and mention that I have been working on another Tensura fanfic recently as a collab with AgentT123 and WatcherMagic called TTIGRAAS: Predator (or just "Predator" for short :) ). So, if you enjoy my writing, please check it out! There are currently 5 chapters out.

Party and Politics

Iruma POV

"Oooh, try one of those, Iruma! I'm sure you'll love it!" Rimuru says, pointing to a small, fancy cake on a plate. There are many of the same laid out on the table, among other various desserts.

"What kind is it?"

"Shortcake; my favorite. But, not just any shortcake, this is Shuna's shortcake! She's amazing when it comes to baking and cooking and no matter how much I eat the stuff she makes, I can't get enough of it."

"You too, Sullivan, Opera. Especially you, Opera; maybe you can recreate it back in the Netherworld if you get a taste? I'd sure enjoy it if you could, and I bet Iruma would too."

"I'd love to give it a try," Grandpa answers with a smile.

"Yes, it does look like an impressive dessert. I will also take some at your recommendation." Opera also takes a cake of his own.

Soon after we sit down, Rimuru gets a big smirk on her face as if she had a clever idea.

"Wanna see something cool?"

"Uh…sure?" I ask as I take a bite of the cake. It was amazing!

Rimuru chuckles and in her hand appears a white mask with a red gem in the center.

"For the record, this is just a replica of the real thing," Rimuru explains, holding up one finger as if she's lecturing me. "But, I can still show off what I want to with it."

Rimuru slips the mask over her face and it seems to hold tight despite me not seeing any way that it's being held on.

"Now, watch closely!"

Rimuru scoops a forkful of the cake and starts to bring it up to her face like she's about to eat it, but her mouth is totally covered by that mask!

*Chink*

The metal fork bumps against the mask and some of the cake smears onto it.

"Huh?"

"Was that the cool thing? I'm confused." I mutter, wondering what Rimuru was trying to accomplish.

"No, no, wait, let me try again!" Rimuru pleads.

*Chink chink*

Rimuru taps the fork forcefully against the mask a few more times.

"Why isn't it working?!" Rimuru exasperatedly asks out loud, sounding flustered.

Then, somehow, the cake disappears off of the fork with one of the motions Rimuru's been doing.

"Finally…damn, why did it take me so many tries?!"

"Oooooh, so eating through the mask was the cool thing?" I ask, finally realizing what Rimuru was attempting.

It was kinda ruined by all those tries, but I guess it's still a fun little trick.

"Yeah, that was the 'cool thing'…maybe I shouldn't try to pull off party tricks while tipsy."

Rimuru dejectedly removes the mask, wipes the cake and frosting off of it with a napkin, and makes it disappear to wherever it came from in the first place.

"Having fun over here, Rimuru?"

Luminous, the vampire Demon Lord, walks up behind us, finds a spot at the table, and sits down without asking. She has one of the same cakes we were eating and begins to snack on it right in front of us.

The thought crosses my mind that it's odd that a vampire like her can eat normal food. I always thought they could only drink blood, at least based on the fiction back on Earth.

"Oh my, you are looking quite intensely at me huh? Would you like to see more? Or perhaps Rimuru could provide you with one of these 'cameras' so you can look as loooong as you want." She says to me with a self-satisfied smirk.

Demon Lord Luminous' heterochromatic eyes fill me with fear now that I know they're trained on me and me alone.

I want to tell her she's thinking the wrong thing about my reason to look at her, but my words catch in my throat before I can voice them.

"Oh my, oh my, your face has gone all pale! Are you sure you are alright? That complexion doesn't look good for a young healthy boy. Maybe we should check your blood pressure, fufufu."

She's staring at me with the look of a predator who has caught her prey and is currently enjoying playing with it.

"Would you mind not teasing my friend like that? Just look at him, the poor kid looks about ready to faint!" Rimuru scolds Luminous before turning a comforting eye to me. "Hey Iruma, don't mind her too much, okay? She's always like this with anything or anyone that catches her interest. Since you're my friend, she won't do anything to you so try to calm down. Seriously, your face looks way too pale!"

I take a few deep breaths and calm down a little. Even if Luminous is a Demon Lord, this is still Rimuru's territory, and if she feels comfortable enough to allow her to sit at the table with me, that probably means it's safe to be here with her.

Seeing that I'm not freaking out anymore, Luminous pouts slightly like a little kid that's had their toy taken away.

"Tch. You are no fun Rimuru. At the very least you could have let me tease him a bit more." Luminous pouts.

"Had I let you tease him 'a bit more' he would probably have died from a heart attack, you overgrown mosquito! If you are that desperate for entertainment go tease Hinata, why don't you?"

I nearly spit out my water when Rimuru called the vampire lady an overgrown mosquito. Thankfully, Luminous doesn't seem too upset about what Rimuru just called her.

I guess this sort of banter is normal between these two?

"Hinata has been rather on edge lately due to the recent developments on your borders and whatever you've been up to lately. Especially after earlier, she's been no fun at all! Honestly, I've been, oh, so bored lately…" Luminous complained, resting her face on her hand whose arm is supported by the table in front of her.

She sighed exaggeratedly and glanced in Rimuru's direction as if she expected something from her. When Rimuru just continued eating, Luminous huffed and sat up straight again.

"So, slime," she grins wickedly. "How about a little game between you and me?"

"Hmm?" Rimuru, still chewing on a bite of cake, glances at her curiously. "What kind of game?"

"You know the one; we've done the same in the past with different players involved."

Rimuru swallows her food and a smile peels across her lips.

"Ah, I see what you mean," she says knowingly, a hint of mischievousness glittering in her golden eyes.

"Based on that look in your eyes, I assume you already have a favorite in mind?"

What gamble are they talking about? From what I know Tempest has a fair number of sports-like events so I guess those involve gambling as well?

"Sure do," Rimuru replied to her. "I'll bet on Gustrela for this one."

Gustrela? I believe that was the name of one of the nations around here. So I guess Tempest is hosting a foreign team for some event of sorts. But Rimuru wouldn't bet against her own nation so they must be playing against someone else, right?

"Fufu, well then I guess I will go with Floidor by default. The odds come out to about 3 to 2, I think?"

"Sure, that sounds about right. What's the wager this time, though?" Rimuru inquires.

"I'll bet fifteen miles of Darmangania that Floidor wins in the end. If they lose, you'll be able to expand fifteen miles into my domain." Luminous proposes without skipping a beat.

"No, no, that won't work. I can't just play fast and loose with my territory in a silly game like this. Why don't we try something else instead for the wager?"

"Photos of Hinata?" Luminous suggests.

"Nope, I can't push my luck with her right now."

"How about souls then?"

"No, that's almost worse, Luminous."

"Rimuru, did she just say she wanted to bet souls with you? Does that mean you'll sell your soul if you lose?!" I ask, tapping Rimuru on the shoulder to grab her attention.

"No, you're just misunderstanding, Iruma. Just never mind about that, okay?" Rimuru brushes me off literally and figuratively. Then, she looks back at Luminous, now ignoring me. "I think we should go with what we did last time. I mean, don't you think that would make it even more fun?" Rimuru offers with a smile.

"So you're that eager to be my maid for a short while? Ooh~."

Luminous seems very amused by this idea and is smiling widely at Rimuru, revealing her fangs.

"No, I'm eager to have you be my maid for a bit. I got a kick out of it last time." Rimuru says with an equally sinister smile to that of her fellow Demon Lord.

"Fufufu…well, I can't argue with your tastes, Rimuru. I agree to these terms."

They then shake over their wager and I'm left very confused, even more than I was earlier.

Floidor I think that was… but wait, with Gustrela? Aren't they, right now… They wouldn't have time for a friendly sports game between nations, would they? But what else could they be betting on? Surely… it isn't.

"H-hey Rimuru, what's this with the bet between you two? What's it about?" I ask.

"Oh, that? Don't worry, it's nothing big. The loser has to work as the winner's maid for some time, the length scaled to the odds." Rimuru says, ending it with a light laugh.

"No! Not that. What is it that you are betting on?!"

I'm hoping to myself that I'm wrong about the thing these two Demon Lords are betting on, but the more I think about it, the more that I'm sure that I'm right. Still, I hope and pray that I'm wrong.

Rimuru opened her mouth to answer my question, but before she could get anything out, Luminous chimed in.

"Gustrela and Floidor are two nations currently at war with one another. We are simply betting on who of the two is going to win. Floidor's area and population outnumber Gustrela's by about 3 to 2 hence that's what the odds come down to. Since my pick has the higher odds, were they to lose, poor me would have to work as this gelatinous blob's maid for one and a half weeks."

Rimuru groans and pinches the bridge of her nose as the realization hits me and shatters any hope that I was desperately hanging onto a moment ago.

"Wh-what are you doing then Rimuru?! This a war right? A war! How can you just sit back and do nothing? No, it's worse than nothing; you're taking bets on who's gonna win?! Do you realize how worried some of the citizens are about all of this?! Do you even ca-"

"Iruma!" Rimuru shouts, cutting off my frantic and desperate questions.

"I understand you feel frustrated and angry but you also have to understand that this isn't an issue I can just force my way through. These are foreign nations with their own diplomatic and economic goals and cultural ideals. Regardless of how popular I may seem here in Tempest, there are still plenty of people and nations out there that aren't exactly thrilled by my existence or Tempest's politics."

"But that-"

"Let me finish." Rimuru holds up a hand to stop me. "I'm not thrilled about them going to war either, which is why Testarossa has been working nonstop within the council to try and resolve this issue somewhat peacefully only to be shot down repeatedly by both of their thickheaded ambassadors. If I resolved the issue by force, that would be nothing but overriding their agency because of my personal beliefs; an action that every other nation in the world would look at with scrutiny, asking themselves 'When will Demon Lord Rimuru come for us because of something we did that he doesn't like?'"

"But, even so… people are going to suffer, aren't they? Isn't there something you can do for them?"

"There is, and I'm already taking action. I have troops deployed at the border regions to take care of both refugees as well as soldiers from either side who might be getting a bit too full of themselves and try to enter my territory."

"What about the other people, though? The ones that can't make it to Tempest?" I ask in desperation.

"Again with this, Iruma. I can't just force myself into this situation. Global politics aren't that straightforward. Even I have limits on what I can and can't be expected to do. Is that really that hard to understand?" Rimuru snapped back, her tone growing more irritated by the second.

I pause, speechless and devastated by Rimuru's harsh answer. I can't help but feel that there's more someone like her can do in this situation, but I don't understand it well enough to explain my thoughts in a way that can counter Rimuru's reasoning.

"I think…I'd like to go to bed for today."

I quickly stand up and leave the room in a hurry, no longer able to take this anymore.

Rimuru POV

Shit. Now I've gone and done it. I went and snapped at a 14-year-old for questioning the international politics of a system completely foreign to what he knows. Way to be an adult, me.

"Fufu, you sure told him." Luminous taunts, a smirk on her face.

And here is another one adding salt to the wound. In the first place, this whole debacle started because she decided to spill the beans to Iruma with little to no tact for his stance on the matter… Not that I'm one to talk now. I guess I should address this first.

"You better hope I lose this bet because you are not going to like those one-and-a-half weeks otherwise." I threaten, trying to sound intimidating.

"Oh my, how scary~!" Luminous remarks back, unphased by my threats.

I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head. I can see Guy looking my way with an annoying smile on his face, obviously amused from overhearing our conversation about what has happened. He was starting to walk over but then Velzard stepped in his path whispering something to him and ushering him away.

I'll have to thank Velzard later, I'm not in the mood to deal with Guy right now.

I stand up, also just feeling done with tonight. Right after I had yelled at Iruma, Ciel had purged the alcohol from my body, and now my head is clear and I feel guilty about how I scolded him. I feel like crap, mentally and physically.

Sullivan, who was already looking like he was gonna dart out the door after Iruma, but only sent Opera, takes the cue of me standing to stand up himself. As we're leaving the banquet hall, he speaks up.

"I will make sure he isn't too upset," Sullivan said comfortingly. "I know from experience how complicated things like this can be, Iruma simply doesn't understand yet."

"Yeah, I know…I really didn't mean to snap at him like that, I'm sorry…"

Iruma POV

"Iruma, my grandson! Please wait up!"

Grandpa is chasing me down the hallway, so I stop, knowing he'll just catch up to me whether I stop or not.

"Let's talk about what just happened. You don't normally argue with Rimuru that seriously."

"I'm just tired, Grandpa."

"No, I can tell you're not 'just tired'," he says to me in an unusually firm tone.

"I don't feel like talking right now." I repay his firmness with some of my own and this stops him in his tracks.

"If that is what you want, we can talk later." Grandpa gently responds, sounding a little sad.

Opera already tried to talk to me, but I told him the same thing. I want to be alone right now so I can sort out my thoughts. I've already said something that I shouldn't have, I think, so I need to think things through more first before I talk about the subject again.

…

Back in my assigned room, I sit on the bed, legs hugged tightly to my chest and my chin resting on my knees.

I've been going over Rimuru's words, trying to understand, but I'm still struggling.

One thing's clear, though, and it even ties in with some of what I've heard from Rimuru before.

"When will Demon Lord Rimuru come for us because of something we did that he doesn't like?"

Rimuru said it like humans are fearful of her, and I've been told that it was a struggle to gain the trust of the humans in this world, for both Rimuru and the monsters living in Tempest.

If they're scared of Rimuru, then why can't she just tell them to cut it out? That's what Professor Kalego does; he scares his students into obeying.

"But then they won't trust Tempest anymore…" I mutter, realizing that my idea is flawed.

And countries are different from people. Still…

"Isn't that better than people dying, though?" I ask out loud.

My stomach growls out of nowhere, completely derailing my thoughts.

"I guess I didn't get enough to eat at the banquet."

I'd been too overwhelmed throughout the entire dinner to eat much, so now I'm left with a grumbling stomach keeping me awake.

Rimuru had previously told me that if I needed anything I could just go and take it from the kitchen, so I guess that's what I'll have to do. I feel a bit awkward relying on her support, even indirectly like this, after having had that fight, but beggars can't be choosers and my stomach is certainly begging right now.

I guess instead I could ask Katelyn to get me something to eat; there's a sort of buzzer thing in my room to 'summon' her, but it's super late and I'd feel bad waking her up just to grab me a snack.

So, walking to the kitchen myself is the best option.

…

I now find myself in a sequence of dimly lit hallways, all of which look the same. Why does this place look so different at night? I really have no clue where I'm going, and at this point, after minutes of wandering, I don't even think I can get back to my room easily.

Simply put, I'm lost.

Unable to do anything else, I keep wandering the hallways, searching for anything that looks familiar, but I'm struggling.

But, just when I'm getting really worried, something grabs my attention.

"Lady Luminous, please." I hear a voice from behind a nearby door. Out of politeness, I should just keep walking, but my curiosity is too strong. Also, maybe they can point me in the right direction. So, I peek into the crack in the door and listen silently, wondering what this conversation is about.

"If we sent the Holy Knights along with some pressure from the church we could force these idiots to the negotiating table instead of letting them kill each other off."

That voice, I'm pretty sure it belongs to Rimuru's… friend(?) Hinata.

"The answer remains no. Don't make me repeat myself, Hinata."

The second voice on the other hand was easy to recognize as I had only just heard it earlier today.

"Tch. Fine then."

Following that, I hear the sound of approaching footsteps and, probably thanks to my 'Overwhelming Crisis Evasion Capability', only barely managed to move away from the door before it opened and a visibly upset Hinata walks past. If she noticed me she didn't show it as she stormed off, mumbling to herself about "stupid Demon Lords" along with a string of curses that I'd never ever say out loud.

She seems really upset. Even more so than when Rimuru riled her up before. Anyway, I better leave before…

"Oh my, what do we have here?" The melodic voice of the vampiric Demon Lord rings out.

Oh no!

What was that saying about curiosity? Something with cats, maybe?

Closing the gap, she continues approaching slowly, "or maybe you wanted to peep on me? You were staring earlier, did you come for another look?~"

Before I could leave, Luminous had already dragged me into her room. A lavish suite fit for a VIP, she sits in a big chair, holding a glass that was filled with a red liquid.

"Kneel, and I trust you know what I mean when I say seiza as an otherworlder from Japan." The Demon Lord only gave the lightest glare, but it was still incredibly intimidating.

"I-" I could feel fear crawling on my back, so I just listened and went into a seiza without more of a peep. Then I tried to justify myself. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I didn't mean to- I mean I did but I didn't think that- I mean I just… Please don't eat me!"

"Would you calm down already, I don't need you making a mess on the floor. I have no interest in little boys like you anyway."

"Uhmm. H-Hinata seemed fairly upset just now. Do you think she's alright?" In an attempt to divert her attention away from myself, I inquire about Hinata.

"Ah, don't worry about her, she's a big girl, after all," Luminous replies with a chuckle. "Although, despite that, she is still somewhat of a child. Asking about things she fully knows not only the answer to but even understands the consequences otherwise fufufu."

"Uhh…"

"If a child asked their parents for sweets just before dinner, they ought to already know the answer. And even if the child just avoided asking in the first place, they would know that stuffing themselves with sweets would spoil their appetite. So why ask in the first place?"

"Because they… didn't think it through?"

"Or maybe because they were hoping for a miraculous~ answer anyway. That despite everything they know telling them it's a fool's errand their parents would somehow allow them to eat candy and that everything would be alright." With a soft exhale she finishes and takes another sip from her glass.

Is she even talking to me or just musing to herself? Also, that's not blood, is it? From the looks of it, it seems too liquidy to be blood so probably wine?

"Uhmm… was this about the war?"

"Oh, aren't you a sharp one? You see, for all the maturity she might present outwards, Hinata can be quite childish. Whether that be her tastes in food or her desire to save as many people as she can even when she fully knows it isn't possible."

Having heard of a side of Hinata that I have never seen before and being able to sympathize with her, I just have to ask.

"But… can't you or Rimuru do something about this? I get that there's politics involved but with how powerful he and you are, there must be something, right?

A serious look of boredom came over Luminous' face and she continued with a sigh.

"I take back what I said about you being sharp… Before we deal with the question, if we can do something, why should we do something? You've been pretending to be Rimuru's friend for a while now so I thought you'd have picked up on a few things by now."

My previous thoughts about the conflict and the help I was trying to get are all but forgotten at that one word she just used… pretend?

"What do you mean 'pretend'? I'm not just pretending to be Rimuru's friend!" I shoot back, actually offended.

Luminous' predatory smile returns, replacing the bored, annoyed look she had before. The sense of danger made a shiver run down my spine, but I stood firm.

"Since you're supposedly friends with him, let me ask you this: what does Rimuru Tempest look like?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that? He's about my height, has golden eyes, and long blue-silver hair, and-"

"He is a slime!" Luminous interrupts with a shout. "A small, blue blob, with no eyes or hair to speak of. That human form is nothing but a disguise he uses for convenience and yet for whatever reason, it seems that when his dear friend thinks of him, all that he can picture is said disguise."

I can't say anything in response; not that Luminous would let me get something in at this point.

"He is a Demon Lord! A king and ruler of millions! A slime and a monster! What business do we have to protect a few squabbling humans who have nothing better to do than wage war during times of prosperity like this? Why should we expend time, effort, and our own people to help someone of a completely different race? Do you know how exceedingly rare it is to find a human that can actually understand us? Even in my thousands of years alive I can count the number of people who seemed to understand me on one hand."

She stands from her seat and I feel like I'm suffocating. Not from anything she's actively doing but from the sheer presence she's exuding. Even dressed in nothing but a loose yukata, it feels as though I'm looking at a queen. The simple chair behind her feels more akin to a throne than any jewelry-studded satin-covered chair kept behind glass for tourists to ogle at.

This is a Demon Lord.

And said Demon Lord is now walking toward me.

"You know, my Holy Empire Lubelius is also a human nation despite everything, and do you know why? Can this little human boy figure out what all these humans are to me?"

Now standing in front of me, who's still kneeling seiza on the floor, she leans forward leaving only a few inches between our faces.

"I- they. Uhm. They are your people and you-"

"THEY ARE FOOD!"

She almost screams in my face before continuing.

"My people live in hiding among them. Since we vampires are in a unique position where we can feed on someone without killing or even permanently harming them, I have decided that it was beneficial for us to live in symbiosis with humans instead. We provide for and protect them and in return take their blood with them being none the wiser." Luminous explains in a sickly-sweet tone.

"I have given them a common enemy in Demon Lord Valentine to rally against and god Luminous to ally behind. This way, we vampires don't have to hunt humans nor do we have to deal with humans hunting us in return. All the while their happiness makes the blood all the tastier." she smiles.

"And thus Lubelius, much like Tempest, is a nation where humans live next to monsters, even if in my case the humans don't know about it. And Tempest too uses humans. While not as food Rimuru needs them for trading. The fast-paced progress of his nation is directly tied to his connection with humans and correspondingly the humans' trust in his monster country. But, if push came to shove, whom do you think Demon Lord Rimuru would side with? If humans were to reject the idea of trading with monsters or even attack his kind, how much do you think he'd prioritize human lives in that?"

"Rimuru…would-"

"And when a small human boy, who refuses to even acknowledge him as a monster and slime, let alone a Demon Lord, tells him to take his priorities and shove them elsewhere just so that he can help out some warmongering humans in a blatant abuse of their so-called friendship, how do you think Rimuru feels?"

I have to digest everything I have just been told and for once, the fear of this terrifying and angry vampire demon lord takes a backseat in my mind as I ask a genuine question.

"But then… doesn't that mean that you care about humans in your own way? Hinata too… she wouldn't be working under you when she cares so much about humans if you didn't at all."

Luminous' anger seems to melt away after I say this and she finally gives me some space before continuing her lecture.

"Fufufu, you are right. If we could all just live in harmony and get along that would be fantastic, wouldn't it? But, I have no delusions of that ever happening. If the humans in Lubelius ever found out that they have been basically livestock for vampires… why, I'm sure you can guess how that would end. As leaders, we can never work for everyone, we can only try to work for some and we have to adjust so that those we actually care about are included in those 'some'."

Moving her hand through her loose hair she lets out yet another sigh.

"It's late anyway and I'm sure little boys like you need their sleep, so I think it would be best if you went on your way now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ah y- yes. I'll be going now!"

Frantically and trying not to trip over my own feet, I leave the room as soon as possible, but I hear a few words just before I close the door behind me.

"I got needlessly worked up just now… worst case someone might actually think I was defending Rimuru rather than taking out my frustration on that boy. Truly, good humans are hard to come by and half-assed ones like him just piss me off."

Now back in the hallway, I feel completely lost in multiple ways. I've completely lost my bearings, especially after enduring Luminous a moment ago.

I…should just call Rimuru with my ring…

I'm hesitant, but I'm sure that things will work out just fine.

Rimuru POV

The banquet has mostly wrapped up now, with only a scattering of people left. Shuna and Shion have both fallen asleep clinging to me and I don't have the heart to disturb them, so I'm idly musing over things with a drink in hand.

Unsurprisingly, Iruma hadn't gone to bed after our falling out. I can't imagine there are many humans who could sleep soundly shortly after making a Demon Lord angry. He, instead, appeared to be randomly wandering around, as I was occasionally checking his position.

{{Hey, uh, Rimuru? I'm lost…}}

Oh, figures.

I open up a magical doorway-like hole in the air leading to Iruma's position. He timidly steps through, and I close it behind him as I brace myself for an apology.

Iruma looked like he was about to say something but then his eyes met Shion and Shuna's sleeping forms and his whole face went completely red. Deciding that he probably isn't going to speak unless prompted, I take the initiative.

"Hey there, Iruma. I'm really sorry about earlier, okay? I know that it was unfair to get angry at you for wanting me to save people when that's what any kind-hearted kid would want. Things are just… complicated, you know?"

"Yeah, I ran into Luminous earlier and she made me realize just how complicated things are; after being alone with her, you don't seem nearly as scary by comparison."

"That wording stings a little…but yes, Luminous can be terribly overbearing."

"Yeah, I feel so confused. I'm not sure whether I'll even be able to sleep tonight…"

He probably needs someone to talk to, but not me; I assume he's had enough of Demon Lords tearing apart his view of the world for one night.

"Well, I suppose I owe you this…think fast!"

I magically summon a ticket in front of Iruma's face before letting gravity get a hold of it as it starts fluttering to the floor. Catching on to my meaning he tries to hastily grab it, missing a few times before finally catching hold of it. Taking a better look now, he admires the fancy design and gilded lettering.

"Oh? What's it for?" He asks, squinting his eyes at the writing on it that I know he's not capable of reading.

"It's a pass to get into 'Lounge and Bar Jura'. It's one of the oldest and best establishments in the city, my go-to place for when I've got a lot on my mind. Treyni runs the place, and she's a great person to talk to."

"Wait, a bar? You got really angry when Gobta took me to one…"

"Shh! That never happened, remember?" I harshly remind him.

"Oh yeah…"

"This time it's fine. I trust Treyni to keep the behavior and drinks age-appropriate, unlike that other bar. And any other patrons that might be there should be well-behaved since they're people that I gave passes to."

"Who do you give passes to?"

"People who hold a high status within Tempest, for the most part. But also, people who I've simply annoyed, stressed, or overworked to the point that I feel I owe them some kind of compensation. I can only imagine just how often people go there to vent about me…"

Iruma gives a small giggle at that last part, his mood now a little brighter than before. "So you're saying I should go there and complain about you?"

The nerve of this kid!

"I'm not saying that you have to go there, or what to do there. I'm just making an offer," I state flatly.

"I think I'd like to go, what way is it?"

I create another magical doorway, leading right outside the bar. "Let me know when to pick you up, okay?"

"Thanks, see you later!"

Iruma POV

I step out onto silent streets in the dead of night. The building in front of me looks a little more old-fashioned than the others, and against the wall is a sign matching the one on the ticket I'm holding.

As I enter I see that Treyni and Hinata are the only people here, and they both turn to look at me.

"Ah, Iruma! I see that Rimuru gave you a ticket, did he?" Treyni asks with a smile.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about giving people one of these as compensation for stressing them too much…"

"What has that old bastard done now?" Hinata asks with annoyance. "Oh, another Irish coffee, please. Hey kid, you can get whatever you want as well. Since you have a ticket, that means Rimuru is footing the bill."

I sit near Hinata, who's snacking on a bowl of potato chips. "Um… Could I get a hot chocolate please?"

"Why, certainly!" Treyni says with delight and sets to work.

She seems to really like her job! Wait… Didn't Rimuru mention that she was appointed as the forest's ruler by Treyni? Why is she a bartender?

"Let me guess, is this something to do with the war between Floidor and Gustrela?" Hinata asks. She must've overheard some of the arguing between Rimuru and me back at the banquet.

"Yeah, I hoped that Rimuru would try to bring peace, but instead he made a bet with Luminous over who would win, which just feels gross…"

"I know, right? I also wanted to do something about the war, but Lady Luminous wouldn't let me. I know I'm on leave from the Holy Knights, but still…hey, any idea what the stake is for their bet, by the way?"

"One of them acts as the other's maid, apparently."

"Again? I swear, it must be some kind of kink for them…" Hinata mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Demon Lords tend to be somewhat eccentric, and are always seeking entertainment," states Treyni, still preparing our drinks. "They have no new heights to strive towards, so they become easily bored, and seek new experiences to relieve that boredom."

"Rimuru did mention something like that… When I asked her if she had any ambitions, she said that all her loftiest goals had been reached, so she just wants to help raise me apparently." I reply.

"Sounds like him, he really cares about kids. Also, did you just say 'she'?" Hinata inquires, head tilting a few degrees.

"Ah, hehe, whoops… I must have gotten mixed up because I was recalling a conversation we had while… he was in disguise. Well, not so much in disguise, more like pretending he's an average person, but still using the same name and appearance."

That was a close one…

Treyni sets a steaming mug on the counter and gently pushes it in my direction.

"There you are!" She happily said with a smile.

It's my hot chocolate, and it smells amazing!

"So, why did you refer to Rimuru with female pronouns? It was not just a simple slip-up. You did it multiple times just now."

Hinata's dark eyes are trained on me intensely and I know I won't get away with lying to her, not that I want to in the first place. I guess I'll just have to tell Hinata the truth; she's close with Rimuru and this is a safe place to talk, right?

"Well…it's a long story…" I try to explain.

"I have all night." Hinata matter-of-factly responds.

"But, I mean, I don't even know where to start."

"From the beginning, then."

"Well, when I first met Rimuru, I thought she was a little girl, but then it turned out that she wasn't a girl at all and wasn't little, but then Grandpa wanted a granddaughter since he already has a grandson, so Rimuru agreed to pretend to be a girl so she could go to school with me. So, for months I've been calling Rimuru a girl and thinking of her as a girl so I wouldn't slip up at school since everyone there doesn't know Rimuru isn't a girl. But now that I'm here I can't call Rimuru a girl because I don't want to embarrass them and…"

I gasp for breath after spitting all that out in one long ramble.

Hinata and Treyni are staring at me bewildered, but Hinata quickly snaps out of her stupor and speaks up, cutting me off.

"Wait, stop!" She raises her voice and holds up one hand.

"S-sorry…"

"No, no, just let me process all that. Give me a moment."

Hinata pauses, holding her head in her hands and closing her eyes in thought.

"So while Rimuru's been on vacation, he's been staying with you, right?"

"Yes."

"And going to school with you?"

"Yes."

"And pretending to be, not only your sibling but also a girl?"

"Yes!"

"That inconsiderate bastard…" Hinata grumbles under her breath. "If this was Rimuru when I first met him, I'd call him a pervert for that, but now…not so much. It wouldn't be the first time I'd seen him in feminine clothing, even if he blamed others for making him wear them. As someone who's known Rimuru for a long time now, it's not wrong to say he's distanced himself from his masculinity over the years."

Hinata takes a swig of her coffee and sighs before falling silent and just watching me closely.

I take a gulp of the hot chocolate, a question burning in my mind, and finally, I muster the words up and ask her.

"Do you have any advice for what I should do…what I can do?"

"Depends on what your goal is."

"I just don't want to cause trouble for Rimuru."

"Rimuru doesn't need any help causing trouble for himself, he does it just fine with his own actions." Hinata snickers disdainfully.

"Huh?!" I'm startled by the sudden statement but Hinata seems to brush past it like it never happened, moving right on from it with another question.

"Why?" Hinata says while her eyes are boring into me.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Why don't you want to cause trouble for him? What's your obligation to his feelings?"

"Rimuru has helped me out a lot, and I feel like I owe him."

"Hm, so a personal debt, then. Go into specifics."

"Well, the place I'm living can be dangerous, and I'm weak so he's been protecting me and watching over me."

"If that place is dangerous, why do you stay?"

"It's better than what I had before."

Hinata nods at this, probably remembering what I told her about my life when we talked recently.

"Now the important question is: does Rimuru see this as a favor to you, or is he doing it for his own reasons? Rimuru is incredibly selfish, even though his selfishness seems to lead to other people's lives improving for the better most of the time. If he is going out of his way doing something, it's unlikely to be purely altruistic."

"Well, my grandpa sorta hired Rimuru, I guess? He asked Rimuru to help keep me safe, and as payment, Rimuru gets to stay with us."

"If your grandfather made the agreement, then you have no reason to feel indebted."

Hinata finishes off her coffee and sets her mug down on the counter.

"Back on the pronoun issue; call Rimuru whatever you feel comfortable with. People mistake him as female all the time, and can you blame them? His human form makes it hard not to. Most of the people around him wouldn't even bat an eye at you slipping up every now and then."

"It's that common?"

"Yes, it's that common." Hinata lightly chuckles. "And if it actually bothered Rimuru that much, he'd change his appearance to be more masculine."

"Wait, Rimuru can do that?!"

"Of course he could. I'd be surprised if he told me he couldn't after all he's done in the past."

"I've only seen him change size…but Rimuru has that much control over how his body looks?"

"As far as I understand, yes. He could appear any way he wishes."

"That's actually really cool!"

"You seem to be feeling a lot better."

"I am."

"One more thing, what were you doing outside of Lady Luminous' room?" Hinata asks, her eyes turning intensely serious again.

"I…was lost."

Hinata smiles slightly as if a little relieved by my answer.

I move to take another sip from my hot chocolate but notice that the cup was already empty. "Sorry" I mention to Treyni, "could I have another one?"

With a smile, Treyni took my cup with one of her vines and turned to mix another drink for me.