The Day Of The Party

Rimuru POV

On the way back to the mansion, I give Sullivan the run-down on exactly what happened in the last few hours. He was inevitably worried earlier, which makes sense considering that I never told him I planted a copy of myself in the school. Iruma walked beside us, strangely remaining silent the entire time throughout our conversation. I chalk it up to him being exhausted from the day's events.

"You could have at least informed me that you were present at the school. You were much too convincing when you acted like we needed to get to Babyls urgently." Sullivan says in a tired voice.

"If I acted like there was no rush, the police would have been even more suspicious of me. They're already more concerned than I would like, considering that they took the other me with them for questioning."

"How does that work anyway, your copy?" he asks quizzically.

"It's essentially another me, not necessarily a copy. It isn't any less real than the body in front of you. I can control both actively at the same time, but it is easier to completely split my thoughts from theirs, which is what I did." I describe my ability as simply as possible, not wanting to confuse the old man. It's pretty complicated, sometimes even confusing me, so I don't go into full depth when explaining.

"Don't you find that unsettling, a doppelganger walking around acting outside your control?"

"I mean, it's still me so there's nothing to worry about. They won't do anything I wouldn't do." I say, chuckling at his uneasiness.

There's no way my other self would do anything to hurt me.

"It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs." I hear a voice say smugly from behind, startling the three of us.

Sullivan and Iruma swiftly look behind our group and see the other 'me' standing on the road, having returned from the station. They're laughing loudly at our surprised expressions.

Thanks, other 'me' for immediately making me eat my own words…

[[*giggles*]]

This is your fault again, Ciel! You're attached to both my bodies, yet you still didn't warn me!

[[I didn't want to go against your wishes, Master. The other 'you' told me not to warn you.]]

That little bastard…

"Hey, don't sneak up behind me like that! Also, I can talk about myself if I want to." I talk back to my other self snarkily.

"Haha, but startling people is so fun! You should know that." My other self laughs at me more.

I roll my eyes at them, knowing full well that I would do the same if I was in their position.

"So, how did it go with the police?" I ask, diverting attention away from the prank.

"Do I have to explain it? It will take a while."

"Nah, it'll be easier just to merge back together."

Both my (our?) bodies turn to slime before merging and reforming into human shape. I feel the sensation of my mind filling with the memories of the interrogation. I have mixed feelings about the incident now that I have memories from both perspectives. It's confusing being both the pranker and the prankee at the same time.

"It still throws me off when you go all slimy…sometimes I forget that's what you actually look like," Iruma says, finally opening his mouth after many minutes of silence.

"Yes, it is easy to forget." Sullivan agrees.

"Please don't look at me like that…" I say in response to their curious stares.

"Whatever you look like, you are still my adorable granddaughter," Sullivan says, ruffling my hair.

"Hey, you don't need to keep up that act when we're not around others!" I protest the kid treatment he's giving me, reacting to it more since I'm still annoyed at what transpired a moment ago.

"That 'act' has become too normal for me, I can't help but think of you like family." He says warmly.

I feel embarrassed by his declaration but can't tell him that it's not okay for him to feel like that. If he's become a bit attached to me, that's not a big problem. I've grown to care about these two as well, so I can't complain too much.

I look over at Iruma, expecting him to chuckle or say something in response to my embarrassment, but he's just staring off into space.

"Iruma, are you doing okay over there?" I ask concernedly.

"Y-yeah…I'm fine…" Iruma says in a muted tone, not looking me in the eyes.

He must be seriously exhausted…

"Are you sure? I could carry you the rest of the way if you're too tired."

"No-"

"Let me do the honors." Sullivan insists, ignoring Iruma's protest.

Sullivan scoops up Iruma, who gives no resistance.

"Grandpa…" he weakly complains.

"Shh…just rest…"

"O-okay…"

As soon as we arrive at the massive house, the front door bursts open before we can go inside.

"Rimuru! What happened!? I felt your anger from all the way over here!" Veldora says, bear-hugging me and picking me up off the ground. He's squeezing me extremely hard, like, spine snappingly hard. Luckily, I don't have one of those to break.

"Veldora…please let go…" I say in a strained voice. Sullivan is just staring at the two of us, surprised by Veldora suddenly grabbing me.

"Whoops…" Veldora releases me from his arms.

"Hehe…sorry I worried you Veldora. That guy I've been spying on tried to pull something I didn't expect and I kinda lost it for a minute." I clarify as the three of us walk inside.

Sullivan walks off to lay Iruma in his bed since he's extremely tired, leaving me with Veldora.

"Did you end up killing him?" he asks, sounding too excited for a situation like this.

"No, I didn't. He's a sick son-of-a-bitch but still just a child, so I let him off with a warning for now."

"You're too soft Rimuru!" Veldora says, laughing loudly. "If he pissed you off badly enough to make you lose control like that, I'm sure he did something horrible. Don't you remember what happened when you let someone off easy before?"

"This is different," I say flatly.

"B-but…"

"Drop it Veldora! You know I don't want to talk about that!" I scold him for bringing up a sore subject but quickly realize that I was too mean to my sworn friend/brother. *sigh* "Sorry for snapping at you. I get what you're saying, but I have the situation under control. I promise."

"If you say so…" Veldora trails off before Diablo makes his appearance.

"Lord Rimuru, it took all of my willpower not to rush to your side when I sensed your unbridled fury!" Diablo says with a degree of dramaticism that would make most people uncomfortable. "I am pleased to see that you are doing well." He bows to me with one hand across his chest.

"Hey, Diablo. Sorry if I worried you too."

"Not at all, My Lord! I wanted to learn of you obliterating the source whatever it was that angered you so, but I am certain that mercy was just as dazzling! If you would, I implore you to please recount tonight's events to me in…great detail." He requests enthusiastically, wearing a large, sinister grin.

"Sure, Diablo…sure."

I don't feel like explaining it all again, so I come up with an alternate solution. Using 'Thought Communication' I show Diablo my perspective of tonight's events. With that taken care of, I call it a night.

**The Next Day**

With yesterday's near-disaster behind us, we can enjoy the party day without worry. I missed out on visiting the stands yesterday since I couldn't show my face around the school, being as I was supposed to be absent. Since family is supposed to attend with the students, I allowed Veldora and Diablo to come with us. Diablo spent most of the time playing the many carnival-style games with Opera, once again competing with him. They both destroy each game they try, claiming all the prizes (for me and Iruma), and angering the other students' parents.

"Hey, Diablo? Shouldn't you…um…tone it down a bit?"

"But I must win all the prizes for you, My Lord!" Diablo insists as if it's his mission in life.

"I don't need dozens of stuffed animals and toys, Diablo. I think you've won enough already." I say, glancing at the large pile of prizes.

Seriously, what the hell am I supposed to do with all of those!?

"If you wish, Lord Rimuru. I will refrain from claiming any more prizes." He takes my order with a bow.

Leaving Diablo to play games with Opera; Iruma, Azz, Clara and I browse the many stands at the battler party, paying particular attention to the ones selling food. Veldora's run off to who knows where hopefully not causing any trouble.

[[Master! You must flee!]]

What is it, Ciel!?

[[It has multiplied!]]

What has?!

[[Look behind you!]]

I do as Ciel says and find Clara, with two small children closely resembling her clinging to her legs.

"Hey, Clara. Why are there two toddlers stuck to you?"

"They are my little twin sisters, Sin-Sin and Ran-Ran!"

That's what I thought. So you're scared of Clara's siblings too?

[[They all have the uncanny ability to defy logic!]]

I'll say it again, it's alright, Ciel. You don't need to panic!

They are soon joined by more family members. Two boys named Konchie and Keebow and their mother. All of them have the same horns and eye/hair color. They apparently have another older brother, but he's absent for whatever reason.

"Wow, they look so alike!" Iruma says in response to their arrival.

The next thing I know, one of the twin toddlers jumps at me and clings to my head. She starts yanking on my hair as soon as she lands. Azz also fell victim to one of the toddlers, which is refusing to let go of his leg.

"Clara, can you…um…?" I say, pointing at the small child now chewing on my ponytail.

"Sorry, she must be getting hungry." Clara's mom says as she lifts the little demon off of me. "You three have been such good friends to my sweet Clara. Are you hungry at all? Would you like some candy? When Clara was younger, she would always sneeze candy out of her pockets! Everyone nearly drowned in a sea of candy!" she says as she stuffs candy into our hands.

Clara seems embarrassed by her mom talking about her past and the next thing we know, the family of lime-green demons wander off singing some weird song together.

[[*shudders*]]

While Ciel's having a mental breakdown from just being surrounded by creatures she can't comprehend, another demon approaches our group.

"Found you!" A woman's voice calls out to us. I turn and see a pink-haired demoness wearing extremely revealing clothing. "Oh, Aliiiiiice!"

Azz winces when he notices her calling out to him. She must be his mother or something, based on how she looks. I look at Iruma and he seems very distracted by this woman, most likely because of her choice of clothing not leaving much to the imagination. She's also got some big…um…'assets' as well, drawing my eyes in their direction. This woman is just as 'gifted' as Shion in that department.

[[Master!]]

I can't help it, Ciel! They're right there, clear as day! Not looking is almost impossible!

[[…]]

Great. Now Ciel's gone from freaking out about the Valac family to being pissed at me for looking at another woman. Just what I needed.

"Why are you here, Mother?!" Azz asks irritatedly while being squeezed by the woman.

"I couldn't miss your battler party! I had to drop all my work just to come here!" she says to her son before noticing Iruma and myself. "Oh, you're Iruma and Rimuru, aren't you? I'm Alice's mother and the Thirteen Crowns' Mistress of Seduction, Amaryllis Asmodeus." The beautiful woman introduces herself. I make the connection that this was one of the demons that were absent at the 'Thirteen's Dinner' that I attended.

She then approaches Iruma and starts to rub the top of his head, causing him to blush even more. I mean, this woman is ridiculously attractive, so I don't blame him for reacting like this. Despite no longer having a drive to…um…y'know…I can't help but feel attracted to her myself.

"Just so you know, you're all my dear Alice has been talking about! I heard you created something neat he called fireworks." She says as she draws closer to the boy. "So, what kind of seduction magic is it?" Amaryllis says, now inches away from Iruma's face.

Mistress of Seduction? Yeah, she definitely fits that title. She knows exactly how to make men fall for her, from what I can tell.

"Stop that! Don't use your wiles on Master Iruma!" Azz yells before shoving his mother away from the boy.

"And you, you're quite the pretty little thing, aren't you?" she asks, now turning her attention to me. "I could see you being quite talented at the art of seduction. Are you taking my former pupil, Raim's class?" she asks as she walks closer. Now that I'm the center of her attention, I force myself to look her in the eyes so that they don't wander.

"Um…what class?" I ask nervously, feeling overwhelmed by her approach.

"The succubus class, of course! Just looking at you, I can tell you would excel in it." She says as she cups the side of my face with her hand. I try my best not to feel overwhelmed by the fact that her chest is so close to my face.

"Uh…no, I'm not…and I'm not too interested in seduction, but thanks," I respond in a strained voice, trying my best not to show how I'm feeling.

"What a shame, you have so much potential, more than most demons. You should keep that in mind for the future, you still have multiple years to change your mind."

"Sure…" I respond, finding it unsettling that I might have an above-average potential when it comes to that type of thing.

She finally leaves with Azz, blowing a kiss at Iruma as she walks away. Both of us breathe a sigh of relief.

#I wonder what she would say if she knew you weren't really a girl? Isn't seduction magic exclusive to demonesses?# Iruma whispers to me.

#I guess since I'm neither male nor female, I could learn it if I wanted, not that I do. That stuff Is pretty sketchy in my opinion.# I respond, making it clear that I don't have any interest in that 'field'.

[[#I wish you would look at me like that…#]]

What was that, Ciel? You were too quiet for me to catch what you said.

[[I said you shouldn't look at women like that, Master! It will only cause you trouble in the future!]]

I'll try my best, I guess.

With those two's families having been dealt with, Iruma and I are left alone.

"Hey, Sabnock said something about a play that his battler is putting on. He really wants you to see him in it." Iruma says, sounding happy to have escaped Azz's mom.

"Oh yeah? What's it about?" I ask, wondering what kind of play that meathead would be interested in acting in.

"He said something about playing the Demon King in it, but I don't know any more than that," Iruma explains.

Well, that explains why he wanted to participate. That kid is obsessed with the Demon King.

"Why not? Let's go." I agree, not having anything else to do right now and if he wants me to go watch, I might as well do it.

We spend some time watching Sabnock's performance, which was extremely hammy and over the top. It was still entertaining in its own way though, so I made sure to politely clap at the end. Sabnock, strangely, seemed to be in a bit of a hurry because after taking a bow on the stage, since he immediately ran off, taking his costume off on the way out the door.

I wonder what he's up to…?

"Hey! Where are you going, big brother?!" A little girl with spiky blonde hair chases after Sabnock, but he outruns her, leaving her behind.

"Are you Sabnock's little sister?" Iruma asks.

"Yes! I'm Silvia! Do you know my big brother?" she says, tilting her head to one side.

"Yeah, we're his classmates," I explain to the child.

"Do you know where he's going? I've barely got to see him today and he went and ran off without me!" she says, pouting since her brother outright abandoned her a moment ago.

"Sorry, kid, but we're just as confused as you are," I say, feeling a little bad for the girl.

"Where are your parents?" Iruma asks.

"They were too busy to come, but my oldest brother should be somewhere around here. I'm gonna go find him." She explains.

"Good luck!" Iruma says as he waves to her.

She runs out of the exit to look for her older brother.

**A While Later**

How did it come to this?

I'm standing in the middle of a fighting ring surrounded by my classmates and some of their family members. Standing inside with me is a large, beast-like demon. I, unfortunately, got dragged into joining the tournament being held by the combat battler. Veldora insisted, saying that if I don't join, he will, and we can't have that. He would just end up maiming or even killing someone if I let him fight. Yes, once again, I've been dragged into fighting someone by him. I don't understand why he wants to watch me fight all these weaklings but to each their own.

It wasn't just Veldora who wanted me to do this, but everyone else showed their interest after he brought it up. Iruma, Azz, Clara, Sullivan, and even other members of the misfit class that happened to overhear us arguing about whether I should register or not. Diablo surely would've too if he wasn't so busy playing carnival games with Opera. With all the pressure coming from all directions, I reluctantly agreed to participate.

There are three rounds. The goal is to knock out or otherwise incapacitate your opponent. There's a prize that goes to the winner of the whole thing, not that I care much about that.

"Hehe…you're such a tiny little thing, what are you doing fighting in a tournament like this?" my opponent taunts.

"Trust me, it wasn't my idea," I explain flatly, not seeing this brute as a threat. He may beat me in size, but that doesn't matter.

"Why not forfeit then?" he says, grinning at me.

"Why would I do that? I agreed to fight so I'm gonna fight."

'Well, just because you are so small, or a girl, doesn't mean I will hold back!"

"You don't need to," I say, rolling my eyes at his taunting.

This is so stupid…

I look over and Veldora winks at me from the sidelines. I bet he's getting a big head from being able to make me do what he wanted. Whatever…it doesn't matter. I just need to make this go as quickly and painlessly as possible since I don't have any interest in fighting these kids.

Just as the match is about to start, I have Ciel drop my stats down to a state that will allow me to fight without killing anyone.

"Begin!" the referee shouts, signaling the start of the match.

My opponent lunges at me, attempting to punch me, but I simply duck under his fist and sweep his legs out from under him, causing him to fall flat on his back.

"What the hell?! You're fast!"

"No, you're just slow."

He scowls as he makes his way to his feet again.

I make myself look wide open, prompting my adversary to try attacking again. He attempts to punch me more, but each time I just sidestep or duck away from the path of his blows. After toying with him for a few more minutes, I grow tired of the fight and grab his forearm when he attempts to punch me another time. I then turn, lock my other arm under his armpit and flip him over my shoulder, slamming him against the ground in front of me. This knocks him out, winning me the match. He's much larger than me, so I'm sure it looked ridiculous how easily I lifted and threw him.

The audience erupts into cheers at my win. I still have to fight in two more rounds, but I have a little time before it's my turn again. After wandering around aimlessly for a while, enjoying some snacks, and playing some games, it comes time for my second fight.

I enter the ring again, this time facing a much different opponent. He's not large and bulky like the last, but thin and tall and much more human-like in appearance. He grins at me, probably underestimating me as the last guy did.

"You're quite different from my last opponent." He says, looking me up and down in a scrutinizing manner. He's brimming with confidence and I can tell by his expression that he's convinced he can beat me easily.

"I could say the same about you. You probably don't rely on brute strength like the last guy, right? I bet you have some kind of trick up your sleeve."

"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't." He responds cockily wearing an evil grin. Yeah, he's definitely planning something, not that it will matter anyway.

I don't like this guy's attitude…

[[Yes, he is quite insufferable, Master. We should teach this fool a lesson.]]

I will. I'm sure he's no match for me, let alone both of us.

"Begin!" the referee shouts again, signaling the start of the second match.

As soon as the fight starts, four copies of the boy materialize near him and run to surround me. He's grinning at me from all around, thinking he has the upper hand. I feel somewhat nostalgic, thinking about when I fought Ifrit way back when.

Huh, Deja Vu. Analysis please, Ciel.

[[This individual possesses a 'bloodline ability' that closely mirrors the 'body double' skill. His copies don't come close to comparing to Master's parallel existences.]]

That's what I thought.

I look at the five bodies and easily pick out which one is real based on the flow of magic. I can see strings of energy connecting the clones to the dude's real body making it very clear which one is in control of the others. I can also tell by magic amounts differing between the main body and the four copies.

I look around, staring deadpan at the multiple bodies, not amused by his tactics. The five are circling me like a pack of lions surrounding their prey, taunting me as they do.

"I bet you weren't expecting that!"

"There's no way you can fight five of me!"

"You should just give up!"

"We'll crush you!"

"You don't stand a chance!"

All five cackle maniacally at my assumed fear and confusion.

This dude's goddamn annoying, so I'll make this quick.

I roll my eyes at the boy's misplaced confidence.

"Nice try, but that won't work on me!" I say, now grinning back at the moron's true body, staring him directly in the eyes. When he realizes that I've picked him out of his clones, the confident smile slips off his face.

I make my move and run towards their true body.

"How did-"

He barely gets a word out before I drive-by roundhouse kick him square in the gut. He buckles over, clutching his stomach in pain. Now behind him, I whip around and dropkick him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Upon passing out, the guy's clones fade away.

"You should leave the trash-talk for after you win, dumbass," I say to the unconscious student, even though there's no way he can hear me.

Once again the crowd roars with cheers and praise. Since the last match is the final one, I don't need to wait for it. Someone comes into the ring to drag away my unconscious opponent before the other finalist enters. Surprise surprise, it's someone I recognize. Sabro Sabnock.

"I was watching both of your other fights, my rival, and teacher. You have impressed me once again." Sabnock says with a confident smile.

"Long time no see, Sabnock. Did you want a rematch?" I ask, already knowing what his answer will be.

"Yes, that's why I asked your muscular buddy to convince you to join the tournament." He reveals.

"Hehe, wow. I didn't expect you to be so manipulative. Nice job getting me here." I say, mildly annoyed yet also impressed by Sabnock's conniving plan.

I look over at Veldora, who looks away uncomfortably under my gaze. Yeah, he looks pretty guilty right now.

"Just so you know, I can't go easy on you like I did last time. I actually have to knock you out, so keep that in mind."

"I understand."

"Good. Now, prepare yourself for lesson two!" I say with a confident grin, ready to see how much he's improved since our last spar.

"Begin!" the referee shouts one last time, signaling the start of the final match.

Sabnock immediately begins conjuring up a silver-colored broadsword by using his bloodline magic. It materializes in his hands at a noticeably faster rate than last time we sparred.

He's gotten better…I guess he took my advice to heart and has been practicing.

The stance he's holding is much less open than before and he looks much more composed. I, once again, allow him to make the first move. I decide to fight him unarmed again since my sword is too strong not to shatter his magically-created weapons.

So that I can convincingly deflect his blows, I use a technique that's pretty much been long forgotten at this point. I use universal shapeshift to manifest body armor on both my hands and forearms, creating something resembling gauntlets. I don't need these to stop his slashes, my barrier being more than sufficient, but it would look suspicious for me to deflect a blade with exposed skin and come out unscathed.

As the metallic scales form on my skin, Sabock gives me a look of surprise but his confusion only causes him to hesitate for a moment. He attempts a slash at my head but I block it with one of my arms. A metallic clang rings out and his sword vibrates from the impact with the scales on my arm. The rebond nearly knocked his weapon out of his hands. The crowd ooohs and awwws at my easy deflection of his heavy strike.

Sabnock swings at me more, eventually trying an overhead swing directly down on me. I catch the blade in one hand and crush it with my grip. It shatters, causing shards of metal to rain down on me annoyingly. I brush myself off, scowling from my lack of forethought.

"Phtht…I think I got some in my mouth…" I groan.

While I'm 'distracted' by the metal shards getting in my mouth and hair, Sabnock attempts a sneak attack with another sword he made while I was preoccupied. Still irritated by my mistake, I swiftly side-kick him in the stomach without looking as he tried to attack me from behind.

"Nice try, but I didn't let my guard down."

"What the hell? Do you have eyes in the back of your head?!" Sabnock asks, genuinely shocked that I saw his strike coming and landed a perfectly placed kick without looking in his direction. He's clutching his abs, in pain from my kick but not enough to stop him in his tracks.

"Something like that…"

Now having removed the annoying bits of metal from my body, I decide to go on the offensive. I reverse roundhouse kick the sword out of his hands and use the spinning momentum to swing around and land a roundhouse kick to his side.

"It seems I'm still no match for you, teacher…" he grumbles in a pained voice.

"Hey, don't give up yet! You're still in the fight so make the most of it!" I encourage him.

I continue deflecting sword strikes with my arms while also ducking and sidestepping to dodge some of them, mainly fighting defensively. I know this is supposed to be a tournament fight, but I think letting Sabnock take some swings at me will help him improve further. After a few minutes of exchanging blows, I decided that it's time to end this.

"Alright, Sabnock. I think it's time to finish this. If you don't want to be knocked out, you can forfeit." I give the boy a peaceful way to end this. I don't want to hurt him if I don't have to, but if he asks for it, I will end the match with a KO.

"The future Demon King will never forfeit! Give me your worst, I can take it head-on!" he says in a voice filled with vigor.

"If you say so," I say with a shrug, mildly amused by his stubbornness.

I dart up to him, kick off the ground to jump in the air (because of our major height difference being a problem) and deliver a swift kick to the side of his head, ending the match.

The crowd cheers even louder than last time at my victory. Since I don't think Sabnock's a bad guy, unlike the other two jerks I faced, I give him a bit of healing before he gets taken to the infirmary.

The prize for the tournament will be given at the awards ceremony, where the overall prizes for the battlers will also be handed out.

"Wow, that was so cool, Rimuru!" Iruma says excitedly after watching the match.

"You think so? It wasn't anything special." I respond nonchalantly, not thinking my fights were very impressive. All three opponents were ridiculously outclassed, making the fighting I did lackluster.

"My granddaughter is so amazing!" Sullivan says, abruptly hugging me from behind.

"Yes, isn't Rimuru incredible! Just as much as I, the great sto-…um…the great Veldora Tempest!" Veldora adds, complimenting himself along the way.

The next thing I know, everyone has dogpiled on top of me. After ending up with someone's foot in my mouth (ew), I squirm my way out of the mass of limbs. Once everyone calms down, I address the culprit behind my involvement in the tournament.

"Hey, Veldora. I heard that Sabnock put you up to this." I put my brother on the spot for his antics.

"Um…uh…" he hesitates, looking for an out.

"Don't try to deny it. I saw how you reacted when I looked at you during the final match." I say, pressuring him further.

"Yes…sorry, I just wanted to watch you fight again." He admits.

"Why though? You know that I can't fight these people at full strength, which I know is what you actually want to see. You're such a battle junkie that these matches should've looked pathetic and boring to you."

"You're right, but watching someone fight with such big limitations is entertaining too. It's interesting watching how you work around your opponent being so weak but still have a decent fight. That's not something I can do."

"Don't look so sulky, I'm not mad at you or anything. Next time, just tell me the truth from the start. If I knew that Sabnock just wanted a rematch, we could've had one outside of the public's eye."

"Sure thing, Rimuru!" Veldora says happily, now having cheered up a bit since I said I wasn't mad at him.

"You meanie!" the little girl from earlier runs up to me and starts pounding her fists on me.

"Hey! What gives!?" I ask, confused as to why this child's attacking me.

"Why did you have to beat up my big brother?! I thought you were nice!" she says angrily. I just stand there, holding my hands up as she futilely hits me over and over.

"It was a tournament! He wanted to fight me! Wanting to fight me is the main reason he entered that thing!" I explain, feeling awkward in this situation.

"He did?! That dummy! I need to go show him who's boss!" Silvia redirects her anger towards her brother.

"Well, if you want to do that, he's probably in the infirmary," I explain.

Sorry Sabnock, this is your own fault for running off without telling your little sis what you were doing.

I feel a little guilty sending an angry sibling his way after beating the piss out of him, but it isn't my problem that that girl's angry.

We spend some more time messing around and enjoying ourselves before we're interrupted.

"Attention Students! It is now time for the awards ceremony! Please make your way to the auditorium in an orderly fashion!" an announcement is broadcast across the plaza.

"Looks like it's time to find out who won the contest. Do you think our battler won anything?" I ask the three.

"I hope so, especially after all the trouble we went through," Iruma says with a bitter smile. I can tell he's thinking about that bastard and his mass-murder attempt again.

"I am sure we won the first prize, it would be unthinkable for us not to after that dazzling display!" Azz says proudly, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Yeah! The kablooie was super pretty and everyone loved it! I know we won!" Clara adds.

"Well, we can at least hope so…" Iruma says with a sigh.

"Cheer up! Now, c'mon, we don't wanna miss it!" I say, trying to lighten Iruma's mood.


Author's note: If you're wondering why I keep having Rimuru fight hand-to-hand specifically, it's much easier for me to 'choreograph' since I have some martial arts experience (Taekwondo and a little bit of Judo to be specific) so sorry if you want him to sword-fight more. I'm just not as good at visualizing and wording that type of fighting. Plus, I think it's more realistic for him to fight like this when 'holding back'.