Wacky Walter Antics 2: The Wackening
Iruma POV
"Now, let us decide on what to do in the meantime while those two are having their talk." Azz takes charge in Rimuru and Ameri's absence.
"What about the King's Manor?! It is the perfect replication of the Demon King Derkila's residence!" Sabnock suggests.
"No, I think we should ask Master Iruma what he wishes to do." Azz shoots down his idea immediately.
"He surely wants to go to the King's Manor!" Sabnock insists without bothering to ask me.
"He does not!" Azz yells back.
"Guys…" I complain softly, sad that these two think they need to fight with each other again. The worst part is I know they'll likely keep going unless I say something too.
But, before I can intervene, something rips my attention away from my friends. An alluring presence that I can't ignore draws me in and I wander toward it unconsciously.
A crowd is gathered and I gently push my way through to see what's grabbing everyone's attention.
Standing atop a float as part of an extravagant parade is none other than Ronove Romiere, clearly using his bloodline magic to its fullest to make himself the center of attention, evidenced by the golden, sparkly glow surrounding him.
My excitement immediately fades as I notice this. I was thinking it was going to be something fun and amazing and it's just silly Ronove, up to the same antics as usual.
But…maybe he's the right kind of person to spend time with in a place like this? Ronove sure knows how to have fun, at least.
Soon, he hops down from the float and into the crowd and I approach him. He was inviting everyone to 'play' with him just a moment ago, so I might as well ask, right?
"Ronove, what are you doing here?" Azz asks before I can, running up to my side, followed by Sabnock. I guess running off was enough to stop their arguing.
"Ah yes, I remember you. It's been a while, commoners!" Ronove says.
"What the-?" Sabnock asks, confused by Ronove's way of talking to us.
"Hah, foolish question! This place is owned by my Legend-daddy, he built this place from the ground up! And I, his incredible son, can enjoy any part of this park as much as I want!" Ronove brags to us in an arrogant voice.
Then, a man comes up behind Ronove and lays a hand on his shoulder.
"True, but even so…you're only supposed to observe today." the man sternly corrects Ronove.
Ronove immediately falls to the ground dramatically, groaning "A man has touched me…!"
"Hey, are you okay?!" I quickly asked, concerned for him.
But Ronove only responds with some gurgling, sputtering noises and remains face-first, lying on the ground, stiff as a board.
The man who inadvertently caused Ronove's collapse dressed a lot like a butler wearing a suit with a tailcoat walks up to us before I can check on Ronove more closely.
"Pardon me, but are you all friends with the young master?" he asks us politely, seemingly unbothered by Ronove's state.
"Uh, yeah. But who're you?" I ask.
"My name is Uuetoto, and I'm a member of the staff here. The owner asked me to assist the young master with observing the park since he has great aspirations to open his very own amusement park at school in the near future!" he replies enthusiastically, his smile slips a little and he sighs. "But the problem is, the moment I look away he's off enjoying all the rides, buying all the items in the shops, and then crashing one of the parades…so that's been pretty much my whole day…" he defeatedly shares with us, now looking downcast and frustrated.
"Well, you're doing great!" I compliment him, trying my best to cheer him up with a forced smile. Ronove is a handful so I'm sure his job isn't easy.
"This place is pretty much my personal playground, and those are meant for frolicking, are they not?" Ronove asks, having now recovered from his sulking.
"Again, you're supposed to be observing!" Uuetoto complains in an annoyed tone, but Ronove just ignores him.
"Hey, Ronove!" I say to grab his attention.
"Yes, peasant boy?" he asks.
"Um, please don't call me that. My name is Iruma…remember?"
"Of course, I do, Illuminati," he responds uncaringly.
That isn't even close to my name…
"What did you just call my Master?!" Azz snarls.
"Iruma, Ronove. My name is Iruma." I correct him again.
But Ronove just jovially laughs and doesn't seem to notice. Starting to get the impression this is pointless, I move on to what I really wanted to ask him.
"Why don't you show us around the park then? I bet you know all the best places to have fun, right? It would let you observe the park too so Uuetoto won't be mad at you."
Ronove pauses for a moment and his eyes light up with glee.
"I would be delighted to help you navigate the park!" he declares pompously.
"Then onward, school chums, to the King's Manor!" Sabnock shouts.
"No, to wherever Master Iruma wants to go first!" Azz shoots back.
Oh no, not again…
"Let me lead you to my personal favorite attraction!" Ronove suggests as he pulls out a set of keys from inside his shirt. "It's a super-secret dangerous tour that only the most VIP of VIP people know about! Consider yourselves lucky!"
It sounds like fun, but we can't go doing something that special without Ameri and Rimuru!
I'm about to speak up and convince him to wait for them first, but before I can, Uuetoto interjects.
"Young master, no! Not the basement!" he pleads.
"Did you say the basement?" I question. I wasn't aware this place had a basement.
"Mmhmhmhm…as you can see, there are all sorts of attractions to tempt park-goers! It all functions due to an immense stockpile of mana beneath us, and the great source of that power lives in the basement!" he declares with a wide smile.
"It…lives there?" I ask, a little put off by the idea.
Does some sort of hideous, dangerous beast live under the park? I mean, what else could provide all the power for this entire park?
"Indeed! The prison demons who have committed crimes are currently incarcerated there. The basement of Walter Park is in fact a prison fortress!" Ronove explains cheerfully, seeing nothing wrong with the fact.
So all this time, the fun stuff I've been enjoying has been fueled by a prison?!
It's a disturbing thing to think about, people suffering under our feet as we have the times of our lives enjoying the attractions here.
"So many fun demon friends, it's a marvel worth seeing!" Ronove chuckles, completely unbothered by the idea, unlike me.
Uh, no thanks…I don't want to see the scary demonic prisoners thank you very much!
My gut is telling me that going down there is a horrible idea.
"No, they aren't 'fun demon friends', they're a bunch of dangerous lunatics! Please stop romanticizing that fact!" Uuetoto protests.
"That's a rather disturbing secret if I'm being honest," Sabnock says in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
Yes… this is very much horrifying! No thank you!
"Not to ruin your fun, Master Iruma, but let's not go there." Azz adds, a concerned look in his eyes.
"Yeah…it's probably better if we skip that one." I agree with him, a sick feeling of unease lingering in my stomach from the idea.
With Rimuru along, I'd probably be fine, but I don't have any desire to go down into that dreaded basement. It's just too disturbing and dangerous for me to even have a desire to go down there, even with my 'protector' with me.
Brushing aside the idea of going underneath the park, we all follow Ronove, going on ride after ride. Azz mainly watches me, snapping pictures of me while I enjoy the attractions. Ronove seems surprised I can keep up with him since we've been rapidly running from one attraction to the next, but now…
There's dead silence as I stare down the dark and ominous alleyway I find myself in, titled: Karagari Street, based on the sign nearby.
Looking around, I notice I'm all alone, my friends nowhere to be seen. Not a single living thing is around outside of the few spooky figures, their faces darkened by the hoods worn over their heads. The only thing visible from the shadowy faces is their glowing eyes, boring into me as they sit at their rickety stalls.
This place is run-down, gloomy, dark, and desolate; completely different than the rest of the park which is bright, colorful, and well-maintained. Unease fills the air around me and every shred of my being tells me I shouldn't be here, especially alone.
I start to panic a little, not sure what to do, but it only takes me a few seconds to figure out I do have a few options.
First, my ring; this is the perfect time for me to call Rimuru for help, right?
But, wasn't she having some sort of important talk with Ameri? I'm not sure if I should interrupt something like that unless I absolutely have to. I mean, I think Rimuru would prioritize my safety over their talk, I'm sure, but I'd still feel bad about it.
There's another option too, so let's set aside the ring for now.
My hell-phone that's in my pocket. I can call Azz or Sabnock and tell them where I am since I know Azz has a map of the park with him. He's pretty strong too so if I'm in any danger he could probably help protect me long enough that I could contact Rimuru as a last resort.
But, when I push the button to turn it on, the screen remains black. It died from all the picture-taking I've been doing with it throughout the day. I had taken a picture of the map too, in case I got lost like this, but I can't look at that if my phone is dead!
Crap! Now what?!...No, don't panic, Iruma! You can find your way back on your own. There's no reason to bug Rimuru when you're fully capable of doing this yourself.
My sense of direction sucks, but I have an idea of what the map looks like, and I sorta remember how I got here. I think I can backtrack to the main roads of the park and maybe find someone with a phone I can borrow that isn't as sketchy as the fellow that's been staring at me so creepily while I try to figure out what to do.
"I…will b-be okay…I-I…c-can do this…b-by m-myself…" I shakily give myself a pep talk, holding back the tears that threaten to escape the corners of my eyes.
I've got to say, the vibe of this alleyway isn't helping my confidence at all. Its depressing, grim aura is almost crushing to my spirit.
"Are you lost, little boy?" a gravely, deep voice asks from a nearby narrow, dark gap between two of the buildings lining the street. I look in the direction of it and see two creepy, glowing red spheres peering at me from the shadows.
Then, whatever it is that just spoke to me reaches out, their arm stretching an inhuman distance toward me. It grasps my right wrist with long, dark fingers shrouded in darkness.
"Come closer," it demands as it starts to pull me toward it.
"H-hey! C-could y-you let g-go!" I stutter as I try to resist and escape its grip, digging my heels into the ground and yanking back.
"Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry, don't worry!" it repeats over and over, pulling my arm harder. My feet start to slip and it's quickly made obvious that this figure is much stronger than me.
Sheer terror fills my soul as I realize there's no escaping this person.
The worst part is that the arm this guy has ahold of is my right one, the same arm whose hand my ring is on, making it very hard for me to even call for help with it. With my left, I reach for my right hand to try to do exactly that, deeply regretting not just calling Rimuru in the first place.
One more tug from the figure is all it takes to break my balance, sending me falling forward toward the ground. I brace myself for a faceful of pain, closing my eyes and wincing, but instead of the cold, hard cobblestones under my feet, my cheek hits something unexpectedly soft and warm.
An arm wraps around me protectively and I look up and see that a woman is holding me up against her chest, clenching the shadowy figure's wrist with her free hand hard enough that they've let go of me.
"You think you have business with my little brother?" she asks the shadowy guy in an intimidating tone, still twisting his wrist painfully.
Crying out in pain, the guy turns to leave and the woman lets go of him and he flees into the crack between the buildings he tried to pull me into.
She pretended to know me to scare him off and it seems to have worked.
"Uh…excuse me?" I ask, wondering who this mystery rescuer of mine is.
It's not anyone I recognize. She has short white hair and gold-yellow eyes that are similar to Rimuru's, but not as bright. I also see that she's dressed oddly, wearing something akin to a black two-piece bathing suit and a white cape.
But, instead of giving me any sort of response, she gently takes my wrist in her hand and starts leading me away.
"Come this way," she says as we start walking.
I follow without question, fully convinced she's just trying to help me some more. While walking, I debate whether I should give Rimuru a call, but before I can decide, I find myself back in the bright, inviting part of Walter Park, meaning I'm no longer in danger.
A deep sense of relief washes over me.
"I…can't believe we made it!" I gleefully say.
Then, the mystery woman glares at me scarily.
"Remember, that way…is extremely…dangerous," she warns me with great emphasis, drilling the words into me with her stern gaze. "You can't go wandering in there just because you're…curious."
She has an odd way of talking, pausing at strange points in her sentences, but that doesn't matter right now.
"I'm so sorry!" I quickly and honestly apologize.
"The lost child center is…over there." she points to a tower in the distance. "It's a little far…but…"
"Thank you very much." I thank her with a small bow.
"You're welcome. Be…more careful," she says as she turns and starts walking away.
I start walking in the opposite direction.
I got too carried away, running off on my own like that…causing so much trouble! I bet everyone is worried about me…
Sulking a little, looking at the ground in regret, I continue walking toward the lost child center.
"This ice cream here…would you…want some?" the mystery woman asks, appearing out of nowhere right next to me with a huge, multicolored ice cream cone.
"Oh! You're the nice lady from earlier! But, why are you offering that to me?" I ask curiously. She's already helped me and we don't even know each other, so why has she gone out of her way to buy me a treat?
"Well, because I…accidentally bought this…ice…cream," she explains.
"You 'accidentally' bought a quintuple-scoop cone?" I ask, wondering how someone could do that 'accidentally'.
But, I gratefully take it, not wanting it to go to waste. I can always go for a snack!
"Also…at the amusement park, you should never…look down. You will get lost again…maybe," she warns.
I guess I was kinda staring at my feet, wasn't I?
"Yeah, you're right. I'll be more careful." I promise her.
Maybe I should just call Rimuru after all? That'd be the safer option here.
Rimuru POV
"You lost him?!" I ask Ronove in disbelief.
"Yes…Ronove has made a mistake…" he sheepishly admits.
Apparently, Iruma ran off with Ronove and they got separated somehow. When he came back alone, this triggered the arguing between Azz and Sabnock about what they should do about the situation.
"I have failed in my duty of watching Master Iruma in your absence! Punish me however you feel best!" Azz remorsefully pleads with me.
Sheesh…here we go again with him sounding like Diablo…
"No need for that." I quickly answer.
"I believe he will come back to us when ready and looking for my rival is unnecessary!" Sabnock gives his opinion which just riles Azz up again.
"No, we can't abandon Master Iruma! We must search for him at once!" he insists passionately.
"Calm down you two!" I shout, sick of their fighting.
"Yes, your incessant bickering is not helpful. We should head for the lost child center, located in the middle of the park. Iruma is likely there since it is such a tall landmark." Ameri suggests calmly, but I can tell she's troubled by all of this.
I get what she means, but I'm not so sure Iruma would know to go there. It's the most logical move, but most people don't think like that when in a panic, which I think Iruma would be in if he realized he was lost.
Wait…in that case, why hasn't he just contacted me?
Maybe he isn't in as much trouble as I first thought. Calling me with his ring would be the simplest, surefire way to call for help so if he needed me to come to find him, Iruma would've done that already.
"Sure, why not." I casually agree.
Ameri gives me an astonished, exasperated look.
"Why are you so unconcerned?" she asks disbelievingly.
"Uh…I am concerned. But, I'm also sure that Iruma is fine right now, so yeah." I vaguely explain.
Actually, I've already figured out where he is and he happens to be heading to this 'lost child center' just like Ameri guessed. He's with some strange lady, though, which is weird but whatever. Maybe she's staff or something and is helping Iruma out since he's lost.
"How are you so certain…" Ameri grumbles under her breath.
"Twins' intuition? Or I guess you could say 'twin-tuition'..." I hesitantly replied with a cheesy smile.
That pun was bad, even for me…
Azz gives me an expression of amazement, his mouth slightly agape, and Sabnock's smile widens; both boys completely bought my words.
On the other hand, Ameri just scowls at me for this since she knows full-well Iruma and I aren't actually related. Or maybe because of my terrible joke? Let's go with the first option.
"If Rimuru insists that Master Iruma is fine, I will believe it," Azz says, backing me up.
"I trust her judgment as well!" Sabnock adds.
"Fine. If you all believe so, I will as well." Ameri agrees with a defeated sigh. "Worrying too much for little reason does no good anyway."
Leading the way, I bring our group to the lost child center, or at least close to it. Iruma never made it all the way there before I spotted him.
"Look, there he is!" I say, pointing to the boy who's now in eyeshot.
"Master Irumaaaaaa!" Azz cries out, a complete blubbering mess as he runs toward Iruma at full speed.
Out of all of us, he's been the most worried about the kid's safety. He trusted my word when I said Iruma was safe, but that didn't stop him from being nervous and frantic the entire walk to him.
"I'm sorry!" Iruma cries back.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" Azz sputters back, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Haha! I knew my rival would be just fine! Even without Rimuru's reassuring words, my gut knew it!" Sabnock says.
Ameri, still standing near me, seems to be fidgeting a little. I bet she's trying her best not to run up to Iruma in a similar way to Azz; that's my best guess.
"Oh! Ameri, Rimuru! You guys are back!" Iruma exclaims, just noticing us both.
"Yeah, we finished our talk and came back to find you missing," I explain to him, making it clear I was a little annoyed that he ran off on his own.
"Oh…" he regretfully mutters.
"Yes, you gave us all quite the scare," Ameri adds to my point.
"I really am sorry! Sorry I made everyone so worried about me!" Iruma apologizes again, bowing to us.
"Okay, that's enough apologizing. You're going to hurt your back if you keep bowing so much. Let's just be more careful about sticking together now so this doesn't happen again." I say to calm him down.
"I will! I promise!" Iruma nods then he seems to remember something. "Oh, and I met this really nice lady and she helped me out!"
Yes, the mystery woman that he was walking with. Soon before we reunited with Iruma, she swiftly ran off without him noticing. Her stealth was impressive, actually, not that it escaped my senses or anything.
"Oh, I see! And where is this lady at the moment?" Azz asks.
"Yes, where is she?" Sabnock inquires too.
"She's right…here…huh?" Iruma looks over his shoulder as if he expected her to still be behind him, but the woman was already long gone. "She was just here with me a second ago…"
"Did you eat something rotten; did she poison you?!" Azz asks, all worried again.
"No, I'm fine, but…wait, where did she go?!" Iruma asks, more frustrated and confused.
"Perhaps she had to be somewhere else." Ameri proposes.
'Somewhere else' as in that alley nearby.
Yeah, I know where she is and she's very close. Hiding just out of sight, probably listening in on our conversation right now.
I'll let her get away since I sensed no hostility from her and she did help Iruma out earlier. I'm sure she has her reasons for not wanting to talk with us.
"So…are you gonna stick with us?" I ask the mostly-silent Ronove.
"Yes! I still wish to give you all a tour of the grandest, most extravagant attractions at this beloved park!"
I give Iruma a questioning glare, not sure why this annoying guy was even with him in the first place.
"He knows the park super-well! His dad is the owner, actually, so Ronove's spent a lot of time here!" Iruma quickly explains.
"That is true! My Legend-daddy is the amazing creator of this paradise!" Ronove declares.
Legend…daddy?
"Uh…sure. I guess I did see a statue when we first got here. It was of some dude that looks almost exactly like Ronove, outside of having a mustache."
"Yes, that is him!"
"Well, if he knows all the fun spots, we might as well keep Ronove around. He does need to pay the price for losing Iruma earlier, after all, so guiding us around seems like a good enough punishment."
"Speaking of punishments…if you're gonna punish Ronove, punish me too. Getting lost was more my fault than his and I still feel bad about it…"
"Hmm…if you say so."
…
His punishment?
A horde of overexcited small children.
Yes, you heard (read) that right.
We headed to the nearby children's area and Iruma is wearing a dinosaur-like kaiju suit and letting a bunch of little kids 'fight' him with toy weapons. For a punishment, Iruma sure looks like he's having fun with it.
"I am surprised you aren't using Rimu-chi right now." Ameri comments.
Why didn't I think of that?!
A conniving smile peels across my lips.
"Great idea, Ameri."
"What is this 'Rimu-chi' you speak of?"
"Well, you already know I can make copies of myself."
Ronove nods and gulps nervously, probably remembering the one time he's seen me do that which involved me beating the shit out of Schnell right in front of him.
"Well, I can make mini, little kid versions too."
Just as I say this, I make a Parallel Fragment in my arms.
Ameri's eyes practically scream 'so cute!' but she doesn't say anything out loud. I know this mini-me caused her a lot of trouble before, but I still think she likes the little brat.
"Go play." I flatly say as I chuck the kid into the play-area Iruma is currently wrangling children in. It's a version of me, after all, so this isn't gonna hurt them or anything if I'm a little rough.
Ameri gasps, clearly not expecting me to do that.
"I wanna play! I wanna play!" Rimu-chi squeals, running up to the kids 'fighting' Iruma after sticking a landing post-throwing.
"Let's defeat the mean old dragon! You can help!" a little boy says, happy to let Rimu-chi in on their game.
"Defeat it?" Rimu-chi asks, his head tilted to the side curiously.
"Yeah! We're the Six Fingers, and the dragon is the bad guy! Do ya wanna try my sword?" the boy suggests, thrusting the plastic toy sword toward Rimu-chi.
"But I already have a sword…" Rimu-chi mutters.
"No, you don't!" I quickly shout, not wanting my other self to pull out a real weapon.
"B-but…um, I guess I don't…but I don't need one!" Rimu-chi says, pouting at first but getting past it almost immediately.
Rimu-chi runs right up to Iruma, smiling at him while looking up at his face and Iruma looks over at me with a concerned expression.
"Rimuru, I dunno-"
But before Iruma can protest, the kid has hefted him up in the air and thrown him across the room with a single movement. Iruma hits the wall kinda hard but is unharmed since there really wasn't much relative strength in the throw and he's pretty much wearing a portable, all-covering pillow.
"I win! I win! I defeated the dragon!" Rimu-chi cheers in a sing-song voice, now standing on top of Iruma who's laid out on the floor.
"Master Iruma, are you alright?!" Azz shouts horrified.
"You're okay, right?" I ask too, also a little worried.
"I'm…fine…" he groans.
"You truly are a troublemaker." Ameri comments.
"Hey! Don't blame me for this, it was your idea!"
"Even in a smaller size, my rival is not to be underestimated!" Sabnock laughs.
"But Iruma is your rival too." I point out.
"Even so!"
Sighing, I walk up to my mini-me and pick them up, removing them so Iruma can stand up again. I wasn't expecting things to get out of hand this fast, to be honest.
"Alright, that's enough kiddo."
Then, Rimu-chi disappears without a trace.
"Maybe that wasn't the best idea…sorry about that Iruma," I say with a shrug, helping him up.
Then, something comes to mind…what did that kid mean by 'Six Fingers'? It's reminiscent of the name Clayman used for his top subordinates, the 'Five Fingers'.
"Hey, what's this 'Six Fingers' that little boy talked about?" I ask out loud, hoping someone in the room will explain.
"They are a notorious criminal organization whose evil deeds are countless. A fringe faction of villainous demons that want to stage a return to the old ways."
Sounds a lot like what that Kiriwo guy was up to.
"Why are small children roleplaying as something like that?!" I ask, exasperated that word of such a group would even reach a preschool-aged kid.
"Well, they are rather mysterious which makes them popular and admired by many." Azz explains.
"I can't get this thing off!" Iruma suddenly shouts from the corner.
He's struggling to get out of his costume, reaching for the zipper on the back of it, but not managing to reach. I guess he's had enough of playing with kids for one day since my mini-me slammed him into a wall.
"Here, let me help." I say as I walk over to him, setting aside this whole 'Six Fingers' thing in my mind.
"Let's go on some more rides after this, now that your 'punishment' is done," I say while helping Iruma out of his ridiculous plush costume.
"More rides? Um…" Iruma says, sounding unusually hesitant about the idea.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Well, there's something I need to tell you about," he admits.
He seems awfully concerned…I wonder what's up?
"I dunno if you know this already or not…but…all the rides in this place are powered by prisoners," Iruma says to me in a hushed tone.
"Wait…seriously?!" I respond, rather shocked by this information.
"Well, that's what Ronove told me…" he mutters, sounding somewhat unsure.
Not wanting to just believe some rumor from Ronove, I decided to verify what Iruma just told me myself. Using Universal Perception, I turn my attention to beneath the park, and sure enough, there's a sprawling complex beneath me with over a thousand figures dotted about the place.
Ciel, you didn't tell me this place was powered by prison labor…
[[I'm sorry for that, Master. You appeared to be enjoying this park, and I didn't want to ruin the experience by burdening you with such knowledge.]]
I suppose you're right, ignorance is bliss. It's not like I can do anything about it without stepping way outside my role. Still, it's pretty gross to see that the Netherworld runs itself this way.
[[This prison is an exception, not the norm. It is commonly regarded as one of the worst places a prisoner can end up.]]
I see. Well, any more secrets about this place you're keeping from me?
[[… A couple.]]
Are they important?
[[One of them isn't, knowing would just annoy you. The other one is of critical importance, but I was planning on not bothering you about it until the last minute since you would still be plenty of time to decide how to handle it.]]
Ugh, I don't even want to know what that is… Sure, tell me later, I might as well just try and enjoy myself.
I'm troubled by what Ciel just told me, but I shouldn't let it ruin my day, at least not yet.
"I have an idea! Earlier, I spotted something that I think everyone here can have some fun with so I'll lead the way." I announce, wanting to just move on.
"But Ronove wants to-" Ronove starts to complain, but one dirty look from me is enough to shut him up.
I start leading our group to a part of the park we haven't explored yet. It's not full of big rides but instead many carnival-style games, some of them reminiscent of ones from Earth.
While walking there, we stumbled across a surprise. I guess it makes sense that even in a park as huge as this, we're bound to run into one of the other groups at some point, and that's exactly what's just happened.
It's Opera's group, AKA The Fun Gang.
Amongst them is Jazz, who looks handsomely dressed but exhausted, and… Ranga?
Ranga is wearing a cute neck scarf as well as a number of other accessories, the adorableness would be enough to make my heart throb if I still had one.
But he's also wearing a collar and leash, being led by Clara and looking deeply ashamed. I feel bad for him, but I'm also grateful he behaved himself and didn't cause a scene when she somehow got her hands on him.
{{Oh, Ranga, you poor thing…}}
{{Please, don't look at me, Master!}}
{{How did this even happen?}}
{{I don't know! I was sunbathing in the forest well outside the park, only to suddenly find myself being held by this Clara girl!}}
{{Huh, weird. But don't worry, I won't tease you later at all.}}
{{Thank you, Master.}}
As our groups mingle, everyone starts greeting each other and talks about what they've been up to, with Opera using it as a chance to check up on Iruma.
"Master Iruma, how has Walter Park been treating you?" he asks.
"It's very fun! I'm glad I came here!" Iruma replies cheerfully, seeming to be in an especially good mood while surrounded by his friends.
A few months ago, he often seemed tense even in situations that should be relaxed… I'm glad he's starting to understand that he can simply enjoy himself sometimes.
Clara suddenly picks up Ranga and thrusts him at me, the poor wolf yelping at the unexpected action.
"The power of fluffy boys shines within you!" she yells.
"Yes, yes, he's very cute," I reply as I gently boop Ranga on the nose, after which Clara puts him back down. "You wanna hide in my shadow, Ranga?"
Ranga doesn't need to be told twice, and my shadow stretches as Ranga leaps into it. Clara is still holding onto the leash and gets pulled in, but she gets spat out again after a few seconds.
"It's dark-dark in there…" she mutters wistfully.
"Oh! Ameri, Rimuru! There is a shop with some lovely dresses that you both should check out before leaving." Elizabetta suggests.
"Yeah…no thanks, I'm good." I casually wave off her suggestion, not interested.
"I…d-don't wear such things." Ameri stutters slightly while also dismissing the idea.
"Oh? But I bet Iruma would like to see you in one." I say, knowing he surely would.
Ameri responds with immediate blushing and panicked glances in Iruma's direction to see if he's listening to our conversation.
"Perhaps," Ameri says, her voice barely above a whisper, and Elizabetta giggles softly in response.
"Are you and Iruma a thing?" Jazz bluntly asks, butting in on our conversation.
"Hang on, you can't just- … Don't make assumptions!" Ameri quickly shoots back, completely flustered, her face still bright red and only getting redder by the moment.
"Hehe…I see…Iruma's got his work cut out for him." Jazz mutters with a devilish smile as he walks away, shaking his head.
"Hey, are you just gonna walk away without explaining that getup you're wearing?" I ask teasingly.
"Oh, this? The girls wanted to play dress-up and I went along with it. It made them happy so I was cool with it, I guess." Jazz says with a shrug, glancing down at the suit he's wearing.
Despite sounding rather dismissive, he looks pretty confident in his snappy new outfit. I suppose fine feathers make a fine bird, after all.
"Man, I know what that's like," I replied sympathetically.
"You do?" Jazz asks, a little surprised.
"You had a bunch of girls squealing about how cute or handsome you looked as they made you wear every outfit they could think of, right?" I ask, chuckling a little.
"Yeah, pretty much," Jazz replies with slight embarrassment.
"Believe me, I'm familiar with the experience."
"Heh, to think that you of all people would subject yourself to that!" Jazz exclaims.
"Hey, even I sometimes like to be doted on. If people think I'm pretty, I might as well enjoy it and indulge them a bit. Plus, it's a great way to get new outfit ideas from people with better fashion sense than myself."
"That makes sense… Wait, does that mean girls think I'm pretty?"
"Who knows?" I say with a shrug. "Anyway, there's still more of this park for me to check out, so I'll catch you later!"
"Sure. Seeya Rimuru!"
Iruma POV
"So what're you going to do when it's time for your concert later?" I ask Keroli in a whisper.
"Don't talk about that around others!" she scolds me quietly.
"S-sorry…I just wanted…
"Shhhhh!" Keroli shushes me while pushing me away from everyone else.
"Okay! Okay!"
"I have a plan that you don't need to worry about!"
I nod quickly in response.
"But don't you dare let your sister crash it!" Keroli insists, jabbing a finger into my chest.
"I don't think Rimuru would do that…"
Keroli glares at Rimuru skeptically as if convinced that she's going to ruin her concert somehow.
"I have a bad feeling…I don't know if it's because of her or not but I think something might go wrong." she clarifies.
"Oh…um, well I wish you luck! I promise we won't mess it up this time!" I reply, putting on my best reassuring smile.
She hesitates and looks down at her feet.
"...why do you have to be so nice all the time?" Keroli mutters under her breath without looking up, making it very hard to hear her.
"What now?" I ask, not sure if I heard her right.
"C'mon Iruma, let's go play some games!" Rimuru says, coming over to the two of us.
"Yes, Master Iruma! I see a multitude of enjoyable attractions up ahead!" Azz adds, following close behind Rimuru.
I'm pulled away by the two of them before I can figure out what Keroli said, but it's okay.
So, our two groups part ways. This part of the park is jam-packed with games and not rides, with many colorful and fun-looking prizes on display to win.
"Woooow!" I exclaim, getting excited to give all these a try.
"Ready to get competitive, everyone?" Rimuru asks challengingly.
"Very much so!" Sabnock answers, grinning widely.
We spend some time playing many of the games, many of them being very close to the ones I've heard about during my time on Earth. I never got to play any back then but that isn't stopping me now!
"There's that shooting game Lead sent us pictures of." Rimuru points out the familiar sight.
"You mean the ones where Diablo shot those guys with a gun?" I ask, just to make sure.
"Uh-huh. Maybe we could-" Rimuru starts to say.
"Oh look, a test of strength!" Sabnock booms, pointing at another game.
It's one of those where you hit a target with a large hammer, trying to get the indicator to strike a bell at the top. But, instead of a bell, seated at the top is a demon that seems to work here. I guess the goal is to knock him down or hit him? Kinda like the water-tank games where you throw a ball and try to dunk someone, I guess.
To the side of it is a wall of prizes.
"Look at that big stuffed animal!" I call out, seeing a large, blue demon-bear plushie almost as big as I am. If I didn't know any better, I might think it's a costume like the dragon one I put on earlier to play with those kids.
"Hehe, yes, you must get the highest score to win that prize! Are you up to it? Or are you too weak to even try?!" The demon atop the attraction taunts from above, clearly trying to entice us to play.
I glance at the hammer and the first thought to cross my mind is There's no way I could even lift that huge thing!
I guess I could use that Strengthen Body skill, but that feels like cheating to me and I'm not even sure if that would be enough since it seems very heavy.
"Finally, something I am quite adept at," Ameri comments out of nowhere. She hadn't really played many of the games but all of a sudden she seems determined to participate.
"You wanna try it Ameri?" I ask, surprised she's stepping up to play.
"Oh, so Miss President wants to give it a shot? I shall take you on!" Sabnock announces loudly.
"I want to prove myself as well! I wish to win that demon bear for Master Iruma!" Azz declares.
"Ronove will simply watch you peasants participate!" Ronove says, not interested.
Rimuru doesn't look particularly excited to play either; she probably feels like she can't hit it with full strength, which defeats the entire purpose of the game.
I wonder what would happen if she did hit it as hard as she could…?
After imagining it for a moment, I quickly decide that would be a terrible idea.
"As the future Demon King, I shall go first!" Sabnock shouts, taking up the comically-large hammer and hefting it over his shoulder.
He grins to himself, stepping up and grasping the weapon's handle in both hands before bringing his arms down, striking the target with all of his strength.
*BOOM*
Just as the hammer hits his mark, alongside the metallic twang we expected to hear, a deep rumbling sound reverberates throughout the park. The ground under our feet trembles and many of the park guests stumble on their feet around me. The cheerful mood degenerates to one of panic and fear as everyone around us begins to freak out from the sudden loud noise.
Was that…an explosion?!
"What in the Netherworld was that?!" Ameri loudly asks in her confident, commanding Student Council President voice, probably trying to keep her cool.
"I have no idea…" Azz mutters, clearly shaken.
"Did I…do that?" Sabnock asks in astonishment, still holding the hammer.
"I…don't think so…" I mutter, shocked and startled. "Rimuru, do you know…?"
But, when I turn to look at her, Rimuru is nowhere to be seen.
I'm left dumbfounded, not sure where she could've gone, but I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with that sound that just shook the entire park. I don't think Rimuru caused it or anything, but whatever did must've alerted her.
I also notice that the park has fallen completely silent outside of the chatter of anxious crowds. The rides have stopped moving, and the music has stopped playing, giving the impression of a power cut as I've experienced before in Japan.
A power cut? That explosion sounded like it came from underground, and Ronove said that the prison underneath us is what powers this park…
A truly sickening thought crosses my mind, and scrambling at my ring, I switch its setting to open up the channel to Rimuru.
Rimuru, what just happened? That explosion was in the prison, right?
{{Yes, it seems that a certain someone attempted to destroy the prison.}}
That's… That's horrible! Is everyone alright down there…?
{{I mitigated the worst of the damage. Now please, leave me be, I need to deal with the demon who did this.}}
Wait a minute! Don't do anything reckless!
…
No answer.
She's cut off the connection or is maybe just ignoring me. Either way, I'm not going to get any further response, I can tell that much.
Rimuru's voice sounded especially stern and serious, maybe angry too, but like she was trying to hide that fact.
Is she going to do something terrible to someone again? I…I don't know what to do…
