We were on a hill outside the city, the sun just starting to set in the west.

I was out there with my students for a little stargazing activity disguised as an astronomy class. But, it wasn't dark enough yet so I was just setting up the telescope.

"Hey! You're gonna break it!" I scolded the dark-haired boy who nearly barreled into me just a second ago. "And what did I tell you about losing control like that, Ryota?"

The boy came to a skidding halt and stood up straight, "Sorry, Professor Rimuru. I was just sparring with Ken."

The kids made their own fun while I was busy, and that involved fighting, of course. Friendly fighting, but still combat. But, near a delicate instrument I went to a lot of effort to make, it wasn't okay.

At least the girls are sitting quietly.

Chloe was playing with Alice's hair while they sat in the grass together off to the side. And Gale, well, he was keeping watch while also staring at me while I set up the telescope. He was juggling his self-imposed protector role with his own interest in the device and what I was doing with it.

"You don't need to stand guard, Gale, if you want to just watch me put this thing together, that's fine. You can even help if you wanna."

"Are you sure!?" Gale asked in an uncharacteristically loud voice.

"Yeah," I replied with a smile.

Gale immediately bounded over to me, clearly excited. I hadn't seen him this pumped before. It was a good thing to see, considering his problem with being much too serious for a kid his age most of the time.

As he started helping, Gale said, "I did this with my dad once… a few years ago. We built a telescope together then used it almost every night during summer break. It was so much fun…"

His voice was both happy and sad at the same time as he reflected on the past, and I gave the boy a supportive pat on the back. There wasn't much I could do or say to make him feel any better about his situation, but I could at least offer him a little bit of simple comfort.

It didn't take much longer for the telescope to be up and ready to go, and Gale seemed pleased he was able to help since he was notably more cheerful again as he looked at the finished device.

"So you just look in this thingy?" Kenya asked, staring through the wrong end of the telescope.

"No, Kenya, you look in the smaller end."

"Ohhhhhh…" he ran around to the other side, "And it makes things look bigger, right?"

"Yup, you're right about that. It uses lenses and mirrors to magnify what you see when you look through it. Isn't that cool?"

"I guess so."

"I think Mister Yuuki has a telescope too."

"Oh, really? I guess I could've borrowed it if I knew that."

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah. I saw him use it during lunch. Not sure what he was looking at."

"Uh…"

No comment.

"Honestly, I don't see the point in this." Alice crossed her arms and stared at the sky, "I can see the stars just fine with my eyes."

"But it's hard to see the details," Gale argued. "With just your eyes, they all look the same, but stars are a bunch of different colors and sizes. You can see planets too, sometimes, but they look just like stars if you just look at them like normal."

"That's weird. Planets don't make light!" Kenya yelled.

"But what about the moon? The moon makes light!" Alice argued, seizing the opportunity to oppose Kenya.

"Actually," I butted in, seeing that things were getting a bit too hostile between the two, "the moon just reflects light from the sun."

"Nuh-uh!" Alice pointed her argumentative glare at me, "The moon is there when the sun is sleeping!"

"First, the sun doesn't sleep." I straightened a bit and held up an index finger, putting on my 'teacher voice.' "Second, the moon is not a planet, but a moon. And third, the sun's light still hits the moon and reflects off it even when it's not visible. Trust me, I know this stuff."

But then I realized… maybe I didn't. This is a different world with a different moon and sun, so maybe things work differently here.

"Actually, I should say I know this stuff when it comes to my old world. I'm not sure when it comes to this one."

"The moon actually glows here. By itself." Chloe interjected out of nowhere.

I questioned how she would know that and sound so sure of herself, but I let the subject go because I felt this argument would go on forever if I didn't.

"See!? I told ya! Professor Rimuru is wrong!"

"Okay. That's enough of that. Let's set up the tents and maybe have a snack before it gets too dark."

Fortunately, that got them into order, and we started unpacking the tents I had made earlier that day, assembling the kits with [Material Creation] and some help from [Great Sage]. They were temperature-resistant, and since it was starting to get colder I packed the kids a few warm sleeping bags too.

Really, we should have set them up first thing instead of fooling around, but I had been too excited about the telescope and letting them spend some energy to care that much. We still had enough light anyway, and I could always cast a spell if we needed it.

As I helped them I turned away for a moment and saw the sunlight streaking through the nearby forest, making the red and yellow leaves glow. It was a beautiful sight, and I felt a pang of homesickness.

I bet Jura looks really pretty right now… I was really overdue for a visit by now. The ogres probably had a lot of fun fall preparations to do, and I definitely wanted to sample their cuisine during harvest season. They'd have to put most of their food in storage once it snowed, I bet, and it wasn't like I was gonna use that up when they were the ones who actually needed it.

Oh, but I bet Englesia has some fun fall festivals coming up. I glanced at Kenya and Alice, arguing over a tent pole. They seemed like they would work it out eventually so I didn't interfere.

"Ugh," I rubbed my eyes in frustration. "I wish I could have it both ways."

Suddenly I heard a loud *SNAP*, along with horrified gasps from Alice and Kenya. Crap, those were even reinforced. These kids are getting strong. At least it didn't break with one of them hitting the other with it.

"It's fine, guys," I said, answering the nervous looks they were giving me as I walked over. I held out my hand and Kenya sheepishly gave me the broken pieces. Sticking the two halves together, I turned my hands into slime and repaired the broken wood.

I let go and my hands reformed, handing the mended pole back to them.

"Woah!" Kenya shouted excitedly. "Teach, that was so cool!"

Alice just rolled her eyes at him, and I smiled. "Don't break it again, okay?" I warned them, leaving to help Ryota, who seemed to be struggling with his.

The sun dipped below the hills as we finished, the kids were yawning but still determined to stay up. I gave them another snack I had brought, and we settled down around the telescope to watch the first stars come out.

It was a clear night, thankfully; I really hoped no stray clouds would roll in and ruin our fun. Maybe I could just fly up and blow them away if that happened, but I didn't want to go through the trouble.

"Alright, guys," I turned around, "who wants to go first?" But to my surprise, I was answered by a snore.

Ryota was fast asleep in the grass, already knocked out from the exciting day.

"Pff…" I chuckled, along with the other kids, but I didn't want him to miss out. Though, before I could wake him up, Kenya started shaking his shoulder.

"Hey!" He said, "get up, sleepyhead! You're gonna miss all the fun!"

That'll do.

Gale raised his hand and said, "I would like to go first, Teacher." His voice was calm, but I could still sense the eagerness in it.

"Alright," I grinned. "Do you want me to find something for you?"

"No," he shook his head. "I think I know how to do it."

So I stepped back and let Gale have his turn, while watching Kenya's efforts to bring Ryota out of his doze.

"What do you think they're made out of?" Alice asked curiously, looking up at the sky.

"I dunno… light?" Kenya said.

"Then why are they in balls?" She asked, looking at him.

"Well, maybe it's magic!" Kenya answered, "like that spell Professor Rimuru used once!"

"Then who's casting the magic?"

"Maybe… the magic happens naturally?" Chloe interjected.

"My older sister told me they're all little candles!" Well, it seemed Ryota was awake now. "She said that they're all set up on a big dinner table, and every night they're lit by fairies!"

"That's stupid, it makes no sense!" Alice said bluntly.

"Hey, he might be right! We've met a fairy, after all," Kenya argued. "Maybe that's where the weird light in the fairy home leads!"

"You guys are all wrong," Gale interjected. "My Dad said they're big balls of gas that are super far away."

"What, like farts?" Kenya laughed, "farts don't glow, stupid!"

"No, it's 'cause they're on fire!" Gale protested. "It's a natural reaction, or something."

"Burning farts," Ryota snickered softly.

"Guys," Gale groaned.

"Burning farts sounds like a pretty fun attack!" Kenya said brightly, "like if your enemy sneaks up behind you, but then BAM! You get 'em!"

"You guys are disgusting!" Alice shouted, Chloe nodding along with her.

"All right, that's enough," I tried to hide my snickering. "Gale, let someone else have a turn. And Kenya, if I catch you lighting your farts on fire with magic, you'll run laps for an entire day."

"D'aww," the kid moaned, "I'll be careful!"

"No means no," I said sternly. "So who wants to go next?"

"I, uh…" Ryota shyly raised his hand. "I wanna see."

Ryota needed a bit more help than Gale, so after he was done looking at the star Gale ended on, I helped him position the telescope to find planets and other things. Meanwhile, the other four kept up the conversation.

"You can make pictures in stars, right?" Alice said. "Don't they have a name?"

"Yeah!" Kenya jumped in, "they're called constipations!"

"Kenya," Gale scolded, "that's a dumb joke!"

"What?" Kenya protested, "I'm not joking!"

"It's constellations, Kenya," Chloe said softly.

"Yeah," Gale added. "Look," he shuffled next to Kenya so he could point at the sky for him, "it's where you pretend the stars are dots and connect them to make a picture. I can show you the big dipper, it's…" He frowned, "maybe it's the wrong time of year?"

"This is a different world, Gale." I quietly told him, "none of the stars will look the same."

"Oh… yeah." Gale seemed pretty disappointed, that melancholic look on his face from earlier being back.

I guess Alice felt bad for him, since she piped up, "Well, why don't we make our own then! Look," she laid down in the grass next to them, "that one's a cat!"

"Oh, look!" Ryota pointed out, "that one's a triangle!"

"They're all triangles, Ryota," Kenya scoffed. "Those only need three stars."

"But it's still cool… right?"

"Sure."

"Those ones kinda make a circle, see?"

"Looks like Professor Rimuru!"

"Yeah, when he's a blob. It looks nothing like him right now."

…I want to scold them, but they're kinda right, I guess… This was a conflicting feeling. I'm way more than a blob!

"Hey," I said, "I'm more of an oval than a circle."

…those were probably the dumbest words to come out of my mouth since I was ten. Sheesh, these kids are rubbing off on me, and not in a good way.

"Yeah, but if you look from the top, you're a circle!" Kenya said, "so it still counts!"

I just shook my head, it was a moot argument anyway. After Ryota stepped down I let Alice take a turn, and then Chloe. Kenya, surprisingly, went last.

"...alright," he huffed after taking a look at the first star I showed him, crossing his arms while I adjusted the telescope. "That was pretty cool."

"Hehe," I grinned at him, "is this boring now?"

"No," he admitted, though a whine was on the edge of his voice. I motioned for him to come back over, and he eagerly put his eye to the telescope to see the little red dwarf I'd found.

"Y'know, Miss Shizu's gonna think this telescope is really cool when she comes back!" He grinned while my nonexistent heart sank a little.

"Oh, right," Gale nodded. "She took us out to look at the stars in the courtyard once. We didn't have a telescope that time, though."

"It was really fun." Chloe ducked her head a bit, "she told us stories about the stars she looked at when she was a kid."

"Y-yeah," Ryota smiled. "She said her old world was like one of those stars… and that maybe, our worlds were up there too, and one day we could all go back!"

This conversation was already crushing me, then Ryota had to go and say that. Oh, Shizu. I moaned internally, you would've known there's no way back, right? Why say that?

"No, that's not what she said," Chloe interrupted. "She said that, if we can see them, maybe there's a way to reach them, and someone could find a way back one day."

Well, that was a bit better than the alternative.

"But, there's gotta be a way, right? Professor Rimuru found a way to save us, so maybe he could find a way to send us home!"

I did have a skill along those lines in my repertoire, didn't I? I think it was called [Traveler], but [Great Sage] said I couldn't use it because my body didn't match or something…

But one day, if I ever figure it out, I should look into that. Even then however, there was no guarantee I could take someone with me. It wasn't like normal teleportation magic.

"I don't know, Ryota," I said somberly, having no choice but to interject now. "Maybe it's possible, but I don't think I'd have the capabilities for that."

I wasn't too interested in returning home now anyway. But, if it was for the kids, and I found a lead? That was a different story.

"Well, when Miss Shizu comes back, we should all go stargazing together!" Kenya offered excitedly, "maybe we'd even be able to see our old worlds in the sky."

When Miss Shizu comes back.

The words sent a pang through my chest.

"Yeah," Alice chattered happily, "she was really worried about us before. She'll be so happy to know we were saved!"

"We're a lot stronger now, too," Gale nodded.

"She's still stronger," Ryota mumbled.

"Yeah, but now the world can't win against us!" Kenya had stepped away from the telescope to join the conversation, and I trailed behind him a bit reluctantly.

I sat down and watched my students, stuck in consternation about a decision that had been on my mind for a while.

They all seem so happy… so content. Should I really ruin all that?

Things had settled down, they were saved, everything was fine and good; but I was still keeping something very important from them all.

The longer I waited, the worse things would be when I told them; I knew that. But, at the same time, I was reluctant.

I'd never been adept at breaking bad news to others in a gentle way, in this life or my last. People always had said I lacked tact, but that was just part of who I was.

But, at the same time, these kids are strong; always have been. They took the revelation about me being a slime fairly well, although Alice seemed pretty upset in the moment. Her reaction probably wouldn't be good this time either, since her problem was with me keeping a secret more than it was learning what the secret was.

"When Miss Shizu comes back, we can have two teachers! It'll be great!" Someone said, I was too far inside my head now to tell who.

I've kept this from them long enough… they deserve to know.

After coming to the painful decision, I spoke.

"Guys."

All five looked at me. Their eyes on me immediately made me feel apprehensive, but turning back now would make me a coward. I wasn't afraid of five children… I wasn't.

"Shizu's not coming back."

"Wh-what do you mean by that, T-teacher?" Kenya nervously laughed and stuttered.

"I'm… sorry." I hesitated, "I know I'm a poor substitute for Shizu-san… b-but…" I paused and took a deep breath, feeling like I needed it, "she can't come back."

"Hey! Wait a minute! What did you just say!?" Alice demanded. "What d'you mean she 'can't come back'!?"

"She…" I hesitated even more, and it was only made worse by the faces the kids already had, "She passed away. After I met her." It took a lot of strength, but I raised my head so I could look them all in the eyes. "Shizu never abandoned you," I said. "She sent me to save you in her place, since she couldn't."

"No! NO! You're lying! Don't lie to me!" Alice screamed and started punching me over and over. I just laid there, limp, until Chloe pulled finally her off.

"Aren't you mad at this liar too!? Let me go! I need to beat the truth outta him!" She turned on Chloe in a rage.

"Alice, stop! He's not lying!" Chloe shouted.

"Yes, he is! He has to be!" Alice screamed and sobbed.

"I… don't think he is… I don't think our teacher is lying…" Gale interjected.

"He wouldn't lie about this!" Kenya screamed with his face covered in tears and snot. "I don't like it one bit, but I know he isn't lying!"

"No! He's a liar! He lied about what he is, remember! He's lying now too!"

"Alice, get yourself together!" Chloe yelled again.

"I… I…" Alice sobbed before hugging Chloe tightly. She looked over at me with teary eyes and I met her gaze with total seriousness. "I'll… stop…" she whispered.

"I'm not lying. I met Shizu shortly before her passing. We became close during our short time together." I sighed deeply, "When her time was running out, I tried everything I could to save her, but… in the end, all I could give her was a promise."

"A promise… to save us, right?"

"Yes. That's what she was trying to do herself right beforehand, searching for a way to save you. I just… finished her job in her stead."

"Professor Shizu left so suddenly… during the night… part of me thought she abandoned us-"

I cut Gale off before he could keep going with that line of thought. "She never abandoned you," I repeated. "Shizu was trying to save you up until the very end of her life, and in a way, she's been helping you even after that… through… me." It felt weird to put it like that, but it was true.

"Professor… tell us everything!" fervently insisted Alice. But I could tell by the tears in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks, not to mention her rapid breathing, that explaining things now would only cause more damage.

I hated to ask these kids to try and sleep after this, but I felt they needed a good night's rest, a full meal, and a fresh head to deal with this.

"I will, Alice," I said carefully, "and I want to. But in the morning; it's late and I think telling you while you're all so tired will only make it worse."

"No!" Alice shouted, "you have to tell us, right now! Or–"

Chloe placed a hand on her shoulder, and Alice whipped around. After exchanging a silent look, Alice visibly deflated. I guess she lost whatever argument they just had.

"I think Professor Rimuru is right," Chloe said. "We should talk about it tomorrow."

Alice looked to where Ryota was off to the side, uncontrollably sobbing, while Kenya and Gale tried to comfort him. Seeing the state they were all in, she nodded slowly.

"You better promise to tell us everything," she rounded on me.

"I promise." I answered solemnly, and I meant it.

"Professor," Gale glanced at us, "I think we should take Ryota home."

"You're right," I nodded. Getting up, I said, "I'm sorry that I ruined tonight for you guys… I guess I just… wasn't thinking…"

Am I crying? I thought in shock, bringing a hand to my face and stroking a wet cheek. The tears dripped off my fingers when I brought it away.

I met eyes with Gale, and realizing he was looking at me, I quickly wiped away my tears. I can't let them see me like this, they need a strong support right now.

"Alright," I said softly. "Let's go home."

I could come back and clean up our things later, right now these kids needed to get in bed. I gathered them in and activated the spell to teleport us back to right outside the city. Teleporting right back to the school building just wasn't a possibility, unfortunately.

Leading a group of crying children through the streets of the city thankfully didn't cause me any issues, which was partly due to it being late enough that many people weren't out and about. The gate guards didn't give me any trouble either since they easily recognized us on sight.

No talking happened as we made our way back, just some quiet sobbing from a few of the kids. I could tell Alice was still quite angry at me, though, but I tried not to think about that. Everything will be sorted out in the morning. That was what I kept telling myself.

We arrived in the hallway, and slowly my kids began to disperse. It seemed Ryota would be sleeping in Kenya's room tonight, and Chloe was still busy consoling Alice. I just watched them with sad eyes as they wandered towards their rooms.

With his hand on the doorknob, Gale turned back and said, "goodnight, Professor."

"...thanks, Gale. I promise," I looked him in the eyes, "I'll see you all in the morning."

Gale just nodded, and opened the door, leaving me alone in the darkened hallway.

I had barely arrived at my own room, deciding to teleport back and grab our stuff in the morning, when I heard a knock on the door.

Too exhausted to bother with [Magic Sense], I opened it to see Yuuki, in his nightclothes, staring at me.

"Go away." I growled, and slammed the door in his face. I didn't know what he wanted at this time of night, but I wanted nothing to do with his shenanigans right now.

"No, wait, Rimuru!" Yuuki knocked again, this time more loudly, "I've been looking all over for you! I even have people searching the city!"

"What?" I snapped, already sitting on my bed. "Why?"

"Look, I promise I'm not here to mess with you," Yuuki said, seeming surprisingly genuine for once, "Just open up, please? This is urgent."

The hits just keep coming tonight, don't they? I opened the door and gestured for him to take a seat at my desk, bracing myself for whatever serious issue that was about to be dumped on my lap.

"What's the big deal?" I asked grumpily.

"First," Yuuki said, "can you not? With the attitude? Also, where were you?"

My anger flared a bit at the way he was talking to me, but I held it in.

"...sorry. Sorry," I rubbed my eyes a bit. "It's been a long night. I took the kids out on a camping trip, but we came back early."

"...you're supposed to notify me when you do that." Yuuki scolded, "also, were you crying? Your face is red…"

"Shut it, Yuuki!" I snapped, and he seemed to back down, holding his hands up placatingly now. Wanting this to be over with, I pressed, "what do you want?"

"Right," Yuuki snapped his fingers. "I need to send you to Jura. Tonight."

"What!?" I started, "Why!? This is a really, really bad time, Yuuki."

"I have a mission for you," he said, "time might be of the essence. I've received reports that something big is going down over there. We're still not sure what, nobody comes back from the recon missions at the epicenter."

"In Jura?" I floundered, confused and frustrated. "Is it bad? I just dropped a bomb on my kids, man, they're all extremely upset. I need to talk to them but they need some sleep first. I can leave in the morning, after they're up and I've had the chance to sort things out."

"No, you don't get it, Rimuru." Yuuki leaned forward, "almost all life has been disappearing from the forest. It started from the southeast edge and is moving westward. Whatever it is is probably almost at the big lake in the middle, it's moving fast."

"What…?" That was where the ogres were. Not at Lake Siss, but they'd be right in the trajectory, depending how wide this trail was…

"Yeah," Yuuki added. "Whatever it is, it's scaring monsters out of the forest en masse. I'm talking packs of B and A-rankers running into human country and wiping out villages, we need to get to the bottom of this, and stop it, as fast as possible."

"I'm sorry," Yuuki said. "I'll be sure to tell the kids you're coming back, and that you'll talk to them soon. But none of the adventurers I have can get there as quickly as you can, and I doubt they'd be strong enough to survive whatever's causing it."

"Ugh…" I covered my face with my hands, trying to calm my inner turmoil for a moment. "Fine," I looked at him. "I'll do a quick recon, take the threat out if I can, and be back. Tell the kids I'll be gone for a couple days at most. No, let's say a week to be safe."

"Thank you, Rimuru!" Yuuki's expression lit up with relief, "You're the best we have right now. I'll give you a big bonus in your pay and everything!"

"Yuuki." I grabbed him by his shoulders, looking him dead in the eyes, staring at him with all the intensity I could muster, "Tell. The kids. That I'm coming back, and that I'll keep my promise."

"Eh?" He looked bewildered, but nodded while discretely pushing me away. "Sure, sure. I can do that. You really underestimate them, Rimuru. They're strong kids, they'll be fine."

"You don't understand–" I cut myself off with a hiss. "Get out of here," I waved at the door, "I'll get my stuff together and be there by morning."

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver, really!" Yuuki bowed, several times, and scurried off.

I wasn't sure exactly how long I'd be gone, but this probably would take me days at most. Just to be safe, I returned to slime form and ate up everything I'd had stored in my room, to make sure Yuuki wouldn't mess with it while I was gone.

After that I cracked open the window and, using the giant bat's wings on my slime form, zipped over to the hill where we'd been only a few minutes prior. I ate up all our gear there, the tents and telescope, as well as a stuffed animal Alice had left behind (I'd have to give it back after I was done) and then my next destination was Jura.

I took to the air and set off, flying as fast as my wings could take me.

Authors' Note: Happy 123123 day! See you in a century!