Exams
Rimuru POV
With my business in Tempest taken care of for the near future, I transfer back over to my body in the Netherworld. I find myself laying on my bed; Diablo must've carried me here after I left. How do I know it was Diablo? Because he's standing right next to me, staring at me while smiling. If I wasn't used to this kind of thing, I'd probably be startled by this.
"So you have returned, my Lord. I hope your visit to Tempest was productive and refreshing!"
"It was," I say as I stand up and smooth out my clothes, still wearing the dress that Ciel put me in before I went on a brief trip to Tempest.
I return downstairs where I can sense everyone else is. Diablo quietly follows behind me, probably waiting for any further orders that I don't have any of at the moment.
Once I'm there, I see something that I half-expected, but I'm still a little surprised. Yes, I know I left a small child version of myself with Ciel, but I didn't expect things to get out of hand with my partner there managing things.
On the ground near the group is a large pile of candy that I have no clue about the source of, and Ciel or I guess Amane, is holding Rimu-chi above her head. The little kid is giggling and wiggling to his heart's content as he's 'flown' around by Ciel.
Rimu-chi is a copy of me, which means he can literally fly, so why is that kid looking like he's having a blast pretending to do the same?
Not only that, but Rimu-chi seems to have gotten into that pile of candy, his hands and face are covered in chocolate, and to add to the mess, there are many wrappers strewn around on the floor. Iruma is also nearby, smiling happily while watching the other two while snacking on some of the candy himself.
Sullivan is also not too far away, looking amused by the sight, while Opera is nowhere to be seen.
"What's going on in here?" I ask, a little cautiously as I take in the scene.
"Oh, Rimuru!" Iruma exclaims, being the first person in the room to seem to notice me. "Mom and I were just having some fun with Rimu-chi!" he says happily.
It seems like he's already getting used to calling her that.
"Yes, this miniature version of yourself is quite adorable Rimuru," Sullivan adds.
I look over at Ciel and I see a hint of hesitation in her expression.
"Where'd you get all that candy?" I ask her, and her eyes go downcast.
"M-master requested them…Master…" Ciel replies, gently setting the little kid version of myself on the floor.
I thought we agreed not to call me that while she's playing the role of Amane. I guess I am directly questioning her right now, so it makes sense she'd drop the act.
"You mean Rimu-chi?" I ask, glancing at the kid that's now sheepishly looking down at the floor.
Ciel nods.
"He phrased it as an order and I had no choice but to comply with it," Ciel replies in a monotone voice.
"He did now, did he?"
And here I was thinking Ciel is losing her bite considering all the times she's denied my requests, but if my mini-self phrased it as a blatant, undeniable order, I can see why she'd struggle with it.
I'm starting to think that leaving this mini-me around without my personal supervision is a horrible idea since both times I've done so have resulted in that little brat taking advantage of others to get what he wants. Then the worst part is when I merge with them afterward because it feels like I was the one who did all that annoying childish nonsense, which in a way is correct since they're me, yet not. The entire situation is just confusing.
"No more taking advantage of our partner like that." I sternly say to my child-self.
"I wasn't!" Rimu-chi protests.
"And Ciel…you've told me no in the past, so make sure to do the same for Rimu-chi when he's being unreasonable. I know he's technically me, but that doesn't mean you need to spoil him."
"I suppose I need more practice in order to fulfill the role," Ciel admits painfully. She never was one to admit inadequacy easily.
"Yes, and that's why I'm going to leave Rimu-chi with you for a while longer. I'm busy studying for exams and I'm not getting help from you on this, so why don't you focus on playing the 'Mom' role with Rimu-chi?" I suggest, hoping this will keep her happy while I'm doing stuff without her help.
Ciel seems happy with this idea, and so does Sullivan; both look excited to spend more time with my mini-me.
"Can I help?" Iruma suggests.
"Huh? Help how?" I ask, not sure what he means by helping.
"Well, you're worried about Rimu-chi asking for too much, right? Maybe I can act as a filter for that. I think I have enough common sense to be able to tell what's okay and what's not." Iruma suggests.
"I guess that works. Did you hear that Ciel? Any requests from Rimu-chi go through Iruma first; if he says no, don't allow it. Oh, and don't bother him while he's taking his exams, any questions can wait until he's done with those."
"Master, you are giving the boy authority over yourself?" Ciel asks hesitantly.
"Just over the kid version of me, at least for now."
Ciel doesn't look very thrilled about this, but she accepts.
"Master, that still leaves the possibility of your younger self overriding this suggestion," she warns after a moment of thought.
Ugh…I know what she's getting at but I absolutely hate to do this. Still, for Ciel to work out her role as Amane she can't just run around and obey everything Rimu-chi tells her to do. Fine then.
"Ciel, this is an order. While you are acting as Amane any further orders from Rimu-chi need to be approved by Iruma first."
"Understood, Master." She replies with a dead-straight face. Not a hint of happiness or annoyance to be found.
That response was so robotic and devoid of…well, Ciel. Her personality and charm were just gone, sounding more like she did when she was Great Sage…this is exactly why I hate ordering her directly!
Rimu-chi, who has been silently listening to everything suddenly jumps onto Iruma's lap, now staring at him cutely. I bet he's trying to suck up to Iruma to get his way…conniving little brat.
"Hehe…so I kinda get to act like a big brother then!" Iruma gleefully exclaims, patting Rimu-chi on the head.
"Uh…sure…"
Diablo walks up behind the couch Iruma is sitting on and plucks Rimu-chi off of the boy's lap.
"May I also participate in looking after this little one, Master? He is an extension of yourself, and since I am unable to be at your side while you are at the school, serving your smaller double would bring me great joy!" Diablo excitedly interjects while lovingly holding my mini-me.
"Uh…sure, go ahead Diablo. Don't take it too far though."
I hope I don't regret this…
With that taken care of, I decided to call it a day. I've worked hard so I deserve a little rest, I think. On my way to my room, I passed Opera in the hallway. He was muttering something to himself… "Now there's three of them…three in one house…what will I do?" but I didn't pay the man much mind.
**The Next Morning**
"By the way, do you all have plans for summer break yet?" Iruma asks our class during a small break in our studying efforts. They all were getting distracted anyway, so taking a little breather is fine.
"The Netherworld is chock full of fun stuff!" Lead declares excitedly.
"Amusement parks, water parks!" Goemon adds.
"The bloody pool!" Camui exclaims.
That just sounds nasty.
Shopping, concerts, all these kids get pumped thinking about stuff they can do with their free time. Iruma is listening to them with sparkles in his eyes, looking very excited to do all of the things our classmates are spouting. I guess I don't blame the kid since he probably didn't get the chance to do stuff like that before being adopted by Sullivan. His parents weren't exactly the type to take him to places like amusement parks or let him do fun things much at all.
I, for one, wanna head back to Tempest again to experience some of our festivals, bringing Iruma along for the ride. I'm sure he'll have a blast with them! Still, I think he should still spend some time with our classmates here too, so I expect we'll be heading back and forth throughout the break so we can participate in both worlds' fun.
I start thinking about some of the upcoming events in my country, mostly ignoring the misfits' endless excited rambling about their plans, but this is quickly interrupted.
"We'd need clones to do it all!" Lead says, probably without a thought.
This little offhanded comment spurs everyone's eyes to suddenly train on me.
"What?" I ask, looking around at all of their envious stares.
"I'm so jealous! You can do multiple awesome fun things at once with your magic, right?!" Lead continues, intensely envious from what I can tell.
"That doesn't sound like having more fun, that sounds like putting more effort into having fun," I reply, dismissing his idea.
"What d'you mean?" Jazz asks.
"Well, that magic isn't exactly easy for me to use, so it's more trouble than it's worth for something like that."
"That doesn't mean you can't though, right?! Damn, I wish it was something you could teach to all of us!" Jazz complains, joining Lead in his jealousy,
"Speaking of learning…why don't you clone yourself to study more at once?" Elizabetta asks, interjecting.
Hmmm…that's a good point that I need to make a good excuse for.
"Do you want me to pass out again in class? As I said, my bloodline magic is very hard to control and can be exhausting." I reply calmly and that seems to make most of the people in the room change their opinion on the idea of me using my fake bloodline magic to help with studying.
"Yes!" Camui chirps excitedly, most likely having lewd intent. "And I will catch you like the gentleman that I am!"
"Are you asking to get kicked through a wall again Camui? Because I'm fully capable of doing that without Ameri's help, y'know." I respond, glaring at him coldly.
"We should get back to studying, right Rimuru?" Iruma asks, putting himself in between me and the perverted owl-boy that's now cowering a little from my threat.
"Yes, Master Iruma does have a point. We don't have much more time to prepare so we must make the most of it!" Azz says with enthusiasm.
"I guess we should get back to that too; don't wanna be stuck doing make-up classes with Kalego." Lead adds.
"Yes, if you fools fail, I will take great pleasure in educating you over break." The professor says with a sinister smile, overhearing the students as he steps inside the room.
He's obviously getting some kind of sadistic satisfaction from the idea of this, looking like he wants us to fail just so he can toy with us, not that I'd let him do that with me or Iruma.
"And here I thought you'd be happy to get away from all of us for a while, but here you are, excited to spend the entire break with some of us, even if that makes you look like a failure as a teacher," I comment, wiping that smile right off his face.
"A failure as a teacher?!" Kalego snarls, now glaring at me.
"That's how people would see it if our class had more failing students when compared to the other classes. I know we're considered misfits, but it would still make you look bad, wouldn't it?"
"You are simply trying to anger me and I will not fall for it!" he shouts in an aloof, dismissive tone.
Kalego, despite saying that, is clearly already mad. Already fed up with me apparently, he ends our little verbal spar by turning away, instead sneering at my complaining classmates.
"It's too bad we can't just cheat or somethin', it'd make this all so much easier!" Jazz vents to Iruma, separate from the others bickering with Kalego.
"Why is that?" Iruma asks curiously.
"Anyone who's ever tried to cheat on these tests has gotten caught every time! No idea why though." Jazz explains with a defeated shrug.
Any clue why that is?
[[This is the effect of the individual Shichiro Balam's bloodline magic that can detect lies, cheating, and deception. The range of detection spans the entire premises of Babyls, Master.]]
Ciel answers me without fail, despite currently controlling a body back at Sullivan's mansion at the same time. Just because she's piloting a Parallel Existence doesn't mean that she's separated from me; that's impossible since she's part of my soul.
But, just as I was kinda expecting, Balam is at fault for that mysterious anti-cheating ability that Jazz and the others have no clue about the source of. That trick isn't able to read me or my intentions, of course, but I'm not planning on cheating anyway. Hell, I'm even going out of my way, handicapping myself and all just to even the playing field a bit, putting myself through some discomfort for the sake of fairness.
Oh, and speak of the devil. The man I was just thinking about is now looming in the doorway, creepily posed in a squatting position as he peeks into the classroom, his eyes fixed solely on Iruma. That guy really needs to work on how he carries himself because damn does he come off completely different than his actual personality. Balam has a weird side to him, but he's not a scary man; that's not the impression he gives at first sight, though.
I mean, look at all the scared faces these kids are making now that everyone's noticed his presence! Even Iruma, someone that knows the man, looks freaked out by him showing up out of nowhere, stalking us from the doorway like he is.
"Professor Balam is that you?!" Azz asks loudly, prompting the professor to step inside.
"Wait, the guy people say experiments on students?!" Jazz asks, his fear leaking out in his voice.
"Did he come to kidnap us?" Camui asks, also sounding scared.
"Of course not! He'd never do a thing like that!" Iruma immediately corrects them both, standing up for Balam.
Then, Kalego seems to take the initiative, stepping up to his fellow professor. The class looks a little stunned; I wouldn't be surprised if they think he's stepping up to defend us or something, but I know that's not the case. These two know each other, so there's no way they're about to have any kind of confrontation out of the blue.
The two men just intensely stare at each other for a moment, the tension in the room putting everyone on edge. Kalego raises a fist in the air and Balam does the same. They do a sort of fist bump, secret handshake type of thing; obviously not what everyone else in the room was expecting.
"Hello, Shichiro."
"Hey there, Kalego."
The casual greeting makes my surrounding classmates gasp in surprise.
"Um…excuse me, can I ask how you know each other?" Iruma takes the initiative and asks the question most of us were thinking.
"Well, they are both teachers here," I answer.
"We are also former classmates who attended Babyls together," Balam explains.
"We're stuck with each other," Kalego adds, looking like he doesn't want to reveal that he has a friend of sorts.
I knew they had some kind of relationship like this, based on how they acted when together previously, but I had just chalked it up to them working at the same place together for who knows how many years. This classmate connection makes it all make even more sense to me, not that it really matters.
"Does that mean you're friends? That means you're just like me and Iruma-chi then!" Clara excitedly says.
"Uh, yeah…I mean, kinda." Iruma sheepishly responds, looking a little embarrassed by Clara's sudden comment.
"But you still shouldn't show up unannounced." Kalego scolds Balam, not nearly as sternly as he does when dealing with students.
"You're right, everyone seemed so surprised to see me," Balam admits, regretfully scratching the back of his head as he realizes the stir he just caused.
"Yeah, we were…uh, surprised, to say the least," Lead says, wiping nervous sweat off his brow.
"More importantly, uh, Professor Kalego…" Jazz starts.
"...is actually a demon you get along with?!" everyone, minus me, asks in disbelief, all thinking and saying the same thing simultaneously.
Kalego, angered by this, violently grabs Lead and Jazz by their heads, causing them clear pain based on their screaming "Ow!" repeatedly.
Serves them right, I guess. If you don't want to deal with the consequences, don't screw with someone stronger than you.
I only toy with Kalego since I know he's no threat to me, and I know what might happen as a result of my actions. These two boys on the other hand aren't in the same position I am. They need to learn how to watch their tongues, just like Gobta and Gabiru had to. A little pain goes a long way when it comes to teaching that lesson in particular.
"What are you doing here, Professor Balam?" Iruma quietly asks the man.
"He's obviously here to check on you," I respond for him, able to easily guess his purpose. I mean, he was staring at Iruma, not anyone or anything else, so it's pretty damn clear to me.
"Yes, that was part of my reasons, but more urgently, I heard you were having some trouble studying for your exams," Balam replies, also making sure to stay relatively quiet.
It's true; Iruma has been struggling some with his studying, with even my (self-proclaimed) amazing teaching skills not being enough to help him fully. Honestly, Balam probably has more experience than I do in that department, so employing his help in this might be for the best.
"I can make you something special to help you prepare for your exams, so why don't you come with me?" Balam offers.
Iruma looks happy to take Balam's offer and quickly leaves the scene with him, giving us a small wave and leaving Azz and Clara behind. Azz is at a loss for words; he still seems somewhat scared of him, based on his reaction, while Clara just looks plain disappointed that Iruma left them behind.
"Riri, will you leave us too?" she asks me with almost-teary eyes.
"Nah, I think I'll continue studying here," I reassure her; I wasn't planning on going anywhere else in the first place, so as long as things don't get too distracting, I don't mind studying in the same area as them.
Jazz POV
We're all busy studying, even though I hate this junk. Honestly, my attention keeps wandering, my eyes lazily glancing around at my surroundings instead of focusing on what I'm supposed to be doing.
While letting my mind drift, something catches my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice something very dark moving along the floor next to Rimuru.
While Rimuru looks bored out of her mind (just like I am), her familiar, who looks like a wolf with two horns, is peeking out of her shadow, as if her shadow was some kind of hole in the floor.
That's so trippy to look at… Did that dude summon himself somehow?
Allocer is looking fairly bored too, probably since he doesn't have much else to study being as smart as he is, so I tap his shoulder to get his attention. He notices the curious phenomenon too and watches.
Rimuru hasn't noticed her familiar's presence yet until he pushes his snout against her side. She looks the tiniest bit startled for a moment, but when she spots the wolf she smiles widely and gives him lots of pets and scritches. I can't see his lower body, but given how excited he looks, I imagine his tail is wagging so fast it might come off.
What's with that familiar? He's still a fairly recent summon, but he's won her over completely…
Their interactions have been weird, well…'familiar', for as long as I've seen the two together. Cuddling with him, playing with him by tossing snacks which he snatches out of midair… I've even seen Rimuru ride him to school on multiple occasions!
The next day, during a break from studying, I find Rimuru eating her lunch outside, watching Iruma and Clara throw frisbees that get blown to pieces in midair by her familiar and Azz.
"Oh hey, Jazz, what's up?" Rimuru asks as she sees me, breaking her attention from the flame, lightning, and explosions happening close by.
"You're really close with your familiar, I'm kinda jealous," I say as I watch her wolf-like familiar playing with our classmates.
"My familiar? He has a name, you know. It's Ranga." Rimuru clarifies.
I've heard Rimuru call him that a few times, but there's no way she's named it already, right? That's not something first-years normally do since it's a huge commitment to make, as well as taking a lot of mana. Although, I think Rimuru has more than most when it comes to the latter, from what I've seen and heard from her.
"See! It's still only our first term, and you've given him a name already! Is that a real-deal name given using your mana?" I ask, wondering if it's just some sort of nickname.
"Yeah, it's a real-deal name."
"My older brother told me about naming his familiar… Students are usually expected to wait a year to do it, to be sure that we like the familiars we have. You must have taken to Ranga pretty quick to jump the gun like that."
Ranga seems to have noticed us talking about him, and he bounds over to us. Rimuru ducks down and gives him a hug while patting his furry head.
"Ah, to tell you the truth, he's been my trusted familiar for years, actually," Rimuru admits with a smile, still petting the hell out of Ranga while talking with me.
"Woah, what?" I ask, shocked.
That means Rimuru summoned him on her own before even coming to Babyls, right?
Rimuru's smile turns into a devious grin as she leans in closer, dropping the volume of her voice a little and cupping her hand to the side of her mouth to further block her voice from being heard by others.
"Just between you and me: I tricked Kalego! I figured it would complicate things to try to skip the summoning ritual as I already had a familiar, so I used some sleight of hand to make it look like Ranga was newly summoned when in reality he was just appearing in the middle of a cloud of smoke."
Rimuru is definitely getting a kick out of remembering pulling one over on our teacher, based on that expression she's wearing.
This girl is fearless…
"Tricking Kalego because you wanted to avoid complicating things… I guess you've always been a little touched in the head," I playfully jab at her, which she chuckles at. "Really though, it seems so obvious that you've had Ranga for years, now that you say it."
"Eh? How so?" Rimuru asks.
"All the other first-years who managed to summon strong familiars got kinda cocky and boastful about it. Ranga definitely looks like the strong type, but you've never once seemed concerned with how strong he is, you just enjoy his company."
"Ah, I guess you're right, Ranga is definitely a friend first and foremost."
Ranga's tail emits a whirring sound, wagging so fast that it's just a blur. If he wasn't a wolf, I'd be tempted to say he looks bashful about what Rimuru just said.
"By the way, I know that you sometimes sneak off between classes to let him cuddle and lick you. I'm surprised you don't smell like wolf half the time."
"What the- …His fur is very soft and clean, okay? Don't go spreading rumors that I'm wild and undignified!" Rimuru protests, looking a little flustered after realizing that I noticed her little habit.
"Haha, alright. But man, that thing of your familiar being 'a friend first and foremost'… Maybe I need to rethink the way I see my own familiar."
"I've never seen your familiar, come to think of it. What kind is it?"
Oh no. Even with my new insight, I will not, I cannot tell anyone about my familiar! Every time I summon him, I feel a bit of temptation to break the contract and try to summon something better, but I doubt it'd work since the fault probably lies with me as a summoner.
My familiar is not only seemingly useless, but it's much more cute than cool, unlike Rimuru's which is arguably both. It's closer to Iruma's familiar, which funnily enough is Kalego, but when he's in familiar form he's a cute little fluffball.
Showing my familiar in public is the same as revealing that I'm softer on the inside than I like to admit since familiars reflect the personalities and wills of the summoners.
"Ah, well, he's not combat-oriented so there's not much I can do with him…"
"He's not combat-oriented? But Ranga figures he's some kind of wolf from the scent on your clothes, I've never seen a wolf that isn't strong…" Rimuru ponders.
Just what kind of synergy does she have with Ranga, if he's ratting me out to her on the fly? Is he freakin' telepathic?!
"Hey, I just realized I have someplace to be, I'll catch you later!"
With that I quickly abscond, not wanting her to figure out my terrible secret.
**A few days later**
Rimuru POV
Iruma has been switching between getting Balam's help and sharing the results of that help with his friends for the last few days. Balam seems to like to make picture books as a way of teaching the information Iruma needs to pass, which is a strange way to do it for high schoolers, but it seems to be working for the boy. Iruma's gotten a good deal better with the subjects he's been focusing on, and I've honestly made good progress myself.
I'm not anywhere near perfect, but I'm at least passable on the subjects I've been neglecting up until recently.
But, the time has come now; the time to actually take the exams. I'm ready, I suppose, or at least as ready as I am going to be without spending a ton more time preparing, or cheating with my skills or Ciel.
What, nervous? I'm not nervous! Why would I be? The stakes in this are practically nonexistent for me, unlike all of my classmates.
Iruma, though, seems pretty damn nervous about this, given that he can't seem to sit still.
"Are you both fully prepared for our examinations?" Azz asks, sounding confident.
Iruma smiles at him and gives Azz a small nod, appearing to be trying his best to hide his nerves.
"Yeah, all that studying with you guys, as well as Professor Balam's books really helped me out! I think I'll do fine."
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess," I say with a shrug.
We all start heading to the classroom we're scheduled to take the test in, but Kalego stops me before I can enter.
"You will be tested under different conditions due to your high rank. Come with me." he coldly explains while blocking the doorway with his arm.
"Different conditions? I could understand if you gave me a slightly different test, but separating me? Really?" I ask incredulously.
"Yes, you will be testing away from the others and be given a different version of each test."
Isn't that the type of treatment they give serial cheaters? Kinda unfair if you ask me…
It's not really a big deal, but demanding this on the spot is kinda annoying and uncalled for, right? I went to the trouble of walking all the way here for no reason!
Also, I don't really think my high rank is the reason; that doesn't make a lot of sense. Is it possible that his buddy's ability not working on me is the cause of this? Did they both figure that out somehow? It wouldn't be the first time someone's noticed my blocking of a mind-reading ability, the same thing happened with Gazel back in the day. Honestly, I'm a little impressed if that's the case.
Well, arguing won't get me anywhere with this, I think, so I might as well just comply with his demands. If I don't he might fail me on the spot, which wouldn't be the end of the world but not exactly ideal either.
"Fine. Let's go, I guess."
Iruma, who is just inside the door, so right behind Kalego gives me a worried glance, but after I gave in, he turns and goes in further into the room, leaving me behind. With a sigh, I follow Kalego away from the examination (or exam) room, not sure what he has in mind when it comes to these 'different conditions'.
Where did I end up going with him? Our normal classroom, of course. While all the other first-years gathered in one big exam hall, monitored by many teachers, I get the 'luxury' of being personally supervised in the Royal One by Kalego and Kalego alone. He seems even less thrilled than I am about it.
"Sit."
Kalego rudely commands me to sit in the one chair, at the single table left in the classroom, right in the center of it. Looks like it got cleared out specifically for me. Right across from it is Kalego's desk, of course; he's probably planning on staring me down from there.
So I sit in the chair. When we arrived I immediately noticed a few things; Kalego has taken a few countermeasures, it seems.
"Wow, a magic suppressing barrier…not a very strong one though. I guess maintaining one that's not so weak would be too much over the hours of testing I'm going to do, right?"
It's something similar to an anti-magic area spell, although definitely different in execution. Either way, it's something that blocks magic communication, which I'm sure is the reason for Kalego using it.
"How did you-?!" he sputters, apparently shocked that I detected his little trick.
"Oh, and there's some monitoring devices too…isn't this a bit much though? I really haven't done anything that should be making you think I'm gonna cheat. That's why you're really doing all of this, isn't it? You think I'm gonna cheat on these exams?"
Kalego's face is red with anger now that I've pointed out his measures to prevent me from cheating. It's a breeze for me to detect things like this, so there's no way I wouldn't notice them, but Kalego still seems surprised I did.
"In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. There is no way that you can cheat under this level of scrutiny, so being aware of those is not a problem, as much as it frustrates me to no end." Kalego growls before seating himself at his desk.
Iruma POV
Just as we arrived at the examination hall, Rimuru was dragged away by Professor Kalego. I was a little worried for her at first, but I'm sure she'll be fine. This is Rimuru, after all, and she knows how to deal with our teacher just fine. I should be worrying more about myself and the difficult tests I'm about to take. I've been working so hard with both my classmates and Professor Balam and today is the day I get to show the results of all of that!
I'm optimistic that the rest of the Misfit Class will do good as well since by the end they were all working hard just like I was. They were so unenthusiastic about it at the start but by the end, they were working very hard, all helping each other and finding fun ways to memorize the material.
Honestly, studying with everyone was a lot of fun! Completely different than the few times I got the chance to do the same back on earth. Is this because I did it with my friends? When I was still living with other humans, I didn't really have any of those and had to study alone, although that barely ever happened. School, in general, wasn't a priority in my parents' eyes so I didn't get to go much, mostly working part-time jobs since my family needed money.
Here I am reminiscing again…I don't need to be thinking about that right now, I have exams to take!
Shaking thoughts about my parents out of my head, I take my seat and ready myself for the exams I've been prepping for alongside my friends.
Rimuru POV
[[Do you need any assistance Master?]]
No, I'm good.
Yes, I'm struggling a little with these questions, but I promised myself that I'd do it on my own, even though getting some assistance from my partner would be easier.
Part of my problem is the asinine way most of these questions are worded; it's almost as if they were made to be more confusing than necessary. I bet this is Kalego's fault since every time I pause, confused or caught up by one of them, he smirks.
That jerk…oh well, I'll be fine. This'll just take a little longer.
[[Would you like me to reword each question for you to make them easier to understand? That is not assisting you with finding the answer but simply undoing that insolent demon's attempts to make you fail!]]
I said no Ciel…shouldn't you be focusing on Rimu-chi right now?
[[...]]
The mention of the task I gave her immediately shut Ciel up. I hate to rudely tell her to leave me alone, even if indirectly, but I'm trying to focus and her constant offers to help are distracting.
Kalego staring at me intensely while I'm working isn't helping much either, but that's not something I can avoid. Either way, I'm still getting through this test at a good pace as well as knowing most of the answers in it, so this should turn out okay in the end.
Opera POV
This is troublesome…
Pacing back and forth, Amane, the being that claims to be Rimuru's wife yet is playing a mother role to both Rimuru and Iruma is currently agitated for some reason.
I find this woman terrifying; even more so than Rimuru. Cold, calculating, exuding power just with her demeanor, every time I've locked eyes with Amane it has sent a shiver down my spine.
"Lady Amane, I understand the displeasure of not being able to help our Lord directly, but we must remain untroubled," Diablo says worriedly to her, looking displeased that she is upset.
Ciel, or Amane if you wish to call her by the name she is using for the role of mother, continues grumbling despite Diablo's reassurances.
"Oh, I just had a wonderful idea! To commemorate the presence of this adorable copy of Lord Rimuru, why don't we take some pictures of him?" Diablo suggests, happily grinning at his own idea. There isn't anything that makes that man smile outside of his 'precious Lord Rimuru'.
Amane stops pacing, thinking about Diablo's words. Her eyes light up at the idea.
"Yes, taking pictures of Rimu-chi would take my mind off of Master's continuous refusal of my help. We can even put together what humans call a 'baby book' for later use. It is something that parents have on hand containing pictures of their children throughout their childhood." she says, running with the idea as well as adding to it.
"A book with nothing but pictures of Lord Rimuru…an even more splendid idea than my own! Well done Lady Amane, you are truly embracing this mother role that was assigned to you by our master!" Diablo praises gleefully.
A concern comes to mind, but if I enter this conversation, I fear my nerves will give out with both their attention on me, I steel myself and my nerves and begin speaking to engage the terrifying duo.
"If I may interject… I believe it may cause issues for Lord Rimuru if the book was to contain only images of one of the Sullivan Twins as the Netherworld knows them. Suspicions might arise from this so including images of Master Iruma would help avoid these suspicions and with it present Lord Rimuru with far fewer issues." I comment, keeping my voice from shaking.
"Of course. I am certain I can simulate his presence in the photos after they are taken since there is no way of making him look younger in the same way Master can." Amane replies, assuring me that she can remedy that easily.
These two though… are much too hard to deal with, especially when together…
Nearby, the little menace Rimu-chi is playing. A much less restrained version of the Demon Lord staying here, one that takes an appearance almost identical to the one Rimuru took when she did that something to me soon after meeting. The source of my fear, that was, and every time I lay eyes on that miniature version I remember that event in great detail.
"Pictures?" Rimu-chi asks curiously.
Amane picks up the kid and a small smile forms on her lips as she cradles them.
"Yes, we will be taking some photos of you in many different outfits to simulate old pictures of you. I cannot wait to choose what to dress you in!"
Rimu-chi starts to squirm to get away, but their 'mom' tightens her grip.
"No! I don't wanna!" Rimu-chi squeals, now flailing but failing to escape Amane's arms.
Just let that little fiend go before she destroys the mansion! I plead internally, worried that the mini-Rimuru might unleash her Demon Lord powers and cause mass destruction.
Diablo looks upset by Rimu-chi's cries but doesn't intervene, although I can tell he wants to.
Amane takes a deep breath, apparently troubled by Rimu-chi's protests, before putting on a sterner expression and tone.
"You will listen to your mother. Now, we are going to go take some pictures and you will behave."
That looked painful for her.
Rimu-chi pouts and gives up after realizing she can't get away from her 'mother'.
I notice that Diablo is off to the side, gritting his teeth and bordering on crying.
"As painful as this is to watch, I must endure under Lord Rimuru's orders. I cannot fail him, not even once…" Diablo mutters encouragement to himself.
Sighing, I leave them to their antics. I have work to do anyway, so no time to gawk at them.
Iruma POV
That was so stressful! I should be able to relax at home somewhat, at least.
…
I knock on the door of my home, but there's no answer so I let myself in.
Mom takes notice of me as I enter. "Oh? You're back? How much did you bring?"
I show her the wallet I've been hiding in my back, and she opens it up, a look of glee appearing on her face as she examines the contents.
"Iruma, you brought home so much money! I'm so proud of you!" Mom exclaims in delight, giving me a brief hug that does little to ease my tension.
"It was scary, I had to hide out in the forest for three days!" I respond with slight panic as I remember everything that happened. "You told me that if a rich-looking guy has his wallet out I should grab it and run, but-"
"Ah, never mind all that," Mom says dismissively, wagging her hand at me. "I don't care how you go about getting money as long as it gets results. Hmm, you know what, I think you deserve a reward for doing such a good job!"
"A… A reward?"
"I'll let you go to school for two whole weeks in a row! Maybe even three, if you work extra hard on the weekends!"
"Oh… Thanks, Mom! I guess…"
…
"Welcome home, Iruma and… Rimuru."
Huh?
The sudden words snap me out of it. I was thinking back to a few years ago when I was still with my human parents. I guess my tired post-exams mind started wandering during our walk home and I got lost in my own memories.
Myself and Rimuru are greeted at the door by Ciel, the strange woman who is posing as our mother under the name Amane, practicing the role to help protect our identity.
"Hi, uh… Mom?" I greet her back a little awkwardly.
Still feels weird to call her that…
"Ooh, I think I can smell something good…" Rimuru comments, and now that she mentions it I'm noticing it as well.
"Ah, yes, I asked Sullivan for advice on common parenthood tropes, and he suggested that I prepare you two a treat to celebrate the completion of your exams. I have timed the completion of the cookies for your arrival, so they are still warm."
"That sounds so good! Thank you so much!" I exclaim excitedly.
Soon enough, we're seated around a platter of warm cookies, shaped like various monsters and decorated with colorful icing.
Rimu-chi helped apparently, and she's seated on Ciel's lap, her face covered in crumbs and happily munching away with the rest of us.
But as I enjoy the treats, doubt sets in.
"Wait… we're celebrating, but we don't know our results. Shouldn't that wait until we know whether we passed or not?" I ask, thinking this is all a bit premature. I mean, what if I failed? I don't deserve these cookies if I didn't pass!
"Eh, she probably knows every question we got right and wrong," Rimuru says with a shrug, gesturing lightly at Amane. "You were getting pretty annoyed not being able to correct my mistakes, weren't you Mom?"
"It was frustrating, yes," Ciel answers.
"Wait, hold on, you know our results? Can you tell us what they were and save us the suspense?" I ask eagerly.
Ciel looks to Rimuru, who shakes her head. "Sorry, no spoilers," Rimuru says.
Drat…
Rimuru POV
After we're done snacking, there's something that I should do, now that life is back to normal.
Ciel and 'Rimu-chi' have been spending the last several days together in the mansion, getting up to who-knows-what.
It's supposed to be a way for Ciel to learn to portray herself as a mother, but she does seem to be genuinely enjoying herself in the role, especially since I haven't been spending much time with her lately due to my to wanting to handle studying and the exam without relying on 'cheat powers'.
But I have no intention of keeping Rimu-chi around longer than I have already; I've never kept a Parallel Fragment around for this long, and I believe he's served his purpose for now.
"Rimu-chi!" I call out, getting his attention.
"Rimuwu!" he responds in a high voice, fumbling while saying my name.
Dangerously cute…
I kneel on the floor and pat my lap.
"You've done a good job of keeping Mom company, but it's time to come back." I urge the little fella to approach me.
"Okay!" Rimu-chi chirps.
He hops off of Ciel's lap and trots into my waiting arms.
Ciel looks a little… sad…?
"Don't worry Mom, I'll be able to spend lots more time with you now that exams are over."
I don't think it'll ever not feel weird to call Ciel 'Mom', even if I can say it without hesitation now. This feels like a lot to protect Iruma's identity and my own…
[[My apologies. If you wish, you and Iruma can refer to me as 'Ciel' again, as you both seem to be able to use the name 'Mom' naturally without slipping up at all.]]
Oh right, you're here as well as being right in front of me, that's confusing. Yes, please.
"Bye-bye Rimu-chi," Iruma says, waving his hand.
"Bye-bye Iruma!" the little guy replies in kind. I dare not look him in those adorable sparkling eyes of his, otherwise, I might feel bad reabsorbing him.
Rimu-chi's body poofs out of existence on my command, and I suddenly have to deal with a rush of inflowing information. Merging two existences that both formed lots of memories of their own is always a little rough, as the two have to be brought into cohesion with each other.
"Ow… ow… headache…" I grumble, feeling like I should have eased into the merge. The flood of information from it can be painful, even if I can't normally feel pain.
And then I start to become aware of all the interactions between myself and Ciel when I was Rimu-chi.
They are intensely embarrassing. So embarrassing that I'm doing my best not to melt into a puddle on the spot!
Loads of moments of me acting like a spoiled little kid, who just wants to play and be doted on.
Then, when I went to sleep each night, it was in Ciel's embrace, held close against her chest.
And when I woke each day, she'd have to go running around making sure I didn't do anything dumb with my powers.
I feel like I'm gonna die of shame…
"Rimuru, if it makes you feel any better, you were very adorable. I didn't mind taking care of you at all," Ciel says with a smile.
"That doesn't make me feel any better! Ugh… I'm gonna go scream into a pillow, take a long shower, and then avoid anyone for the rest of the day."
"That bad, huh?" Iruma asks.
"If I had remained a human, I'd be an old man by now. So I think you can imagine that having to come to terms with my actions as the toddling 'Rimu-chi' truly is an ordeal."
"Old man? I knew you're older than you look, but that old?" Iruma asks curiously.
Rude…although I don't think he means it that way.
"For your information, by Demon Lord standards, I'm practically an infant. It's just from a human perspective that I'm old, okay? Well…mentally at least. Some nonsense happened in the past that made my real age…uh…hard to quantify." I start to explain before remembering that troublesome detail.
"What does that mean?" Iruma asks, clearly very confused by what I said; I mean, there's no way he wouldn't be confused by that.
"Nevermind, I'll tell ya about that another time," I say as I stand up.
Leaving a puzzled Iruma behind, I head upstairs to be alone. I think I heard him say something like "You make no sense sometimes…" but I'll pretend I didn't. It's not something that's easy to explain and I'm definitely not in the mood to give a lengthy recount of that shit-show right now.