Iruma POV
Mornings are rough, especially when a Demon Lord was training you last night. At least said Demon Lord is nice enough to tuck me into bed and let me properly sleep. I'm talking about Rimuru, of course, who's now walking with me to school.
Azz and Clara are still away training; I've texted them both a few times during our training period, but our time face-to-face has been pretty limited. Especially lately, for some reason; I miss them both a lot.
"I forgot to ask, but I didn't mess up your training too bad last night, right? You seemed pretty pepped up."
"When Bachiko called me and I had to pick you up? Nah, it's no biggie, I was just doing some combat training while under a bunch of physical limiters and with no help from Ciel."
"That sounds tough."
"Not really. Nothing the dude training me threw in my direction put up much of a struggle. Although, I got a bit creative with that last one…"
"Did you come up with a new move to fight with?"
Rimuru smirks to herself, "Kinda, but it's nothing you should ever try. It'd scare you badly on top of being very dangerous for most people. Gross too, if you don't have the stomach for slimy things."
I'm not sure I want to know the details…
"You're excited for the Harvest Festival, aren't you?" Rimuru suddenly asks.
I nod, "Uh-huh. What about you?"
"Nah."
"So you don't care about winning or anything?"
"I may have a competitive streak, but no. Winning doesn't matter to me… I've already 'won' a previous Harvest Festival. Hehe." Rimuru giggles a little at that last part.
"Does your world have a Harvest Festival too?"
Rimuru's expression turns more serious as she looks me in the eyes.
"One that I hope you'll never witness or participate in, yes." Rimuru shakes off the tension, "Unlike in this competition, it didn't involve harvesting ingredients, but something else entirely. Hell, it wasn't a competition at all either, more like a trial or a rite of passage."
"It's something bad, isn't it? I still remember how you reacted when you heard 'Harvest Festival' in class."
"You noticed that?"
"Everyone noticed."
Rimuru sighs, "You could call it bad, but also good. Going through it enabled me to save a lot of people precious to me. But, it was also a line that couldn't be uncrossed."
Then, like a switch was flipped, Rimuru suddenly smiles cheerfully, "I bet you can't wait to show your tutor all those things I taught you, right? You said you wanted to impress her."
"Oh, yeah!" I smile. "Master Bachiko's been really tough with me. I think it's because she wants me to succeed… so I hope that she notices the new things I've learned!"
"Heh." Rimuru smiles. "I'm sure you'll manage to show her your stuff since that's so important to you." She pats me on the shoulder.
"I really hope so," I admit.
…
After extensive practice and training with my bow, the day has come for the Harvest Festival. Yeah, I'm definitely not perfect with it yet, but I don't have any more time to train for this.
"You've got all your equipment, right? Didn't forget anything?" Bachiko asks, checking me over as she circles me.
"No, I have everything here."
Bachiko helped put together the outfit I'm wearing, which is meant to help camouflage me as well as protect me from the elements. It's mostly just a heavy-duty jacket, pants, knee-high boots, and a pair of gloves (with a missing finger to accommodate my ring). Blue is the main color, with accents of purple in my gloves and boots to match my bow.
"In that case… get goin'! Go knock their socks off! Show off your hard work by kicking your sister's ass in this!" Bachiko shoves me forward as she says this and I stumble a little.
Just thinking about trying something like that scares me.
"Um, I don't think I'll be kicking Rimuru's ass… like, ever…"
"I didn't mean that literally, moron! Just beat her score!"
"I'll do my best!" I reply, fully confident before drooping a little and muttering "If Rimuru cared about winning, I doubt I'd be able to beat her score no matter how hard I try…"
I know that Rimuru doesn't care at all about the Harvest Festival and plans on just having fun, not trying to win, so there is a chance if I do my best that I can still surpass her score. I mean, it's not like Rimuru needs the promotion from a win to pass since we're only required to be ranked Dalet (4), and Rimuru is ranked Vav (6).
"Hey!" Master Bachiko pokes a finger into my chest, making me nervous as she leans in. "I don't care how strong that sister of yours is, you're going to beat her whether she's serious or not!"
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" I stutter, saluting on instinct.
"Now, go!"
Bachiko shoves me again and this time I actually leave, ready to head to the site of the Harvest Festival.
…
"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm la- … huh?"
The dark air around my classmates stops me in my tracks for a moment. They all look so angry and now those angry faces are pointed at me!
"Those fools wanted to boast about their training and got into a heated argument," a recognizable voice says to me from behind.
"Azz!" I whip around to see my best friend.
"G-good day!" Azz is definitely ecstatic to see me, as usual.
He looks a little beat-up and worn out, probably from his training, but my friend seems perfectly fine and cheerful.
Now that I look a little closer, everyone else in my class seems to be in a similar, beat-up state. Maybe that's why they all seem so grumpy right now. I'm sure they've all been working so hard!
Azz is now muttering to himself, touching his index fingers together and looking down. Maybe he's nervous? Or maybe he's just worried about me. Yeah, Azz is way too strong and cool to be nervous about this, especially since he's already ranked Dalet. I need to let him know that I'm ready for this so I'm not on his mind during the entire Harvest Festival, distracting him from doing his best!
"I won't lose!" I confidently assure Azz, "Let's both do our very best at our own hunts!"
"Yes!" the word bursts out of Azz's mouth, snapping him out of his muttering and he smiles.
Now I'm all pumped up! Azz cheered me up, and I cheered up Azz! Now we're both ready!
But, looking again at my class, I see that a few are missing. They aren't nearby either, at least as far as I can tell.
Clara's missing, and so is Rimuru. I wonder where they both are?
At least the ones who're here seem to be done arguing now, which I'm happy about. I think the stress just got to them and I hope everyone's still friends.
"Iruma! They're underestimating us!" Lead complains as I approach my classmates.
"What!? Who?!"
Lead motions around us at the non-misfit competitors scattered around the plaza.
"We need to show them how serious we are, don'tcha think?!"
"Sure… yeah!"
Lead thinks intensely for a moment before perking up, seemingly coming up with an idea.
"Hey, misfit class! Let's have a huddle up before this thing starts!"
"Wait, but aren't we missing a few?"
"Huh? Oh, I guess I don't see Rimuru here. Why didn't she come with you?"
"I met up with my mentor first so we left separately."
"Well, it's not like we can wait. The Harvest Festival is about to start, didn'tcha hear that announcement a minute ago?"
I nod at this and just decide to join the newly-formed circle of students. Rimuru will show up soon, I'm sure. Same with Clara.
"Listen, I've got a lot to say but… for now, let's agree on one thing. We'll shout…"
Lead whispers a phrase to the group.
"A-are we really gonna say that?" I ask shakily.
But, Lead ignores me and just continues, "Everyone in here has endured their training just for this day! Let's go all out and overcome this hurdle! Let's go on three, Iruma! One! Two-!"
"GET IN OUR WAY AND WE'LL CRUSH YOU! BRING IT ON, DAMMIT!"
"Ow… man. No need to scream at me, guys!"
After yelling my head off, I open my eyes. Rimuru is somehow standing in the middle of our huddle circle. Everyone is surprised because there's no way she was here a moment ago.
"Haha, but it seems like it was effective." Rimuru laughs, looking around us. Most of the other competitors are cowering or looking disturbed after our group shout. "Never thought I'd hear Iruma say something like that, though."
I never would've if it wasn't with my friends… It was all Lead's idea!
"And here I thought you didn't show up," Jazz comments, "It's not like you need the promotion to pass."
"Hm? Oh, no, I was just running a bit late. I was flying here and saw you guys doing your huddle thing, so I decided to... drop in." Rimuru says with a smirk and perfect comedic timing.
Jazz rolls his eyes, but he's smiling along with everyone else. Well, Keroli isn't, and Goemon's mouth isn't visible behind all his hair so I'm not sure with him, but most of our classmates think Rimuru's cheesy joke was funny.
"Damn, is that a sword? You gonna use that during the festival?"
Rimuru confidently nods, placing a hand on the hilt of her sword that's hanging around her hip. "Yeah, it might come in handy. Do you have anything special for it?"
"You're not gonna squeeze info about my secret weapon outta me, Rimuru. Nice try!"
"Secret weapon? So you do have a special trick up your sleeve. Good to know."
"Dammit, Rimuru! I never said that!"
"Haha, I'm sure everyone here has some sort of trick or weapon in their arsenal after all the training and prep they've been doing."
"Um, yeah!" Lead laughs, rubbing his head. "You'll never see mine coming!"
"Oh?" Rimuru grins wickedly, reminding me of how scary she can be sometimes. She's putting a bunch of pressure from her gaze on Lead, who's starting to look super nervous.
"Yeah! Totally!" He says, getting really close to Rimuru. "Just you wait, not even you can handle what I've cooked up!"
"Alright then!" Rimuru smirks, not intimidated at all by Lead's bravado. "I look forward to seeing it in action."
"Erm… yup! I can't wait to use it!" Lead grins.
I wonder what Lead's 'secret weapon' is… whatever it is, it'll probably be pretty tough. This is a huge competition, after all. If we end up competing, I hope my archery will be able to take on whatever trick he has…
"Hey, k–bro!" Rimuru claps a hand on my shoulder, jolting me out of my thoughts. "How you feeling?"
Rimuru has a confident smirk on, but despite her intimidating expression I can tell that she's trying to make sure I'm okay before the event kicks off. "Yeah, I'm great!" I smile excitedly, "I'm kind of nervous, but Master Bachiko's been training me super hard, so I'll probably be okay…"
Even if something does happen, I have a trusty Demon Lord and Grandpa watching my back. I don't want to miss out on this because of my fear, so I'm going to follow my ambition to stay in the Royal One, and give the Harvest Festival everything I've got!
…
The announcement plays out on the loudspeaker and we all charge into the four entrances to the Harvest Festival's arena.
Once I'm inside, I stop to catch my breath and glance around.
The crowd that flooded in has scattered, but there's one other person nearby; Lead. We ran in the same direction, apparently. It's not anything I did on purpose, but we're in the same place.
"Hey… Iruma! Wanna… work together on this?" He suggests between heaving breaths.
I want to do this on my own, but at the same time, cooperating with just Lead should be fine, right? He's not overpowered like Azz or Rimuru, so it's not like he'll just win this thing for me if he tries.
"Sure…"
After a few more seconds doubled over and breathing hard, I stand up straight and look around a little more. This place is bright and filled with life. I can hear animal sounds in the distance, as well as yelling from other competitors, but nothing nearby. The fresh air smells nice and I just take in the scenery for a moment.
"Hey! Netherworld to Iruma, stop daydreamin'!"
Lead is waving his hand in front of my face, trying to get my attention.
"Sorry, this place is just so…"
It's beautiful…
Kinda reminds me of the Jura forest, actually, but more Netherworldly. So I guess Hubbub plus Jura? More jungly than that though, so that's not the perfect way to describe it.
I stare more up at the canopy of ridiculously tall trees, basking in the warm sun, but then my eyes are grabbed by something else off to the side; the darkness lurking in the shadowy parts of the forest.
The ominous feeling hits me like a slap in the face. I almost feel like something is watching me, that I'm in danger, and that I'm not prepared to survive out here.
It seems like it's been forever since I've felt this feeling.
All my memories filled with hardships from before I was adopted by Sullivan resurface, reminding me of what I had to do to survive way back then. My parents didn't take care of me so I had to make do living outside a lot. I needed to survive, so I learned how to.
I'd almost forgotten all that, somehow. Shoved it into the back of my mind. But, now that I'm in a similar situation, I can't help but plummet back into that way of thinking.
"Lead."
"What? Why d'you sound so serious all of a sudden." Lead questions, looking and sounding disturbed.
"We need to make shelter!"
"Wha-? No, we need to gather ingredients for points."
"No! That's not as important! We need the essentials to survive or we'll die out here!"
"Hey, Iruma, calm down! What's got into you, man?! You're not actin' like yourself!"
"Food! Water! Shelter! We need to get those first!"
"F-fine! Whatever you say!"
…
Okay, I may have gotten a bit carried away back there, overwhelmed by the memories of my past.
I've calmed down now, okay? Now that I've eaten something. I was so nervous I actually skipped breakfast earlier, which is something I haven't done in a very long time.
*cronch*
I'm taking bites out of a corn-like plant with pink kernels and red leaves.
"Yo, Iruma. Y'know you're supposed to cook that first, right?"
I stop chewing immediately, remembering that some plants aren't edible without cooking them first.
"It's not poisonous, is it?!" I worriedly ask.
"No! It just… tastes better cooked, I think. I've never tried it raw before and I don't think I will."
"Tastes fine to me…You sure you don't want a bite?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. Oh, and it might be better if you don't eat the leaves either. Just a tip."
"But I like the leaves…"
*monch*
Lead looks grossed out by my eating habits, but just shrugs in defeat.
"You do you."
I continue eating my snack while we both gather and capture more ingredients, eating most of them as we go along. I keep trying to just hang onto them, but my appetite's getting the better of me. They're all so colorful and tasty-looking, I can't help myself!
Plus, according to Lead, everything we've gathered so far has been low-point items, so it's fine to eat them to maintain our stamina. If we end up finding something rare, I think I can resist eating that.
"Okay, I've had enough. We're making camp and we're cookin' up a real meal!" Lead suddenly insists, clapping his hands together.
"You know how to cook?"
Lead's never seemed like the type that likes to cook.
"Doesn't everyone?"
"Uh… I mean, I kinda do, but just simple stuff. I think I could make something tasty out of the stuff we've picked up so far, though."
I quickly realize I'll need some supplies to cook with, and thankfully, I have something that can help. I pull a small bag out of my pocket and reach inside.
It's small, maybe large enough to hold a grapefruit, but it's a lot bigger on the inside than you'd think. It's a gift from Rimuru, something given to me just for this competition. Rimuru said when she gave it to me that I could pull any basic supplies I could imagine out of it and all I had to do was reach inside.
So, I plunge my arm right up to my elbow into the bag and start rifling around for a cooking pot and a spoon. My hand finds the pot first and I pull it out, the bag stretching to let the larger object out with no problem.
"What the-?!" Lead exclaims, "Whazzat? Some sort of enchanted bag?"
"Yup."
"Tch… rich kids…"
He must think Grandpa bought it for me.
I stick my hand inside again and find a large wooden spoon to cook with then tuck the bag back into its spot, safe and sound.
"'Kay, I'll cut the stuff up and you can start the fire." Lead instructs.
"Sure."
I look around for stuff to make a firestarter, specifically, some vines to use like rope and some suitably-sized sticks.
"What're you doing?"
"Getting stuff to make the fire," I explain simply.
"How's a few sticks and vines gonna help you make a fire?"
"Well, if you carve out a little spot in the middle of one, and tie this vine on another, you can-"
"That sounds way too complicated! And how's that make a fire anyway!?"
"But I don't have any other way to make a campfire. I know this works."
Lead just stares at me blankly for a moment, "Don't tell me you've forgot how to use Raffire… c'mon, Iruma, I thought you were smarter than that!"
"N-no! I just d-didn't think to use it…"
A little flustered by my blunder, I focus on gathering some stones to put around the fire. Even though our campfire's gonna be fueled by just magic, I still want to be safe with all this foliage around us.
"Hey, hand me one 'a those," Lead says, pointing to the rocks in my hands.
I toss one gently at him and he catches it easily.
"So you're gonna smash the ingredients? I guess that's easier than cutting. Good thinking, Lead!"
Lead looks at me like I'm crazy again and just says "Cherusil," and the rock reforms into a stone knife and starts focusing on cutting up the ingredients with it.
Oh. I guess not.
I then gather up some fuel for the fire, skipping the tinder and kindling since they're unnecessary with the way I'm lighting it, and place it all in the stone circle.
"Raffire."
The spell goes perfectly fine, lighting the wood and nothing else, so I place the cooking pot on the fire and fill it with water gathered from the air with water manipulation.
After it starts to boil, Lead throws in his cleanly-chopped ingredients. They almost look like they were cut by a professional, I'm impressed!
"Wow, Lead, you did such a good job!"
"Yeah, I'm talented like that." Lead boasts, raising his chin in the air pridefully.
"Where did you learn to cut veggies? Did your mom teach you?"
"Nope. There was a video game I got super into a few months ago that had a very realistic cooking minigame that I wanted to get a perfect score in. It was VR, so I kinda learned some cooking techniques while playing."
"You'll have to show me that one sometime. I'd like to learn to cook for real."
"Sure." Lead beams, "But I was thinkin'... I've got a few things left over for safe-keeping, mind sticking them in that magic pouch?"
"I don't mind."
Lead hands me the few ingredients he didn't throw in the pot and I stick them in the 'bag of holding' Rimuru made for me.
Soon, our makeshift campsite is filled with the savory scent of the stew cooking in the large pot and I start drooling with anticipation.
"I literally threw everything in there, so I hope it tastes good," Lead says while intensely staring at the boiling pot.
"It smells good, so I bet it will!"
The aroma is already making my stomach growl!
"Hm. It tastes fine but could use a little salt," a third voice suddenly says.
Lead jumps in surprise and I look in the direction of the voice.
It's Rimuru, in tiny form, and tasting the stew with the large wooden spoon.
It takes me a few seconds to process the situation and I end up blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.
"Why are you small?" I ask. I didn't know Rimuru planned to split herself up for this event.
"And why're you eatin' our food!?" Lead shouts, sounding a lot more irritated than a moment ago.
"I just wanted a little…" Rimuru whined, sounding more childish than usual. This must be one of her mini-clone bodies, not the 'main' Rimuru in small form.
"So did you split yourself up again?" Lead asks in a groaning voice, holding his head.
"Yup!"
"That's such a cheat!" Lead complains.
"No, it's not… It's my special ability! I gotta use it!" Rimuru shoots back.
"It's like having an entire team of demons hunting for just one! How many did you even make this time?! You're so freakin' puny I bet it's a shit-ton!"
"Hmm… I dunno… over a dozen?"
Wow, that's a lot… will Rimuru be okay? But I quickly dismiss that thought, knowing that she will.
"You little brat! You better help us if you made that many! You can spare one of your clones to help us win, I know it!"
"No…! Can't help…! I'll make Iruma sad!"
I told Rimuru before this whole thing started that I wanted to do it on my own, and I guess Rimuru is holding to her promise not to interfere unless I ask for it or really badly need it. And by badly need it, I think she meant a life or death situation, or something close to that. Helping us gather ingredients isn't included in that.
"Lead! Put Rimuru down! You're gonna get disqualified! You can't attack other competitors!" I don't like seeing them fight and I also want to make sure Lead doesn't ruin his chances right at the start. It's only the first day!
"I'm not attacking, I'm convincing!"
"You're not going to convince Rimuru like that. She doesn't give in to intimidation, remember?"
Lead freezes and suddenly drops Rimuru. It's like he just remembered who it was he's trying to 'convince', and probably regrets it.
After being dropped, Rimuru bounces harmlessly on the ground before running up to me.
"Oh shit… Rimuru's gonna kill me. Not right now, but after the Harvest Festival, I'm gonna be dead for sure!" Lead starts to panic, holding his head and pacing back and forth.
"I don't think-"
"If you let me eat some stew without whining, I'll spare ya." Her tone sounds stern, but Rimuru's currently squeaky little voice kinda ruined it. "And no more picking me up. You do it wrong."
We all sit down with some stew and start eating. I don't mind sharing some with Rimuru, even if Lead doesn't like it.
"You kinda look like Aoki right now," I whisper very quietly to Rimuru who's sitting right next to me. Rimuru responds by pouting through a mouthful of stew. "Dohn' shay dat."
But, Rimuru immediately stops pouting and says "Clara."
"Huh? Whattabout Clarin?"
Rimuru points to the tree line, right at a spooky figure lurking in the darkness.
"Fufufufu, you found us!" Elizabetta steps out into the clearing, walking past the monster-looking thing that is apparently Clara. I think she's wearing a costume.
"Elizabetta!?" Lead shouts, "Iruma, watch out! They're gonna steal our-!"
"Huh?!" I gasp as someone grabs me from behind. I look over my shoulder and see it's that spooky figure in costume that Rimuru said was Clara. I feel my feet leave the ground and start getting dragged away by Clara.
"Irumaaaaaa!" Lead screams as I'm carried away helplessly. "Wait!"
I see him try to get past Elizabetta, but before he can, I lose sight of him through the trees and brush.
Rimuru POV (Clone #12)
It's just Clara, Iruma will be fine.
She's acting weird and wearing an equally weird costume, but she's still Clara, one of his closest friends. I hope she doesn't steal that bag I gave him. It won't help Clara even if she does since it acts like a normal bag if anyone else tries to use it, so she can't get stuff out of it even if she takes it.
Elizabetta, on the other hand; she's dangerous.
"We couldn't find many ingredients, so why don't you share with us?"
She's leaning in way too close to Lead, who's blushing and completely flustered. I can feel his heart racing from over here!
"I-I don't have anything!"
"Oh my~, playing hard to get?" Elizabetta coos and starts to unzip the front of Lead's jumpsuit. "Hm, disappointing…"
Lead, looking like his heart was just ripped out of his chest, suddenly points at me and yells "That little gremlin ate our ingredients!"
"No, I didn't!"
"Rimuru's lying! I wouldn't l-lie to y-you, Elizabetta!"
"In that case, I'll take her off your hands. You don't mind helping Clara and me, do you Rimuru~?"
I just wanna sample as many things as possible while here, not help anyone with their points! If I'm with someone else, they'll want to keep the stuff for their score and won't let me eat it!
I shake my head no and move to leave, but she picks me up before I can get far.
"Lemme go! I don't wanna!" I squirm a bit to try and get away.
I can't liquefy to squeeze my way out, and if I use my strength to force it, I might get booted from the competition for hurting another student. If I get disqualified, I won't get to try all these tasty things so I can remake them later!
"Aww? Why not?"
I can sense that Elizabetta is trying her hardest to use her charms, but stuff like that doesn't work on me.
But then she starts doing something else. Elizabetta starts affectionately running her fingers through my hair while staring me in the eyes.
Oh no… this feels really good…
She's almost got the technique down perfectly, somehow, getting scarily close to the perfect way to pet a slime. I'm not sure how she gained such super-secret knowledge, but it's doing its magic and making me relax whether I want to or not.
I shake my head and push her hand away, resisting the strong urge to just melt under her touch.
"I don't want points, I wanna try all the tasty snackies… I mean ingredients!"
But the girl is persistent and immediately starts stroking my head again.
She's getting better at this by the second… is she picking up on what's working while she's petting me and improving her methods?
I kinda flop onto her shoulder, getting overwhelmed by the massage. I know I'm not this easily swayed; this must be because of this weak body I'm in. Yeah, even when Shuna tries this sort of thing, I don't lose myself this quickly.
"I see… if you help us, you can try as many things as you want as long as we get to keep the rest. Three of us working together will gather a larger variety, after all. Isn't that a fair trade?"
Even if they slow me down, the other copies of me will get plenty of things too. I can take it easy.
"Mmmh… fine…" I quietly agree to her terms and fully relax.
"Y-you can't trust that imp! Lemme help you girls instead!" Lead screams at Elizabetta. "Th-then, maybe…"
"How would you be able to help us? You don't have any points and besides… you aren't going to betray us, are you, Rimuru?"
"Nuh-uh…"
"Please don't take it personally, Lead; I don't dislike you, it's actually the opposite. It's just that Rimuru will be more useful in this competition."
"S-s-seriously? Y-you LIKE ME!?"
"Yes, of course! I like everyone in the Misfit Class, including you, so I hope there are no hard feelings," Elizabetta explains, winks, and blows a kiss at him before walking away, still carrying me.
Lead drops to his knees, devastated again. I think he's crying too… and is that blood dripping out of his mouth? He's so silly thinking Elizabetta was crushing on him back.
Iruma POV
Clara finally stops running with me and just sits on the ground, still completely silent.
"Hey, why did y-?"
I hear the sound of a zipper opening and feel the sensation of being grabbed again, then the next thing I know, I'm in a dark, cramped, soft place.
"Boo! Gotchu, Iruma-chi!"
My eyes start to adjust to the dark and I start to see Clara's face, super close to mine. She's got her arms and legs wrapped around me too. Clara moved so fast I didn't even comprehend what happened to me.
Where even am I? Was I dragged inside her costume?
"C-Clara!? Y-you surprised me!"
She starts giggling and hugs me a little tighter. I can see her bright yellow-green eyes, slightly glowing in the darkness. They look even more mischievous than usual, somehow.
"I know! I'm so happy I get to see you again, Iruma-chi! I've missed you a bunch!"
Even though I'm getting weird vibes from my friend, I'm still very excited to see her.
"I'm missed you too, b-but-" I start trying to ask her why she kidnapped me, but Clara stops my question with a finger pressed to my lips.
"Shh… there, there, Iruma-chi~! Just listen, okay? I've learned sooo~ much during my training."
Why am I starting to feel scared? My heart is thumping really hard…
Clara's not talking like herself and I think it's throwing me off a bit. Still, Clara is Clara, my close friend and classmate.
"That's why I need you to… let me show you."
Clara pulls me even closer and touches her forehead to mine. Then, white light overtakes my vision within seconds.
Rimuru POV (Clone #12)
It's only after we're away from Lead that I notice that Ciel seems super angry for some reason.
What's wrong, Ciel?
[[You are getting far too intimate with this girl!]]
Whaddaya mean? Elizabetta's just petting me like Shuna does. Plus, she's just a kid.
[[Yes, I understand this is simply platonic, but it still…]]
You can pet me a bunch later, Ciel. Does that make it better?
[[ ...! ]]
Ciel hesitates for a moment before talking again.
[[Those conditions are… acceptable.]]
"Do ya have a plan?" I suddenly ask Elizabetta, breaking the silence. I know she probably has something or she wouldn't have talked me into helping her.
"You are quite fast, even while in this state, yes?" she asks while giving my hair another stroke as we walk.
"Uh-huh."
"Good," she replies with a smile, "We're going to find a group of demons with a decent collection of ingredients, I will distract them, and you will steal their points while my charms keep them occupied."
"What about Clara?"
"I wish to give her some… alone time with your brother. I hope you don't mind them having a 'playdate' without us."
Uh… what?
If it's anything like Clara's normal playing, Iruma will be busy for hours. It's weird that Clara's doing that now, though, with this important competition happening.
What's Iruma doing with Clara?
[[...defying all logical foundations again… I can't make sense of what that thing is doing… how is a being on her level able to do that?!]]
Ciel is grumbling, all frustrated and worked up, which is rare for her. But I know I shouldn't bug her when she's like this.
"Iruma likes playing with Clara. If he wants to play with her, that's not my business," I answer Elizabetta after a pause.
I know he kinda got dragged away by her, but I bet that was part of whatever game they're playing now.
"Fufufufufu…"
"What?"
"You're even cuter than usual when you're like this, Rimuru! I barely even want to put you down!"
"I'm the same, just a little smaller."
"But you're not the 'original' Rimuru, are you? You're one of her clones made with her special magic."
"Not tellin' you!"
Elizabetta giggles a little more and starts walking again. At least she knows how to properly hold me.
I start looking out for other competitors while we move along. Since I'm just a weaker copy, I can't sense stuff as far as the 'main' Rimuru, but that won't stop me from looking!
**A Bit Later**
Iruma POV
"Good morning~! It's a relief you two finally woke up!"
Feeling groggy, I slowly step out of Clara's plush costume, rubbing my eyes in disbelief.
It feels like my mind is clearing after a long, intense dream.
Still a little stunned, I look around at my surroundings as I step all the way out of Clara's suit.
"Wha-... wait, it's nighttime already?!"
I'm shocked! It was mid-afternoon last time I checked, but now the sky is pitch-black and speckled with stars.
I know I spent some time fooling around in what Clara called her 'toybox', but I had no clue I was in there for hours! I wasted so much time… what was I thinking?! No, I wasn't thinking when I was messing around.
It was so crazy fun in there, though; it was a place that Clara made with her bloodline magic, somehow. I think it's a technique taught to her by her tutor, Professor Raim.
Full of toys and colorful scenery, it looked like the perfect place to have fun, flavored with Clara's unique 'style'. I couldn't help myself but join in the fun with Clara.
She played with me in there until we both were exhausted and resting on the soft cloud-like ground.
Then, the next thing I knew, I was back in the real world again.
I think it was all a big illusion since when I was in there, my body was a little kid's, and wearing different clothes, but I'm not completely sure. It felt really weird at first, but I quickly ignored it after I started playing. I just accepted what was going on, not thinking at all about the Harvest Festival, or Lead, or anything else but playing and Clara.
"Playing with Iruma-chi is what I love most!"
I think that's what Clara said right before the sound of the zipper dragged me out of her toybox and back into reality. She said it with a look in her eyes I don't think I've seen before, but I know she was happy to be saying it.
"I'll let you off for now~!" Clara's teasing voice snaps me out of my trance.
"Wh-what…?"
The way Clara and Elizabetta are smiling is making me uneasy like they're planning something sinister.
As much as I love to play with her, I hope Clara won't kidnap me again during the Harvest Festival. I need all the time I can get so I can win it!
"Can you let me off too?" a small voice asks.
That's when I notice that Rimuru is being held by Elizabetta.
"No, no, we made a deal, remember~?"
Rimuru starts to squirm, but Elizabetta holds the tiny version of my adopted slime-sister firmly in her arms.
Should I do something? I'm not sure a copy that small is strong enough to get away from Elizabetta.
"Hey, Elizabetta, can't Rimuru just come with me inste-...huh?"
Elizabetta started petting Rimuru's head and she stopped squirming.
Elizabetta made a Demon Lord give up on escaping by just petting their head.
Okay, nope. I'm gonna go find Lead. Both of them are acting so terrifying right now.
The way Elizabetta is smiling after winning Rimuru over with head-pets is scary enough, but Clara is grinning again too.
Rimuru will be fine. Rimuru said I never need to save her, ever. I just need to focus on retracing my steps back to Lead.
I run back, thankfully able to find my way in the dark back to where Lead and I were camping. The moonlight made it bright enough that I could see well enough after my eyes got adjusted.
I find him laying on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, and looking incredibly depressed.
"She thinks I'm disappointing… useless… I don't stand a chance… She'll never love me…" he mutters quietly to himself.
"Lead!" I raise my voice to grab his attention since he hasn't even noticed me yet even though I'm right in front of him.
"Oh… OH, Iruma, you're back! What happened with Clarin? Why'd she whisk you away?"
"Um…"
I don't even know where to start.
"Let's just say… demon girls are scary."
I still can't get both of their smiles outta my mind…
Lead stares blankly at me for a few seconds.
"Ya didn't figure that out earlier by having Rimuru as your sister? C'mon, man."
"Haha, I guess you're right." All I can do is laugh that off since I don't have a better answer to it. "This was a different kinda scary, though."
"Hm, tell me 'bout it tomorrow. Now that you're back, let's turn in for the night. You look exhausted."
Lead looks even more haggard than me, with his puffy red eyes that look like he was crying. I hope he didn't need to fight off any big beasts by himself while I was gone. He doesn't look injured, at least.
"Yeah, and you do too."
"What? Me? No, I'm fine." Lead grins to try to hide it, but I still think he's lying. Obviously, something happened to him while I was gone, but we can talk about it tomorrow after I get some sleep.