The shadow of a god

Chapter 7: Hell week

"You took a cab with those? I was planning on picking you up." Jin-woo looked at Jin-ho who had a heap of stuff with him.
"Brother is the one helping me, so I should be the one to come over. Let's depart!"

The three got in the car.
"Let's pick someone up on the way there," Rimuru told Jin-ho who was driving.
"Huh? Who?"
Rimuru called the kid on the phone,
"Song-yi, come out. I'll give you a lift."
"Ah, Song-yi! The filler member!" Jin-ho remembered.
Rimuru nodded as a yes.

"We've arrived, sister." Jin-ho looked back at Rimuru's seat.
"Do I have to start calling Song-yi sister as well, sister?!"
"The fuck are you talking about? She's just Jin-woo's sister's friend!" They pinched Jin-ho's cheeks.

Song-yi was standing at the door of her building.
"Good morning, brother and sister," she greeted them and got in the car.
"Ah, good morning raid captain!"

"Did you get some sleep last night?" Jin-woo asked.
"I was unable to sleep."
"You must be tired, rest in the car. You can lean on my shoulder," Rimuru told her.
"How about you two?"
"Just a quick nap. It was already 4am when I got home, so I assume the same is for Rimuru." She nodded.

"Uhm.. Sister, brother.." Jin-ho had a dark expression.
"Han Song-yi is a minor..!"
"And?" The two were clueless.
"W-Well.. I didn't have any doubts about you two, but to include her.. I didn't even know you were into that.. and sh-she's a minor!"
The two tilted their heads.
"Never mind.." He drove off.

.....

Jin-woo was busy defeating the monsters as usual in the dungeon, but something about today was different. At least to Jin-ho.
"B-Brother.. what are those?!" He screamed.
Ah, it was the shadow soldiers.
"It's my skill."
"Pretty cool, isn't it!" Rimuru was cheery.
"You can summon these guys?!"
"It's a bit too complicated to explain.. but it's convenient. They can hunt for me."

Jin-ho looked towards Rimuru and saw her killing a monster with one hit.
He looked so hopeless.
"Can I at least collect the magic crystals?"
"Why?"
"I feel like I have lost my place." He was on the verge of tears.
Rimuru laughed and scruffled his hair.
"You're so cute, Jin-ho!" Her laughter continued while she kept pinching his cheeks.

Jin-ho puffed his cheeks and began to collect the magic crystals, being helped by Jin-woo's shadow soldiers.

The next day, the promise with Jin-ho to clear 19 raids has finished.

『.....』

"And with this, everything is over," Rimuru said.
"I really am sorry guys. I wanted to take you guys somewhere luxurious for our last time.."
"Are you kidding?! I love this!" Rimuru's mouth kept getting stuffed with all sorts of food from the table.
What a glutton..
Jin-woo laughed at the sight.

"What do you plan on doing from now on?" He asked Jin-ho.
"I can get my guild master license as soon as I finish a simple paper exam from the association. Then I'll go and have a talk with my father regarding the license."
Jin-ho stared at the two.
"What will you two do now?"

Jin-woo looked at the key in his hand and Rimuru drifted into thought.
"I will be out of contact for a while." Jin-woo said, surprising Rimuru.
Jin-ho burst into tears.
"If I'm a bother to you two, please let me know. I won't bother you two anymore." He took a shot of soju right after saying that.

To Rimuru, Jin-ho was just like Jin-ah. He let Rimuru feel how it was to have a younger brother.
"What do you think of us, Jin-ho?" Rimuru ruffled his hair.
"I have a brother that is 10 years older than me. He doesn't like me so we don't spend a lot of time together.
By comparison, sister and brother are people who have saved my life and helped me with my problem..
So, brother is more like a brother than my real brother and sister is the sister I always wanted to have."
"If that's how you think of me, then I shall consider you as my younger brother." Jin-woo clanged his shot of soju with Jin-ho.
"So shall I." Rimuru joined in.

Jin-ho's eyes were flooded with tears.
"Y-You guys! C-Can I hug you two?" He sniffled.
Rimuru opened her arms and let the kid embrace her as tight as he possibly could.
Jin-woo was too busy focusing on the news that was broadcasted on the tv.