A Reincarnated Slime and A Stray Dog

Suicidal's Masterplan

--- Third Person's POV ---

"How unusual... For you to accept my invitation, are you sure you're okay, Shizu-sensei?" Dazai asked the masked hero who calmly sips through her tea under her mask.

It was a place where you'd call a café.

They got quite the stares for the fact that the B-ranked suicidal adventurer and the conquered of flames sit down together to enjoy some tea.

"I suppose having tea with an acquaintance will not hurt? Isn't that right, Dazai-san? And please don't call me 'Sensei' outside." The masked hero stated.

 "Well whatever, so do you need anything else, aside from shocking my fragile heart with your sudden kindness~?! Are you planning to make my heart melt before instantly giving me a cold shoulder to torture the little old poor me~?! Oh! How evil! Demon!" The suicidal seems to have plastered crocodile tears on his face, comically accusing the hero of tyranny.

"You're the demon..." Shizue Izawa reacted flatly under her masked. But brushing off the previous deadpanned face she had, she sterned her voice further.

"Dazai-san... I want to ask your help once more---" She stopped her mouth from saying those words. She understood clearly that her mask was the only reason why the demon in front of her accepted to live as a human in society. At least that's what her disciple, Yuuki said.

Of course, that doesn't mean she isn't curious either.

The hero who saved her in the past gave it to her to control Ifrit's power.

But who made it?

Why does she have it?

And how did it suppress ifrit's power?

As to why the primordial of black himself was very intrigued by an item of her possession?

It just created a huge question inside her head.

Shizu looked at the demon-turned-suicidal human who had a calm smile on his face.

"What is it? Do you need help? You can always count on me." A smile as if it were meant to be shown to a friend.

Why does he show such a face in front of her? ---Was what she thought.

"Are you... really going to help me? without any payments?" (Shizu)

"Well, not exactly. I would help you, but I'll try to gain profits for everything that I do. Of course, I can at least hold back if it's a friend like you. I'll make sure not to make you uncomfortable or do something to gain your distrust." That's what he said, but...

"...Nevermind. It's not really a big deal." Shizue ended her thoughts at that.

But the smile on Dazai's face faded. "I see..."

They then spend some more time together in tea and confectionaries inside the cafe.

But there was this feeling that Shizue can't get off her chest.

The weird feeling when Dazai's eyes that were looking at her lost their sparks as if he was disappointed as if he knows something but decided to leave it.

In truth, however... "Let's meet up again once in a while, my treat of course." The man full of bandages already knew what she wanted to say.

"Can you help me control Ifrit?" ---That was the sentence that would've been spouted by the conqueror of flames if she had not brushed it off.

"I'm a bit disappointed for not being able to meet your expectations, but let's meet again... Shizu-san." Thus, his words gained the Champion's attention for a while.