Rimuru and Iruma's Adventures in the Netherworld

Iruma's Other Side

Punctuation Key:

"Spoken dialogue"

'Quoting'

*Action*

Emphasis

Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel

[[Ciel talking]]

{{Thought Communication}}

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Sullivan POV

It's like any other peaceful morning, I wake up to have some Hell-Grey tea, and enjoy the sunshine, but something is off. Iruma did not come downstairs at the time he usually does. I bought him an alarm clock a long time ago, so there's no reason for him not to be downstairs already. Rimuru should be down soon as well, but she told me last night that she was sleeping for the first time this week so I don't blame her for sleeping in a little. I know Rimuru claims not to need sleep, but after spending all that time trying to find the culprit in that case involving Miss Azazel, I could tell she was quite worn out mentally.

Iruma, on the other hand, has never overslept. So, I decided to go wake him, since I don't want my precious grandson to be late for school or have to rush when getting ready. Opera follows me to his bedroom, also concerned about the boy.

I open the door to his bedroom, with Opera standing at my side.

"Good morning my precious nugget grandson! It's time for breakfast!" I call out cheerfully to Iruma, who still seems sound asleep in his bed.

There's a moment with no response before Iruma groans reluctantly.

"Shush!" he grumbles, catching me off-guard.

"Wha-?"

"Ugh...you heard me...you're so loud you old geezer, I said shut it!" Iruma snarls at me, his normally warm, friendly blue eyes glaring at me coldly.

I'm so startled by this that I end up dropping my cup of tea, causing it to shatter and spill all over the floor at my feet.

I look at Opera, not sure if what I heard actually came out of my grandson's mouth.

Maybe I was just hearing things? There's no way my Iruma would say something like that to me!

Much to my dismay, Opera looks just as shocked as I do, in his own way of course. He's not the most expressive demon, but I know how to read him well and I can tell he's completely shaken by what just happened.

Iruma stands up and shoves past the both of us standing in the doorway since we're both frozen in surprise right now. I don't even try to stop the boy, instead, I'm focusing on the storm of emotions I'm feeling right now.

What happened to him?! He was fine just last night, how could he possibly end up like this?! What should I do?!

"Calm down, Lord Sullivan," Opera says, placing one hand on my shoulder.

"B-but...wh-what happened to h-him?!"

"I do not know, but we must figure it out. Perhaps Rimuru has some insight...as reluctant as I am to ask her..."

"Y-yes, Rimuru! She might know!" I say, realizing what I need to do.

Even if she doesn't, she's immensely powerful so maybe she can figure out what has happened!

So, I rush across the hallway to Rimuru's bedroom, almost certain that she will be able to help in some way.

I swing the door open hard, accidentally causing it to slam against the wall. Looking inside, I see something I didn't expect. All of the blankets on Rimuru's bed are rolled up tightly (burrito-style) and in the center of the roll is Rimuru. She's in 'tiny form', from the looks of it, much like when I first met her. Looking immensely comfy and relaxed, her little head is sticking out with her mouth slightly open and eyes closed, her long hair spread wildly across the pillows. The door-slamming didn't wake her up somehow and she's still fully asleep.

I still don't understand how a Demon Lord can be so incredibly cute!

The peaceful, adorable sight immediately calms me a little and I feel a bit hesitant to wake Rimuru up when she's like this.

Opera, on the other hand, looks more worked up, his 'cat-ears' completely laid back on his head and appearing to not want to even enter the room.

"I-I will go g-get breakfast for Master Iruma while you handle...this."

He says, backing away from the doorway before quickly walking away.

I'm confused for a moment until I remember that this was the form Rimuru took when she inadvertently scared Opera so badly. Seeing her appearance when like this must be bringing back memories of that incident.

I approach the still-sleeping mini-Rimuru and gently pat her on the head to try to wake her nicely, despite the panic I'm still feeling about Iruma. Rimuru doesn't stir at all when I do this, though, so I need to be a little more aggressive, I suppose.

"Rimuru, wake up! I need you!" I say, not too loudly, but loudly enough that it should wake her. Yet, I get no response to this either.

She must really be out like a light...

With no other choice, I unroll the blanket and Rimuru flops out onto the bed without waking. She's still fully asleep, now laying flat on top of the blanket and acting like I haven't done anything at all to try to wake her.

How in the Netherworld's three rank Yodhs does she sleep through all of this?!

So, I pick her up off of the bed by her sides, holding her tiny body out in front of me. Her head slumps to the side, limp along with the rest of her body.

"Rimuru, my granddaughter! Please wake up! I need your help!" I plead as I gently shake her to no avail. I start to get seriously worried about her, on top of Iruma and tears start to flow from my eyes.

"P-please! S-something is wrong with Iruma!" I sob.

This goes on for another minute or so before I finally get a response.

Rimuru POV

I snap awake to the sensation of being shaken.

Unlike when I was human, waking up for me is more like my metaphorical switch being flipped from the 'off' position to 'on'. No grogginess or slow return to consciousness is involved in the process, otherwise, I'd be quite confused and disoriented right now.

Looking around, I notice that I'm being held by someone. It's Sullivan; he's picked me up and is shaking me to try to get me up.

Wait...picked me up?!

Looking down, I see tiny legs suspended above the ground and upon further inspection, it seems like I'm in 5-year-old-form again.

Why am I tiny right now?

[[While you were unconscious, I took the liberty of making you as comfortable as possible so you could get a perfectly restful sleep. You were also bundled in a blanket until you were rudely removed from it by Sullivan.]]

Ooooh...but based on his expression, I think he had a good reason. It looks like he's very upset about something.

"Sullivan?! Is something wrong?" I hurriedly ask, staring at the old man that just frantically shook me awake.

His face is wet with tears and he's wearing a desperate expression.

Something is very wrong.

He immediately pulls me into a tight hug and sits on the bed, clinging to me like I'm some sort of stuffed animal.

"I...th-there's...Iruma...h-he's...wrong...h-help!" Sullivan sputters out a nearly-incoherent blubbering mess of words while squeezing me.

"Whoa, whoa! You're not making any sense! Slow down and take a few breaths first so I can understand you!" I say, not fighting the hug. He seems like he needs it and I've been squeezed much harder than this in the past, so I'm used to it.

Sullivan continues sobbing and shakily forcing out words that are extremely hard to understand, leaving me dumbfounded. Thankfully, Opera quickly steps inside as well, appearing to be much calmer than Sullivan. But I can tell he's upset since his normally perky 'cat ears' are tilted to the sides, something I've noticed them do when Opera is either scared or upset. It's a nice indicator since his face normally shows little-to-no emotion most of the time.

Opera also seems to be avoiding looking at me again, but I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because I'm smaller right now? I guess that might be reminding him of that mistake Ciel made soon after meeting him.

"H-he was perfect just y-yesterday!...a-and n-now..." Sullivan continues to try to explain in vain, sobbing continuously, still hugging me while I'm seated on his lap.

"Something has affected Master Iruma. Lord Sullivan was hoping you would be able to determine exactly what and possibly fix it with your 'Demon Lord powers'." Opera says in a voice as calm as his face, despite the stress and apprehension I can tell he's feeling. He grimaced slightly as he spoke the last few words as if they were sour in his mouth. He's clearly still scared of me and my abilities and doesn't enjoy thinking about the subject of them.

In this specific instance, though, I believe Opera's mood likely has to do with whatever's going on with Iruma more than me.

"What do you mean by 'affected'?" I ask cautiously, starting to get seriously worried.

I gently fight my way out of the old man's arms and hop to the floor before reforming into teenage size.

"It would be best if you just saw for yourself," Opera responds, patting the still blubbering mess of an old man sitting nearby on the shoulder comfortingly.

I nod and follow the pair downstairs, feeling apprehensive. As far as I can tell from here, Iruma seems perfectly healthy and fine, but if something weird has happened to him Ciel will have to perform an analysis for me to find out what's going on.

Iruma is sitting at the dining room table, picking at his food with an annoyed look on his face. He almost looks like he's scowling; an expression I don't remember ever seeing him use.

Not looking up from the newspaper he seems to be idly reading as he eats, he lifts his empty plate in the air, jutting it toward Opera.

"More." He demands rudely.

Opera approaches him, shaking slightly and appearing to be scared, but still does his job and takes the plate from Iruma.

What the hell?!

This is nothing like the Iruma I know; he's never this rude or disrespectful toward anyone, even Opera who's technically a servant. No wonder Sullivan is freaking out!

I sit across from him, dumbfounded. Iruma doesn't seem to notice my arrival and simply continues reading. It's normal for him to greet me cheerfully most days, so this is also something abnormal.

"Ugh, these articles suck!" Iruma complains, slapping the paper onto the table in frustration. This causes both Opera and Sullivan to flinch, the latter of which is still trying to hold back tears. This isn't a normal teenage mood swing, this is something more serious.

Having seen enough to know something is very wrong, I decide it's time for the analysis I'd suspected Ciel would need to do.

Ciel!

[[...yes, Master?]]

There was a slight pause before she responded, which is unusual.

Uh...why the slight hesitation?

[[I must inform you of a certain development, Master.]]

Not right now, first I need you to figure out why Iruma is acting like a brat!

[[What I need to tell you is related to that.]]

It is? Oh, go ahead then.

[[The boy's current condition is the result of a spell that Alikred failed to perform properly. I assure you that he will be back to his normal state in due time. For a few days, though, Iruma's personality will not be the same as what is normal for him.]]

Wait for a second...weren't you working on something with that guy last night? Was this what you were doing?!

[[That is correct.]]

But, Ciel! You know exactly how I feel about mental magic! Why would you allow him to do something like this to Iruma?!

[[The boy showed interest in it, so with his given consent, I decided to proceed. You also expressed that you wanted Iruma to possess more confidence and I believed this was a more effective method than you initially used.]]

When I said that, I didn't mean I wanted to have magic used on him to make it happen! What exactly happened, Ciel, I want to know.

[[I collaborated with Alikred and together we created a hybrid spell sourced from the type of magic used in the Netherworld as well as the Cardinal World. Alikred, though, managed to fail to control the spell correctly and it resulted in it being too strong. That fool insisted on being the one to perform the last step and I thought it would be an intriguing thing to witness, so I allowed it. Afterward, I made sure to punish him heavily for that mistake, I assure you, Master.]]

"Oh, you're finally up, huh?" Iruma mutters, finally seeming to notice my presence.

"'Finally'?" I ask, a little annoyed with the way he asked me that.

"You're usually awake first."

"I decided to actually sleep last night."

"Whatever."

I feel one of my eyes twitch; I'm starting to get irritated with how rude Iruma's being with me right now.

Ciel, can you fix this?

[[The data sourced from allowing this to play out would be-]]

I don't want to experiment on Iruma!

[[Master, please be patient. I suspect the consequences of permitting this to play out would be minimal!]]

I don't like this at all...

[[Also, as I said before, Iruma was for the idea so I do not see any issue in not removing the spell.]]

Did he really give you his consent?

[[He expressed interest in the type of magic used on Ameri Azazel as well as showing insecurity about his level of boldness.]]

That's not how consent works Ciel...

[[With the data from this as well as previously collected from Ameri Azazel's spell I should be able to properly defend both you and Iruma from any future mental attacks using Netherworld magic as well as remove it without issue.]]

Are you saying I'm susceptible to that kind of stuff here? I thought you could defend me from mind-influencing skills and spells of any kind!

[[Due to my incomplete understanding of Netherworld magic, the odds of my Master being affected by such a thing here are more than 0%. Because of this, I have deemed it necessary to remedy the situation.]]

...Are you sure Iruma will be alright? I'm concerned...

[[The boy will be back to normal within a few days, maybe a week at most, Master. This may even be a positive experience for him, so do not worry yourself. The spell is only intended to be temporary.]]

I'm hesitant to allow this. I mean, a personality-altering spell being used on Iruma? Why would I be okay with that?!

Has his judgment been affected?

[[Outside of possible reduced inhibitions, no.]]

I'll ask him directly, then. If he wants the spell removed, we will dispel it.

[[...Yes, of course, Master.]]

Back to reality, no longer using thought acceleration as I was a moment ago while talking with Ciel, I decide to talk with Iruma.

"Could you two leave the room? I'll talk with you in a moment; I have to ask Iruma something in private." I say to the two demons and watch as

Opera ushers a mopey Sullivan out of the room.

"Iruma," I say in a serious tone to grab his attention since he doesn't seem to care much about me saying I wanted to talk with him.

"What do you want?" he asks, not-so-nicely.

"Are you feeling alright?" I ask in a concerned tone.

"What are you talking about? I feel fine, great actually!" Iruma insists, smirking a bit at the end.

"You do?" I question, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"Yeah, I woke up feeling...different, but in a good way!" Iruma declares, madly grinning. A much different grin than usual, though, one brimming with confidence.

"Mhmm..." I hum, skeptical of his words.

"Why're you giving me a look like that, Rimuru?!" Iruma asks loudly, apparently not liking the doubtful frown I was giving him.

"You're acting strangely, that's all. Grandpa's upset and Opera's staring at you in the same way he does at me, all scared and stuff." I explain.

"Pfft...I don't know why!" he says, laughing off the concerns of his family members.

"Well, you're acting bolder than normal and they probably find it off-putting...I know I do." I continue explaining.

"What, you don't like that I'm not as nervous as before? I feel like I can take on the world right now! Like nothing's holding me back and I can do and say what I want! I thought you wanted me to gain some confidence, then here I suddenly get some and you're complaining?!" He asks, slamming both of his hands on the table, causing the dishes resting on it to rattle and his glass of juice to nearly tip over.

"I'm not complaining, I'm just concerned," I respond calmly.

"Don't be!" Iruma insists.

I sigh, starting to get fed up with his attitude. I need to be the calm, mature adult in the room though, so I maintain my cool.

"Hmm...you do realize why you're feeling like this, right?" I ask.

Iruma stops and thinks for a moment.

"Ali was talking about helping me last night, but I don't remember anything happening after that. I went to sleep and when I woke up I felt like this!" he explains.

"It's magic, Iruma. You're being affected by a spell just like Ameri was, except yours seems to be pulling your personality in the other direction," I reveal to him.

Iruma's eyes light up with realization and a wide smile peels across his face.

"Magic? Cool!" Iruma says, looking oddly pleased and possibly excited. "Does that mean it'll wear off, though?" he asks, not as happy as a moment ago.

"Yes, it'll wear off," I reply.

"Damn..." Iruma mutters through gritted teeth, looking downward and sounding disappointed.

"I was actually planning on removing the magic right away since I'm worried about you," I say, causing Iruma's face to immediately contorts with anger.

"Don't!" he shouts, now glaring at me sharply.

"Why shouldn't I? You're not yourself right now, Iruma." I say, still keeping my calm exterior.

"Because...I don't want you to! It's my body and mind so leave it alone!" he says quickly, trying to justify to me why I shouldn't remove the spell.

"Fine. Don't make me regret this, though. I don't want you to get hurt, you know this already." I say, finishing the interaction. I don't like it, but if he chooses to wait out the spell, I'll let him. That doesn't mean I won't keep an even closer eye on him in the meantime, of course. I still need to do my job after all. I activate Universal Perception and set Iruma as a subject of interest, allowing me to constantly monitor what happens to and around him.

Now for something that's arguably worse; the explanation to Sullivan and Opera. I don't think I should tell them I'm indirectly responsible for this since Ciel is technically a part of me. Things should turn out fine with my supervision, so telling a little lie to keep the two men calm might be a better move. I don't feel great about it, but I think it's for the best.

So, stepping outside, I find Sullivan sniffling, still worked up from the situation but no longer outright bawling, and Opera continuing to try to comfort Sullivan the best he can, holding several boxes of tissues in one hand and a bowl of tears in the other.

Both turn their heads toward me with eyes full of expectation.

"I think I know what's going on with Iruma," I say, causing both to sigh with relief.

"Please explain!" Sullivan pleads.

"You don't know a ton about human teens, do you?" I ask.

"I suppose I don't..." Sullivan mutters, looking disappointed in himself.

"You don't need to feel bad, you probably know more about humans than most demons here. Here, let me explain. They sometimes go through a bit of a rebellious phase when around Iruma's age. I think that's all this is, so nothing to worry about." I say, lying through my teeth. I do feel bad lying to him, but I think he'll be happier believing this.

"Oh, is that so? Does it normally happen this suddenly?" Sullivan asks, raising his eyebrows with surprise.

"Uhh...yeah, I guess so. No matter what, I'm sure Iruma will be back to his old self soon!" I say reassuringly, giving him a confident smile.

This seems to ease his nerves some, as well as calm down Opera a little too, but the latter especially, is still on edge, I can tell.

After eating, Iruma and I step outside to walk to Babyls as we usually do. Also, as usual, Azz and Clara are already waiting at the gate, their eyes lighting up when they see the two of us.

"Master Iruma! Rimuru!" Azz exclaims.

"Riri! Iruma-chi!" Clara shouts, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Good morning to you both. We have come to pick you u-" Azz continues as Iruma and I walk up to them both but stops when something unexpected happens; Iruma holds out his bag to Azz, wanting him to carry it.

Azz always wants to carry our bags for us, but we almost always refuse. I always have people doing stuff like that for me back home so since I'm trying to get away from all of that, I don't want him to 'serve' me in that way. Iruma, on the other hand, is uncomfortable with having someone do stuff for him like that in general. He's allowed it a few times to make Azz happy, but Iruma never looks pleased about it.

This time, though, he's not only allowing Azz to carry his bag, he's asking for it!

Azz takes Iruma's bag and cradles it in his hands, staring down at it with amazement and surprise.

"You wanted to carry that, right?" Iruma asks in an arrogant tone. "It's all yours!"

It takes a moment for Azz to process this since Iruma has never just handed his bag to him. Normally Azz has to ask to carry it and Iruma usually declines, only giving in occasionally to make him happy. As soon as Azz figures out that Iruma's giving him his bag unprompted, his eyes light up and he smiles. It's the same expression Diablo makes any time I ask him to do something for me that he wasn't expecting me to.

"He handed it to me! And it's the first time he's done that without me asking! Fortune has favored me this day!" Azz exclaims dramatically, hugging the bag to his chest.

After sending Azz into a daze, Iruma moves on to Clara.

"Yo. Cheerful as ever, I see?" he asks, getting closer to the girl.

"Mmhm! And I'll be cheerful tomorrow and forever!" Clara chirps happily, throwing her arms in the air with excitement.

Iruma then steps even closer and places his hand on her head, leaning in so their faces are only inches apart.

"Just as you should be, Clara." He says smoothly, causing Clara to freeze.

She's left blushing, her arms still straight up above her head as Iruma backs away.

I'm left speechless from watching this scene unfold.

What in the...why is he acting like some kind of playboy?!

The worst part is that I don't even think the kid is aware of what he's doing!

"U-uh...okay!" Clara stutters, still flustered and holding the spot Iruma touched with both of her hands.

"Well...we should get walki-" I start to say.

"Hey gramps, my carriage," Iruma says with a wave of his hand.

Sullivan appears out of seemingly nowhere.

"As you wish." He responds.

I thought he was inside the mansion still? I guess I got so distracted that I didn't notice him coming up behind us.

"It's a bit chilly today, so I made sure the seats were all warmed up for you!" Sullivan says cheerfully, holding the door open for us to step inside.

"Thanks, old man," Iruma responds bluntly, not sounding very appreciative.

"Iruma-chi seems different today...like maybe sorta edgier I guess, kinda?" Clara questions curiously.

"Could this mean...do you think he's...?" Azz mutters, still clinging to Iruma's bag like his life depends on not dropping it.

"Riri, do you know why?" Clara asks me.

I do, but I'm not gonna tell you kid; sorry.

"You should ask him, not me. It's not my place to say." I respond with a shrug.

"Oh..." Clara mumbles, looking down at her feet with disappointment.

"I see..." Azz mutters, also let down by my lack of an answer.

These two seem to have an idea of what's going on so if they want to make assumptions, I'll let them. I can't use the same excuse I did with Sullivan and Opera so letting them fill in the blanks themselves is for the best. Plus, I'm still a little annoyed with them since they stole my thunder yesterday. I'll try not to hold it against them since they didn't do it on purpose, but it's still a sore subject for me right now.

"You comin'?" Iruma asks from inside the carriage.

"Yes, right away!" Azz replies before he and Clara start jogging quickly to the carriage.

I sigh, then start walking to it myself, not bothering to rush very much.

It's nice using this carriage again for once since Iruma rarely wants to, but I wouldn't say this trip was particularly comfortable.

The ride to Babyls was uncomfortably quiet, with both of the other kids staring at Iruma, seemingly trying to muster up the courage to ask him why he's so different today. I want them to ask, too, since I'm curious if he'll lie to them or not. Iruma is a bad liar, but with how he is right now, that might not be the case.

Iruma takes the liberty of stepping out first, sauntering with both hands in the pockets of his school uniform jacket.

As I follow, I see that the carriage once again grabbed most of the students' attention and we're being stared at by most of them who happen to be standing nearby.

"Good morning, Iruma!" A girl calls out cheerfully, waving at him.

Iruma smiles as he looks at her and gives her a small wave back. A very smooth, cool gesture, one that causes the girl, her friends, and the rest of the crowd to gasp.

Many of the girls seem enamored by Iruma's sudden 'coolness' and I'm left confused about what's getting them worked up so much.

Sheesh...it was just a wave! Why are they all acting like it's something special?

I admit that it was much different from the way he usually greets people, but still, it was just a wave! I guess I have nowhere to talk since I'd probably get a similar reaction back home if I did something like that.

Iruma seems completely unaware of how much people are getting worked up by his simple gestures. Many look like they're getting seduced by him just smiling at them!

This is getting out of hand...

[[Master, you are guilty of the same thing. Why are you so troubled by this?]]

Ugh, don't make me think about it! It's not like it's on purpose!

[[That is the same for this situation as well.]]

Fine...you win. I'm being reminded of how I'm treated in Tempest, though...

"Let's hurry to class, we don't want to be late." I urge Iruma to stop him from making even more of a mess than he already has.

"Fine," Iruma responds, slightly picking up his pace.

Even though I showed concern about being late, we still ended up getting to the misfits' classroom early. Iruma sits down at his table and puts his feet up onto it and starts messing around on his phone.

Azz starts to give him a shoulder massage while Clara seems to be trying to grab his attention, but he's completely ignoring her.

"Alice; tea," Iruma demands bluntly.

"Ali-?! Um, okay!" Azz jumps shocked that Iruma didn't call him by his usual nickname.

He quickly releases Iruma's shoulders and rushes out of the classroom to go fetch what Iruma 'asked' for.

I'm starting to get irritated by how rude he's being with his 'subordinates', and by those, I mean Azz and Opera. I make sure to treat mine with proper respect and I think that's important. I'll have to say something.

"Iruma," I say sternly.

"What?" he asks, not bothering to even look up from his phone while speaking to me.

"Cut that out, it's not cool to treat Azz like that," I say seriously.

"What d'you mean? He wants to be my servant so I'm treating him like one. Heh, I think he actually enjoys me bossing him around!" Iruma replies with an ego-filled grin.

"That doesn't mean you have to treat him the way you just did. Show him a little respect, okay?" I say, imploring him to not be such an asshole. I lean in closer and whisper so only he can hear me. "Remember how I treated my subordinates in Tempest? Use that as an example."

"Tch, fine. I'll consider it." Iruma snaps, shifting his chair to put some distance between us. I think I saw a little eye-roll from him too, but I'll pretend I didn't.

I keep my calm exterior and back off. He's really starting to test my patience at this point, but I'll just have to deal with it.

Many of our classmates seem dumbfounded by the way Iruma is acting, whispering to each other and questioning if it's really him or not.

One, in particular, seems thrilled by the change though; Sabnock.

"His power, his unshakeable presence! He's a new demon! Well done, my rival!" he shouts, a large smile on his face.

"Uhh...Clarin?" Lead calls Clara over, calling her by the nickname he always uses for her.

Clara skips over to him quickly.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asks in a whisper, but I can still hear him easily.

"Well, uh..." she responds, unsure herself.

"There is no doubt; Master Iruma has just entered his evil cycle!" Azz says, having returned with the tea Iruma demanded.

So that's the reason he was thinking up earlier. I've heard about that little quirk of Netherworld demons.

[[Yes, it is a phenomenon that is triggered by stress. This period results in heightened sadistic behavior and violence. Its common symptoms are quite similar to the effects of the spell currently influencing Iruma.]]

Thanks for the explanation, Ciel, but I do remember learning about this.

"But if that's the case, shouldn't Rimuru be undergoing hers as well? They are twins, after all." Azz ponders, now staring at me with a questioning expression.

Wait, what? I guess that must be a thing... I'll have to play along at least a little to keep up appearances.

"And what if I am?" I ask darkly, playfully giving them an evil smirk.

A few of them flinch at this.

"...I-I guess she is after all...it's harder to tell with Rimuru when compared to her twin brother..."

"With Rimuru, it always feels like she's in her evil cycle, so no wonder you're having a hard time telling if even I can't," Iruma says simply.

That's a bit rude, but okay.

Brushing aside the subtle rudeness in Iruma's comment, I get a brilliant idea.

"If it's so confusing for everyone, then how about I make it more obvious?" I say, chuckling softly as I stand up.

With a spin and flourish, I was in my demon lord outfit; menacing and dramatic, black as the void, and most of all...comfy! Much more comfortable than what I was wearing before, so how can I not take advantage of this perfect opportunity to wear one of my favorite outfits?

Most of my classmates seem impressed by my little display. Iruma, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes at me for showing off. I was just having a little fun so I don't know why he needs to be such a downer, even when his personality's been altered.

The group of gossipers stands there, whispering to each other about both me and Iruma about our supposed evil cycles, but soon are interrupted by one of the subjects of their conversation.

"Clara, I'm cold. Come here." Iruma commands, patting his lap.

This, of course, results in more gasping from the onlookers and myself.

Clara looks completely flustered by the demand and is blushing, but still approaches him with only some hesitation.

"Sooo...uhhh..." she mumbles, fidgeting while standing next to Iruma, but this doesn't last long because he quickly and aggressively grabs her wrist and pulls her toward him.

Are you serious?!

Now sitting on Iruma's lap, Clara whimpers with embarrassment as he pats her head with one hand, still using his phone with the other. Her face is bright red and she's not moving an inch, not knowing what to do in such a risque situation.

"Is this really happening?!" Lead shouts.

"This is...this is a scenario I've always dreamed about!" Camui screeches, looking like he's about to explode from witnessing this.

"The hell's with you guys?! This isn't a show!" Iruma says, glaring at the group with annoyance.

"Sorry, but it clearly is." Jazz retorts.

I, on the other hand, am silently getting more and more pissed off by all of this. But I'm running out of patience right now.

"Come here," I say sternly from the corner of the room.

"Huh?"

"I said...come here, Iruma!"

"No, I'm comfortable right now. If you want to talk, you can come to me."

"You little..." I grumble through gritted teeth. "I'm being serious right now! We need to talk so get your ass over here!"

"Heh...you look cute when you're angry. Did you know that?" Iruma asks with a shit-eating grin on his face.

My anger overflows from burning heated anger to cold, repressed fury.

I march up to Iruma and Clara hops off of his lap, realizing that she needs to get out of the way without me needing to do anything.

Without another word, I grab Iruma by the collar of his shirt and force him to his feet.

"Hey, what gives! Let me go!" he complains, but I ignore him.

I stare him in the eyes, fed up with his nonsense and the arrogance drops from his expression as the fear sets in. I can be scary when I want to be, I know this, and my tactics seem to be working right now. I don't like resorting to this, but I need to shut down his rebelliousness immediately.

Then, in a motion quicker than he can react to even with his incredible reflexes, I reach behind and scoop Iruma up into my arms princess-style. If I simply pulled him out of the classroom by his arm, he might get hurt and I don't want that. He kicks and screams as he tries to resist his capture, flailing his arms and legs as he struggles to escape, but I don't give him even an ounce of leniency. I make sure he doesn't hit any objects in the room either as I make my way outside.

"Wait, no! Rimuru, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay! Let me go! I didn't mean it!" Iruma pleads desperately, but it's too late. This spell is too powerful for his ego.

"Even in his evil cycle, Iruma still can't win against his sister!" Lead laughs, watching the whole mess along with the rest of the class. "I guess Rimuru's in hers too, but still!"

"Yeah, Rimuru's a tough one, that's for sure, in her evil cycle or not. And I had thought for a moment Iruma had her good too..." Jazz mutters, also laughing a little alongside his friend.

Once we're outside in the hallway, I enclose us both in a sound-muffling barrier so Iruma can't escape. Nobody should be able to hear us either with it in place.

"I understand you're feeling like hot shit right now, but I'm not going to allow you to act like that. I'm removing the spell; I've had enough."

"Don't! I said I'm sorry!" he pleads, his ego-filled eyes filled with panic.

I stare at him for a moment and decide that he's being honest. Even though he's not like himself right now, I can tell that some genuine remorse is buried in Iruma's demeanor.

I fold my arms and sigh, trying to dispel some of the frustration I'm feeling.

"You get one more chance. Keep yourself in check or I will. Do you understand?"

"I understand...just...let me enjoy this feeling while I can. I've never felt so free before, you know?"

"Sure. No more plopping unwilling girls on your lap, though. That was too much..."

"If she was unwilling, she would've stood up right away!" Iruma protests.

"Clara was too surprised to do anything! Ugh, just show a little restraint, okay?"

"Hmph...fine, I'll try to be more careful." he pouts.

I'm not completely satisfied, but that will have to do for now so I remove the barrier and go to step back into the classroom along with Iruma. But, before we can we're both stopped by someone.

"What do you two imbeciles think you are doing loitering outside of my classroom?!" Kalego asks loudly from down the hallway.

"We were just talking, that's all," I reply calmly.

"Yeah, it's none of your business!" Iruma snarls.

"Shut up!" I quietly scold Iruma, knowing that he's just making this worse.

He frowns at me but doesn't say anything, instead simply turning and entering the classroom without giving Kalego or me a second glance.

I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration, partly regretting giving Iruma a second chance to enjoy the effects of that damned spell.

Kalego seems quite angry and surprised by Iruma's words; he's completely stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide and staring at me.

"Please ignore that..." I say simply to him before entering the classroom myself, but Kalego stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"And as for you, Rimuru; what in the world is that thing you're wearing?"

"Look, it's comfortable and I have permission to wear it, okay? Just let me go to class!" I snapped, not wanting to deal with Kalego's angst as well as Iruma's.

He let me go, and I briskly walked into the classroom. My 'permission' was an outright falsehood, but it wasn't like he was going to check up on that first thing in the morning.

The room is quietly watching both Iruma and me intensely, but I ignore them and take my seat. A different one from normal; the spot directly to the side of Iruma. I get the feeling I'll have to stop him from doing something during class based on how he's been acting. Right now though, he's sitting next to me, peacefully sipping at the tea Azz fetched for him.

Kalego waltzes into the room, still in a huff about Iruma's attitude.

"Silence!" he shouts despite the room already being pin-drop quiet.

"No one's talking..." Iruma quips in a hushed voice, just loud enough that Kalego could hear it in the near-silent room.

Kalego glares at him sharply and Iruma responds by smirking slightly.

Class starts and goes normal for the most part, but Iruma makes lots of small, snide remarks throughout, clearly testing Kalego's patience. It's funny, but for once I refrain from laughing or even smiling at anything I find amusing about it. I don't want to encourage the behavior with how Iruma is right now.

By now, Kalego is pissed, but also very confused. He has no clue why Iruma is the one trying to annoy him today instead of me; that's my best guess.

This hasn't stopped him from taking some of his frustrations out on me. It seems like Kalego's blaming both of us for Iruma's negative behavior, which is very annoying. Iruma seemed to get upset on my behalf multiple times too, which was a little surprising to me.

Near the end of class, Iruma decides to do something particularly disrespectful. While still staring Kalego directly in the eyes, Iruma puts his feet up on his table again and grins. He's testing boundaries, I'm sure of that. It's typical teenage behavior, testing the limits of what's allowed and what's not, but not one I've ever seen Iruma show.

"Put your feet down this instant!" Kalego demands, fed up with Iruma's behavior already.

"And what if I don't?" he asks testingly.

"C'mon, Iruma. Just do it." I say, just wanting to get on with this class. I like messing with Kalego sometimes, but I'm really not feeling it right now.

"Why are you taking his side?!" Iruma asks, surprised by my reaction.

"Because he's had enough already; you're pushing too far," I say.

I've been sitting back and letting him taunt Kalego throughout the class, not giving any input. There were a few times when I thought what he was doing was funny, but I repressed my laughter for the sake of not encouraging this from Iruma.

"You've done worse, Rimuru..." Iruma mutters angrily.

"And? Just because I've fooled around in the past doesn't mean I can't be the voice of reason right now." I casually reply.

"I am still trying to teach a class right now!" Kalego shouts at us.

"Cool it, Kalego. Let us work this out first." I retort, waving off his complaining.

"Yeah, I'm trying to talk with my sister right now!" Iruma adds.

"You both are insufferable..." Kalego snarls through gritted teeth, scowling at both of us.

"Just put your feet back on the floor Iruma; didn't I just tell you to keep yourself in check?" I say, reminding him of what just happened out in the hallway.

"Yeah, you did...but I still don't like the way Professor Kalego always singles us both out! That and the way he treats this class; it's not right!" Iruma complains loudly, shooting Kalego a mean glare.

"It sucks, but this isn't the time and place to complain about it," I respond, trying to calm him down. I agree with him, but this really isn't the best setting to call Kalego out on his nonsense.

"I don't see why not! Everyone here agrees that he's treated us badly from day one!" he says before returning his glare to Kalego. "The way you treat everyone here, especially Rimuru, is unacceptable!"

Is he trying to win me over so I don't remove the spell? Or is it just some of his normal niceness leaking through? Ugh, I can't tell...either way, this is a problem.

"Why should I even listen to your complaints?! I have no obligation to do what you say!" Kalego retorts, growing angrier.

"Oh, you think so? What if I use this?" Iruma asks arrogantly before pointing to a familiar seal sticker on the back of his right hand. "I think you might be a bit more agreeable if I do."

That's it. That's enough. I grab his right wrist with my left hand and yank the sticker off of his hand with my other.

"Hey!" he complains.

"You don't need to go that far," I say calmly, yet firmly.

"But Rimuru, I-" Iruma complains.

"Stop," I say much more forcefully.

Iruma grits his teeth and looks away from me before sighing and giving up.

"Fine...I have a better plan anyway..." Iruma says quietly with a small grin. I spot a mischievous glint in his eyes too, making me curious about what he's going to try next.

"You do? What?" I ask.

"You'll see. For once I'll be the one surprising you Rimuru!" Iruma says with a grin, looking very satisfied with himself.

"I hope you don't mean that in a bad way," I say with a small chuckle.

"I am still teaching! Silence you cretins!" Kalego screams, once again interrupting our conversation.

"Fine, fine...we can talk about this later," I reply, finally giving in. I get it; he has a class to teach.

Iruma rolls his eyes but returns his attention to Kalego's lesson. I do the same, but less reluctantly.

Class finishes soon and everyone ends up leaving as a group. Soon after stepping outside, we hear something strange. The sound of a couple of students up ahead, laughing with each other. It's not typical for other students to come down here unless they're doing one particular thing.

"They're doing it again..." Iruma comments, noticing the voices coming from down the hallway.

"Seems like it," I respond, already knowing exactly what he's referring to.

More students are dumping trash over there; I burnt it last time this happened. It's annoying, but something I can live with. Iruma seems angry about it, though, which isn't usually how he reacts. I know it normally upsets him, but right now it's riling him up badly.

"I'm going to go 'take care of' them," Iruma says with a smile.

"Hey, now! You're not going to attack them, right?!" I question, not sure what he might do with how he's been acting today.

"We'll see." He replies with a wide grin.

"Iruma!" I scold him.

"Oh, fine, I'll stop joking! I'm just going to go give them a piece of my mind now that I have this newfound confidence!" he says, starting to walk toward the sounds we heard.

After a little walking, we come upon the scene of the crime. Two boys chuckling to themselves about making us take care of their garbage for them.

"Hey, looks like the Misfit Class is here!" the first says happily.

"Good! Take care of this crap like you always do!" the second adds, laughing to himself.

"How dare you! Who do you think you're talking to that way!" Azz says, angered by the way these two are speaking to us.

"Yeah, stop acting all tough and take care of your own crap, asshole!" I add, still a little upset from the stuff that happened a few minutes ago.

"Oh! I didn't know Alice Asmodeus was here!" the first says, sounding unsure of himself after noticing the people in our group.

"Rimuru Tempest too! We should leave! C'mon!" the second says, preparing to book it out of here after making eye contact with me.

"Buncha cowards...I didn't even get to say anything to them..." Iruma mutters quietly before looking over at the pile of trash the two left behind, looking displeased and disgusted by it.

"Yikes. Looks like another huge haul..." Jazz complains.

"What's with them?! They act like taking their trash to the actual dump is too much of a hassle!" Lead also complains.

"Yeah, it's very annoying. I'll just burn it again I sup-" I start to say, already preparing to use some black flames, but stop as I see Iruma step forward, grasping his ring to change its setting. "...hey, Iruma? What are you doing?" I ask.

"Taking care of it." He responds bluntly, now holding his right arm out in front of him, palm facing away and fingers spread. It's clear he's about to use magic.

"Fine, I'll let you. Just be careful." I say as I step back to give him some space. Everyone else follows suit after I say this too.

I saw what position he turned his ring to, it was 'Unique', the highest safe setting on the thing. I don't think he needs that much power for this, but whatever. If it gets out of control, I can stop anyone from getting hurt.

"Raffire," Iruma says, smiling as the bags of trash burst into flames, becoming fully engulfed almost immediately. The somewhat dark cave-like area lights up brightly from Iruma's spell, putting on quite a light show for everyone.

All of our classmates watch in awe, Azz, in particular, being amazed and enthralled by Iruma's magic. Sparkling eyes, and wide gaping mouths on everyone as they witness the spectacle. I just give a small smile. I'm not as impressed as the rest of them, but I'm still satisfied with Iruma's progress in magic.

He controlled the magic decently enough. He hasn't dealt with that much fire before and it's nice to see Iruma getting stronger. I'm just hoping he doesn't continue to whip that out on a whim...that would be bad.

"That's grand!" Sabnock says with a satisfied grin as he continues to watch the brightly-burning pile.

"This isn't gonna cut it," Iruma says suddenly, his back still to the rest of us while he faces the result of his magic. "This is my class...my territory!" he declares to the group.

"Ranks mean everything to demons, and this class has some high-ranking ones...and yet they have the nerve to do this! They're clearly mocking us! Even our own teacher doesn't give us the respect we deserve!" Iruma shouts passionately.

He pauses for a moment, seemingly resolving to do something.

"That's it...I'm leaving this crap classroom, for a castle!" he announces loudly, his voice echoing throughout the cave-like hallway.

What the hell does he mean by that?!

I don't seem to be the only one puzzled by all of this; pretty much everyone looks confused, except for Azz, Clara, and Sabnock.

"Master Iruma! You're finally taking over the school!" Azz exclaims as if this situation is a dream come true for him. I don't think I've ever seen him this excited.

"Okay, wait a moment. What do you mean by that Iruma?" I ask sternly.

"Be a little patient, Rimuru." He says with an arrogant smile.

"No...tell me. Is Azz right? Is that what you're planning on doing?" I continue to push.

"Not exactly. I'm just going to get us all what we deserve. Now c'mon, all of you follow me." he says, not answering my question at all before starting to walk away. He waves his arm, gesturing for everyone to follow him.

"Ugh...fine. You better not be doing anything too crazy..." I grumble.

Iruma just laughs at my words, causing me to get more worried about what he's planning to do.

Even though I have a bad feeling about all of this, I follow him along with the rest of the students that just witnessed Iruma's speech. I need to keep supervising him and sticking close is the best way to do that.

A castle, huh? I wonder what he means by that...there aren't any castles around here as far as I know...

Iruma, for whatever reason, removes his jacket and drapes it on his shoulders, much like a cape. It looks cool, I have to admit, but part of me still thinks this is a little silly.

While walking as a group, we hear lots of comments about Iruma being on his evil cycle; I try my best to ignore them. But, at one point, a certain student was saying some very rude things about our class as a whole.

While he's ranting, completely unaware of us being right there, he manages to bump into Iruma's shoulder.

"Ow, hey! Why don't you watch where you're-" he starts to shout before noticing who he's talking to. "Oh wait you're...speak of the devil, it's the Misfit Class!"

"What are they doing in this part of the school?!" his friend asks, surprised.

Many students exclaim about different things: Sabnock's height, Azz's 'handsomeness', Jazz's rank, my Student Council status and my recent verbal steamrolling of Ronove, and finally, the fact that Iruma is leading our group. I guess I'm also in front too, walking at his side, but he's still technically leading us somewhere.

"Shall I dispatch the vermin, Master Iruma?" Azz asks, already having summoned a ball of flames into his hand.

"Nah, don't worry about it..." Iruma says, waving off Azz's potential violence.

"Sorry about bumping into you." He continues, this time addressing the boy that he collided with.

"Oh...it's okay!" the boy replies nervously, still eyeing our group as if we're some kind of scary gang.

Wasn't he just talking smack about us a moment ago? Why the change in attitude?

[[It appears that the demeanor of your group has significantly changed this individual's view of the Misfit Class, which he likely has never met before this point, Master.]]

Then, without much warning, Iruma steps forward in one swift, smooth motion, putting his face inches from the boy's.

"But next time ya have something to say, say it to my face!" Iruma warns ominously.

"I...uh, yes of course sir!" the boy replies quickly, completely backing off.

We all keep walking, leaving the terrified kid behind. Iruma successfully intimidated him without even removing his own hands from his pockets.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long before we stumble across more trouble. Two boys up ahead, out of earshot for the rest of the people with me, are talking about something.

"Man, did you see that hot first-year the other day?" the first boy asks.

"Which one? There are a few girls from that grade that I've had my eye on." The second responds.

"I think her name's Rimuru. Blue hair, golden eyes, a perfect face. She completely smoked Ronove the other day on stage, it was awesome!" the first says excitedly.

"Yeah, she sure looked great up there." The second agrees.

"I'd bet she's a good kisser with that sharp tongue of hers too! Man...what I'd do to land a chick like that!" the first boy adds, looking like he's imagining something.

"Wait...isn't that the class she's a part of? The misfits?" the second asks, pointing to our group of students.

"Yeah, I think that is! This is my chance, I'm gonna go talk to her!" the first says with determination.

"You sure that's a good idea? I've heard rumors she has a boyfriend, and he's built too; a complete beefcake! He'd probably punch your lights out if he discovered you made a move on his girl!" the second points out doubtfully.

"I'll take my chances." The first declares arrogantly.

I, of course, overheard this entire conversation about me. This is annoying, but I've gotten fairly used to it. With how much my patience has already been tested today, I'll have to be extra careful not to lose my cool on him.

The boy saunters up to my group, stopping directly in front of me, bursting with arrogance. He doesn't give anyone else any thought, despite that, I'm with a group of multiple people, including Sabnock, who most find intimidating because of his height.

"Hey!" he says, looking like he's trying his best to sound smooth. "You're Rimuru, right?"

"Yeah. Do you need something?" I ask flatly.

"Well, I'm Elof Blorong, and I'd like to get to know you, Rimuru."

Ugh...

"You do, huh?" I ask, equally as monotone, maintaining an unamused, blank expression.

"Sooo...how 'bout you ditch this flock of losers and hang out with me instead? I'd ~love~ to spend some time with a beautiful girl like you!" he says, leaning in uncomfortably close to my face.

Why do people always do this? It's so irritating...

"Thanks for the offer, but I have to decline."

"Or if you're having doubts, my family is quite wealthy and I could make it...worth your while."

"I'm not interested in you or your mon-"

"What d'you think you're doing to my sister?" Iruma asks angrily, now walking up to the boy invading my personal space.

"Oh, you're her brother...Iruma, if I remember. I was just asking her something, that's all." Elof replies, smiling and trying to act like he's innocent.

"Looks more like you're trying to pressure her. Plus, I think I heard you call me and my friends 'losers' right?" Iruma asks, giving a dark, unsettling glare.

I wonder where he picked that up? I know he's acting differently because of the spell, but he had to pick up a look like that from somewhere...

"Iruma, you don't need to get involved," I order him sternly, not wanting things to get ugly, or possibly have someone get hurt.

"But you are losers; you're called misfits for a reason!" Elof chuckles arrogantly.

"Shut up!" Iruma shouts, stepping even closer to Elof in an aggressive way.

I hear some of our classmates cheering Iruma on, but I ignore them.

"Iruma, cut it out!" I say, trying to stop him from doing something he'd regret.

"You've got quite the mouth on you! And here I thought you were the docile twin!" Elof taunts Iruma. Both are completely ignoring me.

"Docile, huh? Maybe in the past, but right now I'm itching to punch you right in the face!" Iruma yells, holding up his right fist.

"I'd like to see you try that. I'm a third-year and ranked-" Elof starts to say.

"Sock him hard, Iruma-chi!" Clara cheers from nearby, not helping this situation at all.

But, before Iruma makes any move to punch him, Elof moves first, sharply jabbing at Iruma with little warning. He's fast, too, so I'm not sure even Iruma's inhuman reflexes will be enough to avoid this. I suspect this kid's used some kind of physical enhancement magic because he shouldn't be this quick.

Everything has slowed down for me, nearly freezing since thought acceleration was activated when the threat presented itself, so I have plenty of time to react.

I step between the two and grab the boy's fist, stopping it from reaching Iruma before my perception of time returns to normal. Within a mere moment, Iruma notices what just happened and freezes, shocked that he was that close to getting punched right in the nose.

Elof stares at me, surprised that I blocked him so easily.

"What the-" he starts to say but stops when I lock my eyes with his.

"Walk away," I command sternly, releasing his fist from the tight, unbreakable grip I was holding it in.

He gulps nervously before doing exactly what I told him to, shaking and rubbing the hand I just caught. I made sure I didn't break his hand or arm, but that doesn't mean it isn't painful afterward. Stopping any body part that suddenly would cause it to hurt like hell. I bet it felt like he punched an unbreakable wall with the barrier I keep on myself at all times being in effect.

This makes Sabnock laugh from off to the side, but I ignore him along with the rest of the people around me gasping and staring at me. Some of them are saying things like 'he's lucky she didn't kill him' and other things along those lines, but I don't really care right now.

"Thanks...and sorry," Iruma mutters, looking a lot less confident than a moment ago.

I sigh, relieved that the fight with that idiot is over.

"I appreciate that you want to help me, but I don't need it, Iruma. I can take care of myself, you should know that already." I say to him calmly and quietly.

Iruma frowns.

"Why did you let it go on that long? You normally tell people off for stuff like that immediately! I know how much it upsets you!"

"I was just being patient and was hoping I wouldn't have to scare him and add to my 'negative reputation'. I just don't like being feared all of the time." I admit to him, trying to be quiet about it since we're not alone at the moment.

"Heh, why not just accept that you're a scary person?" said Iruma with a smirk, chuckling a little at my reluctance.

I frown at this.

"... You really think I'm a scary person?" I ask, a little hurt that that's his view of me.

Does he really view me like that all of the time? I know I scared him badly at Walpurgis, but most of the time I'm nothing but friendly and playful around him.

I know earlier I had to get a bit scary with him, but that's not how I usually treat Iruma, so it's painful to hear that he thinks I'm a 'scary person'. There's a difference between acting scary and being a scary person, and I don't consider myself the latter.

"Why not enjoy it? I've been having a ~great~ time today, I wish I could be like this all the time!" Iruma declares with a wide smile before looking at me for my reaction. When he doesn't get the one he expected, his smile drops slightly.

"... Do you have any idea how horrible that feels?" I ask softly.

The confident smirk that was already fading as he noticed my demeanor fully leaves Iruma's face as he hears my words.

"Well, I, uh..." He mutters, sounding unsure and averting his eyes away from me uncomfortably, now darting his eyes from person to person around us. He's noticed the small crowd that has gathered to watch, at first interested in the tension caused by Elof and now watching the drama unfold between the school-famous brother and sister pair.

Iruma casually gestured over his shoulder to an unused classroom, and we quietly hurried in. To ensure that no one could follow us or listen at the door to hear our conversation, I teleported us to a field outside the school as soon as we were out of view. Iruma was a little surprised by this, but he sat down with me in the grass, more interested in what I had to say.

"Iruma... Look, it really does feel awful to be feared this much. It takes great care on my part for people to relax around me, and if I mess up even once people might never look at me the same way again. Look at Opera; he's known me for months now, but because I made a mistake when I met him he's been scared of me the whole time, and I don't know how to fix it!"

"Rimuru, I..."

"Sullivan acts like he's my grandfather, but I've seen how nervous he gets around me! So when you tell me I'm scary, I... I..."

I choked on my words, while Iruma finally found his voice.

"Look, I don't find you scary, okay? Sometimes I get worried because you're a little unpredictable when people mistreat you, but I've gotten used to who you are."

It's nice for me to hear this from him, but I know this opinion of me is based on limited knowledge about my past. Iruma has no clue what I'm capable of when I'm serious so it's inevitable he'd view me through rose-colored glasses.

A short time passed with neither of us saying anything, simply listening to the sounds of the world as we lay on the grass.

Finally, I broke the silence. "Are you sure though? I've been so secretive about many things because if you really had a good idea of who I am, you'd probably hate me." I admit, a bit hesitant to even bring this up.

Iruma pauses for a moment, clearly thinking of how he's going to respond very carefully.

"... I try not to imagine the things you had to do in your past. It sounds like your country really had to fight to survive, and I doubt you kept things together just with snuggles and love." He says, chuckling slightly at the last part.

"Yeah..." I say, smiling painfully while recalling the tumultuous past Tempest has had and all the pain everyone went through to get it to the point it is today.

If building a stable country with only 'snuggles and love' was possible, trust me, I would've done it, but that's not how real life works I'm afraid. The world is ruthless and cruel, so if you want to survive in an environment like that, sometimes you have to respond in kind. This is even more true if you're responsible for other people's safety, as I am.

"But there are people who know you better than I do, and they seem to love you; so you can't be all bad, right?" Iruma asks nicely, giving me a genuine, comforting smile.

I return the smile, feeling mixed emotions about letting a kid comfort me like this. I'm supposed to be the adult here, yet Iruma is the one reassuring me instead of the other way around; embarrassing, but also nice too.

"Heh, you sound almost like your usual self right now... It's pretty cool seeing what you get up to in your 'evil cycle', I have to say, but I'm glad that Iruma is here too."

"Hey! I'm still Iruma!" he immediately complains not-so-seriously.

I laugh a little at this for a moment before standing up and brushing off my clothes.

"Alright, alright...let's head back now, I don't want Sullivan telling me off for truancy," I said with a chuckle, holding a hand out for Iruma to grab. He takes it and I pull him to his feet. "Plus, all of our classmates are probably wondering why we're taking so long. We kinda left them hanging, didn't we?"

"Yeah, plus I still have to show you my plan!" Iruma says with a grin.

"Can't you just tell me what it is right now before we go back there?" I ask, getting a little tired of him hiding this 'plan' from me.

Iruma just smiles and motions zipping his lips, denying my request without using words.

I sigh in response and teleport us both back to the room we made people think we were talking in. It's been less than 5 minutes, so I hope nobody's got too impatient with us.

Teleporting back into the room we made everyone think we were talking inside, both of us step back out into the hallway. We're met with many curious stares, but nobody probes us for any info. Clara and Azz look like they're dying to ask us about it, but they still keep quiet.

After a little more walking, we arrive somewhere I recognize. I haven't been inside before, but I know that this is the faculty room where the teachers can take breaks and stuff. I think they sometimes hold meetings in here too? I don't know, but it really doesn't matter.

Iruma opens the door without knocking, despite this place being a 'staff only' zone and the rest of us follow him inside. Azz looks especially excited and Sabnock has been smiling continuously ever since Iruma showed off with 'Raffire' earlier.

Iruma spots Kalego in the room and gestures for him to come here before taking a seat on a nearby couch. There's another identical one facing it with a coffee table in between. Kalego seats himself directly across from Iruma and Iruma pats the spot next to himself while looking me in the eyes. I get what he wants and take a seat next to him.

He leans forward, resting one elbow on the table and his chin on the hand of the same arm, now staring at an annoyed-looking Kalego from across the table. I lean back in my seat, arms folded and intent on mostly just watching and listening to this interaction.

This is Iruma's thing, not mine, and I don't have any intention of getting directly involved unless he goes too far. In that case, I'll have to stop him, but for now, I'm nothing but an observer.

Our classmates all stand behind us both, observing intently but remaining silent since the tension in the room is palpable as Iruma and Kalego stare each other in the eyes. Some other teachers are observing as well from a distance, behind Kalego but further away than the students are from Iruma.

"Well then, Professor Kalego...I thank you for taking time out of your demanding schedule to sit and speak with us." Iruma says with politeness drenched in sarcasm.

"Let's skip the banal pleasantries; just get to the point," Kalego responds sternly, looking irritated by Iruma's falsely respectful manner of talking to him.

"Heh, alright then have it your way," Iruma says, smiling widely at Kalego. "Here's the thing; the Misfit Class demands an immediate classroom change."

"Preposterous! You have the nerve to waltz in here unannounced and issue this absurd edict! And after all that trouble you caused earlier...your demeanor has completely changed!"

"Mmhm...I've been far too soft and complacent up until now. I'm certain you're more than aware, Professor, that our current classroom is horrendously inadequate! It's a disgrace in fact!" he shouts, slapping one hand on the table in front of us.

"The mountain of garbage, the cracks in the windows so large that freezing drafts blow through them. Isn't it the school's responsibility to provide a safe and suitable learning environment for us?"

"Wha-...did you say learning?" Kalego scoffs.

"And by the way, why are we separated from the other students at all?!" Iruma asks, appearing to be starting to get angry.

Then, without warning, he stands up and slams both of his hands on the table.

"WHY are we considered the misfits and WHY are we considered ABNORMAL?!?!"

I quickly grab Iruma by the arm, yanking him back to a sitting position. He had gotten very close to Kalego's face and was practically spitting in it as he screamed at him.

I get it; he's mad. I agree with most of his points too. But, that doesn't mean that I need to let him act in a way that's only detrimental to what he's trying to accomplish. I'm trying to help him out, even if Iruma can't tell that in the heat of the moment.

I've never seen Iruma get so heated over anything so he must be very passionate about this. It's probably something he's been thinking about for a while too but didn't have the courage to speak up for himself and all of his friends up until now. He's still Iruma; his normal self is still there, so these must be his true thoughts coming out.

That's why I won't let him completely sabotage himself.

Screaming in a teacher's face will get him nowhere, especially when that teacher already seems to have a negative opinion about you.

After pulling him back down, Iruma shoots me a glare, but I just shake my head slowly at him and he seems to get why I stopped him and calms down a little.

Turning back to Kalego, he folds his arms and slumps in his chair, looking irritated.

Kalego gives me an odd look, probably confused about why I did what I did, but simply sighs and holds out his right hand, palm up. A book appears above it, pulled out of some type of spatial magic used to store items, I imagine, and it falls a few inches into his hand, opening wide as it does.

"Iruma Suzuki: Acted in violence on the day of the entrance ceremony, aided by his sister Rimuru Tempest and his lackey Alice Asmodeus."

"That is correct! That was the first interaction I had the pleasure of having with Master Iruma and Rimuru!" Azz responds happily, eyes sparkling as he remembers that event.

Why does he look so happy about it? Didn't I flick him across the courtyard and knock him out cold? Why is that a positive experience for him?!

I'm reminded again how odd demons, in general, can be. You'd think I'd have that down pat by now, but I still get surprised occasionally.

"That wasn't praise!" Kalego yells at the boy, but it doesn't help anything since he's already lost in his imagination. He appears to be pleasurably recounting things to do with Iruma without paying Kalego any further mind.

Kalego groans, holding his forehead, before sighing and continuing to read from his record book.

"Sabro Sabnock: Lashed out against an instructor and destroyed school property."

"Oh yeah..." Sabnock mutters as if he's just now remembering what he did to end up in this class.

"Jazz M. Andro: Always palming other students' and teachers' valuables."

"Heh, my hands have a mind of their own!" Jazz responds, holding up both his hands.

"Keroli Crocell...is perfectly fine."

The poor girl got very nervous at first when Kalego said her name, but in the end, he had nothing to complain about.

"Lead Shax: Six other students ended up in the hospital after playing a game with him that went too far."

"Yeah...things went a bit overboard. That game gets a bit crazy sometimes, hehe..." Lead admits, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Camui Caim: Known to harass female students and faculty members."

As well as a certain genderless slime...not that he knows I'm not a girl or anything...or that I'm a slime, for that matter.

"I regret nothing!" Camui declares.

It's like that little turd is just asking to get punted across the room!

"Valac is Valac...must I say any more?" Kalego says with disdain.

"Yup! I'm good!" Clara announces to the room, not understanding what Kalego meant by that at all.

"And finally...Rimuru Tempest: Your record is so extensive I'd rather not get into it, but you know full well why you are in the class you're in."

"You're not wrong on that last part, I suppose," I respond calmly with a shrug, still leaning back in my seat with my arms folded.

I do know exactly why I'm in this class, but it has nothing to do with all the stuff I've done to annoy Kalego, nor that entrance ceremony stuff. I, along with Iruma, was placed in this class for Iruma's sake. We both know that, so Kalego's reasons for at least the both of us being considered 'misfits' is irrelevant.

"There's also general destruction of property, trespassing into off-limits areas, taking various prohibited materials, and this impressive record continues on."

"You didn't answer my question, how are we ABNORMAL?!" Iruma asks, raising his voice again at Kalego.

"There isn't anything about you that isn't abnormal!" Kalego shouts overdramatically back at him.

"Haha, sheesh..." I mutter, not able to fully contain my amusement. Kalego's angry face and over-the-top yelling about us being 'abnormal' just got to me for whatever reason.

"You don't need to scream like that, Iruma," I say with a chuckle, giving the boy a few pats on the shoulder.

The same goes for you too, I guess...I think to myself as I look at Kalego, but I stop myself from saying it. Somehow, though, he seems to know what I was thinking because he gives me a little scowl as we briefly lock eyes.

He quickly looks back to Iruma, who's now borderline pouting as he sits next to me with his arms folded, giving Kalego a defiant staredown.

"Oh good grief...alright, I suppose I'll agree to separation. But I'm still highly appalled by how we're being treated."

Iruma sighs and looks over his shoulder at Clara, who's been eagerly watching while peeking over the back of the couch this entire time.

"Hey, Clara. Grab me a map, would'ja please?" he asks calmly.

I'm glad Iruma's treating his friends decently again. I guess he actually listened to what I said to him then, despite the eye-rolling I got from him.

"Yup, yup!" Clara responds, creating a map for him using her special magic.

Clara hands Iruma the map and he lays it out flat on the table in front of us.

"The Misfit Class is here," Iruma says, pointing to the appropriate spot on the map. "The dump's too close and the classroom itself is run-down and underground. And it's always too hot or cold."

"Well, what do you want from us? There's no other suitable classroom to put you in!" Kalego responds, holding his head.

"Actually, there is," Iruma says, his arrogant smile returning.

"Hm?" Kalego hums, releasing his head and looking up at Iruma again.

"How 'bout the Royal One?" Iruma proposes.

Kalego sits up straight again and glares at Iruma, squinting his eyes questioningly at the boy. I sit up further as well, confused by all the gasping in the room. Everyone but me seems to know what this 'Royal One' is.

What's that? I don't remember hearing about something like that before.

"Also known as 'The King's Classroom'." Iruma continues.

All the students and teachers watching begin to mutter to each other, shocked that Iruma would ask for what he did.

"What's he talking about? C'mon, what?" Robin, a newer teacher in the school asks.

Nice, now I don't need to ask and feel embarrassed about it!

[[You could have just asked me, Master. I learned of this place while studying the history of this world.]]

At this point, I'll just let them handle the explanation, but thanks.

"It's the lost Demon King Derkila's classroom from when he was a student here at Babyls." one teacher explains.

"Yes, classes have been forbidden from being hosted within its walls ever since he graduated." another adds.

Iruma holds up a newspaper I recognize as the one he was reading at the breakfast table this morning. That must've been when he got this idea of asking to move our class to it.

"Sounds like the perfect learning environment to me, considering the Demon King attended all of his classes there."

"Indeed!" Sabnock adds enthusiastically, probably getting pumped up just from hearing about the Demon King.

Suddenly, there's a surge of magic from Kalego; he's summoning his bloodline magic that takes a similar form to a familiar: Cerberion.

I immediately stand up, preparing myself to defend Iruma from him again, but the massive three-headed dog made of magic lightning simply sits behind the man, acting as a show of power more than an actual attack.

I give Kalego a warning glare and sit back down, watching him closely to make sure he doesn't try anything.

"That is the most hallowed classroom in the entire school; you think yourselves worthy of such sacred quarters?!" Kalego asks ominously, his intimidating air being enhanced by the lightning dancing around him sourced from his magic.

"Know your place, you wretches of the school!" Kalego snarls, glaring at Iruma with ice-cold eyes.

I have to admit, it's a nice little show he's putting on; I'm impressed. Everyone seems to be impressed as well...well, maybe not impressed, but scared shitless instead. Either way, Kalego is accomplishing what he's trying to, which is to be scary and intimidating, mostly to Iruma.

Lots of uncomfortable laughs and small comments saying Iruma should give up come from both the students and teachers in the room. Iruma doesn't back down though, and I'm proud of him for standing up for what he believes in, even in the face of something like this.

"Hehe...you want us to prove our worthiness?" Iruma asks, haughtily chuckling to himself, his arrogance permeates the room through his smile and voice.

Smoke begins to rapidly pour out from his ring, made up of the magic stored within. It seems like Iruma is using it as a counter-intimidation tactic as it forms into the shape of a large pair of demonic wings. I'm not sure how he pulled this off, but I assume Alikred is involved.

[[That assertion is correct, Master.]]

"That's no problem; allow me to show you exactly how worthy we are of gaining and using the Royal One." Iruma loudly declares.

There's a loud thud as Iruma steps up onto the table, stomping his foot down hard enough that some of our classmates jump from the suddenness of it.

One foot on the table, and the other on the couch I'm sitting on, Iruma leans forward, one arm resting on his knee that's pointed in Kalego's direction. This position provides him the height necessary to pass Kalego in stature while he's sitting. Iruma looms over him, glaring down at Kalego, a wide, ego-filled smile peeling across his face as he stares directly into his furious eyes.

"I will get signed permission slips within the week from every faculty member within Babyls, approving our use of the classroom. Satisfied?"

Kalego maintains his glaring at Iruma for a tense few seconds, but Iruma doesn't flinch or back down. Kalego then dispels Cerberion, the dog-like creature retreating back into his body.

"You will have all faculty sign those slips within three days. And, you will be thoroughly prepared to handle the huge risks of using such an honored legacy in this school." Kalego says with his hands folded in front of his chin.

As soon as Kalego agrees, Iruma kneels onto the table and grabs one of his wrists to free a hand. He gives Kalego a bit of a high five; closer to a hand-slap if anything.

"Great! Looks like we have a deal then!" Iruma says cheerfully, looking happy as pie to have gotten what he wanted. "Make sure you keep your word, Teach," Iruma says as he turns to leave, hopping off of the table.

Kalego is left completely speechless, clearly caught off-guard by Iruma's change in demeanor.

I, on the other hand, am laughing my ass off at it, along with Kalego's face.

Hopping up off of the couch, I go to follow Iruma out the door, giving him a friendly slap on the back.

"Nice job; I just hope you didn't bite off more than you can chew!" I say, still laughing a little as we leave Kalego behind, unmoving and dumbfounded.

I mean that too. This plan is going to take a lot of time and effort and I'm not going to get involved.

"What d'you mean?" Iruma asks.

"Just be careful, that's all. Think things through before you jump straight into them, although I guess it's a little too late to say that now." I continue.

"You don't need to tell me that, you know. I know what I'm doing!" Iruma insists.

"If you say so..." I say, not entirely convinced.

Just as we're about to step out, Lead stops us.

"Hey...after hearing both of your names in a row earlier, I'm wondering about something..." Lead says.

"What?" I ask.

"You two are twins, so why are your family names different?" he asks curiously.

Shit! I never thought about that until now!

"We...um..." I mumble, just about to plead to Ciel for help but I'm beaten to it by Iruma speaking.

"In our family, daughters take their mother's name and sons take their father's," Iruma explains simply and confidently.

Where the hell's he getting this?

"Yeah...that's why we have different names," I add, trying to hide my uncertainty.

"I never heard about something like that in the Sullivan family...that's weird..." Jazz mutters, confused.

"Oh, that's because we're adopted," Iruma says quickly.

"Huh?!" everyone exclaims, surprised by Iruma's answer.

"Our whole family was adopted by our now-Grandpa Sullivan; our mother included. This happened when Rimuru and I were very young, so we don't know any different. Our father isn't in the picture though, so don't ask about him. Our mom's a total beauty too and Rimuru's the spitting image of her!" he declares, giving me a sly grin as I feel my face turn hot.

He's just talking out of his ass!

"Wh-what?! Don't say stuff like that!" I shout, not happy that he's trying to make me mad again.

I really don't like how he keeps teasing me like this...

"It's true though, ~right~?" Iruma asks teasingly.

"Yes...it's true..." I mutter regretfully, playing along with Iruma's ridiculous lie.

"Hmm...why have none of us seen her before? I'd think a mother would take her kids to school, but I've only seen you arrive with your butler or grandpa, I think." Jazz asks.

"Do not probe into my Master's family matters! I'm sure their mother has ample reason not to go out in public!" Azz interjects, jumping to conclusions.

"Yeah, she has her reasons," Iruma adds nonchalantly.

This whole situation causes me a lot of trouble since now our classmates are convinced we have a mother around, as opposed to assuming we live with just our grandpa like I think most of our classmates believed up until this point. Now I'll have to figure out what to do if we get put in a situation where a mother would be expected to show herself.

Both embarrassed by the nonsense Iruma just spewed, as well as irritated that he just created some problems for me by doing it, I decided to leave the scene. Ciel can keep a close eye on Iruma for me while I'm away from him.

Even though I'm happy that Iruma's happy, I don't want anything to do with this 'Royal One' nonsense; it all just sounds like a pain to me.

"Go on ahead...you all can handle this without me, I'm sure."

"Hehe...she must be embarrassed!" Jazz laughs.

"Oh, shaddup Jazz! I just have something else I need to do!" I retort, not letting him twist this situation into me separating from them due to sheer embarrassment.

"Suuuure..." he says sarcastically as they all step out the door, but a quick wolf glare is enough to wipe that smarmy grin off of his face before they're out of eye-shot.

What do you think, Ciel? Is it possible for my class to even gather all the faculty signatures in just three days? I know he could do it if I helped, but I don't think I should.

[[It is highly unlikely that they will be successful in this endeavor without your assistance, Master.]]

I sigh internally, not glad to hear the bad news.

Well...I guess he'll have to fail, then. He jumped into this without thinking, so it's his fault in the end. I guess it'll teach Iruma that confidence isn't everything.