Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Iruma POV
"Aw, man..." I mutter.
I've been trying this for hours but no matter how many times I do it, I can't seem to get it right! I'm getting better at magic, I really am! So, I thought that if I gave Control Water another shot that I'd be able to actually do something with it!
But, I'm struggling. Rimuru told me that her skills would be harder for me to use when compared to normal magic, but I'm determined to get the hang of this.
Focus, Iruma...focus...
Holding my hand over the glass of water again for the dozenth or so time, I try to use the skill. But...
"Dangit!"
The same result, of course. I'm not even able to fully pull the liquid out of the glass.
Maybe I should just ask Rimuru for help?
But then, I get the sudden feeling someone's eyes are on me, so I look over my shoulder toward my bedroom's doorway.
Dark blue eyes staring at me curiously, Ciel playing the role of my mother 'Amane' is peeking through the doorway, watching me.
"Uh-"
It took me a second, but I was about to greet her, though, before I could, she spoke up instead.
"Do you require assistance?" Ciel asks monotonously.
Why is she offering me help all of a sudden? Ciel did the same thing when I was at the karaoke party too.
"Yeah, I can use a little help, I suppose. I kinda wanted to figure it out on my own, but I'm having a hard time."
"There is nothing wrong with asking for a little help, especially from your mother."
"Hehe, yeah..."
My mom would never offer me help with anything, so it feels weird seeing Ciel act like she's my mom while doing kind things like this. Is this what it's like for other kids?
Ciel sits on the floor next to me, ready to help me out.
**A little later**
Rimuru POV
Where are those two?
It's been a bit since I've seen both Ciel and Iruma in the mansion, so I guess I have to track them down with Universal Perception. I could just waste my time wandering around the mansion trying to find them, but I'd rather not.
After activating the skill, I find that they're both in Iruma's bedroom for whatever reason.
I bet they're up to something...I better go see what's going on.
I could just use my skill to find that out too, but I see no point.
"What's up with you two? Doing anything interesting?" I ask as I join them in Iruma's bedroom. The door was wide open so it wasn't like I was barging in or anything.
"Rimuru, look!" Iruma exclaims, a beaming smile on his face.
Above his hand is a sphere of water floating in the air. Still wobbly, but under control. It seems like he's been practicing one of the skills I lent him a while back, and he's gotten better since the last time I had him play around with it.
Ciel is standing nearby with a proud look in her eyes; she must've helped him figure it out.
"Oh, that's really cool Iruma! Great jo-!"
But before I can finish complimenting the boy's work, the ball of water got chucked straight at my face, splattering upon impact and soaking my clothes.
Iruma is laughing at me now, of course. Ciel seems amused too, wearing a small smirk on her face.
"Oh, look at that, you got me back for that one time, didn't you? Whose idea was this, yours or Ciel's?"
"Mine, but she helped me a lot with learning how to use the skill."
"I assumed as much. Well...I do have my pride as a Demon Lord, which means I can't let you get away with that little stunt...at least without a little bit of revenge." I playfully say as I summon a larger ball of water, collecting the moisture from my clothes and hair as well as adding to it from the humidity in the air.
What results is something around the size of a basketball, versus the baseball-sized orb of liquid that Iruma just threw at me. Mine's much more well-formed too, and I obviously am not struggling with control of it like Iruma was. He pulled off the prank, but he doesn't have perfect mastery of the skill yet.
"R-rimuru...wait a second...I was just getting you back, we don't need to keep going!"
"No, no, you started this so don't back down now, Iruma. Plus, it's about summertime, so a little water fight sounds just about perfect, right?"
Before Iruma can answer, I send my own water ball flying at him, soaking him and his surroundings.
"I wasn't ready! I'll dodge the next one!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!" Iruma says with confidence, forming another ball of water to throw at me.
What ensues is an intense back and forth, with me going easy on Iruma, of course. It's just a friendly little battle with water...but I may have gotten a little carried away, in hindsight.
I should've taken this outside...
Yes, that all went down inside the mansion, and now the place is soaked.
"Iruma, I know you were only having fun, but you made such a mess! Everything in this mansion costs quite a lot of money, you know." Sullivan complains, painfully looking around at the carnage around us.
I'm just watching while Iruma is getting scolded for his part in it all.
"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again!" Iruma says, bowing and sounding genuinely apologetic.
"Oh, how could I stay mad at my darling grandson? You're such a good boy!" Sullivan says, immediately giving in to Iruma.
"Hehehe... I'll help Opera with the drying as well, the stuff Ciel taught me should make it a lot easier..." Iruma awkwardly mutters, regretfully looking at our surroundings too.
"Mmm, good. As for you, Rimuru... I understand that you are an independent and respectable adult, and as such, I have no right to scold you, but please do be more considerate." Sullivan turns his scolding onto me, reminding me of the many times Shuna's done similar.
"Yep..."
It's a little embarrassing being 'told off' like this, but I suppose he's vastly older than me, and I've never let my status get in the way of playing around every now and then.
Still, I'm not like Milim, okay?
At least, I'm pretty sure I'm not like Milim...
No, definitely not like Milim, not at all!
"I'll help clean up too." I offer, knowing that's the right thing to do in this situation.
We definitely need to get the place cleaned up since later we have a special guest visiting the mansion. We recently had Azz and Clara sleep over here, but this is different; Professor Kalego will be here talking with Sullivan about mine and Iruma's school performance. A sort of parent-teacher conference, I guess.
I'm not looking forward to it, and I don't think Ciel is either.
She's not exactly a fan of Kalego since the man is usually fairly disrespectful toward me, which is understandable at times, but at others, he takes it too far. Now, Ciel has to directly interact with him and I can't imagine that'll be easy for her.
I've noticed someone that seems happy about this Kalego's impending visit; Opera. When it was first mentioned I even saw him smile; a rarity when it comes to Opera. Why the hell would he be happy to see him? I have no clue so maybe I should ask.
"Hey, Opera!" I call out to him while still cleaning up from my impromptu water fight with Iruma.
He flinches slightly at me suddenly talking to him.
"What is it?" he asks calmly despite me startling him.
"What's your connection with Kalego? You seem to be looking forward to his visit tonight."
"Ah, yes. We are old schoolmates, actually. I was his senior." he responds.
"So, like friends then?" Iruma asks.
"Not exactly, but we are extreeeemely close," Opera says, his tone growing mischievous.
"Oh, I get it now," I say with a knowing grin.
"Get what?" Iruma asks, completely lost.
"Haha, I'm looking forward to tonight now! Just wait until then, Iruma, I don't wanna spoil!"
I bet you're wondering just as much as Iruma what I think's going to happen tonight, right? Well, from Opera's tone and slight expression, I get the impression that he likes to troll Kalego in the same way I do, and has done exactly that back when they were teens.
I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.
I don't know any details, of course, but I don't need to.
"I was actually the one that proposed that Kalego do home visits specifically. Lord Sullivan had to agree to it for it to happen, but he did accept my request." Opera adds.
See? He even went out of his way to get Kalego to come here!
Kalego POV
That blasted Chairdemon...sending me needlessly to all my students' homes!
I've laid out everything that their parents possibly would need to know in their report cards, yet that fool insisted that I visit the misfits' families personally!
...
"Welcome to my home, Professor Kalego; it's an honor." Alice Asmodeus greets me politely.
His home is the first on my long list of stops today.
"I shall be attending this session too." a man that seems to be his servant adds, standing nearby while I'm seated across from my student.
"Are your parents at work then?" I ask.
"They are." he nods, showing some nervousness.
He definitely kept this from his parents.
"Well, no matter. Have you told your parents about any of your recent activities at school?"
"But of course! Master Iruma has been magnificent lately!" the boy enthusiastically responds.
"Who asked you for an Iruma update? I meant about you." I sternly correct him.
"Oh, about me? Well, then that also means Master Iruma! Perhaps Rimuru too...I have so many things about them to talk about!"
"How the hell is that about you?! We are not discussing your peers right now!" I shout, astounded by how obsessed he is about those twins.
"Well, I am very efficient, so I don't see a problem." he replies calmly, as if I want to discuss the Sullivan Twins with him when I am supposed to be speaking about his school performance!
"You are so...!" I grit my teeth with frustration.
But before I can make my point, I am interrupted by a high-pitched voice from behind.
"Yeah, Alice! He better believe that!" a little girl with pink hair and eyes shouts.
"Yeah." a slightly smaller and younger girl that looks a lot like the first adds, shyer than the first.
"Violet and Lily?" Alice asks.
" "Alice!" " they both call out to him and run up to the table we're seated at.
"They're his younger cousins, you see. They both love him like a brother." the butler explains.
"I told you two that you mustn't intrude!" Alice chides them for their intrusion.
"Yeah but...you're so cool and strong and we both look up to you! And we miss you a whole lot!" the older girl, Violet complains.
"Yeah." the younger Lily agrees.
"But...lately you only play with Master Iruma and his sister! You never play with us anymore!" Violet continues.
"Yeah...uh-huh..." Lily nods.
Then they both burst into tears simultaneously.
"Master Iruma is such a dummy!" Violet cries.
"Don't cry...I'm sorry...but Master Iruma is my priority!" Alice desperately tries to calm them both, but his insistence on prioritizing his 'Master' just upsets the girls further.
"But Master Alice!" his butler tries to step in but is immediately shut down.
"That is non-negotiable!" Alice snaps, making his point very clear to his servant.
The two cousins continue crying to the point of it starting to get annoying. I would very much like to get to the point already, but it is not my business to get involved in this family conflict.
"I don't care, you're much more amazing than him!" Violet shouts, still insisting that her cousin is better.
"Yeah!" Lily, again, agrees with her older sister.
"I assure you he is more amazing! And so is Rimuru, both of them are much more talented than I!" Alice insists.
" "No, you are, Alice!" " both girls disagree.
"That is not true!" Alice shoots back.
" "No, no, it is!" " they both insist.
"Those dummies aren't amazing at all!" Violet adds.
"Ugh! Hey now! You both take that back at once!" the boy shouts back, now getting angry.
Alice chases after the two young girls, still pleading his case.
"My apologies." his butler says on his behalf.
"No, it's fine. Don't worry about me." I reply, maintaining my calm.
Strangely, the butler chuckles.
"Since enrolling at Babyls, Master Alice has gone through a change. Even when he was very young, he was always a sharp boy that could use high-level magic and minded his manners. But because he was so naturally talented, he had become somewhat unapproachable; though that was an unintended consequence. But things changed when he met those Sullivan Twins."
"Oh? How so?"
"Finding someone to serve, as well as someone with greater natural talent at magic than himself has completely changed Master Alice's perspective and priorities. No longer was he alone, he has a goal to strive for; a master to serve. On top of that, he looks up to both Iruma and Rimuru, each for different reasons. He's so much happier nowadays and is having so much fun!"
"Are you saying that both at school and home, those twins are the only thing on his mind?"
"Well, uh...that's...um..."
"Don't worry, I won't judge him for that. It is only right for a demon to swear complete fealty to the one who defeated them, but if he eventually becomes more aware of his surroundings, he should also become even more powerful."
I walk over to the window and witness him playing with the two young girls.
"And so, whatever strength he gains will prove to be beneficial to Iruma too. So I do hope he realizes that someday and acts upon it."
"Oh, yes indeed!"
"Now, as for his-"
"So on that note, I was wondering, when will Master Alice come to realize this truth?"
"Uh...well...I think...judging from today, it will be quite some time."
"Okay, I will tell you everything about Master Alice from the moment of his birth until now! You might find a hint in there!"
"No...wait...!"
...
"Well, there's a whole hour of my life I'll never get back..."
That butler just went on and on about his 'Master Alice', going into great detail no matter how much I made clear it was unnecessary. I think my mind has gone numb from it all.
Flying straight into the strange forest that is my next destination, I come across an oddly-shaped house. This is the home of Clara Valac, and I am not looking forward to this visit at all.
...
Barely escaping with my sanity two whole hours later, I leave the home with bags of gifts shoved onto me unwillingly by the Valac family.
Good grief...
All of them are insane...utterly crazy and unpredictable, outside of the one outlier, the oldest son. He's the exact opposite, different enough that I half-suspected that he was kidnapped, but the outward resemblance was much too great to further consider that.
Singing, nonsensical questions, small children climbing all over me; that household is unbearable!
I still have so many more to go...this is horrendous!
...
Getting challenged to a duel, nearly having my wallet stolen, only avoiding it by threatening to break the thief's fingers, almost getting forcibly married to one of their older sisters, being served odd dishes, showing up to find an entire family asleep and unwilling to talk...the amount of shenanigans I've had to endure today is too much!
Exhausted, I fly to attend my final meeting; a two-in-one visit of sorts. Sullivan's mansion is my destination so I can speak with that man about his grandchildren.
Iruma POV
"Professor Kalego, welcome to my home!" I greet my teacher with a bright, inviting smile.
"Hi Kalego; you look kinda tired, did the others' families wear you out?" Rimuru says, also greeting the professor at the door.
He does look tired, even more so than usual, but he doesn't seem happy that Rimuru pointed that out.
Professor Kalego just groans as he sets down the two large bags he's carrying with him, giving Rimuru an annoyed glare. It answers Rimuru's question without words; yes, my classmates' families wore him out since he's probably been at this all day, considering he's visiting so late in the evening.
"It's nice to see you, Professor! Do you mind following me?" I change the subject.
I lead my teacher to the room Grandpa and Ciel are waiting for him, with Rimuru following not too far behind.
"Hello there, Kalego." Opera says, appearing out of nowhere right behind my teacher.
Kalego screams in surprise and fear.
"Opera!"
"Yes, it is I, Opera. The very same Opera you had so much fun with at school all those years ago, re-mem-ber?" Opera asks creepily.
"Oh wow, I've never seen Kalego so scared before. He's even using Iruma as a shield!" Rimuru laughs.
I was so stunned seeing this side of Opera for the first time that I didn't even notice that my teacher has picked me up and is hiding behind me.
"Why you-...you have quite some nerve!"
"So you...you two went to school around the same time then?" I ask cautiously while Opera closes in on Professor Kalego, who seems to be trying to retreat now. I remember what he said earlier, but this wasn't exactly what I was imagining when Opera said he wanted Professor Kalego to visit.
"Yes, we had sooo much fun together." Opera continues approaching and Professor Kalego keeps backing away, scared and uncomfortable.
"You! Are! Crazy! Stay back!" he screams, but Opera doesn't listen.
"As much as I'm loving watching you two have so much fun, we should probably keep going." Rimuru says, still chuckling while watching the two demons interact.
"We are not having fun!" Professor Kaelgo snaps back.
Rimuru shrugs.
"I never knew you had such a mean-streak, Opera." Rimuru observes, still amused.
"I was simply reuniting with my old schoolmate." Opera replies quickly, clearly more nervous than he was a moment ago while teasing Professor Kalego.
Professor Kalego looks astonished by Opera's almost-fearful reaction from Rimuru just talking to him.
"C'mon Professor, Mom and Grandpa are waiting for us!" I say, waving for him to follow me again.
Giving Opera one more nervous glance from over his shoulder, Professor Kalego keeps walking with me alongside Rimuru.
Two couches in the living room facing each other; one for the professor, the other for the rest of us. Grandpa, Ciel, Rimuru and I all take our seats. I choose the spot between Ciel and Grandpa and Rimuru sits at Ciel's other side.
"I presume you are their mother, Amane Tempest, am I correct?" Professor Kalego asks Ciel, seemingly trying to be polite.
His gaze glides between Ciel, Rimuru and I, probably trying to look for resemblance between us.
"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you." Ciel responds, staring at our teacher intensely while showing no emotion in her expression.
"Likewise." the professor responds, meeting Ciel's gaze with his own.
There's tension between the two as they both look like they're trying to read the other's personality and intentions. Both cold and calculating; the staredown between them makes the silent few seconds spent during it feel much longer than they should.
"No need to be so formal, Kalego! Just sit down and relax so we can have our talk!" Grandpa chimes in cheerfully, probably trying to lighten the mood a little.
Professor Kalego takes his seat across from us and composes himself before continuing.
"Well, before we get started, I've been made aware of your... unique family circumstances," Kalego states.
I hope that means Balam told him the version of the story where I'm not a human, he seemed like a pretty trustworthy guy...
"Will it be of any relevance to this discussion?" Ciel asks with her arms crossed.
"Obviously. It provides context for why your children act the way they do, and for their performance at school. For example..."
Professor Kalego lays out the grade papers of myself and Rimuru on the table, and then out of thin air, summons a couple of notebooks into his hand, much like Rimuru regularly does with various objects. Rimuru told me that he uses a different way to do it than she does though when I asked her about it, but that doesn't really matter right now.
"Iruma's performance in the practice exams was initially atrocious, however through hard work, he quickly caught up to his peers. It's clear from this that Iruma was held back before he moved into this household, and he is finally getting a chance to realize his potential at Babyls."
"That's wonderful to hear," Ciel says, although it's not as if she didn't know this already. She's always with Rimuru, so she's been with us every day at Babyls.
Professor Kalego is right though, I guess I was being held back by my parents. Maybe I'm actually pretty smart, and I'll soon catch up to where I should be at!
I can see now why Rimuru crafted the story that she did. Everything that Kalego just said sounds truthful and insightful, even though he's been told a false story.
"As for Rimuru, she has always had exceptional performance in class activities and achieved a very respectable score on the exams. She has also improved quite significantly, however in a different manner to Iruma."
"I...have?" Rimuru asks, sounding a little surprised.
"Yes, you have. You previously appeared to be very tense and guarded, to the point of your classmates considering you unapproachable. While you still are to some extent, you seem more tolerant of your peers, and if I'm not mistaken you've taken to enjoying their company. Really, that shouldn't be surprising to you at all, that actually living a normal life for once would have this effect."
Rimuru doesn't seem to have a response for Kalego, and she still has a look of wonder.
I wonder what she's thinking right now?
"... Anyway, I must confess that your children are both troublemakers, to say the least. I don't doubt for a moment that they belong in the Misfit Class," Kalego continues, and Ciel looks immediately offended. "But, they are also a positive inspiration for the class, especially Iruma."
"About your claim that they are troublemakers, I hardly think that's fair. You seem to have a particular vendetta against Rimuru, even going so far as to assume she'd try to cheat on the exams." Ciel responds sharply, hints of disdain leaking out in her mostly-neutral tone.
"The difference in treatment was not based on a judgment of her character. Babyls prides itself on testing its students fairly, by guaranteeing that no one can cheat. With your daughter's powers being as mysterious and varied as they are, we believed there was some risk that she could find a way to cheat if she tried to." Kalego explains calmly despite Ciel staring him down intimidatingly.
"Let me guess, you just rely entirely on Balam's bloodline ability for monitoring the exams, and figured out it doesn't work on me?" Rimuru asks, smiling slyly.
Kalego scowls for a moment but then forces himself to look more calm and collected. "I was avoiding revealing the hole in our system in case you were to abuse that knowledge, but it seems you already know what it is. This is exactly why special measures were taken for you."
"A system which falls apart if a student has some basic mental defenses just sounds lazy to me." Rimuru continues casually.
"Basic mental defenses?! There's nothing 'basic' about nullifying the bloodline ability of a rank 8 demon, it's a system that worked perfectly until you came along!" our teacher shoots back, exasperated by Rimuru's nonchalance about countering Professor Balam's bloodline magic.
Grandpa pretends to clear his throat, and Kalego quickly shifts gears.
"My apologies, Miss Tempest. These are the kinds of disputes myself and your daughter tend to have." Professor Kalego says, his voice calm again.
"Do avoid getting angry at her for not immediately bowing to your authority. I take pride in Rimuru being able to stand up for herself, and hope that Iruma can learn to do the same for himself." Ciel warns, her dark blue eyes boring into the professor.
Stand up for myself?
I look towards Rimuru, and she gives me a smile and nods.
Yes, Rimuru did say she wanted me to gain some more confidence; I guess that goes hand-in-hand with standing up for myself, right?
"I'll take that into consideration," Kalego states flatly. "And yes, I agree about Iruma. He has learned many valuable skills during his time at Babyls, but it is only through confidence and diligence that he makes great strides."
"It was interesting to see how much he achieved during his evil cycle," Grandpa comments. "He was a little scary, but he's so industrious when he's confident!"
"Ah, you all really think so? I'll try to be more confident then..." I say, feeling like I've been put on the spot.
Grandpa sneaks up behind Kalego and snatches one of the notebooks he's holding, taking a look inside.
"Hey! Give that back! This is exactly what I hate about you!" Kalego complains, but he's ignored.
"Iruma! Look at all the nice things Kalego wrote about you!" Grandpa says as he hands me the notebook.
I start to look at its contents and find that it's chock full of notes all about me.
My grades, my habits, his thoughts on ways that I can become better; all sorts of detailed, helpful information.
Is this whole notebook all about me? Does that mean he also made something similar for...everyone?
"Looking at this, I'm so relieved that I made Kalego your teacher." Grandpa says earnestly while peeking over my shoulder at the notebook in my hands.
I look up from the notebook to see a commotion between Ciel and Professor Kalego, with Ciel holding the notebook on Rimuru and dodging Professor Kalego's attempts to snatch it back.
"Such uncouth language for a teacher, we can't have you calling her that..." Ciel mutters, scorching away some words with a flame from the fingertip. "Oh, and that's just awful, you really ought to know better than to say that about her..."
"These are private notebooks! You can't just go snatching them, much less burning them!" our teacher complains, still trying to get the notebook back but failing.
"Mom, that's enough, leave the poor man be," Rimuru says with a chuckle, and Ciel sits back down.
Rimuru takes the book from her and starts flipping through it herself while Ciel stares Professor Kalego down again.
He quickly looks away from her, uncomfortable with her glare, and addresses Grandpa instead.
"Iruma has a brilliant talent for leading his peers and has the drive to overcome any obstacle. But he needs to stop equating responsibility with self-sacrifice. Be extremely careful about that, Iruma." he warns me.
"I will, teacher!" I reply, glad for his advice.
"As for Rimuru, the wide range of skills she gained from her past lifestyle will serve her well for her whole life. To put it simply, she is immensely powerful for her age, already comparable to many of the teachers at Babyls. It's honestly rather disturbing to imagine her full potential. However, I do worry that being so far ahead of the curve will cause her to stagnate and become easily frustrated by any obstacles. It is important that she focuses on her own development, and doesn't simply coast along aimlessly when things are easy."
"Hmm... I suppose you're right," Rimuru says with a shrug, willingly handing the notebook back to him after apparently seeing enough of it.
"Rimuru and Iruma contrast like night and day in many regards, yet they still show a clear fondness for each other. Also, they both share an unhealthy dislike for receiving help from others." Professor Kalego states.
"I'll take your 'help' once you get your head out of-" Rimuru starts to say.
"Rimuru, don't say that!" I quickly interject.
Rimuru just chuckles, but seems/seemed to listen.
Professor Kalego, angrily huffs before calming himself and continuing.
"Do be warned, Miss Tempest, that there are those who would try to pull your daughter off of the right path. We are in the midst of a political crisis, and as someone young, powerful, and unpredictable, she may be sought after as a pawn for those who want to incite chaos." he addresses Ciel with a stern, cautionary tone.
"Don't worry, I'll never be like Kiriwo. I have no desire to needlessly kill," Rimuru says casually, dismissively waving off Kalego's concerns.
I really hope that's true. I've seen for myself that she can take a life without hesitation or remorse. She does describe herself as a pacifist though...
"Even if that's the case, it's not as if well-meaning demons can't be compelled to do something foolish," Kalego remarks.
"Say it was yourself trying to incite chaos then. How would you 'pull me off of the right path'?" Rimuru asks with a smug expression.
"Hmm... You're apparently protected against mental intrusions, and probably too stubborn to convince to do anything you wouldn't normally do. So I would find a way to plunge you into grief and despair, to see how you lash out during your darkest moments. It's a fairly common tactic used to make demons return to basics."
That one must have hit home for Rimuru, her smug look is immediately wiped off of her face.
For a moment I thought I saw Kalego glance towards me as he spoke, and Ciel must have seen it too; she has her arms crossed, yet uses her wings (that suddenly appeared behind her) to pull myself and Rimuru a little closer to her.
"Your warning is taken well. I will never let anything happen to these two," Ciel says in a neutral tone.
I'll try not to dwell on this too much, Rimuru is protecting me after all.
"Bad Kalego! You made the mood all sour!" Grandpa complains.
"I was just answering her question!" Kalego fires back. "Anyway, I've discussed everything that I wanted to, so I shall now take my leave."
Before Kalego can leave, however, he's accosted by Opera who blocks the way.
"You left our residence for the last visit, correct? That means that we still have plenty of time together. Master Iruma, would you like Kalego to stay overnight?" he asks.
"Huh? Uh, sure!" I reply automatically.
"Hey! Stop that, you little-" Kalego angrily yells, but he's quickly interrupted by Opera.
"You little what? I can't have you talking to the young master like that. I think you'll be much tamer in your fluffy form, which I'm very fond of."
"Don't you dare!"
"What's this? A summoning sticker suddenly appeared..." Opera says as he's suddenly holding one in his hand.
Before I can say anything, he places it on the back of my hand and raises my arm, and appearing right in front of me in a flash of light... is a short, fluffy bird.
"I'm so sorry, professor..."
"I'm never making home visits again!" Kalego yells.
Rimuru POV
While Kalego is being tormented (adoringly pampered) downstairs, Ciel and I have secluded ourselves in my room.
Eager to be out of my stuffy Student Council uniform, since students are supposed to wear their uniforms during house visits, I slip into something a bit more comfortable as I hop onto Ciel's lap. And by "more comfortable" I mean I'm wearing nothing at all, totally naked.
Ciel is stroking her hands all over me, and I have to say it's quite enjoyable.
This is happening while I'm in my slime form, of course.
"Did I perform to your satisfaction, Master?"
What's with that way of wording it? Sheesh.
"You... are you doing this on purpose?" I ask, a little flustered.
Ciel tilts her head at my question. Guess not...
"I think you performed perfectly as Amane. It looks like our façade is finally complete, no one should doubt that Iruma is a real Netherworlder now. You did a wonderful job, Ciel."
"Thank you, Master."
Pulling my diary out of my slimy body, I begin to fill in an entry for the events of today, with Ciel peeking over my (non-existent) shoulder.
A few minutes later, Ciel makes a comment on one of the illustrations that flowed out from my enchanted quill.
"You've drawn me in a very beautiful manner." she observes.
"Because that's how you look, of course."
"Considering my physical appearance is whatever I wish it to be rather than random fortune like most beings, I am unsure how to receive such a compliment. Perhaps it can be taken as saying that I have good taste in design."
"Sure, that makes sense."
"Or, considering that my physical appearance is based off of your human form, you could simply be complimenting yourself."
"Let's just go with the first one, okay?"
Continuing to illustrate today's events, my quill stops as I reach a certain point.
"Kalego said something pretty surprising earlier. He said that my attitude has become more tolerant and relaxed over the last several months. But is that even meant to be possible for me? I've always assumed that as an immortal being, I'd never change much. After all, the others certainly don't, but I suppose that some of them are a hundred times my age, if not more." I comment.
I was definitely caught off-guard by some of the things Kalego said about me earlier. He's sharp, that's for sure, and he hit the nail on the head with some of his statements.
"Does it bother you, the idea that you might have changed?" Ciel asks, giving my body a loving pat.
"I'm not sure. On the one hand, it definitely is a change for the better. But if this change is happening because of my currently more humble and carefree lifestyle, what happens when I go back to being a ruler full-time again? Will I just become more harsh and guarded again?"
"Why is it that you think you have that attitude as a ruler?"
I let out a sigh, deflating slightly despite not letting any air out.
"I suppose I feel I have to maintain my dignity as a ruler, and like a large ship I'm aware that the slightest action from me can have a colossal ripple. Plus, with the pressure that I feel like I'm under, I don't have much patience to put up with nonsense from others."
"I do not believe the problem is as severe as you think Master. Compared to most other world leaders, you are much more open with your subjects." Ciel reassures me.
"Heh, I guess you're right. Some monarchs never even show their faces to their people. Still, over the years I've definitely closed myself off somewhat to keep up appearances and avoid causing commotions, as much as I hate it. While I've been in the Netherworld, I haven't had to do that and it's been kinda refreshing."
But, I have a duty to Tempest and I'll be returning fairly soon for the summer. Back to the grind, as they say, and I'm fine with it.
Done with my creative fun with my diary, I swallow it and the magical quill back up.
"I can't wait to show Iruma more of Tempest, though. He didn't get to experience it much last time I paid home a little visit."
"I recommend not getting the boy involved in any Demon Lord politics again, Master." Ciel suddenly adds, making a good point.
"Yeah, yeah, I know what happened last time. That was a big slip-up that I won't make again. Plus, it's not like Walpurgises happen often anyway."
I'll definitely be busy as a Demon Lord, but I'm sure I can make time to do some fun things with Iruma over the summer break. We can even jump between Tempest and the Netherworld too so he can have fun with his friends here too. I know we already have an amusement park trip in the works but I'm sure Iruma will want to do more than just that.