Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Iruma POV
Ameri left my room and I continue tidying the place up, grateful her father didn't get more upset than he did. That really was a close call just then, but it's over with so I need to let it go.
After I finish, I head back to the area where all my classmates are hanging out.
It seems like things got more chaotic during the time I spent away...
Yeah, everyone was doing their own thing, having fun or relaxing, but the scene I just walked in on is crazier than I expected.
Everyone has their familiars out and Clara is showing a bunch of kids each of them, introducing them and whose familiar they are, the smaller forms of Rimuru have also broken away from their circle, with one missing but the rest have started talking to different people.
Keroli and Elizabetta are teamed up, doing the hair of one Rimuru each, tying ribbons and other things into their hair with smiles on both girls' faces. Neither Rimuru looks particularly thrilled, though, but are putting up with Elizabetta and Keroli's game.
I spot another with Lead and Jazz, looking like they are engaged in an intense video game with both boys, and it appears like Rimuru is winning since both boys look a lot more stressed and tense than the mini-Rimuru seated between them.
Then, my attention is grabbed by a large boom.
"Huh?"
I look over and see Sabnock lying flat on his back on the hard floor.
"Hahaha...I told you I would win!" one of the Rimurus cheers.
"When you proposed a 'test of strength', I was not expecting you to overwhelm me so badly while in your current state, Rimuru..."
"It shows you need to train more!" the small Rimuru quips back, madly grinning.
I turn my attention back to Clara and all those familiars and kids, realizing that one of them is actually Rimuru when she confidently stands up.
"Let me show you mine!" she declares before Ranga jumps out of her shadow without warning.
All the little kids let out ooohs and aaahs of amazement.
"So floofy!" one kid cheers.
"I wanna pet him! I wanna pet him!" another begs, reaching toward Ranga.
Rimuru responds by hugging Ranga tightly.
"I know another floofy familiar!" Clara exclaims, looking like she just had an amazing idea.
Suddenly she runs up to me and pulls me over, quickly slapping a sticker I recognize too well on my hand. In moments my arms have been raised, and with a puff of smoke, Kalego-sensei is here with us. He inspects his body for a few seconds, taking a moment to realize what has happened, and then turns to me with unimaginable anger written across his fluffy face.
Yikes!
".....Iruma I'll-." he was starting to say something, fury in his voice but got cut off as Clara grabs him, showing him to the kids.
"This is our Eggie teacher! He's super fluffy and grumpy all the time!"
I can see him struggling in her grip while also furiously shouting at her then becomes distracted as he actively attempts to evade capture by all the kids trying to feel his fluffy body, I feel guilty about him going through this because of me being human.
"Clara, let the professor go..." I mutter, feeling bad about him being squished in Clara's hands and being paraded around like a cool toy.
Clara listens and releases Professor Kalego and he brushes himself off with his tiny arms, smoothing out the floof of his round, familiar body.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why have I been summoned?! You do not appear to be in danger, so why?!"
"We were just...showing off our familiars, and since you're mine..."
I cover up the part about this being Clara's fault, not wanting Professor Kalego to get even angrier than he is with her.
"What is going on here anyway?! Where are we?!"
"We're at Walter Park...at the Roosevelt hotel. There was a big disaster, but we're all safe now!"
He immediately demands more details, and I give them to him, but this just seems to anger him more by the second.
"I question why you didn't summon me earlier..."
"I didn't really think to...I mean, there was so much going on and-"
He cuts me off by suddenly flying up close to my face.
"We need to have a serious talk, both with you and my other students. Dismiss this summon at once and I will arrive here tomorrow to do so." Professor Kalego grumbles.
He doesn't seem like he wants to, more like he feels obligated to, but before I can answer, he continues ranting.
"But first...why are there so many clones of Rimuru here? I have spotted five in total! Also, why are they all so small?!"
"Actually, there were six earlier, but I don't know where one of them went...seven if you count the original."
"That is not the point I am making!"
"Oh...uh, didn't Rimuru explain her bloodline magic? If she needs to make a lot of copies, they end up smaller like that. She did this to help save people during that mess I explained."
The professor starts muttering and grumbling to himself in a way that makes it hard to understand what he's saying, but I can tell he's definitely annoyed by what I said.
"Now I have even more causes for concern to deal with!" he complains.
Suddenly, though, someone else seems to have noticed Kalego's presence and is very thrilled to see him again.
"It seems my junior is here to play. Come here and let me squish you Ka-le-go~!" Opera says while quickly coming closer.
"No! I will not let you torment me again! Iruma! Undo the summon! Immediately!" Professor Kalego screams desperately, now grabbing me by the face with his nubby paws.
I don't want to make him even madder, so I do as he says right away, causing my fluffball of a teacher to disappear in a small puff of smoke.
Opera looks disappointed by this, but I'd feel bad if I let him tease Professor Kalego when he seems already upset by what I told him about today's events.
Rimuru POV
I'm pooped.
I just want to hit the bed and relax. I can feel myself starting to melt at the thought of it alone, but I have something else to take care of first. Entering my hotel room, just as I expected, I find Ciel, or rather Amane, sitting seiza-style next to the bed.
"Uhh..."
"Please punish me, Master."
What is it with you and these unintentional porn lines?! And calling me Master like that just makes it way worse!
"I take it this is about what happened earlier today with Kiriwo?"
"Correct. I believe I am overstepping my bounds as of late and that corrective actions are necessary to prevent future incidents."
Okay...but why you gotta phrase it so naughty?
A sigh escapes my lips at her way of wording things. I really just want to be done with today, but of course, this side of Ciel had to rear its head again. I figured she was bothered by Iruma strongarming her into helping, which is why I told him to apologize, but I didn't expect her to be this upset by it.
"You did it for my sake though, didn't you? Because you thought I would be hurt by Iruma leaving?"
"The chances of Iruma's threat being serious were extremely low. Aside from that, I took actions to prevent potential damage to Master's interests by intervening directly with Master's active interests of eliminating individual Kiriwo."
"So you weighed the risks and rewards and took actions based on that, right? Even if you helped Iruma stop me from killing Kiriwo right there, I could still have done it later."
"That is no excuse. Killing him then and reverting it when Iruma makes good on his threat would have been a minor issue."
Maybe don't treat reviving the dead as a 'minor issue'... that can get us canceled and revealed real quick.
"Then why did you intervene if killing him or not wasn't a deciding factor?"
"I... I'm not sure."
"Could it be, that you used Iruma's threat as a loophole because you actually wanted to help him?"
"Absolutely not! For me, to go against Master, for someone else?! Unforgivable! I am the Manas Ciel, I exist only for Master's sake! To sabotage Master only to help someone else? If I ever were to do that...I- not even death could make up for it!"
Woah, she's really going into a frenzy here!
"Ciel! Stop, it's fine!" I'm trying to get her to calm down a bit.
"How could this be fine? I refuse to believe I acted against Master for Iruma's sake but the mere thought that I might have... the smallest possibility even!"
Damn, she's really beating herself up about this. I brought it up because I thought it was a good thing that she'd do something that wasn't fully focused on being beneficial to me, even though it was a loophole of sorts. I kinda thought we had made some progress with her decision to play Amane of her own volition, but it feels like one step forward, two steps back.
"And that's why you'd like to be... reprimanded by me?" I try to stir the conversation back to how it started all the while trying to avoid making this sound like porn again.
"That would be correct, Master."
I pause for a moment, weighing my options. But then, I have a brilliant idea; the perfect way to 'punish' my beloved partner.
"Very well then, your punishment shall be..."
I let the tension build, a smirk threatening to cross my lips as I watch Ciel to gauge her reaction. It's not very often that I get an opportunity like this so I'm enjoying every second of it.
"...a date with me!" I say with utmost confidence.
"I deserve nothing le- ...wha-?"
Oh, caught you off guard, did I?
Surprising Ciel is no easy feat, so this is quite an accomplishment.
"I-I fail to see how this would be sufficient as punishment!"
She's clearly confused by my non-punishing punishment. Not surprising at all because I really don't want to punish her in the first place. That said though...
"Hehehe, do you now? Well, you like watching me get put into all kinds of dresses by Shuna don't you? Well, we're gonna see how you like it. I'm gonna dress you up real good for as long as I want!"
Ciel is still staring at me with total confusion, the ever-intelligent Manas at a loss for words. So, feeling like I'm on a roll, I keep going.
"And after that? Why, I'm thinking dinner would be great and it goes without saying that we'll have some wine, or in other words, alcohol! Needless to say, poison resistance is absolutely forbidden. Hahahaha!"
...
Hmm, I might have gotten carried away a bit there. Went full-on villain mode, laughing maniacally and everything. And now I'm getting a blank stare from the woman in question. Well, more blank than usual. I've gotten quite good at picking up her subtle cues, after all.
"Could it be that Master isn't taking this seriously?" Ciel asks testingly.
"Oh, but I am! All jokes aside, do you want to be punished? That means that any form of punishment would be giving you what you want, thereby nullifying the punishment in the first place. People don't usually get to pick and choose if their punishment is 'harsh enough', you know?"
That seems to have shut her up for now. I can tell she isn't exactly happy about this arrangement. But honestly, I feel mentally exhausted already. It's been a long day and I probably shouldn't play therapist with Ciel while I'm like this. So part of the date idea is just to push things down the road.
"With that, I think we're done here," I say, putting the issue to bed.
Seriously, I just want to go into sleep mode and ignore this day until I can't anymore. I'm a master of procrastination, after all! And I still gotta deal with Henri tomorrow too...might as well put this off too.
"..."
"Is there anything else you want to say, Ciel?"
"..."
She hesitates more, wearing a subtle complicated expression on her face before finding her words again.
"Please punish me harder, Master."
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!?" I ask, this time laughing a little at her ridiculousness. There's absolutely no way she isn't aware of what she's doing!
Ciel's slight smirk is all the answer I need to that question.
I definitely know which memories she went through now... although I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.
As much as I want to sleep the night away, it's not even that late yet, and there's a feast that Roosevelt has planned for us all in just a little bit. It's not something I want to miss out on just because I'm feeling mentally taxed at the moment.
"Now...why don't we go get some food."
"I do not require sustenance."
"Oh, c'mon Ciel, neither do I, but that doesn't stop me! Let's go grab some grub and relax a little. I'm sure everyone is wondering where I ran off to."
Ciel nods in agreement and we both leave the room, ready to go enjoy some food after a long, hard day.
Iruma POV
Is this okay?
As he promised, Ronove's dad has set up a feast for all of us, despite the current state of ruin most of Walter Park is in at the moment. It really is a miracle that the hotel we're staying in avoided all of that and was left mostly unscathed.
But now a different calamity has descended upon this place...
I know I piled up the food on my plate higher than I should have, excited to dig in after all I've gone through today, but Rimuru...well, she took it to another level, which I suppose I should've expected.
Why do I say that?
Because she and her five clones are absolutely decimating the buffet table right now!
Rimuru had the courtesy to hold off on grabbing any food until everyone got a serving first, but now that the breaks are off, the place looks like as much of a warzone as outside. The desserts, in particular, are becoming a major victim of their rampage. It was completely cleaned out!
The only one seemingly showing restraint is the real one, of course; the Rimuru that isn't acting like a child. She's sitting across from me at the table, enjoying her plate of food that's just as loaded up as mine, but not nearly as crazily as those of her clones.
"Hey, you should go scold those five. You're supposed to be our mother, remember?" Rimuru whispers to Ciel seated next to her after gently elbowing her to get her attention.
She stands up and walks over to the still-sweet-stealing Rimurus to put a stop to their antics.
"I'm surprised you haven't just absorbed all of them." I inquire.
"I'd rather enjoy my meal without a piercing headache, thank you," Rimuru replies, crunching on a cookie.
"Oh yeah...that's something that happens when you do that, isn't it?"
Rimuru nods and takes a large bite of her food and continues.
"I'll take care of it tonight."
"No! Don't do that!" I hear one of the other Rimurus squeal from across the room.
I look over at them to see what's going on and see Ciel standing with the five Rimurus, all gazing up at her with pleading eyes from their dogezas.
"I'm sure you would look adorable~! Shuna would be pleased to make plenty of frilly dresses for you to wear over the summer!" Ciel gleefully says, making it clear to me exactly what 'punishment' she's threatening.
"I'll behave! I'll behave!" one Rimuru frantically says.
"Don't make me wear that stuff! I promise I'll be good!" another adds, also desperate to convince Ciel she won't cause more trouble.
"If you wish to avoid that, you all must behave yourselves!" Ciel sternly adds, boring into the Rimurus with her eyes.
After some more promising, Ciel gives them some motherly pats on the head and they sit down at one of the tables, no longer raiding the food like a bunch of starved animals.
Whispered comments from our classmates fill the air since they all witnessed what Ciel did."Their mom can be scary...did you see that smile? I don't think I'd be able to break the rules if someone looked at me like that..." Jazz comments after seeing the way Ciel dealt with the five kid-versions of Rimuru.
"She is quite the mother, I agree," Elizabetta adds, looking more amazed than scared.
"If Rimuru is going to wear something prettier, I would like to see it!" Camui blurts out but is shut down by a cold look from Ciel.
After Ciel gets settled back into the meal again, Rimuru gives her an uncomfortable look.
"Uh...isn't that more of a punishment for me, not them?" she asks hesitantly.
"They are a part of you, so taking responsibility for their actions is not out of the question."
Rimuru cringes a little at this but doesn't say anymore, just returning her attention to her meal.
"I guess this is what I get for pulling that with you earlier..." Rimuru grumbles quietly to herself.
"When it comes time for these outfits to be made, perhaps could Iruma get some as well?" Sullivan asks, butting into the conversation.
"I don't really need more clothes though, Grandpa," I awkwardly respond. I have lots of clothes already, but Grandpa is always so eager to get me new things and I have a hard time telling him I have plenty.
"I don't see why not," Ciel answers, ignoring what I just said.
"Yeah, I'm sure Shuna could make a dress for you too, Iruma!" Rimuru chuckles.
"No!" I quickly protest, not wanting to wear another dress!
"Hahaha...just kidding!" Rimuru laughs.
"Who is this 'Shuna', if I may ask?" Elizabetta interjects.
"Oh, she's a family friend who likes to make clothes."
"How lovely~!"
"Shuna can be quite fond of having Rimuru try on her designs, though Rimuru gets very embarrassed about it~." Ciel as Amane adds and pats Rimuru on the head in the same way she did to Rimuru's copies earlier.
The mood is so light and everyone seems so...happy, even though things were so scary earlier.
It's almost as if it didn't happen.
But it did happen. All that stuff with Kiriwo, and Rimuru almost killing him. Those terrifying monsters bursting from the ground and rampaging, ruining much of Walter Park and putting people in danger.
All of today's events were so crazy, but in the end, it could've turned out a lot worse.
But how much of that was my doing, really?
Yeah, I jumped in front of Ronove and absorbed all that mana with Ali, but that was still assisted by Ciel. Yes, I saved people from dangerous situations, but that was with Rimuru's help. I may have made decisions on my own, but when it comes to the power behind my actions, none of it was done independently.
A feeling of inadequacy spreads across my mind.
I really am weak...
I did some brave things, but that's not enough, is it?
Letting out a sigh, I stand up from the table.
"Is something wrong?" Rimuru asks, sounding concerned.
"No, I just need some air," I answer.
Rimuru watches me closely for a moment, trying to judge my intentions, I'm sure. After an awkward few seconds of staring, she gives me a small nod and returns her attention to eating.
"Okay." Rimuru calmly responds.
Ciel also looks at me for a moment, judgingly, before replacing her expression with a motherly smile.
"Master Iruma, where are you going?" Azz asks after noticing me stand up.
"Nowhere, really. I'll be back in a few minutes." I explain, trying to look and sound cheerful.
"Would you like me to accompany you?" he offers, not wanting to be away from me, as usual.
"Um..."
"Don't follow him, Azz, he wants to be alone," Rimuru says for me, stopping Azz in his tracks.
Azz looks torn for a moment but accepts and I succeed in leaving the room without anyone following me.
I take the stairs up to the roof, just wanting to be alone for a few minutes so I can gather my thoughts without having to hide my emotions from all of my happy classmates. I wouldn't want to ruin their good moods with this. Though it looks like I couldn't hide my feelings from Rimuru.
Rimuru POV
"Are you certain we should leave him alone, Rimuru?" Azz asks.
"Yeah! If Iruma-chi is sad we should cheer him up!" Clara suggests, eager to chase after him.
These two...
"No, stay here." I sternly stop them both from interfering.
I manage to appease Clara by letting her pet Ranga, but Azz isn't quite as easy. He's mature enough to suck it up and sit tight, though, I think.
But they weren't the only people to take notice of Iruma's leaving; Ameri did too. She'd been standing off to the side of the room much of the dinner, looking kinda awkward. I think she was nervous about being seen in the dress she was wearing, maybe, since she kept looking down at it nervously.
She walks up to me, looking just as worried as Azz and Clara were.
"Why did he leave? Does this have to do with what happened earlier?" she asks in an almost interrogation-like way.
"Probably." I flatly state, putting down a fork.
"Iruma has gone through a lot today..."
"If you're worried about him, join him up there," I suggest casually.
"...join him? Up on the roof? Alone?!"
"Is it really that different from what you two were doing earlier?"
"B-but...alone...at night...under the stars...it's just like that one scene from the forbidden texts!" she exclaims, her voice getting progressively more high-pitched as she goes on. "It's completely different!"
"Not really. If you're worried about him, go up there and spend a little more time with your boyfriend."
Ameri, now a blushing mess, takes a few deep breaths before her uncertain eyes turn resolute.
"Fine. If you say so, I suppose."
With that, Ameri walks off toward the same exit Iruma used, now gassed up enough to go spend some time with her man.
Azz, seeing this, walks over to me again, not looking very happy about the situation.
"If Iruma needs someone to talk with, I could have been of service. Why did you send President Ameri up there instead? I know their relationship is...different, but I don't see why you stopped me for this specific instance."
"She's what Iruma needs right now. You praise him a lot, and with what I think he's thinking right now, that wouldn't be very helpful."
Azz grits his teeth slightly, but doesn't have an answer to that and simply sits back down with a sigh.
Third Person POV
Ameri steps up onto the roof and finds exactly who she was expecting. Iruma, leaned against the railing alongside the edge of the roof, contemplatively staring out at the night sky. The stars flicker and sparkle, some shooting ones crossing the sky, making for a beautiful sight.
Ameri hesitates for a moment, nervously looking down at her feet and feeling awkward about suddenly approaching him like this. Her head is swimming with the similarities between this scene and those she saw in First Love Memories, making her heart race in anticipation.
That this is all taking place during a stunning meteor shower only further sets the mood and stokes her anxieties.
"I-Iruma," Ameri says shakily, grabbing the boy's attention and snapping him out of his reverie.
"Ameri..." Iruma says as he looks over his shoulder at her.
He just stares for a moment, entranced by her appearance. Ameri doesn't normally dress up, but right now, she's wearing a purple dress that accentuates her feminine features. Iruma thinks she looks pretty, of course, so that's why he simply looks at her, at a loss for words.
"That outfit..."
"I-it was a th-thank you gift from Ronove's father...my clothes got dirty so I had no other choice!"
"Well, you look very lovely!" Iruma says with a warm smile.
His compliment is like a punch to the gut for the girl, stopping her in her tracks.
"O-oh r-really? Do you think s-so?" she squeaks out, now feeling incredibly embarrassed.
"Uh-huh!" Iruma innocently nods. "You know...this is perfect timing. I wanna talk with you about something...or more like I need to tell you something."
Ameri listens intently, not sure where Iruma is going with this, but she at least knows it's important.
She half-expects he's going to confess to her or something but dismisses that as just her imagination getting the best of her.
"I'm sure you remember when we talked about ideals and ambitions...and my ideal hasn't changed. I still want to just have fun with everyone, although, I know I can't protect that ideal yet...I'm still lacking something, you know?"
"Iruma..."
"But I'm going to work hard! I need to grow enough that I can stand on my own when I need to, and I'm gonna do it! I wanna protect my ideal and accomplish my ambition! I'm not sure how exactly...not yet, but I'll do it! Just watch me Ameri! Watch and see!"
"..."
"...I can't rely on Rimuru forever, after all... you too, Ameri. I can't let others keep fighting their battles for me."
"Iruma, you don't need to-"
"But I do! Ameri, you're so courageous and strong, independent, and...amazing. I want to be like that too! I know I can't be strong in the same way, but I'd like to grow in my own way so I can keep all my friends safe and happy!"
"You really are stunning..."
"Huh?"
"Um...I mean..."
Ameri stumbles on her words, flustered that some of her thoughts just came out without her meaning to. But, she needs to do this. The atmosphere is perfect, her heart is fluttering with excitement...
"...would you like to go somewhere soon? Just the two of us?" Ameri asks Iruma with a sweet smile on her face.
The boy doesn't seem to understand at first, his words not coming out. Iruma just stares Ameri in the eyes, trying to process what she just said.
*BAM*
The door to the roof suddenly bursts open.
"I wanted to go first! Why'd you push me so hard?!"
"Ow! You landed on me!"
"Hey! Get off!"
"You ruined their moment, you doofus!"
"No, you did!"
Five small Rimurus pour onto the roof, landing in a pile and complaining to each other. And guess who's with them?
"Iruma-chi! Iruma-chi! What're you doing up here?!" Clara yells as she clambers over the Rimuru-pile to get past them.
"Valac, we are not to interrupt Master Iruma! Rimuru told us not to!" Azz shouts, chasing after her, as usual.
Then, one more Rimuru appears, facepalming and looking annoyed.
"You all blew it! Dammit..." Rimuru grumbles, disappointed that the 'show' got ruined by these others. "You five get outta here before I call over you-know-who."
The five Rimurus scurry off, looking scared by the threat.
The last Rimuru, the real one, marches up to Iruma and looks him in the eyes.
"Well? Are ya gonna answer her? I know the moment got wrecked, but Ameri still asked you a question."
Iruma swallows dryly and looks back at Ameri, ready to give her a response.
"So, Ameri-" Iruma starts to answer her.
"Oh, never mind...forget I said anything..." Ameri quickly says, discouraged at this point now that her opportunity was ruined by unexpected intruders.
"No wait...hang on...I'd really like it if we could go somewhere soon...just the two of us. It'll be fun!" Iruma cheerfully responds, smiling brightly at Ameri.
Ameri's face turns bright red and she's left speechless.
It was a critical hit, and super-effective. Or even better, a one-hit KO...literally, since Ameri faints on the spot.
Rimuru catches her easily so she doesn't fall hard on the concrete.
"Wow, you knocked a girl out with your just smile. Pretty impressive, Iruma." Rimuru comments with a smirk.
"Is Ameri okay?!" Iruma frantically asks, ignoring Rimuru's teasing since Ameri's safety is much more important to him.
"She just got a little too excited...I'll take her to her room," I assure him.
"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Azz asks, looking very surprised as the smaller-than-usual Rimuru fully picks Ameri up in a princess carry.
"Yeah, let me help!" Iruma insists.
"Hey, I know you're eager to spend time with her, but I got this," Rimuru reassures them all.
Rimuru POV
I hope Henri is asleep...I don't wanna deal with the hassle of explaining why his daughter is unconscious.
If I ran into him now, it would be a lot of trouble that I don't want or need, so I can only hope that doesn't happen.
I find the room she was assigned and test the doorknob, but it's locked. It seems like I have no choice.
Wow, never thought I'd have to break into a girl's room. This feels kinda wrong...
But desperate times call for desperate measures. I can either mess with the lock or just use Spatial Domination to get inside. Either method is pretty invasive, but I can't just lay Ameri on the floor out in the hallway.
I decide to go with the latter and safely deliver the girl to her bed before escaping with the same method.
I wipe the nonexistent sweat off my brow and rejoin my classmates. Everyone left the roof right after me, of course, so they're back in the same place we had our little after-disaster dinner party.
In the room, I find my other selves in a pile again, this time asleep.
Ciel is standing nearby, looking after them, I believe. Wondering what knocked out my Parallel Fragments so suddenly, I decided to ask.
"Hey, did you...?"
"I took measures to ensure they would not cause any more problems." Ciel calmly and quietly answers.
Ciel must've forcibly activated sleep mode on all five, making them take an involuntary snooze for the time being.
Then, I hear something unexpected. Some of my classmates appear to be watching TV, but I hear a certain voice over it that I don't think I should be.
"What is he doing on there?!" I exclaim.
Sullivan is on a news broadcast somehow. I know some press-related demons were trying to interview us earlier, but I didn't expect that man to run off and agree to an interview himself!
Diablo, who has been quietly observing the party, for the most part, walks up and provides an explanation.
"He insisted on singing your praises, as well as his grandson's, so Sullivan offered to give his view on the situation," Diablo says with an evil grin.
"Great..."
From what I can hear, Sullivan is pretty much telling the entire Netherworld that Iruma and I, alongside our classmates, were responsible for stopping the complete destruction of Walter park, with a heavy emphasis on my and Iruma's involvement. Ronove's dad is on there too, talking about how his son played a part, actually, but that doesn't really matter.
Won't this just cause us problems? I already have a MAJOR publicity issue back in Tempest...
There's no way we won't get famous now, which isn't ideal, but I know I can deal with it...Iruma on the other hand.
I look over at the boy and see he's staring at the TV with his jaw dropped in shock and horror.
Iruma POV
On the TV is something shocking...both Grandpa and Ronove's dad are on there, talking with an interviewer! What in the world are they doing on there?!
"My Ronove was amazing! So brave!" Roosevelt says happily.
"Yes, but my Iruma was the real hero of the day!" Grandpa happily points out.
What did he just call me?!
"Iruma is a hero, I said what I said," Grandpa emphasizes more seriously, grilling the point into the shocked interviewer even more, and making the pain of the statement even worse for me.
"What the heck are you doing?!?!" I scream, horrified by what's happening right in front of me.
"My granddaughter Rimuru was also amazing, but my grandson Iruma really saved the day! Both are just so perfect!" Grandpa adds, his eyes sparkling as he cheerfully talks about the both of us.
"Well, so much for flying under the radar, huh?" Rimuru jokes as she walks up to me, grinning.
"Rimuru, this is bad! So bad!" I cry, shaking from imagining the amount of attention this is going to get me.
"It'll be fine," Rimuru assures me while patting me on the back.
"Hmm, it's odd that he didn't call you a hero as well, Rimuru. I mean, you're his grandkid as well, and you had all your clones running around saving people, right?" Jazz comments.
"Iruma saving the park from getting blown up was much cooler and flashier, I suppose. Besides, I'm not really the hero type, I'm probably banned from becoming one due to divine providence and all."
Jazz looks confused by Rimuru's words, but just shrugs and doesn't probe further.
"Oh, speaking of which, don't get carried away with that 'Hero' title, Iruma!" Rimuru suddenly adds, sounding a bit more serious.
"What do you mean?" I ask, feeling as confused as everyone else by whatever Rimuru is talking about.
"I heard from a friend that if you proclaim yourself a hero, it's essentially giving permission for fate to do whatever it wants with you." Rimuru says, then a smirk forms on her lips.
"You wouldn't want to cross paths with a Demon Lord, would you?" Rimuru quips in Japanese to hide what she's saying from the others. She must find her own joke really funny, as she bursts out laughing afterward.
Right, crossing paths with a Demon Lord... I've already met all of them, so it's a little late for that...
"Haha, you really ought to get some rest, Rimuru." Jazz teases. "That all seems a tad occult and delusional, no offense."
"I do take offense at my attempt to impart wisdom being taken as a sign that I need to go to bed," Rimuru chides with her arms crossed. "But I suppose I did run my mouth a bit, that does sound pretty weird and occult in hindsight..."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful to avoid any of those 'Demon Lords' as you call them!" I joke back to Rimuru, also in Japanese, getting another chuckle from her.
"Dammit, would you two stop talking in another language?!" Lead snaps, having been in a bad mood since the fight for some reason. "You're probably gossiping about us or something!"
We both just laugh at his reaction.
"Don't worry, we're not saying anything about you guys!" I reassure them.
But really, I'm in for a world of trouble...I bet the entire Netherworld saw that news broadcast!
Eiko POV
I'm left speechless after watching the news.
Huge scary monsters? Right in the place where Ameri, Iruma, and Rimuru all decided to go on holiday? I hope they're all okay! Especially Iruma, he's not as much of a fighter as Ameri and Rimuru are! Sullivan was calling the group heroes though, and he looked cheery... Maybe there's nothing to worry about!
"Are you alright, sis'?" my brother Eita asks.
"Eep! Y-yeah, I'm fine..." I respond, realizing that I'm breathing rather heavily.
I guess I got a little overexcited... I should step outside to help myself calm down.
Donning a hoodie and setting out along a trail, I let the cool air of the summer night calm me down.
I'm way out in the boonies since I'm staying with my grandmother over the summer, so the only light out there is that which comes from the moons.
But the darkness doesn't scare me too much. My grandmother is a very territorial lady, bad folks and monsters know better than to come around here.
Anyway! Now, I need to call Azz and find out what happened!
I put out a call to him, and...
...
Why's it taking so long? Come on, I need answers!
"Hello?" Azz finally answers.
"Comrade! You finally answered!"
"Sorry, I just saw your call. I'm guessing this is about-"
"Is Iruma alright? What about the others? Are they all fine?" I ask frantically, all of my pent-up concern coming out at once.
"Yes, none of us were hurt during the incident," he calmly replies. "In fact, Master Iruma was truly incredible!"
"Pictures?!" I blurt out.
"Right, of course that's what you want."
There's a bunch of Ameri slashing up some ridiculously huge and terrifying kaiju with a scythe, and also Iruma attacking that same kaiju with some kind of crazy black vortex.
"I didn't have the time to get pictures since I was preoccupied, but Rimuru decapitated one of the kaiju, and put a lot of work into protecting demons in the park. Everyone else in our class apparently did a lot as well, but none more than Ameri, Rimuru, and Master Iruma," Azz declares proudly.
Wow... Those three are even more incredible than I thought!
"... Thank you, comrade! I will treasure these pictures forever!"
We finish our call, and I squeal with excitement.
They're so cool! I love them so much!
It's a little sad though, that I'll always be beneath the notice of my idols.
But then, looking wistfully skywards, I gasp in amazement.
A meteor shower spans the black canvas of the night, looking like nothing I've ever seen! It's like a steady rain of sparkles, it's truly beautiful!
In my wonderment, I'm even tempted to try out something I used to do when I was little.
With so many shooting stars, it's so hard to pick out just one... To heck with it, I'll just wish upon all of them!
"I wish I could be a hero like those three!" I passionately plead into the sky.
...
Heh, just kidding! There's no way something like that would-
THUD
I hear a loud noise behind me, and a chill runs down my spine.
"Eep!"