Chapter 7 - Rimuru And Iruma's Adventures In The Netherworld

Rimuru POV

Still looking out my window, I hear a knock on the door.

"Rimuruuuu…! It's time to get uuuuup!" Sullivan says loudly in a sing-song voice before opening the door. Seeing me not in my bed, he looks a bit confused.

"You're already awake? Did you have a hard time sleeping last night?" Sullivan says, sounding concerned.

"I didn't sleep at all; I don't need it." I say bluntly.

"Nonsense! Of course, you need sleep!" he insists.

"Um…no, I don't. I literally don't need sleep! Slimes don't need that stuff." I say adamantly.

Technically I don't need food either, but I'm never telling him that!

"Oh…" Sullivan says, processing what I just said for a moment.

"Why don't we go downstairs, we have an entrance ceremony to get ready for, right?" I ask to break the tension.

"Yes, we do!"

"Is Iruma up yet? I'll wake him up for you if he isn't."

"I came to wake you first, so he isn't up yet. Go ahead."

"Okay!" I say cheerfully.

Siblings are supposed to mess with each other, right? I might as well embrace the role!

I enter the bedroom across the hallway from mine, being careful not to make any noise. I find the teen sprawled out on his oversized bed, drooling onto his pillow. He is sleeping soundly, looking very peaceful.

Ciel, form a soul corridor between me and Iruma. It will be for his own safety while we are at school.

[[Sure…Soul corridor between you and the individual Iruma Suzuki has been confirmed.]]

Good, good. Thanks, Ciel. Now I can talk to him from anywhere using thought communication, I don't think he will be able to respond the same way though.

I exit the bedroom and head downstairs. I sit down at the dining table next to Diablo, sipping at that weird tea people seem to love here. After enjoying the flavor for a minute or two, I decide it is time to wake up my 'brother'.

{{Hey, Iruma! Get your lazy butt out of bed!}} I say loudly through thought communication, smiling to myself as I continue to innocently sip at my tea.

Iruma POV

"Aaaah!" I yelp, startled by the sudden loud voice.

I wake to someone yelling at me. I quickly sit up in my bed, shaken, and look around frantically.

Was that Rimuru? Nobody else is in my room but I am sure I just heard Rimuru's voice! Where is she, though!? Did she disappear as soon as she yelled at me? Wait a second, I didn't really hear that voice in my ears, but in my head! Can she use telepathy?!

I rush out of my bedroom to go find Rimuru.

Rimuru POV

Iruma bursts into the dining room and makes a beeline straight for me. He's definitely figured out that I was responsible for his 'rude awakening'.

"Rimuru, can you use telepathy, or something?!" he questions, looking irritated.

"Yes, why do you ask?" I respond innocently.

"Don't play dumb, I'm sure you already know why! Why did you have to scare me like that first thing in the morning?!"

"I was testing to make sure that my telepathy works on you. I need to be able to contact you even when I'm not physically nearby, I am your protector after all." I say with a grin.

"That doesn't mean you had to yell inside my head to wake me up!" he protests.

"It was just a harmless prank! I have to have a little fun sometimes, don't I?" I give him a sickly-sweet smile.

"Whatever, just please don't do it again…" Iruma grumbles.

"Next time I will tone down the volume, ok?" I say with a chuckle.

"I guess that works…" Iruma says with a pout.

After finishing our breakfast, Sullivan brings us both our school uniforms. Iruma gets the boys' uniform, a white dress shirt with a teal jacket with a high collar and a pair of pants to match. I (unfortunately) get the girls' uniform, which is some pink frilly thing closely resembling a typical schoolgirl outfit from Japan. It is a pale pink blouse with puffy short sleeves along with a hot pink collar and short skirt. Apparently, students can wear custom uniforms too, as long as they get permission, but since my job is to blend in as a normal student, going with the basic uniform is my best option. Since this outfit isn't magical like all of my other clothes, I replicate it with my aura instead of wearing the original (ever since I became a 'true dragon' I've been able to create my own clothes that way). If the original got torn in a fight, it wouldn't regenerate, and we can't have that happening. I may not have anything to show underneath, but that doesn't mean I don't have some sense of modesty. (I guess I do go around naked when in slime form, but that's a completely different situation.)

I head back upstairs and change into my new uniform. Also, to keep my annoyingly long hair out of my face, I arrange it into a high ponytail using a ribbon (with a little help from Ciel). I look in the mirror at myself and frown.

I look just like a stereotypical schoolgirl, but I guess that is what I should be aiming for right now. That's the role I am supposed to be playing for this job. I guess this isn't any worse than some of the outfits I have been forced into over the years.

I make my way downstairs once again, now in uniform. Iruma has already come down ahead of me, also wearing his. I look over and notice he is staring at me again, blushing.

I already told him not to look at me like that!

"Hey, Iruma, remember how I said how much I hate that look you're giving me right now? You need to get ahold of yourself. You can't be staring at me like that at school. I'm supposed to be your sister, just think for a few seconds about what will happen if other students notice you looking at me like that!"

His face turns red for another reason when he realizes what kinds of consequences could come from him acting like this.

"Sorrysorrysorry!" he frantically apologizes to me.

"It's ok, just be more careful."

"It's just…you look really…good in that. It…suits you…" He says sheepishly.

It suits me!?

[[It does suit you, Master! You look adorable!]]

I don't need your input right now, Ciel!

I groan before I turn back to Iruma. "Seriously, you need to cut it out. You can't say stuff like that either."

"Okay, Rimuru…" He says, looking very embarrassed.

Sullivan, Iruma, and I leave the mansion to go to the entrance ceremony. Sullivan insists on taking an embarrassing number of pictures (so they have cameras here?) of me and Iruma on the way. We make our way there on foot, unlike most of the students, since Iruma can't fly. Upon arrival, we enter a large auditorium filled with many demons with varying appearances. Some look almost beast-like while others closely resemble humans. Kinda reminds me of the people of Tempest, so I am perfectly comfortable with the wide variety of creatures surrounding us. Sullivan splits from me and Iruma, instructing us to find seats for ourselves. Iruma and I sit in the first two consecutive open seats we can find. Unlike me, Iruma looks extremely uncomfortable being surrounded by demons of varying sizes, some much larger than us.

I guess to the average human a lot of these demons would be very intimidating. It doesn't bother me though; I've seen much scarier than these pipsqueaks.

A demon sitting near us, one of the larger ones, comments on how something smells delicious. Now Iruma looks like he's going to piss himself in fear.

#It's ok! Ignore him.# I whisper to Iruma.

We sit there for a while, waiting for the ceremony to start. I let Ciel go to town analyzing everyone and everything in sight. She seems to be pretty interested in all these different types of demons, so I am sure she's having a ball.

Having fun, Ciel?

[[…]]

Wow, she is so preoccupied she isn't even responding!

[[Ssssshhhhhh!]]

Fine, but it's not like I can just stop thinking you know! Its not my fault you hear all my thoughts whether you want to or not.

[[…]]

Suddenly, A man on the stage announces that everyone is going to sing the school's song. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the lyrics, it was all about eating humans with a bunch of gory details included. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud at how absurd it was. Iruma had a much…different…reaction. He honestly looked like he was gonna pass out or something. I put one hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.

#Calm down! These guys are nothing compared to me so you have nothing to worry about! None of them can do anything to hurt you when I'm around, I promise!# I whisper to him.

#O-okay.#

Poor kid…

After the song is finished, Sullivan steps out onto the stage. Iruma seems surprised by this, I guess he didn't know his Grandpa was the principal of the school like I did.

"This year, my two precious grandchildren will be attending this fine school. Their names are Iruma, and Rimuru. Here is a picture of me with them from this morning. Aren't they adorable!" Sullivan says as he holds up a large poster of one of the pictures he forced us to take with him earlier before abruptly leaving the stage. Iruma is burying his face in his hands, clearly mortified. I notice various demons around us whispering to each other.

#The principal has grandchildren?#

#Iruma and Rimuru? What strange names…#

#The girl one's really cute!#

#He must love them a lot!#

The other students' murmuring is interrupted by the announcer speaking again.

"And next, the speech from the head of the freshmen class, Asmodeus Alice!"

I look over to see a 'pretty-boy' with a hair color similar to Shuna's. He's wearing an elaborate white outfit and looks really arrogant; probably is some rich kid or nobility. He makes his way to the stage, but only ends up getting halfway there before getting interrupted by the announcer.

"There has been a change of plans! Asmodeus, please sit back down. Mr. Iruma and Ms. Rimuru will give the speech in your place."

Seriously!? I came here to take a break from stuff like this! Well, if they want me up on stage I'm gonna at least make it worth it by wowing the crowd!

I activate thought acceleration, letting it leak through the soul corridor to Iruma as well.

{{Hey, Iruma. I sped up our thoughts so I can relay my plan to you for dealing with this. I know you can't respond so just listen. Let me handle most of the talking and I will feed you lines and instructions through telepathy. I am used to public speaking being a leader of a country, y'know. Just stay calm and follow my instructions.}}

I deactivate the thought acceleration and the two of us make our way onto the stage. I can see that Asmodeus guy heading back to his seat, seething with anger. Great, we just made an enemy…

Standing up at the podium, shoulder-to-shoulder with Iruma, I decide to start our speech.

"Hello, my name is Iruma." he says to the audience.

"And I am his twin sister, Rimuru! We are Sullivan's grandchildren! We welcome you all to this wonderful school. Our first year here marks the beginning of an experience full of learning and fun." I say cheerfully with a smile.

{{I hope to learn a lot here along with all of you, my fellow students!}}

"I hope to learn a lot here along with all of you, my fellow students!" Iruma repeats.

#Don't say this next one! Do it instead!# I whisper to him.

"We don't like long speeches, so this one will be kept brief. Let our lives here at Babyls be amazing and full of excitement!" I announce in a grand tone.

{{Turn to face me and thrust your arms in the air immediately! I am gonna use magic so don't freak out!}}

I turn, now standing face to face with him, about a foot of space in-between us. Iruma's arms shoot into the air in tandem with my own. I smile, very excited to use this skill again after not having an opportunity to for many years. I produce black flames in the air above us, making it appear that Iruma and I are both contributing to them. I manipulate the flames into the shape of the words 'Welcome to Babyls!' in the demon language (obviously). I learned it last night with the help of Ciel. Iruma looks quite surprised but keeps his mouth shut, forcing it into a smile.

#See? I told you I knew how to handle stuff like this! Drop your arms now.# I say to Iruma quietly with a smile. I lower my arms and dissipate the flames in sync with him. The audience seems pretty thrilled with my performance, I hear many people exclaiming about what they just witnessed.

"Wow! Those flames were such a cool color!"

"How do you even shape words out of flames like that! Crazy!"

''That Rimuru chick is just as hot as her fire!"

"What kind of magic was that!?"

"They are both powerful, but the girl seems like the assertive one."

"I wouldn't mind being burned by her!"

"They are both so cute!"

I hear lots of compliments (with some comments being a bit concerning to be honest) for me and Iruma before they are overtaken by many of the students chanting 'Sullivan Twins!' in unison, over and over. Great, now we have a stupid nickname…

Iruma POV

I am up at the podium, standing closely next to Rimuru. She seems really confident, despite not having time to prepare. All I have to do repeat anything that she says through her telepathy, so I don't have anything to worry about.

"Hello, my name is Iruma." I repeat her words.

{{I hope to learn a lot here along with all of you, my fellow students!}}

"I hope to learn a lot here along with all of you, my fellow students!" I say to the audience.

#Don't say this next one! Do it instead!# Rimuru whispers to me.

What is she going to make me do? I thought all I had to do was repeat her words?

"We don't like long speeches, so this one will be kept brief. Let our lives here at Babyls be amazing and full of excitement!" she announces.

{{Turn to face me and thrust your arms in the air immediately! I am gonna use magic so don't freak out!}}

She's gonna use some of her crazy magic!?

I follow her instructions. Above us, assumedly produced by Rimuru, is a large ball of black flames Does fire even come in that color?. The mass of magic fire begins to warp and twist, forming words. I look at Rimuru's gorgeous face, the strange-colored flames are lighting up her flawless skin with a pale glow. She has a wild look in her golden eyes and is wearing a large grin from ear-to-ear; she's obviously enjoying herself, maybe a little too much. Honestly, her expression is a little unsettling, kinda evil. I still can't figure out exactly what kind of person she is, she seems so nice and kind, but then makes faces like this one! She seems to have two sides to her, one cheerful and bubbly (still a bit of a prankster though), and the other dark and terrifying.

#See? I told you I knew how to handle stuff like this! Drop your arms now.# Rimuru whispers to me. I do what she says and lower my arms. She is smiling at me sweetly now, probably proud that her plan worked out. Back to nice Rimuru again, I guess.

Rimuru POV

After the ceremony finished, Iruma and I go to the school courtyard to hang out or whatever. We are surrounded by other students doing the same.

[[Notice: Hostile intent detected from the individual Asmodeus Alice. He is approaching your current location.]]

Oh, great. It's the rich pretty-boy whose role we were unwillingly handed a bit ago.

"My name is Asmodeus. How dare you take my spot in the entrance ceremony! I was supposed to make that speech, but instead you used your grandfather's influence to steal my spotlight!"

He's salty alright…I better at least try talking to him. I hope he will listen to me, fighting him without killing him will be tricky. I can't restrain him with my thread either because that will just make me look like a wimp.

"Hey man, we didn't even want your-" he cuts me off before I can finish.

"You insufferable copycats even stolemy signature technique and flaunted it in my face!"

Yep, he is so angry that won't even listen to what I have to say. This reminds me a lot of the first time I met Benimaru…

Asmodeus produces a flame above his hand, probably trying to intimidate us with it.

So, this guy's specialty is fire magic? (So, he's even more like Benimaru?) I guess flames weren't the best choice to use earlier. Now he thinks we were trying to rub salt in the wound caused by his speech being stolen from him.

"Now, in front of everyone, you must prove that you are better than me! Show me what you've got, 'Sullivan Twins'!" He says with a sneer.

Maybe if I just dodge every attack he throws at me he will wear himself out and give up? I really don't want to accidentally kill him fighting back.

#I want you to participate so people don't look down on you while you're here. How good are you at avoiding attacks?# I ask Iruma quietly, not expecting much.

#I'm very good at dodging. I've had to get myself out of many sticky situations in the past, so I have a lot of experience avoiding danger.#

#Great! My plan is for us both to dodge all of his attacks until he wears himself out and gives up on fighting. If things get too dicey, I will fight him alone and teleport you away from here, ok?#

#Ok…I will try my best!#

Ciel, observe Iruma. If it looks like he is gonna get hit with something he can't handle, put up a barrier to protect him.

[[Okay, Master. I will protect the boy.]]

Good, thanks for having my back.

"Alright, Asmodeus, we'll take you on!" I say confidently as I put up a barrier around the three of us, I don't want any attacks hitting innocent bystanders or the school itself.

He immediately begins throwing fireballs at the both of us. I dodge them all effortlessly, not that I even need to. Iruma hasn't been hit either, but I wouldn't call his dodging 'effortless' like mine, more like desperate. He is dodging every fireball by an extremely slim margin. After 20 minutes of 'playing' with Asmodeus, he is on the ground, out of breath and exhausted. Iruma is in similar shape himself, while I am just standing there, perfectly fine. I walk up to the pink haired teen with his hands and knees on the ground, his fancy outfit looking dirty and disheveled.

"How the hell did you two dodge all of my fire! Why have you not fought back!? Do you think I am not worth fighting!?" he yells, obviously pissed and feeling humiliated.

"I can't speak for my brother over there, but yes, I, personally don't think you're worth fighting. Just so y'know, your weak-ass flames have no effect on me whatsoever. I could have stood there and taken every single attack you threw at me head-on and come out of it completely unscathed. Consider that fact before you choose your next move, Asmodeus. I promised Grandpa that I wouldn't hurt anyone here at school, but if someone is attacking Iruma or myself, I think he will consider that an exception." I say with a sinister smile.

"How dare you talk down to the great Asmodeus Alice! I will destroy you, you arrogant bitch!" he screams, having completely lost his composure, his body now engulfed in flames.

He still isn't giving up…oh well…he asked for it. I hope that Sullivan doesn't get mad at me for this…Ciel, temporarily set my physical strength limiter to a level that will incapacitate but not kill him in one blow, please. Change it back after I am done with him.

[[It is done.]]

Thanks again, partner.

[[Hehehe…I love it when you call me that, Master!]]

*sigh*

#Heh…okay, if that's what you want, kid.# I say quietly in a flat tone, wanting to get this charade over with. I approach him slowly, staring him in the eyes threateningly. I want to drill into his arrogant little head that it isn't ok to mess with me or Iruma, it is my job to protect the boy after all. If the head of the class is scared of us, others are less likely to try to hurt him. Before he could even completely stand up again, I casually give the boy a light (in terms of my strength at least) flick on the forehead, sending him flying far enough to slam into the barrier, now unconscious.

*sigh* #Too easy…# I whisper to myself.

Cheers erupt around us from the other students, along with some more chanting of that stupid nickname we just got. After dropping the barrier, I effortlessly scoop up the still unconscious Asmodeus and carry him to the infirmary, tailed by Iruma. I'm not so cruel that I will just leave an injured child on the ground outside! I even splashed a bit of potion on him when nobody was looking, I can't have him dying on the way there. Iruma is looking a bit worse for wear himself, his brand-new uniform is covered in burn marks, dirt, and is ripped in multiple places. He is all sweaty and exhausted too, with a somewhat shocked look stuck on his face. He doesn't seem hurt though, I am pretty impressed with his ability to evade.

"Doin' okay, Iruma?" I ask, as we walk through the hallway with Asmodeus in tow.

"Y-yeah. I'm just really worn out. That was quite the fight!" Iruma exclaims.

"Ya think so?" I ask, honestly thinking the little spat was pretty boring.

"Yeah! That Asmodeus guy was really strong, but you were even stronger! Sending him flying with a single flick to the head, what even was that power?!"

"Hmmph…it was just a simple flick. If he can't handle that, he isn't very strong."

"Pfft…you're sense of what counts as 'strong' is really skewed, Rimuru!"

"I guess you can say that. I can't really help it though." I say as I shrug my shoulders.

After dropping Asmodeus off at the infirmary, we make our way to Sullivan's office to explain what just went down out in the courtyard. He wants to talk to me first, alone.

"So…um…Grandpa. That Asmodeus guy got really mad because we took his speech, so he challenged us to a duel. I promised not to hurt any students so I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen! I then attempted to make him give up without actually fighting back, but he wouldn't stop even after 20 minutes. Since I wanted to end the fight quickly at that point, I knocked him out. He'll be ok though, I even healed him!" I try to explain myself to Sullivan. Even though I am much more powerful than him, I really don't like breaking my promises. Also, it would really suck to be sent away since I just found something to alleviate my boredom.

"Why was Iruma involved in the fight? Why didn't you just take care of it? I am sure there was no need for his help, so why did you put him in danger?"

"I had some good reasons. First, I wanted him to get a little fighting experience. Since I won't be guarding him for the rest of his life, he needs to learn how to defend himself. Also, demons admire strength, right? If he chickened out, the other students would look down on him and it would cause him more problems down the line. Lastly, I had a barrier ready that would keep him from getting hurt badly. He did surprisingly well, dodging all those fireballs for so long. He honestly impressed me today."

"Very well, I accept your explanation. If you say my Iruma was completely safe, then I have nothing to scold you about."

"Great, I'm glad you understand where I was coming from."

"Irumaaaa! Come on in!" Sullivan yells towards the door.

He walks in, looking hesitant, before coming to my side facing Sullivan. He probably thinks he's about to get scolded.

Sullivan steps closer, then springs forward and hugs both of us simultaneously.

There he goes, switching from serious to sweet suddenly again.

"I'm so proud of you two, defeating the head of the class in a duel is really impressive! Also, your performance at the entrance ceremony was spectacular! Just what I would expect from my precious grandchildren! The whole school is talking about how amazing you two are!"

"Th-the whole s-school!?" Iruma stutters, looking freaked out. I guess he doesn't like the idea of all that attention.

"Yup, what did you expect, k-…Iruma? With all that pizazz at the entrance ceremony and then that fight, of course there will be talk about us." I say nonchalantly since I am (unfortunately) accustomed to being the center of attention.

Get used to that attention, kid. I had to; I seem to draw tons of the stuff anywhere I go. Since you're hanging with me, you are bound to get caught up in it too.

I hear a knock on the door to Sullivan's office. When the door opens, I recognize the person standing on the other side; it's Asmodeus Alice. Iruma looks pretty scared of the guy, not knowing his intent for being here. He begins approaching us, so I put myself in-between him and Iruma, ready for a confrontation.

Ugh, great.

[[No hostile intent detected from Asmodeus Alice.]]

Asmodeus, now right in front of me, drops to one knee and places a hand on his chest.

"In our match earlier, I thoroughly lost to you two. So thoroughly, that I am sure if I took either of you on individually, I would still have lost. According to demon law, the loser of a duel must serve the winner. I humbly admit defeat and submit myself to the both of you, Masters Iruma and Rimuru.

The way this guy is talking is giving me some serious Diablo vibes, is that just a demon thing or something? The demonesses aren't like that. Whatever, I already get enough of this crap at home. I guess I can hand this dude over to Iruma, It wouldn't hurt to have someone else help protect him here.

"Alright, you're first order is to help keep Iruma safe when I am not around. I already have plenty of subordinates, so mainly focus on serving him." I say as I grab Iruma and push him towards Asmodeus, a mischievous grin on my face. #Have fun!# I whisper into his ear in a teasing tone.

"Understood, Master Rimuru. I dedicate my life to serving you, Master Iruma!"

"Uuuuhhh…okay…thanks?" Iruma says, looking very uncomfortable.

"You're welcome, Master! Together, we will take over this school and make all of the other students kneel before you!" Asmodeus says enthusiastically.

"S-sure…"

Off to the side, Sullivan is taking pictures of our interaction with Asmodeus. I think I heard him mutter something about a school website? So, they have something like the internet here too? Cool, I will have to check that out later! I probably shouldn't mention to Iruma that our faces might end up posted online, he already looks like he's going to die from embarrassment.

Chapter 7 - Chapter 7