Attendance… plz…)
….
They both loved the texture of high-quality black tea. They both preferred silence. They both approached every problem with a cold, detatched rationality.
Whenever the trio schemed as children, Rimuru and Alice would plan every detail with excruciating precision. And when things inevitably went wrong and the three of them stood before the adults for punishment?
Rimuru and Alice would lie with such calm perfection that they fooled everyone. May was always the weak link. She was the one who stuttered, the one who cracked under pressure, and the only one who got punished.
They were polar opposites, yet identical egoists. Alice solved problems from the perspective of a Mage. Rimuru solved problems from the perspective of the trio. Yet, their conclusions were almost always the same.
May remembered the sunsets vividly.
Alice would sit quietly, reviewing her grimoires. Rimuru would pour her a fresh cup of tea, then sit beside her, closing his eyes to nap in the fading light.
It was a perfect painting.
And every time, May felt like the intruder. She felt like the third wheel, the hyperactive idiot who didn't belong in their silent world. It used to make her so insecure that she'd pick fights with Rimuru just to get his attention.
So, yes. May was stressed.
When Rimuru said he wanted to come and welcome them, she had nearly grabbed Elair and thrown the child at his face to stop him.
Rimuru didn't know yet... but May did.
She was his fiancée.
Her teacher had told her the terms of the secret pact between the Tempest and Archelot families. Once Rimuru ascended to the seat of a Lord and proved his qualifications, the two families would merge.
It was a desperate move by the Tempest family back then, and a strategic investment for the Archelots.
The problem was... May didn't hate the arrangement. In fact, she was secretly delighted by it.
But now, staring at her best friend, who had shared such a tacit, wordless understanding with Rimuru in their childhood, May felt like she was facing a final boss.
Against anyone else, she was confident. Against Alice? She was terrified.
While May was lost in her internal crisis, attempting to formulate a strategy, Aoko interrupted her thoughts.
"It's a good thing he isn't here!" Aoko swung her suitcase aggressively. "If he showed his face, I swear I'd kill him this time!!"
"Kill him?" Alice paused, asking calmly, "With an explosion?"
"..."
Aoko deflated instantly, her fiery rage doused by a bucket of cold reality.
Right...
The Director had explicitly warned them. If she dared to use even a sliver of magic, she would be deported and banned from British soil forever.
Hiss! That bad old man!
"Speaking of which, Aoko, why do you hate Rimuru so much?" May asked curiously. She wasn't close to Aoko personally, but they were friendly enough through their mutual connection to Alice.
"Why?! How do you think I got the nickname 'Human Missile Launcher'?!"
The moment May mentioned the name, Aoko's hair practically stood on end.
"I seem to recall you hated me even before you got that nickname, didn't you?"
A crisp, familiar voice rang out from nearby.
Aoko froze.
She whipped her head around, locking onto the target instantly. Not far away, Rimuru was standing there, holding the hand of a small white-haired child.
"YAAAAAH!"
Aoko abandoned her suitcase. She charged forward, winding up her arms like a windmill, and unleashed a barrage of chaotic, flailing punches.
Thud.
Rimuru sighed, extending one arm. He placed his palm firmly against Aoko's forehead, stopping her momentum dead in her tracks.
"Ugh! Let go! Let me at him!"
Aoko swung her fists wildly, but her reach was too short. She was helpless against the forehead-hold. Rimuru endured her venting with a look of exasperated amusement.
Elair stared blankly at the big sister who was frantically punching the air. Then she looked up at her teacher, who was effortlessly holding her back.
The cowlick on Elair's head twitched. She scrunched up her small face in deep thought.
After a moment of careful deliberation, she raised her little fist in the air and cheered:
"Nice hit!! Get him!!"
"???"
Rimuru paused. He looked down, betrayed.
Bonk.
He delivered a swift knuckle-rap to the traitor's head.
"Uwah!"
"Are you done yet?"
Rimuru grimaced, putting on a theatrical display of pain as he rubbed his forehead. He glanced at Elair, the little agent of chaos who had been cheering for his demise, then back at the Magician.
Aoko, satisfied that she had inflicted sufficient 'emotional' damage, withdrew her slender hand and let out a proud huff.
"Why are you here?" May asked, blinking in confusion. "Weren't you supposed to be at home watching Elair?"
"Elair wanted to go out and play. I figured taking her to meet a legendary Witch and a Magician would be a valuable form of training," Rimuru explained with a smile.
He thought he saw through May's little anxieties. She's just worried I'll steal her best friend away like we were kids again. What a naive little girl.
Rimuru was completely oblivious. May wasn't worried about him stealing Alice. She was worried about Alice stealing him.
"Hello, Big Sisters! You guys are so pretty!"
"Elair...?"
Alice stood still, her gaze lingering on Rimuru, who was currently hovering around the 145cm mark, for a long moment. It wasn't until Rimuru led Elair right up to her that she seemed to snap out of her daze.
Her calm eyes swept over the confused little girl.
"Your... student?"
Alice looked back up, locking eyes with Rimuru's golden pupils.
"Ah, yes. My student." Rimuru nodded.
Alice's eyes were deep and dark, like a pool of still autumn water. To anyone else, they were unreadable. But Rimuru could see the flicker of genuine joy hidden within those depths.
His memories of her were fragmented, blurred by two lifetimes. He had expected to be nervous.
But now that he was standing in front of her, all that anxiety vanished. In its place was a profound sense of tranquility, like meeting an old friend where no words were needed.
"Long time no see, Alice."
"Mhm."
Alice nodded once. She lowered her eyelids and continued walking forward.
The group made their way into the heart of the Clock Tower, heading toward the Lord's private lounge in the Department of Policies.
It was a lively procession. Well, "lively" in the sense that Aoko and May walked arm-in-arm at the front, loudly complaining about Rimuru, while Rimuru walked behind them, smiling wryly as he escorted Alice.
Compared to the noisy pair in front, Rimuru and Alice were silent. Neither felt the need to start a conversation.
Yet, there was no awkwardness. Only a relaxed, comfortable ease.
It was habit.
Flowery words and enthusiastic greetings weren't their style. Silence and tacit harmony were the essence of their relationship.
Rimuru had to match his pace to Elair's short legs, meaning he walked slower than usual. Yet, Alice's pace matched his perfectly.
The two in front often had to stop and wait for them to catch up. But Alice? She didn't need to be asked. She didn't need to check. She simply adjusted her rhythm to match his, step for step.
It was a unique understanding that belonged only to them.
….
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