Iruma POV
Laying on my bed in my new room, I stare at the ceiling still trying to process what happened to me a few days ago. Ever since my horrible parents decided to sell me to a demon, my life has changed drastically. At first, I was horrified, not knowing what would happen to me but I've been treated surprisingly well. The demon who I was sold to, Sullivan, has taken me in as his grandson. He's been spoiling me, giving me whatever I asked for, treating me much better than my parents ever did. The only problem is that in a couple of days, I start school here in the Netherworld. A school filled with demons who will eat me if they find out I'm a human! I'm so scared! On top of that, Sullivan, or should I say Grandpa (he asked me to call him that) is having a guest over today, most likely a scary demon who might eat me!
I must not let them know I'm human…I must not let them know I'm human…I must not let them know I'm human…my life depends on it!
"Irumaaaaa….! Come down here and meet our guests!" I hear Grandpa's voice shout up the stairs.
"Coming, Grandpa!" I yell back.
Did he just say 'guests', not 'guest'? So, there's more than one!? Now I'm even more scared!
I hesitantly roll off of my oversized bed and walk out of my room. As I make my way down the stairs, I notice two new faces looking at me. One of a man with black hair, with streaks of red and gold, and strange eyes, ones where the whites are instead black. His sharp stare unnerves me.
He's really scary! I need to be careful around him!
Next to the scary man is a cute little girl with light blue hair and large golden eyes, she looks up at me with curiosity. The fact that the other guest is just a child calms my nerves a bit. One less scary person to deal with! The only problem is that she probably came with that scary, black-eyed man.
Is he her father or something? I will need to be careful around the child too, so I don't upset him.
"Iruma, please introduce yourself to these people," Grandpa says.
Still feeling terrified, I address the man first.
"H-hello. My…um…name is Iruma Suzuki. N-nice to meet you." I say nervously.
The child makes a small expression of surprise when I mention my name for some reason.
"Greetings, Iruma Suzuki, my name is Diablo. I am an old friend of your Grandfather's. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." says the man named Diablo.
Feeling a little better since this Diablo person doesn't seem to notice I'm human, I turn to the child at his side and kneel down to her level.
"Hi there, kiddo! My name's Iruma, what's yours?" I say cheerfully.
I notice a hint of irritation on her face for a moment before she smiles at me warmly.
"Hello there, Iruma. My name is Rimuru Tempest, but just call me Rimuru. It is a pleasure to meet you." She says with a maturity that doesn't match her young face. She places one of her small hands on my shoulder and leans in closer to my face, now inches away. #Now tell me, boy, what is a human like you doing in a place like this?# Rimuru whispers in a calm, serious tone, her golden eyes boring deep into my own.
Craaaaaap! How does she know!? My cover's been blown! I'M GONNA GET EATEN!
I immediately start shaking and sweating bullets as the horrifying reality sinks in. The last thing I wanted to happen just happened! I look for an escape but can't find one! The only thing I can think to do is lie through my teeth, something that I'm horrible at.
"I…I…um…don't know what…you mean? I am just your t-typical, average, everyday d-demon! I am definitely n-not a h-human! Hehehe…" I say, trying to stay calm, at least on the outside. She backs up a bit, looking a little confused for a moment, before leaning in close again, this time with an apologetic expression on her face.
#Geez kid, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you! You don't need to be scared of me so please just relax a little and listen. I know you're human; you can't hide that from me, but I'll drop the subject since you seem so uncomfortable about it. I do want to talk to you later in private about it though, ok?# she whispers to me before giving me a friendly slap on the back (one that felt unusually strong coming from such a small child) and putting some space between us.
Staring at the floor, still kneeling, I nod my head to try to end this uncomfortable conversation. When I glance up at her again, she appears to be lost in thought, arms folded, a troubled look on her face.
Did she not mean to scare me like that? She looks like she feels bad about it…
Rimuru POV
After greeting Diablo, the boy walks up to me and kneels down to my level just like the other two.
"Hi there, kiddo! My name's Iruma, what's yours?" he says with a friendly smile.
Ugh! Getting the little kid treatment again! I want to change back to my normal size right now, but I don't want to have to explain myself to these people! I guess it's not his fault so I'll just have to ignore it.
"Hello there, Iruma. My name is Rimuru Tempest, but just call me Rimuru. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Now let's ask the burning question…
Putting on a serious tone, I whisper #Now tell me, boy, what is a human like you doing in a place like this?#
Immediately after asking him, a look of sheer terror forms on the boy's face. He begins to sweat profusely and is shaking like a leaf as if he just saw his worst nightmare become reality. I'm a bit taken aback by the sheer intensity of the boy's reaction, so I give him a little space.
What the hell!? I knew he would probably be shocked, but I didn't expect him to react like this!
"I…I…um…don't know what…you mean? I am just your t-typical, average, everyday d-demon! I am definitely n-not a h-human! Hehehe…" the boy says, futilely trying to cover up what he is.
He really doesn't want me to know he's human, huh? I wonder why…?
After using thought acceleration to come up with a good way to calm the teen down, I put on a comforting face and approach him again.
#Geez kid, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you! You don't need to be scared of me so please just relax a little and listen. I know you're human; you can't hide that from me, but I'll drop the subject since you seem so uncomfortable about it. I do want to talk to you later in private about it though, ok?# I whisper in a non-threatening tone.
I give him a friendly pat on the back and step backward. The boy nods his head, still looking pretty freaked out though, staring at the floor. I fold my arms and try to process what just happened.
I really need to get better at not scaring people shitless when I meet them. I know I'm a Demon Lord, and we are kinda known for that, but still! I don't want to be an object of fear constantly! I want to have a normal introduction for once!
The blue-haired teen looks up at me, seemingly confused by the sour expression on my face. He doesn't look nearly as scared as he did moments ago. Taking a deep breath I, decided to reintroduce myself.
"Sullivan, Opera, and Iruma. I'm very sorry for scaring the three of you, that wasn't my intention. I would like to start over; this time on a friendlier note, ok? I'm the Demon Lord Rimuru Tempest, but please just call me Rimuru. My title is irrelevant to what type of person I am and does not define me. I came here because Diablo, my subordinate, asked me to come with him today. Nice to meet you all." I say, addressing all three of them.
"Once again, it is nice to meet you, Rimuru," Sullivan says, not seeming to be scared anymore.
"Welcome to the Netherworld, Rimuru," Opera says, still refusing to make eye contact.
"H-hello Rimuru…" Iruma says, still a bit hesitant.
"Why don't we talk over some hell-grey tea? I would like for us to catch up, Diablo. Please follow me to the dining area you two." Sullivan and Opera lead the way followed by Iruma, then me, and Diablo.
We enter a large room with a grand, long dining table with surprisingly few chairs. Three chairs to be exact, presumably, one for Sullivan, one for Iruma, and one for Diablo.
It is true that they were only expecting one guest, now what are we gonna do?
[[You could create a chair, copying the ones in front of you. Would you like to do this?]]
No! I don't want to scare them again! If I conjure up a chair from nothing, I don't know how they'll react!
While I'm momentarily lost in thought, I suddenly feel two strong hands grip my sides and my feet leave the ground. I flail my tiny arms and legs in protest, trying to free myself from the strong grasp. Normally, I could escape easily from something like this, but I keep a limiter on my physical strength for day-to-day life. Without it, I tend to accidentally break things constantly. (My 'bestie' Milim has a similar problem, especially with doors.) Even when my limiters are in place, though, very few people are strong enough to restrain me with pure strength. Diablo, unfortunately, happens to be one of them. Seeing me struggle to free myself, Diablo suddenly releases his grip on me, and I fall unceremoniously to the floor with a thud. I was so startled that I didn't even think to stop myself with 'gravity control'.
"Diablo! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" I scream, completely shocked and mortified at what he just did. I can hear our hosts giggling while watching from the sidelines.
"I am very sorry My Lord! I noticed that Sullivan does not possess enough chairs for all of us. You often sit on Ms. Shion's lap so I thought using mine would be an acceptable solution for you…" Diablo says with a pitiful look on his face.
I'll have to get back at Diablo later for startling me so badly. I wonder how he would react if I snuck up behindhim and lifted him off the ground! Hahaha! Oh well…I'll plan my revenge later.
*sigh*"…whatever…I guess that's fine… just please don't pick me up without warning like that again, ok?" I agree to his offer begrudgingly.
"Yes, Lord Rimuru," Diablo says, eyes full of regret.
I allow him to pick up again and place me on his lap. He's right when he says I do have a habit of sitting on the laps of my subordinates; I just never do it in human form because I'm too big. My smaller size at the moment makes it possible.
Ciel? Why didn't you warn me that Diablo was sneaking up behind me like that!? I know Diablo can be pretty stealthy, but I should still have detected him.
[[Answer: No hostile intent was detected.]]
Don't give me that robotic response! I know you just did it to amuse yourself! This is just like that time with Hinata in the café!
[[You should be more aware of your surroundings, Master, even without my help. Take this as a lesson.]]
I definitely know that wasn't your main reason for doing that but in a way you are right.
I sip at the strange tea Opera served us while sitting on Diablo's lap (ugh). Despite looking like something Shion would make, it's surprisingly tasty. Diablo and Sullivan talk back and forth about various things, reminiscing about the past while I sit there quietly, being careful not to interrupt their conversation. After waiting for a natural pause in their discussion, I decide now's the time to ask for that private chat with Iruma Suzuki.
"Sullivan? Is it ok if I have a little chat with your grandson? I have a few questions to ask him."
"Sure! Iruma, take Rimuru up to your room with you to play while the adults talk. Have fun!"
"Okay, Grandpa," he says as he gets up from his chair.
Play!? I said I wanted to talk with him! Whatever…
I keep my thoughts to myself since the outcome will be the same either way. I follow Iruma as he leads me up the stairs to his room. It was pretty difficult climbing the unusually steep staircase in my current form. I was tempted to just fly up them but decided against it. Seeing me struggling, the kind teen offered to carry me, but I refused. He'll never take me seriously if I let him do that! Plus, what if I get dropped again? I've had enough embarrassment for one day.