46 A Playboy

Rimuru Pov-

'So this is where the six of them are.' I thought, looking at the tent in front of me. After inviting everyone to the village, I had some work to do, so I promptly dumped them on Rigurd. No, I wasn't being lazy. Reassuring myself, I moved in front of the tent, hearing some weird noises.

"Hey! You! I saw that first!!"

"You're terrible! I was aiming for that meat!"

"As a man, I shall not yield when it comes to food!"

Munch* Munch*

What a boisterous group.

I turned towards Rigurd, who understood my silent question before answering. As expected of the chief of goblins.

"My apologies. They said that they were hungry, so I prepared some food for them." He explained.

"Oh, that's good! It's a good thing to help those in need." I praised his actions.

More importantly, they, without consulting me, decided on a course of action they thought best.

That, in itself, is a wonderful thing, I imagine.

"Yes. Thank you very much. I'll keep your words in my mind." Rigurd said in his formal tone. He is way too stiff around me.

After that conversation, we entered the tent. To be precise, Rigur, who was guarding outside opened the way in. And all the eyes fell on me.

The six of them were sitting opposite to each other.

'Huh? Haven't I seen them somewhere?' I thought, looking at the three people sitting together.

[Answer. It is the group of trio you have seen in the cave.] The Great Sage answered my question without any delay.

'Oh, they are the ones from back then.'

I looked around as my eyes fell on the lady who was eating while wearing a mask. Isn't that uncomfortable?

Looking next to her, I saw two kids around the age of 16. Looking at their faces, I was sure that they were Japanese as well. The girl was very pretty, with a beautiful face and long, black hair. The boy was also good-looking. But for someone like me, who never had a single boyfriend in her entire life, he was too handsome.

I stared at the boy, wondering if it was the same person I saw on that crystal ball that day.

[Answer. After analyzing the facial features, it is determined that it's the younger self of the same person.] And the Great Sage answered, erasing my doubts.

'The person I am destined to be with.' I wasn't sure about how to feel right now since I barely knew him. My thoughts came to a halt as Rigurd started speaking.

"Visitors, we are not able to extend warmer hospitality than this, but I hope that you'll feel at home here. Please allow me to introduce our master yet again." He said, motioning his right hand towards me. "Over here is our master, Lord Rimuru."

"Master?" The three sitting in front said, surprised. There wasn't much of a reaction from the black-haired trio.

"Is there anything wrong with me being a master?" I said.

"Oh, no."

"I thought that you were just a slime. I didn't think that..."

'They look surprised. I should do a harmless appeal here.'

"Nice to meet you. I'm the slime, Rimuru. I'm not a bad slime."

"Pfft."The lady who was wearing the mask laughed a bit at my joke.

'Did she just get my joke?' I thought, wondering if she was an otherworlder as well.

The three in front thanked me for the food while the others just kept eating. 'They sure are free-spirited.'

"So, what's your purpose for coming here?" I asked. Before answering my question, they started introducing themselves.

"I'm Cabal, the leader of this party. And they are..."

"I'm Ellen."

"Hello, my name is Gido. Pleased to meet you."

"And these three are temporary members that joined us since we were travelling in the same direction." Cabal said, pointing towards the black-haired trio.

"I'm Shizu." The masked lady said.

"My name is Mikasa, it's a pleasure to meet you." The girl said.

"My name is Shiba Tatsuya, nice to meet you." The boy said with a smile.

'So the person I am destined to be with is named Tatsuya? And the way he introduced himself is also Japanese.' I thought.

After the introduction was done, Cabal started speaking again. "Under the request of the Guild Master in the Blumund Kingdom..."

As if he was never taught to be suspicious of strangers, Cabal revealed to us their objectives in coming to the Great Jura Forest.

'It seems like the repercussions of Veldora's disappearance are greater than I imagined. To think that they would not only investigate the cave but the surroundings as well.'

"As you can see, we are in the middle of building a city, does it pose a problem for the guild?" I asked, hoping for the best.

"I guess it's fine."

"It's not something the guild can complain about anyway. What about the country itself?"

"I have no idea."

'I see, so these three are idiots.' I concluded.

"Well, I understand your story now. Feel free to stay here tonight. You can rest up as much as you want." I said.

"Thank you very much."

"Treat them with respect." I said, looking at Rigurd and Rigur.

"Yes." They both replied.

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.

.

Looking at Shizu, Mikasa and Tatsuya, who were looking at the sunset while standing at the edge of the cliff, I walked towards them.

"Do you guys have a moment? There's something I would like to talk to you about." I said, stopping to their side.

"Are you three Japanese as-" I wasn't able to complete my words as I was interrupted by Shizu-san.

"Slime-san, that was a line from a game, right?" Shizu-san said.

"Huh?"

"The one where you said, I'm not a bad slime." She said again in the same way I did.

"So, Rimuru. You're from Japan as well?" Mikasa asked, looking at me.

"I am." I replied.

"I see. I am glad that we met." Shizu-san said, removing her mask.

I told them about how I was reincarnated in this world after I died.

'All three of them were summoned here, huh? Veldora did mention that before.' I thought, remembering what Veldora said.

"On that note, what was your name before you died?" Tatsuya asked.

"Ah, right. I haven't told you guys. My name was Satori Mikami, I used to work as a general contractor."

"What?" Both Mikasa and Tatsuya were surprised by that. Although I didn't understand why?

"Y-You were a girl?" Mikasa asked, looking at me.

"Yeah. You guys thought that I was a guy?" I asked. 'Well, I guess it's difficult to tell a slime's gender. And I was a woman, not a girl. Hmph.'

"That... was surprising." Tatsuya muttered.

'Was my gender reveal seriously that surprising?' I thought, wondering.

After that, Shizu-san told us about how she was summoned to this world. And it was a sad story, very sad. I decided to show everyone my memories of Japan through Thought Communication. Shizu-san was very happy after seeing a peaceful Japan.

Cough* Cough*

Shizu-san suddenly coughed, bending forward while clutching her chest.

"Shizu-san." All three of us were surprised by this before she returned to normal.

"I am sorry." Shizu-san said, looking at the three of us.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Yes, probably." She replied with a smile.

After a while, all of us left the cliff, returning to the village. It was fun talking to all of them.

I realised that Mikasa and Tatsuya were dating, which was surprising, to say the least. I was wondering if the crystal ball was fake or not? Maybe he'll take both me and Mikasa? Either way, the image I saw in the crystal ball was of his future self, so I decided to not think about it too much. Even without the whole destiny thing, I considered all three of them my friends.

I promptly ignored the fact that I was a 37-year-old virgin in my past life during our conversation.

We also talked about different Mangas and Anime. Shizu-san was just looking at the three of us with a smile. But for some reason, they did not know about the games and social media that were the most popular during our time, which was quite weird since their knowledge about anime was even ahead of my own. Maybe they never played any games?

I also learned that they both came to this world around a week ago. Unlike me and Shizu-san, they just appeared there out of nowhere, which surprised me since I just guessed that they were also summoned here like Shizu-san.

'I wonder what happened for them to appear in this world like that?' I thought. It must've been rough for them since they're quite young.

[Answer. The individuals Mikasa and Tatsuya were most likely caught in the accidental occurrence of a dimensional distortion.] That was what Great Sage concluded. And there was another thing as well.

[Notice. The individuals Mikasa and Tatsuya do not possess any magicules at all. Unknown energy has been detected that flows through their bodies, strengthening them. Current Status- Cannot be identified or researched.]

'Are they strong?'

[Answer. Most likely, they're stronger than you, Master.]

For real? I won't brag, but I am quite strong on my own.

I decided to ask them the next time we meet.

.

.

.

"Geez, why do women take so long to get ready?" Cabal complained, looking at Ellen and Shizu, who were walking toward us.

It was about time to say our goodbyes to them. I was resting on Rigrud's shoulder, looking at our guests.

Shizu suddenly stopped in her tracks, not moving at all.

"Not… again." Shizu muttered, clenching her stomach as she fell to her knees.

"Aaaaahhhhhh" She suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Shizu-san, Shizu-san." Ellen was shouting. If it wasn't for Gido holding her, she would've already rushed to Shizu-san's side.

Crack*

Cracks ran along the surface of her mask, as magicules gushed from within. A pillar of flames rose from her body as the sky darkened before she started levitating mid-air.

BOOOOM*

An explosion came from her body, pushing everyone back as they fell to the ground. Only Tatsuya and Mikasa were standing at this point.

By now, Shizu-san's body was covered with flames.

"Rigurd, Rigur. Evacuate everyone." I said.

"But..."

"Rimuru-sama."

"It's an order." I said again.

"Yes, sir. As you command." They both replied.

Cabal, Gido and Ellen were back on their feet, looking at Shizu-san.

At this point, I knew that a fight was inevitable so I asked Ranga to be prepared for battle. With a thud, Shizu-san's mask fell to the ground, revealing her face.

Her eyes were blood red with tears in them, the tears were evaporating due to the flames surrounding her.

A ball of fire covered her body. After a few seconds, she was gone, replaced by a flame giant.

"The fire spirit, Ifrit."

"There's no mistake, Shizu is..."

"... The legendary hero, the conqueror of flames. Shizue Izawa."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh." The fire spirit, Ifrit, shouted at the top of his lungs before a shockwave came from his body, ruining the little village we had.

Come on, we just built that.

Even after I warned them, Ellen, Gido and Cabal refused to leave Shizu-san, saying that they were comrades.

'They're really nice guys.' I thought.

Ifrit has already summoned three giant bat-like creatures.

"You know, we can handle that thing on our own." Tatsuya said, looking at Ifrit.

Are you for real? I remembered what the Great Sage said about their strength, so I agreed with their proposal.

"Be careful." I warned them.

"Just enjoy the show." Mikasa said, picking me up.

"Hey, this isn't a game." I said, trying to get out of her grip, but it was futile.

Tatsuya smiled at me before he disappeared.

'Huh? Where did he-' I wasn't able to complete my thought as I heard an explosion accompanied by a spirit's loud cry?

BOOOOOOM*

Ifrit, who was throwing flames everywhere was now lying on the ground with half of its body converted into meat paste with Tatsuya standing next to him, poking Ifrit's cheek with his right toe. The amount of disrespect was over 9000.

'Shizu-san will be fine, right?' I thought. Looking at Ifrit who has already regenerated, only to be punched by Tatsuya yet again. At this point, I was wondering who the bad guy actually is. Tatsuya or Ifrit?

I just hope that he won't treat me like this in the future.

'Why isn't his body burning?' I thought, looking at Tatsuya who was surrounded by fire.

[Answer. The Unknown energy that was reported last time is protecting the individual called Tatsuya, shielding his body from fire and heat.]

'Great Sage, how strong is Tatsuya?'

[Answer. Around the level of an Unawakened Demon Lord. A High-Level Flame Spirit doesn't stand a chance against someone of that level.]

'Then how strong is Ifrit?'

[Answer. Ifrit is Special A-Rank(Calamity-class), comparable to you, while the individual called Tatsuya is S Rank(Disaster-class).]

As I was learning about Demon Lord Seeds from Great Sage, I noticed something came crashing down at Mikasa's feet.

'Oh, Ifrit is still around.' I thought, looking at the half-dead Ifrit lying down like a rag doll. Even though he was half-dead, his body was still regenerating.

"Rimuru, can you separate Shizu-san from Ifrit?" Tatsuya asked, appearing in front of me.

'Can I?' I thought.

[Answer. It is possible by using the Unique Skill 'Predator'.]

"I can." I said after hearing the Great Sage's words, jumping out of Mikasa's embrace as I landed on top of Ifrit. Looking at the pitiful fire spirit, I wanted to apologize for what Tatsuya did.

[Would you like to use the Unique Skill 'Predator'?]

'Yes.' I said, devouring Ifrit whole.

'Great Sage, please separate Ifrit from Shizu-san.'

[Yes. Target analyzed. Gained all the abilities of the individual Shizue Izawa along with Ifrit. Mimicry of these individuals is also possible.]

[Would you like to remove Shizue Izawa from 'Stomach'?]

'Yes.' I said as Shizue appeared out of my body. Even without asking Great Sage, I could tell that she won't last long.

'Great Sage, can we save her?'

[Answer. After being separated from the Fire Spirit, the individual Shizue Izawa can no longer prolong her lifespan with the Spirit's power. Full Potion is useless in this kind of situation.]

'That...' I was sad. I wanted to save her but couldn't.

"Can you heal her?" Mikasa asked, looking at me.

"I can't." I replied, shaking my head, if I had one that is.

"I guess I'll do it then." Tatsuya muttered as he crouched down, looking at the passed-out Shizu-san.

"Zafkiel." He muttered.

'Zafkiel? Isn't that an angel from mythology?' I thought.

Tatsuya adjusted his hair, making them fall to the side of his head, revealing his left eye. His left eye was golden with a clock inside it. Before I could ask anything, I saw a giant stopwatch manifest behind him.

"Fourth Bullet Dale." He said as a knife-like object appeared inside his palm. He looked at it before stabbing Shizu-san with it.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I shouted, throwing a full potion at Shizu-san.

[Notice. The individual Shizue Izawa wasn't wounded by the stab. Her condition is stabilizing.]

[!!!]

Was the Great Sage shocked just now? What's up?

[Answer. Shizue Izawa is now in perfect condition. As for the method, no data could be received.]

"All done." Tatsuya said, looking at Shizue.

'He really can do anything?' I thought, looking at Tatsuya.

"Can you take care of her? She'll wake up in a few months after her life force is regenerated." He asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "Don't worry about it." I was really glad that Shizu-san was safe.

.

.

.

After placing Shizu-san inside a tent, we came back to the place where Ifrit, or more like Tatsuya, rampaged.

'What a pain.' I thought, looking at the mess of a forest. My thoughts were again halted as Great Sage notified me of something.

[Notice. Unknown entity approaching at a high speed.]

I turned in the said direction, only to notice that Mikasa and Tatsuya were already looking at the blonde girl that was flying toward us.

'Is that a loli?' I thought, looking at the one flying toward us.

"TATSUYA." The blonde Loli shouted, crashing directly into Tatsuya's chest, hugging him.

She looked around, giving Mikasa a death glare before turning towards me. She had blood-red eyes along with a very beautiful face, not to mention her long blonde hair. Her mouth was slightly open, revealing her fangs.

'Wait, fangs?'

"We just met a few days ago, Yue." Tatsuya said, patting Yue's head while she hugged him tighter.

And at this moment, I realized something.

Tatsuya, the person I am destined to be with, is a playboy.

****

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A/N-

We going to Kurumi's world next since I can't make Rimuru fall in love with Tatsuya in a single day. As for why Shizu is in a coma, it'll be explained in the next chapter.

And yes, Rimuru is a waifus now, rejoice.

As for the mc's fighting strength, it's about the same level as Hinata(sage), Roy, Frey and Carrion(demon lord seeds). Basically a fodder in tensura.

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