Black Shadow | Souei

Extra Ch 2: The Tragedy of M?

"Rimuru-sama, it's time for your inspection of the construction site." Shion said with a strained smile while looking at Shuna.

"I will take you there," Shuna insisted back with a similar smile.

To explain the current situation, Rimuru was being tugged between the two kijin, as always. He would've wanted to ask Kumiko to help save him, but it seemed like even her scolding was getting less and less effective. Anything short of taking Rimuru herself wasn't enough to stop them and even then, they tried to take him back out of her hands most times.

It was unfortunate for Rimuru, but apparently there was actually a reason Kumiko didn't like holding Rimuru as compared to the other girls. It turns out that she wasn't particularly fond of the texture of the slime. While he managed to maintain a form instead of slipping through their fingers, Kumiko simply didn't like the feeling of how malleable Rimuru was. Kumiko had figured it out herself when she carried Rimuru out back at the Lizardmen's home. However, her pride wouldn't let her show her put Rimuru down after she had committed to holding him. Of course, she was also distracted by Soka at the time. Kumiko supposed it felt nice to dig her nails into the slime during her anger, but it wasn't worth it afterwards to have bits of slime stuck under her nail. Needless to say, Kumiko blatantly avoided picking up Rimuru when possible and left that task up to Shion and Shuna.

Well, other than for Kumiko, this slime body does feel really nice to hug... Rimuru thought as the two female kijin continued to pull on their side. Even I hug a body double of myself sometimes. A body double! Why don't I give them each a body double of me?! Wait, maybe not... If I do that... It'd be a bigger death match than when I was naming them! I need some kind of stand-in for my slime body... A wood-carved slime! A slime sculpture! A metal slime made of metal! No, those aren't right. There's no point if it doesn't have the same feel as my body. Right... something like... One of those cushions that makes living beings sink into depravity! That might feel pretty close to the same thing. Beanbag cushions in my image! I'll call them Rimuru cushions! That sounds adorable! Like the first prize in a lottery! And the biggest one would go to whoever drew the very last lot!

Rimuru snapped out of his own thoughts to realize that the two girls on either side of him were still smiling stiffly at one another and stretching him out incredibly thin. By now, Rimuru was used this and knew he wasn't at risk of actually tearing like in the dream he had. If he was going to tear, it would've happened days ago when Shion and Shuna had stretched him across the entire room and down the street. He was so thin that Kumiko thought Souei had laid his [Steel Threads] out when she passed by.

"Uh, could you guys let go for a second?" Rimuru asked the two kijin.

"O-Of course." Both of them simultaneously released Rimuru, causing the slime to snap back into shape in between the two girls.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Shuna," Rimuru said once he landed on the ground safely.

"Of course. Ask me for anything you'd like," Shuna replied happily. As the princess and a seamstress in the town, Shuna sometimes felt like she didn't do enough for Rimuru, especially compared to the other kijin who were by his side. Therefore, she was always glad to help Rimuru out whenever he asked if it was within her power.

"There's something I want to make..." Rimuru trailed off. She probably wouldn't understand if I said 'stretchy material'... "Um, is there... some kind of cloth that's, like, really smooth and stretchy?"

"Smooth and stretchy?" Shuna echoed, rasing a finger to her face in thought. "Do you mean something like Spandex?"

"You know what that is?!" Rimuru shouted in shock.