The Last Cross Offs (Part 1 of The Eternal Partners Series)

Chapter 1

In Rimuru's past life as Mikami Satoru, he had made a list of '40 Things to do before you turn 40'. During the years before his death, he had successfully managed to cross out thirty eight items on said list.

Having been reincarnated as a Slime, it no longer mattered. Rimuru did not have the biology or need to complete the last two items on his list. That is:

Get married.

Have a child.

Rimuru lacked a lifespan and a gender. As far as he knew, procreation by natural means was impossible for him.

Sure, in this world there were many women who were willing to marry him regardless of his biology. However, Rimuru had found that since his body lacked any and all erogenous zones, his human form being no better than a doll, he had little to no desire for a marriage partner.

And why would he need a wife anyway? Tempest's government had no need for a Queen. Perhaps in the future, when he decided to retire and travel he would appoint someone trustworthy as his proxy.

As for children, well he could adopt.

Besides, Rimuru had Ciel, his confidant and eternal partner. With her, Rimuru would never be alone. Even if his friends were to disappear, Ciel would be with him in all of life's challenges until the end.

Rimuru and Ciel had gotten closer over the last few years. Before Ciel would only speak to Rimuru when she was needed. Gradually, she had opened up to him and nowadays they spoke to one another about almost anything whenever they pleased. She went from calling him 'Master' to being one of the only few to call him just 'Rimuru'.

It was more than ten years after the war that Rimuru found himself reminiscing with Ciel about his old life.

Looking back, it had been painfully mediocre.

"Were you unhappy?" Ciel asked.

Rimuru had to think about it. His old life had been pretty good considering the cruelty of the world. He had grown up in a middle class family and was able to independently support himself after graduating from College while working his way up the ladder at a General Contracting Company.

While he did have people he could call friends in that life, Mikami Satoru had not been close with anyone, not even his parents. His relationship with his elder brother had stagnated over time. Despite being both handsome and financially stable, he could not even get a girlfriend despite his best efforts.

Rimuru had always thought it meant he had a bad personality. But after dying, he discovered that this wasn't actually the case. He was just too honest with his feelings and often oblivious when it came to the feelings of others.

"Not unhappy," Rimuru decided, "but I guess I was lonely."

"You're not alone. I am here for you." Ciel asserted her words by sending him a pulse of reassuring emotions.

Rimuru smiled at that and instantly felt comforted, "Yeah. You're right. Thanks Ciel."

Even so, there was something that had been on Rimuru's mind for a while.

"Ciel, I am able to travel to any point in time and space correct?"

"That is correct. As long as you have the needed Magicules, time and space are no barrier to you," Ciel answered.

"Then if I were to travel to the time I died and saved myself, what would happen?"

"If you stop yourself from dying, your current self and past self will merge with your memories intact, however this world will be rewritten as if you've never reincarnated."