TTIGRAAS: Predator

Chapter 9

Alone, in the dead of night, I sat in my house. Everyone else in the ogre settlement was sleeping right now and I had nothing to do, so I was simply resting, waiting for the sun to rise.

My mind wandered, and the images of the faces of five children flickered into view, their smiling faces staring up at me. Their laughter filled my mind but the feeling I got from these hallucinations was anything but cheerful. A sad longing and fear, a helplessness and foreboding dread. Negative emotions washed over me as I looked at what should've been a happy scene.

Those were Shizu's students, the ones I'd promised to save; I just knew in my heart that was a fact.

They're waiting for me.

I shook my head, or I guess my whole body since I wasn't in my human form currently. I'd been seeing Shizu's kids more and more as of late, mostly whenever I'm not doing anything.

I love this peaceful life with the ogres, and I finally have friends to talk to and hunt with. But the images were sticky. They came to my mind at every opportunity, clinging on and drawing my gaze toward the western horizon.

For a reason I couldn't explain, these last few days I had been itching to move, while the ogre's warmth and kindness kept me rooted in place. I felt like I was being pulled in separate directions, and it was ripping my heart in two.

And, on top of that, thoughts of Shizu have also been creeping into my mind as a result. I guess I never really processed the fact that she's gone... I just... moved on? But I didn't move on, truly. I just stopped myself from thinking about it. It was too painful.

But...I still miss her. I miss her a lot.

Our time spent together may have been brief, but she was the first person close to me to ever die, even back in my previous life.

A knock broke me out of my somber thoughts, immediately yanking me back to reality.

"Rimuru?" The ogre Princess's voice came from the other side of my door. "Are you awake?"

I quickly jumped into human form to open the door and found her on the steps of the house wearing a cheerful grin. "Hey," I waved, smiling brightly to cover up my disturbed emotions. "What's up?"

As I stepped out of my house and closed the door, the Princess's expression changed from cheery to worried, a frown crossing her lips. "Are you alright?" She asked in concern.

How does this woman know what I'm thinking!? I was positive I had given my usual greeting.

"Oh, I'm fine!" I forcefully pushed the gloomy thoughts to the back of my mind. "Don't worry. What are you here for?" Change the subject and throw her off.

"No, you seem out of sorts." The Princess wasn't buying it. She placed a hand on my forehead, examining my face with squinted eyes. "Are you sick? Can slimes get sick in the first place? I think you may be a bit paler than usual, now that I look closer..."

"I'm fine, really!" I had to lift my hands and push her back, keeping them between us placatingly. "Slimes can't sleep, so I was just doing some thinking overnight, that's all. I promise I'm fine."

Just leave out the important stuff. She certainly wouldn't settle for anything but the truth.

"Hmm..." Great, now she looks worried and skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am!" I raised my hands placatingly.

She huffed a bit but dropped the argument. "Alright. You can always ask me or my father if something's bothering you, okay?"