TTIGRAAS: Predator

Chapter 24

"Kenya, don't do that!"

"What? He's not eating it anyway!"

After we sat down with our lunches, Professor Rimuru went quiet again, sort of just staring at his food and not eating. Usually he loves eating, so I knew something was going on. Something serious.

Kenya decided to take this opportunity to try to steal some of our teacher's food, but Gale batted his hand away before he could.

Professor Rimuru didn't react at all to that, somehow.

"See? He doesn't care!" Kenya complained.

"Professor Rimuru, isn't it wrong for Kenya to take your food without asking?" Gale asked, but got no answer.

"He's completely out of it." Alice pointed her fork at our teacher, "Can't you tell?"

"I think he's tired. He always works so hard." Ryota added.

"Maybe." Gale agreed.

Kenya reached up and set his breadroll on top of Professor Rimuru's head.

"Haha, let's see what else we can stack on top of him while he's like this!"

"No, Ken, he'll be so mad!"

"It's just a bit of harmless fun. Professor Rimuru will probably just laugh over it!"

Alice sends the roll flying right into Kenya's open mouth, using her skill with a motion of her hand.

"Mmph!"

"Didn't Professor Rimuru tell us not to play with our food? You're such a child, Ken." Alice scolded, before reaching toward the top of our teachers head, "You got crumbs in our Professor's hair and now I have to clean up your mes-... wait, why is it so soft?"

"Let me feel too!" I stroked Professor Rimuru's hair too and Alice was right, it is super soft! "Woooow!"

"How is he still not reacting at all..." Gale muttered, clearly confused.

"Hehehe... this is our chance, Chlo!"

"Huh?"

Alice pulls out a pair of hair ribbons from her pocket, "Remember back in that cafe? His lady friend did his hair all pretty! Don't you think this color would look nice with our teacher's hair?"

Alice didn't even wait for my answer and started tying the ribbons into Professor Rimuru's hair, gathering it loosely on both sides.

"There!"

"Okay, now take 'em out." Kenya suddenly said.

"Yeah, I agree... wait, Ken, why are you trying to be the voice of reason?" Gale questioned.

"I just know he'll get all mad at us if you leave his hair like that. And it makes him look too cute... I don't like it." Kenya explained.

"Oh, does Ken have a crush~?" Alice teased.

For some reason, those words rubbed me the wrong way.

"Kenya, you can't have our teacher." I coldly insisted.

He's mine.

... wait, what am I thinking!?

"Whoa, Chlo, I was just kidding! Why do you sound so serious!?"

"I-I was joking t-too... j-just take the ribbons out A-Alice..." I muttered, embarrassed by my own reaction.

Alice gave me a strange look.

"Fine, I'll take them out. They did look pretty on him though, didn't they, Chlo?" she asked as she removed the ribbons from his hair.

"Yeah!" I nodded.