Rimuru and Iruma's Adventures in the Netherworld

Hunters & Hunted

Iruma POV

"Did you have to burn the poster to ashes?"

"Yes," Rimuru indignantly answers as we stand outside the Royal One. "If Lead wants to hang a demdol poster up in his bedroom and stare at it for hours every day, that's his business, but I'm not gonna let that poster be of me! Or you, Iruma. It's just wrong."

I tried and failed to console Lead over the incineration of his 'Limited Edition' poster. I warned him too, before he even tried to get Rimuru to autograph it, but he just wouldn't listen.

"Is it just me, or is something else bothering you right now?"

"Bothering me? Nah."

I have a sneaking suspicion that Rimuru is lying, but I don't think she'll tell me even if I keep asking. So, I decide to just drop the subject before I upset her even more.

"It's just a harmless poster, and I don't think he'd stare at it for hours..." I try to assure her.

"No, it only starts with the posters, Iruma."

"Huh?"

Rimuru seems so serious about this...

"Then t-shirts, and..." Rimuru shudders, "Body pillows..."

There's a long pause with Rimuru looking lost in her thoughts.

I'm not entirely sure what a body pillow is or why the possibility of one existing of our demdol selves bothers Rimuru so much, but I can quickly check that on my phone.

"irumi mika body pil_"

With a gentle, distant look in her eyes, Rimuru lowers my phone and softly whispers, "Keep your innocence. We're best off not knowing."

We walk back inside, and Lead greets us with a huff of annoyance, crossing his arms and turning away.

"Oh well, it's the last day of the week, I'm sure he'll have forgotten all about this after the weekend," Rimuru mumbles as we take our seats.

**The Next Week**

"I'm still mad at you."

We only just got here, and that's the first thing Lead says... He must've been waiting all weekend to say that.

"Darn, really?" Rimuru doesn't sound particularly apologetic, "Then what if I got you Kuromu's autograph to make up for it?"

Keroli looks instantly offended, but she can't say a word, all she can do is give Rimuru a death-stare from the background.

"A-a K-Kuromu autograph!?" Lead sputters out, which Rimuru nods to.

"Yeah, I'm sure Kuromu loves having teenage boys drool over pictures of her," Rimuru says as she glances back at Keroli and winks.

"Rimuru... don't..." I whisper harshly.

"Can you really get a Kuromu autograph?" Lead asks suspiciously.

"What? You think I'm a liar?"

"I didn't say that!"

This is just more of the same. Rimuru has been in a bad mood all weekend too, and she won't tell me what's going on. I wonder if all the mean rumors are actually getting to her...?

"What are you staring at me like that for?" she practically growls the question at me.

"S-sorry..."

Rimuru's eyes widen a bit, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."