What Comes Down Must Go Up

2.7K 87 116
By mu1622

Author's Note: Again, thank Bellatrix for her hard work writing most of this chapter (and the one before it)! She's the best! :)

**The Next Evening**

Ameri POV

"D-don't you think this is a little too soon for us?" Iruma stammers in a girlish voice through flushed cheeks.

"In this moment, you look more beautiful than ever," comes a deeper, more confident voice. "I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't kiss you right here and now."

His face gets a shade redder. "Then... then let's do it!"

"I love you."

"I love you too..."

...

"You've gotten really good at acting, Iruma!" I praise, impressed at how much effort he's put into this pivotal scene of Rin and Kakeru's romance. It outshines all the previous First Love Memories reading sessions!

"Really? I'm glad, I actually decided to rehearse this one. It's hard switching voices like that!" Iruma replies with a delighted smile.

"Well, your 'girl voice' has gotten really good. You must be well prepared for your debut at the Demdol Games."

"N-no way! Not in a million years!" he squeals.

"I was joking, just joking!" I laugh, but in reality, I don't know how I'd feel if my boyfr– I MEAN if Iruma made being a demdol a serious part of his identity!

"A-anyway, here's them kissing under the moon..." Iruma murmurs as he turns the page, almost too embarrassed to function.

It's quite the delightful picture, one I found myself staring at many times back before I had Iruma translating the series for me.

"I didn't really notice until now, but there's only one moon in the background, and it's weirdly huge. Do you think the moons in this setting orbit separately from each other? Or is it just one moon with an eccentric orbit that gets really close sometimes?" I ask, hoping he's paid enough attention in astrology class to know what I'm talking about.

The 'setting' is of course the place Iruma comes from, but he hasn't realized that I already know that he's a human, so asking about First Love Memories' setting is a convenient proxy.

"The artist just decided to make the moon really big for dramatic effect, it's a kinda common thing to do," Iruma replies like I asked a silly question.

Well, it's not common here, it'd look just messy if you drew two really big moons. Artists who want to draw dramatic moons like to draw them with big crosses of light that bend into each other, faintly suggesting a far larger circle made of the space between the moons.

Iruma then starts to look uncomfortable as he realizes that the conversation is drifting to the topic of where he's from, so he suddenly changes the subject.

"O-oh! There's something I wanna ask, Ameri! Do you know what it was that happened over the weekend?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, not understanding the vague question.

"Um, the day after the Harvest Festival, Rimuru was called to the school for some kind of 'emergency'. She wouldn't talk about it afterward but she seemed kinda upset."

"I haven't heard of any emergency. I... I have seen something similar happen with a classmate before, but I don't think it applies here."

"What happened?"

"Well, life in the Netherworld is dangerous, and it's not unheard of for a student to get called in by the principal after a tragedy in the family. But that's obviously not it given that you two live with the principal."

"Definitely not! Even if something did happen to one of her– ... one of our family members, Rimuru would find out about it before Grandpa."

"Right? So it sounds like she just got in trouble with the teachers and didn't want to admit it."

"Haha, maybe!" Iruma replies with a carefree chuckle, but then something seems to give him pause.

"... No, that's not giving her enough credit," he says after some thought. "Rimuru may get into a lot of trouble, but she acts abashed when she feels guilty and complains when she doesn't. It would be way too immature of her to make a big fuss over something that was her fault."

"Hmm... Then I guess it was an actual emergency and I just wasn't kept in the loop then, even though I hold a higher security position within the school than her."

No, wait. Rimuru may be my junior in the Student Council, but I can't forget that she's a security devil that reports directly to Sullivan. And not just one who passively guards Iruma from his side either, she keeps tabs on school security and anyone who might suspect her charge of being human.

I quietly think for a while, trying to guess which of her duties might have been at play here.

Honestly, the only way I could know would be if I asked her directly, but she's so temperamental at times that a poor mood after dealing with 'an emergency' could mean just about anything, though not telling Iruma rules out the most petty reasons.

But I feel like she wouldn't appreciate being asked, and I truly have better things to do than try to figure out what that weirdo is thinking. If a student just so happens to turn up missing after this mysterious incident, I'll have to ask questions, but otherwise, I don't care.

And I've been leaving Iruma waiting this whole time! I've spent the last few minutes lost in thought, and he's been politely waiting for me to finish!

"Oh! Sorry Iruma, I've been keeping you here while mulling over things. You know, you could have spoken up if you were getting impatient."

"Ah, I'm too used to how my sister is. If she spaces out, it's not even worth trying to get her attention... not that I mind waiting," he replies with a peaceful expression.

We smile at each other for a moment until we hear the sound of Pixie's trumpet emanate through the walls.

"Woah, it got late!" Iruma stares at the time on his phone in shock. "I need to go look for one of my classmates. I hope he hasn't left already. I have no idea where he would be though, I didn't see where he went after class."

"Just find a good vantage point, like that tree you made. Heh, maybe you could even discover Pixie's identity while you're up there since the sound of their trumpet always seems to come from up high."

"I gotta look for Pixie as well? That's... wait, that's it! Iruma seems to realize something and immediately bolts out the door. He calls out "Thanks, Ameri!" as he dips out of my sight.

"But be careful up there!" I shout as I realize I just told someone who can't fly to head to some precarious vantage point, though I'm not sure he heard me.

Goodness, he's an unstoppable ball of energy sometimes. I suppose I'll be on my way as well, I want to enjoy being able to relax at home as much as possible before the Student Council gets plunged into Music Festival preparation hell.

Soi POV

*Pa-pa, pa-ra-pa-da-da-pa, bra-bra!*

My fingers move faster than usual as I tap out a melody on my trumpet, performing on the school roof just as I've done every evening since I arrived at this school.

And after what happened yesterday, it might be one of the last performances heard from the mysterious 'Pixie'.

That day couldn't have possibly been more stressful. I was threatened with one of the greatest shames a member of the Purson clan can experience; being exposed to all the students I had been hiding amongst.

Rimuru kept hinting at my existence without ever directly stating it, and I expect that she'll want to force me to reveal myself before this week ends thanks to that absurd Dalet-rank requirement our professor threw in our faces.

Father was already unhappy when I mentioned that there was one member of the Misfit class who could see me, and he'd be downright livid if I had to perform on a stage before the whole school! Maybe he'd even transfer me to another school so I could continue living as a ghost, it's important training for our clan.

Maybe I could ask our professor to overlook the rank requirement for just me so I can satisfy both the Misfit Class and my duties as a Purson?

... Ha, of course not! I dismiss the idea almost immediately. I'd rather fight one of the monstrous demons from Hell proper than come to Kalego with such a proposal because then there's at least a chance my head wouldn't be torn from my body.

*Paraparaparapa-pa, pa, bra, pwaaaaa!*

On that note, my performance draws to a close, with a few scattered demons applauding though having no idea which direction to face as they do.

It's still a bit early for me to head back to my dorm room if I'm not looking to spend the rest of the day playing video games, so I head over to the former diabotany tower for my other hobby: Target selection and reconnaissance, also known as people-watching.

The huge tree that Iruma sprouted makes for a great vantage point, and I climb along one of the larger branches to get the very best view of whatever mischief the other students are up to today.

Almost immediately my attention is grabbed by Ronove, who's used his bloodline ability to all-but-kidnap a group of students who are being treated to tall and boastful tales that occasionally break out into song.

He's so loud that I can hear him clearly from here, and it takes a great effort to pry my eyes away from his sheer extravagance.

How does he stand living with all that attention, let alone enjoy it? It makes no sense to me.

Elsewhere, Goemon and Rimuru look like they're arguing over whether wind blades or water blades are better, seeing how energetically they're talking while doing all kinds of show-offy moves with many fragments of various objects scattered around them.

Further away, Alice has been trapped in a hedge maze by Clara, and he'll no doubt be wandering around for a while as from my top-down view I can see that the maze doesn't even have an exit.

He'll probably just burn it all down once he realizes he's been had.

Secluded from everyone else is Keroli, who's on her phone and must be discussing something rather serious as she's alert for anyone who might be approaching or listening in. I could try to lipread, but it'd be very hard at this distance and I'd feel bad intruding on a girl's privacy.

And coming up now onto the roof of the tower this tree is on, is Iruma.

It's unusual to see him alone, he's very close with his friends and his sister. To be here on his own it's likely that he specifically asked not to be followed.

He's just wandering around, seemingly looking for something or someone.

Then he looks directly at me.

No... there's no way...

"Ah! Are you the one who played that song earlier?"

I'm so startled that I nearly fall off the branch.

"Haha, sorry, I wasn't sure how to start a conversation, since we've never talked before... I feel kinda bad for not noticing you this whole time."

In a panic I check myself, wondering how Iruma can see me.

I'm definitely invisible, in fact, I'm trying to disappear from his sight right now!

"Hey, don't fade away!" Iruma calls out and comes closer, clambering his way up to my branch. I try to keep my distance from him, standing up and taking a step back as the ground looms with the combined height of a tree and a tower below us.

"Please leave me alone, those of my clan are not meant to be seen."

"But Rimuru already knows about you, doesn't she? And I've been able to see you since yesterday's last class. I was just waiting for a chance to talk to you in private."

I seriously underestimated him. He relies very little on magic compared to his sister, but of course his magic would be the most similar to hers.

"Fine. I'll admit my invisibility has been thoroughly outclassed if two of my classmates can see me. That just means I need to return to my clan and train my bloodline ability further..."

"Wait! We're all gonna need your help for the Music Festival," Iruma says with a smile as he comes even closer and offers his hand. "I'll introduce you to everyone!"

I take another step back...

...And I slip.

I've never been a strong flier, it runs in the family. With the ground far below me, but not so far that I'd have time to cast Fractal and then halt my fall, I'm no doubt in for a lot of pain.

Almost instantly Iruma catches me by my wrist, and I almost feel relieved. Unfortunately, he's no longer on the branch either, falling with me.

"Oh no, I messed up! Fractal!" he yells, and my whole body gets lighter. "Frac–!"

*CRUNCH*

We impact the ground, and the sickening sound makes me anticipate a wave of unbearable pain.

And the wave of pain does come, but it's not quite as bad as I was expecting. It seems that I landed on top of Iruma, even though I swear he was above me as we were falling.

My whole body still hurts like hell though! Ow, ow, ow...

Knowing that the idiot who prioritized my safety over his own must surely be worse off, I nervously crack open my eyes to check if Iruma's still alive.

"You're okay? Thank... goodness..." he whispers with a smile, before promptly passing out.

Don't die on me, you moron!

It takes all of ten seconds for everyone to notice what happened and mob us, and having so many people staring down at me feels almost as frightening as the pain wracking my body.

But they're not staring at me, they can't even see me. The only one they see here is Iruma.

"Where'd he fall from?"

"Is he dead?!"

"Let's take him to the infirmary!"

"Oof, he's heavier than he looks."

I slide off of Iruma as he's hoisted up, flopping unceremoniously onto the ground. I'd quite frankly like to be carried off to the infirmary as well, but for that, I'd have to release my detection-warding magic and let myself be seen by everyone.

So this is why Father said 'take care not to get injured', I thought it was just the normal parental concern for my safety, but there was a real meaning to it...

Perhaps my dreadful situation is well-deserved. I'm still debating on whether or not to reveal myself as I watch the group escorting Iruma grow more distant.

I should just crawl away before anyone finds out I was involved... I mean, what if he dies? If he does, and his sister finds out I was partly at fault–

Someone suddenly picks me up, and a curtain of much-too-long light-blue hair spills across my face.

Oh no!

"What in the world were you two doing?" Rimuru asks as she follows her brother, my body helplessly bouncing along with each of her steps.

I'm in Rimuru's grasp and there's no 'crawling away' for me now. I'll just need to tell her the truth and hope she doesn't blame me if her brother succumbs to his injuries.

"He found out about me and wanted to talk, but I didn't, and I slipped and fell trying to get away from him..." I timidly admit, still wishing I could vanish like smoke and cursing my current solidity.

"And he followed, huh? Guess it's thanks to that you didn't splat like jam though, I can sense a trace of Fractal. Well, that and Iruma's a total softie, so he'd probably break your fall better because of that."

"Rimuru, I thought girls were supposed to be sensitive, not telling me how gruesome my death would have been when that was already horribly scary."

"Scarier than being seen?" Rimuru smirks.

Those words have a harsh sting to them. This situation became a mess because I was trying too hard to avoid everyone.

"I'm sorry."

"Just count yourself lucky that Iruma's been training hard. He must've used physical enhancement magic to take the blow."

"I guess he must've been too startled to use his wings..."

"Huh? Uh, yeah, I guess," she mumbles.

We continue in silence until we reach the infirmary, where there's a bunch of people crowded around the door making an awful racket.

"Is Iruma okay? What happened to him?" one girl asks worriedly.

"You'd better patch him up good, Phis!" a guy cheerfully demands.

"Phis isn't even in today!" a man yells back from inside the room. "She worked through the weekend dealing with Harvest Festival injuries!"

"Oh, sorry Professor Buer!"

"My name is Durandal! How could you mix us up when we look nothing alike?!"

"Iruma's sure popular, huh?" Rimuru chuckles, "Hey, can you stand?"

"I... I think so..." I stammer, my balance feeling a little off after being carried for the last several minutes.

She sets me down on my feet and steps forward to address the crowd. She tries clapping to get their attention, but when they don't turn to face her, she instead somehow slips in front of them right where Durandal is trying to hold everyone at bay.

"Hey, thanks for bringing my brother here, but this isn't the place to cause a ruckus. You should head on home if you don't have any particular reason to visit the infirmary."

"But we have to know if he's okay!" someone complains.

"Just a few broken bones, he'll be back in shape in no time."

Some of the crowd starts to disperse after the assurance, but there's still some sticklers hanging around.

"You only just got there, how can you say that?!"

"I just know, alright?" Rimuru grumbles with crossed arms, looking rather annoyed.

"That's nonsense! Let us through!"

I can almost see the glint of fire in her eyes as she snaps.

A great shadow spreads out from under her, and her wolf familiar emerges from that unnatural inky blackness like a great beast stepping out of its cave.

The next few seconds are utter chaos, and as I hear a fading cry of "Not agaaiinn...!" I realize that everyone crowding the doorway has vanished.

I shudder as I sense a wave of intense rage coming from somewhere.

"Thanks for the help, but... what in the world was that?!" Durandal exclaims in alarm.

"Just a handy trick for relocating a crowd," Rimuru casually replies while patting her familiar.

"Right... By the way, do you actually know your brother's condition? Through like, a special 'twin-tution' or something? I didn't even get to diagnosing him yet."

"It's just experience." Rimuru answers lightly, "I don't have any kind of medical education, but back when I fought as part of an army I was practically playing medic with how often I was taking care of first-aid. Even helped with a number of surgeries."

Durandal's expression lights up in glee. "Aha, the rumors of your military experience were true! So does that mean I can count on your help for next year's flight exam and Harvest Festival?"

Rimuru pinches the bridge of her nose and shakes her head as she facepalms. "There I go, bragging my way into more work... Anyway, I've got another patient for you."

She looks at me expectantly, and after a moment's hesitation, I drop my invisibility.

"Oh, he's a sneaky one! Did he also fall?"

"Uh, yes. I don't think I broke anything though. I might be able to just walk it off," I say with some uncertainty.

I just want to disappear from all this so badly. I caused someone to get hurt, and it was the principal's grandson at that.

"Absolutely not! Leaving an injury untreated can lead to long-term harm, even if it's not an open wound or a broken bone," Durandal explains while ushering me inside.

Rimuru is also corralling me, smiling as she says, "It'd only be polite for you to stay here at least until Iruma wakes up. Weren't you having a nice conversation before you got interrupted by that accident?

We weren't and you know that!

I know it's no use to protest though. I knew for sure that Rimuru would force me to become acquainted with other members of the class, and now I've gone and given her the perfect excuse to trap me in a room with her brother.

She walks over to Iruma, who's now lying on a bed, and pokes him in a few places, the tension dropping from her shoulders once she's done.

"Anyway, I've gotta go and stop Grandpa from freaking out. If I make him go home and fetch the carriage I should be able to delay him from bursting inside for, uh... just about half an hour. Maybe a full hour if Opera backs me up. Later!" Rimuru waves goodbye as she saunters off.

Iruma POV

Ughhh, where am I? ... Oh, right, of course I'd be taken here.

I'm all bandaged up in the infirmary, a place I should have figured I'd wake up in at some point or another with how crazy things are here. I shouldn't make a habit of it though.

I feel... surprisingly fine for how far I fell, at least. Could've sworn I broke something, but I guess I managed to cast Fractal on myself in time. Better let Grandpa know that I'm okay!

However, as soon as I reach into my pocket, I realize that something did break.

My phone. I pull it out and it's utterly pulverized.

Scary! I must've taken the fall at full speed for it to look like that! Then why am I...

I see the assistant nurse, so I sit up and ask him if Rimuru was here earlier.

"Yeah, she left to go take care of things. That was... uh, forty minutes ago now. She must be struggling mightily to stop the Chairdemon, your Grandpa, from intruding and making a mess of things."

That all but confirms that Rimuru sneakily healed me again. I was probably in much worse shape earlier.

It's kinda funny to imagine that right now she's probably trying to hold Grandpa at bay from finishing me off with possibly bone-crushing hugs or a literal tonne of get-better-soon presents.

My actual parents would've never been so kind.

In fact, I didn't even legally exist, so they were able to avoid the mandatory full-time schooling and health insurance for me. I only realized Japan had laws like that after talking to Hinata.

Everything was about profitability with them. Selling me off proved they'd even get rid of me for the right price, smiling all the while.

So if I carelessly got myself horribly injured like I did today, and became a liability...

The thought makes me shudder.

No, no, I don't even want to think about that! Even they wouldn't go that far! Yeah, they're still human, if I got hurt they'd probably do... whatever parents do in that situation.

I hastily put that thought aside before I end up calling out my own lie.

"Um, where's the other guy who fell?" I ask, looking around a bit.

"Yo."

The answer came not from Durandal, but instead a boy sitting in the bed right next to mine.

"Aah! You scared me! Sheesh, you somehow manage to be sneaky even when you're not invisible..."

"It's a habit. I'm meant to be invisible all the time so I was probably still a little bit hidden, it's my bloodline ability and everything. Well actually, it's way more complicated than that, the name of it is 'Detection Warding,' and it does a bunch of things other than just make you invisible, but they're all hard to explain so it's easier just to call it invisibility."

He talks a lot more than I expected...

"Uh... Your name is Soi, right? I'm Iruma, it's nice to meet you."

"Of course I know your name is Iruma, we've taken all our classes together and you're literally the most famous student here. Or maybe Ameri Azazel is. By the way, are you two dating or not? It's kinda annoying seeing you glued to her side at every opportunity without even acknowledging that anything's happening."

"W-wha–?! Umm... I guess you could say I like her..." I mumble, not at all prepared for our first conversation to go in this direction. "Okay, that's enough about me, you probably know a hundred times more about me than I know about you!" I flusteredly try to change the subject.

"Right, yes. What did you want to know about me then? Since I might as well lay my soul bare as a way of apologizing. I think your sister would make me disappear for real otherwise."

"Haha, sorry, Rimuru can be a little pushy... Um, so like, why were you avoiding everyone this whole time? I get that you might wanna keep your head low, I felt that way too when I first came here, but not being seen at all seems a little extreme."

"It's what's expected of me as the future head of the Purson clan since my elder brother went and became a ghost."

"Your brother died?! That's awful, I can't imagine losing a sibling..."

Even with the fake-sibling thing that Rimuru and I have going on, something we both know is a temporary arrangement, it'd hurt if I could truly never see her again. I can only wonder how bad it is for actual siblings.

"No, wait, let me explain." Soi mildly waves both his hands. "He wields his bloodline ability so well that no one's seen him in years. He's not dead or anything... Probably. It's not like we have any way of knowing."

"Oh, so he's like a ghost, that makes more sense. Wait, does that mean that your family can turn invisible but can't spot people who're invisible? That sounds–"

"Like an absolute pain for the parents, yes. Each generation of our clan is recorded as feeling that way. By the way, do you think we might be related?"

The random suggestion catches me completely off guard. "Related?! W-whatever could you mean?"

"Your sister can turn invisible and has an almost ethereal look about her, she's a lot like my family in that regard. And my family aren't strong fliers, which I'm guessing is a problem for you too since neither of us tried to use our wings to stop our fall."

Even though he explained it away himself, I flinch at having someone point out my evident flightlessness.

I definitely need to take Rimuru up on her offer to test out using Quartz-Quartz for making wings! Not this weekend, tonight!

"I don't think our families are related or anything, Rimuru's just very used to being sneaky! I guess I am too, but when we're visiting our homeland she won't go out in public without using magic to conceal herself." I hastily explain away Soi's strange notion, not addressing the other thing he said at all.

"Eh, really? I'd think she'd be a little more understanding of me not wanting to be seen then if she does the same."

"Sorry, she's really mad at Professor Kalego right now so she wants everyone to reach rank Dalet, and I kinda do as well. Unless you're a Dalet already!"

Soi sighs. "... I'm only a Bet, same as Elizabetta. That'd be fine for a first-year in any other class, but Kalego's standards are ridiculous. Now I'm expected to gain two ranks in one go."

"I'm sure you can do it! It's a music festival, and your trumpet playing earlier was super-amazing!" I cheer for him.

"I can't do it. My clan is meant to observe, not be observed, and the thought of showing off on a stage in front of everyone is... terrifying." Soi shudders. "My father would likely make me withdraw from Babyls rather than let something like that happen anyway, and if I did he'd definitely pull me out. So it'd save you guys a lot of trouble if I just withdrew from Babyls, then you could all reach rank Dalet without having to worry about–"

In a flash of annoyance and with a wave of my hand, I direct the water in a glass by my bedside at Soi's face.

"Not everyone gets to study in a place like Babyls, you know! Are you saying you'd throw that away because of your father?!"

"Iruma..." Soi mumbles in shock, water dribbling off of his face.

"My father said that school wasn't important beyond the point where I could read and do basic math, he said what was important was making money. A-and I didn't know any better until Grandpa adopted me — and my sister. So having all this and saying you'll withdraw because of what your father thinks is important is... i-is just awful! Be grateful you actually got a chance of getting an education and don't let go of it no matter what he thinks!"

There's a long, uncomfortable silence. Even Durandal is looking at me in alarm, from the other end of the room where he's sorting through the medicine cabinets.

Soi is the first to speak. "... Um, Iruma, there's other schools. I'd just be sent to one of those. I wouldn't end up going through... whatever you went through."

Oh no, I completely blew up for a moment there! I guess I was a little tense thinking about my parents earlier, so I overreacted to thinking Soi might ruin his life for his dad's sake when of course it's nothing that bad.

I can really appreciate now why Rimuru made a fake backstory for us that hinted at my actual situation before my adoption. It covered for this outburst, even if I've made the situation painfully awkward.

"Yeah, I should have thought about that..." I mutter in embarrassment. "But Babyls seems like a nice place. I'm sure you'll regret it if you let your parents pressure you into leaving."

"I'm not exactly invested though. I haven't become acquainted with anyone but your sister."

"But still! Haven't you wished you could talk to our classmates?"

Soi thoughtfully puts his hand on his chin. "...I have wanted to challenge Lead to some of those games he always talks about."

"You play video games too?!" I respond in eagerness.

"What teenage boy doesn't? You say that like it's unusual."

Well, it's not like I had the time or money for video games back in Japan.

"The place my family comes from doesn't have video games," I comment instead in reference to Tempest. "It's a bit more rustic, so there aren't things like consoles and cellphones and computers. It's been really interesting trying them out!"

"Oh, then welcome to the future I guess. Have you played Glass-a-Dumbass 6 yet? It's like, the most fun fighting game out there."

"I have! But everyone I live with is way too good at fighting games so I get mercilessly thrashed every time... Except by Grandpa, I can beat Grandpa."

The super-fast reactions that Opera, Diablo, and Rimuru have are just impossible to compete with! I've gotten a little better against them since my training with Hinata helped me hone my own reaction times, but the gap between us is still like Heaven and Earth — or Hell and Earth, I suppose. Does Rimuru's world have a Heaven?

"... Maybe I could play with you sometime," Soi mumbles, seeming slightly shy.

"I'd like that!"

We talk for a while longer, chatting about our hobbies until...

*SLAM*

"IRUMAAA!"

There's a great cry of anguish as the door is kicked open, and in comes Grandpa carrying Rimuru and Opera by the backs of their coats.

"Almost exactly one hour..." Durandal amusedly comments while checking his watch.

Grandpa drops his two bewildered passengers and rushes to my bedside, all of his concerns pouring out of him at once.

"Are you okay?! Where are you hurt? You haven't developed a fear of heights, have you? If you have, I suppose I could rearrange the school to make it flatter... Just say the word and I'll have a construction team on it right away!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'll just try to be a little more careful in the future!" I quickly say as I try to calm him down.

**That Night**

As soon as I get home, although sunset has long past and a late dinner is well on its way, I've gathered up my family in the garden for a little experiment.

Well, I was just gonna grab Rimuru for this one, but she brought Grandpa along, which of course meant Opera followed too. So dinner is courtesy of Diablo tonight.

I briefly explain my intentions, that during my bow training, I was inadvertently manifesting wings as well, so I want to see how flight-worthy they are.

Grandpa seems a little concerned though, he's been highly protective of me all day since I've given him very good reason to worry!

"Are you sure? Tonight, right after you got injured from a fall?" he asks, looking down at me with a slight frown.

"If I did it yesterday, I might not have gotten hurt today. So if I do it today, it might save me tomorrow!" I justify myself.

"Yeah, he's in peak condition too!" Rimuru adds while squishing my cheeks and grinning at Grandpa. "Just finished off healing him on the way home, so there's nothing to worry about there!"

"I understand that, but are you mentally prepared to be at a high altitude just hours after your fall?" Grandpa asks again.

"O-of course!" I reply, clenching my fists to try to show my determination.

When rough things happened in my past, there wasn't much time to mope around. Not only that, I'm now blessed with family members who can simply undo my injuries and keep me protected in their presence! It'd be unfair not to trust them now after everything they've done for me.

"Well then! I'm glad I have such a brave grandson."

Rimuru tugs on Grandpa's sleeve, and then pulls him down to very briefly discuss something in whispers.

After they break she announces, "I'm gonna let Gramps take over here and give you some grandfather-son bonding time," with a casual shrug as she takes a step away.

"So what are you gonna do? Go exploring in space again?" I ask since that's what she did after my last flying lesson.

"Ehhh, going too far out into space is kinda weird, just hanging out in a black void with only Ciel and me. I prefer being down here where I know there's other people. Oh! But you could come with me once you get the hang of flying!"

"Um, Rimuru, I probably missed this lesson in elementary school, but... isn't there no air in space?!"

"Whoops, right. You breathe air and all that. Almost forgot for a sec."

"Uh, yeah?! And isn't everything in space like, suuuuper far away? I don't think normal flying's gonna get me anywhere! In fact, I couldn't even do normal flying if there's no air!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, you can do anything with magic!" Rimuru declares with a wink, the air literally sparkling around her. "It'll take time, but you can set loftier goals for yourself than you think."

"She's right, you know," Grandpa continues as he hefts me up and sets me on his shoulders. "It's a magnificent thing for a demon to be so ambitious that they'd chase the stars as their prey if they could. Not that you would need to, as you already shine far more brilliantly."

"Hahaha! Grandpaaa!" I jokingly complain, a little embarrassed by that.

"How sweet..." Rimuru chuckles, with a brief pause before she starts walking off and spreading her wings. "Actually, maybe I'll take another flight to space after all, I thought of a place that might be fun to check out and it oughta be more hospitable at night."

"Where–" is all I manage to respond with before she's gone in just a single beat of her wings, a strong burst of wind tousling my hair and loosing some petals and leaves that twirl down from the trees.

Opera humphs and gets to work on setting the garden right again. "Maybe there is something to be said for not flying. Are you sure you don't want to learn to get around with pure athleticism like your dear butler?"

"I need to be able to show I'm a proper demon, Opera!"

"I know, I was making a joke."

Your expression changes so little that it's impossible to tell...

Grandpa sets me on my feet and seems excited to get a move on.

"So! Let's see these new wings you've learned to make, Iruma!" he announces with an encouraging smile.

"Right..." I mumble as I take one of the black feathers out of my pocket, hoping this won't disappoint.

A bow without wings, a bow without wings... No wait, this time I'm trying to make wings without a bow!

"Quartz-Quartz!"

The feather disappears from my hand and wings sprout from my back, far lighter than the mechanical wings Rimuru had me test out earlier in the year.

But unlike those, these ones don't readily respond to my intent. In a moment of shock, I'm worried that I was wrong to even think wings can be made this way! Maybe it was a huge mistake that I made Rimuru think I wouldn't need the mechanical wings anymore!

However, a thought soon calms me down.

No, wait, maybe I'm just thinking of them wrong. Maybe I was thinking of them as the decoration that I used to accidentally summon along with my bow, and ended up just making a pair of prop wings.

I undo the spell and try to correct my mental image.

I need to think of them as real wings. My wings.

"Quartz-Quartz," I chant again, and the feather forms another pair of wings.

I give them a wiggle, and this time they seem to respond to my intent similarly to how the mechanical wings did.

But their movement seems more fluid and calm as if the previous pair was guessing my intent while this pair knows it.

"They can move!" I tell Grandpa in excitement, twirling around and showing them off.

"Good! Now, do you know how to hover?"

"Yeah, Rimuru taught me! I just have to think about the air pushing under my wings..."

I create that mental image in my head, feeling the magicules trickle out of my ring.

There's a faint sensation of my wings being pushed upwards, but...

"It doesn't seem to be working," I tell Grandpa.

"You have to push more of your magical energy into it! Push!"

"O-okay!"

I try to will myself off the ground, focusing as hard as I can on moving mana into my wings.

"Master Iruma, all you are doing is looking constipated. You should try a higher setting on your ring," Opera instructs.

Ah, maybe these wings are just too mana-hungry to work on the 'Normal' setting.

I set my ring to 'Extra' and try flying again.

Still nothing. Notably, the amount of magicules actually going to the wings barely changed at all, as though they're unable to use more than what I was already giving them — kind of like how something lightweight refuses to go further no matter how hard you throw it.

"Perhaps we should start from a higher vantage point. Would you allow me to take you up there, Iruma?" Grandpa suggests, hoisting me up into his arms.

I give him a nod, and just like that, he bounds upwards, the suddenness of it making me scrunch up my eyes. It doesn't even feel like we're accelerating that fast, but I notice the air is getting really cold, and once I look around me...

"Woah! The clouds are below us!"

"Will this do, Iruma?"

"Uh... should I just, drop down and try my best to fly before I reach the ground?"

"Of course! And I'll catch you at the bottom, safe and sound."

"Mhm..." I give a small nod of agreement while clinging tightly to his clothes.

I attempt to pry myself away from Grandpa, but my body refuses to comply, basic survival instincts screaming at me to hold on to this safe refuge when the ground is so far below.

Grandpa puts a hand on my head, making me realize that I'm shaking a little.

"Are you trying to let go of me, but finding that you can't?" he asks.

"Y-yeah..."

"Then, would you permit me to do something a little mean?"

Trusting in Grandpa, I give another small nod "Um, alright, what are–"

I don't even get all my words out before he uses a spell to move me away from him, holding me at twice his arm's length.

And then he lets go.

Many things happen that my fall earlier in the day was too short for me to properly notice. All my organs lurch upwards, the wind rushes past my ears, and so much adrenaline courses through my body that I'd struggle to say if any moment in time was ten seconds or one.

It's hard not to panic, and by the time I've even started getting my bearings, I'm already halfway down!

"Waaaaaaaah!" I cry as I tumble this way and that, trying to find my balance. I lighten myself a bit with Fractal, then spread my wings as wide as the onslaught of air rushing past will allow, managing to regain control but with only a quarter of the distance to the ground left.

The speed of my descent is slowing down as I desperately try to pull up, and that 'falling' speed starts to become 'forward' speed, propelling me to at least the speed of a car on a highway back on Earth!

Which is absolutely terrifying given that Grandpa's mansion is surrounded by trees! I've got less than a minute of airtime left, but if I try to land like this I'll be dashed to pieces in the branches!

Oh crap! Where do I land? Where do I land?! I'm still going down, I can't seem to pull up!

Then without warning, my path curves upwards, and I'm caught in Grandpa's arms.

"Good job, Iruma! You managed to turn your fall into a glide! That's a huge success for wings that you made with your own magic!"

"Th–... th-thank..." I stammer into his chest, still running on pure adrenaline.

The moment he sets me safely down on the ground, my legs give way as though they turned to jelly, and the grass starts to feel like glue holding me in place as the world spins around me.

That was way scarier than when those other wings lost control!

When I shut my eyes, I find myself still imagining the treeline gradually coming up under me, sure to tear me to shreds the moment I dip too low.

Wings that are too powerful, wings that are too weak, either can be extremely dangerous. It really makes me impressed that almost everyone in this world can take flight for granted.

"Er... I'll give you a moment, you seem very attached to the ground," Grandpa says from above me.

He sits down with me, and we spend a few minutes there in silence until I finally feel like I've caught up with reality.

I stand up and brush myself off, pumping myself up for another go.

"Alright, let's do that again!"

"Again? Are you sure?" Grandpa asks concernedly, standing up as well.

"I think I can do better this time! Just... don't let me get too low before catching me!"

We go through the motions again. Grandpa takes me up and drops me, and this time I spend a lot less time tumbling before I manage to glide. He even glides alongside me this time! It goes a lot smoother, though again, I can only seem to lose height.

"These wings are only gliding, I can't fly like this," I complain after Grandpa brings me back down and finishes showering me with praise. "Maybe if I set it to 'Unique' it would be fine?"

Once more we go up, and once more I'm dropped down.

This time I've got my ring a notch higher, yet the difference is tiny as my ring just isn't taking more magicules. The problem is further highlighted after a few minutes of gliding in a slow fall, as I should feel the magicule poisoning very quickly on this setting but I seem perfectly fine.

So, without daring to test the 'Ultimate' setting, it's a matter of trying to force more magicules into my wings.

I push with Magic Field, trying to pack my wings full of magical energy like I'm stuffing clothes into a too-full box.

Come on! I want to fly! I want to be able to soar with my friends!

I'm getting close enough to the ground that Grandpa will catch me soon, so I make one big final push...

There's a sensation like a dam breaking.

The wings are suddenly much more receptive to magic, able to handle as much as I pour in. In fact, I toggle my ring back down to 'Extra' to get better control and manage to level out my flight.

Just like that, they work perfectly! Does this mean I made the wings truly mine?

"Iruma! Something seems wrong!" Grandpa warns me, flying by my side.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly fine!" I shout back, now letting myself gain altitude.

"No, it really isn't!"

I remember from training with Rimuru that I shouldn't get drunk on my new abilities if someone is seriously worried, so I actually listen to Grandpa, slowing down to a hover.

Though I seem to be losing altitude now and to compensate I go back to 'Unique'. That keeps me in place for about five more seconds.

Then I drop like a stone.

Barely a hint of panic sets in though before my movement instantly halts, and with a swish of his hand Grandpa whisks me back to safety on the ground.

"Hmm, that is definitely a problem," he muses, gently landing by my side and looking closely at my wings.

Or rather, what's left of my wings!

Now that I can bring them in front of me, I can see them decomposing before my very eyes, tattered pieces falling off and turning into glowing dust. I quickly end the Quartz-Quartz spell, but the feather it returns to is in just as poor a state, only its stem remaining by the time the corrosion ends.

"Grandpa, do you have any idea what happened?" I ask desperately, needing to know why I came so close to my goal only for this to happen at the last second!

"It seems that the reason it suddenly became much easier to fly was because you broke the resistance of the material. But that's okay, we simply need a higher-quality material, something twice as good as that feather! Say, what beast or demon did it come from?"

"It was a feather from the Guardian of Cutthroat Valley."

"By the Demon King's–!" Grandpa blurts out before stopping himself. "... Well then. I suppose flight would be nothing special if all it took was a simple spell cast on a single shedding of the greatest of feathered beasts. Demons are very blessed to be born with flight, in other words, it is a feat of great magical prowess."

"Are you saying that this is a dead-end, because if that feather wasn't enough then nothing would be?"

"Nothing that belongs to beasts, and far be it from me to pluck a feather from Harpnus. Alas, scarcity of quality magic components is a perennial problem of magecraft."

"Then does it have to be a feather?"

"Of course! The feather of a magical creature is naturally imbued with wind magic. They're ideal for your bows, arrows, and wings, and will more readily take such forms."

"I don't think the wings Rimuru's scientists constructed were made of feathers though. They felt really dangerous and unreliable, but they were also really efficient. Maybe I should have just waited for a better version of those instead of saying I'd come up with my own solution..."

"I think you were right to try to do it this way, Iruma. While I appreciate the generous assistance of Rimuru and her people, using your own magic will always feel better and more natural. You just need to get over this small hiccup."

"Still, I feel a little bad that they did all that and then I said I'd do my own thing!"

Grandpa strokes my hair. "Don't worry, that was worthwhile research and I'm sure they'll find a use for it. I'm familiar with the type of 'Demon King' I believe Rimuru is, the type that will never miss an opportunity to give their people something new and exciting."

Then my phone goes off.

Oh, speak of the devil.

She's texting me from space again.

Rimuru: Hey Iruma, guess where I am!

Rimuru: Image File (308 KH)

Iruma: I can't see anything, it's just white???

Rimuru is typing...

ERROR: Contact's phone has melted

"Wha–... I'm never gonna become your flying buddy if you're doing what I think you're doing!" I yell at the phone.

"Oh my! Seems that even going at night wasn't enough, maybe she should have waited for winter as well!" Grandpa chortles, looking over my shoulder.

...

Rimuru ends up coming back (notably un-crisped) in time for dinner, and I relay the disappointing result, but that I'm hopeful for a future success.

As we're eating, I explain our problem with the Netherworld not having a good enough material to make wings with Quartz-Quartz and ask if her world has something we could use.

"Unfortunately, the situation is exactly the same in the Cardinal World," she replies. "It would be fine if you needed a scale of that quality, but a feather is a different matter. We just don't have feathered beasts of the right caliber, only feathered people."

"But lots of people are loyal to you there, I'm sure you could ask a favor."

"Sorry, but if it's a feather from a mighty being you need, that would mean dealing with one of the other Demon Lords. Demon Lords whose imaginations would run wild wondering what scheme of mine requires such an odd trinket, and who see me as an abundant source of fun and luxury. They'd definitely ask for something unreasonable in exchange."

But then, as I'm wracking my head for some other way to solve this, Rimuru sighs and leans on her clasped hands, a hint of guilt showing on her face.

"... I'll admit I'm lying about this being a problem I can't solve, Ciel could synthesize an artificial equivalent to a seraphim feather. But replication magic is one of those branches of magic I'm afraid to start relying on, it'd just make too many things — too many people — redundant in my life. I hope you understand my lack of helpfulness here."

"Don't worry, I totally get it!" Grandpa agrees with a comforting smile and dismissive wave. "You're aware of your immortality, and you don't want time to snuff out your passion for life. I wouldn't ask you to do something that you're worried could become a harmful habit."

"It's like cheating in a video game, right? I learned super-fast how lame that is!" I chime in.

Rimuru really must be able to do anything if some of her powers feel like that to her...

"Ah, thanks," Rimuru replies with a relieved and slightly abashed smile. "A lot of my friends don't seem to get that, they think it's weird that I do stuff the hard way and still find it fun. Though not to the same extent as the ancient Milim who somehow still gets excited like a little kid over literally anything..."

"She must be rather wise then," Grandpa chuckles, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"What?! No way, she's an idiot!" Rimuru laughs.

"Well, for all my grandfatherly wisdom, I can be quite the fool myself... No, now it's great-grandfatherly wisdom."

"You're gonna take that cred and run with it, huh? Just don't go bragging to the wrong people."

"Of course not, I plan to enjoy my superiority in silence at future Grandchild Bragg– I mean, at future Three Greats meetings."

They're sure getting along better these days! Grandpa used to be so wary of her...

"But getting back on topic, I also don't want to compromise Iruma's growth. It'd feel cheap for him to just get handed things by me, even if I'm a bit guilty of doing that in the past. Still, my point stands. I think we'd all prefer for Iruma to earn his way to achieving flight. Right, Iruma?"

"I guess so. I do get a rush when I accomplish things myself and that always feels really good. Like with the Royal One, and when we saved people at Walter Park... oh, and the Execution Cannonball exam too!"

"Exactly. I wouldn't want to steal that away from you, and I don't want to get in the way of you bettering yourself either. It's the same reason I didn't use my skills to directly build Tempest. I wanted to leave that accomplishment and growth to my people, not just me alone."

Grandpa sagely nods, "I see, I see. I got that impression during my visits, actually."

"Are you sure it wasn't just so you could relax and not be bugged about problems all the time?" I innocently ask.

"No! I did it for my citizens!" Rimuru snaps, pouting a little, "Being able to relax was just a bonus."

Whoops! It seems like I hit a nerve there...

"Sorry, Rimuru. I wasn't trying to be mean."

Rimuru nods in acknowledgment and goes back to eating.

I go to do the same, but feel my fork hit my plate and realize I've gone through yet another dish.

"Opera? Can I have sixths?"

...

Later, after Grandpa and Opera put me to bed earlier, I decide to check in with Ali to see what he thinks about all this.

"Ali, do you have any advice for me here? Neither Grandpa nor Rimuru seem sure what to do about my wings. So, if our relationship is like Rimuru and Ciel's, I figured you might know best..."

Then I realize what I said and have to hastily correct myself since those two are vaguely romantic with each other in a way that me and Ali most definitely aren't!

"Aaah, wait, I didn't mean that way! I just meant that since you seem to be bound to me, and you really help me out sometimes, it's kinda like we're connected in the same way that Rimuru and Ciel are."

I wait for Ali to inevitably poke fun at me for my slip-up.

... But there's no response.

Asleep again? I tap my ring a few times, wondering if this is like when I went up to rank Bet and he didn't come out again until I reached Gimmel.

I quietly head out into the hallway and up to Rimuru's door across from mine, thinking of asking her about Ali's situation. Though I'm hesitant to knock, since although she often doesn't sleep and is nearly impossible to rouse when she is asleep, I'd feel really bad if I knocked and Ciel woke her up for me or something like that.

It comes to mind that I could simply use Magic Field to check if she's asleep, but the moment I start reaching out with my mana, I pull it back.

No, what am I doing?! That's just creepily spying on a girl in her room! ... Well, Rimuru's only a girl while she's at Babyls, but...

As I'm debating whether my near-blunder would have counted as peeping on a girl or just peeping, she catches me unawares.

"You can just use your ring to ask Ciel if I'm awake, I won't notice the telepathy if I'm not."

"Ah! Rimuru, you startled me..."

"Also, you'll find that the bedroom walls in this mansion are warded against sensory magic, presumably for the comfort of high-ranking guests who are used to such magic being used around them. But you seemed to realize on your own that such behavior isn't allowed, right?" she glowers at me, eyes so sharp I could swear they glinted gold.

"Y-yeah..."

"Good!" Her expression instantly changes to a smile.

It doesn't seem like she was angry, just making a point that having a sensory skill doesn't mean I can start ignoring people's privacy. Which I realized almost right away! So I hope she doesn't think me a peeping tom after this and the incident with Luminous.

I then notice a small jar of dust she's holding. It seems to be the remains of the disintegrated wings, still faintly glowing, which she must have just come back from collecting outside.

"Uh... what's up with the jar?"

"It's for pharmacology class. How could I possibly resist finding out what this stuff would do in a potion?"

"Is pharmacology just mixing random things together and seeing what they do?"

"Only if you're bold enough to drink the results," Rimuru grins mischievously. "My grades in that subject are amazing."

Her statement is so absurd that I completely forget to ask about Ali. But it's no matter, I'll just assume I need to reach rank 'He' like Azz!

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