------Rimuru POV------

After Rimuru accepted to be supervised by Ratatoskr, Shidou contacted the Fraxinus airship using a device.

That device was attached to his right ear and was well camouflaged so no one else here except Rimuru could see it.

After a while, Shidou turned around and said to Rimuru

"We'll be teleported to Fraxinus in a little while so Rimuru... can you change back to normal clothe?"

"Eh? Ah... I forgot."

Rimuru was still wearing her astral dress, she then quickly changed her outfit.

But before Rimuru changed, Ciel spoke up.

<<Let me help choose your clothes>>

<<so you can choose girly clothes for me again?>>

<<...>>

She knew she was right as Ciel kept silent.

<<Haizz, why do you want to choose my outfit?>>

<<I saw Shuna design a variety of costumes for you and it looked interesting so I... tried to design "a few">>

<<What do you mean by a few?>>

<<about 531,000,000, master>>

A FEW!!!!

<<That's 'A few' to you!!!>>

<<I can make more if you ask, master>>

Shocked by the number that Ciel considered 'a few', Rimuru could only answer with one sentence.

<<Thank you but..... I will choose my clothes.>>

Rimuru said and quickly stopped the conversation with Ciel before learning more information that she didn't want to know.

Rimuru's body gradually glowed with a faint light and her astral dress gradually disappeared along with that light.

Rimuru's outfit has now changed to a simple outfit with a white jacket over it and a pair of long black pants.

She knew that her fashion sense was not as good as Shuna or Shion but... at least it was comfortable to wear.

Rimuru looked at Shidou as he was staring at Rimuru.

Feeling annoyed, Rimuru spoke up

"Can we go now?"

Her words brought Shidou back to reality and replied "Ah, yeah"

Immediately after the conversation, Rimuru felt a sensation similar to teleportation magic.

Right after that, she appeared inside the airship <Fraxinus> and was standing next to Shidou, Tohka, and Yoshino.

There were two people in front of them right now.

One is a little girl who looked about Yoshino's age, had red hair tied on both sides with black ribbons, and had a lollipop in her mouth.

Her outfit is a white uniform with a red coat over it.

She was currently standing with her arms crossed, looking at Rimuru and exuding confidence.

Beside her was a woman with pale skin. She looked like she was in her 20s, her long, messy hair tied on the right side.

Her most striking feature is her eyes which look like she hasn't slept in days.

The red-haired girl slowly walked in front of Rimuru and spoke with a serious face.

"Hello and welcome to <Fraxinus>"

Somewhat confused as to why the smallest girl would speak up, Rimuru rolled his eyes and looked back and forth between the two strangers.

Knowing her master's thoughts, Ciel spoke up.

<<Report: The person in front of you is Itsuka Kotori, the spirit <Ifrit> and also the captain of this ship>>

<<Eh? At such a young age, you're already a captain!?>>

Rimuru couldn't understand why or how a child would be made the captain of an airship like this.

Is it because this girl is a spirit?

As if expected Rimuru knew her identity, the girl showed a smile and spoke with confidence.

"I'm Itsuka Kotori, the captain of this ship, which doesn't seem to need an introduction, does it?"

Rimuru was surprised by the attitude of the girl in front of her.

At this age, she was able to stand and talk to Rimuru without showing any reservations.

This made Rimuru have some respect for this little girl.

Knowing that standing in front of her was no ordinary girl, Rimuru prepared for a serious conversation and spoke up.

"Looks like you already know me, but I'll introduce myself again. I'm Rimuru."

Kotori, hearing Rimuru's words, showed a satisfied smile.

But at that moment, the woman on Kotori's right side staggered forward.

Her gait looked like she could fall at any moment with her head bouncing back and forth with each step.

And with a tired voice, she spoke up.

"We don't need to make things any more stressful."

She said then looked behind Rimuru and continued to speak.

"Tohka, Yoshino your cake has been bought so go to the waiting room and get it."

Just as the woman finished her sentence, Tohka's excited voice resounded from behind Rimuru.

"Ah! Kinako! Great, thank you, Reine. Let's go, Yoshino!"

"Eh?" Yoshino let out a small surprised sound and was led away by Tohka's right hand.

Yoshinon in her left hand constantly waved her small arms and said

"Yah! Kinako"

And just like that, Tohka and Yoshino disappeared......

"They're fast..." Rimuru muttered and only received a wry laugh from Shidou.

"That's how they are"

Rimuru could only sigh at the childishness of the two of them. She can expect that from Yoshino but for Tohka...

She could only say that Tohka was more childish than Yoshino.

"Ahem!" Kotori cleared her throat to get Rimuru's attention.

"Since it's getting dark now, Shidou will take you to the spirit house and give you a brief introduction. You must be tired too. Tomorrow we will conduct some tests. As for your condition, we won't force you to be sealed."

Hearing Kotori's words, Rimuru didn't feel tired but nodded.

"But what about Tohka and Yoshino?"

"They're eating Kinako right now, so they'll be teleporting back after a while," said Kotori and turned to go with Reine.

With nothing else to do, Rimuru was led by Shidou to the place called the spirit house.

The place where Rimuru and Shidou were teleported to was an empty street rather than the right place.

Though somewhat annoyed by this, Rimuru didn't complain but just followed Shidou and let him lead the way

The whole way Shidou kept looking at Rimuru as if he wanted to say something.

It wouldn't have been worth mentioning if he hadn't repeated that action so many times that it was annoying so Rimuru spoke up.

"Do you have something to say?"

Hearing her question, Shidou spoke hesitantly.

"Ah... well... Rimuru. When we first met, you said there was something more important to do, then what was that?"

"Huh?" Rimuru let out a small sound as she didn't anticipate this question.

Just as she showed her surprise, Shidou said in a panic.

"Ah! If you don't feel comfortable talking about it, then, it's fine."

Rimuru immediately sensed that there was something wrong with Shidou's behavior.

Without thinking much, Ciel quickly answered his master's question.

<<Report: Individual Itsuka Shidou received a message from Reine not to delve into your affairs>>

Rimuru wasn't too surprised to learn that Ratatoskr was still watching Rimuru.

But she was still a bit disappointed that Shidou was only acting on their instructions and not his own.

Even so, Rimuru could feel that he wanted to ask her about a lot of things.

"What I want to ask is...why are you suddenly accepting Ratatoskr's management?"

Rimuru thought for a moment before answering.

"I just wanted to see how you guys manage the spirits and then I'll decide."

"Huh?" Shidou let out a small sound and then appeared to be thinking about something.

After a while, he continued speaking in an uncertain voice.

"Then... your decision is...." Shidou said and waited for Rimuru's answer.

"I haven't decided yet"

Rimuru said casually.

Seeing how Rimuru answered, Shidou frowned.

"Is that so...." Shidou muttered

Rimuru could only sigh.

He won't be able to understand the complexity of cooperating with another organization that you have no control over nor the fact that the Phantom was still a threat to Rimuru.

Also, she has to find a way to stop Ratatosk from trying to make Shidou.... kiss her.

There were many reasons for Rimuru to refuse being supervised by Ratatoskr but just because it would be more stable in this world...

Going around with this uncontrollable power made it difficult for Rimuru to hide from AST and the other spirits.

While thinking, Shidou's voice rang out.

"We've arrived."

With a sigh, Rimuru temporarily put aside the current affairs and entered the house.

The house looks big from the outside, but inside, it is smaller because of the thick walls.

The interior is designed like a normal house and looks nothing special.

After looking around for a while, Shidou also led Rimuru up to the pre-arranged room.

It is a simple, private room, nothing too outstanding, fully supported for one person to stay.

"Let's rest for a while, I'll go downstairs and cook some food. When Tohka and Yoshino come back I'll call you." Shidou said and started to leave to let Rimuru rest.

After he left, Rimuru closed the door of the room and walked over to the single bed arranged in the corner of the room, and lay down tiredly.

Looking at the ceiling dejectedly, Rimuru thought about the problems that needed to be solved.

The most problematic thing right now is Phantom.

Right after Rimuru pointed out that she was a primordial spirit, for some reason she became hostile and attacked.

And worse than that, during the battle, Ciel also sealed Rimuru's power and transformed his current body into a human body.

Not only that, after fighting Phantom, he was turned into a spirit.

And now there's this organization too!!!

Trouble kept coming.

But just as Rimuru was feeling bad about his day, Ciel spoke up.

<<Master.....I have something to say>>

<<Hm? What's wrong Ciel>> Rimuru felt a bit surprised that Ciel asked for permission before speaking.

<<Actually, you could always defeat Phantom if you wanted to...>>

...

...

...

Wait, what did Ciel just say...

<<HA!?>> Rimuru wants to scream in his head.

There are no words to describe Rimuru's mood right now.

After the fight with Phantom and AST.

Avoid being kissed by someone you met for less than a day.

Tired of constantly having to be on high alert and now just to hear Ciel say...

Everything can be solved from the beginning!?!

<<Ciel! I need an explanation!!>> Rimuru subconsciously clutched the blanket on the bed while looking up at the ceiling without blinking.

<<In the first place, I intended to teach you a lesson because you're wasting energy>>

<<Then why are you telling me now?>>

<<Now that things have become more complicated than I expected, the best thing to do would be to inform you so you don't have to worry>>

Hearing Ciel's words, Rimuru closed her eyes, relaxed, and sighed.

It's true that the fact that the Phantom is not a threat solved most of her worries

However...

Her vacation was turned into a lecture in the scariest way possible by Ciel.

<<You can still stay here for a while, my lord>>

Ciel spoke up and Rimuru stopped whining immediately.

However, not to be so enthusiastic.

Knowing Ciel's personality too well, she would never do anything without a purpose so Rimuru asked.

<<What are you planning again?>>

<<I wish to continue my analysis about spirits, master>>

<<So is it true that you say spiritual energy is special?>>

<<Yes, my lord. Spiritual energy shouldn't exist in this world, but they did, and the way they work to have a deep connection to emotions. In addition, there are 2 types of spirits>>

<<Hm? Since when did you know there are two types of spirits?>>

<<Since those two spirits hugged you, I took the opportunity to analyze their Sephira. master>>

Hearing Ciel's explanation, Rimuru immediately froze...

Ah... She had always wondered why Ciel didn't show anger or complaint when someone hugged Rimuru.

While Rimuru was thinking, she could feel like Ciel was staring deep at her soul with a sharp gaze.

Feeling like she shouldn't think badly of Ciel (If he wants to be at peace.) Rimuru asked.

<<So... what are those two types of spirits?>>

<<According to my analysis, there are pure spirits like Tohka, Phantom, and humans get converted into spirits like Yoshino and Kotori.>>

<<Yoshino and Kotori were turned into a spirit?>>

<<Yes master, I also detected a memory-sealing effect on all of them.>>

Hearing Ciel's words, Rimuru unconsciously furrowed.

Turn others into spirits.

Seal their memories and put them into a world constantly pursued by anti-spirit squads.

<<Is that so...thank you Ciel>> said Rimuru and she decided to let herself calm down for a while.

Closing her eyes, Rimuru was not tired but decided to go into sleep mode to rest.

------Kotori POV------

Kotori was sitting in <Fraxinus>'s control room, with a lollipop in her mouth as usual, and was looking at the main screen with an unchanged expression.

Sealing Rimuru seemed to be more difficult than Kotori thought.

Not like other spirits.

Rimuru has a very mature, independent personality and doesn't seem to need Ratatoskr's help.

Currently, Ratatoskr can only manage and supervise her action but can't seal her when...

Emotional value: 63

Looking at the emotion indicator, Kotori could only close her eyes and sigh.

Just at that moment, Reine stepped in front of her, holding a report in hand.

With a sleep-deprived face and tired voice as usual

"It seems that Rimuru has one weakness, that is other spirits"

Reine said and showed the report to Kotori.

According to the data, since Tohka and Yoshino appeared, Rimuru became less hostile and even considered their offer and came under the control of Ratatoskr.

But it also brought out a problem.

"It's not like, we can just turn Shidou into a spirit right," Kotori said jokingly.

"But we still have another way."

Reine spoke and just as she finished her sentence, two voices came from outside.

"Ah~ Kinako is delicious isn't it Yoshinon."

"Um! Yoshino feels the same right~"

"Um..."

The metal door of the control room slowly opened and from the outside came Tohka and Yoshino.

"Hm? Where's Shidou?" Tohka said while looking around.

"Shin has returned home with Rimuru. Go to the teleportation platform and you will be teleported to the house. Shin is cooking dinner at the spirit house." Reine

"Yeah! Food!!!" Tohka said and once again grabbed Yoshino's hand and pulled her away.

Seeing the two of them, Kotori sighed and turned back to look at the report.

At this moment, a hand grabbed Kotori's report and took it away.

"Hm?"

"You should go back with them too, you're probably tired by now, aren't you?" Reine

"But we still need to report to---" Kotori wanted to protest but was interrupted by Reine

"You've been working since Rimuru was discovered until now, it's already dark, you should go back and rest."

"Ahaha....you're the only one I don't want to hear 'go back and rest'," Kotori said with a sarcastic expression.

But when looking at Reine's expression, she looked very serious about this.

With a sigh, Kotori said.

"Okay, the rest is up to you. Remember to rest."

"Don't worry, I still take sleeping pills regularly (1 bottle of medicine at a time)."

------Rimuru POV------

While Rimuru was 'sleeping' on the bed, she opened her eyes and sat up.

With a firm voice, she spoke up.

"Come in"

The door slowly opened and from the outside, Shidou entered and spoke in a soft voice.

"Ah um... Tohka and Yoshino have returned so I came to invite you downstairs."

"Um, okay." Answering briefly, Rimuru stood up and went down to the dining room.

As soon as she walked down to the dining room, an energetic voice greeted her.

"Ah! There you're Rimuru, we were looking for you!"

"Is that so... thanks for waiting" Rimuru said and slowly sat down at the table.

The meal is not too fancy just rice and curry.

After Shidou settled into his seat, he smiled faintly and spoke up.

"Because I don't have enough time, that's all for tonight"

Despite Shidou's words, Tohka replied excitedly.

"It's okay! As long as it is Shidou's food, it will always be delicious!" Tohka said and ate her portion quickly.

"That's right, Shidou-san cooking is good," Yoshino said in a small voice.

"Thanks, you two." 

Shidou lightly smiled then looked in Rimuru's direction as if expecting a response.

Without waiting any more, Rimuru also slowly began to eat her portion.

Rimuru slowly savored the taste.

"It's good, very good for a home cook."

Rimuru's assessment seemed to make Shidou feel a little happier as he showed a clear smile.

For the rest of the time, Rimuru didn't say another word.

The only conversations happen between Tohka, Yoshino, and Shidou.

Tohka and Yoshino seemed to be too focused on their meals to notice a thing but Rimuru could see Shidou looking at the two of them with a gentle smile.

And at that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Shidou quickly ran to open the door.

Entering was Kotori, who immediately received the attention of Tohka and Yoshino.

"Looks like I'm late, is there any left?" Kotori said with an innocent look.

"There's a lot more, feel free, I cooked more than usual."

"Thank you, Onii-chan!" Kotori said and went over to her seat and started talking to Tohka and Yoshino.

Although no one noticed, both Rimuru and Shidou had the same gentle gaze at the interaction between the three of them.

During the meal, sometimes Rimuru only interacted with the others a little and usually just listened.

The puppet Yoshinon repeatedly waved its small arms around the table while trying to tell the stories it and Yoshino had experienced together.

Tohka remains active and reacts to nearly every joke Yoshinon says.

Kotori is now acting like a little sister and sometimes criticizes Shidou for being too reckless.

The meal just passed and Rimuru could feel better.

And just as she was about to return to the room, Ciel suddenly spoke up.

<<Master, I have thought of a way to avoid having individual Shidou kiss you, Master,>>

------Shidou POV------

That night, everyone went to their rooms and slept.

Shidou stayed in the kitchen for a while to clean up after the meal.

Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori all wanted to stay and clean up, but he convince them to rest.

Rimuru had finished eating and returned to her room earlier than the others.

She still looked like she wasn't used to this place, but at least for now, Shidou felt more assured of Rimuru's safety.

Shidou hoped that Rimuru would feel more comfortable here.

After he finished his work, he went to check on the spirit to see how they were doing.

Tohka and Yoshino slept comfortably, and Kotori went to his house to sleep.

But when he reached Rimuru's room...

Her room door was still open and---

There's no one inside.

Panicked, he quickly ran into the room and looked for even the slightest sign of her.

But while he was searching, a soft voice spoke up.

"There's no need to panic looking for me like that."

It was Rimuru's voice and it came from... above the roof?

Shidou slowly moved and looked out at the balcony.

Greeting his gaze was an image of a girl with silver-blue hair that reached down to her back and turned her back to him as she jump down from the roof.

She wore a white coat and black trousers, her petite body accentuated by the faint moonlight of the night.

And with a soft voice, she raised her voice.

"Yo! Hello, Shidou"

-------Rimuru POV-------

After hearing Ciel's solution to avoid being kissed by Shidou, Rimuru realizes it was...

Self-sealing spiritual energy into Shidou.

At first, Rimuru heard that plan and thought it was rather 'self-destruct' but when Ciel explained it, she understood.

Ciel had analyzed the spiritual power link called <PATH> while analyzing Tohka and Yoshino so it was now possible to create a similar link.

However, the decision was in Rimuru.

Looking around the simple room, Rimuru reassessed what the Ratatoskr organization could offer her.

Now Phantom is no longer a problem.

The only thing holding Rimuru back was spiritual energy.

Tohka and Yoshino, the two of them are very friendly. But having only met for a day, Rimuru still had no emotional connection with them.

Under the dim moonlight in the distance, the image of the area devastated by the battle between Rimuru and AST was still there.

The flashing red and blue lights of the ambulances coming to take the AST members away have also faded.

Rimuru slowly recalled her own experience since coming to this world and thought.

If she sealed her spiritual energy into Shidou, then she would interact with Ratatoskr even more.

But... After seeing the interactions between the spirits here, Rimuru thought that this wouldn't be a bad place to rest for a while.

They all look happy, nothing seems fake. They're like a family.

And by the time she had made her decision, Shidou had already arrived.

He slowly walked up to her and spoke up.

"Aren't you tired? Rimuru"

"No, I just have some things to think about," 

Rimuru said while still looking at the distant scenery.

Shidou remained silent as if waiting for Rimuru to tell him what she was thinking.

"Hey Shidou, to you, what is spirit?"

"They are my family, the people I need to protect."

Hearing that answer, Rimuru smiled lightly and spoke with a sarcastic expression.

"Well said, but you're still too young to be able to protect anything."

When Shidou heard that, he just looked at Rimuru in confusion.

Rimuru wasn't serious with her statement at all.

But can Shidou protect those spirits?

He couldn't even stop a member of the AST. How could he protect them?

No matter how ridiculous that was, Rimuru still appreciated his kindness towards the spirits even though that was not enough.

He still needs more strength, to protect what he truly loves and holds dear. 

But that just seems impossible.

However, for now, he was temporarily qualified.

"I've made a decision."

Rimuru's words caused Shidou to show a bit of surprise.

"Close your eyes," Rimuru said while Shidou still gave a confused look.

But he also did as Rimuru said and closed his eyes.

"If I see you squint even a little, prepare to go to hell,"

Rimuru said and could see Shidou's whole body stiffen and close his eyes tighter than before.

<<Ciel, let's do it.>>

<<Yes Master>>

With that, Rimuru's golden gaze gradually turned red and his face became expressionless.

And before Ciel did anything, she created an illusion that surrounded both Rimuru and Shidou so that 'someone' couldn't see what was going on.

Ciel slowly reached out a finger and touched Shidou's lips, and for some reason, her expressionless face turned into a look of disgust.

As soon as Ciel's finger touched Shidou's lips, the tip of the finger gradually lost its color and turned into a layer of black smoke.

The illusion layer outside Rimuru right now works just to make Rimuru's fingers look normal to outsiders.

Soon after, Ciel withdrew her hand and the fingertips returned to normal, returning control to Rimuru.

Rimuru felt an amount of spiritual energy begin to move between Shidou and her.

The spiritual energy inside her decrease as it was transfer into Shidou via the <PATH>

<<Is everything finished Ciel>>

<<Yes master, I finished everything as quickly as possible master>>

Feeling that everything was settled, Rimuru slowly left and did not forget to tell Shidou.

"You can open your eyes now, it getting dark so I'm going to rest."

---END CHAP 10---