Uncanny Valley | Rimuru x Arifureta

「 ✦ Iu | A Day Later✦ 」

The morning light filtering through the silk curtains of Fuhren's Grand Hotel's penthouse suite was soft and golden. I stretched lazily in the king-sized bed, my body protesting against the idea of leaving the warmth of the cotton sheets.

But habits were habits, and I'd never been one to sleep in. I slipped out of bed and padded across the marble floor to the ensuite bathroom.

The morning routine was as usual. Splash of cold water on my face to wake up properly, brush my teeth, then back to the bedroom to get dressed. I pulled on a black lace bra and matching underwear, then chose a comfortable but stylish outfit from the wardrobe I'd had delivered yesterday.

I finished getting ready and stepped out of the master bedroom, already thinking about what to have for breakfast. But the sight that greeted me in the main living area made me pause.

Daisy was sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, her white fur catching the morning light. She was staring out at the city below with the most heartbreaking expression I'd ever seen on a cat's face. Her blue eyes held a kind of longing that made my chest tighten.

She'd been like this for two days now.

"Oh, sweetheart," I murmured, walking over to her. "Still missing him?"

Daisy turned to look at me briefly, letting out a small, sad meow before returning her attention to the window. As if she thought that by watching the streets below, she could somehow will Rimuru to appear.

I settled down beside her on the plush carpet, reaching out to gently stroke her soft fur. She leaned into the touch but didn't take her eyes off the window.

"He'll be back soon," I told her. "You know how he is. Always getting himself into trouble and then finding his way out of it. He wouldn't leave you here forever."

Another small meow, this one even sadder than the last.

I stayed with her for a few more minutes, just offering quiet comfort. Daisy was normally such a confident, almost regal cat—seeing her like this reminded me that underneath all that kitty dignity, she was just someone who missed the person she loved most.

Eventually, I gave her one last gentle pat and stood up. "Come on, let's get some breakfast. Maybe some of that expensive fish will cheer you up."

The kitchen in the suite was fully stocked—one of the perks of paying ridiculous amounts of money for accommodations. I pulled out ingredients for a proper breakfast, not the quick and simple stuff most people settled for. Fresh bread from the hotel's bakery, imported butter, eggs from some fancy farm outside the city.

For Daisy, I prepared a small portion of premium fish that cost more per pound than a horse. But seeing her sad little face made it worth every penny.

I cooked slowly, taking my time with each step. Daisy had wandered over at some point, drawn by the smell of cooking fish. She sat nearby, watching me work with those beautiful blue eyes. Still sad, but at least interested in something other than the window.

"There we go," I said, plating her food in a crystal dish. "Fresh-caught salmon with just a touch of that herb butter you like."

She approached cautiously, sniffed delicately, then began to eat. Not enthusiastic, exactly, but at least eating.

I prepared my own breakfast—scrambled eggs with truffle shavings, perfectly toasted bread with real butter, fresh fruit that had been flown in from some tropical paradise.

We ate in silence, then I prepared coffee.

The suite's balcony overlooked the entire city of Fuhren, and I settled into one of the plush chairs with my cup, Daisy curling up on my lap.

The morning air was crisp up here, accompanied by the sounds of a city waking up. Daisy had finally relaxed, purring softly as I stroked her fur.

"He really does care about you, you know," I told her quietly. "More than he probably admits to himself. You're the most important thing in his world."

She looked up at me with those impossibly blue eyes, and I could swear she understood every word.

We stayed like that for maybe an hour, just enjoying the peaceful morning and each other's company. I was starting to think about what to do with the rest of the day when I heard the sound of the suite's door opening.

Daisy's head shot up immediately, her ears perked forward. Then she was moving, leaping off my lap and racing toward the entrance faster than I'd seen her move in days.

"Daisy!" came a familiar voice, tired but warm with genuine affection.

I smiled to myself and stood up, making my way back inside. Rimuru was kneeling by the entrance, Daisy pressed against his chest as he held her close. His usually perfect appearance was disheveled, his clothes wrinkled and dusty. He looked like he'd been through hell, but his face when he looked at Daisy was pure love.

"I missed you too, princess," he was murmuring to her, his voice soft in a way he probably thought no one else ever heard. "Sorry I was gone so long."

He stood up, still cradling Daisy, and made his way to the sofa. He collapsed onto it like someone who'd been carrying the weight of the world and had finally found a place to set it down.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I walked over to them. Without thinking about it, I wrapped my arms around Rimuru in a warm, tight hug.

"Took you long enough," I said into his shoulder.

He just laughed, the sound muffled against my hair. We stayed like that for a moment, just holding onto each other. It wasn't romantic—nothing like that between us—but it was warm and exactly what Rimuru needed.

When I finally pulled back, I settled into the chair across from the sofa. Rimuru was still holding Daisy, who was purring so loudly I could hear it from where I sat. Both of them looked more relaxed than they had in days.

"You look like dog shit," I said, taking in his appearance more carefully now.

"Thanks. Always know I can count on you for the ego boost."

"I'm serious. What happened out there?"

His expression changed slightly. "It's complicated."

"It always is with you." I leaned forward, studying his face. "But this feels different."

He was quiet for a long moment, absently stroking Daisy's fur as he stared at something I couldn't see. When he finally spoke, his voice was tired in a way that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion.

"You remember that job I told you about? The one I wasn't sure I should take?"

I nodded. I'd known something was bothering him about his latest contract, though he'd been characteristically vague about the details.

"Well," he said, settling deeper into the sofa, "it got complicated."

··—–—⚜—–—···

「 ✦ Aiko Hatayama | Yesterday✦ 」

The sound that shattered the air as Rimuru landed signaled the conclusion of it all.

A thunderous boom followed by a cloud of dust that seemed to swallow us for a moment. When it cleared, he stood there in the crater he'd made, looking almost anticlimactic after the irrational violence we'd just witnessed.

For a few seconds, none of us could move. We just stood there, staring at the man who had single-handedly obliterated a hundred thousand monsters. The silence was deafening after hours of roaring and death.

Then Rimuru did something that looked completely ridiculous and part funny—he thrust his hand out toward the distant mountains, fingers spread like he was trying to grab something miles away.

"What is he—" one of my students started to whisper.

The scream that cut through the air answered that question.

It was high-pitched, desperate, and getting closer. Much closer. Something—someone—was being dragged through the air at impossible speed, their voice growing louder and more panicked with each passing second.

When the figure finally came into view, suspended in mid-air and struggling helplessly against an invisible force, my heart stopped.

"Shimizu-kun..." I breathed.

It really was him. Yukitoshi Shimizu, one of my students, one of the children I was supposed to protect and guide. He was dressed in black robes that billowed around him as he was pulled through the air like a rag doll, his face twisted in terror and rage.

Rimuru brought him down hard, slamming him into the ground a few meters away from our group. Shimizu hit the earth with a sickening thud, but he was already scrambling to his feet, his movements erratic and wild.

That's when I saw his eyes.

I'd seen Shimizu struggling before. I'd noticed the way he looked at Kouki sometimes, the frustration that seemed to eat at him from the inside. But this... this was something else entirely. His eyes darted around frantically like a captured animal's, never focusing on any one thing for more than a second. His hands were shaking, not with fear but with something much worse.

He looked broken.

"Shimizu-kun!" I called out, taking a step toward him. "Thank goodness you're alive! I was so worried—"

"No, no, no, no, NO!" he screamed, backing away from me with his hands pressed to his head. "This isn't how it's supposed to go! I'm the hero! I'm the strongest! They should all be dead! Everyone should be acknowledging me!"

The words hit me like gut punches. My students—the ones who had come with me as escorts—were staring at Shimizu with expressions of shock and growing horror.

"Shimizu-kun," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and reassuring despite the panic clawing at my chest. "Please, just tell me what happened. Whatever's wrong, we can fix it. We can help you."

He laughed, a sound that made my skin crawl. "Help me? HELP ME? You all had your chance to help me! To see what I really was! But no, you all just kept worshipping your precious Kouki!"

"Shimizu..." one of my other students whispered, his voice filled with disbelief.

"I worked so hard!" Shimizu continued, his voice cracking. "I gathered the monsters! I made deals! I was going to prove that I'm the real hero! That I'm the chosen one! But then... but then..."

His eyes found Rimuru, and something in his expression crumbled completely.

"But then this... this thing shows up and destroys everything! Kills them all like they're nothing! Like I'm nothing!" He was rocking back and forth now, muttering under his breath. "I'm the hero. I'm the strongest. They're all too retarded to see it. Kouki's not special. I am. I'm the chosen one. I'm the hero. I'm... you cursed motherfuckers!"

"Shimizu-kun," I said desperately, taking another step toward him. "Please, just calm down. Tell me what you wanted to prove. Why did you... why did you bring those monsters here?"

For a moment, his rambling stopped. He looked at me with those wild, broken eyes, and when he spoke, his voice was eerily apathetic.

"I was going to kill you, Sensei."

The words froze the blood in my veins.

"I was going to kill you to prove myself to the demons. Show them I was serious. That I deserved their power." He tilted his head. "They said it would make me stronger. Make everyone finally see that I'm the real hero."

"Spoken like a true loser," Rimuru commented from the sidelines, his voice flat and unimpressed.

Shimizu's head snapped toward him, and I watched what little sanity he had left start to crack again. His face went white, then red, then white again.

"You... you're not real," he whispered, scrambling backward on his hands and knees. "You can't be real. I'm the strongest. I'm the hero. You can't... you can't just..."

He kept backing away, refusing to even look directly at Rimuru, like acknowledging his existence would shatter his mind completely.

"Shimizu-kun, listen to me," I said, dropping to my knees so I was at his level. "I don't care what you've done. I don't care what mistakes you've made. You're my student. You're my responsibility. I promised to bring all of you home safely, and that includes you."

Some of my escort students shifted uncomfortably behind me. I could feel their doubt, their fear, but I couldn't let that matter right now.

"I'm going to save you," I continued, looking directly into his fractured eyes. "No matter what it takes. That's what teachers do. We don't give up on our students."

I turned to my students. "Does anyone know healing magic? Advanced healing magic?"

They exchanged uncertain glances. I could see the conflict in their faces—they were afraid of what Shimizu had become, but he was still their classmate.

"Sensei," one of them said hesitantly, "I know some basic healing, but this... this seems like more than magic can fix."

I turned to Hajime and his group. They'd been standing quietly to the side, watching the scene unfold with carefully neutral expressions.

"Please," I said, my voice breaking slightly. "I know you haven't always gotten along, but he's just a student. He's lost and confused and... please. If there's anything you can do..."

Hajime looked at me for a long moment, his eye unreadable. Then his gaze switched to Rimuru (his supposed mortal enemy), and something passed between them—some silent judgment I couldn't interpret. Without a word, Hajime just clicked his tongue, turned, and started walking away. Yue and Shea followed him, none of them looking back.

"Wait!" I called after them, but they were already disappearing into the distance.

Desperate, I turned to Tio. The dragon woman who had been watching the entire scene with that same expression of awe she'd worn during Rimuru's display of power.

"Please," I begged her. "You have powerful magic, don't you? Can't you help him?"

Tio looked at me with something that might have been pity, but she said nothing. She just turned away, leaving me with my broken student and the man who had destroyed his army.

That left only one option.

"Rimuru-san," I said, turning to face him. "Please. I'm begging you. Help him."

He looked at me with those calm eyes that seemed to see right through me.

"No," he said simply.

"What do you mean, no?" The words came out sharper than I intended. "He's just a boy! He's confused and hurt and—"

"He made a deal and resolved to slaughter thousands," Rimuru interrupted, his voice still perfectly calm.

"But he's my student! My responsibility!"

"Exactly." Rimuru raised an eyebrow. "And since when am I entitled to your responsibility?"

I felt heat rising in my cheeks. "We have a duty to—"

"There is no 'we' in here, Aiko Hatayama." His voice cut through mine like a blade. "There's you and your ideals, and there's me and my choices. And I've made my choice."

"Is your choice the only thing that matters?" I said, my composure finally cracking. "Is compromise not even on the table? You don't get to choose who lives and dies!"

"Don't I?" He looked at the smoking craters where his attack had eliminated the monster horde. "I just chose that a hundred thousand monsters die so that the surviving people in this town could live and start again. I make these choices every once in a while."

"That's different! Those were monsters!"

"And what is he?" Rimuru asked, nodding toward Shimizu, who was still muttering to himself and rocking back and forth. "Is he supposed to be any different?"

"He's sick! He needs help, not execution!"

"Look at him, Aiko Hatayama. Really look at him." Rimuru's laugh was bitter. "He's already gone. What you're seeing isn't a person anymore—it's a corpse that hasn't stopped breathing yet."

"That's not true!" But even as I said it, I could see what he meant. Shimizu's eyes were empty, his muttering incoherent. He wasn't responding to anything around him.

"He's beyond saving," Rimuru continued. "And even if he wasn't, saving him would mean condemning others to death."

"No one's condemning anyone! I'll watch him, I'll help him recover—"

"You'll fail." His certainty was infuriating. "You'll try, because that's who you are. You'll pour everything you have into saving one broken soul, and while you're distracted, he'll hurt someone else. And then you'll have to live with the fact that your compassion enabled murder."

"You don't know that!"

"I do." He looked tired suddenly, like this conversation was draining what little energy he had left. "The kindest thing we can do for him now is end his suffering."

"I won't let you kill him!" I stepped between them, spreading my arms wide like I could somehow shield Shimizu with my body. "He's my student! My responsibility! I made a promise!"

"Your promise," Rimuru said quietly, "isn't my problem."

The words hit me like a slap. "How can you be so cold? So heartless?"

"It's what keeps people alive apparently," he replied.

"This is a real life!" I gestured frantically toward Shimizu. "His life matters!"

"Does it?" Rimuru asked. "More than the people who have died and will die because you couldn't accept reality?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come. How could I weigh one life against many? How could I choose?

"I'm a teacher," I said finally, my voice small and broken. "Teachers don't give up on their students. We don't abandon them when they need us most."

"And I'm tired of watching good people die because of bad decisions," Rimuru replied. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

The truth hit too close to home. I wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words.

"Please," I whispered. "I've seen you protect people. You saved all of us today. Can't you save him too?"

Rimuru was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was gentler but no less firm.

"You're his teacher. You should have done a better job before it got to this point."

The words hit like a physical blow. Because he was right, and I knew it. I was about to respond when Shimizu suddenly moved. He had gone completely quiet during our argument, but now his hand was reaching into his robes.

"Sensei," he whispered, his voice suddenly lucid. "Come closer. I want to tell you something."

Relief flooded through me. "Shimizu-kun? Are you—"

"Please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. Come closer so I can explain."

I started to move toward him, hope leaping in my chest. Maybe Rimuru was wrong. Maybe there was still something left of my student.

That's when I saw the needle.

Thin, almost invisible, clutched in his hidden hand. His eyes weren't remorseful—they were calculating, predatory, focused on my throat.

I opened my mouth to scream, but everything was happening too fast.

The needle flashed toward my throat.

And then Shimizu's head simply... wasn't there anymore.

I blinked, confused. One moment he was lunging at me, and the next he was collapsing to the ground, blood pooling where his head should have been. I stared at the headless body, my mind refusing to accept what I was seeing.

"You killed him," I whispered.

"I saved your life."

"I could have—"

"You could have died. That's what would have happened."

I fell to my knees beside the body, shaking. "I failed him. I failed them all."

"Yes," Rimuru agreed quietly. "You awfully did. But not in the way you think."

I looked up at him through my tears.

"You failed him by not accepting what he had become. By clinging to who you wanted him to be instead of seeing who he actually was. Your idealism blinded you to reality, and that blindness almost got you killed."

He started walking away, then paused.

"Here's some free advice, Aiko Hatayama. Sometimes the best way to save someone is to let them go. Next time," his voice came from farther away, "try saving the people who actually want to be saved. You'll find it goes better."

He didn't pretend this was justice. He never really claimed righteousness. Only necessity. Somehow, that frustrated me more than anything else—since I wasn't sure I could live in a world where necessity outweighed mercy.

I heard his footsteps moving away, but I couldn't look up. Couldn't do anything but stare at the spreading pool of blood and wonder if I'd been wrong about everything.

And then he was gone, leaving me alone with the corpse of a student I'd failed to protect from himself.