Chapter 261: A Slime's Grief, A Human's Principles
The sight of Rimuru bouncing on the table, chanting about pork katsudon, drew a few smiles from everyone in the restaurant. It was hard not to find it amusing. The little slime was undeniably unlucky, but thankfully, he was also incredibly cute.
Kasugano Sora had already finished her cola and was now nibbling on a biscuit. She couldn't quite understand why this particular chocolate biscuit wasn't striking her as exceptionally delicious, yet Lucifer seemed to be enjoying it immensely. It was a small, strange puzzle.
Pork katsudon, truth be told, was one of the simpler dishes to prepare. The only component that required any real finesse was the pork cutlet itself. As a result, the dish was ready in no time at all.
When Ren emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming bowl of katsudon, Rimuru's entire form—the entire ball of slime—quivered with excitement, jiggling on the tabletop.
"Alright, please enjoy," Ren said with a smile. "Though, I have to admit, I'm very curious as to how you're going to eat this."
Rimuru gazed at the dish before him. The pork cutlet was a perfect golden-brown, resting on a bed of fluffy egg and sweet onions, all blanketing a mound of pristine white rice. He contemplated for a moment. "There doesn't seem to be a particularly efficient method," he admitted, his voice echoing from his gelatinous body. "But this katsudon looks so delicious, so..."
"So?" Tony Stark leaned forward, his interest piqued. The others watched with equal anticipation, all of them curious about how a slime actually eats.
Without another word, Rimuru took a great leap. His body expanded, engulfing the entire bowl in a single, fluid motion before landing back on the table with a soft squelch.
A moment later, while everyone was still processing what they'd just seen, Rimuru cleanly spat the now-empty bowl back onto the table. Then, his entire body began to tremble violently.
Kasugano Sora tilted her head, asking tentatively, "Is... is he having an upset stomach?"
Lucifer scoffed, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Sora, how could that be? It's a slime! It doesn't have a biological stomach in the way you're thinking. How could it possibly get indigestion?"
Tony leaned closer, a confused frown on his face. "What's going on? Is this... Hey! Buddy! Why are you crying?!"
"Crying?!"
The word hung in the air. As if on cue, a watery warble escaped Rimuru. "I didn't taste anything! There was no flavor at all! This is just too cruel!"
Pepper couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. There was no denying it—a crying slime was strangely adorable, especially one crying because it couldn't taste its food. It was just too funny.
Ren looked at the trembling blue orb with a sympathetic, if slightly hesitant, expression. "How about I get you some more water...?"
"Ice Cola!" Rimuru declared with a sudden burst of passion.
"Uh... still Ice Cola?"
"This is a matter of dignity!" Rimuru cried out, his body jiggling for emphasis. "Even if I can't taste it, even if I can't experience that stimulating fizz, I still have to drink it! This is my bottom line! My dignity!"
Kasugano Sora clapped her hands together once, her expression blank. He had spoken her mind. For some reason, at that moment, the already cute slime seemed to radiate a deep sense of mutual understanding.
Tony shook his head, a grin playing on his lips. "Hey, buddy, I'd think someone your age would prefer something a little stronger. Like an ice-cold beer."
"Drinking alone is boring," Rimuru stated matter-of-factly. "Alcohol is for drinking with friends. When I'm by myself, it's Ice Cola, no question! Besides, ice-cold beer with katsudon just feels... a little off."
Tony nodded, impressed. He never would have guessed this little slime had such well-defined principles about food and drink. Then again, this was an exceptionally powerful slime; the skills he'd demonstrated earlier were beyond anything Tony could easily comprehend.
Rimuru stared at the fresh glass of Ice Cola Ren had placed before him. He let out a series of pathetic, gurgling whimpers before finally steeling himself and swallowing the entire glass, just as he had with the katsudon.
"Still no taste!" he wailed. "And not even a hint of that fizz! It's too much to bear!"
Pepper was once again overcome with amusement. This little guy was just too cute for his own good.
Lucifer took a slow sip of her own beverage, a knowing smile on her face. "You can mimic things, can't you?" she said casually.
Rimuru bounced twice. "That's right. Wait... what are you getting at?"
"Don't be nervous," Lucifer said, her smile widening. "Wouldn't it solve your problem if you just swallowed something that has a sense of taste similar to a human's?"
Rimuru paused, his body seeming to still as he processed the idea. "That... makes some sense. If possible, it should be... a wolf type! That's it! I'll go back and swallow a wolf!"
After a moment of stunned silence, Tony spoke up with a helpless tone. "Uh, buddy, I'm sad to report that canines have a pretty poor sense of taste. They rely mostly on smell, and there are a lot of things they can't eat. More," he added, leaning in conspiratorially, "some canines, due to a lack of certain elements in their diet, will eat some... truly disgusting things."
Rimuru froze. He looked around and saw Lucifer, Pepper, and even Sora looking at him with expressions of faint disgust.
"I won't eat them!" he shouted, his form jiggling frantically. "I'm not turning into a canine! Definitely not!"
"Your world should have legendary creatures, right?" Tony asked, trying to be helpful. "Like beastmen or something? Why not transform into one of them?"
Rimuru let out a sound that was the slime equivalent of a sigh. "How would I know? I got sent here right as I was about to leave the labyrinth. But there should be some, I think. Still," he added, his voice firming, "I don't think I'll be eating any of them."
"Why not?"
A quiet determination entered Rimuru's voice. "Because even though my body is a slime, I still have human thoughts and a human mind. I can't bring myself to harm humans or even humanoids. And eating people... the thought alone is unacceptable."
Tony nodded slowly. He had to agree. No matter the circumstances, the idea of cannibalism was horrifying, and the mere thought was nauseating.
"What if a humanoid tries to bully you?" Lucifer asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "If you don't want to harm them, what then?"
"I'd definitely fight back," Rimuru said without hesitation. "But I still couldn't bring myself to swallow them."
Lucifer nodded, a faint smile on her lips. It was a normal, noble thought. She suspected, however, that one day Rimuru would encounter an existence that would force him to break that very principle. For that reason, she refrained from offering to use her magic to grant him a sense of taste. Some lessons had to be learned the hard way.
Rimuru turned his attention back to Ren. "Boss! You're a good person!"
"Eh?" Ren blinked, caught off guard.
"Because that katsudon looked so delicious!"
Ren chuckled. "Your standards for judgment are really something else. But I do hope you get your sense of taste back soon."
"Mhm! When that happens, I'm definitely coming back for more katsudon!"
"You're really persistent about that," Ren mused.
"Of course! But... how do I get back here?"
"Just find any door, think of this place, and you'll be able to come through," Ren explained.
Rimuru's form bobbed in a nod. Then, he suddenly seemed to shrink in on himself with embarrassment. "Oh no! Boss! I don't seem to have any money!"
Tony was about to open his mouth and offer to cover the bill—perhaps in exchange for a future trip to Rimuru's world to look for some interesting minerals—but Ren spoke first.
"Metals, minerals, specialties from another world, or even rare ingredients," Ren said with a welcoming smile. "Anything that can be used for trade is accepted as currency here."
After a moment of thought, Rimuru spat out a smooth, purple stone that landed on the table with a soft clink. "Is this okay? It's called Magic Ore."
"Of course," Ren replied, picking it up to examine it.
"Yay!" Rimuru cheered. "I have a feeling I'm going to eat you out of house and home next time, Boss!"
"While that seems unlikely, you're welcome to try anytime."
Meanwhile, Tony Stark's eyes were practically glowing as he stared at the Magic Ore.
'Well, I'll be,'he thought, a grin spreading across his face.'Speak of the devil.'
This ore looked absolutely amazing.
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