Shuna, the strong-willed woman who always leads everyone, has a secret side she only shows in front of Rimuru. Her usual tough attitude is just a front she created to be useful to him.
One day, Rimuru visits Shuna's room because of a tiny scratch. But when they're alone, Shuna bursts into big tears. "When I'm with you, Rimuru-sama, I just can't keep it together." It's a special confession from her.
She's been holding back her pain, not wanting to show weakness. Rimuru gently holds her, strokes
By Rimuru's Side, You Cry, and Then You Smile - Documents, Jealousy, and a Moonlit Courtyard ~The Battle for Affection Has Begun~
Three days had passed since that night.
In the still-cold light of early morning, Shuna sat facing a mountain of documents in her office on the east side of Central Office's second floor, just as she always did. On her desk, neatly divided into separate stacks, were the budget reports from the Northern District, materials on trade negotiations with the Western Nations, and a draft of the agenda for tomorrow's executive meeting.
The distant murmur of the morning market drifting in through the window felt especially far away today.
(*Rimuru-sama's face at night… I'm the only one who knows it.*)
That thought, in unguarded moments, spread a gentle warmth deep in Shuna's chest. The wound on her left wrist had already healed completely. But the sensation of that night still lingered on her skin.
"…I need to focus."
Shuna let out a small breath and picked up her quill.
That was when it happened.
*BANG!*
The office door flew open with enough force to make it seem like it might break.
"Good morning, Shuna-san!"
Her long purple hair swaying, Shion burst in with a beaming smile. Her large, strong-willed reddish-purple eyes sparkled brightly. Her abundant hair, reaching down to her waist, swayed softly with her every movement. She was simply radiant. The moment she entered, the atmosphere in the office changed in an instant.
Shuna looked up.
"…Shion. Could you please knock?"
"Ah, I'm sorry! But I've decided I'm going to help organize Rimuru-sama's documents starting today!"
Shuna's hand stopped.
"…What did you say?"
"Because, I thought it must be hard for you to do it all alone, Shuna-san! If two of us do it, it'll be done in half the time! Rimuru-sama said so too!"
Rimuru-sama said so.
Those words pricked at her chest. But Shuna didn't let her perfect advisor's mask slip.
"That won't be necessary. This is my job."
"But still! I want to be useful to Rimuru-sama too!"
As she said this, Shion reached for the stack of documents on the desk.
In that instant.
*Rustle-rustle-rustle—thud-thud-thud!*
Her sleeve brushed against the perfectly sorted stacks of documents. Just that, and the Northern District budget reports, the trade negotiation materials—everything cascaded down at once, spilling across the floor.
"Ah."
A vein twitched at Shuna's temple.
"Ahhh! I'm sorry! I'll pick them up right away!"
Shion frantically began gathering the scattered bundles of paper from the floor. But every time she picked one up, another sheet fluttered down. Her purple hair spread across the floor, and from under it, bundles of paper… everything was a mess, here and there.
Shuna took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out.
(*Calm down. A perfect advisor does not get angry.*)
"…Please handle those with care. That is a formal document to be submitted to the Western ambassador tomorrow."
That was when it happened.
"Ah, Shuna-san! This is a really important budget document, right?"
With an innocent smile, Shion picked up a single sheet of paper. And then—
*Rip.*
Without a moment's hesitation, she folded the document clean in half.
Shuna's mind went completely blank for a second.
"This is perfect for target practice, isn't it! Can I use it for sword training?"
"…What are you—"
Shuna's voice came out so low and cold it surprised even herself.
She stood up.
Straightening her back, she slowly approached Shion. She could feel her own narrow, wisteria-colored eyes glowing faintly with anger. The two small horns on her forehead grew hot beneath her bangs.
(*The ogre blood is…*)
Shuna formed a smile. Only her eyes weren't smiling at all.
"Shion. Put that back to rights immediately. If that gets folded, the production plan for the Northern District's magic stone processing plant will have to be remade from scratch. That will delay the executive meeting by a week, and Geld and Rigurd will have to work through the night."
She rattled it all off in one breath.
"Eh! It was that important!?"
"Yes. So let go of it right now."
Still smiling, Shuna took the document from Shion. The budget report, now folded in half, made a crumpling sound in her hand.
Shion's shoulders slumped dejectedly.
But—
The next moment, she lifted her head. Her large eyes hadn't lost their spirit in the slightest.
"Shuna-san, you're not playing fair."
Shuna's hand stopped dead.
"…What do you mean by that?"
"Because, you're always the one close to Rimuru-sama, aren't you? The document work, the meetings, always right beside him. I want to be useful to Rimuru-sama too."
Shion's voice wasn't accusatory. It was just a voice saying exactly what she thought, pure and simple.
That made it all the more painful.
The word "not playing fair" had accurately pierced the sorest spot deep in Shuna's heart.
(*I'm… not playing fair?*)
(*I spend my nights with Rimuru-sama. And I'm hiding it.*)
(*I can't tell anyone. I mustn't tell anyone.*)
Shuna's lips trembled faintly.
"…That is work. I am Rimuru-sama's advisor and secretary. That is all it is."
She somehow managed to keep her voice calm. But she couldn't stop the fingers holding the quill from trembling minutely.
Shion tilted her head.
"Is that so? But, Shuna-san, lately, when you talk to Rimuru-sama, you have a really wonderful expression. Much softer than before."
Shuna couldn't say anything.
"…Please leave for today."
Saying only that, Shuna opened the door and ushered Shion out into the hallway.
She closed the door.
Alone in her office, Shuna leaned her back against the wall and let out a deep sigh.
(*She sees through me.*)
(*Even Shion…*)
On the desk was the mountain of documents, now a complete mess.
As she straightened them, a complex expression—a mix of a smile and bitterness—rose on Shuna's face.
---
Noon.
The Great Tempest Cafeteria was far more bustling than usual. Goblins, dwarves, and humans were all eating together. The scent of freshly baked bread, the steam from the soup, and the pale light of the magic stone lamps all mingled together, wrapping the entire cafeteria in a comforting warmth.
Shuna was seated to Rimuru-sama's left. Her usual seat.
But today, Shion was on his right.
"Rimuru-sama! I picked out today's lunch dessert!"
What Shion happily presented was a fruit platter drizzled with honey. Sliced apples and pears, along with raspberries, were arranged colorfully, with golden honey dripping thickly over the top.
"Oh, that looks delicious. Thanks, Shion."
Rimuru-sama was honestly pleased and immediately brought a piece of fruit to his mouth.
Staring at the documents in her hands, Shuna felt a sharp, grinding pain deep in her chest.
(*I was always the one who bought that honey…*)
No one knew that Shuna had been buying Rimuru-sama's favorite honey at the morning market. It was something no one needed to know.
But.
Now, the honey-drizzled fruit that Rimuru-sama was eating with such enjoyment was something Shion had prepared.
Just then, Rimuru-sama stepped away from his seat.
Seizing that opening, Shion turned toward Shuna.
"Shuna-san."
"…What is it?"
Shuna didn't look up from her documents.
"Are you meeting Rimuru-sama at night?"
Shuna's hand stopped.
Deep in her chest, her heart gave a huge, pounding leap.
"…What are you talking about?"
This is bad.
She desperately suppressed the tremor that threatened to enter her voice.
Shion, still smiling, nodded knowingly as she spoke.
"Because, Rimuru-sama has had a really good complexion lately. He has the face of someone who's spending time with someone. Since you're the closest to him, Shuna-san, I figured it must be you."
It wasn't an accusation; it was just a voice stating something she had purely noticed, as it was.
And yet.
A storm raged deep within Shuna's chest.
(*He's making that face…*)
(*Rimuru-sama is.*)
(*Showing other people the face he has when he's with me.*)
She didn't know if she was happy or afraid.
"…I am merely reporting on my duties."
Shuna somehow managed to answer.
But it was a lie.
She knew it herself. The thinness of this lie. She could feel her lips trembling slightly.
Shion just said "I see," and without pressing further, began eating her dessert.
That innocence—was what Shuna found hardest to bear.
---
Late night.
In the back garden of the Crimson Pavilion, only moonlight fell quietly.
The garden of this residence, where the ogre clan executives lived, had no one to tend it, yet flowers mysteriously continued to bloom. Small white flowers seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.
Shuna couldn't sleep.
Still in her nightclothes, she went out into the garden.
Shion's words from the day kept circling around and around in her head.
(*Rimuru-sama has the face of someone who's spending time with someone.*)
(*Shion has seen through the fact that it's me.*)
(*But we can't make it public.*)
In a corner of the cobblestone garden, there was a figure.
Long purple hair, illuminated by the moonlight, shone silver.
It was Shion.
She was also in her nightclothes, sitting on the cobblestones, gazing absently at the moon. Her usual sparkling smile was gone; her profile seemed to be looking somewhere far away.
"…Shion."
Shion turned around.
"Ah, Shuna-san. Can't sleep?"
"…Yes."
Shuna stood beside Shion. After a moment's hesitation, she sat down on the cobblestones a little distance away from her.
Silence fell between them.
The wind blew, and the white flowers in the garden swayed. From a distance, the faint sound of the night watch soldiers' footsteps could be heard.
After a while—
"Isn't Rimuru-sama… scary?"
Shion murmured suddenly.
Shuna looked at Shion in surprise.
"…What's scary about him?"
"I love him so much, I feel like I might give him everything. But Rimuru-sama is kind to everyone, so I start to lose track of whether I'm special or not."
Shion's voice wasn't her usual loud voice, nor was it smiling.
It was just a voice haltingly wringing words out from the bottom of her heart.
"Loving him so much is scary. I want him to look only at me, but Rimuru-sama is everyone's Rimuru-sama."
Shuna caught her breath.
(*It's the same.*)
(*She was thinking the same thing as me.*)
"I want him to look only at me"—that was almost exactly what Shuna had been unable to put into words.
After a long silence.
"…Me too."
Shuna finally said it.
Her voice was so small she wasn't sure if it was even audible.
But it seemed Shion heard it.
She turned around with a surprised look. Her large, reddish-purple eyes stared intently at Shuna in the moonlight.
"You too, Shuna-san…?"
Shuna nodded.
"Rimuru-sama is kind to everyone. So… I start to lose track of whether I'm… special."
Once she said it out loud, a warmth spread deep in her chest, and then a sharp pain followed.
The two of them silently looked up at the moon for a while.
Clouds drifted over, hiding the moon. Then it showed its face again. Over and over.
"Then, we're rivals."
Shion suddenly laughed.
That laugh was so gentle that Shuna found herself smiling a little too.
"Yes, we are."
"I won't lose! I'm going to keep telling Rimuru-sama 'I love you!' every single day!"
"I… can't say it. But, I am the one who is most useful to Rimuru-sama."
"Ahaha, that's just like you, Shuna-san!"
Under the moonlight, a strange truce was born.
Neither of them had retracted their feelings, and a tacit understanding that they would be competing again tomorrow was simultaneously established.
But—the air had softened, just a little.
---
Shuna returned to her room shortly after.
She sat down in front of her desk.
The moon outside the window felt much closer than it had earlier.
(*Shion was thinking the same thing.*)
(*She was carrying the same anxiety.*)
For some reason, that made her heart feel a little lighter.
Just then—
*Knock, knock.*
A discreet knock at the door.
Deep in Shuna's chest, her heart skipped a beat.
(*Rimuru-sama…*)
She knew from the footsteps. She wouldn't mistake them now.
It was differe
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