Slime Girl

- Shari -

Okay, how are you supposed to react if you meet someone who believes you're dead because you couldn't afford to reach out after you got transformed into the weirdest possible thing, while you were on an errand that said person put you up to?

Not to forget that you're still in disguise, because you, as it was just mentioned, are a weird, monstrous abomination!

"Who are you? We don't have anything to give." (Oka)

Ms. Oka looks at us, expectant for an answer.

What am I supposed to do now?

Talking?

She would recognize my voice, wouldn't she? Actually, it's a small miracle that this didn't already happen with one of the other villagers.

I guess a voice alone isn't a distinguishing feature that would allow by itself for easy identification.

Sometimes things sound just similar.

I might even have a slightly different pitch now with my slime throat.

However, a full conversation could give me away.

Should I change my voice on purpose now?

But what if anyone who heard me speak already notices?

"Are you going to say something?" (Vela)

Damn, I don't know!

"Vela, can you please do the talking?" (Shari)

"For real!? Why me?" (Vela)

"It's complicated, so please." (Shari)

She grunts, but nonetheless steps forward.

"Ahem, we are soldiers on official mission for the country of Rakis. Would you please relay to us everything you know about the events that transpired here?" (Vela)

Ms. Oka inspects each one of us very carefully.

Her gaze lingering particularly long on Liqu and me.

Probably, because we are fully covered.

"You are soldiers? I just heard before that you claimed to be knights." (Oka)

That wasn't quite right. Only those two are. We are merely their escort, if that helps to clarify things." (Vela)

Hopefully, it does.

"But if they are knights, why are you talking on their behalf?" (Oka)

"They are-" (Vela)

"I can talk! Hello!" (Liqu)

Oh no!

The greatest disturbing factor just got into action!

"Liqu, no! No talking!" (Shari)

"Huh?" (Oka)

"But why not, Shari?!" (Liqu)

"HUH!?" (Oka)

Shit, shit, shit, shit!

I very slowly and very carefully turn my gaze towards Ms. Oka, who seems right now to fight with her own thoughts.

"She, she just called you- No, that is ridiculous. It cannot be. Impossible! But..." (Oka)

"Is something wrong, Shari? You became so quiet." (Liqu)

"Because I didn't want to speak!" (Shari)

Why can't you be still!

"Th-this voice. Shari?! It can't be. You're dead. She's dead, I mean, there's no doubt. But you, she... Oh please, can't you remove that mask? I need to know." (Oka)

Damnit, this is lost!

"You don't want this." (Shari)

She absolutely doesn't!

I truly cannot imagine that "melted into slime" would make all that much better of an impression on her.

Damnit, I wanted to avoid this!

"I need to know! She died because of me! Because I sent her out that day!" (Oka)

"Oh! You are the one who sent her out that day? So if you hadn't, she wouldn't have come, and I would never have met her!? You did something, and it had such an effect! Incredible!" (Liqu)

"Wh-what? Who, who are you?" (Oka)

It seems like Liqu is right now grasping the concept of cause and effect.

I guess this is a great step for her, but nothing I can appreciate right now all that well.

Because right now, I feel the eyes focusing on us.

"You need to believe me. What lies behind this mask won't bring you the peace you desire." (Shari)

That won't work, will it?

There's no way someone who's set to confirm something is going to stop short of it.

"But you... You! I need to know! Shari!" (Oka)

What did I say?

"Sigh, fine. But can we at least move away from all these prying eyes? That surely won't be a pretty sight." (Shari)

"Y-yes. Sure." (Oka)

We move away, past some trees, while I have my troop making sure I'm not being followed.

"She's doing it, isn't she?" (Balion)

"Certainly." (Zeon)

"We can't help it now. Let's just make sure we won't get an uproar." (Vela)

Seems like they kinda just take everything in stride, by this point.

Now it's just me, Ms. Oka, and a somewhat clingy slime.

"I-it's really you, isn't it, Shari? Truly you?! We, we never found a body. Hah, because you didn't die! But, but why didn't you just come back? Why make us think you're dead?!" (Oka)

I feel the accusation, muddled by shame.

Whatever has happened to me, Ms. Oka feels responsible.

Right now, she doesn't know what happened and therefore, cannot tell if there is any blame for her to take.

Not that I'd blame her.

There went so much wrong this day, Ms. Oka making this order with me truly wasn't the sole factor leading to this outcome.

"I went back. Around five days later, I came to my parents' house. I was the one asking them not to tell anyone." (Shari)

"But why?! We were all so worried!" (Oka)

"Because I couldn't show myself! Because what happened to me back then was worse to me at that time than anything you can imagine!" (Shari)

"How can it be worse?! You are still alive! Shari!" (Oka)

"Hah. This time I won't make a big deal out of this. Just let me tell you, what lies beneath this mask is not the face you will expect. It will be far worse. So I need at least to ask you not to scream, okay?" (Shari)

"I-it can't be that bad." (Oka)

I don't say a word and let my gaze through the mask linger.

"O-okay, I do." (Oka)

"Sigh, alright. Try to remain understanding." (Shari)

With this, I remove my mask.

My face literally clings to it, dragging strands with it, while I try my hardest to separate my slime from the surface.

I kinda feel like this material clings even harder than my old mask did.

Finally, the last strand collapses, and I can rip the cover away.

Now I'm looking with my blue, borderless eyes, at a person from my old life, waiting for a reaction.

"Plomp"

She falls to her knees.

I have the instinct to rush to her help, before she collapses, but then have the presence of mind not to jump her with the current sight I pose.

"Yeah, as I said, it isn't pretty." (Shari)

"But you are pretty! You are the greatest sight ever! The most beautiful!" (Liqu)

"Thanks, but that's not really quite the point." (Shari)

The point is, right now Ms. Oka, who looks completely flabbergasted at me.

"How? Why? What is with you?! Your face... I don't understand." (Oka)

"It should be pretty obvious that I'm a slime. Regarding the how, the one behind me, basically already told you everything there's to know about it." (Shari)

The slime in question is meanwhile waving excitedly at her.

"I'm so grateful to you! You changed my whole existence by sending my Shari to me! This is the bestestestestestest thing that ever happened to me, ever!!!" (Liqu)

"Yeah, this is Liqu. She's a genuine slime, mind you. And she's got a way to turn others into one. Wasn't exactly the greatest time of my life." (Shari)

"Awh." (Liqu)

Confronted with the absolute insanity of this situation, Ms. Oka only raises a finger at Liqu, uttering a single world.

"W-why?" (Oka)

"Why she's still with me? You may assume she's, true to her nature, rather clingy. Also, by now she saved my life more than once, and I'm not all that ungrateful. And maybe, I got a tiny little bit used to having her around." (Shari)

As difficult as it might be to go as far as to state our relationship in front of others.

After this, I wait.

It may prove most efficient to let her figure this out by herself, instead of throwing more at her.

"So... you became a slime... and decided to, to become a knight?" (Oka)

Yeah, if that isn't someone confused.

"Yeah, that's about it. I mean, it's more complicated than this, but it works as a summary. Couldn't really get back to my village routine after this happened to me. Especially, as right on the first day, the adventurers that came to our village tried to kill me, and ended up all dead. Not much to work with from this point." (Shari)

One could say it was driven by "higher powers", so to speak.

"This, this is absolutely insane." (Oka)

What did I say?

"Yeah, that's kinda the word you could use to describe all of my life, right now. However, now that we successfully worked through this whole mess, I've got a question I'd like to get answered." (Shari)

I get into a more stable stance, focus her, and speak with a confidence that was honed by dealing with an uncountable number of crazy situations.

"Where are my parents?" (Shari)