>>6116172“Hey, Minato, I have a question, if you don’t mind,” You say, which causes the slime to perk up.
“Sure, what’s it about?
“Well, it's about what you were saying before we walked in,” Only you walked in. Seo-yun is still looking at the ceiling on the bed, “What do you mean your friends were acting strange? It wasn’t anything like James up front, right?”
“Huh? Oh nonono! Nothing like that!” Thankfully, while he fiercely denies your accusation, he doesn’t seem offended, “It’s just, well, they’re less animated?” He says before trying to explain himself, “Mikhail always paces around the room when he talks. He always has a hard time being still, but for the last few days, he’s barely moved from that chair and only really uses his arms. I hope he didn’t get hurt adventuring, but I think it’d be rude to ask since he doesn’t like talking about himself. Then there’s Xiao, she really likes to talk to people- eer, tease them at least, but I haven’t talked to her in days! She just says in the dark and watches people all day! It’s kind of unnerving,” You see the slime shiver as he thinks about it.
“And around when did that start? Like first meeting with someone new,” You point to Morgan’s run, a subtly innuendo to whatever charm magic she has if the other can pick up on that, “Or someone else from above?”
“Eto-” He stays on that for a while as he clearly strains himself to think, “It was a couple days ago, at least I think, around the time the riots started. I sorta just walked in on it after I spent a few days in the hills outside town trying to take on other low-level monsters,” After he says that, he freezes up! “Oh no! You don’t think this whole riot thing has shaken them more than I realized?! Oh fudge, what if they need help and I’m not there for them!”
“Bud, you do know the Heaven Society is behind the riots, right? You didn’t actually forget that, did you? Wait, these friends of yours, even Strangers?” Maxwell pipes in.
“Huh? Oh yeah, they are! We’re a part of the League of Heroic Monsters! Isekai’d people who’ve been transformed into monsters!”
“Eh, sure thing, bud.” Maxwell scratches the back of his neck in a gesture that looks kinda lame.
<span class="mu-r">”Notice the tension in his shoulders has relaxed. Do not be fooled by the front he’s put on. He was agitated at the thought Usami was here at the Heaven Society meeting while having nonStranger friends”</span>
“Thanks, Minato. That helps a bunch!” You say, overexaggerating your enthusiasm, causing the slime to let out a weird blurrble as he tells you it’s not a problem.
