Testarossa was eagerly waiting outside a high-end café. The chain was quite possibly the most famous in the entire nation, with the name changing from Snack Jura to simply Jura's. It was a chain of cafés, bars, or both, ranging from your basic coffee shop to an extravagant location like the one present. It offered both a refreshing morning to people who chose this stop on the way to work, after an exercise, or simply to relax, as well as a festive nightlife.
Even so, the early morning was not incredibly busy. This made her appearance did garner a lot of attention, but despite the nerves that seemed to be eating away at her, she appeared with a calm and placid face. While just about everyone gave her a passing glance, some adding on a comment about her beauty and her new outfit, there were some whose minds seemed to have shut off. Fortunately, a slight glare from her managed to reboot the people who were gawking at her.
While waiting for Rimuru, she kept going through her mind about anything she might have forgotten. She began her day waking up at the crack of dawn and started her morning routine. While Rimuru chose the place to meet up, which was one of the more luxurious cafés on the 95th floor of the Labyrinth, she chose to meet up in the early morning hoping that not a lot of people would be there.
Being a demon possessing a body made by Rimuru, she could afford to skip the more tedious aspects such as brushing her teeth and showering as, should she wish, her body wouldn't accumulate the bacteria and grime that would require her to clean herself. She opted to skip breakfast since they would be meeting in under an hour, so all she needed to do was to put on her clothes, fix her hair, put on some light blush, and she would be ready.
As if things were ever so simple.
Pretty much the only thing she agreed upon was her outfit. While brushing her hair, she was deciding between what hairstyle she wanted to do. She mentally cycled through letting it down naturally, making it wavier, curling it, braiding it, doing a ponytail, putting it up in a bun, or a combination of some sorts.
Eventually, she elected to do a pattern of a braid that still allowed her hair to fall naturally. Starting from the temples of her head, she weaved her hair towards the center of the back of her head. From there, she finely braided a portion of her hair all the way down to the small of her back before gently waving her hair from her neck. Then there was the make-up.
Should she even use blush? Would it look like too much? Should she just allow it to come up naturally? And how about lipstick? If Rimuru wanted to claim her lips, what would be the most alluring kind? A vibrant shade of red? A blossoming pink? Or a goth black? Certainly, red would bring out her eyes more and be more seductive. But what about the light pink lipstick that would give her a more girlish look? Black seemed to be the odd one out, but also seemed to contrast perfectly against her pale white skin. She settled on red, giving her lips a full, kissable luster. Instead of being done however, her brain decided to bounce off the walls, completely going against her original plans.
How about some eyeliner? Perhaps stretching her lashes would also be a plus. Maybe she should put on a little foundation. A bit of perfume never hurt anyone, right? Maybe lip gloss was the better choice. She certainly couldn't leave without painting her nails. What color though? Should she stick with the red theme, or be more maverick and choose something like blue?
Fortunately, or maybe not, the one constant thought she had was that time was approaching, and it quickly took over her wayward thoughts. When she eventually finished and was finally ready, there was only five minutes left until it was time to meet up with the person in question. She quickly steeled herself and teleported near the café and patiently waited.
When Rimuru arrived near the café, he saw a few people that were walking around, all stealing glances at the same thing. When he saw what they were looking at, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and let a smile grow across his face.
What awaited him was a pristine beauty dressed in a white sleeveless top, exposing her shoulders that were colored like porcelain, while also accenting her breasts with a modest amount of cleavage. Standing at a moderately tall 170cm, beautiful snow-white skin to accompany her equally dazzling red eyes, she looked like a painting come to life. Her hair was done in a way that drew attention from everywhere with two braids flowing from the sides of her head to the back, joining together to form a small braid that went parallel to her back until it reached above her waist. The rest of her hair, wanting to exhibit itself, flowed down in waves from her neck.Her pencil-thin skirt clung around her waist and dropped to her knees, displaying her butt that seemed to want to show off to the world, seeing as how skin-tight it clung to the skirt. Finishing off her attire were a pair of shining black shoes with about a centimeter for the heels, and a black handbag that wrapped around her left shoulder.
When Rimuru saw how much she dressed up and stood out, practically looking like another person, he felt as though he failed her in a way. While he certainly understood how important first dates were, especially when it came to women, he felt as if he underestimated just how critical an experience they could be.
It honestly wasn't very much his fault. Despite his harem, he had already known them long before they joined, and so while he did go on dates, it was a lot more informal. To add on to this, he didn't really speak to Testa very often outside of work-related business, mainly due to her position forcing her to travel so much. He certainly knew of her likes and dislikes and confided enough in him for whatever matters she couldn't solve on her own, the two had never gone out to do something just for fun.
Still, it wasn't as if he'd done nothing to prepare. Letting his hair freely flow down to the middle of his back, he was wearing an unzipped dark green jacket that had a fur-covered collar over a cream-colored turtleneck. This combined with black slacks and brown shoes gave him a look that stood out as both casual and fashionable. It was certainly a far more masculine outfit than he was used to wearing for casual out-goings, and if someone who didn't know him looked at him, he might even be confused for a guy. Probably.
His beautiful face really didn't give him many points in the manly department.
Still, when onlookers finally noticed him after they quit stealing glances at Testa, it was quite clear what was going on. Rather than continue to test the waters, they took one last glance before continuing about their day.
Once Testa saw him, a smile blossomed across her face.
"Hello, Rimuru-sama," she said, slightly bowing. "I'm glad you could make it. I'm happy you took the time to see me." She paused, saying these next words slightly softer. "I like your outfit."
Rimuru let out a dry laugh while scratching the back of his head.
"Hello, Testa. I'm also glad we could meet up today. By the way, you don't need to bow to me today. We're supposed to be on a date."
"Forgive me," Testa replied, bowing again, "but please allow my selfishness. Even off duty, you are still my master, and it would be improper to not show the respect you deserve."
Rimuru stifled a sigh in response. If he was being honest, this was the only gripe he had about accepting Testa, or anyone of the demon trio for that matter. While they each had their own hobbies, and would each council him if needed, they still acted on a strict hierarchy-based system and were absolutely against the idea of seeing themselves as an equal to him, Diablo included. The main thing that gave them happiness was simply being of use to him, and while he certainly wouldn't deny them this, he also wouldn't want to have them as his wives if they themselves didn't ask for it, as they would simply be fulfilling his wishes rather than wanting to be a part of his harem of their own volition.
While Shuna, Shion, and Ciel still showed the proper honorifics, they weren't as strait-laced as the demons. In fact, after sleeping with them, they have become far more accepting of the idea of being equals. The Onis still bowed to him in the government office and anywhere else where they were working under him, if they were on dates or anywhere else casual, the only formalities they would give would be the honorifics. While it certainly could be because of their prior relationship towards him or their upbringing, he was hoping it was the former reason rather than the latter two. At least that way, Testa wouldn't be so formal around him after long.As far as Ciel goes, outside of calling him master, all formalities went out the damn window. While she sometimes showed sassiness as far back as being Great Sage, each evolution seemed to increase it, with Ciel being the most eloquent at it. After he slept with her, not only did she drop all formalities outside of the name, her mischievousness grew as well, to the point that it sometimes felt as if she was mocking him when she called him master. To top it off, she would banter with him far more as well, not only about random things, but now she would sometimes spin things in the form of a dirty joke. Usually when he was talking with other guys.
Even so, Rimuru wouldn't change a thing about her since he quite literally trusts her with his life. Ciel, knowing this, along with knowing Rimuru better than himself, always recognized when to pull back.
Harboring the hope that Testa would change, he remembered to do something crucial. Leaning in near Testa's ear, smelling the slight fragrance of peaches, he whispered, "By the way, the outfit looks amazing on you."
Leaning back slightly and enjoying seeing her blush, before she could respond, he added, "I love what you've done with the hair as well. I might have to try it out sometime."
While, if asked, Rimuru would lean towards male, spending almost 12 years in the form of Shizue had made him no longer really care about how people identified him. If he was truly bothered by it, he would have long-since changed into a more masculine form by copying someone like Youm. He simply liked Shizue's form and slowly learned to enjoy the addendums that came with it, such as dressing up and doing his hair. Of course, this was in the comfort of his close subordinates and lovers, often much to the detriment of the men who saw him like this.
Before Rimuru could embarrass her any more, Testa hurriedly replied, "Shall we go inside? I haven't eaten anything today and the food here is good…"
Rimuru grabbed the ornate door handle in response and held it open for her. He was originally going to let her in and follow behind but enjoying her blush and wanting to see more of it, he opted for a more direct approach, grabbing Testa by the waist. Testa, as expected, was visibly more flustered. This is where her hierarchal thinking really came back to bite her, as moving away from his advances would be seen as incredibly disrespectful.
Maybe I could remove my blush by turning on my Therma-
"Oh, by the way, don't remove the blush."
DEMON! DEMON! You are an actual Demon!
Testarossa hated being seen embarrassed, but as this was something Rimuru caused, she had no idea how to handle this. She couldn't go against him, and didn't want to be seen, so she hid as much of her face as she could into Rimuru's neck, vowing to somehow get back at him for this.
With her face getting redder by the second, they walked into the café.
The building was quite nice, being two stories tall and having a very nice earthly smell. This was because most of the building was made with an expensive kind of wood, giving the building a polished earthy fragrance, with the visible exceptions being the windows that encompassed both stories of the building. The craftsmanship of the building led by Kaijin himself made it one of the most elegant places in the entire country. Even the tables and chairs were made of wood and smoothed out to be comfortable to sit in, along with cushions in the rocking chairs and recliners. Unfortunately, Testa couldn't appreciate any of this thanks to turning off most of her sensory skills to pretend as though no-one noticed her obviously flustered state.
As if the world was out to mock her however, the one who welcomed them was a very familiar face.
"Ara? Rimuru-sama and… Testarossa-sama. It's quite rare to see you two together."
Hearing her voice, Testa froze up. I thought she only worked nights!
The one who greeted them was none other than Treyni, a dryad and the one who officially recognized him as the ruler of the forest back when he defeated the Orc Lord. As one might expect from a dryad, her entire body was a vibrant shade of light green, with both green eyes and hair to match, along with an amazing figure to top it off. Matching the theme of the building, she always had the smell of the forest surrounding her wherever she went. She pretty much only wore a green dress that extended almost down to her ankles, with a leafy shape covering her ample bosom, allowing plenty of cleavage to be shown. This was especially useful when she worked in the bar at night thanks to the immense number of tips she received.
"Hello Treyni-san. As you can see, we're here together and looking for something good to eat and drink. Any recommendations?"Hmm, our black tea is always a big hit for the morning people. I would also recommend our classic eggs benedict with venison bacon."
"That sounds delicious. I think I'll take that."
"Of course. And for the lovely lady?"
If looks could kill, Testa would have killed Treyni a hundred times over. Unfortunately for her, Treyni was no weakling and had both the spine and power to look back at her with a smile that didn't falter.
[What do I have to do to get you not to tell the others?]
[Ara? This is a date between you and Rimuru-sama, correct? Why would I intrude on that by doing something petty like telling others?]
[That didn't answer my question.]
[Relax. I won't tell anyone. Even though I think you should hold your head up high as someone who will soon be a part of Rimuru-sama's harem, you have my word that I won't say anything about you two until it's general knowledge.]
[… I guess I'll accept those terms]
[Wonderful. Though I can't say much of the other patrons though. Fufufufu.]
With Treyni sending that last thought communication, Testa suddenly remembered that the three weren't the only ones in the café. Realizing that news of their relationship would probably be common knowledge in as little as a few days, Treyni would be able to say and embellish things as much as she wanted.
Another realization came to her, this one bringing a minor headache as well. The two other female demons would most likely immediately go after Rimuru the second they heard the news that Testa made a move on him. Ultima and Carrera were both extremely competitive with each other to the point where the used to fight daily, drawing in spectators in the Labyrinth. While that has lessened thanks to their workload increasing after the war, their competitiveness hasn't wavered in the slightest. Knowing how fast word spreads around, it wouldn't even be a couple of days before they were busting through the door to Rimuru's office and practically demanding to be a part of his harem, perhaps for no better reason than to one-up the other.
Dejectedly sighing, she decided to heed the mischievous dryad's advice and take her face out of the crook of Rimuru's neck, though she still wanted to lean on him.
Realizing that she hasn't ordered yet, she scanned through the menu quickly before deciding on coffee and a vegetable omelet. Fortunately, her thought communication with Treyni lasted less than a second, so nothing looked amiss when she ordered her food.
As they sat down, Testa, wanting a little vindication, set her eyes towards the window and away from Rimuru wearing an adorable pout. While Rimuru wanted nothing more than to tease her, he knew when to pull back.
Easing the awkward tension surrounding the two, Rimuru began talking to her.
"I know I said it before, but I really am glad we could go on a date."
"Hmph." Testa's pout faltered a bit, but she continued with her little act.
Seeing this, Rimuru had to muster quite a bit of willpower to avoid coyly smiling. "I'm sorry for teasing you, but I love how adorable you are when you're all flustered. I can't promise to stop doing it, but I'll keep the location in mind."
Hearing his apology/complement/compromise, Testa dropped the pout in lieu of a small smile sprouting on her lips. After properly looking at him, she let out a hum of affirmation. I can't really say I mind being treated like that though.After the air was cleared around them, they began to talk about various subjects. Testa started off trying to keep her elegant and refined nature, but the more she talked about her various hobbies and accomplishments, the livelier and more animated she became. From learning sewing from Shuna, an act that she previously thought of as immensely low-class, she found the process very therapeutic. Though the only people that knew about her new hobby were Shuna, Testa, and now Rimuru and Ciel, she found herself not feeling any shame about talking about it.
Bouncing the conversation from her sewing, the conversation shifted Rimuru's sports hobbies and talking about the current state of how sports were. They had to be divided into human and non-human leagues due to the physical differences in the species, and since magic wasn't allowed while playing, if it were all combined, the ones constantly taking home the trophies would be the demi-humans.
Orcs currently dominated the American football sport with their incredible statures and physical toughness, while the ogres and hobgoblins fared far better in the sport of basketball. Lizardfolk and Merkins were superior in any aquatic sports, while the ogres and hobgoblins were, again, more proficient in both football and volleyball.
The main reason for the latter two was because there was no division in sexes since both males and females surprisingly had equally sturdy bodies. As such, when it came down to garnering attention, women in both skintight or scantily clad clothing practically always brought in the numbers.
Soon after, their food was delivered to their table, and they began eating.
From there, they resumed their conversation to the annual tournaments hosted by Tempest, in which they banned all demon lord class individuals thanks to them simply being far better than the others. Occasionally, after Rimuru finally broke from peer pressure thanks to the combined efforts of his subordinates along with Guy, Veldora, and Karion, there were underground fights held in the Labyrinth to determine a proper power ranking whenever they could all gather in the Labyrinth. In the most recent tournament dating three years back, Testa managed to come out in 10th, which was actually a pretty good result given how utterly stacked the tournament was.
Finally, the conversation moved to what led up to Testa's confession. One of the things that she enjoyed the most was talking with Shuna, as she enjoyed the conversations she had with the Oni woman. However, Shuna was quite in-tune with her intuition, and could sense a budding desire to want something "more" out of her current relationship with Rimuru.
Shuna helped the demon understand the new emotions to the point where she was finally able to work up the courage for a confession. While this took a couple years of work, it finally paid off when she was able to get him alone to talk to him.
When they were finished eating and talking, they got up and walked out of the café. After they got outside, Testarossa steeled herself for what she planned on doing. While she was certain Rimuru would accept her no matter what, the truth was that she had a growing chip on her shoulder after learning about Rimuru's nature and how it was practically opposite of how a demon normally acts.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to not fully bare herself to him after confessing. Thus, suppressing her growing nervousness, she asked Rimuru, "Do you mind if we go somewhere? I need to show you something important."
Rimuru slightly cocked his head to the side looking slightly confused but agreed nonetheless.
"Sure, lead the way."