The maid and the knight weren't the only ones who reacted to Jessi's declaration.

▶She wants to keep it lmaooo.

[Madam Cat's Cradle]▶Squishy really is cute enough to make you want to keep it~

[Noblesse Fire]▶Looked down on by goblins and treated like a pet by hoomans lolol.

▶Look at Squishy's class.

▶Ahh, someone keep me too...

▶Ah! Hooman s*x!

▶That's a bit...

▶Aren't goblins the only ones into that?

▶Don't forget the orcs.

"Keep a slime?! What are you saying, my lady!"

"But it's cute! And well-behaved! I'm taking it home!"

"It's dangerous! It's a monster!"

"It's only a slime. Finn told me before! There are villages that raise monsters!"

"Finn!"

"No, I only told her that to keep her from getting bored..."

Finn felt unfairly accused. It had never occurred to him that Jessi would use the existence of villages that raised monsters as a reason to keep a slime.

"My lady, those villages certainly exist, but it's only possible because their slimes are tame and accustomed to human handling."

"We've handled this one, and it's tame too, isn't it? Then shouldn't it be fine? Hehe! Slime, you want me to keep you too, right?"

Jessi beamed as she stroked the slime. Delighted by her touch, it also grew curious about a word it had never heard before.

'Keep?'

▷What does keeping mean?

▶Ah, well, that means...

▶She's gonna give you food.

▷Food!

At that drastically abbreviated explanation, the slime quivered with delight.

"Look! It's happy I said I'd keep it!"

▶Look how happy it is lmaooo.

▶Can't say no to food lol.

▶Didn't lie.

"But, my lady, the count will surely be angry if you bring home a monster."

"Will he? Father gives me everything I want, as long as it isn't going into the elf forest! I'm sure it'll be fine!"

"Hmm..."

Nina wanted to object immediately, but even she had to admit that Count Rudendion was hopelessly doting. He really did grant Jessi every wish except meeting Nellin, the Starlight Archer. He always treated her with profound affection.

"You touch it too, Nina! It's so squishy!"

"Pardon? Me?"

"Once you touch it, you'll understand how I feel!"

Jessi caught Nina by the wrist and pulled her hand toward the slime.

"Wait! I'm s-scared!"

"It's not scary! Finn's holding it tight."

"... Finn. Don't you dare let go, all right?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

Nina rested her slightly trembling hand on top of the slime.

"Oh?"

The soft, squishy sensation she felt the instant she touched it left her stroking the slime as though entranced.

'Oh no. It's so soft. This is a slime?'

The slime's body had an irresistible appeal: the more she stroked it, the more she wanted to keep stroking it. It quivered as she continued, apparently enjoying the attention. That adorable sight captured Nina's heart.

"I-it does seem tame."

"Right? Then let's take it home!"

"Oh! ... All right. But if the count says no, you must let it go immediately. Understood?"

"Yes!"

+++

"That will be all for today."

Having finished her slime show, the Slime Queen switched off her stream without even looking at the viewers' chat. Then she immediately opened the stream list.

'My kin should be able to leave the forest today.'

Out of concern, the Slime Queen had watched Squishy's stream almost constantly. But after the slime evolved into a Bounce Slime and easily defeated a goblin, her worries had eased a little.

'Too much interference is no good either.'

Believing the slime would be safe while it remained in the forest, she had taken some "personal time."

And today, thinking it was about time for the slime to emerge from the forest, the Slime Queen opened Squishy's stream.

The slime still wasn't proficient with the system and didn't really understand the concept of "privacy," so it always left its stream running. That made it easy for her to enter the stream room today as well.

And what greeted her there was...

"Nina~ Can't I put it on my lap?"

"No, my lady. It might be dangerous, so I'll hold it securely in Finn's place."

"You call that holding it? You're petting it. That's not fair!"

"Ahem! It may look like I'm petting it, but I'm keeping it firmly in place. Look!"

The Slime Queen's eyes widened at the humans she saw the moment she entered.

'Why are you with humans, my kin?!'

She hadn't anticipated this situation at all. She hurried to type in the chat.

[Squishy Queen]▶My kin! What in the world has happened?! Why are you with humans?!

▷Humans! They're keeping me!

"W-w-what?!"

The slime's immediate reply horrified the Slime Queen. To think it was happily telling her that a human was going to keep it!

'When humans keep monsters, doesn't that mean they intend to make spectacles of them?! It's dangerous! Dangerous!'

Most of the humans who appeared in other monsters' streams were either people fighting desperately to bring monsters down or hunters capturing them to put them on display. Having only ever seen humans mistreat monsters, the Slime Queen couldn't help worrying.

[Squishy Queen]▶You simply followed them because they said they would keep you?!

▷? Humans! Give food!

The slime's innocent reply made the Slime Queen slap her own forehead.

SMACK!

'How could you meekly follow them just because they offer food, my kin...! No, more importantly!'

[Squishy Queen]▶Others must have witnessed this! Why did no one stop it?!

[Madam Cat's Cradle]▶But Squishy really is cute enough to make you want to keep it~

▶Honestly, who cares whether someone keeps it or not?

▶Ah lol, it'll work out somehow lmaooo.

▶Let us have a look at the hoomans' nest too lolol.

▶Secondeddddd.

▶Hear, hear!

"Y-you troublemakers!"

The Slime Queen ground her soft teeth at their comments, as though they didn't care what happened so long as it entertained them. Normally, even without her around, the Smartass or Fenrir would have stepped in to stop this.

She was usually jealous of those two, but right now, she couldn't help wishing they were here.

Unaware of the Slime Queen's anger, the slime eagerly anticipated what food the humans would give it.

"It's so squishy! I never get tired of touching it!"

The affectionate touch made it happier still.

'This is no time to be so carefree, my kin!'

Watching it, the Slime Queen burned with anxiety.

+++

The carriage arrived at Count Rudendion's mansion.

"Let's hurry to my room, Nina!"

"My lady, we must report to the count first!"

"Finn can report for us, can't he? I'm hungry! And this slime must be hungry too! So I want a snack!"

Jessi was trying a little trick of her own, worried that going to the count might result in an immediate order to get rid of the slime. Seeing straight through her intentions, Nina sighed as she held it.

"Sigh... Finn. Please report to the count."

"What? You're really going straight to her room with her?"

"What choice do I have? Besides, it stayed tame throughout the journey, so I don't think it's dangerous."

"Nina! What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"Yes, my lady!"

Jessi headed to her room with Nina in tow.

'Woooow!'

The slime quivered and quivered, unable to stop trembling with delight at surroundings completely different from the forest it had known.

"My lady, this slime keeps trembling."

"Isn't it happy to be in our house? Hehe, I suppose even slimes know a good thing when they see it!"

"Could that be it?"

On the way to the room, the other servants in the mansion saw Jessi, Nina, and the slime. They glanced at Jessi cheerfully passing by, then at the slime in Nina's hands, gave Nina sympathetic looks, and pretended not to notice. It seemed like something that would be resolved soon enough anyway.

Before entering, Nina asked a maid cleaning near Jessi's room to bring some refreshments. Then she followed Jessi inside.

"Nina! Put the slime on the desk!"

"Will that be all right?"

"It's been tame this whole time. I'm sure it'll be fine!"

Nina carefully set the slime on the desk. The moment she released it, it began turning its body little by little to look around Jessi's room.

'Amazing! Never seen this! Amazing!'

This was the first human room it had ever seen. Perhaps because it belonged to a nobleman's daughter, it looked lavish and elegant. The slime had no human sense of aesthetics, but it still found the intricate designs and varied objects amazing.

▶Hooman nests are needlessly complicated, I tell you.

▶It's a nest! All you need is somewhere to eat! Sleep! And shit!

▶Secondedddd.

[Noblesse Fire]▶Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even a cave needs some nice decorating to be livable!

▶Yeah, at least it ought to have something that makes it your nest. Otherwise you're just some nobody.

▶Isn't caring about that stuff weird in itself?

The unfamiliar sight of a human mansion sparked an argument between the nest purists, who insisted nests should be left as they were, and the decorators, who believed they should be embellished.

Of course, the slime paid no attention to that mudslinging. Having left the lush green forest behind, it was too busy taking in the colorful room full of new things. It couldn't contain its joy.

'So many! New things! Happy!'

Bounce, bounce!

The slime, which had been tame until now, began bouncing up and down on the table.

"Eek! M-my lady!"

Seeing the slime suddenly start jumping, Nina hurried to block Jessi's way. She thought it might leap at her mistress and intended to use her own body as a shield.

But her efforts came to nothing. The slime was simply bouncing on the table out of happiness!

"Huh?"

"What's wrong, Nina?"

"Well, the slime suddenly started jumping..."

"It must be so happy to be in our house! I'm sure of it!"

Normally, Nina would have objected, "That can't possibly be true!" Yet, just as Jessi said, there seemed to be a curious joy in the slime's movements.

'Really?'

"Nina, move aside a little. I can't see the slime."

After pushing Nina aside by the waist, Jessi held out both hands and addressed the slime.

"Come here!"

'?'

Jessi was holding out her hands and telling it to come to her. At her words, the slime stopped jumping and tilted its body. Jessi made her request more specific.

"Hop onto my hands!"

'Hop on!'

The slime had already experienced climbing onto Nellin's hand. Remembering that moment, it moved toward Jessi's hands. Since evolving, it had completely mastered controlling its strength, so it bounced up and landed precisely on them.

"Eee! Look, Nina! It's tame, and it does what I tell it!"

"Huh?"

Leaving aside how tame it was, Nina blinked at movements that made it seem as though the slime understood Jessi's words.

+++

"So... you brought home a slime."

"Y-yes, sir."

In the count's office, a blond man exuding a stern dignity sat in a chair, looking at Finn. This was Rufus Rudendion, ruler of the County of Rudendion.

"I see. A slime. You brought it back because it appeared safe to you, I presume, Finn?"

Breaking into a cold sweat under the count's quiet gaze, Finn answered.

"It remained tame even when handled by people. It showed no aggression whatsoever. Even when my lady stroked it, it only trembled a little and made no attempt to attack!"

"Hmm, is that so? Then, Finn, I shall ask the most important question next."

Still radiating stern dignity, Count Rufus Rudendion interlaced his fingers and asked,

"What expression did Jessi have when she stroked the slime?"

"S-she was smiling."

"Smiling? Just smiling?"

"...! She wore an extraordinarily beautiful smile, as radiant as the sun!"

"I see!"

BANG!

Count Rudendion struck his desk and sprang to his feet.

"I must go to Jessi's room. To see my beautiful angel's face as she smiles and strokes the slime!"