Once they had all arrived at Makoto's residence, Mio had prepared snacks and tea for everyone.
"Please, help yourselves," Mio said after setting down the snacks and tea.
"Mio-sama, it has been so long," Shuna said to Mio.
"It has indeed been a while, Shuna. How about we exchange recipes again later?" Mio suggested.
"Of course, I would be delighted," Shuna replied with a warm smile.
"Mio! These snacks are absolutely delicious—what are they called?" Milim asked, her eyes sparkling as she tasted the treat before her.
"Those are banana and cheese muffins. I'm so glad you like them," Mio told her.
"This is truly wonderful—the balance between sweet and savory from the cheese is perfect," said Frey, sitting beside Milim.
"Right?! Everything Mio makes tastes amazing!" Milim exclaimed to Frey.
"Ara? Is my cooking not to your liking, Milim-sama?" Shuna asked, smiling gently.
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant, it's just… it's… it's…" Milim stammered, growing flustered as she tried to explain herself.
"I'm only teasing, Milim-sama. Though I will say, Mio-sama's cooking tastes even better than before," Shuna said to the nervous Milim.
"Hahaha—Milim hasn't changed a bit, so easy to read," Makoto laughed warmly, listening to their banter.
"Speaking of which, Makoto—I had no idea you'd built such a magnificent, sprawling city," Rimuru said, looking around in awe.
"Well, a great deal has happened since then, so I renovated the entire city all at once," Makoto replied.
"Renovating an entire city… was that easy to do?" Rimuru asked, sounding confused.
"Let me introduce the rest of my family," Makoto said, then introduced them one by one: Selena, Erin, Koyuki, and Hakuren. Aside from his parents, who were still tending to Chameleon, and his sibling along with Nukumi, who were still attending school in another world, everyone else had gathered at Makoto's home.
"By the way, Rimuru—I've created a system that allows communication across dimensions. Its main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and as official identification within this world. Would you like to try it?" Makoto offered.
"What are you all talking about?" Ramiris asked, drawing near, curious about Makoto's words.
"It'll be faster if you just try it directly," Makoto said, then registered Rimuru and everyone else into the system.
[Ping! Registration complete. Welcome to the world of Eryndal.]
A notification screen suddenly appeared before their eyes.
"Woah! What is this thing floating in front of me?" Gobta exclaimed, startled by the sudden display.
Everyone reacted differently—though the calmest of them was Hakurou, who simply widened his eyes slightly.
Makoto then explained all the system's functions to them: it served as a communication device, could take photos and record videos, and also displayed each person's official identification.
"Makoto, it's incredible you could create something like this," Rimuru said, looking at Makoto with amazement.
"Hahaha—you flatter me too much, Rimuru. On top of that, I've added a special feature just for you," Makoto said.
"What kind of feature?" Rimuru asked, intrigued.
"It's a function to open and close dimensional portals. I've already set the coordinates for your world in the Second Tower—there lies a dimensional gate that connects your realm to this one. Only those who have accepted my invitation are granted authority over that gate. If you wish to establish a permanent gate, you can come to me or to Shiki to have one created in your world," Makoto explained.
"Hmm… I'll give that some serious thought," Rimuru said.
"There's no rush—just let me know whenever you're ready," Makoto replied casually.
"Hey Makoto—when can we explore the city?" Ramiris asked eagerly.
"Hahaha—I think everyone is already eager to look around. If you need anything at all, you can reach out to Selena or Shiki. You're also free to venture outside the city on your own," Makoto told them.
The group then split into four parties:
- Group 1: Rimuru, Veldora, Milim, Ramiris, and Makoto set off to explore the city and its surrounding lands.
- Group 2: Frey, Beretta, Treyni, and Koyuki wandered through the city streets.
- Group 3: Shuna, Shion, Erin, and Mio headed to the kitchen to exchange recipes.
- Group 4: Hakurou, Gobta, Ranga, Hakuren, and Tomoe made their way to the training grounds.
Each went their separate ways to their chosen destinations.
As evening drew near, everyone gathered at an inn where Rimuru and his companions would be staying for the time being.
"I never expected to find so many modern conveniences in this city, Makoto," Rimuru remarked as they relaxed in the inn's hot spring after their day of exploration.
"I have people who travel to the modern world from time to time to purchase all sorts of goods," Makoto replied.
"Even the manga here—did you get those from the modern world too?" Veldora asked.
"That's right. This city is still very new, so our entertainment options are still quite limited for now," Makoto told him.
"How was your time at the training grounds, Hakurou?" Makoto asked.
"Hohoho—the warriors here are full of spirit! Each one has their own unique style of fighting," Hakurou said cheerfully.
"They're all incredibly strong… I honestly thought I was going to die out there," Gobta groaned, looking exhausted.
"That's because you don't train hard enough, Gobta," Hakurou said firmly.
After their time in the hot spring, they moved to the dining hall, which had been prepared by the inn's staff.
"Alright then—let's begin our dinner! Cheers!" Makoto called out loudly.
"Cheers!" everyone replied in unison, and they began to enjoy the feast that had been laid out for them.
Everyone shared stories about the discoveries they'd made throughout the city. The dinner was lively and filled with conversation, lasting well into the night. Eventually, everyone retired to their rooms, and Makoto returned home as well.
Rimuru and his companions stayed in the City of Origin for three days, then departed, taking home all sorts of souvenirs.
"Don't forget to come back and visit, Rimuru!" Makoto called out.
"I will! Whenever I have the chance, I'll definitely return," Rimuru promised.
After watching Rimuru and his party step through the portal, Makoto headed home. Once he arrived, he went straight to his study.
"Now… it's time to send out these invitation letters," Makoto said, looking at the stack of invitations he had prepared.
He opened a portal before him and tossed all the letters inside. This time, Makoto set the portal to choose destinations at random—and added a special function so that each invitation would automatically fly toward any world it drew near.
"Now, we wait to see who will receive these invitations," Makoto murmured.
"I also need to integrate a currency system into the framework to make trade easier throughout the city. It looks like we'll need to hold a meeting to plan our next steps," Makoto thought to himself.
"Selena, please gather all division heads for a meeting at 1 PM today to discuss the city's future development plans", Makoto wrote in a message and sent it to Selena.
"Understood, Makoto-sama", came her reply.
After sharing lunch with Mio and Erin, the time drew near to 1 PM, and they headed to the city hall where the meeting was to be held.
"Welcome, Waka-sama," Selena greeted him, waiting outside the building alongside all the division heads who had arrived.
"Is everyone present?" Makoto asked Selena.
"Everyone has arrived except for Tomoe-sama," she replied.
"That Tomoe—she really is incredibly lazy," Mio sighed, standing beside Makoto. Selena could only offer a strained smile at her words.
Without a word, Makoto opened a portal, reached his hand inside, and pulled something out without hesitation. Tomoe stumbled out of the portal—fast asleep—held up by the collar of her kimono.
"Hmm? Waka… why am I here?" Tomoe mumbled, still half-asleep and confused.
"Have you already forgotten about the meeting we scheduled for this afternoon?" Makoto asked her.
"A meeting? Oh! Right, I'm sorry, I must have nodded off," Tomoe said, scratching her head sheepishly.
"Alright, now that everyone is gathered—let's proceed to the conference room," Makoto said.