落とし穴１１１堀：公園デビュー (Part1)
### Pitfall 111: Park Debut
**Side: Surakichi-san, Weed Monster Army, Four Heavenly Generals**
"Understood. Qual, Surakichi-san, you must protect them at all costs."
" "Understood." "
I replied to Seraria-ane-san's order alongside the Captain of the Royal Guard, Qual.
"Good. Then the operation begins at 1300, no changes. Take your positions as planned."
" "Yes, ma'am!" "
As we answered, Seraria-ane-san seemed satisfied and exited the office. She was likely off to prepare. After all, today was the day the children, now over three years old, would finally make their "park debut" at the Weed public park. That was why our Slime Corps and the Royal Guard were being mobilized.
"This has turned into quite the troublesome affair, hasn't it..."
"Princess Sakura, Princess Sumire, and Princess Yuyu are of royal and former Saintess lineage. The other children are also the offspring of Weed’s key figures. Under normal circumstances, simply taking them to a public park would be unthinkable..."
"The Boss said that shielding them too much is bad for their emotional development. He believes that exposing them to various experiences is what leads to growth."
"I understand Yuki-sama’s perspective, and since the Queen and the other wives are in agreement, I cannot oppose it. However, the children are flesh and blood. Kidnapping them would be easy, and they could be silenced in an instant if someone were to harm them. It is a difficult task."
"I don't think we need to worry about blades or anything like that. They have designated protection. The real problem is more like... children's squabbles."
"The hearts of the other children's parents would likely stop if they knew who they were fighting with."
"You're telling me."
*“Oh, the child your kid is fighting with is the Queen’s only daughter, Sakura.”*
If you said that, the average person would probably flip out in shock.
"…They even said they’d be sending them to school eventually."
"That’s what this park debut is for, after all."
"Well, fortunately, Princess Sakura and the others have many sisters, so they aren't afraid of children their own age."
"Afraid? If anything, I’m worried they’ll accidentally hurt someone else during their own sisterly brawls."
They fight over toys and the like constantly. They cry their eyes out when their mothers scold them, then make up immediately, so their sisterly bonds are fine. But they are far too rambunctious. If they treat a stranger's child the same way they treat each other, we’ll be the ones bowing our heads to the other parents.
"Well, there’s no use worrying about every little thing. I’ve told my subordinates to wait in plain clothes, and I’m going to go change myself."
"Roger that. The Royal Guard has it rough. We Slime Corps guys are used to park security, so it’s pretty laid back for us."
"Surakichi-san’s mission is far more demanding than ours, though. Staying stationed in the park to monitor for suspicious individuals is something humans simply couldn't do."
"Well, that’s just the right tool for the right job. Though, the slimes are on a rotation for leave, too."
"Your shift hours are still brutal, though."
"We’re single-celled organisms with almost no cognitive capacity to begin with. We just lower our brain function to a state of alert. A three-day continuous shift is a piece of cake."
"A human would die from that. Anyway, excuse me."
With that, Qual left the office. I decided to head to the park early to check the slimes' positioning. Should I gather more "Heal Slimes" for emergency medical care? Serious injuries in the park are rare, but there have been accidents where a child tripped and hit their head on a rock, leading to a messy situation. That’s why Heal Slimes, usually reserved for hospitals, are now deployed in the park. Though, we have orders to only provide first aid, as healing them for free would undermine the hospital's purpose.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Surakichi-san."
"Oh! I’ve never seen you in plain clothes, Qual. You look quite different."
Indeed. As the Captain of the Royal Guard, I expected her to dress like a noble lady, but she was in casual attire. If anything, she looked like a sleek office worker. Not that "office workers" exist in this world.
"Yes. I usually dress like this on my days off. I’m just happy that thanks to Yuki-sama, I don't have to worry about clothes. My closet is overflowing."
"That’s good to hear. The Boss was always worried about you because Seraria-ane-san was always pushing you so hard."
"He is very considerate. But, putting that aside, how is the deployment?"
"All finished on my end. How about you, Qual?"
"Yes. The Royal Guard is already in position. Now we just wait for the wives to arrive."
"The Royal Guard is doing a lot of heavy lifting with the escort duty, huh?"
"Well, this is what the Royal Guard was originally for. Back when the Queen was young and before she was married, we were always with her on the battlefield, so this is much better."
"I can only say, thank you for your hard work."
"Indeed. It was exhausting. She was strangely talented with a sword and as a commander. When she would run to the front lines shouting 'Follow me!', I thought I was going to die—in both senses of the word. I am truly grateful that Yuki-sama has helped her settle down."
By "die," she meant both being fired and physically dying in combat. A truly terrifying boss. Even the Boss’s first impression of Seraria-ane-san was that she was a "charge-happy idiot who wouldn't listen to reason."
"I apologize for that. It was the folly of youth."
Hearing that voice, I turned to see the Queen of Weed and the other high-ranking officials—the Boss’s wives—standing there, holding the children's hands.
"Ah! It’s Surakichi-san!"
"It really is!"
The moment the children saw me, they let go of their mothers and came running.
"Surakichi-san, go!"
"Ah, Sakura-onee-chan, that’s not fair!"
"I want to ride too!"
One of the girls immediately climbed onto me, using me as a horse. The other children puffed out their cheeks at Sakura, the eldest, for taking the lead.
*Look, young ladies, I’m a slime, not a horse.*
I’ve played horse or cushion with them at home, but this is a public park—I’m not here to be their personal toy. Though, I suppose a child wouldn't understand that. As I wondered what to do, the mothers pulled the children away from me.
"Sakura. We aren't here to play with Surakichi-san today. We came to the park."
"Park?"
"Yes, the park."
I appreciate the explanation, but why did she say "play *with* Surakichi-san" like I’m a piece of equipment? Shouldn't it be "play *alongside*"? Am I just a toy to them?
"Shute-onee-chan, what’s a park?"
"What is it, what is it?"
"Hmm, I heard from Toto-sama that lots of people come here to play. Kids our age, too."
" " "Wow!" " "
The eldest girl stood tall, holding the hands of Sumire and Shans, acting like a proper big sister. Honestly, with her around, I doubt we even need guards, but since she’s the Boss’s child, we adults have to protect her regardless.