Sunlight and fresh air immediately calmed down the little blue gremlin making a mess of your items (thankfully without leaving behind sticky blue residues). Usha’s angry little face looked at you, and her expression immediately brightened into a lovely smile. ''Hey, hey, now don’t make a mess. Be quiet!'' You whispered to the little girl, whose answer was to extend her tiny arms toward you. Cute!

''Is there somewhere quiet I could go for a little while?'' Usha let out an angry ''Uu!'' when you looked away from her to concentrate on Aryel.
''...Yeah, the nearby houses are empty because of the mercs,'' he answered, adequately bemused by the situation. ''Do you have a puppy in your bag?''
''Nope.'' Shigeko imposed herself, gesturing toward one of the abandoned homes. ''Guess you’ll see soon enough. Chop chop, let’s go.''

Thankfully, it wasn’t a long walk because you were forced to look into your bag to keep Usha somewhat still. The girl was trying to climb out, but your movements made it too difficult for her to keep a good balance, resulting in a slow degradation of her good mood.

I know Nyct told me keeping her existence a secret is important... but I think Aryel is worthy of a little trust. Besides, what matters is for nobody to know where and how I got her.

Your temporary refuge was a simple little home of two rooms. Trash had completely condemned the sole bedroom, but thankfully, no strange smells lingered. Shigeko silently posted herself to cover the only window, and the glaiveman stood a few feet away from you, thoroughly confused.
''Okay, okay. Don’t start crying now.'' Usha’s noises were starting to worry you. You gently cupped your hands, letting her crawl inside to finally bring her to the open world.
''A—a baby slime? You’re harboring a baby slime?''

Ignoring him, you kept your attention on Usha. Half of her lower body remained a puddle, but her upper half was much more recognizable now, showing a proper humanoid shape with defined arms and hands that she kept holding up. She was only satisfied after you brought her to your face, where she started nuzzling against your cheek. Ooooh...
''Shii, how long did she stay awake yesterday?''

''Around two hours,'' responded your oni friend, who, for some reason, sported a strangely arrogant grin.
''Damn, I guess we can’t wait out her energy here...'' Satisfied with her hug, you felt Usha start crawling around your hands, so you lowered her. Her movements stopped as she stared at Aryel in fascination.

''If I may...'' started the man, all of his rage and unease dispelled by the presence of the blue baby. ''...Walking around with a newborn slime is the best way I can think of to give all the women here good impressions.''