class Mail::Multibyte::Chars

def slice(*args)

Mail::Multibyte.mb_chars('こんにちは').slice(2..3).to_s # => "にち"
Example:

character.
Implements Unicode-aware slice with codepoints. Slicing on one point returns the codepoints for that 
def slice(*args)
  if args.size > 2
    raise ArgumentError, "wrong number of arguments (#{args.size} for 1)" # Do as if we were native
  elsif (args.size == 2 && !(args.first.is_a?(Numeric) || args.first.is_a?(Regexp)))
    raise TypeError, "cannot convert #{args.first.class} into Integer" # Do as if we were native
  elsif (args.size == 2 && !args[1].is_a?(Numeric))
    raise TypeError, "cannot convert #{args[1].class} into Integer" # Do as if we were native
  elsif args[0].kind_of? Range
    cps = Unicode.u_unpack(@wrapped_string).slice(*args)
    result = cps.nil? ? nil : cps.pack('U*')
  elsif args[0].kind_of? Regexp
    result = @wrapped_string.slice(*args)
  elsif args.size == 1 && args[0].kind_of?(Numeric)
    character = Unicode.u_unpack(@wrapped_string)[args[0]]
    result = character && [character].pack('U')
  else
    cps = Unicode.u_unpack(@wrapped_string).slice(*args)
    result = cps && cps.pack('U*')
  end
  result && chars(result)
end