Barusu's Revenge
"Phew, today was rough!" Subaru complained as he entered his room. Tired from all the chores he completed, Subaru immediately collapsed on his bed.
"Complaining like that is disgraceful, I suppose." Beatrice replied who was sitting on the bed.
With his face buried in his pillow, Subaru mumbled something incoherently.
Not hearing what the boy had said, Beatrice asked "I'm afraid I didn't hear you. Can you repeat that, I wonder?"
Lifting his face up a little, Subaru's smirk was still hidden by the pillow as he teased "Sorry, can you say that again? I'm having trouble hearing you from all the way over there."
Falling for the boy's trap, Beatrice moved closer to the boy as she repeated "Honestly. I said, can you repeat-"
Before Beatrice could repeat her request, Subaru's arms lunged out towards the spirit. Securing his prize with an embrace, Subaru went back to laying down with Beatrice on top of him. Their faces were only separated by a thin amount of space as Subaru held the spirit close.
Not amused by the turn of events, Beatrice asked "What are you doing, I wonder?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? My Beako batteries are low so I'm recharging." Subaru replied with a wide grin on his face.
Since the spirit had gotten used to the boy's buffoonery, Beatrice sighed "Honestly, your spontaneous shenanigans knows no bounds. Do what you want, I suppose."
"Come on. Where's the cold loli attitude that I know and love? It just doesn't feel right if you're not belittling me." Subaru asked who started to lose his previous enthusiasm.
It's been almost a month since the two visited Subaru's parents. While Subaru seemed dejected a few days after returning, he returned to his normal quirky self with some time and comfort. Since then, Beatrice has been more tolerant of the boy.
"You're an irredeemable masochist, I suppose." Beatrice scoffed at the boy.
After chuckling from the spirit's insult, Subaru went on to ask "So, are you ever going to make me fulfil my promise to you? You know, the one where you get to make me do any one thing."
With her cheeks becoming warm, Beatrice lied as she looked away from the boy "It hasn't been on my mind, I suppose."
Not happy with the spirit's response, Subaru replied "Ha? Come on, I already owe Ram a favor, so owing you a favor too is killing me. It feels like a loan that keeps building up interest."
Turning back to face the boy, Beatrice scolded angrily "Using such an analogy for a promise. Do you think you have some sort of debt with me, I wonder?"
Sensing the spirit's blatant anger, Subaru tried calming her down "It's not like that. I just want to do something for my number one."
To Subaru's surprise, the spirit was at a loss for words and a bright blush rested on her face.
"Don't tell me. You've fallen for me all over again, right?" Subaru added to tease the spirit. Knowing that her embarrassment can easily turn into anger, Subaru tried changing her mood that way.
"S-Shut up, I suppose!" Beatrice replied softly with no trace of anger in her voice.
Subaru's plan to anger the spirit backfired with Beatrice becoming more embarrassed as a result of his teasing. Sometimes, the spirit gave him warm looks that blatantly say without words "I want something from you." The look on her face right now is the same look she gave him when they were on top of the Eiffel Tower a month ago.
With his plan completely failing and Beatrice having a serious look on her face, Subaru tried changing the subject nervously "A-Anyways, if you don't have any requests right now, I won't force you."
Summoning as much courage as she could, Beatrice answered hesitantly "Well, there is one thing I desire from you, I suppose."
-The next day-
Tragedy always seems to strike where one least expects it.
"UWAAAAAAAA!" A boy's scream echoed throughout the mansion. The screaming belonged to Subaru who had just suffered beyond all comprehension.
After all, the boy had just lost something precious.
"What?" A girl's voice asked coldly who was unamused by the boy's outburst.
Turning his rage towards the girl, Subaru howled like a rabid dog "Y-YOU!"
Scrambling to the floor to check his beloved's condition, Subaru's worst fears were realized.
The power to his portable gaming device had shut off.
This whole scene started when Ram accidentally bumped Subaru's gaming device off the counter, causing it to suffer multiple scratches and even turned the power off.
Fearing for the worst, Subaru frantically tried to turn the device back on, and to his relief, it did power on; however, there was one huge problem.
Subaru hadn't saved his game in a while, so he lost a lot of progress, and most notably, his favorite new addition to his team: a cute water monster with absurd attacking power.
Unable to handle his monster's "death", Subaru screamed out its nickname "Polka-Dot!"
"Weirdo." Ram spoke dismissively and left the room.
As he watched the maid leave the room, Subaru thought with disbelief "She called me a weirdo."
At that moment, Subaru's unyielding rage ascended him into the rankings of GOD, and GOD was fresh out of mercy. Knowing that he couldn't let the maid go unpunished, Subaru met up with Beatrice and the two entered the Forbidden Archives since it's the most secure place in the mansion.
"I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me!" Subaru declared with his anger resurfacing.
"You're not cunning enough to betray anyone, I suppose." Beatrice sighed and then went on to ask "So, let me get this straight. You're mad because that maid gave your device a few scratches and you lost a little play time, am I correct? Isn't it your own fault for not saving frequently, I wonder?"
The spirit came to know such terminology because she recently started playing video games as well; however, the language difference was a hurdle for the spirit who couldn't read Japanese fluently yet.
With the spirit's comment irking him, Subaru exclaimed "How naïve! What if you lost a ton of progress because of another person's incompetence?!"
Unable to comprehend how Subaru's anger came to be, Beatrice sighed "That gaming stuff is simply a mere pastime for me. It would be irritating to lose progress, but it's not something to get so upset about. Your attitude is childish, I suppose."
Clutching his heart dramatically, Subaru fell to the floor and whimpered "Your words stab through me like knives. Tell me, who was the one who introduced you to the world of electronic entertainment? Would you bite the hand that feeds you?! Remember when you foolish humans built a tower to Heaven? God was outraged! I feel exactly the same way right now!"
"Need I remind you who the human is out of the two of us, I wonder?" Beatrice added who completely ignored the rest of Subaru's speech.
Seeing no end in sight to their arguing, Beatrice proposed "If you're so upset about it, then maybe I can be of assistance. This will be a special service, of course, but I'll let you use my lap as a pillow, I suppose."
Subaru was caught completely off guard by the spirit's offer. It was indeed rare, but Beatrice did offer the boy her lap a few times over the past month. Shaking his head, Subaru answered "N-No. This crime must not go unpunished, after all."
"Are you sure?" Beatrice asked who looked surprised by the boy's refusal.
In reality, Subaru had already calmed down; however, he already came up with something that he and the spirit could do together to get back at Ram. Would he sacrifice that plan just to lay down in her lap for a little bit? Beatrice's offer was more than tempting for Subaru who was visibly faltering.
After shaking off his hesitation, Subaru exclaimed "No, it's time to act! Let's go humiliate Ram and then go surfing afterwards!"
After Subaru refused her lap, Beatrice felt a little bitter as she sighed "You're more likely to embarrass yourself. I'll have you know that I'll have no part in this buffoonery. Also, what's surfing, I wonder?"
Making stuff up as he went, Subaru explained to the spirit "Surfing is something you do after getting back at the people who wronged you. Anyways, it's not like we'll be hurting her. We're just giving her a little scare, that's all. You know what? I'll make you the same deal as last time. If you help me with this, then I'll do any one thing that you say."
With her thoughts trailing back to the events from last night, Beatrice exclaimed "A-Are you saying that you want to do 'that' again, I wonder?"
With his face turning a dark shade of red, Subaru yelled back in embarrassment "Idiot! That's not what I'm talking about!" After taking a second to calm down, Subaru explained "You can ask me to do whatever one thing you want, but if you choose that again, then I guess I would have no choice."
After carefully considering Subaru's proposal, Beatrice agreed because of her own desires. Coming to an agreement, the two left the library and started roaming the mansion.
"So, what does the first step in your plan involve, I wonder?" Beatrice asked as she held the boy's hand.
Smiling from the spirit's question, Subaru replied "First things first, we need some info on our target. To do that, we need to talk to- Oh, hey there, Rem!"
Subaru halted his speech when they came across the cute blue-haired maid.
Delighted to see Subaru call out to her, Rem smiled "Hello, Subaru. Are you taking a break?"
Smiling back at the maid, Subaru answered "Yeah, everything's good on my end. Rem, I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, you can ask me anything. For instance, if you wanted to ask me on a date, then I'd happily accept." Rem replied whose eyes seemed to be sparkling.
If the maid had a tail, Subaru was sure that it would be wagging excitedly right now. Feeling a little overwhelmed by the maid, Subaru asked "Maybe another time. I wanted to know more about Ram. I've been wanting to get along with her better, but it's kind of hard with her aloof attitude. Does she have any, for a lack of a better word, weaknesses that I can exploit to get to know her better?"
Puffing her cheeks, Rem scolded the boy "Subaru, it's rude to ask me about other girls."
Once she saw the panic on Subaru's face, Rem added with tease "Just kidding. Since my sister is amazing in every regard, a lot of people feel too intimidated to get to know her. As long as you continue to get along with her as you usually do, I'm sure my sister will come to trust you eventually; although, it might take a few years. Just be nice to her, okay?"
"Sure, I'll be nice to Satan himself if it means avenging my sweet Polka-Dot." Subaru thought to himself as he replied to the maid "Sure thing. It's not like I hate her or anything."
With their conversation coming to an end, Subaru and Beatrice went back to walking around the mansion as Beatrice asked "So, did you learn anything about that maid, I wonder?"
"Nope." Subaru answered immediately and then added "But that's not going to stop me! I've already come up with a plan."
"I'm surprised your brain has the capacity to devise a plan. Well, you may as well share it with me, I suppose." Beatrice replied as she looked up at Subaru with interest.
After Subaru whispered the plan to the spirit, the two put on their outfits and headed for the nearby village. The plan involved meeting up with Ram on her way back from picking up supplies. Subaru was wearing the cloak he got from Emilia, and Beatrice…
"Why do I only get this rag, I wonder?!" Beatrice exclaimed as she walked with Subaru.
It looked like Beatrice was wearing a pathetic ghost costume. It really was a white rag with two holes cut out for Beatrice to see.
"Because my cloak wouldn't fit you and we needed something to hide those drills of yours." Subaru reasoned who had to repress the urge to laugh at her ridiculous attire.
Although she couldn't fault Subaru's reasoning, Beatrice couldn't help but sigh "Also, remind me again why I had to come along with you? I'm not sure why I'm needed for this, I suppose."
Sensing Beatrice's lack of motivation, Subaru praised her "You're here because you have a better shot at fooling Ram than me. I'm not good at acting, but I know you can pull it off without a hitch."
Falling for the boy's praise, Beatrice answered proudly "While I do have some complaints, I will indulge you since you're speaking nicely of me, I suppose."
"I can't believe she fell for it." Subaru thought who made a mental note to never entrust the spirit with roles like this in more serious situations.
The real reason Subaru brought the spirit along was for insurance. Subaru knew that Beatrice's poor acting, coupled with her unmistakable high-pitched voice would give her away immediately, but that was part of the fun and it also ensured their safety. Ram wouldn't do anything drastic knowing that Beatrice would be on the other end of the punishment.
This whole plan wasn't to get back at Ram, but rather it was for Subaru's entertainment to see how Beatrice and Ram would react in this situation. With Beatrice acting like a fool and Ram being unable to do anything, it reminded Subaru of the age-old question what would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable force.
Once the pink-haired girl came into sight, the two approached the lone maid as Subaru stated dramatically "Stop right there!"
"Yes, in fact!" Beatrice added who flung her hand out towards the maid.
Ram stood dumbfounded in front of the two fools. The maid could put together that it was Subaru wearing his cloak again, but she was surprised to find out that Beatrice was with him. Ram had always thought Beatrice was above such foolishness, but she was wrong.
Deciding to play along for the moment, Ram simply asked "Who are you two?"
"We are the highwaymen of justice!" Subaru boldly declared despite the obvious contradiction in his statement.
"Yes, we are, in fact!" Beatrice added to Subaru's statement who could somehow keep up with his bold acting.
Although Subaru was surprised to see Beatrice keeping up with him, he reminded her in a whisper "Beako, the line!"
"R-Right." Beatrice replied in a hushed voice and then went on to state triumphantly "If you want passage, then leave your water and food, I suppose!"
"That's… the wrong line." Subaru sighed who didn't even bother whispering.
After realizing her mistake, Beatrice became a little timid as she asked "You're right, I suppose. What was it again?"
After Subaru whispered the line into her ear, Beatrice recoiled as she blushed with fury "H-How dare you, I suppose! Making a lady such as myself say such vulgar things!"
Seeing that Subaru wasn't budging on the issue, Beatrice reluctantly gave in as she pointed her finger towards the maid and declared "Fine! Listen, s-shithead! Prepare to meet your doom!"
After the spirit declared this, everything went silent with Ram and Subaru staring at her to see how she would back up that declaration; however, the spirit just stood there and seemed to be shaking from being put on the spot. Subaru started to hunch over to repress his laughter.
Becoming tired of the situation, Ram sighed from the absurdity "Look, Baru-"
"Are these two giving you trouble, Ram?" Another voice interrupted the maid.
Turning around to find the owner of the voice, Subaru was shocked to find out that Emilia has shown up. Their situation became grave due to Emilia's obliviousness who would never recognize the two of them under their simple disguises.
"U-Umm, don't you know who we are, Emilia-t-" Subaru was in the middle of explaining but was interrupted by Ram's following explanation.
"Yes, Lady Emilia. It seems like they intend on stealing these supplies I'm transporting." Ram explained to the half-elf calmly.
"H-Hey, we never said anything about-" Subaru was in the middle of arguing, but then he remembered Beatrice's earlier mistake "Leave your food and water, I suppose!"
"Oopsie, I suppose." Beatrice uttered once she remembered her mistake.
Feeling his rage from earlier resurfacing, Subaru shook Beatrice back and forth as he yelled out "'Oopsie'? 'OOPSIE'?! Do you think you can get off the hook with a cute little phrase like that?!"
"That's enough, villains." Subaru stopped shaking the spirit once he heard that statement escape Emilia's lips.
Adding to Emilia's statement, Ram smirked "That's right, Lady Emilia. Villains must not go unpunished."
Since Emilia came from the mansion and Ram came from the village, they surrounded him on both sides, leaving no escape routes available to him.
"No way! A pincer attack?!" Subaru exclaimed who unconsciously pulled Beatrice closer because of his own fright.
"Don't forget about me!" The cat spirit Puck said as he manifested. Already knowing who his enemies were, Puck wore an apologetic smile.
"B-Beako, how's our chances, I wonder?" Subaru asked whose face was making contract with the spirit's.
As she watched her Bubby create several icicles in air, Beatrice gulped "We are doomed, I suppose."
After hearing Beatrice's response, Subaru grabbed the spirit's hand and immediately broken into a mad dash while screaming at the top of his lungs "R-Retreat!"
Subaru and Beatrice ran away like wild dogs.
"You won't get away!" Subaru heard Puck say from behind.
Not wanting to get killed by the cat spirit because of a ridiculous misunderstanding, Subaru pleaded "Beako! Do the thing!"
"R-Right, I suppose!" Beatrice answered who could somehow understand what Subaru was referring to. After raising her hand up, Beatrice summoned a portal in front of the two. Seeing the portal in front of him, Subaru picked up Beatrice and jumped into the portal.
After coming out on the other side of the portal, Subaru and Beatrice fell softly on a bed.
"Wow. We're back in my room, aren't we?" Subaru uttered who was still in shock from the whole situation.
With something tapping him on the back, Subaru realized that he landed on top of Beatrice whose face was smothered in his chest. After getting off the spirit, Subaru saw the sour expression on her face.
"You okay, Beako?" Subaru asked who couldn't get a reading on her emotions.
After taking a huge breath of air, Beatrice sighed "Not only did you make me go along with your tasteless shenanigans, but you also turned Bubby against me and put me into such a hopeless situation."
"Yeah, sorry about that, Beako." Subaru apologized half-heartedly and then added "Still, it's very impressive that we managed to get away from Puck, and it's all thanks to your amazing skills!"
As the boy rubbed his cheek against hers, Beatrice explained "It's very likely that he let us go. The only person who could see through my brilliant acting is Bubby, so I'm sure he realized it was us. With that in mind, I'm certain that Bubby was simply playing with us to amuse that silly girl. We wouldn't have come out unscathed if he was serious, I suppose."
"I guess that explains why we're still alive." Subaru added who decided not to correct Beatrice's statement about her acting. After saying that, Subaru broke into abrupt laughter.
As Beatrice watched Subaru laugh, she asked "What is there to laugh at, I wonder?!"
"Well, it was pretty fun, wasn't it?" Subaru replied in between his laughter.
"Your idea of fun is warped, I suppose." Beatrice scolded the boy; however, a smile crept up on her face until she couldn't stop herself from giggling.
After they shared that small moment, Subaru's break came to an end, so he went about his daily chores. After the boy completed his tasks for the day, he headed back to his room with thoughts swarming about Beatrice.
Subaru specifically thought about Beatrice's request from last night, a request that he fulfilled.
"Geez." Subaru scratched his cheek as a soft blush appeared on his face. When he spent time with the spirit earlier, his mind was too focused on getting back at the maid to think about last night; however, those memories came flooding back.
Not knowing how to handle his emotions, Subaru rationalized in his head "It's not like I did anything immoral. Yes, she's short, but she's not an actual child. Seriously, what am I agonizing about here?"
Even though Subaru asked that question, he already knew the answer. It was the clear difference between himself and Beatrice.
The boy was human, but the girl was a spirit.
Since Subaru didn't know about the existence of spirit's until recently, he understood very little about Beatrice. She looks like a human, she talks like a human, she feels like a human; however, she's something different. What Subaru was confused about is the dividing line between himself, a human, and Beatrice, a spirit.
With these thoughts still plaguing him, Subaru wondered "What we did last night, was that really-"
"KYAAAAAAA!" A bloodcurdling screech rang throughout the mansion.
Recognizing the voice immediately, Subaru's body went numb as he uttered "Beatrice?"
Fearing for the worst, Subaru dashed towards the dining hall. Even though Subaru thought about breaking down the door, he instead yanked it open as he screamed "Beako, are you alright?!"
The first thing Subaru saw was Emilia and Puck looking confused; however, when he scanned the room, he found Beatrice kneeling on the floor, hiding her face with her hands. Running over to the spirit, Subaru couldn't make out any injuries, but her body was shivering as she appeared to be terrified.
"Myyy, is everything alright in here?" Subaru heard someone ask whose voice could only belong to Roswaal.
Not paying the owner of the mansion any mind, Subaru continued to panic as he asked the spirit "Hey, Beako, talk to me. What's wrong?"
Finally realizing Subaru's presence, Beatrice lowered her hands to reveal her watery eyes. With her lips quivering, Beatrice choked out "S-Subaru, what are we going to do?"
"What are we going to do about the baby in my stomach, I wonder..?"
"…Eh?" Subaru uttered who was baffled by the spirit's question; however, once he realized what the spirit was accusing him of, Subaru exclaimed "EHHHH?!"
Before Subaru could say anything else, Emilia scolded "Honestly, Subaru. You should take more responsibility for your actions. After what you did to Beatrice last night, you're going to become a father, you know."
"Wait… No… But…" Subaru tried arguing; however, he couldn't make a coherent statement. Instead of trying to fight this battle alone, he looked around for help. Without him noticing, Ram and Rem had entered the room as well. Judging from the tears that welled up in Rem's eyes and the disgusted look on Ram's face, it seems they heard everything. On the other hand, Roswaal was hunched over and he was clearly trying to stop himself from laughing with the way his mouth trembled.
Looking over at Puck, Subaru once again found an apologetic smile on his face as he appeared to be looking away. It was obvious that Subaru wasn't getting any help for this mess.
Trying to get a hold of the situation, Subaru asked Beatrice "What did you tell them?!"
"I only told them the truth, I suppose!" Beatrice roared back as tears raced down her cheeks.
Subaru has never seen the spirit so emotional like this. One second, Beatrice was terrified and now she was a flaming fury. With intentions of calming the spirit and rationalizing the situation, Subaru mumbled "B-But, all we did was-"
"NO EXCUSES!" Beatrice screamed at the boy. Grabbing Subaru by the collar, Beatrice went off "I'm not ready to be a mommy, I suppose! Why would you do that to me knowing the consequences?! Why..?!"
Unleashing all of the bottled-up emotions within her, Beatrice shook the boy back and forth violently and yelled like a crazed maniac "You never told me that kissing would produce offspring, I suppose! YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT KISSING WOULD PRODUCE OFFSPRING, I SUPPOSE!"
"Huh?" Subaru uttered whose mind went blank.
Remembering whose naivety almost got him killed earlier today, Subaru asked as Beatrice kept shaking him "Emilia-tan, did you tell Beako how babies are made?"
With a smug smile and a hand to her chest, Emilia boldly declared "Yes, I did. Even I know how babies are made, you know!"
"Clearly you don't!" Subaru mentally screamed; however, it was impossible to be angry at Emilia's adorable innocence.
This whole situation became clear to Subaru. Emilia, in her pure innocence, must have unintentionally misinformed Beatrice of baby-making, which caused Beatrice to think that she's pregnant when she's actually not.
Breaking character, Roswaal couldn't contain himself anymore as he started laughing at the scene. Even though Subaru has never heard the man laugh like this, that was the least of Subaru's concerns at the moment.
Getting tired of Beatrice shaking him, Subaru snapped "I hate to break it to you guys, but that's NOT how babies are made!"
The shocked expression on Emilia's face seemed extreme as she exclaimed "No way! You're lying to me! After all, Puck's the one who told me that kisses make babies!"
After finding out the mastermind's true identity, Subaru shot the cat spirit a death glare that made even him feel unsettled as he started whistling randomly as if he wasn't involved in the situation.
"Are you calling Bubby a liar, I wonder?!" Beatrice asked as she glared daggers at the boy.
Fed up with everything, Subaru snapped again "Well I'm not calling him a truther!"
Letting out a huge sigh, Subaru started to explain "Prepare yourselves, because I'm about to tell you how babies are ACTUALLY made. You see-" Before Subaru started to explain, the boy's anger diminished and all he was left with was bashfulness and a blushed face.
"You see, umm…" Subaru tried explaining yet again, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about such mature things.
Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Subaru turned around to see Rem offer "Subaru, please let me explain to Beatrice and Emilia about baby making. I have a very clear understanding of the process so- W-Wait, it's not what you think! I may sometimes be a bad girl, but I am not someone anyone would consider indecent! I just think of you sometimes and-"
"Rem." Subaru interrupted the panicking maid. Putting a hand on her head, Subaru showed her a look of genuine gratitude as he smiled "Thanks. They're all yours."
"Yes!" Rem smiled back as she went to educate the two ladies about the subject of baby making. Too embarrassed by the topic, Subaru made a hasty escape who was grateful for Rem's offer to teach them.
Going back to his room, Subaru laid down on his bed for about ten minutes until his door opened, revealing Beatrice who was blushing.
As Subaru kept looking up at the ceiling, Subaru asked "So, how was your lesson?"
"Humans really are depraved creatures, I suppose." Beatrice replied as she got on the bed.
"Honestly, there really is knowledge that I'm better off not knowing, I suppose." Beatrice sighed as she buried her face in a pillow.
Patting the spirit's adorable head, Subaru smiled "You know what they say. The less questions you ask, the simpler the world becomes."
Moving her face up from the pillow to speak, Beatrice replied "That's the outlook of a person who's indulging their own ignorance, but I can understand the notion that some things are better left unknown, I suppose."
"Still, isn't it such a relief to find out that you're not pregnant?" Subaru continued to tease the spirit.
With that embarrassing scene still fresh in her mind, Beatrice sulked "Can you please not bring that up anymore. I've already learned my lesson about trusting that silly girl. Her naivety is absurd, I suppose. Regardless, since I'm a spirit, it's impossible for me to get pregnant… I think."
Seeing an obvious discrepancy, Subaru pointed it out "You know, when people end a statement with 'I think', it kind of nullifies the statement. For someone who says she can't get pregnant, you seemed pretty worried about it earlier. Seriously, Beako, you're almost as gullible as Emilia and that's pretty bad."
"I feel like that silly girl is the one being insulted here, I suppose." Beatrice grumbled.
With a smug smile, Subaru defended Emilia's name "Emilia is an angel, so it's okay when she's gullible, but you were just being ridiculous."
Resting her head on the pillow, Beatrice looked away from Subaru as she complained "I can't help but feel like I'm being treated unfairly, I suppose. If you find that girl to be so enticing, why not go be with her instead?"
Sensing the bitterness in Beatrice's words, Subaru blurted out "Whoa! Beako, could you be..?!" Subaru was ready for the spirit to counter him at any moment; however, she never did. At first, Subaru really didn't believe Beatrice was jealous; however, when the spirit didn't respond, the boy became a little nervous.
Subaru knew he was dense when it came to the subject of girls; however, he still knew one thing to never do to them, and that was to provoke their jealousy.
Starting to take Beatrice's complaint seriously, Subaru stated honestly "I… I really do like Emilia. I love Emilia, but in the end, I chose you. So… just take the hint, idiot."
A few seconds went by uncomfortably with silence in the air until Beatrice replied "I see. So, you were settling for me then?"
Since Beatrice had the wrong idea entirely, Subaru got a little angry as he stated "No, you freaking idiot! What I'm saying is-" Before Subaru could finish, the spirit's giggling stopped him in his tracks.
Turning to face the boy, Beatrice smiled "Settle down now. I was only teasing, I suppose."
While the whole pregnancy scare was the most surprising event of the day, this moment was a close second with Subaru uttering in disbelief "Seriously, who are you and what have you done with my Beako?"
Drawing close to the boy, Beatrice smirked and teased "I'm simply compromising on a personality that better suits our relationship. Even though that silly girl is foolish, even a foolish girl like her has enough sense to set her sights on someone better than you, I suppose."
Trying to steer the conversation away from Emilia, Subaru asked about their relationship "Didn't you say you hated relationships defined by humans? When you talk about our relationship, what do you mean?"
Subaru's question did surprise the spirit who didn't know how to respond at first; however, Beatrice held Subaru's hand and explained "It is true. I do hate relationships defined by humans, but that's because none of those relationships fit us. I can't think of you as a family member, and yet I value you more than a friend. I'm also not comfortable with the idea of us being lovers either. No matter how much I tried to pin a relationship on us, nothing fit. Perhaps, it would be better to let our feelings define what we are to each other, I suppose."
Feeling the spirit's grip on his hand grow tighter, Subaru felt the mood starting to change as he said her name in confusion "Beako?"
After looking hesitant for a few seconds, Beatrice looked up at Subaru with her cheeks dyed a cherry-like color. With the same look she gave to the boy on top of the Eiffel Tower, Beatrice confessed "Subaru, you are someone I care for above all others."
The spirit's confession was like a bombshell for Subaru who wasn't mentally prepared for such a serious talk. With a light blush on his face, Subaru exclaimed "Geez, you really know how to leave me with nothing to say. Usually you're too prideful to say such embarrassing things."
Unfazed by Subaru's reply, Beatrice stated without hesitation "I can say this because my feelings for you are worth more than my pride, I suppose."
This statement made by the spirit really did leave Subaru speechless this time who couldn't believe she was saying such things; however, he still knew what she was going to say next, but he didn't know how to respond.
Coming closer to the boy, Beatrice asked in a whisper "So… Will you kiss me again, I wonder?"
The spirit's question caused Subaru's emotions to go into complete chaos, just as that same question did the previous night. Before Subaru kissed the spirit the first time, he thought something along the lines of "If Araragi can kiss Shinobu and Hachikuji, then I can kiss Beako, right?" In the end, Subaru reasoned that what he was doing was morally justified by the spirit's age and maturity, but there was an additional problem. Subaru gave into the moment and kissed the spirit because he did love her; however, that's where the problem lies.
Subaru loves the spirit, but he doesn't understand what kind of love it is. Just how Beatrice couldn't pin a name to their relationship, Subaru couldn't understand what kind of love he held for the spirit. Instead of finding an answer to that question, Subaru asked himself a simpler one "Do I want to kiss her?"
"Beako." Subaru called her name. Seeing the look of longing on the spirit's face, Subaru said "Slap me if you want me to stop."
Subaru didn't see the spirit's reaction to his statement since his eyes were closed. Hoping that the spirit would meet him halfway, Subaru drew closer to Beatrice until-
BAM!
Something hard collided with his cheek. Opening his eyes from the pain, Subaru complained "Ow, geez! You didn't have to hit me that-"
Before Subaru could finish his sentence, something blocked his lips from speaking. Surely enough, it was Beatrice's lips making contact with his. Even if Subaru had something to say, the boy was unable to speak for the moment, so he closed his eyes to enjoy their oath by kiss.
A few seconds later, their lips parted and the two looked away from each other bashfully. After another few seconds, Beatrice apologized "I'm sorry for hitting you so hard. I was only intending on taping you, but my emotions go the better of me when I struck your cheek, I suppose."
Still facing away from the spirit, Subaru complained "Why'd you hit me in the first place? We kissed either way so-"
Interrupted the boy, Beatrice blurted out "It's because I wanted to kiss you!" Embarrassed by her outburst, Beatrice explained timidly "I mean… You were the one who kissed me last night, so I… Oh, forget it. Stop asking me questions you already know the answer to, I suppose!"
Sensing the anger in her voice, Subaru couldn't help but chuckle "I was wondering when your pride would kick in. An angry Beako is a happy Beako, after all."
"Need I point out the obvious contradiction in that statement, I wonder? A stupid Subaru is just Tsunbaru, I suppose." Beatrice grumbled; however, she calmed down once Subaru started patting her head.
Curious about spirits, Subaru asked "So, is it normal for humans and spirits to do such things together?"
"Certainly not, I suppose." Beatrice answered immediately and went on to explain "Normally, spirits and humans get satisfaction out of the contract itself rather than from the other party involved. A relationship like ours is unheard of when it comes to contracted spirits, I suppose."
Understanding that their relationship was strange in the minds of spirits and humans, Subaru tried reasoning "I guess that's just what makes you a Great Spirit, right?"
Smiling from the praise, Beatrice replied "Hmm, I'd be inclined to think so since you're praising me, but I believe there's more to it than that, I suppose."
After searching her own thoughts and feelings, Beatrice tried explaining "I can't speak for Bubby, but I believe I find comfort in our human-like relationship because I'm an Artificial Spirit. Since I was created by a human, and since my form mimics humans, that might explain why I have such humanly desires, I suppose."
The news of Beatrice being an Artificial Spirit was surprising for the boy who asked "Wow, I didn't know that. Not that I understand how any of that spirit stuff works, but what about Puck? He's pretty close with Emilia if he's calling himself her father."
"Well, Bubby is also-" Beatrice was about to explain to the boy; however, she stopped herself once she realized she was no longer speaking of just herself.
Seeing that this was something she couldn't say, Subaru said "Oops, my bad. I didn't know I was diving into confidential territory. Anyways, after everything that's happened, I'm beat, so I'm just going to rest for a little bit."
Seeing an opportunity for herself, Beatrice seized it as she suggested "If you're going to rest, then perhaps you would be more comfortable in my lap, I suppose."
As the spirit's overbearingness reminded him of a certain blue-haired maid, Subaru grew hesitant as he replied "I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean-"
"Oh, hush with the formalities. Come here, I suppose." Beatrice stated firmly with a smile as she patted her lap, signaling the boy to use it.
Right now, Beatrice was the spitting image of Rem which confused the boy to no end. Knowing that she wouldn't let him decline, Subaru sighed as he rested his head on her lap "That's not fair. You make it impossible for me to refuse."
As she stroked the boy's hair, Beatrice smiled triumphantly "That was the ingenious part of my plan. It is impossible for you to resist my charms, I suppose."
With the spirit's bold words annoying him, Subaru tried leaving her lap only for Beatrice to force him back down. Holding the boy down by the cheek, Beatrice threatened with a hollow voice "Don't move."
Once Subaru obeyed, the spirit went back to happily playing with the boy's hair.
Listening to the spirit's humming, Subaru spoke "If the old you saw what we were doing right now, she'd probably have a fit and blow both of us out of the mansion."
Trying to defend herself, Beatrice tried explaining "What are you talking about, I wonder? Sure, I would probably be a tiny bit disappointed that I settled for someone like you, but I'm an understanding person, after all, and-"
"Beako." Subaru interrupted the spirit and added "This is you we're talking about here."
Even though Beatrice couldn't counter his argument, Subaru's statement still bothered her. Instead of arguing with the boy, Beatrice yanked on his hair.
Having his short hair pulled on so roughly, Subaru exclaimed in pain "Ow! Geez, that hurt!"
"Don't you remember? You always pestered me by pulling on my hair like this." Beatrice replied, feeling like her actions were justified.
"Yeah, but when I pull on your hair, it doesn't feel like I'm trying to rip the top of your head off!" Subaru exclaimed as he held the top of his head.
Choosing not to respond to the boy's complaint, Beatrice instead asked "What would you look like if you were bald, I wonder?"
"I'd look like the laughingstock of the mansion." Subaru replied as he winced from the stinging of his head.
Giggling from the boy's response, Beatrice smiled "Good news, then your image wouldn't change at all, I suppose. I imagine you would only receive gestures of pity from others. If you looked that ridiculous, that silly maid might even stop worshipping you, I suppose."
Even though it was rare for Beatrice to be in such a fantastic mood, the fact that it was at his expense irritated Subaru to no end. Right before Subaru was about to argue, Beatrice rested her hand on his cheek and smiled with closed eyes "But, you know, even if you ever reach such a low, I would always remain by your side, albeit reluctantly, I suppose."
The spirit's comfort overwhelmed the boy. The spirit's words coupled with her brilliant smile pierced Subaru's heart who couldn't stop himself anymore.
"Beako." Subaru called the spirit's name.
With her warm smile still present and with her eyes remaining closed, Beatrice answered "Yes, Tsunbaru?"
"Beatrice, I love you." Subaru confessed with a warm smile. Although the boy has already admitted to loving her, this is the first time he's actually confessed it to her.
Subaru anticipated the spirit's reaction with both her eyes opening and her smile vanishing from shock. Looking down at the boy, Beatrice found a warm smile resting on his face.
Starting to feel a little embarrassed, Subaru closed his eyes as he went back to enjoying Beatrice's lap. A few seconds passed by with complete silence until Subaru felt something wet against his cheek. Adding to that, the hand that was caressing his cheek seemed to be slightly trembling.
"I see. So, you love me." Beatrice said through shaky breaths. Despite the tears running down her cheeks, Beatrice forced a strong front as she smiled "It seems like you've been thoroughly charmed by me. You did well to last this long without admitting it, but it was only a matter of time until you confessed to me, I suppose."
Subaru motioned to get up to comfort her; however, her hand gently forced him to stay on her lap. Obeying her wishes, Subaru remained on the spirit's lap as she continued to silently cry. As she continued caressing the boy's cheek, Beatrice spoke to the boy.
"I love you too, Subaru."
Author's notes: I'm actually starting to regularly update again! Woo! I wonder if I can keep that momentum going with the next chapter?
My absolute favorite part of this chapter was when Beako and Subaru were talking about Subaru going bald. At the last minute, I changed one of Beako's lines to say "Good news, then your image wouldn't change at all, I suppose." One of my best changes in dialogue and I could actually hear the sizzling of Subaru's skin after he suffered that burn.
So, for the first part of this chapter, I was actually referencing a scene from the visual novel G-senjou no Maou/The Devil on G-String. It was my second favorite visual novel that I read this year, with Doki Doki Literature Club being the first. Well, there was also Saya no Uta which was absolutely phenomenal (but dark as hell).
As a side note, I recommend looking up "Saya no Uta OST- Song of Saya I" on YouTube. The second version of the song works too. The best way to describe this OST is if the terms "Heavenly/Angel-like" and "Haunting/Twisted" were blended together to make one of the best OSTs I've ever heard. It's so beautiful, and yet you can tell there's a hint of terror to the track. I guess I'm bringing this up because I've been listening to it nonstop while writing this. La… La la la.
So, story. With the next chapter, I'm either going to dive right into the next arc OR I'm going to post another fluff chapter. The fluff chapter in my mind is actually going to be a bunch of different scenes wrapped up into one chapter. For example, during one part Rem could be asking Beatrice where she got her tracksuit from, another part could be the residents playing the video games Subaru brought over to this world. Just a bunch of little short stories wrapped up into one chapter.
Also, for those wondering about how Subaru can charge his electronic devices in this world, I'm going with the excuse that Subaru brought along a solar powered battery. I was trying to find a place to bring it up in this chapter, but I couldn't find a good place to insert it.
If I go straight into the next arc with the next chapter, it may take awhile to upload. Once again, I have to research characters that didn't appear in the anime, and I don't want to butcher their personalities. Also, prepare for spoilers for the 4th arc in the light novel. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but some of it will be unavoidable. For instance, I will be talking about a HUGE Rem spoiler for arc 4.
Well, that's it for now. See you guys next time.