This chapter's placement in the timeline: within chapter 20, between Beatrice's proposal and the wedding.

Side Story 2: "My Fiancé Can't Be A Little Kid!"

"Myaaaaa." Beatrice let out a strange yawn as she stirred from her slumber. Realizing that her arms were securely wrapped around something, the spirit beamed "The early bird gets the worm, as they say. It seems that it's my turn to peer into Tsunbaru's sleeping face, I suppose. It seems this is a sight I will never tire off."

Feeling as if something was completely off as she peered into the boy's face, Beatrice uttered "Was… Subaru's face always this small, I wonder?"

"Mmm…" Subaru groaned as he started to stir.

"A-Ah, Subaru. Good morning, I suppose." Beatrice nervously greeted.

Turning over the other way, Subaru weakly pleaded "Five more minutes, mom."

"'M-Mom'?!" Beatrice yelped not only from how the boy addressed her, but also the tone of his voice was considerably higher pitched.

Moving the bedsheets out of the way, Beatrice found a kid laying in Subaru's place. Not only did the child have his jet-black hair styled upwards, but he was also wearing Subaru's iconic tracksuit which was way too big on him.

Immediately recognizing the boy's face, Beatrice broke out into a sweat "This… has to be a joke, correct? This must be another one of that inconsequential guy's pranks. Yes, that must be it, I suppose."

In an attempt to dispel her of worry, Beatrice reached out to the sleeping boy and hesitantly grabbed his hand in the hopes that her spirit sensor didn't go off, but that wasn't the case.

She was indeed contracted to this child.

"N-No way, I suppose." Beatrice uttered with despair.

"Nggh, mom, I said five more minutes, so…" Subaru complained; however, once he looked at the person in question, he realized "Wait, you're not mom."

With the boy of her dreams becoming a little boy during her dreams, Beatrice nervously asked "S-Subaru, is that truly you, I wonder?"

Rising from the bed, Subaru tilted his head and asked "Who are you?"

As she laid out breakfast for Roswaal and Emilia, Rem couldn't help but notice "It seems Subaru and Lady Beatrice are running late. They're usually the first to arrive."

Almost as if on cue, there was a knock at the dining room door which caused Roswaal to smile "Hmm? I don't recaaall either of those two having the manners to knock. Come on in~"

Expecting the spirit to slam the door open while wearing a dissatisfied look on her face, Roswaal couldn't help but feel surprised when the door was cracked open revealing a bashful Beatrice peeking into the room.

"Lady Beatrice, what's wrong?" Rem quickly asked.

"Did Barusu do something to bring shame to you again?" Ram assumed.

Faltering under their gazes, Beatrice pleaded "Everyone, I beg of you, please help me, I suppose."

"Beatrice?" Emilia questioned as she tilted her head to the side.

As she continued to open the door, Beatrice asked "What am I going to do, I wonder?"

"My fiancé can't be a little kid, I suppose!" Beatrice screamed, revealing the little boy her husband became.

With Beatrice's desperate words being drown out by the sight of the little boy, both Emilia and Rem pressed their hands to their blushing cheeks as they spoke in unison "How cute!"

After explaining to the others what had transpired this morning, Roswaal was the first one to reply "This situation we're cuuurrently facing borders onto the paranormal. Lady Beatrice, as the only one who caaaan manipulate time, do you think this might be your doing, even subconsciously?"

Having already thought of that, Beatrice shook her head "No, that's impossible. To rewind time, even for one individual, would take a considerable amount of mana. Something like reverting Subaru's age back to his childhood would displace a sizable amount of mana which is something I would have surely noticed, I suppose."

Already lost in their conversation, Subaru lightly tapped on the table as he wondered "Manipulate time? Are you guys roleplaying or something? I wanna play too."

Patting Subaru on the head, Beatrice gave him a faint smile "We can play to your heart's content in a little bit, I suppose."

With her eyes narrowing on the boy, Ram questioned "Forgive me for my suspicion, but are you positive that boy is Barusu?"

Giving the maid a nod, Beatrice affirmed "Yes, I am without a doubt contracted with this boy, I suppose."

Remembering Beatrice's grim tone from before, Rem spoke "Lady Beatrice, you must be going through a lot right now. If it's too much of a burden on you, please allow me to look after Subaru in your stead."

Watching at the blue-haired maid's eyes started to sparkle, Beatrice objected "I somehow get the feeling there's an ulterior motive behind your suggestion, I suppose."

As her lips curved into a nervous smile, Rem desperately pleaded "Lady Beatrice, can I keep him, pretty please? I promise I'll take good care of him."

"Do you think I'm a dog or something?!" Subaru protested, noting the blue-haired girl's weird behavior.

Frantically shaking her head, Ram fervently replied "Not at all! I could never view you as something so lowly!"

Pointing his finger at the maid, Subaru exclaimed "You're being really mean to all of dogkind! Next time you see a puppy, apologize!"

"That's not what I meant!" Rem started to despair, and as she maddeningly clutched her held, the maid pleaded for understanding "My true and pure maidenly feelings aren't reaching you. How do I get this tender feeling of mine across to you?"

With a hand over her chest, Rem drew upon the embers of her confidence as she beamed "You are everything I have ever wanted, so please let me spoil you!"

Once the maid's feelings finally reached the innocent-hearted boy, Subaru blushed as he quickly gave in "W-Well, I guess I wouldn't mind it if you spoiled me a little bit, but only a little bit!"

Slamming her hands on the table, Beatrice pointed at Subaru as she went off "Hey, now! Only I reserve the rights to spoiling you, I suppose! Do you think just because your physique and brain reverted a few years means I'll let you do whatever you want?!"

With his face turning sour, Subaru pointed at the little girl as he looked at the rest of the group and asked "Who's this sassy little girl? She's annoying."

3…

2…

1…

"'SASSY AND ANNOYING', I WONDER?! WHAT THE HECK DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME YOU LITTLE BRAAAAT?!" Mount Beatrice erupted as she waved her fists around in the air and stomped on the ground with rage. You could almost see steam coming out of her ears and nose.

After a quick sigh, Ram reminded the spirit "Lady Beatrice, it's unbecoming of someone of your importance to take the words of a child so seriously."

Once Beatrice calmed down after taking deep breaths, Roswaal chimed in "While it shouldn't be canceled outright, it might be for the best if we postpoooone the wedding."

"Excuse you, I wonder?" Beatrice glared at the mage with hostility in her eyes.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Roswaal went on to explain "Can we reeeally have someone like you marry a minor? If the knights found out about this, yooou'll be imprisoned in the dungeon."

Crossing her hands over her chest, Beatrice huffed "Hmpf! Human laws are for humans, so I don't need to abide by them, I suppose."

Remembering his run-in with the knight around the time he met Subaru, Puck warned "If someone like the sword saint comes to take you away, even you probably wouldn't be able to resist. You might not be able to eat sweets for a long time."

"Guuu!" Beatrice let out a strange cry.

With his gaze turning towards the cat, Subaru dumbfoundedly uttered "H-Huh? It sounded like that cat talked for a second."

After summoning her courage, Beatrice sat up from the table as she announced "I… I have a confession to make."

Balling her hands into fists, a bright blush rose to Beatrice's cheeks as she cried out "I'm actually twelve years old, I suppose!"

"Pfft!" Roswaal could barely contain himself as he covered his mouth with his hand. Ram was in a similar position where her body trembled on the spot as her lips quivered.

"Huh?! No way! I thought you were really old!" Emilia exclaimed, instantly believing in the loli spirit.

"Remain calm, I suppose." Beatrice pleaded with herself as she went on to reason "It's not like you have any methods of proving me wrong. Looking like this, I'm sure I can still marry Subaru, I suppose."

Still not understanding what was happening, Subaru looked at the little girl and pointed out "Girls who haven't developed a decent chest shouldn't talk about marriage."

Somewhere in the distance, the sound of breaking glass could be heard as Beatrice fired back "That's slander against the entirety of womankind, I suppose! You think you can get away with making such obscene statements just because you're considerably cuter than before, I wonder?!"

Faltering under the little girl's words, a blushing Subaru stuttered "Y-You think I'm cute?"

With Subaru's bashfulness surprising her, Beatrice's anger quickly faded as she gazed into the boy's face "Ah, I see that he's still in his impressionable years. Well, that's not a bad face, I suppose."

With the spotlight still on him, Subaru spoke "Hey, I have a question."

Snapping out of her intent gaze, Beatrice warmly replied "Hmm, what is it, I wonder? You've caught me in a good mood, so I'll humor your question."

"Even though you were seething with anger just a few moments ago." Ram pointed out with a sigh.

Looking around the room, Subaru finally asked "Where am I, and where's my mom and dad?"

"A-Ah, well, such a question was to be expected, I suppose." Beatrice sighed, and looking towards her fellow spirit for help, she asked "This was probably going to happen sooner or later. Bubby, may I borrow you for a little bit, I wonder?"

"Hm, sure thing." Puck quickly accepted.

Carefully eyeing the cat, Subaru pointed at Puck and exclaimed "Is it just me or is that cat really talking?!"

Floating over to the boy, Puck forced a pout as he spoke "How rude. I have a name, you know."

Taking a step away from the cat spirit, Subaru shouted "Whoa!"

Pleased by the little boy's reaction, Puck introduced himself "Hehe, the name's Puck. Nice to meet you again."

Letting out a short sigh, Beatrice looked at the blue-haired maid and requested "Rem, please look after the boy while I'm gone, I suppose."

Walking up behind the little boy and wrapping her arms gently around him, Rem smiled "It will be my genuine pleasure."

Stopping herself from voicing her complaints, Beatrice used her Door Crossing and ended up in Subaru's bedroom in the other world with Puck sitting on her shoulder.

"It's time to go speak with my soon to be parent-in-laws, I suppose." Beatrice sighed as she mentally prepared herself.

"You haven't even met with them yet and you already look tired." Puck pointed out.

After descending the staircase, Beatrice found her father-in-law sitting on the sofa and watching TV.

"Hahahaha! Who steals soap?!" Kenichi howled with laughter as he pointed at the screen.

"Ahem, I suppose." Beatrice cleared her throat to announce her presence.

"Whointhewhat?!" Kenichi exclaimed, and seeing Beatrice standing at the base of the stairs, he sighed from relief "Oh, Beatrice. It's just you. I thought I was about to get robbed. Whatever you do, just don't take my soap."

"What kind of robber announces her presence and steals such a trifling item, I wonder?" Beatrice questioned, and as she crossed her arms, she pointed out "It seems like I've caught you during one of your embarrassing pastimes."

Picking up the remote and pausing the TV, Kenichi cleared his throat "Ahem, so what's with the sudden visit?"

"It's about Subaru, I suppose." Beatrice spoke, and as Kenichi seemed to tense up, she clarified "He is okay of course; however, a strange occurrence befell him."

Knowing what she was about to ask fell within the realm of insanity, Beatrice stuttered "K-Kenichi, has your son ever had instances where he became a child again, I wonder?"

With a blank expression on his face, Kenichi recalled "Whenever he sees the penguins at the aquarium, he becomes just like a little kid again."

"Really, I wonder?!" Beatrice exclaimed, thinking she's found a lead.

Noting the little girl's enthusiasm, Kenichi clarified "Of course, I'm only referring to the way that he acts."

With all her excitement being for naught, Beatrice uttered "T-Then, his body doesn't shrink at all, I wonder?"

Scratching the back of his head, Kenichi pointed out "You make it sound like something like that happened to my boy."

Although she dreaded this moment, Beatrice nervously spoke "K-Kenichi, I have some important things I would like to tell you, so please listen to me until the end, I suppose."

Giving the little girl a nod, Kenichi closed his eyes and replied "Okay, sure."

Taking a breath of air, Beatrice deeply exhaled as she began "I am… The place where I reside is actually in another world, I suppose."

"Okay."

"Through unknown means, Subaru somehow crossed over into Lugnica and ended up at Roswaal's mansion, I suppose."

"Yup."

"Unlike this world, magic is an everyday occurrence and is an integral part of our lives, I suppose."

"Uh huh."

"Lastly, I would just like to point out that I'm a Great Spirit, a being that lives off of mana and has lived for hundreds of years, I suppose."

"All right."

Taking another moment to take a deep breath, Beatrice asked "So, what did you think, I wonder?"

Having the wrong idea, Kenichi smiled "Your stories have gotten better. I bet Subaru forces you to roleplay a lot."

Already prepared for his skepticism, Beatrice challenged "What if I told you those weren't simply stories, I wonder?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kenichi firmly rejected "As a man of science, I refuse to believe any of that."

Still not faltering, Beatrice revealed her secret weapon "A reasonable response; however, perhaps this will change your mind, I suppose. Go ahead, Bubby."

"Okay, here I go!" Puck finally broke his silence as he went on to introduce himself to the baffled man "It's nice to meet you, Mister Natuski. The name's Puck and I've been meaning to introduce myself to you for a while, but I heard cats don't talk over here."

"Wha… Wha… WHAT THE HELL?!" Kenichi roared to the heaven, and picking up the cat spirit, the man went on to beam "It's a talking cat! A real talking cat! This is amazing! Honey, get in here! There's something I gotta show you!"

As Kenichi accidentally petted one of his weak spots, Puck chuckled "Hehe, that tickles a bit."

"Honey, it's ticklish!" Kenichi exclaimed.

Watching with a sour expression, Beatrice sighed "Where did all of your previous skepticism go, I wonder?"

As Naoko entered the room, Puck waved at the lady and smiled "Hello! Nice to meet you, miss!"

Naoko seemed to stare at the cat spirit for so long that even Puck became nervous; however, after what seemed like an eternity, Naoko replied "Hi."

"What's with that lackluster response, I wonder?!" Beatrice exclaimed, and after taking a deep breath, she went on to explain "Even if you're still not convinced, I would still like you two to come with me to visit Subaru, I suppose. After becoming a child, he's lost his memories of us so we're just a bunch of strangers to him as he is now."

Snapping back into reality, Kenichi sighed in resignation "I guess I'll just go along with the flow for now. You said magic is a thing, right? Did he accidentally awaken a forbidden power or something?"

Not going along with Kenichi's joke, Beatrice went on "I'm afraid even I can't deduce why Subaru has turned into a child. In fact, I have a feeling that what caused this change was not mana, but rather, a strange and unheard-of phenomenon, I suppose."

With a hand to his chin, Kenichi observed "So, it seems I'm not just descending down one, but two layers into unbelievable, crazy-shit depths today."

As her brow furrowed, Beatrice warned "Mind your tongue. You're in the presence of a lady, I suppose."

Giving the little girl a bold smile, Kenichi grabbed his suitcase and apologized "My bad. Well, let's go hit the road. I've been meaning to make a surprise visit anyways."

Going to the nearby bathroom and applying her magic, Beatrice turned the knob and revealed the mansion hallway "There won't be any roads involved in our travel. We'll be going by door, I suppose."

"Oi, oi, oi! What did you do with my bathroom?! That's where I go number one and two!" Kenichi exclaimed as he gazed into the unfamiliar hallway.

With a hand to her chin, Beatrice recalled "It's simply floating in a region of nothingness for now, I suppose."

Worried that he just lost a section of his house, Kenichi shouted "Don't say that crazy stuff about my bathroom! Actually, I wonder where the plumbing would go if somebody was using it."

Already entering the hallways, Beatrice snapped back "I've heard enough of your disgusting questions for now, I suppose! Get over here already!"

After taking a step into the hallway with his wife in hand, Kenichi nervously asked "S-So, we're in another world? Just like that?"

Puffing out her chest, Beatrice proudly stated "Such a means of transportation is nothing for the likes of me. After all, I am a Great Spirit, I suppose."

Floating over to the married couple, Puck informed the two "I don't know if you know this or not, but Betty is really prideful."

"She's also really cute." Naoko added with a smile.

With hints of a blush forming on her cheeks, Beatrice replied "T-There's no need to point out the obvious now, I suppose."

"Ugh, it's so bright." Kenichi complained, and as he shielded his eyes from the sun's rays, he reasoned "I'm guessing it's still morning over here."

Opening the doors to the dining room once again, Beatrice found that everyone was in the middle of eating breakfast. Quickly scanning the room, Beatrice found Subaru sitting on the blue-haired maid's lap who seemed to be feeding him.

Taking a step into the dining room, Kenichi boldly greeted "Howdy, everyone! The life of the party's arrived!"

Walking beside her husband, Naoko added "Me and my husband are here too."

"…Who did you think I was referring to?" Kenichi uttered as some of the wind was taken out of his sail.

Being the first one to address the couple, Roswaal smiled "Ah, Kenichi and Miss Natsuki. It's soooo good of you two to join us. Please haaave a seat."

Taking in his surroundings, Kenichi observed "This isn't a shabby place you got here. A little bigger than my place, but it still needs WiFi."

Still seated on the maid's lap, Subaru turned to his parents and asked "Mom, dad? What's going on? Where is this place? Are we still going to WcDonald's later?"

Walking over to his son, Kenichi asked in return "Settle down, sport. One question at a time, but first, I have one of my own. Tell me, who's my main?"

"Isn't it Donkey Kong?" Subaru answered as if were the most obvious thing in the world as he pouted "You always grab me and kill us both when you use him."

Erupting into laughter, Kenichi mussed up Subaru's hair and beamed "Yup, that's definitely my son alright. Without a trace of doubt."

"Using video game knowledge as criteria to judge your son's authenticity is absurd, I suppose!" Beatrice complained.

Walking up to the blue-maid, Naoko requested "Rem, may I borrow my son for a second?"

Although seeming reluctant to let go, Rem motioned for Subaru to get off.

As soon after he leapt off Rem's lap, Subaru faltered under his mother's gaze as he uttered "M-Mom, why are you staring at me so much? You're starting to scare me."

"Kyaa! He's cute again!" Naoko beamed as she picked her son off the ground as she started spinning him around in the air.

Failing to pry himself from his mother, Subaru screamed "W-Waaa! Mom, put me down! You're embarrassing me!"

Not caring about her son's protests, Naoko pulled her son into a suffocating embrace as a smile of pure bliss rested on her lips.

After finally being released from his mother's grasp, Subaru ran behind Rem and pleaded "Miss, please protect me. My mom's being really creepy right now."

As butterflies welled up in her chest, Rem placed a hand on Subaru's head and smiled "Yes, leave it to your Rem."

Looking down at the maid, Naoko warned "Rem, you know I don't mind taking you down if it's to get to my son, right?"

Meeting the woman's gaze, Rem fearlessly smiled "It's regrettable, but I'm not afraid to become enemies with you if it's for Subaru's sake."

As tension welled up in the room, Kenichi tried defusing the situation "Whoa, settle down, ladies! No need to get emotion over something silly like-"

"We're just joking." Rem and Naoko spoke in unison with innocent smiles on their faces.

"…Oh." Kenichi uttered, and returning to the problem at hand, the man approached his son and said flat-out "No use in dragging this out any longer. Subaru, you may not believe this, but you're actually supposed to be eighteen years old."

"Huh? No way. I'm twelve." Subaru quickly retorted.

"How can a child be more cautious than his parents, I wonder?!" Beatrice complained once again.

"You always did have a habit of being skeptical." Kenichi scratched the side of his head, and as he opened his suitcase, he continued "Anyways, I came prepared and brought something to convince you."

Watching as Kenichi fumbled inside of his suitcase, Beatrice questioned "You brought something, you say? Please tell me it's not-"

"I don't know what I was expecting from you, I suppose." Beatrice sighed as Kenichi revealed his gaming device.

Confused by the sight of his father's belonging, Subaru questioned "Dad, has your DS always been that big? It's in a different color too."

"Fufufu." Kenichi chuckled to himself as he revealed "You fool, this is a New 3DS XL! It came out after your time!"

Still not buying it, Subaru huffed "You're just making things up again-"

"Aaaaand a new Smash game came out for it." Kenichi revealed with a wink.

"Smash?!" Subaru exclaimed, completely abandoning his skepticism.

Hovering the screen in front of his son's face, Kenichi offered "Why don't you have a look at the roster yourself?"

As he gazed at the character selection screen, Subaru beamed "Whoa, there's so many of them- Mega****?! They added Mega**** into the game?!"

"Show Pac**** some love too." Kenichi smirked, and watching as his son's eyes started to sparkle, the man smirked "You can only play if you believe that you're supposed to be eighteen and that you turned back into a child."

"You're bribing his acceptance, I wonder?!" Beatrice exclaimed.

"Deal!" Subaru accepted without hesitation.

"Atta boy!" Kenichi beamed in returned as he loaned his son the device.

As Subaru once again took a seat on her lap, Rem questioned "Subaru, what are you doing on that thing? Is it a metia?"

"It's just a piece of future, no, alien technology." Kenichi answered in his son's place.

As his eyes were drawn to a certain character, Subaru screamed "AHH! They brought back Mew***! Look, miss! They added Mew*** to the game!"

With the boy's smile infecting her, Rem returned with a smile of her own "Yes, they added Mew*** to the game."

Once again reaching the limits of her patience, Beatrice pointed at Rem and exclaimed "Stop going along with Subaru's raving! You clearly have no idea what he's talking about, I suppose!"

Finally taking a seat along with his wife, Kenichi asked the group "So, what's the game plan?"

Having already thought of the first step, Ram suggested "For the time being, it might be for the best if Subaru returned home to his parents."

"No, I think it would be wise to let Subaru stay here, I suppose." Beatrice interrupted as she explained to the group "For some reason, Subaru decided to return here rather than live with his parents. Adding to that, if someone in your hometown recognized this younger Subaru, it could spell disaster, I suppose."

Remembering the boy's fiasco in the capital, Roswaal asked "Are you saaaying that Subaru has less of a reputation in this domain?"

Crossing her arms, Beatrice snorted "It's not like Subaru has made that many acquaintances over here, I suppose."

Floating over to the fellow spirit, Puck corrected with a sigh "Actually, Beatrice, I'm sure a lot of people around here know about Subaru."

Not expecting Puck to disagree with her, Beatrice faltered "H-How so, I wonder?"

Scratching his chin, Puck recalled "Well, he kind of made a complete fool of himself in front of the council of wise men, all five of the future potential rules of Lugnica, and in front of the knights as well."

Having not heard this until now, Beatrice uttered "He did what, I wonder?"

Trying to mask his embarrassment, Kenichi covered his face with his hands as he despaired "What was my failure of a son doing when I wasn't looking? I'm so ashamed of him."

Starting to pet Subaru's head, Rem chimed in "Subaru was also vital in the subjugation of the White Whale and is responsible for the kingdom's first victory over the Witch's Cult. I'm sure he's renown as the hero."

"A-A hero, you say?" Beatrice stuttered as her husband's achievements were presented to her.

"What was my success of a son doing while I wasn't looking? I'm so proud of him." Kenichi practically roared with delight; however, he quickly changed his mind "Waitwaitwaitwait, you're saying my son's a hero? That can't be right! I mean, this is him that we're talking about!"

"For once, I agree with you Mister Natsuki." Ram commented.

"Regardless, I'm sure he's earned quiiite the twisted reputation." Roswaal chimed in as he went on to suggest "With that in mind, I'm somewhat concerned about his anonymity; although, it's only his name that's going around. I'm suuure most people don't even know what Subaru looks like, so he should be fine."

Supporting her master's point, Ram added "Regardless, I think it would be for the best if Barusu was restrained to a chair; although, simply being forced to stay within the mansion should work as well."

Flinching from the maid's cold words, Kenichi exclaimed "Wow this girl is scary!"

Peering into the little boy's face, Emilia flashed him a supportive smile as she attempted to ask "Subaru, did you understand all of that? For the time being… Subaru?"

Seeing that his son had clocked out for the time being, Kenichi told the group "Ah, sorry about that. He's probably so enamored by the game that he's forced everything else out."

Prying her soft gaze away from her son, Naoko looked at the mansion owner and requested "Roswaal, do you think I could live in this mansion for a little while? I want to spend as much time with my son as I can while he's like this."

"Why of cooourse you can." Roswaal smiled as he went on to suggest "This humble mansion has quiiite a number of rooms that need to be filled anyways. Kenichi, perhaps yooou would like to stay as well?"

"Well, it's not like it makes a difference to me whether my son is a teenager or a kid, so I'll pass." Kenichi declined as he went on to recall "As long as he's okay, that's enough for me. Besides, I have to go to work soon and-"

"Oh shit! I have to go to work soon! I'm on nightshift tonight!" Kenichi exclaimed, and bolting up from his seat, he ran for the door and commanded "Beatrice, do the thing!"

"I don't take orders from…" Beatrice was about to snap; however, she realized she needed to earn brownie points with the man as she gave in "Well, I suppose we're not strangers, and I need to get your consent to… Fine, as you wish, I suppose."

Watching as Kenichi jogged in place in a panic, Emilia asked "I must say I'm a little curious. If you don't mind sharing, what do you do for a living, Kenichi?"

Pointing his thumb at himself, Kenichi smiled "I'm just a doctor. Well, see you in the next one. Bye bye!"

After Beatrice used her Door Crossing to send the man back, Ram scoffed "That man was obviously lying. There's no way someone like him would be accepted into such a prestigious role."

Frowning at his subordinate, Roswaal warned "Ram, pleeease be mindful of your tongue. Miss Natsuki is still in our presence."

Giving the woman a humble bow, Ram clarified "I meant no disrespect, of course."

After closing the door in front of her, Beatrice sighed "No, I'm sure you meant your disrespect; however, despite his appearance, Kenichi truly is a doctor, I suppose."

Once Ram looked at her with disbelief, Beatrice clarified "Simply put, he falls into the category of acting like a buffoon but is someone of acceptable intelligence, I suppose."

Motioning his hands towards Beatrice for her to proceed, Roswaal asked "Disregarding his father, do you have annny suggestions about how to move forward, Lady Beatrice?"

"I'm afraid we'll have to continue the status quo, I suppose." Beatrice sighed as she revealed to the group "In theory, I should be able to fast forward my husband's age back to normal; however, I've never performed such magic on a person before and I won't accept him as my first guinea pig."

Noticing the heavy atmosphere enveloping the group, Emilia balled her hands into fists as she smiled "Everything will be alright in the end. Maybe as quickly as it happened, Subaru will go back to his original age soon. I'm sure if it's Subaru-"

"That's the kind of absurdly optimistic drivel I expected to hear from Subaru." Beatrice interrupted; however, with her expression softening, she went on to finish "Although, I guess I have no choice but to accept such thinking for the time being, I suppose."

Accepting Beatrice's words, Roswaal went on to say "I suuuppose the only matter left is assigning Miss Natsuki to a room. Ram, would you guiiide her to the guest room?"

"Of course." Ram replied as she led the woman away from the table "Right this way, Miss Natsuki."

Noticing his mom leaving the room out of the corner of his eyes, Subaru asked "Mom, where are you going?"

"I'm going to go get a room." Naoko explained to her son as she went on to smile innocently "Oh I hope the bed is nice and comfy."

Finally prying his eyes away from the game, Subaru looked over at the pink-haired maid and demanded "I want a room too!"

Not bothering to look at the boy, Ram informed "Barusu, you're already sharing a room with Lady Beatrice."

"Ehhh?" Subaru uttered in dissatisfaction.

"What's with that tone, I wonder?" Beatrice questioned, and opening her arms to accept the boy, she went on to tempt him "Don't you want to share the same bed as me? I've heard I'm quite snuggly, in fact."

"No way. You smell like a dusty library." Subaru quickly refused.

"Dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty, dusty." Every time that word resounded in her mind, Beatrice could feel something akin to a spear stabbing her through.

"D-Dusty, you say?" Beatrice uttered, and losing all sense, the Great Spirit fell out of her chair. Accepting her cruel fate, Beatrice sank into the pits of depression as she laid on the floor and hugged her knees.

Immediately afterward, a distraught Beatrice had Rem wash her clothes as she went to take a long bath.

Author's Notes: For those of you who think this chapter's a little short, I just want to let you know that I did the whole "I wrote way too much and had to split the chapter in half" routine again. I was on the fence on the idea, so I asked others if I should do it or not, and one concern they had is others getting lost in the like 14k words worth of text, a concern which I shared with them.

Thanks ReviewR and 70oda for hearing me out!

Also, the next chapter will be posted within the next two days. It's basically done but it still needs to be proofread.

This chapter was such a breath of fresh air for me and I'm so glad that I had the chance to post this! I never thought this chapter would see the light of day because I got stuck at the explanation part of how Subaru turned into a little kid until I realized "Hey, not everything needs to be explained. Let's just chalk it off to being a phenomena." So, logic took a backseat in this chapter, but I think that's for the best given how lighthearted and fun it was.

If you need an explanation, author-san used his shota beam to turn Subaru into a little kid.

Some more backstory, this chapter has been in the works for almost a year. Originally, this was supposed to be chapter 23, but like I said, I got stuck at the logic part. What motivated me to finish this was a fan art on Reddit of Beatrice spoiling Subaru as a child.

Well, that's it for now. Nothing of much interest happened in real life since the one week I posted the previous chapter; although, I did watch the 8th episode of Mob Psycho season 2 and holy shit. It's been awhile since I've been so hyped over an episode of anime. A lot of people have been suggesting The Promise Neverland, so I'll probably binge that today.

Take care.

Several hours passed by since breakfast as Emilia buried her face in her books. In the middle of her studying, the half-elf leaned back in the chair as she let out a long sigh.

"What's the matter, Emilia?"

"Waah!" Emilia let out a strange cry, and turning around to see Subaru's mother sitting nonchalantly in a chair, the half-elf exclaimed "Naoko?! How long have you been there?!"

Staring at the half-elf dead in the eyes, Naoko revealed "About ten minutes."

Disturbed by the fact, Emilia yelped "N-No way! I should've heard the sound of the door opening!"

Tilting her head to the side, Naoko questioned "Hmm? How didn't you then?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" Emilia exclaimed back.

As a lightbulb went off in her head, Naoko explained "Ah, it's probably because of my hidden ability that Kenichi calls infiltration. Apparently, with minimal effort on my part, I can completely erase my presence."

Striking a strange pose, Naoko pointed at Emilia and claimed with a bold smile "I have already killed you twenty different times by now."

Looking down at her crystal, Emilia shouted at her contracted spirit "Puck, you let her kill me so many times?!"

Manifesting in front of Emilia, Puck reassured her "Don't worry, Lia. I secretly foiled each attempt she made without her noticing. It's thanks to my training in the art of anti-infiltration."

With Puck playing along with her, Naoko smiled "Are you actually a weirdo too, Puck?"

"Everyone living in this mansion is a weirdo." Puck replied, and with his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, he added in monotone "I realize that you bear no ill intentions towards Lia, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't joke about her death."

Recognizing that calm yet strong gaze, Naoko realized "Hmm, those are the eyes of a parent protecting their child."

Turning her focus back on the half-elf, Naoko questioned "Emilia, do you want to go see my son."

With her face instantly turning crimson, Emilia desperately denied "W-W-What are you saying?! I don't want to particularly see him that badly. M-Maybe just a little bit, but that's it! I'm perfectly content with staying here!"

Taking the girl at her word, a puzzled Naoko replied "Oh, so you don't want to see him? I guess I was wrong then."

Pointing his tail at his contractor, Puck agreed "No, I think you were right about that. I'm sure Lia is itching to go see him."

Feeling no end of embarrassment, Emilia balled her hands into fists as she yelled "I thought you would keep that a secret!"

In response to Emilia's flustered outbursts, Puck suggested "I think you should go play with him for a little bit. Studying is important, but so are frequent breaks. Besides, I can tell you were distracted."

Finally starting to settle down, Emilia asked in a small voice "Was it that obvious?"

"Lia, everything you do is obvious." Puck thought with a sigh.

Prying the quill out of e half-elf's grasp and writing something down on a piece of parchment, Naoko handed the final product to Emilia "Here."

Looking down at the scribbles, Emilia questioned "This is the language Subaru writes in, right? What does it say?"

Pointing at the words on the note, Naoko informed "That's a Subaru pass. It lets you do whatever you want with him, but I have to get him WcDonald's later."

With her hands clutching the piece of parchment, Emilia stuttered "Y-You mean, with this, I can do anything with Subaru?"

Suddenly feeling regret, Naoko narrowed her eyes on the half-elf and snatched the paper from Emilia's hand to add an amendment.

Pointing at the new sentence, Emilia asked "What does this part say?"

Handing the pass back to her, Naoko explained in monotone "It says 'except for dirty things'."

Tilting her head to the side, Emilia questioned "'Dirty'? You mean like playing in the mud?"

As a bright smile blossomed on her face, Naoko placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder and said "You'll do just fine."

After accepting the pass, Emilia walked around the mansion aimlessly until she stumbled upon the boy in the halls.

Walking up behind the lone boy, Emilia greeted with a smile "Good afternoon, Subaru."

"Hm?" Subaru murmured, and turning around to see the girl with hair the color of snow, the boy immediately hid himself behind a corner of the hall.

As the boy peered at her, Emilia blinked twice and stuttered "Eh? Did I already make a mistake?"

"Scary." Subaru uttered under his breath as he peaked around the corner at her.

Somehow hearing the boy, Emilia yelped "'S-Scary'?! You mean me?!"

With his expression softening ever so slightly, Subaru accused "Yep. I mean, you're a siren, right?"

"'Siren'? No, I'm a… I'm a half-elf." Emilia uttered, and thinking the boy needed clarification, she added hesitantly "A half-elf with silver hair."

With his eyes narrowing on the lady, Subaru questioned "You mean you're not a siren?"

"What's a siren?" Emilia asked in returned, and noticing the look of distrust on Subaru's face, she sighed "You really are afraid of me, aren't you?"

"Uh huh." Subaru answered instantly as he went on to further accuse "I mean, you're just so pretty, miss."

"Pretty?" Emilia questioned, and looking around the hallway to find nobody else, she pointed a finger at herself as she asked "Are you talking about me?"

"Uh huh." Subaru nodded.

Still in disbelief, Emilia questioned "That's all you're afraid of?"

"Yep, that's it." Subaru nodded again.

With a hand over her chest, Emilia asked with a hint of desperation in her voice "You mean, it's not because I remind you of someone else?"

Tilting his head to the side, Subaru replied "Someone else? There can't be another girl that's pretty like you are. It's impossible."

As her cheeks gained some color, Emilia decided to move things along as she revealed "Subaru, your mom gave me this ticket that says I can do anything I want with you."

Recognizing this situation, Subaru exclaimed "She did that AGAIN?!"

Timidly holding the paper in her hands, Emilia requested "Although, I would feel kind of bad if I used this against your will. So, do I have your permission?"

"No way! You're going to drag me to the bottom of the ocean!" Subaru quickly refused.

Frantically waving her hands in the air, Emilia clarified "I wouldn't do something scary like that. I just want to… You know…"

"No, I don't!" Subaru exclaimed, and finally captivated by her beauty, he consented with a light blush "…As long as I don't drown."

With her hope rekindled by the boy's bashful words, Emilia felt a surge of warmth in her chest, a warmth that she couldn't deny anymore.

As her parental instincts kicked into overdrive, Emilia dashed at the boy with open arms as she beamed "Subaru!"

Despite consenting, Subaru attempted to flee as he screamed "Ahhhh!"

After taking a huge leap into the air and landing right in front of the boy, Emilia stood there as Subaru collided with her chest. Not wasting this opportunity, Emilia wrapped her arms tightly around the boy and beamed "I caught you!"

"Waaaah!" Subaru exclaimed as he was propped up into the air, and the next thing he knew, he was airborne. In fact, the boy was being thrown so high up that he almost collided with the ceiling.

The process of Subaru being thrown up and caught by Emilia repeated several times until the half-elf pulled the boy into a suffocating embrace as she continued to smile "I don't know why, but this is a lot of fun!"

Being squeezed by the girl, a blushing Subaru secretly thought "This part ain't so bad."

"Lady Emilia, may I inquire about what you're doing with Subaru?"

Looking down the hall to see Rem carrying laundry, Subaru noticed that her brow was furrowed as a frown rested on her lips. The blue-haired maid was practically oozing hostility.

Ignorant of the maid's bitterness, Emilia turned her smile to the maid "Ah, Rem. I'm just playing around with Subaru for a little bit. Do you want to join in?"

At Emilia's suggestion, the build-up of jealousy welling within Rem vanished in an instant as her lips curved into a smile "If Lady Emilia is the one requesting, it seems I have no choice in the matter. It's truly regrettable, but I'll have to go along with your suggestion."

Although he hadn't spent much time with her, Subaru understood the meaning behind Rem's smile as he broke into a cold sweat.

"I'm going to die here." Subaru uttered, ignorant of his own foresight.

After the whole thing was over, Subaru unwillingly added several new records to his air time.