Human beings desire what they cannot maintain.
They desire a nice and simple life, free of suffering.
-Free of time.
-Free of hard luck.
-Free of grief.
-Free of growing up and free of leaving family behind.
-Free of sacrifice.
-Free of failure.
-Free of forgetting and free of being forgotten.
-Free of discrimination.
It's only a human trait to desire.
What's the problem in taking those desires by force?
A brand new day.
Natsuki Subaru wakes up feeling extra happy, pumped up for the day to come. "Good morning again, world!" he says to his surroundings. "Good morning again, bed. Good morning again, tracksuit. Good morning again, Natsuki Subaru."
Subaru gives praises to the world as he tears off the covers of his bed, revealing a drowsy spirit steadily waking up. "Good morning again to you as well, Beako. How was my amazing spirit's sleep?" he asks her.
Beako rubbed her eyes and stretched out her small arms. With a yawn, she said "My sleep was fine, I suppose. I really don't like to be woken up like this though. What's gotten you so happy, in fact?"
Subaru was indeed extra happy. He really loved the world recently. He really loved his friends as well. Subaru felt extra blessed that his friends continue to stay by him.
"Oh nothing much. It's just that the world seems so amazing when I'm with you. When I'm with all of you." he says. Subaru got up and grabbed his tracksuit from his dresser.
"Oh is that so? Well, it's obvious that you would be so happy when you are with Betty, in fact." she says in return. She sniffs the air and plugs her nose. "Wow you smell very bad, in fact. How do you even get this scent from just sleeping, I wonder? Take a bath." she says as she throws a towel at Subaru.
Subaru gladly takes the towel and heads into the bathhouse. Nobody is there. "The baths are reserved for Natsuki Subaru alone, it seems." he says to himself.
He gets into the bath and begins to wash himself. The water is nice and steamy. Subaru really enjoys how it feels on his skin. "I've gotten really good at making the water the perfect temperature." he says.
Subaru begins to think about what to do today. Yesterday, he hung out with his two bros for the day. Maybe he can spend time with everybody instead. It's important to build healthy relationships. "It's decided then. I'll be spending the day with everybody I love." he said as he continues bathing.
Eventually, he finishes his bath and heads back to see Beatrice. "Hey Beako. I finished my bath. Wanna hang out until breakfast?" he asks her.
"Is that even a question? Of course, in fact." she says in return.
"Nice! What do you want to do?"
"How about we read and talk in the library? I have this book that I am really enjoying reading and would like your opinion on it."
"Let's do that then! I love reading with my Beako! Off we go!"
Subaru and Beatrice made their way to the library. Once they arrived, Beatrice sat down at a table that had a book resting on it. "It's this book, in fact. I'm about halfway through and it's very good, I suppose." she says as she opens the book.
"It's kind of like those books that you said you used to read a lot, I suppose. A light novel, was it? Anyways, this one is a fairytale about a guy who turns into a spirit and makes a contract with this girl, I suppose." she adds to her remark.
Subaru took a look at the book's summary and smiled. "You're right, Beako. This IS kinda like the light novels I used to read. What's it called? 'Spirit in You'? I just may read that one of these days."
Unless he has and forgot about it already.
He gives her the book back and grabs another book from the shelf. Any book will do for today. He begins to read the book and savours his time with his spirit. It was a story about a man who fell too deep into his desires. The man made sure his desires were always granted to him, no matter how it was granted. He loved his desires. He had [Lust] for his desires.
Subaru closed the book and said "Huh. What a strange guy. I pity you my good man."
He put the book back on the shelf and sat down next to Beatrice. He patted her head and said "You look very adorable when you are immersed in your books. I just wanna snap a picture of this moment!"
"Betty looking adorable is as sure as Subaru looking messy, in fact."
"Wait. What do you mean I look messy? I just took a bath."
"Even so, you look rough and messy, I suppose. I don't care all that much since you're still Subaru on the inside, in fact."
Subaru was very happy that Beatrice felt that way. "Aw, you warm my heart very much. Thank you, Beako." he says.
"It's no problem, in fact. Anyways, what was that book you were just reading about?"
"Oh that book? It was about a very lustful man. He became too addicted to his desires."
"Sounds like a tragic story, I suppose."
"Indeed."
Subaru continued to read books with Beatrice until one of the maids started to gather everybody for breakfast. Beatrice puts her bookmark on the page she is on and sets the book down on the table for after. Beatrice takes Subaru's hand and stands up.
"Breakfast with all of my friends. I can't wait." says Subaru as they leave the library. Subaru takes one last look into the library. More specifically, at the book he was reading. Subaru feels some kind of relatability from that story. A strange guy indeed.
Breakfast was, as always, very delicious. Breakfast was prepared by Petra, Frederica and Ram. Sometimes, Subaru helped them make meals. They taught him a lot about preparing meals, so he was even better than his butler days.
"Man, that breakfast was really freaking great! Thank you Petra for the delicious side dishes! Thank you Frederica for the amazing main course! And thank you Ram. For the yams." he says as he wipes off his mouth.
"You forgot to compliment Ram's steamed yams. Ram's signature yams are splendid anyways. Unlike you, Barusu." says Ram as she collects everyone's dishes.
"Uh oh, looks like someone is a bit of a tsundere. Do you wanna hang out?"
"Not one bit. Kindly be a good dog and go jump off the roof."
"Ouch. Well, I'll come back for you later. How about… OTTO!"
Otto turns towards Subaru. "Huh? What is it, Natsuki-san?" he says.
"Wanna hang out for a while? I'm assuming you have no work but if you do, you should come anyways."
"Hang out? Yeah sure. I can put off my work for an hour or two."
"Great! Let's go!"
Subaru led Otto out of the dining hall and into the stables. Patrasche and Frufoo perked their heads up when they entered. As they saw their respective companions, they both became joyful and made an affectionate sound.
"What's up Patrasche? I decided to take a ride and I'm dragging Otto along. Wanna take us? You as well, Frufoo." he says as he opens the pen door. Patrasche nuzzled Subaru's hand and made a noise. "What did she say, Otto?"
"She says of course she would like to take you on a ride. What about you Frufoo?" Frufoo makes a similar noise as Patrasche. "I knew you would. Frufoo says she will take me as well."
"Alright, let's get ready then. Patrasche, here's your saddle." says Subaru. Patrasche lets Subaru put on her saddle. Frufoo does the same for Otto. They mount their respective ground dragons and turn towards each other. "Ready to go, Natsuki-san?"
"Yep. Let's go!"
Patrasche and Frufoo took off. They started to travel down the road until they reached the nearby forest.
They took a ride away from the mansion and deeper into nature. The trees rustle all around them. Subaru basked in the ecstasy he felt in the moment. For at that moment, all Subaru and Otto were, was just a couple of pals and their ground dragons.
Birds chirp as Subaru and Otto pass under their nests. Bugs scream in horror as they are hit by Subaru's passing face. Otto would be the only one to understand that however.
Eventually, they begin to slow down and let their ground dragons walk more slowly. Subaru laughs suddenly. "What's so funny, Natsuki-san?" says Otto as he feeds Frufoo some food.
"Nothing really. I just really love riding on my Patrasche, you know?" Subaru says in return. Otto gives Subaru a nod of agreement.
"I know what you mean. Riding Frufoo is really fun and amazing. Ground dragons are some amazing creatures, huh?"
"Yes they are. Aren't you just the best Patrasche? You take me everywhere and I barely do anything in return."
Patrasche makes a sound and turns her head to Subaru. Otto nods his head agreeingly. "I see where you come from. My Frufoo always says the same things." he says.
"What did Patrasche say?"
"She doesn't mind helping you at all. It's because she really loves you, Natsuki-san."
"Oh, really? Man, you're too good for me Patrasche. Lucky for you, I really love you as well so I'm not gonna leave you behind. Not in a million years."
Patrasche makes an obvious sound of happiness at his statement. Frufoo turns towards Otto. "Yeah yeah. You mean a whole lot to me as well. Despite my hard luck, you stay by my side. Thanks a lot Frufoo." he says as he feeds Frufoo some more.
Subaru thought about his relationship with Patrasche. She met him before the plan to subjugate the White Whale was set into motion. They both felt a bond when they saw each other for the first time. She then went on to help Subaru evade the mist while he acted as a decoy. The plan would probably be a failure without Patrasche.
Then there was that time in the Sanctuary. She pulled the dragon carriage there and constantly helped him return to the mansion. She also was willing to pull him out of the tomb when he lost the qualifications to take the trials. Then for her big heroic act, she dealt the final blow to Garfiel and finally knocked him out.
Patrasche wasn't the only one to help Subaru either. Otto was one of the major pieces of freeing the Sanctuary and saving the mansion inhabitants. Subaru even almost gave up. He would have if not for Otto beating him back to his senses. For that reason,
"You are such a great friend Otto. Thank you for all you have done. For real. I will also never leave you behind as well."
"What's brought this on? Well, thanks a lot. You're a great friend as well, although maybe cool it with the teasing?"
"Hehehe. Maybe you shouldn't have such a teasable looking face? Kidding, kidding. You're amazing Otto."
They began to slowly pull up to the mansion. When they came closer, they saw Garfiel training in the courtyard. "Hey Otto. I'm gonna go see what Garfiel is doing. Catch you later." says Subaru after he returns Patrasche to the stables.
"Alright. I'll see you later then, Natsuki-san."
Subaru walks over to the courtyard and observes Garfiel while he is training. He seems to be working on his speed and reflexes. In the long run, this will really help out Garfiel but Subaru really wants him to just live in the moment instead. Regardless, Subaru doesn't mind training with Garfiel since it's quality time together.
Garfiel keeps training and eventually notices Subaru in the corner of his eye. "Hey cap'n. Have yer' come ta' watch my amazin' self train?" he says. Garfiel commands the few Ryuzu clones they keep around the mansion to fire some arrows at him.
Garfiel uses his shields to block them and dodges the few that are out of his reach. However, one of the arrows manages to graze his shoulder as he dodges another arrow.
"Ow Shit. Fuckin' hurts." says Garfiel. Subaru quickly goes to his side.
"You okay? Your shoulder is bleeding quite a bit." he says as he inspects Garfiel's cut. Garfiel gives him a short "Hah".
"This wound's part of my amazin' selve's trainin'. My divine protection will heal it right up anyways. I can even speed it up wit' healin' magic." he says as he heals his cut.
Subaru was relieved. He hated seeing his friends hurt. If possible, he'd like to just take all their injuries.
Garfiel commands the Ryuzu clones to go back to their positions around the mansion. He then turns towards Subaru. "Well, I trained fer' a while already. Ya' need any help wit' yer' own?" he asks.
Subaru remembers that he hasn't trained his parkour skills yet. He trained with Garfiel many times already. He had him build temporary walls, rails and platforms when they trained together. For now, he will work on his wall running and climbing.
"Yeah, I could use some help. Can you build me a temporary wall? That pile of logs can help." he says.
"A wall, huh? Haven't built many walls before but I'm sure I can make a decent makeshift one." he says as he quickly gets to work.
After about fifteen minutes of very impressive construction, a makeshift wall was made in the courtyard. Subaru was amazed at the speed it took to make.
"Looks good, Garfiel. It's even kind of smooth. Impressive." he says as he touches the wood.
"Hah. My amazin' self has no problem buildin' a mere wall. Even if I only done it a few times."
"Yeah, you are amazing. Alright, I guess I'll start refining my techniques."
Subaru begins to repeatedly try to run up the wall. Using the grips of his hands and feet, he pushes his body up with each step. After only a few steps, he falls back down though. His goal is to be able to reach up higher but he doesn't see himself reaching his goal any time soon.
"That's pretty cool, cap'n. Although, my amazin' self can just jump that wall. I'd probably need a huge ass tower to climb wit' yer' technique." he says as he watches Subaru climb the wall.
"Oh really? Ow. That's pretty… dang it… damn amazing. Shit." says Subaru as he falls off the wall multiple times.
Garfiel's stamina was really amazing to Subaru. He was fast and strong. Way better than Subaru could ever hope to be.
Subaru could at least focus on trying to do his best however. So, he trains his parkour and whip skills everyday. Eventually, he might even reach his personal best potential. He honestly doesn't think he will need it though.
After a while, Subaru begins to practice his wall running. It's pretty much the same as wall climbing but instead of going up, you go diagonally. This is much harder for Subaru to pull off.
"That technique looks useful fer' evasion. Maybe I'll try it out." Garfiel tries to wall run and manages a few steps before he falls again.
"Aha. It's not as easy as it looks. You gotta kinda push yourself up but that also pushes you away from the wall. So, at most I can only manage a few steps. This maneuver should be helpful in small alleyways though."
"I see. Well, I can also try to use it ta' flip off of walls. Yer' learning some decent techniques cap'n."
"Thanks for the praise. But honestly, you're way more amazing than I can be. Please continue to help me, whether that be for training or for any intruders that disturb our happy haven."
"Of course cap'n. Any more vampire bitches come by, I'll kill 'em easy."
"I can rest easy when I'm in a house with such amazing people. Honestly, you're like the little brother I never had. Thanks Garfiel."
Garfiel is taken back by this statement. He then turns his head away and makes an uncharacteristic face. "Thanks cap'n. I look up ta' yer' as well. Guess yer' kinda like my older bro. Otto-bro too."
"Ehe. You look up to us. Warms my heart so much, little brother."
"Don't start sayin' weird things!"
"Sorry, sorry. Hey, ain't that Frederica, Petra and Ram? I guess my training is done for now. I'm gonna go see them so I'll see you later Garfiel."
"Alright. I'm gonna go see the old hag while she's here. Later, cap'n."
Subaru left Garfiel and went to see the maids of the mansion next. It seems like they are unloading groceries from a dragon carriage. "Helping time." he says to himself.
"Hey guys. Want some help?" he asks the maids.
"Oh, no need Subaru-sama. We can handle it." says Frederica.
"It's fine. I'm free right now anyways. Let me help."
"There's only a few bags though. Three of us should be able to hold them all."
"Then I'll hold some of Petra's. Let her tiny arms rest up a bit."
"Subaru-sama! My arms aren't tiny!"
Subaru insists that he helps and Frederica insists they can handle it for some more time. Eventually, Ram grows tired of this interaction and sighs. "This is only wasting time. Barusu can just take Ram's bags since he insists on working so much. Don't drop them or you'll look just like how the eggs will look." she says as she pushes the bags into his chest.
"Eep! Scary! Nee-sama, you can be so intimidating sometimes." says Subaru, grabbing the bags with care.
Subaru, Frederica and Petra take the groceries to the kitchen, where they start to put them away. Subaru takes all the spices and puts them into their respective jars, Petra takes all the extra flour to the storage room and Frederica puts the remaining items away.
Frederica takes a look at the time. Time to prepare lunch. "Petra. It's time to make lunch. I need you to fetch some ingredients from the storage room." she says.
"Ooh, it's time to prepare lunch? I will help you guys as well. Before you say I've done enough, I made a declaration to spend time with everyone today." says Subaru as he grabs an apron.
"Everyone? Even Roswaal-sama?"
"Why would I want to spend time with that clown. Besides, he's going out before dinner."
"Is he? He never informed us about going out."
"I overheard it in a conversation or something. Regardless, I'm spending today with everyone that makes me happy."
Frederica sighs and gives into Subaru's proposal of work. "Fine. What shall we make for lunch then?" she says.
"How about something like soup? I'm really feeling like eating vegetables today. Vegetable soup sounds real good."
"Vegetable soup? That sounds great. Petra, go grab some vegetables you'd use in soup."
"Okay Frederica-neesama. Be right back."
"I'll come help you Petra. Wait up."
Subaru and Petra went into the storage room to find some vegetables. They opened some barrels and found them. "Alright Petra. What kinds of vegetables do you like? Don't suggest peas though." he says.
"In my soups, I really like sliced carrots and onions. Tomatoes also make the soup yummy."
"Carrots. Got 'em. Hey look, they match your hair. Ehe, you're a good carrot Petra."
"What kind of compliment is that? Oh, found the onions."
"And found the tomatoes. For extra measure, I'll also grab some other vegetables. Celery and corn should work. There we go. Shall we head back?"
"Yes. Frederica-neesama probably already got started so let's hurry back"
Subaru and Petra made their way back to the kitchen. They set down the vegetables and got ready to cut them. Frederica grabbed some cutting boards and knives.
"First things first. Wash the vegetables. Let's do this Petra." says Subaru.
Subaru and Petra washed the vegetables and started handing them to Frederica. Frederica started to cut the carrots while they washed the rest of the vegetables. When they finished, Subaru grabbed the celery and started to cut them up. Petra chopped the onions.
When they were cut up, Frederica started to cook the vegetables in a pot. Petra diced the tomatoes while they waited. After a while, Frederica added a few cloves of minced garlic and let the vegetables cook a bit longer.
"It's almost time to add some of the other stuff. Petra, go grab some of the vegetable broth. Subaru-sama, gather the basic soup spices. I'm assuming you know what they are since you briefly worked as a butler." says Frederica, trying one of the carrot slices.
"Okay, head chef. Coming up."
"I'll be back with the broth."
They gathered the ingredients they needed for the next step. When it was time, they added in the broth, spices and tomatoes. The soup sat like that until it was boiling. They turned down the heat of the fire crystal powering the oven.
"Now, we wait. While we do that, we get the task of separating the corn from the cobs." says Frederica.
"Cut them in half and pick out the kernels, right? I can do that." says Subaru as he grabs a knife.
They remove the corn kernels from the cob and wait until it's time to add them into the soup. While they are waiting, Ram enters the kitchen. She sees Subaru and says "disgusting."
"Ignoring Barusu handling the food, Roswaal-sama has informed Ram that he will be leaving after lunch. He will be back after dinner." she adds.
"Is that so? Looks like you were right, Subaru-sama." says Frederica.
"Barusu knew about Roswaal-sama leaving?"
"I overheard it in a conversation or something. I don't know where he is going and I don't care either." says Subaru.
Ram inspects his face for a second but doesn't probe any further. She turns towards the door and begins to leave. "Roswaal-sama will not require a plate for dinner today. Just keep that in mind." she says. She then leaves the kitchen.
"Frederica-neesama, is it time to put in the corn?" asks Petra, holding up the bowl of corn.
"Yes, it should be time. Why don't you put them in?" Frederica says in return.
Petra pours the corn into the soup and they let it cook for five more minutes. Once it's done, Subaru helps them make bowls. Subaru looks at their hard work when the bowls are ready to be served. "Wow, we did pretty good this time. Good job guys." he says.
"Yes! Frederica-neesama is such a good chef. Someday, I hope to be as good as her." says Petra.
"I think you're already a very good chef, Petra. Honestly, some maids here feel inferior for some reason. You are all such great workers. It's pretty cute seeing you work so hard. I want you to stay small and cute forever."
"Too bad, Subaru-sama. I'm growing as we speak. Pretty soon, I might even reach Garfiel-sama's height."
"Well, I'm one to live in the moment so I'm happy to see you so small and adorable."
Subaru and Petra's banter goes on for some more time. After a few minutes, Frederica tells Petra to go gather everyone for lunch. Petra quickly leaves the room and goes to inform everybody that lunch is being served.
Frederica begins to put the bowls on a cart. She also grabs a basket that contains bread, a bowl of butter and a few shakers of salt and pepper. Subaru thinks that she is a really hard worker. "You work very hard, Frederica. Ram and Petra too. Thanks for all that you do. Ryuzu is here today so why don't you take a few minutes to say hi after?"
"I can make some time. I'll see her sometime in the evening. Now, lunch will be served right away so go take a seat in the dining hall."
Subaru leaves the kitchen and goes to the dining hall. When he arrives, he finds Emilia. Emilia sees him and smiles.
Subaru takes a seat next to her. "Hi Emilia-tan. What's up?" he says.
"I've just been working on my paperwork. I have a lot today but I think I'll be done in another hour or so. What have you been doing Subaru?"
"I'm going around spending time with everyone. It's great to build relationships as much as possible. Especially since I really love you all."
"That's nice. One of these days, I want to make time to spend the day with everyone too. Make sure you come to spend some time with me after as well."
"Of course I will Emilia-tan. I really want to be by your side always but I know I should just let you work. When you are done, I'll come find you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
They wrapped their pinkies together and sealed their promise. Everyone started to arrive into the dining hall for lunch.
Once everyone was seated, Frederica and Petra rolled the cart in. Ram followed behind. "Lunch is served!" says Petra.
Subaru said his prayers and enjoyed eating with everybody together.
Some time after lunch, Subaru wanders around the mansion a bit. Emilia needs to finish her work and Ram is cleaning up the garden. Subaru prays for those bush's safety.
Eventually, he passes by the guest room and knocks on the door. He opens it without even waiting for anyone to say anything. Ryuzu is sitting by herself looking out the window. She turns her head towards Subaru.
Subaru sits down on a nearby chair and says "Hey Ryuzu. You're Bilma, right?"
"Hello Su-bo. Yes, I would be Bilma. What brings you here?"
"I thought that since you are here today, I might as well come visit you. I even asked Petra to bring tea. She should be here promptly."
"That girl really is fond of you. I'm sure she is trying her hardest to make the water the perfect temperature and bring the best tea."
"Wait, you're right. I should've told her to just bring anything. I kinda wanna see how she looks now hehe~."
Subaru imagines Petra frantically looking for the best tea they have. "She probably looks adorable. Kind of like Beako when she blows me away too hard." he thinks to himself.
Ryuzu looks outside again. Subaru takes a look as well. Frederica is working on the garden and Garfiel is helping her out.
"Have you seen them yet? Garfiel and Frederica?" he asks her.
"Ga-bo has seen me already. I don't want to impose on Frederica's work so I'm waiting until she is on break."
"Thought so."
Petra knocks on the door of the guest room and peeks her head in. "Hello Subaru-sama. Ryuzu-sama. I've brought the tea!" she says.
She places two cups on the end table and fills them up with tea. "Thanks Petra. Someday, you will make such an amazing wife." says Subaru as he picks up his cup.
"I-is that so? T-thanks Subaru, I guess." Petra says as she places the teapot back on the tray and begins to walk out of the room. As she is leaving, she can be heard faintly giggling.
"You are cruel, Su-bo. Playing with a small girl's heart." says Ryuzu as she takes a sip of tea.
"Forgive me. Her reactions are just too cute. At least you can agree on me with that."
"Yes indeed. That girl makes me feel very young."
"That sounds funny with your appearance. You might as well be another Petra."
Subaru takes a sip of the tea. He tastes it and swallows it. "Tastes like leaves still. Tea has been growing on me lately though." he says.
"The last time I came by, you didn't actually like it though. However, you drank it anyway."
"Well, that's in the past. Tea is really nice when talking with you. Wouldn't you say?"
"I'd have to agree with you there."
Ryuzu looks outside at Garfiel and Frederica again. Garfiel messed up a bit and is currently yelling at the bush. Ryuzu gives a faint laugh.
"That Ga-bo is such an energetic boy. Both of my grandchildren have grown so much recently. Thanks for helping them out, Su-bo." she says.
"No problem. Though, it was tough getting on Garfiel's nice side at the start. I'm happy that we can be such good bros now."
"Ga-bo was just scared at the Sanctuary. He just needed a push from people that wanted to help him. If it weren't for your group coming along, he'd probably still be such a scared boy."
Subaru looked back at the time in the Sanctuary. Emilia became more affectionate towards Subaru after that. He also made a contract with Beako and became friends with Garfiel. Roswaal was the organizer behind the attempted assassinations and bringing the Great Rabbit though. Subaru hates his guts.
Thanks to that however, Subaru is able to live with all his favourite people. A happy mansion of happy people. Subaru wants this happiness to never end.
"Now that we're out of the Sanctuary, it's really nice seeing Ga-bo and Frederica growing closer together again. Gee, that boy really dotes on his family." says Ryuzu.
"He really does. He said he'd show no mercy if anyone from the Sanctuary got hurt. I promise to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Thanks. I feel like you should be saying that to Ga-bo though."
"Ah, you're right! I forgot to promise him that everyone will be safe today! I'll make sure to emphasize it tomorrow."
"It should be fine. I'm sure he knows that you will work your hardest. Ga-bo tells me how amazing you are a lot. It's one of the things he tells me the most."
"He does? That's new knowledge. Honestly, I don't see what he sees. I'm just an average guy."
"You work hard and always know what to do, he tells me. That does sound just like what happened in the Sanctuary."
"Ah, I guess I do. I gotta keep up appearances then. That Garfiel really looks up to me, huh?"
"He does. Keep him happy for me."
"Alright. Will do."
Subaru downs the rest of his tea and stands up. "Well, I'm going to go see if anyone else wants to hang out too. Petra will probably come pick up the dishes. Make sure you see Frederica after. She will most likely have time off really soon." he says.
"Okay Su-bo. I'll go see her after I finish here. Bye for now then."
"See ya. Oh. One more thing. You should stay for dinner. I wanna make an announcement to everyone."
"Stay for dinner? I can do that. I'll have to leave a bit later though."
"Alright! I'm sure dinner will be delicious so you won't regret it. Well, bye then."
Subaru leaves the room and walks to his own room. He digs in his dresser for some fabrics and sewing supplies. He also grabs a useless pillow and a few pencils.
Holding all of these supplies in his arms, he makes his way down to a certain girl's cell. He walks down the staircase and opens the cell door.
What greets him is a room that's reminiscent of a little girl's room. In the center of the room is a blue-haired girl playing with dolls.
"Hello Meili. Playing with the dolls I made you? Ehe~ warms my heart so."
"Don't make it weird, onii-san. I'm just doing one of the only entertaining things to do around here."
"Yeah yeah. Look, I brought more stuff to make another one. I thought I'd get your input on what to make this time."
"Ooh~, another doll for me to make them suffer! Ah, that one over there needs some patching up by the way."
"Where the hell is the arm? How am I gonna patch it up without the pieces?"
"I dunno. Just close the arm hole I guess. No need to give them their arm back."
"Man, you're an aggressive one. Fine, I won't give it another arm."
He closes the hole of the deformed doll's arm. May you have a better time going forth.
"Thanks, onii-san. Now this one won't bleed out and die."
"That's scary but I'm just gonna overlook it for now. What do you want me to make today? I'm thinking of a bear, a rabbit or a scary looking mabeast."
"A scary looking mabeast! That's spot on! Make that!"
"Alright then, one mabeast coming up."
Subaru begins cutting the fabric to the proper shapes. He's made mabeasts before, so he remembers the shapes. He cuts the body, limb and head shapes. A tail as well.
Then, he begins to stitch the parts together. He starts making the limbs first and foremost. He stitches them together and uses the stuffing from the pillow to stuff the limbs.
Once they are all made, he begins on the head. The head needs a few parts to actually look like a mabeast. He makes the head, some ears and a horn. He uses all his sewing knowledge to make the head look as close to the real thing as possible. Once he is done, he puts the horn on top and attaches it loosely.
He finishes the mabeast by making the body. He attaches all the parts together and holds up his work.
"Wow, onii-san. That's probably the best one yet." says Meili as she stares at the doll.
"Ehe~. I worked hard to fine tune my sewing skills. It was worth it to see you so happy. Here, take it."
Meili accepts the doll and right away, rips the horn off of it. Subaru would've been mad but he knows this is how Meili likes it done.
"Ehehe~. Now you are under my control. I'll name you Witch Doggy."
"Is the witch dog gonna bite up and tear all the other ones?"
"Yup. Witch Doggy is going to make them wallow in agony. Rooaar!"
"Ah, so scary Meili! Look, even this guy is afraid." says Subaru as he picks up one of the dolls.
He makes it run across the floor and makes a high pitched screaming sound. Meili makes the mabeast doll pounce on Subaru's doll. "Ah, no please. Good dog. Good dog." he says.
"No, Witch Doggy. Eat him up. That will be your treat today. Rooaar!"
"Ahhh! Blurgh." Subaru leaves the doll limp on the ground. He grabs some nearby red strings and throws them all over the doll.
"Aw man. He died. Maybe I'll save this guy too." says Subaru.
"Nope. He is unsaveable. He is forever dead. Goohehehe."
"The way you play is very scary. I won't judge though. I used to rip heads off dolls and figurines as well. Present-me would slap past-me for treating figurines in such a way."
Subaru stands up and gathers all his supplies. He puts the sewing supplies in his pocket and throws away the extra fabric. He places the pencils in a jar on her desk. She needed a refill of pencils.
"Dinner will be served a little bit later. Frederica will bring it down most likely."
"Aw. Petra-chan's not gonna bring it?"
"She's kinda still mad at you about the other mansion. Give her some time probably. Maybe she'll forgive you."
"I'll just apologize the next time I see her. Well, see ya then onii-san."
"Yeah, bye."
Subaru let her continue to play with her dolls. He left her cell and made his way to another girl's room. A girl who is forgotten by the world.
He entered the room and sat down next to her bed. She is in an indefinite sleep with no sign of waking up. He grabs her hand.
"Hey Rem. I'm back." he says.
"..."
The girl gave no response to him. She just continues to sleep. Unmoving.
Subaru at least can affirm that she is alive. That's all that's good about her situation though. She will not waste, age or wake up.
"This day was a great one so far, Rem. I spent time with everyone. All I need to do now is spend time with Ram and Emilia-tan now." he says.
"..."
"Beako is very cute when she wakes up. Otto is very dependable. I think you'd enjoy his presence. Don't get too attached though ehe~."
"..."
"Garfiel is such a nice bro. I'm sure you probably know him at least a bit. Petra and Frederica also work very hard. Ah, you remember Petra right? We saved her that one time."
"..."
"Ryuzu really cares for her family. It warms me up inside seeing their family together."
"..."
"Meili is a nice kid from what I can tell. She tried to kill us, you know. Don't think too badly of her though. She is very cute when you give her things."
"..."
"All that's missing is you in our happy family. I'm so very sorry that I couldn't even save you. I regret it with every inch of my being. So I try to make it up to you by visiting you everyday."
"..."
"I know it doesn't help at all but I feel like maybe, just maybe, if I visit you enough, you will wake up. Then my happy family will be whole again."
"..."
Subaru falls into despair while he holds the girl's hand. He curses the one known as "Gluttony" a thousand times.
"Please Rem. Wake up soon. I really miss you." he says.
"..."
"How long are you going to have that look on your sorry face Barusu?" says a voice at the door.
"Ram."
"Ram's sister wouldn't want you to have such a look if how you describe her is accurate. Especially not by her side." says Ram.
"I guess you're right. I'm really pathetic, huh? I don't know what you see in me honestly, Rem."
"Ram also doesn't know what she sees in Barusu. Maybe she liked you out of pity. Or like how a girl likes a dog."
"That's just like you, nee-sama. Thanks for not changing at all."
"Why do you call Ram nee-sama anyway? We're not related."
"Oh, that's how Rem addressed you. I just picked it up. She really looked up to you. Kind of too much if I'm being honest."
The girl's inferiority complex to Ram was such a burden on her. Subaru hoped that he would be able to break it for her. Then she was forgotten by everyone but Subaru.
"She looked up to you but honestly she did her job better than you. No offense."
"If she can do a better job than me, she also does a better job than you. What kind of relationship did we share?"
"Erm… you both kind of doted on each other. Yeah. Rem would praise your work and you would be proud of her own. You guys couldn't just acknowledge your own work."
Subaru took another look at the girl. "Rem, you worked so hard. Why couldn't you see that?" he says to her.
"..."
"I barely know anything about her but seeing your dirty hands touching her hand makes Ram feel uncomfortable."
"Please overlook it for now. Rem was important to me just as she was to you."
"Fine. But remove your hands from hers promptly."
Subaru thought about the times they spent together. They participated in the snow festival, made mayonnaise and sometimes just goofed around. "Hey. Recently, I was wondering what your memories are like about things that we did together. Like that time I threw you and Rem caught you." he asks Ram.
"Ram doesn't like to think about her memories about Rem. There is a connection but whenever I try to remember any memories, I get a blistering headache."
"Oh. Damn Gluttony. I wanna tear that guy's limbs off his body."
"Ram would also like to make that slimy goblin suffer."
Subaru thought about this world's problems. It still had the archbishops, the witch cult, the Black Serpent, conflict with neighbouring countries. This world seriously has too many problems to live a leisurely life. Not to mention the Royal Selection.
Subaru thinks that he might eventually decide to take care of these problems. For now however, he will simply enjoy time with his friends.
"Rem. I will someday beat your name and memories out of that bastard's stomach and kill him. Just please hold off for some time." he tells the girl.
"Ram will hold you to that Barusu. Oh, but if I find him first, I'll kill him instead."
"That's fine I guess too. As long as I get to watch him suffer in agony."
Subaru stands up and lets go of the girl's hand. "I'll leave you two together alone now. I'm sure that is why you came here." he says to Ram.
"How perceptive of you. Being perceptive is one of your only okay traits after all."
"Heh. Don't change nee-sama. Well, see ya."
He leaves the room and closes the door. With nothing else to do, he goes to see Emilia. "She is done with her work usually by now." he says to himself. He walks over to near the dining hall. When he arrives, he sees Emilia wandering around.
"Yo! Emilia-tan!" he calls to her.
Emilia turns her head around and spots Subaru. She smiles at her sight of him. "Hello, my knight. Have you seen everybody yet?" she asks him.
"Yep. Seen everybody except you. Also, I'm not including Roswaal in my list."
"I feel like you should at least try to get along with Roswaal a bit. He is my supporter after all."
"If you want me to, I can put up a fake act around him. That's as far as I will go though. I will not become buddies with him."
"Fine. That's good enough I guess. So, since you've seen everyone else, you came to see me now?"
"Indeed! Saving the best for last! I got to spend time with all my friends and now I get to spend the last part of my day with Emilia-tan! EMT!"
Subaru and Emilia started to wander around the mansion. They just decided to walk around and talk. "I finally finished my work a while ago. I have been wandering the halls since you were spending time with everyone else. I didn't wanna intrude." says Emilia.
"Emilia-tan comes first, so come see me anytime you want. I don't mind at all. Even if I'm in the bathroom taking a shit."
"I'm not going to go that far, geez. Besides, you said it yourself. It's good to build up relationships. Keep doing that, Subaru. It really helps the camp have happy vibes."
"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe you should do that too."
"Yeah, I will."
Subaru and Emilia look outside. The sun has already set and the moon is rising. "It's been a nice day, Emilia-tan. Sorry I barely spent any time with you. For that, I will spend my time with you until dinner and all day tomorrow." says Subaru.
"It's fine that you didn't spend too much time with me. I was occupied with paperwork anyways. Also, I will have some more to do tomorrow."
"I will help you with your paperwork then. That way, it's done super fast and we can spend the day together properly. I promise."
"Pinky promise?"
"Yes. Cross my heart and hope to die."
"Can't wait then. Let's go see Costuul or something. That will be fun." says Emilia. She takes a look at Subaru's hand and notices a small cut.
"Oh, what happened there? On your hand." she says.
Subaru takes a look at his hand and says "ah."
"I honestly don't remember. I think it happened yesterday? From what I can remember anyways."
"Want me to heal it for you?"
"Yeah, sure. I love the feeling of your healing magic, Emilia-tan. Hehe~ it makes me feel good."
Emilia takes Subaru's hand and places two of her fingers over Subaru's cut. Her fingertips start glowing and Subaru's cut begins to heal. Subaru savours the feeling of Emilia healing him.
Emilia finishes healing the cut. It didn't take too much time since it was small. "There! All better." she says.
They both continue to just wander the mansion. Emilia enjoys just being in Subaru's presence so doing nothing is fine with her. Subaru kind of feels the same way. Multiplied by a thousand times that is.
"So, my knight. What did you do with everyone today?" Emilia asks Subaru.
Subaru thinks back on this day. "Well, I woke up and hung out with Beako for a while. Then after breakfast, Otto and I took a ride. I worked on my parkour skills with Garfiel and helped Frederica and Petra make lunch. I drank tea with Ryuzu and made a doll for Meili." he says.
"Wow. Your day was full. You even made some time for Meili." says Emilia.
"Well yeah. She isn't part of the camp but she is a nice girl. Oh yeah. I also visited Rem with Ram. We talked about what their relationship was like."
Emilia gave a melancholic look upon hearing this. "That girl was really important to you, huh?" she says.
"She was. Almost as important as you. I will one day wake her up and we can all be happy together."
"If it helps, I will work very hard to become king. Then we can both use some of the dragon blood."
"It warms my heart that you want to help me but you should use the dragon blood first and foremost. Besides, I'm sure there are other ways to wake up Rem. I'll eventually get to it."
Subaru and Emilia eventually find themselves at the library. They find Beatrice sitting there. "Hey Beako! Reading still?" Subaru asks her.
"Yes, I suppose. Subaru was spending time with everyone else so I just stayed back. The quiet was nice anyways, in fact." she says.
"I'll leave you to it then. Emilia-tan and I were just wandering the halls, so sorry if we disturbed your reading."
"Wait, I suppose! It's time to drain your mana, in fact!"
"Oh yeah. You do that. It hasn't been too big of a problem recently though."
"Did you hit your head, I wonder?! If you leave your mana alone, you will go boom, in fact!"
"Yeah go ahead. It's no trouble anyways."
Beatrice takes Subaru's hand and starts to drain his mana. Subaru can feel slightly weaker as she drains his mana. Subaru looks around the library. "Hey Emilia-tan. Maybe we can come read for a bit tomorrow. That would be nice." he says.
"Why not? I have wanted to read some stories recently. Let's come tomorrow then."
"Just don't fill the library with your flirting, I suppose."
Subaru just said "yeah yeah" to Beatrice. She lets go of his hand when she finishes draining his mana. Subaru suddenly feels very exhausted but tries to maintain his image in front of Emilia.
"Well… hah~… we'll leave you to your reading. hah~... Dinner will be served soon so… haah~... watch for that." he tells Beatrice.
"You're breathing pretty heavily, Subaru. Do you need to go sit down?" Emilia asks.
"Nope. Let's go continue our walk. hah~"
Subaru and Emilia allow Beatrice to continue reading. They leave the library and continue to wander the halls. Emilia suddenly remembers something and turns towards Subaru. "Oh. I have something to show you. Can you come see me after dinner? It's really amazing." she says with a smile.
Subaru gets a wave of guilt. He turns his head to the ground and says "Maybe. I also… uh… had something planned. Yeah. I need to do that."
"It will only take a few minutes. I'll be waiting."
"Sorry then." he thinks to himself.
They continue to wander the halls until they see Petra looking around. She spots them and runs over. "There you are. Dinner is about to be served so make your way down to the dining hall." she says to them. She then quickly makes her way down the hall in pursuit of everyone else's room.
"I wonder what is for dinner. Hopefully it's very yummy. It always is though." says Emilia. She begins to walk to the dining hall. Subaru follows behind.
"It should be. Especially since Petra and Frederica made it. I believe Ram made some of her yams as well." he says.
"Ooh. I can't wait ehe~. Ram's signature yams are very yummy. I like them with mayonnaise too."
"Nice! I'm glad Emilia-tan loves mayonnaise. We can share my personal bottle even. We can be like lovebirds who share their food."
"Lovebirds? I don't really know much about all that stuff so how about palbirds? Good friends share food too, yes?"
"Into the friendzone I go! I'll eventually make you fall for me. But yes I guess so. With you, I'd share all my mayonnaise."
"What a weird way to show your affection. Ah, but you reaaally love mayonnaise, right? Since you do, you probably only share with really important people."
"Correct! I'd share my mayonnaise with all the people I love. Luckily for you, you're right on top of that list."
"Though, there is a bottle of mayonnaise I can just use instead. Savour your mayonnaise, Subaru."
When they stop, they realize they arrived at the dining hall. "Wow, time flies when I'm with you Emilia-tan. Damn." says Subaru.
"I feel the same way. Well, shall we?"
"Yeah. Dinnertime baby."
They enter the dining hall and sit in their seats, preparing for the upcoming meal. Subaru especially prepares hard.
Dinner looked very appetizing. Petra, Frederica and Ram prepared some steak-like meat, mashed tatoes, some salad and steamed yams. Everyone was drooling when it was being served. They thanked the maids for the food and began to dig in.
Subaru really enjoyed his day. He made time to see everybody in the Emilia camp. Plus Meili too. He compared today to his past few days. This day took the top spot he'd say. What's even better is that he has a day with Emilia planned for tomorrow.
Subaru eats some more of his food and then stands up. Everyone looks up at him. "Everybody, I just wanted to say…"
His true feelings. How he felt.
"I really appreciate you guys. Beako, Otto, Garfiel, Petra, Frederica, Ryuzu, Meili and Rem, though they aren't here at the table, Ram and finally Emilia. I really appreciate how much you care for me."
"Thank you as well, I suppose." "I appreciate you as well, Natsuki-san." "Cap'n brought my amazin' self out and showed me that th'world ain't that bad." "I appreciate your help as well Subaru-sama." "Yes, you help us even though you aren't a butler." "Su-bo, I also appreciate you." "Thanks for telling Ram about Rem, I guess."
Subaru began tearing up at their words. He has such nice friends.
"I also appreciate you very much, Subaru. Without you, I'd still be such a weirdo. Thank you so much." says Emilia.
Subaru's eyes leaked a few tears. He really was head-over-heels for Emilia.
"Man, I love you. I love all you guys. You guys are like my family."
Subaru's true feelings for his friends was love and affection. Emilia takes his hand.
"We all love you as well. You helped everyone here sooo much and we can barely repay you. Just know we love you for that." she says.
Subaru was filled with such a warm feeling. He gave a warm smile to everyone.
"I am so happy to hear that. You guys all loving me back is payment enough. Thank you very much." he says.
Everyone's faces had a big smile on it. Even Ram had a smile. Emilia begins to speak again.
"And what's more is that- huh?"
Something splattered all over her clothes.
It was wet.
It was sticky.
…
…
…
…
…
It was red.
…
…
…
…...
"Wha-?"
"I really love you guys. So much. I want to never lose you guys. I want to keep on living with my happy family. I want to keep on loving each other."
Emilia slowly turns her head from her red-stained clothes up to Subaru.
"S-SUBARU!"
Subaru had a knife in his chest. No. He stabbed a knife into his own chest.
"I absolutely love you guys."
Everyone was horrified and had no words for what was transpiring in the moment.
"I immensely love you guys."
Subaru took the knife out of his chest and stabbed himself again.
"I especially love you guys!"
Again.
"I TREMENDOUSLY LOVE YOU GUYS!"
Again.
"I LOVE YOU GUYS WITH EVERY INCH OF MY SOUL!"
He collapses on the ground. Everyone rushes to his side looking horrified.
"I-"
Emilia collapses to her knees.
"-LOVE YOU ALL!"
Emilia touched his face. Tears started streaming down her face.
"Why? You said we will be together tomorrow. You promised me, Subaru."
"And we will! Because I love you, Emilia!"
"Subaru... why?" "Natsuki-san…" "Cap'n don't leave…" "Subaru!" "Close your eyes Petra." "Su-bo…" "Barusu... who's going to remember Rem?"
"I'm sorry everyone! But this way, we can live free of suffering! I'm doing this out of love! Out of my love for all of my family! My only regret is about Rem! But when I have my fix, I'll go kill that Gluttony fucker myself and then we can all live happily ever after! You all will love Rem! She's such a nice girl!"
The room was full of the sounds of sobbing and Subaru's crazed declarations of love.
"I love you."
The room was turning darker.
"-love you."
Emilia's cries are one of the final sounds he can hear.
"-ve you."
The floor becomes more and more stained with red.
"..."
The world finally turns black.
…
…
…
A brand new day.
Natsuki Subaru wakes up feeling extra happy, pumped for the day to come.
He tears the covers off his bed.
"Good morning again Beako! How was my amazing spirit's sleep?"
"My sleep was fine, I suppose. *sniff sniff* Wow, you smell very bad, in fact."