Emilia strode gracefully in the family-run, rural establishment, the light bouncing off of her radiant silver hair. Her mauve-turquoise gaze lit up each time she laid the gems upon the small pieces of hand stitched clothing.

"Subaru! Subaru! Look at this one! It's so small and soft.. I wonder if our baby will fit into it-" Emilia picked up a single piece of unique, petite clothing by it's shoulders. "-but you're quite small as well, aren't you Subaru?"

"-Eh?" Zoning back into reality after staring at the gleeful Emilia, he prostrated himself, startled by her verbal slander.

"I'm right aren't I? You're smaller than Roswaal." Slender fingers lined together, Emilia raised her hand above her head, briefly matching it with Subaru's height, followed by stretching her arm up as high as she could.

"Haah?! Roswaal is like.. a clown giant! It simply isn't fair comparing me to him, Emilia-tan."

"Hmm.. I see. I believe you would look odd if you were any taller."

"So d'you want me to be taller or not?!"

"Be small. That way we won't have to spend much money on baby clothes." Subaru couldn't argue with Emilia's unfair logic, however he also couldn't stand his height being berated. He was pretty tall for his age.. in Japan.

"Hey, Emilia-tan? Don't you think we should wait a little before buying clothes? What if the baby comes out huge? Like.. massive?!" Using his arms, Subaru demonstrated how big the baby could be. Maybe twenty inches long was an overstatement, but Subaru continued to stand by his point - looking stupid while doing so. Emilia placed her index finger to her chin, curling it at the tip.

"I suppose you're right.. but! we still need to buy a few things, like.. like toys!" After lowering her head to think, Emilia raised it with a confident smile, now bringing the tips of her two index fingers together.

"Emilia-tan?"

"Yes?"

"Could it be you just want to spend money?" Subaru voiced his assumption matter-of-factly. The fidgety half-elf girl confirmed said suspicion without even speaking. Rather, it was more the jolt that gave it away.

"Eh? What? Subaru, don't make silly assumptions like that. That's not very nice. Bad boy." Emilia huffed, folding his arms and scolding Subaru. He stopped himself from chuckling at her nervous speaking habit: speeding up her speech to almost an incomprehensible level.

"Yeah, I'm being suuuuuper bad. Since I loooove shopping so much, we should go back to the mansion as punishment." Subaru hasn't even noticed any changes in Emilia (other than her constant lectures of do's and don't's with babies), and therefore, he didn't want to waste money on something they weren't even going to use. Natsuki Subaru was just smart like that. He had previously asked Ram if she had been cleaning up any messes made by the half-elf at any point, though he didn't get an answer. Only a wack over the head by a feather duster. He hadn't tried asking Emilia directly yet, since that was something awkward for a woman to discuss, right? It wouldn't matter either way in reality; both the love stricken boy, and the seemingly indifferent half-elf had embarrassed themselves in front of one and other countless times. What does one extra matter?

"I'm not going to fall for your reverse psychology, dunderhead."

"No one says 'dunderhead' anymore. Anyway, Emilia, have you been.. er... throwing up at all? Feeling sick?" What else comes with pregnancy? Subaru didn't know.

"Er.. my tummy has been hurting a little bit.." Keeping her gaze away from Subaru, Emilia began re-folding the childrens clothing she had been admiring minutes prior.

"Your tummy huh? The higher or lower part?"

"Subaru, what's with all there personal question?!" The tips of her ear's red.

"Is it so wrong of me to want to know how the best girl in the world is doing?"

"..Honestly, you're really odd." Emilia crossed her arms in a huff once again, her long hair shuddering with each movement she made.

"Which is it? Top or bottom?"

"...Top."

"Then it's all of the biscuits you've been eating." Once again startled by the rebuke, Emilia flinched, untangling her arms in order to ball her fists by her sides.

"I haven't been eating that many..!"

"Yeah, yeah.. Then maybe it hurts because you're hungry?" Subaru looked to be pondering, trailing his eyes to the ceiling.

"..No, I haven't been feeling that hungry."

"Because you're always snacking on those biscuits." He locked his eyes with hers without a moment of hesitation.

"Subaru..!"

"Barusu. Hurry up." A familiar, cold heard voice spoke into his ear, forcing him to snap his attention to it. Ram, with an aloof expression, stared into his soul. "You have spent far too much time in the capital already."

"Ram?? When'd you get here??"

"I had finished my shopping thirteen minutes ago and decided to wait outside. However, you seem to believe my time is one able to be waisted." She brought herself a few steps away from Subaru.

"How was I supposed to know you were waiting??"

"That was a joke."

"Which part??"

"Lady Emilia, it is time to return to the mansion." The pink-topped girl, her small figure clad in a maids attire, bags at her hands filled with dietary supplies turned her attention to the most important out of the three present.

"Oi! Don't ignore me!" But of course, she did anyway. Even after rising to the title of Emilia's knight, Ram's attitude towards him hadn't changed one bit.

"..Right, we can go back. The sun will be setting soon anyway." Assumable feeling bad for Subaru, she once again made eye contact. "How about we come together again? When we have more time?"

"..E-eh..?! Like a date??" Subaru instinctively placed both of his hands to his sides militaristically, his shoulders rising, red sprinkling his cheeks.

"I suppose so. Would you like to?"

"Certainly! Whatever Emilia-tan wants." Subaru's face looked ugly - like a pufferfish. Ram rolled her eyes. Emilia gave a slight smile.

The ensuing journey was next to silent. Emilia had fallen into a deep slumber less than five minutes after climbing into the dragon drawn carriage and was now pressed shoulder to shoulder with Ram - the bubblegum pink haired maid, who was situated opposite of Subaru. The formers eyes were shut, closed tightly, though she was quite obviously awake.

"Barusu." Her voice rang out, voice bouncing as the cart jumped over pebbles in the road, eyes closed and unflinching.

"I wish you would quit calling me that.." Muttered the nasty-eyed boy being addressed.

"I shan't question why you and Lady Emilia were browsing for infant clothing."

"..That implies you're curious about it." Subaru's lapse in judgement was what had lead to this confrontation.. what will this confrontation lead to?

-It'll be fine. Ram's not the type to snitch... unless it's Roswaal she's snitching to. She would have probably snitched to Rem in the past as well.. Okay, forget it. Ram isn't trustworthy.

"Perhaps I am. However, the fact you have yet to explain yourself means you want it to be kept a secret." She, at last, opened her feline-pointed eyes, staring at Subaru without expression. Even without it, Subaru sensed metaphorical, disembodied daggers being shoved into his chest.

"You picked up on at much huh.." Subaru thought aloud. He leaned over, his spine bending in the way a NEET's normally sits, placing his elbow on the respective knee, of which he used in aiding the propping up of his arm - connected to the arm holding his head.

Silence continued without a seeable end.

Emilia stirred, roused into the world of reality. She held her chin on the top of Ram's shoulder, moving her head upwards in order to look at the latter's cheek. Her legs brushed against the red velvet of the seat as she wiggled into a better position.

"Ra~m. I'm hungry.." Emilia stated, dragging out the vowel in a sing-song tone of voice.

"Didn't you just say ten minutes ago that you weren't??" Subaru shifted his head to the side as the thigh under his elbow began to sting - assumedly thanks to the friction of fabric against his skin each time their transport jolted the slightest bit.

"Well..! Ten minutes have passed since then.. I'm hungry now." Moving so her chin was placed against Ram's upper arm rather than her shoulder, as if her head was too heavy for her to hold on her own, the argent-haired girl made sure she was looking at Subaru.

"Lady Emilia, I have an appa in the shopping bag you may snack on." Ram didn't look at Emilia as a dutiful maid should when speaking. Rather, her intimidating magenta gaze was fixed on Subaru.

"I don't want an appa.. I would like a biiig meal please!"

"We are passing by a small establishment, I believe it would suit--"

"--Turn quick!" Emilia abruptly interrupted Ram after said establishment came into view. The sudden yell - which Emilia began apologising profusely for - made both Ram and Subaru flinch. The cobble building, befitting to what one would imagine of medieval England, was placed to the side of the dragon path, ostracised from the other similar looking buildings dotted around the capital. The white paint was peeling off of the top half of the building, with the faux wooden pillars simply etched into the exterior looking to be only just holding the place up. It reminded Subaru of a tavern.

After convincing their reinsman to turn around, with an extra fee paid of course, Emilia had hopped out of the confined box and was the first of the three to make her way inside, completely oblivious to the attention she was bringing to herself.

Subsequently, Emilia was now perched on a creaky wooden seat at a table matching its companion - with a few extra dents and cup rings seared into it's surface, munching on a pie, content.

"Are you sure you can eat that alllllll by yourself Emilia-tan?" Subaru watched the pie. It smelled delicious. He would be lying if he said he didn't want a bite.. never mind a bite off of the same fork Emilia had used.

"Yes. I'm sure. I'm realllllly hungry."

"Can I ha-"

"-No."

"That's upsetting." After being rejected for the 1000th time by the one he claimed to be the love of his life, Subaru sank into his seat, placing his foot on Emilia's. She wasn't bothered. Emilia quietly groaned-

"..I suppose you can have a teeny tiny eency weency bit.."

"You seem like you REALLY want it... like.. you'll chop my head off if I take more than I'm supposed to..!"

"I will not!"

"Ehhh.. I'm good. My precious Emilia-tan needs to stay healthy." A smirk drew itself across Subaru's face as he gazed towards Emilia. She had a single crumb on the side of her lip.

"..Hmph. I'm already healthy. Too much healthiness would lead to me... exploding."

"Yeah, yeah. You'll go BANG." Subaru teased, making Emilia jolt once he raised his voice. She quickly quietened down and resumed snacking, watching Subaru just incase he changed his mind. Subaru was instead staring out of the large - spanning the length of the wall - stained glass window to his left, as if he could see something out of it. Emilia supposed a lot was on his mind, but decided not to pry.

"Is Lady Emilia with child?" The voice came abruptly out of nothing, the source being none other than the aloof head maid. She stared at Subaru, as if expecting an answer from him. Subaru brought his eyes over to Emilia, glossing over her own - which were cast downwards - and eventually settled onto Ram.

"..Nope! Emilia-tan is such a ditz, she thinks she has a baby in her tum-tum."

"No..! Subaru, there is a baby in my tummy." Having finished her pie, Emilia wiped her face with a hankie, getting rid of the crumbs previously spotting her cheeks. "..St-stuff has been happening.."

"'Stuff'?"

"I'm not telling you..!!"

"..But Emilia-tan..! You can't have a baby like that..! You've gotta... y'know.. err.. hold your bodies real close together. Like touching." Subaru drew both hands without outstretched fingers closer together, as if demonstrating.

"If you really didn't want one with me, then why did you do it?!" Emilia's amethyst eyes became reflective thanks to the water pooling within them. Placed within the center of the reflection was none other than Subaru.

"H-hey, Emilia-tan, don't cry.. I-I just don't understand how it could have happened..! I would love to have looooads of babies with you.." Not wanting to make a scene, the boy attempted to calm Emilia down. He held his hands out, fingers outstretched as if calming a toddler.

"Th-that would be a hassle.." She whispered.

"Right, righty-ho. Not a lot, but.. er.. the one in your belly now! I want that one.." Subaru strained himself to smile, the back of his neck was sweating profusely for a reason unknown to him at the moment.

Sniffling, violet eyes watering, Emilia cracked a small smile:

"Yes.. I want them too.."

"Barusu. You really are an idiot." Ram piped up.

"Wait!! It was YOUR fault Emilia-tan got upset!!" Subaru jumped to his feet, directing an accusatory finger towards Ram, who merely shrugged.

"You really know nothing. I thought being completely illiterate was rock bottom, and yet you still manage to sink further."

"Ram.. What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Subaru! No swearing!" Emilia interjected.

"You don't even know the basics of reproduction." With two girls berating him synchronously, Subaru couldn't bring himself to formulate a liable way of escape. His brain simply wouldn't allow it. Therefore, all he came out with was a meek 'Sorry'.

"It's alright Subaru. You're just an ignorant little boy, you'll learn soon enough." Emilia leaned over the table in order to draw her hand to Subaru's shoulder and lightly pat it.

"Barusu, you have already wasted enough of my time. I an bit about to explain it to you like you are a child. Let us return. Quickly." Without even waiting for a response, Ram stood. Emilia followed with an:

"Alrighty." and left towards their transportation.

"Al..righty..." Subaru imitated, almost in melancholy and followed along.

And so, their previously paused journey continued. And so concluded a side-quest in the game of Subaru's new life.