AN:

Part 2 of Melancholy if! It's a little short than I intended it to be, but it's fine. I decided to write multiple chapters, so enjoy SlothBaru and MelancholyDeneb!

The walk home was rather tense for Lyra; the risk of losing Deneb scared her more than anything in the world. She was certainly grateful for Halibel's help considering that they'd both be dead if it wasn't for him. After taking them home and bidding them a good night, Lyra was left with the usual. Deneb was silent and nearly motionless on the bed and Lyra felt a little lonely.

"Deneb~..."

"..."

Calling out her name and receiving no response as usual Lyra looked down solemnly. She sighed as she checked on her and made sure Deneb didn't have any hidden injuries as she slept peacefully. Her chest gently rising and falling being one of the few signs that she was even alive. Even so Lyra would remain hopeful that Deneb would come back to her one day, even if she had to wait an eternity for it.

"I love you~."

Whispering her affection into Deneb's ear, Lyra hoped that it might get through to her. She gently combed her fingers through Deneb's hair as she adjusted the pillow a bit so she could lay with her.

The next morning was exactly like the others, Lyra got up and immediately started breakfast, so she could begin feeding Deneb as quickly as possible. It was a very time consuming process since Deneb was incredibly difficult when it came to taking care of herself.

"Deneb, it's time to eat."

"...Sleep."

"You need your daily nutrition."

Lyra kneeled down in front of Deneb's face, who was laying on her side, and tried to prop her up. Deneb wasn't having it, however, and went completely limp in an effort to resist Lyra's attempts to move her. Luckily for Lyra she was strong enough that her half-hearted resistance wasn't much of a problem. Lyra managed to sit Deneb upright and sat next to her with the warm bowl of soup. She mostly made easy to chew foods and soups for Deneb since it was a random chance whether she'd actually try to chew her food or not, and chewing her food for her didn't work out very well.

"...Sleep."

She repeated the same word for a third time as her body began to slip from Lyra's shoulder and fall down. Seeing her slide down set Lyra into a panic as she used the arm that was holding the spoon to stabilize Deneb's body. Her job would start soon and she needed to feed Deneb before she left so she could have some peace of mind.

"Deneb, please eat. You can sleep after you finish your food."

"...Sure."

Deneb agreed to Lyra's request easily and opened her mouth wide enough for Lyra to slip the spoonful of soup inside. She continued to feed her until the soup was gone and gave her a light kiss to the forehead as she tucked her in. She went to collect her things so she could head off to work stopping at the door.

"I'll be~ back soon. I love you~."

Lyra didn't want to go, but she wouldn't be able to live with Deneb comfortably otherwise. She exited the tenement house quietly locking the door behind her.

"Lya, look at you going to work. That's very admirable of you."

"Save it~. Are you actually~ going to watch Deneb~ while I'm gone today~? Or am I going~ to find you napping on the floor again~."

"Lya, it really hurts when you call it napping. I'm just keeping watch with my eyes closed is all. Plus, shouldn't you be a little more grateful towards me?"

Lyra ran into Halibel as he was casually strolling towards her and Deneb's home. He puffed on his kiseru as he smiled when he saw her. Immediately cracking a joke before she could even open her mouth.

"I am grateful~. Hmph."

"That's not the sort of face someone who's grateful makes."

Lyra huffed as she turned her head away from him. Halibel moved his kiseru up and down in his mouth, puffing on it again before continuing.

"Don't worry, there's something I wanted to talk to you about later anyway. So, spending the day with Deb while I wait isn't a big deal."

"Alright then~, and thank you~ again."

Lyra lowered her head respectfully as she handed Halibel the house key. He readily accepted it with a large smile on his wolf face and she left Deneb in his care until it was time for her to return home for the day.

Lyra had been a teacher at Temple Elementary School for quite a few years now. She enjoyed her job and had even started earning enough to support Deneb on her own through her hard work. The school building wasn't particularly large, however, it did house a few hundred students ranging in age from six to eleven years old. Each day was quite similar as she'd get there early in the morning before any of the children had a chance to arrive to begin setting up her lesson plan for the day.

"Last week~ we started simple addition~. Hm… I guess I should move onto subtraction then~..."

Lyra was thumbing through the lesson plan from the previous week. Sliding the last lesson plan she had written out of her bag, her attention was caught by a soft knock on the sliding door to her classroom.

"Ahem, excuse me Mrs. Arided."

"Come in~."

A large kobold entered the room wearing a suit and tie with someone else standing a little off to the side mostly hidden by his large body. The kobold was the principal of Temple Elementary School and also Lyra's boss. He entered the room along with a young woman with medium length sky blue hair that covers her right eye, large light blue eyes, and young looking features.

"Is she a~ new teacher? I didn't know~ you were hiring more~."

"That's right. I was wondering if you could show her th' ropes, and get her accustomed to the place."

"I will be in your care."

The blue-haired girl bowed politely as the principal shuffled out of the room quickly leaving Lyra with the newest teacher at Temple Elementary School. Lyra found out the girl was named Rem and had recently moved to Banan with her husband. Lyra wasn't one to ask unnecessary questions and so she didn't ask where they came from as she also wouldn't want to answer such an uncomfortable question. Lyra showed her through how to set up lesson plans and guided her during the actual lesson with the children. The kids seemed to really like her as well which made the day feel like a breeze.

"Rem, do you~ live this way too~?"

"Yes, we were luckily able to rent a tenement thanks to a referral we got."

"Let me~ guess, Elder right~?"

"Huh? How'd you know?"

Lyra and Rem walked down the street together as they chatted. Lyra certainly didn't expect that her new coworker also lived in the same tenement housing complex. Rem tilted her head with a look of surprise and Lyra simply smiled back at her.

"He referred us as well~."

"Us? You never mentioned a partner."

"I try not~ to talk about her too much~ at work so I don't~ get carried away praising her~."

"If Lyra is okay with it, why don't you two come over for dinner tonight? We don't really know anyone here, so I think it'd be nice to try and get along."

"Oh~, that sounds great! I've been trying to get Deneb~ out of the house more often~. One thing~ though she can only eat soups~ and food that isn't very chewy~. I hope that's not a problem~."

"No, it's fine. I was planning for Mizutaki tonight anyway. I'll make her a special serving so she can eat it."

"Ah~ that'd be perfect. I'll see you later~!"

After confirming their plans for dinner Lyra and Rem waved at each other, splitting off to their respective homes. Lyra was glad to finally have met someone that she might become friends with besides Halibel. Speaking of Halibel…

"Ah, Lya you're back already. Good. Good."

Entering her home Halibel immediately greeted her. He leaned against the bed acting as a guard rail to keep Deneb from rolling off it while she appeared to be asleep.

"So, what's this you~ wanted to talk to me about~?"

"It's nothing big, but…"

The way he entered the topic made Lyra feel a bit anxious as she set her things down and sat next to Deneb on the bed. She knew that everything that happened the previous night wasn't a dream and they really were attacked.

"In short, saying that I'm a 'Playboy' as a tenement house manager was just a disguise."

Halibel confidently made a confession about himself. The second major event of the day after meeting Rem and making dinner plans. There seemed to be a serious light in Halibel's eyes—

"Like hell there is~! You're not serious at all~!"

"I am serious! I am! I protected you two didn't I? That's got to be worth something."

"Oh~, so now you're~ trying to extort us~."

Lyra made a joking retort as Halibel responded in his usual aloof manner. Lyra huffed as she started gently rubbing the top of Deneb's sleeping head silently admiring her.

"Anyway, I figured~ that out a while ago~."

"Whaaat! How embarrassing! If you did, then that's really embarrassing! How embarrassing!" Halibel looked up at the ceiling , and he sighed dramatically as he opened his big mouth and said, "God daaamn it."

"Did you seriously think~ I hadn't heard of Kararagi's Admirer~? Once I heard people referring to you as Halibel 'the Great~' I put two and two together~."

"Ah, so I've been found out since the beginning. Woe is me…"

"Act a little~ more serious~."

Meeting Kararagi's strongest so quickly after reaching Banan was certainly worrisome to Lyra since she really didn't know what to think of it. However, after living there for a number of years she became used to it and was grateful to have someone to watch over Deneb when she couldn't.

"Anyway, I'm a shinobi warrior. My specialty is attacking around my opponent's weak points. Oh, but the details on how we fight is classified information. It'd endanger our existence. Sorry, but we're all mostly dead now, besides me."

"I don't get your~ joke about being wiped out~. What's a shinobi anyway~?"

Lyra chose to play dumb as to what a shinobi was since she didn't know what sort of reaction he'd have and didn't want to find out. She knew the term from Vollachia, and Deneb had talked about it briefly to her before when she was instructing her on how to behave around the Divine Generals.

"Oh, people from outside the country might not understand it. As for 'shinobi', it's like 'that'. Like, how could I put this? They're 'that'. It's a job where it'd be bad if I explained 'that' part."

"So what do~ you want from us~?"

Lyra narrowed her eyes as she cautiously questioned Halibel, who was now sitting on a tatami mat cross-legged. She needed to choose her words carefully because depending on what she said Halibel could become a foe or an ally. And if he became an enemy Lyra was certain she stood no chance against him. Deneb might've been able to do something, however, relying on her for that would be too great of a gamble.

"If, say, in this situation, I said your lives—what would you do?"

"I would appeal to your~ emotions, and shamelessly~ beg you to spare Deneb."

"I see."

Lyra replied in a completely serious tone as she casually moved Deneb's head into her lap. If she was going to die she wanted to at least hold Deneb one last time. Halibel seeing this changed the way he held onto the kiseru with his hands.

"—Wahaha! Lya's so lame! So uncool! Making that face while holding your wife, 'appeal to my emotions' …ahahaa!"

"You're going to wake her~ if you don't quiet down~!"

"Ahh, hah…hah…ahh…hah…I'm going to die of laughter…! S-So this is what you were trying to do… an ingenious scheme!"

"Ah~, she's waking up~."

Deneb's eyes fluttered open as Halibel laughed his ass off. Lyra made an angry expression which quickly melted away as Deneb's eyes met hers. Now she was simply too elated to care about anything Halibel said. He wiped away the tears he had from laughing too hard. Then raised his hands and said,

"Hahh, man that cracked me up. Sorry for waking Deb. But, you can relax. The hypothetical situation was completely hypothetical. After all, even if I really did have a job where I'd get in trouble for getting found out, it would be horrible to act without changing my name. Besides, it would be too counterproductive of me to get rid of someone I saved. If I was going to do that I'd not have bothered to save you in the first place."

"I could've~ managed without you~."

"Gah! Cold Lya! So cold!"

Halibel gripped his chest tightly, acting like he was hurt by Lyra's comment.

"Fine~. I'll say it~. Thank you~ for saving Deneb~ and I, Halibel. I don't know~ what I would've done~ if I had lost her~."

"Wooow, how sincere. I'll gratefully accept your formal thanks since it makes me happy, though."

Halibel cheerfully smiled as Lyra bowed her head. However, after that, while still having a smile on his face, he pointed the kiseru in his hand at Lyra and said,

"Okay, I accept your thanks. Still, you gotta quit it with that discomforting speech. It's really embarrassing for Lya to call me Halibel at this point. I'd like to think we're friends by now, so please keep calling me Hal."

"If you say so, Hal~."

"...Hal."

"See, Deb gets it!"

Halibel pointed to Deneb. Then, Halibel lit the kiseru that he held with his raised hands, and put it in his mouth to start smoking it. Lyra had become quite used to his smoking habit, and didn't say anything though.

"Anyway, putting that aside, let's talk a little about last night. So, first I want you to tell me about that girl from last night. She seemed to know who you were."

"..."

Lyra hesitated to answer his question knowing who the culprit was. Her memory of the events at the Demon Village all those years ago weren't the most accurate, however, Prylla had filled in most of the gaps in her memory. Of course that still didn't explain exactly how she recognized her since Prylla had her Name eaten by the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony.

"My voice~… that's how she recognized me~."

"Eh?"

It was the only thing that seemed plausible to her. While Prylla's Name had been devoured and any memories of her were gone, that hole likely remained in Rieze's mind. Lyra's use of her voice to get Deneb to act might've caused her to piece it together. No, that didn't make sense at all. Lyra had replaced Prylla's presence in her memories with a different master while Ireyne replaced her with Deneb. Pierry didn't really know her long enough for it to matter either. The simplest answer was that it was the final thing she thought about as she was dying and Lyra just happened to be present for it.

"Scratch that~. I don't~ think she ever recognized me~ not truly."

"Now you're speaking in riddles."

"Hmph~. Anyway, her name was Reize~ and while it wasn't me~ that knew her I at least look mostly~ the same as the person that did know her~."

"Well that makes almost no sense at all."

Halibel impatiently played with his whiskers declaring his confusion at Lyra's noncommittal response.

"In any case~, I doubt there'll be another~ incident like that~."

"Well that's at least something good that came from this. I picked this up at the scene, do you have any idea what it is?"

Halibel reached into his kimono fumbling around for a moment before pulling out a small white orb and presenting it. Lyra looked at it carefully but had no idea what it was or why Reize had it.

"I'm sorry~, but I have no idea~."

"Hm. That's a shame. I guess I'll have to investigate it on my own then. Which means I won't be able to keep an eye on Deb for the time being."

"That's alright~, I'll figure something out~."

"Don't stress over complicated things. Elder asked me to take care of you guys, and plus you have no friends even after living here for years. So, I'll take the liberty of introducing you to someone who might be able to help you out. A new couple moved in recently and I think you might get along well."

"Oh~ you're talking about the Nastuki's right?"

"Huh? Have you already met them? No fair Lya! No fair! And here I was acting like I was going to help you, but you've already helped yourself!"

Halibel's overly dramatic reaction confirmed Lyra's assumption. She was happy that Halibel was so keen on helping her though. Even if everything about his behavior lacked seriousness, perhaps that was what made her trust him.

"Yep~, Rem invited us to dinner tonight~. So I'll be here~ to care for Deneb the rest of the day~."

Halibel smiled as Lyra continued stroking Deneb's long hair. Deneb had remained almost completely silent throughout their conversation, but she never once took her eyes off Lyra which made her incredibly happy. Placing her hand under her head Lyra sat Deneb up in her lap so that her head could rest on her shoulder as if she was a baby.

"Gah! Seeing Lya act so affectionate towards Deb is seriously making me want some alcohol!"

"You shouldn't~ get drunk while~ performing serious investigations Hal~."

Halibel snorted as he stood up and stuffed the white orb back into his kimono. Waving to Lyra whose attention had completely shifted towards Deneb. Halibel quietly shut the door on his way out, finally leaving just the two of them.

"...Sleepy."

"Hah~, you're so adorable~!"

Lyra beamed at the sound of Deneb's tired voice. She had no idea how she could still be tired after sleeping most of the day, but Lyra was just glad she said something. Supporting Deneb's weight with her left arm and laying her head on her shoulder. Lyra held Deneb's hand with the other as she gently laid her down on the bed. She positioned herself behind her, laying her arm over Deneb's side as she usually would. Bringing her mouth towards her ear and moving the hair that was covering it to the side.

"I love you~..."

"..."

Deneb remained silent as Lyra whispered into her ear. Lyra didn't expect any response, but that wasn't going to stop her from saying it.

"...Love."

A short delay as Deneb's quiet voice echoed a single word. A short gasp from Lyra as tears filled her eyes. She hesitated for a moment as she turned Deneb's body so that they were facing one another. She didn't know exactly what she was thinking at that moment, however, she couldn't stop herself. She placed her hand on Deneb's cheek, her fingertips gently wrapping under her hair towards the back of her head. Her eyes locked onto her lips before looking her in the eye for any sign of refusal.

"Deneb~?"

"..."

Calling her name as if asking for reassurance and receiving nothing in response. She waited another moment before inching her face closer until their lips brushed against each other. Another pause, another moment of silence, and then Lyra pressed her lips fully against Deneb's. Deneb offered neither resistance nor refusal as Lyra continued to kiss her. Breaking away to breathe every so often before kissing her again.

"Marry… me."

It was a strange thing to ask considering everyone around them already considered them wives. However, that was merely pretend and Lyra was sick of pretending. She felt guilty using Prylla's voice to ask her, but she knew she'd likely not receive a response otherwise.

"...Ok."

A dim light shone between her and Deneb's hand signaling the formation of their new contract. The connection Lyra had always longed for with Deneb was finally hers. Lyra rejoiced as she pressed her lips against Deneb's once more feeling the new connection between them.

"I love you~."

"Damn it. Fired again…"

Subaru walked briskly back home after being let go from yet another job. It was something he had been struggling with ever since he and Rem arrived in Kararagi. Having almost no connections within Kararagi and no employment history was truly the worst. The only jobs he was capable of getting were manual labor jobs, however, in a city which hired demi-humans he couldn't keep up physically and quickly fell short of everyone around him.

"Well this seriously sucks."

A pathetic look fell over his face as he looked around the street made up of Wafuu architecture. It was a characteristic of Kararagi that made him feel like he wasn't in a different world at all. While the streets didn't make him feel like it was a different world rather—

"It feels like the Edo period, or going a bit forward, the Meiji Era and Taisho Era."

Subaru coughed, looking at the building constructed from wood which lined up nicely. The stores with open doors were also characteristic of Wafuu architecture. The other people on the streets were wearing zoris and kimonos, but they were true otherworldly people. Among them were Demi-humans representing various animals, and people of peculiar hair and eye colors.

Subaru's impression of Kararagi was that of a landlocked Japan. Rather Japanese culture forced itself into this new world. It was a common theme in anime and manga to have countries resembling Japanese culture. The problem was that he simply felt strange confronting the scene.

"I wonder if…"

It was a crazy thought to him that he wanted to dismiss completely, but ever since he had been summoned to this new world it was always in the back of his mind. Was she summoned as well? He didn't know the answer to that question, and sincerely hoped it might've been true, however, he also knew that he wouldn't want it either. Considering everything he had experienced in this world up until now he wouldn't want his sister to experience any of it. Perhaps, she was luckier than him and became the wife of some nobleman, but that also seemed to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"She's dead."

Subaru muttered to himself as if he was trying to convince someone that his sister was gone. His parents had never given up hope that she would come home one day, and day after day his mother would wait in the kitchen as if she was waiting for Reina to walk through the door. Subaru shook his head as he rubbed his eyes that were ready to leak tears as he reached the tenement house he and Rem lived at.

He entered the house to the wonderful smell of home cooking and took his shoes off at the door. The floor was covered in tatami mats made of knitted grass and there were two strangers he had never seen before. A purple haired elf girl and another human looking girl with brown hair wearing a black kimono as she lay in the purple haired girl's lap seemingly napping. What was most peculiar was the elf girl's attire which stood out against the Wafuu and Wasou of Kararagi.

"Welcome home, Subaru."

"I'm back?"

Subaru stood in the doorway and looked at Rem who was stirring something inside a pot that smelled amazing. Rem greeted him quickly as he glanced over at the unexpected guests who were lounging on their floor.

"Subaru, this is Lyra and Deneb. Lyra is my coworker at 'Temple Elementary School' and I invited her and her wife over for dinner. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but it was short notice."

"Nice to meet~ you, Subaru~. I'm Lyra~! Deneb~... greet our neighbor~."

The elf girl nudged the girl in her lap, sitting her upright. Her eyes were shut and by all accounts she appeared to be dead. His second impression of the girl was that she looked remarkably similar to his mother at a glance, however, her differences became apparent quickly as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes, while incredibly discomforting to look at, were not sanpakugan like her. A deep pit formed in his stomach in her presence giving him the feeling that he should be bowing down to her. She had a certain presence about her even if she was unassuming.

"A dead body! No, M-Mom?!"

"Subaru, please don't be rude to our guests."

Subaru blurted out his thoughts and quickly received a scolding from Rem. He hung his head and scratched behind his ear awkwardly as he took a seat on the floor across from their guests.

"...Hello."

Subaru gulped down as the woman's mouth opened slightly barely enough to allow the word to leave her mouth. Her voice was rather quiet and monotone sounding, however, the overpowering presence felt like it was diminishing, replaced by a glum atmosphere. The utterly depressed look of the girl was contrasted by the cheerful smile of the elf girl who hugged Deneb tightly.

"Ah~, isn't she adorable~!"

"I… uh…"

Subaru's words caught in his throat as Lyra continued rubbing her cheek against Deneb's. He wasn't sure how to even respond as he tried to process the fact that there was an elf in his house. It almost felt like a cruel joke to remind him of his past failures and his impossible decision.

"Is she okay?"

Subaru decided to ask the first question that was on his mind about the girl in front of him. She was corpse-like in how stiff her body was, however, even so she still managed to maintain a certain elegance about herself. She was obviously able to speak, but she either had no interest in speaking or might've suffered some sort of untreated brain damage.

"Huh~?"

"I'm sorry, Lyra, Subaru can say strange things without thinking sometimes. Please don't fault him for it. Anyway, Subaru, you came home earlier than I thought you would. Did work go okay?"

Subaru let out a whimper as Rem quickly butted into his conversation with Lyra who looked like she was about to rip his head from his body. That sinister expression only lasted a few second thought as Deneb moved a little, taking Lyra's attention off him immediately. Combined with Rem's change of subject he felt that those two actions just saved his life.

"Sorry, Rem. I did ma best but…"

"Subaru?"

"Please stop speaking like that. It doesn't suit you at all, Subaru."

"It don't?"

"I don't think~ I've ever heard a worse imitation~ of the Kararagi accent before~."

"That's too harsh! Ah, well, I'm sorry. Okay, I'll stop now."

Lyra spoke with her eyes narrowed and a thin smile. Rem had started making bowls after taking that pot off the stove. Subaru dejectedly stopped with the poor accent, however, while his face showed his dissatisfaction by pouting, he rubbed his fingers together.

"Well, I know I'm not good, but you know what they say, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. I'm doing my best to fit in with everyone else as soon as possible."

"It sounds more like you're~ making fun of the accent rather than~ actually imitating it properly~."

"...Irritating."

"See~? Deneb gets it~."

"So that's why Kansai people get pissed off by Tokyoites' fake Kansai accents!?"

"Tokyo? Kansai accents?"

Lyra and Deneb spoke like a tag team sinking Subaru instantly. While Rem looked like she had a question mark over her head when Subaru lamented as she shook her blue hair and tilted her head. Her hair came to her shoulder and her pure eyes were both light blue. She was a beautiful, pretty girl wearing a light blue kimono gracefully.

"But like, umm, yeah. It's not like speaking has anything to do with work going wrong, okay. Work went wrong just because I'm incompetent…"

"Work went wrong? Like how?"

"Agh…ghghghgh you see, well…"

Subaru tried to beat around the bush while Rem started setting the table and placing everyone's bowls in their spots. Subaru thought hard about how he should respond to the fastball thrown at him, and he mumbled. Rem noticed this, and smiled softly as she said, "Tell me about what happened. Don't worry. No matter how awful Subaru was, even if you mess up big time at a job that doesn't fit you, I won't get mad."

"Hahaha~!"

Rem's lead in may have crushed Subaru, but Lyra's laugh absolutely shattered him. He stood up taking his spot at the dinner table next to Rem while Lyra and Deneb sat across from them. Deneb was directly across from him leaning on Lyra's shoulder while Lyra had quickly checked the soup.

"Ah, is it okay? I know you said she can't have anything too chewy."

"It's great~ thank you, Rem~."

"Anyway, Subaru, what went wrong at work?"

Lyra thanked Rem genuinely as she began spoon feeding Deneb slowly. Subaru looked at them quizzically, but soon lowered his head shamefully as Rem turned her attention back to him knowing he wasn't getting out of this conversation.

"I messed up big time at a job that didn't fit me and I was god awful!"

Lyra looked up at him through the corner of her eye as Deneb opened her mouth barely wide enough to accept the spoon she was offering. He poked at the table timidly wishing she would drop the subject matter for now, but the look in her eye suggested she had no such intention.

"I was too naive. I was beyond naive. From what I thought the basics of manual labor and day labor were, I was under the impression that anyone could do work that was in high demand…"

"Did you seriously~ think you had a shot of~ competing against Demi-humans with those arms~?"

Subaru grimaced as Lyra pointed out his physical weakness with a calm smile. She even put her hand on the back of Deneb's head to make her nod along with her to add insult to injury.

"Fine, you're right! I was reckless for trying manual labor with a crappy fish fry body like mine in Kararagi where Demi-humans are hired! I did try to cover up the quality of my work with the number of rounds, however, I had to carry three times as much with one round and I didn't have enough stamina!"

Subaru's voice cracked as he gave the best explanation he could as he looked back at today's events. He has been living in a different world for no less than a year now, and he was aware of the fact that he was way stronger than before, but it was still difficult to close the gap between him and people of another world.

Incidentally, today's job was carrying goods, but he got mixed with muscular Demi-humans, and it was simply hilarious to see how Subaru was working with a bright red face without even carrying a large amount.

"Oh, I see…so, how'd you mess up? What did you do?"

"I tried re-wrapping goods, and threw everything out… the damage canceled out today's pay."

"The people there didn't ask for compensation out of kindness, huh."

Rem sighed at Subaru as he gave his awkward report with a gloomy look. Lyra was snickering at the otherside of the table as she fed Deneb the last of her soup and wiped her face off.

"Anyway, should we really be talking about this in front of our guests…"

Subaru scratched the back of his head as he groaned pathetically. He didn't want his first impression with his neighbors to be about how useless and pathetic he was.

"I didn't bring it up to embarrass you Subaru, rather I was actually hoping that Lyra would have something for you…" Rem spoke apologetically as she looked away bashfully and Lyra tilted her head with her spoon still sticking out of her mouth. "Lyra, was complaining about Hal leaving for a while before you got here and needs someone to look after Deneb while she's at work, so…"

"W-Wait, what? Did you find me a job on your own?"

"That's not it exactly. I was just making assumptions from what Lyra was telling me earlier, and assumed that you'd be coming back with bad news. So, I'd thought I'd help you a little since you can't have too many friends in Kararagi."

"S-So… you… found one for me?"

Subaru glanced over at Lyra who pulled the spoon from her mouth, setting it back in the bowl and wiped her face gracefully with a napkin. Her sudden acting proper caused Subaru's posture to stiffen as he sat straight in his seat.

"Since Hal~ will be out of town for a few days~ I won't be able to watch over~ Deneb while I'm at work~. While I'd like to do it myself~, I need to work for the two of us~. I'd pay you the same rate~ I give to Hal, and the work wouldn't be too difficult for your womanly figure~. You'd just have~ to make sure she eats~ lunch and keep her company until I get home~."

Ignoring the blatant insult, the offer itself wasn't too bad. Deneb seemed like she'd be fairly low maintenance, considering how little she seemed to move around. He wouldn't have to worry about her running off like a toddler nor would making her lunch be too difficult for him. If Lyra took care of breakfast and dinner for her then he didn't see much reason to refuse. Subaru was sure that he wouldn't be able to support Rem with whatever Lyra was offering as salary, but it was certainly better than not working at all.

"It's okay, don't worry. I spent plenty of time making sure this would go well with your great talents. So, don't think too hard about the pay. Because I'll work for money!"

Subaru melted in the huge, spoiling aura. Setting his spoon down and clapping his hands together with a look of determination.

"Lyra… I'll take the job. Thank you!"

Lyra giggled at his dramatic response as she pet Deneb's head gently. Subaru wasn't sure exactly how this was going to go, but he was going to try his best. He was completely unqualified and had a blank period, but if this goes over well he could probably get a recommendation from Lyra for better paying work later.

"W-Wait a second, isn't that how someone becomes a gigolo!?"

Subaru arrived at the Arided residence bright and early the next morning at the time he and Lyra agreed upon. Of course he wasn't sure if he was fit to be a caretaker of anything, however, if he wanted to find gainful employment that earned enough to support Rem he needed to start somewhere. Therefore the absolute bottom was the best he could do for now.

"Alright, make sure she~ eats around noon. I already bathed~ her, but you might~ need to help her use the bathroom~…"

"Eh?"

"Anyway~, I'll be back~ around the same time Rem~ will! Good luck, and I'll castrate you~ if anything happens to her~!"

Lyra spoke menacing words while smiling cheerfully and waving. Subaru didn't get a chance to respond before she shut the door and left for work. Subaru's spine shuddered since he could tell she was completely serious about taking his manhood from him. He turned to look at the napping girl as he decided to look around for anything that needed doing.

"It's all cleaned immaculately. Seriously, when did she find the time to do this? Not even Rem could keep a place this clean!"

"...Noisy."

Subaru heard a faint voice from behind him turning around to see Deneb's eyes wide open and glaring at him. Subaru clenched his jaw tightly as his muscles froze in place before the girl's expression dropped, replaced by a dull neutral look. It was certainly the most emotion he had ever seen from her, but considering he hadn't known her that long wasn't saying very much.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Is there anything you want?"

"..."

Subaru decided to ask her if she needed anything, receiving no reply as the girl rolled over turning her back to him. He felt badly for waking her, but he also felt a little lonely at the silence stirring in the tenement house. Is this how she always is? How did Lyra put up with it for so long?

"...Water."

"Coming right away, your highness!"

Subaru cracked a joke as he spun around quickly getting a glass of water for her, setting it down next to the bed. He was a bit disappointed the joke didn't land, but he sat Deneb up, letting her use him as a support, picking the cup of water and bringing it to her lips. She opened her mouth just enough to allow the water to pass into it, however, her eyes flicked to Subaru as if she was expecting something.

"Do I seriously… agh! Fine!"

Subaru groaned as he tilted the cup for her, placing his other hand under her chin to catch any droplets that spilled out. He made sure to not let too much out at once as she slowly gulped it down. Once she seemed satisfied she let herself fall back onto the bed hitting the pillow with a thump causing Subaru to wince. He wasn't sure if he should've let her do that, but his hands were full. He quickly washed out the cup, put it back in the cupboard, and dried his hands as he used the towel to dry her face.

"...Need to pee."

Subaru's eyes widened in horror as the words he had hoped to never hear from her left her mouth. Taking care of her was like caring for an elderly person. Rather, it was more like caring for an infant that could verbalize their needs. Even an elderly person could do some things on their own, however, Deneb could do about as much as an infant could, which was almost nothing.

"Please Deneb, no more. I yield!"

Subaru had just finished aiding her use of the bathroom to his dismay and was now rubbing his head on the floor begging her for a mercy that wouldn't come. Or it was closer to mourning the inevitable loss of his manhood since he was all but certain that he wasn't going to make it to tomorrow. Perhaps, he would suggest that Lyra buy diapers for Deneb to make life easier instead of insisting she use the bathroom like a regular person.

"...Pervert."

"Agh! I'm just doing my job! Have mercy!"

Subaru threw his arms into the air at Deneb's cold remark as he laid on the bed staring off at nothing in particular. There was no real point in arguing with her so he decided to just drop it. It would still be about an hour until he'd need to prepare lunch for her, so he decided to pass the time with some radio calisthenics. Deneb seemed to watch him with the curiosity of a child as he performed his strange movements. He wondered if she wanted to join him.

"Hey, why don't you give it a shot? I'm sure Lyra would be happier if her wife could do things without needing excessive help."

"...Hm?"

"Come on, get up! Let today be the start of Subaru's physical therapy class!"

Subaru helped Deneb up while speaking cheerfully as he began putting her through the motions of radio calisthenics. He might be able to get a bonus if he worked out her muscles enough for her to move on her own then he could get a glowing recommendation from Lyra for a better job that didn't involve having to help a girl use the bathroom.

"Don't wanna… Vita…"

"And last, eh? W-Wait why not!?"

Deneb's body fell completely limp as he tried not to fall over as her lazy declaration had more force in it. Even when he was about to get to the best part. He tried to get her to raise her arms for the final declaration, however, no matter how he tried he simply couldn't raise them for some reason. Soon after she ended up dragging both of them down the ground as he could no longer support the increasing weight.

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

Subaru fell down, her on top of him, her crushing weight keeping him on the ground as his vision was swallowed by darkness and he was no longer able to breath. He struggled fruitlessly, slapping the ground with his hand and flailing helplessly to no avail. His only saving grace was when the weight returned to normal and he could lift her off of him.

"She's definitely going to kill me."

Subaru averted his eyes as he realized what was suffocating him. Deneb's kimono had come a bit loose causing her cleavage to be fully in view the same cleavage his face was buried in only a few moments ago. He looked to Deneb hoping that they could agree to never speak of this, however, she had already fallen back asleep. Subaru fixed her outfit while she slept hoping it would stay that way and that his red face would return to normal before Lyra got home. He couldn't do anything right it seemed, and this was no exception.

"I guess physical therapy is out of the question for now, but mark my words! You will use the bathroom on your own, dammit!"

Subaru steeled his quiet determination to not have to see that again as he finished his duties for the day without any more indecent incidents. He was surely going to need Rem's lap to recover after his long day at work, maybe a bit more than just that.