"I see that you still have that terrible habit of yours." Beatrice said.
Both Subaru and Beatrice were in their room sitting beside each other on the bed. The spirit was healing up Subaru after an incident taking place in the workshop involving fire runes.
While Beatrice was healing up her contractor, she noticed several cuts and scars all over his wrists and arms, a good number of them were recent.
Subaru stayed silent which was more than enough to confirm the great spirit's suspicions. She let out a sigh before following up, "Betty will heal your arms as well."
Despite the gloomy boy's shame for having Beatrice see that, he was left confused why she seemed to brush it off so easily. She was so pushy when it came to keeping better care of himself so this threw him for a loop.
Despite his unwillingness to talk about this, he had to ask, "You're not mad…?"
The short spirit was working on healing Subaru. It took her a moment to answer as she considered her words very carefully. "Betty isn't mad. Disheartened is a better way of describing it, I suppose."
…
"I'm sorry, Beako." Subaru muttered.
Beatrice stopped for a moment and rested her chin over her hand. "If you still plan to continue that habit, at least do it where Betty can see you, I suppose."
Once again, Subaru was tossed into another loop. "You mean right in front of you."
The spirit nodded. "That would be preferable."
This didn't sit well for Subaru one bit. He felt very uneasy about this. Despite him feeling uncomfortable with this topic, he couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
…
Beatrice looked at her contractor with a dead serious look. "Are you able to guarantee or even promise that you'll cease this habit of yours?"
"I…" Subaru hesitated. He wanted to lash out at her. He wanted to yell at her and say stop it. But, something was preventing him from doing so. Eventually, he continued, "I can't promise that…"
Seemingly expecting that answer, Beatrice started, "I am aware that I can't force you to stop. If you can't control those urges, Betty would prefer you to indulge yourself under her surveillance, I suppose."
Beatrice tensed up before continuing. "The thought of you going too far while out of Betty's reach is… it's… Betty just can't handle that thought."
Subaru understood it now. She just wants to be there to heal him in case something goes wrong. "Alright, Beako. Could you keep this between us…?"
Beatrice nodded. "Of course, Subaru."
The remainder of this time was eerily silent as Beatrice finished up healing the boy.
…
"There, you're healed up. You should consider leaving your fire rune experiments to someone experienced with magic, I suppose."
"I sorta assumed that you'd fit that role…" Subaru grimaced. Beatrice was with him during the incident after all.
The spirit crossed her arms and let out a humph. "Does Betty have to remind you of all the times when you insisted that 'it's fine' or when you said 'I know what I'm doing'? Why must Betty's Subaru act without common sense, I wonder?"
"Oh, right… I guess it is my fault, isn't it?" Subaru sighed before continuing, "Sorry again, Beako…"
Beatrice waved her hand dismissively. "As long as you're capable of correcting your behavior, then it should no longer be an issue, I suppose."
The gloomy boy got up and stretched for a moment then began to leave the room. "I still have some errands to run, I'll be back shortly."
Beatrice furrowed her brow. "You make it seem as if you intend to leave Betty all alone. Does your cute contracted spirit have to lecture you again?"
Subaru shook his head. "I said I'll be back. I'm not going to do anything dangerous so stop worrying about it."
"This has nothing to do with whether or not you're doing anything reckless. Betty simply wants to accompany you and ensure your safety, I suppose."
"This is something I'd rather not tangle you in. Just please stop worrying."
"What is so important that you must isolate yourself on a daily basis? Must Betty remind you that she is more than willing to share your bur-"
"I SAID STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT!!!" Subaru suddenly screamed, cutting off the poor girl.
This outburst was enough to catch Beatrice off guard as she flinched and went silent. Seeing that enraged look on her contractor's face made her regret persisting.
"…" Beatrice stayed silent as she quivered.
Seeing that sorrowed look on Beatrice helped calm Subaru back down. He took a deep breath before speaking again in a much calmer tone. "I'll be back. I promise I'll do anything you want when I'm done, alright?"
"…" She continued to keep silent.
Still seeing his Beako in distress, he postponed his departure for now and approached Beatrice. He got on his knees to be at eye level with the short girl and carefully placed a hand over her slender shoulders. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I guess breaking that habit with you is a lot harder than I thought…"
Beatrice stayed silent for a moment longer before finally speaking up, "One hour. Be back in one hour." Her words were barely audible and Subaru could tell the short spirit was really holding back from crying.
"Got it, I'll be back in an hour." Without another word, Subaru got up and finally left the room, leaving the distressed girl behind.
…
…
…
"I'm such a horrible person…" Subaru muttered to himself.
--
Beatrice was sitting down on the bed while hugging her legs together, half of her face hiding behind her knees. She was currently reflecting on her actions.
It had been around half an hour since Subaru left. Normally, the spirit would be counting each and every second but she was too busy sulking. She upset Subaru with her persistence yet again. Once again, she failed to recognize her contractor's personal boundaries and tried to break those said boundaries.
"Betty's a horrible spirit…" She complained to herself.
She knew this was true. After all, she was fully aware that she'd get carried away and try to pull Subaru out of his comfort zone again. The worst part was that she still couldn't help but worry for Subaru still.
Despite his insisting, she still wanted to be by Subaru's side and make sure he was safe. The spirit understood very well the boy didn't trust anyone here other than herself. Not even his own bodyguard was an exception. So why should she leave him alone with so many untrustworthy individuals?
…
…
…
"Betty is truly a horrible spirit…"
She couldn't take it anymore. It had almost been an hour at this point and Beatrice finally had enough of waiting.
At no point had Subaru said to stay inside the room so she used that as an excuse to go find Subaru. Yes, this was a very childish endeavor on her part but this wait was unbearable. She had done enough waiting for several lifetimes.
With that loophole in mind, she left the room. She knew Subaru would be mad at her for this but it didn't matter. To her, Subaru's safety and well-being was her top priority for all she was concerned.
"Can't say I've ever seen you without the boss by your side, little miss."
Beatrice nearly jumped as her thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Halibel was leaning against the wall a good distance away from Subaru's door.
The spirit quickly regained her composure and pointed accusingly at the wolfman. "Betty had already told you to stop calling her little, in fact! Aren't you supposed to be Subaru's bodyguard? How come you aren't monitoring him?"
"Ah, the boss is in one of his 'restricted zones' so I guess you can say I have some time off right now." Halibel gave a hearty chuckle.
Beatrice perked a brow. This was the first time she heard something about a restricted zone. "Betty doesn't recall Subaru making a place off limits other than his own room, I suppose."
Halibel gave a shrug. "You're probably an exception then. I don't see why the boss would put restrictions on his sister."
"That makes sense. Subaru had never mentioned anything about- Wait…" Beatrice glared at Halibel. "What did you just call me?!"
This time, Halibel looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, you're not his sister? Well I'll be…"
"Of course we're not siblings! We do not look alike in the slightest for such a conclusion to even exist, in fact!" The spirit crossed her arms and let out a loud humph.
Halibel rubbed his chin as he tried to piece together their actual relationship. He then hit his fist into his palm as he finally discovered the answer. "Oh! I get it now. You're the boss's girlfriend."
"Precisely, Betty is Subaru's gir-" Beatrice stopped herself as she realized what she was about to say. In a sign of desperation, she frantically waved her hands in front of herself as her cheeks lit red. "N-No! B-Betty doesn't have that kind of relationship with Subaru yet, I suppose! W-Wait! B-Betty meant we don't have that kind of relationship at all, in fact!"
Despite how flustered the spirit was about this, Halibel surprisingly bought it. "Darn, thought I had it there…" The demi human shrugged. "Welp, I give up. What is your guy's relationship then?"
Beatrice let out a sigh of relief before clearing her throat. "Ahem, if you really must know, Betty is Subaru's contracted spirit."
"Spirit?" Halibel asked. "Huh, I never knew that spirit's can look like young girls… I guess you learn something new everyday."
Beatrice rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "If you're done being foolish, Betty has much more important things to attend to, I suppose."
"Ah, sorry about that. I won't be keeping you any longer then, little miss." Halibel happily waved.
"Erk! Have you truly learned nothing you miserable mutt?! Must Betty drill common sense through your thick skull?!" The spirit yelled.
Already seeing where this was going, Halibel conceded. "Woah there, let's not make another mess now."
"Hmph! Then you best watch your tongue, I suppose." With that, Beatrice began to march away.
However, Halibel was casually following Beatrice. He wasn't even trying to hide it which only angered the spirit even more. "Grr… What is it now?"
"Don't worry, I'm not doing anything shady. The boss told me to guard you while he was doing his thing. He hates it when anyone gets near that room so I'm doing this in the meantime.."
"Oh?" Beatrice stopped and looked to Halibel with mild interest. "Where might this room be located?"
"A couple of lefts and then a right. Here, I'll show you. I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind." Halibel took the lead to where Beatrice reluctantly followed. The wolf looked down a little as he led. "Probably…"
Eventually, the two ended up in front of a very locked up door. It was similar to Subaru's door to his room but this one seemed to have double the amount of locks and the door was made out of some kind of metal.
Needless to say, this door practically screamed the words 'go away'.
Beatrice felt nervous at this sight. She even began to shake a little as she pondered the best way to approach this. Should she knock? Should she simply go inside? Should she cut her losses and go back?
No, she's made it this far. Going back now would just be a waste at this point.
"Feeling alright there, little miss?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Beatrice immediately turned to Halibel and stomped her foot down. "Betty is perfectly fine! You should learn to stop those insults of yours if you know what's good for you, I suppose!"
"Sure thing." Halibel said halfheartedly. "Well, the boss wouldn't like it if he saw me out here so I'll see you around, little miss." Before the short spirit could retaliate, Halibel immediately vanished from her sight.
"Don't you dare test Betty's patience- he's gone. Grr… Why does Subaru insist on keeping that annoying bodyguard around, I wonder?!" The spirit ranted to herself.
Before she got too far into that, she immediately focused back the task at hand. Thanks to her link with Subaru through their newly formed contract, the spirit knew he was close by. She couldn't pinpoint his exact location but according to Halibel, there is a very good chance Subaru is hiding in here.
"Please go easy on Betty…" Beatrice silently prayed before knocking on the door.
…
No answer.
"Subaru?" Beatrice called out. "It's rude to keep your cute contracted spirit out here all by her lonesome, I suppose."
…
No answer.
"S-Subaru? You must be mad right now but Betty just couldn't stand waiting for you any longer…"
…
No answer.
Fearing the worst, Beatrice began to inspect the locks. She noted that she could easily displace their functions with a little wind magic.
The spirit got more and more nervous about this. What she was about to do would be a breach in Subaru's privacy. She couldn't help but feel terrified at the prospect of being hated after this.
…
No. This was for Subaru's sake. His safety was her top priority.
Taking a deep breath, the loli spirit used her magic to create a concentrated wind current and quickly dispatched the many locks one by one.
After the door had finally been free from those locks, Beatrice immediately rushed into the room. It looked like an office and was surprisingly unimpressive considering how locked up this room was.
However, there was a big issue. Subaru wasn't in this room.
The great spirit felt embarrassed beyond belief. She had to overcome her emotions countless times to get this far and all of it was put to waste.
At this point, Beatrice was at a loss. Due to her obsession to see Subaru again, she lost patience and started to look around for him. Now she was in one of Subaru's private spots with nothing to show for.
Beatrice curled up into a ball on the floor as fresh tears developed in her eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. Right now, she was potentially damaging her relationship with Subaru by being here.
Not being able to hold it back any longer, Beatrice broke down crying. She felt loneliness and guilt overwhelm her. The worst part was that she wasn't regretting this at all. This was for Subaru so she would never regret such an action. What made her feel bad about this was her willingness to damage their ties all for the sake of her selfishness.
"Beako?"
Beatrice flinched as she heard that name. She looked over to find Subaru standing by a bookshelf inside the room with an unreadable expression plastered on his face. She wasn't sure when or even how Subaru got there since the spirit was too focused on crying at the time.
"S-Subaru…" Beatrice managed to say through her whimpers and sniffling.
There was a long moment of silence as the two stared at each other. Neither of them exactly knew what to say in this scenario.
After a while, Beatrice was the one to finally break the silence. "Why did you take so long…?" Her words were softly spoken and there wasn't even a hint of confidence in her voice.
"Is that why you're here?" Subaru asked in his typical dead tone. "I was about to come back! Why are you even here?!" The boy with the terrifying eyes suddenly snapped, making a complete 180 in his demeanor.
This was the type of reaction the great spirit was expecting. However, no matter how much she mentally prepared for this, it was still enough to give the poor girl a scare. Still, this wouldn't stop her from explaining her actions. "Betty couldn't wait for you anymore. As your contracted spirit, it is my duty to ensure your safety and comfort. That can't happen if you leave Betty in the dark on your activities all the time, I suppose."
Still mad, Subaru grit his teeth. "I already told you to not worry about what I do! I come back fine all the time so stop worrying about it!"
"That's not the point!" Beatrice suddenly yelled which even caught Subaru by surprise. "You have proven countless times that you don't trust anyone here. Betty notices the way you constantly look around as if some kind of ambush will come out of the blue. If you don't feel safe, how can you expect Betty to sit back and do nothing, I wonder?!"
"You just don't get it…" Subaru said. "I know what I'm doing! Why can't you understand that I need some time to myself?!"
"Then tell Betty what you're doing here!" Beatrice snapped back. Before Subaru could respond, the spirit continued, "If you just tell me what you're doing, then there is no reason for Betty to be concerned all the time, I suppose."
…
No.
He can't do that.
He can't risk that.
Subaru couldn't take this anymore.
"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO! I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND I KNOW THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE INVOLVED IN THIS!" Beatrice was panicking now as Subaru lost his temper. However, he wasn't done. Subaru suddenly grabbed his spirit by the wrist. He wasn't being gentle at all and it was hurting the poor girl. "I'M TRYING TO KEEP YOU SAFE FROM THIS TWISTED WORLD! STOP BEING DIFFICULT AND LET ME KEEP YOU SAFE!"
Despite how much Subaru was hurting Beatrice, the short girl surprisingly kept her ground. With tears in her eyes, she countered, "Betty knows how to take care of herself! If you're that concerned, then keeping Betty by your side should be just fine, in fact!"
Subaru glared daggers at Beatrice. Not even her tears were enough to calm him this time. His rage imploded on himself at last.
He smacked Beatrice.
This act even surprised the spirit as she looked in the direction the impact guided her gaze in disbelief. Has she gone too far this time?
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! WHAT'S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS?!" Subaru screeched, too blinded by rage to even recognize his own actions. "YOU JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME! THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!"
Beatrice was at a loss of words. She was too shocked to even register all the physical pain she was enduring. I really am a selfish spirit, she thought.
Despite all the pain Beatrice was in…
Even after all that…
She couldn't give up on him…
"Why…?" Beatrice shakily spoke out. She slowly turned her head to Subaru, revealing to him a bright red handprint across her face. She broke down crying. "W-Why don't you trust Betty?"
…
"W-what…?" Subaru asked. All his rage instantly vanished as what he was seeing and hearing tormented his thoughts.
Shaking nonstop, Beatrice continued, "Betty can't wait anymore… Betty can't stand all of this loneliness…"
Tears flowed down the girl's cheeks much more frequently as she looked Subaru straight into his scary eyes.
"If you truly don't want Betty by your side… Then please kill me, I suppose…"
…
…
…
No.
No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No!
This isn't right, Subaru thought. He can't lose Beatrice. He can't lose one of the only people he trusts like that. Right, of course he trusts Beako. He…
He…
Subaru widened his eyes. Did he hit Beatrice? He barely noticed at the time but the boy panicked and held his head as he saw his handprint stained across Beatrice's cheek.
His thoughts continued to race.
Did she ask him to end her life just now…?
"No…" Subaru finally spoke out. "I-I couldn't do that… I could never do that…" His voice was just as shaky as Beatrice's.
After realizing how tightly he was grabbing her wrist, he let go and backed up. He backed up into the wall and fell down. "B-Beako… I-I'm…"
He wanted to say sorry. He wanted to say it was an accident. But he didn't have the strength to say those words out loud. He hurt Beako. He hurt the girl that he wanted to protect.
Subaru betrayed Beatrice.
Beatrice on the other hand started to panic. She hated seeing Subaru like this and wanted to comfort him as fast as possible. In desperation, the spirit gently held onto Subaru's shivering hands.
"Subaru, it's ok. Take deep breaths." Beatrice frantically instructed.
"It's not ok!" Subaru yelled. Now it was him that was breaking down in tears. "I hit you… I-I hurt you…"
"Betty deserved it, in fact… Betty wasn't respecting your privacy and once again-"
"No!" The gloomy boy interrupted. "You don't deserve that… You don't deserve to be hurt…"
Beatrice stayed silent for a moment before sitting herself down next to Subaru. "Compared to waiting in that dreaded library, this is nothing. If anything, this would perhaps be comparable to a mere bug bite, I suppose."
"It isn't right… I shouldn't have done that… You… You deserve better…" Subaru finally admitted. He didn't deserve someone as wonderful and forgiving as Beatrice. She deserves so much more than this.
"In Betty's eyes, this is better."
Subaru flinched at that, especially how quick she was to say it. Before Subaru could deny that claim, Beatrice elaborated, "In truth, Betty didn't believe to ever leave the forbidden library. If not for you, Betty would still be rotting away in there. You've given me something that the library would never provide; a future."
"But Beako-"
"Betty isn't finished." Beatrice took a deep breath before continuing, "Betty's concern isn't over your strange habits. What is concerning is your pain. Betty only wants to support you. If you must, then share those burdens with your contracted spirit."
"No… You can't just forget about what I did!" Subaru argued "You can't just pretend what I did to you was nothing!"
"Subaru, if you ever believe that you hurt Betty and that you need punishment, then be there for Betty. As long as you're here, Betty will consider that service as compensation for your sins, I suppose."
"Why…? You're free now... Why do you even stay with me…?"
"Because you chose to come back for Betty." Beatrice ever so slightly tightened her grip. "Our first contract has been fulfilled already and despite that, you chose to come back and free Betty."
Subaru wanted to say something else but couldn't figure out what to say.
Before he could find another excuse, Beatrice finished, "You didn't give up on Betty, So I won't give up on you."
…
Subaru had nothing for this. There was nothing that came to mind anymore that could rebuke those words. Finally giving up, Subaru cried. His crying was about as bad as Beatrice's when he found her curled up on the floor.
"I-I'm sorry, Beako! I'm so sorry!" He cried.
With a warm smile, Beatrice let go of Subaru's hand and carefully wrapped her slim arms around the broken boy. "It's alright, Subaru." Despite her attempts at being comforting, Beatrice could barely hold herself back from breaking down.
"I'll do better, I promise! I-I will…" Subaru choked on his own words as he cried so much that he was incapable of saying anything else.
Eventually, Beatrice couldn't hold this facade any longer and broke down in Subaru's arms, crying just as much as he was. For what felt like forever, the two cried their eyes out in each other's arms.
After a while, Subaru considered taking Beatrice's advice and to share his burdens with her. He wanted to just spill everything he'd been keeping from her all at once. As he was about to let it all out, it felt as if something grabbed his throat tightly, preventing his words from escaping his mouth.
Despite everything that happened, he was scared. What will Beatrice think of him after this? Will she change her mind and leave him like she rightfully should?
…
No, he trusts Beatrice. He needs to trust his Beako. He can't keep doing this to her.
"Beako…" The gloomy boy finally mustered after a long time of crying into one another. "I need to show you something…"
The short spirit was a mess. Her eyes flooded with tears still and she was constantly sniffling. Despite that, she managed to speak. "W-What is it, Subaru?"
Without saying a word, Subaru clumsily got back to his feet and approached the bookshelf. All while holding Beatrice's hand, he activated some kind of mechanism and the bookshelf slid open revealing the secret passage.
Without giving the spirit any time to process what just happened, he descended with her down into the passage.
Despite how eerie this place was, Beatrice wasn't scared. If anything, she was proud. Subaru was finally opening up to her and even sharing his pain with his spirit. No matter what Subaru had to show, Beatrice promised to stay beside Subaru no matter what.
Eventually, they reached the end.
Beatrice will stay by Subaru. But what she saw shocked her to her very core.
At the end of this path, there was someone chained to the wall. Their long pink hair covered their face. But Beatrice didn't need to see their face to know who this person was.
"Y-You're alive?" The startled spirit asked.
The pink haired prisoner looked up, their eyes filled with malice.
This person was Ram.