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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Re:Zero and other products related to the this series are all owned by Tappei Nagatsuki.

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Chapter 5: First Shift

It was a normal day at the manor. If one ignored the fact that there was a new occupant to it.

Ram was unimportant when it came to deciding if someone was worthy or not of being allowed to live within her master's manor, but that didn't mean her opinion was neglected by him. Roswaal was, beyond his eccentric nature, still someone that genuinely cared for second opinions. Not because of uncertainty, but to expand his opinion on circumstances he could have missed.

Specifically to which extent Lady Emilia and their newest 'guest' had bonded and if this could turn problematic for his plans with the half-elf. Despite her own unease before the young man named Natsuki Subaru, Ram had nothing to really blame him for. Beyond being a wimp, of course. And that, sadly, was no ground to push for anything too extreme, and the pinkette could pick a degree of affection Lady Emilia aimed at the young man.

Now, if that was returned or not was still unknown, but she had reason to believe that there was a form of lessened return. At the mere mention of an infatuation being the possible cause of the half-elf's affection, Roswaal bursted into a laugh. It wasn't unusual if the circumstance was enough to warrant that reaction, yet there was something on this specific occasion which left the pinkette fairly... distressed. Something just didn't feel right, even more when her master took notice of this and pointed out a detail which left her more confused than enlightened by the amusing factor of this circumstance.

"You know, Ram, in a way... he dooooes remind me of you."

That felt like an insult. And not. Questioning what that meant led to a sharp turn away from the topic. 'Like me?' Ram wondered confused as she tried to reason that comparison. It just didn't make any sense to her. Ram might not have an excellent literary education and thus couldn't fathom what Roswaal could be referring to at times, but in this case the girl felt like she had already gotten an answer by looking back to herself. Not to her 'current her', but what once was Ram.

Before the manor, before Roswaal and yet after she was left the only Oni alive with her sister. The confirming clue was on Subaru's face, an expression of uncertainty and yet resilience through the need of surviving that Ram didn't forget having experienced herself. It was odd, it felt unpleasant to see this, but not in the same key she was upset with Subaru. It was the reminder itself that messed with her grasp of his personality. He was so cheerful, but restrained. So calm, but definitely a nervous mess when in private. A maid like Ram could pick up that Barusu was nothing more than a moron by the end of the day, but the furthest thing from a truly worthless being. He had worth, she just couldn't understand the full extent of it.

Even more she felt perplexed by Roswaal's interest in allowing him to pick up a job that wasn't servile in nature. The way Subaru put it made it feel like he was doing this for Roswaal and the twins' sake. She doubted that was indeed the case, but the way he sounded so genuine at times made her feel less confident in throwing true insults at him. In fact, she hardly did so as most of their 'banter' as Roswaal put it was less toxic and upsetting for both, and more 'refreshing' at times. Not always, but sometimes it would strike a positive note on her standard day. The means to channel her irritation on someone that didn't have any relation to her daily burdens, while also becoming the 'target' of some sharp bickering from said individual.

The test itself further cemented the mysterious nature of their guest. Ram had doubted his level of knowledge, his capacity to think and be able to stand up to the claims he put about his current skills when it came to handling taxes and matters only noble-born men and women were expected to handle. Barusu surprised her through two specific reasons: First, he managed to handle the test mostly flawlessly, with the sole issues being the language bit. He understood the mathematics just well, but he failed to actually grasp the nature of their language by mentioning 'he could speak, but not properly read or write'. Upsetting, but not necessarily a problem to Roswaal as the Margrave was keen to admit; Then, the young man looked quite... interesting when busy.

She had seen him distracted, she had seen him annoyed, she had seen him anything but like this. And it felt incredibly wrong for some reasons. Ram just couldn't think of the right word on the spot, but she was stunned by how determined he looked despite the odds against him. Maybe it was because she had expected him to be less focused, to be less interested in giving his all due to the circumstance... but Barusu persisted. And it felt so out of character compared to what she had seen up to this point.

It shed a newer light on Barusu. And Ram couldn't say if it was a good or bad one, only that it made her quite intrigued to see to which degree the 'comparison' made by Roswaal truly extended to. What if her early assumption had been wrong? What if this comment was more than just that, but an indirect order to keep him around and study him without intervening? Even after a few days of having him around, Ram saw no issues that would demand a direct involvement from her. She could tell that there were secrets in his mind that would be interesting to learn of, but nothing that directly endangered their current status quo. So, Ram had no reason to worry about any grave issues of his.

The same didn't go for his sister.

"I just don't trust him. He could still be dangerous," A similar-looking maid remarked strongly, unwilling to fully accept Ram's own remarks on the matter.

Rem's medium length sky blue hair were styled like the pinkette, except some of the extended bangs went to cover her right light-blue eye instead of her left one. She also had hair clips towards the left side of her hair, a flower-shaped ribbon on the same side of her hair, and a maid hairband. And where Ram was driven by logic, Rem was driven by emotion. While one would normally fail to see the main difference between the maid siblings, there was one that went beyond any physical details they differed about, and that was tied to their grasp of things. Ram was cautious, Rem was more brash when it came to some instances which felt odd. She was the one that favored direct involvement regardless of there being a reason or not. Which was good at times, and bad at others. And right now, that felt more like a nuisance at best.

"He could, but we are not given the duty to judge guests, Rem. Master Roswaal was quite clear Barusu is a guest-"

"I just don't like that he is so close to Lady Emilia," Rem interjected. "It can end badly if we are wrong and..."

"You don't wish for Master Roswaal's plans to be ruined. Which is reasonable, yes," Ram accepted while nodding, but offered a blank look. "But this doesn't exclude the chance of also ruining the plans for him as Lady Emilia has taken a liking for him."

"So I should just let it go?"

Ram paused mid-dressing up. It was morning, and her sister had taken the occasion to use this brief moment of privacy they could rely on to open up this discussion. She was almost done, missing just her hairband and then she would be off to start her share of house chores. It was interesting how Barusu's arrival didn't end up bringing too much of a burden to her duties. The young man was surprisingly clean for someone his age and background.

"No. Doubting is good within this situation, but I suggest you don't pick any harsh choices for the time being. I shall see if Lord Roswaal would be open to set you as his 'guard'. Just to confirm if he is really trustworthy or not. That is as much as I can provide you."

A bright smile appeared on Rem's face and... that wouldn't last long as Roswaal did indeed agree that Subaru needed guarding due to his current tasks, but what her Master did was actually reassign Ram to it. It was unexpected, so much that Ram's composure cracked.

"Why!? Why me and not-"

"Oh my~, I thought you were better than just a question without thinking, Ram."

Roswaal's response forced her to pause in her questioning, confusion settling in as it became apparent, slowly so, what was going on.

"You want me because Rem is unfit for the task?"

"I don't think Rem will keep her word," The man corrected, still smiling. "After all, she isn't exactly good at hiding certain looks she aims at our newest guest."

...What?

"Oh, you didn't see, right?" Roswaal inquired chirpily. "Well, perhaaaps you should be a bit more cautious around your sister nowadays. She has grown into a fine woman and servant, and I know of your feelings when she makes mistakes."

"...I will go through this task without issues, Master."

That was the only thing she could say. The pinkette was just shaken by what had messed up with that expectation and what had landed her in an odd job out of the blue. She was definitely going to have a serious talk with Rem about it.

For this was ten times worse than anything she could have foreseen happening for her recent future...

Emilia was still unsure on what to think of Subaru.

Yes, she knew that she liked him and that they were friends, but the real issue about it was how far she would go for him. After the first day of having the young man at the manor had gone and a few more days had passed, the girl just had this strange knot in her chest that didn't seem interested to leave her be anytime soon. It wasn't unpleasant, not to the point of discomfort, but it felt quite pressing at times. Specifically when she was close to Subaru.

She would feel her face grow hot, her legs would get a bit wobbly and her thoughts would grow unfocused when she was spending time with him. Ever since he got hired as an 'agent' to Roswaal, he had been quite busy but never too much from spending a few hours with her. They would talk, Emilia would try to make conversation by bringing up her knowledge of spirits. Which would be easier to get out early in the morning when they would stop and chat by the garden. It was pleasant, and it made her feel quite nice.

Still, Subaru was not without duties. Just like she was expected to keep on studying to become the new king. Their differently-earned knowledge was similar-graded as she slowly learned by talking about it. The young man was actually qualified for the job he had asked for. Puck had doubted it, but his hesitation to accept this matter came more from experience than prejudice. Subaru was no noble, and it was unusual for someone of his class to be able to handle the task of keeping the finances of the village up and running as optimally as they did. Not only that, but she was able to see some of the projects he brought up, none of which being too ambitious from the looks of it, were nonetheless interesting and somewhat... expected to have been already explored before.

Roswaal didn't show any issue with approving some of them, and Emilia was keen to follow the subject from time to time. The Irlam village was more of a loose settlement with a mayor that was picked by the locals as the wisest of them all, Milde Irlam. Hence why the village was called as such. Roswaal approved four new buildings being built through his treasury, the first two being two granaries meant to store grain during the winter, then one was a warehouse where to keep other food produced within the village's fields and then a clinic. This last project was perhaps the most expensive, but not one without reason as Roswaal agreed. The village had been lacking means to heal people that were sick. There were doctors, but not a building and the proper resources to allow proper healthcare to be established within the village.

Beyond these projects, Subaru also brought up an idea that involved her too and... it made her somewhat giddy. Not only because Subaru spent that task sitting beside her but also because Emilia felt the importance of what he was involving her with. A census, a registry where to write down the names of the villagers, their birthdates, their economic situations and properties. It wasn't too extensive as it might sound, but the process was actually intriguing and useful when it came to handling taxation. Even Ram seemed to be less inclined to disagree with Subaru about it compared to the usual. Yes, it was odd but the pinkette had been assigned to Subaru for some strange reason. And while it made sense that Subaru deserved someone to guard him, it still left Emilia fairly displeased.

Everything they talked with one another, she could feel an understanding which she felt 'dreadful' to handle. To the point where her smile would falter and her heart would throb in brief misery. It wasn't horrible, but it happened way too frequently. Luckily for her, that didn't mean Subaru neglected their usual meetings and... at times she sure was unsure of what to think of them due to how some interesting situations unfolded through those.

"Ugh..."

"Are you sure this is what you wanted?" Subaru asked, a worried look on his face as he sat by the bench they had stopped from, Emilia's head resting in his lap.

"Y-Yes!"

The true answer to that very awkward question is no, but she didn't have the mental strength to stray away from this equally- if not superior development than the one she had planned for. When Emilia approached Subaru with the intention of trying to get a reaction out of him by offering him a lap-pillow experience. She had heard from Ram that would definitely be a good way to draw a reaction, but the way the maid told her that made her a bit nervous to see if this was the case. So, when Emilia asked, it came out more like-

"D-Do you want to try a lap-pillow?"

Now, the question had a meaning for Emilia because she wanted a single meaning out of it, but the way it was worded created a 'misunderstanding'. One she was unable to say 'no' to no matter the moral issue tied to it. Subaru accepted, a bit too earnestly at first, but then his next move explained his calm and openness. He patted his lap, the gesture clear for the half-elf to understand and, out of instinct, the girl's head was soon resting on the patted spot. And things went in a direction no one could have predicted.

Good news is that yes, being subjected to a lap-pillow was indeed able to bring out some awkward reactions from people. Other news, this one more interesting than good (but also good too because of the pleasure tied to it) was that Subaru was good at head patting. She had questioned many times why the village's children were so keen to ask him for that treatment, but now she understood how delicate and yet delightful his touch was when handling hair and ears. Emilia was twitching with each jolt of delight going down her spin.

"Emilia... are you-"

"K-Keep doing that! Please..."

...

"O-Okay."

Despite Emilia failing to understand how much she liked Subaru, she couldn't help but now accept that friendship hardly grasped the amount of interest she held for the silly young man.

AN

Next time, the Wolfgram situation is resolved through a detail this Subaru is able to pick up early on and... Felt? Oh My!