DISCLAIMER

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 8: Emotions and Books

Emilia finished her 'homework' around late afternoon and... she decided to take a moment to rest.

Lying on her soft bed, the half-elf could only huff at the ceiling as she tried to think on how things have been 'stale' in a certain situation. Subaru was difficult to understand at times. Yes, he would answer her questions about his home and his family. 'Japan' sounded like an interesting country to visit, yet she was quite confused by the notion that their ruler had more of a ceremonial role and 'secondary' to a council of elected representatives.

She promised she wasn't to tell this to anyone, which was a legitimate concern due to how tightly invested some nobles were to keep an autocratic ruler rather than one that allowed lesser classes to pick up roles through a meritocratic system. It just... worked, and Emilia could tell this was an ideal solution to the Lugnican Dilemma.

Many had long struggled to understand that not all kings that came from the first dynasty were unfit to rule. And perhaps the solution to that would be a council akin to the one that was currently ruling as a regency. People with experience and wisdom to help any ruler through the hardships of managing a kingdom.

Yes, it felt so counterproductive considering that Emilia was one of the candidates to the throne, but it would be wrong to assume she would be the most perfect king among the rest. In fact, she doubted she was ever going to be the 'perfect king' as many would want out of this royal election.

So... that was food for thought, but not the only thing that had her thinking so intensely on the young man. It was a bit odd to be the one inquiring about families due to the loneliness she had in that regard, and yet there was just something brilliant when it came to hear him speak so highly of his parents. It was odd, but it resonated just nicely with Emilia.

The girl would even listen for hours if necessary, specifically when he spoke of his mother. Emilia just couldn't help but like this woman. The mother of the one she was after. She sounded quite smart (and definitely someone that could help her in her pursuit). Also, something about her kindness... hit deep. She couldn't explain why, but the girl could feel some sort of familiarity with the warmth in his voice about this amazing individual. Something she once... had.

A blink, then the mist behind the memory hurt too much to delve into. It's been a while since she thought of her past, and Emilia didn't like how difficult it was at times. There was a block. It wasn't magic- it was... trauma? That's what Puck knew. She had 'willingly' sealed off what she knew of her own childhood. Why? She just couldn't understand it. Still... that wasn't the point. Emilia huffed again, this time Puck decided to check on her. She felt a soft weight land on her chest and she looked down to see the cat familiar giving her a questioning look.

"Puck."

"Yes, Lia?"

"How do you speak confidently with someone you... like a lot?"

"Hmm~? What do you mean?" He inquired, a bit curious about the curt query.

"W-Well. There is this individual, which I may... like a bit more as a friend-"

"Subaru?"

Her mind went cold and then it burned. No- her cheeks were burning in embarrassment at that smug remark.

"Y-Yeah?"

"I see... Well, maybe it's not you that should be 'speak confidently' Lia."

The half-elf frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I don't see why you have to be the one making any steps. Sure, you are the one with the strongest feelings on the matter, but how about you... let him develop something in return?"

She frowned harder, causing Puck to sigh.

"How about you ask him to hang out in private?" The spirit suggested, adopting a thoughtful look. "Find an activity that isn't too suspicious, but also start to probe for any interest he might have towards you."

"B-But what if I end up making a mess like with the... lap pillow situation?" Emilia argued, bringing up a 'legitimate concern' in her eyes.

"You mean the little win you got out of a possible defeat?"

She wanted to rebuke that but... it would be a lie to say she didn't like it. Getting the lap pillow just made her feel so at home, so at ease. It felt like she had been there before. Someone she cared about was giving her that much comfort and... and it made her so warm inside.

"I just- I just want this to be easier," The young woman confessed. "I know love is complicated but... does it have to be that complicated?"

Puck blinked. "Yep. It's quite a big step after all, Lia. You need to fight for him just as much as he will have to fight to get you."

Her mouth opened and then closed. She got what he meant with the first half of that response, but the second one left her perplexed. Emilia needed to fight for him since it was becoming clearer that Ram may or may not be slowly developing feelings for him. She wasn't 100% sure, but the pinkette had been acting less vicious and softer around him.

The insults were there to keep the banter up, but a good part of the venomous speech had been curbed to leave things 'modest' at best. But him 'fighting for her'? As much as that sounded romantic and indeed a good way to determine if he was interested in her, Emilia knew that she didn't have a list of admirers. Not when her reputation as the 'witch' had done enough damage when it came to mere friendship ideas.

A sigh, then she turned to the side and glared at the wall. "What do you think I could do for that 'hang out' idea?"

"Hmm... how about you two spend some time in the library? I think I can convince Beatrice to have you two around in the library if you keep things quiet."

That... that would actually be ideal. Emilia's eyes widened at that notion. Not only would that give them the chance to enjoy some private time together, but Ram wouldn't need to be around to keep an eye on him. It would be perfect!

And before Puck could say more, the half-elf promptly bolted to find out where Subaru was and try to convince him with this idea; leaving the spirit to float about and sigh sheepishly at how invested Emilia had gotten over this entire situation. It was definitely a novelty, but he wasn't sure he was completely on board about it just yet.

Who knows, maybe Beatrice had more to say on the matter.

Beatrice could tell with just a lengthy glance that Emilia was a lost cause.

Maybe that was a bit too harsh, yes, but the little blonde had seen people mess up badly in conversations. And Emilia was being 'the' mess in that situation. Odd as this might sound, the reason why Beatrice accepted was less about spending time with Bubby and more into seeing what was the point of allowing this to happen. Morbid curiosity over an escalating disaster- it was a common trait she may have taken by her creator, and yet in this case she was willing to indulge this desire of hers.

After all, what were the chances of seeing a young maiden try and fail to seduce a foolish young man. Subaru was not the worst, but he was just above average and... it made no sense to Beatrice as to why the girl would actually see in him an ideal partner for life. Sure, it could have been just a crush as Bubby reasoned within the realm of possibilities- but if Beatrice had a say on this matter despite her lack of experience, she could easily tell that wasn't the case. Not when Emilia was keen to recognize his flaws and... he reciprocated her affection to a degree.

Crushes were, as Beatrice saw it, a form of puppy love. You like someone a lot, you would die for them, but, in the end, you're just seeing the good and not the bad. And crushes weren't always returned to this degree. Subaru was still a young man. Goofy and dense he may be, he was still able to discern attention and, through some accurate studying, he could deduce himself why Emilia was being so intensely close to him. To an extent. He was still a man and one that had close to no experience about romance.

So, it became clear these two were stuck facing the same two issues: misunderstanding and miscommunication. While she could see this as one of those 'funny' circumstances that it was best to watch unfold without any intervention, there was just something about it that kept on ticking on her. And it was the sheer idiocy these two had. Maybe she was getting too vexed about it- way too much considering her lack of strong ties with both.

Yet, she decided to take a very unexpected step and actually approach their table. Subaru was bringing up more stuff about his job, with Emilia nodding and throwing in curt comments in an effort to keep up with her part of the interaction without actually doing much beyond that. It was painfully inert in terms of social conversations. And Betty's brain didn't need to deal with this. Bubby just watched this unfold, curiosity driving him quiet as he witnessed what the little blond had in mind for the occasion

"Subaru," She spoke up, almost getting a jump on the young man.

"O-Oh, Beako. I thought you were busy with Puck and-"

"Have you told her about your journal?" She inquired, deciding to skip straight to the point she knew could get them to finally make some progress.

"A journal?" Emilia pressed with a hint of curiosity and Subaru looked slightly embarrassed.

"W-Well, since I know I can't go back home, I just decided to... write things down. Things from back where I come from so I don't... forget."

The half-elf grew a bit numb at this. "Oh. I... I didn't know-"

"I didn't tell anyone but Beako, so I would have been surprised if you had known," He admitted sheepishly. "Still, it's nothing of importance."

"I think Emilia doesn't think that," Beatrice rebuked and the girl nodded.

"Y-Yeah, I think that's a good effort to keep track of things and not forget," Emilia assured, but the spirit was far from done with her intervention.

"Also, it could be useful in helping you too, Emilia. After all, didn't you have issues remembering the past?"

The silver-haired young woman paused. "I-"

"Is that true?" Subaru asked, sounding quite concerned and leaning closer to the half-elf. "Emilia, I didn't know that."

"I- I- I-"

Her stutter sounded a bit too extreme for mere concern, but Beatrice saw that there was another element behind that strong reaction. Subaru, unconsciously or willingly, had landed one of his palms right over her closest hand and... Emilia had noticed it. And she was having trouble rationalizing it.

"I get it. It's not something you like to speak of, and definitely is something you're not proud to talk about with me- but I really want to help you about it."

"I... I guess?"

"Great!" He exclaimed, soon charging in with advice on how to create a journal from an empty one.

Emilia was numbly nodding and yet taking notes about it as Subaru was soon engrossed on the topic while also making it clear it was for her sake. As much as one would normally not see a point in something so 'non-romantic', Beatrice decided it was only for the best to get them to establish a firm connection first.

Yes, they were friends and they were quite amiable to one another- however, they were also not making any progress beyond that. And romance required trust and a strong tie with one another for it to happen. So, the spirit deduced it was only for the best if these two dunderheads began actually being open to one another. Less secrets and more trust- that's how they were going to end up establishing something more meaningful in the long run.

"Didn't know you were that good at this," Puck pointed out as she finally got back to him. "Did you read a lot about the genre?"

Her logical sense wanted to say yes, but there was a reason deep within why it felt awkward to be honest about it. And that was the 'why' she found this genre reasonably interesting. It wasn't tied to anything really incriminating. It all started moreso as a research on the irrationality of people. Why were some people so keen to give up everything for mere love? What was the point of it? It was the kind of research her creator would have supported as a 'way to kill time', not really important, but definitely something that would prove to be entertaining. And it was. In fact, despite initially hating that form of literature, Beatrice had adopted a less upset and more intrigued take on romance as a genre.

Sure, it was cheesy at times, but the lines were still driven by the very feeling many described to cause people's legs to go 'wobbly' and their heartbeat to pick up. Was it something Beatrice could relate too? No. She didn't feel any hint of loving something romantically. Puck? He was someone she adored. And he adored her in return.

But love? Romantic love to be more precise? No, Beako was just happy with mere affection. She saw no point of asking for more but... it was a genre. And something about it made her smile stupidly at how pleasant it was when a love story turned for the best. When love makes the best out of two people, regardless of the circumstances.

"Bubby, I am a girl through and through. So I remind you that if there's someone that can understand stupidity from another woman, I am best to know how to weed out that flaw," She flatly remarked. "Plus, the amusement hardly matters if this ends up crashing in a fire, I suppose. It would be foolish to allow these two to headbutt senselessly and waste precious time to do something about their lives."

"Hmm, it's still odd you would be so interested in it, Betty. You are usually not that interested in-"

"Affairs unfolding beyond the doors of this library?" She interjected. "It's not my fault you brought them here, and thus I saw it as a troublesome element I didn't want to deal with, I suppose."

"...Are you sure?"

Her lips twitched, annoyance flaring in the ensuing scowl. "Yes, Bubby."

The fellow spirit didn't probe any further, perhaps perceiving the fact that she wasn't up for an interrogation. Which was true. IN fact, the rest of their interaction was her petting him and enjoying some silence with him while the two idiots still struggling with feelings were chatting by the nearby table. Not how she envisioned her early evening that day, but she saw no reason to lament it beyond a few huffs and sighs from time to time.

It's not too bad, I suppose.

AN

Betty is not a love interest, I'm afraid to say, but that doesn't exclude her from future headpatting, hand holding and cuddling. Barusu may be an idiot at times, but he can get a hint of what to speak about if a loli is telling him what to do and... these two need to kiss and make up in a room, I swear...

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Anon: Is it a joke tho? He got quite a lot of Lolis under his sleeve. That ain't exactly much of a joke if he is good at 'conquering girls' as wholesomely as possible.