Interlude 1 – Sunflower
"…What are you doing, maid?" Karen asked from the bracelet resting on the cupboard beside Subaru's bed.
"What?" Rem responded as if she had just been questioned for something obvious.
"I asked what you are doing. Why are you staring at Subaru while he sleeps?"
"Oh! That…" Rem realized what she was doing. "Well… I just wanted to ensure my hero was sleeping well after last night's ordeal." The maid responded with an honest smile.
And he calls me the yandere… Karen thinks. "Maid, I'll have you know that your behavior just now borders on unhealthy obsession. I recommend visiting a therapist."
"I assure you, wanting to ensure my hero is pleased is not unhealthy." The blue oni retorted matter-of-factly.
"Yes, wanting to help Subaru is something I'm completely on board with. However, I fail to understand what staring at his unconscious form accomplishes."
"W-well, I'm just standing guard in case someone with malicious intent were to approach…" The maid attempted to justify.
"Like you?"
"…" Rem lowered her head and gaze in shame. "Please, don't make this about me…"
"Listen maid. I am aware Subaru trusts you; with his life, even. But that is not the case for me."
"…Yes, I can see that."
"I understand that your views of him are now favorable. Doesn't mean I won't still be wary of you and the rest of the residents of this mansion."
"But I just want to make him feel at home…" With me.
"Well, I don't. Eventually we'll have to return to our own home world. As such, the less rooted he feels here, the better."
"I-I see…" The maid remembered then that Subaru was not from her world and melancholic feelings bubbled up inside her. "Even so… I'll make him feel as though this was his second home." She pushed her feelings away and stood strong against the A.I.'s affirmations.
"…Regardless of how you feel, I suggest you leave. The only vigilance Subaru needs while sleeping is mine unless he directly orders otherwise."
"I understa- Wait, aren't you just admitting that you are watching him while he sleeps too, Karen-sama?" The maid looked at the bracelet in confusion once she processed the program's words.
"That is not what I implied, I-"
"Mmmgh~" Subaru turned in his sleep while mumbling.
"Maid, just leave. We are interrupting his R.E.M. cycle more than enough already."
"His what?" Rem turned her head to the side in even more confusion as to what a 'her cycle' meant while blushing a bit.
"We are waking him up. Leave." Karen reaffirmed.
"Oh! Yes, my apologies." Rem opened the exit door. "Um… Can you… not tell Subaru-kun about what happened just now, Karen-sama?" She turned around to look at the bracelet and the sleeping boy.
"Subaru has the right to know when he's being spied upo-"
"Nngh…" Subaru mumbled again.
"I promise, just leave." The A.I. concluded.
"Thank you." Rem whispered with a smile after being assured that her new nightly habit won't be revealed to her beloved. She exited the room and returned to her own chambers with a spring to her step.
It was a rather peaceful day in the Mather's state. The sky looked a bit more cloudy than it was yesterday, but not without some rays of light seeping through the clouds. The temperature had lowered quite a bit, yet it was not cold enough for winter clothes just yet. Rem took a short nap after spying on the young hero and awoke just in time to see him exercising in the yard. Although he had enough decency to keep a sleeveless shirt he found in the closet on while doing so, his defined muscles still made the newly in-love maiden swoon within her mind.
The morning had transpired rather quickly, with Subaru helping Rem with her chores after his routine due to the absence of Ram. The pair went around cleaning and tending to the yard and the prisoner, as though they were the only personnel within the manor. Noticing the absence of the older twin, and the sight of the younger sibling justifying the elder's slothfulness, Subaru went to fetch the other maid.
"Ra~m, wake u~p…" Subaru called out in a playful tone as he opened the door to the older twin's room while knocking on it in an attempt to wake her up from her slumber. "Alright you lazy bum, it's almost noon already. How can a maid be asleep when everyone else is awake! I had to cover for you while making breakfast! At least wake up to eat…"
"*Yawn* …The face of a sex offender is the last thing I'd want to see in the morning, so why in the blazes are you showing yourself to wake me up instead of my cute little sister?" Ram asked while glaring at the young man. She got out of bed and stretched around. "And what do you mean cover for me? Are you saying you don't like my steamed tatoes?"
"I'm not a sex offender! And Rem gave me the 'If Nee-sama feels like sleeping a bit longer then she should' excuse, that's why she's not here." He opened the curtains and let the sunlight hit her right in the face, much to her annoyance. "Therefore, I took it upon myself to wake YOU up. Also, if you are saying I'd eat potatoes-"
"Tatoes."
"…Tatoes for breakfast when we had them for lunch and dinner yesterday, well, I'm sorry but I don't like your steamed tatoes. Wait. No. I actually do like them. Hold it. Damn it, I do like your steamed tatoes, but I'm not looking to start a trend here!" Subaru tried to make sense of his rambling while a disgruntled Ram glared at him. "L-look! Just… get dressed and come down for breakfast already. Everyone is waiting for you!"
"I could get dressed if a certain pervert could just leave."
"Okay, okay, fine. My fault." Subaru went for the door.
"And no peeping or I'll behead you."
"Just get dressed already!"
Roswaal had come back the previous night to the surprise of a mabeast invasion having transpired during his absence and the dungeon now holding a child as a prisoner. The clown did not drop his all smiles façade during the retelling of the events, however, and instead opted for praising Subaru for his efforts. As said young man entered the dining hall with Ram in tow, the lord of the mansion made a proposal to celebrate a job well done. "Su~baru-kun, I must say I'm quite pleased with your performance. In just a short 3 days as a guard for house Mather's you have already stopped two assassination attempts against Emilia-sama. That is quite the fea~t indeed."
"Well… Thanks man! I mean- *cough cough* Thanks milord!" Subaru, ever the playful teenager, bounced between a relaxed tone and an overly serious imitation to thank Roswaal for his praise.
"Subaru, really, thanks for your efforts the previous night." Emilia chimed in with a smile.
"Aw, stop, I'm gonna blush…"
"I actually insist on the praise, young man. What do you say to a toast, hm~?" Roswaal leaned on the table while looking at Subaru expectantly.
"A toast?" Subaru looked back at him.
"I must advise against it, Roswaal-sama."
"Why would that be, Ram?" Emilia asked while everyone turned to look at the maid.
"With how harsh the poor boy's life is, he'd surely become an alcoholic the moment you hand him a drink." The pink oni affirmed with a serious face while cackling internally.
"You just have to keep the abuse coming, don't you?" Subaru said while rolling his eyes.
"If your life is so harsh then be sure to tell me, understood Subaru?" Emilia did not catch the hilarity in the maid's comment and took it seriously. "If need be I can lend you my lap once more!" She said with an earnest and innocent face.
"Lia!" A fuming Puck manifested his complain while materializing, glaring at the sight of the boy.
"E-Emilia-tan, I-I appreciate it, but please don't go around offering your lap…" Said boy was a blushing mess at the proposal.
"Regardless, I do have some fine wines from my… Gra~ndmother's era here somewhere. You can fetch them with Ram later on and we'll enjo~y them in the moonlight!" The lord made a pleased face while clapping his hands.
"Thanks, but, I don't drink. I'm a minor, you see." Subaru rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed.
"How so?" Emilia tilted her head in confusion.
"Eh?"
"Subaru-kun, the legal drinking age in the Kingdom of Lugunica is fifteen years old." Rem informed from besides her lord.
"HUH?!" He exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell?! The legal age is eighteen back home!"
"Why would eighteen be the legal age though?" Puck wondered.
"Because you are legally an adult by eighteen?"
"Your home world really is weird, Barusu. What shoddy rules does it even follow for one to be an adult by eighteen when you can make perfectly good decisions by fifteen?"
"I don't know about you, but I was a mess by fifteen. Your rules for what qualifies for perfectly good decisions is just… completely beyond me." Subaru was shaking his head at the insanity going on around him. "In any case… If you are interested in a toast, I'll assist. I don't know if I'll drink or not, but wouldn't kill to be there."
"Goo~d then!"
"Just make sure it takes place AFTER our class, I suppose." Beatrice, who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange, spoke up.
"Oh for sure! You can come too Beako!"
"Who said I'd want to drink with you lot?!"
"I never said to drink. A little girl like you should keep away from such beverages." Subaru mocked the Great Spirit with a smug grin.
"Why you-?!"
"We'd really appreciate your company Betty!" Puck tamed the blonde girl that was about to snap.
"Well… If Bubby wants to, then I guess I can make some time, I suppose."
"Hmph, how fickle." The young man chuckled. "Anyways, back to the toast… I think we should hold it after my date with Emilia-tan." Subaru turned to look at Emilia with a smile.
"Oh, that's right! About the date…" Emilia looked back at him. "You said you wanted to go tomorrow, right?"
"Uh, yeah!" Hopefully the weather will clear up by then.
Unbeknownst to the pair that was discussing their plans, the floating grey cat was smiling mischievously while glaring at Subaru. It seems he had an idea on how to ruin their date.
The day had gone by slowly after breakfast. While Emilia attended to her studies and the maids took care of things around the mansion, Subaru went back to the village to ask about Meili. She said that she and her sister were staying by the edge of the village… and that she was a… hunter? Huntress? Or was it a merchant?
As he spoke with the villagers, all the answers he got were shrugs and the like. The children had gathered around him when they noticed him and thanked him profusely for saving them. The boys were admiring him, wanting to know the story of how he kicked the butts of the wolgarms. On the other hand, Petra took some distance between herself and him, choosing to hide behind one of the adults, probably her parents. She would sneak a peek at him, however, and blush uncontrollably when doing so. Subaru, self-absorbed as he can be when actually being serious in his interrogation of Meili's origins, failed to notice the young girl's odd behavior. "Petra? Do you know anything about Meili? From before she came to the village I mean." He asked with a curious face and a gentle tone while lowering to her eye level.
"N-no!" The young girl turned red as a tomato and ran back towards her house. Seeing this, her surprised parents apologized profusely and rushed back home as well. The boys of the group then got angry and started kicking Subaru in the legs out of spite.
"Engaging 'Instant Kill'"
"Deactivate 'Instant Kill' you maniac!" Subaru whispered to his left wrist. How would she even pull it off with just a bracelet?!
"…Deactivating 'Instant Kill'."
Finding no success in the village, he resorted to question the assassin himself. After lunch. And his language classes, of course.
"Hey, Beako! I'm here for my lesson!"
"Stop yelling! I sensed you coming, in fact!"
"Sorry, didn't think you'd notice if I didn't say something. You seemed to be trapped in that book of yours." He apologized while pointing at the black book the little girl was holding.
"… This book is none of your business." Beatrice set the book down on the table besides her stool. "So, where shall we begin, I wonder?" She handed Subaru an empty notebook with a bottle of ink and a quill.
"Well… The basics of your, uh, 'glyphs' was it?"
"There are three types of glyphs, in fact. Ro-Glyphs, I-Glyphs and Ha-Glyphs."
"Um, let's start with the ones that are more commonplace then."
"I-Glyphs then." Beatrice affirmed while reaching for a fairytales book. "While the characters in the cover are Ro-Glyphs, I-Glyphs are the more common ones, the ones you see at market stalls or most written works. We'll begin by having you write and memorize the characters one by one, until you can read this book."
"Looks like a lot, but sure." Subaru gripped his left wrist for a moment. "Karen, make sure you record the characters for studying later."
"Of course."
Time went by inside the Forbidden Library as Beatrice dictated and read Subaru the fairytales and folklore stories of the Dragon's Kingdom. Subaru was visibly interested in the story involving the sealing of the witch but he kept to himself as Beatrice kept narrating. After a while writing, he finally figured out the reason as to why the language had been bothering this whole time… apart from the fact that he couldn't read it.
"Say, Beako?"
"*Sigh* Yes, what is it, I wonder?"
"Why do you people use Japanese suffixes like 'san' and 'sama' when we are speaking in English?"
"…What the hell is a 'Japanese' suffix? And what's English?"
"Oh, that's just- You know what, maybe I'm just being overly aware of things. Never mind."
"Are you perhaps trying to make sense of the language barrier between your culture and ours? Well, I suggest you give up on it."
"I wouldn't really call it a barrier if we can communicate, it's just…"
"Some of your words and expression's just cannot translate onto our way of speaking. I'd say you are playing a fool's game trying to make sense of that, so drop it, I suppose."
"*Sigh* Yeah, maybe you are right…" Subaru sighed while accepting the oddities of the spoken language of these people. "Still, I must say that when it comes to the written language you guys seem just as convoluted as us."
"How so, I wonder?" Beatrice raised an eyebrow while setting the fairytales book aside.
"Well, the characters are clearly not the same, but the way it's organized… The glyph system is quite similar to the Japanese of my homeland!"
"…I thought you said that your homeland was this 'Amerikah' or whatever."
"What? Oh, no. I was born in Japan and I lived there until I was, like, nine I think. I moved to America when my dad got a business opportunity there." Subaru reminisced about his parents with a soft smile.
"Didn't you live with your aunt?"
"Yeah, that happened later. My parents, Naoko and Kenichi, they… well, some stuff happened and they… passed away." He paused for a moment, seemingly trying to get his thoughts in order. "Um, I was left an orphan in a country I barely knew and was thrown into the system, I mean, an orphanage… A month or so into that life was when I met Uncle Ben and Aunt May. The couple that took me in." He smiled again while looking at the Great Spirit.
"…I see." The little girl's expression did not change, but internally she was sympathizing with the young man. Losing so much at such an age… Wait. "Hold on a second.Why did you start rambling and stop writing?"
"What? Oh, It's just- I think I've already memorized the I-Glyphs."
"HUH?!" The little girl tilted her head. "I refuse to believe that! Yes, we've been studying for two hours, but that cannot be enough for someone to-!"
"I've always been a quick learner." He stated while showing her a notebook with a full passage of the fairytale book written on it. "If you don't believe me, hand me the book and I'll read it!" He smugly affirmed.
"Hmph! I wager you are eager to humiliate yourself in front of your teacher, in fact." The blonde passed him the fairytales and sat back on her stool, crossing her tiny arms. "Read It then. I've yet to read you the last story."
Subaru read Beatrice the full book, even up to the unread last chapter, without pausing.
"Mmmmngh! This is ridiculous!" The little girl yelled while pouting.
"Hehe, told you so!" Subaru chuckled while getting ready to get up and leave. "Thanks for today's lesson, I feel smarter already. Let's get into Ro-Glyphs tomo-!"
"Hold it!"
"Uh, what?"
"Don't you dare leave yet, you petulant child!" Beatrice yelled while pointing at him. "You've yet to keep your side of the bargain, in fact!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Subaru realized his mistake and sat back down. "Sorry about that. Well… what else about my world do you wish to know?"
"Well… Bubby did mention you were knowledgeable in the sciences of your land, after your little excursion into the forest I mean. Tell me something in regards to that, I suppose." She took out a notebook and quill for herself.
"Well, I'm not the most knowledgeable, but… Hey, what about the time man landed on the moon?!" He inquired with a childlike face.
"Man landed on what?" Beatrice looked dumbfounded for a second, dropping her speech pattern. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean what I said. Back in the year 1969, that is following my world's calendar by the way…"
Subaru and Beatrice spent a few hours discussing his world's stories, from the moon landing to the super soldier serum, Beatrice not wanting to believe any of what he was saying until Karen would show footage and records to back it up.
"To think such things were possible…" The little girl wondered with a curious smile while reviewing a book's worth of notes and scribbles.
"Hey, hey, I should be the one saying that! Up until a week ago, I didn't even know spirits were a thing. And here I am now talking with one."
"*cough, cough*" Beatrice fake-coughed, trying to regain the authority in the room. "Well, this exchange has been most fruitful, I suppose. Your stories have proven… interesting. I expect you tomorrow for more story ti- I mean, your language lessons. Don't expect Ro-Glyphs to be as easy as I-Glyphs now." She stated with a motherly tone.
"Yeah, okay mum." Subaru answered while reaching for the door.
"With that said, you may take your leave." As she feigned disinterest, she waved her hand sending a gust of wind his way.
"WHA-!" Subaru's senses alerted him to the surprise gust, but he couldn't react in time as he opened the door. The gust hit him squarely on the back and propelled him into the hallway leading to the kitchen and the dining hall. "That little Gremlin!" He exclaimed while rubbing his backside.
Within the library, however, Beatrice began pondering with a melancholic face while reaching for the black book once again. Mother… He holds knowledge that would have interested you greatly… Could he be 'them'…?
It was night out now and soon dinner would be served. Taking advantage of this Subaru offered himself to bring Meili her supper, thinking this a good chance to bond and talk about her origins with the assassin. "Hey Meili! Everything good?"
"Hey Onii-san!" Meili saluted back with joy, trying to imitate the innocent child façade she had during her time as a villager.
"You can drop the act around me, you know?" He said as he laid down her plate on a table. "You can just relax around me!"
"…Oh, is that how it is?" Meili dropped her smile while clutching onto a plushy of Reinhard she had from beforehand. "So? What do you want to know? About Mama, about sister or about… me~?" She spouted the last lines with a wink and a playful tone unbefitting a girl her age.
"*Sigh* You shouldn't default to innuendos while being so young, you know?" He sat on the table, opposite to her. "It feels as though you are trying to imitate a grown up without really knowing how normal grown-ups really behave."
"Oh? And are YOU a normal grown-up? After all, no normal grown-up risks his life for an assassin." The child teased.
"… I can neither confirm nor deny that." He hesitated at the girl's words. "Actually, how old are you anyways?"
"Me? I don't really know… Thirteen or fourteen I guess."
"Wait, you don't know your own age?"
"How could I? My first memories are of my job…" Meili looked at the plate of food in front of her, hesitating on whether she should risk eating it or not.
Subaru noticed and reassured her by taking a bite of the meal himself. "I assure you, It's not poisone- HMMM~!" The young man interrupted himself while basking on the flavor of the chicken and spiced up rice. "Damn! Rem really made a good job!"
"Hey! That's my plate!" A now salivating Meili took the plate from his hands and started gorging on it.
"Hm~, finally feel like eating, eh?" He asked expecting no answer, seeing as the ravenous child was self-absorbed with her plate. "So, about this sister… Is she the one that has been teaching you how to behave around others? I already assumed the one forcing the whole… assassin shtick was this 'Mama', so the one actually making you carry it out must be…"
"Say what you want, I won't talk more than I've already said." The little braided girl smugly said while stripping the chicken thigh of any meat.
"Aha. So… The seductive tone ill-fitted for a kid comes from your sister then…"
"…" Meili glared at him while filling her mouth with a spoonful of rice.
"And you are just trying to imitate her…"
"…!" Meili widened her eyes in alarm as she swallowed.
"You know? The only OTHER assassin I know had a playful, seductive tone as well…"
"U-um…" She sweated at his implication.
"What was her name…?" He faked a thoughtful face. "Ah, yes! Elsa!"
"AHHHHH!" Meili got up from her chair with an alarmed expression.
"AHA! So Elsa and you were related somehow!"
"Tsk!" Meili sat back down and looked away from him, annoyed at how he figured out who her partner was. "So? What do you get from that?"
"Well, what I get is that whoever hired Elsa hired you as well… Ringing any bells?"
"Ha! Unfortunately for you, Elsa was the one that handled all that!" Meili spoke with confidence. "I was just there to assist and learn how to kill, so I never knew how she made her deals. Or who she made them with…"
Subaru's face turned serious the moment the topic went back to the assassin business. "Meili… I promise you. I will make it so you don't have to be an assassin again." He affirmed. "So please… Tell me anything you know… About Elsa and about 'Mama'. I just want to help you."
"…" Meili remained silent and kept looking away from him. It's useless… As if you could hurt Mama…
"… I understand. You can't trust me right away… Then, I'll make sure one day you can." Subaru got up, picking up the empty plate and getting ready to leave the cell. Before doing so, however, he placed a plushy doll of a wolgarm puppy on the table.
"…" As he left, Meili stared at the doll with a soft look.
It was the morning of the fateful date now… Or so was it supposed to be. The mansion appeared frozen, far colder than it was yesterday. The windows were covered by the humidity and cold and in the air Subaru could see his own breath. "Hah~, Why is it even colder than y-y-y-yesterday?" The trembling boy asked the maids cleaning the bathroom.
"I'm sorry your important date was cancelled, Subaru-kun." Rem, who was mopping the floor with her sister's and Subaru's help commented.
"Hmph, you should have expected this Barusu. There is no way the heavens would allow you enough time to defile Emilia-sama's purity." Ram chimed in with a smirk and a berating commentary.
"First, it w-w-w-wasn't cancelled, Rem. It was postp-p-p-poned. And Ram, I wasn't go-go-going to defile her…"
*Crack*
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
"Oh, my!" Ram, Rem and Subaru stared at Rem's bucket. What was supposed to be water had now a layer of ice on top of it that the maid broke when she inserted the mop.
"Seriously, how cold is it?!"
Unbeknownst to the group, a certain Spirit was glaring at Subaru while smiling, content with the result of the cold.
An entire day passed like that with Subaru complaining about the cold and so, the next day… The day the date would take place… It was postponed again because of the absurd cold within the mansion.
"G-g-g-g-g-g-g-good lord!" Subaru had frozen snot dangling from his nose; his whole room looked like a freezer with snow covering everything. "A-a-a-a-a-a-are we being att-tt-t-t-t-ttacked?!"
"Negative, Subaru." Karen responded as Subaru put on the Spider-Man suit. "It seems like this snow is the product of a magic or spell of one of the residents within the estate."
"Haaah~" Subaru exhaled in relief as the mechanism within the suit begun heating up the inside. "That's much better! …So, someone is playing a prank or something?" He exited the room after getting dressed to find a similar sight all around the place. The only ones I know that use ice are Emilia, Rem and Puck…
"Emilia?! Rem?!" He went around the manor looking for either the elf princess or the blue maid. Seeing as it was still early, he surmised Emilia was sleeping and that Rem would be in the kitchen. "Rem?"
When he stepped into the kitchen the sight of the twin girls in winter clothes, hugging each other, welcomed him. "O-oh, Subaru-kun…" The blue oni blushed. "We were just warming each other… Nee-sama and I, I mean…"
"Have you no shame? Interrupting the sacred privacy of my sister and I, you lecherous pig."
"Whoa, sorry. I guess I interrupted a heart to heart or something…" He answered back while his inner pervert thanked the sight. "Anyways, Rem? Do you know what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do YOU mean 'what do I mean'? I'm asking about the snow! Why does it look like the ninth circle of hell in here?!"
"Oh? Did Puck-sama not inform you?"
"Must have slipped from his mind, being how insignificant Barusu's existence is."
"Very funny, Nee-sama." Subaru sarcastically responded. "What did Puck not inform me about?"
"Him and E~milia-sama's situation of course!" Roswaal answered from behind.
"Hey Ros-chi."
"Roswaal-sama." The pair bowed.
"Su~baru-kun, the pair of contractor and spirit have been running around containing the cold within the estate." He opened the window to reveal how there was only a light rain falling outside the mansion. "Were you not informed by Puck, Hm~?" The clown smiled while wondering.
"Apparently not…" The annoyed boy exited the kitchen, setting his sights on Emilia's chambers. Once outside her room, he began knocking on the door while calling out her name. "Emilia-tan? You in there?"
"S-Subaru?! Wh-what are you doing here?!"
"Well, I was worried about the cold and I was told you and Puck were responsible so I got worried. Can I come in?"
"What?! Did Puck not- Wait! Wait, wait! Don't come in!"
Subaru had already reached for the doorknob as she started yelling, only to recoil from the cold the moment his fingers touched it. "Holy cow! That's cold! Emilia! Are you sure you are fine?!"
"J-Just a second!"
"Emilia-sa~ma, while I admit you are entitled to your privacy, as the lord of this mansion I think it'd be a good lesson to be more open with your sta~ff, so…" As Roswaal laughed, he pulled the doors to the half-elf's room open.
"Roswaal?! Wait, I'm-!"
The moment the lord opened the door, a cold gust like a snowstorm hit the pair in the face. "Whoa! What the hell is going on in there?! A nuclear winter?!"
"P-please, get out!" Emilia panicked while covering something, the seeming origin of the blizzard.
"What is going on?!"
"Huh? Why are you asking? I thought Puck told you?" Emilia wondered while covering her spirit.
Oh crap!Puck thought as Emilia wondered about Subaru's confusion.
"Another one…" Subaru rolled his eyes. "No, he didn't tell me jack!"
"What?! Puck, I asked you to tell everyone!" Emilia turned back to glare at the origin of the cold gales.
"I-it slipped! I swear!"
"Urgh!" Emilia yelled in annoyance.
Subaru, Roswaal and the rest were now waiting by the entrance hall of the mansion as Emilia and Puck argued. Although… Argue was a strong word, considering that Emilia was seriously chastising Puck for telling everyone about what was happening the previous night EXCEPT for Subaru.
"Emilia-tan, aren't you cold dressed like that?" Subaru pointed at Emilia's clothes.
"Don't worry Subaru, Puck's Hatsumaki can't affect me. As her contractor, my body temperature is regulated even in this cold provoked by him." She assured while remarking on who was at fault for the blizzard.
"So… 'Hatsumaki'? Are you, like, in heat?"
"I'm not a cat! I'm a Great Spirit!" Puck complained while rubbing his pulled-red ears. "I'm not in heat!"
"Subaru-kun, Hatsumaki is a phenomenon produced by beings of great magical power. It mostly depends on their Od, however." Rem explained.
"What's an Od?"
"Are you serious?" A trembling Ram asked with a face of disdain. "The stupidity of your world is just… astounding."
"Hey, hey, in my world, only a few select people are taught magic." He explained about one of the facts Strange had dropped when Subaru asked him about his powers. "Most everyone just focuses on the sciences, martial arts or the like. Anyways, what is an Od? Is it, like, an extra gate or whatever?"
"Child, an Od is the vessel that contains the mana extracted from the gate." Beatrice affirmed while sighing at the interaction between Subaru and Ram.
"So like a cup?"
"Your analogies are beyond me, but… yes, imagine a cup." The blonde rubbed her temples as her patience reached a limit. "*Sniffle* In this case, Bubby's Od was almost full, so before it accidentally spills he has to release it somehow."
"Oh! So you have diarrhea!" Subaru chuckled while pointing at Puck.
"Don't call it that!" A pissed-off cat and little girl duo grumbled in unison.
"*Sigh* I'm sorry, Subaru…" Emilia bowed her head. "It only happens roughly once a year. I should have explained you myself."
"Ah, don't be. I don't think a blizzard is the worst thing I could wake up to!" He reassured the girl with a smile, cheering her up and fanning the anger of her father. "Still… I suppose our date is postponed today as well, if you have to contain the little guy." He then remembered another resident of the mansion that wasn't in the hall. "Hey, where's Meili? Did-did she know about this?! Is she safe?!" He turned to Ram and Rem.
"Ah! Don't worry about Meili, Puck-sama told her as well and we set up some things for her to warm up!" Rem merrily affirmed.
"…Really?! You told her and not Subaru?!" Emilia huffed once more.
"L-Lia! I told you, it slip- Owowowowowch!" Emilia pulled on his ears again.
"Emilia-tan, please calm down, he's gonna turn into Doraemon at this rate!"
"What's a 'Doraemon'?" She asked while letting go of the poor feline, trying to satisfy the sudden curiosity of everyone in the room.
"He's, like, a fictitious anime cat from my world. It's from a kids TV show." Karen displayed a still image of the blue cat.
"Anime?" Emilia wondered again.
"What's a 'TeeVee' show?" Rem asked now, getting slightly closer to the boy.
"If I keep explaining, we'll be here all day…" Subaru tried to gently cut them off while giving Rem a head pat, completely diffusing the maid's curiosity as she blushed but giving Emilia conflicted emotions as she stared, and most definitely freezing Ram's heart even further as she glared at him. "Er, anyways, I think I have an idea on how to solve the whole 'manor sized freezer' situation we have here. A true 22nd century solution!"
The next day, a cloud had concentrated over the mansion, making snow fall over it as though it was Christmas overnight. The people of the village had been fetched by the maids as Subaru prepared an statue of Lady Liberty as well as an assortment of ice cream and prizes. He hanged a sign over the entrance to the estate, the name of a contest inscribed on it.
The NY Snow Sculpting Competition (Sponsored by Roswaal L. Mathers)
"Subaru? What does the NY stand for?" Emilia asked him as he laid the desserts and plushies over a table near the entrance.
"Hm? Oh! It stands for 'New York'. It's the city I lived on, they used to hold snow sculpting contests when it snowed in late February. Er- the second month of the year."
"I see…" Emilia looked at him in wonder as he told her about his home. "Still, it never occurred to me, to organize a snow festival."
"You don't have those here?"
"Well… I think some cities hold Spring festivals… But I've never been to one."
"Welp, enjoy the moment!" He put an ice crown over his head. "Let's make a party out of Puck's 'mating season'!" He laughed as Emilia chuckled.
"I'm not in heat, damn it!" The cat complained.
As the village congregated, the young man climbed over a pillar and made his announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen! I ask you today… Who wants to go to New York?!" The entire village and the mansion residents just tilted their heads in confusion at the rambling mad man. "Er, who wants to win a prize?!" At this, the many children and some adults smiled and begun murmuring with each other in excitement.
The inhabitants of Arlam spread around the yard, some forming their own groups, as they sculpted in the snow. Petra built a small snow rabbit and showed it off to Subaru. The impressionable young man found nothing better to do than upgrading it by adding mechanical wings. And a propulsion jet. And an Arc Reactor. And an Asgardian helmet.
"Wh-what is this?" Petra asked almost tearfully at the way her creation had been bastardized.
"Oh, I just threw in stuff I thought was cool! You see, I really think it'd be cooler if it could fly, but I thought it could also need protection, so I added the helmet. Also, the energy had to come from somewhere so- Urnf!" A snowball landed on his nose as an angry Petra huffed and walked away with the mutation still suffering on her tiny hands.
Beatrice and Emilia seemed to be arguing on the background as Emilia complained about the spirit using magic to build her statue. "Hey, Beatrice! You came!"
"Don't think I did it because of you, in fact." The little girl said while shooing the half-elf away. "I'm just here because Bubby asked me. He said it would be fun and, well… It's not as boring as I thought it would be, I suppose." She said this last part while looking away from him, not wanting to show him the fun she was having.
"Hmmm… So Puck asked you, eh?" I thought for sure my relationship with Puck was dropping, but I guess we are doing better than expected if he was willing to ask Beako for me.
"Seriously… You have to do these things fair and square, Beako!"
"Don't you dare call me that too!"
"Hey, Subaru!" Puck called out to him from besides Roswaal. "Come here already! It's almost time to vote!"
"Okay! Coming!"
The trio toured around the garden, rating sculptures of castles and statues of people Subaru couldn't recognize. He could swear the older men made a statue of a voluptuous woman that resembled Roswaal in a daring pose, basking on their work quite proudly as they patted each other on the back until their wives smacked them over the head and tore down the sculpture. He also saw a set of wolgarm statues, one of the leader made by one of the young men of the village and another of the pack made by Meili.
"Meili, I'm glad you decided to join us!" Subaru cheerfully saluted the young girl.
"Well, you sure are the only one~." Meili retorted. "Everyone else is just kind of avoiding me. Even the kids." Even Petra…
"Well, give them time. Some people can't calm their animosity… especially so when you choose to make a sculpture of a pack of mabeasts."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" She looked away from him as Roswaal and Puck inspected the statues.
"Well, I'll say~. They are rather realistic! Down to the fangs and cla~ws!" Roswaal joyfully remarked.
"Hum, hum! The size even matches Subaru's wounds!" Puck nodded in agreement.
"You two are far more sadistic than your appearances lead on!" Subaru complained from besides Meili.
"Still… *crunch, swallow* Hah~, these things you made are quite good, Subaru." Meili stated while observing the clown and the cat.
"So you are calling me by name now, eh?"
"What did you say it was called?"
"Oh, that's a Hunka' Hulk of Burning Fudge!"
"Wasn´t the name simpler?!"
"It's just a flavor of ice cream. I found time for making some Stark Raving Hazelnuts too…" I was just lucky chocolate and vanilla are a thing here…
"I love the chocolat flavor!" Meili exclaimed while savoring a spoonful.
"Right… chocolat…" A disillusioned Subaru pondered on the incomplete name for the sweet.
"Subaru-kun! Please, look at this!" An excited Rem called over the judges. The group approached a statue covered by a mantle. "Nee-sama and I gave our very best in making this!"
"Ram worked?! Color me shocked!" Subaru was shocked by the thought of the pink girl doing something productive.
"Laugh all you want, trash. At the end of the day, we both know who the superior being is."
"Way to announce yourself as the supervillain. Still, I kind of just assumed you'd stay holed up in bed."
"As if I could leave my little sister alone when we can share in happiness together."
"Actually, I begged Nee-sama to come play with me saying we'd have lots of fun!" Rem chimed in with a brilliant grin.
"So you would've stayed in bed if they didn't beg you to move your ass?! What are you, a neet?!"
"By following her brilliant instructions, I've built the greatest sculpture in history!"
"And you just spectated while Rem did all the work?! How lazy can you be?!"
"Hmph! Just you wait to be awestruck by mine and Rem's artistry!" Ram stated while Rem unveiled their unholy creation. "Behold!"
"Wh-wh-wh-what is this?!" Before the trio an abomination was revealed. It was a fusion of Subaru's features with Roswaal's. It had some of the boy's hair while displaying the clown lord's face and cape. However, it also integrated his Iron Spider extra limbs, making it look as if it was a murder bot. It even had his web shooters attached and all.
"We call it… Subawaal-sama!"
"I'll admit… integrating Barusu's deformities into Roswaal-sama's pristine figure was a challenge, but in the end, we managed to pull it off." Ram confidently stated while crossing her arms.
"…Well… I feel bad about Rem, but… 5 points." Subaru rubbed the back of his head while rating the chimera.
"Out of…?" Ram expectantly asked with confidence.
"Out of 10! This thing gives me nightmares!"
"Why you- Urgh! You have no sense for the arts! Should have expected from a degenerate!" Ram complained. "Roswaal-sama, I'll assume you'll be far fairer in your judgement."
"Hmmm~ Well…" He lifted both hands, making Ram and Rem look in wonder. "FOUR!" He set one of the hands down and lifted four fingers with the other.
"*Gasp*" Ram had to lean on Rem in order not to faint.
"Oh, get over it, drama queen!"
"It's quite the good craftsmanship bu~t… I can't help but shiver looking at it!" Roswaal affirmed.
"Subaru!" The village children called out to him.
"Yeah, yeah, coming!"
The judges approached a statue that looked rather shoddy, but that made Subaru blush a bit nonetheless.
"Wow… You guys are the best!"
It was a statue of Subaru in his Spider-Man suit, making a pose as if he was about to jump into a fight, with extra limbs that actually fitted him.
Time passed and the judges made their verdict, resulting in Petra's one sided, full marks victory.
"*Sigh* It's frustrating to work so hard and not win…" Emilia, although contented with the event, felt heavy knowing she did not win.
"Ah, don't sweat it! There's always next year." Subaru reassured.
"Still… for my Puck statue not to gain even 10 points from all of the judges…"
That was a Puck? Subaru thought while looking at her incredulously.
"The winning girl did have some good quality, I suppose… Even Roswaal praised her 'Aesguardian' bunny."
"'Aesguardian'? Where have I heard that before…?" Emilia wondered as Beatrice commented.
"…" Subaru looked the other way while the two admired Petra's abomination.
"What was the prize, again?"
"It was a doll, in fact. Subaru sewed a really big one in the shape of that blue cat he showed off yesterday…"
"Petra looked really happy with it too…" I wonder if I can get him to make me something like that as well… Meili pondered.
As the night approached, the villagers returned home. Subaru took advantage of this for presenting his own masterpiece. "Alright, now that the more chaotic people are gone… Hey, Emilia-tan!"
"Hm?" Emilia, alongside the other residents of the mansion approached Subaru after waving their farewells to the people of Arlam.
"Behold!" Subaru pushed into the dwindling sunlight a statue he had made alongside Lady Liberty.
"What the hell is this?" Ram asked in absolute boredom.
"This… is the Iron Man Armor, Mark VI!" Subaru laughed. "It's the armor Mr. Stark used to save me when I was a kid!"
"Oh… So it's something close to your heart…" Rem smiled warmly while commenting.
"Yeah, pretty much!"
"I must admit, it does look imposing. It looks really well done as well…" Emilia affirmed while inspecting it with curiosity.
"The schematics for some of the previous models of the Iron Man armor suit had been uploaded to the Boss' private server at the time the Iron Spider was built." Karen explained from Subaru's wrist. "When Subaru asked for a reference image, I pulled all the archives on the components of the armor available."
"Oh please, it's just a glorified knight's armor." Ram deflated onto a chair while mocking the statue.
"Hey! It's most certainly not!"
"It is. I mean, what CAN it do?"
"Fly, shoot projectiles, shoot laser beams, shoot repulsion beams, and withstand bullets, missiles and energy bursts…"
"Hold it, this thing can fly?!" Meili asked in confusion.
"Yeah!"
"So… Subaru? Why are you showing it to us now and not when the rest of the villagers were around?" Emilia asked.
"Oh, well, the brats were so messy that they ended up beheading the statue they made of me, so… Instead of showing it when I planned for it, I decided I wanted to show it to you guys after everyone left. Even if it's going to melt with all the others by the morning, I wanted this one to be special…" He stared at the group fondly.
"Oh… I see…" Both Emilia and Rem blushed. Meili looked in wonder as Beatrice just pretended to ignore it while giving it side-glances. Roswaal and Puck smiled silently in the background and Ram just stared as if in standby mode, playing with her hands and some snow.
"Hey, Ros-chi, what say we hold that toast now, eh?"
"I thought you wi~shed to hold it after your date, Su~baru-kun."
"Well, this might be a better time, in hindsight."
"Very well. Rem, please go set the table. Ram, you and Subaru fetch the glasses and the bottles."
"Yes, Roswaal-sama." The twins answered at the same time while Ram got up from her seat.
"Yeah, on our way." Subaru responded.
*Thud*
During the brief moment everyone looked away from the sculpture, a thud sound was heard; as if something had fallen over. Looking back at the statue, Subaru was in shock as he noticed a certain little detail missing.
"HUH?!" Subaru made a face as if it was the apocalypse. "WHERE'S THE HEAD?!"
"Did it fall off?" Meili asked, noticing the helmet on the ground.
"Nah, I saw someone throw a snowball." Puck claimed while scratching behind his ears.
"But who could've-?" As Rem was about to ask, she noticed her sister taking off her snow covered gloves and tucking them inside her dress' pocket. "…" She decided not to snitch and to let her beloved suffer instead.
"ARGH! This sucks!"
The group, including Meili who was being watched over by Ram, was now sitting around a table where various wines and glasses had been set up.
Subaru cleared his throat before making an announcement. "Well, thank you everyone for assisting to the first of, I hope, many snow festivals. Of course, special thanks to the lord that made this whole thing possible!" Roswaal nodded at Subaru's statement. "When Puck goes in heat again, let's hold an even bigger one then!"
"Don't make it a running gag!" Puck complained from atop Emilia's head as the girl laughed.
"With that said… cheers!" Subaru raised a cup with the liquor on it.
"Cheers!"
"Thank you for all your effort, Subaru-kun!"
"You too, Rem! I'm sorry I had you running around the whole place yesterday, helping me prepare the ice cream and stuff…"
"Not to worry about it. I became energized from gazing at your sleeping face last night." Rem commented while clicking her glass with Subaru's.
"…Uh, what?"
"What?"
"Hey, how come I get this black thing when everyone else gets to drink wine?!" Meili complained as Ram handed her a glass filled with a black liquid Subaru had concocted.
"Hmph, you are a minor, of course we wouldn't serve you alcohol. Just be thankful of Barusu's charity, assassin. If it was me, I would have kicked your butt and let you sleep in the snow." Ram huffed at her commentary. "Still, I don't envy you. Drinking a poison made by Barusu cannot be anything but torture."
"It's not a poison, it's a soft drink!" Subaru complained. "I had the recipe saved from beforehand, just like with the ice cream. I'm sure you'll like it, all the kids drink it back home!" He reassured Meili with a smile.
"…Hmph!" Meili grabbed the glass and drank the content with caution. "!" When the weird, sweet flavor with a bubbly sensation hit her, she began drinking the thing desperately for dear life. "Hmm~, I love this!" The child expressed unrestrained joy in front of her captors without noticing.
"You do? I told you so!" Subaru answered. "It's called Cola, it's a soda. A drink pretty much everyone with a sweet tooth will like."
"So, Subaru-kun, how are you handling alcohol so fa~r?" Roswaal asked while swirling the glass on his hand and winking at him. "It sure reddens you, ri~ght?"
"I'm, like, flattered by your insinuations but I don't swing that way, man…" Subaru said while taking a sip of his wine. "Still, I think I'm handling it pretty well…"
"When it comes to alcohol, I'll protect Lia from the devilish temptation." Puck grabbed Emilia's glass, flying away from her.
"Not fair!" Emilia complained.
"It'd be better to just rela~x once in a while, don't you think so as well, Pu~ck-kun?"
"Hmm… Well…" The cat rubbed his chin for a moment, deep in thought.
As the night went on, Ram escorted a sleepy Meili back to the dungeon. She came back, however, to the odd sight of a messy Emilia with cookie crumbles all over her chest mumbling unintelligibly at Subaru.
"Puck! You are not doing your job!"
"Mmm, Nya~…" The blushing red spirit bathing in a cup-full of steamy water responded with a mumble and a purr at the boy's complaint.
As Emilia rested her head on Subaru's thigh, Rem jealously got close to him as well, resting herself on his other lap.
"I'm really not experienced with this kind of situation!" The nervous wreck of a teenager exclaimed as the pair resting on his legs began purring.
"The only item missing on the 'to be' list is now, officially, 'billionaire'." Karen stated much to Subaru's exasperation.
"I told you to delete that list!"
"Seems like Rem still can't handle her liquor, eh?" Ram commentated.
"And you can, Nee-sama?" Subaru responded with a question as he caressed the hair of the two ladies.
"Better than her. I've participated in alcohol testing going so far back as a child when we lived in our village."
"Aren't onis hella irresponsible then?! That's underage drinking!" As Subaru retorted, he noticed a lonesome Beatrice staring at the night sky over the balcony. "Say, Emilia-tan? Can you take care of Rem for a moment?"
"Hmng~, yeah! Of coursh~!" Emilia groggily got up and hugged a half-sleep Rem.
As the two hugged and rubbed against each other, a blushing Subaru approached the window.
"I took a picture, just so you know." Karen commented.
"…It's invasion of privacy. Please, delete it after I take a proper look at it…"
"Understood."
Subaru went into the balcony to stargaze alongside Beatrice, carrying with himself a couple of glasses filled with Cola. "So… Staring at the constellations?"
"Constellations?"
"In my world, we had given names, forms and uses to the various stars that light up the night sky…" He handed Beatrice one of the glasses. "Here, drink this."
"This is what that child was drinking earlier…"
"To be fair, I don't know how old you are. Even if I know you are older than me, I figured I shouldn't risk it." He explained. "Still, I'm sure you'll like it!"
"Hmph!" Beatrice drank the liquid and found herself enjoying it as well.
"So, as I was saying, we had created constellations out of the stars. Each star had a name, and some found use in navigation and locating yourself, such as the North Star or the Southern Cross."
"Like how you explained with the 'Astronaut'?"
"Indeed." Subaru nodded. "Although your sky is quite different… I'm sure we can create a system similar in this world!"
"You seem quite knowledgeable about this, I suppose."
"Yeah, my parents had me curious about it. After all, they named me after a cluster of stars."
"How ironic that someone who is so unnoticeable was named after stars." Ram mocked from behind him.
"For how brilliant they are, you are rather sorry looking." Beatrice backed up the maid.
"Stars are symbols of hope, though." A smirking Puck laughed. "You should look up and hope to live to such expectations, Subaru!"
"Damn, you people are merciless!" Subaru faked a cry. "Woah, the garden is filled with snow spirits!"
The group saw as their own stars in the form of the snow spirits inundated the sculpture-filled yard.
"So, you all had fun today?" Subaru turned back to them.
"Well… I suppose you have made things rather noisy around here." Beatrice said while leaving the balcony, not wanting to give him anything to smile about.
"Well, she might not admit it, but I'm sure Betty had lots of fun as well." Puck affirmed while flying over Subaru.
"Well, so long as she enjoyed herself…"
"Say, what do you say we let everyone enjoy this?" Puck winked at Subaru.
"What do you mean 'everyone'?"
"The people in the Capital, of course!"
"You can do that?!" A bewildered Subaru asked in awe.
"Sure! Just leave it to me!" Puck then raised his paws and a beam of light shot up at the sky, in the direction of the Capital.
"What did you do?"
"I used my leftover mana to create a similar cloud over the city…" Puck began stretching and yawning. "*Yawn* I'm pretty much empty now, so, I guess this is bye-bye for today…" He dematerialized while waving at the boy.
"Well, seems like it's about time we wrap things up!" Subaru stated while walking back inside. "Hey Ram! If you are not dead yet, help me carry Emilia and Rem to their rooms!"
"Yeah, yeah… *Hic* Just make sure you don't deflower them more than necessary, you monster." A blushing Ram got up from her seat groggily.
"Stop it with the sexual deviant gag! And I thought you could handle your alcohol?!"
The night passed over peacefully, a starry sky veiling the mansion overnight. The next day, taking advantage of the now clear weather and the merry atmosphere, Subaru and Emilia finally went on their date.
"Alright, just keep your eyes closed… step right over here…" Subaru was holding Emilia's hand while holding a basket on his other hand.
"What do you want to show me, Subaru…?" A curious Emilia asked nervously.
"A~nd… Now! Open your eyes!"
As Subaru directed her, Emilia opened her eyes to find a field full of flowers of all kind, a rainbow in its maximum expression adorning it from yesterday's humidity.
"Wow… Subaru, how did you find this?"
"Well… I asked the children if they knew of a good spot and… they showed me this place!" Subaru laid a mantle over the ground, near the sunflowers at the edge of the field. "Come sit down. There's something else I want to give you…"
The blushing Emilia sat down beside him and was suddenly surprised when Subaru placed something over her head.
"What…?"
"It's a flower crown!" The smiling Subaru flattered Emilia. "I figured with you being, like, a princess and all, you'd want a crown!"
"Seriously… Thank you, Subaru!" Emilia beamed him a smile.
"Well… Honestly, I wanted to make you something more jewelry-like but I never found time for it…"
"Subaru, trust me, this makes more than happy enough…" Emilia blushed a little.
"Oh! I have an idea!" Subaru suddenly got up, surprising Emilia. "What if I make you a web-shooter?! I mean, a bracelet like mine?!"
"What?" Emilia tilted her head.
"I'm not really good at making ornate stuff… but a web shooter would certainly remind you of me, right?" Subaru winked at her while sitting back down. "Plus… I could integrate Karen into it as well; she could assist you with stuff and all…"
"Hmmm… I don't know how I could ask her for help… Or what she could help me with."
"I assure you, I could serve to counsel you when making decisions or store information you might need and you are not prone to remembering." Karen interrupted Emilia as she thought aloud. "Plus, the web-shooter possesses different configurations for the webbing. Some combat focused while others focused entirely on assisting. With a signal available, it could also be used for communicating between long distances."
"It's a good utility tool, see?"
"I see… In that case, I'd happily accept it!" Emilia cheerfully accepted while grinning, the sunflowers in the background making it a picture perfect scenario.
"…Hey, you know… This reminds me of a song…"
"A song? Like in music?" Emilia tilted her head in curiosity.
"Karen?"
"It was in your smartphone's memory drive. Playing 'Sunflower' by Post Malone, featuring Swae Lee."
"Ayy,Ayy,Ayy,Ayy
Ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh
Ayy,Ayy
Ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh"
"What is this?!" An excited Emilia asked the moment the song began playing.
"It's one of my favorite songs currently!" Subaru answered while singing along.
"Needless to say, I keep her in check
She was all bad-bad, nevertheless
Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck
Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck…"
As Emilia nodded her head along to the lyrics, she unconsciously reached for Subaru's right hand with her left, holding it. "I like this… Even if it's kind of fast paced…"
"You think this is fast paced? You can sing along if you want!" Subaru projected an image with the lyrics as the song kept playing.
"A-alright…" Emilia braced herself with a smile.
"Ooh-ooh, sOmE thInGs YoU jUst CAn`t REfuSE…!" An eager half-elf exclaimed happily in a messy, earsplitting way.
Oof, she just started and she's ripping my ears out! She's tone deaf! Subaru thought desperately.
"E-Emilia-tan… maybe it'd be better if we just enjoy it with the music as the background… you know, just, relax while having lunch…" Subaru let her down without breaking character.
"Oh? Well, sure! I was feeling a bit esurient anyhow!" She affirmed while reaching for a sandwich from the basket.
"No one says 'esurient' anymore…" Subaru chuckled while reaching for one as well.
The music kept playing in the background as Subaru laid down the web shooter on the mantle. They ate and fooled around, Subaru interjecting with anecdotes of his world as Emilia chuckled and gazed at him in awe, never noticing either of them how they held hands through it all…
"You're the sunflower, you're the sunflower, yeah..."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Thanks for recommending songs and scenarios, guys! Sunflower totally fits Emilia and Subaru's scenario, even in the main story.
Anyways, next interlude will be an actual training arc and montage on Subaru building stuff while approaching Arc 3, look forward to it! Happy Halloween!