A.N.: Chapter four! This one was an interesting one to write, more fluffy content before the beginning of arc three proper... Thank you all so much for your kind words the past few chapters! I hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

"Alright, next you should let it simmer for some time. If you leave it too long it'll have a burned taste that'll stick to your mouth so make sure to keep an eye on it." Harisson watched the red haired girl nod determinedly, staring at the pot in deep concentration.

"Hm!"

"Good. Now, keep on stirring... alright, that should be enough. We'll leave it to rest for an hour or so, and then we'll be done." He smiled at her excited look. "Feel free to bring the food home."

"Yay!" She grinned. "I'm gonna be awesome at cooking by the time I apply!" He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Apply?" She eeped, covering her mouth. "Aren't you a little young to be working?"

"I'm not too young!" She angrily shouted at him. "I'm perfectly capable of being a maid!" She seemed to realise her mistake as a grin spread across his lips.

"Ah, a maid huh. I'm assuming at the Mathers mansion then? It's the only place nearby that makes sense." Her face was rapidly heating up. "Still, I wonder why you'd want to apply there..." He hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

"Don't you dare!" She threatened, pointing a wooden spoon at him. He raised his arms in mock surrender.

"Wow wow, Pettra! I'm no knight, no need for such vicious weaponry!"

"Get'em Pettra!" One of the villagers observing the scene yelled out. "Defend your honour!" She yelled out a battle cry, whacking him in the leg with light jab. Harisson angrily squawked, grabbing the spoon from her hands and placing it on one of the higher shelves.

"Alright, that's it! I'm totally telling Subaru you attacked me next time!" She gasped, her eyes filling with panic.

"W...wait! We can cut a deal!"

"You fiend!" Another villager cried out, grinning wildly as the others at his table snickered. "Pettra! Don't let him get to you!"

"A deal huh?" He pretended to think about it. "Nah, telling Subaru sounds funnier." With that, she took a step back, looking scared. Then, she glared at him.

"If... if you do that, I'll... um..." She stammered. "I'll tell him you have a crush on Emilia!" Silence in the inn.

"By the Od Pettra, that's vicious." One of the spectators whispered. "Didn't think she had it in her." Harisson stared at her, his expression blank. Then, he chuckled. Laughed, even. She seemed confused at his display.

"You fool! Ram already pulled that prank! There's no way it would work twice!" She continued glaring at him, his confidence faltering the longer she did. "There's... there's no way right?" She continued staring. "Oh my god he totally would. Fine, fine! You win. I won't tell him." Her expression turned into smug satisfaction, crossing her arms with a satisfied 'hmph!'. Damn her.

As he went for another retort, the door to the inn opened, catching his attention. He straightened his posture as he saw who crossed through.

"Oh, miss Rem! Good morning!" She gave him a small smile, followed by a bow.

"Good morning Mister Harisson!" The maid walked up to the counter, the villagers going back to their conversations now that the entertainment seemed to be over. "I came to pick my order." His smile grew a little strained at that.

"Right... your order..." She tilted her head to the side cutely.

"Is there an issue with it?" He shook his head.

"No no, it's all arrived and I checked them myself, they're all intact... it's just..." Pettra happily skipped past him, holding the meal she carefully laid to rest on the counter, looking at it with excited eyes. "It's a lot of eggs. Like. A lot of eggs."

"Yes." She nodded, the same smile still plastered on her face. "I am glad to hear they have arrived."

"I..." Harisson sighed. "What are you even going to use these eggs for?" Her eyes shone then in a manner that caught Harisson off guard.

"You see, Subaru has this condiment that he told us about that he really likes, so I'm going to make some for him!" She grinned. "He will be super happy with me!" Harisson stared at her for a moment.

"And you need... that many eggs for it?" He asked doubtfully.

"Yes." She replied confidently. "Absolutely."

"Uhuh." Well then. "Alright, I suppose you'd know best. It's a fair amount, and fairly fragile, so I'm not sure how you plan on getting them all to the mansion..." He gestured for her to follow him, the maid simply hopping over the counter.

The backroom held a massive crate, filled with carefully arranged eggs.

"Is this it?" She asked, gesturing to the crate.

"Yup. All of them are there. So, I can try and use a cart and do a couple of trips, and..." She squatted, grabbed the underneath of the crate that was taller than her by a decent amount and heavy enough to require a dozen men to carry, and lifted it with seemingly no effort. "Ooooor you can do that. Huh." He stared at the smiling Rem holding the crate above her head. "... is this like a maid thing or..."

"Huh? What do you mean mister Harisson?" She asked, glancing at him.

"Nevermind. You sure you'll be alright bringing all that to the mansion?"

"Yes!" She smiled. "I will do my best!" Harisson shook his head, a bemused smile on his face.

"Well if you say so..." To his utter shock, he watched as she effortlessly carried the crate with her, once more jumping over the counter before continuing forth. As she made to leave, she turned towards him once more.

"Mister Harisson! Subaru..." Her expression turned serious. "Subaru seems to come here fairly often recently. Would you... would you consider Subaru a friend?" He blinked at the surprising question.

"...I'd like to think we are, yes. You'd have to ask him how he feels though." She squinted at him.

"...Friend of my friend is my friend..." She muttered. "Hm. Understood. Thank you mister Harisson!" With that, she was off, carrying the crate with one hand as she made to walk out of the front door only to realise the crate was far too large to let her through. It was a flustered and blushing Rem he led to the opening at the back, wide open to allow her to go through with it.

As he went back inside, he couldn't help but think of Rem's question.

Friends huh?

... Harisson had never had many friends. In fact, he could scarcely remember when he last had someone he could call a close friend. Acquaintances, certainly. Friends though?

Hm.

He wondered if Subaru would call him a friend.

He hoped so.

"And that is why, Aris, I would like to ask you if you have any knowledge of such a thing as resurrection magic. I…" Harisson growled, crumpling the paper in his hands. No, he couldn't phrase it like that. It would be exposing the fact Subaru had died multiple times, and if there truly was something threatening him into silence over this secret, Harisson would not be the one responsible for unleashing its wrath on the poor boy. He had to be more subtle, more discrete, whilst still getting the answers he sought.

The sound of a knock downstairs pulled him out of his task, making him sigh. The inn, by its very nature, never really closed; However there was an expectation that by a certain time at night, unless one were spending the night in one of the rooms, people wouldn't visit. Still, he had his duties as innkeeper. Grabbing the tableside candle, he exited his room and headed downstairs. At a second knock, he called out: "Yes, yes, I'll be right there!" He was glad he'd kept his day clothes on at least. He unlocked the door, finding himself faced with the red haired maid of the Mathers mansion as he opened it. "Oh, miss Ram!" He stepped aside. "Come on in, apologies for keeping you waiting."

"Hm." She entered the inn. "Apologies for such a late visit." He shook his head at that.

"No no, please, I'm sure there is a good reason." Closing the door behind her, he quickly stepped back behind the counter. "Feel free to take a seat. How can I help you out?" She handed him something small and transparent. He grabbed it, examining it. "Huh. That's one of my glasses, isn't it?"

"Lady Beatrice realised she never handed it back to you. She asked me to bring it back for her. Honestly, how slothful of her." Ram sighed. "Making me do this trip for her mistake." Harisson chuckled.

"Well, I appreciate it at least. It's nice to see she remembered." He smiled at her. "Thank you for bringing it back." She gave a small nod.

"Hm." She glanced at his hands. "Did I interrupt you in your writing?" He looked to his ink stained fingers.

"Ah, somewhat? It's no issue, I'm just frustrating myself anyways." He sighed. "Trying to figure out how to write a letter, but I come up frustrated at every turn."

"I see. That sounds quite inconvenient." Her stomach chose this moment to growl. Silence followed it.

"...Would you like me to cook you something or..." The maid shook her head.

"I wouldn't want to trouble you. Besides, I have no money on me." Harisson shrugged.

"It's no trouble, really. I'd add the bill to the next mansion order." She seemed to hesitate at that, but eventually shook her head.

"I would not want to disappoint my little sister by snubbing her cooking. I will have to pass for today. My apologies." He sighed.

"Ah it's no worries really. I would have felt bad if I didn't at least offer." She nodded.

"You are a good person. I will pray for your success in your rivalry with Barusu for Emilia's hand." Harisson fixed her with a glare.

"This again?" There was an amused light in her eyes. "Subaru isn't even here to mess with right now."

"No, he is not." Harisson shook his head at her words.

"First Pettra, next you. I do not want unsavory rumors to start spreading. As lovely as Lady Emilia is, I have no interest in her that way." Ram shrugged.

"Sadly, it seems Barusu believes so as well. What a shame. My entertainment is dissipating so quickly."

"There are better ways to be entertained." She cocked an eyebrow.

"If you are about to offer something perverted, I would ask you to refrain." Harisson sputtered.

"Wha... no! For Od's sake, no!" He shook his head.

"I am deeply insulted by how strongly you reject the idea. How disgraceful." Harisson groaned in misery, lowering his head.

"There is just no winning with you is there?"

"You disagree with my statement?" She asked with a questioning look.

"Yes!" He cried out.

"So you did look at me with perverse eyes. How shameful." Harisson looked up at her with a glare in his eyes.

"You are so lucky your sister isn't here right now." Ram seemed to grow vaguely menacing at that.

"Oh?"

"I'd ask what she likes about Subaru." Ram looked genuinely stricken at his declaration, though somewhat calmed compared to before he spoke.

"You would not dare." Harisson cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you saying your sister's feelings are not worth hearing out?"

"That is not remotely what I said. Cease putting words in my mouth." Harisson faked a look of offence.

"Me? I am but a humble innkeeper miss Ram. I merely seek to ensure your sister's feelings are heard." She glared at him.

"...Hm. I suppose you have some bite after all. You were being infuriatingly servile back at the manor." She rolled her eyes. "Though I suppose your apology was commendable." He blinked in surprise.

"Wait, were you purposefully baiting me into arguing back with yo..." With that, she turned away, quickly walking out of the inn.

"I have completed my task. I hope you have a nice day." The door slammed behind her. Harisson blinked.

"Huh. Was she concerned for me after what happened at the manor?" A soft smile spread on his lips. "She's surprisingly considerate." The people in the manor were good people. That was his take so far.

"You don't understand Harisson." Subaru lamented as he took another swig of his appa juice. "She filled the entire bath with mayonnaise! The entire bath! And I jumped in it! It was horrible." Harisson nodded sympathetically.

"I can imagine that'd be a bit of a shock." He answered. The inn was fairly quiet at this time of day, most of the people being off to work in the fields or elsewhere.

"A shock is an understatement. I looked like some kind of RPG monster..." Harisson tilted his head.

"RPG? Is that a type of mabeast?" Subaru gave him a pitying look.

"Poor merchant. Doesn't even know what an RPG is." Harisson rolled his eyes.

"Subaru. I am not a merchant. I'm an innkeeper." Subaru gave him a serious look.

"Do you sell stuff?"

"Yes."

"You're a merchant." Harisson gave him a deadpan look

"By that logic, a blacksmith is a merchant." Subaru paused.

"Huh. But then I can't call you my favourite merchant!" Harisson chuckled.

"Just call me your favourite innkeeper. That'll do." Subaru sighed dramatically.

"Awww but now I have to find a favourite merchant! Uuuuugh... so much work." Harisson laughed.

"Don't worry yourself so much. You'll find someone I'm sure."

"Meh. I still have to help clean that mayonnaise massacre in the bath... that's going to be fun." Harisson didn't have the heart to tell Subaru that Rem had come this very morning to order a second, even larger batch of eggs. He was sure he'd find out all too soon. They stayed in comfortable silence like this, Subaru drinking from his glass whilst Harisson busied himself cleaning some dishes from lunch time. "You know, you should have games in here."

"Games?" Harisson asked curiously.

"You know, like darts, table football, ping-pong... I'd say a few arcade machines, but that might be asking a bit much of a mediaeval inn."

"Subaru. My friend. What in the Od are you talking about." Harisson noted Subaru's slight widening of the eyes when Harisson called him friend. It had taken more courage than Harisson liked to admit for him to slip it in there, and it brought some warmth when Subaru didn't deny it.

"Seriously? None of these ring a bell?"

"Well, darts I have heard of before, but the rest..." Subaru looked around.

"Do you have paper and a pencil?" Harisson wordlessly retrieved the supplies, handing them over. "Thanks. Here, let me explain." Ten minutes of explanation later left Harisson a very pensive person.

"Hm... I think this might actually be a nice idea. Would give people something to do."

"Yeah, and we can even have table football tournaments!" Subaru excitedly said. "Finally something I can beat nee-sama in, and then rub it in her face!" Harisson chuckled nervously.

"Um, Subaru, I don't think getting into that kind of rivalry with miss Ram will end well for anyone involved..." Subaru crossed his arms.

"You don't understand Harisson. There's no way I can back down now!" Harisson shook his head.

"You guys have the weirdest way of getting along I have ever seen. And yet, I can almost understand." Ram was certainly an abrasive person, and Subaru was the exact kind of person who would not let it get to him in a serious manner. He hoped at least. "Fine. I'll talk with the carpenter and blacksmith and see if we can pull this off."

"Awesome!" Subaru grinned. "First game you and me though!" Harisson grinned right back, a slight competitive streak lighting inside of him at the sheer eagerness Subaru showed.

"Bring it on." The two glared at each other, a wide smile on their lips. Then, Subaru's eyes widened.

"Wait! I totally forgot what I'm supposed to do here in the first place!" Harisson blinked, heat creeping up his neck. He'd forgotten as well. Oops.

"Right, shit. Let me get your order for you." Subaru blinked.

"Did you just swear?"

"You imagined things."

"No you totally did, you said sh..."

"You. Imagined. Things."

"A snow festival?" Harisson looked down to the nearly vibrating Pettra, the rest of her friends waiting for her at the entrance of the inn.

"Yes! Subaru said they're organising it at the mansion! You've got to come with us!" Harisson took a peek outside the windows.

"But...I don't see any snow?" Pettra rolled her eyes.

"Well of course not! It's at the mansion!" Harisson stared at her.

"...Of course. How silly of me." He sighed. "Magic, I assume?"

"I dunno, but maybe? Who cares! Snow!" He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.

"Fine, fine. Snow. Alright, I'll come along." He took a look at the machine in the back of the inn, still being worked on. As it turned out, the basic components of a table football, as Subaru had called it, were pretty easy to make; The more intricate parts were a bit more delicate and required a bit more work. Subaru had mentioned something about "football player" to represent the soldiers on each side fighting over control of the ball, but that seemed silly to Harisson. Instead he asked the carpenter to carve them as miniature knights. "Let me grab my things and I'll be on my way."

It felt like the whole damn village was present. Harisson took the chance to let his eyes wander as they all gathered to Subaru explain the concept of the snow festival, hyping the people up for their snow sculptures competition. No one's numbers seemed to have changed. That was good. He glared at the seven above Subaru's head. He'd been thinking a lot about it. About their conversation a few days ago.

Theories, ideas, possibilities. Harisson deeply wished there was a library within the village he could use for his research, but unfortunately for him he would just have to make do.

Now, what to do for his own snow sculpture...

An old memory came to him. One bitter and sweet, warm and cold. One he held dearly to himself. His smile grew melancholic.

Yes. That would do.

Grabbing some snow, he set about his task.

As it turned out, he wasn't very good at moulding snow.

He sighed as he looked at the poor attempt at his creation.

"Oi oi! Glad to see you came!" Harisson glanced back to find Subaru standing behind him, along with… some kind of floating cat-like creature? A spirit, no doubt. "Let's see what we have here!"

"Hello Subaru." Harisson gave a small nod. "And… I'm afraid we haven't gotten acquainted…?"

"Hmmm…" The spirit flew closer to his face, a wave of cold brushing against Harisson. "You're the one who made Lia upset, ain'cha?" Harisson's face drained of colour as Subaru winced.

"I…" He lowered his head. "I suppose I am."

"Hm. Well, you apologised, and she was pretty happy about the apology, so I guess I'll let you off this time." The cat spirit, which looked entirely too cute for the menacing aura surrounding it, continued. "If you do it again though, I'll make you into a snow sculpture that's sure to win the festival!" Harisson stared on, speechless as the spirit did a midair flip. "Anyways, I'm Puck, Lia's contracted great spirit! Nice to mee'cha!" Harisson's face grew paler still at those words.

"G… great spirit?" He gulped. "I…Ha…" His legs were shaking. "Nice… nice to meet you too…" Puck winked, before flying off towards where Lady Emilia and Lady Beatrice were. Subaru sighed.

"Sorry about that. He's a bit protective of Emilia-tan." Harisson chuckled nervously.

"Subaru… he said great spirit. Was he serious?" Subaru grinned.

"Yeah! Isn't Emilia amazing?" Harisson's legs finally gave out as he fell to the floor. "H…hey! You alright?"

"Never been better." Harisson shakingly said. "A great spirit… Od protect me…"

"You know, I was thinking of giving you a piece of my own mind when I heard about what happened, but with how you are now and the apology I think I'll let you off." Subaru patted him on the shoulder. "Mah, don't worry too much about it. I doubt he'd actually hurt you." Harisson shivered.

"That is…" He glanced at Subaru's numbers. "Not as comforting as you think."

"Anyways, I came over to rate your sculpture like everyone else's." Subaru took a look at it. "Hmmm… wait, don't tell me! It's a thorn bush! Not bad, man!" Harisson felt his ego take a heavy blow.

"Myyyyy myyyyyy, Subaru, Harisson…" The latter's eyes widened, rising back to his feet as he turned to face the lord of the mansion.

"L…Lord Mathers!" He took a deep bow. "Thank you for having me over!"

"It's no trouble, no trouble I say. Noooooow. Let's seeeee what you have madeeeee." Lord Roswaal took a long look at the sculpture. Despite himself, Harisson felt a surge of hope within him. Lord Roswaal was a cultured man, and a noble lord; Surely he would recognize… "What an interesting desiiiiiign. A pile of rubble is certainly a daring choiiiiiiice…" Harisson had to stop a whimper.

"It's… it's a cat." Silence. Subaru looked stricken, whilst Roswaal looked at him with something akin to pity.

"Weeeeeeell… they do say imagination is a great streeeeength."

"Ye…yeah, now that I look, I can definitely see the ears!" Subaru tried to save Harisson from his mediocre skills. "Um… I guess I'll give it a four…"

"IIIIIII will give it a threeeeee…" Harisson sighed.

"...Od damnit."

This score was all the more crushing when he witnessed the twin created abomination of a snow statue receive a higher score than himself.

In the end, it was Pettra who won the competition, having created some fantastical creature that Harisson had to admit looked mighty impressive.

As the villagers began heading back home, Harrison found himself unable to stop a smile from spreading across his face.

Despite having lost so crushingly, he'd still had fun.

Harisson stared down at the letter in his hands.

"It has been a recent interest of mine that the study of magic be a part of my personal studies; I know you have many contacts within the capital, and so I was hopeful you could perhaps find out if there is such a thing as resurrection mag…" He groaned in frustration. Three days of working on this letter, and no progress. He always ended up turning around the same points, the same hesitations. He scrapped it once more.

At this rate, he would have to order more ink and paper.

"Barusu. Why did you drag us here so early in the morning." The growl that came from the red haired maid was enough to make Harisson take a cautious step away from Subaru. The fearless boy, however, did not hesitate to point at the newest addition to Harisson's bar.

"For this, of course!" Ram stared at the flat table.

"It is a table. Barusu, I did not think you were capable of disappointing me any further than you have, and yet you keep on finding new and astounding ways to do so."

"Sister, don't be mean to Subaru." Rem pouted. "I am sure it is an amazing creation that will assist in Lady Emilia's quest for coronation!" Harisson coughed, grabbing the trio's attention.

"Um… well not exactly. Subaru suggested this contraption to me a few days ago, and after some explanations I decided to have one made. It is called… pong-pong?" He asked cautiously.

"Ping-pong!" Subaru angrily replied, thrusting his arm at Harisson. "Get it right!" Harisson sighed, shaking his head.

"Right. Ping-pong. You have no idea how difficult it was to get those balls made, Subaru. I mean, light and bouncy, without being bouncy and with a superbly thin shell?" Harisson groaned. "I had to pull so many favours from Aris…"

"Payback for allowing Rem to get her hands on that many eggs. Twice." Harisson looked away innocently. "Besides, It'll be worth it, trust me!" Subaru excitedly declared. "Now! Do you have the netting?" Harisson pointed to the bundle of twine on a nearby table. "Awesome! And the rackets?"

"Right here."

"Perfect! So, Harisson, you take a round with me. We'll show those two maids how it's done!" Harisson hesitated, but eventually took position.

After a few back and forths, Harisson felt he'd gotten used to the rhythm, starting to feel more confident about knocking the ball back and forth. "Yeah, there we go!"

"Amazing! As expected of Subaru!" Rem excitedly exclaimed, whilst Ram merely shook her head.

"Leave it to Barusu to get so riled up over something so simple." Subaru wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Oh? Me thinks nee-sama is afraid of getting her ass handed to her…" Harisson felt like crawling into a ball at Ram's sheer glacial glare sent their way.

"You." She walked up to Harisson, holding her hand out. "Give." He handed the racket without hesitation. "Good." Harisson beat a hasty retreat next to Rem as Ram took position. Subaru cockily pointed his racket at her.

"Ha! So you take up the challenge after all? Well then, let the best one begin…"

CRACK.

Harisson stared at the dent in his wall with wide eyes, Subaru remaining frozen on the spot. Ram cocked her head to the side.

"One point for me."

"One point for… you sent the ball into the fucking wall! Apologise to Harisson!" Subaru ranted, whilst Harisson merely stared at the ball that had become lodged into the stone wall.

The stone wall.

The light, very light, fragile ball.

Had been sent into the wall with a single strike.

The people from the mansion weren't eccentric.

"Amazing shot sister! Go Subaru, I believe in you!" They were batshit insane. Rem turned to him with a smile. "Would you like us to play a round afterwards?" Harisson's mind flashed to the time he saw Rem carry a massive crate of eggs effortlessly.

"Um… I think I should actually…" She reached out, grabbing his hand with an iron grip.

"You are one of Subaru's friends right? Which means if we become friends, my chances of getting closer to Subaru will increase." Her stare grew frighteningly intense. "So let's be friends, right Harisson?" She asked with a kind smile. Harisson could not help himself.

He really did whimper.

Ten matches later, Ram stood smugly in front of a defeated Subaru, the boy brought to his knees as he stared at his hands.

"This… this strength, this power… impossible…" The boy muttered. Harisson was hardly faring better, his racket full of dents and cracks from Rem's monster of a power shot.

"Another round, Harisson?"

"Mercy… please…"

It seemed mercy was not in her vocabulary as his racket was shattered trying to stop her shot, leaving the final score of fourteen to zero.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Harisson, are you okay?" She asked with such genuine concern it only made Harisson feel worse for his loss. He'd actually tried. He was even ashamed to say he'd tried a few underhanded tactics, such as trying to distract her by claiming Subaru was doing something cool. It worked. It did not help in the slightest.

"It's… it's fine…"

"The mansion will take care of paying for all repairs caused by Barusu's dangerous game." Ram replied, the smug aura radiating from her clearly getting to Subaru.

"Dangerous game?! You're the monsters who demolished the place playing this!" Harisson chuckled nervously.

"No no, it's fine Subaru, I can get all of this repaired in not too much time, and if the mansion pays for it it's quite literally no loss for me…" Od knew he could use the help. The inn was doing fine financially, but Harisson wasn't the best at managing finances. He was decent, but certainly not the best.

"Barusu. Rem. Head on to the mansion without me. I will discuss repairs with Mister Harisson." Subaru sighed

"Ugh, fine. Need to go and annoy Beako anyways."

"You can annoy Rem anytime!" The blue haired maid exclaimed as she walked out behind him.

"Ha! Good one Rem." Subaru, oblivious to how serious she was being said as the door closed; Leaving Harisson alone with Ram.

"...I apologize for the damage caused to the establishment." Harisson blinked in surprise at the genuine apologetic tone the red haired maid used.

"It's alright. I mean, it's definitely an inconvenience…" He winced at the near broken table and multiple impact marks in the walls. "But nothing that can't be patched up in a day or two with some help. So, the Mathers estate will take care of funding the repairs?"

"Correct. However, that is not the only thing I wished to discuss with you." Ram tilted her head to the side. "Soon, Lady Emilia will be visiting the capital for some official business. As such, there will be no delivery for the next order, however the one after that will see things return to normal." Harisson nodded.

"Aaah I see. Alright, I'll take care of that. Thanks for the heads up." He smiled. "Capital business huh? I'm assuming it's related to the royal selection."

"I am not meant to gossip on the subject." Ram bluntly answered. "I will, however, be staying at the mansion. If you need some assistance, you can expect at least someone there." Harisson grinned.

"Ah, that's reassuring. I'll be relying on you then miss Ram."

"You need not use miss." She said. "My sister seems intent on getting closer to you as a blatant ploy to get closer to Subaru, and will likely drag me into this mess." Harisson chuckled.

"My apologies in advance for having to deal with me. And if that's the case, feel free to drop the mister as well."

"Your apology is accepted." After some thought, she added. "Harisson." She sighed. "It will do my sister good to get friends beyond merely the people in the mansion. And perhaps you can have a positive influence on Barusu." Harisson shook his head.

"I still think you are being too harsh on him."

"There are many things I am, too harsh on Barusu is not one of them. I see him clearer than anyone else, and he knows it. It is why he hardly ever argues against my comments." Ram's words were surprisingly sincere, Harisson finding it impossible to reply against such conviction.

"... I see." He eventually answered. "Well, if the mansion gets too lonely, you are always welcome here." Her expression turned scornful.

"How lustful. Shame on you Harisson." The innkeeper sighed.

"Not like that, come on. You know I don't have those kinds of intentions."

"Hm. Perhaps not." Ram glanced at his hands. "Still struggling with your letter?" He nodded.

"Haaaa… yeah. It's…" He shook his head. "It's difficult. A request that I have to make whilst trying to protect a friend's secrets."

"That does sound difficult." She tilted her head. "I do not presume you would be willing to share?" Harisson hesitated. He'd been running around in circles since that particular conversation with Subaru, trying to piece together bits of conversations and snippets that the raven haired youth had let slip with little success. And Ram worked with Subaru; Despite their bickering, it was clear they at least somewhat got along. Still, perhaps it was best not to mention Subaru. He didn't want to make things awkward for his friend.

"Well… I've been wanting to ask questions relating to magic to a relative of mine in the capital. A… peculiar kind of magic." Harisson shrugged. "I've never been able to use magic myself, so it's always fascinated me."

"I see. What makes these questions so difficult then?" Harisson winced.

"Well… it's related to… resurrection magic." He quickly continued. "I don't want them to think I'm trying to bring people back from the dead, or get unnecessary scrutiny towards myself, but… I am just unsure how to formulate it properly." Ram examined him with a thoughtful look.

"Hm. I am afraid I cannot help you in this Harisson." She eventually said. "Lord Roswaal would be the primary source of magical knowledge, save perhaps for Lady Beatrice, but the former is very often busy, and the latter is near impossible to find at the best of times." She sighed. "Save for Barusu, who has an uncanny ability to find her no matter what." Harisson felt somewhat dejected at that.

"So much for those avenues… Well I appreciate the help anyways Ram." The maid gave a short bow.

"I will be taking my leave now. Have a nice evening." Harisson waved her off, before heading back upstairs and staring down at the blank paper.

"Dear Aris. I am writing to you today regarding a most sensitive subject…" He scrapped the paper.

Not quite right.

Maybe next time.

Reclining back into his chair, he sighed.

He hoped Lady Emilia's trip to the capital would go alright.