I'll repeat this here: None of the chapters are connected.

Not unless you specifically see the name as an already existing one. As example, the last chapter, titled, Reid (1) - has no connection to the Ram chapters. The only thing to know it has connection is if they share the character title.
And second: Since they are episodic chapters, don't worry about explanations. Just enjoy it for what it is. Because I can either keep it vague, or explore later down future installments. Both work fine enough on their own. Otherwise, it wouldn't be special bby.

The rules seemed unclear for a chapter I uploaded some time ago, so I thought to leave it here and be frank about.

Thank you!

Ram (1)

The day Ram would understand these 'games' humans went wild over, was the day her horn regrows.

So, never.

The appeal of these 'sports' was less entertaining then the duels hosted in Lugnica. At least there she was confident in two things:

One, it had a use. Citizens tended to be more relaxed knowing and seeing their shoe-shining uptight knights had some teeth knocked loose. And some battle ability. That was a bonus too.

Second, Ram would know she'd wipe the floor with anyone seen there. No more elaborations needed. She'd find a face, correlate it to their pitiful performance, and deem - Useless.

It helped keep her sense of pride nice and clean.

As it should be.

She thought after pushing through a sea of people. Her reward? The dusty and choking front view of the blistering running track.

Hooray.

…how blessed I must be.

Ram's nose wrinkled a second as she pondered.

Unfortunately this time Ram couldn't take satisfaction in imagining herself powning the participants.

Beating out kids, of all things, in races didn't make it exactly elevating. Not that she'd have any issue winning, thank Volcanica very much.

Ram certainly didn't take it easy in this upside down world and laze about…

Not once.

It was just the dumb little Natsuki boy's fault. He needed someone to blend in with the rest. She couldn't stand out too much and amaze everyone, yes. Exactly. Ram was simply doing him a favor by excluding the chore of dealing with masses of people who'd barge to witness the inspiration she is.

Od, it is unbearable…

The crowds of nuclear families gathered like sardines, brimming with the excitement of a golf match. Too awkward to endure for Od knows how long this shebang took.

Hurry up, Aru, and get the useless metal lump to impress your parents. Ram isn't spending another hour out in this revolting heat.

She shouldn't even be here in the first place. Od, was it shameful. She wasn't even related to the Natsuki's.

And Ram certainly didn't overlook the disapproving stares sent to her pink head. Honestly, the social rules here felt stricter than maid life.

Good thing she took the hat and sundress for today. If she had to answer another accusatory slew of questions for what 'caff-e?' she worked at? Ram swore she'd make Volcanica rain agony in this land.

Ram pocketed the second sunscreen bottle of the day in her packed purse. Twisted and squished like a used toothpaste tube as it was. Ja's Pan's, or so she recalled, summers were so far so bad.

Well. Better than freezing at least.

…Rem would've appreciated this. The whole of it. The people too.

Aah, how her sister would frolic at the sights. Ram knew. She just knew. The customs, the traditional clothing, the food, the spectacles, the buildings… The people, yet for the better.

Errie how much it looked like home. And how close it felt like home.

Ram bounced between the past and present. The uncertainty was still there since the first day on Earth. Had she dreamed all the years of her life until now? Or was she still asleep?

"!"

A chorus of children howling to sike themselves up reached her.

She took a deep breath.

Adjusting the sunhat's rim above her line of sight, Ram blinked to test reality and readied to see the infantile show of 'racing' Subaru wanted to win. Yes, Subaru. That kid. Today was supposed to be his big day. Right.

This wasn't the time for reminiscing. The scary thoughts didn't need to be an element when entertaining the ankle leech she was stuck with.

He made her promise.

Subaru prattled and nagged on her so much she couldn't deny participation anymore. Not when Miss Naoko was so joyful at her little son's amazing friend supporting him.

Haah… such an under the belt hit. Cornering Ram with acceptance of her own greatness just to please the irritating Aru.

Ram would've gloated more.

"Let today's stars line up! Parents, siblings and teachers – today they get to see the best of you, champions! Welcome to our prestigious school's event! The mixed ages summer race!"

Whoever the weirdo in charge of announcements, blared into a cone. His voice washed over the vast grounds. Again, these world's humans and their convoluted items. Ram could not bring herself to care enough to make sense of them.

"Perfect on the timing Miss Ram!" to think of the demon –

Ah, there they are. …please leave poor Ram out of your eccentricities.

The girl swiftly tried to turn away and pretend the call was meant for another.

Unfortunately, her memory was refreshed to the notion of mister Natsuki's bullshit strength once he and Naoko glomped her in a rush.

Damn this world for lack of mana!

Ram reached new levels of shame, for she looked almost bashful on the outside. Whatever. Another day, another chance for Kenichi to act like only he and his family lived in an empty world. At least Naoko would have her side.

If a God exists in this realm, please, please, please… don't influence Aru into being this way.

Alas!

Ram had no clue of what the years had in store.

"Caught wind of the showdown?" Kenichi, hand in hand with Naoko, waved an orange flag custom designed with stars. The both were strapped to the teeth in colorful cheering items. Easy to mistake them for a couple lost on route to a football match. "Now I've been scouting the competition and talked with Subaru just previously –" Kenichi's eyes glinted behind his stylish glasses as he pivoted to his wife. He waved a finger-phone gesture and clicked his tongue with a surfer's flair "– a good running pose means a good elbow to the rib's bone. Like I say! All's fair in–AGH!"

Said elbow to the ribs had now found purchase in Kenichi's side. Courtesy of Naoko.

"Keep the dirty tricks reserved for your morning WWE's. Subaru can't go out in the world with those cheap tricks you teach him." She pat Kenichi over the inflicted 'bubu', not like her witty move then harmed him in any measure. "And please be a little more serious." With a smile and gulped chuckle she barely practiced her own advice. "Subaru's been hailing up and down how he'll put the competition to shame. Don't ruin the fairplay miss Ram taught him."

The sunhat lightly tipped down her brow. Ram looked away without wishing to comment. Not when this 'fairplay' wasn't something she imagined resulted from chores she would have Subaru do.

Weirdly, the kid took it not as her subtle message of - please frack off, I'm not in the chatty mood - but as something-something…

What was he blabbering about? Master? Sensei? Apparently kids in this world think you become some type of squire or knight in the making by receiving work from a 'teacher'.

…Ram will not comment. It helps ease the workload.

Bang!

A spell!

Ram tensed and nearly jumped the flimsy separation cord. She would leap over to the track's rim. But she couldn't see Subaru's dumb head.

Where?! I can't see!

"Here it is!" Sounded the complete opposite to her panic. "Attaboy! Go, Subaru, GO! THAT'S MY BOY!" Kenichi leaned to whistle while ferociously clapping.

"Nh-hah?" Ram felt stunned. Her halfway jolted muscles froze in cramps. Just as Naoko gently snaked around her and snapped a photo of a stampeding herd of knee high nightmares.

"Oh! See? See? That's my son there! Look at him - look!" The woman, more animated than ever, bounced on her heels while pointing to her pride and joy. The boasting was fierce between the gathered parents.

False alert… I guess. What is it with humans here and their ways?

Exhaling the scare, along with the stress on her coronaries, Ram calmed down from her reflex.

Only idiots would use something like a Fulla for signaling a start.

But she wouldn't get to voice her otherworldly complaint. Because right before her passed with first in line the self-proclaimed number one of today. Ladies and gentlemen - that kid had no limits. And Ram usually dealt with his attitude daily.

The line of huffing bawbags was closing in on their first curve. From where she was, Ram could easily see the brat. Like he said, first in line. So far he was living it up. And compared to the rest, Subaru held pretty well. …for a knee leech. So far his 'training' was paying off. As he liked to always pretend.

Not to misinterpret her feelings; far from it; Ram wasn't the type to say no to duty shirking. Yet she still hung on those useless chores Subaru thought would help him. He, honest to Volcanica, took them as self improvement.

Yes.

This kid was screwed for the foreseeable future.

But today it seemed promising.

"Go, GO, gadget-W-Subaru! Sock 'em off while at it! That's the Joestar technique in practice!" Kenichi was the heart and soul of the event. So much so he overtook many other voices. Forcing them to try match his intensity. None as exuberant and confident as his yells though. Certainly, it felt unfair with how easily people took to his flow. "Like Mcqueen son! Like Mcqueen! Catch the lightning!"

Click!

"BRAAAHH! Natsuki! You smarmy frack!" Yelped what must have been one of Kenichi's many acquaintances once assaulted by a foto blitz. No reason or warning, of course. There would only be one dad standing today cheering his son.

Ram blinked with all the surprise of an owl halfway asleep.

Turning back to the unfolding race, she was pleasantly surprised to see Subaru maintaining his advantage. Sporting a carefree smile, the boy hiccuped with a laugh once every few stumbled strides.

Click!

This time, it was Ram the one assaulted. Specifically, from her flank. Whatever that flash, at least she was sure it wasn't harmful. Not when Naoko did it.

"Hu~m anything wrong?" Ram spoke calmly. With her sleepy tone, she sounded almost dispassionate.

"I don't know?" The woman cutely shrugged. "Is there something bothering you, sweetheart? Between you and Kenichi, it's like night and day." Her small nervous smile said enough about the contrast mentioned. "You haven't been very vocal here. Penny for your thoughts?"

"Ah, is that how it looks?" Ram nodded. She caught what had to be another metaphor from Earth. "But Ram is conducting herself the best for such a time." The girl faked disinterest from the race. But the hat's large rim couldn't hide her vulture focus. Subaru just turned on his second loop.

Loop. Loop… Loop? The word sounded weird in her mind.

Seeing him repeat this stupid practice feels uncomfortable. The word itself is stuck to me without a reason. Whatever. The sooner it ends, the better.

"Make it quick, Aru and hurry off the track."

Kenichi tsked like a know-it-all, his head nodding in appreciation. "A good first try. However, the best thing now is hyping!" He flashed a brilliant grin. This man was basically composed of confidence and goofy positivity. "Gotta pave the road for the hero to return home on!" His belief in his son was stupendous too. Though Ram internalized that observation.

"But Subaru said he's competing with older kids." Ram stated the obvious. The eccentric announcer said that little too. "Older kids. It is far from fair to expect his victory."

"Exactly!" Kenichi closed his eyes and gave an ok sign with satisfaction. The man mimicked a delighted chef after tasting his recipe. "All the better when Subaru looks back to see how many older lads ate his dust."

"But what if Subaru doesn't win?" A fair point from her view, and one she wasn't directly answered to. Aru, as settled by her, was prone to slip up under pressure. He was keeping a good pace, but he was sprinting since the start, no good. He wasn't breathing right, another bad sign. And the older kids began to put in effort the closer they got to the finish; definitely bad.

"Medal or not, I can't wait for a picture of us after the confetti is thrown!" Naoko smiled with such radiance Ram believed she'd start suffering from a heatstroke. If the sun didn't do her in, Naoko would. "It'll go perfectly with last year's photo. But this one I'll keep for the album. O~ooh, It'll be like a progress log!"

Those were concepts I understood…

Ram despaired over the 'modern' world.

"Perhaps you are clear in your intentions for today's activity. But that's not my concern. Rather - how is Aru going to take it? We've warned him to desist, but he still blindly chose a category out of his league."

"Oh well~" Kenichi leaned back and lightly jumped on his tiptoes. "A good thing too, if you consider it. Better to learn your lessons now than later. I'm sure Subaru will spring back up even if he falls short. He's a kid!" His fist holding his camera rested over a hip. "Let him be a kid and frack up!"

"Nice going with your censoring for the kids, dear." Chuckled Naoko.

"Naturally!" The man swiped a hand through his hair for dramatic effect.

But Ram quietly witnessed what she expected. She did warn the brat about things unfolding this way. The bigger kids started to fully sprint and quickly overtook the tired youngsters. Subaru was now scratching elbows with one of them.

And, ah! …he leapt for a second. Stumbling there took a chunk from your time.

"Here they are, people! With our proud school's leading runner as…!"

Subaru nearly spat a lung as he flailed his tired legs. His eyes swam with the sweat pouring down his brow. His messy black hair stuck over his temples with irritating dust. And lastly - poof!

Subaru jumped right as he came close to the finish line. Qualifying as second place overall in today's race. First place being snagged with a meter difference from him. Moving to help his junior, the boys dusted themselves off and seemingly ended things amicably with a handshake.

Definitely something Naoko must've taught her son to do. He wasn't anywhere near that respectful.

"ATTABOOOOY!" Kenichi went wild, flags flew above them, whistling blared in her ears and camera flashes snapped like lightning. "That's how it's done! That's the spirit!"

Click

"GHHHAaaGHhh! Natsuki! For the love of it, damn fiend! I'll remember this!" And there went denied the cheers of Kenichi's victims to their respective kids. They were friends still. Or victims. One and the same.

"Leave the celebration for the trip back, love. Let's gather at the stage, there are lines for parents right in front." Naoko was quick to leave, set on a mission to fish her son from the noisy crowd of children.

"Yes. Ram won't deny, leaving the arid school and returning home is better suited to reminisce over today." She half joked and half sincerely agreed. She would feel much better anywhere else than here. As much as she blamed the time of day, Ram still felt an irrational disturbance to the process witnessed here.

Maybe she became superstitious.

But who wouldn't after waking beyond the Waterfall?

Just as Ram caught sight of Naoko knelt in a hug over the impish Subaru, now rewarded with a medal loosely hanging at his neck, she swore to see him lightly tremble. The boy sniffed something under his breath and his mom moved to caress his cheek.

Ah. So it is as Ram imagined. Not a surprise. You wanted to impress everyone with first place, didn't you, Aru? Ram won't hold it over you, be glad. But neither should you have expected promised victory against so many others. You didn't listen to me.

Just as the young girl put together the seams of a short speech meant to bring back his mood, she was beaten to the punch by perhaps the largest figure in Subaru's life.

"AHa! There is my professional lightweight champion! How'd it feel, Subaru? I wanted to see you from the front row, but all I caught was wind!" Kenichi swooped in, glided in a crouch to Subaru's level and ruffled his damp hair.

The kid himself was quiet. His lower lip slightly riding up, he was biting again from stress. Subaru didn't meet Kenichi's eyes. His little right fist clenched the metal disk at his neck. He was flushed red and Ram deduced it wasn't all due to effort. The boy was ashamed. For one precise reason clearly. And Ram hoped it wasn't that old bad habit resurfacing.

Better to break his dumb string of thoughts than let it fester. What would you end up becoming without Ram's guidance? Hah!

"Aru" she duly called. Now gathered with them, the girl's exotic eyes caught his attention. "You did well." She wanted to be precise. To the point. Especially with a little gremlin prone to selective hearing.

But it didn't feel right. For some reason, Ram could tell he wasn't convinced. And no matter how much anyone would wax compliments, something just wasn't melding together true. She had her suspicions.

"Aru-" she moved to crouch alongside the rest. She brought a hand to his thin shoulders. "Why are you hiding your reward?" And moved to open his clenched fist. A sharp inhale escaped him. Was that a tear he sniffed? His feet squirmed with nerves. And there it was, innocently shining back in Ram's burgundy irises. Pristine silver. "Is that wh-"

She didn't get to end her inquiry. Honestly, she intended to downplay his fear, not seem accusing.

And of course, she knew she hadn't come off like that. But she figured the worst flashed in the tiny idgiot's pea brain.

"Subaru!" Kenichi leapt to catch him but his awkward bend encumbered him. The troublemaker snaked his way free in the crowd.

"!" Naoko didn't stop to mull about it, she swiftly got up and tried looking for him.

Why would something this infantile mean this much?

Ram gingerly looked down, noticing between her knees the dropped item. It shined brighter than before, once free from Subaru's grip. The sun beamed over its polished surface as brilliant as it would over water.

It's just a piece of metal. Nothing changed with this. Nothing would change if it were gold either.

Picking it up, Ram straightened, standing as tall as her short frame allowed. She looked after the boy and his mother, but they were lost in the bustle. Her nails tested the metal surface. Her scratching chipped the texture.

Not even the real deal. A quick spray hid the common steal – or common for this era. A mundane thing. Devoid of meaningful implications by nature. It was just for show.

So why fret about it? Aru, you little twerp, you haven't lost your horn by it. What impact did you expect from another paint colour?

The little boy she inevitably grew attached to since Ram discovered this reverse world, placed his hopes today to impress his parents and her. And they hinged on winning a metal disk. Sure, a bit better looking than insignias awarded back in Lugnica, but the point still stood.

Should I rationalize like him? That'll be difficult. Damn it, Aru! Ram is well and over that type of convoluted thinking.

Subaru naively invested himself in menial chores. Under the impression the effort spent would bring him closer to his target. Well bad luck. That wasn't the way to go. At least not the work done. He ran ragged in loops and gave his best. But his best didn't live up to his expectations. All his reward amounted to second place.

Ram clutched tight the metal.

Subaru ran like frightened by the mere notion of revealing the shame of silver to his parents. His dad was still dumbfounded after seeing his son bolt away.

It was settled. This track was quickly amounting to a bad memory in Ram's opinion. No good reason either. It was just a chilling sensation. She had this creeping insight after seeing Subaru loop over and over in the run, only to win the silver medal. Running towards an imaginary goal by repeating the same actions.

For reasons unknown, Ram didn't like the sight. And it made no sense.

Haah… Must be synaesthesia lingering after so long. To think I'd feel so attached to such a brat. What would Rem think…? No. Rem would act by now. And I'm dallying.

Ram pocketed the medal in her purse. "I think I know where the knee leach might be sulking." She stated as a matter of fact. Her voice leveled and without inflections. "Please find miss Naoko while I return with Aru."

"U-uh! Are you sure?" Kenichi moved to tag along, but hesitated. "Or. Maybe I wouldn't be of help. …Have I said something?" He was lost in his own worries. A refreshing sight to behold. This man never doubted himself in any field or any instance. Mostly because he was just that damn good at everything he did. "I guess talking to you might be better. …not like there are other friends he's got" He sounded progressively more tired. His expression was crestfallen. "Yeah. Yeah, it's alright. Me and Naoko will wait for you by the parking lot." His smile washed away in a frown.

Ram didn't dare to comment now. She already felt out of her league and out of her expertise. She shouldn't involve herself in something this personal. Ram was the stranger, if anything she'd make things worse.

She feared that much.

This couldn't be a repeat of how she ended her childhood with Rem: a lingering regret, despite being able to do something about it. It felt small back then and looking at it from now, felt as small. But when put in balance, that bitter end to their sheltered childhood brought about a domino effect on them. She did always regret how taciturn Rem became down the years.

She couldn't be passive about this. Not like in the past.

"Alright." Ram breathed in. "If I were a dumbass – where would I go hide?" She was a sister before. She could be one again. Aru sure wouldn't get a good talking to from anyone else it seemed.

Short chapter for now, but that's because it came to me like that.

It's the charm of this concept. It can be anyone and anywhere - all depends on the inspiration I'm hit with. So don't worry. I'll bring back heavy and long chapters. Especially for the Reid and Ram ones.