Finally.
Subaru just stared at the ground beneath him. The archbishop had disintegrated before his eyes.
"He's gone for good, right Beako?"
Beako nodded. "Any spirit would surely be dead after that, I suppose."
Subaru walked back towards the others, joined by Ram who had been standing behind him. Her aura had disappeared, and Subaru could see Rem stir from where she had been sitting. Beatrice got down from his shoulders.
"We did it Subaru-kun!" Rem looked overjoyed, a bright smile hanging on her face.
"We sure did." Subaru went up to the girl, who was sitting on the stairs of the mansion. "We never have to see him again."
Subaru let out a loud cheer. "YEAHHHH!" He had gone through so much, but he was standing here, and he had saved everyone. His stretched his arms fully out towards the sky.
"WOOOO!" Subaru turned at the noise, and was surprised to see Emilia copy his yelling.
An electric excitement ran through the whole camp, as the realization of defeating Betelgeuse set in on them.
They went back to the villagers, and Rem announced that they were free to go home. They cheered her. Some of the brave villagers had seen the whole fight. They didn't understand what they had witnessed, not having seen the unseen hand, but they recognized that Betelgeuse was extremely dangerous.
In honor of them defeating the sin archbishop, Muramusa invited the camp to a celebration that night. They all decided to attend.
Now Rem, Subaru, Emilia, Ram and Meili were all sat at a table outside, enjoying a feast and being served the finest wine in the village. They were side-by-side, sitting on the benches of the outdoor table.
"Ram I still can't believe how strong you are, it's awesome." Subaru grinned at her as he said this.
"Yes yes. A weakling like Barusu should be in awe of my power." She boasted. She held up her hand and released a small burst of wind, giving a smug look to the whole table.
Emilia laughed "I was surprised when you told me there was going to be an attack Ram, but now I'm really glad I came." She looked at all the food around her. "Because missing out on this would not be okay with me, ya know!" She said cheerily.
Subaru smiled at Emilia's good humor, and at Ram's boasting. He turned to Rem, who was sat beside him.
"Hey, how are you holding up? I know that Ram's power really takes it out of ya." He said in a hushed tone, so only she could hear.
"I'm fine Subaru-kun, you don't need to worry about Rem." She playfully scooched herself closer to Subaru, two of them now touching. "Although Rem is glad you think about her so much."
Subaru let out a sigh. "Well if you're being like that, then there's nothing to worry about." He brought his fork and knife to her plate, and stole a sausage. "I can just act as normal."
He munched on it, but as he was about to about to finish, he caught Rem looking at him. "Here." He fed her the last bit of sausage, which she bit off his fork.
Ram stared on silently in horror.
"Hey, Subaru, can I ask you something?" Emilia spoke up, and she looked a bit nervous. "Do you... like Rem?" She asked, breaking eye contact.
"Huh?" The question surprised him.
He turned to Rem. A big grin broke out on both their faces, and Subaru started howling laughing.
"Bhahahahaha!" Emilia's innocence was too funny. "I dunno Rem... Do I like you!? Ram what do you think?" Subaru couldn't keep a straight face as he asked this. Rem and Subaru turned to the pink haired oni, and their laughter redoubled when they saw the scary face she was making.
"Kindly stop provoking me Barusu! And sister, you're not helping!" Ram remembered the day they almost made out in front of her. / Barusu has managed to turn my dear sister into an idiot. /
"What's so funny! I'm being serious!" Emilia said loudly. "The way you two act, it's seems like you do like her!"
The serious response provoked a large snorting sound from Rem, who cracked up at Emilia's formality.
"Everyone knows that Rem-Rem and Su-su are in love." Meili answered Emilia's question. "Even the village kids." Meili finished, before continuing to feast.
By now the wine had gotten to everyone, and the conversation was degenerating rapidly.
"Ehhh! No way!" Emilia clapped her hands to her cheeks. "How long has this been happening? Did you kiss?" Emilia indulged in the feminine urge to ask a million questions. "Is Rem pregnant?"
The last question almsot made Subaru choke on his food. "Emilia what are you saying? That's not really..." He trailed off. He could see Rem next to him also lighting up with embarrassment. "No Rem isn't pregnant. We haven't done..." / We haven't done that. /
He stopped himself mid sentence, remembering that they had, in fact, done that.
"Done what?" Ram finished it for him. "Barusu, what haven't you done to my sister?" She said dangerously.
It was Rem who responded. "He hasn't done anything bad!" Subaru could tell that Rem was also getting drunk, her voice was louder than normal, and the usual polite tone she carried was gone. "And it's none of your business Ram!"
"None of my business! When I see a sleazy man like Barusu putting the moves on my wonderful sister, it is totally my business!"
"Sleazy!?" Subaru protested.
The back and forth stopped as the table heard Emilia ponder to herself. "...I'm surprised she isn't. That means they haven't kissed yet...".
They went quiet. It was Ram who asked.
"Emilia-sama, do you think kissing gets you pregnant?" Ram said.
"Well of course. How else can you get pregnant?" Emilia questioned the group, but she was flustered by the weird expressions they were making.
Rem and Subaru burst out laughing again, but this time Ram was laughing with them. "You're so pure Emilia-sama. But this might be too pure." Ram said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"What? I'm not wrong! Puck told me!" Emilia was frustrated, there was some sort of inside joke, and she was the only one not in on it.
Rem got up and walked to Emilia, on the other side of the table. She ducked down and bit, putting her hand around her mouth to whisper something to the half-elf.
Subaru watched as Emilia went from surprise, to fear, to turning completely red. "No... That's not... That sounds like way too much!" Emilia whined.
Rem finished whatever she was saying and went back to her plate. She picked her utensils and went on eating like nothing had happened.
"Yeah, then there's no way Rem is pregnant. She's never do something like that!" Emilia exclaimed.
This made Rem freeze up a little, which Subaru noticed.
"You're right Emilia. No wayyyyy Rem-Rem could do something like that." It seemed the alcohol was getting to Subaru aswell.
He felt an elbow against his ribcage, as Rem tried to shut him up. Ram looked at the two of them suspiciously.
They changed topic, laughing and shouting as the night went on. Subaru had never had booze before, but by the end of the night he was so pissed he couldn't even walk straight.
As they left, Rem and Ram both an arm slung around a shoulder, the drunk Subaru having to support both of them.
"Bloody villagers-" Subaru swayed a bit. "They got us- HuuuH" Subaru hiccuped. "Too drunk."
He nearly dropped Ram, but caught himself before they all fell. The mansion was close now.
Meili, who was obviously sober, was walking with Emilia in front of him. Subaru was surprised Emilia was still standing, but it seemed she handled her alcohol better than then rest of them.
"Meili. Don't you have to get back to the village?" Subaru asked the girl.
"No. I don't." She responded curtly.
"What do you mean. Where are your parents?" He said, concerned about her.
"I don't have parents. I don't even have family in Arlem." she stated.
Subaru didn't respond. He didn't know what to say, so he just kept walking. He finally got to Rem's room, where he dropped both of the oni sisters on the bed together. He saw Meili waiting outside, and wordlessly set her up in one of the guest rooms. Finally, he went to bed.
He woke up with a pounding headache.
"Ahhhhhh" he pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to disappear the pain. "So this is drinking..." He mumbled to himself.
He went downstairs in search of water. He got some in the kitchen.
"It's as I said sister, Barusu has to leave. It isn't safe anymore." Subaru could faintly hear Ram's voice in the dining room.
"How can that be? We've eliminated all threats." Rem's voice also rung out.
Subaru walked into the dining room, facing the two sisters who were sitting at the table.
"What's going on? What isn't safe, Ram?" He said, still massaging his head.
"You need to leave this mansion, Barusu." Ram said confidently.
"Why should I? I know you don't like me and Rem together, but this is too-"
Ram cut him off. "This isn't about that. You are in peril as long as you stay here."
Subaru cocked an eyebrow. "Ohh. Am I? How exactly am I in peril?"
Ram hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to reveal everything.
"It's the margrave. As long as you stay here, Roswaal-sama will be a threat to you." Ram told Rem and Subaru.
Rem looked surprised, but Ram continued. "Roswaal-sama knew that Subaru would defeat Betelgeuse." She paused for a bit. "The way he spoke to me that morning, I think it's likely that he knows about return by death."
Subaru and Rem were shocked. If Roswaal knew about return by death, it could be a major issue.
"Nobody knows Roswaal like I do." Ram said. "That man will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Subaru." The fact that Ram was calling him his proper name indicated her seriousness. "If Roswaal captures you, and uses you for his own ends... It will be a fate worse than death."
Subaru could imagine the rest. Him being chained up somewhere by Roswaal, being killed over and over until Roswaal could get his perfect ending.
/ If I get stuck in some death loop... That really would be a fate worse than death. /
It was Rem who broke him out of his thoughts. "Subaru-kun, we need to get out of here."
Ram looked at her sister. "We?"
"Yes. Of course Rem will accompany Subaru-kun. He is hopeless on his own." Rem asserted.
"Well I can't deny that. It's a good thing I brought Frederica with me from the capital." Ram responded.
As she said that, Emilia entered the room, accompanied by Meili.
"What's going on?" Emilia had walked into a fairly serious conversation.
"Apparently, Rem and I are leaving the mansion." Subaru responded.
"Are you going to the village today?" Emilia questioned what they meant.
"No, we're LEAVING leaving." He clarified "We'll be back at some point, though... Probably."
"Yes Rem will definitely be back soon." Rem said.
Ram gave them some instructions. "Write to Muramusa once you get settled somewhere. That way I'll get the mail without Roswaal intercepting it."
Subaru spoke. "Do we really want to do this..." he turned to Rem "We fought so hard for everyone to be safe, and now we're leaving them all on there own."
"Rem thinks... That this is for the best. If Roswaal isn't the enemy, we can always come back." Rem gave her opinion.
"Okay, Rem" Subaru nodded.
Leaving was a sad, but it was also kind of exciting. "This is just the start of another adventure!" Subaru proclaimed, pointing his finger to the sky. Emilia laughed at that.
"Do you guys know where you're going?" Meili spoke up. "Can I come with you!? I need to get back to my big bro!"
Subaru remembered what Meili had told him yesterday. "I don't have a destination in mind. Rem, do you?" Subaru asked Rem.
"No." She responded "Rem would be happy to reunite Meili with her family, Subaru-kun."
"You read my mind." Subaru turned to Meili. "Since we're aimless anyway, we'll take you where you want to go, Meili."
/ You've earned it Meili. Your powers totally destroyed those witch cultists. / Subaru thought to himself.
"Yayy! I can't wait to see big bro!" Meili gleemed.
With that Rem, Subaru and Meili packed up onto a dragon carriage, and set off for a new journey.
"Where are we headed, Meili?" Subaru asked, as the mansion vanished from view.
"Ummm. It's a place called Banan."
* Scene Break *
Subaru, Rem and Meili were finally getting to their destination. Subaru had counted 17 days since they had left the mansion. He had assumed Banan would be near by, but he had been wrong. Banan was located in the middle of Kararagi, Lugunica's western neighbour.
/ Damn. It's pretty hot. / Subaru wiped off the sweat from his brow.
At some point, the environment around them had turned from lush forests to open grasslands, and then to arid, rocky savannah. The landscape reminded Subaru of pictures he had seen of the Australian outback, with red sand and scrub vegetation.
"It's so different from Lugunica..." Rem, who was steering the carriage, remarked. "Rem has never seen a place with so few plants."
"Is this your first time outside Lugunica?" Subaru asked her.
"Yes." Rem nodded. "Rem hasn't travelled much, but this trip has been fun!"
"I think so too." Subaru responded. "Still, I can't help but worry about Ram and Emilia. We're leaving them with Roswaal."
Rem agreed. "Yes. But Subaru-kun, there isn't much we can do. Ram needs Roswaal - she physically can't leave him. Emilia also needs the margrave as her backer in the selection. Besides, Rem knows that Roswaal wouldn't hurt either of them."
Subaru listened to her reassuring words, but he had a bad feeling in his gut. He surpressed it.
"I trust you Rem." Subaru said, relaxing a little bit. "And hopefully, I won't trigger so many death flags now that we're lying low."
"Death flags?" Rem asked.
/ She doesn't get the gamer lingo. / Subaru thought to himself.
"It's another way of saying 'I need to stay out of trouble'." He replied.
Subaru and Rem could see the city coming into view now. A tall limestone wall surrounded the exterior of the city, with watchtowers spread over the top of the structure. Although, the entrance itself was open, and there were only a few guards.
They entered. The sounds of the city woke up Meili, who had been napping in the carriage. She looked out to see the people and buildings of Banan.
"Wow! Are we here!? This place is super cool!" Meili exclaimed. The house were all made of wood and paper, and in the architecture of edo period Japan. In the summer heat, few people stood out in the road, but the shops had significant overhangs, creating shade at the side of the street, where people could be seen.
Meili could see that many houses didn't have doors, simply having a doorway to walk in. She saw one family, at least 10 people strong, sitting on rugs on their shaded porch, enjoying hot mint tea.
Meili's eyes scanned over all this. She felt inspired by this new culture she was witnessing. Meili hadn't been to very many places. Once she had gone to the capital with big sis, but otherwise, she had stayed in the Mather's domain.
"It's like a mix of Japan and Arabia." She heard Subaru mutter.
Subaru got up and sat with Rem at the front of the carriage.
"We should get a place to stay, then we can look for Meili's brother." He said to her.
"Rem's fine with that. Although it might be hard to find him in such a big city."
Meili burst out from the carriage, breaking into their conversation.
"It's fine! Big bro is one of a kind, so he'll stand out. Although he can be pretty sneaky." She said.
"And what's his name again?" Rem asked her.
"Halibel." Meili responded.
Subaru and Rem pressed on. First, they went to the city's guild, where mercenaries and adventurers would take on jobs. They thought maybe they could find Halibel's location there. They spoke to the staffers and the adventurers there, but they didn't seem to know about Halibel.
"I guess it won't be that easy..." Subaru said. "Maybe we should just find somewhere to stay. We can find him tommorrow."
They tried to book an inn. The first one they got to was full, and the second one too. It was getting dark now, but Subaru and Rem saw more and more people come out onto the street. It seemed like the people of Banan operated during the night, avoiding the scorching heat of the day. Finally they made it to a dingy apartment complex, with a large sign outside indicating vacant units.
Figuring that they would be staying in Banan for quite a while, Rem and Subaru agreed to check it out. They knocked on the door.
They waited for a minute but nobody came out. Rem and Subaru saw the door was open, and let themselves in.
"Hello?" Subaru called out.
They walked in. Everything was dark inside. It was still, and quiet.
"Hello? We saw the sign outside. We're interested in getting a flat." Subaru said into the void. Meili was hanging onto Rem as they walked in darkness.
The floorboards creaked underneath them. Subaru could feel someone watching them, but he didn't see anyone.
"Subaru-kun, maybe we should go. It doesn't seem like anyone is here." Rem said.
"Yeah Rem. You're probably right." Subaru turned, but as he took a step, he bumped into something behind him. Something warm and hairy.
"Boo."
"Ahhh!" Subaru blurted out.
In front of him he saw a large... wolf? It seemed like a wolf, but it was standing on two legs, wearing a black kimono, and a golden pipe hanging from its mouth - no, from his mouth. / A beastman... /
The shaggy looking beastman was smirking, amused by his own prank. A faint orange light eminated from the pipe, illuminating his face.
"Halibel!" Meili removed herself from Rem, and ran to hug the leg of the beastman. "Big Bro! I found you!"
"Ahhhh." Halibel took a deep breath from his pipe. "Meili-chan, it is good to see you." He reached down to ruffle her hair.
"You're Halibel? Meili's brother?" Subaru asked skeptically. "I find that hard to believe."
"Hahahaha, I suppose you would. I'm not literally her brother, but we used to work together." He said casually. "She stayed with someone else after I left the organization."
"Halibel is the best! He taught me everything!" Meili stated.
Halibel lit up a mana crystal, lighting up the room. He brought Rem, Subaru and Meili to the living room area. They all sat down together.
"I'm Subaru Natsuki. This is my partner, Rem." He indicated at the maid beside him. "We came to Banan because Meili was alone in Arlem."
"Well, I thank you for bringing Meili all the way here." Halibel thanked them. "I didn't realize she had gotten seperated from her sister."
Halibel continued. "I run this here building. If you're interested, I'm happy to let you stay, as thanks."
Subaru didn't respond for a moment, still suspicious of the beastman.
"Yes. Rem-Rem and Su-su have to stay! I want to stay with them too." Meili spoke up.
"Rem thinks that she and Subaru-kun will stay with Meili a little longer, to make sure she's okay." Rem looked at Halibel, scanning for some red flag.
"You're free to stay as long as you like. I'm the only one living here at the moment, so you can pick any room to stay in." Halibel offered.
Rem brought Meili back to her. "Meili will stay with us then."
Rem didn't want to give Meili to this strange beastman. She would keep an eye on the kid, to verify that Halibel didn't have bad intentions.
"That's fine." Halibel responded.
With that, Halibel helped bring there belongings in from the dragon carriage.
They tried to find a room with enough space, but all the units in the suite had the same design. They were 2 bedroom apartments with one master bedroom, a normal bedroom, a living area, and a bathroom. It seemed any cooking was to be done in the larger common room, whose kitchen was shared betweeen all the flats.
Rem and Subaru set Meili up in the small bedroom. Finally, it was time for them to go to sleep.
They entered the master bedroom, and saw the large, queen-sized bed.
"I guess we don't have much choice, if we're looking after Meili." Subaru said, sitting on the bed. "Although, I can't say I'm not a little happy."
"Rem feels the same way." She sat down next to him.
"Rem..." Subaru started. "I don't know how long we'll be staying here. It might be a long time before we can get back to the others. I'm sorry for dragging you all the way to Kararagi."
"It's okay, Subaru-kun. As long as everyone is safe, Rem wouldn't mind staying here with you forever." She comforted him.
Subaru felt a warmth inside him. He hugged Rem. "Thank you, Rem."
With that, Subaru and Rem fell asleep on the bed together. Finally at rest after a long journey.
The next morning, Rem, Subaru and Meili came out to see Halibel already sitting on a sofa in the common room, reading the paper and smoking his pipe.
"Good morning Meili-chan." He greeted them. He looked at the two others with her. "Rem. Subaru."
"Good morning." Subaru stated.
GRRRR. Subaru's stomach growled, and he realized he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's breakfast. He would have to go out to the village and get them some food. Thankfully, Rem had quite a bit saved up, working at the mansion 24/7 without any spending had built up a nest egg.
Halibel smiled when he heard the noise. "You kids must be hungry, huh?" Halibel got up and collected a few eggs from a bowl in the kitchen. He produced a small bit of fire magic to ignite the stove, and began frying the eggs in the pan.
"Oh. You don't have to do that, Halibel-san" Rem tried to stop him. "You've already done too much."
"Nonsense. There's too much food here anyway, it'll go bad if no one helps me." He insisted. "So tell me, Rem, Subaru, how did you end up with Meili?"
Subaru looked at Halibel, unsure of whether to reveal their involvement with the witch cult. But Halibel seemed kind, so he decided to be honest.
"It's a long story, but basically Meili helped us take down an enemy with her divine protection, so we decided to pay her back by taking her to Banan." Subaru said.
"Enemy?" Halibel dug a little deeper.
"Yes." Subaru paused. "A person, or spirit rather, known as Betelgeuse attacked the Mather's domain."
"Betelgeuse huh..." Halibel pondered. "I'm surprised a couple of cute kids like you managed to beat him."
"Yeah." Subaru said. "He was quite a troublesome opponent, but some high level yin magic did the trick."
Halibel barked out in laughter. "That'll do it!"
Halibel finished his cooking and brought Rem, Subaru and Meili some breakfast.
"So what do you do Halibel-san?" Rem asked, breaking the silence.
"Well. Ahhh... At the moment, you could say I'm a bounty hunter. Or maybe detective would be a better word." He said, sitting back down on the sofa. "The city of Banan has tasked me with bringing a certain criminal to justice."
"A criminal?" Subaru had a bad feeling.
"Yes. It's sad to say, but someone in Banan has been on a killing spree. Bodies have shown up randomly all over town."
"No way..." Subaru's eyes widened. / A serial killer? That's insane. / "Who is this criminal?"
Halibel puffed his pipe. "That's the problem, you see... No one knows who it is. It seems anyone who comes into contact with the assailant is killed."
"That's unbelievable." Subaru responded
"It's been two months, and nine bodies have been found. Everyone of the corpses, bisected." Halibel finished.
/ I have a bad feeling about this... I thought Banan would mean fewer death flags, but this is bad news. / Subaru thought to himself.
"That's terrible." Rem spoke up.
"In any case, that's what's on my plate." Halibel said, continuing to flick through the newspaper in his hand.
"Halibel can find anyone! He's a real pro!" Meili exclaimed.
The breakfast continued for a bit, and then Rem and Subaru left. Rem went to the local elementary school, bringing Meili with her. Subaru just walked around the city.
/ I don't know how long we'll be here. I might need to get a job... / He looked at the streets around him. Everyone was dressed in airy kimono's, the breathable clothes could keep cool even in the intense kararagi heat. He went to the city hall. He looked at all the job postings hung up on the noticeboard.
/ Investigate Zerestia's bed... That seems too dangerous. / Subaru thought as he read over one of the notices.
/ Construction seems to be the main job around here... I don't think I wanna do that, though. / Subaru scanned through all the flyers. Finally his eyes settled on one particular notice.
"Maid/Butler needed! Some experience required. Go to Oshiki Estate, north Banan, 2nd quarter, Hoshin's road for application." The poster read.
/ This. I can do this. / Subaru ripped the flyer off the dashboard.
* Scene Break *
He had gone to the Oshiki estate, and Subaru had managed to schedule an interview in a few days time. Now he was returning to his new home. He entered the complex, but saw that it was empty.
/ Good... I have some time now. / He pulled out a block of wood he had bought in town, and sat down with a knife. He started carving.
Some time passed, and in the afternoon, Rem returned with Meili.
"Hey guys, how's it going." Subaru asked her.
"Rem already has a job, can you believe it?" Meili responded to him.
"It's just an interview, Meili-chan." Rem looked at Subaru. "Rem took Meili to the school, but it seems they had some vacancies. Rem thought getting a job would be good, since we might be here a while." Rem told Subaru quickly.
/ This is like... Settling down. / The thought ran through Subaru's head.
"That's awesome Rem. You'll be a great teacher, I know it!" Subaru gave a thumbs up. "You're not the only one who's been busy either. I got something lined up too. I'm going to be a butler!"
"A maid again?" Meili was surprised. "Su-su is too much of a girl."
"I guess so huh... It was the only thing I thought I might be good at." Subaru was a bit embarrassed now.
"Mmmm." Rem shook her head. She sat down next to Subaru. "I think it's wonderful."
The compliment made Subaru freeze up a little.
"Well I can't just let you take care of both of us." Subaru said. "I gotta carry my weight."
"Aren't you two a cute couple? You're even playing house now." Halibel appeared out of nowhere.
"gahh! Halibel! Where did you come out from?" Subaru said surprised.
"Ohh I've been here the whole time, Su-san." Halibel said this as Meili gave him a hug. "How was Banan?"
"It's a lot bigger than I thought it was, although still small compared to the capital."
They chatted the rest of the day away, and eventually it was night again. Rem and Subaru wrote a letter to Ram, explaining that they were now staying in Banan for the forseeable future, and to keep them posted on the happenings of the manor.
A month passed, and not much happened. Meili began attending the elementary school, where Rem was now a teacher. Subaru had again become a butler. At first, all of the maids made fun of him for taking such a job, but soon they saw that he was hard-worker, and a diligent colleague, so Subaru was on good terms with them. He had met Mr. Oshiki, the old man who owned the new mansion he was working at, and he seemed nice, if a little bit senile.
Subaru reflected that Banan was a great place. The food and the architecture reminded Subaru of home, but the people were a lot more laidback and sociable then the Japanese. / Probably because there's no technology, so you can't just be hikikomori. / Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the roads would fill up with vendors, and the whole city would come to life at night. In the middle of town, there was a huge bazaar, where all manner of goods and odd trinkets could be found. It was in the bazaar that Subaru found a beautiful pink kimono, embroidered with flower designs.
/ I need to get this for her. / He thought to himself, before buying the item.
When he got home, he saw Meili playing cards with Halibel, and Rem cooking dinner for everyone. Subaru looked at the beastman.
At first he had been skeptical, but Halibel had turned out to be a good guy. He was quite lazy, often spending the whole day just basking in the sun on the balcony, but this didn't bother Subaru. If Halibel was happy with his lot in life, than Subaru had nothing to say.
That being said, sometimes Halibel would disappear for days on end. Once, he had been gone for over a week. It was odd behaviour, but if Halibel was a bounty-hunter on a mission, Subaru figured it made sense. Subaru had also learned that wolfmen were widely hated, although he couldn't understand why. This was the reason Halibel couldn't get any tenants, and was probably why Halibel stayed home a lot, not wanting to deal with those who disliked his kind.
Meili viewed the beastman as family. Father might be too strong a word, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say Halibel acted like her uncle.
Speaking of family, it seemed Rem had grown quite fond of Meili. Although she was always nagging the girl, and sometimes treated her harshly, Rem's strictness only showed Subaru how much she actually cared.
"Tadaima" Subaru said, taking off his shoes.
"Hey Su-su, come play!" Meili said.
"Maybe in a second..." Subaru went up to Rem, who standing above the stove, wearing an apron.
Subaru still felt bad. He felt that he had dragged Rem away from the manor, away from her home.
More than that though, Subaru didn't know where he stood with her. Rem had told him that she loved him, and he had to her, but they had never officially gotten together. He felt that since they had left the mansion, their relationship had fallen into limbo. Now with the new jobs, and Rem taking care of Meili, he wasn't spending as much time with her as he would've liked.
/ I've got to reignite the flame! /
"Rem." He looked over her shoulder at the pot in front of her, giving her a small hug around her waist. "Let's go out tonight. Let's go on a date!" Subaru proclaimed.
"Date?" Rem asked.
"Yeah! Just you, and me, and the night sky. We can get some food, and just enjoy ourselves you know! I just got my paycheck, so I feel like treating you a little."
Subaru could feel Rem lean back into him as he held her.
"Mmmm. That does sound nice." Rem turned to Halibel. "Halibel-san, can you stay with Meili tonight?" She asked the wolfman.
Halibel just gave a lazy thumbs up, not looking away from the cards in his hands.
"Okay Subaru-kun. Let's go on a date!" She agreed to his proposal.
Subaru and Rem had dinner, and when they were about to go out, Subaru got out a package, wrapped in thick, brown paper.
"Here Rem. This is for you." He handed her the object.
"Huh?" Rem looked a bit confused.
"It's a present. There's no special occasion, but when I saw it, I wanted to get it for you." He said quickly.
"Mmmm" She nodded a him. "Thank you."
Rem gently untied the frail knot that held everything together. Her meticulous nature was on full display as she methodically remove the wrapping, taking care not to rip any. She unfurled the pink kimono.
"You know, when I saw Ram had such a nice outfit at the mansion, I knew I had to get you one too."
It wasn't the present that affected Rem, but the words spoken by the boy sitting across from her. She had always, always felt like Ram's replacement. Better that she be unseen and unheard. But what Subaru had said was a rejection of that, and it moved her heart a little bit.
If she was being honest with herself, the real reason she had fallen for Subaru so quickly wasn't because he was kind, or brave, although he was both of those things. No. It was because he was the one person who had taken to Rem instead of Ram.
Rem loved her sister, of course, but she felt that everyone only ever saw Ram. It was Ram who Roswaal had taken notice of. It was Ram who was friends with miss Emilia. Hell, even the attack on her village was probably for Ram. But when Subaru had arrived, and when they shared experiences that Ram could never understand, Rem finally found something she could call her own. Something she wouldn't have to share.
"Subaru-kun... Thank you." Rem clutched it tightly in her chest, She sould see the fuzzyness at the bottom of her vision, as tears started to accumulate. "You don't know how much this means to Rem."
"Ehhh... Rem, I'm glad you like it, but it's not that amazing. More amazing is the person who's gonna wear it."
"Mmm" Ram nodded, wipping her eyes with her free arm.
"What are you waiting for then? Go put it on! I can't wait any longer!" Subaru exclaimed.
Rem got up and quickly went to her room. When she came out, she was wearing the kimono.
"You look awesome!"
Subaru and Rem went out into town, and the streets were abuzz. It was at this time, in the early night, that every person in Banan would come out. Working, drinking, selling, cooking, eating, dancing, haggling, playing music, the city had really come to life.
Rem and Subaru enjoyed themselves as they explored the stalls, drank mint tea, and ate the local fried snacks. They watched a girl dance as she guggled torches, and Rem and Subaru applauded as they stood in the audience. Then Subaru tried smoking for the first time. Halibel had given him a spare pipe and some of his "finest tobacco in Kararagi." Rem laughed as Subaru coughed up a lung after inhaling.
"How does- *Argh* he do this all day."
It got even later now, and the warmth of the day was gradually seeped from the earth, and Banan cooled off. They made there way to a hill near where they were staying. They sat on the bench at the top, looking at the whole city from above. The lights that had lit up the city were slowly turning off, darkness slowly spreading across the whole town before them.
"Rem is really glad Subaru-kun. This was nice." Rem said.
"Rem..." Subaru started. "I love you."
He surprised himself a bit, he hadn't meant to say that but it had slipped out.
/ Oh well. I have to commit to it now. /
"I love you. I love you. There's no other way to say it. I love you." Subaru committed. "But I don't know if you're happy here. The mansion is your home, and even if you like me, I still would feel bad taking you way from that-"
"Shhhhh." Rem pinched his lips closed with her finger. "Subaru-kun is talking too much."
Before he could get another word in, she kissed him. Subaru's eyes were wide in surprise, but after a moment, he closed them, enjoying the moment. He held onto the girl beside him, her warmth a relief from the cold breeze. After a bit they pulled back.
"Rem is too happy right now, it's bad for her heart." Rem said.
Subaru just sat in silence for a bit, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"I was scared, that you didn't like me. That you came all the way here because you felt indebted to me." Subaru said.
"That's not true. Rem loves you." She said seriously.
Subaru didn't respond, just pulling her in even tighter as he held her. They sat together, and watched the city finally go dark.
Subaru pulled out a wooden object from his large, inner pocket.
"What is that?" Rem asked.
"It's something I made. This is a chessboard. You use it to play the game of chess." He said.
"Chess?" Rem asked.
"Yeah. If you want, we can play a game now, before we go back." Subaru said, wanting to stay out a little longer.
Subaru produced a small crystal, and handed it to Rem. She infused it with mana, making it shine a bright light. They both peered over the board. Subaru showed her what he had made. The pieces were all flat, 2D icons of their more elaborate 3D counterparts. Still, you could easily distinguish between each piece.
Subaru explained how to play, what the goal was, and how to checkmate. They started a game. Subaru had to go easy so he played his moves hastily.
Just as Rem took his bishop, they both heard rustling sounds from the bush behind them. A woman emerged from the foliage. She had bright, white hair, and a face of incredible beauty. She wore black clothes, with green, swirling marking on them.
Rem and Subaru stared at her as she approached them.
"Can we help you?" Subaru asked the woman.
She didn't respond, and just marched closer to the two of them.
Subaru and Rem exchanged a confused look.
The woman got closer and closer, and as she approached, something in Subaru started to scream. He felt that somehow, this woman was bad news. He suppressed his instincts, but he couldn't escape the feeling that she was dangerous.
"Ummmm. Hey. Are you okay? Are you lost?" Subaru tried to get her to talk.
Still she remained silent, walking ever closer to them. She stopped a few feet away from them.
"Hey-"
"Die."
The woman raised her arm up, and Subaru felt something strike his abdomen, and felt a falling sensation.
He was looking up at the sky now. He saw Rem sitting above him, on the bench. Next to her it was...
/ It can't be... / Subaru was loosing consciousness. Next to Rem were his own legs, still sat on the bench. Everything below his waist had remained perfectly still, and his torso had fallen to the ground.
He heard Rem scream.
Everything was light again. Halibel and Meili sat together, playing cards.