A few minutes after Emilia left the room, he was visited by Rem. She seemed nervous. She sat down in the same seat Emilia was in.

Rem: "So… Are you feeling better?"

Subaru: "Well all my limbs are attached, and I'm not dead. So I'd say I'm feeling alright, except for the pain anytime I move."

Rem: "That's not good at all!"

Subaru: "It's better than dying, trust me."

Rem: "..."

She looked down at the ground, unable to look him in the eye.

Subaru: "Is something wrong?"

Rem: "Why aren't you upset at me?"

Subaru: "Huh?"

Rem: "Look how hurt you got. If I hadn't been so careless. If it was Nee-sama instead of me, you wouldn't be in so much pain right now."

Subaru: "That's not true at al-"

Rem: "And this isn't the first time I've hurt you either, is it?"

Subaru: "..."

Rem: "It's been on my mind ever since Beatrice-sama confirmed the curse had been placed on you. I hurt you in a previous loop, didn't I?"

Subaru: "..."

He didn't know what to say. Subaru had tried to ignore the issue and act like it never happened. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't help but remember what happened. Moreover, he'd acted out at Rem after he'd woken up. She wasn't so unperceptive as to not put two and two together.

Subaru: "As I said before it doesn't-"

Rem: "Matter. I know, you said that. However, I don't believe that. You saved me back in the forest, yet I had hurt you. You shouldn't have gotten hurt protecting me. I'm not worth it. If it was Nee-sama I would understand. If she had her horn she could have done better. Nee-sama always knew what to do."

Rem's words trailed off as she meekly looked up at Subaru.

What rested in her eyes were not tears but hollow resignation and despair.

Rem: "I was always Nee-sama's…substitute. I've always, always been inferior. Truly, I am a good-for-nothing. I could not catch up to Nee-sama no matter how much I chased after her."

Faint tears abruptly welled up in her eyes.

Subaru: "..."

Rem: "Why was I the one to keep my horn? Why wasn't it Nee-sama? Why was Nee-sama born with only one? Why…? Why were Nee-sama and I twins?"

Rem's lips trembled as she sought meaning for her very existence. The tears welling in her eyes rolled onto her cheeks, making Rem's pale flesh glimmer in sorrow.

Rem: "Why are you even bothering with me? I've probably hurt you a lot more than I even know. So why? I'm not worth it, I'm a disgrace to the Oni. What value do I possibly have?"

Subaru held his silence. Rem seemed unable to bear the quiet, hastily wiping the tears off her cheek.

Subaru: "Why would I hate you Rem?"

Rem: "Because I hurt you in a previous loop. Because you had to save me and got hurt."

Subaru: "But the Rem in front of me didn't hurt me, and I think it was worth getting hurt to save you."

Rem: "..."

Subaru: "After hearing everything you just said, I think you're a pretty big idiot."

Rem: "Eh?"

Subaru: "I can think of three stupid things about you. Can you guess what they are?"

Rem's eyes quivered, unable to grasp the meaning behind Subaru's words. Subaru smiled at her reaction and raised a finger in front of Rem.

Subaru: "Can't be helped, then. The first stupid thing is…you're going overboard given the fact that I was actually, you know, saved. You see me waving right before your eyes, right? I have both legs on and everything."

Subaru wiggled his scratched-up legs. Rem realized that Subaru was speaking in regards to her confession but meekly shook her head even so.

Rem: "That is…justifying after the fact…"

Subaru: "A wise man once said, 'All's well that ends well.' To be honest, I think I'm the only one who can properly judge the final result considering I've seen the other outcomes."

He'd failed too many times and knew that things could have turned out much worse. Subaru pointed this out to Rem, showing her the flaw in her logic.

Subaru: "That leads me to the second stupid thing, which is you trying to carry everything on your shoulders by yourself."

With a wink, Subaru raised a second finger.

Subaru: "I'm glad you're so worried about me. But don't you think you should ask me about how I feel? You're already assuming I'm mad at you without actually asking."

She'd assumed he'd be mad at her for not getting him back completely uninjured. She also assumed that he'd keep hate and fear in his heart for whatever it was she'd done to him. While it was true that he did hate her for a time, he had forgiven her. The more time he spent around her, the more Subaru had realized Rem's true intentions in that loop.

She had been trying to keep the place she called home safe. It was the place she and her sister called home, and with how Subaru was acting, he appeared to be a threat. Of course, she could have acted more rationally. However, Subaru didn't give off a very trustworthy vibe. He had been asking strange questions and was snooping around the mansion.

Subaru: "As for the third… You know what it is, Rem?"

Rem: "I…do not understand at all. I am always insufficient; I can never reach as far as—"

Subaru: "Yes, that. That's the third stupid thing."

Subaru pointed at Rem and how she never missed a chance to put herself down. Then he raised a third finger and waved the three about.

Subaru: "Rem, just because she's your Nee-sama, you build her up and put yourself down to where it almost kills you… I don't think Ram's always in a stronger position than you, okay? Her stamina's worse than yours, her cooking's lousy, she slacks off work, she makes snide comments… I suppose she thinks a little too much, too?"

In Subaru's mind, Ram's specs were a long way from the pillar of perfection Rem spoke of. She was an older sister with talents behind her younger sister in every area. Surely the sisters themselves were well aware of this. That was what Subaru supposed, but Rem shook her head, rejecting his suggestions.

Rem: "N-no…you are wrong. Nee-sama is truly… If she had her horn, you would never judge her so—"

Subaru: "But Ram doesn't have her horn. So I don't know a Ram like that."

Subaru, cutting off Rem's attempt to firmly deny herself, continued.

Subaru: "The Ram I know is just like I described. She can't hold a candle to you in cooking, sewing, cleaning, politeness, or the way she talks—well, I don't think that last part is a bad thing, really."

It wasn't bad to butt heads with her over her haughty manner of speaking from time to time. To Subaru, the distance between him and Ram was more comfortable.

Subaru: "It's probably only you who's worked up about whether she has a horn or not. Comparing someone else's good points and your own bad points just gets you bent out of shape."

Rem: "..."

Subaru"Whatever she doesn't have, you have. So accept it already… You're gentle, a hard worker, always doing your best, and your breasts are bigger than Ram's, too—"

Rem: "..!"

Subaru: "Ow! Hey, don't smack me with tears in your eyes like that!"

He didn't understand exactly what it meant to not have a horn. Subaru assumed it had something to do with how Ram passed out while fighting the Mabeasts in the forest. However, Rem was probably assuming her Nee-sama's feelings without asking, the same way she assumed Subaru's feelings.

Subaru was not arrogant enough to think that was a problem he was capable of fixing. In the end, he was just a mouthy young man lacking the length or depth of life experience to handle the job. A lecture from someone like him wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He put no pressure on himself. He imagined no gravitas in his words. So Subaru was simply conveying to Rem his exceptionally simple feelings about the matter.

Subaru: "If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead and dog food right now. I'm safe and sound because you were there. I'm alive now thanks to you. That's your doing, not your Nee-sama's."

Rem: "…Truly, Nee-sama could have done it better."

Subaru poured cold water on her weak rebuttal as he brought his left hand over his right, which still held Rem's hand.

Subaru: "Maybe she could have…but you were the one there for me."

When Rem gasped and lifted her face, Subaru put enough gratitude into his voice to make himself blush.

Subaru: "I'm glad you were there for me, Rem. Thank you."

Rem: "..!"

A choked sob escaped Rem's throat at his words. After that, Rem turned her face aside so that Subaru would not see the look on it.

Rem: "I…I have always been a substitute for Nee-sama…"

Subaru: "Stop defining yourself with lonely words like that, all right? You and Ram are different genres. I mean, she's the older sister and you're the younger sister—sometimes you're gonna clash."

There would always be differences between the two. Each had their unique good points. Whether Rem understood what he was saying or not, Subaru's encouragement made Rem squeeze her eyes shut.

Subaru: "Well, I haven't really asked why she lost her horn, I also don't know what it means to have lost her horn, and since I didn't ask I don't know. I don't know, so I don't want to talk like I do know, so…"

Subaru put his left hand on the upper part of his own forehead—patting it right where Rem's horn grew out of hers.

Subaru: "Ram doesn't have her horn, and you have yours, so you can just do whatever she would need a horn for. You can just be two demons getting along great. There's nothing stronger than love between beautiful sisters, right?"

Rem: "…Ah…"

Subaru: "So I mean, you said you were a substitute, but Ram has no substitute for you, does she? I mean, if you weren't there for her, can you imagine the state she'd be in?"

Rem: "…But…"

Yet even so, Rem did not simply nod in agreement.

Subaru: "I get it. So, how about we do this? You have an idealized Ram inside you that you can never compare to no matter what you do. Let's take that ideal Ram you have on a pedestal and send her packing."

Rem: "That is…easier said than done. I have always compared myself to—"

Subaru: "That's why I want you to listen to how I rate her. My rating's based on reality, not the ideal. Just so you know…I don't have any talent for reading the mood at all, so I just call 'em like I see 'em, no flattery or mercy. What you see is what you get."

Subaru smiled at Rem, grinning as he stroked her blue hair. It tickled her, but she merely narrowed her eyes, drawing a small sigh out of Subaru.

Rem: "But.. how do I make up for everything I've done. I hurt you, I know you keep denying it, but I know that's what happened. You woke up screaming, didn't trust me. I must have been so terrible."

Even then, those thoughts wouldn't leave Rem. What could have caused him to be in such pain? How could she ever be forgiven? How did Subaru see her? How could he stand her?

Subaru: "You are right, it was terrible."

Rem: "Huh?"

The Subaru who had kept telling her kind words, to not compare herself to her sister, had just told her she had done something terrible. Why?

Subaru: "It was extremely painful, so painful I cried my heart out. Whenever I close my eyes I can still see it. It was extremely scary. I didn't want to see you again, never wanted to hear your voice, that's how terrified I was. The sound of chains will probably haunt me for a long time to come."

Rem: "I see… I truly don't deserve your kindness."

Of course, it was exactly what she feared.

Subaru: "But you still saved me."

Rem: "..!"

Subaru: "When I was out there, surrounded by Mabeasts, Ram passed out, I thought I was gonna die. I thought I was going to have to start over again. Try and convince everyone in the mansion once again. Would it turn out the same? Would I be able to convince everyone? What happens if I can't? All of these questions were flashing through my head at that moment. But you stepped in, and saved me."

Rem: "..."

Subaru: "So thank you Rem. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for crying for me. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for worrying about me. Thank you."

She was speechless, after everything she did to him, Subaru was thanking her.

Subaru: "I mean, how could I hate you? You were scared that I was going to hurt you, and your sister, and I wasn't exactly behaving like someone trying to help."

He conveyed how it had happened to her, without giving any specifics.

Subaru: "At the end of the day, I can't hate you for something you didn't do. And you've more than repaid me. I made it this far because of your help. If it wasn't for you, I would have to start all over again and probably go through even more pain. So don't look down Rem. Keep your head held high. If it wasn't for you, we couldn't have saved everyone."

The same Subaru, who told her that she had caused him so much pain, so much sadness, was now praising her.

Subaru: "You know, where I come from, they say, 'Talking about the future makes a demon laugh,' so…"

Rem said nothing and merely tilted her head a bit as Subaru continued caressing her head and speaking.

Subaru: "Laugh, Rem. Don't make a glum face. Laugh. Let's laugh and talk about the future. Let's make up for all that living in the past you've been doing and talk about what's to come. I mean, even if we start with tomorrow."

Rem: "…Tomorrow?"

Subaru: "Yes, tomorrow. Anything's good, all right? Like, whether it'll be Japanese or Western food for breakfast tomorrow, or even if you're going to put on your right shoe or your left shoe first. It doesn't matter how trivial, there'll be a tomorrow, so we can talk about it. How about it?"

Subaru spread his arms, prodding Rem for an answer. Rem hesitated to reply for a while before lowering her eyebrows with a conflicted look.

Rem: "I am…very weak…so I will most likely lean on you a great deal."

Subaru: "What's wrong with that? I'm weak, too. I'm not very smart, I'm not good-looking, and I can't read the mood, which gets me down even when I'm the one saying it, but I still get by because the people around me help me. We just have to lean on one another and move forward."

She had been unable to see a path for her to walk because she insisted on putting anything and everything onto her own shoulders. The least Subaru could do was offer his two empty hands and make the walk forward that much easier.

Even so, he'd just been extra baggage himself more than once…but if you couldn't see ahead by yourself, you just needed someone to share the burden with as you moved forward. That's how he felt, anyway.

Subaru: "So let's laugh, hug each other, and talk about tomorrow. I've always dreamed of laughing with a demon and talking about the future, anyway."

Rem: "…You truly are possessed by a demon."

Subaru: "You bet."

Subaru closed one eye with the corner of his lips curled up. Rem apparently couldn't resist making a small smile herself. She laughed, and as she laughed, tears poured out of the corners of her eyes. The seemingly endless tears poured out, flowing and flowing, but Rem continued to laugh even so.

Rem laughed, Rem cried, Rem buried her face in a pillow to suppress her laughing, sobbing voice. Even so, her mirthful, tearful voice quietly filled the room.

Subaru gently caressed Rem's hair the whole while, his right hand grasping hers.

Softly, he stroked her hair.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Ram: "You truly are despicable Barusu."

Subaru: "What?"

After being bedridden all day, Subaru decided to take a walk around the manor. He encountered Ram, when she suddenly called out to him.

Subaru: "Hi Subaru. How are you doing? Are you feeling ok? You could have opened up with any of those instead you know!"

Ram: "I didn't see any need to. Considering Emilia-sama was healing you, I figured you would be happy, bouncing off the walls wagging your tail thanking the heavens you got a chance to speak with her just like the dog you are."

Subaru: "Uhg."

Just when he tried to comment on her greeting, she slapped him in the face with that assessment of his character.

Subaru: "Geez. Anyway, what were you saying about me being despicable?"

Ram: "The fact you are failing to recognize you're despicable makes you even more despicable."

He was so confused about what he was referring to. Just what did he do to make her so displeased with him?

Subaru: "Can you stop just calling me despicable and tell me what I did? I promise I'll get on my hands and knees and beg for forgiveness."

Ram: "How appropriate. Acting like a dog once more."

Subaru: "Trust me, I don't want to be a dog. Especially after I almost got eaten by a pack of them."

Ram: "Fine, I'll tell you, since you seem to be so dense."

Subaru: "Thank you."

Ram: "How dare you seduce my sweet little sister?"

Subaru: "Huh?"

That was the last thing he expected Ram to say. Seduce Rem, when did he do that?

Subaru: "Wha- I don't understand. Just when did I seduce Rem?"

Ram: "You know what you did. You said something to her while she was visiting you. I thought your lust was contained to just Emilia-sama, seems I was wrong"

He reflected on the words he said to Rem. However, he just couldn't see how that could be seen as seducing her.

Subaru: "I did say some stuff to her, but I was just trying to help her feel better, not seduce her. Seriously what gave you that impression?"

Ram: "The way she was acting when she left your room. While I am pleased to see her so happy, it also displeases me that someone like you would try to sweet talk her considering how little experience she has."

She tried to hide it, but Subaru couldn't help but notice it.

Subaru: "So you're happy that Rem is feeling better now."

Ram: "I am, but that is not the point Barusu. The point is how you seduced her. Did you use all the information you had on her from your previous loops to put the movies on her?"

Subaru: "What?"

Ram: "How perverse. Dying multiple times just to seduce my cute little sister, how disgusting you are Barusu."

Subaru: "Now just hang on-"

Ram: "Just so you know, no matter how many times you die, your attempts to seduce me, will not work."

Subaru: "Yeah, I get it."

Ram: "Now that is understood, make sure you don't make Rem cry. She may be a strong Oni warrior, but she's still my cute delicate little sister."

Subaru: "Understood."

Ram: "Good. Now, I need to make haste with my work, because one of the mansion's workers was gravely injured."

After that strange conversation, Subaru visited the forbidden library to annoy Beatrice.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Authors Note

That was a long chapter. I was hoping to make more chapters this length in the beginning, but it seems like that was too big an ask. However, I knew this chapter needed to be longer, considering the emotions between the characters.

Also, please check me out on Twitter, I know Elon is ruining it, but there I post updates whenever I post a new chapter. I'm also thinking of opening writing commissions, so hit me up and let me know if you guys would be interested in that.

I'll see you guys once I'm done with the next chapter.