Another chapter?! When I just made one yesterday?! How absurd!

Let's ignore the fact that I'm a week late with some homework…how the hell are they not giving me zeroes for this?

Anyway, I had another itch to be scratched, and you guys ALREADY hit the 600 view count! Man, I just woke up! How desperate are you?

*looks at Re:Zero fanfiction count*

…

…oh you poor, desperate bastards.

Anyway, I'll try my best! And if you know me, that's not really saying much, but I really like this plot!

P.S. Yes, I know that Subaru has a flip phone, I saw it during the Grand Summoners x Re:Zero crossover event, but if it was that ancient, Rem wouldn't be able to read her romance manwha, so ha.

Anyway, enjoy~

This wasn't the first time that Rem was restless at night. In fact, this was the third time this week. Usually, it would have something to do with Subaru…mostly about her suspicions about the raven haired boy, and why he reeked of that horrible, wretched smell, but her worries would be cleared after what he had done for her.

…she still found herself thinking about it as she held her pillow at night. That stupid boy…throwing himself into harm's way to save her…what was he thinking? She denied ever thinking deeper of it, passing it off as just part of who he was. Which was worrying in its own way. And touching.

Still, tonight was different. She had just finished that…visual story, and even if she didn't understand the words, she understood exactly what it meant. And she loved every one of those strange boxes. From those faces drawn alone, she could understand the jealousy expressed, the moments of tragedy, and that oh so precious kiss at the end…

She shook herself out of it and patted her cheeks, which were already starting to burn up. Get a hold of yourself Rem! You are the maid of the Mathers' Mansion! You must keep your dignity!

…but would it be bad to…read another?

It wasn't really out of the question…there were countless buttons that she saw on that moving screen. Surely one of them was to lead her to another one of those picture books! And if they were even HALF as good as the one she read, she would be a happy Rem. Already, she would be squirming at the thought of seeing more. Oh, she just HAD to read another! Truly, that metia was a priceless artifact! And if she did so now, she wouldn't have to spend too long tomorrow to find another!

It was decided then. She would read another tonight before she would sleep. It was all in the name of efficiency, after all…she can spend the next day reading it instead of trying to learn how those blasted boxes worked!

Quietly, she had left the comfort of the bed, looking back as if to wave goodbye, and softly opening the door.

'...I have to check if Subaru-kun is asleep…' That nagging thought in her mind had screamed at her to check, to make sure she wouldn't be found as of late. And he was the last person she wanted to see her doing what she had planned to do. She had silently ventured to Subaru's room, only the tips of her toes touching the ground to lower the chances that she may step too noisily. She slowed her footsteps as she approached the door, and she gulped slightly as she finally got close enough to reach. She couldn't let him wake up. If her actions had resulted in him being thrown out of slumber, she would have to prolong her plans until the coming morning. And she was much too impatient for her romance stories to-

I-I mean that she would have to waste more time looking when she can use her break time for simply relaxing! A-And then she would work more efficiently! Yes! That's what!

…she opened the door silently, her breath steadying as there wasn't even a creak at the door. Curious, hopeful light blue eyes would peek into the dark room…

…a figure was in the bed, unmoving, except for a slight rise and fall of his chest. She would give a silent sigh of relief. He was there. More importantly, he was asleep and wouldn't come down anytime soon. She closed the door, unaware of the narrowed gaze that was cast upon her. The bright blue eyes that hand landed on her only narrowed more, the butterflies in them seeming to dance.

What was that foolish house maid doing?

It was right where she left it. Thank the gods for that. She wasn't sure if she could find the device without making a sound if it was anywhere but. Excitedly, she took the metia gingerly in her hands, as if it was a gift bestowed to her by the gods, and rushed to the corner of the kitchen once more, crouching down and…pressed a button.

As the bright light burst into the room, lighting up the entire side of the wall, she squeaked and started tapping random things on the glass screen in panic.

'It's so bright! Why is this thing so bright?! Was it always like this?!' In a panic, she would swipe the phone again, unlocking it, and tried to press the random boxes. ONE of them should work!

She tapped the one with the orange fox once more, and found herself at the end of the story, but she didn't want to see that just yet. She started swiping in random directions, and she was caught by surprise that when she swiped up, more boxes appeared from below. She was still caught in a panic, and accidentally tapped the first box she could see, one that was white. Her eyes narrowed when it turned off, and when she looked back at her precious picture books…

This site cannot be reached =(

…

. . .

Rem hasn't felt this kind of panic before. She didn't understand what it said, but by the way that the screen turned white, and there was some crudely drawn face that looked sad, she could only guess one thing.

She broke Subaru's Metia.

"NO NO NO NO NO-" She silently screamed as she started tapping more. She swiped up, and she hoped that the box that she clicked was still there, and she tapped it once more.

…she felt her heart skip a beat and finally slow when her pictures returned. She didn't break it! She's a genius! Rem is a genius!

Now for this blasted light!

She swiped up again, and started to tap more boxes. Any boxes besides the one that she just did. None of them had done what she wanted. Some did nothing. Some brought her to another screen entirely. She pressed one more…

"ACK-" She yelped as from the back of the metia, a glaring, bright light had shone, to her horror, at the other side of the mansion! No! This was horrible!

She immediately pointed it anywhere else, and tried to observe the light for itself, wondering just what kind of magic allowed this thing to-

She flinched away as the light had suddenly burned its way into her retinas. It was so bright! And she would be much more appreciative in it if she wasn't trying SO DESPERATELY HARD TO-

"Ahem."

"..."

…her finger trailed down the glass, and it seemed as if it was the correct button, as the brightness had finally dimmed. The blue haired maid had felt a ball of dread well up in her stomach as she slowly looked up.

And the sight of her sister Ram, with her arms crossed and a stern, yet confused look on her face, greeted her.

"...you're up late, sister."

At the chastising, Rem sputtered in defense, and tried to hold up the object of interest, at the perfect angle for the flashlight to be pointed at Ram's face. She hissed, and covered her eyes in alarm. "Urk-! Turn that off, Rem! Are you trying to blind me?!"

She let out a soft eep, apologized profusely, and clicked buttons until it finally turned off. She could appreciate the darkness of the room, as her eyes now had to get used to it once more. She could barely see Ram's face anymore, but she could feel as if her gaze bore into her. Rem shifted uncomfortably on the floor, unable to meet her eyes.

…

…

After a long, uncomfortable silence, the sharp tongued maid finally sighed, and sat next to her. It figures that she would be the first to see Rem…she was always the one with tasks going late at night.

"...that's Barasu's metia, isn't it."

In response, Rem had buried her face into her knees and whined pitfully, much to her sister's amusement. "...I just wanted to read…"

That statement made Ram arch her eyebrow. "...read? I never took you as one to do that, Rem. Even then, there is a much better place to read than in the corner of a kitchen." Not only that, but this mansion had a massive library. Rem cleaned the house on the daily, she should definitely know that fact by now. Still, her eyes had trailed back to the strange, metal box thing. "...and why are you using that to read? It is much smaller than a normal book."

Immediately, Rem had perked up, and snatched the metia off the floor, turning it on once again. In her relief that the light was no longer at the level of the sun itself, she immediately pushed it to Ram's face, to her surprise. "...Rem, what are you-"

"It's so AMAZING, Ram!"

Ram blinked twice at just how sincere her sister sounded. "...yes…? Are not all metias within that-"

"N-no no!" Ram narrowed her eyes as she watched Rem swipe to the left, and all the pictures moved to the side, revealing more boxes. "Look!"

"...so the pictures move. That's…nice, dear Rem." The blue haired maid puffed her cheeks in frustration, and she tapped the fox box again, showing her the…pictures.

"This! Look! The metia has picture books!"

"..."

This caught Ram's attention. Picture books weren't too rare here…but this one didn't seem to be for children. In fact, it was very well drawn for one.

…surprisingly, it didn't seem to be inappropriate, knowing Barasu. She looked closer and saw another button, one with another picture on it. She tapped it and saw that another picture, which she could only assume was another book, appeared on the screen in a matter of seconds. Rem watched in horror as her beloved pictures had changed without her knowing. "R-Ram!"

"Wow…"

Rem was caught off guard at that reaction, and tilted the screen slightly as to see what exactly she saw.

The picture of a man, with sharp features, his eyes hidden under the shadow of a hat, walking away from a crazed scene, which looked to be of other men in uniform…huddling around a dead body?

His First Case

Clearly, it was a mystery story. One of murder and drama. And while Rem wasn't the type to ever willingly read such a thing…

…this was Ram's type of book.

She sat down next to the wall, and took the phone for herself, swiping to the right and humming in satisfaction when she saw that the page was 'turned'.

"R-Ram!" Rem whined when she saw that her- SUBARU'S metia was taken from her. "I-I was using it first!"

"But I have it now. Wait your turn." Ram had a wry smile, and it quickly evolved into interest as she saw the sheer detail of the book. Immediately starts off with the murder…and doesn't even show the face of the murderer. Words cannot describe what she was seeing on this screen…which made it all perfect.

Not even her dear sister's complaints could ruin this for her.

Yeah yeah, I'll get to the story…when I'm finished rewriting it.

In all honesty, I've been feeling like rewrite Light the Torch for a while. I had a twist involved that was impossible to pull off given my skills years ago, and now, I already regret writing it in first person.

So I'm trying to write another chapter…

…and then I realized just how desperate we all are for Re:Zero slice of life fanfiction.

Hope you enjoyed!~

Here's a little treat for you guys…

If Rem clicked on Discord…

…this box…this isn't one that she has seen before.

A blue box, with the picture of a…creature on it. She tilted her head in confusion. She had gotten the brightness down, and she no longer had to worry about lighting up the area around her and giving herself away. Giving into her curiosity, she clicked the box…

…and promptly ducked as she immediately felt the burning light get into her eyes. The screen itself was so white, she felt like rubbing charcoal on the screen, if only to spare her own life.

Now, not only was the entire wall lit up, the light seemingly reflected into the rest of the mansion, much to her horror.

Why would Subaru EVER have that box as an option to click on?! And why was it on THAT light?! Was Subaru-kun some kind of monster who enjoys destroying his eyes?!

"ACK-!" As Rem heard that pained gasp, she immediately slammed the phone screen to the floor to stop the light, but it didn't stop the pink haired maid, who was finishing up her jobs from late at night, from storming down to the kitchen herself. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!" She said in annoyance and pain, rubbing her eyes.

"I-IT WASN'T ME!"

"..."

Ram stared at the phone, face down on the floor.

"You're hiding something from me."

Rem sweat profusely, starting to shake her head. "...Ram no-"

"Show me. Now."

"This is for your own safety-"

"I SAID-"

Ram wouldn't have it, and immediately launched herself onto the tool, much to Rem's fear.

"SISTER- WAIT!"

She lifted the screen.

…

…

No one outside would be able to see the stars at night. For at that very hour, the Mathers mansion had become one.