Yo, It's been a while, far longer than i would have hoped... If you want to know why it's been so long, I made a fatal error when clearing out for space, and completely threw away my plot notes, meaning I only had a vague idea of where the story was going, so I had to remake those, and then write this... so as pointed out, my writing gets a bit lazy... But In the end I actually enjoyed writing this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Thank you to the following, for... well... following!

Talyson

ghooooost

Undisclosed Gaurdian

Pryd

Nicknamewdf777

thegoldenboy2188

darkknight5855

enjoy!

As Petra and Emilia wait patiently in the main hall, they hear the sound of footsteps approaching, and soon enough, Subaru and Subaru and Rem both look Petra and Emilia eyed them curiously, wondering just what they had been up to that would cause such a winded reaction.

"There you are! We've been waiting for you." Emilia said, a hint of concern in her voice.

Subaru and Rem exchanged a quick glance before turning to face Emilia and Petra. Subaru offered a sheepish grin as he set the large wooden crate down behind him with a loud thump.

"Sorry, we're late," he said, turning back, slightly out of breath. "We got caught up with gathering the materials. If you're wondering why we're so outta breath... ...Let's just say we were chased by a demon, an evil spirit and a sabretooth tiger..."

Petra and Emilia take in his sheepish grin and apology for being late. They exchange a glance in initial confusion, before bursting into a fit of giggles, relief and understanding in their eyes.

"It's alright, Subaru…-sama! don't worry," Petra replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

"We just were wondering when you were coming back. And it seems like we caught you guys at the perfect moment."

Rem looks at Emilia and Petra thoughtfully, taking in their understanding expressions, thankful that they weren't too worried about it,

"Yes, you could say we got a bit distracted with gathering the materials. But as you can see," She gestured to the wooden crates behind us,

"We managed to collect everything we needed."

"Great, that's perfect!"

Emilia said, her smile growing, gleaming with hope.

"We were hoping to ask for a favour, actually."

Subaru and Rem exchange another glance, their curiosity piqued, before Rem nods, her eyes set ablaze, as usual, eager to help in any way she can.

"A favour, huh?" Subaru says, his interest piqued. "What sort of favour do you need?"

"Of course, Emilia-sama. What favour do you need from us?" Rem added, specifically using 'us' pairing herself and Subaru….

"We need some white paint." Emilia said, cutting straight to the chase.

"We marked out the pitches using ice, but the markings are going to melt in this heat. So, we were hoping to borrow some paint to preserve them."

Subaru smacked himself lightly on the forehead, realising that he hadn't thought about the heat melting the lines. "Damn it, we should have thought of that," he muttered, annoyed with himself for not considering such an obvious problem.

"Yeah, sure, we can lend you some paint," he nodded, though deep down he knew there wasn't a chance they'd collected enough.

As Subaru and Rem crouched down, digging through the contents of the wooden crates, fanatically searching for the required white paint, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. They rummaged through the three crates one by one, rifling through the various items they had collected, one by one, but to their surprise, and inevitable disappointment, they found only three tins of white paint, around 9 out of the 40 Litres they needed.

They both let out a sigh, Subaru looking up at Emilia and Petra with an apologetic expression.

"This isn't nearly enough," he lamented.

"Does anyone happen to know some sort of duplication spell…?"

Rem gives a small huff of irritation, taking it as a poor joke, her eyes narrowing as gives Subaru a rare well, half rare admonition.

"No, Subaru-kun, there's no such thing as a duplication spell. I'm not sure where you would even get such a silly idea."

"Yeah, yeah, I know there's no such thing as duplication, but hey, a guy can dream, right?" he chuckled, glancing sheepishly at Rem.

"Three cylinders isn't enough to mark out two pitches,"

There was an extensive pause as they contemplated what to do. They were stuck.

Feeling the weight of the silence and their predicament, they stood in a square, musing to themselves, for a next step. They all felt the pressure to come up with an instant solution, they all drew a blank. Subaru cups his chin, channelling all his creativity into thoughts,

'Is there even a solution, nevermind a quick solution, other than buying more paint, or returning to Frederica's room to get more… but what are the chances she has 11 extra tins of paint…? How can I utilise the abilities of all 4 of us… no…all 10 of us to find a solution… Nobody other than Frederica would keep paint around… I wonder if there's paint stored somewhere around the mansion… no again 11 tins… Does that mean it all ends here…? Wait….not yet….What about magic?…. Ah… I suppose we could use fire to burn the grass… but none of us here can use fire magic… Can Emilia maybe… or Petra? I know Ram, Rem, Frederica and Beatrice can't… no… I told them to use magic and Emilia chose ice. She wouldn't have come to us for a solution if she couldn't just burn the grass endings, plus in this heat, thats a dangerous plan regardless…Ahhhh!!! Wind would Wind be helpful?...no...not exactly…. Earth?... I suppose they can mottle up the grass, tracing the line… leaving brown markings! Bingo! I got it!'

Subaru finally breaks the silence, a prideful smirk on his face. "I think we should wait for Otto, David and Garfiel to get back," he declared, his voice holding a hint of determination.

"Their earth related abilities will come in handy. They can use their magic to destroy the grass, creating clear brown lines instead of needing paint."

They all paused in thought, considering Subaru's idea. Rem and Emilia seemed to have slight gleams of hope growing, with an undercurrent of doubt, though it was Petra who eventually voiced the collective concerns,

"Subaru-sama, what about Garfiel-san and David? They're out chopping wood and battling the forest mabeasts. They'll be exhausted and possibly injured when they get back. And Otto-san's Earth magic isn't the best... Are you sure this is our best option?"

Subaru mulled over Petra's concerns, considering the potential problems that could arise from relying on Garfiel and David's return. He knew that the guys were tough, but even they would be exhausted from their expedition. Subaru thought quickly, then spoke up, his voice firm.

"You bring up a fair point," he nodded at Petra. "However, I think we have enough people who can provide healing magic," He shot a glance at Emilia, then at Rem, before continuing.

"So I think we should be okay. If they're out of mana, David carries bocco fruit on him... and we have some if they run out..."

Petra nods as she listens to Subaru, taking a moment to consider his response. It appeared that Subaru had thought of potential problems, and his solutions seemed plausible. While the situation wasn't perfect, there didn't seem to be many better options available. With a weary sigh, typical of the girl wise beyond her years, she nods her head in agreement.

"I suppose you're right," she reluctantly conceded. "It's our best chance at the moment. But we'll need to be prepared for whatever state they're in upon returning."

Emilia and Rem nod in agreement, as the group comes to a sweeping conclusion. Emilia closes off the window for argument starting her sentence with 'Alright then'.

"We'll wait for Garfiel, David and Otto to return, and see what condition they're in. We'll make sure to have enough..."

"Healers!"

"...Healers and bocco fruit and food for recovery too welcome them back."

Subaru now chimes in again, his voice filled with determination.

"Yeah, food and healers. If they're injured or exhausted, we'll make sure they have what they need to recover as closely to fully as possible! It is angling towards lunchtime aswell..."

Subaru looks around the group, a sense of resolve in his eyes. "Are we all in agreement, then?"

After everyone exchanged yet more nods of approval, Subaru gave the girls a determined nod (Seems the writer's getting uncreative, typical), before turning to Emilia and Petra. "Alright, you guys go ahead and start preparing some refreshments for the guys when they get back," he says, gesturing towards the kitchen.

With a confident stance and a thumbs up, Subaru-esque, Emilia accepts Subaru's request, with optimism(Now he's self conscious of using 'nodding'…).

"Got it, Subaru. We'll make sure they have plenty of refreshments and food waiting for them when they return."

Petra nodded (couldn't leave it for a single paragraph huh?) in agreement, her spirits lifted slightly by the sense of purpose they have established. With determination, she and Emilia head towards the kitchen to begin preparing snacks and refreshments for the returning boys. As Emilia and Petra leave to start preparing refreshments, Subaru, feeling a playful energy, gives Emilia a final lighthearted pick-up line.

"Hey Emilia-tan, make sure you don't get too burned up while you're in the kitchen, you're already hotter than a stove!"

Unfortunately, Or rather, fortunately Emilia didn't actually hear his corny line, as she left the room. Subaru chuckles to himself as he watches Emilia and Petra walk away, a wide grin on his face, before turning his attention to Rem.

"Hey, Rem, can you help Emilia and Petra out with the cooking part of it? I'm going to work on unboxing and prepping the materials and equipment we gathered."

"Subaru-kun, before I go... Can you give me a cutesy, creative compliment too?" Rem pouted slightly, clasping her hands, looking up at him with baby-doll eyes, sparkling with mixture of curiosity, affection and slight jealousy as she turned to face Subaru.

Subaru was stunned silent for a second, enamoured by her, half play acting, yet half genuine response, before breaking pout and chuckling heartily at Rem's adorable request, her pout and baby-doll eyes evoking a warm smile from him. He couldn't help but find her cute and endearing as she batted her eyelashes at him from below.

"Sure thing, Rem," he chuckled. "You're like a cupcake, sweet, lovable, and utterly adorable... the kind of treat I can't resist sinking my teeth into…You're so sweet, I'd choose you over any treat in the world."

Rem's faux pout instantly disappeared, replaced by a rosy blush. She beamed as she smiled, feeling both flattered and amused by the cute analogy.

"Hmph, flattery will get you everywhere, Subaru-kun," she exulted, clearly pleased by his words, her slight jealousy replaced by a warm feeling of affection. One thing she had failed to realise however is that his words were mostly from the heart.

"I'll go help Emilia-sama and Petra-chan with the refreshments then."

With one final wave and a charming smile aimed at Subaru, Rem turned on her heel, disappearing through the doorway in the direction of the kitchen, with a slight skip in her step. Subaru's smile broadened as he watched Rem skip off into the kitchen, her blush and rosy cheeks only adding to her charm. He chuckles softly to himself, a tender feeling settling in his chest.

"Haha, they're just too cute…" he muttered softly, then turned his attention back to the task at hand, the crates of equipment and materials. As Subaru begins to unload and sort the materials and equipment from the crates, a sense of pride washes over him. Despite the setbacks and challenges, knowing that they're all working together for this project makes him feel good. A sense of camaraderie and determination fills him. With everyone pitching in and doing their part, he felt like they were one step closer to bringing soccer to the Dragon's Kingdom of Lugunica.