It's a short train ride to the local shopping district, where Naoko suggested she and Ram look for new bathing suits. Not owning one herself, Ram didn't protest Naoko's idea; otherwise, she would've had no choice but to spend time with Subaru, and after the heated discussion the night prior, Ram didn't wish to be near him. To her, the choice had been an obvious one.

Stepping through the door, Ram quickly looks at mannequins wearing various types of swimwear and accessories, such as oversized beach bags and large hats to block the sun. She turns to Naoko, "A whole shop devoted to swimming?" she asks, slightly confused about why a store exists.

Naoko nods, "Yeah, there are a lot of specialty shops around. Have you ever been to a store devoted to swimwear before?"

At this point, Naoko isn't the least bit surprised. She still didn't know much about Ram. But, after getting to know her a bit over a few days, Naoko surmised that what she considers ordinary or mundane is a new experience for Ram. Instead of gawking or questioning her endlessly, Naoko chooses to coo at how naive Ram can be, finding her perplexion cute. If anything, Naoko wishes to spend more time with her, partly because of her son and partly because she genuinely started to like Ram quite a lot. Kenichi had been no different. Both spoke to one another privately about her the night Subaru had asked that she live with them, and even though a typical set of parents might have questioned their son more extensively than they both had, they couldn't, in sound judgment, throw her out on the street. Since they agreed to let Ram live with them, her coming on the family trip was a no-brainer.

Ram crosses her arms and glances around again. "No," she says, walking further into the store, occasionally touching a few bathing suits and inspecting them as someone in charge of quality control would.

Ram turns to Naoko, "The material feels different from wool or cotton."

Naoko walks beside her and takes a bathing suit from the rack. "That's because it's designed for swimming; it's thicker for that reason."

Ram looks at her questioningly, "Why? Ram isn't surprised someone would swim for pleasure, but why is a special outfit made of strange material a requirement?"

Naoko looks amused. She smiles, "Well, you wouldn't go swimming in your underwear, would you?"

Ram scoffs at the idea, "Of course not."

Naoko holds up a bikini in front of Ram. "Exactly, so wear this instead. It's not see-through and is designed especially for swimming."

Ram takes the two-piece bathing suit from Naoko. She stares at the combo, a light hue forming over her cheeks. "Naoko-san, Ram understands what you are saying, but how is this different from regular underwear?"

"Well, it doesn't feel like underwear, for one thing."

"Thats…not…a legimate answer…" Ram trails off, staring at the bathing suit.

Naoko smirks playfully, "Or would you be too embarrassed to wear something like this around Subaru?"

Taking her eyes off the two-piece, Ram is dumbfounded when she picks up what Naoko said. The implication that Ram would be embarrassed by Subaru seeing her in the bikini was more absurd than the bathing suit itself. Ram couldn't let the comment fly and had to set the record straight. "Wait, Barusu is the last person on Ram's mind! She wasn't referring to him at all!"

Naoko shrugs, "If my son isn't a concern, what's stopping you from wearing something so cute?"

"That logic makes the least bit of sense."

Naoko giggles and playfully shoves Ram to the changing room, "Don't be so uptight, Ram-chan! I'm sure Subaru will find whatever you have on to be heartstopping."

Ram struggles a bit while Naoko continues to encourage her to the nearby changing room, "Again with Barusu! How many times must Ram tell-"

"I know, nothing is going on between you two." Her tone is dismissive as she steers Ram towards the changing room.

Ram slumps her shoulders and shakes her head, "Fine. Ram will try it on, but wearing something as cute as this bathing suit doesn't involve Barusu. Understood?"

She turns to look at Naoko with a stern look, hoping that her no-nonsense expression is enough to convey how serious she is and that there is absolutely no romance between them.

Naoko, however, mews, her feline smile betraying her mischievous thoughts. Ram rolls her eyes and steps into the changing room.

With Ram in the changing room, Naoko takes a seat close by. Watching Ram, the only visible part of her being her slender legs, she wonders what happened between her and Subaru the night before. Naoko didn't consider herself exceptionally nosey, but like most mothers whose sons were involved with someone, she longed to extract as much information from that person as possible—short of coming out and demanding Ram's intentions. So, when Subaru and Ram were together for breakfast, their cold atmosphere caused Naoko's curiosity to run rampant. This was partly why Naoko had asked Ram to join her for bathing suit shopping. She was correct in assuming Ram didn't have a bathing suit, but her main goal was to get to the bottom of Ram and Subaru's apparent couple's spat. Naoko didn't like to pry into a person's private life. Their business should remain with them. However, when it comes to Subaru, she's more mindful of what is going on in his life, as she wants him to remain safe and in good hands with other people.

"How's everything?" Naoko asks, "I picked the size at random. Do you need something smaller?"

"No," Ram answers, "Surprisingly, you guessed Ram's size, which is suspicious, she must admit."

"And the color?"

The bathing suit is black with pink ribbons that tie the bathing suit together. Naoko had chosen it purely based on Ram's hair color.

"Ram would have chosen it herself, so the color is fine."

"Good to hear. I am excited to see you in it."

Even though a thin curtain hides Ram from the outside world, Naoko's suggestion causes her to stop and think.

Ram considered herself incredibly lovely and was proud of this well-known fact. But, she couldn't bring herself to throw open the curtain and display her petite physique to the outside world with her chin held high.

This apparent modesty confuses her, 'It's just Barusu's mother,' she reminds herself.

Even in the face of a stranger, Ram is the least bit timid. She would speak her mind without care, and considering how confident she is with her looks, the idea of being embarrassed when face-to-face with Subaru's mother is as odd as the whole shopping for a bathing suit. If anything, Naoko simply being Subaru's mother shouldn't spur any meek behavior, so why is she so embarrassed?

"Ram-chan?"

"Just a moment," Ram says and takes a deep breath. ' Get ahold of yourself.' She says once more and opens the curtain.

Ram stands in front of Subaru's mother. Her fingers nervously interlock and dangle in front of one another while her knees slightly turn to face each other, along with her feet. With a blush, Ram peers out from between her pink bangs.

Naoko stands, her hands covering her mouth, "Oh…Ram…" she says, "You're so adorable…"

Ram chuckles nervously, "H-Heh, of course. Ram is the epitome of appealing. It's criminal how gorgeous she is."

She might have flipped her bangs, but her hands were married to one another and weren't separating.

Naoko giggles, "Of course. In that case, I better pick something out myself. We can't have only you looking cute!"

She turns to start her search for a new bathing suit. Ram, not wanting to see if there is anything else she might like, closes the curtain. Standing in the changing room, she stares at herself in the mirror. Whatever she is thinking about, only she is privy to; however, Ram shakes her head, saying, "As if," and proceeds to change out of the bikini.

Once she is changed, she steps out. Naoko approaches, "Did you want to look for something else?"

"No, Ram believes this will do just fine."

"Okay, let's check out then and get a light lunch. Sound fine with you?"

Ram shrugs, "Sure."

They make their way to the cashier. Naoko places the bikini she found and Ram's on the counter. Naoko's selection is similar to Ram's, except she chose orange instead of a pink design. Almost on instinct, Naoko gives her an explanation: "Kenichi is fond of the color orange, supposedly an old sports team color or something else."

Ram nods, not exactly interested. Hearing that Kenichi likes orange isn't surprising to her, considering his son had a similar taste. Like the family's obsession with mayonnaise, Ram assumes it is some form of family tradition. She is indifferent to the color, but almost on principle, she avoids wearing it.

Exiting the store, they walk a short distance to a small cafe at the street's corner.

They sit, and a waiter arrives and takes their drink order in no time. Ram asked Naoko to order for her, not wishing to embarrass herself by staring at the menu and attempting to decipher it based on pictures alone.

Shortly after, the drinks return and the two sit silently and sip on the fruity beverages while the street bustles beside them. Naoko breaks the ice after several minutes of listening to the arrhythmic shuffling of foot traffic.

"So, what's going on between you and my son?"

Ram might have comically choked on her beverage but figures Subaru's mother would start a conversation about him. She began to wonder if her life would start to revolve around Subaru from now on. She wanted to scream and pull her hair out at the mere thought of it.

"Nothing." She says with strong affirmation and continues to sip the beverage, trying to figure out the sour sensation she is tasting.

"Is that so?"

Ram nods, "Yes, that is so."

"Really?"

She sighs, "Yes, really."

"Uh-huh."

Naoko didn't sound very convinced.

"Should something be going on?" Ram finally asks after a period of silence, annoyed by Naoko's unconvinced expression.

"No, but even you can see why Kenichi and I are interested in you and our Subaru. It's not every day a boy who never leaves his room, never speaks to his parents, and stops going to school suddenly brings a girl home as pretty as you, is completely different than he was, and then begs his parents to let her live with them."

Naoko leans forward and softly whispers, "Surely you can understand why we both have suspicions?"

Ram couldn't argue with her. What Naoko was saying made sense. Any parent would want to know the same thing, especially Natsuki Subaru's parents. But something Naoko said stuck out to Ram.

"What was Barusu like before he showed up with Ram?"

Perhaps it was some deep-seated curiosity on her part, but the Subaru Naoko described in a few words versus the Subaru Ram knew sounded different. From what Ram had seen, Subaru's relationship with his parents gave the impression that they were always very close. But that wasn't all; Ram could scarcely recall only a few times he had ever mentioned his parents, which was typically in defense of his looks.

Naoko takes a deep breath and smiles the same sweet smile she always does. "Distant." She finally says.

Her forlorn look aside, Naoko's single-word reply spoke volumes. To Ram, Subaru had a childish, over-excited outlook that, at times, she found nauseatingly annoying. He is an enigma, and despite his apparent cluelessness, knowing where he finally came from and how unremarkable he was before showing up that day in the mansion, she is even more confused about how someone so unimpressive could achieve so much in such a short time. What Subaru had said that night in the convenience store parking lot, the words linger in the back of her mind. Ram refuses them; the very idea is preposterous.

Another question comes to her suddenly, and she is almost afraid to ask it, "If…Subaru suddenly vanished…what would you do?"

Referring to Subaru by his actual name catches Naoko by surprise. Her smile drops, and her expression is tense. It is clear to Ram that the sudden question posed to her causes Naoko inner conflict as she tries to understand what exactly Ram is trying to ask her.

"I would be beyond devastated and would never move on from the pain of separation. Any parent that loves their child would be hurt. To have something you love most in this world suddenly taken from you without reason is something that not even time could heal. I apologize for sounding overly dramatic, but the idea of Subaru disappearing from Kenichi and my life is heartbreaking."

The bite from her words digs deep into Ram, and she feels an overwhelming amount of sorrow for her, knowing that perhaps, all those years Subaru ran around Lugunica, caring about others, his very parents were battling crippling depression, wondering what happened to their son and whether he is alive or dead. A sense of guilt ensnares her, knowing Subaru worked harder for his friends instead of worrying about his parents and how they were coping with his disappearance.

"I'm sorry…" Ram found herself saying, no longer referring to herself in the third person; Ram wanted the apology to be genuine.

Naoko raises an eyebrow, "Why? What are you planning on doing? Taking my son and leaving?"

Ram shakes her head and looks up from the table. Naoko held a severe expression; there was no playfulness in her words.

"Ram wouldn't dream of ever separating Barusu from his parents."

Despite Subaru's exploits, and how important he is to everyone in Lugunica, Ram can't bring herself to say otherwise.

Naoko's shoulders relax, and her expression softens, "Ram,"

"Yes?"

"What do you think of my son?"

Ram might have been annoyed if Naoko had asked the question to tease her about "romantic" involvement, but that wasn't what Naoko was asking.

"Barusu acts brazenly at times. He is perverted and childish, and Ram wonders if he ever stops and thinks before acting, but then that would be asking too much for Barusu."

Naoko remains silent, letting Ram continue.

"But despite all that, Barusu is someone Ram can depend on. She would never admit it to him, but she counts him amongst her close friends and…cares about him."

She has to force the last bit of truth out and looks away, blankly gazing off into the distance. Naoko stares at her and breaks into a smile.

She stands, "I thought as much. Have you ever thought about telling him that?"

Ram blinks and stares up at her, "What…?"

"My son can be pretty clueless and is a pretty big space cadet sometimes, but here's a little advice between us girls."

Ram leans back slightly as Naoko leans forward and speaks softly.

"Men thrive on compliments from the woman in their lives." She winks, and Ram's eyes widen.

"W-w-wait…! Ram was never implying she has feelings for Baru-"

"Oh, look at the time! We should really get back home!"

She gets the bags and starts off before Ram can finish her statement.

Ram signs and hangs her head.

"Disgusting." She mumbles, gets up, and follows after Naoko.

"Well, that about does it! Everyone ready to go?" Kenichi says, shutting the trunk of the family vehicle and placing his hands on his hips.

Naoko raises a celebratory fist in the air, "Yeah!" She says louder than usual, but not as enthusiastic as her husband's typical demeanor.

"That's my girl," Kenichi says, looking at the two behind her. "Ram-chan, bags packed and ready?"

She looks at him and holds up a tiny suitcase. He nods approvingly and turns his attention to Subaru, who doesn't appear to be on planet Earth.

"Subaru." He says, "Subaru…? Earth to Subaru? Do you read?"

By this time, Kenchi is practically within inches of him. Subaru comes to and looks at his father, slightly jumping back.

"Too close!" He says.

Kenichi stands at full height, "As I was stating, Are you ready for the tenth annual Natsuki family vacay!"

"Tenth annual? I'm pretty sure this is our third or fourth trip."

Kenichi shrugs, "Either way, stop looking like a vegetable and get into gear! Or…" Kenichi leans close and whispers, "...are you thinking of Ram in a bikini?"

Subaru looks at his father like he caught a foul whiff of something lingering in the air, "No, I'm not."

"Yeah, you're not fooling anyone, son." Kenichi pats Subaru's head.

"Stop, Dad! You're messing up my hair!"

Kenichi turns away, laughing. He takes Ram's bag to secure it in the trunk.

Subaru rolls his eyes. He looks at Ram, "I have a feeling this whole trip is going to be a giant misunderstanding, one after another."

Ram looks at him briefly but says nothing. Subaru shakes his head and mutters, "Geez, how long is she going to give me the silent treatment?"

"Son, it sounds like you need some advice from your old man," Kenichi says, stepping up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Nearby, his mother looks at him and smiles.

Hearing his father, Subaru doesn't speak and looks toward Ram, inspecting the inside of the family minivan. She pads the seat suspiciously.

"No, Dad. I think I'll pass." Subaru walks to the minivan and slides open the door. He gets in.

"Think of this like a dragon-drawn carriage without the dragon part. My Dad's a cautious driver, so there's no need to be nervous." He says to Ram while she looks at the seatbelt.

Ram looks once more at Subaru and gets into the car. She fiddles with the seatbelt.

"That's a seatbelt; it's basically the same thing as a safety harness. Wait? Are safety harnesses a thing in Lugunica? Okay, a seatbelt is basically-"

Ram cuts him off, "Why are you trying to speak with Ram? Have you already forgotten what happened? Because she hasn't."

"Wow, she speaks? Well, whatever, progress is progress."

Ram ignores him and figures out how to buckle the seatbelt with ease. She turns to look out the window. Subaru shakes his head and pulls his phone out to play with it.

In the background, Kenichi and Naoko watch the two.

"Ah, to be young," Kenichi says to his wife. Naoko giggles and takes her place in the van.

Kenichi claps his hands. Alright! Let's get this party started!"

The car trip is uneventful.

Throughout it, Subaru and Ram don't speak with one another or anyone else. Their attention is elsewhere. Lost in his thoughts, Subaru worries about Emilia, Beatrice, and everyone else. Since the night he and Ram had their falling out with each other, Subaru can't help but wonder how much the world of Lugunica has changed in his absence. His heart aches for Emilia and fears she is with someone else. His apparent dread is baseless, but cannot keep his imagination from running wild.

Subaru's thoughts briefly drift to Rem. Though rickety, the bridge between them was better when they returned to the mansion together, but like Emilia, Subaru couldn't help but think about someone else being with her. Even though their relationship differs from before, Subaru copes with the fact that things will eventually change between him and Rem. The situation has changed, however, considering he and Ram are both stuck in Japan. Now, Subaru isn't even sure if his friends are alive or dead.

Ram has had similar thoughts, but she is less transparent than Subaru. She is curious if Roswaal is still trying to achieve his goal, but knowing him, his mental state would have declined with the disappearance of Subaru and her. This saddens Ram, knowing she can do nothing to help him during this time. Something else she feels is jealousy, knowing Roswaal is probably more concerned with Subaru's absence than hers. No doubt he is brooding the loss of Ram, but even she can't deny how pinnacle Subaru was to his plans.

Rem, too, is someone she thinks about. They had just reunited, and she was looking forward to forging new memories together. Fate is cruel, of course, and now Ram is afraid she'll never see Roswaal or Rem again. She glanced at Subaru annoyingly throughout the trip. Even though he wasn't directly to blame for her current predicament, she still couldn't contain her resentment.

Intermittently, Subaru's parents glanced at the rearview mirror, looking at the two of them and clearly ignoring the other.

Kenichi had tried his best to get a word out of both parties during the trip but gave up an hour and a half into it. Naoko had faired no better, but the most she could muster from either was the occasional half-hearted "uh-huh" or "yeah." She frowned and looked at her husband, who shrugged his shoulders.

Growing tired of the awkward silence, Kenichi even turned on the radio, speaking loudly to draw a reaction out of them.

"Hey! Remember this song?" Kenichi asks his wife.

"Yes, but what I remember most is how terrible you sounded trying to sing it during karaoke!"

"I'm not that bad of a singer!" Kenichi had protested, proceeding to sing off-key.

Naoko would playfully plug her ears and complain to Subaru and Ram in the back seat, but not even Kenichi's poor singing could remedy the awkward situation.

"Well, I guess not all of us are as talented as my wife is at singing," Kenichi would finally say after his tactic to lighten the mood crashed and burned.

Ram did her best to tune out the circus in the front seat while watching the endless scenery. As the minivan curved around a mountain pass, the ocean came into view, and Ram leaned away from the window. Her brow creased as she saw what appeared to be an endless expanse of water.

The Natsuki lived in a more rural part of the country, nestled in a mountain pass. The town wasn't huge compared to other concrete jungles of Japan. And because of this, Ram's viewing pleasure was a mixture of rice fields and small shops sprinkled between neighborhoods.

Naoko watched her but said nothing. She glanced at her son, looking at the awe-struck girl from the corner of his eye.

"Incredible..." Ram mumbles under her breath as the van reaches its final destination.

Pulling into the condo Kenichi had made arrangements at, he parks. Getting out of the car, Kenichi stretches and looks at his wife, Subaru, and Ram.

"Well, here we are!" He looks proud of himself as he stands with his arms outstretched.

"Wait, this is different than the usual hole in the wall we stay at?"

Kenichi crosses his arms and nods, "Of course. I pulled some extra overtime last month so we could stay someplace within walking distance of the beach. Considering Ram is so gracious in blessing us with her presence, I'm glad I did."

He looks at Ram, who is standing in front of the condo. She turns to him, "To be within the vicinity of Ram is remarkable. She is glad Barusu's father can see that."

Kenichi nods, seemingly proud to gain Ram's approval. Subaru, however, crosses his arms and rolls his eyes.

"Don't encourage her, Dad! If her head got any bigger, it would explode."

Subaru's comment isn't enough to get a reply out of Ram, who ignores him.

"C'mon, Ram-chan! Let's go inside and look around."

Naoko takes Ram by the arm. She doesn't fight as Naoko leads her into the house. Before they go inside, Naoko looks at Kenchi and directs his attention to Subaru.

"Of course." He says, turning to the car where Subaru is getting his luggage out.

"Subaru, before all that, how about we walk into town? We can stop by the local grocery store to pick out something to cook tonight."

"Eh, I'm pretty tired. So I think I'll pass."

Kenichi crosses his arms and grins. Subaru's head dips.

"Is this about Ram?" He says.

"Nothing gets past you, my boy."

Subaru rolls his eyes upwards and shakes his head, "Fine, I can tell there is no getting out of this, so let's go."

"Good!" He approaches Subaru and puts his arm around him, "Oh, and another thing, be thinking of what's for dinner. Because you and I are cooking tonight!"

Suabru raises an eyebrow, "Come again…?"

"You heard me correctly. You and I will be the chefs during this trip! Now's the time to show Ram what you're capable of!"

Subaru leans back, "uh, I'm pretty certain she'll be the least bit impressed by my cooking ability."

"Oh, so you are trying to impress her?"

Subaru grunts annoyingly, "I wasn't saying that at all! I just know her better than you and Mom, is all!"

"No one is doubting that. But since we're on the subject of you being in the doghouse, Have you tried apologizing?"

"Aplogizing? And what makes you so certain something is the matter between us?"

Kenichi snorts, "A blind corpse could tell you two are at odds with one another."

"That's a pretty morbid comparison!"

Subaru deflates, "Fine. I'll try to talk to her."

Kenichi slaps his back, "That's my son! Show her the Natsuki fighting spirit!"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

The two shift the discussion to dinner and argue over what to cook. In the background, Ram watches the two bozos from the window. She sighs and walks to the bed, falling backward onto it.

"You should try and speak with him."

Ram tilts her head back. At the door is Naoko.

She sits up, "Probably. But that doesn't fix the problem at hand."

Naoko walks into the room, "I don't know what that problem is and won't pry into it, but even I can tell you wanted to question my son about the ocean earlier.

Ram looks at her hands, "It might have crossed Ram's mind."

Naoko giggles, "Well, either way, I hope you two can reconcile on this trip."

The two get up from the bed, "Perhaps. Also, what should we prepare for dinner? It doesn't appear the kitchen has any food in it."

"Oh, you and I don't have to worry about that! Subaru and Kenichi will be cooking for us during this trip. So all you and I have to do is enjoy ourselves."

Ram stares at Naoko momentarily before speaking, "You're joking, right?"

"Nope."

"Naoko-san, are you aware that Barusu is talentless in cooking?"

Naoko narrows her eyes, "What's this? Subaru already cooking for you?"

Ram facepalms and sighs deeply. Naoko chortles, "Don't worry, Kenichi is a decent cook, so the most Subaru will be doing is peeling vegetables."

Ram looks up, "While Barusu can probably handle vegetable cutting, she doesn't believe he can do much else. Are you sure we shouldn't oversee their cooking?"

"I can understand being nervous about those two, but Kenichi knows his way around the kitchen, and even though I have said I don't mind taking care of the cooking when we vacation, he insists on doing it and tells me to take a load off."

"Fine, Ram will trust your judgment. But Barusu? Considering his laziness, Ram is certain he would rather lie around and not help with the cooking."

"While I wouldn't deny Subaru can be pretty lazy at times, Kenichi wants Subaru to learn to cook so when it's your turn to be lazy, he can take care of you instead."

Ram stares at Naoko, and despite her intelligence, Ram has to digest the words to comprehend them fully. Two things stood out to her. One was Naoko suggesting Subaru would ever cook for her, and the second was the idea of him taking care of her.

"No, absolutely not. No way, and not happening!" Ram says, "The very idea of Barusu cooking for Ram is preposterous, and suggesting he would ever take care of Ram fills her with horror!"

Naoko stands idly by while Ram continues explaining how nothing she has said would ever happen. In the end, Naoko shrugs and says dismissively, "Sure, if you say so." She smiles and turns to leave.

Ram stands, searching for a way to explain how wrong Naoko is. She gives up, however, and follows after her, grumbling to herself along the way.

This Story was beta read by JIL713