Subaru woke up with all his limbs attached so that was a good start. However, Capella was nowhere to be seen and the boy had no idea if that was a good or bad omen. That girl was notorious for messing around with him so he already had his guard up.

The first thing Subaru did was look under his bed. Afterwards, he looked around his room, checked the closet, shook his bed sheets, checked under the bed again, examined the door frame, looked up at the ceiling, inspected all the candles, and just to be one hundred percent sure, checked under the bed one last time.

Despite examining every nook and cranny, Subaru was still paranoid. He had a good idea how Capella's power worked at this point, and the idea that she was hiding somewhere as some kind of bug or small rodent to ambush him haunted his thoughts.

She's been acting weirder and weirder the longer he stayed here. At one moment, she was all too eager to snap his neck, and before he knew it, she wanted to sleep with him.

Subaru took a deep breath, trying to calm down so he could settle down his thoughts. Right now, he wanted to be sure he was alone.

"Hey, Capella?" Subaru called out. "Erm… If you come out, I'll make you a special breakfast."

…

…

…

"I'll even throw in a new game I think you'll like."

…

…

…

Either Capella was that patient or she really was gone, and Subaru was just going crazy. Whatever it was, he didn't want to risk anything so he'd just act cautiously for now until he knew for certain.

The first thing he started with was making breakfast. He made sure to add a portion for Capella to get her on their good side whenever she arrived.

Once done, he set up the table and waited for Capella to arrive. He made sure not to complain to himself so he could keep up the charade that he was happy in order to not anger that little devil.

He waited patiently for Capella's arrival to take her seat. She'd go on about how much she enjoys torturing people who apparently deserve it without clarifying how. But she doesn't leave out a single detail in her torture methods.

Capella would go on and on about how love can never happen between two people if they find each other gross. Well, that's the nicest way of putting it. She'd always bring up examples of her experiments to test that fact.

Subaru would stop her carefully by either offering food or playing some kind of game. She would usually seem entertained but just to be safe, he'd also talk a bit about his experiences in Japan.

The day would go on until Capella had to leave for something. After that, the day was practically over already.

…

But none of that actually happened.

Subaru was too fixated on thinking up of that schedule and what new things he'd have to come up with since that little demon got bored of things way too easily.

…

While he thought about just how crazy he probably was obsessing over this, he wondered what Capella was doing.

"Ugh… What am I even doing?" Subaru complained to himself. He hated the fact that Capella haunted his thoughts constantly.

The boy bit down on his lip as time just went past without Capella appearing. The wait was eating away at his sanity. He couldn't take it anymore.

Subaru took another look around his quarters before going into the kitchen. He quickly took one of the cooking knives, one he had hidden in a small drawer. Once in hand, he surveyed his surroundings one last time and rolled up his sleeves.

For a moment, he was confused as to why his arms looked clean. But that didn't matter right now, without hesitating, Subaru jabbed his left arm. "A-Ahahah… Ahhh…" He lifted the knife back up and pierced a different spot on his skin.

The feeling of pain interrupted his thoughts of Capella and the boy wanted to keep at it. Blood flowed out from them at an alarming rate, and despite that he kept cutting and stabbing himself. He feared that if he stopped, he would end up having a panic attack or another manic episode.

In a way, this felt very soothing to him. Especially compared to the alternative.

…

Subaru eventually stopped after his emotions felt more stable. Now that his arms were a bloodied mess, he calmly cleaned the knife and wrapped his arms with some cloth.

He started doing this a few weeks ago, a good amount of time before his little 'promotion'. He had to find a way to cope with all this, and so far, that was the best way.

Now that Subaru wasn't distracted with his own thoughts, he thought more about how his arms were clean before he indulged himself. He did have one idea but he wasn't in the mood to think about that possibility right now.

As stupid as it was to think this way, he would just hope that this wouldn't get brought up again.

--

Elsewhere in this labyrinth of a base, Capella was left alone in a room, pacing as she herself was scrambling in her own thoughts. She constantly wondered where she went wrong in her investigation.

However, there was something more there that was more than just that; anger. That girl really had the gall to pull this stunt after all. Just thinking about it caused the pupils in her eyes to contort unnaturally.

Finding the perpetrator wasn't at all difficult or anything. There were really only two possible suspects after all. The only real problem Capella was having over that was deciding whether or not she would keep them alive when she was done with them.

Determining the method on how she'll skin them alive would have to wait. How this perpetrator managed to damage her property was the main problem that plagued Capella's mind. Normally, she'd be impressed by their skill to conceal such activities so well while being under constant surveillance. She would just give them a light punishment under normal circumstances. She didn't want to permanently damage any of her useful tools after all.

But for some reason, she felt far more bloodthirsty than usual. Well, of course she's mad, Capella reasoned to herself. After all, that bitch had the audacity to damage her most valuable possession yet. She should feel thankful that she herself is even giving the time of day to even consider letting her live.

Her thoughts were finally put on hold when she heard a familiar set of footsteps just outside the room. Knowing who it was, Capella grinned maniacally before swiftly and quietly getting herself in position.

Without wasting a second more, Capella reached her hand out the door and swiftly snatched the neck of her target before reeling them into the same room as her. After catching her prey, she carelessly tossed them at the other end of the room before slamming the door shut just to signify her dissatisfaction.

The prey in question was none other than Sakura. At first, she was left in a daze by the sudden ambush. After composing herself, blood drained from her face after realizing Capella was standing over her with such a hateful expression.

"M-Mother…? I-Is something the matter…?" Sakura's voice trembled. It hadn't been that long since she punished her, so to see her again so soon horrified her, especially with that look on her face.

Capella leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms while staring daggers at Sakura. "This lovely lady has so many other, and more important matters that could be attended to right now. If you admit your wrongdoing, and your reason why you thought you could hide it from mama, then maybe your punishment won't be so harsh this time."

"Huh…?" Sakura was bewildered. Not like how a child would act when getting caught stealing, but with genuine confusion like they didn't even consider what they were doing was wrong. "I-I'm sorry, Mother. Are you referring to what happened with Melty?"

The archbishop approached the confused girl menacingly. Sakura instinctively scooted herself back but the confined space prevented her from going far. "You are being granted a very rare opportunity to reflect on your sins with only a light punishment. Since this lovely lady is a very kind, and loving mother, you will get one last chance to fess up."

Sakura was speechless. Not by the warped 'generosity' presented to her, but by the fact that she really doesn't know what Capella's talking about. Was she still mad that she left Subaru alone with Melty? She figured it would be fine since Tiga always escorted that girl by himself.

However, Sakura knew she couldn't stay silent. She had to get out of Capella's wrath as fast as she could so the best thing that could be done about this situation was guess. "I-Is this about Subaru? I swear, I didn't think Melty would be bold enough to use her evil eye on him. I assumed you put countermeasures on him like you did for-"

Sakura's explanation was interrupted once Capella gently booped her on the head. The girl was petrified from fear as she already knew it was too late for her.

It didn't take long before her vision became blurred and warped. Following that with the feeling of her innards spilling out of her through her ears, nostrils, and her fingernails.

She wanted to scream in pain but no sound came out. She didn't have a mouth anymore after all. The only thing she could do was stay still and wait for this pain to wash over eventually.

Capella's nasty glare had already formed into an equally nasty grin. Seeing the way Sakura's body naturally winced and contorted from pain was more then enough to lighten her mood.

"As much as I would love to watch your punishment through, this lovely lady has to make sure to fix what your negligent behavior has caused. You should be eternally grateful to have such a kind and thoughtful mother. Why don't you just sit here for a bit as a way to reflect."

"…"

Sakura didn't respond. With the current state she was in, speaking in general was physically impossible. In fact, she couldn't even move so following Capella's order was guaranteed, whether she liked it or not.

The deranged little devil left the room, and bit down on the tip of her thumb while she pondered to herself. She punished the wrongdoer so why did she feel like something was missing? Maybe she should pay that whore another visit and punish her again. Surely that would fix this feeling, right?

…

…

…

Capella shook her head.

"No, that's not it." She muttered to herself.

It wasn't the urge for someone needing to be disciplined that she felt. It was more of a feeling that she was forgetting to do something. A daily routine that needed to be addressed.

Just then, Capella widened her crimson eyes as the answer struck her like lightning.

"Oh right! I forgot to have breakfast with Poochie!"

Of course, how could she forget such an important part of her day? This was definitely all Sakura's fault for draining so much of her precious time with her dear Subaru.

Actually, now that she thought of it, a brilliant idea formed in the girl's sick mind. The contents made the sick girl's lips form a malicious grin.

--

Subaru blinked a few times while he stared intensely at a shovel. He found it in a closet that he never had the chance to investigate before. It was strange because the floor of the closet was loose dirt while everywhere else was solid stone. With the shovel just being there, this looked like an obvious trap.

There's no doubt that Capella planted that shovel there but what was plaguing the boy's mind was how long it was like this. A part of him wanted to dig just to satisfy his curiosity. After all, he could always come back once he died. However, the thought of how he'd be tortured before his death prevented him from doing so.

Actually, would she even kill him? Subaru shivered as he imagined Capella turning him into a pile of maggots. Oh god, surely she wouldn't end up turning him into a grotesque flesh statue that could only scream, would she?

The very thought made him visibly gag before closing the closet door. Whatever this was, it was too risky to try anything. Especially something that looks that obvious.

"Are you scared of shovels, Subaru?"

"Eh?" Subaru looked behind himself and the devil herself had finally made her appearance. Capella was nearly leaning against the boy in her usual form. "Capella?! H-How long have you been there?!"

Capella grinned at Subaru's reaction before leaning in uncomfortably close to him. "What's the matter, Poochie? Is your heart skipping several beats now that this lovely lady is finally spoiling your day with her presence?~"

Subaru instinctively stepped back as the girl displayed zero regard for personal space. The boy shook his head afterwards. "D-Don't put it like that. I'm just surprised to see you all of a sudden."

"Aww~ Did you miss this lovely lady so much that you started counting the seconds by? Heheh~ Where would you be without me?"

Capella giggled to herself a moment before quickly snatching Subaru's hand, and slowly dragging him away. Subaru was more or less unaffected with getting dragged off. His compliance towards it just showed how often the girl pulled him around like this.

"Anyways, I happened to be too busy this morning to have breakfast so we'll just have to skip straight to lunch instead." Capella added.

"You mean brunch?"

"Brunch?" Capella stopped in her tracks, turning to Subaru with an expectant look on her face.

"Yeah, brunch. It's a combination of breakfast and lunch. It's something you have if you're too late to have breakfast, and you're too early to have lunch."

The golden haired girl took a second to process this new concept before reacquiring her cheerful grin. "There you are, coming up with fun new activities to try out. Sometimes I wonder if there's any end to that large cache of knowledge you have there."

Admittedly, the compliment flustered the boy and he sheepishly looked away. "You're giving me too much credit. It's just something that was common in Japan."

"Oh, don't cut yourself so thin, my Subaru. Even if all your ideas happen to be copies or imitations, the fact remains that knowledge is stored in that head of yours, and you apply it for your beloved mistress. To be able to utilize your experiences, and adapt them so well is nothing short but astounding. This lovely lady decided to make you one of my children after all, so that's more than enough proof that your abilities are nothing less than remarkable."

Subaru was left speechless. He was shocked that the little devil could say something like that. True, it was still expressed in a selfish way, but he had never been complimented for his genuine abilities like this before and it admittedly felt good. "O-Oh… Thank you, Capella."

"Teehee~ You're so needlessly humble, Poochie. You should take more pride in yourself sometimes."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind…" Subaru half heartedly agreed. He didn't want to hear that, especially from her. However, he knew better than to talk back.

Before he knew it, Subaru was dragged back to the spot the two usually ate. The boy knew the drill already, and started to come up with ideas on what he should cook. He just introduced the idea of brunch to her so it had to be something unique.

"So, Capella." Subaru started. "I was thinking of trying some-"

"Shhh." Capella silenced the boy by simply placing her finger over his lips. "There's no need for that, Poochie. This lovely lady wants to spoil you with my own cooking today."

"Eh?" The boy blinked a few times. "You're going to cook?"

The girl nodded her head excitedly. "That's right! Not many ever have the rare opportunity to critique my divine culinary skills. Your mouth will wind up watering just as much as one would for this lovely lady's body."

…

Subaru had a hard time holding back the sudden urge to gag after that last comment. The boy instead simply wore a fake smile. "I'm already looking forward to it…"

"Heehee~ Just have a seat, and I'll be back shortly~"

With that, Capella moved out of the room. But, that didn't even last for a full minute as the girl already came back out with a tray full of food, almost as if it was prepared beforehand.

There was no way Capella was the one that prepared this, the boy figured. However, It was probably a good idea to not say anything and just play along. "Wow, Capella. You work very fast."

The girl set the tray down on the table and smirked triumphantly. "Of course I would. After all, this lovely lady happens to possess a very handy skill known as efficiency."

Subaru nodded like your typical yes man and examined the tray. The meal consisted of a lot of different protein based meals, or meat specifically. There was rabbit broth, roasted pork, a fine looking steak, and she even had boiled crab in there. "Just meat? I'd figured there'd be other stuff to balance out the meal..."

Before the boy could blurt anything else out, he instinctively tensed up like a scared sheep after realizing what he had just said. He wanted to smack himself for being so stupid and careless all of a sudden.

Before Subaru could defend himself, Capella was quick to comment on his blunder of a speech. "There's nothing to worry about. If you were to plumpen up, this lovely lady has more than enough methods to have you lose a little weight. Meat is one of the best delicacies to naturally make yourself grow stronger after all."

Subaru stayed silent for a moment. First of all, he was surprised that Capella wasn't mad by that. However, what was more shocking was how prepared that speech sounded. It was like she knew he'd ask a question like that, and rehearsed for it.

Well, she did often call other people meatbags. Maybe that was a hint of her culinary interests? No, that couldn't be it, with that logic, then she'd hate meat with how she compared the people she hated with it. She wouldn't have drugged this, would she?

"Poochie!" Capella shouted, snapping Subaru out of his thoughts. "No need to think too much about it, just eat and enjoy."

…

This was way too suspicious.

Unfortunately, Subaru wasn't in any situation to argue. He really didn't want to re-experience being strangled to death again. Albeit reluctantly, Subaru took a spoonful of the rabbit and cautiously ate it.

In short, this food wasn't cooked at all. The appearance was a lie. It tasted fresh, like it was just butchered, and someone just painted over it to make it look cooked.

The boy had already resolved his nerves beforehand so he managed to forcibly swallow it without making a scene. Just so he could confirm his suspicions, he took a knife and cut the steak in half.

What he saw horrified him.

The outside looked like the steak was cooked well with fresh seasoning added to it. But the inside looked like a bunch of flesh was smooshed together, and funneled inside this… thing.

Capella leaned in, observing Subaru's horrified expression before looking at the steak.

"Oh right." The girl said nonchalantly, "I forgot to take the innards into consideration."

She placed her finger on the steak and in an instant, the inside of the steak looked like what a normal well done steak should look like.

The poor boy looked at the steak in disbelief before turning his gaze to Capella who's eyes were still locked onto the steak, as if trying to remember if there were any finishing details she forgot about.

Without Subaru needing to do anything els, Capella stuck her finger into the steak, scooping up a tiny portion like it were pudding, and tasted it. Not satisfied with it, she spat it out on the ground, and shook her head displeasingly.

"No, that's not right." The golden haired girl shrugged her shoulders after expressing her judgment. "Oh well, I'll deem this experiment as a failure."

…

Subaru was speechless. He had no idea what was going on right now, or more accurately, he didn't want to.

While leaving the boy in his bewilderment, Capella carelessly swatted the tray off the table and sat across from Subaru. The girl locked her crimson eyes on him with a much more stern expression.

It was at this moment Subaru realized what that was all about. She was trying to butter him up before talking seriously with him. He already knew what she was going to bring up which caused the boy to instinctively hold his wrist.

"Subaru," She finally started, "I know there's something you're hiding from me."

Subaru gulped. "L-Listen, Capella, I can explain-"

Capella, recognizing Subaru's nervous behavior, shook her head. "It's alright. I'm not mad at you. Whatever lie that bitch fed you, it's not true."

…

What?

"I'm well aware that someone harmed you, my dear sweet Poochie. I've already severely punished them, and they won't be able to harm you anymore."

Harm him? What on earth is she talking about?

Capella smiled sweetly. "I know you were too scared to ask me for help, but that's ok. You just couldn't help yourself after what she did to you. You have nothing to fear anymore, I rescued you from those nasty thoughts you were having."

"I-I don't understand…" Subaru finally spoke. He had an idea what she meant but deep down, he didn't want that idea to be true.

Capella leaned over the table and cupped the boy's cheek in her hand, giving him a gentle loving look. "I know that you hurt yourself. I saw those nasty cuts on your arms."

Of course she saw them. There was no denying that. But what did she mean by saving him? Subaru was too terrified but he managed to ask the question. "Capella, w-what did you do…?"

"Isn't it obvious? This lovely lady healed you right back up, and implanted countermeasures in your body to make sure something like this would never happen again."

Subaru trembled. He really didn't want to say it. He really didn't want to believe it. But, unless he said something, he doubted that Capella would straight up say it.

He gripped at his thighs, sinking his nails into them. Using the pain as leverage, he finally said it. "What did you do to Melty?"

…

There was a brief pause.

Capella only looked at Subaru curiously for a moment before returning her comforting smile. "So you know already? Well, that should be expected. That whore really sunk her claws into you, now did she? There's no doubt that she clouded your head with lies."

"…" Subaru didn't say anything. He only stared at Capella worriedly.

The girl herself just kept smiling like she didn't do anything wrong. "Like I said, that stuck up bitch was severely punished so she won't be able to harm you anymore. I know you're shocked right now but it's all ok. Your beloved Capella rescued you. Consider it my reward for being such a good boy~"

"Is she alright? N-No, I mean, is she still… alive…?"

Capella giggled with delight. "That she is. This lovely lady made sure to keep that disgraceful bitch's sanity intact just for you, after all."

Once more, Subaru was speechless again. This maniac just kept spouting vague lines, and it was starting to drive him crazy.

"In the matter of fact," Capella continued. "I thought it would be fair to give you a chance to torture her for what she did to you. I understand how big of a hole she must have torn into your heart so this lovely lady will bless you with this present."

"Why…?" Subaru muttered defeatedly.

"I simply believed it was fair for you to have a go at her since you were the offended. If you're not feeling creative right now, I'll be more than happy to-"

"No!" Subaru shouted. All that fear and worthlessness was boiled over by a new emotion. An emotion that didn't care about his predicament anymore. "Melty didn't do anything wrong!"

Capella flinched at Subaru's sudden outburst. In fact, she seemed quite surprised by this suddenness. "Hmm… This is worse than I thought." She reasoned aloud before continuing, "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but that girl you're trying to defend was using you."

"If you're talking about her evil eye, then I already know what she is capable of. She didn't use it on me. Melty had absolutely nothing to do with this!"

The deranged lunatic before him sighed. "Subaru, your emotions are making you act very unreasonably right now. Those memories of yours feeling so happy and cheerful around her are all fake. There's no doubt that she used her evil eye to make you think that. You didn't have any way to defend against it so you couldn't help yourself from falling for that skank's tricks."

Subaru grit his teeth. He only became more infuriated the longer this went on.

The same with his guilt. It was his fault that Melty is in this mess and it was all because he couldn't control himself.

Was he scared? Of course he was. But that didn't matter right now. He wanted to protect the only person who was nice to him in this forsaken place. He knows that he'll die painfully for this but that doesn't matter right now.

"I don't care if she controlled me or not! Just don't hurt her!"

Capella didn't seem to take that declaration negatively. Instead, she fiddled around with her fingers as if trying to decipher a different meaning to his words.

"You know, Subaru. If I didn't know any better, it sounds like you desperately want to take that whore's punishment in her place."

"She didn't do it. I don't want you to hurt someone who did nothing wrong. I'm at fault so just punish me!"

The girl shook her head. "You're either pitying that girl for some creepy reason or you're just straight up delusional." Once more, Capella brooded to herself. Eventually, she managed to fish for more words. "I suppose I already did give that girl a good spanking earlier… Oh! How about this; If you answer a question of mine, I'll be willing to overlook that bitch's clear act of betrayal just this once."

Subaru couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Yes, thank you. I'll answer anything you want."

Capella let out her own sigh but it sounded more annoyed. "Have you ever come across a strange black book during your time here?"

"Black book?" He didn't remember seeing anything like that. Nothing about a black book was ever mentioned or brought up before. "Not that I remember. Was it one of the books we studied from?"

The girl's demeanor lightened up, she was more than satisfied with that answer before shaking her head. "No, it's something that really sticks out. You'll know if you see it. If you ever find a book like that, I want you to tell me immediately, alright?"

Subaru was a bit confused by this but nodded obediently. He got what he wanted after all and there's no way he's going to sully this by saying anything stupid. "Got it, I'll let you know if I find anything."

Capella got up from her seat, and casually walked around, gliding her finger along the table as she did until she was by Subaru's side. "Also, if you ever talk like that to me again,"

A blur flashed before Subaru's eyes and a loud thunk was heard below him. Looking down, he saw that Capella grew a tail with a razor sharp tip, and that said tip was currently lodged between his legs. It was about half a centimeter away from his crotch.

"Understand?"

She didn't need to clarify anything. The message was already clear. So much so, Subaru desperately nodded while sweating buckets.