EXTRA 2
The Art of War
Lia was glowing after her date with Subaru at the nearby village.
She had so much innocent—yes, innocent and pure—fun with him, that she was starving for more time with the first one she dared call a close friend. A perfectly innocent reaction, nothing shameful in that.
The beautiful half-elf girl is usually quite reserved, but now she's being a little clingy without noticing — trailing after the brat to places she normally wouldn't, whenever she could… Like the break room where Subaru and the color-coded twin maids currently are.
They were bantering, laughing, and teasing each other — youthful foolishness at its peak.
It looked wholesome enough on the surface...But underneath, a powder keg was waiting for a spark. Violent emotions simmered dangerously, hidden even from their own bearers.
Subaru, naturally, was overjoyed by Lia's sudden visit, still euphoric from the memories he had made with Lia, basking in the afterglow of their date made behind the back of the majestuous Puck.
The red maid on the other hand, was a cauldron of conflicting emotions.
Gratitude—for his unexpected influence over her sister, who had started, miraculously, to care a bit more about herself.
Wrath—(perfectly justified, of course)— because said brat was a womanizer pervert— no, wait, a gentleman — who had stolen her sister's heart while openly chasing another woman.
Disdain, naturally—because why not?
Lia was in a good mood, focusing to not let it be soured by the presence of the blue maid. The same blue maid who, terrifyingly, was far too good at hiding her true emotions — emotions that burned fiercely, directed at Lia herself.
—And then, it happened.
Subaru, proving once again that he possessed the grace of a newborn foal, spilled his tea. Clatter, splash — brown droplets staining the polished table.
Ram's jab came instantly, precise and brutal. "Barusu, you ape. Must you always regress before my very eyes?"
The brat laughed it off, scratching the back of his head.
Honestly it wasn't his fault. Lia, too eager to get close, had accidentally slightly pushed him.
Lia instinctively bent down to help. At the very same time, the blue maid, dutiful to a fault, also sprang into action.
"I'll clean it up!" — "I'll take care of it, Subaru-kun."
Both reached for the same hands brushed, and after a very small moment of awkward eye contact, something shifted in their minds.
War.
A state of armed conflict between two or more parties, organizations, countries, races, or even species, often declared after a territorial dispute, the spilling of vital resources, or a simple towel.
Lia forces a polite smile—98% polite and 2% terrifying. "It's fine, Rem. I've got it."
Rem returned a flawless service smile, her voice syrupy sweet. "Thank you, Emilia-sama. But it's my duty."
"But I caused it, so it's my responsibility," Lia said, her voice light and breezy. A perfect lady, gently insisting.
Rem bowed her head slightly, but the smile on her lips tightened. "If it's about responsibility, then it falls to us, the servants, to support Subaru-kun when he makes a mistake."
A flash of lightning behind their eyes. Both still smiling, still polite, still seemingly calm.
Subaru, poor thing, was busy hopping awkwardly around, patting at the wet stain on his pants with the dignity of a headless chicken.
Meanwhile, Lia and Rem — two radiant maidens in a glaring match disguised as politeness — knelt side-by-side over the floor, each with a hand on the same towel.
Their fingers tightened, imperceptibly, on the cloth. Neither backed down, chaining polite declarations with a warm smile on their face.
However! Internally, it was officially the kickstart of a long, intense and deadly cold warfare between the two young girls!
Inwardly, Rem burned. "Emilia-sama is testing me again. Does she think I can't even wipe a table without hurting him?"
Inwardly, Lia fumed. "You can't hog everything, Rem. I'm allowed to help too!"
That's usually how wars begin. Not with a bang, but with light bumps and forced smiles.
Subaru sneezed violently in the background, prompting both girls to glance at him — and then immediately back at each other.
Neither relinquished their grip. A silent, polite tug-of-war began.
Tug. Tug-tug.
Still smiling. Still bowing slightly. Still being very proper.
"Emilia-sama must be tired after today's lessons," Rem said, voice dripping honey. "Please rest. I can handle small things like this."
"No, no, Rem," Lia insisted, her voice equally pleasant and her eyes not pleasant at all. "I'm really not tired at all. In fact, I have lots of energy left today!"
Tug-tug-tug.
Subaru, oblivious, was now poking at the wet patch with a worried expression, muttering something about "stain removers."
Tug-tug-snap.
The towel tore right down the middle with a soft, pitiful sound.
Both girls froze, staring at their respective halves as if they had just pulled a rare treasure apart.
For a long moment, silence ruled the room.
Even Subaru paused, sensing something terrible had occurred, but without understanding what.
Lia blinked, then gave a strained chuckle. "Aha… Oops."
Rem lowered her half of the towel slowly, her fingers trembling ever so slightly.
Trying to recover the situation, Lia coughed lightly into her hand. "We… we should get another towel."
"Yes," Rem agreed, just a little too quickly.
Both of them stood at the same time, moving toward the cleaning cabinet — shoulder bumping into shoulder.
A small, silent jolt ran between them.
"I'll get it," said Lia sweetly.
"No, please allow me," replied Rem politely.
They reached for the cabinet handle at the same time. Another brush of fingers. Another crackle of barely-contained rivalry.
But then—
"It's alright, Emilia-sama, Rem," drawled a voice from behind.
Ram, the pink-haired maid, stood with her arms crossed.
Behind her, the stain was gone. Completely, immaculately. The floor gleamed so clean it could have served as a mirror.
"I already cleaned it," Ram said, in that glorious voice that somehow managed to flatten entire armies. She dropped a dirty cloth into a basket with a flick of her wrist and turned on her heel with a sniff.
Lia and Rem stared at the spotless floor. Then at the torn halves of their towel. Then at each other.
Both of them slowly, gracefully, backed away from each other, as if retreating to their respective fortresses.
Result of the first battle: draw. But the war? It had only just begun.
No—Was the "spilled tea incident" truly the beginning? To fully grasp the roots of this budding war, one must travel days back.
"If you ever hurt Subaru again, I won't forgive you."
Those had been Lia's stern words to the blue maid, her tone sharper than any icicle. Warnings. Death threats.
If Rem ever made the foolish move of hurting her dear friend, she was fully prepared to make her pay a hundredfold.
To put it simply, whatever Lia had in mind at the time wandered somewhere between "just a few ice spikes jammed nicely into limb joints" to "death by extreme cold", passing through "leisurely transformation into a sleepy ice statue for decorative purposes" or "torture through ice flowers blossoming inside the victim's body".
Hostility, ok, but frankly, nothing too extreme. Only the standard repertoire of a mild-mannered, reasonable half-elf girl. Well, this probably originates from events she had lived in what she calls "failed loops".
But Rem, whose oni instincts were as sharp as freshly-forged spears, understood Lia's intentions to an extent.
Rem. Currently the head maid of the Roswaal Manor. A diligent, proper girl—who happened to be going through a rather common phase for young maidens. Love. Pure, unadulterated love.
Devotion.
Usually defined as loyalty, love, or deep care for someone or something, in Rem's case, it had mutated into something closer to religious worship.
Every smile from Subaru made Rem's heart flutter, as if her very existence was tied to the slight curve of his lips.
Every glance, even when he wasn't looking at her, especially when he wasn't looking at her, felt like an invisible thread pulling her closer.
Every laugh, loud and unrefined, etched itself deeper into her mind, until she could hear it echo even in the silence of her lonely cleaning rounds.
Every clumsy grin, every ridiculous boast, every time he stumbled on words, made him more perfect in her eyes, like little treasures she carefully collected and stored away in the secret chambers of her heart.
She dreamed of him when she slept, reliving their brief conversations, embellishing them with imaginary exchanges where he would smile only for her, laugh only with her, hold out his hand only to her.
She imagined him constantly — while scrubbing the floors, while preparing tea, while arranging the linens just so — and in every tiny mundane moment, her mind found a way to weave him in.
When she polished the silverware, she pictured his reflection in the spoon, beaming proudly at her. When she organized the ledgers, she imagined him praising her diligence with a warm, boyish grin.
Even the simple act of breathing seemed connected to him somehow, as if she were borrowing the very air he once touched.
She envisioned him watching her with admiration whenever she finished a task; she heard his imaginary cheers whenever she completed a report; she even concocted elaborate daydreams where he would wait for her at the end of a long corridor, hand outstretched, calling her name like a secret only they shared…
Wow!
See? It sounds less like a regular first cute love and more like a severe case of obsession at this stage.
Honestly, calling it "young love" was generous. This was no innocent crush. This was a full-blown, all-consuming, universe-collapsing case of Subaru-mania, so intense that even the observers above would have thrown their hands up and muttered, "Alright, that's enough, kid."
It wasn't that Rem didn't notice how ridiculous she was being. She noticed. Somewhere deep inside, she knew. And yet, the thought of stepping back, of cooling her feelings, felt like trying to stop a river with bare hands.
It was impossible. The more she tried to regain composure, the more her heart screamed and stormed and tumbled like a wild beast trapped behind her ribs — a beast whose name was Subaru-kun, whose face was Subaru-kun, whose every heartbeat pounded "Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun" without end.
But even the Subaru-crazed Rem could not stay unaffected by Lia's looming presence. The cute half-elf wasn't just a romantic rival — she was a deadly threat.
Someone powerful, dangerous, who could punish her at any moment—that was what Lia looked like for Rem. She would never miss an opportunity to discreetly shout cold piercing glares at Rem, making her feel stalked, scrutinized.
That's how another, darker flower bloomed.
Paranoia.
An excessive, irrational distrust of others, and delusions of persecution or conspiracy, rarely justified like in Rem's case.
Rem was obsessed, yes — but not blind. And if she thought Lia was watching her, weighing her heart on invisible scales... well, she wasn't wrong.
Whenever her cute violet eyes narrowed at her across a hallway, or whenever an "innocent" conversation froze over with tension, Rem felt it: A shiver down her spine. A flash of dread at her fingertips.
Every glance from Lia was a silent judgment, making Rem's shoulders tense, as if the mere weight of her gaze could pin her to the ground.
Every polite smile—too polite, too bright—felt like a test, a dagger wrapped in silk, a warning she couldn't pretend not to understand.
Every time those amethyst eyes swept past her, she flinched inwardly, feeling as if she had been measured, judged, and sentenced without a word.
The memory of Lia's threat — "If you ever hurt Subaru again, I won't forgive you" — burned itself into Rem's mind like a brand, an endless whisper curling around her whenever Lia so much as entered the same room.
She feared her, yes. But it was not the simple, clean fear of a maid before her mistress. It was a crawling, oppressive fear, heavy with resentment, tangled with jealousy she couldn't reason away.
She resented Lia for standing beside Subaru, for smiling so openly at him, for earning the light in his eyes that Rem craved to see directed only at her.
She felt jealousy clawing inside her, raw and ugly, each time Subaru laughed more freely in Lia's presence than he ever did near Rem.
She hated how Lia's very existence seemed to mock her — Lia, who had Subaru's attention effortlessly, Lia, who now monitored her every move as if Rem's devotion were something suspicious, something that needed to be kept in check. Lia, who dared to question the sincerity of Rem's feelings, as if she had any right to.
Rem hated it. She hated being seen through the same cold, suspicious lens she once had turned upon Subaru. She hated feeling like a sinner under judgement when all she wanted—all she wanted—was to love.
It was, oddly enough, quite similar to how Subaru himself must have once felt when Rem had glared at him relentlessly. And so Rem found herself, in stolen moments of reflection, relating. "So this is what it feels like..."
However, guilt did not stop indignation from festering.
"I had a reason to be suspicious back then, and I did nothing wrong," she would think, tightening her grip on the feather duster. "But Emilia-sama? She's just... jealous and defensive! It's unfair!"
In Rem's mind, Lia was unfairly challenging her feelings for Subaru — feelings as pure and strong as spring water flowing from the mountains. "How dare she? How dare she question something so real?"
Even when she closed her eyes at night, she felt Lia's gaze burning into her dreams, an invisible judge looming over every fantasy, every stolen moment she dared imagine with Subaru.
Lia was everywhere. Just like Subaru. Inescapable. Intertwined. And Rem did not like it.
Not when it cast doubt on her feelings. Not when it treated her love for Subaru like something shameful.
Not when it reminded her too much of the old Rem she was trying to leave behind.
Thus, a second, unhealthier obsession had bloomed inside Rem.
The first one was her obsessive devotion toward Subaru. The second one? A growing paranoia, and pulsing righteous resentment toward Lia.
Two seeds were planted — one of love, and one of war.
She had tasted devotion.
She had swallowed paranoia.
And from their dangerous cocktail, she birthed defiance.
She would not stay passive. For once — for him, and for her — she would attack. And so came the second skirmish.
The second "battle" unfolded right after the "spilled tea incident".
The steaming tea had been cleaned, the towels folded and carried away, and the room slowly settled back into a peaceful atmosphere—or so it seemed.
Subaru flopped back into his seat with an exaggerated sigh, brushing imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Crisis averted! Operation: Save The Ground was a huge success. Good job, everyone!"
Rem, sitting beside him, smiled gently. "You were very brave, Subaru-kun."
Subaru beamed, hand on his chest like a knight receiving a medal. "Heh! Thank you, thank you. Always nice to get the recognition I deserve."
Ram snorted from across the table. "Recognition for what? Fumbling a teacup and nearly dying of embarrassment? Truly, you are a hero for the ages, Barusu."
Unseen by most eyes, one small, crucial move had already been made.
During the commotion, Rem, under the pretense of cleaning up, had subtly rearranged the tea set.
When no one was looking, she switched Subaru's teacup with another, placing it right between her own and Ram's. A formation that carefully, deliberately left Lia on the outside.
A subtle shift. A gentle exclusion. To anyone else, it looked natural. Thoughtless. But Rem had thought about it, tracing an invisible line on the battlefield. The meaning was clear: proximity was possession.
This small, almost unnoticeable thing was, for Rem, a formal declaration of war to Lia.
There was a slight pause. Lia, holding her cup, looked at the table — and blinked.
Her seat, usually next to Subaru's, now felt oddly distant. The warmth she had gotten used to—just out of reach.
And worse—she couldn't even complain. Not without looking childish. Not without admitting she had wanted that closeness, which would "bother" Subaru in her opinion.
Her silver lashes lowered slightly. She smiled—a little stiffly.
"I'll, um, sit over here then," Lia said with her usual brightness, moving to a spot just a little apart.
Subaru, oblivious to any underlying tensions, slurped his tea.
"Beatrice-sama is actually teaching you?" Rem asked, tilting her head with sincere interest, her eyes soft.
Subaru chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. I mean, it feels a bit more like... being a child who's learning how to walk around his parents. They can't really teach him, but they're just making sure he won't hurt himself. But still, she's a good teacher. In her own tsundere way."
Ram sipped her tea with a smirk. "With your meager talents, Barusu, you will need more than mere lectures."
"Hey, that's harsh!" Subaru puffed out his cheeks dramatically. "Besides, it's not my fault my element is Yin. All it's good for is debuffs! Honestly, I kinda envy you guys — having flashy magic like wind or water would be way cooler!"
Ram sniffed, lowering her cup. "Wind magic is not a toy for amateurs. You would hurt yourself with even a breeze."
"But," Rem chimed in, her voice gentle yet firm, "Subaru-kun doesn't need flashy magic to be cool or strong."
She clasped her hands lightly in her lap, her blue eyes shining. "I know you'll become even more amazing. You already are. I saw it."
Critical hit! What a solid move from Rem! She spoke lightly, but the words wrapped around Subaru like a warm blanket.
Her voice carried the memories of this cold day, of snarling wolgarms, of a boy standing tall with nothing but sheer will, of a majestic cat who had saved the day!
Subaru blinked. For a second, he seemed completely caught off guard — and then, he smiled. A wide, boyish, pure smile. "Thanks, Rem. That means a lot."
Rem lowered her head bashfully, her cheeks tinged with pink. Ahh, love…
The way he smiled at Rem — a mix of gratitude, fondness, and something softer — made Lia's heart ache before she even understood why.
Ahh, youth…
Lia shifted slightly, drawing attention with a gentle voice, "You'll be great, Subaru. I'm sure even with Yin magic, you'll... you'll do amazing things."
Subaru turned to her instantly, smiling just as bright. "Thanks, Emilia-tan! Hearing it from you too really fires me up!"
His answer was cheerful—sincere—but somehow, it lacked something. It wasn't the same special glow he had just shown Rem.
Lia felt as if she was getting the leftover warmth of a fire that had already been given to someone else, and her heart constricted without warning.
She smiled back, of course. She didn't let the hesitation touch her expression.
But deep down, an uncomfortable question coiled inside: "Why? Why am I not having fun anymore?"
It was silly. She was spending time with him. Laughing together. Just like she wanted. So why did it feel so... hollow?
She folded her hands neatly in her lap. "Then I'll continue cheering you on," she said, voice sweet and light.
Subaru beamed at her with a bright, grateful look. His stomach was filled up with butterflies — but in Lia's chest, the hollowness only deepened.
Ram, meanwhile, managed to pick up most of what was going on. Her red eyes flicked from Subaru, to Rem, to Emilia, to the cups on the table.
Internally, a maelstrom brewed. "Rem... you're acting on pride. Good. More than I dared to hope."
Her little sister was finally showing ego. Asserting herself, fighting for what she wanted. It was beautiful. It filled the older sister with pride, a rare warmth she hadn't felt in years.
Actually, she was on the verge of crying like a baby, but outwardly, she was the usual proud, refined maid, savoring the aroma of her freshly brewed tea. Can somebody explain how these twin sisters are so good at hiding their feelings?
Yet as she watched Subaru light up under Rem's praise, a sharp stab of irritation twisted in her gut.
"Why… Why did it have to be Barusu?" Why should a weak, cringe-pervert, useless boy, who can't even read or write, and is only decent at keeping going, be the only candidate to be her brother-in-law?
And then there was Lia. The girl Ram had once scorned as a naive doll Roswaal kept polished for his grand stage. Oh how wrong she was!
She knew better. Lia, who had proven her incredible growth potential by overcoming hardships, had earned Ram's reluctant respect in a short amount of time.
Yet, now she just sat there, naive, passive, letting the current pull her away.
Ram narrowed her eyes. "Had I judged you wrong after all, Emilia-sama?"
Still, her pride in Rem outshone her doubts. But the mix of conflict roiled so deep that she lashed out the only way she knew how — through barbed words.
"Barusu, if you can't even aim a spell properly, maybe you should just stick to cleaning the floors."
"H-Hey! Low blow, Ram-chi!" Subaru cried, halfway laughing.
"Serves you right," Ram thought grimly. "If you're going to inspire my sister's pride, Barusu, you will pay the price for it." As if she wasn't already ruthlessly harsh with him in the first place.
Across the table, Lia sat quietly.
"It's fine. It's fine." She told herself it didn't matter. She had more time with Subaru now. More memories.
So why was it not enough? Why did she feel lonelier here, with him so close, than when he had been absent?
Her gaze slid briefly to Rem and Ram — the sisters sitting shoulder to shoulder with Subaru — while she sat apart.
"Is it... because it's not just the two of us?"
Her mind flickered back to their trip to Arlam Village. The 'date' where it was only them, hand in hand, smiling under the sun.
Only Subaru's smiles for her. Only his silly jokes and dumb antics directed at her. Maybe that's why today felt so... wrong.
"Maybe that's it. Maybe if it's just us again... it'll be better!"
If that was the problem, she knew the solution. Make it just the two of them again. Easy.
A small, mischievous smile curved Emilia's lips. She had an idea. A way to fix everything.
And so, the second battle ended. A silent, invisible conquest.
Result of the day: Rem wins.
A day had passed.
The morning light seeped softly into Lia's bedroom, gilding her silver hair with a faint halo. She sat silently on her chair.
Puck hovered behind her, half-heartedly combing her hair with slow, absent strokes. He could feel it — the turmoil swirling just beneath her calm surface.
Lia was thinking again. Overthinking, as usual.
She had nearly convinced herself to give up.
The silly idea she had — to appoint Subaru her personal butler and monopolize his time — felt small, selfish and petty now.
After all... Subaru was happy. Rem made him smile. And Lia, "with all her flaws, all her failures," had no right to disturb that.
Or at least — that's what she was trying to tell herself.
Puck's paw paused in her hair, his ears flicking down.
"Maybe..." Lia whispered to herself, so softly he almost missed it, "Maybe it's better if I just..."
Knock knock.
Her heart jumped.
"Emilia-sama," came Rem's voice through the door, stoic and clear. "May I come in?"
"Y–Yes!" answered Lia. Puck's fur stood a little on end. Oh, this wasn't going to be good.
Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, Rem was already stepping inside—the very image of politeness.
Puck, recognizing danger when he saw it, and being, as always, the coolest dad ever, slipped quietly deeper into his crystal anchor, definitely not avoiding the frontline battle he knew was about to happen.
"Good morning, Rem," Lia said, her smile a brittle, delicate thing.
The air in the room changed — sharp and invisible, like the sudden drop of pressure before a storm.
Rem curtsied gracefully. "I came to say that the breakfast is almost ready," she said— but she didn't leave. Instead, she turned, straightening her back, blue eyes steady and shining.
They exchanged a few trivial words — about the weather, Roswaal's schedule— until Rem, without warning, struck.
"Emilia-sama," she said, voice trembling slightly but firm. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Hm. Go ahead," Lia nodded, curious but unaware of the ambush being set.
"Do you love Subaru-kun?"
Lia blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness. "Hm? Of course I do," she answered without thinking. "He's a veeery precious friend to me."
Rem didn't react. She stepped closer.
"That's not what I mean," she said softly. "Do you love him — enough to marry him? Enough to build a family with him?"
The question hung between them like a blade.
Lia's breath hitched. She opened her mouth to respond — and found no words.
Marrying Subaru? Having children... with Subaru?! That kind of love?
The images were blurry, half-formed dreams she couldn't properly touch. She didn't understand that kind of love. Not yet.
All she knew was how his smile warmed her chest. How his tears tore it apart.
Rem lowered her head briefly... then lifted it again, her voice stronger:
"I love Subaru-kun," she said, no hesitation. "Truly. I intend to claim him mine. I will not give up. Even if I made mistakes... even if I hurt him once by doubting him... I will not back down, Emilia-sama."
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
A phrase Subaru had once quoted, laughing as he misapplied it to a kitchen argument with the red maid. Amusing back then, but strikingly relevant now.
There was no arrogance in Rem's voice. Only a shining, terrifying sincerity.
Lia stared at her, frozen.
"You don't get to say that," something hissed inside her.
You — who once tortured him in the shadows.
You — who made him cry in silence, who crushed the hand that reached out.
You — whom I trusted with my heart, and who betrayed us both.
But no words left Lia's lips. She could not say any of it. Not without dooming everything Subaru had fought so hard to protect.
Even if she spoke, what could she say?
Subaru's secret — The mysterious time-reversing ability — must stay hidden.
Her own pain meant nothing compared to protecting him.
If she accused Rem, and Rem didn't believe her... it would destroy the fragile peace Subaru had found.
If she accused Rem, and Rem believed her... it would only turn into new dangers. She might become a greater threat to Subaru.
Poor Lia could only stutter, lower her head, and hide the trembling in her hands. Rem, mistaking her silence for acceptance, bowed politely.
"Please," she said with that same, polite strength, "allow me to compete fairly."
"I see," she finally muttered.
The silence stretched unbearably, until Rem bowed respectfully, her mission complete, and left Lia sitting there in the morning light.
Lia pressed her hands against her knees tightly, nails digging into the fabric of her dress. She couldn't betray Subaru's secret. She had made a promise.
Her chest twisted painfully. Old habits—old, poisonous voices—coiled around her mind.
It's what you deserve, Emilia. You hurt the people you love. You have no right to fight for happiness.
She remembered the frozen forest. Subaru's pained screams. The ice flowers, blooming and cold, when she lost control.
Lia was used to losing.
She was used to being "less," to giving up what she wanted because she thought she didn't deserve it.
Maybe it's better if Subaru is happy with someone else, she thought.
Maybe he deserves that...Except not with Rem.
Not her.
Anyone else — but not Rem.
Something shifted. It was faint. Fragile. But it was there. A small, selfish desire that took root in her heart.
She didn't know if she loved Subaru "properly." She didn't even know if she deserved him. But one thing was clear: she could not allow him to be taken—especially not by Rem.
The very idea—Subaru, looking at Rem the way he smiled at Lia, Subaru, laughing and crying and building a life with her—It made her chest tighten with something unpleasant, bitter, unbearable.
Lia could forgive the world for hurting her. She could forgive herself for losing.
But she would not forgive Rem for stealing Subaru away.
Even if Lia herself wasn't worthy of Subaru, Subaru deserved better than "her". Than the girl who had broken his spirit once before.
And so, with the faintest, most fragile determination, Lia came to a very clumsy answer: Better him ending up with "Emilia" than with "Rem."
Rationalization.
The action of attempting to explain, to come up with a seemingly logical explanation to justify an event and avoid the true explanation.
Lia would "protect" Subaru from Rem.
Even if she herself was "flawed". Even if Subaru "deserve" someone better than a half-elf haunted by her sins—
Better him ending up with "Emilia" than with "Rem." —was her resolution.
Even if that meant standing by his side… Holding his hand in front of the world, marking him as hers… Founding a family with him… Making…babies…with him… Then—then—
Lia's face flushed hotly, her cheeks burning crimson. She pressed her fingers to her face, confused and embarrassed.
The very thought made her knees weak. Her heart fluttered like a captured bird, and she didn't even fully understand why.
At the root of it, Lia was engaging in what scholars might call "self-negating altruism" — sacrificing her own comfort not because she believed she deserved happiness, but because she believed Subaru deserved someone less dangerous than Rem.
In military terms, this was what's called a "defensive occupation strategy" — seize the key territory (Subaru) not out of ambition, but to prevent enemy (Rem) incursions.
Of course, the fact that her heart fluttered at the idea of starting a family with him… was just a minor side effect. Obviously.
At this point, Puck's crystal vibrated lightly on the table, resonating with the absurdity of the scene.
...Honestly. If his anchor cracked from secondhand embarrassment, Puck was resolved to turn into a Hollow and to haunt that brat Subaru for the next hundred years.
She was one minute away from abandoning the whole affair like a good, rational girl, sparing herself the heartbreak and his father the headaches.
And now she was sitting here, cheeks burning, eyes glimmering, mentally preparing herself to start a cold war over love — because Rem had provoked her before breakfast.
Typical. Absolutely typical.
Honestly, humans are terrifying creatures. Half-elf girls even more so.
Rem, you fluffy idiot. Subaru, you suicidal hedgehog. And Lia, you beautiful disaster.
The very doting father curled tighter inside his crystal, muttering complaints no one could hear. Except, perhaps, for a certain magical girl whose cheeks were still burning crimson as she clutched her heart.
The door closed behind her with a soft click.
Rem stood still in the corridor, heart hammering strangely in her chest.
She breathed out slowly, as if to steady herself.
Strangely, Rem didn't feel guilty. Not like she would have before.
There was no room for hesitation anymore. If loving Subaru made her selfish, if it made her defy even someone he found precious, Emilia-sama—"Then so be it."
Rem smiled quietly to herself.
"I won't back down, Emilia-sama," she told herself.
Not even if Lia looked at her with those heavy, disapproving eyes. Not even if the entire world told her she was wrong.
She had made her choice. "Subaru-kun is my hero. My light. My reason to stand tall." And she would not lose him. Not to anyone.
For seconds, Rem stood frozen in the empty hallway, her hands neatly folded in front of her, her back straight, her expression composed and serene — the perfect picture of a diligent maid.
For about three seconds.
Then—
"That was so scaryyyyy!" she shouted in her mind.
She collapsed against the wall, clutching her chest, sliding halfway down to the floor.
Her heart was pounding like it wanted to break free from her ribs. Her legs trembled violently, like jelly, barely holding her up. Her hands, clenched in the fabric of her skirt, were cold and sweaty.
She bit her lip, trying to fight back the near-tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.
"I did it... I confronted Emilia-sama... and I'M STILL ALIVE...!" She sniffled, half laughing, half whimpering.
When she had stepped into that room, it had felt like standing before a demon king — no, worse. The terrifying half-witch girl who had enchanted Subaru-kun's heart...!
In fact, every instinct had screamed at her to bow her head, apologize, flee—
But she hadn't. For Subaru, she had stood tall. For Subaru, she had said what she needed to say.
"I won't lose," she reminded herself, squeezing her eyes shut. "No matter how scary Emilia-sama is. No matter what happens, I won't back down."
Still wobbling like a newborn fawn, she stumbled forward along the hallway, stiff and determined. Her mind roared with brave declarations, her resolve burning hotter than ever.
Her legs, however, still shook like crazy.
Winner of the battle : Rem.
Moonlight draped the already illuminated dining hall in soft light, and Subaru looked anything but lively.
He slouched over his plate, lazily poking at his food with a fork, wearing the mental battle scars of another grueling magic lesson with Betty.
Sitting opposite him, arms crossed and a smug look plastered on her face, she sipped her tea. "—and Betty guesses for a weak gate like yours, you've improved…marginally, I suppose," her usual mix of pride and insult laid on thick.
Subaru groaned dramatically. "You could just say 'good job,' you know. My heart's not made of iron!"
"Patting your head when you barely scraped by would be a waste of effort, I suppose," Betty replied bluntly, but her tone lacked any real venom. It was more the teasing of an older sister than true judgment.
Across the table, a soft chuckle floated through the air.
Roswaal, who had been nibbling delicately on a slice of bread, smiled languidly. "Now, now, it's progres-s~ even if it's slow. Even a snail gets where it's going even-tua~lly. Greatness requires repeeeaated failure, Subaru-kun~"
"Thanks...I think?"
From her place at the table, Ram lifted an eyebrow. "Repeated failure is the only greatness you'll achieve, Barusu."
A soft giggle slipped from Lia's lips, making Subaru's shoulders un-hunch slightly. Even tired, Subaru soaked up every bit of her warmth.
"Beatrice, Ram, maybe you're being a little harsh?" Lia offered, trying to rescue Subaru's battered pride.
"Betty is being generous, in fact." Betty took another elegant sip. "Frankly, he's hopeless, I suppose."
And from the head of the table, Roswaal chuckled softly, his heterochromatic eyes gleaming.
"How lively~. It's wondeeerful to see the manor so... full of youthful energyyy~," he said, voice lilting like always.
Then he set down his untouched teacup and dabbed his lips with a napkin.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to excuuuse myself shortly, I'm afraid," he announced. "An urgent meeting with certain... acquaintances I must attend. But I shall return before midniiight~"
Rem and Ram both inclined their heads politely. Betty and Subaru, on the other hand, barely lifted their faces from the table.
Subaru made a blank face saying "Yeah… I literally do not care, man," while Lia's cute tilted gaze said something more like "Is that related to the Royal Selection? Roswaal…thank you so much."
The clown magician dabbed his lips with a handkerchief, rising to his feet.
At once, Ram stood up too, smoothing her apron primly. Then, with a casual toss of her pink hair, she said: "I will escort Roswaal-sama to his meeting."
Roswaal looked mildly amused. "Oh my~? I appreciate it, Ram, but it's hardly necessary—"
"It's my duty, Roswaal-sama," Ram said crisply, a faint pink tint rising in her cheeks.
A casual offer — on the surface. But in truth, the red maid was burning with a private, silly storm.
Conformism.
A psychological phenomenon where one starts thinking or behaving like others, a tendency to conform to the actions of the majority. It is especially visible in young women who witness personal growth in close relatives or friends. Even for someone as proud as Ram.
Simply put, Ram saw Rem trying her best lately... and unconsciously decided she needed to try hard as well.
Roswaal, bemused but indulgent, accepted with a nod. "Very well. Your compaaany would be most deeelightful."
Ram bowed with a grace bordering on haughtiness, throwing a side glance at her little sister — a glance that said: I'm doing this for you, you better thank me later.
Yes, she was doing it for the sake of her sister. Yeeeaaah…
Definitely not because Ram wanted to stay close to her Roswaal-sama for her own selfish reasons.
Subaru was absolutely a genius in magic only appearing once each four centuries. And Puck was clearly a borderline obsessive, overprotective, and secretly toxic parent figure.
"Barusu. I will not be available for tonight's language lesson."
The moment those words left her mouth, a peculiar tension sparked at the table.
Rem straightened almost immediately, her hands clutching the edge of her chair. Lia's spoon froze halfway to her mouth, a curious sparkle dancing in her violet eyes.
Opportunity. They had both smelled it at the exact same moment.
Subaru blinked up, still dazed. "Huh? No Ramzilla to bully me through grammar?"
He said it teasingly, but two pairs of eyes lit up with a very different kind of excitement.
Ram adjusted her headdress with crisp efficiency. "Don't slack off just because I'm not here, Barusu."
Subaru smirked, "Of course! Have a nice date, Ram!"
Ram stiffened like a cat caught mid-pounce. "You'll have even more homework to make up for it later."
"Ghk–" Subaru gasped.
With that ominous declaration, she turned on her heel and followed Roswaal out of the dining hall.
As soon as the door closed behind them, a subtle, almost imperceptible tension rippled across the room.
Lia and Rem exchanged a brief glance. Both smiled, sweetly. Both leaned forward, innocently. Subaru, sensing the sudden change in air pressure but unable to explain it, gulped his juice.
"So," Lia said brightly, folding her hands in front of her, "Subaru, you'll need someone to help you with your language lessons tonight, right?"
Subaru nodded slowly. "I mean... yeah? I guess so..."
"I could take Nee-sama's place," Rem said quickly, too quickly. Her fingers twitched on the table.
"But it'd be better if I did it," Lia added, smiling serenely—too serenely. "I'm already helping him with reading books sometimes. It just makes sense."
Rem's smile stiffened. "But teaching is a maid's responsibility."
"And helping Subaru is a friend's duty," Lia said, voice sweet, eyes sharp. "Besides, he needs gentle guidance."
"Of course. And who could be more gentle than someone like me?"
"Maybe someone who doesn't scare him into agreeing with everything she says?"
The tension crackled in the air. Subaru, who had been watching the exchange in mild confusion, leaned back in his chair. "Wait. Is it just me, or... is something weird happening between those two lately...?", the brat thought.
Rem leaned forward just slightly, tilting her head. "I believe I would be the better teacher, Emilia-sama. I am familiar with both the etiquette and grammar nuances, after all."
Lia, not missing a beat, returned a dazzling smile. "But Subaru's learning curve is unique, you know? It might be easier if someone closer to his style teaches him."
Rem's eyes sparkled like polished ice. "I believe structure is important for real progress."
"Oh?" Lia tilted her head, smile tightening. "But Subaru already said I'm a surprisingly good teacher. Right, Subaru?"
"I said that…?" Subaru blinked. "I mean, yeah, you did okay with spirit magic theory that one time—"
"See?" Lia beamed, too quickly.
"That's not the same as vocabulary and grammar. But of course, the decision lies with Subaru-kun," Rem pressed gently.
"I-I mean... you both wanna help, right?" He laughed nervously. "Why not... both? You can team up! Like... double tutoring!" He suggested, too coward to choose one.
The way Lia and Rem both froze, then turned strained smiles toward him, made Subaru's gut twist in vague foreboding.
Both of the girls exchanged another long, polite gaze.
"...Of course," Lia said, voice sugar-sweet.
"...That would be ideal," Rem agreed, bowing slightly.
He chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek.
"Yeah, definitely weird... but maybe it's just my imagination...?"
The day's work at the manor wrapped up, leaving the hallways calm and quiet.
Subaru, dragging his slightly sore body, slumped into one of the sitting rooms where the "lesson" was supposed to happen.
He found a desk already set up, parchment and ink ready, and two girls waiting for him: Rem, neat and proper as always, and Lia, who gave him a bright smile the moment he entered.
Subaru slumped into the desk chair with a theatrical groan, arms dangling like cooked noodles. "Ughhh..." He threw a tired look at Lia and Rem, who sat across from him, tidy and prim with their materials.
Two beautiful girls, notebooks ready, smiling at him expectantly. By all normal standards, Subaru should have been ecstatic.
But deep inside, he whined: "It's basically overtime school. In a fantasy world."
Subaru cracked his knuckles lazily.
In truth, he wasn't against spending time with the girls. Far from it. But studying? At night? After a day of hauling, cleaning, and magic practice? No thanks.
Plus, being squeezed between Lia and Rem — both dangerously close, smelling faintly of soap and flowers — made focusing pretty much impossible anyway.
He internally steeled himself with a grand plan: "Let's just chill, laugh a bit with the girls, and call it a study session. No one's gonna notice if we barely work."
Subaru then fixed a half-serious grin on his face. "Alright, teachers. Be gentle with me," he joked.
Lia nodded, enthusiastic, and Rem, with a serene smile, gave a "We'll do our best, Subaru-kun."
The lesson started, not with complicated phrases, but with a simple task: copying words in neat i-script.
Subaru groaned internally. He picked up the stiff quill — it felt awkward and rebellious in his hand, like trying to draw with a fish.
"Alright," he thought lazily, "Let's just fake some scribbles and call it a night."
He dipped the quill, hovered it dramatically over the parchment...and promptly botched the first word. A huge, blobby smear.
"Ah—, well, no big deal," he mumbled.
Before he could even process the failure, Rem was already at his side.
"Here, Subaru-kun," she said, voice as sweet and careful as ever.
She gracefully took his hand — not enough to be scandalous, just enough to guide his fingers — and corrected his grip.
Subaru blinked.
The next moment, Rem gently tapped the parchment and pointed to the next line.
"This one means 'courage'. Like the courage you showed during the incident at Arlam village..." Her smile was pure adoration, melting Subaru's brain a little.
"Ah... right, courage..." he muttered, pretending to struggle a bit more.
Before he could mess up again — Rem was already writing the first letter for him. Her hand moved swiftly, tracing the characters almost automatically.
"Rem-rin," Subaru started, half-smiling, "Aren't you supposed to teach me, not do it for me?"
Rem flushed lightly — but didn't stop. "I-it's only a little help, Subaru-kun. You work so hard... it's fine to be spoiled sometimes."
Subaru leaned back, arms behind his head. "Man, this is the life. I'm not even trying and I'm still getting my homework done by a cute maid..."
He almost felt bad. Almost.
Across the table, Lia fumbled adorably with her own notebook.
She flipped pages, frowned, tapped the quill against her lips, muttering under her breath, "How do I explain this...? Maybe I should start with the easier words... Or maybe—"
She caught Subaru's gaze and immediately straightened up.
"Subaru! I'll help too!" she said, her eyes sparkling with determination.
Subaru smiled back, honestly feeling a little warmer. "Okay, Emilia-tan!"
In his mind's eye, he imagined "Teacher Lia" standing sternly with glasses and a ponytail, tapping her pointer stick while saying, "No slacking, Natsuki Subaru!" He almost laughed out loud.
They continued with some basic vocabulary — Lia listing words, and Subaru writing them. Subaru immediately activated his "Bait Mode".
"Uh, uh, how do you write 'magnificent' again? You know, like how Emilia-tan looks when the sun hits her hair?" he said, pulling out his deadliest weapon: cheesy compliments.
Predictably, Lia flushed bright red. "W-what!? That's not—Subaru, focus!"
"But you're the perfect example!" Subaru protested dramatically.
Rem, smiling kindly, stepped in to "save" Subaru by giving him the answer directly. "Here's how you write it, Subaru-kun." She looked at him with an anticipating face the boy knew but too well— the "reward-seeking" gaze.
"Thanks Rem!" Subaru smirked inside, while giving headpats at the blue maid. Too easy.
For the next ten minutes, he masterfully derailed the lesson. Asking how to say complicated, random things like "supersonic bunny." Getting Lia to ramble about a Lugunican folktale. Or, letting Rem "accidentally" explain too much at once.
Everything was going perfectly.
"This is going better than expected!" Subaru thought, smug. "At this rate, we'll call it a 'good session' and hit the snacks early—"
And then, it happened.
Lia asked him how to write a simple, basic word: "effort." Easy, right? After all, he'd been here for weeks already. Subaru grinned, confident — then immediately fumbled the spelling horribly.
Both girls paused. Then they exchanged a look. And chuckled.
It wasn't mean, not at all. It was warm and sweet, as it was for the previous ten minutes of Subaru playing around—but that somehow made it worse.
Subaru felt a dull ache stir somewhere deep inside. "Am I seriously still this far behind?" He looked down at the parchment, the messy scribble mocking him.
The word stung more than he expected. Because it wasn't just a word: it was everything he was supposed to be here — effort, trying, struggling forward… to be useful… for her.
Lia, realizing she'd been playing along too much, straightened up suddenly.
"I'm sorry, Subaru," she said, her voice softer than usual. "I got carried away. I'm not a very good teacher..."
She tucked a silver strand behind her ear, looking almost embarrassed. "But… I want to help you. So I'll try harder."
Her violet eyes, wide and earnest, locked onto him, and the casual atmosphere popped like a bubble.
Subaru's heart twisted with a sharp pang of guilt. "She's taking this seriously. For my sake."
"How can I sit here slacking like an idiot while she's trying her best for me?"
He clenched his fists under the desk.
Shift.
"If I can't even keep up with something as simple as this..."
"How could I ever stand proud beside her?"
"No excuses anymore. I'm gonna study properly. I'm gonna do it right."
He straightened up, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Ahem. Alright, let's get serious. Emilia-tan, Rem. I'm ready for real now."
Rem smiled, pleased. Lia brightened instantly. "Okay!" she said, clenching her fists cutely. "Let's do our best, Subaru!"
The atmosphere in the room shifted without warning.
Subaru, newly determined to actually study after his little wake-up call, tried to focus seriously on the next exercise Rem presented. It was supposed to be simple: writing a few common words using the three glyph systems.
Except, every time he hesitated for even a second, Rem swooped in.
Each time Subaru tried to focus, Rem — sweet, diligent Rem — would immediately jump in to give him the answers.
If he hesitated a second too long, she leaned in with a smile, whispering hints like secrets between close friends.
If he got something right, she clapped her hands and praised him like a proud mother.
If he got something wrong, she corrected him before he even finished the sentence.
At first, Subaru found it endearing. How could he not, when Rem's cheeks lit up every time he smiled back at her? But little by little, it became impossible to concentrate.
Subaru rubbed his temple, trying to remember the three glyphs Ram had taught him— i-glyphs, ro-glyphs, and ha-glyphs —but Rem was already pushing the notebook closer to him, the answers scribbled neatly inside.
Lia, across the table, was slower to react at first. But after a few rounds of this, her brows furrowed in an unusual way.
"And that's how you write 'Natsuki Subaru' in i-glyph, Subaru-kun!" she chirped, pointing eagerly at his half-finished sheet. "Here, I'll even show you!"
Without thinking, she gently took his hand and began moving his fingers, helping him trace the symbols.
Subaru chuckled weakly. "Uh, Rem-chan... I'm supposed to do it myself, right?"
Rem only smiled brighter. "It's faster this way. And you can praise me later if you want..." she added, voice soft and expectant, like a puppy waiting for headpats.
Subaru sighed inwardly but gave her a small, amused smile. How could he say no?
"Good job, Rem-rin," he said, ruffling her hair lightly.
Rem beamed under the attention. But Lia, sitting across the table, wasn't smiling. Her voice, usually so gentle, came out unmistakably sharp:
"Rem, you're being a nuisance."
The room fell silent. Even Subaru flinched slightly at the unexpected harshness. Rem froze mid-smile, blinking up at Lia like a child scolded without warning.
Lia stiffened too, as if realizing the weight of her own words.
But she didn't immediately take them back. Instead, she pressed on, her voice low and controlled: "If you just keep giving him the answers, you're not helping him learn. You're only making it harder for him to learn."
The words hung in the air, heavier than they should have been.
Rem lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening slightly on the edge of the notebook. "...You're right, Emilia-sama. I…apologize," she whispered.
Her tone was composed, but Subaru caught the tiny tremor underneath.
Inside, Rem scolded herself viciously.
"Why can't I stop? Why do I keep ruining things? Emilia-sama must hate me… Subaru must…"
"Please don't hate me. Please don't think badly of me…"
Her shoulders looked smaller somehow, like she was trying to shrink into herself, and the guilt hit Subaru square in the chest.
Without thinking, he reached out and gently patted her head again, offering a lopsided grin.
"Hey," he said, voice low but warm. "You're not bothering me. Not even a little."
"Don't beat yourself up, okay? I'm really grateful you're trying to help me... even if it gets a little chaotic. Thanks, Rem."
Rem's lips trembled, but she offered him a tiny smile in return. Fragile. Grateful.
Subaru caught a glimpse of Lia from the corner of his eye. She was biting her lip, looking away, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her sleeve.
After a moment, she muttered, almost too low to hear, with a small pout tugging at her mouth, "...Sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh… I just—" her voice wavered a bit, "—I just want Subaru to be able to learn properly…"
Subaru's heart squeezed. "Emilia-tan... you're carrying more than you show, huh."
A tinge of regret colored her features — because even if she had been right...seeing Rem crumple like that just left a sour taste in her heart.
Maybe... Maybe she had been a little too harsh.
But still... watching Rem soak in his kindness so easily made Lia's heart throb with complicated, messy emotions she didn't understand.
Of course, Lia still didn't like Rem, and it played a big role in her unusual harshness, but it wasn't all there was to it.
Lia got angry at herself. Precisely, at her past self.
In a "failed loop", she had put Subaru under arrest and pretended it was for her sake. Of course, the pure Lia did nothing wrong in a sense. Still, she had ignored Subaru's emotions; no, it's not exactly that. She knew what Subaru would think about it, as it was limiting him, and hurt his freedom, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.
Overprotectiveness.
The will, instinct and wish to protect someone, especially a child, too much. But the children of overprotective parents often do not develop the skills they need to take care of themselves when they leave home.
In short, the target of their will has his true potential dwarfed, reduced to nothing.
What? There's a floating cat who should take notes? Quite the weird assumption one could make here.
The room had fallen uncomfortably quiet. But, with the man called Natsuki Subaru being inside, it was merely temporary. The brat slammed a fist into his palm with a grin.
"Alright! I, Subaru Natsuki, hereby declare emergency measures!" he announced dramatically, rising halfway from his seat. "We're gonna play a game!"
Rem blinked up at him. "A…"
Lia straightened, a little wary. "Game?"
Subaru leaned forward, pointing at them both. "A game that'll totally make me smarter and cooler! A proper cultural exchange! It's called... Isekai Shiritori!"
"...Isekai...?" Rem tilted her head adorably.
"...Shiritori…?" Lia echoed uncertainly.
Subaru coughed into his fist. "Yup! It's simple. Like normal shiritori, we take turns saying words. The next word has to start with the last letter or syllable of the previous word. But with a twist!"
He held up two fingers.
"Rule one: the loser — meaning the person who can't find a word — has to write the last word in i-glyph!"
Rem gasped softly. Lia leaned forward, intrigued.
"And rule two!" Subaru grinned wider. "The words have to exist in this world. No words from my homeland allowed for me."
"This world? Homeland?" Rem reacted inwardly to his words.
Lia frowned slightly, concerned. "But Subaru... doesn't that put you at a disadvantage?"
Subaru shrugged playfully. "Exactly! If I lose, I learn. Free practice. If I win, it means I'm finally getting the hang of this world's lingo. Either way, I'm getting stronger!"
"This world's lingo?" The blue maid silently reacted again. Each time he said it, she felt a small pang. An unseen distance between them.
"...I see," Lia said, the edges of her mouth curving upward. "That does sound fun."
Rem, meanwhile, clasped her hands together shyly, smiling. Subaru's stubborn optimism never failed to make her heart flutter.
After a short moment of glancing at each other, both girls nodded.
"I agree!" Lia said brightly.
"As do I," Rem said, bowing her head slightly.
"Good," Subaru thought with a tiny smile. "Mission 'fix the mood' successful."
"But... Subaru-kun," Rem said finally, tilting her head. "What does it mean? Your homeland?"
There was a beat of silence. Before Subaru could cook up an excuse, Lia smiled brightly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Beyond the Great Waterfall," she said simply.
Subaru blinked.
"Yeah, that's—" he stumbled, then grinned. "Yeah, that's right. Beyond the Great Waterfall! I mean… I'm from another world."
Rem's blue eyes widened slightly. For half a second, she looked completely, utterly stunned, like someone had told her the sky was green—she suddenly took back her usual smile like nothing unusual happened. "I see. That's impressive!"
Subaru rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Y-you believe that?" he asked, half-laughing.
Rem smiled — calm, unwavering. "Of course! I trust you, Subaru-kun," she said without hesitation.
Something warm bloomed in Subaru's chest. He smiled back, genuinely touched. "Hehe… saying stuff like that… You'll make me blush, Rem!"
Across the table, Lia shifted slightly, feeling a tiny twinge. "Alright," she said, clapping her hands once with a cheerful, almost-too-bright smile. "Let's start the game now, Subaru, Rem!"
Subaru cracked his knuckles theatrically. "Alright, let's do this!"
They quickly decided the rotation: Lia, then Subaru, then Rem.
The three sat cross-legged on the floor, parchment and quills ready.
Subaru twirled his quill between his fingers dramatically.
"Alright, first move goes to Emilia-tan! Show us what you got!"
Lia, lips pursed in concentration, tapped her chin with her fingertip. "Umm... alright!" she said brightly. "My word is... Spirit!"
Naturally. Subaru smirked. The girl was practically a magnet for spirits — he could've guessed she'd start with that word.
"Good start! Spirit, huh? Then..." He grinned. "My word is Throb!"
He thumped his chest with a fist. "Like my heart right now! Thump–hump! Doki–doki!"
Rem covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. Lia laughed openly, cheeks slightly pink.
"Alright, Rem, you're up!"
Rem bowed her head slightly, thinking. "My word is Bocco," she said.
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "Bocco fruits huh? These days it feels like it has become part of my daily diet."
And guess what…the girls giggled again! Why? He's not even funny. He's literally saying facts, and you're laughing! Anyway…
Lia picked up next. "Then... Oni!"
Rem blinked.
Subaru tilted his head. "Oni, like... the ogres?"
Rem hesitated a little, folding her hands neatly on her lap.
"It's... it's what Ram-nee-sama and I are," she said softly. "Part of the Oni tribe."
There was a slight nervous flicker in her voice.
Subaru smiled warmly. "I had my hunch when I saw your horn last time. That makes you double cool then — an oni and a super maid!" he said, shooting her a thumbs-up.
Rem blinked, stunned, then lowered her gaze with a faint blush dusting her cheeks from the brat's natural weapon: blind sincerity.
Somewhere deep inside her chest, a tangled knot loosened just a little.
Subaru, oblivious to the small impact he caused, quickly pushed forward.
"Alright, then... my word is... Idol! Wait, wait, NO! Wrong culture! Uh... I mean— Ideal! I said 'Ideal'!" He fake-coughed into his fist.
Lia and Rem exchanged a look — Rem with confusion, Lia with mild suspicion. Subaru sweated. "Whew. I nearly said a totally alien word. Good save, me."
Rem then played the word "Lamp."
Lia nodded and thought for a second. "Hmm... Pleiades!"
Subaru blinked.
"Oi, hold on. 'Pleiades'? That's... that's from my world! That's a group of stars from my world!"
Lia and Rem exchanged a quick glance. Rem shook her head.
"No, Subaru-kun. In Lugunica, 'Pleiades' refers to the Watchtower of the Sage — a mysterious structure deep in the Augria Sand Dunes."
Subaru's eyes widened. "Woahhh!"
"That's actually so cool. You guys have a Sage's Tower called Pleiades?"
Lia smiled proudly, a bit smug. "See? Our world has cool things too."
Subaru, wanting to play along, revealed, "Hehe, well did you know that 'Pleiades' means Subaru, in my native language?" Lia and Rem exchanged a glance again, then smiled brightly.
"That's amazing!" Lia said, leaning closer, her voice rich with wonder.
Rem clasped her hands against her chest, eyes sparkling. Learning this small, strange fact about Subaru felt like uncovering a hidden treasure.
Subaru chuckled. "Man, your world's more interesting than I thought."
The game continued, and Lia brightened. "Steam!"
Subaru smirked. "Too easy!" Emboldened, he shot back: "Maid!" He flashed a wink at Rem here, making her blush.
Rem answered with perfect grace. "Dream."
Subaru nodded approvingly. "Solid choice, Rem-rin."
Lia tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "Mmm… Moungo!"
Subaru blinked. "Moungo? You mean, like mango?"
Rem shook her head with a little laugh. "No, Subaru-kun. Moungo is a fruit here with thick skin — yellow, orange, sometimes green — and a juicy sweet inside wrapped around a big seed."
"That's basically a mango, isn't it?" Subaru chuckled at the thought. "Thanks for the info, Rem-rin."
Rem glowed, and across the circle, Lia pouted a little.
Subaru cracked his knuckles again. "Okay, let's go simple this time. My word is... Ocean!"
Both girls looked at each other. "...What's an ocean?" Lia asked, frowning.
And Subaru's brain stalled.
"You know... like, a big thing of water? Huge? Endless? Covers half the world?"
Rem shook her head politely. "I'm sorry, Subaru-kun... I don't think such a thing exists here."
Lia nodded. "There are lakes... but nothing like what you're describing."
Subaru's mouth fell open. "No way! You don't have oceans here?!"
And thus, by his own noble, stupid constraint, Subaru lost. The realization hit him like a wave, shoulders slumping from the shock.
Lia smiled sympathetically. "But... we learned something new! That's good, right?"
Rem, meanwhile, leaned forward, curiosity burning in her wide blue eyes. "You come from a world with... endless water?"
Subaru laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. Blue as far as you can see. Waves bigger than houses."
Rem's mouth parted slightly, stunned wonder shining on her face. It was like he had just told her fairy tales were real.
Lia watched this with growing amusement — and couldn't resist letting out a mischievous giggle.
"You look so amazed, Rem!" she teased lightly.
Rem pouted faintly. "Because it's amazing..." she mumbled.
And they both chuckled warmly. For a moment, both girls smiled genuinely at each other. Like real friends. Then they remembered — they were opponents.
The smiles faltered. They straightened their backs almost at the same time while clearing their throat.
Subaru missed the entire tension, busy scribbling "Ocean" carefully on a fresh sheet of parchment as punishment. "Man, I gotta watch it. This world's got way more weird gaps than I thought. Maid exists, Pleiades exists... but Ocean's a no-go."
He smiled. "But hey — learning stuff this way is pretty fun too.", he thought.
The playful energy in the room buzzed as the game resumed.
Lia tapped her chin thoughtfully, then smiled. "Insignia!" she said brightly.
Subaru shot finger-guns at her. "Good one!" He wracked his tired brain. "Uh… Activity!" he answered with a confident grin.
Rem nodded, taking seconds before answering. "Mmm… Yearnful."
Subaru whistled. "Wow, going poetic, huh, Rem-rin?" he teased. Rem flushed just faintly, twiddling a lock of hair shyly.
Lia leaned forward. "Lyulyre!" she chirped.
Rem folded her hands neatly, slipping into explanation mode.
"It's a lyre-like instrument. Commonly used by traveling bards to perform ballads across villages."
"Ohh!" Subaru nodded. "Woah, that's cool! You really know a lot, Rem-rin!"
Rem flushed faintly at his praise, bowing her head. Lia chuckled…but somewhere deep inside, a tiny prickle of irritation stirred.
She couldn't say why, exactly. Rem was just helping, right? Still... It felt like she was missing something. Rem from the corner of her eye—something about it struck her as... off.
Subaru thought for a second, then smiled and replied, "...Elf!"
He beamed proudly at Lia. At that, she beamed back immediately, like a flower turning toward sunlight — a silent little celebration shared between just the two of them. Rem smiled too, but a little thinner.
Rem's turn. "Fairness." No hitch. Smooth and calm.
Lia blinked, caught off guard, but recovered quickly. "S—Sowarie!" she said hurriedly.
Subaru blinked. That sounded suspiciously delicious. Before he could even ask, Rem leaned in slightly.
"Sowarie is a type of pastry," she explained quickly. "Stuffed with cream or mushed beans, baked until golden. Very sweet."
Subaru's mouth watered automatically. "That sounds delicious!"
Rem's cheeks turned a warm pink. "If you would like... I could try making some for you one day."
Subaru looked genuinely excited. "For real? I'd love that!"
But Lia's smile tightened a little. Her quill tapped against the wooden surface — once, twice, thrice. And… she had finally noticed!
It was easy to miss, but Subaru never asked for help concerning the words. Not even once. Rem was always ready, anticipating Subaru's confusion even before he had time to ask.
Was it just attentiveness...or something deeper? In any case, the pattern, the way she swooped in before Subaru could even ask… It stung, strangely. Like being a step behind all the time.
"How does she always anticipate him first?"
"Why didn't I notice it before?"
Lia felt a small pang of embarrassment — and something sharper: competitiveness.
"I won't lose, Rem!"
Subaru refocused. "Echo."
Rem followed quickly. "O–Od Lagna."
Here again, before Subaru even had the time to blink, Rem started to explain. "It's considered the heart of the world. Like the world's mana itself."
"There's very little concrete knowledge regarding Od Laguna, but look at it that way: if the world itself were to be considered a living creature, Od Lagna would be the Od of the world."
"I see…interesting," Subaru absorbed the piece of knowledge.
"And!" Lia added brightly, almost cutting Subaru off. "The Od is like one's soul! It's the life energy inside a living being from birth! It stores mana, too!"
She beamed proudly at Subaru. Surely he would be impressed that she got ahead this time.
Subaru scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Yup! I already know about Od, Emilia-tan. From Beako's lessons.""
Lia froze mid-sentence, color creeping up her cheeks. She coughed into her hand. "A-anyway! It was my turn! So... Award!" she declared quickly.
Subaru bit back a laugh and continued smoothly. "Dynamism!"
Rem, calm and composed again, smiled. "Meek."
And Lia, still determined to maintain her pride, blurted. "Klutz!"
Subaru stared at her choice for a second, then laughed outright. Lia, realizing what she had said, and how perfectly it described her fumbling rush, turned beet red.
"I-it wasn't on purpose!" she defended, pouting fiercely.
Rem smiled quietly behind her hand, a tiny victorious glimmer in her eyes.
"Aah…" he sighed, regaining his composure, "Who even says 'klutz' in this day and age?!" Subaru blabbed before freezing. His mind suddenly went boiling, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"Eh? I can't find anything starting from Z?" What? Brat…are you serious?
It looked like he was blurting the title of a well-known story in a weird way.
If he were calmer, he'd remember easy things like 'Zero' or 'Zenith.' Even 'Zealot'. But nope. Well, panic's half the game in shiritori games.
"Z… Zebra— no, that's Earth... Zetta—no. Zoom…Zombie?! No way there are zombies here — or are there? Wait, are there zoos? No, stupid, focus, focus..." His mind spiraled desperately, seconds ticking mercilessly in his mind.
Fortunately, right when he was about to crash, Rem, her heart clenching at his struggle, moved instinctively.
She scribbled something quickly on the corner of the parchment, sliding it toward him: —Zodda Bug—
Subaru's eyes snapped to the paper. He shot Rem a quick, grateful glance. Then, puffing up with false confidence, he blurted: "Zodda Bug!"
For a second, he thought he'd gotten away with it.
Until Lia's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hey...!" she cried. "That's cheating!"
Subaru froze mid-victory pose.
Rem straightened primly, attempting innocence. But her flush gave her away instantly.
"Rem," Lia huffed, arms crossed. "If you keep giving him answers, Subaru won't learn anything!"
Rem's hands folded demurely, her head ducked.
"I... apologize, Emilia-sama." Her voice was small, sincere — and very, very self-frustrated.
She slumped forward slightly in her chair, cursing herself internally. "Again. Again, I couldn't stop myself."
Subaru, feeling the air grow heavy, jumped to her defense. "O-kay, okay, time out," he said, hands raised.
"Sure, maybe it's technically cheating," he said, giving Rem a teasing look, "but I still had to read and pronounce 'Zodda Bug' under pressure. That's educational too, right?"
He waggled his eyebrows in what he assumed was a persuasive manner. Rem, silent but glowing faintly with gratitude, nodded shyly.
Lia, however, wasn't so easily swayed. She tapped her finger against the table, cheeks puffed slightly. "Still..."
She hesitated, then declared: "New rule!"
Both Rem and Subaru straightened.
"No cheating allowed anymore!" Lia said, her voice decisive. "And if someone cheats, helps, or loses, they get disqualified until we have a clear winner!"
Genuinely, in the name of fairness, of course. Not like she's trying to exclude the blue maid to keep Subaru's attention all for herself. Nope. Not at all. Such pure intentions, Lia.
Rem lowered her gaze slightly, thinking for a heartbeat. But she wouldn't fall without a fight; remember, this is war!
"Then... I would like to propose a rule too." She said, lifting her chin stubbornly.
Subaru and Lia both blinked at her.
"The winner of a round earns a 'protection token.'" Rem's voice was light, but there was something gleaming behind her eyes. "One token can be used to avoid disqualification later."
Subaru sweatdropped. "Aight… This is getting a bit too complex for a simple word game..."
Lia frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. "It's fair," she agreed — although she caught the slight glint in Rem's eyes.
Protection tokens, huh? Let me guess, blue maid. Planning to hoard those tokens and rain mercy on your beloved Subaru when he inevitably messes up?
But the rule itself was solid, and so they all accepted. Both of the girls were smiling politely. Agreeing. Discussing rules like reasonable adults. Negotiations are part of warfares after all.
"Emilia-sama lost," Rem said gently, voice dipped in honey.
There was a moment of silence, broken only by Lia puffing up her cheeks, grumbling under her breath. "I know!" she said, a little too loudly.
Rem, as polite as a proper maid should be, bowed her head slightly. "It simply proves how fair your rules are, Emilia-sama," she said sweetly.
The implication hit harder than a thrown tea tray. Lia narrowed her eyes at her, but said nothing, only grumbling louder.
Subaru, meanwhile, was utterly useless to reality at the moment. "Uoooh... grumpy Emilia-tan... so cute... my heart is not ready."
They launched straight into the next round. The words spun around the table:
"Starlight!" from Subaru. Followed by a "Tea" from Rem.
"Appa," he decided to focus on an obvious lexical field.
"Apurike," Rem replied. And directly started to explain. "A small, golden-orange fruit with a fuzzy skin and a sweet, slightly tart flavor."
"Oh, so, an 'apricot' huh," Subaru thought before answering, "Mhh… So… Egg!"
"Grapp" Rem shot back with a smile.
"Hehe! Rem's expectedly good with food related words. But I won't lose!" Subaru mused, and continued with a "Powazzon", the name that fish go by. And the rotation continued, casual and lively, but underneath, Rem was scheming.
"Winning... losing... It doesn't matter," she thought serenely, spelling "Nectar" for her turn. "As long as it's Subaru-kun. I just have to enjoy this moment."
If she lost? He'd receive the protection token — a shield for him.
If she won? She could hoard it, and later use it to save Subaru discreetly if he stumbled. She could "help" Subaru during his turns — slip him hints, guide his words, in short, cheat whenever necessary.
And if anyone protested? Well, she would flash the token. She wouldn't be breaking the rules. Just bending them... lovingly.
A win-win, as long as it involved Subaru. Rem folded her hands neatly over her lap, her face calm, but inside, she was practically humming with glee.
They say if the penalty for a crime is a fine, then that law only exists for the poor. And Rem, a maid of Roswaal L. Mathers, one of the richest humans of Lugunica, was painfully aware of that.
But, there was still a weak link. What if Lia won a round, while Subaru had no protection tokens for himself? In that case, even if Rem had a token herself, it wouldn't help... unless—
A brilliant thought blossomed. New plan: The protection token could be used not only for yourself — but also to save another player.
Meaning even if Lia won, Rem could "sacrifice" her token and keep Subaru in the game. She almost giggled aloud.
She would propose it at the next rule change. And her Subaru-kun would always be safe.
Her mind drifted off into a warm, fuzzy daydream.
Subaru-kun, smiling at her gratefully. Subaru-kun, reaching to pat her head again. Subaru-kun, whispering, "Thank you, Rem."
—A sharp voice interrupted her bliss. "Rem, it's your turn," Lia said.
Rem jerked upright, brain empty. Blank. No word ready.
She panicked. "Uh, uh..." she stammered.
Too late, blue maid, time was up. "Rem lost," Subaru announced brightly, wagging his finger.
Rem flushed scarlet, bowing her head. "I... apologize."
But secretly, she glowed inside.
Because, as Subaru, grinning like a child, wrote "Protection Token" in i-glyph on a scrap of parchment, Rem felt nothing but joy.
Another shield for him. Perfect.
He waved it proudly like a flag. "Heh. My first shield! I'm unstoppable now!"
The girls both watched him — Lia with fond exasperation, Rem with shining admiration.
"Before we continue, I have a suggestion regarding the rules," Rem raised her hand politely. "I propose that protection tokens can also be spent to save another player."
"Oh, that's kinda cool!" Subaru said brightly.
He turned expectantly to Lia. But met a sharp "No."
Subaru startled slightly. "Eh? Why not?" he asked.
Lia smiled sweetly, but Rem, watching closely, saw the iron behind it.
"It's better this way," She explained. "Simpler. Fairer."
But that wasn't the real reason, of course. For the maid, it made perfect sense.
"She wants me out, after all."
"She's afraid Subaru-kun might use his tokens to save me — or worse, that he'd choose me over her."
Rem's mind raced. She considered, rapidly, how to argue, how to cloak her true intent under words about "teamwork" or "sportsmanship" or "fun for everyone."
But after a breath, she let it go. She bowed her head gracefully, smiling.
"You're right, Emilia-sama," she said sweetly. "The game is much spicier this way."
A wise general knows when to lose a battle to win the war. Rem isn't the brightest mind around, but she's far from being stupid.
Inside, Rem brilliantly recalculated the battlefield.
"After careful consideration, it is indeed preferable to dispense with this rule. What if Subaru-kun uses his tokens to save me... or worse, to save Emilia-sama, instead of himself?"
"...Still, the risk of having Subaru-kun losing without owning any token persists. But that risk... is manageable!"
"After all —had Emilia-sama noticed?"
"The rotation order!"
Subaru came after Lia. Rem came before Lia. In order words, Lia couldn't trap Rem easily, but Rem could.
In fact, Lia had accidentally put Subaru down in a previous round with the word "klutz".
As long as that order remains, Rem has the advantage, and can quell the risk of Subaru losing by beating Lia first!
"As long as this rotation stays unchanged… I can attack Emilia-sama without restraint."
If she could give Lia difficult words — subtle linguistic traps — then Lia would be the one forced into desperate moves. And once Lia slipped up, Subaru would be safe again.
Simple. And so, words became weapons.
The game restarted, with Lia starting with her classic "Dunderhead". Subaru chuckled at it, and jabbed with an easy "Drama—"
"Apex."
A confident, merciless attack on poor Lia. But she managed to survive with a "X–Xenophobe." She came to thank her past experiences of prejudice and isolation for helping her learn this tricky word.
Rem smiled demurely every time. "Good one. But it's not over, Emilia-sama!"
Each of her words was sharpened — tight, difficult endings like barbs meant to trip Lia up –"X" – "Q" – "Z"... Hard, ungraceful letters, forcing awkward choices.
Lia noticed — oh, she noticed — but couldn't say anything without sounding petty.
But! Inevitably, overconfidence struck.
Pushed by her desire to win too sharply, Rem made a mistake. In her eagerness to think of even harder words, Rem tripped herself.
It was her turn. She wanted to attack hard, but her mind snagged.
She'd cornered herself without planning the escape.
"U-Uh..." she stammered.
"Time! Tiiime!" Emilia sang gleefully, a little too quickly.
"Rem lost!" Subaru added, oblivious.
Rem flushed pink. Her hands clenched in her lap. A general who sharpens the battlefield too much ends up cutting herself. Lesson learned, blue maid.
Still, Rem lowered her head gracefully. "I lost. I accept it."
Inside, she accepted it without resentment. It was her blunder, after all. But at least… Her gaze drifted to Subaru, who was laughing and stretching like a cat.
"—he still has a protection token. He's safe."
The new round began.
The words spun easily between Lia and Subaru: "Star!" "Ring!" "Grain!" "Nest!"
Rem, sitting silently beside them, cheered him on internally. "Fight, Subaru-kun! Win, Subaru-kun!"
Her eyes glowed with quiet pride every time he found a word without hesitation, and just like that, over fifteen words passed before…
Subaru lost.
"Aww, so close!" Lia said gently.
Subaru grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Then, proudly, he slapped down his "Protection Token."
"Not today, defeat! I still have one extra life!"
They laughed together, and the game resumed immediately — just Subaru and Lia. Without Rem.
Rem watched them quietly. And slowly, a strange feeling uncoiled inside her chest.
At first, she tried to brush it away. "He's safe. He's happy. This is good."
But—the protection token that was supposed to save him...had bought him more time. More time — alone with Lia.
"He used it... like I hoped. Like I planned. He's still in the game. Still smiling. Still—"
But the thought didn't finish. Because she was still sitting there. Watching. Waiting. And something tightened in her chest.
The round stretched. Word after word. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty, before Subaru finally loses the round again.
In total, thirty-five words. It became the longest round of the entire game.
And for its entire span, it was just them. Subaru and Lia. Talking. Laughing. Throwing gentle barbs. Fumbling, teasing, celebrating when they overcame difficult words — together.
Rem watched, small and still. But her fingers curled slightly in her lap as the ache in her heart grew sharper.
She started to taste the cost of devotion and protection. The moment your shield turns into a wall—and locks you out of your own battlefield.
When Lia finally won the round, she let out a soft triumphant "Yay!" Her face glowed with real pride.
She nearly startled herself by how satisfied she felt.
Lia recalled how she'd once tried to protect Subaru too hard too — during that "failed loop". Putting him under house arrest. Taking the burden herself.
And it had only made him bitter. And made her feel lonely.
"Maybe I've grown," she thought. "Just a little, at least."
But she also remembered — Rem betrayed them in that failed loop, in this very timeline. Not by accident. Not through words. But through actions that shattered trust and minds.
So, when Lia saw Subaru smiling toward herself, beaming like a puppy at the person who had just outplayed him twice in a childish game, and watched Rem looking away, she felt something unexpected…
An intense, uncontrollable rush of thrilling, almost sadistic pleasure at the sight.
Her heart — warm, cold, conflicted — whispered a quiet, guiltless thought. "You reap what you sow."
Result of the day: Lia wins.
"Hey... are you two fighting over me or something?"
In the break room, the atmosphere was relaxed, at least on the surface, before that brat dropped this bomb.
The world froze for a second.
A teacup clinked against its saucer. Rem and Lia froze mid-sip. The air itself seemed to shiver.
Then, simultaneously:
"N–No way, Subaru!" Lia cried, laughing too brightly.
"O-of course not, Subaru-kun!" Rem stammered, bowing so quickly she almost smacked her forehead into the table. "W-why would you think such a thing?"
Their words crashed into each other like poorly steered carriages. Subaru blinked at them, then pouted.
"Jeez, you didn't have to react that harshly," he grumbled, cradling his wounded ego dramatically.
Ram, sitting a few chairs down, didn't miss a beat.
"Barusu," she said dryly, not even looking up from her teacup. "You narcissistic pervert. "Thinking every tension in the room is about you... disgusting."
Subaru clutched his chest theatrically, nearly knocking over his chair.
"I'm just joking! Geez, you're so harsh!" he muttered, burying his face into his tea.
"Hmm..." Subaru leaned forward again, resting his chin on his hands, suspicious now.
"I dunno," he said slowly, eyes flickering between Lia and Rem. "It kinda feels like there's this... weird tension lately?"
"Like you two are smiling a lot," he continued, voice dipping lower, "but the air gets all cold..."
Panic. True, genuine panic exploded behind Lia's and Rem's polite smiles.
Without even looking at each other, they reached across the table — clasped hands tightly — and leaned in toward Subaru.
"No, no, no!" Lia said brightly, teeth clenched behind her sunny grin. "It's the opposite! We're getting along even better than before, right Rem?"
"Absolutely, Emilia-sama!" Rem agreed with a mechanical nod. "In fact, we might be getting along... too well."
They even had a little cuddle, bumping their shoulders together stiffly.
Subaru stared at them. "Hmmm… Well I'm glad for you then!"
Internally, though — the story was very different.
For Rem, "I can't let him know."
Even if Subaru refused her someday — even if it hurt — she could accept it.
If, and only if, she gave it her all. If she fought properly, without dragging him into it.
Because deep down, Rem knew Subaru was too kind.
In the worst case? He'd feel bad. He'd stay indecisive, trying to make everyone happy.
Maybe he'd even suggest — gods forbid — sharing. Which a very famous cat would probably never accept.
A polyamorous outcome wasn't even what scared her. No matter how, if she has managed to crawl into Subaru's heart, she'd be very satisfied.
What scared her was losing — by default. Being pitied into second place.
Rem didn't want to be Subaru's charity case.
She wanted to win — because he chose her, because she proved herself, not only to Subaru, but also, and most importantly, to Lia.
Her pride — born of her love and devotion for Subaru, and the paranoia she held toward Lia — demanded it.
For Lia, "I can't let him know."
She was the first to meet Subaru. The first to understand him — truly understand him — thanks to the secrets they both carried.
He had complimented her, trusted her, made her feel worth something when no one else but his loving father Puck had.
But, she knows him: if Subaru gets what's going on, he might shift his attention to herself more, forcefully ignoring Rem just to make Lia feel better.
Not that she doesn't want it, but it would be "forcing" him. Making him sacrifice his own relationships just for her sake, and she doesn't want that.
She doesn't feel like she has the right to do so.
Moreover, and that's the most important part, it would feel like running away. Like acknowledging Rem was a threat to her precious bond with Subaru.
And somehow, deep in her stubborn, fragile heart, she understood: She wanted to win Subaru over Rem — fair and square.
Without "running away" behind his kindness. Without hiding behind his guilt. By her own strength.
It became an unspoken truth at that moment —The battle must continue. But Subaru must never, ever know.
Why? Pride. Or at least, that's what they'd tell themselves.
Because the truth was far simpler. Neither pride, nor honor. Just… Embarrassment. A terrible, crushing, soul-shrinking embarrassment at the idea of Subaru knowing.
That shame was stronger than any oath.
"See, see?" Lia chirped, forcing cheer. "We're the best of friends!"
"No tension here!" Rem said through a saintly smile.
Subaru leaned back in his chair, unconvinced but too lazy to push further.
"Yeah, yeah... if you say so," he muttered, sipping his tea.
Puck floated above them, licking his paw. "Heh. Brat, you have no idea how much trouble you're in."
And so, without a word, without a handshake, without a document signed in blood —a Treaty of Silence was born.
An unbreakable pact: "Never let Subaru know."
Not because it was strategic. Not because it was righteous. But because...
... it would simply be way too embarrassing.
== END OF EXTRA 2 ==
INTERLUDE
In the Palm of the Wind
The moon was a faint sliver tonight, a thin blade carving silver lines across the velvet sky.
Two figures rode the wind.
One, cloaked in an absurd patchwork robe, floated with a grace that defied the body's limits.
The other, smaller, nestled carefully in his arms — silent, composed, her pink hair trailing behind them like a banner in the night.
From the outside, they might have seemed almost romantic. A mage carrying his beloved through the skies, the stars their silent witnesses.
The wind wouldn't ever whisper past them, Roswaal's advanced magic ensuring as much comfort as possible.
Ram allowed herself the indulgence of a small, dry smirk. "Roswaal-sama," she said, voice low, "Flying like this... doesn't it look a little romantic? A man flying through the skies, carrying the woman he cherishes. It's almost like we're a couple eloping."
"You're quite the prince." She didn't look at him, but her tone was unmistakably laced with irony. Almost joking.
Almost.
Roswaal chuckled softly. "Mm~ That would be quite a chaaarming little tale," he replied. "But we both know you're not the tyyype to be swept away like that, Ram."
His usual sing-song tone had vanished.
"You suspected I wasn't going to some dull reunion," he added, eyes never leaving the horizon, "That's why you've insisted on escorting me. You followed to watch, am I right?"
His voice wasn't cold, but there was no warmth either. Only the calm certainty of someone who expected hidden motives and never questioned it.
Ram's smile faded.
She turned her face slightly away from his chest, eyes narrowing at the treetops passing below.
"And what if I were watching?" she said. "You wouldn't have let me follow you to watch over your shenanigans if it had bothered you."
"Indeed, it doesn't," Roswaal said. "But it raises questions. Perhaps…" — and here, just faintly, the tone regained its usual melodic trait— "you've developed an inteeerest in my Tome~"
Ram was silent.
She could hear the subtle rhythm of his heartbeat. Calm. Predictable. Unafraid.
Because he trusted her to follow him. And in the end, to kill him. And that hurt more than she'd ever admit to herself.
But as always, she tucked that pain deep inside.
"...Yes," she said. "I must admit, I'm curious about that book."
"Oh?" he said, a hint of surprise slipping in.
"Because it seems like it played a part in Emilia-sama's recent growth," she lied smoothly.
Roswaal hummed faintly, accepting the answer.
She didn't add what else was on her mind, not about the Tome, nor about Subaru.
Because the truth was: Rem had changed. Emilia had changed. Even Ram had begun to feel it — the shift in the air, the quiet quake in their world.
And the center of it was always that idiot servant.
That irritating, foolish boy who talked too much and smiled too wide — who wormed his way into hearts simply by being himself.
Barusu had changed Rem, woken her.
And perhaps, without knowing it, he had started to change her too.
But the one person who refused to change, who believed people stayed the same, was the man holding her.
The man who believed that her hatred would remain eternal. That their pact was carved into stone.
—Those who wield the sword should die by the sword, those who rely on magic should perish from magic, those who spread fire should burn to ashes by fire. And those who ask favors of a oni should die by that oni—
Ram looked up at the man whose face she now felt knowing better than her own.
She had once loathed him. Now she only hated the Tome of Wisdom. That cursed book that had driven such a good person into committing horrible deeds, again and again…
She swore to herself again, someday… she would destroy that book. She would shatter the pages that had shackled him.
She would free him — whether he wanted to be freed or not.
And if Barusu… if he could be the key? Then she would play her cards right.
Ram had no interest in fairy tale romances.
But she would save this man. Even if it meant he never knew how deeply she had come to care.
== END OF INTERLUDE ==
Author's Notes :
Hehe, I had started "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War" recently, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it; loved it so much, that I challenged myself to try and learn from this narration style.
But frankly, I think that I just ended up yapping too much. Even so, I think I had reached my primary goals with that chapter.
Do you think Rem's character development here makes sense? Personally I think so, Emilia did a great job without even knowing.
Rem and Emilia shall be rivals who grow stronger and better together.
Rem, by toning her self-validation needs with Emilia (through the warfare) and Subaru (through headpats). With two people instead of only Subaru, maybe she'll get over it faster? With actually winning concrete battles against Emilia, maybe she'll get enough self-confidence?
And Emilia, by understanding what love is, and getting more about her own feelings, while competing with Rem.
I remember in arc 6 there was a moment like this: Roswaal asking her "what if Subaru leaves you for the blue-haired maid sleeping, when he'll get her awake eventually?" And she was like: "if it happens, then I'll put in more effort to have him back…"
She had literally said "this is a problem for the future me" lmao. It was at that moment I realized; Emilia lacks ADVERSITY. And she is damn LAZY (in love).
Because she knows Subaru already loves her, because he said he'd wait for an answer, she takes her time without actually doing anything to check on her feelings, since she really trusts him in waiting as long as needed.
Elves are LAZY by nature in my opinion when it's about feelings. Cz they have time. Even in Re:Zero, they can easily reach 400 years.
Frankly, I understand her. She takes things seriously, and it's great. And she actually wants to love Subaru back, and be confident in saying him the words he waits for, ok. Plus, he had just randomly appeared in her life, things went too fast for her perspective. It's ok ngl.
But I think she's really lazy (and I'm not complaining, that's Subaru's problem, not mine).
Personally I don't remember any scene where she at least sat down, and made a check-up on what she feels over Subaru. Or even talking with other people about it.
The closest thing to it was that moment in Arc 6 with Roswaal, and Roswaal initiated it. Otherwise, we'd never had this.
But I haven't read all of the SS, and maybe I'm forgetting some parts so…maybe it happened somehow, and then I'm yapping for nothing.
Otherwise, that's just lazy behaviour. I know it, because I'm the laziest one under the heavens.
How would she ever "understand love" if she doesn't even fckn try, huh? Well here, she'll be forced to. Hmph! (Sry for the yapping tho…)
Also, what is Ros-chi cooking? Unrelated to the plot? Or actually relevant? Even I don't know lmao. That's a problem for the future me. Wait—
Next: Beako supremacy.
DISCLAIMER : I don't own Re:Zero, it belongs to Tappei Nagatsuki.
