Chapter 281 — Blessing Day EX: Rem-rin’s Day

Translator: Remonwater

[Ram: Let’s have a celebration.]

That was what Ram said a few days ago, just like that.

Ram’s sudden proposal was also fresh within Subaru’s memory, who was first to be surprised after hearing it.

As for what Ram’s suddenness was actually for at this time――he was convinced that it was for to celebrate the birthday of her beloved younger sister, Rem.

[Subaru: That also means she wants to put off her own……]

Ram and Rem were twin sisters. So, of course, their birthday’s were on the same day.

If the younger sister’s birthday were to be celebrated, then naturally she as her older sister would be celebrating it as well.

That’s what people like Subaru thought, but Ram obstinately――not obstinately, but she did briefly deny that.

Which meant she was saying that she’d put in effort for everything, putting it in for Rem’s sake.

Prioritizing Rem no matter what really was like Ram, but――

[Subaru: ――I feel bad for Nee-sama, but what’s left is for me to watch the day.]

Subaru rubs the bottom of his nose, and he mutters like that. Subaru’s eyes, which people always called nasty, looked even more frightening, and he snickered quietly at the evil scheme in his chest.

Then, as for who was where Subaru was at when he made an evil brat-like face――

[Subaru: Oh]

Subaru hears footsteps, leaning his fingers onto a pillar, being at an entrance hall of the Roswaal mansion. After he looked over, he saw a girl walking towards him quickly.

It was a person with rather short, blue swaying hair, and eyes that had the same type of light blue her hair had――it was one of the two people Subaru had pictured in his mind a moment ago, the youngest of the maid sisters, Rem.

[Rem: Sorry, Subaru-kun. I made you wait a bit.]

Rem came over, and she lowered her head properly as she pinched her maid outfit apron. Subaru smiled at that situation, and he shook his head saying “No”.

[Subaru: Considering how you just got here, Rem must be busy with work. Hell, if that’s true, then people like Nee-sama and I should help out more……]

[Rem: No, no way…….I won’t be a bother to Nee-sama and Subaru-kun. Plus, it would be faster and more thorough if I did it instead of getting help from you two.]

[Subaru: You just declared to go solo with a big smile on your face, didn’t you!?]

Rem tilts her head at Subaru’s screaming, unaware of how she said something cruel.

Frankly speaking, Rem did not have a compromising attitude; in fact, it was uncompromising. Although her sense of resistance had disappeared, on very rare occasions, he’d catch a glimpse of one part of it that was her sharp tongue.

Maybe Ram throwing straight balls and Rem throwing curve balls were the source. They were the bits of knowledge that now allowed him to understand how he became friends with them.

Anyhow, he disregarded not being able to object in relation to the quality of his work with a wry smile, and Subaru said “My bad” to change the topic.

[Subaru: Rem should be busy, and yet I had you make time.]

[Rem: Well, I can’t do something like turn down Subaru-kun’s requests………but what made you want to do this? You wanting to go to the Alam village with me. It shouldn’t have any particular necessary ingredients right now, so I can’t think of any reason to go shopping there.]

[Subaru: It has sugar, salt, and the ingredients to make mayonnaise……not. It’s not like you always need a reason to go out, you know?]

[Rem: So then what?]

[Subaru: It’s just going out. It’s for Rem’s…….I mean, my break. So can I not take Rem along with me?]

For a second, it seemed he was about to say the wrong thing, and he corrected himself in panic.

If he were to carelessly say something like “Rem’s sake” here, he’d see Rem declining his offer firmly after being appreciative of it. That wouldn’t be good for the evil scheme that would happen after this.

Then, Subaru’s innermost thoughts were put aside. And when Rem sweetly smiled and went into deep thought, she said

[Rem: Going out, you say?]

[Subaru: Yes yes, let’s go out.]

[Rem: Isn’t that…basically…erm…a date?]

[Subaru: Yeah.]

In response to Rem’s questioning, Subaru faced towards the ceiling, and he let out a short “Yeah”. Everyone in the mansion had the same general idea of what a “Date” was because of the spreading of the story when he invited Emilia to a flower bed before.

If a man and a woman went out intimately, that was a date, so Subaru nodded at Rem’s question.

[Subaru: Yeah. It’s a date. Alright, Rem, let’s have a date together!]

[Rem: Yes! I’m happy! …….But, if you told me earlier, I would’ve came with my maid outfit to go out on, Subaru-kun, you meany.]

[Subaru: It’s a maid outfit even though it’s for going out!? You should have some discussions with Ros-chi about that!]

Of course, maid outfits certainly did fit her excellently, but Ram and Rem wearing things other than maid outfits would be cute, too. Come to think of it――

[Subaru: ――I feel like I’ve talked about this in the first week of the mansion.]

[Rem: Subaru-kun?]

[Subaru: Nah, it’s nothing. Okay, let’s go, Rem.]

He holds back just a small sentiment, and then Subaru and Rem’s date began.

2

And then, he brought Rem along, her being absolutely cheerful, and the “Date” began, but――

[Rem: ――You know, Subaru-kun is a meany. I was very mad.]

Rem pouts with her cheeks angrily, and she expressed her crankiness in a cute way.

In response to Rem’s situation, Subaru apologized to her complaints about being invited, holding onto his head because of his own clumsiness.

The “Date” itself was carried out well, and Rem was in an unusually good mood along the way. The conversations were lively, and Subaru was also confident that he successfully concealed the plan at the bottom of his stomach.

So, in regards to the existence of problems with the present situation, everything was perhaps going well beyond his expectations.

Rem’s good mood, Subaru’s secret, both of them were――.

[Subaru: I didn’t expect Rem longing for a date that much, even with my amazing eyes……]

[Rem: Subaru-kun’s manly eyes are blind, so he wouldn’t expect it.]

[Subaru: Rem-san you’re being unusually bitter! Sorry, it’s my fault, yes.]

Subaru gets seen with a side glance, and he takes only a meek attitude. Then, in response to that interaction between Subaru and Rem

[Kid: Subaru’s weak] [Kid: Subaru’s pitiful] [Kid: Subaru’s lame] [Kid:Subaru’s pathetic]

is what they said in succession as a final blow. After that coordinated verbal attack made Subaru curl his lips, the people who watched him and laughed at him happily were the kids.

Their identity was called The Six Alam Villagers――Subaru was the only one that called them that, but they were brats that got along with him. However, at this rate, there was a possibility of the relationship of trust that had been built up to this point everyday getting cracked. That was because

[Subaru: You guys, follow up on me a little more. Partners in crime share the same fate, right? Who do you think I’m working hard for?]

[Petra: For Rem-rin’s sake, right? You won’t do it for us.]

[Subaru: *Gulp*, it’s just like what you said…….]

He gets easily defeated by Petra, the six people’s leader, a girl known to be the most promising in the village.

――As of now, Subaru was conspiring with the six people for a certain goal.

The seven people had the same goal, and his “Date” with Rem was to cover it up. Rem was brought to the village so that the true goal wouldn’t be suspected.

[Subaru: As a result, I made Rem really mad……]

[Petra: You need to think about a girl’s feelings more.] [Meina: I think so too.]

Petra and Meina, the two people that represented the village’s girls, judged him in a very harsh way. That made Subaru hang his head, being heartbroken, and the remaining four evil brats tapped Subaru’s shoulder in turns as if to comfort him.

[Rem: ….Jeez, Subaru-kun just can’t be helped.]

[Subaru: Rem?]

[Rem: Getting depressed like that makes me feel anxious too. I’ll forgive you if you let me sneak attack you 10 times for that, so please lift your head.]

[Subaru: Ohh, Rem, you’re kind……10 times? Are you kind? Isn’t that pretty strict?]

[Rem: What do you mean? It’s a mass of mercy.]

10 sneak attacks. What did that mean? Perhaps it meant something like Rem tricking Subaru at every opportunity from now on. If that was the case, then Rem’s overdoing also had to be considered, but Subaru felt like there was a chance of his life span shortening greatly.

[Subaru: Anyhow, let’s get down to business while I show my gratitude for Rem being merciful. The truth is, I’m not the one who has business with you today, Rem. It’s this gang of kids.]

[Rem: Gang of kids…….?]

Rem tilts her head upon hearing the unfamiliar words, and meanwhile, Subaru gave up his spot to the six group of people. The kids appear with Petra in the middle, and they face Rem from the front.

Rem also wasn’t tall, but when compared to kids, she could look over them and see the other side. While being confused with the unfamiliar eye level, Rem stiffened up from wondering about what was going to happen.

Rem does that, and in response, when Petra and the others――when everyone looked at each other for just a second, they said

[Everyone: ――Rem-rin, happy birthday!]

Then, their voices came together, and they each held out the presents they had concealed behind their backs.

[Rem: ――Eh?]

In response to those children’s gifts, Rem fell behind for a step, and she let her voice out, dumbfounded.

The unexpected situation, the bolt out of the blue, the shock freezes her thoughts――describing it would be something like that. Subaru taps Rem’s shoulder softly and affectionately.

[Subaru: It’s a surprise birthday plan. You weren’t ready, huh, Rem.]

[Rem: T―that….but it’s not Nee-sama’s and my birthday yet…….]

[Subaru: In the birthday plan’s draft, Ram accepted having hers delayed. So, I attacked preemptively, not wanting to lose. ――Well, that might be kind of an excuse.]

[Rem: Eh……?]

[Subaru: I talked with Petra and the others about Rem’s birthday. And then, these guys got hyped too saying “I wanna celebrateeee”…..they wanted to do it for the mabeast incident too.]

The forest’s mabeast incident――that was treated as Subaru’s achievement for some reason, but as for Subaru, he felt like it would’ve been impossible without Ram and Rem’s help. Plus, if Roswaal wasn’t there, he would’ve died, and there was also him doing his best thanks to Emilia and Beatrice.

And yet, the reality was also that he was puzzled with him being treated like he was the only one to be rewarded. That also overlapped with this time’s discussion and the kids’ gratitude, and――

[Subaru: It’s a simultaneous implementation of thanks and celebration. If it starts to feel like one is lost from the two, then I’ll apologize.]

[Rem: ――――]

[Subaru: …….Guess it seems like you’re not worried about that.]

Subaru gently gives a wry smile, and he scratched his head. Next to Subaru, Rem looked down, hanging her head, and she was holding onto the edge of her skirt without saying anything.

The people who reacted that silence, worried about what was wrong, were the kids.

[Kids: Whats wrong?] [Kid: Hungry?] [Kid: Not what you wanted?] [Kid: I knew I shouldn’t got a bug……]

[Subaru: Ahh, don’t crowd her like that. Don’t worry, your guys’ feelings got through. But, bugs are no good, Lucas. Go let it free. Petra, you stop them too.]

Subaru asked the kids pitter pattering restlessly around Rem to give her time. Each of their presents had not money put into it, but their feelings.

They were put into the bunch of flowers, a handkerchief, rice balls, vegetables, crappy pottery, forget about the bug, and the fruit.

He didn’t go as far as to talk to them about what they’d give. Subaru felt like it’d be insensitive to ask, so he left it as what they’d answer with when asked what they liked.

So, these were the gathered presents after all of the kids thought, worried, and ran around for what they they’d obtain, what they’d get to please Rem.

[Subaru: Well, I don’t know about the bug, but…]

[Rem: ……I’m a lucky person.]

[Subaru: What about the bug!?]

[Rem: Even the bug. Well, actually the bug isn’t okay.]

Rem rebukes Lucas quickly for a second, who had reacted to the bug issue, and she slowly lifted her head.

That smile she had with her relaxed mouth was so brilliant that it even captivated Subaru, who got used to seeing Rem’s smiles often.

[――――]

That’s why the children were also all dumbfounded by Rem’s reaction. However, kids were of course honest beings, so when they noticed they got accepted by Rem with her smile, they immediately started to get super excited.

[Kid: Rem-rin smiled!] [Kid: Rem-rin’s cute!] [Kid: Rem-rin’s an angel!] [Kid: Seriously an angel!]

[Petra: Guys, HEY! The Subaru words are showing! Rem-rin is bothered, you know.]

Petra scatters her warnings at the boys that began to dance. To be honest, they were attracted to the “Subaru Words” language with their stupid curiosity, but Subaru kept his mouth shut, thinking that this wasn’t when he should cut in.

[Rem: Thank you all. I’m so happy.]

Rem accepts the held out gifts while saying that. She exchanges looks one by one with each of them, along with words, and smiles.

That scene certainly had a radiance that Rem had never seen before.

[Subaru: Can’t shrug off all of Ram’s points, I guess.]

Then, Subaru grinned widely as he watched over the presents being handed over pleasantly.

――On the way back from the “Date”, Rem was in an even better mood than when they went, and she walked in a lively way.

She held onto the tons of presents from the kids with both her hands, and she said this to Subaru, him holding onto what was called half of it,

[Rem: I’ll hold onto this myself.] and he handed them over.

The way Rem would treat these unexpected gifts would tell just how much she was happy with them.

That day, she put her heart into her arms to make dinner with the consumable rice balls, vegetables, as well as the fruit as ingredients, and everyone at the mansion smacked their lips in satisfaction.

The handmade pottery that couldn’t be complimented for its quality became a vase to hold up the flowers that came with it, and it was put pretty plainly in Rem’s room.

Then, the handkerchief with lovely embroidery was carried by Rem by choice.

Rem would always remember this feeling of happiness.

[Rem: Subaru-kun, thank you for inviting me on a date.]

[Subaru: Oh, you’re gonna count it as a date. I thought you were pretty mad.]

[Rem: I am mad at Subaru-kun. But, I’m thankful for those kids.]

[Subaru: Rem-san is harsh, isn’t she!?]

Subaru screams, and next to him, Rem smiled just like how she did when she received the gifts.

Rem also, once again, showed her thanks for the children’s thanks. She felt happiness because of the gifts.

――Thus, if the kids ever needed something, Rem would do everything in her hands to pay them back with all her might.

Those thoughts and feelings of happiness continued to be in her chest throughout Rem’s Blessing Day.