Chapter 282 — Blessing Day EX: Rem’s Birthday Party

Translator: Remonwater

[Emilia: Hey, Rem, aren’t you hungry yet? I made a reeeeally big rice ball.]

[Puck: Yeah, it’s Lia’s masterpiece. It’s so big that it’ll knock your socks off.]

[Rem: Oh, ohh……..thank you, Emilia-sama. But, just those feelings are enough.]

[Emilia: Hey, Rem, aren’t you tired yet? Want a lap pillow?]

[Puck: It can be from me or Lia. Today is a great feast.]

[Rem: Oh, ohh……..thank you, Emilia-sama. But, just those feelings are enough.]

[Emilia: Hey, Rem, aren’t your hands lonely yet? Puck, will you let her cuddle you?]

[Puck: Since it’s Lia’s request, okay. Today is a special case when the seal to my chest fluffiness has been unlocked.]

[Rem: Oh, ohh………thank you, Emilia-sama. Then, just a little.]

When Rem nervously reached out her hand, Puck accepted her fingertips with his chest. Emilia made a fist saying “Good” while she looked at that situation from the side.

All spots of Puck’s fur felt outstanding to touch. However, Emilia knew about the three spots you should pay particular attention to, as she was someone who had always been with Puck.

His ears, tail, and chest hair――these three spots of Puck’s fur were excellent in sense of color and touch. They were the three supreme, deluxe, and best places of his fur.

Nobody could resist their charm. Emilia couldn’t, of course, and Rem also shouldn’t be able to either.

[Puck: Hmmm? Why is even Lia joining in, playing with my tail?]

[Emilia: Eh? I got jealous just from watching, and your tail was open too…….was it not okay?]

[Puck: Nothing was wrong with it. But when you do it suddenly, it’ll surprise me.]

Emilia continues to cuddle Puck while saying sorry to him as he floated in the air, folding his small arms. Rem also unconsciously sighed at that touching.

[Rem: Ahh, I can’t get enough. ……Great Spirit, I can’t believe you’ve been hiding something like this.]

[Puck: It is my prized possession. It’s a secret garden that nobody in the mansion has touched, besides Lia and Betty. Today is special, so don’t tell people about it.]

[Rem: Yes. I’ve been allowed to enjoy it thoroughly.]

Rem also replied politely to Puck’s jokes, being someone who had a very honest personality. Then, she reluctantly took her finger away from Puck’s chest hair and said

[Rem: But, I’m a little…….just a little, just a tiny bit regretful about this spot.]

[Emilia: Eh!? Umm, Rem, you can play with Puck more, you know? This is a rare opportunity, so it’d be a waste.]

[Puck: Putting it as playing with me is a little wrong, but it’s true. It’s a rare event that may or may not happen in 100 years. You can enjoy it.]

[Rem: I appreciate the thought, but I still have work to do after this, and I’m also worried about not preparing dinner in time.]

[Emilia: But wait! I am still full, you know?]

[Rem: Isn’t that because Emilia-sama ate her own big rice ball……]

Emilia responds to Rem’s point by saying “Yea”, feeling on her stomach.

There was no sign of Emilia eating too much on her slender, thin belly, but she personally felt her stomach swelling up quite a bit. Actually, the gigantic rice ball that she made Subaru hold before――she had to eat this armful of food herself, so you could say her having a full stomach was natural.

[Puck: Well, I helped with half. That was a tough opponent.]

[Emilia: Yeah, that’s true. I thought it’d be perfect for confining Rem……]

[Rem: Confining me?]

[Emilia: Ah! Oops!]

Emilia carelessly lets out their objective, and she panics. Emilia became frantic trying to think of a way to trick Rem, who had a doubtful look.

[Emilia: No, Rem. Don’t misunderstand me. I said confine, but I don’t mean it in a dangerous way. I meant it in a more cute and kind……Puck, what should I call it?]

[Puck: Cute and kind confinement, right? Isn’t it just standing in the way?]

[Emilia: Yes, I just thought to stand in your way.]

[Rem: The way you put it sounds cute, but……]

Rem speaks as if the essence of it hadn’t changed, and Emilia hesitates. Afterwards, Emilia looked at Puck with a side glance to seek help.

Puck responds to Emilia’s look by slowly blinking his round eyes, and he said

[Puck: Lia, resignation is the great lesson of human life.]

[Emilia: Puck, you idiot! Also, in your case, it’s not human life!]

[Puck: Resignation is the great lesson of not only human life, but nyan life too.]

[Emilia: What in the world does nyan life mean……]

Puck lacked seriousness, acting carefree, and Emilia dropped her shoulders, seeing how she had no one on her side.

She thought to do her best, and to fulfill her role seriously――no, giving up here would surely be falling into the same trap as Puck.

[Emilia: I won’t lose.]

Emilia lifts her head courageously, saying “Alright”, and her motivation makes her bluish purple eyes burst into flames.

Then, she began to fight against Rem earnestly to do her best in one way or another.

2

Emilia lit up the fire in her eyes, and it was two minutes after she took the challenge with enough fighting spirit.

[Rem: ――I see. And then Subaru-kun made the request to Emilia-sama, and you tried your best to distract me.]

[Emilia: Yes…]

Emilia failed to trick Rem, and she suffered utter defeat from her.

She did her best in various ways, However, Rem’s questioning was too stern. Unfortunately, Emilia’s best efforts were in vain, and she fell a step short.

[Puck: Not sure if it was one step…….even with 10 steps it’d still feel like rooting for the underdog.]

[Emilia: Jeez, Puck you be quiet! You’re the one to talk, not helping out at all at a crucial time!]

[Puck: With this result, I feel like me helping or not would only be a difference in the unofficial record.]

Puck makes an excuse, him being cold-hearted, and Emilia pouts at him as she showed an unhappy attitude. Puck being carefree was just the usual, but he had a very important role today.

――The many times Emilia got in the way of Rem’s work today were all diversion tactics to make the “Surprise” a success.

“Let’s celebrate”, is what Ram had said the other day, and it was fresh in her mind. Having said that, Emilia wasn’t there for it, and she heard it second hand using Subaru as an intermediary, but they were all for the celebration.

The celebration――it was for Ram and Rem’s birthday that was coming up.

It was a once a year commemoration of birth, and they worked their butts off especially for this year as they wanted to celebrate Rem.

Emilia got surprised too when Ram said that, but she also somehow understood Ram’s real intentions, who said that “This year is special for Rem.”

――It was because the major change Rem had this month was obvious to everyone.

Emilia also couldn’t say that she knew Rem for a long time. It was a relationship that started when she went out of the forest and got invited to the mansion. Even then, she could clearly feel Rem’s transformation.

She smiled more than before, talked more than before, and looked more brilliant than before.

That transformation definitely――she felt like it was a result of the worry in Rem’s heart disappearing in one way or another. Emilia felt jealous of that.

On top of that, she also felt like Rem was reeeaally cute now.

[Emilia: I’m saying that I want to make your guys’ birthday party a success at all costs!]

[Rem: Understood. Emilia-sama, thank you for telling me everything.]

[Emilia: No, it’s okay……wait what? I told you everything?]

[Puck: She induced you just like she wanted to. As a lone father with a beloved daughter thinking about the future royal election, I’ve gotten kinda worried.]

Anything and everything gets out of Emilia’s mouth, and she gets surprised by her own carelessness. As you’d expect, this was unacceptable, no matter how good of a listener Rem was.

[Emilia: But I kinda feel relieved now that I don’t have anything to hide……]

[Rem: I don’t think I should be saying this, being the one who listened, but if Emilia-sama can’t be a little more suspicious of others, I’ll be a little……just a little….just a tiny bit worried.]

Even Rem says something like that to Emilia, and so she hung her head in despondence. However, Rem sighed at Emilia’s situation in response and said

[Rem: I apologize for being a bother to Emilia-sama. For some sort of reason, I will make time for Nee-sama, Subaru-kun, and even Roswaal-sama and……]

[Emilia: Ah, you can’t. Rem, don’t say it like that.]

Emilia puts a stop to Rem, who looked down as she muttered in a troubled way. That look, voice, and speaking were unacceptable. That was the look, voice, and speaking of the Rem from the past.

It was the Rem that had no self-confidence and was still fine with relying on serious worrying.

[Emilia: I reeeally understand the feeling of not having self-confidence. But, you can’t speak like you’re deprecating yourself. That’s kind of unfair.]

[Rem: Unfair, you say?]

[Emilia: I can’t put it in words well, but I feel like it’s a way of speaking that makes you leave things out. Also, I too don’t like Rem saying “for some sort of” and “things like”. Even Ram will get reeeeaally mad.]

Emilia puts her hands on hips, and she pictures the pink haired girl in her mind. Ram and Rem looked like two peas in a pod. She neither hid the doting love for her sister, nor was she embarrassed, always being full of confidence.

That was because it was her true feelings. The two of them also had the same trust Emilia had in Puck.

[Emilia: That’s why I’m really looking forward to this celebration. It is true that I want your guys’ birthday to be happy, but I also want to show my thanks.]

[Rem: For me, Emilia-sama?]

[Emilia: Yes, of course. Is it that surprising? Rem does the cooking, laundry, and cleaning for me. Also, you were nothing but a help to me during the mabeast incident, even at the mansion’s festivity that happened afterwards.]

It wasn’t just Rem and Ram she should’ve expressed her thanks to. She had to tell tons of things to Puck, Subaru, Roswaal, and Beatrice, too.

And even then, the first time the opportunity of their birthday came around, she felt like she wanted to bless her first meeting with the two of them, and she wanted to show her thanks along with it.

[Puck: But Lia is clumsy with decorations, planning, and other things like that too. So she didn’t get that work. Instead, she was appointed to confine you.]

[Emilia: Don’t just butt in like that! Also, it’s not confinement!]

[Puck: You were appointed to stand in her way.]

[Rem: You were appointed, I see.]

Rem agrees with Puck’ joking, and Emilia gets shocked from seeing their smiles. Who would’ve thought that Rem and Puck would be mean to her?

On top of that, it was a scene that would’ve been impossible before. Now that she thought about it, she did let them off naturally.

[Rem: …….In other words, whenever you saw me at the main wing or the west wing, you went ahead and did something like bother me.]

[Emilia: Not exactly. In Subaru’s words, it being a “Surprise” was important. So I had the role of casually distracting you so that Rem wouldn’t notice.]

[Rem: Casually……]

[Puck: I understand how you feel, but we’d appreciate it if you don’t say anything.]

Rem accepts Puck’s words, and she looked towards Emilia. Rem smiled wryly at her situation of being in dire stress from not knowing how she’d distract Rem from here on out.

Then, Rem changes her wry smile to just a smile as she said

[Rem: I understand. Emilia-sama, what you said is quite right. Always turning my back on celebrations is inexcusable to Nee-sama and Subaru-kun.]

Then, she pauses once, and continuing with a “Also”, Rem said

[Rem: I think it’s unfair to turn my back on Emilia-sama’s feelings.]

[Emilia: Rem……]

[Rem: How about it, Emilia-sama? Want to have tea together now? You seem very thirsty……it’d kinda be like standing in my way.]

Rem tilts her head with a smile, and she asks Emilia that question. Just from seeing Rem set up the table, Emilia also knew what she wanted to say.

It was her accepting the birthday celebration, as well as the thoughtfulness of letting Emilia also fulfill her duty. Although, she was also embarrassed due to her being spoiled from beginning to end.

[Emilia: Then I’ll at least make the tea. You’ll at least let me do that, right?]

[Rem: I don’t mind it…….but Emilia-sama, is tea your specialty?]

[Puck: It won’t taste anything with the rice ball. That’s how Lia’s natural flavor works.]

He saw an opportunity to come into the conversation, so Puck landed on Emilia’s shoulder just when his role had ended.

He hides in her long, silver hair like that, and he withdrew as he said “My work here is done~”

[Emilia: Jeez, you really are a sloth.]

[Rem: The Great Spirit’s chest hair got me good. So, he did his job.]

Rem soothes Emilia, her being angry, and she supports Puck. Rem was completely on Puck’s side during this small interaction. People could not resist the fur’s charm after all.

That trivial jealousy was put aside and――

[Emilia: It is a secret “Surprise”, but I wonder what kind of preparations Subaru and the others have in store.]

[Rem: I don’t know. It must be things that are far beyond my imagination. But, I hope that Nee-sama and Subaru-kun don’t get injured from being reckless.]

[Emilia: Yeah. Subaru is a good boy, but he is reeeaally reckless.]

[Rem: Is he just a good boy? Subaru-kun, to Emilia-sama.]

While walking side by side in the corridor, Rem said that as she suddenly looked at her with a side glance. In response to Rem’s words, Emilia blinked her big eyes, and she put a finger on her lips.

Rem’s question. What was Subaru to Emilia besides a “good boy”?

He was――

[Emilia: ……A reeeaally good boy?]

[Rem: Emilia-sama is unfair.]

[Emilia: Eehh!? Why!? What’s this all of a sudden!?]

In a flash, Emilia lets out a sigh as well as a complaint, and she gets confused.

Rem leaves Emilia behind, and she walked forward briskly with quick steps.

[Emilia: Ah, hey wait, Rem! Jeez, what is this, and what’s up with you?]

[Rem: I don’t know.]

[――]

They both couldn’t handle the situation, and they both suddenly let out smiles.

Catching up while jogging, Emilia stood with Rem. Rem also slowed down her pace.

Slowly, they laughed for some reason, got surprised, and they started to walk in the corridor while chatting with excitement.

――It didn’t look like a relation between a master and a servant, they looked like fellow, young friends.