Rem’s Day Off
1
─ ─It wasn’t as if Subaru had any special reason for having these realizations.
[Subaru: Weird. The cart that was here up until now is gone…..]
[Rem: About that, I put it away while Subaru-kun was gone.]
[Subaru: Oh, okay. Thanks, Rem.]
[Subaru: Weird. I thought I had tools out for tending the lawn, but…]
[Rem: About that, I had some spare time, so I took care of it.]
[Subaru: Is that so? Thanks as always, Rem.]
[Subaru: Weird. I thought I’d give a hand to help set up the tableware because it’s just about that time to eat, but…..]
[Rem: About that, don’t worry about it. Subaru-kun could go take a seat.]
[Subaru: Really now. Looks like I won’t be making my appearance on the stage. As expected of Rem.]
[Subaru: Weird. Come to think of it, the writing practice homework that Ram told me to finish is….]
[Rem: About that, I copied Subaru’s handwriting and took care of it.]
[Subaru: …..I-is that so? Doesn’t that look hmmm, a bit different? Like, I’m thankful, but…]
2
[Subaru: Rem, I think you should at least have one day to rest completely.]
Everyone gathered at scattered times as Subaru made this suggestion.
They heard this suggestion, and then the five people and the one small cat were astonished. However, the person who was the most surprised of all was the aforementioned blue-haired girl──Rem.
Rem, who had been setting up the table right beside Subaru, who sat in his seat, tilted her head in a lovely manner.
[Rem: A day off for for me? Um…..did I perhaps do something careless? Which is why Subaru-kun suggested a…..]
[Subaru: No, that’s not it. That’s not it at all. In fact, I’ve never had any complaints at all about your work in the first place, but I also want to point out about how that’s problematic as well.]
[Rem: ──?]
Even after hearing Subaru’s explanation, Rem only responded with a face expressive of a question mark. She wasn’t aware at all about how she overworked herself, but on the other hand, her employer and the sinfulness of her surroundings proved it.
Rem somehow becomes pitiful, so Subaru head patted this girl who stood next to her. Lately whenever Subaru did this, Rem would be happy and would unconditionally make an expression that looked unreasonably gentle as she received her head pats.
[Roswaal: In other words, you mean that? Subaru-kun wants to act as the employer for me and wants to determine the maid employment conditions. That’s what you mean.]
The person who clearly understood the situation was this person beside the scene of Subaru petting Rem──the head of the mansion, Roswaal. He had the same type of clown make-up applied to his white face this morning, and broke into a smile with his purple painted lips.
[Subaru: Welll, that’s not really exact. I can’t really say that I object, but that’s close to what I meant.]
[Ram: How rude, Barusu. What a rude thing to say to Roswaal. It’s 100 years too early for a maid to object the master, and it’s 400 years too early for Barusu.]
[Subaru: I don’t need that kind of special treatment, but do you not have something in mind as well?]
Ram, someone who has always been cold towards Subaru, cut into the conversation, perhaps because she was displeased with Subaru giving his opinion to Roswaal like that. Subaru frowns at Ram, Roswaal’s top advocate, and
[Subaru: Rem is working a bit too hard….or rather, Rem is the only one who has to deal with the mansion’s maintenance so much. No matter how you look at it, it’s too much on her.]
[Ram: That’s not true.]
Subaru let out a sigh in response to Ram nonchalantly shaking her head.
[Subaru: …..Then who made this breakfast?]
[Ram: Rem.]
[Subaru: Who woke up, immediately did the mansion’s simple cleaning, and immediately let fresh air in?]
[Ram: Rem.]
[Subaru: Who woke up, helped you change your clothes, and brushed your teeth?]
[Ram: Rem.]
[Subaru: You’ve continued this conversation the whole time with a composed face, haven’t you!?! Are you a king!?.]
[Ram: I’m not that great.]
[Subaru: I’m not praising you here!!]
The prideful Ram had an arrogant look, which made Subaru feel tired and facepalm. Then a person who hadn’t been in the conversation up until now, sitting to Subaru’s left side, raised her hand.
[Emilia: Hey, may I add in something?]
It was a beautiful girl with soft, silver hair──the girl who said these words with a voice that sounded like a bell. She looked left and right with her blueish purple eyes that looked like as if they had gems in it. This was the person who looked at Subaru──Emilia.
While looking at Subaru, who had his head turned, and Rem, who was thoroughly enjoying her head being pat, she said
[Emilia: I understand that Rem is working reaaally hard, but Subaru and the others are working too, aren’t they? And yet you’re saying that you only want to give Rem a day off?]
[Subaru: Emilia-tan. I’m happy for your consideration, but this is about the amount of work she has to do and its intensity. If you look at it that way, Rem works too hard when compared to people like me or Ram.]
[Ram: You’re upsetting me, Barusu. Whether or you are useless or not, being the half man you are, I’m handling my job easily without fail. Don’t group me with yourself in this matter.]
[Subaru: You’re being given the same workload as this half man, so I don’t wanna hear that come from you! Moreover, what do you do when I’m not there? Did you do the work I was suppose to do now?]
[Ram: That’s a silly question, Barusu. ──Rem did it.]
[Subaru: You may not be aware of this, but not a single good thing has been said as of right now.]
Seeing that it would be a waste of time to continue talking to Ram and that he should have direct talks, Subaru turned towards Roswaal. While giggling from wondering about what was so fun about the situation, Roswaal urged the story to move onto the next part with a gesture of holding out his arm.
[Subaru: If we look back a bit, there are other instances of Rem being treated improperly. For example, the demon beasts incident, which was when we prevented the damage without Roswaal.]
The topic Subaru brought up was about the trifling incident that happened just the other day.
Wolgarms, which are demon beasts that live in the forest, had attacked the Roswaal mansion and the latest Alam village. It was an uproar in which victims could be had in an instant, but this incident miraculously ended with only several casualties.
On the other hand of the incident, Subaru truly did have a lot of bitter experiences, but he didn’t bring that up.
[Roswaal: Though, you guys should’ve had arrangements to reward your efforts. In Subaru-kun’s case, I think it might be hard to see your actual feelings with just the details of the request you made.]
[Subaru: That’s, um…well, I am grateful for that.]
Subaru gave a side glance to Emilia repeatedly and responded to Roswaal while stammering out his words. Emilia tilted her head in response to Subaru’s look, but she didn’t know about the details about Subaru’s reward.
It would be troubling for Subaru if she knew about how he requested for few various necessary arrangements to be made when he was on the promised date with Emilia. She couldn’t know about this precisely so that it’d seem like he prepared the flower garden and the garland himself.
[Subaru: Let’s stop talking about things regarding my reward. However, if I received a reward for that incident, then that means Rem and Ram should get one too, don’t you think?]
[Roswaal: Are you saying that those two should be treated the same as yourself, a person who should be labeled as a guest, at that time? If that’s so, then I think it’s an unreasonable request.]
[Subaru: Even if I was something other than a guest, there’s no reason in not permitting it, don’t you think? Also showing generosity here would make the times in which they show compassion skyrocket, making their their loyalty MAX level! Wouldn’t it turn out like that, Master?]
Roswaal smiles at the insistent Subaru, and says “Loyalty, huh.” as he looks at Ram.
Subaru looks at Ram, who bowed as if she felt Roswaal’s look. He remembers the truth that there was a maid already with a MAX level of loyalty next to him, and then he realized that he failed to choose the right words for persuasion.
[Subaru: You block me from moving forward to no end, Ram.]
[Ram: Even if Rem’s loyalty and my loyalty towards Roswaal were to sway, it’s pointless, Barusu. Before that, you can tie up that statement in the doubt you had when you aimed to cause internal friction.]
[Subaru: That was when we survived that fight together too. You sure are harsh!]
They should have cooperated well together to some extent at that time. However, without exception, it failed to have an effect on her compassion. In response to Ram, who exhibited a refreshed, opposing behavior, Subaru becomes unsure of what to say next. However,
[Roswaal: But, well, it’s not like we should totally disregard Subaru-kun’s opinion on the situation.]
[Ram: Roswaal-sama……]
[Roswaal: Don’t make a gloomy face like that, Ram. I’m not letting go of my viewpoint. It’s just that there’s a reason to Subaru-kun’s point as well. I was close to oversighting that incident, so if I don’t bestow a single reward for you guys who defended against the demon beasts before anything happened, I would be called a poor noble.]
[Ram: Roswaal-sama, I would like you to hand over your favorite pen.]
[Subaru: Man, you don’t change your attitude very easily at all!]
In response to Ram frankly indicating what she wanted from him, Roswaal handed over the pen that he had on his chest. Ram accepted the pen respectfully, and softly put it to her chest as she took a step back.
Anyways, this was equivalent of repelling the biggest obstacle. Roswaal was understanding, so Ram’s withdrawal was simple to fix. The next thing to take care of was the main point──the decision would be up to Rem.
[Rem: Subaru-kun?]
Rem, who was being patted on the head endlessly throughout the conversation, blinked with her eyes.
[Subaru: So, well, we’ve obtained the right to be rewarded. It’s an employee victory for us. Alright, you can ask for anything. Ros-chi will take care of all the assets and the authority needed for it!]
[Roswaal: It would be a bit problematic if you set your expectations too high, though.]
Rem was in front of Subaru, and she smiled at him with her blushed face with the kind expression she had in her light blue eyes. He saw the clown let out a wry smile on the side, but anyways, he became aware of it and then decided to ignore it.
[Rem: Thank you, Subaru-kun. But I am happy just by spending time with you and Nee-sama in the mansion. So I don’t need anything more.]
[Subaru: But that would take away the meaning of this whole conversation we’ve been having!]
Or rather, that would mean, in terms of the flow of events, it would be a single person’s victory──Ram’s victory, who received the feather pen.
Rem kindly being unselfish was a virtue, but for her to not ask for luxuries when she should have──that would wrong; it would be wrong for others to let her do this, and it would be wrong for him to not think of it as something lonesome.
[Emilia: Well, can’t we just try what Subaru said in the beginning?]
The person who clapped her hands together and made a suggestion when the conversation started to stagnate was Emilia.
[Emilia: I’ve been doing some reflecting as I listen to the conversation you guys have been having. Although it is her job, I’ve always been relying heavily on Rem too. Since I believe this, it would be natural for Subaru and Ram to think the same as people who work together, huh.]
In response to Emilia, who sought for agreement to her opinion, Subaru made a bright gesture to indicate his agreement.
[Emilia: So, I also agree with giving Rem a reward. However, Rem said she doesn’t need one…..so I don’t think it’d be right to do so.]
[Subaru: So, what do you suggest then?]
[Emilia: In the scene of giving rewards, not being able to give anything would bring pain to Roswaal as well, I think. Rem is a good girl, so I don’t mean to restrict her from being rewarded, but properly rewarding her work is also an important role….oh, it’s written in the book.]
Just when he thought that she said something splendid, it seemed that she only talked about second-hand knowledge. Emilia, who stook her tongue out and gave a bashful smile, said “Thus” to Rem, who had a slightly surprised face, and continued speaking.
[Emilia: I want you to be less undemanding. We want to do something for you because you always work hard, although it might be difficult.]
[Rem: Emilia-sama…..]
Rem had an amazed look in her eyes as if she was seeing the light. Subaru wasn’t really having much of a change in his heart through reasoning, so Emilia’s persuasion moved him deeply as well.
[Ram: So what does following Barusu’s initial suggestion outline exactly?]
Ram, who was completely calm with the feather pen kept in her breast pocket, threw her question towards Emilia. She accepts the question, raises her finger, and then
[Emilia: That’s easy to explain. Even if we think like this and make requests, Rem would surely say that she is busy and doesn’t have time to think calmly due to her being occupied by her work; all the more reason to give her at least one day to rest. I also think it’d be nice if she could think about her reward too.]
[Subaru: Ahhh, I see.]
Subaru gave honest praise to Emilia’s idea, seeing as she had thought more about it than he expected. It seemed that Ram and Roswaal had the same opinion, as they both had no indication of disagreement with their nodding.
The only question left would be Rem’s take on the proposal.
[Rem: ……..Emilia-sama. I am truly thankful for your concern. I also only feel shame about myself for not being helpful with some parts of the matter. However, giving me a reward and time to rest is too considerate. I only caused trouble during that incident, and if I’m not at the mansion….]
The apologetic Rem, who had her eyes cast down, started to line up her cautionary objections. Simply put, she had no hesitance in her voice, and you could catch a glimpse of her toughness of persisting in her opinion. Thus,
[Subaru: Rem]
[Rem: Yes. Umm──Subaru-kun, I…….]
[Subaru: Let’s take a day off.]
[Rem: Yes. If Subaru-kun says so.]
──It turned out like this.
3
They were still at the breakfast place, so the preparations for her day off were settled on this day.
Subaru proposed that they spent a whole day off to rest from tomorrow, but as expected, Rem was only firmly refusing it.
[Subaru: And with that, I would like to make a decision about Rem’s portion of work for this one day. Rem is going to rest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that no deficiencies will appear or that she’ll actually be able to let herself rest. We all have personal experiences with just how hard Rem works and we truly feel it, so this should be a very significant program in which we will commence from now on to honestly have her feel our gratitude.]
Subaru forced Rem to go to her room, separating their locations, and he explained the intents of the project that came out before. The person who took his explanation in and raised her hand was Emilia.
[Emilia: Hey, Subaru, can I say something?]
[Subaru: Go ahead, Emilia-tan. Your modest attitude of raising your hand when you share your opinion is nice. What is it?]
[Emilia: I reeaally am in agreement with Rem’s day off and with what you said…….but it might be problematic if you don’t talk the others as well to get their agreement.]
Emilia puts a finger on her lips and glances towards the side.
The people gathered there were all Roswaal’s mansion’s residents, excluding Rem. In other words, there were people other than the employee Subaru and Raml. Master Roswaal was also gathered there.
The person who had a particularly dissatisfied looking face was
[Subaru: …..How long have you been pouting? You haven’t been joining in on the conversation, so this isn’t just a matter of you not having a cooperative personality. ]
[Beatrice: ……Why are you doing this while assuming something like that my cooperation is a given from the beginning in the first place? That’s the actual really perplexing matter.]
The person who said this and glared at Subaru was this petite girl who sat on her chair with her arms crossed. It was this girl who wore a dress and had creamy colored hair, which was in an ojou-sama type of drills hairstyle──this girl was Beatrice.
While it is true that Beatrice did appear at the dinner table when it was time to eat, she would basically persist in abstaining from getting involved with anything in the mansion. Subaru knew that she would have an uncooperative attitude this time too, so he aimed to compel her to hear him out and confronted her. He expected Beatrice to make a face indicative of not being compelled to get involved even after listening, but
[Subaru: Rem habitually and thoroughly takes care of you too, you know. Who do you think washes your underwear and washes the wet futon when you wet the bed?]
[Beatrice: Why are you saying such sudden things yourself!? Such a lady like myself, when could I──when could I have possibly wet myself!? You need to keep your reckless babbling in check, I suppose!]
[Subaru: It’s pretty suspicious of you to deny it so frantically like that. So you really….]
[Beatrice: Don’t make a face that looks like you’ve come close to the truth! I’m telling you I didn’t do it, so I didn’t do it, I suppose!]
He was just teasing her, but he unintentionally got carried away with the entertainment, seeing how she responded to it. His enjoyment from messing with Beatrice ended quickly, and then he looked at another person’s discontent face.
[Ram: Barusu, if you have an excuse for yourself, then say it quickly.]
It was the face of the person with such a freezing expression that her hostility was being asserted just from her eyes──something that could be done by none other than Ram. There was no other source for her displeasure for this girl who felt like she absolutely had to cooperate with this experiment in every way possible.
[Subaru: I don’t have an excuse to give. It is what I see and it is what I called it, as in it is necessary for all of the mansion’s members to unite and make up for the deficiencies created from making Rem rest.]
[Ram: Even so, dragging even Roswaal-sama into your tomfoolery is going too far, considering how he is busier than Rem as well, being driven away everyday with his hard work]
[Subaru: And so, this is what your personal assistant has to say.]
Subaru went past Ram and called out to Roswaal, who was rocking in his chair.
[Roswaal: Let’s see. As for myself as someone who holds responsibility, being occupied with trivial matters isn’t really something that should be praised. Just like Ram said, even though things may appear this way, I have a pretty busy position.]
[Subaru: I see I see.]
[Roswaal: Yep. I thought that it’d never be hard to keep a sense of the maids’ circumstances for their labor as a master──and by circumstances I mean making sure that they had an appropriate workload and received appropriate salaries.]
[Ram: Roswaal-sama, that’s…]
Roswaal was relatively eager as a person who could view different perspectives, as opposed to Ram who was obstinate. Surely in his case, he had a great sense to at least genuinely join in on jolly events.
[Subaru: Hey, respect the will of the actual person in question. Didn’t you say that it’d be 100 years too early for a maid to object the master?]
[Ram: Lowly people like Barusu shouldn’t get carried away with finding people’s faults.]
He was reluctant to admit it, but Ram, the person who took his opinion, had an uncommon type of acuteness in judgement. He had a bitter smile in response to her piercing look and nodded at her as if he was thinking, “So you did listen to my general opinion”.
[Subaru: Okay well, let’s talk about everyone’s share of housework then. First let’s do the general division of the meals, laundry, cleaning……]
[Beatrice: Did you not hear what I had to say!? You didn’t hear me say I wouldn’t do this, I suppose.]
[Subaru: Goddamn you are being a pain in the ass. Emilia-tan, please help.]
[Emilia: Umm, “I will not allow this to be put on the family crest!” was the saying, right?]
Beatrice continued to resist in vain, causing Subaru to have an amazed look on her face. He left it up to Emilia to persuade Beatrice. Emilia heard his request, said the set phrase Subaru taught her, and held out her hand.
A gray furball was on top of Emilia’s palm. When the rolled up furball understood that it was his turn to make his appearance, he expanded his body, shook his pink nose, and looked at Beatrice.
It was Emilia’s contracted spirit, having the same use as Beatrice as a type of weapon used for a battle──this was Puck, the cat spirit.
[Puck: Betty]
[Beatrice: Oo……Nii-cha. You are cute today as well…..]
[Puck: Thank youuu. So Betty…I understand what you are trying to say, but I understand what Subaru is saying as well. Besides, I feel like it is our duty as spirits to occasionally show tolerance for the children’s sake.]
Beatrice’s blue eyes twitched in response to Puck’s calm manner of speaking.
As one would expect, Beatrice’s pride would probably not allow herself to submit to Puck’s standards and change her current opinion
[Beatrice Ni─Ni-cha’s point is expected, I suppose. B─but, I…….]
[Puck: Betty. Please.]
[Beatrice: If Niii-cha says so, then I guess it can’t be helped!]
[Subaru: You sure are simple.]
The problem with Beatrice was solved with extreme ease, and so with this the dissenting opinions were resolved.
The next things to talk about were the allotment of the work and dividing people into groups.
[Emilia: How should we divide people up?]
[Subaru: The general work can be handled just like how I said before. If we include Puck, we have 6 people for it, so if we split up in pairs, I think it would work out well. As for the actual dividing……]
Intense looks quickly came about from the two who had dissenting opinions before. He understood what they generally wanted to say, so he nodded.
[Subaru: How about Ram and Ros-chi, Beako and Puck, and me and Emilia-tan?]
[Emilia: Umm, I’m fine with it…….but are Puck and Beatrice fine with it too?]
[Puck: Fufufu, Lia is a worry-wart. I am fine with it. I’ll make the best use of this small body’s advantages and pick up coins that fell under the drawers too.]
[Subaru: The opportunities for the application of your advantages are way too narrowed down.]
He didn’t understand why Puck was brimming with confidence, but there was no point estranging him seeing as how he had determination. It was better than having him take care of dinner and mixing all of the cooking with cat fur.
[Subaru: Beako, would you prefer to do the cleaning or the laundry? You choose.]
[Beatrice: Out of those two, I can make use of my magic with the laundry, I suppose.]
[Subaru: OK. Use this as a chance to wash all the soiled underwear you have hidden in your room.]
[Beatrice: You really don’t get it. I am TELLING you I do not do THAT!]
He soothed the enraged Beatrice, and it was decided that Puck and Beatrice would handle the laundry.
The next question was who would be in charge of preparing the meals and who would be in charge of the cleaning, but
[Ram: Roswaal-sama and I will take care of the meals.]
[Subaru: I’m fine with that, but why meals?]
[Ram: Because it wouldn’t be necessary for Roswaal-sama to go through the trouble of going somewhere if it was kitchen work, and there would be no worry about causing trouble through major clumsiness. Worst case scenario, Barusu could even eat vegetable scraps that are left out, right?]
[Subaru: I was born on a year of the rabbit, but I am not a vegetarian.]
Subaru’s point was washed away from Ram’s scornful laughter.
That being said, the person in the mansion without Rem who had the most balanced abilities for housework was Ram. The meals would particularly show its results clearly in its taste. It was not wrong to choose Ram as the person to be in charge of the meals. At the very least, she also had her killer steamed potatoes up her sleeve. Roswaal’s cooking was also a concern, but he didn’t have any tragedies with his meals.
[Subaru: Therefore, Emilia-tan and I will inevitably be appointed to the cleaning. I feel that it will be a painful and difficult battle, but will you believe in me and keep up?]
[Emilia: Yes, I understand. I’ll work reaaally hard so that I don’t hold Subaru back.]
[Subaru: Dang this girl’s courage is cute.]
Emilia took a triumphant pose with her face burned with ambition. Subaru gives a satisfactory nod at his partner’s reliable attitude and ends the division of roles peacefully.
[Subaru: Alright. Then let’s all get to our own share of work. First of all, Puck and Beako, I’ll show you the place with the gathered clothes that need to be washed, so follow me. And……]
Before each of them went into their works with their decided roles, Subaru looked back at the entrance of the dining hall.
He saw a blue haired girl peeping through the gap of the slightly opened door looking towards him.
[Subaru: And about the decision that she would spend her time idly, although she might not be calm.]
[Rem: Yes, I understand that…….but umm, I am worried.]
[Subaru: That troublesome workaholic part of yourself is showing, Rem. Today is “Rem Day”. As someone who is a a pro at spending time slothfully, I recommend doing nothing and sleeping on your bed.]
[Emilia: Eh? Why? It would be a waste to spend her time that way, wouldn’t it?]
[Subaru: Being wasteful of time is a day off!]
Subaru responded to Emilia’s butting in while feeling something pierce his chest. Nevertheless, on the other side of the door, Rem had a face that was fairly indicative of not deciding to withdraw back into her room.
[Subaru: Wearing a maid outfit even when it’s been decided that you’d rest is not right in the first place. If you decide to be lazy, the you should first start with your appearance. Quickly change your clothes into something slothful and dive into the bed!]
[Rem: But all I have besides my maid outfit is my nightgown……]
[Subaru: Ah! Come to think of it, you said that before! As if that’s any better! No matter how you look at it, isn’t that too cruel for a girl of your age?]
He certainly never saw Rem or Ram wear anything besides maid clothes. It seemed like the nightgown was neglected, but that would be something you’d only standardly wear when you spend time in your own room.
[Subaru: It’s not alright like this. Eventually, it won’t be okay not being able to choose clothes at your own discretion. Welll, since nothing can be done about it today, wear a maid outfit that would allow you to spend your time rather comfortably. ]
[Rem: Understood. I will change into maid clothes used for a day off.]
[Subaru: Something like that exists!?]
It looked like she had maid outfits gathered around, satisfying their purposes. It seemed that it was a line up of outfits that were used for battle, work, and trips, though there was no reason to put a limit on maid outfits in the first place.
Anyhow, once he dispersed with Rem, who was doing things with painful reluctance, “Rem Day” finally began.
[Subaru: Okay! Well then, everyone attend their given work with their entire spirit! After all, there’d be no point in doing this if we make Rem believe that the mansion can’t function because of her resting!]
[Everyone: Yeah!]
In response to Subaru’s yell intending to incur enthusiasm, Emilia pushed her first up accordingly.
Each of the individuals around succeeded Emilia with their voices, and then the rather anxious single day began.
4
──And there she was, spending her day off with unprecedented nervousness.
[Rem: Is it really fine for me to not help? …….Nee-sama, Subaru-kun.]
Rem, who had returned to her own room, changed into her resting maid clothes just like Subaru instructed and walked around and around in her room anxiously. She simply could not stay still.
To Rem, doing work was an action that was equivalent of ascertaining her raison d’etre. Of course, this didn’t mean that Rem’s fatigue was unbearable, but it was also true that she couldn’t feel at rest on this day off that took place so suddenly.
[Rem: Let’s take a look after all.]
Rem looked like she was calm and being strong with patience, but the truth was that it was unexpectedly too much for her to handle.
She felt anxiety tensing up within her chest, which was a chest bigger than her sister’s, immediately left her room, and started to move around the mansion while taking quick looks around to make sure no one was there.
[Rem: If I’m not mistaken, then Nee-sama and Roswaal-sama were put in charge of the meals……they should be in the kitchen.]
First, she went to peep on the person who was her other half, the person who she could put the most trust in in regards to work──Ram. She had a tendency to be a bit slothful, although she was better than Rem when it came to thoroughness of her work and her sense of responsibility. Or at least, that’s what Rem assessed; she trusted Ram’s own choice to take charge of the cooking.
She trusted her choice, it was just that she was about two times more worried than she usually was. Rem perceived the sweet aroma coming from a certain innermost passage of the kitchen with her sense of smell and got closer to slip into the entrance.
[Ram: Roswaal-sama. I am sorry for having it come to something like this today. I will make sure to reprimand Barusu after this. ……Yess, firmly.]
Once Rem peeked inside, she heard Ram’s frightening voice and she stopped moving.
Ram tried her best to not show her emotions to other people, but Rem, someone who accompanied her since birth, could guess what her older sister was feeling from her calm voice.
As a result of the sensor for her older sister that was cultivated through experience over many years, Rem could perceive when Ram was enraged. Even so, she was angry with a type of intensity that she had seldom witnessed in the recent years.
When she took a glance inside, she saw Ram peeling off vegetable skins with fierce vigor. In Ram’s hand, a person who was skillful at using bladed objects, it looked as if all the vegetable’s skin were starting to peel off like magic.
[Roswaal: You don’t have to overreact to that extent. It’s important for you guys to put aside your feelings for work, seeing as how Subaru-kun hasn’t coaxed people with any of his.]
The person watching over Ram comfortably while resting against the kitchen wall was Roswaal.
While looking at Ram’s back, who was working, Roswaal swung around his raised finger. Then the pan that was set on the work table for the fire demon crystal shook, the arising aroma from the steam filled the kitchen, and it flowed towards the corridor as well.
The labor was divided with Ram cutting up the ingredients and Roswaal watching over the pan. Ram’s responsibility was a bit bigger than Roswaal’s, but if you considered their positions, it would allow them to compromise befittingly. Judging from how Ram looked, she was probably full of feelings of wanting to act as an agent for everything and would have Roswaal sit.
[Ram: Roswaal-sama is too easy on Barusu. If that causes a misunderstanding, he’d be a bum. Even today…..]
[Roswaal: Then do you think giving Rem a day off was a mistake?]
[Ram: That’s…….well, I felt like it’d be fine to let Rem do things the way she wants.]
[Roswaal: She certainly has been becoming more enthusiastic than before lately. However, being in high spirits and being made tense are two different things. I believe that this current trend is better than how it was before.]
Ram kept her mouth shut in response to Roswaal’s words, and Rem held her breath as she listened attentively to the conversation. She was listening to them talk about herself, so Rem became very embarrassed.
She didn’t even peep on them with this intention, so it was as if she was similar to a thief.
[Ram: ……Let’s go now.]
Ram and Roswaal’s cooperation was steady, since they’ve known each other for a long time. There was nothing like worry about them breaking off relations with each other either. Just when they were about to leave, Rem took her back off of the entrance. However,
[Roswaal: Well, let’s leave it at that I guess.]
She heard Ram’s reply and gently held onto her chest. After that, she peeked into the kitchen to give a last glance. Then, her eyes met Roswaal, who was inside the kitchen.
[───]
However, Roswaal just gave a wink towards Rem, overlooking how their eyes met, without saying anything. She took in the consideration from head of the household, and went away from the kitchen as she headed back to the corridor while once again silencing her footsteps. Roswaal may have noticed that Rem was there from the start.
If that was the case, perhaps he brought up the topic to Ram in order to let Rem know about his opinion.
[Rem: Thank you, Roswaal-sama.]
Rem left behind words of gratitude for Roswaal’s nonchalant consideration and headed towards her next stop.
The next individuals she’d check on were Puck and Beatrice, who should be taking care of the laundry.
In some way, these two were the most unexpected in the current division of groups.
[Rem: Normally you’d think that they should be working at the watering place, but…….]
The clothes that needed to be washed were collected in the morning and packed towards the large public bath. Whether they were wet or not wasn’t a problem; it was a place that used a great amount of water, and it was customary for individuals in the mansion to use the watering place of the bath-house to do the laundry.
If they followed that custom, then those two should be doing the laundry there.
[Rem: Now that I think about it, I wonder if they’ll know the differences of the specific cloths.]
She suddenly became aware of an uncertain factor and started to feel uneasy.
Maid outfits and Roswaal’s clothing did not have things small accessories like handkerchiefs. As for Emilia’s clothes and the women’s underwear, these were articles of clothing that could not be jumbled together for laundry.
The color change and the amount of damage done to the material would be extremely unpleasant if they were jumbled together.
[Rem: Even when the laundry has at least always been taken care of by either me or Nee-sama…..!]
She repents for having forgotten about that. Rem hurries up and runs toward the west wing’s large public path. She hears the sound of water and people talking, which confirmed that those two were there. Next she would pick up the clothes that needed to be washed before they did it recklessly and──
[Puck: Are you sure about this, Betty? If you wash girls’ underwear so recklessly its appearance will mess up. It’s going to become unusable soon, so wash it with care──that’s standard. You’re kinda washing the underwear and the shirts one at a time, but if you don’t take your time with it for these important things….]
[Beatrice: Hmmm. You’re well-informed as expected, Nii-cha, I suppose. I’ll take note of what you said.]
Rem was in the dressing room and covering her breath. In front of her eyes, she saw Beatrice putting her hands into the hot water drawn into the bucket washing underclothes. Puck was floating around that scene. He shook his tail and was gazing at the small personal bathtub.
Rem sensed the slight changes of mana and confirmed what Puck was doing as she stood on her tiptoes. It came into her eyes and she held her breath. She saw the clothes being covered with hot water and bubbles, turning round and round in the bathtub. He was most likely making use of his wind and water magic, sometimes dealing with a large amount of clothes at once by spinning them counterclockwise.
Beatrice as well, if you looked at the situation at hand, she wasn’t directly putting her hands into the bucket. The water was moving in front of her held out hands and it looked as if it had gained form. She was washing the underwear in a way that made it seem like she was using her own hands.
This was the squandering of magic that gave an overwhelming feeling of life──magic that could be used precisely because they were both paranormal existences.
What they were doing was extremely advanced, yet they were using their magic superbly for the very plebeian laundry duty. She became even more surprised, but Puck was strangely well informed on the life of humans──that was his bag full of wisdom.
[Puck: If you wash the detergent together with it like that, you’ll be washing it out too much with the cooling water. If you don’t wash it properly, the white material will turn yellow. Having the material in a place with good ventilation and drying it in the shade while avoiding exposing it to the sun would be considerate for the underwear when drying.]
Or rather, he was so informed on the life of humans that it was a bit unpleasant.
He may have learned it for Emilia’s sake, but where he learned it from was truly a mystery.
[Rem: It seems like I don’t have to worry.]
The ignorance part of the factor that she was the most worried about was cleared without a sense of danger. Rem disregarded the incomprehensible parts and was felt relieved from her worries, seeing as how this area was fine as well.
[Beatrice: Nevertheless, doing the laundry is troublesome. All those humans dirty various things just by living. Dealing with that is troublesome for them, I suppose.]
[Puck: We refresh ourselves after going in and out a bit after all. Or wait, were Betty’s circumstances a little different?]
[Beatrice: ….Just a little. In regards to dirtying, it’s the same as Nii-cha, I suppose.]
Beatrice dropped her tone slightly and then looked into the bucket. Then
[Beatrice: It’s troublesome even when using magic, yet doing things like washing clothing one by one feels like an abnormal thing to do. I am already fed up with this just after doing it for a short while.]
[Puck: But the people who do it everyday are Subaru and those girls. We don’t need to do the laundry, but we do understand the importance of food and cleaning. They get tired from having to take care of all of that everyday, I can understand giving a day off every now and then.]
[Beatrice: We──well it’s not like I didn’t think a bit about that too.]
The genuity of Beatrice’s feelings were more perceivable than the genuity of Puck’s feelings, which you couldn’t see. They were more perceivable because Rem, who already came out of the dressing room, also remembered about how the little girl had a blushed face.
[Rem: Thanks you two for your concern.]
She left the dressing room, headed towards the bath, and then bowed. After that, she went towards the place of the last pair for today’s share of work. It was the pair that Rem was the most worried about. She was worried about if they’d be able to deal with the butting in and interfering. They were the most worrisome pair. Subaru and Emilia should’ve been starting the cleaning of the west wing for today.
[Emilia: Cleaning gives that feeling of covering my face with a cloth after all.]
[Subaru: That’s a phrase you don’t hear nowadays….]
Rem was heading towards the third floor of the west wing when she heard their voices and then quietly held her breath. When she put her back against the wall and peeped through the corridor, she saw Subaru holding cleaning tools in his hand and Emilia wiping the windows.
Emilia had her hair put together in the back, wearing an apron and wearing a white cloth on her head. Rem thought it was lovely how Subaru was stealing side glances at Emilia.
[Emilia: Nevertheless, this place isn’t really that dirty either. It looks like it gets cleaned reaaally well.]
[Subaru: Well that’s because the three buildings get cleaned by turns in the daily special rotations. Moreover, the west wing isn’t used that much in comparison to others. Places like this floor’s dance hall are completely unused.]
Emilia breathed on the window and then wiped it, which made squeaking noises. At the side, Subaru was using the stepladder. He checked the windows and above the door and then shrugged his shoulders with a face indicative of losing his will to continue.
[Subaru: Ahhh, I give up. It’s clean here too! I never thought I’d live to see a day where I’d feel displeased about something being clean!]
[Emilia: You really said it. However, that alone shows how Rem does her work with utmost effort. I might’ve not noticed that at all until I looked around like this.]
Emilia smiles at Subaru, who was at his wits’ end, briefly looks over the passageway and let out a sigh.
[Emilia: Something like this cannot be taken lightly. I wanted to do something for Rem’s sake, yet this was also a learning experience for me. Subaru, thank you.]
[Subaru: Eh? Ah, yeah, right. Just what I aimed for. Using a regular day to teach Emilia-tan about having someone support you and allowing Rem to rest too is like killing two birds with one stone, huh?]
[Emilia: Sorry. I don’t really understand what you are trying to say.]
Rem could also relate with not understanding Subaru when he became embarrassed and would start talking fast. Subaru dropped his shoulders and was dejected in a way that made it seem like he had the same impression of Emilia that Emilia had of him.
[Emilia: However, when I clean the mansion like this, it reminds of the thing that happened a little while back.]
[Subaru: What happened a little while back?]
[Emilia: I also tried to work like Rem just for a little bit, though it caused various misunderstandings…..fufu, it’s a nice memory to me now.]
[Subaru: Oo, I see. There’s no way you wore something like a maid outfit. There’s no way, righttt.]
[Emilia: Nope, I wore one, although it was short, unlike Rem and the others’ maid outfits.]
[Subaru: Seriously!? Why was I not there!?]
[Emilia: Eh? You weren’t there obviously because you and I still hadn’t met at that time.]
In response to the bitter Subaru, him biting his lips, Emilia was tilting her head with a look of astonishment on her face.
Emilia was a sinful person for being someone who didn’t notice anything even when Subaru was that easy to understand. On one hand Rem felt sorry for Subaru, and on the other hand she also felt relieved from their lack of progress.
[Subaru: Huh? Come to think of it, today I…….one, two, three…….]
And when she was coming to accept herself, Subaru suddenly started counting the number of times he raised his voice. He counted on his fingers, muttered a small “That’s not okay”, and gazed outside the window. Then
[Emilia: Subaru, what’s wrong?]
[Subaru: I forgot that I have some important work to do. Ahh, this is a matter of neglecting a duty, huh.]
[Emilia: Some important work to do….is it something that needs things like time and other people’s help?]
[Subaru: Nope, I’ll be fine alone. However, it’s a type of work that cannot be neglected.]
Subaru scratched his cheek and had a face indicative of him regretting his inadequate foresight. Emilia put her fingers on her lips and went into deep thought, scrutinizing Subaru’s response as she let out a nod.
[Emilia: Alright. If that’s the case, then Subaru can go take care of his work. Surely I’ll be fine with this building’s cleaning, even if I’m by myself, after all. It’s almost done too, so.]
[Subaru: ……Emilia-tan. Will you be fine without me? You won’t feel lonely?]
[Emilia: That really won’t make me feel lonely at all, so don’t worry.]
[Subaru: Why are you denying it with emphasis?]
They had their usual interactions and then Subaru left Emilia’s side, seemingly with traces of regret. Emilia waved goodbye with her small hand and then raised her voice to get psyched as she said “OK!” then
[Emilia: Alright, I also told Subaru some ensuring words, so I have to do my best. I gotta show him a site of doing things as if it was a piece of cake, despite doing it by myself. It’ll make him laugh later.]
Even though Emilia knew about how there was nothing that would make Subaru laugh at her, she took the bucket and house-cloth and went into a difference place of the mansion without minding it. If she was in this mood, then she’d probably have no trouble with her cleaning either. If there was something to worry about, then that would be…
[Rem: I wonder where Subaru-kun went……]
Subaru parted with Emilia and went off to god knows where by himself. The meals, laundry, and cleaning work were all being taken care of when it came to important work that could not be neglected.
[Rem: ──Oh]
While Rem was pondering about where he could be, she remembered about how Subaru was looking outside the window and arrived at the answer.
5
[Rem: Is it okay for me to be with you, Subaru-kun?]
Subaru was standing at the place where he came out of the mansion’s main gate and looked at Rem with his eyes wide open.
Rem’s words caused him to make an embarrassed look with his face and scratched his head.
[Subaru: I guess Rem really did predict it after all……..]
[Rem: No, I also forget about it until just a little while ago. I most likely remembered it at about the same time Subaru-kun did.]
Rem let out a small smile and shook her head at Subaru, who appeared to have reflected on the matter.
In reality, Rem possibly wouldn’t have noticed if Subaru never remembered about it. That showed just about how much she had fixated on her thoughts about her sudden day off.
[Rem: As of today, it’s been 3 days since the last check……today it’s necessary to check if the mountain’s barrier is properly established, so. And the chaos of the demon beasts’ incident has finally settled down, so.]
The work that Subaru remembered and Rem had forgotten──it was the confirmation of the barrier.
The reason for yesterday’s uproar with the demon beasts was because of them neglecting to control the barrier used for isolating the demon beasts that lived on the mountain. Thus, they stuck another new barrio onto the mountain and were checking on it in fixed intervals until it established. Today was the appointed day for that confirmation, and Rem caught Subaru when he decided to head towards the mountain.
[Subaru: I can go to the designated spot of the crystal stone to check things like the brightness and if it’s shining by myself, you know? I’m hiking that much by myself, and yet you’re still worried?]
[Rem: I’m always worried about Subaru-kun, but that’s not all of it. I want to walk with Subaru-kun. Is that not okay?]
Rem’s proposal caused Subaru to look away and pat the tip of his nose with his finger. When Subaru brought his attention to the straightforward Rem looking at him, he let out a sigh as if he was beaten down by her persistence.
[Subaru: You’re hiking even on a day to rest. Rem sure is surprisingly fond of the outdoors.]
[Rem: You said that I could always rely on you whenever I’m with Subaru-kun, after all. That’s what you told me.]
[Subaru: That sure puts me on the spot. It’s fine, let’s go together. No road is long with good company.]
[Rem: ──Yes.]
In continuance with Subaru starting to walk, Rem walks while being half a step back.
This distance and speed were the most comfortable for Rem. They weren’t side-by-side, but she wasn’t lagging behind either. However, Subaru would occasionally look back to take a glance at her.
It was as if he was checking if Rem was keeping up properly.
Ever since she took notice of that gesture, this position was Subaru’s special seat to Rem. This time of being here with him was when she could feel the kindness of the black haired boys’ look in his eyes and his warm concern the most.
[Subaru: Hey, Rem. This day was decided by force, but was it a bother?]
[Rem: A bother?]
[Subaru: You looked like you were waiting in front of the gate, but I was just kinda thinking that it didn’t look like you were very calm. Never mind, can’t do anything about it now. It’s just a matter of taking care of things earlier.]
Subaru awkwardly trying to guess Rem’s emotions caused her to look like she was about to burst into laughter. Just like Subaru said, it was too late to worry about it now, so there was no point in breaking the ice with such anxiety. However, she started to feel a slight inclination to be unkind.
[Rem: That’s right. To speak the truth, I was arranging my thoughts when I was doing various work, and then things I wanted to do came into mind, which meant that I was prevented from doing them because of daily work.]
[Subaru: I apologize……..for being ignorant.]
[Rem: I also have various work arranged. I‘ve avoided it today, so that might cause me to be hindered by tomorrow’s arrangements and the arrangements after that day as well. It’s also true that I’ve been bothered because of that.]
[Subaru: I’m foolish…….Y─your little kindness has been a great…….]
Rem gave a side glance at Subaru, who was holding onto his chest and staggering. She stuck her little tongue out with real intent of doing so.
He surprised her, so this was enough revenge for her. Moreover, although she was surprised, she didn’t feel so bad about getting today’s day off.
[Rem: However, I am happy that Subaru-kun worried about me. I was able to find out about what Emilia-sama and Roswaal-sama normally thought about me. I want to express my gratitude for that.]
Incidentally, she was able to find out about Puck’s mysterious brain and Beatrice’s way of using fortitude magic as well. Rem also wanted to try copying that way of washing by turning the clothes round and round in the hot water.
Rem’s response caused Subaru to stop walking. He had his mouth wide open, and after that, he curled his lips upon realizing the fact that he had been teased by her.
[Subaru: It seems like you’d be intimate with me enough to pull a joke on me, and that makes me happy. Good grief.]
[Rem: Sorry. However, you truly did surprise me with something sudden. Besides, if the mansion can function like it did today without myself, then that makes me feel lonesome.]
[Subaru: No. Even if you say that, things like housework especially cannot be done when the potential of war in the mansion becomes concentrated like it did today. Moreover, when I woke up and thought about the amount of work Rem had finished until breakfast, I actually had doubts about if the mansion would function well throughout the day with this potential of war.]
[Rem: No matter how you look at it, that’s over exaggerating things.]
[Subaru: Can you really say that as someone who does the work of about 5 people all by herself? You can properly acknowledge yourself more, you know. I won’t complain if you make a smug face just a few times every now and then.]
Rem could only be happy about Subaru saying that and giving her his acknowledgement.
If she could get Subaru to say things to that extent, it’d also make it worth it for her to put in efforts in her work.
In the mansion, today she also got a lot of words from Emilia and Roswaal that made her happy.
She had nothing but gratitude for Subaru, who was the first person to say something, and she started to feel nothing but feelings of wanting to repay him for his kindness.
[Rem: Subaru-kun.]
[Subaru: Hmm? What’s up? Feel like making a smug face now?]
[Rem: Thank you.]
[Subaru: Why did you just thank me!? Was I not building up for my gratitude for all these times!?]
Subaru gets confused as if he had taken in an unexpected reply as Rem puts her hand on her mouth and smiles.
──She did all this to show that this boy was precious, precisely because he was not aware of it himself.
6
The next morning, Rem woke up earlier than usual, took more care of her personal appearance than usual, finished the routine tasks feeling brighter than usual, and visited Ram at the usual time.
[Rem: …..Halfway there.]
She slipped her into the towel blanket, and lifted the body of her habitually complainful sister. She sat behind Ram, whose head was shaking unsteadily, and fixed her hair pink hair with a comb.
[Rem: Nee-sama, here’s the steam towel.]
She handed over the towel steamed with hot water to the yawning Ram. The absent-minded Ram wiped her face hard with it, slowly awakening her consciousness. While she did this, Rem brought out the change of clothes, and she quickly helped Ram take off her nightclothes, changing her clothes into her uniform instead. She was now accustomed to this worker technique.
[Ram: ……Rem, you’re in a very good mood this morning.]
Ram was completely awake. Rem was humming while dressing her up, which made Ram loosen her pale lips and mutter those words.
[Rem: Am i? …….I guess so. I was able to have a very valuable day off yesterday. It also caused trouble for Nee-sama…]
[Ram: ……Did you rest thoroughly?]
Ram enquired her about her day with brief words.
In response, Rem thinks about yesterday. She remembered the dinner with Ram and Roswaal’s collaborated meal. She remembered when the clothes were drying when Beatrice slept in the sun, along with Puck who was sent flying by a sudden gust of wind. She remembered Emilia, who broke a vase in the middle of cleaning and then wandered around while looking like she was about to cry. And then she remembered walking with Subaru on the mountain road, along with the words they exchanged.
──Every one of those memories gave Rem an obvious answer to present.
[Rem: Yes, Nee-sama. I had the world’s happiest day off yesterday.]
[Ram: ──I see. That’s good then.]
In response to Rem answering with a smile, Ram closed her eyes and then nodded with a satisfied look. It was a facial expression that even Rem couldn’t see readily; it was Ram’s facial expression of feeling at peace from the bottom of her heart.
She quietly turns her eyes towards the window, looking outside with that calm face. Then
[Ram: Barusu makes some useful suggestions too, huh.]
[Rem: Yess. Subaru-kun is amazing. You think so too, right Nee-sama?]
[Ram: An expectation like that has made me reconsider my words.]
Rem’s dishonest sister’s reply made her give a childish pout. A gesture like this was something that Rem only showed in front of Ram, although now it was specially increased with another person.
Ram was finished changing into her clothes. She took a pose in front of the mirror and Rem gave an applause. And from there, when they were leaving the passage with just the two of them, Subaru came along at the exact same time while yawning and walking in the corridor.
They took notice of Subaru and then he stifled his yawning with a smile as he raised his hand.
[Subaru: Good morning you two……..Why is Nee-sama glaring at me in the morning?]
[Ram: You don’t know? A woman makes a face like this when she finds a dark grey corpse in the morning.]
[Subaru: I don’t want to think of that as the answer to my question!]
It seemed that the conversation they had in the room was being prolonged. Ram was cold to Subaru from the beginning of this morning. Moreover, while holding a wry smile, Rem made a decision to at least have herself treat Subaru nicely.
[Rem: Subaru-kun, please don’t worry about it. Nee-sama is just a little frank.]
[Subaru: That doesn’t act as a follow up with how I was treated as a dark gray corpse.]
It failed for some reason.
There would occasionally be times when Rem’s attempts to show concern didn’t go well. When this happened, she would tilt her head.
Anyhow, Subaru sighed deeply, put aside the shock from just now, and looked at Rem.
[Subaru: By the way Rem, recapping on yesterday, did you enjoy your rest on your sudden day off?]
[Rem: Thanks to Subaru-kun, yes of course I did.]
[Ram: Tsche.]
[Subaru: Nee-sama, you clicked your tongue right now, didn’t you?]
Subaru glared at Ram’s face from the side as she turned away. Rem was satisfied from having found even greater joy while Ram was feeling jealous about their intimacy.
[Subaru: Well Rem being able to smile while looking like she’s enjoying herself is what matters the most.]
Rem, who had loosened her cheeks, spontaneously takes notice of Subaru, and Subaru also let out a smile while scratching his cheek, looking as if he was embarrassed.
[Subaru: So Rem, you only had yesterday as a day to think about it, but did you think about your reward? There’s no way you’re going to tell me something like you had tons of things to do even while resting from everything on your day off, right?]
[Rem: I won’t say that. But as for my reward, I’ve already received it.]
[Subaru: Eh, seriously? I didn’t hear about this. Ros-chi, that bastard. That’s cold of him.]
Puzzling over the matter, Subaru pouted his lips at the head of the household who wasn’t there. However, it was a simple misunderstanding. It was a terrible false accusation towards Roswaal.
Because after all, Rem’s reward was none other than Subaru’s suggestion itself──something that was enough to accept for her.
──Everyone in the mansion showed concern for Rem and worked together, with no compensation, in order to come up with a solution for the one day off. Everyone made her feel her own worth. There’s no way that there was any reward greater than her coming to understand that reality. Thus,
[Rem: ──I’ll do my best with my work today too.]
Rem said that, showing a smile to the two people she cared about──a smile that was more charming than usual.
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