1.4

"Interesting. So that's why he gave mew these abbles for your troubles."

Cat ears twitching, the speaker thrust a fork into a mountain of sliced red fruit and raised a juicy morsel to smiling lips with perfect grace.

Those short feline ears were the same color as the shoulder-length flaxen hair below them, and the white ribbon adorning those locks joined large, round, teasing eyes to complete the picture of a pretty girl—who was actually a boy.

Subaru replied, "Well, I already taste tested them, so all I had to do was hand them to the kitchen. Setting that aside, don't give me sidelong glances and lick your lips. It's giving me chills."

No, knowing both his external appearance and his actual gender, the proper term was definitely pretty boy.

It was in between meals, some time prior to supper, and abbles had been brought in as a light snack. Cadmon had given them the fruit as a souvenir, looking both grateful and deeply burned at how Rem had broken his store's sales record in a short span of time. She had returned to her quarters for a change of clothes, intending to rendezvous with him later in his room as the daily ritual during Subaru's stay in the capital continued until suppertime.

Subaru remarked, "That said—man, returning to my room only to find a pretty boy sneaking into it ahead of me… I was careless for not leaving the door locked, but isn't that, you know, impolite for a knight?"

"Aww, it's fine, no, isn't it? It's just proof how much Ferri can relax around you. Besides, Lady Crusch could never see Ferri act so lazy, even by accident."

The pretty boy—Ferris—flopped right down next to Subaru's flank. As Subaru felt the bed bounce against his rear, Ferris looked up meaningfully from his position on his belly.

"Did your heart flutter just now?"

"It skipped a beat. I don't think anything bad about you, but I just don't have those kinds of interests at all. I like girls, as ordinary and regular as they come." No matter how adorable he might look, the fact they were the same gender was a barrier that Subaru had no intention of crossing. He shook his head in exasperation at Ferris's shocked expression. "In the first place, I have no idea what your reason is for being so relaxed around me. I mean, it's not like I remember getting along especially well with you before. I'm not giving off some kind of pheromones I should be worried about, am I…?"

Ferris put his chin on his palms and responded blithely.

"Ah, that's pretty simple, actually. It's because there's no doubt meowtsoever that you're weaker than Ferri, Subawu. You're a weakling, so no worries."

Subaru blinked once and murmured, "You have a really bad personality, geez."

"Wooow, what a surprise! Ferri was sooo sure mew were going to blow your lid there…"

"Hey, facts are facts. I'm not gonna get bent out of shape over that."

Subaru had learned many times over just how feeble he was. Since being summoned from his own world, he'd had his powerlessness repeatedly pounded into him. If the day of the clash with Julius at the parade square was the greatest example in terms of quality, the number of times Wilhelm had smacked him to the ground there at the mansion provided quantity. Besides, that sense of powerlessness wasn't particular to his new world, either.

The pain of his own frailty was something he'd experienced everywhere he had ever lived.

"Well, you can keep saying I'm weak, but how about you? I mean, since you're a part of the Knights of the Royal Guard, you've probably been trained some, but…"

"Mm, me? Ferri doesn't have any skill with a sword at all. Knights' swords are heavy, so Ferri doesn't carry one—just the dagger from Lady Crusch. Nothing good will come of waving it around, so Ferri doesn't."

Ferris's cackling laugh and kicking feet embarrassed Subaru. The sight of the cat-eared boy so casually admitting his own shortcomings made his chest burn, plain and simple. His attitude—not thinking of weakness as a failure—was not one Subaru could dismiss so easily in his current state.

Ferris seemed to see right through the silent Subaru's inner thoughts as he made an addendum.

"But Ferri has other redeeming features, mew know? That's why being completely mewseless as a knight isn't upsetting at all."

"Good save. Well, if you accept it then that's totally fine… Totally fine."

Ferris's confident declaration was no doubt built on a very strong foundation. Subaru, with no such footholds, averted his gaze in distinct discomfort.

Perhaps because Subaru turned his back doing so, Ferris sat up from where he lay on the bed and nestled into Subaru's shoulder, letting it support his weight. Then he asked a question.

"Nervous?"

"On the first day I was, but not anymore. If you're gonna do it, please, go ahead."

"Boooooring."

Pouting, Ferris sat Subaru up and put his hands on both of his shoulders. It was a shoulder rub posture, but Ferris held still in that position, silently closing his eyes.

—The warmth passing from Ferris's palms began to circulate from Subaru's shoulders into his whole body. The power of the water mana in his hands met the magical mechanism inside Subaru's body called a gate, rising and flowing through it.

Ferris spoke again.

"Gently, slowly, softly. Ah, found a split end. It feels like you've been working unusually hard, Subawu. Ah, a gray hair, too. Yanking that…"

"Ow! And could you not babble when you're working? All this mana sloshing around in my body feels pretty icky. If you aren't careful, you're gonna make me dizzy."

His head felt a little heavy, and his limbs were sluggish. His body felt like it was reacting poorly to the attempted treatment.

Ferris was the preeminent water magic user in the royal capital—real name Felix Argyle. The reason Subaru was lodging at the Crusch villa was so that he could take advantage of the healing magic to heal his damaged gate.

The idea of healing via water magic might have called to mind something cool and refreshing, but in practice, it was nothing that simple. A gate was the means by which one used magic. The direct cause of the damage to Subaru's gate was repeated overuse, as well as doping when his mana was depleted.

Thanks to that continual abuse, just bringing his gate back to a normal state required rather rough measures.

Subaru offered a comment.

"So this healing technique is like taking a hose that water only trickles out of, plugging the leak and pushing out all the mold and junk that's built up inside…"

"What? From the way you're speaking, it feels like mew aren't very happy about this, meow?"

"I'm just beating myself up. Don't worry about it. Ugh, this feels gross."

Subaru shook his head, enduring the sensation while trying to placate Ferris, whose mood had worsened.

It was the third day he had been living at Crusch's mansion—in other words, the third day of Ferris's treatment—so perhaps he had begun to grow a little accustomed to that part, too. On the first day, he'd groaned out loud from the very start, unable to silently endure the urge to vomit.

It was Ferris's turn to speak up.

"Well, that first day couldn't be helped. Ferri had to pump this directly through the worst, ickiest part. That's what happens when you're a living corpse with wounds all over your mind and body, meow?"

"You don't go halfway when you poke at uncomfortable stuff, do you?"

Subaru hated how Ferris, who should have been unable to see the look on his face, seemed able to read his thoughts through his body. One might say that the way he unflinchingly dug at Subaru's scars was far craftier than how Reinhard unconsciously peeled the scabs off his heart without even realizing.

"Oh, Subawu, it feels like mew really are thinking of getting payback. The training you're doing with Grandpa Wil isn't unrelated to that, is it?"

"Can you stop jabbing at a guy where it hurts? I'm sure even you understand how I feel… Wait, do you?!"

"Of course. Ferri's been like, 'I wanna be strong!' too… Well, Ferri's given up on doing anything reckless like that, though."

Ferris's tone sounded slightly more serious as he used his pretty-boy speaking style to dance around the matter.

Subaru was a little surprised, sensing Ferris's reaction contained his real feelings on the matter. Even someone as unflinching as that had had moments in the past when he was uncertain or lost. But eventually, he had realized his potential for magic and gave up the path of the warrior.

What about Subaru, then? Did he have anything he could boast of to others? And if he could find such a thing, would it be able to drive away the miserable aching in his chest…?

"Point being, you should give up on dark thoughts like getting payback, okay? It's a little hard to say, but… If there is a next time, you might die, mew know?"

With a sulky look, Subaru closed one eye, his reply a barely spoken murmur.

"…Even I know that."

The earlier battle with Julius had ended with Subaru being pummeled beyond description. And in spite of the pounding he had received, he understood that the knight had gone easy on him.

There was no other way to explain how he had been struck so many times yet had not suffered any lasting effects. That wasn't due to Ferris's skill as a healer alone. The difference between Subaru and Julius had simply been that overwhelming.

Fully aware of this, Subaru had asked Wilhelm to teach him. He wasn't dreaming of becoming exponentially stronger in a mere several days of training. It was just…

"Can't you just let yourself be lazy? Your body's in bad shape, Subawu. No one would blame mew for sleeping the day away in recovery. Who would complain if mew take it easy and give your mind and body a rest?"

Ferris's words came out in a rush, not giving Subaru any time to make excuses. The way he said it grated on Subaru's nerves a little, but the message was extremely seductive given his current state of mind. For some reason, his heart wavered at that moment, though normally he would feel indignant. But…

The sound of a gentle voice pulled him back from his chaotic emotional state.

"—Master Felix, please do not toy with Subaru too much."

Rem was standing at the doorway of the room with a neutral expression on her face. She had supposedly returned to her room for a change of clothes, but her outward appearance was not visibly different from when she had been sightseeing with Subaru in the royal capital.

Noticing the questioning rise of Subaru's eyebrows, Rem grasped the hem of her skirt and twirled around as she said, "I changed out of my maid-uniform-for-errands into my maid-uniform-for-visiting."

"R-right, is that so. You always seem to know what I'm thinking, Rem."

"Yes. I always want you to see me fresh."

"I'm happy you feel that way, but your phrasing makes you sound like fresh vegetables…"

Subaru answered Rem's apparent request to evaluate her freshness, and the maid did not follow up. Rather, she shifted her gaze toward Ferris.

"I am grateful for the treatment you conduct for Subaru day after day. However, please desist from using that as an opportunity to lure him into temptation."

Ferris made a suspicious-sounding laugh and nestled into Subaru's back once more.

"'Luring into temptation' sounds so bad, meow. Ferri is only saying these things out of concern for his well-being."

The flow of power from his palms, coursing in via Subaru's shoulders, suddenly flooded through his back and into his entire body.

The influx of mana beyond Subaru's capacity to bear distracted him for a moment.

However, a soft impact against his head brought his wandering mind fluttering back into place.

"Master Felix. Please give these pranks a rest. There are some things I cannot let pass as a joke."

When Subaru gasped and regained his senses, white fabric covered his face. Straining his eyes, he realized that his face was pressed into a very familiar apron dress and that Rem was caressing his head.

"Hey, um, Rem, this is a little embarrassing to do in front of someone else…!"

Subaru tried to cover up his bashfulness with his usual jokes as Rem embraced him even tighter.

"Subaru, be quiet for a moment—Master Felix?"

Her tongue formed polite words, but they carried cold emotion.

Ferris traced little patterns on Subaru's back like a child whose prank had been figured out.

"Oh. They did say you can use a few water arts, Rem. Guess that would make you object to what Ferri has been doing…"

"Hey, Ferris. Having a pretty boy do weird finger stuff like that doesn't make me happy one little b… Er, wait, Rem? My head, ah, feels good, but don't…hug…so…strong—l… Gyah!!"

"Ahh, Subaru, I'm so sorry. Master Felix just wouldn't pull back… I thought, if someone was going to take you from me, it was better that I…"

"That statement's going dangerous places!!"

Feeling like his skull was creaking, Subaru rolled to the floor to escape from both Ferris and Rem. He warily glared at the other two from the corner of the room, while Rem visibly lamented as she shook her head.

"Subaru, you poor thing. You've gone through quite an ordeal, haven't you?"

"What you were saying at the end was the scariest of all, Rem! There's a crazy little yandere in you, isn't there?!"

Ignoring Subaru's objections, Rem faced off against Ferris across the bed. She gazed emotionlessly as the cat boy twirled his finger around his flaxen hair with a mischievous expression.

"You have a reason to be angry, Rem, but it wasn't all some scheme by Ferri, mew know? It was for Subawu's sake, just a teeny widdle bit."

"And everything besides that 'little bit'?"

"The rest was for my friend's feelings, and everything else was for Lady Crusch. That's natural for a retainer, isn't it? It's no different for you, is it, Rem?"

"It is not. Accordingly, you must understand what my reply must be, Master Felix."

Ferris must have sensed something in Rem's stare, because he soon raised both hands in surrender.

"Okay, okaaaay. Ferri will stop using the treatment to brainwash him."

"From here on, I shall be present for all treatments."

"Meow, no trust at all. Well, that's fine, really."

Ferris glanced sideways at Subaru. When Rem shifted, as if protecting Subaru from that gaze, Ferris stretched up and looked down at him over Rem's shoulder.

"So that's enough lecturing from Rem for today. Our next date will be somewhere she won't find us, meowkay?"

"I don't remember dating you, and you just said 'brainwash,' didn't you?! I'm not meeting up alone with a guy who'll say something freaky like that!"

"Okay, okay, that sounds like a yes."

"No doesn't mean yes, geez!!"

Ferris, waving as if the matter were settled, hopped off the bed and stretched as he headed toward the door. He stopped right before putting his hand on the doorknob as he looked back.

"Rem."

"Yes?"

"You might not believe this, but… The part about this being for Subaru's sake, it wasn't a complete lie, mew know?"

"…I…understand."

Since Subaru was standing behind Rem, he couldn't see her expression. But he sensed that her brief reply held just a slight bit of hesitation.

"Ah. Well, that's good. Bye-bye, then!"

With a smile, Ferris gave his carefree salutation and finally left the guest room.

Subaru, feeling utterly exhausted for some reason, flopped down from the sudden rush of lethargy.

"I'm supposed to be getting treatment. Why do I have to feel this tired from it?"

"Are you all right, Subaru?"

"Mmm… I'm all right…I think. I don't really get it, but you saved me from something?"

"That is unclear. Master Felix does not appear to hold any ill will toward you, so… I do not know the true motives behind his previous behavior."

Seeing Rem ponder the matter, Subaru turned his head, perplexed.

"Errr, so what state was I in earlier, anyway?"

"Until just now, Master Felix was interfering with all the mana in your body, Subaru."

"That so? Just figured healing required it. It's not a good feeling, and it's pretty awful, to be honest, but somehow I put up with it…"

"Having another person's mana in you like that is the same as taking that person inside you. That made Master Felix's words much easier for you to accept, you see."

"The way you said that sounds pretty bad, you know?!"

Subaru stood up in a hurry, patting his body down to check things out.

"Am I all right? There's nothing weird going on? My heart isn't becoming more womanly or my speech having more feminine twists to it or something?!"

"It is all right, Subaru. You are quite splendid. I am always watching you, so please believe me."

Subaru thought for a moment that he couldn't allow the peculiarities of her statement, but instead, he let it roll over him as he patted his chest down in relief. He also gained a new appreciation for just what position he was in.

"Now that I think of it, this is, like, one of the enemy's main headquarters. I've been relaxing and letting my guard down a lot, though…"

"Please be at ease. It is true that you are incorrigibly laid-back and slow to catch on, but I am keeping guard, so there is nothing for you to be concerned about."

"You couldn't leave out the 'incorrigibly laid-back' part?!"

That moment, the truth struck him clear as day. Just imagining how much Rem had been waging a one-woman war while he was idly whiling away his time made him want to run out the door.

"I'll try to be a bit more careful from now on. Everyone here is an enemy, after all."

"…An enemy, you say?"

He was trying to pull himself together after having been so focused on one thing. But in his determination, Subaru didn't notice that Rem was murmuring something.

After ensuring his body was safe and sound, Subaru gazed at the magic crystal on a wall of the room to check the time.

"Oh, time's a-wasting. How about you help me study until we get called for dinner, Professor Rem?"

Subaru headed to a desk in the room. The remaining abbles were on top of the desk, sitting alongside study material he had brought with him from Roswaal's mansion.

In other words, it was study time for Subaru, who had not yet mastered the language of this other world.

"I really cannot get accustomed to being addressed like that."

"Well, I think it's all right, since you're the one doing the teaching… If you don't like it, I can stop, Professor."

"No! Please continue! It is something you call only me by! So Subaru may not call anyone else that! If you do, I will be upset!"

"Well, if you're gonna be like that, I'll be relentless, too! Nggggh, you won't outdo me…!"

Subaru chose an odd point to make a show of stubbornness, fiercely turning toward the table. Rem stood behind Subaru, watching him affectionately. But from time to time, she would stare into the distance, her mind wandering as her face showed faint signs of strain.

"Professor, I don't understand this part very well…"

But all traces of that look vanished the instant she heard Subaru's voice.

"Oh Subaru, you are helpless. You could not get anything done if I were not here with you. I would not mind if you demonstrated your gratitude from time to time…?"