As Subaru proudly crossed his arms, declaring his desire to work in the mansion, the room fell into a state of bewilderment. The twins wore expressions of slight confusion, Beatrice displayed clear disgust, and Tanaka and Emilia, in particular, were taken aback.
Emilia's beautiful face became restless, her astonishment evident as she opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish. She couldn't comprehend Subaru's unexpected decision.
Looking back at Emilia, Subaru shrugged in disappointment. "Well, to be frank, I considered the possibility that this mansion is already overflowing with servants, but... Come on, I think you can squeeze in another spot for me. And if that's not possible, well... Sorry about this, Tanaka, but I'm going to steal your job."
Emilia stuttered, trying to find the right words. "I-It isn't really for me to say, but isn't that a bit..."
Interrupting her, Tanaka took a deep breath and mustered the courage to speak up. "It's okay, even if it's not my place to talk, I'm going to say it." Tanaka then took another, very deep breath and then proceeded to speak up, "Are you stupid!?"
Subaru, trying to defuse the tension with humor, retorted, "Are you intimidated that I'm going to take over? Well, we can decide who deserves the job through a series of tic tac toe matches!"
Tanaka shook his head, exasperated. "That's not it, you dumbass! You received a reward from royalty. Her patron literally offered you anything you want, even wealth. And you choose to be a butler?"
Emilia chimed in, her voice filled with frustration. "That's right! What you're asking for is too little!!" She slammed her hands on the table and advanced on Subaru, poking his chest repeatedly. "Listen, it's not just about Puck, okay? I'm also talking about...something different. Remember when you asked me for my name back in the royal capital?"
Emilia listed off the times where Subaru could've claimed a more substantial reward, to the best of her knowledge.
Tanaka's eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait! When he saved you, he asked for your name as a reward?"
Subaru cringed, feeling embarrassed. "Ahhhhhhhhh, stop bringing up my dark past already!"
Emilia shook her head, struggling to comprehend Subaru's perspective. "You don't understand just how grateful I feel. Such a... such a thing isn't enough to repay you at all for saving my life..."
Tanaka agreed with Emilia, feeling that Subaru's request was an insult to her. "Yeah dude, it's like you're saying that her life is only worth this much. Instead, you should say, 'Alright, I want massive wealth for me and my friend Tanaka'."
Rem couldn't help but interject, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "Hey, Tanaka, you're letting your inner thoughts slip."
Ram joined in, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Hey, Tanuki, you're finally showing your true colors."
Subaru, feeling attacked, lashed out. "Begone, you devil! All you care about is money!"
Tanaka: "Of course I care about money, how do you think bills get paid, I mean, can I pay the electricity company in compliments? Will the grocery store accept my impeccable dance moves as currency? I don't think so!"
As the room filled with tension and arguments, Roswaal saw an opportunity to strike up a conversation. He approached Beatrice, aiming to talk with Puck, who was beside her.
Roswaal inquired, "What? Did you give that boy a reward, O' Great Spirit?"
Puck responded casually, "Yeah. He just wanted to be able to pat my fluffy body as much as he wanted. He's a first-class lover of fluffiness."
Beatrice showed her disapproval. "Bubby's!? What an awful boy, I suppose... He should be driven out at once, in fact!"
Tanaka agreed with Beatrice, adding a touch of humor. "Actually, I agree. We should enroll him in a school for special people instead."
Subaru, intentionally ignoring the insults and bickering, placed his hand on Emilia's delicate shoulder. She looked up at him with her amethyst eyes, her lips quivering with curiosity.
Subaru couldn't help but think, 'Oh no, she is insanely cute.'
Despite his hormonal urges, Subaru managed to regain control and spoke sincerely to Emilia, expressing his true feelings.
Subaru: "You don't understand, Emilia-tan. At that time, at that very moment, that was what I truly wanted from the bottom of my heart, you see?"
Emilia responded with a confused expression, and Tanaka continued staring, dumbfounded.
They couldn't help but exclaim, "___HUH?"
Subaru continued, pouring his heart out. "At the time, I wanted to know your name so much that I could write it down as a 'serious' thing and read the word as 'critically important'. I was super-duper hungry, anxious about this new world, my feet were unsteady beneath me, and I felt there were a lot of things I had to obtain. That's only if I stopped to think about it, though. But I'm a man who won't lie to himself."
He had died three times just for that.
He had done so merely for the sake of seeing the smiling face of the silver-haired girl in front of his eyes and knowing her name.
At that moment, there was no greater reward he could have wished for.
Everyone fell into deep silence, sensing the sincerity and weight of Subaru's words. Everyone except Tanaka, who couldn't help but burst out with his honest thoughts.
Tanaka: "Wow, I must admit. That's the dumbest fucking shit I have ever heard. You're trying to make it seem cool, but it's not. It's fucking stupid. You call asking another person's name, a basic human interaction, a reward! Do you know how I got to know her name? I know it's crazy, but try to burn some brain cells to comprehend, are you ready? I just asked her! I know, crazy right!"
Subaru, becoming more agitated with Tanaka making fun of him, exploded. He couldn't understand the significance of their first meeting, their encounter at the alleyway where Emilia saved his life, and the fact that she used an alias to hide her true identity. That was the reason why he wanted to know her real name.
Subaru couldn't contain his frustration. "Ahh, SHUT UP! I know I haven't thought well about those rewards, but I thought well enough about this one. Did you forget that we are from another world? I don't have money, I don't know anything about the currency, I can't read or write the language of this world. What good will come if I take a bunch of money if in the end I'm going to spend it all and become homeless? So as far as I'm concerned, this is the best option, right?"
Subaru's response made Tanaka go silent, realizing that he had a point. With their current knowledge and circumstances, there wasn't much they could do on their own. Staying in this mansion and slowly adapting to this new world might be their best option, but...
Tanaka couldn't help but think, 'It's such a waste.'
It was like trading a pile of gold for a bottle of water in the middle of the desert, knowing they would die of dehydration.
"…You could have lived here as a guest instead of working, you know?" Emilia added, her voice filled with concern.
Subaru's eyes widened in realization. "—Why didn't I think of that!? How about it, Roswaal!?"
Upon hearing the teary-voiced retort, Subaru turned around as if he had bounced to look at Roswaal, who became his ray of hope. However, he crossed his hands in front of his face, forming the shape of a big X. "Your first request has taken effect. A man doesn't go back on his word, now does he?"
Subaru's hopes were shattered as Roswaal reminded him of their agreement.
Subaru wailed in despair. "Waaaaaagh! Right, that's right! A man doesn't go back on his word, huh!?"
Tanaka sighed in relief. "Oh, thank god! I thought for a second that I might have to serve him. What do you know? This really turned out to be the best outcome after all."
Subaru tearfully realized that his request had been denied because someone just had to open their big mouth earlier. Reluctantly accepting his fate, Subaru thought about his future work life. "I really want to go back to that moment and say, 'Take care of me!' instead."
Emilia couldn't help but tease him. "You know, for a moment, I thought you were actually serious... but I guess it was just my imagination."
Subaru mused, feeling disappointed. "And then you just give me a lower rating like that, Emilia-tan! I have really hit rock bottom."
Subaru's opportunity to become a shut-in in another world slipped away due to his slip of the tongue.
Subaru sighed and changed the topic. "Well, where are the rest of the workers anyway?"
The room fell silent again, it was then Tanaka gave him a sympathetic look before sighing. "Hah."
Subaru panicked, fearing the worst. Trembling, he muttered, "It can't be..."
Emilia brought him back to reality, reminding him of the truth. "Until you and Tanaka came, Rem and Ram were handling nearly all the maintenance around this huge mansion. Those two are amazing, you know."
Subaru couldn't believe it. "Are you an idiot? How can two people handle such a huge mansion like this? No matter how great those two are, even they might die of overwork. Or do you have some kind of 'I can't hire more servants' restriction holding you back?"
Hearing Subaru's question, Roswaal remained silent for a time, crossing his hands on the table. On his face was a smile, yet there were clear emotions in his eyes as he looked in his direction, altering the atmosphere.
This was the sound of a rising sound of a flag, perceiving that something had gone wrong, but Subaru didn't pay attention to it. Instead, he brought out his dessert, an apple he'd been yearning for, and began munching on it.