The rising sun set things into motion and the second first day in Roswaal Manor began.
I just need to watch the sun rise and set for five days. And I obviously need to follow the flow of the previous loop as much as I can. That was the policy Subaru had taken.
True to his determination in the garden, Subaru intended on fulfilling the pre-loop promise he'd made with Emilia. In order to do so, he had to make it to that moonlit night again and make that promise with her.
There was one conclusion that could more or less be established as a general rule in loop-style stories: if you follow the same route, the story will end up in the same place. This was only natural since it would follow the same sequence of events as the previous one. The thoughts and actions of those involved would overlap, resulting in the same end result.
What Subaru cared about was changing the end result alone into a future he desired, as well as doing everything that happened in between again to create the same memories. In other words, his ultimate goal was to get the most out of the loop.
By making use of quick save and load, let's make the conclusion more to my liking. Such was the noble, yet somewhat evil, plan Subaru had, but… "—It seems like, things took a turn for the worse for some reason," he complained listlessly, blowing bubbles as he sank into the tub.
Everything had been going against Subaru's expectations from day one.
△▼△▼△▼△
Subaru looked back on his day while floating in the tub with his arms and legs spread out.
The morning filled with determination and the great tragedy that followed with tremendous momentum.
Right after the morning routine with Emilia, Subaru had secretly made up his mind to follow the steps of the previous loop.
To be honest, I don't think I was able to trace the details of what I had said in the spur of the moment, but the general flow of the conversation must have been the same as last time. The right to pet Puck, Emilia's nickname, and the first interaction with Roswaal. And knowing the value of the insignia and Emilia's status.
I'm not sure if I was able to present my reactions to them naturally in between, but I want to praise myself for doing it well. I feel like giving myself a star and saying, "You did a great job."
"If I had to grade it, the result would be pretty pathetic though, so I'll pass on that."
Leaving aside the criticism of his acting, things were going according to Subaru's plans, at least a little.
After that, the topic naturally shifted to Subaru's reward, and just like last time, he changed his class from 'Shut-in from Another World' to 'Apprentice Servant of a Perverted Nobleman.'
What followed was Ram being appointed as his instructor, and then his first day of work began after he was shown around the manor. —Things took a strange turn from here.
"I don't know why, but it's different from last time. I felt like I was already prepared for everything, too… I was totally gonna go all 'I learned the answer to this question in my Shinken classes!'" muttered Subaru as he poked his head out of the bathtub, resting his chin on the edge of it.
While his entire body was getting warmed up, he could feel his joints aching as the memories came back to him. What made Subaru have second thoughts about his policy of following the actions he took in the previous loop as closely as possible was the nature of the work Ram had assigned him. He had to do things like kitchen work, basic room cleaning, and sometimes washing and folding clothes. The tasks were the same as the previous loop's, but…
"The work content had become much more difficult…"
I should simply say that the amount and quality of work I was entrusted with had both increased. If I had to put it in a bad way, then the amount of work I had been forced to do had increased.
"I was exhausted with the work last time, but it was also hard this time… Damn it, I thought it'd be a bit easier to do since it was the same stuff as before."
Subaru complained about the unexpectedly harsh situation while at the same time concluding inwardly that his situation wasn't all that great.
This was the result of trying to follow the previous loop to a T. If the content had changed so much from day one, then there was no way he could match the flow of the second day onwards with the previous loop's.
On one hand, he thought he didn't need to worry about the small differences, but on the other, he feared the possibility of such small changes accumulating and creating a huge change at the end.
"Especially in this case since I don't know why I went back…"
The situation this time was that I had gone to bed normally, but when I woke up, I realized I went back in time… Thinking of a countermeasure this time is a pain since, unlike the last time I died and went back, it's not as clear since I don't even know why I went back.
"I wonder if I can trust my memory if things are this different…?" Subaru couldn't help but whine, then sank into the warm water to regain his composure.
He then recalled the immensely rich day when he first met Emilia in the royal capital. Although Subaru had taken a different path each time when it came to the finer details, the main events that occurred each time were the same.
I won't be able to tell if I messed up until I miss a big event. One such event that had left a lasting impression on Subaru recently, besides his first day here, was his promise with Emilia.
As long as I can get to it, I'll be able to do the same things as last time. And after I do that, all I have to do is figure out what happened after that.
His thoughts, which he had been unable to formulate during his hectic workday, somehow managed to come together in the solitude of the bathroom, allowing him to create a firm course of action. Naturally, Subaru noticed how good he was feeling in the warm water, but due to running out of air, he emerged from its embrace. After emerging, he coughed out the water in his lungs and took a deep breath while feeling the cool air on his skin, but then regretted doing so since—
"—Hey, may I accompany you?"
Right in front of Subaru's eyes was a naked nobleman with a hand on his hip. A cool breeze blew between his legs, reaching him. Naturally, since they were in the bathroom, the tall man was naked. Whether it was just how noblemen were, or because it was only natural to do in a bathroom, he was buck naked and wasn't even trying to hide his Excalibur. He was standing there at an arm's length, looking down at Subaru with his Excalibur swaying in the wind. It feels like a penis is looking down at me, which feels pretty damn humiliating.
"It's all reserved. I refuse."
"It's a facility in my mansion, so is it not myyy property? I'll dooo as I wish."
"Then don't ask. You can take a bath on your own."
"Oh, that's harsh. And youuu don't seem to understand. This bath is indeeeed my property, but…" Roswaal knelt and got closer to Subaru, who was looking up at him with disgust from inside the tub, and then extended his arm and gently pulled the vulnerable Subaru's chin up. "Would iiit not also be correct to say that you are my property too since you are my servant?"
Chomp
"You didn't hesitate!"
Subaru took a big bite of the unpleasant fingertip holding his chin, making Roswaal yelp, then backstroked away from him.
The bathtub is half the size of a twenty-five-meter pool. The huge, pointless, and spacious bathtub is lame, and it shows off that nobleman's taste for indulgence, but it's a pretty cool place where you can feel like a king while soaking in the tub alone.
Thus, Subaru's bath time after work had been a time of respite for him all throughout the previous loop, but… "An unexpected event again…" he muttered as he did a backward turn inside the tub. As his back drifted on the surface of the water, he curled himself into a small ball by pulling his knees in, executing a special technique he'd named the Warm Water Coconut Technique.
He let himself become one with the waves, as if he'd become an inorganic object, and started thinking as he stared into the hot water.
In the last four days, there hadn't been a single occasion where I had to bathe with Roswaal. Above all, Roswaal was extremely busy during the last loop, and I almost never had a chance to interact with him while I was in the manor.
It seemed like Ram and Rem were meeting him on a regular basis, but as for Subaru, he could count the number of times he'd interacted with him after the first day on one hand, excluding meals.
I haven't changed my routine of taking long baths to relax after a long day of work, so I guess that means he's the one who's changed.
"…Is thaaat, fun?" Roswaal asked.
"I'm pretending to be like the Coconut Boss, a tropical fruit and a lethal weapon. It's also known as the drifting killer of the beach. Despite its idyllic appearance, it can fall straight down from above the heads of unwary tourists, right on the back of the head."
"You really are good when it comes to babbling… Oh excuse me, I'll be occupying the space next to you."
Roswaal sat next to the floating Subaru, sank into the bathtub, and let out a long sigh. It went without saying that taking a hot bath was a universal pleasure. Subaru started putting some distance between him and the large, overly thin man that had drawn close to him, then stretched his body without a care in the world.
"Well then, Master. Isn't it a bit late to be taking a bath?"
"I've been a little busy with work, you seeee. It got laaate while I was dealing with it. Buuut, I'm glad I got the chance to talk with you like this. How was your first day?"
"It was productive, if anything. The muscles all over my body wanna do pillow talk. Wanna listen? I'm sure they'll whisper their woes into your ears until morning."
"It's a tempting proposal, buuuut my bed has already been reserved for the night. Maybe another time."
He started talking about it like it was nothing. "Damn it," Subaru cursed in frustration at his inability to do anything.
Even Subaru could guess that the relationship between the nobleman in front of his eyes and the twin maids was beyond shady, and it was an undeniable fact that they had such a relationship. Although Subaru was only interested in Emilia, and actually took it seriously by not showing interest in other women, he didn't have some warped sense of pleasure at the sight of two pretty girls becoming someone else's like, "Hee-hee, this kinda feels like being cuckholded!"
But he couldn't even be mature about it and say, "Please make them happy no matter what!" All Subaru could do was envy him.
"Oh yeah, are Ram and Rem doooing well? They've been working at the manor for a long time, so I'm sure they know how to treat their juniors."
Roswaal mentioned the names of the girls Subaru was thinking about, whether he was aware of Subaru's inner thoughts or not.
I feel like Roswaal is playing me like a fiddle, but… "Yeah," Subaru said with a nod before continuing. "Not so well with Remrin, but I'm getting along with Ramchi. Rather, isn't Ramchi too unaware of social boundaries? She's been treating me the same way since I was a guest."
"It's fiiine, Rem will assist her in the things she lacks. Sisters should help each other. Both of them are doing really well in that regard."
"From what I have heard, Rem is the one who helps out with everything, and that Ram is the inferior version."
There's a clear distinction between the sisters when it comes to who was better in every household chore. The elder sister lags a step or two behind the younger sister in all of the skills. If you think about it normally, it'd totally end up making her develop a crazy inferiority complex, but… "But I asked her about it, and she immediately answered that she was the better one since she was older. That kind of brazenness scared me."
"If we were to talk about brazenness, then you are also quiiite something… But I see. So, she answered like that. That's really…"
Roswaal shook his head sentimentally and leered at Subaru. Being stared at by his emotionless, heterochromatic eyes made him feel like his thoughts were being read by them, so he turned his body away slightly. And then…
"Being nosy aaand unreserved. Thaaat's a good thing."
"This isn't something I should be praised for, yet I'm being praised for it. It feels kinda strange! I take everything literally, so be careful if you're being sarcastic, alright? I'm the kinda guy that goes home when the teacher shouts at me to go home."
Subaru Natsuki was the kind of guy who would stir things up and then leave. He had a solitary nature and was born to be alone.
Roswaal let out a little chuckle at Subaru's words. "School, I seeee," he muttered, then closed one of his eyes. "I'm not being sarcastic or anything. I truly believe it to be a gooood thing. Siiince those two live in their own little world, something might change if someone stiiired things up a bit from the outside."
"Is that sooo."
"Thaaat's how it is."
There the two were, neck-deep in the bathtub, facing each other and exchanging sighs while feeling the warm, relaxing sensation, and sharing in their admiration for it. But then Subaru suddenly raised his eyebrows, as if he had just thought of something. "Hey, Rosy. I have a question. Can you reply with an answer?"
"I'm nooot used to nicknames, but it makes me happy to have one. And you have a question? Well, if it iiis something I can answer using my broad and deep knowledge, then I don't mind answering it after giving it some deep thought."
"It's my first time hearing a guy say, 'I know a lot' in such a roundabout way… Leaving that aside, how does this bath work?"
Subaru knocked on the bottom of the bathtub and asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time. The tub that Subaru and Roswaal were in was made of stone. It was polished and smooth to the touch, and while it looked a little rough, it wasn't. The bath was located in a part of the basement, and the bathing area was unisex.
However, the hot water gets exchanged each time someone uses the bath, so going in after Emilia and drinking the bathwater won't give me any sort of satisfaction.
"It… It's not like I actually drank it. I noticed it before drinking it."
"Your adventurous nature neeever ceases to amaze me. Is iiit because you are young…? But then, I wonder if that idea would have occurred to me when I was young?"
Roswaal looked distant as he thought of the past, and after pondering for a few moments, he returned to reality. "Anyway, the answer is simple. There is a layer of magic crystals of the fire element beneath the tub. When it's time to take a bath, mana activates the crystals, which heat the water. The same mechanism is used in the kitchen toooo, no?"
"Yeah, so the kettle and the other things follow the same principle. No, like there weren't any gas stoves or induction heaters, so I was wondering how things were done from time to time."
While Ram and Rem were handling things quickly, Subaru was in the background, timidly peeling a carrot-like vegetable.
But then I have no idea how the whole mana activation thing that he just casually explained to me works, and as long as I don't know how it works, I won't be able to help with the cooking or warming up the bath.
"Hey, can you do any of that mana hocus pocus if you aren't a magic user?"
"Thaaat isn't the case. Every living thing has a gate. Even animals and plants are no exceeeption. If this wasn't the case, then our civilization that relies on magic crystals wouldn't haaave developed to thiiis extent."
Subaru silently showed his lack of understanding at the appearance of the new word. Roswaal laughed at his sulky childlike attitude and started explaining. "The way you interact with spirits and what you did at breakfast this morning make you a biiit mysteriously out of touch with what is considered normal. Ram was also complaining about it, you knooow?"
"Huuuh, whaaat, reaaally? She was talking behind my back? That's really sinister. Oh nooo."
"She waaas covering up for you as much as she was complaining, and that's pretty rare."
"I was thinking bad about her, but she was just being a tsundere! I'm sorry, Boss!"
It's her growing soft on me, just like Emilia told me in the previous loop. But she's like falling for me on the first day, so isn't she a bit too easy to get as a heroine? I'm strangely concerned for her even though I never viewed her as a love interest to begin with.
"Hm." Roswaal touched his jaw and sighed while looking at Subaru who was shouting. "Alright. I'll give you a lecture heeere. You are a little ignorant, so let me teach you what it means to be a magic user."
"Hold on there buddy, I can't unhear that now. Are you saying that while knowing that I'm the guy who lived next door to Kawasaki, who was unrivaled when it came to fighting, and was no doubt the manliest of men, and whose knowledge and looks were in a different dimension, and who'd receive barrages of fancy words praising his greatness?"
"Who is this Kawasaki?"
"An old classmate of mine who's four grades ahead of me. His fiancée left him recently, near their wedding date due to the pre-wedding blues, and now he's heartbroken. Such a wonderful thing."
Although Roswaal didn't understand what Subaru meant, he must have sensed that it was something worthless, so he casually ignored what he was saying about Kawasaki and continued his lecture.
"Weeell then, leeet us start from the basics. You certainly know about Gates, don't you?"
"No, even if you start off with something like that as if I'm supposed to know it, the natural response from a person who doesn't know what it is would be like, 'What's that…?'"
"Your tooone dropped suddenly. So, you don't even know about Gates… If I had to put it mildly, it would be like, 'Huh? No cap?'"
"Did I use it correctly?" Roswaal asked Subaru to grade his usage of 'No cap' and Subaru replied with a thumbs up to show that he had scored an A, then they went for a high-five.
They pointed a finger at each other, as if saying 'Eyyyy', confirming that it had been used properly.
They then continued with the lecture.
"So, so, what is a Gate exactly? What happens if you have that, and everything is like 'who are you now!?' Shit, I'm getting high!"
"To put it simply, a Gate is a doorway that allows mana to pass in and out of your body. You absorb mana through the gate, and you release the mana through the gate. Whether you are going to utilize mana or store mana, it is essential."
"Gotcha. So it's like some kind of MP faucet…"
Roswaal's simple explanation made sense to Subaru.
I've heard the word 'Gate' a couple of times before, and it was affirmed that it was approximately what I had imagined it to be, so that means—
"If everyone has a gate, it means I have one too, right?"
"Well, of cooourse you have one, as long as you are sure that you are a human being. Are you human?"
"I haven't seen a more human-like human than me! —Puny and weak… An ordinary human."
"Well isn't thaaat a cool line? Thooough it doesn't suit the situation."
At least, it wasn't something a man should say to another man in the bathroom while buck naked.
But Subaru didn't care since this was possibly the second happiest he'd felt since getting summoned to this world after obtaining that information. He felt like his heart was going to burst due to the immense excitement he was feeling.
"Of course, meeting Emilia-tan was the happiest thing, but this one is also pretty amazing! So, I can finally become the magician I'd always dreamt about… I thought I had to wait 13 more years!"
"It's true that you need time to get good, but…thirteen years is too much, dooon't you think?"
"It's just a figure of speech, and the magicians I know of turn into one automatically on their birthday. Though that title is within my reach!"
If I still felt the same as I did before getting summoned into this world, then that would have been my fate, but here I have a girl that I am interested in who I can approach with my passionate heart burning with love.
I can say this now: This is why I was summoned here.
"I'll just go in and pew pew and graduate—that's the ending!"
"I'm happy you can get that excited about the topic of magic users, but even if you have a Gate, talent still plays quite a big role, you seeee. Though I know I'm just boaaasting, not many people are blessed wiiith as much talent as I from birth, you know?"
Beep!
Subaru heard the sound of a flag being established.
Roswaal was speaking confidently, but little did he know that the buck-naked man floating in the tub in front of him was the 'Invited One' that got summoned from another world. Subaru was no good when it came to strength, no good when it came to knowledge, and his luck was zero, or rather, in the negative, but a new hope appeared for him now.
—And that's, magic.
Subaru, feeling really sure about it for some reason, clenched his fists. And, unable to resist the urge, he swam towards Roswaal. "Hey, hey, Rosy. Magic, magic, let's talk about magic. I can feel it in my bones. There's no way I'm missing this big wave!"
"Is that sooo?" Let us continue then. Magic has four basic elements. Do youuu know what they are?"
"I dooon't."
"Ah-ha, pointless, purposeless, and innocent ignorance. How wonderful. I'm in a good mood, so I'll explain. The four elements are: fire, water, wind, and earth. Did you get thaaat?"
"All clear! And now continue, pretty please."
Though neither of them had drunk any alcohol, they were drunk on the mood and on a high. Roswaal, in a good mood due to being relied upon, nodded, then spoke. "The fire element is related to heat. The water element is related to life and healing. The wind element is related to the divine protections outside the bodies of living things. The divine protections within the body are related to the earth element. They are mostly divided into these four, aaaand on top of that, if a normal person has an affinity for one of them, it's considered good. Oh, and as a side nooote, I have an affinity for all four, you seeee."
"Woah, what a cocky bastard! But we won't be able to move forward if I get bothered by that, so I'll just pay you some lip service! Oh yeah baby, so amazing, fuck me, and that's all she wrote, folks! Now bring on the rest of the lecture! So, is there a way to find out your element!?"
Roswaal nodded magnanimously. "Ha-haa," he laughed and smiled gleefully at Subaru, who was splashing his hands in the water like he had some sort of plan in mind, then extended his palm. "Ooof course. When you are a magic user of my level, you can teeell with a mere touch. Well, in reality, I neeeed to enter the Gate itself to check."
"You serious!? No cap!? Woah, it's here! My expectations are through the roof! Come on, cop a feel and tell me all about it. Tell me about what, you say? About me!"
Subaru, forgetting that they were both naked, inched closer, wagging an invisible tail quickly enough to leave an afterimage. Roswaal looked at him as if he was looking at an untrained dog and smiled, then placed his palm on his forehead.
"Alright, now please give me a mooooment. Oh, and do tell me if you feel an itch somewhere."
"My ass feels itchy! But I'll scratch it myself! I'll save you the effort, so just focus on finding out my element! Woaaah, my heart is shaking with excitement!"
I want to forget all my worries for the time being and think about the wonder that lies ahead. I have hope, I have a dream, and I have a sense of certainty.
—That magic is going to be my fangs in the world I'd gotten summoned into.
Subaru wore a twisted smile, his sanpaku eyes glowing and making him seem belligerent. He waited for the result as his eyes glowed brightly. And then…
"—Alllright, I gooot it."
"Finally, I was waiting. What could it be, what could it be. Is it fire, reflecting my fiery passion? Or is it water, reflecting how cool and levelheaded I am? Or is it wind, which blows through a grassland in a cool and fresh manner like my temperament? No, no. Maybe my nice-guy nature that likes to take care of younger people and is easygoing and reliable came out, so my element might be earth, I guess?"
"Yeah, it's Yin."
"All rejected!?" Subaru reflexively exclaimed, as if he'd been diagnosed with a bad disease, not believing what he was hearing. And he wasn't acting, either. He truly was disappointed.
Roswaal opened his mouth slowly and spoke. "I have no doubt that iiiit is indeed Yin. Your connection with the other four elements is raaather weak, though that is pretty raaare."
"What the heck is Yin, anyways? Aren't there only four classifications? This has gotta be a classification error or something!"
"I didn't tell you this, but aside from the four main elements, there are the elements of Yang and Yin as well. Howeeever, as there aren't many people who have affinities for them, I decided to omit them from my explanation."
It seems like I'm one of the rare few, huh.
After hearing about it, his slightly panicking mind started to calm down.
Yeah, it's a super rare element—which means… "I'm sure it's a somewhat amazing element, right? Like it's something that only appears once every 5000 years!? Like you can use magic that people with other magic affinities can't use!?"
"Let's seee, Yin Magic is famous for…blocking an opponent's sight, cutting off sound, and slowing others down—those are the kind of spells that can be used, I suppoose."
"It specializes in debuffs!?"
I was expecting to be able to use some super destructive magic, or to be able to drag my enemies into a realm of darkness and rip them to shreds, or something powerful like that.
Judging from the way Roswaal was talking, it seemed like he really was feeling bad for him since he was taking his time to explain interference and debuff skills to him.
I wasn't given strength, intelligence, or any cheat skills… "And my element specializes in debuffs…"
"Byyy the way, you don't seem to have any talent for magic at all. For instance, if I'm a 10, the highest you can reach is 4."
"That's the last thing I wanted to hear! There's no God or Buddha in this world anymore!"
Subaru splashed the warm water violently and made a desperate pose. Roswaal looked at Subaru, who was floating on the surface of the water with his arms stretch out, with pity. However, Subaru, who was seriously disappointed, didn't feel like coming up with a witty comeback.
Roswaal still tried to cheer Subaru up, nonetheless.
"There, there. Yin-type magic can be handy, too. You can turn off people's sense of sight when you don't want to be seen, and you can stop sound from getting out if you don't want something to be heard."
"I see, so it's meant for holding secret talks, or rather, secret meetings. This is good, ha-ha-ha!" Subaru replied as he got up and started patting Roswaal's shoulder. And… "…Is that…cool?"
"Leaving aside it being cool or lame, girls who want to hold a secret meeting would suuurely find it useful. It all depeeends on how you use it. Either way, you are cuuuurently unable to wield it."
"That's right. Magic, magic I see… Even if debuffs are its specialty, not using it would be a waste. Shit, what should I do?"
Although thinking about it was making Subaru feel troubled, Roswaal made it sound as if it was no problem at all. "If you want to use it, then you can leaaarn it from someone. Luckily for you, we have a specialist of Yin Magic here."
"Oh yeah! That was an option! I don't even care about the type of magic and such anymore! As long as I have an excuse to learn magic, I don't care if I'll be able to use it or not! In other words!"
He emerged from the water, splitting it as he pointed one hand towards the ceiling and placed the other on his hip. He then jumped out in the nude, splashing water everywhere, and while Roswaal was looking at him, he struck a pose.
"I'll learn magic from the girl I like, yo. She can hold my hands, yo, feel my legs, yo, and grab my waist during the lesson, yo. It'll be a lesson with many such amazing options after I get off work, yo. And then we can sail towards the future together and eventually get visited by a stork, yo! Yippee ki-yay, yo!"
He decided his future plans with an impromptu rap.
If this is the case, then it's already decided. It's time to immediately act upon it.
His original goal of doing the previous loop over again had already somehow disappeared into the recesses of his mind. However, a wrench was soon thrown into his plans.
"I think you've misunderstood me, so I'm going to correct you. The specialist in Yin Magic iiisn't Lady Emilia, alright?"
"What-the-hell-yo? Do you have a grudge against me, yo!? Do you like playing with people's hearts that much, yo!? Yo!" Subaru exclaimed, still in rap-mode, as he pointed his finger at Roswaal. "So, who is then? Is it you!? The respected court magician!? Yeah, since you have an affinity for all the elements, right! I'm disappointed!"
"It's Beatrice."
"That's more disappointing!!"
The loudest scream of the night exploded from his mouth with a massive splash of water.
△▼△▼△▼△
"Ah shit. The hot water made me feverish. Curse that Rosy. He kept lifting me up and dropping me. It was like he was the Buddha's palm," Subaru blurted out in the changing room as he passed his arms through the sleeves of the clothing he'd been provided.
Subaru had just come out of the bath after taking a short break upon concluding their disappointing conversation, leaving Roswaal there.
Subaru was never a fan of taking long baths, but nowadays, he often took them due to being tired and needing a place to think. However, getting in and out quickly was how he originally did things. Thus, he was feeling lightheaded because of it. He felt that way today especially since he had yet to recover and was still low on blood.
There was a slight, peculiar difference between what his mind and body wanted. It felt like the gears were a little out of sync, which created a discord that made him feel uncomfortable.
"On top of that, I think my muscles might be sore tomorrow. Damn it, Ramchi. Just you wait. You're only working me like a horse because I'm a little better at doing things compared to the last loop…"
"She shall kindly wait, just like you wished."
"Woooooah!!"
While Subaru was heading out with the basket filled with his dirty clothes, someone responded to his complaint, startling him enough to make him jump in surprise. And just like that, his underwear flew from his hand and landed at the feet of Ram, who was standing in the hallway outside the changing room.
"Haa, you are no good."
She bent down and picked up Subaru's underwear, which was soaked with the sweat from his hard day of work, and tossed it into the trashcan right next to her.
"There's a dude right in front of you holding a basket who intends on doing his laundry, ya know!?"
"Ram is sorry. The moment she lifted it up, she felt an instinctual disgust for it. Ram wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible, so it ended up that way."
"Despite that, your movements looked refined!"
Subaru reluctantly retrieved his underwear from the trashcan and put it into the basket, then faced Ram again. The maid was leaning against the wall of the changing room, waiting quietly.
I wonder what she wants? Subaru tilted his head. And, as if reading his mind, Ram spoke. "It's unfortunate for you, but Ram has already taken a bath, so she won't start undressing even if you wait there."
"You didn't get me at all!? Isn't that fatal for a maid!?"
"Ram is only kidding. She's here to help Master Roswaal get dressed. It is Ram and Rem's duty to wait on Master Roswaal when he takes a bath."
"Aren't you spoiling him too much? I think he can change on his own."
But then there are people out there who have their socks put on by a maid and have never put them on themselves. Considering how vast the world is, Roswaal might be one of them, which really is an eye-opener for me.
"That just opened my Roswaal Trust Bottle, too, which didn't have much in it to begin with, but now there's even less in there."
"Kindly refrain from making any disrespectful remarks about Master Roswaal in front of Ram. Ram will use force after the second warning."
It sounds like a gentle suggestion, but she means it, so I'll keep that in mind. In fact, she teaches things in a polite and respectful manner the first time, but if I ask her the same question again, she looks at me like I'm just some pig in a pig farm.
Subaru thought that it would bring unnecessary trouble if he stayed there any longer, so he decided to leave immediately.
"Alright then, excuse me, Boss," said Subaru as he tried to leave, but…
"Barusu, do you have any plans after this?"
"Other than going to bed, nope. It should be obvious since I have to wake up early tomorrow, damn it. Boss, mornings are such a pain."
"I see." Ram gave a short response to Subaru's words, which made him sound like he was both complaining and expressing an attitude of defiance.
Subaru kept looking at her as she stood there without saying a word, then… "Alright," Ram said, as if she had decided on something. "Then Ram will come to your room later, so wait for her."
And that's all she had said.
"—Huh?"