Chapter 101: Ram and Subaru Natsuki
After circling around the village several times, Subaru finally returned to the mansion.
Just as he opened the front door, thinking no one would be there, he saw Ram leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed, staring at him.
"Senpai? Why haven't you gone to bed yet?" Subaru asked awkwardly, a little embarrassed—after all, he'd gone out patrolling the village alone without telling anyone.
Ram's eyes paused on the sword in Subaru's hand.
After a moment, she looked into his eyes and said:
"It was supposed to be Rem, but I convinced her to rest."
"I see. Rem must be tired, so she should definitely get some rest. Then, Senpai, you should go back to bed soon, too."
As Subaru said that and tried to walk past Ram with his sword in hand, her voice rang out behind him, making him stop in his tracks.
"Barusu, are you trying to handle this on your own again?"
"Senpai, what are you saying? I know my own strength—there's no way I could deal with this alone. I just got a little bored and went for a walk."
Ram looked at Subaru, who turned back with a smile.
She furrowed her brow slightly before smoothing it out and speaking with disdain:
"With Barusu's strength, it's certainly impossible to handle this situation. But if it was just a walk, why bring a sword?"
Subaru glanced at the sword in his hand.
"Of course, for my own safety. What if I ran into a demon beast while walking around? The ones in the forest left quite the trauma."
Ram sighed and stared at Subaru's face.
His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles had formed under them.
Even though he was trying his best to appear spirited, it was clear he was physically exhausted.
"I used to think Barusu was good at lying... but now I don't think so anymore. Everything you just said was a lie. You're the one who most needs rest right now.
Last time, you also tried to handle everything alone. If it hadn't been for Rem, you'd be dead. Since you understand your own limits, don't go playing hero."
As Ram said this, she stared into Subaru's eyes, a recurring dream flashing in her mind.
"Senpai, you've misunderstood. I don't want to be a hero. That kind of thing has nothing to do with someone like me."
Ram sighed, her expression growing stern. Under Subaru's confused gaze, she grabbed his hand and, with firm determination, dragged him back to his room.
Looking at the closed door and Ram's serious face, Subaru stepped back slightly, smiling nervously.
"Senpai... what are you doing?"
But Subaru received no answer.
Ram walked over to the desk, picked up a book, and approached him. As she drew closer, Subaru kept stepping back until he ended up sitting on the bed.
Only then did Ram stop, frowning in displeasure.
"If you're so energetic, then let's do your required nightly study session."
Subaru let out a sigh of relief—he thought he was going to get chewed out.
"Uh, Senpai… You do know this isn't really the time for studying, right? How about we skip it tonight?"
"A mere Barusu dares to bargain with his senpai?"
Subaru sighed in resignation, rubbing his temple, and reluctantly tried to get up to go to the desk—only to feel a book hit him on the head.
"You'll study right here. Sit there and don't move!"
"Yes, yes, since it's Senpai's request, as the junior, I must comply."
Seeing Subaru's resigned expression, Ram nodded in satisfaction and sat beside him, handing him the book.
Subaru took the book, slightly increasing the distance between them, and opened it.
"Read this whole book aloud—it'll serve as a review. Let Ram see whether you've forgotten her hard-earned teachings after just a few days of rest."
Subaru glanced at Ram before lowering his head to the book. It was a storybook.
Without thinking much of it, he began reading aloud, word by word, under Ram's watchful gaze.
As time passed, Subaru's voice began to break and falter.
No matter how much he tried to stay awake, the words lulled him until he slowly lost consciousness.
Unable to stay awake, his body leaned to the side and came to rest against Ram's shoulder.
Ram looked at the now-sleeping Subaru leaning on her and didn't push him away.
She simply stared at his sleeping face.
No matter how she looked, she couldn't imagine this face ever contorting into that frenzied, terrifying expression.
Though his eyes sometimes looked fierce, during their normal interactions, they always shone with sincerity and gentleness.
"As I thought… it really was just a dream…"
Ram murmured quietly and gently laid Subaru down on the bed, helped him take off his shoes, and tucked him under the covers.
After doing all that, Ram didn't leave immediately. She stood at the bedside, quietly watching his face.
Usually, during their study sessions, she was the one who would fall asleep.
When she woke, she'd be in Subaru's bed—but never once had she seen him asleep.
This was the first time—Subaru's first time falling asleep in front of her, the first time she'd seen him sleep, looking just like a child.
After watching for a while, Ram turned and left the room. When she stepped into the hallway, she saw Rem standing by the door. Ram sighed and said:
"Barusu's asleep. Rem, you should get some rest too."
Rem nodded gently and whispered:
"That's so mean, Onee-sama. This should've been Rem's job…"
Ram's face darkened, and she reached out to knock Rem on the head.
"Don't think Ram doesn't know your intentions. Now go rest. If I let you do this tonight, Ram might just consider cutting off Barusu's lower half."
"Subaru-kun would never do anything like that!"
"No, Barusu wouldn't. But my foolish little sister might."
"...He wouldn't..."
Ram, tired, looked at Rem's expression and sighed again.
"Come on, let's go get some sleep."
That night, the mansion remained peaceful.