Tsukasa changed the subject, "However, I think this is also a gentle story. It's about sacrifice and friendship."
"No."
Ram retorted immediately, her tone carrying her characteristic sharpness, "Ram thinks that the characters in the story, whether it's the Red Ogre, the Blue Ogre, or the villagers, are all a bunch of idiots."
Her perspective reflected reality to some extent. Just like her and Rem, who were, in a way, imprisoned by past tragedies within the distance of their roles as "older sister" and "younger sister," "maid" and "guest."
Despite this, Tsukasa observed that Ram would still find opportunities, like now, to come to Subaru's room, speak freely like a friend, and spend time together.
Tsukasa agreed with Ram's point of view, saying with a smile, "So, just as you said, they are all idiots, every single one of them."
At that moment, Ram bit her lower lip and spoke again, her voice lower, "If idiots had to be ranked... Ram thinks that the Red Ogre is the most hopeless idiot of them all."
This opinion made Tsukasa raise an eyebrow slightly, showing an interested expression.
Ram didn't look at him and continued, "He was the one who forced his own wishes onto the Blue Ogre, yet he paid no price himself, letting the Blue Ogre bear all the sacrifice alone, which led to such a tragic ending. At least, that's what Ram thinks."
Facing Ram's sharp criticism again, Tsukasa smiled and asked in return, "Then, what do you think they should have done instead?"
Ram was silent for a moment, then looked up, her eyes firm and even somewhat cold. "If the Red Ogre truly wanted to be friends with humans, he should have broken off the horns on his head himself and gone to the human village alone. He should have sliced himself to pieces before the Blue Ogre left."
Tsukasa sighed, "That's an extreme way of thinking. It seems Rem is cuter after all."
"Is she?"
Ram was indifferent to Tsukasa's comparison, simply stroking her short hair and playing with her hair accessory, continuing, "If you want to obtain something, you must pay the corresponding price."
"Letting the Blue Ogre bear this price was wrong in itself. Since it was the Red Ogre who longed for friendship, then it should have been the Red Ogre who got hurt. And the Blue Ogre, who deprived the Red Ogre of this opportunity, was equally at fault."
Facing this almost paranoid remark from Ram, Tsukasa just smiled and did not refute it.
Seeing this, Ram picked up her teacup again, took a sip of the bitter, now lukewarm tea, and then threw out a new question, "Then Tsukasa, what do you think? If you had to be friends with the blue ogre or the red ogre, which one would you choose?"
She paused, then switched to a more direct way of putting it, "Is it that Red Ogre who only knows how to ask others for help and make them clean up his mess, or that idiot Blue Ogre who is immersed in the emotion of self-sacrifice? Which one?"
After speaking, Ram even reached out both hands towards Tsukasa with a hint of provocation, as if waiting for his choice.
Facing Ram's question and outstretched hands, the playful smile on the corners of Tsukasa's lips deepened.
Suddenly, without warning, he leaned in quickly toward Ram. Their cheeks instantly closed to a dangerous distance, to the point where they could clearly feel each other's warm breath.
The sunglasses on the bridge of his nose slid down slightly, revealing those clear and deep blue eyes.
Immediately after, he reached out his hands, not to choose one, but to firmly grasp both of Ram's outstretched palms in his own.
His gaze, through the slipped sunglasses, looked straight into Ram's somewhat startled eyes, his voice carrying unquestionable confidence and a hint of dominance. "A multiple-choice question? That's a compromise that only the incompetent would make. As for me..."
He deliberately drew out his tone, his smile widening. "Naturally, I want them all."
This unexpected action and declaration from Tsukasa caused Ram, who was usually calm and sharp-tongued, to have her cheeks instantly and uncontrollably stained with a clear blush.
She was stunned for a moment before slightly averting her gaze, her voice much lower than usual, carrying a hint of imperceptible disarray as she replied softly, "Tsukasa... you really are a cunning person."
After successfully making the usually calm Ram blush with an unexpected move, Tsukasa adjusted his slipped sunglasses with satisfaction and leaned back into his chair leisurely.
After this not-so-short period in Spirit Form, he had silently calculated the approximate time limit in his mind—without actively using any energy-consuming Cursed Technique, he could maintain it for about half a day. This result satisfied him quite a bit.
"Heave-ho!"
After getting the accurate data, Tsukasa stood up lightly, as if he had completed some task.
His sudden movement immediately startled Ram, who was trying to calm her emotions nearby.
She quickly returned to her slightly disgusted, cold expression, glanced at him, and said, "Looking at you, I assume you've thought of some other troublesome scheme again? If you're going to carry it out, please go ahead, just don't bother Ram."
Hearing this, a look of exaggerated annoyance immediately appeared on Tsukasa's face as he retorted, "Is my image in your heart that bad? I was just planning to go see how Rem is recovering."
He changed the subject and invited Ram, "How about it, do you want to come along?"
Hearing Tsukasa mention Rem, Ram was silent for a moment. She didn't directly answer whether she would go or not, but instead asked another question that she seemed to have been concerned about all along.
"That story about the blue ogre and the red ogre... did you tell Rem that too?"
Tsukasa glanced at her, a playful smile curling at the corner of his lips as he emphasized in his tone, "You're the first person to hear it."
Facing his obviously unserious answer, Ram could only sigh helplessly.
She turned her gaze to Subaru, who was still sleeping on the bed, her profile looking calm and focused.
After a while, she replied in a low voice, her tone much softer than before, "Although Ram still doesn't know what you actually said to Rem to make her change... thank you."
She paused and looked up again, her tone returning to the crispness she used when handling daily affairs. "As for Rem, I have already visited her and confirmed that her condition is stable. What she needs now is quiet rest. And here, Subaru still needs someone to take care of her. Ram won't go."
Hearing Ram's response, which was mixed with gratitude and a division of responsibilities, Tsukasa did not leave. Instead, as if on a whim, he leaned forward slightly, with that signature smile on his face, and threw a question at Ram—a question almost identical to the one he had asked Rem back then.
"Then, how about a different proposal? Would you like to be my maid? Don't worry, I guarantee I'm much more reliable than that clown you serve now."
Ram's answer came quickly, without any hesitation, carrying her characteristic calmness and sharpness. "I must refuse. If Ram agreed, that silly girl Rem would definitely follow without hesitation."
Her sharp gaze swept over Tsukasa, her tone filled with tenderness for Rem. "I don't want the innocent Rem to suffer any unpredictable 'harm' under someone as unserious as you."