"Nee-sama isn't coming."
Rem spoke calmly as she stepped into the room, her gaze falling on Betty and Est lying on the bed. Their clothes were intact, but they weren't moving.
"She's not? She trusts me that much?" Shichen shut the door and smiled at Rem.
"Rem doesn't know. When the kitchen was squared away, Sister said she was sleepy and told me to come alone," Rem shook her head.
"I see…"
Shichen guessed Ram had sensed his intentions and therefore sent Rem by herself. He might have joked about stealing both maids away, but he really only had eyes for one. Of course, Ram wouldn't casually "sell off" her little sister; she knew Rem had her own issues. Still—wasn't this a bit too trusting? Or was Ram secretly watching from somewhere?
He couldn't sense Ram's presence. "Since your sister isn't accompanying you, you still dare to come?"
"It's fine. Beatrice-sama is here as well."
"True… but you know Betty takes my side. What if she helps me?"
"Rem is not weaker than Sister."
"Mm… but I'm stronger~"
"It's alright. If necessary, Rem can call for help—loudly."
"Haha—alright, I'll stop teasing. Help me take measurements," Shichen said with a shake of his head.
"Yes."
Rem drew a thin cord from her maid uniform—marked at equal intervals, the local substitute for a tape measure. She stepped in front of Shichen. "Turn around, straighten your back, and hold your arms out level with your shoulders," she said softly.
"Alright—sorry to trouble you."
"This is Rem's duty."
Shichen did as she told him and faced away; she began measuring. Keeping a respectful distance, her small frame leaned in from behind him, pulling the cord around his arms and back.
Shichen stood still.
The room was quiet. He made conversation: "Do you make Roswaal's clothes too?"
"Rem and Sister make them together."
"Together?"
"Sister takes measurements. Rem does the making."
"I see…"
"Is there a problem?"
"No."
"Mm."
After another short silence, Shichen asked, "Do you and Ram have clothes of your own?"
"Rem and Sister have no clothes besides our uniforms."
"Then what do you wear when you go out, or on days off?"
"Whether accompanying Roswaal-sama on business or working in the mansion, uniforms are sufficient. They appropriately display our status—no need to explain to others."
"But you're free, aren't you?"
"Sister is a maid. Rem will be the same as Sister."
"Like your sister… You don't have to copy her in everything."
"There's no need."
"How can there be no need? Appearance matters a lot. For such a cute beauty, it's a shame not to dress up."
"It's not a shame. Even if Rem dressed up, no one would be pleased."
"That was then. Now it's different."
"Now?" Rem glanced at Shichen and met his gentle gaze.
"I'd be very pleased," Shichen said with a small smile.
"Pleasing you—what good would that do?"
"Did you forget? I told Roswaal I was going to steal you away."
"…Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Sister will never leave Roswaal-sama's side."
"But I just said I'm stealing you. I didn't say anything about your sister."
"You…"
A trace of surprise broke through Rem's neutral expression. "Steal me away… Sister is better."
"What are you talking about? You're the better one, aren't you? Figure, housework, cooking—you outdo her."
"That's not true. If Sister weren't… Sister is far better than me," Rem shook her head, trailing off, guilt flickering in her expression.
"Even if Ram were more capable, I'd still choose you."
"…What makes you say that so firmly? Rem doesn't understand."
"Even with the same hairstyle and uniform, the two of you are still different. The one I want to steal is named Rem—not Ram."
"Please don't…"
"What?"
"Please don't meddle! What's so bad about Rem being the same as Sister?" Rem's eyes widened, her stare turning cold.
Maybe he was pushing too fast.
Shichen sighed inwardly. He looked at her, raised his hand, and gently rested it on her head, stroking lightly. "I never said it was bad. I just want you to have a few thoughts of your own."
"…Please don't say strange things."
Her tone softened; she lowered her head. "The measurements are done. I'll be going now. I'll finish your clothes in the next few days."
She headed for the door.
"Take your time—don't stay up all night. I'll worry," Shichen said.
"…," Rem paused for a moment at the threshold, then opened the door and left without looking back.
Shichen looked at the closed door, sighed, then climbed back on the bed and wrapped an arm around each loli.
"Hehe~ in a hurry, are we? Can't you take it slow?" Betty teased.
"I couldn't help it…" he said with a wry smile.
"It'd be better to work on your relationship with Betty first," she said, pouting a little.
"Alright—I'll stay with you these next few days," Shichen said, rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Hehe~ that's more like it."
"It's getting late. Let's turn in early."
"Eh~ it's still early. Tell me about your past adventures~" Betty coaxed.
"You should know most of it, shouldn't you?" Shichen said, giving her a meaningful look.
"Not necessarily. Different mindsets change your experiences and choices."
"Is that so… Alright, I'll tell you."
"Heehee~"
"Let me think… I'll start from when I met Frieren."
"Frieren? Who's that?!"
…
The next day, Shichen got up and slipped out alone. Est and Betty were still asleep. With Betty around, he couldn't very well do anything with Est; still, holding one on each side wasn't bad either.
As for Betty not knowing Frieren—he'd expected that. He'd mentioned her on purpose to see the reaction. Even Est didn't know Frieren. Frieren was the first one he'd met, but aside from her, everyone else was known to Est and Betty. In other words, Frieren didn't exist in Est's or Beatrice's memories.
The mansion was quiet in the morning—few people lived here, and it was large. Shichen had planned to find Rem in the kitchen to deepen their rapport, but he sensed a stir of micro-spirits in the garden and headed there instead.
As expected, in the broad, meadow-like grounds stood a silver, dreamlike figure. The girl sat cross-legged on the grass with her eyes closed, surrounded by a hazy glow—like a vision. The scene was very familiar.
Shichen didn't interrupt Emilia. He stayed a little ways off, concealed his presence, and watched quietly—calm at heart. Compared to the micro-spirits around her, he felt Emilia herself was the real spirit—something ethereal.
After a long moment, Emilia opened her eyes; the micro-spirits slowly faded away.
"Shichen!" She spotted him at once.
"Morning, Emilia," he said, walking over.
"Morning," she answered, face lighting with a radiant smile.
"What were you doing—talking with the micro-spirits?"
"Mm~ sort of. It's my daily routine," she said with a grin.
"Daily routine?"
"Mm. It's talking with the spirits—interacting the way one does with contracted children. It's part of the terms of my contract with them."
"I see. I got to see something beautiful," Shichen nodded.
"Right? The micro-spirits are lovely."
"No—I meant you," he said, meeting her violet eyes.
"Eh?"
Emilia froze, then ducked her head, flustered. "Shichen… what do you mean?"
"What do you think?" he said, and when she flustered again, he reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Head-pats again… Shichen, do you have a thing for… people's body hair?"
"Don't call hair body hair…" he said, mouth twitching.
"Your silver hair is just too pretty."
"Mm…" her cheeks turned pink.
Sensing it was time to change the subject, he asked, "How long will you be studying?"
"Studying? Ah—probably a long time. There's so much I don't know," she said, realizing he meant her preparation as a royal candidate.
"Even so—work and rest in balance."
"Work and rest?"
"Yeah. How about relaxing once in a while?"
"Relax… I don't really know what to do," Emilia said, a bit lost.
"Simple. How about a date with me?"