[Subaru: And so, for operation ‘make Garf and Frederica friends again’…I got in touch with you, do you have any good ideas?]

[Ram: That’s the first thing you’re going to say to me after coming in this room? You’ve committed a serious crime by interrupting my time of peace, Barusu.]

Ram says that with a chilling voice and glares at Subaru as she sits in her chair.

He couldn’t see her facial expression as usual, but perhaps he was able to faintly see the emotions in her eyes due to their relationship. Being a person who was perceiving enough to inspect Ram’s emotions, Subaru could tell that she was perhaps feeling “Displeasure”.

[Subaru: You look at me like that a lot, but does this mean you’re displeased almost whenever you interact with me? Don’t you get tired from being irritated the whole day like that?]

[Ram: Do not worry. It’s only when there’s a person who is troublesome to talk with in front of me, or when it’s someone who won’t bring any important benefits through interaction.]

[Subaru: I see, don’t worr…….hey wait.]

Subaru frowns at what Ram says with her implications of who those words were were aimed towards. Ram let’s out a small snort at Subaru’s reaction and closes the book she has in her hand.

And when she was going to leave her seat, she sought to give the spot to Emilia, who had been standing up next to Subaru, the man who had been sitting down the whole time.

[Ram: Emilia-sama, go ahead.]

[Emilia: Thanks. But I’m fine. If I stay long, then I’ll get tired. I’ll be leaving soon.]

[Ram: I see. Then please do as you will.]

[Subaru: I don’t have anything to say. But you really do whatever you want, Nee-sama.]

Subaru frowns at Ram, who sat back down on the chair she gave up, although Subaru happened to see Ram move her eyebrows slightly from one part of his words.

Ram most likely reacted to him saying “Nee-sama”.

[Emilia: Looks like Rem-san’s state hasn’t changed.]

[Ram: …….Yeah. She is sleeping so soundly today to the extent that it makes it so you can’t tell if she’s living.]

In response to the worried girl Emilia’s words, Ram answers with a slightly lower towned voice.

What those two saw were a bed right next to where Ram was sitting, and a sleeping girl.

She had short, blue hair, and facial features that made her and Ram look like two peas in a pod, as she watches her sleeping face. She was wrapped in her thin blue nightgown. Perhaps one point of difference between her and Ram was the size of her breasts, which pushed the blanket up.

Needless to say, the name of this girl who continued to sleep is Rem.

The Roswaal residence burned down and its location was moved. This girl still continued to be asleep. She would most likely continue to sleep, as long as that evil wasn’t removed.

Also――

[Subaru: Don’t feel like recognizing her yet?]

[Ram: I already told you, didn’t I? I am not so indiscreet to understand anything and everything from the beginning when I haven’t even talked to her. ……Though there’s a lot of persuasion from something in front of me for me to unsparingly deny that.]

Ram answers him with complex emotions in her eyes. Subaru twists his lips.

Subaru felt terribly sad for Ram’s expression, who looked at the sleeping girl, Rem, as someone who knew about their previous relationship. The older sister had extreme and unconditional love for the younger sister, while the younger sister had respect and affection for her.

That was the beautiful, familial love of the sibling relationship between Rem and Ram.

Rem continued to sleep, while Ram couldn’t even remember her beloved sister’s name.

Knowing that made a terrible cloud of helpless emotions rise in Subaru, although it was something he expected.

But even then――

[Subaru: You bring yourself here everyday to combat against that complicated mental state, huh.]

[Ram: …….I wonder why I do. I don’t know what I want to do myself. But being next to this girl called my sister somehow brings me ease. ……Well, there’s unease too, though.]

[Subaru: Unease?]

[Ram: Ever since I looked at a face that is the same as mine……..that’s not the right way to put it. When I look at this girl’s sleeping face, I have some kind of disturbing feeling in my chest. It feels like being unable to catch up to a vague mist, and there are merely feelings of it being absolutely unreachable.]

Subaru takes a breath in response to Ram, who hits her chest softly with her hand.

Rem lost her memories, and the world where everybody but Subaru forgot about her――even in those type of circumstances, her existence remained inside of Ram as a thorn, who had a unique blood relationship with her.

It seemed that Ram herself didn’t know the name of that thorn. However, if that was what Rem left in her sister that she respected and loved, then it was okay for her to start everything just with that.

[Subaru: It’s okay to talk about what you can, you know? Like about the memories, or her character.]

[Ram: ――I think I’d better not.]

Subaru offers help to restore her memories, and Ram responds by shaking her head.

When Subaru frowned, Ram put her hand onto her lips, as if going into deep thought, and says

[Ram: This…feeling of distant emptiness. It feels like there’s a hole at the place this girl had inside me. If that’s the case, then surely anything that sinks inside there spills out. If this girl really is my sister……..it doesn’t feel real even when being presented the most graspable conditions like her appearance. At this time where I’ve stopped coming to see her everyday…..I feel like even the feelings I have are going to fade away like this.]

[Emilia: …….That’s the witch cult “Gluttony” curse, right?]

Emilia, who had kept her silence and was listening attentively to the conversation, inserted her words with a face indicative of not letting the opportunity to ask pass by. Emilia showed a rare sight of anger with her raised eyebrows in front of Ram, who raised her face.

[Ram: Akushoku1 who eat “Names” and Memories”…….I didn’t have a good image of them in comparison with witch cultists at first, but perhaps I should say that is guaranteed.]

[Emilia: ……Witch cult]

Emilia looks down and whispers that quietly in response to Ram’s recollections.

Then on the other side, Subaru winced at the startle and the viciousness in Ram’s conjecture.

Rem’s existence hasn’t been “lost” from Ram and Emilia’s memories, although Subaru did not truly feel it, being someone who remembered Rem clearly. Her existence was “Continuing to be lost”. It was now being lost like sand in an hourglass that doesn’t stop falling. It was continuing to be lost endlessly.

[Subaru: I guess this really does mean nothing will be done unless we get rid of the cause……..]

The more Subaru spoke of his memories, the harder the sand fell. Or perhaps it would at least happen when Subaru spoke of the memories himself.

The reasons for Ram’s fear――she was also scared of Rem disappearing from this world.

[Ram: Emilia-sama, it seems you have thoughts on the witch cult.]

To Subaru’s side, who bit his lips, Ram looks up at Emilia. She sees Emilia’s face stiffen in her light red eyes, and after that she slowly made an acknowledging gesture with her chin.

[Emilia: I’ve been thinking about “Witches”. I’ve said a lot of bad things about them too……but the witch cult is…]

[――――]

[Emilia: I want to try to putting feelings of wanting to forget about them inside. But, as someone who remembers about them, it’s impossible to think of doing it while having “that” inside of me, along with the current “that”. Ever since that happened, I’ve always wanted to know why it turned out like that…….]

[Subaru: Emilia-tan, I don’t want to say this…….but doesn’t this kinda mean their words are coming to you? It’ll probably turn into harsh memories.]

He didn’t want to break Emilia’s will, but it wasn’t fair to just stay silent either.

The witch cult Subaru knew were a group of people who’ve all been evil religious fanatics from the beginning until the end. Emilia’s “that”s were the past, and she didn’t know what happened back then. However the “that” was the current witch cult.

[Emilia: Thanks…for worrying about me.]

Emilia responds to Subaru’s fear by shaking her head with a faint smile.

[Emilia: It’s okay, since I understand it too. I know that the incidents that happened and the people that were with me in my memories……that’s all from 100 years ago. There’s no way they’re alive now. People living for 100 years, that’s a reeaaally long time, huh. So, I don’t think we’ll meet again.]

[Subaru: But, you’re saying you want to find out what happened……right?]

[Emilia: Sorry for being selfish. However, I think I am the one who mustn’t find out about it. What happened in that place, and what I felt in that place…….what kind of feelings Geuse and Mother felt…I was the only one who witnessed those things.]

Emilia had a lonesome look in her eyes, perhaps remembering about those two people, but she still had a gentle smile on her face.

Geuse and her mother’s name were precious memories to Emilia, and perhaps memories that told her that they were witch cultists who were nothing like the current witch cult.

[Subaru: Geuse-san was complicated……]

He whispers these words to himself, and lets out a sigh showing signs of grudge towards a person whose face he didn’t even know.

Emilia having affection and sadness represented the complexity of the feelings she had from saying that name. If the witch cult’s objectives weren’t different from when Geuse enrolled into it, Emilia wouldn’t have this much trouble with her feelings.

And at any rate, if he were to stand as Emilia’s ally, then it would’ve been helpful if he stood by her side from the beginning until the end. Those were the selfish and jealous feelings she had that she dealt with.

[Ram: ――But, I’m not confident I can behave kindly like Emilia-sama.]

It was a voice that was as quiet as usual, but filled hostility that seemed chilling.

Subaru unconsciously becomes so tense to the point of choking and looks at Ram, who looked over Rem while she sat in her chair. A light flickers violently within the eyes of Ram’s expressionless look and she says

[Ram: I don’t care about what the witch cult is. I won’t let it mess with my feelings of wanting to hear what Emilia says. I won’t, but please keep in mind my revenge is a separate matter.]

[Emilia: Ram…..]

[Ram: I don’t know exactly what the witch cult and gluttony are, but whether I’ve been given an obligation or a grudge, I’ll definitely get my pay back. Even tearing them limb from limb wouldn’t be enough punishment for these despicable bastards who open holes in people’s hearts.]

Ram’s anger and oni spirit flows out, making her seem not so petite anymore.

It was as if she was a giant giving off an overwhelming presence――precisely why she was being like an “Oni”.

[Ram: What I’ll leave in Gluttony’s memories is me tearing them apart and killing them to the point of amazing them.]

It was more of a death sentence than a decision.

The people she condemned weren’t here, and yet even her tone of voice was pretending to be peaceful. That was without a doubt a death sentence――it gave off a feeling that felt like having icicles pushed onto your back, and it made Subaru hesitant to even utter a single word.

[――――]

With that, the room fell into a state of silence.

He couldn’t even move slightly in this spread atmosphere that seemed like it was going to break. Then, the person who broke this tension was none other than the one who created it herself.

[Ram: That was uncharacteristic of me to say.]

When she said this with a sigh, the atmosphere disappears within an instant. While dropping his shoulders in his relief, Subaru says

[Subaru: Mm, that wasn’t unlike you. The Ram I know is an Onee-chan that includes the violence parts like that when it comes to her younger sister.]

[Ram: …….I see.]

They truly were words out of consideration for Rem, no doubt about it, although she did say it in a disturbing way. Subaru considered only the former and felt happy about Ram’s feelings.

Moreover, Subaru also could not forgive “Gluttony”. Subaru even wanted to have Gluttony’s heads without leaving it up to Ram if he could.

The feelings of killing someone――the unclear resistance of the reckless fight with Petelguese didn’t leave those feelings in Subaru. Or perhaps feelings of hesitation towards taking one’s life was stopping Subaru in this crucial situation.

But even then, “Gluttony” could not be forgiven, and he had this type of resolve appear if it was to save Rem.

[Subaru: ……We’ve slipped off topic, huh.]

Subaru scratches his head and didn’t show the dark thoughts he had just now in his facial expression.

Ram had a meaningful look, while Emilia was looking at him with worry, but neither one was able to have a smile on their face.

[Ram: That’s true. If you act carefreely like this, you’d be interrupting me while I’m enjoying my sudden day off. So, surely you have a suitably important matter to bring up, right?]

[Subaru: What’s up with that partially arrogant way of pressuring me? And first of all, isn’t Frederica helping with the mansion’s work, and didn’t she leave the treatment of the guests up to you?]

[Ram: I’m supposed to help with their injuries. Moreover, even though I am treating the guests, Frederica can’t read the atmosphere. …….She couldn’t stay still even with Garf by her side, and Clind surely stirred something up near her.]

[Subaru: Clind-san did?]

The name Ram alarmingly spoke of, which bothered Subaru and the others like this, was the name of a young male steward working for the Mathers family

He was a handsome young man with a slender face that gave off a feeling of a “Capable kind man”. It was similar to Julius, but unlike him, this capable gentleman had both a polite manner and showed great concern.

Ram didn’t really see him in a very favorable light just from that, which made Subaru curious, although it was possible that Ram viewed everyone besides Roswaal like that.

[Ram: You can talk to Frederica and Clind about their inability to cooperate with each other. Apart from that, I want to go back to reading, so hurry up and say what you need to say.]

[Emilia: Sorry for always talking so long. I think Subaru told you at the beginning, with the thing with Frederica and Garfiel……]

In response to the pompous girl Ram, Emilia aims to correct the broad topic.

It was fine for her to come with a plan to do something about Garfiel and Frederica’s awkward relationship, but the essential details for it suddenly blocked it from happening.

This was because Subaru and Emilia both had shallow experience with trying to repair relationships between an older sister and a younger brother.

Subaru was established as an only child, and it was the same situation with Emilia.

They didn’t have any good answer for the blood relationship that was different from a parent and a child because they both weren’t blessed with siblings. Even then, their parent-child relationships were a bit different from a typical one, but that part was left out.

Thus, they sought for an adviser and walked around in the mansion, deciding to visit Ram’s younger siblng, whose whereabouts they were sure about.

This was because Subaru was the closest with the two sisters. Their relationship was disappearing from everyone’s memories besides Subaru’s, but still, when he thought about how a good relationship was built between the older sister and the younger sister, he had hopes that he’d get some beneficial information out of Ram.

Plus, Ram was an old friend of Garfiel and Frederica, after all. It was an unknown episode to them, so perhaps she would come up with an approach to cover the 10 year gap between their relationship.

Emilia sends those different types of expectations through her eyes to Ram, and stops moving her lips.

Ram puzzles at Emilia, who stiffened up, and Subaru follows Emilia’s look to figure out what happened. He stops in the same way.

[Ram: ……What is it?]

Ram receives both their looks, and squints her eyes with severe discomfort.

They were staring at the book that girl had in her hand.

She was holding tight onto a book of requirements with a critical title of “How to shorten the distance between younger brothers and younger sisters.”

――It seemed that it wasn’t just one pair of siblings that couldn’t understand their relationship.

1. [People who eat poor quality food, e.g. Louis]↩