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---
Rem woke before dawn.
Not because she had heard a bell.
Nor because some urgent task demanded her presence.
She simply opened her eye while the sky still retained the dark color of night and knew, with the familiar certainty of thousands of mornings, that it was time to rise.
She remained in bed for several seconds.
Her room was silent. The curtains barely moved. Upon the chair rested the uniform she had prepared the previous night, perfectly folded alongside the headpiece, stockings, and apron.
Rem breathed.
Wash.
Dress.
Wake nee-sama.
Inspect the kitchen.
Prepare water.
Organize breakfast.
Check the inventory Link and Ram had completed.
Ensure Subaru did not attempt work from which he had not yet fully recovered.
Make sure Link had slept.
Rem opened her eye a little wider.
The final task did not truly belong on the list.
Not officially.
After the courtyard incident, everyone had developed the habit of watching him. Beatrice monitored his eyes and the circulation of mana. Subaru watched his mood. Emilia asked how long he had slept. Ram paid attention to how much he spoke.
Rem checked that he continued breathing.
It was not necessary to do so every morning.
Link could regenerate injuries that would have killed anyone else. His body had survived Mabeasts, mutilations, fire, and bouts of exhaustion that appeared determined to transform every victory into an anatomical experiment.
That was precisely why it was difficult to know when he was truly in danger.
Rem pushed away the blanket.
"First, Rem must wash and dress," she murmured.
It was a useful habit to quietly state what she intended to do.
It organized the mind.
Prevented mistakes.
It also allowed her not to mention that, after dressing, she would first visit a room that did not belong to nee-sama.
The hallway was cold.
Rem walked silently, although she had no reason to hide. She carried a small pitcher of fresh water and had prepared a reasonable excuse.
If Link was awake, she would check whether he needed anything.
If he slept, she would leave the water.
Nothing else.
She reached the door.
Knocked twice.
There was no answer.
Rem waited.
She knocked again.
Silence.
She carefully opened the door.
The room remained dark except for a point of warm light floating near the pillow.
Luci recognized her and flickered.
Rem raised one finger to her lips.
The small sphere dimmed.
Link slept upon his back.
One leg remained beneath the blankets. The other had escaped. One arm rested upon his chest while the other hung over the edge, his fingers only a few centimeters above the floor.
His dark hair spread across the pillow in a disorder no amount of water appeared capable of completely correcting.
Rem approached.
His breathing was deep.
Regular.
No kakugan.
The horns did not press beneath his forehead.
His back displayed no sign of an involuntary manifestation either.
Everything was fine.
Rem left the pitcher upon the table.
She should leave.
She did not do so immediately.
Link occupied too much space when awake.
He talked, smiled, argued, flirted, transformed simple instructions into absurd conversations, and treated every flame as though the universe had created it for his personal entertainment.
Asleep, he seemed smaller.
Not in age.
In weight.
As though he had set down everything he attempted to carry during the day.
Rem observed his hands.
There were small scars that disappeared and reappeared with work. Old calluses his regeneration had not completely erased. Marks from a previous life that his new body appeared to consider part of him.
One finger moved.
Rem stepped backward.
Link did not awaken.
He merely murmured something incomprehensible and turned his face to the other side.
His hand fell upon the empty space beside him.
Rem felt an uncomfortable warmth in her cheeks.
"Good morning, Link," she whispered.
He remained asleep.
Luci blinked.
Rem looked at her.
"Rem only came to leave water."
The sphere slowly floated toward the pitcher.
Then looked back at her.
"Exactly."
Luci did not appear convinced.
Rem decided she should not argue with a light before dawn.
She left.
Ram slept with her back toward the door.
Rem approached the bed and contemplated the pink hair spread across the pillow. Her sister had recovered her normal color and no longer needed to remain in bed, although Roswaal had temporarily reduced some of her duties.
That did not prevent Ram from attempting to perform them anyway.
"Nee-sama, nee-sama," Rem called softly. "It is time to wake."
Ram did not respond.
"Nee-sama."
The red eye opened.
"Rem lost seven minutes."
Rem became still.
"Was nee-sama awake?"
"Since Ram heard your door."
Ram sat up.
The blanket fell to her waist.
"Afterward, Rem walked in the opposite direction from this room."
"Rem went to inspect a guest's water."
"Water usually preserves itself without supervision."
Rem looked away.
"She also checked that he was resting."
"The water?"
"Link."
Ram released a sigh.
Rem picked up the comb from the table.
"Nee-sama's hair is disordered."
"A clumsy maneuver to change the subject."
"Rem can brush it while nee-sama continues accusing her."
Ram raised her arms.
Rem helped her dress and then stood behind her to arrange the pink hair.
The comb descended gently.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
It was an old routine.
The movement of Rem's fingers. The texture of Ram's hair. The silent closeness that required no explanation.
Rem observed both of their reflections in the mirror.
Her own hair remained short, blue, and slightly angled across the right side of her face.
She took one lock.
"Nee-sama."
"What?"
"Does nee-sama believe Rem would look strange with longer hair?"
Ram fully opened her eye.
"No."
Rem waited.
"Only that?"
"Rem would remain Rem."
"I understand."
Ram watched her reflection.
"That was not the true question."
The comb stopped.
"What was?"
"Whether the gardener would find it strange."
Rem resumed the movement with excessive care.
"Link said Rem is beautiful."
"Link also designed a spell named 'Cruel Sun.'"
"Ram destroyed it."
"With great satisfaction."
Rem finished arranging the final lock of her sister's hair.
"There is no need to change anything," Ram said. "But if Rem wishes to, she should do so for Rem."
"Yes."
"And if the gardener expresses an unpleasant opinion, Ram can correct him."
Rem smiled.
"Does nee-sama hate Link?"
Ram observed her through the mirror.
"Hating him and considering him suitable for my sister are different matters."
Rem's heart gave a small leap.
"Then she does not hate him."
"Ram did not state that."
"But she did not deny it either."
"He is loud. Reckless. He catches fire with offensive frequency. He possesses a concerning relationship with destruction and an almost pathological inability to accept assistance."
"Yes."
"His handwriting is repulsive."
"That too."
"And yesterday, he spent half an hour asking whether Ram would authorize a fire sword if he promised not to call it a sword."
Rem closed her eye for an instant.
"What name did he suggest?"
"'Prolonged Thermal Cutting Tool.'"
"That is still a sword."
"Ram knows."
Rem could not prevent a quiet laugh.
Ram observed her smile.
"He is not appropriate for you."
Rem's happiness diminished slightly.
"However," Ram continued, "he also appears unwilling to deliberately harm you."
Rem looked up.
"For the usual standard among men, that is already a notable quality."
"Nee-sama…"
"He is also useful for carrying objects."
"Link is not a tool."
"Tell him that. He is the one who insists upon behaving like one."
Rem set down the comb.
Ram stood.
"Come. If we arrive late, the gardener will attempt to prepare breakfast to compensate, and we will end up with a dragon-shaped omelet."
"That would be strange."
"Do not give him ideas."
Link was already awake when they reached the kitchen.
He was not cooking.
That was the first thing Rem noticed.
The second was the block of stone placed upon a table.
It was nearly as tall as the distance between the floor and Link's knees, wide at the base, and pale gray. Around it lay a hammer, two chisels, charcoal, several sheets of paper, and a drawing so terrible that Rem required several seconds to understand that it was meant to represent a creature.
Subaru stood on the other side of the table.
He looked at the drawing.
Then the block.
Then Link.
"You cannot."
"Yes, I can."
"No. Physically, perhaps. Artistically, no."
Link pointed toward the drawing.
"It is perfectly clear."
Subaru picked up the sheet.
"It resembles a lizard that lost a fight against a potato."
"It is a preliminary guide."
"Why is its head larger than its torso?"
"Because that is how it looks."
"And the arms?"
"There."
"Those are two lines."
"Arms are lines with volume."
Ram entered.
"Ram regrets to report that neither of you possesses sufficient intellectual volume for this conversation."
Link looked at Rem.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Link."
Her eye traveled across his face.
Normal.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Almost eleven hours."
A quantity.
Rem nodded, satisfied.
Link noticed the approval.
He smiled.
"I am learning."
"Slowly," Ram said.
Subaru raised the drawing.
"Explain to him that this is a crime."
Rem approached.
"What are you attempting to make?"
Link placed both hands upon the table.
"A Charmander."
Silence.
Rem looked at the drawing again.
"What is a Charmander?"
Subaru placed one hand upon his chest.
"A noble creature. Brave. Loyal. The embodiment of childhood and the responsibility of not allowing a flame to die beneath the rain."
Link pointed at him.
"That."
Ram examined the block.
"Does it exist?"
Link and Subaru exchanged a look.
"In stories from our lands," Link answered.
"It is a type of fire lizard," Subaru added. "It is born with a flame upon its tail."
Emilia entered accompanied by Puck.
"A real flame?"
"Yes," Link said. "If it goes out, that means—"
Subaru covered his mouth.
"Do not traumatize Emilia-tan before breakfast."
Emilia looked at the block with curiosity.
"Are you going to make it life-sized?"
Link removed Subaru's hand.
"A little over half a meter. Approximately."
Puck floated around the drawing.
"Does it have wings?"
"No."
"Can it talk?"
"It only says its name."
Ram closed her eye.
"A creature that only repeats its name. It appears designed to converse with Barusu."
"My vocabulary is immense!"
"Most of it useless."
Rem examined the tools.
"Link said he was not good at making objects."
"I am not good yet."
"The distinction is concerning," Beatrice murmured from the doorway.
No one had seen her arrive.
She held a book beneath one arm and regarded the block as though she had already decided it would be responsible for a disaster.
Link pointed toward the stone.
"This is not magic."
"Worse. Betty cannot forbid you from using hands."
"Ram can," Ram said.
"She will not."
Ram sat down for breakfast.
"Ram will allow the stone to personally punish your arrogance."
Link smiled.
"When it is finished, everyone will request one."
Subaru placed one hand upon his shoulder.
"I will."
"Thank you."
"To remember the day a rock destroyed your self-esteem."
Link removed the hand.
"You will not receive one."
The merchant arrived shortly after breakfast.
He was a broad man with a short beard and hands stained by minerals. He had passed through Arlam carrying tools, crystals, and objects obtained along mountain routes. Two days earlier, he had tasted Link's ice cream during a supply delivery.
That had triggered a strange negotiation.
The merchant wanted several containers.
Link wanted a stone.
Not just any stone.
A small red lagmite the size of a walnut, imperfect and cracked along one side. Too irregular for delicate instruments, but capable of accumulating heat and releasing a short flame when fed mana.
The man placed the crystal upon the outside table.
Link placed four covered containers before him, preserved inside a box Rem had cooled.
"Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and mint," Link said.
The merchant looked at the containers.
Then the lagmite.
"We agreed upon three."
"The mint is to secure future business."
"And the chocolate?"
"To make sure you do not regret the previous ones."
The man took the box.
"Boy, I do not know whether you are a good merchant or simply feed people until they stop arguing."
"Both can be true."
Rem watched from nearby.
"Is it safe?"
The merchant looked at the lagmite.
"As long as no one breaks it, overloads it, heats it excessively, or places it inside something enclosed."
Rem looked at Link.
Link picked up the crystal.
"Perfectly safe."
"He just listed four ways to cause an accident."
"I will do none of them."
Subaru appeared from behind.
"Can we put that promise in writing?"
Link stored the stone.
"My handwriting is not legally valid."
"At last, he uses it strategically."
The merchant left with the ice cream.
Rem contemplated the pocket where Link had stored the lagmite.
"What does he need it for?"
He pointed toward the block.
"The heart."
"The stone creature does not require one."
"That is why it will be special."
Rem did not know whether that answer should reassure her.
She decided it should not.
The first attempt died before lunch.
Link traced the silhouette upon the stone with charcoal. He drew the head, torso, legs, and tail.
Then he picked up the hammer.
"Small strikes," Rem warned.
"I know."
The first strike was small.
The second as well.
The third opened a crack from the head to halfway down the chest.
Link became still.
Subaru observed the line.
"It can be a battle scar."
The fourth strike separated the head.
The piece fell upon the table and rolled to a stop before Beatrice.
The little spirit looked at the barely begun face.
"It appears to be begging not to have been born, I suppose."
Link set down the hammer.
"The stone contained a flaw."
Ram examined the fracture.
"The flaw was holding the hammer."
"You cannot prove that."
The head was placed beside the wall.
Rem stored the smaller fragments because they might prove useful.
Link requested another block.
Roswaal, who happened to pass nearby at exactly the right moment to enjoy his suffering, authorized him to take a stone from the outer storage area.
"I will consider this an artistic investment," the margrave said.
"Thank you."
"It will be deducted from any future damages."
"I withdraw my gratitude."
The second Charmander possessed a body.
That was the best that could be said in its favor.
Link decided the problem had been using too much strength with his hands. Therefore, he manifested two kagunes and held smaller tools with their covered tips.
Rem remained nearby.
"Slow movements."
"Yes."
"Do not use both simultaneously."
"Yes."
"Link is using both simultaneously."
"One holds."
"The other strikes."
"Teamwork."
The chisel descended with surprising precision.
Then another.
And another.
For twenty minutes, the block slowly lost stone.
Subaru and Ram had left for Arlam carrying a shopping list Rem had prepared. Subaru had protested. Ram dragged him by the sleeve.
Rem had watched them leave with quiet satisfaction.
She did not wish to force them to like one another.
She merely wanted them to spend enough time together to recognize that their arguments were not truly born from hatred.
While they shopped, Link carved.
The problem appeared when he attempted to form the stomach.
The right kagune descended one millimeter farther than necessary.
The entire front section fell away.
The figure was left with such a narrow waist that Emilia tilted her head.
"It appears hungry."
"It is athletic," Link corrected.
Puck floated around it.
"It looks as though someone ate its stomach."
"I can add material."
Beatrice raised her book.
"That is not carving. It is regretting things with glue, I suppose."
Link attempted to rebuild the volume using a mixture of stone dust and adhesive.
The result was a creature with an inflated chest, small head, and overly long legs.
Rem looked at it.
"Does a Charmander look like this?"
Link crossed his arms.
"Some do."
Emilia smiled with extreme politeness.
"It has personality."
Beatrice called it a "sick salamander."
The second attempt was placed beside the first.
The severed head appeared to watch it with disappointment.
The third attempt survived until the tail.
Link had learned.
He drew reference lines.
Measured both sides.
Struck with little force.
Stopped every few minutes.
Rem began to believe it might work.
The head was rounded.
The snout recognizable.
The stomach had acceptable proportions.
The arms were small, although one appeared slightly longer than the other.
The legs supported the body.
Link began working on the tail.
"The flame must be part of the stone," he explained.
"You could add it afterward," Rem suggested.
"It would be weak."
"It would also be replaceable if it broke."
Link considered the idea.
"I will make it complete."
Rem contemplated the hammer.
"Very well."
The tail curved behind the body.
Its end began assuming the shape of a flame.
Link smiled.
Not arrogantly.
With childlike concentration.
Every small fragment that fell appeared to bring him closer to an image only he and Subaru could fully see.
Rem understood that he was not merely creating a figure.
He was bringing something from home.
Not through a telephone, a machine, or a weapon.
Through stone.
The final strike fell.
The tail broke at the base.
The silence was absolute.
The fragment struck the table.
The stone flame remained intact.
Separated from the rest of the body.
Link dropped the hammer.
Rem waited for a joke.
None came.
He picked up the tail with both hands.
He stared at it.
"I can repair it."
"Yes."
"There will be a line."
"You can reinforce it."
Link looked at the figure.
Then the previous two attempts.
His breathing changed.
Rem stepped forward.
"Link."
He closed his eyes.
"I am fine."
Rem waited.
Link opened them again.
Normal.
"But I am going to eat before continuing."
Rem's tension eased.
"Good decision."
"Do not make that proud face."
"Rem did not make one."
"You made it internally."
"Link cannot prove that."
He looked at her.
Rem maintained a neutral expression.
Link's laughter returned.
Only slightly.
It was enough.
Rem served tea to Emilia during the afternoon break.
The royal candidate's room was filled with neatly arranged books, sheets, and notes. Emilia had spent much of the morning studying and accepted the tray with a grateful smile.
"It has been a long time since you brought my tea personally."
"Subaru and nee-sama remain in Arlam. Link is eating before declaring a fourth war against sculpture."
Emilia released a small laugh.
"He is trying very hard."
"Yes."
Rem served.
For several minutes, they spoke about the provisions, studying, and the reception of possible visitors connected to the Royal Selection.
Then Emilia observed her over the rim of the cup.
"Are you worried about Link?"
"Yes."
The answer came too quickly to conceal.
Emilia did not tease her.
"I am as well."
Rem looked at the liquid.
"Link said he loves Rem."
"I heard."
"Rem does not know what to do with that."
"You do not need to do anything yet."
Rem raised her face.
Emilia smiled.
"You do not have to answer merely because he was capable of saying it. Nor do you have to change how you behave."
"That is what Link said."
"Then he was rather sensible about that."
"Only about that."
They both looked toward the window.
A strike came from the courtyard.
Then a crack.
Then Link's voice:
"THAT COUNTED AS PART OF THE DESIGN!"
Beatrice answered:
"THE LEG FLEW AWAY, I SUPPOSE!"
Emilia lowered the cup.
"Perhaps we should not leave him alone."
"Beatrice-sama is there."
One second later, an explosion of childish irritation sounded:
"BETTY IS NOT THE NANNY OF USELESS SCULPTORS!"
Rem and Emilia looked at one another.
"I am going to finish the tea quickly," Emilia decided.
Rem smiled.
"Emilia-sama."
"Yes?"
"Rem wishes to help you."
The candidate tilted her head.
"You already do."
"Not merely because Roswaal-sama orders it."
Emilia became still.
Rem chose her words.
"Before, Rem believed Emilia-sama did not need her to approach. You had Puck-sama, Roswaal-sama, and your own objectives. Rem had nee-sama and her duties."
"I understand."
"But now…"
Another strike came from the courtyard.
"THAT WAS NOT THE OTHER LEG!" Subaru shouted, apparently having just returned.
Ram spoke afterward:
"The gardener has created a species incapable of remaining upright."
Rem looked toward the window.
"Now the mansion is different."
Emilia followed her gaze.
"Very."
"Rem wants to do everything she can to assist you during the Selection."
Emilia's violet eyes opened.
Then softened.
"Thank you."
Rem inclined her head.
"Although your songs continue being terrible."
Emilia puffed out her cheeks.
"That had nothing to do with anything!"
"Rem wished to be honest."
"Then I will be honest too. You are very stubborn. You worry too much. And when Link is nearby, you look toward him even while pretending not to."
Rem became still.
Emilia smiled proudly.
"Now we are even."
"Emilia-sama learns quickly."
"Reeally quickly."
Rem poured her another cup.
The afternoon, she thought, was not becoming extraordinary.
That was precisely why it was pleasant.
Ram and Subaru returned while arguing.
"The list said medium-sized roots," Subaru protested. "Those were medium."
"According to Barusu's standard, anything he cannot lift is large."
"I can lift those roots!"
"Then they were small."
"That logic was designed to make me lose!"
"Correct."
Both carried provisions.
Subaru carried greater volume.
Ram carried the delicate objects.
They did not walk separately.
Rem noticed that Ram was not pulling him and that Subaru adjusted his pace whenever she slowed slightly.
The plan had worked.
She would say nothing.
Ram would never forgive her.
Subaru saw the stone figures beside the wall.
He stopped.
"What happened here?"
There were four attempts.
The first was a head.
The second resembled a starving creature whose chest someone had inflated.
The third lacked a tail.
The fourth possessed one detached leg and another buried inside the pedestal to keep it upright.
Link sat upon the ground before them.
"Creative process."
Subaru set down the basket.
"This looks like a graveyard of creatures Arceus abandoned."
Ram looked at him.
"Who?"
Subaru coughed.
"A deity from foreign stories."
"Naturally."
Link raised a sheet.
He had drawn a grid.
Petra had taught him during the preparation of the shirt that dividing a figure into smaller sections made it easier to maintain proportions.
"The fifth will work."
Ram examined the remains.
"Ram believes the stone does not deserve such a fate."
"This time, I will use measurements."
"Measurements existed before."
"Now I will respect them."
Subaru crouched beside him.
"You need larger eyes."
"I know."
"The head too."
"I know."
"The tail—"
"Subaru."
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
The Japanese boy smiled.
"Let us make one."
"I will make it."
"I can help with the reference."
"That, yes."
Ram watched both of them before the new block.
"This will end badly."
Rem set down the basket.
"Probably."
"And yet you will not stop them."
"Rem will keep water nearby."
Ram looked at her sister.
Then Link.
"A suitable precaution."
The fifth Charmander took the rest of the afternoon.
Link did not use kagunes.
He used no magic.
Subaru remained nearby describing proportions, correcting memories, and arguing over details neither could confirm without an image.
"The eyes are green."
"Blue."
"Blue-green."
"That does not help."
"Paint them first, and we decide afterward."
Rem prepared pigments.
Orange for the body.
A lighter shade for the stomach.
Black and blue-green for the eyes.
Yellow and red for the tail flame, although Link insisted its center needed to be lighter.
Ram observed from a chair.
She did not help.
Only delivered judgments.
"The head is crooked."
"It is perspective."
"We are standing directly in front of it."
"Emotional perspective."
"The right foot is larger."
"It is farther forward."
"They stand upon the same line."
Link corrected the foot.
Emilia helped mix the colors.
Beatrice pretended to read, although she had remained upon the same page for half an hour.
Puck retired before five, not without demanding that no one activate a fire stone near Emilia.
Luci floated around the figure.
Whenever she approached the lagmite too closely, the red stone emitted a faint pulse.
Link had created a space inside the chest.
From there, a narrow channel traveled upward toward the stone throat. Another connected to the tail. A simple mechanism constructed from small metal shafts extended toward the right arm.
Subaru examined the pieces.
"What is that meant to do?"
"When the lagmite releases pressure, it will move the arm."
"How do you know?"
"Theory."
Ram looked up.
"The previous theory created a crater."
"This one can only move a small limb."
"It can also breathe fire."
"Secondary detail."
Rem placed one bucket of water beside the table.
Then another.
At sunset, the figure was complete.
It measured slightly more than half a meter.
It was not perfect.
The head remained slightly tilted. The toes upon one foot were uneven. The tail appeared thicker than necessary because of the internal reinforcement. A repaired line crossed one side.
But it was recognizable.
The pale stomach.
Orange body.
Large eyes.
Small snout.
The tail ending in a painted stone flame.
Subaru contemplated it in silence.
Link did as well.
For several seconds, the Lugunican courtyard contained a creature that should only have existed somewhere else.
"Charmander," Subaru said.
Link smiled.
"Yes."
Rem observed both faces.
The figure was imperfect.
That did not matter to them.
Link took the lagmite.
"Final moment."
"Should we not call Roswaal?" Emilia asked.
"No."
"Beatrice?"
"She is here."
Beatrice lowered her book.
"Betty has accepted no responsibility whatsoever."
"Merely observe."
"That is exactly what precedes responsibility, I suppose."
Link inserted the crystal inside the chest.
The stone fit.
Nothing happened.
Subaru held his breath.
Link placed his palm upon the Charmander's torso.
"A little mana."
Rem grabbed the bucket.
Ram partially hid behind the back of her chair.
Emilia stepped backward beside Beatrice.
Luci hid behind Link.
"Goa," he murmured.
No external flame appeared.
The mana entered the lagmite.
The stone glowed.
Red.
Orange.
The light traveled through the figure's internal channels. It reached the neck. Descended toward the tail. Reached the arm mechanism.
The stone Charmander opened its mouth.
Its right arm rose with a rough sound.
The carved fingers formed a rigid thumbs-up.
Subaru shouted:
"IT WORKS!"
Link raised his own thumb.
"I knew—"
The Charmander breathed fire.
The flame struck Link directly in the face.
It was not enough to seriously injure him.
It was enough to ignite his bangs.
Link remained with his thumb raised.
His hair burned.
The figure maintained its own.
For one second, both appeared to celebrate a catastrophic decision together.
"It worked," Link said.
Rem threw the bucket of water.
The torrent struck him from head to waist.
The fire vanished.
The thumb remained raised.
Link spat out water.
Subaru fell to his knees laughing.
Emilia covered her mouth without success.
Beatrice pointed toward the figure.
"The stone correctly identified the greatest threat, I suppose."
Ram contemplated the scorched hair.
"The Charmander possesses better judgment than its creator."
"It was the channel's angle," Link said.
Rem set down the bucket.
"The angle pointed directly toward Link."
"I can correct it."
"Not today."
"I only need—"
"Not today."
Link observed her face.
Rem maintained a professional expression.
Her shoulders moved.
"Are you laughing?"
"No."
"Rem."
"Your hair is still smoking."
Link touched his head.
A scorched lock remained between his fingers.
The Charmander released a small puff.
Its arm slowly lowered.
Then rose again.
Thumbs-up.
Rem lost the battle.
The laughter escaped.
It was not intense.
Nor long.
But it was clear.
Link stopped looking at his hair.
He watched her.
Rem realized it.
The laughter diminished.
Neither spoke.
Ram did.
"Gardener, if you transform this moment into a romantic declaration, Ram will finish what the statue began."
Link closed his mouth.
Subaru began laughing again.
The Charmander released another spark.
Roswaal inspected the figure before dinner.
The lagmite had been removed and placed inside a resistant container. The Charmander remained upon the table with its right arm still raised.
"You have created a rudimentary metia," Roswaal commented.
"I made a Charmander."
"Both statements may be correct."
Link touched his trimmed hair.
Rem had been forced to remove the burned portion and even out the rest. His bangs were now slightly shorter.
"It only responds to a charge of mana," Beatrice explained. "The circuit is inefficient, the heat output is poorly directed, and the arm mechanism will probably break after only a few activations, I suppose."
"But it works," Link said.
"In an offensively accidental manner."
Roswaal smiled.
"It will not be activated again inside the residence."
"Agreed."
"Nor near the curtains."
"Yes."
"Nor while anyone has their face in front of its mouth."
Link looked at Subaru.
"That removes part of the entertainment."
"Do not use me as a target!"
Puck had already retired, but before disappearing, he had left Roswaal a clear opinion: someone needed to watch Link during the night in case the crystal's flow affected his gate or horns again.
Roswaal looked at Rem.
"Rem."
"Yes, Roswaal-sama."
"Tonight, periodically inspect Link's condition. If kakugan, horns, fever, or the desire to construct another creature appears, inform Beatrice."
"Understood."
Link raised one hand.
"I do not need—"
Everyone looked at him.
He lowered the hand.
"Understood."
Rem inclined her head.
The order was practical.
Official.
It possessed no additional meaning.
Absolutely none.
The mansion gradually fell asleep.
Emilia returned to her room.
Beatrice disappeared into the Forbidden Library.
Roswaal retired.
Ram completed her final duties.
Subaru passed before Link's room, pointed toward his own hair, and raised his thumb.
Link closed the door in his face.
Then he placed the Charmander upon a table.
Without the lagmite, the figure could not breathe fire. Its arm remained stuck upward, transforming the raised thumb into permanent approval of every reckless action committed nearby.
Luci settled upon its head.
Link lay down.
It had been a peaceful day.
No one died.
No one was attacked.
There had been no curses, resets, or chains.
Only broken stone, ice cream, paint, small flames, scorched hair, and Rem's laughter, which he could still hear when he closed his eyes.
He fell asleep before realizing it.
Rem performed the first inspection one hour later.
She knocked.
There was no answer.
She opened the door.
Link was asleep.
Normal breathing.
No horns.
No kakugan.
Luci rested upon the Charmander, barely illuminating the room.
Rem closed the door.
The second inspection took place later.
Everything remained the same.
During the third, the hallway was completely dark.
Rem knocked.
Silence.
She entered.
She was not wearing her uniform. Her duties had ended, and she wore a pale-blue nightgown beneath a simple robe. She only intended to look from the doorway.
Link had moved.
He now slept on his side, embracing part of the blanket against his chest. The newly shortened hair gave him a different appearance. The scorched section was gone, although a faint smell of smoke remained.
Rem approached.
She checked his forehead.
Normal temperature.
Looked at his eyelids.
No marks.
There was no reason to remain.
The Charmander raised its thumb from the table.
"It does not appear to be a very intelligent creature," Rem whispered.
Luci emitted an offended glow.
"Rem was not speaking about you."
The sphere calmed again.
Rem observed the figure.
Link had dedicated an entire day to creating something he did not need.
It did not feed anyone.
Protect anyone.
Clean anything.
Solve any threat.
It merely reminded him of a story he had loved.
Rem thought about the domestic challenge.
The courtyard fire.
Someone who had forgotten how to do something without transforming it into an obligation.
That imperfect lizard was different.
He had failed five times.
Allowed others to watch.
Accepted corrections.
Laughed.
And in the end, created something completely useless that made him happy.
Rem smiled.
"It was a good day, was it not?"
Link did not answer.
She sat upon the edge of the mattress.
Only for a few seconds.
Roswaal had ordered her to watch him.
Remaining close made detecting any change easier.
It was not an excuse.
It was an efficient interpretation of her duties.
Link moved.
Rem attempted to stand.
An arm wrapped around her waist.
The movement was fast, strong, and completely unconscious.
Rem lost her balance.
She fell sideways upon the bed.
"Link?"
There was no answer.
He pulled her against his chest, settling her upon the blanket as though he had discovered a warmer pillow.
Rem became rigid.
Her back was against him.
One arm surrounded her waist above the robe. The other rested near her shoulders. There was no conscious intent behind the contact. Link continued breathing with the calm of someone deeply asleep.
Rem could free herself.
She possessed sufficient strength.
She could also wake him.
She should.
"Link," she whispered. "Release Rem."
He made an incomprehensible sound.
The arm tightened slightly.
Rem felt the warmth rise to her ears.
Luci floated before her.
"Do not say anything."
The sphere flickered.
The Charmander continued raising its thumb.
"You either."
The statue did not respond.
That was worse.
Rem attempted to remove Link's arm.
He murmured:
"No… fire…"
His fingers loosened.
Rem could have moved away.
Then Link said her name.
Very quietly.
Barely more than breath.
"Rem…"
She stopped moving.
She did not know what he was dreaming.
Perhaps the forest.
Perhaps the courtyard.
Perhaps nothing important.
His sleeping face showed no fear.
Only exhaustion.
Rem looked toward the door.
No one was coming.
Roswaal had ordered her to monitor him.
She needed to verify that no fever, horns, or kakugan appeared.
From that position, she could perfectly feel his breathing.
Even his pulse.
It was a solid justification.
Completely professional.
Rem carefully rested her head.
"Only until Link moves," she murmured.
He did not move.
The room was warm.
His breathing against her hair was regular.
Luci dimmed the light.
Rem closed her eye.
She would not sleep.
She would only rest for a moment while fulfilling the order.
Then she would leave.
That was what she decided.
Sleep arrived before she could construct a second lie.
Ram opened the door the following morning.
"Gardener, Rem is not in her—"
She stopped.
The silence inside the room acquired a dangerous quality.
Link slept on his side.
Rem was curled against his chest, both hands gathered near her face. Link's arm remained around her waist. The blue robe had become wrinkled during the night, and part of Rem's hair rested upon the pillow beside his.
Neither had awakened.
Luci floated above the headboard.
The stone Charmander raised its thumb from the table.
Ram contemplated the scene.
First Rem.
Then Link.
Finally the lizard.
Its internal mechanism, probably reacting to the mana beginning to circulate with Ram's arrival, produced a click.
The stone mouth released a tiny spark.
The thumb remained raised.
Ram closed the door.
For two seconds.
Then she threw it open again.
"Good morning."
Link awakened.
His eyes opened.
He saw the ceiling.
Saw Ram.
Felt the warm weight within his arms.
He looked down.
Rem opened her eye at the same moment.
No one spoke.
The Charmander raised its arm slightly higher with a creak.
Subaru appeared behind Ram.
"Why are you blocking the—?"
He looked at the bed.
His face achieved spiritual enlightenment.
"BROTHER!"
"No," Link said.
"CHARMANDER APPROVES!"
"Nothing happened," Rem said, sitting up so quickly that she nearly struck Link with her head.
Ram smiled.
It was not a kind smile.
"Ram is certain there is an innocent explanation for finding her sister asleep in the arms of an arsonist."
Link raised both hands.
"I was asleep."
"Rem was as well," she added.
"That makes the defense worse," Subaru said.
Ram entered.
Link retreated until his back struck the headboard.
"Ram, we can discuss this."
"Discussion requires retaining teeth."
"That sounds like a threat."
"It is an explanation of the risk."
Rem stood from the bed.
"Nee-sama, Link did nothing consciously."
Ram looked at her.
"And Rem?"
Rem became still.
"Rem was fulfilling an order from Roswaal-sama."
Subaru rested one hand upon the doorframe.
"The famous horizontal surveillance."
Ram turned her head.
"Barusu."
"I am leaving."
Subaru did not leave.
The Charmander released another spark.
Ram pointed toward it.
"Destroy that."
Link embraced the statue.
"It is not his fault!"
"The gardener protects a stone before his physical integrity."
"It took me all day."
Rem discreetly covered her mouth.
Her shoulders moved.
Link looked at her.
"Are you laughing?"
"No."
"That lie again."
Ram grabbed Link by the ear.
"Out of bed."
"I am getting out!"
"Rem, return to your room and compose yourself."
"Yes, nee-sama."
Rem walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she slightly turned her face.
Ram continued dragging Link. Subaru offered useless commentary. Luci fluttered around everyone. The Charmander maintained its thumbs-up with absurd dignity.
Rem smiled.
Not because they had been discovered.
Nor because she knew what to do with Link's confession, the warmth she still remembered, or the strange security of having fallen asleep while listening to his heart.
She smiled because the mansion was alive.
Nee-sama was there.
Subaru was there.
Emilia, Beatrice, Puck, and Roswaal would awaken soon.
Link protested while attempting to save a defective statue.
Nothing extraordinary had occurred.
And all of it had formed part of Rem's very ordinary and happy day.