"So, what should I do with Emilia tomorrow?"
"Maybe I should get her flowers or something..."
Subaru had drifted so deep into his own world that nothing short of a natural disaster could've pulled him back. Every scrap of brainpower was devoted to making tomorrow's "date" as perfect as humanly possible.
"You know, instead of worrying about that stuff, you should be thinking about how to get more time alone with her."
Gojo watched this spectacle and offered an idea.
"Alone?"
"Rem's going shopping for ingredients tomorrow, so she won't really be hanging around with us..."
Subaru said it without thinking, but beside him, Betty's eyes flickered with something like realization.
"Besides Rem, there's also Puck, isn't there?"
Gojo shot Betty a wink and grinned.
"Here's what you do. Tomorrow, have Puck stay behind to keep Betty company, and then you head to the village with just Emilia. That way it's the two of you, completely on your own. No one else around to get in the way."
Something quiet and hopeful passed through Betty's eyes.
For her, the reason was simple. Long ago, she'd made a promise to Echidna, the Witch of Greed, who had been like a mother to her. She was to remain in the Forbidden Library and wait for the arrival of "that person" before she could leave. From the moment that contract was sealed, Betty had waited inside these walls for over four hundred years.
Four hundred years. Day after day. Year after year.
That kind of time would grind down anyone with a mind to think and a heart to feel. Being bound to one place for so long was its own quiet form of torture.
Through all of it, Puck had been one of the precious few who could still make her smile.
She treasured every moment she spent with him.
So hearing Gojo's suggestion stirred something warm in her chest. Not that she'd ever let him see it. Her expression stayed flat, cool, utterly unmoved.
"What you're saying does make sense."
"But would Puck actually agree to that?"
Subaru turned the idea over and had to admit Gojo was right. The problem was that he also knew how clingy Puck was with Emilia. Around the mansion it was one thing. He could find her whenever he wanted, and there was no real danger to worry about. But once she left? Puck would never sit easy with that.
"The village isn't exactly far. It's practically next door to the mansion," Gojo said. "And she won't be going alone. Nothing's going to happen. But if it'll ease his mind, bring a Conversation Mirror. Anything goes wrong, you contact us immediately. I can guarantee you won't be in any danger."
Confidence rolled off him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Then he glanced sideways at Betty.
"Speaking of which, Betty. The Mathers family has been around for generations. Don't tell me they don't even have a Conversation Mirror."
"Why would I tell you something like that?"
"You don't want Puck to come spend tomorrow with you?"
"Besides, none of this benefits me in the slightest. I'm doing this entirely for your sake, Betty. I've been barging in here and making a nuisance of myself for days now. Consider it my way of making it up to you."
Looking at that easy, self-satisfied smile, Betty wanted nothing more than to refuse him on the spot and follow it with something scathing.
But the offer itself was impossible to turn down.
Puck spent most of his time with Emilia. The hours he had left over for Betty were painfully few.
She was quiet for a long moment. Then, grudgingly, she nodded.
"We have one."
"Perfect." Gojo clapped his hands together. "Subaru, tonight you ask Roswaal to lend you a pair of Conversation Mirrors. Take one with you tomorrow. I'll hold the other. With those, there's nothing to worry about. And if Puck's still not convinced, tell him to come talk to me."
That grin of his handed Subaru all the confidence he needed.
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously."
"I'm going right now!"
When it came to anything involving Emilia, Subaru operated at a level of enthusiasm that bordered on superhuman. He was out the door and gone before anyone could say another word, sprinting off to find Roswaal.
Gojo turned back to Betty and extended his hand.
"See? I'm good to you. So how about we call a truce and coexist peacefully?"
"Don't bother." She turned her face away. "Just because you did something nice doesn't mean I've forgiven you."
"Tough crowd."
News that Subaru and Emilia were heading to the village tomorrow spread through the mansion in no time at all.
Roswaal agreed without hesitation, lending Subaru a pair of Conversation Mirrors. One for Subaru to carry, one for Gojo.
The only one with any real reservations was, predictably, Puck.
He sought Gojo out himself.
"Gojo. Subaru told me that if I had concerns, I should come to you."
Gojo was in his room, sampling one of the desserts Rem had brought him. When Puck floated in, he waved warmly.
"There you are. I expected you sooner, honestly."
Puck drifted to a stop in front of him, arms folded across his small chest. Gone was the usual lazy charm. His expression carried an edge of real seriousness.
"I know you're worried about Emilia's safety," Gojo said. "The village is close. There's nothing dangerous in the area. But I also know that telling you not to worry isn't going to cut it. So I won't try."
He stood and gestured for Puck to follow.
Puck studied him, uncertain of his intent, but trailed after him all the same.
They left the mansion and walked into the courtyard. Gojo stretched, rolling his shoulders loose, then gazed toward something in the distance as if picking a spot.
"Mm. Right about there should do it."
He held out his hand, beckoning Puck closer, and wrapped his fingers gently around the small spirit.
"See that spot over there? Don't blink."
The words had barely left his mouth when the world around Puck smeared into a blur.
It lasted less than a heartbeat. Then everything snapped back to normal, so cleanly that the whole thing might have been a trick of the mind.
But when Puck gathered himself and looked around, the tiny cat face went blank with shock.
They were standing in the exact spot Gojo had pointed to from the courtyard.
He turned. The mansion sat behind them, small and distant.
Several kilometers, at least.
Crossed in the space of a single blink.