7
“In other words, Ram never intended to use you as bait, Subaru. She just wanted to walk you close to the barrier to lure out any old demon beast. But then you had to go and tumble after a rice ball and cause a big scare.”
Subaru’s party returned to the mansion at suppertime as predicted. But it need not be stated that a peaceful supper was not exactly in the cards when they came home in their battered state.
“I think it’s because Ram used Clairvoyance to look for Subaru all that time—that’s what depleted her mana.”
“Well, why were you helping Ram with her plan anyway?” Subaru demanded.
“Because she asked me to. And I didn’t help her, exactly. All I agreed to do was help you if you got in a bind. Just an extension of Lia’s request. Then again, Lia’s rice ball got us in this mess in the first place, so I’m sorry about that.”
The spirit, who had pushed himself to be their navigator right up to his time limit, disappeared after he explained the truth to Subaru. Night had covered the sky outside long ago, and the spirit was sure to oversleep the next day after putting in overtime that evening. If Subaru had his way, he would have collapsed into bed that very minute, but unfortunately, since the bed closest to him already had someone sleeping soundly in it, his wish would go ungranted.
“Well, I had to get in at least one complaint to quell the anger churning in my stomach,” Subaru said, looking at Ram asleep in bed and scratching his head.
When Subaru arrived with an unconscious Ram in his arms, the mansion residents all went into a tizzy. Rem was particularly frantic, making Emilia the most reliable one in a rare turn of events. She cured Ram’s wounds, gave her a sponge bath, and put her to bed. When she questioned Subaru about what had transpired, he tactfully omitted the details about the rice ball and gave Rem the ingredients they had gathered. Now Ram’s tea could be made.
Subaru was also urged to go to bed, but he found it hard to return to his room. He wouldn’t feel better until Ram woke up and he could dump his complicated feelings on her.
And in due time, Ram’s eyes cracked open. She turned to look at Subaru seated at her bedside, and the first thing she said was—
“—Lascivious.”
“Um…just FYI, I did get Rem’s permission.” With a side smirk at her stereotypically sharp tongue, Subaru patted his chest and said, “As you can see, I’ve brought us safely back to the mansion. I also gave Rem the ingredients we gathered. Also, by the way, the map I made played a key role in getting us home. You can never be too prepared, as they say.”
The crude map Subaru had drawn had almost immediately come in handy. Since he had Puck take them to the easy-to-spot bolk tree then used the map to get back to the mansion, they had managed to come home in mostly a straight line. Without the map, they probably would be camping in the forest.
“Well, if we had gotten lost, Puck’s flare would have brought Rem flying to our rescue…but given what happened, I think it’s time to admit that maps are useful. Also, it’s time you trust your companions. Don’t turn them into bait without their permission.”
“…But that was the most efficient method. If you’ve got a complaint, out with it.”
“I won’t complain. Mostly because I think that would have a bigger effect on you right now, Big Sis.”
Ram’s cheek twitched ever so slightly on the pillow as she side-eyed Subaru. With a light, smug smile, Subaru relaxed into his chair in satisfaction.
“Puck filled me in on most of the details,” Subaru said. “It pissed me off, but I won’t say anything about it.”
“As a rule, most spirits are dutiful and tight-lipped…but knowing that great spirit makes me question the notion. I won’t ever rely on him again.”
“Hey, go easy on the guy. His tourist-like nature helped us out back there…” Shrugging at Ram’s contempt for Puck, Subaru stood and said, “Ah, I’d better go tell Rem you’re awake.”
“Wait, Barusu. I have a request…make that an order.”
“Way to kill a guy’s motivation… Anyway, what do you want?”
“There’s a white bundle in the back of that desk drawer. Use that to make a pot of tea. Make enough for both you and me.”
Subaru followed Ram’s instructions and opened the door to find a white bundle buried in the drawer. It was a tea sachet. And inside—
“Wait a minute, is this your special tea?”
“Of course, I keep a spare just in case. Now go.”
Unable to say no to her intimidating aura, Subaru wondered why he had to suffer in vain that day as he made his way to the dining hall. He boiled a pot of water and got the tea ready. He realized then that while Rem handled most of the chores, Ram had taught him how to make tea. That showed just how particular she was about tea.
“Here, Big Sis, your order of snake liver tea.”
“Not snake liver. When I made this batch, it was dog intestine.”
“Same difference.”
For something that smelled so warm and fragrant, it had the most hideous ingredients. Subaru poured the tea into two cups and handed one to Ram, who had sat up in bed. Subaru took the other cup and sat in a chair.
It smelled quite sweet. From the aroma, you would never guess it was made from poisoned fruit seeds, powdered mushrooms, carnivorous flowers, and a crystal from a demon beast’s innards—
“I know this is weird to say after I went through the trouble of brewing this, but now that I know what’s in this tea, I’m not at all thirsty… For that matter, how are there leaves in this tea when none of the ingredients are leaves?”
“I boil the ingredients into a reduction and pair it with tea leaves to my liking. It still qualifies as tea, so relax.”
And with that, Ram took a sip without hesitation. Trapped, Subaru followed suit. The hot aroma slid past his tongue and spilled out his nose. The rich tea was so palatable that it was hard to believe it contained dog intestines and various other poisons.
“Maybe we owe the good flavor not to the tea but to my improved brewing skills?”
“Don’t be silly. You brewed it so horribly that all its subtle notes are lost. You made the water too hot, and you don’t even pour it right.”
Pelted with an onslaught of sassy hubris, Subaru drank his tea with a constrained frown on his lips. While the tea was palatable, he couldn’t bring himself to like it. He still had a child’s palate.
“Agh, I wish I had a cola instead. Isn’t there some way we can make fizzy drinks here…”
“I’ve never heard of that drink. If you can find a recipe, you could ask Rem to make some.”
“Nah, its ingredients are pretty fishy, just like mayonnaise—actually, more than mayonnaise.”
Subaru had undergone a succession of hardships in the pursuit of replicating the flavor of his home, which was now a distant memory. It required fresh eggs, quality oil, and the right flavor balance of vinegar, salt, and pepper, as well as patience.
After several experiments with Ram and Rem, the successfully replicated mayonnaise became a staple in the Roswaal Manor kitchen. As a mayo freak, it would be no exaggeration to say that bringing mayonnaise into another world was a feat of unparalleled accomplishment to Subaru.
“Then again, I’m just your average mayo freak. Having unparalleled isekai knowledge is still a distant dream.”
“I’m sure you’re just spewing nonsense, Barusu, but I got the part where you’re useless at making your dreams come true.”
“I’m useless, eh? Strong words…but accurate.” Subaru smiled sheepishly, because Ram was right. Frustrating was probably the apt word here.
And as Subaru reflected on himself, Ram narrowed her eyes and scrutinized him. Then she tilted her teacup again, wetting her lips and tongue with the liquid inside, and said, “I don’t know about a taste of home…but your lack of a taste for tea is the mistake of a lifetime.”
“Oh, I have a taste for tea—it just tastes like leaves.”
“The inability to enjoy tea is the loss of a lifetime.”
“Is that all life is to you?! Tea?!”
Sighing over Subaru’s shocked outburst, Ram’s red eyes glanced sideways at Subaru. “That’s right. And since you’re so pathetic, Barusu…I’ll have to teach you how to brew a proper cup of tea.”
With that declaration, Ram quietly brought her teacup to her lips. And as her promise to personally teach him the art of tea echoed in his mind, Subaru distinctly felt his expression grow softer.
He didn’t understand why. She still hadn’t even apologized for what she had put him through that day. But he got the sense that he didn’t mind. Because the closeness between them felt good at that moment.
That pesky level of closeness, where they didn’t quarrel, apologize, or even exchange promises of anything significant. With such a relationship, he could look forward to the opportunity to drink a tea he didn’t even care for.
That was the thought that filled Subaru’s mind that evening as the tea’s aroma floated in the air.
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