--One day, it was a miracle that began with Subaru's idea.
"Emilia-tan, you're studying to become a king, right?"
During a brief chat after the meal, in the center of the dining room where the mansion's most important guests gathered, Subaru's question cut through the silence.
The fact that the opening words reached everyone's ears and were not ignored - this was the first twist of fate.
Emilia, who was sitting next to Subaru, tilted her head in response to his question. She ran her fingers through her own silver hair and poked Puck, who was sitting at the table, with her other hand,
"Yeah, but what happened all of a sudden?"
"It wasn't something that suddenly occurred to me. It had always been vaguely in the back of my mind. Now that I think about it, the girl next to me eating green peppers with a displeased look on her face is probably in a very important position and could even become a king someday."
"Don't mention Piimal, the green devil."
In return for my flippant remark, she pokes me in the forehead with her finger.
Subaru put his hand to his forehead, feeling the small, sharp sensation, and was inwardly pleased to feel her softness beyond the hardness of her nails. Ram, who was passing by him at the side, was holding a small tray with steam rising from the teacup in her hands.
"You have a loose face."
He spat out his sarcasm.
Subaru kneaded his cheek at those words and bared his teeth like a child, "Eeeeeh,"
"Don't just happen to be passing by at weird times and witness people with grinning faces. Also, you only bring tea to Roz-chan after the meal; that's just too much favoritism."
"Favouritism? This is clearly a matter of priorities for Ram. Roswaal-sama comes first, followed by Emilia-sama and the Great Spirit, and then beyond the insurmountable wall and the deep hole dug into, there's... well, I guess it's okay for Barusu to be there too."
"I've never had the experience of being left so far behind by the top ranks, have I?!"
Ram, chest puffed out, ignored Subaru's shout with dignity and glided over to Roswaal. Roswaal, who was sitting at the head of the table and had his eyes cast down to a book, noticed and took the tea she offered him with practiced hands and brought it to his lips. He put it on his tongue, tasted it, and
"Hmm, I just can't relax without a cup of rum tea after a meal. Is this the only thing I live for?"
"It's an incredible honor."
Ram's attitude was quiet and completely submissive towards Roswaal.
It was strange how, seeing such a clear disparity in treatment, he lost the desire to complain. But even if he swallowed his dissatisfaction, it didn't ease Subaru's depressed mood.
"Please don't get too upset. It was Rem who asked your sister to do something unreasonable, Subaru."
As he spoke, Subaru, with a dissatisfied look on his face, was scolded by a girl dressed as a waitress who stepped out of the kitchen - Rem, carrying a large tray in both hands with tea utensils for everyone.
She smiled at Subaru as he turned around and gently lifted the tray.
"I really wanted to treat Subaru-kun to some tea brewed by Rem. I got my sister's guidance again and prepared it."
"Hohho, I see, that's an admirable spirit of service, Rem. I'll get a taste of your resolve!"
"Yes, please do so. Under my sister's supervision, I am prepared to give it my all, even if it means I will never be able to make tea again, and I don't care. I have brewed this cup with the determination to put everything on the line. Now, please drink it."
"You're really prepared to put that much effort into a casual tea break like this?!"
Nodding to the shocked Subaru, Rem places the tea she has put all her effort into on the table. At first glance, the steam rising from it is indistinguishable from ordinary tea, but it is tea that Rem has brewed with painstaking effort. It must be high in iron.
「Well, there's no point in being nervous. I took a bite――yes, it was delicious! It certainly did have an aura of something a little different from usual, but I can't say for sure that it didn't have that feeling, and it had a slightly nice feel to it!」
"So does that mean it's tasty? What do you think?"
Emilia tilts her head at Subaru's impulsive comment, but her impression is that it's simply delicious. It's delicious, but he can't clearly tell the difference between it and regular tea. In the first place, it's rare for Subaru to drink something a little more fancy like black tea or coffee. Since he has a child's palate, in his original world, he only has experience with soft drinks, or at best, cocoa.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've had cola or anything like that. I thought carbonated drinks were made from carbon dioxide, but I wonder if there's a way to make it here too."
"Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun, how did you like your tea?"
"Oh? It's delicious! As expected, the taste changes when you're feeling it!"
"Really?! ...Also, have you noticed that your body is starting to feel a bit feverish, Subaru?"
"Febrile...? No, I don't think there's any change like that."
Tilts his head, Subaru furrows his brow at the strangeness of Rem's statement.
The strong tea had a nice flavor, but it didn't bring about any dramatic changes to Subaru's body. It added a nice warmth to his stomach after a meal.
Hearing Subaru's reply, Rem stared at him intently, then hid her mouth with the tray, looking somewhat dissatisfied.
"I'm glad that Subaru-kun is happy."
"It seems like your face, your lines, your eye color, and your previous question don't match up?"
"That's not true. More importantly, if you were satisfied with the taste of the tea, I don't mind if you praised Rem for showing her ambition."
"You're such a cutie! That's fine. Come closer."
I beckoned to Rem, who was looking for praise, and stroked her blue hair with my palm as she leaned closer. She wags her invisible tail, closes her eyes happily, and sniffs softly as she rubs up against me, making my heart pound.
And, as he did so, a gaze pierced the back of Subaru's head, making him forget his original purpose.
"Stare."
"Even if you stare at me silently like that, the beauty of a beautiful girl doesn't fade. What happened?"
"It's not a matter of what happened. I get really annoyed when someone cuts me off in the middle of a conversation."
"A story?"
Subaru said, his voice sounding quite serious and puzzled, his fingers on his lips and his face looking thoughtful. Even Emilia's eyes bulged at this, and Subaru hastily raised both hands and said,
"Sorry, sorry, I was being mean, forgive me!"
"I'll forgive you and I'll listen, so just say it. Come on, San."
Prompted by the palm gesture, Subaru gave a wry smile and scratched his head. Then, he muttered an "Ah" with a smug look on his face,
"Emilia-tan, you're aiming to become king, right?"
"I have a feeling that this matter will go the same way as before..."
"This is where the route branches. So, if you're going to be a king, of course you need abilities, but just as importantly, you need to have the right mindset, right?"
"Prepare yourself..."
Emilia blinked at Subaru's statement and muttered softly with a surprised look on her face.
She probably thought that I would be attacking her from a completely unrelated direction. That being said, I wanted to meet her expectations, but I was glad that I had taken her by surprise this time and seen her surprised face.
Fortunately, after the shock, a look of agreement appeared in Emilia's eyes, as if to say, "You have a point."
Having witnessed this, Subaru snapped his fingers and said, "Right?"
"The determination to lead others, the spirit to withstand the weight of carrying the hopes of others. And above all else, a strong will to follow through on one's beliefs! I would argue that those elements are indispensable to calling oneself a king!"
Subaru clenched his fists, stood up from his seat and gave a loud speech.
Naturally, the gazes of the people in the cafeteria were focused on Subaru, and he looked around, bathed in a range of complex emotions including joy, amazement, surprise, and affection.
Emilia timidly raised her hand to Subaru,
"I understand what you're thinking, Subaru, but… what do you want to achieve by insisting on it?"
"It's simple. For Emilia-tan who aims to become a king, these elements are essential. So, why don't you try training yourself a bit in that royal mindset?"
"Um...?"
He brought his face close and snapped his fingers, and Emilia rolled her eyes, unable to keep up with what he was saying. Grinning at the sight of her being left behind, Subaru grimaced, thinking he could keep up the momentum.
With an evil smile on his face, Subaru mischievously put his feet up on the chair and stepped up a level. From there he looked around the room, posed with his finger pointed towards the sky, and shouted.
"I hereby declare the opening of the first ever Chiki-chiki 'Roswaal Mansion King's Game'!!"
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"The rules are simple! Prepare a lottery ticket for each person, and put in one winning ticket with the king's mark and one losing ticket with only a number. Then, everyone draws a ticket, and the person who becomes king picks a number and gives an order. Orders are absolute, and you must obey the king's instructions -- those are the rules!"
Subaru explains the rules of the "King's Game" in the middle of the dining hall.
Hearing that brief explanation, Roswaal put his hand to his chin and nodded in admiration. He smiled in satisfaction at Subaru's brief explanation,
"I see. It's a really easy to understand rule."
"The key to this game is to have it simple yet with just the right amount of tension."
Giving Roswaal a thumbs up, Subaru glanced over to Rem, who was busily drawing up tickets for everyone. Not that he doubted her, but in a game like this, fairness should take priority above all else.
Victory is won purely through luck - and when you consider that the position of king is usually determined by lineage, there are few games more appropriate to this.
Anyway,
"Kuji, I've done it."
"Uh, let me see...yeah, there's no problem. Let's go with this!"
I looked at the lottery ticket Rem handed me.
The wooden chopstick-like tools are numbered, and only the ones with the King's mark have a deformed picture of a pack drawn by Subaru. Even if you look carefully, you can see that there are no obvious craftsmanship or features on the lottery, so you should be able to proceed without any problems.
"So whoever draws the puck is the king?"
"Well, then, the king will come forward and choose a number. At this time, be careful that no one other than the king can see the number. The fun part is not knowing."
"Oh. Then you can't give orders to target Barusu and make him work hard."
"This rule was established because of people like you! It's forbidden to even name names!"
After telling Ram in a slamming voice, Subaru sighed and glanced around the table. During the post-meal gathering, everyone was naturally looking at each other.
Emilia, Rem, Ram, Roswaal, and Puck and Subaru.
"Hey, where's Bearko? She was definitely in the corner just now, desperately trying to remove pea-like vegetables from an omelet rice-like dish, right?"
"If you were Lady Beatrice, you hurriedly left the dining hall just as Subaru was about to stand up on his chair."
"That Drill Loli... she's disturbing the peace. Ugh, just wait a moment."
With that said, Subaru hurried out of the dining hall.
And exactly two minutes later,
"Yeeees, I'm back."
"What's really wrong with your intuition?! I don't want to get Betty caught up in this!"
"Yes, yes, the more attention-seeking someone is, the more nasty they'll say such things. Now, we're all here now, aren't we?"
He puts Beatrice, who he had been carrying on his shoulders, down on the seat and presses both of her shoulders from above to deny her any escape, and even she sighs in resignation. Perhaps to find some peace of mind, he moves over to where Puck is and takes up a position next to Koneko, piercing Subaru with a fierce gaze.
He deflected those sharp gazes from side to side, and this time everything was fine.
"Here you go."
"yes"
When Subaru put out his hand, Rem placed the lottery down as if she knew what to do. Subaru's mouth curled into a smile at the feeling of the extra lot, one for Beatrice, but his wicked eyes only grew sharper.
The lottery ticket was placed in the center of the table, and the pack was shuffled around wildly and everyone reached out their hands to hide the scattered numbers.
and,
"Okay, so everyone's been taken. Now, let's start with the customary shout - who's the king?"
Subaru shouted with a big smile on his face, and everyone drew their tickets at the same time.
Dropping his gaze to the lottery ticket that was drawn towards him, Subaru saw, very unfortunately, the number "2" written on it in his hand.
If he knew at that point that he couldn't be the king, then the only thing left to consider was who else could have been the king - and the reason he timidly raised his hand was,
"Oh, that's me with the picture of Puck on it."
And so, Emilia demonstrated her good luck at this crucial moment.
Holding the picture of a deformed Puck in her hand, Emilia looked at Subaru with a look of mixed surprise and slight confusion,
"Well, what should I do with this?"
"Since Emilia-tan is the king, it's fine for her to just rule over him right now. Number two will stroke the king's head, number two will hold the king's hand, number two will sleep on the king's lap, number two will get the king to say 'Yes, open your mouth', number two will make plans for a passionate date with the king..."
"Then, number two, take the pi-mal from the king's dinner and eat it all."
"Nuoooo! Guidance failed! I'm number two!"
As Subaru screams and clutches his head, Emilia appears surprised, as if she hadn't really noticed, saying, "Ah, Subaru is second."
However, an order is an order. It is by following this that the dignity of the King's Game is maintained.
"Well, if there are no peppers for dinner, it won't be a burden on me!"
"Rem, I'd like a menu that uses plenty of pi-malt for dinner. I'd like a dinner that will dye the table green, wouldn't that be nice?"
"You, Roswaal... you understood the purpose of the King's Game so quickly!"
Subaru glares at Roswaal, who is blocking his escape route, then looks at Rem. She is caught between her master and Subaru, and one would think she is being asked to make a difficult decision, but...
"I do want to prioritize Subaru's feelings. I do, but, Roswaal-sama is Rem's master. Therefore, I cannot disrespect your words… I'm sorry."
"What do you really think?"
"When you eat Pimal, Emilia-sama stands out and it's hard to notice, but Subaru-kun also makes a displeased face, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to correct him."
"You're watching me closely!"
Peppers, which look, feel, and taste just like bell peppers, are one of the vegetables that Subaru, who has a child's palate, dislikes. Although he pretends not to mind eating them for Emilia's sake, it is one of the ingredients he secretly wants to avoid. There are also a surprising number of other vegetables that he dislikes, such as tomatoes, eggplants, and turnips. --But it seems that Rem knows this too.
"Anyway, we'll have two battles. Who's the king?"
"Oh, it's me."
Subaru shouted in desperation, but lost the lottery once again.
The next to show great luck was the grey kitten - Puck. He tilted his head while holding a lottery ticket almost the same size as himself in both hands,
"It's against the rules to name someone by name. In that case... how about number five flicking number one on the forehead?"
"Wow, to think you could suddenly master the two-number technique... you're no amateur, are you?"
"Are there experts and amateurs at this kind of game? ...And, what about number five and number one?"
Puck looked around, and saw two hands raised with two lottery tickets in them. Ram was holding a lottery ticket with the number "5" written on the tip, and Emilia was holding one with the number "1" written on it.
in this case,
「So that means Ram will flick Emilia-sama on the forehead. Ah, what a disrespectful situation. Flicking Emilia-sama on the forehead... This King's Game is so terrifying...!」
"And while saying that, Ram was practicing with great enthusiasm...practicing? I wonder if it's okay to just practice. I'm doing it, but... please don't hurt me, okay?"
"If it doesn't hurt, then it's not a flick. Bye."
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
A red mark remained on the adorable Emilia's forehead, and Ram looked at her with satisfaction before relaxing his shoulders. Emilia, half crying, looked dissatisfied, but this nonchalant response felt like the true essence of the King's Game, and according to the rules of the game, Ram's attitude was preferable.
「Now I can either be driven by a sense of revenge and go after Ram, or I can switch gears. --Well then, round three! Who will be the king?!」
If not everyone gets a turn, some people will become invisible.
Due to the nature of the King's Game, which is played in a lively atmosphere, there may be some bias in the odds, but we want to avoid such a situation. This is our humble wish as the organizer.
"--Destiny, drawoooooooo!"
To Subaru, who had drawn the title of ``King,'' this was no longer a big deal.
Clenching his fist and pumping his fist, Subaru repeatedly shouted "YES, YES, YES!" in gratitude for his luck.
"Ah, are you really that happy? You've only been king once."
Subaru: "What good is the King's Game if you haven't become the king yourself, Emilia-tan! All right, let's do it! But having said that, it wouldn't be good to suddenly go full throttle and ruin the mood, right?"
His mouth will turn into a grin of gratitude, but it is said that a hasty beggar gets less.
He needed to remain calm and not rush, and first make a move that would set the stage for the game going forward. First, he needed to create a gap in everyone's minds, that is, to create a drop in their guard, and then when they relaxed, he would bite into them.
"--Number Three, take off only your underwear."
"--picture?"
I couldn't bear watching Emilia at the "gaburi" part.
The atmosphere froze at Subaru's words, and everyone looked at him in shock. However, just as one cannot swallow the spit one has spat, one cannot retract an order once it has been given.
Subaru nodded at the looks from those around him, wondering if he'd misheard, and slowly opened his lips,
"Number three, just take off your underwear. Harry!"
"Eh, wait a second, what, is that an order even possible?!"
「Of course! Aren't the king's orders absolute?! If the king tells you to die, then it's the duty of a vassal to go and die even if it means risking your life!? Right now, even if it's only for a moment, you are all my vassals called the king, right?! So, if I tell you to take your clothes off, then take them off! Take them off!」
Subaru slammed the table and pleaded in a very excited voice.
Emilia opened and closed her mouth rapidly, while Roswaal, watching from nearby, burst out in laughter. Ram was looking at Subaru with genuine contempt, and no one noticed the gleam in Rem's eyes as she looked down. Emilia was in a panic, and Puck was flicking his beard. And then there was Beatrice, who was trying to sneak out of the room.
"Betty. What number was it?"
"I just wanted you to leave me alone, Nicha?!"
As Beatrice was about to leave the room, Puck stopped her, and she turned around with a panicked look on her face. Puck then picked up the lottery ticket that had been left on the seat where she had been sitting a moment ago,
"Ah, number three. Betty is the one who takes off her underwear. But I wonder what I would have done if that had happened to me. I'm basically naked."
"When that time comes, I'll mend a pair of smaller underwear just for you, so you can just put it on and take it off. It's a really pointless process though... So, Bear-ko?"
Subaru glanced over at Beatrice, who was standing near the entrance to the dining hall. Her handsome face was flushed red, and her small fists were trembling,
"Haa... read the room."
"The only thing I don't agree with is what you say! What outrageous orders you give me! I don't know why I should have to follow such orders..."
"Hmm, I see, I see. So you're just disrespecting and destroying the most important custom of the King's Game like that? I see, I see."
"What is that nasty way of speaking...?"
Beatrice was shaken by Subaru's words, turning his face away and not hiding his deep disappointment. Subaru glanced at her and sighed, "Nothing really."
"I think that when you participate in something like this, a mutual trust is already formed between you. No matter how cruel the orders are, you will always try your best to face them. That's the kind of mentality you can put it… it's like a sense of human dignity."
"Dignity, huh?"
Roswaal loosens his lips, not hiding his amusement. Subaru responds by nodding vigorously and saying, "Yes, dignity," before pointing at Beatrice.
The girl with the rolled hair pulled back slightly from the force of the movement.
"It's not the result. What's important is the will to follow orders... No, the promise! You participated in the King's Game and the King gave you an order. That order is, so to speak, the King's trust in you. You will do your utmost to live up to that trust... That is the bond that has been formed between you and me through the King's Game."
"――――"
"It may be a one-sided opinion. This is merely my opinion, and there may be no reason for you to follow it. But... I think this. By confirming our bonds through this King's Game, we can create something invisible between us - but certainly a connection."
Placing his hand on his chest, Subaru poured out all his feelings to her.
The weight of the words being spoken, the torrent of emotions, made Beatrice's lips tremble and she looked down. Subaru looked at her with loving eyes and held out his hand,
"So... take it off."
"――――"
"This is already annoying, so just read the mood, take off your underwear, and go back to your seat. I'm not expecting any big reaction or anything, so that's enough now, okay?"
"--Maybe it would be better if I died."
Immediately afterwards, an invisible shock wave of incredible force blew Subaru away.
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"I confirmed that in the other room, Lady Beatrice had taken off her underwear and put it back on again. There are no problems according to the rules. Is this fine, Barusu?"
"...Ah, no problem."
Ram had returned from the next room with an indignant, red-faced Beatrice in tow and spoke with a tone of disdain. Subaru responded with a sulky look on his face.
Subaru was blown away by Beatrice's attempt to hide her embarrassment (though the damage was far too great for that), and was swung around so much that he lost all sense of direction. Rem rushed over to treat Subaru, who was dizzy, but then...
"Are you okay, Subaru? You're still just recovering from your illness and not fully recovered… Would you like to continue on Rem's lap?"
"Just thinking about a situation more kingly than the king during the King's Game is a new one. I'm really tempted by the invitation, but the King's Game takes priority right now. I'll just accept your feelings."
Saying this to the devoted Rem, he stood up and everyone, including the two who had returned, took their seats once again. It felt like a pretty dire situation, but it seemed like no one was going to drop out.
That is honest,
"It's not that they're eccentric, but... all things considered, they all seem to enjoy playing pranks."
"If that's the end of it, it'll be really sad. I've never been either king or victim, you know?"
"I see, you really understand the phrase 'king and victim'…Beako is a tsundere, so it's fine for her to come back, but won't you stop Emilia-tan?"
Beatrice gave Subaru a sharp look in response to what he said, but he ignored her coolly. Emilia, who was instead pointed at, looked in a fluster and said, "Eh, ah..."
"Well, how should I put it... well"
"What's going on? If you have anything to say, I'm more than welcome to hear it."
"W-w-won't you laugh or something?"
Subaru: "Me, Emilia-tan? That's ridiculous. Even if I became a clown just because I wanted to see Emilia-tan's smile, I would never do something like sneering at her."
Beatrice, who had been mocked for his tone, shot him a stern look, but he ignored her with a fresh look on his face. Emilia was half-believing Subaru's words - or rather, she nodded slightly as if coming to terms with something inside her,
"I haven't really participated in any games like this with other people around me... so, it's kind of fun... I thought it would be a shame to quit."
"What is this girl, she's cute"
Emilia looked down and answered with a blush on her cheeks, making Subaru instinctively become his true self.
While I was shaken by the performance that exceeded my expectations, Emilia puffed out her cheeks, perhaps thinking that she was being teased.
"See, you're always making fun of me like that. It's so embarrassing."
「I wasn't making fun of you... Shit, what's wrong with this kid? Is he trying to make me die of agony from the itchiness and frustration? I'm intimidated...!」
Subaru was horrified by Emilia's sheer fighting ability. It seemed the others around him were feeling the same way, with some sending Emilia gentle looks, some resigning themselves to participating in the game, and others simply glaring at Subaru.
In any case, with Emilia's intentions in mind, I pulled myself together.
"King, who is it?"
The lottery tickets were pulled out all at once, and everyone quickly looked down at their own.
In Subaru's hand was the lottery ticket with the number "4". For a moment he felt like clicking his tongue at not being the King, but in this kind of game, if there were consecutive Kings, it would make the atmosphere awkward. Natsuki Subaru was the one who would read that kind of atmosphere and trample over it, but doing so after Emilia's previous words took courage.
Putting aside what Subaru was thinking inside, among those around him who looked up, someone raised their handーー the one holding up the hand with Puck's picture on it was Rem, who was sitting next to Subaru.
Although she usually tries to keep her face as expressionless as possible, her eyes are shining brightly for some reason.
"I am Rem. I am the king. I did it, Subaru. I am the king."
"Well, I know you're happy, but you're getting too excited! You need to give out your orders more quickly, otherwise the turnover rate will be terrible. So, King, what are your orders?"
"Ah, that's right. What I did with Rem was a mistake."
Rem, wagging her invisible tail furiously, looked down dejectedly, then quickly regained her strength and raised her head. Then, still staring at Subaru,
"So, Suba... how about number one, you give the King a big hug?"
"It was super obvious who they were targeting, but I'm not number one!"
When Subaru showed her his lottery ticket, Rem collapsed on the spot with a look on her face as if the world was ending. It was rare for someone to become so depressed by the trends of the King's Game, but it was still uneasy to think that the target of that was her.
Anyway, Rem had designated me as the number one to embrace her,
"Rem, come here."
"Sister...!"
Ram holds up the lottery ticket, showing it with the number "1" written on it. Rem looks up and runs into her chest, her arms outstretched.
It was a scene that could be described as beautiful sisterly love, but as the older sister embraced her younger sister, she whispered in her ear,
"It's fine, Rem. In the end, Balusu is just that kind of person. A petty man who can't even grant Rem's wishes. …It seems that this was unintentionally revealed in the game to decide the king."
"Don't spread bad words about the few allies I have! Also, this isn't a game to decide who the king is, it's a game that the king decides! It'll ruin the point!"
"Sister... Sister... Rem, I won't give up."
Rem rubs her cheek against her sister as she is comforted. Seeing the intimate relationship between these beautiful sisters makes one want to let their imaginations run wild, but Subaru holds back those feelings and clears his throat. The game moves on to the next one.
"Yes, let's pull ourselves together... King, who is it?!"
"Oh, it's finally my turn. When it comes to being a king… how can you not be sure what to order?"
Roswaal smiles and waves the "King" lottery ticket in his hand.
Hearing this declaration, a cold sweat ran down Subaru's forehead. --Of all the people here, he was the one whose words were the hardest to read, even as a king.
Since ancient times, those who enjoy King's Game can be classified into several types.
Like Subaru, he is an "omnivore" who simply voices his desires.
A "carnivorous" type who, like Rem, focuses on individuals and tries to get the best out of them.
A "herbivore type" who, like Puck, lazily gives out opportunistic orders and lets things go.
The "dinner type" is one in which Emilia enjoys the gameplay of King's Game itself.
And like Roswaal, no matter how you look at it, he is a "gluttonous" type whose sole purpose is to derive pleasure from seeing his victims suffer.
An existence that gives out orders solely for its own enjoyment, without any consideration for romance, much less the possibility of becoming a victim in the game - that is the figure of the temporary king who has now got the king's lottery ticket in his hands.
Subaru holds his breath and prays that the name on the "3" lottery ticket in his hand won't be called. Then, after glancing at the nervous Subaru, Roswaal says,
"Well then, let's drink some Tabasca milk in one go, number three."
"Just like you intended, Roswaal!!"
"Yes, Barusu, I'd like to see something good."
Ram responded to Roswaal's merciless pronouncement with the speed of almost a prearranged meeting, bringing over a speckled bowl of milk.
The cup was filled with Tabasca (an otherworldly Tabasco) and emitted a chaotic color and strange smell.
"...Are you going?"
"The King's Game is a bond that confirms one's dignity as a human being..."
「When you say that… damn it! Natsuki Subaru is going――Gah, my, my throat… is burning… it's burning!」
Subaru collapses, clutching his burning throat, and slams the empty cup onto the table, half crying.
「Well, come on! You did it, come on! Do you have any complaints, come on!」
"Oh no, that's more than enough. No more palate cleansers. Well then, let's move on to the next game."
「You bastard, next you'll be the one to take the roaring mask...Who's the king――Destinyyyy, DROOOOOOOOOOO!!」
His anger towards Roswaal was replaced by hope for the next game, which was then offset by joy at having drawn the King.
Subaru held up the lottery ticket with "Puck" on it, his eyes shining brightly,
"Okay! Number two! Number two, you'll hold the King's head in your chest! At least until the next game! How's that?"
Subaru shouted, staring at Emilia.
There were seven participants in the game, and if Subaru leaves as king, four out of six would be women. Emilia would be the best, but even Rem would be a perk of being king. Ram would be okay, and the one who picked the number 2 that Subaru had chosen was,
"Do you have some grudge against me or something?!"
"That must have been Betty's line! What on earth were you thinking!?"
Subaru screamed as Beatrice was hit again, and a scream was returned.
However, the King's Game was absolute. For Beatrice, who had already overcome the underwear command, an order of this magnitude was probably not that difficult.
"Come on, you'd better hurry up. Let's go to the next one quickly, and I think Betty will ask Nii-cha this time."
"I came here disappointed... wow, she's really small! What's with this loli, this is completely criminal... what's wrong, you? Are you suffering from the abnormal status 'small breasts' or something? Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!!"
"The next time you say something stupid, I'll speed up the time on your scalp and make you completely bald. So who's the king?"
For one reason or another, Beatrice, who had been the least enthusiastic, got into the mood, and the King's Game that followed progressed at a good pace, albeit with a fierce nature.
From now on, if we summarize a little,
"This time for sure…! Subaru-kun… no, Number Five will kiss the King on the forehead…!"
"I mean, it's not me, but you're constantly asking for contact!"
"Oh, it's me. Then, Rem, I'll give you a little kiss on the forehead..."
"No one asks for a kiss on the forehead these days!"
"The courtyard of the Sixth Mansion... is quite small. Should I ask you to go and check the barrier on the mountain behind it? It will easily take about ten trips."
「I'm going to die! Don't do something like that to me when I've just recovered… You're not aiming for me!?」
"Well then, number four, clean up Ram-sama's room. If there's even a speck of dust left, I'll beat you up."
"Lady Ram has a refreshingly queenly disposition! I mean, you and Roswaal are both good snipes... you're not using your clairvoyance, are you!?"
"...Fuu, then what is it, Barusu."
「Don't act like you're in the wrong! I thought it was weird!!」
"Destiny again! Now, Number Four will serve the King a home-cooked meal full of love... you again!!"
"Maybe I should eat this after I've grilled, boiled and dried it!"
"You two seem to get along well. I feel like having a nice time with Lia too."
"Oh, it's me. Well then, I've been really into mayonnaise lately, so I'll have number two give me some."
"Oh my, the Great Spirit is quite the spoiled brat. It is an honor to be entrusted with such an important role, though."
"Who wants this footage? You two stay in the corner and do it together!!"
"Yay, it's finally Betty's turn. Nii-cha...um, right, number four will be fluffing Betty's belly until she feels satisfied!"
"Even though I look like this, I have ripped abs!"
"Do you have some grudge against Betty?"
「I want to be the one to lose my temper! What, are you and I good friends?!」
Even when viewed in a digest format, a variety of happy and sad results were repeated.
And after about twenty games, we were feeling tired and had a sense of accomplishment, and just as we were about to call it a day,
"King, I... well, you see... what should I do?"
Emilia drew the lottery and won the title of King. She put her finger to her lips in frustration, looking extremely amused.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, indicating her excitement. Combined with her overly sexy behavior, Subaru felt a strange sensation.
In front of Subaru, she nodded and said, "Yes."
"So, number six... do you compare the opposite sex to an animal that matches your image?"
"I'm number six... What does that mean?"
"Hmm. It's fine. Come on, Subaru! Hurry, hurry!"
As Subaru tilts his head, Emilia lightly taps the table to urge him on. Subaru is perplexed by this attitude that is so unlike her, but he places his hand on his chin in a slightly troubled state,
"Well, Ram is a cat and Rem is a dog. Bearko is a bear... and Emilia-tan is a rabbit, I guess."
"What kind of image is that?"
"I wondered what kind of animal ears would look good on everyone. Cat ears for the whimsical Ram, dog ears for the submissive Rem, rabbit ears for the lonely and cute Emilia-tan... and since Bear-chan has the word "bear" in her name, bear ears would be fine."
「Just now, did you notice that Betty was the only one who was acting completely careless?!」
"There's no point in seriously worrying about something like this… Hey, Emilia, what are you talking about?"
Ignoring Beatrice's indignation, Emilia raised both hands with a loose smile on her face. She waved her raised hands with a laugh, "Ehhh," and
"I'm not very good at detailed modeling, but what do you think of this?"
"And this.... oh!"
The glow scattered, and the light converged in Emilia's hand. Subaru's eyes widened as he saw a transparent headband in the shape of rabbit ears suddenly appear on Emilia's silver hair.
It was only upon close inspection that it became clear that the object was made of ice, but it adorned her with the cuteness Subaru had imagined.
"That's cold."
"Is this your image of Subaru...?"
"Honestly, I don't agree with it..."
Just like Emilia who was wearing bunny ears, ice headbands with animal ears based on Subaru's image had appeared on the heads of the women.
The pointed cat ears reflect Ram's free-spiritedness, the drooping dog ears reflect Rem's adorable innocence, and the round bear ears reflect the sweet disposition of Beatrice.
Indeed, the sight was a feast for the eyes, and Subaru instinctively wanted to drop to his knees and worship him, but,
"My phone battery is so low that I can't take a picture, which is a real shame. I want to at least burn it into the photograph in my mind... but, well, that's beside the point."
As he burned the glamorous images of the women (from Subaru's perspective) into his eyes, Subaru could not hide his amazement at the transformation that had occurred in Emilia, who had managed to achieve this.
It was a wonderful order, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that her goal in starting the King's Game had been achieved - but it was still extremely unlike Emilia.
Normally, she would be the type to proactively try to stop a situation like this, but
"Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun."
"What's wrong, Rem?"
I leaned closer to Rem, who was beckoning me over. Then she tilted her dog-eared head,
"Is it cute? If you like, you can pet my head and show me your affection..."
"You're cute and I'd normally be happy about that, but right now I like Rem better because she might clear up my doubts!"
"I see, that's unfortunate. Therefore, I would like to clear up that doubt and receive your praise. The strange behavior of Lady Emilia must be due to the effects of the Funnel Fruit."
"Funnel fruit?"
In response to Subaru's question, Rem nodded "Yes," and picked out a small nut from the pocket of her apron dress.
"This is it. If you grind up the fruit of this funnel and ingest it into powder... it has the effect of making you more honest with yourself. It's surprising."
"I see, that's surprising. So, why would Emilia-tan have to ingest it?"
"Maybe it's because Rem was trying to give Subaru-kun tea with funnel fruit in it, and accidentally gave it to Emilia-sama… Ah, Subaru-kun, that grinding hurts, it hurts!"
"Punishment for a naughty boy! I mean, that's how you reacted the first time I served you tea!"
He finally understood the true meaning behind the question he had when he asked Subaru if he felt feverish after drinking tea before the King's Game.
Apparently, Emilia accidentally took the medicine that Subaru was meant to take, and that is why she looks so happy now.
Subaru: "So, to be honest, Emilia-tan is actually quite childish…?"
"What? The two of you got along so quickly...that's not fair."
Seeing Subaru pounding his fist into Rem's head and punishing her, Emilia pursed her lips and shook her body. She looked away with a sulky look on her face,
"I thought you were being nice to me, but that's what you do. You just gave me really high hopes... How awful. How awful. How awful."
"I don't really understand why he's getting so angry, what should I do?"
Emilia throws a childish tantrum and falls onto the table. I ask for help in knowing what to do about this strange sight.
「That's right, Barusu… For now, you're the one who created this situation, so do your best.」
"I wonder if that would be a good idea. Come over here and have tea with Betty."
"Although you're cute like this, I think it's safer if we stay apart for now. Well then, I'll leave the rest to you, Subaru."
"Well then, I guess I'll get back to playing around with my paperwork."
"I'm shocked at how useless you guys are to be friends! I won't rely on you anymore!"
After seeing everyone abandon their duties and run away, the only ones left in the dining hall aside from Subaru were Emilia and Rem.
With a total of three people, there was no way the King's Game could continue.
Subaru: "Well, I guess we'll call it a day for now… The problem is what to do about Emilia-tan."
"No. No! Let's play some more! Let's play!"
"Rather than being true to myself, this seems like a regression to childhood. ...It's a bit sad to think that the result of being true to myself is this clumsy way of being dependent."
Emilia shook her head, refusing to end the game. I reached out to her to try and calm her down, but she was in a childish state and didn't seem to be listening to me.
In the end, leaving a confused Subaru behind, Emilia pulled a lottery ticket from the table,
"Yes, I'm King! Erm, Number One! Number One listens to orders!"
"Emilia-tan, the King's Game can't work with just the King..."
"Since Rem drew number two, it's inevitable that first place will go to Subaru."
"Rem-san?!"
When Subaru turns around in surprise at this betrayal, he sees Rem holding the lottery ticket for "2" and waving it around. She then places the lottery ticket against her lips and whispers "This is the only time" so that only Subaru can hear.
"Lady Emilia, please give your orders. It is the duty of a vassal to listen to the King's orders."
"Well then, number one, Subaru..."
"…Please go easy on me. I'm so tired from running that my legs are shaking, and I still haven't had anything to eat so my throat is still a bit burnt, plus the food I made afterwards was terrible."
Subaru is confused, but prepares to accept it.
It was unusual to see Emilia like this, and at this point she was ready to accept any command. It would be best to have one that would not put strain on her body or leave any aftereffects, but
"I want you to stroke my head."
"fart?"
Feeling as if he had heard something unexpected, Subaru exclaimed in confusion.
Emilia looked straight at Subaru, who had his eyes wide open,
"Pat my head. Gently, like you always do with Rem."
"Eh, I mean, is that okay?"
"Hurry up. Hurry up."
Emilia began to kick her legs. Pushed by her gesture, Subaru moved next to her and slowly reached out his hand to her long silver hair.
"Is this okay?"
"More gently...yeah, something like that."
Feeling the silver hair flow smoothly through his fingers, Subaru stroked Emilia's head as she had requested. Thankfully, he was aware of the order and was relieved that the nervous trembling of touching her did not reach his fingertips.
Having her so close, being allowed to touch her hair - something he had never expected to happen without being prepared for.
--Although he tried to bring lewd orders into the King's Game, he is a cowardly man.
And just like that,
"...Huh, Emilia-tan?"
"――――"
Feeling something odd about the silent Emilia, I looked over at her and saw that she had fallen asleep, leaning her upper body against the table.
Seeing his peaceful sleeping face, a look of satisfaction on his face,
"I'm going to have to take a break. Funnel fruit also induces a strong drowsiness."
Subaru: "I won't pursue what you were planning to do to me after I let myself be and got sleepy… so, did you go along with Emilia-tan's King's Game?"
"I think that Emilia-sama also needs time to truly relax every now and then. The weight that you are carrying on your shoulders is no mean feat."
Rem's playfulness vanished and she resumed her usual attire as an all-purpose maid. She gently stroked the sleeping Emilia's hair, then looked at Subaru,
"I'll take you to your room, but... would you like Subaru to pick you up?"
Subaru: "This is a chance to legally touch Emilia-tan, and considering how terrible it would be to have Rem hold Emilia-tan, I really don't have a choice."
With a wry smile, he gently picks up Emilia.
The weight of the girl, lighter than she looked, rested on his arm, and while Subaru was surprised at how light she was, his mind turned to the floor above - her room.
"It's good to have some time to relax like this every now and then. It was fun."
"Yes, I'd love to do it again. There'd be some cleaning to do, though."
The door to the dining hall opens and Rem leads the way with Subaru, who is holding Emilia.
I tilted my head at what she said and looked behind me, and could see that the dining hall still had a fair amount of devastation left behind.
After this, I'll have to join forces with Rem to clear away these traces. Ram probably won't help us anyway.
"I wonder if those ice dog ears will ever melt. How long will you keep them on?"
"It's not made of a dimensional material that would melt. … If that's what you want, Subaru-kun, I'll keep it on."
"It's cute, but don't use it too much. Show it to me again at the next King's Game."
"--Yes. Then let's do that. I promise."
Rem smiled happily, and Subaru couldn't help but smile as well.
Emilia's expression as she squirmed in his arms was somehow peaceful, and she smiled as if she were watching the two of them smile, which somehow warmed my heart.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
--This had happened just five days before Subaru and Emilia had their falling out in the royal capital.
Neither Subaru, Emilia, nor even Rem had anticipated the turbulent fate that awaited them ahead.
But there's one thing I should mention.
--The promise was never kept.
Never again would the seven of them at Roswaal Mansion meet face to face and enjoy a game of King's Game like this.