Chapter 172: Fine, fine, our Ram is the best

"Oh~ lifelong partners, huh? Then why didn't Rem and Subaru bring you along when they fled Lugunica back then?"

"Sigh, if you ask me, your place in Subaru's heart is probably just so-so~"

Zarestia crossed her arms and tilted her head up to the sky, her posture and tone dripping with smug provocation.

"You! Calling yourself 'the most beautiful Grim Reaper' — Betty thinks it'd suit you far better to be called 'the most tactless, most obnoxious Grim Reaper,' I suppose!"

Betty clenched her small fists, a vein of pure Wrath throbbing on her flawless forehead, though on the surface she kept her gritted, smiling composure as she struck back on the spot.

Though Betty was something of a bookish spirit, she'd traded plenty of barbs with Subaru before.

On top of that, she'd read enough books to know Zarestia thoroughly, so she didn't even need to curse — she could jab straight at the sore spot.

Grim Reaper or not, Zarestia actually reveled in people's worship and praise.

But being a Great Spirit still innocent and unable to tell good from evil, she'd once unleashed both wind and fire elements together while fulfilling a worshipper's request — the wind fanned the flames, and countless people burned to death, stirring up deep hatred toward her that she herself remained completely unaware of.

Then one day, the very people who'd worshipped her got her drunk on wine and hacked off her limbs — but the severed head that remained kept her alive, and she went on to kill every last one of those who'd tried to murder her.

The agony of that betrayal and slaughter had seeped into every corner of Zarestia's spirit — which was exactly why killing consumed her thoughts now.

And so, hearing Betty's words, Zarestia's temper genuinely flared on the spot.

She broke free of Rem's embrace, rolled up her sleeves, and made to teach this little runt in front of her a lesson.

But right then Natsuki Subaru stepped in, planting himself in front of Betty with a helpless look on his face.

"Come on, you two, that's enough. You're both Great Spirits who've lived for ages, and yet you bicker like a couple of kids."

With that, Natsuki Subaru turned to Zarestia, meeting her eyes as he spoke.

"As for you... Lady Tia? That's what Rem calls you, so I suppose I ought to do the same."

"Anyway, please don't pick on my Betty too much. Maybe that sounds a little biased, but sorry — that's just the kind of man Natsuki Subaru is!"

Natsuki Subaru planted his hands on his hips, declaring it with full conviction, then quietly waited to see how Zarestia would react.

But to his surprise, the moment the first words left his mouth, Zarestia's expression twisted violently, as if she'd swallowed something unspeakable — a mix of nausea and panic.

And once he got to the part defending Betty, Zarestia burst into tears like a child, burying her face in Rem's chest for comfort.

"Waaah — Rem! Subaru called me Lady Tia! But before, he always just called me Tia, plain and simple — he's never been so distant with me!"

"And on top of that, he snapped at me for the sake of an outsider, when our bond is so much closer than that! I love Subaru so much!"

Zarestia sobbed out her grievances to Rem, looking so much like a child abandoned and despised by her own family that it would have broken the heart of anyone who saw or heard it.

Even someone as thick-skinned as Natsuki Subaru scratched his head at the sight, a twinge of guilt rising in him as he wondered if he'd gone a little too far with what he'd just said.

After all, she was a gorgeous girl who'd openly declared her feelings for him — treating her like some stranger really did feel a bit unfair.

"Barusu, Ram made it here in time this round, didn't she? Wasn't she useful?"

Just as Natsuki Subaru stood there dazed, Ram — who'd been standing off to the side with her lips pressed together, waiting for the others to finish — seized the opening and sidled up to him, asking with a flushed face.

"Ah, right! Thanks to you, Ram, this whole mix-up didn't spiral out of control. This time, the credit for the win goes to you, hands down!"

Natsuki Subaru gave Ram a thumbs-up, praising her without reservation.

But the next second, to his confusion, Ram puffed out her cheeks and said nothing, wearing a tsundere pout that clearly said, 'That's not what I wanted.'

"All right, all right, I get it. My Ram is the best."

Natsuki Subaru thought it over, then reached out and gently laid his hand on Ram's forehead, pinning down a few strands of her pink bangs in the process.

Then — pat, pat.

Ram paid no mind to her flattened bangs, tilting her smooth, alluring neck back with a look of pure bliss, her lips parting slightly as she let out the occasional soft sound of contentment.

Ram's unusually docile display had Natsuki Subaru chuckling to himself — sisters really were cut from the same cloth.

As he recalled, back before Rem had fallen into her long sleep, she too had loved having her head patted, often demanding it as her reward for a job well done.

Still, he didn't mind doing it himself — whenever his palm met the top of someone's head, it felt like a silent kind of heart-to-heart passed between them, and his own mood would settle without him even noticing.

While Natsuki Subaru and Ram were still lost in the moment, Meili, who'd been watching him the whole time, pushed her way over as well, her face full of expectation.

"Big brother~ Meili pitched in this time too, you know, so Meili wants a reward too!"

Meili rose up on her tiptoes, tilting her neck back with anticipation and closing her eyes, waiting for the familiar warmth of Natsuki Subaru's broad palm to land.

"Mm... you worked hard too, Meili."

With no other choice, Natsuki Subaru shot Betty an apologetic look, then freed up one hand to gently stroke Meili's head as well.

Strangely enough, unlike the feel of Ram's head, Meili's small head had a texture that was — how to put it — even more satisfying to pat, almost impossible to stop touching.

"Mm~"

Meili suddenly let a tempting little tremor slip from her throat, and the sound startled Natsuki Subaru — lost in the moment as he was — so badly that his hand jerked and his right eye twitched.

Wha— what was that for, making a sound like that out of nowhere? People could get the wrong idea! It's just a head pat!

Natsuki Subaru sighed, deciding he'd wrap this up in a moment — he couldn't go on spoiling the two of them forever.

Otherwise, what would become of him down the line?

With that resolved, his gaze idly swept over the surroundings, and he noticed Elsa standing quietly not far off, watching in his direction.

Huh? Why was Elsa being so unusually quiet right now? Wasn't she usually the one who teased him the most?

It struck him as odd, but it wasn't the kind of thing he could just ask outright, so he simply locked eyes with Elsa, silently questioning her with his gaze.

On her end, Elsa read the meaning in his eyes in an instant.

But she didn't answer right away — instead she lowered her gaze and ran her fingers over the pair of curved blades she hadn't yet put away, as if steadying herself.

Only then did she lift her head, her trademark smile settling back onto her face as she spoke softly.

"It's nothing... it's just that I didn't really pull my weight today. I didn't play the part I'd imagined, so naturally, I don't deserve to be paid."

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