It wasn't just Roswaal; Ram remained in the mansion as well, attending to her household chores. Everything seemed no different from usual.
Gojo Satoru went to the Forbidden Library with Puck. After handing the spirit over to Beatrice, Gojo sank into thought, silently waiting for any vibration from the Conversation Mirror. If anything happened, he would be out of the library and heading for the village with Puck in a heartbeat.
Beatrice played with Puck for a good while before realizing something felt off. She looked up to see Gojo sitting alone in a corner. He held a book in his hand, but he hadn't turned a page in ages.
"My, my, it seems I'm not the only one worrying," Puck noted, looking at Gojo. He gave a nod of approval. "Satoru has quite a bit of 'doting father' potential himself."
"He cannot compare to Brother, I suppose," Beatrice huffed dismissively.
Still, she turned her gaze toward Gojo. "Could you please stop ruining the atmosphere while Brother and I are having fun?"
Gojo snapped out of his trance at the sound of her voice. Seeing Beatrice's dissatisfied look, he managed a small smile. "Betty, what do you think of Roswaal as a person?"
"What do I think? Are you being stupid, asking such a nonsensical question, I suppose?" Beatrice shot back, her words flying like rapid-fire artillery.
"I mean... is he reliable? Things like that."
Puck scratched his head and looked at Beatrice. "I can't be much help with that question."
"Honestly, why should Betty have to answer you?" Beatrice grumbled. She pulled Puck into her lap before adding reluctantly: "Who knows what that man is really like? Betty hasn't had much contact with him. But... he is stable, I suppose."
"Stable?"
"The members of the Mathers family are all stable. Whether it was the one who was Mother's pupil back then, or this current one. In all those years, aside from their frequent deaths and their genders, there isn't much difference between them." Beatrice gently scratched Puck's chin as she spoke.
"Is that the 'arrogance of a long-lived species'?" Gojo quipped, reacting to the way she glossed over death so casually.
"You're just looking for a fight, I suppose!" Beatrice's cheeks puffed out as she glared dangerously at Gojo.
"Not at all." Gojo raised his hands, looking perfectly sincere. "I was just a bit curious."
He stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "I'm going out for a stroll. If anything happens, I'll be in here immediately, Puck."
With that, Gojo turned and left the Forbidden Library. Puck could only shake his head helplessly.
However, contrary to Gojo's expectations, the entire morning passed without a single stir from the Conversation Mirror. When he took the initiative to check in, everything on the other end was calm—not a sign of trouble in sight.
Close to noon, Rem returned with the ground dragon carriage. As it approached, Gojo heard Subaru's trademark laughter. When the two stepped down from the carriage, both Subaru and Emilia wore deep smiles. Clearly, the brief trip to the village had put them both in an excellent mood.
"If we get the chance, let's go together again next time! Or visit somewhere else."
"Emilia!" Taking advantage of the warm atmosphere, Subaru seized the moment to issue his next invitation.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What are you trying to do to my daughter while I, her father, am away? Cat Kick!" Puck suddenly zoomed out, playfully kicking Subaru in the face.
"I just want Emilia to smile more! I'll be the one to protect that smile!"
Gojo watched the group mess around for a bit. Once they settled down, he stepped forward and asked as if in passing, "How was this morning?"
"Great! Super great! Couldn't have been better!" Subaru's nostrils flared slightly with excitement; he was visibly thrilled. "Emilia-tan is a literal angel. Being with her makes everything beautiful."
"No danger? No... strange occurrences?"
"None! The villagers are really friendly. There's a group of mischievous kids there; you'd like them, Satoru. We should bring Felt along sometime; she seems pretty bored lately..."
As Gojo listened to Subaru prattle on about the morning's events, it really did seem like nothing had happened. He recalled the scene he'd witnessed the previous night and felt a surge of confusion. Am I really just being paranoid? Maybe Roswaal just went out for a stroll because he couldn't sleep?
Just then, Gojo noticed a bandage on Subaru's hand. "What happened there?"
"Oh, this? I got nipped by a puppy in the village. Rem already treated it; it's no big deal."
"I hope you aren't a supporting character who's going to die of rabies."
"Uh... I doubt it."
For the rest of the day, fueled by the success of his "date," Subaru remained in a state of high hyper-activity. It got to the point where even Beatrice couldn't stand him, describing him as "a monkey in heat." After she physically ejected him several times, he finally calmed down.
As for Gojo, since they'd had a successful "trade" today, Beatrice didn't bother arguing with him anymore. She had essentially reached a state of resignation. If you want to stay, stay; just don't expect a good attitude from me. It was a significant improvement from before.
Night fell once more.
Gojo finished the dessert Rem had delivered, washed up, and lay in bed ready to sleep. Gazing at the now-familiar ceiling, Felt's face drifted into his mind.
It's about time I told Felt the truth.
With that thought, Gojo closed his eyes and sank into a deep sleep.
...
"Mr. Gojo, can we get in the carriage? We're preparing to depart."
Gojo stood before a ground dragon carriage, staring blankly at Rem, who was sitting in the driver's seat prompting him.
Inside the carriage, Natsuki Subaru wore the exact same expression of bewilderment. "What... what's going on?"
In the next second, as if by instinct, their gazes collided.