The crisp sound of something breaking was somewhat abrupt in the quiet Mansion.
Emilia's gaze was naturally drawn over as well.
"Grin, Subaru, good morning!"
Dressed in white casual clothes, Emilia stood up and waved vigorously toward Grin, like a white rose swaying in the wind.
Subaru Natsuki immediately clutched his chest with both hands as if hit by some mysterious force, saying entranced:
"Ah, Emilia's smile is simply too dazzling; I feel warm all over. It really makes one want to worship at her feet."
Grin, with the expression of someone watching drama, said, "You brat, as a manservant, you're actually infatuated with your mistress. That's like a guard stealing what he protects!"
Subaru Natsuki turned his head awkwardly. "Ha~ I forgot you were still here. Please forget what I just said immediately."
Grin gave a mischievous smile and snapped his Fingers with a 'pop.' A purple-black magic circle, unique to Transformation Magic, lit up from beneath his feet.
His body and features gradually began to twist, eventually turning into Subaru Natsuki's appearance.
"Ah, Emilia's smile is so wonderful, it makes me want to kneel down and lick her boots! Ahahaha! You pervert!"
Grin mimicked Subaru Natsuki's voice, cupping his chin with his hands and swaying his hips provocatively, looking utterly ridiculous.
Subaru Natsuki was shocked. "Whoa, don't mock me! I didn't say it like that, okay?"
"Eh~ it's basically the same thing. Ah, Emilia's smile is simply..."
"Mou~ you two, that's enough!"
Emilia's voice rang out from behind them, her delicate, porcelain-like face still tinged with a blush that hadn't yet faded.
Subaru Natsuki stammered a bit, like a guy whose mother had just found his stash of adult magazines while cleaning his room.
He was so embarrassed his toes were curling; at this rate, he'd probably dig out a whole three-bedroom apartment in a moment.
"Emilia-tan! When... when did you come up?"
Emilia put on a stern expression. "Right when someone wanted to do something strange to my boots."
Seeing two Subaru Natsukis before her, she immediately thought of some kind of Mirror Magic.
After observing for a moment, she fixed her gaze on the real Grin.
Grin met Emilia's reproachful gaze, feeling incredibly depressed.
"No way, Emilia, how did you figure it out this time?"
Emilia's cute cheeks puffed out. "Because Grin is a bad boy!"
Puck popped out from behind Emilia's long hair with a 'poof' and flopped softly onto her head.
"Haha, as expected of my lovely daughter, your observation skills are truly sharp.
Green-kun, your smile was far too wicked when you said you wanted to perform a Shoe-kissing ceremony for Lia, and Lia happened to catch you in the act."
In Puck and Emilia's eyes, Grin had a criminal record; he had previously used magical creatures to steal Emilia's socks.
Grin sensed that things were going south and took two steps back toward the stairs as the effects of the Transformation Magic slowly faded.
"Can I offer an excuse, Emilia?"
Puck leaped lightly and landed steadily on Grin's shoulder.
"Young man Grin, provoking the mistress on your first day of work isn't exactly a good start!"
"You guy, you clearly heard everything."
"Haha, who knows? Puck is just a harmless little feline."
Subaru Natsuki had always thought Grin was a guest at the Mansion. Hearing the conversation between Grin and Puck, he immediately asked in surprise:
"What work? Is Grin going to stay and work at the Mansion too?"
After taking a few deep breaths, Emilia's agitated mood eased. "Yes, Subaru, so you two must get along well from now on."
Subaru Natsuki felt a sense of crisis. Could this Grin guy also be here for Emilia-tan?
After all, Emilia-tan was so pure and kind; it was inevitable that people would have designs on her.
"I see..."
The more Subaru Natsuki thought about it, the more it made sense. He circled Grin, sizing him up as he spoke.
"Green-kun, I won't lose to you."
Grin sighed. "You've definitely got some kind of problem."
With high spirits, Subaru Natsuki struck his signature pose: a twist of the hips, right finger pointing to the ceiling, with a somewhat fierce grin.
"Hahaha, Grin! Even if you're more handsome than me, taller than me, and better at fighting... Damn, saying it out loud makes me feel a bit inferior... But even so, you can't shake my position as the number one manservant in the Roswaal Mansion!"
"Ooh!" Puck cheered as he flew above everyone. "Young people are so full of energy! Well then, I declare the competition for Emilia's number one follower officially open!"
Subaru Natsuki got even more excited, pumping his fists to psych himself up. "Yosh! This is the one competition I absolutely must win!"
Looking at Subaru Natsuki's ridiculous performance, Grin really couldn't muster any enthusiasm.
"Don't worry, Subaru. I'm not interested in your title of number one manservant."
Now it was Subaru Natsuki's turn to be confused. He scratched his head in bewilderment, feeling like he'd punched a cloud.
"Not a manservant? Then what exactly is your role in the Mansion, Grin?"
Grin felt like Subaru Natsuki was sticking to him and said helplessly:
"If you're asking what kind of 'plant' I am, I'd like to be a cactus. Please just let me photosynthesize in peace and stop bothering me."
"Haha."
Emilia couldn't help but laugh, but then she covered her mouth in embarrassment when she realized she'd drawn everyone's attention.
"Grin, really... to say you want to be a cactus with such a straight face, it's so weird! Hahaha."
Seeing his precious daughter laughing so happily for once, Puck's mood also became excellent.
He gave Grin a thumbs-up with his furry little paw.
"Nice job, Grin. One point!"
"Damn, Grin beat me to it! I can tell jokes too, Emilia-tan!"
Subaru Natsuki got a bit anxious, spinning around with his hands clasped until he reached Emilia's side.
Just as Grin was wondering how to escape the current mess, he suddenly saw a blue-haired figure walking toward them.
"Great, reinforcements are here!"
Grin breathed a sigh of relief. He really had no way of dealing with a Subaru Natsuki who got so excited whenever he saw Emilia.
The blue-haired figure drew closer, the sunlight shattering into tiny, watery points of light on the tips of her hair—it was the adorable Rem, coming from the kitchen.
She first gave a slight bow to Emilia, then held the breakfast tray to her chest, her voice soft yet naturally cool.
"Lady Emilia, today's breakfast is ready. Shall we move to the dining room?"
Upon hearing Rem's voice, Subaru Natsuki visibly shuddered and scrambled behind Emilia's back like a mouse seeing a cat.
"Rem, you... how do you always appear and disappear like a ghost? Please don't suddenly show up next to me; it's terrifying."