Rem set down the fresh milk in her hands and walked toward the three of them.
Subaru Natsuki turned pale on the spot and collapsed backward, scrambling away across the floor.
"W-What are you doing? Don't come any closer! Grin-kun, hurry—hurry and save me!"
Just as Grin was about to move, he caught Ram shaking her head at him from the side, signaling him not to interfere yet.
Rem did not keep advancing.
She stopped two or three meters away, placed both hands lightly at the hem of her skirt, and bowed to Subaru.
"I'm sorry, Subaru. Rem should not have acted so impulsively."
Yesterday, Ram had already explained everything to her.
Roswaal's order had been to observe in secret, not to act rashly, and the possibility of Subaru Natsuki truly being a Witch Cultist was extremely small.
Even if she ignored the clown's commands, she still could not ignore her sister's words.
Seeing that Rem was not about to kill him this time, Subaru finally relaxed a little.
From his point of view, being hunted down for reasons he did not even understand was simply outrageous.
He looked at Rem with open disappointment and asked,
"Rem, I really didn't understand anything last night. Why were you trying to kill me? And what exactly are this Witch Cult and miasma you people keep talking about? Am I really that untrustworthy?"
Even though Rem had prepared herself mentally, the moment she heard the words Witch Cult, her expression still tightened with emotion.
The atmosphere was beginning to turn bad again.
Sensing that, Grin quickly moved to Ram's side, grabbed a bowl, scooped out several spoonfuls of porridge, and shoved it toward Subaru.
"Hey, why are you talking so much first thing in the morning? Here. Take this and go eat outside."
With that, he thrust the bowl into Subaru's hands and hurried him out before the conversation could get any worse.
Once the walking trigger had been removed, Grin came back, filled a bowl for himself, and began blowing on it as he ate.
Ram stared at him in speechless disgust.
"Shameless bastard. He bullied my sister yesterday, and now he dares swagger around in front of her older sister today. Ram truly has no words for creatures like you."
Grin took a happy sip of porridge, and the warmth finally began spreading through his cold, empty stomach.
He scratched his head, looking slightly awkward.
"I really didn't mean to hurt Rem. I just wanted her to calm down."
After a brief pause, he decided to apologize directly.
"I'm sorry, Rem. Are you feeling alright anywhere? I know a little pharmacology, so if something's wrong, just tell me."
"It's alright, Grin-kun. Please don't worry. If anything, Rem should be apologizing for causing trouble for you last night."
The blue-haired maid gave him a small, proper bow, then returned to her work.
Watching that, Grin felt strangely uncomfortable.
Rem still looked burdened, as if something deep inside her remained unresolved.
He needed to find a chance to help with that.
Ram shot him a cold glance.
"Rem is too gentle. If Ram had been treated like that, I would have punched you first and then stepped on your face after you fell."
Grin's eyes lit up at once, and he shamelessly scooted closer.
"You're too kind, Ram. Since you mentioned the reward, what about the punishment?"
The whole kitchen went quiet.
Beatrice frowned and began slowly edging toward the door.
"This mansion is no longer clean. Betty should return to the Forbidden Library at once, I suppose."
Ram nearly choked before she managed to speak again.
"Your shamelessness has once again surpassed all previous records in Ram's eyes. Rem, remember to throw away the bowl he drank from."
Rem nodded at once.
"Sister, Rem thinks it would be better to burn it to ashes."
Seeing everyone return to their usual rhythms, Grin finally let out a breath of relief.
"Haha. Ram and Rem are definitely cuter like this."
Ram, having already seen through his intention, allowed herself a rare little smile.
"Enough of your nonsense, Grin. The mansion's food supplies are nearly gone. Once Rem is done here, you'll accompany her to the nearby village to buy groceries."
Given Subaru Natsuki's current condition, there was no way he could go.
Every time Rem entered his field of vision, his legs probably turned to jelly, so it was better to leave him in the mansion to recover.
"No problem. Just call me when it's time."
Grin nodded and finished the entire bowl of oatmeal in one go.
Then, after stretching lazily, he added,
"Why do I feel sleepy again already?"
Sleeping on the floor the night before had been miserable.
And the magic mirror had caused trouble in the middle of the night too, so he had barely rested at all.
"Ram is almost speechless at a lifeform like Grin, who wants to sleep immediately after eating."
"Though I do not wish to question Roswaal-sama's judgment, Ram still feels hiring you as a guard has effectively crippled the entire mansion's defense system."
Ram took the empty bowl from his hand, though instead of throwing it away, she simply put it into the basket of dirty dishes waiting to be washed.
"Ram, be careful. If you stay this mean, no one's ever going to marry you."
By now, Grin was beginning to build up an immunity to Ram's poison tongue.
Yawning as he left the kitchen, he went looking for Subaru Natsuki.
He really needed to talk to that guy.
Otherwise Subaru might spend every waking second living in fear.
Sigh. I'm still too kindhearted. I just can't bear to watch a fellow townsman suffer.
Eventually, he found Subaru in the corridor.
That guy was leaning against the windowsill, eating with a deeply suspicious grin on his face.
Before Grin even reached him, he heard Subaru say something outrageous.
"Ha! Emilia-tan's smile is definitely the best seasoning. Hahaha… it's delicious…"
Then Subaru lifted the bowl and gulped down another huge mouthful with shameless enthusiasm.
"Are you seriously peeping over here?"
Wearing a look of total disbelief, Grin slowly stepped up beside him and followed his line of sight downward.
The morning mist had not yet fully lifted.
Down below, Emilia moved on tiptoe through the dew-covered grass.
Her silver hair spilled down like moonlight snow left behind by the night as she crouched gently among the lawn.
Tiny lights, fainter even than fireflies, rose from the moss and cracks in the earth.
They were newly awakened lesser spirits.
Drawn by Emilia's presence, they circled her lightly in the air.
"Haa… Lia, good morning."
Puck emerged from Emilia's hair with a sleepy little yawn, and the lesser spirits scattered like startled stars.
The faint light they carried stretched across Emilia's silver hair in long, comet-like trails.
Wrapped in fog, she looked as if her whole outline might dissolve into some drifting nebula.
"So beautiful! Just looking at Emilia-tan's beauty makes me feel like I could eat another hundred bowls of oatmeal!"
Subaru stared with his eyes wide open and drool gathering shamelessly at the corner of his mouth.
When Grin glanced down at the bowl, there was not even a single grain of porridge left inside.
It had been licked so clean it was practically reflecting light.
At once, Grin steeled himself.
There was absolutely no need to worry about this pervert anymore.
"You bastard… so this is what you're doing? In the kitchen just now you looked like a tragic refugee, and the moment you get outside you're already here gawking at girls."
"Shh! Grin, don't disturb Emilia-tan's morning exercise. I really don't want to share this beautiful sight with you, but at least keep your voice down!"
"Oh, Grin-kun, could you go get me another bowl of oatmeal?"
After saying that, Subaru held the empty bowl out toward him without even turning his head, his eyes still glued to Emilia.
Grin slowly lifted his head.
A murderous look spread across his face.
His teeth bared.
"You're still hungry too?!"
Veins bulged along his arm as he clenched down hard.
Crack.
The porcelain bowl shattered in his hand.