A week had passed since the Ulgarm incident, and peace had finally returned to the village. The lingering smell of the morning dew hung in the air, and the cheerful laughter of children echoed between the wooden cottages.
Subaru Natsuki, however, wasn't quite at ease. His arm was still wrapped in fresh bandages, the dull ache reminding him of his recent brush with death. He was supposed to be resting — ordered to, in fact — but stubborn as ever, he insisted on tagging along with Rem to the village.
He claimed it was to check on the kids.That was only half true.
The real reason was far more personal: Subaru was scouting for a perfect date spot. And today, he'd finally found it — a breathtaking flower field hidden behind a grove at the edge of the forest. The kids had shown it to him with proud grins, and Subaru could hardly believe such a picturesque place existed so close to the village.
"A secret flower field, huh?" he murmured, hands on his hips as the breeze swept through the sea of colors. "It's the perfect spot for a romantic date!"
He puffed out his chest in triumph… but the moment he imagined how the date would actually go, his confidence wavered. His face stiffened, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.
"Wait—this is my first date ever…" he whispered, clutching his chest dramatically. "Crap, what do I even do on a date?"
As he paced nervously, his thoughts were interrupted by a rough, cheerful voice from nearby.
"Lucky charm dolls from Gusteko! They make any wish come true!"
Subaru blinked and turned toward the source. A merchant had set up a small stall along the dirt path, his table covered with rows of plush, white bear-shaped dolls. Their button eyes glimmered under the sunlight, giving them a strangely lifelike charm.
Subaru crouched down and squinted at them. "Hey, old man, is that for real?"
Up close, the dolls all looked identical — soft white fur, a tiny blue ribbon around their necks, and an oddly comforting aura. It could've easily been a scam, yet… Subaru couldn't completely dismiss it. After all, this was a world where magic and spirits were everyday things.
"You can make the wish and then give it as a gift too."
"That sounds way too suspicious! Is it actually for real?" Subaru asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, yes, it's real as it gets. So—what's your wish, young man?"
Subaru hesitated, staring at the doll intently. "…A date."
"Dato?" the merchant repeated, tilting his head.
Subaru's voice dropped to a mumble. "I want my date with Emilia-tan to go well…"
Just saying her name made his stomach twist. His first ever date — and it was with the most beautiful girl he'd ever met. He wasn't even fully healed yet, but his nerves were worse than any injury.
After a brief silence, he pointed at one. "Alright, how much?"
"Five silver coins,"
"Isn't that too cheap for a miracle? Do these even work?"
"Ah, then ten silver coins," the man replied smoothly.
Subaru's eyes widened. "You can't just double the price in front of me like that!"
The merchant only laughed, while Subaru groaned in disbelief, clutching his dwindling coin pouch.
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In the end, he bought it anyway.
He told himself it was for luck — for Emilia-tan's sake, of course — but deep down, it was because he really, really wanted that date to go well.
"Thanks, man!" the merchant called cheerfully as Subaru walked away.
Subaru waved halfheartedly without turning back.
He looked down at the fluffy polar bear doll in his hand. Its round eyes stared back at him blankly, the tiny ribbon around its neck fluttering in the breeze.
"This doll kinda looks like Puck… but, like, if he went on a snow-themed vacation." He squinted at it. "Alright, your name will be… Benjamin."
As he continued walking, he turned the doll around in his hands, still inspecting it. Then he noticed something odd — a small paper tag stitched underneath the paw.
"Wait, hold on… this is supposed to be a magical doll, right? Then why does it have a tag?"
He frowned and turned back toward the stall. "Hey, excuse me—"
"Run away!"
Subaru blinked. "Huh?"
The man hastily grabbed his belongings, tossed the table aside, and bolted down the dirt path faster than Subaru could process what happened.
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Later that day, Subaru and Rem were on their way back to the Roswaal mansion. The afternoon sun bathed the road in gold as they passed through the familiar countryside, fields stretching endlessly to either side.
Subaru sighed, kicking a pebble as he walked beside her. "Well, you have to believe in stuff like this first for it to work, right?"
Rem nodded gently. "Yes."
"Maybe a miracle will happen and it'll go well."
"Yes."
"It's not like I was cheated…"
"Yes."
"It's not like I was ripped off!"
"Yes. Rem believes in Subaru-Kun as well."
Subaru stopped walking, narrowing his eyes. "Why do you sound like you have equal faith in that doll as you do in me?"
They continued through the gates of the mansion's estate, gravel crunching softly beneath their feet. The air grew colder as they approached the entrance, a faint mist clinging to the gardens.
"Oh right," Rem said, glancing at the doll in his hands. "Subaru-Kun, where did the merchant say those dolls came from?"
"Huh? He said something like… Gusteko, I think. Sounds made up, though. Probably some marketing trick."
Rem's expression shifted slightly. "Gusteko is real. It's a nation far to the north."
Subaru blinked. "Wait, seriously?!" His eyes lit up. "Then maybe this thing is the real deal!"
Rem's tone remained calm but firm. "It's also where most curse users fled after the Divine Dragon made its pact with the Kingdom."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Subaru screamed."Wait—WHAT?! You're telling me this thing might be cursed?!"
He would definitely need to check with Beatrice to see if this doll was safe or not.
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"—Onee-sama, we are back," Rem's calm voice rang as they stepped into the mansion's kitchen.
The words had barely left her lips when a blur of pink shot across the room.
"Die!"
A silver flash cut through the air.
"HUH?!" Subaru ducked instinctively as a knife whizzed past his head and embedded itself in the wall with a heavy thunk. A cold breeze swept through the corridor—followed by the sickening sound of tearing fabric.
He turned, trembling, only to see Ram standing there, blade in hand, her usual elegant composure replaced by a cold fury.
"Wha—What are you doing?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Subaru yelped, his voice cracking again.
Ram blinked, then tugged the knife free from the wall. The motion was clean, effortless—except the blade carried something along with it. The doll. It hung there limply, impaled through its tiny chest.
"Oh," Ram said flatly, glancing down at him. "It's you, Barusu."
Subaru's jaw dropped."No, Benjamin! You stabbed Benjamin!"
Ram gave a disinterested sigh, twirling the knife once before lowering it. "Don't come back at a time like this. It's your fault showing up out of nowhere. It's confusing."
"Don't come back?! How could you say something so cruel?!" he cried, clutching the doll protectively.
Ram's expression didn't even twitch. "Look. I had a lot of trouble while you were away."
Subaru finally looked around—and froze.The kitchen looked like a battlefield. Half the room was frozen solid, shards of ice jutting out of the floor and ceiling, while the other half was drenched in scorch marks.
Ram glared at the destroyed mess, then—without hesitation—snatched the doll from Subaru's hands. Her fingers clenched.
"What happened? Just thinking about it makes my blood boil," she said through gritted teeth.
"NO! LEAVE BENJAMIN ALONE!" Subaru cried helplessly as she crushed the doll, tearing out its cotton innards with grim efficiency.
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"Cockroach," Ram muttered.
Subaru blinked. "Huh?"
She sighed. "And we have another situation."
Dragging him and Rem along, Ram led them to the forbidden library.
There, they found Tanaka sitting rigid on the bed—his arms locked around Beatrice, who looked pale and utterly done with life. Both of them stared blankly into space, eyes wide, faces drained of color.
"Tanaka…?" Subaru ventured carefully.
Tanaka's head turned slowly, his pupils trembling. Then he began to mutter in a hollow, broken voice.
"Antennen… sie kriechen schnell… widerlich… ich will sterben…"
The sound was low and feverish, like a man trapped in a nightmare. Beatrice whimpered softly.
Ram crossed her arms. "He's been mumbling like that since morning. How pathetic."
Subaru gawked. "It's so bad he's started speaking German!"