Chapter 33: Birthday Preparations
Unconsciously, the two had once again become part of the Astrea family.
During this time, Subaru also went to see Brian, who had survived, in Setia and completed a rather troublesome commission together. He visited the cemetery to offer flowers to those who had died in the Great Astrea War and went with Otto to distribute winter supplies to some impoverished civilians.
Subaru had also thought about holding another Snow Festival or organizing a skiing competition. However, the Astrea territory, located in the southern part of Lugunica, didn't get snow.
Because Subaru's mood had been so low, Reinhild even asked about it—but ultimately, she didn't make it snow, as it would have made life much harder for the common people.
December finally neared its end. With each page torn from the calendar, the new year drew closer. This world had no concept of a traditional New Year celebration, but the first day of the new year was still very important to Subaru—it was Reinhild's once-a-year birthday.
Once again, Subaru lay on the grass, gazing at the sky and thinking about what gift to give the young lady. After a long while, he sighed helplessly.
Recently, life had made Subaru understand Reinhild's dependence on her home. He had two gifts in mind that seemed perfect, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn't be sure they would succeed.
The first gift in his mind was to let Reinhild visit her sleeping mother. He knew she often wandered nearby during her free time. To achieve this, Subaru had subtly brought it up during training with Heinkel, but he realized Heinkel would absolutely not allow a stranger to see his sleeping wife.
—Where the hell is that Gluttony hiding? Even if we found him, would it really count as a birthday gift for Reinhild to handle it herself? Or is the birthday gift supposed to be intelligence about Gluttony?
Indeed, the second gift in Subaru's mind was to defeat the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. If he did, Reinhild could have a truly perfect family. Yet even Subaru felt this idea was too far-fetched. After all, Gluttony had been missing for over half a year; hoping he'd show up in just a few days was unrealistic.
"Ugh~~~"
"What's wrong? You look troubled."
Reinhild's face suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Because of his earlier thoughts, Subaru had panicked for the first time in a long while. He hurriedly sat up, looking at her.
"Rein-chan! Th-that… shouldn't you be busy now?"
"Yes, I saw you worrying while cleaning the windows, so I came to see if you needed help."
—So radiant!
Subaru thought as he watched Reinhild worry about him and lightly slapped his cheeks.
"It's fine now."
Subaru looked at Reinhild, deciding in his heart to give her the best birthday gift.
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"So you came to see me, meow? Are you thinking I'm just a convenient woman, meow?"
Ferris teased, but seeing Subaru's lack of reaction, she sat back on the bed, slightly disappointed.
"Well, since I'm friends with Rein-chan, of course I'll attend her birthday. But coming specifically to invite me must not be such a trivial matter."
Subaru scratched his head awkwardly and clasped his hands.
"Actually, there's something I want to ask you—only you can help."
"Making that gesture doesn't seem trivial at all! Are you planning to give me as a gift to Rein-chan? No way, my body and heart already belong to Lady Crush."
"No way! I want you, as the Blue, to take Reinhild to see Luanna under the pretense of treatment."
Ferris's expression rarely lost its smile. After a long moment, he sighed.
"Ferris really dislike Heinkel. He actually poured alcohol over a teacher who was doing their best to save patients, and when my teacher was assassinated, he acted all sarcastic and weird. Though Lady Crush said Heinkel was sad about the teacher's death too, but meow…"
"The kingdom's strongest magician spent over ten years, and still couldn't cure a single disease. Hearing that he can't even heal his own wounds, I understand—wasting time is exactly what that means."
"Just a fraud who gives empty expectations. At least, that's how I see it."
Ferris unusually spoke in a sarcastic male tone, his eyes bloodshot. Subaru could easily imagine his feelings when he first heard those words upon the teacher's death.
"Even so, you want me to approach Heinkel, express that I want to try treatment, and bring an unrelated stranger in? My teacher is the third most important person to me."
"Sorry, Reinhild is the most important to me. That's why I'm asking you."
Ferris looked at Subaru kneeling before him. He understood the gesture's meaning and, after a brief hesitation, sighed.
"Most important? Get up, but I can't guarantee success."
"No need to be surprised. After all, you saved Lady Crush. The first and second most important in Ferris's heart are Lady Crush. So, I'll help you this once."
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"Reinhild's birthday, huh?"
Wilhelm repeated, accompanying Subaru, who had persuaded Ferris, back to the Astrea estate. Naturally, he would not refuse a request from Subaru, who had helped greatly in the White Whale hunt. Not only did he accept the invitation, but he also told Heinkel about the birthday preparations at the estate.
"…This time, it's up to you. I'll attend too."
Though he complained at length, Heinkel ultimately gave in under Wilhelm's serious gaze. This also showed that their relationship was gradually restoring.
Subaru knew he couldn't hide the birthday preparations from Reinhild, so everyone openly prepared. On the day of the party, with Rem's help, Subaru used his experience from the dessert city to make a massive cream cake by hand.
This would be the liveliest birthday Reinhild had ever had, a rare celebration with family blessings. Under Subaru's lead, the festivities continued until midnight. During this time, Ferris brought Reinhild, who had activated her shape-changing protection, to see her mother. Naturally, upon leaving, Heinkel mockingly teased her.
"How was it?"
Subaru asked, walking up to Reinhild.
"Mother is still sleeping peacefully."
"Really?"
Subaru, unusually, didn't know what to say. Yet the girl, turning her face, did not show the sadness he had expected.
"Subaru, thank you. This has been the best birthday I've ever had."
"That's good. Next time will definitely be even better."
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