Despite the confusion in her heart and even an indescribable sense of frustration, a stronger emotion eventually took over—relief.
As long as Rem could laugh and find a moment of liberation from the shackles of the past, she felt utterly satisfied.
At that thought, a sincere smile that came from the heart quietly appeared on the corner of Ram's lips.
"Still, staying in such a luxurious place is a bit hard to get used to."
A male voice with a nonchalant tone suddenly rang out, sounding exceptionally clear and loud in the empty, quiet room.
Ram immediately turned her head at the sound. She saw that a figure had appeared in the room at some point.
He had white hair complemented by white eyelashes, and his eyes were a clear, pale blue. He looked to be over 190 centimeters tall and was exceptionally handsome.
However, the most striking thing was the invisible yet tangible sense of pressure he exuded.
Ram had only felt this level of pressure from one person. That voice was full of wantonness, yet it contained absolute confidence.
"Is it Tsukasa-sama?" Ram's voice, filled with doubt, echoed in the room.
According to Subaru's previous explanation, Tsukasa should only exist deep within her consciousness and shouldn't be directly observable by the outside world. Why could he appear in an independent form now?
Tsukasa seemed to see through her confusion at a glance. He casually pulled over a chair and sat down, producing a sweet from somewhere, and answered in his characteristic, somewhat flippant tone while enjoying it, "Thanks to Subaru's growth, I can occasionally come out for some activity now. How is it?"
He paused deliberately, his pale blue eyes looking at Ram with a hint of playfulness. "Are you surprised? Are you shocked? Have you fallen for me a little?"
If these blunt and provocative words had been spoken to the shy Rem, they would have likely made her blush furiously.
However, Ram only responded with her signature cold and sharp-tongued tone, "I'm sorry to interrupt your self-indulgence, but Tsukasa-sama's current appearance is something Ram has only seen on incompetent thugs hanging around the streets. Furthermore, it is a very foolish look."
Hearing Ram's mercilessly sharp response, Tsukasa didn't show the slightest embarrassment.
Instead, as if by magic, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses from nowhere, put them on with a smooth motion, and skillfully changed the subject, "By the way, where's Rem? Why are you the one on guard here? Where has my cute Rem gone?"
Facing Tsukasa's slightly exaggerated inquiry, Ram let out a helpless sigh, her tone flat but with its usual sharpness. "Rem is currently resting because her body was overloaded. So, today's task of looking after Subaru will be handled by Ram instead. Why?"
She shifted her tone, adding a hint of mockery, "Is Ram, who is just as cute as Rem, still not enough to satisfy Tsukasa? Or are you fantasizing about getting both sisters? What a disgusting thought."
This direct attack from Ram successfully broke Tsukasa's composure. He almost choked on his own saliva and waved his hands hurriedly.
"That's... Ram, shouldn't you tone down your sharp-tongued skills a bit?"
Hearing this, Ram only let out a slight "hmph" and ignored him.
The room then fell into a long silence.
About fifteen minutes later, Tsukasa, who was comfortably enjoying his first Spirit Form sunbath, was drawn by a slightly hesitant voice.
Ram tilted her head slightly, her voice not as smooth as usual. "Um... Tsukasa-sama, what exactly did you say to Rem?"
Tsukasa seemed to have discovered something new, and the corners of his lips curled up. "Oh? Our sharp-tongued Ram is actually stuttering like this?"
Ram quickly regained her composure, but her tone carried an unquestionable persistence. "Cut the nonsense, Tsukasa. Ram wants to know."
However, Tsukasa did not immediately satisfy her curiosity. Instead, he spoke in a steadier tone, "Before answering that question, why don't I tell you a story first?"
"A story?"
Tsukasa's unexpected proposal made Ram freeze for a moment.
Tsukasa affirmed, slowing down his voice. "That's right. A story about the blue ogre and the red ogre."
"The Blue Ogre and the Red Ogre?"
The moment she heard those names, Ram's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly.
The reason Tsukasa thought of this story traced back to when he was in the Consciousness Space. While he was excited about gaining the Spirit Form ability, Subaru had mentioned this story called the blue ogre and the red ogre to him with complex emotions.
At this moment, Ram had already instinctively sat in the chair opposite Tsukasa, picking up the teapot on the table and pouring herself a cup of tea.
Seeing this, Tsukasa couldn't help but tease, "You're really not being polite, are you?"
"For Tsukasa, this kind of treatment is enough."
Ram took a sip of tea and urged, "Start quickly, Ram is curious."
Her matter-of-fact attitude made Tsukasa silently lament in his heart that Rem was indeed cuter.
He let out a helpless sigh and finally began his narration, "Well then, listen carefully. The story of 'The Red Ogre Who Cried'..."
This was a cliché fairy tale that began with 'Once upon a time...'
The story told of two ogres living on a mountain—the Red Ogre, who longed to befriend humans, and his silent partner, the Blue Ogre.
The Red Ogre repeatedly tried to show kindness to the villagers but was always rejected. Finally, the Blue Ogre chose to play the role of an 'evil ogre' and cause trouble in the village, so that the Red Ogre could step in and 'defeat' him.
This act successfully won the Red Ogre the friendship of the humans, but the price was that the Blue Ogre, having fulfilled his mission, had to leave forever.
At the end of the story, the Red Ogre read the farewell letter left by the Blue Ogre, fell to his knees, and wept bitterly.
Tsukasa tried his best to recreate the version Subaru had told, using words carefully to avoid adding too much personal flavor.
Ram, meanwhile, listened very seriously throughout.
When the last word fell, Ram lowered her gaze and fell into deep thought. Tsukasa maintained his post-narration posture, quietly waiting for her reaction.
After a while, Ram let out a soft sigh and commented in a low voice, "That really is a sad story."
Tsukasa nodded. "I agree."
When he first heard Subaru tell it, he knew it was destined not to be a happy story.