Sunlight and the sound of running water permeated the tent as Subaru stirred. He felt a small finger poking at his face as he called out.
Subaru: "Beako?"
Riko: "No, mister. are you gonna sleep all day?"
Soba: "The girls are already up!"
Riko: "I smell breakfast! Come on, mister!"
Subaru: "R-right! You guys go on ahead, I gotta get dressed."
The two boys exited the tent as Subaru changed into his clothes. He opted for a light blue t-shirt and put on his dark green trunks to use in the lake later. He strapped on his sandals and followed after the boys. Everyone was already sitting around the campfire eating with the exception of Beatrice, who was nowhere to be found. Adella prepared a plate of what appeared to be eggs, rice, and grilled fish to present to Subaru. He took a seat next to Niki on a bench before wiping the sleep from his eyes. He picked at his food before turning to Niki to ask his burning question.
Subaru: "Where is Beako?"
Niki smiled at Subaru before pointing in the direction of the tent.
Niki: "Well good morning to ya as well. She already ate and went to change. She's running a little behind, but... it'll be worth the wait!"
Subaru: "Huh? Good morning... You feeling okay? What's with the riddle?"
Adella: "Good morning, Master Subaru, the children are waiting to get into the lake and you must wait 30 minutes after eating so please eat swiftly."
Subaru: "Yeah, yeah..."
Subaru turned his attention to his food but found his thoughts still drifting back to Beatrice. He really wanted to continue the conversation from last night but it seemed to be near impossible for right now. As he ate he heard the rustling of the girl's tent door and what came out took his breath away. Beatrice emerged with her tied back in a long ponytail sporting a black ruffled bikini top with a matching black sarong. Subaru's heart started to beat against his chest as he noticed the contrast of the dark material against her porcelain skin. His mouth drooped open a little bit as he gawked at Beatrice. Beatrice walked over and took a seat next to Adella before talking with Mina. Subaru felt a sharp nudge to his side that snapped him out of his staring. Niki whispered in his ear softly to not attract attention.
Niki: "Hey mister, stop staring at her like that! She's gonna think you are a pervert!"
Subaru: "Sorry... I don't know why I did that. I'm all better now."
Niki: "We'll see about that..."
Subaru: "What?"
Niki: "Lake time!"
Niki stood up and darted into the tent to change followed by Adella. The children, who were already wearing swimsuits, scampered towards the lake and sat patiently on the shoreline. Subaru took the opportunity to steal a moment with Beatrice and talk.
Subaru: "Beako, about las-"
Beatrice: "Those definitely are cats, I suppose. I thought they would jump in, in fact."
Subaru: "Huh? Yeah, I guess it is kinda strange. They are normally a rowdy bunch."
Beatrice: "Hmm..."
Subaru: "..."
Subaru: "Beako... I umm... I think you look beautiful in that swimsuit. It's... somehow more mature. It really suits you."
Beatrice: "Oh, is that true, I suppose? Why thank you, in fact."
Subaru paused at this response. Complimenting her would normally result in a blush, but Beatrice looked completely peaceful. She even accepted it without getting flustered. Subaru began to wonder what could have inspired this change in her behavior but Beatrice cut in by grabbing his hand and staring into his eyes.
Beatrice: "So Subaru?"
Subaru: "Y-yes, Beako?"
Beatrice: "Since we are a pretend couple today, I suppose...Can you teach me how to swim, in fact?"
Subaru: "Irk!? I-I mean...yeah...I can do that."
Beatrice: "Are you sure it isn't a bother, in fact?"
Subaru: "N-not at all! I'm happy to help!"
Beatrice: "Thanks...d-darling!"
With that, Beatrice smiled and scurried down to the lake. Subaru was deflated. Who was this girl and what did she do with Beatrice? As he was about to speak, he heard Adella's voice.
Adella: "Hello! I hope you weren't waiting long!"
Adella walked up in a bikini made of vibrant purple material distinctly different from her traditional maid outfit in that it did not leave much to the imagination. Alongside her Niki was wearing a light red two piece with a skirt. The suit seemed to be very similar to her regular clothes and made Subaru wonder if she liked the style that much or if the village has little choice in clothes. Nevertheless, Subaru thought while both girls wore a two piece it was obvious that Adella had pulled ahead in terms of "development". He shook his head trying to get the imagery out of his head, lest he not be able to make eye contact with Adella ever again.
Niki: "So whaddya think?"
Subaru: "You're...flat...flattening the competition!"
Niki: "Grr...that's really your best cover up!"
Niki blushed a little and crossed her arms as Beatrice walked up behind Subaru with a grimace on her face.
Beatrice: "Is that so, I suppose? Am I included in that competition, in fact?"
Subaru was stuck between a rock and a hard place as he looked to Adella for help.
Adella: "Now, now, girls. It really isn't a competition..."
Beatrice: "About that, I suppose! What part of the plan was for you to wear that, in fact!"
Niki: "Yeah! What's up with that!"
Subaru was surrounded with fighting girls that seemed in no hurry to calm down. He tried to make an opening by resolving the problem.
Subaru: "Why don't we just go swim?"
Niki and Beatrice glared at him before Beatrice stormed off in a huff. Niki walked up to him and frowned before speaking.
Niki: "You're a jerk! I am not flat!"
Subaru: "I'm sorry! I mean I'm sure they'll grow in..."
Subaru remembered the conversation that he had sleepily with Beatrice last week about Niki's age. She most likely wasn't in a situation where she was still growing, but Subaru realized his grave mistake too late. Niki puffed out her cheeks and furrowed her brow before delivering a roundhouse kick to Subaru from the side. His body was propelled from the impact and landed in the lake. Adella smiled as she and Niki gathered the children and joined Beatrice in the lake.
Subaru: "Argh!"
Niki: "We're square fer now. Don't make me do it again!"
Subaru: "W-wouldn't dream of it..."
Subaru floated off to the shore of the lake to remove his shirt and decided to reflect on his actions. He looked around the area and took in the lake and it's natural beauty. The lake was a deep shade of sapphire that appeared distinct from the verdant grassland surrounding it. Large boulders shimmering with wetness and covered in light green mosses surrounded one side of the lake and appeared to have fallen some time ago from the cascading waterfall at the foot of the mountain overhead. The water continuously flowed from the waterfall and slowly made its way across the lake before trickling over the rocks on the opposite side. Small grasses and flowers grew near the lakeshore that faced the camp which gave a convenient way for the campers to access the lake. At the shoreline it was notably shallow and perfect for children but as you approached the waterfall the depth increased and required even Subaru to swim. A little while later, the children were frolicking with Adella as Niki was swimming laps in the lake. Beatrice floated over to Subaru in a large yellow flotation ring and tapped on his shoulder. He turned to face her and saw that she still had a frozen look of disappointment on her face.
Subaru: "Hey Beako, still mad, huh?"
Beatrice: "Not at all, I suppose. However, if I was, you could redeem yourself by keeping your promise, in fact."
Subaru: "Let's start the lesson...S-sweet-ie..."
Beatrice: "Eep!? I mean... yes, I suppose."
Subaru: "Okay, umm...give me your hands and I'll pull you while you kick your feet."
Beatrice: "Like this, in fact?"
Beatrice offered Subaru her hands as she began violently kicking her feet.
Subaru: "Yeah, but more rhythmic. Here, I'll hold your midsection up and you give it a try with your arms, too."
Subaru lifted Beatrice afloat with his hands on her sides. The sensation made him aware of how soft Beatrice's skin was even when doused in water. She moved her arms and legs in sync which only reminded him that Beatrice was indeed a girl. His head clouded, Subaru relaxed his grip which caused Beatrice to start gaining speed as she slipped from his hands. The small spirit launched farther into the lake in a flash as she used all of her energy to move forward. Once she started to lose strength, Beatrice noticed that she was no longer near the shore. She began to flail her arms and yell. Subaru snapped out of his fog and threw her ring to her which she hastily climbed into and angrily paddled her way back to Subaru.
Subaru: "You did it, Beako!"
Beatrice: "Grr...I did, I suppose. It felt more like you lost your grip on me, in fact. Was something distracting you, perhaps?"
Subaru: "What?! I don't know what you mean..."
???: "Cannonball!"
Before Subaru could try to come up with an excuse, an artillery of four cat children rained down on him from above. Beatrice took this opportunity to sneak away towards Niki and Adella with a smirk plastered on her face. By the time Subaru got the cat children under control, Beatrice was long gone. He tried to conceal his light gloom when the voice of a small cat reached him.
Mina: "Mister, look at me! Imma leaf fish!"
Subaru: "Oh wow, you're right, Mina! Better be careful or Riko might eat you!"
Riko: "Yeah! Chomp! Tag, now you're it, Nana!"
Nana: "No fair! Now mister is it!"
Subaru and the children were absorbed into a game of tag as Beatrice paddled her way up to Niki and took a seat on the shore next to Adella.
Niki: "So? How is operation doll charm going?"
Beatrice: "I told you that is not the name, in fact!"
Niki: "Huh? I musta missed that part."
Beatrice: "Grr... how convenient, I suppose."
Adella: "Operation names aside, have you made any progress, Lady Beatrice?"
Beatrice: "I-it's embarrassing, I suppose. I don't know how much more I can take, in fact. I think Niki was right...he has been staring at me."
Niki: "I told ya! A little ignoring and he starts giving ya the goo goo eyes like a perverted old man."
Beatrice: "He is not a pervert, I suppose! At least...I haven't seen him do anything...Erk!?"
Beatrice reminisced about the last few weeks and how often she had been in direct contact with Subaru. Had she misjudged him? Her eyes flickered as she got lost in thought until a certain head maid clapped her hands loudly before speaking.
Adella: "Focus, Lady Beatrice. Niki is teasing you. I wouldn't allow Master Subaru near you if I thought he was a pervert. So, the first part of the plan has gone without issue. Now we just need to complete phase two and you should have your moment!"
Adella squealed girlishly as she put her hands on her cheeks. It was obvious that she was greatly enjoying her role as mastermind for Beatrice.
Adella: "Excuse me for that outburst... It looks to be about time for lunch. I will go retrieve it immediately."
As Adella stood to leave, Beatrice swore she saw a blushed smile on her face.
Niki: "Well, let's go grab a bench before he tries to sit next to ya!"
Consequently, the group made their way to the campfire and waited as Adella handed out roasted fish skewers. Subaru sat with the boys on a bench away from Niki and Beatrice, but his eyes stole glances of Beatrice every so often. The afternoon came and the children were rambunctious as ever. They demanded that Subaru play games and give rides while Beatrice and Niki did practice laps in the shallow areas of the lake. Adella relaxed and sunbathed while reading a book and looking up every now and then to smile at the serene image of the group frolicking. Before they knew it, the sun had started to set and Adella had changed back into her maid attire before starting another stew. Niki helped the children change before doing so herself while Beatrice put away her flotation device and followed suit. Subaru had switched back to his shirt and put on a pair of black shorts in his tent and looked longingly at his futon. He had to admit that the kids had worn him out after he had little sleep the night before. However, he wanted to be able to talk to Beatrice more than anything so he opened the door to his tent and joined the others. To his surprise, the seat next to Beatrice was wide open and she motioned for him to join her. Beatrice had her hair down to dry it next to the fire and she wore a light pink sleeveless sundress with white trim and white sandals. Subaru took his seat before speaking.
Subaru: "Hey Beako."
Beatrice: "I wondered where you had gotten off to, I suppose. It's strange, in fact."
Subaru: "Strange?"
Beatrice: "Your shorts, I suppose. You had some on in the lake and now here, in fact. I've never seen you wear those before."
Subaru: "Oh yeah? Did you like them?"
Beatrice: "No."
Subaru: "You don't pull any punches..."
Beatrice: "What I mean to say, I suppose. Is that I... like... what you normally wear... I also liked your dress clothes when we baked muffins, in fact. If you wear shorts, I guess Betty could learn to like those too."
Subaru: "Is that a fact..."
Adella: "Well isn't that sweet? Maybe you should save it for dessert and enjoy your dinner now?"
Subaru and Beatrice: "Ahh!?"
Adella approached the spirit and the boy and offered them bowls of stew before giving Beatrice a smirk and returning to her seat. Beatrice nervously kicked her legs as she ate quietly next to Subaru. When the group had finished eating Subaru addressed the campers.
Subaru: "You know, Adella mentioning dessert got me thinking... Why don't I show you a dessert from my homeland?"
Mina: "Dessert? Ice cweam!"
Subaru: "Not quite, but it's sweet like ice cream."
Subaru grabbed his backpack and produced a chocolate bar, bag of marshmallows, and box of graham crackers from it.
Subaru: "See, it's called s'mores. You take a marshmallow and roast it with a stick. Then you put it on a graham cracker with a piece of chocolate."
Mina reached out and grabbed a marshmallow to inspect it. She squeezed the small pillow like confection before shoving it into her mouth.
Mina: "It's shoft and shweet!"
Niki: "Mina don't talk with yer mouth full."
Mina: "Showwy!"
Subaru: "You gotta cook them, Mina. Here, everybody take a skewer and I'll show you. Be careful not to burn it!"
Subaru passed around skewers from lunch and proceeded to roast a marshmallow to a golden brown hue. He then added the marshmallow to the graham cracker with a piece of chocolate, making a small sandwich. The others watched and followed the same method haphazardly. After a few minutes, everyone had a prepared sandwich of various qualities. Subaru looked the others over and deemed them good enough to eat before starting to eat his own. The campers followed his lead except for Beatrice, who was having trouble keeping hers together.
Beatrice: "It's very squishy, I suppose. How are you meant to eat it, in fact?"
Subaru: "Just bite it like a sandwich."
Beatrice: "How crude, in fact... If I must, I suppose."
Beatrice grabbed the small sandwich by both sides and bit as hard as she could. The force caused the molten chocolate and marshmallow mixture to slide out of the back and onto the ground with a resounding "plop". Subaru watched as Beatrice's eyes went wide. It was a cardinal sin to waste sweets and he knew that the girl must be about to meltdown.
Subaru: "Beako, here, have the rest of mine."
Subaru extended his partly eaten s'more to Beatrice. She looked at the treat in his hand that had fresh bite marks from Subaru and started to blush. Subaru took notice of her first real blush of the day and shortly realized why. His hand started to shake as he thought about the indirect kiss he had just offered Beatrice. Much to his surprise, Beatrice reached out and steadied his hand before taking the treat and gingerly biting into it.
Subaru: "Beako wait! You don't have to-"
Beatrice: "It's f-fine, I suppose. I-I don't mind, in fact. Silly things like that don't bother me. Besides, you already did this before on our first night in the castle..."
Subaru: "Yeah... I guess I did... I wonder why I..."
During Subaru's hesitation, an exaggerated yawn emanated from Niki.
Niki: "Ahn... Wow it sure is gettin' late. The little ones are droppin' like flies. Adella, would you mind helpin' me put these guys to bed?"
Adella: "Absolutely. Oh but since Master Subaru and Lady Beatrice will be staying up, wouldn't it be better just to put them in our tent?"
Niki: "Yeah, that's a good idea. Those two can just sleep in the smaller tent!"
Adella: "Indeed. Goodnight you two, don't stay up too laaate!"
Adella sang as she and Niki took a child under each arm and ran into the big tent without waiting for a response from Subaru nor Beatrice.
Subaru: "Those two have been acting suspicious today. What do you think they are planning?"
Beatrice: "I'm afraid that I might be responsible for that, in fact."
Subaru: "Huh? Why would you be responsible?"
Beatrice hesitated before scooting closer to Subaru on the bench. His back stiffened as the familiar feeling of his heart pounding against his chest returned. He glanced down to meet Beatrice's eyes staring back into his. She paused before continuing.
Beatrice: "Betty...I wanted to continue our conversation from last night, I suppose. The others have been assisting me, in fact."
Subaru: "If you want to talk to me, why didn't you just say so?"
Beatrice: "Well... My heart feels like it's going to explode when I talk to you lately, in fact. I made a promise that I would steel myself today and talk with you properly. You always seem so calm around Betty and it makes me feel flustered. Maybe you don't feel the same way Betty... I do."
Subaru: "That's not true, Beako. My heart has been going crazy, too!"
Beatrice: "It seems our hearts have been trying to talk, I suppose. I noticed today because of Niki. She suggested that I keep my distance and watch you, in fact."
Subaru: "What did you notice?"
Beatrice: "That you get flustered too, I suppose. It made me happy to see that Betty wasn't alone. We have been spending a lot of time together, in fact."
Subaru: "Well we are pretending to be a couple..."
Beatrice: "Yes, I suppose. Yet, you seemed particularly flustered today for someone playing pretend."
Subaru: "Yeah, I guess so."
Beatrice: "You saved Betty from her boring life and she returned your kindness by abducting you, in fact. Even then, you still chose Betty when your heart started to falter. I'm a spirit that never had anything and you taught me how to be selfish. With that act, you've changed me and I don't have a way to ever repay you. But even so, there are things I want, too. So please, give me an opportunity to ask for what I want properly."
Beatrice bowed her head at Subaru as she said her honest thoughts. Subaru's mind was in turmoil, his feelings were swelling inside of him and he didn't understand why. Or maybe he was purposefully choosing not to understand. Either way, he knew that he had to alleviate Beatrice of her guilt.
Subaru: "You don't owe me anything. I did everything because... I care about you... If I can, I'll do my best to give you what you want."
Beatrice gave him a small smirk before continuing.
Beatrice: "I would expect you to say that, I suppose. Only an idiot agrees to something before hearing the details, in fact. It's foolish... but part of what makes you so interesting."
Subaru: "So now I'm an idiot?"
Beatrice: "Hehe, yes, I suppose. I wa- Look! Up in the sky!"
Subaru: "I'm not gonna fall for-"
A light shined above as a shooting star made its way across the dark canvas of the night sky. It caught the attention of the two campers below as they craned their necks to look. As if the first was heralding for more to come, the night sky glittered with a star shower overhead. Beatrice took Subaru's hand and squeezed it as they looked on at the natural light show. It reminded her of when he showed her the fireworks before carrying her home. As she became distracted, she started to lose her balance backwards on the bench. Subaru felt the shift and instinctively released her hand and stiffened his arm around her back, relaxing her descent. He tumbled backwards with her and soon the two were lying face up in the grass watching the star shower. They giggled together at the clumsiness that brought them to the ground before Beatrice turned on her side laying on Subaru's arm to face him.
Beatrice: "You know, Adella said my heart was speaking to me and I couldn't understand it, I suppose. I've been reading books and fretting about it for awhile now, in fact. Now that I'm here with you, I think I understand what it's been trying to tell me."
Subaru turned over on his side to face Beatrice. He looked into her eyes which glistened under the starlight. He noticed that her breathing was ragged and her cheeks had a pink tint to them. However, it wasn't an embarrassed look on her face, it was a radiant smile that caused Subaru's heart to burn. She was so close to him that he could feel her breath blowing against him. He gulped as he said his next words.
Subaru: "What was it trying to tell you?"
Beatrice looked up into Subaru's eyes, they were the kind eyes of her contractor. Yet, what she was about to do was not in the realm of spirits and contractors. No, she was a girl and he was a boy. Beatrice faced her own selfishness as she pulled Subaru's collar towards her causing him to bring his head down. She paused before letting out a whisper.
Beatrice: "You don't have to give me your answer right now, but I don't want to pretend anymore, I suppose. This is what I want, in fact."
With that, Beatrice pushed her mouth to his and connected with a kiss. She felt his rough lips and tasted the slight sweetness of dessert, but she didn't care. She felt happiness erupt within her as she clung to Subaru and for the first time in four hundred years she thought she could hear her heart speaking to her again. The words "I love you, Subaru" rang in her ears as she laid there in the arms of the boy who made her whole world possible.