As he listened to Subaru and the others talk, Otto sifted through the mountain of documents piled high before him.
From the heap, he pulled out the necessary papers, occasionally running a quill pen across them.
He would sketch a formula on a sheet of paper, work through a calculation, jot the result onto a document, cross-reference it against the nearby paperwork, and then stamp his seal.
His fluid efficiency and restless eye movements made it hard to tell whether his attention was really directed toward their conversation — but judging from the occasional interjections slipped in between his work, he clearly wasn't letting anything slip by.
"Oh, so it's about improving the sibling relationship. In that case, you should have just come to me."
"What was that?"
"Simply put — you wanted advice from someone who actually has siblings, tailored to the situation, right? If so, I'd say I'm far better suited to help than any of you only-children. Yes, I would."
Otto's self-assured attitude made Subaru snort.
Subaru had never thought to ask about Otto's family composition, but if the man was to be believed, he was a middle child with both an older and a younger brother. That certainly made him exactly the kind of adviser Subaru had been desperate for.
However, the concern Subaru had was: "But you're the one who got kicked out of the house for being a disappointment, right? If your family were on good terms, sure — but hearing failure stories from a disowned guy isn't exactly helpful."
"Who said I was disowned for being a disappointment!?" Otto slammed his palm on the desk, face reddening. "I've never had that kind of conversation even once! My brother inherited the family estate, so as the second son, I was free to go into the merchant trade — that's all there was to it! And for the record, I'd say my mind works faster than both my brother's and my younger brother's!"
"That's what you think — but back home, they're just glad the problem child finally got shipped out."
"Are you dissatisfied with me being here or what!?"
Subaru shook his head, saying "Not at all" at Otto's red-faced outburst.
The mere thought of a world where Otto wasn't here was terrifying. It was just that, rather than expressing his gratitude first, Subaru's instinct always led him to come out with something biting instead.
That, too, was part of the peculiar personal magnetism that was
"But for some reason, Otto-kun doesn't really give off a vibe of being someone you can rely on. I wonder why... even though he's helped us so much."
"Oh, even Emilia-sama..."
Emilia, chin in hand, was musing over the same thing and voiced Subaru's inner thoughts. She, too, had fallen victim to Otto's peculiar charm — or rather, the opposite of it.
A man whose formidable ability was inversely proportional to the presence he projected as someone dependable.
"To make Emilia-tan worry so much about you — what a sinful man you are."
"That's way too harsh of an accusation! What did I do!?"
"So then, Otto-kun — if you could, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we should handle those two."
"He just casually steered the conversation back to the main topic! What is wrong with you two, master and servant alike!?"
After an over-the-top reaction, Otto's face settled into the expression of someone who had realized making a fuss was pointless. He leaned back in his chair, placed a hand on his gray hair, and said: "Well, I think the most important thing is how they both feel. From what I can see, Garfiel's side isn't the problem. His stubbornness is just a childish trait — and deep down, he loves his family. You can practically see that he wants to reconcile."
"Yeah, I think so too. I think Garfiel wants to reconcile. The one who's having trouble bridging the gap seems to be Frederica."
"Frederica's in a slightly difficult position, I'd say. As the older sister, she'd need to be the one to yield in order to reconcile — she is the senior, after all. But from what I've heard, Frederica hasn't actually done anything wrong. The real question is whether she can show the magnanimity expected of an older sister — how tolerant she can be of a younger brother's tantrums. That's the crux of this whole situation... What's wrong?"
As Otto laid out his analysis in logical order, Subaru stared at him with wide eyes. Noticing this, Otto asked what was wrong, and Subaru shook his head.
"Your advice was way more serious than I expected, and I'm trying to figure out where to slip in a joke..."
"This is a serious matter, so go through a serious process and reach a serious conclusion!"
"Sorry. I'm too inept to keep up with your elaborate lead-ins."
"You have no right to say that!"
Just as it seemed they'd reach the same conclusion as always, Subaru snorted dismissively. Otto bristled, but Subaru pressed further: "If you're going to talk about the magnanimity an older sibling should show — you said you have a younger brother too, right? There must have been times when you fought and your brother showed his big-hearted side. I want to see it, hear it, and sing about it!"
"I'd ask you to skip the 'see' and 'sing' parts, but — let me think. A personal story, huh? Actually, despite appearances, my family relationships were quite harmonious. I got along well with my brother, and my parents were kind... Huh, I actually can't remember fighting..."
"Useless!!"
"What kind of thing is that to say!?" Otto protested. "Is there something wrong with having a harmonious family? Do you need to have never fought for it to be the real deal? There's no such rule! What's wrong with having a peaceful, uneventful relationship!?"
"At the very least, you've drawn the worst possible card right now!"
Subaru had expected Otto to produce some insightful anecdote, but the man's hand was completely empty.
The reason was probably that, precisely because he was someone who could handle Subaru's outrageous demands on a daily basis, his family relationships had never escalated to the point of flying insults.
Or perhaps the entire Suwen household shared Otto's peculiar talent for being teased. Peaceful, yes — but only because it was a fragile paradise where no one was around to dominate anyone else.
"Like some sheltered little rich boy..."
"That felt like a really harsh insult — or am I imagining things!?"
"...Fufu."
As Subaru let his imagination soar in hurling insults and Otto shouted back, Emilia — who had been watching their exchange — suddenly covered her mouth, unable to contain her smile.
Having drawn both their gazes with her smile, Emilia shook her head slightly and said: "No, I'm sorry. It's just that the way you two were going at it looked like you were getting along really well... Doesn't it look like you're practically brothers?"
"I'd like to think my actual brothers treated me a bit better than that..."
"Don't say that, big brother. You just never noticed, but back home, big bro was treated exactly the same way. Face reality, dear brother."
"Shut up!"
Otto no longer had the energy to fire back with anything coherent. Subaru, puckering his lips at Otto's defeated attitude, kept repeating things like "Big brother, bro, broski, brother, brosie, big brother-sir" in a steady stream. Watching this, Emilia suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Oh! Then how do you two always make up? I think Otto-kun is always the one who gives in, but if we knew how, maybe we'd be a little closer to an answer?"
"Wow, Otto giving in has become a natural law or something."
"Then, Subaru — should you be the one to give in first?"
"I... even if I were to bow to anyone else in this world... I simply cannot bow to Otto — to Otto of all people—!"
"Shut up!"
Otto blasted away the monkey-theater with a short bark of anger. He scratched his temple with a finger, thinking. He appeared to be genuinely considering Emilia's words, searching for an answer.
"Let's see... when I get into an argument with Mr. Natsuki, what do I do..."
"Well, you mostly just cry and take it lying down!"
"An answer that needed no thought at all — and now I don't know what to do with myself!"
Otto buried his head in his hands on the desk, and Emilia stood up to pat him comfortingly. Subaru felt a twinge of jealousy at Emilia's kindness, but it seemed there was nothing more to be gained here, so he stood up and brushed off his knees.
"Well, it was a useful reference at least. For now, let's approach Frederica and see how she reacts. Depending on how that goes, we'll move forward with Emilia-tan's plan."
"It might just end up being a wasted effort born from being a busybody, you know?"
"Better than literally getting your bones broken, I'd think. Don't you?"
"...Hah."
Hearing Subaru's response, Otto let out a resigned sigh.
But the slight curve at the corner of Otto's mouth said it all — that sigh was answer enough.
Emilia, too, must have read the same thing in Otto's expression. She gave a light stretch right there, then smiled at Otto.
"Well then, Subaru and I will take our leave. I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Otto-kun — especially when you're so busy."
"Not at all — I was the one who invited you. Besides, I'm surrounded by this suffocating mountain of paperwork. This little break has been a relief..."
Responding to Emilia's kindness, Otto's expression suddenly shifted.
"Wait — actually, why and how am I going through all this trouble doing paperwork for the Margrave Mathers domain...? Before I knew it, I'd gotten tangled up in helping with domestic affairs, and I'd even received clearance to review territory management records... All I was trying to do was submit an estimate for a bulk oil purchase..."
"Oh! Emilia-tan, any further and we might actually interfere with his work. Let's make a nice, clean exit while holding hands!"
"Huh? Oh, okay, sure."
Placing a hand to his forehead, Otto began to harbor doubts about his current circumstances — and was promptly left behind. Seizing the moment amid the commotion, Subaru took Emilia's hand and headed for the exit of "Otto's Office." As he reached for the door handle to leave, Otto called out to their retreating backs: "Oh, Mr. Natsuki—"
"Hm? What is it? Don't worry. The fact that you're sitting there isn't a mistake, or hypnosis, or some advanced suggestion technique. It's just that through circumstances and clever talk, you were gradually led to this point—"
Subaru turned around and trailed off mid-sentence.
He stopped because, with Otto looking at him that way, there was something weighing on the man's mind — something serious. It was as if he was about to say something important.
Subaru fell silent, and Emilia tilted her head beside him. Otto looked at the two of them, wavering for just an instant.
But that hesitation dissolved in the brief moment it took Emilia to turn around.
"No — it's nothing."
"Come on, that's bugging me. If you started to say something, just say it."
"I'd like to, but... well, at this point, it's all rather nebulous. Let me talk about it once it's taken more concrete shape. There's still a lot I'm not sure about — whether this will end up being helpful or just another complication."
Scratching his head, Otto explained his reason for hesitating and left it at that.
Subaru held a silent gaze on Otto for a moment, trying to coax a change of heart, but Otto simply sat back down, picked up his quill pen, and said: "I'll get back to work, so I'll leave the Garfiel matter in your hands. A civil servant can't work at ease in the back unless the military officer is doing his job properly out front."
"Got it. But when you're ready to talk — you talk, all right, Domestic Affairs Officer?"
"Yes, of course... Wait — civil servant? Domestic affairs officer...?"
"Let's go, Emilia-tan. Any longer and we'll just be in the way!"
Leaving Otto once again troubled by the discrepancy in how he was being perceived, Subaru hurriedly led Emilia by the hand out of the room.
Emilia looked bewildered, but just before the door closed, she turned back to Otto: "Oh — um, well, Otto-kun, take care and keep doing your best!"
Whether it was concern or a kick in the pants, the tone was ambiguous as she left the room.
--- Stepping out of "Otto's Office," Subaru and Emilia's plan of action was finally solidifying. Or rather, it had already been set in stone until Otto's input — which was like an impurity seeping in — but in the end, it remained solid and was about to be put into motion regardless.
"Now that I think about it, we really wasted our time..."
"Don't say that. Otto-kun's advice was, well, um... hmm... you know... helpful, wasn't it?"
"Ending on an interrogative particle really shows your inability to hide how sincere you are, and it's cute."
Praising Emilia's futile but earnest attempt to cover for Otto, Subaru set out to find Frederica, following their earlier plan.
For now, if there was a problem between those siblings, it lay with the sister. Garfiel's heart had already been decided. What remained was Frederica's resolve — and the catalyst that would set it in motion— "Oh my, if it isn't Emi and Subaru. Whatever are you two doing?"
"Uh—"
The voice from behind caught them off guard. Subaru froze awkwardly, and Emilia turned around with a look of genuine surprise.
Standing in their line of sight was a girl in a dark indigo dress, her hair woven in braids.
She appeared to be under ten years old — younger still than Petra or
Her name was Annerose Milord.
She was the heir of the Milord household — the family currently hosting Subaru and the others — and in the absence of the current head, she occupied the position of welcoming them into the estate.
Of course, the actual arrangements were being handled by
The bearing of a ruler — the resolve to stand above others — had already taken shape within her at her young age.
The Milord family was a branch lineage of magic descended from the Mathers, Roswaal's birth family. And as the one who would eventually inherit that line, Annerose already possessed that composure.
That, Subaru felt, was precisely what robbed her of any childish charm. When facing her as just a person, this girl — nearly ten years his junior — seemed far more composed than he could ever hope to be.
On the other hand, Emilia standing beside him had a reaction that was all too easy to read: "Oh, Anne! I've told you so many times — I'm not Emi, I'm Emilia."
"Oh my, forgive me, Emi. But if we're being precise, you only have yourself to blame for hesitating during our very first introduction. Besides, Emi is easier to say and sounds cuter than Emilia, don't you think?"
"Oh? Well, I don't exactly mind or anything... So I guess I'll let it slide."
And with that, she allowed Annerose's nickname to stand.
As it happened, Emilia and Annerose had gotten along well from the very first meeting. When pressed for a reason, Emilia had said it was because they simply clicked.
Annerose apparently felt the same way toward Emilia, showing not a trace of negative emotion even when faced with the half-elf. Perhaps they were mentally well-matched — but that in itself was a somewhat troubling explanation when one considered Emilia's age.
"Oh, by the way — what were you and Subaru doing, Emi? A secret rendezvous?"
"Huh, does it look like that? It did? Oh my — we're just too close, so it looked that way? I'm blushing, I'm blushing, I'm really blushing now, Emilia-tan!"
"No, nothing like that at all. We were just plotting something together."
"You say that so coolly even though you know exactly how I feel!"
Annerose looked on with eager interest, possibly precocious in her curiosity, and Emilia casually shook her head. Annerose didn't seem to have had any real expectations either — she simply said "I see" with a sigh, directing a look down at Subaru.
That look was clearly mocking Subaru's pitiful pride. But Subaru didn't think it was his fault. He'd been making his feelings known the whole time — it was just that Emilia had gotten even better at deflecting than before.
"I'll hear about the scheming later, but — have either of you seen Clind? I have business with him but can't find him anywhere."
"Oh, Clind was watching over Petra and Beatrice just a moment ago."
"...That does sound like something Emi would say."
That alone seemed to be enough for Annerose to piece everything together, and her face took on the expression of someone who'd bitten into a bitter bug.
Having known Clind for a long time, she understood his nature all too well. After all, normally his immovable "Loli Soul" was directed at Annerose alone. Its intensity, its sharpness, and its sheer hopelessness went without saying.
"He said he bought some delicious sweets and wants to give them to the two of them. I wonder if there will be any for us? I'm soooo curious about that."
"I can't imagine Clind would be so rude as to leave us out, so I imagine there will be. He already brought some to my room earlier, along with tea."
"Oh, really? Wow, I'm looking forward to it!"
Emilia clapped her hands together in delight, and Annerose watched her with a warm smile.
Their heights and ages were completely reversed. It was a heartwarming scene, but Subaru couldn't help tilting his head slightly.
Noticing this, Annerose's blue eyes narrowed.
"While we're at it, since you two seem to have time to spare — I do have a small favor to ask. Would you mind accompanying me?"
"Now, now. We may look like we have time to kill, but in fact we don't. Though it may appear we're idle, we're actually in the process of formulating a highly proactive plan to eliminate future worries during this window of free time—"
"What's the favor? If it's something we can help with, sure..."
Interrupting Subaru's long-winded excuse, Emilia readily showed her willingness to agree. Annerose smiled at her, then directed a gaze far more mature than her nine years would suggest at the two of them: "I'd like to surprise my uncle, and show a small token of consideration to a maid I've known for many years. Something along those lines."
Without even realizing it, the moat around Otto had closed in, leaving him no escape.
What will tomorrow bring?