Prologue

Arc 1, Chapter 1 – “Ususable Ridged 10”

―This is really bad.

Lost and penniless, those few words were all he could think of.

Well, penniless wasn’t quite right. He did have his wallet in his pocket, and setting aside the fact that he had an abundance of small change and very few notes, it couldn’t be denied that he had his assets on him.

More than enough to go to the nearest mall to do some shopping and eat some lunch. Even so, he could only be called penniless.

“Looks like the currency around here is completely different after all…”

Flipping the rare ridged 10 yen coin he was holding, the youth sighed deeply.

He was an unremarkable youth bearing short black hair and average stature. He had some muscularity which combined with his cheap jersey gave off the air of an athlete.

His sharp eyes were his only noteworthy feature, and now even they drooped helplessly.

The banality of his appearance was such that one could instantly lose him in a crowd, however the gazes directed at him were those of wonder and incomprehension, as though they were looking at something strange.

Obviously, there wasn’t a single person sporting black hair or a jersey among those looking at him. Their hair varied extensively, blonde, white, brown, green, blue and so on. Furthermore their outfits were armor, dancers’ clothes, monotone robes and more which possessed a certain vibe.

The youth could only cross his arms in comprehension as their brazen gazes washed over him.

“So basically, it’s like that, huh.”

Snapping his fingers, he pointed at those who were staring at him.

“Seems I’ve been summoned to another world.”

Before his eyes was a carriage drawn by a massive lizard-like being.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Natsuki Subaru was born in Heisei-era Japan’s pressure-free education system.

He had lived seventeen years, and to describe his life would take seventeen years in itself.

Setting that aside, his present situation could be simply described as “High school third year, shut-in.”

Or in more detailed terms, “A piece of trash who disregards everything, even his parents, to shut himself in his shell even with his entrance exams right around the corner.”

There was no particular reason for his solitude.

On typical weekdays, he would occasionally think “Getting up now would be a pain”, and that became an impetus to cut school.

With his absences steadily increasing, before he realized it he’d become an exemplary shut-in who brought tears to his parents.

He spent his days in sloth, plunging ever deeper into the net with minimal communication.

“The result being a summons to another world, huh… I don’t really get it myself.”

Reconfirming his surroundings yet again, he heaved his umpteenth sigh.

He had moved from the street he was on, and was presently sitting in a somewhat dim alley.

The ground was paved. A rough job compared to modern Japan, but it wasn’t bad.

“Supposing this is a parallel world fantasy, I guess this must be the standard medieval civilization. I didn’t see any machinery, and they build with stone and wood…”

He thought back to the sights he’d seen on his way to the alley and organized the information in his head. He would frequently let his imagination run wild, as a result he was more than prepared for his present situation.

First, calmly analyze that time period’s culture and its differences with Japan. Ascertain any differences in the laws of physics, and possibility of contact with humanoid organisms. These were his priorities.

“Alright, let’s do this. I’m not imagining you guys, and I’m fairly certain about the level of civilization. It seems like my money won’t be of any use, but I took the opportunity to speak to a shopkeeper and we had no problem communicating.”

Upon realizing he’d been summoned, the first thing Subaru did was attempt to negotiate with a “Grocer?” Having attempted to purchase the “Apples?” with his Japanese Yen, he was promptly denied. It seemed that this world used gold, silver and copper coins as its currency. The inherent value of currency in this world was easy to understand, certainly befitting a parallel world fantasy.

“Well, I suppose there would be mixed-metal fakes. Something like a 500-won coin would probably degrade, though.”

‘Probably heavy to carry around’, he thought as another lizard-drawn carriage passed through the street. This produced a giant cloud of dust and yet the townsfolk paid it no mind, as though they were completely used to this.

“Even so, they don’t seem nearly as common as cars were… Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any dogs or cats around here.”

The lizards drawing the carriages appeared considerably larger than horses. Their body mass seemed constant relative to their proportions, but it was certainly worrying to see reptiles of that size.

“They’re commonplace, huh… Both lizards and humanoids.”

Then the final piece he had to confirm, the unique looks of this world’s humans.

They possessed very colorful hair, but one could easily obtain any hair color with dye. For a parallel world fantasy, that was nothing extraordinary. Instead, Subaru focused on their “animal ears.”

At a cursory glance he spotted dog ears, cat ears, perhaps even bunny ears and he may have even caught sight of a lizardman-like being. There were also those who looked no different from Subaru which led him to conclude-

“The genre is parallel world fantasy. The culture is that of your typical medieval civilization. Demihumans are common, so battle and adventure might be common as well. The animals show some minor changes but they basically serve their functions. Is that how it is?”

Having deduced that, Subaru exhaled a long breath that wasn’t quite a sigh.

Having spoken of the circumstances he’d ended up in, he knit his brows at this seemingly convenient development. If things proceeded according to his fantasies, he’d freely use his modern knowledge to obtain incredible power, however this world was slightly different from what he’d planned for.

“I’d run perfect simulations of the Sengoku era… If I’d ended up there, I’d have seized the country from Nobunaga.”

When it came to parallel world fantasy, at best his knowledge amounted to gunpowder production. And even that was meaningless considering this world’s technological level Parallel world fantasy generally came with magic, if that were the case it would probably make gunpowder little more than fireworks.

“Well, there’s also cliches where magic isn’t the end all be all. If I ever get the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of science, I’ll do my best to… First, my current problem.”

He had no clue how or why he’d been summoned here.

He clearly remembered what he was doing prior to the summoning. He had just gone out for the first time in a long while to buy some cup ramen at the convenience store and was about to return home. He didn’t want to use his bicycle so he went on foot

Midway, he looked up at the night sky and thought “It’s almost a full moon tonight, huh.” And then as he looked down and blinked, it was noon.

Night to noon in an instant. He immediately realized something was off, but that was it. He’d calmed down now, but immediately after the summoning his panic was such that it could be told of for generations to come.

“Considering I being an only son have gone missing, those generations might not exist.”

As he muttered this, he once again checked his belongings. In a parallel world fantasy, starting gear was even more important than he’d imagined. He’d need everything he had, however little.

First, his cell phone (with a dying battery), his wallet (containing many video rental membership cards), the ramen he bought at the convenience store (Shoyu Tonkotsu), some snacks (corn potage flavored), his beloved gray jersey (unwashed), worn out sneakers (of two years) and more.

“That’s that, huh… Why didn’t I at least carry a pistol? What do I do now?”

It seemed only his snacks would prove useful, and only to fill his belly.

“The situation is hopeless. And of course I don’t know the source, I don’t even have any memories of passing through a mirror or hopping in a pond. Most importantly, where’s the beauty who summoned me?”

The heroine’s absence, by 2D standards, was an act of inconceivable negligence. To summon him and just leave him like that, it was as though he was simply thrown away.

In truth, Subaru could no longer escape reality now that he’d assessed his situation and he could only hang his head in despair.

“Oh, give me a break already. What on earth am I supposed to do here?”

Subaru was already at his limit as he muttered complaints. He earnestly wanted to go back, fantasy was best left in the realm of fantasy. It was fun to imagine arriving in another world to obtain incredible power, but to actually end up in such a situation, what could he really do?

“For now, what’s important is survival, but… Will my level 1 communication ability be enough?”

Aside from his family, he only really spoke to store clerks. He’d lived this lifestyle for almost a year now and had long forgotten how to navigate social interactions.

“Even though I can type at speaking speed in online chats…”

Subaru moved his fingers nervously as he contemplated his future in despair. However, his expression changed when he heard the sound of footsteps echoing through the alley. He looked up to see three men blocking the exit.

Arc 1, Chapter 2 – “‘Don’t get carried away,’ said God”

The men gazed at him with scorn and contempt as Subaru appraised them. They appeared to be in their mid-twenties. Their clothes were filthy and it was as though their inner evil had manifested on their faces. They weren’t subhuman, but they couldn’t be called decent humans either.

“Damn, a compulsory event.”

Facing the grinning men, Subaru wiped his face and stood up in a panic. They were clearly bandits, and considering the state of the world they might even take his life. Mission 1: “Repel the bandits” had begun. The clear condition was eliminating them, and the failure condition was probably his death.

Subaru smacked his cheeks and ignored the chill running up his spine. He had to get serious, hesitation could cost him his life. He at least had confidence in his decisiveness.

“Furthermore, this is another world. Considering the typical pattern I might be super strong here. Something like the gravity being a tenth of what it was or… Come to think of it, my body feels light! Maybe I can win!”

“He’s murmuring something.”

“Maybe he doesn’t get what’s going on. Should we teach him?”

Unlike Subaru, the men remained fairly calm. However, Subaru continued to face them without backing down.

“Woah there, you guys won’t be so calm for long. Let me warn you, guys like me fantasize about this sort of thing all the time. I’ll beat the crap out of you and turn you into XP!”

“I have no clue what you’re saying, but you’re going to die for mocking us.”

“That’s… My line!”

With that declaration, Subaru launched his preemptive attack before they could react. He flew into one of them with a full bodied right straight. He landed a direct hit on the leader’s face with such force that his front tooth cut Subaru’s hand.

He’d hit someone for the first time! And it was much more painful than expected!

This was all he’d tried in his simulations, but it was his first time actually doing it, the man he hit fell to the ground and stopped moving. Driven by emotion, Subaru immediately lunged at another man who was still in shock.

“Eat this! A high kick forged by after-bath stretches!”

“Guh!”

His foot drew an arc right into the man’s temple and slammed him into the wall. Having knocked a second person out, Subaru started to believe he was invincible due to his unexpectedly competent performance.

“Looks like this world is set to raise my power after all! With all this adrenaline I can definitely win!”

Filled with courage, Subaru turned to the last man as he prepared to take him out. However, the glint of the knife in his hand caused Subaru to prostrate himself on the spot.

“I’m sorry, it was all my fault! Please forgive me, spare-!”

He surrendered on his knees, the greatest and lowest representation of Japanese spirit.

His earlier excitement had completely disappeared. Subaru felt his blood run cold as he tried his very best to beg for mercy, with his head on the ground.

After all, he had no chance against a blade. If he were cut, he’d be finished. Skill didn’t matter when it came to a knife-wielding opponent.

He then realized the two who were supposed to be down were also getting back up. They nursed their bleeding noses and shook their heads dizzily, but otherwise seemed fine.

“Huh?! How come my peerless attacks failed?! Where’s the power I’m supposed to have?!”

“What sort of crap are you spouting?! How dare you do that to us?!”

They stomped his head into the ground, causing his forehead to bleed as it scraped against the road. Subaru desperately curled up as they continued to pile on blow after blow.

―This is bad, it hurts like hell. I might actually die, for real.

They showed no mercy whatsoever, and unlike his old world there was no guarantee they’d spare his life, there was a strong possibility that he’d be tortured to death like this.

Perhaps he should have fought, prepared to die an honorable death. But that was no longer a possibility considering his injuries. Even so, he couldn’t just die like that.

“Don’t move, fool!”

“Owowowow! Hurtshurtshurts!”

The moment he tried to get up, they crushed his hands underfoot and he could only scream in agony. The man turned red with rage and sent spit flying as he yelled, he then held the knife in an underhand grip.

“We’ll kill you and take everything you have. That’s what you get for messing with us.”

“If it’s valuables you’re after, it’s useless. You see, I’m completely broke!”

“Your strange clothes and shoes will do then, we’ll turn you into Giant Rat feed.”

―Ah, there’s rats in this world too. Sounds like a bottom-tier monster.

His mind started drifting in an attempt to escape reality as he looked at the knife which could tear into him at any moment. He wasn’t seeing any lights, nor did the world slow down. His life would simply end just like that.

“Hey, move move move! You’re in my way!”

An exasperated voice rang out as someone ran into the alley. The startled men looked up at the intruder, and Subaru attempted to do so as well though he couldn’t move.

A beautiful girl crossed his field of view.

Her frame was small, and she possessed shoulder-length blonde hair which fluttered in the wind. Her eyes suggested a strong will and her fang-like canine protruded mischievously. She looked rather cheeky, but it could be said that she was cute considering her age.

The shabbily dressed girl had just come across the scene of a genuine mugging.

The seemingly deliberate timing caused hope to well up within Subaru. This was it, the development he was waiting for. Following the typical pattern, this kind girl would gallantly save Subaru who was on the verge of death, and then-

“Man, this is crazy. But I’m busy, gotta get outta here! Live strong!”

“Eh? What?! Seriously?!”

However, that fleeting hope was crushed.

Their eyes met momentarily and she raised her hand apologetically as she continued to run past them into what seemed to be a dead end.

She then proceeded to leap off a leaning board and rapidly disappeared up the wall.

With the girl gone, the alley naturally went silent. She’d gone by like a typhoon leaving them dumbfounded, but Subaru’s circumstances hadn’t changed one bit.

“Now that the mood’s been lightened, I don’t suppose you might let me go?!”

“On the contrary, we’re even angrier. You’re not going to die a peaceful death, you know?”

The man with the knife looked serious. Subaru realized that he was finished for sure this time, his hands were still trapped under their heels, it was too late to attempt to get up. Ultimately, despair conquered his heart.

―It’s… Over? Just like that, in a place like this? It’s true I haven’t lived very virtuously. Even so, a death like this is just too cruel. If I were to ask what I did, the reply would be that I did nothing at all, a completely idle demise.

Pain… Wasn’t it. There was something else causing him to tear up. It wasn’t something like the fear of the end. He just couldn’t bear having lived such an empty, meaningless life.

“―That’s enough, villains.”

A clear voice rang through the alley overpowering the noise of violence, the men’s vulgar jeers, and even Subaru’s own ragged breaths.

Arc 1, Chapter 3 – “First Encounter with Magic”

‘Time itself stopped’, a phrase reserved for moments like this. At the entrance to the alley stood a single girl.

She was a beautiful girl.

She had tied up her long silver hair which reached her hips, her piercing gaze was brimming with intelligence, her soft features were both seductive and youthful and she exuded an air of nobility that was dangerously charming.

She stood about 160 centimeters tall, her royal blue-toned garments weren’t particularly flashy, and yet their simplicity emphasized her presence even further. The one conspicuous feature was the emblem on her coat, a bird resembling a hawk, and even its magnificence was nothing more than a supplement to her sublime beauty.

“I won’t let you run amok like that. Stop at once.”

She spoke once again, her voice so exciting it could send tremors through one’s body.

Her voice was like a silver bell, it was pleasant to the ears and her speech held such power it could shake one’s heart.

Subaru was overwhelmed, to the extent that he’d completely forgotten his predicament. He could only think of her.

The bandits were no different, faced with her animosity their earlier vigor vanished. Even the man holding the knife turned pale as they retreated into the alley.

“Waitwaitwait! Please wait! We don’t really get it, but we’ll let him go! So please forgive us…”

“It’s good to see you’re so gracious. It’s not too late, so return what you stole.”

“It was our bad… Eh? What we stole?”

“Please. It’s really important. I’d let go of anything else, but not that. － If you return it now, I’ll spare your lives.”

Though her words were only that of an entreaty, the last few were clearly filled with anger.

Her gaze was sharp, and the hand she’d extended as though reaching out was empty. However, there was something hard to put into words gathering in her palm, something everyone there could feel.

“W-Wait! … Um, perhaps there’s been some kind of mistake?”

“… What?”

They pointed to Subaru who was still under their boots.

“Uhh, you’re not here to save this guy, right?”

“… What strange clothes he’s wearing. Perhaps there’s been some internal strife among you? I can’t say I approve of you ganging up on him like that, but if you were to ask whether or not I have any sort of connection to him, I’d have to say I don’t.”

Perhaps thinking they were trying to distract her, her tone was one of irritation. Seeming flustered by this, the men started talking in a hurry.

“Woa-W-Wait! If you don’t want this guy, we have nothing to do with each other! About whatever was stolen from you, it was probably that girl from earlier!”

“A-Ah, right! The girl from earlier, she ran up the wall onto the roof!”

“Yeah, over there! She’s probably three streets away by now!”

As they gave their rapid-fire explanations, her eyes met Subaru’s.

Her eyes seemed to ask if they were telling the truth and Subaru nodded instinctively, unable to lie.

Having seen this, the girl reluctantly nodded in understanding.

“It looks like you weren’t lying. So she went that way…? I’ll have to hurry.”

She turned her back on them, prepared to leave.

The men were blatantly relieved, and Subaru cursed his own foolishness for getting wrapped up in the atmosphere and squandering his only chance. However,

“Be that as it may, I can’t overlook what’s going on here.”

She turned around with her palm facing them － And aimed the ‘rock’ in her palm at the stock still men as she fired.

Its speed would fit right in at the major league, and its course was that of a bean ball.

The sound of a regulation ball striking flesh rang out thrice, and the men were blown away as they screamed in pain.

[T/N: Major league refers to high level baseball, bean ball means a ball intended to hit the opponent, a regulation ball is a hard ball.]
Having scored direct hits on the men, there was a high-pitched din as lumps of ice fell by Subaru. Lumps of ice the size of a fist― Their existence defied any sense of season and even physics itself, and they dispersed as if consumed by the atmosphere once they’d served their purpose.

“―Magic.”

The word most suited to explain this phenomenon immediately spilled out of his mouth. He didn’t hear her chant or anything, but that ice just now was definitely formed in and fired from her palm.

Having seen this actually occur before him, he realized something.

“This isn’t nearly as fantastic as I thought… It feels disappointingly real.”

He’d imagined light scattering around or energy flowing wildly, but in reality it was just some lumps of ice rapidly coming into existence and disappearing just as quickly. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of atmosphere to it.

“You’ve… Really gone and done it now.”

Setting aside Subaru’s impressions, the men who had been hit by that disappointingly real attack had sustained serious damage. Two of them could barely keep their footing steady as they stood back up and the third may have been hit in a bad spot, because he was out cold. Despite their bleeding, the two who were still standing appeared ready to fight. Even the man beside the guy with the knife was holding an object resembling a rusty nata as he prepared for battle.

[T/N: Nata = A type of blade]
“I don’t give a damn whether you’re a mage or whatever. The two of us together are going to kill you… You think you can win against both of us?”

The man with the knife raised his voice in anger as he pressed down on his broken nose with his other hand, but the girl showed no signs of faltering.

“I suppose two on one might be unfair.”

“Then two on two should be okay, right?”

Yet another voice filled the alley, androgynous and high-pitched, as though speaking for the girl.

Subaru started looking around in surprise and the men shared his reaction. They couldn’t find anyone who might have spoken those words, not at the entrance and of course not within the alley.

The three of them were confused and bewildered, and as if to show off, the girl held out her hand.

Her palm faced upward, and ‘it’ floated above her white fingertips.

“It’s kind of embarrassing to be looked at like that.”

It said as it bashfully groomed its face. ‘It’ being a cat small enough to fit in a palm, standing upright.

Its coat was gray and its ears were floppy, to Subaru it looked very much like an American Shorthair. Well, setting aside its pink nose and the length of its tail. The sight of this bizarre cat-like being caused the man with the knife to tremble as he screamed.

“―A spirit user!”

“Correct. If you withdraw right now, I won’t pursue you. Think fast, I don’t have time for this.”

The men clicked their tongues at her words and started to carry their fallen friend out of the alley. As they passed by Subaru and approached the exit, they glanced back at the girl and―

“Just you wait, you damned brat. You’d best be careful the next time you decide to wander around here.”

“If you lay a finger on her, you’ll be tormented until the end of time. You’ll be in the afterlife well before that, though.”

They desperately tried to make threats, but the reply was dismissive in tone although its contents were rather severe.

The cat in her palm behaved rather frivolously, but their faces turned paler than ever before as they silently fled out of the alley.

Now that they were gone, only Subaru remained before her.

“―Don’t move.”

Forgetting the pain coursing through him, Subaru had tried to get up to thank her.

But she stopped him in his tracks, her ice cold voice devoid of any sentiment.

Her eyes were filled with caution. Even having understood Subaru wasn’t with them, she clearly didn’t think of him as a good person.

Despite this, he was enthralled by the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He wasn’t used to dealing with beautiful women, so that alone caused him to turn red and avert his eyes. Seeing this, the girl smiled boldly as she maintained her cautious gaze.

“Your guilty conscience made you avert your eyes. Looks like my judgement was spot on.”

“I wonder. I didn’t sense malice whatsoever, that was probably just an instinctive male reaction.”

“You be quiet, Puck. ― You, you probably know who stole my insignia, right?”

The girl silenced the cat as she tossed a question Subaru’s way. She seemed rather proud of herself, but,

“Sorry to disappoint, but I have no clue.”

“No way?!”

Her prideful front crumbled, allowing her usual expression to come through for a moment. Her imposing attitude had also vanished as she turned to the cat in her palm in a panic.

“W-What now? Did we really just waste our time…?”

“You’re wasting time as we speak, you really should hurry. The culprit definitely has the divine protection of wind considering how fast they ran.”

“Why are you treating it like someone else’s problem?”

“You were the one who told me to stay out of it, though. Besides, what are you going to do about this guy?”

Subaru smiled bitterly when he once again became the topic of conversation. The girl seemed as though she’d just now realized that he was still there. Subaru put on a brave face for her and stood up,

“You’ve done enough. You’re in a hurry, right? You’d better get going.”

―I’ll help you out if you so desire, how about it?

He’d planned to say this while his fingers combed through his hair and his teeth sparkled, however,

“Huh?”

“Ah, you’d better not try to sta―, too late.”

His head felt heavy and his body was wobbly. He tried to support himself against a wall, but his hand only grasped air. In the end, he had a reunion with the ground he was just recently laying on. He fell completely undefended right onto his nose, the sharp pain making his consciousness drift.

“―Well, what now?”

“Well, it’s not like we know him. He won’t die, so let’s leave him be.”

As his consciousness faded away, he could make out bits of their conversation. This was parallel world fantasy alright, harsh even when it came to kindness.

He was going to be abandoned in some alley, a negative viewpoint.

Well, he was about to die so merely being alive was a blessing in itself, a positive viewpoint.

These half-hearted thoughts floated across his mind as his consciousness slowly―

“Really?”

“Really!”

On the verge of losing consciousness, he caught sight of the girl turning around, her face red.

“―I definitely, definitely won’t stick around to help him.”

―So cute even when she’s angry, a true parallel world fantasy.

Those were his last thoughts before he blacked out.

Arc 1, Chapter 4 – “Compensation for a Lap Pillow”

To Subaru, the feeling of waking up was rather similar to the sensation of raising his head out of water. Rays of sunshine assailed his pupils the moment his eyelids parted, causing him to grimace as he rubbed his eyes. He was rather good at waking up, once his eyes opened his consciousness would soon follow.

“Ah, you’re awake?”

A voice directly overhead. As Subaru turned to face it, his body still on the ground, he realized that his head was resting on something rather soft.

“Don’t try to move just yet. Your head was hurt, so it’s not safe.”

The voice worrying about him was gentle, and the sensation under his head was one of supreme bliss. Subaru thought back to what had happened before he lost consciousness and concluded that he was currently experiencing one of the greatest boons a man could receive.

―Holy crap, that beauty’s giving me a lap pillow?!

Taking advantage of this divine blessing, Subaru started to toss and turn, enjoying the feel of her thighs to his heart’s content.

His circular motions brought delightful sensations to his cheeks, his face wrapped in a fluffy―

―Man, pretty girls are a lot hairier than I thought.

“Like hell―!”

“Glad to see you’re up. (Falsetto)”

Subaru played the straight man as he looked up, now fully lucid, he could properly see what was before him. In his inverted line of sight was the face of an absurdly huge cat. Its expression was excessively ingratiating as it formed what seemed to be a smile.

“I decided to be considerate and offer you some comfort until you woke up. (Falsetto)”

“First of all, quit doing that terrible falsetto.”

Having ended up up in the absurd situation of receiving a lap pillow from a human-sized cat, that was Subaru’s only request. He then went back to enjoying the furry sensation since it was so generously provided.

“Fluffy… So fluffy. Just what in the world have you gone and created, God?”

“Oh dear, it seems it was well worth it for me to change size if it brings you that much joy. Right?”

The giant cat shyly scratched its head and winked as if seeking agreement. In the direction of its gaze, at the entrance to the alley, a girl stood with her arms crossed in displeasure. She was the girl who had been burned into his eyes and memory before he lost consciousness.

.”So basically, you’re that tiny kitty from before?”

“Fufufu, its freely changing size makes it great for transport. It also brightens your day with humorous chitchat. A cat for everyone, goes great with your lifestyle! For more details please contact the spirit association.”

It nimbly snapped its fingers and started a sales pitch. The contents weren’t really relevant, but Subaru understood that was probably how it acted.

“So you ended up staying here until I woke up…”

“Don’t get it twisted. I had some questions for you, so I had no choice but to stay. If that weren’t the case, I would have just left you here. Definitely. Just so we’re clear on that.”

When it was emphasized that much, even Subaru couldn’t really say much in response. She spoke in a fierce tone, as if pressing him. Considering his level 1 communication ability that was even worse when it came to the opposite sex, all Subaru could do was nod.

“And that goes for me healing you and letting you enjoy Puck’s lap too. All of it was for my own benefit, so I’ll have you repay me now.”

“You’re putting on quite the act, but it ultimately wraps around to being a regular request, doesn’t it?”

What goes around comes around, taken to the extreme. But in response to his answer, the girl shook her head with a stern expression.

“That’s not it, I’m making a demand here. ― Now, you probably know who stole my insignia, right?”

Subaru nervously accepted her condition, and she for some reason lowered her voice and asked him this.

Subaru couldn’t help but tilt his head at this. He had a really strong feeling that he’d heard this exact question before he lost consciousness.

“Did I hit my head really hard while I was very briefly unconscious?”

“You were out for at least five minutes, but as far as I know nothing of the sort happened.”

“Then could it be deja vu? Maybe I’ve awakened some hidden power that lets me experience the immediate future?”

Perhaps he should call his ability “Come back yesterday”.

[T/N: Literally “come back the day before yesterday”, basically Japanese slang for telling someone to get lost.]
It could be rather useful to come up with the right answer to a question. Perhaps it’d even be possible to prepare for tough questions on tests. His dream started spiraling out of control.

“Ah, I was a shut-in!”

“Quit ignoring me and calm down already, would you? Now, answer me.”

“Uhh… I have to say… I don’t really know.”

The so-called insignia was probably something like those badges people like lawyers, prosecutors, members of the defense force etc. had to prove their identity.

Unfortunately, Subaru had no memory whatsoever of seeing such a thing in the hour or so he was here.

Back home, he had a veritable mountain of toy badges he’d collected as a child. But he didn’t know how to return there, and he’d probably get smashed by her ice if he tried offering her one.

Consequently, his answer couldn’t possibly meet her expectations. But the girl simply nodded, not disappointed in the slightest.

“I see. That’s that, then. But I did learn that you don’t know anything, so that shall suffice as compensation for healing you.”

Her logic regarding her total loss would have shocked the sleaziest swindler. Leaving a dumbfounded Subaru behind, she loudly clapped her hands together as if she’d completely gotten over it.

“I’ll be going then. Sorry, but I’m in a hurry. Your injuries are almost gone, and those guys probably won’t come after you again considering how scared they were, but wandering into deserted alleys alone at a time like this is basically suicide. Ah, I’m not worried or anything, I’m just warning you. I won’t have a reason to save you if this happens again, so you’d better not expect anything.”

Her mouth moved rapidly as she spoke at length, and perhaps interpreting Subaru’s silence as agreement, she seemed satisfied as she turned away.

Her long, silver hair swayed with her movements and even in that gloomy alley it had a fairy tale-like luster to it.

Subaru’s support suddenly disappeared and he hastily stopped his fall. When he turned around, the cat’s giant body was nowhere to be found, having returned to the palm-sized form he’d originally seen. Floating through the air like a balloon, it turned toward the girl.

“Sorry about that. She just can’t be upfront about such things, this daughter of mine. Don’t think her strange for it.”

Saying this in a jovial tone, the cat gently landed on her shoulder. She patted its back as if to confirm this, after which it disappeared into her hair.

Subaru’s eyes followed her dashing form as she walked away, and he thought intently about what the cat had said to him.

―The real motivation behind her words and actions.

It seemed she had been robbed of something really important to her, and she was pursuing the culprit. She then saw a stranger being assaulted, and stopped to help him despite this.

On top of that, she even wasted her time healing him and watched over him until he woke up, and then repeated her earlier question and deemed that sufficient compensation so he wouldn’t feel indebted to her.

It was far beyond the level where you could say she wasn’t upfront about things. It was the first time in his life he’d seen someone so absurdly considerate.

From her perspective, there was absolutely nothing to gain from interacting with him. On top of losing her target, she spent precious time healing him. Considering this, it could be said that she’d actually sustained a great loss here. She had every right to criticize him, and he would accept all of it.

But in the end, she didn’t do that, nor did she ask for an apology. Why? According to her, it was because saving him was all part of her self-serving plan.

“Living like that, you’re going to lose everything.”

He stood up with those words and patted his dirt-covered jersey. The filth made his well-used jersey stand out, but it had sustained no real damage. And most importantly, all the pain from his beating was completely gone. He rotated his shoulders and stretched his legs as he confirmed his condition, once again realizing just how absurd magic was.

And also how abnormal the girl was, having done this much for him and demanding next to nothing in return.

“―Hey, wait up!”

As she looked around at the spot where the alley connected to the main street, a voice called out from behind her. Smoothing down her hair with her hand, she seemed annoyed as she turned around.

“What? We’ve already said everything we needed to say, so we no longer have anything to do with each other. We’re merely strangers whose paths intersected for a moment.”

“Don’t say such heart-rending things! And even if you intended to end things, I think it’s far from over.”

Her eyes were cold as he approached as if clinging to her. Some part of him thought this scene was very much like a boy pursuing a girl who’d given him the cold shoulder, but he pressed on, spreading his arms to block her path.

“That thing’s important to you, right? Let me help you find it.”

“But you don’t…”

“It’s true that I haven’t a clue as to the culprit’s name, background or fetishes, but I at least know what she looks like! A pretty girl with a snaggletooth and striking blonde hair! She was shorter than you and flatter too, and maybe two or three years younger, but I was like really―?!”

It was a bad habit of his to become tense and speak at extreme speed when he was at his wits’ end, a habit that was clearly on display at this very moment. Frankly, even he himself was repulsed by this.

―There was too much unnecessary crap like chests and fetishes. And using words like ‘pretty girl’ and ‘really’, just who am I supposed to be? I gave up on English in my first year of middle school.

[T/N: Subaru has bits of English strewn about his speech.]
In his first year of middle school, he’d gotten rid of his English textbook in the middle of summer break and he’d sworn off using loan words ever since, enacting a personal policy of national isolation.

So how on Earth could he just litter his speech with English―

It seemed as though Subaru was about to embark on a journey of self-reflection, full of strain and regret. His back was soaked with cold sweat. His arms were in a dreadful state due to the sweat from his palms and armpits. He was besieged by heart palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, anemia, nasal congestion and migraines as he stood there.

He’d driven himself into a corner, and what saved him was,

“―You’re a strange guy.”

The girl’s voice, her finger on her lip as she slightly tilted her head, as though looking at some exotic animal. She stared at him as if appraising him and then,

“Let me just say this, I can’t offer you anything in return. I’m completely broke.”

“It was all stolen, you see.”

“Relax, I’m basically broke as well.”

“There’s nothing reassuring about that, though.”

Consciously ignoring the intermittent interjections, Subaru vigorously struck his chest.

“And I don’t need a reward or anything. I just want to thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything to deserve your thanks, you already repaid me for the healing.”

She remained stubborn to the very end.

Her obstinate attitude made Subaru smile bitterly as he continued, “If so,”

“I’m helping you for my own sake too. My objective is, yeah, that. I wanna do some good deeds!”

“Good deeds?”

“That’s right, if you do a whole lot of them, you get to go to heaven when you die. It’s basically my dream life, lazing about all you want, living as self-indulgently as you please, and it’s like it’s just waiting for me. That’s why you have to let me help you.”

He didn’t really understand what he was saying himself, but he said what he wanted to. He looked as though he’d just accomplished some great task, but the girl seemed rather pensive. However, the cat on her shoulder started poking her cheek with its paw.

“I’m not sensing any malice, wouldn’t it be best to take him up on his offer? You don’t have any leads, and you can hardly search the whole capital.”

“But… I”

“Your stubbornness is definitely cute, but it’d be foolish to lose sight of your objective because of it. I don’t want to think of my own daughter as a fool.”

The cat shrugged its shoulders as it provoked her, causing her to raise her eyebrow. The next several seconds were filled with strangely erotic ‘Ahh’s, ‘Uhn’s and ‘But’s, but in the end,

“―I really can’t give you anything, you know.”

Saying this, she took his outstretched hand.

Arc 1, Chapter 5 – “Your Name”

His first friendly interaction in this world.

About thirty minutes after he offered to help her in that heartwarming exchange,

“―What exactly is this?”

Their investigation had led nowhere.

The girl’s eyes were cold as she asked this, her dissatisfied gaze directed at Subaru who had just discovered something. Namely―

“That cold gaze is actually kind of exciting… Wait. No, it can’t be. I, I… Was an M all along…?”

[T/N: M = Masochist]
“I don’t know about this ‘em’ or whatever, but it’s clear to me that you’re talking compleeete nonsense.”

Making no effort to hide her exasperation, she crossed her arms and sighed.

Her criticism was scathing, but it was probably appropriate considering what Subaru had managed to accomplish over these past thirty minutes.

Subaru himself had offered to help her search for her missing item, but there were a number of problems that made their search extremely difficult.

To begin with, he had no idea where he was.

As far that was concerned, it couldn’t really be helped considering he was just summoned from another world, but it was a major hurdle considering the girl was also unfamiliar with the area.

They had both assumed the other person knew the way, and ended up wasting almost ten minutes wandering around the back alleys. A funny story to tell at this point, but they couldn’t really laugh at it.

Secondly, he couldn’t read their language.

He’d neglected this since conversation wasn’t a problem, but upon examining his surroundings again he noticed what seemed to be hand-written hieroglyphics all over the place.

He didn’t realize this at first, but considering they were even written on signs and the like, unless mystic runes had become all the rage around here, they were probably this world’s alphabet. As a result he couldn’t differentiate shops by their signs, and he couldn’t rely on signposts to navigate either.

In summary, the typical cliche of “Why do they speak and write the same language?!” had only delivered on the former it seemed. But if one considered that he’d probably be dead in some ditch if he didn’t at least have that, it could be said that his situation wasn’t that bad.

“Even if that were the case, this explosion in difficulty is absurd…”

Far from the kind of story where the hero comes in with unbeatable cheats, it was more like he didn’t even have the minimum level of preparation. And most importantly, the crucial problem that had earned the girl’s ire―

“You’ve just been hiding behind me this entire time, you haven’t been helpful in the slightest.”

“I mean, it’s kinda scary talking to people you’ve just met…”

“You’re not some kid…”

Her well shaped eyebrows scowled as though she was having a headache, and she spoke in a rather pitying voice.

Just as Subaru feared, the hurdle of obtaining information from strangers proved to be too much for him. His communication ability had dropped precipitously over the past year. He merely clung to her silently, like a shy boy following his mother.

He certainly wanted to say something in response to her disappointment, but his cowardliness ran deep and the words wouldn’t come out. Thus, the cat on her shoulder who had been silent thus far started waving its tail and,

“Relax…. At least he has no ill intent.”

“That’s even worse. It’d be easier to believe he’s sabotaging me, honestly. To be so utterly useless with good intentions, it’s honestly harder to deal with than enmity.”

“Sure is enlightening, huh?”

The cat’s uncaring attitude made the girl sigh. She then looked at the street yet again and continued, “But even so,”

“This really is tough.”

A small complaint left her mouth. Having moved from the alley they were in earlier, and even from the street connecting to it, they were now far from the hustle and bustle of civilization as they entered the slums. Though discouraged, they continued their investigation and ultimately ended up here.

“They said that stolen goods were usually handled in the slums…”

“We know the location and the culprit’s appearance, so why not leave the rest to the poli… I mean, the guards? We’d find it right away if we had a lot of people working on it.”

A shopkeeper about two streets away had told them about a narrow alley connecting to the slums. It was true that the sun was going down, but despite being right next to the street, the place was gloomy for reasons other than the light source. The depressing atmosphere and foul smell caused Subaru’s face to scrunch up reflexively.

“The atmosphere, mood, and probably even the inhabitants’ personalities are all bad It’d be best to call someone.”

“No way.”

He wasn’t merely nervous or afraid, he’d suggested this after carefully considering his ability and the girl’s safety, but he was turned down on the spot. Subaru was bewildered by this declaration and the girl seemed somewhat apologetic.

“I’m sorry. But that’s no good. I don’t think the guards will come running over a little theft like this… And also, I can’t rely on them due to personal circumstances.”

Sealing her lips, she looked at him as if to say, “I can’t say why, though. Having understood she probably didn’t want to be questioned, Subaru raised his hand in compliance. To begin with, he wasn’t so boorish as to pry into others’ affairs, and getting too involved with others was a pain anyway. If he were interested in interpersonal relationships, he wouldn’t have become a shut-in.

“Alright, what do we do then?”

Even having heard nothing of her circumstances, Subaru asked about her next course of action.

Not seeking the reason and deciding whether or not to stop helping her were entirely different matters. He may not have known her circumstances, but he didn’t want to be an ingrate.

Perhaps sure that Subaru would leave her, the girl’s eyebrows rose in surprise at this. The cat started doing a little dance on her shoulder,

“I told you, didn’t I? Not a hint of ill will.”

Fooling around as usual, it seemed terribly cheerful as it pointed at Subaru. However, its expression suddenly became serious.

“But you’d better decide carefully. ―It’s almost nightfall, so I won’t be able to help you. A few hoodlums wouldn’t be a problem, but… Be careful.”

“Yeah, you’re right… Okay, I’ll think about it. I’ll think about it, but”

Her answer was indecisive. As she seemed to struggle with her response, Subaru suddenly became curious and asked the cat,

“What were you just talking about? You can’t be around at night?”

“To put it more precisely, despite my cute looks I’m actually a spirit, you see. Manifestation alone consumes a great deal of mana, so at night I fully return to my Yorishiro and focus on building up mana. I’d say on average a nine to five schedule would be ideal.”

[T/N: Yorishiro = An object that contains or summons spirits.]
“Nine to five, you sound like a civil servant… Spirits’ terms of employment are unexpectedly severe.”

Unusual terms like spirit or Yorishiro were flying around as though it were natural, but a modern otaku corrupted by games and anime wouldn’t have a hard time understanding them.

Anyhow, the cat before him―Or rather, Puck’s contract did not include a night shift. He didn’t look reliable at all, but considering how terrified those thugs from the alley were, setting aside Puck himself the beings known as ‘Spirits’ did seem to possess power befitting them.

A being who inspired far more fear than the girl who could magically create ice. Contrary to his unusually idyllic atmosphere, his true nature might have been that of a maneater that craved blood.

“Thinking of it that way, you’re unexpectedly terrifying. Let me just say this, I’m really sinewy so I probably taste really bad!”

“I can kind of read your mind to some extent so… You really are a nut, huh?”

It felt like he intended to say that in a roundabout fashion, but completely failed to do so. Puck’s fluffy forehead then moved in a gesture similar to a frown,

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know your name. I don’t believe we ever introduced ourselves.”

“Ah, I guess so. Then let’s start with me.”

Subaru cleared his throat and then spun on the spot, striking a pose as he thrust his finger into the sky.

“My name is Natsuki Subaru! I’m utterly lost and completely broke! Nice to meet you!”

“Sounds like you’re in a real tough spot, huh. Alright then, I’m Puck. Nice to meet you.”

Subaru had extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, and Puck flew right into it, a dynamic handshake with his whole body. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like Subaru was crushing him.

Puck was just as fluffy as he was in his giant form, once he’d had his fill of the sensation Subaru turned to the girl next to him. Her gaze was sour as she watched this exchange between man and animal.

“Why can’t you ever set that overly familiar attitude aside for a moment? It’s unnecessary.”

“I was at my wits’ end and found a thread I could cling to! Damn it, I’m never letting this go, this encounter… My life itself depends on it…!”

“Your determination is compleeeetely pointless… Say, do you even remember under what pretense you joined us?”

“Of course. You’re now searching for a person rather than an object, and I’m the only the one who knows what they look like… You think I’ll let you get rid of me just like that, I’ll never leak my secrets…!”

“Although I do recall you murmuring “Blonde hair… And her teeth… Ah, never mind” and the like as you hid behind me while we questioned people, so you’ve leaked quite a bit.”

“Curse my own foolishness!!”

He grabbed his head and bent over on the spot. It was like he was playing poker while showing his opponent his hand. Attempting to negotiate like that was simply laughable. Even though she was his first friendly contact in this world, it seemed like she was about to slip away from him and that made him terribly anxious. Puck smiled wryly as he watched Subaru struggle.

“Well, you’ve both got your own problems to deal with. Let’s hear you out later and prioritize the issue at hand. Be that as it may, that’s an unusual name. Has a nice ring to it.”

“I guess so, it’s not a name you hear around here. Speaking of which, your hair and eye color, and even your clothes are all rather unique… Where are you from?”

“According to the template, a small nation to the east, probably.”

A well worn pattern when it came to parallel world stories. An isolated land in the far east, akin to Zipangu.

[T/N: Zipangu is a term commonly seen in games/anime etc, seeming to originate from Marco Polo]
A magical cliche where you could just say you were from some other country and most people would simply accept it, since in such worlds international relations were generally very lacking. However,

“Lugunica is the easternmost country on our continental map… There’s nothing to the east of here.”

“No way, seriously?! This is as far east as it goes?! Then what about the well-beloved Zipangu?!”

“You have no clue where you are, you’re penniless and you can’t talk to others because you’re scared… Your future doesn’t look very promising, in a number of ways.”

The girl seemed restless, her eyes somewhat worried as she looked at Subaru’s panicked state. Despite her attempts to hide it, her extremely helpful nature seemed to be overflowing. His completely helpless state was probably making her very uneasy. Puck watched over them with a smile as they agonized over this. He then started plucking at his whiskers,

“Well, just suck it up for now. Right now we should head… I have less than an hour left. Make a decision.”

“―I’ll go. I don’t intend to let her get away, it’ll be too late if she manages to take it somewhere we can’t reach.”

That was her reply to Puck, she then turned to Subaru.

“I’m going to head in now, but… The path ahead will be a lot more dangerous. When night falls, there will probably be some hoodlums up to no good, and to begin with this is a place where battle-hardened people live. If it’s scary, you can wait here, or follow behind me like you were doing before.”

“How much of a chicken would I have to be to decide to stay behind! I’m going! I’ll stick right behind you the whole time!”

“There isn’t the option of heading out front, huh… Well, that works for me too since I won’t have to worry as much.”

She’d sighed so many times now he’d lost count. Subaru reflected on how he only ever made her expression worsen. Thinking back, he hadn’t seen her smile even once. She looked like that when angry, so her smile was probably the cutest thing in the world.

“Can a match box? No, but a tin can!”

“… What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Strange. No effect, but why… Ah! Damn it! Does this world not have tin cans! Uh. um…Is your refrigerator running… No refrigerators either?!”

“This abnormality in his speech and mannerisms… It’s not a curse or something of the sort, is it?”

“No, that was completely voluntary. He put his heart and soul into it too. For an utterly meaningless pursuit.”

Perhaps having guessed the reason for Subaru’s incredible struggle, Puck explained things relatively favorably. On the other hand, it only resulted in the seed of doubt being planted in the girl to whom it looked like Subaru had suddenly started malfunctioning.

Regretting that his terrible puns only worked in his original world, Subaru desperately shook his head. Focusing too hard on what was in front of him and losing sight of the bigger picture, this too was one of his flaws.

“What’s the difference between snowmen and snowwomen? Snowballs!”

He’d finally found one that didn’t rely on modern knowledge, but the girl’s reaction wasn’t favorable in the slightest. She coldly turned away.

Her eyes were on the alley, probably indicating that she wouldn’t play along any further.

His momentary desire to see her smile had completely backfired.

“―Are you satisfied, Subaru?”

The girl called to Subaru, whose self-hatred was currently maxed out due to his terrible attempt and the equally terrible outcome.

The fact that she’d said his name for the first time, and also the idea of a member of the opposite sex using his name so casually made him just a little nervous.

“Y, yeeah. T-Totally chill. Completely cool. I feel great, I can win!”

“Why are you trembling like that… I get that you’re scared, but we haven’t even entered yet. You really would be better off waiting out here if you’re that terrified.”

With this misdirected worry, she let out a small sigh and turned her attention away for real.

As he watched her walk into the alley, Subaru suddenly realized she did not intend to leave him even if she was successful.

By telling him to wait here, she was signaling that she would come back for him upon finding it. In the less than the hour they’d known each other, her strange inability to deceive for personal gain had become apparent.

“This sucks, I’m so uncool.”

Despite having offered to help, he was absolutely useless to her, and on top of that he was even making her worry about him. He was far beyond the point of being a deadbeat.

Striking his cheeks, he used the pain to force himself to focus and advanced forward. He still had a mountain of complaints. Anyone would be helpless if they were suddenly forced into such a harsh world. He didn’t think badly of himself for this. However,

“Relying on her for absolutely everything would be pathetic. I should at least have her back.”

Though dependent, he’d have to stand on his own two legs. ―But despite having focused, he ended up zeroing in on the small stuff.

“Come to think of it, there’s one more thing.”

When he called out from behind her, he saw her glance at him through a gap in her silver hair. Even this sidelong glance was dauntingly attractive, but Subaru managed to get his question out.

“So I’ve heard your cat’s name, but I never caught yours.”

This somewhat playful question caused her to look ahead and fall silent for a bit. This caused Subaru to panic, wondering if he screwed up. Perhaps her earlier silence was to indicate that she didn’t want to tell him her name. His communication disorder that rendered him unable to read others’ hearts, much less a woman’s, could it still―

“―Satella.”

“Oh?”

As he agonized over this, her sudden whisper surprised him. She didn’t even turn to look at him, and she repeated without any emotion,

“You can call me Satella.”

As she gave her name, her attitude suggested that he definitely shouldn’t call her that. Subaru had wanted to learn her surname if possible, he couldn’t call her name just like that so he ended up falling silent. For now he would just refer to her in the second person, a rather pathetic compromise. Behind the scenes of this exchange, Puck muttered from within her hair,

“―That’s in terrible taste.”

These words did not reach either of them.

Arc 1, Chapter 6 – “The End of the Beginning”

Their investigation had them entering the slums, and as usual they were faced with signs of terrible― Or rather, contrary to expectations, an unexpected development resulted in Subaru proving useful.

“This place is super gentle for some reason. What is this… Could it be that my popular period has suddenly arrived?! For the first time since kindergarten!”

Subaru had very lovely features as a child, and his hair was long as well which caused him to be mistaken for a girl rather frequently. ― On the other hand, he’d ended up like this over 10 years later, so it wasn’t really a laughing matter.

“Well, this is just a guess, but…”

“Let’s hear it! If there’s a scientific… Wait, since this is fantasy wouldn’t it be magical? If there’s a magical basis for this, I want to hear it.”

“This probably isn’t the answer you’re hoping for, but it’s probably because of your appearance. You’re kind of filthy and you’ve got traces of blood on you, the people here seem to be struggling too so they probably find you relatable.”

“I understand completely, damn it all!”

It now seemed obvious why they were all so friendly. Among them was an old lady who offered him a small dry fruit, saying “Eat this and live strong.” When he nervously tried putting it in his mouth, he felt a slight sweetness under its hard surface. And then a terrible odor violently flowed out. The feeling of his nose being destroyed from the inside caused him to pass out.

“Damn it all! I thought she was being considerate but she poisoned me! That was poison! It’s like my whole body is burning! I might seriously end up dying here! Or I might strip and end up dead from a social perspective!”

“Looks like you received a Bocco fruit. It stimulates the mana within you when you eat it, and accelerates healing and stuff. The effect varies by person, for most it’s rather soothing…”

Satella put a finger to her lip and went “Umm,” as she watched Subaru heat up and sweat as he breathed ragged breaths.

“It seems to me that your body circulates mana very well. If you overdosed, you might die.”

“Tell me that before I eat it! What do I doooo?!”

“Yeah… Puck.”

Responding to her call, Puck emerged from within her hair. His movements were dull and his earlier liveliness had vanished. To put it simply, he was extremely sleepy.

It seemed like he wasn’t even listening to most of their conversation, he rubbed his large eyes as he said,

“Whaaat? I’m at my limit, you know…”

“You’d better fill up before going to bed then. There’s a feast for you right here.”

As he felt a bit of bite to her words, Subaru realized Puck was now looking at him, his sleepy eyes sparkling like he was looking at a delicacy.

“Can I really?”

“B-Be gentle.”

Despite being a little worried that he was going to be chomped up, Subaru replied playfully. Puck gave a vague response and then stretched his tiny body on Satella’s shoulder,

“Alright, let’s eat.”

Immediately after, Subaru felt whatever had been rampaging around inside him start to drain out in large quantities. It was hard to say from where exactly. If he had to say, it was like it was being drained out of every pore on his body, rather uncomfortable.

“That was quite the treat.”

Puck joined his hands in thanks. Subaru wanted to reply with something along the lines of, “You’re more than welcome,” but he suddenly felt a terrible chill throughout his body.

The heat had directly transitioned into cold. And no ordinary cold either, he could feel it from his very core.

He instinctively grabbed his shoulders, the sight of this causing Satella to glare at Puck in reproach.

“Puck.”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s been a while so I couldn’t quite control it. But his gate does feel strange. It doesn’t seem like it’s seen much use, but it pours mana right out, that’s why I ended up going a bit too far.”

Teehee, he laughed bashfully as he tapped his head, but to Subaru this was no laughing matter.

Yet again there were unfamiliar words being used, like ‘gate’ or mana.

“Probably something like MP, huh… And I’m in this state because it’s been drained.”

His gamer brain once again displayed.its ability to immediately grasp such concepts.

The problem then was just how important MP was in this world. If MP Restores were extremely expensive, it could be said that this was a very troublesome act.

“I apologize. We’ll talk about this later.”

“I’m reflecting on my actions. I don’t regret it, though, that was delicious.”

Puck’s attitude resembled that of the protagonist of a certain manga, and Satella hadn’t scolded him very severely. Judging by this, it probably wasn’t a huge issue. If that were the case, it’d be uncool for him to get hung up on this.

“Relax, at least I don’t feel like I’m going to burn to death now. More importantly, let’s keep pursuing the culprit, whose location was determined thanks to my efforts. Thanks to my hard work we were able to-”

“I understand that you’re happy to have been useful, but saying it twice reeeally isn’t cool.”

He’d wanted to change the topic, but ended up sounding like a bragging kid. Satella looked like she regretted raising her opinion of him, and Subaru simply forced a smile. It was about time they decided to go further into the slums.

“Sorry, I’m out of time.”

Saying this, Puck who was still on Satella’s shoulder feebly leaned against her neck. His gray coat was tinged with bits of light, lightly wavering as though he could disappear at any moment.

“It kinda looks like he’s about to die, huh.”

“It’s because I really pushed myself. I use mana to manifest, so it disperses when I disappear. ― My crystal, please.”

“Got it. Sorry to push you so hard, Puck. Take it easy.”

Satella retrieved a green palm-sized crystal from her bosom. It felt somewhat different from what one would call a gem, as far as Subaru knew he could only say it seemed crystalline.

Puck walked down Satella’s arm to reach the crystal, and then he turned to her as his small body embraced it.

“I’m sure you know this, but you mustn’t go too far. If the situation looks desperate, use your Od to force me out.”

“I understand. I’m not a kid, I can handle myself.”

“I wonder. I can’t say I trust my daughter very much in that regard. I’m counting on you, Subaru.”

Puck’s smile was full of compassion as he looked away from a displeased Satella and toward Subaru.

Subaru thought their interactions were very much like that of a parent and child as he watched them、he then struck his chest when he was called to,

“Aaalright, leave her to me. You can expect great things from my jitter sensor, if my danger alert goes off we’ll retreat immediately!”

“I don’t understand half of what you said, but I’m trusting you. ―Alright then, good night, Puck. Take care.”

Puck looked at her one last time before he vanished from the world. Just as he said, his form started scattering into particles of light. This sight wouldn’t have been possible in Subaru’s old world, and it sent shivers through his whole body.

Once Puck was gone, Satella started stroking the crystal as if it were terribly precious to her, and then put it back in her chest.

Following the typical flow of things, Puck’s essence was probably stored in there in an ethereal form.

“We’re alone now, but… You’d better not try anything strange. I can use magic.”

Not knowing what he was thinking, perhaps she thought he was just staring at her breasts. In response to her words of caution, Subaru instinctively put his hands up and started shaking his head,

“No way! I haven’t been alone with a girl since elementary. I couldn’t possibly try anything, you’ve seen my people skills, haven’t you?”

“That’s soooo nonsensical and yet also reeeally convincing… Alright, let’s go. But we don’t have Puck looking out for us, so we’ll have to be more careful.”

Perhaps dumbfounded by Subaru puffing his chest out with pride, Satella tightened her robe and moved ahead of him. She then turned her head toward him without moving from her spot,

“I’ll be the vanguard and you’ll look out from behind. If something happens, call to me immediately. Don’t try to do anything on your own. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but… You’re weak.”

“Prefacing it like that, I really can’t dislike you…”

If she wanted to preserve her cold image, she should have omitted the part before “You’re weak” and said it more harshly.

It showed her kindness that she just couldn’t hide, she really was sweet to the core. Enchantingly so.

Satella looked like she wanted to complain as he urged her onward, their two member search had begun.

Having said that, their task hadn’t really changed. Find some inhabitants, describe the culprit’s features, and ask if they know anyone like that. Rinse and repeat.

Subaru was in charge of this, and he became more and more used to it the more he did it.

“Maybe it could be Felt. A tricky little blonde, right?”

This useful piece of information came from the fourteenth man they’d asked. He was another person Subaru had called to in an over-familiar fashion such as “Yo, brother. How goes it?”

He looked at Subaru’s dirtied appearance with sympathy and,

“If it’s Felt, your lost item’s probably in the loot house right now. Stolen goods are tagged and stored there, and the owner gathers them up to sell elsewhere.”

“What a strange system… What if this owner just ran off with the goods?”

“He’s the owner because they trust that he won’t do that. But well, even if you tell him you had something stolen from you, it’s not like he’ll return it just like that. You’ll have to negotiate for it.”

Because the theft was on the victim for being careless, such was the logic of the slums, and he forced it on them with a laugh despite his favorable attitude.

They’d managed to obtain the loot house’s location from him, and it seemed like she would very soon be reunited with her stolen item.

However, a different problem had manifested. The problem being that they were both totally broke.

“He told us to buy it back, but what now? On top of our shortcomings in this regard, this seems like the kind of event where we get overcharged or something.”

“I’m just retrieving what was stolen from me, why must I pay to do so I wonder…”

Once the problem had become one of funds, Satella’s expression suddenly clouded over. Her spontaneous mutter was certainly correct, but it was also true that their opponent wasn’t the sort to be swayed by that. To settle things peacefully, and moreover reliably, it would be best to take the man’s advice.

Nonetheless,

“Does this stolen insignia look expensive? Even if they overcharge us, without knowing the market value, it would be….”

“… It has a small jewel in the middle. I don’t know its monetary value either, but it definitely isn’t cheap.”

“A jewel, huh… That’s troublesome.”

Any buffoon could immediately recognize it was valuable at a glance, that was the sort of convenient effect jewels had. It didn’t look like this world had the technology to create imitations, so it seemed certain that almost everything that appeared to be a jewel would be the real thing. If that were the case, their inherent value would be obvious.

He understood that they had nothing to be relieved about, but there was also something else about her statement that bothered him. She said she didn’t know how much her insignia was worth.

It was certainly possible that it was given to her, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.

“Anway, let’s try going there first and then think about it. I might be able to negotiate a decent price depending on how I go about it…”

Worst case scenario, Subaru had a method that could prove disastrous for him.

His vague wording made Satella frown, but Subaru waved his hand in response to her doubt.

They had walked for about ten minutes, agonizing over their financial situation and coming up with no solutions.

―Having arrived at the so-called loot house, the two looked at each other.

“It’s bigger than we thought, huh.”

“Shows why they call it that… If everything in there is stolen as the name implies, there’s really no helping it.”

Of course, since they were periodically selling things off, it probably wasn’t filled to the brim with loot.

Subaru thought this as he looked at the loot house, its appearance not quite fitting its coarse name as it beckoned to them.

By Subaru’s estimate, it was probably around the size of a convenience store. Parking lot included.

It only had one floor, but it was large enough to fit twenty cars with ease. Their surroundings had changed too, the various ruins and hovels were nowhere to be seen, and behind the loot house was a giant wall. It was quite literally in the deepest part of the slums.

“That tall wall thing…”

“Probably the capital’s border wall. Looks like we came to the very edge without realizing it.”

Her statement caused Subaru to idly imagine what a map of the capital might look like.

It was probably square-shaped, guarded by these walls on all sides. Within those walls, perhaps in the center or the northernmost area there would be a castle, and far away from there one could find these slums.

He felt like it had been two or three hours since they started their search, so he had an idea as to the capital’s size. But then, if he compared it to Japan which didn’t have such clear divisions, its size wasn’t really comparable.

“Well then, if the rumors are true the owner of the place should be in there, but… Considering our position, how do we approach this?”

“I’ll be upfront about it. I had something stolen, so return it if it’s in here, that sort of thing.”

Subaru insisted that this wouldn’t work any number of times, but she refused to listen.

She was virtuous to her core. She couldn’t bring herself to consider using twisted means so easily.

But it was precisely because she was that kind of girl that she stopped to help Subaru even though it brought her no benefit.

“Ahh―, got it. Then, leave this to me.”

There was a high possibility that things would go south, so Subaru reluctantly offered to go himself.

His last resort ― This was too hasty so it didn’t really feel like a trump card, but it would also be a problem to lose the timing entirely. Subaru wouldn’t hesitate when it came to such matters.

Meanwhile, Satella seemed puzzled by this suggestion. His newfound confidence made her look at him with suspicion.

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

“I get that you can’t agree just like that. After all, I myself understand that I haven’t done anything to win your trust. But I do have an idea, so try to believe in… Ehhh?!”

“W-why are you so surprised?”

“I mean, this is completely different from the typical pattern, isn’t it?! “Leave it to a good for nothing like you, who can barely even talk to others? Don’t make me laugh, even a dog would be better,” I was prepared to hear something like that!”

“As if I’d say something so terrible.”

His paranoia had offended her. However, she cleared her throat and fixed her amethyst eyes on him,

“It’s true that you haven’t been particularly useful thus far, and you haven’t done or said anything to inspire any sort of confidence, but…”

“What kind of appraisal is that? I can’t refute it, though!”

“But I believe you think things through, and I don’t think you’re a liar.”

She stopped his self-deprecation in its tracks, and then took a breath and continued,

“I’ll try believing in you… It’d be a great stroke of luck if you actually succeeded.”

“Instead of that last part, something like “Do your best for my sake” would really get me motivated, you know?”

“I can’t be that demanding. But, do your best.”

A girl who could not lie, in every sense of the phrase.

Subaru responded with a broad smile and turned toward the entrance.

This definitely wasn’t easy on him, but he felt like her expectations and that little bit of trust were giving him the push he needed. If he came back without accomplishing anything, he really would be completely useless.

As he walked, Subaru looked at the plastic bag in his hand, which had never once become the topic of conversation thus far.

Within it were the items he’d brought with him from the other world. As far as Subaru was concerned, they were all that he had in this world. He might be able to barter with them.

He didn’t know how much this insignia was worth, but surely it couldn’t be more than his cell phone, which would be the only one of its kind in this world.

This would be a great loss for him, but negotiation should be possible if he used them to trade.

That was the last resort he’d kept secret from her. Of course, he also had a bunch of cards that would be useless in this world. If he had the chance to use them, he should do so.

“Umm, is anyone home?”

Standing before the wooden door, he tried knocking on it. The sound was deeper than he expected, but there was no response from within.

He hesitantly reached for the handle, and the door readily opened as if there were no lock on it.

The interior had no lighting, it was so dark that one could only fumble around. It was supposed to be a place where stolen goods were stored, and yet for some reason there was no one standing guard.

“Maybe they’re in the toilet or something… Uhh, anybody there?”

Subaru poked his head in to look around, but not even the moonlight reached the room, leaving it pitch black. As he was welcomed by stale air and an unpleasant odor, Subaru built up his resolve and took a step forward.

But first, he turned to Satella,

“If the two of us walk in just like that, we might look like burglars. How about you stay out here?”

“Are you sure? Perhaps I ought to be the one…”

“I’ve already called out a bunch, so I probably won’t be cut down just like that. It’d be dangerous if the owner were to misunderstand, so please leave it to me.”

Subaru bowed his head to her as she contemplated this. She then reached into her robe and pulled out a white crystal which she held out toward him.

“You should at least have some light. Whether or not someone’s there, call out to me.”

“I understand. Carefully, huh… How do I turn this thing on?”

“You don’t even know how to use lagmite? You really are ignorant, huh?”

She said in a tone that was both amused and surprised as she lightly struck the lagmite against the wall, causing it to produce a pale white glow. It was very dim, barely illuminating a few meters at most, but it would be enough to discern imminent danger.

“These days most people use mana-based lights instead, but this is a lot simpler and I quite like it. If it goes out, just do that again and it’ll light up.”

“I see… Seems pretty convenient. Alright, I’ll head in for a bit.”

Lagmite in hand, Subaru timidly walked in. “Don’t force yourself,” Satella said from behind him, and he responded by raising his hand.

When Subaru passed the entrance, a small counter entered his dim field of view. Perhaps this place was originally a tavern or something. On the other side were some broken boxes, one might guess that the owner or someone else had been sitting there.

The counter also seemed to play the role of a reception desk, and had various items on it.― Small boxes, jars, and all sorts of blades were carelessly strewn about.

He was in the dark in both the physical sense and the intellectual sense so he couldn’t hazard a guess as to their worth, but to the untrained eye they definitely didn’t look very valuable.

“I suppose it’s obvious, the valuables must be further inward.”

The stolen items also had wooden tags attached, it seemed like characters had been carved into these with something sharp. According to what the man from before had said, these were probably the names of the thieves who had stolen them. It seemed like they could catch all of these guys in one shot if they just gathered these up and handed them over to the guards.

“Well, there’s also the possibility that they’re using fake names. And in a situation like this, there’s plotlines where the country has a dark side that’s in cahoots with the criminals…”

There was also the question of just where these stolen goods were going.

He could just skim ahead if this were a novel or manga, such were his detestable thoughts as he walked further inward.

There were still no signs of life, but even with his dim light he could make out that the goods were increasing in size and value as he went deeper.

An insignia with a jewel embedded in it would surely be all the way in the back, then. As he thought this, his footsteps unintentionally quickened― And then,

“Hm?”

Subaru stopped when he suddenly felt something strange under his shoes.

It wasn’t the discomfort of stepping on something hard. On the contrary, whatever he had stepped on had some give― It felt like he’d stepped on something sticky.

When he raised his leg and felt the sole of his sneaker, he noticed a thick liquid sticking to it. When his finger felt its strange stiffness, he felt a primal fear surge from within.

“What… is this”

He brought his finger to his nose to smell it, but the stale air prevented him from realizing exactly what it was. Even so, he simply didn’t have the courage to bring it to his mouth for a taste.

He rubbed it off on the wall, and pointed his light forward as if prompted by his unease. At his destination was the source.

“… Ah?”

His voice leaked out when he finally saw ‘it.’

Under the dim light, what he first saw was an arm sloppily lying on the ground. Its fingers were open as if reaching for something, and strangely, there was nothing above the elbow.

He raised his light as if to look for the rest of it, and there he found a leg. Perhaps it was fortunate that the leg was still attached to the torso, and the body had most of the parts it was supposed to have.

―With a torn up neck and a missing arm, what lay before him was the corpse of a large old man.

“Hie”

Once he realized this, his mouth produced a meaningless noise. What filled his mind right now was not fear, despair or shock. His mind was overwhelmingly blank, all thought had completely ceased.

Even the options to ‘run’ or ‘stay’ did not exist in his brain. The blankness simply had him stand stock still until his brain fully absorbed the sight before him. This would ultimately decide his fate.

“―Aah, you saw it. I have no choice then. Yes, no choice at all.”

A woman’s voice, he thought.

Low and cold, and somehow enjoying herself, he felt.

“Guah―!”

He didn’t even have time to turn around. The instant he decided to turn toward the voice, he was blown away by a colossal impact.

His back slammed against the wall, knocking the lagmite out of his hand which left him in complete darkness.

But that wasn’t what Subaru was focused on, his entire consciousness was devoted to,

“Gu…Ah, hot,”

―He felt a terrible ‘heat’ coursing through his entire body.

―This is really bad.

He felt the hard floor against his cheek, and realized that he had collapsed onto his face.

His strength was completely gone, and he had already lost sensation in his fingers.

The heat from his core was so excruciating it made him want to tear his throat out.

―Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.

The moment he opened his mouth to scream, what spilled forth was no shriek, it was a clump of blood.

He vomited up large quantities of his lifeblood as he coughed. Frothy blood started foaming up at the corners of his mouth as he gurgled. Within his dim field of view, the ground had been dyed red.

―Aah, this is all, my blood?

There was enough to soak his fallen body. Blood comprises about 8% of the human body, and it is said that losing about a third of that would be life-threatening, but ― It seemed to him that he’d already lost just about all of it.

He had stopped vomiting blood, but the ‘heat’ that felt as though it would incinerate him still persisted. He moved his hand toward his abdomen with great difficulty, and having felt an impossible sensation there, he understood.

―My stomach’s been torn open, huh.

It was no wonder he felt so hot. It seemed his brain had confused ‘pain’ for ‘heat.

He was almost torn in half, only a bit of skin at his back held him together.

In short, it seemed that this was ‘checkmate’ for him.

The moment he realized this, his consciousness started fading.

Even the heat which was making him writhe in agony had disappeared, Even the unpleasant feeling of blood and the sensation in the hand he’d used to feel his organs, it was all fading away along with his consciousness.

All that was left was his body, which would not be able to accompany his soul.

This body used the last of its disappearing consciousness to move just a little. It turned its head upward.

Black shoes formed ripples in the pool of blood before his eyes. There was someone there. And that someone was most likely the one who killed him.

Strangely, he didn’t feel like looking at their face. This person was the one who took his life, and yet he still decided to simply remain a spectator to his own demise. He had no clue who they were, but right now he didn’t really care about that.

He only wished for the girl’s safety.

“―Baru?”

He felt like he heard a voice like the chime of a bell.

He was beyond the point where he could even differentiate his senses, so he probably just imagined it.

Despite that, even supposing it wasn’t real, he found it extremely comforting.

So―

“―!”

A short scream, and then the carpet of blood welcomed yet another person.

She had fallen right next to him, exactly where his arm was.

Her fair hand dropped powerlessly, and intertwined with his.

―Probably just a coincidence.

He felt her fingers move slightly, as if squeezing his hand.

“…ait”

He forced his disappearing consciousness to return for a moment. The pain and the heat, everything had faded away. It was a meaningless effort, nothing but a loser wasting time.

But even so―

“I will, definitely―”

―Save you.

At that moment, Natsuki Subaru lost his life.

Arc 1, Chapter 7 – “An Incomprehensible Reunion”

“―What’s the matter? Why’d you suddenly space out?”

“Hah―?”

A middle-aged man with stern features called out to him, and he absentmindedly responded as such. This response caused the man’s already creased brow to wrinkle up even further as he scowled.

“I’m asking a question here! Are you going to buy the appa or not?”

“Hah―?”

“The appa! You wanna eat it, right? You came here saying that and then your eyes suddenly went blank which was quite the shock. Anyway, how about it?”

He was very muscular and had a scarred face, but in his palm was a lovely red fruit. He mentally compared the man’s face with the apple-like fruit he was holding out,

“Ah, you see, I’m completely broke.”

“… Seriously, you’re just browsing? Get outta here! I’m running a business here, I don’t have time for window shoppers.”

The man shooed him away and he obediently left.

He― Natsuki Subaru examined his surroundings and,

“Eh? Eh? ―What’s going on here?”

In his confusion, all he could do was toss out that question directed at no one in particular.

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The main street was crowded as usual, except for the occasional passage of a lizard-drawn carriage, the road was filled to the brim with pedestrians.

The sun was still high. The temperature wasn’t quite what he’d call hot, but looking at the humanoid wolf walking by― Should he call it a werewolf? Looking at its fur, thoughts such as “Sure must be hot, huh?” floated across his mind. They did, but,

“This ain’t the time to be acting like some sightseeing country bumpkin. Umm, what is this?!”

He grabbed his head and twisted his waist. As he performed this full-bodied pose displaying his distress, a number of curious gazes were directed at him.

These gazes felt extremely familiar to him. Just a few hours ago, there were several people staring at him in much the same way― Or rather, in the exact same way.

“Right, several hours ago… It should have been.”

As he said this he looked around again, and then up at the sky after which he tilted his head.

The sun was still high. As far as Subaru remembered, the sun had just been setting.

This feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to him either.

When he first came to this world, he saw night turn to day. So that much wasn’t new, but there was one clear difference this time.

“My wound… Is gone.”

He whispered as he rolled up his jersey and confirmed his abdomen’s condition.

He had been torn up by what he assumed was a huge blade, spraying blood and viscera all over the place, and yet there were no signs of this having happened to him. Since he had no scars, there were obviously no traces of blood on his jersey either.

In fact, his well-used jersey didn’t even have any dust or dirt stains. The convenience store bag in his hand was in good condition, and his pocket still had his phone and wallet. He was back at square one, in every sense.

―It felt like he was going crazy.

“Just being summoned here was already too much for me, what’s going on now…”

As far as his missing wound was concerned, he’d already seen what Satella was capable of so he wasn’t confused on that front.

However, he’d clearly sustained a fatal wound in the loot house. It was so bad he was sure he had died when he lost consciousness.

If even an injury like that could be healed, it seemed to him that this world’s magic could even revive the dead.

“Guess the value of life drops quite a bit then… Wait, who was that back then?”

Realizing that he could see something in his hazy memories. Subaru fervently tried to remember what had happened right before he lost consciousness.

Right, he was dying with his gut split open. There was a woman’s voice, he thought.

He’d come across a corpse in the loot house, and then he was attacked by the presumed killer. And as he was on the verge of death―

“That’s right, Satella!”

The silver haired girl had ended up entering the loot house to check on him.

Having remembered what he’d done, Subaru was filled with regret. She had clearly warned him not to try anything on his own, that he should immediately call to her if anything happened.

Those words weren’t merely out of worry for him. They surely also meant that he should inform her if the situation seemed dangerous.

And yet when it came down to it, Subaru failed to even raise his voice. As a result, not only did he fail to escape himself, even Satella got wrapped up in the tragedy.

As he drowned in his own blood in that darkness, he definitely saw the assailant cut her down.

She collapsed into that sea of blood the same as him, and stopped moving before he did―

“Damn it… Didn’t he say he was leaving her to me?!”

He remembered the words Puck said to him right before he disappeared.

Those weren’t words spoken lightly. Subaru himself didn’t take them seriously enough, and as a result things went exactly the way Puck had feared.

Despite all the warnings, Subaru had completely failed to notice anything and missed his chance.

His present situation was the end result of this.

Tossed out onto the streets totally unaware of what was going on, he didn’t even know if they were safe. He was now at a complete loss.

“Am I some kind of moron… No, I’m definitely a moron. I don’t have time to hang around sulking. For now, I’d better look for them…”

The two might even be dead― Subaru shook his head to rid himself of this terrible thought.

He was completely useless, with not even a single redeeming feature. He’d even say he was nothing more than a waste that simply converted oxygen into carbon dioxide, and yet he’d survived.

That being the case, he couldn’t imagine that that magic using super kind, super helpful, not quite upfront about her feelings and yet so virtuous beauty and that aloof and mysterious oddball of a spirit had died.

Or rather, he didn’t want to imagine it.

“Anyway, for now I’ll…”

―Head to the loot house, Subaru decided.

Since that was where he’d lost consciousness, he might be able to find some hints there.

Once he put his mind to something he’d immediately start doing it. Here too the speed of his decision-making shined. “I’m not going to school anymore” was usually the sort of decision he was making in his old world, but right now it would prove useful for him to move quickly and without doubt.

However, his determination was―

“Yo, kiddo. Let’s have some fun.”

Three men blocked his way out of the alley, clearly intending to give him a hard time.

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“Oi, what’s with that dumb look on your face?”

“He probably doesn’t understand what’s going on here. What say we go ahead and teach him?”

Witnessing his lack of reaction to their threats, the men’s lips warped as if sneering at him. To Subaru, this was almost like watching a comedy.

There were three of them. One couldn’t say they were well dressed even as flattery, and their poor upbringing and vulgar character were clearly evident on their faces, they were basically walking stereotypes.

Their scars seemed to show their combat experience, and their general disposition was evidently inclined to violence.

Subaru clearly remembered all of this. After all, these guys were,

“You lot… Perhaps you’ve gone and hit your heads somewhere?”

The reason he was able to meet Satella and Puck just a few hours ago.

These guys were basically your typical mobs, but since this was a 3D world he doubted it was reusing characters. So maybe they were different people with the same appearance,

“Could there really be three other guys with the same looks running around playing bandit?”

Maybe if it was just one, but there were three of them. It was absurd to think that they’d even party up the same way. In other words, they had to be the same guys he remembered.

“You’ve hit your heads or… Perhaps this is revenge for your instant defeat? Guess that sort of thing doesn’t change even in another world. You didn’t bring your pals, you want a fair rematch or something?”

In the real world, when you took someone down they’d bring their buddies to exact their revenge. In the end, you’d have to face wave after wave of enemies no matter how many you beat and would ultimately die to an absurdly strong foe, getting a game over. This sort of thing happened very frequently.

Considering the chain of suffering this pattern creates, perhaps these fellows ought to be commended for relying on their own strength instead of calling others.

Either way, he couldn’t help but think they were barking up the wrong tree if they were targeting him.

“Well, I understand you’d want to go for the weak one, so I can’t criticize you for it. But right now isn’t convenient for me, or should I say…”

“What’s this guy talking about? Maybe he’s lost it?”

The men mocked Subaru as he looked for a way to amicably resolve things through discussion.

Naturally, this irritated Subaru. The only reason he was trying to settle things peacefully was because he was in a hurry, in truth he was rather short-tempered under ordinary circumstances.

But even so, considering how serious the situation was, he was prepared to deal with a little scorn, but,

“Alright, kiddo. Hand over everything you’ve got and maybe we’ll let you go.”

“Yeah, sure sure. Everything I’ve got, right? I’m in a hurry, so let’s leave it at that.”

“Now act like a dog! Crawl around on all fours and beg for help.”

“Don’t get carried away, you bastards!”

They started getting too cocky, and Subaru’s patience ran out.

The men were shaken by his sudden burst of rage. As they stood there dumbfounded, Subaru targeted the one in the middle.

He was the man with the knife who had successfully stopped Subaru last time. Naturally, he would probably be just as quick to draw the knife as before. Therefore,

“I’ll start with you! I hate bastards who don’t value life! Die!!”

He put his entire body weight behind his palm as it crashed into the man’s jaw. He then immediately drove his left arm into the man’s undefended torso, slamming him against the wall and knocking him out instantly.

It was the work of an instant and the other men were slow to react, Subaru then knocked one of them down with a leg sweep. He then took advantage of this opening to target the final man, and dove into him.

Having tackled him, Subaru lifted him and threw him against the wall with all his strength. The man groaned at the impact as Subaru finished him off with a kick, but when turned around the man started getting back up.

“Tch… You bastard.”

“Come on, it’s one on one now. I’ve already taken down the guys with the knife and the nata, what are you going to do?”

The adrenaline pumping through Subaru’s veins gave him confidence, this seemed to overwhelm the man and his expression changed. In truth, he was the guy who had been knocked out by Satella in their previous confrontation. He was the only one whose weaponry Subaru wasn’t able to confirm, but judging by that reaction just now he didn’t have anything lethal on him.

“If it’s a fist fight you want, I’m not about to just kneel for you, you know.”

“Don’t screw around, you bastard. Aah! Don’t look down on me, brat!!”

Subaru provoked him by beckoning with his hand, and the man responded by rushing at him with spittle flying out of his mouth.

As the man attempted to grab him, Subaru welcomed his approach with his fist. His aim was true, and his fist sunk into the man’s chest, but the man wildly charged him and forced him against the wall. However,

“Behold!”

Subaru grabbed the man’s wrists and forced him to let go by exerting force even greater than his. Seeing the shock evident in the man’s expression, Subaru’s evil-eyed face warped into a fiendish smile.

“Don’t underestimate me just because I’m a shut-in. I swung a wooden sword every day for no reason and as a result my grip strength is over 70 kilos. I can bench 80 too.”

He had once ruined the atmosphere at a family gathering by crushing an apple with his bare hand, an incident from his dark past. His life as a shut-in consisted of daily training that he never neglected. His strength was such that if he were facing an opponent of similar size, he would only lose under exceptional circumstances.

The man howled as his wrists were crushed, and the moment his grip loosened Subaru’s knee flew into him. The impact on his abdomen caused the man to crumple into a く shape. Subaru then quickly got behind him,

“Don’t blame me if you die. I’ve always wanted to try this, an overhead throw onto hard ground!”

He wrapped his arms around the man’s waist and violently threw him overhead as he leaned back. It was similar to a suplex in pro wrestling, but he’d maliciously let go midway. The man was helpless as his head collided with the wall, and he went completely still when his body collapsed to the ground.

Confirming the two men were down, Subaru went to the man he took down first, the man with the knife.

The man hadn’t taken much damage and though he seemed to be fainting with agony, he suddenly tried to pull his knife on Subaru when he approached. Subaru mercessily stomped on his face when he tried this, knocking him out instantly.

“Hmph, that was easy! In this world, evil never wins!”

Striking a triumphant pose, Natsuki Subaru celebrated his victory all by himself. He was relieved to know that all his aimless training wasn’t a waste. Anyway,

“The situation hasn’t changed at all. I got held up a bit, but I’d better hurry to the loot cellar.”

Once he’d confirmed that the men weren’t dead, Subaru left the alley.

A number of pedestrians seemed rather surprised to see him emerge unharmed, Subaru noticed them gasping as if they’d expected another outcome. Made him want to yell that if they saw what was going on, they should have reported it.

Of course, shy as he was, Subaru couldn’t do anything of the sort and he ended up jogging away from the area.

Arc 1, Chapter 8 – “The Taste of Bitter Alcohol”

Having finished up the revenge match in the alley, Subaru had reached the deepest part of the slums― He was standing before the imposing loot house. The sun had already declined quite a bit and it was now evening.

“F-Finally found it… That took way too long, damn it.”

Now that he’d finally arrived, he sunk down to the ground as he used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

He had spent almost two hours running around until he finally found the place. He was at least able to confirm the passage of time with the phone in his pocket. Definitely two hours.

“I figured it wouldn’t be that hard since I came here just recently…”

Indeed, being unable to read any sort of signage had proven to be quite the obstacle for him.

The capital had very similar looking streets, and Subaru who was unfamiliar with the area could not even rely on the names of shops or places to guide him.

In the end, he had no choice but to brute force it while referring to his memories.

“I spoke with Satella and Puck in a number of places, so I’ve got a vague recollection of the path as well.”

This was especially true after he’d entered the slums.

Unlike a few hours ago, since someone had thoroughly cleaned his jersey, the reaction he’d received from the slum dwellers was cold and they were extremely uncooperative.

Subaru’s social skill wasn’t at the level where he could deal with this atmosphere of exclusion, so he ended up struggling alone here too.

As a result, he wanted to commend himself for managing to make it here. He decided to give himself a reward for his hard work.

“I’m finally opening you, corn potage flavor. To begin with, it was because I wanted to eat this that I went to the convenience store. It’d be no exaggeration to say this was the reason I was summoned to this world.”

As he made various excuses, Subaru opened the bag.

His nostrils brought him bliss as it gently released a sweet smell. He tossed some onto his tongue with trembling fingers. ― Supreme bliss overwhelmed his sense of taste.

“Declious… Super delicious…! Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything. Amazingly delicious.”

He shoveled down more and more as he thought back to all that he’d been through.

His stomach had been empty ever since he’d been denied that apple-like fruit. He had been bearing it for about six hours now.

Though he’d distracted his empty stomach, Subaru realized that he couldn’t do the same to his mind.

His heart was throbbing violently, its pulse abnormally high. He could feel blood coursing throughout his entire body, this was at an entirely different level from that incident in the alley.

His limbs felt heavy and his mouth was dry for reasons unrelated to his snack. He was repeatedly tormented by a sharp pain as though he had been hit in the head, and this was accompanied by shrill ringing in his ears.

―The answer he had been seeking lay within the loot house.

He instinctively gulped as the scene he didn’t want to remember floated across his mind.

A room turned into a sea of blood, an old man missing his arm. His stomach torn up as he lay there on the verge of death, and Satella’s limp hand. It was his fault she’d ended up in that situation.

“Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out, damn it. Am I an idiot? … No, I’m definitely an idiot. As if I’d come this far and then head back without looking.”

Not like he even had anywhere to head back to.

He resolved himself and faced forward, when he attempted to advance he realized that his knees were shaking.

He couldn’t control his trembling lower body. He forcibly stopped the shaking by striking his kneecaps, and then he took a deep breath as he advanced.

Bathed in orange sunlight, it was as if the door to the loot house was rejecting him.

Suppressing such delusions brought about by his nervousness, Subaru reached the door and raised his hand,

“Is anyone in there?”

He thought it was an extremely faint hope, but he still tried knocking lightly.

That unexpectedly dull sound should have reverberated both inside and outside. However, he received no response, only unbearable silence.

Subaru found this silence extremely terrifying, and started banging on the door even though he knew it was hopeless.

“Someone… Someone’s in there, right?! Please, respond… Please.”

He didn’t want to think that they’d died in there.

Denying reality, Subaru pounded the door so hard it began to creak. Unable to bear his fury, the door slowly started to give in as its old hinges deformed.

“―Shut up!! You don’t even know the signal or password, you wanna bust the door down?!”

The door opened with great force, and Subaru who had been leaning on it was sent flying.

Subaru tumbled onto the ground in an unsightly fashion, almost five meters away. He then raised his head, bewildered.

His eyes were wide with surprise, and reflected in them was a red-faced old man glaring at him from the doorway.

He was bald and had a large build.

Perhaps his garments had once been white, but dust and many years of sweat and the like had turned it brown, a very unsanitary sight. Could be the source of the unpleasant smell wafting through the air.

Under his clothes was a very muscular body. Contrary to his aged appearance, he didn’t seem frail in the slightest, he clearly had some toughness to him.

In summary, a huge bald old man in exceptional health was standing before him.

“Who’re you?! That’s not a face I remember, why are you here?! How’d you find out about this place, and how’d you get here?! Who told you?!”

The old man closed the distance between them with amazing speed and grabbed Subaru with his giant hand. As he felt his feet leave the ground, Subaru realized that he’d gotten carried away and returned to reality. What had happened earlier was an exception. He was just a mediocre, banal, commonplace guy at the end of the day.

Even if his strength was such that he would only lose under exceptional circumstances, almost all of his opponents would fall into this category.

As the almost two-meter tall giant hoisted him up, his will to resist was completely gone.

“―Please have this, a sign of my goodwill.”

He turned to the man’s rage-filled face― And tossed a corn potage flavored snack at him.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Shortly after that violent meeting that probably gave them both poor first impressions, Subaru was invited into the loot house.

There were some guest chairs by the counter right past the entrance. Sitting in one, Subaru adjusted the position of his behind which was rather uncomfortable.

The seat was splintered which caused Subaru to feel various stinging sensations all over his bottom. If his bowels were at their limit, he would no doubt be discharging right about now..

“Why’re you fidgeting around like that… Your balls chafing or something?”

“That’s hardly the case. Wait, give that back. I didn’t say you could have all of it!”

The old man was stood on the other side of the counter, where one would expect the owner to be.

Compared to his colossal body, the bag he was holding looked so small one might wonder if their sense of perspective had malfunctioned.

“How stingy. You’ll go to hell if you try to keep something this delicious to yourself.”

“And where do you think you’re going, eating others’ stuff like that? Boomers, I swear. Always criticizing others while ignoring their own faults.”

“There you go with those weird words again. This is why you young… Mm, tasty.”

“Stop eating already!”

Subaru leaned forward and extended his arm, somehow managing to snatch the bag out of the old man’s hands. However, most of the bag’s contents were already in his stomach.

Subaru’s shoulders dropped when he saw that there were only a few left.

“Aah… My precious corn potage. I might never be able to taste you again.”

“What, it was that rare? Well, it is true that I’ve never seen anything of the sort. Then how about using duplication magic on the rest?”

“Duplication magic?”

“Magic that turns one of something into two. It can only replicate the appearance of a living organism, but it should be possible to reproduce something like food.”

The man said this as he rubbed his round head, and Subaru realized anew how convenient magic was.

It really can do anything, huh, Subaru thought with admiration as he nonchalantly looked around the interior.

The loot house at dusk ― There were no signs of the tragedy Subaru had experienced there.

There were still various items scattered all over the place, easily covering the place’s massive interior.

Perhaps having noticed Subaru’s eyes wandering, the old man’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s the matter, boy? ― Interested in my goods?”

With these words, he got to the heart of the matter.

The giant old man, who had introduced himself as Rom (He’d said Subaru could call him Old Man Rom). Negotiations with him had become unexpectedly smooth when in response to his rage, Subaru offered him a snack (Seriously, this was actually how it happened).

Once Subaru tossed it into his mouth, he became obsessed with the newfound flavor and immediately put Subaru down safely.

After that, Subaru convinced him that he had come here because there was something he had to do, and that he’d heard about the place from a middle-aged man in the slums, and in the end the two ended up at the counter like so.

On the other side of the counter, Rom used his huge arms to fill a somewhat dirty glass with alcohol, he had a slight smile on his face as he did this.

“Well, those who come here have one of two objectives. They’re bringing me stolen goods, or they want said goods― One of those two.”

“Certainly, that’s part of why I’m here.”

“Part, huh. Then you’ve got some other business too?”

Rom raised an eyebrow at Subaru’s conditional agreement. Subaru nodded, and then he hesitantly asked his question, prepared to be mocked for it,

“This is pretty stupid, but… Old man, have you died recently?”

With your neck and right arm chopped up.

He decided not to include those words. As far as he could see, there were no signs of such a thing on his arm or his neck.

As he received Subaru’s question and his gaze, Rom’s gray-tinged eyes widened for a moment, and then his face suddenly broadened into a smile as if time had just started flowing again.

“Gahahaha, I was wondering what you were going to say. It’s true that I’m an old man at death’s door, but I’m sorry to say it hasn’t happened yet. I don’t imagine it’s far off at this age, though.”

Rom laughed as if he’d heard a terrific joke as he pushed a glass toward Subaru, “want a drink?”

Subaru turned him down with a wave of his hand, the smell of the alcohol irritating his nose, and briefly apologized for what he’d just said.

He’d apologized, but the unease within him continued to grow.

He was talking to Rom right now, but ― Subaru had seen his corpse.

Right here, in the darkness, his arm and throat had been ripped apart by a blade, and he’d died an unspeakably gruesome death.

However, as if to deny the sight that had been scorched into his eyes, Rom’s huge body was right before him, stuffed into that counter in a manner that seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

Rom’s face was red as he emptied his glass, there was clearly blood flowing through him, he was nothing like the pale corpse that had lost a great deal of blood.

Old Man Rom was definitely alive. And the same went for Subaru as well.

Thinking back, Subaru too had sustained a grievous injury. But despite this, he was here with no traces of this having happened.

Subaru was no longer confident in his own perception as he started to wonder if he was merely daydreaming.

“Don’t tell me all of that was a dream…? If so, how much was a dream and why am I in this world?”

His complaints briefly let him forget about his uneasiness, but now that he was in a place where he could sit and calm down, they once again plagued him.

The feeling of guilt, the scorching pain of that fatal wound, the warmth from the girl’s ever so slight touch, if all of that was supposed to be a dream, then why was he here?

If that were the case, it’d make more sense if everything since his summoning was all a dream.

He found that much easier to accept than the idea that he’d suddenly started dreaming after arriving in another world.

“Old man, have you seen a silver-haired girl around?”

“Silver hair…? No, I can’t say I have. I wouldn’t forget something that conspicuous. No matter how old I might be getting.”

Rom boldly laughed it off, but Subaru’s expression clouded over.

Perhaps having perceived Subaru’s sincerity from his attitude, Rom suddenly stopped laughing.

“Drink.”

Without hesitation, he once again pushed the glass toward Subaru.

He tilted his bottle into the glass, and an amber liquid filled it to the brim. Subaru watched this silently, and Rom once again repeated, “Drink.”

“Sorry, but I’m not in the mood. And I’m not so much of a brat that I’d drink to look tough.”

“You stupid? Drinking and acting tough is what being a kid’s all about. Gulp it down and feel the burn in your belly. Whatever’s bothering you won’t be able to bear the heat and you’ll cough it right up.”

“So drink,” he said yet again, nudging the glass toward Subaru.

Subaru accepted the glass as if overwhelmed by Rom’s stubbornness, and brought the amber liquid to this nose. The thick smell of alcohol assailed his nose and he almost ended up choking which caused his expression to go sour.

But despite this stance of refusal, part of him still wanted to follow through with Rom’s advice.

Subaru thought that relying on alcohol was the mark of an uncool adult, but even so,

“Ah… .To hell with it!”

Tilting the glass, he downed it all in one gulp.

He didn’t know how strong the stuff was, but immediately after he’d done this he felt as though his body had ignited.

The alcohol seemed to burn its way down his throat, causing him to scream and slam the glass onto the table.

“Pha! Gah! Terrible! Hot! Horrible! Nnaa, this sucks!”

“That’s enough already! Guys who don’t get the taste of alcohol are fools who miss out on half the fun in life, you know.

As Subaru coughed up the heat welling up inside him, Rom yelled at him and took another swig.

He splendidly overturned the whole bottle and drank right out of it.

Having downed an amount that was well over three times what Subaru drank, he belched crudely and smiled.

“Shtill, yuu hanjled jat well! Doncha feelike yer gunna throwep?”

“… Yeah! Just a little! Old man, let’s move on to my other objective.”

Turning his face away from the smiling old man, he started wiping the spilled alcohol with his sleeve as he pointed deeper into the interior. Unlike the crap strewn about here, the stuff in there should be valuable.

Rom’s expression turned serious. Seeing this, Subaru directly,

“I’m searching for an insignia with a jewel embedded in it. ―I want you to give it to me.”

Announced his objective.

His original goal ― Aside from confirming Satella’s safety, the reason he came here.

The jeweled insignia that had been stolen from Satella. She hadn’t told him the reason, but she was willing to confront any danger to retrieve it, that’s how important it was to her.

If it had been brought into the slums, it definitely had to be in here, or so he was told.

If the insignia at least existed, Subaru would know for sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“An insignia with a jewel embedded in it… Sorry, but there’s nothing like that around here.”

“… Are you sure? Try to remember, maybe you’re going senile?”

“I’m in peak condition when I’ve got booze in me. If I can’t recall it now, I can only say I don’t know about it.”

As it seemed like Subaru’s final hope had been ripped away, Rom smiled meaningfully.

“I head there’s supposed to be a large haul coming in today. ― It could very well be this insignia you speak of.”

“The one bringing it in… Perhaps a girl named Felt?”

“What, you even know who stole it?”

Rom seemed to think this was anticlimactic, but Subaru couldn’t help but strike a triumphant pose.

The string of hope he thought for sure had snapped still held strong.

He had just confirmed that Felt existed. If the girl who stole the insignia was real, then Satella, from whom it was stolen, should also be real.

“I was wondering if my love for silver-haired heroines was making me see things, it freaked me out…”

“Sorry to rain on your parade, but whether or not you’ll be able to buy it once she brings it here is a different matter. A jeweled insignia would have a price befitting it, no?”

“Ha! It’s no use trying to size me up, I’m flat broke!”

“There’s nothing to talk about then!”

Perhaps having wanted to start negotiations early, Rom seemed disappointed as he yelled. However, Subaru waved his finger in response.

“Tch, tch, tch. It’s true that I don’t have any money. How-ev-er! In society. money isn’t the only way to obtain goods. There’s also the barter system, right?”

Rom didn’t object. He silently prompted Subaru to continue to which he nodded and reached into his pocket. And what he pulled out was,

“―What’s this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“This right here is a magical item that can freeze an object in time, I call it a ‘cell phone’!”

A compact white cell phone. Rom seemed confused since it was his first time seeing something of the sort, but Subaru was already nimbly using it ― Immediately after, the dim interior was filled with a white light.

There was the sound of a camera shutter, and the light enveloped Rom who was so shocked he collapsed behind the counter. Subaru couldn’t help but smile at this extreme reaction,

“What was that just now?! You trying to kill me?! Pulling those weird moves, you’re taking me too lightly.”

“Wait, wait. Take a deep breath and calm down, and then look at this.”

Rom’s face was red for reasons besides his inebriation, and in response Subaru showed him the phone’s display.

Rom stepped back, his eyes full of suspicion as he strained to see the phone’s small screen ― and then his eyes widened.

Displayed on the screen was Rom’s face, which Subaru had just photographed. He had used the phone’s camera function to do so. Of course, this technology did not exist in this world.

Just as Subaru predicted, Rom stared at the screen intently and,

“That’s… My face, isn’t it? What’s going on?”

“I told you, didn’t I? That it could freeze things in time. What you see in here is the Rom from just a little while ago.”

As he said this, he turned the camera toward himself and snapped another photo.

He once again showed Rom who seemed to want to see the result, and this time the screen showed Subaru throwing up a peace sign.

“This is basically how it functions. Well, it’s usually used to commemorate important moments and store them, not to fool around like this.”

“I see… Certainly, this is… Hmm…”

With a hand on his jaw, Rom seemed to be pondering something as he looked at the phone.

The bait had been even more effective than Subaru expected, and he felt that he had already succeeded as far as negotiation was concerned.

As if to boost Subaru’s confidence even further, Rom took the phone and examined it closely as he said,

“It’s my first time seeing one, but… From what I’ve heard, this might be a ‘Meteor’.”

“Meteor?”

[T/N: The WN actually does not use the term meteor until Arc 5, he actually just calls them something like spellcasting devices.]
[T/N: The reason I’m using meteor instead of metia is because they’re supposed to be named after shooting stars]
Subaru tilted his head at this unfamiliar term. Rom nodded,

“They’re devices that allow people who don’t have open gates to use magic. They’re extremely rare, though, even I’ve never seen one before.”

Rom sighed in admiration once he was finished staring at the phone and placed it on the counter.

And then he once more turned to Subaru,

“I can’t estimate its value very precisely. I’ve been in this business a long time, but… This is my first time handling a meteor. However… It’s definitely worth more than anything else I’ve ever sold.”

Seeing a meteor for the first time and the potential to use it for trade seemed to have aroused Rom’s interest. He continued with a slightly shaky voice, “Even so,”

“If you put this up for trade, you’d be sustaining a huge loss. I don’t know how much this insignia you’re looking for is worth, but it definitely can’t match this meteor. From a financial perspective, you’d be better off just selling this meteor on its own.”

A shady business in the slums that dealt with stolen goods. Rom’s advice to him was completely unlike what one would expect of the boss of such an establishment.

His proposal was definitely an attractive one.

Subaru was basically worthless in this world.

He couldn’t use magic, and he wasn’t especially powerful. He knew nothing and he couldn’t even read, and on top of all this he was totally broke.

If he were able to sell this phone, it would definitely help him break out of the corner he was backed into. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.

The future before him was one where he would have to struggle just to get some food, so it seemed completely obvious what choice he should make here. However,

“Nah, that’s fine. I’m going to trade this meteor for the insignia that Felt girl brings in.”

“Why go so far? Could it be more valuable than this meteor? Or are you saying its value isn’t monetary?”

Subaru’s obstinacy seemed to baffle Rom. As he asked about the insignia’s value, the latter half seemed to contain a hint of ridicule.

That was how it was for someone who lived here. The idea that something could be more important than money, though they could entertain the concept, probably wasn’t one they could easily accept in reality.

Accepting that people had such values, Subaru shook his head,

“To be honest, I haven’t even seen the thing. Even if I were to exchange it for money, I don’t really think it would go for more than this meteor, I’m definitely taking a massive loss here.”

“If you understand that, then why?”

“It’s obvious. ― This isn’t really a loss for me.”

Subaru felt a thrill of excitement as he saw Rom’s eyes widen yet again.

Yes, that was the answer.

Even if he wasn’t sure he’d have anything to eat tomorrow, even if his future seemed completely hopeless, even if he was throwing away a boatload of money, there was meaning to his loss.

“I want to return a favor. I always repay my debts. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. I’m pretty high-strung, being a child of the modern generation and all. ―That’s why, no matter how much I’m losing here, I have to get that insignia.”

“Hm… In other words, the insignia didn’t belong to you to begin with?”

“It belongs to a silver-haired girl who saved me. I don’t know why, but it’s really important to her.”

“And where is she now? Not with you?”

“I’m currently looking for her! Or rather, the fact that I was saved by her and even her existence itself may merely be delusion on my part!”

Suddenly clenching his fist, he spoke his earlier worry out loud and laughed it off.

The conditions all connected properly. It was impossible that Satella didn’t actually exist.

He would definitely meet her again once he’d obtained the insignia.

As Subaru strengthened his resolve, Rom watched him with eyes as though he was looking at something extremely strange.

“―You really are an idiot, huh.”

With this, all other feelings were forgotten and all that was left was laughter.

Arc 1, Chapter 9 – “Trump Card”

―Negotations were established, Rom had assured him of that once he’d examined the phone. But,

“I’ll only go as far as helping you secure a talk with Felt. From that point onward, it’ll be up to you to make the trade.”

“I’m basically getting robbed here, you know? You’ve guaranteed this thing’s value too, so I’ll definitely succeed.”

Rom grimaced at Subaru’s carefree attitude, it seemed like he wanted to say something.

It was probably some advice like don’t let your guard down, or don’t take this lightly.

But since Subaru’s face was turning red from the alcohol he drank, perhaps he felt that lecturing him would be wasted effort,

“Well, you’re probably right. If you were dealing with someone more malicious, they might look for even more than that meteor… But Felt’s personality isn’t that warped.”

“Riight, buh―Riight, buh　By the way, do you not have anything better around here? This is horrible, like I’m eating scraps.”

“You say this as you eat my food? You really are getting shameless.”

Before Subaru was a crude plate with something like bean paste on it, he was steadily shoveling it into his mouth while spitting ‘buh’s,

His earlier distaste toward the alcohol had disappeared. He had Rom fill up his empty glass, steadily sipping alcohol as he ate his bean paste.

“Say, is this really enough for that huge body of yours? It’s not like you’re living off air, don’t tell me you’re about to say that you can survive as long as you have booze?”

“Don’t you know how efficient giants are? Despite our awesome strength, we don’t need much sustenance. We were famed across the land during the warring period, you know.”

Rom’s face was stern as he answered Subaru’s tactless question.

He then brought the bottle he had been pouring out of to his mouth, and as he drank,

“Because of this, most of us were wiped out. Even in the capital, I haven’t seen any other giants.”

“Yer strong even without eatin’, sho kewl. … Gunna throw up.”

“I’m saying something sad here and you respond like that?”

He wasn’t about to let someone’s sob story kill his mood.

As Subaru blocked his ears and interrupted the story, Rom gave up on telling it and started eating his beans.

The two of them passed their time silently eating those terrible beans as a side to their alcohol.

Eventually there was a coded knock on the door, by which time the sun had already set for the most part.

Subaru who had been nodding off raised his head, and Rom nimbly approached the door in response to the sound.

The door looked rather small compared to Rom’s giant frame. Rom pressed his ear against it, and started asking questions with a mysterious expression,

“To the giant rats,”

“Poison.”

“To the skeletons,”

“A pitfall.”

“To the noble dragon we are,”

“Shitbags.”

His short questions received immediate answers.

This was probably the signal and password he’d heard about. Rom seemed satisfied and unlocked the door. As Subaru watched him, he internally remarked that that was a very tacky password. And then,

“―Sorry to keep you waiting, old man. She was more persistent than I expected. Took a while to shake her off.”

The girl seemed happy, as if bragging about her achievement, as she passed by Rom to enter the loot house.

She had shoulder-length blonde hair. She had red eyes like a rabbit, and she had a mischievous fang sticking out. Her small frame was covered by clothes that seemed easy to move in, and to put it frankly, were completely ragged.

He’d only seen her a moment, but she was definitely the girl he’d encountered in the alley.

Having seen someone familiar, Subaru reflexively stood up. The sound alerted the girl to his presence, and her smile disappeared as her expression changed to one of suspicion.

“Ah? Who’s this? Oi, old man, I told you I was bringing in some good stuff, so you should have the place cleared out, didn’t I?”

“I understand how you feel, but this kid is here because he has some business with you. And it’s not unrelated to what you’re doing.”

The doubt on Felt’s face increased even further at Rom’s answer.

It seemed to Subaru that her hand was reaching toward her chest, that was probably where she’d kept it.

As Subaru silently looked at her, Felt turned to Rom with an uneasy expression.

“What’s with this guy? ー Don’t tell me you’ve sold me out?”

“As if I’d be that dishonorable. And I think this talk is going to be one you’ll like.”

Closing one eye, Rom seemed to be seeking agreement.

Having experienced a great degree of disgust at the old man’s wink, Subaru nodded.

He then carefully chose what he ought to say to Felt who was still being cautious,

“Let’s calm down for now. I have no ill intent toward yooouggghhh….”

―And was then overwhelmed by his nausea, pouring it all out.

“”Gyaaaah―!!””

The two shrieked when Subaru suddenly vomited.

Subaru himself fell to his knees, a pain that felt as though his stomach was being squeezed causing him to throw up all of its contents.

The amber liquid and the bean paste were mixed together, producing a truly terrible sight.

“What about this am I supposed to like?! This is the worst!”

“I’m the one who’s suffering here! That’s my food and booze! That stuff was expensive! You know much it cost?!”

“Shut up! Stop screaming! Feels like my head’s going to explode! This isn’t good, I feel terribuuuaaaaagghhhh…”

“”Gyaaaaah―!!””

Subaru’s weak will submitted to the second wave, and the pair’s screams echoed for quite a while.

―Even after Subaru had finished emptying his stomach, even after the mess he made was cleaned up, even after the stagnant atmosphere he’d produced had been ventilated, until Rom informed him that he was banned from drinking, this uproar continued to echo throughout the slums the entire evening.

―It was approaching nighttime.

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“―Alright, let’s pull ourselves together and get to negotiating!”

Subaru clapped his hands together and said this in an attempt to fix the ruined atmosphere.

They had moved from the counter to a small table deeper into the loot house. The reason being that Felt had absolutely refused to negotiate there, since there were still traces of the earlier incident (The smell and some remnants) around there.

Felt sat on the other side of the table, and emptied the glass of milk Rom had poured for her.

The caution in her red eyes hadn’t decreased at all, and there was now a great deal of mistrust and discomfort added on top of that. She was concerned about what had just happened.

“Come on, don’t make that face, smile, smile. You’re wasting those cute looks, you know?”

“Don’t try to flatter me, bro. Besides, I’m only interested in whether or not whatever you have to say can bring me some profit. How about we cut the crap and get right into it?”

Subaru pressed his fingers against his cheeks and acted as friendly as he could, but her reaction was cold and curt.

Even in this world, his communication ability had completely missed the mark. Transcending worlds, dooming him to solitude, his ‘Power of Absolute Isolation’

“I thought I’d left everything behind, but I guess that alone stuck with me. Fufufu, it’s kinda like karma, don’t you think?”

“Hey, Rom. Did you water this down or something? This milk is terrible.”

“I offer you things out of the kindness of my heart and you both keep calling them terrible…”

Felt and Rom seemed to be getting along in their own way as they ignored Subaru who was off in his own world.

Subaru cleared his throat and once again garnered their attention,

“Alright, let’s start negotiating. Uhh, Felt. ― You have the insignia, right?”

“… Yeah, I do.”

Subaru cut right to the chase, and Felt’s short answer was upfront as well.

She retrieved something from her bosom and gently placed it on the table.

―The insignia he’d been looking for all this time. It was a badge modeled after a dragon.

In terms of size, it was like those embroidered patches from his old world. He couldn’t quite tell what it was made of, but it looked to him like some precious metal. As far as Subaru knew, the design looked to be that of a winged dragon viewed from the front, and its core― The dragon’s mouth held a red jewel within it.

The red jewel within the insignia had a faint glow to it. This light caused Subaru to fall silent despite himself.

Rom silently appraised the jewel, hmming now and then like he was having a hard time.

“Come on―”

The one who broke the silence was Felt, who was holding the insignia.

Once she was sure her introduction had brought them back to their senses, she pushed the insignia toward Subaru.

“Show me what you’ve got. If you have something that can match this insignia’s craftsmanship and the effort I exerted to obtain it, we’ll both be happy, yeah?”

“I see you’re trying to size me up with that evil smile, but too bad, I only have one card to play. Because you see, I’m absolutely broke!”

The same old displeased reaction everyone had upon hearing he was broke, he thought.

Setting aside his feelings on the matter, he used his trump card just as he’d declared.

He placed his phone on the table as if slamming it down, and just as he predicted Felt seemed to be confused.

This reaction was the same as Rom’s was back then which gave him confidence as he used the phone’s camera.

“Natsuki Flash!!”

“Woah, bright!”

With the flash and the mechanical sound of the shutter, he had taken a photo.

Felt’s face looked as though she wanted to complain about his lack of manners, but he thrust the phone’s screen before her before she could open her mouth.

Her red eyes went wide when she saw herself on the screen.

“This is…”

“Yep, it’s good ol’ Felt! This is a meteor that freezes time and stores it as a picture. This is the only card I can play. I’d like to trade it for that insignia.”

He played his trump card right away, and the momentum shifted in his favor.

What he’d just pulled was a standard tactic in negotiations. A powerful tactic that, depending on the situation, could seal the deal on its own.

Naturally, this was essentially the same as announcing that you had no stronger cards to play, and in truth Subaru and his big mouth had already fouled it up, but,

“I see, that’s incredible. So, Rom, how much would this meteor go for?”

Felt nodded as she looked at the screen, and her response was outrageously candid.

Her eyes didn’t sparkle, nor did she want to hold it. She was only interested in its value, not its functions.

“Only men can understand a man’s romance even in a parallel world?! Is that how it is?!”

“Quit making such a fuss, it’s shameful. You probably have the confidence to sit still for a bit. Alright then, how about it, Rom?”

Perhaps her attitude ought to be called vulgar, or maybe manly, but her composure seemed unshakeable.

She looked to be about two or three years younger than him, and yet he almost ended up thinking of her as the older sister type.

Setting aside Subaru who was anything but manly, Felt asked Rom who was standing next to her about the phone’s value.

She slid her finger down the phone’s side as if she were barely interested in it at all,

“As far as I’m considered, if this meteor thing is worth more than this insignia, that’s great. I’m sure you can tell me whether it is.”

“Well, I can’t really say how much it would sell for. This is my first time handling a meteor too. However, I don’t think even an insignia of this quality can match up to it― In short, I think you have a lot to gain by making this trade.”

“I see, I see. That’s pretty great then, isn’t it?”

Felt seemed rather pleased now that she’d received Rom’s seal of approval.

Her reaction was a little different from what he’d expected, but it looked like he’d achieved his goal regardless, so Subaru was delighted as well.

However, when Subaru reached out to take the insignia, Felt stopped him.

“We’ve shown each other our trump cards. But I’m not quite done overcharging just yet, you know?”

“… It’s not exactly praiseworthy for you yourself to announce that. But it’s pointless to try haggling any further. As I said, I’m completely broke.”

“I’m not that cruel either. And even Rom said that this thing would be worth more than this insignia, so I recognize that much. ― But it’d be a lie to say you’re out of cards to play.”

Felt stood up and looked down at Subaru who was still sat in his chair.

Her red eyes were overflowing with sadism, Subaru broke out in a cold sweat as her gaze seemed to see right through him.

As far as this negotiation was concerned, he’d already played what should have been his trump card, his cell phone.

However, Subaru still had a number of items on him that didn’t exist in this world.

The coins and various membership cards in his wallet could probably be exchanged for some amount of money. If it came down to it, it wouldn’t be unthinkable to even trade away his jersey and sneakers, technical assistance in a sense.

The phone was his most valuable asset, but he did have some other items he hadn’t yet shown them.

But these could be used to help support his life later on, so he really didn’t want to spend them here if possible.

―But if the cell phone wasn’t enough, he would have to use them.

“Relax, I told you, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t try to rip you off any further. I’ll be satisfied so long as I can make some money off this thing.”

“I-I-I-I’m? Not Really? Worried or anything? Or rather, I don’t really know what you’re talking about. I-I-I-I’ve already done all I can? I don’t see what I have to be nervous abooouuugggh”

“Quit psyching yourself out like that! Don’t throw up! I’ll call things off!”

The pressure he himself was putting on himself caused him to vomit, but he managed to stop it in his mouth and sent it back into his belly.

Subaru struck a victorious pose as he gulped it down, causing Felt to look disgusted from the bottom of her heart as she drew back,

“It’s fine since none of it came out, but― If you hadn’t brought this meteor, I’d definitely kick you out for that.”

“Although I’d have already finished him off before then.”

Gahahaha, the two laughed in a very manly fashion.

As Subaru endured the burning in his throat from his gastric juices, he addressed them,

“So, what exactly do you mean when you say you’re not done overcharging?”

“Hm? Ah, it’s simple. You’re not the only one I’m negotiating with.”

Subaru looked doubtful, and as if to respond to that doubt, Felt raised her finger,

“To begin with, I only pilfered this insignia because I was asked to. They said they’d pay me ten holy gold coins for it.”

“You had a prior contract?! I’m not sure how much ten gold coins are worth, but…”

He glanced at Rom, and Rom nodded as if he’d guessed what Subaru was thinking.

“I might be able to get four or five gold coins for it. It’s possible I’d have to drop to three.”

“So basically they’re paying at least twice its worth?”

“No, didn’t you hear her say holy gold coins? Unlike typical gold coins, they’re made of holy gold which is rarer, so I’d say they’re paying about 20 gold coins’ worth.”

“Four times, then?!”

“What are you so surprised about? That meteor you’ve got wouldn’t sell for any less than twenty holy gold coins. Depending on the situation, there might even be enthusiasts willing to pay a lot more. There’s no comparison.”

He didn’t really understand how things were valued in this world, but apparently there was something even higher than gold coins, and his phone was worth twenty of those which surprised him.

His phone with less than ten contacts in it was starting to look like some sacred treasure to him.

And since he didn’t use it very much, it looked good too. Thank goodness he didn’t have any friends.

“How about you quit consoling yourself for a moment, if this thing sells for more, then I’ll just turn down my client.”

“You’ve been talking about overcharging, though.”

Felt’s cheeky expression changed into an even more mischievous smile.

“You’ve put up an absurdly expensive item. If they want the insignia, they’ll have to at least match its value, no?”

“… So basically, you’re hoping they’ll bring out more than twenty holy gold coins?”

“And you’ll have to show me what else you’ve got if you want to compete.”

Felt’s expression was mischievous, or rather, pure evil as she cheerfully declared this.

Subaru now felt that the situation was starting to look rather ominous,

“So, when and where are you planning to meet this person? Could I join your discussion?”

“Of course. If you were to be put at a disadvantage, I might end up losing out on some profit after all. And you don’t have to worry about the location ― Right here.”

She tapped the table with her finger, and then leaned back into her chair and looked up at Rom.

With her inverted gaze on him, Rom seemed terribly annoyed,

“Yet again you haven’t even bothered to get my permission before…”

“After all, if I have you, almost anyone would be too scared to try using violence. They’d lose their will just looking at you.”

As Felt looked to him for agreement, Subaru too took at a glance at Rom and agreed with her.

A bald old man who was nearly two meters tall and heavily muscled. And he’d easily picked Subaru up with one hand even though he weighed almost seventy kilos, so those muscles probably weren’t just for show.

Subaru concluded that if things got violent, it’d probably barely even be a fight.

On the other hand, Rom didn’t seem very bothered by their impressions of him.

“No helping it. Can’t you do anything without me? Seriously, it’s sad. Want another glass of milk? I’ve got a few sweets too if you want.”

It kind of felt like he was a senile old man doting on his granddaughter.

Rom seemed to be in a good mood as he filled Felt’s glass. As Subaru watched her, he sighed in exasperation, “However,”

“The fact that you’d already called them here must mean you were already planning to hassle them about the price even if I weren’t here, right?”

“That’s right. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get this? And if little ol’ me tried to face them alone, what if they tried to avoid paying? Wouldn’t it be sad?”

“Little ol’ you, huh…”

If one judged by her small and slender frame, she definitely wasn’t wrong.

But considering her indomitable spirit and brashness, he felt it wasn’t right to describe her that way.

Thinking back, there was even once a time when she’d left him in the jaws of death while in the process of stealing the insignia.

Just what part of her is frail, he thought as this memory started to anger him.

“Hold on, do you not remember me at all?”

“? Have we met somewhere? I’m a busy girl, so I don’t really remember people who haven’t left strong impressions. To begin with, you look super plain.”

“Only your hair color and clothes stand out” she cackled.

She didn’t seem to be lying, and she’d even dissed his appearance which left Subaru stunned.

Perhaps the concept of empathy had completely died out in this world, considering she’d casually forgotten that she’d seen a murder in progress.

But on the other hand, there was Satella who had saved him when she had everything to lose, and Rom who let him stay even after he’d vomited all over the place, so he just didn’t know.

It seemed that there were all sorts of people even in another world. It wouldn’t do to only look at the negatives.

“Well, let’s aside your poor memory for now. When is this person supposed to be coming?”

“That’s a pretty irritating way to put it. I said I’d probably have it by sundown, so they said they’d come here after that… The sun’s gone down, so it shouldn’t be long.”

This “They’re coming, right?” sort of conversation may have set off a flag.

The sound of two sharp knocks on the door suddenly filled the loot house.

The three looked at each other, and then Rom asked Felt, “The password?”

“Ah, didn’t tell ‘em. Probably mine, I’ll go see.”

Felt stood up as if leaping and headed to the entrance.

As he watched Felt treat the place like it belonged to her, Subaru shrugged at Rom as if to ask, “Is this really okay?”

“Well, it’s not like we don’t know each other. We’ve known each other a long time… I don’t mind playing bodyguard for her.”

He seemed to be in high spirits, like a grandpa who was happy to be relied on, as he retrieved a club from deeper within.

It’s length was around what you’d see in kendo swords, and it looked like it was made of wood. However, it had several sharp bits sticking out of it, and it was obvious at a glance that a single hit could be lethal.

“It’s like a nailed bat or something, looks like sticks are standard equipment in this world too…”

It was standard in many RPGs to be given 50 gold and a wooden stick to start with.

Sure looks like you’d expect, huh, Subaru thought as he evaluated Rom’s equipment from the side, at which point Felt came back with a strangely cordial smile.

“It was for me after all. Over here, wanna sit down?”

She gestured to Subaru to get out of the way, her hospitality being directed at the one behind her.

Subaru was a little surprised as he covertly examined this person, he was somewhat tense as he wondered if they were the one he’d be negotiating with.

Because the person Felt had invited in was a beautiful woman.

She was rather tall, around the same height as Subaru, and she appeared to be in her early twenties.

Her eyes angled downward toward the edges and she had a calm atmosphere to her. Her unusually pale skin clearly stood out even in that gloomy interior.

She was wearing a black cloak, but she’d left the front open so one could easily see her tight black outfit underneath it. Slender as she was, she had curves in all the right places.

And just like Subaru, she had black hair which seemed to be unusual in this world. Her long hair that went down to her waist was tied up as if braided, and she was currently fiddling with the end of it.

She had a rather bewitching aura.

Since Subaru had very little experience with the opposite sex, he wasn’t at all used to dealing with someone like her and his heart started pounding.

Mentally overwhelmed, Subaru ended up ceding his seat to Felt.

Felt sat down in the now empty chair, with the club-wielding Rom to her left and Subaru who couldn’t hide his nervousness to her right.

This was quite the welcome she was receiving, but the woman didn’t seem particularly bothered, merely tilting her head slightly.

“It seems to me we have some outsiders here.”

“It’d be a problem if you tried to skip out on paying, call it the wisdom of the weak. Hey, Subaru, some drinks.”

Felt ordered him around with a wave of her hand, and Subaru couldn’t bring himself to object as he obeyed.

He picked some relatively clean glasses, filled them with milk, and then placed them before the two.

The woman whispered a thank you to Subaru as he did this, and then gazed at him as if appraising him.

“I understand why the old man’s here, but what of this young man?”

She’d probably realized from his behavior that he wasn’t used to being there.

The woman was genuinely doubtful, and Felt responded with a mischievous smile as if to get right down to business.

“This guy’s your rival, another person I’ve been negotiating with.”

And just as she declared, her price gouging had begun.

Arc 1, Chapter 10 – “The Consequence for Loose Lips”

“I see, I understand what’s going on here.”

Tilting her glass of milk, the woman licked the remnants off her lip.

She’d introduced herself as Elsa, and her every movement was sensual, even as Felt was explaining things she’d cast some flirtatious glances Subaru’s way which caused his heart to pound.

“You’ve got a fine personality, I don’t dislike it. ― So, how much is the young man over there offering?”

Ten holy gold coins, that was how much she had offered.

If Subaru was to compete with her, it was only natural to assume he’d put up more.

Subaru decided that he shouldn’t just sit and watch, so he once again used his phone to take a photo. The flash filled the room and Elsa’s appearance was displayed on the screen.

His actions caused her to frown a bit, but beyond this Elsa had no reaction.

He showed her the screen,

“What I’m offering is this meteor. It’s likely so rare it’s the only one of its kind. According to the muscly old man over there, it definitely wouldn’t go for less than twenty holy gold coins.”

“Meteor…”

She looked at the version of herself shown on the screen, and nodded in understanding.

Subaru was going for an exchange of items, and he wasn’t bluffing was probably the impression she had.

She extracted a small leather pouch from her bosom― That was most likely where she kept the holy gold coins she was supposed to pay with.

She set it down on the table. The sound of the coins clanging around gave the impression that its contents were rather heavy.

Felt’s eyes pupils like a cat’s, and Rom rebuked her for this. As Subaru waited for her next move, she linked her fair fingers atop the table.

“The truth is I was given a little extra by my employer. So that if you were hesitant, I could consider raising my offer.”

“Employer… Meaning, just like Felt you were ordered to obtain the insignia too?”

“That’s how it is. The one who desires it is my employer… Could you perhaps be in the same business?”

Elsa seemed to hold some doubt toward Subaru, who intended to trade a meteor for the insignia.

Even though she asked him this, he didn’t really understand her profession in the first place.

Since she was ordered to get something for her employer, maybe she was something like a delivery girl? Regardless,

“Being in the same business as me would mean being unemployed.”

“Well, this jobless guy just outbid you by quite the margin. So, just how much did your master send you with?”

Felt addressed Elsa provocatively and in response she silently opened up her pouch.

As she overturned it, holy gold coins that glittered a dazzling silver poured out.

The overlapping sounds of metal falling caused Felt’s eyes to shine, and even Rom ended up making some noise.

By contrast, Subaru was instead focused on counting how many there were rather than their shininess.

If he wasn’t wrong―

“Twenty, exactly.”

“This is all my employer gave me. There were certain that this would be enough, but… Does it not quite suffice?”

Her question was directed behind Felt, toward Rom.

Rom counted the coins, and then looked down at Subaru’s uneasy expression and smiled.

“You don’t have to be such a baby about it. It’s not very manly… Twenty certainly is quite the sum, but didn’t I tell you yours was worth at least that?”

His large, rugged hands violently ruffled Subaru’s hair.

Subaru was still somewhat drunk, so being shaken like this caused him to feel absolutely horrible, but,

“It looks to me like Subaru has the advantage here. Sorry about your master, but you’d better take your coins back.”

That horrible feeling changed into absolute ecstasy when Rom said this as he pushed her coins back to her.

Felt threw her hands up without objection, and Elsa didn’t seem particularly disappointed as she shrugged. Subaru suddenly shot up into a pose of triumph, a reaction that seemed out of place.

“What?! It’s fine, isn’t it?! I was happy! In a certain sense, I’ve finally achieved my original goal! A little celebration is warranted, right?!”

“It’s not like anybody’s even saying anything, you’re getting too worked up. I’m happy so long as I make a bit of profit.”

“And I don’t imagine my employer will mind too much if I return without the insignia, so I haven’t much reason to persist.”

As Felt teased Subaru whose face had gone red, Elsa seemed rather unconcerned as she stood up.

It’s not like he was hoping to hear her lament her loss or anything, but the fact that she didn’t seem to care at all about failing did nag at him.

“Ah, sorry, Elsa. They might be mad at you, huh?”

“There’s no helping it. It’s not as if the fault was mine, they simply tried to get away with paying too little.”

“For twenty holy gold coins to be too little, that’s pretty tough.”

“Anyway, hasn’t my luck been crazy good?! Could it finally be my time?!”

Unlike the men who were sympathizing with Elsa, Felt’s attitude seemed as though she was completely unable to read the mood.

At any rate, it looked like he’d finally completed the trade that was giving him so much trouble.

Meaning that he was another step closer to his hope of repaying Satella, who had saved him when he first came to this world.

Technically speaking, he should probably tell Satella about Felt who had stolen her insignia, or Elsa who had ordered it, but in the end the only damages were Satella’s emotional state and Subaru’s phone.

He’d only spoken to them briefly, but Subaru didn’t have the heart to have them tossed in cells.

Surely this was the limit of opportunism.

“Well now, this didn’t exactly end well for me, but I’ll be taking my leave now.”

They all looked at her as she stood up.

Finishing up the last bit of milk, she once again erotically licked the rest off her lip, and then she turned to Subaru as if she’d just remembered something.

It felt as if her deep black gaze was wrapping around his heart, binding it.

“―Incidentally, what exactly do you intend to do with that insignia?”

Her tone seemed somewhat low and cold as she asked this.

The sweet sound of her voice on his eardrums was persuasive, as if forbidding him from lying.

“… Ah, I’m returning it to its owner.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Subaru realized his mistake.

He’d just announced that he’d be returning the stolen item to the person it was stolen from, and he’d done so in front of the girl who stole it and the woman who ordered it.

That was no different from declaring he was an enemy,

“―So you’re involved too.”

―And it was more than enough to make him the target of Elsa’s cold killing intent.

“U―?!”

He suddenly felt an impact to his side.

The force on his waist caused him to fall to the side, and he couldn’t do anything to brace himself as he hit the ground in an unsightly fashion.

Pain and a collision, his vision spun until he hit the ground, after which he raised his head to see Felt seemingly clinging to him.

“What the―”

“Are you a moron?! Run away, you wanna die?!”

―Hell are you doing, he tried to shout, but it was drowned out by Felt’s angry yelling.

Subaru’s surprise was evident on his face, from his low vantage point he could see Elsa who was still standing, looking his way.

“Ah, I missed.”

She said, tilting her head in curiosity.

In her hand was a weapon that didn’t quite fit her, one that had a dull gleam.

-A Kukri knife, as far as Subaru knew, that was what you called such a knife.

A knife about thirty centimeters long, with its body bent into a く shape, a member of a class of knives commonly known as Uchizori. He’d heard that the weight of the tip was such that it would tear a victim apart like an axe.

Even having brandished her knife, her smile hadn’t changed.

Judging by her stance, she had just swung that blade. If that was the case, Felt had saved him by jumping into him since he was in its path.

His fate was decided in an instant, moreover he hadn’t even realized what was happening, confronted by this fact, the fear set in far too late.

His warning bells were going off, and his heart was like an alarm as it pumped blood. The heartbeats he was hearing almost made it seem like his whole body was a heart, and he couldn’t stop the trembling in the arm that was supporting his body.

Despite his pathetic behavior, the situation continued.

“Uoooohhh―!!”

Rom charged Elsa with a roar.

He was wielding the club he hadn’t let go of even during the negotiations, and was now trying to smash Elsa’s skull with it.

The speed at which he swung it down was extraordinary.

It surely weighed at least ten kilos, and yet he was swinging it like it was a twig, a feat that was a testament to the giants’ strength.

The club slammed into the ground, and the impact felt as though the whole building was shaking.

The shattered floor’s wood and the stolen goods scattered around were sent flying by this. As Subaru lay on the ground, a battle transcending common sense took place before him.

“This is my first deathmatch with a giant.”

“Keep talking, girl. ―I’ll smash you to pieces and feed you to giant rats!”

The club he was swinging to the side certainly had the destructive power he was talking about.

Its speed and power were such that any ordinary defense would be ripped apart like paper.

There wasn’t much room to move around, and if one were cornered by these blows they would be finished.

But on the other side, Elsa’s skill was also at a transcendent level.

Still holding her kukri knife with one hand, Elsa’s silhouette seemed to slip right past his maelstrom of attacks.

She advanced even as he unleashed attacks that would surely be lethal if they landed, dodging them by a hair. She was practically toying with him as she dodged around.

Subaru’s instincts told him this was bad.

This is really bad, something within him desperately echoed like an alarm.

“Not good…”

“It’s okay. Rom couldn’t possibly lose! I’ve never in my life seen him lose, not even once!”

Subaru could only murmur with his lips shaking, and Felt responded with a shout showing her trust, as if trying to convince herself.

Her words showed trust that had built up over many years, trust that couldn’t be broken so easily.

Even as they joked around with each other the two clearly respected one another, a relationship borne of the long time they’d spent together.

But unlike Felt, Subaru wasn’t optimistic in the slightest.

This wasn’t one of the tussles she’d seen until now, this was a deathmatch.

“Eat this!”

Before his worries could take shape, there was a change in the battle before them.

Rom had kicked up a table as he roared. That was where they had been conducting their negotiations, its wood shattered into pieces, the fragments completely covering Elsa.

It was a curtain of splintered wood.

Aiming at her, Rom swung his club with all his strength.

He was swinging with such force that even a car would most likely end up smashed. However,

“―Old man!”

A sorrowful scream left Felt’s throat.

And then Subaru saw the result.

Rom’s right arm had been blown away, club still in hand, and was now spinning around.

His huge and burly arm had been ripped from his shoulder and flew through the air, spraying blood everywhere as it slammed into the wall.

The rain of blood that filled the room covered Felt and Subaru from head to toe. But they hadn’t the leeway to turn their attention to this fresh blood.

“I’ll at least take you down with―”

With his right arm gone, Rom’s shoulder was spraying blood like a hose.

He sprang forward with his huge body, making no attempt to reduce the bleeding as he aimed at Elsa with his other arm.

The wood fragments from the table had fallen to the ground, and there stood Elsa still holding the position of her swing.

Before she could turn her knife back around, Rom’s giant body would crush her.

But his fleeting last stand,

“I forgot to say this earlier― Thanks for the milk.”

Was stopped by the broken glass she’d brandished in her other hand.

Arc 1, Chapter 11 – “A Struggle Too Late”

There were drops of blood running down the glass’s sharp shards, and following them upward one would find Rom’s throat.

He had lost his arm and his throat was ripped apart which caused a large amount of foamy blood to pour out of his mouth, after which the light left his gray eyes as he collapsed to the ground.

His twitching body had already lost its vitality, and there was no doubt that it no longer held life.

Elsa elegantly bowed to his fallen body as if to pay her respects.

She placed the glass she’d used to kill him down by his still twitching body,

“I’m returning this. I no longer have a need for it, you see.”

She said cruelly as she twirled the kukri knife in her hand.

Cleaning the blood off the blade, she once again pointed it toward the other two.

Subaru who was still on the ground could not even say anything.

He was entirely focused on the brutal slaughter that had just occurred before him.

Someone he had been conversing with just a few minutes ago was now dead. And it wasn’t due to an accident or illness, it was due to another person’s malice.

“―Ah, so you’re the braver one.”

Subaru, who was still frozen, raised his head when he heard her voice filled with admiration.

His limbs would not obey him. As he lay there in that stupefied state, he saw Felt stand up before him, striking her trembling knees as if to encourage herself.

She straightened her legs and combed hair blood-soaked hair back.

“How dare you…”

Subaru couldn’t see her expression since he was behind her.

However, it was clear that her strained voice filled with hatred was not a tearful one.

“If you resist unnecessarily, you might end up getting hurt.”

“You’re going to kill me either way, you damned sadist!”

“I might not cut you properly if you move. I’m not very good with blades, you see.”

She skilfully turned the knife in her hand, and acted out a rehearsal of her cutting ability.

Felt was facing her with no weapons whatsoever, her chances of victory seemed non-existent.

He should raise his voice, his brain decided.

He should attract Elsa’s attention and buy Felt time to escape.

He at least had to give her time to call someone, or even just escape on her own.

Analyzing the difference in their ability with his minimal experience, this was the conclusion he had drawn.

Despite this, his throat produced no sound, as if it was frozen.

His will to fight did not reach his limbs, they merely continued to tremble with fear..

“… Sorry for getting you caught up in this.”

“… I, I’m”

She whispered a small apology to Subaru.

These words caused his face to jolt up toward her, and he completely forgot about his plan to shout and instead all that left his mouth were words that seemed to be begging for forgiveness.

And then, Felt left his sentiments behind forever as she dashed forward.

There was a loud sound as her body flew forward, seeming light as a feather.

The instant after she moved, it was as if a gale was blowing through the loot house.

It looked to Subaru like she had completely disappeared when she started running.

Having disappeared from his field of view, she then reappeared right next to Elsa, whose eyes were wide at this extreme speed as Felt’s slender leg sunk into her side.

Having landed her attack, Felt stepped back as if leaping, and once again drew in wind as she moved at top speed.

In that limited space she was even treating the walls as solid ground, her movements were simply amazing and even Elsa couldn’t help but be surprised.

“The divine protection of wind. Ah, how wonderful. It seems you’re loved by the world,―I’m envious.”

Elsa’s ecstatic smile suddenly changed, her eyes filled with loathing as her arm whizzed through the air.

That was all it took,

“―Ah”

―For Felt to be cut right through from her shoulder while still in the air, she then helplessly fell and tumbled across the ground.

The wound extended from her left shoulder to the right of her chest, its depth was such that even her organs were cut right through her bones.

Her body had fallen facing upward and blood spurted out of her like a fountain in accordance with her pulse, it seemed like the pain and the shock of being sliced into had already caused her to lose consciousness. Her movements had completely stopped.

The blood pouring out of her lost its vigor within a few seconds, silently signaling that her life was at an end.

His body wouldn’t move.

He wanted to go to Felt’s side and stop her bleeding.

If one said it was already far too late for that, he at least wanted to close her eyes.

But his body refused to do even this, it had basically become a doll that could only circulate blood and pain.

“The old man and the girl have both fallen, and yet you still haven’t moved. Maybe you’ve given up?”

Her voice was somewhat pitying, and she seemed bored as she looked at Subaru who was still stock still.

It would all be over if she just got a little closer and swung that knife. It was probably because she realized this that she was so casual, it even looked like she might have been stifling a yawn.

Her attitude caused an unbearable rage to surge within Subaru.

They were people he’d only just met, it had barely even been an hour.

But even so, he had conversed with them and they had opened up to each other. She had killed them like it was nothing and showed no remorse whatsoever, to Subaru this was unforgivable.

And most of all, he couldn’t forgive himself for letting them die by this wretched woman’s hand while he watched.

This belated rage was what finally caused his limbs to move.

He pressed his trembling limbs against the ground and somehow managed to get up in a rather animalistic fashion. Was his body shaking due to rage or fear? Maybe it was both?

“Ah, you’ve finally stood up. You’re late, and rather dull, but not bad.”

He faced Elsa who had her kukri knife at the ready and charged her with everything he had.

He would throw himself at her and beat her down with strength surpassing his limits.

But his charge,

“That’s no good at all.”

Was immediately stopped by Elsa’s elbow which slammed right into his nose, seemingly crushing it.

She spun her body and struck him with her elbow with minimal movement, and as he recoiled she followed it up by drawing an arc right into his body with her long legs, easily sending him flying.

Subaru crashed into a shelf of ceramics and fell to the ground as the fragments scattered.

In that instantaneous exchange, his nose and front teeth had been ruined. And the side that took Elsa’s kick was in extraordinary pain, he felt like he’d lost some ribs there.

Despite this, he slammed his fist into the ground and stood up immediately. The endorphins flowing throughout his body dulled the horrible pain which was at a level he’d never experienced before.

His breath wild in this excited state, he once more launched a suicidal attack without thinking ― And he was countered yet again.

His wild swings did not reach her, she smoothly shattered his shoulder with the back of her blade.

And then, as if his shrieks were an annoyance to her, she landed a kick directly into his jaw, forcefully shutting him up and causing his broken front teeth to fall out. She looked down at his collapsed body.

“Simply pathetic. You’re evidently a novice and your moments are unrefined. You possess neither divine protection nor skill, and you weren’t even able to think up any sort of strategy. Why even bother trying?”

“Shut up… I’ve got my stubbornness too… After you’ve gone and done all this.”

Subaru couldn’t even properly yell at her because of his broken nose.

He had lost his arm to that counter just now, everything below his left shoulder had gone limp. He couldn’t feel the pain, but the ringing in his ears was horrible. His nausea had returned, and it seemed to pour out of his mouth with his rage as he staggered around, barely standing up.

He was riddled with wounds. His chances of victory were zero, and it was exceptionally unlikely that he’d even be able to land a hit.

The sight of him standing up even though the situation was utterly hopeless caused Elsa to sigh,

“I’ll admit you’ve got outstanding spirit. If you’d drawn it out earlier, perhaps things could have ended differently for these two.”

Elsa used her knife to indicate the two she had cut down.

His eyes followed the movement of the knife’s tip to land on the corpses, and a sudden discomfort caused Subaru to frown.

For some reason, this scene felt familiar to him.

The loot house that had been turned into a sea of blood. A giant who had lost an arm and had his throat torn apart. And within that dim room, the dull gleam of a brownish blade―

A thought suddenly shot through the back of his mind―

“Let’s end this. I’ll be sending you to the angels.”

Elsa licked her red lips and disappeared into the darkness with an alluring smile.

Subaru groaned as he lost sight of the threat, it seemed like she had simply vanished into the shadows.

“W-Where…?!”

Subaru restlessly looked around, his sensitivity to every little sound or sign greatly heightened.

His pathetic behavior truly seemed like that of a weakling waiting to be hunted by a predator. From Elsa’s perspective this was probably terribly boring, it was like he was just laid out on a cutting board.

Consequently, when she appeared from the shadows her slash was exceedingly straightforward.

“Wha―?!”

Having judged that she’d target his stomach, Subaru barely managed to dodge.

He stepped back a bit, drawing in his abdomen as he did, due to which the horizontal swing merely grazed him. The slight cut caused a sharp pain to run through him which he bore by clenching his teeth.

“Rrrruuuaaahhh!!”

He then spun his whole body, landing a spinning kick right into Elsa’s face.

A satisfying blow delivered by twisting his waist, the tremendous impact on his foot confirmed that he managed to land a hit, the feeling rushed through his heart. And then,

“Aah, I really felt that one.”

The second kukri knife Elsa had drawn had just torn about 70% of the way through Subaru’s torso, causing blood and guts to spill out,

“―Ah?”

One step, two steps, he staggered around until his shoulder hit the wall, causing him to collapse as if he’d slipped. Looking down, he could see copious amounts of blood pouring out of his abdomen, and unable to handle the pressure, his internal organs had also started falling out.

He tried to place them back in with his shaky arm, but the clotting blood prevented him from doing so.

“Are you surprised? I split your stomach when we passed by one another. This happens to be my specialty.”

Elsa said as she smiled, forming small splashes in the sea of blood as she walked toward him.

Once she reached Subaru’s side, who was by this point incapable of even speaking as he shrieked, she lovingly looked upon his entrails within his darkened blood,

“Aah, your bowels truly do have such a lovely color, just as I thought.”

This woman was abnormal. She was insane.

Even the endorphins flowing through him couldn’t hide the terrible pain that was causing his vision to dim, and before he knew it seemed like he had ended up on his side.

Like this, he slowly extended his arm, frailly grasping Elsa’s foot.

“Au… Uah”

“Does it hurt? Are you suffering? Is it hard? Are you sad? Wanna die?”

With his hand still on her ankle, Elsa crouched down by him, her line of sight intersecting with his.

Her eyes looked like she was in a trance, it was as though she didn’t feel anything at all when she took a life. No, she was definitely feeling something.

The ultimate pleasure.

“But it’d be a shame to make it too easy.”

Still crouching next to him, she smiled sweetly as she swung her blade.

And that was the last thing Subaru saw.

Her slash was vivid, and it cut right across Subaru’s face. The result,

“―GGaaaaaahhh?!”

Both of his eyes had been torn apart, he had forever lost his sight.

Still collapsed on the ground, Subaru used his hands to feel his deeply cut eyes.

There was a mixture of blood and tears, and he once again vomited blood as he screamed, and he was assailed by the feeling that his insides were completely empty, as if all of his blood and organs had spilled out.

It was strange that he was even alive. It was like he had entered hell.

And he couldn’t even look at himself, he simply lay there on the verge of death not knowing when death would finally come.

“Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, writhe around.”

As he approached the end, he felt Elsa’s voice gently strike his eardrums, it seemed tormenting, savoring, grieving, cherishing, and loving.

His pain, suffering, rage and despair were all overwhelmed by a jet black fear.

In that world he couldn’t see, in that world where he didn’t know when the candle of his life would burn out, what dominated his now empty heart was a single-minded fear, the extreme fear of death.

―When will I die? When will I die? Am I still alive? Am I not dead? What defines life? Can it really be said that I’m alive, in this state lesser than any insect? Can it really be said that I’m alive, now that I’m being toyed with in the palm of life and death?

―What are life and death? Why am I afraid of dying? Do I need to be alive? No?

I’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscaredI’mscared

His instincts rejected the inevitable death that was ceaselessly approaching.

It ended up filling Subaru’s mind, he was already at the end and now his blank field of view was dyed white,

―Ah, I’m dead.

With this, Natsuki Subaru’s life reached its disappointing conclusion.

Arc 1, Chapter 12 – “Reunion with the Witch”

“―Quit spacing out, man. You want the appa or not?”

When Subaru’s consciousness returned, there was a red, ripe fruit before him.

As he gazed at this very apple-like fruit, worthless thoughts such as ‘they call it the fruit of wisdom, huh’ passed his mind.

A forbidden fruit that resulted in expulsion from paradise if you ate it.

Maybe if he bit into it, he’d be able to escape this incomprehensible situation.

“Hey, you listening?”

The middle aged man knit his brows and once again called to Subaru who had no reaction.

Some distant corner of Subaru’s consciousness perceived this which caused his face to jolt upward. He started looking around at his surroundings.

He was standing in front of a stall on a street bathed in early afternoon sunlight.

Within this shop there was a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. This certainly wasn’t an unfamiliar sight to him, but there was a small difference.

Filling the crowded street, there were hair colors that were impossible in his old world, as well as races that were quite literally impossible walking around as if it were natural.

Watching all this hustle and bustle, Subaru scratched his head.

His left arm could now move, when it touched his abdomen he felt nothing unusual, and there was no sign whatsoever that his organs had poured out or that his eyes had been slashed.

“I have no idea what’s going on here…”

As he murmured this, his rising nausea and dizziness overwhelmed him, causing his knees to give out.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“It’s water. Can you drink?”

Accepting the cup offered to him, Subaru gingerly sipped at the water poured within it.

The water was ice cold and spread as if soaking into his parched mouth from the tip of his tongue, it even relieved his dreary mood to some extent.

“Aah, just what I needed. Thank you. ―You really are a good guy, old man.”

“Quit it. It’d be no laughing matter if you suddenly collapsed in front of my store, it’d look like my products caused it. Rest in the shade until you’ve settled down.”

The man replied without a hint of bashfulness and then went back into his stall.

Subaru was still sitting on the ground near the road as he watched the man leave, he then leaned against a shop’s wall as he sighed deeply.

The one who had helped him when he was overcome by dizziness and was about to collapse was the shopkeeper he was now well familiar with.

Despite his rough appearance, he immediately prepared a wet towel and some drinking water once he guessed that Subaru was suffering from heatstroke, and then brought him into this shade so he could rest.

You really couldn’t judge people by their looks. There were muscly bald old men who were like good natured grandpas, and sexy women who took pleasure in murder.

“I thought my stomach and eyes were destroyed…”

He whispered as he felt his eyelids, and once again confirmed that he could see properly.

Naturally there was no wound on his abdomen, and his left shoulder was in good health as well. It seemed his wounds had once again disappeared completely, and perhaps due to some obsession he was placed before the man’s stall yet again.

“But even so… That was… Really bad.”

He moved his hands from his eyelids and looked at them.

Even though his fingers weren’t touching anything, they trembled slightly. This traveled up his arms until it finally became a terrible chill throughout his entire body.

Merely thinking back to it caused his teeth to chatter as he curled up with his head between his knees, the pressing horror so intense it even drowned out the hustle and bustle around him as his body trembled.

It was repulsive, alien, overwhelming, absurd, and the very personification of despair.

He had never been exposed to such malice, he had never experienced such pain and violence, and he had never had his body destroyed to such an extent.

He and his acquaintances had lost their lives, the terror was so heartrending that all he could do was curl up.

He refused to even think of facing such an aberrant entity.

“Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, this is absurd. It’s hopeless, there’s nothing I can do. That was death. That couldn’t have been anything but death. That I’m even alive is unbelievable luck, isn’t it?”

Seeking agreement from no one in particular, Subaru desperately begged for forgiveness.

The scenes of Rom’s grisly slaughter and Felt’s final moments after she was cut down repeated in the back of his mind.

And after that came the horrifying memory of being sliced up, broken, opened up, and having his sight stolen.

He felt nausea and dark emotions surge up and he immediately splashed his remaining water on his head.

There wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to cover his head in the cool sensation.

He wiped away the water dripping from his bangs and then repeatedly slapped his face to restore his emotional state.

“Alright, let’s cheer up. It’s simple. Just forget all about that place. There’s a mountain of other things I have to do and think about. For instance, I’ll have to think about how I should live in this world. I happened to get caught up in some trouble while I worried, and then…”

―I was saved, and wanted to return that favor, and then felt like I was going to die.

“Come on, I said not to think about that.”

Even if he tried not to think about that, the silver-haired girl continued to shine within his memories.

To begin with, most of what had happened to him in this world was in some way related to her, so it was impossible for him to forget about her and focus on the world.

However, if he thought back to his time with her, he would ultimately end up at that painful and despair-inducing memory.

His thoughts were once again in a downward spiral.

His shaking wouldn’t stop, and his negative thoughts kept going in circles as he completely lost sight of any hope.

What should he do and how should he do it to succeed, would it be fine if he just stood around and did nothing, right now he couldn’t grasp even the slightest hint.

“Hey, how do you feel now? Any better?”

With his face peeking out of his stall, he asked this considerate question.

Despite his attempts to act tough, the concern he displayed showed that he was a good man at heart. It wouldn’t do to just rely on his kindness like this, Subaru thought as he decided to leave the area for now.

“Ah, I think I’ve calmed down somewhat. Sorry to trouble you.”

He tried not to look weak as he stood up, and then returned the empty cup. The shopkeeper seemed to want to say something as he took it, but he didn’t press the matter further.

“I’ll definitely pay you back someday.”

“That’s unnecessary. But if you ever make some money, come to buy some appas.”

Subaru’s face was meek as the shopkeeper lightly tapped his shoulder, after which he raised his hand and returned to his store.

Feeling good about the man’s laid-back attitude, Subaru took a deep breath and stepped toward the road. The crowd continued to move just the same as when he was curling up, and the main street lined with stalls seemed as bright as ever.

“… The loot house.”

He should probably go there, he thought vaguely.

He thought about it, but his legs did not move in its direction. Going there meant facing that terror.

If things went wrong and he encountered Elsa again, his life that he had somehow kept would essentially be wasted.

Having been summoned to another world, he would simply rot away without accomplishing anything.

“Ha. It’d be just the same if I run.”

He ridiculed himself as he smiled, and then put his hands in pockets and started walking.

In the opposite direction from the loot house. That was what he had decided.

He would throw it all away, give up completely, and turn a blind eye to the favor he had received.

After all, that was what he did before he came here. He never did anything he didn’t have to, no need to rock the boat. Stuff like give and take or whatever, human interaction in general was a pain to him, that was the sort of life he lived.

At this point, that couldn’t possibly―

“Eh…?”

When he raised his head and took his first step, an expression of bewilderment left his mouth.

Within his widened field of view, the crowd moving back and forth seemed to be avoiding him as he stood in the middle of the street.

There was a tall figure with reptilian skin, a beastman whose height only reached Subaru’s waist, a young pink-haired dancer, a knight with six swords,

―And a girl in a white robe, her silver hair fluttering as she walked.

The girl glanced at him and then as if to avoid touching him, she shifted to the side and passed by.

Her bundled up hair swayed, and a flower-like scent permeated the air and tickled his nostrils. Her strong-willed amethyst eyes had already disregarded him, they had a sharpness that only looked forward, toward the path she was supposed to walk.

Her dignified atmosphere hadn’t changed and that shimmering beauty hadn’t the slightest blemish, the girl he had been looking for was walking right before him.

“Wa―”

He couldn’t immediately call out, the sound stopped in his throat as he ran after her.

The girl smoothly weaved her way through the crowd. His mental state was lost, confused and disordered as he chased her silver hair, and he called out in an almost tearful voice.

“Hey, wait… Wait up… Please wait…”

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes cold as though she was looking at a stranger.

They’d only interacted a few hours, to her he was just a passing acquaintance. Maybe he was even someone she despised, considering he couldn’t even heed the simplest warning and put her in danger.

Even if she thought of him that way, Subaru continued to pursue her.

He didn’t know how she felt about him. So at the very least, he wanted her to tell him that much.

If he was going to be hurt by whatever he imagined she thought of him, he’d much rather end up hurt by her real opinion.

“Please wait,―Satella!”

Once he stopped her, what exactly did he want to say?

The instant the answer appeared within him, he shouted her name as if he just remembered it.

His shout tore through the noisy road and even reached the girl who was getting further and further away.

The silver-haired girl stopped immediately.

He pushed the crowd aside to reach her, and placed his hand on her slender shoulder.

“Please don’t ignore me. It was my bad for disappearing, really. But I don’t get what’s going on either. I even went back to the loot house to look for you, but I couldn’t find you…”

Satella seemed surprised as his hand lay on her shoulder.

When she turned around, all that left his mouth were excuses. He spoke rapidly, justifying himself as if afraid he’d be hurt.

Perhaps her gaze that seemed to see right through him was the cause.

However, even with this gaze on him, Subaru felt some relief in addition to his anxiety.

At a glance, there didn’t appear to be any serious wounds on her. Maybe she had also been healed by someone after the loot house incident. It was also possible that she’d healed herself, but what was important was,

“Sorry, I’ve just been blabbing about myself… But I’m glad you’re okay.”

The fact that they were able to meet again made him happier than anything.

Come to think of it, what worried him next was her partner― Puck’s safety. Subaru had far too many things he had to apologize to him for.

He couldn’t uphold a promise made man to man. That was a sin he ought to be condemned for.

“You…”

Once Subaru stopped talking, Satella started speaking as if to fill in the gap.

It had only been a few hours, and yet it felt like he hadn’t heard that silver bell-like voice in forever.

He could see her standing before him, he could even reach out and touch her, he had finally caught her, such out-of-place emotions welled up within Subaru. However,

“What are you thinking―?”

As Subaru felt this sense of relief, Satella directed an angry look at him.

Her white cheeks flushed slightly, and she twisted her body a bit to shake his hand off. She took a step backward to put some space between them, and her eyes were filled with hostility as she looked at him.

Her unexpectedly harsh reaction caused Subaru to gulp and fall silent.

But thinking about it, it was obvious this would happen. To her, it must have been a wonder that he even dared to show his face.

He would accept any abuse she wished to rain upon him. This resolve of his―

“I don’t know who you are, but to address someone by the name of the Witch of Envy, just what are you thinking?!”

Was smashed to pieces by this completely unexpected reaction.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Faced with these unexpected words, Subaru felt as if time itself had stopped.

The sound from the crowd had vanished. All that he heard were his heart’s pounding, and the silver-haired girl’s angry voice.

It was as if all other sounds were gone― No, they were gone.

“What…?”

He muttered as he awkwardly turned his head to look around and realized.

Every single person around them on this street filled with stalls and pedestrians was now focused on the two of them.

They were all shaken and had fallen silent, as though even the slightest movement was forbidden.

It was as if the conversation between the two of them had completely dominated the street.

“I’m asking you what you’re thinking. Speak up.”

However, Satella wouldn’t allow any hesitation despite his bewilderment.

Her tone was harsh, but Subaru had no response since he didn’t even know why she was angry.

They seemed to be on completely different wavelengths as to what the problem was.

“I’ll ask this once more. ―Why did you refer to me by the name of the Witch of Envy?”

“No, I mean, I was told…”

“I don’t know who told you that, but that’s in very poor taste. You’re at fault too for going along with it. ―The Witch of Envy, the symbol of all things taboo, merely mentioning her name is frowned upon, to think you’d actually call someone by that name.”

Her anger clearly on display, Satella―The silver-haired girl plunged him into a sea of confusion.

The crowd gathered around them all nodded at her words. Which is to say they were proof that her words were correct, and this confused him even further.

He didn’t understand what she was saying.

He had just said her name.

And yet she took offense to this, and the people around them acknowledged that she was correct to do so.

He didn’t know what he was doing wrong, he was just being reprimanded for being wrong. He couldn’t reflect on his actions or change his behavior.

“―If that’s all, I’ll be on my way. I don’t have time for this.”

She said as Subaru hung his head, she then walked off gallantly, her silver hair fluttering. Subaru wanted to call out to her, but the name froze in his throat.

He’d be making the same mistake twice if he called her that again. But then, what should he call her?

This hesitation dulled Subaru’s judgement.

Consequently, he simply watched what took place before him without doing anything.

“―!”

There was a small gasp atop the canopy of a nearby stall about a head taller than Subaru.

It leapt, its small body was gently pulled downward by gravity, and the instant it landed it rode the wind to accelerate.

That swift wind was wearing somewhat dirty clothes and had golden hair flowing behind it. She easily slipped through the crowd as if divinely inspired, and her quickly extended arm entered a white robe with a hawk embroidered on it.

It was only a moment of contact, but that was enough for the wind.

The wind made the robe flutter, and then took off as the girl turned.

“Don’t tell me―!”

The silver-haired girl raised her voice in surprise and stuck her hand into her robe.

She didn’t find what she was looking for, and her eyes widened as she looked toward the wind that was fading into the distance.

That wind held an insignia symbolizing a dragon in its hand, and watching it from behind Subaru instinctively yelled,

“Felt?!”

This caused the wind to waver as if perplexed. But its speed did not decline and it disappeared from the street into an alley in an instant.

That was some incredibly fast work. A chance meeting of an instant. He had only seen it momentarily, but that was most likely―

“It’s gone. Was this why you stopped me…? You’re in on it?!”

The girl groaned at Subaru who had just stood still, unable to react to the hectic situation.

She immediately pointed her palm his way, but as if rethinking this decision, she ran off toward the alley the wind had disappeared into.

“Hey, wait! It’s a misunderstanding! I’m not…”

Subaru ran into the alley as well, chasing after them so he could resolve this misunderstanding.

As he ran, his mind was filled with doubts toward many mysteries.

There was far too much information being unloaded onto him, and his flustered brain could not process it all. Even if this weren’t the case, he felt like he had died twice today and that really messed with him.

“Someone please be nice to me! Why the hell was I even summoned here?!”

The absurdity of the situation made him yell this as he stumbled through the dim alley.

He wasn’t sure his stamina would last, but he didn’t think he’d lose to those two over a short distance. He’d catch up to them right away, and clear up all these doubts.

That was what he was expecting as he ran, but,

“Damn… A wall?!”

Subaru spat as a dead end blocked his path.

The two he was chasing weren’t there. If he recalled correctly, Felt was agile enough to easily scale walls. And Satella probably wouldn’t have any trouble getting over a wall or two with her magic.

“I don’t mind climbing, but… I don’t think I could catch up that way.”

Most importantly, if the gap between them widened Subaru couldn’t just keep running.

Even though he had trained his physical strength inside his room, it would be impossible to do the same with aerobic exercise. His lack of stamina was his fatal flaw, and even here it caused him to give up the chase.

“If this is no good, how about the loot house? Satella and Felt are both alive, so… Rom must be too.”

He decided that it would be ideal to go on ahead of them and link up with Rom as soon as possible.

For now he should get out of this dead end and head toward the slums. Thus, he turned around,

“… You’re kidding.”

Before him were some figures blocking his way out of the alley.

There were three of them, they were somewhat filthy, and they had a rough aura about them as if their violent nature had manifested on their faces.

By this point it was a pain to even bother describing the three standing in his way.

These bandits who made the back alleys their hunting grounds had encountered him for the third time that day.

Arc 1, Chapter 13 – “Ending and Beginning”

“Just give up already! There’s a limit to incorrigibility!”

Subaru was tired of seeing these guys and kicked the ground in frustration.

This was their third encounter, and it was once again a three on one in an alley. Despite how fruitless their first and second attempts were, they still continued to hound him, he was truly surprised by this tenacity.

If the situation wasn’t as it was, he might have even applauded them.

“I don’t have time for you guys. I’ll face you when things settle down, so get out of my way.”

He was a little uneasy, but he had managed to beat them solo last time so he kept his composure.

If he intimidated them a bit, there would probably be an opening. That’s what he expected, but,

“Get out of his way, huh? What do you say we do?”

“I don’t like his attitude, not one bit. It doesn’t look like he understands who’s going to be giving the orders here.”

“You pathetically lost three on one, why the hell are you trying to act tough…? Even the sorest loser would show more shame.”

To be honest, Subaru couldn’t help but feel like a sore loser himself right now.

In other words, this place had turned into a gathering of beaten down losers.

“That’s way too negative! I thought I was a more optimistic character!”

“It’s no good, he’s completely messed up in the head. We decided to target him because of his weird getup, but maybe this is…”

The men started talking to one another, clearly annoyed by his loud monologue. The empty-handed one and the one with the nata seemed to be losing interest in Subaru, but the biggest threat, the one with the knife, still had a sharp gaze.

Those eyes seemed to have given up on his value as a wallet, but there was another dark desire cruelly wavering within them.

The man’s look caused Subaru to internally mutter, “This could be dangerous”.

Having faced them twice, Subaru concluded that the man with the knife was the most troublesome among them. In addition to his lethality, he was also the one with the quickest temper.

Forget fighting, it would be wise to avoid even getting close.

“Got it. I won’t resist. Just state your demands.”

Subaru said this as he raised his hands, emphasizing that he had no intention of fighting them.

He had completely dropped the confident attitude he had, and instead changed to one of compliance.

The reason being that he decided to prioritize getting out of here, and wanted to keep the man with the knife calm. He had decided that some losses couldn’t be helped, and it would be best to just get out of here for now.

―Well, there was also the unfortunate possibility that they were aiming for revenge and would beat him to a pulp.

If things looked to be moving in that direction, he’d run away with all he had before they had the chance to stab him. If he managed to make it to the main street, they probably wouldn’t be able to do anything conspicuous.

As Subaru vigilantly formed plans to ensure his safety within his mind, the men’s attitudes toward him relaxed.

They spoke as if to ridicule his cowardliness for being willing to take their demands,

“C’mon, if you were that scared you should have just done that from the start.”

“You bastard. You sure talk big for a scaredy cat.”

“Isn’t this great? You heard him say he wouldn’t do anything, right? What a coward.”

Their words annoyed him, but Subaru forced a smile and laughed them off. He found some satisfaction in naming them ‘Ton, Chin, and Kan’ in his mind.

[TN: Tonchinkan = Foolish, irrelevant]
“Well, just want demands do you intend to make of this idiot?”

“For now, set down everything you’ve got. Even those weird clothes and shoes. You can keep your underwear, we’re not devils after all!”

They mercilessly mocked Subaru who had humbled himself before them.

So they have the concept of devils here too, huh, along with such irrelevant thoughts their words also instilled a strong sense of unease.

Everything he had, even his clothes and shoes, this demand was surely―

“You guys, you really have gone and hit your heads somewhere, haven’t you?”

This was the exact same as what they had asked the first time he encountered them.

Perhaps they’d hit their heads, or maybe the poor bastards lacked the brainpower to even remember what they had said before, it could even be that they overused the same template so much they didn’t even remember who they said it to.

They were irredeemable to the core, but their attitude toward Subaru who had once beaten them down was strange, considering this, there was one more possibility

“There was Felt too, looks like there’s a lot of memory problems around here…”

“Quit flapping your gums. Don’t wanna follow your orders? Or do you not have the brains to follow them?”

“You’re the last guys who ought to be talking about brains…”

This last mutter stopped in his mouth, and Subaru showed that he was willing to do as they said.

As he wondered if he should at least try to keep his clothes, or maybe deal with them all in one go now that they’d gotten closer, he stuck his hand in his bag―

“Huh―?”

He frowned, this was his most unsettling experience yet in this world.

“Why…?”

He muttered as if groaning, as he slowly confirmed the contents of his plastic bag.

In it was his shoyu tonkotsu cup ramen, his wallet and phone that were too troublesome to keep in his pocket, and finally, a golden snack of a flavor he was extremely fond of.

Right, the gold-colored snack― The corn potage flavored snack.

It was the first thing he had eaten since he came to this world, and it also proved very useful to calm Rom’s rage at the loot house, after which most of it was supposed to be used up.

―But right now, it was completely full and back in his bag.

“I thought we’d eaten this… There was definitely only a little bit left.”

They had consumed at least two thirds of its contents.

And yet it had returned to its original state. There was no sign the bag had even been opened. It was strange no matter how he thought about it.

The disappearance of his wounds could be explained. He had seen Satella’s magic. Therefore he could conclude that someone had healed them in the aftermath of both tragedies.

―But even if he supposed that such a high class healer existed, would it really be possible to restore something that no longer existed?

“Right, duplication magic…”

He remembered Rom mentioning something of the sort.

Duplication magic― Magic that made it possible to not only copy something’s appearance, but fully replicate it. If someone used that magic, even this…

“But then what about the bag’s opening. Don’t tell me healing magic can even restore glue or something…”

He didn’t think that was very realistic.

And considering this world seemed to have sacrificed technological development for magical development, it seemed doubtful that they would have the knowledge to reglue the bag.

His thoughts were completely blocked on all sides. But within those trapped thoughts, Subaru started to believe that this was not healing magic. But that was where it stopped, because the other possibility he had thought of was too absurd, his sense of reason rejected it, believing it to be impossible.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?”

“Ah?”

A sudden call from right next to him caused him to let out a dumbfounded noise.

One of the men―The barehanded third one, whom he called ‘Kan’ in his mind. Subaru frowned when he realized that the man had walked right up to him.

“Why are you approaching me like that? Let me tell you, I don’t need your help to get my clothes off.”

“As if anyone’s going to help you do that! You were the one who staggered over here!”

Only after he was yelled at did Subaru realize that he had gone from the inside of the alley all the way to the side of the road.

It seemed he had been moving unconsciously while engrossed in thought. But to the men, his thoughtless actions ended up looking like hostile conduct.

“If he won’t do as we say, what say we knock him around a little?”

“Or rather, this is a real pain in the ass already. Let’s just end it here.”

Subaru saw that the men were about to do something hasty, so he halted his deep thought for the moment.

What he needed right now was―

“Here, catch this!!”

“Wha?!”

He raised the plastic bag in his hand, and then tossed it deep into the alley.

It drew an arc as it flew into the darkness at high speed. Naturally, the men who were planning to loot it also followed it with their eyes.

Seeing an opening, Subaru energetically dashed past them.

Just as he’d concluded several times now, the most important thing was getting away from them safely. After that, he would have to go to the loot house and find the answers to the doubts that had welled up within him.

He himself felt that what he was thinking was foolish.

Some user of healing magic, who was incredibly proficient in both restoration magic and duplication magic, happened to come across the tragic scene at the loot house and out of the kindness of their heart, they healed everyone there completely free of charge, and then left Subaru alone at that one stall, after which they simply left without even introducing themselves.

Even this completely whimsical story was easier to accept.

“Well, that’s pretty hard to accept too, though.”

It was what made the most sense.

At least, compared to the baseless foolishness that had crossed the back of his mind.

With two contrary ideas conflicting within him, Subaru dashed out of the filthy alley.

If he made it out to the main street and ran around while making a lot of noise, even these guys most likely wouldn’t pursue him. It was unfortunate to lose the contents of the bag, but he had snuck some things out right beforehand, so the only things left in it were the bag of snacks and some small change that was just dead weight― His losses weren’t significant.

It was with this in mind that he ran, but suddenly his next step missed its mark by a wide margin, causing him to panic.

His body was unsteady and the leg he was supposed to have put out in front was stumbling. The strength then left his legs and he fell to his knees.

He put out his hands to stop his fall, and scolded himself for being such an idiot as to fall at a time like this. However,

“Huh, that’s weird…”

He tried to gather his strength to stand back up, but his arms were trembling. He was completely unable to raise his body. He had also dropped the things he was holding before this.

“That’s why we told you to just listen, fool.”

He heard a scornful voice from right behind him, and somehow turned his head toward it.

The man standing behind him was the second one, whom he had nicknamed ‘Chin’, an extremely humiliating name.

With that vulgar attitude, the man pointed at Subaru as the edges of his mouth curved up.

Following his pointing finger, Subaru realized why he had collapsed.

―There was a knife embedded in his lower back.

“Goah… Gga…”

The moment he realized this, a terribly sharp pain ran through him and blocked his throat.

This extremely pure and primal pain even robbed him of the ability to writhe in agony.

―I’ve been stabbed! Stabbedstabbedstabbedstabbedstabbedstabbedstabbed.

Unlike the other two, the knife-wielding Chin hadn’t been distracted by the bag. Meaning at that moment, he must have been more focused on hurting Subaru than stealing anything of value.

As expected, Chin was the most important one to deal with, more than Ton or Kan.

This was the result of neglecting to do so. In these few hours, he had already encountered many different types of horrible pain. But no matter how many times he experienced this, it would be absolutely impossible to get used to it.

“Hey, you seriously stabbed him?”

“I had no choice. What if he escaped into the street? It’d be a real pain for us.”

“Aaah, this is bad. You hit his guts so he’ll probably die… It’s even drenching his clothes.”

Is that all you think about when you stab someone, a complaint through the horrendous pain.

He couldn’t afford to think of anything else, he was in so much pain that it was hard to even stay conscious. And judging by what Ton said, his wound was such that he wouldn’t be getting back up.

He at least had to do something while he was still conscious.

Deciding this, he scraped together all the strength he had left, steadily gathering it as he prepared to shout.

Bringing it to his tongue, he tried to scream,

“Aalright, here’s a second one before you go and try anything!”

A second knife was mercilessly thrust right into middle of his back.

“―Ough”

The numbness that spread through him like an electric shock canceled out his shout.

He was already far beyond the point where he could bear the pain or attempt to do anything like scream. There was no longer anything he could do.

The damage to his back seemed to have reached his lungs.

Even as he repeated his hoarse, rough breaths, his lungs would not expand and breathing became more and more painful.

Oxygen deprivation was affecting him severely, he was becoming so weak it seemed he would soon lose the ability to even think.

He lost sensation in his limbs, and no longer knew whether he was facing down or upward.

Even though his eyes weren’t slashed this time, he still couldn’t see anything as his vision had gone black.

―What do you mean, ‘this time’?

It was pitiful to cling to an idea he had already dismissed as absurd.

If he was going to cling to it, he might as well do so to the fullest.

―Don’t think about your impending death. Before you die, analyze the world around you.

His eyes were dead. So were his limbs. All he had left were his nose and ears. That being the case, he would have to make full use of them. Any sort of lingering scent would be fine, he didn’t mind hearing all sorts of abuse. The stink of the dirt in the alley. The rising metallic scent of blood. His nose just died. It was gone. His ears were at death’s door as well, and were barely even functioning.

“―St take… Valuables…”

“―It! The guards… Co…!”

“…Un! This is bad! …If we get…!!”

He could only pick up these fragments of conversation. Picking them up was fine, but too much of his brain had died for him to understand what he had heard. Since it was dead he could only hear. He didn’t know if he would remember what he heard. What exactly did he mean, remember? What did he want to do by remembering? What was want? What was what―

As if following the parts that died first, his other functions steadily disappeared, and at the very end, with the scraping sound of something being pulled from him, Natsuki Subaru lost his life for the third time.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

When his consciousness returned, Subaru was in darkness.

Realizing it was a darkness of his own creation, he gently opened his eyes― And had them burned by the dazzling sunshine, causing him to groan as he used his hand to cover his eyes.

“So, how about the appa?”

A familiar voice asked a familiar question right before his eyes.

His ears were fine. The hustle and bustle of the street was as loud as usual, completely different from the dreadful silence he had experienced in that alley.

Despite the fact that if he considered the distance, he was only one turn away.

“I couldn’t even make it past this street, pretty pathetic…”

The scarred stall owner overhead his words of self derision, however he started to frown, seeming displeased that he wasn’t getting a response.

Subaru knew from personal experience that though he looked intimidating, he was in truth a very kind man. Naturally, the shopkeeper probably had no memory of this.

As he thought such things, Subaru once again faced him,

“Say, how many times have you seen me?”

“How many times, you’re a fresh face, man. I wouldn’t forget such a conspicuous look.”

“What’s today’s date?”

“It’s the fourteenth day of the month of Tammuz.”

“Thank you.― I see, the month of Tammuz, huh.”

He had no idea what that was.

To begin with, he didn’t even know how they recorded this world’s calendar.―But it seemed they used days and months, and he could probably assume that they used a solar calendar.

It was likely common knowledge, but he hesitated to ask about it. Especially to someone like the owner of this stall, who was completely focused on selling his goods.

The shop owner was being very patient with him, but as expected he seemed to be thinking that he was wasting far too much time just to sell a single fruit.

Holding out that apple or whatever in his palm, he asked for the umpteenth time,

“So, the appa?”

He tried his best to hide his anger with a smile.

His white scar was twitching, and his forced smile looked more like an expression that would scare kids away.

In response, Subaru placed his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out,

“Sorry, but I’m totally, absolutely broke!”

“Get the hell out of here―!”

This angry shout caused him to recoil instinctively, after which he scurried away.

I can’t go back there for a while, he thought, two meanings in mind.

Arc 1, Chapter 14 – “Fourth Time’s a Charm”

“There’s my wallet. And my phone. The corn potage and ramen and stuff are good too. No damage to my jersey or sneakers either. And naturally…”

Pulling up his jersey, he turned his head with great effort to check the state of his back.

There was no scarring on his middle or lower back, nor were there two knives sticking out of him.

“Phew, thank goodness. A wound to the back is a warrior’s greatest shame. As someone who once enrolled in the kendo club, even if I were to stray from the path of humanity, I would never stray from the path of the warrior.”

He felt around his unharmed back as he grumbled. He spotted a long hair growing near his shoulder and after a great deal of struggle, finally managed to pull it out after which he exhaled.

“So basically, that’s what this is. It’s hard to believe, though…”

He blew the hair away with his breath and placed his now empty hand on his jaw as he surveyed the street.

He was still on the same street, by stall only a short distance away from the grocer.

The shady looking owner who had lined up various suspicious looking jars and plates looked at Subaru as though he were a nuisance, but this had no effect on Subaru who leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

The sun was high and the breeze was gentle. The street was crowded and a lizard drawn carriage would occasionally pass by. Even Subaru was starting to get used to the dust they kicked up by this point, and his only reaction was to gently fan it away from his face.

All traces of injury had vanished from his body, and his already eaten corn potage snack was providing excellent value, since it could be eaten any number of times. And his jaw was completely smooth to the touch,

“Pretty pathetic for me of all people to forget about my special skill.”

He had the ability to estimate the passage of time fairly accurately based on the growth of his stubble.

Subaru had a level of self-confidence that bordered on admiration in his technique that made full use of a privilege only available to those with a consistent level of male hormones. He was certain,

―That his facial hair was no longer than it was after he shaved it before heading to the convenience store.

“So it’s like that.”

He pointed the hand that was touching his jaw forward, and with the gazes of many people including the shopkeeper on him, he snapped his fingers,

“―Looks like I return to my original state when I die.”

And came to the conclusion he had previously dismissed as absurd.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“Return by death, huh… It’s like the ability itself is telling me to bite the dust.”

[T/N: This is a JoJo reference. Subaru mentions the similarity to Bite The Dust, an ability that appears in JoJo.]
The original was more like a “Win and then repeat” type of ability, so considering Subaru’s pattern of losing and returning, he felt that his current situation fit the name better from a literary perspective.

[T/N: The Japanese version of Bite The Dust literally translates to “Lose And Die”]
“To put it more directly… Isn’t this something like time travel?”

It was limited, but this could be considered what one would call time travel. In short, Subaru had become a time traveler, something he could only dream of before.

To be honest, the possibility had been bouncing around his head until some ten-odd minutes ago, but he shied away from it due to the harsh activation condition.

He also felt that it was more likely that there was some wandering super healer who happened to encounter them.

And most of all, the main reason he thought it unlikely,

“Generally speaking, temporal magic is considered to be the highest class of magic so it’d be strange for me to have it right from the start. To begin with, even though one may dream of going back in time, it’d be impossible to actually do it. Or so common sense would suggest.”

Having said this, he cocked his head wondering what about a parallel world summoning adhered to any sort of common sense.

Thinking of it this way, his earlier feelings of obstinate rejection would also fade away.

“Moreover, if I actually am returning by death, all the strange stuff until now suddenly makes sense…”

His first death, to put it briefly, was when he went to the loot house with Satella.

He had his defenseless stomach torn open and unable to even shout out a warning, he ended up getting Satella wrapped up in this, an absolutely inexcusable development.

His second death was after Felt and Rom were murdered, Elsa had slaughtered him, his resistance completely futile. When he first returned by death, he assumed the discrepancy in time meant it was a different day, but in truth he had returned to the same point on the same day.

His third death had happened recently, he had experienced it some ten-odd minutes ago.

It truly was a pointless death, but he couldn’t think of a more fitting one.

For him to actually end up getting killed by random small fry at the very start, it was like every single choice had a BAD END attached to it, and it kind of felt like a poorly designed adventure game.

“Wait, I’ve died three times in just half a day…?”

Considering human life was generally considered to be something you only got one of, dying three times in the span of half a day truly was nonsensical in every way.

Subaru had certainly lived a mediocre life these past seventeen years, but if one considered that he had avoided death 17 x 365 x 3 times thus far, it was rather moving.

“Or I’m just really bad at staying alive.”

He was too used to the comfort of his old world, due to which he could not keep up with the rapid-fire instant death events this one kept throwing at him.

The fact that he kept getting lured into obviously dangerous situations was probably another reason.

“Thinking back to the causes of the first and second time… It was probably Elsa both times.”

The first time, the one lurking around in the darkness of the loot house was probably Elsa.

The corpse of a giant old man, that had to be Rom. But it was hard to imagine that Rom would end up dying regardless of Subaru’s verbal gaffe.

“Could Felt have been in there… I couldn’t confirm that much, huh.”

Naturally, Rom was most likely accompanying Felt for her negotiation.

That being the case, she was definitely linked to his death. If things were like the second time, it was very likely that Felt’s greed caused negotiations to break down.

“She pointlessly provoked her and ended up getting killed for it, maybe.”

Considering her extremely competitive spirit, it was certainly possible.

And right as Elsa had silenced them, Subaru and Satella arrived with terrible timing. This was probably how the first time went.

“The second time was quite a bit simpler, wasn’t it. I just happened to be one of the people being silenced.”

Thinking of it this way, perhaps Satella ended up arriving there after they got murdered.

He knew about her magical ability, but he doubted that that homicidal maniac would give her time to chant. Satella was probably at a disadvantage 8 or 9 times out of 10.

“Wait, I’ve been killed by the same person twice. Simply put, Elsa’s basically a certain death encounter, final answer. Also…”

Is there even a need to take countermeasures, Subaru heard his now calm mind ask.

Right, why did he have to think about what would happen if he encountered Elsa?

Frankly speaking, the loot house was the only place he ran the risk of encountering her.

And the reason he wanted to go to the loot house was in order to obtain Satella’s insignia, and the reason he wanted to do that was to repay her for saving him.

But since Return By Death had brought him back to right after he’d been summoned, this debt had quite literally disappeared with time.

Satella’s cold reaction to him on his third time was proof of this.

She did not know him. Meaning he had no relation whatsoever to the Satella of that timeline, and his debt no longer existed.

Meaning he could forget all about this insignia business, and instead focus on avoiding those BAD END flags.

He didn’t know why he was granted such an ability, but it was a very valuable skill that would allow him to learn of future developments. He would avoid any dangers he could avoid, that was the right thing to do.

He had obtained something that appeared to be time travel. It would be meaningless if he didn’t use it this way.

“Fortunately, I now know that my cell phone is worth quite a bit. Even without relying on Rom, if I can find some shop I can trust and sell it off, I’ll be able to create a war chest.”

More than twenty holy gold coins, he didn’t know how much that was, but he figured it would buy him decent lodgings for quite a while. And then he would sharpen his fangs there until the day he was ready to bite.

“Well, I still have no plan as to what exactly I’ll be biting into.”

He wasn’t exceptionally knowledgeable on any particular subject, nor did he have anything he was passionate about. To maintain a broad, but shallow knowledge of many things, such was the stance of the modern generation, and Subaru was no different.

“Once I sell this cell phone, guess I’ll have no choice but to get hired as an assistant at some shop or something while I’ve still got money…”

He was extremely uneasy about how he would earn a living since he had no job experience, but doing some black labor should at least be better than getting involved in bloodshed. At least he most likely wouldn’t end up dying thrice in half a day.

[T/N: Black company is a Japanese term referring to companies with poor working conditions. Black labor here refers to exploitative conditions.]
“It’s simple then. The sun will set if I don’t get moving right away. Right, old man?”

“I thought you were muttering something for a while, but what’s this all of a sudden. Even if you ask me, it’s not like I’d know..”

The stall owner next to him responded with an annoyed expression as Subaru looked for agreement.

He had a turban on his head and was running a stall that sold jars and plates. Regardless of Subaru murmuring nearby, it didn’t appear to be one that attracted customers.

“Wonder if I should sell my stuff like this… But I wonder if I’d actually make anything if I tried selling things like you, with those crappy jars and stuff. What do you think, old man?”

“Don’t say that crap while looking at someone else’s merchandise! What’s with you?!”

“I’m a man who’ll one day be famed for his wealth. You could even call me the cell phone nouveau… Say, doesn’t that wrapping on your head itch? Why do you have it on? You balding or something?”

“I don’t understand most of what you’re saying, on top of which you’re being extremely rude! Go away, I’ve got a business to run here!”

His attitude was cold as he spoke in a strangely feminine manner.

Guess people treat passing strangers the same in any world, huh, Subaru thought as he sighed on the inside.

“But then, there’s also some people so kind they help others even when it puts them in a tough spot.”

She had something precious stolen from her, and was in the middle of chasing the culprit.

She stopped to save some useless guy she didn’t even know, wasted her time healing him, and then tried to leave without receiving anything in return.

And then this kind girl let the useless fellow accompany her for his own self-satisfaction, and ended up dying a horrible death for it.

“Thinking back to the third time, there’s a whole lot I learned. Or rather, it’d be pathetic if I didn’t learn, but I’m not that stupid.”

“What are you saying now?”

“There’s probably a pattern here. You could even call it fate. ―No matter how many times it repeats, this will keep happening. For instance…”

Felt stole Satella’s insignia all three times.

Rom had been killed in the loot house both the first and second time. Felt had probably died the first time too.

If so, what happened to Satella who most likely arrived at the loot house the second time as well?

She didn’t have a burden holding her back, would she have been able to win against Elsa?

“I don’t know. And I probably won’t know. But there’s things I do know.”

If he just left things alone this fourth time, Felt and Rom would definitely be killed. And Satella would end up battling Elsa.

So what if those two died? One was a small-time villain who dealt in stolen goods, and the other was a brat who shamelessly tried to pawn off said stolen items at exorbitant prices.

They were both criminals, it would probably be a good thing if they died.

“Aah, I really am a child of the modern era. Even though I absolutely ridiculed these sorts of emotions from behind a computer.”

Mercy and compassion were just stupid, that was supposedly what he believed.

At least, he wasn’t just pretending as if he did. He thought of himself as a cold hearted person, and that all modern people were like that.

So no matter what situation he ended up in, he wouldn’t be particularly moved and wouldn’t react very strongly, or so he convinced himself. The death of a few people he knew was no exception to this.

“But still, I don’t want that. It feels horrible. Those two aren’t good people, far from it. ― But when I know that familiar faces are about to die, I can’t just stand by and let it happen”

But in the end, it seemed that was all just an act. A result of his experiences in the virtual world. When the weight of reality set in, his tenets easily crumbled away, that was how flimsy they were.

He wasn’t really that firm on these principles to begin with, though, so it was no loss to be rid of them.

“And of course, there’s Satella… Or rather, that girl. Can’t abandon her either.”

Calling that name, Subaru thought to himself that it was most likely an alias.

Thinking back to the first time, she was pretty reluctant to say that name. And then there was their exchange in the third world. It was painfully clear.

To sum up, it seemed she didn’t trust him enough. He hadn’t built up enough affection and failed the name acquisition event as a result.

“Alright then, I’ll do my best to actually learn her name this time.”

Subaru started warming up on the spot, and stretched his body to the limit.

“Cha―nCha―Chachachacha!”, As Subaru started his radio calisthenics routine, the shopkeeper was already beyond the point where he had anything to say.

Subaru performed routine two in front of the speechless man, and having worked up a good sweat, he turned around and suddenly raised his hands,

“There are times when a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. ―Isn’t that right, old man?”

“Right, right, right, absolutely right, so get out of here.”

He’d planned to end it with a posed look, but the terrible reaction caused his face to twitch.

The shopkeeper drove him away with a perfunctory gesture, and Subaru ran off from the stall where he had spent such a long time deep in thought.

Pushing his way through the crowd for a while, he had probably run about 200 meters.

“Well then…”

Subaru stopped and brushed his bangs upward.

He looked here and there in a pointlessly exaggerated manner, and then smoothly placed his hand against a wall to lean on it, after which he closed his eyes and once again smoothed his hair. Then,

“Where should I go to find you, Not-Satella?”

He started his quest with words that didn’t bode well for his future prospects.

Arc 1, Chapter 15 – “Because He is the Sword Saint”

Thinking about it, his meetings with Not-Satella relied on a lot of random coincidence.

He did encounter her the first and third times, but the only connection was that both had occurred around this main street (He heard from the shopkeeper wearing the turban that it was commonly called the trading street).

It would have been great if he was at least obsessed with keeping time, but he hadn’t done the stalkerish act of recording exactly when he met her.

In the end, it was quickest to think back to the third time’s pattern, but,

“Back then, just how long did I spend sulking by that fruit shop?”

He sunk down to the ground overcome by dizziness and spent an unknown amount of time hugging his knees.

It felt like it was only a few minutes, but it also felt like it could have been an hour. Regardless of what the answer was, all Subaru could say was ‘I don’t know’.

“Should I just wander around this street looking for her…? And just hope my beauty radar works?”

Or maybe his silver-haired hottie sensor.

This ability was completely useless in his old world, but he’d be able to use it to great effect here.

He placed both hands in front of his face and straightened a finger on each, and went “MyonMyon” as a number of people looked at him strangely. He felt like he could sense something, and decided to follow whatever was beckoning to him for the moment.

His surroundings steadily changed into an atmosphere he was familiar with, filling him with thoughts such as “Woah, looks like my sensor’s working fine as ever?!”, and then he suddenly realized.

―Without realizing it, he ended up leaving the street and was now entering a narrow alley.

“Isn’t this where I first met her…?”

It looked very similar, but he was unsure.

It wasn’t that different from the path into the slums in terms of atmosphere, on top of which he had only been to the alley of their meeting in the first world, and had never revisited it since.

The second time was clearly in a different alley, and thinking back to the third time, that was yet another dead end. Even if Felt stealing Satella’s insignia was a fixed event, which alley she would run into after the fact seemed to vary depending on the situation.

Perhaps it was the same the first two times, but the third time things seemed to have changed slightly due to Subaru’s presence.

Having thought this far, Subaru suddenly realized just how shallow his thought process was.

Maybe he could find Felt or Satella now that he was in a familiar alley.

However, that also meant the possibility of a different reunion. In short,

“I’m so damn tired of seeing you, Ton, Chin, Kan!”

Subaru turned around fed up, and found the usual suspects blocking his path.

There was no difference in appearance, clothing, or countenance. Their goal and equipment were most likely the same as well, no progress whatsoever. It was only natural since he was back in the same spot.

“Even though I’m having such a hard time finding Not-Satella and Felt.”

The reason he was unable to find them was probably because their actions depended on many factors independent of him.

By contrast, the reason he kept running into these guys was most likely because they were targeting him from the start.

That’s why he kept encountering them despite taking a different path each time.

“Now that I’ve come up with a conjecture that doesn’t make me happy in the slightest, what exactly do you guys want?”

“Just what the hell has this guy been muttering about?”

“He probably doesn’t get what’s going on here. How about we go ahead and teach him?”

Even this conversation between Ton and Chin followed the template exactly, which caused Subaru’s mood to sink further. However, he also felt that he couldn’t take them lightly just because he was tired of dealing with them.

The clear conditions for the Tonchinkan encounter weren’t that demanding, but it wasn’t like he had a 100% chance of breaking through. After all, they were the cause of his third death.

Maybe Not-Satella would save him like the first time, or maybe he could beat them on his own like the second time, but he had no guarantees.

Things went really well the second time, but this time wouldn’t necessarily go down the same way. There was also a high chance that there was a big event waiting for him after this, and he didn’t want to sustain any injuries.

“On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to escape by handing over my stuff either, I could use those to negotiate.”

The ideal would be to get out of here without sustaining any losses, like he did the second time.

And if he could avoid wasting time like the first time, that would be best of all.

Subaru crossed his arms and cocked his head, wondering if there was some way he could get away from them.

On the other side, perhaps thinking Subaru’s attitude meant he was ignoring them despite their seemingly superior position, Tonchinkan’s expressions were dyed in hostility

He at least had to make a decision before they drew their weapons.

As he lamented their lack of patience, Subaru figured he would have to go with a surprise attack after all―Suddenly, he remembered the moment of his third death.

As he lay there on the verge of death, all he could do was hear.

Back then, what was it that they were talking about? His dying brain could not comprehend it back then, but it should be possible now.

―Yeah, that’s it.

“Guaaaaaards!!!”

Tonchinkan were caught off guard by his sudden call for help, causing them to jump.

The volume was such that it smashed the silence of the alley, and even tore through the hustle and bustle of the main street.

His absurd sensitivity was well known when he took kendo, and had long since stripped him of any shame when it came to screaming.

Something like screaming for help did not damage his pride even slightly.

“Someone―! I need a man―!!!”

“Bastard… Don’t screw around! You’re seriously yelling at a time like this?!”

“You’re supposed to listen to us if you don’t want to get hurt, that’s how it’s supposed to be! You can’t just do this without even listening to our demands!”

“Shut up! Who gives a damn what normally happens?! Offbeat, off path, off course, wrong way, they’re all on the right track! As if I wanna deal with you guys! I just wanna have some fun with gold and silver haired beauties!”

As Tonchinkan went into a frenzy and stomped their feet, Subaru angrily yelled at them.

Subaru was putting on a defiant act as he verbally attacked them, but although it wasn’t showing, a sense of panic was rapidly building up within him. The plan to seek help was based on his very vague memories of his last moments in the third world.

The moment before his consciousness descended into darkness, someone among them had said something like “Guards” and “Run”, his shoddy strategy relied on this tiny hint.

There was also the fact that when he beat these guys on his second time, it seemed the people on the street simply turned a blind eye even though they knew he was getting robbed.

“So it was a mistake after all…”

“Trying to scare us like that… I was just a little nervous.”

“Just a little bit!”

“A really tiny bit!”

In unison, they denied how pathetic they were in a very pathetic fashion.

The men took a deep breath to calm down as if to regain control of the situation after Subaru’s stunt, and then they each drew their weapons.

A knife, a rusty nata, and,

“Why are you the only one without a weapon? Didn’t have the money to buy one?”

“Shut up! I’m stronger without one! Underestimate me and I’ll beat you to death, you damned brat!”

“If only I had a recording of the second time, I’d love to show it to you.”

As he thought back to his flawless overhead throw, he started to bask in his own admiration. On the other hand, his situation was now so bad his mind continually warned of danger.

They had already drawn their weapons, greatly reducing his chances of success.

Forget escaping without any injuries or losses, he wasn’t even sure he could make it out of there in one piece.

“Let me go already… I’d rather avoid the pain.”

Having died three times, Subaru now understood that it wasn’t something you could get used to no matter how many times it happened.

Furthermore, all his deaths until now were horribly painful ones brought about by blades. That sharp pain was always fresh and electrifying, like his nerves were being scraped.

He’d really rather not go through that again, and most of all―

“I’ve been able to come back from death until now, but there’s no guarantee it’ll happen again…”

He couldn’t be sure that this ability didn’t have a limited number of uses.

There was no number engraved on his body or anything, but it was said that even Buddha would get annoyed if you touched his face three times. Assuming that that was the case here, he had already run out of continues. If he pathetically died a pointless death here, his life in another world would reach the BAD END.

“…. In short, the best thing to do would be to run away, even if I get injured.”

The most lethal of them was, naturally, the tried and true knife. That nata was terribly rusty, so it’d probably be no different from a normal hit if he blocked it with his plastic bag. The empty handed thug was no problem.

As he watched Tonchinkan approach, he immediately made up his mind.

Subaru was completely focused on Chin, and started counting down in his head as he looked for an opening.

―Three, two, ah, hold on just one moment, three, two…

“―That’s enough.”

That voice suddenly and clearly tore through the tension in the alley.

Its dignified tone hadn’t the slightest hint of hesitation or mercy. All those who listened to it were struck by its overwhelming presence, and were naturally inclined to obey it.

Subaru raised his head, and Tonchinkan turned around― There was a young man standing there.

What first drew their eyes was his red hair that was like a blazing inferno.

Right below were shining blue eyes that could only be described as daring.

His extraordinary good looks only further amplified his awe-inspiring presence, and a single glance was all it took to tell that he was someone of great importance.

He was tall, slender, and well-proportioned, and he wore well tailored black clothing. At his waist knight’s sword that despite its simple appearance, gave off an abnormally intimidating atmosphere.

“Regardless of the circumstances, I will not permit any further violence against him. You’ve gone far enough.”

As he said this, he calmly walked past Tonchinkan and stood between them and Subaru,

Both Subaru and the men were left speechless by this excessively majestic act.

But it seemed they had different reasons for their silence.

Subaru had fallen silent from surprise, and because he was anxiously waiting to see how this never before seen development would progress, but Tonchinkan were different, their faces were going pale.

“N-No way…”

Chin pointed at the man, his lips turning purple as they trembled,

“Blazing red hair and eyes blue as the sky… And that sword’s sheath with a dragon’s craw engraved in it.”

He pointed to each location as if to make sure, and then gulped,

“Reinhardt… The Sword Saint Reinhardt?!”

“Seems I won’t need to introduce myself… That title is a bit much for me, though.”

The young man called Reinhardt muttered in a self-deprecating manner, but the glint in his eyes did not waver.

With his gaze piercing them, the men stepped back as though they were overwhelmed. They looked at each other as if to decide when to run, but,

“I’ll leave it at that if you flee. You’d better head out onto the street. But if you wish to use force, I shall be your opponent.”

He placed his hand on the handle of his sword, and jerked his chin toward Subaru who was stood behind him.

“It would be three on two in that case. In terms of numbers, you would have the advantage. I do not know to what extent my meager strength can aid him, but as a knight I shall face you.”

“Yo-You’re kidding! There’s no way!”

Reinhardt’s declaration caused them to panic, they ran off into the street having forgotten to even conceal their weapons.

They were so panicked they couldn’t even make any parting threats like they did the first time. That in itself showed just how extraordinary the man before him was.

“I’m glad we’re both safe. Are you unhurt?”

After he watched the men leave, the young man turned around with a smile.

Suddenly, the air of intimidation covering the alley disappeared. Realizing that even that was something the young man had consciously manifested, Subaru couldn’t help but fall silent. Most of all.

“To be this cool after doing all that… This is beyond the level of Ikemen.”

[T/N: Ikemen basically means attractive guy, but carries certain connotations.]
His face, voice, demeanor and actions, they were all scoring extremely high on the Ikemen index. If he also had a personality and pedigree to match, he had to be doing something evil behind the scenes or the world’s balance would be thrown off.

Anyhow, setting aside his heart overflowing with envy, it was a fact that he had been saved. Subaru dropped to his knees and prostrated himself on the spot.

“I am ever so thankful to you for saving my life, please allow me to express my gratitude. I, Natsuki Subaru, admire your gallant spirit…”

“Relax, you don’t have to go that far. They felt that they had lost their advantage when it became three on two. It would have been different if I were alone.”

“No, judging by how terrified they were, forgot three on one, they’d back down even if it was ten on one… What’s with this guy. Is he truly an Ikemen to the core, both body and soul? You’re raising my route’s flags!”

It’d be a real tearjerker, so a handkerchief would be indispensable.

As he spoke random drivel, Subaru once again took a good look at Reinhardt.

The more he looked at him, the more it seemed like his handsome features were sculpted by God himself, but his outfit didn’t really give the impression that he was a guard. Beyond the quality of the materials, his clothing didn’t seem very different from those of the general public milling about the street.

“Um, Reinhardt-san… Can I call you that?”

“You don’t need to be so formal, Subaru.”

“You sure closed the distance smoothly… Uh, thank you once again, Reinhardt. You were the only one who responded to my screams, how terribly lonely.”

Considering how many people there were, there was no way he was the only one who heard. Reinhardt lowered his eyes slightly as Subaru lamented the lack of human kindness,

“I don’t really want to say this, but it can’t be helped. For most people, it would be very risky to antagonize such fellows. In that respect, your decision to call for the guards was the correct one.”

“From the way you’re talking, you’re a guard? You don’t really look like one.”

“I hear that often. Well, today’s my day off so I’m not in uniform, that’s probably one of the reasons.”

As Reinhardt spread his arms with a strained smile, Subaru retorted internally.

The main reason he didn’t seem like a guard was because he seemed like the furthest thing from the somewhat unrefined image the term suggested To add on…

“I believe they called you something like ‘Sword Saint’…”

“My family is somewhat special, you see. Every day feels like the weight of their expectations could crush me.”

He shrugged his shoulders in a lighthearted manner, it looked like he had a sense of humor as well.

There was already no doubt whatsoever that he was an Ikemen in both body and soul. Subaru couldn’t hide his wonder toward this man whose very existence was Ikemen, but Reinhardt stared at him intently,

“You’ve got unusual hair and clothing, and that goes for your name too… Where are you from? For what purpose have you come to the capital of Lugunica?”

“It’s a bit hard to answer that first one. The typical setting of a small country to the east got some backlash so… H-How about further east, then―”

Subaru thought it seemed like a pretty safe answer. But Reinhardt’s reaction was stronger than expected.

“East of Lugunica… Surely you don’t mean beyond the Grand Cascade, some kind of joke perhaps?”

“Grand Cascade?”

Subaru cocked his head at this unfamiliar term.

He figured it was something like a waterfall, but he was completely clueless when it came to the geography around here. To begin with, he didn’t even know how large the capital was. As far as Subaru knew, this Lugunica place only consisted of a trading street, some alleys, and the slum.

Essentially the same level as his old world, that only consisted of his home, his room, and the convenience store.

“Thinking of it that way, I’m basically being a shut-in even in another world, this has already become an inherent part of me… I really am something.”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re trying to trick me, so let’s leave it at that. Anyway, it does look like you’re not from around here. You must have had a reason for coming here, right? Lugunica is currently in a bit of a complex situation. I can aid you if you wish.”

“No, no, it’s your day off, right? You don’t have to throw it away just to help me out, you’ve already done more than enough… But while we’re at it, there is something I’d like to ask you.”

He shook his head at Reinhardt’s proposal, and then raised his finger as if he just remembered something. Reinhardt casually nodded, giving him the go ahead.

“I’m not well versed in the happenings of the world so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer, though.”

“Well, what I’m asking about relates to a person I’m searching for, so that’s fine. So, have you seen a silver-haired girl in a white robe around here?”

Having surveyed the main street several times, he could tell that Not-Satella’s clothes stood out. Her silver hair was rare much like Subaru’s black hair, and of course there was her robe with the hawk embroidered on it.

Thinking back, that white robe seemed expensive in its own way. Considering she had an insignia with a jewel embedded in it, he guessed her lineage must have been a prestigious one.

“A white robe and silver hair…”

“In addition, she’s super gorgeous. And there’s this cat… Well, it’s not like she goes around showing it off. That’s all I can tell you about her, ring any bells?”

There would be no doubt it was her if the cat spirit was a match as well, but since it was usually hidden in her hair most of the time that was probably too much to ask for.

Mentioning her beauty, he ended up thinking she and Reinhardt who was very handsome himself would look perfect standing next to each other. This arbitrary thought caused a strange envy to well up within him.

“… What are you planning to do when you find her?”

“I’m going to find something she lost, or rather, would it be something she’s looking for? Anyway, I’ll find it and give it to her.”

Of course Subaru didn’t actually have it on him right now, and it was even possible that it hadn’t even been stolen yet.

Reinhardt narrowed his eyes at Subaru’s response, and contemplated for a moment.

“No, sorry. I don’t really know. I could help you with your search if you wish, though.”

“I can’t impose on you like that. It’s alright, I’ll find it one way or another.”

Subaru raised his hands when Reinhardt offered his aid, and then decided that he would wander around the main street for now. If things went well, he might catch sight of her on the street like he did the third time.

If possible, it’d be good to stop Felt on the stop and prevent the theft entirely.

Thinking about what could happen after, he felt that that would be the best way, and became all the more impatient.

“The problem is how to stop her with that agility of hers… Repeated sideways jumps like this to block the road, a zone defense?”

“What unusual movements. For what purpose?”

[T/N: There’s some weird sports stuff below here, since I’m not very familiar with sports I have no idea what this is about]
“It’s a defensive action to pressure the opponent and snatch away the ball. Despite how it looks, it’s a well established defense. Later, you end up participating in a position where you have no effect whatsoever on the ball, it’s that kind of ability.”

Subaru was someone who, when he participated in dodgeball, would simply stand right by the line in such a way that you didn’t know whether he was infield or outfield. It wasn’t uncommon for him to go entire games without once touching the ball.

“Anyway, I’d better head to the trading street first.”

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I’m going. You really helped me out. I’ll definitely repay you someday… Can I meet you at the guard station or something?”

“I believe so, you just have to mention my name. Otherwise, on days off I’m usually wandering about the capital.”

“I wouldn’t really want to wander around town looking for a man… This isn’t an Otome game.”

He replied with a joke and suddenly raised his hand, to which Reinhardt responded “Be careful”, cool to the very end.

As if those words were giving him a push forward, Subaru successfully left the alley having sustained no injuries or losses.

―Never realizing that blue eyes were on him, appraising him.

Arc 1, Chapter 16 – “Negotiation in the Slums”

Having returned to the trading street, Subaru immediately started trying his hardest to locate Not-Satella..

Although, all he could really do was stare into the crowd with eyes as wide as dinner plates. In the third world, he wasn’t very far from the fruit shop when he encountered her, so he decided to position himself around there for now. Subaru could see the shopkeeper’s face in the corner of his vision and his expression seemed rather stern.

“Our meeting didn’t go that well this time… But I know that you’re actually a great guy deep down! I know it!”

Subaru directed a smile and a thumbs up at him, and the shopkeeper immediately averted his eyes with an expression that looked like he’d seen something unpleasant.

Subaru felt somewhat lonely as he withdrew his thumb, and once again directed his gaze toward the street.

The street was swarmed with all sorts of people as usual.

Diverse inhabitants of a fantasy world, and among them Subaru saw what one could perhaps call a beastman, a bipedal dog-like being that had incredibly fluffy fur which caused him to freak out. He wanted to feel it, really badly.

“What’s with that loveliness… They’ve already won at birth, just like Reinhardt or Not-Satella, it’s sinful.”

Their gait was tottering due to their short stature, giving them the charm of a small animal.

“Kh… Calm down, my right arm… This isn’t the time to feel them up, have you forgotten why we’re here?!”

He somehow gained control of his arm that was going to reach for that white fur, and after he regretfully watched them walk away, he returned his gaze to its original position.

However, it had already been almost ten minutes since he started watching the road, and he didn’t find anyone that looked like her. Confirming the time on his phone, he found that it had almost been an hour since his reset.

“My sense of time feels off, but going off my memories it’d be weird if the theft hasn’t happened by now…”

As he said this, an unpleasant premonition suddenly flashed through his mind.

Once he felt the chill of doubt, there was no escaping it. Subaru scratched his head and let out various ‘Aahs’ and ‘Oohs’, and having no other choice, he walked toward the stall before him.

“Hey, old man.”

“What, broke kid.”

Standing before him was the owner of the fruit shop, clearly annoyed that Subaru dared to show his face again as he responded.

True or not, that was a pretty harsh way of saying it Subaru thought as he forced a smile, and without being discouraged,

“It’s true that I’m broke so I won’t deny it, but… There’s something I wanna ask you, old man. Has there been a pickpocketing incident around here?”

“You’ve got some nerve asking questions without even buying anything… Also, too bad, but that sort of thing is really nothing unusual.”

“Seriously?!”

Subaru couldn’t help but raise his voice in surprise at this mean-spirited response. But it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand. To begin with, the loot house was a place where stolen items from all over the capital were gathered. There was enough theft going on to fill that giant storehouse, which gave an idea as to the level of public order around here.

“Does this mean I’m out of luck…?”

“―But, I do remember the commotion just now since it was unusual. There were two or three blasts of magic, you see. Have a look.”

He leaned out of his stall and pointed to the left, at a stall about four spaces away. Subaru’s line of sight followed and,

“Woah, incredible.”

“Those icicles pierced that wall like arrows and left that damage. They disappeared immediately, though.”

Right next to the stall was the entrance to a narrow alley, and one of its walls had holes bored into it.

There were four of them, and each one was around the size of a 500-yen coin. Since they were able to piece a stone wall, the thought of their speed and power at the moment of impact sent a chill down his spine.

“This isn’t like those ice rocks she fired before… I wonder if she’s angrier this time.”

If he approached her carelessly, he might end up getting blasted with them himself. The thought of this caused a cold sweat to form on his forehead.

“But this means I was too late this time too.”

Setting aside his frightening imaginations, he wiped the sweat off his forehead as he muttered this.

Not-Satella was most likely the one who left these marks behind. If it was a theft involving her, it was probably alright to assume that Felt had snatched the insignia from her.

That being the case, it meant that he had lost the means to link up with Not-Satella.

At least, there was no surefire way to meet her as far as Subaru knew.

In other words, what he ought to prioritize was,

“Meeting up with Felt who has the insignia, huh. I’d like to get to her before she reaches the loot house, and trade my phone for the insignia on the spot if possible.”

He truly did not want to approach the loot house, considering he had been slaughtered there twice.

Strictly speaking, what he actually wanted to avoid was getting involved with Elsa there.

“It’ll just be a repeat of the first time if I’m too late. Having said that, reaching Rom first and waiting for Felt would be no different from the second time.”

So the crucial point was Felt’s location.

At the moment, she was probably desperately running around in order to shake Not-Satella off. Of course it wasn’t like she could run forever so he figured it should be possible to catch her somewhere, but such a thing would prove extremely difficult for Subaru who was even less familiar with the capital than the average person.

“Should I rely on Return By Death and just use this attempt for investigation…?”

It certainly seemed like an effective strategy, but Subaru shook his head and rejected it right away.

First, having experienced death three times, he didn’t think he could make the decision to throw his life away in order to retry. All three deaths were quite literally so painful he could die. If he could settle things without tasting death, then he’d rather only ever experience it at the very end, on his deathbed.

In addition, he was also concerned about the fact that he didn’t know exactly how Return By Death worked. Throwing his life away only to find out he had zero left wouldn’t even be funny as a joke.

“In the end, I guess I’ll just have to struggle all I can while I’ve still got life. That much is obvious, though.”

He twisted his waist, grinding his joints, and started bending and stretching to warm up.

The shopkeeper seemed annoyed by the fact that he was doing radio calisthenics in front of his stall. Having warmed up, Subaru raised his hand toward him as he jogged away.

“Alright, thanks a lot, old man. I’ll be leaving now. I’ll definitely buy some appas next time.”

“Yeah, you’d be more than welcome as a customer. Work hard, broke kid.”

“For sure.― I really am praying I have some money the next time I show up here.”

The shopkeeper apathetically saw him off as he broke into a run.

He was headed toward the slums―But not in the direction of the loot house. He had already decided that he’d be raising BAD END flags if he went there. That being the case, it was time to try a new angle of attack.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“Where Felt lives, huh? Head two streets down that way, it’s ahead of there.”

“Thanks a lot, you’re a lifesaver, brother.”

“It’s no problem, brother. ―What was it, live strong?”

The middle aged man said with a weak smile as he disappeared into the creaking door.

Thinking back to how the man’s strained smile was filled with sympathy from beginning to end, Subaru pumped his fist at his strategy’s success.

He was covered in mud and dirt, his appearance was such that even slum dwellers found it pitiful.

“It was a strategy I devised from my experiences in those first two times, but… That sure was effective, huh.”

As he said this, Subaru wiped off his sleeves which had become crusty now that the mud on them had dried.

Having arrived here, he devised an ingenious plan to pinpoint Felt’s destination, which was to play the part of an extremely downtrodden person.

When he was wandering around the slums with Not-Satella in the first world, he had just recently been beaten into the ground by Tonchinkan, and the inhabitants’ reception was correspondingly sympathetic and cooperative.

Completely different from the second time, when their reaction was cold and curt since he had no real damage to speak of. Thinking back to that, he ended up going a little overboard with his appearance this time.

“Well, I did end up stepping in some unknown animal’s dung and stuff.”

Thank goodness he barely managed to avoid falling in it, he thought as he trembled.

Since it only got on his shoes, his honor was probably still intact.

Unfortunately, even as he thought this there wasn’t the slightest hint of honor or anything of the sort left in his filthy appearance.

“I’ve got four reports right now… Three of them match.”

Sympathizing with him, four people gave him information. Right now, three of the comments about Felt’s location matched. Unless they were all conspiring to screw him over, it was probably okay to assume the information was accurate.

The one differing report came from an old woman who was hard of hearing, so she definitely wasn’t trying to deceive him. Maybe.

“I think I’ve found out where she sleeps, but… Now the problem becomes whether or not she’ll come here.”

He did find out where she normally stayed, but since she was currently in the midst of escaping it was fifty-fifty whether or not she would run here. If she was worried her pursuer would destroy her place, perhaps she would think it better to avoid it.―If that happened, he could only say he had no luck.

“It’s not like worrying about it will do anything. I’m not going to worry about things I can’t answer, alright.”

Even when he was at a loss, he wouldn’t waste time on things that couldn’t be helped. His decisiveness shined here too.

Subaru jogged deeper into the slums as he knocked the hardened dirt off his clothes. When he first came here, he couldn’t even do anything besides hide behind Not-Satella let alone independently gather information, he had developed quite a bit. Made him want to reward himself.

“A reward for my hard work… Am I going to open my corn potage again?”

As he fished around in his bag, he approached a road. He then almost collided with someone who suddenly emerged from there.

He moved out of the way in a panic, but his back ended up colliding with that narrow road, knocking the wind out of him. Watching him, the person he was about to walk into spoke in a gentle manner,

“Oh, do excuse me. Are you alright?”

“I’m good, I’m good. Despite how I look I’m actuallyyyy!”

Subaru raised his face to play it off, but was unable to end his sentence when he saw who he was talking to. Hearing his high-pitched voice, the black-haired woman giggled slightly.

“You’re a fun kid, aren’t you. Are you really alright?”

She brushed up the hair covering her ear. Even this gesture was somehow sexy, and Subaru thought to himself that her each and every action was as erotic as usual.

A sexy beauty who behaved in an erotic manner―Someone he absolutely did not want to meet.

“―You don’t have to be so afraid, I’m not going to do anything to you.”

“Af-afraid? It’s not like I’m afraid of anything? What proof do you have to claim that I’m nervous? I’m seriously freaking out, though―, but you can’t talk down to me like that―, I’m really nervous, though―”

“Your scent…”

Ignoring his attempt to act tough, her eyes narrowed into a sweet smile.

Subaru cocked his head at this, and in response she used her well-shaped nose to sniff.

“When someone is afraid, it shows in their scent. Right now, you’re scared… And you’re angry too. At me.”

She seemed to be having a good time exposing his inner feelings as she looked up to him.

Subaru went silent, only responding with a forced smile as he took deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Her words were true.

Subaru was afraid of her. The woman before him was the most terrifying person he knew in this world.

She was also the one he hated most in this world.

He truly wanted to beat her down if it was possible for him to do so, and before that he had an unbearable urge to run away immediately.

He had died by her hand twice now. She inspired fear from the bottom of his heart, and who could laugh at him for it?

Elsa narrowed her eyes like a snake in response to his silence. But even as he felt her gaze pinning him down, he would not allow himself to show weakness by averting his eyes.

She licked her lips at his bravado,

“… I am somewhat interested, but it’s fine. It wouldn’t do to cause a fuss right now.”

“T-That’s not a very nice thing to say. Act too scary and that beauty will go to waste, you know?”

“Ah, very nice.― Hide your hostility and it’d be even better.”

She reached out and lightly tapped his forehead with her finger, and this simple gesture released the tension from his body.

Subaru exhaled, his shoulders heaving, and Elsa placed her finger against her lip,

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. I get the feeling we’ll see each other again.”

“If it’s a bright place with lots of people around, I’ll be able to relax too.”

It took everything he had to get those sarcastic words out.

Elsa flipped her cloak with a longing smile as she disappeared into the alley’s darkness. After he watched her quite literally disappear, Subaru felt exhaustion rush through him as he leaned against the wall.

“That… That was an unexpected encounter, seriously. To think she was prowling around here before going to the loot house…”

This unexpected encounter almost tore his heart apart.

In terms of mental preparation, this was far more of a shock than Not-Satella. He wanted to pray that this would be his last encounter with her if possible.

“Felt’s place should be around here, I believe… But surely it’s not possible that Elsa already destroyed it…?”

She was a pervert who drowned in pleasure when she sliced people’s bellies open.

It wouldn’t be strange if she carved up a few people to kill time before the appointment. Furthermore, now that he was heading deeper into the slums, he couldn’t help but imagine all sorts of horrors.

“I-It’s okay, probably. There isn’t the stench of blood, nor do I see any, maybe.”

The garbage and the rotten smell made it impossible to discern the smell of blood, and it was too dark for him to confirm if there were any bloodstains around, but there definitely wasn’t any blood. That’s what he wanted to think.

He didn’t have the courage to run right now, so he slowly continued onward with stealthy steps.

Even the hum of an insect or the sight of a not yet empty bottle of alcohol would cause him to freak out as he searched.

About five minutes after his encounter with Elsa, he finally reached a rundown shack.

“This should be it according to my information… But does a human really live here?”

Subaru tilted his head as he stood in front of a wooden board that seemed to be the door.

The shack before him was around the size of two of those porta potties one would see around construction sites and the like. It felt like someone was actually putting the saying, ‘half a tatami mat to stand, one tatami mat to sleep’ into practice.

“This is definitely what you call a place to sleep, so I guess that’s about right.”

Even so, the idea of such a small girl living in a place like this caused him to feel some pity. He felt like he could forgive her, that her ambition and greed couldn’t be helped.

“She’s curling up her already small body and living in a place like this. Guess it couldn’t be helped that her personality would turn out so warped. Aah, it just couldn’t be helped, poor thing. Aah, how pitiful.”

“You’re going way too far, it’s disgusting. I can’t believe you’re looking around someone else’s bedroom like that.”

As he was entering his sympathetic mode, a voice from behind him caused him to turn around.

Before his eyes was a small blonde girl glaring at him with disgust―Felt.

She didn’t look particularly different from their previous meetings. That her slightly dirty clothes were now dirtier than usual was probably a sign that the chase was much more intense this time.

“What’s with that increasingly pitying expression? You looking down on me just ‘cause I’m a girl and a little bit filthy?”

“It’s a different sentiment, but… Most of all, I’m glad we could meet.”

She made no attempt to hide her displeasure, and Subaru instinctively dropped his shoulders in relief.

He was truly happy that he was able to find the girl he was looking for. He was worried about what might have happened after his near miss with Elsa, but looked like things were alright after all.

In response to his murmur, she snorted, “What, a customer?”

She stared at him, still cautious,

“Since you came all the way here, I assume you have some business with me? … Judging by your look, you’re not from around here.”

“Oh. To see that I’m not one of you, you’ve got good eyes.”

“Even the guys around here are a little more careful about their appearance. That level of filth is just unnatural. In truth, you’re even dirtier than us right now.”

As usual, she always had a comeback―Made him want to retract his earlier sympathy.

Felt ignored his inner feelings even as his veins popped, and stepped back, “Well?”

“What do you want? If you want something stolen, I’ll need payment in advance. Depending on the target, I might ask for more after the fact.”

“Commissioned thefts… This sure is a greedy business you’re running. Are you proud of your sticky fingers?”

“It’s how I stay alive. If it weren’t for this, I’d have to sell my body. So, what’ll it be? Or do you perhaps have some other business? Depending on what it is…”

Felt rapidly moved her fingers to show off her dexterity.

Suddenly, a small knife appeared in her hand as if by magic. Probably a warning that depending on why he was here, she would use it to defend herself.

Speaking practically, if he ended up fighting her now he would have no chance of winning. She would just disappear from his sight with that speed of hers, and before he knew it he would complete the ‘Stabbed to death in a back alley: BAD END 2’ route.

“What I want is just one thing.― I want to purchase the insignia you stole right here and right now.”

Arc 1, Chapter 17 – “Negotiation in the Loot House”

Having reached this point, Subaru decided that beating around the bush would only worsen her impression of him.

There was also the fact that Elsa was prowling around the area, so he wanted to finish this up as soon as possible. However, this caused Felt to become even more cautious.

She placed her hand on her chest, presumably where she was keeping the insignia.

“How do you know that I stole an insignia? I don’t imagine the one who requested it would have leaked it, and I only just stole it. It certainly isn’t the sort of thing you’d just happen to hear.”

“Now that you mention it, that was far too impatient. I’m so damned careless!”

“… You can’t possibly negotiate with anyone if you show your hand that easily. You crumbled way too easily to a bit of pressure.”

As Subaru stressed over his thoughtless blunder, the hostility left Felt’s face.

Subaru crouched down with his head in his knees and Felt knelt down to meet his gaze as she spoke, “Well?”

“So you want to purchase this insignia, what’s that about? You’re not with the woman who made the request, right? A business rival or something?”

“I guess you could call her a business rival, but there’s probably a mountain of things that doesn’t cover?”

“I don’t get it. Well, I don’t really care about that anyway.”

As Subaru agonized over how to talk himself out of this one, Felt seemed indifferent as she laughed it off. She then extracted the draconic insignia from her bosom.

In her hand was the insignia, the jewel within it glowing red. She dangled it before him as if to flaunt it,

“I’ll just sell it to whoever can offer me the highest price. That woman will probably be mad if I scrap her request, though.”

“It’s even possible she’ll go crazy, but― Never mind, I’m just talking to myself.”

Setting aside these words that would only complicate things, Subaru once again cleared his throat and donned a serious expression,

“So, you’re going to allow me to negotiate for it?”

“I’ll hear anyone out so long as they can bring me some profit. Ain’t it obvious?”

“Talk about a strong will…　I’m going to be offering an item worth more than twenty holy gold coins. I would like to use it to purchase your insignia.”

“Hmm, I see. You’re offering quite a bit, huh. That’d certainly reward my efforts… But your rival’s offering that much too, you know?”

“Yeah, right. The deal was ten holy gold coins. Too much greed is going to kill you, you know? Seriously.”

Practically speaking, he did think that that was probably why the first massacre happened. Cause of death: Greed.

Since he even knew the exact number, she must have thought that her tricks wouldn’t work. After her eyes widened slightly, she scratched her head in resignation,

“What, you even know that much? … That’s right, it was ten holy gold coins. Even so, once she learns she’s got a rival, she’s bound to offer more, isn’t that right?”

“That much is true, you know?” The edges of the perhaps fourteen or fifteen year old girl’s lips curled upward.

She sure is sly, as Subaru felt a certain degree of admiration toward her boldness he was also excited at the prospect of negotiating from a superior position like this.

“I don’t suppose you’d listen if I asked to make the deal right here and now?”

“Obviously. I mean, the stuff you said earlier is pretty suspect too. I definitely didn’t mishear you, and what you said was not that you have twenty holy gold coins, but rather something worth that much. It’s unfair for only one side to know what cards are being played in a negotiation, right?”

“I think what really matters in a negotiation is how much you can prepare beforehand, but… I suppose it’s also true that you can’t make a decision without knowing what I’ve got.”

He didn’t want to waste time with her grumbling.

Making a decision, he pulled this negotiation’s key item, his cell phone, out of his breast pocket.

The sight of this small contraption caused Felt to raise her eyebrow slightly, but that was it. As usual, she didn’t really care unless there was a clear connection to money.

“That’s supposed to be worth twenty holy gold coins? Doesn’t look any different from a hand mirror or something to me.”

“This is one of those ‘Meteor’ things that are all the rage these days. It can freeze a moment in time. Alright, now check this out―NATSUKI FLASH times eight!!”

Subaru turned on continuous shooting mode, causing mechanical sounds and flashes of light to emanate in rapid succession.

White light filled the alley, and as the light covered her, Felt reacted to the sounds and flashes with a rather unfeminine shriek.

Subaru was happy to have gotten a better reaction than last time, and quickly thrust the screen before her when it looked like she wanted to complain. Her red eyes widened in surprise.

“This is the power of this meteor. It can produce exquisite pictures in this manner. And if you’ll let me add some PR speak, it’s the only one of its kind in this world. So, how about it?”

As Subaru looked down at her with pride, Felt hummed in response. She examined the phone in his hand closely, and once she’d looked it over, she nodded in understanding.

“… Doesn’t look like you’re lying. But is this supposed to be me? You said it produced a clear picture of the world, but I think I’m prettier than this.”

“I get the feeling that you’ve got a fine base, but when the presentation is this bad there’s really nothing to be said… If we cleaned you up and put you in some nice clothes, you’d be like a totally different person, for sure.”

“That condescending attitude and the way you ended that sentence piss me off… Kinda makes me want to never show you that.”

He had needlessly provoked her, but Felt’s attitude seemed favorable..

But then, that these slum dwellers didn’t easily go along with others’ plans was one of their strengths.

Felt smiled sadistically at his proud expression,

“I’ll admit you’ve got something unusual there, but it’s still unclear how much it’s worth, you know? Let me warn you, I’m not so much of an airhead as to just accept everything the other party says, I’m not going to believe this thing is an easy twenty holy gold coins just like that.”

“… Well, that’s obvious. I wouldn’t really mind if your brain were a sponge, but I suppose we do need a third party’s opinion.”

It would have been nice to keep things going and settle it right here, but he did expect that it might not work. The problem now was who to use as a third party,

“Deep in the slums, there’s a place called the loot house. The place is as the name would suggest, I think it would be quickest to ask the weird old man in there. He appraises things fairly, you know? He’s got some experience, so he should be able to judge a meteor as well.”

“It comes to this after all…”

He also expected that she would end up suggesting this.

From her perspective the loot house was the place she was supposed to meet Elsa, and also a place that had a bodyguard she could rely on in case things got violent.

When you also added the appraisal of the meteor, there was no other choice. Despite this, Subaru really did wish to settle this before they reached the loot house.

“I’m fine with having the old man take a look, but…”

“You’re suddenly calling him an old man even though you’ve never even met him, you might end up regretting that, you know? He’s actually pretty scary if you’re rude to him.”

“Although he does seem to dote on a certain foul-mouthed girl, giving her milk and stuff…”

This was clearly irrelevant, but Subaru did feel like it was as if he was doting on his granddaughter.

Regardless, the problem wasn’t the person, but the location.

“Can you not call him out here or something? You can use my phone if you want.”

“Even if you ask me, I’ve no clue what I’m supposed to do.”

“That’s true, isn’t it.― I’ve only got family and stuff in here, anyway.”

And to pad his lonely contacts list, he also had the police station, fire department, ambulance, time announcement service, weather report etc. It was like a prideful loneliness.

“I don’t know what your issue is, but if you’re in a hurry let’s head there right away. There was a little something I wanted to do, though.”

“Something you wanted to do?”

“Ah, the owner was a lot more persistent than expected, it was a real pain to get away so I wanted to sabotage her. Give ‘em a little money and the guys around here will happily do it.”

“Alright, let’s go, right now, immediately, in a flash!”

As Felt started walking, Subaru started pushing her shoulders from behind and hurried her toward the loot house.

“What the hell?” She pouted as Subaru hurried her, congratulating himself for minimizing unnecessary damage.

To try to hinder Not-Satella while she was chasing after her insignia, there was a limit to how far you could go for a little money. If it meant being blasted by ice and writhing in pain, it was probably better to just stay home clutching their empty stomachs.

“But we’ll have him look quickly and then seal the deal on the spot.”

“Man, why are you in such a hurry? You’re getting pretty sweaty, live strong.”

“Looks like everyone around here says that, is it a slogan or something?!”

Subaru thought it ought to be revised to ‘live stubborn’.

Leaving such impressions behind, he headed to the loot house for the third time, in this fourth world.

―He’d get out immediately. He’d dash out of there. He’d leave even if he had to leave them behind.

Having come to this decision internally, Subaru was fire up and pushed hard at the shoulders before him.

“That hurts.”

“That hurts!”

He was kicked.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“To the rats,”

“Where do they sell boric acid balls? Poison.”

“To the skeletons,”

“Digging is a lot harder than you’d expect, huh. Pitfall.”

“To the noble dragon we are,”

“It probably really exists since this is a fantasy world, but if I were to actually face it I definitely wouldn’t be able to do anything. But it certainly fascinates me, so I do want to meet it. I can’t deceive this wavering heart of mine, however I can’t say I dislike it. A real shitbag of a feeling.”

“Can’t you just say the password without adding all that crap?! You’re too damned annoying!”

The door opened from within with such force that it was like it had been kicked open, but Subaru had anticipated this and quickly leaped backward to avoid taking damage.

There was a giant standing there, too tall for the door and growling in frustration―It was the bald old man Rom whom Subaru was already familiar with. His face was red, it seemed like his blood pressure had spiked.

“You’ll have an aneurysm if too much blood flows into your head. That’s pretty dangerous even with modern medicine.”

“If you know it’s bad for me, don’t anger me! What’s with you?! I have to keep the place cleared out today, so you can’t enter! You can’t! Serves you right!”

Rom stamped his feet in a very immature fashion. But, what wiped the smirk off his face was,

“Aah, sorry. This guy’s one of my guests too. Let him in, old man.”

Felt who was hiding behind Subaru.

She looked at Rom with sympathy as his shoulders dropped in disappointment. She then cast a sidelong glance at Subaru whose expression was apathetic as he whistled,

“You’ve got a pretty horrible personality, huh. You’re the worst, and that’s putting it lightly.”

“I just somehow end up wanting to tease people. The type that shines when they get to mess around, huh… I thought I’d discovered my M tendencies, but it turns out I was an S as well…? Isn’t this the perfect offense and defense?!”

“I don’t know and it looks like it’d be best not to know so I’m not listening. We’re coming in, Rom.”

Felt slipped by Rom who was hanging his head and entered the loot house as if it were completely natural.

Rom’s gaze seeking an explanation was ignored, so he turned his confused face toward Subaru instead. Subaru nodded at his wrinkled face,

“This is why self-centered people are troublesome. Average fellows like us just get left behind, huh?”

“I’d like to start over from when I was teaching her what words meant… Get in quickly.”

Rom seemed to have given up on everything as he carelessly shrank his giant frame and went back in. Following him, Subaru entered as well, welcomed by the dusty interior.

Still cautious, he snuck a glance inward, but fortunately it didn’t look like Elsa or Not-Satella were lying in wait.

Felt casually sat at the counter, drinking some milk like she owned the place. She noticed his gaze,

“What? This is the only cold one, I’m not giving it to you.”

“Your shamelessness doesn’t bother you at all, huh. I’ll take some booze, old man.”

“You’re just as shameless as she is! I’m not giving you any! None at all!”

The floor creaked under Rom’s giant body as he ran to the other side of the counter to hide a box that seemed to contain his drinks. His turmoil almost inspired pity, and Subaru chuckled in response, “That was a joke.”

“I see, so that’s where the alcohol is. Now that I know where it is, it’s practically mine already…”

“You’re saying that out loud! To try to loot booze from the owner of the loot house, you wanna be lower than the lowest?!”

“Woah… You’ll make me blush. And it’s not like I’ll do the stealing myself. I’ll be hiring Felt.”

“Sorry, old man. I can’t turn down a job.”

“Will no one take my side?! Isn’t this my house?!”

By this point he was actually worried about Rom’s blood pressure, so he decided to stop teasing him.

Felt seemed disappointed since she was just getting into it, but Subaru brushed her off with an ingratiating smile and turned to the counter

He didn’t want to sit on these seats any longer than he had to, so he got the point right away.

“Alright, old man. We got sidetracked, but let’s get to the point.”

“Feels to me like that was mostly your fault, but… What do you want?”

“What I want to request is an appraisal, basically. I’d like you to put a price on this meteor I’ve brought and guarantee its value to Felt.”

Rom’s gray eyes became serious when the conversation turned to business.

He looked at Felt to confirm this, and returned his gaze to Subaru after she nodded.

His eyes suggested he wanted to see the item, and Subaru took it out of his pocket.

What first caught his eye was its metallic appearance. It looked like a toy in his oversized hands as he gently handled it.

“This is a meteor, huh. Even I’ve never seen one before.”

“There’s probably only one of this thing in the world. Also, it’s pretty delicate so handle it carefully. If it breaks, I’ll seriously have to die.”

Meaning a retry.

As he felt around its exterior, he gently opened the flip phone. Its startup sound was what first surprised him, and the wallpaper was the next surprise.

“This picture is…”

“I thought it was perfect timing, you see. To show you how effective this thing is, I decided to use a scene from Felt’s day as the wallpaper.”

The phone’s wallpaper had been set to one of the pictures of Felt he had just recently taken.

He picked the one he thought looked the cutest, and the image quality was decent as well so he thought it was pretty nice to look at.

Rom compared the picture with the real Felt who was sipping milk right next to him.

“What a surprise. I don’t think there’s anything out there that could produce such an excellent picture.”

“It’s a meteor that seals away a moment in time, you see. A human couldn’t draw anything even close to this, right? I could even photograph you if you’d like.”

“I’m interested, but it’s also somewhat frightening. It doesn’t shorten your life or anything, right?”

“Regardless of the age and regardless of the world, looking at a picture brings to mind that kind of superstition, huh…”

Rom’s reaction felt like it came from before the Taisho period. Next to him, Felt’s ears pricked up when they started talking about lifespan. Subaru reassured them by responding, “You’ll live to eighty just fine even if you get photographed”, and then used the camera function to photograph Rom.

Rom hummed as he looked at the picture.

Doing this before his very eyes was probably sufficient as a demonstration of the phone’s abilities. To begin with, he already knew from personal experience that Rom’s impression of the phone would be favorable.

“This is definitely something amazing. If I were selling this, I’d take at least fifteen… No, twenty holy gold coins. That’s how much it’s worth.”

Perhaps his smuggler spirit had been stimulated, his eyes were sparkling.

He dealt in stolen goods, Subaru wondered if such an occupation was really one to be proud of, but he was still relieved to receive Rom’s seal of approval.

Subaru turned to Felt, his nostrils flaring as his face filled with pride.

“Well, that’s what I’m offering you. Just as I said, an item worth more than twenty holy gold coins. I’d like to trade this for your insignia.”

“Seems you make that face often, it’s annoying.”

Perhaps unhappy that things went as he expected, Felt’s expression was one of displeasure. But still, that didn’t change the fact that this meant she had a windfall coming her way.

Her gaze moved toward the cell phone in Rom’s hand,

“Well, I’m definitely happy now that I have a guarantee that this thing can make me some money. It looks like I don’t need to doubt your claim of twenty holy gold coins either. Alright, I accept the card you’re playing.”

“Right?! Okay, negotiations went off without a hitch. Selling it is up to you, do your best! Anyway, I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be taking my leave now…”

He approached Felt in a hurry and extended his hand, seeking the insignia.

However, his palm was gently pushed away.

When Subaru raised his eyebrow, Felt brought her face close to his,

“Hold on a moment. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“It’s not like I’m in a hurry or anything? A-Also, your face is too close.”

“What, you’re the sort that gets shy when a girl gets close to you?”

“Nah, you probably haven’t bathed in several days so there’s this terrible stench.”

She walloped his jaw from directly below.

The pain of biting his tongue brought tears to Subaru’s eyes as he recoiled.

“You sure don’t go easy on the girls, huh?!”

“And you, can’t you take a little joke?! I’m already shedding blood here!”

The cut in his mouth was fairly deep, and the metallic taste brought back some unpleasant feelings.

Felt’s face turned red, and she covered her face with her shoulder-length hair.

“Do I really smell that much…”

“I just said that to hide my embarrassment, is what I’d like to tell you but I can’t lie to myself.”

He turned his face away, still teary-eyed, and collapsed on the spot, his teary form looking rather effeminate. The triviality of this act sent Felt beyond the point of anger, and she simply took deep breaths with her fingers on her forehead.

“Alright. Hold on a moment. Let’s get back to what we were talking about. Calm down, cool off.”

“What we were talking about, huh. Yeah, that’s right. For now, I think it’d be best to start cleaning up around your bed. There’s quite a bit of garbage around there, so even when you sleep the stink…”

“How about we forget about my stench and get back to the other thing?!”

“… You… Sure kick, quickly…”

She kicked forward in embarrassment, and scored a clean hit on Subaru’s jaw due to the position he was crouching in. He didn’t bite his tongue this time, but he hadn’t even stopped bleeding yet, and the second impact caused even more blood to pour out.

“Drinking too much blood makes me feel absolutely horrible…”

“If you’ve learned your lesson, take our conversation more seriously. Well, getting back to our return to the topic at hand, I’ll ask you again, why are you in such a hurry?”

She extinguished the anger from her expression, and looked as cold as she could as she asked this.

Rom read the mood and remained silent, so he couldn’t look to him for help. Subaru shrugged his shoulders in resignation,

“Life doesn’t last forever. Every second is precious, I don’t want to waste any…”

“Aah, right, right. That’s enough of that. Hey…”

Subaru attempted to cover things up, but Felt stopped him in his tracks.

Her red eyes narrowed, and with a detached attitude she finally pierced the heart of the matter.

“To begin with, why do you even want this insignia?”

Arc 1, Chapter 18 – “Battle in the Loot House”

They saw Subaru’s breath catch, and he realized what a mistake he had made.

This was where he needed to brush things off with a casual joke like he had been doing, but instead his complete lack of communication ability had him displaying his weakness for all to see.

In a negotiation, there was nothing that could make you lose your advantage quite like having your weakness exposed.

As a result, the edges of Felt’s mouth relaxed in response to Subaru’s silence.

“The woman who hired me didn’t want to say anything either, and it looks like it’s the same for you, huh?”

“… Thievery is pretty immoral in itself, so naturally anyone involved in it would have some shady business going on.”

“But you’re the shadiest one here. Thinking about it clearly, what you’re trying to do is to snatch away a stolen item requested by someone else.”

With the cruelty of a cat toying with its prey, Felt incessantly attacked Subaru’s incompetence.

She then coldly addressed him with a sadistic smile,

“What is this insignia anyway? The truth is it’s worth way more than it looks. That’s why you all want it, right? In other words, it’s worth more than a meteor.”

“Wait, Felt. That way of thinking is really dangerous. I can pretty much guess at what you’re going to say next thanks to my gamer brain, but… You’d better leave it at that.”

Subaru saw her miser gauge start to fill up, and tried to keep her in check even as he broke into a cold sweat. At this rate, she’d just keep on raising her price.

If that happened, the negotiation would drag on and they’d walk right into the BAD END waiting for them.

“It’s more than twenty holy gold coins, just take the deal! Don’t try for more than that! El… The one who hired you can’t go over twenty either! You’re not going to get more!”

“And why do you know that?”

“Ah…”

“You’re slipping up. ―So you know her.”

How easy it would be if he could just declare that he knew because of Return By Death.

But even if he actually tried explaining it, there’s no way she’d believe him.

The suspicion in her eyes was getting deeper, she probably wouldn’t believe a word he said at this point.

If it was going to turn out like this, he’d be better off just snatching the insignia from her, but,

“This muscly old man’s going to be a problem if I try that…”

“She got you good, kid. Pretty pathetic to be outwitted by a girl younger than you.”

“It’s probably because of how you raised her. Her stubbornness could make me cry.”

If he resorted to violence, he’d just get flattened by Rom.

Even supposing he were able to snatch it away from her, he didn’t think he could outrun her.

If it came to a long distance race, Subaru’s ability was pretty low even among his classmates.

No matter how much he placed in the top three elsewhere, he could only ever manage consolation prizes in long distance runs which meant he would generally never get an A.

“Felt, please…”

“Begging won’t do you any good. I acknowledge your right to negotiate, but it’s hardly fair to end things without even hearing the other party out, right? But it’d be a different matter if you could tell me what this thing is really worth and produce adequate compensation.”

Her pressing eyes didn’t contain the slightest hint of mercy or compassion.

Her eyes were completely focused on him, hoping to deduce the truth from his behavior. However, it wouldn’t be possible to ascertain the insignia’s value no matter how much she started at him

But the reason he wanted the insignia was different from Elsa’s, he just wanted to repay a favor.

Beyond that he only knew what it looked like, that it had a jewel embedded in it, he didn’t know anything Felt didn’t.

Thus, it would not be possible for him to give her the response she desired.

“The reason I want that insignia… Is so I can return it to its owner.”

“―Hah?”

That’s why, with all of his sincerity, he revealed the truth

“I want to return it to its owner. That’s why I want it. That’s all.”

As her eyes widened, Subaru raised his head and repeated his declaration.

Her crimson eyes were filled with hostility as she glared at him, but even so Subaru could only remain silent.

He didn’t have the leeway to crack jokes, he sincerely got on his knees and lowered his head.

“… Felt. It doesn’t look like the kid’s lying.”

“Don’t be fooled, old man. He’s clearly screwing around. Return it to its owner? As if he’d pay such a large sum to get it back from the person who stole it, that’s absurd. It’d be over if he just brought a guard with him to apprehend me.”

He couldn’t do that.

Not-Satella didn’t want guards involved in this.

That’s why he even refused Reinhardt’s offer to help.

If it was something inconvenient for her, then Subaru wouldn’t do it.

That was all he could do, his sincere response to her for saving his life.

“You need to come up with something better if you want to trick me. I won’t fall for it no matter how serious you act. Otherwise I… Right. I won’t fall for it.”

“Felt…”

Felt’s voice was hoarse, as if she was trying to get something off her mind.

Rom seemed concerned, perhaps his pained expression was because he understood what she was feeling.

Either way, all Subaru knew was that her obstinate attitude meant she wasn’t going to change her mind.

In other words, this negotiation had ended in failure.

“―Who’s there?”

At that moment, Rom’s expression changed as he glared at the entrance to the loot house.

Subaru, still on his knees with his head lowered, was currently in shock from the breakdown in negotiations.

Because of this, his mind’s response was just a little too late.

There were several sharp knocks, and Rom silently turned around.

His gaze was directed at Felt, who nodded. She pointed to herself,

“It might be my client.―Seems kinda early, though.”

She headed toward the door as she said this, she reached for the door with her anger still evident in her expression.

As Subaru watched her from behind, he suddenly felt a terrible sense of unease well up within him.

Loot house, knock, Felt’s client― There was only one answer that fit.

“―Don’t open it! We’ll be killed!!”

This was earlier than expected. The bit of light pouring in from the window was still fairly bright, that orange shade was too brilliant for the sun to have set.

In both the first and second worlds, the despair came after the sun went down.

It wasn’t as if he was taking things lightly because he thought he had time.

But even so, this was still too soon.

―He still hadn’t managed to change anything about this world.

His scream filled with grim determination was futile, he was unable to stop Felt from opening the door.

With the door open, the loot house’s dim interior was faintly illuminated by the evening glow.

And then,

“―Kill you? I wouldn’t do something that drastic without warning.”

A silver-haired girl entered the loot house with a sour look on her face.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“Thank goodness you’re here… You’re not getting away this time.”

Felt wordlessly backed away at the sight of the silver-haired girl―Not-Satella.

She had a mortified expression as she retreated, and her lips warped in annoyance.

“You really are a stubborn woman.”

“You’re quite impertinent for a thief. I won’t hurt you if you hand it over quietly.”

While Felt seemed to be grinding her teeth, Not-Satella’s voice was extremely cold.

Subaru felt the temperature of the room drop rapidly, and couldn’t help but shiver at the changing atmosphere.

―Why is Not-Satella here?!

The sun was just now setting, from what he’d previously experienced, she shouldn’t have even reached the entrance to the slums at this point in time.

And from there, gathering information would take almost two hours. And only then would she reach the loot house, that was how it went on his first attempt.

“So basically, she would have gotten here this quickly if I weren’t with her?”

If she hadn’t healed him in that alley, she would have just made it here on her own. And this quickly.

Subaru couldn’t describe how he felt now that there was proof of his uselessness that transcended space and time.

Even as Subaru felt this emptiness, the situation continued to progress without him.

Felt had already crossed the center of the room and reached the back as she continued to retreat, and Not-Satella smoothly blocked the path to the door as she turned her palm toward them.

The magic being gathered in her palm caused the air to crackle faintly. It seemed like ice magic was her specialty, the room’s temperature dropped as she formed icicles.

“I have but one demand. ―Return my insignia. It’s important to me.”

There were six icicles floating in the air. Their tips were rounded, so their power came from their weight rather than their sharpness. But if she scored a direct hit, the damage would definitely be on an entirely different level from those rocks.

Of course, Subaru himself was one of her targets and this caused him to break out in a cold sweat, all he could do was watch what happened silently so as to not provoke her.

“… Old man.”

“I can’t move. You picked up something troublesome and someone troublesome came with it, Felt.”

Felt quietly called to him, but Rom shook his head, his giant body filled with tension.

The familiar club had appeared in his hand at some point, but his arm didn’t look like he could swing it. As if lost, as if bewildered, he alternated between loosening and tightening his grip on it.

“The fight hasn’t even started and you’re giving up?”

“I wouldn’t withdraw if she were just some magic user, but… She’s trouble.”

Rom chided Felt for her provocation.

His gray eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Not-Satella who had icicles at the ready.

His eyes were filled with strong caution and even stronger reverence as he looked down at her.

“Young lady… You’re an elf, aren’t you?”

Rom asked with trembling lips, causing Subaru to look up instinctively.

In this sort of fantasy world, elves were an indispensable race.

They had long ears, long lives, and were beautiful.

Rom’s question caused Not-Satella to close her eyes briefly, after which she sighed,

“That’s not quite right.― I’m actually only half elf.”

She spoke as if this confession was painful, and Subaru knit his brows at this.

But the other two had much bigger reactions.

Felt’s reaction was especially striking, she shuddered as she retreated even further,

“Half-elf… And silver hair?! Don’t tell me…”

“It’s an accidental resemblance! … I find it quite bothersome.’

Subaru didn’t understand their exchange, but he did to some extent get that it was one Not-Satella really didn’t want to deal with.

He didn’t know what exactly she was denying, but it didn’t seem to calm Felt down at all.

Rather, she turned her gaze toward Subaru who was just standing there in silence, and her red eyes were filled with intense animosity as she glared at him.

Subaru’s face stiffened in confusion, and she laughed as if mocking herself.

“So you were playing me all along, huh?”

“What?”

“I thought it was weird when you started talking about returning it to the owner and stuff. Stopping me from hiring those guys in the alley to block her was part of the plan too, wasn’t it? You were with her from the start.”

Her questions were filled with resentment, and Subaru realized she had misunderstood the situation.

But he also realized something else, he was now closer to piecing together why Not-Satella had arrived so early.

Originally, she wouldn’t have made it this soon after all. Right, normally the guys Felt hired would meddle with her and delay her arrival.

That didn’t happen this time thanks to Subaru, and Not-Satella was able to appear earlier than usual.

From a causal perspective he was the main reason this happened, so Felt’s anger wasn’t exactly misplaced. In truth, the situation was starting to go the way he hoped.

Unless Felt and Rom had some trick up their sleeve, they would have no choice but to return the insignia to Not-Satella.

To be honest, Subaru wanted to obtain the insignia and return it to her himself, but he wouldn’t complain as long as it ended up in her hands.

If things kept going like this, one could probably call it the second best plan. However,

“…? What do you mean? You’re not comrades?”

Not-Satella reacted to the apparent break up between Felt and Subaru.

In response to Not-Satella’s confusion, Felt laughed scornfully, “Hah”

“Just drop the act already. I’ve been cornered. How about you just take the insignia back and laugh at my stupidity?”

“You’re caving too easily. All that just because you’re at a slight disadvantage?”

“That’s what you have to say after landing me in this situation? Aah, damn it. I’ve been had!”

Felt angrily scratched at her blonde hair and groaned in frustration.

The crease in Not-Satella’s brow deepened further as she watched this completely unladylike behavior.

Seeing that they weren’t quite on the same wavelength, Subaru clapped his hands and intervened,

“Well, things are just getting complicated so let’s leave it at that. Give that insignia back, Felt. And Sate… You, leave this place quickly. Don’t let anyone steal from you again.”

“Why are you acting nice all of a sudden? I don’t get it…”

“I don’t understand either. What’s with you?”

His plan to smoothly intervene had failed magnificently.

It had completely backfired, he had drawn their attention to him and become the focus of their ire.

It’d be too hard to explain, so he turned to Rom for help, but he crossed his thick arms,

“Our opponent uses the spirit arts, not ordinary magic. Can’t make any careless moves.”

He ended up misunderstanding Subaru’s intent and denied him his aid.

Subaru was interested in the new term Rom had casually used, but the sharp gazes from the two girls were unbearable.

He had to get out of this somehow―The moment he glanced at the door,

―A shadow stealthily approached the silver-haired girl from behind, as if gliding.

“―Puck! Block it!”

A sensual smile passed through the room’s shadows, and a silver glint that seemed to be squirming lunged at the girl’s white neck.

In an instant, the girl’s head was torn off as Subaru watched with wide eyes― That’s probably what would have happened originally.

―A crack.

What hit his eardrums was not the sound of steal severing bone, but that of steel smashing glass.

Not-Satella lowered her body slightly, and a magic circle that glowed a pale blue manifested behind her head.

The knife was stopped when it slammed into it head on, the magic circle had perfectly protected her neck from the blade.

“Puck…”

“That truly was by a hair’s breadth.”

Not-Satella leapt forward and turned around.

Following after her was her silver hair, and a small animal with gray fur peeked out of it from around her shoulder.

Puck hummed in pride and glanced at Subaru,

“Right in the nick of time, you saved us.”

“I’m the one who’s been saved. Thank you.”

Puck’s gesture was akin to a thumbs up, and in response Subaru offered a frail thumbs up as well.

Satella had appeared before sundown―Meaning her reliable backup was still on the clock.

Even though he had been called so suddenly, Puck was able to protect her with his unexpectedly splendid performance.

As for the assailant whose surprise attack was blocked,

“―A spirit, you’re a spirit, yes? Fufufu, wonderful. I’ve never killed a spirit before.”

The familiar murderer raised her kukri knife up to her face that was filled with ecstasy―It was Elsa.

Her sudden appearance put Not-Satella and Subaru on guard. However, the first one to take action in response wasn’t either of them.

“Hey, what’s this about?!”

Felt yelled as she stepped forward.

She pointed at Elsa and pulled the insignia out of her bosom.

“I thought your job was to purchase the insignia. Turning this place into a sea of blood wasn’t part of the deal!”

“Purchasing that insignia is indeed my job. But negotiating won’t be possible since you’ve also brought the owner along, so I’ve decided to change my plans.”

Felt’s face had turned red with rage, but faced with Elsa’s gaze full of killing intent she instinctively stepped back. Elsa looked down at her as if she found her fear adorable,

“I’ll massacre everyone in here, and then collect the insignia.”

Elsa’s smile was like that of a loving mother as she made this cruel declaration, she then tilted her head,

“―You couldn’t do your job properly. It’s only natural you’d be cast aside.”

“―!”

Felt’s face warped in agony, not from fear but from a different emotion.

Subaru didn’t know if Elsa’s words touched a sore spot. He didn’t know, but

“Quit screwing around, damn it―!!”

It angered him enough to make him forget about the difference in their ability and yell at her.

Elsa looked at Subaru in surprise. Felt, Rom, and Not-Satella were no different. But the one who was most surprised of all was Subaru himself.

He himself didn’t understand why he suddenly flew off the handle.

He didn’t understand, so he just let his emotions take over and spilled everything.

“Is it really that fun to pick on a little kid?! You damned bowel-loving sadist!! Also, your appearance was way too sudden, were you just waiting outside for the right timing or what?! You made me celebrate prematurely because it looked like things could go smoothly, you’re too damned scary, I really didn’t want to meet you! Just how many horribly painful, tear-inducing memories do you think I’ve got?! If I had some change for every time I got torn up by a blade, I’d be a damned millionaire! That was an exaggeration!”

“… What are you saying?”

“My tension and rage meters are maxed, so I’ve got no clue what I’m saying either! That’s how my day’s been, so how are you guys doing? And please don’t change the channel.”

In response to Subaru’s nonsensical screaming, Elsa let out a small sigh of exasperation which was rather unusual for her.

Subaru found her attitude strangely hurtful, and as he sent spittle flying.

“Stalling complete― Do it, Puck!!”

“That was magnificently awkward.―I’d better live up to your expectations.”

As Subaru stamped his foot, an aloof voice responded to him causing Elsa to look up.

Sharp icicles surrounded her in every direction ― There were more than twenty of them.

“Seems I haven’t even introduced myself, young lady. My name is Puck.―Remember that name in the afterlife.”

In an instant, Elsa was bombarded by icicles from every direction.

Arc 1, Chapter 19 – “A Spirit Arts User’s Battle”

The icicles crisscrossed mercilessly, filling the room with a white mist and covering the black cloaked figure in freezing wind.

The speed of these icicles was far beyond what he’d seen in the alley, as far as Subaru knew this had transcended the major league and had reached a level of speed you only saw in video games.

Their sharp tips would easily pierce through the human body and come out red with fresh blood.

There were about twenty of them. If they landed, it’d mean certain death. But,

“Is she finished?!”

“Right, there’s a bad flag―!!”

Even though he had remained silent for so long, the baldy just had to go and say something at the worst possible time.

And as if to answer Subaru’s shout,

“―I was prepared, you see. I quite dislike its weight, but it was the right decision to wear it.”

Cutting through the white smoke, Elsa dashed forward with her black hair dancing behind her.

As she brandished her kukri knife and nimbly advanced, there was no sign of injury on her body. She had cast aside her cloak and was now only wearing the form-fitting black clothes she wore underneath it, but there was no change besides this.

“Don’t tell me it’s the sort of thing where you take off weighted clothing and become faster?!”

“That would be pretty interesting, but the reality is simpler. ― My cloak had a spell woven into it that could negate magic just once. Seems it allowed me to keep my life.”

Elsa politely answered Subaru’s query, and then swung her blade forward from a low stance.

Standing in her path was Not-Satella who had just unleashed that huge attack.

The blade’s path was true, intended to plunge the heavy tip into her chest. Subaru was about to scream, but before that could happen,

“You’d do well not to underestimate a user of the spirit arts. We’re rather frightening when you make enemies of us.”

A multilayered shield of ice easily stopped Elsa’s blade.

Not-Satella placed her hands together before her chest. She had probably formed that shield using her hands. With her attack blocked, Elsa immediately backflipped away.

A number of slightly smaller icicles were rapidly fired in pursuit and pierced the ground.

This was Puck’s attack, he floated by Not-Satella’s silver hair as he waved his arms like he was conducting an orchestra.

“They’re splitting the roles of offense and defense―It’s really two on one.”

“That’s what makes spirit users dangerous. One handles offense while the other handles defense. Depending on the situation you’ll have one stall with simple magic while the other prepares a powerful move… They can do that sort of thing. On the battlefield, it is commonly said that ‘If you encounter a spirit user, you should drop your weapon and wallet and run.’”

As Subaru looked on in admiration, Rom who was next to him muttered gravely as he tightened his grip on his club.

Subaru nodded at his words. Indeed, in a one-on-one battle their advantage was absolute. Overcoming it would be no easy feat.

“By the way, what are you planning to do, old man?”

“I’ll look for an opening to help the elf girl. She seems more reasonable than the other one.”

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! Don’t try it! You’d only be a burden! You’ll just have your right arm and throat ripped apart if you go, so stay right there!”

“Don’t be that specific! It almost feels like that actually happened!”

He had actually seen this happen twice, as a result his statement felt genuine.

Rom seemed rather displeased as he clutched his arm and neck as if he felt himself getting cut down in another dimension.

Even as they had this exchange, the battle continued.

Although Subaru had warned Rom with his frivolous talk, in truth there were no openings to interfere in the battle.

―Countless lumps of ice formed one after another and were blasted all over the room.

Their sizes varied, the larger ones were about the size of a head, and the smaller ones were roughly fist-sized. They were all fired with the speed of a full power pitch, and it was clear just how dangerous they were.

However, even as she was surrounded by all of this ice, Elsa’s movements now that she had lost her magic-negating cloak had transcended the realm of common sense.

She would twist her body, lower herself to the ground as if crawling, and occasionally even defy gravity by running the walls. If she judged that even this wouldn’t suffice, she would strike the ice with her blade, shattering the white crystals. She matched quantity with overwhelming quality, her skill was exceptional.

“You handle yourself well for a girl.”

Even Puck had to admire her combat sense that could only be described as godlike.

His mutter caused Elsa to smile broadly even in the midst of that chaotic battle.

“Oh my. It’s been quite a while since I was last regarded as a simple girl.”

“Most of my opponents might as well be babies from my perspective. But even so, you’re so strong it’s almost pitiful.”

“It’s quite the honor to receive praise from a spirit.”

Genuinely delighted this compliment, she swept away the ice surrounding her with her blade.

He must have fired close to a hundred by now, but besides that first bombardment not a single one connected.

Puck was pressuring her with the sheer quantity of his offense, but he was unable to land a decisive blow.

“At this rate, won’t they run out of MP and lose?”

As he pictured a reversal in offense and defense, Subaru pointed out that a lengthy battle would prove disadvantageous.

However, Rom shook his head.

“I don’t know what this Empi is, but there’s no need to worry about a spirit user running out of mana in battle.”

“No need to worry about them running out of mana…?”

“Unlike magic users, spirit users do not use the mana within them, but rather the mana around them. Unless the world itself runs dry, a spirit user will never run out of mana.”

“They’ve got unlimited gasoline so they can rev their engines as much as they please, huh. Quite a cheat.”

Rom cocked his head, Subaru’s response was completely incomprehensible to him.

He then continued with his head still tilted, “But,”

“There’s also the matter of how long the spirit can remain corporeal. Once the spirit is gone, the situation might change drastically.”

“Crap, that’s right… It’s almost five, isn’t it?!”

In the first world, Puck went to sleep not long after sunset.

It hadn’t been that long since the fight started, but surely throwing around that much magic must have been a significant drain on his mana reserves or whatever.

Subaru’s worries,

“Ah, this is bad. I’m getting a little drowsy. Actually, I was fighting in my sleep just now.”

“Hey, Puck! Get it together!”

“… Hah! I’m up! I’m awake! I’m definitely not sleeping!”

“His voice is so low, isn’t that conversation super concerning?!”

Seemed to be right on the mark.

Puck seemed to be nodding off already, and he could see that Not-Satella who had Puck on her shoulder was also starting to look anxious.

“Just when it was getting good. You’re not even paying attention, how cold.”

“That’s the problem with being a popular guy. The girls just won’t let you sleep. But staying up too late is terrible for your skin, you know?”

Bending her knees slightly, Elsa prepared to leap.

Anticipating this, Puck shrewdly winked at her and spoke.

“How about we go ahead and put an end to this? You must be tired of seeing the same old performance, right?”

“―My leg.”

The instant she tried to advance, she tipped forward and had to put out her hands to stop her fall.

Subaru stared in shock at this unbelievable screw up, the reason for which was at her feet.

Elsa’s right foot was stuck to the frozen floor.

The shattered ice had slowly piled up, and had now been used to trap her foot.

“It’s not like I was just firing randomly, you know?”

“… So you’ve got me, is that right?”

“Just think of it as the difference in experience, I believe this is worthy of some praise. Good night.”

As he threw his chest out, Puck’s small body started to waver.

He thrust his hands out in front him, a pose that suggested he was about to use a killer technique, and started gathering up the largest amount of magic thus far― Even Subaru could see it radiating from him.

That magical power did not turn into ice, it was fired as pure destructive energy.

The bluish white light froze everything in its path, and dyed the loot house white in one fell swoop.

The energy passed through Elsa and slammed into the entrance to the loot house, blowing away the poorly fitted door. The freezing waves left in the aftermath even reached outside.

Once that magnificent light passed through, all that was left was frost. The goods, the furniture, the counter, everything was completely frozen.

Naturally, anyone who took a direct hit would inevitably be turned into an ice sculpture.

However―

“You’re joking…”

“I’m afraid not. Aah, splendid. I thought I was going to die.”

If she had taken it head on, perhaps.

“… You’re a girl, so I can’t really praise that sort of thing.”

She had managed to avoid his last resort, but Puck wasn’t any angrier than his words suggested. He truly was displeased by the act itself.

―Subaru could see blood dripping, and traces of steam coming off the frozen floor.

The source of the blood was Elsa’s right foot. She was standing barefoot just barely out of the path of Puck’s attack, and a large amount of blood was pouring out of her right foot.

It was only natural. After all, she had sliced off the sole of her foot.

“I was in such a hurry I almost chopped the whole thing off, that was a close one.”

“But even that amount ought to be quite painful.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re correct. It is painful. Wonderful. I feel alive. Now…”

In response to Puck’s concerned words, Elsa nodded with an ecstatic look, and then raised her bleeding foot and pressed it against a nearby lump of ice with no hesitation.

It sounded like the air was cracking, Elsa moaned seductively after which she used her kukri knife to smooth the ice’s surface.

With that, she managed to stop the bleeding. She had recklessly attached a part of the ice to her sole.

“It’s a little hard to move, but it’s enough.”

Her ice shoe produced a stiff sound as she tested it against the ground, she then smiled even more cheerfully.

The fact that she was so addicted to battle that she didn’t even mind mutilating herself left Subaru speechless, but it left an even bigger impression on Puck and Not-Satella who were facing her.

“Puck, can you continue?”

“Sorry, I’m really sleepy. I underestimated her a bit. I used up too much mana, gonna disappear.”

When Puck responded to her murmur, his voice had for the first time lost its composure.

The cat on her shoulder, by her silver hair, started to emit a faint glow and looked as though he could disappear at any moment. He was out of time.

“I’ll handle this somehow, so get some rest for now. Thank you.”

“Should anything happen to you, I’ll act in accordance with the contract. ― If it comes down to it, wring your Od to draw me out.”

As if urged on by Not-Satella’s tender voice, Puck’s body suddenly scattered and vanished.

Every single person in that room lamented his retreat, but the one who was most disappointed was,

“―Aah, he’s gone. How terribly unfortunate.”

Elsa, who had been fighting for her life.

She once again readied her blade, and moved toward Not-Satella with high-pitched footsteps.

In response, Not-Satella started forming icicles one after another, but she couldn’t form nearly as many as Puck had.

But considering Elsa’s mobility had dropped, their chances of winning were probably still fifty-fifty.

“We can’t just stand around staring anymore.”

Rom gripped his club and readied himself, perhaps he thought the situation looked bad.

When Subaru silently looked at him, he shrugged his shoulders,

“We don’t know if she can win without assistance. So if we just sit around and watch, we’re just missing our chance… You understand, right, Felt?”.

“Yeah, I get it. Even if we choose to run, we’ve got to do it right now.”

Felt hadn’t spoken a word since Elsa first made her threat.

She stood next to Rom who seemed ready to fight, and then suddenly turned to Subaru.

“About earlier… You kinda saved me.”

“―Ah?”

“Just a little, mind you. Also, don’t call me a kid. Despite how I look, I’m actually fifteen. Probably around the same as you.”

“… I’m eighteen this year. I can drive and get married.”

“You don’t look it! You look like a kid, you gotta live a life that shows on your face more!”

On top of being a shut-in, he also lived a life without major ups and downs..

But still, he felt that his current situation had way too many gigantic ups and downs.

As the two resolved themselves and observed the state of the battle, all Subaru could do was watch.

He was probably the weakest one there. And it wasn’t merely fighting strength that he lacked…

“My legs are trembling, they won’t move… I don’t even have the resolve.”

It was more than a problem of being unqualified, he couldn’t even get involved.

.Rom had his arms, Felt had her legs, and Satella had her magic, they could use these to fight. However, Elsa’s abnormality transcended all of these.

Truly―

“She’s getting overwhelmed.”

Rom’s candid impression said it all.

Not-Satella continued to fire an endless barrage of ice, but they were all smashed apart by Elsa’s blade dance.

Elsa sprang toward her, slashing as if she was dancing, and in response Not-Satella halted her attack to block with her ice shield and then froze the ground underneath her to slide away, barely avoiding the subsequent attacks.

If she managed to gain some distance she would once again go on the offensive with her ice barrage, but Elsa didn’t seem like the kind of opponent who’d fall for the same trick twice.

The next time she approached Not-Satella, Subaru would probably end up seeing a sight he never wanted to see again.

“Here goes―!”

Probably imagining the same thing, Rom roared as he joined the battle.

He raised his club and produced a powerful wind as he swung it, a bit of the hair on the back of Elsa’s head got caught up in this as she ducked.

“Oh dear, it’s rather boorish to cut in on a dance.”

“If you wanna dance that bad, I’ll make you dance the finest dance of all! Here, round and round!”

Rom thrust his spiked club at her, changing the scope of his attack from a line to a point.

This sudden unconventional attack was aimed at Elsa’s throat, and the end the result froze Rom’s throat.

“What the hell?!”

“Because you’re so strong, I can even do this.”

Elsa was on her tiptoes, standing on the tip of his club.

There was a divinely inspired sense of balance to this disparity in power, the first time such acrobatics were performed. Before this miraculous balance could collapse, Elsa swung her blade horizontally.

It was aimed at Rom’s temple, the force was such that a direct hit would blow the top of his head off.

“As if I’d let you―!”

Clang, a small knife was thrown into her blade’s path, hitting it.

The impact from directly below slightly disturbed the blade’s movement, and the side of the blade slammed into his head, still retaining its speed. There was the dull sound of steel striking bone, and Rom’s body collapsed to the side.

“Bad girl.”

“―Ah.”

Elsa landed casually, and turned her gaze toward Felt.

Felt’s small knife had saved Rom from a fatal slash. She had probably been aiming at Elsa’s arm, but it seemed her haste threw off her aim.

But it could also be said that this just barely saved Rom’s life.

“You have neither the resolve nor the strength to fight. That being the case, you should have just cowered in the corner, making yourself small.”

With high-pitched footsteps, Elsa’s dark figure seemed to be gliding as she instantly appeared before Felt.

Rom was unconscious from the blow to his head, and since Not-Satella had put some distance between them, she would not make it in time. Felt herself was paralyzed, like a frog in a snake’s sights.

“Haidaraaaa―!”

So the only one who could grab her small body and leap out of the way was the one who had been cowering in terror right next to her.

Arc 1, Chapter 20 – “The Gang’s All Here”

He leaped into her waist, and embraced her small body as they fell toward the ground.

The instant before he hit the floor, he felt as though steel had singed the hair on the back of his head which made him shudder. But he forced himself to ignore it due to the weight in his arms, and tried to create some distance as they tumbled.

He got on his knees and turned around to find Elsa standing still with an expression of surprise. He felt as if he’d gotten one over on her, and donned a twitching smile at his triumph.

His smile almost made her retaliate, but she switched to defending against the rapid-fire icicles coming from behind her. Thankful for Not-Satella’s aid, he looked down into his chest,

“Are you okay?! It was a desperate situation, so please overlook it if I touched anything I shouldn’t have!”

“I’d have thanked you if you didn’t say that.― Wait, why?”

“No clue! My body just moved on its own! It’s seriously a miracle! Make miracle! If I had to say, it’s because I’m repaying a favor, although you probably don’t know what I’m talking about! You don’t!”

[T/N: Subaru says ‘Make miracle’ in English]
He released Felt and clenched his fist, congratulating himself for somehow doing a good job.

In the second world, Felt had saved him from Elsa. He was able to repay her for that. But that was a meaningless memory in this world, and now both Felt and Subaru had fallen before her blade.

―But even so, the kindness he received wouldn’t just disappear. And if he could move now, he obviously had to see things through.

“Alright, I can move. Did that brush with death suddenly strengthen my resolve? Bravado is still bravery, recklessness is still courage. I’ll do it, it’s time to do it, gotta do it, have to do it, aren’t I gonna do it?!”

“H-Hey, bro…”

“Listen up, listen me. Listen closely, Felt. I’m going to start buying time just like Rom did before he fell in battle. I’ll create an opening one way or another, use that to run away. Run straight out of the entrance with all you’ve got, don’t look back. It’s what you call an escape, got it?”

[T/N: Subaru says ‘listen me’ and ‘escape’ in English]
“―! Absolutely not! Are you really telling me to just turn tail and run?!”

Her red eyes looked up at him as if glaring, and he accepted the challenge and brought his face close.

He immediately noticed when for a moment, his strong will caused Felt’s expression to falter.

“That’s exactly right, turn around, tuck your tail in, and run. To be honest, that’s what I want to do. I don’t want to stay in this violent hellscape a moment longer than I have to.”

He patted her blonde hair with all his might and then took a breath, “But,”

“You’re fifteen, and I’m eighteen. So you’re probably the youngest one here. Therefore, we obviously have to choose whatever option gives you the best chance of survival. It’s obvious!”

“W-What are you… Don’t screw around, you were cowering in fear just moments ago.”

“That was then! This is now! I’m not cowering now, so it’s fine! Or rather, I’ll have to do this before the fear paralyzes me again. That’s how it is, so run!”

Subaru pushed on her forehead to silence any further objection, and then started warming up as he stood up. Rom’s club had also fallen out of his hand and tumbled nearby.

He picked it up with great effort, despite its extreme weight, he could still swing it.

“I can probably keep her in check with at least one good strike… Looks like I was right to swing that pointlessly large bamboo sword every day. To think it was all for this moment, not bad, me.”

He sang his own praises as he swung the club, and then held his breath as he waited for the right time.

Felt looked like she still had something to say as she held her breath behind him, but he didn’t have the time to deal with her indecision right now. Their chances of survival were probably dropping with every second.

There wasn’t any sign of sluggishness in Elsa’s movements as she danced through the ice. To begin with, Subaru couldn’t even begin to understand whether or not she was open considering his complete lack of actual combat experience.

Therefore, the instant Elsa’s view was blocked as she cut down a particularly large icicle, he forgot to even breathe as he brought the club down.

“―Fush!”

It seemed the desperate situation had increased his strength, he swung the club even faster than expected.

It was a blow that could split a human head like a watermelon if he scored a direct hit, but,

“Your aim was excellent. But unfortunately, you exuded too much killing intent, it made your attack obvious.”

“Killing intent?! I have no idea how I’m supposed to control that!”

Although he’d attacked from right behind her, Elsa slammed the back of her blade into the club, altering its trajectory to avoid it. As Subaru whined about the failure of his surprise attack, he bared his fangs,

“Now! Go, Felt―!!”

“―!!”

As if jolted by his shout, Felt’s small body dashed forward, riding wind itself.

She’d reached her top speed in a single step. She ran through the room so fast the human eye couldn’t track her, moving past the scattered icicles and frozen floor as her body headed toward the entrance.

“You think I’ll let her?”

To stop her, Elsa drew a knife and threw it from right beside her.

Perhaps as revenge for Felt’s interference earlier, the plain looking knife was going to plunge straight into her back as she ran. But,

“You’ll have to let her go!!”

Kicking up a nearby table, Subaru blocked the knife’s path.

His reflexive reaction produced results, the knife ended up piercing the table and thus could not reach its target. Subaru couldn’t help but internally applaud his miraculous feat,

“Awesome! But my toes hurt more than expected…Bubugaru?!”

A long leg kicked him in the side of his head, interrupting his praise midway and causing him to crash into a wall.

The impact was to his shoulder so his head was fine, but this unexpected force halted his thoughts. The pain finally set in, and he once again tasted blood in his mouth.

“How unusual, I feel just a little annoyed.”

“Well, that’s just great! Hahaa, That. Is. What. You. Get! I made you lose one! Now, let me enjoy your whining, you loser!”

Putting on a show of courage as he got back up, he relentlessly provoked Elsa to draw her attention.

He didn’t think it was a very reliable plan considering her personality, but as if reading his mind, her smile deepened and she completely disregarded Felt.

“Alright, I’ll play along. In exchange, don’t bore me with your dancing.”

“Let me warn you, you’d better be prepared if you wanna dance with me. I’m rather unrefined, so I’ll end up stomping all over your feet.”

He ended up taking some mental damage when he remembered how he couldn’t dance with the girl he liked at a certain folk dance.

He spat out the blood gathering in his mouth, and fixed his grip on the club he was holding.

He wouldn’t have very many chances to use it. So instead of thinking about using it like Rom or whatever, he focused completely on meeting Elsa head on as she approached.

“Don’t forget about me!”

As Elsa focused on the opponent in front of her, she was suddenly assailed by some ice from behind.

She swung her blade without even turning around and deflected the attack. Her senses transcended human understanding, even Subaru couldn’t crack jokes at this point.

“I’m tired of that game, though… Do you think you can still entertain me?”

She asked in a low voice, her smile the color of blood.

This smile sent a chill down Subaru’s spine, he then glanced at Not-Satella. When their eyes met, he gave her a slight nod,

“If you have some kind of hidden power or something, now would be a good time to use it.”

“… I do have a trump card, but if I use it I’ll be the only one left.”

“I’ve got this! I can still do it! It’s too early to use your trump card! Why give up so soon?! The fight is still even! Let’s do this, me!”

Subaru waved his limbs around to show he was in good health, trying desperately to stop her from giving up on everything. His frantic expression caused Not-Satella’s lips to relax even though they were in the midst of battle.

“I’m not going to use it. Not while you’re still trying so hard. Let’s struggle all we can― Running to daddy is my last resort.”

Her resigned expression as she said this caused something to light up within Subaru.

He thought it was rather unlike him to have this sort of sentiment well up from within.

It wasn’t like him, he wasn’t that kind of person at all.

He was always apathetic toward his surroundings, he was unaffected by whatever went on around him, no matter what sort of problem arose, he would never choose to face it earnestly, instead he would just casually wait around for it to fade away, like a cloud or something.

Pinning his hopes on others or having others place their hopes in him, he thought he didn’t care about any of that.

―Just now, he ended up hoping. And because of this hope, he was disappointed.

He had only ever seen her look tense or brooding as she looked for a certain something, so he wanted to see her smile.

But to think that this expression that looked like she was giving up, like she had resigned herself to whatever was going to happen, would be the first ‘smile’ he received from her, there was no way he would allow that.

“That doesn’t count…”

“―Eh?”

“Ignore what I just said! It’s all nonsense! I’m seriously fired up here!! I’m going to do this, damn it! I definitely won’t let you use that trump card!!”

He thrust his finger out, and announced this to both Not-Satella and Elsa.

He stomped his feet and sent spittle flying as he howled in excitement.

“Don’t make that sort of face, you’re wasting your beauty! And you, you damned sadist of the year, read the mood! Don’t make her look like that! You’re wasting your beauty too!”

“… Seems you have a little too much energy.”

“Because you haven’t managed to spill a single person’s blood! But this club, ‘Kotetsu’, has been lusting for your blood all evening! Fm! Fmm!”

He swung his club on the spot, like a bat.

Pulled by its weight, Subaru staggered around flustered as Elsa pointed her knife at him.

“That’s enough fooling around. It’s about time we started dancing, do try to keep up.”

“You too, don’t think this will be over too quickly. Don’t underestimate me, I’ll toss you with my right and slam you with my left!”

As Elsa leaned forward slightly, Subaru pointed his club at her as if he was announcing a homerun.

Because of this unnecessary gesture, he wasn’t able to respond in time when she leaped at him. He readied the club in a panic, and prepared to strike the slender figure flying toward him.

There was a strong wind as he swung from the side, this attack would blow Elsa’s head off.

He put everything he had into this merciless swing, prepared for the horrific sight it would create. It wouldn’t be strange if a direct hit turned part of her into mincemeat.

“As if I could beat her by showing mercy!”

The urgency of the situation meant Subaru couldn’t even think about holding back.

In response to this lethal blow, Elsa lowered her stance even further with practiced movements and continued to approach if slithering on the ground as she avoided his attack.

“You damned spider woman―!”

“Well, you are trapped in my web.”

Seeing the blade reaching up to him, Subaru immediately threw himself backward. However, he still couldn’t escape the blade’s range.

In an instant so short you’d miss it if you blinked, the memory of the first time he stood up on his own two legs flashed through his mind, his parents clapped and exclaimed ‘This kid might be a genius’.

“Damn it, looking at my current situation after that flashback, there couldn’t possibly be a more pathetic memory―!!”

The embarrassment this memory caused made his knees shoot up.

He hadn’t been aiming for anything, but Elsa ended up taking a direct hit to her torso as she slipped toward him.

She let out an erotic moan of pain and her blade’s path was thrown off slightly. There,

“An ice shield― Nice cover!!”

“I’m not very good at forming it where I want to. ― I almost ended up creating an ice sculpture there.”

“You mean her, not me, right?!”

A block of ice appeared near his face and stopped the blade, Subaru immediately spoke his thanks as he retreated, and Satella stated this as she wiped her forehead.

She then dodged his question and started firing another barrage of ice at Elsa to keep her in check.

“You insects are starting to become an annoyance…”

“Hey now, don’t go underestimating insects. You might be allergic to our bite!”

“You’re acting pretty cocky now that you’re in a safe spot.”

Elsa was focused on dodging the hail of ice, and Subaru was attempting to break her focus with his taunts.

He would have loved to slip behind her to attack, but if he carelessly stepped into that barrage he would probably be taken out by his own ally.

That was probably why Not-Satella had restrained her attack while he was fighting.

This was the level of teamwork you could expect from an impromptu team formed on the spot.

“However, the two worked together to overcome this trial and their bond deepened. Before they knew it, trust had turned into love and their burning passion could no longer be stopped…”

“I have no clue what you’re whispering over there, but it’s clearly something compleeeetely irrelevant.”

“To think of another girl while you’ve got a woman right in front of you, how very boorish.”

“They both hated it?!”

Elsa somehow kept her composure even in the midst of these rapidfire attacks.

Subaru continued to watch as Elsa deflected the ice, he would occasionally cut in with an attack of his own and then immediately retreat, he kept repeating this cycle as he thought.

Their steadily worsening situation hadn’t changed, it was obvious that Elsa could easily take out Subaru just like she did to Rom if she felt like it.

It only seemed like he was able to put up a fight because she possessed an overwhelming advantage in ability and was making light of him. The fact that Subaru’s fear would not let him step any further into lethal range was another reason.

If Subaru had more courage than brains, she’d probably end this equilibrium in a single swing.

Nonetheless, it didn’t seem his cowardice could prove useful for much longer.

The severity of her slashes was gradually increasing, and Subaru was steadily accumulating cuts as he failed to evade in time.

There were cuts on his arms, his calf, under his armpit, and even a shallow one on his neck, his gray jersey was starting to turn red as his blood stained it.

“Getting cut hurts! It hurts real bad! Even wounds of this level could make me cry!”

“―No good after all, huh.”

“Ah, sorry! I lied! Please ignore that! Don’t give up, don’t use that trump card! I can still do this! I’m completely fine, I’ve got this!”

He waved his hands to show Not-Satella he was fine, and then immediately performed a spinning kick.

He had aimed to catch Elsa off guard with an attack completely different from the pattern he established with the club. But,

“Right, got you.”

“Geh.”

She easily avoided his kick, and then grabbed his leg before it could pass by. She raised her kukri knife aiming to chop off his entire leg. The force would easily tear through his leg in one stroke, its speed and sharpness were more than enough.

The shock from the blood loss and pain of having his thigh severed would kill him― He could see the words BAD END 4 appear before him.

“Nuooo! Whatever is within me, burn up―!!”

He immediately tried to raise the club to block, but the weight meant he couldn’t lift it in time while standing on one leg.

Not-Satella screamed in despair as the merciless slash reached his leg.

The premonition of horrible pain and fresh blood caused him to quite literally scream up blood―

“―That’s enough.”

Piercing the roof, a blazing inferno descended into the loot house.

The flame’s dreadful aura swept through the room and even halted Elsa’s brutal act.

Subaru stumbled backward when his leg was released and ended up falling on his butt.

And before him, within the swirling dust and smoke, he saw a crimson glow.

“It seems things were rather risky just now, but I’m glad I made it in time.”

“Y-You’re…”

The flame wavered as it stepped forward.

In its path was Elsa, who had retreated quite some distance. She adjusted her grip on the kukri knife as she faced the being before her, losing her composure for the first time.

Before this overwhelming sense of intimidation, she no longer had the leeway to enjoy herself.

Its dignified presence froze Subaru’s, Not-Satella’s, and even Elsa’s expressions.

Even with all their eyes on it, its handsome features did not waver.

The young man only had a single-minded sense of justice in his sky-blue eyes as his lips formed a slight smile.

“Now, it’s about time we finished this―!”

Brushing his crimson hair upward, the handsome youth loudly declared this.

Arc 1, Chapter 21 – “The Power of the Sword Saint”

[Side: F]
Her body rode the wind out of the battlefield, she felt as if she was freed from the despair the moment she passed the entrance.

In the end, in that world she didn’t even have the leeway to look back at, the battle raged on even now.

There was the dry sound of freezing air as well as the sound of steel shattering ice, and there was also the sound of a blunt weapon tearing through the air along with the occasional ‘Hyoeh’s and ‘Fuah’s as someone dodged while making strange noises.

The battle wasn’t over.

Even though Felt had run away, leaving it all behind.

“What the heck am I thinking? Isn’t it lucky that I was able to escape?”

If she had stayed there, she would be dead, that was obvious.

Felt didn’t have the slightest change against a woman who could bring Rom down with one blow. It was the same for the silver-haired elf, she probably wouldn’t be able to match Elsa now that she had lost her spirit’s support.

As for Subaru, it was completely obvious that he was worthless.

Once could tell at a glance that he was just an ordinary fellow, and he hadn’t the slightest hint of combat experience. His lovely fingers suggested that he had never held a weapon, and his unmarred hair and skin probably meant he had never been injured.

In other words, he had lived a sheltered life. His social status was such that he didn’t need to think of combat.

He did bring that absurdly expensive meteor, so this way of thinking made sense.

She should just think of it as him getting his just deserts. Ignorant of the ways of the world and possessing just a little chivalrous spirit, he ended up trying to do more than he could. She should just laugh at his recklessness.

“Right, keep running. I can’t stay in this town anymore. There’s people that terrifying. Before they find me, before it’s too late to run away, I need to, quickly…”

Even within the slums, she had to choose a route known only to those who stayed here. Narrow and tiny, it was like a path for animals, but it was an ideal escape route.

Considering her agility and small frame, she didn’t think there was anyone who would be able to capture her here. If she was to prioritize her life, this was the ideal method.

After all, Subaru who was probably dead by now had tried to act cool by letting her escape, so if she ran away successfully, he could at least rest in peace. That much was obvious.

It was obvious, but,

“―Someone, isn’t anyone there?!”

Even though her brain told her she should choose the narrow path, her legs took her to the slum’s main road which connected to the main street. Her expression was one of panic and she was out of breath, even her line of sight was unsteady.

Sighting a rundown shack, she ran up the wall and stood atop it, she then sent spittle flying as she screamed.

It wasn’t just anyone that she needed.

She needed someone who had the power to face that murderer―Elsa.

If anyone would do, she had already seen several figures as she ran here. But Felt was by no means someone well-liked around here.

Especially now that she was in trouble, Rom was probably the only one around here who would help her.

If she just left Rom like this, he would die.

Even Subaru who had helped Felt escape was probably fighting for his life right now.

It was a strange feeling. Without understanding why, she desperately rubbed her eyes that were on the verge of tears.

Setting Rom aside, what was so bad about some guy she just met dying? He seemed to have had a good upbringing, spoke a lot of nonsense, and to call him inconsiderate was putting it lightly.

But when Elsa’s words almost made her cry, he got angry for her, and even now he was sacrificing himself so she could escape.

She didn’t understand what she was feeling. However, because she was feeling it, Felt’s heart urged her to run.

She had felt something in response to his actions. Because of this feeling that wouldn’t stop heating up, Felt continued to run, desperately wanting to scream.

And then, once she had run through many, many streets―

“―Please, help.”

“Understood. I shall help you.”

She encountered a young man like a crimson inferno, and changed fate.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

“… Reinhardt?”

“That’s right, Subaru. It’s been very long, has it? Sorry to be late.”

The tall figure turned its head toward Subaru who was still on the ground―Reinhardt’s faint smile seemed apologetic.

Even though he had ripped through the roof and dropped about five meters, this didn’t seem to have had any effect on him as he casually walked forward. His movements were refined even as he cleared the dust, Subaru felt that he was now somewhat different from when they had faced Tonchinkan, he felt that he was getting a glimpse at Reinhardt’s true nature.

Reinhardt looked forward with his guard up, at the beautiful woman in black clothes whose hostility was directed at him. His blue eyes suddenly narrowed as if remembering something,

“Black hair and black clothes. And a curved blade characteristic of the north. ― With those characteristics, there’s no mistaking it. You’re the ‘Bowel Hunter’, yes?”

“What’s with that super disturbing nickname…”

“It was given to her due to her distinctive method of killing. She’s a rather infamous criminal who is known to be dangerous even in the capital. It is also said that she’s just a simple mercenary, though.”

Reinhardt sincerely responded to Subaru’s mutter, and set his clear blue eyes on Elsa. His gaze caused her to stir,

“Reinhardt― Yes, the knight among knights. From the line of sword saints. Incredible, to think I’d encounter such interesting opponents, I suppose I’ll have to thank my employer.

“There’s a number of things I’d like to ask you. I recommend you surrender.”

“You think a starving predator could resist a splendid steak dripping blood?”

She seductively licked her lips with her red tongue and looked at Reinhardt with an ecstatic expression.

Receiving her gaze, he scratched his cheek as if troubled, “I suppose not.”.

“No choice. Subaru, step back a bit. Get the old man somewhere safe if you can. It’d be a great help if you could stay by that person’s side after that.”

“Understood… She’s a monster of a woman, so don’t let your guard down.”

“Fortunately, hunting monsters happens to be my specialty.”

With these promising words, Reinhardt advanced, completely calm.

He did not even reach for the sword at his hip, he approached her barehanded.

His composure made Subaru gulp, but what happened once the battle started shocked him even more.

“―Sh”

Exhaling sharply, Elsa brandished the knife in her hand, aiming for his neck.

She was no longer holding back like she was against Subaru, the flash of silver killed the air itself as it rushed toward Reinhardt’s slender neck. Reinhardt seemed completely defenseless against this. Forget drawing his sword to block, he did not even attempt to dodge.

As the blade swung toward him, Subaru saw a vision of Reinhardt’s head being torn off. There would be a spray of blood, and Reinhardt’s head would fall later like in a manga.

That was the scene he saw. But―

“I’d prefer not to be too violent against a female opponent, but…”

Reinhardt said these gentlemanly words in a somewhat lower tone. Then,

“Excuse me.”

With force that shattered the ground and created a shockwave, his kick sent Elsa flying.

The shockwave even reached Subaru, who was rendered speechless by the wind..

It looked like a normal front kick, and yet it held such power that the wind from the shockwave shook the entire building. Having received a direct hit, Elsa’s body flew like a leaf until she sprang off the wall to reduce the impact and landed as if tumbling onto the ground. Ever her expression was one of astonishment.

“Woawoahwoah, seriously… What’s with that?”

He had used the term ‘off the charts’ many times until now, but right now, for the time Subaru believed that he had been using it all wrong.

The term surely existed just to describe the man standing before him.

Compared to him, running like the wind, swinging a club like a twig, transcendent battle sense, and magical power boasting overwhelming quantity, all of these were completely overshadowed.

“You’re as good as the rumors say… No, you’re even better.”

“I’m not sure I can live up to your expectations.”

“Will you not use the sword at your hip? I would love to experience its legendary sharpness.”

Elsa recklessly pointed at Reinhardt’s sword, she wanted to face him at his best.

But Reinhardt shook his head in response,

“This sword can only be drawn when it is necessary. That it has not left its sheath means this is not one of those times.”

“It seems I’m being looked down upon.”

“I find this judgement rather troubling as well. Therefore―”

Reinhardt suddenly averted his gaze and looked around the loot house. He then found a worn down two handed sword among some loot that had been placed against the wall, but were now strewn about the ground.

He flipped up the handle with his foot and easily caught it as it spun, he then lightly swung it as if testing it,

“I shall face you with this. Are you dissatisfied?”

“―Not at all. Aah, wonderful. Simply wonderful. Please, do entertain me!”

As Reinhardt held the sword, Elsa took the initiative by spinning her body to the side.

Immediately after, she threw several knives as she spun. There were four of them, thrown near simultaneously. She had been holding back when she aimed for Felt.

These blades thrown at different heights weren’t as fast as Not-Satella’s ice, but the difference in their trajectories would make it difficult to dodge. In other words, he had to deflect them, but,

“Of course, I’ll take advantage of that opening.”

Elsa’s body leaped like a wind-up toy. She flipped as if using the ceiling as footing, and then sprang back down aiming for Reinhardt.

A two stage attack, even if he managed to deflect the knives he would still have to deal with Elsa’s attack.

There were four attacks and another one right behind them, in response Reinhardt raised his sword before him,

“Sorry, but― Projectiles won’t reach me.”

Immediately after he whispered this, Subaru saw a sight that defied the laws of physics.

The knives that were going to plunge straight into Reinhardt’s body―Their trajectories suddenly changed, they missed his body and hit the wall harmlessly.

He hadn’t used any special magic, nor had he swung his sword faster than the eye could follow. He had essentially faced her first attack completely defenseless, this was an unfathomable spectacle, an absurd sight.

“The divine protection of arrow avoidance―!”

“I was granted it at birth, you see… Please don’t think of it as unfair.”

The knives completely failed to impede him, so their next exchange turned into a direct confrontation.

Elsa’s slash had all the speed from her leap, and Reinhardt was prepared to take it by swinging his sword directly upward.

Even though it was an exchange of an instant, Subaru could see everything in slow motion.

Perhaps that was because Reinhardt’s movements were perfectly refined, his every action seemed to possess divine skill that was almost magical.

He was holding some crude sword he found in a warehouse in the slums, but in his hands it shone like a legendary sword spoken of for generations.

His swordplay truly seemed to push the sword to the limit of what it could do.

Reinhardt’s blade hit its mark, the base of Elsa’s kukri knife―Even though it was a clash between steel, that absurd cutting power easily dispossessed Elsa of her blade.

Flipping by placing her hand on the ground, Elsa was left speechless by the fate of the weapon she held.

With the blade sliced off, all she had left was the handle, and as for the blade,

“Now that you’ve lost your weapons, I recommend you surrender.”

Reinhardt held it in its hand as he turned around, lowering his sword.

Reinhardt threw it with a flick of his wrist, and it did not even look as it pierced the wall with a sharp sound. Even Subaru could hear Elsa gulp.

“This guy’s seriously out of this world. Even I can’t find the energy to crack jokes about this.”

This impression leaked out of Subaru as if he was being squeezed, he then excitedly distanced himself from the battle.

He approached Rom’s fallen body, and somehow managed to drag him near the wall.

“Old man, Rom. Hey, baldy, listen here, are you still alive?”

“Uu… Who’s… Bald…”

“You, obviously. As if it’d be anyone else. My only goals in life are to never go bald or become fat. From my perspective, you’re a great example of what not to do.”

Though frail, at least he was able to respond, Subaru struck his forehead and heaved a sigh of relief.

Setting aside the severe damage to his head, the old man was probably alright. His memory might end up getting a little worse, but that would be a small price to pay to keep his life.

“Is that person alright?”

As Subaru relaxed, Not-Satella called out while running over to him.

With her long silver hair flowing behind her, she analyzed Rom’s injuries, she then whispered, ‘I’ll have to heal this’ as a faint blue glow emanated from her hands.

“Hey now, this old man’s one of the people responsible for your insignia’s theft, you know?”

“That’s the reason. Once I heal him up, he’ll have to repay that favor by answering my questions. He definitely won’t lie to someone who has saved his life. This too is for my sake.”

Perhaps she needed to make such long winded excuses to justify her actions.

Smiling wryly at her roundabout nature, Subaru redirected his gaze to the battle.

Elsa was on her knees, he couldn’t see her expression but it seemed that Reinhardt had concluded that she had lost the will to fight. Lowering the hand holding his worn out blade, he approached Elsa with his guard down.

This was probably because he was confident in his superiority, but conceit always led to the worst outcomes. Alarm bells went off within Subaru, and the moment before Elsa moved as if leaping,

“She’s got another one, Reinhardt!”

The knife she drew from her waist sliced off a bit of Reinhardt’s bangs as he leaned backward.

Now that her surprise attack had failed, she turned to Subaru,

“That was rather sharp of you.”

“I’ve experienced it first hand, after all!”

He flipped her off with pride that barely even counted as pride, but Elsa seemed to think he was talking nonsense and simply ignored him.

“However, I have more than just two fangs… Shall we start over?”

“Will you be satisfied if I dispossess you of all your weapons?”

“If I lose my fangs, I shall use my claws. If I lose my claws, I shall use my teeth. If I lose my teeth, I shall use my bones. And if I lose my bones, I shall use my life― That is what it means to lust for battle.”

“Well then, I’ll have to shatter that declaration of yours.”

Pulling out a third knife from her waist, Elsa took a two blade stance as she once again rushed him.

Blade met blade, the clash of steel caused sparks to fly. With the force against one blade, Elsa swung the blade in her other arm.

The curved blade was aimed at Reinhardt’s neck, but his long leg shot up into her arm, ensuring it wouldn’t reach him. Elsa used the momentum to withdraw and leap off the wall up to the ceiling. She then kicked off the ceiling to reach another wall.

In a manner befitting the ‘spider woman’ insult Subaru had lobbed at her, her movements around the room defied gravity and prevented Reinhardt from going on the offensive.

She would freely attack from any direction and immediately withdraw, and Reinhardt was completely focused on intercepting her attacks, not moving a single step from where he stood. However, it didn’t seem like there would ever be an end to this.

“Don’t tell me even Reinhardt can’t finish her off…”

Elsa’s inhuman skill was now at an entirely different level from when she was wielding a single blade.

It was like a boss character reaching their second phase. She had ascended to a higher realm.

And even Reinhardt who was facing her possessed his powerful divine protection (Subaru didn’t really understand much about this stuff, though) and his supreme combat ability, he too had transcended the realm of humanity.

It truly was a battle between Gods. But even so, it did seem to Subaru that Reinhardt was superior in terms of ability, however,

“… He’s being considerate of us.”

Not-Satella whispered as she healed Rom, as if answering Subaru’s doubts.

She sent a sidelong glance at Subaru when he went ‘Eh?’ and bit her lip restlessly,

“I’m using the spirit arts right now, so he can’t fight seriously. At the very least, until I finish healing this person…”

“What’s the connection there?”

“If he were truly intent on fighting, all the mana in the atmosphere would turn away from me.― I’m almost done here. When I give the signal, call out to him.”

“Ye-yeah.”

Her explanation didn’t quite hit the mark, but since she was relying on him, Subaru accepted despite his confusion.

The blue glow continued to heal the blow to Rom’s head, and a cut that had been bleeding slightly. His wounds and the traces of blood on him gradually disappeared, and Satella sighed deeply as Subaru looked on in admiration.

After wiping off the scar tissue with some cloth, there was no longer any sign of the blow that had knocked him unconscious. As Subaru gasped at her magnificence, she tapped his shoulder.

“Please.”

“Leave it to me.― Reinhardt! I don’t really get it, but do your thing!”

Subaru announced the completion of Rom’s treatment to Reinhardt who was still on the defensive.

Reinhardt glanced at him for a moment. When his eyes met Subaru’s, he gave a slight nod.

“―What are you going to show me?”

“The swordplay of the Astrea family―”

Elsa asked this mid-leap, and Reinhardt’s answer was short and stern.

―Immediately after, Subaru felt the space within the loot house warp.

Arc 1, Chapter 22 – “Starting Life in Another World from Zero”

“Hah?”

The atmosphere before him seemed to be warping, and he got the feeling that the room was somehow getting darker.

Furthermore, the temperature that was already low from all that ice magic had now dropped even further, causing Subaru to clutch his shoulders as he shivered.

And then,

“Eh, huh, hey.”

“Excuse me… Lend me your shoulder for a bit.”

Subaru was in a panic as he supported the silver-haired girl who was now leaning on him.

Her delicate body felt terribly hot, and Subaru felt his heart race for a different reason than it had been until now. But those feelings vanished in an instant when he saw her expression.

Her breathing was rapid and shallow and she seemed to be suffering, as though she had a high fever.

“What’s wrong, did you suddenly feel unwell…”

“That’s not it. My mana… You understand, right?”

―I don’t understand at all.

He wanted to cross his arms and announce this, but this wasn’t the time.

The main factor sealing his lips was not the weight on his shoulder, but the change in the room’s atmosphere―And who stood at the source of it.

In the center of the room, Reinhardt held the two handed sword in a low stance.

No, he had been holding it since the battle started. But even so, Subaru felt that it was appropriate to say that he was now holding it for the first time.

―Right, the ‘Sword Saint’ Reinhardt had just now readied his sword.

“The bowel hunter, Elsa Granhiert.”

“―From the line of sword saints, Reinhardt Van Astrea.”

His sword’s overwhelming aura enveloped the room, and their fighting spirit made the atmosphere tremble.

Elsa introduced herself with a lick of her lips, and Reinhardt responded with a dignified nod.

In this place that had almost been turned into a ruin, the assassin dressed in black and the lightly dressed hero faced each other, the metal that would clash was on one side a knife drenched in blood, and on the other a rusty old two handed sword ― Even so, Subaru gulped.

Having introduced themselves to one another, the two would now face each other one on one.

The brilliance of this scene was such that it truly appeared like a verse straight out of some epic.

“―!”

There was a breathless scream, was it Elsa, Reinhardt, or Subaru himself as one would expect? It was unclear.

But the result was clear to all three of them.

A brilliant light tore through the loot house that had lost its roof, and split space itself in two.

It looked as if the world itself was misaligned, that extreme light dyed the room white in an instant, but the world suddenly changed when the light faded.

The misaligned space started to return to normal, and the aftershock of this power so great it even warped the atmosphere was now rampaging through the room as wind.

The surging wind enveloped the loot, the furniture, and the scrap wood and violently tossed them about, and Subaru desperately held on to Not-Satella and Rom to protect them from this disastrous collateral damage.

“Nuwaaah!! What the heeeelll?!”

He didn’t understand the blast wave, but he did know what caused it.

With all his might, he had swung his sword but a single time―That was all, and it led to this.

Raising his voice, he endured the wind and the pain. Finally, the storm faded, and the sounds of the loot and wood that were being flung about falling to the ground in addition to the dull sound of the building creaking announced that it was over.

Tossing aside a hanging scroll-like bit of wreckage that had fallen on his head, Subaru confirmed the safety of the two he had given his all to protect. It seemed Subaru’s cover wasn’t quite enough, it looked like Rom had some milk or something splashed on him, but he’d cut himself some slack for that much.

“What do you mean hunting monsters is your specialty, you’re quite the monster yourself!”

“Even I get hurt by words like those, Subaru.”

The source of this destruction, Reinhardt, turned around and said this with a faint smile.

His seemingly blazing red hair had been ruffled by the storm, and even his nonchalant face had some sweat on it. As for the two handed sword he was holding―

“I pushed you too far. Rest easy.”

It crumbled in his hand, its poor craftsmanship could not withstand Reinhardt’s attack.

An attack so powerful as to destroy a steel blade, and Elsa who took it head on,

“There isn’t even a piece of meat left… Maybe it’s actually a good thing that she completely disappeared like that.“

In the aftermath of the slash that seemed to split the world itself, there truly was nothing left.

The destruction had blown away the counter near the entrance along with the seats, and the shockwave even reached the clearing in front of the building. The violent winds caused much of the building to crumble, and even now it looked like the whole thing could collapse.

Naturally, the spot where Elsa had been standing was also within range of his slash. Her tall figure dressed in black was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn’t even begin to comment on Reinhardt’s overwhelming power.

“But with this…”

Stretching his body that was stiff with tension, Subaru heaved a big sigh.

And as if to confirm the reality that he just couldn’t accept, he thought of the person next to him.

The silver-haired girl leaning on his shoulder―Though her breaths were still shallow, her amethyst eyes met Subaru’s gaze when she noticed he was looking at her.

“Is it over?”

“Yeah, just barely, in the true sense of the term.”

Answering the question she weakly asked, Subaru supported her as she stood up. In doing so, Rom’s head that was in her lap ended up falling to the ground, but that didn’t really matter.

Having stood up, she fixed her hair and separated from Subaru, though her legs didn’t seem very steady just yet.

Now that Not-Satella had left his side, Subaru stared closely at her.

“Why are you staring at me like that? I think that’s reeeally rude.”

“You’ve still got your head, and of course your limbs too.”

“… Isn’t that obvious? Could you not say such scary things?”

She probably didn’t understand what he was feeling.

As she glowered at him with reproachful eyes, he raised his thumb and flashed his teeth,

“That’s true isn’t it, it’s obvious. I’ve got my limbs too of course, and there’s no knife sticking out of my back nor is there a massive hole in my stomach!”

“You speak as though you’ve actually experienced such things.”

He did. Those were some seriously troublesome times.

Because of his uselessness, Not-Satella had lost her life, Rom had lost both his arm and his neck, and Felt had been sliced open, it was truly cruel.

“Speaking of which, Reinhardt. I haven’t thanked you yet. You seriously saved me. There was that time in the alley too, you must have heard my heart cry out, friend.”

“I would be rather proud if I could do that, friend.”

Reinhardt shrugged his shoulders with a somewhat pained expression, and indicated a certain direction with his jaw.

Following his gesture, Subaru looked in that direction,

“Oh”

The sight of the person standing there caused Subaru to feel his mouth unexpectedly change into a smile.

At the now destroyed entrance to the loot house, in the shadow of a barely standing pillar, was a girl with a snaggletooth and striking blonde hair looking their way timidly.

“She was running around the alleys desperately. She then asked for my help. It was thanks to her that I was able to come here. After that, I just did my duty as a knight.”

“A knight’s duty, huh. Does that include leveling old buildings?”

“Do you not think you’re being rather harsh, Subaru?”

Reinhardt touched his chest as if that struck a nerve.

Now that he’d created such a disastrous scene, his unchanging friendliness seemed a little frightening. In other words, Ikemen Maji Ikemen.

“That girl is…”

Not-Satella, with her unsteady footing, also noticed Felt’s presence.

Subaru stepped between them as if to keep Felt out of her sight,

“Time out, time out. We’d most likely be dead if she hadn’t called Reinhardt, you know? So out of consideration for my face, please spare her the ice sculpture punishment.”

“I wouldn’t be that violent. Also, out of consideration for your face…?”

Not-Satella rubbed her brow in exasperation.

Even that gesture of hers somehow brought Subaru joy.

They were both alive and on somewhat good terms, because of which they could mess around like this. It felt pretty misleading, but this was basically the development Subaru was hoping for.

“The rest depends on my negotiation, huh… That’s completely unreliable!”

“What’s the matter with you all of a sudden? You’re all flustered and it’s reeeeally disgraceful.”

Her words cut deep, Subaru placed his against his chest just like Reinhardt had. But he only ended up looking funny and didn’t have the slightest bit of Reinhardt’s coolness.

Watching their exchange, Reinhardt smiled without a hint of malice. He then raised a hand toward Felt who was watching them silently, and started walking over to her.

Watching his gallant figure from behind didn’t even inspire envy, Subaru simply dropped his shoulders. So this was the difference between those who had it all and those who had nothing.

Though cautious, Felt seemed to be grateful for his help, she did not try to run away when Reinhardt approached her.

Subaru found the sight somewhat charming as he watched them,

“―Subaru!”

When Reinhardt suddenly turned to him and shouted, causing him to realize they weren’t out of the woods just yet.

“―!!”

Some wooden wreckage burst open and a black shadow emerged from underneath.

The shadow’s black hair danced behind it as it firmly pushed against the ground to accelerate, dripping blood all the while.

Tightly grasping a crushed kukri knife, Elsa wordlessly dashed toward them covered in blood.

“You―!”

The murderer had kept her life by somehow evading that incredible slash, and her eyes were now filled with absolute darkness.

The killing intent she was now releasing was the greatest thus far, and it was like ice down Subaru’s back.

She would reach them in mere seconds, in that time Subaru’s thoughts raced rapidly.

A crushed knife. An instantaneous exchange. She’s probably betting it all on one shot. Reinhardt won’t make it in time. If I somehow survive just one attack, Reinhardt can take it from there. Not-Satella doesn’t even have time to turn around. Who’s the target? This third time, I’ll protect her.

Protectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectprotectproteeeect!!

“She’s aiming for the gut she’s aiming for the gut she’s aiming for the guuuuuut!!”

He pushed Not-Satella out of the way and immediately raised the club he was still holding to guard his abdomen―Impact.

The force behind the horizontal slash was such that it felt more like a heavy blunt force attack than cutting one.

The impact to his gut swept him off his feet and he felt the world turn upside down as he coughed up blood.

His field of view kept spinning. In truth it was his body that was spinning, having been blown away.

He had no clue how far he had been sent flying and ended up crashing into the wall completely defenseless.

“This kid again―”

Elsa clicked her tongue in frustration as she looked at Subaru whom she had sent flying.

She then turned to Not-Satella who was standing stock still, but,

“That’s enough, Elsa!”

Reinhardt had returned, and she realized it would be meaningless to continue fighting.

She threw the kukri knife in her hand at Reinhardt, though it was completely bent from her final attack against Subaru. It failed to reach him due to his divine protection of arrow avoidance, but,

“Someday, I shall slice open the bellies of everyone in this room. So until then, do take good care of your bowels.”

It bought Elsa enough time to leap away atop the wreckage.

It would take too much effort to pursue her now that she was nimbly leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Not wanting to fight anymore, Reinhardt intentionally stayed behind, choosing not to chase after her.

After he saw her fade into the distance, he ran over to the silver-haired girl.

“Are you unhurt―”

“That doesn’t really matter, does it?! More importantly―”

Worry flashed across Reinhardt’s handsome face, but she brushed him off and forced her unsteady legs to move toward the wall― Toward Subaru, who had collapsed upside down.

“Hey, are you alright?! That was far too reckless.”

“Y-Yeeeah… T-That was nothing. That was exactly the time to act reckless, ya know? I was the only one who could move, and I knew right away where she would strike.”

Subaru raised his hand as Satella’s worried face drew closer, and then gently rubbed his abdomen where he had been hit. He was terribly bruised, when he rolled his jersey up he saw that everything underneath had turned purple.

‘Uegh’, he stuck his tongue out at this disgusting sight, he then rolled over and used the momentum to stand up.

“She’s really gone this time, right?”

“My apologies, Subaru. This happened because of my negligence. If you weren’t there, the outcome would have been much worse. If anything were to happen to her, I…”

“Stop stop stop stop! Don’t say another word! I’ve been acting pretty pompous thus far, if I leave even that part to someone else I won’t be rewarded.”

Subaru stopped Reinhardt’s apology, and smiled at him when he fell silent. He then slowly turned to the silver-haired girl looking up at him, and met her gaze.

She stirred slightly, and then stood up. They were about two steps apart, he could touch her if he reached out. It was a long, hard road to get here, thinking back on it caused powerful emotions to well up within him.

When Subaru suddenly closed his eyes and fell silent, she looked like she wanted to say something.

But before she could open her mouth, Subaru thrust his finger into the sky.

With his left hand on his hip and his right hand reaching into the sky, he completely ignored the surprised gazes of those around him and loudly raised his voice.

“My name is Natsuki Subaru! I know there’s tons of things you want to say and tons of things you want to ask, but set that aside for now and hear me out!”

“W-What…?”

“Just now, I saved your life by protecting you from that evil blade! Are we okay on that?!”

“O―Kei?”

“Meaning is that clear. So, are we okay on that?!”

Subaru twisted his body into the shapes of O and K, and in response the silver-haired girl responded ‘O-Okay’ as she twitched.

Subaru nodded enthusiastically, and continued as if pressing her for an answer.

“The one who rescued you, the savior of your life, was me. And the heroine whom I saved was you. So naturally I ought to receive a fitting reward, right? Right?!”

“… I get it. Only if it’s something I can do, though.”

“Alright then, I have but one wish, just a single one.”

Subaru raised a single finger and thrust it before her, emphasizing his words further. He then wriggled his fingers which made her somewhat anxious, after which he cleared his throat and shot her a lecherous smile as she nodded with a grim expression.

“Right, my request―”

“Yeah.”

Flashing his teeth and snapping his fingers, he raised his thumb and donned a posed look,

“I want you to tell me your name.”

Her eyes widened, her expression was one of astonishment.

The room fell silent for a while, and Subaru started to tremble slightly as he maintained his posed look.

The feeling he’d disregarded earlier came back in the form of extreme embarrassment, but he couldn’t lose his nerve before even seeing their reactions, that was the worst cliche in this sort of situation.

So he remained silent, and waited for the girl’s response.

He was ready for anything, be it lumps of ice, icicles or even a freezing beam. Ah, he’d rather not deal with the freezing beam.

“Fufu”

As Subaru’s thoughts rapidly turned to extreme situations, they were drowned out by the faint sound of someone giggling.

With her hand against her lips and her white cheeks flushed, the girl smiled as her silver hair swayed behind her.

It was not a smile of resignation nor was it a faint fleeting smile, and it certainly wasn’t a grim smile prepared for the worst. She simply smiled because she was happy, that was all it was.

“―Emilia.”

“Eh…”

In response to the word she said following her laugh, Subaru could only let out a small gasp.

Seeing this reaction, she straightened her posture and smiled impishly with a finger to her lip.

“My name is Emilia. Just Emilia. Thank you, Subaru.”

“For saving me.”, She said as she offered her hand.

Subaru looked down at her fair hand and timidly touched it. Her fingers were slender, her palm was small, her hand was delicate and terribly warm, a woman’s hand with blood flowing through it.

―Thank you for saving me.

She wasn’t the only one who wanted to say these words, that went for Subaru as well. She was the one who had saved him first. All this meant was that he was finally able to repay her.

He had been slaughtered thrice before he finally reached this point.

After all that pain, all that sorrow, all those horrible memories, after he fought to the bitter end with his life on the line, his reward was her name and a smile.

Aah, seriously―

“Man, that’s not nearly enough.”

Saying this, Subaru smiled as well as he firmly returned the girl―Emilia’s grip.

※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

―That would have been a good spot to end things, but,

“At any rate, I’m glad you’re alright, Subaru.”

He was probably waiting for Subaru to finish his conversation with Emilia.

Having been forcibly silenced, Reinhardt now spoke a few words of surprise at Subaru’s safety.

Perhaps that meant that even to someone like him, Elsa’s final attack must have looked devastating.

Subaru lightly pressed his sore abdomen and then pointed to the club on the floor.

The spiked club served as an excellent shield, just as its thick and study appearance suggested.

That may not have been what it was intended for, but even so.

“It’s because I was able to use that to block right away. If it weren’t for that, my torso would be split in two right now.”

“Right, if it weren’t for this―”

He wouldn’t have been able to avoid BAD END 4, Subaru smiled casually and Reinhardt smiled along with him as he innocently picked the club up,

“Huh?”

In his hand, part of the club slid off due to the smooth cut going through it, producing a dull sound as it hit the ground.

Now that it was split in two, its days of service were over.

Reinhardt slowly looked in Subaru’s direction with pained eyes.

Following his gaze, Subaru felt an unpleasant premonition as he rolled his jersey up. His torso was completely purple from the bruising just like before, but there was a difference.

―There was a red line going across it.

“Ah, this is bad. Even I can tell what happens next.”

The sharp pain arrived first.

The next instant― Subaru’s abdomen split along the middle, causing copious amounts of blood to gush out.

“―Hey, Subaru?!”

Subaru could hear Emilia’s panicked voice from right beside him.

Aah, I finally heard her real name and now it looks like this could be the end.

―But even so, I’ll probably come back here again.

His field of view tilted. Perhaps his body had collapsed.

Reinhardt looked panicked as well, and Emilia’s well-featured face drew closer as she looked at him with an expression of sorrow.

―Aah, so cute even when she’s panicking, a true parallel world fantasy.

With that final impression, similar to a certain other time, the sharp pain and shock swept his consciousness away like surging waves.

Arc 1, Interlude – “The Moon is Watching”

A faint blue light―As he watched the water-like waves administer healing from a distance, Reinhardt heaved a sigh so faint no one noticed it.

His handsome profile was rather despondent and his clothing was slightly battle-worn. His figure standing before the wreckage was such that an image of it would be a masterpiece in itself.

However, despite his objective brilliance, from his subjective viewpoint, his inadequacy brought him such chagrin that no amount of words could describe it.

Even now, Emilia was putting her all into healing Subaru. The wound he had received was due to the opening created by Reinhardt’s conceit.

He had let Subaru sustain an injury that shouldn’t have reached him, and placed an unnecessary burden on Emilia.

Furthermore, due to his innate characteristics he would only hinder Emilia if he was by her side.

Watching from afar like this was the best he could do, realizing that some part of him was calmly acting on this judgement increased his guilt even further.

“―Alright, that should be enough.”

As Reinhardt condemned himself with his eyes closed, a voice like a silver bell reached his ears.

Emilia lightly brushed away his bangs as if wiping his forehead, and confirmed that his face was tinged red. She then stood up with a nod and turned around.

“I’ve finished his treatment.― Looks like we’re past the worst of it.”

“That’s splendid news. Now, Emilia-sama…”

Reinhardt briskly walked over to Emilia who seemed satisfied, and dropped to his knee and lowered his head. Not a single one of his movements were lacking, his etiquette was flawless.

“Due to my inadequacy, I have caused you a great deal of anxiety. I shall accept any punishment for this failure.”

He placed his sword before his knee as he apologized for his failings.

To a knight, this was the highest form of apology. Reinhardt was prepared to accept any order or punishment she may give him.

However, in response to his apology, Emilia,

“You know, I don’t really understand why you people are like that.”

“Huh?”

“You came to save us from danger, and somehow settled things without anyone dying. Despite this, you’re now trying to take responsibility for all the pain and suffering that occurred in the process.”

Waved her finger and pouted, a little displeased.

She then suddenly turned her finger toward Subaru who was sound asleep,

“That kid’s a lot more straightforward. He saved my life, and thus demanded a reward. Although he really didn’t ask for very much.”

Reinhardt too had seen Subaru try to act cool as he asked for her name. As Emilia smiled thinking back on it, Reinhardt’s lips ended up forming a smile as well.

‘So,’, Emilia suddenly narrowed her amethyst eyes at Reinhardt,

“Thank you for helping us. ―That’s all I have to say to you. As far as I’m concerned you haven’t done anything wrong, so there shall be no punishment. If you can’t accept that, then do your best from next time onward.”

“―Understood. I am thankful for your kind words.”

After lowering his head even further to show his respect, Reinhardt stood up.

Now that the two were facing each other, Reinhardt ended up looking down at her since he was much taller. Even so, what was that majesty he had just felt from her?

It was probably the difference in their caliber, Reinhardt guessed, aware of his narrow-mindedness.

On the other hand, this only reaffirmed the fact that Emilia too was one of the ‘Chosen’.

“By the way, you’re dressed rather lightly today…”

Emilia murmured as if she just realized this as she watched his silent form.

Her eyes were on his clothes―Since he was off-duty today, he wore dark clothes suited to a stroll around the capital. He understood that the fact that he didn’t look very much like a knight must have been strange to her.

“Today is one of my rare days off, so I wasn’t wearing my imperial uniform. My armor is presently in the castle, so for today my sword is the only knightly object I have on me.”

He placed his sword back at his hip, its conspicuous claw marks catching Emilia’s eye.

She then blinked, seeming somewhat surprised,

“How come you got wrapped up in this on your day off?”

“That’s a little complicated, but… It was thanks to Subaru over there.”

It was his encounter with the boy who was presently unconscious that led him here.

If he were to explain things in order, he would have to start with the alley where he first met Subaru and spoke with him.

Back then, Subaru had revealed to Reinhardt that he was looking for a silver-haired girl in a white robe. Reinhardt knew of only one person who fit that description.

Subaru wished to meet her. While in the process of investigating him, Reinhardt ended up coming to the slums,

“I met her along the way, and then arrived here.”

“Right, that girl.”

Now that she had been brought up, Emilia’s eyes turned to a corner of the clearing―To the girl who was tending to the still unconscious old man.

Feeling her gaze, the blonde girl turned around and then lowered her eyes awkwardly.

“Emilia-sama, she…”

“Reinhardt. You’ve been a great help. I’m grateful that you saved us. But I have one more request, don’t interfere any further.”

In response to her firm words, Reinhardt gave up on saying anything further.

Taking his silence as a yes, Emilia walked toward the blonde girl. The girl also turned to face her, as if prepared for the worst.

“Is that old man your family?”

Emilia leaned over to meet the crouching girl’s gaze as she asked this.

The girl was dumbfounded by this question. That was probably because this was entirely different from the sort of words she was expecting to hear.

Even Reinhardt who did not know their circumstances could tell that their relationship was not a friendly one.

The girl who seemed to have the wind taken out of her sails scratched her cheek as she tried to compose herself, and repeatedly tapped the unconscious old man’s head as if to hide her embarrassment.

“S-Something like that. To me, old man Rom is my only… Yeah, something like a grandpa I guess.”

“I see. I’ve only got one family member too. He’s always asleep when it matters, I could never say that sort of thing while he’s awake, though.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t say this sort of thing if Rom was awake either.”

It seemed like her blows to Rom’s head were becoming more than just taps. This was probably unintentional. Her pace increased as well, and his round white head started turning red.

She then looked up at Emilia with a frail light in her red eyes,

“I thought you’d be way harsher.”

“I suppose you would. Perhaps I would have if things were the way they were before, but it seems I don’t feel like it now. So I’ll let it go out of consideration for that kid’s face, just a little, though.”

Emilia shrugged her shoulders with a wry smile like it just couldn’t be helped.

When she did this and pointed Subaru out, the blonde girl lowered her face for a bit, and then quietly mouthed an apology, “I’m sorry”,

“You saved my life. I can’t act ungrateful. I’ll return what I stole.”

Saying this, she stood up and directed her gaze toward the alley.

She then addressed Emilia, “Listen,”

“When I came back, I wasn’t sure you guys were even alive… So I hid it elsewhere, is it fine if I go to retrieve it?”

“I see you’re rather cautious… I don’t dislike it, though. I’ll wait here.”

“… Are you sure? I might be making stuff up to run away, you know?”

“Running is fine, but you’ll have that coming after you, you know?”

Reinhardt, or ‘that’, as Emilia referred to him, straightened his posture.

It was a mystery what the blonde girl felt when she saw him do this, ‘Uee’, she let out a sound showing deep displeasure and then dashed into the alley saying she’d be right back.

“Once she comes back and returns everything… We’ll finally be able to go back, huh.”

“I won’t ask for details, but do be careful. ― I shall have a squad join you, please allow them to accompany you on your way home.”

“Going that far is… Even if I say that, I suppose it hardly makes a difference considering how much trouble I’ve already put you through. Very well.”

Having received her consent, Reinhardt responded, “Understood.” He then followed her gaze to Subaru who was sleeping peacefully. “Well then,”

“What is your relationship with him―with Subaru?”

“Passing acquaintances.”

Reinhardt was taken aback by her immediate answer.

Perhaps finding his reaction amusing, Emilia’s lips broadened into a smile,

“That’s all I can tell you, we really are just passing acquaintances. I don’t remember ever meeting him prior. I believe just now should have been our first meeting…”

“However, he was looking for you. He said he wanted to give you something. He was here during all of this, and also…”

‘He put his life on the line to protect you’, Reinhardt hesitated to speak this next part out loud.

It felt like doing so would somehow sully the nobility of his actions. He surely did not do it to receive praise.

Furthermore, Emilia probably understood without having to be told.

She continued from the part Reinhardt did not speak out loud,

“That’s what’s strange about it… Although I do suspect that that pervert might have something to do with this.”

“Please refrain from speaking poorly of Lord Roswaal. He is a magnificent person. It is true that he is somewhat eccentric, but…”

“You knew who I was talking about, so it’s rather obvious what you think of him.”

“… My apologies. Please keep this secret from Lord Roswaal.”

Reinhardt winked as he apologized, and Emilia ambiguously replied, “Right, right.”

After this, Reinhardt once again raised the topic of Subaru.

“What shall we do with him? If you wish to leave him to me, my family can take him in as a guest.”

“… No, I’ll take him with me. I’ll be able to find out exactly who he is, and even supposing he isn’t connected to that pervert, the fact remains that he saved me.”

“Thank you for your concern.” She finished, and Reinhardt responded with a nod.

With that, their discussion had concluded for the most part. What was left was to assign some subordinates to Emilia and escort her home safely. In the meantime, Reinhardt would also have to deal with the aftermath.

Taking a look at the collapsing building, Reinhardt closed his eyes at the scale of the damage.

As usual, he cursed his lack of self-control. He had failed to restrain just a bit of his power and this was the result. His power would wipe away the entire region if used carelessly, he had to be cautious.

“What’s going to become of this place?”

“We’ll forbid entry into the area for a while, and put up some wanted posters for the bowel hunter. Although there’s always plenty of shady rumors surrounding her, so there’s a good chance it would only be a waste of time.”

“And that girl and the old man?”

“… I’m unsure of the circumstances, but considering my duty as a knight I do not believe I can overlook their actions. However,”

He paused and took a breath, and then shrugged slightly.

“It’s my day off, and furthermore, if the victim does not file a complaint, it would be difficult to pursue the matter due to a lack of evidence. Haha. Seriously, I don’t know the situation, so.”

“Fufu, you’re a bad knight.”

“Sadly, this is the true nature of the man known by such titles as the knight among knights.”

As they spoke, Reinhardt sensed someone approaching them from the alley. From her gait and breathing, he knew it was that girl without even needing to look.

The snaggletoothed girl showed herself, and looked at them with an embarrassed expression,

“I brought it back like I said I would.”

“Great, I’m glad you came back. I’d feel reeeally guilty if I had to set this guy on you.”

“The knight among knights, it’d be insane to try to outrun someone like that. This is my first time seeing someone faster than me, that shocked me quite a bit.”

Responding to her gaze with a smile, Reinhardt took a step back and watched the two.

The girl approached Emilia while fishing around her chest.

“Alright, I’m returning this. ― If it’s important to you, conceal it so it doesn’t get stolen next time.”

“I find it a bit strange to receive that warning from you of all people… If possible, I’d prefer you stopped doing this sort of thing entirely.”

“That’s impossible. Let me tell you, I only wanted to return this to you because you saved my life. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, and I have no intention of stopping.”

She bluntly refused Emilia’s request and donned a stubborn smile.

Her profile felt rather tragic when one considered her age. Even as he heard her position on the matter, Reinhardt silently accepted it.

He knew that this definitely wasn’t something he should overlook considering his responsibilities. But how else could they survive? It wouldn’t be right to simply speak of justice without even offering an alternative.

Reinhardt’s thoughts were the result of all he had seen in the capital.

Emilia seemed to feel it as well. She lowered her eyes for one fleeting moment, and then extended her hand without pressing the matter any further,

“I see… You’re pretty stubborn, huh.”

“I might stop if food just appeared before me without me having to do anything, though. Anyway, here you go.”

The object she took out was in the palm of her hand, she was returning what appeared to be the stolen item to Emilia.

For an instant, a red shine flashed by his eyes. That dazzling light felt familiar, and in an instant Reinhardt narrowed his eyes and searched his ocean of memories.

He then found a memory that matched,

“―Eh”

“Reinhardt…?”

He grabbed her hand which was holding the insignia from the side.

Surprise filled both the girls’ eyes. The two of them looked up at Reinhardt, and hesitated to say anything further when they saw his serious expression and gaze.

“T-That hurts… Let go…”

Felt weakly shook her head as she resisted.

However, Reinhardt’s grip on her hand showed no signs of loosening. Reinhardt’s strength was such that he could even crush steel if he wished. Although he was holding back, it definitely wasn’t the sort of grip a dainty girl could shake off.

“What is this…”

A quavering murmur. It had come from Reinhardt’s mouth.

It was Emilia who responded to his words. Her amethyst eyes seemed shaken,

“Reinhardt, wait. I do understand that it won’t be easy to let her off just like that. But she didn’t know the insignia’s true value. And I, the person she stole it from, don’t intend to make an issue of it either. ― I was also at fault for letting it get stolen, so. So.”

“That’s not it, Emilia-sama. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

The firm tone of his response caused Emilia to fall silent with a perplexed expression.

Even disregarding his rudeness toward her, Reinhardt looked at the girl whose arm he was holding. Looking up at the young man whose hair was the same color as her crimson eyes, her eyes wavered with unease.

“… What is your name?”

“Fe-Felt…”

“Your surname? How old are you?”

“I-I’m an orphan, you know? I don’t have anything fancy like a surname. My age is… Probably around fifteen, or so I’m told. I don’t know my birthday. Hey, let me go!”

The girl returned to her usual self as they spoke, and struggled as she yelled in a coarse tone. However, Reinhardt kept her in check with his dexterous control over his strength as he fixed his eyes on Emilia.

“Emilia-sama, I can no longer uphold our agreement. ― I shall take charge of her.”

“… May I ask about the reason? If it’s about punishment for stealing my insignia…”

“That is certainly no small sin… But compared to the sin of overlooking what’s happening in front of me, it is but a trifling matter.”

Emilia raised her eyebrow in confusion and incomprehension.

Reinhardt deemed her confusion something that couldn’t be helped and simply accepted it. After all, this was a sight she was used to. It would probably be cruel to tell her to notice it.

“I would like to take you with me. My apologies, but you do not have the right to refuse.”

“Don’t screw… Don’t get carried away just because you saved…?”

Her foul-mouthed response to his words was interrupted when her body went limp.

Her shoulders mysteriously lost their strength before she could finish, and she resentfully glared at Reinhardt to the very end,

“Go to hell… Damn it.”

After she hurled this final abuse, her head slumped.

Supporting her unconscious body, Reinhardt smoothly carried her under his arm. In response to his practiced movements, Emilia,

“That’s not very knightly of you either… If you’re too harsh, there will be lasting effects on her gate.”

“Fortunately, I’ve had to deal with this from birth so I understand how to control it. ―Emilia-sama, it seems you may soon receive a summons. Please understand.”

He gently took the insignia from the unconscious girl’s hand and presented it to Emilia.

The draconic insignia truly appeared to symbolize ‘The Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica’ itself. The red jewel emitted a faint glow in Reinhardt’s hand― When it was passed to Emilia, it shone brilliantly as if overjoyed to be reunited with its owner.

“I shall leave Subaru in your hands.”

Reinhardt bowed to Emilia who wordlessly gazed at him once she accepted the insignia.

As he felt the weight of the light girl in his arms, he suddenly brushed the bangs covering her forehead aside. Her cherubic white features possessed a charm befitting her age now that she was unconscious and thus had no need to brace herself.

If he gave her a change of clothes and got the alleys’ grime off her, she would surely shine brightly.

A strong wind blew, causing Reinhardt’s red bangs to dance.

He looked up at the sky through that gap, it was already dusk and the moon floated in the capital’s sky.

The full moon shone a faint bluish white, its beauty was filled with a certain bewitching charm.

“Today might be my final opportunity to calmly gaze upon the moon―”

Reinhardt’s whisper did not reach anyone but the moon looking down at him.

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