[User] “Like coming home for the holidays.”

[Assistant] “That’s not very satisfying…but you’re patting Betty’s head, so I’ll let it pass.”

[User] His heart, which was racing because of Emilia, calmed down as he patted Beatrice.

[Assistant] And she seemed satisfied with it, too, so two birds with one stone.

[User] “If you don’t mind,” Echidna said while raising her hand. "I can understand Julius’s concern, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Reid is dead. That’s just my impression from interacting with him, though.”

[Assistant] “Based on what?”

[User] “First of all, like Natsuki said, I can’t imagine Reid Astrea is that long-lived a creature. He is definitely someone who defies logic in many ways, but he’s still a human. And second, his personality.”

[Assistant] “Personality? Like how he was really lively?”

[User] “More uninhibited than lively. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t imagine him patiently waiting here in this tower for four hundred years. I have to assume he’d be gone in three days,” Echidna said with a shrug.

[Assistant] Subaru and Emilia both understood what she meant. Judging by everyone’s reaction, that was a persuasive observation.

[User] “Again, that’s just my impression of the man. Is that convincing enough for you, Julius?”

[Assistant] “I cannot help but agree. In truth, considering the way he behaves, he is not the sort of person who would be satisfied remaining in any one place for long. If there were a reason why he must remain here nonetheless, then it would be that the current him is bound to the tower’s examination…would be my guess.”

[User] “He’s bound to the tower, huh.” Subaru remembered the final scenes of the last loop as he listened to Echidna and Julius explain their theories. Reid Astrea walking freely around the tower during the chaos, doing as he pleased. That didn’t feel like someone whose freedom was restricted. In fact, if it were not for his one lingering regret, he would definitely have just cheerfully walked away from the tower. The reason he didn’t is…

[Assistant] “—? What is it? Something about me?”

[User] “No…”

[Assistant] “Humph. I believe I still have eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth on my face, but is there something abnormal?”

[User] “Yeah, unlike Emilia-chan, you aren’t cute, so you don’t make the cut. But anyway…” Subaru turned the conversation back to Reid’s book. “So, if we’re all on the same page about him being a lively dead guy, then let’s get back to the topic. Taygeta is filled with books of the dead, right?”

[Assistant] “At present, that is our understanding,” Ram answered. "Those who read them experience the memories of the dead person… That much was confirmed by you and Julius. Unfortunately, you seem to have forgotten it, though.”

[User] “I said I’m sorry already, so don’t keep holding a grudge over it. Anyway, that’s the focus here.” Snapping his fingers, he pointed at Ram.

[Assistant] Apparently not liking the gesture, Ram grabbed his fingers and twisted, giving him a sharp taste of pain.

[User] Meanwhile, Beatrice softly raised her voice.


[User] “Ah. So that’s what you mean!”

[Assistant] “You understand what he wants to say, Beatrice?”

[User] “Betty does. Ah, so that’s it. In other words, Subaru wants to use Reid’s book of the dead to reveal the best way to defeat him.”

[Assistant] “That’s right.” Subaru nodded while shaking his aching fingers.

[User] “Ohhh.” Emilia’s purple eyes widened. —They could use the book of the dead to figure out how to fight the legend. Put simply, each person’s book of the dead contained their memories of their life, but it could also be thought of as a strategy guide explaining in detail how they died. And as a veteran of death who had already been through it four times, Subaru knew firsthand it wasn’t easy to avoid the cause of your death. “So, if we read his book of the dead, we can find out exactly how he died. It’s a great tool for solving his puzzle. In a roundabout sense, that might even be why the books of the dead are here.”

[Assistant] “I…hadn’t considered that.” Echidna’s eyes widened. “But now that you mention it, that is true. A dead person was intentionally set as the examiner, after all. It wouldn’t be strange if that was why Taygeta exists.”

[User] “I mean, you don’t have to take it that seriously…” When Echidna seemed more impressed than he expected, Subaru smiled awkwardly. It was one of those situations where it was hard to say if this was the intended path or a loophole. “But one thing I can say for sure…whether it’s the old me or the me here and now: This is a plan I absolutely want to try.”

[Assistant] “…That makes sense, I suppose. There is no way you wouldn’t find this sort of loophole.”

[User] “An unorthodox back door, rather than coming from the front. That is certainly something Barusu would try. I can believe it, too.”

[Assistant] “Mm-hmm. Subaru is really good at that sort of flimflam.”

[User] “That’s a word you don’t hear much nowadays…” Subaru scratched his cheek a bit at their unwavering evaluation of the man named Subaru Natsuki, when Emilia’s eyes suddenly glimmered.

[Assistant] “—!” He was surprised by how strong her reaction seemed to be, but she immediately pinched her cheek. “Ugh, nope, nope. The person who’s struggling the most right now is Subaru. I have to get ahold of myself…”

[User] “Lady Emilia, I understand how you must be feeling, but your cheek is getting red.” Taking Emilia’s hand, Ram cautioned her.

[Assistant] “…Right, last night, I saw you with lots of books spread out around you in Taygeta. Was that why?” Meili put her hand to her mouth when she heard what Subaru was thinking.

[User] “Yesterday, huh…? Incidentally, could you tell how many books I read?”

[Assistant] “Ummm…I don’t know that much.


[User] Sitting on Shaula’s lap, Meili scratched her head and looked down. “Sorry.”

[Assistant] "Don’t worry about it.” Subaru waved his hand. Using not his, but her memories—Meili’s memory that he experienced from her book of the dead—he came to the same conclusion. “Many books, you say…? I should like to hope not, but you won’t wind up saying you ran out of space for your own memories from reading too many books of the dead, will you?”

[User] “I sincerely hope not, but I can’t say for sure. You know, since I forgot!” Julius shook his head wearily as Subaru proudly pointed to himself.

[Assistant] He had gotten pretty used to being generally defiant, but he also didn’t actually doubt that his memory loss was connected to the books. That is why, if they did find Reid’s book of the dead, he believed it should be him, and not anyone else, who read it. He had lost his memory already, so it wouldn’t be too crushing if he lost it again—Though I have too many important memories I can’t afford to lose now.

[User] Everything that had happened in the last loop and everything that had happened before that loop, too. And the things he had decided in his heart during this loop. His promise to Ram, and his vow to Meili. He had only repeated a day or so four times, and he was already carrying armfuls of memories he wouldn’t allow himself to forget.

[Assistant] That was why memories were precious. They aren’t something you can afford to forget.

[User] “—Anyway, if Reid’s as big a legend as you all say, then that’s perfect. Someone who’s that big a hero would have stories of his great feats and failures passed down through the generations. So his defeat is just the price of his fame… That’s a new kind of weakness, isn’t it?”

[Assistant] “…I understand Barusu’s aim. And I accept it. That doesn’t mean I do not have any concerns, though,”

[User] “It’s worth trying, at least,” Echidna agreed. “However, even knowing that, I can’t help but feel reluctant to take on that massive archive.”

[Assistant] “That’s…true…” Subaru totally understood their concerns. If Taygeta really did cover every dead person in this world, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say there were as many books as there were stars in the sky. Singling out the one book they wanted was like looking for a needle in the desert. But there was also a ray of hope. And the source of that hope was none other than Subaru’s memory loss.

[User] “If my guess is right, and reading books of the dead is what caused me to lose my memory…then that would mean I read someone’s book of the dead.”

[Assistant] “Umm…yes, it would. With the books there, if the name isn’t someone you know, then for whatever reason, the information won’t come into your head.”

[User] “…Barusu struck gold on a second book in that enormous library? Or possibly even more than that?


[User] "That sort of luck…is impossible.”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I don’t think I’m that lucky, either!” Considering everything he had been through, his spring of luck must have finally run dry. Or maybe he had used it all up with meeting them in this world. “Either way, it wasn’t luck. Which would mean maybe I devised some kind of system. If we could figure that out, it would speed up searching for any books we want.”

[User] “…What then? Given your current condition, even if we found a book of the dead with a name we know…,” Echidna admonished.

[Assistant] “I know. Reid is the priority here, and everything else comes second… But there are other books we would want to see if we knew how to find them.” Subaru glanced at Meili.

[User] When she heard that, her lips trembled slightly. “Mister, are you…?”

[Assistant] “I told you. I’m going to do everything in my power to raise you right. I’m not one to talk, but you’re really bad about asking for what you want.”

[User] “” Meili poked her fingers together and blushed. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t really hide things from Subaru. The whole reason she had seen Subaru in Taygeta last night was because she had been looking for a book of the dead there herself. Finding the book she wants is just a little side quest. “You’re really, really, really mean… Petra must be blind.”

[Assistant] “I keep hearing that name, but you’re really letting her have it…” He couldn’t say whether it was just awkward embarrassment on Meili’s part or genuine insults, but either way, it was a cute, childish sort of resistance. Interpreting Meili’s lack of objection as tacit agreement, he added a new goal to the Taygeta quest list and—

[User] “I want to be clear here. I think we should go up to the Taygeta archive. Reading Reid’s book of the dead is the best thing we can do.”

[Assistant] “It’s ironic that Natsuki losing his memory would provide a basis for action. I can’t really see what sort of plan this actually entails, but only a fool makes excuses before trying.”

[User] “Yes! Subaru’s right. If that’s what we need to get through this tower, then let’s do it!” Echidna and Emilia both stood. Drawn by them, Beatrice and Ram, Meili and Shaula also rose.

[Assistant] Subaru clapped his knees and stood and looked at Julius, who was slow to move. “What is it? Do you have an objection?”

[User] “…No, we do not have any other solution. I acknowledge your proposal makes sense.”

[Assistant] “But you still have reservations?”

[User] “…This is merely my own problem. Pay it no heed.” Slowly shaking his head, Julius stood.

[Assistant] Being told not to worry made it impossible for Subaru to actually not worry about it, so he felt more than a little concerned, but… “I’ll save it for later. Also, book of the dead aside, how famous is Reid anyway? He seems like a wild dude.”

[User] “For having lost your memories, it seems a lot has remained.


[User] I guess he left a strong impression… Reid Astrea is one of the three great heroes who defeated the Witch.”

[Assistant] “Sage Shaula, Holy Dragon Volcanica, and Sword Saint Reid…”

[User] “Not me. Master’s the Sage.”

[Assistant] “By your logic, I’m a few hundred years old, too? I spent way too long between leaving the convenience store and waking up this morning…” Taking Shaula’s words with a pinch—or perhaps a mountain—of salt, Subaru delved a bit more into the legend of Reid. Emilia and the others glanced at Julius.

[User] Noticing their intent, he touched his bangs. “There is not enough time to go through all the legends that Reid Astrea left in various lands. The most famous are…the battle where he slayed one hundred dragons and his record of six thousand victories and no defeats in the arena on Gladiator Island. There are also odder ones, such as how he is said to have defeated a being called a demon god in a drinking competition.”

[Assistant] “They all sound really absurd, but having seen him…”

[User] “It feels like they are not exaggerations. Indeed. Knowing his strength as I do, he is undoubtedly…no.”

[User] “To the best of my knowledge, most of his stories tell of his unreasonable achievements. I do not recall any records of his personality or of any normal, human sorts of failures or defeats.” Brushing his hair aside, Julius concluded his impressive display of knowledge.

[Assistant] Subaru shuddered just a little bit at the fact that even the records said the man had never lost. It would make sense if the stories of his defeats simply hadn’t survived into the modern day, but what if he really never lost? Subaru trembled at the thought of an entire life without ever experiencing defeat and at the fact that it seemed entirely possible if it was Reid.

[User] “And with that, we made it.” As the conversation dropped, they reached the room containing the stairway to Taygeta. Up those stairs, an archive filled with books of the dead awaited them, but…


[Assistant] “—Ram, could I leave everyone else to you for a moment? I want to talk with Julius for a moment.”

[User] “With Julius?” Ram furrowed her brow at Subaru’s request.

[Assistant] Julius was surprised as well, but for the moment, he didn’t say anything.

[User] Ram’s pink eyes narrowed, peering into Subaru’s black eyes. After a brief moment, she sighed. “Do not take too long. If we’ve all lost our memory like you by the time you make it up, it’ll be too late.”

[Assistant] “Don’t say scary things like that. I wouldn’t mind seeing if you were more gentle and refined after losing your memory, but…”

[User] “I have no intention of forgetting anything else.”

[Assistant] “…Yeah. If you find a weird book, don’t get too close to it.” Ram shrugged and led the rest of the group up the stairs. He was reasonably confident that he could leave things in her capable hands. In that sense, he trusted Ram the most out of everyone in the party.


[User] “Natsuki.” The women followed Ram’s lead up the stairs to the next floor. Echidna, at the tail, called out to Subaru after putting her foot on the first step. Her blue-green eyes wavered slightly.

[Assistant] “Be gentle.” With that, she slowly started up the stairs, too.

[User] Watching her leave, Subaru scratched his head. She probably figured out why I kept Julius back.


[Assistant] When the two of them were alone at the bottom of the stairs, Julius broke the silence. "So, what did you wish to discuss? If you have gone so far to distance Lady Emilia and the others, it must be quite pressing.”

[User] “Yeah, I guess so,” Subaru answered evasively.

[Assistant] “That is a rather inarticulate response.”

[User] “What I want to say is difficult to put in words. That’s all.” Subaru made a mess of his black hair as Julius stood in front of him, back to the stairs. The main reason for calling Julius out and leaving the others to search for the book was because there was clearly a way to take down Reid Astrea. —During the end of the last loop, when it turned into a free-for-all in the tower, Reid’s one lingering regret was wanting a fight with Julius. But Subaru couldn’t understand the reason. From what he had heard, Julius had fought Reid once before and been almost immediately defeated. I can get a loser fixating on the person who beat them, but the opposite is…

[Assistant] “Subaru?”

[User] “Ah. What do you think of Reid? Do you like him?”

[Assistant] “…Is there a meaning in that question?”

[User] “No, just a jab to lighten the mood. My real question is a little different. —Put it this way.” Subaru closed one eye. “Do you think you can win against Reid?”

[Assistant] “—!” Julius’s yellow eyes widened.

[User] Seeing the unmistakable agitation in his gaze, Subaru took a short breath. On the one hand, this reaction was expected, but on the other, it also made him want to go Give me a break. “Setting aside whether you recognize it yourself or not…it’s understandable that you might feel scared in a situation like this. Once you get a habit of losing, it’s hard to break it.”

[Assistant] “Subaru, what are you…?”

[User] “Sorry. If I’m being honest, I think it would be best to take as long as possible to get you back on your feet again. I do. But we don’t have the time. You understand, right?”

[Assistant] Julius’s expression stiffened, and he caught his breath. “We don’t have the time” has a different meaning for me than for him. But even so, we should feel this same sort of impatience. Or rather, Subaru had been forced to understand it. It was something that the old Subaru Natsuki couldn’t have said out of concern for a man who was hurt and had not noticed his own unease. —This Subaru Natsuki would do what the other Subaru Natsuki could not.

[User] “I’ll be blunt, Julius.


[User] “Because right now, I’m invincible.”

[Assistant] “Invincible…that’s a rather bold statement.”

[User] “Nothing is holding me back, so I can make a big leap. I can’t keep watching you shrinking back when you look at me, when you look at Echidna, when you talk about Reid. I’m the type who can’t let things go, either, so I’m not one to talk, but ignoring all that for the moment, I’ll be blunt.”

[Assistant] “—I’m listening.”

[User] Taking a deep breath, Julius adjusted his posture and looked right at Subaru. Meeting his gaze head-on, Subaru continued. “That is one thing, and this is another.” Subaru spread his hands to the left and right.

[Assistant] “—What?” Julius looked taken aback by his brazen statement.

[User] “I get why you feel awkward when you look at me. The me up to today probably did something to you. Whatever he did hasn’t disappeared from the world, but it has disappeared from my head.”

[Assistant] “I…yes. That much is true. However, I…”

[User] “Hear me out. Because of that, you and me, we’re going to have to build our relationship up from the beginning again. At least you and the current me have to do that. Forget past me for now.”

[Assistant] Julius couldn’t recover from the wave of turmoil that had swallowed him up, and that blunt reasoning wasn’t doing it for him. It was a terribly forced logic. Subaru was decidedly not conveying all of what he wanted to say. In truth, he was using the old Subaru Natsuki’s achievements and taking advantage of the influence they gave him over Emilia, Beatrice, Julius, and the rest of the party. Right now, he was asking for permission to use the good part of that influence and ignore the bad part. Because—

[User] “You’re the strongest person in our party. So you’re the one who’s going to have to duke it out with Reid. Even if we do find the strategy guide, we’re going to have to count on you for the actual fighting.”

[Assistant] Of course, part of it was that Reid had some sort of fixation with Julius and wanted to go at it with him. But even without that, Subaru had no intention of yielding on this point. Considering how Emilia had already made it through, there was no one else who could do it other than Julius.

[User] “I can understand being scared. I can understand being bewildered. And I’m really sorry for whatever the past me did. But with all that in mind…I need you to focus up and fight.”

[Assistant] “…I have already lost to him twice.”

[User] “I know. But win the next match.”

[Assistant] That was one more loss than Subaru had known about. But it didn’t matter anymore. It was just one more thing in the pile.

[User] “The calculation gets messed up if you don’t win. I thought of a lot of different matchups in my head, but us guys have to do whatever we can before asking the girls to fight."


[User] "That would be a disgrace for a knight." Subaru clenched his fist and held it out.

[Assistant] "—A disgrace. The current me is…a disgrace of a knight…" Julius murmured softly, lowering his gaze.

[User] Subaru had hit him with a stunning, bewildering, hurtful, gut-punching logic that grabbed Julius by the chest and shook him, leaving him adrift. And at the end of it all, Julius’s mask of elegance cracked…

[Assistant] "As Ms. Ram said, it is difficult to believe that you have really lost your memories. Or are you just pretending to have lost your memory in order to encourage me after I lost my nerve?"

[User] "At the cost of darkening Emilia-chan’s smile? Dumbass. I wouldn’t do something that roundabout! Besides, even if I didn’t do that, you wouldn’t run away. You’d fight for everyone."

[Assistant] "That is…contradictory. You were just trying to steel my timid heart."

[User] "No. It’s not that. What you’re missing isn’t courage. You’ve got the courage right there." Subaru took a step forward, pressing his fist against Julius’s chest. "What’s missing is determination. The will not to lose."

[Assistant] Julius took a sharp breath.

[User] Subaru wasn’t lying. He had seen it in the last loop. Julius had held on to his sword, even in that desperate situation with demon beasts and Reid all around him, entrusting things to Subaru without averting his eyes to the despair in front of him. There was no other way to interpret that line except as him saying “Leave this place to me.” He had said it in the direst of moments. Leave Reid Astrea to me. And that was the last of him Subaru saw. So…

[Assistant] "…I didn’t see the end. And I don’t remember what happened before today. So I haven’t once seen you lose to Reid."

[User] Julius Juukulius had not lost. This knight, this man had never once lost in front of this Subaru Natsuki. So no matter what anyone else might say, Subaru Natsuki wouldn’t entrust this fight to anyone else. He would continue to expect Julius Juukulius to defeat Reid Astrea. "I’m leaving Reid Astrea to you. You defeat the most dangerous enemy. In exchange, I…in my own way, I’ll do my best to take care of everything else."

[Assistant] "I can’t hear you, Julius. Answer your pal’s expectations." Subaru’s fist hit Julius’s chest again. The last time was for entrusting his expectations, this time it was for hammering home a powerful hope.

[User] Julius touched his chest and let out a long, deep sigh. "…How can you have such high expectations of me, if you’ve forgotten everything before today?"

[Assistant] "It’s…your image. The impression you give off. The way you look and talk and carry yourself. The things you have and your clothes, the way you eat and walk. Just the overall effect of everything." Unable to talk about what had happened during the last loop, Subaru clutched his own chest and struggled to answer.


[User] By chance, Subaru and Julius both held a hand to their chests as they faced each other.

[Assistant] Julius kept his hand on his chest while straightening his back and slowly bending at the waist. It was a beautiful, natural bow, like a knight in a story. “Impression, huh?”

[User] “Y-yeah. The way you look, everything about you makes me feel that way.”

[Assistant] “I see… My appearance made you think that.” Julius’s tone shifted as his head remained bowed. Thus far, his tone had sounded like he had been forced to face something tender to the touch, but now just a faint trace of vitality returned. Some flexibility and warmth had taken root. That was the impression Subaru had as Julius raised his head and looked forward. And… “Forgotten by the world, unable to confirm the existence of my own master, and then forgotten even by you, the only one who remembered me…I have been unsure of where I stand. However, even in this state, I have not lost everything that I strove for. That’s what you are saying.”

[User] “I didn’t come close to being that classy, but that’s the gist of it.”

[Assistant] Julius had taken Subaru’s clumsy, not fully coherent words and given them a polished, intelligent form.

[User] “It’s a bit abstract and kind of heavy on gut instinct, but it felt like the problem was a mental one, so I guess it worked?”

[Assistant] “Ha. Why are you timid now? Weren’t you supposed to be invincible?”

[User] “I mean even after you grab the star, you’ll still die if you fall in a hole…”

[Assistant] Julius furrowed his brow at that indecipherable explanation, but he didn’t probe it further. When it came to that, from his interaction with the Subaru Natsuki of yesterday, he seemed to have an understanding that meaningless jokes could be ignored. What a weird understanding. Either way… “Feeling a bit more positive?”

[User] “That’s hard to say. In essence, your words didn’t offer any solid advice and were mostly an appeal to emotion. And it’s not as though anything has changed dramatically.”

[Assistant] “You…”

[User] “However…”

[Assistant] Julius’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Subaru. And then his lips relaxed into a slight smile. “That is one thing, and this is another.” And he ended the conversation with a turn of phrase that was rather unlike him.


[User] Honestly, he didn’t have any confidence that he had managed to comfort Julius. I can’t help thinking there were better words, a better way to give him a push. Something better than “that’s one thing, and this is another.” A more polished explanation or a way to overwrite the absurdity of the current situation… “But it was very much something you’d say. For better and for worse.”

[Assistant] “…Really? Then how close was it to what the old me would’ve said?


[User] "The answer is kind of a big deal for my current identity…"

[Assistant] "When it comes to establishing one’s own sense of self, I was quite shaken not too long ago as well. As someone with some experience in a similar sort of predicament, allow me to offer a bit of advice. That is one thing, and this is another."

[User] "Oh, come on!" Snapping at Julius, who was quick to put those words to use, Subaru headed up the stairs to rejoin Emilia and the others in Taygeta. He had said it to Julius, too, but they were on the clock. They needed to lay down the foundations for victory before disaster struck the Pleiades Watchtower. And when it came to the essentials, finding Reid’s book of the dead would be a struggle for sure, since they were looking for a single book in an ocean of—

[Assistant] "Ah! Subaru! Look! We found Reid’s book!"

[User] "Eh?! Really? !" Having reached the third floor ready to dive into a massive task, he felt his resolve completely fall apart the moment he heard Emilia’s glowing report. She was pointing to the thick book Ram had cradled in her arms. If that really was the book they were after, it was truly impressive they managed to find it in this overflowing archive. "And while I was counseling Julius? What are you, speedrunners?"

[Assistant] "I don’t know what that is, but it’s amazing. Tell her what a good job she did." Emilia proudly thrust out her chest while also indicating it wasn’t her achievement.

[User] Subaru wondered who he should be complimenting, but the answer was clear soon enough.

[Assistant] Emilia gently pushed forward the dark blue–haired girl clinging to her hips. "Meili found it. Isn’t that sterling?"

[User] "That’s a phrase you don’t hear too much nowadays…but setting that aside. You found it, Meili?! That’s definitely a huge achievement! You did great!" Subaru praised the unexpectedly meritorious searcher.

[Assistant] However, she pouted and looked away from them. "I-it’s nothing special. I just happened to spot the book, is all. I don’t think it’s anything to get excited about, when I just found it a little fast."

[User] "Don’t be silly. You should be proud! You did great, Meili. Good job canceling out the blunder you made trying to push me off the stairs!"

[Assistant] "You’re calling us even after just that? !" Meili’s eyes peeled back in shock as Subaru roughly tousled her hair.

[User] She didn’t appreciate how he was messing up her hair and shouted in protest, but his expression softened. "Still, though…you can say what you want, but you must have done your best. There’s no way you would find the book we’re after that easily if you weren’t."

[Assistant] "—Ngh, m-mister, don’t say pointless things like that." Meili’s face turned red.

[User] "What do you mean? This is super important." Subaru smiled. "It’s proof that you’re one of us.


[User] "But if you’re saying that you found it at random…”

[Assistant] "Unfortunately, we haven’t figured out any pattern to how the books are arranged in the Taygeta archive."

[User] If their stumbling across this book was pure chance, then Subaru’s side quest would have to remain pending. For now, we’ll just have to keep advancing the main quest…

[Assistant] "You don’t have to worry that much." Guessing what Subaru was thinking, Meili gave a casual shrug.

[User] That was something he hadn’t seen in a while. It felt like she was starting to return to normal.

[Assistant] "I won’t make any promises, since I know they’re not worth much, but I will make your wish come true."

[User] “You really can’t keep your word, mister. I’ll be waiting without getting my hopes up.” A promise without saying as much. Seeing Meili smile, Subaru switched back to the main subject.

[Assistant] "—Got it… Then it’s safe to assume no one has looked at Reid’s book yet, right?"

[User] The book Ram was holding had a bunch of letters on the spine that Subaru couldn’t read. But that didn’t change the fact that it was the prime suspect in the case of his missing memories.

[Assistant] Considering your current state, it would be a problem to get ahead of ourselves and have another person lose their memory, so I haven’t let anyone read it. On that point, Ram was seemingly in agreement about approaching it with caution as she touched the spine.

[User] "I should point out we still haven’t confirmed that the book is what caused me to lose my memories."

[Assistant] "Ha!" Even if he didn’t find it convincing himself, Subaru still puckered his lips a little at having his statement laughed off like that.

[User] "Anyway… We managed to find what we were looking for. Next is deciding how to use it, I suppose." Beatrice turned her distinctive patterned eyes to the book Ram was holding.

[Assistant] Tension filled the air, quickly replacing the joy of finding the book. If they messed up, they could lose their memories. It was a lot like saying “Here, drink this suspicious, unlabeled elixir.” It was suicidal, no matter how many lives you had to waste.

[User] "Let’s talk about what we can speculate about the potential dangers."

[Assistant] “…Is there really anything you can figure out, Echidna?”

[User] "Something. Though all we have to work with is what happened and fragmentary information." Echidna shrugged. She held her hand up and raised her finger.

[Assistant] "First of all, the danger of the books of the dead… That one is simple. As Natsuki’s situation indicates, there is a possibility of losing your own memories. From what he’s said, the memory loss is partial…though in this case, it might be more precise to say what memories remain are fragmentary."

[User] Since what was lost was greater than what remained, that was indeed the clearer way of putting it. But it was also slightly misaligned with reality.


[User] The claim of fragmentary amnesia was just Subaru’s excuse to hide what he’d learned from Return by Death. The truth was that at the start of the first loop, he had lost all his memory in the truest sense—or more precisely, he had forgotten everything from the moment he first came to this world. Based on that, it was better to assume there was no limit to how much could be lost. In fact, given the full spectrum of possibilities, maybe Subaru had been rather fortunate, since he had retained his sense of self. The idea that he might’ve lost everything that made him an individual sent chills up Subaru’s spine. But at the same time, the question of why he had not lost his memories from his original world also reared its head.

[Assistant] "It doesn’t seem likely that memory loss is simply the price for reading the books of the dead. That is speculation based on the fact that Julius read a book just like Natsuki but has not shown any similar symptoms."

[User] “…I do not wish to think about it, but there is a possibility of minor memory loss. It is possible the degree of loss is related to how much was read, I suppose.”

[Assistant] "Agreed."

[User] "In other words, the difference between my and Subaru’s situation could be the difference in the number of books we’ve read…which also matches what Miss Meili witnessed him doing last night."

[Assistant] Carefully following the wiser party members’ discussion, Subaru nodded at that theory.


[User] "In other words, the number of books you read is what determines the memory loss?"

[Assistant] "That’s merely a possibility. If that theory is correct, it would suggest that one of us who hasn’t read a book of the dead should be the one to tackle Reid’s. It might be dangerous for Natsuki or Julius, who have already read books of the dead."

[User] "Then what does that mean for me if I’ve lost my memory already? If the memory loss is tied to an overload of information from books of the dead, then did I get reset? Or not?"

[Assistant] "That’s a grave question. If you lose your memories again, we’ll have to explain everything to you again… The thought alone is horrifying."

[User] "Seriously, that’s what you’re worried about?! It’s horrifying to me too, but come on!"

[Assistant] "Hmm… I’m really worried about that, too. I don’t want Subaru to forget so many things again."

[User] "...What? You look like you’re thinking about having me read it to make up for what I did— Owww."

[Assistant] Subaru scolded the girl for saying something that shouldn’t be joked about.

[User] "Of course not. Don’t say something so stupid, Meili. I’ll smack you."

[Assistant] "This is abuse. Your treatment of prisoners is even worse than back at the manor." Meili’s cheeks puffed out, and she grabbed Emilia’s and Shaula’s hands and hid behind the two of them.

[User] "Sheesh, talk about being quick to switch sides… So, anyone have any other thoughts?"

[Assistant] "The choices are one of us with no experience but one book more of leeway than Julius, Julius who has experience, or else Natsuki, who has maybe been overwhelmed from reading too many ones already…"

[User] "I’m gonna say something really selfish, but…I think it would be best if I was the one to read it."

[Assistant] "Subaru…" Beatrice grabbed Subaru’s hand as he said that.

[User] Her eyes were more concerned than uneasy as Subaru winked at her.

[Assistant] "This isn’t the time for jokes. Your memory is…"

[User] "Of course I don’t want to lose my memory. But from a risk management perspective, this is the right choice.


[User] "No matter how you look at it, if someone has to lose their memory, then it should be me, to keep the damage to a minimum. And I’m the weakest one here, too.” He didn’t think he was weaker than Meili.

[Assistant] “I don’t intend to lose my memories. But we’re a team. Everyone has to do what they can for the sake of everyone else.”

[User] "Julius is handling fighting, Echidna’s the brain, Ram’s got the sharp tongue, Meili is cute, and so is Beatrice, while Emilia-chan is obviously the beautiful heroine, and Shaula has the gravure scenes. That means this job is meant for me.”

[Assistant] “I feel like there were a lot of pointless roles there…”

[User] “That’s not true at all! When the lights go out, it’s important to


[User] But as he did, everyone looked away. Apparently, he was a terrible repeat offender. Either way, though… “Is there any objection to me reading it?”

[Assistant] “…In the end, all of our guesses are just speculation. I wanted to pick the choice that was least likely to be dangerous to everyone here, but…” Echidna’s eyebrows drooped apologetically as Subaru hefted the book. There was no doubting that she meant what she said.

[User] Subaru simply told her not to worry about it. “All right, I’ll get to it. If my memories go, freeze me in ice and give me a serious talking to.”

[Assistant] “Who would do something so violent, I wonder?”

[User] “I know you wouldn’t. Because you’re nice.” Patting Beatrice’s head as she regarded him with open concern, Subaru poked her big forehead.

[Assistant] Beatrice pouted unhappily and then took a step back.

[User] Gathering everyone’s attention, Subaru plunked himself down on the ground, crossed his legs, and took a deep breath. Reid Astrea’s book of the dead was on his lap. “It did feel almost ominous. This was similar to when he read Meili’s book of the dead, but the pressure coming from this book was even greater. The feeling really does change, depending on whose book you pick up, huh? What sort of life am I going to experience? …And can my memory handle it?” Putting his hand on the cover, Subaru glanced up at the people watching him. Beatrice, Meili, Ram, Echidna, Julius, and Shaula were all watching. And…

[Assistant] “—Subaru.”

[User] “All right, I’ll be back. I might be out a while, so you can have dinner without me.”

[Assistant] “…Dummy…” With Emilia’s smile seeing him off, he opened the book. In an instant, the characters written on the page floated up, and it felt almost like the information was passing through his eyes and slamming into his brain. And in the span of an instant, he was pulled into the book— —His consciousness cut away from the archive to darkness.


[User] The feeling he’d had when he read Meili’s book of the dead was fairly vague. The scenes he saw and the life she had lived were vivid, but his memory as the person watching those scenes felt very much like he was becoming the same person as the person whose name graced the book. He thought from their perspective and experienced their emotions. Long story short, the journey through the contents of the book of the dead was like merging with the subject.

[Assistant] In that instant, tracing those contents, Subaru Natsuki was Meili Portroute. And that was part of the reason why she sat at the edge of his consciousness, the odd fragment of consciousness that assumed the shadow of Meili. If that was the effect of the book of the dead, then what Subaru was seeing in this moment was Reid Astrea’s life, and should have been his first-person view of the world, as difficult to understand and comprehend as his thoughts were.


[User] What did he think, what did he like, what did he dislike, what did he love, what did he hate, what did he achieve? He should have become one with Reid Astrea’s mind and been shown his life. And so Subaru immediately noticed something unusual. —The place he found himself in was clearly not Reid’s past.

[Assistant] “…Huh?” He was standing in a bright, bright white place. The surroundings were a vast, endless white void. He had no idea where he might be. He could see his arms. His legs. Bending his neck, he could see his torso and waist, too. Meaning he had a body. From that alone, things were already different from what had happened when he read Meili’s book. The experiences were not matching up, and he realized that he had been dropped into a new unknown situation. From what he could see, his clothes were exactly what he had been wearing in the archive. Was that because his mind registered that as his present form, or because of some other intent, like the will of the book’s spirit taking direct action, recreating him in this form? I don’t want to think I was physically absorbed into the book when I started reading, but…

[User] “—Ohhh? You came again, mister?”

[Assistant] “—!” Subaru jumped, hearing a voice besides his own. It came from behind, so he reflexively jumped forward, rolling once before spinning around.

[User] The eyes of the person behind him shot open at his sudden movement. “You’re…?”

[Assistant] Subaru couldn’t hide the surprise and confusion in his voice. It was someone completely unexpected, entirely beyond what he had imagined—an encounter with someone he didn’t recognize at all. A girl he had never seen before was standing there in front of him. Beautiful pale blond hair, almost like gossamer threads, that was unbelievably long. It spread across the white floor, gathering in a pool of gold at her feet. Big, round, blue eyes and limbs the color of delicate bone china. She was wearing a plain white dress, and everything about her gave off the feeling of translucence.

[User] A girl he had never seen before. That was how it should be. But his eyes narrowed upon seeing her. He rubbed his eyes furiously with the back of his hands, as if trying to clean fogged glasses, but she didn’t look any different. Even when he checked again, he didn’t know her. He felt faintly as if his memory was aching, though.

[Assistant] “Have you calmed down some, mister?”

[User] “Where is this…? No, wait, who are you? Which should I start with?”

[Assistant] “Greedy, aren’t you, mister? But we don’t dislike the way you come right out and say what you want to ask. We love greedy people.” Her lips cracked into a sneering grin that bewildered Subaru. There was no other way to describe that smile. She looked maybe thirteen or fourteen, if that. With her neat appearance, a regular smile would’ve suited her nicely.


[User] But in Subaru’s eyes, her expression was sinister. His instincts seemed to be telling him that she had trampled on countless lives. As Subaru shuddered, the girl spoke.

[Assistant] "This is the lonely, white end of the line for souls. The cradle, Odo Ragna. The corridors of memory."

[User] “Corridors of…memory…?” Subaru’s eyes widened at that unfamiliar term.

[Assistant] "Yep, yep. And…" Satisfied with his reaction, the girl spoke with a sneer. "—And we are Louis Arneb, the Witch Cult’s Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."

[User] "It will just be for a short while again, but it’s nice to meet you, mister.”


[User] Subaru fell silent.

[Assistant] "The corridors of memory. And Louis Arneb." That was what the blond girl said.

[User] "…Witch cult, gluttony, sin archbishop… What is all that mumbo jumbo supposed to be?"

[Assistant] "Aha." Louis covered her face and broke into a laugh as Subaru crossed his arms and cocked his head.

[User] Subaru’s instincts were screaming out in alarm.

[Assistant] "…The Witch Cult, put simply, is like a gathering of outcasts hated by this world."

[User] "Oh?"

[Assistant] "Even you’ve heard about the Witch of Jealousy before, right? The Witch Cult is deeply connected with that great person… Well, you can think of them like her worshippers."

[User] "…So then that archbishop bit is…?"

[Assistant] "You can tell right away that’s a villain’s title."

[User] "No way, shut up, nuh-uh, nope, never, not on your life." Shaking her head, Louis hugged her slender body.

[Assistant] I can’t read what she’s really after… Or no, it’s more that I can’t really pin her down.

[User] "Don’t bully a poor, innocent girl like that, mister. We can be hurt, too, you know. Our heart is more tender and fragile than the average person’s."

[Assistant] "Color me unconvinced. And is that royal ‘we’ supposed to be some kind of unique character trait? Or are you just trying to sound cool, like some one-kid army? Try to keep it straight."

[User] “Ah…don’t worry about that. There are just a few too many egos, it’s a little vague which one gets to be in charge. We’re pretty fed up with it, though.” Louis looked down slightly. “But it is what it is. They’re gifts from dear brother and brother dearest. We’d be a failure of a little sister not to accept them. Siblings have to help each other out.”

[Assistant] "…A cute sister who cares about her big brothers. As an only child, I’m a little jealous."

[User] "Really? But you might have a younger brother or sister by now?"

[Assistant] "Whoa, that’s a scary thought! I’d rather not imagine that!"


[User] Considering the two of them, with me gone, they might start on another kid… Nah, there’s no way.

[Assistant] If Subaru disappeared, his parents would keep searching until they found him. So he prayed instead for this summoning to another world thing to be a rebirth. If his parents were going to have to experience the pain of forever searching for their lost son, then he would rather have died before being reborn in a new world. That would be far better.

[User] Picking up her hair that spilled across the floor in both hands, Louis looked up at Subaru. "I understand, mister."

[Assistant] "—! Yeah, as if!" He erupted.

[User] Peering into his eyes, acting like she understood the unease that Subaru wouldn’t put into words. It was infuriating.

[Assistant] He turned away as he shouted at her. "What do you know about me?! Talking out of your ass…"

[User] "You feel guilty for your mom and dad, right? You regret being a bad son who couldn’t even say good-bye to them. No, you always regretted it. Now, and before, too, right?"

[Assistant] Continuing like she knew exactly what he was feeling, Louis gently hugged Subaru from behind. Her body was small, light. Subaru stopped breathing and froze. Not because she was hugging him, but because of what she was saying. She acted like she knew everything, and her words were surprisingly accurate.

[User] "How do we know? Of course we know. After all, there isn’t anyone who understands you as well as we do, mister."

[Assistant] "—Don’t touch me!"

[User] "Ahh." Louis pouted as Subaru brushed her away and took some distance with a ragged breath.

[Assistant] What the hell is going on? Do women in this world just not have any hesitation about physical contact? Everyone gets too close. Gets too friendly. Am I scared I might actually surrender my heart to that touch? That warmth?

[User] "What are you?! What do you want to say?!"

[Assistant] "We just wanted you to have some peace of mind, mister. It’s okay. It’s okay. You managed to reach a resolution about your feelings toward your parents. It might have been one-sided, but you felt like you had faced up to it. It felt like a weight was lifted. At least, on the surface."

[User] Sneering the entire time, Louis used the fingernails of her right hand to claw at her left arm. She started scratching wildly, so violently that it was painful to watch. Subaru’s brow furrowed, but Louis stuck out her long, oddly bright red tongue. "On the surface, it’s completely wholesome. No one can tell you aren’t feeling aaaanything in your heart. You’re skilled, mister. And that’s what’s so sad."

[Assistant] Subaru’s lips twisted as her words tore at his heart. His instinct was screaming that he shouldn’t indulge her any further. "I don’t know what you are trying to say. What I do know is that you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep that up, so stop it."


[User] And a conversation is supposed to be a game of catch. No major league fastballs. Stick to easy throws.”

[Assistant] “Both of us?”

[User] “Both of us. For example…let’s get back to that archbishop thing from before.” Not willing to let her dictate the flow of conversation anymore, Subaru shifted the topic back a step. Archbishop and gluttony. That at least rang a bell for Subaru. “If you’re supposed to represent glutton, then there should be six more people like you, right?”

[Assistant] “If you count dear brother and brother dearest, it should be exactly six, probably? Ah, but it went down by two recently, so maybe four. Two of them can just die already.”

[User] “…From the sound of it, there’s not much comradery.”

[Assistant] “Obvious, isn’t it? We’re called Archbishops, but in the end, we’re still a gathering of outcasts. The titles are different, but we’re the same as the Witch.” Louis knelt down, burying herself in her blond hair. Careful not to step on any of it, Subaru sat down cross-legged on the ground in front of her.

[User] “Witch? Together with the Witch who’s supposed to be super scary?”

[Assistant] “The Witch of Jealousy is even nastier than us, so we don’t really want to be lumped in with her, though. The others are the same. The Witch and the Archbishops, they’re different titles, but the same thing. Good-for-nothings compatible with the Witch Factors, just called different things in different times and places.”

[Assistant] “Well, you’ve forgotten about the Witch and Archbishops and us now, so maybe it doesn’t matter to you. We get it. We understand. We do. We get it, we get it, but, because we get it, because we want to get it…”

[User] “Gimme a break.”

[Assistant] “Ahh.” Stopping her swelling wave of words, Subaru put his hand on his chin. At the very least, it felt like he was hearing something really important, even if it wasn’t really clicking for him. The problem was this situation just didn’t feel real. An empty white space, a girl standing there… He was getting hit by a strong sense of déjà vu… “Are you, like, some kind of god or something?”

[User] “God…ah, this? Like some kind of reborn in another world thing? That doesn’t make much sense to us, but we don’t have anything to do with that. Though it is the sort of place that can make you feel weird.” Laughing with another sneer, the girl spun around while sitting on a cushion of her blond hair, gesturing to the empty white expanse around them with her fluttering hair. “As you can see, this is a place where eeeeverything disappears, so it’s completely empty. And there is one person all alone here, so it looks like a guardian deity.”

[Assistant] “Cradle of Odo Ragna, was it? Like corridors of memory, that’s another name that I can’t make heads or tails of.”

[User] “Mmm-mmm-hmmm, right…?”


[User] "Long story short, this is the place where souls are filtered."

[Assistant] "Souls get…filtered?" That was a phrase he had not heard before, and a question mark popped over his head. Filter wasn’t a verb he had ever heard anyone use when talking about souls.

[User] "Yeah, yeah. After using a rag, you wash it and dry it and then use it again, right? Souls are the same. Brush off the dirt and use them again once they’re clean." Louis cheerfully pulled her knees to her chest.

[Assistant] "And that dirt on them…is that supposed to be memories and experiences or something?"

[User] "If that’s easier for you to understand, then sure. Call it whatever you want." Louis’s cheeks twisted as she stuck out her tongue. Subaru spun his head, looking all around. It was still just a white space—there was nothing new to see in the corridors of memory. There was no obvious evidence of what Louis was talking about in the endless white void. "It’s not that simple a thing to understand."

[Assistant] "This Odo Ragna god thing seems pretty nasty."

[User] "It’s nothing like what you’d call a god. It doesn’t have any special thoughts or ideas. It’s just a mechanism. A mechanism so the world doesn’t break."

[Assistant] "A mechanism…?"

[User] "Witch Factors, blessings, the Sword Saint, the Witch—it doesn’t see any of that. If there’s anything good about it, it’s that it doesn’t care at all. Everything is equal and fair and unbiased." Half closing her eyes in boredom, Louis wedged her face between her knees. Glancing sidelong at her face warped by her white kneecaps, Subaru let out a small breath. She had been pretty open thus far. It was likely that she had not told any real sort of lie. Which is all the more reason why he sighed. Exhaled, inhaled, exhaled one more time, and then looked at her. And asked the question.

[Assistant] "—Are you the one who stole my memories from before today?"

[User] "That’s right." The criminal answered the question disappointingly easily.

[Assistant] Subaru shut his eyes when the response came so readily. He had not really expected her to deny it. Even with this short back-and-forth, he had a feeling that she wasn’t the type to be roundabout. Louis knew too much. She knew too much of the depths of Subaru’s feelings. Louis Arneb was too familiar with the old Subaru Natsuki, knowing things that even the current Subaru Natsuki couldn’t know. Meaning…

[User] "—So the old me really did come here."

[Assistant] "To be precise, you came by a slightly different path. But the goal was the same. The result was just a little bit different is all. But amazing. Wonderful. How many times did it take for you to get here?"

[User] "C’mon, answer, mister. We answered you, didn’t we? How many times is this after we ate you, mister?" A chill ran down Subaru’s spine. Her eyes, her question… Someone would only ask those if they knew about his Return by Death.


[User] No…of course she does. Obviously. If she had stolen the original Subaru Natsuki’s memories and she could freely inspect them, then it would be weirder for her not to know. That ability wasn’t some power he had gained after losing his memories; it must have been an ability that Subaru Natsuki had possessed even before losing his memories. I’m sure he used this to get through lots of pinches. That’s why Emilia and Beatrice and the others trust him so much. All that trust is evidence of cheating. Subaru wasn’t going to call foul. Cheat or not, he didn’t believe there should be any hesitation when someone’s life was on the line. Subaru Natsuki’s choice to use that ability was correct. He acknowledged that value and grasped the power of Return by Death. However, alongside that resolve, on the other side of the coin, Subaru felt uneasy. A worry had burrowed deep in his heart. And Louis Arneb had touched on that fear, that taboo.

[Assistant] "—Are you worried that someone else knows? Well, it’s too late, mister. Since we met you yesterday, didn’t we?”

[Assistant] "If the rule was that no one could know, you already broke it. But what happens in the corridors of memory can’t easily escape to the outside world. So the scary, scary Witch won’t do anything.” Her hands and legs still on the ground, Louis leaned in close to Subaru. She had a bewitching smile, at odds with her childlike appearance, her red tongue flicking out of her lips.

[User] "So mister, how many times has it been?” Her voice felt like a tongue licking directly against his brain, and he experienced a numbing sort of ache.

[Assistant] “…The fifth.” Barely moving his lips, he finally answered.

[User] "—! Amazing, wow, so cool, isn’t it, it is, because it’s amazing, because we want it… Eat it all! Gluttony!”

[Assistant] “Gah!”

[User] “We want to taste you so much, until our stomach bursts! From our experience, appetite and libido are similar. And that’s the same as love, right? So we—” Louis pushed Subaru down and straddled him, her face contorted with excitement as she breathed hard. With flushed cheeks and rapt eyes, she ran her tongue over Subaru’s neck without hesitation. As that happened, he could imagine what she had been about to say—

[Assistant] "—I love you.” As he remembered those words of love whispered in his ear countless times in the last loop, when he had wished for death in that hopeless situation, his heart burst.

[User] “—Don’t…touch me, you wannabe femme fatale!”

[Assistant] “—Ah.” Opening his eyes wide.

[User] Subaru grabbed her neck and violently pushed her to the floor. Trading places, now he was straddling her. Her body was slender and light. Her blond hair spread across the floor made it look almost like he was pushing her down onto a bed of gold as he grabbed her by the throat with teeth bared. Let your guard down? Too bad! I have the upper hand now!


[User] "If you don’t want to be strangled, then give me my memories—!”

[Assistant] "Give them back? If we don’t, you’ll wring our neck? Us? A delicate little girl?” Even with his hand around her neck, the excitement in her eyes had not faded at all. Her lips softened as she looked at Subaru, who was breathing heavily, nose flared.

[User] As her expression relaxed, she spoke, her voice like a hex ringing in his ears. “Can you really do that, mister?”

[Assistant] “—Do you think I can’t?”

[User] “More like ‘know’ than ‘think.’ After all, right now, we know you better than you do.” Louis poked both of her cheeks with a finger and cocked her head provocatively.

[Assistant] Gulping, Subaru looked down at his right hand around her neck. I just have to squeeze a little to show I’m serious. If I prove I’m serious, she’ll change her tune. Think of Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Meili, Julius, Echidna, Shaula, Patlash, everyone, and—

[User] “—Your grip loosened, mister.”

[User] “We really weren’t going to resist, you know? After all, here, we’re just the delicate little girl we look like. Unlike our brothers, we can’t do anything without taking the form of someone we ate.” Louis poked Subaru’s hand.

[Assistant] That weak nudge was enough to make Subaru’s hand slip abruptly off her neck. “Damn it…ghh!”

[User] “No need to feel bad, mister. You did good. You did good. Honestly, we didn’t even think you would be able to make it back here.”

[Assistant] “Is that supposed to be some consolation?”

[User] Louis was still lying where he had pushed her down, acting unconcerned, as if any danger had already passed. Anything Subaru said would just sound like sour grapes, but Louis simply stuck out her tongue and laughed. “But this is for the best, isn’t it? If you got Subaru Natsuki’s memories back, the current you would die, after all. This way, it ends without something stupid like suicide.”

[Assistant] “…Huh?”

[User] “Oh? That’s a strange reaction. Did you really not realize? If those memories come back, the current you will be overwritten, and your existence would be erased… That’s the same as dying, right?”

[Assistant] Subaru froze at Louis’s matter-of-fact riddle-like answer. Die. Disappear. Having it said so bluntly… Being told that the moment Subaru Natsuki’s memories returned, the current Subaru’s consciousness would be overwritten. If you asked me whether that was dying or not…

[User] “—Right now, Subaru Natsuki is dead. He doesn’t exist anywhere. But if he comes back, then this time, you will die, mister. You won’t exist anywhere.”

[User] “Is there much value in getting Subaru Natsuki back? You can do the same things, can’t you, mister? You like the people around you just like him now, don’t you? And they will like you just the same, too. What’s so bad about that?”

[Assistant] “What’s…?” So bad? When put like that, there was nothing bad about it at all. That Subaru Natsuki and this Subaru Natsuki. Neither of them was bad. Subaru was a person with lots of flaws.


[User] Just crap tons of them. Enough to make him hate himself. If anyone asked who he hated most in the world, he wouldn’t hesitate to say himself. That was how pathetic, how lacking Subaru Natsuki was. But when it came to this one problem, he had not done anything wrong. If there was anything wrong, it was that there could be only one winner in this cruel game of musical chairs.

[Assistant] "Emilia-chan and the others… I wanted to…”

[User] …Give Subaru Natsuki back to them. That was why he had intended to steel his resolve to get those memories back, to not hesitate if he was ever given the chance. But he had averted his eyes from the fact that his existence would completely disappear. He had hoped for some sort of miracle, a convenient blending of their two memories. That the current Subaru would remain somewhere inside Subaru Natsuki. That had been his vague hope, but…

[Assistant] "It’s hard to say what’ll happen. We’ve never seen anyone who got their memory back, so we don’t know.” Louis grinned at Subaru’s obvious inner turmoil, her eyes making her look just like a cat toying with a mouse.

[User] The criminal who stole those memories was insolently claiming she had no idea what came after. And it was almost surely the truth. Louis Arneb wasn’t someone who would ever give back what she had stolen to its rightful owner. So she didn’t know what would happen to Subaru Natsuki after his memories came back.

[Assistant] “You were given life, mister. It would be a waste not to enjoy it.” The irresponsible thief continued, peering into Subaru’s face from close up. “Because we ate Subaru Natsuki’s memories, you’re here now. So that makes us almost like your mother. Choosing your own death, right to your mother’s face? Isn’t that disrespecting your parents, mister?”

[User] “Bullshit…”

[Assistant] “—Memories make the man, mister.” Louis’s face went blank, and her voice was low, cold. That alone was spoken seriously.

[User] Subaru caught his breath at the unexpectedly sharp words and fell silent. At the same time, he felt like he had heard that line before. The ring of it, the words. He had heard it right before his second loop’s death…

[Assistant] "The current you has the relationships that the current you made. Why not try again. Live a positive life. That’s another option, if you ask us.”

[User] ""Also, maybe we shouldn’t say it, but…Subaru Natsuki doesn’t seem like the greatest guy.” Closing an eye, she made a face like she was speaking a difficult truth while pummeling Subaru’s emotions. Still lying on the ground beneath Subaru, she clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked into his black eyes with a dreamy, maiden-like gaze…

[Assistant] “Poor Emilia! Born just like the Witch of old, a pitiful girl avoided by everyone! Ahhh, but I’m so kind for being willing to be with her!”

[User] “Wha…?”

[Assistant] “Weak and fragile Beatrice! Living alone without anyone to rely on, what a lonely girl!


[User] "I have to take her by the hand and lead her down the dark and dangerous road!” To Subaru’s shock, she spoke the names of the girls who had prayed for his safety and watched him go…and then she started reciting terribly twisted thoughts. It was obvious who Louis was implying thought these things. He could tell, but… “Rem, so devoted, offering unconditional love! So foolish and beautiful and so pure. An incomplete child who feels alive when she becomes desperate, for the sake of someone other than herself. That is why I have to guide her!”

[Assistant] “What…what are you getting at? !”

[User] “Just sharing what Subaru Natsuki thought. What he wanted was a feeling of superiority. He was never thinking about someone else. He was just drunk on the pleasure of having useful people waiting on him. And puppies who refuse to get close don’t get fed. Those people got pushed away.”

[User] “Do you really want to give yourself up for the sake of that Subaru Natsuki?” She asked it again. Louis was… Gluttony was demanding a confession from Subaru Natsuki. She wanted to hear what Subaru really felt: Do you want to die or not? And if you do want to die, would you really die for someone like that? —Would Subaru Natsuki really choose death for the sake of some other Subaru Natsuki?

[Assistant] “So what do you want, mister?”

[Assistant] Louis’s slender arm grabbed Subaru’s and put his hand on her neck. She even guided his fingers around her neck. All he had to do was squeeze, and her slender neck would snap.


[User] "—Oh, so you do remember something like this."

[Assistant] "Don’t! Don’t…!"

[User] "We’re not joking. If anything, you’re the one who isn’t being serious. You should seriously, earnestly love yourself."

[Assistant] "Yeah, that’s right. Love yourself. C’mon, do it. Just like the people you cherish want you to. You need to love yourself." A torrent of superficial words in an insincere voice. Was she trying to make him understand something, or was she simply not capable of empathizing with people? Was she being artificial, or did it come naturally? Was she sneering at him or consoling him? It was all ambiguous. Everything about Louis Arneb was ambiguous.

[User] "You…if you’re right, if that’s true…give me proof."

[Assistant] "Proof?"

[User] "Proof that the current me will disappear if I bring Subaru Natsuki back…!"

[Assistant] "There isn’t any. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Not a single thing. Nothing at all… Does that make you feel better?"

[User] "You’re going around in circles, mister. We can’t talk about things we don’t know. We don’t know if our brothers would die if what they ate was returned. And honestly, we’ve never returned something we ate, so we don’t know. We ate it, after all." Louis opened her mouth wide, revealing a red tongue and seriously sharp canines, letting Subaru see all the way to the back of her throat, as if to say Look, there’s nothing there. Her red tongue dancing all the while she referred to stealing people’s memories and devouring them as “eating.”

[Assistant] "So what will you do, mister?"

[User] "Gh…ngh…" Dying was scary. Terrifying. But it was a different sort of fear from what he had experienced four times before when he’d died and come back. The issue weighing on his soul now was the potential loss of self. His existence hung in the balance. That was what death was originally supposed to be. If you died, your consciousness was lost, and there was no second chance. So maybe Subaru had no right to complain after relying on the easy choice that let him fix his mistakes. Maybe it was a supreme luxury to get to choose whether he would disappear or not. But it was his life. Placed in a position where he had to choose whether to snuff that candle or not, he felt his heart cracking with each passing second.

[Assistant] Subaru had already died four times since coming to this world. They were all short. Thrown into an unfamiliar world, surrounded by strangers, and then visited by death in some difficult-to-escape-from form. Added together, the sum total of the time he had been conscious was less than two full days. It was a short, meager time. But in addition to those two days, he also had spent seventeen years in his original world. It had not gone well. Subaru had been shit at life.


[User] "I don’t want that…" That realization made Subaru’s body crack. Subaru’s body there wasn’t the real thing. And because it wasn’t real, because it was a reflection of the feelings in his heart, Subaru’s body shattered. Fissures spread along his arms and legs. His cheek fell to the floor. It was the fake shell of Subaru Natsuki that he’d been wearing. As it fell to the ground, the strong facade he had been putting up peeled away, too.

[Assistant] "No, no, no…no…"

[User] "Of course not. It’s natural."

[Assistant] He shook his head like a child, rejecting the terror of death, not of loss that awaited him. Why do I have to lose it? Why, when I just realized I love her? "I don’t want…"

[User] "Mm-hmm. We understand. We get it. We know."

[Assistant] "I don’t want it…"

[User] "It’s your life, after all. Why do you have to just give it to someone else?"

[Assistant] "Everyone…all of them…I want…" I want to be with everyone longer.

[User] "—I don’t want to…"

[Assistant] "That’s right. Of course not. So then, what do you think you should do?"

[User] "…Stay myself…"

[Assistant] "Yes. Just be who you are, mister. That’s right. You took it for yourself. It’s a game of musical chairs. The one who takes the empty seat is the winner."

[Assistant] "The one who gets pushed out steps down. Acknowledge it. Accept your own existence. Shout it to the skies. That you’re the real one! Isn’t that right? !" Just below him, close enough so Subaru could feel her breath, Louis roared with eyes wide and blazing.


[User] Louis almost seemed like she was about to bite him—no, she had bitten the wrist of his hand around her neck, warning him with a vibrant pain. Looking into his wavering black eyes, Louis Arneb shouted. “Acknowledge it! —Subaru Natsuki is just another person, just the stranger most familiar to you!” With a roar, she demanded he reaffirm his existence. Demanded he not do something so stupid as die for someone else’s sake. Why did he have to sacrifice himself for someone else? —And for someone who wasn’t him, for some other person using his name. To never be able to meet the people he cared about again, just so that person could meet them. To yield the time living with them, those precious, irreplaceable days. Who would do such a stupid thing? “So kill him! Kill him! Just kill him! If you kill him! If you just kill him! If you kill him dead!”

[Assistant] “…Subaru Natsuki.”

[User] “You are the only Subaru Natsuki in this world, not a replacement for anyone else.”

[Assistant] “—!” I’m the only Subaru Natsuki in this world, not a replacement for anyone else. Earn the right to hold hands with Beatrice, to talk shit with Ram, to make Meili pout, to be taken aback by Shaula’s openness, to shoot the breeze with Echidna, to stand back-to-back with Julius, to feel Patlash’s unconditional love, and to be with Emilia. If Subaru Natsuki had it, then Subaru would… “” His vision blurred. His mind was directly influencing his body. His heartbeat, his aching lungs. He could feel them vividly now. But what he felt most strongly was uncontrollable tears. Was it rage or sadness, jealousy or envy, guilt or fear? Subaru didn’t know what emotion had caused it. He didn’t know anything. But as the tears blurred his vision, he saw it. “” Someone was looking down at Subaru, at Louis. Louis was lying on the ground, looking up at pathetic, teary-eyed Subaru, whose hand was still around her neck. There was only one person Subaru could think of who would be there.

[User] “…Get scared and decide to show yourself, Subaru Natsuki?” “” The blurry figure didn’t say anything. It just looked at Subaru. A blurry white figure standing on a white floor with a white world to its back.

[Assistant] Subaru’s face was a mess as he let the truth spill out in front of the person who had suddenly appeared. “I…I don’t want to disappear. I don’t want to die. So I…” “”

[User] “I want to be with everyone. I like everyone. So I…” “”

[Assistant] “So I…” He continued rambling, trying to justify himself. Just like when he had put his hand on Louis’s throat. He had come to the conclusion that he didn’t want to lose himself. So he told the figure that had appeared before him. Even if that meant killing the person in front of him with his same face. Because he was…because Subaru Natsuki was another person. Just a familiar, close, other person.


[User] “I’m not you! We’re…!” Different. That was what he tried to say. He tried to cast aside the possibility. But just as he was about to—

[Assistant] “…Who are you talking to, mister?” Louis’s eyes were wide, as if she was dumbfounded. She looked at him like he had completely lost the plot. She twisted her head, looking in the same direction as Subaru, trying to see what he was seeing. But her brow furrowed in doubt, and her sharp canines moved. “No one’s there, so who are you talking to, mister?”

[User] Louis looked like she couldn’t believe what was happening. Her expression changed, looking like she was scared of something. “This is our place… There shouldn’t be anything that can disturb it. Talking to someone other than us here…stop it. You’re…!” Louis was imploring him, but Subaru’s consciousness didn’t budge.


[User] All his attention was gathered on the figure still standing there, refusing to disappear. The wavering outline of the person in his bleary vision got just a tiny bit clearer. A figure he didn’t recognize. As the outline gradually grew clearer, it looked to Subaru like they were smiling. Shaking his head, blinking forcefully, he tried to see the smile more clearly—

[Assistant] "—Why are you trying to choose just one?" A voice he had never heard, The voice of someone who should not be there.

[User] A blue-haired girl he had never seen smile before…was standing there smiling. As Subaru fell silent, the girl, still smiling—

[Assistant] "Stand up!" That was the first thing out of her mouth. —She shouted at Subaru Natsuki in the world’s strictest voice.

[User] "Stand up!" The voice hammered the shattered Subaru Natsuki. Those words pummeled and battered him. The merciless, unflinching shout cracked Subaru Natsuki, accelerating the shattering. It clawed at his bare heart without hesitation.

[Assistant] "Stand up!" The blue-haired girl raised her voice at Subaru. Glaring at him, she roared. Then she roared again. At Subaru Natsuki, who was still kneeling there, pinning the girl down, as cracks formed on his stunned face.

[User] "Stand up!" The same bellow. Over and over again, it cruelly, unreservedly hammered Subaru’s heart.

[Assistant] Why do I have to suffer this? It hurts. It’s painful. It’s miserable. It’s sad. My heart feels like it’s going to break. Having to suffer this sort of painful decision. You don’t often get hit with one after the other with no time to prepare like this. —At least I managed to stop regretting being in this awful place. I already gave my answer. Isn’t that enough?

[User] "Stand up!" The girl in front of him refused to accept his complaints, his stubborn conclusion, his heart cowering in fear of loss, his shrinking back. She forcefully, steadfastly rejected it all.

[Assistant] I made a decision. You could just accept that. At least act like you’re a little troubled. Isn’t it fine? I’ve worried enough. So why are…?

[User] "Stand up!" Even as his heart broke, she refused to accept Subaru’s decision.

[Assistant] "Stand up!" Still? Why is her voice, why is she…? Even though it hurts so much…

[User] "Stand…! Stand! Stand! Stand up!"

[Assistant] Who is she? She’s somewhere in my memory. He had never talked to her before. She wasn’t even in the current Subaru’s memory. He didn’t know who she was. Only what she looked like. That wasn’t enough of a connection to make him stay his hand. And yet. Why? Why is my heart so hot? Why is there so much heat welling in my chest?

[User] "Stand up, Subaru Natsuki! Stand up! My hero!" His heart quivered as the tearful voice of a girl he couldn’t remember yelled at him to be a hero. Subaru’s heart wavered even as he wanted to laugh at such a stupid story. The cracks and fault lines accelerated.


[User] It was Subaru Natsuki breaking free from the shell of Subaru Natsuki. But what emerged was only slightly different from what had been there before. —No, if anything is different, then it’ll be starting now. Swallowing his fearful heart, as the voice telling him to stand wished, he stood. "If you can stand, then go. Go and save everything.”

[Assistant] Everything as in what? What’s everything? It was too vague. What was everything?

[User] “Everything is everything. Every single thing. Every single person. Yourself. And even the stranger most familiar to you, too!” What is this? Who can do that? Does she really think I can do that? I don’t have what it takes. I can’t even save myself. For the sake of the people he cared about, for the sake of the people who cared about him, for the people he wanted to hold dear, for the sake of his memories with them that he didn’t want to lose. I was about to let go of something just now. Do you really think I can?

[Assistant] “You can. After all…” What? Because of what? Give me strength, give me an answer. If you can, then— Please, blue-haired girl, tell—

[User] “—You’re my hero.”

[Assistant] Something fell with a thud in his chest. A dark, stagnant thing. As if it was purified by her voice that sounded almost like a confession of love. —No, it wasn’t like a confession of love. That’s exactly what it was. He had one more reason why he didn’t want to give this place back to Subaru Natsuki. “—Ha.” But that wasn’t the only thing that increased. Purified by her words, the dark, stagnant thing started to glow and change shape. There was a pulse inside Subaru Natsuki, at his most covetous core.

[User] It pulsated. It lost everything, was left behind by everything. But even so, it wanted to hold everything down, not wanting to let a single thing slip from his fingers, not wanting to let go even of himself. As he begged for that, his cowardly Greed bloomed into the strength to fulfill that wish. —The fickle Factor connected with his being. “Come, Cor Leonis.” The seed of Greed that had lost its place blossomed inside Subaru. And as it took a more defined form—

[Assistant] The blue-haired girl’s smile alone celebrated that moment.


[User] “…Mister?” Louis spoke while watching Subaru stand. His hand was no longer wrapped around her neck. Still looking bewildered, she sat up on her golden bed of hair, blinking in confusion.

[Assistant] “What…? C’mon, keep going…it’s not done, right?”

[User] “It’s not…”

[Assistant] “You don’t need to say anything else. I’m sick of your twisted explanations.” I’m honestly surprised how clear my head is. Because of that, he could also calmly acknowledge that this malice that had come in the shape of a girl had twisted his will. She had tried to use him as she pleased.

[User] Louis’s eyes narrowed.


[User] Subaru glanced not at Louis, but past her.

[Assistant] But this is probably enough!

[User] “Even though I was told…time and time again.”

[Assistant] “Put away the knife and fork you dine-and-dash asshole. I don’t have any food for the likes of you.”

[User] Louis Arneb’s eyes widened, looking at Subaru, who was pointing at her.

[Assistant] “Ahh…” She looked down and let out a raspy sigh. As she sat up, her shoulders trembled, and she pulled her knees close, curling up atop the carpet of her own blond hair. And slowly she raised her face—

[User] “—Argh, damn it, damn it, damn it. Just one step. Just one more step.” With loathing in her eyes, she glared at Subaru and cursed at him.

[Assistant] “Just one more step. It was so close. What went wrong? Who tricked you, mister?”

[User] “Just one more step and Subaru Natsuki would have been completely peeled away from Subaru Natsuki…!”

[Assistant] “…What? Why would—?”

[User] “—Because we can’t eat the same person twice, obviously!”

[Assistant] Louis unleashed a bloodcurdling shout, drowning out Subaru’s suspicious question. As she lifted herself off the ground, her expression changed completely. She glared at Subaru with a beast-like face devoid of any humanity.

[User] “We had to separate them! The Subaru Natsuki we already ate once, and the leftover Subaru Natsuki. Even though we made all sorts of plans…it’s all wasted! Go ahead and laugh!”

[Assistant] “…It’s not funny. None of this is the least bit funny.”

[User] “Really? Really?! But you hate us, too, don’t you? Isn’t it fun seeing the people you hate sad? It feels good, doesn’t it?


[User] “We were so bored of eating, but you…you could have satisfied us… You were the only one who could satisfy our gorging…!” As Louis shouted with bloodshot eyes, Subaru murmured the last word.

[Assistant] Unless I misheard it, she said she was Gluttony, so where did Gorging come from? As Subaru was confused, Louis looked up at the white sky and shouted.

[User] “Gourmet Lye and Garbage Roy don’t understand aaaanything! One after the other, endlessly eating without thinking… For my sake? For me locked up in here, who can’t choose anything? Don’t make me laugh, stupid brothers!” Hugging her hair, Louis started flailing wildly in a spittle-flecked tantrum.

[Assistant] Subaru couldn’t understand the meaning of everything she was shouting. The Lye and Roy part—those were probably names? But what he could tell from the reference to multiple gluttonies and memories was—

[User] “You and your buddies…take people’s names and memories…is that it? You steal all those things and eat them all. Right?” Subaru, who’d had his memories eaten and lost who he was. Julius, whose name had been eaten, and who’d experienced the grief of being forgotten by everyone around him. And Rem, who had been both consumed and forgotten by the world and put into a deep, unending slumber. All of them were the work of Gluttony, of Louis and the others, whose names she—

[Assistant] “Why the hell are you doing that? What are you after?”

[User] “—Happiness.”

[Assistant] Subaru caught his breath at that immediate response. Not even glancing at him, Louis clacked her teeth together as an unstable edge crept into her voice.

[User] “What other goal is there? Happiness is the point of living, isn’t it? Or did you think outcasts like us were warped about that, too? Wrong. That’s wrong. Of course it’s wrong! Too wrong! Completely wrong! We’re telling you it’s wrong!”

[Assistant] “What does stealing other people’s memories have to do with happiness…?”

[User] "Have you never thought that life isn’t fair?”

[Assistant] “I have.”

[User] “Aha!” Biting into the back of her pale hand, Louis questioned Subaru. And she smirked unpleasantly at his immediate answer of yes.

[Assistant] “Of course. We have, too. After all, life isn’t fair. You can’t pick where you are born, you can’t pick your parents, you can’t pick your surroundings, you can’t pick your future, you can’t control anything. That’s the system that’s been made. We’re all just put on a conveyor belt.”

[User] “—But what if it didn’t have to be like that?” Louis cocked her head as Subaru remained silent.

[Assistant] “What if you could choose where you were born? Your parents? Your surroundings? Your future? What if you could choose whatever you wanted? …Everyone would choose a better life, wouldn’t they? Right?”

[User] “That’s…”

[Assistant] “If they could pick where they were born, pick their parents, pick their surroundings, pick their future, pick everything they wanted, anyone would pick a better life… So we are carefully taking our time, searching for the ultimate life for ourselves.”

[User] “It has to exist somewhere!


[User] “A rosy future where we can feel proud of the life we’ve lived! A life that’s just right for us! And until we encounter that fateful life, we will eat and munch and gnaw and lick and suck and devour! Eat it all! Gluttony!” Her eyes blazed as she screamed her beautiful ambition out loud. She genuinely believed, from the bottom of her heart, that this was her personal pursuit of happiness, that this was the one means available to her to secure the best possible future. She saw no hope in her own life. Because in her mind, the life of the girl Louis Arneb had been far too poor. The start was all wrong. She wanted to undo it. She wanted to win a version of herself that was blessed in birth, in parents, in environment, in future, in talent, in everything. She had defined that as the requirement for a life that could be celebrated to the greatest extent. And so…

[Assistant] "You steal other people’s memories…and eat them…for that?" Understanding what that meant, Subaru was at a loss for words.

[User] As Louis said, she gorged, mindlessly consuming other people’s lives. Men, women, young, old, even other races and species—she gorged on life itself, savoring and indulging in the experiences of every sort of being. She had snacked on the “good parts” of thousands of lives. Every sort of achievement was just a normal event. There was nothing original to be found. Just boring, tired, ancient things…

[Assistant] "So why are you so focused on me? Why would you go through so much hassle to snack on me? Some stupid form of gluttony?"

[User] “It’s nothing so pointless… Because you are our fate.”

[Assistant] Subaru glared at her with anger and wariness.

[User] When he took her at face value, it was absurd. But the intensity in Louis’s eyes as she looked at him wasn’t a lie. She was seriously in love with Subaru—or more precisely with his life. “We’ve eaten young and old, men and women, people from every age, from all rungs of life. But there’s one thing we don’t know. Do you know what that is?”

[Assistant] "How should I know? Is it how to grieve your good-for-nothing self?"

[User] “—The experience of death.” Subaru froze with one eye closed. Louis raised her slender arms and pointed her palms at him. “No matter how many people’s memories we eat, it’s impossible. We can never get the memory of death. That seems obvious, right? Memories are a record of life. So they don’t exist when you die. —But you, mister, are the only exception.” She seemed genuinely jealous, envious, in love with the ability Return by Death. This girl who was so bored of the world yearned for the boy who was the only one who could show her something she had never seen before. “What does it feel like to die? It must be rough, right? It’s painful, right? It’s hard, right? It hurts, right?


[User] "But there were times it didn’t hurt, too, right? There are stories that it can even feel good, but is that true? Are you actually always happy when you die? Or is it more of a not caring anymore? Is it easy? A climax? Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!”

[Assistant] "…If you have my memories, you should know already.”

[User] “As memories! But that’s old! Not fresh! We want something more real. We aren’t satisfied with reheated, reused ingredients. What would satisfy us is a new, fresh, never-before-experienced state of mind! Special memories, one-of-a-kind that no one else in the world can experience! And not just that, but the ease of just redoing things right away if you mess anything up! Even after finding your perfect life, you could ruin it with some sort of mistake, right? But that can’t happen with your life! Don’t worry, we’ll do it carefully, so no one notices.”

[Assistant] “Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Meili, Julius, Echidna, Shaula, Patlash, Petra, Otto, Garfiel, Frederica, Ryuzu, Roswaal, Clind, Annerose, Felt, Reinhard, Old Man Rom, Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest, Crusch, Ferris, Wilhelm, Ricard, Mimi, Hetaro, TB, Priscilla, Al, Schult, Heinkel, Kiritaka, Liliana—everyone and anyone and everyone! Trick them all and live a happy life!” Holding her hands out like that, Louis cocked her head cutely.

[User] “So please, let me eat your life until I’m full.” She pleaded with him.

[Assistant] “—There


[User] "Nothing more, nothing less.”

[Assistant] "Even though you might be overwritten and erased?”

[User] “Let me teach you a magic spell. That is one thing, and this is another.” He took the magic spell he had used on Julius and pointed it at himself.


[User] "I don’t mind tracking mud inside when I enter people’s hearts, so I don’t need to sit neatly in a chair, either. That’s my answer. Get a haircut, stupid." With that parting shot, he turned away from Louis.

[Assistant] Louis’s sigh hit Subaru’s back as he slipped into thought. "—Argh. We just have to leave it to dear brother and brother dearest, then, huh?"

[User] Dear brother and brother dearest. Those words made Subaru stop as he was about to go looking for the exit.

[Assistant] "Lye and Roy. Gourmet and Garbage?"

[User] "We can’t leave this place. So we can’t control what we eat unless dear brother and brother dearest eat it for us… So we asked them."

[Assistant] Subaru caught his breath, getting a bad feeling as he waited for her to continue.

[User] "This is your second time coming here, isn’t it? So dear brother and brother dearest should have both noticed…exactly where you are."

[Assistant] "Wait, your brothers are coming here…? !"

[User] "They both are very interested in you, mister. That makes perfect sense. After all…you’re packed full of experiences we’ve never tasted."

[Assistant] But as that thought crossed his mind and he reached his hand forward, the world around him cracked. "Wha—? Is this an exit? !"

[User] In front of his eyes, he could see a gap in space through the cracks. It was connected to a path that shouldn’t have been there. A path born of his determination to return. "Before I go back, you…"

[Assistant] "You can’t. It’s impossible for you. We wish you could have, though."

[User] He couldn’t say


[User] He didn’t even watch to see her reaction before moving into the rift in the space. But just as he did, there was a single moment’s hesitation. Not because Louis was bothering him. He was content to never see her face again. What he regretted wasn’t leaving Louis, but the voice that had put him back on his feet. The girl who had appeared for a brief moment in order to rouse Subaru Natsuki’s spirits. The girl whose memory and name were stolen so she was the only one who could call out to him at the end of the world. "It’s okay. I remember my promise.” Subaru Natsuki wouldn’t forget that. We’ll meet again soon. —He hoped he could hear her kind voice then, and not just more scolding.

[Assistant] With that, Subaru leaped into the rift to go back to his comrades.


[User] The white void fell away, and the vibrant world on the other side reconstructed itself. It was a mysterious feeling, like being in a colorless space, watching from the inside as the world was progressively painted in color. The Odo Ragna cradle. The corridors of memory. Subaru Natsuki’s existence had been torn from that space outside the world. His fragmentary consciousness was bound back up, and gradually his self was reconstructed…

[Assistant] "—Subaru.” The first thing he felt was a badly parched throat. Then something cold and hard against his back and bottom. He had apparently been sitting against a wall. Opening his eyes, he blinked several times until the world came into focus, and then he saw the blue eyes peering into his. The eyes with a butterfly-like pattern

[User] "Beatrice…?"

[Assistant] "…You seem conscious again. You saying Betty’s name first would seem to indicate you didn’t lose your memory somewhere along the way.”

[User] "…Yeah. I remember. You’re a cutie.” Subaru responded as relief flooded Beatrice’s eyes, and then she started touching his face and chest as her little palms felt ticklish. He also inspected himself. He had given Beatrice a confident reply without knowing how Louis—how Gluttony—ate memories and names. It was hard to prove the existence of memories.

[Assistant] "It…should be okay. The promises and the love are all there in my heart.” Subaru's heart raced when he thought about Emilia, and because he cared about Beatrice, he wanted to pat her head. And he prayed from the bottom of his heart for his comrades’ safety. That was the proof that he was Subaru.

[User] "…How long was I out? It doesn’t feel like it’s only been a moment.” Using Beatrice’s warmth to steady and center himself, he realized he was in a different position from when he had gotten pulled into the corridors of memory.


[User] “Emilia-chan and Ram, and Julius and Shaula aren’t here…?” Subaru furrowed his brow.

[Assistant] “Looks like you woke up, Natsuki.” Echidna touched her light purple hair as she walked over to him.

[User] Noticing he was awake, she pursed her lips. “Finally? You’re such a sleepyhead. I was so tired of waiting.”

[Assistant] “Sleepyhead? That’s a cute turn of phrase… As it happens, I finally made it back from an unexpected life-or-death struggle. Show a little sympathy.”

[User] “An unexpected life-or-death struggle… I would love to know more about that, but while you were sleeping, things started moving here, too. That’s why Julius and the others aren’t here.”

[Assistant] Beatrice, Echidna, and Meili were with Subaru in Taygeta. From the look on Echidna’s face, it was clear she was concerned about the safety of everyone else who wasn’t present.

[User] “You were asleep for almost an hour, I suppose. The other books only took a few seconds, so we were worried that something might have happened to you.”

[Assistant] “An hour…that…seems to match up with what it felt like to me. What happened out here?”

[User] “Shaula noticed something strange. She said something was approaching the tower from outside. She raced away before we could stop her.”

[Assistant] “Something…approaching…”

[User] Prioritizing explaining the situation over double-checking Subaru’s condition, Echidna pointed toward the stairs down to the next floor.

[Assistant] “The cool knight chased after her. And then Silver-Hair and the maid went to check on the sleeping girl.” Meili added.

[User] “So that’s why the four of them aren’t here. But it was the right choice to go to Rem.” Subaru nodded.

[Assistant] Seeing his reaction, Echidna furrowed her brow. "Natsuki? From that reaction…is there something you know?”

[User] “Ye…ah. There’s no point in hiding it. I’ll skip right to the end.” He had not fully digested everything that had happened in the corridors of memory. But he also knew that Echidna didn’t fully trust him after his losing his memory and having the bond between them reset. That unnecessary suspicion would only be a barrier to them banding together to overcome the unprecedented disaster coming for them. So…? “Well, here it is, no holding back. The plan to read Reid’s book and make a strategy using his past failed. I couldn’t see his past, and this isn’t the time for that anymore.”

[Assistant] “You couldn’t see his past…? What happened, then?”

[User] “Something got in the way. The Archbishop of Gluttony.”

[Assistant] “—? !” Everyone’s expression tensed in shock.

[User] Archbishop and Gluttony both probably mean something to them. Considering Rem’s and Julius’s situations, that much is obvious. And in the first place, the reason they set out for the Pleiades Watchtower was…

[Assistant] “So, while you were unconscious, you were facing off with the Archbishop of Gluttony? Is that the unexpected life-or-death struggle you were talking about?”

[User] “That’s right.


[User] Just as I slid into the book of the dead, I was taken to an empty, white space instead of exploring Reid’s memories…and I ran into a girl calling herself Louis. From what she said, it was some place called the cradle of Odo Ragna or corridors of memory or something.”

[Assistant] “Odo Ragna…” Beatrice murmured as Subaru tried to cover everything he had heard that seemed important.

[User] “You know what it is?”

[Assistant] “Betty does not know the specifics. But what is called Odo Ragna is known as the center of the world…the place where all mana returns.”

[User] “The place where all mana returns…” It was a grandiose description, but having been there, Subaru couldn’t bring himself to laugh it off. That white space had definitely felt like a world apart from the normal world. Whether it was some place far removed or at the heart of the world, it was a distinction without much difference. That place was filled with contradictions.

[Assistant] “So you ran into Gluttony there, but you’re okay?” She squatted so that her eyes matched Subaru’s where he was sitting, peering into his black pupils. “Gluttony eats people’s memories and names, right? Are you sure you didn’t forget a bunch of stuff again, mister?”

[User] “Yeah, I’m definitely fine. I can say with confidence I didn’t lose anything there.”

[Assistant] “How can you—?”

[User] “Because when Gluttony had me cornered, Rem saved me.” All of their eyes widened when he said that name so emphatically. Beatrice in particular had a very large reaction.

[Assistant] “Subaru, that name…”

[User] “She gave me a good kick in the butt. So I’m fine.” Subaru nodded as he looked into Beatrice’s big, trembling eyes. Seeing that, she started to say something a few times and then gently pushed her forehead against his chest. He gently rubbed her back.

[Assistant] “—? There’s a strange tremor coming from below…”


[User] Someone sprinted up the stairs, rushing into Taygeta with a shout. “Echidna! Is everyone safe? !”

[Assistant] Echidna spun, stunned at seeing who it was. “Julius? You look pretty rushed.”

[User] “Something unexpected has happened. We must all gather as soon as…mrgh.” As Julius answered Echidna, his gaze turned to Subaru sitting on the floor. His face tensed from nerves and vigilance, and his yellow eyes widened slightly. “So you are awake, Subaru. That is good news. Do you remember me?”

[Assistant] “Ummm, who are…?”

[User] “…As expected.”

[Assistant] “I’m kidding! You’re Julius Juukulius! Don’t take a joke so seriously!”

[User] “Ha. I was joking, too. Since I am going to have to say something not the least bit amusing.” Smiling briefly at that reaction, Julius took on a solemn expression for the serious talk. “I would like to hear more from Subaru now that he has returned, but there is urgent news.


[User] "The disturbance that Ms. Shaula sensed outside has been confirmed.”

[Assistant] "Is that what’s causing this rumbling?"

[User] Subaru pointed down at the floor—at the tower beneath him. He had noticed the rumbling faintly just before Julius rushed in.

[Assistant] "Yes." Julius nodded. "This rumbling we’ve been hearing for a little while is coming from footsteps.”

[User] "Footsteps?" Subaru and Beatrice both cocked their heads at that unexpected answer.

[Assistant] Echidna and Meili also looked dubious as Julius gestured to the outside of the tower.

[User] “—The demon beasts throughout the Auguria Dunes are converging on this tower as one. Ms. Shaula is engaging them in combat, but it is only a matter of time until they press inside.”


[Assistant] A single girl was lying down, covering her face, wailing as she buried her face in her own long blond hair. A furious lament, like a sinner burning in hell, longing for heaven… “Argh, argh, argh, damn it! Not even looking back!”

[User] “We won’t allow it. You won’t get away. Absolutely never!”

[Assistant] “Don’t you dare think this is over, Subaru Natsuki…!”

[User] “Your life belongs to us!! !”


[User] Demon beasts were converging on the watchtower. Everyone tensed, and a grave look crossed all of their faces when they heard Julius’s report.

[Assistant] "I don’t have much more than a fuzzy feel for how huge this desert is, but…"

[User] "Auguria is a breeding ground for demon beasts. The danger from demon beasts hiding in the sand and targeting people was always a graver danger than the harsh climate."

[Assistant] "The story goes that there was once a grand plan to assemble an army to slay all the demon beasts in the sands."

[User] "You can probably guess how it went, based on the rumbling."

[Assistant] "—So you came to get me, then?" Meili fiddled with her braided hair. She was the only one who didn’t show any sign of unease when she heard that demon beasts were coming, and fast. Not because she didn’t find it strange. But because she didn’t consider demon beasts dangerous.

[User] "Though it is shameful, that is correct. I would ask you to lend us your strength." Julius nodded with a strained expression.

[Assistant] "Subaru? What is it? You have an odd look on your face?"

[User] "...Unfortunately, I was born with this face."

[Assistant] "It’s just your naturally scary eyes, I suppose." Beatrice noticed Subaru’s bitter look and was looking up at him with concern.

[User] Did you notice something, Subaru?"

[Assistant] "Spare me the rapid-fire questions. Though it’s my fault for making that all-knowing sort of look. So in addition to apologizing, I have something else to add. An exclusive scoop I picked up from the book of the dead."

[User] Julius waited with bated breath, and the others’ eyes widened.

[Assistant] "It’s Gluttony. The Archbishop of Gluttony is sending all the demon beasts at the tower."

[User] "—! Why?"

[Assistant] "That’s probably my fault. In Reid’s book of the dead, I met one part of Gluttony. Or more precisely, I met her again. Apparently, I met her last night, too. That’s…"

[User] "That is why you lost your memories."

[Assistant] Subaru nodded at Julius.