[User] They had gone into the forest, found the children, and used magic to save them. Even when Subaru wanted to go deeper into the forest to find the missing last child, Rem was not surprised. With eyes that said he was useless, an expression that said he didn’t measure up, a voice that bit back the urge to give in many times over—Subaru never stopped struggling. When Rem watched Subaru head into the forest by himself as she healed the children, her heart fluttered furiously. She was filled with warmth that words could not express. After Rem had handed the children over to the young men of the village, relying on the miasma of the witch to reach Subaru once more, she had found him in a life-and-death situation, surrounded by a pack of demon beasts. Seeing the sleeping girl in Subaru’s arms had cleared away all Rem’s doubts. As Subaru ran, Rem leaped into action, running interference for him against the attacking mob of demon beasts. Blood and pain toyed with her, but Rem felt light, as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. Not once had she imagined that trusting someone, trusting Subaru, could feel so good. The next moment, Rem had sustained an impact that plunged her mind into darkness. In its place, her demon instincts took over, and she began an indiscriminate slaughter. She learned the pleasure of making flesh fly apart. She felt delight at indulging in her power, completely forgetting her goal. Her demon instincts demanded more blood, more lives—

[Assistant] "—!" The collision against her back had sent Rem flying, dulling her reactions. Something was holding her down. When she looked behind her, she saw Subaru’s face. The relief on it snapped Rem from reflex to rational thought. She saw a ferocious demon beast right next to him, its fangs drawing near. She needed to jump, to reach out, to save him—so thought Rem when suddenly, the miasma tickled her nose. That made her delay her decision by a single moment. And then…

[User] "—Gaaaaah! !"

[Assistant] …Rem finally realized that she had not changed at all. She had committed the sin from long ago…again.


[User] Within the black cloud, the world was incomprehensible. The shape of the world, its color, its scent—none of these things could be discerned here. The single firm, solid sensation came from the soles of his feet touching the ground. If not for that, surely he would not have even known which way was up inside the darkness. He could see nothing. He could hear nothing. He could understand nothing. So this was the end of the world. As Subaru felt his feet pressing against his shoes, he searched for something within the haze. Surely there was something that awaited him within the black cloud, something he had to do. —Something, something, something, something was missing.

[Assistant] Faced with a world of incomprehension, he had to remember the world of comprehension. Why had this nothingness come? Who had brought it? What were the conditions for ending it? Remember, remember, remember the world beyond, the world that was firm under his feet.

[User] His command to his brain made thoughts erupt like sparks. He couldn’t make it another step. His feet were drained of all strength. Sooner or later, the incomprehension would crush him, making him doubt even the sensation of his soles. If he could see that coming, the answer did not lie outside him. If the answer was not outside his body, it must lie within. Even if he could not bring the oblivion outside him to heel, he could call upon his internal organs, all subconsciously functioning even then. The roles had been assigned. It was time to move.

[Assistant] “—! !” Suddenly, he felt like his entire body was on fire. The unendurable sensation of heat ripped through Subaru’s body, bringing not words from his throat but a bestial cry… No, he thought it had. He did not understand even that. He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand, but his feet, once drained of strength, moved once more. Forward. His feet moved in the direction he believed to be forward. Awareness, oblivion, awareness, oblivion, awareness, oblivion, over and over and over, until finally—


[User] Even as Subaru glanced at the contradictory spectacle of a dead beast that didn’t know it was dead, he shamelessly ran, putting distance between them while he still could. His head was heavy; his whole body was sluggish. It was the aftereffect of using magical power without complete command of it, and thus burning excess amounts of mana.

[Assistant] “—Thanks a million, brats.” Subaru spat out the tiny remnants of the fruit’s skin still in his mouth as a small smile came over him.

[User] Putting his back to the demon beast trapped in incomprehension, his feet took him in the direction the barrier ought to have been.

[Assistant] “—Ah?” But Subaru’s scheme was instantly foiled by a single claw that grazed the back of his left thigh. The sharp pain heralded the bleeding. Subaru let out an anguished groan as he fell to his knees.

[User] "Damn it all…" Before his very eyes, he saw the gaping maw of the huge demon beast, open wide enough to swallow Subaru whole.

[Assistant] “Go to hell, why don’t you—? !” He yanked the sword out of the demon beast and plunged it into the creature’s mouth with all his might.

[User] The fatal blow delivered to the inside of its mouth sent the demon beast roaring and flinging Subaru’s body away. Subaru tumbled across the ground, holding onto the sword, then held it before him as he looked up at the demon beast.

[Assistant] “Yeah! How’s that, sucker?! Bite on that! !” The demon beast shook its head, facing Subaru in a berserk rage.


[User] Subaru, his body drenched with blood, taunted it with trash talk. With blood all over their faces, they only had eyes for each other. They were whittling down each other’s lives. They both understood. None of this would end until one of them slew the other. They stood off against each other. A single spark would be enough to set them off. The confrontation between man and beast—no, two beasts—was on the cusp of beginning. But the square impact of the fiery shot that rained down from the sky put it on permanent suspension at the sound of a man’s voice.

[Assistant] "—Ulgoa."

[User] "Whoaaa? !" Subaru shielded his face as the shock wave enveloped his body and blew him back. All of a sudden, the ground in front of him exploded into flames. The high-temperature impact enveloped his entire body with a ferocious wave of heat. Subaru, lying on his side, shook his head as burns added to the wounds already peppering his flesh. "What the hell just…?" The hot, parched air seared Subaru’s throat as he looked up…and saw. His cheeks stiffened in shock.


[Assistant] Before Subaru’s very eyes, the huge demon beast was wrapped in a pillar of fire. It was burning. The flames licked its entire body. The demon beast’s paws shuddered and tore at the ground in agony. With the air scorching its lungs, the demon beast could not make a sound as it writhed within the crimson sea and finally dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. All that was left behind was a clump of blackened flesh that had lost two-thirds of its mass.

[User] "—" The unforeseen end of the demon beast was not all that surprised Subaru. Flaming shots like the one that had burned the demon beast to death rained down from the sky one after another, plunging into the black cloud. From outside the spread of the darkness, Subaru could not see for himself the full power of the flames upon landing. But he could guess what they were doing. Inside the impermeable darkness, the demon beasts were being destroyed without even realizing. Subaru could no longer tell if that was cruelty or mercy. However—

[Assistant] "Myyy, my, myyy, who would have thooought that a mere Shamak, used chiefly for smokescreens, could be employed with this much impaaact?" The man who had directed the demon beast’s fiery-death scene floated down from the sky, a flippant smile on his face. His long indigo hair swayed in the wind. His eyes were oddly colored: one blue, one yellow. He wore a bizarre outfit over his tall, slender body. The clownish lord, mightiest magic user in all the kingdom, Roswaal, had arrived. Upon landing, Roswaal brushed off his pant legs and swept his long hair behind him as he looked down at Subaru. "Ohhhh, you look rather teeerrible, I must saaay."

[User] "You’re super late to the party, Rozchi."


[User] "How many times do you think I thought I was gonna die there?” It was definitely more than a handful. After flinging his abuse, Subaru lost his strength; he fell down then and there, not even strong enough to get up on his knees. "You sure figured out where I was, though.”

[Assistant] “Ah, that is because of what Lady Emilia pounded iiinto me at the viiillage. She said, ‘Even if it’s crazy and reckless, if he’s backed into a corner he’ll probably use magic, so don’t you dare miss it from the sky.’”

[User] “Damn it, Beako…you let Emilia figure it out real quick.” Subaru thought over the circumstances when a voice sounded in his ears.

[Assistant] “Master Roswaal—!” She saw Ram, who’d taken a detour around the burning black cloud, cutting through some thickets. Rem was leaning on her shoulder as Ram’s expression melted in Roswaal’s presence.

[User] “I am sorry to have caused you so much trouble.”

[Assistant] “Oh no, that is quite fiiine. Indeed, you have done veeery well in my absence.”

[User] Blushing hard at the words of praise, Ram pressed a hand to her chest as she made a solemn nod.

[Assistant] Watching the exchange between them, Subaru let out a deep sigh of relief. “—Subaru!”

[User] Suddenly Rem rushed over and embraced Subaru, drawing a sharp cry from his throat. “Guh!” Before his eyes, blue hair swayed right next to his face. The soft sensations in so many places made Subaru understand the circumstances. In any other context, he’d be overjoyed, but he had no such leeway at that moment.

[Assistant] “Rem, my body’s banged up all over the… Ah, my mind’s kinda…” Maybe she couldn’t control her feelings, but she was hugging him with all her might. Every wound on his body began to cry out as Subaru desperately tried to pat Rem’s back to appeal to her. But—

[User] “You’re alive. You’re still alive. Subaru, Subaru…Subaru!” Rem was too overcome with emotion to notice how Subaru was reacting. He felt her press her face against his chest and her warm teardrops flowing down her cheek. A wide range of ticklish sensations struck him, well beyond the capacity of Subaru’s brain to deal with. In other words—

[Assistant] “Oh man…not this…again…” As Subaru spoke, his head slowly tilted forward, his neck no longer able to support itself. His mind grew distant. The voices grew faint.


[User] “…someone’s voice sounded in his ears, serious and devoid of clownish affect. "Go ahead and sleep. When you awaken, I must thank you quite earnestly. At the very least, rest assured I shall eliminate that which threatens you.”

[Assistant] Feeling a deeper sense of security, Subaru gently let go of lucidity. Until the moment he fell asleep, he reveled in the warmth of the embrace and the relief of finally receiving it. Subaru’s consciousness sank into a river of unconsciousness.


[User] A flood of cold sweat poured down Subaru’s brow as he silently listened to Emilia’s rant.

[Assistant] "I’m…not upset…so…"

[User] "Yes, Emilia-tan, you’re right to be upset with me. I’m very sorry."

[Assistant] "Sheesh, I said I wasn’t upset. But since you apparently feel guilty I have no choice… I will accept your apology, Subaru. Really, don’t make me worry like that." Action/Narration: After Subaru gave in to her pressure, Emilia accepted the apology and punctuated her last sentence with a broad, charming smile.

[User] "I have to say, Subaru, you sure get hurt a lot. And the reason you got hurt was that you came to the mansion, too… I mean, it’s only been four days."

[Assistant] "Hey, it’s not like I want all these injuries. I guess you could say the world kind of has it out for me…so, if I can at least have Emilia-tan fawning over me, it’s all good!"

[User] "I fawned over you plenty and you just ran off. You can fend for yourself next time."

[Assistant] "Nuaaa! I let my chance slip away! Damn it, if only Beako had done a bit of a better job!" Action/Narration: Subaru shouted in anger at the coldhearted girl, having not seen a single trace of her curly hair since his recovery.

[User] "I told you, when I woke up after falling asleep in the chair I was tied up in it. I was flabbergasted." Action/Narration: Emilia pouted as Subaru’s words made her remember how he’d left her behind.

[Assistant] "No one uses flabbergasted anymore…"

[User] "Don’t make light of it… Puck tried to keep me from going after both of you, too. I don’t know what would have happened if Roswaal hadn’t come back. Understand?" Action/Narration: Faced with Emilia’s tight-lipped anger, Subaru could only feel ashamed of himself.


[User] Subaru knew that was exactly how he’d feel if it’d been him left behind like that. Even so, if he’d had to do it all over again, no doubt he’d have left Emilia behind once more.

[Assistant] "You’ve saved me again, though."

[User] "Eh?"

[Assistant] "I said, you’ve saved me again, even though the whole point of bringing you to the mansion was to thank you for saving me before. Thank you very much." Emilia put her hands together for emphasis as her face broke into a radiant smile. Subaru, bearing the full effect of it, finally felt something go plunk in his chest.

[User] "Err, that’s fine, really! I just did it because I wanted to, and it’s not like this has nothing to do with me, either. Yeah, that’s right. I…did it." As he said it, it really sank in. That was what had fallen inside his chest. Having repeated events over some twenty days, Subaru had finally made it to the end. After having his heart broken and crushed so many times, his hand had finally reached that which he had long sought. He was finally able to register that feeling of I did it!

[Assistant] "That’s what you say, but that won’t put my conscience at ease. I’m sure Ram, Rem, and Roswaal are all grateful to you, too."

[User] "That so…? All right, let me take advantage and have my contract with Rozchi amended so that Ram and Rem are my personal maids for a while, muah-ha-ha. And then!" Subaru put his hand over his mouth as he made a lewd laugh. He then swayed his body left and right as he drew closer to Emilia, thrusting a finger toward her, making her recoil ever so slightly.

[Assistant] "Am I going to get an Emilia-tan reward, too?"

[User] "Goodness, if I can afford it. If it is within my power, then… Wait, last time, you asked me for my name."

[Assistant] "Heh-heh. Do not underestimate my greed. This time I am a man unaffected by anything so weak. I am aroused by greed and avarice and a vortex of libido!" Though he never even got up from the bed, Subaru posed, furiously spreading his arms up at an angle.

[User] Perhaps seeing Subaru worked up to that degree made Emilia believe the subject couldn’t be avoided. She sat down, properly facing him. As Emilia awaited the inevitable, Subaru browsed the “Emilia Reward List” in his brain. He carefully went over options ranging from the bittersweet to nighttime adventures, selecting one.

[Assistant] "All right, Emilia-tan, let’s go out on a date." …he would redo the promise he’d made with Emilia so many days before.

[User] “‘Date’…?"

[Assistant] "It means we head out together, see the same things, eat the same food, share the same memories together."

[User] "…You’re fine with that?"

[Assistant] "I’m fine with that." How many hardships had Subaru gone through to go on his long-desired date with Emilia?


[User] “I want to brag about you to the brats in the village, Emilia-tan. Plus, the flower bed’s just awesome. To me, it’d be special just to have a casual stroll there together.”

[Assistant] “I think your definition of greed is a bit different than for most people.”

[User] “Don’t say that. My shamelessness will freeze that cute smile on your face yet. Oh yeah!” Subaru’s teeth glinted as he did a thumbs-up and a wink.

[Assistant] “Yes, all right already, I’ll go on a ‘date’ with you.”

[User] The promise having been made, Subaru clapped his hands together and exulted. “Yessss! And that’s why E M F (Emilia-tan’s Majorly a Fairy)! !" Subaru, seeing Emilia sigh at his enthusiasm out of the corner of his eye, directed his hopes for a speedy physical recovery outside the window, toward the village where they would have their promised date. Visions of a glittering future danced when Subaru abruptly thought of the demon beast forest. The curses that inhabited his body had lost all their effectiveness. The demon beasts had been eradicated—the end of a long chain of events beginning with a single one slipping past the broken barrier. This time, matters had ended with one species wiping out the other. The events left a bitter aftertaste that he didn’t fully understand. He remembered how he was in a daze as he thrust his sword into the demon beast’s body. The memory was fresh, and the sensation of taking a life lingered on his hands. He wondered if he would forget that sensation someday. Surely the passage of time would make the ache in his chest subside. But until that day came, what could he do…?

[Assistant] “Subaru.”

[User] “Yeah?” He looked back when she called his name. He wondered what Emilia would think of the meaning behind Subaru’s distant, absentminded gaze.

[Assistant] Emilia rose to her feet and opened the curtains. Light flooded into the room all at once. Emilia’s silver hair was enveloped by vivid, dancing light that left him spellbound. Finally, as Subaru sat in silence, Emilia smiled at him out of the blue. “When we go on the ‘date,’ let’s bring back a flower bouquet.”

[User] “—Sure.” Subaru covered his face with his palms. There was no winning against that smile. He thought, before the day came when he forgot, he ought to carve it into his chest so that he could not. He knew it was hypocritical and would only force the pain on to him, but he felt it was the right thing to do. He felt like Emilia’s pretty smile was telling him so. So he did. Emilia and Subaru continued to spend time together with smiles on their faces.


[User] Subaru Natsuki experienced only a single moment between losing consciousness and reviving. “” His head had smashed against the hard ground, bathing his world red just an instant ago. The moment after he lost all five senses, Subaru found himself on top of the soft bed.

[Assistant] “Whew—” He exhaled. His body relaxed as the shock of death retreated from his soul. It was enough to make him pull up the sheets and cower, forgetting even to breathe.

[User] Of course it was. He’d never leaped off a cliff and taken his own life before. His fourth death in this loop was suicide. Without a manual for how Return by Death worked, or any precedent, that could have truly been the end of Subaru’s life for all he knew. But—

[Assistant] “I’m…back…” Subaru clenched his trembling fist, smiling thinly at the white ceiling that filled his vision. The soft bed, the sweet-smelling pillow, the well-furnished suite—all of it belonged to the guest room that had greeted Subaru on his first day at Roswaal Manor. And more importantly—

[User] “Sister, Sister. Our Dear Guest appears to be slow to wake.”

[Assistant] “Rem, Rem. Our Dear Guest seems to be slow in the head for his age.” The twin sisters were clasping the other’s hands, their eyes side by side as they looked at Subaru from the foot of the bed. They wore little black dresses with white aprons on the front. Both had dazzling white lace headpieces on top of their short bob hairstyles, one with pink hair, the other with blue. Their faces were young and lovely. They were the maids who took care of the mansion, and also the reason Subaru had made his Return by Death. Subaru’s heart shuddered at hearing their familiar voices speaking in familiar ways, during what would be the fifth round of meeting them for the first time. He had a mountain of things he wanted to ask. But he felt like something was lodged in his throat; the words wouldn’t come out. Seeing Rem alive and well, while Ram behaved with her typical rudeness, everything felt so ordinary and natural that it was hard for Subaru to keep his emotions down.

[User] “Dear Guest, Dear Guest. Is something wrong? Are you unwell?”

[Assistant] “Dear Guest, Dear Guest. Are you sick? Perhaps a chronic illness?”

[User] Subaru put a hand on his chest and lowered his head before the bewildered twins. The maids went to one side of the bed and separated slightly, reaching out with one small palm each as if to touch Subaru from both sides. Those hands—

[Assistant] “Let me borrow those for a sec.”

[User] “Eh?”

[Assistant] “Ah.”

[User] Subaru, not waiting for them to say yes, grasped their hands, entwining his fingers into theirs. With the sisters frozen in surprise, he got a good feel for their slender fingers and the warmth of their palms.


[User] “Yeah, I knew it… There’s no mistaking it.” Subaru remembered the feel of their hands and how their warmth had saved him in his time of need. He wasn’t wrong about what had given him the determination to throw himself off that cliff.

[Assistant] Both pulled their hands back and poured scorn on Subaru’s rude, insolent behavior. “No, Dear Guest. You are surely mistaken. About everything.”

[User] “No, Dear Guest. It was surely a mistake that you were born.”

[Assistant] But Subaru nodded as if even those cruel words were music that refreshed his soul. “All things considered, I probably shouldn’t smile at that…but right now, it feels good.”

[User] “Sister, Sister. Might Dear Guest actually enjoy being insulted?”

[Assistant] “Rem, Rem. Might Dear Guest be a perverted masochist?”

[User] These were odd accusations to throw at a “Dear Guest” so quickly, but he smiled and let them slide. If it meant he could really do things over with the two of them, everything else was unimportant. Faced with an attitude that was less caution and more blatant, visceral distaste, Subaru hopped off the bed. He pressed a hand to his butt as he double-checked his body’s condition before turning toward their two suspicious faces. “Sorry for doing that earlier without even saying hi. There’s something I want to say beyond apologizing, though.” Subaru crossed his arms, dramatically puffed his chest, and sat back down, directly facing Ram and Rem. Feeling the rather sharp gazes that both trained upon him, Subaru absentmindedly mused, They’re probably already starting to assess me. If Subaru Natsuki could not win their trust, indeed, the trust of everyone under the mansion’s roof, he could not hope to regain the peaceful, tranquil time he had lost.


[User] "Borrowing a girl’s lap, letting her caress my head, and falling into a peaceful sleep… By itself you’d think it was awesome, but man…" Subaru said things like that over and over, red to the tips of his ears as he plucked a bit of hair from his head.

[Assistant] "So I was a big crybaby in front of my sweetheart, fell asleep with tears on my face and a runny nose. Plus, I had her lap to myself for hours on end… This is like a humiliation game." He thought back to the sensation of Emilia’s knees, as well as the price they had paid to convey it to him. The spectacle had left Emilia’s skirt all a mess from his runny nose.

[User] Still, Emilia hadn’t rocked him awake in all that time, nor did she hold it against Subaru as he earnestly apologized for dirtying her clothes.

[Assistant] "That’s fine if it makes you feel a little better. Besides, you really don’t understand, Subaru."

[User] "Eh?"

[Assistant] "It’s more satisfying for the other person to hear a single thank-you than a dozen apologies. I don’t want you to apologize for something I wanted to offer you, so there." The way she pressed a finger to his apologizing lips and winked at him would bowl over any man. Indeed, Subaru bowled over right on the spot.

[User] Now that Subaru knew he loved her, everything she said and did, that included, seemed covered in glitter and gloss. Emilia headed off to change clothes in her room. Subaru kept wandering around the mansion in a dreamy state for a little while before finally regaining his senses and clutching his head at what he’d done. "Oh man, I’ve totally done it now. Emilia’s the one I didn’t want to look weak in front of. Is there anything more embarrassing I could’ve done? I seriously can’t look her in the eye now!"


[Assistant] “…Is that what a person says when entering someone’s room late at night, I wonder?” The way Subaru pressed the middle of his thigh against the stool and writhed around it put the girl in the dress—Beatrice—in a particularly bad mood, bringing a dreadful scowl over her adorable face. After parting ways with Emilia, Subaru had it in his head that he couldn’t let anyone else see him, so his feet carried him to the archive of forbidden books, and thus beyond anyone’s reach. Though, he liked tweaking the nose of the girl in charge of it, too.

[User] "Don’t say that, Beako.


[User] "We’re friends, right?”

[Assistant] "What kind of relationship do you think—Wait, what did you call me just now, I wonder?” Beatrice raised an eyebrow with a twitch of her cheek when Subaru clapped his hands.

[User] "Beako. I think nicknames are an indispensable way to show my friendship. You’re the only one in the mansion so far who didn’t like it even a little bit, though…" He thought back to the last loop, when the loneliness and despair had been driven home. One could even say he was cajoling her into bringing sophistry and threats at him. It was from such humble beginnings that a firm pact had been established between them. In the end, Subaru had unilaterally severed the deal. But Beatrice had exploited the vagueness of the details to continue to protect him. Even if Beatrice had forgotten, Subaru would never forget how he felt back then. “—So I don’t care what you think of me, I’m going to call you Beako. It’s the greatest sign of affection I can give you!”

[Assistant] “That does not please me whatsoever! What is with that overbearing goodwill?! Is it merely distasteful or completely disgusting, I wonder? !”

[User] “Hey, what’s with that way of talking?! I’m thanking you from the bottom of my heart here. This is no time to make fun!”

[Assistant] “If you’re going to insist that what you said just now was not meant in jest, you and I are no longer engaged in conversation. It may look like dialogue, but it is not!” She informed him that if conversation was supposed to be a game of catch, this was more like rugby. He was showing considerable affection in an appropriately Subaru-like way, but that seemed to be lost on Beatrice.

[User] “Well, I’ll set that aside, but I’ll still call you Beako.”

[Assistant] “Such single-minded resolve is quite unnecessary. What would happen if I simply do not respond to that name, I wonder?”

[User] “Don’t say cold things like that, Beako.”

[Assistant] “…” Subaru called out to Beatrice, but silently keeping her gaze lowered to her book, she made no reply. Apparently she meant what she had said earlier. While Beatrice acted stubborn, Subaru grudgingly walked over and paced around the stool.

[User] “What’s wrong, Beako? You look glum, Beako. Are you all right, Beako? If there’s something wrong, you can talk to me, Beako. Mm? What is it, Beako? We can do this, Beako. Beako, Beako!”

[Assistant] “I have never seen anyone as annoying as you! What is with you, I wonder? !” Someone as thin-skinned as Beatrice was natural prey for someone born with a talent for getting on other people’s nerves like Subaru. He pumped a fist, the corners of his lips twisting as Beatrice’s shoulders shook in anger.

[User] “Actually, I’ve got an admission to make. I’m backed into a corner and really need your help.”


[User] While on Emilia’s lap, all the ugly feelings and tears built up inside Subaru had come pouring out. What remained were Subaru’s pure personal desires. —He loved Emilia. He’d thought he loved her before, but now he truly knew what falling for someone meant. It was love at first sight. Just hearing her voice made his heart skip a beat. Just talking with her was so pleasant it felt like a dream. He couldn’t leave this girl who put herself in harm’s way for others. That’s why I love her, he had thought, but now he sincerely understood what he’d felt. She was the first one to save Subaru when he was summoned to another world without anyone to depend on. And, when he’d been backed into a dark alley of despair, it was she who had saved his dying heart. She’d saved both his life and his heart. —He could no longer think of living in a world without Emilia. He loved spending his days with Emilia at the mansion. He loved learning all sorts of things about the world. He loved Ram, who’d taken such care of him in spite of her blunt tongue. He really loved Emilia. He loved Rem, who insulted him with polite language but always showed him how to do things. He was enveloped by goodwill toward everyone living at the mansion. Subaru wanted to stay there forever. Those overflowing feelings filled his chest to bursting. But on the other side of that happy coin— He loved Emilia. He despaired at lacking the power to protect her. Life at the mansion had grown stale. He didn’t know where or when he’d be found out. He feared Ram, who commanded Blades of Wind that could slice his throat. He was terrified of Rem and her skull-crushing iron ball. Roswaal’s disturbing madness could lead him to command the twins to eliminate Subaru without mercy. Every time he woke up, he checked whether he was still alive, and he could sense himself cracking under his own constant vigilance against despair. These, too, were Subaru’s true, indelible feelings. Emilia had saved Subaru before the friction in his mind had roasted Subaru from the inside out. By consoling him, Emilia had pulled his heart back from the brink. Thinking about her filled him with life and energy. Emilia was what kept his urge to flee in check.

[Assistant] “In other words, E M D (Emilia-tan’s Majorly Divine)!”

[User] Beatrice responded to Subaru’s declaration by acting astounded and shooting him an annoyed grimace. "Did you say something exceedingly stupid just now, I wonder?"

[Assistant] “Not at all. I’m putting my top priorities back in order.”

[User] “Let us return to the topic at hand… You say you want my help? What do you mean, I wonder?”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I’m pretty serious about that, like enough to beg God for help.


[User] "I can’t think of anyone else I can go to.”

[Assistant] "Beako. She’s actually pretty sweet. And softer than she looks.”

[User] “I don’t understand your meaning, but I do sense that you are mocking me.”

[Assistant] “That’s not my intent at all… Actually, the way things are in the mansion right now, you’re the only one I can rely on.”

[User] “Please. I’m begging you.” Subaru was kneeling on the floor before Beatrice, bowing his head as he petitioned for aid.

[Assistant] “I need your help. I want to set everything right and protect the place where I can be happy. And that’s no good if it doesn’t include everyone here.”

[User] Touching his head to the floor, Subaru looked up at Beatrice after a long silence. “…Beatrice?” The conflict he saw in her eyes made his breath catch.

[Assistant] Beatrice knit her brows and bit her lip as she glared at Subaru. And yet, despite the ferocity of her gaze, she looked on the verge of tears.

[User] She opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze wavered as she found herself unable to find the words. Beatrice’s heart had been shaken.

[Assistant] “Listen to me, Beatrice. I understand why you don’t want to help me out of hand. To you, I’m a weirdo and a stranger who wandered in just the other day.”

[User] “…If you know that much, you do not need to hear it from my lips, do you?”

[Assistant] “You’re the one who patched me up. Thank you. I know you don’t know this, but I have a mountain of other things I need to thank you for. And here I am asking you for help again… It’s pretty pathetic. It’s a miserable sight, really, but you’re the only one I have.” He laid out all his cards on the table.

[User] With Subaru lowering his head in nothing but earnestness, wearing sincerity on his sleeve, Beatrice made a very typical snort. “You are a worm crawling on the ground, wailing about your own powerlessness. Do you have any pride at all, I wonder?”

[Assistant] “I know what’s important to me."


[User] “I’ll bow my head ten times or a hundred times and pound the floor if that’s what it takes.” He was too much of a weakling to obsess over petty pride. Subaru kept his head down as he continued to plead for her aid.

[Assistant] He knew it was a cowardly way of doing things. During his five loops, he’d continued to quarrel with Beatrice during their encounters along the way. That’s how he knew. Beatrice acted like she was blowing him off, but—

[User] “You may…raise your head.”

[Assistant] The moment the soft voice reached his ears, Subaru believed his craven request had been granted. He was acutely aware of his own pettiness and he resented himself for his insincere behavior toward Beatrice. But even that had been necessary to make the girl named Beatrice come to her decision. That was how the rather simple man named Subaru Natsuki had seen it, but…

[User] “Bea…”

[Assistant] “Take this, would you?”

[User] “Bwah!” But that miserable, heartfelt face met the merciless sole of a shoe. Subaru was still prostrate as his head alone lifted from the floor, with his formless sound of anguish echoing around the archive. Subaru remained in that awkward, bent-back position, making an incoherent yell as she stomped him a few more times.

[Assistant] “Hey…this is…!”

[User] “You could think on it a hundred times and you would never comprehend the work I go through. No matter how many silver coins you gather, they will never equal the sacred glow of a gold coin. Do you understand, I wonder?”

[Assistant] “Er, if you get a few thousand silver coins they’ll equal it, I’m sure. It’s just a matter of comparable value, right? Or maybe you’re just bad at math?”

[User] “Will you stop looking at me like a pitiable child, I wonder?! Are those the eyes of someone who was just begging me? !”


[Assistant] And so, Beatrice and Subaru resumed their bickering. It was a pointless battle that had begun for no particular reason, repeated several times across different worlds. As he continued his familiar banter with Beatrice, he thought on some level that the pathetic stubbornness inside him was pretty moronic. “All right, then, I’ll play my trump card. If you cooperate with me, I’ll give you a reward of equal value, you hear?”

[User] “Do you think the likes of me would be lured by any reward you can muster, I wonder?”

[Assistant] “How about this? Because I saved Emilia at the capital, I get to borrow Puck. And Puck said if I want to swap that for something else, I only need to ask… You see what I’m getting at here?”

[User] Beatrice’s expression changed. Subaru smiled unpleasantly as he brought all his negotiation skills to bear. Now that it involved a reward, she agreed to reluctantly cooperate with Subaru. Subaru thought it was pretty silly to settle things by offering up Puck on a silver platter.


[User] He knew the little magic user would go for it, but still… It hadn’t exactly been a warm and fuzzy process, but Subaru had finally managed to win Beatrice’s cooperation. He’d repent of pushing things on to a little girl because of his own powerlessness after all the problems were cleared up.

[Assistant] “…You want to know more about shamans?” Subaru’s cut-and-dry statement caused Beatrice to raise her shapely eyebrows with an air of disgust.

[User] His top priority was to deal with the menace of the shaman’s attack on the mansion without a moment to lose. A large part of why he asked Beatrice for help was so that her magic could counter the deadly curses. Explaining as much as possible to Beatrice without getting to the heart of the matter was crucial for Subaru. “I’ll probably pay a price if I let too many cats out of the bag, so…” When he’d tried to confess his Return by Death to Emilia, time had suddenly stopped all around Subaru as a black cloud took the shape of a hand and inflicted immense agony upon him. Subaru’s silent screams and the torture of having his heart crushed had robbed him of any notions of easy defiance.

[Assistant] As a result, Subaru was immensely wary of the black cloud, choosing his words very carefully as he continued to explain. “I know there’s such a thing as curses, but I don’t know anything else beyond that they’re different from magician and spirit stuff. I want to know more about them.”

[User] “It is rare for someone to ask about that. I wonder, does paying that bunch any heed get you anywhere?”

[Assistant] Like before, Beatrice’s distaste toward even forming the word curse on her lips was considerable. Back then, he’d avoided pushing deeper into the matter, but that would not be the case this time. “Curses are magic spells that exist only to cause trouble for other people and come from some country up north, right?”

[User] “Is it not sufficient to know that much, I wonder? Curses invade their targets like a disease, limiting their movements and robbing them of their pure life forces… A tradition in very poor taste.”

[Assistant] “Normally I’d say it depends on how you use them, but looks like you can’t use them except to hurt people, huh?” Reason enough to call these curses. If curses were supernatural powers that existed to bring down others, the practice in his home world of putting needles into voodoo dolls probably counted. Well, not that he actually accepted the existence of the occult in that world…

[User] Subaru sat up more, thinking about the things Beatrice had mentioned in a grave tone of voice. “So, let me ask this… How do you defend against a curse?” It was pretty tough to aim a counterattack at the shaman without knowing his identity. Subaru’s one advantage was knowing in advance that an attack would take place.


[User] "You do not."

[Assistant] "—Eh?"

[User] "No means exist to defend against a curse once it is activated. Once activated, you are finished. Isn’t that what a curse is, I wonder?"

[Assistant] "I-isn’t there any kind of Instant Death Resist…? !" In a video game, you dealt with Lv. 1 Death type spells by casting Instant Death Resist in advance. With the light at the end of the tunnel growing ever distant, Subaru pulled his hair, his brain on fire as it tried to come up with a new plan. He’d underestimated the situation. That reality sent Subaru’s mind into free fall.

[User] "—However, that is limited to curses that have activated."

[Assistant] "—Huh?" The words spoken to Subaru a moment later made his eyes go wide.

[User] Beatrice grinned with what seemed to be great delight. She got me good, thought Subaru as the look on her face confirmed it; all he could do was open and close his mouth like a flounder in a mix of surprise and anger. "Just as I said, there is no way to defend against a curse once it has been activated. However, an un-activated curse can be blocked. It simply requires a cleansing rite prior to activation, so anyone with the requisite skill would find removing it rather simple."

[Assistant] "I’ll save getting angry for later… So, who can do that?"

[User] "In this mansion, there’s me, and of course Puckie. Beyond that, Roswaal and…the three little girls do not have the requisite experience, so no. Oh, and of course you cannot."

[Assistant] "I know that one only too well…" He’d gone through hell because of his lack of resistance, not once but twice. Subaru put aside his unpleasant memories as he raised a hand and asked Beatrice a question. "So how would you know to use a rite before a curse activates?"

[User] "Powerful curses place a commensurate burden upon the body. Perhaps magic and curses share that in common? The side effects of a curse are considerable. Could I say that they are deeply flawed, I wonder?"

[Assistant] "So…is there something you can do in advance to protect yourself?" Subaru asked his question like he was hanging from a thread.

[User] Beatrice closed her eyes for a while, licking her lips. "Though it depends upon the specific details…there is an iron rule for curses."

[Assistant] "An iron…rule?" With bated breath, Subaru prodded Beatrice to continue from where she’d left off.

[User] "—Physical contact with the target. An absolute prerequisite, I wonder?"

[Assistant] Subaru’s brain spun round and round the instant that detail entered his skull. The caster of a curse needed to touch his target. In other words, both times Subaru had suffered from the effects of the curse, he had made physical contact with the shaman beforehand.


[User] "If it’s no one here at the mansion, then…it’s gotta be the village…" Subaru had walked to the village both times he’d undergone Return by Death from suffering the effects of witchcraft. When he thought about it more, he’d gone to the village midway through the fourth day both times. At the village, the shaman had performed the rite for the curse, and that curse activated that night at the mansion—resulting in his death. That had been the pattern. The shaman being at the village would explain why Rem had fallen prey to the curse during the last loop. That time, Subaru had never gone to the village, so Rem became the shaman’s target instead. If Ram had gone, she would’ve been the target; if Subaru had gone there with her, no doubt he would’ve been the target again. It connected. It connected everything. The shaman was in Earlham Village. It was unclear whether the shaman was a resident or a visitor. If he was the latter, finding him wouldn’t be all that hard. It was a village with a small population. A stranger’s face immediately became known to all, just like Subaru’s had. If the former, it’d have been a carefully premeditated crime, but…

[Assistant] "That doesn’t seem likely." In the prior incident, someone tried to throw a monkey wrench into Emilia’s royal candidacy. But that candidacy didn’t exist before the royal family suddenly died out only half a year beforehand. Emilia’s name popping up on the candidate list probably took time, so that meant only three or four months to prepare at absolute most. A shaman would have had to infiltrate the village years beforehand to be considered a native.

[User] "So the shaman’s an outsider. Finding him won’t be all that hard, either…" Subaru voiced his thoughts out loud as he began to search for holes in his logic. It wasn’t a bad idea to raise a hypothesis, even if you amended it as you went along. As far as the shaman was concerned, he hadn’t actually done anything yet. Short of his opponent being God or the Devil himself, it was impossible for his existence to be exposed as of yet. Subaru mulled over the fact that he was still on the night of the second day. He had a long grace period before things were due to take a turn for the worse on the fourth. In other words, it meant he could do his own preemptive strike on the shaman.

[Assistant] "I’ve got you by the tail now, damn it. I didn’t die twice at your hands for nothing!" Subaru, finally able to see his situation brightening, clenched a fist as his voice quivered with joy.

[User] Beatrice looked quite dissatisfied at having been dropped from the conversation. Her lovely cheeks reddened to emphasize the sourness of her gaze. "What is that attitude in front of someone you asked for aid, I wonder?"


[User] "If what I spoke was of service, I think you should say as much to my face.”

[Assistant] “Yeah, you’re right! You saved my bacon; I can see the light thanks to you! I love you, Beako!”

[User] “Wha—? !”

[Assistant] Subaru leaped over to Beatrice, picking up her very light body and twirling all around with her on the spot.

[User] Subaru’s spinning increased in synergy with the buoyancy of his mood.

[Assistant] “Let g—Would you put me down, I wonder? !”

[User] “Ha-ha-ha, I could just fly in the sky right now! Nah, how ’bout we fly together, Beako? !”

[Assistant] “Fly all by your lonesome—!”

[User] “Bwah? !”

[Assistant] She released magical energy from right above him, slamming him hard enough to make him do a full leg split on the floor.

[User] The impact he felt on the top of his skull transferred to the rest of his body. Subaru’s internal mana was all a jumble. His eyes were spinning as he continued to rest on his butt.


[User] From Subaru’s perspective, it was his third visit to the village. It was a village named Earlham, practically right beside the mansion, part of the territory belonging to Roswaal in his role as margrave. It was a small village, with about two hundred residents, give or take. In his original world, that wouldn’t have been enough to fill an elementary school. And there was Subaru, walking around a village you could do a full lap of in twenty minutes, with two girls, “a flower on each arm.”

[Assistant] "I must say, work was finished rather quickly."

[User] "Barusu was so deft, it was revolting. What happened to him?"

[Assistant] "I won’t blush, so praise me all you want. The latent potential sleeping in me has finally blossomed!" Subaru was rather full of himself at the high praise for his work before noon. He’d focused on speedy work for the sake of the afternoon shopping trip, and it worked out well. Apparently, he’d been failing as a result of putting too much stress on himself; this time, a more natural approach seemed to work much better. No doubt his ability to let go had something to do with the feel of Emilia’s lap… That sure helped me relax, huh…? Unlike before when he was under so much stress, the lying on Emilia’s knees had made him able to smoothly converse with the twins. The remaining nervousness only bolstered his resolve, erasing his carelessness in the process. Furthermore, at that moment, Subaru was calm enough that he felt like nothing could shake him. That was very fortunate, because he couldn’t afford to behave like a troublesome eccentric here. The Q&A session with Beatrice the night before had established that a shaman had to physically touch the target of a curse. That’s what made curses a fairly risky means of assassination. He compared having to get up close and personal to sniping from long range like someone would do from his world. The risk was probably offset by the curse being such certain means.

[User] "Either way, I have an MO for the perpetrator. It has to be someone who touched me on the trips to the village before." And if the person had arrived in the village in only the last few days, then his suspect was as good as found. That said, Subaru couldn’t rely on everything in the village being perfectly as he remembered. He’d learned that the hard way back at the mansion. It’d be very hard to go over the same things save for a few specific events.

[Assistant] "The ones who stand out are Muraosa, the acting headman, the granny touching butts in search of her lost youth, the leader of the young men with short haircuts, and the guy with a short cut leading the Ram-Rem Defense Force." Subaru named all the people whose faces stood out to him and went over each one.


[User] There was the guy who acted like he led the village, Muraosa, and the old woman who engaged in perverse behavior while laughing and saying, “Got me youth back, got me youth back.” The two young men wore identical faces; they’d frequently butted Subaru’s shoulders, perhaps out of jealousy for being so close with the twin sisters. “I had to lead Muraosa to the john when he started flaking out… Now that I think about it, all of them touched me somehow. That’s kind of suspicious…” But all of them were native villagers through and through. They didn’t fit the profile. “That being the case, guess I’d better just hang around the same places…” Subaru sighed at himself for his lack of any better idea.

[Assistant] Subaru made that gloomy sound.

[User] "What’s wrong, Subaru?"

[Assistant] "Are you hungry?"

[User] "Do you have a tummy ache?"

[Assistant] Subaru twisted his neck to see the multiple silhouettes glomping onto his back. They were children who had raced to reach Subaru first before he’d even set foot into the village. There were seven in all, not just latched onto his back but his legs and hips, too. Subaru, not finding the weight excessive for his build, cracked his neck. “I’ve got a connection with you across time and space or something…”

[User] "What are you saying?"

[Assistant] "Did you hit your head?"

[User] "Do you have a tummy ache?"

[Assistant] “Quit it about the tummy ache, geez. You make it sound like I’ve got diarrhea or something.” As Subaru spoke, the children all burst into laughter. No doubt it was less about his joke than the word diarrhea being funny in and of itself. Apparently, hopping worlds didn’t change the fact that kids of that age thought the cruder, the funnier. “And I’ve got kids all over me, just like old times…” The kids on his back were pulling on his cheeks. Subaru could only slump his shoulders at being a brat magnet. “Why is it I get along great with brats and the elderly? I mean, it’s like it’s the only good point I have in this world.” He twisted his body to nuzzle the kids riding his back.

[User] Voices calling, “Me next! Me next!”

[Assistant] Subaru heard merry cries behind him as he marched around the village, children in tow. At the time, Subaru was moving around by himself. Not that he actually was alone, but Ram and Rem were not with him. When they’d arrived at the village, the maid sisters hurried off to go shopping, leaving ominous statements behind them.

[User] "Sister, Sister. Let us gather all the light things."

[Assistant] "Rem, Rem. Let us leave all the heavy things for Barusu."

[User] Subaru had said he wanted to have a look around the village, so no doubt they were being considerate, but he really did wish one of them had stayed with him. That way, the kids would have happily jumped onto her.


[User] “And I managed to meet all the suspects without being super nervous, even…” Subaru wiped some cold sweat off his brow, breathing heavily as he continued using himself as a decoy.

[Assistant] Subaru had opted for the extremely risky method of searching for the shaman. It was near suicidal behavior to put himself back on the chopping block, but if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to get a look at the face of the one responsible.

[User] “At the very least, if it’s just the rite, I can get Beako to lift it, right?”

[Assistant] As long as there wasn’t some mistake and the curse activated right away, just having the rite embedded in him shouldn’t be a mortal threat. If he got cursed, he just had to bow his head to the floor before Beatrice and beg her to take it off.

[User] “Subaru, your face looks bad!”

[Assistant] “Scary face!”

[User] “Weird face!”

[Assistant] “Geez, you make that sound awful. And that third comment annoys me just a little!” Subaru continued strolling around the village, dragging the children along while bearing the brunt of their jokes.

[User] It wasn’t like he could shake them off him, anyway, and they knew their way around the village, so they were somewhat useful. More importantly, to a shaman trying not to cause a fuss in the village, attempting to harm Subaru while he had a gaggle of children all over him was a poor option. So they functioned as human shields, too.

[Assistant] “Man, I’m getting pretty evil, too. I’m expanding my horizons here!”

[User] “What’s wrong, Subaru?”

[Assistant] “What is it?”

[User] “Did you flake out?”

[Assistant] “Nah, it’s nothing.” Subaru rubbed the heads of the children clamped on his legs and laughed at his own expense. “Well, this is all for my happiness. You’ll cooperate a little longer, won’t you?”

[User] Incidentally, he didn’t think he liked children very much to begin with. They were noisy, way too chummy, and completely self-serving. —Perhaps that was how he thought about himself, too.


[Assistant] Ram ran a hand through her pink hair as she sighed with exasperation. “Free time was finally over, so we came to look, and this is what we see…” Ram stared at Subaru as he raised both arms to the sky then and there.

[User] “Victory! !” After Subaru raised his arms and shouted, a chorus of voices rang out in celebration.

[Assistant] “Victory! !” The people beside him spontaneously patted one another’s backs as they voiced their admiration.

[User] Subaru, too, wiped the sweat off his brow, exchanging pleasantries and giving high fives as he caught his breath and headed toward Ram. Subaru’s buoyant approach was greeted by Ram’s frosty gaze.

[Assistant] “What kind of attraction is this?”

[User] “It’s nothing big enough to call an attraction. I figured I’d kill time with the kids, and then the adults saw and jumped on the bandwagon, that’s all.” Aerobics was his chosen method for playing with a bunch of noisy kids at the same time.


[User] The adults saw and they joined in, with the end result being a huge ruckus with almost half the village’s population pitching in.

[Assistant] “Well, I’ve gotten so popular it scares even me. It’s something fun for the young and old alike. Maybe it really is the secret to living longer!”

[User] “I would not know.”

[Assistant] “Geez, that’s a cold brush-off.” Subaru gave Ram’s unimpressed reply an exaggerated reaction.

[User] “That’s cold, Ramchi!"

[Assistant] “That’s awful, Ramchi!”

[User] “You’re scary, Ramchi!”

[Assistant] “…You taught these children that manner of address?”

[User] “Not so much taught them as, ah, made you more approachable? I mean, if you keep everyone at arm’s length, they can’t see who you really are. That’s a lonely thing… That’s what I think, anyway…”

[Assistant] “You certainly have an active mouth. I do not mind, but Rem may not care for it.”

[User] “Remrin?”

[Assistant] “Remrin.”

[User] “Remririn.”

[Assistant] “—Ah, we kind of…crossed that bridge already.” Hearing from the children that her words of caution had come too late, Ram slumped her shoulders in resignation.

[User] “So, did you look around the village as you desired?”

[Assistant] “—Yeah, that part went off without a hitch.” Subaru’s cheeks warped into a grin in response to Ram’s question. His stroll around the village to come into contact with the people on his suspect list was a great success. More to the point, Subaru stood out so much that it was he who had the opportunities to touch them this time. “The last, last thing on my to-do list was to high-five the guy with the crew cut after aerobics, and that’s done.” Having touched all the obvious suspects brought him a measure of relief. Now his time in the village was at an end—in other words, time to say bye-bye to the kids. “I’ve got work to do, so get lost, guys. Ahh, what a pity. If I had more time I could’ve played with you some more. Ha-ha-ha, too bad so sad!”

[User] “He’s smiling!”

[Assistant] “He’s laughing!”

[User] “Are you really so happy? !”

[Assistant] Subaru “regretfully” shook loose of the kids, sticking his tongue out in the face of their complaints. He did not consciously recognize the sense of satisfaction filling him at having regained even such mundane ground with his limited capacity as a human being. Either way, he and Ram were on their way to the rendezvous point with Rem when—

[User] “Ah?” Abruptly, the girl wearing her brown hair in braids tugged on Subaru’s sleeve, her face red. Subaru was surprised, for until that moment, the braided girl had religiously maintained an arm’s-length distance from the other kids while they’d piled onto him together, never entering the fray herself. Subaru crouched so that their gazes were at the same height. “What is it? If you’ve got something to say, I’m happy to listen.”

[Assistant] “Err, well… Come over here.” The girl led him by his sleeve to another place. Subaru, guided by the slender hand, looked back at Ram.


[User] "—You may do as you please a little while longer."

[Assistant] "Oh, thanks, I owe you one. So, what is it?" With permission having been granted, he continued to follow the little girl’s hand.

[User] “You’ll be real surprised.” They say with her in the lead, the children from earlier followed them to a corner of the village.

[Assistant] “You’ll love it.”

[User] “You’ll break out in a dance.”

[Assistant] "Surprise, happiness, dancing? You sure are expecting a big reaction out of me here." Surrounded by giggling children giving previews of how he’d react, they slipped past the houses of the village to a nook away from prying eyes. Then his eyes followed the children’s pointing fingers and saw it.

[User] "Ah, yeah, there was this event, too, wasn’t there…?" Out of the blue, Subaru voiced his assent, clasping his hands together and nodding several times over. The braided girl rushed over, picking it up in her arms, out of breath as she returned.


[Assistant] "Arf!" The moment Subaru reached out with his hand, every hair on the dog’s body stood up as it barked out a warning.

[User] "I figured this was coming…" The children all wore shocked faces at how its small body shuddered, on guard against him.

[Assistant] “But he’s always been so good!”

[User] “He’s only angry at Subaru!”

[Assistant] “What did you do to him, Subaru?!”

[User] "That’s what I wanna know—sheesh! This is the third time and everything. Just not compatible or what?" The children booed behind Subaru as he turned toward the unfriendly puppy with a strained smile. He’d encountered this puppy on both his prior visits to the village—in other words, during prior loops. Each time it had displayed a severe dislike of him, wounding his animal-loving heart.

[Assistant] "I guess in one sense, having something not change between loops feels about right…but I’d have liked a more friendly reaction, seriously." In spite of Return by Death, many things had been repeated very differently, but the puppy’s reaction was practically a broken record. But when Subaru made a friendly smile, the puppy suddenly let down its guard.

[User] "Well, if you’ll excuse me…" With the puppy curled up in the braided girl’s arms, Subaru snapped his fingers, realizing this was his chance. He’d show this puppy his full range of the fur-stroking skills he had honed on Puck. He rubbed the puppy in all the important places, like the head, neck, and the base of the tail, with the sensation bringing a big grin over Subaru.

[Assistant] "Heh-heh, I’ve been looking forward to this feeling. Pretty nice stuff for a stray. A little tender, loving brushing and this’ll be a long, shiny coat. Hey, there’s a bald spot on the head. This a wound?"


[User] “Where did you bump against—?”

[Assistant] The puppy’s maw chomped hard on his hand the instant Subaru touched it. He quickly pulled his hand back, revealing a prominent bite mark.

[User] Subaru yelped at the sharp pain on the back of his blood-smeared hand as he stroked the wound. “What an event with which to get a one hundred percent completion rate. You even got me in the same place. What, did you do a time leap just for this?” Subaru smiled to put it at ease, but the puppy, back on guard, continued to snarl.

[Assistant] "Yep, he got carried away.” The children observing the two nodded to one another.

[User] “It’s because he touched it that much.”

[Assistant] “The puppy’s a girl!”

[User] “I feel like that’s a weird tangent at the end there…and what, no one’s worried about me? I’m gonna cry here.”

[Assistant] Subaru lightly washed his hand at a watering hole and waved good-bye to the puppy and the frolicking children.

[User] Waving with a frail, bashful smile before returning to the others as she felt responsible.


[Assistant] He got back and had a maid waiting for him, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed and a big attitude. "Sorry for the wait.”

[User] “I sent you off thinking it would be a brief affair, but you come back with your hair disheveled, your clothes a mess, and bleeding from your left hand, of all things.”

[Assistant] “Well, sorry about that! A bunch of things happened. You can tell just by looking, right?”

[User] “I suppose so. One glance and I can largely tell what happened.”

[Assistant] She saw a gloomy expression on her elegant face as she sighed a little.


[User] His consciousness floated on a distant wave. His mind, in a daze atop the shifting tide, floated back and forth between dream and reality.

[Assistant] "—no other way to save him?”

[User] “—all, I wonder? You should do as you please, then.”

[Assistant] Abruptly, he felt an embrace of a soft hand, craving that warmth, not wanting it to be simply a dream.

[User] The sensation of the hand suddenly grew distant.

[Assistant] “—I will…save you.”

[User] Everything vanished.


[Assistant] How many times had he been knocked out cold, only to wake up like this? Subaru stared at the unfamiliar ceiling as such thoughts hovered in his mind.

[User] “Unngh, ow…” His side spasmed the instant he sat up in bed.

[Assistant] When he tried to touch his painful belly, he felt something very wrong with his left arm.

[User] He yanked up his shirt and saw that he had similar scars on his right side. He had more on both ankles, on his right upper arm and shoulder, and lastly, one on his butt. They all seemed to be scars left from the demon beasts’ fangs.

[Assistant] “I was sure I was a goner…”

[User] “So I barely held on to life and got patched up after…?” Subaru carefully looked around the area as he made sure his fingers were moving properly.

[Assistant] “—Emilia.” She showed no sign of responding to his call.


[User] Add all that to the state of her clothing, and even someone as dim-witted as Subaru could grasp the situation. "I'm in her debt again, huh…?"

[Assistant] "I wonder about that. This time, Lia might think of it as giving you a hand because your hard work brought results." Puck crawled out of Emilia’s hair and hovered in the air beside her. "Heya. Good morning, Subaru. Those will hold you back, huh?"

[User] "Maybe not. Feels a little stiff where I’m scarred, but I’m not gonna complain about having my life saved. I’m a guy, so I don’t plan on whining just because my body’s scuffed up, either."

[Assistant] He didn’t intend to turn them into marks of honor from the field of battle, but the deep feelings inside him associated with the white scars would no doubt never fade. To Subaru, what had happened to the source of his scars was more important. "Guess it worked out like I expected, but…what actually happened after? To be honest, I don’t remember a thing after the dogs went chompy-chomp-chomp on me."

[User] "'Chompy-chomp-chomp' is such a cute way to put it. From what I saw when they hauled you in, it was more like, ‘Chomp-munch-crunch-rip-yank-tear’…"

[Assistant] "If it was like that I’d be dead already. Five or six extra arms wouldn’t cover all that."

[User] "Mm, well, the extra damage you didn’t get was why the maid with the blue hair was in a sorry state."

[Assistant] Subaru's throat suddenly froze over at the casual, carefree way he put it.

[User] Seeing Subaru react like that, Puck added another thought. "That’s because changing to her demon form makes that girl heal wounds very rapidly. By the time she carried you back to the village, she didn’t have more than scratches left on the outside, enough that she didn’t even need recovery magic."

[Assistant] "Don’t scare me like that, then… Anyway, Rem got back to the village, too, huh? What happened to the last kid with me?"

[User] "You can rest easy about that. All seven children are safe. You really made the right call, Subaru." Puck said out loud “clap, clap” as he brought his paws together without a sound.

[Assistant] Subaru imagined Puck’s paws were simply too soft for audible applause, and he twisted his lips at the sight before shaking his head, driving away such idle thoughts. "Puck, what about lifting the curses on the kids who got back to the village?"

[User] "Don’t worry about that, either. Magic healed them a fair bit, so Betty and I will lift those curses in no time at all. They’re as good as cured; you have my guarantee." Puck thumped his own chest as he gave his grandiose seal of approval.

[Assistant] Upon seeing that, Subaru let out a deep breath, relieved at the fact that his own actions had not been in vain. Subaru’s hand was still on his own chest as his eyes drifted back to the sleeping Emilia. "And Emilia…?"


[User] "She pulled an all-nighter?"

[Assistant] "I told her to just be patient and wait, but she wouldn’t listen. She even wore down her od to heal you, so could you let her sleep?"

[User] "Od…? What?" Subaru shook his head when he heard the unfamiliar piece of vocabulary.

[Assistant] "The magical energy that fills the air around us is called mana. Od is the opposite, the magical energy that all living things are imbued with. The total capacity varies greatly from person to person, and drawing on it really wears you out, so I told Lia to avoid using it as much as possible, but…"

[User] Puck’s words and demeanor made it easy for Subaru to imagine how Emilia had taken that. In the first place, calling Puck out during the night was outside the terms of their pact. If calling upon Puck and Beatrice was what it took to lift the curses, Emilia wouldn’t have hesitated even an instant. She helped others, even if it meant getting hurt. That was why he loved her. "This is someone’s house in the village, right? Is it all right if I take a look around?" If he wasn’t going to wake Emilia up, it was best to conclude his quiet conversation with Puck. Subaru was in the process of sliding his legs off the bed.

[Assistant] "Probably best to move around a little and see how well the healing took, anyway." Puck replied with an agreeable nod.

[User] Having received Puck’s permission, Subaru slowly began heading out. Along the way, before he stepped past Emilia, he lowered his head in a polite bow. As he bowed, he looked at Emilia’s sleeping face, desperately holding out against his urge to tease her as he made his way outside. Subaru left his room, poking his head out of the building’s entryway when he saw that the village was in an uproar. He murmured, “Ahh, well, guess that totally figures.”


[Assistant] The morning sun hadn’t even begun to rise, yet numerous human silhouettes stood in the plaza at the center of the village. It was a small village. The details of even the tiniest disturbance spread like wildfire. Women, children, and the elderly all had looks of concern as they huddled around the stout young men arguing in the center. They were no doubt the young men who’d pursued Subaru and Rem into the forest. He saw that several were wearing bandages; apparently they’d had casualties, too. He scanned the crowd, troubled that he couldn’t find the face he was looking for.

[User] "—So you are awake, Barusu?" The voice came from behind. Subaru stopped and turned around. He could guess who it was from the way she’d said his name, but still, seeing her face filled him with relief. A pink-haired maid—Ram—stood behind him. Ram had the sleeves of her familiar servant outfit rolled up, and she was holding something akin to a basket in her hands.


[User] Judging from the large number of baked potatoes filling the basket, she was in the middle of moving them from point A to point B. The faint whiff of steam wafting from the potatoes sent Subaru’s stomach into a small growl of heightened expectations.

[Assistant] He belatedly realized he was really hungry. “How unsightly, waking up ready to eat after worrying others with such grave wounds. Perhaps you caught rabies from the bites?”

[User] “That’s not what these dogs are spreading. Oh, and hey, you worried about me?”

[Assistant] “Just eat.”

[User] "Hfwoh!” Subaru was teasing Ram for her rare slip of the tongue. So she stuffed a hot potato into his mouth. His throat blocked off by the scalding potato, Subaru turned his face up and loudly wolfed the whole thing down.

[Assistant] “I thought I was gonna die there! Tasted good, though!”

[User] “Of course it was tasty. They were freshly baked…no, steamed.”

[Assistant] “Oh man, that I’m-so-awesome face ticks me off. Still tasted good, though!”

[User] “Yes, yes. Be quiet if you want another one.” When she handed him the potato, he accepted it, fawning over it like a child.

[Assistant] “Well, I should simply thank you outright concerning the incident last night. Well done.”

[User] “Sure didn’t come easily… But why are you thanking me?”

[Assistant] “When the people of a fiefdom suffer harm, it calls the lord into question. At that rate, the children would have fallen to the Urugarum pack…and so, I believe your actions to have been correct, Barusu.”

[User] “Urugarum… Huh.” So that’s what the black demon beasts were called. Urugarum. As far as Subaru knew, it was also the name of a demon beast straight out of mythology. Somehow, the name seemed fitting to him. A single word conveyed that your life was in peril from even a single encounter with the creature.


[User] She had abilities above the norm. Her mana supply was strictly average, with her body’s capabilities in line with what a normal demon with only one horn could do. Compared to Ram, she did not have a shred of confidence; she cowered behind her sister’s back like a shadow. That was how the young Rem coped. That was how she protected her immature heart. It wasn’t that she was jealous of her older sister. She admired her. She adored her. It wasn’t that her parents hated her. They loved the younger as well as the older. It wasn’t as if their people had spurned Rem. Of course they had high hopes.

[Assistant] She was her little sister. Her sister, kinder than anyone; her parents, full of expectations; all her kin, cheering her on to excel like her twin—these were the little cuts that chafed Rem. No doubt it was the direct consequence of her and her sister looking like two peas in a pod. Yet even though their heights and faces were identical, their qualities as demons were on completely different scales. Of course, Rem strived to change those circumstances. It may have been no more than shallow, clumsy trial-and-error efforts by a young child, but Rem tried any and every way of getting closer to her older sister, to beat her in even a single area. But Ram was simply better at everything.

[User] And so, Rem was still a young child when she learned that the sister to whom she was closest, the sister she loved more than anything, occupied an area that she could never, ever reach. She could never stand by her sister’s side. Ram would always walk ahead of her, bathed in the light of the world. Rem’s place was behind her sister, cowering behind her back, peeking out once in a while, only to shrink away from the dazzling light. Once she gave up, she could accept the sufferings of daily life, like a reed bending with the wind. —She wondered how long she would have to bear her own weak capitulation.


[User] Rem awoke, unable to sleep well because of the heat. She slid off the wooden bed and pulled the blankets off her sweat-covered body. When Rem looked around, she suddenly realized that her older sister, always sleeping beside her, was gone.

[Assistant] I have to look for my sister right away, she thought.

[User] If her sister was awake, she had to follow behind her majestic gait. To do so without fail, even for matters as trivial as waking up briefly to pee, was Rem’s obsession at the time. I have to go outside—but only then did Rem belatedly notice the source of the warmth—flames that enveloped her home. When she touched the doorknob, she yanked her hand back from its heat. At that moment, the truth sank in. Rem’s sleepy sense of smell was awoken by the scent of something burned; her forehead felt itchy as her horn grew, appearing fully. Instantly, she used her solid body to break the door down and dash out of the house enveloped in the hellish flames. She didn’t know why this had happened, but she obeyed her instincts to flee, to get outside. Rem kicked apart the brittle fence and rushed from her home to the outside world. Even then, a single, fanatical thought ruled in her mind: I have to leave the house and have Sis tell me what to do. But then, that thought fell by the wayside at the sight awaiting her once she left the house. In the center of the village was a pile of burned bodies. The burning houses and flame-swept trees had turned her familiar world into a reddish hell in one night. When Rem saw the faces of her parents among the corpses swallowed by the flames, she immediately abandoned all rational thought and fell to her knees then and there. Rem remained kneeling as a group of men dressed in black robes calmly surrounded her. Even up close, the deep shadows of their hoods hid their faces until they were very close; even then, they were not faces she recognized. However, when Rem did not sense a single trace of goodwill from them, a smile came over her that seemed alien on her cheeks. That smile was the one that hid her despair for the good of everyone else. The figures did not respond in the slightest to the expression or the pain behind it. The shadows approached her, raising their hands and swinging the glimmering silver blades within them down at the girl—but their heads flew off in the next moment. Blood.


[User] Her eyes located her older sister immediately.

[Assistant] The face identical to Rem’s own was warped with grief.

[User] The older sister ran over to embrace the younger, sighing with relief and relaxing her body when she realized Rem was unharmed.

[Assistant] Rem hugged her sister back, never feeling more pathetic, or happier, in her life.

[User] Rem did not clearly remember what happened next.

[Assistant] She thought that she’d leave everything up to her sister.

[User] That was best.

[Assistant] That was right.

[User] Sis always chose the finest option among all available possibilities.

[Assistant] And yet, they had been surrounded before she realized it.

[User] Even with silhouettes so numerous they formed a wall, Rem looked at them in a daze, still believing that Sis would somehow overcome.

[Assistant] Her sister pushed before her, straining herself yelling. Tears flowed from her cheeks; her body seemed to shrink as she made a desperate plea.

[User] When they threw her sister to the ground, Rem felt troubled.

[Assistant] To look down at her sister was to contradict her way of life.

[User] To stand behind her sister, to hide behind her back, was what brought meaning to her existence.

[Assistant] Her sister screamed. She returned to her feet and spread her hands out before her. She unleashed the mana. The power would flow through her sister, and invisible blades would descend upon the world, slicing everything around them.

[User] But the moment before unleashing it, her sister turned around, embraced Rem—then, an impact.

[Assistant] And then, Rem could only watch.

[User] She saw steel flash at her sister’s head from the side.

[Assistant] She saw a white glimmer dance in the reddened sky.

[User] She saw the severed horn spin round and round and round.

[Assistant] She saw blood gush out from her sister’s forehead.

[User] She heard someone’s high-pitched scream.

[Assistant] She listened to the cries of the sister she adored, the sister who had shielded her and taken the blow for her, as the beautiful white horn that she had so envied tumbled through the sky.

[User] Finally. It finally broke off. That was the thought she had.


[User] When Rem regained consciousness, her feet were not planted on the ground. There was an arm firmly around her waist. Someone was carrying her. She did not think that the rough manner was any way to touch a girl. Though that was indeed the case, the owner of the arm was sprinting recklessly, with not a shred of concentration for anything beyond that.

[Assistant] "—Barusu, go right at the broken tree in front! You are slow!”

[User] “Don’t…demand the impossible… I’m—haghh—running…as hard as I can…here!”

[Assistant] “…Subaru, what are y—”

[User] “—! Rem…you’re awake? !” Subaru kept running as he voiced his delight and glanced down at her.

[Assistant] Rem looked up at him, her mind still rather hazy, when something unexpectedly caught in her throat. The side of Subaru’s face was wet with blood. Maybe he’d cut his forehead? The scars all over his body from the night before had whitened; at some point, new wounds had been made on top of them, staining both with fresh blood.

[User] “…I am so glad, Rem… You are one high-maintenance girl…” Ram’s words were few, but only those who really knew her knew this particular smile. She reached out and stroked Rem’s blue hair.

[Assistant] “Fulla!” She conducted the Blade of Wind incantation and used the resulting attack to slice through the trees—and cut the demon beast charging at them into discs to nourish the plants on the forest floor.

[User] Ram seemed dizzy; her steps went astray, making her lightly bump into Subaru’s body.

[Assistant] “Owwwww! Ram, you know better than to touch my right shoulder, geez! !”

[User] “…Be quiet. You would have been bitten if not for me. You can at least be a wall for me to lean on.”

[Assistant] “At least pick the other should—Owww!” Subaru was half in tears as he cried out in fierce pain.

[User] Ram put her weight on Subaru as she bled from the scar of her lost horn.

[Assistant] Rem watched both of them as the current situation slapped her in the face.

[User] “Wh…y…?”

[Assistant] “Ah?”

[User] “Why…did you not just let me be?” She trembled as she voiced the question.

[Assistant] Subaru stared down at her with a look of disbelief as Rem’s quivering lips continued.

[User] “You and Sister coming made it meaningless. I…I have to do this myself… I should be the only one getting hurt…”

[Assistant] “It’s a little late for that. Ram and I are all beat up already! Hell, maybe more than you are!” Subaru was prone to exaggeration, but he seemed to believe every word of that last sentence.


[User] She wondered what Ram thought of that, but her beloved twin did not enter the conversation. Rem felt like her sister had left her out on a limb as she desperately tried to find the right words. “It…it is my fault. I hesitated last night, that is why… I have to take responsibility… If I do not, I cannot face you or Sister…”

[Assistant] “Now may not be the best time for it, but we’re actually, you know, talking! That’s seriously awesome…”

[User] “Really, you should not have been bitten at all—”

[Assistant] Though Subaru didn’t look like he was listening, he apparently heard her words loud and clear. His face went stiff, looking at Rem as she confessed her sin. Rem’s shortcomings had caused Subaru to risk himself to shield her during the forest battle the night before. When she saw the fangs had punctured and ripped Subaru’s flesh, bathing him in blood, she could only gape at what her conduct and judgment had wrought. The same scent as on that day long ago, when everything had been burned away, had hovered thickly around Subaru. And Rem had caught a whiff of it, leaving her unable to move. “It is because I hesitated to reach out to you that you nearly died. And then your body suffered too many curses to lift. That is why I—”

[User] “You went off to deal with it by yourself to atone for it, right?”

[Assistant] Just as Subaru nodded in acceptance, Rem drew in her chin, once again acknowledging her own sin. Rem was prepared to be scolded and scorned. Subaru should have given her a tongue-lashing before she had set foot into the forest again. She had not let him because she had not a moment to spare to save Subaru. That, or she was unprepared to face the consequences of her weakness. —Rem, resenting her own frail heart, thought it must surely be the latter. She was prepared to accept whatever words he struck her with, however stern they might be. After all, that was only the punishment she deserved for the crime she had committed. “Rem.”

[User] “Yes.” —Subaru’s face was truly right before her eyes.

[Assistant] “Bonk.”

[User] “—? !” The hard smack sound of bone upon bone sent sparks into Rem’s vision. For an instant, the sharp pain narrowed Rem’s field of vision as she put a hand on her forehead in confusion. When not in her horned form, her flesh was no hardier than an ordinary human’s. No doubt others would be able to see a faint, reddening bump from the impact to her brow. Rem’s eyes were still wide, with no idea what was going on, when Subaru looked down at her. “To begin with, are you an idiot? No, you are an idiot.”

[Assistant] “Barusu. You split your split forehead and it is bleeding again.” Ram butted in to speak.

[User] Subaru shook his bloodied face. “I’m an idiot, too. I know that already!


[User] “But your little sister’s an even bigger idiot!” Rem realized that Subaru had head-butted her, she didn’t understand the significance at all.

[Assistant] “Now look here, in my homeland, they say, ‘Three women make a market.’ Not that that has anything to do with this. But they also say, ‘Three heads are better than one.’” What’s sagacity, anyway? Subaru murmured to himself after he spoke.

[User] “Er, anyway,” He said, twisting his neck as he continued, “it’s like how it’s easier to snap an arrow with three people than a person might think.”

[Assistant] “I am guessing you are using that somewhat unlike the original…”

[User] “A-NY-WA-Y! Don’t think about it all by yourself and rely on the people around you! You understand what I’m saying, right?! If you had your heart grabbed like m—” Subaru was about to say something when his expression changed to one of pain. “That was over the line, huh…? Th-that’s a little strict, ain’t it?”

[Assistant] “What are you talking ab—? Wait, Subaru, the scent of the witch is suddenly much thick—” Rem pinched her nose, twisting her body away from the repugnant smell. Right beside her, the horrible, abominable stench wafted about. What had suddenly caused it to—?

[User] “Well, I need you to switch gears on that for now. I’ll switch gears, too.”

[Assistant] Rem was agape, but the serious look on Subaru’s face told her to push that question down the road. Subaru looked ahead as they ran, the tension and caution in his eyes growing stronger. Simultaneously, Ram, again running beside him, put a hand to her painful forehead as she began to chant.

[User] “Ram, the villa—No, the barrier’s good enough. Which way is it to get there?”

[Assistant] “If we can slip past the pack before us, we simply need to sprint to the left, but what are you planning?”

[User] When Ram asked, Subaru let out a long mmm sound as he made a sour face. "How about I push Rem onto you and I cruelly run off to the barrier on my own?”

[Assistant] “You intend to let me flee with Rem while you lure the Urugarum away? Understood.”

[User] “Can you not spoil what I was trying to hide?! It’s embarrassing! !” The speed of their run did not abate as Subaru and Ram sparred with their words back and forth.

[Assistant] When she heard what they were saying, Rem felt a feeling of despair, like the whole world was turning black before her. “I cannot…save you like that… Pl-please stop this. If you do this, I…”

[User] “Luggage should be seen and not heard! It’s all right, I’ll get past the barrier and hook up with you there. After that, I have a special plan you don’t know about to take down the demon beasts all at once. It’ll be big, an easy win!” She had no idea what “special plan” Subaru had prepared. To be blunt, she wondered if there even was one.


[User] “You need to do no such thing… I will wipe out the demon beasts all by myse—” She couldn’t let Subaru do anything rash. Rem tried to move her arms and legs. But her limbs merely dangled, refusing to obey her commands. The most she could do was wiggle her fingers and move her tongue around a little. Nothing was working as she was accustomed to.

[Assistant] “Where is my weapon…?”

[User] “Like I could carry around a heavy thing like that! I’ll buy you a new one later, geez!”

[Assistant] Pain shot through Rem as she realized she was unarmed and unable to move, so there was nothing she could do but be protected by others. The thought drove her to despair.

[User] Subaru gently handed Rem off to Ram. “Don’t drop her.”

[Assistant] “I believe I have more strength than you possess in one arm, Barusu.”

[User] “Why’d you make me carry her, then? !”

[Assistant] “You never told me to, did you, Barusu?”

[User] “Seriously, that’s your answer? !” Subaru slapped his own face for missing the opportunity.

[Assistant] Rem looked up at Subaru from her sister’s arms, shaking her head at the unbelievable reality. She’d said so many mean things about him. Why was he going this far? “Subaru, why are you going this far to…?”

[User] “—Good question.” Her inquiry sent Subaru into thought for but a single moment. He raised a finger and smiled. “Because you’re the first girl I ever went on a date with. I’m not so cruel that I can just turn my back on you.” As he spoke, he gently petted Rem with the same hand. “Well, I’m gonna head off for a little bit. Take care of Rem, Big Sis.”

[Assistant] “I pray that you meet with us safely, Barusu.”


[User] Sweat formed on Ram’s brow as her tone made plain she had no margin for error.

[Assistant] “—Sister!”

[User] “Barusu is risking his life to buy us time. I shall make good use of it.”


[User] "Sister… Subaru… Subaru is—!"

[Assistant] "Rem. We cannot turn back. It would put his resolve to waste."

[User] "—Sis! !"

[Assistant] "—! !" Ram’s expression greatly trembled in response to Rem’s heartfelt shout.

[User] Ram bit her lip, her eyes wide open as her feet came to a stop.

[Assistant] Rem instantly twisted her body, escaping her sister’s arms to fall to the ground, rolling as she looked behind them—and saw Subaru’s back as he ran.

[User] "—Subaru!" She did not know if her voice reached him. All she saw was Subaru on the run, his left hand drawing the dimly glimmering sword as if responding to her call.


[User] "It hurts, Mommy, Daddy, Emilia-tan…!” He invoked the three most important people in his life as he glanced at his dangling right arm. The intermittent numbness in his shoulder was from his crash landing after his blow to Rem’s horn. He hoped dearly it was merely dislocated. One way or another, he couldn’t rely on his right arm for combat. With one less weapon at his disposal, Subaru had no idea how he was going to face the enemy standing before him.

[Assistant] As Subaru ran, he found the demon beast pup standing in his path—the one that had been the bane of his existence more than once. Subaru wondered if it had a grudge against him to be so darned persistent. "I’d like this to be the last time we meet…” Subaru kept running as he girded himself for the cascade of stones the demon beast would surely unleash. If that hit him when his guard was down, there was no way he’d get away with just a dislocated shoulder. Shaking off the unpleasant image of being whittled to death by a thousand stone cuts, Subaru mentally simulated dodging at the exact moment the stones would be unleashed. He gave the demon beast a half-resentful, gimme-your-best-shot glare when—

[User] “Uhh?” He suddenly sounded quite clueless. Subaru could scarcely believe his eyes at the scene unfolding before him. The demon beast pup made a small howl before curling up its little body further. It seemed to be gathering all its strength. Before Subaru, whose eyes were narrowed with no idea what was coming next, it…

[Assistant] “—!” The fur ball suddenly grew with explosive force. Poof—in the blink of an eye, it grew from the size of a cute, huggable domesticated dog to something larger than the largest breeds, to the point one might call it jumbo sized.

[User] “I’ve seen this in manga a lot, but seriously, where does all the extra mass come from? !”

[Assistant] The reply to his question was a howl that seemed to make the entire forest shudder. It used its hind legs for support as it vigorously sprang off the ground. The demon beast then struck together the claws of both its raised paws, revealing them to be sinister weapons that could slice through human bone with the slightest graze.

[User] “Oh, so you’re not gonna settle this with magic? What did I ever do to you…?” Subaru shuddered at its decision to fight their final battle mano a mano as he looked around, searching for any avenue of escape—but demon beasts in pursuit were cutting off the back and the sides, making escape a difficult proposition. "Man, coming after me instead of the beautiful sisters… You guys have seriously demon-cursed taste… Damn it all!” Once he noticed it, his steps slowed as the beasts surrounded him. Apparently, Subaru had brought every demon beast in the whole forest running. His decoy operation was a huge success.


[User] He didn’t have time to have a nervous breakdown or piss his pants while begging for his life. With all avenues of escape cut off, his only option was to run straight forward. In other words, he had to take the giant demon beast down one-on-one. He fumbled in his side pocket. He felt a rock…a piece of hard candy…something that felt sticky and icky…and…

[Assistant] "All I can do now is trust in Puck…!" He took it out and tossed it in his mouth as he prayed to the gray cat with all his might. There wasn’t much time before Subaru would reach the demon beast. They would clash in mere seconds. That was when…

[User] "—Subaru!"

[Assistant] …he heard it. That moment, Subaru heard someone call his name. It had a painful echo, drenched in sadness as if the whole world were about to end, knowing that whether Subaru lived or died determined whether her heart would shatter—perhaps it was insensitive of him, but Subaru was happy. I’m too pathetic. A pervert. A two-faced jerk. It wasn’t like he couldn’t guess how the girl felt as she cried out his name. The fact that he smiled nonetheless was proof he was totally mad. He smiled, and smiled, and when he was done smiling, Subaru’s left hand drew out the broken one-handed sword. The demon beast roared before him.

[User] Subaru put all his weight behind the sword as he, too, yelled out. Their voices raised a pair of discordant war cries. Soul clashed against soul. A moment before they were within each other’s reach, Subaru inhaled deeply. He pictured the center of his body. He focused on the region between chest and waist, imagining a gate connected to the outside, just above his navel.

[Assistant] "—SHAMAAAAK! !" The magical invocation permeated the air. The next moment, a black cloud erupted around Subaru. The cloud enveloped Subaru and all the demon beasts. The decisive battle in the forest was now sealed within the darkness.


[User] Subaru’s mind was invited to the land ruled by the black shadow once more. There was nothing. Only his consciousness seemed to hover in space. Subaru dimly realized that he existed. There was no one. There was nothing. Nothing began. Nothing ended. It was a world of no being at all. Subaru felt like he had been cast into the sea at night. He let his mind float with the fickle sensation.

[Assistant] Abruptly, a change came over the world of darkness. In front, directly ahead of Subaru’s mind, someone stood. The shadow grew vertically. Before he knew it, a human silhouette stood before Subaru. He couldn’t see its face. The shape was indistinct. But he vaguely thought that it had the shape of a woman.

[User] The shadow wavered and slowly reached out a hand. For some reason, when her fingers gently grazed his mind, Subaru wanted to weep. The wave of strange emotion washing over him suggested that he had always been waiting for her to do so. He had an instinctive desire for the wriggling shadow to embrace him, to swallow him whole—and then it stopped. Something had stopped it.

[Assistant] Subaru’s mind realized that there was another shadow, its white fingers embracing him from behind. Her touch felt soft, and not just warm but hot. The instant Subaru felt that heat, the shadow before him rapidly faded away. He faced his front. His heart trembled. He shouted ferociously. But the world of nothingness had no sound. He was left behind as the shadow became distant, fading, fading away. Finally, the shadow serenely stretched her fingers out toward Subaru, who was nearly in tears.

[User] "—ve you.” Even the words he could not hear faded, and the world fell apart.


[Assistant] When Subaru awoke, the first thing his eyes took in was an unfamiliar, ornate ceiling. Unlike his bedroom, the chamber he awoke in was ornamented more than most parlors; even the ceiling was decked out to excess. Perhaps it was mandatory in an aristocrat’s mansion, the better to show off the master’s authority to other parties. At any rate, to a boy like Subaru, born and raised in a small city, it was distinctly uncomfortable. Subaru blinked several times in the moments it took him to arrive at that thought after waking.

[User] "—It seems…you are awake?" The voice came from the edge of the bed, and at point-blank range.

[Assistant] Subaru turned his head, which rested on an exceptionally soft pillow, and narrowed his eyes upon the girl sitting right beside him. "I suppose in one sense, having a maid by your side when you wake up is a man’s cherished desire."

[User] “…Considering my degree of carelessness, this is the least I can do to atone.”

[Assistant] "Man, that’s such a negative thing to say, Rem."


[User] More to the point…” Rem’s eyes downturned.

[Assistant] Subaru sat up, punctuating each movement with a word as he took his right hand from under the blankets and lifted it up. It was firmly in Rem’s grasp. “Did I do this? If I just grabbed you and didn’t let go… That’s kind of embarrassing. It’s like when I was a kid and wouldn’t let go of my favorite towel.”

[User] “Er, no, that’s…” When Subaru posed the question, still holding Rem’s hand as he glanced at her, he saw her cheeks redden just a bit. “I…did it.”

[Assistant] “Why? I mean, I sweat a lot when I sleep, so my palm’s probably pretty nasty, too.”

[User] “Subaru, I…”

[Assistant] “Yeah?” As Rem’s words faltered, Subaru had a warm feeling as he quietly watched her, their hands still joined.

[User] Rem took several breaths before looking at Subaru with upturned eyes. “You seemed to be suffering while you slept, so I…”

[Assistant] “You held my hand?”

[User] “Yes, because I am weak and full of flaws. Hence, I do not know what I can do for someone when this happens. Since I did not know, I did the thing that would have made me happiest.” Her halting, fumbling words suggested that this was linked to some kind of embarrassing memory.

[Assistant] Subaru gave his hand a smile as Rem made her feelings clear. It was like that hand had rescued Subaru from a bad dream, as if he were a little kid. With no reason to let go, their hands remained together. Subaru kept soaking up the warmth as he inclined his head. “Anyway, care to tell me what else happened before I read the sequel?”

[User] “Yes. How much do you remember, Subaru?”

[Assistant] “Rozchi made fire rain from the sky, and you were worked up and bear-hugged me. That’s it.”

[User] “…So, what happened after, then…?” Haltingly, Rem explained the aftermath in a businesslike fashion. After Subaru lost consciousness, Roswaal had mopped up the demon beasts in the forest. The effect of Subaru’s stench of the witch worked fine even with him out cold, so Roswaal had used him as bait to lure out the demon beasts, and then incinerated the remainder in the forest. “Then the curses on me…?”

[Assistant] “In this case…the casters were the demon beasts that bit you. You need not be concerned about dying from those curses any longer. Master Roswaal and Lady Beatrice and the Great Spirit have already taken care of everything.”

[User] “So all three are guaranteeing it, huh…? Well, I’ll believe it this time.” He’d been bitten almost everywhere else, so Subaru put a hand on his breast as he sighed with relief. Apparently the time bombs in his body had been successfully defused.


[User] He grimaced as he recalled just how many times he’d almost died and what pain and suffering he’d gone through to achieve this. "Master Roswaal also calmed the agitated villagers in person. Things have mostly returned to peace and quiet.”

[Assistant] “I see. So the brats are safe, huh? But they’re probably worried sick about their beloved Big Bro Subaru coming back all beat-up, heh-heh.” Subaru was lightening up the mood when Rem made a murmur rich with meaning as she pulled down the blanket covering him.

[User] “—Yes…so it would seem.”

[Assistant] What? thought Subaru, suspicious of Rem’s demeanor, but his expression soon changed to surprise. Under the blankets, Subaru was dressed in a gown just like the one he’d worn on his first day at Roswaal Manor when he’d been severely injured. He realized there was something odd on the parts of the gown below the waist, namely… “There are scribbles all over it…like on a cast for a broken leg!”

[User] “The children Master Roswaal graciously invited to the mansion wrote these things.”

[Assistant] “Geez, those little brats…!” Subaru clicked his tongue as he looked over their notes to him. In the first place, they were written upside down from Subaru’s point of view, and it wasn’t good handwriting to begin with. But since they were written in the I-script Subaru had learned, he eventually read everything. “Thanks for bringing Rem back.”

[User] “Thank you very much.”

[Assistant] “You look crazy, but you’re cool.”

[User] “Do aerobics with us like you promised.”

[Assistant] “Love you.”

[User] Subaru grumbled as he leaned back against the pillow, looking toward the window. “Geez, those brats… It’s so stupid. I don’t even like kids…” He was glaring toward the village and the children there who had written such things. He was looking forward to paying them a visit as soon as he could. Then he’d give those happy, prank-playing children a real chewing out.

[Assistant] Rem warmly watched how Subaru’s words contrasted with the look on his face. Then her expression wavered, her lips trembling. “Setting aside the past, I need to speak to you about your body.”

[User] “Mm, ah, suppose you’re right. Setting aside the curse, I pushed it pretty far, huh?” It was only as he spoke that he realized his right shoulder, the same side as the hand Rem was holding, was in its socket. Even when he put weight on it, there was no ache. He felt no malaise from the scars all over his body where fangs had punctured his flesh. This world’s healing magic can do anything, thought Subaru. “Subaru, I am sorry.”

[Assistant] “Hey, hey,” Subaru said with a wave of his hand, not able to grasp why Rem would be apologizing to him. “Lift your head up, Rem. My body’s fine; there’s nothing bad about it. I’m in perfect condition.”

[User] “That is…not true whatsoever.