human
Subaru:  But this silence was different from when she was thinking. It was a sign she had been caught off guard. Her breath caught faintly, and Subaru judged he had touched on something important. "Betty doesn’t understand. What is Merope, Subaru?"
gpt
Subaru:  "The last member of a certain group of seven names. It’s weird not to have all seven if we’re talking about the Pleiades." The first through sixth floors had been given names. But those names came from a group of seven—the seven Pleiades sisters who appeared in a story about the stars that Subaru knew well. In which case, there should be another floor named after the seventh sister hidden somewhere, too. "A seventh floor, or else a zeroth floor? One or the other should exist."
human
Beatrice:  "Zeroth. It makes sense, since you named them… But it was a place made after you disappeared, so you shouldn’t know where it is."
gpt
Shaula:  Shaula was shocked when she confirmed Subaru’s supposition.
human
Subaru:  However, Subaru did not feel any sense of accomplishment at uncovering a hidden secret. It was outweighed by acceptance. "A zeroth floor, meaning it should be above the first… Or no, since you didn’t call the sixth floor the lowest. In which case, it isn’t up, it’s underground—"
gpt
Shaula:  "—No good." Shaula immediately interrupted him. Subaru caught his breath at the intensity of her tone, but there was no change in Shaula’s face. She was still smiling, and her eyes were filled with trust. But there was a trace of loneliness, too. "The requirements haven’t been fulfilled yet. You came back to meet me in the middle of your journey, and that’s enough. So the zeroth floor is no good." Her tone was not particularly different, but there was something strange about her voice. It almost felt like a wall was going up. To Subaru’s ears, a trace of danger had seeped in, as if the promise she had just made was being threatened.
human
Subaru:  "...Got it. I won’t ask anymore. Just keep the promise you made."
gpt
Shaula:  "Roger. I will. You can count on me." Shaula broke into a smile, getting excited as if she had already forgotten the floor conversation.
human
Subaru:  Subaru heaved a sigh of relief when he heard her cheery response coming from behind him. "Subaru, if it ever becomes too much to bear, you can always talk to Betty."
gpt
Subaru:  "Mm, I’m all right. Just a lot to think about is all." Smiling weakly, he patted her head gently.
human
Beatrice:  Beatrice didn’t say anything else, but this little ritual of theirs helped Subaru calm down. The conversation with Shaula and the oddity of the image of Flugel had started to come to light. It was nothing too unexpected. But he was like Subaru, too. Subaru, Al, Hoshin, and now Flugel. A being who brought knowledge with him that did not exist in this world, leaving it to later generations. There was, without a doubt, only one explanation.