--All there was there was 『Nothingness』.
The consciousness glances around absentmindedly. "Look around" is not the right word to use in this case.
In that state of consciousness there are no eyes, no hands, no feet, no body parts, just an uncertain thing floating there, a disembodied consciousness.
Without understanding or expressing anything, it looks around.
It was a dark, empty room. I couldn't even tell where the ceiling and walls were, and I couldn't get a sense of how vast the room was. It was a world enveloped in pitch black.
Suddenly, meaning was born into that world of everlasting darkness.
Directly in front of my consciousness, a figure suddenly appeared.
A thin figure, its body obscured in pitch black, giving it an unclear outline. A mist was particularly prevalent above the upper body, severely impeding awareness.
The appearance of the figure brought a new sensation to my consciousness.
And before that sensation has even cooled, the shadow begins to move slowly, as if trying to communicate something to my consciousness.
I don't understand. I can't get anything across.
Still, for some reason, I couldn't take my attention away from that figure.
『---I can't meet you yet.』
Leaving behind a faint whisper, the world suddenly disappeared.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
The moment Subaru woke up, the first thing he thought was, "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for giving birth to me with such a strong body."
He threw himself off a cliff and fell vertically, headfirst to the ground. There was no doubt that his cervical vertebrae were nearly torn apart by the force of the impact, but for a Subaru in such a state, eternal rest did not come immediately - or at all.
"There's no way he didn't die instantly and was still slightly conscious... that's not the level where he could say he was unlucky."
I lay right next to the horned corpse that had fallen to its death, unable to move and in excruciating pain, the countdown to death was upon me.
It can be assumed that they probably didn't last long before they lost their lives, but the experience still felt like it lasted only a few hours.
If Beatrice were to come down to check on Subaru, and find him still breathing, she would be horrified.
"I absolutely refuse to kill myself. I won't do it even if I die."
When I think back to the questions I asked myself leading up to that moment, it literally makes me want to die.
He acted all cool, but inside he was such a coward. It was impossible to call it a decision.
Howeverーー,
"I'm back, I'm back..."
Stretching out his hands and clenching his fists, Subaru confirmed where he was.
The soft bed. The neatly made sheets. The reddish-brown work clothes were a nostalgic sight, and――
"Sister, sister. It seems our guest is still half asleep."
"Rem, Rem. You seem to have been senile since you were quite young."
The twin girls were holding hands and standing in front of the bed, gazing at Subaru with two pairs of eyes.
A familiar voice and familiar gestures. An intense greeting that had been repeated four times before, and now for the fifth time.
There was a mountain of things he wanted to say. There were so many things he wanted to say that his heart was racing. And yet, none of them came out as if they were stuck in his throat.
Seeing Rem in good health, seeing Ram's attitude as rude as ever, feeling how the two of them treated Subaru as if it were natural, an overwhelming feeling welled up inside him.
"Sir, sir, what's the matter? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Sir, sir, what's wrong? Have you had an attack of some chronic illness?"
Immediately after seeing their faces, the twins were perplexed to see Subaru go quiet and clutch his chest. They walked over to the bed on either side, and reached out their hands to comfort the crouching Subaru.
And, seeing the two of them approaching, Subaru,
"Gabacho"
"picture"
"a"
While making sound effects, he grabbed the twins and hugged them tightly.
The blue-haired one to the right, the pink-haired one to the left, their small bodies easily rotated with just one arm each. In front of them, with their heads butted against each other, he placed his face between the twins, enjoying the feel of their hair on his cheeks.
"Ahh, I'm back! I'm back. Finally here, with these feelings. Just now!"
He rubbed his face roughly against their heads, then slapped them on the backs to release them.
The two of them couldn't hide their shock at Subaru's sudden embrace, but they quickly regained their senses and jumped off the bed,
"Sister, sister, you've been used as a plaything by our customer."
"Rem, Rem, you've become the object of our customer's animalistic lust."
「Ha, that's not true. Sorry but you two are unfortunately slightly out of my strike zone. Remember that, I don't really have a preference for younger men! And girls are long, long!」
Subaru believes that femininity lies in hair.
Therefore, it is better for women to have long hair. And a silver-haired heroine is justice for Subaru. Also, if she has an older attribute that allows him to be a little spoiled, then there is nothing to complain about.
"Emilia-chan, that was a fastball right in the middle of my strike zone! Sorry but you guys missed the mark. It's still a nice ball though!"
"Sister, sister. I don't really understand what you're saying, but I find it insulting."
"Rem, Rem. I know that's a crazy thing to say, but I feel like I'm being insulted."
The twins responded rather harshly to Subaru, who kept speaking quickly.
However, seeing their attitude, Subaru jumped out of bed. Standing on the floor barefoot, he turned around sharply in place. He turned around in the center of the room, pointed both hands at the two who were still standing beside the bed,
"Well, listen, hey, listen, listen me. We'll sit on each other's laps, clean our ears, and then listen."
He held out his palm to the two silent people, opening and closing it in a pointless motion,
"I understand that you guys have all sorts of complicated and strange backgrounds. I totally get it, but with that in mind, I want to say something."
As if gauging our intentions, the twins silently urged us on.
I think that the assessment of me has probably already begun from this point on. I can't imagine doing something as skillful as trying to win their trust by trial and error while being aware of their gazes.
To begin with, I'm really bad at socializing.
If I had possessed advanced communication skills, such as being able to read the other person's mood and respond appropriately in each situation, I wouldn't have become a hikikomori and I'm sure I would have been able to do better here too.
So even though Subaru knew the meaning behind their sharp gazes, there wasn't much he could do. The advantage of information was limited.
Therefore, what Subaru was saying to them at this point was not a declaration of war, but merely a warning to himself.
In other words,
"I believe in you guys, so let's get along."
Just like the first time, let's face it with all our might.
Subaru must have thought the same thing on the first day he was summoned to another world.
Even if you know what the future holds, you don't have the strength to make the most of it. So you have to make the most of the opportunity you have and live your life to the fullest in the situation before you.
The two girls' eyes widened at Subaru's offer, and their eyes scanned each other's faces as they communicated silently. There was no room for knowing what had been exchanged between the silent exchanges, but Subaru was not so meekly disposed to solemnly wait for the decision to be made.
After all, this time I've decided to leave that maturity behind.
"It's sad to be left behind, how naughty! The world is so much bigger and more open. So let's stop being so immersed in our own world and get closer to each other! With who? With me!"
"Sister, sister. The guest who has just woken up is a very troublesome person."
"Rem, Rem. The customer who finally woke up is annoying as hell."
"But you guys still have to be sincere with me, even though I'm such an annoying nuisance! Wow, it's been a while since I've felt like a customer like this! It may only last for a moment, but it feels great, yeah!"
It feels like all the frustration I've been feeling has suddenly exploded with excitement.
Subaru's mouth was moving even more than usual, and his tongue was bouncing off lighter words than usual. And,
"--Couldn't you have woken up a little more quietly?"
The voice came from the direction of the entrance.
Turning my attention in that direction, I saw a silver-haired girl standing right next to the door. She knocked lightly on the already open door, her beautiful eyebrows furrowing in exasperation.
"I'm glad to hear you're doing well, but you're just getting over an illness, so you shouldn't make a fuss."
"There's no need to worry, Emilia-tan is my number one star!"
"What are you talking about?!"
He gives a thumbs up, flashing his teeth in a satisfied look.
Emilia put her hand to her forehead in response to Subaru's powerful action.
"Umm..."
His eyes wandered as if choosing his words, then,
"Anyway, good morning. I'm glad you're safe."
Emilia smiled with relief.
Subaru nodded in response to her smile, and his cheeks lifted as well.
"Ah, good morning. --Well then, let's get started."
Not understanding the meaning of Subaru's words, the three women tilted their heads.
Subaru gave a wry smile and waved at the girls,
"One week to the Roswaal Mansion - that means the start of the conquest."
I made this declaration, speaking to myself, more than to anyone else.
--Now, let's get the story moving.
So that Subaru could look up at the morning he desired, with the people he desired.
The first day of the fifth day begins at the Roswaal mansion.