Subaru was left behind in the dark.
Darkness covered everything. I couldn't hear anything, and I couldn't see anyone. Even if I reached out and touched something, I couldn't tell if it was the ground or a wall - a forced lack of understanding was rampant.
Without realizing it, I felt like my throat was trembling and I was screaming.
I raised my voice as high as I could, hoping that it would reach far, far away, into the distance.
"--Ru"
Suddenly, a voice came from the darkness.
A change is born out of the nothingness of nothingness, and I jump at it and cling to it.
I scratched my hands, moved my legs, and headed toward the voice.
"Subaru――"
Forward, forward――!!
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
"The bottom line is that Subaru's gates are the kind that can't be controlled, so it's best not to push yourself too hard."
"Is that the first thing that comes to mind when you see this?"
"Tehe."
"Isn't it cute!?"
Floating, with his arms crossed, Puck remarked his general opinion, and Subaru cursed, enjoying the feel of the cold, hard grass with his whole body.
Subaru was lying face down on the grass, barely able to breathe, and his whole body felt incredibly fatigued. A lethargic feeling, as if he had a high fever, permeated his entire body, and he could not feel any fighting spirit in his limbs.
It's a similar feeling I remember.
On the first day of summoning, when Puck drained his mana, or whenever Beatrice took mana from Subaru.
In short, Subaru was now completely out of gas.
"For better or worse, Subaru's gates are rough. So they ignored the intentions of the user and the contents spilled out."
"So... don't talk about people like they're screen doors..."
I'm out of breath. How much energy have I wasted just making such sour noises?
He tried somehow to stand up, but no strength would come from his body, and in the end all he could do was lie down and groan.
Seeing Subaru in such a state, Emilia lowered her body and met his gaze,
「Don't move. You've used up all the mana in your body, so stay still. --You might not be able to work today either.」
"--That would be troubling!"
Subaru couldn't help but speak sharply to Emilia, who was acting like a mother scolding her mischievous son.
As Emilia looked at him in shock, eyes wide, Subaru was genuinely regretting his own carelessness.
If today really were to be wasted, it would mean throwing away the one-day grace period that he had been given against the loop.
That's so stupid, it's fatal.
We must not allow ourselves to stumble over our own mistakes.
"Ngggggg...!"
He struggles to turn his anger into strength and get back on his feet.
If I can at least raise my upper body, it should be a little better. From there, I can slowly regain control and get back on track.
"Hey, don't push yourself too hard."
"Now is the time to do it. If I don't do it now, I'll never regret it..."
It's not unusual for one to bring upon oneself through one's own actions, but right now the timing and circumstances are terrible.
Seeing Subaru struggling, sweat dripping from his forehead, Emilia shrugged her shoulders slightly,
"There's really no other way, now."
Emilia once again bent down and spoke those words.
Not understanding the meaning of her words, Subaru looked up with only his eyes.
"--? Emilia-tan, what are you--"
Meeting his gaze, she placed her hand on Subaru's face, who suddenly looked up, and he felt something being forced into his mouth.
Something round and soft to the touch.
Subaru looked at her in confusion, and Emilia nodded while still covering his mouth with her hand,
"Bite me."
"--?"
"Chew and swallow. Yes, sir."
Overwhelmed by the reluctant attitude, Subaru felt something in his mouth - he bit down on it with all his might.
A sweet and sour taste slowly spread inside my mouth. I guessed it was some kind of fruit, and immediately after that――it happened.
"Whooooooooo――!?"
Subaru's whole body felt as if it was on fire, and he leapt to his feet.
The blood boils as it stirs inside my body, my fingers and toes feel as if they are burning with passion, even down to the tips of my fingers and the insides of my nails. Wanting to release the excess heat, my breathing becomes rough, and unable to resist the urge, my legs lift up on their own accord.
But having done all that, Subaru finally realized he had regained the strength to stand up.
He looked down at his hands with an incredulous look on his face, opening and closing his fists to check the feeling.
The fever in various parts of my body has not yet subsided, and I can feel my joints are weak and fatigued, but it's not so bad that I can't move.
"W-what was that just now...?"
"It's a fruit called Bocco Fruit. When you eat it, the mana in your body is activated, and although it's only a temporary relief, it helps restore the power of the gate."
The identity of the familiar fruit matches the one Subaru received from an old woman living in the slums during the first loop on the first day.
I'm sure I suffered similar damage when I ate it that time too---but Puck's Mana Dore afterwards got me through it without incident. I guess this time the events were just reversed.
Either way,
「Haa, what a relief. If I had continued on to the bad route like that, I would never have been able to forgive myself. Thanks, Emilia-tan.」
"I didn't have many of them, and they're not good for your health, so I didn't want to use them... But that wasn't just a bluff, was it?"
It must have been because Subaru's previous actions had been so realistic that he had decided to use his valuables.
Subaru raised his head at her testing words,
"of course"
He stated so decisively.
And then add the action of wiping your forehead,
"But what an idiot I was... If it had ended like this, I would have died from even more resentment than last time."
I am proud to say that I have had many experiences that no one else can have, in the sense that I have experienced many different ways of dying.
"To be honest, I don't want to experience something like death from humiliation."
First of all, I hope that the last time I jumped off a cliff would be the last time I died. It was extremely painful because I couldn't die instantly.
Death is enough once. And if possible, he would like to die on a tatami mat, living out his natural lifespan. Or, best of all, dying in Emilia's arms, the fulfillment of some spectacularly cool flag.
"Well, the fact that I can't even think like that is what makes me a dwarf."
Even in a light-hearted conversation, it seems that I can no longer lightly mention the word "death."
Only someone who had truly experienced the same thing as Subaru could laugh at this as being a coward.
I turn my body and check my condition again.
It's far from being in top form, and in fact the finish leaves many areas worrying.
However, Subaru does not have the luxury of postponing his plans for that reason.
"Are you okay? Do you think you can do your job properly?"
"I'll do my job, and I'll do everything else too. Emilia-tan, just think of it as you're aboard the unsinkable Subaru Kai, and you can just relax and be prepared."
"Even though it's an unsinkable ship, it's been renovated once..."
If that is realized, the sense of security disappears.
In reality, the temperature had dropped not once but seven times, but there was no need to ruin the morning by pointing that out. Subaru had learned something.
Subaru pretended not to hear Emilia's remark and pulled himself together while doing some stretches on the spot,
"Well then, shall we face our seniors with renewed spirit?"
"That's true. I don't think Subaru has said anything to those two since yesterday…"
"--a"
He said as he straightened up, his lower back letting out a dull thud.
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"Sister, sister. A heartless man named Subaru has arrived."
"Rem, Rem. A wage thief named Barusu has appeared."
"I'm really sorry about yesterday! So please forgive me."
He bowed his head and profusely begged for forgiveness.
Somehow, it feels like I've been bowing my head nothing but for the past half day. Apart from Roswaal, I've bowed to everyone in the mansion, including the women.
"I've finished collecting routes where girls look down on me - I'm a terrible person"
"Sister, sister. Subaru-kun is quite the pervert."
"Rem, Rem. If you do that you'll be a despised masochist."
"That's an exaggeration, especially my sister!"
Subaru shouted as he performed his Japanese signature move, DOGEZA, and from that position, he used his arms as a support and transitioned into a handstand, then turned around and stood up in a smooth motion,
"Anyway, yesterday was ugly and the day before yesterday was annoying. ... Well, a lot of things have happened and I'm tired, but I'm going to start afresh and go with the new Subaru from today."
"It's a lap pillow."
"A lap pillow."
"Maybe everyone knows? How embarrassing!?"
Subaru covers his face in a humiliating move. The twin maids look at each other as Subaru collapses.
"Shall we get started on our morning duties now, sister?"
"It's about time to start your morning duties, Rem."
"No comment is going to be a real disappointment!"
The two of them made a gesture of their hands, cutting Subaru's comment in half.
Subaru stuck out his tongue and reacted with a "Ouch!", while the two of them quickly started to head off to work. And,
"Hold on, hold on. I have a favor to ask of you before my morning work."
Subaru called out, and the two of them stopped in their tracks, turned around, and tilted their heads in unison.
"please?"
"Any trouble?"
"It's been a while since I've been feeling so calm around you, but I wonder what this feeling is bubbling up in my chest... Humans are strange."
While he was happy to be able to have this exchange, he couldn't help but smile wryly at his older sister's grimacing behavior, which was quite obvious compared to his younger sister.
I sighed, letting the anger at the absurdity that had arisen wash away.
"Actually, I'd like to go to a village. It's nearby, right? Do you have plans to do some shopping there?"
Tonight, he wanted to go to the village today to confirm his speculations at the Forbidden Library. Rem put her hand to her chin as Subaru pondered.
"I think I don't have enough spices, so I was thinking of going to the village tomorrow..."
"Well, how about we reschedule and do it today instead? If you're running low, it's better to do it sooner rather than later. Besides, we're not in an environment where you can just go borrow some miso from your neighbors if you run out of spices, right?"
Even if we wanted to get along with our neighbors, there weren't any houses nearby to begin with.
Rem seemed a little troubled by Subaru's offer.
but,
"Isn't that enough?"
"Sister?"
Ram answered cheerfully in place of her troubled sister, closing one eye and lightly touching her pink hair.
She turned her gaze to her sister's questioning voice,
"I have to go shopping, and there's no urgent business. I also have a baggage carrier named Barusu, so I'll make good use of this opportunity."
"Please also take into consideration that I've only been sick for three days since having my stomach ripped open!"
While Subaru was retorting to Ram's rather blunt opinion, he couldn't help but be puzzled by the covering fire.
This was because, at this point, it seemed that the twin maids were not all in agreement.
Considering the situation in the previous loop, and the loop before that, if the conditions were right, both of the twin maids should be in a position to eliminate Subaru.
The fact that their opinions differed was an uneasy feeling that Subaru, who had actually been killed, could not ignore.
Either way, I'm grateful for the covering fire.
How to persuade the two of them was something Subaru was planning to rack his brains over.
"...If that's what you want, Big Sister."
After a moment of silence, Rem also voiced her affirmative opinion.
Although Rem often takes the lead, we know from past interactions that she generally prioritizes her sister's opinions.
The moment Ram managed to persuade him, however coincidental, it could be said that the outcome of these negotiations was already decided.
As Subaru secretly pumped his fist in celebration, Rem's face changed from the thoughtful expression she had had up until then to a straight face,
"But in any case, I'll be heading to the village after lunch. After two o'clock on the Yang Sun -- so I should at least finish my usual work by then."
「It'll be fine. Barusu, the one who started it, will work himself to the bone. Right?」
"I'd be grateful if my sister, who agreed with me, could help me with that. ...Well, I'll do my best and smash it to pieces."
"'Shinshin'"
"Yeah, do that."
Subaru scratches his head as the stereophonic voice corrects the missing sentences, and the negotiations are complete.
With the promise of grocery shopping made, servant time finally begins. Rem seems to be rearranging her schedule for the day, which now includes grocery shopping, as she walks away hurriedly, clearing her head.
Seeing the blue-haired girl off, Subaru turns his attention to the pink-haired girl beside him. She has been selected to watch over Subaru again today, and will be accompanying him as he works his way through the unfamiliar life of a servant.
Yesterday――Actually, the day before yesterday, it would be safe to avoid interacting with her in the same weird mood as that day. Or rather, now that I've come full circle and have had the time to reflect on myself, it's a bit too painful for me to imitate that.
"It's scary to realize my dark past in such a short time. I'm in pseudo-sage mode right now. ...There's no point in saying it, so let's get to work, senpai."
"Before that"
Just as he was about to start walking, Ram stopped him in his tracks, this time returning the favor. He put his foot down to the side as he was about to take a step forward, and turned around with his legs wide apart to look at her.
Ram folded her arms and looked up at Subaru from below,
"About the magic in the garden earlier..."
"Ah, sorry about that. It's completely useless. I'll seal it away for a while. It will apparently take twenty years to master it."
"Not to mention it's embarrassing, but please don't provoke Rem too much."
"--?"
Not understanding what Ram was saying, a question mark formed in Subaru's mind.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Ram snorted and laughed, as she sometimes did,
「In one corner of the garden, Ram used Shamak to disrupt the area, including Lady Emilia――and stop Rem. Balusu should offer up a dance of thanks.」
"Ah...ah, ah, ah, I suppose so."
He had been so shocked by the failure of his magic that he hadn't noticed, but from the outside, that situation probably didn't look like "that kind of situation."
I'm truly grateful to Ram for not rushing into this. On the other hand, I'm appalled at Rem's tendency to make hasty decisions because of this.
「Really, I can't afford to be careless… I've had to continue four times and this is what I get. I'm worried about what's going to happen next.」
"What are you mumbling to yourself? If you don't get to work quickly, you won't make it in time for breakfast or lunch."
"Yes, yes. You see, I was talking about the shopping this afternoon. I was wondering which one of you would join me."
Considering how exhausted I am right now, I'm a little reluctant to have Rem accompany me.
In any case, considering their objectives in the village, Rem would be a more suitable companion. As for the conditions for whether Ram or Rem would accompany them to the village, the question was intended to probe that point――,
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"fart?"
Subaru tilted his head, and Ram, with her expressionless face, broke into a rare smile.
A very malicious, chilling smile.
"Both Ram and Rem will be going. They'll have flowers in both hands, Barusu."
--I hope that flower isn't poisonous.
Subaru, not having considered what might happen if the negotiations went too well, covered his face with his hands, looked up at the ceiling and muttered to himself