Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

???: "Ge~ez! This is unbe~lievable!"

Seizing the reins as she jumped into the driver’s seat, Meili, with her disheveled braids and clenched teeth, desperately attempted to fulfill a role she was unfamiliar to.

Patrasche, at the other end of the reins, was intelligent, and as such Meili’s handling of the reins was nothing more than for show. Nevertheless, Meili remained there to show her grit.

With Garfiel and Ezzo unconscious, Flam, whose attention could not be peeled off from Reinhard’s figure, and Petra, who had not yet returned from reading the Book of the Dead, the only one who was able to act normally here was Meili.

Garfiel: “HUH!? Sensei-san and my amazin’ self are unconscious!? How!?”

Otto: “Calm down Garfield! If you want answers then let’s keep watching.”

Garfiel, confused and angry, agreed with Otto, who was also confused.

But two people were the most confused, Naoko and Kenichi.

Since they arrived at the theater and met Reinhard something had been bothering them.

Why were there so many cosplayers in the room? And, how had they been transported to the theater?

Then they saw the giant lizard and the name, Patrasche.

And they understood the reason for Subaru’s disappearance, the reason no one could find anything about him, the reason for their sadness.

In the past Subaru himself had told them about a genre he liked, and it had happened to him, to their son.

Natsuki Subaru had been isekai’d.

Reinhard: “The situation seems dire if I’m there. What is happening in the future?”

Meanwhile, Subaru looked at Petra, the latter noticing him and giving him a simple nod.

Subaru: “So that’s how she knows. And the loop she saw…”

He still didn’t know how to feel about her knowing about Return by Death and the way she learnt it, but one thing was certain.

From the moment Petra could think of a way of solving the problem she knew it would end with his death.

It was the only thing that could fix all the problems Al had caused.

And he was really sure about it because of the loop, one of the loops where he thought his only purpose was to die in order to save all the people he cared about. He knew how the memories of someone close could imprint into one’s brain and make them doubt their own identity.

He glanced at Meili and looked back at the screen.

Reinhard’s battle was a given, but it was no exaggeration to say that the lives of the entire party depended on Meili’s slender arms.

Meili: "That’s a bit of an exaggeration. Or rather, that’s a bit too mu~ch…"

Many times in the past, Meili had been involved in a situation where someone’s life was at stake.

However, in many of those instances, Meili had been on the side that took lives, and she had been in a position of power to decide whether to give or take a life in the majority of them.

The only time she had ever used her abilities to protect someone’s life rather than take it, had been during the Trial, when she had last been at the Watchtower. And that situation aside, Meili’s capabilities were probably only slightly more powerful than those of an ordinary person.

Felt: “Reinhard, did you hear what was said? Big Bro managed to conquer the Pleiades Watchtower!”

Felt was excited and happy for Subaru’s achievement, something not even Reinhard had been able to do.

Reinhard: “So it seems…”

Reinhard could only answer with a gloomy face but out of nowhere he was punched on the shoulder.

Felt: “Stop it. Don’t you dare think that way, if you weren’t able to make it then it’s ok. No one is perfect, not even you. Be proud of failing.”

Reinhard looked at Felt, who looked back at the screen, and could only stare, baffled at his Lady’s words.

He looked back at the screen now wearing a warm smile, still hearing those words inside his ears.

Meili: "Please, Patrasche-chan… Unlike with the Witchbeast-chans, I can’t understand what you’re saying, bu~t… everyone’s in dan~ger…!"

Patrasche: "――DODOGYUUUN."

Meili’s appeal was conveyed through the reins, and Patrasche bravely replied.

Subaru: “That’s my Patrasche, she wouldn’t give up so easily. I’m also glad to see Meili worried about the others, it really shows how much she has changed. Wait――!”

As he was praising both girls, something appeared in his mind, something he had told Meili when they were fighting against a transformed Shaula.

‘What do you say, Meili. Once everything’s over, wouldn’t you become my daughter?’

That question had not been answered, yet.

Subaru: “I’ll ask her about it once this session is over.”

He felt scared, when he said it they were in a dangerous moment and it came out of nowhere. Maybe she thought he said it jokingly, but he hadn’t. He really wanted for her to have a good ending, a happy ending.

The jet-black ground dragon strode furiously, not heeding the adverse conditions of the sandy footing, pulling the dragon carriage with everyone on board, running, running running running, running toward the end――.

Meili: "If this keeps up――"

It happened, at the moment she had believed they could make it through the sand sea in one sweep.

Meili: "――Ah."

For an instant, the earth seemed to bend and stretch as an incredible impact caused Patrasche’s feet to flounder off the ground, and the dragon carriage rose into the air along with all its passengers.

Petra: “So this is what was happening while I was unconscious…”

Petra could only feel bad for not waking up earlier, but that was something out of her control.

Meili: "――――"

This was bad, and the word that came to Meili’s mind was “pinch“.

They were in a pinch, a real pinch. When Subaru had been in a dangerous situation, he would often utilize the word “pinch“. It was easy to say, and once one got used to saying it, this word would keep popping into their head. But even if one were to keep chanting “pinch, pinch”, the solution would not come to them nonetheless.

Kenichi: “Seems like our son has influenced that little girl.”

Naoko: “Mhm, he has.”

Kenichi whispered to his wife, who let out a small giggle and showed a warm and proud smile on her face.

Their son had made friends in that new world and they were happy, it was obvious he had changed for the better.

Meanwhile, Emilia looked a bit distressed, the reason? Not seeing Subaru.

Patrasche and Subaru should’ve been together in the scene but the black-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. That worried Emilia.

Emilia: “This is the future… Be reeeeally careful Subaru.”

The only sure thing was that once Patrasche slid into the sand, they would lose the Divine Protection of Wind Evasion that would allow them to leave the Sand Dunes safely.

Once that was gone, escaping alive from this place, where the boundaries between heaven and earth had become unrecognizable, would become utterly impossible for Meili and the others.

――What should I do now? Everyone, please, Onii-san, help me.

Meili: "Everyone needs he~lp…!"

Indeed, it came to pass when that completely useless and tearful voice was put together, with her vision nearly upside down.

At Meili’s sudden request for help towards Subaru, both parents were surprised.

Why was this cute little girl, who was in so much trouble for some unknown reason, calling out their kid’s name? What could a normal boy do?

But, he had been isekai’d, maybe he had gained some kind of power or boost.

Subaru could only feel guilty hearing Meili’s pleas.

Meili felt Subaru looking at her and gave him an awkward smile, he was embarrassed but she wouldn’t admit it.

He understood, so he didn’t say anything, he just looked towards the screen, relieved to see Meili didn’t blame him.

???: "――Leave everything to me, Meili."

Right after she heard that cute and reassuring voice, Meili saw someone leap from the overturned coach, using the driver’s seat as a foothold, and proceeded to jump onto Patrasche, who was losing her balance in midair.

It was a girl with a large bow and light-brown hair that caught the eye――,

Meili: "Petra-cha~n!"

As Meili cried out, Petra, who had leapt out of the carriage, clung to Patrasche’s neck in midair before forcefully sitting on the ground dragon’s saddle, clinging on tightly as if biting her.

She hugged with all her might, using her entire petite body, and made her appeal.

Petra: "Patrasche! Calm down, and listen to my voice!"

Patrasche: "――DODOGYUUUN."

Petra: "Yes, good girl… Now!"

Responding to Petra’s voice, Patrasche swung her long tail vigorously, forcibly controlling her position in the air; with significant momentum, she landed on the sand with her toes thrusting forward into the ground, gracefully controlling the momentum of the dragon carriage, allowing it to land on the ground without interrupting the safety of the Divine Protection.

Some people inside the theater sighed in relief, Subaru was grateful to Meili and Petra, the first having escaped from the watchtower and the second having saved everyone inside the carriage, including herself.

Petra: “This happened not so long ago, how much will it show?”

“Subaru”: “Who knows, but I think you know how much he will show if he puts an explanation of Return by Death.”

Petra: “I know, I’m scared to see their reactions, Subaru must be feeling that way too, I’m sure he understands why we are here watching all this.”

Petra and “Subaru” already knew the reason for J showing them all this.

To learn about Return by Death.

Subaru had arrived at that conclusion the moment it showed Return by Death’s description.

He was afraid, really afraid. But he also felt happy, happy because it would mean he was free from the taboo.

And that was also the scary part, if they learned about the taboo then it meant learning about the one who placed it on him along with his Authority.

But there was something else that scared him, how would people react to his killers.

He didn’t want to think about it, not now. He’ll have to deal with it later.

She had managed to overcome that critical moment beautifully.

It had all been thanks to Patrasche’s incredible responsiveness and the girl’s skill in bringing that out.

Petra: "Meili! Chan! Are you safe and sound?!"

Meili: "I, I’m fi~ne! Petra-chan, that Book you read――"

Petra, still mounted on Patrasche’s back, said to Meili,

Petra: "It’ll be fine, leave everything to me."

Meili: "Petra-chan…?"

Petra: "Leave it for now; we need to get out of the Augria Sand Dunes. Let’s go!"

To the loud declaration of Petra, as she rode the ground dragon speeding across the sand sea, Meili responded by repeatedly nodding her head in agreement, feeling a sense of mysterious reliability.

And the screen turned off.

It had been an intense scene, that they knew.

There was a lot of information to process, Reinhard’s involvement, Meili’s desperation, something called Book of the Dead and Petra reading it.

People talked around the room, trying to figure out what was happening in the future, but only three knew.

Meanwhile, Meili looked at Subaru and Petra, Beatrice looked at them too.

Meili: “Onii-san, Petra-chan,whose Book of the Dead was i~t?”

Beatrice: “And where was Betty’s contractor, in fact.”

Both of them stayed silent, they wouldn’t answer. They couldn’t――no, they didn’t want to.

Beatrice: “Fine, don’t answer, I suppose. I guess both of you have your reasons.”

Meili: “I guess I’ll do like Beatrice-cha~n and leave it be for no~w.”

Subaru and Petra looked at each other with relieved faces, letting out a sigh at the same time.

“Subaru”: “They will ask again, you know that and I do too.”

Petra: “Yes, but right now we can’t say anything. Not yet.”

And, once again, the screen turned on and the people stopped talking.

The screen was about to show something once again.

“Subaru”: “Let’s see how long can my secret be kept a secret…”

And Petra didn’t answer.

Subaru: “—Hic!?”

A huge explosion went off at their feet, letting off a bang, causing Subaru and the others to get thrown into the air. Seconds afterwards, his entire body crashed into the ceiling and wall, making him let out a “Guh!.” He then turned his head to figure out what had happened.

In an instant, fear spread through all the theater, some already knew what was happening but others didn’t, still, fear was present in the room.

Petra: “Subaru, was this when you got teleported to Vollachia?”

Subaru: “Yeah, this happened.”

Meili: “It was so sudde~n. I guess we are going to see~ what happened.”

Among the people in the room, two were really worried and scared for Subaru.

Kenichi: “Don’t worry Naoko, he’s fine, we saw he was ok when talking to that guy called Abel.”

Naoko was about to cry, after all the time away from her son she didn’t want to see him in a dangerous situation or in pain.

Kenichi was also scared for their son’s safety, but he had to try and comfort Naoko.

His wife noticed him, who was already crying without knowing, and smiled.

Naoko: “Kenichi, you also need to calm yourself, ok? Just like you said, he’ll be fine. After all, he’s our son.”

Those who had been nearby when that had happened were seeing for the first time how it had happened.

Julius: “So that’s how it started.”

Anastasia: “Seems like it.”

Julius and Anastasia remembered feeling a strong tremor and then black shadows appeared, moments later the Divine Dragon Volcanica had used his power to vanquish the shadow. It had been fast, but in the time it took for it to be solved two people had disappeared.

On the other side of the room, in a corner of it, a sad Beatrice was apologizing to Subaru.

Beatrice: “Betty’s sorry she wasn’t there, I suppose.”

Subaru: “What?! Ok, first of all, no need to apologize, it wasn’t your fault, no one could have predicted something like that. And second of all, I was really tired after the fight against Shaula, so sending me to the Green Room was the best choice that could be made. So don’t apologize.”

Subaru hugged Beatrice, he wanted to let her know he was fine, to let her know it wasn’t her fault.

Subaru: “I know this just happened to you, but look at me! I’m as fine as I can be!”

He waved his hand, the one that in the past had been infected by the same curse Crusch had, now completely healed.

After looking at his hand with a surprised look, she hugged him back and smiled. The both of them stayed like that for a bit, the screen kept going.

And a girl was watching, scared and worried.

Shaula: “Oh no, nonononoooo.”

Shaula: “The tower is getting destroyed! Master’s going to be reaaaaally mad!”

—Fear permeated throughout his whole body as that vile presence drew near.

Subaru: “N-no way...”

In a state of disbelief, Subaru stood up, denying that foreboding feeling in his gut. But that horrible chill grew stronger and stronger, making his suspicions more and more real.

Subaru: “Patrasche! Take Ram—!”

Patrasche: “—Ree-reeee!”

Ram: “Barusu’s such an idiot.”

Ram remembered that moment, it happened too fast. She felt Subaru grabbing her and then throwing her towards Patrasche.

It angered her, it also made her worry about him, but she would never say that out loud.

Otto: “Natsuki-san acted quickly, but he still got teleported to Vollachia.”

Some rows below Ram, Otto was analyzing what was happening.

The ones at the Pleiades Watchtower when it happened told him how it had occurred, at first he was confused, but he decided to go along with it, now he was about to see how it had happened.

Rem and Spica watched, at that time they were both unconscious, now they could see how they woke up in that forest next to that person.

Spica: “Uuuu…”

Rem: “Don’t worry Spica-chan, he’ll be fine.”

Spica was worried, Rem was also worried, but not as much as Spica, or so she wanted to think.

As he crawled along the floor, he grabbed Ram’s body and threw her over to Patrasche. Though she was still covered in injuries, Patrasche understood his intentions and flew towards the room’s entrance.

Ram: “Barusu, that fool...!”

Ram resented that forceful action, but there was no time to listen to her. Subaru pushed off of the ground and sped towards Rem on the bed made of ivy. Then he carried her towards the door—

“───”

—Just before that, the figure of Louis, who was tumbling in the grass, passed by the edge of his vision.

Subaru: “—Hic! Aaah, shit! Shiiiiiit!!”

While spewing out curses angrily, Subaru exerted as much strength as possible with his worn-out body for this maneuver. With Rem’s body held in the right hand, he used his left hand to grab Louis’ arm by force.

Both of them were rather light. In extraordinary circumstances like this, it was possible for him to ignore the weight as he carried them. Like this, carrying both of them, he was on the verge of leaping out of the Green Room.

“───”

BZZZZ

…As soon as the plume of smoke cleared up, Ram felt a rare sense of helplessness.

Ram: "…"

She opened her pale crimson eyes, straining them as she peered into the room which still had smoke hovering over it. However, even as she did so, searching for something amongst the emptiness, the ones which she was seeking were nowhere to be seen.

Felt: “WAIT?! What happened to Big Bro?!”

Reinhard tried to calm down his Lady, he was also confused as to why it had cut at such an important moment.

In the first row, Tanza was worried for Subaru, it all had happened so quickly but he had been able to think even faster, and thanks to that he saved both sisters and Spica.

Cecilus, sitting next to Tanza, felt there was more meaning to the sudden cut, it was for dramatic purposes.

Cecilus: “So this J guy likes a good story. Mhm! Good, I like that too, let's see what happens next!”

Most of the room was annoyed by the sudden cut, others decided to ignore it and go along with it.

On the other hand, Vincent thought about it, it made no sense to him for J to cut the scene and show another one.

Vincent: “If there was a cut then something important was going to be shown. What are you hiding from us, warden?”

Beatrice: “Subaru, what happened after?”

Subaru: “Oh, well, I got trapped inside the shadows and then I woke up in Vollachia next to Rem and Spica.”

Beatrice: “Spica?”

Subaru: “Oh, true, you don’t know who that is. As soon as we have time I’ll introduce her to you, I promise!”

With a thumbs up, Subaru promised Beatrice to explain whom that name belongs to, the Great Spirit of Yin nodded to his words, still a bit concerned about her contractor’s safety.

Beatrice: “So he did end up in Vollachia, I suppose.”

Next to Subaru, Petra looked at the both of them.

Beatrice didn’t know who Spica was and didn’t know what good things she had done, therefore it was going to be just like when she first saw the former Sin Archbishop.

“Subaru”: “Waitwaitwait, former Sin Archbishop?! What the hell is my future self doing?!”

Petra: “I guess he was trying to reform her after she lost her memories.”

“Subaru”: “That doesn’t even explain anything… But Return by Death does…”

Petra: “Then she must have done something worthy for him to try and do what he has done.”

Both of them were sure. Spica had done something in a failed loop for Subaru to change his mind about her.

She looked for those people in the room where a large hole had appeared, someone moving, or someone in black, along with the adorable blue one; however, they were nowhere to be found…

???: "…Ram!"

Ram’s shoulder was grabbed from behind as she’d tried to take a step forward, bringing her back to her senses. She realised that she’d been about to step through a cracked bit of the floor. If she hadn’t been stopped in her tracks, she might have fallen.

???: "I’m glad you’re safe Ram… And Patrasche-chan, are you okay as well?"

Ram: "Emilia… sama…"

Ram bit her lip. Meanwhile, the one who’d grabbed her by the shoulder was Emilia, who should have been on the upper floors. While panting slightly, Emilia checked to make sure Ram was okay, as well as how the black Earth Dragon, Patrasche, who was crouched down behind them, was getting on.

Finally, while looking at them, Ram regained enough of her composure to take in the state of her surroundings.

The corridor in what should have been a robust stone tower had collapsed, with the floor and ceiling both smashed to pieces. She could see the sky and sand of the sand-sea from across the wall, which now had a hole in it; a parched breeze was blowing in as a result.

However, the place that had gotten damaged the most was the room where Ram, Patrasche and co. had been staying in until just before ― That’s to say, the room they’d so dubbed the “Green Room”.

Ram: "…"

Shaula was freezed, she didn’t know what to do. The tower her Master had ordered her to guard had been destroyed.

It had been mostly one room but to her that meant all the room.

Shaula: “I’m definitely going to get scolded by Master!”

Cecilus: “Wooooah! It’s so destroyed!”

Tanza: “Please stop Cecilus-sama, you are bothering everyone.”

The blue-haired kid had screamed loudly and thanks to that both him and Tanza had gained everyone’s stares.

Emilia: “Watching this is reeeeeally weird. It happened not so long ago.”

Ram: “To some it happened some time ago Emilia-sama, that’s why we are watching it. But yes, it does feel weird.”

The room had been chock-full of grass and ivy, covering the walls, floor, and even going up all the way to the ceiling. Nevertheless, the room was now unrecognizable from its original state, with its natural erosion of many, many years torn up root and branch.

That included its beds, which were woven from grass and ivy, as well as the faint light the Spirit’s presence gave off; all of it.

That, and their biggest problem was…

Emilia: "Ram… Where did Subaru and Rem go? They’re safe, right?"

Standing by Ram’s side, Emilia peered into the area where the Green Room had previously stood. Ram wasn’t able to answer her question straight away, even though she knew that her painful silence itself served as an answer.

And the screen, once again, cut to black.

Otto: “I guess we won’t get to see it for now.”

“Indeed my dear Otto, not now. The screen will show one last thing, after that a door will appear at the back of the room. I’ll explain more later, enjoy.”

And, once again, since the start of the day, the screen turned on, not letting anyone speak or say anything.

Gustav: "――――"

Kenichi: “Woah, it really is a fantasy world! That guy has four arms and is blue!”

He couldn’t help but wonder how many things Subaru had told him about fantasy mangas were actually real in the world they were watching.

Looking down, Gustav narrowed his eyes at the boy who had lost consciousness while sprawled out on the gladiatorial arena below.

That it was an incredible battle, with an unexpected outcome, that he could say.

He would have never thought that the boy possessed such talents.

Subaru: “Oh, this…”

Beatrice: “Something wrong Subaru?”

Subaru: “Ah, no don’t worry Beako.”

???: "Weeell~, that was amazing, wasn’t it, Gustav-san. Picking Basu was bang on the money. It’s great that you kept him instead of throwing him away! Isn’t this a glorious achievement for me?!"

Gustav: "…Segmunt."

As Gustav was lost in his thoughts, Cecilus came over and relaxedly spoke towards him.

Cecilus: “This is so weird, this happened to me some minutes before I ended up here. Looking at it from an outside perspective makes it even cooler!”

While the kid was beaming with excitement, others analyzed something else.

Julius: “Seems like Subaru had to fight something.”

Anastasia: “It seems so, but what?”

The only members present from the Anastasia camp were wondering what fight were the two on the screen talking about.

So did many others, so did the fear of Subaru having participating in it. The chances were high.

At the boy’s words, whose hands were crossed behind his head, Gustav rubbed his forehead and brow with his two right arms,

Gustav: "There was some truth in your proclamation. Is this what you had been anticipating?"

Cecilus: "I had my expectations, you know? I thought it’d be nice if this happened, and it did. It’s exactly the feeling where what you believe in is what saves you!"

Gustav: "…Such a frail possibility, and you would stake your own life on that."

Cecilus: "――? Yes, I did, so what?"

Tilting his head, Cecilus made a puzzled face.

Felt: “That kid’s crazy.”

Subaru: “Damn, he doesn’t know about Return by Death, but he was 100% sure I wasn’t going to fail. Call it observers or call it a hunch, he sure was confident.”

It was an attitude as though he was wondering if he had spoken something strange.

If the two people who he had pulled up―― Schwartz and Tanza, could not be put to use, he would take responsibility for their lives, and pay with his own; he acted as if he had never even asserted that.

Subaru: “Just as I thought.”

Cecilus: "Nothing really happened in the end, did it? It was a very generous offer from my perspective. I’m not the kinda person who’d succumb to idleness in a place like this!"

Gustav: "I, in my capacity, am unable to comprehend your logic. And aside from that, what did you do in that final moment?"

Gustav questioned Cecilus, who had puffed up his thin chest in pride while smiling.

In that final moment, in the midst of the Sparka that he had even staked his life on, only once, and only for a short amount of time, had Cecilus disappeared.

Given what happened after that, one could roughly imagine that――,

Gustav: "Did you go to wake the girl?"

Cecilus: "Oh dear, if you know the answer you don’t have to ask me. In the first place, since there are five people per Unit, if that girl didn’t wake up, they’d have to do it while lacking in people, it was Gustav-san who said that, you know. That means she could join in anytime after she woke up, right?"

Some in the room wondered who Tanza and Schwartz were, but they seemed to be the ones who had fought.

Ram, looking right at Subaru, knew who Schwartz was. It was the name Subaru had used once.

That time he was dressed and looked like a woman. Natsumi Schwartz, that was the full name he had used to hide his real identity once.

Could this mean that he was once again hiding his real identity?

Ram: “Disgusting. Once again Barusu proves to be utterly disgusting. But, he does seem to be in a dangerous place. I guess Ram, from the kindness in her heart, will refrain from saying something about it.”

As always, Ram would never say those words towards the one who called her Nee-sama. Even if she didn’t say it Ram knew her little brother understood her.

They would always bicker, but that was part of the charm of their relationship and, even if she wouldn’t admit it, she liked it that way.

Not only Ram understood the name ‘Schwartz’, most of the Emilia camp also knew, some because of Vollachia, others because of other events.

Emilia: “Schwartz and Tanza, I wonder who they are.”

Emilia did not understand.

Subaru: “Somehow, I feel like people are judging.”

Subaru felt a shiver around all his body, why was a mystery to him.

“Subaru”: “For a moment I thought I was crossdressing in another country, but it seems it was me as a kid. Great.”

Petra: “Well, you did look cute.”

With one eye closed, Cecilus looked up at Gustav, their heights not level, and gave an “Or”,

Cecilus: "Do you want to withdraw that now? Saying that this Sparka is found to be unjust."

Gustav: "――. It is not unjust. His Excellency the Emperor shall be pleased with the birth of a magnificent gladiator as well."

Cecilus: "Hahaa, it’s just my opinion, but it sounds like His Excellency the Emperor isn’t a decent person!"

Gustav: "Insults toward His Excellency the Emperor will not be tolerated. There shall be no second time."

So Gustav commanded in a stern voice, as Cecilus shrugged his shoulders and backed down somewhat. Exhaling through his nose in that state, Gustav looked again at the gladiatorial arena.

Schwartz, the most meritorious, and three men were being carried out by the guards under Gustav’s command. In the healing room, they would receive treatment from a healer.

The young girl, seemingly aloof, also accompanied them for now.

Gustav: "Did everyone in the Unit survive, due to just one person?"

Vincent: “All thanks to Natsuki Subaru as a kid… How?”

To Vincent, ‘How?’ wasn’t a simple question, he needed to know how it had been done. Sparka wasn’t a simple fight, no, it was a fight of life and death. Normally, one or two from the group of five would die, it was always like that. If a group was lucky then no one would die, but it wasn’t the norm.

Similar to the Emperor, those who knew the name Schwartz also wondered, how? For now, they decided to ignore it.

Tanza: “Tell me Cecilus-sama, how great was Schwartz-sama?”

Cecilus: “Can’t say! We’ll probably see it, what I can say is that he was better than I thought.”

Cecilus placed his finger on his lips and closed one eye while smiling.

Tanza could only pout to the kid’s answer.

It was a conclusion that could not have been reached without everyone’s help, but it went without saying who had shown the greatest strength.

By not overlooking the weapons and mechanisms the gladiatorial arena had been prepared with, keeping an eye on his comrades in the same circumstances, and even observing the enemy’s movements whenever possible; they had crossed a fine thread.

As someone who had seen that final resolution――,

Cecilus: "You see? Don’t you just get the feeling that a grand tale’s going to begin?"

Like that, Cecilus proudly asked for approval; while keeping his face stern, feeling that answering in any way would be annoying, Gustav silently crossed his four thick arms.

And the screen turned off.

“Alright, before I open the door, let me explain some things, ok?”

At the words of their warden, almost everyone agreed.

“I'm glad everyone is cooperating. Ok, outside this room there is a hall, it's a really long one, but don't worry, you won't get lost. In the hall, you'll find many doors, there are doors with symbols and doors with names. You all have your own room, apart from certain people who share theirs, and there is where you'll rest or stay during breaks, you don't have to stay there during the breaks, it's just an option. Each room of yours has a bed, closet with your clothes and a desk with a chair. In your room you also have your own bathroom. Everyone's understanding everything I've said so far?”

Everyone in the room nodded. Some were a bit creeped out when J mentioned their clothes.

Ram: “Pervert.”

“I heard that. Anyways, the bathroom has a toilet, a shower and a sink, it also has some towels you can use. Now, those doors with symbols, there are many of them. There's one with a fork, that's the kitchen where you will also eat, it's really big and it has all you need for cooking. You'll find many types of foods there, so don't worry about the food, there's plenty. Now, there is a room with a wind and water symbol, where you'll wash and dry your clothes if needed. Those are all the important rooms, but there are two more, before any of you ask anything, which I can tell some of you want to ask, please let me finish.”

Those who wanted to ask decided to go along with their warden.

Subaru: “I guess I'll wait.”

“Ok, one other door has a couch symbol, that's the living room, where you can go to in the middle of the sessions to discuss things with each other, play board games, sleep or do whatever the room allows you all to do, this one is really big. And the final room, this one is a gift from me as I decided that sometimes it might be used, it's a thermal waters inn! Obviously the baths are separated by a two meters thick concrete wall, no sound will get to the other side. The baths are big and cozy so please enjoy them. There's also many towels inside. Oh, one last thing I almost forgot, if at any moment you need anything please ask, I'll listen to it and try to give you what you need. In some cases it won't be me who answers, it might be my friend who you can call S. Now, any questions?”

As J's speech finished many looked at each other. The place was more like a hotel than what they thought it was, a prison.

Reinhard: “I've got a question, why are we here?”

Many wanted to know the answer to that question.

Why them? Why this specific group of people?

“Well, the reason for you all being here is, as I said before, to watch the secrets of your world! There are so many things that happen and no one notices them because they are not there to see or because they simply can't. Some of these secrets happen right in front of you and you don't even notice them, some do, but the vast majority don't.”

That last comment hit hard three people, Roswaal, Petra and Subaru, who knew what J meant by saying that line.

Subaru: “This guy is going to actually reveal Return by Death… I don't want anyone to see the failed loops, but I can't do anything! This is too frustrating!”

Subaru felt scared, angry and desperate. It was bad enough that Petra knew, even if he felt happy someone knew about his deepest secret.

He didn't want to allow it, but what could he do against him? Nothing.

“And there's another reason.”

J's voice suddenly became serious, it felt angry.

Some of the people inside the room frote at the sudden change, their warden had always sounded so cheerful, but not now. This was serious.

“I'm here to show the acts of cruelty that have been erased, to show what happens when the world doesn't get help, to show how much things can change depending on one's action. That is the purpose of the sessions.”

Everyone was silent, no one dared to speak or move, not even the slightest sound.

J sounded angry, but also sad, almost like pity.

All directed to Subaru, but the others didn't know, only J and Subaru.

“Now, the door has appeared and you can now leave. The next session will start tomorrow morning at 10:30am, so please wake up early or, if you wake up early, try waking up those still sleeping. All of you are free to go, but not the Natsukis, you can stay here and have your reunion.”

And then many people inside the room looked around and found a couple next to the Sword Saint and a black-haired boy next to three little girls staring at each other.

Tears were visible on their eyes, that was everyone’s cue to walk out of the room, even people like Medium and Shaula understood.

Subaru: “Petra…”

Petra: “I―I know, it’s just that―!”

Subaru: “I know, it happened to me once, later ok?”

Petra could only nod at his answer.

Petra Leyte had read a Book of the Dead, Natsuki Subaru’s Book of the Dead. Subaru knew what that kind of book could do to someone’s mind, so he understood Petra’s sad face.

He once read Meili’s Book of the Dead and his mind had been quite corrupted by her memories, so when he looked at Petra he knew his book had messed up her head as well.

Petra decided to leave, Meili following her behind her but she got stopped by Subaru, his hand on her shoulder.

Petra just kept walking, this wasn’t her moment to stay.

Meili, surprised, turned around to see a warm, yet scary, smile on his face, a face that had tears rolling down his cheeks.

Subaru: “Meili, remember the question I asked you when we were fighting against Shaula?”

If there was a moment to ask her for an answer then there definitely was a better time to ask, but he decided to do that now.

Meili thought for a moment, then some more time passed, then a “Huh?!” escaped her mouth and her cheeks turned bright red.

Beatrice, who was holding one of Subaru’s hands, heard his question.

She remembered the moment he uttered the question towards the former assassin.

Beatrice had been shocked at his question, but at that moment there were bigger problems to think about so she had forgotten about it, now it had come back to her and she was also in shock.

Meili: “O―Onii-san, that?! I―I… Yo―You were being seriou~s…?”

Subaru: “I was. I did say you deserved a happy ending, didn’t I?”

The little girl was baffled. How could she not be? One of the people she had tried to kill and had imprisoned her was asking her to be his daughter.

It was outrageous, how could someone like that exist? How could he forgive her? Why would he want to adopt her? Why―

Meili: “―Why does it make me so happy…?”

She could not understand, she just couldn’t understand… But she felt happy.

Happy because his words weren’t just words, they were more than that. His words always held more value than everyone else’s words. Even if he broke promises she knew his words were better than that..

Tears began to fill her eyes, she looked at the boy’s eyes, at his scary-looking eyes.

His eyes, also filled with tears, were looking at her, warmly.

She had never seen someone look at her like that. Elsa was the one who had once looked at her in a similar way.

But never like him. Not the half-elf, who was so kind and forgiving, not Petra, who always played with her every time she could, not Elsa, who Meili cared for as a big sister.

He―, no, Subaru Natsuki looked at Meili Portroute with such care and warmth, a look only given to a select group of people in the world, a group Meili Portroute didn’t think she deserved or was allowed to be in. But, Natsuki Subaru was proving her wrong.

An answer, that was all he needed, but how could she answer when tears were now falling and she had her face buried in Subaru’s chest, both hands hugging him tightly.

Subaru: “I guess I’ll take that as a yes.”

Said the now parent of Meili Portroute, placing his hand on his daughter’s head and with a smile on his face.

Beatrice: “Sigh, I hope you do know what you are doing, in fact. But… I guess Betty’s contractor can manage having a daughter, I suppose.”

Beatrice knew this would create some conflict inside their camp, but she also knew this was something important for her contractor.

She herself felt happy and a little envious.

And just like that, a new Natsuki had been added to the family.

―

While Subaru and Meili were talking, Kenichi and Naoko were walking towards Subaru.

They were in a middle row while Subaru was in the last row and in a corner of the room, they were far away.

And now, they were meters away from each other, ten meters to be exact.

Parents and child, looking at each other. It had been so long since they saw each other’s faces.

It felt like a dream, oh how the three of them wanted this to be real and it felt real, it had to be real.

Subaru: “Mom…, dad…”

Kenichi and Naoko: “Subaru…”

One year and six months since they last saw each other. Subaru had seen them in the Sanctuary Trials, but they weren’t real, they were his memories.

But having them in front of him, the real them, was different.

Both groups were standing face to face, far away but they could hear each other’s breath.

On one side, Kenichi and Naoko. Beatrice could tell they were her contractors parents, no doubt about it.

The man had the same hair Subaru had and the woman had those scary-looking eyes she loved so much about Subaru.

Beatrice: “So she’s the one who gave you those warm eyes, I suppose.”

On the other side, Subaru and two little girls. Both parents wondered who they were and why they seemed so attached to their son.

One of them had blonde hair, drill-shaped twin tails, a cute dress and was holding Subaru’s left hand.

The other girl had dark-blue hair, who, up until a moment ago, had been crying on their son’s chest but now was behind him.

She looked at them with a worried expression.

The moment Subaru took a step forward, both of the little girls let go of him.

One step, another step, and another, and another, and just like that he was running towards the two people he thought he would never see again.

They both saw this and smiled, tears falling once again, both with the biggest smile they could have, Subaru also smiled.

And then, then they hugged, crumbled down to the floor and hugged even more, the three of them crying.

Not out of sadness, not in that way, never. They were crying out of happiness for once again the Natsuki family was whole.

―

Meili: “Ho~w long has it been since they started crying~?”

Beatrice: “Ten minutes, in fact. Even if they missed each other so much, this is absurd!”

Both Meili and Beatrice had been looking at the family trio for a long time, so Beatrice decided to step in.

Beatrice: “Ok, that’s enough for now, I suppose!”

At the sound of the angry child, both the parents and the child looked at her and broke the hug they had been in.

Naoko: “Sorry, we were just so happy to see our Subaru again.”

Kenichi: “True, he has grown so much since we last saw him!”

Subaru: “Dad, mom…, I know it’s been a really long time but it’s not like I’m ten years older.”

Kenichi: “Still, we both missed you a lot.”

Subaru: “I did too.”

Even after Beatrice made them stand up and made them stop hugging, they still ignored them.

They kept looking at each other, their eyes a bit redden. It annoyed Beatrice even further, so she pinched her contractor.

Subaru let out a yelp, startling his parents for a moment and making Meili giggle a bit, who was a bit far away from the group as she was watching them interact.

Subaru: “I guess you want me to introduce you to them.”

Beatrice: “Of course!”

Naoko: “What a cute child, what’s your name dear?”

Subaru: “Oh, mom, you’ve got it wrong. Beako isn’t a cute little child, she’s a cute little great spirit!”

While correcting his mother, Subaru held up Beatrice and spun her around for just a moment, after that he put her down.

Kenichi: “Great spirit?”

Subaru: “Mhm! Spirits are beings that manifest through mana and can use magic. Beako here is the Great Spirit of Yin! Oh and she’s 400 years old.”

Both parents looked confused and baffled at their son’s answer.

Kenichi: “Subaru, does that mean you were…”

Subaru: “Yes. I got summoned to another world.”

They already knew the answer after looking at the peculiar appearance of everyone in the room and screen, but it was still hard to believe something like that happened to their son.

Subaru: “But I’ve been ok, so don’t worry.”

Those words managed to calm down Kenichi and Naoko, then they looked at Beatrice.

Beatrice started to get nervous at the stares they were giving her, she didn’t know how to react in front of her contractor’s parents.

Naoko: “Beatrice-chan, I hope Subaru hasn’t been too much to handle, he’s a good boy but he can be too energetic sometimes.”

Kenichi: “Yeah, he’s also really stupid sometimes so if he’s behaving like that give him a good scolding!”

At his parent’s observations, Subaru could only get frustrated and Beatrice smiled at their words.

Subaru: “ANYWAYS, spirits can form contracts with humans and Beako is my one and only contracted spirit!”

Beatrice: “He doesn’t need any other spirit, in fact.”

Subaru: “I know, I love you Beako!”

Beatrice: “Hmph!”

They could only laugh at Beatrice’s cute reaction, it was obvious she was happy by those words.

Naoko: “And who is the other girl? Also a spirit?”

Naoko looked at Meili, who was keeping her distance and looked shyly at her and her husband.

Subaru turned his head around and looked at her, smiled and signaled her to get closer and she did.

Subaru: “Mom, dad, this is Meili. She’s not a spirit, she’s just a human. And…”

Subaru scratched his cheek, trying to not show how nervous he was. Meili also felt nervous.

How would they look at her? Would they accept her if they told them she had tried to kill him more than once? Would they look at her like everyone else or like Subaru did?

She didn’t know.

Subaru: “...and she’s my adoptive daughter.”

And the silence fell.

A moment later Kenichi screamed and Naoko froze.

Subaru and Meili were a bit embarrassed, but proud.

Beatrice: “I knew this was going to happen, I suppose.”

―

After some minutes of explaining and leaving dangerous details in the dark, Subaru’s parents calmed down.

Kenichi: “Wow…, that’s a lot to take in…”

Naoko: “Mhm, I didn’t expect our Subaru to become a father so soon.”

Kenichi: “Yeah. Wait, that makes us grandparents!”

Subaru: “Oh no.”

“Alright. Time’s up Natsukis. I know I said you could have your happy reunion and little surprise but this has gone for too long. Remember Subaru, you have to introduce your parents to everyone. And something happened that I forgot to tell everyone else, the kitchen and bathrooms are all from Japanese so no one can read it, Ram can only read some letters, so please go help them. Thank you and sorry for interrupting.”

Subaru: “Saved by the bell! Thanks J!”

Unlike Meili, who was unaware of what was about to happen, Subaru was grateful to their warden.

Kenichi: “Aww man, I guess this J guy is right. We have to meet all of Subaru’s friends and help them! Let's go dear.”

Naoko: “How sad, but if they don’t understand anything then we have to help.”

Beatrice: “I don’t know why but the way she talked made me shiver, in fact.”

Meili: “Same~”

Subaru: “Yeah, you don’t know how much J saved you Meili. Anyways, let's go help the others!”

And just like that the theater was left alone for the rest of the night.

―

At the kitchen, where everyone was gathered, people looked around at the weird utensils.

Many were amazed by the weird objects and letters around the room.

Emilia: “Does anyone understand those weird symbols?”

Wilhelm: “Sorry Emilia-sama, it seems like we all are as lost as you.”

No one inside the room noticed how a little girl looked around with an amazed and nostalgic gaze.

Petra: “Wow, it’s so weird.”

“Subaru”: “What do you mean?”

Petra: “I mean that it’s weird how, even if I know what all of these machines are and I can barely understand Japanese, it all looks to me as it looks to others.”

“Subaru”: “Hmm, I guess I understand what you mean. That must be my memories’ doing, I mean, even if you fully understood another language you would need to adapt to it.”

Petra: “I guess you are right.”

So the little girl decided to keep looking around, waiting for Subaru to arrive.

Near her, a purple-haired knight was talking with a woman who was sulking.

Julius: “So that’s what was happening before you arrived here.”

Shaula: “Yes.”

Shaula was mad, she wanted to be near her master, but something inside her was telling her not to go and look for him.

Julius: “Interesting, if not all of us are from the same point in time then there are people who know things that have not happened, like those little girls.”

Julius, even if he was not as greedy as his Lady, was greedy.

Knowing something before it happened was a great advantage no matter who you were. Not only that, but knowing something that had happened at the same time but you weren’t there to see what had happened was as interesting.

Julius: “Miss Shaula, could you please tell me in detail how was it that the mabeasts were behaving?”

Shaula didn’t answer, she just sat down on the floor, her face buried in her knees.

Julius: “Is this because of Subaru?”

Shaula: “...”

Julius: “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

Shaula just nodded to the knight’s words and Julius just let out a tired sigh.

Next to the fridge, Tanza and Spica talked about things.

Tanza: “I don’t understand any of the metias in this place.”

Spica: “Uu…”

Just like Tanza, Spica was confused at how many of the metias worked.

The one metia they could barely understand was the fridge.

Tanza: “This one is cold inside and has many types of foods and some drinks. I guess its purpose is to preserve the food for a longer time. Now that I think about it, Schwartz-sama once told us about something like that. How did he call it… ugh, I can’t remember.”

Spica: “Auua!”

Tanza: “I guess we’ll just wait until Schwartz-sama arrives. Maybe he can help with this.”

Next to the doors of the room, Rem and Ram were looking at the weird symbols.

Ram: “Wait…, these symbols.”

Rem: “Nee-sama, do you understand them?”

Ram: “I do recognise some of it, but sadly I do not understand anything.”

While the Natsukis had their reunion, the Oni sisters had theirs, mostly on Ram’s part as she had yet to meet her little sister.

Rem explained that, for her, they had already met and had the same reunion.

Rem: “But how do you know them? Not even people like Able-san understand them.”

Ram: “Tch. Believe it or not, Barusu’s the one who taught some to me, but only once. Who would’ve known Barusu’s strange symbols could’ve been important.”

She wouldn’t admit it but they all needed Subaru’s help, which annoyed her.

At that moment the door opened and Subaru, along with Meili, Beatrice, and two people who looked similar to Subaru.

Subaru: “Aaaaalright, we are here to help. It seems like our warden forgot to mention that everything here is something only me and my parents understand.”

Everyone looked at them and were confused and shocked at the boy’s words.

Emilia: “Subaru’s parents?!”

Ram: “I guess the good for nothing Barusu is going to be useful for once.”

Subaru: “I heard you Nee-sama! I’m plenty useful alright, ok? Anyways, it’s good everyone’s here because I want all of you to meet my parents!”

Subaru struck a pose showing his parents, Ram sneezed.

―

Subaru: “Wow, that was way different from what I expected.”

Beatrice: “Of course it was, I suppose. You can’t just blurt out something like that, in fact.”

Meili: “You are really~ careless Onii-san. But I don’t really know how I would’ve done i~t.”

After Subaru’s sudden reveal most of the people inside the room went to greet Subaru’s parents.

While everyone surrounded them, Subaru, Meili and Beatrice talked.

Subaru’s idea hadn’t been the best one, that much could be seen by his parents current predicament.

Ram: “I guess this really was Barusu’s idea. Truly a fool.”

Subaru: “I heard you Nee-sama! I know it was a stupid idea, ok? It just seemed better in my head.”

Ram: “Ram doesn’t care.”

Subaru: “Too direct!”

Once again, they were bickering. That sibling-like relationship they had was something everyone knew about. It was something an outsider would consider as extremely harsh, but in reality none of those insults Ram sent towards Subaru had any type of malice.

Ram: “Anyways, I hate to say this, but it seems we need your help Barusu.”

Subaru: “Oh?”

Ram: “No one can read or use anything in here, but I remember you trying to teach me those weird symbols, so kindly read them.”

Subaru looked at Ram, then at the letters and then back at Ram.

Subaru: “That’s Japanese Nee-sama, the language from my hometown.”

Meili: “Japanise? I’ve never heard of tha~t. Now that I think about it, you’ve never told us where you are from Onii-sa~n.”

Ram: “That is true Barusu, kindly tell us once and for all.”

Beatrice: “You both are just unlucky, I suppose. I know where Betty’s Subaru is from and even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe it, in fact.”

Puffing out her chest and a smirk on her face, Beatrice uttered those words.

Meili looked at her in disbelief, not even Emilia, who Subaru loved so much, knew about Subaru’s origins. That intrigued her.

On the other hand, Ram was also intrigued, but she wouldn’t dare to show it.

Subaru: “Do you really want to know?”

Ram: “Yes Barusu, stop fooling around and tell us.”

Meili didn't ask, she just kept looking at him, curiosity in her eyes.

Subaru: “Well I’m fr―!”

Just as Subaru was going to tell them a bubble covered his mouth.

One second later it disappeared. All four of them were shocked.

Subaru: “What was that?!”

Beatrice: “It seems our warden doesn’t want you to tell them.”

Ram: “As always, Barusu is worthless.”

Subaru: “Harsh! I guess my Beako is right and if we are going to watch what I think we are going to watch then he just doesn’t want spoilers.”

Meili: “And that means~?”

Subaru: “I can’t say anything that J considers important for the sessions.”

And like that they learnt something their warden hadn’t explained. A new rule.

Subaru looked around, everyone trying to talk with his parents or introducing themselves to them.

Then he looked at Ram, who was next to him.

Ram: “Pervert.”

Subaru: “HUH?! What do you mean?!”

Ram: “You were looking at me with those lecherous eyes in a way I didn’t like.”

Subaru: “I would never do something like that! Anyways, I was going to ask why you weren’t with Rem or meeting my parents.”

It was strange for Ram to be there with them, he was sure she would be either with Rem or Roswaal.

Ram stayed silent at Subaru’s question, it made him feel weird.

Subaru: “Ok, no answer. I don’t know why but ok.”

Ram: “―――”

Subaru: “Huh? Did you say anything Nee-sama?”

Ram: “No.”

Ram had met her little sister, who finally was awake, and they had a small talk. Rem tried to talk about what happened after she woke up but was stopped by a bubble just like Subaru.

What Rem could tell her was that Subaru had always been trying to help her, even if he was reckless and had a horrible smell.

For that Ram was grateful.

She was, even if a bit disgusted, happy to hear that Subaru, whom she cared for like a little brother, had stayed by Rem’s side, even if she didn’t remember him, and had taken care of her.

But she wouldn’t say anything to his face.

So she just whispered a ‘Thank you’ that no one would be able to hear.

Meili: “Onii-sa~n, when do you plan to, uhm…, tell everyone the other news~?”

Subaru: “Other news? Hmm―――! Right!”

Before they entered the kitchen, Subaru decided to let everyone meet their first, then, after calming down and helping everyone with the machines, he would only tell his camp about Meili’s adoption.

Ram: “What other news, Barusu?”

Subaru: “Sorry Nee-sama, but you’ll just have to wait until everyone understands how to use the metias from my hometown.”

Looking back at his parents, who were surrounded by an excited Shaula, a shy Emilia, a happy Wilhelm, a curious Julius and many more people.

He felt happy. Happy to see his parents once more, happy because they were talking with his friends and happy because he would have the chance of explaining all the metias no one understood.

But he was also scared, scared for his camp’s opinion about Meili’s adoption, scared of the next sessions, scared for everyone’s reactions if Return by Death is revealed.

Scared of the repercussions of everyone’s actions.

But he had to be strong, not only for himself, but for everyone else’s sake.

And even better, there was someone who could help him, Petra. She read Subaru’s Book of the Dead so she knew about Return by Death and Subaru’s way of thinking.

Subaru: “That could be useful, but I don’t know if the bubble thingy will appear if she tries to talk about the failed loop… UGH!”

Then he felt pain in his head. It had been Ram, who slapped Subaru to get him out of his thoughts.

Ram: ”You weren’t listening to us Barusu, so we decided to punish you.”

Subaru: “You could’ve done it a bit gentler Nee-sama!”

Beatrice: “She couldn’t, in fact. You’ve been ignoring us for 30 minutes!”

Subaru: “THAT MUCH?!”

He looked around, there were less people now. Only his parents, Shaula and his camp remained.

Subaru: “Wow, I was so lost in my thoughts that so much time passed! Is that the actual power I was given?”

While joking in his mind he looked at everyone left in the room. Then looked at his parents.

Subaru: “Sooooo, did you explain to everyone how to use and what was everything in here?”

Kenichi: “We sure did! While you were there, probably thinking about some dumb stuff, we told everyone about everything they needed to know..”

Naoko: “Oh and we talked with all of your friends and we were told many things although there were moments where a bubble appeared in someone's mouth and wouldn’t let them speak.”

Emilia: “Mhm, when I tried telling them something about Priestella a bubble wouldn’t let me speak.”

They couldn’t tell anything about their experiences that could be potential spoilers, that much was discovered by everyone.

But Emilia could talk about Priestella, just the name of the city. That meant it only stopped people from telling something truly relevant.

Petra: “And now everyone’s gone, some were going to find their rooms and others were going to find an exit.”

Subaru: “I see… Is there a clock to see what time it is?”

Petra: “I haven’t seen one.”

Subaru: “Then how are we supposed to get up so early without an alarm?”

Kenichi: “There might be an alarm inside every bedroom. I’ll go check, wait here.”

If their warden had given them an exact time to be at the theater then there had to be a way to wake up before that, therefore, an alarm or something similar had to be inside every bedroom.

Emilia: “Sorry, but what’s an alarm?”

Otto: “And a clock?”

The people from Lugunica, apart from Petra, were confused at the Natsuki’s words.

Naoko: “Oh, you don’t have them?”

Subaru: “Nope. I guess the closest thing to clocks are Seer Crystals, Felt told me once. But clocks have numbers that tell the time of the day. And alarms are also clocks but you can set them to a specific time so when that time comes it makes a loud and annoying noise to wake you up.”

Roswaal: “Inteeeeeeresting~”

Roswaal looked at Subaru, a curious glint in his eyes and Subaru looked at him, a look that said ‘Shut up’ so the clown simply smiled back.

Otto: “Those metias sound really convenient and useful. Petra, Subaru told you about them, right?”

Petra froze up for a moment, so did Subaru, but she was quick to answer.

Petra: “Mhm, he told me recently.”

“Subaru”: “Good quick thinking Petra!”

Petra: “Thanks.”

At Petra’s answer Otto simply nodded and Subaru smiled at Petra.

Then, to the side of the Emilia camp, Shaula let out an exasperated sigh.

Shaula: “Maaaasteeeeer, the Ankle-Bitter Number Two has been mean to me and won’t let me get closer to youuuuuuuu. Tell her to let meeeeeee!!”

Everyone looked at the tired Shaula, who protested to her Master. Naoko looked at Subaru with a concerned look.

Naoko: “Subaru…”

Subaru: “WAIT, NO! IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK! For some reason Shaula calls me her Master but I don’t know why, she said it was becau―!”

And once again a bubble appeared.

Betty: “Seems like you can’t talk about that as well, I suppose.”

Naoko: “Hmm, I guess you aren’t that kind of person. But still, if she is your friend then you should help her.”

Subaru: “Sigh, I guess you are right. You can sit with us Shaula, but don’t try getting too close to me, I’ll get mad.”

Shaula: “Noted!”

And as quick as a bullet she got close to the group and sat down next to Meili.

Petra: “Now that I think about it, this little guy has been on my head for a long time but hasn’t tried to pinch us or shoot at us at any moment, if Meili doesn’t have her Divine Protection then―.”

Meili: “I do have it.”

Meili cut off Petra and everyone turned to look at Meili, Naoko looked confused.

Naoko: “I don’t quite understand what a Divine Protection is, but it seems like something important.”

Beatrice: “Divine Protections are given by Od Lagna to a low number of people at birth or after birth. You need to be very lucky to be granted one and they can be powerful or just useful.”

Subaru: “And Meili’s Divine Protection is really powerful because she can control mabeasts. Ah, right, mabeasts are creatures that have a horn you need to destroy if you want to tame them or so you can kill it easily. They were created by――!”

A bubble appeared once again in Subaru’s mouth, which surprised almost everyone in the group.

Emilia: “That’s reeeeally weird. Why is it a spoiler that The Witch created the mabeasts?”

And when Emilia was able to say it everyone was even more surprised, then they looked at Subaru.

Otto: “Natsuki-san, why weren’t you able to say it?”

They all were thinking the same question, but only someone apart from Subaru knew the truth.

Petra: “Yeah, why can’t you say it was――!”

And like Subaru, Petra’s mouth got covered by a bubble.

Everyone looked at her just like they had looked at Subaru.

Petra: “I guess it’s a spoiler if you are from a certain point in time.”

Petra said as she tilted her head, the little red scorpion almost falling from Petra’s head.

“Subaru”: “Really well done Petra! Using my memories to trick them into thinking it’s something from the future. I guess you were lucky to read that specific Book of the Dead.”

Petra: “Yeah, well, Meili is also from the same point in time, so she might be a problem.”

Everyone looked at her and most of them agreed with her explanation, but Roswaal sensed she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but the bubble wouldn’t let her or Subaru say anything.

Then the door opened and Kenichi appeared.

Kenichi: “I’m back! And just like I thought, there are alarms in every room. I already explained to everyone how it worked.”

The man gave everyone a thumbs up with a big smile while striking a pose.

Naoko giggled at her husband’s antics and Subaru just looked away embarrassed.

But everyone else looked at him with surprise and then they all laughed.

Garfiel: “That’s Captain’s dad for ya!”

Otto: “True, he really is Natsuki-san’s father.”

Ram: “Both of them are fools.”

Shaula: “Master’s father is so cool!”

Subaru: “Alright! Enough! We all need to rest for tomorrow’s session, ok?!”

Subaru, angry and embarrassed, stood up and walked out of the room after telling everyone to go and sleep, everyone simply laughed.

―

Subaru stood in front of a door. An orange and black with pink butterflies door.

The door had a little sign that said ‘Subaru and Beatrice’.

Subaru: “I guess this is our bedroom Beako. It has our names and our colours, looks cute!”

Beatrice: “I’ll have to agree with you, I suppose.”

Subaru: “It’s also really convenient that we are close to Emilia and the others, also close to my parents and Shaula. But I don’t know why her room is right in front of me, I feel in danger.”

Beatrice: “Subaru’s right, having Shaula’s room in front of us is a problem. We don’t know if she might sneak in the middle of the night, I suppose.”

Subaru: “Dad did say you could lock them from the inside, but I don’t know if they are strong enough to stop Shaula.”

Both of them worried about what Shaula could try doing while everyone slept.

They both tried to stay calm, the others were near them and could stop Shaula if she tried doing anything to Subaru.

Beatrice: “In order to protect you I’ll stay awake all night, in fact. No one will harm Betty’s contractor.”

Subaru: “Please don’t push yourself so much Beako. But I do admire your determination to protect me, I love you!”

Subaru hugged Beatrice from behind and lifted her up, she could only blush and pout at his actions, but it was obvious she was happy at his actions.

With Beatrice in his hands, Subaru entered the room.

It was a big bedroom. It had a bed big enough for the both of them to sleep without feeling cramped, a closet where their warden said clothes could be found, a small nightstand with a black alarm on top of it and a wooden desk with a little chair beside it.

On top of the desk were a notebook, a pen, a pencil, an eraser and a paper with something written on it.

Subaru: “Oh, lets see… ‘Here you go, so you can write your opinions on the session. P.S.: Subaru, sorry in advance, but you’ll have to be strong for the others.’ Wow, really cool thing to say.”

Beatrice: “What does that last phrase mean?”

Subaru: “Something that might happen tomorrow while watching the session, but I really hope it’s not what I think it is.”

Beatrice knew it was something that scared Subaru, but she decided to ignore it for the moment, there were more things that caught her attention, that being the room and its things.

Subaru turned around and looked at the door, there was a lock, his wellbeing was a bit more secure.

Beatrice: “I guess this room is built in a way only Subaru recognises, right?”

Subaru: “Yup, you are correct. Huh? Oh, look Beako, the bathroom! It’s just like those back home!”

The bathroom was a modern one, with the toilet, the sink, the shower and a bathtub.

Subaru: “If you want I can explain what they are and how to use them to you Beako!”

Beatrice: “I suppose that would be useful, in fact.”

So they entered the bathroom, Subaru explained how everything worked.

From the toilet to the bathtub, telling Beatrice about how the shower works and pointing out the little stool that their warden had put in there for her, making her mad.

Then, after a while, they entered once again the bedroom and opened the closet.

It was filled with Subaru’s iconic tracksuit and his recent outfit. There was nothing for Beatrice, which angered Subaru but she reminded him she could change hers and that calmed him down.

Before closing the closet, Subaru noticed there was a kit for sewing, so he took it out and placed it on the desk.

Beatrice: “Seems like our warden decided to give you that, I suppose.”

Subaru: “Yeah, it’s a nice gift, maybe I can make my parents a doll or something. What do you think, Beako?”

Beatrice: “It might make them happy, you haven’t seen them for more than a year, in fact.”

Subaru: “I guess you are right. I mean, you are always right Beako! I love you so much!”

Beatrice: “Ah! B―Betty loves you too…”

Beatrice looked flustered but answered his contractor with a small smile and looked away.

Subaru: “More importantly, Beatrice, we need to talk about what’s going to happen in this next session.”

His tone switched to a serious one, one that Beatrice only heard when something was really important.

Beatrice: “Do you have an idea of what’s going to happen?”

Subaru: “Something like that. I’m still not 100% sure, but from what we’ve been shown I’ve theorized what we are going to see and I don’t like it a bit. So, Beatrice, please promise me three things.”

He raised his hand and then one finger.

Subaru: “First of all, don’t harm anyone or yourself after watching this session or the next ones. You can blame people or feel guilty, even if it’s not your fault but don’t try harming someone or yourself, ok?”

Beatrice’s eyes widened, it was a strange request from her contractor but it also scared her what he was implying.

But before she could say anything else he raised another finger and continued.

Subaru: “Second of all, after tomorrow’s session, if what I think we’ll see is actually shown, I’ll ask you, my parents and another person to meet in my room for a talk. Who that other person is doesn’t matter now.”

Beatrice, now confused and scared, kept silent.

Once again, Subaru raised a third and last finger.

Subaru: “No matter how many sessions happen, never ask how many. I know it doesn’t make sense now, but it might make sense in the near future. So please Beatrice, promise me, promise me all those selfish things.”

He said her name, not Beako, not Great Spirit of Yin, he said her name.

Beako was a nickname given to her by Subaru the first time they met and after the last year it had grown to be an important word between the two of them. The nickname Beako represents their bond, their contract, Subaru’s eccentric attitude, his love for her and their first meeting.

Her title, Great Spirit of Yin, is one she’s never heard from her contractor’s mouth, not that she remembered. But it means status and it means power. It’s as formal as one can think.

Beatrice, her name, a name given to her by her mother 400 years ago, The Witch of Greed Echidna. It meant different things if said by different people, and between her and Subaru it also meant many things, but, if one had to be chosen it would mean trust.

In his eyes many things could be seen: fear, worry, confusion, shock, anger, hope and joy.

It was small, really small, but he felt joy for some reason. But there was so much hope.

Not only could she see it in his eyes, she could also sense it through their contract.

He was looking at her, a determined look on his face.

How could she say no to his resolve, it would be disgraceful.

She would put her trust on her Subaru.

Beatrice: “You are a really selfish contractor, but you are my contractor, I suppose. I promise you Subaru."

Subaru: “Thanks Beako.”

He hugged her, hugged her tightly, it was a hug that did not want to end, a hug filled with fear, fear from him, but also a comforting hug.

Beatrice couldn’t understand what was going to happen that made her contractor feel so much fear. Even if he didn’t show it or tried to hide it as much as possible, she knew his true feelings.

And she gave him a warm smile, a smile full of love and trust, a smile between contracted spirit and contractor, a smile between Natsuki Subaru and Beatrice.

―

In another room, not too far from where a boy and her spirit were hugging, a couple was talking.

Kenichi: “Wow, I’m so tired. Today was a… peculiar day.”

Naoko: “Mhm, it sure was. So many people, some were weird but not bad.”

Kenichi: “Yeah…”

They had met so many people, talked to so many people and then explained many things to many people.

And, the most important thing of the day, they found Subaru.

Both of them sat on the bed side by side, hugging each other.

Tears now falling from their eyes.

Finally, after more than a year of despair, they found their kid.

Kenichi: “We found him Naoko, we finally found him. Our son, our idiot, worrying us that much. And he seems fine, what am I saying, he looks better than ever! He has friends, amazing friends that care for him a lot and so does he for them!”

Naoko: “And he has adopted that little girl, Meili. But I know he can take care of her, I can see it in his eyes, he’s determined to take care of her. He has changed so much, it makes me sad we weren’t able to see him change…, but, I think it’s a great surprise.”

Kenichi: “Yeah, he has changed a lot. I know there are things he can’t tell us yet… and I’m worried they are horrible things.”

Naoko: “His eyes, right? I noticed it too.”

Kenichi: “Yes. When I looked at him I saw so much pain and sadness, but also happiness and hope. I just hope it’s nothing to worry about.”

Naoko: “Mhm.”

A smile, a smile was what the both of them gave each other.

If a stranger could see their smile they would only see that, a smile.

But that smile carried more than someone could imagine.

Sorrow, bliss, warmth, pain, relief, anger. That’s what their smiles and tears carried.

The feelings of a father and a mother.

―

The lights turned off in the halls of what everyone thought of as a prison, a luxurious prison.

Everyone was in their rooms, alone or with someone. It was a strange day, a day filled with mysteries that kept growing.

The more perspectives ones knew something was coming, something bad.

There were others who decided to go along with all of it because there wasn’t another option, but still didn’t know what they were going to see.

And there were those who knew, only three.

Roswaal L. Mathers, Petra Leyte and Natsuki Subaru. The three of them knew that what they were about to see was something that would change everything.

Inside this trio, only the last two and mostly the last one knew how much everything was going to change.

His deaths, his killers, his fears, his shame, his pain. His secrets.

And he wasn’t prepared for it, but he had to look like it or everything would be for nothing.

But, there was someone who could help to a certain extent, Petra.

She knew about Return by Death, she probably knew about some of his deaths thanks to the memories of the 『Natsuki Subaru』 who died within Satella’s shadows and thanks to Petra’s handkerchief.

It was going to be a long night.

―

Morning arrived and the lights turned on, many were starting to wake up and some were already ready for the session.

8:16 a.m. could be seen in all of the alarms. Some people were still sleeping, like Shaula.

Vincent waited inside the theater, already seated.

Within the halls of their prison one could hear knocks, footsteps, yawns and voices.

Some like Frederica, Kenichi and Naoko were in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for those who hadn’t eaten yet.

The couple helped Frederica, who was starting to understand how the microwave worked and many other things.

Reinhard: “Good morning to everyone. I see you’ve been making breakfast, allow me to help with it.”

The door opened and Reinhard entered, already dressed in his casual attire and offering help.

The three who were cooking smiled at him.

Kenichi: “Of course you can! I’ll teach you how to use some of these things.”

Naoko: “And just like with Frederica-san I’ll teach you some dishes I know.”

Reinhard was surprised, the couple looked at him and talked to him just like Subaru when they first met.

Reinhard: “They really are his parents.”

He gave them a nod and started walking towards them.

Meanwhile, in one of the many tables inside the kitchen, many people were eating the breakfast prepared by the chefs.

People walked through the halls, used the laundry room and entered the thermal waters inn.

A bit more time passed, 40 minutes left.

Almost everyone was eating breakfast now, Cecilus runned around the room with a toast with jam in his mouth as he shouted how good it was, it made some people laugh.

Subaru explained to the people at his table what was the name of their breakfast.

Subaru: “This is a dish from my hometown called miso soup! And it’s extra-delicious because my mom made it!”

Kenichi: “That’s my wife!”

Naoko: “Thanks Subaru, I'm really happy seeing you and your friends enjoying it.”

She could not be happier, once again, after almost two years, they were a family eating all together.

Tanza: “It really is delicious Naoko-sama, I hope you can teach it to me when you can.”

Naoko: “It’ll be my pleasure Tanza-chan.”

Petra: “Hmmm~! It’s so gooooood~!!”

“Subaru”: “No fair! I want to try mom’s food but I can’t, ugh!!”

Subaru: “You are so right Petra!”

Everyone continued eating, after a bit everyone stood up and went towards the theater, leaving two people behind.

Otto: “This is so weird, it doesn’t even use magic…”

Subaru: “Surprised much? I knew you would be to be honest. Dishwashers can’t be found anywhere, so you wouldn’t be able to see one even if you wanted, not even I could find or build one.”

Otto: “Natsuki-san… where are you even from?”

Subaru: “I think we’ll see that today. But I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

Otto: “You know what we’ll see?”

Subaru: “No, but I have something in mind and I don’t like it one bit Otto.”

Otto: “Yeah, I can feel it from your tone of voice and your face. It looks troubled, just like in the Sanctuary but a bit less troubled, you know?”

Subaru: “Wow, really? Then I’m keeping it all inside really well, because I feel horrible. I would say I feel the worst I’ve ever felt. Anyways, see you later!”

Before Otto could say anything about Subaru’s last sentence, the black-haired boy ran away, leaving the merchant alone.

Otto: “Sigh… I hope nothing bad happens…”

―

On the big screen a countdown was going down, just one minute left until the session started.

Everyone was on their respective seats, they were easy to identify because of the colours and patterns they had.

Sadly, Naoko and Kenichi had to sit down between Reinhard and the rest of the row, which were empty seats.

So they said goodbye to their son and recently adopted granddaughter.

Naoko: “Meili-chan, please take care of our Subaru while we are away, make sure he behaves, ok?”

Meili: “Gee~z, ok, ok. I’ll keep an eye on hi~m.”

Kenichi: “Thanks.”

Subaru: “I really don’t know how to feel about this little conversation you three are having.”

They laughed a bit and went to their seats.

10

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2

1

0

And the screen turned off and a voice sounded inside the room.

“Well good morning! I hope you had an amazing night and slept well, I sure did. Anyways, I don’t want to make you wait any longer, so here we go. And remember, don’t break the rules! Enjoy…”

Subaru: “Here we go. Please, PLEASE don’t let it be about Return by Death.”

Those words were left inside his mind, never to be said.

And the screen turned on.