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Naoko gazed thoughtfully at the store shelf, stacked with cups of noodles.
“Oh, a new flavor.” She muttered to herself, tossing another stomach-wrecker into her basket.
She often bought instant noodles, even though she wasn't a fan of the food itself.
After all, it was easiest just to pour boiling water on it and wait a few minutes. Subaru used to do it all the time…
Naoko froze, lonely figure, and wiped her eyes.
Since Subaru disappeared, not even a single day had gone by when she hadn't thought of him.
Where was he? What was happening to him? Was there anyone with him? And if there was, who were they? Were they kind?
Naoko desperately wanted to know the answers. But no one would give them to her.
She shifted her clouded gaze to the shopping basket.
Maybe… today she should try to cook something? Just like before.
…No. Before was gone.
Without her son, the house had become cold and empty, no matter how much Kenichi tried to warm it. And that emptiness seemed to drain her of all her strength.
So no. Today, like yesterday, like so many days before, she wouldn't have the energy to cook.
And even if she did, nothing worthwhile would come of it anyway. She’d always made small mistakes before, but now? Now she failed every damn time.
She sighed, catching a glimpse of the burn scar peeking out from under her sleeve, a souvenir from the day she last failed, before giving up on cooking altogether. Kenichi almost cried when he bandaged her that day.
“Thank you for your purchase, Natsuki-san.” The cashier girl said kindly, handing her the bag, which contained nothing healthy except for a bottle of water.
As the woman left the store, the young cashier sighed. She'd taken the part-time job at this little shop, unaware that Natsuki Naoko was a frequent customer. But for over a month now, she'd seen the woman with the frightening eyes almost daily, their haunted look intensified by the dark circles that lay beneath.
“Well, it's not surprising…” Aki muttered to herself.
As it happened, she'd gone to the same school as Natsuki Subaru. They weren't classmates, and she didn't know his face, but Aki had heard the stories: about how he'd cross-dressed as a girl, how he'd stopped coming to school, and then how he... disappeared. Just walked out one evening to a convenience store like this one, and never came back. No body, no leads... as if he'd never existed.
Everyone, well, except for his parents, initially suspected suicide. After all, the guy was a hikikomori, and they often had mental issues…
But no teenager could’ve been that meticulous—not so thorough that even sniffer dogs couldn’t find a trace of his body!
So then came the theories of abduction or the blunt, dismissive: “Kid just ran away from home.”
Late in the evening he vanished, a cashier at a convenience store—one much like the one Aki now worked in—had seen him. After that? Nothing. No witnesses, no security footage. The boy had dissolved into thin air, leaving not a single clue behind.
And so, he was declared a missing person.
His parents, robbed of their only child, never recovered, and they likely never would. His father now worked from home, unwilling to leave his wife alone in their hollow house. His mother had become little more than a ghost. Blink, and she might vanish too.
Remembering the rumors—confirmed now by what she’d seen with her own eyes—Aki silently slipped a few coins from her pocket into the register. Natsuki-san had accidentally underpaid today, but the cashier hadn’t mentioned it.
...Meanwhile, somewhere not so far away, the fabric of reality cracked.
People, resembling fish thrown from the water and now thrashing in vain, fell onto the cold asphalt.
However, one shouldn't condemn them for such a miserable look.
After all, these people had just been swallowed, chewed up, and—deemed useless—spat out by a darkness that raised primal fear with its very presence.
It had severed their senses, forcing them to feel the very borders of their bodies and minds dissolve, threatening to erase them entirely.
And when the horror finally ended, when the darkness released them, when their lungs remembered how to breathe… They were left with a new agony: the wrenching pain of absence.
They’d been torn from the embrace of something that had always been invisibly, indifferently there. Not loving, not cruel—just there. The embrace they’d been born into, the one they were meant to live and die within.
They left Od Lagna's domain.
And now, they stood where they were never meant to be.
Meili threw up.
However, at the moment, she wasn't conscious that she was Meili Portroute. Her sense of self was currently suppressed by animal instincts, hissing in terror and blaring the necessity of getting away.
On all fours, she crawled away from the pile of people until she slammed into a wall, into which she pressed her entire body, trembling.
Meili wasn't sure how much time passed before she came to her senses. Her consciousness simply woke up at some point. Not surrounded by darkness and fear, she was able to breathe.
Perhaps the pain from the wound on her neck left by the little scorpion helped her wake up.
Either way, she could now exhale and relax her tense muscles. She shook her head.
Something has changed.
...For some reason, Meili was now confident that everything would be okay.
And… She couldn't just sit back like this right now.
Yes, something terrible had just happened; yes, she was in an unknown place; yes, the mana in her body felt heavy, as if its very existence was a mistake; yes, she felt weak.
But she couldn't stop. She must help others.
Remembering everything that had happened in the Tower, she resolutely stood up and opened her eyes.
She stared intently at the scene before her. Without her beasts, Meili was the weakest one in their group, yet for some reason, she was the only one still standing, surrounded by moans and feverish whispers of forgotten names.
A surprised gasp echoed through the alley.
But it hadn’t come from Meili.
It belonged to a person who had suddenly stumbled upon a group of people lying on the ground.
That person’s eyes… Meili knew them far too well. Yet for some reason, they didn’t belong to the one they should have.
Naoko froze when she saw a young woman lying on the ground before her, eyes tightly shut, clutching a little girl in pink. Beside her were a guy and two more women, their faces twisted in pain.
Naoko frantically patted her pockets, horrified to realize she had left her phone at home.
She couldn’t call an ambulance!
And of course, there was no one else around.
Then her gaze fell on the little girl—the only one in this whole mess who was still conscious, staring straight at Naoko.
The girl’s hair was dyed, just like the others’. She must be with those people.
Naoko tried to speak softly.
“Do you know what happened to them? Please tell me if you do. We need to help them-”
“Ahhh…”
The girl clearly didn’t have the answers to any of those questions.
Before dashing out of the alley to look for passersby with a phone who could help, Naoko turned her attention to the pointy-eared girl beside her. She seemed to be regaining consciousness.
Naoko immediately reached into her bag for the water—the only thing she could do to help at the moment.
Meanwhile, the girl slowly opened her eyes. They were amethyst… Too realistic for contact lenses.
“Subaru…?” The girl murmured, her gaze unfocused as she looked at Naoko.
Naoko froze, the water bottle slipping from her hand.
Emilia’s vision cleared, and she saw a woman kneeling before her. She looked strikingly like Subaru, but there was no time to dwell on that—something was rushing toward them from behind the woman.
Her mana felt strangely heavy. She wouldn’t be able to cast spells properly.
Emilia acted fast.
Beatrice was already in her arms, ever since the darkness had attacked. Quickly grabbing the woman as well, Emilia reached out a leg toward Ram. The moment the maid leaped onto it, Emilia sent her flying—then jumped herself.
Julius landed on the rooftop beside her, carrying Anastasia and Meili.
At that very moment, the sound of a collision echoed from below. A second later, the furious cursing of a very much alive and unharmed driver followed.
Emilia released the woman from her grip and scanned the area. Two were missing. Four, if you counted the ground dragons.
“Subaru and Rem…” She searched for them in vain.
“They’re alive, Lady Emilia. But far away. Probably still in the Tower. I can sense Rem, Barusu must be with her.”
A brief nod from Beatrice, who had stirred for just a moment, eased her fears.
And then created new ones, because immediately after, the Great Spirit lost her consciousness again.
“...This place isn’t kind ta spirits, but good ta know Natsuki and Rem are safe.” Anastasia murmured, stroking the sleeping fox curled around her neck.
Anastasia's mind was anything but calm, but in an emergency, she didn't have the right to panic. Exchanging a glance with Julius—her knight, whom she'd known since she first became a royal candidate—she managed to steady herself.
That glance was enough to understand: Julius remembered too.
The first priority was ensuring everyone was alright, but now that that’s settled…
“Now then…” Anastasia turned to Naoko, who was still struggling to process everything. “Would ya mind tellin’ us where we are? I understand ya’re in shock, and I apologize, but we seem to be… lost.”
Naoko stared at the woman with unnaturally colored hair, speaking in Kansai dialect. This same woman had expressed relief that someone with her surname was safe. And before that, the girl with pointed ears had mentioned…
“...Natsuki Subaru is my son. And you know him.”
Naoko pierced the woman with a heavy gaze. At this moment, she was more serious than ever before. Her lips were drawn into a thin line, and her hands—clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white—trembled uncontrollably.
“We haven't seen him in over a year. So first, we talk about him.” Her voice left no room for argument, though she didn’t seem to notice the tears clouding her vision.
She didn't notice several pairs of wide eyes.
Then, a soft, warm hand enveloped her trembling one.
When she looked up, she was met with kind amethyst eyes—yet for some reason, her tears only came harder.
“Subaru is fine! He’s not here right now, but you should know… he’s a reeeally good boy! He has so many friends who love and cherish him!” Emilia smiled warmly. “And… he’s my knight.”
Naoko stared for a long moment at the girl who'd accomplished something no human could. She had jumped onto the roof. She had pointed ears, and she called Subaru her knight.
And suddenly, it became clear why no one had been able to find her son all this time.
Naoko’s legs gave out. If not for the silver-haired girl’s support, she would have collapsed right then.
First came a choked sob. Then another. And another—until Natsuki Naoko was weeping openly into Emilia’s shoulder, pouring out everything she had held inside: the pain, the sorrow, the fear, the despair, the exhaustion… and at last, relief and happiness.
They had searched for so long. Endured so many nightmares. Drowned in horrible assumptions. Naoko couldn’t even remember the last time she hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat, staggering to the sink to splash icy water on her face and wash away the tears.
How many times had she spun around at the slightest creak in the house, calling her son’s name—only to be met with silence?
How many nights had she waited by the door, but no one came? How many extra portions had she set aside for Subaru, certain he must be starving when he gets back? How many times had she dusted his room, leaving everything untouched, convinced he would walk back in any day?
But no one ever came.
She had cried herself sick imagining him kidnapped, murdered, carved apart for organs, or equally horrifying, that he had run away, just like the police suggested. That he had left because they were terrible parents who failed him.
Her days had been filled with endless grief… but now, at last, it was over.
Because Subaru was alive. He was happy. He hadn’t abandoned them. He hadn’t suffered. Everything was okay.
That’s what this silver-haired girl said. And Naoko believed her.
Someone with eyes that kind wouldn’t lie.
They mustn't.
Naoko clung to the otherworldly girl’s white robes, crumpling and staining them with tears and snot, utterly unable to stop. All the while, a warm hand rubbed gentle circles into her back.
Emilia wasn’t sure how much time had passed before Subaru’s mother finally quieted.
“...Japan." The word came as a whisper near her ear.
“Ah?”
The woman pulled back, wiping away the last of her tears with her sleeve.
“Japan. Earth. Solar System. Orion Arm. Milky Way Galaxy! That's where you are right now!” Her eyes were red, her nose stuffy, and her voice hoarse from crying—but Naoko spoke with absolute certainty.
It was the answer to Anastasia Hoshin's question.
“If none of those names sound familiar... then you really are lost.” She said with a crooked smile.
“Thank ya for answering’…”
“Naoko.”
“Thank ya, Ms. Naoko. Well then... I suppose proper introductions are in order. I'm Anastasia Hoshin, and this is my knight.”
“Julius Juukulius. A pleasure.” He executed a flawless bow.
“I'm Emilia. Just Emilia! I'm sooo happy to meet you! This is Beatrice—Subaru's spirit partner! They're super close and almost always together. And this is Ram and Meili.”
Ram gave a curt nod while Meili waved lazily.
Anastasia clapped her hands, drawing all eyes to her.
“Now that we're acquainted... Am I correct in assumin’ none of us are still under Gluttony's influence?”
A quick glance at the faces around her confirmed it.
Anastasia was right.
Now no one had any blank spots in their memory now. However, for the sake of this, they had to endure the feeling as if their souls were being chewed.
Which explained why Meili—the only one with no stolen memories in the first place—had recovered first.
“Are yer Divine Protections still there?” Anastasia asked, her gaze shifting between Julius and Meili.
The girl shook her head, stroking the shell of the tiny scorpion now sleeping in her pocket.
“I feel... diminished. And my maidens aren't responding, Lady Anastasia.” Julius clearly disliked the sensation.
“Same with Echidna.”
The white fox coiled around Anastasia's neck remained motionless and silent. Even when they'd been lying on the ground earlier, Anastasia had felt Echidna wrapping protectively around her—likely the last act before falling dormant.
Beatrice had fared slightly better, hovering at the edge of consciousness longer than other spirits before succumbing.
These facts—combined with the utterly foreign environment, the unnaturally stagnant yet harmless mana in their bodies, and the complete absence of mana in the air —led to one simple yet staggering conclusion.
“We're beyond the Great Waterfall. In Natsuki Subaru's homeland.”
Everyone seemed to understand the situation already, but hearing it spoken aloud made it final.
They had left their world behind.
“...Despite the circumstances, Ram feels an unnatural sense of calm. Do the rest of you share this feeling?”
Ram had been standing motionless with arms crossed until now, choosing this moment to speak and draw attention to yet another peculiarity.
“Miss Ram is correct. I... for some reason, I'm certain we will return soon. Tomorrow or the day after, we will undoubtedly find ourselves back in the Kingdom.” Julius said with a puzzled look.
“Yeeeah, no need to woryyyy.” Meili chimed in, having accepted this conviction back in the alleyway.
“Yeah... It's super weird, but I'm not anxious either.” Emilia admitted, furrowing her brows in concentration.
“Me too.” Anastasia confirmed. “...All we can do now is trust this feelin’ and hope Od Lagna returns us to our rightful place.”
“...And for now, you have nowhere to stay. So you'll live with us. Our house is nearby.” Naoko said. “...But first, we need to get down somehow.”
“Yeeeah.” Meili drew from the roof's edge.
She'd already seen the city from such a height. When she and Elsa were hiding on the roof of the time tower. And just like then, she was looking at the road where traffic was scurrying. Then, it was carriages pulled by dragons, and now some kind of shiny self-propelled metias.
Emilia promptly pulled her back.
“Meili, standing so close to the edge is dangerous. Don't do that again.” She scolded, puffing her cheeks.
“This time I wasn't going to fall or jump, you knooow. But okay, I'll be more careful next timeee.”
As Naoko led their colorful group through the streets minutes later, the alien nature of Subaru's companions became increasingly apparent. They examined everything with more enthusiasm than any tourist, constantly asking questions about both basic and not-so-basic matters, especially Anastasia-San and Julius-san.
Naoko had questions of her own (mostly about Subaru) but decided to save them until they reached the house.
And for now, she led the foreigners through familiar streets, traffic lights, parks, and bridges. They walked alongside a bike path, through a pedestrian underpass, and past billboards. The same path that she often used while lost in thought.
“Ms. Naoko, I've noticed that a different type of script is used on some of the signs. Why is that?”
Julius hadn't asked any questions for the past few minutes, politely giving way to Lady Anastasia and Lady Emilia, but this thing had piqued his interest.
“A different type? Oh, that's English. It's considered a global language now, so some of the signs are duplicated in it. Well, and some things were originally in English.”
“So you have many languages…” Emilia said in surprise.
“And you don't?” Naoko blinked.
In response, she received a negative shake of the head.
“People from all four countries have no problems with understandin’ each other, even when relations are strained. Well, the Kararagi are a bit different, as ya can see.”
“Yeah... It's still strange to realize that you're from another world, and speak in a Kansai dialect, Anastasia-san. Wait, you said four countries? So few… though that explains one language.”
“Few?”
“Well… we have about two hundred nations.”
“How many?!” Anastasia exclaimed, and then thought for a moment. “...So many opportunities for trade, it's simply amazin’.”
Everyone laughed. Of course, Anastasia Hoshin would think of business first. And while they were talking, two girls, who looked younger than Subaru, awkwardly approached Julius.
“Excuse me, can we take a photo with you?”
Julius blinked.
“Young ladies, by photo you mean-”
“Just a selfie! We'll be super quick!”
The girls stood next to the knight and took out… metias? In them he saw the reflection of himself and both kids. Only for some reason, all of them had pink cat ears… After a couple of seconds, the children showered him with thanks and ran off on their own business.
Julius blinked as Naoko chuckled.
“You all look very unusual for this world. People probably think you're cosplaying—dressing as fictional characters. And you're beautiful, Julius-san, so no surprise they wanted a photo.”
Somewhere in the Empire, Subaru suddenly felt the urge to hit something.
“I can understand them.” Anastasia laughed. “He is the best of knights, after all. 'Finest' they call him. And all mine.”
Watching her political rival, Emilia smiled. Anastasia reminded her of herself when she talked about Subaru.
“Aaand we're here!” Naoko announced in front of a tidy house.
Following Kararagi (or rather, Japanese) custom, everyone removed their shoes before entering. The hostess quickly explained the layout before disappearing and returning quickly.
“Meili-chan, let me…”
Meili raised her eyebrows when Subaru's returned mother moved her braid and smeared something on the already non-bleeding wound she got some time ago. She'd already forgotten about it entirely.
“There. Now a bandage to protect it. We'll change it tomorrow.”
Such natural care, asking for nothing in return... So this was Big Bro's mother… He was lucky.
“We can put Beatrice-chan to sleep in Subaru's room.”
Emilia nodded and followed Naoko upstairs, joined by Anastasia gently cradling Echidna and Julius close behind.
Pausing at the door, Naoko glanced between Emilia and the doorknob.
“Ohhh, this explains a lot.” Anastasia teased.
An entire shelf displayed figurines of silver-haired people.
“What do you mean, Ms. Anastasia?”
Emilia tilted her head, gently placing Beatrice on the bed. She squeezed the spirit's hand, quietly muttering that she would take care of everything, so Beatrice could rest.
“Nothin’ important, Ms. Emilia.”
Julius, at this time, was looking at an object that resembled... a pickaxe made of squares. Blue for some reason. Clearly handmade, yet strangely compelling. Apparently it was somesomething from some Minecraft thing.
————
Kenichi went for a run not out of dedication to sports, but because Naoko had asked him to.
Since Subaru's disappearance, he'd abandoned his workouts and lost weight. Working from home, he'd nearly stopped going outside altogether.
After all, there was no one left to set an example for.
Still, that hadn't stopped his wife from kicking him out into the fresh air today.
To an outsider, it might not have been obvious, but lately, Naoko had begun to seem… more lively.
Sometimes she mentioned having a good feeling about the upcoming days.
So, when she threw open the door with a bang and pulled back the curtains, and then resolutely closed his laptop, asking him to breathe some fresh air, Kenichi quickly agreed. It was the least he could do for her.
Running past the temple, Kenichi looked at it for a couple of seconds, then sharply turned away, clenching his teeth
His family had never been much religious, but humans were known to turn their faces to gods in times of grief and desperation, even if they'd never believed in the supernatural before. When you were left alone in the suffocating darkness of grief, fear and despair, faith became for you a fragile thread, to which a drowning one clung with all their might.
But the gods hadn't returned their son to them, no matter how hard they'd prayed.
If this was punishment, what had they done to deserve it? Failed to notice the struggles that had tormented Subaru since childhood? Been unable to help their son when he so clearly needed it? Not pulled the boy out of his shell when they should have?
Kenichi had been planning to talk to his son when he got back from the store that day—but he never made it home. Subaru had vanished.
Earlier. He should have acted earlier!
If only... If only-
Kenichi clenched his hands into fists until his knuckles turned white and increased his speed. He ran, sparing neither his lungs nor his legs, until his vision blurred with unshed tears.
Perhaps that was why he didn't notice the brick shard under his feet.
Stumbling, Kenichi hit the asphalt at full speed, scraping his hands and knees raw. For a while, he just lay there, making no effort to get up. He wanted to scream, to pound his fists against this stupid pavement in this godforsaken city until his bones broke!.. But it wouldn’t change a damn thing.
All he could do was stand up.
The wounds burned, but it was nothing, he deserved it. Without even trying to brush the dust off his clothes or stop the bleeding, he trudged to the nearest pharmacy.
“...Damn it, Naoko’s going to be upset when she sees this.”
As he was patching himself up with bandages, his phone rang.
“Naoko?”
“Kenichi, you need to come home as fast as you can!” The words themselves were alarming, but they were delivered in an oddly cheerful tone. “It’s… hard to explain. You have to see for yourself! We’re waiting!”
And with that, the call ended.
Kenichi stared at his phone. What had happened at home? And who was this “we” at the end?
…Maybe his wife had picked up a stray cat?
He hoped that was really the case and that nothing had happened to Naoko.
When he rushed home, he was greeted by several pairs of shoes at the entrance.
Did they have guests?
He froze somewhere between joy for Naoko—who, it seemed, had recovered enough to be willing to invite people over—and confusion, because her call had been too strange, and she had never been one to welcome guests.
“Kenichi!!!”
Naoko flew at him like a whirlwind, kissing his cheek and squeezing him in a hug. She pulled back and looked at the bandages on him, concerned.
“I fell. Nothing to worry about.” Kenichi waved his hand dismissively. “So, we have guests?” He said with an interested smile.
His wife’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes!!! Subaru’s friends! At first, I thought they were just cosplayers, but then I heard his name and… well, there was a car accident, but-”
“A car accident?!”
His heart skipped a beat when he heard his son’s name, but upon hearing about an accident, he yelped.
“You’re not hurt, are you?!” He frantically checked his wife for injuries.
“Don’t worry! Emilia-san caught me in her arms and jumped onto the roof, so everything’s fine!”
Kenichi blinked.
“That’s when everything clicked! Subaru got sent to another world! Just like in his favorite manga! And now his friends have come here!” She declared, nodding to herself.
Kenichi blinked again.
…Had Naoko lost her mind out of grief? But… but… he thought she had been getting better…
Kenichi pulled his wife into a tight embrace.
“Everything will be alright, dear. Everything will be alright.” He said in a trembling voice.
“Kenichi?”
It didn’t matter. He would take care of Naoko, no matter what.
And at least she seemed happy now.
His dark thoughts were interrupted by a voice like the chime of silver bells.
“You are Subaru’s father, right?”
Kenichi stared at the girl with pointy ears and silver hair. He frowned.
Then Naoko slipped out of his arms.
“Kenichi, this is Emilia-san. Emilia-san, this is Kenichi. He’s my husband.” She introduced them with a bright smile.
But Kenichi didn’t smile. This girl wasn’t a hallucination, as he had first assumed. “Emilia” was very much real. And that meant someone was taking advantage of Naoko’s vulnerability—a mother who had lost her child—for some unknown purpose.
Before Kenichi could kick them out, the girl spoke again.
“Ram was right. You wouldn’t believe us so easily.” She seemed a little sad. “I can barely control my own mana in this place, but…”
The next moment, Kenichi’s jaw dropped.
Above the girl’s palms, floating ice crystals appeared. A moment later, they shattered into a shower of tiny fragments and swirled around the stunned Kenichi. One of them landed on his hand, sending a wave of cold through him. Then, all that magical ice vanished.
Ah, now it all made sense.
He, too, had lost his mind from grief.
Sitting at the same table with people who looked like characters from a fairy tale only confirmed it.
At least he wasn’t alone—Naoko was here with him.
“So… you know my son?”
“He’s my knight!” Emilia said proudly, stretching her lips into a smile. “We met a little over a year ago. He helped me a lot back then.”
“And for that, you granted him a knighthood?” Kenichi surprised himself with how casual his tone sounded.
Emilia shook her head.
“That happened a couple of months later, after our camp overcame some reeealy tough obstacles. Everyone was working hard back then. You know, Subaru is suuuper hardworking. He always gives his all for others, and he’s always supported me. Plus, he’s really brave and-”
“Lady Emilia, I believe you can give the wrong impression of Barusu.”
Ram crossed her arms and frowned, cutting off Emilia’s praise.
“He’s nothing but a stubborn idiot, lacking strength, beauty, intelligence, patience, or common sense.” She declared sharply.
Emilia clearly wanted to say something, but without even glancing at her lady, the maid continued:
“...However, I cannot deny that his selflessness is commendable.” Ram scoffed. “Though even a thousand lifetimes wouldn’t make him worthy of my beautiful sister.” She muttered to herself.
Those unfamiliar with Ram might have found her words insulting, but there was no need for concern. Kenichi chuckled, and a second later, Naoko trembled with silent laughter.
“Pfft—hahaha! Yep, that’s our Subaru!”
Kenichi laughed wholeheartedly.
Whether this was a dream or not no longer mattered to him. Right now, he wanted to hear stories about Subaru finding his happiness—and to believe they were true.
He knew Naoko felt the same.
So they listened.
And learned.
“So spirits on our planet can’t stay awake… And that sleeping girl made a contract with Subaru?”
“It’s a very good thing she left the library.” Naoko said with her hand on her heart.
“And how did you two meet?” Kenichi asked the only guy in the party.
“I suppose it’s fair to say it started as a rivalry.” At least, that’s how it was for Subaru… Julius tactfully decided to omit the details of the duel that took place soon after their first meeting.
“And the two of you are royal candidates? That’s practically like hosting an emperor… Forgive the meager meal.” Kenichi scratched his head awkwardly.
Their pantry hadn’t been well-stocked in a long time.
“Don’t worry about it,” Anastasia replied, clicking her chopsticks over a bowl of noodles. “You’ve given me an excellent business idea.”
And they laughed.
“He made mayonnaise? Good job, son! But filling a bathtub with it is a bit too much…”
“No, a bathtub isn’t enough.” Naoko said firmly, nodding to herself.
“For the ice sculpture contest, your sister made a mix of Subaru and your master?”
“Unfortunately. Barusu’s features ruined it.”
And they worried.
“First those beasts, then the cultists… You’ve been through so much.”
“That’s true… But we overcame every hardship and grew stronger!” Emilia smiled, raising a finger just like Subaru did when introducing himself. “Level up!” She added, tossing in a Subaru-ism.
And they were proud.
“Our Subaru became a hero to an entire city!” Naoko wiped away a tear, smiling.
Beside her, Kenichi struggled to keep his composure, but a second later, he removed his glasses and covered his eyes with his hands.
He trembled, letting the first tears fall.
His boy was alive and happy.
Then the dam broke.
Kenichi wasn’t sure how long he cried while Naoko rubbed his back. But when the tears finally stopped, he felt a sense of peace for the first time in a year and a half.
He sniffled and wiped his damp eyes.
“Oh… it’s already dark.”
Kenichi wanted to thank them—for letting him and Naoko know Subaru’s fate, for standing by his side and helping him, for being the reason Subaru broke free from his shell.
He stood up and bowed deeply.
“Thank you for taking care of our son.”
“…And thank you for raising him to be who he is.” Emilia spoke for everyone.
In the fleeting silence, he acutely realized that words would never be enough. In fact, nothing Kenichi could do would ever be enough. But… he had one little idea. A small thing, really, but what else could he do?
“How about we get some fresh air and look at the stars? Ours must be different from yours, so it’ll be interesting.”
“In the city? You can’t see much here. Or do you mean…” Naoko pressed a finger to her lips, letting her husband finish the thought.
“To go outside the city, yeah. What do you think?”
No one had a reason to refuse, and so, some time later, they found themselves under the starry sky.
“So this is what Subaru was really talking about,” Emilia smiled, gazing at the foreign sky.
It was her first time seeing constellations. They looked exactly like the ones Subaru had drawn for her. But she still couldn’t make out a bear, a scorpion, or anything else. Well, she wasn’t alone in that.
Not that it mattered, because now, she had finally seen the very stars that had given her knight his name. She was sure Subaru would be happy to know that. Emilia burned the image of this constellation into her memory. When they returned, she had to give Subaru something engraved with these stars.
Ah, Beatrice would have loved to see Subaru’s constellation too…
“...By the way, this constellation is also called the Pleiades.” Kenichi’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.
“Pleiades? Then… it seems we never stood a chance of failing the Tower’s trials with someone with its name by our side.” Julius remarked with a smile.
Anastasia stared at the stars—the same ones that had guided and inspired Earth’s inhabitants for millennias. She had been granted the chance to touch something profoundly sacred, an experience almost no one in her world would ever have.
Under these stars, the man whose surname she had proudly taken had been born. And under these same stars, Natsuki Subaru had grown up, the boy who would undoubtedly bring even greater change to the world than he already had.
Flugel, however, was far too indecent a man to occupy her thoughts any longer.
Kenichi cleared his throat.
“...Ahem, sorry, I’ve been putting this off, but… you can return home, right? You’re not stuck here, are you?” Kenichi asked with genuine concern for his new acquaintances.
“Nope, we’ll be going back soooon. I can feel iiit.” Meili said, sipping her juice trough a straw.
Though Earth had not welcomed them warmly at first, none of them worried about how they would leave. After all, Od Lagna does not abandon its children, and they all felt it.
And though they longed to return as soon as possible to those waiting in the Tower, there was nothing they could do but wait.
Fortunately, the wait would not be long.
————
Since their arrival on Earth, a bit of the day and an entire night had passed. Though… One might argue that this very night was not yet over—and they would likely be right.
Julius glanced at the digital clock on the nearby nightstand and frowned slightly, gracefully sweeping his bangs aside.
He had no idea what time it was.
Still, judging by the darkness outside, if a time crystal had been in this room, it would have glowed deep yellow, signaling the middle of the night. That meant it was time to sleep.
Any person—let alone a knight who must remain in perfect condition for serving his lady—should adhere to a healthy routine and rest at night.
And yet, Julius slid off the futon and soundlessly made his way to another room.
Earlier that day, Lady Anastasia had acquired a notebook and pen, diligently recording and sketching things she undoubtedly intended to replicate in their own world upon their return.
Julius carefully retrieved a spare notebook from the shelf where Ms. Naoko had taken the one she’d given his lady. Ms. Naoko had also insisted that if they needed anything, they should simply take it without asking.
Notebook tucked under his arm, he pushed open the kitchen door, already knowing he wouldn’t be alone.
“Ram-san.”
Ram lifted her crimson eyes from a notebook identical to Julius’s, its pages already filled. Beside her sat a cup of writing utensils.
With an elegant motion, the knight plucked a pen—strangely, one with green ink—and sat a short distance from Ram, flipping open his notebook.
A bit of day and a bit of night had passed since he’d remembered his little brother.
He refused to forget again.
Our first meeting was a little awkward… the green ink scrawled in meticulous script.
Julius smiled at the childish memory and kept writing. He had to preserve their shared past—Joshua’s talents and habits, his preferences, his manner of speech and dress, his desires, his regrets, his few subtle flaws… even the words the Archbishop of Gluttony had spoken in Priestella.
Julius Juukulius must remember. It was the least he could do.
Ram watched the knight for a moment before returning to her own notes. The two needed no words to understand each other. Their feelings were the same. They were both the eldest, he was a brother, and she was a sister.
A sister to Rem.
Rem. Her beautiful little sister, who had always stood by Ram’s side. The one who’d kept her from losing herself to her horn and its bloodlust. Rem wasn’t just family. She was Ram’s other half—the most important thing that had ever happened to her.
She filled the notebook with memories where only the two of them existed. Her parents, her clan, the village that had once housed the oni’s former glory—none of it mattered. Only Rem. Her mind feverishly replayed every recollection, her hands transcribed them onto paper, and her eyes ensured no blank spaces remained.
But there was one problem.
The Authority of Gluttony didn’t work in this empty, mana-starved world that was Barusu’s home. Yet they wouldn’t be here forever. With every second, their return drew nearer. And then… the was a chance that she would forget everything she’d shared with her sister all over again.
But so be it!
It was unfair. It was agony. It was cruel. It made her blood boil with fury. But Ram had already endured a year without memories of her beloved Rem. Even if she forgot again, their bond wouldn’t vanish. The twins—two halves of one whole—would find each other, no matter what. After all, that was the natural order of things.
So when she returned home, Ram was prepared to tear out the empty pages if her notes truly faded. It would take but a moment. Then she would go straight to her dear sister’s side. And nothing would keep them apart.
By morning, Emilia found the pair asleep at the table.
So far, almost everyone was still asleep. Which was not surprising, considering how late they returned to the house after stargazing. Subaru's parents were the first to fall asleep. Emilia suspected it was the first peaceful sleep they’d had in the past year. The dark, heavy bags under their eyes were far too pronounced.
Soon, the others had drifted off as well. After all, it was hard to stay awake for long when the mana inside you felt like hardened honey rather than flowing, bubbling water.
“But not Ram and Julius.” She murmured softly.
Looking out the window, from which she could see an unusual landscape, she thought that… It was good that they were all here. Even if they had to endure that terrible darkness and grow weaker in Earth’s atmosphere, she was sure no one regretted what had happened.
They had comforted Subaru’s parents, remembered forgotten people, the pain in Ram’s body had dulled significantly, and Anastasia’s eyes shone brighter than ever.
It was a shame Subaru and Rem weren’t with them (Patrasche and Joseph too…) And so Emilia and the others would definitely tell them eeeverything when they got back.
Emilia’s ear twitched as she heard a key turning in the lock.
She had woken up among the first, but not the very first. And that meant Subaru’s parents had returned. Sure enough, they soon appeared in the kitchen, carrying food in the crinkly plastic bags—just like Subaru's one that Puck loved to play with.
Naoko rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and winked at Emilia with a broad smile.
“Gotta make up for all that fast food yesterday.”
Julius woke to a finger poking his cheek and the familiar scent of Kararagi… no, Japanese food. He bolted upright.
“Whoa there, mister. You’re finally awakeeee.”
“Miss Meili…”
Julius looked around. Everyone was already seated at the table, and across from him, Lady Emilia was gently rousing Miss Ram.
How had he not woken up? He knew this place dulled his senses and weakened him overall, but to this extent… It was unsettling.
“Eat up, Julius, before it gets cold.” Lady Anastasia said, pointing at him with her chopsticks. The knight had no choice but to obey.
“So, you showed up here closer to evening yesterday.” Kenichi began. “And since you’ll disappear by nightfall… how about we show you the city?”
But there was no need to ask. The answer, of course, was yes.
For hours, they wandered the city, talking about different worlds, about Subaru, visiting museums, cafés, parks, arcades, galleries, and even a library—where Julius sighed sadly at books he couldn’t read, while Ram enjoyed the silence.
By day’s end, they returned to the Natsuki household with several pizza boxes and a wealth of unforgettable experiences. For everyone, this day had been a long-awaited break. For the first time in so long, Kenichi and Naoko’s eyes sparkled with life, while the others finally exhaled after conquering the Pleiades Watchtower.
But the break was coming to an end, and they all felt it.
“Soon.” Ram said, and they all settled into a comfortable silence, waiting for something.
Emilia held Beatrice in her arms, Anastasia stroked Echidna’s fur, Ram folded her hands over her chest, Meili swung her legs idly, and Julius touched his bangs…
And then reality cracked.
Space split apart, revealing what could only be called a portal. Despite its appearance, this breach in the natural order was far more precise and deliberate than the one of the Witch's hands.
The dimensional travelers sprang to their feet, staring for a moment at the path home—then turned back. They had to say goodbye.
But there was no need.
Both Natsukis stood with backpacks, secretly prepared that very morning. Their eyes were filled with strong feelings.
“…Ya want ta come with us.” Anastasia stated the obvious. “Ya sure?” She said, winking and holding out her hands.
The decision has long been made, after all.
In a few days, news about the mysterious disappearance of an entire family will spread. Not that the disappeared ones cared. Instead, they had a lot to talk about with each other.