INTERLUDE
MEILI PORTROUTE
1
—Meili Portroute.
When Emilia said that, Subaru was dumbstruck. He couldn’t read the title written on the spine of the book she was looking at, but there was no reason for her to try to pointlessly shake him like that.
In which case the book of the dead in front of him really was referring to her.
“ ”
A bead of sweat trickled down his back as he tensed nervously.
Inside his skull, the one and only word his brain could manage was why.
Why was Meili’s book of the dead there? Why had it appeared on the shelf so quickly? Why had her book been so easily found in an ocean of books? Why did this have to happen when he decided to try trusting Emilia, when he wanted to come clean about everything?
Why was fate so merciless to him?
“—Beatrice, did you read this book?”
As a barrage of whys filled Subaru’s thoughts, Emilia spoke up. She was still staring at the book of the dead as she questioned Beatrice.
Hearing that question, a hopeless possibility crossed his mind.
—From what I heard, by reading the book of the dead, it was possible to experience the memories of the person whose name was the title of the book. So with Meili’s book, her last moment should be recorded in it.
There would be unshakeable evidence of who killed her in her memories.
“ ”
Meili had been strangled by Subaru Natsuki.
Subaru didn’t doubt that fact at all, but he was also the only one who could tell the difference between himself and Subaru Natsuki. There was no reason to expect Meili’s memories to distinguish that. And even if he tried to explain it, he’d already hidden too much.
Who would ever believe me after I already lied about my lost memories?
If Beatrice had already read the book…
“—Betty has not confirmed it yet.”
“—Ngh, really?”
“Of course. A book of the dead must be handled carefully. And it’s not even clear that the Meili we know is the one referred to by that book. If it were, then…”
“—! Meili’s inside the tower…not good! We have to find her!”
The color drained from Emilia’s face, and she leapt for the exit. But Beatrice spread her arms, blocking the way.
“Wait just one moment. If this really is her book, then no matter how quickly you go to find her, it’s too late.”
“That’s… So that’s why Ram went to find us and Julius and Echidna.”
“If Meili happened to show up without any problems, then this would just be a cute misunderstanding on Betty’s part.”
Emilia clasped her hands as if in prayer, wishing that the book of the dead they’d found was just some sort of mistaken identity.
—Subaru Natsuki knew that prayer and wish were in vain.
“ ”
Subaru’s thoughts went into overdrive.
How should he handle things given that Meili’s book of the dead had been found? The situation had changed. All thought of coming clean had already disappeared from his mind.
Everything depends on them not letting them read the book. If they do, they’ll accuse me of killing her, and I won’t be able to talk my way out of it.
But he didn’t consider disposing of the book, either. He had a big interest in Meili’s book of the dead, too. Subaru Natsuki would be there at the moment of the murder.
“I got called up in a hurry. What happened?”
“Shaula! You came.”
As he was lost in thought, Shaula appeared lightly at the top of the stairs. Emilia was relieved at her arrival, and Beatrice as well.
“So you were safe.” And then Beatrice looked at Shaula with her blue eyes. “There is something Betty would like to ask. Did you see Meili after eating? You were getting along well with her.”
“That’s kiddo…what, number two? Mmm, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her since breakfast. What happened to number two?”
Shaula lazily waved her hand and cocked her head. Emilia’s brow furrowed.
“Ummm, the truth is, we found a book in the archive with Meili’s name on it. We haven’t read it yet. We wanted to make sure she was safe first.”
“Ah, I see. So number two’s dead then? Well, that’s how it goes, I guess.” With absolutely zero consideration for Emilia, Shaula just bluntly affirmed Meili’s death.
“—!”
“You…”
Emilia’s face tensed and Beatrice glared at Shaula in annoyance, but she ignored their reactions and looked at Subaru.
Honestly, he wasn’t in a position to comment, but Shaula’s attitude was unforgivable. Isn’t that a little too inhuman?
“Shaula, c’mon, that’s too much.”
“Ouw, don’t get mad, Master! And shouldn’t you just read the book already? If you want to find number two, that’s the fastest way.”
“Fastest way…by reading Meili’s book? That’s…”
“If you read the book, you’ll find out why number two died, too!”
Subaru tried to argue, but Shaula interrupted him with a carefree look on her face.
Telling him to read her book, as if that was the best choice, as if it was obvious.
“ ”
“You and that other stud had a test run when you found the archive, didn’t you? Nothing bad happened after that, so not reading it would be a waste!”
Puffing out her chest, Shaula flashed a beaming smile at her brilliant proposal. Gulping, Subaru turned back to the bookshelf, looking at the book as he thought.
It’s hard to believe, but her idea makes sense.
Two members of the party had already read a book of the dead, so if they hadn’t experienced any negative side effects, it was only natural to think of using the book as a way to confirm the reality of the situation.
Of course, it was possible that was what had robbed him of his memories and led to the split between him and Subaru Natsuki, but in that case, it would be odd for there not to be any change in Julius. And the idea that Julius was hiding his own memory loss as well was too much of a leap.
In which case, isn’t this exactly the escape hatch I needed?
“…There is certainly a logic to what Shaula’s saying.”
“…Are you serious? If the book of the dead is the real thing, it would mean seeing that girl’s life. Someone you shared meals with. Who you knew… That would be…”
Going along with Shaula’s proposal, Subaru volunteered to be the first reader. Beatrice was concerned about him volunteering for that, and it wasn’t an unreasonable worry.
He and Meili had journeyed together, talked, slept under the same roof, and eaten at the same table. Compared to other books of the dead, the distance was all too close. Beatrice was worried that experiencing her death would irreparably scar Subaru’s heart.
“I’m grateful for the concern. But someone has to do it.”
Subaru answered her anxiety with a plausible resolve.
Her concern was reasonable, but ironically, it also didn’t matter to Subaru. Having lost his memory, he’d also forgotten most of the time he spent with Meili. At present, he had only spent a few hours’ worth of time with her. He had felt some relief from her presence in that time, but that was the limit of their connection.
She was just a girl that he hardly knew. His heart wasn’t going to be hurt seeing her death.
“If someone has to read it, then it should be me instead of you…”
“Betty objects. If someone has to read it, then Subaru or Julius are the right choices. And judging from Julius’s condition this morning, Subaru is effectively the only choice.”
“Beatrice…”
Emilia tried to stop him with an emotional argument, but Beatrice countered with hard logic.
At the very least, she seemed willing to respect his determination. But Emilia had seen how unstable he was just minutes ago. Beatrice’s logic was not enough to ease her fear.
Subaru put on a fake smile and nodded.
“—I’ll read it. Besides, there’s always the pattern where this is just a misunderstanding and we’re getting all worked up over nothing, right?”
“…If anything happens, I’m going to peel you away from the book. By the hair.” Emilia sounded serious.
“I’d rather you gently shake my shoulder and call my name or something. I don’t want a permanent bald spot from having my hair pulled out.”
Subaru faced the bookshelf with the others watching him.
Meili’s book was there, still giving off the same strange aura.
At first, he hadn’t been able to tell it apart from the other books, but as soon as he heard it was a name he knew, this happened. Human perceptions just can’t be trusted.
And Subaru picked up the book in order to search for the most unreliable person in this world: himself.
“ ”
Behind him, he could hear Emilia and Beatrice gulp. Shaula had her hands clasped behind her head, relaxed as she watched Subaru’s resolve.
Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the cover of the book as thick as a dictionary.
“—Here goes.”
He opened the book—and then blacked out.
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