2
Subaru’s consciousness slowly emerged from the abyss of a deep, gentle sleep.
“Ah…”
A faint first gasp slipped from his lips.
It was terribly hoarse and lifeless, but it was unmistakably his own voice. If nothing else, he was sure that he had not been reborn as some voiceless single-celled organism.
That had to count as one step forward. The next step would be making sure he wasn’t a being with some completely different set of values that—
“Subaru? Are you awake?”
“ ”
A sweet, silvery voice rang in his ears.
Clear and gentle, soothing yet steadfast, cheerful and charming.
Just moments ago, he had heard that same voice in the worst possible circumstances.
Hearing it again made his heart leap. His chest ached, and his heart raced as he slowly looked over.
“ ”
Waiting there were violet eyes filled with concern.
“…Emilia…?”
“Yes. Are you all right, Subaru? Can you sit up? Can you talk?”
“Uhhh…”
As he weakly said her name, the girl with purple eyes tilted her head. Her expression relaxed into a small smile, and the long, silver hair flowing down her alabaster shoulders looked like moonbeams. This dazzling display of beauty struck Subaru right in the heart.
—A girl who was completely out of this world had descended before him.
“Ugh…ah…”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, blood raced to his cheeks. His face was bright red, his eyes swam, and words failed him. The pounding in his ears was so loud it almost hurt. At last, he started babbling incoherently.
“Awawawawa…”
“Awawa…?”
When she saw how shaken he was, Emilia furrowed her beautiful brow.
Even that tiny gesture was mind-blowing. It almost felt like the greatest artist of the era was showing him a second masterpiece. And he was observing it up close—so close, he could feel her breath. Despite how much his chest already hurt, his heart rate just seemed to climb higher and higher.
“ ”
What is this? What’s happening?
Is any of this real? Or is it just a crazy, convincing illusion? Like, when you see a mirage in the desert, it’s always an oasis… That’s just seeing what you want most in that moment, right? If that’s the rule, then is this also a mirage? What an extravagant—
“A-are you all right, Subaru? I think there might be something wrong. You did take a tumble.”
“Hyah!”
“See, you just made a weird sound!”
Subaru was a complete mess. The moment Emilia’s hand touched his forehead, he jolted. Her eyes flashed, as she was now completely convinced that something was definitely wrong. The fact that he could feel her hand disproved his whole Emilia-mirage theory, which made him feel like a scholar of geocentrism.
More importantly, she was real. This Emilia really did exist. And if she was real and calling him Subaru, then he was indeed Subaru Natsuki.
And of course—
“—Don’t ignore Betty. Emilia isn’t the only one who was worried.”
When he heard a childish voice complaining petulantly, Subaru turned to find a little girl with her cheeks puffed out adorably.
“Beatrice…”
“What a lifeless voice again…and you look almost like you can’t believe adorable little Betty is here, I suppose.”
Her gaze softened with worry. The words coming out of her mouth were a bit harsh, but her tone was a mixture of concern and relief.
Relief that Subaru had woken up, and concern about the fact that he had passed out in the first place. His heart leaped at that.
And so—
“—Ngaaah?!”
As she fixed him with a cool look, Subaru grabbed her and pulled her into a deep hug.
Light… She was so light.
Beatrice couldn’t do anything to resist the sudden movement, and her eyes betrayed her confusion as his arms enveloped her. Sitting on the green bed woven from vines, Subaru confirmed she was real with his entire being.
“Beatrice! Beatrice! Beatriceeee!”
“Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing?! What happened?! This is too sudden!”
“You…your face soothes the soul! Seeing your cute face is like coming home. Ugh, it’s so good!”
“I hope that that isn’t your poor attempt at a compliment!”
Subaru clearly meant every word. Blushing at everything he said and the sudden hug, Beatrice squeezed his face between her tiny hands. It hurt a little when her fingers adorably pulled at his cheeks and ears, but it also helped confirm that the girl Beatrice was real, too.
“Mrgh! Quit messing around right after you woke up, Subaru! We still don’t even know why you collapsed…” And seeing how he was hugging and playing with Beatrice, Emilia spoke, feeling a little bit left out. Still worried about his condition, she gently started to grab his shoulder but then stopped. “…Subaru?”
Emilia was more worried than upset. But the swirl of emotions in her voice quickly gave way to pure concern. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Subaru’s faintly trembling shoulder.
“…Uh…ngh…”
“Subaru? Subaru, what is it? Betty is here. It’s all right. It’s all right, Subaru. You don’t have to cry.”
As she realized Subaru’s voice had caught in his throat and he was sobbing, the confusion disappeared from Beatrice’s face, and she gently caressed his damp cheek.
He refused to let go of Beatrice’s little hand. Realizing his trembling was an expression of worry and fear, Beatrice immediately comforted him, like she was saying Don’t cry. You’re not alone. It’s okay.
“Please don’t cry, Subaru. There’s no rush. Deep breaths. Slowly. Beatrice and I are here for you.”
Just like Beatrice, Emilia wanted to help Subaru calm down. Her hand that had hesitated before now rested on his shoulder, and anyone could tell by listening to her ringing voice that she respected Subaru Natsuki.
“ ”
The two of them were unchanged. They were exactly the same.
These girls had been unbelievably noble in the face of certain death, in a world that was collapsing. When everything was lost and well beyond the point of no return, they had prioritized Subaru over even themselves. Emilia and Beatrice were unchanged.
He had pinned his hopes on that, confirming that was still true, and this time, he swore he’d do things right. This time, he would regain everything he had lost as Subaru Natsuki.
“I’m back…”
Still sobbing and haggard and in an unbearably pathetic and shameful state…
…Subaru Natsuki began a new loop.
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