Arc 8: Vincent Vollachia
Arc 8, Chapter 10 "No One Is Alone"
--Why are they different, when both fainting and sleeping are the same interruption of consciousness?
Subaru is probably one of the most experienced fainting and blackouts in the world, but it is not understood why the two are any different.
What is clear is that if both fainting and sleeping have a restorative effect on the body, it feels like that fainting has only about half of that effect.
It may just be a matter of mood, but that's how it feels.
It must be because, unlike sleep, fainting makes people around you feel too differently.
If you have no connection to anyone and no one to worry about, maybe there is no difference between fainting and sleeping.
It's more likely--,
"--ah"
His eyelids quivered and a weak breath escaped his throat.
With such a gesture, thin and unreliable, Natsuki Subaru slowly awoke from the darkness, drawing his consciousness back to reality.
"----"
Looking up from the shore of reality that has drawn him in, Subaru forgets to catch his breath for a beat.
He wonders how many times he have woken up in an unfamiliar place, trying to figure out where he is.
However, what would normally be a solitary task was not the case this time.
"......You finally woke up, I suppose. Subaru is a sleepyhead, in fact."
"Beatrice......"
A familiar, lovely face blocks Subaru's view of that unknown ceiling.
Gazing at Subaru with lowered eyebrows and pale tinted eyes was Beatrice, the girl who would have the most opportunity to wake up with Subaru.
And as Beatrice's figure comes into view, Subaru notices the feeling of his hand, which seems to be lying on the bed, being held and loosens his lips.
"Did you, by any chance, hold my hand the whole time?"
"Of course, I suppose. Betty is Subaru's partner, in fact. First of all, Subaru goes around too much, I suppose. If you don't want to be chained, holding hands is the most effective way, in fact."
"You're right, you know me better than I know myself......"
Beatrice looks at Subaru with a sullen look on her face and says something like that, but Subaru can't say anything back and laughs.
If there is something that needs to be done, Subaru will find a way to do it, even if he is chained down, but it is always painful to untie the hand that has been tied.
Subaru is pain sensitive, so that's the most effective way to keep him around.
"Uh, so where are we? What are we doing now......"
"Relax, I suppose, Subaru. I know it's tempting to worry about a lot of things...... but first of all, look around you, in fact."
"Around me?"
Beatrice put her finger to her lips and put a big smile on Subaru's face when he asked her what was going on.
Stopped by his frustration and deviant feelings, Subaru blinked his eyes and looked at something other than the ceiling and Beatrice, just as she told him to do.
And then, gasp.
--At the sight of so many people sleeping around the bed in which he is sleeping.
"----"
It is not a large room. The single bunk on which Subaru sleeps occupies half of the room's space. In such a room, more than ten people are crammed together.
It was also an unlikely combination.
"Tanza, and Garfiel? And even Hiain and the others and Louis and Utakata......"
"I doubt that's it, I suppose. Betty won one hand, but the other is......"
When told, Subaru turns around to realize that it is not only his right hand with Beatrice that is being held, but also his left hand. So there she is, lying on the bed with her upper body thrown back on the bed, holding Subaru's hand firmly--,
"--Petra."
There was a little girl there with a big ribbon on her head and even her sleeping face was adorable.
He wonders how many hardships and difficulties she had to overcome to hold this hand. Petra, in her unfamiliar traveling clothes, is dirty here and there, and full of the uncharacteristic care she takes for fashion.
It is also a proof that they arrived here even in such a state.
"But I think the hardest thing Petra had to do was to get a chance to hold Subaru's hand like that, in fact. It was a struggle for everyone, I suppose."
"Oh come on, you mean they all wanted to hold my hand while I slept? How stupid is that, that's just......"
"It's not stupid, in fact."
Beatrice's quiet voice stopped Subaru, who was about to laugh at the joke.
Beatrice lifted her hand, still holding it tightly, and showed it to Subaru, who looked at her with wide-eyed amazement,
"Everyone was really worried about Subaru, I suppose. If holding hands is going to help Subaru, then that's all they want to do, in fact."
"----"
"Subaru should be a little more aware of the magnitude of his presence, I suppose. Betty has been saying this over and over again for a long time now, in fact."
Her tone was quiet and even somewhat dismayed, but Beatrice's words were filled with an immense amount of affection.
When someone says something like that with such eyes and voice, he can't very well disrespect it.
Subaru, too, doesn't think that he doesn't have an impact on everyone around him or that he isn't important--,
"......You're being too overprotective just because I'm shrinking, everyone."
"I don't know. For my part, I'd like Mr. Natsuki to reflect on his own shrinkage first, rather than the overprotection of those around him."
"--!"
Suddenly, Subaru's shoulders jumped at the voice he heard.
The voice jumped in unexpectedly, and it was heard at the entrance to the small room, where a door sliding to the side opened and a face peeked out, a soft-faced, hateful bastard.
"Is that Otto?!"
"Yes, it's me...... please be quiet. Please be considerate of Petra-chan and Garfiel's feelings."
"How are Petra and the others feeling......"
"In this way, they are waiting for Mr. Natsuki to wake up at the very end, aren't they? Of course, it's because the first thing I wanted to do was to have a word with Natsuki when he woke up. But if he knew that I had taken away his right to wake up, how much he would hate me."
"Oh, you bad motherfucker."
"I'm glad to see that Natsuki-san doesn't seem to talk less even though he's shrinking."
He puts his finger to his lips and lowers the tone of his voice, and the young man who appears--Otto looks around the room.
Although he had just shown his face, the room was so crowded that there was no place to stand on. Otto, with a troubled look on his face, managed to find a foothold and walked over to the bed,
"Beatrice, thank you for taking care of Mr. Natsuki."
"It's nothing to get tired about, I suppose. ......Anyway, I can talk to you, in fact?"
"Of course, I should let you all know that Mr. Natsuki is awake......"
Beatrice looks at him with her eyes, and Otto chuckles as he breaks off his sentence. He looks at Subaru on his bunk, pretending to be amused at the end of his sentence,
"Since I was present at Mr. Natsuki's awakening at an inopportune moment, I thought I'd like to make a personal complaint before things get too noisy."
"H-he's got a good personality......"
"Yes, I'm a merchant."
Otto smiles with a sarcastic look on his face as he runs his hand over his own head, which is not wearing a hat.
Subaru takes a deep breath, feeling as cold in that smile as he did when his enemies glared at him or when he displeased Tanza.
Frankly, he doesn't think Subaru was nearly as much at fault for being sent to the Vollachia Empire or for the subsequent troubles, but it is true that he caused a lot of worry.
Whatever grudge they have at them, we will take it in stride.
"Alright, leave it to me. But my mentality has been trained here too. Don't think you can break me with half-baked words."
"What kind of boast is that? Well, I'm not going to give you a long sermon. I'm not the only one who wants to say it, so I'll keep it brief. --Mr. Natsuki."
"Oh"
"--I'm glad you were able to join us safely. Don't let me worry you too much."
"----"
An outstretched hand is snapped onto Subaru's small shoulder.
Subaru choked up when he felt Otto's fingers, which were tougher than his facial features suggested, tremble slightly on his shoulder.
Otto's eyebrows furrowed and his nose wrinkled as he said this, a fraying of emotions that he could not contain as he always kept a bird's eye view of himself.
"Guh......"
All the mental training and determination to take it on was for naught.
Otto's one deadly word mercilessly shatters Natsuki Subaru's defenses and strikes a deadly blow into the bare soul on the other side of it.
Early on, it was foul play.
"This works best for Mr. Natsuki anyway, doesn't it?"
"You... son of a... bitch......"
In front of Subaru, who is trembling all over, Otto tightens his expression, which was almost crumpled just before, and smiles a fearless, spare, and implied smile.
Completely outmaneuvered by him, Subaru could only blush in defeat. --No, there are other ways to get back at Otto. There was a way to get back at Otto for his screw-up, a way that was far from a victory, but at least would not let him run away with the victory.
It is--,
"Ah-! I'm beaten, I'm beaten, I'm defeated, you son of a bitch, Otto!"
"Geh?!"
Subaru, with a red face and a wicked smile on his face, declared his defeat in a loud voice. Otto screamed with a blue face the moment he heard it.
When the exchange between Subaru and Otto echoed through the room, naturally, the sleeping friends--or rather, the sleeping lions, began to wake up one after another upon hearing it.
Then the noise explodes with joy, blame, and, in any case, tragedy and joy.
In the noisy room, Beatrice, who was watching the whole scene while Subaru and Otto held their heads in their hands, raised her hand on her cheek and said,
"Oh dear...... they're all acting too much like children, I suppose."
She watched the scene with a smile on her face, acting like a lone bystander.
△▼△▼△▼△
--The simultaneous evacuation of the people of the Imperial City from the Imperial City of Lupgana.
This was one of the things that took place while Subaru was unconscious, and he woke up in the cabin of a moving dragon car that had been assigned to a dignitary among such a group.
It is a mobile sleeping place that can be used for both evacuation and recuperation. It seems that Subaru was taken out of the imperial capital under such awe-inspiring treatment.
"Bro! I'm glad you're okay! I was really, really worried about what would happen to me when I lost my body strength along the way!"
"I don't care if the bearded bastard dies, but if you're gone, the group is finished...... If you'd rather die, use me or anyone else as a shield......"
"The way Weitz put it is tricky, but I agree with him. Schwarz, it's great to have you back. Both for the group and for me personally."
That was the reaction of the group that had been waiting for Subaru to wake up, three of his companions from the Gladiator Island who were firmly in the group, Hiain, Weitz, and Idola.
Aside from Idola, who was working with him during the offensive, he must have caused considerable worry to Hiain and Weitz, who were working separately.
That's not all he has to apologize to the three of them for.
"I'm sorry. Because I fainted, everyone's enhancements came undone......"
"Don't worry about it...... luckily it happened when we were starting to pull out too......"
"That's right! The only person who almost died when it snapped was this skull guy who was just in the middle of supporting a collapsed pillar. Without the Governor, he would have been crushed to death......"
"I told you not to talk about it......!"
As usual, Hiain's unnecessary comment spoiled Weitz's concern for Subaru. With the two struggling in this way in the background, Idola shrugged his shoulders.
He was supposed to have been unshackled from "Cor Leonis" in the midst of the Imperial City and exposed to danger,
"As Weitz said, don't get worked up, Schwarz. From the moment we decide to follow you, whatever happens beyond that point is our own responsibility."
"But......"
"I know you're the one who's bothered by that. --I'll leave it to the girls, who seem to have known each other longer than we have."
As usual, Idola is good at rationalizing his story.
Thanks to this, Subaru, who could only make an emotional rebuttal, was silenced, and Idola left the room with Hiain and Weitz, who grabbed each other in the back.
And so, the small shadow was about to follow the backs of the three leaving,
"Tanza."
"......I am sorry that I could not help you at such a crucial time. We are so glad that Master Schwarz is back."
Tanza hangs her head and replies in a stern tone of voice.
Considering their parting in the Imperial Capital, it is understandable why Tanza regrets her lack of strength. However, that did not seem to be the only reason for her gloomy face.
"What's wrong? If something's going on......"
"--. No, it's not something I would talk to Master Schwarz about right now. Please take your time to rest and spend time with all of us."
After a moment's hesitation, Tanza also leaves the room without saying more.
He almost reached out to touch that weak back, but Subaru's hands were blocked. Still, Subaru's heart appealed to her, not wanting to leave Tanza alone with a face like that.
He made up his mind firmly that he would definitely have to ask her later why she had that look on her face.
And then--,
"--Subaru."
After seeing off those who had left the room earlier, what was spun out was the sound of silver bells gently tapping his eardrums, bouncing as if they had been waiting for this moment to call out to him.
"----"
For a beat, it takes time to respond to the voice and to turn toward it.
It was not because of the awkwardness of causing worry, or the embarrassment of not being able to face them, or some such petty pride.
It was just purely the presence of Subaru that needed to be prepared.
Because--,
"Emilia."
Just by calling the other person's name, Subaru's heart experiences a sweet, numbing sensation.
Subaru's nervous call made Emilia smile softly,
"Yes, I'm glad I got to meet you. ......But even so, Subaru has made a lot of friends even this far away from home. I'm reeaally relieved."
"My friends......"
"Yes, everyone was reeaally worried about Subaru. Everyone was so worried about Subaru that they never left him."
At Emilia's words, Subaru turned his head down, remembering the state of the room until a moment ago.
In any case, all he feels is that he has caused them worry, which is a bad habit of Subaru's, and he regrets it every time he is told.
"I'm a happy man."
"I'm sure that's true, but I want Subaru to be happier. But I want Subaru to be happy more and more, so this is not enough."
"How could I have been so good to you?"
"So when Subaru does something for me, do you ever get satisfied that it's enough?"
Emilia tilted her head, and feeling her beautiful silver hair cascading down her slender shoulders, Subaru was at a loss for words as he was completely taken in by the situation.
She is right. When he wants to do something for the people he loves, he doesn't think about whether this is enough, but whether he can do more.
Seeing Subaru's reaction, Emilia smiled and said, "Hmmm,"
"How's that? I'm not wrong, am I? My knight."
"......I guess. You've grown so much while I've been away, I'm so proud of you, but I'm going to miss you, Emilia."
"Emilia?"
"......I mean, Emilia-tan......"
When asked back, Subaru called away, and then reeled it in.
Yes, that's what Subaru calls the child he cares about so much, so dearly, so lovingly, and anyway, so much that it makes his heart go haywire.
As soon as he calls Emilia a word, a feeling of hiccups quickly overtakes him.
Subaru said he was chewing on the realization like that,
"Big Sis Emilia! It's about time we talk to Subaru, too."
The soft air between Subaru and Emilia, and the girl who interrupted in full force was Petra, a girl who asserted her presence by raising her small hand.
Petra, who woke up after the earlier commotion and was unable to calmly celebrate the reunion due to the subsequent slapstick, is extremely hungry for a reunion, her round eyes angry.
"We haven't been able to talk to Subaru properly yet. --Except for Otto, who has been running around."
"Whaa. No, I mean, I wasn't trying to run......"
Oh? Oh? Excuses, Otto. I'm lookin' forward ta hearin' what kinda excuses you're goin' ta give. Even I'm hurt that ya ran off at this point......"
"He's gonna bite as far as Garfiel?!"
Garfiel slumps his shoulders in disappointment and gestures lamentably. Otto's eyes widen and he exclaims, as he and Petra launch a wave of attacks.
Then, as if to drive home the point even further, Beatrice continued, "That's right, in fact,"
"Betty heard it all, I suppose. Otto said himself that he secretly came to talk to Subaru so that Petra and the others wouldn't find out, in fact."
"Huh, really? Otto, I understand how you feel, but we were all worried about Subaru, so you shouldn't cheat."
"I have no allies! It's much more heartbreaking than being at a bad disadvantage!"
Beatrice, the betrayer, and Emilia, who takes it in stride, note that Otto, clutching his chest, is getting a grand retribution for his deeds.
Laughing at such a wow and lively group of people,
"I'm really glad that we were able to join up with Otto, notwithstanding his bad habits. Emilia, Beatrice, and of course Petra were not happy to see you."
Yes, it was Frederica who said softly.
She, like Petra, was also dressed in a traveling outfit instead of a maid's uniform, which is unusual. But soon after, Subaru was shown something even more unusual than that, and he was perturbed.
A tear appeared in Frederica's eye when she smiled, and it almost ran down her cheek.
"Oh, Sister Frederica, I'm crying!"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I just, you know, I was really relieved to see...... how unfortunate it was."
"......No, it's not unfortunate or anything at all. That's how worried you were about me."
Frederica's tears startled her, and more than that, she was grateful.
As Frederica said, the girls rushed to find Subaru and the others who had disappeared, and it is very immeasurable how much trouble they had to overcome to get there.
It is an empire in a state of civil war, with borders that should not be easily crossed.
The girls must have overcome a number of obstacles that could not have been overcome by straightforward means, and they made it to Subaru.
"Thanks again, guys."
"Heh, 'sonly natural that we shoulda be here. Without the general, we can't get together in any way, shape or form."
"Yeah, you're right, Garf. ......I'm surprised that I got smaller but..."
Petra, who smiled and nodded at Garfiel, who rubbed the bridge of his nose, adds a final tick.
Certainly, this is not going to be a great circle with everyone joining together--that is the current state of Subaru. As one would expect, he has no intention of returning to Lugnica with Emilia and the others in a shrunken state.
If Natsuki Subaru doesn't go back to his original age of eighteen years, he won't be able to stand next to Emilia.
"Well, Beatrice...... oho! Don't you mind if I line up next to Beatrice?"
"You don't feel bad about us being at the same eye level, I suppose. But Betty is going to miss Subaru's cuddles soon, in fact, so I'd like Subaru big, I suppose."
"Me too! I think Subaru should be bigger! I think Subaru should be bigger too. I think the current Subaru is cute and good, too......"
"Oh, I knew you were cute. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so."
Emilia's subtly off-the-cuff response spreads a relaxed air in the room.
In that indescribably gentle atmosphere, Subaru could taste the nostalgia of the Emilia camp, which had been separated for a long time, and found fulfillment in his soul.
He was sent to the Vollachia Empire and spent time with the "People of Shudrak", Flop and Medium, and then the Pleiades Group with members from the Gladiator Island, but the atmosphere with all of these people was different from any of them.
All are important, but he takes the time to feel the importance of this place that has been kept away from him for so long.
"But, as expected, Roswaal and Ram couldn't come? No, it would have been pretty bad even if Emilia had been there."
Subaru chuckles as he mentions the faces he doesn't see in the room.
Speaking of not being there, Maylie is also not there, but it would be difficult for her to accompany Emilia and the others to the border crossing, given her position. Probably, she and Ram will stay at the mansion--."
"Huh? No, that's not true. Ram and Roswaal are with us. They were reeaally worried about Subaru."
"--Huh?"
Subaru's thoughts are shattered by Emilia's answer with a curious look on her face.
Subaru's eyes widened in shock, and Emilia's beautiful voice reverberated in his head. She said that both Ram and Roswaal had come with him.
The presence of Roswaal is a tremendous surprise, but once there, we'll leave it at that.
But the problem is not Roswaal,
"Is Ram there, too?"
"She is? Sister Ram is also worried about Subaru......Ah! Don't ever tell her, okay?"
"I won't say. I won't say anything, but that's not what I mean......"
Shaking his head, Subaru numbs his brain to Petra's words.
It's not that, it's that Ram is there--,
"Have you already met with Rem?"
"Oh......."
As soon as he said the question with fear in his voice, the expressions of everyone except Subaru became tense.
That reaction was what Subaru had feared the most.
The reaction of Emilia and the others, the kind of "I forgot to tell Subaru," is that it happened while Subaru was sleeping.
--The reunion of the separated sisters, Ram and Rem.
"WAAAAAAHH--!! I would have loved to have been thereeeeee!!"
"I-I'm sorry, Subaru! But I wanted to see you as soon as possible......!"
"I know, I know, but my fucking asshole--!"
Covering his face with his hands, Subaru exclaims at his own foolishness for missing this historic moment.
Emilia and others tried their best to comfort Subaru, but this was no one's fault, and Subaru's wounds were never healed.
If anything, the worst was Subaru, which was asleep at the critical moment.
Even so--,
"How was it? Their two reactions......"
"Um, it was a bit rusty,...... but it felt reeaally special! I cried a little too......"
"Uoooon!"
"Emilia! You have to be more careful, in fact! Poor Subaru, I suppose!"
"Huh??? Sorry, sorry!"
Even so, the frustration did not diminish at all, and Subaru did his best to frustrate him.
Subaru realized once again with tears of frustration that when he really wanted to cry, he could not hold back his tears, which is a disgusting thing about this juvenile body.
△▼△▼△▼△
"----"
Right in front of her, she hears a loud, loud rallying cry from behind the door she is about to reach.
Stopped in her movements by the ranting voice and its content, Rem's mind was tormented by hesitation, wondering what to do, with her shapely eyebrows knitted together.
"Uuh, awh?"
"......Um, I'm sorry. Louis-chan wants to see that guy."
Right beside her, Louis, who is hugging her around the waist, looks up at Rem curiously.
When the unconscious Subaru woke up, Louis would have wanted to talk to Subaru himself, but he held back and rushed to Rem's side.
Then, she pulled her by the hand and brought her to the front of Subaru's bedroom--,
"----"
The voices coming from inside the room belong to Subaru and his friends.
It sounds like something else when it's said like that, but it seems that these friends are people with whom Rem has a close relationship. --Like Subaru, though still lacking in realism.
"I know they're not bad people at all."
The group, led by Emilia, who was the first one in that group to meet, and who came looking for Rem and Subaru, are clearly known to be companionable, full of action, and above all, good.
According to what she has heard, these women came from the neighboring Kingdom of the Empire, even though they were forbidden to come and go, and even participated in a civil war with which they had no connection.
All of this was done to save Subaru--or rather, Subaru and Rem, from being caught up in the civil war of the empire.
It's the same thing that Rem can't escape from this imperial struggle--.
"--I can hear the ravenous voice of Barusu."
Suddenly called to her back in thought, Rem gulped slightly.
Instead of Rem, it is Louis, who is hugging her around the waist, who turns to look at the other party. The other party looked back at Louis, who was looking at her, and let out a small sigh,
"Stop staring at me so accusingly. That was a love whip...... for Barusu, no, it's a whip because there is no love. Yes, a pure whip."
"......Does that mean you hate that guy?"
"I don't hate him. I just despise him a lot."
Saying so, Rem also turns around to the other person who comes slowly, making shoe noises.
She took a beat to turn toward them because she needed to muster up the courage to look straight into their face.
At any rate, the face that came were familiar even to Rem, who had no memory of them.
It is--,
"......Miss Ram."
"That's an odd way of calling me. As for Ram, I am ready to be called your sister, though..."
"Everything on my end was so abrupt......"
The woman who stands in front of her, holding her elbow and stretching out her chest--Ram, that's what she calls herself, and that's what people around her call her, her face looks a lot like Rem's own.
Perhaps the difference is the color of her hair and eyes and the overwhelming pressure of confidence that fills her insides.
It seems that she is the sister of Rem, who has no memory of her.
Frankly speaking, there is nothing to deny about it if you compare their facial features. The name of her sister, which she had been told many times before by Subaru, who never learned his lesson, must have been "Ram" as well.
Above all, what undeniably dominates Rem's mind is--,
"Whatever you think, Rem's heart will feel it. Ram and Rem are sisters...... and synesthesia shouldn't lie."
"Synesthesia......"
"It's like a soul connection between blood twins. All along, Rem's presence has been felt by Ram...... Rem, do you not?"
"----"
Rem closed her lips to Ram, who asked her a straight question with narrowed light red eyes.
If she was told if Rem is different, that is not the case at all. She doesn't know the details of this synesthesia, but there was definitely a strong, strong sense of discomfort in Rem.
It is an overwhelming sense of security for Ram, which should be the first time they see it.
"......But, I'm scared/"
"You are scared?"
"To feel this way about you, with whom I've only spoken for a short time."
For Rem, who has lost her memory, the only two people who were present at the moment when she began to become the person she is today are Subaru and Louis. It was a beginning that kept Subaru away and Louis by her side for a reason.
After that, she got to know the People of Shudrak, Flop and Medium, Priscilla and Katya, and in Rem's own way, she developed many relationships.
And yet, the presence of Ram overtakes them all at once and tries to stand at the top.
"That's what I'm afraid of......"
This inexpressible sense of security is the footsteps of the past that are stepping up.
It is hard not to wish to regain lost memories. It seems to her that many of Rem's problems will probably come back to her as her memories come back.
But at the same time, she fears that when those footsteps catch up with her, everything will change.
If the way she sees, the way she feels, the way she thinks, everything changes.
Yes, strongly, strongly Rem closes her eyes and presses her chest.
There--,
"I see. --That's great."
"Huh?"
An unexpected voice was heard, and Rem looked up, opening her closed eyelids.
Ram, holding her elbow, slightly lowered the corner of her eye in front of Rem, who stared at her, wondering what she had just said,
"Ram is just like Rem. I was scared, I thought."
"Scared......"
"What if Rem naturally embraced this synesthesia and jumped into Ram's chest as a matter of course? --Yes, I was scared."
"----"
Her expression remains soft, but what she says is about fear, and Rem is unsure of how she feels about Ram in front of her. --No, she does not.
They know what they didn't know, and they are confused by it.
"Uuh!"
Suddenly, instead of Rem, whose eyes were swimming with confusion, Louis, who was hugging her around the waist, groaned.
Glaring at Ram from below, Louis senses the tremor in Rem's heart and sharpens her gaze to scold Ram for causing it.
Catching Louis's gaze, Ram narrowed her eyes slightly,
"You want to stand between Ram and Rem? Of all people, you?"
"Augh!"
"I see, so you're not going to back down. It's complicated, but not unpleasant."
Whatever the connection, Ram said this with an air of knowingness about Louis, and then looked again into Rem's eyes. When her eyes meet her, she can't tear her gaze away from there.
The soul is drawn to them, even as they experience the sensation of being burned by the intensity of their gaze.
Fear grows stronger and stronger.
And just as strong was her attraction to Ram.
Feeling it strongly, Rem bit her lip tightly,
"You must be my sister. I can believe that without a doubt. It's just......"
"Your heart may be convinced, but your head can't be?"
"......Yes."
"I see. Then that's good enough for the time being.""
Ram closed the distance with another step toward Rem, who nodded weakly.
As Rem's shoulders tighten at the sight of her approaching, Louis steps forward to protect Rem. But Rem gently supported Louis's shoulder and held the gentle girl back, saying, "It's okay."
Then, of her own volition, she looks at Rem in front of her.
With this look from Rem, Ram uncrossed her arms and held out her hand. The hand that was held out to her by the person whose heart she had already acknowledged as her sister.
"I am Ram. I am your sister, and I was surely born to love you."
"----"
"But there is someone else who is just as important, my independent sister."
Rem rolled her eyes at the words said so matter-of-factly and confidently.
Then, as the meaning firmly penetrated my mind, she couldn't help but let out a gasp. As it was, Rem laughed a small laugh and kept smiling,
"I am still afraid of you. When I talk to you, I feel like I could lose myself in this feeling of security and become completely captivated."
"I can't help it. Ram is the kind of sister you want to put all your trust and affection in."
"Yes, Sister Ram."
Ram, proudly puffing out her chest, begrudgingly grasped her hand, and Rem finally called her that. Then, hearing this, Ram raised her eyebrows slightly.
As for Rem, it was a courageous call, so her reaction is disappointing.
"Um?"
"......Barusu's subservience is a temper, but it certainly doesn't feel right."
"Uh?"
"--I'm Nee-sama."
"Huh?"
After a moment of reluctance, Ram continued, and Rem rolled her eyes. In response to Rem's reaction, Ram said the same thing over and over again, once more.
"Call me Nee-sama. That's the way I feel most comfortable with you."
"......Ram... nee-sama?"
"You don't need my name."
"--Nee-sama."
As she said, she brought the call closer to the way she wanted it, and Ram squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she pulled Rem's hand from her grip. When Rem unexpectedly stepped on the foot bellows, she gently held her body in her arms, and Ram embraced her from the front.
As it was, Ram put her lips to Rem's ear,
"Now I feel it clearly. --Ram is Rem's sister."
"--I felt it, too."
Thus, as soon as she was in her arms, what she had feared overflowed.
It was what she called a sense of security, an attraction from the soul, a love for Ram. It was strong, softly swallowing even Rem, who should have had no memory of it.
"......I'm sorry, but are you ready, Rem?"
"Am I ready?"
"We need to get ready to go inside. We need to show off not only Emilia and the others, but also Barusu. We need to show off our sisterhood, and then we need to worry about the rest."
At Ram's comment, Rem closed her eyes.
Still, Rem has no answer as to how she should face Emilia and the others, and Subaru as well.
But at least there was no doubt about this sister's feelings and her feelings for Ram.
"Yes, Nee-sama."
"I guess I'll just put it off until I've been called a hundred times."
"Nee-sama......"
"I'm kidding."
Rem nodded, and Ram told a joke that didn't sound like a joke.
Such mischievous attitude of her sister fills Rem's heart with relief, even for a moment, despite her own sense of urgency and the fact that she is also in a situation with a single other important matter.
"Uawh, awhaugh?"
"Yes, I'm fine. And Louis, thank you for your concern."
"Uuh!"
Louis stood by Rem's side the whole time, sandwiched between Rem and Ram's dialogue. With a smile, she dismissed her fears, and Rem gently stroked the gentle girl's head.
Then, accompanied by that Louis, she bravely lines up next to her sister, who half turns around.
As it was, she looked at Ram and nodded, and they both reached out to the door in front of them--,
"--Excuse me. I could hear you making a lot of noise, even outside."
"That's very Barusu of you, heaped-up little animal."
The sisters all stepped into the room where their friends were.
△▼△▼△▼△
"Hah...... a huge weight off my shoulders......"
Subaru muttered to himself as he felt a great grip on his chest disappear.
A big grip on his chest, that's the responsibility Subaru had to hold on to--to protect Rem and bring Ram and Emilia and the others to meet him, with no one else to protect them.
To be honest, when he learned that he could not be there for that first situation, the reunion of the sisters Ram and Rem, he was overcome with such regret that he thought it was the end of the world.
"I wish I could see them side by side like that."
They visited Subaru's guest room together, and even though we don't know what kind of exchange they had, their attitude was at least believable that it did not go badly.
Once he realized this, the frustration that had been there just before faded away, and a sense of relief took over Subaru.
Finally, finally, he was able to get Rem to meet Ram.
He was able to get Rem to meet with Emilia and Beatrice and the others.
He doesn't know how much of that was his contribution, but they did it.
Subaru himself was able to join up with Emilia and the others, and it could be said that he was very happy to be able to do so.
"I'm still a little kid, and I haven't got Rem's memory back yet......"
However, hope was felt to be properly sprouting.
As for Subaru's size, he can say that he can see a way to deal with it in the near future, and he is sure that they can find a way to restore Rem's memory.
So, all that's left to do is--,
"......You really don't want Betty with you, in fact?"
"No, I'm not a heckler at all, but I'm probably the guy who doesn't want to show his face when Beako is around, so listen to me be selfish for a second."
"If something happens, call me right away, I suppose. I'll zoom by, in fact."
"I'm counting on you."
Yes, Beatrice did not want to let go of Subaru's hand until the very end.
After gently untying her caring hand, Emilia and her friends left the room once they were done, and Subaru was alone in the room filled with silence.
When all of the factors that had been lively up to that point, all of them, were gone from the room without a trace, various suspicions instantly swept over Subaru.
The retreat from the Imperial City, and how large a scale it is taking place. Have they found out who those zombie hordes are? Are relations between the Imperial Army and the rebels improving? Why did Emilia and the others dare to spread only cheerful topics? What is the answer to Tanza's gloomy expression?
And how did the events just before Subaru lost consciousness see resolution?
"Will you answer half, if not all, of those questions?"
"--That depends on how willing you are to step up to the plate."
In the empty bedroom, a figure responded to Subaru's words as he raised himself up on his bunk, and would have been waiting for him to do so to get rid of the people.
Slowly, the sound of shoes stamping on the floor is majestic, colored by an attitude that is not afraid to make its presence known to those around it.
There is no change in his behavior or the sharpness of his eyes from what he remembers. Still, Subaru looks at the dark-haired handsome man who looks decidedly different in some way.
And then--,
"How eloquently you speak, Natsuki Subaru? --The 'Stargazer' of the Dragon Kingdom."
So, with hostile black eyes, Vincent Vollachia questioned Natsuki Subaru.
Arc 8, Chapter 10 "No One Is Alone"
You do not have permission to view link
Log in or register now.
--Why are they different, when both fainting and sleeping are the same interruption of consciousness?
Subaru is probably one of the most experienced fainting and blackouts in the world, but it is not understood why the two are any different.
What is clear is that if both fainting and sleeping have a restorative effect on the body, it feels like that fainting has only about half of that effect.
It may just be a matter of mood, but that's how it feels.
It must be because, unlike sleep, fainting makes people around you feel too differently.
If you have no connection to anyone and no one to worry about, maybe there is no difference between fainting and sleeping.
It's more likely--,
"--ah"
His eyelids quivered and a weak breath escaped his throat.
With such a gesture, thin and unreliable, Natsuki Subaru slowly awoke from the darkness, drawing his consciousness back to reality.
"----"
Looking up from the shore of reality that has drawn him in, Subaru forgets to catch his breath for a beat.
He wonders how many times he have woken up in an unfamiliar place, trying to figure out where he is.
However, what would normally be a solitary task was not the case this time.
"......You finally woke up, I suppose. Subaru is a sleepyhead, in fact."
"Beatrice......"
A familiar, lovely face blocks Subaru's view of that unknown ceiling.
Gazing at Subaru with lowered eyebrows and pale tinted eyes was Beatrice, the girl who would have the most opportunity to wake up with Subaru.
And as Beatrice's figure comes into view, Subaru notices the feeling of his hand, which seems to be lying on the bed, being held and loosens his lips.
"Did you, by any chance, hold my hand the whole time?"
"Of course, I suppose. Betty is Subaru's partner, in fact. First of all, Subaru goes around too much, I suppose. If you don't want to be chained, holding hands is the most effective way, in fact."
"You're right, you know me better than I know myself......"
Beatrice looks at Subaru with a sullen look on her face and says something like that, but Subaru can't say anything back and laughs.
If there is something that needs to be done, Subaru will find a way to do it, even if he is chained down, but it is always painful to untie the hand that has been tied.
Subaru is pain sensitive, so that's the most effective way to keep him around.
"Uh, so where are we? What are we doing now......"
"Relax, I suppose, Subaru. I know it's tempting to worry about a lot of things...... but first of all, look around you, in fact."
"Around me?"
Beatrice put her finger to her lips and put a big smile on Subaru's face when he asked her what was going on.
Stopped by his frustration and deviant feelings, Subaru blinked his eyes and looked at something other than the ceiling and Beatrice, just as she told him to do.
And then, gasp.
--At the sight of so many people sleeping around the bed in which he is sleeping.
"----"
It is not a large room. The single bunk on which Subaru sleeps occupies half of the room's space. In such a room, more than ten people are crammed together.
It was also an unlikely combination.
"Tanza, and Garfiel? And even Hiain and the others and Louis and Utakata......"
"I doubt that's it, I suppose. Betty won one hand, but the other is......"
When told, Subaru turns around to realize that it is not only his right hand with Beatrice that is being held, but also his left hand. So there she is, lying on the bed with her upper body thrown back on the bed, holding Subaru's hand firmly--,
"--Petra."
There was a little girl there with a big ribbon on her head and even her sleeping face was adorable.
He wonders how many hardships and difficulties she had to overcome to hold this hand. Petra, in her unfamiliar traveling clothes, is dirty here and there, and full of the uncharacteristic care she takes for fashion.
It is also a proof that they arrived here even in such a state.
"But I think the hardest thing Petra had to do was to get a chance to hold Subaru's hand like that, in fact. It was a struggle for everyone, I suppose."
"Oh come on, you mean they all wanted to hold my hand while I slept? How stupid is that, that's just......"
"It's not stupid, in fact."
Beatrice's quiet voice stopped Subaru, who was about to laugh at the joke.
Beatrice lifted her hand, still holding it tightly, and showed it to Subaru, who looked at her with wide-eyed amazement,
"Everyone was really worried about Subaru, I suppose. If holding hands is going to help Subaru, then that's all they want to do, in fact."
"----"
"Subaru should be a little more aware of the magnitude of his presence, I suppose. Betty has been saying this over and over again for a long time now, in fact."
Her tone was quiet and even somewhat dismayed, but Beatrice's words were filled with an immense amount of affection.
When someone says something like that with such eyes and voice, he can't very well disrespect it.
Subaru, too, doesn't think that he doesn't have an impact on everyone around him or that he isn't important--,
"......You're being too overprotective just because I'm shrinking, everyone."
"I don't know. For my part, I'd like Mr. Natsuki to reflect on his own shrinkage first, rather than the overprotection of those around him."
"--!"
Suddenly, Subaru's shoulders jumped at the voice he heard.
The voice jumped in unexpectedly, and it was heard at the entrance to the small room, where a door sliding to the side opened and a face peeked out, a soft-faced, hateful bastard.
"Is that Otto?!"
"Yes, it's me...... please be quiet. Please be considerate of Petra-chan and Garfiel's feelings."
"How are Petra and the others feeling......"
"In this way, they are waiting for Mr. Natsuki to wake up at the very end, aren't they? Of course, it's because the first thing I wanted to do was to have a word with Natsuki when he woke up. But if he knew that I had taken away his right to wake up, how much he would hate me."
"Oh, you bad motherfucker."
"I'm glad to see that Natsuki-san doesn't seem to talk less even though he's shrinking."
He puts his finger to his lips and lowers the tone of his voice, and the young man who appears--Otto looks around the room.
Although he had just shown his face, the room was so crowded that there was no place to stand on. Otto, with a troubled look on his face, managed to find a foothold and walked over to the bed,
"Beatrice, thank you for taking care of Mr. Natsuki."
"It's nothing to get tired about, I suppose. ......Anyway, I can talk to you, in fact?"
"Of course, I should let you all know that Mr. Natsuki is awake......"
Beatrice looks at him with her eyes, and Otto chuckles as he breaks off his sentence. He looks at Subaru on his bunk, pretending to be amused at the end of his sentence,
"Since I was present at Mr. Natsuki's awakening at an inopportune moment, I thought I'd like to make a personal complaint before things get too noisy."
"H-he's got a good personality......"
"Yes, I'm a merchant."
Otto smiles with a sarcastic look on his face as he runs his hand over his own head, which is not wearing a hat.
Subaru takes a deep breath, feeling as cold in that smile as he did when his enemies glared at him or when he displeased Tanza.
Frankly, he doesn't think Subaru was nearly as much at fault for being sent to the Vollachia Empire or for the subsequent troubles, but it is true that he caused a lot of worry.
Whatever grudge they have at them, we will take it in stride.
"Alright, leave it to me. But my mentality has been trained here too. Don't think you can break me with half-baked words."
"What kind of boast is that? Well, I'm not going to give you a long sermon. I'm not the only one who wants to say it, so I'll keep it brief. --Mr. Natsuki."
"Oh"
"--I'm glad you were able to join us safely. Don't let me worry you too much."
"----"
An outstretched hand is snapped onto Subaru's small shoulder.
Subaru choked up when he felt Otto's fingers, which were tougher than his facial features suggested, tremble slightly on his shoulder.
Otto's eyebrows furrowed and his nose wrinkled as he said this, a fraying of emotions that he could not contain as he always kept a bird's eye view of himself.
"Guh......"
All the mental training and determination to take it on was for naught.
Otto's one deadly word mercilessly shatters Natsuki Subaru's defenses and strikes a deadly blow into the bare soul on the other side of it.
Early on, it was foul play.
"This works best for Mr. Natsuki anyway, doesn't it?"
"You... son of a... bitch......"
In front of Subaru, who is trembling all over, Otto tightens his expression, which was almost crumpled just before, and smiles a fearless, spare, and implied smile.
Completely outmaneuvered by him, Subaru could only blush in defeat. --No, there are other ways to get back at Otto. There was a way to get back at Otto for his screw-up, a way that was far from a victory, but at least would not let him run away with the victory.
It is--,
"Ah-! I'm beaten, I'm beaten, I'm defeated, you son of a bitch, Otto!"
"Geh?!"
Subaru, with a red face and a wicked smile on his face, declared his defeat in a loud voice. Otto screamed with a blue face the moment he heard it.
When the exchange between Subaru and Otto echoed through the room, naturally, the sleeping friends--or rather, the sleeping lions, began to wake up one after another upon hearing it.
Then the noise explodes with joy, blame, and, in any case, tragedy and joy.
In the noisy room, Beatrice, who was watching the whole scene while Subaru and Otto held their heads in their hands, raised her hand on her cheek and said,
"Oh dear...... they're all acting too much like children, I suppose."
She watched the scene with a smile on her face, acting like a lone bystander.
△▼△▼△▼△
--The simultaneous evacuation of the people of the Imperial City from the Imperial City of Lupgana.
This was one of the things that took place while Subaru was unconscious, and he woke up in the cabin of a moving dragon car that had been assigned to a dignitary among such a group.
It is a mobile sleeping place that can be used for both evacuation and recuperation. It seems that Subaru was taken out of the imperial capital under such awe-inspiring treatment.
"Bro! I'm glad you're okay! I was really, really worried about what would happen to me when I lost my body strength along the way!"
"I don't care if the bearded bastard dies, but if you're gone, the group is finished...... If you'd rather die, use me or anyone else as a shield......"
"The way Weitz put it is tricky, but I agree with him. Schwarz, it's great to have you back. Both for the group and for me personally."
That was the reaction of the group that had been waiting for Subaru to wake up, three of his companions from the Gladiator Island who were firmly in the group, Hiain, Weitz, and Idola.
Aside from Idola, who was working with him during the offensive, he must have caused considerable worry to Hiain and Weitz, who were working separately.
That's not all he has to apologize to the three of them for.
"I'm sorry. Because I fainted, everyone's enhancements came undone......"
"Don't worry about it...... luckily it happened when we were starting to pull out too......"
"That's right! The only person who almost died when it snapped was this skull guy who was just in the middle of supporting a collapsed pillar. Without the Governor, he would have been crushed to death......"
"I told you not to talk about it......!"
As usual, Hiain's unnecessary comment spoiled Weitz's concern for Subaru. With the two struggling in this way in the background, Idola shrugged his shoulders.
He was supposed to have been unshackled from "Cor Leonis" in the midst of the Imperial City and exposed to danger,
"As Weitz said, don't get worked up, Schwarz. From the moment we decide to follow you, whatever happens beyond that point is our own responsibility."
"But......"
"I know you're the one who's bothered by that. --I'll leave it to the girls, who seem to have known each other longer than we have."
As usual, Idola is good at rationalizing his story.
Thanks to this, Subaru, who could only make an emotional rebuttal, was silenced, and Idola left the room with Hiain and Weitz, who grabbed each other in the back.
And so, the small shadow was about to follow the backs of the three leaving,
"Tanza."
"......I am sorry that I could not help you at such a crucial time. We are so glad that Master Schwarz is back."
Tanza hangs her head and replies in a stern tone of voice.
Considering their parting in the Imperial Capital, it is understandable why Tanza regrets her lack of strength. However, that did not seem to be the only reason for her gloomy face.
"What's wrong? If something's going on......"
"--. No, it's not something I would talk to Master Schwarz about right now. Please take your time to rest and spend time with all of us."
After a moment's hesitation, Tanza also leaves the room without saying more.
He almost reached out to touch that weak back, but Subaru's hands were blocked. Still, Subaru's heart appealed to her, not wanting to leave Tanza alone with a face like that.
He made up his mind firmly that he would definitely have to ask her later why she had that look on her face.
And then--,
"--Subaru."
After seeing off those who had left the room earlier, what was spun out was the sound of silver bells gently tapping his eardrums, bouncing as if they had been waiting for this moment to call out to him.
"----"
For a beat, it takes time to respond to the voice and to turn toward it.
It was not because of the awkwardness of causing worry, or the embarrassment of not being able to face them, or some such petty pride.
It was just purely the presence of Subaru that needed to be prepared.
Because--,
"Emilia."
Just by calling the other person's name, Subaru's heart experiences a sweet, numbing sensation.
Subaru's nervous call made Emilia smile softly,
"Yes, I'm glad I got to meet you. ......But even so, Subaru has made a lot of friends even this far away from home. I'm reeaally relieved."
"My friends......"
"Yes, everyone was reeaally worried about Subaru. Everyone was so worried about Subaru that they never left him."
At Emilia's words, Subaru turned his head down, remembering the state of the room until a moment ago.
In any case, all he feels is that he has caused them worry, which is a bad habit of Subaru's, and he regrets it every time he is told.
"I'm a happy man."
"I'm sure that's true, but I want Subaru to be happier. But I want Subaru to be happy more and more, so this is not enough."
"How could I have been so good to you?"
"So when Subaru does something for me, do you ever get satisfied that it's enough?"
Emilia tilted her head, and feeling her beautiful silver hair cascading down her slender shoulders, Subaru was at a loss for words as he was completely taken in by the situation.
She is right. When he wants to do something for the people he loves, he doesn't think about whether this is enough, but whether he can do more.
Seeing Subaru's reaction, Emilia smiled and said, "Hmmm,"
"How's that? I'm not wrong, am I? My knight."
"......I guess. You've grown so much while I've been away, I'm so proud of you, but I'm going to miss you, Emilia."
"Emilia?"
"......I mean, Emilia-tan......"
When asked back, Subaru called away, and then reeled it in.
Yes, that's what Subaru calls the child he cares about so much, so dearly, so lovingly, and anyway, so much that it makes his heart go haywire.
As soon as he calls Emilia a word, a feeling of hiccups quickly overtakes him.
Subaru said he was chewing on the realization like that,
"Big Sis Emilia! It's about time we talk to Subaru, too."
The soft air between Subaru and Emilia, and the girl who interrupted in full force was Petra, a girl who asserted her presence by raising her small hand.
Petra, who woke up after the earlier commotion and was unable to calmly celebrate the reunion due to the subsequent slapstick, is extremely hungry for a reunion, her round eyes angry.
"We haven't been able to talk to Subaru properly yet. --Except for Otto, who has been running around."
"Whaa. No, I mean, I wasn't trying to run......"
Oh? Oh? Excuses, Otto. I'm lookin' forward ta hearin' what kinda excuses you're goin' ta give. Even I'm hurt that ya ran off at this point......"
"He's gonna bite as far as Garfiel?!"
Garfiel slumps his shoulders in disappointment and gestures lamentably. Otto's eyes widen and he exclaims, as he and Petra launch a wave of attacks.
Then, as if to drive home the point even further, Beatrice continued, "That's right, in fact,"
"Betty heard it all, I suppose. Otto said himself that he secretly came to talk to Subaru so that Petra and the others wouldn't find out, in fact."
"Huh, really? Otto, I understand how you feel, but we were all worried about Subaru, so you shouldn't cheat."
"I have no allies! It's much more heartbreaking than being at a bad disadvantage!"
Beatrice, the betrayer, and Emilia, who takes it in stride, note that Otto, clutching his chest, is getting a grand retribution for his deeds.
Laughing at such a wow and lively group of people,
"I'm really glad that we were able to join up with Otto, notwithstanding his bad habits. Emilia, Beatrice, and of course Petra were not happy to see you."
Yes, it was Frederica who said softly.
She, like Petra, was also dressed in a traveling outfit instead of a maid's uniform, which is unusual. But soon after, Subaru was shown something even more unusual than that, and he was perturbed.
A tear appeared in Frederica's eye when she smiled, and it almost ran down her cheek.
"Oh, Sister Frederica, I'm crying!"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I just, you know, I was really relieved to see...... how unfortunate it was."
"......No, it's not unfortunate or anything at all. That's how worried you were about me."
Frederica's tears startled her, and more than that, she was grateful.
As Frederica said, the girls rushed to find Subaru and the others who had disappeared, and it is very immeasurable how much trouble they had to overcome to get there.
It is an empire in a state of civil war, with borders that should not be easily crossed.
The girls must have overcome a number of obstacles that could not have been overcome by straightforward means, and they made it to Subaru.
"Thanks again, guys."
"Heh, 'sonly natural that we shoulda be here. Without the general, we can't get together in any way, shape or form."
"Yeah, you're right, Garf. ......I'm surprised that I got smaller but..."
Petra, who smiled and nodded at Garfiel, who rubbed the bridge of his nose, adds a final tick.
Certainly, this is not going to be a great circle with everyone joining together--that is the current state of Subaru. As one would expect, he has no intention of returning to Lugnica with Emilia and the others in a shrunken state.
If Natsuki Subaru doesn't go back to his original age of eighteen years, he won't be able to stand next to Emilia.
"Well, Beatrice...... oho! Don't you mind if I line up next to Beatrice?"
"You don't feel bad about us being at the same eye level, I suppose. But Betty is going to miss Subaru's cuddles soon, in fact, so I'd like Subaru big, I suppose."
"Me too! I think Subaru should be bigger! I think Subaru should be bigger too. I think the current Subaru is cute and good, too......"
"Oh, I knew you were cute. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought so."
Emilia's subtly off-the-cuff response spreads a relaxed air in the room.
In that indescribably gentle atmosphere, Subaru could taste the nostalgia of the Emilia camp, which had been separated for a long time, and found fulfillment in his soul.
He was sent to the Vollachia Empire and spent time with the "People of Shudrak", Flop and Medium, and then the Pleiades Group with members from the Gladiator Island, but the atmosphere with all of these people was different from any of them.
All are important, but he takes the time to feel the importance of this place that has been kept away from him for so long.
"But, as expected, Roswaal and Ram couldn't come? No, it would have been pretty bad even if Emilia had been there."
Subaru chuckles as he mentions the faces he doesn't see in the room.
Speaking of not being there, Maylie is also not there, but it would be difficult for her to accompany Emilia and the others to the border crossing, given her position. Probably, she and Ram will stay at the mansion--."
"Huh? No, that's not true. Ram and Roswaal are with us. They were reeaally worried about Subaru."
"--Huh?"
Subaru's thoughts are shattered by Emilia's answer with a curious look on her face.
Subaru's eyes widened in shock, and Emilia's beautiful voice reverberated in his head. She said that both Ram and Roswaal had come with him.
The presence of Roswaal is a tremendous surprise, but once there, we'll leave it at that.
But the problem is not Roswaal,
"Is Ram there, too?"
"She is? Sister Ram is also worried about Subaru......Ah! Don't ever tell her, okay?"
"I won't say. I won't say anything, but that's not what I mean......"
Shaking his head, Subaru numbs his brain to Petra's words.
It's not that, it's that Ram is there--,
"Have you already met with Rem?"
"Oh......."
As soon as he said the question with fear in his voice, the expressions of everyone except Subaru became tense.
That reaction was what Subaru had feared the most.
The reaction of Emilia and the others, the kind of "I forgot to tell Subaru," is that it happened while Subaru was sleeping.
--The reunion of the separated sisters, Ram and Rem.
"WAAAAAAHH--!! I would have loved to have been thereeeeee!!"
"I-I'm sorry, Subaru! But I wanted to see you as soon as possible......!"
"I know, I know, but my fucking asshole--!"
Covering his face with his hands, Subaru exclaims at his own foolishness for missing this historic moment.
Emilia and others tried their best to comfort Subaru, but this was no one's fault, and Subaru's wounds were never healed.
If anything, the worst was Subaru, which was asleep at the critical moment.
Even so--,
"How was it? Their two reactions......"
"Um, it was a bit rusty,...... but it felt reeaally special! I cried a little too......"
"Uoooon!"
"Emilia! You have to be more careful, in fact! Poor Subaru, I suppose!"
"Huh??? Sorry, sorry!"
Even so, the frustration did not diminish at all, and Subaru did his best to frustrate him.
Subaru realized once again with tears of frustration that when he really wanted to cry, he could not hold back his tears, which is a disgusting thing about this juvenile body.
△▼△▼△▼△
"----"
Right in front of her, she hears a loud, loud rallying cry from behind the door she is about to reach.
Stopped in her movements by the ranting voice and its content, Rem's mind was tormented by hesitation, wondering what to do, with her shapely eyebrows knitted together.
"Uuh, awh?"
"......Um, I'm sorry. Louis-chan wants to see that guy."
Right beside her, Louis, who is hugging her around the waist, looks up at Rem curiously.
When the unconscious Subaru woke up, Louis would have wanted to talk to Subaru himself, but he held back and rushed to Rem's side.
Then, she pulled her by the hand and brought her to the front of Subaru's bedroom--,
"----"
The voices coming from inside the room belong to Subaru and his friends.
It sounds like something else when it's said like that, but it seems that these friends are people with whom Rem has a close relationship. --Like Subaru, though still lacking in realism.
"I know they're not bad people at all."
The group, led by Emilia, who was the first one in that group to meet, and who came looking for Rem and Subaru, are clearly known to be companionable, full of action, and above all, good.
According to what she has heard, these women came from the neighboring Kingdom of the Empire, even though they were forbidden to come and go, and even participated in a civil war with which they had no connection.
All of this was done to save Subaru--or rather, Subaru and Rem, from being caught up in the civil war of the empire.
It's the same thing that Rem can't escape from this imperial struggle--.
"--I can hear the ravenous voice of Barusu."
Suddenly called to her back in thought, Rem gulped slightly.
Instead of Rem, it is Louis, who is hugging her around the waist, who turns to look at the other party. The other party looked back at Louis, who was looking at her, and let out a small sigh,
"Stop staring at me so accusingly. That was a love whip...... for Barusu, no, it's a whip because there is no love. Yes, a pure whip."
"......Does that mean you hate that guy?"
"I don't hate him. I just despise him a lot."
Saying so, Rem also turns around to the other person who comes slowly, making shoe noises.
She took a beat to turn toward them because she needed to muster up the courage to look straight into their face.
At any rate, the face that came were familiar even to Rem, who had no memory of them.
It is--,
"......Miss Ram."
"That's an odd way of calling me. As for Ram, I am ready to be called your sister, though..."
"Everything on my end was so abrupt......"
The woman who stands in front of her, holding her elbow and stretching out her chest--Ram, that's what she calls herself, and that's what people around her call her, her face looks a lot like Rem's own.
Perhaps the difference is the color of her hair and eyes and the overwhelming pressure of confidence that fills her insides.
It seems that she is the sister of Rem, who has no memory of her.
Frankly speaking, there is nothing to deny about it if you compare their facial features. The name of her sister, which she had been told many times before by Subaru, who never learned his lesson, must have been "Ram" as well.
Above all, what undeniably dominates Rem's mind is--,
"Whatever you think, Rem's heart will feel it. Ram and Rem are sisters...... and synesthesia shouldn't lie."
"Synesthesia......"
"It's like a soul connection between blood twins. All along, Rem's presence has been felt by Ram...... Rem, do you not?"
"----"
Rem closed her lips to Ram, who asked her a straight question with narrowed light red eyes.
If she was told if Rem is different, that is not the case at all. She doesn't know the details of this synesthesia, but there was definitely a strong, strong sense of discomfort in Rem.
It is an overwhelming sense of security for Ram, which should be the first time they see it.
"......But, I'm scared/"
"You are scared?"
"To feel this way about you, with whom I've only spoken for a short time."
For Rem, who has lost her memory, the only two people who were present at the moment when she began to become the person she is today are Subaru and Louis. It was a beginning that kept Subaru away and Louis by her side for a reason.
After that, she got to know the People of Shudrak, Flop and Medium, Priscilla and Katya, and in Rem's own way, she developed many relationships.
And yet, the presence of Ram overtakes them all at once and tries to stand at the top.
"That's what I'm afraid of......"
This inexpressible sense of security is the footsteps of the past that are stepping up.
It is hard not to wish to regain lost memories. It seems to her that many of Rem's problems will probably come back to her as her memories come back.
But at the same time, she fears that when those footsteps catch up with her, everything will change.
If the way she sees, the way she feels, the way she thinks, everything changes.
Yes, strongly, strongly Rem closes her eyes and presses her chest.
There--,
"I see. --That's great."
"Huh?"
An unexpected voice was heard, and Rem looked up, opening her closed eyelids.
Ram, holding her elbow, slightly lowered the corner of her eye in front of Rem, who stared at her, wondering what she had just said,
"Ram is just like Rem. I was scared, I thought."
"Scared......"
"What if Rem naturally embraced this synesthesia and jumped into Ram's chest as a matter of course? --Yes, I was scared."
"----"
Her expression remains soft, but what she says is about fear, and Rem is unsure of how she feels about Ram in front of her. --No, she does not.
They know what they didn't know, and they are confused by it.
"Uuh!"
Suddenly, instead of Rem, whose eyes were swimming with confusion, Louis, who was hugging her around the waist, groaned.
Glaring at Ram from below, Louis senses the tremor in Rem's heart and sharpens her gaze to scold Ram for causing it.
Catching Louis's gaze, Ram narrowed her eyes slightly,
"You want to stand between Ram and Rem? Of all people, you?"
"Augh!"
"I see, so you're not going to back down. It's complicated, but not unpleasant."
Whatever the connection, Ram said this with an air of knowingness about Louis, and then looked again into Rem's eyes. When her eyes meet her, she can't tear her gaze away from there.
The soul is drawn to them, even as they experience the sensation of being burned by the intensity of their gaze.
Fear grows stronger and stronger.
And just as strong was her attraction to Ram.
Feeling it strongly, Rem bit her lip tightly,
"You must be my sister. I can believe that without a doubt. It's just......"
"Your heart may be convinced, but your head can't be?"
"......Yes."
"I see. Then that's good enough for the time being.""
Ram closed the distance with another step toward Rem, who nodded weakly.
As Rem's shoulders tighten at the sight of her approaching, Louis steps forward to protect Rem. But Rem gently supported Louis's shoulder and held the gentle girl back, saying, "It's okay."
Then, of her own volition, she looks at Rem in front of her.
With this look from Rem, Ram uncrossed her arms and held out her hand. The hand that was held out to her by the person whose heart she had already acknowledged as her sister.
"I am Ram. I am your sister, and I was surely born to love you."
"----"
"But there is someone else who is just as important, my independent sister."
Rem rolled her eyes at the words said so matter-of-factly and confidently.
Then, as the meaning firmly penetrated my mind, she couldn't help but let out a gasp. As it was, Rem laughed a small laugh and kept smiling,
"I am still afraid of you. When I talk to you, I feel like I could lose myself in this feeling of security and become completely captivated."
"I can't help it. Ram is the kind of sister you want to put all your trust and affection in."
"Yes, Sister Ram."
Ram, proudly puffing out her chest, begrudgingly grasped her hand, and Rem finally called her that. Then, hearing this, Ram raised her eyebrows slightly.
As for Rem, it was a courageous call, so her reaction is disappointing.
"Um?"
"......Barusu's subservience is a temper, but it certainly doesn't feel right."
"Uh?"
"--I'm Nee-sama."
"Huh?"
After a moment of reluctance, Ram continued, and Rem rolled her eyes. In response to Rem's reaction, Ram said the same thing over and over again, once more.
"Call me Nee-sama. That's the way I feel most comfortable with you."
"......Ram... nee-sama?"
"You don't need my name."
"--Nee-sama."
As she said, she brought the call closer to the way she wanted it, and Ram squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she pulled Rem's hand from her grip. When Rem unexpectedly stepped on the foot bellows, she gently held her body in her arms, and Ram embraced her from the front.
As it was, Ram put her lips to Rem's ear,
"Now I feel it clearly. --Ram is Rem's sister."
"--I felt it, too."
Thus, as soon as she was in her arms, what she had feared overflowed.
It was what she called a sense of security, an attraction from the soul, a love for Ram. It was strong, softly swallowing even Rem, who should have had no memory of it.
"......I'm sorry, but are you ready, Rem?"
"Am I ready?"
"We need to get ready to go inside. We need to show off not only Emilia and the others, but also Barusu. We need to show off our sisterhood, and then we need to worry about the rest."
At Ram's comment, Rem closed her eyes.
Still, Rem has no answer as to how she should face Emilia and the others, and Subaru as well.
But at least there was no doubt about this sister's feelings and her feelings for Ram.
"Yes, Nee-sama."
"I guess I'll just put it off until I've been called a hundred times."
"Nee-sama......"
"I'm kidding."
Rem nodded, and Ram told a joke that didn't sound like a joke.
Such mischievous attitude of her sister fills Rem's heart with relief, even for a moment, despite her own sense of urgency and the fact that she is also in a situation with a single other important matter.
"Uawh, awhaugh?"
"Yes, I'm fine. And Louis, thank you for your concern."
"Uuh!"
Louis stood by Rem's side the whole time, sandwiched between Rem and Ram's dialogue. With a smile, she dismissed her fears, and Rem gently stroked the gentle girl's head.
Then, accompanied by that Louis, she bravely lines up next to her sister, who half turns around.
As it was, she looked at Ram and nodded, and they both reached out to the door in front of them--,
"--Excuse me. I could hear you making a lot of noise, even outside."
"That's very Barusu of you, heaped-up little animal."
The sisters all stepped into the room where their friends were.
△▼△▼△▼△
"Hah...... a huge weight off my shoulders......"
Subaru muttered to himself as he felt a great grip on his chest disappear.
A big grip on his chest, that's the responsibility Subaru had to hold on to--to protect Rem and bring Ram and Emilia and the others to meet him, with no one else to protect them.
To be honest, when he learned that he could not be there for that first situation, the reunion of the sisters Ram and Rem, he was overcome with such regret that he thought it was the end of the world.
"I wish I could see them side by side like that."
They visited Subaru's guest room together, and even though we don't know what kind of exchange they had, their attitude was at least believable that it did not go badly.
Once he realized this, the frustration that had been there just before faded away, and a sense of relief took over Subaru.
Finally, finally, he was able to get Rem to meet Ram.
He was able to get Rem to meet with Emilia and Beatrice and the others.
He doesn't know how much of that was his contribution, but they did it.
Subaru himself was able to join up with Emilia and the others, and it could be said that he was very happy to be able to do so.
"I'm still a little kid, and I haven't got Rem's memory back yet......"
However, hope was felt to be properly sprouting.
As for Subaru's size, he can say that he can see a way to deal with it in the near future, and he is sure that they can find a way to restore Rem's memory.
So, all that's left to do is--,
"......You really don't want Betty with you, in fact?"
"No, I'm not a heckler at all, but I'm probably the guy who doesn't want to show his face when Beako is around, so listen to me be selfish for a second."
"If something happens, call me right away, I suppose. I'll zoom by, in fact."
"I'm counting on you."
Yes, Beatrice did not want to let go of Subaru's hand until the very end.
After gently untying her caring hand, Emilia and her friends left the room once they were done, and Subaru was alone in the room filled with silence.
When all of the factors that had been lively up to that point, all of them, were gone from the room without a trace, various suspicions instantly swept over Subaru.
The retreat from the Imperial City, and how large a scale it is taking place. Have they found out who those zombie hordes are? Are relations between the Imperial Army and the rebels improving? Why did Emilia and the others dare to spread only cheerful topics? What is the answer to Tanza's gloomy expression?
And how did the events just before Subaru lost consciousness see resolution?
"Will you answer half, if not all, of those questions?"
"--That depends on how willing you are to step up to the plate."
In the empty bedroom, a figure responded to Subaru's words as he raised himself up on his bunk, and would have been waiting for him to do so to get rid of the people.
Slowly, the sound of shoes stamping on the floor is majestic, colored by an attitude that is not afraid to make its presence known to those around it.
There is no change in his behavior or the sharpness of his eyes from what he remembers. Still, Subaru looks at the dark-haired handsome man who looks decidedly different in some way.
And then--,
"How eloquently you speak, Natsuki Subaru? --The 'Stargazer' of the Dragon Kingdom."
So, with hostile black eyes, Vincent Vollachia questioned Natsuki Subaru.
