※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
The men gazed at him with scorn and contempt as Subaru appraised them. They appeared to be in their mid-twenties. Their clothes were filthy and it was as though their inner evil had manifested on their faces. They weren't subhuman, but they couldn't be called decent humans either.
"Damn, a compulsory event."
Facing the grinning men, Subaru wiped his face and stood up in a panic. They were clearly bandits, and considering the state of the world they might even take his life. Mission 1: "Repel the bandits" had begun. The clear condition was eliminating them, and the failure condition was probably his death.
Subaru smacked his cheeks and ignored the chill running up his spine. He had to get serious, hesitation could cost him his life. He at least had confidence in his decisiveness.
"Furthermore, this is another world. Considering the typical pattern I might be super strong here. Something like the gravity being a tenth of what it was or… Come to think of it, my body feels light! Maybe I can win!"
"He's murmuring something."
"Maybe he doesn't get what's going on. Should we teach him?"
Unlike Subaru, the men remained fairly calm. However, Subaru continued to face them without backing down.
"Woah there, you guys won't be so calm for long. Let me warn you, guys like me fantasize about this sort of thing all the time. I'll beat the crap out of you and turn you into XP!"
"I have no clue what you're saying, but you're going to die for mocking us."
"That's… My line!"
With that declaration, Subaru launched his preemptive attack before they could react. He flew into one of them with a full bodied right straight. He landed a direct hit on the leader's face with such force that his front tooth cut Subaru's hand.
He'd hit someone for the first time! And it was much more painful than expected!
This was all he'd tried in his simulations, but it was his first time actually doing it, the man he hit fell to the ground and stopped moving. Driven by emotion, Subaru immediately lunged at another man who was still in shock.
"Eat this! A high kick forged by after-bath stretches!"
"Guh!"
His foot drew an arc right into the man's temple and slammed him into the wall. Having knocked a second person out, Subaru started to believe he was invincible due to his unexpectedly competent performance.
"Looks like this world is set to raise my power after all! With all this adrenaline I can definitely win!"
Filled with courage, Subaru turned to the last man as he prepared to take him out. However, the glint of the knife in his hand caused Subaru to prostrate himself on the spot.
"I'm sorry, it was all my fault! Please forgive me, spare-!"
He surrendered on his knees, the greatest and lowest representation of Japanese spirit.
His earlier excitement had completely disappeared. Subaru felt his blood run cold as he tried his very best to beg for mercy, with his head on the ground.
After all, he had no chance against a blade. If he were cut, he'd be finished. Skill didn't matter when it came to a knife-wielding opponent.
He then realized the two who were supposed to be down were also getting back up. They nursed their bleeding noses and shook their heads dizzily, but otherwise seemed fine.
"Huh?! How come my peerless attacks failed?! Where's the power I'm supposed to have?!"
"What sort of crap are you spouting?! How dare you do that to us?!"
They stomped his head into the ground, causing his forehead to bleed as it scraped against the road. Subaru desperately curled up as they continued to pile on blow after blow.
―This is bad, it hurts like hell. I might actually die, for real.
They showed no mercy whatsoever, and unlike his old world there was no guarantee they'd spare his life, there was a strong possibility that he'd be tortured to death like this.
Perhaps he should have fought, prepared to die an honorable death. But that was no longer a possibility considering his injuries. Even so, he couldn't just die like that.
"Don't move, fool!"
"Owowowow! Hurtshurtshurts!"
The moment he tried to get up, they crushed his hands underfoot and he could only scream in agony. The man turned red with rage and sent spit flying as he yelled, he then held the knife in an underhand grip.
"We'll kill you and take everything you have. That's what you get for messing with us."
"If it's valuables you're after, it's useless. You see, I'm completely broke!"
"Your strange clothes and shoes will do then, we'll turn you into Giant Rat feed."
―Ah, there's rats in this world too. Sounds like a bottom-tier monster.
His mind started drifting in an attempt to escape reality as he looked at the knife which could tear into him at any moment. He wasn't seeing any lights, nor did the world slow down. His life would simply end just like that.
"Hey, move move move! You're in my way!"
An exasperated voice rang out as someone ran into the alley. The startled men looked up at the intruder, and Subaru attempted to do so as well though he couldn't move.
A beautiful girl crossed his field of view.
Her frame was small, and she possessed shoulder-length blonde hair which fluttered in the wind. Her eyes suggested a strong will and her fang-like canine protruded mischievously. She looked rather cheeky, but it could be said that she was cute considering her age.
The shabbily dressed girl had just come across the scene of a genuine mugging.
The seemingly deliberate timing caused hope to well up within Subaru. This was it, the development he was waiting for. Following the typical pattern, this kind girl would gallantly save Subaru who was on the verge of death, and then-
"Man, this is crazy. But I'm busy, gotta get outta here! Live strong!"
"Eh? What?! Seriously?!"
However, that fleeting hope was crushed.
Their eyes met momentarily and she raised her hand apologetically as she continued to run past them into what seemed to be a dead end.
She then proceeded to leap off a leaning board and rapidly disappeared up the wall.
With the girl gone, the alley naturally went silent. She'd gone by like a typhoon leaving them dumbfounded, but Subaru's circumstances hadn't changed one bit.
"Now that the mood's been lightened, I don't suppose you might let me go?!"
"On the contrary, we're even angrier. You're not going to die a peaceful death, you know?"
The man with the knife looked serious. Subaru realized that he was finished for sure this time, his hands were still trapped under their heels, it was too late to attempt to get up. Ultimately, despair conquered his heart.
―It's… Over? Just like that, in a place like this? It's true I haven't lived very virtuously. Even so, a death like this is just too cruel. If I were to ask what I did, the reply would be that I did nothing at all, a completely idle demise.
Pain… Wasn't it. There was something else causing him to tear up. It wasn't something like the fear of the end. He just couldn't bear having lived such an empty, meaningless life.
"―That's enough, villains."
A clear voice rang through the alley overpowering the noise of violence, the men's vulgar jeers, and even Subaru's own ragged breaths.
-x-X-x-
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'Time itself stopped', a phrase reserved for moments like this. At the entrance to the alley stood a single girl.
She was a beautiful girl.
She had tied up her long silver hair which reached her hips, her piercing gaze was brimming with intelligence, her soft features were both seductive and youthful and she exuded an air of nobility that was dangerously charming.
She stood about 160 centimeters tall, her royal blue-toned garments weren't particularly flashy, and yet their simplicity emphasized her presence even further. The one conspicuous feature was the emblem on her coat, a bird resembling a hawk, and even its magnificence was nothing more than a supplement to her sublime beauty.
"I won't let you run amok like that. Stop at once."
She spoke once again, her voice so exciting it could send tremors through one's body.
Her voice was like a silver bell, it was pleasant to the ears and her speech held such power it could shake one's heart.
Subaru was overwhelmed, to the extent that he'd completely forgotten his predicament. He could only think of her.
The bandits were no different, faced with her animosity their earlier vigor vanished. Even the man holding the knife turned pale as they retreated into the alley.
"Waitwaitwait! Please wait! We don't really get it, but we'll let him go! So please forgive us…"
"It's good to see you're so gracious. It's not too late, so return what you stole."
"It was our bad… Eh? What we stole?"
"Please. It's really important. I'd let go of anything else, but not that. － If you return it now, I'll spare your lives."
Though her words were only that of an entreaty, the last few were clearly filled with anger.
Her gaze was sharp, and the hand she'd extended as though reaching out was empty. However, there was something hard to put into words gathering in her palm, something everyone there could feel.
"W-Wait! … Um, perhaps there's been some kind of mistake?"
"… What?"
They pointed to Subaru who was still under their boots.
"Uhh, you're not here to save this guy, right?"
"… What strange clothes he's wearing. Perhaps there's been some internal strife among you? I can't say I approve of you ganging up on him like that, but if you were to ask whether or not I have any sort of connection to him, I'd have to say I don't."
Perhaps thinking they were trying to distract her, her tone was one of irritation. Seeming flustered by this, the men started talking in a hurry.
"Woa-W-Wait! If you don't want this guy, we have nothing to do with each other! About whatever was stolen from you, it was probably that girl from earlier!"
"A-Ah, right! The girl from earlier, she ran up the wall onto the roof!"
"Yeah, over there! She's probably three streets away by now!"
As they gave their rapid-fire explanations, her eyes met Subaru's.
Her eyes seemed to ask if they were telling the truth and Subaru nodded instinctively, unable to lie.
Having seen this, the girl reluctantly nodded in understanding.
"It looks like you weren't lying. So she went that way…? I'll have to hurry."
She turned her back on them, prepared to leave.
The men were blatantly relieved, and Subaru cursed his own foolishness for getting wrapped up in the atmosphere and squandering his only chance. However,
"Be that as it may, I can't overlook what's going on here."
She turned around with her palm facing them － And aimed the 'rock' in her palm at the stock still men as she fired.
Its speed would fit right in at the major league, and its course was that of a bean ball.
The sound of a regulation ball striking flesh rang out thrice, and the men were blown away as they screamed in pain.
[T/N: Major league refers to high level baseball, bean ball means a ball intended to hit the opponent, a regulation ball is a hard ball.]
Having scored direct hits on the men, there was a high-pitched din as lumps of ice fell by Subaru. Lumps of ice the size of a fist― Their existence defied any sense of season and even physics itself, and they dispersed as if consumed by the atmosphere once they'd served their purpose.
"―Magic."
The word most suited to explain this phenomenon immediately spilled out of his mouth. He didn't hear her chant or anything, but that ice just now was definitely formed in and fired from her palm.
Having seen this actually occur before him, he realized something.
"This isn't nearly as fantastic as I thought… It feels disappointingly real."
He'd imagined light scattering around or energy flowing wildly, but in reality it was just some lumps of ice rapidly coming into existence and disappearing just as quickly. There wasn't even the slightest hint of atmosphere to it.
"You've… Really gone and done it now."
Setting aside Subaru's impressions, the men who had been hit by that disappointingly real attack had sustained serious damage. Two of them could barely keep their footing steady as they stood back up and the third may have been hit in a bad spot, because he was out cold. Despite their bleeding, the two who were still standing appeared ready to fight. Even the man beside the guy with the knife was holding an object resembling a rusty nata as he prepared for battle.
[T/N: Nata = A type of blade]
"I don't give a damn whether you're a mage or whatever. The two of us together are going to kill you… You think you can win against both of us?"
The man with the knife raised his voice in anger as he pressed down on his broken nose with his other hand, but the girl showed no signs of faltering.
"I suppose two on one might be unfair."
"Then two on two should be okay, right?"
Yet another voice filled the alley, androgynous and high-pitched, as though speaking for the girl.
Subaru started looking around in surprise and the men shared his reaction. They couldn't find anyone who might have spoken those words, not at the entrance and of course not within the alley.
The three of them were confused and bewildered, and as if to show off, the girl held out her hand.
Her palm faced upward, and 'it' floated above her white fingertips.
"It's kind of embarrassing to be looked at like that."
It said as it bashfully groomed its face. 'It' being a cat small enough to fit in a palm, standing upright.
Its coat was gray and its ears were floppy, to Subaru it looked very much like an American Shorthair. Well, setting aside its pink nose and the length of its tail. The sight of this bizarre cat-like being caused the man with the knife to tremble as he screamed.
"―A spirit user!"
"Correct. If you withdraw right now, I won't pursue you. Think fast, I don't have time for this."
The men clicked their tongues at her words and started to carry their fallen friend out of the alley. As they passed by Subaru and approached the exit, they glanced back at the girl and―
"Just you wait, you damned brat. You'd best be careful the next time you decide to wander around here."
"If you lay a finger on her, you'll be tormented until the end of time. You'll be in the afterlife well before that, though."
They desperately tried to make threats, but the reply was dismissive in tone although its contents were rather severe.
The cat in her palm behaved rather frivolously, but their faces turned paler than ever before as they silently fled out of the alley.
Now that they were gone, only Subaru remained before her.
"―Don't move."
Forgetting the pain coursing through him, Subaru had tried to get up to thank her.
But she stopped him in his tracks, her ice cold voice devoid of any sentiment.
Her eyes were filled with caution. Even having understood Subaru wasn't with them, she clearly didn't think of him as a good person.
Despite this, he was enthralled by the beauty of her amethyst eyes. He wasn't used to dealing with beautiful women, so that alone caused him to turn red and avert his eyes. Seeing this, the girl smiled boldly as she maintained her cautious gaze.
"Your guilty conscience made you avert your eyes. Looks like my judgement was spot on."
"I wonder. I didn't sense malice whatsoever, that was probably just an instinctive male reaction."
"You be quiet, Puck. ― You, you probably know who stole my insignia, right?"
The girl silenced the cat as she tossed a question Subaru's way. She seemed rather proud of herself, but,
"Sorry to disappoint, but I have no clue."
"No way?!"
Her prideful front crumbled, allowing her usual expression to come through for a moment. Her imposing attitude had also vanished as she turned to the cat in her palm in a panic.
"W-What now? Did we really just waste our time…?"
"You're wasting time as we speak, you really should hurry. The culprit definitely has the divine protection of wind considering how fast they ran."
"Why are you treating it like someone else's problem?"
"You were the one who told me to stay out of it, though. Besides, what are you going to do about this guy?"
Subaru smiled bitterly when he once again became the topic of conversation. The girl seemed as though she'd just now realized that he was still there. Subaru put on a brave face for her and stood up,
"You've done enough. You're in a hurry, right? You'd better get going."
―I'll help you out if you so desire, how about it?
He'd planned to say this while his fingers combed through his hair and his teeth sparkled, however,
"Huh?"
"Ah, you'd better not try to sta―, too late."
His head felt heavy and his body was wobbly. He tried to support himself against a wall, but his hand only grasped air. In the end, he had a reunion with the ground he was just recently laying on. He fell completely undefended right onto his nose, the sharp pain making his consciousness drift.
"―Well, what now?"
"Well, it's not like we know him. He won't die, so let's leave him be."
As his consciousness faded away, he could make out bits of their conversation. This was parallel world fantasy alright, harsh even when it came to kindness.
He was going to be abandoned in some alley, a negative viewpoint.
Well, he was about to die so merely being alive was a blessing in itself, a positive viewpoint.
These half-hearted thoughts floated across his mind as his consciousness slowly―
"Really?"
"Really!"
On the verge of losing consciousness, he caught sight of the girl turning around, her face red.
"―I definitely, definitely won't stick around to help him."
―So cute even when she's angry, a true parallel world fantasy.
Those were his last thoughts before he blacked out.
-x-X-x-
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To Subaru, the feeling of waking up was rather similar to the sensation of raising his head out of water. Rays of sunshine assailed his pupils the moment his eyelids parted, causing him to grimace as he rubbed his eyes. He was rather good at waking up, once his eyes opened his consciousness would soon follow.
"Ah, you're awake?"
A voice directly overhead. As Subaru turned to face it, his body still on the ground, he realized that his head was resting on something rather soft.
"Don't try to move just yet. Your head was hurt, so it's not safe."
The voice worrying about him was gentle, and the sensation under his head was one of supreme bliss. Subaru thought back to what had happened before he lost consciousness and concluded that he was currently experiencing one of the greatest boons a man could receive.
―Holy crap, that beauty's giving me a lap pillow?!
Taking advantage of this divine blessing, Subaru started to toss and turn, enjoying the feel of her thighs to his heart's content.
His circular motions brought delightful sensations to his cheeks, his face wrapped in a fluffy―
―Man, pretty girls are a lot hairier than I thought.
"Like hell―!"
"Glad to see you're up. (Falsetto)"
Subaru played the straight man as he looked up, now fully lucid, he could properly see what was before him. In his inverted line of sight was the face of an absurdly huge cat. Its expression was excessively ingratiating as it formed what seemed to be a smile.
"I decided to be considerate and offer you some comfort until you woke up. (Falsetto)"
"First of all, quit doing that terrible falsetto."
Having ended up up in the absurd situation of receiving a lap pillow from a human-sized cat, that was Subaru's only request. He then went back to enjoying the furry sensation since it was so generously provided.
"Fluffy… So fluffy. Just what in the world have you gone and created, God?"
"Oh dear, it seems it was well worth it for me to change size if it brings you that much joy. Right?"
The giant cat shyly scratched its head and winked as if seeking agreement. In the direction of its gaze, at the entrance to the alley, a girl stood with her arms crossed in displeasure. She was the girl who had been burned into his eyes and memory before he lost consciousness.
."So basically, you're that tiny kitty from before?"
"Fufufu, its freely changing size makes it great for transport. It also brightens your day with humorous chitchat. A cat for everyone, goes great with your lifestyle! For more details please contact the spirit association."
It nimbly snapped its fingers and started a sales pitch. The contents weren't really relevant, but Subaru understood that was probably how it acted.
"So you ended up staying here until I woke up…"
"Don't get it twisted. I had some questions for you, so I had no choice but to stay. If that weren't the case, I would have just left you here. Definitely. Just so we're clear on that."
When it was emphasized that much, even Subaru couldn't really say much in response. She spoke in a fierce tone, as if pressing him. Considering his level 1 communication ability that was even worse when it came to the opposite sex, all Subaru could do was nod.
"And that goes for me healing you and letting you enjoy Puck's lap too. All of it was for my own benefit, so I'll have you repay me now."
"You're putting on quite the act, but it ultimately wraps around to being a regular request, doesn't it?"
What goes around comes around, taken to the extreme. But in response to his answer, the girl shook her head with a stern expression.
"That's not it, I'm making a demand here. ― Now, you probably know who stole my insignia, right?"
Subaru nervously accepted her condition, and she for some reason lowered her voice and asked him this.
Subaru couldn't help but tilt his head at this. He had a really strong feeling that he'd heard this exact question before he lost consciousness.
"Did I hit my head really hard while I was very briefly unconscious?"
"You were out for at least five minutes, but as far as I know nothing of the sort happened."
"Then could it be deja vu? Maybe I've awakened some hidden power that lets me experience the immediate future?"
Perhaps he should call his ability "Come back yesterday".
[T/N: Literally "come back the day before yesterday", basically Japanese slang for telling someone to get lost.]
It could be rather useful to come up with the right answer to a question. Perhaps it'd even be possible to prepare for tough questions on tests. His dream started spiraling out of control.
"Ah, I was a shut-in!"
"Quit ignoring me and calm down already, would you? Now, answer me."
"Uhh… I have to say… I don't really know."
The so-called insignia was probably something like those badges people like lawyers, prosecutors, members of the defense force etc. had to prove their identity.
Unfortunately, Subaru had no memory whatsoever of seeing such a thing in the hour or so he was here.
Back home, he had a veritable mountain of toy badges he'd collected as a child. But he didn't know how to return there, and he'd probably get smashed by her ice if he tried offering her one.
Consequently, his answer couldn't possibly meet her expectations. But the girl simply nodded, not disappointed in the slightest.
"I see. That's that, then. But I did learn that you don't know anything, so that shall suffice as compensation for healing you."
Her logic regarding her total loss would have shocked the sleaziest swindler. Leaving a dumbfounded Subaru behind, she loudly clapped her hands together as if she'd completely gotten over it.
"I'll be going then. Sorry, but I'm in a hurry. Your injuries are almost gone, and those guys probably won't come after you again considering how scared they were, but wandering into deserted alleys alone at a time like this is basically suicide. Ah, I'm not worried or anything, I'm just warning you. I won't have a reason to save you if this happens again, so you'd better not expect anything."
Her mouth moved rapidly as she spoke at length, and perhaps interpreting Subaru's silence as agreement, she seemed satisfied as she turned away.
Her long, silver hair swayed with her movements and even in that gloomy alley it had a fairy tale-like luster to it.
Subaru's support suddenly disappeared and he hastily stopped his fall. When he turned around, the cat's giant body was nowhere to be found, having returned to the palm-sized form he'd originally seen. Floating through the air like a balloon, it turned toward the girl.
"Sorry about that. She just can't be upfront about such things, this daughter of mine. Don't think her strange for it."
Saying this in a jovial tone, the cat gently landed on her shoulder. She patted its back as if to confirm this, after which it disappeared into her hair.
Subaru's eyes followed her dashing form as she walked away, and he thought intently about what the cat had said to him.
―The real motivation behind her words and actions.
It seemed she had been robbed of something really important to her, and she was pursuing the culprit. She then saw a stranger being assaulted, and stopped to help him despite this.
On top of that, she even wasted her time healing him and watched over him until he woke up, and then repeated her earlier question and deemed that sufficient compensation so he wouldn't feel indebted to her.
It was far beyond the level where you could say she wasn't upfront about things. It was the first time in his life he'd seen someone so absurdly considerate.
From her perspective, there was absolutely nothing to gain from interacting with him. On top of losing her target, she spent precious time healing him. Considering this, it could be said that she'd actually sustained a great loss here. She had every right to criticize him, and he would accept all of it.
But in the end, she didn't do that, nor did she ask for an apology. Why? According to her, it was because saving him was all part of her self-serving plan.
"Living like that, you're going to lose everything."
He stood up with those words and patted his dirt-covered jersey. The filth made his well-used jersey stand out, but it had sustained no real damage. And most importantly, all the pain from his beating was completely gone. He rotated his shoulders and stretched his legs as he confirmed his condition, once again realizing just how absurd magic was.
And also how abnormal the girl was, having done this much for him and demanding next to nothing in return.
"―Hey, wait up!"
As she looked around at the spot where the alley connected to the main street, a voice called out from behind her. Smoothing down her hair with her hand, she seemed annoyed as she turned around.
"What? We've already said everything we needed to say, so we no longer have anything to do with each other. We're merely strangers whose paths intersected for a moment."
"Don't say such heart-rending things! And even if you intended to end things, I think it's far from over."
Her eyes were cold as he approached as if clinging to her. Some part of him thought this scene was very much like a boy pursuing a girl who'd given him the cold shoulder, but he pressed on, spreading his arms to block her path.
"That thing's important to you, right? Let me help you find it."
"But you don't…"
"It's true that I haven't a clue as to the culprit's name, background or fetishes, but I at least know what she looks like! A pretty girl with a snaggletooth and striking blonde hair! She was shorter than you and flatter too, and maybe two or three years younger, but I was like really―?!"
It was a bad habit of his to become tense and speak at extreme speed when he was at his wits' end, a habit that was clearly on display at this very moment. Frankly, even he himself was repulsed by this.
―There was too much unnecessary crap like chests and fetishes. And using words like 'pretty girl' and 'really', just who am I supposed to be? I gave up on English in my first year of middle school.
[T/N: Subaru has bits of English strewn about his speech.]
In his first year of middle school, he'd gotten rid of his English textbook in the middle of summer break and he'd sworn off using loan words ever since, enacting a personal policy of national isolation.
So how on Earth could he just litter his speech with English―
It seemed as though Subaru was about to embark on a journey of self-reflection, full of strain and regret. His back was soaked with cold sweat. His arms were in a dreadful state due to the sweat from his palms and armpits. He was besieged by heart palpitations, breathlessness, dizziness, anemia, nasal congestion and migraines as he stood there.
He'd driven himself into a corner, and what saved him was,
"―You're a strange guy."
The girl's voice, her finger on her lip as she slightly tilted her head, as though looking at some exotic animal. She stared at him as if appraising him and then,
"Let me just say this, I can't offer you anything in return. I'm completely broke."
"It was all stolen, you see."
"Relax, I'm basically broke as well."
"There's nothing reassuring about that, though."
Consciously ignoring the intermittent interjections, Subaru vigorously struck his chest.
"And I don't need a reward or anything. I just want to thank you."
"I haven't done anything to deserve your thanks, you already repaid me for the healing."
She remained stubborn to the very end.
Her obstinate attitude made Subaru smile bitterly as he continued, "If so,"
"I'm helping you for my own sake too. My objective is, yeah, that. I wanna do some good deeds!"
"Good deeds?"
"That's right, if you do a whole lot of them, you get to go to heaven when you die. It's basically my dream life, lazing about all you want, living as self-indulgently as you please, and it's like it's just waiting for me. That's why you have to let me help you."
He didn't really understand what he was saying himself, but he said what he wanted to. He looked as though he'd just accomplished some great task, but the girl seemed rather pensive. However, the cat on her shoulder started poking her cheek with its paw.
"I'm not sensing any malice, wouldn't it be best to take him up on his offer? You don't have any leads, and you can hardly search the whole capital."
"But… I"
"Your stubbornness is definitely cute, but it'd be foolish to lose sight of your objective because of it. I don't want to think of my own daughter as a fool."
The cat shrugged its shoulders as it provoked her, causing her to raise her eyebrow. The next several seconds were filled with strangely erotic 'Ahh's, 'Uhn's and 'But's, but in the end,
"―I really can't give you anything, you know."
Saying this, she took his outstretched hand.
-x-X-x-
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
His first friendly interaction in this world.
About thirty minutes after he offered to help her in that heartwarming exchange,
"―What exactly is this?"
Their investigation had led nowhere.
The girl's eyes were cold as she asked this, her dissatisfied gaze directed at Subaru who had just discovered something. Namely―
"That cold gaze is actually kind of exciting… Wait. No, it can't be. I, I… Was an M all along…?"
[T/N: M = Masochist]
"I don't know about this 'em' or whatever, but it's clear to me that you're talking compleeete nonsense."
Making no effort to hide her exasperation, she crossed her arms and sighed.
Her criticism was scathing, but it was probably appropriate considering what Subaru had managed to accomplish over these past thirty minutes.
Subaru himself had offered to help her search for her missing item, but there were a number of problems that made their search extremely difficult.
To begin with, he had no idea where he was.
As far that was concerned, it couldn't really be helped considering he was just summoned from another world, but it was a major hurdle considering the girl was also unfamiliar with the area.
They had both assumed the other person knew the way, and ended up wasting almost ten minutes wandering around the back alleys. A funny story to tell at this point, but they couldn't really laugh at it.
Secondly, he couldn't read their language.
He'd neglected this since conversation wasn't a problem, but upon examining his surroundings again he noticed what seemed to be hand-written hieroglyphics all over the place.
He didn't realize this at first, but considering they were even written on signs and the like, unless mystic runes had become all the rage around here, they were probably this world's alphabet. As a result he couldn't differentiate shops by their signs, and he couldn't rely on signposts to navigate either.
In summary, the typical cliche of "Why do they speak and write the same language?!" had only delivered on the former it seemed. But if one considered that he'd probably be dead in some ditch if he didn't at least have that, it could be said that his situation wasn't that bad.
"Even if that were the case, this explosion in difficulty is absurd…"
Far from the kind of story where the hero comes in with unbeatable cheats, it was more like he didn't even have the minimum level of preparation. And most importantly, the crucial problem that had earned the girl's ire―
"You've just been hiding behind me this entire time, you haven't been helpful in the slightest."
"I mean, it's kinda scary talking to people you've just met…"
"You're not some kid…"
Her well shaped eyebrows scowled as though she was having a headache, and she spoke in a rather pitying voice.
Just as Subaru feared, the hurdle of obtaining information from strangers proved to be too much for him. His communication ability had dropped precipitously over the past year. He merely clung to her silently, like a shy boy following his mother.
He certainly wanted to say something in response to her disappointment, but his cowardliness ran deep and the words wouldn't come out. Thus, the cat on her shoulder who had been silent thus far started waving its tail and,
"Relax…. At least he has no ill intent."
"That's even worse. It'd be easier to believe he's sabotaging me, honestly. To be so utterly useless with good intentions, it's honestly harder to deal with than enmity."
"Sure is enlightening, huh?"
The cat's uncaring attitude made the girl sigh. She then looked at the street yet again and continued, "But even so,"
"This really is tough."
A small complaint left her mouth. Having moved from the alley they were in earlier, and even from the street connecting to it, they were now far from the hustle and bustle of civilization as they entered the slums. Though discouraged, they continued their investigation and ultimately ended up here.
"They said that stolen goods were usually handled in the slums…"
"We know the location and the culprit's appearance, so why not leave the rest to the poli… I mean, the guards? We'd find it right away if we had a lot of people working on it."
A shopkeeper about two streets away had told them about a narrow alley connecting to the slums. It was true that the sun was going down, but despite being right next to the street, the place was gloomy for reasons other than the light source. The depressing atmosphere and foul smell caused Subaru's face to scrunch up reflexively.
"The atmosphere, mood, and probably even the inhabitants' personalities are all bad It'd be best to call someone."
"No way."
He wasn't merely nervous or afraid, he'd suggested this after carefully considering his ability and the girl's safety, but he was turned down on the spot. Subaru was bewildered by this declaration and the girl seemed somewhat apologetic.
"I'm sorry. But that's no good. I don't think the guards will come running over a little theft like this… And also, I can't rely on them due to personal circumstances."
Sealing her lips, she looked at him as if to say, "I can't say why, though. Having understood she probably didn't want to be questioned, Subaru raised his hand in compliance. To begin with, he wasn't so boorish as to pry into others' affairs, and getting too involved with others was a pain anyway. If he were interested in interpersonal relationships, he wouldn't have become a shut-in.
"Alright, what do we do then?"
Even having heard nothing of her circumstances, Subaru asked about her next course of action.
Not seeking the reason and deciding whether or not to stop helping her were entirely different matters. He may not have known her circumstances, but he didn't want to be an ingrate.
Perhaps sure that Subaru would leave her, the girl's eyebrows rose in surprise at this. The cat started doing a little dance on her shoulder,
"I told you, didn't I? Not a hint of ill will."
Fooling around as usual, it seemed terribly cheerful as it pointed at Subaru. However, its expression suddenly became serious.
"But you'd better decide carefully. ―It's almost nightfall, so I won't be able to help you. A few hoodlums wouldn't be a problem, but… Be careful."
"Yeah, you're right… Okay, I'll think about it. I'll think about it, but"
Her answer was indecisive. As she seemed to struggle with her response, Subaru suddenly became curious and asked the cat,
"What were you just talking about? You can't be around at night?"
"To put it more precisely, despite my cute looks I'm actually a spirit, you see. Manifestation alone consumes a great deal of mana, so at night I fully return to my Yorishiro and focus on building up mana. I'd say on average a nine to five schedule would be ideal."
[T/N: Yorishiro = An object that contains or summons spirits.]
"Nine to five, you sound like a civil servant… Spirits' terms of employment are unexpectedly severe."
Unusual terms like spirit or Yorishiro were flying around as though it were natural, but a modern otaku corrupted by games and anime wouldn't have a hard time understanding them.
Anyhow, the cat before him―Or rather, Puck's contract did not include a night shift. He didn't look reliable at all, but considering how terrified those thugs from the alley were, setting aside Puck himself the beings known as 'Spirits' did seem to possess power befitting them.
A being who inspired far more fear than the girl who could magically create ice. Contrary to his unusually idyllic atmosphere, his true nature might have been that of a maneater that craved blood.
"Thinking of it that way, you're unexpectedly terrifying. Let me just say this, I'm really sinewy so I probably taste really bad!"
"I can kind of read your mind to some extent so… You really are a nut, huh?"
It felt like he intended to say that in a roundabout fashion, but completely failed to do so. Puck's fluffy forehead then moved in a gesture similar to a frown,
"Come to think of it, I don't even know your name. I don't believe we ever introduced ourselves."
"Ah, I guess so. Then let's start with me."
Subaru cleared his throat and then spun on the spot, striking a pose as he thrust his finger into the sky.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru! I'm utterly lost and completely broke! Nice to meet you!"
"Sounds like you're in a real tough spot, huh. Alright then, I'm Puck. Nice to meet you."
Subaru had extended his hand in a gesture of goodwill, and Puck flew right into it, a dynamic handshake with his whole body. From an outsider's perspective, it looked like Subaru was crushing him.
Puck was just as fluffy as he was in his giant form, once he'd had his fill of the sensation Subaru turned to the girl next to him. Her gaze was sour as she watched this exchange between man and animal.
"Why can't you ever set that overly familiar attitude aside for a moment? It's unnecessary."
"I was at my wits' end and found a thread I could cling to! Damn it, I'm never letting this go, this encounter… My life itself depends on it…!"
"Your determination is compleeeetely pointless… Say, do you even remember under what pretense you joined us?"
"Of course. You're now searching for a person rather than an object, and I'm the only the one who knows what they look like… You think I'll let you get rid of me just like that, I'll never leak my secrets…!"
"Although I do recall you murmuring "Blonde hair… And her teeth… Ah, never mind" and the like as you hid behind me while we questioned people, so you've leaked quite a bit."
"Curse my own foolishness!!"
He grabbed his head and bent over on the spot. It was like he was playing poker while showing his opponent his hand. Attempting to negotiate like that was simply laughable. Even though she was his first friendly contact in this world, it seemed like she was about to slip away from him and that made him terribly anxious. Puck smiled wryly as he watched Subaru struggle.
"Well, you've both got your own problems to deal with. Let's hear you out later and prioritize the issue at hand. Be that as it may, that's an unusual name. Has a nice ring to it."
"I guess so, it's not a name you hear around here. Speaking of which, your hair and eye color, and even your clothes are all rather unique… Where are you from?"
"According to the template, a small nation to the east, probably."
A well worn pattern when it came to parallel world stories. An isolated land in the far east, akin to Zipangu.
[T/N: Zipangu is a term commonly seen in games/anime etc, seeming to originate from Marco Polo]
A magical cliche where you could just say you were from some other country and most people would simply accept it, since in such worlds international relations were generally very lacking. However,
"Lugunica is the easternmost country on our continental map… There's nothing to the east of here."
"No way, seriously?! This is as far east as it goes?! Then what about the well-beloved Zipangu?!"
"You have no clue where you are, you're penniless and you can't talk to others because you're scared… Your future doesn't look very promising, in a number of ways."
The girl seemed restless, her eyes somewhat worried as she looked at Subaru's panicked state. Despite her attempts to hide it, her extremely helpful nature seemed to be overflowing. His completely helpless state was probably making her very uneasy. Puck watched over them with a smile as they agonized over this. He then started plucking at his whiskers,
"Well, just suck it up for now. Right now we should head… I have less than an hour left. Make a decision."
"―I'll go. I don't intend to let her get away, it'll be too late if she manages to take it somewhere we can't reach."
That was her reply to Puck, she then turned to Subaru.
"I'm going to head in now, but… The path ahead will be a lot more dangerous. When night falls, there will probably be some hoodlums up to no good, and to begin with this is a place where battle-hardened people live. If it's scary, you can wait here, or follow behind me like you were doing before."
"How much of a chicken would I have to be to decide to stay behind! I'm going! I'll stick right behind you the whole time!"
"There isn't the option of heading out front, huh… Well, that works for me too since I won't have to worry as much."
She'd sighed so many times now he'd lost count. Subaru reflected on how he only ever made her expression worsen. Thinking back, he hadn't seen her smile even once. She looked like that when angry, so her smile was probably the cutest thing in the world.
"Can a match box? No, but a tin can!"
"… What's this all of a sudden?"
"Strange. No effect, but why… Ah! Damn it! Does this world not have tin cans! Uh. um…Is your refrigerator running… No refrigerators either?!"
"This abnormality in his speech and mannerisms… It's not a curse or something of the sort, is it?"
"No, that was completely voluntary. He put his heart and soul into it too. For an utterly meaningless pursuit."
Perhaps having guessed the reason for Subaru's incredible struggle, Puck explained things relatively favorably. On the other hand, it only resulted in the seed of doubt being planted in the girl to whom it looked like Subaru had suddenly started malfunctioning.
Regretting that his terrible puns only worked in his original world, Subaru desperately shook his head. Focusing too hard on what was in front of him and losing sight of the bigger picture, this too was one of his flaws.
"What's the difference between snowmen and snowwomen? Snowballs!"
He'd finally found one that didn't rely on modern knowledge, but the girl's reaction wasn't favorable in the slightest. She coldly turned away.
Her eyes were on the alley, probably indicating that she wouldn't play along any further.
His momentary desire to see her smile had completely backfired.
"―Are you satisfied, Subaru?"
The girl called to Subaru, whose self-hatred was currently maxed out due to his terrible attempt and the equally terrible outcome.
The fact that she'd said his name for the first time, and also the idea of a member of the opposite sex using his name so casually made him just a little nervous.
"Y, yeeah. T-Totally chill. Completely cool. I feel great, I can win!"
"Why are you trembling like that… I get that you're scared, but we haven't even entered yet. You really would be better off waiting out here if you're that terrified."
With this misdirected worry, she let out a small sigh and turned her attention away for real.
As he watched her walk into the alley, Subaru suddenly realized she did not intend to leave him even if she was successful.
By telling him to wait here, she was signaling that she would come back for him upon finding it. In the less than the hour they'd known each other, her strange inability to deceive for personal gain had become apparent.
"This sucks, I'm so uncool."
Despite having offered to help, he was absolutely useless to her, and on top of that he was even making her worry about him. He was far beyond the point of being a deadbeat.
Striking his cheeks, he used the pain to force himself to focus and advanced forward. He still had a mountain of complaints. Anyone would be helpless if they were suddenly forced into such a harsh world. He didn't think badly of himself for this. However,
"Relying on her for absolutely everything would be pathetic. I should at least have her back."
Though dependent, he'd have to stand on his own two legs. ―But despite having focused, he ended up zeroing in on the small stuff.
"Come to think of it, there's one more thing."
When he called out from behind her, he saw her glance at him through a gap in her silver hair. Even this sidelong glance was dauntingly attractive, but Subaru managed to get his question out.
"So I've heard your cat's name, but I never caught yours."
This somewhat playful question caused her to look ahead and fall silent for a bit. This caused Subaru to panic, wondering if he screwed up. Perhaps her earlier silence was to indicate that she didn't want to tell him her name. His communication disorder that rendered him unable to read others' hearts, much less a woman's, could it still―
"―Satella."
"Oh?"
As he agonized over this, her sudden whisper surprised him. She didn't even turn to look at him, and she repeated without any emotion,
"You can call me Satella."
As she gave her name, her attitude suggested that he definitely shouldn't call her that. Subaru had wanted to learn her surname if possible, he couldn't call her name just like that so he ended up falling silent. For now he would just refer to her in the second person, a rather pathetic compromise. Behind the scenes of this exchange, Puck muttered from within her hair,
"―That's in terrible taste."
These words did not reach either of them.
-x-X-x-