The Bustling Street.
Natsuki Subaru rubbed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the bustling, noisy street was still there.
Where... is this?
The pedestrians' hair, in all sorts of chaotic, mixed colors as if they had been washed in some bizarre dye bath, reflected a kaleidoscope of light under the sunlight, blinding Subaru a little.
But what was even more disorienting was the strange and unusual races.
Wolf-headed swordsmen carrying four swords, lizardmen draped in luxurious robes, cat-eared girls dressed in revealing outfits... People who should only appear at cosplay events passed by him, and on the side of the street, there was even a goat-headed man selling knives, accompanied by two dogs.
No, even the best cosplayers probably couldn't make it look this real.
Subaru came to this conclusion.
Of course, aside from the demi-humans, there were also many humans on the street. However, their hair was a rainbow of colors, with no black in sight. These humans coexisted harmoniously with the demi-humans, without the slightest barrier between them.
Having already experienced absurd transmigration before, Subaru quickly accepted the idea of non-demi-humans and humans living together in harmony.
What stood out, however, was that Subaru, with his black hair, wearing a sports outfit and holding a plastic bag, stood out like a sore thumb, attracting curious looks from the people around him.
Wait, sports outfit? Plastic bag?
Subaru looked down and inspected himself.
A black-and-white sports outfit, if he remembered correctly, was his favorite outfit before he was transmigrated. The plastic bag in his hand contained instant noodles and chips. His jacket pocket held his phone and wallet.
Yes, this was the stuff he had when he first transmigrated.
However, his sports clothes had long since become tattered from countless battles and were eventually discarded. He had since worn knight armor—his protective gear had been scavenged from the coffin of an unknown tombstone's occupant. As for the instant noodles and snacks? They were long gone, even though he realized he couldn't taste anything while eating (and even after eating, he didn't feel the need to relieve himself).
Those things he had consumed never reappeared after his deaths, which was why Subaru was sure that his resurrections were just simple revivals and not rewinds in time.
But now...
Subaru stared at the phone in his hand, his face filled with mixed emotions.
He should have revived in that strange square.
But now... was this a time rewind?
Why would he be in this strange place? He shouldn't have been here before...
Wait,
Subaru looked up.
It seemed to be a world with a medieval level of civilization, full of demi-humans, probably filled with war and adventure, and...
In the distance, a knight rescued a child who had accidentally fallen from a fast-moving dragon-drawn carriage, drawing cheers from the surrounding crowd.
It felt oddly familiar.
Have I... been here before?
Subaru extended a hand to his forehead, feeling something surge into his mind.
It was a strange sensation, as if some kind of gas had been forced into his brain. No, it wasn't gas—it felt more like liquid being injected into his mind... but that wasn't quite right either. Strictly speaking, it wasn't gas, liquid, or solid. It was more like some... extradimensional substance, appearing in his mind in a way he couldn't comprehend. It felt like memories he had lost during his repeated deaths were now returning.
And the place those memories had been stored had long been filled with other memories. So, when those lost memories suddenly returned, they collided with the new ones, stirring up everything into a messy, indistinguishable mush. Perhaps this explanation wasn't entirely accurate, but...
At this moment, Subaru truly felt his mind had turned into a tangled mess.
"Ugh—"
The intense pain made him drop to his knees.
If it were the Subaru who had just transmigrated, he would probably be rolling around on the ground in agony by now. That period of pain was truly life-changing...
At least it made him better at enduring pain.
The last time, when a zombie had knocked half his skull off with an axe, he had still gritted his teeth and managed to hack off the zombie's head—though he had died shortly afterward.
Subaru tried to distract himself, attempting to lessen the discomfort.
"Hey, kid, if you don't want to get beaten, hand over all your valuables."
Hearing the voice coming from the front, Subaru looked up in surprise.
He had unknowingly wandered into some secluded alley, where three men stood in his way. They appeared to be around twenty years old, their faces clearly showing their vile intentions. Though they weren't demi-humans, they were far from good people.
"Little punks?" Subaru furrowed his brow, one hand clutching his head while the other steadied himself against the wall. Slowly, he stood up.
Though his head hurt terribly, he wasn't in a miserable enough state to be bullied by a couple of weaklings.
Subaru narrowed his eyes, a faint glimmer of murderous intent flashing in them.
The three thugs in front didn't notice this, but the short one on the left turned to his companions and said, "This guy seems off."
"He looks like he's in pain," the burly man on the right said.
"Well, let's show some mercy," the white-haired young leader in the middle sneered.
Hmm? Subaru looked at him in surprise.
A thug with a conscience?
But the guy immediately followed with, "So let's just break his limbs, take his stuff, and piss on his face before we leave?" He laughed loudly after speaking.
"I think that's a good idea." The short thug also laughed.
"Sounds fine to me," the burly man added, grinning.
"I was just thinking..." Subaru suddenly spoke, interrupting their conversation. He stared at the white-haired young man in the middle and casually said, "That collar around your neck and the way you keep sticking out your tongue... Are you trying to tell everyone you're a dog?"
"You're asking for death!" The white-haired youth's face twisted with anger, and he drew a knife from behind, slowly advancing toward Subaru.
"Eh? Don't get angry, don't get angry, I'm sorry..." Subaru waved his hand and smiled apologetically.
Just as the young man thought Subaru was about to back down, Subaru slowly continued, "I think I described it a bit inaccurately. Looking at those odd tufts of hair on your head, it seems like your fur isn't one solid color. So, even if you are a dog, you're probably just a mutt."
"I'll kill you!" Unable to hold back anymore, the young man lunged at Subaru, knife raised.
"You're mad now? Well, sorry about that." Subaru casually deflected the knife with a swipe of his hand, then kicked the young man's knee. With a sharp crack, the young man's knee bent backward at an unnatural angle. If there were no miracles, he'd probably be walking with a cane for the rest of his life.
The young man howled in pain, tears pouring from his eyes.
Subaru's voice remained calm as always, though he raised his volume slightly so the young man could hear.
"Maybe you'd prefer me calling you a mutt? Eh, whatever."
Subaru moved like a hawk, swiftly knocking the other two thugs to the ground with two dull thuds.
Subaru turned back to the skinny one and bent down, whispering in his ear.
"When you drew your knife earlier, you really intended to kill me, didn't you? Nice murderous intent."
"Since you want to kill me..."
"Then... it's only natural for me to kill you, right?"
Each word punctuated clearly.
The young man stopped crying, lifting his head to look at Subaru's eyes with fear.
They were calm, cold eyes.
The young man felt an icy chill creeping through his body.
He's serious.
He really wants to kill me.
The young man understood—
So, he screamed for help at the top of his lungs.
"Guards!"
"Help!"