Having woken feeling refreshed, Subaru stood in a garden bathed in morning sunlight.
Feeling the gravel under his shoes, Subaru drew in the crisp morning air. He let out a satisfied "Mmm!" and
"What? Subaru, you're in an especially good mood this morning. Did something nice happen?"
"Well, partly because Emilia-tan's braided waves look so cute, and also because something nice happened right before bed last night. Plus, I really liked how big the bath was."
"Oh, me too, me too! The bath felt so nice. The mansion's bath is big too, but when it's surrounded by stones like that, it feels so fresh."
Subaru undid the braids he'd done last night, and Emilia's silver hair, flowing in the wind, created a gentle wave just as he'd predicted. Straight and beautiful was one of the charms of Emilia's silver hair, but bringing out a different kind of beauty like this was the privilege of a beautiful girl.
In the end, the conclusion was simply: if she's a cute girl, then no matter what she does, she's cute.
Thinking that to himself, Subaru nodded in agreement with Emilia's words.
The large inn bath she was talking about, while not technically open-air, was brimming with the spirit of trying to recreate the open-air experience. The bath was indoors, but they'd done their best to remove barriers and incorporate nature, and the tub itself was lined with stones.
The special ambiance of a bath rimmed made of rock could never be captured by the crude plainness of marble.
"It was my first time seeing a bath like that, so I had a ton of fun with Crusch-san and
"What is this, paradise? If this were a gal game, there'd definitely be a CG event here."
"Shi-ji?"
"Nah, just kidding. I'm just happy you had such a good time, Emilia-tan. Was it fun?"
"Mhm, absolutely!"
Emilia had pointed out Subaru's good mood, but her own cheerfulness was plain to see. This
"It's... nothing."
"Don't worry about it. Just... ugh, drank too much, ugh. Feeling sick."
The girl with vertical ringlets staring away with a grim face, and the handsome young man retching with a pale complexion.
They were, needless to say,
"Otto. Yesterday, when you didn't come back even by dinner time, what were you up to?"
"I told you before we parted ways, didn't I? I figured since I'd come all the way to Priestella—ugh—I should talk to people who are hard to get in contact with, ugh."
"'Get in contact with,' he says. You were practically drunk the first time we met."
"...? I don't think drinking was a priority when I first met you, Natsuki-san..."
"If that's how you remember it, then I guess that's what happened. In your version of events."
Otto looked pained at being accused without cause, but Subaru's remark was actually more likely to boomerang back on him.
From Subaru's perspective, his first meeting with Otto meant encountering him during the period when he'd been loitering around the
Of course, discussing any of that would be a meaningless exchange.
"Don't go doing anything too bad for Beako's education. I mean, I know you've been running around doing things for our camp and all."
"I wasn't asked to do anything—ugh, no. I've been doing it on my own. —Though that's not the only reason, you know."
Responding weakly to Subaru's words, Otto shook his head painfully. Then he surveyed the garden and, after prefacing with "More importantly...": "What happened to Garfiel? It's rare for him not to show his face in the morning. He's usually the first one up, howling from the top of some hill."
"Probably couldn't find a high place suitable for howling. Also, that's a bit of a sensitive topic right now, so don't go prying into it without thinking. Be nice to him if you see him."
"Don't say things like that when I don't even know what's going on!? ...Ugh, now my head hurts."
"You really did it to yourself."
Subaru smiled wryly as Otto collapsed limply onto the engawa to rest. Then, turning his attention to Beatrice, who had been silent until now: "So, what about you, Beako? You were so cheerful yesterday, but today you suddenly went all pouty. Not cute."
"I'm not pouting. Don't say whatever you like. Betty just has some things on her mind and is thinking, that's all."
"Things on her mind? If something happened, tell me. If it's something dangerous, I need to know."
At Beatrice's subdued tone, Subaru narrowed his eyes and pressed for details. Emilia nodded as well and leaned in to listen, and Beatrice bit her lip.
But her hesitation faded after just a few seconds, and the girl reluctantly began to weave her words.
"It was after Subaru went off to play with Garfiel yesterday, leaving Betty behind."
"A bit misleading, but go on."
"Betty went to kill time with Emilia. And on the way, she happened to run into one of the inn's staff members and had a conversation."
"Beatrice... had a conversation... with someone she'd just met!?"
At this shocking improvement in her communication skills, Subaru was struck speechless. He glanced at Emilia, and she had the same look on her face as she nodded at Subaru.
This was huge. The idea that the same Beatrice could talk to a stranger while traveling—perhaps the freedom of the trip had encouraged Beatrice's growth in a positive way.
As soon as they got back, he'd need to update the "Beatrice Growth Journal" he kept at the mansion.
Already in its third volume, this journal recorded Beatrice's growth process in meticulous detail. A new page would surely be added to it, thanks to this trip.
Unaware that her daily activities were being documented in painstaking detail, Beatrice protested the reactions of Subaru and Emilia: "You're exaggerating!"—while missing an even more exaggerated fact.
"I'll continue. The inn staff member, upon finding Betty, apparently decided there was something she had to tell Betty in particular. She lowered her voice and said, 'This inn has been known to show things to people at night that aren't really there'."
"............"
"Honestly, Betty was torn about whether to share this. It could cause unnecessary panic, so at first she kept it to herself. But she stayed on guard, that much she could do. And then, last night..."
Leaving Subaru silent, Beatrice's story grew more and more heated.
Then, as if about to reveal her trump card secret, Beatrice lowered her voice further.
"In the middle of the night, Betty sensed something and woke up. And, trying not to wake Subaru with his dopey sleeping face, she quietly went to investigate."
"Don't stare at people's sleeping faces, that's creepy."
"I-I wasn't staring! I just gl- glanced properly and politely!"
The part she hadn't denied was having looked at all, but Subaru let it slide because she was cute.
Beatrice cleared her throat, then made a dramatic face and continued: "Betty searched the inn, following the source of the presence. And at the entrance, she finally found the source of that presence..."
"Found it?"
"A pale face, floating in the darkness. Betty knew immediately it was dangerous. The other party seemed wary of Betty too, and they ended up in a staring standoff."
Was she recalling last night's tension? A faint sheen of sweat appeared on Beatrice's forehead. Being a spirit, it was unclear to Subaru how she could sweat, but since it added to the atmosphere, he didn't point it out.
"Eventually, the other party crumbled under Betty's pressure. The standoff ended quickly, and they vanished. After confirming they weren't coming back, Betty returned to the room in relief, climbed over Subaru's stupid sleeping face, and went back to bed."
"See, that's why you shouldn't peek at people's sleeping faces. Indecent."
"I-I was just making sure he was safe! I didn't stroke his hair or touch his eyelashes!"
She'd essentially confessed to the act without meaning to, but Subaru let it slide because she was cute.
It seemed Beatrice's terrifying ordeal of a testimony was over. Mm-hmm, Subaru nodded, resting his chin in his hand as he began to verify what he'd heard.
Being a traditional Japanese-style inn, this had to be about ghost stories.
One thing he'd learned during a year of living in this otherworld was that, strangely, ghost stories and the like didn't really spread in this world. The likely reason was that spirits—unseen presences—were already well-known.
If the existence of invisible beings was already accepted, there'd be little demand for ghost stories.
Yet this inn was still going full steam ahead with the whole Japanese-horror aesthetic, going all the way to the unnecessary parts of Japanese tradition. Impressed by that, Subaru let out a satisfied sigh, then: "So, what was actually happening, Otto?"
"Well, I noticed Beatrice-chan staring at me intently while I was about to throw up at the entrance, but I was in no state to open my mouth. In the end, I couldn't hold it in and went to retch in the bushes outside, and by then she was gone, so..."
"So that's how it is."
"...That can't be, can it?"
Just as one might say "the ghost turns out to be a withered pampas grass"—in this case, the ghost turned out to be a wasted Otto, which offered even less comfort.
Having her experience flatly denied by reality, Beatrice was on the verge of crumbling. Subaru stroked her head comfortingly, figuring Beatrice had probably been half-asleep and groggy in an unfamiliar environment.
The staff member who'd fed Beatrice the ghost story had probably seen through Beatrice's rare aura of "she looks easy to trick, and she'd definitely be cute if you tricked her."
The way she was scowling with her face bright red right now was adorable, and Subaru wanted to send her a "Good job" and his compliments.
"Oh, you're all gathered here. You're up pretty early."
As this heartwarming exchange among the four was taking place, a brash young girl's voice called down to them.
Looking up, they saw
She'd shed her yukata and was dressed in lightweight clothes that showed off her slender limbs. She was showing some signs of growing more feminine, but at her core, she was still very much a back-alley girl.
"Good morning, but if you dress like that, Reinhard's gonna worry again."
"Ugh, spare me the lectures. I've heard enough from that guy, and lately even Grandpa
Waving her hand with a fed-up expression, Felt lightly stepped down into the garden. Then, ignoring Otto who was sprawled at one end, she tilted her head at Subaru and the others lined up together.
"So anyway, been wondering about something."
"What?"
"No, but like—why are you guys all doing some weird dance over there?"
Felt pointed at Subaru and their strange dance—their daily habit of radio calisthenics—with a puzzled look.
Whether at a remote inn or halfway along a journey, when morning came, it was time for radio calisthenics.
At this point, it was a completely standard sight at the Roswaal mansion, and what's more, it was spreading as a morning custom throughout the Mathers domain.
Emilia, who was so used to it she didn't even understand what was being asked, had a blank look on her face. Subaru admired Emilia's vacant profile, then took a deep breath to demonstrate for Felt.
"This here is the secret to health and longevity. It's called 'radio calisthenics,' a health regimen beloved across generations, from children to the elderly. If Emilia-tan becomes king, making this a mandatory morning activity will become national law."
"That's right. I think everyone would feel better doing it together."
"Is that so...? If that's one of her campaign promises, I dunno, I'd think twice about making her queen..."
Felt watched them go through the calisthenics motions and muttered with a grim face.
Differences in perspective were a sad thing, but even if she resisted at first, she'd surely come to appreciate the convenience and efficiency of the exercise before long.
In fact, when Subaru had gone around preaching the gospel in various villages, adoption rates had been pretty high.
"Beako and Otto didn't like it at first either, but now they're so into it that they join in regardless of whether it's a morning they're scared of ghosts or a morning they're hungover."
"Betty was just dragged along by Subaru."
"I had a headache and was trying to sleep, but then he clapped his hands by my ears and forced me to dance..."
"They say 'no, no' still means 'yes'—that's how into it you two are!"
"That's not—!" they protested, though weakly.
Subaru and Emilia stood tall with pride.
Watching their polar opposite reactions, Felt scratched her white neck roughly and said: "Sure, I hear the big sis and the people around this domain are getting into all sorts of weird customs. Strange dances, hollowing out pumpkins to make masks, girls giving baked sweets to boys or the other way around..."
"For now it's still treated as a quirky backwater tradition, but one day I want to make it a nationwide project. When I think about it that way, maybe consulting someone like Anastasia would be the way to go?"
The famous quip was that Valentine's Day was a conspiracy by the confectionery industry—meaning it was a matter of big money, and someone like Anastasia would surely jump at the opportunity.
Subaru decided to consult her on that front at the first opportunity.
"Hey. Is that guy always like that?"
"Yeah, Subaru's pretty much always like that. He looks like he's just goofing around, but actually he's working really hard thinking about all sorts of things. And sometimes he looks like he's doing that, but he actually is just goofing around."
"So in the end, you can't tell if he's serious or joking until the results come out..."
Felt looked shaken by Emilia's answer.
This happened from time to time—due to her mental age, Emilia sometimes got confused about which of the two people facing her was younger and which was older. This extended to Felt as well.
Having grown up in back alleys and developed a tougher exterior, Felt was probably more streetwise, but still.
"By the way, Felt-chan, are you alone? Won't you get in trouble for not being with Reinhard?"
"I ain't a kid anymore—having someone always hovering is just annoying, that's what I'm saying. Big sis and the rest aren't dumb enough to try anything here, are they? Besides—and this is a pain to say—but if anything happened to me, that guy would be here in one second flat."
"Really? Then that's reassuring."
Emilia accepted Felt's vaguely threatening statement with a cheerful smile.
That reaction, of all things, left Felt looking like she'd been blindsided. She raked her golden hair roughly and showed her irritation.
"Felt-chan. You have such pretty hair—don't treat it so roughly. I've been more careful lately too, since Subaru and Frederica keep telling me to."
"You're really messing with my head, jeez. Leave my hair alone. And I told you to stop adding -chan to my name—it's embarrassing!"
"I know, but somehow I just don't feel right calling you by your name without it. I'll try to be more careful, but sorry if I slip up."
"Fuhh!"
Since Emilia meant no harm, Felt, the one on the receiving end, could only bark like a cat in frustration.
If you only looked at that part, it was like a heartwarming exchange between girlfriends.
"Anyway. Calisthenics are done, so let's scatter and wait for breakfast. A morning bath might not be bad either. Hey Otto, you haven't bathed yet, have you?"
"I only took a rinse... I'm sorry I still smell like alcohol."
"You should go before Garfiel comes back and decks you. Back where I come from, I heard it's good to soak in a hot bath multiple times."
"That actually sounds like it might make me feel worse... but I'll take your advice."
Subaru offered a hand to the slumped Otto and pulled him to his feet. Sighing at the limp body that Subaru lightly patted, Subaru casually looked up at the sky.
Clear skies again this morning. Few clouds—it looked like it would be a fine day.
That was exactly what Subaru was thinking when— 『—Good morning, citizens of Priestella. It's a lovely morning.』
"Huh?"
Startled by the sudden voice descending from the sky, Subaru let out a sound of surprise.
Could it be a hallucination? Subaru quickly looked around and saw Emilia, Felt, and Beatrice, all equally stunned, reacting to the voice.
"Whoa, what the hell is this? That's one heck of a loud voice."
"There's no way. You can't just have a loud voice echoing across the whole city. But..."
As Felt trailed off, Subaru suspected magical involvement.
When it came to magic that could deliver a voice to many people simultaneously, he recalled the consciousness-sharing magic called "Nect" that Julius had used before. However, that had allowed telepathic-like communication between those within a range—it hadn't directly delivered sound to eardrums.
And more importantly, Subaru had a sense of familiarity with something similar to this.
It was— "That sounds like a speaker or some kind of megaphone?"
Felt's description of a "loud voice" actually wasn't far off from what Subaru was thinking.
The sound that echoed down from the sky and probably could be heard across the entire city bore a striking resemblance to sounds produced through speakers or similar devices.
The problem was that in this world, there was no sign of such technological development.
"Oh, you didn't know? This is the effect of a magical device installed at Priestella's city hall. It's used for broadcasts."
"A magical device... a magical device!"
It was Otto who stepped in to answer Subaru's question. He replied "Yes" to Subaru's surprise and continued: "I also heard about it while drinking with various people yesterday. Apparently, the daily morning broadcast using the magical device at city hall is a routine in Priestella."
"Why would they have such a weird routine?"
"There are messages they want to convey to the general public, and it's convenient to have everyone hear them at once. Besides, Priestella's urban structure means there are limited evacuation routes in case of emergencies. To avoid confusion during such situations, they've been using it regularly to get citizens accustomed to it."
"Huh... that's actually well thought out."
Subaru was impressed by the concept of a magical device for emergency response.
At the village level it might be one thing, but at the city level, any incident would inevitably come with associated chaos. Preparing countermeasures in advance was never a waste of time.
And the idea of accustoming citizens by using it regularly was something fresh.
"The person running this city must be pretty sharp."
"Well, it was Mr. Kiritaka who suggested the regular broadcasts and who provided the magical device in the first place. Something about it being natural for someone involved in city administration."
"Huh..."
Subaru's admiration froze at the unexpected blow.
Yesterday's brief encounter with Kiritaka flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. The voice cracking in anger. The magic mineral being hurled. And the handsome man weeping tears as he called out Liliana's name— "No way."
"No way."
"That's... even if this is Re:Zero, that's too much."
Subaru, Beatrice, and Emilia were in perfect agreement, and Otto could only smile wryly.
"I figured you'd say that, but it's true that this broadcast is being conducted by Mr. Kiritaka, the person in charge. See? Doesn't the voice sound familiar?"
『Using the power of a sound-delivery magical device, I'm sending my voice across the entire city. To those hearing this for the first time, I apologize for the surprise. I hope you'll lend an ear to this unique daily occurrence here in Priestella for a while.』
"Who is that?"
Otto tried to smooth things over, but the voice didn't match Subaru's impression of the Kiritaka he'd encountered yesterday. Too reasonable. Didn't feel like a lolicon.
"Then again,
In Subaru's mind, he pictured the blue-haired, slender-faced, all-purpose butler.
A hybrid of overwhelming talent and ability, irrational drive, and hopeless fetishes. Thinking of Clind as the representative example might be a bit much, but he could serve as one example of a high-spec lolicon.
"Well, whether this is really the same Kiritaka is also questionable. Can't rule out that I'm just mishearing the voice."
『And now, as a small token of my—no! A wonderful blessing to you all! This morning as well, I've made a special request and brought her here! Please, by all means, listen to the singing voice of the "Songstress," Miss Liliana!』
"Oh, this is definitely her."
Midway through, the voice cracked and jumped an octave, and in Subaru's mind, the broadcast merged with his memory.
From early morning he was already feeling worn out, and through the magical device came the sounds of chairs moving and people shifting positions. Then a throat clearing and a faint laugh: 『Umm, greetings to everyone. I'm Liliana, introduced by the person before me. Being called "Songstress" for a daily morning broadcast is a pretty heavy title, but I'll do my best to sing and play and entertain everyone. So, support me, okay?』
So distinctive was Liliana's way of speaking that it was as though you could see her gestures even through the magical device.
Strangely, Kiritaka's voice had sounded somewhat distorted through the device, but Liliana's voice had no such imperfection.
Perhaps there was a matter of compatibility with magical devices, but it seemed the voice of the girl blessed by the Goddess of Song was protected by a grace that allowed it to pass through all crude interference without impediment.
『Now then, I'll sing. Please listen.—Sword Demon Love Song, Act Two.』
The sound of instruments being readied, and Liliana drew a small breath.
Listening to that sound, Subaru's attention was captured by the ring of "Sword Demon Love Song." If that was the title written exactly as Subaru had imagined it, then— What was played was the story of a sword demon and a woman—a sad yet precious tale of love.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ After Liliana's "Songstress terrorism" concluded, Subaru and the others headed to the tatami room early to wait for breakfast.
The existence of "Sword Demon Love Song" had come as a bolt from the blue for Subaru.
He should have realized it. In every world and in every age, great events that had been accomplished were passed down to later generations in some form.
Whether it was heroic deeds or terrible atrocities, and regardless of how they were expressed—in words, paintings, or any other medium.
The fact that the tale of a hero who ended a civil war and the sword demon who became his bride was being sung as a "song" was nothing strange.
Of course, even if Subaru had realized the possibility, it wouldn't have changed the terrorism of this morning. He hadn't even known about the magical device, let alone been able to talk Liliana out of doing something like this.
Right now, all he could do was curse the "Songstress" who, at the absolute worst possible timing, had chosen the most tactless possible song to perform.
Liliana's reputation was already at rock bottom, and yet Subaru couldn't fathom the mysterious initiative to drop it even further. What an idiot, Liliana. What a fool, Kiritaka.
"Wilhelm-san... hasn't arrived yet?"
Subaru was the first among those from the garden to reach the tatami room. Felt, who had parted ways before they moved, would probably come here after meeting up with Reinhard.
Fresh in Subaru's memory were the song he'd just heard, and the thoughts Wilhelm had shared last night about his wife and grandson. The old man's gentle smile still vivid in his mind, Subaru couldn't contain his restless heart.
What to say when they met—Subaru didn't know that either.
Still, he believed there was meaning in exchanging words.
If he was being honest, he'd wish for the song to be ignored, but— "There's no way that ultra-punctual crew is all oversleeping."
Subaru knew from spending several days together that the three members of Crusch's camp—and Ferris, even—were all disciplined about their sleep.
In an unfamiliar place, their nerves would be even more alert, and there was no way they'd miss that broadcast.
"Subaru, you're making a scary face. Did something weird happen?"
Emilia looked at Subaru with concern as he sat down heavily on a floor cushion and began fidgeting with irritation.
Subaru himself had been the one to suggest heading straight to the tatami room after the broadcast in the garden. If there was no one here and he was acting like this without explanation, her worry was only natural.
Emilia and the others had been genuinely captivated by the poignant lyrics of "Sword Demon Love Song" and Liliana's singing. They didn't know that Wilhelm was the very sword demon being sung about, nor did they know what kind of ending the sword demon's story would have.
So it was no surprise that they couldn't share the sense of urgency Subaru felt.
And what was truly frightening was that Liliana's singing was powerful enough to ensnare even Subaru, who knew all of this.
Hearing the title of "Sword Demon Love Song" and feeling a sense of dread, even Subaru hadn't been able to cut the song short and leave the garden. No—the thought hadn't even occurred to him.
Liliana's voice harbored something demonic. That was why, once he'd come back to his senses, Subaru couldn't find anyone to vent his frustration at except that airheaded brown-skinned girl.
"...It's nothing. I'm just a little hungry. You know how the inn's meals are delicious but never quite fill you up? And we can't sneak food when we're at someone else's place, and my growing body is demanding food."
"If you say so, Subaru, I'll take your word for it. For now."
Normally Emilia would believe his bluffs without question, yet at the critical moments she saw right through Subaru's posturing. Was it really that obvious? He lost confidence.
"Natsuki-san, I don't know what's making you so irritated, but you cut things short in the middle of discussing this afternoon's plan. You were listening properly, right?"
"This afternoon's plan? Oh, the renegotiation with Kiritaka. What was it—using Liliana as a hostage to exchange for the magic mineral we want?"
"What chain of reasoning leads from any starting point to that kind of hardline proposal!?"
Otto cried out in shock, then grimaced at the pain in his own throat. Subaru watched him and tilted his head.
Perhaps the rage at Liliana still screaming in his chest had assisted in formulating an aggressive strategy. In fact, the success rate didn't seem half bad.
"The point is that this afternoon, we're going to ask Mr. Kiritaka to reopen negotiations for the magic mineral. If the person next to him—'White Dragon's Scale'—could facilitate things, that'd be ideal."
"'White Dragon's Scale'—what a name. Was that the person who was in the room yesterday?"
"Yes. 'White Dragon's Scale' is a well-known mercenary company in their field. Well, that comes with a 'they were, some time ago' qualifier, but apparently they've been revived recently and hired as Mr. Kiritaka's private guards. The person present was likely their leader."
"The person in the room... ah, the one who seemed most reasonable to talk to."
Subaru hadn't spent much time observing the room, but he managed to pull out the memory from before the shock had overwhelmed him and nodded. A middle-aged man dressed in white.
Compared to Kiritaka, who went crazy at the mention of Liliana, and Liliana, who was always going crazy, this person seemed far more open to normal human communication.
"Based on this morning's broadcast, it doesn't sound like Mr. Kiritaka's anger is still lingering, so they should be willing to listen. But if Natsuki-san shows up, it'll probably reignite."
"I'm aware my resting face gives off a bad first impression, but if it's that bad, it stings."
"It's okay, Subaru. I don't dislike bad resting faces. My mother had a terrible resting face too. But she was kind."
"That doesn't really help reassure me about my expression... Wait, was that a correction? Was it 'resting face' or 'bad at something'?"
"It was better when you didn't correct yourself. Don't force me to face reality."
Receiving gentle yet sharp encouragement from the women, Subaru urged Otto to continue.
Otto picked up the thread: "I think it'd be best if Natsuki-san didn't join the negotiations this afternoon. What does everyone think?"
"'What does everyone think'—yeah, I guess I'll have to accept it. But honestly, what's the deal? If that neatly wraps things up, what was even the point of me coming here?"
"If only Natsuki-san's trip ends up being wasted versus all of us being wasted, let's go with the lesser damage. Natsuki-san can hang out with Beatrice-chan."
"I feel like Betty's being treated lightly! That's infuriating!"
Beatrice's indignant protest was waved off, and for the time being, the camp's policy was set. But beyond Otto's level-headed plan, Subaru had his own thoughts.
"Then in the afternoon, I'll take a stroll through the park with Emilia-tan and Beako."
"Huh? I'm supposed to go with Otto-kun to see Mr. Kiritaka, aren't I?"
"If you showed up there, it'd be an unannounced surprise visit without any arrangement. It'd be the same situation as yesterday. ...Natsuki-san knowing that's one thing, but I wonder what he's planning."
Subaru whistled to dodge Otto's pointed stare.
He'd told them about encountering Liliana yesterday after going back and forth on his decision, but he hadn't mentioned where they'd met. And the fact that Emilia's camp would propose reopening negotiations was something Kiritaka's side would anticipate.
Kiritaka, who didn't want Subaru's group meeting Liliana, would probably keep her somewhere out of the way. The clue was Liliana's behavior yesterday.
"I found a nice-looking park, so I was thinking—I'd like to take a walk there with Emilia-tan, with Beako in between us, all holding hands."
"Oh, that sounds fun! But is it okay to take it easy like that? Right, Otto-kun?"
"When you look at me with those expectant eyes, I can't refuse even if I wanted to. Well, you won't be able to bring Natsuki-san or Emilia-sama anyway, so I'll go with Garfiel to visit them. Just don't cause any trouble."
Subaru nodded solemnly along with Emilia in response to Otto's parting warning.
But behind that solemn nod, he stuck his tongue out at Otto apologetically.
Liliana was probably being kept away from the Muze Trading Company again today. If that was the case, the place she'd end up going was, just like yesterday, the same park.
If they couldn't meet, they couldn't create an insurance policy, but if possible, Subaru wanted to establish a connection with Liliana there.
If Kiritaka was head over heels for Liliana, and if she made a request of them, there was a decent chance he'd comply.
Of course, Subaru wasn't only thinking about using Liliana. If Liliana made requests and Subaru's group responded, that would normally constitute a cooperative relationship.
If they only ever exploited Liliana's goodwill, Emilia would object, and Subaru's conscience would hurt too. So he intended to share, openly and without reservation, the path they'd traveled so far—the very things Liliana would want to hear about.
And if, as a result, she learned that what they'd done fell far short of the heroic tale she hoped for, and she was disappointed—well, that would be what it would be.
Being treated as heroes and having your story preserved as song in history was creepy just to think about.
He wouldn't go out of his way to paint things in a bad light, but simply sharing the unvarnished truth should be enough.
After all, the half of this partnership that believed in heroism—Subaru himself—had gone through all of this while making a pathetic, pitiful spectacle of himself. She'd surely be disillusioned.
"—Good morning. My, you all are up early over there."
Just as the surface and behind-the-scenes plans of Emilia's camp were falling into place, Anastasia slid open the tatami room door and appeared. She wore her usual fox fur collar, and today she was dressed in a kimono.
Subaru was startled, not having expected the full traditional outfit, and Emilia and the others' eyes sparkled with pure fascination at the unfamiliar clothing. Seeing their reactions, Anastasia beamed with pride.
"Good, good. Looks like you were all properly stunned this morning too. That makes me happy."
"Anastasia-san, that outfit is gorgeous! Is that... the one you mentioned yesterday?"
"Yep. That's the kimono I was talking about in the bath yesterday. It looks like a yukata, but it's a little trickier to put on."
Anastasia twirled happily on the spot, the deep blue kimono looking absolutely stunning on her. The pattern resembling fluttering petals was charming too, and Subaru could only marvel at
—Kararagi clearly had knowledge of the Japan that Subaru knew, brought into this world at some point.
"That kimono—could it also have been passed down in Kararagi since ancient times?"
"Hoh, you know a lot, Natsuki-kun. Apparently bits and pieces existed since the time of Hoshin. Though the method of making it was lost for a while, and only in the last decade or so have a few craftspeople managed to recreate it."
"Hoshin's... era, huh."
Once again, the shadowy figure "Hoshin of the Wastes" appeared before Subaru.
At this point, Subaru had no choice but to suspect this person called Hoshin. Presumably, Hoshin was also someone who had been summoned, just like Subaru and Al.
Unlike Subaru and the others, however—four hundred years ago.
"Once things settle down here, I might need to do a proper investigation into Hoshin..."
Subaru didn't particularly intend to dig into the matter of summoning now.
Or rather, he understood instinctively.
He didn't know the mechanism behind the summoning, nor the intentions of whoever had carried it out. This summoning was a one-sided act of pulling people in. There was no convenient way to send them back.
On that front, he had thoughts as numerous as the stars—but no solutions. What Subaru wanted to know was what kind of footprints other forerunners, summoned just as he had been, had left on this world, and what kind of end they had met. That was the crux of it.
"Good morning, Subaru. Did you sleep well last night? This morning, Felt told me to go back to my room, which was helpful. I was nearly about to escape again."
"Shut up. Anyway, I wasn't even trying to go back to my room and you went ahead and caught me first. What's up with that nose of yours?!"
Following Anastasia, Reinhard arrived in the tatami room with Felt by the scruff of her neck. He sat the sulking Felt down on a floor cushion, and then sat beside her himself, showing no sign of concern about this morning's broadcast song.
There was no way he didn't know who the muse of "Sword Demon Love Song" was.
"Anastasia-sama. You look even more beautiful this morning. I was worried since you didn't even show yourself to me, but it was unfounded."
"Hehe, it's my secret weapon. It had just been finished and delivered right before we came to Priestella. It was so hard hiding it from Julius."
Julius then joined them, and Anastasia showed off her new kimono to her own knight. After receiving his praise, Anastasia tilted her head.
"Hmm? You're not with Mimmy and the others?"
"Ricardo was sent on an errand and left the city last night. As for Mimmy and the rest... it appears they're following one of Emilia-sama's retainers—Garfiel."
"Garfiel?"
Emilia looked up at the mention of someone in her inner circle, and Julius nodded.
"Mimmy apparently spotted Garfiel leaving the inn, and ran after him without a word. Then Hetaro went after Mimmy..."
"And Tivey reluctantly followed to clean up the mess, with Joshua receiving the message. That about right?"
Anastasia put her hand on her hip and turned to confirm with Joshua, who had been hiding behind the tall Julius. The slender young man stepped forward awkwardly at his master's words, and with an exhausted expression, bowed apologetically.
"I-I'm terribly sorry. I—I tried desperately to stop them, but neither Mimmy nor Hetaro would listen. Tivey told me to leave it to him."
"Well, if Tivey's gone after them, it shouldn't turn into anything too terrible. It'd be worse for us as the hosting side to make too much of a fuss—we'd only look bad in front of our guests."
Anastasia patted the mortified Joshua's shoulder to forgive him, then turned to address everyone seated in the room.
Waving her soft hair and playing with her fur collar with her fingers, Anastasia smiled sweetly.
"As you've heard, it's a sorry state of affairs, but bear with us? Our cute vice-captain seems to be all head-over-heels in first love."
That Mimmy was smitten with Garfiel was something everyone had noticed, naturally.
The only ones who apparently didn't know were Emilia, still tilting her head in confusion, and Joshua, who muttered "So that's what was going on...!"
"Oh yeah, I noticed the Tonchinkan are missing from Felt's camp. Are those guys not staying at this inn?"
"You mean
Felt answered Subaru's question, then bared her teeth in a grin.
"Calling them Tonchinkan is kinda nice, though. Gaston, Lachins, Cambelley—Tonchinkan. The name sounds right for them, and I kinda like it."
"I also want to praise my past self for the excellent naming. I was so shocked when I heard their real names that it felt like a miracle."
He toasted the version of himself from a year ago who called them Tonchinkan instead of Ampiitan. And since Felt seemed to have taken a liking to the name, the Tonchinkan would probably continue to be called that by their leader going forward.
"—Sorry we're late. Looks like we're the last ones."
The last to arrive at the tatami room was Crusch, her long green hair tied up today. Her ladylike appearance was unchanged, and the ornamental flower hairpin was dazzlingly vibrant.
Behind her came Ferris, and then Wilhelm.
"———"
Once again today, the old man was impeccably dressed in formal attire, his back straight. Subaru's shoulders jumped involuntarily at the sight. Holding his breath, he tried to steal a glance at the old man's profile, and his eyes met Wilhelm's at just that moment.
Unconsciously, Subaru held his breath as his gaze entangled with Wilhelm's. And then— "———"
Wilhelm offered a faint smile, then quietly took his seat behind his lady.
Having witnessed this, Subaru interpreted that gentle smile as a message that said: "You don't need to worry."
Subaru breathed a silent sigh of relief. Then he noticed Ferris sitting beside Crusch, looking at him and giving a wink with a peace sign.
—I've handled things on my end, nya~ Seeing that gesture, Subaru understood that Ferris had sent him a similar message.
Whether Ferris had noticed that Subaru had caught the gesture or not, she erased it without fanfare and leaned against Crusch in her usual way.
Subaru finally became aware of the unnecessary worry and meddling he'd been carrying.
The two who knew more than Subaru about Wilhelm's situation and its connection to the song were, without question, Crusch and Ferris. The ones most sensitive to any tremor in Wilhelm's heart, and the ones who could care for him up close—were those two.
It was a bond of comradeship that, Subaru realized, didn't require him to worry at all.
"If anything, we're the ones being negligent if we haven't resolved Garfiel's problem."
It wasn't exactly a case of "look at others' mistakes and correct your own," but rather: if you have time to worry about other people, you should fix your own camp first.
Considering that the turmoil swirling within Garfiel was a problem that could only be resolved through Garfiel's own will, dealing with it wasn't going to be easy.
"Now then, there are a few faces missing, but those seem to be confirmed absent. Since we've gathered safely this morning, let's eat!"
Anastasia clapped her hands and made the declaration from the head seat.
With some faces from the corner of the room now gone, there were fewer participants than the previous night, but it was still an impressive gathering. Given last night's events, expectations were high for the meal itself as well.
What would be served this morning? With that modest expectation in the air, Anastasia smiled.
"Bring it in."
At Anastasia's instruction, the sliding door opened and inn staff appeared. Several of them carried something in and efficiently set it up on the long table.
A large, black object that covered the entire surface of the big table—it was unmistakably an iron griddle.
"Today, I present to you a traditional national dish of Kararagi—Daisukiyaki!"
Anastasia tied up the sleeves of her kimono and raised her voice.
In front of the stunned gathering, the staff quickly oiled the griddle, then brought in containers of ingredients on carts and carried them into the tatami room.
Daisukiyaki—matching the sound of the name with the griddle before them and the ingredients, Subaru identified exactly what it was.
It was, in other words— "O-okonomiyaki...?"
It was the arrival of okonomiyaki, known in Kararagi as Daisukiyaki.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "Subaru, look! I flipped it perfectly! It's my masterpiece—eat it!"
"It turned out reasonably well, I think. Subaru, since you have the chance, why don't you eat the Daisukiyaki Betty made for you?"
Emilia, with a beaming smile, and Beatrice, with slightly flushed cheeks, each offered him the fruits of their labor on the iron griddle—neither of which could really be called Daisukiyaki.
To Subaru, they looked like nothing more than lumps of blackened charcoal, but he refused to be so rude as to discard the feelings behind them.
"Why don't you each try your own first, taste-test them, and then offer them to someone else?"
Offering reasonable advice, Subaru watched the two of them suffer the consequences of following it while letting his gaze wander to the other camps.
"Done, Felt-sama."
"Oh, nice work, nice work! Keep at it! With your cooking and baking skills, I'm honestly grateful."
"If you could rely on me in areas other than this as well, it would be the pride of a knight."
Across from them, the Felt camp was the picture of efficiency, with Reinhard producing one supreme Daisukiyaki after another using extraordinary technique, each one disappearing into Felt's stomach.
Looking at it this way, Felt was a voracious eater on a scale that defied comprehension for her small frame. Was she a big eater or a glutton? Whatever—the point was, Reinhard himself didn't have time to eat his own, as Felt had already devoured nearly ten.
Incidentally, the Emilia camp's tragic situation was as previously described—Emilia and Beatrice being no help, successful specimens were produced solely by Subaru and Otto.
"See, Emilia-sama, Beatrice-chan—they turned out properly! Eat these... Ah! Emilia-sama! It's good to reflect on overcooking, but please don't eat undercooked ones! And Beatrice-chan, that's too much sauce!"
With Otto performing like a stereotypical housewife, it seemed they'd at least avoid stomachaches.
As for the other camps, the stand-out was once again Anastasia's.
After all, she herself had orchestrated this breakfast surprise. Full of confidence, she naturally had deep knowledge of Daisukiyaki.
"Tha-tha-tha-tha! Here we go! This is the real Daisukiyaki!"
Using two spatulas to shape it with great ambition, Anastasia plated her spectacularly charred Daisukiyaki on Julius's plate.
A perfect illustration of how enthusiasm alone couldn't overcome a lack of skill.
"That's wonderful, Anastasia-sama. However, my preference might be for a slightly shorter cooking time. I don't wish to trouble you, but..."
"That's fine, that's fine. Got it. I'll cook it shorter. You're such a delicate-tasting boy for a man, Julius."
Unlike Subaru, who made the cook eat her own creation to encourage self-reflection, Julius finished the burnt Daisukiyaki without a change in expression, then offered Anastasia his improvement suggestions with a smile still on his face.
The posture of supporting one's master—truly the model of a knight. Subaru would never want to imitate it, and never would.
Beside them, Joshua, who was clumsily making his own and eating the mangled result, had an oddly endearing quality. He was still forgetting that his monocle kept fogging up, and was desperately trying not to let the people around him notice his distorted depth perception. He'd find it humiliating if Subaru, whom he disliked, thought of him that way, so Subaru refrained from calling out to him.
After witnessing the stark difference between the graceful and the awkward brothers, it turned out that Crusch's camp was actually the most stable of them all.
"Oh, Crusch-sama~! Felri-chan's turned out beautifully! Look, look."
"Oh my, it really did. But I'm not losing either. Hehe, take a look."
The sweet, lovey-dovey exchange that looked like something between girlfriends was between Crusch and Ferris.
Both had the skill to back up their confidence—the Daisukiyaki sizzling on their griddle were properly shaped. Ferris's, in fact, had such perfect form that she'd even added cat ears to the round base.
"Mm-hmm. Now then, I'll put all my love into feeding Felri-chan's Daisukiyaki to you. Crusch-sama, open wide~"
"E-eh? Um, well... ah... aah."
What crossed the line from heartwarming into faintly immoral was probably because he knew they were actually a man and woman. Or perhaps it was the innocent, ladylike aura that radiated from Crusch, who had no memories, that made it feel that way.
In any case, the master and servant seemed fine. As for Wilhelm, facing his own Daisukiyaki while existing adjacent to that rosy bubble— "Hmm..."
Wilhelm, who was trying to flip the batter, narrowed his eyes and let out a small groan.
It seemed that his Daisukiyaki, perhaps due to excessive cooking time, had stuck to the griddle, and when he'd tried to force it loose, it had fallen apart.
Subaru felt as though he was witnessing an unexpectedly endearing moment of Wilhelm's clumsiness.
"It's like I just saw something I shouldn't have. But if that's the case..."
Subaru was about to stand up to offer Wilhelm a hand, but quickly sat back down.
After a moment of thought, Subaru nodded.
"Wilhelm-san."
"...Subaru-dono?"
Noticing he'd been called, Wilhelm looked up. Subaru pointed at his hapless griddle work, and Wilhelm furrowed his brow, seemingly ashamed of his own inadequacy.
Subaru nodded to him, then gently indicated the person next to him with his chin.
Understanding the meaning, Wilhelm drew a quiet breath.
"———"
The person Subaru indicated with his chin was Reinhard, sitting right beside Wilhelm's position. He was still following Felt's instructions, producing Daisukiyaki with the technique of a royal palace chef, unaware of the exchange.
But Wilhelm surely understood what Subaru was trying to say.
Wilhelm initially showed surprise, then conflict. Doubt. Hesitation. Wavering. It took him considerable time to reach a conclusion— "—Reinhard."
"———"
At Wilhelm's strained voice, Reinhard's movements stopped.
The spatula flipping the Daisukiyaki froze mid-motion, and Felt deftly slid her plate underneath to catch the airborne pancake.
The gesture was hardly dignified, but Reinhard didn't reprimand her for it.
The red-haired young man's eyes widened as he looked at Wilhelm, who had called his name. Wilhelm, in turn, met Reinhard's gaze head-on, his breath held tight.
"———"
"———"
Silence fell.
Not just between the two of them—everyone who had noticed their exchange was equally frozen.
In the quiet that had been created, only the sound of Daisukiyaki sizzling on the griddle continued, deafeningly loud.
When the silence had stretched on long enough that everyone could feel time itself grinding to a halt— "Well, you see..."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I-I'm not sure I can flip it properly. If there's a trick to it, would you mind teaching me?"
In halting words, Wilhelm managed to say those words.
What an extraordinary amount of mental energy it had taken Wilhelm to utter those words—Subaru, and Crusch and the others who apparently shared his feelings, stared wide-eyed.
Most of all, Wilhelm himself looked utterly drained the moment he'd finished speaking.
And Reinhard, hearing those words, took a breath and hesitated before responding.
A wave of emotion that had never crossed the red-haired knight's composed profile and blue eyes now washed over him.
Something close to inner conflict—Reinhard closed his eyes and hid it behind an exhale.
Then: "—Yes. Understood. Grandfather."
His mouth softened, his eyes narrowed, and that expression—what else could it be called but a smile.
It wasn't the smile Reinhard always wore, the kind that brought reassurance to others. It was perhaps a smile that only appeared when the young man called Reinhard stepped out of the role of "Sword Saint."
Wilhelm's expression went blank, and then, slowly, the words sank in.
He lowered his gaze and closed his eyes, as if trying to contain something.
Perhaps he couldn't fully take it in just yet.
But the weight of realization, even if it arrived late, would surely reach him.
Once it did, all that remained was to accept it and fill the gap.
The long, long rift that had grown between grandfather and grandson, matched by the same measure of time it would take to mend it.
Subaru envisioned that future, and simply clenched his fist, overwhelmed with emotion.
He wished, from the bottom of his heart, to somehow express congratulations for Wilhelm's joy through words.
And so— "Now wait just a minute, old man. Isn't that just a little too convenient for you?"
Suddenly, the sliding door opened, and a red-haired figure showed his face.
The malice contained in the flushed man's words left Subaru with nothing to do but stare blankly, having forgotten the passage of time.