—Fainting and sleep are both the same cessation of consciousness, so why are they different?
Subaru is probably one of the foremost experts on fainting and passing out in the entire world, and yet he hasn't the slightest clue why the two are different.
What he can say clearly is that if both fainting and sleep share the restorative effect of giving the body a break, then fainting only provides about half of that benefit.
It might just be a matter of perception, but that's how it feels.
The reason is surely that, unlike sleep, the people around you feel so entirely different when you faint.
If you weren't connected to anyone, if you didn't worry a single soul, then maybe fainting and sleep really would be the same.
That said— "—Ah."
His eyelids flutter, and a feeble breath escapes from his throat.
With that weak, unreliable gesture drawing his consciousness back toward reality,
"——"
Lifting his head from the shore of reality he'd pulled himself toward, Subaru held his breath for a beat.
What filled his field of vision was an unfamiliar ceiling—how many times now had he awakened in some unknown place and racked his brain trying to figure out where he was?
However, what was usually a lonely exercise was different this time.
"So you're finally awake. Subaru has been such a sleepyhead, it's been a real problem."
"
A familiar, adorable face filled Subaru's vision, eclipsing the unfamiliar ceiling.
Gazing at Subaru with her downcast brows and pale, pastel-hued eyes was the girl who probably shared the most awakening moments with him—Beatrice.
And the moment Beatrice came into view, Subaru noticed that what he'd assumed was his own hand gripping the bed was actually being held by someone else. The corners of his mouth softened.
"Were you…holding my hand this whole time?"
"Of course I was. Betty is Subaru's partner, after all. Besides, Subaru has a terrible habit of wandering off all over the place. If you don't like being chained up, holding hands is the most effective method."
"You really do understand me…"
Beatrice said this with a pout, and Subaru couldn't help but smile bitterly.
When there was something he had to do, Subaru would search for a way to do it even if he were chained up—but the feeling of unclasping those joined hands always made his heart ache.
Subaru was weak to pain, so that was the most effective way to keep him in check.
"So, where are we? What are we doing right n—"
"Settle down, Subaru. I understand wanting to know what's going on… but first, look around the room."
"Look around?"
When Subaru pressed for answers, Beatrice held a finger to her lips and drew things out with deliberate mystery.
Curbing his impatience and restless feelings, Subaru blinked and did as she told him, turning his gaze beyond the ceiling and Beatrice.
And then he caught his breath.
—Surrounding the bed he was lying in, he found himself face to face with a crowd of people, all fast asleep.
"——"
The room was far from spacious. Subaru's bed alone took up half the floor space. And inside that room, more than ten people were packed in like sardines.
And it was an impossible combination of people at that.
"
"And that's not all. Betty won the right to one hand, but the other…"
At her words, Subaru realized that it wasn't just his right hand being held by Beatrice—his left was as well. He turned his head to see who held it, and there, lying with her upper body draped half onto the bed, gripping his hand tightly, was— "—Petra."
A girl with a large ribbon on her head lay there, her sleeping face as lovely as ever.
How many hardships and obstacles had she overcome just to take his hand like this? Petra, in an unfamiliar travel outfit, was dirty in places—a far cry from her usual concern for looking fashionable.
That disheveled state was proof that she had made it all the way here.
"But I think the hardest part for Petra was actually getting the chance to hold Subaru's hand like this. It was a free-for-all, you know."
"Wait, wait—everyone wanted to hold my hand while I was sleeping? Come on, that's got to be the most ridic—"
"It's not ridiculous at all."
Beatrice's quiet voice cut through Subaru's attempt at a joke.
Eyes widening, Subaru looked at her as she lifted their still-joined hands.
"Everyone was genuinely worried about Subaru, you know. If holding his hand could give him strength, they would do anything for just that much."
"——"
"Maybe Subaru should be more aware of just how significant his existence is. Betty has been saying this over and over again, for a long, long time."
Her tone was quiet and tinged with exasperation, yet there was a tenderness far too vast to be called mere fondness behind every word.
When someone looked at you and spoke to you like that, it was impossible to dismiss it.
Subaru didn't think he was disconnected from the people around him or that he wasn't valued—but— "…Even so, this is way too overprotective, isn't it? Everyone just because I got a little smaller?"
"How should I put it? Personally, I'd rather Natsuki-san reflect on the fact that he's shrunk rather than worrying about everyone else's overprotectiveness."
"—!"
A sudden voice made Subaru jump.
The unexpected interjection came from the room's narrow entrance—the sliding door had been eased open, and poking their head through was the owner of a soft face so annoyingly pleasant it was practically malicious.
"Otto!"
"Yes, it's me… Please, keep your voice down. Think of how Petra-chan and Garfiel feel."
"How Petra and the others feel…"
"They've all been waiting right here by your bedside for you to wake up, Natsuki-san. They want to be the first to exchange words with you the moment you open your eyes. And if they found out that I swooped in and stole that right just by showing my face, they'd hate me for it."
"Oh yeah, that'd be pretty low of you."
"And meanwhile, Natsuki-san—shrunk as you are, it's good to see your volume hasn't decreased at all."
The young man who had appeared—Otto—put a finger to his lips to quiet his voice and surveyed the room.
Having gone through the trouble of showing his face, he found the room packed so tightly there was barely room to stand. Otto wore a troubled expression but managed to find a foothold and approached the bed.
"Beatrice-chan, thank you for taking care of Natsuki-san."
"There's nothing to thank me for, I suppose. …Rather, is it alright for you to be talking here?"
"Well, of course I should be informing everyone that Natsuki-san has awakened, but…"
Caught in Beatrice's stare, Otto smiled wryly and paused. Drawing out the moment with deliberate dramatic effect, he looked down at Subaru on the bed.
"Since I happened to be the one to witness your awakening, Natsuki-san—I'd like to air my personal grievances before things get loud."
"What a piece of work…"
"Well, I am a merchant."
Otto placed a hand on his own bare head and smiled without a trace of malice.
While Subaru took a deep breath—feeling the same chill as when glared at by an enemy, or the same chill as when he'd earned Tanza's displeasure.
Honestly, Subaru believed he bore almost no fault for being sent to the Volakia Empire and the subsequent chaos. But the fact remained that he'd caused everyone an enormous amount of worry.
No matter what grievances they threw at him, he would accept them willingly.
"Alright, bring it on. But let me warn you—my mental defenses have been seriously toughened up over here. Don't think some half-baked words are going to crack me."
"What kind of boast is that? Well, I don't intend to give you a lengthy lecture. It's not just me who has something to say, so I'll keep it short. —Natsuki-san."
"Yeah."
"—I'm glad we could reunite safely. Please don't make us worry like that again."
"——"
A hand extended forward and landed gently on Subaru's small shoulder.
Otto's fingers, more rugged than his refined features would suggest, trembled ever so slightly on that shoulder. Feeling that tremor, Subaru felt his throat tighten.
Otto's brow furrowed and his nose scrunched as he forced the words out—it was the fraying of emotion that the man who always maintained an objective distance could no longer suppress.
"Guh…h—"
All his mental toughness, all his readiness to accept it—none of it mattered.
Otto's critical blow landed mercilessly, shattering Natsuki Subaru's defenses and striking a devastating impact against the raw, exposed soul on the other side.
In short, it was a foul.
"This always works best on you, doesn't it, Natsuki-san?"
"You son of a—"
As Subaru's entire body trembled, Otto pulled his expression back from its crumpled state and let a fearless, knowing smile spread across his face.
Completely and utterly outmaneuvered, Subaru could do nothing but blush with the sting of defeat. —No, there was one other recourse. A counterstrike against Otto—far from victory, but at the very least a way to deny him a clean getaway.
Which was— "Aaaargh! I'm beaten, I'm beaten! Total defeat! Otto, you bastard!!"
"Gah!?"
Still red in the face, Subaru put on a wicked grin and shouted his defeat at the top of his lungs. The instant Otto heard it, his face went pale and he let out a shriek.
As their exchange echoed through the room, it naturally roused their sleeping companions one after another—or rather, their sleeping lions.
And so the room erupted with joy, reproach, and every shade of delight and consternation in between.
Amid the growing commotion, while Subaru and Otto both clutched their heads, Beatrice—the one who had watched the entire scene unfold—rested her chin on her hand.
"My, my… every last one of them carries on like children, doesn't they…"
And with that, she watched over the scene with an amused smile, the only one maintaining the air of a detached observer.
△▼△▼△▼△ —The mass evacuation of Imperial citizens from the capital,
That was the momentous event that had taken place while Subaru was unconscious. Subaru had awakened inside one of the passenger compartments of a dragon-drawn carriage assigned to key figures within this convoy.
Pulled by numerous earth dragons, these carriages served as mobile sleeping quarters—useful for both evacuation and recuperation. It was in such privileged accommodation that Subaru had apparently been carried out of the capital.
"Brother! Thank goodness you're safe! When your body went limp halfway through, I was worried sick—I really didn't know what would happen!"
"Couldn't care less if the bearded bastard croaked, but if you disappeared, the Fighting Spirit would be done for… If it came to dying, just use me or anyone else as a shield…"
"Velt's manner of expression is grating, but I share his sentiment. Schwartz, I'm truly glad you've returned—for the Fighting Spirit and for myself personally."
These were the reactions of the three from the gladiatorial island—"Gō"—Hiain, Velt, and Idra—who had been waiting within the group that gathered around Subaru's awakening.
Idra, who had been together with Subaru during the battle, was one thing—but Hiain and Velt, who had been acting separately, must have been worried sick.
And that wasn't the only thing he owed them an apology for.
"Sorry. I passed out and the reinforcement on everyone got undone…"
"Don't worry about it… Fortunately, it happened just as we'd started retreating…"
"That's right! The only one who nearly died when it snapped was this skull-headed guy here, who was holding up a collapsing pillar at the time. If the General hadn't been there, he'd have been crushed…"
"I told you not to bring that up!"
Velt's considerate words were immediately undercut by Hiain's typical lack of filter. As the two bickered, Idra shrugged.
As someone who had been in the capital when the Cor Leonis was severed and had been exposed to grave danger, he said: "As Velt said, don't worry about it, Schwartz. From the moment we decided to follow you, whatever happened afterward was our own responsibility."
"But…"
"I know that even saying that won't stop you from worrying. —Let's leave the rest of this conversation to the women who've known you longer than we have."
As ever, Idra was excellent at keeping things rational and orderly.
This left Subaru with nothing but emotional rebuttals, which meant he was effectively silenced. Idra then took the still-clashing Hiain and Velt by the arms and left the room.
As the small figure of Tanza followed the departing trio— "Tanza."
"…I'm sorry I was of no use when it mattered most. I'm truly grateful that you've returned, Lord Schwartz."
Her head drooped, and she answered in a formal, measured tone.
Thinking of their parting in the capital, Subaru could understand her frustration at her own inadequacy. But her downcast expression seemed to stem from more than that alone.
"What's wrong? If something happened…"
"…No, it's nothing you need to hear right now, Lord Schwartz. Please rest your body, and spend time with everyone."
With a moment's hesitation, Tanza said nothing more and left the room.
Subaru almost reached out for her retreating back, but both his hands were occupied. Even so, his heart protested at leaving her looking like that.
He firmly resolved to ask her about that look later.
And then— "—Subaru."
After seeing off the others who had left first, the voice that finally rang out was like a silver bell, bright and gentle, as though it had been eagerly awaiting this very moment.
"——"
It took a beat—time—to react to that voice, to turn toward it.
It wasn't the awkwardness of having caused worry, or the shame of not being able to face someone. It wasn't any such petty pride.
It was simply that Subaru's very existence needed time to brace itself.
Because— "
Just calling her name like that was enough to send a sweet, tingling sensation through his heart.
To his tension-laden call, the girl herself—Emilia—smiled softly.
"Mm, I'm so glad we could meet again. …But really, Subaru, you've made so many friends even this far away. That makes me feel so relieved."
"Friends…"
"Yes. Everyone was so worried about you, Subaru—they wouldn't leave your side for a moment."
At Emilia's words, Subaru recalled the state the room had been in just moments ago and looked down.
It always bothered him—the weight of being the one who caused the worry always felt heavier, and he was reminded every time people told him about this bad habit of his.
"I'm a lucky guy, huh?"
"Definitely. But I want Subaru to be even more, more happy than this, so this much isn't nearly enough."
"After everything you've all done for me?"
"Well then, when Subaru does something for me, do you think I'd ever be satisfied with just this much?"
Emilia tilted her head, and Subaru felt her beautiful silver hair cascade over her slender shoulders. Completely cornered, he found himself at a loss for words.
She was right. When he wanted to do something for the people he cared about, his thoughts never stopped at "this much should be fine"—they always went to "isn't there something more I can do?"
Watching Subaru's reaction, Emilia gave a little "fufu" laugh.
"See? What I'm saying isn't wrong, is it? My knight."
"…Yeah. While we were apart, you've grown so incredibly much—it makes me proud, but also lonely, Emilia."
"Emilia?"
"…No—I mean, Emilia-tan."
When she repeated it back to him, Subaru reached for the form of address he'd let drift away and pulled it close.
Yes—that was what he called the girl who meant so much to him, who was precious to him, who he cherished, who made his heart go absolutely haywire.
The moment he called her that, everything clicked perfectly into place.
As Subaru savoring that feeling— "Emilia! We want to talk to Subaru too, please!"
The warm atmosphere flowing between Subaru and Emilia was boldly interrupted by Petra, who raised her small hand to assert her presence.
Having woken during the earlier commotion, Petra hadn't had a chance to settle down and properly celebrate the reunion. Now, her round eyes blazed with fury as she radiated an overwhelming hunger to reconnect.
"We still haven't properly talked to Subaru yet. —Unlike Otto, who jumped the queue!"
"Ugh—well, I wasn't trying to jump the queue or anything—"
"Oh? Oh? An excuse, is it, big brother Otto? I'm kinda looking forward to hearing what excuse you've got. Even I wouldn't cut in line here… that'd sting."
"Now you're piling on too, Garfiel!?"
Garfiel slumped his shoulders and gestured in exasperation. Caught in the combined wave assault from both Petra and Garfiel, Otto's eyes went wide as he cried out.
To further press the advantage, Beatrice chimed in with "That's right": "Betty heard it all. That Otto fellow said it himself—he snuck over to talk to Subaru so Petra and the others wouldn't notice."
"Oh, is that true? Otto-kun, I understand how you feel, but everyone was equally worried about Subaru, so you shouldn't cut in line like that."
"No allies! This hurts far more than any petty disadvantage!"
Betrayed by Beatrice and lectured by a straightforward Emilia, Otto clutched his chest, reaping the full consequences of his actions.
While the raucous group carried on— "Otto-sama's bad habits aside, I'm truly glad we've been able to reunite. Emilia-sama, Beatrice-sama, and of course Petra as well—none of us have been able to rest easy."
It was Frederica who spoke softly.
She, like Petra, was dressed in travel clothes rather than her usual maid uniform—an unusual sight. But what Subaru saw next was even more unusual, and it made him startle.
Tears glistened in the corners of Frederica's eyes, nearly tracing down her cheeks.
"Fr-Frederica! You're crying!"
"Hm? Ah—I'm sorry. I just… truly let out a sigh of relief, and… I've shown you something unsightly…"
"…No, not unsightly at all. You must have been really, really worried."
Subaru was surprised by Frederica's tears, and more than that, gratitude swelled within him.
As she'd said, they had rushed out in search of the vanished Subaru and
The border that should have been nearly impossible to cross. A nation plunged into civil war.
They had overcome countless barriers that no conventional means could have surmounted to reach Subaru.
"Seriously, thank you all."
"Heh-heh, of course we'd come! The Captain's gone, nothing works right, no matter where you look!"
"Mm, Garfiel's right. …You really did get small, though."
Petra, who had smiled and nodded while Garfiel wiped his nose, added this last point with a tiny jut of her lip.
Indeed, all of them reunited at last—a grand finale, right? Well, not exactly, given Subaru's current state. He had no intention of returning to the
He'd need to become the Natsuki Subaru, age eighteen, once more before he could stand beside Emilia.
"Though, Beatrice… ahem! Beatrice doesn't mind standing next to you?"
"Our eye level is the same, so I don't mind at all. But Betty is starting to miss carrying Subaru around. So I suppose I'd prefer the bigger Subaru."
"Me too! I think I'd prefer bigger Subaru too! The current Subaru is cute and all, but…"
"Ah, see? I knew he was cute. I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that."
Emilia's slightly off-topic agreement sent a relaxed, floating atmosphere through the room.
Bathing in that indescribably gentle ambiance, Subaru realized he was soaking in the warmth of the Emilia camp—a place he'd been away from for so long—and feeling his soul fill with contentment.
He'd been sent to the Volakia Empire, formed bonds with the Shudrak people, Flop and Medium, and then the Pleiades Battling Spirit alongside the gladiatorial island's members. But the atmosphere of this group was different from any of them.
They were all precious—but being here, in this place he'd been kept from for so long, drove home just how precious it truly was.
"Though I guess Roswaal and
Subaru murmured, looking around at the faces that were conspicuously absent, and smiled wryly.
Meili wasn't there either, but given her position, it would have been difficult for her to cross the border and accompany Emilia's group. She was probably staying behind at the mansion with Ram— "Eh? No, that's not the case at all. Ram and Roswaal are both with us. They were both worried about you too, Subaru."
"—Huh?"
Subaru's assumption was shattered by Emilia's matter-of-fact reply, delivered with a puzzled expression.
Subaru's eyes went wide in shock, Emilia's beautiful voice echoing inside his head. Ram, and Roswaal, had both come along.
Roswaal being there was astounding enough—but he'd set that aside for now.
The issue wasn't Roswaal, but— "Ram is… here too?"
"She is! Ram was worried about Subaru too… Ah! Whatever you do, don't tell her I said that!"
"I won't. I won't—but that's not what I—"
Subaru shook his head vigorously at Petra's words, his brain reeling.
That wasn't the point—if Ram was here, then— "H-Have you already let her see Rem?"
"Oh…"
The moment Subaru timidly asked the question, every face besides his own froze.
That reaction was the very thing Subaru had feared most.
Emilia's response—and everyone else's—bore the quality of "we forgot to tell Subaru," which meant it had happened while he was unconscious.
—The reunion of the separated sisters, Ram and Rem.
"Waaaaaahhhh!! I wanted to be there so, so badly!!"
"S-Sorry, Subaru! But we wanted to let them meet as soon as possible…"
"I know, I know, but I'm such a stupid piece of—!?"
Subaru covered his face with both hands and screamed at his own idiocy, having missed the historic moment.
Emilia and the others desperately tried to comfort him, but since no one was really at fault, Subaru's wound refused to heal.
If anything, Subaru himself was most to blame—for being asleep at the crucial moment.
Even so— "W-What was it like? Their reactions…"
"Well, it was a little clumsy at first… but it felt so incredibly special! I even ended up getting a little emotional…"
"Uoooooon!"
"Emilia! Show more restraint! Subaru is pitiful!"
"Ehhhh! Sorry, sorry!"
Even so, the frustration showed no sign of fading, and Subaru seethed with all his might.
He realized once more, through bitter tears, that this was the worst thing about his small body—when he was truly on the verge of crying, he couldn't hold back the tears.
△▼△▼▼△▼△ "————"
From beyond the door she was about to reach for, a loud, resonant cry rang out.
Halted by that voice and its contents, Rem furrowed her well-shaped brows, her heart tormented by indecision.
"Mmm… huh?"
"…I'm sorry, Rui-chan. That person in there wants to see him so badly."
Rui, clinging to Rem's waist, looked up at her with a curious expression.
When the unconscious Subaru had awakened, Rui must have wanted to speak with him too—but she'd held it back and come running to Rem's side instead.
Now, led by Rem, they had arrived outside Subaru's bedroom—but— "——"
The voices from inside were Subaru's and his companions'.
It sounded very much like someone else's story, but apparently those companions were people of great significance to Rem as well. —Just like with Subaru, she lacked the concrete memories, but the feeling was there.
"I know they're not bad people. Not at all."
Leading them was the Emilia Rem had first met inside—along with others who had come looking for Rem and Subaru, these were people who cared deeply for each other, brimming with initiative, and above all, clearly good people.
She had heard that they had rushed over from the neighboring kingdom despite the ban on travel, and had even participated in a civil war they had no ties to.
All of it—to save Subaru, who had been caught up in the Empire's civil war. No, to save Subaru and Rem.
That was no different from Rem's own inability to flee from this Empire's conflict— "Baru's pathetic little voice is coming through, I hear."
A voice spoke suddenly to Rem's brooding back, and she drew a faint breath.
It was Rui, still clinging to Rem's waist, who turned to face the newcomer. Meeting Rui's gaze, the owner of that voice let out a soft sigh and said: "Stop glaring at me like that. That was a loving tap on the back for Barusu… no, since there's no love involved, it was just a tap. Yes, purely a tap."
"…Does that mean you hate him?"
"I don't hate him. I simply have frequent opportunities to despise him."
With that, the sound of footsteps approached, and Rem turned as well.
It took a beat to turn—because facing this person required mustering every ounce of courage to look straight at her.
After all, the face approaching her was one that even Rem, who had no memories, knew well.
It was— "…Ram-san."
"What a distant way to address me. I'm ready to be called 'older sister,' though."
"On my end, everything has been quite sudden…"
The woman standing before her, arms crossed and chest held high—Ram, as she introduced herself and as everyone around her called her—looked very much like Rem herself.
The differences were in hair and eye color, and the overwhelming pressure of confidence that filled them from within.
This woman, it seemed, was Rem's older sister.
Honestly, if she compared their features, there was nothing to deny it. And the sister's name Subaru had told her about so many times before was indeed "Ram."
Most of all, what dominated Rem's heart in a way that was impossible to deny— "Whatever you think, Rem's heart already knows it, doesn't it? Ram and Rem are sisters… Synesthesia doesn't lie, after all."
"Synesthesia…"
"It's like a bond of the soul between twins born from the same blood. Ram has always felt Rem's existence, continuingly. …Don't you feel the same?"
"——"
Rem closed her lips against Ram's steady gaze, which had narrowed its thin crimson eyes.
Was it different for Rem? Not at all. She didn't fully understand this thing called synesthesia, but within Rem there was certainly a powerful, overwhelming sense of incongruity.
It was an inexplicable sense of security toward Ram—a woman she should have been meeting for the first time.
"…But it's scary."
"Scary?"
"To feel this way toward someone I've barely exchanged a few words with."
For Rem, who had lost her memory, the only people present at the moment her new self began were Subaru and Rui. She had begun this life by pushing Subaru away and keeping Rui close.
After that, she had met the Shudrak people, Flop and Medium, Priscilla and Katria—and had built all manner of relationships in her own way.
And yet Ram's existence surpassed all of that in an instant, rising to the very top.
"That's what scares me…"
This feeling of security—one she couldn't fully put into words—was the sound of footsteps approaching from the past.
It wasn't that Rem didn't want to recover her lost memories. She understood that many of the problems she faced would likely resolve themselves if her memories returned.
But at the same time, she feared that once those footsteps caught up with her, everything would change.
If everything—her perspective, her feelings, her thoughts—changed completely.
That was why Rem squeezed her eyes shut so tightly and pressed her hand to her chest.
And then— "Yes. —I'm glad."
"Eh?"
Hearing that unexpected voice, Rem opened her eyes and raised her head.
Staring wide-eyed at Ram, who stood before her, arms still crossed, Ram's eyes softened ever so slightly at the corners.
"Ram felt the same way. That same fear."
"Fear…"
"If Rem had simply accepted this synesthesia naturally and thrown herself into Ram's arms as though it were the most obvious thing in the world—what then? —That was what I was afraid of."
"——"
Ram's expression was gentle, yet what she spoke of was fear—and Rem found herself unable to grasp what Ram was feeling. —No, that wasn't right.
It was the realization of something she hadn't understood before that was causing the confusion.
"Ugh!"
Rui, clinging to Rem's waist, let out a low growl on her behalf, having noticed Rem's wandering, distressed gaze.
Glaring up at Ram from below, Rui had keenly sensed the tremor in Rem's heart and was now fixing the source of it—Ram—with a sharp, accusatory gaze.
Meeting that gaze, Ram narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Are you going to stand between Ram and Rem? Of all people, you?"
"Ughh—!"
"So you won't back down. Complex, but not unpleasant."
Ram seemed to know Rui as well, some past connection there, and she said this before turning her gaze back to Rem. Once their eyes met, Ram didn't let go.
Feeling the intensity of that gaze burn into her, Rem found her soul drawn in regardless.
The fear grew stronger and stronger.
And equally strong was the feeling of attraction toward Ram.
Feeling both with full force, Rem bit her lip firmly and said: "You are surely my sister. I believe that without a doubt. But…"
"Even if your heart accepts it, your head can't?"
"…Yes."
"Then that's fine for now."
As Rem nodded weakly, Ram took another step closer.
As Ram approached, tension filled Rem's shoulders, and Rui moved forward as if to shield her. But Rem gently steadied the brave girl's shoulder and said, "It's alright," stopping her.
And then, of her own volition, Rem looked Ram straight in the face.
Meeting Rem's gaze, Ram uncrossed her arms and extended her hand—to the younger sister whose heart had already acknowledged her as kin.
"I'm Ram. Your sister, born, surely, to love you."
"——"
"Of course, I'm also an independent older sister with someone else equally precious to me."
The words, delivered with such calm self-assurance, made Rem's eyes go wide.
As their meaning sank in, a breath escaped her lips with a soft "fuh." Then Rem smiled, and still smiling, said: "You really are a frightening person. Talking to you makes me want to surrender to this feeling of security and become completely captivated."
"Well, can't be helped. Ram is the kind of sister who makes you want to entrust her with your whole heart and love."
"Yes, Ram-nee-san."
Ram puffed out her chest proudly. Rem timidly took her outstretched hand, and for the first time called her that. Upon hearing it, Ram's brow creased ever so slightly.
It had taken courage for Rem to say it, so the reaction caught her off guard.
"Um?"
"…I don't like that you're doing what Barusu says, but 'nee-san' does feel off, doesn't it."
"Oh?"
"—Onee-sama. Call me that."
"Eh?"
For a brief instant, Ram wore a strained expression—but then she repeated herself once more.
"Call me Onee-sama. That fits best."
"…Ram, Onee-sama?"
"No need for my name."
"—Onee-sama."
Obeying her wish, Rem adjusted her form of address. Ram closed her eyes tightly at that. Then she drew Rem's joined hand close. When Rem stumbled forward with a small "wa," Ram gently caught her in her arms, holding her in a full embrace.
Then Ram brought her lips to Rem's ear.
"I felt it clearly just now. —Ram is Rem's Onee-sama."
"—I felt it too."
The moment she was held in those arms, the thing she'd been so afraid of poured out.
What she'd been calling a sense of security was, at its core, a love for Ram that drew her soul toward its source. It was powerful—so powerful that it gently swallowed even Rem, who shouldn't have had any memories.
"…I hate to admit it, but are you ready, Rem?"
"Ready?"
"To go inside. We need to show Emilia-san, of course, and Barusu as well. A proud display of sisterly love, and to put everyone's worries to rest."
At Ram's words, Rem closed her eyes.
She still had no answers—about how to face Emilia and the others, about how to face Subaru.
But at least regarding this sister—regarding Ram—and regarding her own feelings toward Ram, there was no doubt.
"Yes, Onee-sama."
"Now I'm wondering if I should put this off until I've heard it a hundred times."
"Onee-sama…"
"I was joking."
To Rem's obedient nod, Ram delivered what sounded like anything but a joke.
Rem's heart, despite her own urgent situation and the other grave matters at hand, filled even if only briefly with relief at her sister's playful demeanor.
"Uagh, uagh-aagh?"
"Yes, I'm alright. Thank you for worrying about me too, Rui-chan."
"Ugh!"
Through all of Rem and Ram's exchange, Rui had stood faithfully by Rem's side. Rem dispelled the little girl's anxiety with a smile and gently stroked her head.
Then, bringing Rui along, she stood at Ram's side with courage.
Meeting Ram's eyes, the two of them nodded—and together, they reached for the door before them— "—Forgive the intrusion. We could hear the noise from all the way outside."
"It was very Barusu-like—a small animal's shrill, frenzied cry."
—and the sisters stepped together into the room where their companions had gathered.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Ahh… What a weight off my shoulders…"
Subaru murmured, savoring the feeling of a massive burden being lifted from his chest.
That weight had been the responsibility Subaru had to shoulder—to protect Rem when no one else could, and to reunite Ram and Rem, and Emilia and the others.
Honestly, when he'd learned that he'd missed the very beginning of the sisters' reunion, he'd been struck with regret so deep it felt like the end of the world.
"But seeing the two of them standing there together like that…"
The two who had visited his room together displayed an attitude that, whatever had passed between them, reassured him that nothing had gone in a wrong direction.
Knowing that, the frustration from moments ago evaporated and relief washed over Subaru.
At long last—finally—he had introduced Rem to Ram.
He had introduced Rem to Emilia and Beatrice.
How much of that was due to Subaru's own contribution, he couldn't say—but he'd done it.
And Subaru himself had reunited with Emilia's camp—which was cause for celebration in its own right.
"I'm still small, and Rem's memory still hasn't come back…"
But he could feel hope sprouting properly.
As for his body's size, there seemed to be a path forward in the near future. And surely there was a way to restore Rem's memories too.
So what remained was— "…You really don't want Betty there with you?"
"No, I'm totally fine. It's just, if Beatrice is there, the others won't come around. So humor me a little, okay?"
"If anything happens, just call me. I'll come running in a flash."
"I'm counting on you."
And so Subaru gently unclasped the hand of Beatrice, who refused to let go right up to the last.
As Emilia's group reluctantly departed the room, the once-lively causes of the commotion were now gone entirely—and the silence that flooded the passenger compartment left Subaru alone.
With all the noise-makers absent, the doubts rushed in all at once.
How large was the evacuation from the capital? Had the truth behind that horde of zombies been uncovered? Had relations between the
And the events right before Subaru had lost consciousness—how had they been resolved?
"Even if you can't answer all of them, can you give me at least half?"
"—That depends entirely on how much effort you're willing to make, doesn't it?"
In the now-empty bedroom, a figure responded to the words of Subaru, who had propped himself upright in bed. They had been waiting for precisely this moment—until the room had been cleared.
Slow, deliberate footsteps sounded against the floor, confident and unhesitant—the posture of someone who felt no need to suppress the announcement of their own presence.
Both that bearing and that piercingly sharp gaze were unchanged from memory. And yet, there was something definitively different about this person—the dark-haired man of striking beauty whom Subaru fixed with his stare.
And— "How far will your eloquence carry you, Natsuki Subaru? —Star Reader of the Dragon Kingdom."
Vincent Volakia confronted Natsuki Subaru, his dark eyes brimming with hostility.