"——Hey, brother, you're spacing out. You gonna eat the Linga or what?"
The instant
Staring at it, which looked like an apple, the thought crossed his idle mind that such things were sometimes called the fruit of wisdom.
The forbidden fruit that, if eaten, would cast one out of paradise.
If he took a bite, perhaps it would save him from this incomprehensible situation.
"Hey, brother?"
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow and called out to Subaru, who hadn't reacted at all.
Subaru registered this dimly from the fringes of his hazy consciousness, then jerked his head upward as though springing into the air. He cast his gaze around him.
It was a street in the middle of the day, and he was in front of a street vendor's stall.
Inside the shop, set up like a greengrocer, colorful vegetables and fruits were displayed here and there. Each one looked familiar, yet bore subtle differences.
The street was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with a suffocating crowd. Hair colors that would be impossible in his original world, and races that were literally impossible, moved about as if it were the most natural thing.
Every last detail overflowed with a quiet bustle, and Subaru scratched at his head.
His moving left arm touched his abdomen, and he felt the sensation of normal flesh beneath his fingers. No signs that his innards had spilled out, no traces of his eyes having been gouged — nothing.
"I seriously don't understand what's going on..."
That was all he muttered before being overcome by a wave of nausea and dizziness that sent him crumpling to his knees.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "Water. Can you drink this?"
Subaru accepted the ceramic cup that was offered to him and lapped at the water poured inside.
The water was ice-cold, and from the tip of his tongue it spread through his parched mouth, bringing a measure of relief to the gloomy heaviness weighing on his spirits.
"Ah, that's good. Thanks. ——You're a really nice guy, pops."
"Knock it off. If you keel over right in front of my shop, people'll think one of my products knocked you out. It'd be a laugh, but not the good kind. Rest here in the shade until you've recovered."
The scarf-faced shop owner said this without a hint of embarrassment, then turned and headed back toward the interior of his store.
Subaru, still sitting on the ground, watched him go and let out a deep breath, his back resting against the wall of the shop at the edge of the street.
The one who had caught Subaru as he collapsed from dizziness was, once again, the greengrocer who was becoming increasingly familiar.
Despite his rough exterior, he had judged Subaru's condition to be heatstroke, then efficiently prepared a wet towel and drinking water, and even carried him to this shaded rest area.
Never judge a book by its cover. A hulking, bald geezer might turn out to be a kindly old man, and a sultry older sister might be a pleasure-killer.
"My stomach and my eyes should have been wrecked, though..."
He murmured, then touched his eyelids and confirmed that he could indeed see light properly once more.
There was no wound on his abdomen either, and his left shoulder, which should have been shattered, was fully intact. Once again, every injury had been completely healed, and — whether out of some particular insistence — he had been abandoned in front of the greengrocer's shop.
"Even so... that was... something else."
He withdrew his hand from his eyelids and brought it before his eyes.
Despite touching nothing, his fingertips were trembling. The tremor gradually spread from his fingertips up through his arm, and before he knew it, it had become a full-body chill that constricted him.
Just remembering it made his teeth chatter. Subaru buried his head between his raised knees and shook as the terror, which threatened to overtake even the surrounding bustle, closed in on him.
Horrifying, unknowable, utterly irrational — the very embodiment of despair.
Never before had he been exposed to such killing intent, never before had he endured violence so painful, never before had he experienced such destruction of his own body.
His acquaintances had been murdered before his eyes, and he could do nothing more than cower — Subaru's heart had been utterly destroyed by that terror.
Facing that abomination of an existence again was something he refused to even think about.
"Don't think about it, don't think about it, this is stupid. There's nothing I can do. I can't do anything. That thing kills you. You have no choice but to die against that. Barely surviving should count as a blessing, right?"
He sought agreement from no one in particular and desperately begged for mercy.
In his mind, the feedback loop played — Old Man
Following that came the memory of pain and terror: being cut, shattered, opened, his sight torn away.
Feeling the nausea and muddled negativity welling up, Subaru reflexively dumped the water from the ceramic cup over his head.
It wasn't much, but it was enough to drench his entire head.
He brushed the water dripping from his bangs away with his hand and slapped his face repeatedly, trying to snap himself out of it.
"Snap out of it, yeah, just shake it off. It's simple. Forget about that place. There are a million more important things to think about. Like, this other world — I need to figure out how to live here. While I'm sitting around agonizing over this, trouble'll come knocking, and then I can..."
——Get saved by someone, try to repay that debt, go through hell to do it.
"That's not it either, I told you!"
Try as he might not to think about her, the silver-haired girl continued to shine in Subaru's memory.
Originally, most of the events that had befallen Subaru in this world were set in motion by her. So he couldn't talk about this world while cutting her out of his thoughts.
But whenever he thought of her, it inevitably circled back to that pain and despair.
His thoughts kept spiraling downward into a negative loop.
The trembling wouldn't stop, and the gloomy cycle of thoughts offered no glimmer of light.
He couldn't grasp even the faintest thread that might lead him forward, that might let him move beyond standing still.
"Hey, brother, how are you feeling now? Any better?"
The scarf-faced man poked his head out from the shop front and asked with genuine concern.
Despite his tough-guy act, his natural kindness seeped through. Subaru couldn't keep imposing on his goodwill — he had to leave this place.
"Yeah, I think I've calmed down a bit. Sorry for the trouble."
He struggled to his feet without looking too pathetic and returned the empty ceramic cup to the owner. The owner received it and looked like he wanted to say something further, but didn't press.
"I'll repay you someday."
"Don't bother. If you want to do something, come buy some of my Linga when you've got money."
The owner gave Subaru's shoulder a light jab, raised a hand in farewell, and headed back inside.
Impressed by the man's straightforward manner, Subaru took a deep breath and stepped onto the street. The flow of pedestrians hadn't changed while he'd been crouching in a ball, and the bustling avenue lined with street vendors showed no less energy than before.
"...The Loot House."
He had a vague sense that was where he should go.
He had the thought, but his feet wouldn't carry him in that direction. Going there meant facing that terror again.
If by some terrible chance he encountered 'Elsa' once more, that would be the end — the life he'd scraped back would be thrown straight into the gutter.
Summoned to another world, accomplishing nothing whatsoever, just rotting away. That would be his end.
"Heh. Well, running away and staying here amounts to the same thing."
A self-deprecating laugh and smile surfaced as Subaru reached into his pocket and started walking.
The opposite direction from the Loot House. That was Subaru's conclusion.
Throw everything away, sink into a sea of resignation, forget the debt he owed, and look the other way.
Before coming here, he'd been doing exactly the same thing. He'd always been the "stay out of trouble" type. Human connections, debts of any sort — he'd always found them a pain and lived accordingly.
So why was it that now, of all times— "Huh...?"
He raised his head, about to take that first step of escape, and a sound of bewilderment escaped his lips.
In his widening field of vision, the river of passersby flowed around him, avoiding the motionless Subaru. A tall figure with reptilian skin, a beastkin shorter than Subaru's waist, a young dancer with peach-colored hair, a swordsman with six blades hanging from his belt — And there she was, a girl walking forward, draped in a white robe, her silver hair swaying.
The girl glanced at the stopped Subaru and shifted her body to avoid contact as she passed by.
Her long silver hair, gathered in a single tail, swayed with each step, and a fragrance like flowers mingled with the wind tickled his nostrils. Her amethyst eyes, brimming with a strong will, had already moved past him — they held only the sharpness of someone who stared straight down the path ahead.
Her dignified bearing unchanged, her breathtaking beauty untarnished, the existence he had continued to seek was about to walk past him.
"St—"
His voice wouldn't come. He swallowed the sound at the back of his throat and tried to chase after her retreating back.
She moved gracefully, weaving through the crowd. As Subaru chased the fleeing silver hair through a fog of confusion and bewilderment, he called out in a voice on the verge of tears.
"Wait — wait, please... Just wait, I'm begging you..."
For an instant, the eyes she turned toward him were as cold as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
It had been only a few hours for her, but to her, he was likely a passing stranger at best. Someone who hadn't even observed the most basic warnings, who had placed himself in danger — she might well consider him despicable.
Even knowing she might think that, Subaru chased after her.
He didn't know what she thought of him. But if that was the case, at the very least, he wanted her to tell him.
Rather than being hurt by imagined feelings, it was far better to be hurt by reality — pain and all.
"Please wait. —
What words did he want to exchange with her, once he'd stopped her?
The instant a clear answer formed inside him, Subaru found himself shouting her name.
That shout cut cleanly through the street's noise and reached even the back that had been growing more distant.
The silver-haired girl stopped dead in her tracks.
Subaru pushed through the crowd and approached her, then placed his hand on her slender shoulder.
"Please don't ignore me. I really was wrong when I disappeared. But I didn't understand what was going on either. After that, I went to the Loot House looking for you, and I still couldn't find you..."
Satella's face registered surprise at his touch.
When she turned to face him, words of excuse poured out of his mouth the moment he opened it. A torrent of self-justification, spoken at breakneck speed, as though terrified of being hurt.
Perhaps it was caused by her gaze — so penetrating, so unflinching as it fixed upon him.
And yet, even as that gaze bore into him, Subaru felt a sense of relief alongside his anxiety.
At a glance, Satella showed no visible external injuries. Had she, like Subaru, received some kind of treatment after the incident at the Loot House? Or perhaps she'd healed herself. But what mattered most was— "I'm sorry, I keep making it about me. ...But I'm glad you're safe."
Above all else, he was glad that they had been able to meet again like this.
Once he'd thought that, the next thing on his mind was the well-being of her companion —
He had broken a promise between men. That was a sin worthy of condemnation.
"You..."
When Subaru finally fell silent, Satella's trembling lips took over.
It had only been a few hours, yet it felt as though he hadn't heard that silver-bell voice in an eternity.
She was right in front of him, he was even touching her, and yet he was struck by the strange, out-of-place feeling that he had finally caught up to her. But— "What do you mean by this—?"
The expression she directed at the relieved Subaru was one of bristling fury.
Her white cheeks flushed slightly, and Satella gave a small shrug, brushing his hand off her shoulder. She took a step back, creating distance, and the eyes looking up at him blazed with a fierce hostility.
Caught off guard by the severity of her reaction, Subaru was struck speechless.
But thinking about it, it was only natural. From her perspective, he must have a lot of nerve coming up to her.
No matter what verbal abuse she hurled at him, he would accept it willingly.
That was Subaru's resolve — but— "I don't know who you are, but what do you think you're doing, calling a woman by the name of the '
The furious shout, launched from somewhere completely outside his expectations, shattered that resolve to pieces.
※※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Hit with those unexpected words of anger, Subaru felt as though time had stopped.
The noise of the crowd had vanished. All he could hear was his own pounding heart and the breathing of the silver-haired girl bristling with rage.
Every other sound seemed to have disappeared — no, it wasn't just a feeling.
"What...?"
He murmured, turning his stiff neck, and realized.
The entire avenue, packed with street vendors and passersby, was now staring at both of them.
Deep agitation was visible on every face, and everyone stood frozen as though unable to so much as shift their weight.
As though the conversation between Subaru and Satella had seized control of everything in this place.
"I'm asking you what you mean. Stop playing dumb."
But Satella would brook no hesitation born of Subaru's confusion.
She accused him in a harsh tone, yet he was powerless to mount any counter-argument against charges he didn't understand.
Subaru and the girl were focused on entirely different points of contention.
"I'll ask you one more time. —Why did you call me the 'Witch of Envy'?"
"Well, because — I was told to call you that..."
"I don't know who told you to, but that's a staggeringly tasteless thing to do. And the one doing it is just as bad. —The Witch of Envy. The symbol of taboo. Choosing to use a name so taboo that people hesitate to even speak it — what exactly were you thinking?"
With undisguised revulsion, the silver-haired girl — Satella — pushed Subaru into a sea of confusion.
Everyone surrounding them nodded in agreement with her words. That, in turn, proved she was right, which only drove Subaru's heart deeper into bewilderment.
He didn't understand what she was saying.
All he had done was call her by her name.
And yet she was condemning him for it, and the crowd around them was affirming her.
Without even understanding what he had done wrong, he was being scolded simply for having done wrong. There was no way to reflect on it, no way to correct his behavior.
"——If you have nothing else to say, I'm leaving. I'm busy too."
Without waiting for the silent Subaru to respond, the silver-haired girl flicked her hair and strode away. He almost called after her retreating back, but his throat froze on the verge of saying her name.
If he used her name again, he'd be making the same mistake twice. But then, what should he call her?
That hesitation dulled Subaru's judgment.
And so, he was forced to stand by and watch what happened next.
"——!"
The small, sharp intake of breath came from a position a head taller than Subaru — from atop the awning of a street vendor's stall.
A leap. A petite frame descended gracefully under the pull of gravity, and with the landing, accelerated on the wind.
The gust of wind wore grimy clothes and a mane of golden hair. Threading through the crowd with an almost divine agility, a swiftly extended arm slipped into the hem of a robe embroidered with a hawk.
The contact lasted only an instant, but for the wind, that two-second encounter was enough.
The wind whipped the robe into a flurry and bounced away from the girl who was twisting to escape.
"No way—!"
The silver-haired girl cried out in shock and plunged her hand into the interior of her robe.
Failing to find what she was after, her widened eyes followed the rapidly disappearing wind.
In that wind's grasp was a dragon-shaped emblem, and seeing its figure and the retreating back, Subaru shouted instinctively.
"Felt?!"
The wind wavered, as though uncertain at the sound of his voice. But its speed did not diminish — in an instant it plunged from the avenue into a narrow alley.
A feat of breathtaking speed. And the fleeting encounter with the wind that had pulled it off. He had only glimpsed her for the briefest moment, but that figure was almost certainly— "You set me up! That whole thing was just to buy time... You were in on it too?!"
Unable to keep up with the rapidly shifting situation, the stunned Subaru drew a bitter growl from the girl.
She was about to thrust her palm toward him, but seemed to reconsider and instead broke into a sprint, vanishing into the alley where the wind had disappeared.
"Hey, wait! This is a misunderstanding! I'm — "
Hoping to clear up this colossal misunderstanding, Subaru too gave chase into the alley after the two silhouettes.
As he ran, Subaru's mind was flooded with bewildered questions.
There was far too much information pouring in for his panicked brain to process. On top of everything, he had already died twice today and was thoroughly disoriented.
"Somebody be a little nicer to me! What the hell was the point of the Otherworld Summoning?!"
He hurled the complaint at the uncaring universe and stumbled through the dim alleyway.
He had no confidence in his endurance, but in a short sprint, he could hold his own against either of them. He'd catch up to them in no time and clear this up.
That was his plan, anyway— "Damn it... a dead end?!"
At the end of the alley before him loomed a wall, sealing off the passage.
The two he'd been chasing were nowhere in it. If his memory served, Felt was nimble enough to scale a wall like it was nothing. Satella could surely clear a wall or two with magic as well.
"I could climb it too... but I doubt I'd catch them."
More importantly, once the distance opened up, Subaru couldn't keep running.
His base stamina for endurance had been developed only through indoor exercise. Aerobic training was impossible inside a room. His poor stamina was a critical weakness, and it was dragging him down here too.
"If this doesn't work, then the Loot House? If Satella and Felt are alive... Old Man Rom might be too."
He decided to get ahead of them and hurry to rendezvous with Old Man Rom.
First priority: get out of this dead-end alley and head toward the Slums. Subaru turned around— "You've gotta be kidding me..."
At the far end of the alley, blocking the entrance, stood the silhouettes of three men.
Three of them — shabby, their crude nature worn openly on their faces, radiating an aggressive atmosphere. So thoroughly menacing that it was almost tedious to describe them.
A trio of thugs who hunted the alleyways for prey — and for the third time that day, Subaru had stumbled into them.