Drops of painfully red liquid dripped down his right arm, where the pattern of dark spots trailed across the skin.
If it could be called fortunate, even after the rather dramatic makeover his right arm had undergone, its durability seemed no different from that of an ordinary human body.
Digging in his nails sent jolts of pain shooting through him. Applying force split the skin, and blood seeped out.
Somehow, the bleeding from those wounds seemed to stop quickly — though whether that was truly significant was anyone's guess.
"……"
He roughly wiped the blood away with his palm, leaving faint red traces on his right arm before pulling his sleeve back down. Even though he was the one who'd done this to himself, it wasn't something he wanted to stare at for long. Of course, the words "
"At any rate, I can't stay here long…"
He had already wasted a considerable amount of time in this room.
In the center of the room lay Meili's lifeless corpse, still and unmoving as before. There was nothing left Subaru could do for her.
He had no desire to perform any special rite of mourning, nor to defile her after death.
No — what he was about to do might well constitute a defilement of the dead.
"……"
Sliding his arms under the girl's slight body at either side, Subaru dragged Meili's corpse and shifted it to a corner of the room.
What sat there could only be described as discarded furniture — remnants of the room's former furnishings.
They may have originally been stone desks or beds. Regardless, several roughly hewn blocks of square-cut stone sat there, and Subaru carefully concealed Meili's body behind one.
— He was truly sorry to Meili from the bottom of his heart, but Subaru decided to hide the fact of her death.
After all, even if he came clean without concealment, who in this situation could possibly vouch for Subaru?
He himself couldn't fathom the true intent behind "Natsuki Subaru," so how could anyone else?
"Vouching is out of the question. The one who killed Meili… might not be me, but the murder weapon was these two hands."
He had no way of gauging what level criminal investigation operated at in this world, but one look at Meili's fingernails and the wounds on Subaru's wrists, and any jury would deliver a unanimous guilty verdict.
And Subaru could find no meaning in contesting that verdict or filing an appeal.
That left him only one option: abandon the trial — no, conceal his crime.
He didn't believe this was the right call, or the best choice. But Subaru had no other recourse. He no longer knew whom to trust or whom to suspect.
If there was only one thing he could say — it was this: "Next time I see Meili… you, at least, won't be a suspect."
Total annihilation, strangulation — Subaru had witnessed Meili's corpse with his own eyes twice now.
At this point, he could consider Meili the least suspicious of anyone. The problem was that even acknowledging that, he had no way to hear her side of the story anymore.
The classic closed-circle mystery convention: the only person cleared of suspicion is the dead one.
But detective Natsuki Subaru, in defiance of all rules, possessed the power of "Return by Death" — dying to rewind time. With that, he could handle any tragedy and qualify as a great detective even if incompetent.
"The detective himself being the culprit — that's a mystery convention too, though."
Unfortunately, no matter how perfect "Return by Death" might be, with the case against "Natsuki Subaru" so damning, the incident would keep occurring no matter how many times he looped. It seemed impossible to stop.
The detective with a split personality as the killer. That pattern was equally overused in mysteries. Would the mystery be solved if the detective, upon realizing the truth, simply leaped off a cliff?
"Return by Death" combined with "the detective is the culprit" — together, they would render the case permanently unsolvable. A spiral labyrinth with no escape.
"No time for that…! Right now, I just need to buy time."
It wasn't a problem time could solve, but time always brought something with it.
Believing that, Subaru wished for a way out of this dead end and rose to his feet.
"……"
As he left, Subaru paused once and gently touched Meili's forehead. She certainly wouldn't have wanted to be touched by him again.
As proof, the forehead he touched was heartbreakingly cold, rejecting his contact.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Having unwillingly concealed the scene of Meili's murder, Subaru left the room. He peered left and right down the corridor, preparing to slip away from the scene — "Oh, Subaru! Thank goodness — you were here!"
"—!"
The sudden call made his shoulders jump. He turned to find
"Sorry, did I startle you?"
"…N-No, you're fine. I was startled, but that's, well, you know — it was just sudden, that's all. I'm totally fine. What's up, Emilia?"
"Hmm? I was wandering around the tower, seeing if there was anything I could do before lunch. But more importantly, Subaru —"
"What?"
"Was that you, pulling another prank just now?"
At Emilia's puzzled question, Subaru held his breath.
Her violet-blue eyes were fixed directly on him, but Subaru couldn't grasp what her question truly meant.
His voice had wavered — that much was true — but his actual response had been nothing particularly conspicuous.
"……"
Under Emilia's unwavering gaze — not so much a stare as a fixed, penetrating look — Subaru felt deeply uncomfortable and swallowed hard.
Right behind him in that room, Meili's corpse still lay hidden. A casual glance inside wouldn't reveal it, but any thorough search would expose it instantly. It was a pathetically amateur hiding job.
For now, getting away from here was the priority.
"Sorry, I just need the bathroom."
"Oh, okay, got it."
Leaving behind the most transparent excuse imaginable, Subaru quickly moved away from the room's entrance.
He needed to put distance between himself and Emilia, find a place where he could be alone and kill some time. There, he could tend to the wounds on his right arm — "Wait — Emilia? I told you I'm going to the bathroom. Why are you following me?"
"Huh? Well, we're all gathering for lunch in a little bit, so I figured it's better to stay together, don't you think? Don't worry, I'll wait right outside the door."
"I'm not worried about you hearing me pee or anything…"
Walking alongside Subaru despite his attempts to distance himself, Emilia leaned in to peer at his face.
It was a perfectly reasonable argument — but reasonable arguments were precisely the kind that put the person on the receiving end in a difficult position. This case was no exception, and Subaru struggled to find a counterpoint.
Yet behind that struggle, Subaru carefully tried to read Emilia's intentions.
— What was Emilia's purpose in wanting to accompany him?
"……"
"Hmm?"
Noticing Subaru watching her sidelong with an intense gaze, Emilia looked puzzled.
She wore the innocent face of someone with no hidden agenda — yet in reality, she was a prime suspect.
During the last massacre, Subaru had not seen the corpses of Emilia or
The wound on his arm proved the true intent of "Natsuki Subaru" remained unclear, but even if "Natsuki Subaru" had been secretly orchestrating things, that situation couldn't have been created by one person alone.
Someone Subaru still didn't know the identity of had been inside that tower.
"Subaru, are you okay? Maybe you really haven't recovered yet?"
"…I-I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."
"Really? But you look pale to me."
Gently, Emilia reached a hand toward Subaru's face.
Unable to brush it away in time, Subaru let her fingers touch his cheek. The ticklish sensation made him frown.
"You really do watch me closely, huh?"
"Mhm, I do. I've noticed that lately, I've been following you with my eyes a lot when I happen to notice… I'm not sure why, but it's strange, isn't it?"
"Yeah… strange, isn't it?"
Carefully, Subaru watched Emilia's every gesture and expression.
The girl smiling with her hand on his face — in the blink of an eye, her fingers could rake across his throat. Or perhaps without even that; with Emilia's strength, she could simply crush his cervical spine right then and there.
But he sensed no malice or hostility in her movements, leaving Subaru utterly at a loss.
After all, Subaru's instincts — those of a student who only knew peaceful Japan after a trip to the convenience store — were useless here. He had almost no experience reading others' hostility or ill intent.
What Subaru was accustomed to was the atmosphere of people keeping troublemakers at arm's length, and the silent indifference that couldn't even be called cold contempt. Neither of those things wounded him — they only made Natsuki Subaru lonely.
So whether the emotions floating in the violet eyes before him were genuine or counterfeit, he couldn't tell.
If he truly knew nothing at all — then — "……"
What expression would she make if he just spilled everything?
If he crumpled that beautiful face — the face that looked as though it had been raised seeing nothing but lovely things, never once troubled by a single worry — how much would it hurt her chest?
— That the Natsuki Subaru she was worried about no longer existed anywhere.
— No, that's not it. What if he told her: that person is a cruel, deranged killer?
"Come to think of it, about Meili —"
"Hh—!"
His throat clicked and Subaru's eyes flew open.
That Meili's name would come up here — the surprise was impossible to hide, an involuntary spasm of shock. If Emilia's aim had been to provoke exactly that reaction, then Subaru had fallen completely into her trap.
But Emilia was already looking away from Subaru, her gaze dropping to the floor. She wasn't studying the corridor — it felt broader, as though she were taking in the tower as a whole.
Maintaining that posture, Emilia showed a brief flicker of hesitation before speaking: "I wonder if you'll think I'm jumping the gun, but — once we make it safely back from this tower, I want to talk to everyone about what to do with Meili."
"……"
"I know that what she did a year ago was wrong, and I understand Otto's point that we shouldn't trust her too easily… but we only made it across the sand dunes because of Meili. And if she really intended to cause more harm, there were plenty of opportunities before we even reached the tower."
Picking at the hem of her own dress, Emilia laid out what she'd been thinking.
It didn't feel like a half-hearted notion. Meili's position among the party in this tower was unique, to say the least — she was ostensibly an assassin who had targeted Emilia and Beatrice's lives.
Having failed that mission and been taken prisoner, she had used her innate special ability to join this journey and contribute to the very goals of her former targets.
"A pardon, huh?"
"I know everyone would object if I just said 'let her go free.' But something more — like living outside a cage, at least. Something like that?"
"……"
"Of course, that's conditional on actually talking to Meili herself and having her want that. It would be terrible if I went ahead on my own and she ended up hating me."
Emilia waved her hands quickly, insisting this was merely one opinion.
She had probably thought it through carefully and was sharing it with full conviction. You could even see spots where she'd anticipated counterarguments and left room for revision.
— Was this truly how Emilia felt?
"……"
Was it okay to trust her?
At the very least, not once so far had Emilia's attitude shown even a trace of hostility toward Subaru. — No, to even say that — there hadn't been a single person who'd shown him hostility.
Beatrice, Echidna, Ram, Julius, Meili — not a one had displayed hostile intent toward Subaru.
What was certain was that someone had pushed Subaru to his death, someone had massacred everyone in the tower, someone had severed Subaru's head — and "Natsuki Subaru" had killed Meili.
That those things were despicable evil — that much was undeniable.
Then could he trust Emilia?
Could he trust her, this pure, unsoiled girl, fresh as newly fallen snow?
— That despite Emilia speaking with such passion about Meili, the girl she was agonizing over had been killed by these very hands — could she still believe in him?
"…What a joke."
"Huh?"
"I said it's ridiculous. You should've realized it yourself. Jumping the gun? That's exactly right. How can anyone talk about future plans in a situation like this?"
He was boxed in from every direction. He had no room to spare worrying about others.
And this was about the future of a girl already dead. Even turning a blind eye to that death — what a carefree way of thinking.
"……"
Realizing he'd lashed out emotionally, Subaru immediately bit down on his lip.
He'd said something stupid. Something pointless that would only make her suspicious — words he'd hurled at Emilia on impulse and raw emotion.
There was no justification for this behavior. It was nothing but a tantrum — a child's outburst.
And — "Subaru!"
"Gu—"
"What's wrong all of a sudden? Even if you're in a bad mood, talking to me like that isn't okay."
"……"
Stunned, stricken, Subaru bowed his head under the weight of those bruised emotions — and tears welled up, choked sobs escaping his throat.
As though scattering that very reaction, Emilia cupped Subaru's face firmly between both hands and peered straight into his black eyes.
"Ah—"
"If you're frustrated, if it hurts, then talk to me properly! Me, or Beatrice — anyone. If you're struggling, then I'll struggle with you. But don't bottle it up alone, don't get angry alone, and don't try to end things alone. That's exactly like the old Roswaal — the bad one. Don't copy that."
Emilia spoke earnestly, words tumbling out toward Subaru. Then she released his face from her grip and pulled his head toward her.
She cradled Subaru's head against her chest and gently stroked his hair.
"Do you understand? My heart isn't angry at all. I'm not going to be disappointed. So tell me."
"……"
The soft pressure against him, and beyond that warmth, he felt the rhythm of a life being carved out, beat by beat.
It was as gentle as a lullaby sung to an infant, and Subaru's breath caught. In that instant, what surged through his heart was a fierce, searing shame.
After everything she'd done for him, after the terrible things he'd said — she was still this kind.
What was the point of suspecting her, hating her blindly, hurting her like this?
— Did someone who truly intended to kill Subaru even exist?
— Had the fall really just been an accident?
— What if it wasn't anyone's doing at all — just someone stumbling, a nudge from behind, nothing more?
What if inside this tower, there was no villain to speak of?
What if the most dirty, the most wretched, the most dangerous thing here was Natsuki Subaru himself and "Natsuki Subaru" — the rude, aberrant elements that shouldn't have existed in the first place?
"Emilia, I…"
"Mm."
"I…"
He didn't know where to begin.
But he wanted to tell her. He wanted to confess, to lay himself bare.
That he'd lost his memories. About Meili. About how he kept rewinding time every time he died.
None of it might be believed. But it might be. If it was believed, maybe a way forward could be found.
If only that was found, then Subaru — "— Emilia-sama! Barusu!"
He was on the verge of wringing something out of his scrambled mind when — A sharp, urgent voice cut in from the side, drowning out Subaru's anguish. Still held in Emilia's embrace, Subaru couldn't immediately turn to see the speaker. From above his head, he heard Emilia murmur "Ram."
"What is it? Subaru and I are having a really important conversation right now…"
"That much is obvious even to Ram. Please cut it short. It's urgent."
"O-Okay…"
The sound of footsteps drew close, and Emilia reluctantly released him. The receding warmth and the heat at the corners of his eyes — Subaru forcibly wiped both away with his sleeve.
Then, together with Emilia, he turned to face Ram.
He'd been caught in a pathetic moment. The timing was the worst. He wanted to lash out at Ram with all those pent-up emotions.
He'd just been reflecting on that — and now he couldn't pull himself together. He truly resented himself.
But Ram's demeanor left no room for mocking the embracing pair or showing consideration for Subaru's emotional turmoil.
"Ram, what's wrong?"
"…It's urgent. Please come to the third floor's library immediately. Beatrice-sama has found something extraordinary."
"Beatrice has?"
Ram gave a curt "Yes" to the surprised Emilia.
Then, turning her back to Subaru and Emilia: "Anastasia-sama — no, Echidna perhaps. Either way, I'll go find her and Julius. Barusu, stay with Emilia-sama."
"A-Ah, understood…"
Unable to defy that commanding tone, Subaru nodded obediently.
Without waiting for even that acknowledgment, Ram kicked off the floor and dashed away from the pair. Staring after her in surprise, Subaru turned back to Emilia.
"So, um, Ram said…"
"Let's hurry. If Ram was that serious, something must have really happened."
"……"
"Subaru — I haven't forgotten what we were just talking about."
"…Yeah."
At that gentle reminder, Subaru nodded weakly.
His plan to be alone — already under siege by guilt over Meili and the urgency of the situation — completely collapsed.
And so, Subaru set off with Emilia toward the third floor, Taygeta, at a quick pace.
They raced up the long staircase and were greeted by the sight of a library vast enough to rival any in existence, housing an immense collection of "Books of the Dead."
"…You made it."
Standing before the staircase, with countless shelves of the Dead's Books stretching behind her, Beatrice awaited them.
The girl with her short arms folded and her distinctive patterned eyes half-lidded let out an exhausted sigh.
"Beatrice, Ram called us over. She said you found something incredible."
"Calling it good news would certainly be a stretch. If anything, it might be described as an omen."
With that, Beatrice gave Emilia's question a slow, languid shake of her head.
Then she turned her blue eyes toward Subaru.
"Betty has been examining this Taygeta library since this morning. It was the same room where Subaru collapsed, and structurally it's similar to — yet different from — the Forbidden Library. I was trying to analyze it."
"Right, skip the preamble. What happened? Tell me."
Still breathing hard from the climb, Subaru pushed for the bottom line.
At his words, Beatrice closed her eyes briefly. Then, slowly, she pointed toward a shelf behind and to the side.
"The book on the far right, third row from the top."
"…Third row?"
"Far right."
Following Beatrice's directions, Subaru and Emilia repeated the instructions to each other as they made their way to the shelf.
The bookcase was crammed tight with volumes, and the foreign script on their spines was completely unreadable to Subaru — as always, he could only think of them as pictographs.
That meant the title of the book Beatrice wanted to show them was equally unknowable.
But since it was in this library, it was undoubtedly a "Book of the Dead" — and — "No way…"
It was Emilia, standing right beside him, who let out the whisper.
Subaru turned to look and saw her expression of shock, which made his own face harden.
That level of astonishment, immediately followed by grief.
What could have pierced her heart so deeply, so mercilessly?
Standing beside the devastated Emilia, her lips trembling, Subaru felt a surge of protective fury.
Then Emilia spoke.
"—