"Over here, this way! If you don't hurry, they'll catch up!"
"I-I know, just—hold on a sec...!"
Arms yanked, the two of them tore down a poorly paved road.
A narrow alley. Even though it was well past noon, no sunlight reached down here—this dimly lit path wound through a labyrinth of tight passages as if actively refusing the pair trying to flee into it.
For someone with no familiarity with the layout, Subaru found the situation far from ideal. All he could hope was that the person leading the way actually knew which turns to take— "You keep plunging straight into the dark parts—do you even know where you're going!?"
"I have no idea!"
The reply came with such refreshingly candid volume that Subaru pressed his hand to his forehead with a defeated "Just as I thought…"
He'd expected that answer, honestly. The person dragging him by the arm was dressed in an outfit so opulent it seemed wildly out of place for these back-alley surroundings.
A flowing red dress made of what looked like outrageously expensive fabric. A necklace that scattered light in glittering refractions. The glimpse of skin was pale and lustrous with a beauty that only proper upbringing could produce.
And above all, that vivid orange hair—it announced her noble presence and her utter remoteness from places like a slum with a vivacity no costume could disguise.
Having confirmed her appearance once more, Subaru renewed his awareness that he'd taken on a serious liability.
Behind them, multiple sets of footsteps gave chase. They didn't have the luxury of stopping to catch their breath.
How had things come to this—?
Gasping for air, face contorted with the ache in his lungs, Subaru's mind was flooded with exactly that question.
——The situation traced back to roughly two days before Subaru's current bewilderment.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ——For
Bathed in the clear morning sunlight, he could practically feel the Natsuki Subaru DNA that composed his body dissolving. "Melting" might be an overstatement, but the sensation of his very cells dying was real enough.
For such a person, doing radio calisthenics in front of a crowd while the early morning sun beat down on him was a reality that, not even a month ago, he could never have imagined.
——Though if you were going to start listing the unthinkable, being summoned to another world in the first place topped the list.
The transformation had been so drastic one could only assume he'd taken a hard blow to the head. And in fact, his memories did include enough instances of severe cranial impact that he couldn't entirely rule it out.
Even weighing all that, though, he felt surprisingly okay with his current circumstances.
"And—last one, arms up to the sky and finish—Victory!"
"Victory!!"
The crowd's voices echoed Subaru's closing pose as he raised both hands overhead, and the radio calisthenics came to an end. Listening to the cheers, Subaru lightly wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up.
Surrounding him in a semicircle were the residents of the village closest to the Roswaal estate—roughly half the population, by the look of it.
He'd started the radio calisthenics on a whim, but it had apparently struck a chord with the people of this other world in ways he hadn't anticipated. It had become a full-blown movement within the village, and even Subaru, who was legendarily bad at sticking with anything, had been unable to quit.
Still— "Subaru, exercises are done!" "Stamp, give me a stamp!" "More! More!"
"Geez—don't swarm me first thing in the morning, it's too much! Seriously though, you guys have so much energy, youth is wasted on the— I mean, youth is beautiful! The stamps aren't going anywhere, just line up, line up!"
The children clustered around him with easy familiarity, and Subaru's expression bore a well-worn wry smile as he responded to them. But there was no trace of refusal in it.
The children followed his instructions, lining up neatly in a row in front of him. Once Subaru had confirmed the orderly lineup, he nodded with satisfaction, turned around, and— "Right then,
"——Sure, here you go."
Standing right behind him, Emilia handed over the small pouch she'd been holding, her lips curled into something caught between a wry smile and a gentle one.
Opening the package, Subaru pulled out what turned out to be a raw potato, carved down to roughly the size of a thin rolling pin. At the sight of this modest little potato, the children erupted in excited cries. Subaru raised the potato in response to their high-pitched cheering.
"All right, let's start stamping. Out with the papers, out with the papers!"
He dipped the tip of the potato into an ink container that had been packed alongside it, then pressed the carved surface onto the slips of paper the children held out in front of him. As the stamped images took shape and the children's faces lit up with delight, Emilia remarked: "You shaved a flat side onto the potato and carved it into a stamp. Subaru, you really do come up with the strangest things."
"If you shave off the inked surface, it works as emergency food too, plus the design actually comes out pretty nice, if I say so myself. Today's piece is a masterpiece—"Monday Packed.""
Stamped onto the paper was a stylized little cat with a distinctly languid air about it. The likeness was strong enough that anyone who knew the original would recognize it instantly. And indeed, Subaru had titled the piece after its model by name.
"…That's amazing. It looks exactly like Packed. Subaru, you're actually good at drawing."
"Well, I did waste a ton of surplus time practicing. I gave up halfway through, so it's only the basics, but still."
The path every aspiring otaku artist walks at least once—establishing your own style and potentially making a name for yourself. Whether you could actually pull that off depended entirely on talent. Subaru, for the record, could not.
"The most I can do is this: carve cat pictures into potatoes in a world that doesn't even have the custom of potato stamps, and soak up adoration from innocent children. That's about my speed."
"That sounds really unpleasant the way you put it… Also, this Packed in the picture does seem kind of lacking in energy, doesn't it?"
"I told you—it's "Monday Packed." I was going for that sense of dread, the feeling of yet another week about to begin. These droopy ears are the key detail!"
Subaru passionately defended his pet creation against Emilia's critique. Between explanations, he kept stamping the children's papers whenever they pressed forward, accumulating proof of their participation in the radio calisthenics.
A playful little twist inspired by summer vacation stamp rallies. Since Subaru carved a new design every night before bed, many of the children looked forward to seeing what image would appear each day.
In this odd little way, his dexterity shone, and his childlike spirit drew the children in like magnets.
After exchanging cheerful banter with the delighted kids and making a promise to meet again for tomorrow's exercises, Subaru and Emilia waved goodbye and set off.
Exchanging light jokes with the adult participants along the way, they headed back toward the estate with Emilia at his side.
Lately, spending the early morning hours in the village like this had become Subaru's daily routine.
Part of the reason was that his body still hadn't fully recovered, making it hard to contribute to the morning chores at the estate. But Subaru was stubborn enough to accept that weakness without shame and claim this time for himself—as a chance to spend peaceful mornings with Emilia.
"Ugh, that wiped me out. Emilia-tan, sorry for making you tag along every morning."
"It's fine. You're still not back to full strength, and
"You don't mind—spending your mornings with me!?"
"Buu. Spending time with people from the village who I've never interacted with before. I think, up until now, I was kind of drawing lines around myself without realizing it."
She cut off Subaru's hyperventilating response without mercy, then gave a faint, bashful smile. Beneath her hood, a blush crept across her white profile, and the sheer loveliness of it made Subaru feel his own cheeks flush.
Emilia's current outfit was close to what she'd worn when they first met in the royal capital. Over a light, short-skirted ensemble, she wore a white robe embroidered with hawk-like patterns, the hood pulled up to enfold her beautiful silver hair completely.
Subaru, meanwhile, stood beside her in a grimy, cheap-looking gray tracksuit. It was one he'd had since arriving in this world, in terrible shape until Rem had patched it up and returned it. Some of the mending was Subaru's own handiwork, though.
Comparing their outfits, appearances, and every other conceivable metric, Subaru could only sigh inwardly.
He had to work desperately just to keep up. He was starting from the position of clinging to the ring, and he knew it.
"That reminds me…"
Emilia broke the silence that had settled over the thoughtful Subaru, taking the initiative to start a new topic.
She clasped both hands together, leaned forward, and looked up at him from a slight angle.
"You've really become part of the village, Subaru. Maybe you're even more famous than Ram and Rem?"
"Well, I mean, in a way, I'm kind of the hero who saved the children! A savior-type hero, you know? Maybe they'll pass the story down through generations!"
He said it in a joking tone, but truthfully, Subaru had done work worthy of that description—and his so-called joke was perilously close to reality.
Emilia, however, pressed her lips together with an "Umm" and tilted her head, a finger resting on her mouth.
"Not exactly a hero of salvation, though…"
"Oh, so the rumors really have spread. …But was there something besides the incident in the forest?"
The rescue operation hadn't exactly been heroic or glamorous, so maybe the reception wasn't entirely laudatory. That was Subaru's guess, but he was about to learn the truth took a rather different direction.
Emilia let out a small laugh, her peach-colored lips parting in a smile.
"Your reputation in the village right now—being the hero who saved the children is part of it, but apparently the rumor about you being a "Shikisha" is even stronger."
"Shikisha…? I can't lead a band or anything. Zero musical sense."
He was the legendary volunteer who'd stepped up to play the bass drum in his elementary school's fife-and-drum corps, only to be given the instruction: "Just pretend you're hitting it." A person with zero musical sense had no business near a bass drum. To this day, it remained a mystery why no one had swapped him to a different part mid-performance.
To this stock comedic setup, Emilia shook her head.
"No, no. Shikisha as in "knowledgeable person"—a sage, even. That's what the village chief called you."
"That doesn't really sound like a compliment… I mean, I can study, but I give off more of an idiot vibe. Besides, did I actually do anything intellectual…?"
"Mayonnaise."
Emilia held up a finger and delivered the single word with pinpoint precision.
Subaru instantly understood. Since the incident a few days ago, the spread of mayonnaise had been remarkably swift. On the grounds—primarily Emilia's insistence—that it would be a waste to keep it confined to the Roswaal estate, the actual condiment and its recipe had been distributed to the nearby village first.
In just a few days, it had generated enormous buzz.
As a fellow mayonnaise enthusiast, the fact that it had taken a firm step into this other world was cause for celebration. Long live mayonnaise.
But— "The spread of mayonnaise's greatness is great from my perspective too… but for my desperate, against-all-odds comeback to rank lower than a white condiment…."
Being known as a mayonnaise evangelist rather than a hero—apparently, that was the public's verdict.
With a thoroughly deflated feeling, Subaru let his shoulders droop.
Seeing this, Emilia hurriedly patted his shoulder.
"Oh, um, of course, everyone's grateful that you saved the children! But the one who actually brought them back from the forest was Rem, and the rumor going around is that Roswaal cleaned up the final battle in the Mabeast Forest himself…"
Even her attempt to cheer him up lost steam by the end.
Her kindness stung, but Subaru couldn't deny a single word of it. Looking back on it, he could only feel surprise at the realization.
When it came to bringing the children back, Subaru had returned covered in bites with serious injuries—that was all. And the Mabeast extermination? Aside from bringing Rem back to her senses, he'd left everything to Roswaal and then passed out from exhaustion. He was almost surprised at himself.
"I didn't actually do much of anything!"
He'd just been scrambling around in a panic.
The time where he'd tried his hardest felt like it was being negated, and Subaru shrank further into himself.
Emilia, struggling to find the right words, fumbled with "Um" and "No, that's not what I meant—" before finally— "Oh, stop worrying about such pointless things."
"But, Emilia-tan…"
"The people who matter understand what you did. Roswaal does, Ram does, and especially Rem."
She spoke in a teasing tone, then poked Subaru's cheek with her index finger. The sharp sensation made him look at her with pathetic eyes, and Emilia muttered "Honestly" before trotting a few steps ahead.
Turning to face him, the hood slipped back in the momentum, and long silver hair caught the morning light as it cascaded down her back.
That ethereal sight made Subaru stop in his tracks. Emilia planted her hands on her hips and looked at him with an expression like a big sister scolding a hopeless younger brother.
"I understand too, you know."
"Huh?"
"I know how hard you've been trying. So don't go looking all depressed, okay? Got it?"
She tilted her head. "Well?" she prompted.
Snapping out of his daze, Subaru nodded vigorously, jerking his head up and down. At this reaction, Emilia's smile broke into full bloom.
"Geez, what was that this time? Moving like a broken toy. You're always like this."
"No, that wasn't on purpose—actually, if anything, Emilia-tan, you're a hundred times more unfair than me. No matter how hard I try, I just end up falling for you again…"
"Uh-huh. That little deflection habit of yours? I think it's a bad one."
Subaru was being genuine, but the smiling Emilia wasn't having any of it. Walking beside her as she combed her silver hair back with one hand, Subaru was struck once again by the absolute certainty that he could never beat her.
He'd lost count of how many times they'd walked side by side like this, yet each time, Emilia felt fresh and new.
The Emilia of today was never the same as any Emilia before. If he let this day slip away, he'd never meet today's Emilia again. That every moment was precious, that he could look forward to tomorrow—having these feelings about the passage of days was something he'd never imagined possible.
"Energetically working and deepening my relationship with the girl of my dreams—what a healthy lifestyle! No one will ever call me a shut-in again!"
"Toughing it out like that—it's understandable since you're a boy, but you really have to take care of your body too. There's nothing you need to push yourself for right now. Just be honest and accept the kindness Rem and Ram—mostly Rem—are offering."
To Subaru's enthusiastic outburst, Emilia added a slight misunderstanding of her own and offered some sharp words.
In her mind, Subaru had apparently earned a position as a reasonably upstanding and diligent young man—the kind who might overwork himself out of sheer dedication.
The real Subaru, of course, was nowhere near that level of industriousness. Given the choice, he'd happily never work again and spend the rest of his life eating and sleeping.
That said, he wasn't exactly honest enough to correct that favorable misconception.
As they talked, the roof of the Roswaal estate came into view at the end of the road. From here, it was only a few minutes' walk—and that meant the pleasant morning conversation was approaching its end.
"Time flies when you're— wait, why'd you suddenly slow down?"
"This is my womanly protest against the end of a time I'm not ready to part with—a slowdown tactic. Let's enjoy this refreshing early morning air a bit longer, just the two of us, nobody else around!"
"If we're too late, I think those two will be upset. I said you shouldn't push yourself, but you still have to keep your commitments. I have a contract with the spirits, too."
"Can't really argue with that… Once Packed wakes up, there won't be any more chance for me and Emilia-tan to have our lovey-dovey talks without interruptions."
When she brought up her obligations as a spirit artist, he had no defense. He swallowed the blood and tears of frustration, hiding the feeling behind his expression.
"Fine… let's head back. …Damn, I could've done better…!"
"I'm not sure what you're so frustrated about, but if you have time later, I'll listen. So don't sulk, okay?"
That familiar gesture—her troubled smile, a finger pressed to her lips—captured Subaru's attention once again.
And then, just in front of him, Emilia murmured softly.
"In front of the estate… there's a dragon carriage."
"Hm?"
Drawn by her words, Subaru followed her gaze and spotted it too.
In front of the Roswaal estate's main gate sat a "carriage-like" vehicle. Subaru called it "carriage-like" because, at a glance, it was clearly different from the "carriages" in his knowledge.
The creature pulling the carriage wasn't a horse—it was a lizard. A lizard roughly the size of a horse.
Calling it a carriage therefore felt inaccurate, so "carriage-like" would have to suffice, and Subaru hoped that would be forgiven.
He also recognized the vehicle.
"I'm pretty sure I've seen these passing through streets in the royal capital pretty normally."
On his first day in this world, he'd watched one tear down a market-lined street in a massive cloud of sand. The image was seared into his memory. Since the word "carriage" worked here and he'd confirmed that horses existed, the fact that lizards seemed to do the pulling more often suggested that this might be the more common option in this world.
"If I heard right, they called that thing a dragon carriage?"
"…? Yes. Since earth dragons pull the carriage body, it's naturally called a dragon carriage, right? Wait—no way, is this another case where my common sense is wrong? Is there some other official name for it?"
Emilia, who had been confidently answering Subaru's questions, seemed to have grown frightened by the vagueness of her own knowledge. Seeing her panic at his offhand remark, Subaru waved his hands dismissively.
"No, no—I'm the one who's lacking knowledge. Let's just be confident that you're probably right, Emilia-tan."
"Really? You're not teasing me? I learned this half-remembered thing from some place, and I will NOT be embarrassed if it turns out to be wrong. If you're lying, I'll tackle you."
"Tackle… haven't heard that word in a while…"
Before the conversation concluded, they arrived at the dragon carriage in question.
Up close, the lizard was startlingly realistic in its enormity. And behind the lizard was the cargo bed—a carriage body with a driver's seat designed to carry passengers. A figure who appeared to be the driver sat there, and upon noticing the approaching pair, immediately stepped down onto the ground.
"Welcome back. I apologize for occupying the space before the gate."
The driver's bearing was that of an old gentleman—the kind of refined composure that instinctively straightened the posture of anyone nearby. Since he served as escort for this vehicle, the passenger must be someone of considerable standing.
Subaru stole a quick glance inside, but through the private cabin's window, no figures were visible. Which meant— "The envoy has already entered the estate. At present, they are being received by Margrave Mathers."
"How very courteous of them. And, uh, I'm embarrassed to have been rubbernecking. You know, I'm not really used to this kind of thing, so cut me some slack."
Subaru's response was wrapped in a veneer of politeness but was, beneath the surface, pure chaos. Emilia, standing beside him, regarded him with an expression that suggested she was impressed he could speak properly—making Subaru acutely aware of the gulf between their social calibration.
As Subaru fell silent, Emilia stepped forward and addressed the driver.
"You mentioned an envoy… could it be about—?"
Without needing the subject stated, the driver bowed, showing he understood perfectly.
"Just as Lady Emilia suspects. It concerns the royal selection."
The words "royal selection" made Subaru look up.
It was a keyword he hadn't heard in a long time—one that had drifted far from his ears lately.
Emilia's expression tightened, and Subaru's brow furrowed with a sense of foreboding. Facing those reactions, the old gentleman continued in his bow.
"I believe the envoy will explain formally. Please, do return to the estate."
"A summons, perhaps…?"
"Any further than that, I would ask you to hear from the envoy directly."
Emilia, receiving a measured and proper answer, gave a clipped "Understood" and drew her chin back. Then— "——Let's go."
She said it firmly, without even turning to face Subaru, and began walking toward the estate.
Toward the entrance.
Hurrying, Subaru broke into a light jog to follow in her wake.
At the last moment, he glanced back.
——The driver still stood with his head bowed, silently seeing them off without a word.