Chapter 03: Friends or acquaintances?
(Subaru Natsuki's point of view)
"Are you alright, Nii-chan? You don't look so good." The fruit seller asks.
…
I give him a smile.
"It's okay. I'm just feeling a bit dizzy." I say to him.
The gangster-like man stares blankly at me.
"Well… if you say so."
…
"Ah! I think I should go back to the Jelton's. Marina-san is going to throw a fit if I don't."
The man chuckles at my remark.
"Yep…! You'd better go." He adds his two cents.
I wave at him as I walk.
…
There's no doubt about it…
Someone is out there to kill us.
But the questions are…who and why would they target us?
[Thud]
!
"Watch where you're going, brat…!"
…
It's the same hooded guy…
Just now, he bumped into me again.
…
I need to get Myriam and Marina away from their house.
…
No.
That wouldn't be good enough.
Whoever the killer was, he or she was clearly spying on us.
…
I need to get help.
Who can I ask for help at times like this?
The knights, maybe…?
…
That's not a bad idea…
But, what can I tell them?
Can I lie by saying to them that my phone can tell the future?
…
Let's just hope Robin didn't tell anything to Kirei.
…
!
That's right!
Robin…!
I can ask for his help.
And I know just where to find him.
/~at the alley~/
"Robin! Come out, come out wherever you are!"
He showed up here in the last 'walkthrough'.
…
He's probably is sneaking up to me again.
"I know you are there. Show yourself…!"
I turn behind immediately.
?
There's a little girl with white hair…
I let out a sigh.
"Here I thought you were Robin."
The petite girl tilts her head.
…
"Say, what are you doing all alone in this alley?"
I just realized something.
She only wears rags.
…
An orphan…?
"You stink…" She suddenly says.
?
"Hey, I don't think I was that smelly. Was I?"
The girl nods.
…
I let out another sigh.
"I guess I'm not made for manual labours…"
The girl tilts her head again.
"You… why are you so casual?" She suddenly asks.
"Hmm…? Well, I'm always like this."
The girl nods sagely.
…
"What's your name? I'm Natsuki Subaru."
The white haired girl stammers from my sudden inquiry.
"I-I…"
"No one else ever asked for your name?"
If that's the case, she is one poor child.
I wonder if Felt knew this girl.
"Why are you wasting your time chatting, Jack?"
?
All of a sudden, a deep manly voice is audible from behind me.
I turn to face him.
!
Out of the blue, he grabs me by my face.
"He-hey…! Let go of me!"
I can't even see his face.
"What the- He is this weak?"
Confusion is apparent in his tone.
!
"ARGH…!"
He-he's crushing my skull!
"Let go of me…!"
I struggle to free myself.
It's painful!
It's utterly excruciating!
No matter how much I claw at his hand, his iron claw doesn't seem to lose any power.
[Crack]
?
Eh?
Is it me or there's something cracking?
[Crack]
…
[SPLAT]
/~Return by Death~/
"Are you okay, Nii-chan? That girl did beat you with a frying pan."
…
"What just happened?"
The fruit seller raises his eyebrow.
"Did you lose your memory? You came here after being beaten by that Marina." He reminds me of the event.
…
"I'll be heading back to the Jelton's."
"Are you okay, Nii-chan? You don't look so good." The gangster-like man comments on my condition.
…
"Don't worry! This is Natsuki Subaru!"
I give him a thumb up.
He stares at me like I have grown tow heads.
"If you say so…"
/~on the way to the Jelton's stall~/
Okay, let's review what just happened.
In the first walkthrough this time around, I met Robin in the alley.
After that, Myriam-san sent me on an errand to a restaurant.
Since I couldn't read the instruction, I asked a random guy by the name Reinhard to read it for me.
Apparently, he is a really nice guy who likes to help people.
He accidentally read the address to the Karsten manor, which is not my actual destination.
After our little shenanigan in that manor, I came back to the capital with Diarmuid-san.
By the time I got home, there was a killer waiting for me.
But in the second walkthrough, I went to the alley to find Robin but ended up getting killed by someone strong enough to crush my skull with his bare hand.
[Thud]
"Watch where you're going…!"
Not you again…
I watch the giant hooded man walks away.
This is the third time he bumped into me and it's starting to get annoying.
…
Going to the alley is a bad choice since if Robin doesn't shows up, someone else will…
…
!
What about that girl!?
She was all alone in that alley!
I need to save her!
That man will surely kill her if he found her.
I rush toward the alley.
…
Dammit!
I don't know her name!
How can I call her if I don't know her name?
…
"Little girl with white hair! Where are you…?"
Let's just hope she can recognize my voice.
I run along the alley.
"Little girl with white hair…!" I yell again.
Where is she?
!
All of a sudden, a silhouette jumps in front of me.
The said silhouette wears tattered green cloak.
…
"Yo, Subaru…! Fancy meeting you in creepy place like an alley…!" The newcomer greets me.
For once, I'm actually glad he showed up.
"Robin, thank goodness… I was looking for you."
The brunette raises his eyebrow.
"Huh…? That's odd. I thought you don't like me." He muses.
...
"Yeah, I still don't like you. But…"
He's not really a bad guy…
He did support the idea of me wooing Emilia.
If he really is an asshole, he'll mock me.
…
"Anyways, I need your help."
The man in green cloak fold his hands.
"I'm listening."
…
How should I tell him?
'My phone gave me an insight to the future. There's a killer after me again.'
…
Nah, he won't buy it.
Maybe I should tell him about Return by Death…
"Actually, I have—"
[Heart thumping]
"That won't do, Subaru." A female voice whispers at my ear.
!
She's… she's grabbing my heart!
"Subaru-kun, are you alright?" Robin suddenly asks.
…
What just happened?
Just now, someone grabbed my heart…
"You look awful. You should get some rest. I'll talk to that Marina chick to let you slack for the day." The Prince of Thieves tells me before heading to the market.
…
I glance around my surrounding.
…
Let's just hope that orphan don't get caught by that man…
/~at the marketplace~/
(Subaru Natsuki's point of view)
"He's what…?" Marina, the hot headed blond woman asks.
"Subaru-kun is not feeling well. Just now, he almost faint in the alley." The Robin, brunette man vouches for my illness.
Marina puts away her frying pan.
"You're such a weakling, Subaru…" She let out a sigh.
…
"Well, that's settled things up. See you around, Subaru-kun." Robin waves his hand.
!
"Wait…!"
The Prince of Thieves halts at my request.
"What is it?" He asks with eyebrow raised.
…
"I don't feel…safe…"
The man in green cloak turns to Marina.
"Geez... You scared Subaru-kun to hell."
"WHAT…!? I'm not that scary!" The woman argues.
…
"Well Subaru-kun, as much as I want to help, I can't be babysitting you all day. That yorokobe bastard is going to punish me with stable work if I keep skipping his ethics class." Robin let out a sigh.
…
"Robin, can we talk in private?"
The brunette young man raises his eyebrow again.
"What's going on here? Who is this guy? What are you trying to keep away from me?" Marina bombards me with questions.
The Prince of Thieves smiles at her.
"To answer that question, I'm Subaru's friend, Robin Hood!" He claims.
"No, that isn't right… Subaru-kun didn't like me so I'm not his friend…" The young man mutters to himself.
"Correction; I'm Subaru's acquaintance. Please to meet you, Miss Jelton." Robin reintroduce himself.
The blond woman raises her eyebrow.
"Whatever… Go have your manly talk somewhere private like you wanted. I got a stall to run." She sighs.
…
/~an alley between random buildings~/
"What is it, Subaru-kun? Stop being so cryptic and tell me what's bothering you."
Robin demands me to spill it out.
…
"I…I think somebody is out to kill me again."
The brunette stares at me blankly.
"I see…"
…
"I don't think you're lying but… mind telling me how did you do that?" The brunette man suddenly says.
?
"Do what?"
"Predicting the future. The last time, you lied to us about using your phone to see the future. Anything you're not telling me?"
…
"I… I have—"
[Heart thumping]
!
She-she grabs my heart again!
My breathing becomes ragged.
"I see… So that's your unique ability." Robin suddenly muses.
?
"You're a seer, aren't you?"
A seer…?
"You mean like a psychic, a fortune-teller?" I ask him back.
The young man nods.
"I've been observing you for some time. You start to freak out every now and then. Mostly it happens because I ask you about something. That reaction just now… You had a vision?"
…
That could work…
I give him a nod.
"Yeah… I think I have that ability."
Of course that's a lie…
It's too vivid to be called a vision.
The Prince of Thieves muses to himself.
"What's going to happen?" He decides to ask.
…
"Later, Myriam-san is going to give me an errand. After finishing that errand, it's going to be night time."
Though, it happened because I took a long detour…
"After that, I return to the Jelton's place and—…"
I pause, hesitating.
"I see…" Robin nods sagely.
…
"Did you saw him?" He asks.
I shake my head.
"It was dark back then. I couldn't see anything at all."
The Prince of Thieves begins pondering to himself after hearing my testimony.
"Did this 'attacker' say anything before he attacks you?" He decides to ask.
...
I try to recall it.
"You reek of that Witch."
?
"You seem like you recalled something." Robin suddenly says.
...
"I do recall it was a girl's voice."
The Prince of Thieves raises his eyebrow.
"A girl...? Are you sure you're not mistaken your attacker with that Marina chick?"
I shake my head.
"It was a different voice. She sounds much younger..."
The brunette man muses to himself again.
"Is there anything else? This is very confusing to me." He shrugs.
...
"Yeah... She said I reek of a Witch's smell."
Robin raises his eyebrow at my remark.
"A witch...? That's... not good." His face becomes serious.
?
"It doesn't matter where you came from; associating with witches is a taboo subject. Among all magic users, witches are the ones we loathed most." Robin cringes at the subject.
...
"So, now what...? Am I a witch or something? I thought magic users have many titles. There are mages, wizards, spell casters, magicians or other stuffs."
The Prince of Thieves shakes his head.
"Listen Subaru, this isn't a game. I know those terms are popular in those games you used to play but in this world, each title has different meaning." He says with stern voice.
...
"I thought witches are the gender opposite of wizards."
The brunette man shakes his head.
"That's a very narrow definition." He let out a sigh.
Then, he places his hands on his waist.
"Subaru, witches are practitioners of dark arts. It doesn't matter whether it is necromancy or demonology, dark arts are dangerous. Wizards, on the other hand, are spell casters."
?
"Yeah, I know that face. You don't understand me, do you?"
I nod.
The brunette man scratches his head.
"To put it simply, all magic users are spell casters. However, depending on the types of magic you used, your title may vary. Dark arts such necromancy will gladly label you as evil sorcerer or a witch for female."
...
"I think I kinda... get it now."
Not really...
Robin let out a sigh.
"I can tell from your face that you don't understand a thing... Well, screw it! Let's focus more on your situation. So, this attacker, a girl, said you were a witch?"
I nod.
The Prince of Thieves inspects me from top to bottom.
Then, he shakes his head.
"There's no way someone like you can be a despicable witch. You're too normal to be one."
...
For some reason, that pisses me off...
"Well, to make things a bit easier, let me fetch Sasaki."
[Heart thumping]
!
"Wait!"
The brunette man raises his eyebrow.
"Maybe... just maybe... we shouldn't bring Sasaki into this mess."
Robin closes his eyes.
Then, he let out a sigh.
"Fine..."
...
"Well, looks like I'll be skipping Kotomine's class again. Man... I'm so going to be a stable boy." He shrugs.
I chuckle at his remark.
"Thanks, Robin."
The man in green cloak shrugs again.
"Don't mention it."
/***scene break***/
A blond man in white shirt is enjoying his wine.
His bloody red eyes are inspecting the room with glee.
[Click]
The door to the room is opened.
"Yo, Kirei...! How is it going?" The blond man greets the newcomer.
The newcomer is wearing a black shirt, a ragged trouser, an apron and a bandanna on his head.
"The mapo still needs to be retest. It will be a while before it is ready for the masses."
The blond man cringes at his reply.
"I wasn't asking about that blasted mapo! I have little interest with that abysmal dish, mongrel."
The Japanese Lugnican knight raises his eyebrow.
The man ponders for his next statement.
"Ah... I presume you were asking about my campaign."
Revelation appears on the former priest's face.
The blond man gestures his glass to signal his affirmation.
"It didn't work as I planned. The candidate I supported ran away."
The red-eyed man's face starts to distort.
"You are free to laugh."
"KUHAHAHAHA...!" And the blond man laughs to his heart content.
"You were never meant to support, Kotomine. You are meant to observe from the shadows." The glorious man comments on Kirei's news.
The Japanese man nods.
"On a side note, how was your time, King of Heroes?"
A smile slowly creeps to the blond man.
"Amusing... very amusing... After spending time on this world, I find this world to be quite beautiful. It is worthy to be part of my collection. However, it wouldn't easy." The red-eyed man closes his eyes.
"Have you considered returning to your previous garden?"
A scowl appears.
"As much as I love my garden, it is too polluted. Humans have forgotten their place and they pay their insolence with their lives. I tried returning to Earth. However, the garden is no more..." The king laments the fate of his old world.
Silence permeates the air.
"Your former garden is no more. Do you wish to obtain this one instead, O' Gilgamesh?"
The blond man places his golden wine glass on the table.
"That would be very tempting. However, I will decline."
Kirei Kotomine raises his eyebrow.
"Alas, my role here is to observe. My former garden is ruined. Even this new one has its pests." The golden man remarks on the situation.
The former priest contemplates for his next question.
[Blubbing]
A strange blubbing sound floods the air.
A powerful odour invades the living space.
"KOTOMINE...! YOUR COOKING HAS GONE AWRY!" The golden man stands on his feet.
Mapo tofu has always been a nightmare to him especially the one created by Kirei.
"Ah... It appears I forgot to put off the fire."
"KOTOMINE...!"
Since the stench was too much, the King of Heroes did something he would never do.
That is... running away from the dreadful mapo.
Meanwhile, the cook is sighing.
"Why no one seems to understand the art of mapo?"
/***scene break***/
(Subaru Natsuki's point of view)
"I'll be watching. Just keep your cool, Subaru-kun."
I read the note left by the Prince of Thieves.
I form a small smile.
He's somewhere among the crowds.
Knowing that he is watching, I feel a bit better.
"Subaru...? What are you doing here? Aren't you sick?" Marina asks me out of concern.
"Actually, I feel better now. I think I could help out with the stall."
The blue-eyed woman narrows her eyes.
"Well, fine... Just don't push yourself too hard. Was it my fault for beating you with a frying pan?" She says with hint of remorse.
I shake my head.
"Don't worry about that. I'm actually pretty durable. My talk with Robin helps a lot."
The blond woman sighs.
"If you say so..."
"By the way, I kinda overheard that you disliked that man. Why is that?"
...
"Marina-san... Are you prying into my private life?"
The young woman starts panicking.
"Wha-what...!? Was I that nosy? O-okay... I'll stop prying." She responds.
...
You know, that was kinda unexpected...
And Marina sounds a little cute...
...
I shake my head violently.
"Actually, Marina-san... I don't hate that guy. It was just a misunderstanding."
The woman tilts her head.
"Is that so..."
...
"Okay...! Let me handle the tomatoes! I just have to wash it, right?"
A small smile appears on her face.
"That's right."
I proceed to the tomato crates.
For a medieval setting, this place is very advanced.
They have piping system.
"Excuse me."
?
That's a familiar voice.
"How can I help you, good sir?" Marina's voice tends to the newcomer.
"Can I have some tomatoes, cabbages, and some of those carrots?" The familiar voice resumes speaking.
"I will prepare it immediately." The blond woman bows at him.
She begins packing the vegetables.
I try to peek at the customer.
...
!
"I knew it was you. Yo, Reinhard...!"
The red haired young man startles from my sudden addressing.
"Why yes... Hello." He recomposes himself.
I grin at him.
"Getting some vegetables, huh? You must be one hell of a health freak."
Reinhard smiles softly at me.
"I believe I am... Please to meet you, mister—"
He pauses to ponder about me.
...
Was I that insignificant that he forgot about me?
...
!
I palm my face.
We haven't 'meet' yet in this walkthrough!
"It's Subaru. Natsuki Subaru..." I re-introduce myself.
The man in white robe nods.
"Please to meet you, Subaru."
...
For some reason, Marina is glaring at me...
...
Wait a minute...
She was very polite to him.
And it was awfully polite instead of her usual casual speech...
"Hey, Reinhard-san... By any chance, are you a noble?"
"Just Reinhard would be fine. Yes, I am a noble from 'van Astrea' family." He answers with a smile.
...
I turn mechanically towards Marina.
"Su...ba...ru..." A creepy voice is audible in my ears.
...
I'm so dead...
"Here it is, Reinhard-sama. Thank you for your patronage." The blond woman hands over a package to him.
She bows to Reinhard after that.
"It is my sincere gratitude for these fresh produce." He bows back and walks away.
...
Reinhard, wait...!
Save me from this blond monstrous murderous woman!
/~later that night~/
"Smooth move, Subaru-kun."
The Prince of Thieves snickers at my misfortune.
"Shut up, Robin. I didn't know Reinhard was a noble."
"What...? You didn't know...? When did you get into this world?"
The brunette says while sitting on my bed.
Yeah, we're back into my lodging room.
"About a week ago..." I reply to him.
"Huh..."
He flops down to my bed.
"That explains some stuff. Lately, many people from different worlds are coming to this world."
?
"Wait... Are you saying there are more of us?"
The brunette young man crosses his legs while lying down.
"That about sums it up. Though, we might belong in a different reality." He responds to my question.
?
"What do you mean?"
He starts playing with his cloak again.
"Well... while both of us came from different world, we didn't belong from the same reality. From where I belong, mythologies are real."
...
"How about you...? Does King Arthur exist in your world as part of history?" He inquires.
...
I shake my head.
"King Arthur is a myth."
"That makes me a myth too..." Robin concludes.
...
"Just a question... How can you know about phones and games if you came from medieval Europe?"
He sits up.
"That's a hard question... I can answer that but it is likely you won't understand."
...
"Anyways, isn't this the time for that killer to attack?"
He pulls out a dagger from cloak.
I nod.
"It's around 10 to 11 p.m."
I draw my phone.
"Mrs. Jelton is away for some errand. So it's just Marina and you at home, if we exclude me." Robin analyzes the situation.
"Anyways, bar the windows. I'll go and bar the other windows and make sure Marina is safe. I wonder what that chick does at times like this..." Robin muses.
...
"Hey Robin... By any chance, are you having a crush on her?"
The brunette man tilts his head.
"A crush...? Well, she certainly is charming. But she's not my type."
...
"Okay, we'd better get moving. We don't know how the attackers would react with my presence." Robin says while spinning the dagger in his arm.
The Prince of Thieves opens the door to my room.
"Hey, Robin...! What should I do after barring the windows?"
"Don't move. Just stay still. I'll be back with Marina. Hopefully, she would come with me without labelling me as a robber..."
"But you are a thief."
"I'm not stealing anything today, okay?" He retorts.
Robin closes the door.
...
Now, what?
The windows are barred.
The room seems very dim.
...
This is boring...
[Click]
I check my phone again.
"10.22 p.m."
...
/~several minutes later~/
"10.57 p.m."
The attacker should be here around now.
But, what is taking Robin so long?
...
He told me to stay put.
...
I'm not a helpless baby.
I can protect myself.
Is there anything I could use as a weapon?
...
There's nothing here that I can use...
I need to go out and find a decent weapon.
Even if I stay put, the killer might come inside.
And I don't have anything to protect myself...
I open the door slowly.
[Creak]
...
[Creak]
Not helping, you stupid door...
[CREAK]
I open the door completely.
...
It looks like the coast is clear...
I stride into the middle of the corridor.
[Splat]
"Eh...?"
[Thud]
All of a sudden, my vision went dark.
/~Return by Death~/
"That reaction just now… You had a vision?"
...
"What happened...?"
The brunette man shrugs.
"How would I know? You suddenly freak out."
...
I'm back...
#Chapter End#
[Author's note]
Guys, I'm playing with loophole here.
Though, I might plan something in the next chapter, a plot twist maybe?
See you guys next week!
Thanks for spending time on my work!