Disclaimer: Re:Zero is not owned by this certain author, nor is he using it to profit. The idea for the alternative timeline, however, is mine.
1
To be honest, I can't help but surrender myself to my emotions.
Euphoria. Immeasurable happiness swelled within me when I realized I was transported to another world — a fantasy that most otakus such as myself would surrender everything just for an astronomically small chance to happen. Yet, it was I, who never sacrificed anything intentionally for that dream, was chosen to do so.
Skepticism. The impossibility of the situation I'm assuming of is absolute. Besides, I have been betrayed by expectation far more than the average person could count. Yet, history has proven us that what we had used to conceive as "impossible" was merely pessimism and short-sightedness at work, ignoring the potential of the development of moral values and technology of their time. The situation, however, had little to no relationship with the two factors I've indicated. I could argue about the many-worlds interpretation of Quantum Physics to prove the existence of other worlds, but I don't have THAT much extensive knowledge to successfully convince myself of the current situation.
Curiosity. The laws and lores of the world I was previously at, was still in the brink of the unknown brimming with untapped potential. A known physicist, which I forgot the name of, claimed that humans barely scratched the surface of physics; there was so much to be discovered about the universe in general. Although I lost interest in digesting information about them when I'm piled with boring, mundane topics of knowledge taught by teachers without even making us understand the significance and potential of them, nor to allow us to explore and analyze in an effective, interesting and child-friendly way. The embers of my remaining curiosity, however, intensified into a raging fire after being feeded with the fuel called "incentives".
With this world's "common knowledge", I could use the advancement and techniques of Science in my former world to innovate primitive concepts, and lead a revolutionary movement on technology. My reputation could be equivalent to the likes of Newton, Paracelsus and Einstein as a side benefit. After all, what could ignite curiosity more effectively than ambition and gain?
Using both of my eyes, I explored the area around me. Individuals with animalistic traits were walking with humans casually, as if there were almost no difference between the two races. There were a few cold glances, expressions of disgust and anger present on some people, which meant that racism still existed here. Considering how severe the discrimination was in my world during the pre-Revolution eras to the point that an entire race of humans were subjected to slavery and segregation, it's surprising how lax the degree of racism is in this country granted that it was in an age similar to the Renaissance.
A visible tinge of excitement and nervousness were present in my legs as I attempted to walk for the first time to continue exploring, only to be stopped by hesitation. My expectations were accelerating to sky-high levels; enough to leave traumatic scars if this situation was to be proven false in any way if it goes on, so I tried shooting down my hopes by asking this singular question:
Was this simply a dream, or was this actually happening?
One common trope in books or in any anime series is that the main protagonist of the story pinches their chin or any part that's sensitive in an attempt to check whether this was the product of their fantasy, or reality facing them, only for the situation to prove the former thanks to plot convenience. With a twisted sense of hope, I proceeded to trigger the card.
Pinch. I barely felt anything. A deafening silence filled my mind. Life goes on around me as my body froze in the middle of the pathway out of dismay. Then my arms drooped below my shoulders, eyes downcast. Noticing something hanging in my neck, I stared at the object which looked similar to my sling bag in the old world, if it wasn't mine to begin with. I didn't expect to have my starter pack in the form of a handbag, but it felt better this way since I despised any tropes relating to overpowered protagonists and an easy adventure with barely any tragedy at all.
Paper, a wallet probably full of useless fiat currency, pens, a smartphone, my diary, a notepad, a solar power bank and a charger that was always with me, some chocolate bars, and a pack of table napkins. Six bottles of prescription medicine, specifically a hundred capsules of Adderall XR (40 mg) each to take daily.
I scanned the area around me to see if anyone was watching. I took out a piece of table napkin, carefully stuffing the pill inside my hand. As if gesturing to cover my mouth in preparation of a loud cough, I motioned my wrists to stuff in the table napkin I was hiding inside my mouth, and swallowed the pill on the guise of chewing the napkin.
I hope nobody saw that, or I'm seriously going to die out of shame.
While it may be completely unnecessary to stuff it in the napkin, it was merely a guise to avoid further suspicion from possible observers. Aside from the fact that I actually eat paper to ease the constant urge to eat something edible.
Being distracted by observing people around me, complementing with the disappointment I felt, occupied most of my attention span, which was the very reason that at this moment, I felt as if half my right foot was obstructed by an immovable object when I was in the action of lifting it.
STAIRS!
OOF.
My arms instinctually moved in time to stop the fall that would be troublesome if my whole body tripped to the ground. My legs disagreed, however, when they collapsed from the rebounding force from the infamous Newton's Third Law.
And out of all the other parts of the stairs my kneecaps had to crash to, it was the sharp corner of the tread that hit the jackpot.
A moment passed. Everything moved in slow motion. Clouds which formerly moved in a snail's pace, were now nigh-indistinguishable to an object in inertia.
The experience of breathing oxygen in a situation where time slows down was creepily weird, as if I was drinking water constantly moving as I swallowed it. Yet, I felt calmness beyond what meditation would give me.
Then the pain registered.
Lifting my head subconsciously, my lips gaped to the biggest extent it could do as if I was screaming. No sound came out of my mouth, but it was obvious to bystanders who looked at the commotion I made that a certain, pathetic individual was crying out of pain. Then I face-planted.
My senses came back to me afterwards, staying in the pitiable position for nearly a minute. Raising my head, I saw many who eyed me standing besides a fountain in the middle of the plaza, unsure of whether to help or mind their own business.
Embarrassed, an insurmountable rage directed towards the soon-to-be ill-fated stairs brought an irrational impulse to annihilate it in this instance, no matter how stupid or impractical it was.
Inside, a part of me unaffected by wrath and born out of logic and feelings collaborating with each other, was elating from the sense of pain. More specifically, I was able to feel pain which meant that this situation was not even a dream at all!
"It isn't a dream," I uttered.
But I felt as if this inner skepticism of mine had not been satiated, even with direct evidence presented before me. An emotion similar to denial, but not quite the same lingered due to the disbelief and infeasibility of the course of events.
I'm such a fool. Didn't I follow a principle of believing when presented with evidence beyond reasonable dou—
"I'VE BEEN SUMMONED TO ANOTHER WORLD?!"
My thoughts were interrupted by an unknown source, who saw it wise to express their startle in a conspicuous manner. The crowd's curiosity which was previously pointed to me, had found another enigma to lie their interest upon, me included. Especially when that certain person did literally say isekai, a person who probably is in the same situation as myself.
The average height difference between humans of my world and the residents in this world had little difference at all, except for certain demi-humans with large necks and more animal traits, like a certain lizardman that had the audacity to block my view of my target of interest.
"Excuse me." I muttered while pushing through the crowd and approaching the area of my destination. My right leg, which took most of the damage from the crash earlier, hanged limply as the kneecap continued to swell from the pain. The fact that it keeps hitting other people's legs just adds to the contribution of pain. Incomprehensible murmurs from gossiping from various angles filled my ears. Even society in this world wasn't immune to rumours twisting or exaggerating facts to create an interesting story.
Pushing aside the last person in the sea of individuals (which wasn't one at all since there were only three rows of people in the throng), I took a deep, long breath since I almost suffocated from crushing. Spotting the person in interest, who seemed to be deep in his thoughts that he ignored his environment, I was able to make up his appearance, which was highly likely to be of Asian ethnicity .
His short ears and flat nose weren't something you would call as attractive. His brown eyes had small irises that made the whites of his eyes stand out, the kind of person who would fit in perfectly with a crowd because of his complete lack of any outstanding features. A physique that was slightly muscular yet not too much, hinting of having a schedule on regular physical activity. He stood at five feet and eight inches tall, which was roughly average height.
His most prominent trait that made him familiar, however, was the cheap outfit he was in. The ensemble consisted of deep-grey tracksuit bottoms with an orange stripe down the side, black sneakers with vibrant orange laces and soles, and a black t-shirt.
"No way!" I gasped in horror.
It was Natsuki Subaru, the protagonist of Re:Zero! That dreaded isekai where Subaru suffered countless times as he looped several times from his deaths.
Oh Kami-sama, wherever AND whoever you are now, please bless me with whatever divine protection you have at your arsenal to spare me from the suffering.
I lifted both of my arms, and stretched them widespread as if I was about to receive a gift descending from the heavens above. An illusionary luminescence covered my vision and I closed my eyes as I tried to reach towards the said gift, spending moments in the said position. Only to realize I was grasping upon nothing, the illusionary luminescence being sunlight instead, and to see eyes, previously looking at Natsuki-san, towards me.
My cheeks immediately swelled out of humiliation as I comprehended that people saw me making disgusting, chuunibyou shenanigans in plain sight. The thought cringes me out and I continued brooding into my thoughts trying to contain my embarrassment until a firm hand held my shoulder in a reassuring manner.
"Guess you're isekai'd into this world as well?"
How did he–?!
Noticing my shock, the enigma called Subaru winked while giving a thumbs up, "A personality that gives vibes of a fellow otaku, modern clothing and an appearance different from the locals, only an idiot wouldn't notice!"
Oh. Now that you've mentioned it, I had overlooked the small details, which was basically what I used to determine that he was a fellow isekai victim. Freakin *. I guess I really am an idiot.
I hesitated to reply. I was nervous at how he'd react to my personality quirks and considered giving a cold remark, until I remembered that not even Beatrice, the Great Spirit of the Library, wasn't able to resist Subaru's affection and willingness to befriend her.
I decided to reply earnestly, "Isn't this the part where we should introduce ourselves?" which came out of my mouth shyly.
Subaru nods, "I'll introduce myself first, then." He then raised his right arm, index finger pointing upwards and bent his hips. "I am Natsuki Subaru. Not only am I clueless, but I am broke beyond compare! Nice to meet ya!"
"You're really hopeless, ya know that kid!", a lizardman, who was behind the row of onlookers yelled.
He's making the same pose as he introduced himself to Emilia in the show! I expected to cringe, but I found myself weirded by this action instead. Maybe a bit awed, but that's partially because I admired him a little bit!
Only a little bit!
Looking firmly at Subaru's eyes, I searched for any signs of malicious intent. But to my surprise, he is as earnest as he is portrayed in media. Maybe my cynicism towards human beings is taking a toll on my first impressions of other people.
But do I deserve his companionship? Unlike him, I don't have great deductive ability nor do I feel like having spiritual affinity on par with him. I might be able to help him with my logical prowess, but Roswaal is leagues beyond me, and I don't think I can outwit Ram either. My versatility due to a certain psychological disorder, is the best weapon in my arsenal, yet what use would that be if you're surrounded by people way better than you in every category?
I'm a lazy, slothful, clumsy and irresponsible person who keeps failing to meet people's expectations.
Yet...
Memories of scenes and paragraphs flashed my mind, each descriptively narrating Subaru's suffering through the series. I empathize with him as he felt pain, despair and depression everytime he lost important people in his loops. I pitied and wished for him to have anyone to be his partner, once that could truly accompany him within his loops and share his burden.
I never expected for my wish to take form in this twisted way.
But it doesn't matter if I don't deserve to be his companion or not. It's a matter of who's able to do so, and I am the only one who fits into this category in Od Lugnica. I am the only one who can do it.
I lifted my hand towards him, inviting him to a handshake. A gesture of companionship; an unbreakable friendship towards an uncertain future full of suffering, all to reach Subaru's happy ending with both of our humanity intact.
"I'm Otonashi Ren. I'm glad to be friends with you, Natsuki-san."
He unhesitatingly accepts the gesture and shakes my hand, forging the unspoken agreement between us.
"It's Subaru, Ren."
And for the first time in my life, I felt as if I was not alone anymore.
- - - - - - - - - - This is a line break - - - - - - - - -
2
"Hey, Ren. Where are you from?"
After the crowd dispersed earlier, we went on our way to kingdom come– or to be more specific, we had no idea on where to go. My knowledge about Lugnica was limited to the anime and light novels, and nowhere in any volumes available in my phone was a map of the City of Lugnica present. Our first priority was to go to the alleyway, near the market where Subaru met Kadomon in the Light Novels.
Subaru, ever the exterior extrovert that he actually was, asked the locals for directions to the market, not questioning why I wanted to go there. I decided to have Subaru lead the way since my sense of direction was terrible without a map and familiarity to specific places, which led to the current situation now:
"Earth."
Poking fun at him by answering vaguely, my face turned into a smug as I waited for his reaction. I turned away and feigned ignorance to add emphasis to seemingly not taking Subaru seriously. Caravans and wagons pulled by what I assumed to be ground dragons passed beside the walkway where Subaru and I were. Perceiving that he took too long to answer, my face turned back at him.
Subaru's eyes were downcast compared to my slouched posture, and was mumbling something about 'isekai', 'other alternate worlds', and "a NEET background"? Coming to a resolution, Subaru then made the motion to stare at my eyes and asked me, "Ren, tell me about your version of Earth."
Isn't that too much of a reaction for my attempt to tease and annoy him? How did this conversation escalate into a serious manner?!
Not knowing where to start, I proceeded with the generic introduction of a student in his first day of school, "Ren Otonashi, 17 years old. Born in Japan, I migrated to the Philippines when I was still an infant." I paused, looking at Subaru for any signs of confusion. He gestured for me to continue.
"I can say with confidence that my world's events were the same with yours, except that you were probably sent to this world at a different time point." Inhaling, I resolved to reveal the year my world was in before I was isekai'd to Od Lugnica. "To be precise, yesterday was May 17, 2021 in my world."
Subaru stopped moving in the middle of the pathway. A pause, then his determined eyes widened out of shock in an instant.
He might be in a full array of emotions, I bet.
Now that I think of it, despite being in a similar situation– I don't feel anything towards the people I left behind. Maybe a bit regretful that I'm not able to interact with my friends anymore. But I don't really miss them, only that I wouldn't be able to attempt seeking the companionship of other people with similar interests.
Yet, it feels so disturbing and wrong. Like the time when my beloved grandmother died, I never mourned, nor felt sadness.Unknown to my consciousness, I instinctively used my left arm to reopen wounds that I pruned whenever I was distracted by my thoughts. Only to be stopped by a layer of wool that was part of the jacket I was wearing.
I shook my head to clear my mind. Natsuki Subaru must take priority.
Now that I've thought of it, how do I comfort Natsuki Subaru? Telling him about his parents would make him suspicious of me for knowing about it. I mean, I could show him the Re:Zero novels on my phone as proof to convince him that I'm genuine, but it would make him uncomfortable that his journey was predetermined by fate and would probably spark an identity crisis which I wouldn't like to happen in this current scenario.
I could embrace him, but isn't that gesture only for women to men? It would feel awkward to both of us, which would be counterproductive to my current goal.
A familiar hand held my shoulder. "You okay there?"
I snapped out of my thoughts. Looking at Subaru, I saw that he was worried about me, contrary to the passersby minding their own business, walking in the same pedestrian lane we were in.
Great job, Ren. Instead of comforting, you were the one given comfort instead.
"Don't worry about it. I was overthinking certain things." I smiled. "Thank you, Subaru."
Subaru, being the energetic person that he is, grinned from my gratitude. I offered a shy smile while my fingers were squeezing my sling bag.
The sun's position was at noon. Houses of architecture inspired from the Renaissance period were aligned at each corner of the streets. The road consisted of uniform rows and three columns of each direction. Probably merchants from outside the royal capital, the city of Lugnica.
Even if I was a die-hard fan of Re:Zero and an avid reader of its fanfictions, I didn't expect the traffic within Lugnica to be as busy as what I'm currently seeing now. Might be bias from my knowledge of the pre-Victorian Era, but I'm sure that the population within this city doesn't even reach three hundred thousand.
An unspoken agreement between Subaru and I led to the willing silence between us as we assessed the environment and lore around us. I figured that Subaru was thinking of isekai tropes where the main protagonist of the story gets certain overpowered abilities to overwhelm his opponents.
I am sorry to disappoint you Subaru, but even if you have one of the most broken abilities in this world, it will not spare you from suffering nor make you strong without getting insane, or at least unhinged as a result.
My body shivered. I was lucky not to be Satella's beloved. I won't even last three loops before getting my mind warped to the point as Ros-chi, I think so… I'm not really sure considering that I had zero personal experience with any time loop abilities. But impulsiveness, recklessness and carelessness will definitely be my downfall.
Moving onto another train of thought, I settled to brainstorm about the current city that we were in.
The capital city of Lugnica is divided into five circular layers of wall made of brick and plastered with mud, where the inner sections of these walls divided the city into districts, similar to the Feudal system, although the roots might be different since Roman Catholicism doesn't exist in this word.
According to the wiki I scrolled eons ago when I was curious about how the Feudal System worked in Lugnica, the city is structured similarly to New Delhi's system. The King and the Lugnica Royal Family, along with the Council of Elders and the most important nobles live in the innermost and highest districts of Lugnica. The second innermost area, the Nobles district, was where most of the noble lineage in the capital were living.
The third Commercial District, which I dub The Market, was where most of the trade, market related jobs, factories (if it even exists in this world) and headquarters of the Merchant Guild were located.
Probably the largest district in the city, considering that this is where merchants and travellers are headed, which makes this a thriving area for businesses such as inns, hotels and the infamous Red Light District. I would be a hypocrite if I tried to convince myself I wasn't interested in the Red Light District, but it wouldn't hurt to take a peek or two.
Also our point of destination if I were to head in that fated alleyway where Subaru met Emilia. Since I literally have no idea where the exact place is, I guess I have to rely on Subaru's intuition.
My attempt to try and alter fate will definitely lead to a scenario where Roswaal would make non-stop efforts in assassinating Subaru, similar to Re: Reinventing Life in Another World from Zero. The thought of Elsa and Meili hunting us is enough to make me clear all of my doubts.
The fourth district is where we're currently at. The Commoner's District, where most of the commoners without relations to the Royal Blood or possibly fallen Nobles, live. There's literally nothing interesting that happens here, nor anything that has relevance to the plot.
Or was it?
"Hey!"
"Watch out!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
My eyes snapped to the middle of the road, where the source of a frightened scream was. A child was laying on the floor. Yards away, a ground dragon pulling a wagon was quickly approaching the child.
" This is it! It's my turn!" I knew those words were from Natsuki Subaru, and I know the words that would follow afterwards. Yet, I paid them no heed.
There was one goal I had in my mind. In this current situation.
Save the child.
A moment of hesitation. The embers of my self-preservation are trying to stop me. Yet, embers are meager before this determination of mine.
Determination for the approval of others.
So I ran. It was only a small distance but compared to the speed of the ground dragon, I was like an injured olympic runner competing against a speeding car.
My kneecaps still didn't recover from the fall earlier. Every step was met with sharp pain as if a needle was pierced each time my feet met the ground, slowing my pace to recover.
But another life's value doesn't compare to temporary pain and damage inflicted towards me by my recklessness, and I had advantage that will compensate for speed: distance.
Only three feet away. I glanced towards the imposing figure of the dragon.
I will die.
Memories flashed before my eyes. My mind's final attempt to survive as rationality and fear wasn't able to stop me for I am an abnormal person who twists normal perception.
Yet, it was inevitable. To save a life, one must trade it for another life. Equivalent exchange is an absolute law.
I can save the child, in exchange for my life.
The flashes stopped instantly. I sprinted.
Grabbing the child's clothes, I threw him with all my might. My determination fuelling the potential, untapped strength that I never knew I had.
More memories flashed at an intensifying rate in my eyes, the final struggle of the mind to survive an inevitable situation of dying. Then the panels slowed down at a visible pace, as if it was accepting the coming of my death. Continuously so, until it stopped. And then.
Something crashed behind me.
Metal!
It was the knight who saved the kid in the novel of the same scenario! He was going to die in my place!
I can't accept that! I held one of the plates of his armor, and dragged him with me. He grunted out of desperation. It was not enough. He was too heavy.
His death will be in vain as the result of my action stopped my momentum. I was going to die too. The ground dragon was just inches upon us two. I clenched my eyes.
We were both going to die.
I'm sorry, Knight-san. Because of my impulsiveness, I–
My thoughts were interrupted. I felt as if I was hit by a truck. Along with Knight-san, I flew above the air.
Wait, weren't we supposed to be trampled by the ground dragon and die from crush due to the speed and weight of the wagon?!
I crashed towards the bystanders watching the scene. Knight-san followed afterwards, his weight pressing beside me as we were caught by the people.
Confused, I stood up from shock and looked to the direction where the impact came from.
A cloud of dust was occupying vision in the middle of the street, blocking view from the other side. Onlookers beside me were gaping from awe and curiosity, most probably directed to our savior.
The carriage which showed no signs of slowing down were met with angry remarks from some of the witnesses of the recent incident. Knight-san, who recovered quickly, had his helmet fully removed, revealing to the world a familiar shade of auburn hair and golden eyes.
After the smoke dissipated, my eyes proceeded to find my savior, then it dilated. Irritation from the coming future events flooded inside my body after I snapped out of my shock, and was able to properly assess the situation.
There, on the opposite side of the street laid certain, sweating Natsuki Subaru was pushing his palm forwards while crouching. The same action he did in the same scene, only that he non-verbally cast formless Wind Magic this time. Visibly relieved and ecstatic, he waved at me.
"Are you alright?" Knight-san, who looked too familiar for a certain Hero of Justice, checked on me for any visible damage.
I wish I had bought maintenance painkillers for the several headaches that were about to come.
A/N: My first time writing literally any narrative since I used to be an essay writer that relied too much on persuasion and technical ability. So don't hold back with the constructive criticisms! I'll even highlight feedbacks in my next chapters with the replies so that I can assess your concerns.
It took me a total of four days to brainstorm, make the whole plotline and write this chapter from the dumps, so I apologize if it feels unrefined.