Chapter 9:

The two landed with a thud on a steep wooden roof. The wind was knocked out of Subaru as he somehow landed on his back. He began rolling down the roof before his mind fully caught up to what was happening. He murmured, "Ugh… wait- hold on!" He slipped off of the roof and hit the frozen dirt below. He groaned as more pain flared up all over him.

Meanwhile Clement carefully got to his hands and knees on the slanted roof. He had landed on his shoulder, which now throbbed in pain. "Hey, Subaru," He called to the man who he was determined to help, who had just fallen off of this roof, "You okay?"

"Uhhg… yeah..."

Subarumu mumbled, "We... don't have time to stay still like this."

Clement agreed. He quickly moved over to the edge of the roof and hopped off. The drop wasn't too far, luckily for Subaru, who was already back on his feet. He made a quick gesture telling Clement to follow him before he began running to the crystal forest.

Subaru and Clement ran through alleyways and down open streets. Hans was of course following them, though he was nowhere to be seen. Clement could tell that Subaru truly feared Hans, more than most who had only heard of the terrible things he's done.

Clement questioned just what that man had done to Subaru for him to harbor such great hate towards Hans.

They left an alleyway and turned onto the main street.

"Ah-" Subaru noticed something. He changed directions and ran over to a man in light armor. He yelled, "Hey! Youra!"

Someone he knows? Clement thought. He stood off to the side as the man, who was called Youra, turned around. "Eh? Who are you?"

"Could you help us out here? A guy named Hans is-" It was at that moment that Subaru spun around, he stopped talking, and jumped at Clement, grabbing him and pushing him down to the ground. Youra gasped and pulled out his sword. Clement grunted as he hit the ground and looked back up, at a man holding a dagger squinting at Youra, saying, "Such hateful eyes…"

Youra ignored him and lunged towards Hans, swinging his sword. Hans easily ducked under it. Hans swiftly pulled out a dagger and flipped it around, preparing to stab Youra. "No!" Subaru yelled. He lunged to his feet and ran to the murderer, swinging his leg and hitting Hans' with it. Hans grunted and retreated momentarily.

"Thanks, man."

Youra prepared to pursue the man, but paused for a moment when he heard,

"Hey, Youra. Give up against him for a moment and come with us."

"Wha- why? This guy murdered my wife! I swore to her that I'd get revenge-"

Subaru glared at the man, "I know. And if you keep fighting here you'll undeniably die."

Subaru's eyes definitely weren't lying. His eyes showed his sincereness as if he had seen that future himself. Those nearby sensed deep regret coming from Subaru for a few moments.

Youra sighed and nodded. "I'll follow you. Hk-"

The man lept past Subaru, pushing him to the side, and parried Hans' dagger, who was stabbing his knife towards Subaru. Youra kicked the man's chest and knocked him away, Hans struck out and scratched Youra's chest plate before jumping away. Subaru yelled, "Now let's go!"

The three ran, with Subaru leading them.

Hans took a deep breath, pushing the aching in his chest from the kicks Subaru and Youra gave him to the side. He watched as the three men ran away from him. "Tch." He ducked into a nearby alley as he felt stares from pedestrians fall upon him.

A woman watched through a small window in the attic of a nearby building. She watched as a man, Hans, trailed behind a group of three people, hiding in the shadows of the alleys. She whispered, "Hans..." She grabbed her bow and her quiver of arrows. She continued, "We finally meet again." She smiled wide and giggled.

"So-" Clement said between gasps, "Where are we going anyway?" He hadn't run this much in years.

"I don't know what it's called," Subaru, who had surprisingly good endurance for a Hikineet, said, "but it's this forest with crystals all over somewhere in the city here."

"Ah," Youra responded, "The Vanity Grove."

"Mhm."

The two continued running, pedestrians looked at the group strangely as they ran past.

Suddenly while they ran, Youra flinched and pulled his sword out of its sheath at his waist. He swung it up once again parried Hans, who had lunged out of an alleyway. "Stay away!" Youra engaged the murderer. Sword and dagger clashed as the two hateful men fought. Youra managed to hit the man's dagger hard enough to knock it out of his hand. Hans retreated for a moment.

Youra chased after him, his rage filling him. "Youra!" Someone called for him. Hans dodged his sword strike. An arrow whizzed past Youra and hit the wall next to Hans' head. "Youra, let's go!" The man turned and ran over towards Subaru and Clement.

The three ran away again.

Behind them, Hans muttered, "So… they want to get your help, sister."

Hans glanced at a familiar red-haired woman on top of a rooftop. He grinned and ducked back into an alleyway.

The three approached the Vanity Forest. Subaru had a lot of terrible memories under this forest, but the forest itself was still beautiful. Subaru led the others towards where he remembered the staircase was. After a minute or two of running, Youra asked, "Where is this person?"

"Ah, She's in a room under this forest. There's a weird staircase nearby that leads to it."

"Ah… so it is her…" Youra nodded and mumbled this.

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing important."

Not too long later he found it. A staircase that leads deep into the ground, with its walls and ceiling made of stone bricks. It was pitch black down it. Subaru took a deep breath.

Clement asked, "So, this is it? How are we supposed to see down there? We don't have a lantern."

With that, Subaru took out his phone. "We'll use this for light."

He flipped open his phone and read the time, he was pretty surprised to find it read 9:53. His Determination strengthened.

Clement opened his mouth, but Subaru told him, "Hold the questions for later. Hans is still following us."

Subaru turned on his phone's flashlight and began walking down the stairs.

He was careful not to slip, as he remembered his first loop.

The stairs took them a few minutes to get down, the whole time Youra, who was in the back, was on edge, listening for Hans if he were to come down after them, but they safely reached the dark room. Subaru stepped onto the stone floor that he had died on many times. Subaru made sure the others were alright, before saying, "Alright… This person… She's pretty dangerous. There's a door over there. Absolutely don't touch it, there's a trap behind it."

Clement and Youra nodded.

With that, Subaru looked over at the door. He murmured, "Guess it's time to get negotiations going."

He walked over to the door. He glanced at Clement and Youra, who both pulled their chins, and then knocked on the door a few times.

The door slowly opened, and a woman in a long black and purple dress stepped into the frame. "Hmm~? Who is it?"

Subaru froze for a moment. The woman's cold eyes gazed at him. Subaru took a short breath, pushing his fear to the side, and said, "We need your help."

"You're quite upfront, aren't you…? Mmh… What's your name?"

"Natsuki Subaru. What's yours?"

"I'm Selena~. I have no family name. Hmm~."

She paused and looked Subaru up and down.

"What is it that you need help with?"

"Your brother is out to kill us. We have money." The only reason she hadn't helped him in his previous loops was that she refused to take Subaru's phone, saying he needed actual money.

"Hmm~?"

She looked at the others, and then back at Subaru, "Show me your money."

Subaru stepped to the side and Clement took his place.

Clement pulled out a pouch, and opened it, showing Selena the coins inside.

"Hmm… For a thing such as fighting that monster… this isn't enough."

Clement narrowed his eyes. "How much do-"

He stopped as he began feeling a murderous aura come from the woman's gaze.

"Hmm… If you don't have enough, then begone."

Selena began to close the door, when Youra called out, "Wait."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"Ah…" Her eyes widened.

Selena suddenly bowed deeply. "I apologize, Youra-sama. I couldn't recognize you in this light."

She looked at Subaru and Clement "All right, I'll do it - free of charge. It appears to be Youra-sama's will."

Clement felt her murderous aura disappear.

Clement cautiously said, "O-okay…" He lowered the bag he held, before stashing it back in his coat.

Selena looked at the three of them, before saying, "Wait down here. I wouldn't want Youra-sama to get hurt."

With that, she stepped past them and dashed up the stairs.

Subaru's heart fluttered. Is this it…?

Subaru shook his head, remembering his earlier heartbreak after being similarly close to winning.

"Well… I guess we just wait…"

"Oh, yeah, Clement, could you read those papers on that desk? It shouldn't take too long."

Clement nodded and stepped over to the desk, littered with papers. Subaru stepped over and held up his phone to light them. Youra was over by the stairs, looking up them, his hand on the handle of his sword. "Hey, Subaru," Clement asked as he began reading the script on the papers, "What is that thing, anyway?"

"This?" Subaru looked at his phone. He grinned and said, "It's a piece of lost future technology that creates light, and can capture a moment in time."

"That description is full of strange words… Where are you from, anyway? You're dressed strangely, and you say strange words, too."

"Ah, If I'm to go with the usual, then I'm from a small island nation far to the east of here."

"East? So you're from Lugnica?"

"Hmm… yeah, sure, I am."

Clement skimmed over a couple of the papers. "They're all about magic and the crystals in the Vanity Forest. Magic isn't common around here… Can Selena use magic?"

"Yeah… I think so."

Subaru remembered how Selena had suddenly become obedient when she recognized Youra. "Hey, Youra, what was that all about?"

Youra, who was still staring up the stairs, clutching his sword, responded, "I'll explain later. For now… I can no longer just wait and run from that man."

"Eh, hold on- wait!"

Youra began dashing up the stairs at an insane speed.

"Tch- I'm going after him, Clement."

To be honest, Subaru had felt anxious about just sitting out like this. Clement nodded as he felt the same as Subaru. "Mhm. I'll come too."

"Ah… yeah."

Subaru was still worried for Clement since he was just a bystander before Subaru asked him for help, and yet now he was here, in a life-or-death situation.

Clement, who saw Subaru's regret in his eyes, said, "You don't have to feel bad about bringing me into this, I'm the one who decided to stay with you and help."

Subaru nodded.

"And hey, Subaru. You're completely broke, right? And have nowhere to stay, right?"

"Yeah, I'm broke beyond compare!" Subaru struck a stupid-looking pose.

Clement smiled, "You can come live with me after all this is over."

Subaru was stunned, "Eh? Really?"

"Yeah. Is it okay with you?"

"I mean, I'd prefer if you were a cute girl.

Subaru grinned, and blushed, "But seriously, yeah. Thank you."

Clement nodded. "Alright…"

Subaru turned and glared up the stairs. "Let's finish this, Hans…"

Subaru closed his eyes. The pain and suffering that Hans had brought upon him these past few hours—these past few loops—burned in his mind.

Subaru balled his fists and he began running up the stairs, with Clement close behind.