Reinventing Life from Zero

Two Months and Three days since the Last Death (Three Deaths)

"... And you just accepted it like that?" As they both walked away from the high-class zone boundaries, the silence that had settled between them was finally dissolved by Leith. Subaru looked at askance, not taking his eyes off the road, but just kept quiet. "I won't say her conditions were especially abusive. But what if that had been the case?"

"We could have backed out, couldn't we?" Trying to put the issue aside, Subaru shook his hand while defending himself.

"Sure, we could have." Subaru smirked upon hearing his partner's response. But noticing Leith's expression, his smile faded. Holding up a finger, Leith continued speaking. "Only one day. Only one day it would have taken for no merchant or vendor from all over Lugunica to take us seriously. And after just one week, it would have been the same for the entire continent."

"Tch! Don't you think you're exaggerating?"

"Going back on a trade agreement, pact or alliance is already frowned upon if you are dealing with a simple merchant. But doing so with Anastasia Hoshin? It would have meant our commercial death. No one would have taken us seriously again; we would be branded as impulsive, unserious, and even unreliable. No merchant would open the door for us again and Otto's reputation would go to the ground along with ours, just for being part of our alliance. No, at the time you accepted Anastasia Hoshin's deal, there was no going back, no matter what her demands were."

"Well ... If you put it like that, it's true that our commercial image would've been quite stained." Subaru smiled nervously, scratching his head. "But at least it wasn't necessary, so my impulsiveness didn't cause us as much trouble. Right?"

Leith, sighing, wiped away the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, caused by the residual nerves from their meeting with Anastasia Hoshin. After that, he looked at Subaru again. "You know, she could have demanded that we break out our alliance with Otto. Easily, in her position as a merchant, she could have sought an exclusivity agreement for our products. Well ... she did it, in a way, but allowed Otto to continue working with us. Which by itself shows that she was indeed interested in securing the signing of a commercial pact with us."

"But you said that my impulsiveness could've caused us to have no choice but to accept her demands. From what we've heard about her, her normal attitude isn't exactly the sweet persona that she showed us most of the time."

"Well, she's someone that tends to play with the expectations. But it's true, normally she isn't supposed to behave like she did today. Anastasia Hoshin's a fearsome businesswoman, who knows how to exploit the weaknesses of those with whom she negotiates. She would never have called us without having investigated everything possible about us, our past, present and future aspirations. Using her rivals' wishes in her favor, that's what Anastasia Hoshin does. So, the ideal would have been to get a week deadline, in order to give Otto, who knows much more about business than us, time to return to the city. And then discuss with him the conditions that we would ask to sign our commercial pact with the Hoshin Company."

"So…?" Not fully understanding the point Leith wanted to get to, Subaru pressed him to explain himself. "It's clear that she was aware of our wishes and, furthermore, we were at a disadvantage due to Otto's absence, so why not exploit it?"

At Subaru's question, Leith started shaking his head. "She was informed about my wishes; from her words, that's clear. But in your case... That would be the only explanation for why she was so attentive to your behavior the whole time. She didn't get anything from you, which made you difficult to deal with during negotiations. Sure, she could have pressured us and demanded a full exclusivity contract, forcing us to break our alliance with Otto. But, at the same time, she risked making us back off regardless of the consequences of doing so. If she opted not exploiting our weakness, it's because from the beginning she wasn't completely sure of which were our weakness. In other words, your impulsiveness and lack of past made you unpredictable, a wild card, a card that she preferred not to play against ... "

"She couldn't find out anything about me? About my past? Well, that makes sense ..." Absorbed by the explanation, Subaru realized that his place of origin definitely rendered useless any intelligence network directed at him and his past. In that world, he really is nothing more than a stranger who appeared out of nowhere with a bunch of eccentric ideas.

"So, leaving aside your lack of knowledge about the art of negotiation, which is a problem that we'll definitely have to deal with in the future with the help of Otto, I need to ask you again... Who are you really, Subaru? Where exactly do you come from? What's your objective? What do you aspire to?" When asked by an intrigued Leith who insisted on finding out more about him, Subaru winced in discomfort.

"What I aspire to?" That was a good question. Perhaps, what he thought while listening to Anastasia Hoshin was his true wish. Perhaps his true desire is to follow a strong willed person like Anastasia, in order to find a way to exploit that in what he can really excel at and stop being someone who uses his weakness as excuse to his shortcomings, while watching others fight to improve their status quo.

"Yes ... What do you want? Is it money? Fame? It hasn't been long since we met, but I can affirm that what you want isn't that, or at least you don't convey to me the image of someone looking for that... So, why did you accept Anastasia Hoshin's proposal so quickly? What does she have that you desire?" With those questions slamming into his mind, Subaru looked up at the sky, as if hoping to escape from having to answer those questions, and whispered.

"I'm not sure... Actually, I also want to know it."

Two Months and One Week since the Last Death (Three Deaths)

"Well at least Natsuki didn't cause Anastasia-sama to force you to cast off your alliance with me, that would've been quite troublesome for my future. Especially now that I've invested so much time and effort in this project."

"And we really thank you for that, Otto." Leith smiled, bowing his head slightly in appreciation. "At least this time we can say that the mystery that surrounds Subaru and his past, served to help us get a good deal with the Hoshin Company. Also, with those terrifying eyes of his, it'll be enough to teach him a little about negotiation and he'll be able to intimidate anyone during a business discussion."

Laughing along with Leith, Otto held his abdomen as he added "Right! That may even have to do with the fact that Anastasia-sama didn't crush us with a totally cruel deal."

"Drop it! You know it's not my fault my eyes are like this!" Hiding his face, Subaru defended herself against the jokes of his companions. After a moment, the three of them calmed down momentarily, so Otto took the opportunity to continue.

"Leaving aside Natsuki's shortcomings when negotiating and his intimidating gaze, it's true that he got us a very promising pact. I just hope next time he doesn't get carried away by the beauty of his business rival and ends up sending to the waste this commercial project that we've worked so hard for."

"Hey Otto! That has nothing to do with my behavior at the meeting." Annoyed, Subaru denied Otto's mocking comment.

"Now that you say it, it's true that Subaru seemed quite dazzled by Anastasia-sama. Even one of her guards threatened him for it. Is that what you want, Subaru? Love? Don't you think you're aiming too high, though?""

"The worst thing is that, even if you make it, I'm sure that's a very difficult woman to keep satisfied. With how greedy she's, I doubt you're up to it." Otto continued to banter Subaru, while looking at him with a sly smile. For his part, he kept shaking his head, denying what his colleagues said.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I be interested in a woman that I didn't even know existed a week ago?" Tired of the teasing, Subaru decided to end the issue with a solid argument.

"I don't know. You're the one who should answer us. Why did you accept that woman's proposal so quickly?" Seeing his chance, Leith took the opportunity to repeat the question that Subaru was still unable to answer. "It's been four days and it looks like you still don't have the answer. If I didn't know you well enough to know how dedicated you are to our project, I'd even think that you're not taking it seriously enough."

"Leith ..." Otto, noticing that the atmosphere in the room was getting heavier, raised his hand in Leith's direction, calling him by name. "You don't have to take it that way. I know you're upset that Natsuki could have caused me to be left out of this business project, but it wasn't the case. Also, I know that Natsuki's idea was never to jeopardize our triple alliance. So I don't think it's worth to keep pressing him on that matter."

"I... I know, it's just that without your help..." Leith spoke regretfully, clenching his fists in frustration.

Subaru was aware of the history between Leith and Otto. Not that they were both best friends and anything like that, in fact, they could both be considered lonely people who do better by they own. Even so, it was Otto who lent his hand to Leith to help him move his crafts, when he began working as a craftsman. Had it not been for Otto, it is highly likely that Leith would have given up years ago and opted for a job with less future but more stability.

Thus, seeing Leith's attitude, Subaru began to really understand how betrayed Leith must have felt, when he accepted Anastasia Hoshin's proposal without even thinking about it or consulting with his two partners. Leith wasn't only interested in discussing the terms of the deal with Otto just because he had much better business knowledge than they did, but he also wanted to take into account the opinion of Otto, who is undoubtedly as much a part of their project as both of them.

"I'm really sorry, guys... My intention wasn't to push you both aside or anything like that." Subaru, having understood the depth of her mistake, apologized in a totally sincere way. "I just… got carried away..." Sure, the project they were building between the three was born from the ideas he brought from his world. But by this point, Otto and Leith had been too influential to still consider it as Subaru´s project alone.

"Okay, what's done is done." Sighing, Otto spoke while smiling nervously. "The conditions Anastasia-sama asked for, are what we could've expected from any company as massive as hers. And if we wanted to take the next step, eventually we would've had to associate with some large company, so the only thing that happened was that we moved forward a couple of years. Now we just have to wait to meet her again and agree on the scope of the operation... For now, how about I show you the books of what I did during this month of peddling? Then, we should celebrate for having got an alliance with a large company. What do you think?"

"You guys do it, I'm gonna go out for air and think of new designs. Anyway, you know I'm not very good with accounting. About the celebration... We can see about it after I return if you like." Announcing his departure, Subaru approached the main door of their workshop. As he was leaving the workshop, neither Otto nor Leith objected or said a word.

Subaru walked along the street with his hands inside his pockets. His attention was on the carriages pulled by earth dragons, on the well-ordered rocks that make up the street and at the stalls located on the sides of the street, all at the same time. Not finding anything to distract himself, Subaru glance at everything that came his way.

Leith's words were still in his mind, preventing the guilt he felt in his chest from fading. Someone could say that just a couple of months aren't enough to strengthen such a relationship with another person, and although it is true that he didn't interact too much with Otto throughout that time, the same cannot be said of Leith. However, they both helped him a lot. He, a lost person in that world, to whom no one was willing to lend a hand.

His sense of indebtedness to both of them was so great that it could crush him. And even so, he had the gall to act like an impulsive, childish, and cocky ignorant, who never considers the opinion of others. Subaru, sighing, regretted still being that person. What happened that day in the alley with Reinhard, after being murdered three times and having come back to life, changed his life enormously. Maybe if he hadn't accepted his weakness and shortcomings at the time, he would still be trapped in that cycle of death and return.

However, hoping that only that moment would completely change who Natsuki Subaru is and was, was ultimately too optimistic on his part. He could have died three times, but that didn't stop him from continuing to make the same mistakes. Just thinking about it was enough to cause his temples to hurt.

With a firm step, Subaru shook his head, as if trying to dispel that annoying thread of ideas. It was then that he realized that he had instinctively deviated and entered a path more than known to him. Smiling, Subaru quickened his pace until he found himself in front of a fruit stand, run by a muscular man with dark green hair. Seeing him, the man frowned, but immediately smiled.

"Hi, boy! How've you been? I haven't seen you in over a week. Have you been busy with that foreign item business of yours?"

"I've been fine, thanks. And yes, you hit the spot; I've been spending a lot of time in the workshop lately." Smiling back, Subaru returned the greeting to the man. "How've you and your family been? How's little Plum been? I hope she hadn't got lost again.

"We've been perfectly fine, thank you, boy. And Plum, well... You know what kids are like. She doesn't stop playing around and getting into trouble because of it, but it's impossible to get angry with a daughter like her." With a look full of feelings, Kadomon spoke of his daughter, whom Subaru met at the time he arrived in that world, before dying at the hands of Elsa for first time.

"It's good to hear." Subaru replied, now with his gaze fixed on the fruits that were scattered in front of him.

"What would you like, boy?" What would he… like? That question was obviously referring to the product he was selling, but that didn't stop Subaru's heart skipping a beat. "As usual?"

"Y-yes, please." Feigning a smile, Subaru avoided the man's gaze as he looked away.

That was already the tenth time Subaru had gone to that street stall to buy fruit since he started making money. That persistence wasn't only because he wanted to pay off his debt to Kadomon, for helping him through the death loops and then helping him sell his cell phone. But also because of the promise he made, that if he got a job, he would become a regular customer of his.

The reason why he clung to that promise in this way, was due to the unpleasant feeling left by being unable to fulfill his promise with "Satella". If he couldn't keep that important promise, at least he would focus on never breaking another promise in his life. Still looking to the side of the stall, Subaru realized that Kadomon was offering him a bag full of appas; which is the same as apples, but from that world. He took it and paid the man for it, and then asked while still looking to the side, where there were several people gathered at the end of the street.

"What's going on? Why're there so many people gathered there?" Subaru pointed at the crowd with his chin, causing Kadomon to also look towards the place.

"Haven't you heard about the announcing of the candidates for the Royal Selection?" Why does everything revolve around that lately? With that question in mind, Subaru nodded in response to Kadomon's question. "Well, there's a poster with the faces and names of the five candidates. It has been there for a few days, but people interested in knowing the faces of the five possible rulers of the country continue to appear."

"A poster with the faces of them? Until now I haven't seen anything like that. Though it's probably because I've been locked up in the workshop for several days ... I'm only aware of the identity of one of them."

"You should go see. After all, as an inhabitant of Lugunica, it's information that also concerns you. I would accompany you, but I cannot leave the stall alone."

"Yeah, I think you're right. And no problem, I'll go alone. I just want to ask you one thing before." Kadomon gestured to him to continue. "What'd you think of the Fruit Peeler I brought you last time?"

"Hmm…" The man silently rummaged under one of the fruit counters, from which he retrieved a metal object, similar to a long, narrow spatula, with a hole in the middle and a wooden handle. "I'm not gonna lie to you boy, it really serves the purpose of its name. It's not much different than using a paring knife, but it definitely makes the job easier."

"Good to hear it. I hope you'll become a regular customer too." Kadomon snorted at Subaru's comment, causing him to smile teasingly. That Fruit Peeler he had given him was a beta version of the typical peeler from his world, and he was grateful that it really came in handy to old Kadomon. "Anyway, thanks for the appas. See you later." Then, after saying goodbye to the owner of the fruit stand, Subaru started to go to where the crowd of people was.

"Well boy. See you later. If you come back, come prepared to buy more fruit." Smiling, the burly man said goodbye. But just before Subaru had fully moved away, he heard him add something. "When you see the poster, you'll come to understand why so much fuss about it. I still can't believe that they'll allow a half-demon to be part of the Royal Selection..."

Puzzled by the man's last comment, Subaru approached the poster with even more interest. Once in the crowd, he had to make his way between multiple people, but he finally managed to reach the signboard. There, in the wooden signboard, were five posters with images of women and their names. Subaru stopped and started looking at them one by one.

Anastasia Hoshin; the first to read belonging to the girl he already knew, a beautiful innocent-looking woman. Then, he read one that left him speechless; Felt, the poster said. If there hadn't been an image under the name, of a girl no older than fifteen, he would never have believed that it was the same thief girl he met the first day he arrived at that world.

"What the hell happened that day?" Unable to understand what was going on, Subaru kept looking at the images. The next name was one he heard from Leith more than once; Crusch Karsten. A highly popular noblewoman in the capital. The image showed a woman dressed in a manly way, but just as beautiful as the rest. Beside her was the image of an incredibly beautiful woman with a proud glance; Priscilla Barielle. I had never heard of her, he thought.

Finally, his gaze fell on the last poster and that was when the surprise simply ended his thread of ideas. The name on the paper was Emilia, a name that would never have especially caught his attention had it not been for the image of the girl with that name. There wasn't any doubt, that was "Satella". It was impossible that he was misjudging the image, that really was the kind girl he met the first day in that world.

Now that he saw her there, Subaru understood Kadomon's last comment. At first, he was totally ignorant about the subject, but after two months living in that world, Subaru came to understand how deep-rooted the fear and hatred for the half-elves was. And "Satella", or rather, Emilia, is a half-elf; a fact confirmed by herself.

And Emilia isn't only a half-elf, but she is also a half-elf with silver hair and violet eyes; the living image of the Jealous Witch, Satella. Satella, the witch who consumed and destroyed half of that world, according to legends. With such a demon-like image, Subaru was able to understand, in part, people's reaction to Emilia, who's so similar in every physical way to Satella.

Thus, having now much of the big picture unveiled before him, Subaru was also able to understand Emilia and Puck's reaction to his disinterest in the girl's lineage. How many times did Emilia have to deal with discrimination against her? That was another question that he had no answer for. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he began to understand many of the situations that, throughout his cycle of three deaths, he was unable to understand. What he still didn't understand was why both, Felt and Emilia, were part of the Royal Selection.

Does it have something to do with the stolen insignia? Or does it have something to do with Reinhard? The more he thought about what might have happened that day, after he decided to relegate everything to the Sword Saint, the more he felt that he understood nothing. Finally, after several minutes of thinking, Subaru walked away from the posters and the crowd, and started the way back to the workshop.

"I decided to leave everything in hands of Reinhard. I abandoned them. So, I have no right to meddle in their lives." Muttering that, Subaru decided that it would be best to forget the subject and continue walking the path he had chosen for him that first day.

Sighing heavily, Subaru was at least glad to confirm Emilia and Felt's well-being. And although he didn't know anything about Old Man Rom, Subaru assumed that, given the result, he's probably fine as well. And it's not that Subaru had really doubted Reinhard's victory over Elsa, because thanks to Otto and Leith, he had already heard that the Sword Saint was perfectly fine. And if that man was fine, everyone else involved, except Elsa, was likely to be fine; though it was possible that Felt and Old Man Rom ended up in jail.

But now that he had more than solid confirmation of their well-being, Subaru felt a kind of relief go through all the veins in his body. Sighing once more, Subaru forced himself to smile. If his decision in that alley turned out to be the right one, then he really had nothing to regret. Emilia is fine, and she's even struggling to be the new king despite her similarity to the taboo witch.

"That has to be more than enough proof that everything went well... Now it's my turn to fight for the success of my artifact reinvention project and get my happy ending."

What Subaru didn't know, is that no matter which path he took, they would all lead to despair.

Hi, I'm Geisterivain! I hope you're liking this vision of mine from a Re:Zero What If. I want to thank to the readers who had favorited, followed, or left a review in this story. I'm really glad to see that my efforts at translating this fanfic have paid off. I've been working hard to translate one chapter per day, so that the English version reaches the Spanish version by the next Friday. And one more thing, just to make it clear that I've no intention of making Subaru OP and nothing like that, just a couple of authorities to make him useful hehe. Aaand, that's all. Thanks again for reading this work of mine.