Re: Tales from the Multiverse: Option Two

by Ernalore

Subaru, along with his Camp, his rival Camps, his parents, and Meili, have all suddenly teleported into a theater, controlled by "the Warden". Said Warden has told them that they'd be watching alternate realities, and the Cast would be responsible for what they'd be watching. When everyone saw that the second option mentioned "Subaru's Authority", they chose it, much to his horror.

7. Chapter 7: Nine Years After

Chapter 7: Nine Years After

"Huh", Subaru hummed. "That was… nice. Pleasant, even."

"Definitely nothing as fucked up as what we've last seen," Al added. "Lame."

While a few people glared at Al, others were still amazed by how… tame, that was.

At least, in comparison to everything else that's happened, so far.

"You're right," Otto groaned. "I was ready to have the rug pulled out from under us."

"Well, at least not all timelines end up horrible." Julius noted.

"That's… actually really good to know," Kenichi spoke.

He, along with some people within the Theater, were under the assumption that anything involving Subaru would either be him suffering, or the world suffering, but no, it appeared that not every universe was as horrifying as the last few they had seen.

That was… oddly comforting.

"Oh, look! We got new options," Al pointed out.

Snapping out of their small breather, everyone read their new choices.

What if Subaru contracted the Warlock of Melancholy?

OR

What if Rem took Subaru's hand?

If Roswaal was drinking anything from the concession stand at the moment, he would have done a spit take. Beatrice, too, considering what the fuck they just read.

Garfiel and Ram also remembered the story about the Warlock of Melancholy attacking the Sanctuary, and decided that they wouldn't take that option, lest they wanted to risk the possibility of what had happened in the Sanctuary becoming public knowledge.

Rem, meanwhile, scanned the option involving her. Taking his hand? When did Subaru-kun ever offer her his hand? During the Mabeast Invasion? No, no, it had to have happened later –

Suddenly, the blue-haired oni gasped as she remembered a defining event that took place for her and Subaru.

The time Subaru offered her his hand to run away with her.

"Al-san?" Wilhelm spoke up. "I believe that we require more context?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure thing, old man," the helmeted knight said, grabbing the remote.

Conditions: Return to the Capital City, Loop Three.

Conditions: Return to the Capital City, Loop Four.

"This again?" Mimi pouted. "I don't like it when the screen talks in riddles."

"How does Rem taking Bro's hand make a new timeline?" Al asked deadpanned. "I mean, yeah, I've heard of the Butterfly Effect, but I didn't think that it would work on such a small scale!"

"Ooooh…." Subaru suddenly realized what the bottom option he was reading meant, "I think I know what this means…"

"What is it, Subaru?" Emilia asked her knight.

"Well… Okay, so, don't get angry at Crusch or Anastasia, feel free to be mad at Priscilla, but anyways, these loops are referring to when I was running around the Capital trying to find a way to prevent the White Whale and Sloth from murdering everyone."

"That's quite… vivid," Reinhard gulped.

"Yeah, and my attempts were… less than successful. After being killed three times in failed attempts to save everyone, and with no one willing to help me… I gave up."

Upon hearing that, everyone's blood froze.

Subaru Natsuki. The man who had died and kept coming back for more, the guy who defeated the Sword Saint, the genius inventor, king of the underworld, and knight extraordinaire.

He just… gave up?

Petra held onto Frederica even tighter than before. The idea that Subaru would have abandoned her and all her friends to die was just… awful.

Even people like Felix and Priscilla couldn't really wrap their heads around the concept. Subaru Natsuki was a persistent little bastard, who would wear you down, regardless of how many tricks you had up your sleeve. To see him just give up seemed like… an impossibility.

"I couldn't see a way out. No matter what I did, I failed. Especially after an… enlightening, if somewhat biased, "reasons you suck" speech from a certain Great Spirit of Fire, I realized that I couldn't do anything… and so I asked Rem to run away with me." Subaru explained.

Emilia flinched at the mention of Puck, who apparently discouraged Subaru into giving up. Meanwhile, Beatrice was smart enough to know that there was a good chance that Puck ended up destroying the world on multiple occasions, while also freezing her contractor to death.

"I asked Rem to run away with me, that I would give her everything I had to offer, if she would just take my hand. I said that I would be able to go on as long as Rem was there by my side, because at that point, she was the only constant in my life. The only one who could anchor me back to reality."

Remembering that day, one sentence stuck with Rem at the moment.

"I hate myself."

That was something Subaru-kun truly believed. At first, she thought it was because of what happened at the Royal Selection, but now she knew it had to do with every time her hero failed, her hero died. And there was now a good chance that those negative emotions skyrocketed, now that he, and everyone else, had seen what sort of monsters he could have become.

"But… she said no. She told me that dispute the fact that it was easy to give up… it didn't really apply to me, though. That she would help me start over from square one… no, from square zero. And that timeline was the one where I was able to defeat the White Whale," he smiled.

"So, I guess tha' th' bottom reality is th' one where ya ran away?" Garfiel asked.

"Yeah, apparently so."

"As interesting as this is," Priscilla said. "We still need to discuss the top option."

"Ah, right," the black-haired knight nodded. "So…"

"The rest of you can discuss that one by yourselves," Reinhard said. "Subaru, if I may be so bold, may I speak to you at the snack bar? Preferably alone."

"Uh, yeah, sure?"

The Sword Saint nodded, and the two of them walked out of the main area of the Theater.

"So, why are we talking in private? Did you need something?" Subaru asked the Sword Saint.

"First of all Subaru, I want to apologize that I was not at the Capital when you were searching for help against the White Whale." Reinhard apologized to his friend and fellow knight. "Had I been there at the time, then maybe you wouldn't have had to go through so much pain and death because I was ignorant of your suffering and the events that were transpiring."

"Hey, it's okay Rein!" Subaru honestly should have expected Reinhard to apologize for not helping him. "Everything turned out alright. The White Whale and Sloth are dead, and a lot of people got to have closure for finally getting revenge, especially your Grandfather."

"Still, I should have been there to check on you…"

"Rein, I know I'm kind of an exception to this, but we can't change the past. Only move forward and learn from our mistakes. Yeah, I can go back in time by a few days, but even I can't always go back far enough. So, it's important to keep moving forward with your head held up high."

Reinhard couldn't help but smile at this. He could tell that Subaru was a truly good person, even if he did have some connection to the Witch, Reinhard had a feeling it wasn't as bad as he initially thought.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Subaru asked in confusion.

"No, I still have something very important to ask you, Subaru." Reinhard steeled himself, "I'm going to be honest with you, Subaru, and I would appreciate your honesty in turn."

"Alright, this is suspicious… a part of me thinks I'm about to be murdered, but both of us both know that such a thing wouldn't work on me, so… what's up?"

Sighing, the redhead spoke. "During the previous episode, specifically during the new opening, I used my Divine Protection of Telepathy to read your mind."

"...I see where this is going, and I do not like it. Also, why were you using that in the first place?!"

"I was hoping to gain context for what we were seeing, as well as any unknown identities I was unaware of. However, I understand that I must have invaded your privacy, and I sincerely apologize for that." Reinhard bowed his head in apology

Subaru gave a sigh. "I know you don't have any bad intentions Rein, so it's alright, just ask next time. Anyways, what exactly is it you want to talk about?"

"Subaru, I shall, as you say it, cut to the chase: What exactly is your relationship with Satella?"

Seeing no other way out of this, Subaru decided to just tell the Sword Saint the truth. "To be completely honest, I don't fully know myself. The only things I do know for a fact are that one, she is completely and obsessively in love with me, two, she's the one who brought me to this world and gave me Return by Death, three, she wants me to end her life, and four, I said "no", and promised to save her instead. And you want to know the weirdest part? Until like two months ago, I had never even met her!"

"I see…" Reinhard murmured, before continuing, "And you are positive that until the time you mentioned, you had never met face to face with her?"

Subaru nodded.

"Then why did Satella do all this for you?"

The black-haired knight gave a sigh, "I've been trying to figure that out myself. When I met her face to face, all she talked about was how she loved me over and over again, and the only indication as to "Why?" goes to me "giving her everything", from love, to light, my hand, and even kisses. From what she said, we had some kind of history that I don't know about."

"Alright then, I believe you. Follow-up question: What exactly is a pinata?"

"Oh, a pinata is a colorful paper-mache container that is filled with candy that's usually used for parties, and children are supposed to beat it with a stick or something to get the candy out."

"..."

"..."

"Your world is a strangely terrifying place," the redhead stated. "Well then, I guess we'll both have to avoid being beaten like pinatas for the massive amounts of treason we will soon be committing."

"Heh, you got that ri-..." Subaru stopped himself as he caught Reinhard's wording, "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"Subaru, I may lack social knowledge due to my… harsh… upbringing, but I know narrative art when I see it. And even someone as blind to romance as myself knows that you are destined to save and love Satella, if that opening is anything to go off of. Not only that, but whatever "history" you have, is clearly also being conveyed through the opening, and it involves you, her, the white-haired woman in the black dress, the ghoulish man who appears strikingly similar to Roswaal, and the platinum-haired girl who you seem to have a grudge against, due to the fact that you both have faced off one another during both of the openings we've seen so far."

"Echidna?" Subaru asked, puzzled.

"Look, the point is, you've promised to save her, and it appears that you have a really good track record of keeping such promises, most likely due to the fact that you have an infinite amount of redos. So, it's perfectly logical for me to side with you. Not only that, but you're my friend, and I've promised myself to minimize your future deaths as much as possible."

"That's oddly… nice of you. Are you sure about this?"

"I am. While I have my reservations regarding the Witch, as well as the others shown, it is clear that Satella is not who I once thought she was. And besides, knowing you, you'll probably succeed by the end of the Royal Selection, and you will need someone to help deal with any monsters you require help against, lest they, and I quote, "beat you like a pinata". Your words, not mine."

"Heh," Subaru genuinely chuckled. "Thanks, man. You're a great friend."

"Well, I did do a lot of thinking during our break."

"Alright, wanna head back inside?"

"Most certainly. Oh yes, before we go back inside, when we go on our next break, Felt-sama and Crusch-sama have requested to talk to you and Emilia-sama."

"Oh, sure. What did they want to talk about?"

"I cannot say for sure, but Felt-sama did sound rather irritated when she relayed the information to me, and my Divine Protection of Empathy indicated that she and Crusch-sama were rather upset with Anastasia-sama and Priscilla-sama."

"Gotcha. Well, we'll see how it goes."

The two knights went back inside, and were greeted by –

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I SAID NO! NO MORE CONTRACTS! NO MORE SEEING MY SUBARU BURN DOWN THE CAPITAL WITH A CONTRACTED FIRE SPIRIT, NO MORE SEEING SOME LESSER YIN SPIRIT MAKE FUN OF MY SUBARU, MALE OR FEMALE, NO MORE SEEING SOME MURDEROUS WHORE OF A WIND SPIRIT WITH MY SUBARU, AND WE ARE NOT, I REPEAT: WE ARE NOT, SEEING HIM CONTRACT SOME MALE WITCH OUT OF SOME SICK DESPERATION, JUST BECAUSE THESE THREE ARROGANT HUMANS REFUSED TO HELP BETTY'S CONTRACTOR!"

"Okay, first off, I seriously doubt that Zarestia is a "whore"," Al clarified. "She seems to be more a woman of "refined taste", as she only seemed to be interested in Bro –"

"BETTY DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE TECHNICALITIES!"

"Will someone shut that loudmouth brat up! It's hurting mineself's ears!"

"I would love to, Priscilla-sama," Frederica sarcastically said. "But I'm afraid I'm quite busy protecting Petra-chan's innocent ears from some certain words that are flying around."

"I also can't do it," Otto said. "I'm covering Meili-chan's ears."

"I have Mimi's, an' Ricardo has Tivey's," Anastasia sighed.

"Okay! We were gone for three minutes! What the fuck did we come back to?!" Subaru yelled in disbelief.

"Well, dear, your adopted sister apparently did not like the idea of some other Spirit, or Warlock, or Witch, or Divine Dragon, or whatever other higher power out there contracting you aside from herself," Naoko explained to her son. "And she was quite… vocal… about it."

"Yeah, we heard the tail end," Subaru said. "So, how'd it turn out?"

"After Beatrice-sama's… colorful speech… the majority of us have agreed to choose the second option, Natsuki-san," Otto carefully said, so as to not anger the Great Spirit.

"Alright, great!" the black-haired boy said, plopping down into his seat. Pretty soon, everyone else followed, and Al had selected the episode of their choosing.

What if Rem took Subaru's hand?

Conditions: Return to the Capital City, Loop Four.

A gentle spring breeze was caressing the patches of grass and the bouquet's leaf on top of wooden stems. The slightly chilly wind was spreading the ordinarily dull but pleasant scent of the town. With the sun already set, crickets were singing their chaotic yet soothing song. The night time was upon the town of Banan.

People of town were mostly done with their daily routine and were heading off to their homes to rest and prepare themselves for the next day's work. The town was just leaving another ordinary day behind as it did like any other day.

Nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in the past week and it seemed like it'll be the same for the days that will follow. Boring as it may be, many of the locals enjoyed their daily routines. Days always went smoothly and that was quite enough. Well, they made some chaotic festivals from time to time but that of course was only an annual occurrence.

In this, not always but mostly, quiet town, lived a family of the now almost extinct oni race. The race that brought devastation to whoever they had contact with, including themselves. Luckily, the oni blood somehow managed to find itself a shelter in one of the houses of the town. With three of its four members carrying the oni blood in their veins, a demonically inspired family was residing here, blessed with a wonderful life. The Natsuki family.

"Stop the viewing," Ram commanded. "Now."

"Uh… okay?" Al questioned it, but did as asked.

Ram immediately stood up from her seat, and silently walked up to where Subaru, Emilia, Crusch, Meili and Beatrice were sitting. But everyone could clearly see she was only focused on one person. Subaru gulped, and then spoke. "Uh… Ram…? What's up…?"

"You violated my sister."

"Wait, wait, can we talk about this?!"

"You violated my sister!"

"This is a whole different timeline –"

"YOU VIOLATED MY SISTER!"

"And how do you know she didn't violate me?! You've seen how Rem acts around me!"

"Don't play the victim!" the pink oni pointed an accusatory finger towards him. "Haven't you seen every single timeline so far?! I have seen you wrap your lecherous fingers around the assassin, the idiot merchant, and myself, too! You're the constant, you scumbag pervert!"

"I don't mind."

""Ehhh?"" Both Ram and Subaru turned to see the new voice.

"I said I don't mind," Rem said. "To be honest, I'm quite happy. I'm quite happy to see that a version of Rem out there has the family they wished for. So, I really don't mind."

Ram stared at her sister for a moment, before turning back to Barusu. "Alright, listen here you rat-faced shit: Rem enjoys long strolls and reading poetry. She doesn't mind you cooking, but at least keep it healthy. And if I hear you do one thing that makes her cry, I'm going to –"

"What? You'll kill me? 'Cause you know that won't do anything."

"No," she smiled manically. "I'm going to torture you, while making sure you stay alive. So give my sister the happy life she deserves, or your insides will be served on a silver platter."

"While I have no intentions of doing Rem any wrong, you know I could just use Invisible Providence to crush my heart. No way you could make me survive that," Subaru nonchalantly pointed out. "Also, was the intestine joke an implication that you would eat me?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Dude, she was literally givin' ya 'er blessing, take th' fuckin' belssing," Ricardo said.

"Fine, fine, bad joke, my bad," Subaru grunted, as Ram returned to her seat.

Of course, the members of that house had their respective roles in it. A brother, a sister, a mother, and a father who is also the head of the house. And the head of this household was... an interesting man with unique qualities.

Nasty sanpaku eyes, long black hair that was tied on the back of his head, short legs...

Eccentric upheavals, unheard loanwords, energetic and cheerful attitude…

But a wide smile that hid behind the worst pain the world had to offer, a past he wished to forget, faces of the people he knowingly left behind, the nightmares he every-so-often had about them, the wounds that'll never heal…

Subaru Natsuki had already decided he was saved. He was saved by the person he had grown to love the most in his life, Rem.

But can he forgive himself before it's too late? Can he close his wounds before his time runs out?

"That's some very ominous narration," Felix gulped.

"Indeed," Wilhelm nodded. "Why was that even placed there?"

"Well, knowing me, there's a pretty good chance that, while I enjoy being the family man in a quiet little town, I'm still haunted by the fact that I left everyone behind to die."

In a house filled with the appetizing scent of seasoning and fish, an aforementioned man with nasty but kind eyes was sitting on the ground. Supporting himself with his arms while leaning on thin air, he watched his wife finishing her own meal.

"Bah... Sorry, I'm not a glutton enough to keep eating this much food every dinner... But still, I enjoy your cooking so much that I'll force myself to finish it all every single time. I'd eat more if I had enough space in my stomach even!"

He proclaimed his passion for his wife's cooking while holding his slightly bumpy stomach.

"Fufu… I knew you'd manage to finish off all the food since it's one of your favorites."

Of course, Subaru being a wife-con himself, never mentioned that he preferred any of his wife's recipes more than the others. But luckily for him, Rem was quite the observer and she knew every detail about her husband's unspoken preferences. After cooking for him for years, Rem learned to decipher the glint that Subaru's eyes will get whenever he gets to eat one of his favorite meals.

"First of all, I have no specific 'favorite' meals. As long as my lovely wife is the one who made it, it's all gourmet food for me. Yes, they all are top-class luxury food!"

"Smart kid," Kenichi nodded in approval.

"Of course," Naoko agreed. "I'm the one who raised him."

Kenichi looked at his wife with a look of betrayal.

At least the second part was true. He had a favorite type of meal, the ones his wife had cooked. And he vowed himself to never be picky with Rem's cooking. He believed that was the best way to be a good role-model for the other members of the house too.

Of course in Rem's eyes, these were his usual chanting to mask his actual views on the matter. Subaru definitely loved some of her meals more than others. So she'll occasionally experiment with different recipes to find the optimal meals for his taste. She had gone for a 'safer' or rather 'guaranteed' success today. Seasoned and grilled carps with mayo sauce was a bet she never lost before, including today. And the glint in Subaru's eyes proved her achievement.

While she was celebrating her victory in her mind, Subaru was getting bothered with this constant showering of reward meals. So he turned the topic over to that point.

"And secondly, you shouldn't cook according to my preferences all the time. Spica and your opinions matter too. Everyone should be included!"

"Did you just knowingly exclude me ?"

"Of course not. I just deemed it unnecessary to take your opinion about such trivial matters."

"But that means the same thing! You're just repeating after me!"

"Barusu, do you talk that way to your father?"

"No! If anything, he teases me!" Subaru exclaimed. "Why did you think that?"

"Because it would be easy for me to imagine you as a disrespectful child."

"That's harsh, Ram."

"You violated my sister, deal with it."

Subaru exactly knew how to tease his son using different methods. But practically repeating after him using different words was just one of the methods he had under his sleeve. It was his duty as a father to tease his son to no end.

Which of course would make Rigel lose his temper and let his antics all out. It practically was the norm for him to end up losing his cool over these teases. But luckily, he grew quite accustomed to them so he usually managed to calm down before he gets in trouble for shouting around. Also, this topic was about his mom, not himself.

"Same thing or not, I want your mom to be selfish from time to time so she can eat according to her tastes. I'm spoiled beyond comprehension so I'll resist it as long as I can from now on."

"My tastes huh? Well, I'm fine with any recipe as long as Subaru-kun is also fine with it. Rem is already happy with this arrangement."

Rem wasn't a picky eater, unlike her husband. She'll be fine with any sort of meal as long as she gets to eat it with her family. So it was natural for her to deny the privilege.

"Rem thinks she might even start to like mayonnaise if she keeps having pleasant memories with it," she winked at her husband and smiled to reassure him. Which didn't get through him. The undertone also got slipped under the rag.

"Did she just make a…?"

"Yes, she did," Al confirmed Subaru's suspicions.

"..."

"..."

"We do not speak about this."

"Agreed."

"Are you actually listening to my point ?! I'm saying that my lovely wife needs to eat her favorite dishes from time to time. Heck, I know that you don't like mayonnaise all that much. You shouldn't force yourself to eat it!"

"I get what Subaru-kun is saying but I'm happy to eat whatever suits you, darling."

She joined her hand together cutely and watched her husband's tantrums. This was the expression of someone content with the way things are.

"If that's the case, I'll be preparing dinner tomorrow since I'll be off that day. And I'll make something you'll enjoy."

"But Rem can cook just fi–"

"And I don't want any objections! I had already built up my resolve. Yes, I'm going to prepare something that'll make you lick your fingers."

Subaru darted his eyes on Rem with a fiery determination. His eagerness surprised both Rigel and Rem but mostly Rem.

"Is Bro's cooking any good?" Mimi asked. "I want some tasty snacks!"

"You can literally go to the snack bar," Tivey grumbled.

"But I wanna know if Bro makes good snacks!"

"Fufu… If Subaru-kun insists, Rem will look forward to it. But I bet you cannot surpass Rem on her main expertise. Rem had worked reeeeeally hard to perfect her skills after all."

"Is that so? Then the bet is on! You better prepare yourself for what's about to come. Because I'll make something ten times more delicious than you've ever eaten!"

Rigel was still baffled about this sudden competition that rose out of nowhere. After watching his parent's back and forth, he knew things would go chaotic no matter what. It was unavoidable. And soon, this bet turned into a contest. His worst nightmare!

"Rem has ever eaten? Subaru-kun is now really challenging Rem's capabilities. Rem is not sure if Subaru-kun can live up to his claims. Fufu…"

"If I pour my deepest of love into my dishes, I'll surpass your expectations!"

"Hmph... Rem has a better idea. Let's have a cook-off!"

"What is this slice of life bullshit?!" Al complained. "It's so sickeningly sweet that I'm getting cavities! Jesus, I think I preferred it when we were getting our minds blown!"

"Ex-fucking-scuse me?" Felt asked. "Did you enjoy seeing Big Bro going insane and killing everyone?!"

"Well, it's better than this wholesome la-la land bullshit! It's just too much… FLUFF!"

"Okay, you want depressing?" Subaru said. "Here's depressing: Crusch and friends get erased by the White Whale, Sloth kills everyone, and a certain magical winter kills everyone who is not Reinhard in Lugnica, before he can destroy it, thus preventing a new world ice age."

"Ah, yeah… that's the good shit, right there…"

"Subaru, where did the "certain magical winter" come from?" Emilia asked.

"Oh, right! I forgot I was supposed to talk to you about it during the break!" Subaru realized.

"About what?" Emilia was more confused than normal when it came to Subaru.

"I'll… tell you after the episode. I'd rather not ruin the mood yet." The black-haired knight responded.

She declared with a determined expression on her face. And she pointed her finger towards her rival while smiling with a smirk. Rem wouldn't usually act like this but something had gotten onto her head. Maybe it was the desire to prove herself?

Spica started clawing her tiny hands with excitement upon hearing her mom's sudden energetic tone. Their invisible womanly connection was working in full swing.

"She is even cuter when she's eager!" thought both Rigel and Subaru while looking at the beautiful blue-haired contender in awe. Subaru felt happy to see her with such willingness.

Even after becoming a mother of two, she could still act childish and energetic like this. She still had it in her.

"Yup! We're doing a cook-off! We're demonically inspired today!"

"Stop being silly. Subaru-kun is always demonically inspired. Now that's settled, I'll take care of the plates. I hope Rigel can help me with them too."

She nodded to Rigel who was playing with Spica and watching over the dialogue during this time. Upon hearing his name being called out, Rigel turned his eyes to the one who said it. It was his energetic mom. She was being a little out-of-character today but that was okay.

Rem had tears in her eyes as she saw her children.

HER children. Something she believed would have been an impossibility, given Subaru-kun's infatuation with Emilia-sama, was right in front of her. Sure, they may not technically be her's, but it was the idea behind them that counted. Still, a small part of her craved to actually hold them, to feel their warmth, and to tell them that their mother loved them with all her heart.

As did Naoko, who admired her beautiful grandchildren.

Subaru felt something tug at his heart when he saw them. Unlike with Andromeda, whose origins made him feel disgust, here, he felt pride and joy. Maybe it's because he knew who the mother was, and because it was someone who he loved in this reality, he felt… joy?

Emilia couldn't help but wonder why her heart ached when she saw Subaru and Rem's children. She should be happy for the two. Subaru finally got the life he deserved. A peaceful life with a woman who loved him and beautiful children. He deserved that after everything he went through for their sakes.

So why?... Why don't I want this to happen?

Rigel didn't mind it too much and nodded in response to his mother. He stopped playing with Spica and put her down from his lap. Then he rushed to help his mom after squeezing Spica's cheek one last time to get a giggle out of her.

Seeing the two dealing with the dishes, the coast was clear for the head of the Natsuki family. Subaru crawled towards Spica who was sitting on the ground and took her tiny figure to his lap.

The best way to have fun with her was of course a good tickling. So he gently tickled around Spica's neck and belly.

"Fu- fu- baaaaa…"

The little girl started to laugh from all the tickling and wailed around. Subaru's intuition had worked.

He grinned widely at the cute sight in front of him and kissed her on the cheek. Nothing could be cuter than a giggling Spica in his eyes. She'll overthrow the current #1 in his heart in a few years.

"Ahhhhh… You're truly going to steal the first place in my heart if you keep being this cute!" he said exactly what he was thinking at the moment.

He started to rub his cheek to hers with a wide smile while Spica giggled and made cute noises in response. The few facial hairs that were on Subaru's face were ticklish to her.

"THIS… IS… TOO… CUUUUUTE!" Beatrice squealed out in delight. Immediately turning towards her contractor, she shouted, "SUBARU! I WANT NEPHEWS AND NIECES! NOW!"

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Subaru yelled in horror. "Beako, even an idiot like me knows that kids are a huge responsibility, they're not some toy you play with and then throw out when you're bored! And besides, who the hell am I supposed to have kids with?!"

Suddenly, a few girls were looking at him with blank faces.

While he was playing with his daughter, a hard-working blue-haired boy was throwing jealous glances at them. Seeing his dear sister being stolen from him was too much to handle and soon a noticeable frown appeared on his face. Only a true sis-con can relate to such emotions.

Of course, he was not the only one living through such a predicament. A woman with a tiny figure and similar hair color was also throwing jealous but less frowny glances at them. She was hatching a plan to get her husband's attention rather than to just boil in her jealousy. Only a clingy husband-con can relate to such emotions.

After deciding what she should do, Rem talked to Rigel about her plan and both rushed the respective chores they had. All the dishes had been washed and ordered in a surprisingly short time.

After carrying all the dishes, Rigel washed his hands and went along with his mom's plan to snatch his sister.

He went up to his father, the thief, and gave his ultimatum.

"I think you've enjoyed Spica's cuteness enough for now. Hand her over."

Subaru turned to Rigel while still playing with Spica's cheeks with a bewildered look in his eyes.

"Hand her over?! You think she's some sort of household item we can just pass around?"

"Of course not! But I'll save her from my horrible dad at all costs! So you've heard me, give her."

"Wow, tha' kid has some sass o' him," Ricardo laughed.

"I wonder where he picked that up from," Julius smirked, giving Subaru a sly look.

"Don't look at me! I'm a perfect little angel."

"Uh-huh, sure."

Subaru grinned at the sight of a Rigel trying to act like a masculine hero. He decided to play along with him.

"But I want to play a little mooooore."

"Not happening! I won't lose my little sister to someone like you!"

"Hah! Over my dead body!"

Rigel smirked in return while listening to his response since he knew what was about to happen. Their success was guaranteed. He nodded with his chin to Subaru's back.

"Is there something wrong?! Why are you making a poker face out of nowhere?"

He felt the breath of an unknown person on his neck, which was followed by an eery whisper.

"Subaru-kun became a little too greedy lately."

He almost jumped from his spot upon hearing that ghostly voice. Thankfully his timid personality was held down with a cute girl's presence in his lap.

"That's scary," Felix said, a little intimidated.

"She can sneak up on you like a ninja," Subaru smiled with pride.

He turned around to see the owner of that voice and saw two blue eyes looking back at him. Rem had sneaked behind him while he was busy dealing with an eager Rigel and a giggling Spica in his lap. Thankfully, he was safe for now.

"Y-You almost scared me there! Why would you do such a thing when Spica is in my lap? I mean it's not like I'd leave her behind or anything since we have Rigel as a scapegoat but still, that was not safe!" he said jokingly while calming himself down.

Too occupied with dealing with his shrewdly smiling wife, Subaru didn't realize Rigel had jumped into the opportunity to snatch his sister from him. With the blink of an eye, Spica was stolen from his lap.

With his sister in his arms, Rigel went to the far edge of the room and started to play with her in his lap while smirking. The plan was a success on his part.

Subaru snorted at Rigel's victory then turned to his wife.

"It seems I won't get to play with my beautiful daughter today. Wait for a second... Was all of this a part of your plan?!"

"Of course not. I'll never play silly gwames with my husbwaaaaand…"

"Not even in the bedroom?" Al smugly asked, causing Subaru and Rem to blush like crazy.

Ram, meanwhile, decided she would ask Roswaal-sama how to get away with murder.

No, no, scratch that, she thought to herself. Barusu is more helpful on that front.

Even before finishing her sentence, Rem came closer to Subaru and planted her lips on her husband's cheek. Which of course, made both blush. Especially Subaru who wasn't expecting such a gesture.

Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he could see her angel-like beauty from up-close. With her eyes closed, long blue hair hanging from her shoulders, Subaru analyzed and adored every bit of her beauty. "Am I supposed to be a man this lucky?" he thought.

After a few seconds, Rem's soft lips departed from Subaru's cheeks and she gave a smile for her yet another victory. She put her index finger on Subaru's lips and told him to pay her more attention next time.

"Now that Rem has her darling's attention, she demands to be petted just like you do with other girls…"

She took her finger off of blushing Subaru's face and continued to look at him with anticipation.

"Seriously, now? I thought Spica was an exception?! But fine, if that's what you want…"

After getting his approval, Rem put her head to Subaru's thigh who began caressing her long hair with adoring eyes. Seeing a beautiful woman going to such an extent for him was a true blessing.

In the corner of the room, a blue-haired boy was watching these events unfold. He sighed in relief after seeing it.

"Sheesh, that was close. Thankfully they aren't acting explicitly. We're safe for now," he murmured while taking his hands off of Spica's eyes.

"Baaah... Waaaaa…"

"The word "safe" is extremely relative when you're a Natsuki," Subaru said.

"Uh, no, the word "safe" is extremely relative when you're Subaru Natsuki," Kenichi said.

Spica objected while pulling on his clothing. Well, she wasn't objecting to anything but Rigel interpreted it as such. He was the one who talked to his sister's soul after all so he didn't need words to understand her.

"Of course, I know it. But they need to do it in private if they need to, which they don't. They keep embarrassing me whenever they're outside too!"

Rigel was both proud and embarrassed about his parents. Especially his mother. She was an extremely beautiful and disciplined woman. But she had a soft spot for his dad, which Subaru always took advantage of to steal a kiss or so in public. Rigel was embarrassed many times in front of his friends because of this reality.

"Haaa... Gaaaaa…"

She turned to him with glowing wide-open eyes. She didn't quite get what he was saying but seeing him blowing off his antics made her excited too.

"Don't tell me you find it cute?!"

"Waaah…?"

"No, I mean like... uh... whatever you're right. If it makes her happy I should endure it, is that what you're saying? Fine... Although you're the one who gave me the idea so if it blows on my head it'll be your responsibility."

"Is he really talking to the baby?"

"You've never had any siblings in your life, did you?" Frederica asked.

"No, I was an only child," Al responded.

"Huh, you, too?" Subaru asked.

"Subaru, I also happen to be an only child, it's not that rare of a thing," Reinhard said.

"Waaaaah... Baaaaa…"

After getting approval from his sister, Rigel decided to let them be for tonight. It seemed like they'll get even more snuggly by the second.

"Umm... Dad, I'm going off to deal with my homework. I think Spica is also feeling sleepy. Should I put her in her cradle?"

"Uwm... Yes... Ywou shwould put hwer in the cradle and do your homework," Rem responded while yawning.

She gave another small yawn and opened her eyes slightly. She grabbed Subaru's hand which was stroking her hair and put it on her cheek to feel his warmth. So Subaru started to caress her cheek slowly instead. He had a big grin on his face showing his content with this position. It was always pleasant to pet his wife like a cat.

Rigel shook his head and grabbed his sister. He didn't want to be here for what might occur and didn't want Spica to witness it either. With his sister in his arms, he left the room.

Tomorrow they'll have a cook-off so he'll probably have to go out shopping with them.

So he should go to bed early to get more rest just in case.

Opening Theme: Polaris

The opening begins with a bright and shining light, as a child's hand reaches for it. The hand then changes to an older one, with a very familiar tracksuit sleeve. The hand changes once more, to one wearing a knight's uniform.

"R-Rem?" Subaru asked, as he felt the maid tug at him.

"Show me your uniform when we get back," she demanded.

"Oh, uh, o-okay."

Ah, she's into that kinky shit, Al said to himself at the back of his head.

Next to him, Priscilla suddenly had an urge to kick her jester.

The screen then shows multiple rapid still images. From when he encountered Satella in Japan, to fighting off several Mabeasts, to burning down the Capital. Him and Emilia as children in Elior Forest. Subaru in dark clothes sitting on a throne of shadows. Otto drinking with the female Subaru. Shaula with Elsa and Meili. Halibel with Zarestia. Volcanica and Reid. A smiling Rem. All of these images become background noise to…

Tales from the Multiverse

Volume II

The next shot shows Subaru, along with the rest of the Emilia Camp and the members of the other Camps, looking off into the distance, as Garfiel smiles maniacally. In an instant, the camera changes to show Volcanica, Shaula, Reid Astrea and Alec Hoshin all sitting together, while the next shot shows a silver-haired half-elf in dark clothes, all by herself in a grassy field, holding a black veil next to her, facing away from the camera.

The next shot shows a smiling Echidna, along with the rest of the Witches of Sin, posing for the camera, along with Elsa, Meili, Halibel, Zarestia, Shion, Flop, Medium, Cecilus Segmunt, Vincent Vollachia, and Ryuzu Meyer, all of them smiling happily.

"Hey, look! It's Hal-san and Tia!" Mimi pointed at the screen in excitement.

"Along with who knows how many more side characters…" Anastasia grumbled.

"You think they'll appear in this episode?" Tivey asked.

"Who knows? Who cares?" Priscilla replied.

The woman's mind flashes back to a moment where she cradles Subaru's bloodied body, while she cries. In an instant, she runs, and sees a dead Subaru, one with blood all over his tracksuit. Lifting her hands, the body rises, the blood disappears, and his eyes open up. The woman pushes the now alive Subaru towards the arms of Emilia and Rem, while she watches, crying, until suddenly, shadows engulf her and she becomes a monster.

In quick succession, three shots are shown, starting with Ram and Rem charging at something, with their weapons out, Beatrice charging up her Minya spell, and finally, Emilia, as she spins towards the camera and slashes it with an ice sword.

In a long shot, multiple figures appear, all of them moving on and off the screen in rapid succession. First, a smiling Stride Vollachia, followed by a charging Regulus. As the Sin Archbishop gets off the screen, Capella and Zarerstia appear, facing off one another, followed by Halibel and Cecilus. The O'Connell twins appear, followed by the Gluttony triplets of Lye, Roy, and Louis. Shion passes through them, along with Theresia van Astrea, followed by Shaula, Reid and Volcanica. The long shot ends when the dust clears, revealing Pandora and Subaru, both of them engaging in combat.

"Oi, Brotto, quick question?" Garfiel spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Back 'n th' beginning, wit' th' flashes o' different images, I saw one tha' wuz Rem smiling, 'cept she had long hair. D'ya think tha' it wuz a reference ta this episode?"

"Probably. We can check it out during the next opening."

As the two of them hug and crash down, the scene fades to show Subaru and Satella standing up, and beside them are Echidna and the rest of the Witches of Sin. Softly smiling, Subaru holds onto Satella's hand, giving a determined look, as all eight of them run toward the sunset, with the final shot of the opening being a still image of the eight of them leaping across the screen, all of them smiling.

Episode Six:

Nine Years After

"So, this takes place nine years after the fact," Subaru confirmed his suspicions.

"That would explain why my grandson is so big!" Naoko happily hummed.

Now, it was morning in the town of Banan. Adults were leaving their homes and heading towards their daily jobs after having breakfast. While the kids were free to do whatever they want since the schools were on holiday today. Kids like Rigel usually went out to play around in the holidays but it was still early an hour for that.

Having gone to bed early, Rigel woke up at an hour when it was still dark outside. He had to wait around for some time to let everyone else wake up. So he had read some books to pass some time but that was getting boring too.

"Pfff... It is still very early to go out... What should I doooooo?" he complained while lying down on his bed with a fallen book on his chest.

"I should check if mom and dad have woken up." He darted out of his bed without making a noise.

First, he checked if his parents had woken up. After not hearing any noise from their bedroom, he creaked their door slowly and looked inside. It was inappropriate but necessary. He only saw Spica sleeping in her cradle quietly.

"So they've woken up," he whispered to himself.

"Then kitchen it is," he slowly made his way to the kitchen.

When he got there, he found a slightly opened door with light shining through the gap. He walked to the door and decided to check inside. When he peeked through the door…

"Eeek!"

He caught his parents kissing inside while both were leaning over the counter. Of course, it was more like they were making out but to Rigel, it was just the same as the other embarrassing things they did. He instinctively backed off from the door to not interfere.

"Eh, it could have been worse."

"How could it have been worse?!" Petra asked, horrified.

"They could have been –"

WHAM!

"Don't you dare say it…" Frederica warned the helmeted knight. Despite the fact that she and Otto were blushing during the kiss scene, she was still quite vigilant, to make sure that Petra would retain a fraction of her innocence while in the Theater.

Otto, meanwhile, was now both scared and turned on by the beast maid.

But to his demise, his shriek was heard by the ones inside. Rem turned to the door and lamented herself for forgetting to close the door.

"Rigel?" she called to him.

"Uhh…"

"Oh, so he's already awake?"

"Good morning... I just wanted to see if you've woken up but all I find is you doing nasty things. Seriously, please carry that to a private place!" he declared his antics while getting back on his feet. His parents were troublesome as always.

Rem smiled at his rightful tantrum with a blush on her face. Subaru unwrapped his arms from around her and stood upright while smiling widely.

"Well, I guess you're right, Rigel. Also, I see you're an early bird today. Did anything bother you during the night? Maybe a vampire came along and you had to chase it off?"

"I already slept well since I went to bed early yesterday. By the way, is the breakfast ready? I was bored before but now I realize that I'm both starving and bored," he tried to change the topic.

"It might take some time since Rem hasn't prepared anything yet. So you'll have to wait for a little," she explained with a smile on her face. Even having newly woken up, she still looked like a beautiful angel. Rigel was mesmerized by her beauty but didn't want to stick around for long. He turned his back to them and walked towards the entrance of the house.

Rem held down a blush. "I'm not that beautiful…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Subaru looked at her in shock. "Rem, you're a knockout! And I mean, sure, even I found my mom beautiful as a kid, but Rigel knows what's up! Rem, I've told you this before, but you really need to hold yourself up higher! You! Are! Beautiful!

"Really?" she asked. "Even more than Emilia-sama?"

"Eh, well, uh, I mean, I don't wanna seem biased…"

"You're failing at that, Barusu," Ram joined in on the conversation.

Elsewhere, Kenichi leaned over to his wife. "You hear that? Our son thinks you're beautiful."

"He said he "found" me beautiful," Naoko said. "As in past-tense."

"Yeah? Well, I still think you're beautiful, present-tense."

Naoko smirked at her husband. "As smooth as the day I met you."

"Fine... I'll go walk around a bit to pass time. I won't be late, I promise!"

"Sigh... But don't go too far away."

"Will do, Mom."

He waved at his parents and took off from the house. With Kararagi style sandals on his feet and daily clothing he wore no matter the time of the day, he decided to walk to the pond near his home. Maybe he can find some animals to play around with. Playing with a duck or a cat might be a good way to pass some time since there were no other kids around at the time.

He decided to take the shortcut to the pond and wandered off the main road in front of his house and entered the nearby woods. After walking through some bushes and trees, he saw a clearing between the leaves. He kept making his way and finally arrived there. In the middle of the clearing, there was a pond with ducks swimming in groups in it. Along the coast of the pond, there was a gravel road with few benches scattered along its path.

Rigel gazed around his surroundings to see if there were anyone else. He couldn't see anyone other than the ducks so it was safe to say he was all alone here. And he can just lay down and call the ducks over to play around without disturbance.

"Sigh... It's more fun to play with others but ducks are fun too I guess…" he murmured to himself.

He sat down and watched the ducks a little before calling out to them.

"You seem enthusiastic about playing them, Rigel. But coming this early to play with them is a bit too obsessive."

"I recognize that smooth-as-butter voice," Subaru said.

"Well of course," Otto said. "We saw him two episodes ago!"

"True, true."

"Oh! Not really they are a bit–"

"Wait a second I know that voice," he thought and turned his face to see a hairy figure wearing a kimono with purple accents. The towering figure was looking down at him with narrowed eyes and a golden kiseru in his mouth. Rigel immediately recognized who it was and called to him.

"Uncle Halibel!"

"Yup, that's me. Good morning Rigel, you're a bit early-waker today. I thought all the kids would just lay around and enjoy their free time today."

"Well, you see. I went to sleep early yesterday so I woke up pretty early."

"That doesn't sound like the Rigel I know, but meh…"

He puffed his kiseru and took his gaze off of Rigel. He slowly ruffled the boy's hair with his hairy hand and closed his eyes.

"Have you been living up to your training lately?"

"Of course! I'm feeling my strength improving by the day! I even jumped over a roof in one go yesterday!"

"Hooray! My son is learning to become a ninja!" Subaru cheered.

"Subaru-kun! That is extremely dangerous!"

"Rem, our son will need to defend himself when he grows up!"

"I… I guess that's true –"

"What do you guys care about this?" Al asked. "He's not actually your son!"

The helmeted knight was silenced by the glares of both the knight and the maid.

"Heh… It's not polite to jump over people's roofs but I guess it's not my duty to scold you, Rigel," he smiled and exhaled the herby-smelling smoke from his mouth.

"I know but I was eager to test my capabilities. I won't bother people by jumping over their houses again."

Halibel further ruffled the boy's hair and nodded with approval.

"By the way, you've returned earlier than you said, Uncle Halibel. Are you done with your work?"

Halibel was a shinobi who dealt with the town's problems behind the scenes. He usually had to fight with nearby gangs and Mabeasts that might eventually end up causing problems for the townsfolk. Rigel knew that Halibel bloodied his hands from time to time as well but it was his duty and he was doing it for the sake of the town. So he had to accept him as he is.

Of course, he also admired him as much as he was scared of his strength. Rigel sought to be as strong as his Uncle Halibel so he asked him to give him training to be a more skilled fighter. He could even help him deal with the criminals soon if he gets powerful enough!

"Well, my work ended up being easier than I thought so I came back early. I'll be sticking around for a few days at least," he explained his situation while chewing on the kiseru in his mouth with his wolf teeth.

"How wonderful," Priscilla said. "Your son is a hooligan!"

"Hey, I got into my fair share of trouble as a kid!" Subaru defended Rigel. "And besides, at least what he's doing qualifies as training to get stronger. It's better than casual vandalism."

"Subaru, did you do such things as a child?" Julius asked, a little shocked.

"Are you seriously telling me you never got into trouble as a kid?"

"No, never."

Subaru gave Julius a serious look. "Wow, I feel even worse for you now."

"Ah that's great, Uncle Halibel! Can we train together today?"

"Uhh... I said I'll be in town but I still have a business to deal with. We can train together when I have free time."

"I see. Can you tell me what it is? I can maybe help with my new found Shinobi qualities!"

"Well, I'll accommodate a few guests in the tenement houses. I need to keep them company I guess."

"Guests... And you need to keep them company? Are they like nobles? Or very rich merchants? They must be very important people if Uncle Hal needs to protect them!"

"I'm not sure if they need to be protected but yes. They are rather important people."

"Can you tell me who they are, Uncle Halibel? Or am I getting too ahead of myself…"

he wondered if he was asking for too much secretive information.

"Alright, show o' hands," Anastasia announced. "How many o' y'all think that whoever Hal-san is escorting will be relevant to Natsuki-kun's misadventures?"

A majority of the hands in the Theater went up.

"Wait, are you referring to me, or my son?" the nasty-eyed knight asked.

"Yes," was all the purple-haired merchant said.

"Pfft – You wouldn't want to meet them I guess. Even I have my doubts if I can handle those guys properly," he nodded while closing his narrowed eyes.

"Are they dangerous people?! Are you bringing criminals to the town?" he asked timidly.

"Haha! Of course not! But I need to watch over them closely so I'd like you to lay low for a while. You get that right?"

"Lay low... That sounds like one of my dad's fancy words. But okay I get it. We shouldn't bother them much."

"By the way, is Su-san awake right now? I'd like to have a chat with him."

"Dad's awake but I don't think you should go there now. Mom and he are probably doing–"

"Haha! Okay, okay I get it! You don't need to explain it further. It's not that urgent. I'll see him in a few hours then."

"NO, NO, NO, THAT WAS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT!" Subaru yelled at the screen, while everyone else around him began chuckling. "STOP LAUGHING! IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"Hehehe, sorry, Big Bro," Felt laughed. "At least we know the truth! That's something, right?"

"You guys aren't the ones who are ruining my reputation!"

"You have a reputation?" Reinhard deadpanned.

The Theater was silent for a second, before they all bursted into further laughter.

"BAHAHAHA!"

"By the Od, tha's hilarious!"

"Gasp! Sass! Where did you learn that?!" Subaru asked in fake horror.

"From my adopted brother," the Sword Saint smirked.

"GAH! MY LIFE IS RUINED!"

"I meant they are doing the breakfast preparations!"

"Oh, would I know, Rigel. So, I'll be off now. By the way, don't tell your dad about the information I just gave you. It's a top-tier secret but I trust you'll keep it a secret," he put his finger in front of his face to gesture to him to keep quiet.

"Fine I'll keep it a secret. But are you leaving already? I could've shown you the new shinobi moves I invented! Oh but I guess you don't have much time…"

"Yes, I just wanted to say hi while passing by. See you then!"

"Bye, Uncle Hal!"

Halibel vanished from his view instead of just walking off casually. He entirely disappeared in the blink of an eye. Even if it was a basic stunt for him, Rigel always looked in awe whenever he pulled such moves.

"He's so cool," he murmured.

He waved his hand towards the swimming ducks in the pond to call them over. The domesticated ducks swam over to the blue-haired boy upon being called.

"Let's see if they want to play around a bit."

"Aww, he thinks his uncle is cool!"

"Unlike his dad, yep!" Mimi laughed.

"You traitors!" the Japanese teenager gasped. "Are you trying to make me feel bad?!"

"You're making it too easy, Onii-chan," Meili smiled.

"Alright, I'll make fun of myself, let's see how that goes…" Subaru grumbled to himself.

After playing with the ducks for a while, Rigel decided it was time to go back home. It had been around half an hour and Spica may have woken up by now. While he was playing with the ducks, more people had come out to the streets and greeted Rigel as he made his way home.

Thankfully, no one threw beans on his way.

After walking a bit, he was finally in front of his house. He could hear noises coming from inside the house and rushed inside to see what had happened.

The noises were coming from the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he didn't know what to make of the scene in front of him.

His dad was sitting on a chair with an apologetic face with his sister on his lap. Both had flour all over their bodies and they resembled discount ghosts or hollows if you will.

His mom was scolding Subaru with an authoritarian aura around her. She was seemingly mad at his dad but also was trying to not laugh at the situation.

"Why... why do you guys have to be like this?" he quietly lamented to himself.

Noticing the boy's presence, Rem turned to Rigel and greeted him.

"You see, Rem was in the middle of scolding your dad. Rem is angry at him. And he needs to be punished."

"I didn't think we'd end up in such a floury situation though," Subaru said cryingly.

"That's not a pun, Subaru-sama," Petra giggled.

"Well, the other me is trying not to get scolded, what can ya do?!"

"I don't know if I want to learn what has happened here. I think the breakfast isn't ready either," Rigel said while scratching his head.

Subaru turned to the blue-haired boy and answered his question jokingly, throwing his fake apologetic face and returning to his naive expression.

"Well, it is almost ready actually. It can be made into a pancake if the necessary ingredients are given."

He pointed at himself with a smile on his face.

"You can't joke around with your dirtied clothes, Subaru-kun. Go out and shake off the flour on your body."

With Rem pulling on his ear, Subaru hands over the giggling little girl to his mother and stands on his feet.

"Ouch... Okay- okay I'm going to do that! S-stop pulling my ear, ow!"

Everyone chuckled a bit at the husband and wife duo. Just like with the previous episode, it seemed that nothing bad was going to happen here, and everyone could relax.

Even Subaru was laughing alongside everyone else, enjoying a reality where he got a happy ending. Even if it did mean at the cost of those who he cared about.

That seemed to be a running trend with these stories. With Pride, the entire nation was on the brink of ruin, and with the Purge King, Rem had to die before Subaru could see the light. This reality didn't seem to be any different, but for Subaru, it was.

Rem was alive. She was happy. She was a mother, and he was a father. He did what he promised her when he offered her hand, and he gave her everything.

He would make sure to give everything to his Rem, too.

"Rem is angry and will scold you further when you get back. Be sure to shake off all the flour on your hair too."

Subaru sighed and was let go of Rem's grasp.

"I-I don't want to ask…"

"Yeah... please don't…"

Subaru walked out with a defeated pose. Leaving behind Rigel, Rem, and Spica.

"That is so emasculating," Subaru sighed to himself.

"That would imply that you were masculine to begin with," Ram said.

"Ram, I'm clearly a boy!"

"Ya sure 'bout dat, Cap'n? Or are ya a girl dressin' as a boy?"

"GARF!" the black-haired knight gasped at the implications, and quickly tried to deny them. "I only did that as a kid! And the only time I did it as an adult was in a genderbent reality!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night… Natsumi-san."

"YOU TOO, OTTO?! YOU'RE BLOODY TRAITORS!"

You know what, I actually don't care anymore that this version of Barusu married my Rem, this was so worth it. Ram thought as she heard Subaru get teased. And as a plus, Rem seems very happy with the outcome, and little Spica is cute. Rigel, though… eugh.

"Sigh... Rem needs to keep an eye on your father no matter what."

When compared to his father, Rigel was more mature. Subaru, being a man almost in his 30s, still acted childishly and often got himself in trouble.

"Waaaaah… waaaaa…"

Spica started to stretch out her tiny hands towards his big brother and called out to him.

"You need to keep him in check whenever he tries to do something stupid, Spica."

"Baaaaa…"

"I know, I'm sorry. I won't ever leave you alone with your father again. He ends up causing a mess whenever he's left unattended."

"My Rigel seems more mature than his father. I'm glad not everyone in the house acts like him when left alone," she smiled at the blue-haired boy.

"Right? It's hard to be any more stupid than him!" And Rigel realized that he made a grave mistake of his own. He used a nasty word in front of his mom. So scolding now awaited him too.

Seeing Rem throwing him a frowning gaze, he too got the short straw in the discussion.

"Rigel."

"Maaaaaa…"

"Oh, shit."

"Subaru-kun."

"Reeeeem…"

Seeing that Rigel too was about to be scolded, Spica leaped in to save his brother. She started to pull on her mom's hair and put her face to her mom's chest. Her voice seemed like she was about to cry.

Rem decided to let this one slip and tried to calm down Spica.

"You won't be this lucky next time, Rigel. Rem won't let you off the hook so easily again," she sighed to herself and tried to calm down the wailing Spica.

"Ah, thank you…" he whispered to himself. He should pay Spica back for her sacrifice later.

Seizing the opportunity, he sneaked out of the kitchen and went back outside. There, he saw his dad shaking off the flour on him. Subaru called out to him and Rigel went there to listen to what he had to say.

"I too almost got hit by mom's rage back there. Take some responsibility! How did you end up in a stupid situation like that?!"

"I know! But the flour painting Spica made was so good and I wanted to join in!"

"Painting? Sigh… Whatever. What do you want to say?"

"I just wanted to give a proper "Good morning!" to you. So, good morning!"

"Aww… the baby is so cute!" Petra cooed.

"She also saved my nephew from his scolding," Ram said.

"What's this?!" Subaru gasped in amazement. "Have you accepted me, Ram?"

"I blame your disgusting genetics, Barusu."

"Hey, those are my parents', don't insult them," he said in a firm voice.

"Yeah, good morning. Umm, I saw Uncle Halibel near the pond near the park."

"Hal-san came back already? He must be a hard worker to finish it in such little time. But that doesn't sound like him. He usually does everything with a beer belly hanging in front of him and a sleepy mood," he snorted at the image of the usual lax mood of his hairy friend.

"Yeah... Actually, no. He works hard and his strength is proof of that! Anyways, he said that he wants to see you."

"Of course, he can come at any time! I'll gladly have a chat with him. Any other news?"

"Umm... Actually, no. There isn't anything else that should bother your silly mind."

Subaru smirked and wildly shook all the flour on his hair to Rigel. Rigel backed off from the flour cloud and yelled at him.

"Stop, that's not funny! I don't want to shake the flour off of my clothes all day!"

"Haha! Okay, okay. You can go help your mom if you want. I'll be back in a moment."

A grunting Rigel returned inside to help his mom. "When will he get some common sense?" he pondered.

"How about never?"

"RAM!"

In a tatami matted room, a man with nasty eyes was settled down in a kotatsu after having a pleasant breakfast. With his sharp eyes narrowed, jaw slackened and his body leaned on the wooden surface of the table, it was just Natsuki Subaru, enjoying his own company.

Yawning occasionally and playing around with a book in his hands, he was seemingly bored. His wife had gone out for groceries a while ago but he assumed she won't be back soon. He asked to go out with her but she objected, saying that he should get some rest on his day off.

As for his son, Rigel, he also went out with his mom to help with the shopping. It was unfortunate for Subaru, who'd've enjoyed teasing him to entertain himself.

Lastly, his daughter Spica was simply having a nap after having her meal. He was specifically told to not disturb her, not that he was cruel enough to disrupt her sleep.

With seemingly nothing else to do, his only option was to dig himself deeper in the warm kotatsu and enjoy its comfort.

"Yawn…" he put his hand over his widened mouth while loudly yawning. He felt all the muscles on his body tense up for a second and relax consecutively.

He could feel that taking a nap won't be hard, considering his sleepy mood after eating breakfast. So he put his head on his hands, which are on the kotatsu. When he felt like he was about to doze off, he heard a knock on the door, followed by footsteps. Slowly raising his head, he called to the enigmatic intruder.

"Rigel? Rem? Is that you? Yawn… Or any one of you?" he said while interrupting his sentence with a yawn."

"Good morning Su-san. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Hmm... That doesn't sound like the brats I know. So I guess you're Hal-san, right?"

"Is that any way to treat your friends, Subaru?" Kenichi asked.

"Dad, my so-called "friends" said I have no reputation, that my puns suck, that my own children don't love me, and insinuated a few minutes ago that I was never a boy to begin with," Subaru told his father. "Compared to what I'm capable of, they're getting off easy."

Both Naoko and Kenichi, as well as everyone else, shuddered at the memory of their son's "capabilities".

He saw the entrance of the room sliding open, revealing a tall, hairy figure standing on the other side. Wearing a black kimono with purple accents, and a golden kiseru between his sharp teeth, it was his friend Halibel the Eternal Playboy, as he called himself.

"Good morning, Hal. Oh right! Rigel said you wanted to talk to me, although I wasn't expecting you to come so soon. But that's good. I'm getting very bored here, you see."

"Hah… I'm glad that I'm welcomed here."

"Of course you are! Here, come in," he gestured to a hairy figure to come in and join him in the kotatsu.

Complying with his friend's request, the hairy figure joins in the comfort given by the blanketed table. Chewing on the unlit kiseru in his mouth, Halibel too soon relaxed along with his friend. Of course, the dizzy Subaru couldn't decide if his kiseru was lit or not so he asked him.

"That kiseru on your mouth isn't lit right? You know it's probably not healthy for Spica."

"Of course, of course. I don't want to get ravaged by Rem-chan's scolding after all," he smiled with his narrowed eyes.

"Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off mother," Subaru said sagely.

"What do you mean by that, Subaru?" Crusch asked.

"Clearly, you've never seen my mom get pissed before."

"If it's anything like your death glares, mineself would rather not," Priscilla shuddered. Subaru, Crusch, and a few others turned around in surprise when they heard that. "What?"

"Priscilla-sama…" Crusch slowly said. "Did you just say something nice?"

"Did I?" she asked, trying to search her recent memories, before she realized what they were referring to. "What? The glare thing? Does that even count?"

"I'm gonna count that as something nice," Subaru said.

"I agree on that with you. I got hit by her scolding real hard this morning. It's shocking for someone extremely cute like her to be that harsh," his shoulders fell as he lamented the punishment he got this morning for the flour paintings he had done with his daughter.

"But assuming it's Su-san we're talking about, she had some merit to her," he laughed at his friend's predicament while mocking him.

"Aghhhh... You may be right. She has the right to shave off my flaws with her scolding."

"Speaking of that, Su-san can you fetch me some sake if possible? I haven't been able to have a good drink for at least half-a-day."

"Wow... Are you feeling well Hal-san? If what you're saying is true, you should be spasming on the ground from withdrawal symptoms. Considering you're a frequent drinker, even in the bathhouse."

"Well, I've had some this morning but that doesn't count for me. I didn't get to enjoy it as I was chasing after a few people."

"Haha… But still, I can't let you drink inside. As you probably know, Rem has a very sharp nose. I'll get in trouble if I let you drink here."

"Ugh... Then water will do just fine. If I drop dead here from thirst, my race and the whole nation might be in danger."

"What's that about?"

"My people are on the verge of extinction," Ricardo quickly explained.

"Oh…" Subaru looked towards Ricardo, who had his head low. "Dude, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to be offensive. I didn't know that –"

"It's fine, man," the wolfin said. "I mean, iz not fine tha' Imma dyin' breed, but iz fine tha' ya didn't know. A lotta demi-humans out there are almost on their way out."

Subaru kept looking toward Ricardo in sympathy, while Emilia made sure to remember what the mercenary said, and to use it to help her win the throne.

"Hey, don't say such stupid things. I doubt thirst will be the least dangerous thing for someone like you. Anyway, I'll be back in a moment so wait here," he got up on his feet and went to the kitchen to bring some water for his friend. After a few moments, he returned with a big cup of water in hand. When he was about to give it to his friend, the cup disappeared.

"Gah! Thank you Su-san. Now I feel like I'm indebted to you," he drank all of it in one go and slammed the cup on the table with a smile on his face.

"Wher- Ugh whatever. So…" he dumbfoundedly continued while still trying to piece together when did Halibel snatch the cup from his hand.

"You've returned earlier from what you said. Those thugs simply gave up when they saw your Eternal Playboyness?"

"Well, my Eternal Playboyness is truly magnificent on its own, but I rushed that job since I had other things I should tend to."

"It must be hard being the strongest in Kararagi and all…"

"Well, it's not like I'm a one-man army or anything."

"But you have your clones right? So that makes you a literal "Eternal Playboy One Man Army"."

"That is such a chuuni name."

"A what?" Wilhelm asked, confused.

"Oh, a "chuunibyou" is a slang term for the embarrassing behavior of 13-to-14-year-olds who have grandiose delusions, who desperately want to stand out, and who have convinced themselves that they have hidden knowledge or secret powers," Subaru explained.

"That sounds a lot like you, nyah," Felix said.

"Hey! I totally have a secret power! Okay, maybe it's not a secret anymore, but it was pretty well hidden until the Warden blew that secret out of the water," the Japanese teenager groaned.

""Eternal Playboy One Man Army"? Hah… I like that too. I'll probably use that alias in the future."

"Hey now! It's pretty awful when you embrace every nickname I give you!"

"Hah! How so?"

"Eternal Playboy is already disturbing as it is. And adding "One Man Army" to that makes it even worse."

"I don't understand why you find it so disturbing but it's too late! "Eternal Playboy One Man Army" it is."

Subaru sighed at his friend's disregard for his reputation. He then lifted his head and offered Halibel a special offer.

"Anyway, since you're here I'd like to ask you to become a jury for tonight's cook-off."

"Hmm... What's that?"

"Does he not know what a cook-off is, or…?"

"Who knows, Dad? Who knows?"

"I made a bet with Rem on who could cook the best food. Rem is a very skilled chef so my chances are slim but I won't go down without a fight. And for that, we need more people to act as juries."

He clenched his fists with determination and awaited his friend's response. "I see. But I'm afraid I won't be able to help you out on that, Su-san. I'll be very busy for the days to come."

The rejection vitally hits his eagerness but Subaru manages to get himself back up after a short moment of silence.

"Well, that's bad but I'll find a way to make this contest fair."

"I'm sure of it. Also, I'll be rooting for Rem-chan!"

"What's this sudden backstabbing?!"

"It's not backstabbing, Barusu," Ram said, smugly. "Rem's just a better cook than you."

"I'll have you know that I can whip up a mean –"

"Subaru-kun," Roswaal smiled. "I would sugeeeeest that you agree with your sister-in-law."

"ROSWAAL-SAMA!" the pink-haired maid gasped, while blushing.

Subaru was laughing so hard, he forgot the jab about his cooking skills.

"Rem-chan is skilled and she's also cuter than you. So I have no other choice than to root for her."

"Cuter than me?! I'm not even trying to be cute or anything! What are you taking me for?"

"Hah! I assumed as such. Anyways…" his eyes fell as if he was contemplating something in his head.

"Hal-san, are you okay?"

"Ah, yes. I'm totally fine. I was just wondering something... Something I need to ask you about."

Halibel sulked at his place and took a deep breath. Subaru noticed the sudden twist and readied himself for whatever that'll be thrown at him.

"Oh, shit, it's serious business," Al realized.

Everyone quilted down as they heard the helmeted knight's warning. Both the and Subaru seemed to be experts at detecting the sudden mood changes, and such things usually lead to disaster. Disasters that they would wish to watch, to avoid them in the future.

"What's the sudden mood change about? I guess it's something serious. Go on, I'll try to answer whatever it is you want to ask."

"I know you're not very comfortable with talking about it but…"

"..."

"Did you and Rem-chan... run away from Lugunica before coming here?"

"Hhhk…" his breath got cut off from the sudden insight Halibel had given.

"I might be wrong about it but... you two seem to avoid talking about that place, especially you Subaru-san," he called him with his full name, meaning he was being serious right now.

"I know that you're dealing with all sorts of people around the world due to your position at the Culture Promotion Center but it's also clear that you are reluctant to participate in anything related to Lugunica in general."

"Huh, that sounds like a decent job," Subaru said, trying to lighten the mood.

Everyone was still too on the edge of their seats to acknowledge the attempt, but it did help them relax a wee bit. Subaru considered it better than nothing.

Subaru was taken aback by the on-point remarks made by Halibel. He knew that Halibel was quite perceptive despite his lack-luster mannerisms. But he never imagined he'll go this far with his insights.

Seeing the uneasy expression on his friend's face, Halibel lamented himself for asking this question but he had no other choice. Because he'll get himself into Lugunican politics no matter how much he tries to avoid it. Making sure the coast was clear for his friend was the only thing he could do for now.

"I know you were living there before stumbling into Kararagi, so I need to know why you had to leave behind that place to come all the way here. I'm sorry if this inconveniences you but trust me, it's for your own sake."

"I-I…"

Subaru felt like there were a pair of hands choking his throat, blocking his airway. He forced himself to spew out the right words for this situation.

"Rem and I ran away because we had to... I had no other choice," he said.

"I see... Do you have any criminal records there?"

"I certainly do!" Subaru laughed to himself. "What? What's everyone staring at me for?"

"Subaru-kun, alternate realities don't count."

"Then the rest of you shouldn't feel bad about what happens in these alternate realities. Rem, don't feel bad about trying to murder me, Reinhard, don't feel bad about letting me die, exetera, exetera. Or are you guys going to blame yourselves for what happens?"

Rem began to sweat a little. "Uh, well…"

The redhead was also trying to find an excuse. "They were, um, circumstantial situations…"

Subaru didn't look impressed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Subaru was perplexed upon hearing Halibel's words. He was expecting a different type of accusation, not a criminal investigation.

"W-What? Me... a criminal record?"

"I mean if you had done anything that could get you arrested like robbery, treason, arson…"

"A-Arson?! Who do you think I am? Some sort of criminal mastermind? Of course, I haven't committed any crimes."

"This joke is horrifying with the Sin Archbishop of Pride as your context."

WHACK!

"OW! Princess, what was that for?!"

"That was for reminding myself of that atrocity," Priscilla said.

WHACK!

"OW!"

"And that one because I had the urge to do so earlier in the viewing!"

"Okay, okay Su-san. I just needed to make sure. Don't worry, I believe you."

"Ah... That's good."

"Hm…" his eyes fell back down as he got lost in his thoughts again.

"But what's this about? You said you were here to just chat with me but it looks like you're here to do an inquiry."

"It's always good to pay a visit to your friends and get to know them better. That's the Kararagian way I know."

"That's not what I am asking you. Why is my past relevant to you after all the years we've known each other?"

"I get your confusion, Su-san. Basically few Lugunican officials will be coming to town so I wanted to ask if you're on terms with the kingdom. I'm sorry for such questions before telling you this."

At the mention of some "Lugnica officials", everyone's eyes widened.

"Hey, Julius, you're not the type who takes revenge, right?"

"I most certainly am not!" the knight said, appalled. "I would never harm innocents!"

"Well, there are infinite possibilities within the multiverse, so…"

"AL," the purple-haired knight growled at the one-armed one.

"Oohh... I get it now. So you were just concerned about our well-being. That's the kind-hearted playboy you are, I guess," he said with a small smirk on his face, trying to hide his anxiety.

"Su-san is my drinking bud after all. Worrying about my dear friend is a top priority for an Eternal Playboy like me."

"I feel kinda embarrassed when you put it that way. But I also appreciate it. And do not worry. I believe that I'm clear with any and all governments in this world."

"This world, huh. Oh right! "Japan" was it? I never heard of that place but you claim to be originating from there. So you were a troublesome person back there."

"How could you make that conclusion after all that I've said? Do you need to hear it again? I – AM – INNOCENT!"

"Okay okay! I was just joking around."

"Okay, I know I joked about some strangers comin' ta upset Natsuki-kun's quiet life," the purple-haired merchant said. "But I didn't intend fer it ta turn out like tha'!"

"It's okay, Anastasia-san," Subaru said. "You couldn't have seen it coming."

"That is truuuuue," Roswaal said. "I certainly wouldn't have seen it coming."

"Nah, I bet that you sent them," Subaru said. "If you're still alive, that is."

When they were continuing this conversation, light footsteps were heard from the corridor. Both Subaru and Halibel cut their dialogue to listen in to the loudening taps coming from the other side of the door. The footsteps were accompanied by faint whisperings. It sounded like two women were having a secretive conversation.

When the tapping noises arrived at the sliding door of the room, whispers came to a halt and the tatami door slid open, revealing two gorgeous women with grocery baskets in hand.

"Ah, Rem, you've returned early! And you even brought Tia too?!"

"Yes, Subaru-kun. I met with Tia-sama when I was doing the groceries. She helped me with the shopping so we could make it back earlier."

"That's great. And here I was having a little chat with Hal-san to pass some time. He seems to have returned earlier than his regular schedule."

Subaru gestured to his hairy friend with his hand. But in response, he got frowning looks from the white-haired woman standing in front of him.

"We knew it even before coming in here since he smells like a wet dog right now! For how long have you not taken a shower, I will kill you."

"EYYY, IT'S TIA!" Al whooped in return. A simp at their finest.

"This bitch is back again?"

"Beako!" Subaru gaped in horror.

"I'm half-expecting a sitcom applause," Kenichi half-joked.

"No need to kill me for that! I was going to go to the bathhouse after paying a visit to Su-san."

"You should make haste or else…"

"Does he really smell that bad? To me, he's doing just fine. Rem, tell me I'm not the only one with an inept sense of smell."

"I'll have to agree with Tia-sama on this. Halibel-sama should urgently take a bath before visiting us."

"Rem-chan you too?! Ughh... I forgot you two had keen noses. Then I shouldn't bother you two all that much. Otherwise, I'll crumble under Tia-chan's murderous gaze," he nodded to himself and got up from his spot with a small sigh.

"Well, see you later then, Su-san."

"Oh! Yes, yes. See you later. I'm sorry but they seem to be justified with their treatment."

"That does make me wonder…"

"Subaru?" Emilia asked.

"How is it that so many different demi-humans are on the verge of extinction?" the black-haired knight asked in frustration. "Elves, oni, wolfin, all of you guys are stronger, faster, and have higher senses than humans do! How the hell is it that you guys aren't the ones on top?"

"It's because humans tend to reproduce faster than the races that live longer than them, I suppose," Beatrice answered. "Also, they're extremely adaptable, so where other races would have seen death, humans see a mere inconvenience. You would know, in fact."

"Well… now I feel like a dick."

"Don't worry, Bro!" Mimi smiled at him. "You're one of the good humans!"

Halibel waved and made his way towards the door, passing by the two beautiful women standing next to it.

"Hal-sama, I am sorry for acting harshly towards you. But I hope you can come back to talk after cleaning off the filth on your body."

"OH WHAT?! Those aren't the rude words you'll expect from someone like Rem-chan! Sigh… But she is very strict when it comes to hygiene I guess," he said with a dampened face.

"But you should come after taking a bath, or I might kill you."

"Uhh... I might not be able to. I have lots of serious business to deal with. I don't have much of a choice on that matter."

Rem and Tia's faces fell as they heard Halibel's answer. There wasn't much they could do about it. Halibel had lots of responsibilities he needed to tend to. Even though he slacked off most of the time, there's just no way around it when it comes to his few obligations.

Knowing his circumstances, no one argued with him further. Instead, they gave their friend their warm farewell and gathered under the kotatsu's blanket to share the warmth after placing down the groceries and washing their hands.

"Hey, that actually has me thinking…"

"Subaru?" Crusch asked.

"In a fight between Tia and Hal-san, who would win?"

"Subaru, I don't think it's right to pit your friends against one another!" Naoko pouted.

"Okay, first off, we've never met in this reality, so they're not my friends yet. Second off, I don't mean fighting to the death. I just meant until one of them yielded, or something. I mean, Tia had to lose to not go all murder-boner on me and everyone around me, right?"

"Maybe an incident similar to the one with the Purge King happened?" Reinhard asked.

"Possibly," Wilhelm chimed into the conversation. "But all Subaru-dono had to deal with that reality was an impostor of Zarestia, one who stole a light ball…"

Light ball… Subaru's mind began to turn. That's probably the source of her power. If the imposter stole it, then that allowed them to appear like Tia and mimic her powers. And it's a safe bet that without it, Tia isn't as trigger happy as normal.

Thinking it over, Subaru deemed that adding Tia to his party would be an excellent investment.

Subaru looked around and stared at the tatami door before turning back to his wife. "I'm not seeing Rigel around? Is he still fooling around in the streets?"

"His friends called him when we were about to enter the house. So he asked me to go and play with them."

Her words were accompanied by a loud snort coming from a frowning white-haired woman.

"Not even accompanying us into his own house, he truly deserved to die for being that rude!"

"Wa-wait! I'm starting to get worried about his safety now! I doubt that you'll kill him for that but it sounds like you had done something to him! Rem, he is okay, right?"

"No need to worry about him, Subaru-kun. He's doing just fine. It's just that Tia-sama teased him a bit," she snorted silently.

The frown on the white-haired woman's face instantly turns into a smirk as she explains the situation in response.

"His friends were getting mesmerized by my natural beauty, so I gave him a giant kiss on the cheek to embarrass him. Hah! It was so fun seeing him go red as a tomato in front of his friends."

"Ah, yes, the easily embarrassed youngster cliche," Subaru nodded in approval.

"I'd like to get kissed by her anytime," Al smiled under his helmet.

"Frederica?" Otto said, gesturing to Petra.

"Of course, Otto," the beast maid said, covering Petra's ears.

Immediately turning towards Al, Otto said, "Keep talking like that, and I swear to every higher power out there, will make what happens to you look like a bloody accident."

It was at that moment Al was now more afraid of the merchant than the beast maid.

"Okay, it's safe now."

Nodding, Frederica removed her hands from Petra's ears. "What was that about?!"

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Otto smiled. "Just grown-up stuff."

Tia starts giggling as she recalls the calamity of Rigel that happened a few moments ago. It'd surely take him ages to recover from such humiliation.

"That's worse than killing that boy! But I'm glad he's doing fine. The genuinity of Tia's threats are so unpredictable. It's hard to tell if it's her usual blunders or a serious menace."

"Hold on a second! I am always genuine when it comes to my "usual blunder". So that also makes them a serious menace but I never act on them because I l-like you guys…" she said with a slight blush on her face.

"Ahhhhh… Tia-sama is so cute when she talks her heart out!"

"I'm not trying to flatter anyone right now! Su-san just needs to be clarified! That's al- Uwaa!"

""TSUUUNDERE!"" both Subaru and Al cheered at the same time.

But her protests were dismissed as Rem grabbed both her hands and pulled her to a tight hug.

"Tia-sama, I'm glad to spend so much time with you. Thank you for helping me today! Rem chaotically thanked her friend as she rubbed her cheek on Tia's.

"Sigh… I don't know what the hug is about but I'll admit that I enjoy spending time with you too. Except for Rigel, he needs to reciprocate for all the care I give him!" Tia exclaimed as she returned the hug. Seeing two beautiful women hugging each other in front of him, Subaru tried his best to suppress his male instincts.

"Don't even bother. There's no hug for you! You're the one responsible for Rigel being such a meanie towards me!"

Tia puts her tongue out to mock Subaru's shyness. Subaru shook his head with embarrassment in return.

Seeing this both women giggle and unwrap their arms from each other's waist and return to their original spots.

"Aww, that's hot. That's hot," Al said.

"You're sick, you know that?" Subaru glared at Al. "That's my wife."

"Correction: That's your potential wife in an alternate universe. It hasn't happened yet."

"Yeah, well if you keep that up, I'm gonna potentially –"

"Ahh, Meili-chan!" Emilia yelped. "Earmuffs!"

"Ear – wha?!" the blue-haired assassin asked in confusion, as suddenly, she felt her ears being covered by the silver-haired half-elf, and then… she couldn't hear everything. The only thing she could see was Subaru mouthing something, and everyone around him turning more and more pale as he went on. Eventually, he stopped, and the half-elf released her ears.

"Now," Subaru said to Al. "Do you know what you're not gonna do?"

"I'm not gonna be a creep towards any of your counterparts' love interests, sir!" Al squealed out.

"Good boy."

"Well, as much as I love him, he's not the good role model he needs to be. So he's partially responsible for Rigel's demeanor."

"Why am I to blame here?! I can't control everything he does! Only Spica can do that, and Rem to some extent."

"I thought that Rigel took me more seriously than "to some extent"?"

"Well, he does but he'll also jump down from a cliff if Spica asked him to. That bothersome sis-con brat…" Subaru lamented to himself as he remembered how many times he was tricked into handing over Spica from his lap by Rigel's efforts.

"Jesus, Subaru, cut him some slack, that's my grandkid."

"Yeah, and he's my son, which means I outrank you," Subaru told his father. "Or family really doesn't matter, which in this case… don't play that card."

"He's truly wonderful when it comes to his loyalty to his sister. I just hope he won't end up marrying her in the future."

"That'll be a disaster! Don't go running around with such dangerous thoughts!"

"But he's also really handsome just like his father so he'll probably have many more girls orbiting around him in the future."

"But we might need to do something about those scary eyes…"

"Also having him run around the town to get hit by beans…"

"I'm sure Rigel doesn't like it too much and may find it embarrassing but it's still his duty as a member of the oni race," she spoke out in Rigel's defense.

"I think we need to make him a few sunglasses to hide his scary eyes."

Subaru stated his solution with eagerness. The white-haired woman was baffled upon hearing the weird words Subaru spoke out.

""Songrasses"? What's that?"

"Wait, do you people seriously not have sunglasses?"

"Considering I've never heard of them, I would dare say we don't," Wilhelm answered.

"What are you thyinking of, Subatu-kyun?" Felix asked.

"I know what I'm gonna be making when we get back."

"Is that one of your brand new inventions? Subaru-kun always knows about the most obscure things out there. It truly makes him wonderful!"

"But is that all there is to my persona?! I'm not just some crazy inventor with the craziest of ideas!"

"No, it's just one of the many things that makes you wonderful. It might take my whole day for me to list them out for you."

"Let's not go that overboard with praising me!"

As everyone laughed at that last joke, the screen went black, and the lights turned on. Many groaned in disappointment, as they truly enjoyed that timeline, just like they did with the Astrea one, but alas, all good things had to come to an end.

"Alright Subaru, it's the end of the episode, and you promised me an answer," Emilia said in a desperate attempt to get her mind off what she had witnessed. While it wasn't horrible by any means, seeing it made her heart ache and she didn't know why.

I never said I promised you… Subaru thought, but decided to move on.

"It's… about your former contract with Puck," Subaru began, "Emilia-tan, I'll be honest. I don't know how to tell you this without breaking your heart, ruining your view of Puck, and making you feel like you've been lied to."

"Subaru, what are you talking about?" From what Subaru said, Emilia was almost scared to know what her knight was implying.

"Emilia-tan…. I think it's time you knew the truth about what Puck is, what he's willing to do, and what he has done in… my past loops."

Emilia nodded, and began to stand up, when –

"Hey, guys!" Petra yelled. "We have our new choices!"

Everyone, including Suabru and Emilia, turned their heads towards their newest options, and immediately, Subaru started swearing.

It seemed like all good things truly did have to end… eventually.

---

Author's Note: The original story is called "9 Years After", by NatsukiSufferu. The link is s/13777774/1/9-Years-After, and /works/28694973/chapters/70349652 on Archive of Our Own. And now, for the comments.

Ronnie R101: Glad you liked the previous chapter. Also, congratulations! You guessed the future story correctly! I will be working diligently on the future chapters!

Chuck B. Winanaki: Meili is the best daughter. I'm glad to see that people can understand Frederica's outburst, that's a rare occasion. Yeah, the younger Subaru's spells were overpowered. The Rickroll always prevails! And yeah, Beatrice had some very… choice words about all of these alternate realtors with alternate contracts. See you next time!

romaninicolas547: Pretty chill comment, I liked it very much. Also, I understood the Doki Doki reference! Glad to see another person of culture. Just Beako, indeed! (Are you challenging me…? -Satella)

Guest: That has no right being as funny as it was, good job.

digimonhunter0: Are you psychic? Because that's a good guess. (HE IS THE MESSIAH! -Infinite)

5queso: Trust me, the real dark stuff won't be happening for a while, but when it does hit, it will hit HARD. But I have to admit, the ending of the previous chapter might have been a bit of a misdirection… but not for long!

Deathenglegamers1144: Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down!

Pyrd: Never gonna run around and desert you! (Dammit, you didn't leave me any room. -Infinite)

The reader2234: I always pick the best of the best. Also, Happy Halloween! I'm still enjoying my candy! And the Rickroll is always a win! Anyway, your guess was an interesting one for the future chapters, but a wrong one! Try again next time!

Raider301: Okay, tell you what? If you stop asking for Re:Avenger in this series, I will create an all-new story featuring the Re:Avenger cast, where the five Camps, including Petra, Meili, Flop and Medium will all watch all of the MCU movies featuring Subaru as Spider-Man! All of them, from "Captain America: Civil War"all the way to "Avengers: Endgame"! All you have to do is stop asking. Does that sound like a good deal to you? (Ooooo. Erna pulling out the big guns. Although, I feel like they'd have to watch the entire MCU to fully understand. -Infinite.)

hlglh: Can you do anything else besides hearts?

Dark+Angel: Fun fact! I reject your reality, and substitute my own!

LicenciadoGonzalez: I have no idea. I got the idea of the ship from a bunch of fanart of the two of them together, along with a couple of fics who did it! But yeah, the sister chapter to this is indeed "The Melancholic Path". That's gonna hurt.

Jetvac_Jesse: VIVA FREDERICA X OTTO! I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL!

NutMaster: That's something I think we can all agree on.

Name: ¿Para qué sirve esto en contexto?

NewWriter04: Creo que quería mantener su apellido, para recordar y honrar a sus padres biológicos. Por otra parte, no soy el autor, así que no tengo idea.

FakeA: I'll look into the story you recommended to me, thanks.

King_maximilian_412: Yep, I'm back. Time for everyone to lose their minds. Again.

leymax2021: And you shall have more reactions, so calm down!

xxChassur_OFRTxx: Yeah, I don't think "Path of the Blessed Stars" will update, either.

Phantom: Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye!

Bob2: Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!

Dire_Despot: Rem really enjoyed this, unlike Ram.

A Passing Bruh: While there were a lot of scenes from the previous story we wanted to adapt, there is a runtime, and we gotta stick to it. Sorry. Plus, there's the whole thing with writing the actual reactions themselves, and that stuff sucks the life out of you.

Monteiro_BR: Didn't that story die off? Or did it continue? Do you have a link?

Terra: I'm actually not touching anything from the Lone Star franchise, not because I hate it, but because I'm too afraid to touch it. I hope you enjoyed this week's stories!

A special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! If you want to join my Discord server, the link is /qFkpP5B9. You can chat with others, post memes and fan art, and I'll drop by with announcements and chat with you all every now and then! If you want to add me as a friend, my username is Ernalore#8663! If you want to read more, check out my other stories! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time!

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- Ernalore

Next time:

What if you knew the Witch of Greed's origins?

OR

What if Subaru contracted all seven of the Witches?