Chapter 6: Evolution
Slavery was legal in Kararagi.
Subaru had been furious when he learned that. How could that be possible? How can something like that be accepted? Why doesn't anyone try to stop it?
It wasn't even just demi-humans but humans as well.
The only thing that stopped him from going out and hunting for slavers himself was the fact that in Bannan -the city he was currently living in-it was illegal to do so.
Even so, out of the ten cities, how could only one of them have banned slavery? Did people have no rights?
Even enslaving street children was legal as long as you were not seen doing it. Subaru could not understand that.
Even though slavery had happened on Earth, it was hard to believe that it could somehow be worse in another world…
But of course, even in Bannan, there could only be so many slaving operations that could be stopped. There would always be someone who outsmarts everyone and the authorities couldn't be everywhere at once after all.
It was in one such place devoid of lurking eyes that a group of three humans were surrounding two demi-human children. Said children were a boy and a girl, and their looks alone, both couldn't be more than ten years old.
But even age didn't save them from the beating they received.
Before long they were both down on the ground unconscious, blood flowing out their open wounds and ugly bruises forming across their bodies.
They found themselves defenseless from the trio of men who now observed their beaten forms.
"We got 'em, boss." A mace-wielding man who was dressed in ragged clothes, brown muddy pants, and old shoes called to someone else who just looked pleased with the act. The figure was dressed in cleaner clothes than the other two. A merchant's outfit to be exact; that was his job after all. Or at least that is what it looked like to most, this was actually where he made most of his money.
He walked forward with a pleased smile on his face. Almost as if he enjoyed the view.
"Right then, we should get out of here and get these stupid creatures out of our hands." He grabbed both children from their legs and dangled them as if they were freshly hunted prey. Although, from his perspective, that wasn't far from the truth.
"They'll fetch a good fuckin' price, alright. Now ta' get out of this dump," The first man answered with an excited smile on his face. What would their buyers think about this catch? They were in decent working condition, so there was the potential for some good money to be had.
They had lured the two demi-humans by using food and kindness to this alley. The kids, not being aware of the cruel fate that awaited them, accepted the help and trusted the strangers.
That was their biggest mistake. No one would bother checking an abandoned alley at such an early hour and the kids were Hyena's (Homeless) after all so no one would care about them anyways.
Right?
The last man of the trio took a step forward. He was wielding a broken sword and had no shirt on, plus some old worn-out pants and a pair of fingerless gloves. "C'mon we don't have all day, let's get the fuck out of here before some merce-"
He was unable to continue as something in his body told him to move. He listened to it. He wasn't sure what the sensation was, perhaps it was a survival instinct? Well, regardless of what it could have been he had no time to think about it as the next moment a ray of heat impacted the place his leg had just been standing on.
The group looked up to see where the ray had come from. When they did that they saw something; or rather someone.
Said someone was wearing an orange-grey long-sweater and black pants with strips of orange to their sides, as well as black traveling boots with orange shoelaces.
The three men were left in silence for a few seconds, processing what had just occurred. Shortly after, the club-wielding man spoke out loud with a frown on his scarred face "Oi what in the Od was that?! Who do you think ya messing with? " He screamed out while getting into a battle stance (though you could hardly call what he did a "battle stance").
"You know, I was just about to head home and get my beauty sleep, but of course I had to run into trouble. Although I don't mind it this time. It gives me the chance to put a stop to your disgusting plan." They spoke with anger in his voice, making it clear he wasn't happy with what they were doing.
The new individual fell quiet for a moment almost as if he was considering something. "Dammit, I sound like a superhero messing up a villain's plan, don't I? I mean, that's kind of what I'm doing right now. But still..." He did random movements with his hands that the criminals could not understand as if trying, and failing, to make his point clearer.
Although he acted as if he didn't care about the situation, internally he was trying to calm his anger caused by the situation.
Of course to the group of bandits, he just looked like a mysterious individual who was talking to himself. They felt as if he wasn't taking them seriously.
The Boss of the group stepped forward with more force than necessary. He did this to call the individual's attention; he could see it worked since they turned their head to look at them from their position. They looked like a teenager but ignored that in favor of asking his own questions.
"What do ya think you're doing? Better yet, who the hell are you?"
"Me? You know manners say you should give your name first, right? Seems like you can't even do that. Unfortunate, don't you think?" He waited a moment as they processed the insult before he continued.
"Well, I guess I can do you the honors. I'm the person who is going to kick your ass: Natsuki Subaru, at your service!" Subaru did his trademark pose, fake arrogance in his voice.
Angry, the leader of the group stepped forward "You're interrupting our business. Scram before things get ugly. That is, unless you want a beating just like these brats over here." he finished with a nasty smile on his face. Maybe he could get an extra addition to sell off? This person looked like a kid and could use magic. Maybe he could get some good money off him?
The moment those words left his mouth there was a clear change in atmosphere, making him realize that was clearly the wrong thing to say.
Subaru was livid. He clenched his fist so hard it began to hurt. It wasn't enough that they beat two children after luring them with a false sense of security just to sell them off as slaves —not to mention on illegal grounds— but he had the gall to act proudly of this fact.
And if what Subaru was guessing was correct he wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. Not even for this night.
"No buffs this time Lucy. I will do it myself; the rest of you watch my back." Feeling their agreement, Subaru concentrated mana around his body in order to use mana enhancements. Although not as strong as Yang magic enhancements, it was still enough to give a considerable upgrade to his strength and speed.
If Subaru wasn't mistaken the group was probably not that strong. That meant not using Lucy's enhancements should not be too dangerous.
Keeping up the mana enhancement was a bit of a challenge for Subaru who had just begun to train with it about a month ago. He had to keep a certain degree of concentration to keep the mana flow going unlike someone like Halibel, who could do it subconsciously.
This was one of the reasons he took bounty hunting as his "job." On top of the benefit of getting money per capture and being able to stop situations like the current one; he was able to get battle experience through fighting criminals and the occasional Malbeast. This was for the best as if he kept fighting only Halibel over and over; he might develop some weird habits.
Subaru pulled out his daggers and took a deep breath. He then launched himself from the roof directly towards the shirtless bandit. They were slightly bewildered at his decision to throw himself against three people. Of course, this was exactly what Subaru wanted; that slight amount of bewilderment gave Luna enough time to prepare and cast a 'Shamak' making the sword thug lose his senses and leaving him defenseless.
Unfortunately, Subaru would be unable to take the opportunity to attack as he saw the club-wielding thug throw a fireball at him.
"Dona!" with Gaia's help, an earth wall erupted from the ground and blocked the fire attack from reaching its intended target. Ruby, who was hovering over the earth wall, was able to get a clear view of the five opponents. Casting a fireball of her own, she sent it towards the club-wielding thug.
The boss, who was farther behind, was able to react in time and cast an earth wall to block the force from the incoming attack.
Unfortunately, the thug was not so lucky.
Unable to dodge the magic due to the distance, all he could do was watch it approach him at a fast pace. As it hit the ground he felt the impact of the explosion and was sent barreling towards a wall making him lose consciousness instantly.
"Strike!" Subaru said with fake cheering while witnessing the scene. He almost felt bad for him. He knew that spirit arts users were considered trouble for run-of-the-mill thugs like them and now someone like Subaru who had six contracted fully blown spirits.
Not fun.
Still, he felt a bit worried at the sight. As much as he liked beating people like them up, Subaru always tried to avoid killing people. He knew that in this world things were different and killing was nowhere near as bad as it was back on earth but even so, he refrained from doing so.
Halibel was an example of that. The same went for the shinobi and mercenaries. Subaru knew they killed and yet were friendly and good-natured people anyways. Well most of them were, at least.
Even his spirits were like that. He could tell that if he ordered them they would kill without much hesitation since being spirits made them think of death differently. But even if he knew this it didn't stop him from treating them the same as always.
Although there was one thing he noticed. Aqua, unlike the rest of his spirits, did not like killing just as much as Subaru. He wondered if it was because she was a water spirit or was there another reason for her strange behavior? He'd heard that to use Healing you need to have care for life, so could that be it?
Are spirits any different? Is that why her healing magic seems more potent than other water spirits?
Regardless He felt as if killing was wrong anyway. Was it his earth standards? He wasn't sure but at the very least he was not ready for killing yet.
"Right, I should probably finish this. Is it late-night or early morning? I'm not actually sure but regardless I don't want to wake anyone up," He would prefer to not get screamed at again, thank you very much.
Seeing as one of the criminals was out of the fight he wasted no time; he ran towards the leader's position and taking advantage of the fact they were blocking their own view he was able to get close without them knowing.
Unfortunately, his attack would once again get interrupted. This time by the shirtless thug who managed to shake out his shamak.
They swung their broken sword in his direction to cut his head off. Did they have no reservations about killing?
Subaru turned his daggers into a reverse grip and, using his right hand, he hit the sword from the bottom making it change directions towards the sky. The thug, who was surprised by his action, had no time to react when Subaru hit him with the hilt of the dagger straight in his stomach.
The damage caused by the mana enhanced impact made them doubled over in pain and lose their focus. Because of this, they were unable to avoid the earth wall that erupted from the ground and struck them straight in their gut, lifting them up a few feet before letting them fall. They laid there on the floor fully unconscious.
This exchange lasted no more than five seconds.
[Coward] During the entire exchange the leader had been hiding behind the earth wall while he let his companions do all the work. He didn't even bother to check on the situation!
Dashing and jumping over the earth wall the man had created [Just barely made it over!] He saw him trying to subdue the two demi-human kids who had woken up and were thrashing around in his grip.. He stopped trying once he saw Subaru coming and cast another earth wall to prevent him from closing in any further.
"fula!" The wind blade destroyed the earth wall, letting Subaru continue running without the wall standing in his way.
Wanting to avoid injuring the children, Subaru threw his daggers to the side and instead used his fist. The thug who was already using both his hands to restrain the children was unable to avoid the punch that hit him right in the face and made him drop the demi-humans while he stumbled back a few feet in a world of pain.
"Huma!" Creating a dulled ice projectile, Ruby sent the man into the world of unconsciousness.
"Gaia" Although this is all Subaru said, it was more than enough for her to know what he meant.
"Dona, '' six tentacles of earth erupted from the ground and surrounded the trio of criminals, effectively binding them and ending the fight. [I really need to get a better binding spell. A spell of this level won't be able to hold someone who uses mana enchantments.] As useful as this had been, it wouldn't work forever.
Subaru watched this with a tinge of disappointment. He didn't mean to brag or anything but he was strong, that much was obvious. Although he still wasn't extremely skilled at using his daggers or had years of experience, he made up for it with sheer firepower. Having six spirits who can almost cast Al-level spells does that to you.
And if he were to learn how to use both mana enchantments and yang magic buffs then it would help him keep up with more skilled people than him.
That meant there weren't many people that could fight him. The shinobi could probably beat him and some mercenaries because of the years of experience they possessed in contrast to Subaru who just began training three months ago. but they were usually too busy for them to even meet. Subaru also had no reason to go up to them either.
Of course, Halibel could still beat his ass as if he was fighting a child. But a simple group of thieves that had next to no magic training would pose almost no trouble for the boy.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore." They were down and his job was done.
Well almost done.
He turned in the direction of the two demi-human children. He could tell they were scared of him, though he didn't blame them for that. They just saw him beat up a group of men while he took no injuries; not to mention they had just been basically kidnapped because they trusted strangers. Subaru would be more worried if they weren't cautious of him because of that.
He approached them slowly, not wanting to scare them any further than they already were. God knows how much they must have gone through before he got here to leave them in that wounded state. Even from this distance, he could see the dry blood and bruises all over their bodies and many scars.
He did not want to know how many scars they could have that were not visible.
"Hey..." Subaru's voice was so quiet it was practically a whisper. Even so, with their enhanced senses, they were able to hear the sound of his voice which just made the boy hug his sister even tighter. It was almost as if he was trying to protect her from any incoming beatings.
Subaru had already dealt with this situation before this past two months so he wasn't in unfamiliar territory. Well, this time it was a bit different because he did not see any adults with them, but it was similar. Although the lack of parents was worrying to the boy.
Of course, he wasn't happy this was the case but at least he knew what to do in order to calm crying children. He couldn't understand why there were so many attempts at capturing slaves when it was illegal in Bannan. Is capturing people and selling them off that important to them? Do they even wonder what happens to the sold slaves?
That was a stupid question. Of course they don't.
[If it's this bad here, how bad would it be in the other cities?] He didn't want to hear the answer.
Slowly he walked closer to the demi-humans who just flinched in response. Although slightly hurtful to Subaru, he kept advancing, albeit more slowly. Once he was about three feet away from them he stopped and instead of trying to talk to them, he held his hand out.
Their eyes were filled with fear but also a tinge of curiosity at what he was doing.
That meant he had their attention. [That's good then. This should work.]
In his hand, six different color orbs materialized and began to rotate in a circular motion around his hand. This caused the light to take on a rainbow-like color which made for a beautiful spectacle.
It was easy for him to tell that it caught their attention. He had rescued a couple of kids and adults in the last two months of bounty hunting and this always calmed the kids down.
It was a beautiful sight if he said so himself.
Mentally thanking and telling them to disperse his spirits did as told and made themselves invisible once again. This led to the children initially being surprised at the lack of lights but they quickly became wary of him again. However this time they were calmer than before and he seemed more approachable in their eyes.
This was Subaru's true goal. They would not instantly warm up to him but at least he could make himself seem approachable.
"Hey there," He started softly and slowly. "Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you and they won't either, I made sure of that." He pointed a finger at the still unconscious group.
The boy looked that way as if to confirm his words and relaxed a little. His sister, feeling a decrease in tension, chose to follow her brother's example and hugged him less tightly.
It seems they were beginning to believe he was no threat.
"Can you tell me your names?" Hopefully, they trusted him enough to do that much. It would be much harder if they didn't.
"Ito'' The boy answered him with a hesitant tone as if he wasn't sure that was the right thing to say. Subaru smiled in response to try and reassure him.
His sister turned to look at her brother, almost as if asking for permission to do the same. When she saw him nod she hesitantly turned to Subaru and watched him for a second almost as if studying him. Subaru was worried that she might shy away but luckily just a few seconds after those thoughts, she spoke up.
"Emma"
"Emma, That's a nice name," Subaru mentally ordered Aqua to cast healing magic on the two kids. He watched her do so without a moment to waste and saw both kids' expressions become relieved.
It looked like a face he'd make when taking a hot bath after a long training session.
It seemed like they were in pain even if they were trying to hide it.
"Tell me, how old are you guys?" He wanted to get them more comfortable with his presence before he could ask any more serious questions.
That's how the next few minutes were spent. Subaru asked pointless questions like 'What's your favorite color' Or what's your favorite thing to do? Simple things like those just to ease them into the atmosphere. After a few minutes, when he finally felt they were more at ease with his presence he decided he should get this over with.
"Right then tell me something ... where are your parents?" Subaru hoped they had parents. He wasn't qualified to take care of kids and everyone else he knew did not have the time to do so either. Getting them to an orphanage would be almost impossible as there weren't many and the ones that existed were already full, that's why there were so many street children.
If they had no parents then they would have to roam the streets themselves.
So far everyone he had saved from kidnapping had a parent or was an adult. That made him relieved because at least they would have someone to take care of them or could take care of themselves.
Unfortunately for him, he did not receive a satisfactory answer.
Subaru watched as the girl teared up at his words and was hugged by her brother.
That was all he needed to know. The answer to his question is clear. But even so, he kept looking at the boy hoping for a slight chance that he was wrong and maybe it was another matter or bad memory they reacted to.
His hopes were shattered when he shook his head.
[Fuck things just got a lot more complicated.]
The boy, Itto, was nine years old while Emma was eight. It would already be hard for them to survive and being demi-humans would make living even harder for them.
The only thing in their favor right now was that they were in Bannan, so the chances of them actually getting kidnapped were far lower than they would be in other cities.
Subaru brought his hands towards his pouch and pulled out some money. Enough to last a couple of months. He had been taking mission after mission in the short time he had been active, making him a considerable amount of money.
Extending his hand he offered it towards the two who just looked at him with a confused expression.
Had they really had it so hard that they were strangers to an act of kindness? Or was it because accepting something from strangers was what got them to this situation? Although not favorable, Subaru really hoped it was the latter.
"Take the money and try to stay in an inn or somewhere where you can be seen by others. Only brainless people would try to get slaves in Bannan but even they should be able to figure out that attempting something like that in plain sight is a bad idea," Finishing his explanation, he once again gestured towards the money in his hand.
They hesitated but after some more insistence on his part, they finally accepted.
He was going to say something else—some more advice— but before he could do so he felt two bodies embrace him in a hug.
Subaru could not stop the smile that appeared on his face as he hugged them back.
"Take care and try not to get in any trouble." Seeing them accept his words, Subaru concentrated mana around his body, and with Lucy's help, he jumped over to the roof of a building. From that distance, he was able to watch the kids run away to places unknown.
For a few seconds, silence ruled over the area. At least until Ruby materialized before him.
"You're going to follow them aren't you."
"Yep, can't leave them alone for a few hours at the very least." Subaru began jumping through the roofs, trailing them in secret. There was no need for them to know he was behind them. If anything happened to them, he would intervene.
As he ran, he called a few mercenaries to pick up the unconscious bandits he left behind and let them keep the pay. He would not be able to present the body himself and claim the reward this time. But that was fine.
He had more important things to do after all.
Because of the area they had been in and how big Bannan was. Subaru probably would not be seeing those kids again for a while. So making sure they were fine when he left them was a priority for him.
He would not be able to forgive himself if they suffered just because he wanted a bit of pocket change.
A few hours later Subaru arrived at his apartment, satisfied. He had been awake for over forty hours and between his original day of bounty hunting as well as the extra hours he spent making sure those kids were safe, he'd been absolutely drained.
[Still, it was worth it to make sure they were safe.]
Jumping to his bed he fell asleep almost instantly.
Subaru put the potatoes (although in this world they're called tatoes, seriously It was hard adapting to calling them that!) on the stove and began to steam them.
It was his first time trying to make steamed tatoes so he was expecting them to burn, but that was fine! You can't get everything right the first time.
He ignored the fact that every new dish he's tried making so far burned at least once. It was absolutely irrelevant after all.
He had gotten good at cooking these past few months. He couldn't go buying food every time he needed to eat after all and although he was no master at it he could at least make something edible.
He began washing his second batch of tatoes. Since there was a good chance of the current batch cooking wrong, Subaru figured he should be ready to make more. If he cooks them correctly the first time then he can just gift these to someone else or something. (He ignored the voice in his head that mocked him for being prepared for this type of thing. It was completely natural after all.)
Once he was done with that he put them on the side and watched the original batch cook. Calling his spirits and as usual, he did some idle talk with them to kill some time and just generally had some fun with them, telling jokes here and there while deciding on what they could do that day.
A few minutes later Subaru heard a knock on the door. He found it strange as it was unusual for him to get visits at his place so he was a bit wary of who it could be.
Walking up to the door, he glanced through the peephole and on the other side saw a middle-aged man, probably in his 40's waiting at the door. Judging by the sword at their hip plus armor they were wearing they were most likely a mercenary.
He also had a lot of scars all over his face and a most noticeable one in the shape of a clean-cut through his cheek. [Probably battle scars.] He thought.
Questions surged into Subaru's mind.
[Why is there a mercenary at my doorstep?] As far as he knew he should be on the clear with them. He did talk with them from time to time but that wasn't too often. [Did I offend anyone? Maybe it's damage repairs? I don't think I've broken anything with my magic recently either, I've gotten better at lowering its potency.] He racked his brain on what it could be but found nothing.
[Well I guess there is only one way to find out.]
Opening the door he found himself face to face with the man. "Um.. hey?" Subaru wasn't too sure on what to say to him so a greeting was probably a good start.
"Hello, you must be Subaru-san, right? My name is Dixon. How are you doing today?"
Subaru, not expecting such a laid-back tone found himself taken aback.
Although he should have known. Mercenaries were usually friendly people even if they didn't look like it. It would be hard to be part of a group if you got angry at every opportunity after all and it would be very stressful to have someone like that. Unless the whole group were barbarians; that was another story.
Not wanting to be rude he quickly replied. "I'm doing fine. No real troubles lately. Not to be rude, but could I ask what you're doing here? I don't think I've caused any trouble lately." He decided to get straight to the point. He had nothing against the man or anything like that but he wasn't sure how to continue keeping the conversation from becoming awkward.
"Weren't expecting me were you? Well, it makes sense; I don't think you've seen me before." [That is true] Subaru thought. This was the first time he had met this man. Although to be fair he wasn't that familiar with many people, especially mercenaries.
"I'm here because I have a request to ask of you."
Subaru pondered those words for a moment, letting them sink in. "A request for me? What is it?" What could he need from him?
"We're planning a raid on a criminal hideout tonight. We would like you to join us." Subaru found he had trouble making sense of his request. They wanted his help?
Still confused, he slowly asked, almost as if to convince himself he wasn't hearing things, "Why me? I mean, can't you ask someone else? I'm nothing special, after all."
Dixon raised an eyebrow almost as if he was questioning his words, or maybe he was questioning them. "Not special? Kid, I don't know if you haven't noticed but you're very well known." He took a pause and a deep breath-
"I'm Natsuki Subaru! The man who is going to kick your ass." -and shouted out a high-pitched and obnoxious imitation of Subaru, pose and all...
Subaru could not help but cringe. Where did people hear that anyways? [Is that really how I sound?]
"H-how do you know about that?"
"Well, when you fight you're very noticeable and you say that to basically every criminal you catch. Did you think it wouldn't spread?" The slightly mocking tone he was using did not help with the boy's embarrassment.
...Maybe telling his name to every criminal he caught wasn't the best idea. He was honestly just trying to make his name known so that criminals would give up before they even fought him. Something like that sword saint guy he had read about in those books. Hell, even Halibel!
Maybe that wasn't such a great idea.
In his defense, by the first month of actively bounty hunting, it had become a habit for him.
[So much for Halibels lessons of being discreet.] Maybe he should have applied those lessons at all times instead of just on the battlefield.
Subaru knew he was more noticeable than normal people because of his magic. The shinobi are mostly active at night and mercenaries don't usually have mages in their ranks. Even if they did, they don't use such high-scale spells. Unlike them, Subaru used spells in almost every one of his fights, and the many damage repairs he's had to pay for did not help his case.
"...Okay, maybe I am somewhat known but why not ask someone else."
"Well apart from the Eternal Playboy Halibel the-"
"Wait a second! Did he actually take the name?!" Subaru had meant to use that title as an insult so when Halibel said he would keep the title, he didn't believe him.
It seems he underestimated that damn wolf!
Dixon, who just watched in silence, decided to ignore his little outburst and continued talking. "Well apart from him, you're one of the strongest individuals in Bannan. At least when it comes to individual magical power."
"Huh..." Subaru was still processing his newfound fame so having even more information dumped on him was not helping. Was he really considered that strong? He had only started training about four months ago so he couldn't be that strong?
Right?
"Well, what do you say? Want to come with us?"
Subaru found that he was unsure of what to say. He knew that he was strong, but to the extent of people personally coming to ask for his help was another matter entirely. It seems he was underestimating himself and that Halibel did a good job at keeping him from becoming arrogant.
He still wasn't a genius at social interaction and such. With the exception of his spirits, Halibel, and Crane—the lizard from his favorite employment agency—he wasn't close friends with anyone. So when caught off guard with conversations this was the usual result.
Not having friends for years usually led to situations like these. Yes, Subaru was trying to fix it, but even then it's not something that can be worked on from one day to another.
"W-Well, sure I guess. I don't see any problem with teaming up." he bit the inside of his mouth at the awkward answer.
The man who either did not take notice or just ignored it completely thanked Subaru and promised he would get his share of the money. They briefly exchanged some more information such as the number of people that would show up, time, place, etc
After that was done he turned around and left Subaru to his own devices.
Said boy just let out a sigh as he entered back to his apartment and locked the door. Who knew a conversation could be more difficult than some fights? Not him.
That brought him back to why the conversation became difficult for him in the first place.
"Who would have thought we're that famous." His spirit, which had stayed invisible during the conversation, materialized again when Subaru was left alone.
They weren't very comfortable being around anyone who wasn't Subaru or Halibel when it wasn't necessary. They would of course materialize in a second if it was to protect their contractor from any danger, but when it wasn't necessary they preferred to stay hidden. Although when they were just conversing in the streets of Bannan where people were everywhere but not focusing on them, then they did not mind. They had gotten used to it by now.
Subaru understood and accepted that. It wasn't an inconvenience anyways, after all, if they wanted to tell him something they could just do it throughout their mental link.
"Well with all the trouble you cause it's no wonder they know who you are." With her always helpful input, Lucy responded towards the boy, who just looked at her with a teasing glance.
"You sound like an angry mother reprimanding their child, you know."
"Well, maybe you are a child! With the way you act it would not be surprising if someone confused you with one."
Subaru took a slight offense to that. He did not act like a child at all! "Oi, now that's just-"
Before he could finish, Ruby interrupted his little outburst "Don't you think you're forgetting Something?"
"Forgetting what? I think I should focus on that raid that's happening tonight." He smelled some smoke, but that was just him, right? "Well sorry if any of you had anything you wanted to do today but I guess we're stuck doing this now."
"Are you sure you're not forgetting anything?" Gaia ignored him in favor of trying to remind him of something else.
"Yes, I already told you, I'm pretty sure I have nothing to worry abou-" It was at that moment when it finally hit him.
"THE STEAMED TATOES!!!" Wasting no time he ran towards the kitchen and found the sad sight of a pot full of burned tatoes.
Subaru could have sworn he heard his heartbreak in two.
"Damn it not again! Why didn't you guys warn me?!'' Subaru shifted his attention from the burned tatoes to his spirits, pointing an accusing finger at them.
They responded by just laughing at him.
Subaru had now truly felt the pain of betrayal. He had everything perfect, it would have been his first dish that didn't burn on his first try.
Their laughter didn't stop.
Subaru, who knew when something was a lost cause, just turned around and began preparing the -already washed- second batch of tatoes. He had fortunately or unfortunately already seen this coming one way or another. So he was able to begin almost instantly.
"I'll get you girls for this…." After telling them that, he focused all his attention on cooking.
He was not going to get another batch of burned tatoes.
Hours later coming out of a partly destroyed building was Subaru and using murak he was carrying two unconscious bodies on his shoulders with no problem whatsoever.
"That was too easy with you there, kiddo! They didn't even see the attacks coming before you blasted them!" Dixon praised the boy who just smiled sheepishly.
"I don't think it was that impressive."
"Sure, whatever you say kid."
"Well, anyways we should turn these guys in and then get the reward money. As I said, we'll deliver you your cut." Dixon put his sword back in his scabbard and re-adjusted the bound-unconscious man on his shoulder.
"Yeah, we should probably go before they struggle anymore." Subaru knew that if they woke up, they would make a ruckus. It had been hard enough to capture them in the first place! He did not want to deal with them again.
"Well anyways can you tell me why there were over two dozen of them! How were they not found until now?" How could a group with so many people not be spotted till now? Surely they must have made a mistake by now right?
To Subaru's disappointment, Dixon just shrugged his shoulders.
"Well if you even want to join us again, feel free to do so. I'm sure the other guys won't mind. In fact, they've probably taken a liking to you."
"I might take you up on your offer at a later time." It had been a while since Subaru had been invited to an event by a group of people—Even if it had been a raid on a criminal base—and it felt nice. He could even say he had fun.
He might need to work on teamwork in the future that does not only involve him and his spirits. Maybe he would join them again soon after all.
Subaru woke up with a groan.
Today was one of the rare days he just wanted to lay on his bed and do nothing at all.
It wasn't anything special either. It was just like any other day.
It had been over four months since Subaru arrived at Kararagi and if you exclude his first day here—he still occasionally had nightmares about that—then it had been great so far.
However, it wasn't perfect. There was one thing he regretted and mulled over constantly ever since he had finally adjusted to this world.
His parents.
He regretted not being a better son for them, he regretted not answering his mom when he went out to the grocery store. Every time he thought about them he felt a great sense of guilt.
He wished he could see them again. Just one more time.
He just wanted to apologize.
The rays of sun hit his face (damn you sun!) and did not allow him to rest any further. He had no choice but to wake up.
[Seven huh, Well I need to cook breakfast anyways, so I can't lay down all day. Although I wish I could.] Accepting the sad reality, Subaru began to sit up.
But when he tried to, he felt something. It was almost nonexistent but he felt a weight on his stomach pushing him down.
[What? Did I put something in there.] Why was there something under his sheets? Did he leave his tracksuit there? [Wait no I'm wearing that.] Ignoring his stupidity he decided there was an easier way to find out.
Taking his blanket off to find out what was under there, he saw something that both confused and surprised him.
He saw a little girl.
"WHA- hgk!" In his surprise, Subaru moved too quickly and unfortunately fell on the floor.
"Ghhk!" Subaru rubbed his arm as the unexpected impact hurt more than he expected. Damn morning grogginess!
"That hurt more than the time I dipped my hands in boiling water when trying to cook potatoes!" Subaru being Subaru of course had to dramatically complain to the world.
Such is the Natsuki way.
"Wait, why am I even…" Why was he on the floor? He was certain that just a moment ago he had just been waking up when-
His brain snapped back to reality at that moment.
In disbelief, he slowly turned his head back to his bed to confirm he wasn't going crazy.
To his horror, there in his bed was a little girl who had light blue hair which reached all the way to her back and clear white skin. She looked to be no older than seven years old and if he was correct then she reached a bit over his hips in terms of size.
She sat there watching him with worry.
She was wearing an aqua-colored short-sleeved shirt that reached halfway through her knees. Dark blue tights covering the entirety of her legs and equally blue boots.
When she saw him in pain she quickly ran to his side, began casting healing magic -unnecessary if he may say- and spoke words that confused him even further.
"Are you o-kay Baru?"
Subaru took a deep breath. Well, multiple deep breaths to be more exact.
[Stay calm Natsuki Subaru. I need to be calm first and then I can figure out what the hell is happening.]
It took him a few seconds but he finally managed to calm himself just enough to think. After a few moments, he then found the words he was looking for and spoke calmly and collected.
"So... judging by the pain earlier, I'm most likely not dreaming." Subaru casually began speaking to the loli right next to him. "Well, then I don't know why but I can feel a strong connection between you and me. Not to mention you called me by a nickname which implies you know my name. Mind telling me who you are?"
Subaru wasn't sure if the words he used were too complicated for her to understand, but he felt it was of no importance at the moment. He just knew she would be able to understand him somehow.
Instead of answering she just looked at him. She just stared at him with a playful smile.
Although it was only a few seconds it felt so long to Subaru, who was starting to get irritated by it. But before he could speak he was interrupted by her voice.
"Who am I? Guess Baru, let's see if you can."
"That isn't even an answer you damn loli! I just want to know how you got here! Seriously you sound so much like aqua with the way you…oh," Suddenly it clicked for him. Why the nickname was so familiar, Why her tone of voice was so familiar and why he felt a deep connection between them.
He would have mentally kicked himself if it wasn't for the realization he just got. It was so obvious yet so sudden he couldn't help but doubt himself.
Just to confirm his suspicions he called out his six contracted spirits, but instead of the six of them hovering in the air like usual, there were only five of them present. And the reason for that was-
"Aqua that's you right." He did not even phrase it as a question. He was almost certain he was right. Her smile which he did not think could get any wider was enough of an answer.
"Yep, that's right!" Aqua who was already standing beside him leaned in for a hug.
This was normal, she always did it even if she had no physical body and Subaru always appreciated the sentiment. But this time it was different. This time he felt the physical contact when she did this action.
He wasn't sure why he was surprised although it should have been obvious since she now possessed a physical form. It was a different sensation altogether, a nice sensation.
Subaru processed her actions and words very carefully, making sure he understood what everything meant and did not miss a detail. Once he did, however.
"Dammit! You're so adorable!!" He took her up in his arms and spun her around the room with no prior warning. This caught Aqua by surprise but soon found herself smiling along with him.
He couldn't help it. She was just so cute!
Thank you "AnticMaster"for helping beta this chapter.
So, uh yeah school started and not just for me but also my beta. So that's why this chapter took so long (on top of how slow I already am) . Still I hope this met your expectations.
Well yeah we got out first loli! and yea I did modify Aqua's design (Konosuba) to fit my Aqua. I'm a genius! So yeah this is a call for help. I need appearances for everyone besides Aqua and Lucy( I already have hers.) I will be trying to find some as well but suggestions are appreciated.
Anyways, leave a review and any criticism you might have. I read every one of them. Well, see you next time.