Chapter 2: Starting Life in Japan
"Where… am I?"
"Emilia-tan…" Subaru whispered, recognizing the voice.
Her voice was soft and quivering slightly. She mumbled to herself, thinking aloud her observations of the strange architecture of the street and the foreign writings upon the neon signs attached to the sides of the buildings. "Oh!" She exclaimed angrily, as if coming to a realization. "That thief must have used some kind of teleportation magic!"
"Ladies and gentlemen," Subaru announced to everyone else. "Welcome to Japan."
The rest of the cast, with the exception of Subaru's parents and Al, were amazed. It looked absolutely nothing like their world. It was, for a lack of a better word, breathtaking.
She growled, though with her gentle tone it wouldn't likely intimidate a child. Sighing, she pressed her fingers against the brilliant green gem hanging below the garment around her neck. "Puck, could you come out? I need your help." She waited for a few uneventful seconds, evidently not receiving the desired response from the jewel as her brow furrowed and the corners of her lips turned into a frown.
"Subaru," Emilia asked. "Was it like this when you came to our world?"
"Yup," he answered. "I just blinked… and I was in the Capital!"
"Oh, c'mon, Cap'n, there had ta be more than tha'!" Garfield protested.
"Okay, okay," Subaru said, lifting his hands in surrender. "Basically I was off to get some groceries from a mini-market at night, and as I was leaving, I just felt… off. Like I was having a headache and dizziness at the same time. I closed my eyes, and then next thing I know, I'm in the middle of the Capital in broad daylight. There, ya happy?"
As Garfiel nodded, both of Subaru's parents listened to that with intense interest.
As did a certain helmeted knight.
"Ah…" she sighed, her mind catching up with the time of day as her eyes turned to the moon above. "I didn't realize I was inside that 'loot house' for so long."
"Ohh!" Felt exclaimed in relation. "That must have been the day I robbed Big Sis!"
"Excuse me?" questioned Crusch.
"Uh, well, you see… she just mentioned the place I used to live at, and well… the only time she came there in our reality was when she demanded I return her insignia."
Priscilla scoffed. "So, you really are a gutter rat, after all."
"Priscilla-sama, I would greatly appreciate it if you did not insult Felt-sama."
The Vollachian Matriarch simply huffed, but that was enough for the Sword Saint. She wasn't about to argue with someone she knew with certainty she couldn't beat.
She held her chin in thought, searching her mind both for an explanation of her sudden change of circumstance as well as a plan moving forward. With a thoughtful hum, she relaxed her posture and lowered her head into a deep concentration. "Maybe the Spirits can tell me something?"
She closed her eyes…
Finding no success, she snapped herself out of her trance. "This is… strange," she murmured in defeat as her glance shifted about the street she stood upon. "This certainly isn't the Capital… no, I've never seen this type of architecture anywhere in Lugnica." She pressed her fingers against her lips as she walked down the street, making further mental note of her bizarre, alien surroundings.
"Why couldn't she call out to the Spirits?" Julius wondered, being a Spirit-user himself.
"Probably because our world doesn't have Spirits. Or mana," Subaru answered bluntly.
"WHAT?!" Felix yelled in astonishment. "Your world has nyo magic?!"
"But then… How did your people survive?!" asked a very confused Otto.
"We used our brains, and created amazing technology thanks to the discoveries we made, simple as that. If I'm being completely honest, in terms of technological achievements, you guys are hundreds of years behind my world."
A majority of the Cast was surprised at that statement, with a few of them feeling slightly offended that Subaru basically said that, compared to his world, they were undeveloped.
It was quiet, at least, maybe eerily so. For the moment, she was thankful that wherever in Lugunica she was right now, at least it wasn't crowded and noisy, giving her at least some breathing room to process all of… this. In fact… she couldn't spy a single soul on either length of the street. Sure, it was late, but even the Capital had the occasional night crawler or guard doing the rounds… and just what were these dragon-less carriages whizzing past her anyway?
Another one whirred past, so smoothly and without the crashing sound of a dragon's feet hitting the concrete the gentle gust of wind its passing generated ironically frightened her.
"Whoa! Cap'n the hell wuz that?!" Garfiel asked.
"That, my friend, is called a "car". They're like the carriages we use in your world, except, rather than a ground dragon, they're powered using something called an "engine", a device which, if I remember correctly, converts energy into motion, causing the car to move."
There were several "oohs" and "ahhs" at Subaru's explanation.
"Julius."
"I know, Anastasia-sama," the knight nodded, writing down everything he could.
"For all I know," She mused, "That girl could've transported me somewhere dangerous. Maybe it's best if I keep to myself."
She continued watching any points of interest as she passed, hoping to find some clue as to where she was. But…
"This writing… I don't understand it." She mumbled to herself, thinking aloud to keep her mind on track as she quizzically tried to make sense of these foreign symbols she assumed was written language. "Could it be that I've been sent to… hmm..." She held that thought a little longer as small details of certain buildings caught her attention. The oriental style of certain roofs, or the occasional decorative statue, it all seemed to match descriptions of –
"Kararagi?" She uttered in disbelief. "But that…Can't be possible. There's no way that little girl could've… not this far." She shook her head, pushing that possibility to the back of her head as she began to panic. "Oh…" she groans, the discomfort of her circumstances really starting to hit her, "Puck, where are you…"
"She hasn't figured out she's in another world yet," sighed Anastsia, as she face-palmed.
"Hey, a few minutes ago, most of you never knew there were worlds beyond your own, how would you react if this suddenly happened to you?" snapped Subaru, before saying, "Sorry, sorry. Had a trying day. Just a bit cranky."
Kenichi and Naoko looked surprised at their son's behavior with a bit of shock, but they kept quiet, as they believed he had more experience with that sort of thing.
Her pace quickens as the stress becomes clear in her quickened breath and the faint, worried murmurs escaping her lips. She presses her fingers to the gem above her chest again… and once again, no response. She tries it again, with more pressure, and again, and again, until finally she violently taps it with her fist – more to display her frustration than really damage the artifact, so it's a very weak and restrained strike.
"Puck! Please…!" She exclaims in a whispered voice. She takes several deep breaths, wordlessly telling herself to calm down and keep to rational thought. The last thing she needed was to make a scene of herself in an unfamiliar place where she couldn't know the people around her's intentions, much less their reaction to a crazy half-elf spouting inane nonsense in the middle of the street.
She settles on a meek whimper in the vain hopes someone just might be listening. "Please…Anyone, I don't want to be alone… I'm scared."
"Subaru-kun…" Rem asked. "Were you this afraid when you arrived in our world?"
"Hell no!" the black-haired boy answered. "I pretty much wasted my life back home, so I was actually pretty excited to be somewhere else! Eh, no offense, Mom and Dad."
"It's fine," Naoko spoke. "We know how this world helped with your self-confidence issues."
Yeah, no, it didn't help with that in the slightest, Subaru internally cringed, remembering all the times he was beaten down, kicked, called scum, abandoned, betrayed, even killed –
Right, focus on the show, Natsuki.
She straightened out her dress as she came to a crossing in the road, her vision of the street ahead somewhat blocked by a building at the corner. She could at least make out the sight of a short structure ahead filled with an unfamiliar, artificial light. Even looking at it from a distance was intimidating.
She stands at a pause, unsure what to do. "I can't contact Puck or any lesser Spirits, so there's no guarantee I can even use any magic to defend myself with, either." She ponders aloud, further cementing her weakened position. "It's not possible that the thief girl had the strength to sever my connection to the Spirits, so something else…"
Her thoughts trail off as she stops speaking them. After her outburst minutes prior, she's clearly had some time to calm herself as she crosses her arms in concentration. "Maybe someone else is the culprit of this? Perhaps the thief had a skilled magic user lying in wait to send me away, preventing me from giving chase should she run away. To use such potent teleportation magic, though…"
She loses herself in thought, again ruminating over what little information she has and the events that lead her here.
"That girl, the thief… she couldn't have been any older than a teenager. And she was just a petty thief from the slums… It doesn't make any sense that she would've been able to teleport me here. That kind of magic is far too ancient and obscure for someone like her to have learned it. Perhaps… the elderly giant? He seemed surprisingly intelligent, despite his thuggish appearance…"
"Oy, Cap'n," Garfiel asked, "Since this happened to ya, d'ya know who teleported ya?"
"I'm entitled to some secrets, Garf," he responded. In all honesty though, Subaru was wondering what this version of Satella was thinking, sending Emilia to Japan and all that.
However, he didn't notice that he received some glances from his parents, Ram, Anastasia, Priscilla, Al, Julius, and Roswaal. Hell, even Crusch and Reinhard, who technically didn't have their Divine Protections triggered, knew that Subaru was hiding something. Basically speaking, they came to the same conclusion:
He knows who brought him to this world.
The girl stays her tongue, catching herself out of guilt for so casually speaking ill of another. In truth, she remembers that old man to be quite amicable. She naturally recalls how close he kept his massive club, and his ready stance made it clear he was prepared for a fight at a moment's notice, but…
"They didn't seem like the types of people who would do bad things for the sake of it."
She wasn't what you would call "worldly", and very often castes, factions and other social norms and their subtle cues would go over her head. She wasn't ignorant to the average man's struggle, though, and nowhere had this been made more obvious to her than the slums she more and more preferred to this cold, concrete world.
"I don't hate that thief, or the old man protecting her… And maybe they didn't do this, but… I should've just listened to Roswaal."
"No! Nooo, bad idea!" Subaru said, waving his arms around.
"Subaru, he's the Margrave!" Reinhard said, shocked at his friend's exclamations.
"Trust me, I bet if we get the right story later, you'll be agreeing with me on this," the black-haired knight said. "Trust me, he's the scum of the earth."
The rest of the Emilia Camp, minus Ram, nodded their heads in agreement.
The other Camps, plus the older Natsukis, were all confused by the sentiment? The Emilia Camp didn't trust one of their members, and that member being Emilia's sponsor no less? Sure, Roswaal looked a bit odd, and the way he talked was weird…
But he certainly didn't seem that dangerous.
A figure turns the corner at the far end of the street. In a panic, the girl doesn't even immediately recognize them as human, and second by second she finds herself running out of time to consider her next move as they approach her.
As far as threatening elements go, this person doesn't seem like one. She notes his meek appearance and his gaze glued to the ground.
Forcing herself to act natural, the girl opts to put off social interaction for just a bit longer. She breaks into a power walk, dropping all fear of whatever might be around the next corner – whoever this person might be, they didn't seem to have trouble on the next street, so why should she be afraid? She positions herself on the opposite side of the sidewalk parallel to the stranger and holds her breath as the two pass by each other.
In the moment they pass, she takes many mental notes. His clothes are peculiar – they seem refined and clean, not a set of rags like those worn by a commoner by any stretch of the imagination, and made of a material she hadn't seen before. His black hair, too, though unkempt, was clean and deliberate. In his free hand not stuffed in his pocket, he carried a small bag made of another material she wasn't familiar with. His eyes, though she couldn't get a good luck at them, were wide and scary looking from this angle.
That was about all the information she could gather in the instant, and in all her staring in the moment it did seem like the boy's gaze shifted upon her as she watched him from the corner of her eye so maybe she should stop looki-
"Hey, ah –"
He suddenly stopped and spoke out to her from behind, and in reflex the girl froze up on the spot, her breath hitching in her throat.
"I really like your cosplay."
"I KNEW IT!" Subaru shouted to the heavens. "I knew this was the day that I got summoned!"
"So, in this reality, Emilia-sama got summoned to Subaru-sama's world, rather than the other way around," analyzed Frederica. "What a fascinating twist."
"Sounds like some crap outta a romance novel," Garfiel huffed.
"Hush, you."
Suddenly, the screen went dark.
"Hey, is it malfunctioning?" asked Tivey, when suddenly, they all heard noises.
"Is that music?" questioned Beatrice.
Opening Theme: Bursty Greedy Spider
Subaru is seen rising from the floor of the screen, as if time itself was reversing a fall, all while blood seems to be returning from a wound on his chest.
"What the heck is this?!" Petra asked, horrified.
"I-is that…?" Kenichi tried to speak, but his windpipe closed on him.
"Subaru…" Naoko whispered in fear.
While everyone else was shocked and horrified, Subaru was the one who was the most afraid. To him, that seemed like a dead give-away of what Return by Death was capable of.
As the wound closes and all the blood disappears, Subaru turns to look at the camera, with a look of determination, before turning and punching it.
The scene scrolls past all the various members of the different Camps, showing them all in heroic light, albeit in still action shots.
"Hey, hey! That's all of us!" pointed Mimi, happy to see her and all her friends on-screen.
Hey, yeah, all of us are there, Subaru realized. Heck, I can even see Hetaro, Anneerose, Clind, Ryuzu, and a couple of other dudes…
The next scroller shows a rogues gallery worth of villains, from Sin Archbishops, to actual Witches, all with a platinum-haired loli laughing maniacally in the center.
"Teacher…" whispered Roswaal, under his breath, while also seeing the Warlock of Melancholy that beat him to a pulp that day.
"Mother…"
"Wait, that's Sloth!" Julius realized, pointing to the green-haired man.
"Then that means that the rest of them…"
"... are Witch Cultists," Rem finished Reinhard's sentence, while glaring at the screen.
Pandora, Al growled in her mind, as he saw that bitch, laughing.
The third image is of three individuals: A red-haired man wearing an eyepatch, a large blue dragon, and a brown-haired woman wearing a bikini and hotpants.
Tales from the Multiverse
"Oh, so it's an introduction!" Subaru announced to the rest of the cast, as he realized that this was basically just an anime opening. Turning over to the cast, he explained, "Basically, it's showing us a sample of what's to come, while letting us know what we're watching."
The rest of the cast seemed to calm down when they understood the explanation, as they now tried to see as much as possible, to see where certain events or characters would show up in the future, all while enjoying the music.
As the title faded, seven different Subarus are seen dancing around like idiots.
"Aww, they look so cute!" cooed Petra.
"Seven Barusus? Please kill me now," Ram hissed in disgust.
"Sister, Rem must agree with Subaru-kun! They look so cute!"
"Oh come on, nee-sama, it's not that bad!"
Ram, despite wanting to insult Subaru, couldn't bring herself to verbally ruin her sister's happiness, not after she just got her back.
"Why does that one have white hair?" asked Meili.
The introduction continued, showing a flaming capital in the background, all the while there was a dead Subaru lying on the ground, impaled by an ice spear, with an insane smile. Emilia and Reinhard can be seen looking over the dead body.
Then, it shows Garfiel, Julius, Wilhelm, Priscilla, Felt and Beatrice, all of their backs to each other, as they're ready to fight off an army of Witch Cultists, which seemed to be led by multiple Sin Archbishops, most prominently a woman in bandages with silver hair.
"That's a lot of Sin Archbishops…" Petra whispered, slightly intimidated.
"I could take 'em on ma own," Garfiel grumbled.
"I don't know, they'd prolly mop the floor with ye," Ricardo awkwardly chuckled.
Subaru, in his school uniform, hugs his parents and then runs off, waving them good-bye, as the screen splits into four windows with four individuals: A woman covered by shadows, a black-and-white lady, a melancholic clown, and a platinum-haired loli.
"Subaru…" Naoko whispers, seeing a reality where her boy is still with her.
The nasty-eyed boy gulps, as he recognizes the first two women: Satella and Echidna.
Roswaal and Beatrice widen their eyes as they recognize Echidna and Hector.
Emilia scowls as she remembers Echidna and Pandora.
The screen then focuses on Priscilla, as it slides to also show Al, a young blonde girl, Rem and Subaru in different clothes, and a certain Vollachian Emperor.
The Vollachina matriarch scowls as she remembers her half-brother.
"Subaru meets Vincent?" asks Julius, unsure how someone like Subaru would be able to be in the presence of someone like the Emperor of Vollachia.
"Who the fuck is Vincent?"
The camera spins to reveal a large blue dragon, and a silver-haired half-elf facing each other in a room that appears almost as if it were made of clouds.
"The Divine Dragon…" Wilhelm whispers under his breath.
Crusch couldn't help but glare at the Dragon.
Then, it shows a green-haired woman of elven descent, as she faces away multiple members of different Camps, looking sad.
And then, it cuts to a smiling boy with blue hair, and a little girl with black hair, while the two of them are embraced by their parents, a man with black hair in a ponytail, and a woman in a kimono with long blue hair.
"Why do those children look so familiar?" Rem asked.
"Yeah, they look like a cross between Rem and me…" Subaru agreed. Somehow, he couldn't guess the obvious answer.
Rem, on the other hand, was currently gushing.
And now, Ram wanted to commit murder.
The white-haired woman on a grassy hill next to a table with tea speaks to the audience.
Then, the lady covered in shadows, as the blue sky behind her, speaks.
And finally, the platinum-haired loli, who striked the sky with a smug smile.
"Does anyone know what they said?" Ricardo asked.
"I think they were just the lyrics of this song," Tivey suggested.
The screen shows multiple different fight scene, including one where Garfeil attacks Hector, the Divine Dragon destroying the White Whale, Zarestia using her winds against Capella, Crusch fighting Groovy Gumlet, a younger Wilhelm slaying dozens of demi-humans, Priscilla taking on members of different Camps, Julius fighting Elsa, and one of Celilus and Puck fighting against Reinhard, among others.
"HOLY SHIT, THAT'S AWESOME!"
"Garf! Language!" Frederica hissed towards her younger brother.
"You're getting your butt whooped, Garf," Otto chuckled.
Oh, they're gonna find out about Mama… Meili gulped in fear.
"Am I fighting the Bowel Hunter?"
Everyone watched the following shots with enthusiasm, getting their blood pumping, and excited to see what adventures await their counterparts.
The next scene is a continuous shot, showing a black-robed Subaru fighting against Pandora, launching a shadow tendril in an attempt to impale her, only to have her vanish and appear right behind him, ready to chop his neck. Subaru dodges, and launches a plume of balck fire towards her, continuing the fight, as the Subaru looks at her with intense rage in his eyes, while she looks at him with an expression of "love".
"Subaru?!" Emilia exclaimed in shock.
"When did you learn to do that?" Felt yells in shock.
"If I knew how to do that, don't think I would have used that by now?!"
As everyone else hears the black-haired boy defend himself, Wilhelm wonders why this Subaru is attacking the woman, and why he looks so full of rage. He wonders briefly if it was similar to his own old rage towards the White Whale, but quickly suppresses that thought.
The next scenes are various still images, as the music and lyrics keep playing, staring with Zarestia and Halibel, then a shot of Kenichi and Naoko, followed by Theresia van Asterea in a realm of shadows, Reid Astrea relaxing with Volcanica, Vincent and Cecilus, a younger Emilia who is crying, an attacking Elsa and Meili, Fortuna and a sane Geuse defending Elior Forest, and an image of Shaula, tapping her foot.
"Hmm… it appears that they're giving us a preview of the possible stories we could see with these still images…" Crusch hummed, analyzing the screenshots.
"Who was the redhead?"
"That was Reid Astrea, I believe," Beatrice answered to Petra.
"THE Reid Astrea?!" Felix yolwed.
"Who's "the" Reid Astrea?" Kenichi asked.
"My ancestor, the first Sword Saint," Reinhard explained. "I will be happy to explain in more detail later."
Then, the next scene is of the seven Subarus, all of them charging into battle, each of them showing their individuality, all lead by… the original.
"This series seems to focus a lot on that foolish boy…" Priscilla murmurs.
"For once, I agree with you," the nasty-eyed knight said. "It's getting kinda creepy."
As the camera zooms out of the scene, it reveals thousands of scenes, all of them playing at the same time, all of them… possible realities, waiting to be seen.
"Are those all… possible realities?" Naoko asked.
"So many stories…" the Sword Demon says.
… And all of them for our viewing pleasure, Roswaal smiled.
The scenes become a light brown in color, as it's revealed that the camera is zooming out of Subaru's eye, revealing that he's bleeding and wounded, but still smiling with his classic maniacal smile, and ready to keep on fighting.
"Why does Barusu seem to be the focus in this opening?"
"Maybe he's the main character?" Otto suggested to Ram.
Yeah, right, Subaru groaned. I'm a nobody. No way in hell I'm the protagonist.
Episode 1:
Starting Life In Japan
"Oh, I guess that's the episode's title," Al surmised.
"Aaand… we're back," Subaru said, as the screen returned to normal.
"So… let me get this straight. You must have been in an epic battle against an evil wizard or something along those lines, right? If they went out of their way to teleport you to an alternate world, you must have been winning… so I bet you're incredibly strong, right?"
Emilia shakes her head. "Nothing so dramatic, Subaru. As I said, something very important was stolen from me. I had tracked the thief to her hideout, but, well…"
She trails off, going silent long enough for Subaru to squeeze in a sarcastic remark. "That still seems pretty dramatic to me! I guess the standard is different in medieval fantasy, huh… so, after that…?"
"I don't know what happened next. I blinked, and suddenly I was here," she shrugs. "To be honest…"
"How did you go from guessing she was wearing cosplay to figuring out she came from another world?" the Natsuki patriarch asked his son.
"It probably skipped that part during the intro," the black-haired knight answered. "I mean, judging by this, this is supposed to be like a TV show, so I figure they edited it like that."
"And who would "they" be?" his mother asked.
"The Warden, probably. Or whoever is filming all of this stuff for him."
"Film?" Petra asked quizzically.
"It's a process used for recording something, mainly with visuals, and sometimes audio. You know how people record historical events in books? Well, imagine a machine that kind of acts as the eyes of a person, where, rather than write what they saw down, keeps a memory of what is seen, and it can be brought up for other people to watch it at any time."
"That's amazing!"
Subaru scratches his head and directs his eyes to the sidewalk in thought. "It's a little unorthodox as far as this kind of story goes," he mumbles to himself, "But I don't see how it's so out of the question… Well, besides the obvious…"
Emilia watches him ponder, her long list of questions growing by the second.
"Wait a minute, am I insane for even thinking this in the first place? There's no way this is real…"
He turns to look at the girl sitting beside him once again, as if to ensure his eyes aren't deceiving him.
"It is a little too convincing to just be a simple act…"
"Oh, now he thinks," Al coughed.
"Shut up, bucket head, you would have had the same reaction."
"Aight, fair enough."
"Hey, listen, Subaru." She interrupts his thoughts and, becoming aware of her quivering lips, fakes a cough in an effort to hide her weakness.
"?"
"You've said some very strange things, but I feel like I'm starting to gain some understanding of it."
This place so far removed from her own, with such fantastical technologies she couldn't even begin to comprehend and a writing system that had no resemblance at all to the systems so ingrained into Lugunican text.
Emilia looks to Subaru with wide, pleading eyes, shifting the conversation to him and his hesitancy to give a clear answer. Even after mulling things over it's clear Emilia's conundrum isn't a question he can easily answer. He doesn't seem to be ignorant to the fear and worry that's begun to take over Emilia as he speaks matter-of-factly, without the excitement and over-the-top bravado that was present in his mannerisms moments prior.
"Okay, Emilia, I'm not really sure how to say this – this is kind of a first for me, too. I-I mean your situation! Not the fact I'm speaking to a girl –"
"Are you sure about that?" Ram asked, with a smirk.
"Hey, I've talked to women before I met Emilia-tan!"
"Not counting your mother…?"
"Yeah, when I was a kid!"
"Recently…?"
"...Dammit."
"Thought so, Barusu."
He cuts himself off, scolding himself internally for his loose tongue. "Look, Emilia."
The girl's eyes widen further as she prays for an explanation – no, a solution to her predicament.
"In this world, we have this genre of stories called 'isekai'…"
Emilia couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Oh, I guess we're hearing this from Emilia-sama's perspective…" Frederica mused.
"Yeah, the narration is definitely doing a good job of that," the half-elf's knight said. "It's probably gonna flip through a bunch of people's perspectives throughout the entire series."
"That sounds like something a stalker would do," Felt griped.
So, if this man, Subaru was to be believed, Emilia had been moved to… a completely different reality? Her brain hurt just trying to wrap her head around the concept. She wasn't a scientist by any means, but all research into the known world she had ever read about only ever operated in three-dimensional space.
You can walk forward, backwards, you can jump – or if you're a very good magician, even fly. To put it in easy to understand terms, the world is like a giant box; you can move anywhere you want in that box, or build towns and cities, make friends, have a life, a family, and aspirations… it's all contained within that box.
I mean, obviously, right? That's just what happens, that's how the world works. It's so obvious that the fact Emilia had to even actively think about such a second-nature law of space and time made her feel she was losing her mind. But what Subaru was saying…
"… So, you were just in that giant box…"
Subaru is using two small objects he fished out of the little bag he was carrying to use as a visual aid. According to him, they're containers with food inside them. He places his finger atop a tall cup as a representation of Emilia, then slowly moves towards the small bag that makes an unpleasant crinkling sound as he prods it.
"And, somehow… You've been moved to a completely different box."
"That's a very simple way of putting it," huffed Priscilla. "Fitting for a simple girl."
At that Subaru turned around and gave Priscilla a death glare. "Oh, I'm sorry? Did you want an in-depth analysis on metaphysics? Even if you could comprehend it, which I doubt given what world you're from, do you think every average joe would just have a book on multiversal theory on them? No? Didn't think so. So shut up, and watch."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... Damn, Cap'n," The blond demi-human coughed, breaking the silence.
"He must be reeeaaally cranky," Mimi whispered to her brother.
Subaru initially described it as a 'fourth dimension', but it was such an alien concept he had to fall back on this simplified explanation. With the visual aid, Emilia finds herself understanding the concept at least, but she can't even begin to fathom how this could be a reality.
To say nothing of the despair she felt building in her heart.
Of course she couldn't expect Subaru to understand her life story, (even without the inevitable cultural barriers) so she forces that lump in her throat down for just a little longer.
She stares at the boy's hand for a long, thoughtful pause. She feels her heart rate rise in terror of believing this reality, and she struggles to keep herself from hyperventilating. She looks at Subaru, moisture welling up in her violet eyes.
"So… You think this is what happened to me?"
Frankly, Emilia wasn't aware of the sheer emotion in her voice. In her eyes was a plea, either for Subaru to tell her that her situation wasn't quite so dire or a solution to this problem. Subaru is clearly taken aback and not used to his words having so much weight on another person's feelings, so he tries his best to soften the blow.
"Honestly… I don't know, this is just my theory based on the stories I've read that are similar to your situation, Emilia. I've never heard of a place called 'Lugunica' before, and we don't have elves or half elves or any other non-human races in this world, so… It's the most logical conclusion I can come to."
"Wait a minute…" Emilia said before turning to her knight, "Subaru, why did you never tell us you were from another world!?"
Everyone, especially from the Emilia Camp, realized that, until now, Subaru never disclosed his origin.
"Well, to be fair, no one here had any concept of a world beyond your own, not the whole "beyond the Great Waterfall" thing, so I guess you wouldn't have believed me," Subaru explained, while also keeping the true reasons to himself.
Everyone could kind of see where Subaru was coming from, and even if he told someone like Reinhard or Crusch, he may still receive doubt. However, some couldn't help but feel there was more than what Subaru was telling them.
"Oh."
Well, that must settle it, right? By the sounds of things, this 'world' (going off the assumption Emilia was indeed in a parallel universe) is so foreign and removed from such common concepts that Emilia was used to, she is at least far out of reach of lands she's familiar with. "This is…"
She can't even finish a sentence as the implications flood her mind.
She rests her hand on the concrete wall she's sat upon and feels its coarse texture against her palm. It's an unpleasant, cold material to run her fingers against… And very real. She looks into Subaru's eyes, and sees the genuine concern in them.
The time spent deliberating reminds her of something: she really, really wants to cry right now. She curses so many things at once; she curses that thief for luring her into a trap, she curses whoever it was that sent her here, she even curses this boy for ripping off the band-aid and telling her how piss-poor her circumstances are.
She takes a deep breath. What could she do?
"This must be how fish out of water feel." She exhales, and turns to her new companion. "What do you think I should do, Natsuki Subaru?"
"Well –"
Emilia's question gives Subaru pause. He looks away from her to consider the girl's options. Speaking frankly, her chances aren't great. Any currency she might be carrying on her person will be worthless in modern day Japan, she can't read the local language, anywhere she goes she's going to look out of place, and worst case scenario she could become a subject of international intrigue as scientists everywhere look to study her and her peculiarities. Coming to a decision, Subaru turns to face Emilia again.
"Well, tha's a grim way o' putin' it!" Ricardo yelped.
"To be honest, you might have been worse off if you arrived there," Subaru said. "Frankly speaking, Emilia-tan would be able to pass as a human. Plus, you're visibly armed."
"Fair enough."
"What about me, Cap'n?"
"Figure out how to talk like the locals, and don't show off anything that relates to your demi-human heritage, and you might have a shot at a normal life."
"Want to come and live with me and my family?"
"No matter what world, your kindness always shines through, Subaru-kun."
"Awww, thanks, Rem," Subaru smiled.
The boy in question rummages through his pocket and fishes out a small, peculiar looking device. Even stranger, it changes shape as he 'flicks' it forward and a glass screen of sorts lights up!
"Uhm, Subaru… What's that?" Emilia absent-mindedly asks.
"Ah, this –" he clears his throat, indicating his explanation will be fraught with embellishment. "This is an incredible device that allows me to communicate with people far, far away! It even has secondary functions, like making sure I wake up on time, and a built-in light source! It's called a 'cell phone,' the pinnacle of modern technology and convenience!"
"Hey, isn't that the metia you tried to sell me?" Felt aksed.
"It also happens to be the metia that revealed the location of the White Whale," Crusch said.
"Jus' how many things can yer little device do, Natsuki-kun?" Anastasia asked, intrigued.
"Heh, heh, heh…" Subaru chuckled at his talent for bullshitting. "Ya want that in alphabetical or chronological order? Kidding, kidding, stop staring at me like that."
Emilia breathes a 'wow' at the sight of such a compact, but apparently powerful device.
"Hey, Subaru."
"What's up?"
"I haven't been able to contact any Spirits or sense any mana in the air since I arrived here. Do… you think something bad could've happened when I got transported here?"
"So there is magic in your world, Emilia-tan! Incredible." Subaru scratches his head. "Oh, er… I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're pretty boring here on Earth, so magic doesn't exist."
"Oh." Emilia mutters in disappointment. So that's the name of this place? 'Earth.' Subaru mentioned another place earlier, as well: 'Japan.'
"Okay, so, just to make sure everyone is on the same page, the world is called 'Earth', and the country I lived in is called 'Japan'," Subaru exapied to everyone.
"Ohhh…" Tivey said, in realization.
"Did you really get any of that?" Mimi asked.
"Wait…'Tan'?"
Subaru waves a hand dismissively. "Ah, just trying it out. I've never been able to give a girl a cute nickname… What do you think? It totally fits your gorgeous visage!"
"Sorry, I'm not sure I understood what you just said entirely, Subaru, but if you like the nickname I'll trust that it's not something rude or demeaning."
"I'll accept that reaction!" Pleased with himself, Subaru turns his eyes back to his 'cell phone.' Emilia watches as he presses several different buttons, which seems to manipulate what the glass screen is displaying. The girl finds herself asking several questions to herself, but opts to save them for later.
"Alright, Emilia-tan, I'm just gonna let my parents know that we're… on… our…" Subaru trails off, his tone dropping as he seemingly comes to an unpleasant realization. "Wait… Wait…"
"…?"
"I just remembered, how the hell am I gonna explain this to my parents!?"
Emilia tilts her head at Subaru's exclamation. "Well… We can tell them the truth, right?"
That suggestion gives Subaru's newfound hysterics pause. "Ah, Emilia-tan, just how pure-hearted are you? Evidently enough to calm my anxious heart and soul…"
"Subaru."
"Sorry, never mind." Subaru holds his chin in thought and shakes his head. "Much as I trust mom and dad, I think the 'girl from a fantasy world' revelation should come later… I mean, I'm just trying to figure out how suddenly coming home with a beautiful woman in tow won't arouse suspicion…"
"I mean, given the run-down you gave us earlier, we might have believed you if this happened," Kenichi said.
"You think?" Subaru looked at his father, doubting himself.
The 'beautiful woman' comment flying over Emilia's head, she gives Subaru a quizzical look. "Is my sort of situation quite rare?"
"I'm pretty sure this is the first time this situation has ever come up in the history of… ever, Emilia-tan."
"And yet, somehow the reverse situation has happened to us, not once, but three times!"
"Excuse me?" Anastasia asked Al. "I mean, I know you an' Subaru, but…"
"Oh, please! Do you really think the great "Hoshin of the Wastes" was really a genius? Come on, you literally saw some of the "Kararagian" things right there in the episode, didn't you?"
The purple-haired merchant remained silently stunned at such a revelation, her mind going a million miles per hour, as did many of the other members within the audience.
The implication that her idol was from another world, and all of his amazing "inventions" were just copied from where he lived… that was a lot for her to take in.
She decided that she could have her brain melt at the implications later. After all, there was still a lot of new information coming from this, and she wanted some for herself.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, she thought, before returning to the viewing.
"Still," Emilia presses her point, "If they're your parents, they should understand, right?"
"Emilia, my parents ask questions when I eat a different flavor of instant ramen." Subaru remarks, "I'm pretty sure they'd launch a police investigation if we walked through the door, hand in hand –" A devilish grin takes over the lower half of his face. "- although… I heard that in Las Vegas, spur-of-the-moment marriages are a thing…"
"Subaru," Naoko spoke to her son, in that certain tone.
"I'll behave myself."
"Good."
"Sorry, I don't know what a 'Las Vegas' is, but you said we're in a place called Japan, right?" Intentionally or not, Emilia sidesteps the implication of Subaru's words, her polite and dainty attitude maintained through the sheer viciousness of the act.
"Shot down in flames!?" Subaru plays it off comically, even recoiling dramatically for extra effect.
"Subaru."
At Emilia's one-word request to keep the conversation on track, he relaxes. "Right, right. I'm thinking, I'm thinking… Alright, I think I've got an idea."
Subaru turns his eyes to his cell phone and manipulates the screen again. Watching curiously, Emilia sees that strange writing again: So, it is a written language after all? And Subaru seems to understand it…Yet they both spoke the same tongue more or less word for word, Emilia's outdated phrases notwithstanding.
"Wait, if the meeting at the Loot House was your first day in our world, then… how did you know our written language already?" the silver-haired half-elf asked.
"Oh… maybe I'm just a quick learner?"
Meanwhile, Crusch looked at him inquisitively. He dodged the question…
Subaru brings the cell phone to his ear, prompting a tilt of the head from Emilia in question.
"Hey, mom."
And then he suddenly starts talking! Confused, Emilia reactively responds. "Uh, Subaru – I'm not your –"
She's cut off as Subaru turns his head to her and presses his finger to his lips in a 'shh' expression. He points to the device in his hand, pressed against his ear. "Yeah, yeah, just on my way home now. Yeah, I'm fine…"
So this is what he meant by 'communicate with people far away'? It's a lot more literal than I was expecting!
"Yeah, so, I was calling because –" Subaru pauses, silently asking himself if this is truly the approach he wants to go with, "- My friend from overseas is visiting, and she sorta arrived a day early before check-in… Can she spend the night with us? Yes, I said 'she!' C'mon, don't make this weird… Well, I'll sleep on the couch, obviously… Her Japanese is good! Fluent, actually… We met in one of my online games… I guess I forgot to mention it earlier… She's not my girlfriend –!"
"BAHAHAHAHA!" At that, everyone started laughing, with Garfiel taking the lead.
"All of you, shut up!" Subaru said, his face as red as a tomato. "This isn't funny!"
"You're right, Onii-chan…" Meili smiled. "It's hilarious!"
"You're all a bunch of back-stabbers!"
Meanwhile, Kenichi and Naoko were chuckling at the situation, while Emilia was blushing at the idea of being in a relationship with Subaru. After all, something like that could eventually lead to marriage, and then babies –
The half-elf shook her head furiously. NO! Snap out of it!
Emilia held her gaze to the ground as she weathered the storm.
Emilia found this area to at least be somewhat less overwhelming than the main street she had been following in most of her time in this new world. It was something Subaru called a 'suburb,' and consisted of many houses clustered together in an otherwise quiet residential area. Interestingly, Emilia drew many similarities in the structure of such an environment to the slums she had been exploring just an hour or so prior. Certainly this place was much cleaner, but the unsettling quietness and comparatively shabby nature to the rest of this city remained consistent with large settlements in her own world.
"Everything looks so… clean…" Julius mused.
"I mean, yeah?" the nasty-eyed knight said. "We're hundreds of years ahead of all of you, so we're bound to be more presentable."
"Subaru… do you see us backwards savages?" Crusch asked, worryingly.
"Uh… Honestly… I wouldn't be surprised if SOMEONE saw you guys as backwards savages –"
"Subaru!" Naoko chided her son. "These are your friends!"
"Right, sorry."
"No, it's fine, Naoko-san. I wanted to know the answer," the green-haired woman smiled.
Even in a completely different world, people are the same, is the thought that runs through her mind.
"Alright, my house is just up ahead." So Subaru said, with a tone as if he were almost warning Emilia. "Alright, Emilia, let's go over the plan again."
Subaru suddenly comes to a stop and casually beckons the elf-eared girl, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. Emilia holds her chin as she ponders, running the boy's instructions through her head one more time.
"I've just got to 'act natural', as you said." She nods her head, "So no talking about magic… or dragons… or complicated monarchy systems. Oh, and –!"
Emilia places a hand atop her head and, after fumbling around for a few seconds, manages to undo her pretty braid, the now loose hair falling into place. After taking some time to mess up her beautifully styled hair, she's able to cover up her pointed ears with silver locks. Emilia lets out a faint sigh as she runs her fingers against her newly plain style and pouts angrily.
"Just so you know, someone very important to me styled my hair today, so he'd be very unhappy that you convinced me to ruin their handiwork!"
"Wait –" Subaru suddenly turns his head to the side to hide a distressed expression, "- a… boyfriend?"
"Huh? No…Not a boyfriend– Wait, why did you ask?"
"Barusu, stop being so lecherous."
"Well, I'm sorry that I'm such an insecure piece of shit, Ram!" he said, sarcastically.
"Ah, so you admit it."
"This coming from the maid who's pining for the clown who tried to kill us all – Eep!"
"Not. Another. Word."
Maybe it's best that they don't know I heard all of that, Reinhard quietly thought, before noting to look into Roswaal.
Shaking his head, Subaru returns to the task at hand, a faint sigh of relief escaping his throat. "Nah, never mind. So, we're explaining away your admittedly awesome fantasy outfit as being a cosplay –"
"Mm," Emilia interjects with a brusque hum, "I've been meaning to ask… what does that word mean?"
"Heh… don't worry about it, remind me to show you later."
"Hey, yeah, what does that word mean?" Otto asked.
"True, you have mentioned it twice now," Frederica agreed.
"It's the act of dressing up as fictional characters," Subaru quickly explained. "It can range anywhere from princesses, to knights, aliens, robots, heroes, villains, to even catgirls."
"Nya? Catgirls?"
"No, we're not gonna discuss that."
Incidentally, the two had been standing before the front door to his home for a good thirty seconds now.
"Is… this your house, Subaru?"
It's a humble one storey abode, with a small but well kept garden leading to the entrance. Sidled up against the wall is yet another strange contraption Emilia doesn't have a word for…It seems to be another form of vehicle, with two wheels and a seat. Yet another oddity of this world that the girl adds to the list of things to ask about… at first glance however, she does wonder how the thing can stay upright on only two wheels.
"What is thyat contraption, nya?"
"It's a bike, Felix. They're like cars, except there's no engine. The person has to keep pedaling in order to keep moving. It's a great way to both move around and stay healthy."
"Julius-kun, write that down."
"Of course, Anastasia-sama."
The boy takes a deep breath as his narrow eyes stare down the porch. "Yeah, it is. Well… here we go."
With another exhale to psyche himself up, Subaru slowly creaks open the front door. He carefully peaks through the crack in the door and, apparently satisfied, takes a step into the landing. After slipping off his trainers and setting them at the genkan (and motioning for Emilia to do the same with her long boots) he takes a step into his home proper.
Emilia was just slipping out of her footwear when Subaru turns the corner at the end of the corridor –
"CONGRATULATIONS, SON OF MINE!"
– and in an instant, a taller, more muscular version of the young boy dashed down the hallway and tackled his son to the ground.
As the rest of the Cast laughed at that, Subaru groaned into his hands.
"Goddammit, Dad."
"Hey, it's a father's duty to embarrass his son!" the older Natsuki smiled.
Reinhard overheard what the elder Natsuki said as everyone else laughed, and a small part of him was jealous that his friend has such an amazing father.
Emilia was still in a state of mild shock at watching poor Subaru's comparatively small frame wrought into submission. Kenichi's apparently playful and yet thoroughly brutal look at violence only seemed to extend towards his son, at least, as he was more than cordial when inviting Emilia into his home… Even if he seemed to share a similar look of disbelief that's been present on Subaru's face numerous times.
There was just no end to the unfamiliar objects and mind boggling technologies present in such an apparently mediocre home.
The 'television', for example. After the initial shock wore off when Kenichi activated the device, Emilia had to physically restrain herself from jumping at the sight of it. There were people trapped inside this glass screen! What's more, they didn't seem to realize, and she was just peering into their activities and conversations!
"HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT THING WORK?!" Garfiel asked, freaking out.
"It's a device that transmits visual images and sounds via a broadcast. And no, there are no people trapped in there. It's just a recording. Think of the communication metias we have, but mostly used for information and entertainment purposes," Subaru explained.
"You live in a world where they make miracles like these everyday…" Roswaal gaped.
"I'm pretty sure that we could pull something like that off…"
"And I'm very interested in such a proposal, Natsuki-kun!" Anastasia playfully smiled.
"Sure, as long as I get to produce the shows! I already have so many ideas!"
"I will be ready for my brain to die, Barusu."
And of course, she had to 'act natural' as Subaru put it, and feign normalcy at all of this.
"Here you go, Emilia."
Emilia takes a sharp breath in shock at the ironically gentle voice of Naoko, the woman in question offering her a cup and saucer of pleasantly scented tea.
"Ah… thank you, Natsuki-san."
As the half-elf sheepishly takes the cup and saucer, Naoko shakes her head, her gentle smile never faltering. "There's no need for formalities, just Naoko is fine."
"Your mother has an aura that exudes "safety", Subaru," Reinhard said.
"Clearly, you've never seen her when she gets pissed."
Kenichi nodded, as the cast members who were sitting next to or around the Natsuki family shuddered at the memory of Naoko telling her son to behave after the whole "Las Vegas" joke, whatever the hell a "Las Vegas" was.
Setting the tea set on her lap to wait for it to cool, Emilia returns the smile. "I'm really grateful for how welcoming you've been, I know this is all so sudden…"
"It's no trouble at all," Naoko responds, "It's lovely to meet you… to be honest, neither of us even knew that Subaru had such a close friend."
She cautiously takes a sip of tea just barely cool enough not to scald her tongue as she considers her words. "Does Subaru not tell you about his friends very often?"
The question gives Naoko pause, enough so that her smile wavers and her gaze trails off as she spends a moment of her own in thought.
"I'm sorry," Emilia attempts to retract herself, "If it's not a good question…"
"No, no, it's okay." Naoko's lips curl into a smile once more, "Thank you for being such a good friend to my son."
"Subaru, did you have any friends back home?" Julius asked.
"AHAHAHA – Nope."
It was dead quiet for a good few seconds as everyone was saddened by what the young knight said. But soon after that, a bunch of the Emilia Camp scooted closer to Subaru, with Emilia saying, "Don't worry about that anymore, Subaru. We're your friends now. Even me!"
"Thanks, Emilia-tan," Subaru smiled, before he realized something.
Wait a minute, did she just friend-zone me?!
Emilia feels her heart waver momentarily. Pushing that pang of guilt to the side for the moment, Emilia smiles at a loss for words. She absent-mindedly runs her fingers through her hair, both out of nervous reflex and also to make sure her pointed ears remain concealed.
"Do you like Japan, so far?"
"Mm!" Emilia hums, a sip of tea still in her mouth. She swallows it, clearing her throat to buy a precious second to formulate her next response. "It's so different from what I'm used to."
"I mean, she's technically correct, I suppose," Otto hummed.
"The best kind of correct!" Subaru pointed out.
"What?"
"It's a Futurama meme, you wouldn't get it."
"What th' fuck is a 'meme'?" Garfiel asked. He would never get an answer.
Naoko presses her fingers against her lips as she stifles a giggle. "A lot of visitors from overseas say the same thing, from what I gather. For all of that, though, your Japanese is just so good, Emilia. You sound so fluent when you speak!"
"Wait, are there other languages 'n yer world?" Anastasia asked.
"Yep! The most popular ones are English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, and Russian!"
"How many languages actually exist?"
"Uh… the number is around the thousands, I think?"
"Did the two of you meet in an online game?"
At such a baseless question, Emilia stammers her words. "Uh – online game–? Y-Yes! Yeah, we met there, a long time ago."
Tilting her head somewhat, Naoko nonetheless accepts the response. "The internet is incredible these days, isn't it? I'm glad Subaru has his own ways of meeting people –" She cuts herself off with a short laugh, "- even if I don't always understand it."
Internet? What? Just smile and nod, is the action she defaults to.
At the mention of the internet, Al starts singing, "The internet is for –"
"NOT ANOTHER WORD, AL."
"Y-Yeah, Subaru has been a really good friend to me," She expertly diverts the conversation down a path she can actually comment on, "I don't really have a lot of experience with friendships, but for as long as I've known Subaru he's been kind to me," Emilia half-lies.
"So!"
Natsuki Kenichi bellows into the open plan kitchen and living room from a separate room, the comparatively meek frame of Subaru in tow.
"I think I've bullied Subaru about his surprise friend, girls," He chuckles as Subaru slips past him, rolling his eyes. "Isn't that right?" He motions to his son rhetorically, earning another, exaggerated eye roll.
Snickering, Subaru's father takes a seat opposite the younger generation next to his wife. Emilia has… Several questions as to what the two had spent the last quarter of an hour talking and/or arguing about, but she opts to just play by the jovial mood and let out a quiet giggle of her own at Subaru's blushed complexion.
"Uhm – Natsuki-san – Er… Kenichi," Dropping the honorific, she averts her eyes around the room, "Your home is wonderful and friendly, and I'm so grateful for you all being so accommodating."
"Not at all!" The well-built man raises a finger in protest, "To have come all this way from America and be barred at check-in? It's the least we can do for such a close friend of Subaru's."
Kenichi tops it off with another mischievous look directed at his son, who does his best to ignore it and finally chime in on the conversation. "Emilia-tan, you must be exhausted, my room is –"
"Aha!" Kenichi intrudes, "You're a terrible liar, Subaru! Pet names? Tan?" He places a special, mocking emphasis on the choice of nickname.
"So, it really isn't just a Subaruism," Emilia realized.
"Yeah, now you know how I feel when Garf uses his slang."
Cringing, but avoiding a direct response, Subaru continues as he points to a connecting door. "My room's just there –"
"- And we'll make sure he doesn't sneak in during the night!" Naoko decides to chime in, showing her own devilish side that Emilia couldn't possibly have imagined based on first impressions.
Subaru holds his head in his hands, his arms just barely hiding the flush on his cheek liable to set his face on fire.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone laughed at the teen's misfortune.
"OH MY GOD, MOM!" Subaru yells in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure the other me couldn't help herself," Naoko chuckled.
A gentle knock on the door spurs Emilia out of her thoughts.
"Hey," Subaru cautiously peeks through the crack as he opens the door partway, "I brought some pajamas!" He slips into the room, holding the neatly folded nightwear in question. "They're uh – they're my mom's, but both you guys look to be about the same so… Maybe they'll fit?"
Emilia smiles in gratitude as he approaches, pulling a strange looking chair on wheels out from his desk to sit opposite the bed she was sat upon. "Your room looks really unique, Subaru."
Her eyes had already been wandering the past few minutes since she unceremoniously crept in here. At the various little figures lining the shelves, the bright, colorful posters across the wall depicting… Well, Emilia wasn't quite sure. Many of the characters plastered around the room were extravagantly dressed young women, with the occasional art of some… Giant machine that she didn't have a word for.
Somewhere amongst all of this foreign culture was a simple bedroom in a family home, and Emilia was at the center of it, stealing the master of the room's bed for the night. "That's… A kinder word than I expected for it." Subaru chuckles as he sets the hand-me-down pajamas next to Emilia before taking a seat. "Sorry about my parents, they're..."
"They're wonderful," Emilia interjects matter-of-factly.
Subaru arches an eyebrow. "Eh?"
"They've been so kind and accommodating to me, just like you. It's…A little strange, and I didn't like lying about some things, but I seldom meet people who treat me so-"
Emilia stays her tongue, a stop so sudden that an awkward pause follows it. Subaru ultimately shrugs his shoulders, figuring it's not worth pushing the subject as he casually leans back in his chair. "Well, I get that all this must be pretty weird to you, to say the least. I'm still trying to figure out what we should do in the long run…"
Emilia couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her counterpart. If the demi-humans don't exist in that world, then she wouldn't have to deal with any racism. No one would call her a Witch or spawn of the Witch. She could… be treated normally.
Oh, what Emilia would give to have that kind of life.
Emilia starts to feel her throat tighten, and a deep well of emotion begins to build up.
"I think I'll get some sleep now," She politely implies for her companion to leave her be, "Thank you for everything, Subaru."
"Ah, yeah, sorry." He stands up and, after slotting the chair on wheels back by his desk, makes for the exit. "Good night, Emilia."
And once he flicks the light switch off and that door shuts, Emilia is left with… silence.
"Is this where the story ends?" Petra asked, sadly.
"No, wait, the screen changed!" Meili said, pointing at said screen.
"Oh, they just did a scene change!" Subaru realized.
"Are there many sushi restaurants overseas, Emilia?"
"Sushi –?"
In her unpreparedness, that question spurs Emilia from her thoughts. "Uh… N-No, I don't think so. I've never had it before, anyway."
Naoko gives her a quizzical look as the three wait to be seated in an establishment so far removed from what Emilia expected from a restaurant.
"I guess it's the next day…" the purple-haired knight guessed.
"Of course it is!" Anastasia said. "I would be pretty borin' ta watch 'er sleep!"
"I guess that's fair…"
A young woman standing behind a counter near the entrance way that the three are seated in calls out, "Number 387!"
"Ah, that's us."
Naoko and Subaru stand up, with Subaru wordlessly motioning for Emilia to follow suite, his gaze pointed elsewhere.
What was happening now? Wanting to avoid making a scene of herself, however minor, Emilia complies and rises to her feet. She follows the attendant and both Natsukis through the restaurant, until they're presented with their table.
"Please enjoy." The attendant says with a smile, before tilting her upper half forward in a slight bow, not unlike the gesture Emilia often saw the twin maids perform.
The three take a seat, Subaru and Emilia on one side and Naoko by her lonesome opposite them.
Looking around the restaurant's setup, several things fall in line with Emilia's expectations: There are of course, other customers sat at other tables down the aisle, though its a sparse population, likely due to how early in the day it still is. With this in mind, it's a surprisingly quiet environment for such a public space, though the sounds of cooking and cutlery can still be heard coming from what can be assumed to be the kitchen.
One detail in particular catches Emilia's eye several times, or rather, it causes her to noticeably jump in reaction. Periodically, maybe every thirty seconds or so, a plate of food suddenly wooshes past her on some kind of conveyor system to one of the other tables!
Naoko doesn't seem to take notice at least, as she's busy gazing at some kind of device. "Mm… hm. Are you much of a fish person, Emilia?"
The older woman absent-mindedly asks as she runs her finger along the screen of the device, which on closer inspection Emilia comes to understand is a menu, just based on the pictures of food accompanying the illegible text.
"I don't think I've ever eaten fish before, hm… I lived very far away from any big bodies of water, so we never really got any seafood."
"Hold up, isn't the entire world just one big supercontinent?" Subaru asked.
"They have a few lakes and rivers," Al said. "Big enough to have islands in them."
"Oh, so you do know what fish are, cool."
"I really like vegetables, though. I think that's a safe bet for me."
Bearing this in mind, she opts to stick to what she knows with her suggestion. "Mhm, mhm, got it." Naoko elegantly taps the screen several times until she's satisfied with her selection, before teasing her son in her motherly way. "And I think I already know what you'd like, Subaru."
"…"
"Subaru?"
His gaze is fixated… somewhere, his eyes narrowed as he intently focuses on something neither Emilia nor Naoko can recognize as being out of the ordinary when they turn their heads the same direction.
"Barusu, what is your idiot counterpart doing?"
Unfortunately, Subaru was quiet. When some of the audience members looked towards them, he had the same look as his counterpart on-screen. Subaru was trying to figure out what his counterpart was staring at, because he knew exactly what that look was.
It was the look he had whenever shit was about to hit the fan.
Emilia gently rests her hand on his shoulder-
"Bwuh –!" He shakes himself out of his trance, giving both girls quite the shock. "Uh – Yeah, salmon I guess – S-sorry."
"Iz he alright, Natsuki-kun?" the purple-haired merchant asked. "He looks jumpy."
"Yeah, what's up, Big Bro?" Felt asked. "He looks like he just saw a ghost."
Subaru was quiet, but he did hear what Felt said.
"He looks like he just saw a ghost."
Where have I heard that before – OH, NO.
Shifting in his seat to properly face his mother, Subaru presses his palms against his eyelids to wake himself up. "Yeah, uh… pass the tablet here, Mom."
Taking the 'tablet,' he runs his finger along the screen and taps several times, before seemingly settling on a decision and handing it back.
Both girls look at him, concern in their eyes.
"Is everything okay?"
Naoko asks that, her eyebrows softening and any semblance of previous mockery evaporating from her tone.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I just thought… Thought someone was calling my name, was all."
Subaru rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Heh, I got kinda scared that someone from middle school was here and recognized me."
"Wha' th' hell iz middle school?" Ricardo asked.
"Oh, in my world, school is mandatory for all kids, and there are three types they put you in, depending on your age," Subaru quickly explained. "Elementary, middle, and high school."
"Education for all, huh? Hmm…" Felt whispered, the gears turning in her head, before she asked Subaru directly. "Could you tell me more about this education thing?"
"Oh right, I forgot you grew up on the streets."
"I'm sure they'd be very jealous of you, Subaru."
Accepting her son's A-okay, Naoko winks teasingly, a gesture Emilia fails to pick up on.
"Don't even go there, Mom. If I were taking a girl on a date, I wouldn't be taking my parents along as well."
The older woman presses the tips of her fingers to her lips, stifling a giggle. Emilia can only tilt her head, the word 'date' going completely over her head as she cocks a smile to play along with the jovial conversation.
"Well, now that I know the meaning of one, I guess that would be embarrassing," Emilia smiled.
Naoko gives the 'tablet' one last look over before, with a satisfied grin, makes one final tap and sets it back on the far end of the table. "There we go then, Conveyor Belt-san will deliver us an early lunch soon."
A few seconds of silence follow. Subaru's gaze once again trails off, his attention diverting to a place only he could see… At least, that was the explanation Emilia would go with.
"Is this your first time visiting Japan, Emilia?"
"Mm," The undercover half-elf nods in response to Naoko's question. "I've never been before, so a lot of things… Even this restaurant for example, are really strange and different to what I'm used to."
"Ah." Subaru's mother pauses for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "I imagine I would feel the same way about a lot of things in America."
Emilia simply nods, maintaining her neutrality.
Subaru continues to uncharacteristically stay silent.
"Do you like to visit lots of places abroad, Emilia?"
"N-no, no. This is my first time, I think."
"Well, I mean technically there are no oceans in this world, so she wouldn't be lying," Al said, flexing his knowledge of Earth as well.
"No one wants to hear you, helmeted creep," Beatrice hissed. "We prefer Betty's Subaru."
"Well, if you can't tell, he's busy staring off into space."
The next conversation already off to a rocky start, Emilia continues.
"I mean, I usually stayed at home where my father took care of me."
"Oh?"
Her answer seems to intrigue Naoko, who raises her eyebrows as if to silently ask further. When no further elaboration leaves Emilia's lips however, she simply nods.
Minutes pass.
Emilia's gaze wanders.
Subaru is still completely engrossed in something at the far end of the restaurant, but again as Emilia looks for it she only sees the staircase that the three entered the building from.
A little girl sat at a table opposite theirs is staring at her. Emilia awkwardly smiles, and the little girl smiles back, before tugging on what could be assumed to be her father's sleeve. "Dad, look how pretty that lady's hair is!"
The silver-haired half-elf blushed at what she heard. The only person who ever liked her hair, aside from Puck, was Subaru. Everyone else was afraid of her hair, due to it resembling Satella's. Perhaps Subaru's world was as accepting as him?
Emilia gently giggles to herself at the amazement from such a cute little girl, a compliment Naoko follows up on.
"Your hair is very beautiful, Emilia."
"Ah, ahaha... thank you. My father helps me with it usually, so it's very messy today now that he isn't around."
She once again checks to make sure her ears are covered as she speaks, a gesture that can be easily explained away as a simple nervous tick.
"It sounds like you get along really well with your parents."
"Mm," Emilia nods. "Well, it's just my father, really. I bet he's so worried about me, ahah…"
Naoko chuckles along, her eyes briefly turning to her son with a soft hint of sadness in them before she continues the conversation.
"That's good to hear, that just means he cares, after all."
Emilia hums in agreement and her thoughts trail off once again.
"Oh, hey, it's focusing on Natuski-san," Otto said.
"It's called a "camera", I suppose."
"Perhaps it's showing things from his perspective," Frederica said.
"-ove you."
"…?"
"What did that say?" Reinhard asked.
"Was it… shove?" Tivey asked.
"Ooh, ohh! Maybe it was a glove!" Mimi suggested.
However, Subaru's worst fear was just confirmed.
OH, FUCK ME IN THE ASS!
A new sensation tip-toed on the fringes of Natsuki Subaru's subconscious. He saw himself wandering an empty existence, a black mist rolling through and obscuring everything.
That was how he would've described it, anyway.
Maybe this was how he always felt?
Yeah… Maybe it isn't so new. Maybe this is… How every person feels, like, inside their head. I mean, I've only got myself as a reference. Pfft. How stupid can you get, Subaru Natsuki. Did you seriously just forget how to formulate your own thoughts?
"-Please- -ive me- -Love y-"
Someone is here. Can you hear that, Emilia-tan?
"Are there many sushi restaurants overseas, Emilia?"
"Sushi –?"
"Wait, didn't we hear that already?" Crusch asked.
"I believe it's showing us things from Subaru-dono's perspective," Wilhelm concluded.
Sushi? Oh, that's right. I'm buying sushi for everyone. I hope Emilia-tan likes it. I wonder what kind of food they have in an isekai fantasy world.
"-ov-y-u-lo-you-"
There's someone else here.
"I lo—u-"
Do you guys hear that?
"Su-ru-"
"S-baru-"
My name. Who's calling my name? Is it someone I know?
"I'm s-rry-"
God damn, what the hell is wrong with my ears… I kinda hope we don't find anything today.
"L-L-L-ove y-"
"Love?" Rem asked.
"Why are they saying it in my voice?" Emilia asked.
"While it is true that the voices are similar, theirs sounds more… lifeless."
Someone is here. Who are they? Is it someone I know? God, I hope it isn't.
"-ease forg-me-"
Oh, we're walking again now. Maybe I'll find the source of that voice in here? I hope Emilia gets to stay here. An isekai fantasy girl… I'm friends with an isekai fantasy girl. A majorly cute isekai fantasy girl.
"Subaru!" the half-elf said, embarrassed.
Everyone chuckled at the knight's internal thoughts, however, that couldn't last forever.
"I love you."
Eh? It wasn't that employee… It wasn't Emilia-tan. It wasn't Mom, thank God. That'd be embarrassing.
"Please, forgive me."
God damn, it's hard to see. When did it get so foggy?
"Wha' th' hell iz goin' on?" Garfiel growled, as he, and the rest of the Cast saw the on-screen Subaru's vision falter, as the voice kept getting louder and louder.
"You're right, Garf," Frederica nodded. "Something is not right."
"...Subaru?"
It's so damn noisy, too. Everyone shut up for a second. EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL U-
"Bwuh!"
WHO THE HELL IS TOUCHING ME GET AWAY FROM ME– O-oh, it's just Emilia-tan. And Mom, too.
"Barusu, what the hell was that?!" Ram asked.
As the people around the theater were watching, they couldn't help but turn to Subaru.
"I'm… not sure what's going on myself," Subaru said, trying to keep suspicion of himself at a low.
"Uh- Yeah, salmon I guess – S-sorry."
What're you guys looking at me like that, for? Can't you hear…?
"Yeah, uh… Pass the tablet here, Mom."
What do I want, what do I want, hm, hmm, hm, what do I want…?
"- want you."
"Nope! Nope!" Al said, backing up into his seat, vividly remembering a similar situation he was in years ago. "Me no likey!" Unfortunately, this didn't go unnoticed.
"What's wrong, Al-san?" Reinhard asked.
"Oh, it's, uh, that it's just… super creepy! Yeah!"
Ah there's that friggin' mist again. Salmon, salmon, yeah that's what I said, let's go with that, whatever, who cares. You're both still freakin' staring at me like I'm losing it.
"Is everything okay?"
...Losing it. Loser.
"Yeah, yeah."
Yeah.
"Sorry, I just thought…"
"-ove–"
"Thought someone was calling my name."
"-baru-"
Who the hell is calling my name? ...Who cares. Better question is why? Who cares enough to call my name? Someone outside is calling my name.
"Heh, I got kinda scared that someone from middle school was here and recognized me."
Pfft. Like anyone would devote the precious brain cells to commit my existence to memory.
"Okay, that's just sad," Meili said, clearly not reading the room.
"I'm sure they'd be very jealous of you, Subaru."
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA–
"Oh, wonderful, your knight is insane," Priscilla laughed.
"He's not insane!" Emilia bit back. "Something's going on!"
Actually, you're both right on this part, Subaru thought to himself.
"Don't even go there, Mom. If I were taking a girl on a date, I wouldn't be taking my parents along as well."
"—Please-et-see-you-"
Huh? I'm starting to think this is more than just my own stupid voice in my head.
"-ust once-"
Think about something else. Emilia-tan. Where should we go on our first date?
Well, assuming we don't find a way to get her home… God I hope we don't... Asshole. I'm an asshole. Well, this isn't a date, that's for sure. Doesn't count, Mom's here.
"—PLEASE, LET ME SEE YOU! PLEASE LET MY LOVE REACH YOU! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! PLEASE-"
The audience became more and more unsettled as the voice became even louder than before. Petra hid behind Fredierca, while Mimi and Tivey got close to Ricardo. Even Meili was afraid, so much so that she was holding Petra's hand like it was a lifeline.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOIN' ON?!" Garfiel yelled, as he was starting to panic.
But Subaru didn't respond. He was too afraid to.
"I'm sorry."
Jeez, fine. Dunno what you think I'm gonna see, though.
"I'm just getting some air."
"Oh."
Yeah, it pains me too, Emilia-tan. Stupid Subaru Head Voice won't shut up, though.
"...Well, alright."
Thanks for your permission, mother. Alright, let's see what this stupid crap is. Excuse me. Sorry. Lemme just squeeze past here, thanks. 'Scuse me. Blegh, stairs… Already did my workout for today. Gotta build up those muscles for Emilia-tan. Yeah, just watch. Gonna up it to… one-fifty reps a day. Work on my sword skills some more. She's from an isekai fantasy world, so I bet she'll approve. And it all starts with these damn stairs.
"He's walking outside the tavern," Wilhelm said.
Al, with a bit of courage, spoke up. "Actually, in our world, they're called – OW!"
"Not the time, Aldebaran."
"Yes, Princess."
Yeah. See? Just a crowded street. Thanks, brain. Here's the morning rush hour for you. Satisfied? Now –
"WHA' TH' FUCK IZZAT?!" Ricardo yelled.
They all saw it. Within the screen, across the street where Subaru was staring at, surrounded by balck mist, was a mass of shadows. In them, a silhouette of pitch black was formed in the shape of a woman, with purple lights forming as eyes within her head.
The Cast was silent in fear and shock as they saw the figure's hands, which resembled shadowy claws, stretched across the street, and headed towards Subaru.
"Wh-what's going on…?" Tivey squeaked out in fear.
Everyone else had the same question, but Subaru knew the answer.
The Witch of Envy had arrived to Japan.
H-hey. Whoa, hey. What… the hell is this?
"Ah…"
"..."
"I got to see you..."
"..."
"I love you."
Is anyone else seeing this? Emilia. Emilia?
"I'm sorry. Please, forgive me."
Sorry...?
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry –"
Emilia. Emilia. Weren't you… How did you… Never mind, what is… What's wrong?
"This isn't what i wanted this isn't what i wanted this what i wanted this isn't what i wanted"
N-no, Emilia, it's okay. We'll find a way for you to get home, I promise. Here, take my hand. It's okay. Just you watch, Subaru Natsuki will –
"—HGK– Ah…"
"OH MY GOD!" screamed Felt.
The entire cast was shocked to the core as they saw the shadow hands attack Subaru's very heart. They were all so fixated on the screen, that they didn't see the expression of the black-haired knight sitting next to them.
It was one of defeat.
"I…"
What is happening?! What is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening, what is happening what is happening what is happening what's happening –! GET AWAY FROM ME! GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF ME, EMILIA! THIS IS NO JOKE, WHAT THE H–
"Subaru-kun."
STOP! STOP IT! LET GO! LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO, LET GO –
"I love you."
I can't feel anything. Is time still passing?
"Subaru."
"O-o-oh, it's me," Emilia stuttered, recognizing her own voice.
No one said anything about her stuttering, they were all too freaked out with whatever the hell they just saw to comment on her, or to even comment on themselves.
"Subaru."
"...Emilia-tan?"
Emilia-tan.
"Mm, yeah. Is everything okay? Your mother is very worried, you know…"
EMILIA! EMILIA! EMILIA! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT AFTER –
"Wh…"
STOP DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! DON'T LOOK AT ME WITH THOSE EYES!
"You're acting very str–"
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
I'm scared! I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared! HELP I CAN'T BREATHE! HELP I CANT BREATHE HELP I CANT BREATHE GO AWAY DON'T –
"Subaru!?"
Subaru. Subaru- kun.
"Subaru, what's wrong!?"
Hn. Wh- Emilia. It's Emilia. Emilia… It's just Emilia-tan.
"E-Emilia…"
Emilia.
"C'mon, let's go back in. I think you need to sit down…"
Wait, Emilia. Can't you see… Oh. She's gone.
"W-Wait, Emilia, there's something…"
This has to be important. Need to tell Emilia.
"…?"
Think. Think, think, think, think, think, think! THINK! What was it? What happened? Who?
"Just now, Emilia, someone who looked -"
"Shhhhhh."
Wait… Hey, wait a second. This is no joke. Do you hear me? Sto-
"-!"
""SUBARU!"" both Emilia and Rem screamed in horror.
Everyone in the theater was horrified, as they watched the on-screen Subaru get his heart squeezed by the shadow hands once more. Meanwhile, the real Subaru was silent.
He knew that his on-screen counterpart had just broken the taboo.
SHARP FINGERS TICKLE MY HEART! CAN'T BREATHE! GOING TO DIE! GOING TO DIE! GOING TO DIE! I'M GOING TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! EMILIA! PLEASE SAVE ME! SAVE ME! PLEASE!
"I love you."
"-!"
WHERE?! WHERE ARE YOU?! Where… gone. I can breathe. I'm alive. I'm alive…
"It's… it's over?" a tear-stained Felt asked.
"I believe it is," Reinhard answered.
The rest of the Cast was quiet as they saw that the shadow hands had disappeared, and time seemed to return to normal on the screen.
"W-w-what's he doing?" Petra asked, from behind Frederica.
"H-h-he's trying to find the right words, I suppose…"
"I think this is where you first appeared in this world."
I'm alive.
And with that, the screen went black.
Author's Note: Well, that could have gone better, huh?
The original story is called "Starting Life… In Japan!?" by PLAYEP_Q on Archive of Our Own. The link is /works/26653141/chapters/64999039, and I highly recommend you check it out. Now, onto the comments!
RandomGuest: Glad you find this both interesting and are looking forward to this.
Guest: I'm glad you're loving both versions! Of course I'm going to continue this!
Simkaard555: Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're all a bunch of sadists.
5queso: Yeah, no. Subaru may have avoided his fate for the first round, but his time will come eventually. He's going to suffer, just like everyone else is going to suffer.
orianabaretto18: Yeah, I really like how I wrote Subaru's manipulation.
Pryd: Well, the Return by Death reveal will be pretty harsh, and as for the evil Subarus, there will be plenty of those, they're basically an infestation that won't go away. And I will have something similar to the Lust If, so stick around!
BigSmokeYeet: Yes, that is the difference between those two stories.
Deathenglegamers1144: I have never had that nickname before. I'm glad to be back, and I'm glad that you're looking forward to the future of this lovely series.
Shir04ven: I am honored by your newest subscription!
Scattershot98: Thank you for being patient! I hope you like how this series turns out. Yeah, when I brought in Meili and the Natsukis, I was thinking, "Who else would benefit from this sort of thing?" And I was like, "Yeah, these guys will do!"
Crazy Frog: Welp, there's your answer! Satella has already arrived! She may not have been a simp, nor been talking to her future in-laws, but she sure did scare everyone!
Banananaboy: The next chapter is here, and it's good to be back!
halt_and_catch_fire: You're a clever one, aren't you? I highly suggest that you all go re-read some of the stories out there. Who knows? Maybe they'll appear next time! Yeah, Subaru isn't safe forever. But yeah, the idea is that half the stories go to one Option, while the other half go to the second Option. I have no idea who this "Tura" is, so perhaps give me a link? And as for permission, a lot of the authors I'm gonna use have been offline for a while, but I will always credit their stories at the end here.
A special thanks to Infinite the Celestain for helping me in making this story, and for being an all-around great guy! Thanks for reading, and we'll see you all next time!
- Ernalore
Next time:
What if Subaru was summoned to Elior Forest?
OR
What if Subaru never called for help in the alleyway?
