". . . .I'll never forget. . . .I'll never move on. . . .everything you've done for me. . . .you've made me who I am. . ."

The crowd in the square had grown considerably since the young girl's song began. She spun a song of love, loss, and remembrance, evoking tears from many members of audience. Even Subaru found himself moved by the genuine emotions he'd felt from the girl's tales of woe. Not that anybody would know why Subaru could relate so much to the main character of that song. . .

"That was a really *sniffle* great song!"

Subaru had been under constant stress since they had arrived in Priestella. He knew that something was wrong, but he had no way to figure out what happened to everyone. His guesses were terrifying to entertain, but those were the only explanations he had for what was going on. In truth, the idea of Emilia, Beatrice, Otto, Garfiel, or even Julius, suffering all alone made Subaru sick. He'd never asked for Return by Death, but the possibility of him having failed everyone again had been burning in the back of his mind.

After his weird interactions with Anastasia and Julius, Subaru wanted to take some time alone to think and try to recompose himself. In that regard, this song couldn't have been sung at a better time.

"Huh?! Oh! Thank you, Big Brother! You and your girlfriend were the inspiration after all!"

Subaru and Beatrice paused for a moment and looked at each other with confused faces.

"Beako and I aren't like that, please don't make damaging assumptions like that!"

The girl stood still and put her hand to her chin. She seemed to be thinking about something completely different than the conversation happening in front of her. Subaru didn't want to leave that misconception alone though, for obvious reasons.

"Well that's odd. . . . I'm usually on-the-mark when it comes to things like that. . . Wait! You said you enjoyed the song, right? Are you suuuree that you an. . ."

"I'm sure! Beako is my contracted spirit and honorary little sister, I wouldn't do those sorts of things with someone that much younger than me!"

The girl started to nod her head, but Beatrice seemed slightly annoyed by the way Subaru worded that statement. Yes, she and Subaru were siblings, but she is over 400 years old! Why is she being relegated to the little sister all of a sudden?

"I'm older than both of you, in fact!"

Subaru seemed unfazed by this and started patting Beatrice's head.

'Beako might say that, but she acts like a younger sibling to everyone in the Miload Manor. Even Petra seems more mature than her. . .'

"There's no way you are older than Big Brother! I might've been wrong about the nature of your relationship, but he is clearly much older tha. . . "

"She's over 400 years old."

"Eh. .!?"

Subaru dry interjection seemed to throw her even more off balance than his initial comment.

"N-No way! You are just mad I was right about you two earlier, right?!"

'This girl is really childish! Can't she just accept her assumptions were wrong? If it weren't for her voice, I really would be worried for her future!'

Subaru was getting tired of the back and forth with this annoying girl. All he wanted to do was thank her for the beautiful song, but now he was being publicly accused of being a lolicon! It was bad enough that he was known as 'the Lolimancer' to the Lugunican knights and nobility, but now he was being put on trial with no evidence!

"Will you stop saying that! She's a spirit! Even if she acts like a little kid, she is actually a really old-. . ."

"Betty would like to hear Subaru finish that statement, I suppose!"

The looks from the people around them were starting to sour, obviously this wasn't going the way that Subaru intended.

"W-Wait a minute! You said that she's a spirit?!"

Subaru and Beatrice turned back to the Songstress only to be met with star-filled eyes and admiration.

"You are Natsuki Subaru!? The spirit knight who killed a Sin Archbishop! T-T-The Lolimancer?!"

The surrounding people scowled at the ridiculous title, but their expressions softened considerably at the prospect of someone who had slain a Sin Archbishop.

Subaru sighed.

'I guess that is one way to salvage my reputation. . .'

"Please. . .d-don't call me by that na-. . ."

But the girl had already started her unending adoration to the two of them.

"The Knight who was involved with the slaying of the White Whale and destruction of the Great Rabbit!?"

Subaru's embarrassment was welling up inside him after receiving so much praise. It really wasn't something he was too keen on, and now passerbys were stopping and whispering to each other.

"Yes he is, in fact! Betty's Subaru is responsible for many other amazing feats, be grateful you get to be in his presence, I suppose!"

Subaru ruffled Beatrice's hair a bit, clearly perturbed by her total worship of him.

'Jeez, if I let these two keep talking, I might have to start signing autographs for people! If only they knew the truth about all of that. . .'

Subaru's expression had become downcast and he grabbed Beatrice's hand, trying to walk away.

"W-Wait! Big Brother! Don't go so quickly, at least tell me a few of your stories so that I may find even more inspiration for my songs!"

Subaru didn't seem interested, but Beatrice quickly reminded him that they were lost.

"Agh! O-k! Songstress-girl, we have no idea where we are, can you give us directions to the Seasylph lodge?"

She nodded her head aggressively, but then stood still for a moment without saying anything.

". . . ."

"Uh, sorry about that, that was a bit rude. How about this? If you can direct us back to the Seasylph lodge, I'll tell you a story of one of our adventures?"

". . . ."

'What is up with this girl?'

"Big Brother. . . I just remembered I'm lost too. . ."

'This girl is hopeless!'

Emilia was against leaving Subaru to go and speak with Kiritaka, but eventually succumbed to the pressure when Anastasia reminded her of Subaru's aptitude for unpredictable behavior. It would be best to get these negotiations out of the way right now instead of holding off until later in the trip. They were definitely going to have their hands full when the other three camps arrived in Priestella. Rather than give all the other camps time to get in the way of this deal, Emilia should get the ore now and worry about them later.

Instead of everyone leaving to join Emilia, Garfiel decided to go and check up on Subaru. Mimi, of course, wanted to go with him. This left Emilia, Anastasia, Julius, Ricardo, the twins, and Otto to accompany her.

"Oi, can ya' get off f'me!"

Garfiel tried swinging his arm to break out of Mimi's grip, but the girl refused to let go and only dug in harder.

"S'embarrasin!"

Mimi looked up at Garfiel and gave a radiant smile.

"Mimi knows~! Mimi thinks your reaction is funny~!"

"Tch."

Garfiel turned his head away from her, not trying to give her the satisfaction of being right. It was too little, too late. Mimi had already broken into a cute laugh.

'Where's th' Cap'n s'posed t'be? S'been too long!'

His expression changed to a concerned one. He trusted Beatrice to protect Subaru, but it still bothered him that he had been so alone throughout his journey. Even the smallest absence could mean untold amounts of suffering for his captain. It only served to make him more nervous that Subaru hadn't come back yet.

"Garfiel. . .are you nervous~?"

He didn't look at her. It was already bad enough that his weakness had put his captain in danger. The last thing he wanted was pity.

"S'nothing. Let go f'me already."

His act wasn't very convincing. However, Mimi didn't want to make him feel any worse, so she gave him the excuse he was looking for.

"Mimi is nervous~! Subaru was very nice to me and my siblings~! Now he is lost, so please. . . indulge Mimi's worries~!?"

Garfiel looked down at her and saw a similar look of concern in her eyes. She might not have been in the same camp as his captain, but they had fought side-by-side together. She had witnessed his hellish journey, just like him. She didn't want to risk something like that happening again.

"Let's pick up th' pace."

Subaru, Beatrice, and this songstress girl found themselves on a boat in the middle of Priestella's most active waterway. They had asked a few other people where they could find the Seasylph Inn, but apparently the place wasn't somewhere most people traveled. That or it wasn't notable enough to the average person. Regardless, the girl knew someone who could take them where they needed to go, so Subaru and Beatrice just began following her.

"This girl is a bit of an airhead, I suppose. We might just be getting more lost, in fact!"

The girl turned around with an exasperated expression.

"I'm sorry! I thought we would find where you were going quicker, but it seems I have no idea where we are!"

Subaru put a hand to his face and let out a long sigh. He'd always hated riding boats ever since he was a kid. He would get seasick on the shortest boat rides and then people would make fun of him for it. Now, after an hour riding on the waterways, this girl said she had no idea where they were.

"We'll eventually get to the Chamber of Commerce! The boat operator knows me after all!"

Subaru perked up at this news, but it still shocked him that someone could live in a city their entire life and not know where they were.

"This girl. . .!"

Beatrice still seemed angry that they were functionally on a wild goose chase until they had gotten on this boat.

"Hey! My name isn't 'girl', it's Liliana! Li-Li-Ana!"

Subaru picked himself up off the railings and made eye contact with the boat's sailor, who nodded.

"Of course, the boat operator knows you! Everything you do is so exaggerated! Even the random people on this boat are making 'yep, that's Liliana' expressions! Are you sure you aren't just a big airhead?"

Subaru was, admittedly, in a bad mood from the constant seasickness he'd felt the past hour. Even so, it seems Liliana didn't take Subaru's words as critiques. . .

"Thank you, Subaru-sama!"

She had a joyful smile on her face.

"That's not a compli-. . ."

Subaru abruptly turned and hurled over the edge of the boat.

"Oi! Oi! Oi! Watch it, sir!"

The boat operator looked scared that Subaru might get some on the boat. A reasonable concern. His business was transporting tourists and townsfolk around the city, but competition was fierce. Would people be inclined to pick a boat covered in puke?

"Subaru-sama, that was mean!"

Liliana, meanwhile, was just angry that her smile was met with vomit. Everyone else, admittedly, found it pretty funny to see Liliana flustered.

Subaru couldn't divert his attention away from his affliction. He was sure he'd be met with some hardened stares, but he'd been receiving those all day anyway.

"Wow, this is terrible. Even death can't cure this sickness. . ."

At this offhand comment, Beatrice's grip tightened.

"Beako, what's-. . ."

She turned away abruptly.

He didn't get a good view, but he could swear he saw tears welling up in her eyes.

'Crap! I was feeling so sick that I went and said something thoughtless again!'

"Beako. . . Hey. . . I'm sorry if I'm being insensiti-. . ."

"It's nothing, in fact!"

Subaru was getting sick of this (literally).

"Beako, does this have something to do with what you saw in the carriage? Please, just tell me what is going on! I know you guys are hiding something!"

"I-I'm. . . . unsure what you are asking about, I suppose."

'She's lying. Damn it! I thought that if I had some time to think, I'd be able to sort this out, but all I've done is worry Beako and get us lost. . . .'

"Beako. . . .I-I. . ."

Subaru knew what it was like trying to dodge questions with a taboo. It was one of the most stressful parts of using Return By Death. If she didn't want to acknowledge what happened, Subaru had no ability to force her.

"We're here!"

Liliana saved them from their awkwardness.

They all disembarked from their boat without saying a word. Subaru was still feeling sick, Beatrice was still afraid of Subaru's questions, and Liliana was still an airhead. Needless to say, they weren't really in the mood to spend time sightseeing anymore. Subaru just wanted to return to the inn and get some sleep.

"Alright, Kiritaka-san should be able to take you where you need to go!"

Liliana dropped them off at the Chamber of Commerce and bid the two of them farewell.

"Wait, didn't I promise you a story for helping us?"

Subaru was surprised.

'I misjudged her. I guess she felt bad for taking so long to find this place. Maybe she's actually really considerate of others. . . .I should've been a little bit nic-. . ."

"Oh, yeah! I forgot! Hehe. . ."

"I was nearly pleasantly surprised there!"

Subaru abruptly put a hand to his stomach. He was still feeling sick from his trip on the boat. Normally, when he traveled by Earth Dragon, there were Divine Protections that prevented motion sickness for passengers and drivers. He recalled Beatrice vaguely mentioning that Water Dragons also had those Divine Protections. So why had he still gotten sick? Did those uptight Water Dragons just ignore him or something?

'My stomach feels like it's stuck under a hydraulic press. I need to go use a restroom before I end up throwing up everywhere!'

"Liliana, I'm going to find a bathroom. Can you grab this 'Kiritaka-guy' while I'm gone?"

"You can't wait until we get back to the inn? You really are troublesome, I suppose."

Beatrice seemed nervous at the prospect of being separated from Subaru.

"Beako. . . I don't know why you and Emilia-tan have been so possessive of me, but can't you at least trust me to use the restroom by myself?!"

Beatrice looked away and, for the first time since the flash in the carriage, let go of his hand.

"Be back in five minutes, in fact!"

Subaru waved his hand, signaling that he heard her. To onlookers, it probably seemed like quite the peculiar interaction. After all, Subaru looked like Beatrice's older brother. It was weird for someone so young to act so mature.

Liliana could only giggle at the sight.

"Wow! You really care for Subaru-sama!"

"Of course, he's Betty's contractor! And stop calling him '-sama'!"

Subaru only had to walk for around five minutes before he found a public bathroom he could use.

'I feel a bit sorry for whoever is going to have to clean this up.'

Subaru entered the building and was surprised to find a nearly unblemished marble floor and spotless mirrors. Clearly, the public servants of Priestella took their jobs seriously.

'This place is too clean! I can't use this restroom, I'll never forgive myself for what I'll end up doing!'

Subaru had to clean bathrooms for the past year. He knew how gross those jobs could end up being. He had his pride as a former butler that he needed to uphold, so it wouldn't be right for him to defile another's workplace like this, even if he had no choice.

"I'll just find some alleyway to. . ."

*bump*

Subaru kept walking without saying anything. He was a bit embarrassed, but if he didn't leave now, he would throw up all over the floor.

"I anticipated that."

The man sounded upset.

'Ah, yes. I just bumped that guy. I should apologize. . .'

Subaru turned around. It appeared that the man he'd just bumped was wearing a cloak to conceal his face.

"S-Sorr-. ."

This was a mistake. Subaru threw up all over the ground and the cloaked figure didn't have any time to react.

"I hold no grudges or maliciousness towards those who accidentally bring misfortune upon others. It is a choice to allow another's bitterness to influence one's judgement, is it not? A happy life is one where a person is free to pursue contentment without impeding or attacking others. As I am completely satisfied with myself and my surroundings, it would make no sense for me to attack based off another's malice, correct? There's no need to exact petty revenge on behalf of another's feelings towards me, as that only verifies those feelings through action. Even so, I believe in upholding the autonomy of others so long as those people respect my own freedoms. You needlessly bumped into me and defiled my appearance without provocation. That is quite the display of arrogance, isn't it? Here I was, attempting the enter this building, only to be met with contempt and hostility by a previously unknown person. I try my hardest not to ascribe motivation to the choices of someone else, as that invites biases and emotional instability. If one was to examine the results of your decisions in a vacuum, though, one would find that you troubled another without acknowledging the role you played in it. Such a thing obviously does not disturb me, as the feelings of others aren't involved with my own sense of fulfillment. However, in a just world, one's rights ought to be respected by another. Doesn't that world deserve to exist? Don't those actions merit some form of compensation?"

Subaru was silent. The man was right, but something about him seemed. . .off.

"Now, after I attempted to fully depict the extent of the wrongdoings you've committed against me, I am greeted with nothing but indifference. Of course, one's freedom to associate is an understandable and immutable right, but doesn't that present a clear hypocrisy? Your mistaken collision with me and subsequent regurgitation were both actions taken up by one party involved in this interaction. Luckily, being as I am a fair person, I decided to engage with you after you prompted an interaction with me, despite it being one-sided. After overlooking such a transgression, you attempt to invoke another form of autonomy against me? Have you not already ceded your freedom to associate by bumping into me? In fact, from your perspective, didn't you violate my liberties of engagement by expelling onto me? From any rational perspective, this would indicate a clear infringement of my rights. So once again, I ask you: Don't these circumstances demand compensation?"

"U-Uh, I suppose they do. . ."

Every one of Subaru's instincts told him to get away from this person. However, he also felt that trying to run away from this man would be troublesome. If the guy wanted money from him, Subaru would gladly give him it. So long as he went away.

"Ah, I see. Yes. We both agree then? Of course, such an arrangement could only exist with the reality of a satisfied party. While I am forgiving, I advise you to remember this engagement to avoid repeating it. We both are able to agree on simple terms through my ability to calmly negotiate with the feelings of others. That being the case, not all peoples are capable of recognizing the inherent principles that underly the freedom of others. Naturally, I demand compensation, but not on behalf of my own liberties; but the behalf of all the future people you will interact with. Discouraging such behavior is what will result in the creation of a just world. You understand, don't you?

Subaru was flabbergasted at this man's arrogance. He couldn't initially understand why this man's speaking unnerved him so much, but now he knew. This person was incapable of understanding his own feelings at all. He instead projected his anger and spite onto the world. These were the worst types of people.

"Sure. . . Listen, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am needed elsewhere."

The cloaked man seemed angered at this response.

"Needed elsewhere? Ah! So you wish to connect with others for the purpose of fulfilling their needs? That is a noble ideal, but that also demands a requisite knowledge of the liberties of others, does it not? Why then, would you purposely violate my rights and autonomy by diverting from your pledge to provide compensation? The liberties of others are naturally respected in an ideal world. Do my rights come below the rights of others? It would be unreasonable to demand one to put a single person's rights over another's, but how is that resolved? Shouldn't those rights hold equal standing from the perspective of the individual? Putting the rights of others over mine, from your perspective, would be an undeniable encroachment of my rights."

"I'm sorry, what form of compensation do you want?"

The cloaked man seemed to calm down. It looked like Subaru finally said the right words to him.

"Naturally, the compensation I want would be in the form of initial infraction made against my bodily autonomy. Given that our first interaction was not entirely mutually respected, this increases the severity of the reimbursement required. Rather, it seemed that you didn't comprehend the multiple concurrent transgressions you committed after the beginning of our interaction. The damages inflicted upon my side are provably more severe than yours, meaning I should set the terms of neutrality. Shall I collect compensation?"

Subaru slowly nodded his head, completely disillusioned with the narcissist's solipsism. He'd become completely enamored with this guy's lack of self-awareness.

"Ah. Then I shall."

The cloaked figure flicked his hand out.

It was so quick that Subaru didn't even realize what happened.

"H-Huh. . ?"

He looked behind him and saw the entire public bathroom reduced to a pile of debris. Subaru never expected this random street-dweller to be so insanely strong.

'What the hell was tha-. . .'

That was when the pain hit him. Subaru immediately turned to the source of the stinging and was greeted by a horrific sight. His arm was dangling by only a few thin threads of skin. He nearly passed out from the sight of it.

"Then I shall be on my way then. We have achieved an equilibrium between the two of us, which I hope you will remember for your future interactions with others. This is the only just recompense, wouldn't you agree?"

Subaru began screaming in pain. The blood from his arm was beginning to pool out into the street and he could barely keep himself from falling over.

"You BASTARD!"

Subaru was writhing on the ground. He didn't even try appealing to the guy's insane way of thinking. He knew he was going to die. This would just be another failed loop. Another marker of his incompetence. It had been a year since he'd last reset, so the prospect scared him even more.

"You still do not understand? After I so graciously spoke with you and forgave the transgression of my rights? I'm standing here speaking to you, and you refuse to acknowledge my presence or contribution to this scene. It appears some people will never grasp true principles or conviction for anyone but themselves. I even lessened the payment out of consideration for your true desire to respect the rights of somebody else. If you continue to violate the rights of others, you burden me with the responsibility of protecting them. Out of necessity, it seems I must be compelled to act."

The man began walking towards Subaru and raised his hand. . .!

"Subaru! Subaru!"

'That's Beako's voice. . .'

The man had inadvertently drawn a crowd of people to the scene of this explosion. At this point in their plans, it wouldn't be acceptable for his identity to be uncovered. It was a shame, but staying here any longer wasn't possible.

"It's sad, but I must leave now. Try and understand the feelings of other before demanding they respect yours. Many are not so forgiving, so do learn from this."

"You piece of sh-. . .!"

Subaru's consciousness faded away.

Author's Note

It's been a month, so the story/writing will probably see a noticeable dip in quality this chapter. I'm not going to try and make excuses, cause cmon it's a fanfiction, I've got school and real life stuff that takes precedence. That being said, criticisms and comments are appreciated. I want to know if my characters actually seem canonically accurate (I'm especially curious about Regulus haha) and also where I'm taking the story. I was having a really difficult time writing the interactions with Liliana because I am not very good with descriptive writing. Tell me, do you think I jumped into the action too quickly? This is supposed to be a prelude to the main stuff, so I don't plan on ruining the moment where sh** actually hits the fan.

Next chapter should be soon!