Author's Note: I do not own Re: Zero. This fan fiction is a non-profitable work. I make no money out of it. I am just writing this for fun.
And Subaru won't have Return by Death in this fanfic.
Hope you guys enjoy it.
"Dialogues are shown like this" and 'thoughts like this'.
Chapter-9
Subaru and Emilia, the two clueless idiots are lost in the capital. Although they know they should visit loot house in the slums, neither of them know where the slums are.
"Hey Subaru, is this the correct way?"
"I don't know Emilia. This is my first day in the capital."
"Oh really, sorry to say this but I am also not familiar with the capital."
"Don't worry Emilia, in this kind of situation, shouldn't we ask other people for directions."
At this Emilia seemed hesitant and said "Subaru, will you ask the directions? I will wait for you here."
Subaru didn't think too much of this and said "Okay, leave this to me. Even though I am a former hikikomori, my social skills didn't deteriorate to the point where even having a small talk would be a hurdle."
"I reaaaaaaally don't know what you are talking about. But it is better to hurry up."
Subaru went near a random stall hoping that they would tell him directions to the slums.
Emilia's POV:
As I watched Subaru go to the stall nearby to ask for directions, I felt really bad for making him do all the work. After all, I don't think anyone would like to converse with me because of how I look.
"*Hic*-*Hic*"
While I was waiting for Subaru to return, I heard someone crying. I turned towards the direction where the sound is coming from. There I saw a little girl, who is approximately 6 years old, crying. Everyone who was passing by was just ignoring her like she wasn't even there.
I hesitated a bit but still went near her. I can't leave a little girl who needs help alone. I went near her and asked
"Hello. Are you lost? Do you know where your parents are?"
The little girl stopped sobbing and looked up at me. But when she did, the hopeful look in her eyes soon turned into fear. Even though I know the reason, it still didn't hurt any less.
"Y-y-you, you are.."
She started stammering and took a step back.
"There is no need to panic. Even though I may look like that, I am not her. There is no need for you to be afraid."
Although her panic seemed to lessen, she still didn't relax her guard. She is still looking at me with fear and apprehension. Just as I was about to continue speaking, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I looked back to see it was Subaru, the one of the very few who doesn't see me as 'The Witch'.
"Emilia, What's wrong?"
"Subaru, this kid seemed to be lost. We can't just leave her here right?"
"Emilia, we are running low on time ourselves."
"But Subaru, I can't put my heart at ease knowing that we left behind a small girl, who requires our help."
Subaru for a moment seemed shocked and then smiled.
"You are really kind Emilia." I want to refute it but he didn't give me any chance and crouched down to the girl's level.
"Hey kid, do you want to see a magic trick?"
This seemed to get her attention. "Magic?" she asked a little excitedly.
Even I was a little excited to see what Subaru would do.
"Yes." Saying this Subaru took a weird coin and clasped it between his hands and said to her "For this magic to work, you got to blow on my hands." Subaru said this with a smile.
"Really?" saying this she immediately blew on his hands with all her strength. It looked too cute.
"And there." Subaru opened his hands with a smile. The girl immediately squealed with surprise. I can't blame her. Even I was shell-shocked. I was pretty sure Subaru kept a coin clasped between his hands. But when he opened them there is nothing there.
"Onii-chan, how did you do it?" asked the little girl with stars in her eyes.
Subaru waved his finger and said "It is secret magic that is passed down our household for generations, so I won't reveal it. But if you tell me your name, I will show it another time to see if you can guess how I did it."
"Oh really onii-chan. My name is Plum. What is yours?" the girl asked innocently.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru and the name of this beautiful elder sister is Emilia."
"Subaru nii-chan and Emilia nee-san, it is nice meeting you. Now will you show me the magic trick again?" she asked.
Subaru laughed and said "Of course. Now this time the magic is a bit different. I will bring back the coin that just vanished."
He stretched both of his hands and said, "You can check if I hid it anywhere." Plum went to check his hands, his sleeves, and even between his fingers. How cute.
He then turned towards me and said "Emilia-tan, even you can check if I was hiding the coin anywhere."
I checked his hands to solve the mystery, but even I can't find it anywhere. So even I was excited about how he would bring it back.
Then he again clasped his empty hands together and told Plum to blow on it again.
He turned towards me and said, "Emilia-tan, even you blow on it." I too blew on in it as he said.
Then he started unclasping his hands slowly. When he is done halfway he started opening it even more slowly.
"Come on Subaru. Open it fast"
"Yes nii-chan, don't keep us waiting."
Plum and I urged him.
He grinned and opened his hands. This time there was that same coin, that had disappeared before, on his palm. Now, both Plum and I squealed together. I was looking very closely but I didn't find know it came from.
"Nii-chan, nii-chan. I didn't see it. Please tell me how you did it."
"Yes Subaru, don't be a nincompoop and tell us."
"Who even says nincompoop these days. And as I said, this is a family secret, so I can't reveal it."
(A/N: He just used his spatial ring for this.)
"Onii-chan, no fair." Complained Plum.
"I can't reveal the secret, but as compensation, you can keep this coin. This is a grooved ten yen coin. It is said to bring good luck."
Saying this he handed the coin to Plum. Plum with childlike curiosity inspected the coin and asked "Will you really give it to me?"
"Yes, from now on it is yours."
Plum held the coin and jumped in joy. It really is easy to distract children.
"Okay Plum. Now I and Big sis here will help you find your parents." Subaru said, pointing towards me.
Plum turned towards us and said "I know where my dad's shop is at. But I am too afraid to go alone. So, will you two come with me?"
I immediately replied "Of course, Plum-chan. Subaru and I will ensure that you will reach your home safely."
Subaru also said, "Yep, that's it."
"Thank you, Big Sis." Saying this she hugged me and then she caught both of our hands and started leading us towards her father's shop. As we took her hands and started walking, Subaru said "Don't we look like her parents when we are walking her like this."
"I can see you as nothing more than her Big brother." I said almost instantly.
"Ugh, critical damage." Saying this he clutches his heart using his free hand.
I just giggle at his antics.
After some time, we finally reach our destination. Before a shop we see a woman crying in the arms of a man who has the same hair color as Plum.
Plum happily ran towards them shouting "Mommy, daddy."
Seeing Plum running towards them, the woman caught Plum in a big hug and started crying. We just went near the stall. When Subaru looked at the man, he seemed a little bit off. Do they know each other?
After that Plum explained the situation to her parents.
"Thanks, kids, if you didn't bring Plum here, I don't know what would have happened." Said the woman, who is Plum's mother, happily.
"It is no big deal. After all, we can't leave a child alone." Replied Subaru.
Then Plum came running towards me and handed me a flower "Here take it, Big sis. It looks pretty on you."
I took it with a smile and affixed it onto my dress. I rarely get any gifts. So I felt happy receiving it.
It is time for us to depart, so I started searching for Subaru. I see him in front of the stall Subaru with Kadomon, Plum's father, discussing something.
Subaru's POV:
While I was watching that little girl giving Emilia a flower, a smile inadvertently formed on my face seeing her joyous expression. While I was lost in my thoughts, a voice called out to me.
"Hey, kid."
I turn to see that it is Kadomon. It is not like I have anything against him. The only impression I have of him is a rude shopkeeper, but he looks like an honest person.
"Thanks for helping Plum. She is very important to me, I was pretty panicked when my wife told me Plum got lost."
Hearing this, Subaru thought of his parents. How worried they would be after he had gone missing?
'Mom, Dad. I hope you are okay. Even if I am not with you, please stay strong.'
I then turn towards Kadamon with a smile and said "Don't fret it. It is our duty as a responsible adult."
"Hahaha. Well said. Also, Kid, I am sorry for being rude to you the other time."
I simply nod my head without saying anything. It is not like I paid any attention to it. After all, it is pretty common for shopkeepers to be annoyed at window shoppers. But he should really learn how to talk nice.
Kadomon continued with a sigh, "I know that I am not cut out for this work, kid. I used to be a mercenary previously. It is a job with very high risk. As proof of that, I have many scars on my body. It was during my work as a mercenary, I met my wife. For me, she is the most beautiful person in the world. Even after my marriage, I continued as a mercenary. But when my wife is pregnant with Plum, she asked me to leave that job, because if anything happened to me, there won't be anyone to take care of them. I was a muscle brain, I don't know anything except fighting. Despite that, I selected this job because I want to live the rest of my life peacefully with my wife and daughter. I know the way I act scares away the customers, but I can't change it even if I want to. It is more like a habit I had since my mercenary days. Nevertheless, I am pretty satisfied with my current life. After all, no matter who a person is, be it a rich merchant or a poor beggar, a noble or a thief, a knight or a mercenary, isn't everyone's final goal is to fill their family's stomachs, and have a roof over their heads. Anyways, sorry kid, I shouldn't have behaved that way with you."
Listening to this, I felt really bad for shouting at him earlier. I should have handled it less aggressively. Even with Emilia, I did the same. I started to fight at the first sign of trouble.
Just because I have some power, I thought I could get away with it. But it is not always whether I was hurt or not, but also whether I was hurting others or not. It is best if I choose less aggressive ways to solve any problem.
I clearly remember what my master said, 'I gave you Undying Live Forever not because of the power it grants you. But because of the long lifespan it grants you. With it, I hope you live a long and happy life.'
I smiled remembering how much he cares for me. I promise you, master, I would live my life without any regrets.
I patted Kadomon on the back and said, "Don't sweat about it. It is all in the past. And when I have enough money, I will surely come to get some appl-, no, appas."
"Hahaha, that's the spirit kid. Now, take these as my gratitude." He handed me two appas saying this.
" No, I can'-" He stopped me before I can reject them and said, "It is the least I can do for someone who helped my daughter."
Sensing that I may hurt his feelings if I rejected them, I took them and said "Thank you. But next time, I would buy them. Most importantly, you will go bankrupt if you continue giving them free."
"Hahaha, you are right, kid. You shouldn't expect them for free next time. But if you buy them in large amount, I will give you a discount." And like that, we made up. Sometimes life can be pretty unexpected.
I then asked him for directions to the loot house in the slums, which he happily gave me.
"Subaru, it is the time we leave. We don't want to continue bothering them, do we?" Emilia came to me and said this.
"Of course, I just asked for directions to our destination. We will leave now. Goodbye Kadomon, Plum, and Plum's mother. See you guys later."
After waving them goodbye, we resumed our journey to find that thief. Hope we can solve it without things getting physical.
General POV:
Emilia and Subaru are on their way to slums, when Emilia spoke, "Subaru, thanks for your help back there. Without you, it won't be that easy to calm that kid down."
"It is no big deal Emilia-tan. I think you would have handled it perfectly even without me."
Emilia puts a finger on her chin and said "Subaru, I observe that you are calling me Emilia-tan. What does that mean?"
At this Subaru blushed and said "Well, it is a kind of pet name. We use it with the people we are close with."
"Oh reaaaaally, I am happy you see me as a close person. I don't have that many friends actually." Emilia looked down when she said this.
"Don't worry Emilia-tan, with your beautiful looks and kind personality it is only a matter of time before you make many friends."
Emilia looked at Subaru with hopeful eyes and asked "Do you reaaaaally mean it?"
"Of course, Emilia-tan. I won't lie when it comes to these kinds of things."
"Can I reaaaaally get some friends even though I look like The Witch of Envy?"
Now Subaru is confused. But seeing her desperate expression, he understood that she needs some support at this time, not more questions. Because he was also at that phase once, where he seeks validation. So even though he doesn't know who this witch is, he still answered
"Just because the looks are similar doesn't mean you both are the same person. And I think when people spend some time with you, they will truly understand how beautiful of a person you are." Subaru said this with a sincere smile.
At this Emilia blushed and said while pumping her fists, "Thank you for believing in me Subaru. I just need to keep trying without giving up, so that people see me for who I truly am."
Subaru felt that he would understand less and less as this conversation goes on, so he changed the subject.
"So Emilia-tan, what is this insignia you are looking for?"
Emilia looked troubled by this question, she finally made up her mind and said, "I am reaaaaally sorry Subaru. I can't tell you about it for now. But I promise I will tell you later."
"Oh, no problem Emilia-tan. I am just curious, that's all. And by the way, I remember Puck mentioning that he was a Great Spirit. What is that?"
At this Emilia looked at Subaru with wide eyes and said "Subaru, you don't know what spirits are?"
"Huh, no?"
"How can that be? Everyone knows what spirits are."
"Treat me like someone who just crawled from under a rock and explain it to me." Said Subaru shamelessly.
Before Emilia can explain it to him, Puck materialized in the air and said, "Hohoho, don't worry Lia, Leave this to me."
He then turned towards Subaru and continued, "Well Subaru, it seems that Puck-sensei needs to impart some common sense onto you."
"Although I prefer to hear Emilia-tan's sweet voice, it is best to take the lesson from a spirit itself."
After listening to Subaru's compliment Emilia turned her face away, while blushing, and said "Subaru, you dunderhead."
"I don't know why I am being scolded for telling the truth. But first things first, who even uses the word 'dunderhead' these days?"
"*pout* Now you are bullying me, aren't you?"
"Even pouting Emilia-tan is cute. Critical hit taken." Saying this Subaru clutched his heart dramatically.
Emilia giggled at his reaction and said, "You are so silly."
"If I need to be silly to see this beautiful laugh, I wouldn't mind."
"*Blush* Stop it, you shouldn't say things you don't mean." Emilia replied with an embarrassed expression.
"I totally meant everything I have said." Subaru replied with a grin.
"*Hmph* Liar." Even though she said this, one can see a beautiful smile forming on her face.
"I get the feeling that I am being ignored here." Spoke the now-forgotten Puck with a sour expression.
"Sorry Puck-sensei, but please I continue the lesson."
"What do you mean by continue? I didn't even start." Puck said with a deadpan expression.
"Hahaha, I am sorry. Please start the lesson Puck-sensei."
"Hmmm." Puck combed his whiskers to look a wise man and started speaking, " Spirits are beings made purely of mana. There are three different classes of Spirits; Lesser Spirits, Quasi Spirits, and Spirits. There are also man-made Spirits known as Artificial Spirits which were created by the witch Echidna…"
Puck went on to explain what are spirits, how magic works, and what is the difference between normal magic and spirit arts.
"Spirit magic is a type of craft similar to magic that Spirit users employ. Unlike Magic users, Spirit Users gather mana from outside their bodies. The only downside to Spirit Users is that the greatest amount of mana they can use at one time is dictated by their contracted spirit. The greater the spirit's capacity for mana, the bigger the spells its contractor can cast." Saying this Puck finished his explanation.
Subaru processed the new information he received and asked "So even if one's magic aptitude is not up to the par, if their spiritual affinity is high, they can contract a spirit and use magic."
"Yep, that's right." Replied Puck.
Even when they are talking, they didn't stop walking and soon reached the slums. The sun is still high and there are at least two more hours before sunset.
They made their way to the loot house. Subaru thought of something and asked Emilia, "So Emilia-tan, what would we do once we find the thief? Should we try asking nicely first and if it didn't work, should we use force."
"I was thinking of settling this peacefully without any fight." Emilia replied unhesitantly.
"And how would you do it?"
Then Puck came in and said, "Don't think too much about it Subaru, I will take care of it. After seeing a great spirit, many people give up without even putting up a fight."
"Then why don't we try this first? We can try trading this." Saying that Subaru took a gold bar from his spatial ring.
This caught Emilia's eye and she immediately asked, "There is that trick again, how did you even do it Subaru? Puck, did you manage to find anything?"
"No Lia, there is no sign of magic being used."
"As I said, it is super-secret magic passed down our family. But now is not the time for it. Look at this" He showed them the gold bar.
"Is that gold? Subaru, will you trade your gold for us?"
"Lia, it is not normal gold, it is Sacred gold. It is much more precious than normal gold. Its rate can go as high as 40 holy gold coins." Said Puck who is inspecting the gold.
Woah, it is news to Subaru. So his master gave him some upgraded version of gold. And that too was enough for him to fill this whole capital at least three times over. Damn, master doesn't know how to hold back.
"Then Subaru, you shouldn't waste something that valuable for our sake." Emilia said with a stern glare.
Subaru said with a cheeky grin, "Don't worry Emilia-tan, I have more than enough to spend for a lifetime."
"But even then, I would feel indebted to you if you did this." Said Emilia.
Subaru scratched his chin and made an expression that reflects he is in deep thought. Suddenly, like he has experienced some enlightenment, he clapped his hands and turned towards Emilia, and said "Then how about you repay me with a kiss."
"ki-ki-kk-kiss? Subaru, you idiot." Emilia's face turned beet red. She covered her face so that Subaru won't be able to see it. But it is too late. Subaru has a cheeky smile on his face like he got what he want.
"How about I give you a kiss? But I won't guarantee that you won't be missing some part of your face." Said Puck with an expression that is screaming bloody murder.
"Ha-ha-ahaha, I-i-I was just joking Puck. No need to shed blood for this." His cheeky expression was now replaced by cold sweat.
"Can't you both stop joking and take this seriously?" The naïve Emilia who mistook Puck's murderous expression for a joke, continued, "So Subaru, how much gold do you have for you spend it on insignia without a second thought?"
Subaru didn't want to scare them, so he went with a reasonable amount.
"Enough to completely fill this capital at least once." He said nonchalantly.
"WWWHHHAAAAATTTTT!" x2.
Yet it seems like it did a number on both Emilia and Puck. It is a reasonable amount for meager gold, isn't it?
It seems like Subaru's common sense was skewed after spending some time with Bai Xiaochun.
-SCENE CHANGE-
We can now see Subaru and a person in a white robe standing in front of the loot house. Emilia is in her Anti-Recognition robe as to not scare away the thief.
After confirming with Puck that Subaru is not lying about the amount of gold he had, Emilia reluctantly agreed to let him pay for the insignia. But she still insisted that she would pay him back after all of this is over. Subaru first rejected, after all this is nothing much for him. But Emilia didn't budge from her stance. So he could only agree with a sigh. If luck is on their side, they would get out of this without a fight. But if it comes to fighting he won't be afraid. Forget about half-elf Emilia and him with his silver skin, from what he can see, Puck is even more powerful than both of them, for now, that is.
He went ahead and knocked on the door thrice. From the other side of the door, there came a deep voice "Do you know the password?"
"Yes." Subaru replied unhesitantly.
After a few seconds of silence, the voice again asked "For a rat.."
"Poison"
"For a white whale.."
"A harpoon."
"To the noble dragon, we are…."
"Shitbags." Subaru felt uncomfortable saying this password. Who in the right mind would call themselves shitbags?
The door opened slowly to reveal a giant old man behind it.
Even Subaru, whose physique improved by practicing Undying Live Technique should look up at him.
"Who are you kids? I didn't see you before, are you new here."
"Ah, my name is Natsuki Subaru and this is my friend. We can here to talk business with a girl named Felt."
The old man took a good look at both of them and said "You can call me Rom. Felt is out at this moment. If you don't mind waiting for some time, then come in."
Subaru looked towards Emilia and seeing her nod her head in approval, they followed Old man Rom into the loot house.
The loot house is neither big nor small. There are tables and chairs spread across it with a counter in the middle. Old man Rom sat behind the counter and gestured them to sit at the seats in front of that counter. When Subaru and Emilia took their seats, Old man Rom asked them "So, what business do you have with Felt?"
"You are familiar with her?" probed Subaru.
"Yeah, you can say she is like a granddaughter to me. You still didn't answer my question. What business do you have with her?"
"Felt stole something we need today. So we are here to make deal with her."
"Oh, I see. She should be coming here at this time to sort out her loot. You can wait till then."
Just as he was saying that, they heard a knocking from the door.
*knock-knock*
"It seems she is here."
Rom got up from the counter and went to the door and asked
"For a rat.."
A young girl's voice replied from the other side of the door "Poison."
"For a white whale.."
Before the other voice can reply, Subaru got impatient and said, "Hey! Since you know the other person is Felt, what is the need for a password."
"Damn you kid, you just can't see the usefulness of it." Grumbled Old man Rom.
But he still opened the door revealing Felt on the other side.
"Today's work is a success Old man Rom. I thought she would put up a good fight. But she just gave up at the very starting." Said Felt happily thinking she got rid of Emilia.
Hearing this Emilia wanted to retort, but Subaru just put his hand on her shoulder. His meaning is clear, don't blow up the cover.
"It is good that it went well. Felt, there is someone who wanted to discuss something with you." Old man Rom took felt to the counter. She sat at the empty seat beside Subaru and asked "Ohh, you are that big bro from the alley. So, what business do you have with me?"
Just then Old man Rom bought three glasses of milk for them. He too wanted to listen to the reason why they are here.
Subaru elegantly took a sip from the glass of milk, *blegh* only to be disgusted by how much watered down it is. But they didn't come here to complain about milk.
He turned towards Felt, who has the same expression as him after drinking milk and said "You can call me Natsuki Subaru. We came here to buy the insignia you stole today."
"How do you know I was the one who stole it?"
"We have a very deep information network. It is easy if we wanted to find something like that." Subaru bullshitted.
Felt looked doubtful, but it is none of her business. "I already have a client for it. If you want it, you should wait until she arrives here and bid more than her."
Subaru thought for a moment and said "Okay, no problem."
"Even if you have a problem, it is your problem, not mine. The only problem I have is your face which is as scary as Old man Rom's"
"You cheeky brat. Even I am 100 years too early to compete with this old man in that department. Apologize."
"Sorry big bro."
"That's good."
Old man Rom who is listening to them with a deadpanned expression said "Since when are you two in a conspiracy to ridicule me?"
"From the moment we drank this milk." Replied Subaru without missing a beat.
"Yeah, I can practically see Big bro's scary face crumbling after he drank your milk." Felt supported Subaru.
Emilia just giggled at this. Leave it to Subaru to turn even the most serious situations into comedy.
"You brats, I gave you milk from the kindness of my heart and this is how you treat me." Although Rom said this, there is no real bite to his words.
As they continued their small chatter, they heard a knocking coming from the door.
"It must be for me." Saying this Felt went to open the door.
"Don't forget to ask the password." Reminded Old man Rom.
Felt turned towards Rom, then stuck her tongue out and said "Tee-hee. I forgot to give them the password."
Rom just sighed. He gave up and just waved his hands telling Felt to open the door.
"Old man, I don't really see a use for this password." Subaru said after watching their small play.
"It is for security."
"What security? The door looks like it can be taken down with one good kick."
"You brat, don't mock my loot house."
It was then they heard the sound of the door unlocking. Seeing the woman behind the door Subaru was shocked.
'Isn't she the one from the morning?'
