A/N: Hello guys! Fred here again. This is the real chapter 1.
I revised the prologue and summary just because I didn't feel good enough about them.
Thoughts are shown in italics. If italics don't show up I'm just gonna use ] to close the text.
Without further ado, I serve you the first chapter of this fan-fic
Chapter 1: A peeping Tom in the alley.
Seriously, how lame this death was… Subaru didn't know what happened, he just died in a flash. Leaving the girl to her fate once again. But it was not the end yet. He had the power to change her fate and he would try as many times as he could, as long as there was the slightest chance that she could be saved.
[Honestly, I'm such a pushover!] he laughed to himself.
But there was more of a problem now. [How am I supposed to redo now?]. All he could see around now was pitch darkness, no its was more like he couldn't see a thing, that's why it was dark.
Suddenly he had a thought which sent shivers down his now non-existent spine.
[Is this it? Is this the end?]. He was unsure whether the third life would be the last just as in games per checkpoint. He had exceeded that limit and now it troubled him more than he thought it would. Silly thoughts like- [I want mayonnaise] or [I should've asked for her name] started flooding his mind in this dark realm. He didn't have enough of this world! He had many things he needed to do. He didn't want it over. He desperately wish for it and begged the deity who brought him here in this world to give him one last chance to fix everything up. One last chance and he would fix everything the way it should be. Natsuki Subaru needed one last chance to have nothing to regret about. _
"Oi, onii-chan! You alright?", he heard the monologue for the third time after coming to his world. "You seem like you're about to cry. Here…here…take an appa if you are so hungry, you don't need to pay for it!". The familiar looking appa seller was more of a kind guy this time.
[What made him give me an appa instead this time!] He wondered what the look on his face was right now but he couldn't care a dime about it. All that mattered was that he had successfully respawned again and he won't waste this chance. He just won't. That's the level of determination he had. Things wouldn't make them straight if he just stood there. So he put the appa in the plastic bag and moved on to plan his next course of action.
Since he didn't know where things went wrong he had to check by trial and error and make a few guesses here and there.
"Off to the alleyway first! That's where I first met her."
[Uh…I guess I might've missed out an important detail], he gulped at the thought of it as Ton, chin, kan had him cornered once again.
[I don't want to go through the beating once again and I can't afford to waste energy here… Argh! What a drag!], he scratched his head mentally.
"'Well, the easy route!" Subaru mumbled to himself.
"Huh? Did he go mad out of fear?", the slender thug said.
"What are you blabbering about to yourself!", the shorter one added on.
"Hand over whatever you have and get on all fours…", the slender thug said with a wolfish grin, "That is if you don't want to lose a ball or two!"
Then they all laughed in unison like the old jerks in the films who posed as villains.
Subaru seriously had second thoughts about knocking the balls out of them, but he decided to hold back. He put up the most amicable smile he could and said meekly, "Gentlemen, I am feeling lucky today. So I will be counting upto 5. You can run till then or you will be in a world of pain~!"
"Haah? Say that again, Scum!", Ton barked.
"ONE! TWO!..."
"This guy's seriously gone nuts! Hey you're DEAD!", the shortey thug ran at him with his fist raised high up, as high as he could aiming for his chest.
Subaru took a sideways stance in response to avoid the attack but what came was a low kick aiming at his shin, but they were too slow. Way too slow as compared to Elsa. He had already jumped back out of harm's way on getting the slightest hint of the feint.
"FOUR!...FIVE! Time out! Now it's my turn!", he shouted at them in the most savage way he could, straining his voice box to his limits, which made the thugs recoil backwards instinctively. They watched him carefully wide-eyed ,not daring to make the first move. Even the shortey thug moved back and lined up with his allies, most probably aiming for a joint attack or retreat whichever seemed feasible depending upon Subaru's next move.
[Heh! They fell for it]
"Be prepared for my ultimate move!", he declared with such authority which made the trio gulp in fear.
Maybe they shouldn't have aimed at such a shady looking guy. What were they thinking when they decided to go for a Gustekan with strange clothes and wares? They should have at least backed off when he rambled loudly about something about magic, 'fantasi?', 'Excali…' something, 'kawaii josei' and what not. But it was too late for them. And they knew it instinctively. Their hearts beat loudly as they watched the Gustekan go through a calm transformation and then suddenly open his eyes with fierce determination, opening his mouth to say something which left them paralyzed for the next few moments.
"KISHI-SAMA! TASKETE KURASAI! WATASHI WA KOWAI OOOOO!", he yelled his lungs out in the most girly voice which they had ever heard.
Timeskip to the moment where the thugs were verbally abusing Subaru like the shame of manhood and were about to pounce onto him to teach him that- 'One is not born a man, but battered and forged into one like steel.'
Enough with the dialogues, they really didn't have any good intentions. Otherwise they wouldn't be getting in the way of our MC.
[As expected, scaring them doesn't work. Now, the next event should occur in three, two…wait, wait, three, two, one…]
"Here he comes! Ta-da!~", Subaru opens his arms like a stage performer welcoming the dashing knight in a shade of red and blue, "Please welcome, Reinhardt van Astrea! My saviour knight and the one who purges evil!", he blabbered casually as if it were a game where you had to repeat a checkpoint multiple times and can pass the early stages blind-folded.
"Argh! I seriously don't have time for all this drama… Hey, Reinhardt!", he called out the silhouette far away, help me out already! They are gonna kill me~!"
"Hey, do you really think we will fall for bluffs the second time?" The thugs continued to curse Subaru sending death threats on his way.
"What would the Sword Saint be doing here out of all places! Heh! You think you're a pretty big shot, aren't you?"
"I will teach you some life lessons which you will…"
'-That's enough.", the voice suddenly and clearly once again tore through the alley just like the previous loop.
"I've seen enough. Regardless of the circumstances, I will not permit any violence against him. You've gone far enough", the knight said so and walked calmly between Tonchinkan and stood between Subaru and them.
[Some things never change, huh…I am getting tired now…], Subaru thought to himself.
Reinhardt narrowed his eyes towards him just as this thought passed by his mind.
"What?", Subaru asked the knight.
"Nothing..." Then turning to the thugs, "I am on my day off today, so I'll leave it at that if you flee now. But if you want to use force, come at me anytime."
The thugs ran away panicking, on the verge of tripping, without any parting threats and without turning back again. Not even once.
"Umm…"
Reinhardt turned back to see Subaru trying to say something but he seemed to be deeply contemplating about something.
"Are you okay?"
"uh.. no! That isn't what… Argh!", the boy seemed to be annoyed at his benefactor rather than being grateful.
"oh, Sorry! I didn't mean to lash back at you! There's a lot I'm going through, you see…And the thugs showed out to piss me off just now…", Subaru said in a tired tone.
"Thanks for your help!", he gave him an energetic smile, "and take care!" with that he went his way, without wasting any more time. Or even bothering to ask the sword saint for help.
"Huh…Seriously! Guess that's how he is", the person mumbled to himself in an annoyed tone.
Unknown to Subaru, there were actually four people and not three who were following him from the beginning of the loops. The fourth guy was playing the role of the watcher. Not wanting to meddle in the affairs of a fellow Asian. That was what he thought himself however.
"How about you come down, Mr.?", the Sword Saint said out aloud. Loud enough to reach the peeping Tom who was watching all the events folding from the rooftop of one of the buildings on the edge of the alley.
"As expected of the strongest man Reinhardt!~", the guy however responded in an overly friendly manner, despite not having ever met the knight. Hell, he hadn't even met a Lugunican before.
"You see…I managed to somehow get up, but I'm scared to get down. Can you please help me?", the guy asked earnestly.
"I might…depending on your answer.", however the righteous knight laid a condition before him.
"OK! OK! FINE, FINE! Just help me get down man!", he replied desperately.
The sword saint jumped straight more than 20-ft high without even stretching his legs and landed on the rooftop of the building where the guy was stranded; to the guy this feat seemed more like a tip-toe jump.
[Well, that's how ridiculous this guy is…I wonder what Saitama-san would have jumped if he were here., the guy thought.
"Thank you! You're a saviour!", he said merrily, some tears were visible near the corners of his eyes. He must have been touched to his core. The knight then went near him and held him by the waist and then jumped off the edge of the roof, and landed gracefully with the helpless and stranded cat.
"My, my, if I were a maiden I would've already fallen in love with you!~", he blabbered on, "But since I am not one. I would repay you in some other way…"
"So, what was it that you wanted to ask me.", he finished as the look on his eyes got serious and his tone dropped to a heavy low, implying that playtime was over.
"I suppose you are mistaken.", the knight replied.
"What do you mean?", the beneficiary raised one eyebrow in a questioning gesture.
"What are you?", the question came.
[Seriously? I was expecting something else more important like- 'What I was doing up there and watching Subaru get beat up when I could've helped him and thrashed the thugs easily', Or 'Whether I was the one who targeted Subaru using the thugs'… Now how do I answer that stupid question, sheesh!]
"If I were you, I would not make light of my question.", the knight spoke up as if he had heard all that the guy in front of him was thinking.
"Why? Is there something on my face which you don't like or because you are the Sword Saint?", the retorted, annoyed.
"Or do I not look very human in your eyes.", the guy snapped at the face of the strongest guy of this world, without the fear of the aftermath.
"If I were to answer your doubts… it would be for the safety of the kingdom", the knight replied calmly. But the guy noticed that Reinhardt's hand was now placed lightly on his sword.
"Look…", the boy replied in an exhausted tone, "I am not crazy enough to fight you or launch a sneak attack on you, I don't have a death wish like some brainless bug."
"Because you know that sneak and surprise attacks don't work on me?"
"…", the boy did not reply, but instead held his forehead with his right hand and started massaging it slightly, taking deep breaths.
"You…", he said without opening his eyes in a helpless manner, "I thought that you were supposed to be polite, huh… You're seriously Getting On My Nerves, you know?", the last part carried evident rage and bloodlust which made the knight tighten the grip on his dragon sword ready to swing it at moments notice without giving any chance for the boy to act.
"Or…", the anger in his tone disappeared the next moment, " is it because of all the stuff I am carrying? That would make sense you know…", the boy concluded innocently like a student who had just realised how to prove similarity or congruence of triangles after finally understanding how to apply the theorems and rules/
"Is that it? Isn't that it, hey, hey say something, you are making me nervous here.", he pressed on seeing that the Sword Saint was on high guard against him and was observing his every movement, not even bothering to reply to him now.
"Ah, seriously! Why does it have to be you of all people? A strained relation with a core character when I have a lot of things planned for you! Man! Just shit! Shit!", he looked high in the sky ignoring Reinhardt, "Curse you! Curses on you! Tappei-san! CURSE YOU for making this world so shitty and unpredictable! No! I take that back! Only the first part though!..." he kept on yelling as if he were talking to somebody in the sky. But this made Reinhardt only be more wary of him instead of lowering his suspicion of him for this innocent act.
Deep down, he knew that this person was totally normal, just abnormally high on spirits, even after jumping 20-ft with him, he knew it deep down in his conscience. But his instincts were telling to get rid of him at this very moment. But he couldn't do so, because of his responsibility. So he concluded of neutralising him on the basis of his interaction. However, the more he talked with this person, the more he grew suspicious of him, despite there being nothing wrong with him.
The fact that he was acting totally normal was exactly what was the most suspicious. The guy didn't flinch when Reinhardt read his thoughts, let alone the 20 ft drop which would have freaked out any normal person. He was not even scared when Reinhardt was about to strike him down at any moment. Any normal person would've instinctively defended or tried to defend themselves sensing his hostility. But it was as if…as if… he knew that Reinhardt wouldn't harm him no matter what, unless he did something terrible. It was as if this person in front of him who was acting like a depraved guy,(he was still cursing the heavens and some 'Tappei-san' for his 'creations') actually knew Reinhardt for decades and above all, trusted him- Even above his life. Reinhardt felt guilty, he felt horrible, but he had no choice but to be wary of him. His blessings were telling him so, no they were screaming to end that life before his eyes.
He was really a Devil.
He knew that all well but…his duty…his…
"Hey, you alright? You're gonna scare me with that pale look on your face!", the guy chimmed on without stopping ever, "What is gonna happen to the world if the Sword Saint faints like that?"
The guilt in his heart was now piercing him apart. Even in a situation like this he cared for the person in front of him instead of clinging on to his life and fighting for it. What made him feel worse was that he had gained this stranger's unwavering trust even though he tried to kill him with the slightest of mistakes.
"I understand if you can't trust me.", the guy suddenly changed the topic. "After all, I couldn't keep my act together in front of you. It's alright, I know that you can read my thoughts and that you have unlimited blessings at your disposal. [I don't know what happened the previous time though.]"
Reinhardt looked up at him and met his eyes for the first time in a while curiously, after reading the strange thought which passed by the boy's mind.
"[Oh! don't mind the last part. I can't tell you even if I wanted to. Well…I can tell you this way if you keep on reading my thoughts. But there's a risk of me dying any moment. It's like a curse, no a sort of 'taboo', you know? That boy called 'Subaru' whom you just saved a while ago also has this 'taboo' cast on him. Except that he doesn't know of it.
And I won't be telling about it to a depressed guy like you anyway. You despise yourself very much after all. I know it all, most of it, you see… uh…]
You just end up blaming yourself at the end of it always. So you don't need to worry about it, Rein. If you are too down to get up, just let me know and I'll come straight up and punch that negativity out of you!", he laughed with the most warm smile he could give which made the Sword Saint's mind go blank all of a sudden, out of shock. The shock of all that he heard and was told to him, both in and without words.
For a moment, he felt inclined to ask him who he was again but decided against doing so.
"I have made a grave mistake of assuming you as an arsonist. I don't have any words to express my apologies… I can only be…"
"-Don't fret over it man! Chill, chill!", he was cut off midway, "No harm done, no worries. Besides, you wouldn't act like that without a reason. Not that I am interested… But I have a favour to ask of you."
"A favour?"Reinhardt was puzzled. What favour could the man who he tried to kill ask of him.
"Yes, a favour. One that you would not regret doing for me. And I'll owe you a big time for that! So are you willing to listen? I won't take a 'no' in advance, just so you know. Or I'll take you as the most unknightly knight ever…!"
The banter went on ceaselessly as the stranger with blue hair and burning red eyes laid out his plans for the perfect clear loop which now had new variables as a bonus.
A/N: Meet you in the next chapter.
And I've decided to post reference arts of the iconic scenes of the chapters. Uh… yeah in the discord server itself. In case you haven't joined yet, here is the link:
/z4sMtj2u
Drop in your reviews and criticisms. Don't be so much of a lazy bum. Giving me reviews gives me points to improve on. So that's it. Ciao.
