Notice before you read:
Hey everyone, I'm Evon. Some of you may already know me through my arts and for the others, well, I'm an artist who drew quite a lot of fanarts of Crusch and Priscilla from Re:zero.
Writing is something new to me and I'm all but familiar with it. The piece of writing you're about to read is pretty much my little attempt at putting a step into this world, as I was greatly encouraged to by the latest writing contest of the Re:zero fanfiction discord server.
Since the chapters are quite small I can manage to write them in between my drawing schedule (even though I cannot garantee consistency), but I still get a lot of help from ArcherFromArnor, an experienced writer in this field, who is my editor.
He still couldn't quite believe his eyes.
In the 20 years of his life, his only experience with women was restricted to the few female friends he had in kindergarten and the teacher he confessed to in grade school. High-school was the current bane of his existence, and even though he had just started college, having any relationships seemed like a fantasy to him.
And yet…
"Hm…I expected this place to be more…suited to a man like you." She pondered, drying her hair with a towel, "it is definitely not even reaching the ankle of what should be standard for any human being, but…"
"Seriously?! That's the first thing you decide to comment on?!" He cut her off, doing his best to look elsewhere as she had just gotten out of the bathroom.
She glanced at him with narrowed eyes, and decided–surprisingly so–to not push the matter more than that.
Looking down, she examined the piece of clothing she was wearing–which was nothing but a pair of nightwear; shirt and pants–and thought they had charm for her eyes.
Nothing fancy was to be expected for someone like her host who lived on his own, but still.
"Since the lights are back, you should try to call your family…I'll go take a shower in the meantime," he cleared his throat and hastened his steps to the bathroom, "I warmed up some tea if you want…"
She took a seat on the couch, and her eyes immediately wandered around to examine the room she was in. Again, nothing fancy. It was a humble apartment, enough for one or two people…Something one would see a lot in Japanese urban areas.
Then again she didn't expect anything else when he talked about inviting her in, but it was still such a surprise for her–in a very unique way–to see something so different from what she was used to.
A part of her felt disgusted to even be here, feeling like spending a night in such a place was an insult to her name, while another advised to be magnanimous, as she could have been in an entirely different situation right now.
sinking in the couch, she picked up her phone from the small table in front of her before closing her eyes.
Meanwhile in the bathroom, he immediately turned the water switch blue and let the cold water pour all over his head, breathing heavily to calm his emotions, anger, frustration and embarrassment alike.
When felt like it was enough, he slowly opened his eyes–turning the water back to a hotter scale– while staring at the wall in front of him.
"How the hell did we get here again…?" he whispered to himself.
Dear passengers. Please be informed that a rainstorm is coming tonight, make sure to regain the comforts of your home as soon as you leave our train. We thank you for traveling with us, and wish you a pleasant evening.
"Gn…" His eyes nearly opened, the music in his ears having stopped a little while ago.
"Hey…Check this out!"
"No way, is this really happening?"
"Wait, I think I know this girl…"
He slowly woke up, the noisy yapping of the people in the train bothering him enough to force his eyes open. He looked around to where the noise was coming from, which was a group of boys from his university eyeing towards other standing passengers.
It was nearly dark outside. The train was not really full, but there was still a decent amount of people. Since the beginning of his college life Subaru was used to taking this train ride every day to reach his apartment, and since he was one of the first to get in he'd always get a seat away from sights where he could doze off or listen to his music in peace.
He never paid any attention to whoever was inside that train with him. His college debut was oddly similar to his highschool one, friends was a luxury he couldn't afford in his life…And he somehow got used to it.
The boys to his side kept commenting with sneers and jeers, their voice a mix of excitement and expectations as they seemed to be focused on a specific area of the train.
As the seconds passed, finally Subaru was able to comprehend what was happening when he noticed a lone college girl right in front of another man, and it took but half a second for him to get up, and grab the said man by the back of his collar.
"What the hell-" He shouted, taken by surprise as he was brutally pulled away.
In the same motion, Subaru grabbed the man's smartphone, which was still stuck on the camera app that he was using when Subaru noticed his arm a little too close to the girl's skirt.
The girl suddenly turned around, and she was also quick to understand what happened. She didn't have the time to voice either her anger or outrage, that Subaru had already punched the culprit in the face.
He fell to the ground with a loud slam, the sudden shock prompting the other passengers around in the train to take their distances as they tried to figure out what caused such a commotion.
The beaten young man was holding his cheek in pain, grunting and whimpering on the ground, looking up with teary eyes at the one who had just brought a meaning to the word "karma".
"You fucking…" Subaru looked at the phone in an attempt to delete whatever pictures was taken, but quickly realized that it would imply seeing the very forbidden knowledge he was trying to preserve this girl from.
"For a moment I feared that you would negate this good deed," she spoke in a satisfied voice, taking the phone from him, "I will dispose of that."
When he heard her voice, Subaru immediately perked up. Solely focused on stopping the crime before his eyes, he didn't take the time to see who was the victim he was trying to preserve in his sudden prowess of knighthood.
"Priscilla-san?!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, looking back at the group of boys he was seated right next to–still staring at them uncomfortably-as he recalled them speaking about recognizing the girl in question.
Indeed, Priscilla was all but unknown for the students of this city's college. Known as the Ice Queen, a top student whose beauty only equaled her excellence.
She was of foreign origin, and known to be an untouchable rose in a sea of dandelions. Many had already tried, from other male top students to the most athletic ones, the idolized ikemen and even some women had taken a gamble to woo this mountain top flower, but in vain.
"Mh? Ah, of course," Priscilla sighed, "speaking to me for the first time must be quite the shock for you."
"...No, not really," her words knocked some sense into him. Subaru realized that he was probably making a big deal out of nothing, "I'll let you deal with that how you see fit."
"What do you mean 'not really'?" she narrowed her eyes, "you have the equivalent of divinity in human form before you. This kind of opportunity doesn't happen twice in a lifetime."
"...A-Are you really that arrogant?!" Subaru seemed surprised, "man, now I understand why no one ever managed to ask you out…"
"Do not speak of things you have little knowledge of with such confidence. Arrogance is not quite the term which befits me. I am merely assessing what is true," She eyed the phone in her hands, grimacing in disgust at the sight of the pictures taken of her, "to find joy in the entitlement of pushing certain boundaries however, this is arrogance."
As she spoke her last sentence, Priscilla kicked the young man on the ground in anger, who whimpered in pain as he simply wrapped his hands around his head and face, to both protect himself and try to shield his identity.
"I mean, being too full of yourself is arrogance too isn't it?" Subaru replied, not feeling pity one bit for the boy on the ground.
"How quickly annoying you became," Priscilla sighed, gazing at Subaru with bored eyes, "I despise repeating myself. If you didn't understand me the first time, you are not worth my time."
"This, right there," Subaru pointed with his finger, "if this isn't arrogance I don't know what it is."
"Alright, I had enough. Return to your seat away from my sight."
"...That's exactly what I was about to do but you know what? No. I'll stand up right here."
Priscilla tilted her head, her eyes showing a glint of her wrath and a bit of curiosity at the man in front of her. They were simply staring daggers at each other, one out of pride and the other out of stubbornness.
He didn't care about any reputation since he had none, and wouldn't let himself simply be walked over by this haughty lady, and she wouldn't let the insult of a nobody standing up to her out of nowhere.
Of course both had failed to notice how the entire wagon had now their eyes fixated on them, as they caused a commotion which was quite unusual for a japanese train ride.
"U-um…Can I have my p-"
"Shut the hell up!" "Shut it." Subaru and Priscilla shouted to the young man on the ground.
As he returned to whine on the ground due to his unfortunate situation, Subaru and Priscilla stared back at each other, irked about the other saying the same thing.
"I see, so I'm intertwined with a stray dog who was desperately in search of a master" Priscilla crossed her arms, "Was this your tactic to gain my favor? I must say, it started so well…But you definitely went downhill with that brazen attitude of yours. A good dog must be obedient, you know?"
"What the hell even is wrong with-Where are we?! The 16th century?! Why are you talking like you were raised in a household full of people wearing traditional kimonos and using hand fans referring to you with your full name every time you pop up?!" Subaru spat out, glaring at her eyes as strong as she was, "it's either that or you live in your own movie to be that much of a stuck-up with a superiority complex!"
"Complex? But I am superior." She raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused by his sudden assessment.
"That's way more serious than I thought…!" Subaru grimaced, noticing the train slowing down, "are you mentally ill or something?!"
Priscilla's eyes kept staring at him with nothing but wrath as he kept responding, his answers more and more ridiculous and insulting as it went on.
"That was a bad idea, stupid me. I need to get out of here." He thought to himself, not liking the stares he was getting from others around one bit.
Coincidentally, his stop was coming as the train began to slow down. Subaru went back to pick up his backpack and walked towards the doors, doing his hardest to not cross the gaze of any other passenger still staring at him for what he just did.
"Hold it." Priscilla spoke with a strict voice, stepping out of the train as she threw the poor boy's phone under the rails, "Where do you think you're going?"
"MY PHONE!"
"What the hell?!" Subaru turned around, "Don't you follow me! I'm going home!"
"You think you have a right to walk away after insulting me in front of so many people?!" She snarled, her face's features showing her anger, "Who do you think you are?"
"Insult yo-What?! I literally stepped in to avoid your private parts becoming tomorrow's biggest gossip topic!"
"So you are just going to ignore the whole part following that? As I told you before, you have ruined the good nature of your actions. And now you wish to simply walk away from the consequences?"
Subaru gritted his teeth, feeling suddenly uncomfortable by what she said. 'Walk away from the consequences' seemed a bit too appropriate to what he has been doing his whole life.
"What do you even want…" He sighed,"I'll apologize if that takes you off my back."
"Grovel at my feet and beg for forgiveness."
"HELL NO!" He quickly perked up, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"I am giving you an opportunity. Do it now, and I shall consider your atonement."
Subaru couldn't speak a word, way too flabbergasted to find anything to say to that woman at this point. He was simply frowning and shaking his head, while Priscilla was still waiting for his apology.
"He-hey hold on!" He pushed her a bit forward, noticing the doors of the train about to close, "you're about to miss your stop!"
"Do not touch me," she slapped his hand away, "I shall not go anywhere until you have given me a proper apology."
"Don't joke around!" Subaru tried in vain, as the doors closed and Priscilla still stood before him.
He watched the train leave with defeat written all over his face, his eyes following its trail until he came back to Priscilla, standing still with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, suit yourself. You're the one who'll have to wait there for another train." He clicked his tongue, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, alright? Now let's part ways and never speak to each other ever again."
"It is not what I asked for, and did not feel genuine at all." She spoke loudly, "Do it again. Properly."
"...Why…? What's wrong with you?!" Subaru began to speak louder out of frustration, "Why are you so damn obsessed with getting an apology from a nobody you met in the middle of nowhere!?"
"Anyone who lets their honor so easily be trampled on shouldn't even be allowed to breathe," Priscilla scoffed, "it does not matter who you are, and I frankly do not care. What matters is that you set things right."
"...Alright, fine! I am sorry, Priscilla. I am sorry for saying things which were out of pocket to you in front of so many people. I am sorry for insulting your O so beautiful image even though I simply tried to help initially," he spoke with the calmest voice he could muster at the moment.
Priscilla narrowed her eyes for a bit, and sighed, "it shall suffice, I suppose."
"Great…Now that we're don-"
Attention, dear passengers. Due to a technical issue on the railroads, the next trains will be canceled for the rest of the night. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Subaru and Priscilla stood idle, both looking up as they listened to the announcement.
Their eyes came back to one another, one worried and the other uncaring.
"...Well, I told you to get on the train." Subaru cleared his throat, not knowing what more to say.
"This is but a minor inconvenience."
As soon as she finished her sentence, a thunder roared up in the dead of the night, as rain began to drip slowly around them.
"Oh come on…" Subaru cursed under his breath, "could this be any worse?"
And as if to reply to him, lights around them and in the streets immediately died out.
"What the hell?!"
His gaze wandered all around, thinking about what kind of supernatural being he would see emerge from the shadows as to follow such a predicament, but there was nothing aside from him and a very ticked off Priscilla.
Their eyes caught sight of each other one more time for a moment–the last dim lights of the sun going down the horizon being just enough–untilPriscilla broke off that strange stand off by walking away to sit on the bench at the station, taking out her phone.
She didn't say a word, and for Subaru this was a clear sign that their interaction was finally over, the first and the last. So he also departed, taking his way home as he already did his best to forget about this entire scene.
He would never have to meddle with her again, after all. At least he would do his very best to avoid it. He couldn't believe that acting like a good samaritan would cause him such troubles.
"You can't make this shit up, honestly…" He grumbled as he took out his phone, "Being pissy because the conversation didn't go like she wanted for one damned minute…"
Subaru looked through his contacts searching for his mother, calling her every day when he'd come home being sort of a tradition between them as he became a freshman in college, when he noticed the call wouldn't come through.
"Uh..? Wait," he blinked, noticing the absence of signal, "Man, the power outage is that spread out?"
He suddenly remembered Priscilla at the station, who sat down in silence as she probably tried to contact someone to pick her up. She had probably noticed the dead network while he was still around her.
But of course she didn't say anything. Out of pride–or out of spite towards him–surely, as she didn't want to be involved with him any longer than necessary.
"Yeah, good damn riddance." He spat out,smiling as he got closer to his apartment, "that's what you get."
"Honestly, what did you even expect? Bad people get bad endings, one way or another," he sighed as he climbed up the stairs,"Maybe if you'd have been less bitchy you'd be on your way home too."
He reached the door as the rain began to grow stronger, feeling relieved that he got on the ark before the flood, "that's just how it is…"
His hand touched the doorknob, but it wouldn't open. No matter how hard he tried.
He looked up at the number, it was indeed his apartment. He took a look at his key, it fit perfectly into the lock. But this door wouldn't budge.
"What the hell…" He growled in frustration, "come on…!"
His breathing became faster, louder. His heartbeat growing, his teeth gritted, his hand shaking the doorknob with all the strength he could muster.
Until he looked down and realized…That this entire time…
All that was shaking was his own hand, and the knob that he never–not even once–tried to turn.
Priscilla looked up as the rain hit the outside roof of the stations like arrows on a shield. Never in her entire life did she expect to find herself in such a helpless situation.
For the first time, against all odds, Priscilla felt miserable. And she couldn't help but be enraged by it. How could she feel like this? How could fate betray her out of everyone?
Then, she heard the echoes of water splashing against the ground. A sound even stronger than the pouring rain.
And when she turned around, she saw the same man, the same reason which caused her to be in this situation. Nearly out of breath and looking like he had just taken a dive into the ocean.
"My place…is nearby…" He spoke as he grasped for air, "so…"