Shortly after Subaru was informed of his terrible fate, Capella brought in one of her underlings. The woman she brought had purple hair and wore a light red beret with a matching secretary style outfit
"This is one of my children. This lovely lady will have you help her with their assignments and in return, she will teach you in more detail what kind of work you'll be doing from now on."
The woman smiled sweetly at Subaru. "How generous of you to give me a helper, Mother. I'm Sakura Element, I look forward to working with you."
Subaru was the only one in the room who wasn't overly ecstatic with this exchange. He already had a gut feeling that Capella assigned him to work with Sakura so she could keep an eye on him. With all the surveillance he's had this past month, it was clear that he wasn't trusted to be on his own.
Not keeping the same level of enthusiasm as the girls, Subaru greeted himself. "I'm Natsuki Subaru… I guess I'll be working with you for now…" He wasn't even trying to hide his despair. Subaru was already convinced this was a failed loop and was just waiting to die so he can do this over again.
Capella leaned herself closer to Subaru, her face right in front of his as the girl gazed into his defeated eyes. "Don't worry, Poochie. I know how much you'll miss your beloved mistress but rest assured this lovely lady will still see you as her pet."
That was nowhere near what Subaru was distressed about but he wouldn't correct that assumption. On the off chance he manages to overcome all of this in one piece, he wouldn't want to damage the only bond he has that's quite literally keeping him alive.
"Thanks… I feel so much better…" Subaru muttered. He was too mentally drained to keep up his usual enthusiastic act. Despite his obvious lie, Capella smirked and placed her hands over her hips.
"It's only natural that you'd feel better from receiving this lovely lady's reassurance. If you do a good job, your beloved mistress might even spoil you."
"Mhm…"
After some time, Subaru and Sakura were dismissed. That actually surprised Subaru quite a bit considering that little devil refused to let him leave her sight.
After leaving the room, Sakura turned to Subaru. "I must say, I'm very impressed. I rarely see Mother so compassionate over a new recruit." She followed her words with a sweet smile.
Seeing how he was out of Capella's sight, Subaru wondered if he actually had a shot at getting away. At first he assumed that he'd be monitored by Capella but if she's out of the picture, he might actually have a chance. "Sakura, right? So what exactly am I helping you out with?"
"Oh my, aren't you eager to get to work. No wonder Mother seems to expect a lot from you." The woman chuckled for a moment before continuing, "In short, I'm looking after a brat with a marvelous ability. I'm trying to pull a sponsor to their side."
Subaru blinked a few times. "Wait, do you mean negotiating? There's no killing involved?"
"Oh? Are you that eager to murder? If you want, I could recommend you to work with Elsa instead. She's quite remarkable in that field."
The boy audibly gulped. He wasn't sure who Elsa was but he already had a bad feeling about them. "N-No need. I was just surprised that assassins do negotiations."
"I see." Suddenly her demeanor shifted to that of being annoyed. "Carrying on, I don't exactly need your assistance. I'm perfectly fine doing this myself and I don't need someone with no experience holding me back. While I'm establishing connections, you are to stay quiet and observe."
Subaru nodded. "No problems here."
In all honesty, Subaru was glad to hear this. He didn't want any part in assassin work so the less he was expected to do, the better.
Sakura instantly returned her smile. "Good to know that Mother trained you well. Don't worry though, if you prove to be promising and we continue working together, I'll be sure to give you a more active role. Let's get going now."
The boy nodded and followed Sakura's lead. Subaru paid attention to the layout of the dungeon-like castle as they moved forward. The more he learned about this place, the easier escaping will be in the future.
Eventually, the two finally reached their destination; a wing awfully similar to Subaru's. The main difference had to be that this wing hardly had any furnishing.
Waiting in the wing was a beautiful girl with long purple hair, amber colored eyes, and wore a pretty blue nun outfit. If it weren't for the fact that Subaru was already aware what this place housed, he wouldn't ever expect this girl to be an assassin.
Sakura clapped her hands together which instantly caught the girl's attention. "Alright, Melty. We're leaving now."
"Huh?" The girl referred to as Melty spoke up. She darted her head around as if trying to look for someone. "W-Where's Tiga?"
"He's still recovering from his punishment after that little stunt you two pulled last time. Don't worry though, Mother was generous enough to provide us with a substitute." Sakura gestured to Subaru.
Melty looked at the boy. She seemed pretty nervous before turning her attention back to Sakura. "You said Tiga would be coming with us…"
"Oh? If you don't like it, you could always talk to Mother about it. I'm sure she would love to hear what you'd have to say."
Melty had a terrified look on her face before she shook her head. "N-Nevermind…"
"Good. Now wipe that pathetic look off your face. We're going to the Church of the Divine Dragon and I don't want another scene."
Now Subaru was confused. He wasn't sure who Melty was but she sure didn't act like an assassin. She sounded more like a hostage if anything.
Melty complied with Sakura and took a deep breath before she wore a much calmer look on her face. Afterwards, she approached Subaru and waved at him nervously. "H-Hi, I'm Melty Pristis. I hope we can get along."
Yep, she doesn't act like an assassin one bit.
"I'm Natsuki Subaru and likewise. Well, you know, with us getting along. So are you going to negotiate or is Sakura doing that?"
"We're doing negotiations?!" Melty asked in a surprised voice.
"Yes, Melty. We'll be running into an individual with a high standing. You'll be using that wonderful ability of yours on them." Sakura clarified.
Melty looked down upsettingly. "Oh… That's what we're doing…"
Subaru looked between the two girls. "Sorry, I'm kind of lost. What's Melty's ability? Does it boost her charisma or something?"
Sakura giggled. "I guess you can say that. Melty is from the evil eye tribe and she has quite a rare and marvelous ability that really helps with negotiations. Don't worry, you'll be able to see it in person soon enough."
Subaru had a good feeling that he should be very worried. However, he knew better than to voice his opinion right now. He wasn't sure if anyone here had a similar temper to Capella and he wasn't going to risk it. In the end, he just nodded in agreement. "I guess so."
--
After the introductions, everyone packed up for the mission. According to Sakura, it would take about four days to get there so in total, this roundabout trip will take about a week or two. The ride in question was taken inside a dragon carriage. Subaru normally would've been stoked by this but he was too busy observing his surroundings like a paranoid veteran.
Subaru found this as a huge opportunistic moment for himself. The fact that Capella will finally be out of his reach might actually mean he had a shot to escape and start his fantasy life in this new world. So for now, the boy was ensuring that he was only dealing with Sakura and Melty.
Three days had passed on the road since then and they stopped to set up camp. Subaru was the one who started the bonfire since apparently the person who usually does that wasn't joining them on this mission. At this point, the three were gathered around the fire eating the rations that were brought along.
The moment was mostly spent in silence. Melty looked too on edge to say anything for some reason and Sakura didn't really care to say anything. Melty wasn't even served anything to eat.
Subaru was paying more attention to his surroundings to make sure a certain someone wasn't tailing him but now that he was a good distance away from Capella's den, he felt like he should dig for some information.
"So, you're both assassins for Capella, huh?" Subaru spoke out to test the waters before he dug at anything.
The two girls looked at the boy in shock. However, Sakura soon smiled and even giggled a little. "Oh my, I didn't think you shared such an intimate relationship with Mother to call her by name like that."
At first, Subaru was confused but it suddenly hit him that Capella hated being referred to by her name. He nearly forgot about that.
Before he could apologize or anything, Sakura continued, "I'm not sure what rules you went by but out here we only refer to her as Mother. She'd be quite upset if she found out you used her name in public like that. I'm sure you've seen her when she gets upset, haven't you?"
The very thought of an angry Capella sent chills down the boy's spine. "R-Right… I'll keep that in mind…"
"Oh, that reminds me, you used to be Mother's plaything, right? I'm a little curious, how long did you put up with that before she made you her child?"
"Just about a month. I've gotta say though, she's really hard to deal with." Subaru sighed as the memories of constantly trying to come up with ways to distract that little devil came back to him.
"My, no wonder Mother expects a lot from you. I never thought it was possible to last a week with her, let alone a month. Maybe I should reconsider your workload for this mission after all."
Subaru immediately shook his head. "I-It's fine. I'd prefer to… erm… watch! You know, to get experience first!"
Sakura giggled. "Yes, that does sound smart. I'd rather not be held liable for any potential screwups you make after all."
The boy let out a sigh of relief. The less he had to do the better. "About this mission, who are we trying to get in contact with?"
"Telling you that would be very unnecessary. Your only job is to watch and learn. Unless I tell you directly to do something, it would be in your best interest just to stay quiet."
"Cmon, we're working together, aren't we? Wouldn't it be better for me to get the full game plan so I'd know what to prepare for?"
"You do have a point but if your goal is to learn, then you'd be better off with knowing as little information as possible. You won't always have everything spelled out to you and most of an assassin's work is to compromise."
Subaru nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Normally, Subaru would continue to pursue the topic but he had a bad feeling what would happen if he kept going. He spent too much time with Capella to really stick up for himself without fearing his own safety. For now at least, he was going to drop it.
With that out of the way, Subaru turned his attention to Melty. "So, how did you become an assassin?"
In all honesty, seeing how Melty acted in the group made Subaru have his doubts if this girl was actually an assassin. Knowing her circumstances could very well help out his own.
"Me?" Melty asked in surprise. "W-Well… I don't think I'm allowed to say…"
Sakura scoffed aloud before following up. "Subaru, one thing you really need to understand is to not say anything unnecessary. Information is perhaps the best way to kill anyone and spreading that carelessly to everyone only makes yourself vulnerable. Keep that in mind while you work in this field with us."
"Alright, fine, I'll stop." Subaru said in a rushed tone. He knew now getting information would be more difficult than he thought so he figured that he'd stop being direct and try other methods.
Satisfied with the answer, Sakura smiled happily. "I'm glad you understand. It would be a shame if you ended up being a liability."
"Yeah… It sure would."
The group soon finished eating up their rations and headed off to bed for the night, well, Sakura and Subaru did since Melty was never given anything. Subaru had contemplated running off in the middle of the night but he was too scared to try. Right now, he was in unknown territory and one thing that was brought to his attention was the existence of creatures called maebeasts. He wasn't sure how common these creatures were by the roads but he didn't want to find out.
True, he could always come back with his return by death ability but the idea of dying painfully prevented him from doing so. He didn't want to feel horrible pain right before he died and he especially didn't want to risk getting caught if he tried to run now. Who knows what will become of him then?
Regardless, the boy decided to wait until they arrived at the church before he even considered trying anything.
The rest of the trip had gone by uneventfully. Sure, there was the occasional small talk but Sakura still insisted not to speak unless it was business related and Melty seemed either too sad to talk much.
Despite that, the group made it to their destination the next day. It turned out that the church they were going to was located inside a city known as Priestella. He recalled Capella talking about that place a little bit, mainly how she has a number of her underlings constantly visiting the city.
He was never informed where they were going and only found out today by Sakura but only once the city was in eyesight. One thing he really hated about Sakura was just how sealed her lips are. Getting information out of her was next to impossible.
Getting into the city wasn't hard at all. The guards by the city entrance seemed to recognize Sakura and Melty and getting in was fast. Subaru wasn't sure if this meant that they were fooled beforehand or if they were undercover agents of Capella but regardless, it was good to know that some of the guards were familiar with them.
Now that he was here, this would be the best time to really test the waters. Perhaps now, he can finally escape that little devil's clutches.
--
Subaru looked around suspiciously as he left the church with the girls. He felt like that interaction with the noble went way too quick and wasn't at all sure what to make of it. At this point, he was suspecting that there were people spying on them and maybe that was why Sakura insisted on leaving as fast as they did.
Sakura seemed to notice how weary the boy was and couldn't help but giggle. "Is something wrong, Subaru? You look very tense right now."
"Eh? O-Oh! Sorry about that. I'm just wondering why we left so quickly."
"That's simple. We've finished our job. Since it's done, I don't see a reason to waste anymore time there."
Subaru blinked a few times. "Wait, it's over already? But we barely talked to anyone there. The most we did was greet ourselves to that Rickert Hoffman guy."
Sakura nodded. "Precisely, and do you recall what exactly happened during that exchange?"
"Yeah, we went up to him, greeted ourselves, and Melty shook his hand. Afterwards, you said we had to be somewhere and rushed us out."
"Oh my, you can be quite dense. I'll give you a little hint. I told you that Melty has a marvelous ability."
"Right, you said it helps with your negotiations." Subaru took a moment to further ponder this meaning. After a bit, he widened his eyes after piecing things together. "Wait… You don't mean she can magically brainwash people, do you?!"
Sakura let out a quiet giggle. "Not exactly but that's close enough. Now that our work is done, I'm going to take this time to get in touch with some of my associates. Would you be a dear and keep an eye on Melty for me?"
"Hold on, you can't just tell me that she can magically control people and expect me to watch her by myself!"
Those words made Melty tense up and look down shamefully. "I-I'm sorry…"
Seeing her have such a sad look made Subaru panic in return. He wasn't sure if it was out of fear of making an assassin upset or if it was because he made a girl sad. "I didn't mean it that way! I'm just a bit surprised about it. I really didn't mean anything against you."
Sakura who seemed all too eager to get going interjected. "If you don't have any objections, I'll be on my way now. I'll be back in a few hours." Without even waiting for any kind of response, she walked off.
At first, Subaru felt dejected for just being left like that out of the blue. However, that barely lasted for even a moment as it dawned on him that he was practically left alone. The boy wasn't even sure if he felt excited or paranoid about this situation.
Under normal circumstances, he'd be very excited to finally have a chance to make a run for it. But that month being with Capella couldn't stop him from feeling paranoid. He was under constant surveillance that entire time and it felt like that underdressed girl made it her priority to make sure he didn't step outside. In the matter of fact, Subaru nearly went blind once he initially took his first step outside Capella's den.
With all that said, Subaru was still too scared to try anything. Not yet at least. He still had no idea if making him come here with the two assassins was a way to trick him or if it was just a whim.
Eventually, Subaru sighed aloud. All this thinking was starting to physically hurt now. He turned his head to Melty who was currently looking down sadly. Despite his initial wariness of the girl, Subaru just didn't have the heart to leave her looking like this. "Um… Melty? Have you ever been here before?"
The girl raised her head after being called, looking a little surprised when mentioned. "H-Huh? Oh! I've been here a few times, I guess. It's usually with Sakura and Tiga though."
"Oh yeah, I think one of you mentioned someone being here before me. What's the whole deal with that anyways?"
Melty flinched and once again looked down sheepishly. "I-It was my fault… I got us into some trouble and he took responsibility for me…"
Subaru noticed the tension about her and immediately spoke up. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. It's just that I don't really know anything about you. You've been really quiet the whole trip too so I just wanted to make sure there isn't any bad blood between us."
Melty immediately began to frantically shake her head. "I'm sorry! You didn't do anything wrong! I-I've just been thinking a lot…"
"Ah… Well, if you say so then…" Subaru said awkwardly before the two silently stood in place for a few moments. Despite his attempt at breaking the ice, it feels like he made zero progress.
The boy suddenly perked up as he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea. Since he was now in a city, he thought that he should go do some 'sightseeing' and plan his breakout. Normally, he'd want to do this alone but for some reason, he'd feel too guilty if he just left Melty by herself. She may be an assassin but she sure didn't act like one.
"Hey, Melty?" Subaru finally spoke out. "Since our job is done and all, do you want to do a bit of sightseeing? I've never had a chance to see what this world's cities are like after all."
"Huh?" Melty looked at Subaru with a confused expression. "This world's city? Why would you say it like that?"
"N-Nevermind that. I just haven't visited a city before."
"Oh… I'm sure it should be fine. I don't come here often so I wouldn't be a good guide. I'm sorry…"
"It's fine. I personally find it more rewarding to venture out and discover things on your own. You know, the joys of a surprise."
"Joys of a surprise? Aren't surprises startling though?"
"I guess so. But they can be joyous too! It's like getting a present on Christmas. It may be a little startling but it makes you very happy too."
"Christmas…?" Melty tilted her head as she was only getting more and more confused by the second.
"Oh yeah, you probably don't know what Christmas is. Just follow me and I'll show you what I'm talking about."
"Um… Ok?" Despite the girl's clear confusion over all of this, she obliged. Even though Melty was around Subaru for nearly a good few days, she still wasn't sure where the boy was when it came to authority. She knew that he was a certain girl's pet at one point and he was learning from Sakura to be an assassin. But she didn't really know much beyond that.
Satisfied with the girl's answer, Subaru smiled and started to aimlessly wander off in a random direction. "That's the spirit! I bet you're really going to like this."
Subaru just happily walked off. For a moment, Melty just looked towards the boy dumbfounded but after realizing he was already leaving, she rushed over to his side. "W-Wait up!"
--
It didn't take long before the two ended up at an inn that served food. Before Subaru departed, Capella did provide the boy with some funds so he was actually able to afford something.
"I had no idea this place had rice balls!" Subaru said aloud before taking a big bite out of the said rice ball he currently possessed at this point in time.
Melty who sat across from him watched on with a puzzled look on her face. "Are rice balls not supposed to be common?"
It was now that he realized that the only person who knew that he came from another world at this point was Capella and he didn't exactly want to confuse the poor girl. "I guess you could say that I haven't had the chance to go out much. What about you? Are you sure you're not hungry?"
Melty frantically waved her hands and shook her head. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine! You don't need to worry about me."
"Are you sure about that? I don't remember ever seeing you eat. Even on the way here, you skipped out on every one of your meals."
"Huh?!" Melty asked in shock. The girl tensed up soon after and looked at Subaru sheepishly. "T-They never told you…?"
Subaru stayed silent for a moment before scratching the back of his head after he came to a natural conclusion. "Ah, sorry. If you're on some kind of diet then I didn't mean to sound disrespectful or anything."
"Diet? No, it isn't anything like that!" Melty tightened her shoulders and looked down, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. "I-I physically can't eat…"
"Huh? You physically can't eat? What do you…?" Subaru stopped himself for a moment to think about this more clearly. It was then he remembered what Capella can do. He wasn't 100% sure how it exactly worked but he knew that she can transform people into basically anything she wanted. Did that mean Capella did something to Melty so she couldn't eat? "D-Did she…?"
Melty nodded slowly, knowing all too well who Subaru was implying.
"Ah…" That was all Subaru could manage to say at this point. He felt like a scumbag now that he understood Melty's situation a little more. After that, the two sat across from each other in awkward silence. Subaru had initially gotten another helping of rice balls, hoping to convince Melty to eat some but that didn't turn out to be an option.
Eventually, Melty wore an obviously forced smile and twiddled her fingers together. "You don't have to worry about me starving or anything. Sakura's the one who handles that."
"A-Alright, sorry for making things awkward. Eheheh…" Subaru shared a fake smile of his own as he weakly chuckled to himself.
"It's alright! You said you were new to this after all, didn't you?"
"Hahah, yeah… But I still don't think it's an excuse to be rude to you. After all, co-workers are more productive when they get along, right?"
Melty tilted her head and gave Subaru a puzzled look. "Get along?"
"Of course! Isn't it common to get along with the people you're working with? I mean, we're going to be around each other a lot so we should at least try, right?"
The purple haired girl continued to stare in shock. Soon enough, she pointed at herself. "Y-You want to get along with me…?"
Subaru gave the girl a friendly smile and gave her a thumbs up. "Yeah! I'd love to get to know you more after all."
Melty continued to stare dumbfoundedly for a few more moments. After she processed the boy's words, she finally broke eye contact and looked down at the table. "Why would you want to do that…?"
Subaru's smile vanished after seeing Melty's quick change in tone. He didn't like seeing this poor girl so sad. It was like watching someone sulk away after giving up on life. "Do you not want that?"
The girl flinched and frantically shook her head as well as her hands. "N-No! It's not like I don't want to get along! I think getting along with other people is great! I-It's just…" She stopped herself for a moment and lowered the volume of her voice to a whisper before continuing. "You know what I can do… So why me…? Why are you bothering to be nice to me?"
Subaru too stayed silent for a moment. Initially, he agreed with Melty. Why is he trying to get on her good side? He is currently trying to plot a way to escape the mess he's currently in so why is he doing any of this?
…
That thought didn't last long. He had to focus on what's currently in front of him. "Melty," Subaru finally spoke out. "You deserve better. Admittedly, I still don't exactly know what your situation is but I can tell you're a good person."
Melty clearly wasn't buying it. The girl tightly gripped her skirt and stared at Subaru with a look that was mixed with both seriousness and terror. "You don't understand… I've done horrible things to so many people…"
This was hard, Subaru thought. Yeah, Melty probably did do a load of bad things since she's with Capella's assassins group and all. However, it was painfully obvious that the poor girl was forced into it. He refused to believe such a quiet and gentle girl would do any of this willingly. Subaru extended his hand out and patted Melty's head. "Well, to be fair, it looks like we're both sailing on this boat together."
Initially, Melty flinched from having her head pat all of a sudden but she didn't really do anything to stop it and looked towards Subaru confusedly. "H-Huh? What do you mean?"
"You know, we're both in this situation together so I think it's only fair to share our burdens. After all, isn't that what teammates are for?"
Melty really wanted to just stop this and reject Subaru's offer. She'd feel guilty just roping someone else in her problems. However, something inside her was preventing her from doing so. Despite her guilt in doing so, another part of her was feeling relief that someone was willing to be with her in this. "I-Is that what you really want…?"
Subaru immediately nodded and shared a bright smile. "You bet I do!"
Melty paused for a moment. She had several mixed emotions about this whole ordeal after all. Though, it didn't take long for her to decide how to move forward. "A-Alright… If that's what you really want, then I think it should be fine…"
"That's the spirit! You won't regret this, I prom-"
"Ahem!"
…
Both Subaru and Melty finally shifted their attention to one of the innkeepers who was standing only a few feet away from their table. Before the duo could say anything, the innkeeper continued, "I'm sorry for interrupting your lover's quarrel but you're making the other patrons very uncomfortable and I'd appreciate it if you two settle down a little."
"Lover's quarrel…?" Both Melty and Subaru simultaneously asked in confusion. The two stayed silent for a moment before they simultaneously connected the dots and both of their faces grew bright red.
"N-No! I-It's nothing like that!" Subaru responded immediately. "W-We were just… erm…" Just as he was about to defend himself, he realized that explaining their situation would definitely be a bad idea.
Luckily, the innkeeper spoke up for them. "Listen, I'd just appreciate it if you two settled down a bit."
Seeing this as their out from explaining, both Melty and Subaru bowed their heads apologetically. "I'm sorry!"
After that awkward talk, Subaru finished up his food and rushed out with Melty.
--
Both Subaru and Melty had wandered the city for a good few hours. The duo was currently sitting at the edge of a fountain beside a busy street, watching countless people walk by. Lost in thought, Subaru muttered to himself, "Does this usually happen?"
Melty blinked a few times and looked towards Subaru. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, sorry. I mean do you usually do jobs like this and have a lot of free time afterwards?"
"Yes, these are usually the kinds of jobs we do. But Sakura said we'll be going back tomorrow. We usually stay out for a month or two. Actually, I'm surprised how short this is going to be."
"Really? Did you have another job planned out or something?"
Melty shook her head. "I wouldn't know. Sakura's the one that organizes all of that."
"Oh yeah, she does seem to be the one who's planning everything in your group." Now that he thought about it again, Melty really doesn't seem to have any say in this group. She honestly just looks like a poor hostage.
Just like himself…
What Subaru was about to do next was incredibly risky but he just had to know. It's been eating at his mind this entire trip. "Melty, do you want to escape?"
"Eh?" At first, the girl was left dumbfounded for a moment before she reached her own conclusion and shook her head immediately. "I-It's ok, really! I don't mind following along at Sakura's pace!"
"No, I didn't mean that." Subaru took a deep breath before continuing. He might not be in the good grace of a certain after this but right now, he just had to know if there was someone who he could share this with. "I don't want to be an assassin. If I had the choice, I'd run away from all of this."
Once again, the purple haired girl was left dumbstruck. "Y-You want to run away…?"
Subaru tensed up and nodded, hoping that his intuition was right about this. "Yeah. If it was up to me, I'd probably be a merchant instead. I'm pretty confident in my conversation skills so I'm sure I'd be successful."
"Wait! Do you have any idea what you're saying right now?!"
"Yep, I sure do." That was all Subaru could come up with at that moment. He wasn't sure how this would turn out after all.
Melty just stood there in complete shock. Hearing someone speak out of term like this was just unheard of. Regardless of that, the two were left in awkward silence for a lengthy while. Eventually, Melty spoke up again. "D-Do you really mean it…?"
"I do. Who in their right mind would want this kind of life?"
"..." Melty was at a loss for words. Even now she wondered if speaking out like this was allowed. However, she agreed with Subaru. If she had it her way, she would've never been tangled up in any of this. Still having her doubts over the boy's intentions, she eventually responded. "If you're trying to tell me to run away, I can't."
"I'm not going to pretend I know what you're going through because I don't. But do you really want to live like this for the rest of your life? Plenty of people make mistakes and instead of dwelling on it forever, they learn from those mistakes and-"
"STOP IT!!!"
Subaru immediately stopped himself once Melty suddenly raised her voice. At this point, the poor girl was in tears.
"We both know that we can't run away so stop trying to trick me into thinking we can get out of this! I already know my life is over so please… Just please stop reminding me of that…"
…
"I'm sorry, Melty. I didn't mean to make you upset." Normally, Subaru would try a bit harder in his endeavor but he still doesn't know much about Capella's outside influence to make assumptions. But there was one thing he was convinced of; Melty doesn't deserve to live like this. "I know I said this already but if you're still willing, I'd like to go through this with you."
Melty calmed down immediately as she recalled that moment. She also took a second to assess what she had just done and nearly panicked. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you, Subaru!"
Subaru couldn't help but chuckle. "Pfft, you're fine. I'm pretty sure I'm the one who should be apologizing here anyways."
"Wait, that still isn't a good reason to yell at you though!"
"Hmm, how about we just say sorry to each other and promise to do better next time?"
"But there's nothing you should be apologizing for. I understand that-"
Before Melty could continue, Subaru moved his arms over one another, forming an X shape. "Wrong! We're supposed to say 'I'm sorry' and then we'd follow it up with a handshake. Here, say it with me; I'm sorry, Melty. I'll do better next time."
Being put on the spot so suddenly, Melty panicked internally and just went along with this. "U-Um, I'm sorry, Subaru! I-I'll also do better…" Her face was beet red from embarrassment now as she was shaking a smiling Subaru's hand.
"See? Don't you feel better already?"
Despite how embarrassing this was, Melty nodded and continued, "Y-Yeah, I guess I do feel a little better…"
"That's good. Oh, by the way, do you usually sleep at an inn or do you have some kind of HQ where you rest?"
"There's usually a few rooms at the church. Tiga's usually the one who sorts that out though…"
"Ah… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Not wanting to make things awkward again, Subaru immediately continued, "So, should we meet back up with Sakura?"
"Yeah… I don't think we should get on her bad side."
After that was all decided, the two headed their way back to the church. Getting there was no issue at all and once inside, they both immediately noticed Sakura sitting down on one of the benches, tapping her foot on the floor repeatedly. She looked like she was very impatiently waiting for someone.
"Hey Sakura!" Subaru called out. "Are you about done with your-"
"There you two are." Sakura interrupted before she stood up and crossed her arms. Based on the expression on her face, she looked pretty annoyed. "We're heading back now. Let's go."
This sudden piece of news nearly startled both Subaru and Melty.
"W-Wait, right now? We just got here though. Shouldn't we at least have some time to rest?" Subaru reasoned.
Sakura gritted her teeth in annoyance. She looked like she was about to burst but she managed to keep her composure and took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, something rather… dire… came up and we need to head back immediately."
Subaru let out a tired sigh. "Alright… If it's that important, then it can't be helped. What happened anyways?"
Once again, Sakura winced in annoyance. "Did you already forget what I told you? It's your job to figure these things out yourself. If you're done wasting my time, I suggest we get to the dragon carriage."
Not wanting to start a scene, Subaru agreed. "Alright, alright. I'll meet you there."
Subaru wasn't sure what happened to Sakura while she was gone but whatever went down really soured her mood. Hopefully it isn't anything too bad.
--
The ride back had gone by just as uneventfully as it had the first time. The only notable difference this time was that Subaru wasn't exactly plotting an escape. His time with Melty really postponed that thought for obvious reasons. That and he didn't really have a good time to really do so.
On the way there, Subaru would check up on Melty much more often. Mainly just to see if she was feeling alright and just to chat about life in general. That was the best he could really do since he couldn't share meals with her.
Sakura didn't seem to really mind the exchanges between the two as she was presumably preoccupied with her own thoughts. After reuniting with her, she mainly kept to herself. Regardless, Subaru didn't make any effort to get to know her more. All that attention was reserved for Melty specifically.
After everything she's been through, they deserved it the most.
Eventually, they all made it back to what Subaru could only call 'Capella's den'. Before they departed from the carriage, Subaru looked to Melty. "You know, this was a lot more fun than I thought. We should be paired up more often."
With a smile, Melty nodded. "Yeah! I-I'd like that a lot."
With those final words said, the group made their way back inside. However, before they even made it to the entrance, a certain crimson eyed devil was already at the scene waiting. Capella was standing by the entrance to her lair with her arms crossed and foot constantly tapping the ground as if she was waiting for someone. It became quite apparent who that someone was once her eyes caught on to Subaru's.
"There you are Poochie!~ Come with me right now, this lovely lady has a very important task for you to do."
Subaru was taken aback by this immediate exchange. He wasn't even inside yet and he was already right back in Capella's immediate clutches. The boy wanted to at least have a few more moments before he inevitably reunited with her. "O-Oh… I just came back though. Could you give me a minute to rest up first?"
Subaru immediately regretted his words after seeing Capella's happy smile shift into a terrifying glare. "I have been so kind to give you a brand new task. Instead of whining about rest, you should be using that mouth of yours to sing your beloved mistress praise for being so considerate to give you more work. I was very thoughtful to even let you go outside to begin with yet you choose thank that kindness with your worthless complaining?!"
Ah, he had almost forgotten how unreasonable Capella is. Subaru immediately took a step back and raised his hands in a 'please don't kill me' position. "A-Ahahah… What I meant to say was that I'm really excited to get right back to work!"
Subaru's desperate attempt to appease the little demon seemed to have worked as her glare immediately vanished and her smile immediately returned like it had never left to begin with. "That's more like it. Now make like a good little pet and follow your beloved mistress, Poochie~"
Despite her words, Capella didn't let Subaru follow under his own volition. Instead, she snatched him by their wrist and started dragging the boy away. Capella was rushing this so quickly that Subaru didn't even have the chance to tell his group goodbye.
As Subaru was getting dragged off to who knows where, he dreaded over the thought of what Capella could possibly have in store for him now.
Soon enough, the golden haired devil dragged Subaru into his quarters where he usually resides. The room he was pulled into looked to be cleared out and there was a line chair in the center of the room. Suddenly, Capella pushed an object straight into Subaru's hands and she immediately hopped on the chair.
"Ahem," Capella cleared her throat before continuing, "Since you completed your first task without any issues, you will have the honor of brushing this lovely lady's hair."
Subaru blinked a few times. It was now that he realized that the object in his hands was a fancy looking hairbrush with a rose engraved on the back of it.
"You want me to brush your hair…?"
"Don't ask such a dumb question! What you should be saying is 'Oh thank you my beloved mistress for blessing me with such a kind and generous reward!' Honestly, you were always slow when it came to thanking this lovely lady properly but since you did such a good job this past week, I'll forgive you this one time, Poochie."
"Yeah… Thanks for being so… benevolent…" Subaru had to stop himself from rolling his eyes before indulging this little monster's desire to have her hair brushed. He was genuinely surprised though at how tame Capella had been lately. He knows very well what she is capable of and for her to be requesting these things from him is a little surprising.
"Of course, Poochie~ After all, good obedient toys get treats. Oh yeah! That reminds me, we should have some rice balls next time we eat together. Consider my generosity as an extension of your reward."
"What did you say…?"
Capella leaned her head back in the chair as a big grin stretched across her face. "I said that we should eat rice balls together. You really seemed to like them during your time at Priestella. I know you're left speechless right now from being given an opportunity to spend more time with such a divine being but a simple 'thank you mistress' should suffice."
Subaru was indeed left speechless. At first, he thought Sakura informed her but there was no way she knew about his outing with Melty. Would Melty betray him and leak what he told her?
…
No, Melty isn't that kind of girl. Besides, if that were true, Capella would definitely be pissed off since he told Melty he wanted to escape.
But that still begs the question; how does Capella know?
"Grrr…! Are you deaf, you damn mutt?! Here I am giving you so much of my attention and even giving you permission to address me and you can't even thank me?! I am being so nice and generous to you so the least you can do is get on your knees and bow to this lovely lady. But instead, you choose to sour my generosity by giving me such a disgusting look?! If you can't-"
Before Capella could rant any longer, Subaru immediately bowed his head and spoke up. "Oh thank you for giving someone as unworthy as me such an opportunity."
That seemed to have worked as Capella immediately shifted her tune back to her happy self and nodded. "That's more like it. You may continue to brush my hair now, Poochie."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Subaru stood back up and continued to brush Capella's hair. He was now carefully running the brush down her extremely long bang. Subaru figured that he'll find out how much Capella knows about his mission later. Best not to get on her bad side after all. Maybe Sakura knows something. She did seem off after all.
"Oh, that reminds me." Capella spoke up again. "I don't think Sakura's group fits your abilities as much as I thought they would. I'll be assigning you to a different group for your next mission."
…
Subaru widened his eyes. "W-Wait, I won't be working with Sakura and Melty anymore?"
"That's what this lovely lady implied. I think they're distracting you too much to make your potential really shine out. Not to worry though, Poochie. Your beloved mistress has just the perfect group in mind for you~" Capella licked her lips suggestively after her exposition.
Subaru on the other hand was stunned. Why would Capella do this? How much does she know about his and Melty's interactions?
… Rather, how much did she see?