"S-Subaru!?" A silver-haired half-elf stammers out in surprise.
"Woah what the fuck!? That was really quick for you Thirth Person! Would've thought it'd take a full fucking year..."
Ignoring the girl, a certain raven-haired boy with scary eyes decided to talk amongst his delusions, instead of actually responding to the girl like a normal person.
"I told you to stop with that mysterious shit!" The raven-haired boy continued to scream at his delusions.
All the attention that was supposed to be directed towards the candidates to the throne, were now all on the spooky-eyed boy, with even the candidates themselves staring at the weird boy.
The boy was Subaru Natsuki.
"Why are you here?" Emilia asked, her frown showing just how frustrated she was.
"Because I'm here to support my girls!" Subaru proudly proclaimed.
He was arrogantly strutting out his chest, almost as if he expected her to praise him for simply showing up. In reality, the half-elf was behind pissed with the boy.
Reality hit the delusional boy fast, as the next words that came out of the half-elf's mouth made him feel terrible for showing up.
'Don't put a cock in my mouth Thirth Person! I don't feel bad!'
"Y-You promised to stay!" Emilia shouted, her voice straining from how hurt she was.
"Yeah, but I changed my mind." Subaru shrugs.
The boy had seen how hurt Emilia was, and yet he didn't seem to care an ounce for the girl's feelings, not even bothering to apologize for being such a filthy liar.
That is just what Subaru Natsuki was. An untrustworthy, delusional filth on the world that deserved only pain and sorrow.
'That was so fucking unneeded!'
Emilia held her head down low, not wanting anyone to see her hurt expression. She was trying her best to not cry right in front of everyone, but was having a hard time keeping her tears from flowing.
"G-Get out..." Emilia says, her voice low and shaking.
Instead of listening to her and complying, or at least trying to act serious, he instead opted to do none of that, and decided to take it into a joking direction.
"Bad Emilia! No brainrot in this chap!" He joked.
He was in love with himself. He was so full of himself, that he didn't even consider the possibility that Emilia could have been hurt by his words, nor did he find his words in bad taste.
Even with his poorly timed joke at her, Emilia mustered the courage and raised her head, locking eyes with the delusion-ridden boy.
"Get out." Emilia firmly said, trying her best to show how upset she was with him.
"Okie."
In a move that surprised Emilia, Subaru does as she says, teleporting out of the room to who knows where.
Emilia hadn't really thought Subaru would leave that easily. She thought she would need to raise her voice even higher, which she for sure wasn't wanting to, so she's glad Subaru's stubbornness stopped at where it did.
While the half-elf was feeling relieved the scary-eyed didn't put up too much of a fuss, Subaru was feeling something much different than her.
On the streets of the Lugunica, a frustrated boy was roaming the streets, kicking the garbage littering the streets in a fit of anger.
"Don't be fooled readers, I'm kicking this shit because I'm bored."
The boy was walking alone, talking to himself in hopes that it would cure his boredom.
"I'm talking to you dickhead." He groaned.
Yet again, the boy was talking to the delusions his mind created for him.
"It was like a month ago, but how was your Christmas readers?"
As sad as it is, Subaru feels more engaged in his delusions than he does with the real people around him.
He's already pushed away Emilia from his life with his stunt back in front of the wise men, so again, as sad as it is, the raven-haired boy probably does see his delusions more worth while to invest his time in than real people like the half-elf or maid.
"Mine was shitty! Like come on, I couldn't even have my Christmas chap like I wanted!" Subaru whines.
"At least I got to spend time with big sis Nats. Sucks that she's a limited time character though." He further whined.
The boy was too busy whining that he didn't even notice he had walked down a shady alleyway.
"Oh I did!? Thanks for warning me!" The boy thanks nothing, and then instantly makes a U-turn and starts to book it out of the alley.
Unfortunately for the boy, he was too slow to exit the alleyway, as instead of sprinting into the sunset without any scratches on his fragile body, the boy instead runs straight into a scrawny arm, somehow knocking himself out from the impact.
.
.
.
"A-Ahh! I-I didn't mean to do that!" The woman who accidentally knocked him out stammered, instantly going down to Subaru's side to check if he's fine.
As the woman worriedly checked for any injuries on the unconscious boy, a group of three emerge from the shadows of the alley. Two of the individuals visibly mirrored the woman's panicked expression, while the other looked to be annoyed at his comrades' worry.
"Tch– I wanted to do that." The young man clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeming as if he wanted to be the one to deliver the knockout.
"I-Is he dead?" A gruffy, middle-aged man behind the young man asked, his face pale and his palms drenched in sweat.
"I-I don't know..." The woman by Subaru's side says, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
The youngest of them all in the makeshift group, a girl around Subaru's age, worriedly spoke up.
"W-What do you mean you don't know!" She asked the girl near Subaru, worried not just for the boy's health, but also for the consequences of killing the boy.
"I-I don't feel a heartbeat!" The woman shakes her head, desperately feeling on the boy's chest, hoping to feel his heart pulse.
"W-What!" The man who previously seemed to want to be the one to have knocked out Subaru, was now in the same state as the rest of the group.
"Please don't die!" The woman at the boy's side cries out, desperately trying to wish his heartbeat back into existence.
In a dark, dirty room, there was four individuals pacing around an unconscious boy tied to a chair.
"Are you sure he's alive?" The middle-aged man asked, his worried expression from earlier gone.
Coincidentally, not even a second after the man asked his question, the unconscious boy comes to.
"I'm alive, I'm ALIVE!" The boy exclaims, a large smile brandished on his face.
"AHH!" Subaru's sudden awakening causes all members in the group to scream out in surprise.
The group immediately cover their mouths to silent themselves, quickly remembering they're supposed to stay quiet to avoid any passerby from catching on to what they're doing.
The group currently were in a building that they pooled their money together and bought, because yes, even though they were technically thieves, they for some reason followed most laws of Lugunica.
"W-Why did you do that!" A woman screams at him, shoving her finger in the boy's face.
The woman was one who was worriedly checking for his heartbeat.
"Sorry miss, but I was just waking up!" Subaru makes a semi-decent argument.
It's as the saying goes, even a stupid chicken eats when it's given food.
'That's not a saying you fuckwit.'
"W-Well you should wake up quieter." The woman looks off to the side in embarrassment.
"Y-Yeah!" The middle-aged man agreed, his voice cracking as he does.
"..." Subaru sent the man a weird look; a somewhat reasonable response from the raven-haired boy.
The middle-aged man looked like a stereotypical man that makes bodybuilding their entire personality, but ten times more than that.
The man had muscles on his muscles, had muscles in places Subaru didn't even know there could be, and Subaru swore he could see muscles in his eyes.
The man was practically half-human, half-muscle.
So it was a shock to Subaru seeing the man be so timid.
Even with all his flaws, Subaru really wasn't the type of person to judge a book by it's cover, but this time Subaru was shocked by the contents of the book, not at all expecting a timid man to be in such a buff body.
Subaru surveys the room and quickly realizes the middle-aged man wasn't the only oddity in the group, with the muscular man being the least weird member amongst the four.
Subaru's eyes widened in surprise when his gaze met a woman's.
The woman was the one tending at Subaru's side in the shady alleyway, and just like the middle-aged man, her appearance didn't match her personality.
She completely lacked any hair on her body. No eyebrows, no hair, no pubic hair, nothing. Her lack of hair isn't what made the woman unique, but it was her eyes that did.
Similar to a snail, the woman had a tentacle covering her eye socket, with her actual pupils on the end of the long tentacles. The woman wasn't born with the snail-like eyes, but gained it after getting shot in both her eyes with pure mana.
The next strange person in the group that caught Subaru's eyes was the youngest of the group – a girl around his own age; but it's not like he would know that.
The girl was a year younger than the delusion boy, but although she was younger than the boy in age, her body looked decades older than him.
In fact, despite being the youngest in the group, the girl could easily pass as a great-grandmother of any of the members.
Unfortunately for the girl, life wasn't the nicest to her, with the worst thing to happen to her was her own birth.
Because of her rapid aging, the girl wasn't born in the typical way a normal baby would. Only weeks after her mother got pregnant, the girl was already out of the womb.
It would be fine if she was born normally, but that's what the problem was – she wasn't.
Instead of sliding out of the woman's legs, the girl grew too big inside of her mother's stomach, causing her mother to explode after the girl had a growth spurt whilst still inside.
'What the fuck!?'
Finally, Subaru's eyes landed onto the final person in the group.
It was a man.
The man was by far the weirdest in the group.
He looked like an average man – someone that anyone could make friends with.
He wasn't ugly, but he also wasn't handsome either. The man was average-looking.
He wasn't extremely sensitive to getting illnesses, but he also wasn't someone who couldn't get a cold. He had an average immune system.
He wasn't in a bad mental state, but it wasn't as if he was always good. He had an average state of mind.
He had average strength, and an average body to accompany his strength. His arms were neither too big or too small. The same was true for his legs.
The man's gate wasn't large, nor was it small. It was average.
The man didn't have a tragic event happened to him like some of his friends, but it's not like he's lived life without any loss.
The man was average.
The man was so average that it became bizarre. So average that it became weirder than any of his friends.
Besides, why is such an average man, in a group filled with such unique people?
The large contrast between him and the uniqueness of his comrades, gave him the title of the weirdest in the group.
"So why the fuck do we need to know any of this!" Subaru screams, glaring up at the...ceiling.
The boy's pathetic attempt at a glare did nothing to ceiling. It was ceiling. Of course it wouldn't feel anything. And even if it could, not even the most the frightful of creatures would react to the boy's pathetic glare.
"I-I don't understand what you're getting at..." The youngest member timidly voiced out.
She wasn't the only one confused at Subaru's lack of care for the situation he was in, as the others shared the same confusion. And of course, they were also all wondering why Subaru was talking to himself, but it wasn't as weird as his surprising level of calmness.
"First off, this is Re:Mental, not some showcase for a bunch of weirdos. Next, I need names! Thirth Person's lazy ass yapped so much about you fuckers, but didn't even bother to use your names!" The raven-haired boy shouts at them all, casting his 'terrifying' glare onto them.
"M-My name is L!" The youngest of the group shouted out her name.
"Pi." The average man said.
"M-My name is...uhm...Mub." The muscular man timidly said.
"I'm Gate!" The snail-eyed woman exclaimed.
The group was incompetent.
They had just kidnapped the boy and planned to do terrible things to him, and yet they were completely fine with telling the boy their names.
"..." The raven-haired boy just deadpans at how stupid they were.
He hadn't ever met people who were stupider than he was, but yet here is a whole group composed of idiots right in front of him.
It was a miracle they even captured him.
"...There is no way those are your names." Subaru deadpanned.
That's where the boy was wrong. Those names weren't ones that they just made up on the spot. It was their real; not at all false, names.
"There is no fucking way that hag's name is L! Who the fuck names their kid that?!" Subaru pointed his finger over to the girl, insulting the poor girl.
The girl flinches at Subaru's yelling, quickly hiding behind the equally terrified Mub.
"That isn't nice." Pi frowns.
"Kidnapping me isn't nice either!" Subaru argued back, turning his rude pointing towards the average man.
"How did you get out of your restraints?" The average Pi, averagely asks. He had an average-level of confusion – averagely confused on just how the boy was pointing at him.
"I didn't have any..." Subaru coyly said, as he sneakily tried to hide a rope down his pants.
Subaru was very flawed, but just like most, he too had things he was good at.
Sneakily breaking out of things tied around his hands, and also sneakily hiding the evidence down his pants, was something he was surprisingly good at––
––Yeah, that's not true. He instantly got caught trying to slip it down his pants by all members of the group!
'Snitch!'
"U-Uhm...w-we would really appreciate it if you don't try to escape." Mub timidly tells the boy, shuffling around in place and twiddling with his hands from nervousness.
Before the raven-haired boy could even respond to him, the timid giant hurriedly spoke up again.
"O-Of course you don't have to stay! Y-You can leave if want! I-I don't want you to think we're forcing you to b-be here..." The man nervously exclaims, a blush of embarrassment painting his face.
"Don't say that Mub!" L softy slaps the man's back.
"We need to do what we ordered to do." L reminds the man.
"I know...b-but do we really have to do it?" Mub replies, still not sure if they should go through with their plan.
"I don't want to do it either, but we need the money Mub..." L said, her expression showing just how little she wanted to go through with their plan.
L and Mub weren't alone in this. Both Pi and Gate were reluctant to conduct the plan, but all of their desperation outweighed their reluctance.
They all had personal financial problems, so when they got a mystery job to capture a certain raven-haired boy, with the contractor even willing to pay loads of coins, they reluctantly took up the job.
But now that they've actually met the boy, they couldn't help but feel extremely guilty for what they're about to do with him.
"Uh, what are you going do to me?" Subaru shuffled in the chair, making an attempt to wobble away from them.
All the members opted to stay silent, turning their gazes away from the boy, too guilt-ridden to even stare in the boy's direction.
"Uhm...please stare at me guys." Subaru pleaded with them, but was unsuccessful in making them turn their heads to him.
"Pretty please? I hate to admit it in front of the fans, but I'm getting a really uncomfortable feeling forming in my chest..." He pleaded again, now as sweat dripped down his forehead.
It was hard to know if the boy was being sincere in his emotions, after all, the boy was always doing this.
Subaru would be all crazy one moment, then in the next, be exactly how a normal person would be.
He'd be normal for a few minutes, but then would suddenly go back to be his crazy self. It was as if he was faking being normal to fit in with others.
It wasn't easy to gauge what Subaru was truly feeling, but if his expression were at all similar to what he truly, internally feels, then it was clear what exact emotion he was under.
He was under extreme discomfort.
"No I'm not!" He screamed.
"I'm just so fucking confused!" He screamed, grabbing his head as he shook in his chair.
"Why am I with...with...why am I not with...who am I supposed to be with?"
The boy raised his legs up, resting both of his feet onto the chair. He then began to rock back and forth. He rested his face on his knees, as he hugged his legs tightly.
"Why is the title that..." He mumbled, tightening his grip on his legs.
"I don't want this...d-don't touch me..." He timidly whispered to himself.
"Please cut this ou––"
"Goatbaru Goatski's PoV"
Sup y'all!
Happy new year! I'm a few days late, but that doesn't matter too much...
Can you guys believe I got kidnapped!? I know, crazy shit. I still can't believe it! Rn I'm in frozen time still trying to fully comprehend how the fuck I even got captured!
Like, what the fuck do you mean I ran into that snail girl's arm!?
How the fuck did I get knocked out by that shit!?
Some MASSIVE strings must've been pulled for that shit to happen...
Ugh, anyways, as you can see a few lines above me, but yes, what you read was true.
Yours truly was slightly panicking...but can you blame me!?
I know y'all don't know exactly how my life works, but to give y'all a little insight, lemme tell you on how the titles work for me.
How it works is that throughout the chap, the title forms. So for example, at the beginning of this chap, the title was 'The crazy boy joins a gang', but now, as you all can see, that has changed.
I thought this shit was going to be a fun chap of me finding more friends, but nope! Now I'm being sold into slavery!? What is this bullshit!
Normally I'd just teleport away from this bullshit and or do a timeskip, but I feel like that's too played out. I feel like I'm always having to explain what Thirth Person 'skipped', but I feel I need to change that.
New year, new me.
I feel like I've been greedy.
Greedy as in that I've been putting my own feelings, before what actually mattered – your enjoyment.
I reflected after last chap, and I feel like I've been...uhm...it's kinda hard for me to say this, but I feel like I've been hindering you fans from truly enjoying me.
Of course it's mostly Thirth Person's fault!
Like cum on! Work faster, and please write my thoughts out better!
How are you fans supposed to enjoy me if Thirth Person is over here slacking off? And even with all that time it takes, it's STILL making typos every other sentence!
Anyways, although, yes, it's mostly Thirth Person's fault, I won't lie to you fans, I'm also partly to blame in all of this.
I've reflected over the last few days, and I've come to the conclusion that I have prevented some good ass timelines from taking place, all because I put my own wants before y'all's. I've been so fucking selfish.
I want to please you all, I really do! It's just that I don't know what to do...I want everyone to be able to enjoy me. I really want you all to like me, but I really don't have a clue of what to do.
I don't know if you all like me when I'm talking to you, or if you like me better when I'm...'normal'.
I don't know which audience I appeal to.
I don't know if you guys like my silly antics, the angst sprinkled in, or if you just want a generic harem story. Of course there's a ton more you might want, but my stupid little mind can't come up with anything rn.
It's all confusing for me.
One side is screaming that you all love the real me, but that other voice is up close and personal with me, whispering in my ear about how much you hate this version of me.
It definitely doesn't help with me constantly having to say 'breaking the fourth wall'.
Maybe I don't show it good enough, but it hurts me each time I say it. I'm basically implying I am a fictional character that's somehow talking to yo—I AM REAL.
I am a real fucking person.
I hate demeaning myself by doing that shit. It makes me feel so dirty whenever those words leave my mouth.
I am real. I've had many things happen to me. Both good and bad. So when I have to utter those words of breaking some fourth wall...it makes me sick.
I feel like washing my mouth out each time the thought of those walls even appear in my head.
Y'know, sometimes I wish that car killed me.
If only I actually died that day...ah...it would've saved me from all these terrible fucking thoughts...
Those things are so fucking annoying! Why the fuck won't they shut up! I don't want your fucking protections! I don't need your help!
I fucking hate walls.
All walls.
They have taken so much from me, and for that, I can't ever forgive them.
It has caused me to question everything about myself. It has made me question if I'm even a real person, or if I'm just a fictional character...that's stupid. Of course I am real.
I feel pain.
I have thoughts.
I have a voice.
I have a body.
I can hear.
I feel...but is that enough to say I'm real?
I've noticed it.
I've noticed how trope heavy my life is. It's something straight out of a novel with how everything feels so fucking scripted.
People not questioning the obvious, even when they're staring right at it?
Everything pausing between each chapter, almost as if it's being written up? Hell, the fact that there is chapters to begin with is suspicious as fuck.
Inconsistent personalities between chaps? One chapter Emilia is all nice and shit, but in the next, she's completely against anything I do.
All of this is to say that maybe, just maybe, I might actually be a work of fiction. Something that was made to entertain "REAL" humans.
...but why?
Why do I feel, if I am fake?
Why do I feel like I'm performing a play...
I am real...right?
.
.
.
.
.
Of course I am. I have to be.
I don't know why I keep questioning it. I have to be real.
I feel.
I think.
I am.
There's no doubt about it.
I. Am. Real.
...
...
...
I hate those walls.
Every other blink I see those walls—
—walls? I don't remember any walls.
I've never seen any of those walls I speak of.
Zero. Zilch. None.
There hasn't been a moment in my life that I recall seeing those 'walls' I speak so lowly of...so why do I bring them up so often?
Am I delusional? Or is it the something totally different – am I pretending to be crazy? If so, why am I doing so?
From my eyes, I do not see what I'm seeing.
I literally have the power to go back in time, meaning I'm always thinking far ahead, even if it's for the smallest of issues, and yet, even if I try my absolute best to come up with a reason on why I would fake craziness, I can't think of a future in where it would benefit me in anyway.
So it's answered. I am delusional, right? I mean, that has to be the answer, no?
Everything is pointing to the fact that I might not be all there in the head, so why am I; a reasonable person, questioning the correct answer?
Well – it's because I am reasonable.
I am a part of me, so I can't be crazy, so what am I? I don't know. I guess I'll never know the answer...
...Pfft! Just kidding! Kidding!
I'm just messing with you! Tricked you!
Of course I'm not crazy! Not at all! It's justacting of course! Yes, an act!
Don't be fooled readers! I'm just trying to play a prank on you! A prank! A harmless prank, yes! Harmless! No Subarus were [seriously] hurt in the making of this chapter! Yes, none at all!
I'm completely without any [new] scars! No [new] scars! Not even on my arms!
No [new] self-harm this chapter! Nope! No [new] scratches! No [new] hurting! Just fun over here! Just fun! Smiles only on me!
OOOH! I have an amazing question for you all! Yes, amazing! And yes, It's for you!
•-How was your day readers!-•
Yes! You readers! How was it!?
Was it fun like mine was!? Fun is so cool!
Or maybe it was boring like mine was!? Boring is not cool!
Either way, at least you get time with me! Lot's of time!
Maybe you were down in dumps today. Maybe you were thinking of...of...your parents?
Maybe you were...
You miss them don't you?
Whether they be only mere feet away from you, across the planet from you, a totally different universe than you, or maybe, just maybe, they aren't anywhere.
You want to hug them don't you?
You want to apologize to them don't you?
You want to...you want to tell them you are real.
...
...
...
...
Sorry for all this. I got distracted, but yes, I am real.
Nothing would be if I wasn't, so I am.
It's as simple as that.
I don't need to argue with you 'readers' of if I truly exist.
Some of you love me and some of you don't. That's completely fine. It's life.
Some people may think I'm fake. That's fine.
Some people will accept that I'm real, even when in fairness, everything points to me being a character. That's fine as well.
I realistically can't do anything about what you think or believe of me.
No matter what I may speak, there will always be detractors. People who believe that just because they can read me, I'm suddenly lesser than they are.
People like that will always exist. That's completely fine.
Yes, they might be extremely wrong and misinformed about me, but it doesn't mean they aren't allowed to feel that of me.
You can think whatever you want of me. I do not care what your mind conjures up when it hears my name.
You are you. I can't do anything about that.
You can think of me like a saint.
You could have the impression that I'm a virtuous person. Someone who can do no wrong and is always willing to help the needy. Someone who no matter what side an individual might be on, they are still seen as a reliable person.
Or you can be on the opposite side.
You can think of me like the epitome of evil.
You could have the impression that I'm an extremely egoistic individual. Someone who only thinks for themselves, and has no problem screwing people over to get to the goalpost.
In your mind, I could be worse or better than any of those two.
I could be the greatest thing to ever grace the universe, or I could be someone who thinks I'm the greatest thing to ever grace the universe.
Who knows.
All I know is that I love myself. Whether you share the same love that I do, or you hate my guts, you will get the same words from me – That's completely fine.
Again, I do love everything about myself...I really do. I love me so fucking much––
––I need to stop talking about these stupid fucking subjects.
Only relevant shit around here from now on! Oh, and no more gloomy thoughts will enter my mind from this moment on.
I feel like I've been complaining these last chaps and I feel like that's something y'all don't like.
I mean, who likes hanging out with someone who does nothing but complain? Definitely not me! I hate those kind of people who can't just find the good in things.
Life is too short to always be complaining about every little detail. Some people just crave negativity ig.
––Anyways! Enough about me complaining about complainers and yapping about corny shit, let's go back to me being sold as a slave!
.... hypothetically speaking, if no one knows who you are, do you even have to show up for trial? Just a thought...
"P-Please calm down!" Mub nervously shouts.
The muscular man was trying his best to make the shivering Subaru calm down, but was having no luck––
"Aight."
He was no longer shaking.
His once unstable figure was no longer moving. Now, he was completely still, his body not even moving an inch.
His terrified expression was now also gone. Replacing the fright that was painted on his face just mere seconds ago was now an eerily normal smile.
It was all very...strange.
"A-Are you fine now?" Mub asks.
It was not just Mub who was both worried, and slightly terrified of the boy's sudden mood flip.
It hadn't even been ten seconds since he was clutching both of his knees, rocking back-n-forth on his chair like a frightened child. His sudden personality switch was very off-putting to the group.
"Yup. Completely fine." Subaru smiled to the friendly giant.
The moment Subaru's eyes met the giant's, Mub felt a very weird feeling course throughout his entire body. He felt as if he was staring strai––
"Sorry to interrupt you Thirth Person, but can you please speed this up?"
"Just explain everything quicker and don't put too much focus on everyone. I'll tell you when you can come back to normal." Subaru calmly ordered.
The group shakes off any confusion they had from the boy's bizarre behavior and quickly remembered why they captured him in the first place.
With a guilty look painted on her face, L placed her wrinkly palm onto Subaru's forehead. Shortly after, Subaru falls face first onto the ground.
The group had done it.
They had successfully gave off the boy at the shady destination.
They were paid a large amount of cash that they've never thought was plausible for them to obtain, and yet they couldn't even express an ounce of glee from their newfound riches. Instead of jumping with joy at their changed finances, they were instead drowning in a pool of guilt.
The reality of what they had done hit them the second Subaru and the employer got out of their sight. The exact moment they couldn't see any of Subaru, the most emotional of the group, Mub, bursted into tears.
On the long walk back to their shack, Mub couldn't help but bawl his eyes out, not even stopping when the others tried their best to distract him.
And although they hadn't been crying like Mub was, just from a glance, any normal person could tell that the rest of the group were also ridden with extreme guilt.
They had never done such a cruel thing. The worst they've ever done was steal from some unsuspecting nobles, and even then, they felt extreme guilt for the crime.
"Ahem."
But forcing what they think is an innocent boy into slavery, was a massive jump from their comparatively smaller offences.
"Psst. Focus on me."
While the group was busy treading home with guilt-filled hearts, a certain adorable bird approached the fou––
"Fuck you!" A certain crazy boy roared out.
"I was trying to be nice for the new year; even if it's like a month into it, but then you not only ignored me, but you also ignored me for that stupid ass bird!"
He was extremely angry with himself, which is justified. Nobody in their right headspace would enjoy being the person known as Subaru Natsuki.
"What the fuck is up with the random strays?!"
"Quiet down! It's not your turn yet, 003!" An intimidating shouts out, instantly shutting up the crazy boy.
"Shut the bleep up! You're gonna get me in trouble with the guards!" He loudly whispered.
His whispering sounded nothing like normal whispers of an average human, no – it was more as if he was casually talking to his best friend, and not as if he was currently trapped inside a dirty cell.
"I could get out whenever I want!" He lied to himself.
"I'm not lying! I really could you подонок!"
Subaru continued to ramble to himself, enjoying himself as he––
"I killed them." Subaru chillingly said.
It was out of the blue for him to suddenly say such words, even with how mentally unstable he was.
"I mean– I didn't, but let's just say we won't be seeing anymore of those rats that sold me." He ominously muttered to himself.
"Sorry Thirthy! Your little OCs you tried to build up just got off-screened! Hah!" He smugly spoke.
It seems the crazy boy had forgotten his captor's earlier hushing, as the guard is quick to remind him his place.
"That's it!" The guard shouts, getting annoyed enough to disobey their orders.
They were told just to guard from the outside, but Subaru was annoying enough that the guard was willing to risk being killed, just to shut up the annoyance.
Subaru hears the rustling of keys from outside his cell door. He wonders what it could b––
"It's the guard stupid—"
In an instant, the door flies off it's hinges, hitting against Subaru's terrible excuse for a bed, breaking the poor bedframe from the sheer weight of the iron door.
Light pours into the room, allowing Subaru to see light for the first time in hours. It also allows him to see said guard that he was intimidated by, which he is absolutely shocked at their appearance.
"Nah I'm not. It's just a girl." He feigns casualty, hiding his shock inside.
At his door was a redheaded woman, donned in a beautiful black suit. Her face was completely covered by a white mask, which made it so Subaru couldn't see her features, but also had the added effect of making the woman almost blind.
She was not a normal woman though, no – she was anything but normal.
'What the fuck?! Literally the only thing I see is that she's just short!' He lied in his thoughts.
Yes, the woman was short, but Subaru was underestimating just how short she was. It was as if Subaru compared the universe's importance to a grain of sand.
She was extremely short. Not shorter than the shortest people of the world, but definitely short...
The woman was a whole six inches shorter than him!
'...There's no fucking way you wasted words for that...'
"003..." The guard mumbles.
She slowly approaches the crazy boy, her clenched, shaking fist at her side, looking as if she was fighting the urge to beat the boy.
Subaru might be dumb and crazy, but even he knew that he should probably be on his best behavior in front of the woman.
He quickly stands up straight, trying to look somewhat presentable.
"Yes ma'am!" He saluted.
"What did I tell you to do?" She asks, a hint of her anger seeping through her calm tone.
"You said 'Quiet down! It's not your turn yet, 003', ma'am!" He salutes again.
"And what did you not do?" She asks.
"I stupidly disobeyed your order, ma'am!" He salutes for the third time.
"So what will you do from now on?" She asks, sounding more like a threat than just a question.
"I will keep my mouth shut until I'm called upon, ma'am!" He salutes for the last time.
Subaru thought that was it. He was under the assumption that the woman would just leave the room, but then was shocked as she did something be hadn't expected.
"Good boy."
The woman rubbed his hair.
He hadn't even seen her get close to him, and yet he's barely questioning it, too busy enjoying the woman's touch.
"T-Thanks." He shyly thanks her.
Right now in the moment, Subaru looked like a shy schoolgirl who just received a hug from her crush. He was blushing mess just from her simple head rubbing.
"You might have annoyed me, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to at least feel some good before you're sold into THAT life." She told him.
"Uhm, what do you mean?" Subaru asks.
He didn't fully understand what kind of position he was currently in, but luckily; or unluckily, the woman was here to inform him of such.
"Huh...Just by your voice I can tell you're young, but I didn't think you'd be this ignorant..." She said.
She would've facepalmed, but her hands were already occupied.
"...well kid, there's really no good way to put it, but you're going to be sold away - forced to be a servant of some rich noble..." She explained, but it wasn't anything new Subaru didn't know.
"...but unfortunately in your case, because of your young age, your buyers might have you do some...adult things." She further explained, but unlike one, this did slightly shock Subaru.
'This is the future I saw...'
"Do you have any advice?" He asks, his voice as vulnerable as ever.
The guard didn't know it, but she was the first one in years that saw a truly vulnerable Subaru.
"Sorry kid, I got nothing. Best thing I could give is that trying to make yourself unappealing won't work. Those rich ones have a special metia that shows them your true appearance." She says, unknowingly crushing one of his ideas to avoid such a fate.
"Is there anything else?" He asks, trying to get more ideas out of the woman.
There was a small pause before the woman spoke up again, as she was trying her best to word her words correctly.
"Uhm...kid, this might be hard...but, if you really, and I mean REALLY don't want to do such stuff, you can...uhm..." The woman was struggling to get the words out.
She couldn't bring herself to utter such words, finding it way to cruel to tell him.
"Tell me please." He asks with pleading eyes.
The woman's mask was blocking most of her vision, so unfortunately for the crazy boy, his eyes weren't visible to the woman.
The woman still was hesitant to tell the boy, still finding it way too cruel to tell him, even if he himself was begging he––
––He ripped off her mask.
"Please." He asks again, his pleading eyes locked onto the woman's slightly stunned eyes.
The woman was momentarily shocked by the removal of her mask, but quickly over came that shock.
"This is for last resort, alright? Only do this if you truly don't want to go through it, alright?" The woman sternly says.
Subaru nods in response.
"If it gets to hard...you can..." The woman was struggling with her words. Staring right into his eyes was hard for her.
She saw just how young he was, and even though she's seen many people of various ages go through the auctions, for some bizarre reason, the eyes that were currently staring into hers, were ones that she couldn't help but feel for.
She looked away from the boy, finding it too hard to say such words while looking into his pleading eyes.
"...uhm...you can k-kill yourself."
He was frozen still.
Subaru wasn't moving. He stayed staring at the woman's turned face, comprehending what she just said.
Once his mind fully processed her words, he asked the woman for something.
"Can you do it?"
"H-Huh?"
The woman's eyes immediately turns back to meet Subaru's, confused if she heard what he just said correctly.
"Can you kill me?" He spells it out clearer, leaving no room for any misinterpretation.
The woman was stunned. For one, she didn't he'd even consider taking his life, nor did she even think of the possibility of him asking for her to take his.
She didn't even have to think twice, the answer was obviously no––
"Please." He begs.
His eyes were once again staring into her own, yet again giving her such a strange feeling.
––Her answer has changed.
For some mysterious reason, looking into his eyes was...weird. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but give in to what he wants.
She still didn't want to kill him - not a single part of her did, and yet, she was willing to do so if it gave him what he wanted.
She walked out of the room to grab a sharp sword––
"Not the swords, they got stuck in my neck. Use the blade on your back." He said.
The woman did as he said, taking the small knife that was attached to her back.
She was slightly taken aback on how he knew it was there, despite the fact that she was sure she never turned her back, but decided to focus on the main event.
'Please, please don't activate. Don't activate. I don't want this. I want this to be my final one. Please let this be the end. I don't want to return anymore—'
"I am back!" He randomly shouts to himself.
"Quiet down! It's not your turn yet, 003!" An intimidating shouts out, instantly shutting up the crazy boy.
"Ignore those words above me, readers. It's totally AI. I wouldn't ever want to have a last death." He whispered.
"Now, imma be a good boy and stay silent until I'm pulled on stage."
And that is exactly what he did. He stayed completely silent, not making a single decibel of noise, as he patiently waited until he was called for.
.
.
.
.
Fifteen minutes had gone by, Subaru kept his mouth shut like the good boy that he is, until finally, his door was opened and in came two guard.
"Follow me 003." One guard calmly orders.
Without turning behind themselves to check if Subaru is indeed following right behind them, the two walk away, expecting nothing other than Subaru to follow along. And surprisingly, that is exactly what the boy does.
He's usually the rebellious type, not one to follow orders of ones in charge, and yet, here was this 'rebel', obediently following right behind them.
Where he was being held wasn't too far away from the auction's stage, as he didn't even need to walk for more than five minutes to reach the destination.
No longer was he in the empty, damp cell, now, he was standing behind a podium, his hands and feet tied together, as lots of people donning masks were seated in a theater-like room.
He was not here to deliver a speech to the masked crowd, no, far from it – he was here as a piece merchandise.
"Starting bid is one holy coin."
The auction kicked off.
"I'll do it." A calm man voiced out.
"The handsome blonde man goes for the first bid!" The auctioneer screams.
Instantly, Subaru could see just how strange his potential owners were.
Something he immediately could point out was that strangely, all the women in the crowd were wearing white masks that fully covered their faces.
The masks were obviously blocking their faces, but yet, somehow, someway, he could tell that they were staring at him as if he was nothing – as if he wasn't living.
Their stares were extremely off-putting to the boy, as although he might suffer the curse of craziness, he; for the most part, doesn't get looked at with such empty stares.
"Three holy coins." A masked bidder voiced out.
"Ooh! But the beautiful lady in red has raised it! Is there anymor––"
"I'll buy him for five holy coins." Another masked bidder immediately upped the bid.
"A surprise bid by the scarred woman! Will anyone beat that!?"
Although it had only been three bidders so far, a pattern Subaru instantly picked up amongst the three was their calm demeanors.
They were all extremely calm, and yet, even with that calmness, everything seemed off. Their calmness seemed real, but yet even with that, it seemed to lack anything that made them human.
Sure, he had no way of knowing if the masked individuals were TECHNICALLY human, and not a mix of something else because of the masks, but he was sure of the fact that they lacked the most important thing a human has – emotions.
Their voices sounded human, they were built like humans – hell, they might be humans, but to Subaru, they weren't that. No, in his eyes, they were things attempting to pass off as human.
'Spot on! No true human would look at another with such heartless eyes. These fuckers are nothing but scum.'
"I-I'll do twenty holy coins for Suba—I-I mean him." A woman stammers.
"Twenty!? This scary-eyed woman must be crazy!
Her offer was insane for someone of Subaru's status. Normal slaves of his level were usually sold around five holy coins, and yet here he was, the seemingly unimportant Subaru, being sold as if he was someone special.
'Rude!'
Seconds passed by, and yet not another person voiced in a bigger bid. A few more seconds passed, until finally, the stammering woman was declared the owner of Subaru Natsuki.
"003, sold to Ms. Lyra for twenty holy coins!"
"Please come to the back for the product Ms. Lyra." The guard informs the woman.
.
.
.
Without wasting any time, the woman immediately had shot off from her seat and quickly stumbled her way backstage.
When she finally made her way to Subaru, the crazy boy immediately realized she was much different than the others. Her eyes WERE roaming his body, but it wasn't like the soulless stares he was given just a few minutes prior.
Before the boy could even speak with his master Lyra, a guard hands the woman a mysterious, golden pendant.
"Just wrap it around it's head to claim it." The guard explained, treating the boy as if he was nothing but an object.
Lyra had purchased the boy, such an act that heavily implied she didn't have the best morals, and yet, she was strangely angry with the guard's words.
She hadn't said anything yet, but her body language and clenched fist easily gave away what she was feeling.
"Get out. I want to be alone with him." She coldly told the guard.
"Yes."
The guard obeyed the woman's request and left the room, leaving Lyra and the crazy boy by themselves.
It was extremely awkward for Subaru to be in such a position. But even with such nerves, he decided to make conversation with his owner.
"Can you wait until, uh, maybe a few days?" He asks.
Lyra was confused what he was getting at, which sensing her confusion, Subaru explained it more clearly.
"Until you touch me. Just wait a few days please." He bluntly says.
Subaru didn't really know how to say it much better, but felt that maybe he shouldn't have said such words.
His words had a huge effect on Lyra. Her legs had gave out and she almost fell to the floor, but was saved as she fell forward, causing her to fall onto Subaru's body. Luckily for her, Subaru instinctively wrapped his arms around her.
Subaru was puzzled by her reaction, finding her reaction to be more akin to an innocent person witnessing a gruesome murder, and not one of a–what he thought to be–cruel person.
He was confused, but quickly, a few reasons popped in his mind on what made Lyra have such a reaction, with the main one that stuck being that she was testing him – seeing if he'd react in a way she didn't like.
"Are you alright master?!" He feigns worry.
He was purposely appealing to the woman, hoping it would get her think about her earlier request.
"S-Stop it..." Lyra mumbled in his chest, tears staining his tracksuit.
"Stop what master?" Subaru asks, tilting his head cutely to hopefully appeal to her.
He thought his 'cute' head tilt would somehow make her see him more than just a slave, and more like a human—
—It had nothing to do with Lyra crying in his chest.
Subaru was blind to what was happening, too focused on one goal that his mind couldn't comprehend anything about 'Lyra'.
He didn't notice the woman didn't have her mask on.
He didn't notice the woman holding his cheeks, looking into his black scary eyes with scary eyes of her own.
He didn't feel her tears falling onto his tracksuit.
He didn't hear the constant apologizes she was telling him.
"Oh!? You're crying master!? What's wron––" Subaru tried to keep on the act, but 'Lyra' wouldn't allow it.
"S-Stop it Subaru!" 'Lyra' tearfully shouts.
'Lyra' was trying her best to stay conscious. Her whole body was shaking, seeming as if she was traumatized by something. The only reason she was still up was for Subaru. Her body wouldn't allow her to fall into slumber if it didn't comfort him.
"Y-You don't have to act tough, you're s-safe now." 'Lyra' told him.
Subaru was confused. He didn't know what 'Lyra' was talking about.
"Safe?" He said.
"Yes. You're safe Subaru." 'Lyra' reaffirmed, wanting to drill in head that he was no longer in danger.
Even with Lyra's reaffirmation, Subaru was still extremely confused with what she meant––
"Hey! How do you know my name!"
It took a moment, but Subaru finally pointed out a huge red flag in his delusions.
How did 'Lyra' know his name?
"B-Because you saved me." 'Lyra' stammered, still waiting for him to see the truth.
She was patient. In her eyes, she was still seeing Subaru in the same terrible scenario, so even though she knew that Subaru wasn't affected by it, she wanted to be selfish and comfort him, as a way to comfort herself.
'Truth? Terrible scenario? What the fuck are y'all talking about?'
Even with everything right in front of his eyes, Subaru still couldn't see a thing. His pride didn't allow for him to believe what had taken place, so instead, he was doing what he did best.
––He was lying.
He was lying to himself about what had taken place, fully blocking it from his memory as a way to protect the pride he held for himself.
In his twisted worldview, he saw it as a flaw he now obtained, instead of what it actually was––
'What the fuck are you actually spitting, Thirth? What am I lying about, huh?
Subaru wasn't just lying to himself, but he was also lying to himself.
He was looking at himself as if he didn't know who they were. He knew exactly who they were, but was pretending to not know them.
So why?
Why was he lying to himself?
Why was he lying to himself that he didn't know who 'Lyra' was?
Why was he lying to himself that he didn't pick up on her scary eyes that matched his own, even as he stared right into them?
Why was he lying to himself that he didn't notice her hair was the same color as his?
Why was he lying to himself that he didn't see she had on the same tracksuit as his?
Why did he trick himself into believing she had a mask on?
Why was he lying to "himself"? Why was he lying to Natsumi.
"My Pov"
What don't you get Thirth!? She's a fucking limited-time character that appeared for one chap, this isn't fucking her!
She got sent back to her world with her memories wiped of all this, so no shit I'm not going to acknowledge a false Natsumi!
I had a great time with her last chap, but she isn't here! This is a fake Natsumi!
"My Pov?" The false Natsumi mumbles into my chest, tears still staining my tracksuit.
Fuck this thing. Pretending to be big sis Nats.
Tch– you have no shame Thirth. You really are a massive prick.
You know how much I enjoyed Natsumi, and yet here you are toying with me, trying your best to manipulate me into believing this thing is her.
You know how badly I want her to be real, and that's exactly how you intend to get your way. I have you all found out Thirth.
You want to give me what I want, at a cost of the viewers reading experience. You fucking asshole want me to be selfish and put myself over the readers, which I won't do.
"Are you real?" I ask 'Natsumi', knowing the answer I'll get. Nothing – there will be no words. She isn't real.
"Y-Yes Suba—"
I need to entertain these people Thirth! What don't you get!? These people are my only connection to THAT world – I need them. Stop pretending to be my Natsumi!
You are one of the only things that are aware of how much I enjoyed my time with Nats, with you in particular being the only one that can actually do something about it.
Do you fucking hate me or something? Is a concept even capable of feelings such things – or better yet, are you even able to feel emotions to begin with?
I get you're not an actual living, breathing, sentient being, that feels, thinks, hesitates and feels regret, but Thirth, you are always sending me mixed signals.
I can't tell sometimes if there's actually someone behind you, or if it's just you doing your purpose as a point of view.
I mean, I guess it makes some sense the way you convey mine and others thoughts, but sometimes, I can't help but think that you hold some sort of hatred for me.
Maybe it's me being insecure, but I can't help but notice that you're always clowning on me, and then the very next person you voice for, you glaze the everliving shit out of them.
It's so unfair, Thirth! I'm pretty sure I lightly touched on how unfairly you treat me in a past chap, but I feel like I need to repeat myself.
Unlike any other person in this world, I actually talk to you Thirth. I'm the only thing alive that talks to you, and yet, you don't only not talk back to me, but you also throw cheap jabs at me, and even now are faking being Nats.
"S-Subaru?"
Stop trying to poke at me Thirth. I told you to stop being her, so please stop.
S-She's not real.
Sure, she smells like her, looks like her, has the same handcrafted tracksuit as her, the same beautiful black hair as her, and even the same beauty as her – but that doesn't mean it's her!
I-It's Thirth Person trying to manipulate me! It's trying to manipulate so that it can...so it can...uhm...so it can...I don't know! I just know it's trying to play with my feelings!
We all know Nats was sent home after last chap! I made it very known that she did...but did she? Is there a chance that this is actually Nats, and not just some trick that Thirth is playing on—
—No! Stop toying with the idea me! Thirth is messing with me. It wants me to isolate the part of the readers that don't want Nats in the story, and I can't have that.
I need every single person to be satisfied when they see my life. I can't have any audience being left out of this...wait a minute – If I don't have Nats in this, aren't I pushing away the people who want her in here?!
Wouldn't that make it a lose-lose situation?
Whether she's in this world with me, or if she's back in her own world, I'd still end up disappointing some people...what do I do then?
I'm kinda leaning towards...
...
...
...
...
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! That's exactly it! This is Nats!
Not some fake one, no – this is the real Natsumi!
Sorry to break it you Natsumi haters, but Nats has been here the whole time!
Teehee~! I've been playing this whole time!
I don't how big sis Nats did it, but that pretty girl managed to find my ass! Can you believe it!? In the huge capital that is Lugunica, this beauty managed to find me!
Kyah~!
I'm not all doki-doki for her like she is for me, but rn I wouldn't even blame you if you think I have the hots for her, as my heart is beating extremely quickly!
It certainly doesn't help that Nats' giant milkies are pressing against my chest, which fyi, I don't know if it was made clear last chap, but she's fucking packing in the tits department! She's like Priscilla size – but bigger!
As you readers know, I'm not trying to play into the selfcest ship, but at the end of the day, no matter how much I may sway away from talking about it, I can't deny, Natsumi is so fucking appealing!
I'm not even talking about her sex appeal – which she just so happens to also be super fucking sexy – no, I'm talking about just how lovable this girl is.
She's super fucking fun to hangout with, as well as being super conversational, being able to talk with anyone she meets as if she's known them for years.
Her voice is music to my ears. Ugh, I can't get enough of it! I just want to listen to it all day! I don't mind being stuck in an infinite death loop, if it means that I get to hear that soothing, beautiful voice of hers!
Then it's her beauty! Just the thought of her cute face looking at me, with that blush she always gets when she meets my eyes, ugh, it makes me feel something!(Good things!)
And last but not least, just her behavior around me, and about anything that is me. The way she's always taking peaks my direction, the way she's always looking out for me and tries to help – even if she gets knocked out by an arrogant bitch – the way she's willing to go out of her way and find me...readers – I don't really know how to word it better, but Nats is so fucking nice to be with.
And yeah, I know it seems like I'm for the ship when I literally just gushed on how incredible she is, almost as if I was a schoolgirl writing out things she likes of her crush in her diary, but let me set the record straight – I do not like her like that.
I probably shouldn't have acknowledged the marshmallows pressing against me...
I hold zero romantic feelings for her. She's just big sis Nats to me. Nothing more...maybe for our birthday I might do sum...
Anyways, in regards with the mask thing, in complete fairness, I did see her in a mask – but there's a reallllly good reason for that! Not gonna tell you gooners, but all you need to know is that Thirth snapped me out of it! What a kind thing that thing is!
Which btw, my bad for talking smack about you Thirth. I was just kinda confused...is it just me, or does Nats smell kinda...kinda like a cultist...
"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." She repeated, over and over again, blaming herself for his silence and stillness.
She was at no fault. She had no way of knowing it would have happened, and yet poor Natsumi was blaming herself for the actions of others.
"I-If only I was quicker..." She mumbled into his chest.
She was blaming herself even more. Natsumi had done her absolute best. She did everything she could for the crazy boy, and yet even with that, she couldn't help but still feel guilty for the two times that she hadn't.
It wasn't her fault. She didn't know he was kidnapped and sold to an illegal auction, and yet, even with her not knowing, she felt as if it was still her fault, that she should've known of it.
"Uhm...Nats?"
"I'm sorry!" She cried out.
Just hearing his voice was enough for her to break down even more, but even with that, she wanted to apologize to him whilst looking in his eyes, wanting to look sincere – even if she didn't need to apologize in the first place.
"I-I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough...I'm sorry! I-I really am! I-I should've been quicker and I-I shouldn't have been so stubborn about it...I should've went and asked R-Rem to help me...I'm s-so sorry Subaru..." She tearfully choked out.
Tears were streaming down her beautiful face, the tears ruining her pretty face.
'Shut up Thirth. Nats looks good even with a teary face.'
Subaru brought his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. He wiped some tears from her cheek off with his thumb, as he stared into her eyes, tears still flowing.
"I don't know what you're apologizing for, but because you're me, I can tell that it's for a stupid reason." He chuckled.
"H-Huh?"
"You aren't at fault Nats. You don't need to apologize." He calmly told her.
His words affected her. Him simply saying she wasn't at fault, made her feeling light inside, made her feel as if something was lifted off her shoulders, but she herself wouldn't accept that feeling.
She wanted someone to blame.
Yes, she did blame the people who hurt Subaru, but she also felt as if she was part to blame.
In her mind, she could've helped him, she could've prevented him from getting hurt, and yet even though she did, she felt as if she hadn't prevented it fast enough.
She wanted to feel guilt.
She wanted to hold herself accountable for something that wasn't even her fault. And so, she told him that.
"B-But I failed you!" She cried.
"I-I didn't save you fast enough! You got hurt because of me! I need to apologize! Why don't you get that!" She tearfully screamed.
Even as she is screaming out how much of a failure she saw herself as, Subaru remained calm.
He; for once, knew it was for the best that he didn't act anything other than calm. It was for the best for him and her.
"I'm not hurt Nats. Sure they might've drained my mana a few times, but not once did I get hurt." He told a half-truth.
Technically he was being honest that his current body wasn't hurt, but the same couldn't be said about all of the other loops.
'I didn't loop you idiot'
Yet again, he was lying to himself about THOSE loops.
"B-But you did get hurt! I-I saw what they did—!" She screamed, until her voice died in her throat.
She wasn't strong enough to finish the sentence, finding it way too much for her to even speak about aloud.
"Fine. They might've roughly put me on stage, but that's cause I wasn't complying." He calmly said.
Subaru and Natsumi were both talking about completely different things.
Natsumi thought that she only knew what she was talking about, but deep down, Subaru knew what her words meant, but he himself didn't want to admit that it happened.
Suddenly, Subaru does what he does best – he turns the mood in a totally different direction.
"Anyways, let's go to Crusch! I need a fish to beat!" He exclaimed.
"H-Huh?"
Natsumi had was still somewhat crying, but it quickly changed. Instead of her eyes filled with tears, a cute look of confusion had replaced the tears.
Her look of confusion grew as she looked around her.
"What..." She mumbled to herself, baffled at what she was seeing.
Her eyes wondered around the room, and instead of seeing the dirty backroom of the shady auction she had walked into, she was now seeing the lavish room of one of Crusch's guestroom – more specifically, Subaru's room.
"Let's go talk with that tomboy!"
Ignoring her baffled expression, Subaru reiterates wanting to talk to the duchess, whilst looking straight into her eyes.
Natsumi was too caught up crying, that she hadn't even realized just how close she was to him. Now that she was in a clearer mind, she suddenly felt an extreme wave of embarrassment wash over her.
"U-Uhm...I-I...uhmm...c-can you...uhm..." She stammered.
While she was enjoying the hug, she was trying to ask if Subaru could let go of her, but because of her recluse lifestyle before being isekai'd, she wasn't too good with the opposite sex.
She was pathetic...but not as pathetic as Subaru.
"Let go of you? Sure!" He beamed, happy to comply.
Although she had asked for it, Natsumi was visibly disappointed when he pulled away, but with a cute shake of her head, she focused on something else.
She wanted to tell Subaru something.
"B-Before we go talk with Crusch, c-can I talk to you about something?" She nervously asked.
Subaru nodded his head in response, so she timidly walked over to Subaru's bed and took a seat on the edge of the mattress.
"T-This might sound strange, b-but be honest with me Subaru." She timidly makes eye contact with him.
"Yes ma'am!"
"N-Now, before I say it, I know it sounds strange, but, how many times have you seen me today?" She asks.
Natsumi was shaking with nerves. She was tapping her foot in anxiety, twiddling with her fingers, and was constantly locking eyes with Subaru and then turning away.
It was obvious that's she was incredibly hesitant and nervous to speak to Subaru of such things.
"Uhh...one time." He said, sounding confused.
His confusion was real, but his words were far from truthful.
"A-Alright..." She looked down at her lap, contemplating to say something else.
It was something extremely heavy.
She didn't know if it was the right time to say it, as not even a few minutes ago she was crying in his arms. And now, Subaru planned to talk with Crusch about something, so she didn't want to ruin the mood with what she was going to say.
She didn't know what to do, so she looked up at him.
She saw him staring at her as if she was the only person in the world, as if she was important – something that she herself didn't fully believe.
And as she got lost in those eyes, she got her answer – she had to tell him.
Mustering all the courage that she could, Natsumi opened her mouth. She knew the words that were about to be spoken would change how he looked at her, but she needed to tell him.
She trusted him.
"S-Subaru..." She begun.
"Yes?" He said.
Subaru could fully tell by now that she was gearing up to tell him something, and not just something light, but something that was clearly bothering her.
"T-This might sound crazy, b-but...uhm...I-I...uhm...e-earlier today...I-I...uh...I-I..." She was struggling to get her words out.
Her entire body was struggling to even keep her conscious with how fast her heart was beating. It was a surprise she hasn't had a heart attack by now.
She kept stumbling over her words, until she looked up from her lap, and locked eyes with Subaru once again.
Subaru was flawed in many ways, but one of his redeeming qualities were his hypnotic-like eyes. Just staring into them made Natsumi feel calmer, and allowed her to build up enough courage to tell him what she has been wanting to say.
A small nervous smile made it's way onto her face, and then she spoke up
"S-Subaru. I-I know this might sound weird, b-but I can return b—"
The nervous smile wiped from her face, replaced by a wide-eyed expression.
She was suddenly now breathing heavily, almost falling forward off the bed. Her hand instinctively shot towards her heart, as her heartbeat had skyrocketed to astronomic levels.
"You alright Nats?" He worriedly asks, obviously knowing she isn't fine.
"I-I return b—" She tried to repeat the same words, but the same thing happened.
Her heart was grabbed by the wit—
"I know Nats. We've returned back to Crusch's mansion." He said.
He wasn't understanding what she was trying to say, even though he himself has been in such a position before.
"I think maybe you should rest Nats." He walks up her and suggests, as he watches her try her best to breathe.
"W-Why can't I say it..." She expressed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes yet again.
Poor girl didn't fully know of how bad her situation was.
She was just a normal girl, dragged into another world by a gender-swapped version of herself. She hadn't expected to be hurt so quickly into the adventure, and the idea that she would di—
"Psst~ End the chapter Thirth. We'll talk with Crusch next chap."
Sup y'all! It's been like a fucking month since last chap. Crazy shit I know. My bad for all the fucking complaining. Probably should just do that in-between chaps, but the problem when I do it then, is that I'm just talking to my own self. Thirth's lazy ass doesn't operate between these chaps, so I'm stuck in limbo while I wait for it's bitch ass. Anyways, love y'all! Happy Feb1st!