Anastasia Hoshin was down on her luck. To be fair, her starting hand was always rotten. Born and abandoned within the slums of Kararagi, her chances of surviving were abysmal. And yet she survived,no, flourished despite the odds.

By the time she was 23, she was the chairman of her own company, surrounded by loyal allies she can call family, and was in the running for becoming the king of her very own country. However, it all came crashing down without warning in Priestella.

The battle of Priestella was all but finished. The Archbishop of Greed was defeated and the Archbishop of Wrath was captured. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, Gluttony struck her at her most vulnerable. With none of her campmates nearby, her name was taken and she ended up abandoned and forgotten.

In the aftermath of the conflict, she wandered aimlessly, trying to scrounge up as much money as she could. While most of her assets were now under the Juukulius family, she had stored money and some contraband in discrete locations all around Lugunica in case of emergencies. Unfortunately, such emergencies were planned with the forethought that her allies would help secure the funds with efficiency. With only herself, it took her a whole month to gather enough money to start again.

Now at the capital with her newly bought carriage, she took one last look at the city. A sense of nostalgia and melancholy rushed through her mind: memories of eating at a restaurant with a trio of cat demi-humans, memories of her negotiating with a certain honorable knight, and memories of her being given her star pin by a boisterous wolf-man. Out of habit, she reached for her neck to grasp her absent scarf and was left with only a bitter feeling of longing.

Anastasia Hoshin was truly alone.

However, she was determined to start again. Sure, she had to start again from zero, but if she could do it once before, she can do once more. Such optimism would usually fill her with renewed hope… if she wasn't currently being threatened at knifepoint.

"…Ya know, there are better ways to ask for a ride?" Anastasia joked.

Her current assailant had snuck up behind her while she was looking back at the city one last time. She silently chastised herself for letting her emotions keep her from escaping from the capital, especially since the guards were in a state of emergency trying to find an escaped Archbishop. Most of them were at the Royal Capital and noble district, trying to protect high value targets like the Sage Council from any harm.

"…" her assailant was silent.

Anxiety crept up Anastasia's throat, as the silence stretched from seconds to minutes. What was her assailant thinking?

Before she could say something else, the figure behind her lowered the knife from her neck and pushed her forward. Quickly turning around, she noticed that the person accosting her was just a boy a few years younger than her. In fact, he was barely of average height and was visibly scrawny. However, what caught her attention was his scary narrow eyes, gaunt sunken cheeks, and white hair. The boy looked like he had seen hell but was peculiarly absent of any visible wounds, despite some blood and open crevices splotching his weird attire. To be frank, the boy looked like he had just risen from the grave as a ghost.

"…Why are you here, Anastasia?" the boy muttered.

What?

How did he know her name? She hadn't given out her real name once since she lost it. Perhaps she said it accidentally without thinking? Has the boy been stalking her? She needed more information.

"Well, that is quite a rude way to start a conversation. Can't a merchant leave when danger is afoot?"

He quickly pointed the knife at her.

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!" Anastasia was startled by the sudden yelling. "Why is a royal candidate leaving the capital in the middle of the night with not a knight or mercenary in sight?"

So, he does recognize her, this wasn't just a sudden mugging. He knew her from before Priestella.

Is he immune to the effects of Gluttony?

The boy looked frantic and almost paranoid, darting eyes every which way while keeping her in sight. As if he was prepared someone was waiting in the shadows, about to strike. She needed to be careful, lest the knife end her life.

She brought both her hands up, "…I ain't a royal candidate anymore. Everyone forgot about me since the witch cult attacked Priestella. The Archbishop of Gluttony struck right at the end of the assault," Anastasia answered honestly.

The answer startled the boy, he genuinely looked distraught. Almost, sympathetic of her plight.

"Sorry," Anastasia rose an eyebrow, "It must have been rough having everyone you love forget about you." The boy said bitterly while shaking his head.

"…You ain't gotta apologize for that, not like you were responsible for it. Though an apology for almost slittin' my throat would help." Anastasia joked.

The boy winced and lowered his knife, "Sorry. I wasn't going to hurt you. Honest. I was just confused why someone important like you was all alone."

The boy was a conundrum to Anastasia. On the one hand, he looked and acted like a maniac. On the other hand, the boy spouted empathy and kindness like it was second nature. She needs to figure out which was true and which was a ploy.

"I'll just let you be on your way-"

"Now hold on," Anastasia quickly interrupted, "Ya can't just interrogate a young gal in the middle of the night without introducing yourself. It's only fair." She said with a smirk.

He's the only one who remembers me. I can't just let him slip away without understanding what makes him different.

"… Natsuki Subaru. Emilia's former knight."

Whatever she expected to hear, it wasn't that. She never heard of his family name, much less recognized his peculiar appearance. The eyes and hair should be unique enough that someone who was a knight of the most hated royal candidate would be easily recognizable. That and the specific qualifier "former"-

"You lost your name as well, didn't you?" Anastasia gambled.

The boy startled, visibly shocked. "How did you-?" His reaction confirmed it, her bet paid off.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Your unique appearance coupled with the fact that no one would pretend to be the knight of a half-elf. It's obvious that ya got your name snatched and you're in the same situation as me."

To be honest, there was an equal chance that he was absolutely insane, simply being a self-proclaimed knight obsessing over a beautiful witch lookalike. But all signs say otherwise, now she just needed to figure out why he was so cautious of her in the first place.

"So, my only question now is: why areyouhere? Emilia's camp is situated in the Miload domain. Her camp is also fairly nice and understandin'. I'm sure they would accept ya back all things considered."

The boy's shocked face quickly scowled. "Never. I'm not going back. Even if I wanted to, they'll just throw me back into that hellish nightmare without a second thought. The only thing they care about was what I did for them, not who I was!"

Natsuki raised his knife back at Anastasia. "And you still didn't answer my original question: why are you here alone?! Where's Julius, Ricardo, the triplets? Shouldn't you have no difficulty returning to them?"

Aaaaand we are back to square one.

Sigh.

One wrong misstep and the tension that was about to dissipate is back to full. On the bright side, she now had a better understanding of the boy. He was scared. Time to gamble one last time.

She took a deep breath.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to assume anything. To answer your question: I'm… afraid of what will happen if I reunite with them."

She took a step towards him.

"That they'll hate you and reject you?!" The boy spoke with shock and a tinge of bitterness, stepping back at the same time. This only confirmed her theory, the boy tried to reach out to his old friends and was soundly rejected. Of course, the boy was afraid, he was not only forgotten but all of his former allies turned against him.

"No, I'm afraid that the relationships I had will never be the same again."

She took another step.

She needed to be honest and precise, the boy may be manic, but he spoke honestly and sincerely. She needed to respond in kind to get him to trust her.

"That even if I try to reconnect, all of the memories I had of them."

Another.

"All of the little quirks, all of the trials we faced, and all of the good we experienced: it would only be remembered by me."

One foot over the other.

"That the family I cultivated would never come back."

One final step.

Her heart wrenched with each word, but it was worth the effort. The boy was less frantic, as if her words were grounding him, as understanding and sympathy crept into his mind. She needed to seal the deal. She was almost face to face with him, the knife barely reaching her chest.

"So, I chose to leave and start again, instead of facing that cruel reality."

She softly added with a faint laugh,

"I'm truly slothful ain't I?"

Seconds passed as Anastasia braced for the expected reaction. Suspicion, pity, indifference, all possible outcomes from her gambit.

Sniff. Sob.

…

But Anastasia Hoshin could not believe her eyes. The boy who was just recently holding her at knifepoint, the boy who was frantically paranoid of everything around him, the boy who looked like he had just left an active warzone: was on the verge of tears out of pure empathy for her woes.

"Wait-"

"Don't say that," the boy interrupted while wiping his eyes, "Anybody in your situation would have the same reaction. Sure, strong people may say the right way is to push on in spite of fear. But it's easier to say than do. The feeling of despair, the isolation, grasping at what you lost. Those feelings are valid."

With tears dotting his eyes, the knife he held clattering onto the cobblestone road, and while gently grasping Anastasia's hands,

"It was hard, wasn't it?"

…

The dam within her heart broke. Days of sleepless nights, frantic searching for money and anyone who could remember her, and paranoia over her broken gate. A human can only hold back so much. And this boy.This stupidly kind boy, who looked like he had been through worse, is weeping for her sake. Anastasia could only cry in response.

"…I was afraid. I was alone with everyone I knew possibly dead. And when I finally found them, they thought I was just a hapless civilian. I thought it was a joke, just one big nightmare. But that wasn't just it. All of my work, the company I built, everything I accomplished: gone. Over 20 years of hard work, gone in an instant. The worst part wasn't that. It was walking up to Julius and the Iron Fang, and all I could see in their eyes, was pity. No happiness, no recognition, not even a hint of familiar concern. Just pity towards a random girl found in a war torn city. I was a nobody again."

The tears wouldn't stop falling. If someone were witnessing this from afar, they would see a boy and a girl clutching each other, crying and wailing with no restraint.

"I know. I know," the boy softly cooed back between sobs, "You're not alone. I know how you feel. You are not a nobody."

Anastasia was clutching Natsuki's chest while the boy patted her head to comfort her. For a moment, the two were in their own little world.

Stomp. Stomp. Clop. Clop.

Until both started to hear thundering footsteps and clattering armor getting closer to them. Anastasia could hear the boy's heart start quickening in response.

"No. nonononono-"The boy looked like he was having a panic attack. For a second, Anastasia was confused by the boy's reaction, until she connected the puzzle pieces together.

Oh, what have they done to this poor boy?She thought to herself.

Thinking fast, she quickly held the boy's hand and brought him to her carriage. Flinging the door open, she moved the supplies around and brought out a tarp.

The thunder was getting louder.

"Quickly! Hide in here." She whispered.

The boy only looked at her incredulously, "I-."

"Trust me. Please."

With a second of hesitation, the boy climbed in and hid himself under the tarp, surrounded by various goods and knickknacks.

"No matter what, stay here until I say it's safe to come out." Anastasia quietly closed the door and prepared herself. She was already disheveled, with bloodshot eyes and tear stains to boot, but quickly acted as if she was pushed onto the floor.

Right as the thundering was about to reach the corner of the street, she quickly screamed at the top of her lungs,

"HELP PLEASE!"

Just as she did, a battalion of guards came rushing around the corner towards her. Their leader, a middle-aged man with blue hair strode up towards her and helped lift her up.

"Ma'am are you alright? What happened?" He said urgently.

Anastasia put on her best damsel-in-distress face,

"It was terrible, a man in a cloak came out of nowhere and threatened me with a knife!" She quickly pointed at said knife resting on the floor.

"H-he kept askin' me about where the Karsten manor was, sayin somethin' about takin' revenge. I-I didn't know anythin' but he wouldn't take no for an answer. I thought I was dead but I think he got scared from hearin' y'alls footsteps because he suddenly sprinted off that way." She pointed a finger opposite from where the knights had come from, deeper into the city.

Shaking his head, the guard captain looked to his men, "He must be trying to make his way towards the royal candidates. We'll need to split up. Cornelius: take your squadron to the Karsten villa in the Noble district and secure the parameter. Meanwhile, I will lead the rest down the street towards his last known direction."

Before the guards could start organizing toward their intended directions, Anastasia meekly grasped at the captain's sleeve and looked up with her best puppy dog eyes,

"Sir please, if you don't mind me askin', could you let one of your men escort me out of the city?"

For a moment, the captain frowned, but before he could even ponder the request, Anastasia started bawling, "P-please sir, I'm so scared. I just want to take my wares and leave in peace. I-I'm afraid that bad man will come back to silence me."

Visibly taken aback by the sudden tears, "O-of course miss, rest assured! I'll send one of my best men to get you out of the city safe and sound." With a swift cough and clearing of his throat:

"BECKLAM!"

"Y-yes captain!"

The captain sighed, "Take Miss, uh-"

"Anastasia."

"Yes, Miss Anastasia towards the city gates and help her leave the capital safely. Afterwards, reconvene with the rest at the Karsten villa. Is that clear?"

"Yes captain!"

"Good. You take care miss, the knights will sort this all out."

Anastasia only responded with her cutest smile.

While the rest of the battalion left towards their intended destination, the young knight helped escort Anastasia to the outskirts of the capital.

…

"Sorry for the trouble Miss Anastasia."

"Oh? What for?"

"No lady should be accosted at night, especially by some dirty witch cultist…"

"Oh, it's quite alright, I'm just thankful ya brave and handsome knights came to save little ole me."

The young knight blushed at her response.

And thank you for the wonderful information you are about to give me.Anastasia thought.

"So, if you don't mind me asking: how did the cultist escape?"

For a second the knight hesitated, "I don't quite know myself miss, it's a conundrum. From what the others were saying, it looked like the cultist just walked out. All of the guards were covered in wounds and knocked out."

Yet, Natsuki was without any marks or scratches when I met him. Strange given that all signs point to a fight.

"That's so scary! Thank goodness you're here to protect me," she said with a wink.

The knight blushed a deeper red, "O-of course ma'am! Though, I don't think the guy will put that much of a fight."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"I was one of the rotating guards for the prison. Last time I saw him, well that cultist was not looking too hot."

"…What do you mean?"

The knight grimaced, "Oh apologies, I don't think a lady should hear such uncouth things."

…

They tortured him. They tortured a boy who would cry for a woman who suffered far less. Disgusting.

"I feel bad for him." Anastasia blurted out.

Visibly shocked, the guard replied "Oh no miss, such sympathies are worthless towards such scoundrels-"

Anastasia began tuning out the knight's honest, yet misplaced, soliloquy. A part of her doesn't understand why she said such a thing. It was illogical. It could have put her on the spot as a Witch Cult sympathizer. She should be grabbing as much information as she could. Yet, how could she not? When the supposed Archbishop of Pride as they were claiming him to be, was just a scared boy hiding right behind her.

"When he ran away, he looked so young. He didn't look like he could hurt anybody."

The young knight looked at Anastasia with pity, "Your heart is in the right place Miss. But remember: those witch cultists are a bunch of insane psychopaths. They may look like normal people, but they are anything but normal."

"…I-" A loud thud and crashing of objects from inside the carriage interrupted the conversation.

"What was that?!" the guard exclaimed.

Oh no, not now.

Thinking fast, "Ah! Uhh, it must have been one of the metias I'm selling."

"Metias? Those must be expensive. Would you like to take a second to check if everything is secure?"

"Oh no, that is not necessary!" She said a little too fast, "I wouldn't want to bother you."

"Nonsense, if you would like, I could take a quick peek and see if everything is okay-"

"WAIT!" The guard's eyes started to narrow with suspicion, "T-the thing is these metias are very special."

"Well that should not-"

"Special for women."

"…Elaborate."

Faking a blush, "Well sometimes, young ladies like myself need a bit of… help now and then."

"Oh."

"Ooohhhhh," the knight started connecting the dots, "A-apologies ma'am, I shouldn't have been so invasive."

"It's quite alright…"

She could barely tell but Anastasia swears she could hear a faint snickering from within the carriage.

…

I take it all back. The boy is a little shit.

The rest of the trip to the gates of the capital was done in an awkward silence.

At the gate, a lone soldier was waiting.

"Becklam!" He cried out, "I thought you left to join the others?"

"Well, I did initially, but the archbishop had a run-in with the young lady here." Becklam pointed a thumb at Anastasia.

"I was given the job to escort her out of the city so she can continue with her business."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. We'll need to check her carriage before she leaves though." The gate guard replied.

Anastasia's heart started to beat faster.

Before she could reply, "Uh Arth," Becklam coughed, "you got a minute?"

Arth confused, nodded. Becklam put an arm around Arth's shoulder and started walking a bit away from Anastasia. "So, about Miss Anastasia's business-"

As the conversation slowly dissipated from her ears, Anastasia sighed in relief. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she started realizing the exact situation she was in.

Oh my Od, I'm smuggling a wanted criminal out of the royal capital. I could be executed for this.

She thought back to all that happened in the last few hours: from being held at knifepoint to crying her heart out to putting on her best award-winning acting performance. It all felt surreal.

Did she regret it?

… Not really, no. Sure, the situation was tense. Sure, she might have put all her trust into what could be a psychopath that was tricking her into escaping. Sure, her overall state of affairs was still royally screwed.

But something in her gut was telling her she made the right call. That her bad hand was turning out in her favor.

Pfft, maybe the world is finally turning in my favor, eh baroness?

Somewhere out in the deep south, in the country of Vollachia, a certain Sun Princess let out a cute sneeze. Followed by the metallic thud of her companion's head getting smashed into the dirt.

Anastasia's musing was interrupted by the pair of guards returning, with one having slightly pink cheeks.

Arth coughed, "Yeah you are free to go ma'am. Sorry for the wait."

"I thank ya both kindly for your service," Anastasia smiled in response.

"Oh, before you go, you think you could help my friend out. You see, his lover has a bit more energy than he does, so he's having a bit of trouble-"

Becklam smacks him upside the head.

"OW- WHY?!"

"I don't know," Becklam responded, "Maybe it's because I'm a man dying of thirst watching another man drowning in water?!"

"It ain't my fault your dumb ass can't keep a girl for more than two days."

"Well, I would be able to if SOMEONE DIDN'T KEEP TELLING ALL THE GIRLS I FLIRT WITH ABOUT MY PREFERENCES."

"I'M SAVING YOU THE TROUBLE, NO SANE GIRL IS GOING TO USE WATER MAGIC ON YOUR-"

This is hell. All of my choices led to this very moment. I deserve this.

Nursing back a migraine, and with a deep breath, "BOYS!"

The two quit their argument and turn their heads up toward the violet-haired maiden.

"It's getting' late, I think I'll start movin'. Thank y'all so much again for all the help." She said with her greatest professional smile.

"Yeah, uh no problem," "Sorry miss. You take care."

…

After a bit of driving, when the capital was slowly becoming smaller and smaller, Anastasia started to finally relax.

…

"… Pfft…hehehe…"

She straightened her back again.

"Heheheheheh-"

She slowly turned her head back towards the carriage.

"BWAHAHAHHAHA!"

She slammed open the rectangular slit to look inside the boxed up carriage,

"LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT-"

Anastasia briefly said in a rage, before noticing an interesting sight. The white haired boy, who was still laughing his head off, was giving the brightest genuine smile she has seen in months. Before, the paranoid boy was tense and on edge. Now he looked like he was having the time of his life. It was truly contagious.

"Pftt… bahahahHAHAHA!" Before long, Anastasia was laughing as well. They laughed, and laughed, until they were basically wheezing.

"Hahaha… ha."

"Why did you do that?" Natsuki finally asked.

"… Well, I couldn't just leave you to the wolves. Plus, with the city on high alert, I needed a way to easily get out without trouble. Having a guard escorting me would expedite it plus-"

"No, I mean: why did you trust me? You could have turned me in, most likely gotten a reward, and life would have been much easier for you. Now, you are harboring a wanted criminal, who very well could have been a Witch Cult Archbishop?"

"…Are you an Archbishop?" Anastasia asked.

"No! Absolutely not." Natsuki denied.

"Well then, I believe you."

Looking back, she could see the boy's jaw drop, as if he could not fathom her reasoning.

…

"There was no reason to trust me…" the boy looked down.

"You gave me ample reason."

The boy looked up again, confused.

"All of the archbishops I met were not only complete psychopaths but were also incredibly strong and gave little to no regard to anyone around them. Sure, you did threaten me in the beginning. But not only did you apologize for that, you subsequently sympathized with me about my lost name and then proceeded to sincerely cry with me about it. You had many opportunities to kill me and leave. But you didn't. So, yes, you gave me ample reason to trust you."

Sniff. Sob.

She heard a familiar sound again. This time, she decided to give the boy some privacy, closing the slit behind her. She drove in silence for the next few hours.

…

"… Anastasia-san."

The monotony was broken, "Yes?"

"Stop and let me out here." She quickly looked around. They were getting close to a town but were still miles away from anything remotely civilized.

After a few seconds, "No."

"What?! What do you mean-"

"You owe me."

"I- uh. Er-"

"I smuggled you out of that city at my own risk. You're an investment for me now. One I wish to capitalize on by having you repay your debt."

Natsuki pondered for a bit, "… I don't have any money. And well, I don't think you'll like my body that much-"

"Not that kind of repayment you idiot," she sighed. Still, a part of her was happy that the boy seemed to have retained some humor despite all he went through.

"You were Emilia's knight, correct? Well, as you can see, I am both knightless and resourceless. The latter will be resolved in due time, the former will be solved by you."

"So, I protect you and you, do what you do best: make money and talk to people?"

"Essentially, yes. An equal partnership. Dissolved when both parties agree that they are no longer in need of each other's service. I'll provide you with opportunities and resources while you protect me from hoodlums and scourges of the Witch Cult." Anastasia explained.

"…Sure."

Anastasia was surprised, "That fast, huh? No bargaining or anything?"

"No, I'm sure. I'm broke beyond compare and got nothing besides my name. This is probably the best deal I can get."

Anastasia sighed, "Remind me to teach you a bit about proper negotiation later. You shouldn't so easily show your whole hand, otherwise you'll get taken advantage of."

Natsuki only smirked in response, "Funny you say that. Someone told me something similar in the past."

"Wow, that person must have been the smartest person you laid eyes on. You must be so grateful," she said sarcastically.

"Haha, you have no idea. I owe her more than you could ever realize…"

They finally made it to a town to rest the earth dragons and find a proper inn for a night's rest. While getting far away from Lugunica was important, being sleep deprived would bring its own set of problems.

"You need a disguise. Here take this." Anastasia handed him a cloak and a mask with a purple scar on the right eye with black feathers on the back.

"… This looks ridiculous."

"Well, I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting to hide a criminal in plain sight, so this is all I have," Anastasia huffed.

"Sorry, sorry. It just reminds me of what some people I knew used to wear when they were younger," Natsuki shuddered with memories of people clutching their eye or arm in fake pain.

"You'll also need an alias, can't have people tracing your name, at least until we get to Kararagi."

"…How about Atlas?"

"Hmmm, not bad, does it mean anything?"

"It's related to a story in my world as well as to my name. It was either that or Alcor but honestly that name sounded kind of dumb."

"You'll have to tell me more later, for now, try to follow my lead."

After donning his disguise, the pair entered the inn.

"Two rooms ple-urgk!" Natsuki tried to start with until Anastasia elbowed his sides before quickly hugging his arm and edging close to him.

"What my darlin husband Atlas meant to say, was that we wanted one room with a single bed please?"

"Yeah, uh, whatever my honey bunny wants," Natsuki grimaced while Anastasia stifled a laugh.

The old proprietor simply softly smiled at this and gave the two a key to their room in exchange for a few copper coins.

…

Once they were out of earshot, "What was that about?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes, "What? I got us a great deal on a room and now we have got a great alibi if anyone tries to come find us. See? This is why you need me."

Natsuki only pinched his nose bridge and closed his eyes as a response. "Wait, I'm curious why do you talk like that only sometimes?"

"Like what sometimes?"

"Like that Kans- I mean, Kararagi accent. You used it with the guards or the innkeeper, but usually it goes away with me. So, what's that about?"

Anastasia was silent for a moment before responding, "It helps me convince people."

"Huh?"

"Kararagi is known for its economic power and its witty merchants. I figured an accent will help me sell the image that I'm a competent businesswoman. So, I do it out of habit, I guess."

"…But you don't do it with me becauseee?"

"I guess I trust you, Natsuki-san. You know who I am, despite Gluttony, and we are in a kind of partnership right now."

Natsuki was silent for a bit as they entered their room.

"… Call me Subaru."

"Your family name, I mean if you prefer that-"

Subaru shook his head, "No. In my home country, we use a different naming format. My family name is Natsuki, while my personal name is Subaru. So, call me Subaru."

"Huh. Alright Subaru-kun, where is your home country anyway?"

"It's a small island country in the East."

"…But Lugunica is the eastern most country. The only thing east is the Great Waterfall."

Anastasia's eyes widened.

"Yeah…I'm from a place beyond the Great Waterfall."

Anastasia expected Subaru to laugh and say it was a joke but the boy looked at her sincerely.

"Well, that is hard for me to fully comprehend but I'll trust your word."

Anastasia promptly laid on the bed and patted an open area.

"Come on, let's get some sleep."

Subaru blushed, "Y-yeah! I'll uh, let you sleep first. I can keep watch for a bit OHHH-"

Before he could finish, Anastasia grabbed his arm and dragged him into bed. Subaru was now nestled between her arms, blushing mad, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Nope! We are both exhausted, and we both need to get some rest before heading out at dawn."

"But what if someone tries to break in?! Or what if the guards catch up to us?!"

"Then we will deal with it then… Besides, I'm used to hugging something fluffy while sleeping," memories of a certain fox flashed in her mind, "And you're the closest substitute I got."

And at that, Subaru promptly surrendered.

"That bit of information is in exchange for what you told me about your home."

Subaru looked up at her.

"This was an equal partnership remember? So, whatever you give, I'll give in equal compensation. Same vice versa. Although, you still owe me something."

Subaru was now confused, "You mean for saving me? Again, my body isn't for sale- ARGH!"

Anastasia started pinching his cheek, "No you little shit! I meant when I told you all about how I felt after Gluttony. You still haven't told me what happened to you."

Subaru was silent now, his scary eyes in deep contemplation.

Her eyes softened, "…You don't have to tell me if you are uncomfortable. It must have been hard. Harder than I can ever imagine. But that's why I want to know, I want to know so that burden doesn't have to be only on your shoulders."

And so that I can pay you back for the kindness you gave me. You don't have to be alone either, Subaru-kun.

After a bit more silence, "I'll tell… I don't think I can tell you everything. Not yet at least. But I'll tell you what I can."

And so, the pair talked as the night passed, about all the horrors the boy faced for the last two months, before silently falling asleep in each other's arms.

Hidden out of sight, two pairs of eyes silently watch over the pair of stars, waiting and planning in the shadows.