A calamity had been averted.
A week had passed since they saved Arlam Village—a week since they had defied that vile, merciless reality.
A reality where Rem died. Where Subaru, broken by despair, surrendered himself to wrath. Where he became something monstrous—a cold-blooded killer who first hunted those who wronged him… and later, anyone at all.
Only Tanaka remembered that world. But that didn't matter.
Not anymore.
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The sun was just beginning to pour its golden light through the mansion's windows when Tanaka woke up.
He stretched, exhaling softly as he swung his legs off the bed. "Another day," he murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before heading toward the kitchen.
The morning air carried that faint chill that always came before breakfast was made. He checked Subaru's room—empty. Rem's room—also empty.
"Gone already, huh?" he said to himself with a faint smile. "Probably down at the village again."
It was quiet without them. Almost too quiet.
As he started preparing ingredients, a familiar thought surfaced—one from another life entirely.
Back on Earth, he'd never needed to cook. There had always been someone for that—a kind, meticulous man who seemed capable of anything. He had tutored both Tanaka and his sister, managed the house, and somehow still found time to cook meals that could've rivaled professional chefs.
Tanaka had relied on him for nearly everything. But before leaving to live on his own, he'd managed to pick up a few recipes—simple ones, really, but enough to keep himself fed.
Now, he found himself cooking almost every morning in this world. And strangely… it felt good.
He smiled faintly as the scent of frying butter began to fill the air.He never thought he'd find satisfaction in watching others enjoy his food. Yet now, it was one of the few things that brought him genuine peace.
"Emilia should be conversing with spirits now," he murmured, glancing toward the courtyard. "I shouldn't disturb her."
That was part of her daily routine. He'd usually join her later, but for now—"For now, I should wake up Ram and Beatrice."
He headed first to Ram's room. The bed was neatly made. No sign of her.
"Huh. Did she wake up early and head to the village with the others? That's… unusual."
It wasn't like Ram to be an early riser without a reason. But Tanaka shrugged it off. There were things in this mansion he'd long since stopped questioning—like how the forbidden library's door seemed to shift around the mansion at random.
He never really noticed it until Subaru mentioned it once. For him, the door was always just there—right where he needed it to be.
And as if guided by that invisible sense again, he found himself standing before it now.
He knocked softly, then opened the door.
The familiar sight greeted him: shelves lined with dusty tomes, the faint scent of paper and old magic, and Beatrice's small form curled up on her bed like a drowsy kitten.
He stepped closer. "Good morning, Betty."
Her eyes fluttered open—barely. She turned her head toward him, her curls spilling over the pillow.
"…Let Betty sleep, I suppose," she mumbled, her voice thick with drowsiness.
"I'm just doing my job," Tanaka replied, folding his arms.
"How annoying, in fact," she muttered, pulling the blanket higher. "Can't you just bring the food here?"
"No, I can't," he said simply. "It's a bad habit to always eat in your room."
Beatrice made a small sound of protest—somewhere between a groan and a pout.
Tanaka smiled faintly. "Alright, come on."
Before she could resist, he slipped his arms under her and gently lifted her up. Her tiny hands pressed weakly against his chest, but she didn't struggle—her half-asleep mind still lost somewhere in dreams.
The only time she ever let him be this close was right after waking up—when sleep still clung to her like a soft fog.
He carried her through the library's aisles until they reached the door. Beatrice raised one hand lazily toward it, her fingers tracing a small motion. The wooden frame shimmered—and shifted.
When Tanaka turned the knob, the scent of breakfast met them.
Tanaka turned the knob. The door creaked open. And the warm scent of breakfast—butter, milk, and something faintly sweet—drifted into the air.
Tanaka blinked. Someone was already sitting at the table.
Ram sat primly at her usual spot, her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her palm, looking entirely unbothered—as if appearing silently in places was perfectly normal.
Tanaka blinked. "I thought you were out this early," he said.
Ram didn't even look at him. "Less chatting and serve breakfast, Tanuki."
Tanaka sighed, but a small smile tugged at his lips. "Yes, yes…"
Setting Beatrice carefully on a chair, he walked to the corner and switched on the music on his phone.
He rolled up his sleeves, heated the pan, and got to work. Scoop, pour, sizzle, flip—smooth, practiced movements.
Ram watched him out of the corner of her eye, trying (and failing) not to look eager. His cooking wasn't comparable to Rem's, of course—not even close. But both he and Subaru had a habit of creating strange foreign dishes from another world, and the mansion's residents had grown fond of them.
Today's creation: pancakes. Fluffy, golden, warm.
Tanaka sprinkled chocolate chips over the top, added a handful of blueberries, and slid two plates in front of the girls.
"Bon appétit," he declared proudly.
Ram took her bite with practiced indifference. Her face didn't change—but her ears twitched ever so slightly upward.
Beatrice, on the other hand, abandoned all pretense. She dug into the pancakes with visible joy, her eyes sparkling like gemstones. She tried to hide it once—long ago. But she didn't bother anymore. Not when it came to sweet food. Especially his sweet food.
Tanaka turned back to the stove, humming along with the music as he began preparing another batch. The scent of buttered batter and melted chocolate filled the room, warm and comforting.
Behind him, Beatrice continued eating with the single-minded determination of someone whose world contained only bliss.
Until—
Her fork slipped from her hand. It clattered against the plate with a sharp metallic sound.
No one noticed. Ram was carefully dissecting her portion. Tanaka was lost in the melody, tapping his foot as he flipped another pancake.
But Beatrice had gone pale. Completely pale.
Her tiny body trembled. Her eyes locked—unblinking—on something across the table.
Then, without warning, she slid off her chair and rushed toward Tanaka, clutching desperately at the hem of his shirt.
He turned, still smiling carefree. "Woah, already finished your plate? Don't worry, Betty—another batch is on the way."
"N-No—th-that's n-not it, I-I suppose!" she squeaked, voice shaking violently.
Tanaka blinked. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Beatrice pointed a trembling finger, her knees knocking together."T-There's s-something th-there, I s-suppose… c-c-cock—"
"Cock? "Tanaka tilted his head. He didn't know they raised chickens in the mansion.
But then he followed the direction of her stare. And the smile drained from his face.
A cockroach. A large, glossy-brown demon of the floorboards, perched boldly on the edge of the table like it owned the place.
Tanaka stepped back in horror——and saw another one scuttling along the counter.
His spatula slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the tile.
At that exact moment, Ram tried to stab her pancake with her fork—and noticed it had begun to freeze solid. The air temperature in the kitchen had plummeted.
She glanced up. The source of the cold was obvious.
Tanaka was shaking. Not from anger. Not from fear.
From pure terror.
He looked down. There—on his foot—a third cockroach was slowly climbing its way up his leg.
Something inside him broke.
"MOOOOOM!!!"
His scream shattered the tranquility of the entire mansion. That was Tanaka's breaking point.
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Note: I'm going to add a fun fact in the end of every chapter related to this universe, kind of like a loading screen tip.
Today's fun fact: Reid Astrea did not harbor any children and the sword saint lineage did not begin from him, but from his younger brother Toska.
The reason for him not bearing any children was because, long before the great calamity, Reid kept sexually harassing many women during his life time, including witches. One day, a witch got fed up his sexual harassment and made him impotent.