「Fire! Fire!!」
「Grenade!! Get back!!」
The moment his consciousness reawakened, the scene unfolding before him was one he had witnessed repeatedly.
Subaru stared at the bright sun, and a futile thought crossed his mind: Was Icarus trying to fly toward that sun?
But Icarus's father warned him that overconfidence in technology is what destroys its possessor. Subaru wondered if his father would have warned him had he been here as he embarked on the path of failure.
「Oh, dear! I'm so tired, so tired! I need water, people!」
This ordinary student's voice was lively enough to bring Subaru back to reality and call out to the mentally absent Subaru.
Even after hearing that voice, his body could not move at all.
— He had no sensation of his body being present.
It was a feeling of lightness and instability, a strange and inexplicable sense of discomfort.
Nevertheless, the scene had not changed.
The location was the rooftop of a convenience store, and the atmosphere was free of humidity under a bright sun, exactly as it was the first time he arrived here.
A perfect spot for a nap or cutting class, and Subaru almost fell asleep immediately.
Down below, armed battles were continuing in the street.
To the residents of this world, it was nothing more than a simple brawl, but if a stray bullet were to hit Subaru, it would be the end of his life's game.
The halos were multicolored, the school uniforms were cute, and each uniform had been slightly modified.
The sight could arguably be called somewhat cheerful, but when one sees girls armed with helmets or girls loitering and screaming, a question mark follows the word "cheerful."
「Ah.」 (Subaru)
Subaru tried to make a sound.
The sound came out. It was Natsuki Subaru's voice, quite clearly.
He tried to move his right arm.
It moved. He felt it clearly; this is Natsuki Subaru's arm.
He tried to move his left leg, his eyes, his vision, his abdomen, his throat, and he moved everything.
「It's all here.」 (Subaru)
Everything belongs to Natsuki Subaru.
His vision suffers no impairment, his missing arm and leg move well, and his crushed throat and previously damaged body now bear no trace of injury.
Subaru recalled the past where he lost everything, then rubbed his now-intact body... and scratched the back of his head.
「What do I do now, really...」 (Subaru)
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「I'm completely broke, guys; I have nothing... Could you spare me a little something?」 (Subaru)
「What do you want, stranger... ーー Well, I suppose some strange characters do appear during these conflicts. Here.」
Subaru took the plastic water bottle handed to him, removed the cap, and drank greedily.
The water was very cold, as if newly purchased, quenching the dryness of his throat with every drop.
His morale, which had been sinking in the mire, improved slightly.
「Ah... What a wonderful taste! Thanks for the unconditional love, young lady! I wanted to joke, but I don't have the energy. Thank you very much, truly.」 (Subaru)
「It's obvious from your face; you look worse than a dead person... If you collapse, regardless of you being a stranger, we'd have to take you to the nearest hub.」
「I just didn't want to do that bothersome work.」
The girl wearing the helmet rubbed her nose over the helmet, proudly saying she didn't need thanks, and then left the spot.
Subaru waved his hand in gratitude, sat on a small step in the square where he met the helmeted girl, and leaned back.
The helmeted girl rushed into the exchange of fire on the main street ahead of him.
「... If this were a nightmare, it would be better.」 (Subaru)
Subaru breathed a sigh of relief over the fact that his body was present, his feeling of lightness, and his ability to perceive sounds.
「Nevertheless, this is truly a predicament...」 (Subaru)
He doubted his eyes regarding the successive developments in the latter part of the previous situation.
The President of the Kaiser Corporation, the activated Shittim Chest, the destruction of Gehenna, and finally, his dissection at the hands of a mysterious person...
Subaru wanted to believe that not many people have gone through such a tumultuous day, even in another world. Although it cannot be described as a "day" due to the time loop.
Nevertheless, it was a real experience.
That horror and despair from that moment still gnaw at Subaru's heart.
He is not saying he cannot recover, nor is he claiming he has become accustomed to the terrifying death that recurred several times, but he must find a way 「to act」.
— The only problem is that his heart is a little shattered, and the coldness of that moment envelops his body, making him unable to get up and making him desire to abandon everything and surrender.
「Ah...」 (Subaru)
「It's hard... truly...」 (Subaru)
Subaru sighed slowly with his sound body. Although all the physical pains of that moment were removed, his heart had not been protected.
What happened 「after that」? Did Kaiser take control of everyone... Did all the people of Gehenna die, and General Services too, surely...
「... You fool, what is the use of thinking about such things? If this continues, everything will repeat, and everyone here will be bombed... ーー」 (Subaru)
「I can't allow Hina, Sena, and Ako, who are struggling so hard to live, to be destroyed without knowing anything.」 (Subaru)
「But what can I do!?」 (Subaru)
Subaru splashed the remaining water in the bottle onto his head to cool his raging thoughts.
Not much was left since he had drunk greedily, but it was enough to provide some cooling.
「... Getting cold now makes the feeling worse. What was happening to me at that time?」 (Subaru)
Remembering that coldness, Subaru clasped his arms to his sides, reviewing everything that happened: where he was wrong, what he was wrong about, and whether the event could fundamentally be called a failure.
— He does not know if he gave his best effort; perhaps it was not a failure, but a 「defeat」.
An inevitable, predetermined end; a result Natsuki Subaru could do nothing about.
「I have to get over that, yes. It's a simple story... I should forget everything. Forget Kaiser, Gehenna, and the General Student Council President; there are supposed to be many other things to do and think about, right?」 (Subaru)
— But what if everything ends tomorrow?
「...」 (Subaru)
He received help, and he wants to repay the favor.
— Natsuki Subaru gives everything he has, even if it costs him death.
「Is this escaping reality?」 (Subaru)
「General Student Council President... Were you truly certain that you chose me ?」 (Subaru)
His thoughts continued in a negative spiral. The inescapable critical situation, the General Student Council President's message that spoke of an illogical prophecy the more he delved into it, the stupid, foolish fox who came to play, and the memories of pain and despair all reduced Subaru's ability to think.
Fundamentally, most of the events that happened to Subaru in this world revolved around the 「General Student Council President」; starting from Kaiser's movements and his visit to Schale with Hina, to the activation of Sanctum Tower.
Thus, excluding her from his thoughts is no different from escaping reality.
「... 「I'll repay the debt; I'm a man of honor.」 That is the condition of outlaws...」 (Subaru)
「Repay the kindness I received.」 (Subaru)
Subaru recalled the image of Aro who covered him at the end.
Despite being in danger of death, she sacrificed herself to save Subaru, who was closest to death, regardless of her own circumstances.
— That's enough; that is the 「goodness」 that drives Natsuki Subaru.
Falling in love at first sight might happen several times in life, and in this world, all the girls are beautiful and good-looking, but admiration is not limited to appearance.
Subaru remembered all the kindness he had received since arriving in this world: starting from his first encounter with Hina, receiving treatment from Sena... and deepening his friendship with Ako.
If Subaru thinks about it now, it is impossible for the extremely busy Hina to have spent an entire half-day with Subaru. This means Ako's work in the reception room was just filling the empty time.
What alleviated the despair, the fear, the pain, and the cold was remembering the 「kindness」 he had received since arriving in this world.
「It's not over yet.」 (Subaru)
「Never backing down from a spoken promise—that is the way of outlaws.」 (Subaru)
Subaru recalled what he had shouted amid the painful memories.
『Absolutely, I... no matter how many times this repeats...!』
『I will save them all.』
Since he had shouted that.
「Don't underestimate me, Other World; don't underestimate me, Kivotos.」
Natsuki Subaru is not defeated yet.
「Don't underestimate me! General Student Council President!!」
「I'll show you the chivalry of a man who was asked to save the day!!」
「No hero abandons his heroine after she sheds tears and asks for rescue.」
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[Power stones and reviews please]
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