— The Natsuki House —
In the room of the only son of the couple who lived in that house, the laughter gradually died down, but the happiness remained.
Subaru: "Haaaa." Subaru exhaled as he held his right hand (still gloved) to his chest.
The rest of the group in the room followed suit.
Subaru: "Well, as much as I enjoy everyone's company here, shouldn't you go back to sleep? It's very early, isn't it? Besides, you must still be tired from everything that's happened, so getting some more sleep won't hurt." Subaru tried to convince the rest to go back to sleep, as he felt guilty for waking everyone up, and only for something as trivial as a little nightmare.
Subaru: *But... was it really just a nightmare...? It felt real, and I feel something... strange in my body, as if it were lighter or a chronic headache had been cured.* Subaru was still confused by the abrupt transition between "that place" and his old room.
Emilia: "But Subaru, are you sure you're okay?" Emilia was still worried about Subaru, and she wouldn't leave until she confirmed that it really had just been a... bump on the head...
Subaru: "Yes, don't worry Emilia-san! I'm tougher than you think, a simple blow to the head won't stop me for a whole day!" Subaru smiled at her and reassured Emilia.
Ram: "Then why did you scream like a damsel in distress? Not even the most frightened lady would scream like that. What a pathetic man, but what could I expect from Barusu." Ram had a mocking smile on her face as she accused Subaru.
Subaru: "Aghk! That was a low blow, Nee-sama! Especially when I'm trying to clean up my image in front of Emilia-tan..." Subaru put his hand on his forehead while gesturing in pain.
Rem: "Nee-sama, please don't tease Subaru-kun so much, he's not pathetic at all!" Rem scolded her sister as she followed behind her, to which Ram turned her head to the side and clicked her tongue.
Emilia: "Clean up your image...? Anyway, are you sure, Subaru? You can tell me everything, I won't get angry, you know?" Emilia was a little confused by Subaru's statement about cleaning up his image, as she didn't understand what part he had to "clean up."
Subaru: "Well, I don't know why you got mad about that in the first place... But don't worry, I'm fine, really!" Subaru flexed his arm to show off his muscles, a gesture of well-being.
Emilia: "Are you sure?"
Subaru: "Yes, I'm sure."
Emilia: "Very sure?"
Subaru: "Yes, very sure."
Emilia: "Very, very—"
Subaru: "Yes! I'm fine, Emilia-tan! I appreciate you worrying about me, but I'm not a child, I can take care of myself!"
Emilia: "Well..." Emilia was a little unsure about that last part, because whenever Subaru was alone, he always came back injured and something happened to him. He really did have bad luck.
Kenichi and Naoko had been silent this whole time, amused by the interactions between the couple.
Kenichi: *I'll make sure he tells me all the details later...*
Naoko: "Well... since Subaru insists so much that he's fine, I guess we'll leave." Naoko clapped her hands and began to lead the group outside.
Naoko wasn't stupid, and she knew her son must have some reason for not talking about his problems, so even if only a little, they would help him and wait until he was ready.
However, she would definitely talk to her son about the recent incident.
Anastasia: "Huh?! Ehhh, can't we stay a little longer? There are so many interesting things in this place!"
Subaru: "No, thank you for coming anyway. We'll be with you in a moment." Subaru helped his parents get everyone out of the room, locked the door, and stayed alone with Beatrice.
Subaru: "..."
Beatrice: "..."
Silence fell over the room as Subaru remained leaning against the door handle, and neither of them said anything.
The voices of everyone outside the room could be heard, but from their perspective, they weren't listening to anything, especially Beatrice, who was only paying attention to one thing.
Her contractor.
Beatrice: "..."
Subaru: "..."
The silence continued for a few more seconds, and seeing that Subaru wasn't going to make the first move, she would.
Beatrice: "Subaru..."
Subaru, hearing her voice, snapped out of his trance.
Subaru: "Beako..."
As he said these words, he turned around and looked into his spirit's eyes.
Beatrice had a sad face and teary eyes as she tried to contain the strong emotions she was feeling.
Subaru thought about telling a joke to lighten the mood, but quickly dismissed the idea, as it wasn't the right moment.
Subaru approached Beatrice and sat down on the bed next to her.
Silence filled the room for a few minutes as they sat side by side, simply enjoying each other's company.
Beatrice: "I guess... this is another time when I shouldn't ask what the hell that was, I guess." Beatrice said as she looked Subaru in the eyes, her eyes barely holding back the tears, like a dam holding back an entire sea.
Subaru felt his heart break, and he felt like a real piece of trash for making her suffer.
Subaru sighed and slowly embraced Beatrice.
Subaru: "I... I'm sorry, really."
Subaru apologized, because even though he had learned that saying thank you was 100 times better than apologizing, in this situation, he couldn't thank her for worrying about him, since worrying about him only brought her pain, so he decided to apologize.
Subaru hugged Beatrice even tighter, and she could no longer hold back the tears that flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Beatrice: "S-Subaru, y-you're an idiot, I guess." Beatrice began to sob as she clung tightly to Subaru, afraid that he would disappear if she let go.
Although she couldn't tell him what happened, for fear of activating the taboo, and that would result in... a tragedy.
A tragedy she could avoid if she simply remained silent and continued to suffer in silence, something she was accustomed to doing.
But what if he could do it?
Subaru: "If I could tell you, I—"
Subaru wanted to at least let her know that he trusted her, and that if he could, he would tell her everything, but he stopped mid-sentence.
Would he really do it if he had the chance?
The "Return by Death" was an ability, no, a curse for the user who had it, causing unimaginable pain, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Although the ability to go back in time was undoubtedly very useful, and would be considered "cheating" if it weren't for the price of activating it.
Death.
Subaru had died more than 40 times since arriving in another world, having to redo everything over and over again.
Apart from the hellish pain and trauma that death brought, when he died he also lost the relationships and bonds he had formed, and everyone would forget him except him.
If he could really tell someone about his suffering, would he really do it?
Should I tell them the truth, even if it only brings them pain?
In this case with Beatrice, she would undoubtedly be very distressed by the news, and if she knew how the "other Beatrice" had acted in some of her past loops, she would undoubtedly never forgive him.
Although Subaru didn't blame Beatrice in either of the two cases, with the current one and the "other Beatrice," since his Beatrice hadn't done anything, and the "other Beatrice" was suffering from her 400 years of waiting, just wishing for death, and yet she still helped him, like when she teleported him away from Elsa in the mansion, saving him from certain death.
Although... that led to...
Subaru quickly dismissed that thought, as he didn't want to remember about... about... that.
In any case, Subaru didn't know if, given the chance, he should really tell Beatrice about "Return by Death," the source of all his suffering.
Beatrice, who realized that Subaru hadn't finished his sentence and left it hanging, began to sob harder into his chest.
Beatrice: "Subaru, you're an idiot! An idiot!"
Beatrice continued to hug Subaru tighter, while thinking;
Beatrice: "Why...? Why are you always suffering in silence, Subaru? Why can't you tell anyone about it? Why... don't you tell me...? Could it be... ?!"
Beatrice realized something as she asked herself about Subaru's suffering.
Beatrice: "THAT THING! That thing deep within his soul, which was similar to a witch factor, could it be... related to what's happening to Subaru?!"
Beatrice connected the dots and realized that whatever that thing was, it was quite likely connected to the problem.
Beatrice: "If it were a witch factor, then it should come with an Authority, so—"
Subaru: "Beako?"
Subaru broke away from the embrace and looked Beatrice in the eyes, as he noticed that she had suddenly fallen silent, so he naturally asked how she was doing.
Beatrice: "...It's nothing, I guess." Beatrice quickly regained her composure and hugged her contractor again.
Subaru: "..."
Subaru narrowed his eyes, but decided not to say anything, for now.
Subaru: "Beako, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? I'll always be on your side."
Subaru began to slowly stroke her head, which instinctively calmed Beatrice.
Beatrice: "...Betty knows, I guess. Betty also wants her contractor to talk to her, and not leave her in silence."
Subaru: "... I'm sorry."
Beatrice: "Idiot."
Both the spirit and the contractor remained silent, embracing each other and feeling each other's body heat for what seemed like an eternity.
Subaru: "Are you okay now, Beako? We should go to the others, or they might start to suspect that something is going on."
Beatrice: "Hmph! Betty has been fine the whole time, I don't know what you're talking about, I guess!"
They slowly broke their embrace and, looking into each other's faces, smiled at each other.
They were both hiding their pain from each other, even though they both knew what the other's smile was hiding.
But even knowing the pain they hid behind their smiles, each other's company could, even if only a little, ease the pain.
Subaru: "Well, let's join the others, then."
Subaru got up from the bed and went to open the door, but a weak grip on his clothes stopped him.
Beatrice: "Subaru."
Subaru, confused by the tug, turned to look at Beatrice.
Beatrice: "...Betty won't force you to tell her everything, but please trust Betty. Betty promises she'll do everything she can to help you, so—"
Subaru hugged Beatrice tightly, interrupting her mid-sentence.
Subaru: "Thank you, Beako. I mean it. Thank you for caring about me. Even though I can't talk to you about it, I want you to know that your intention to help me makes me immensely happy."
Subaru broke away from the hug and knelt down, giving her a genuine smile.
Beatrice was still immensely worried about Subaru, but she couldn't help smiling back at him.
Beatrice: "Hmph! That's the least a contractor should do for their spirit! But since Betty is a merciful spirit, she'll forgive you in exchange for you patting her on the head for 1,000 years, I suppose."
Subaru: "Order received loud and clear!"
Subaru gave a military salute, and they both laughed at the situation.
Subaru: "Well, shall we go, Beako?"
Beatrice: "Betty will accompany you everywhere, there's no need to ask her."
Beatrice smiled at Subaru, and the two of them, Subaru in front and Beatrice behind, headed for the door and opened it.
Multiple figures were in the hallway, and they all had their eyes fixed on the two new figures who had joined them.
Subaru: "Hello, everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting, but as you can see, we're here now!"
Subaru greeted everyone in the hallway connecting to his room.
Kenichi: "So you're finally here, huh? What were you doing that took so long?"
Subaru: "Oh, well, I forgot a few things and... Anyway! What were you guys talking about?"
Subaru avoided the question entirely, which seemed suspicious, but they attributed it to another of Subaru's quirks.
Naoko: "Well, we were talking about whether we should go back to sleep, because of the time and all. Your friends are so hard-working! It turns out that everyone decided to stay up so early in the morning! Except for Meili-chan, but what can you do, she's a growing girl!" Naoko said with pride and amusement.
Emilia: "That's right! I'm still a little sleepy, but since Subaru always gets up early, I'll do my best too!" Emilia said, clasping her fingers together with a smile.
Emilia, on the other hand, loved to sleep. It was always easy for her to fall asleep, but she had a hard time waking up, which is why she was always the last to wake up at the Roswaal mansion.
Subaru: "I see, then I guess I'll stay awake too." Subaru let out an awkward laugh at Emilia's statement.
Subaru, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Emilia. He didn't like sleeping very much because, although it was comforting and soothing at first, every time he closed his eyes and started to sleep, he suffered terrible nightmares about events that only he could remember. That's why he found it difficult to fall asleep and easy to wake up.
After all, if he was awake, he didn't have to suffer anymore.
Of course, this was misunderstood by others, who thought that Subaru was just a very hard-working and diligent person, which, although it was part of the reason, the main reason was the nightmares.
Kenichi: "So, if we're all going to stay awake, I guess everyone wants to use the bathroom, right?"
Everyone nodded at Kenichi's question, albeit with a little discomfort.
Naoko: "Well, I'm not sure how different our bathrooms are compared to yours, Subaru, can you help us with that?"
Subaru: "Of course! Well, we'll start part one of the tour at the Natsuki family home! Please, everyone, come with me!" Subaru began walking energetically toward the door in front of the guest room, where everyone from another world had slept, except for Beatrice and Julius.
Anastasia was especially excited about this opportunity, as it was one of the things she could try to bring back to her world and patent for unimaginable profits.
The rest of the group was also curious about this opportunity, as from what they had seen and heard, this world was much more technologically advanced than their own.
Subaru: "First stop, the family bathroom!" Subaru opened the door and held out his hands toward the open doorway, revealing the new room.
It was an ordinary bathroom, but to everyone else's eyes, it was something amazing.
There was a standard sink, with a glass with three toothbrushes on one side, and several containers with various personal hygiene products, such as toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash.
Subaru stared particularly at the glass with the three toothbrushes, but quickly recovered and continued with the introduction.
Subaru: "Well, as you can see, the bathrooms in this world are quite similar to those in yours, and if I remember correctly, they are also very similar to those in the capital, right?"
Emilia: "That's right! I've used the bathrooms in the capital before, and there are definitely a lot of similarities! Although it's a little different from the ones in the mansion."
Emilia noticed the great similarity to the bathrooms in the capital, which, although obviously adapted to be public bathrooms, she could see the resemblance, although of course, not including the strange bottles with letters she couldn't read.
Subaru: "Well, but something I bet you haven't seen is this! Hot and cold water in a sink, so you can change the temperature for more comfort!"
Subaru, who had lived in Roswaal's mansion, knew that although they also had hot and cold water in the large bathtub, they achieved this by using water Lagmites (or prana stones) to create water, and fire prana stones to control the temperature, although these had the inconvenience of having to constantly fill them with mana, and that the sinks only had cold water in them, since due to their small size, there wasn't much free space to place prana stones, and since they needed someone to constantly refill them with mana, and since the amount of mana that the prana stones could hold was related to their size, the larger the size, the greater the mana capacity and vice versa, and that is why it was very inconvenient to have to share the limited space just to control the water temperature, meaning that someone always had to constantly refill the prana stones with mana, so most houses (with exceptions in some noble houses) only had cold water in the sinks.
Emilia: "Ohhh, I see! I'm still not quite sure what hot water in the sink would be used for, but I share the spirit!"
Subaru: "Well..."
Subaru felt a little embarrassed that he didn't have an answer to this, so he decided to continue with the tour.
Subaru: "Well, on this side we have the toilet, where you do your business, here's the toilet paper, look at this, this is how we flush the toilet here!"
Subaru pressed a button on the toilet, and it began to spray water on the walls and suck it back up.
Everyone was surprised by this and filled with curiosity about how the mechanism worked, another question they would ask later.
Subaru: "Over here, I present to you the bathtub. Look, when you turn this faucet, cold water comes out."
Subaru turned the faucet and water began to flow out.
Everyone was a little startled by the loud sound that came out of nowhere, but they recovered immediately.
Subaru: "And if you turn it back, it stops running. It's like magic, right?!"
Subaru turned the knob back, and sure enough, the water stopped running.
Everyone marveled at how easily and quickly the water came out, and wondered again if magic really didn't exist in this world, since these incredible feats didn't seem possible using only human means, in their eyes.
Subaru: "This is the hot water tap, and it works exactly the same as the cold water tap, only with hot water." Subaru turned the tap on and off, demonstrating that it worked exactly the same as the cold water tap.
Subaru: "To control the temperature, you have to open both taps and turn them more depending on what you want. For example, if you want warm water, you turn both taps, but if you want hotter water, you turn the hot water tap more than the cold water tap."
Subaru: "If you want to take a quick shower, pull this and the water will come out up here." Subaru pointed to the shower head. "The temperature is regulated exactly the same as in a bath, only the water comes out up there.
In everyone's eyes, with every minute they spent in this world, it became more incredible, as the ease of controlling the temperature without the need for magic was simply amazing.
Subaru: "Here we have... Mom's shampoo and Dad's... You can use them, right?" Subaru looked at his parents, who both nodded, and Kenichi gave him a thumbs up.
Subaru: "Thank you. Uh, shampoo is like a special soap for your hair. You put some in your hands and then rub it in." Subaru made a gesture of rubbing his hair, which made the explanation easier.
Subaru: "Use the shampoo. Women have to use this one, which is for women, and he gave his permission." Subaru pointed to Naoko's shampoo.
Naoko just smiled at the mention and nodded.
Subaru: "And men, meaning you, Julius, use this one, which is for men."
Subaru pointed to the other bottle next to it.
Julius: "I understand. Thank you for allowing me to use your shampoo, Natsuki-sama." Julius nodded to Kenichi.
Kenichi: "Ehhh, you don't have to be so formal, hehehe, just call me Kenichi, Julius." Kenichi laughed embarrassedly and scratched the back of his neck.
Julius: "I understand, thank you for your kindness."
Subaru, seeing that Julius and his father had stopped talking, continued with his explanation.
Subaru: "Well, let's continue. When your hair is wet, you put shampoo on your hair and rub it in, and when it lathers, you rinse it out and that's it! Your hair will be soft and clean!" Subaru finished his explanation and looked at the group.
Everyone was amazed at the novelties of this world, and Beatrice was the first to comment.
Beatrice: "It's true that Betty has never seen or heard of this in her 400 years, not even in the forbidden library. The technology of your world is highly advanced, Subaru, but I have a question. Where does the water from the bathtub go, Subaru?"
Subaru: "The water goes through this hole." Subaru pointed to the hole at the end of the bathtub. "And then it goes through some pipes until it reaches the city sewer."
Beatrice turned her head innocently, not fully understanding what her contractor was saying.
Subaru: "Aghk, Beako! That cuteness is so overwhelming it could kill a person! But think of the pipes as tubes that make the water go through this, and the drain as an even bigger tube!"
Beatrice: "I see, I guess the fact that this world can't use magic is compensated for by very advanced methods, or 'technology' as you call it."
Subaru: "Exactly! Well, in this cabinet there are towels to dry yourselves off, as you can see." Subaru opened a cabinet where there were many towels of different colors to dry off after bathing.
Subaru: "And look at this!" Subaru took a strange-looking device out of the top cabinet.
Subaru: "This is called a 'hair dryer.' And as the name suggests, it's for drying your hair. Look, it works by plugging its cord into an outlet." Subaru plugged the dryer's cord into an outlet next to the bathroom wall.
Everyone watched with anticipation to see how this "hair dryer" worked, as they had never heard of such a thing in their world. Although they didn't understand how the "cord" and "outlet" worked, they figured it was necessary for it to function, like filling it with mana or something.
Subaru: "These buttons are used to increase or decrease the power and increase or decrease the heat, and everything works if it's plugged in. Think of the plug as 'mana' and the cable as a bridge for the device to fill up with 'mana'. Since we don't have mana here, we use electricity to make them work, but for now, think of electricity as 'mana' to make it easier to understand.
Everyone continued to watch Subaru's demonstration intently, and they were amazed to see that his theory about how it worked was correct.
Subaru: "Look, now I'm going to turn it on. Don't be alarmed, there will be a loud noise, but that's how it works."
Everyone nodded, and Subaru turned on the hair dryer.
There was a loud noise from the dryer's motor, but since Subaru was pointing the dryer at himself, his hair moved as if a strong, hot blizzard was blowing against him.
Subaru: "See?! It's like magic, isn't it? Depending on how wet your hair is, you can increase the power or temperature with these buttons here." Subaru continued explaining and pressed one of the buttons, causing his hair to move even more strongly, and then pressed another, making the heat stronger.
Subaru, after finishing his demonstration, turned off the hair dryer and unplugged it.
Subaru: "By the way, whatever you do, DO NOT get the cords or plugs wet, as that could cause a short circuit and/or electrocute you, so be careful, okay?"
Everyone nodded.
Subaru: "Well, that's basically it. Any questions?" Subaru looked around and Anastasia raised her hand and began to speak.
Anastasia: "Although I will definitely ask you about the products here later, and the specific operation of that 'hair dryer,' I couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance to the houses in Kararagi. This bathroom and the architecture of the houses are very similar."
Anastasia, who was from Karagi, made a logical observation, since they clearly didn't have all the hygiene products like here, but the shape and structure were undoubtedly very similar.
Subaru: "I see... I've never been to Karagi, but since you said it was similar to Pristella, there is certainly a striking resemblance. But since Hoshin was the founder, I guess it makes sense. Anyway, good observation, Anastasia! 500 points for you!"
Subaru connected the dots and came to the conclusion that the similarities between the bathrooms and the architecture were due to Hoshin being from another world, his world, to be precise.
Julius: "Magnificent observation, milady."
Anastasia just smiled and blushed slightly at the compliments.
Naoko: "Hoshin? Who is that person, Subaru? And why does it make sense that bathrooms from another world are similar to ours?" Naoko asked curiously.
Subaru: "Well, that's part of the big explanation I'll give you later, but in short, it's because I think he's also a person from our world, and from Japan, to be more precise."
All the characters from the other world were surprised by this revelation, especially Anastasia, who was left with her mouth open.
Everyone wanted to ask for more information, but Kenichi interrupted them first.
Kenichi: "Another person from our world?! And how was he teleported?! Did you ask him?!" Kenichi asked desperately, as it was an opportunity to find out how his son had been transported to another world in the first place.
Subaru: "Woah! Dad, calm down! I'll explain everything later, okay? I haven't forgotten my promise. But to sum it up even more, I haven't talked to him, since he's been dead for 400 years." Subaru felt a little strange saying that he had never spoken to Hoshin, as if he were lying and not aware of it, something that confused him, since he didn't know exactly where that feeling came from, but he decided it was better to stop thinking about it and attribute it to his imagination.
Kenichi: "Oh, I see... I'm sorry, Subaru, I startled you."
Subaru: "No, don't worry about it, Dad! And don't worry, we can talk about it after we eat, okay?"
Kenichi nodded and there was an awkward silence for a moment, at which point Subaru cleared his throat and continued.
Subaru: "*Ahem" Ahem, well, I think we should pause the tour for a moment so we can all use the restroom, right?"
Everyone was a little disappointed, as the conversation had undoubtedly become interesting, but it was also true that they needed to use the restroom.
Naoko: "Oh, right! You'll need these." Naoko seemed to realize something, and quickly opened one of the cabinets, taking out several boxes of toothbrushes that she had stored there.
Subaru: "Mom? Why do you have so many toothbrushes stored away?"
Naoko: "Oh, well..." Naoko felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, but she continued with her explanation.
Naoko: "While you were away—I mean, when you were in another world—your father and I always bought things you needed, hoping you would come back..." Naoko looked down at the floor, feeling a little sad as she remembered those moments.
Subaru: "Ah, don't blame yourself for that! It wasn't your fault!"
Subaru hugged his mother, who returned to normal with that.
Naoko: "Subaru... thank you, but don't worry, I'm fine. I just felt a little bad remembering that, but what matters is that you're back!" Naoko hugged Subaru tightly in return, and they separated shortly after.
Naoko: "But since we have so many toothbrushes, your friends can use them!" Naoko was very happy and began handing out toothbrushes to everyone.
Naoko: "Well, to take out the toothbrush, you have to open the box like this." Naoko demonstrated how to open the toothbrush box, and everyone copied her and successfully took it out of the box, then threw it in the trash can in the corner like Naoko did.
Naoko: "Next, take the toothpaste, open the cap, squeeze out this amount, and brush your teeth, understand?" Naoko demonstrated how to open the toothpaste and apply it to the brush.
Everyone from the other world paid attention to how Naoko did it and nodded in understanding, since they also had toothpaste, although it wasn't in that strange container, obviously.
Subaru: "Thank you, Mom, and well, that concludes part 1 of the tour of the Natsuki house, the bathroom!" Subaru bowed as if he were performing in a play, which made everyone laugh a little.
Naoko: "Well, since there are so many of us, we should decide on a schedule for using the bathroom. Luckily, we also have another bathroom downstairs, so we won't be so cramped."
After that, they decided on the schedule for using the bathrooms.
In the upstairs bathroom, they would go in this order: [Emilia, Anastasia, Rem and Ram, Beatrice, and Naoko]
And downstairs: [Julius, Subaru, Kenichi]
Subaru and his parents would go last, so they could be on hand in case anyone needed help with anything.
Since all the men were assigned to the downstairs bathroom, Subaru took Kenichi's shampoo with them.
Ram said that Rem would bathe with her, since she obviously couldn't stand on her own, something that the bathtub, which was large enough for two people to fit comfortably inside, would allow.
Beatrice and Naoko would go together as well, since Naoko offered to go with her to help her comb her hair, which Beatrice thought was a good idea, as she didn't object at all, and Subaru seemed to see her happy for some reason.
Kenichi: "By the way, Subaru, do you need us to lend you some clothes?"
Subaru: "That's right! That's going to be a problem later... but luckily, we brought an extra change of clothes for everyone in Patrasche."
Naoko: "I see! Then can you pass me the girls' clothes and give them to them?"
Subaru: "Sure, I'll go get them now. In the meantime, Julius, you can go to the bathroom, and I'll give you your clothes when you're done."
Julius: "Understood, thank you, Subaru."
Subaru, Kenichi, and Julius went downstairs to the first floor, where they encountered...
Patrasche: "Kyaah!"
Patrasche began to wag his tail happily upon seeing his rider again, especially because of the earlier cry, and even though he had told him he was fine a moment ago, he couldn't help but worry about him.
Subaru: "Patrasche! I missed you too!" Subaru began to pet Patrasche, which made Patrasche continue to rub against him and lick him.
Subaru: "Hahaha, you tickle me!" Subaru barely freed himself from Patrasche's grip.
Kenichi: "Hahaha, good thing you're going to take a bath now."
Kenichi also petted Patrasche, who returned the affection.
Julius: "Well, with your permission." Julius bowed.
Subaru: "Okay, we'll be here if you need anything, Julius, so don't hesitate to ask."
Julius: "Thank you, Subaru. I'll let you know if I need anything." Julius finally entered the bathroom.
With the sound of the door closing, Subaru opened Patrasche's saddlebags, which, due to their size, could hold a change of clothes for the whole group.
Kenichi: "Subaru, do you need help with that?" Kenichi offered to help Subaru with the clothes.
Subaru: "Oh! Thanks, Dad, here you go."
Subaru gave him half of the clothes he was carrying, and they both went upstairs to give them to Naoko.
After giving the clothes to Naoko and telling her who each item belonged to, they went to wait their turn in the bathroom downstairs, but as they were going down the stairs, the sound of the shower stopped Subaru for a moment, but he continued down the stairs quickly.
Kenichi: "Ohohoho, Subaru, you've really grown up." Kenichi said with an evil smile.
Subaru: "D-Dad? What do you mean?" Subaru said, avoiding eye contact.
Kenichi put his arm around his son and they headed to the kitchen, because everyone from the other world was in the living room talking about the new world.
Kenichi: "Come on, you think I don't know what's going on?" Kenichi said with a laugh.
Subaru: "I-it's not what you think! I was just wondering if Emilia-tan was using the bathtub properly and if she needed any help!" Subaru quickly made up an excuse, already very embarrassed, as he didn't want to talk about it with his father at that moment.
Kenichi laughed out loud, which caught the attention of everyone in the living room, but he took Subaru with him to the laundry room so they could talk alone.
Kenichi: "And who said I was talking about your 'friend,' huh?" Kenichi continued laughing.
Subaru: "Ah! Um... well, I..." Subaru was completely caught off guard because, even if only for a moment, he couldn't help but imagine Emilia in the bathtub, a clearly divine figure, and that's why he paused for a moment, although unfortunately he was caught by his father.
Kenichi stopped laughing and continued.
Kenichi: "Come on, it's nothing bad, okay? It's just a sign that you've grown up. I'm proud of you, son. You've finally become a man."
Subaru: "Well, um... Thanks, I guess?"
Kenichi: "And?"
Subaru: "... And what?" Subaru tried to avoid the question.
Kenichi: "Come on, you know what I mean, right? How is your relationship with that girl?"
Subaru: "Well, our relationship is strictly professional, she's my—"
Kenichi stopped Subaru with a stronger grip.
Kenichi: "Come on, don't be shy, you know what I mean, you like that girl, don't you?" Kenichi asked mockingly.
Subaru: "Eeeh?! W-what makes you think that, Dad?" Subaru asked, embarrassed.
Kenichi: "Come on, you think your mother and I didn't notice? Holding hands on the couch, the way you look at each other, it's pretty obvious to anyone with common sense, really."
Subaru: *Aghk, was it that obvious?*
Subaru thought they had been a little discreet, but apparently they had been caught.
Subaru: "Haa, well, I guess it doesn't matter if you find out sooner or later." Subaru sighed, defeated, as he would have to confess everything to his perceptive father.
Kenichi: "I knew it! So, what happened? Did you confess something like that?"
Subaru: "Well... yes, I confessed."
Kenichi: "Really?! And what did she say?" Kenichi asked excitedly.
Subaru: "Well... it's complicated, to be honest."
Kenichi: "Complicated? Did she reject you?" Kenichi asked, somewhat disappointed.
Subaru: "No!"
Kenichi: "No? Then what?" Kenichi asked, confused by the answer.
Subaru sighed again, giving up on continuing to answer.
Subaru: "She needs time to figure out her feelings, plus she's a royal candidate, she's a busy person, you know?"
Kenichi was perplexed by the answer.
Subaru, realizing this, asked somewhat irritatedly;
Subaru: "What?!"
Kenichi: "Well, I thought you guys were already dating or something."
Subaru: "Really? Why do you say that?"
Kenichi: "Well, even though it's a little embarrassing to admit, that, how can I put it... 'sparkle' in her eyes when she turns to look at you, and vice versa, is the same as what your mother and I had when we were her age."
Subaru: "Really?" Subaru was thrilled by the answer.
Kenichi: "That's right! And well, if she needs time to realize it, give her all the space she needs, that's how women are after all." Kenichi sighed as he finished.
Subaru: "I see..." Subaru felt excited by his father's words. Perhaps, after all, the answer he had been eagerly awaiting was not as far away as he thought.
Kenichi: "But, Subaru, I can assure you of one thing with my paternal instincts working at full power. She may not have realized it yet, but that girl is undoubtedly in love with you, son." Kenichi said with complete seriousness and sincerity, with a smile full of pride and happiness for his son on his face.
Subaru: "I see, thank you very much, Dad." Subaru couldn't think of anything to say, but the silly smile on his face said it all.
Kenichi: "And?"
Subaru: "And what?" Subaru asked, confused, as he didn't know what his father wanted to talk about now.
Kenichi: "And what about that girl Rem? I can't believe you've become a womanizer, Subaru." Kenichi feigned pain by striking a ridiculous pose, although in reality, inside he only felt pride for his son, who was so popular with women.
Subaru: "P-PFFFT!"
Subaru was completely caught off guard by that statement, and if he had had any kind of liquid in his mouth, he would have spit it out everywhere without a doubt.
Subaru: "W-What makes you think that, Dad?" Subaru said as he fidgeted with his fingers and looked away.
Kenichi: "Come on, don't play dumb, son. I've lived many more years than you, and I can spot an obvious liar. It's obvious in the way that girl looks at you with such admiration, and the way you look back at her, pfft." Kenichi laughed again as he finished his speech.
Subaru: *HOW THE HELL DID THEY FIND OUT SO MUCH?! THEY ONLY MET THEM FOR A FEW MINUTES YESTERDAY!* Subaru was totally stunned by how his father, and naturally his mother too, had figured out the relationship between him and Emilia and Rem in just a few minutes of interaction.
Subaru: *I don't even want to imagine what they'll discover in a few days or weeks...*
Subaru: "Well, that's just a coincidence, you know, this..."
Kenichi: "Subaru..." Kenichi said in a stern voice, intending to make him confess.
Subaru didn't resist for even 5 seconds in the face of that threat.
Subaru: "OKAY, OKAY!"
Kenichi: "Hahaha, I knew it! So? What happened between you and that girl?"
Subaru: "Haa, do you really want to know that much?"
Kenichi nodded several times with a childish smile, like a kid who had been asked if he wanted ice cream.
Subaru: "Well... the truth is..."
Kenichi looked expectantly, making his eyes seem to grow larger and larger.
Subaru: "It's a little embarrassing to be honest, but..."
Kenichi: "But?" Kenichi asked excitedly.
Subaru: "Haa... basically, she told me that... she loves me."
Kenichi: "WHAT?!" Kenichi shouted in surprise at the answer, quickly covering his mouth, but it was too late.
Naoko: "HONEY?! IS EVERYTHING OK DOWN THERE?"
Kenichi felt a chill run down his spine, and he was filled with fear and regret for having shouted unconsciously.
Kenichi: "IGHK! THIS... YES, EVERYTHING'S FINE HERE, HONEY, I JUST HIT MY FOOT, THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT."
Naoko: "ARE YOU SURE? I HEARD YOU SCREAM PRETTY LOUD!"
Kenichi: "YES, DON'T WORRY, HONEY! EVERYTHING IS FINE!"
Naoko: "OKAY, THEN BE MORE CAREFUL NEXT TIME! WITH ALL THAT SCREAMING, YOU COULD SCARE SUBARU'S FRIENDS!"
Kenichi: "I'M SORRY, HONEY, IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN, I PROMISE!"
After this exchange, Kenichi sighed with relief, as he had gotten away with it, for now.
Subaru: "Hehehe, what happened, Dad? Are you afraid of Mom?" Subaru nudged him while teasing his father, in revenge for the uncomfortable questions.
To tell the truth, his father had always been afraid of his mother because, although it was rare, when his mother got angry, she became a real calamity, and no one was safe in that state.
Kenichi: "Ah, don't blame me, you know how she gets! And how did that happen in the first place?! Did you brainwash her or something with magic?"
Subaru: "Of course not! I would never do that!"
Kenichi: "Well? Go on, I want to know everything!"
Subaru: "Can't you really wait for the big explanation?"
Kenichi: "Were you going to tell us?"
Subaru: "Ighk!"
Subaru shuddered at that question, because according to the original plan, he was going to omit those embarrassing details, and although he planned to tell his parents eventually, it wasn't part of the plan to do so so soon.
Subaru: "Okay! I admit it, I was going to skip those parts, but it's not like I was never going to tell them!"
Kenichi: "Yeah, right, I totally believe you."
Subaru: "Dad!"
Kenichi: "Okay, okay, so what happened after she confessed to you? What did you say to her?"
Subaru: "Well, at that moment I was in a very sorry state of mind, so, I guess... I rejected her."
Kenichi: "What?! How could you reject a girl like that? Or were you already dating Emilia-chan at that point? I guess it makes sense, but you rejected her just like that?"
Subaru: "No! We're not dating... yet... but it's not like I rejected Rem either..."
Kenichi: "Subaru... I don't think I taught you to play with women's feelings." Kenichi reproached his son, with some disappointment in his eyes.
Subaru: "No, that's not what happened!"
Kenichi: "Then what? Don't tell me..."
Subaru: "I love Emilia, I really do, Dad. But... but I also love Rem." Subaru said with complete seriousness.
Kenichi was speechless for a moment, but his shocked expression immediately changed to a mocking one, and he laughed again.
Kenichi: "Hahahaha, you're a greedy idiot, huh? You really are my son."
Subaru: "Dad?"
Kenichi sighed in defeat.
Kenichi: "Listen to me, son, you're in a precarious situation. If I didn't know you, I'd think you were an isekai protagonist or something."
Subaru: "What do you mean by precarious situation?" Subaru asked, confused, as he didn't quite understand what he meant.
Kenichi: "Let's see, tell me something, does Rem-chan know how you feel about Emilia-chan? I couldn't bear the thought of you cheating on a girl, could I?"
Subaru: "NO! I would never do that... and well, if she knows, I told her myself that I loved Emilia-tan, and..."
Kenichi: "I see... I guess it would never have worked in the first place..." Kenichi sighed again, somewhat disappointed, but he had expected it.
There was no way his son could be that popular, right?
Kenichi: "I see, she must have felt terrible... poor girl..." Kenichi felt sorry for her when he thought about how she must have felt when she was rejected, but something still didn't make sense.
That girl clearly still had feelings for his son, and his son loved her too, even though he loved another woman at the same time.
But if that was the case, if they still had feelings for each other even with a third person involved, then it could be that...
Subaru thought for a moment about what to say, and after finding the words, he continued speaking.
Subaru: "I... I know it may seem like I'm a terrible guy for saying this... no, I definitely am, but..."
Kenichi said nothing, paying close attention to his son's words.
Subaru took a deep breath before continuing.
Subaru: "If it were possible... I would like... to be with both of you. I know I'm an idiot for saying this, but it's the truth. I love you both, and I won't give you to anyone else." Subaru said with a determined look at his father.
Kenichi thought for a moment, then decided to ask one thing before jumping to conclusions.
Kenichi: "I see... before I say what I have to say, I have to ask something."
Subaru became a little nervous, but nodded for his father to continue.
Kenichi: "Those girls... are they both okay with this?"
Subaru: "Uhhh, it's a little hard to say. But promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Maybe Mom, but not right now, because otherwise I might die of embarrassment."
Kenichi was curious about what Subaru might want to say, so he kept listening.
Subaru took another breath, trying to calm her nerves.
Subaru: "Well, um... how should I put this... before a big battle, a year ago, Rem and I talked about a few things, including..." Subaru began to blush with embarrassment, prompting his father to put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, which seemed to work.
Subaru closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.
Subaru: "Basically, I told him that even though I loved Emilia, I also had feelings for her and..."
Kenichi continued with a serious expression, although inside he had a good idea of where this was going, and he liked it.
Subaru: "She said that... she would be okay with being my second wife, if Emilia-tan was okay with polygamy, so after the battle, we were going to talk to Emilia-tan, but after that..."
Subaru began to clench his fist tightly.
Kenichi noticed the change in Subaru, but before he could do anything, Subaru hugged him tightly.
Kenichi: "S-Subaru? What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Subaru: "I lost her, Dad."
Subaru began to tremble as he hugged him tightly.
Kenichi: "W-What do you mean, Subaru?" Kenichi stammered, as the hug had taken him by surprise.
Subaru: "I lost her. I-I-the-." Subaru trembled even harder, fear and sadness evident in his voice.
Kenichi finally reacted and hugged Subaru back, who couldn't stop shaking.
Kenichi: *Subaru... seriously... what have you been through? I feel like I can't even imagine it... it must have been hard, right?*
Kenichi had no idea what Subaru was referring to, nor what he had been through in another world, but one thing he was sure of was that he had to be there for Subaru.
In his father's embrace, Subaru slowly began to pull himself together, until he finally composed himself enough to realize what he was doing.
Subaru: "Ah! Dad, I..."
Kenichi: "Subaru, it's okay. You don't need to talk about this if it hurts you and—"
Subaru: "No, it's okay... thank you, Dad."
Kenichi: "Huh?"
Kenichi asked, confused. Why was he thanking him? All he had done was bring back bad memories, so why was he thanking him?
Subaru pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears threatening to fall from his eyes with his forearm, something Kenichi hadn't noticed.
Subaru: "I'm sorry if I scared you, I just remembered... some things. Don't worry, I'll tell you everything with Mom, but... thank you."
Kenichi: "It's okay, I understand, but... why are you thanking me?"
Subaru: "Well..." Subaru scratched the back of his neck and, looking his father in the eyes, continued.
Subaru: "You see, I... it's a little embarrassing to say out loud, but... I always wanted to talk to you like this, just the two of us talking about something silly or the girl I liked, although in this case it would be girls, hehehe." Subaru ended with an awkward but sincere laugh.
Kenichi: "Subaru..." Kenichi was stunned to hear the words coming out of his son's mouth, before giving him a smile and a weak punch on the shoulder.
Subaru: "Ouch! What was that for?!" Subaru rubbed his shoulder, which may not have been as light a punch as he thought.
Kenichi: "Hahaha, son, you just said the words every father wants to hear. I had to test you to see if you weren't just a figment of my imagination or something."
Subaru: "And that's how you test me?! For once I'm honest with you and this is how you treat me!" Subaru complained about his father's lack of seriousness, which made him laugh out loud in return.
Subaru stared at him for a moment before laughing too.
After the laughter subsided, Kenichi replied to his son.
Kenichi: "I'm proud of you, son. You've really grown up. And not just in your love life." Kenichi almost laughed a little at that part, but managed to hold back.
Subaru said nothing as he stared with wide eyes.
Kenichi: "I'm talking about how... before you became an Isekai protagonist, hehe, you would never have agreed to have this father-son talk with me, and you would have made up some excuse to avoid talking, and even if I had forced you, you probably wouldn't have told me anything. But now you would. I have no idea what you went through in that world, and keep in mind that you and your mother want to hear all about it, okay?" Kenichi joked at the end, before finishing what he had to say.
Kenichi: "But what I am sure of is that you have matured. Even though you just came back yesterday, I can tell you are like a totally different person. You have friends, real friends, who trust you and listen to what you say and care about you. You have really grown up. I am proud of you, Subaru."
With those last words, Subaru gasped as he looked at his father with wide eyes.
Kenichi, realizing that he had gone too far with his seriousness and needed to tone it down a bit, made a joke.
Kenichi: "A-ah! But don't forget that all this started because you started fantasizing about your girlfriend in the bathtub! You're such a pervert, Subaru." Kenichi said, shaking his head with both arms crossed.
Subaru: "HEY! T-that was a coincidence, and I wasn't thinking anything obscene!" Subaru blushed and waved both arms in defense, although for some reason he didn't deny the "girlfriend" statement.
Kenichi laughed out loud at his son's weak excuse, who could only silently fume.
Subaru: "Ah, that's right! With all the time we've been talking, Julius must be done by now!" Subaru remembered when he realized how long they had been here.
Kenichi: "That's right! It should be your turn now!" Kenichi started to leave the room, but before he did, Subaru grabbed his arm.
Kenichi was taken aback by this gesture and turned around to ask.
Kenichi: "Subaru, what's wrong?"
Subaru: "Nothing, but..." Subaru scratched his cheek and looked away.
Subaru: "If... if you don't mind, could we talk again another day?" Subaru asked, unsure of the answer.
Kenichi was surprised by the proposal, but he smiled and ruffled his son's hair.
Kenichi: "Silly, of course not, why would I mind? Remember, I'm your father, it's my duty to talk to my son whenever he wants."
Subaru: "Dad... Thank you."
– EDIT –
(This part will be rewritten because it's pretty bogus.)
With these words, they both returned to the living room, where they questioned Subaru about the loud noises from their conversation and the many laughs coming from Kenichi.
They avoided the question and said they had only had a little chat, but they did not want to reveal the contents.
After a while, everyone had finished bathing and gathered in the living room. Those from the other world were wearing the last clothes they had left from the other world, not counting the clothes they had been wearing when they arrived.
Subaru: "Well, we're all here now, so tell me, how was your experience with the bath from the other world?"
Emilia: "Ummm, to be honest, I didn't really understand how things worked, but it was really nice to try new things, and the bath was very relaxing!" Emilia said enthusiastically.
Anastasia: "Personally, it was a very enriching experience, and I can't wait to find out how these super advanced metias work! Just think of the profits these products could generate! I could even create a market just with this!" Anastasia clearly enjoyed the experience very much, but more for the part where she could profit from it.
Ram: "... It wasn't bad, to be honest, I expected it to be—"
*THUD*
Interrupting Ram, a sound like glass breaking, though not exactly the same, was heard from above... more precisely, on the second floor.
Everyone: "!!!"
Everyone began to be on alert, channeling mana into their bodies and making it flow.
Subaru, by reflex, activated Cor Leonis to ensure the safety of all his allies.
Everyone was in the living room, except for two lights on the second floor.
One of these belonged to Meili, who was still sleeping in the guest room.
The other was located in his room, which should have been impossible, since everyone was here except for one person, but it didn't make sense.
The only person that light could belong to was...
Subaru: "WAIT, EVERYONE!"
At his words, everyone who had been preparing for battle stopped suddenly and listened to what Subaru had to say.
Subaru: "I'll go check out the noise. I think I know what happened, so I'll be fine."
Naoko: "Subaru!" Naoko shouted her son's name, worried about him, since they didn't know what that noise was, and if it was something bad that was going to take him away from her again?
Subaru: "Don't worry, Mom, I'll be back in a moment, nothing will happen to me." Subaru gave his mother a reassuring smile, which seemed to work to some extent, as although it did not eliminate her concern, it at least reduced it.
Beatrice: "Subaru, I sense a familiar presence in your room, I think." Beatrice hurried to inform her contractor of her discovery.
Subaru: "I know, I can feel it too." With that, Subaru got up and headed for the stairs.
Subaru: "Guys, if I scream or something, that's your cue to come rescue me, okay?" Subaru said this jokingly, although there was some truth to his words.
Everyone nodded, and although they felt that Subaru was in no danger, they did not let their guard down.
Subaru began climbing the stairs, and when he reached his room, he stopped in front of the door.
Subaru stared at the door and put his hand on the doorknob as memories flooded back.
If the Authority of Greed, Cor Leonis, was not mistaken, the person behind this door was... one of the people he had failed to save.
Just like with Rem, whom he couldn't save no matter how hard he tried, Subaru had also promised to save this person, without success.
But if Rem, who had lost her name and memories, had returned to normal upon arriving in this world, then maybe, just maybe, this person could also return.
Subaru, at that moment, wanted to see this person again with all his might.
Subaru took a deep breath before opening the door wide, and in front of him was...
???: *..."
A tall woman with long brown hair, green eyes with red flecks in them, and a figure enviable to any woman in any world, was standing in front of him.
The woman was looking around this strange place, clearly confused, but the moment that man entered her field of vision, she recognized him immediately, and their eyes met.
Although it only lasted a few seconds, they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the man broke the silence.
Subaru, his heart pounding, opened his mouth to say something, but no matter how hard he tried, the words would not come out.
While he was trying to formulate the words, the woman...
Subaru: "S-S-Sha-"
Shaula: "MASTER!!!"
Subaru: "WHOA-!"
With obvious happiness in both her voice and face, the woman lunged at the man, causing them both to fall to the ground at the same time.
—
Happy New Year, everyone!
I'm back with a new chapter, and only 3 days late!
Okay, but seriously, I was late posting this chapter because I had to rewrite about half of it, since I wasn't convinced by how the final chapter turned out.
In fact, the entire part after Kenichi and Subaru's conversation will be rewritten, since I rushed it a lot so that the chapter could be released today.
New chapter, hopefully and with a lot of faith, on Sunday, January 4, but I can't promise anything, since I'm going to have to reread some parts of the novel and rewrite parts of this chapter.
The final part will probably be rewritten by January 2, maybe?
Anyway, thank you for your patience and understanding. The chapter will only be uploaded to Ao3, and when I finish rewriting it, to the rest of the platforms.
There will be no comments section this week because we're celebrating the New Year.
See you in the next chapter!
This is the raw translation using DeepL, expect translation error.