Chapter 399. Re:Zero Final Battle, Begins
"Damn it! If it wasn't for the 'benefit' of having eaten Rem and leaving her in a coma for over a year, these people—Emilia included—wouldn't have stood a chance at all!"
Ram kicked the corner of the wall in a fit of rage, the force leaving a visible crack. Her fury and her desire to "kill" Emilia surged violently in this moment, reaching a fever pitch that turned her eyes blood-red.
"Ram's sister was the first one! Whether it was the confession or being completely loved by that guy, she was leagues ahead of everyone else... it was supposed to be that way."
If Rem hadn't fallen into a coma, given her head start, Emilia wouldn't have even been in the running later on.
In the Sanctuary, Rem would have certainly remained Hachiman's steadfast emotional pillar. Emilia wouldn't have had the chance to "swoop in"; Emilia's kiss, her confession, her comfort—all of it would have been dodged and parried by Hachiman.
Not to mention people like Anastasia and Crusch.
"Damn it! Damn it! Curse those Sin Archbishops of Gluttony—aaaaargh!"
"Please calm down, Sister. Rem is fine."
Patting her sister's back gently to soothe the "world's greatest older sister," Rem, the victim herself, was actually not as explosive or agitated as Ram.
She looked up at the Emilia on the light screen in the sky. There was no jealousy, no anger, no resentment—only a heart overflowing with envy and longing.
'If I were in Lady Emilia's place, if Rem were awake... could I have done the same thing as Lady Emilia?'
She asked herself, but she couldn't find an answer. She loved Hachiman—loved him so deeply that she was the first in this world to be unable to extricate herself, the first to be willing to sacrifice her body and soul.
But would that be enough to retain a sense of closeness to Hachiman even after losing her memories? To let that affection transcend memory and soul?
"Rem... might not have been able to do it."
Thus she felt envy, thus she felt longing. Touching her own heart, Rem felt a sincere sense of admiration.
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"—The wish... it actually came true!?"
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia's world hummed. She could hear nothing and see nothing; she just stood there murmuring that unbelievable sentence over and over.
Surprise, joy, wonder—all these thoughts merged at the very end into a warm current flowing through her body and soaking into her soul. Emilia could only stare at her future self—the self that finally, completely, was worthy of Hachiman.
That Emilia was the person she, too, wanted to become.
People like Otto and Kousaka Kyousuke were already moved to tears. Their excitement was identical to Puck's current howling—a feeling of "sweetness after the bitterness," of the mist finally clearing.
"The rainbow after the storm... it's truly beautiful."
On the road to the Capital, the young and beautiful Theresia offered her blessings with a sigh: "That is the most wonderful flower of all."
Fortuna's eyes were slightly moist. "As an incompetent mother, I held Emilia back for so long... but luckily... meeting that boy Hachiman was her happiness. Because of him, she was able to become someone so wonderful."
Theresia nodded. Precisely because of this, she hoped even more that the child Crusch could find such happiness.
In the Sanctuary's "Total Annihilation" IF-line, that sickly, broken Crusch had perhaps reached Emilia's domain.
And essentially, Crusch was already a truly brilliant, magnificent flower. It was just that the main history lacked the "rain" to nourish her, leaving her still in the budding stage.
"How to guide the current Crusch to become the greatest flower is a matter for later. Right now, the most important thing is..."
The Sin Archbishops of Gluttony were about to arrive.
"Cross this hurdle together! Even if you aren't with Crusch, I hope you can be happy and fulfilled!"
The mist had been dispersed, but the true torrential rain was about to fall.
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「Emilia had decided to recognize him as her "friend of twenty-odd days." She knew it was willful, but she simply couldn't allow herself not to do it—because she didn't want to see him cry.」
「If he did, she had an intuition that something would collapse.」
「In the end, by taking matters into her own hands, she seemingly still made the man cry. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't that. It wasn't crying.」
「"Are you... laughing?"」
「Hearing Emilia's hesitant confusion, Hikigaya Hachiman wiped his tears away forcefully. He placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, using them as support to stand tall and straight once more, his back like a rod of iron.」
「"Yeah, I'm laughing, Emilia."」
「Having said that, he no longer hesitated and finally made a man's promise: "And next, I'm going to make you smile again—I'm a man of my word. If I can't do it, then let this bastard Hikigaya Hachiman spend his whole life atoning for it!"」
「"Hmph, you talk a big game. Why not just say you've fallen for her and be done with it?"」
「Beatrice grumbled, crossing her arms in dissatisfaction and snorting in dismissal. In the next second, Hachiman continued with solemnity: "And thank you, Beatrice. You too—I'll make you smile as well. This is my one-sided, self-important promise."」
「"Guh..."」
「Beatrice was momentarily flustered. She had no choice but to let out a tsundere huff. "Stop talking nonsense. It's not even clear if you're Betty's contractor yet. Betty doesn't need an outsider to do such a thing."」
「"Exactly, exactly! She doesn't even want it! Master, you can just give that promise to me! Oh, oh! And it's best to add the word 'always'—make sure Shaula can always smile! That means you'll just have to stay and spend the rest of your life with me, Master!"」
「Shaula, who had been eavesdropping nearby, bounded out. Beatrice glared at her fiercely, and the serious atmosphere was instantly diluted.」
「Several days passed after that. Hachiman and Shaula stayed in the same room, separate from Emilia and the others, though they joined them for meals.」
「Once Julius's wounds healed, he was itching to challenge Reid again. Anastasia, however, remained skeptical of Hachiman's warning and suppressed Julius's desire, ordering him to meet the potential arrival of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony in peak condition.」
「Since there was a risk, Ram didn't just selfishly urge everyone to conquer the second floor. She turned a deaf ear to outside matters, spending all day in the Green Room taking care of her sister.」
「Hachiman, Julius, Shaula, and Crusch would frequently go to the balcony to gaze out at the desert, staying alert for the enemy.」
「As the days went by and Anastasia leaned closer and closer toward not believing Hachiman at all, the long-awaited storm finally arrived with a sharp cry from Crusch.」
「"—Enemy attack!"」
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