"Yeah man, come here and join the club." Ricardo pointed at him, Otto and Garf.
[Emilia glared, "I'm thanking you, and you're joking around again! Anyway, I know you're working hard, but how did your hands get so torn up?"
Subaru opened his palms and started counting.
"I cut this one with knives in the kitchen… and this is from when I went to town in the evening to shop, and a little animal some kids were playing with bit me."]
"...!"
"Oh…"
Emilia and Beatrice glanced at each other with wide eyes.
"I was right then," Ram held her gaze to the ground with a deep scowl on her face.
"Uh… Makes sense." Roswaal breathed in and out, unaware of Priscilla's eyes on him.
"His eyes look distraught but his body shows relief. Curious." She noted in her mind while dangling her leg back and forth in thought.
"Subaru won't die a painful death this time. But there are so many times he has to have died until he realizes another way to activate this power of his." The Margrave thought to himself while knotting his hands together as he made the math required to absolve a time of when the curse will end Subaru's life.
["It wasn't the result of your effort?"
"Those kids were ruthless, hitting and kicking me, and wiping their runny noses on me… it sucked, damn it."]
Petra giggled loudly at that. She didn't notice how Rem and Ram flinched as they both remembered the kids and their state with the mabeasts. Without Subaru… none of them would be saved.
"Yeah, he was so awesome saving us! You will all see him fight off…"
"Petra-chan?"
"You alright there lil' one?" Anastasia asked in worry as she and Frederica noticed the little girl's beautiful face turned ghost white.
Petra was smarter than she looked, she can realize when a timeline isn't right. And she can realize what that dog bite means for her and her friends.
"Meili…" The little maid whispered.
[Emilia smiled again. "You do seem like you'd be good with small children, Subaru."]
"Yes, he does," Crusch said to Emilia with a smile… but the elf girl was watching with panicking eyes…
Why was she so rude? This is the second time she spoke to her only to be ignored!
["I know! Wanna come with me tomorrow to get revenge… I mean, to watch the kids and that small animal?" Subaru's face lit up excitedly and stepped closer to Emilia.]
"Oooohhh, He's taking the quick route."
"What a pathetic way to court a girl," Felix sighed as he watched.
"I think he can land it," Reinhard smiled as he routed for the boy with nasty eyes.
[Emilia looked down with a sad glint in her eye. "It's not that I don't want to come with you."
"Then let's go!"
"But if I'm with you, it might cause trouble for you."
"Okay, okay, got it! Let's go!"
Emilia glared at him. "Are you even listening to me?"
"I am! I hang on every word you say, Emilia-tan!" Subaru smiled excitedly.
"Sheesh…" Emilia dropped her glare and smiled.
"Only when I can take a break from studying and your work is done, all right?"
Subaru's eyes lit up like a kid and he began jumping in place. "All right! Roger that!"
Emilia giggled.]
"Emilia-sama, why are you crying?"
Everyone looked at the half-elf to see what Otto was talking about.
Why was she crying?
"Oh,"
"Please no…"
"Oh god…"
"B-Big bro is going to-"
"He won't do that again, right? There's no way he cou-"
"Cap'n will be fine. He will be fine. He will be fine. Right? Otto, Right?"
"Is there a limit to this! How many times will we see him di-"
As soon as they saw the grief and sorrow in Emilia's eyes as she cried for the moments she lost in a reality she didn't know existed, everyone put two and two together.
These were not memories Emilia remembered, which meant…. Yeah. Everyone was in a panic as Garfiel and Otto couldn't watch another death from their bro.
Petra looked around her as everyone panicked and threw curses at some unknown entity. She was scared. She was so scared.
[The scene changed to show Subaru walking down a dark hallway in the mansion with his hands in his pockets, humming to himself with a drugged smile on his face.
He suddenly stopped and opened a door to his side, revealing…
"Hey, Loli girl! you're still up?"
Beatrice looked annoyed.]
The little blonde looked shocked to see that he was visiting her before his upcoming end. She would've thought that the curse would instantly kill him in his sleep with a few symptoms that might cause a period of suffering but all in all, it was a quick death. If he really gave her one last moment before the curse did its job, then it would mean Beatrice did not notice her future contractor was cursed and dying before her even when inside her Library.
"What a joke, I suppose. What a cruel joke, in fact." Beatrice held her contractor's hand and rubbed her face on his shoulder.
"W-Wh…" Petra wanted to check up on her, but she did not understand what was going on. What will kill Subaru? She knew the dog's bites did something to them since she was under their spell once but she didn't understand what else was going to kill Subaru.
["So now you can break through my door crossing like it's natural, I suppose."
Subaru entered the forbidden library with a smile. "Oh, I just wanted to say hello before going to bed."
He saw her playing with one of her drills and started pointing at them.
"Can I touch them?"
Beatrice glared. "Only Bubby may touch me, I suppose."
"No fair that only you get to have all the fun. Well, I'm in a good mood so I'll let it slide-"
"Enough! Just get out of here!"
Subaru was shot out the door and into the hallway.]
Beatrice's eyes leaked a few tears as she wished she had treated him a little better.
[The scene changes to Subaru getting into his bed.
"For our date tomorrow, I'll have to come up with an excuse to ditch the kids in the village. Oh! First, I've gotta find out where all the good views and flower fields and stuff are… "
Subaru sat upright with a disturbed look on his face.
"Crap! I can't sleep while I'm thinking about this! Oh, I know!"]
Emilia cried and hugged him tight… he was so excited! She wanted to go on all the dates he asked her to… If only she could wake him up.
["One Puck… Two Pucks…
Scene change to the mansion.
A hundred and one Pucks…"
and Darkness….
Subaru's eyes opened up suddenly as he smirked on his bed.
"A new dawn has come! A dawn of hope!" Subaru jumped up on his bed to reveal himself standing in… robes.]
"Huh?… What?!" Felt asked in shock.
["Natsuki Subaru is going to make giant strides today!"]
"How did he…?" Felix asked with an aghast expression.
"We didn't even get to see how!" Otto slammed a fist on his knee clumsily yet his anger was all the more clear in his tired eyes.
[He looked at the two maids that were present with him and hid behind the covers of his bed with a blushing face.
"What? You were in here?! I'm so embarrassed! You should've said something!"
He glared at the two maids. Rem and Ram looked down at him with deadpanned looks. "Sister, Sister… our guest appears to be confused."
"Rem, Rem… It looks as though our guest has gone crazy."
"Why are you calling me a guest? You two and your jokes…" Subaru froze.
His hands.
They were….
Subaru shook as he stared at his hands.
The wounds are… gone.
Title card:
The happy Roswaal Mansion Family]
"This has to be some joke!" Garfiel out right howled in beastly anger.
Everyone was shocked, staring at the title card.
"Dying in his sleep… what a cruel way to go." Reinhard softly spoke as he looked at the boy with pity filling his blue eyes.
"Just how many times will this happen?" Otto yelled in outrage at the thought of dying in one's sleep not knowing who or what took you out and not giving you the chance to pray or recall your life's choices.
"What happened to him?" Anastasia glared at Emilia's crowd demanding answers.
"It was the small dog's bite that most likely killed Barusu," Ram answered with little to no relief showing on her face, unlike her sister.
"It was a Mabeast?" Tivey exclaimed in bewilderment.
"How the hell does he go from fighting Elsa the Bowel Hunter to getting tricked by a mabeast? How did he get close to such a thing anyway?" Al asked while waving his arm, fuming at the sheer ridiculousness of this kid's luck.
"Subaru-kun saved the villagers of Alram from a Mabeast invasion at this time. It was properly the puppy that bit and killed him and that's how he managed to know about it," Rem finally spoke in a hesitant yet calm enough tone.
Her hero had to go through death yet again...but at least it wasn't because of her. This was the one greatest relief she felt in her entire life.
"I don't understand… why haven't you told us that he was going to die?" Crusch asked the crowd of occupants with righteous anger in her voice.
She didn't know it but the manor's residents were all preoccupied with too much to tell the rest of them.
Rem was so worried about seeing herself harm the boy.
Ram was worried about her sister's suspicious behavior.
Beatrice was mourning in advance.
Emilia wanted to soak everything her knight lived through into her mind and remember it so he wouldn't feel alone anymore.
Roswaal was… yeah.
"We were shocked to say anything," Emilia answered softly from her place on Subaru's chest.
"Please alert us next time something seems different… it might make it easier for us all to go on knowing about the unexpected." Wilhelm softly asked of the camp, earning nods from the twins and Emilia.
The rest of the camp understood why none of them said anything so they didn't push any farther.
"Damn…" Julius couldn't help but curse under his breath, making sure no one heard his woes as it wouldn't be appropriate for a knight.
"All of the progress he's lost… I'd be pissed if I had to redo making these relationships once again," Ricardo gruffly noted with a deep glare.
It seemed that both the beastman and the great knight held the same thought at this moment. Subaru's curse is way more cruel than expected.
Priscilla stopped keeping an eye on Roswaal for a moment as her gaze focused still on the boy's predicament. "His power moved the place of his revival." the scarlet princess waved her fan while letting that thought dominate her mind for a moment. "Does that power have no weakness?" She asked dryly, even more, disgusted by the boy's weakness than before.
While she was occupied with that, Roswaal was still shocked. He also immediately took note of the fact that Subaru had looped to a different point in time.
"So he can't control how it is activated unless he dies and he can't control where to pinpoint his looping… What the hell is this dangerous game? Why was teacher so reliant on referencing such a power if it can't even be controlled?"
Roswaal seemed so focused he didn't notice his gloved hands cracking from the pressure his knotted fingers were exerting.
"Damn…!" He hissed in fury, although not for the pain.
[Subaru looked at his hands in despair.
He had died.
Why?
His hands shook, his breathing sped up. He looked to his left in shock and confusion.
Ram. She didn't recognize him.
He looked to his left.
Rem. She didn't recognize him either.
Left to right. His eyes were filled with tears.
He put his hand on his face to hide the painful expression of despair.
He lost all his hard work and progress for nothing.
Why have I gone back?]
"S-Subaru… " Petra was hurt by how sad and confused he felt.
"All of the effort and hard labor was erased in his sleep. This kid is living through hell." Wilhelm looked sympathetic as he realized everything they had seen in the past half-hour was gone.
["Sir, sir, you don't seem to be feeling well. Are you alright?"
"Sir, sir, you seem to have a stomachache. Did you perhaps soil yourself?"
Subaru, still hiding his face, took a heavy breath.
"You don't… remember me?"
The two maids looked dumbfounded by his question so that was all he needed.
"So it's like none of it ever happened?" Subaru shook with sadness.]
"Damn it, Barusu…" Ram cursed slightly as she closed her eyes and faced away from the screen.
"..." Rem's tears started falling immediately.
[Rem and Ram looked at each other, confused and worried.
They looked at Subaru with pitying looks.
"Sir?" they asked in confusion.
"You shouldn't move so suddenly, Sir!" Rem spoke as Subaru slowly got out of his bed with a sad tearful look.
Subaru opened the door and ran… he just ran. Holding his sleeve up over his face as he cried, he ran.
What happened, damn it?!]
Emilia gripped his hand so hard he might as well be dead because for sure she was breaking it!
[Everything reset again!]
"Od damn it!" Otto yelled out in frustration and glared at the screen.
He was trying not to let the tears fall.
[A memory from the night he was just living in. As Emilia sat next to him on the grass beneath the moonlight.
Including my promise to Emilia!]
"I wish I could talk to you now, Subaru…" Emilia softly closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of his hand.
She wanted to comfort him.
She wanted to hug him. Tell him that she remembers.
[Subaru cried and ran through a random door he opened.
He breathed heavily and shakily. He slumped against the door and lowered his head in despair. He had Returned by Death.]
"Isn't that a bit too cruel for him?" Crusch mumbled in sadness while looking at the boy in pity. She wouldn't have the slightest idea on how she would've reacted had RBD been with her.
But seeing the boy breakdown from confusion and sadness was still heartbreaking for even someone as desensitized as herself.
["You come in here without even knocking? What a rude one you are." Uninterested and unimpressed, Beatrice spoke while still reading through her book to the crouched boy in her library.]
"It seems you'll have to take more than one try to find out the cause of your end, I suppose," Beatrice sounded emotionless and cold as she spoke to Subaru's sleeping form. Not like he would tell her, whether he was in a theater showing his horrors or when they were on a bed in his room after he…
He wouldn't tell her anything. Beatrice doesn't know why.
But what she did know is that this was not her timeline. She never had an interaction like this with Subaru that early. That's not how they met the second time. But the broken spirit didn't care to tell anyone. They can figure it out for themselves, let her be busy wallowing in shame.
["Sorry. Just let me stay here please," Subaru begged softly as he placed his hands into a pleading position.
"There was last time, and again now… How are you breaking through my Door Crossing?"
Subaru looked up from his knees at the girl.
"Beatrice…"
"Addressing me with no title, I suppose?"
"You said I broke through your Door Crossing last time and now, Right?"
"I just teased you about it three or four hours ago for being so insensitive." Beatrice flipped through a page uninterested.
"If this is the second time I've woken up in the mansion… Then you remember me, right?"
"If I could, I'd rather erase you from my memory, I suppose."
Subaru slumped against the door in thought.
"So the conditions are different from last time… the savepoint changed from near the guy with the appas. To the two angelic girls in maid uniforms. How did I die? Everything was normal before I fell asleep. Even after I fell asleep, I didn't get into any situations where I felt I might die… "]
"That's something we haven't noticed as well." Frederica pointed out.
Crusch nodded her head.
"Yes, it seems that he returns to a specific point in time that keeps changing with him instead of returning to just that moment at the appa stand."
Felt shivered at the thought. "Imagine if he had to go back to that rude salesman guy… he would have to do everything all over."
Everyone shivered in disdain, some of them even thanked whomever it was that had placed such powers on the boy for this small mercy.
[Beatrice closed her book in annoyance.
"I wondered what you were muttering about, and I hear all this about living and dying. How boring and senseless to discuss such things by human standards, I suppose."
"In the end, you'll only come up with lies and abusive speech. "
Subaru looked up at her as she looked at him with a bored look.
He smiled.
"Thanks. You were a big help." he got up and dusted himself off.
"I didn't do anything."
"Somehow, seeing that never-changing attitude of yours calmed me down."
"Only an ultimate pervert would be calmed by verbal abuse, I suppose."
Beatrice looked up in surprise as Subaru opened the library door.
"You're leaving, I suppose?"
"Yeah. There's something I want to make sure of. I'll wait until afterward to get depressed."]
Beatrice looked at the boy sleeping beside her with a small smile on her face.
Maybe she was helping him with that attitude of hers. He never asked her to change after all.
"You ultimate pervert." She whispered and caressed her contractor's cheek. A sad smile found its way on her lips.
[Subaru walked out of the mansion and smiled once he saw a familiar half-elf girl looking around the gigantic garden for him.
Yeah, I knew it.
"Subaru!" Emilia called out once she saw him.
"You're absolutely shining."
Emilia ran and stopped right in his face as she yelled at him.
"I was worried about you! Rem and Ram are running around in a frenzy looking for you saying you disappeared right after you woke up!"
"Sorry about that… I got held up by Beatrice for a bit."
"Again? I heard she played a trick on you before you woke up, too…" Emilia began checking him over in worry.
Subaru just smiled at how close she was.
"What is it? Is there something on my face?" Emilia began touching her face in fear.
"Yeah, your adorable eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. I'm glad you're okay."
Emilia smiled and began walking along the garden. "I'm fine. You protected me, after all. What about you? How are you feeling?"
"I feel great! I'm a little low on blood, my mana was stolen, the shock of waking up sapped my strength, and I feel like my mind's been beaten to death with a bat, but I'm good!"]
"He speaks as if nya was just a game," Felix whispered with fear filling him with how easy the boy is talking about his own death.
"He's gotta cope somehow," Reinhard softly spoke.
["I see, that's go- wouldn't that mean you're hurt all over?"
Emilia turned to the boy in worry but something ruffled her hair and came out to sit on her shoulder.
"Hi, Subaru. Great morning, isn't it?" Puck yawned loudly. "I can't thank you enough for yesterday. I have to thank you somehow."
"Then let me pet your fur whenever I want!"
"That's all?" Emilia looked at Subaru ludicrously.
Subaru happily took the sleeping cat and rubbed him against his cheek.
"Okay let's go! Our time is limited, and our world is grand! And Emilia-tan's and my story has only just begun!"]
At a moment of silence, no one spoke as the screen was paused. Someone needed to speak.
"This… This did not happen with me," a soft bell chime voice crooked out.
"What?" Frederica rigidly asked, suddenly turning to the silver-haired girl with wide eyes.
"That's not how I met Subaru after he woke up," Emilia affirmed harshly with her eyes to the ground.
"Th-… That can't be," Petra uttered in desperate chokes, her blue eyes filled up with tears in horror.
"Damn it!" Garfiel clicked his teeth and ground them together in anger.
"Does that mean he will die again?" Mimi didn't mince her words as she asked rashly, making Petra and Garfiel flinch.
"I think we should stay outta this one, Mimi," Tivey patted his worried twin's shoulder.
"This might be a bit jarring to say, but if he didn't know what killed him the first time, surely he would use his power to find out more info, no?" Anastasia came up with her own theory for the next death, unaware of how offensive she was being. The merchant queen didn't look as amused or curious as usually was, however.
"Subaru-kun wouldn't do that, Anastasia-sama," Rem didn't meet the candidate's eyes but her voice remained firm.
"It would go without saying though. He can use that ability to such an extent, nyan." Felix interjected with a frown on his face.
"Okay… Listen to me everyone, please."
Sad and cold, teary and angry, bored and uninterested.
Those were the eyes looking at Otto as he stood from his chair and looked at them with a look full of conviction.
"We can't go on like this."
"We can't be afraid every time Natsuki-san dies."
"Ta' hell you mean?"
"I mean that Natsuki-san's life in our world is a nightmare. A horror tale and we need to accept that and watch with our hearts locked."
"Are you saying we shouldn't care about Subaru-kun?!" Rem asked in rage.
Otto looked at the blue-haired maid with a tired glare, "I'm saying we shouldn't be surprised that something will go wrong and Natsuki-san will die. It's not what we're here for. If we despair and hang on every time he encounters death, we might be more jaded than him."
"But… if we can't mourn his pain and sacrifice what else are we here to do?" Julius asked, his yellow eyes tired and haunted.
Otto looked around and gave a small stern look of conviction.
"We need to be angry."
"Huh?"
"We need to feel angry when he dies. We need to make sure we remember everything that happens in every reality or loop as he calls it. We have to keep watching with our hearts and minds coming through this intact to meet Subaru just the way he has last seen us. If we become jaded and afraid of him, then he might as well be dead since that's not what he has been fighting for all this time."
Otto looked at everyone….
"Natsuki-san's sanity is broken. He has been through so much ever since he came into our world."
He looked down.
"We are what's holding him together. We need to make sure that we can smile when he wakes up. That's all he asks of us. So we need to watch through this without wallowing or crying about each and every reset."
"We need to stay ourselves."
Everyone was shocked at the speech.
Otto sat down and looked tiredly at the screen.
"Wise words, Otto-kun," Emilia whispered to him softly with a tired smile.
The boy blushed and looked at the screen.
Everyone seems to have started picking themselves up after that.
Garfiel, who was about to have a second panic attack, softly and tiredly glared at the screen beside his bro.
He would watch and learn from his captain's suffering… so that captain never….ever...dies again.
["True… wait, what did you just say? Where did the Tan come from?"
I don't know whose idea of a prank this is, but I'm gonna make you sorry for all of it.
Memories of his first mansion loop played in his mind on repeat as he made his declaration of war.
Don't underestimate how vindictive I'll be.
After the smile that charmed me that night!
I'm going to keep my promise to Emilia! I'll get past that night!]
For some odd reason. Maybe it was late after the charge of Otto's speech, or the sheer determination shown by Subaru's vindictive self. Or maybe these two combined. But for some reason.
They all began cheering.
They weren't even saying anything coherent; they were just yelling.
From Ricardo to the twins beside him to Garfiel, even Al!
Julius and Reinhard steeled themselves and glared at the screen.
Emilia and Beatrice held both of the boy's hands and stared at the screen.
Felt and Petra as well as Frederica smiled at the determination soaring in the air.
Crusch and Anastasia watched with smiles on their faces.
Priscilla, Roswaal, and Ram watched with indifferent expressions.
And Rem… she was scared.
She was just so scared about what they would do when they saw her break their determination apart.
She knew it. As soon as Beatrice said that he would die again, the fear plagued her heart even more.
The fear of her potentially killing the man she loved.
[Scene change.
"Juuuust name your deeeesiiiire!"
"In that case, I have one request! Hire me to work in this mansion!"
"Hic."]
"Again! Is this boy a moron?!" Anastasia was pissed that such an opportunity got wasted twice in a row.
[Subaru is in the same changing room as the first loop as he was thinking.
It's how these looping plots work. Follow that same path and you'll end up in the same place.]
"So he's trying to follow the same steps as the previous life to find out what exactly killed him." Crusch nodded, seeing it as the most logical plan.
[Subaru enthusiastically entered the room with Rem and Ram behind him. Rem was glaring at him.]
Rem's eyes widened in horror, her breathing hitching quietly.
"So it starts I see…" Roswaal whispered with a gleam in his eyes. Based on her body language and the exact behavior her on-screen self displayed, the magi concluded that Rem has indeed been hiding a slight suspicion in her heart about herself.
Ram heard what the Lord had said which led her to narrow her eyes towards her sister again.
[Subaru began picking up a uniform.
"That's too large for you, Barusu."
Subaru stopped and looked at Ram, startled that she changed the loop.
Ram looked around the closet. "Nothing will fit you here except for women's clothes. Rem, alter that one for him."
"Yes, sister."
"Take my measurements, then. A man can withstand all kinds of awkwardness!"
"We'll measure you later."
"Huh?"
"Follow me, Barusu."
"Are you going to show me around?"
"That can wait, as well. You'll help me with my work first."
"Hey, wait!"]
"W-Why are you different in this life?" Otto asked as he was startled by the sudden event change.
Ram shrugged coldly.
"Did he do somethin' different?" Garfiel asked in confusion, earning shrugs and equally confused faces from the rows behind him.
[Scene change.
Subaru is taking a bath in the large bathtub as he was thinking.
Retrace the same path I took yesterday.
That's what I meant to do, but… This is totally different from last time.
"It's like when you make a cheat sheet, but when you see the answers you realize it's the wrong subject. A total waste of effort."
"Hi, there! May I join-"
"No, you may not."]
"Eww," the twins both cried out as their eyes were covered by both Ricardo and Julius.
Petra's eyes were covered by Frederica who was muttering something about it being extremely inappropriate to look at their master's junk.
Reinhard covered Felt's eyes and smiled as he managed to save his lady's innocence.
Only to have a heart attack once she told him, "It's nothing I haven't seen before." in a casual voice.
Emilia slowly and confidently crawled over Subaru's body and covered Beatrice's eyes.
"What are you doing, I suppose?"
"Shhh. I won't let Beako's innocence go."
"You're one to talk! Let me go! I'm four hundred years old, in fact!"
Emilia ignored her and kept her palm on the little face of the loli spirit.
[Subaru denied the naked Roswaal any place in the bathtub. The magi began moving his hips left to right making his tiny balls jiggle.
"This facility is part of my mansion, so it is my property. I'll do with it as I please."
"Why bother asking then? Take a bath if you want."
"My, how harsh! And you don't seem to understand," Roswaal shook his head.
"Yes, this bath is my property…"
He opened his eyes and stared at Subaru, "But as part of my staff," he held Subaru's chin, "Are you not my property as well?"
Subaru simply looked at the man above him… and bit his hand. Like a badass.]
"I respect him for that." Otto nodded as he covered Garfiel's eyes.
Don't ask… Bros just understand each other.
Petra squirmed a bit in her seat and wanted nothing more than to take a shower from this dirty feeling overcoming her when the clown talked about people working for him as property. She would rather kick him where the sun doesn't shine a hundred times rather than feel like this again.
Garfiel himself showed extreme agitation with this since that meant the clown saw his sister as property as well.
["No hesitation at all!"
"This is turning out different from what I'd expected, too."
"I do not know what's bothering you, but life is full of things that don't go your way. By the way, do you think you'll be able to get along with Ram and Rem?"
"I haven't spoken to Rem much yet, but I get along fine with Ram. In fact, I think she might be getting a little too friendly. I can't believe she can work as a maid that way."]
"What a pathetic attempt to tarnish my reputation. Hmph! Guess I should have expected nothing more from a useless worker like Barusu."
"That didn't have the usual bite to it, Ram-san," Otto noted with a sad smile.
The pink-haired girl simply pursed a lip and kept her eyes on the screen.
"Honestly this whole scene is weird. You shouldn't treat your staff so casually," Julius pointedly advised the magi behind him.
"I find it a bit generous for a lord to be comfortable with his staff," Reinhard shrugged off innocently, making his mistress laugh.
"Not balls naked comfortable though."
["Well, Rem covers the things Ram is unable to do. As sisters, they must help each other. In that sense, I think the two of them are getting by quite well."
Subaru looked exasperated. "Ram is just the inferior version of her sister, and all Rem does is cover for her. And yet they insist that Ram is superior because she's older. it's scary how much nerve they have."
"Speaking of nerve, yours appears quite impressive, as well," Roswaal looks at Subaru.
Subaru is shown to come out of the bath. "Damn, that made me dizzy, Stupid Roswaal…"]
"Aw, I just waaaanted a friend~"
"That's not amusing, I suppose."
[Subaru walked out and found Ram waiting right by the door.
Subaru was naked….
Ram was staring…. At his privates…
Our boy screamed and tried to cover up his manly parts.
"Cover-up that sorry thing."]
Laughter could be heard from many parts of the big room. Even Priscilla was snorting.
["Why are you here?!" Subaru asked embarrassed.
"I was only waiting here to help Roswaal-sama put on fresh clothes. I'm sorry to tell you that I've finished my bath, so I won't be changing."
"I wasn't thinking about that! Also, you spoil him too much! Let him dress himself!"]
"That's a bit inappropriate, Ram-san," Emilia was frowning in disappointment at the types of jokes the maid was playing.
Ram simply stared at her deadpanned.
[Ram glared at him. "I will not condone disrespect toward Roswaal-sama. Next time I will use force."
"Any more, and I'll stir up a hornet's nest…"
"By the way, Barusu, do you have plans after this?"
"No, just going to sleep."
"Then please wait in your room. I'll come by later."
"Huh?"]
"L-Lucky son of.." Garfiel crushed his palm from the unfairness. Why does his captain get all the girls?!
"Hm, I think I know what this is," Ram nodded to herself in amusement, rolling her eyes at Garfiel and Subaru's dirty-minded thinking.
[Scene change….
She didn't mean anything…
she didn't mean anything by it.
Clear my mind, clear my mind!
Emilia-tan is the only one for me!
Calm down, calm down…
One Emilia-tan, two Emilia-tans, three Emilia-tans…
"Am I in heaven?!" Subaru smiled with tears of happiness in his eyes.]
Emilia giggled with a blush on her cheek, finally showing an emotion that showed her smile. "So silly no matter what happens… You're so silly," Emilia spoke in a soft gentle tone with some of the light returning into her eyes.
[Suddenly, Ram enters.
"You're too noisy, Barusu. It's nighttime be quiet."
"Eep!" The blushing boy crawled away to the corner of his bed and his face.
"Barusu, come over here," Ram ordered as she placed something on the table.
"Wait! My heart's already set on someone, and her name is Emilia-tan!"
"What are you talking about? I'm telling you to sit over here so I can teach you to read and write."
"That's news to me!"]
Ricardo and Al laughed.
Rem and Ram's eyes light up, "That's how Subaru-kun was able to read and write!"
"I guess it makes sense, what a horrid experience. Teaching animals takes godly effort."
"M-Maybe you shouldn't be so harsh on Natsuki-sa-"
Abiding by his bro, Garfiel quickly shut Otto's mouth and told him to shut the fuck up lest he wants to die.
Had Otto looked back, he would have met Satan himself.
Emilia and Beatrice found themselves smiling at the humor of the scene.
"It's kind of reassuring how quickly he overcomes his hardships and acts so normal," Frederica muses with a smile.
"It's not like that," Petra's child-like voice was filled with sadness as she cut in with her eyes to the ground, "Subaru is only acting like he's doing well because he wants the others to not treat him differently."
Frederica patted the little maid on her head and had an apprehensive look on her face. "You're reading too much into it dear."
"Doesn't mean I'm wrong," Petra frowned up at her mentor, taking note of the way Frederica couldn't meet her eyes.
[Scene change Subaru is now writing on his paper while Ram is observing from the side.
"Where's this coming from, though?" he asked as he continued to write.
"I could tell by watching you that you can't read or write. If you can't read or write I can't send you shopping, and you can't write down orders. We'll start with this collection of children's fairy tales. Starting tonight, I'll help you study every evening."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Why else? It's so that I… No, it's so that I can get off easy."
"That wasn't correcting yourself! You're never out of character are you?"
Ram looks down at her student with an evil cold calculating stare.
"Isn't it obvious? The more you can do, the less I have to do. And when I have less to do, so does Rem. It's Win-Win."
"That leaves me with piles of work, though!"
Ram explained that there are three glyphs he should memorize.
"There are three different types? Just hearing that is depressing…" Subaru was writing something in Japanese which Ram couldn't understand.
"You don't have time to waste on doodles. We have an early start tomorrow, we're short on time."
Ram yawned. "I'm sleepy, too."
"I can't say I dislike how you slip your own feelings in at the end, Senpai."
"I do believe my honesty is my most charming feature. Now, let's get started."
Scene changes to Subaru writing many glyphs in his notebook.
"It's so monotonous, I feel a Gestaltzerfall phenomenon coming on…"
"But still, even if you did it to make your life easier, it made me happy. Honestly, I had a feeling you didn't like me much, and I'll probably cause more problems for you down the line. But I'll try to become useful as soon as I can… " Subaru turned around to find her sleeping on his bed.
He broke his quill in half.]
As the usual group laughed out loud at the scene, Ram was the only one who watched with a deep frown.
"I would've loved to have taught him actually…"
[Scene changes to Subaru trying on his newly made outfit made by Rem. Said maid was standing at the door of the changing room with her eyes on him as he posed in the mirror.
"Hate to admit it… but it's perfect. Guess there is no need for my sewing skills this time."
"Do you like sewing?" Rem asked from her place at the door.
"Kinda. By the way, it looks like Ros-chi and Emilia-tan have lots of outfits, but I don't see any for you and Ram," Subaru smiled happily as he showed Rem a measurement rope. "Want me to sew some for you? I'll take your measurements," Subaru asked excitedly.]
"Awe, look how excited he is!" Felt cooed.
Rem looked away from the screen, not handling the way she looked. She realized the deathly intent in her stare as soon as she looked at herself on screen. She prayed to whatever deity that was out there that she wasn't going to do it here, right when she was having such a nice moment with Subaru. He wanted to sew outfits for her!
["That is unnecessary. These uniforms are all my sister and I need."
"How can you have nothing but those uniforms? Are all your clothes maid outfits?"
"They cause no problems when we accompany Roswaal-sama on business, or when we work in the mansion. They also eliminate the need to explain our place in the hierarchy, which makes them very logical."
"But it's not about being logical. I'm trying to say cute girls have a duty to dress up, so they please the eyes of others," Subaru tied his tie and smiled at Rem.
"My sister is one thing, but no one would be happy to see me dress up."]
Ram glared at this.
"You're being a bit haaaarsh on yourself, Rem-chan," Roswaal reprimanded softly.
Crusch found herself in agreement with the lord as she faced the down-trodden girl with a dim smile, "You should have more confidence in your appearance, Rem-san."
The blue-haired girl simply met their eyes with a look of tribulation before turning silently to the screen with a shaking visible in her hands.
"What is up with her, nyan?" Felix asked with a frown.
"She's upset because someone dear to her will die and she has to watch these wonderful moments that got taken away from her."
Felix and Crusch simply frowned at the old butler's explanation.
"I don't think that's it Wilhelm-dono," Crusch's face held an apprehensive frown as she looked at Rem.
["Well, I would."
"Would any good come of making you happy?" Rem looked at the smiling boy.
"I might take more pride in my work here, which could boost my productivity."
"I have no idea what makes you say that."
"I'd also look forward to seeing the differences in your sartorial choices..."
"That is none of your concern. Does my looking the same as my sister somehow inconvenience you?" Rem started walking away from the closet.
"You love your sister way too much," Subaru told her from inside the closet as she walked away.]
"Why are you testy here?" Frederica asked with a confused look.
"It seems that the twins were able to derail the entire loop somehow," Crusch mused to herself.
[Scene change… Subaru is shown in the kitchen peeling an APPLE (Fuck you Appa!)
"Ow!" Bitch boy cried like a bitch as he once again cut his finger and bleeds.
"You don't know how to handle a knife, Barusu."
"I know! You hold the knife still and turn the vegetable, right?" Subaru is peeling the vegetables while Rem is staring at him from her place in the kitchen.]
"… Please don't do this.." Rem whispered faintly and prayed as she watched her other self getting suspicious of the boy.
["It's embarrassing when you stare at me so intently…" Subaru tells Rem as he smiles sheepishly. Rem looked away from him.
"Your unsightly appearance stands out. Especially your hair. It's very unrefined," Ram said from the side.
"I thought I did a pretty good job of cutting it by myself."
"By the way, in this mansion, Rem sees everyone's hair. She styles my hair and dresses me every morning, too. Isn't it nice?"
"Try to contribute a little, Sis!"
A montage is shown where Ram is working on some bushes, leaving them all in a horrendous state. Only for Rem to clean up after her sister and make beautiful bushes.]
"Ram-san really is useless," Petra whispered to herself.
Frederica didn't disagree.
[Subaru and Ram are working on cutting a bush while Rem is standing to the side, glancing at them from time to time. Ram and Subaru notice this and Subaru stops to look at Ram for help.
"Rem…" Seeing her sister call, the blue-haired Oni looked at the two.
"If you like, you can tidy up Barusu's hair a bit."
"Sister?"
"Whoa, whoa… Having a girl mess with my hair will get me all worked up—"
"You keep looking at Barusu because his hair bothers you, right?" The two sisters stared at one another. Rem relented and fake smiled.
"Yes, that is correct. I think combining it and evening out the ends would make him more presentable."
Ram turned to the boy and smiled, "You heard her. You should take her up on her offer. Her hands will take you to paradise."
Subaru glared at Ram "You make it sound so dirty... ."
He turned to Rem and smiled, "If you don't want to, you should just tell her. Not that I don't want you to, but…"
Rem shook her head "No, that isn't it. The truth is that it did bother me a little… very much, a little... extremely, a little."]
"Haha, you seem really focused on 'em," Ricardo teased cheekily from above while the blue-haired simply shook her head in fury, her eyes were wide with guilt and desperation as she knew truly why her on-screen self was so focused on Subaru. It wasn't because of some haircut.
"Since the moment the black-haired boy entered the mansion grounds, the urge to choke him and discard his filthy witch-scented body became an overwhelming demand of life."
["Well, anyway, that proves the point that it bothers you."
Beatrice is shown watching the three from a window.
"What's the matter, Betty?"
"Nothing, Bubby. More importantly, I have delicious sweets today, I suppose. Eat them with me!"
"Yum!"
Scene change…
Subaru is shown wiping the floor of the bathroom when he notices Rem standing at the doorway.
"What's up? Here to help me?"
"No, this is about what we discussed at lunchtime."
"Lunchtime? Oh, about my hair? You'll really style it for me?"
"No, I felt that I said some things that were uncalled for," Rem bowed deeply, "I am very sorry. We may be colleagues, but as Emilia-sama's savior, your rank surpasses mine."
"That's how you feel? Sorry to put you through that."
"No, I should apologize for saying something so pointless. Please forget it." Rem looked away.
"I guess it's never that easy. That's what makes being human so hard," the boy began thinking about something to make her feel better as he stopped wiping the bath.
"Okay, I'll give you a condition, then! If you agree to it, I'll forget everything you just said." Subaru smiled at the confused maid.
"A condition? Very well, I shall hear you out."
Subaru smirked and did his favorite pose.
"If you comb my hair a bit and even out the ends, I'll let it slide!"]
"I'll let that one slide since he's just being a good boy," Anastasia muttered.
"It doesn't seem like anything is out of place yet. You said Subaru was killed by a mabeast's curse?" Julius turned to Rem with a serious expression.
The blue-haired girl seemed disturbed that the knight was talking with her, a look of panic filled her eyes. "Y-Yes. Subaru's dog bite was a mabeast's curse," she spoke in a shaken voice.
Ram and Roswaal both narrowed their eyes at the girl's behavior. Julius found her a bit weird but blinked and turned away from her.
Not having the shredded eyes of the spirit knight on her anymore, Rem could finally let out a breath of relief in secret as she calmed her nerves and clenched fists.
"Everything is okay. Subaru-kun will warm his way into my heart here… I won't kill him. I won't kill him."
[Rem just stared at the boy in silence.
"When you respond with silence, it actually hurts even more…"
Rem quickly took off her shoes and socks and picked up the broom to help the boy clean the bath, "It is just as Emilia-sama said. You have no ambition at all."
"It's weird… I'd think that'd make you fall for me all over again, not disgust you."
"My sister said your eyes take on an obscene look when she's alone with you. So to be honest, I was prepared to hear you suggest that."
Subaru grounded his broom into the floor hard as he growled. "She's killing my reputation!"]
"Silly, Barusu. I can't kill something you don't have."
"He's still being annoyingly nice," Al sighed, irritated.
["I accept your condition. I shall do as you wish," Rem bowed in elegance.
Subaru chuckled nervously, "Then after I keep my promise to Emilia-tan that'd be great."
"Promise?"
Subaru looked sheepish, "Well, I haven't made the promise yet."]
"Still thinking of her while looking for the ones that killed him. Man's in love."
"And I'm having a fun time watching it bloom."
Al and Ricardo nodded toward one another.
[Scene changes to the Alram Village. Subaru is seen walking around some beautiful locations around the village.]
"The creature should be here, I suppose," Beatrice alerted the others while the residents of the mansion within the Emilia camp, even Petra, were all already on edge as soon as the village was revealed.
[Scoping out our date destination before I make the promise might be smart…
I've researched places with the best views!
That just leaves…
The screen zooms in on a distressed-looking Subaru as he was hounded by kids, pulling him by both arms and climbing up his back.
...this.
"Subaru!"
"He's back!"
"And his face looks weird again!"
Subaru grimaces as the kid climbing his back starts rubbing his snotty nose on his butler jacket.
"I need to make sure these guys don't find us."
"What do you mean by finding you?"
"Did you pee your pants?"
"We're playing hide-and-seek?"]
"It's like they're bullying him," Julius snorted in amusement.
"He seems the type to let the kids do what they want unless it's harmful," Reinhard smiled at the sight.
"Keep focus, nyan. Subaru-kyun mentioned something about a dog the kids were playing with," Felix interjected on the two knights.
"It is the dog…" Petra whispered in guilt as she looked down at her hands.
[Rem is seen carrying two brown bags of groceries and looking on at the kids playing with Subaru.
"Chill, brats! I played with you earlier!"
"Let's play more!"
"Play! Play!"
"Change your pants!"]
"They seem to like him," Felt said in jealousy as they got to play with him.
"Subaru has the most fun games ever. We never had that much fun before he came to the village."
Felt kicked Reinhard. She just did.
"Lady Felt-sama!"
[Subaru gathers the kids and makes them form a circle around him as he spoke with them while kneeling to keep eye contact.
"All right, listen up. Next time I come here, I'll be on a date. Try to take a hint, okay? " Subaru smiles at the kids and notices a girl carrying a small puppy.
A blue-haired girl….
An emerald-eyed girl….]
"That's Meili!" Petra growled.
"Who?" Crusch asked as she watched the Emilia camp either growl or snare at the girl.
Rem looked confused.
"That girl is an assassin that attacked the mansion," Otto explained.
"That girl? An assassin?" Julius asked with surprise.
"I know it seems improbable. But look at what she's holding," Ram pointed with a despising face
Everyone's eyes went wide.
["I'll allow this little critter to play with Emilia-tan, though," Subaru moved to pat the animal, but the small pup moved away and bit his hand.
"Ow! Again?!" The kids laughed as Subaru held his hand in pain.
"Subaru-kun, so this is where you were. Are you all right?" Rem looked at the bleeding hand of the boy.]
"Is that how he dies, I wonder?" Priscilla said from behind her fan.
Everyone was saddened to see their friend get cursed in such a casual manner. He will die. They already established that.
"At least it will be painless." Frederica tried to morbidly make some light of the situation.
"He still dies," Petra coldly whispered with her tearful eyes closing up at the scene.
"Damn!" Julius cursed under his breath, keeping his back arched regally. Though his face was far from regal or charming, hitched on a nasty glare aimed towards the screen and its events.
Emilia's own breathing was hitched behind her hand as she held it up to cover her open mouth. She closed her jaw and sequentially her eyes as she formed a scowl of despair and calmed down after witnessing her knight take on the curse with a smile on his face.
["I'm fine, I'm fine…All done shopping, Rem-rin?"
"Yes, it went quite smoothly."
As the sun began setting, Subaru and Rem began walking away from the kids while waving at them.
"Aw, you're leaving?"
"Don't go! "
"You have somewhere to go home to?"
The kids waved goodbye in disappointment.
"You were quite popular with them," Rem decided to small talk while walking to the mansion.
"For some reason, kids have always liked me…" Subaru smiled tiredly.
"Like animals, children observe a hierarchy. They can tell if it's all right to belittle someone."
Subaru glared. "Those brats…They have no respect."
"Did you show them anything about you worth respecting?"
"That's a sound argument. Still, it doesn't seem right to belittle me from the start. Ram seems like she'd handle that kind of thing well," Subaru smiled.
"My sister is wonderful, isn't she?" Rem smiled as she walked alongside him.
"Honestly, I'd think her personality would cause conflict more often than not."
"My sister's self-assured nature is what makes her so charming. I cannot be that way at all." Rem smiles sadly and looks at the ground.
"By the way, how are your studies progressing?"
"Let's just say I'm plugging along. Ram is actually a pretty good teacher too. Though I wish she wouldn't sleep on my bed in mid-lesson. It kinda kills my motivation."
"My sister only acts that way to stimulate your motivation."
"Why do you have such absolute faith in your sister? That isn't normal… You're totally fanatical like a demon."]
Rem's eyes are wide.
This is why he said them to her?! Those wonderful words.
This wonderful moment.
Why did it have to be taken away from her?!
["Fanatical like a demon?"
"It's the demon version of divine possession. Sounds kinda cool, right? "]
"It kinda does." Garfiel nodded his head.
He was the only one to comment as everyone in the theater was either too invested like a certain red princess and green-haired duchess or too heartbroken and disdainful of the way Subaru will die again.
Ram was simply scowling deeply as she realized how badly she had messed up by letting Subaru go with her sister on this shopping trip instead of going with them. She would've seen to it the dog is examined immediately. She wasn't sure why her sister didn't place suspicion on the dog being a shaman but Ram decided to give her the benefit of the doubt since she appeared to be befriending the boy on screen. Now if only her real sister in the theater would stop looking so damn terrified every time her other self was alone with Subaru…
"What did you do?"
["Do you like demons?"
"Well, gods generally don't do anything, but demons will laugh along when you talk about future plans. Especially for next year and stuff. They'll laugh their heads off."
Rem suddenly stops and looks at Subaru. He looks at her.
She smiles.
She truly smiles.
Subaru stares at her for a second. Then dances in place with a smirk, "That smile is a million volts!"
Rem walks away from him. "I'm going to tell Emilia-sama."
"I wasn't trying to hit on you!" He hurries after her.]
"You make a good pair," Frederica encouraged Rem softly. Not undermining the dark overtone covering the atmosphere… which made Emilia pout for some reason.
The blue-haired girl simply pursed her lips further.
[Scene change. It was now night time and Subaru was…
He was clenching the chair while breathing through his nose as if he was smelling crack in the air.
He had a blush on as he looked away from someone.
Oh… yeah that makes sense.
Emilia was behind him.]
"Someone's nervous! Hahaha," Some laughed at the way the poor boy looked.
While Emilia just sighed at his antics. Why would he be nervous around someone like her?
["Both Ram and Rem said they wouldn't be coming to see you tonight, so I agreed to help with your studies. I'm afraid I can't do much, though."
Subaru was sweating profusely as he tried as hard as he could not look at the lady behind him. "Right now, I'm writing the basic i-glyphs until I memorize them... ."
Emilia leaned over his shoulder with an impressed smile making him shake and blush even more.
"Wow! You're studying a lot more intensely than I imagined!"
Subaru stiffly and slowly moved a book between his face and Emilia's.
"S-Since these fairy tales are aimed at kids, it's mostly i-glyphs, or so they said… So my goal, for now, is to be able... to read this…"
Subaru suddenly stood up and began courting the half-elf. Stiffly and nervously, he began the process of asking her on a date.]
"B-Bet five, He screws this up in a funny way," Otto was the one surprisingly hoping for his brother's downfall. What a backstabbing merchant.
Encouraged at least one minute of wholesome mercy, the members of his camp and the friends they had in the other camps from Ricardo, Felt, the twins, and Al decided to play along just to rest their nerves.
Of course, everyone raised their hands.
Including Emilia.
[He could do this. He had a plan.
"Anyway, um… Th-The moon sure is pretty," Subaru looked up with a dreaming smile on his face…
Emilia looked up as well and blinked in confusion.
"Huh?"]
"Pfffttt!" Emilia chuckled while the girls giggled and the boys including, a chuckle from Wilhelm and snorts from the knights all laughed.
[Subaru quickly looked away from the ceiling of the room and changed the subject as fast as he could in hopes that he doesn't look retarded.
"No! I mean, um, I have a favor to ask you. Will you listen? Starting tomorrow, I'll work
hard, and I'll study, too!" Subaru gave his most charming smile, "Go on a date with me."
"What does a date entail?" Emilia asked, confused by this retard that could see the moon through the ceiling of his room.
Subaru chuckled and posed his hands wide, "When a guy and a girl go out alone together, that's a date! Only the goddess of love knows what will happen during that time... ."
Emilia smiled and held her hands together at the sweet idea she had, "Then that means you went on a date with Rem today, right?"]
By this point… everyone was on the floor rolling.
Rem was sad that she laughed as well.
[Subaru began rolling around on his bed in despair. "Ugh! I didn't expect that response!"
Subaru began bowing up and down to Emilia, "That didn't count! Please don't count that!"
"I understand that you want us to go out together, but where?"
"Actually, there's this really cute little dog in the nearby village. There's a flower field, too. I want to see you in a field of flowers, and capture the image for eternity with my metia!"
Emilia smiled nervously and looked away in thought. "Oh, um... The village, huh?"
"The dog is super cute! Let's go!"
"But it might cause trouble for you. And for the villagers—"
"The kids are so pure and innocent, they're like angels! Let's go!"
"Oh, all right. You leave me no choice. I'll go with you."
"And the flower field is super colorful and wonderfu— Really?"
"If that will motivate you to work hard from tomorrow on, then I will."
"All right!"
Emilia looked out the window with a smile. "I bet the weather will be lovely tomorrow."
"Yeah... And it'll be a day I'll never forget." Subaru silently looked out the window beside her…
"There you go again with…" Emilia stopped her chuckling when she noticed him with a haunted look of battle in his eyes.
He quickly changed his expression and looked at her.]
"He still doesn't know…" Emilia frowned in sadness.
"That boy is a fighter," many nodded at the old man's words.
"I'd have loved to go with him to the village a hundred times fold. Even if we had to meet the puppy."
Shockingly, Emilia was not stuttering when she spoke this statement.
Rem simply held her hands together in prayer and tried her best to calm her nerves.
["You were just…Never mind." Emilia smiled it off and began walking to the door while Subaru was looking at her all the way.
"You know, it makes a guy really anxious when you don't finish your sentences."
Emilia kept her hand on the handle and saluted Subaru with a smile of encouragement.
"Okay, Subaru-kun the butler, remember to work hard. Only those who work hard are rewarded, so this will be a reward!" Emilia smiled.
And the screen turned black…
Ending song 1: Styx Helix
Snow icicles are dropping slowly over Subaru and Emilia's heads as they faced each other with their backs turned.
The camera shows Emilia closing her eyes as if she was displeased.
Then it shows Subaru looking up at something. Slowly, images of when he and Emilia helped the kid in his first loop play. Ending on Emilia's smile.
Subaru grits his teeth in anger.
Various characters from the story are shown, including the appa guy, Felt and Rom, Reinhard and the three thieves, Beatrice, Puck and Roswaal, and finally Rem and Ram.
Elsa is shown with blood all around her, then the image of red eyes opening in the darkness plays.
The camera changes to show Emilia's hand with blood on it. Slowly, as it zooms out and reveals the pooling blood around Emilia, Subaru's hand comes into the frame.
Subaru and Emilia held hands as death over-toke them.
A dark hand lowered down from the sky towards Subaru.
End of the outro.
The screen turns dark.]
"That was a bit weirder than the first one," Petra said, bewildered by the song.
"I liked it," Crusch commented.
"I guess you do have taste." Priscilla nodded at Crusch.
"Does anyone know what that dark hand is?"
No, one answered Rem as-
[The screen lights up again and shows the mansion at night.]
"It's still not over yet?" Mimi asked tiredly.
"I thought he woke up after dying from the curse," Tivey lamented.
"No, he was planning something," Crusch spoke in a grim tone.
[Subaru is sitting in his room with the light on, looking at the bite on his hand. He smiles nervously.
"All right, let's settle this, fate…I won't sleep tonight, no matter what. I'll stay awake to greet the morning of my promise."]
"That's his plan… To wait for whatever killed him to come again?" Julius had to pull a bit on his hair at the idiotic idea. Otto and Garfiel looked more than mortified by this as they realized that he will take on the curse full force while conscious.
"It was the best he could do to be fair," Al shrugged chillingly while leaning back with a sigh of sadness.
"Yeah, especially when he doesn't have to worry about dying," Tivey commented, slightly mortified as well.
Felix narrowed his eyes a bit but kept his silence.
[The silence of the night is overwhelming.
"Jeez... What am I, a grade-schooler who can't sleep before a class outing? Reminds me of when I overslept on the day of the class trip… I wasn't able to retrace the same loop exactly, but I got along well with Ram and Rem. In fact, I think I did better than last time."]
Both twins were looking mighty different now that they both have diverged into breathless words between each other. One was looking from the screen to her sister in succession with a worried look. While the other girl was just holding the hem of her skirt with sweaty hands with her lips sealed and her teeth grounded.
Both of the two didn't fail to catch how well-meaning and caring the boy was for their memories with him.
They were both confused about how to take that.
[Subaru is struggling to stay awake. His eyes keep dropping.
"If there's anything I feel I missed, it's not saying goodnight to Beatrice. Each time I saw her, all we did was insult each other. But maybe I should have… at least… thanked her…"]
"He didn't do anything, in fact."
[Heartbeat slowing…]
"This idiot just had to tell Betty to help him!"
[Eyelids closing…]
"Why wouldn't he tell anyone about this, I wonder?!"
[Darkness…
Suddenly, he jumped out of his chair. The world around him started moving weirdly.]
"The curse is taking effect, in fact," Beatrice said in a somber tone.
"Let's stay strong guys," Otto spoke encouragingly, "We owe it to him."
They watched… as their friend suffers a curse that will eventually kill him.
[His strength taken from him, he had to fall on his knees."What is this? I'm so cold…"
"No... Could this be…" Subaru puked his guts out on the floor as the sickness overtook him.
Subaru used the walls for balance as he slowly walked out of the room. He walked down the hallway and puked.
"Someone…"]
Emilia and Beatrice looked down, unable to keep watching as the shame built up.
He was begging for someone!
He was dying alone!
[He crawled on the stairs and puked there too.
"Someone... Help."
Subaru managed to crawl to the top and started walking down a hallway. He stopped to hold the puke in.]
"I can't watch this," Felix murmured while looking away with an absent face.
"Watching the slow death of an animal so pathetically is always hard indeed," Priscilla noted while her eyes took in the pathetic sight of the boy with the broken power he couldn't make use of.
Julius kept his eyes to the floor with his lips thinned as he heard Subaru's dying breaths spread out across the hallway in the screen and the theater outside of it.
[*Chain sounds were heard. *]
"What was that?"
Everyone moved closer to watch closely. Something wasn't right. Julius narrowed his eyes.
Rem started crying… she really did do it.
[The sweating Subaru looked back unable to keep steady from the sickness.
Suddenly…
He was attacked by something.
Subaru was sliding across the hallway carpet with blood coming out of him.]
"Subaru!" "Big bro!"
Petra and Felt were horrified by the amount of blood.
Emilia and Beatrice watched with their mouths open in shock at the suffering their beloved had to endure.
Rem gasped and opened her eyes so wide to watch the torture she inflicted on the boy.
Her heart was breaking, her mind was going numb, her soul was tearing.
[The screen showed Subaru's sick sweating face with drool coming out of his mouth as he gasped in pain. A pool of blood was forming beneath him.
"What just…" Subaru looked up at the chandelier of the hallway.
To find his arm resting up there.]
"Good grief!"
"This poor kid…"
Ricardo and Al watched with wide eyes. They know the pain of being torn open.
Ricardo was torn in half by a whale and Al was missing an arm so they knew how much pain this boy was in.
Not to mention the killing curse.
[The boy's face contorted from the excruciating pain. He held the place where his arm used to be and rolled around in pain.
The entire hall was a bloody mess from the walls to the carpet to the ceiling.]
"Garfiel, breathe, just breathe."
He didn't listen to his sister.
He can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe.
His Cap'n was dying. No. He was being murdered! And he could do nothing but watch!
[Subaru screamed from the pain. His face was sinking into the pool of blood with only one eye able to stay open.]
"What the hell… " The Duchess found it appropriate to say as she watched stunned with no more words coming out of her mouth as she fell into a stone mode from the scene playing before her.
"It's too much… What the hell caused this attack?!" Anastasia, already enraged since the moment Subaru decided to follow such a stupid plan, decided to announce her capability to speak during this horrible scene. Something impressive considering the state of shock the black-haired boy's own master looked to be in.
Emilia's state was nothing short of horrified, scared, and in disbelief, as she watched Subaru's death.
[He looked up, unable to stop his mouth from screaming and puking.
* Chain sounds.*
*Chain sounds *
Suddenly, Subaru's twitching figure was shown with a chair leg hiding his face.
And in an instant, something dark was thrown at him, blowing his head into pieces. The explosion of blood and brains was shown but the sight itself was blocked by the chair leg.
All that could be seen was Subaru's twitching body, stop.
A final shot of blood splashing on the carpet and a lone human brown eye with the flesh cord rolling into view.
He was finally dead.
Second title card:
The Morning of Our Promise Is Still Distant
Episode 3 Director's Cut End.]
The sheer brutality of the scene made the most hardened in the room close their eyes in respect to the boy that was still smiling after such a horrible experience.
Emilia and Beatrice cried while holding Subaru as if he was about to disappear. They couldn't believe that he lived through that and was still able to stay himself. Beatrice understood the reason for Subaru's nightly habits now. No wonder he was pissed off at her when she told him about her wish to die.
Otto and Garfiel actually began crying too while looking at their feet in despair, the sight of the man that had saved them both from getting killed in such a brutal way made them queasy.
Petra fainted in place.
Felt cried while holding on to a shell-shocked Reinhard. Even if she was a candidate, she was still a kid. Reinhard was also taken aback by how cruelly his friend was killed. The Sword Saint just stared at the blank screen.
Anastasia slipped a few tears from the sheer brutality of the scene. Julius was looking down with a haunted look. How can someone continue to live through such an experience?
Ricardo had his eyes closed in solemn respect. He's seen this sight too many times… but it never gets easier to watch.
The twins were crying from the scene of their friend so brutally murdered.
Ram was looking at her sister with eyes wide.
Roswaal sat in silence… he had no smile on. In fact, it seemed closer to interpret his face as completely muscle dead as both his mouth and eyes were loosely open while he stared into a void with a hunched back. The man was in shock.
Priscilla and her knight sat in silence without showing any emotion.
As for Rem…
A shaking body, wide blood-red eyes leaking a stream of tears from each one. Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt so hard it tore. Her mouth was wide open making pained unintelligible noises.
Rem was fine.
[Apologies.
A click sounded out and suddenly bottles filled with water, Piles of snacks, and a few doors opened.
Take a break. Bathrooms, food, and water have been provided to you.
Once you're ready the screen will play.
Episode 4… Arc 2's continuation…
On hold, until they get their shit together.]