Re:Zero - Starting from Zero (Natsuki Subaru)

Crusch: The Crying Red Demon?

Otto: Ah... Subaru always picks to talk about... something rather subtle.

[Garfield: What kind of story is this? The title doesn't sound like a fairy tale suitable for children at all.]

Priscilla: Funny

[Felix: Meow, it feels like Ram is about to leave... But hearing this fairy tale title makes me interested again.]

Inside the Tower of Sages.

Ram crossed his arms and frowned slightly.

"A weeping red demon...?"

……

on the screen.

Seeing that Ram was somewhat interested, Natsuki Subaru began to tell her the fairy tale of the Crying Red Oni.

"Then please listen attentively."

"A long, long, long time ago."

"There is a place where red demons and blue demons live."

"The Red Oni and the Blue Oni are very good friends."

"The Red Demon wants to get along well with the people in the village."

"But people are afraid and dare not approach."

"The Blue Demon, unable to stand idly by, came up with a plan."

"When the time comes, I'll cause a ruckus in the village, and you'll have to stop me. That way, you, Red Demon, will definitely gain the trust of the others."

"The plan was a great success, and the Red Oni are now able to live in harmony with humans."

"As the days went by, the Red Demon became concerned about one thing."

"That's when the Blue Demon never came to see him again."

"One day, the Red Demon went to find the Blue Demon, but he didn't find the Blue Demon. He only found a note left by the Blue Demon."

"Red Demon, please get along well with people and live happily. If I contact you again, you will probably be ostracized by everyone."

"I'm going on a trip. Goodbye, and take care of yourself."

"—Your eternal friend, Blue Oni."

"The Red Demon stared silently at the note, reading it over and over again, until finally he sobbed and burst into tears."

"The End."

Ram believes this is a sad story.

"Everyone in this story is an idiot."

"Whether it's the red oni, the blue oni, or the villagers."

"That's a really ruthless comment," Natsuki Subaru said, somewhat surprised.

"But that's not wrong either."

"This story is one that I both love and hate."

"Although Ao Oni's self-sacrifice was very cool, it was also completely unrewarding and incredibly foolish."

"I'm the kind of person who expects a return on my efforts."

"Is that how the guests view the Blue Oni?"

"However, Ram thinks that Red Demon is even more hopeless."

"By dragging the blue oni into his own desires, only the blue oni ended up getting hurt. Although the red oni lost the blue oni, he himself didn't lose anything; on the contrary, he gained something."

How selfish.

Subaru Natsuki felt that Ram's thinking was a bit too extreme.

"So what do you think the two ghosts should do?"

"If the Red Oni wants to get along with humans, then it should just break off its horn and live with them."

"We should make up our minds before Ao Oni can stand it anymore."

"Your idea is more extreme than I imagined."

"Yeah??"

Ram put down her teacup and walked up to Subaru Natsuki.

"If you were a guest, which ghost would you rather spend time with?"

Ram stretched out both hands, extending one finger from each hand.

"A red oni who only thinks about having others clean up his messes and a foolish blue oni who is immersed in self-sacrifice."

Subaru Natsuki looked at Ram with some confusion.

However, they made a choice quickly.

Subaru Natsuki reached out and grasped two of Ram's fingers.

"What a boring answer."

"He actually wants to live peacefully with two ghosts at the same time."

"The guest is really indecisive and fickle."

"You'll regret this someday."

Ram's words finally confused Subaru Natsuki. What was all this about?

"I don't remember we talked about this at the beginning, did we?"

Ram then changed the subject.

"Guest, putting aside the fairy tales of your hometown, what fairy tales from here have left the deepest impression on you?"

"Oh, what I'm most interested in are definitely the dragon story and the story of the Curly-tailed Witch in the middle..."

Through this fairy tale, Natsuki Subaru finally understood the origin of the country's name.

"Yeah?"

"It says that royalty made a pact with a dragon; it's more like history than a fairy tale, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's true," Ram said.

"The noble dragon still guards this country at the distant waterfall."

"Until the oath made with the royal family is fulfilled."

Natsuki Subaru suddenly remembered what he had heard before.

"Huh? Wasn't the race that made a pact with the dragons in this country already wiped out?"

"Yes."

"So what will happen next, I guess only God... no... only the dragon knows."

Natsuki Subaru nodded, also showing some interest in the witch's story.

He simply asked the question directly.

"By the way, Ram, about this story about the witch..."

Natsuki Subaru was surprised that Ram, with whom he had just been having a good conversation, suddenly avoided the topic.

"Ram doesn't want to talk about this."

"I've been here too long."

Ram put away the teacup and teapot, intending to leave.

"Guest, I will come to let you know when it's time for dinner."

Ram left immediately.

Before she left, she left behind these words.

"Please don't tell Rem that story about the two ghosts. She won't like it."

Natsuki Subaru lay in bed, continuing to read the fairy tale about witches.

"A terrifying witch, a horrible witch, even calling her name fills one with fear."

People call her the Witch of Envy.

……

Time quickly passed to the morning of the fourth day.

Subaru Natsuki continued to act according to plan.

Emilia asked with some concern, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I can have a dragon carriage take you to the capital."

Emilia wasn't the only one standing at the door; almost everyone in the mansion had arrived.

Ram, Rem, Roswaal, Emilia.

Natsuki Subaru waved his hand: "No need. When I become a powerful and intelligent tycoon, worthy of Emilia-tan, I'll ride a white horse to take you away!"

Subaru Natsuki gave a thumbs up.

Emilia, on the other hand, turned on her motherly mode, worrying about whether Subaru Natsuki would encounter any trouble on his trip, whether he had brought enough food, and whether he would be afraid to sleep alone at night.

Roswaal chuckled. "Well then, have a safe trip."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Natsuki Subaru was led out of the courtyard by Emilia.

"Subaru, thank you so much for helping me!"

"If you need anything, feel free to come to me anytime!"

Subaru finally said goodbye to Emilia.

Natsuki Subaru, of course, would not leave the mansion.

Natsuki Subaru chose a high spot nearby, overlooking the entire mansion.

And you can see Emilia's window.

"Okay... everything is ready..."

Natsuki Subaru took a peeler knife out of his backpack.

"Then the most suspicious person appears, the incident occurs... and they step in to stop it!"

Natsuki Subaru looked at the kitchen knife in his hand and suddenly recalled the scenes from his previous two reincarnations when Rem and Ram taught him how to peel and chop vegetables.

"If they found out I used this knife for this... I'd definitely get yelled at, right?"

Natsuki Subaru didn't know who the "they" he was talking about were.

Without a doubt, it must be Ram and Rem.

But they are not the Ram and Rem of today.

Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru felt a pang of loneliness.

Of all the things, all the promises, all the memories, in the end, only Natsuki Subaru remembers them all.

What kind of pain is this? What kind of loneliness is this?

Subaru Natsuki put down the kitchen knife.

"I really want to be yelled at by them..."

"I really don't want to die..."

"I don't want everyone to die either..."

……

"I told you, Natsuki Subaru, no matter how many times you die, every time you return, even if everyone has forgotten..."

"You must remember this too!!"

Subaru Natsuki muttered to himself.

evening.

The sun gradually set.

The sky was a whole expanse of fiery red clouds.

Subaru Natsuki has been observing for a day.

"By the way, Rem didn't go shopping this time?"

"So you only went to buy them because I was there?"

Just as Natsuki Subaru was pondering.

The sound of something cutting through the air and the clanking of chains rang out once more!

Natsuki Subaru's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked in the direction the sound came from—a weapon that resembled a meteor hammer!

The meteor hammer is coming straight at him!

Subaru Natsuki didn't have time to dodge!

Subaru Natsuki was slammed backward by the meteor hammer and fell off a cliff that was about 5 meters high.

Fortunately, Subaru Natsuki had tied himself with a rope beforehand, so he landed on the ground unharmed.

Natsuki Subaru immediately cut the ropes and began to escape.

"I see it! The enemy's weapons!"

Natsuki Subaru ran forward as fast as he could: "But they actually caught up with me!"

Natsuki Subaru stopped in his tracks.

There is a dead end ahead.

"Were we completely manipulated by the other party?"

Natsuki Subaru simply turned around, took off his tracksuit jacket, and prepared to fight the enemy.

"Bring it on!"

Natsuki Subaru held his tracksuit jacket in front of him.

The sound of chains grew closer, and the flail struck Natsuki Subaru once more, but he blocked it with his tracksuit jacket!

However, he was also thrown backward by the inertia, but Natsuki Subaru immediately regained his footing and gripped the meteor hammer chain.

"Come on! Let me see who it is?!"

"Show your true form, you bastard!"

"I went through so much trouble just to see you!"

Natsuki Subaru grabbed the chain and pulled it in his direction.

He was trying to get the person behind him to reveal their true identity.

The person hidden in the darkness slowly emerged.

"There's really nothing we can do."

It was a familiar voice.

The figure that emerged was also familiar.

Natsuki Subaru's pupils contracted as he stared incredulously at the person in front of him.

Rem, the blue-haired maid.

This made Subaru feel even more desperate than if he had seen some terrifying enemy.

In other words, the one who killed him last time, killed him so cruelly...

It was Rem, whom I had never doubted, and even trusted completely?!