"By the way, Ram… did you find the one who was controlling the maaaaabeasts?"
"Yes, but the trail was recently covered. It's already vanished," Ram replied, standing before Roswaal, who was seated in his desk chair. The office was dim—night had fallen, and the room was swallowed in shadow.
"It seems," she continued, "one of the children that Barusu, Rem, and the Other… brought back from the forest disappeared the very next day. When I asked my sister and Barusu about the girl, they only seemed to remember what the Other had said. They both claimed he was suspicious of her the whole time, and they regretted not trusting him."
Roswaal leaned back, eyes glinting. "Hmmmm… how interestiiiiing. When he wakkkkesss, I would simply love to meet him and give him my gratitude."
Ram, cutting through his musing, asked hastily, "Was this all connected to the battle for the throne as well? The Bowel Hunter, the mabeast masters…"
"We've certainly gotten involved with some bizarre characters."
"No matter how many strange ones you face," Ram said with a faint smile, "you're not a man to lose heart, are you?"
"My, how audaaaaacious you've become." His voice softened. "Come here."
Ram hesitated for only a second before sitting gently on his lap. Roswaal reached out and slowly caressed her head.
"I was unable to attend to you for a whole night, after aaaaaaaaall."
"I'm sorry… please do," Ram murmured, eyes low.
"You've used quite a lot of mana. May the stars protect you," Roswaal murmured, his voice smooth and honeyed as he raised a hand.
A soft glow emanated from his fingertip as he channeled mana directly into the place where Ram's horn used to be.
Ram sighed in contentment, her body relaxing under his touch. Roswaal's smile widened as he gazed down at her.
"I will be busy again for a while," he said, his tone shifting to something more businesslike, yet still laden with charm. "I know it will be haaaaaard on you, but I'll be cooooounting on you and Rem."
"As you wish," Ram replied, her voice steady, yet devoted. "Since that fiery night, my body has belonged to you, Master Roswaal."
Roswaal leaned closer, his smile sharpening. "I must make Emilia win the battle for the throne, no matter what it takes… for the sake of my goal."
His voice dipped into a menacing whisper.
"For the coming day when I kill the dragon."
***
Meanwhile, in the garden bathed in moonlight, Subaru stood nervously before Emilia, who was scolding him with a mixture of concern and frustration.
"You're constantly getting hurt, aren't you, Subaru?" she began, her tone sharp. "You came to this mansion in the first place because you were injured, and it's only been four days since then."
Subaru scratched the back of his head with a nervous smile. "It's not like I get hurt because I want to! The world's just specifically harsh on me…"
His voice trailed off as the thought of Toyota crossed his mind.
"Are you thinking about your friend?" Emilia asked tentatively.
"Friend…?" Subaru murmured.
What even is a friend?
Is it someone you've spent time with? Someone you trust? Someone you enjoy being with?
Because while Toyota wasn't any of those things exactly, when he was around… there was a strange sense of familiarity. Maybe it was because they were both from Earth. But Toyota only ever appeared in the most dire situations. He wasn't someone Subaru could relax or have fun with. And yet…
Subaru had never had a true friend. As a shut-in otaku, he skipped classes constantly. He never formed close relationships—not with classmates, not with neighbors. Only his parents. When he came to this world, before all the pain and suffering, he saw it as a fresh start. A do-over from the "cute goddess" who summoned him.
So… would Toyota count as a friend?
Maybe.
Maybe he would.
Considering how Toyota seemed to understand him… how he knew things he shouldn't… how he saved Subaru's life more than once…
"Yes," Subaru whispered to himself. "He's my friend."
(DING! Bond Acquired.)
Subaru jumped slightly and cleaned out his ears, blinking.
"…Did you hear that?" he asked.
Emilia tilted her head. "Hear what?"
"…Nothing." He shook it off with a forced smile.
Trying to return to the playful tone from earlier, he wiggled his shoulders and smirked.
"So! You're welcome to spoil me rotten, since no one else will, Emilia!"
Subaru wiggled in place, his teasing tone barely masking his exhaustion.
"Don't joke around," Emilia chided, crossing her arms. Her expression softened slightly but remained stern. "Do you get how serious this is? Puck kept trying to stop me from going after you guys. Who knows what would've happened if Roswaal hadn't made it back in time?"
Subaru winced under her admonishing glare but perked up as she continued.
"Still, I suppose you saved me… again."
"Huh?" Subaru blinked, caught off guard.
"I brought you to the mansion as thanks for saving me, and now, once again, I have to say it—thank you so much."
Emilia's face brightened with a soft smile, and Subaru's cheeks turned beet red.
"Hey, it's fine, it's fine!" Subaru waved his arms frantically, trying to downplay her gratitude.
Emilia tilted her head thoughtfully, her silver hair catching the moonlight. "Even so, I feel like I need to do something to thank you…"
Subaru grinned, leaning closer with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Well then, how about I take you up on that?"
Emilia blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Subaru stepped forward with exaggerated confidence. "Go on a date with me, Emilia!"
"A… date?"
"Yep! We'll go out together, see the same things, eat the same things, do the same things, and share the same memories. That's all I want."
"That's all?"
"That's exactly it! I want to show you off to all the village kids, and there's this awesome flower field nearby. Even if all we do is stroll around, it'll still be a special occasion for me."
Subaru's face beamed with excitement, his wide smile infectious.
Emilia chuckled, the tension in her shoulders melting away. "All right, I'll go on a date with you."
Her warm, grateful smile lit up the night, and Subaru's face turned even brighter.
"Yesssssssss!" he cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
Emilia couldn't help but giggle at his antics, and soon, Subaru was chuckling along with her under the serene glow of the moonlight.
***
Subaru was dressed in the most suspicious and unnatural clothes imaginable—an outfit so offensively mismatched, the fashion police would've arrested him on sight. And yet, with dramatic flair, he narrated to himself like an anime protagonist speaking in a second language:
"It was a fearsome battle… We were cursed by an unknown force. We experienced an invasion by a herd of Ulgarm. We engaged in mortal combat with the Bossgarm. Then—when the well-deserved halcyon days had come—the threat of the mabeasts was gone, and the village was saved for good…"
He stood dramatically in the middle of the forest overlooking the village below, wind rustling his cloak like he was in a low-budget action film.
"But yet… I'm on a mission. A secret mission that I must execute… without being noticed by anyone."
Subaru's expression hardened with steely resolve. "The preliminary inspection… of my date course with Emilia!"
With that, he began his sneak-through-the-village operation, strolling confidently while thinking he was perfectly inconspicuous.
"Subaru?" Petra's voice cut through the air like a knife.
He froze.
"She must be a powerful detective," he thought in awe, sweat beading down his neck.
Trying to play it cool, Subaru walked past the group of kids, pretending he didn't hear her.
"Subaru, what are you doing?"
Another voice. Another kid.
"Damn it, how are all these kids such expert detectives?!" he panicked internally.
"What's with the outfit?" one of them asked, clearly unimpressed.
Subaru picked up the pace, practically speed-walking now.
"They're just too smart! But my outfit's flawless… it's the perfect disguise! They shouldn't be able to—"
Before he could finish the thought, a group of kids lunged and tackled him, tugging on his outfit from all sides like a pack of wild dogs.
"Top secrecy my ass!" Subaru shouted, flailing. "Can't even call it a disguise if you saw through it in less than five seconds!"
The kids giggled as they tore into his sorry attempt at undercover reconnaissance, unraveling his "master plan" thread by thread.
***
Toyota woke up, blinking his eyes open. For a moment, he felt disoriented.
Was it all just a dream? Was I imagining things?
Slowly sitting up, he noticed his body felt completely fine—perfect, even. But there was a small pang of sadness in his chest as his eyes scanned the room. Then, he realized where he was: a large room with an oversized bed, its fine furnishings almost out of a storybook. In the corner, sitting on a stool, was a small blonde girl engrossed in a book that was easily one-third her size.
It wasn't a dream.
A strange sensation welled up in his chest. Relief? Determination?
This is the perfect scenario. He'd saved his points. He hadn't wasted them on healing himself. Now he had their trust, and he was inside Roswaal's mansion. As gratitude, Roswaal might even grant him a wish. Everything was lining up perfectly.
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
Looking over at the girl, he decided to speak.
"Was it you or Emilia who healed me?"
The girl didn't look up, her voice calm yet tinged with something unreadable. "It was Betty. In fact… you are a strange one—almost as strange as Subaru. But you feel more composed, I suppose."
So, it was her.
His mind raced, possibilities branching out like a tree as his vision for the future crystallized. A scenario with the best outcome, the least casualties. A scenario where he could achieve the perfect ending to this story—assuming there were no hiccups. But it was time-limited. He needed to confirm something before proceeding.
"Since you healed me, I'll give you a reward."
Her calm demeanor faltered, curiosity briefly flashing in her eyes. "What reward could you possibly give to Betty, I suppose?"
"Information. The truth about your blank Tome of Wisdom."
Her expression shifted in an instant, sharp and accusatory, though curiosity still lingered in her gaze. "What do you know about Betty, I suppose?"
Ignoring her reaction, he pressed on. "The reason your mother didn't fill in the rest of your Tome of Wisdom is simple—"
"What do you know about Betty's mother, I suppose?!" she interrupted, her voice rising in volume, almost a shout.
He paused, giving her a moment to collect herself.
"I'm in the top four people currently alive who know about your mother," he continued, "or should I say… Echidna, the Witch of Greed."
Her body froze, and for a long moment, she didn't speak.
"So," he said, "do you want your reward or not?"
There was a long silence. Then, she looked away.
"I see… you don't want to know."
He began to move, slowly sitting up as if he'd drop the subject entirely. Just as he expected—
"Wait!" she blurted out. "Tell Betty what you know… please." Her voice cracked, betraying the emotions she tried to suppress.
Toyota hesitated for a moment. He didn't like toying with people's emotions, but this was necessary. It wasn't just for him; it was for her. This girl had lived for centuries, clinging to hope that someone—"that person" her Tome of Wisdom mentioned—would come to save her from her solitude. For four hundred years, she'd withered away in isolation, watching over the library as her mother requested.
"There is no 'that person,'" Toyota said, his voice firm but not unkind. "Your mother merely wanted to see who you'd choose. But since you never chose anyone, you've been rotting away this whole time… in vain."
Her lips quivered as his words sank in. "Y-you're lying. Mother would tell Betty—" She stopped, recalling her mother's enigmatic personality.
Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "What do I do now?" she mumbled, her voice fragile. "Are you… are you the one who will be that person and free Betty, I suppose?"
Toyota stood, stretching his body before walking over to the spirit. He crouched down to meet her at eye level. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She stiffened at first but soon broke down, sobbing into his shoulder. The wetness of her tears on his skin was uncomfortable, but he ignored it.
"You've already met that person," he whispered into her ear.
Her sobs quieted, replaced by a soft, even breath. Her voice, now calm and composed, asked, "You can't mean… that strange man, I suppose?"
Toyota nodded. "It will be a beneficial arrangement for both of you. Just like you want affection, he needs someone to give him that—and someone to protect him."
Beatrice remained quiet, her small hands gripping his shirt tightly. For the first time in centuries, she felt the weight of her solitude begin to lift.
Toyota didn't know how to act.
Back at his house, he was allowed to do or have anything—except long exposure to others and any physical contact. This was an entirely new experience for him. The feeling of skin on skin felt warm… but also strange. He couldn't tell if he liked it or not.
Beatrice finally let go.
"When that fool comes back, I would like to talk to him, I suppose." She closed her eyes like she was about to eat a lemon—then suddenly yelled out in such a childlike voice:
"You have Betty's gratitude, I suppose!"
She turned and ran out of the room, her tiny legs thumping across the floor in a way that made her look… adorable. Toyota had to stop himself from laughing.
He took a breath, finally alone. There were some questions he needed to ask the system. Might as well start.
"System."
As soon as he said it out loud, a series of dings echoed in his ears, and a wall of notifications flooded his vision:
1st World Mission: Become Subaru Natsuki's Friend — Completed.
Status Screen Unlocked.
Multiple System Errors Detected. Rebooting System…
System Rebooted.
Translation Feature Fixed and Updated.
All Functions Have Been Reset and Updated.
Variant of Re:Zero World Detected — Adjusting All Systems Accordingly.
Special Limited-Time Missions Unlocked.
Trait System Unlocked.
Toyota stared blankly as the flood of messages continued to stack in front of him. His vision swam.
He rubbed his temples.
"…I think I'm getting a headache."
"Whatever… System, can I see my status screen now?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent, but the edge of excitement in his voice betrayed him.
System Sync Complete
1st World Mission Completed
Reward Granted: Personalized Unique Authority Added
1st Soul Successfully Integrated
Status Screen Unlocked
[TOYOTA — STATUS SCREEN]
Souls Synchronized: 1 / 7
Titles:
Crimson Prince — Given to the 7th son of the Scarlet King.
Child of War(New) — After synchronizing your soul with Envy Route Subaru, you've inherited aspects of his ability and karma.
Stats:
Strength: Fit (Mid)
Trained human strength; able to lift, sprint, and fight at a high level.
Dexterity: Fit (Mid)
Reflexes of a skilled fighter, capable of tight movements and reactive footwork.
Constitution: Average (Low)
Endurance is average, but physical resilience is below standard. Injury-prone under high strain.
Intelligence: Fit (High)
Strategic thinker with sharp intuition, capable of advanced reasoning and deduction.
Wisdom: Exceptional (Low)
Holds rare insight or instinctive judgment, but lacks lived experience to fully harness it.
Charisma: Average (High)
Likable, adaptable, and gradually influential—especially around emotional or unstable individuals.
Current Weapons: None
Overall Physical Threat Level: C-
Skills
Passive:
Envy: Subaru's Mentality (New)
Adapts emotional and logical behavior patterns similar to Subaru Natsuki. Increases resistance to trauma, improves perseverance under despair, and leans toward self-sacrificing tendencies.
Envy: Subaru's Whip Proficiency (New)
Grants instinctive familiarity with whip-based weapons. Mirrors Subaru's improvisational and evolving mastery from later in his journey.
Regressor's Assistant (Unique Binding Ability)
When Subaru dies, you die.
Your soul is tethered to his by the Witch of Envy. You are both a safeguard and a burden—bound to his fate, loop after loop.
[Locked Passive Skill] — ??????
A passive skill that has yet to be unlocked. Requirements unknown.
Active:
Fragment of Sloth (New)
Summons a single Unseen Hand. Can interact with physical matter or phase through objects. Loses stability over time or extended range.
Fragment of Greed (New)
A volatile ability that evolves based on your desires. Will slowly develop into a unique Authority of Greed variant shaped by your choices, ambition, and emotional state.
[Locked Active Skill] — ??????????
A sealed ability. Requirements unclear. May require an emotional catalyst, system evolution, or another soul fusion.
Sin Authority of Blasphemy (New)
Status:Forbidden Tier
Description: Unknown. This Authority was not meant to exist in this world. Its true power, origin, and cost are sealed. The system refuses to describe it.
After reading through all of his abilities, there was one Toyota couldn't stop staring at.
One that made him feel utterly mistreated.
"What b***s*** is Regressor's Assistant?! Why do I have to die if he dies?!"
There was a long pause.
"System," he muttered, narrowing his eyes, "why can't I swear?"
(Host's speech is regulated by the translation feature. All languages and known writing systems are filtered through the system and altered directly into your brain. All recognized swear words are automatically censored by the System Moderator.)
That confirmed a lot of Toyota's suspicions. He had been speaking Japanese this whole time.
He thought back to every moment he'd cursed out loud—and especially that one time Subaru raised his arm mid-catchphrase, only to have his "Victory" cut off.
"Wait… was that because he switched to English, and the system couldn't translate fast enough?"
(And as for the ability you find unsatisfactory, to simplify it: it allows you to retain your memories if the Od Laguna timeline resets.)
Toyota blinked.
"So… it doesn't actually kill me? It's just like a spawn point—like Subaru's?"
(No, Host. You will die in the same manner as Subaru before the worldline resets.)
"WHAT?! Will it be painful?!"
(The system lacks personal sensory experience. However, if you would like a hypothesis… yes. Yes, it does appear painful.)
Toyota groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Urghhh… What even is Envy Subaru?"
(Host, that is the Re:Zero storyline you are familiar with. 'Envy Subaru' refers to the version of Natsuki Subaru from the canonical Envy Route. His mentality, memories, and essence are partially bound to your soul.)
"Oh."
He paused, then squinted.
"Okay… then what's with this soul synchronization thing? What's it doing to me?"
(It accumulates soul fragments and binds them to your own. This process allows you to gain abilities from other timelines, alternate versions of individuals, or even foreign entities.)
"So I'm basically crafting the ultimate broken skill tree using patchwork souls?"
(That is one way to interpret it, yes.)
Toyota frowned.
"Won't that… alter my personality?"
(Partially. As the main soul, yours is used as the base. There is no known soul in existence capable of completely hijacking it.)
(AN: longest chapter yet, I have senior skip day this week for my high school, so this is the last long and extra chapter. The rest will be according to schedule.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 70 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)