--Natsuki Subaru's heart was now beating rapidly to dangerous levels.
The rapidity of the heartbeat makes it feel like it's in pain, and the volume of the heartbeat cannot be controlled. At worst, it feels like it's resonating louder than anything else, even in this noisy crowd.
The main street lined with stalls is as lively as ever, and the throngs of people passing by are just as vigorously as ever. People of all races are mixed together, and with the unusual hair colors, the place looks very colorful.
His hair, which would have easily been lost in the lack of individuality in his original world - his black hair, which is apparently rare in this world - was nowhere to be seen as far as he could see.
The most common eye-catching hair color was of course gold, followed by white and blue, with green and pink being seen in extremely rare numbers here and there. --And among them, there was also no sign of a shiny silver color.
In short, Subaru currently stands out in a crowd very much.
The two of them had unusual black and silver hair, and what's more,
"Hey, Emilia-tan... things are a bit complicated, so should we just stop?"
Subaru suggested, beside her and smiling in agreement, while still in a cold sweat.
"This," he pointed, holding up the two men's tightly clenched hands, glancing sideways.
The two of them were walking through the crowds, holding hands. From the outside they looked like a happy couple, and Subaru himself would normally be puffing up his nostrils at the thought of it being a perk of his job, but...
「Absolutely not! Knowing Subaru, he's bound to do something strange the moment someone takes their eyes off him. While we're in the royal capital, I won't allow you to act independently. Do you understand?」
「I was sorry for being such an idiot on the dragon carriage! I'm really regretting it! It was harder than the sea, and more dynamic than the mountains! But, but, if it carries on like this my mental stress will get really bad!」
Shot down by eyes that showed zero trust, Subaru pleaded, shaking his clenched hand up and down.
Just the fact that I was holding her hand like this was enough to make my heart explode. The tension made all my joints ache, and I couldn't help but worry that my palms were covered in sweat.
—-Immediately after the "Subaru Attempted Disembarkation" occurred on the dragon carriage, Subaru, who had lost consciousness, woke up to the soft sensation of someone on his knee.
Subaru spat at the kindness of Roswaal, whose lap was directly above him, and then he understood the situation. Rem had retrieved Subaru, who had nearly fallen, using a morning star (he marveled at her precise skill from a dragon carriage moving at high speed, and praised her generously for narrowly escaping death, as she implicitly asked for praise). Roswaal had tended to Subaru after retrieving him, and Emilia's mood had plummeted during that time. When Subaru woke up, Emilia had given him a lengthy lecture, starting with, "Sit up straight there."
And above all else――
"It was troublesome that once you were no longer covered by the divine protection, you were no longer protected after that. An hour and a half at that speed and with that kind of shaking... everything in my stomach came out."
Before leaving, I stopped by the kitchen and all the results of my sneaky mayo-chuchu came out.
Afterwards, the ride was so enjoyable that I didn't even remember most of Emilia's lecture, and as a result, I became very aware of the responsibility of my actions.
Subaru was now practically drowsy. No matter what was said to him, he could only reply "Yes, for love", and the rules that the members of the dragon carriage had established for him were reflected in Subaru's current state.
"I fully understand that it was my carelessness that started it all, so I understand that a guardian must accompany us… but at the very least, I wish they'd stop holding our hands."
"Hmm, so that's what you say. When we were talking about going out together in the village, you were trying so hard to connect."
Emilia seemed to be getting aroused by Subaru's constant humble behavior, and began to tease him as if she was enjoying his reaction. When she inserted a scene from a few days before, Subaru groaned, "Ugh," and
"That's not true! At that time, the power of my fierce manhood was much stronger. But now my gauge is completely depleted, I'm weak, and it's no good."
Covering his face with his free hand, Subaru grits his teeth at his own weakness for not being able to simply accept the situation as "a meal prepared for you!" However, it is also true that he takes this seriously and must reflect on it.
As a result, Subaru's mind was in chaos and it was unbearable to watch.
"More importantly..."
Easily ignoring Subaru's inner conflict, Emilia looks around the crowd, not forgetting to pull her hood up further with her free hand to distance herself from the attention of those around her.
She was acting a little nervous, but it was probably not just out of caution. After all, she had had her badge targeted once before. It was only natural that she would be on high alert, especially since it was the same place.
"Do you remember where the store Subaru was talking about?"
"If I can get this far, I can manage. I think it would have been better if I had gone to the right."
Diverting his attention from the hand still holding hers, he absentmindedly responded to the danger of his hands getting sweaty. He nodded at Emilia's words and, gazing out at the crowd, his memory shook.
To be honest, there was nothing that could be called a definite proof, since the street was filled with endless similar scenes. Still, it was a route that "Four Times" had taken before. As I began to recognize familiar places on the street, I began to walk faster and faster, holding her hand.
Following his memory, as he approached the familiar storefront, Subaru's vague, groping memories began to stir more clearly.
The old storefront is simple and not flashy enough to attract attention, and at first glance it looks as if it will get lost in the crowd. However, the unusually colored signboard, which appears to have been repainted very recently, asserts its presence, resulting in the store standing out from the hustle and bustle of the street.
The writing on that unusual sign - which Subaru had previously thought was nothing more than a child's scribble, now that he could read the alphabet, he could see that it was written as "Kadomon." It was probably a person's name or something, and the store name was borrowed from that. Anyway,
"We arrived safely."
"here?"
"Right. I guess this is even more moving than I thought it would be, hey."
Reaching the front of the store, Subaru nodded in response to Emilia, who was speaking in a hushed voice next to him.
The two of them stood face to face in front of the store, and the store owner, who was working inside, noticed them. The man turned and looked in their direction - and when Emilia saw his face, she grasped Subaru's hand a little tighter.
Subaru chuckled at Emilia's easy-to-understand reaction. Indeed, at first glance, he was a rather striking figure. It was no wonder she was on guard.
After all, the middle-aged man in front of me had a scar running vertically on the left side of his face, from his forehead to his chin, and given his large, muscular body, he didn't look like someone with a legitimate job at all.
"Well, even so, I do know a few Tsundere Scarface characters who actually say stuff like "no" but end up taking care of others."
Each time he returned, four times in fact - he met this person every time he returned. He had been treated quite coldly, but Subaru knew from experience that contrary to appearances, he was a good person.
Thinking back, Subaru's starting point in this other world may well have been him. When he thinks of him, who was his first contact in this other world, who could blame him for the trembling emotion that naturally wells up inside him?
"Come on in!"
Perhaps he considered the two of us standing there to be customers, as the owner's voice and rough smile were directed towards us.
Their eyes met. Suddenly, all sounds from the world were blocked out, and he could feel the passage of time slowly on his skin. It was as if the space had been cut off, and he was cut off from his surroundings. Subaru even had the illusion that there were only two of them left in the world: him and the shopkeeper.
and--,
"Do you remember me--?"
The question that came from trembling lips was filled with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.
The shop owner was surprised by Subaru's words, and narrowed his eyes as he stared at him as if searching for a memory. Subaru felt as if he was being sucked into those deep, dark brown eyes, and waited in silence for what he would say.
Subaru stood stiff, and Emilia, holding his hand, could sense the tension as she too held her breath and watched the pair's movements.
And then, the shopkeeper slowly opened his lips, and spoke the words――,
"No, I don't know. Who are you?"
Subaru had been easily forgotten.
※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※※ ※
The reason why Subaru was walking with Emilia through the royal capital was simply to keep the promise he had made.
When they had first arrived in the royal capital and tried to explain their purpose and go out, everyone who was accompanying them had stopped them, but Subaru was adamant and would not budge, so they eventually gave in.
Having received permission through all this, Subaru was in high spirits, ready to dash off, but the promise he had made on the dragon carriage (which Subaru had no memory of due to the nausea) became a hindrance, and he was forbidden from acting independently.
As a result, he took Emilia with him―― Or rather, he was taken by Emilia, feeling awkward and tormented by the tension that felt like his heart would explode, and so the promise fulfillment event was carried out.
Despite all that worry and anxiety, Subaru now had his arms crossed and was sulking, as the flag for a touching reunion was unexpectedly dashed.
"I was so determined to keep this promise, and yet this is how I'm treated! I absolutely demand that my treatment be improved!"
"Even if you say that, big brother."
Seeing Subaru puff out his cheeks in exasperation, the shopkeeper gave a bitter smile. He looked at Subaru with an annoyed look on his face and said,
"You only spoke briefly about it two weeks ago, right? I have a vague feeling that something like that happened..."
Tracing his scar with his finger, the shopkeeper closes his eyes as if searching for memories. The fact that he is making an effort to remember shows just how kind the shopkeeper is, but Subaru is too shocked to notice this.
In place of Subaru, who was in such a self-centered state, it was Emilia, who was beside him, who spoke to the shop owner, saying, "Don't push yourself too hard."
The shopkeeper opened his eyes, and Emilia straightened up in front of him. Her eyebrows furrowed as she lowered her voice.
"I'm sorry that my child asked me to do something unreasonable. I never expected it to be such a one-sided verbal promise..."
"Hey hey, Emilia-tan, that's just an excuse. It's a promise that a man once made to another man. No matter what the conditions were when it was made, if he doesn't do everything he can to keep it, he'll become a failure as a man… That's right, it's the Stalingrad of manliness!"
Subaru seizes the opportunity to attack while his opponent is submissive. However, Emilia silences him with a glare, then pouts her lips in anger,
"Don't be so arrogant, Subaru. How many people do you think the shopkeeper deals with in a day? This is the royal capital, not a shop in a village near the mansion, you know?"
"Hey, hey, don't show off, old man. There's no way a store with a scary-looking owner can do business... Ouch, ouch, I'm sorry!"
Emilia finally punishes Subaru for his rude remark. After having his ear pinched, Subaru immediately declares that he's giving up. The shopkeeper seems impressed and sighs,
"Such a rude brat, big brother... Ah, I remember now!"
Then, all of a sudden, he understood and clapped his hands, pointed in my direction,
"What a penniless boy! He went home without even buying anything, how ungrateful!"
"Then I promised you I'd buy you a lingam next time, right? Did you? Did you?"
Happy to be remembered, Subaru jumps up and takes Emilia's hand, who is pinching her ear, and they dance on the spot. Emilia is unfamiliar with the steps, but as Subaru approaches her, the shopkeeper smiles and says, "That's right, that's right,"
"I see, that's a very loyal request. So that's why you took the trouble to come and buy one for me. Well, I appreciate your kindness, so I'll give you a bonus. Instead of two copper coins for one linga, how about thirty-eight copper coins for twenty lingas?"
"Oh my, what a bargain! So, if I buy two hundred, that'll be three hundred and eighty copper coins? That's awesome, Emilia-tan!"
"That means I've been forced to buy twenty of them. Also, it's embarrassing not to let me dance in front of other people."
Subaru gets carried away with the store owner's sales pitch, but Emilia calmly knocks him down and stops the dance by undoing Subaru's hand. However, she quickly changes her mind and joins his hand again, showing her honest personality.
"Well, that being said, I'll buy the linga. I've been looking forward to it... but I've already had it a few times before!"
After all, every time during the previous loop, I ended up meeting Linga at the first breakfast table. There was no way to avoid it.
By the way, lingam, which looks just like an apple, can be said to taste just like an apple. The only difference is the name.
Subaru's thoughts aside, the shopkeeper carried out a wooden box full of lingams, spread out the bag, and was ready to go. It seemed that he had set aside his emotions and shifted his focus to the merchant's, who was content as long as his goods sold. That was a little sad in itself, but
"So, how many will you end up buying?"
"Let's go big and get ten. You'll have to pay for the excess over what we promised."
"Thank you so much," the store owner said, laughing at Subaru's generosity, and began bagging the red fruits.
Subaru thought he should also prepare to pay the fee. When he turned to Emilia, wanting her to let go of his hand for the time being, despite his reluctance (he had gotten used to holding hands), he suddenly noticed her searching through her pockets.
"What are you trying to get out of your wallet, Emilia-tan?"
Emilia, who had taken a leather bag out of her clothes and was examining its contents, tilted her head in confusion at what Subaru had said,
"Why?... You can't pay the price unless you give me money."
Subaru: "No, isn't it weird that Emilia-tan is trying to pay? It's my purchase, so of course I should pay… Hey, Scarface, what's with that look in your eyes?"
While he was protesting to Emilia, who for some reason was trying to go ahead and pay in his place, he noticed the shopkeeper looking at Subaru with blank eyes.
He started by scratching his head and saying "No," then slowly shook his head.
"I'm sure I told you to come and buy it when you have the money... but bringing a rich girl over and making her pay for it is not something I'm happy about."
"Did you see that lovers' quarrel just now? I was insisting that I'd pay! I was!"
"Even though he said that, he didn't even show any sign of taking out his wallet. It's like he's just pretending to pay in front of the woman."
"I was just late, but that's such a malicious interpretation! I'm not a mean person like Sweets who thinks it's natural for others to treat me like that!"
While shouting his prejudiced opinion, Subaru quickly took out his wallet.
Wages――Although the actual payment was not scheduled to be made until a later date, it was an allowance that Roswaal had given to Subaru as an advance payment on their journey to the royal capital. There was a fair amount inside, and Subaru was shocked at how high the salaries of servants at a noble's mansion were.
However, in reality, that amount also included Subaru's reward for solving the incident in the Forest of Magical Beasts, and for Roswaal it was merely a small portion of the reward.
Although it was impossible to verify the figures in an other world where there was no system for saving savings, Subaru had actually secretly become somewhat wealthy.
However, this was done without the person in question being informed.
"If one linga costs two copper coins... would it be okay to have ten for two silver coins?"
"Hey, don't you know the current currency exchange rate? One silver coin is worth nine copper coins now."
"So that means two silver coins and two copper coins. Here you go."
Subaru quickly took out some coins from his leather pouch and handed them to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper remained silent in response, and Subaru tilted his head in confusion at his reaction.
"Where are you?"
"I know I should say it, but you should be a bit more suspicious of others, bro. The fluctuations in the currency exchange rate are posted on a sign at the entrance to the market. You come here without even reading that... you'll get taken advantage of by unscrupulous merchants."
The shopkeeper's advice was more risky than honest. Subaru nodded in understanding after hearing it.
Certainly, he would have trusted her and paid the money without hesitation. In the original world, where trust was established in buying and selling, perhaps he was relying too much on that as a standard.
In the case of the village near the mansion, the idea of deceiving someone would probably never even occur to them, due to the closed nature of human relationships, but this was the royal capital after all. It was the largest city in the country. It wasn't surprising at all that there were people with such malicious intent.
In other words,
"Oh man, you're such a nice guy."
Laughing merrily, Subaru expresses his liking for Scarface's personality.
"Stop it," he said, waving his hands wildly.
"It was just a coincidence. It's a bad dream to have a customer who came to keep a promise that they didn't even know they made on purpose, end up being left destitute and fooled around somewhere after shopping at our place. Do you understand?"
"Who benefits from a man being a tsundere? I get it."
"Take this quickly! I'll pay you as always!"
The first half is violent, but the second half has a customer-is-god mentality.
Laughing in good spirits at the polar opposite reactions, Subaru picked up the bag of linga he was handed and led Emilia by the hand as they left the front of the store.
I think I've stayed too long. Any more would be disruptive to business.
"Thank you, uncle. Let's meet again if we're lucky."
"You're welcome to shop again next time. Just be cautious and live your life to the fullest."
He makes a perfunctory wave of his hand to shoo them away.
As you move further away, the crowds of people gradually block your view, and you can no longer see the friendly shop owner.
After witnessing this, Subaru picked up the bag and turned to look at Emilia, who had been silent the whole time,
"Hey, Emilia-tan, where are you?"
"――――"
Subaru: "Are you mad because I didn't make you pay that much? No, but, it's not right to make someone pay for that place. That's such a freeloader…wait a second? But isn't it nice that we buy each other presents with our own money? Damn! I should have asked Emilia-tan to buy Ringa and I should have bought her something stylish!"
He was racking his brains, unable to think of anything but ideas like rings and bouquets of flowers, which were just like playing a bishoujo game. Emilia shook her head and said, "No," to Subaru.
"Subaru, you're really fast at calculations."
"fart?"
"That scary face... oh, sorry. When the shopkeeper talked about money, you did a quick calculation. I could tell, but you were doing it really fast."
Subaru: "The fact that you said what you really think just now shows how shaken up you are, Emilia-tan. But I see… I was surprised you were so quick at mental arithmetic."
It's not that Subaru is unexpectedly thought of as stupid.
This is also purely a story about the difference in educational standards between modern Japan and the other world. I've heard that in the original world, people in Japan are good at mental arithmetic, so this can also be said to be a difference in upbringing.
Understanding this, Subaru nodded repeatedly in agreement, and then,
"Hehehe, Emilia-chan's heart skipped a beat just from seeing how intelligent I am. After all, no matter the era, a man needs to have both wisdom and courage. Wow, this is my own version of another world cheat, isn't it!?"
Even though he understands these circumstances, Natsuki Subaru still lacks the humility to avoid becoming arrogant.
Proudly speaking of the reality that ALL cannot be considered his own achievement, Subaru's rapid advance through the other world now begins.
"The opening of a mathematical fantasy set in another world where people fight using abacus. Hearing that the value of money seems to fluctuate all the time is really tiresome! It's heartbreaking!"
And then the series was canceled. Subaru doesn't have the knowledge to make his own abacus in a world without one. He doesn't have the communication skills to popularize it, and he's more of a humanities type anyway.
"I haven't even started to climb yet. This long, long abacus hill!"
"...Subaru really is a kid who it's hard to tell whether he's amazing or not."
As Subaru brought the curtain down on his grand story just as quickly as it began, Emilia sighed, putting her hand to her forehead in exhaustion.
Then, as if to regain his composure, he shook his head and prefaced it with, "Well then,"
"I've kept my promise, so my next goal is..."
"Ah, the stolen goods storehouse."
Remembering the events of the slums - the first day he'd been summoned to another world, Subaru turned his gaze in that direction, and grabbed the warmth in her hand to grab her attention.
"Even so, is it really alright for Emilia-tan to accompany me that far? To be honest, the security situation is so bad that thugs are roaming around like that. The Royal Selection participants need to be really careful…"
"If you start saying that, you'll never feel at ease no matter where you go."
Emilia gave a wry smile at Subaru's question, which was a bit late now, then lightly picked up the edge of the white hood that covered her silver hair with her fingers,
"Because it has the effect of inhibiting recognition, most people won't know my origins. It's not like it was handcrafted by the head royal court magician for nothing. This is pretty incredible."
"Oh, it was handmade by Rozu-chan... Hearing that makes it seem less appreciated."
"Hey, you shouldn't say things like that. I'm telling you."
Unable to hide the fact that she secretly agreed, Emilia stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Subaru was taken by surprise and hurt by the sudden display of cuteness, and flinched as his heart throbbed as if it had exploded once.
"Oh come on, E.M. "ＦEmilia-tan Magic Fairy
"Yes, yes, you're saying something I don't understand again. I understand that you're not happy that I'm your companion and not the person you want to be with."
Emilia said this while laughing helplessly, brushing off Subaru's praise.
Seeing that helpless smile, Subaru shook his head and said, "Hey, hey."
"There you go again. I've been telling you over and over again that I want to go on a date with you, Emilia-tan. I wonder if you'll understand."
"I don't think it'll work out as long as you keep talking about your important feelings so casually. You have to have the right attitude and choose the right words when dealing with the right people. Promise me?"
Having determined that our intentions were a complete false pretense, Emilia quickly ended the conversation.
Once that complete wall had been erected, Subaru couldn't go any further. After all, if he tried to show his feelings any more - that would mean he would have no choice but to honestly express his feelings.
"There's no way someone could do something so high-level without any preparation or chance of success, just momentum..."
Natsuki Subaru's style was not to take on challenges he couldn't win.
Making excuses like this to himself, Subaru had quietly escaped from facing Emilia here. Facing a wall, he neither went around it nor broke through it, but retreated - and that had become Subaru's attitude towards the wall that now lay between him and Emilia.
"Well then, I'll head to the stolen goods storehouse...huh?"
Subaru cleared his throat to regain his composure, and once again set his destination, his lips curled. In response, Emilia looked at him with a questioning look, "What?", to which Subaru replied,
"No, I was counting the lingas in the bag... there are eleven of them."
There were eleven in total, all large and round, ripe and bright red fruits.
The store owner was the one who packed the bags, so it would be highly unlikely for a businessman to have mistakenly counted and thrown them in.
"That guy is really a nice guy."
Thinking of the tough-looking Scarface, Subaru laughed as he said this while straightening the angle of the tilted bag.
I feel like the vague feeling that had just begun to sprout has just cleared up.
--After all, fulfilling the promise was the right and best choice