Chapter 115: Thank You, Subaru. Thank You for Saving Me
[ Subaru closed his eyes. Before all sound vanished into the void—
"…Subaru!" Emilia's voice reached him. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Thank goodness it was a successful loop. If it wasn't, this would have been genuinely concerning,"
Otto remarked.
"Whatever the case, he defeated the White Whale and 'Sloth.' The Boss is seriously strong."
"I suppose I shall praise you, just a little."
Garfiel and Beatrice chimed in.
"I'd say that's a bit more than just 'acceptable,' wouldn't you?"
"Sister! That goes far beyond merely 'acceptable'!"
"Yes, it was truly magnificent,"
Emilia added.
"You lot are starting to sound like a harem cheerleading squad over there,"
Al muttered under his breath.
"Ah, but wait… why has it returned to that place again?"
Otto asked.
—
[ On the screen, it appeared Subaru had once again been transported to that garden of shadows.
And then—
"…I love you." A voice called out.
It was a voice identical to Emilia's, yet the aura it carried was fundamentally alien.
Naturally, it was the Witch of Envy, Satella.
"…I love you." The whispers of love resonated once more.
A mass of dense fog coalesced into a humanoid silhouette, one that seemed to press itself intimately against Subaru. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"The image is distorting slightly…"
Felix murmured, his voice dropping low.
"That voice… it feels as though it could pierce through one's very heart. The Witch of Envy is seducing Subaru,"
Yuriusu analyzed.
"I share that sentiment,"
Wilhelm affirmed.
"Seducing…? Subaru-kun, do not lose to that woman,"
Rem urged.
—
[ Do not be seduced. Do not yield. But it seemed as though Subaru's defenses were gradually being breached—
"…Subaru." Another voice emerged, identical in timbre. It was Emilia.
In that instant, the warping image began to stabilize.
"…I love you."
"…Subaru."
"…I love you. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."
"…Please, Subaru."
Just a split second before the scene calmed completely—
"…Next time, I will definitely come for you." It was Subaru's voice.
He seemed to be addressing that shadowy silhouette.
"…I'll be waiting." Leaving behind those words, the black shadow vanished into nothingness. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Oho? So this is the so-called Power of Love? The Call of Love, perhaps?"
Felix teased, grinning at Emilia.
"When you put it that way, it feels incredibly embarrassing,"
Emilia responded, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"It was Emilia-sama's call that roused Subaru. You may take pride in that, Emilia-sama,"
Yuriusu said.
"Whoa, the screen is lighting up!"
Mimi shouted, pointing repeatedly at the display.
—
[ "Isn't your face a little too close?"
"Wah—ah, Subaru, you're awake! Thank goodness… oh, thank goodness."
As the screen brightened, it revealed Emilia's face in extreme close-up.
"Here I am lying down, with Emilia-tan at point-blank range. Speaking of which, this heavenly sensation my head is resting upon is…"
"You don't need to confirm it in such a weird way. It's a lap pillow, okay? How was your sleep?"
Subaru was resting his head on Emilia's thighs. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Oh my, returned to Utopia, have we?"
Anastasia commented.
"With the incident finally drawing to a close, this is indeed the supreme method of recuperation for Subaru."
Yuriusu noted.
If Emilia saving Subaru in the first loop was the catalyst for his affection, then the lap pillow during the mansion loop was the moment that affection transmuted into love.
From that perspective, this was indeed supreme.
—
[ "By the way, how long was I out?"
"About two or three hours, I think? Luckily, we had the conversation mirrors, so we've already regrouped with Ferris and the others. The injured are safe, too. Don't worry—it's all thanks to your hard work, Subaru. Really… thank you."
"Is that so… I finally made it back, huh. It feels like I had a really long dream… a nightmare… no, that's wrong."
"Was it a sweet dream?" Emilia tilted her head inquisitively.
"…It was a beautiful reality. Um, also… that day, you asked me 'Why,' didn't you? You asked why I helped you, why I put in so much effort… You asked what the reason was, right?"
"Mhm, I did ask. And then Subaru answered that it was because I had saved you… But I haven't saved you, not at all. It's always Subaru saving me, while I can't do anything for you. Even so, Subaru said it was for my sake, and got hurt that badly…" ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Come to think of it, doesn't this situation sort of resemble…"
"The Witch of Envy and Natsuki-san. Correct?"
Otto finished Anastasia's thought.
Presumably, Subaru doesn't understand why the Witch of Envy acts the way she does, either.
Emilia doesn't understand Subaru; Subaru doesn't understand the Witch of Envy.
"Oi, don't lump 'em together. At least the Boss explains that it's 'cuz he likes her. But that damn Riddler Witch just spends all day chanting 'I love you, I love you.' Why the hell does she 'love' him? What actually happened?"
Garfiel argued.
Everyone else wore expressions that said, Fair point.
—
[ "That was just me thinking only about myself. I admit it. I kept saying it was for your sake, but really, I was just intoxicated by the idea of 'myself working hard for you.' I unilaterally decided that if I acted with that kind of drunken devotion, you would just accept those feelings. I'm sorry. I used you to satisfy my own ego. Everything you said back then was right. I was wrong… No, actually, there was one thing I wasn't wrong about—I wanted to save you. I wanted to be your strength. That was sincere. That was the truth, no lies."
"…Mhm. I know." Emilia nodded.
At this point, who could possibly question Subaru's heart?
Then, Emilia blinked once, fixing her gaze on Subaru. "…Why does Subaru want to save me?"
"…Because I like you, Emilia. I want to be your strength." Hearing the confession once more, Emilia pressed her lips together tightly, falling silent as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I… I am… a Half-Elf."
"I know."
"Because of my silver hair… because I'm a Half-Elf… because I look like the Witch… I can't help being hated by so many people. I'm treated as taboo. Really, truly… they despise me."
"I know. Bunch of blind idiots, the lot of them."
"I have very little experience interacting with people, so I don't even have any friends. I have no common sense, I don't know how the world works, so I always say weird things… And I use my contract with Puck to change my hairstyle almost every day… and my reasons for wanting to be King are the same… I am very, very selfish…"
Subaru smiled and shook his head.
"No matter what anyone says about you, Emilia, and no matter how you see yourself, I like you. I love you. I love you super-duper much. I want to stay by your side forever. I want to hold your hand forever. If you list ten things you hate about yourself, I'll list two thousand things I love about you." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Whoa, I can't deny it's moving, but doesn't that sound a little familiar? The whole listing good points and bad points thing,"
Otto observed.
It seemed similar to what Rem had said to Subaru during her pivotal pep talk.
Good grief, he stole that line from there.
"Regardless, the situations are indeed parallel. Rem and Subaru; Subaru and Emilia,"
Anastasia remarked.
—
[ "Just like that, I want to give you 'special treatment' in my own way."
"…To feel happy about being treated specially… this is the first time in my life I've felt this. I'm so happy. Really, so happy. Because I never thought the day would come when someone would say they liked me. Is it really okay? For me… for someone like me…"
"Just take it slow, Emilia. Slowly, step by step. It's okay if you fall for me just a little at a time. I'll walk right beside you, and I'll keep working hard to make you head over heels for me."
Emilia let out a small sob, her face turning crimson. She lowered her head, clutching her chest, and then looked back at Subaru—
"…Thank you, Subaru. Thank you for saving me."
Similar to the words spoken back then.
As if bringing the narrative full circle, this segment—this beautiful reality that felt like a dream—came to a close. ]
.....