Chapter 129: The starlight was once so brilliant, yet I have lost all the stars
"My… voice?"
Emilia reached out to cover her mouth.
Yes, that female voice was Emilia's voice.
"…Ugh…"
Rem went quiet.
It seemed she was waiting for something.
"…Ugh… is it not there…"
There was no doubt what Rem was waiting for.
She was waiting for her own voice.
Seeing that nothing came, Rem lowered her eyes slightly.
—
[ "Did someone just call me?" Subaru asked Kenichi.
"Hmm… You must be hearing things. Anyway, back to the previous question. Do you have someone you like?"
"What's gotten into you lately? Even if I did, if I told you the name, you wouldn't know them, Dad. No need to beat around the bush. Just ask me… ask me why I don't go to school."
"It's rare for me to show concern, you ungrateful son—though I did want to talk about that, so you aren't wrong."
"…I feel sorry for you guys."
"…You don't need to think that way. I have a vague feeling that you have your own ideas, and even if you aren't thinking of anything, I would leave you be to a certain extent. Besides, I don't think school is everything." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Sorry… huh."
Yuriusu said.
"Hmm… Natsuki must be from a noble family, right? At least, not poor. Is Natsuki feeling guilty about not going to school?"
If he had been going to school since he was little, to be able to go until an age like Subaru's, the family at least wouldn't be poor.
Feeling guilty about not going to school… could it be because the lack of knowledge from not attending school makes him unable to properly inherit the family business?
—
[ Then, on the screen, Kenichi drank the black liquid in one gulp and continued:
"As long as a person is alive, they will naturally encounter problems with no answers. In such cases, one finds answers by constantly acting. When you are troubled, I won't say anything, but if you give up, then perhaps I'll have to say something."
"…Why are you suddenly willing to say these things today… It's not a special day today, just Green Bean Day."
…
"Urgh!" Just as the two were talking, the image twisted again, and Subaru groaned in pain.
"Hey, hey, you really seem to be in pain. Are you okay, Subaru?" Kenichi hurriedly supported Subaru's shoulders.
And then—
"It's hard, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
That female voice, Emilia's voice, came again.
And in the image, silver-white light flickered faintly.
That light deeply attracted Subaru.
And then—
"Thank you, Subaru."
"Who are you…"
"Thank you for saving me."
"What's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong, what's wrong, what on earth is wrong?"
"Subaru."
"Who is it, who is it, who is it, who is it, who on earth is it?"
"May the blessings of the spirits be with you."
"Who on earth is it?"
"I actually think Subaru is much more amazing than me."
The screen twisted frantically. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Oh my, this is the power of love, nyaa."
Ferris laughed.
"No, don't say that. It's embarrassing."
Emilia said, blushing. However… I am in Subaru's heart… Thinking this, she smiled sweetly.
"…Ugh…"
Still no Rem…
Even if it's all Emilia-sama, it doesn't matter, as long as there is a moment of Rem's figure…
Rem's eyes lowered even further.
—
[ "Who… exactly… is it…?"
"Why did Subaru save me?"
…
Then, the image stopped twisting.
"I've worried you, I'm sorry. I'm fine now."
Subaru no longer looked in pain and said to Kenichi.
"Is that so? As long as you've calmed down."
"Yeah, sorry. Also, regarding the answer to that question earlier… I have someone I like—so, I'm fine now."
"Is that so…"
"…What was I afraid of? Why did I feel cowering? I've actually known all along. But I pretended not to know… During this time, when I turned a blind eye to my own weakness that only I knew… I hoped Mom and Dad could wake me up."
"…"
"I really hoped you could wake me up, make me realize what a weak and insignificant fool I am, make me realize that I am just a self-righteous piece of trash… I really hoped you could make me give up hope."
"…"
"In the past, whatever I did, I could always finish it beautifully, right? I, on the contrary, thought it was strange that others couldn't do it." Subaru looked up at the sky, and then the scene shifted again.
"As expected of that person's child."
The screen was dim, and a boy… or rather, a little boy was running with other children and finished first.
And then there was studying… and then there were various competitions that only existed in Subaru's world.
Always first.
"As expected of that person's child." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"This is… Subaru's memory?"
Emilia asked.
"Subaru-kun as a child?! So cute!"
Rem was a bit excited.
"This is… Subaru as a child?"
Beatrice's eyes shone.
"Hmm… A child prodigy when he was little."
Anastasia said.
"'As expected of that person's child'… huh. Could it be…"
Yuriusu thought of a possibility.
—
[ "But when exactly did it start… People faster and smarter than me gradually appeared, and from that time on, I couldn't get first place anymore. I started to think this was strange. Then, I started doing stupid things, doing more and more extreme things to maintain first place, until—there was no one left around me." Ending the memory, Subaru felt melancholy. Then he sighed.
"The starlight was once so brilliant, yet I have lost all the stars. Then I entered middle school, high school. The way I treated people before didn't work at all; I was considered someone who couldn't read the room and had a screw loose, although that was true. Then I didn't want to go to school, from skipping class once a week to once every three days, and soon it became once every two days… In less than a month, I stopped going to school entirely."
"I don't love someone like you. I hate someone like you. Someone like you… is not my child at all. I wish you could say that to me, could abandon me. I really wanted you to give up on me." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"…It's not much different from what I thought."
Yuriusu said.
In order to live up to his father's name, he had to be first. This was his honor.
When he couldn't be first in both academics and martial arts, he would start from other areas.
Until everyone distanced themselves from him, and then he fell into self-doubt.
—
[ Just as Subaru was thinking this, a faint blue light shone behind him—
"Giving up is easy—but that's not like Subaru-kun's style." A voice different from Emilia's rang out. ]
.....