The silver-haired girl could only stare in shock at Kaeya's pointed ears.
Even Puck, who had been lazily floating, suddenly froze mid-air.
"Huh?" The girl blinked rapidly, as if she had seen something impossible. "You... you're an half elf?"
Kaeya opened his mouth to respond, then paused.
Right. That's not normal here, is it? Elves are supposed to be extinct after all. I probably shouldn't draw more attention.
"…I guess," he muttered, almost as an afterthought.
The girl hesitated. "But… you're really a half-elf?"
"Yes."
There was a beat of silence. Emilia looked unsure, as if trying to read his expression.
Puck, who'd been staring quietly, finally spoke. "That was… a pretty bland reaction, huh?"
"I don't see how that's relevant."
"Fair," Puck shrugged. "Well, I'm Puck. Nice to meet you."
Kaeya gave a small nod. "I'm Kaeya. Nice to meet you too, Puck."
The tension dipped slightly, though Kaeya still stood stiffly.
"So... you really don't care that I'm a half-elf?" she asked, her voice quieter than before.
"Should I?"
She blinked, taken aback.
"I am sorry but, It doesn't matter to me much."
Emilia opened her mouth but didn't respond right away. The honesty — or apathy — in his answer seemed to throw her off more than hostility would have.
Puck floated closer. "Do you know anything about the Elior Forest?"
"Not really."
He rubbed the back of his neck slightly — the closest he came to showing discomfort, And then he continued.
"I don't remember most things before waking up here."
Puck studied him for a few seconds, silently. "Memory loss, huh? That's rough. For your information, all the elves in Elior Forest are frozen. Lia was the only one left... or so we thought, until we found you."
Frozen? What the hell does that mean? Are they in some kind of stasis?
Still, he didn't let any of it show.
"…I see."
He looked over at the girl.
"Nice to meet you… Lia."
Emilia blinked again. "O-oh. Lia is just a nickname Puck gave me. My real name is… Emilia."
She offered a small, hopeful smile.
Kaeya gave a shallow nod in return.
.
.
.
To Subaru, the feeling of waking up was rather similar to the sensation of raising his head out of water. Rays of sunshine assailed his pupils the moment his eyelids parted, causing him to grimace as he rubbed his eyes. He was rather good at waking up, once his eyes opened his consciousness would soon follow.
"Ah, you're awake?"
A voice came from directly overhead. As Subaru turned toward it, still lying on the ground, he realized his head was resting on something soft.
"Don't try to move just yet. Your head was hurt, so it's not safe."
The voice worrying about him was gentle, and the sensation under his head was one of supreme bliss. Subaru thought back to what had happened before he lost consciousness and concluded that he was currently experiencing one of the greatest boons a man could receive.
―Holy crap, that beauty's giving me a lap pillow?!
Taking advantage of this divine blessing, Subaru started to toss and turn, enjoying the feel of her thighs to his heart's content.
His circular motions brought delightful sensations to his cheeks, his face wrapped in a fluffy―
―Man, pretty girls are a lot hairier than I thought.
"Like hell―!"
"Glad to see you're up."
Subaru played the straight man as he looked up, now fully lucid, he could properly see what was before him. In his inverted line of sight was the face of an absurdly huge cat. Its expression was excessively ingratiating as it formed what seemed to be a smile.
"I decided to be considerate and offer you some comfort until you woke up."
"First of all, quit doing that terrible falsetto."
Having ended up up in the absurd situation of receiving a lap pillow from a human-sized cat, that was Subaru's only request. He then went back to enjoying the furry sensation since it was so generously provided.
"Fluffy... So fluffy. Just what in the world have you gone and created, God?"
"Oh dear, it seems it was well worth it for me to change size if it brings you that much joy. Right?"
The giant cat shyly scratched its head and winked as if seeking agreement. In the direction of its gaze, at the entrance to the alley, a girl stood with her arms crossed in displeasure. She was the girl who had been burned into his eyes and memory before he lost consciousness.
"So basically, you're that tiny kitty from before?"
"Fufufu, its freely changing size makes it great for transport. It also brightens your day with humorous chitchat. A cat for everyone, goes great with your lifestyle! For more details please contact the spirit association."
It nimbly snapped its fingers and started a sales pitch. The contents weren't really relevant, but Subaru understood that was probably how it acted.
"So, you stayed until I woke up... Wait! Where's the guy who saved me from those thugs!?"
"Don't get the wrong idea," the girl huffed. "I had some questions for you, so I had to stay. If it weren't for that, I would've just left you here. Definitely. Just so we're clear on that."
Then, after a short pause, she added, "And the boy who saved you already left."
After his conversation with Emilia, Kaeya had crouched beside the unconscious boy, debating whether to heal him. It was a minor injury. Nothing life-threatening. Still, leaving someone half-conscious in an alley wasn't exactly ideal.
But before he could act, Emilia had stepped forward.
"I can take care of it," she said, kneeling beside the boy. A soft, faint glow emanated from her fingertips as she prepared to use healing magic.
If she was willing to go out of her way for a stranger, why not let her?
"Suit yourself," Kaeya said, pulling his hood back over his head.
Emilia's gaze flickered toward him for a brief moment. "You're just leaving?"
"Yes."
A slight frown crossed her face, but she didn't say anything else.
And just like that, he disappeared into the streets.
.
.
Kaeya stood in the middle of what used to be a clearing in a forest—though, at this point, it barely resembled one. The ground was torn apart, massive walls and spikes of earth jutting out chaotically. Some areas were scorched black, with trees reduced to charred husks, while others were frozen over, sharp ice formations protruding from their trunks.
His breath was slightly ragged after three hours of continuous magic training.
He had tested every element, casting their most basic spells one by one. Fire, water, wind, earth—each one was performed flawlessly. And that included shadow and light magic as well. That much wasn't surprising. The previous owner of this body had been a master of magic.
Physical training, however, was something he had completely ignored until now. Although, Even without testing his limits, he could tell his body was far from normal. The memories he had seen only confirmed that.
The former owner of this body had been a monster.
Kaeya flexed his fingers, recalling a particular memory.
The Sword Saint—someone who could automatically master any weapon the moment they laid hands on it.
And yet...
The one who originally owned this body had fought the Sword Saint of their time.
No—more than that. They had overpowered her.
Kaeya exhaled, forcing his mind to focus. Right now, he had training to—
Everything changed.
The devastated clearing vanished in an instant, replaced by the lively hum of a bustling street.
In his hand, he held a cheese hand pie—one bite left.
Kaeya froze. The last thing he remembered was standing in the ruined forest, preparing for another round of training. And now—
...What?
He looked down, inspecting the flaky crust, the melted cheese still clinging to the inside.
This... is from earlier today.
He blinked slowly, his brain catching up.
No... this isn't right. I was in the forest. Training. I didn't come back. I didn't leave.
His eyes narrowed. The cheese hand pie warmed his palm, as real as it had been the first time. He could still taste the remnants in his mouth.
Since Kaeya wasn't fucking retarded, the conclusion was obvious.
A time loop.
Is this an ability I have? He frowned. But if that's the case... what activated it?
His mind replayed the events leading up to this moment. Training. Testing magic. And then—
Nothing. No warning. No signs. Just an instant shift.
Tch. There's no proof yet, so jumping to conclusions won't help.
Still, whether this was a skill, a curse, or something else entirely, he needed to understand it.
Kaeya finished the last bite of his hand pie and started walking.
If this really was the past—or some version of it—then retracing his steps might offer some clue.
.
.
"Don't get cocky, bastard!"
Kaeya followed the same path as before, though this time, he avoided the rooftops. As he walked through the busy streets, the sound of shouting from a nearby alley caught his attention.
He recognized those voices.
This must be that guy who was getting beaten up last time.
Curious, he stepped closer and peeked into the alleyway.
There, just like before, was the same boy in a tracksuit. But this time, something was different. Instead of cowering, the boy was actually fighting back, facing off against the biggest thug.
Kaeya's eyes narrowed.
So he's fighting back now. This didn't happen last time. Either I affected something by intervening, which is hard to believe... or this boy remembers the loop too.
While he was contemplating, the fight ended. The boy knocked the last thug to the ground, panting slightly but standing victorious. As he turned to leave the alley, he almost crashed straight into Kaeya.
"Whoa—!" The boy jumped back. His wide eyes locked onto Kaeya. "Wait! You're that guy from before—the one who saved me, right?"
Kaeya tilted his head.
So he does remember.
"Thanks for helping me back there," the boy added, grinning.
Kaeya frowned. Wait... he still doesn't realize this is a time loop? How clueless can someone be?
Rather than waste time, he got straight to the point.
"You don't understand what's going on, do you?"
The boy blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"
.
.
Kaeya explained how he was going through his day just like any other, when he suddenly found himself in the same place as earlier in the afternoon.
Subaru listened with increasing bewilderment. "Huh? Wait, if this is a time loop, then why do only you and I remember it?"
"I don't know. But, a more important question is—why did the loop happen in the first place? I think it might be connected to you. What's the last thing you remember before all of this?"
The raven haired boy thought for a moment and then spoke up,
"Wait... I was—killed? Holy crap, I remember now! Satella and I went to a loot house to get her stolen insignia. I went in first, and then—someone sliced my stomach open! That person even got Satella, and there were two other bodies there too!"
Could his death be the trigger? Like in those games where you die and restart? Wait—
"Satella, you said?" Kaeya looked at Subaru carefully. "That's the name of The Witch of Envy—she supposedly swallowed half the world in the past."
Subaru blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I meant Satella—the silver-haired half-elf who healed me last time!"
"Oh, that girl. Well, She told me her name was Emilia." Kaeya said.
"What? But why would she introduce herself as Satella?!"
"Maybe she gave a fake name to both of us. Because i don't think anyone would name their child after that witch."
"But... why would she do that?"
Kaeya shrugged. "I dont know."
For now, he had more pressing concerns.
"I think this time loop might be triggered by your death," Kaeya said bluntly. "But that's just speculation for now."
Subaru groaned.
"Speaking of which, I didn't even get your name."
"Oh yeah!" Subaru perked up. "I'm Natsuki Subaru! Nice to meetcha!"
A Japanese name... so he's from Japan too.
Kaeya could have revealed that he was the same, but he chose not to.
Instead, he replied. "Kaeya. Just Kaeya. Nice to meet you too."
Now that the situation was clearer, he turned to Subaru. "So, what are you going to do about this?"
Subaru clenched his fists. "I can't just leave her! I have to help her, no matter what!"
Kaeya sighed. "Well then, I guess I'll help you out too."
Subaru's face lit up. "Wait, really? Thanks!"
"No big deal."
Subaru pumped his fists. "Alright! Follow me!"