Kenichi looked shocked.
Kenichi: [You... really managed it? In just 28 days?]
Kenichi sat back in his seat in astonishment.
Kenichi: (My son... he's just amazing! How the heck is someone able to take down an organisation that's been running for more than 400 years in just a few years? On top of that, he managed to deal the killing blow in just 28 days? Seriously?)
Kenichi smiled. He was overflowing with pride.
Naoko: (Subaru... you...)
Rem: [Subaru-kun. It's time you rest.]
Subaru: [I'm alright. I...]
Rem: [No. Go to sleep now. You've been working far too hard.]
Subaru sighed as Rem smiled at him. Subaru left for the bedroom to get some rest.
Rem: [I really got to see it. I got to see you become the greatest hero my world had ever seen.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Over the last month, Naoko had watched as Rem treated Subaru with love and care. Always making sure he rested and listening to all his frustrations, no matter how petty or small people might call them. She knew her son had flaws that created problems for him, and yet Rem loved him all the same.
Naoko: (She... I can't forgive this girl, but... I can't deny that she loves him. She... might love him as much as Emilia.)
Naoko bit her lip. Eventually, Rem was cooking when Naoko walked over to her, and Rem flinched slightly.
Naoko: [I don't forgive you. But... you're cutting that wrong.]
Naoko started showing her how to cut it.
Rem: [Um... thank you.]
Naoko: [I really don't understand you.]
Rem: [Rem doesn't expect you to. It must be very confusing after all. All my life, all I cared about was my older sister. As long as she was safe, nothing else mattered but... because of that, I've hurt someone that I fell in love with. I can see now how foolish and reckless I was.]
Rem started cutting them as Naoko helped her.
Naoko: [Protecting your sister...]
Rem: [My jealousy of her was such an ugly thing. I even smiled when she lost her horn. I wanted to atone for it. I hated myself so much.]
Naoko: (Jealousy into self-hatred. That caused her to make mistakes. I think I understand her a bit better now.)
Naoko: [Is that an excuse?]
Rem: [No. What I did was wrong, and I know it. I wouldn't want anyone to defend me either. Not my Sister. Not Subaru-kun. No one.]
Naoko: [I... see.]
Rem: [Naoko-san. I don't want to make the same mistakes again. I don't want to be frozen as the same person I was back then. From now on, I'll protect the people I love properly and just like Subaru-kun taught me, I won't try to do it by myself.]
Naoko: [...]
Naoko looked Rem in the eyes.
Naoko: (She's serious.)
Naoko: [I'll hold you to that. Now wash the vegetables.]
Naoko and Rem didn't meet eyes again, just focusing on making dinner.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Emilia met with her friends. It was clear that she felt very nervous going into this conversation.
Yuki: [What?!! You're going... back there?]
Emilia: [I'll be heading home for 6 years. I promise I'll be back after that.]
Yuki: [But I'm going to miss you, Emi.]
Emilia: [I'm going to miss you as well, but... I miss my friends over there as well.]
Haruna: [But...]
Emilia: [I still... have to unthaw my people. They've been waiting for so long. I still have to apologise to them.]
Yuki sighed sadly.
Yuki: [You were just a kid. It really wasn't your fault.]
Emilia smiled.
Emilia: [I know, but... I wouldn't be satisfied if I didn't hear them forgive me. After that, I know I'll be able to forgive myself.]
Ayame sighed.
Ayame: [You've really made up your mind, huh?]
Haruna: [But I don't want you to...]
Yuki: [Don't get clingy again, Haruna.]
Yuki made a serious face.
Yuki: [Emi. If this is really what you want, then...]
Emilia nodded.
Emilia: [I'm reaaally sorry. Even though I'm hesitant, I can't deny it. I want to be the one to thaw them.]
Yuki sighed.
Yuki: [Six years...]
Emilia genuinely felt horrible about this.
Emilia: (What if they hate me for this? They approached me first and became my friends, not because I was a Royal Candidate, but because I was Emilia... I don't want to lose them... I'm... scared...)
Emilia sweated as she took some deep breaths.
Yuki: [We'll... be waiting.]
Emilia felt some tears well up in her eyes.
Emilia: [You... don't hate me for leaving?]
Yuki: [Are you seriously thinking we would hate you for that? You're such a dunderhead, Emi-chan.]
Yuki smirked a little as Emilia wiped away at her eyes and Haruna patted her head.
Haruna: [There there. We're always going to be your friends.]
Haruna seemed happy to be able to give Emilia headpats.
Yuki: (She's really milking this for physical contact, isn't she?)
Yuki joined in.
Yuki: (Well, I don't blame her for it. Not this time at least.
Ayame sighed.
Ayame: [Even if I'm going to miss you, I understand why you're going. I can respect your sense of responsibility for your people. You should be proud.]
Ayame smiled softly as Emilia smiled nervously.
Emilia: [I feel more nervous than proud.]
Yuki: [You make it seem like everything is resolved, but... there's more, isn't there?]
Emilia: [Um... Yes.. there's more.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Subaru sat with Katsuki.
Katsuki: [You told me about this Isekai stuff, but ... you're going back?]
Subaru nodded.
Subaru: [Yeah.]
Katsuki: [I couldn't believe it when you told me, but... You got friends over there that helped you through some serious shit, so I get it.]
Then Katsuki showed an annoyed expression.
Katsuki: [What's really got me pissed off is that you have another girl now? A Demon Maid on top of a Half Elf and two daughters?! Are you serious?]
Subaru laughed awkwardly.
Subaru: [Um, yeah...]
Katsuki sighed.
Katsuki: (How the hell does this guy have so much rizz?)
Katsuki: [Is Emilia okay with this?]
Subaru: [Of course she isn't.]
Katsuki: [Then what the heck are you doing?]
Subaru: [I'll figure something out.]
Subaru felt that it was a half-assed response, but everything had been happening so suddenly. He had been burying his feelings for Rem for the past three years under the assumption that he'd never see her again. Everything had changed not even a month ago. During that entire time, he had been focusing entirely on beating the Cult, so he hadn't had any time to think things through.
Katsuki: [That's not the way you usually talk. What's with the half-assed reply?]
Subaru: [I just haven't had time to think things through.]
Katsuki sighed at this.
Katsuki: [If she divorces you, I'm taking her side.]
Subaru: [Wha... what?!! Don't just say something like...]
Katsuki: [I still want to hear those kids call me Uncle. Hehe.]
Subaru: [... actually, I can respect that reasoning... wait! Emilia and I are not getting divorced!]
Katuski laughed a little.
Katsuki: (You're way too optimistic. I envy you, bro.)
Katsuki: [Well, it's up to you from here for that. I don't really approve, though.]
Subaru: [I'm not trying to half-ass this. I'm going to seriously look through my feelings today.]
Katsuki: [Yeah, alright.]
Subaru: [I'm leaving the company to you, okay? I swear to god if it sinks by the time I get back or you sell, I'm gonna be pissed.]
Katsuki laughed a little.
Katsuki: [You left me with enough designs to last at least a year. I'll spend that year finding someone who can at least keep the company afloat in terms of designing the clothes.]
Subaru smiled.
Subaru: [I'm putting my faith in you, man. I know I can trust you with this.]
Katsuki: [Hey, I'm sure I can handle it for six years. At least I can keep it afloat till you get back.]
They shook hands.
Katsukik: [I'm going to miss you, man.]
Subaru smiled.
Subaru: [I'm going to miss you too, but hey. By the time we get back, Lyra and Fortuna will be old enough to call you Uncle.]
Katsuki: [I'm already awaiting your return.]
Katsuki said this as they both laughed.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Meanwhile, Emilia sat there with Yuki, Ayame and Haruna.
Ayame: [Oh my.]
Haruna: [Huh?]
Yuki crushed the drink she was holding in her hand.
Yuki: [That bastard! What does he think he's doing?]
Yuki gritted her teeth as she thought of Subaru.
Yuki: [Another woman? Is he crazy?]
Yuki stopped cutting her steak, held the knife in her hand, and stood up.
Emilia: [Please sit back down, Yuki.]
Yuki: [I just want to talk to him.]
Emilia: [The way you're holding that knife is making me reaaally worried.]
Yuki: [I just want to talk to him.]
Emilia: [Yuki, please sit back down.]
Emilia walked with her, trying to convince her to sit back down.
Yuki: [I just want to stab him.]
Emilia: [What? You can't stab him!]
Yuki: [I just want to talk to him.]
Eventually, Emilia got Yuki to sit back down.
Yuki: [You can't seriously be okay with this, can you?!!]
Emilia: [To be honest... at first I was alright with it. I cared about Rem as well. She was one of my only friends, and I didn't want her to be sad. But when we got back to Japan, Subaru told me some things. Things she did that he was hiding from me for her sake, and I don't think I'm okay with it anymore.]
Ayame: [Things?]
Emilia: [She did things in the past that... hurt him a lot. He said she did those things before she knew him properly. That she misunderstood him.]
Yuki: [And you're telling me he still wants to include her?]
Emilia nodded.
Yuki: [Sounds like she's got her hooks in him.]
Emilia shook her head.
Emilia: [It's not like that at all. She genuinely loves him. I can tell. But...]
Ayame: [That doesn't mean you'll let her in.]
Haruna: [Obviously! That ungrateful two-timing bastard!]
Emilia: [Subaru isn't like that. He told me about his feelings before we were even in a relationship. That he loved both of us.]
Yuki: (Honestly, he's not a bad guy. He's likely feeling really bad about all of this. Probably hates himself for it. Doesn't justify this, though.)
Yuki thought about it as she made an irritated expression.
Yuki: (What the hell are you doing, Susu?)
AN: Another nickname she came up with. Subaru loses it whenever she calls him this, though, saying, "I'd rather die than be called that."
Ram: Pfft. Susu. I like this girl.
AN: Well, she doesn't like your sister.
Ram: I take back my words. She has no taste.
AN: Okay, bye-bye now.
I send her back into the story.
Yuki: (I'll need to have a talk with him.)
Ayame: [But aren't you unhappy that he wasn't satisfied with you?]
Emilia: [At the beginning, I didn't feel that way. He told me how she helped him in his worst times. If Rem hadn't helped Subaru back then, I wouldn't be alive right now. She had the chance to run away with him. He was in a bad state, so he was clinging to whatever he thought he could save back then. Rem was the one who convinced him to save everyone. She gave up her happiness. I could see why he would love her. I was just convinced I could work hard to make him look my way.]
Ayame: [That's really complicated. She's shown some goodwill, but... isn't this overstepping of sorts? Going after another person's loved one years after the result was settled?]
Emilia: [Deep down, a part of me is angry at myself. He was always getting into danger because of me. Always putting himself in harm's way.]
Yuki: [That Isekai stuff she told us about, right?]
Emilia nodded as Ayame and Haruna seemed to understand.
Emilia: [I didn't understand things back then, so I made mistakes. I treated him badly without realising. When I did that, she was the one who was there to pick up the pieces. The one who held him together and... I can't stand it. I was such a dunderhead back then, and I didn't do things properly.]
Yuki: [So both of you messed up, and the only reason she was able to make up for her mistakes was because of your blunder?]
Yuki: (He's probably one of the strongest guys in our world right now, but Emilia's still way stronger. What the heck kind of ability did Susu get after getting Isekai'd? It's supposed to be like that, right? I've always wondered about that.)
Emilia nods.
Yuki: [Susu probably doesn't mean to hurt you. I'm sure he's actually hated himself once or twice for feeling that way. That's the kind of person he is.]
Haruna: [Yeah, from what I've seen from him, you're right.]
Ayame: [That mistake. You left him at the capital, but it was for his sake. Can you really call that a mistake?]
Emilia: [No. Leaving him there was the right choice, but... the way I went about it was wrong. I couldn't even see how he was turning out at the time. He was becoming obsessed because I never talked to him properly. I know Subaru became even more amazing after that, but... I still regret it a lot.]
Haruna: [Do you actually like her?]
Emilia looked down.
Emilia: [I don't. No matter how much some would justify it to me, I can't forgive her.]
Ayame: [What about Spica. The little girl. She caused your hubby a lot of trouble too didnb't she?]
Emilia: [That's different. She... she was raised wrong and lost her entire identity. Besides, after I found out everything about her, I regretted forgiving her a bit.]
Ayame: [I don't think letting her in is a good idea either, but... You need to understand your own feelings and reasoning. Isn't that something you regretted back then?]
Emilia nodded.
Yuki: (I think it's time Susu and I had a talk.)
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Yuki stood there with an irritated expression as Subaru arrived.
Subaru: [Um... hey.]
Yuki: [Finally. Sit down already. It's time we had a talk.]
Subaru sat as Yuki sat across from him.
Yuki: [Who is Rem?]
Subaru shuddered for a second, suffering from some PTSD.
Subaru: [She's someone precious to me.]
Yuki: [More than Emi?]
Subaru: [No.]
Yuki: [That was... easier than I thought.]
Subaru: [Rem is number two in my heart. I love them both, but I can't deny that I love Emilia more.]
Yuki: [Then isn't the choice obvious?]
Yuki: (Susu is the self-conscious type. I'm sure he knows what he's doing and the consequences.)
Subaru: [It's really not that simple. Back then, I was just a pathetic loser, and Rem still told me that she loved me. I'm sure I felt the same way back then. I know it's selfish, and I know I'm hurting Emilia. Maybe I've been getting too greedy with all the good things that have been happening?]
Subaru said this with a sad expression on his face.
Subaru: [I wanted to believe... no... I tricked myself into thinking that everything would go smoothly.]
Yuki: [Then...]
Subaru: [I'm not going to abandon either of them.]
Yuki's eyes widened.
Yuki: [What? That's way too greedy!]
Subaru: [Being too greedy is the only reason I got this far. Otherwise, I'd have already given up and abandoned someone. I'd hate a version of myself like that.]
Yuki: [But Emi isn't...]
Subaru: [Don't get me wrong. I'm always going to put Emilia-tan first. That's something I intended to keep that way the moment Rem came to our world. No... even before that. I'm going to make them both happy. After everything, I'm going to get our happy ending.]
Yuki: [You're crazy.]
Subaru thought about it for a second.
Subaru: [Kinda, I guess?]
Yuki sighed.
Yuki: [If you make Emilia unhappy, we're going to have issues. You understand what I'm saying?]
Subaru: [I got it.]
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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