Turned to ice and broken in half, that had been the way in which Subaru had died. No gained information nor useful details, the only thing he learned by going through that loop was the knowledge that everyone in the mansion would meet their end soon.
◇
Who had been the one behind Subaru's death? That's what they all were asking themselves. However, no one was able to arrive at a conclusion. The facts were there: a soft, high-pitched voice and ice magic. Emilia was out of the question due to her not disappearing from the room. Other than her, there was no one who matched, or so everyone seemed to believe.
The sole shock from the experience blinded their line of thought. Even the brightest people there weren't able to pinpoint the killer.
But... was it even the moment to worry about the killer?
Though it was present on all of their minds, what they most awaited to see was Subaru again. Living all that firsthand would have a mental toll on anyone with a bit of empathy.
"Is he... going to be okay?" asked Emilia.
Emilia believed in Subaru. She trusted him with all her heart, yet the situation wouldn't allow her to believe in his well-being.
The situation as a whole had her thinking this way. That was because, no matter what she saw, Subaru had overcome it. It was the past—a past only he knew, a painful and horrid one. The past he had saved all of them from. Had Subaru wanted to, he could have just left after the first death.
Emilia would have died.
Felt would have died.
Old man Rom would have died.
And countless other lives. Subaru hadn't only saved lives from death; he had saved them from misery.
What would have happened to Beatrice had Subaru not appeared to save her? Maybe she would still be waiting in the library for someone that simply didn't exist. Or she could have had her old wish granted by now.
How about Garfiel? What would have happened to the faction's shield? Could he still be in the Sanctuary, unable to escape his past and the trials?
Otto would have probably drowned in debt.
Could Rem have started to look ahead without Subaru's help?
Everyone's life had been greatly affected by Subaru. He had barged into the mansion uninvited and gave his utmost to improve everyone's life.
A true hero.
This was the hero's past. Not the usual redemption or vengeance story. Our hero's path was one no one else could march—
that being the path of death.
◇
"You listening?"
"Huh?"
"Don't huh me."
Subaru's vision was still blurry. His breath was accelerated.
"What's with you? You suddenly spaced out."
"Oh..."
He looked down at his palm. It was empty. But it shouldn't be—he was carrying it. He hadn't let it go—
"Subaru-kun?"
She was there, with a confused expression and her head tilted.
Rem. He would never mistake her beautiful blue hair and eyes. But she... wasn't supposed to be alive...
How? He—Rem was—in the mansion... she...
Subaru lost his strength and fell to his knees.
"Subaru-kun!?"
"Hey!"
As Rem closed the distance between them, Subaru's eyes didn't even flinch. His whole body looked like it was stuck in the past.
"What's wrong? Do you feel ill?" Rem asked while carrying a bunch of appas.
He finally raised his head and looked deep into her eyes.
"Um... Subaru-kun?"
And—"W-Wait, Subaru-kun... What's wrong?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face just below her chest.
"Hey, come on. Not in front of my shop."
The flustered Rem tried to ask the problem, but Subaru remained unresponsive.
"Calm down..."
As she said those words, Rem started to hear a faint laugh.
"Subaru-kun?"
Desperately holding her body and pressing his face against it, from his eyes flowed an endless stream of tears with no intention of ceasing anytime soon.
◇
The need to establish that the new loop wasn't the one that would succeed wasn't needed anymore. Everyone understood it without Rem needing to clarify anything.
"..."
Emilia and Beatrice averted their eyes from the screen. They wanted to jump through it and give him the hug he deserved.
"He has been working so hard... why does this have to happen to him?"
What had Subaru done to deserve any of what was happening? Just why did he need to keep sacrificing his life for others' sake? First for her, then for Rem... and now for everyone in the mansion. It was far too big of a burden for one person to carry.
Emilia always told Subaru to rely more on her, but she could have never imagined something like this.
Beatrice too felt hopeless while watching. After all, he was her partner—the one she had made a contract with. She too wanted to embrace him. But as with Emilia, his situation would have never been predicted by Beatrice.
They couldn't just ask something like, what will he do? They knew what he would end up doing. It was a matter of when he would do it. In what moment would Subaru gather the courage to talk with Crusch and Anastasia and defeat the White Whale? How many times would he have to die for him to achieve it?
The same went for Otto. He knew what would happen and how. After all, he too was dragged into the fierce battle against the Witch Cult, being the one who helped Subaru escape from the remains of Betelgeuse. Seeing his friend in such a state was heartbreaking.
If all of their emotions could be poured into one, the most similar word for it would be pity. They looked at him with pity in their eyes. But that, of course, would be including everyone in the room.
If we took out a certain mage who has no sense of shame, the emotion would certainly be impotence.
The impotence of being unable to help their friend in need, as he died over and over again trying to save them.
The only thing they could do was watch as he learned, adapted, and acted.