Lillian still believed it was a coincidence.
Even if it wasn't, it had to be the Witch's doing. He didn't think the "world" itself had such powers. The reasoning was simple: if all plots could correct themselves, then Lillian—the traveler—would have no purpose. If his existence had no meaning, the "Goddess" would be meaningless as well. Compared to that, the Goddess's ability to treat dimensional worlds as mere scales on a roulette far exceeded the world's power. So even if the world had corrective abilities, they would have long been suppressed by her.
Having realized this, Lillian watched with interest. If Subaru died here, he could test whether he himself would be affected by Subaru's abilities.
---
"Crap… some bad event, huh?" Subaru frowned at the three thugs in front of him, his fists clenching at his sides. Suddenly, he swung, shouting, "Become my experience!!"
"Woah…"
From the rooftops, Lillian found the scene amusing. Subaru had some strength, after all. He claimed his grip strength was 70kg, trained at home while playing games. While not extraordinary, Lillian wondered how a NEET achieved such power.
The three thugs reacted differently than in the original story—they didn't get easily knocked aside. Perhaps because Lillian had just left, their alertness remained high. They dodged and countered Subaru's punches.
Thud!
The tall thug kicked Subaru's side just as he punched, sending both of them sprawling. The remaining two thugs immediately surrounded Subaru, delivering a barrage of kicks.
"Damn punk! How dare you hit us!"
"Wait until I finish with you!"
Subaru, aside from his grip strength, was otherwise an ordinary human. He had no ability to resist three attackers, covering his head and screaming in pain, "Aahhh!"
---
"Will Emilia show up…?" Lillian glanced toward the alley. If she didn't appear now, the opportunity for the two to meet wouldn't happen.
A minute passed. The three thugs exhausted themselves from beating Subaru. Emilia still hadn't arrived.
"Damn kid, no money at all?" White Hair flipped through Subaru's pockets, finding nothing—just a phone and a plastic bag with some snacks.
The tall and short thugs began eating the snacks, while White Hair fiddled with the phone, confused. He bent down and asked Subaru, who was still dazed, "Hey… what is this thing?"
"A… phone…"
"Huh?" White Hair had never heard of it. He saw the glowing screen when opened and muttered, "Maybe we can sell it? Hey, you two idiots, stop eating!"
"The snacks are so good!" The others were still chewing, leaving White Hair unimpressed. He then noticed the strange writing on the snack bag, and curiosity got to him. He picked up a chip, ready to eat, but froze mid-motion, staring blankly ahead.
"Boss? What's wrong? It's tasty." The other two looked and were instantly frozen too, staring in the same direction.
"Yo, long time no see." Lillian waved and walked over.
"You… you… you!!" The three dropped their snacks, mentally screaming: How are you here again? And with a new outfit?!
"Assaulting innocent civilians, huh? That's terrible behavior. Anyone with a sense of justice can't sit back and ignore it."
A sense of justice?? You???
The three gaped at Lillian. Weren't you the ones who just robbed us?
Subaru, raising his head, looked at Lillian's new outfit and the sword at his waist. He breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, an NPC on the good side… just a little late…"
"Hey… you're joking, right?" White Hair, still defiant despite being defeated earlier, drew two curved knives and charged in rage.
"Die!"
"Woah!!"
The other two followed their leader's charge. Their boldness, though misplaced, was impressive. With proper training, these guys could have potential.
Clang clang clang!
Lillian unsheathed his sword, easily knocking their knives aside. The tip of his blade rested at White Hair's throat. White Hair swallowed nervously, frozen in place.
"Let's go." Lillian didn't intend to kill them. The three, feeling spared, immediately ran off. White Hair noticed his pocket felt lighter. Only after several meters did he realize the phone he had taken from Subaru was gone.
In the alley, Lillian helped Subaru to his feet.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine… thanks." Subaru murmured, looking relieved. "Finally, a good NPC…"
"What?"
"No, no, nothing!" Subaru quickly waved it off and straightened up. Though beaten, he wasn't seriously hurt.
"Thanks for helping me. I'm Subaru Natsuki. And you?"
"Lillian."
At that moment, a voice called from behind, "Excuse me, have you seen a blonde girl nearby?"
Subaru's eyes lit up like bulbs. That must be the summoning heroine!
Lillian, however, faced away from the voice, frowning. He could clearly tell it was Emilia. He hadn't expected her to appear here, but…
"Since you're fine, I'll leave." Lillian whispered to Subaru and walked on without turning back. Subaru, still dazed, didn't hear him. Emilia, seeing Lillian walking away, felt a strange sense of familiarity.
She intended to chase and ask questions, but when she neared Subaru and saw his reddened, swollen face, she froze.
"You're hurt?"
"Ah? Ah, no, I'm fine!" Subaru laughed nervously. "I… uh! Just helped a stranger from some thugs, got scratched a little."
"Is that so…" Emilia hesitated, seeing his state. She raised her hand, a warm light shining forth. "Stay still."
"Ahh, magic! Amazing!"
"I said stay still. I'll heal your wounds."
"Oh, sorry!"
The warm light illuminated the alley's corner. Lillian, leaning against the wall at the end, breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thing I changed clothes, or I'd have been recognized."
Even if recognized, he could have escaped, but it would be troublesome. He glanced toward the alley's interior at Emilia healing Subaru, thinking: this "opportunity" had happened. Their future joint action was now naturally set.
"Though, calling me a robbed passerby… is that really okay? Emilia seems to prefer honesty," Lillian muttered, glancing at Subaru. Then he looked down at the phone in his hand. "In that case, I won't give this back. After all, this so-called 'NPC' doesn't help people for free. A reward is necessary."
Without lingering, Lillian turned and walked away. Unnoticed by him, a pair of eyes silently followed his figure from the shadows…