"Where is this?"
Subaru Natsuki had only closed his eyes for a moment after stepping out of a convenience store. When he opened them again, he didn't see the familiar, somewhat dim street. Instead, he saw a bustling street he had never seen before, illuminated by a somewhat stinging sunlight, with species he had never seen walking about.
"Is this an alternate world?!"
Subaru Natsuki's eyes sparkled. He looked excitedly at the scenes around him that looked just like those described in novels, his breathing becoming a bit shallow.
"Where is the beautiful girl who summoned me?"
Thinking of the scenarios that happen after a crossover in light novels, Subaru's excitement reached a peak. He looked around trying to find the beautiful girl who had summoned him to this world, but instead of a girl, his unscrupulous staring drew many unfriendly glares.
In Subaru's eyes, these people were just like NPCs. He even considered teaching these NPCs a lesson, but when he realized he only had a phone with almost no battery and some snacks from the store, he quickly abandoned the idea. He planned to get his revenge after finding the beautiful girl who summoned him.
Looking at the burly builds of those men, Subaru knew very well that with his initial equipment being so meager, it would be suicide.
He quickly left the spot. Feeling the unfriendly gazes behind him gradually fade, Subaru finally breathed a sigh of relief. He felt a bit aggrieved; as the protagonist, he was being treated like this by these fodder-like NPCs. It was hateful. Once he found the beautiful girl, he would definitely teach them a lesson! With such thoughts, Subaru began his search for the beautiful girl who summoned him in this strange world with high spirits.
On a building not far from Subaru, Ram, Rem, and Fujino were all watching his actions.
"What an idiot."
Using the mind-reading ability of Observation Haki, Fujino had read Subaru's inner thoughts without reservation. She was speechless. If not for being the protagonist and having the Return by Death Divine Protection given by Satella, Subaru would have died long ago. Although Subaru performed well in the later parts of the Re:Zero story, Fujino still disliked his existence. No reason was needed; if she hated it, then it should disappear. As for sending Subaru to the Reincarnation Space, Fujino figured he'd probably die in the first world, and that would be too easy on him.
"Ram, Rem, you felt it, right?" Fujino smiled, her grin somewhat eerie.
"Yes."
The two sisters responded together. Their faces were very calm, but their eyes held undisguised hatred as they looked at Subaru.
The Witch's Scent. Possessing the Divine Protection given by Satella, every time Subaru died, it would trigger the Return by Death Divine Protection to return to the world before death. However, each time he died, his body would emit an irritating Witch's Scent under the influence of the Divine Protection. Although Subaru hadn't died yet and his body wasn't emitting the scent, Rem and Ram had been with Fujino for years. How could Fujino not have improved their strength? Among other things, Fujino had taught them an ability similar to insight. Because of this, Rem and Ram saw the Divine Protection given by the Witch inside Subaru and naturally took him for a member of the Witch Cult. They both harbored hatred for the Witch Cult, as it had destroyed their original home. However, beneath this hatred, neither Ram nor Rem realized there was another emotion: relief!
Relief that the Witch Cult had destroyed their home, allowing them to meet their current master, Fujino!
This emotion was buried very deep—so deep they didn't notice it at all—but it truly existed.
The power of the Body of Enchantment. Even though Fujino had deliberately suppressed it, its effects remained unchanged. What Fujino suppressed was merely the time it took for the Body of Enchantment to take effect. After years of living together, the effect had almost completely altered Rem and Ram's hearts. Even if Fujino told them everything about the destruction of the Oni race now, the two would only vent some minor emotions before returning to normal. Such contradictory emotions were also an effect of the Body of Enchantment.
However, Fujino wasn't very clear on this either, as she had never fully unleashed the effects of the Body of Enchantment.
"That guy has Satella's Divine Protection; he won't die no matter what, so you two can play with him as you like," Fujino said with a smile, wondering how many times Subaru would be killed by Ram and Rem. Would he just break down?
Fujino thought for a moment and felt the possibility of Subaru breaking down was very high. After all, at this point, Subaru hadn't met Emilia yet. In the original development, the main reason Subaru could use Return by Death so many times was that he used Emilia as his mental pillar, which prevented him from losing himself and collapsing during the repeated deaths.
0---
Subaru Natsuki sat on the steps of a small alley, his face resting on one hand, looking somewhat dejected. After searching for so long, why hadn't he found the beautiful girl who summoned him to this other world? On the way, Subaru Natsuki had witnessed an accident and thought his moment to show off had arrived. He imagined that, having come to another world, he must possess amazing magical talent or powerful superpowers. He pictured himself saving a Little Loli at the last second and starting his journey to fame. However, reality gave him a cold slap in the face. He had no magic at all, let alone superpowers. When he struck a cool pose, he only received looks from bystanders as if they were looking at someone mentally challenged. In the end, the Little Loli was perfectly fine, saved by someone else, while he only earned a bunch of confused and judgmental stares.
"Is this the 'trash-tier' trope?!"
Subaru Natsuki grabbed his hair in agony, trying to think of something but coming up empty. Instead, he started to feel a bit hungry.
Feeling his stomach let out a slight protest, Subaru Natsuki had no choice but to open the bag beside him. He planned to eat something to settle his delicate stomach before resuming his search for the beautiful girl who summoned him. Even now, Subaru Natsuki firmly believed that a beautiful girl must have summoned him to this other world.
"Clack, clack, clack."
At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed in the alley. Subaru Natsuki looked up curiously, and his eyes lit up. Appearing before him were a pair of cute twin maids. Although he was curious why there were maid outfits in another world, Subaru Natsuki was more excited about whether these twin maids were sent to find him by the beautiful girl who summoned him.
Subaru Natsuki felt it was very likely. After all, this alley was quite secluded, and ordinary people wouldn't walk in. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Just as he was about to ask, he saw a spiked iron ball flying toward him.
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