Night fell. Since Yimi counted as Emilia's benefactor, Rem had already prepared a room for her before Roswaal even said a word.
The little cat—who'd been scheming all day about blasting Diego with a bolt of electricity—found herself inexplicably settled into Diego's estate.
Yimi flopped onto the bed and rolled over, then looked up at Beatrice sitting on the edge reading a book. "Aren't you, leaving?"
She'd been the one who said she wanted to leave earlier, and now she was staying. What a baffling person.
"If Betty is free, then Betty is free to stay wherever she pleases, isn't that right?" Beatrice crossed her arms in displeasure. "Betty was supposed to spend the whole day with nii-chan."
The black-haired human's head injury had been healed by her. The price of that exchange was a full day with Puck—aside from the Mother she revered above all else, nii-chan was the only one who could excite her like that.
"Then what are you, sitting here for?" Yimi pushed at her hip.
"You're the one who said you're scared some 'Diego' might come at night. Betty is sitting here so you can feel safe—what an ungrateful little brat." Beatrice closed her book and glanced at Yimi. "Or are you saying Betty's page-turning is too loud?"
When her mana was sufficient, Beatrice didn't need to rest. She'd spent most of the past four hundred years like this—flipping through books in the Forbidden Library when bored, though the books stored there weren't exactly thrilling reads.
"If you don't leave, how am I supposed, to sneak out?" Yimi put her other hand to use as well, pushing Beatrice with both.
The cat didn't dare confront Diego head-on. She could only move when he was asleep.
Beatrice stood up under the pushing. "You just blurted out your entire plan to sneak around—children really can't keep secrets. So—what are you planning?"
"Look at Diego's, Tome of Wisdom. Maybe it can, cross worlds." Yimi didn't hide her intentions one bit.
"The 'Diego' you keep saying—you don't mean Roswaal, do you? Though I suppose this generation's Roswaal does enjoy putting on that air of someone who's always up to something."
Beatrice, who'd stayed cooped up indoors, wasn't well-informed about the outside world. Among certain circles, Roswaal's reputation also included a particular fondness for demi-humans.
Beatrice reached over and pinched the dinosaur tail on Yimi's pajamas—the spot where a cat's tail would fit snugly inside. The texture she'd felt before was gone again. How odd.
Yimi yanked her tail back to stop the pinching.
"The first-generation Roswaal was Mother's student. The Tomes of Wisdom were two copies Mother left behind—one for Betty, one for him. His copy has been passed down through each successive generation of Roswaal."
She'd gotten along better with the first-generation Roswaal, too. Though back then, she absolutely would never have admitted it.
No matter how powerful a human grew, their lives were just that fleeting.
Beatrice looked down at Yimi. "If taking one look will put your mind at ease, Betty supposes she could help you. But if you try to deceive or use Betty, you'll learn what kind of punishment bad children deserve."
"I'll take one look, and he's DEFINITELY Diego!" There was no way Yimi could mistake that voice.
…
"This is a DISASTER!"
In the other room where he'd been placed, Natsuki Subaru clutched his head and rolled back and forth.
No matter how he racked his brain, he never could have imagined that the kind, adorable Emilia had given him a fake name—and the real owner of that name was such a terrible figure.
Just like that, the girl he liked had started hating him over what she thought was mockery!
Regardless, after countless loops on day one, his life in another world had officially begun. Even though the estate's owner was obviously suspicious, those twin maids really were cute, though…
Subaru let his exhaustion pull him into sleep.
The moment he was out, the very twin he'd just praised—the younger sister Rem—slipped into his room.
Her people—the Oni—had been persecuted by Witch Cultists, and that history left Rem with a visceral hatred for anything bearing their scent. As an Oni, she was especially sensitive to the Witch's Scent clinging to Subaru. She'd held back out of deference to him being Emilia's benefactor, maintaining only cautious suspicion.
But today, this man had charged straight to the master's chambers, spewed that vile stench like a threat, then turned around with a sunny grin and called out the name "Satella"—and in this world, who besides those deranged Witch Cultists would speak that name with such an expression? There was nothing left to investigate.
Rem produced a morning star that utterly contradicted her dainty appearance—though it was accented with a few girlish touches of pink.
Natsuki Subaru—dead.
"Mew?"
Far away, Yimi caught a whiff of that scent again. This time, she reached out into the empty air and made a grasping motion. Unfortunately, she caught nothing—but something seemed to deflect slightly in order to avoid her.
"Diego? I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name~"
Subaru—asleep just moments ago—snapped awake instantly. He stared in shock at Roswaal, who had just spoken the exact same words from that morning. Cold sweat soaked his back in an instant.
He'd reset? Why? Who killed him? Why was he killed? He hadn't done anything—why?
The terror made his hands tremble, his legs barely holding his own weight. But the scene unfolding before him forced him to plaster on a strained smile.
"Sorry, sorry—I just wanted to come thank the person who took me in. I hope I'm not being too intrusive."
"Not at all. You are Emilia-sama's savior, after all~ If it's within my power, feel free to make any request."
"Could I take some time to think about it?"
Subaru walked out again.
Without question, if someone had killed him, this man was the prime suspect. No—he was practically certain it was this guy, because of everything he'd blurted out during their last confrontation.
Then he remembered what the cat loli had told him: "You don't, plant things, he comes, to beat you up, at night."
Had that actually been well-intentioned advice?
"Hm." Roswaal stroked his chin, pondered for a couple of seconds, then stood and walked out.
In his panic, Subaru probably hadn't noticed—walking in, saying hello, and walking right back out was extremely suspicious behavior.
In the courtyard, Yimi—who had somehow ended up having tea with Beatrice again—looked up blankly.
Then she checked the Tome of Wisdom sitting in her Storage Space. She'd just gotten it straight from Diego. Since in Yimi's eyes it might be a world-crossing tool, she'd handed over all her catnip as the price of exchange.
And then everything had suddenly reset. The catnip vanished in the rollback, and she was left with this thing instead.
Yimi pulled the book out with a sour expression on her face, waving it around. She'd only meant to take a peek, but the disruption happened so fast she'd grabbed it in the chaos.
Nothing special about it at all. A total waste of her catnip.
"Cat loli!" Subaru came running toward the strongest person he knew for help.
"Oh~ what's that in your hand?" But Roswaal's voice materialized right behind him.
Subaru's expression froze.
Roswaal circled around him, eyeing the book in Yimi's hand with curiosity. He reached into his own coat and felt around.
Still there.
"Mew!" Hearing his voice, Yimi leaped up in fright and scrambled behind Beatrice, looking a little guilty.
Beatrice shot Roswaal an unamused sideways glance. "If you'd bother wiping off that clown makeup, you might come across as slightly more approachable."
「Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: [Yours is the female, mine is the male—the female becomes useless when it encounters the male]. Reward: 5% portal energy.」
Yimi's eyes darted about, and she repeated the System's excuse aloud: "Yours is the female one. Mine is the male one…"