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Then the next question would be, why was Subaru summoned here, and which sorcerer had summoned him.
As previously mentioned, the girls knew Subaru, yet Subaru had no memory of this. Their understandings were at odds.
[Subaru: Then I've met them already, but I just forgot about it…… that's…]
Trying to process the new information from their latest exchange, Subaru made a difficult face.
At the very least, Subaru's CAPACITY was already quite overloaded when it dawned on him that he was summoned to a Parallel World. If he were to also understand that he had actually been active in this Parallel World for quite some time before this, Subaru's plate was really in no condition to take this on.
Frankly, Subaru would've been more inclined to say something like [Is that even possible?] and laugh the matter off.
But the girl and the loli seemed dead-serious, and didn't seem to be lying, either. Of course, Subaru had no memories of the things these girls were talking about, and he would have stubbornly denied them if he wasn't feeling so guilty about the look on these girls' faces.
Of course, that wasn't his only reason. ――A stronger clue would be the changes to his body.
[Subaru: ……Yeah, this doesn't seem to be the same body I came out of the convenience store with]
Mumbling this, Subaru held up his right arm and opened and closed his fist.
Also, those weren't the only change to his arm.
[Subaru: GUROTESQUE?]
Turning his arm over, Subaru frowned up his face when saw its backhand side.
If it didn't seem so organic, it might have been mistaken for a tattoo, but no matter how he picked at it, it was just a part of his arm. Undeniably grotesque.
So he scratched at it even harder.
If he scratched to his heart's content, he wondered if the black skin break and bleed.
――And if it did bleed, would the blood be red?
[???: Subaru……]
[Subaru: Huh! No no, nothing? I just, thought my arm got sunburnt to WELL-DONE and was a little bothered by it. That's all]
Although he was a bit shocked by the change, when he heard the pretty girl's worried call, he immediately tried glossing it over with a joke.
Still, this was a pretty wide area. If he wore long sleeves and maybe some gloves he could probably keep it from ruining anyone else's mood.
[Subaru: I usually wear long sleeves anyway, and it's not illegal to equip some fingerless gloves too. If I ever get into a dangerous situation, I can just yank off the glove and show them the black arm…… and they'll be like "No way, that guy's got BLACK ARM……!" Isn't that just exciting to think about?]
Subaru licked his lips and swooshed his arm around like crazy.
Considering the changes to his arm, as well the strangeness of the whole situation, the credibility of the girls' explanations were very high.
In the first place, Subaru's most recent memory was "Immediately after shopping at the convenience store".
Indeed, he had not only jumped Worlds, but had leaped through time as well.
Coming out of the convenience store, the moment he blinked his eyes, he woke up here―― that was Subaru's understanding of it.
If so, then at which moment did he lose consciousness? By the time he realized he had been sleeping, he was woken up by a call. So then, what was the blank void before this?
――He was summoned to a Parallel World from outside the convenience store, and after some time had passed, he lost his memories.
"Summoned to a Parallel World", sounds like the unraveling of a dream he had dreamt who knows how many times before―― yet he could not simply be pleased to accept this terrible, unexpected gift.
Would it really be alright to believe them, believe in their good will, and stay here with them?
[Subaru: Ah, aaaahhh, uuuuuhhhh, that, that's right! I can understand why you're feeling down, but I'll just say one thing, let's pull ourselves together and GET OUR SPIRITS UP!]
After thinking long and hard about it, Subaru suddenly puffed up with spirit and shouted that out of the blue.
Beside him and in front of him, downcast expressions on the two girls sent his heart into a passionate boil.
Without a doubt, they were confused and heartbroken about the situation.
So, extending out a hand to each of the astonished girls in a deliberately flashy gesture,
[Subaru: As far as I know, these cases of ACUTE ONSET AMNESIA usually get better due to some sudden plot development so there's no need to be too worried. If it's anything like in movies, it usually gets resolved in one or two hours and then everything goes back to normal for some cliched happy ending. Tragedy is the best SPICE to lead up to grand happy endings, after all!]
[???: Sorry, I kind of have no idea what you're talking about…]
[Subaru: Ouggghh kay……?]
[???: But……]
Immediately after Subaru laid down his rapid-fire delivery full of bravado, the beautiful girl informed him that she didn't understand any of that. Subaru felt like deflating at those words, but the girl quickly shook her head.
And then, lightly scratching the corner of her eye, with a sudden smile,
[???: Subaru is still Subaru, after all…… Mn, I'm relieved]
[Subaru: Eh. I-is that right? If you say that, then I guess feel a little bit relieved as well……]
[???: Eiiiiii!]
[Subaru: W-what did you suddenly do that for!?]
With a spirited cry, the pretty girl slammed her palms onto her own cheeks with a force that cannot be overlooked. Clapping down with both hands at once with a crisp sound ringing out, the girl's cheeks turned bright red.
Seeing Subaru thrown into complete disarray at the sight of that gesture, the pretty girl lightly shook her head, and,
[???: There, I got my spirit back. Being like that is no-good, is it? How could we keep making that troubled face when Subaru must be feeling even more troubled than we are]
[Subaru: It may not look like it, but this girl is crazy ferocious……]
[???: Quick, Beatrice too!]
With her cheeks still bright red, the pretty girl's dashing declaration stunned Subaru into a state of shock. And then, with the same fervor, she called to the now petrified little girl sitting beside Subaru.
In front of the pretty girl's intimidating presence, the little girl in a dress shriveled back a bit, but,
[???: I'm shocked too, and I also understand the sadness…… but right now, we have to think about the one who's taking this the hardest. We have to do something for him, don't we?]
[????: B-Betty is……]
The little girl closed her mouth as if searching for what to say.
She could have continued on and pressured her to change her heart. But the girl didn't do this. And the reason, was most likely because she had faith in the little girl.
Unable to remember them, Subaru couldn’t possibly understand the trust that existed between these two.
[????: Subaru…… must be very distraught right now, I suppose]
[Subaru: ……Well I, didn't really, say that?]
Making an ultra-small effort to salvage some dignity, Subaru quibbled. But seeing that the loli wasn't convinced by this, Subaru ended up scratching his head, and,
[Subaru: Aaahh, honestly, yeah. Yes, I want you to please help me!]
After being pushed into a corner, he admitted to the true state of his mind. Seeing this, the little girl’s eyes widened. In her thin, pale blue eyes, were a pair of the strangest pupils―― that is, for some reason, Subaru seemed to be seeing wings of butterflies.
[????: ……aaaauuggghhh, just, really! Subaru is just the most hopeless Contractor in the world!]
The next moment, as if those butterfly wings had fluttered up a tornado, the loli's attitude took a 180-degree turn. Crossing her short arms, the little girl shouted this out in an exacerbated voice.
Seeing her like this, the pretty girl smiled, and Subaru's shoulders jumped up. And then, pointing a finger directly at Subaru's nose,
[????: All the time, you're just throwing up all sorts of trouble to annoy Betty, I suppose! If you don't stop it with these, these sloppy, irresponsible shenanigans even Betty is not going to love you anymore!]
[Subaru: Ooh, ooooooooh……th, then, t-that means?]
[????: But since you're sincerely begging for Betty's help, I'll let this one go, I suppose. ――At any rate, without Betty, Subaru will just be a hopeless lonely wimp who can't go on living]
[Subaru: Did you have to put it like that!?]
The incredible rate at which the loli escalated the conversation knocked Subaru straight into shell-shock. Without this girl, would he really get so lonely that he couldn't go on living anymore? How exaggerated could it get?
[????: Hmph, even if you tell me you've forgotten, I'll make you remember, I suppose. ――Betty's Contractor is just a mopey, fussy guy who, no matter what happens, is never going to take on any sort of sepia-colors in my reminiscences or anything like that]
[Subaru: There was a lot in there I didn't understand… but was all that supposed to be talking about me!?]
Setting "Contractor", or whatever words he felt like he couldn't ignore, aside, the downcast expression on the little girl's face seemed to have lifted. And so he decided to resist the urge to object for now.
Frankly, it was still quite difficult for Subaru to just calmly accept the current situation.
But even so, for now, the girls' feelings had been conveyed to him.
[Subaru: My name is NATSUKI SUBARU. I just got here and don't even know the left from right yet, but I assume we’re probably friends. And I realize this is a bit brazen, but, I'd like to ask you two a favor]
Jumping up once more, Subaru jabbed a finger toward the ceiling and announced his name.
And then, shooting his arms toward the two girls in front of him, he tilted his head, and,
[Subaru: ――Would you mind… telling me your names please?]
Hearing those words, for some reason, the pretty girl's throat froze up, and the little girl blinked her eyes.
Then, setting that aside at once, smiles gradually emerged on their faces.
[Emilia: My name is Emilia, just Emilia. Nice to meet you, Subaru]
[Beatrice: Betty is the Great Spirit Beatrice, and Subaru is Betty's Contractor, you know]
And, just like this, they told him their names.
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I’m going to reuse that image until it doesn’t apply anymore >_<
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Since Tappei released Arc 6 Chapter 35 yesterday, I’ll try to finish this chapter asap!
I’ll finish a few more pages tonight, and hopefully I should be able to get Part 3 out tomorrow night.
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