Chapter Text
Chapter 1: In Another World with my Katana
With how oversaturated the entertainment market of Japan was with the Isekai genre, it was inevitable that there would be those that might wish to find themselves in such a situation.
Natsuki Subaru, he of total self-awareness, would openly admit that he could only consider himself a part-time member of that club. And yet, when he found himself standing in the streets of what was unmistakably a fantasy world…
“I’ve been summoned to a parallel world?!” He shouted in complete astonishment, not paying attention to what he assumed were demihumans gazing at him in brazen shock. Even more surprising was when he felt something hanging at his waist, prompting him to look down. It was a sheathed, honest to god katana, the dream of any hot-blooded Japanese boy.
He was sorely tempted to draw it, but in a crowded marketplace, surrounded by people giving him weird looks, he knew that that would not be a great idea. Better to not cause a panic, after all. ‘Also, not that I mind looking like a proper swordsman and all, but what’s a katana doing in a medieval fantasy?!’ Then again, his clothes didn't really make him look the part…
He wore a simple black and white tracksuit with some orange trimmings. His black hair was slicked back, which, when combined with his sharp brown eyes, gave him the air of someone who was up to no good. All in all, he couldn’t help but look like someone untrustworthy.
‘Such is my life…but, this is a new start for Natsuki Subaru!’ He cheered mentally, although he couldn’t get the nagging feeling, one thought crossing his mind. ‘Will I ever see my parents again?’
He went still, staring off into the distance as that one thought brought his excitement to a screeching halt. It had been something he would have never considered…if it hadn’t been for two things: One, he loved his parents. He had struggled and failed to live up to being Kenichi’s son, but he still loved them to the very end. And he wasn’t stupid…he knew how devastated they’d be without him, despite trying everything in his power to make them discard him.
And second…he knew how isekai stories typically went. The main character almost never went to their home world again. In most instances, they would adapt to their new life because they were already dead. But, last he checked, he had not gotten a visit from Truck-kun. He’d probably remember that…right?
“So…what now?” he asked aloud, trying to figure out his next move and shake off the terrible feeling gripping his heart. If he had been isekai’d into this new world, and was given what he presumed to be a cheat item (last he checked, he didn’t buy a katana at that convenience store), then the best course of action right now would be to get information.
Firstly, he’d try to figure out what was up with this sword. Just by holding it, he could feel a certain… something about it. Maybe it was just the feeling of having his very own katana, but Subaru wanted to believe that it possessed an actual, mystical aura. Was it made by a legendary master? Did it have a name? Holding it up, he examined it. Every part of it, from the sheath, to the hilt, to the guard, and even the blade, when he gently slid a few inches free, was jet black. The tsuba took the form of a pair of bird wings, bent in an angular way around the hilt.
‘All black, huh? That’s so cool…but this doesn’t really tell me anything.’ There wasn’t any other information he could go off of. He looked to the bottom of the hilt, and was surprised when he saw a name carved into it. ‘Rokuhira…?’ So, whoever made his cheat item was Japanese, just like him. Was he isekai’d like him? Could he meet him? It wouldn't be so bad to talk to another person from Japan…
‘Ahhh! Stop with these pointless questions! You’ve got some intel gathering to do!’ And so, he sheathed the blade and went on his way to find information about this world…
‘Day one in the Chronicles of Natsuki Subaru…I have discovered that no matter the world, there will always be assholes.’
He had learned he could actually communicate with the people of this world: he didn’t know why, but either he had gotten a language cheat in addition to his Katana, or the spoken language in this city was Japanese. However it was more likely the latter, as while he was unable to read anything at the apple merchant’s stand (apparently, they were called appas for some reason), the characters looked similar to his home language…or at least part of it.
‘I see this world is sticking to that trope…’ Although, he should consider himself lucky, otherwise he’d be out of luck if he couldn’t communicate with anyone at all. He also learned the hard way that his money wouldn’t work here, as the shopkeeper had kindly pointed out. If being kind was the same as kicking him to the curb and yelling at him.
‘He could have at least pointed me to a currency exchange or something!’ That probably didn’t exist in this world, but there had to be a chance, right? Then again, now that he thought about it, the guy must have not wanted to miss an opportunity to catch a paying customer. Business seemed slow on his end, after all. But you shouldn’t anger potential future customers…well, once he figured out how to not be broke.
‘What else do I know…? Well, this kingdom’s called Lugunica, demihumans are commonplace here, they have these massive carriages that transport huge loads, and more importantly, I have no idea why I’ve been summoned here.’ Usually when the protagonist was given a cheat, the heroine or goddess would explain why they were summoned. Either they needed help to save the world, or other times to give the protagonist a new life. So far, it seemed he’d been given a cheat item, and then left to his own devices.
‘Could this be one of those situations where a god is bored and wants to see when an ordinary guy is given power?’ he wondered. It made sense, but then why wasn’t he told anything?! Whoever summoned him was really bad at communicating! He didn’t even know what his cheat item did!
“Oi, run us your pockets!” Subaru blinked, broken from his thoughts when heard a voice from what he assumed was a diminutive man. How did he end up in an alleyway? Was he so lost in his thoughts he lost his sense of direction? Great, he was Zoro now!
Sure enough, he was face to face with three thugs, each of varying size. One was a burly man with a green vest, purple hair and eyes, and an orange sash around his waist. The second was a pale, skinny man with grayish blue hair with pink at the ends. He also wore a tattered prison uniform, along with chains at his wrists and ankles.
The last one was…beyond what he had expected. There was a diminutive man, and yet, he wasn’t prepared for how short the last guy was. He was pretty sure he was taller than this guy when he was ten. He also had a brown bowl cut and black eyes. Finally, he wore a pink cloak and a purple coat with matching boots and pants.
There was only one rational reaction to meeting such a man. “The hell’d you just say you pint-sized shithead?!”
The small man’s face contorted in anger. “Pint-sized?! I’ll have you know my height’s perfectly average!”
“Compared to what?!” Subaru asked incredulously. He then noticed a blonde girl leaping down nimbly from above him, landing right between him and the thugs. She wore a black top, a brown vest, and black pants that had leggings that didn’t match at all. Most notably of all, she wore a dark red scarf with a golden patch. “See, she's kinda a shrimp, and yet she’s taller than you!”
“Excuse me?!” The blonde bristled, glaring at him. “Why’re you dragging me into this? And who’re you calling a shrimp?!”
“I’m just making the comparison! He’s pretty short, don’tcha think?”
The blonde, who was a petite girl around his age, took a look at the diminutive man with her scarlet red eyes. “Well yeah, he’s a damn midget. That doesn’t mean I’m a shrimp!”
“Hey!” screamed the small man. Meanwhile, his two cohorts let a couple of snickers escape.
“You’re short even for a girl in my world,” Subaru deadpanned, “I’mma be generous and say you’re just below 160 centimeters!”
“Fuck you!” replied the blonde. “I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with you! I gotta move!”
“You’re the one who leaped down between us from above! Skillfully, if I may add! You’d be a shoe-in for the Olympics!”
“What the fuck are the Olympics?!” asked the blonde and the other thugs.
“Right!” Subaru snapped his fingers. “Otherworldly references don’t mean anything to you! Do I bother explaining it to you guys? Then again, no isekai protagonist usually bothers, and I’d like to make my journey unique, thank you very much!”
“What in Od’s name are you talking about?!” The blonde girl exclaimed in frustration. “Nevermind, I’m out of here!” She then nimbly leaped clean over the three thugs, before dashing away.
“Ah man. I should have asked for her name. She was cute,” Subaru sighed, “Not to mention speedy. Is that normal around here?”
“Not really. She’s the fastest thief around,” answered the small man casually, before his eyes widened. “Wait a minute, I’m mad at you!”
“You know her name?” the black haired young man asked.
“Well, we’ve heard of her,” cut in the burly thug. “But we’re not telling.”
“Yeah! We’re not telling!” concurred the diminutive man.
“That’s right. We’ve got honor.” said the silver haired man, before he took a look at the sword at Subaru’s hip. “...Her name is Felt.”
““Rachins!”” Both the burly man and short man admonished at the same time.
“Do ya see the guy’s sword? I don’t want to deal with that again!” argued Rachins.
The burly man took a look at Subaru’s sword, and Subaru swore he saw a shiver go up his spine. “L-Look! He can’t be as strong as that guy!”
“Y-Yeah! N-No chance!” agreed the diminutive man, despite his voice shaking.
‘These guys must have gotten thrashed to be acting like this…’ Probably by another swordsman like himself…well, not that he could really consider himself a swordsman. But, he could use this to his advantage. “Ah! I see you’ve noticed my sword! I’ve trained since the day I turned 8 to become a master swordsman.” He gave them an evil grin, which made the thugs shake in place. “Be careful! My hand might slip and the next thing you know, you’re dead!”
That did it. The thugs backed away, then turned away from him. “NO! WE’RE NOT DEALING WITH THIS AGAIN!” Despite stumbling, they were able to quickly get back up and run away from the black haired boy.
Subaru couldn’t help but let out a sigh in relief. “...I can’t believe that worked.”
“Excuse me, but…you weren’t actually going to kill them, were you?”
“GAH!” Subaru jumped in surprise, his senses on guard as he whipped around, turning to the person who had asked him that question.
The person in question was a silver-haired girl with purple eyes and turquoise pupils. She wore a white dress with purple trims, along with a white flower in her hair. Subaru couldn’t help but be impressed by his luck so far: that Felt girl from earlier was cute, while this one was beautiful. There was also one other characteristic he couldn’t help but take notice of…
“Yes! Elves exist in this world too!” Subaru cheered, taking notice of her pointed ears. “But of course, it wouldn't be a fantasy world without elves! Those types of isekai are boring! Though I guess demihumans are interesting too.”
“Isekai?” the girl asked, tilting her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Subaru blushed, before rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “Right…that’s a reference that’s a bit out of reach for you.”
The girl blinked, before she ducked her head, looking briefly downcast. “Just to let you know, you’re sort of right….I’m a half-elf…”
“A half-elf?” Subaru repeated. “Doesn’t matter, you’re still beautiful.”
The half-elf blinked, caught off guard by his behavior. “I said…I’m a half-elf.”
“I heard you the first time.” Subaru nodded, before blinking. “Wait, why do you have this aura of ‘you should be cursing my name and my existence for something out of my control?’”
“You’re an interesting one.” He heard a newcomer say. Materializing from the crystal that was around the half-elf’s neck, came a tiny, gray cat that rubbed the back of his head. “Not every day I hear someone complimenting my daughter.”
“Your daughter?” Subaru repeated, looking between the cat and the half-elf. “I have…so many questions.”
“I’m adopted!” said the girl quickly, frowning at him, “So don’t get any brazen ideas!”
“Who says brazen in this day and age?” Subaru asked. “I’m pretty sure only my grandparents have said that before!”
“Brazen isn’t an old word!” replied the silver haired girl. “Right, Puck?”
“Right, Lia.” nodded Puck. “You use even older words than that.”
“See, I’m-” Lia narrowed her eyes at the cat. “Hey…”
“By the way, what’s a girl like you doing in an alleyway?” asked Subaru, curiously, “You could deal with your own band of idiots here!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect my daughter from any and all idiocy!” Puck replied, giving out a salute, “Of course, that includes you too, so don’t even think of pulling out that sword, mister!”
“I wouldn’t dream of hurting a beauty like her!”
“Enough, please,” Lia begged, her cheeks completely flushed. “A-Anyway, by any chance…have you seen a blonde girl around here?”
“Ah! It just so happens I did! She was really cute too, even if she’s a shrimp! She ignored us and went up on the rooftops.”
“That aside, she stole something from me that’s ever so important. I really must track her down to get it back, so while it was lovely to meet you, I must be on my way!”
“Wait a minute!” Subaru exclaimed, stopping the two from leaving momentarily. “I can help!”
Lia frowned. “I don’t have anything to compensate you with.”
“Oh, so you’re broke like me! We can bond over that!”
Puck chuckled. “I don’t sense any malice from him, Lia. I’m sure we can trust him. Plus, he’s kinda entertaining.”
“We can’t just involve him in our troubles just because he’s entertaining!” Lia admonished.
“Yeah! I’m not a clown!”
“Well, that’s good! We’ve got one of those already,” said the cat cheerfully.
Subaru gave the half-elf girl a look of sympathy. “I’m so sorry for you…you must have been through a lot.”
Although he was joking, that downcast look came across her face. “...That’s nice of you to say.”
‘Oh man! I was only making a clown joke! Did I just open a Pandora's box of trauma?!’ Sure, he had his own issues, but he knew that in isekai stories, the trauma could get bad. He’d have done this anyway, but he would treat her kindly from now on: it wasn’t the best substitute for therapy (he probably needed that himself), but it’d go a long way.
Puck’s carefree expression faded slightly, his eyes narrowing at the girl’s expression, and Subaru was hit with a premonition that he needed to choose his words carefully and apologize real fast.
“Look, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to step on a landmine!” he replied quickly. “Please, do not unleash fatherly rage on this poor boy, step father who stepped up!” Never in his life did he ever believe he would be afraid of a talking cat, but here he was.
“Puck, he didn’t do anything wrong! Why are you mad at him?” asked Lia with concern in her eyes.
The cat relaxed a bit. “Sorry Lia. I let my instincts take over for a sec.”
“Saved by the beautiful Lia! You really do care about me!”
“H-Hey! I just didn’t want Puck to do something bad!” replied Lia, even as she blushed. “You’re not a bad boy either. Even if I reaaaaally don’t understand you.”
“Did I do something wrong?” Subaru asked, pointing to himself. “I’d think I’m pretty easy to understand.”
“Well, your interest in my daughter would be considered weird. Even if it both makes me a proud father and a protective one at the same time.” replied Puck.
“Can you be more proud than protective?” asked Subaru hopefully.
“I make no promises…sorry, what was your name?”
“Did we just go this entire conversation without properly introducing each other?” Subaru chuckled. “We’re proper guys, aren’t we?” He pointed at himself. “Anyway, my name is Natsuki Subaru! A guy with no idea where I am, and a sword I don’t remember getting! And you?”
“Oh, um…” The half-elf blushed, having been caught on the spot. “You want to know my name?”
“Well yeah. Unless your real name is Lia. Which would be weird, I’d think that’d be a nickname, but I’m always open to being wrong!”
“N-No, it’s just something Puck calls me. My real name is Emilia. Just Emilia, I don’t have a family name or anything like that.”
“What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl!” Subaru cheered.
That did it. Emilia turned away from him in the alleyway, crouched down, covered her ears, and yelled. “Subaru, you’re such a dunderhead!”
“Who says dunderhead in this day and age?!”
Emilia just pouted.
“Wait…you have that sword, but you don’t know how to use it?” Emilia asked in confusion. “I thought you were a swordsman.”
“You see Emilia-tan, I used an ancient technique that has been taught for thousands of generations.” replied Subaru, wagging a finger. “Lying.”
Her eyes widened in shock and dismay.
“I mean…he’s not wrong about that.” Puck commented as he scratched his ear. “Just didn’t think you’d be so proud of that.”
“I’m trying not to fight three thugs at once! I’m a greenhorn after all in this new world!” Subaru pointed out. “Besides, it’s not like I don't think I can swing this sword, I just don’t know what it does!”
“Well, I can tell that it has a lot of power flowing through it,” observed the tiny cat, “It’s really weird, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sword like that before.”
“I’d hope it’s powerful! Otherwise my cheat item would be a ripoff!” he exclaimed. Internally, however, part of him was glad he’d have to probably take the time to figure out the sword. Even though he had grown to like the isekai formula of getting a cheat item and causing chaos out into the world, he wanted to learn how to use the katana himself. On the other hand, he wouldn’t say no to at least having someone to at least point him in the right direction, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to learn actual swordsmanship on his own. He wasn’t some kinda genius prodigy!
“What’s a cheat item?” asked Emilia, clearly confused. “Actually, you’ve been making these very strange references since I met you, and it’s a little hard to follow…”
“Oh.” Subaru blushed, before leaning back on the small stone bridge they were currently on. It allowed him to get a view of the nice river underneath him, although he had to be careful, because he was the type of guy to accidentally fall in there. “Well, it’s from my homeland, so it makes sense why you’d be lost. Sorry about that…”
“You don’t need to apologize!” she insisted, quickly waving her hands. “Just explain this to me properly. I’m sure that whatever it is, I’ll do my best to understand.”
“Yeah! And I’ll be able to tell when you’re either lying or insane!” concurred Puck.
Subaru’s eyes widened, before he chuckled to himself. “And here I thought I’d have to say I’m from a small island in the East.”
“Lugunica is the easternmost nation here, so that fib wouldn’t work, mister,” Emilia told him seriously.
“Huh. You know, I always wondered why that lie worked in so many isekai…turns out, the writers just pulled that out of their ass!”
The cat laughed. “If you were any further east, you’d be from the desert! Or beyond the Great Waterfall.”
“Well…I am from another world…” he said slowly, convinced they’d just call him crazy and ready to brush it off as a joke.
“Oh! So you are from Beyond the Great Waterfall!” replied Emilia. “That’s more believable.”
“The fact being from another world is more believable to you scares me.” Subaru deadpanned.
“Well, it’s not exactly common…but it’s not rare either,” admitted Puck.
“Well, that’s a relief. Then maybe I can find this Rokuhira guy and thank him for this sword!” He paused. “Unless that’s the name of the sword and not the maker. It could be either, now that I think about it.”
“Wait…but I thought you didn't know where the sword came from…” Emilia said, tilting her head.
“Well yeah, I don’t. But I got a lead!” Subaru showed the two the hilt of his sword. “See, a name!”
Emilia and Puck looked at the kanji written on the hilt of the sword. “I’ve never seen writing like that before,” the half-elf muttered to herself in amazement.
“Looks like chicken scratch to me,” followed up Puck, having the complete opposite opinion.
“It’s not chicken scratch! It’s the language of my homeland!” Subaru roared in indignation, before sighing, “Well, I suppose if I can’t read the language here, it makes sense that you can’t read mine. Anyway, it says Rokuhira, which I’m guessing is the signature of the smith who made it.”
The girl nodded thoughtfully. “I…suppose such a thing makes sense,” she said slowly, “Although I know very little about swords.”
“Whoever made it, you got a very powerful sword.” said Puck, his paw rubbing his chin. “But…why not teach you anything after giving that thing to you?”
“I don’t know.” Subaru shrugged. “You’d think that once I figured out how to use this sword, I’d suddenly get a step by step guide on its abilities and how to fight! And yet, it’s probably not that easy.”
“If it were, everyone in the world would be a swordsman. Not that my Lia couldn’t be if she wanted to.”
“Hey! I’m not that good!”
“Usually when someone says that, they’re actually a genius prodigy.” deadpanned Subaru, before grinning. “A prodigy and a beauty all in one! You’re the complete package Emilia-tan!”
Emilia’s entire face became completely red. She walked over to the other side of the bridge, crouching down, and covered her ears in embarrassment.
“Is this Deja vu?” Subaru asked himself.
“Well no, she’d next have to call you a dunderhead.” pointed out Puck.
“Subaru, you’re such a dunderhead!”
“In that case, yes it is.”
“Yep. Definitely Deja Vu.” Subaru nodded to himself. “And no one uses that in this day and age, remember Emilia-tan?!”
”I do! Ack!” Emilia crossed her arms, but couldn’t help but allow the faintest smile to show up on her face.
Judging by the unusual route for isekai knowledge, Subaru guessed that a thief like Felt would operate in a slum of some sort. When he brought it up to Puck and Emilia, both were impressed at his deduction. ‘I mean, it makes the most sense. If she’s stealing something, she’d probably want to operate as far away from city traffic as possible.’ Especially, from what he had heard from Emilia, this insignia had a jewel in the center.
When they went to ask for directions to the slums, the pair had encountered a little green-haired girl who was clearly in distress, separated from her mother. After Subaru had shown the girl a magic trick to gain her trust, the pair were able to guide her back to her parents. As it turned out, her father was actually the appa salesman, who had been more than happy to give the pair directions after helping his daughter. And so, they began their trek to the slums.
“By the way…” Subaru began, his tone softer. “That girl seemed…kinda scared of you.” Indeed, he’d noticed that the child had recoiled away from the sight of the silver-haired half-elf. And if his gut was telling him anything, it was whatever was causing Emilia to emit those ‘Existence is hard’ vibes.
“It’s nothing…” The half-elf replied, although she couldn’t hide the pain in her response. “It’s just…she heard that someone that looked like me was very scary.”
He blinked. “You can tell that so easily?”
“I’m…reeeally familiar with it. It’s a story that everyone knows. So, it’s normal for people to be afraid of me.”
Her words, said so simply, fell on Subaru like a lead weight, and he didn’t know what to say to that.
Well, maybe except…
“I’m not afraid of you.”
Emilia blinked at him, her violet eyes quizzical. “Eh?”
He gave her a grin. “You seem pretty nice, and I think your appearance is unbelievably beautiful. So, I’m not afraid.”
She stared for a moment, bemused, before looking away. He couldn’t tell if she appreciated his words or not. “...We shouldn’t be too far from the slums.”
Subaru smiled. “Yosh! Soon, I’ll show the world what Natsuki Subaru is made of! I’ll use my cheat for the first time and get the cute half-elf her insignia back!”
“S-Subaru!” The silver haired maiden looked back at him with an embarrassed flush.
“Yes! And I’ll help you even if you turn out to be all talk!” exclaimed Puck, emerging from Emilia’s hair.
Even despite the joking nature of the spirit’s words, they did affect Subaru to some extent. He…didn’t want to get this cheat item only to stay in the same position he was back home. No! He wouldn't stay in place. He could forge his own path now, and be a brand new Natsuki Subaru!
“Ow!” Subaru nursed his cheek as he felt a light, tiny impact on it. “Actually, that doesn’t hurt…”
“It shouldn’t, but I had to do it! The guy who’s helped my daughter so far shouldn’t be making that face!” replied the cat.
“W-Well, that’s your fault!” the black haired boy retorted, making the cat’s expression turn to one of shock.
“Stop, you’re both being silly,” Emilia ordered firmly, “We’re here.”
“How can you tell…?” Ah. That was how. The buildings around the slums were in distinctly poorer condition compared to the ones he’d seen in the capital. Some had shattered windows, others just looked old and poorly maintained, and as for the people he saw on the street, well…they appeared to be generally miserable and just wanted to be left alone.
“Just a guess,” Emilia replied softly, her eyes looking over at the people with concern. “Are the people really living like this over here? They look…so sad.”
He nodded, eyes downcast. “Yeah…but, they might get mad if they think you’re looking down on ‘em by feeling sorry for them.”
“But…why? I’m not trying to look down on them.”
“I know. But if someone’s that hard up, all you’ve got left is your pride. And when that happens, someone feeling bad for you can feel that way.”
“I…see.” He wasn’t sure that she did, but she was looking at him with a glimmer of what looked like respect, or at least consideration. “You’re kind of wise, aren’t you, Subaru?
Subaru blushed at the genuine compliment. It wasn’t like guys like him were praised that often, after all. He’d probably remember this one for the rest of his life. “T-Thanks. Although, I wouldn't call myself wise. I just think I got a good grasp of things, sometimes.”
“Oh, then that means you’re smart.”
Two compliments? In a row? Was he committing a crime? He just got to this fantasy world, he didn’t want to go to jail!
“L-Let’s just ask around and see if these guys know anything,” Subaru suggested.
“Mmm.” Emilia nodded.
However, the pair was met by outright refusal from the slum dwellers at first, until one individual decided to help them out. They were informed that Felt typically did her business at the loot house.
“Thanks!” Subaru replied cheerfully.
“No problem, brother. Live strong!”
“That was nice of him,” commented Emilia.
“Yeah, the only thing we gotta figure out is how to get there,” the black haired boy replied. He’d have pressed for more information, but he had the feeling that was the best he was gonna get.
“I’ll ask the lesser spirits to help us next.”
“Lesser spirits?”
“Oh.” Emilia blushed. “That’s right, you don’t know about spirits, do you?”
He scratched his cheek. “I mean, I know about the concept at least…”
“Don’t worry Lia, I’ve got this!” Puck volunteered, emerging from his daughter’s hair, his paw on his chest. “Spirits in this world are when the mana of the world gathers together and starts taking on a life of its own! Lesser Spirits are the first stage of that. They don’t have an element yet, but they can perform a weak version of pretty much any elemental magic as a result. Since Lia’s got a high spirit affinity, she can draw them close and talk to them. Amazing, right~?”
“That is pretty awesome!” Subaru agreed with a nod, before realizing something. “Wait, aren’t you a Spirit? When I first saw you, you came out of Emilia-tan’s crystal.”
The cat chuckled. “That’s right! I’m a Great Spirit, in fact! The Great Spirit of the Fire, also called the Beast of the End!” He winked. “So get along with my precious daughter, okay~?”
“You don’t have to threaten me! I was gonna do that anyway!” huffed Subaru. Internally, he really didn’t want to know what the fatherly rage of something called ‘the Beast of the End’ looked like. But…there probably wasn’t going to be a time where that came up, right?
Emilia didn’t pay attention to their antics, closing her eyes. She mouthed something, and in a brilliant display, dozens upon dozens of multicolored lights drifted in out of thin air, crowding around her. The half-elf glowed, an ethereal aura surrounding her as the Spirits (he presumed) swirled lazily. Subaru couldn’t help but stare at her in complete awe.
“Enchanted, are ya?” asked Puck cheekily. “Lia’s great at Spirit Arts! Not many people in the world have a spirit affinity like hers to pull something like this off.”
“Y-Yeah,” uttered Subaru, his face slightly red.
“They’ve seen a place like the loot house. It’s not far away,” the half-elf informed them, the spirits fading away as she turned to speak to Subaru.
“Well then, lead the way, Emilia-tan!”
“Mmm.” Emilia nodded, before stopping momentarily. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you: what does ‘tan’ mean?”
“W-Well…you can just ignore the meaning. Just chalk it up to the oddities of Natsuki Subaru,” he replied evasively, blushing somewhat. What didn’t help his situation was that he was sure Puck was holding back his snickering.
“Don’t worry.” The half elf beamed at him. “I don’t find you odd at all.”
“Ah! My impure maidenly heart!”
“Sorry guys, I’m not gonna be of much help to you.” Puck spoke up just as they reached the loot house, an old, dilapidated two-story building. While the walls were still standing, paint had long since worn away, the windows were dark and covered in dust, moss growing from the rooftop. The Spirit cat’s ears were drooping, and he suddenly looked tired. “My time’s almost up.”
Subaru blinked. “Time?”
“It takes a lot of mana for Puck to come out,” explained Emilia, “I have enough to where he can manifest for eight hours a day.”
“Until sunset,” Puck finished, “My ideal time is nine to five.”
“Nine to five?!” Subaru exclaimed in disbelief, before turning to the Great Spirit’s daughter. “I can’t believe it! I thought you were a sweet girl, Emilia-tan! How can you make your father work like the average salaryman! Have you no shame?!”
“E-Eh?!”
“I know right?!” Puck followed up, feigning exhaustion. “She puts me to work I tell you! I never get any rest taking care of her until I can finally fall fast asleep! It’s a miserable existence! Someone save me!”
“Wait a minute, I…” Emilia began, before she noticed the two jokesters began to laugh uncontrollably. “H-Hey! You were teasing me! That’s not very nice!”
“You are right! That is why for my sins, I will quell my urge to headpat you!” replied the black haired boy with a grin.
“Yeah! That’s your punishment for being a bad boy!” nodded the half-elf.
“I’m sorry Lia, hehe, I couldn’t resist!” chuckled the Great Spirit.
“I will remember this Puck!”
The Great Spirit in question suddenly became transparent, his physical form fading in and out of existence. “Welp, back to the crystal I go! My punishment will have to wait for later!”
Emilia sighed. “You’re not being a good father, dodging responsibility like this.”
“Hey, give him a break! He could be one of those dads that go out for milk or cigarettes for the next ten or so years!” commented Subaru.
“I don’t know what cigarettes are, but why would it take someone ten years to find milk?” asked the half-elf, tilting her head in confusion.
He shook his head. “A question many a child has asked themselves.”
“If it gets really bad, use my Od,” advised Puck as his form faded away almost completely, before he turned to the black haired boy. “Do your best to protect my daughter, Subaru. I don’t want anything bad to happen to Lia.”
“You have my word: Natsuki Subaru will protect your daughter!” Subaru promised, saluting the Great Spirit of Fire. “And I never go back on my word, for that is my nindo!”
“What’s a nindo?” both father and daughter asked at the same time.
“Consider it a reference that is out of your reach…for now!” replied Subaru with a cheeky grin.
“If you say so.” Puck sighed, shaking his head. “Maybe you’ll figure out how to use your sword if you have to fight.”
“That’s how it usually goes in plots like this, so hopefully it will apply to me too!” Internally, Subaru would rather not want to bank on that. Hopefully, everything could end peacefully without anything bad happening.
“See you two tomorrow. And good luck.” Puck then faded away completely, green sparkles going back into the crystal around Emilia’s neck.
Subaru blinked. “Wow. It was almost like he died when he faded away like that.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to say something like that…” warned Emilia.
Subaru smacked his forehead. “Of course! That’s the classic death flag in so many anime, how could I forget that?!”
“Anime?”
“I’ll tell you about it later,” Subaru waved her off, “Let's just get your insignia back. Although…do you have anything to trade for it, or are we gonna have to fight?”
“I’d rather not fight. I do have some money in my purse…but it feels wrong that I have to pay to get something that was stolen from me back.”
“That’s how it is sometimes.” Subaru then blinked, before his eyes widened in realization. “Wait a minute! You have money? You’re supposed to be broke like me! I’ve been lied to!”
“W-Wait! I didn’t lie to you! I really am broke, it’s just-”
“OLD MAN ROM!”
They heard a loud, anguish-filled voice inside the loot house. Subaru went to put his ear to the door, and his expression became serious. “Sounds like…a struggle.”
“Whose voice was that?”
“Definitely Felt’s.” He’d just heard it earlier that day, after all. His hand instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword. “I don’t completely get what’s going on…but it can’t be anything good.”
“Then we should help, right?” Emilia asked, somewhat unsure.
“You’d help someone who just stole something from you?” asked Subaru.
“Well, of course! She sounded so hurt, and…it-it would benefit me! Yes, that’s it! I help her, and she gives back the insignia peacefully. It’s an equal trade.”
Subaru shook his head, a smile on his face. “You don’t have to go out of your way to hide your kindness like that.” He pointed his thumb at himself. “Especially someone like me. I have what you call a bullshit detector!”
“ROM! OLD MAN ROM!”
Both of their eyes widened as those anguish filled screams came from the loothouse once again. “Let’s go.”
“Mmm.” Emilia nodded, her face set. The half-elf cast some form of ice magic, the door freezing completely as it became encased in ice. The white haired maiden then kicked down the door, the wooden door shattering like glass, allowing the two entrance into the building.
Subaru already had drawn the sword, the black blade bared to the evening air. Even as his nerves kicked in, he couldn’t falter here, and used the presence of his sword in his hand to steady himself. This was his first opportunity to prove himself in this new world, and he wasn’t going to waste it.
However, the sight he was greeted with left him in complete horror. As they entered, he watched as Felt, the girl he had met earlier, had her stomach slashed open. Her body fell limply onto the wooden floor, a pool of her own blood forming around her dying self as she gasped and gurgled weakly. Her red eyes found his, widening as she recognized him. “Y-You…!” she choked.
Subaru’s brain couldn't fully comprehend the situation. However, his first instinct rang true, as he took one step towards her.
“N-No, you idiot…r-run…!” She croaked, as the life in her eyes slowly began to fade. “Y-You too…I stole from you…don’t waste your time on…me…”
Subaru turned to the half-elf by his side, who had her hands over her mouth in horror. “B-But…I can’t just…”
“You’d do well to follow her words. They might help you stay alive for just a little longer~”
Subaru didn’t think, just swung his blade on instinct, but he hit nothing. His groceries were on the ground next to him, as they weren’t particularly useful in a situation like this.
The voice, a husky, velvety woman’s voice, chuckled. “Oh my, are you a newbie with that sword? I’m afraid that won’t help you!”
“It would if you came out and faced us!” Subaru taunted, even as he was growing incredibly anxious from not knowing where the woman was.
“Come out and face you? I wouldn’t be a good assassin if I couldn’t hide in plain sight, waiting for the right moment to watch your guts spill out for the first time,” replied the voice, “You should see my other work.”
Subaru had no idea what she was talking about, until his eyes widened in shock, spotting another corpse lying in a pool of blood. This one was a bulky and enormously large man, with a blue vest and a bald head. He was clearly strong just going by appearances alone, so it made it all the more jarring how it seemed he had been dispatched with ease as well.
“But, just for you, I’ll make an exception. Consider yourselves blessed by the world, unlike me.” The sound of clicking heels filled the air, and what emerged from the shadow of the loot house was a black haired, voluptuous woman. She wore incredibly provocative clothing to match her demeanor, with a black dress that showed off her belly button and the entirety of her creamy cleavage, and to top it off, she wore a purple, feather cloak around her shoulders, dark red on the inside.
‘Why are the hot ones always murderous psychopaths?’
“You…” Emilia narrowed her eyes at the woman. “How can you do something like this…?”
“How? It’s how I live. It’s how I survive. I’m an assassin, after all. I’m just carrying out a job.” She showed an almost creepy, sinister smile. “And my job is still unfinished.”
Subaru pointed his sword at the woman. “Not if I can help it. I will protect her.” Even so, no one missed how his hand shook.
The assassin’s eyes blinked as she stared at the black blade. “I will admit, that sword could give me trouble. Unfortunately, its master is a hopeless greenhorn.”
‘Damn it! Why can’t you be stupid like those thugs?!’ That didn’t matter now. Right now…he knew he was in a life or death situation. He had to do something, and quick. ‘I only got one shot at this. I need to tap into this sword’s power. I hope this one clue is enough…’
“I guess it’s now or never! If you’re gonna do anything, then let’s go, Rokuhira!” he proclaimed, focusing on the katana in his sword.
Nothing happened.
“Like I said, you are inexperienced,” mocked the woman, before she blurred out of his line of sight.
‘Where’d she go-’
“AHHH!”
He heard a scream from right next to him, and whipped around. He’d lost sight of the assassin for only a moment, but that had, tragically, been more than enough. He watched, horrified as Emilia’s stomach was cut open, her eyes wide with surprise as her legs buckled and she fell to the ground. She clutched at her belly, blood spilling the half-elf as she clutched herself, wheezing, too shocked to even scream out, even as her lovely face distorted in agony and disbelief.
“If you had even a slight amount of experience against me, maybe you could tap into the power of that sword. Just a little~” The woman commented, her black, almost dead eyes turning to the black haired boy. “It might have extended her life just a bit more.”
“Y-You bitch!” It didn’t matter to him anymore. The bodies that this woman had claimed in a span of just a few minutes, right before the sun fully set, was enough to make him fight. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t tap into the sword’s power, he would make her pay!
Subaru lashed out with his sword horizontally, aiming to cut the woman in two. However, his sword was promptly intercepted by her blade, and he felt the difference in strength between the two. He had exercised enough to at least be somewhat proud of himself more, but it was clear this woman was on another strength tier entirely. It was like a stoppable force met an immovable object, she wasn’t moving.
‘Either this woman works out a lot too or it’s because of the mana of this world.’ Probably both. In which case, he was screwed.
“Your resolve even in these moments is enough to make my heart pound, but you’re still not up to par.” The black haired woman completely deflected Subaru’s sword with a flick of the dagger in her left hand. And that only brought up a terrifying thought in Subaru’s mind.
‘What if she’s got another-’ His worst fears were realized, as he felt a slash across his stomach. There was blood flying in the air. Was that…his blood? It must have been, as he plopped down on the ground next to the half-elf, the burning pain on his stomach growing and growing.
‘Is this…is this death?’
“Yours might have more reach, but I have a second one~” Sure enough, she showed off the second dagger in her hand, before putting it away. “I only use this when I need to get just a little bit serious. But, I think giving you a free lesson on charging recklessly would only be fair before you die.”
Blood gushed like a crimson waterfall from his split stomach. Did the human body really have this much blood inside it? His sword clattered to the floor as he tried in vain to hold his intestines in. His hands were instantly slick with warm, sticky blood.
“Are you angry with me? I have someone of my own I have to protect, so don’t take it personally. This is just the nature of my job, and you’re a casualty of it,” commented the woman, as her eyes locked onto the blood pouring from him with a fascinated gleam. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something unique about the blood pouring from your cut that I absolutely can’t keep my eyes off of!”
Even despite the weird obsession with guts, he couldn't help but pause at her words. ‘Protect someone? From what, and why do it as an assassin?’ Now he was only left with questions, and he wasn’t going to get any answers to them because he was…
‘Dying…I’m…really dying…’
He looked over to Felt’s body, and he was surprised to find some life remaining in her eyes. It was faint, but there was still some left. However, she had lost the strength to speak, but he could clearly see her mouth something to him.
‘I’m…sorry…’ The thief’s last words were an apology, as the life finally faded from her eyes.
“Subaru…”
He looked over to Emilia, the half elf having more life than the thief had earlier, but slowly her life was being snuffed. “I’m sorry…you shouldn’t have even been here…you got close to me…and…”
“Don’t say that…!” He retorted, more blood pouring from his wound as he overexerted himself. That was time taken off his already short clock, but he didn’t care. “I…don’t regret it…I’m glad I got to know you…! If…If anything…I should apologize for being…useless…I’m still the same guy…pathetic…helpless…I can’t even protect…you”
“You’re…not useless…” Emilia retorted. “You made me happy…even if it was only….for a little bit…of time…that can’t be useless…right?”
Hot tears welled up in Subaru’s eyes at her admission that he’d made her happy. “Don’t…don’t just say that right at the end…!” he choked.
“I…wish I could…help you…I can’t focus…at all…I…” Some tears began to form around the half-elf’s eyes. “I’m dying…I’m dying, right? It’s…very scary…is it like that for you, Subaru…? I…don’t wanna…die…!”
A second wind during his last moments gave him the strength to reach out and grab her hand, clasping it over hers. “Then…you won’t…I will…save you…I’ll save Felt…too…and that Rom guy…”
A strained smile appeared on the half-elf’s face. “Giving me…hope…like this…You’re…a bad…boy…Subaru…” Her eyes began to close. “Thank…you…”
‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’ Even as the world around him went dark, the last vestiges of his mind continued to deny what was happening. ‘This can’t be how it ends. Not like this!’
“Have your final moments.” He heard the woman who killed them both speaking…solemnly? “You’ve more than earned them.”
‘There’s no way I heard that…what the hell is going on in this damn world?! I can’t die before I figure it out! I…don’t want to die too.’
But try as he might, the black haired boy felt the life leave his body. As the world around him began to become nothing but darkness around him, Subaru swore he heard a voice whisper in his ear.
“Then live, my Beloved.”
And then, Natsuki Subaru died.
Darkness. He walked stood the dark, eyes unseeing, sword at his side, his heart wavering, assailed by fear.
Who was he? He was Subaru, right? But, no…it didn’t feel like him. Who was he, right now?
Who was he afraid of failing? The enemy was there, so why was his head so filled with terrible memories?
He heard a girl’s voice crying out in fear. Enemies were threatening his daughter (daughter?).
Before he could think about it, he moved, and let out a grunt as a dozen blades skewered him from behind. Blood filled his throat, and he coughed. Even sightless, he could feel his daughter’s eyes on him, shocked and dismayed.
The only thing he said was… “I’m the only one…who should be hurt…!”
“Suzaku.”
“You there? Appa. You buying?” He heard a voice say, one that was…familiar to him. He was in front of a green haired, muscular man. He wore a black vest with gold accents, black pants, and had a twig in his mouth.
Subaru blinked, his mind currently not processing the situation. Wasn’t he dying? Why was he here? Who was that man he’d just been? He was just in the loot house, and yet…here he was, standing in front of a merchant selling apples. Hadn’t he been here before? All of this combined into one, singular question on Subaru’s mind.
‘What…just happened?’
End Chapter
HK: Well, that was quite the chapter. Now, first thing’s first: We will not reveal what we are doing a crossover with just yet. We wanna keep you on your toes until it is revealed what Subaru got. I’m sure anyone who has ever read this series knows what we’re doing, but for the people who haven’t read it…you’re gonna learn how peak it is.
NS: Indeed…for those of you who don’t know what the crossover is, we will be revealing that once we post chapter 3. For the time being, perhaps those of you who are familiar will be able to piece it together from hints given in the chapter.
HK: Now, we’re working with canon Baru here…well, mostly canon Baru. And that means…bro is not battle tested yet. In time that will change, but obviously, his first go round didn’t go well.
The interactions in this chapter were fun to write, I must say.
NS: Yep, as satisfying as it was to write the more mature Baru in Zero Presence, this is not that fic. So of course, that means we can’t just do the same things again…except pairings. :P
HK: In the end, we’re wholesome lewd writers.
Masky: Who make due with what materials we have on hand or tossed in for flavor.
HK: In any case…get ready for y’all to learn Samurai Baru. We were also thinking of potential drip changes for Baru in the future, just to match the aesthetics here.
NS: Well, not that it’ll come across that strongly in text…but yeah, stuff like recoloring the tracksuit, or giving him Wrath Baru’s kimono. That sorta thing.
HK: Turning the stuff associated with that story into a positive. Only a mad scientist would do that. Hey.
Anyways, we don’t know how frequent the updates will be on this, but we have a small backlog building up. The first chapter did decently when it was posted on my Dump, so that was good.
Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. Have a great day, and see ya whenever we post the next one.