Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World- Vol. 1

by Tappei Nagatsuki

  Rom looked from the image over at Felt, who was sipping her milk, and said, “Well, you’ve certainly surprised me. I don’t think there’s anything else out there that could draw such a perfect picture.”

  “This is a mitia that takes out a slice of time and stores it away. It doesn’t even compare with a picture someone has drawn, does it? If you’d like I can take one of you as well.”

  “I’m interested, but it seems kind of dangerous. It doesn’t take any of your life away, does it?”

  “No matter what age and no matter what world, it looks like that superstition about photographs persists, huh…?”

  Subaru gave a weak smile in return to Rom’s reaction, something that seemed like it should be out of the Taisho period, or before, and replied, “Even if I take your picture, you’ll easily live until you’re eighty or so.”

  Felt’s reaction as she was listening to the conversation was also cute, and so after getting his permission, Subaru took a picture of Rom and showed it to him.

  “Hmm…” Rom nodded.

  “This is certainly something. If I were to take care of it, in terms of blessed gold coins maybe fifteen…no, I could absolutely get more than twenty for this. I believe it’s worth that much.”

  Rom’s business sense sparked; his eyes were shining as he made his appraisal.

  While Subaru thought he was unsure how proud he could be to get the seal of approval from someone in the business of selling stolen goods, it certainly did put him at ease. His nostrils flaring with confidence, Subaru turned to Felt.

  “Well, there you have it. This is the card I have to play. Like I said, it’s worth more than twenty blessed gold coins. So now, I’d like to trade you this for that badge you’ve got.”

  “I see you seem to make that face a lot, but it really is annoying.”

  Apparently unimpressed that everything looked as though it was going according to Subaru’s plan, Felt made a face. However, that didn’t change the fact that this new information made the deal sound even better to her.

  “Well, to be honest, I’m happy that I’ve got a guarantee that I can turn this mitia into cash. It looks like I don’t have to doubt you anymore about it being worth twenty blessed gold coins, either. I accept the card you have to play.”

  “Right?! So anyway, it looks like our negotiations have gone well. It’ll be your job to sell it, but I wish you the best of luck! Now that’s wrapped up, how about we go off somewhere and have a drink to celebrate our success?”

  Subaru quickly walked over to Felt and put out his hand to take the badge, but Felt slowly pushed it back.

  “Wait a minute. Why are you in such of a hurry?”

  “Life has its limits. You’ve got to treat every second of it as precious, and it’s a shame to waste any—”

  “Right, right, enough of that,” Felt said, narrowing her red eyes, and with a calm attitude stuck at the heart of her doubts.

  “Why do you want this badge in the first place?”

  9

  Subaru paused, holding his breath, and as both Rom and Felt saw that, Subaru realized he had made a mistake. What he should have done was say a bunch of nonsense, just like he had before. However, nothing would come out.

  As Subaru kept his silence Felt’s mouth loosened up into a smile.

  “The older lady who asked me to steal it in the first place didn’t want to talk about it either, and it looks like you’re the same?”

  “…Well, stealing is pretty bad itself, so with theft involved, I’m sure everyone has some ulterior motives they wouldn’t like to talk about…”

  “But in your case, you stand out more than one usually would. If I slow down and think about it, you’re trying to steal this away from whoever wanted me to steal it in the first place.”

  Felt’s attitude was like one of a cat torturing its prey.

  “Just what is this badge anyway? It’s worth more than it looks, isn’t it? That’s why everyone wants it. In other words, it’s worth more than even this mitia.”

  “Wait, Felt. That line of thought is really dangerous. I pretty much already know what you’re planning on saying right now, even if I’m just drawing on my experience from playing games, but…really, you need to stop.”

  As Subaru watched Felt’s miserly gauge rise, he broke out in a sweat as he tried to stop her. If negotiations dragged on any longer than this, the bad end that was just waiting for them was going to be a reality.

  “This deal is for more than twenty blessed gold coins! Just take it! Don’t be any greedier than that! El—The one who commissioned you can only pay twenty blessed gold coins herself. She won’t pay any more than that.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Well…”

  “The more you talk the more you’re giving away. You’re in league with her, aren’t you?”

  Subaru wished he could just tell her that he knew because of his Return by Death ability, but of course he couldn’t. Even if he did explain it that way, there was no guarantee she would believe it.

  As Felt’s eyes filled with even more doubt, Subaru knew that whatever he said, she wouldn’t believe him anymore. At this point, he might have to wrestle the badge away from her.

  But if I did that I’d have to deal with this muscular geezer…

  “Well, she’s got you dancing in the palm of her hand, doesn’t she, kiddo? Must be embarrassing given that she’s younger than you.”

  “It’s all your fault for giving her free rein. She’s so tough I feel like I’m about to cry.”

  If Subaru tried to be violent, all that would happen would be his getting beat to the ground by Rom. Even if he was able to grab it away from Felt, he didn’t think he could outrun her. Subaru had seen how she could run like the wind. There was no way he could escape.

  “Felt, please…”

  “Don’t think begging is going to get you anywhere. Look, I accept your deal as an option, but it’s not fair to make a deal without hearing what my original client has to say about it all. If you would tell me how much this badge is really worth and are able to prepare what it’s really worth in payment, then I may reconsider, though.”

  In Felt’s eyes was not even the slightest amount of compassion or mercy. Her two eyes were desperately trying to draw out the truth from Subaru’s attitude. However, Subaru’s reasons for wanting the badge were not the same as Elsa’s. He only wanted to return it to its owner.

  But while Felt didn’t know Subaru’s intentions, he knew hers. Subaru knew why Felt was so desperate to negotiate the best deal possible. He knew who she was trying so desperately for. So after a pause, he told the truth.

  “All I want is to return that badge to its rightful owner.”

  “…What?”

  Telling the truth was the most sincere thing he thought he could do. So while Felt’s eyes opened wide, Subaru just repeated what he said before.

  “I want to return that badge to its rightful owner. That’s why I want it. That’s all.”

  Felt’s red eyes glinted full of animosity, but Subaru stayed silent. He didn’t have it in him to joke around at this point, so he just bowed his head.

  “…Felt, I don’t think he’s lying,” said Rom.

  “Don’t you be tricked by him! This has got to be a joke! Return it to its rightful owner? By paying all of this money to buy it back from the person who stole it? How stupid can you get? If that’s what he wanted to do, he should have brought a guard with him to round us up!”

  Of course Subaru couldn’t do that. Not-Satella didn’t want to get the guards involved. That’s why Subaru had refused Reinhard’s offer. Subaru couldn’t go against Not-Satella’s wishes.

  It was the least that Subaru could do, and it was his answer to the one who had saved his life.

  “If you’re going to lie, do a better job of it! Even if you act like you’re serious, I won’t be tricked! If I don’t… That’s right. I won’t be tricked…” Felt said, as if shaking some thoughts from her head,
ending in a feeble-sounding voice.

  “Felt…” said Rom in a caring tone with a painful expression, probably knowing what was going on inside Felt.

  Either way, it didn’t look as though Felt was going to change her mind. In other words, negotiations had failed.

  “…Who is it?”

  Suddenly, Rom’s expression changed and he looked toward the entrance. Subaru, still in a state of shock from the negotiations breaking down, was too late to react to Rom’s voice.

  “It could be my client. It does seem a little early, though.”

  Felt went over to the door, with her angry expression still on her face, and reached to open it.

  Subaru suddenly identified the impatient feelings welling up inside him. The loot cellar, a knock at the door, Felt’s client—all of those signals could only lead to one thing.

  “Don’t open the door! We’ll all be killed!!”

  It was earlier than Subaru had expected. From the windows he could see the sun still high in the sky. It was too bright to be past sunset.

  The first and second times around, despair had come knocking after sunset. Subaru hadn’t let his guard down about their limited time, but still, this was way too early.

  Subaru still hadn’t accomplished anything he needed to do to change this world. Subaru didn’t make it in time. Her hand was already on the door, and it was pushed open from the outside, and the reddish light of early sunset swept the dimness of the cellar away. And then…

  “What do you mean, ‘be killed’? I’d never do anything that violent without warning!” said a silver-haired girl with a sour look on her face as she stepped into the cellar.

  CHAPTER 5

  STARTING LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD

  1

  “I’m so glad you’re here… I won’t let you get away this time.”

  Upon seeing the girl, Not-Satella, walk in through the door, Felt wordlessly stepped back.

  Felt looked mortified and her mouth twisted in frustration.

  “You really are a persistent woman, aren’t you… Why couldn’t you just give up already?” said Felt, sounding as though she was on the verge of grinding her teeth together.

  “Unfortunately, this is not something I can give up on. …If you’ll be a good girl and hand it over I won’t hurt you,” replied Not-Satella, the tone of her voice incredibly cold.

  As Subaru felt the tension of the atmosphere in the cellar rise, he couldn’t help but shiver.

  Why was Not-Satella here?

  The sun had only just begun to set. The first time around he and Not-Satella hadn’t even reached the entrance to the slums yet. By the time they had reached the loot cellar, the sun was completely down.

  “…Which must mean that without me, she would have found this place a lot faster…”

  Even if Not-Satella hadn’t run into Subaru in the alley and healed him, she would have found this place all on her own.

  Subaru couldn’t describe how he felt, with the uselessness of his actions across both space and time so thoroughly proven.

  But even as he drowned in his empty feelings, the situation advanced without him.

  As Felt continued to step back, she had already crossed from the center of the room to the back, and Not-Satella, while continuing to block the exit, changed her stance and pointed her palm forward.

  With the faint sound of shattering air, Satella activated her magic. It seemed that her specialty really was ice magic, and as icicles formed in the air in front of the palm of her hand, the temperature of the room dropped.

  “I only have one demand of you: Return my badge. It is very precious to me.”

  There were six icicles floating in the air. The tips were rounded, so that their power seemed more in their weight rather than their sharpness. However, it was clear that if one hit, it would do far more damage than if a stone were thrown.

  Of course, Subaru himself was counted among the possible targets, and so he tried his best not to incite Not-Satella, just wordlessly looking on.

  “…Rom,” called Felt, a little over a whisper.

  “I can’t make a move. It’s your fault for bringing in such a troublesome thing along with such a troublesome opponent, Felt,” replied Rom, his giant body tensed as he shook his head.

  Rom had at some point grabbed his club and still held it in his hand, but his arm was slack and he didn’t look ready to swing it. He seemed to be gripping and releasing it as though he was still hesitating.

  “You’re going to give up before the fight’s even started?” said Felt, challenging Rom.

  “If this were an ordinary magic user I wouldn’t be complaining, but…this one’s a problem,” replied Rom, with a hint of admonishment in his voice, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Not-Satella.

  In Rom’s stare as he looked down at her was both an extreme sense of caution and an element of awe.

  “You’re an elf…aren’t you, miss?” said Rom, his lips shaking.

  Subaru looked up reflexively. Rom guessed that she was an elf, but that would make him only half right. Subaru knew from what Not-Satella had told him about herself the first time around.

  Upon hearing Rom’s question, Not-Satella closed her eyes for a few moments, and then after a small sigh, she responded.

  “Technically, you’re mistaken. Only half of what I am is an elf,” she said in a tone as if she was making a painful confession, and Subaru furrowed his brow.

  However, the other two had a much more exaggerated reaction, especially Felt, and with a shudder she continued to step back and said, “A half-elf…and with silver hair?! You…you can’t be…”

  “I’m not her! We only look the same! It’s… It’s a problem for me, too.”

  Subaru didn’t know what was going on, but he could tell that this was a conversation that Not-Satella didn’t want to be having.

  However, Not-Satella’s denial didn’t seem to calm Felt down; rather, it put her even more on edge, and she turned her red eyes full of animosity toward Subaru, who was still standing silently on the sidelines.

  “You… You set me up, didn’t you?”

  “What?”

  “I thought it was fishy when you said you wanted to return this thing to its owner. The fact that you kept me from hiring people to block her way was also part of the plan, wasn’t it? You two are in this together, aren’t you?!”

  As Felt said those words, gushing full of hatred, Subaru realized a few things. One, that Felt was having another misunderstanding, but secondly, why Not-Satella was able to find this place in such a short time.

  Normally, it really would be impossible for her to reach the loot cellar in this short amount of time.

  Normally, Felt would have hired people from the slums to get in Not-Satella’s way, delaying her arrival.

  Because Subaru had rushed Felt and stopped her from doing that, Not-Satella had been able to come straight here.

  While Felt’s doubts were untrue, they weren’t very far off. It was true that the current situation was moving in Subaru’s favor. Subaru did want to get the badge and return it to Not-Satella himself so he could receive her praise, but as long as she got it back, he wouldn’t complain.

  If things kept going at this rate, it would work as a nice backup plan. However…

  “Huh…? What do you mean? You two aren’t together?”

  Not-Satella seemed puzzled as to why Felt was turning on Subaru, but Felt just laughed.

  “Ha! Cut the act! I’m the one who’s backed in a corner here. So go ahead and take this badge from me and laugh at my stupidity, why don’t you?”

  “Oh, come on. Just because you’re at a slight disadvantage doesn’t mean you have to cave so easily,” replied Subaru.

  “That’s all you have to say after bringing this girl here? Damn it, I’ve been had!” said Felt, roughly scratching at her blond hair and clicking her tongue.

  Satella seemed to frown at Felt’s far-from-ladylike attitude, and Subaru gulped at the dangerous state of cir
cumstances and misunderstandings, not knowing where to fix his gaze.

  As Subaru looked around he realized that there was a red flower decoration pinned to the left breast of Not-Satella’s cloak.

  “Haa…” Subaru sighed, and then smiled. All of his hesitation up to this point just seemed so stupid now.

  Seeing Not-Satella’s stern expression and attitude had reminded Subaru of the way she had rejected him in his last loop, and had caused him to be unable to do anything. However, he knew that no matter how many times he looped back, Not-Satella, at her core, wouldn’t change.

  The fact that she had saved that little lost girl this time as well was proof of that.

  “The more we all talk about this, the more confusing it’s going to get, so, Felt, why don’t you just go ahead and give that badge back. Now, Ste—I mean, you should take it and get out of here, so you don’t get it stolen from you again.”

  “Why are you acting like you know me all of a sudden? I really don’t get what’s going on here…” said Not-Satella.

  “I don’t get what’s going on either. Just who do you think you are?” asked Felt, looking at Subaru.

  Subaru had tried to get things moving again and change the mood, but Subaru only got turned on by both girls, and failed to get anywhere.

  Subaru looked to Rom for help, but…

  “It’s a magic user we’re dealing with. I can’t really make any moves. Don’t be so hasty,” replied Rom, misunderstanding what Subaru was trying to say.

  Ugh, this old man’s useless, thought Subaru, just barely holding himself back from clicking his tongue in irritation, then trying to figure out how he was going to respond to both girls’ stares.

  But just then…a black shadow silently seemed to slide in and creep up behind the girl with the silver hair.

  “Puck! Block!!”

  A sensual smile melted into the shadows and raced forward, and a silver glint seemed to squirm as it lunged toward Not-Satella’s white neck.