“——Finally, I’ve realized.”

When Subaru awoke, the sunlight was significantly tilted towards the west.

On the cliff’s midsection——the place where Subaru had arrived during his first fall was gaping open at the edge of the forest.

Amidst the chaos of the beast battle, he hadn’t had the luxury to notice, but now that he was in a spot where the sky was visible, an inexplicable sense of relief enveloped Subaru.

Perhaps it was the illusion of having escaped the suffocating feeling of being surrounded by trees. Even the unchanged state of a dead-end felt like something might have changed.

“Why don’t you say something?”

“……Something.”

“You look so boring and antiquated, it’s pitiful.”

Spitting out those harsh words, Beatrice fussed with her long, extravagant curls.

On the sheer rock face of the cliff, her usual dress looked out of place, as if she had been pasted over a landscape painting, creating a disjointed image.

“……With that getup, outdoor activities are hard to imagine.”

“Betty didn’t want to walk in the earthy mountains either. If you hadn’t run off to a place like this, I wouldn’t have needed to come.”

Beatrice swept her skirts and said with a scowl.

Subaru frowned at her words and then belatedly realized that all the deep wounds he had suffered, with bloodstains and torn clothes, were mostly healed.

His left wrist, which had almost collapsed, the right arm wound that had exposed bone, and the right foot he thought had gone numb—all had returned to normal.

“There were so many that I couldn’t erase the scars. I suppose it’s something I should accept as the result of my missteps.”

Looking closely, he could see traces of the injuries he had received from the beast’s fangs. However, those almost faded scars were only distinguishable in bright places, and more importantly, Subaru wasn’t concerned about how he looked.

Purely, the fact that he had his injuries healed was a true relief. But still,

“Why……”

“What’s the matter?”

“Why did you help me? I…”

—even with Beatrice, who had formed a contract with him, he couldn’t share everything.

Watching Subaru’s hesitant demeanor, Beatrice snorted with dismay. She shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“Protecting your safety is the contract I made with you. If my partner dies in a pathetic puddle of blood, that concerns my prestige, you know?”

“Wasn’t it just until this morning…?”

“If you have time to nitpick, I could easily give you another wound in the same spot, you know? Conveniently, there’s a target for aimed scars.”

“I’m so sorry, thank you, please forgive me.”

Subaru bowed deeply and rubbed his head against the rock face, trying to appease the quiet rage of Beatrice.

Regardless, despite her teasing, she——

“Still, will you keep the contract with me?”

“A contract is a contract. It’s valid until one of us collapses. …Thinking about it like that, not setting an actual deadline was probably a mistake.”

Did she intend to completely brush aside their previous banter? Beatrice behaved as if she had forgotten the duration mentioned by Subaru.

The foul-mouthed girl, who didn’t get along well with Subaru——he was unexpectedly moved by the compassionate side she showed.

Overcome by his surging emotions, Subaru lost his words. Beatrice, observing his silence, pointed a finger at him without mentioning the change in his expression,

“Oh, by the way, I had a question I need to ask.”

“……What is it?”

Instinctively bracing himself, he was wary that the content of her question might lead him to meet the miasma once again.

Yet, what came from her mouth was unrelated to Subaru’s worries,

“Regarding the wounds Betty healed, did you defeat the one who inflicted them? Or did it get away?”

“……? The wounds, you mean from that black wolf-like thing? If it’s that……”

Slowly approaching the cliff’s edge, he pointed downwards to show Beatrice.

At the tip of his finger, the corpse of the beast lay still, unchanged in position. Beatrice nodded as she confirmed it.

“Was that the only one?”

“If there were more than two, I would have been bitten in double time.”

The fact that he could manage to take down one was purely a stroke of luck.

If they had attacked him in a pack, like in a comic strip, dust would have kicked up, and after it cleared, a pretty skull of Subaru would have been left behind.

In response to Subaru’s words, Beatrice touched her chin and closed her eyes for a moment. Then, as if immediately accepting, she shook her head gently.

“I can’t sense any presence around, so it was probably a straggler. If it happened to cross paths with you while it was off on its own, then your bad luck is quite something.”

“I’ve been starting to suspect that I’m actually a bundle of misfortune myself.”

Every misfortune in life seemed to weigh down on him.

Even if he assured himself that nothing bad would happen once he got through this, he wished he could turn it around and manage a more gradual release of bad luck.

Since arriving in this other world, the painful memories were the only ones that were vividly recalled.

There should have been joyful moments too, but it was as if they had faded alongside the other memories.

Feeling something akin to self-pity stirring deep within, Subaru lowered his eyes to hide his expression. Yet Beatrice paid no heed to his sentimental mood.

“If that’s the case…… well, thinking about it is probably pointless.”

“What do you mean? When you just come to your own conclusions without me, I can’t help but feel left out. I want to see, hear, and touch that fact you’ve noticed.”

“There’s just one more thing added that you can’t do anything about. More importantly, you should be worried about your own future steps, you know?”

Pushing Subaru away as he closed in, Beatrice clearly blocked his escape route once again.

To further press on the silent Subaru, Beatrice crossed her arms and added,

“Just so you know, what Betty can do for you stops here. You need to go back to the mansion and make opportunities to explain yourself to that sister. If any chance existed, it was you who threw it away.”

“I……!”

If only he could say it, he wanted to scream.

If it weren’t for that constraint that crushed his heart, Subaru would have spilled everything and begged for forgiveness.

None of it would serve to heal Ram’s heart. Subaru too was just a victim swept away by the situation.

Because he was never permitted that, he had fled to a place like this, got attacked by wild animals, and barely crawled his way out.

“How foolish I am. …No, I am foolish.”

Trying to make excuses again, he endeavored to turn a blind eye.

Under pretense, alibis, and self-preservation, Subaru had made it to the edge of the cliff. It was proof that he had been cornered into a place with no escape, both in a realistic and mental sense.

Escaping and escaping, he was left with nowhere to turn.

“Why, why do you care if I can’t go back……?”

“It’s just whimsy. At the very least, if you die somewhere I can’t see, it gives Betty night terrors. —At this point, even shying away seems like a dim hope.”

Her words, stripped of kindness, cut deep.

Beatrice’s gaze, dull as if viewing something trifling, was dry, and without knowing, Subaru found himself gasping for breath.

“If I choose to run away……”

“I might help you so the mansion people don’t find you. After that, it’s up to you where you want to disappear.”

Her blunt words, but it was undoubtedly her true feelings.

Beatrice spoke without changing her stance. It was clear from how she came all the way to the mountains to look for Subaru and did not abandon him even as he stooped, acting pitiful.

Surely, she would validate Subaru’s choice of running away.

Not out of compassion, but taking into account the terms of their contract.

But what if, hypothetically——

“What if I said I wanted to talk to Ram?”

“……It’s useless. The older sister doesn’t have the luxury to listen to your words anymore. No matter what you say, she won’t hear or trust you.”

In response to Subaru’s alternative suggestion, Beatrice replied with an unusual downward glance.

What played in her mind, was it the image of Ram, who had raised a voice of resentment that Subaru had left behind at the mansion?

After Subaru fled, what had she looked like? After connecting with Beatrice’s current attitude, he realized it was a situation where he hesitated to ask.

Watching Beatrice fall silent, Subaru bit his lip as he looked up at the sky, choking on his own foolishness.

That moment, that place was the watershed.

Subaru should not have run away at that place. Even if he didn’t have the resolution to endure the pain, he needed to confront Ram.

He’d missed his chance, losing the opportunity to connect their hearts. Once it slipped through his fingers, it would never return.

The rift that opened between the two of them was that deep and large.

“The older sister has endured for the younger sister. Then the younger sister lives for the older sister. If either one is missing, they no longer suffice.”

A voice seeped through the silence, laden with melancholy.

Lowering his gaze, Beatrice played with her lavish hair, then continued.

“If either one is lacking, the function breaks down. Given that it has gone awry like that, the older sister won’t last long either.”

“What do you mean by that? What do you know…?”

It felt like she was muttering something outrageous.

With an almost instinctive force, Subaru pressed towards Beatrice to question the meaning behind her statement, but—

“You’re too high on your horse, with a big attitude, and your hands and gaze are troublesome, human.”

Beatrice grabbed his hand, twirling around. In the whirl of her motion, Subaru stumbled and found himself landing on his back against the ground. The impact forced the air from his lungs, and Subaru’s eyes went wide.

“You can’t go back to how it was anymore. Thinking that way, I have my feelings on the matter. But then again, perhaps I don’t have the right to say that to Betty.”

“Thinking you understand it all by yourself… you’re really pushing your luck. Pretending to be important while speaking vaguely, you punk.”

Was she relishing in the sight of someone being swayed back and forth by the anticipation of information? Subaru cursed her bad taste. However, Beatrice shook her head.

“What about you? After just four days――and with an individual you haven’t even properly faced, what do you think you can understand? What can you do once you know? Don’t impose your self-centered thoughts. You no longer have any connection to that mansion.”

“I don’t know anything…”

He almost voiced that he didn’t know, but Subaru lost his retort.

Natsuki Subaru, since waking up in the mansion, had been cooped up in his room and hadn’t even had a proper conversation with anyone until the morning when Rem died.

At least, from Beatrice’s perspective, that’s all Subaru was.

But even if he told her about the past ten days he’d experienced, what would it matter?

Over those ten days, what could Subaru possibly say he learned about them?

Right now, standing before Beatrice, who looked down at him with a stern gaze, had he gained anything from those two?

“In the end, I’m just running around, making a fool of myself without knowing anything, huh…?”

——”You know nothing.”

There was truth in Beatrice’s words.

Subaru knew nothing. He hadn’t made an effort to learn, and he had squandered every chance, flowing here alone without awareness.

Lying sprawled on the ground, Subaru covered his face with his palm, gazing into the darkness.

In that pitch-black view, he remembered the meager days he spent peacefully in the mansion. Those days shattered into pieces, and likewise, Subaru’s heart crumbled.

“To avoid touching the barrier, follow the perimeter while making your way through the forest. If you can reach the highway over the mountain, walking to the village won’t be hard.”

Implicitly, Beatrice was signaling that she had no intention of doing more than that.

Her contract only entailed ensuring Subaru’s safety as long as it was within her reach. If it didn’t involve something related to her beliefs, the truth of the matter was that Subaru was nothing more than a stone on the roadside to her.

As Beatrice began walking around, looking for a safe place to descend the cliff, Subaru stood up to idly follow her.

Leaving the mansion behind, forgetting everything, and escaping somewhere far away. He didn’t know if he could survive, but this life he had struggled to regain was precious. He wanted to cherish it.

“——You’ll just forget all those cries, huh?”

The words slipped out, and Subaru clutched his own chest, gritting his teeth.

He had heard that voice, filled with hatred. The screams of resentment followed close behind. Sworn to kill him, the angry roars saturated with curses crashed down on him.

But before that, hadn’t that girl been crying?

Something that should have shattered was screaming inside Subaru’s heart.

“Hey, I’m thinking something stupid, huh…”

Deep down, he felt his throat tremble. His stomach clenched as if caught in a vice. A chill ran through his body, causing little shivers to spread, and Subaru’s breath grew erratic and sharp.

He thought he was entertaining a foolish idea.

It was ridiculous. It made no sense at all. It was clear by considering the huge gap between the pros and cons.

“You wouldn’t know even without thinking, right? Of course, that’s the case.”

——Is that really good enough?

“It’s definitely good enough. Long live, it’s a life worth living. The world is nothing but a breeze.”

Shaking off his doubts, he prepared to take a step forward.

Yet his feet refused to obey his head’s command. Stopping where he was, he forced a debate upon himself.

Someone’s question. The question from his inner self.

——Is that really good enough?

“So it’s fine…”

——What is it that makes that okay?

Subaru couldn’t find the words to answer his inner self’s questions. Even as he did, the voices stacked up, pressing for answers.

——Is it okay to become unable to connect to that place?

——Is it okay to not interact with those people anymore?

——Is it okay to leave the people you had left behind there?

——Is it okay to just brush off the girl who was crying over there?

——Can you really give up the future that was supposed to be there?

“——Screw this.”

The returns were far too low considering the risks involved.

High-risk, high-reward was undoubtedly the most unlikely option in the life of Subaru.

To begin with, it could be said that the moment he found himself in a situation where he had something to gamble on, that in itself was a defeat considering how Subaru had lived.

Without getting deeply involved in anything, without choosing anything, being swept along.

That was how he had lived, and that was how he should have been able to continue living in this world as well.

“After all……it’s a life I picked up with so much trouble.”

Ignoring the bonds he had formed, betraying the warmth that should have existed, and brushing off even the heavenly mercy that had come his way, if the conclusion he arrived at was that——that was too much of a farce for himself.

“No, it’s not even worth laughing at, at least a clown would be more appropriate.”

A clown who couldn’t even make someone laugh, not even themselves. What value could such a thing hold?

Subaru didn’t understand it nor did he want to understand.

“That’s right. This is a life I struggled to hold onto. …So.”

He took a breath and looked up.

“——I’ll decide how to use it.”

The hearts once at odds began to unite, and Subaru’s will solidified.

Suddenly, a refreshing breeze blew, ruffling his bangs, and Subaru squinted at the ticklish sensation. In the distant sky, the sunset was casting the world in shades of orange as it sank down.

The sun he had longed to see on the fifth day was fading towards its end.

Watching it depart, Subaru finally remembered.

Why he had been so eagerly waiting for that sun.

“——Back off now.”

Murmuring suddenly in a low voice, Beatrice circled around Subaru.

She restrained Subaru’s movements with an upraised hand, her adorable face etched with caution as she scanned the surroundings.

“Bea……”

“Be quiet.”

The question was immediately discarded, and Subaru began wandering his gaze, searching for the reason behind Beatrice’s wariness.

He didn’t know what Beatrice was sensing or what she was wary of.

Therefore, when Subaru first spotted it, it was merely a stroke of luck.

“——Ram.”

The whisper indicated the pink-haired girl, who was smiling sweetly as she found Subaru.

Her figure was atop the great height of the large tree, standing firmly on a thick branch, holding herself against the trunk.

As their gazes intertwined, the moment Subaru gasped, it was like the earth itself quaked, whipping up a storm of dust around them.

“Goaah!”

Showered in the raging sand, Subaru instinctively covered his face. After a few seconds, he hesitantly lowered his arms, revealing the rock face, now gouged in a half-moon shape.

The power of that phenomenon shot a chill down Subaru’s spine. It wasn’t fear at the thought of what might have happened to him had he been caught in it.

——It was a remembrance of what it felt like when struck.

“That time……”

The last time he had been fleeing in the mountains pursued by Rem. The shot that had blown off his right leg and ultimately severed his neck had occurred then.

The invisible strike, the identity of the one who had unleashed it. He had never truly contemplated it.

“Was it a two-person job…?”

With a sudden sense of relief, the pressure that had been building inside his chest dissipated.

It might be absurd, but at that moment, what Subaru felt was the loneliness of realizing that even she had given up on him, combined with an inexplicable sense of relief.

Confused by the relief he had acquired, Subaru tilted his head.

After all, didn’t it feel out of place for him to hold onto a feeling like that?

“She found us. ——That girl’s clairvoyance is bothersome, huh?”

“Clairvoyance, huh……”

It had the grand name of a skill, to Subaru’s liking.

As Beatrice’s serious tone indicated, her response was swift. Ram crouched down, gliding down the trunk of the big tree.

Landing with considerable force but without breaking her stride, she leaped straight toward Subaru’s foothold on the middle of the cliff——she arrived.

“Finally found you. I didn’t expect Beatrice-sama to still be here.”

It was as if Ram had spotted her arch-enemy, her eyes lit up with determination as she spoke.

Seeing her youthful face twisted with malice, a wave of sadness surged through Subaru’s chest.

Clad in her usual maid outfit, it was disheveled compared to how neatly she usually wore it, utterly transformed.

Holes dotted her skirt, once pristine, and the white primrose she had worn had vanished, leaving her pink hair, which should’ve been arranged, tousled and lost its elegance.

——Both of them had been dealing with each other’s appearances.

Subaru knew that. He recalled a time they had talked about it.

There were many other things he knew.

“Step back. According to the contract, Betty will protect this human. Even if the opponent is you, there will be no mercy.”

“Beatrice-sama, you move aside. I can’t spare you just because it’s you, Beatrice-sama.”

“That’s an amusing joke. Did you just say ‘spare’ to Betty?”

“Beatrice-sama should reflect that this isn’t within the mansion. Far from the Forbidden Library, and in the woods——do you truly have confidence in being able to protect that man against me under these conditions?”

Continuing their fierce standoff, the two girls assessed each other warily before Subaru, who remained quiet.

The resentful narrowing of Beatrice’s eyes conveyed that Ram’s fierce attitude was no bluff.

While it was a fact that Beatrice’s strength was limited, Ram was undoubtedly at an advantage in this setting. Still, Beatrice wouldn’t budge from her position in front of Subaru.

Standing behind her, Subaru suddenly exclaimed,

“Biyoorn!”

Grabbing Beatrice’s extravagant curls with both hands, he yanked them as hard as he could.

Letting go, her hair bounced back with a satisfying spring. It bounced, and bounced.

“Hmm, pretty pleasurable.”

“W-w-w-wha—!?”

Eyes wide, lips trembling, Beatrice turned around, shivering.

Subaru tilted his head at her, asking, “Right?”

“What on earth are you doing!? Do you wish to die in such a situation!?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I don’t want to die at all. I only want to die once, at the true end of my life. I genuinely feel that way.”

While saying this, he pulled Beatrice’s shoulder, stepping forward before her, whose face was stunned as she regarded him.

Right there stood Ram, staring wide-eyed at Subaru, her caution heightened as she bit down on her own lip.

“You’ve got guts. Is that finally what you’ve accepted?”

“It’s a bit different from acceptance. To put it another way…… I’ve made up my mind.”

“——What about?”

Falconing her brows in suspicion, Ram couldn’t grasp Subaru’s intent.

To that girl, Subaru lowered his hands and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry. Because I was such a coward, I made you quite sad.”

“——! You must be referring to what happened with Rem.”

“No, unfortunately, I genuinely don’t know about that. Frankly, I’m still drowning in uncertainty. But—”

Subaru cut off his words, allowing a breath between them.

“I’ve thought I want to learn about all those things I don’t know.”

“At this point! What are you talking about!?”

Ram barked, feeling Subaru’s declaration was nothing but idle talk. She ground her feet against the ground in frustration.

“Rem is already dead! It’s unfixable! No matter what you understand now, what can you do!?”

“I can’t say something cool like I can do something. The result of having done nothing is this mess, you see. I’m fully aware that I have no persuasive power.”

Not trying to act cool. Even now, regrets stabbed him in the chest.

If he could die from his own stupidity, he might have already succumbed.

Yet still, he made a show of his distress, fighting desperately to survive, and the pitiful appearance he put forth was what led him to this place.

And the conclusion he finally arrived at was this.

“What would you say I know about Ram and Rem!? What do you think you know!?”

“I don’t know anything. Because I never tried to learn. The important parts I still haven’t grasped. But listen—”

During those ten days, Subaru had indeed walked alongside them.

They didn’t know that, nor would they understand if he told them.

However, Subaru certainly remembered those days.

That they had forgotten, but he remembered the things they had seen together, the times they had laughed together, the moments they had shared, and Subaru’s soul burned with them.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know. Subaru knew them.

And, a thought shot through his mind——

“Even you don’t understand, do you?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I! Love you both! —So much!”

The big-hearted, yet interjecting older sister. The seemingly polite but sardonic younger sister.

Amid the days he spent with them, Subaru had found that time to be precious.

Even if the memories included resentment against him, they remained unforgettable memories.

If he had a chance to share that time again, he felt he could choose to do that without a second thought.

Ram stood frozen in shock, her eyes wide at Subaru’s shout.

Naturally. To her, Subaru’s words were nonsensical ramblings. From the perspective of a madman, just one of the countless fancies he had spewed forth.

Thus, the judgment to disregard was made in an instant.

As her thoughts paused and her body hunched, Ram’s animosity instantly turned to action.

But that brief moment of stasis made all the difference.

“——――!”

Just before her immediate judgment could strike, Subaru dashed away a moment faster.

Facing Ram’s back, running past Beatrice, Subaru moved at full speed — heading straight off the cliff.

“Wait——!”

Behind him, the high-pitched scream of a girl echoed.

Whose voice it was, Subaru couldn’t register as he ran onward.

His thoughts had become chaotic. He felt they were resolved.

But the pulse of his heart betrayed him, sending pain throughout his body, while the weight of lead enveloped his limbs.

Even while running at full speed, the world moved in slow motion, as if stretching time to provoke a change of heart in Subaru.

Ridiculous. Even now, he hesitated.

It was something he could understand. He had struggled, clung to life with everything.

Even if he wished for death, in the end, he couldn’t resist his instinct to survive.

Yet now, here he was.

“I forgot to thank Beatrice……”

Suddenly, uttering his lingering worry, he abandoned everything else.

The cliff loomed before him. Counting down the steps felt terrifying. His heart felt like it would shatter. It already felt broken. It wasn’t right. His sanity was slipping. An impulse to laugh bubbled within him even as he couldn’t laugh. There was no way he could.

Even if he stayed alive from here on, he would only live like the dead.

Giving up on the future at that place would mean the same as being dead for Subaru.

If he lived his picked-up life like he was dead, why not use it as he pleased?

The cliff was right in front of him. The height was more than sufficient. Below lay a waiting customer eagerly anticipating Subaru. It had been quite the wait. And sorry, but he couldn’t go to the same place as you.

“Good people like me go to heaven when they die.”

His feet lifted off. He swayed through the air, untouched by anything, reaching for nothing.

His body lurched. His balance faltered. He couldn’t tell up from down.

It was fast. The wind whipped savagely. His eyes stung. His head throbbed. A distant ring echoed in his ears. It felt as though he had left his heart behind. The thump of his heart couldn’t be discerned, like ominous bells tolling ominously.

If he were to die, then so be it.

Living like he was dead, that was no different.

But what if, perhaps if he could return.

—”I will definitely kill them,” she had screamed.

Then, I will—

“——I will definitely save them.”

Just as he declared his resolve, his head collided hard with the earth.

The shattering sound resonated loudly, and then nothing was heard.

Neither the voice of resentment catching up, nor anything else—.