――All that existed there was ‘nothingness.’

Drifting, that consciousness casually looked around. While “looking around” might not be the appropriate term in this case.

There were no eyes within that consciousness. In fact, there were no hands, feet, or any part of a body. Just a vague, formless awareness floating in a state of uncertainty.

Without any understanding, without any communication, it scanned its surroundings.

It was a dark room, completely devoid of anything. The boundary between the ceiling and walls was indistinguishable, wrapped in a pitch-black world that made it impossible to gauge the room’s size.

Suddenly, meaning was born in that pitch-dark world.

In the direction that consciousness deemed as the front, a human figure suddenly materialized.

Thin, and once again covered in pitch black, with an unclear outline. Particularly, there was fog enveloping the upper half, strongly obstructing the consciousness’s perception.

With the appearance of the figure, the consciousness felt a sensation for the first time.

And while that sensation was still lingering, the shadow moved leisurely, as if trying to convey something to the consciousness.

I don’t understand. Nothing is conveyed.

Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t shift my attention away from that shadow――.

『――Not yet, unable to meet.』

Leaving behind such a faint whisper, the world abruptly vanished.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The moment he awoke, Subaru strongly thought, “Thank you for giving me a sturdy body, Mom and Dad.”

He had jumped off a cliff and plummeted headfirst to the ground. There was no doubt that the impact had nearly severed his cervical vertebra. However, Subaru was not immediately granted eternal rest――but,

“Seriously, not being dead right after a fall? This is on a level that can’t even qualify as ‘unlucky.’”

Beside the corpse with horns that had fallen, he found himself frozen in agony, counting down the seconds to death.

It’s reasonable to assume he wouldn’t last long, but the sensation of time felt like several hours of torment.

If Beatrice happened to come down to check on him and revived the still-breathing Subaru, it would be quite a sight to behold.

“I absolutely refuse to die myself. I’d rather not die at all.”

In recalling the self-questioning leading up to that moment, the thought alone was enough to make him want to die.

He had tried so hard to appear cool while internally freaking out. There was no way he could claim to have made a decision.

But――,

“I’m back…”

Reaching out, clenching his fist, Subaru confirmed his own location.

A soft bedding. Neatly arranged sheets. The deep-red outfit resembling a samue felt familiar, and――,

“Sister, sister. Our guest appears to still be a bit dazed.”

“Rem, Rem. Our guest seems to be showing early signs of aging.”

The twin sisters, holding hands, stared at Subaru with their two sets of eyes from in front of the bed.

Familiar voices and familiar gestures. This intense greeting had already repeated four times, and now it was the fifth.

There was so much he wanted to say. Emotions he wanted to express churned within him. Yet, none of those words came out, stuck in his throat.

Seeing Rem’s lively form and witnessing Ram’s usual rudeness, feeling how naturally the two treated him stirred up uncontainable emotions.

“Guest, guest, what’s wrong? Are you feeling ill?”

“Guest, guest, is something the matter? Did you have an attack from your chronic condition?”

After seeing the twins’ expressions, Subaru fell silent, pressing his hand to his chest. The twins grew puzzled, approaching him from each side, reaching out gently.

Then, at their approach, Subaru exclaimed,

“Gahchoco!”

“Eh?”

“Aah!”

As if making a sound effect, he embraced the twins tightly.

Blue-haired Rem on his right and pink-haired Ram on his left, he easily wrapped an arm around each of their petite bodies. With his face nestled between them, he savored the feel of their hair against his cheeks.

“Ahh, I’m back! I’m really back, here in this place, with this feeling. I’m home!”

Rubbing his face vigorously against their heads, he then patted their backs and released them.

Though the twins were visibly shaken by Subaru’s sudden hug, they quickly regained their composure and jumped away from the bed.

“Sister, sister, our guest has treated us as comfort toys!”

“Rem, Rem, I’ve become the target of our guest’s beastly desires!”

“What? That’s not true. I’m sorry, but both of you are, unfortunately, a tad outside my strike zone! Just so you know, I’m not really into younger girls! And girls should have long hair, long!”

Subaru’s belief was that femininity resided in hair.

Thus, he found long hair preferable. And the silver-haired heroine was his ultimate justice. If she had a hint of a caring older sister trait, it would be perfect. Hence,

“Emilia-tan is right down the middle of my strike zone! Sorry, but you two are just off the mark. You’re still great pitches, though!”

“Sister, sister. I’m not sure what that means, but it sounds like an insult.”

“Rem, Rem. That’s a crazy statement, but I feel insulted.”

Subaru’s rapid-fire comments had the twins responding with a slightly sternness.

But against their attitude, Subaru sprang up from the bed. Standing barefoot on the floor, he swiftly turned around, facing them in the room’s center while dramatically pointing at them with his fingers.

“Listen up, hey, listen to me. Let’s lie down with our heads in each other’s laps and clean our ear holes while we’re at it.”

Facing the twins who had fallen silent, he performed a pointless action of opening and closing his hands.

“Due to various circumstances, I get that you both must have some very complex backgrounds. I really get that, but on top of that, let me say this.”

Grasping their perception of him, the twins encouraged Subaru to continue with a silence that demanded more.

It was likely that their judgement of him had already begun at this point. Mindful of their gazes, he found no way to skillfully navigate to earn their trust.

Fundamentally, Subaru was hopelessly bad at socializing.

If he had a refined skill to gauge others’ feelings and respond appropriately in every situation, he wouldn’t have ended up like this, and he would’ve been doing better in this world too.

Thus, being aware of the sharpness of their gazes, there wasn’t much Subaru could do. Knowledge was hardly an advantage.

Therefore, what Subaru was about to say to them was not a declaration of war but merely a reminder to himself.

In other words,

“I trust you both, so let’s get along.”

Just like the first time, he would once again face them earnestly.

Subaru surely thought the same on the first day of being summoned to this world.

Even if he knew what kind of future awaited, he lacked the power to fully utilize it. Thus, all he could do was struggle to live in the present to seize the opportunity given.

Surprised, the twins exchanged silent glances, communicating without words. While it was impossible to discern what passed between them during that silent exchange, Subaru wasn’t a character who could calm himself and wait for their verdict.

Besides, this time, he had decided to cast his calmness aside.

“Leaving me behind like this is pretty lonely, you know! The world is much wider and more open! So stop shutting yourselves away in your little world and let’s open up more! With who? With me!”

“Sister, sister. The awakened guest is an incredibly troublesome person.”

“Rem, Rem. The newly awakened guest is an infuriating individual.”

“However, you two have to give your utmost sincerity to someone as annoyingly troublesome as me! Wow, it’s been a while since I felt this guest vibe! Only for a brief moment, but it feels great, yeah!”

It seemed all the built-up frustration had exploded.

Relying even more on his usual way with words, Subaru’s tongue was scattering light words everywhere. Then,

“――Couldn’t you have woken up a bit more quietly?”

A voice suddenly came from the direction of the entrance.

Turning his gaze, he saw the Silver-Haired Girl standing near the open door. She lightly knocked on the already open door, raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows in exasperation.

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well, but you shouldn’t be making such a racket after just recovering from an illness.”

“Don’t worry; Emilia-tan is my number one star!”

“What are you talking about?!”

With a thumbs-up and a radiant smile, Subaru grinned widely.

In response to his enthusiastic Subaru action, Emilia placed her hand against her forehead.

“Um…,”

Her gaze wandered as if choosing her words before she continued,

“Anyway, good morning. I’m glad you’re okay.”

Emilia smiled with visible relief.

Giving her smile a nod in return, Subaru couldn’t help but grin back.

“Yeah, good morning. So then, let’s get started.”

The three female figures tilted their heads, puzzled by Subaru’s statement.

Seeing their reactions, Subaru chuckled and waved his hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen of Roswaal’s Mansion, your first week of conquering begins now!”

He declared, as if convincing himself.

――Now, let’s set the story in motion.

To see the people Subaru desired and the morning he longed for.

The fifth first day at Roswaal’s Mansion begins.