Subaru felt a lump in his throat, realizing his blunder as someone caught sight of him struggling to breathe.

Now was the time for the kind of light-hearted banter that could have saved him, but displaying weakness was merely a sign of his lack of social skills.

In negotiations, losing your edge by showing vulnerability is the worst mistake you can make.

As a result, the silence chosen by Subaru caused Felt to slightly curl the corners of her mouth.

“My sister, who asked me to do this, didn’t really want to talk either, but you’re no different, huh?”

“Well, stealing in the first place is a shady deal. I think it’s only natural that we all have something to hide…”

“But you’re particularly shady, aren’t you? Let’s think this through; you’re trying to swipe something that was requested to be stolen!”

With a cruel playfulness reminiscent of a cat toying with its prey, Felt started to pick apart Subaru’s shortcomings.

Maintaining her sadistic grin, she distanced herself from the silent Subaru and continued,

“So what’s this badge? It has value beyond what it looks like, right? That’s why you want it, no? Simply put, it’s worth more than just a magical tool.”

“Wait, Felt. That thought is seriously dangerous. Judging by the flow of the conversation, I can almost guess where you’re leading… so please, just stop.”

Seeing Felt’s greed levels rising, Subaru felt cold sweat forming as he tried to put a stop to it. If this continued, her demands would escalate without limits.

If that happened, the negotiations would drag on, leaving them with a fate of BAD END.

“Settle for at least twenty Holy Gold Coins for its worth! Don’t ask for more! Even the person who requested me to do this for you would cap it at twenty Holy Gold Coins! They won’t cough up any more!”

“How do you know that?”

“Ah…”

“You just slipped up there. —You’re involved, aren’t you?”

It would have been so easy to claim it was due to the “Return by Death” that he knew this.

However, even if he provided that explanation, there was no element that would make anyone believe him.

To Felt, deepening her suspicious gaze, Subaru’s words lost all credibility without a counter-proposal.

At this point, his only option was to forcibly snatch the badge from her, but

“That wouldn’t work, especially with that muscle grandpa getting in the way…”

“You sure are just being played nicely, kid. Pathetic, letting a younger girl toy with you.”

“This is your fault for teaching me. You’re too strong; I’m about to cry.”

If it came to a physical confrontation, he would be knocked down by Old Man Rom.

Even if he somehow succeeded in snatching it, he couldn’t imagine beating Felt in a footrace. As soon as it turned into a long-distance run, Subaru’s combat abilities were among the bottom ranks in his class.

While he boasted top-three rankings in other skills, his long-distance running was so poor that escaping an A rank was a common occurrence.

“Felt, please…”

“Even if you plead, it’s not gonna work. I’ll recognize you as my negotiation partner, but it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t hear the other party’s opinions, right? If you want to talk about its value and prepare an appropriate reward, then we can discuss it.”

Her questioning gaze bore no mercy or kindness.

The girl’s eyes were filled with determination to uncover the truth from Subaru’s attitude. Yet, the badge’s worth was still a mystery even if they were monitoring him closely.

Subaru’s desire for the badge was based on a sense of obligation, unlike Elsa’s.

Beyond the appearance of a jeweled badge, he had no more understanding than Felt did.

Thus, Subaru couldn’t present Felt with the answer she sought.

“I want it because… I want to return it to its original owner.”

“—Huh?”

So there it was, Subaru let slip his true intention—it was all the sincerity he could offer.

“I want to return it to its owner. That’s why I want the badge. That’s all there is to it.”

As Felt’s eyes widened, Subaru looked up and echoed the same words.

Her crimson eyes glared at him with hostility, but Subaru merely accepted it and remained silent.

He didn’t have the luxury to joke around; instead, he knelt down with sincerity, bowing his head.

“…Felt. This kid doesn’t seem like he’s lying.”

“Even Old Man Rom is falling for it. It’s probably a joke, right? Return it to the owner? Are you really trying to buy back something that was stolen for a fortune? That’s ridiculous. Just bring in a soldier or two, and you could catch me easily!”

That was a discussion he couldn’t entertain.

The fake Satella wasn’t allowing the guards to get involved here.

That was why Subaru had declined Reinhardt’s offer to help as well.

If it led to her disadvantage, Subaru couldn’t make that decision.

That was the only sincerity he had left, and it was his response to the debt of saving his life.

“Then if you’re going to make a lie, at least make it a better one. Even if you pretend to be serious, I won’t be fooled.”

“If I say that I won’t be deceived, it means I’m—Yeah, I won’t be fooled!”

“Felt…”

In a voice as if tearing herself away from something, Felt uttered that hoarse tone.

The well-meaning Old Man Rom seemed to understand her feelings, his expression burdened with pain.

But that rigid demeanor of hers firmly forbade any change of heart within Felt.

Which meant that the negotiation had ended in failure.

“—Who is it?”

Old Man Rom’s expression changed as he glared at the entrance of the Thieves’ Repository.

Kneeling and bowing his head, Subaru was stunned by the shock of the negotiations breaking down.

Because of that, he was a step behind in reaching the answer.

A sharp knock sounded multiple times, breaking the silence as Rom turned around.

Nodding in response to Rom’s gaze was Felt. She pointed at herself and said,

“It might be my client. Though it feels a bit early.”

Saying that, she walked over to the door, still looking angry as she placed a hand on it.

Staring at her back, Subaru quickly sensed the rising anxiety swelling inside him.

Thieves’ Repository, knocks, Felt’s client — all these clues led to one conclusion.

“—Don’t open it! You’ll get killed!!”

It was earlier than planned. The light filtering in through the window was still a bit high, starting to dye orange, but it was far too bright to be at sunset.

In both the first and second world, despair always arrived after the sun had set.

He wasn’t complacently thinking there was still time.

That wasn’t the case, but it was just too early.

—Without having met a single condition to change the world yet.

Subaru’s desperate shout, filled with anguish, echoed in vain; the warning voice could not stop Felt from opening the door.

As it swung open, the orange-hued light softly chased the dimness out of the Thieves’ Repository.

And then—

“—I won’t do something scary like killing you out of nowhere.”

With a frown, the silver-haired girl stepped into the repository.

**※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※**

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

The silver-haired girl—fake Satella’s appearance made Felt recoil in silence.

As she stepped back, her expression twisted in frustration and annoyance.

“Seriously, you’re one persistent girl.”

“How brazen of a thief you are. If you behave yourself, you might avoid some pain.”

As Felt ground her teeth, the temperature in the room began to drop rapidly, and Subaru couldn’t help but shiver at the changing atmosphere.

—Why is fake Satella here!?

It was still early evening; based on Subaru’s experience, they shouldn’t even have arrived at the entrance of the Poor District yet.

Starting inquiries from there, it usually took close to two hours to reach the Thieves’ Repository in the first route.

“So, are you saying that if I wasn’t here, you would’ve arrived this early?”

Without Subaru’s treatment event in the alleyway, she would have made it here on her own. At this speed, that was for sure.

Proving his uselessness across time and space was a rather disheartening reality.

Leaving Subaru feeling dispirited, the situation continued to escalate.

Felt was already moving from the center of the room to the back, while fake Satella seamlessly blocked the way to the door, raising her palm toward them.

The faint sound of cracking air signaled that magic was being deployed from her palm. Was her specialty ice magic? As ice pillars emerged in the air, the room’s temperature continued to plummet.

“I have one demand. —Return the badge. It’s something important to me.”

There were six floating ice pillars, their tips bluntly rounded, emphasizing weight over sharpness for their destructive potential. But if they struck, it would undoubtedly be more powerful than any mere rock.

Naturally, realizing he was in the path of their target sent cold sweat down Subaru’s back as he simply had to watch their exchange without making a mistake.

“…Old Man Rom.”

“I can’t move. You’ve brought trouble with a troublesome opponent, Felt.”

To the quiet call, Old Man Rom, however, tensed his large body and shook his head in response.

In his hand was a familiar club that had appeared without his noticing, but the powerful grip was now somehow lacking in confidence. He hesitated, opening and closing his hand repeatedly.

“Are you conceding defeat before the fight even starts?”

“I wouldn’t back down against just any magician… but this one is bad news.”

Old Man Rom scolded Felt, who was being provocative.

He narrowed his gray eyes slightly and looked toward the fake Satella, observing her from above.

What filled his gaze was a strong wariness, even more overshadowed by respect.

“Young lady… you’re an elf, aren’t you?”

Old Man Rom’s trembling voice drew Subaru’s attention, causing him to involuntarily raise his head in surprise.

Elves, after all, were one of the essential races in any fantasy tale.

Long ears, long-lived, and beautiful.

Responding to Old Man Rom’s inquiry, fake Satella closed her eyes for a moment, then let out a faint sigh.

“That’s not entirely correct. —I’m only half-elf.”

With a tone that felt like confessing pain, Subaru frowned, feeling sympathy.

However, the other two reacted more strongly than him to her confession.

Especially Felt, whose response was marked; she suddenly shifted her stance, stepping back.

“Half-elf… with silver hair!? Could it be…”

“It’s just a coincidence! …It’s frustrating for me too!”

Although Subaru didn’t understand the exchange, he could sense how distressing such interactions were for fake Satella.

Despite the disapproving denial, Felt’s expression showed no signs of softening.

On the contrary, she turned her stern gaze towards Subaru, glaring at his silent demeanor, her red eyes full of hostility.

Locked in surprise, Subaru noticed a self-deprecating smile emerge on Felt’s face as she said,

“Big brother, you did trick me, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“I thought it was suspicious when you said you wanted to return it to the owner. Not letting the alley crew intervene was part of your plan, wasn’t it? You were working together!”

As Felt’s accusation, soaked in bitterness, landed heavily on him, Subaru figured some misunderstanding was brewing.

But on the other hand, he began piecing together how fake Satella could arrive here so shortly.

It was impossible for fake Satella to reach this place at this time. Ordinarily, the alley crew hired by Felt would have hindered their arrival, resulting in a delay.

This time, there hadn’t been any interference due to Subaru’s presence, and thus fake Satella showed up at this moment.

In terms of cause and effect, Subaru exerted a significant influence here, making Felt’s anger all the more reasonable. Indeed, the situation was shifting towards Subaru’s desired outcome.

If the decisive move didn’t come from Felt and Old Man Rom, then the badge would have no choice but to return to fake Satella through forceful negotiations.

If he were to be honest, Subaru wanted to be the one to reclaim the badge and hand it over to her himself, but if it ultimately returned to her, he couldn’t complain.

If the current flow persisted, it might be declared the second-best outcome. However,

“…? What does this mean? Aren’t you all partners?”

Reacting to the quarrel between Subaru and Felt, fake Satella felt compelled to intervene.

Facing the confused fake Satella, Felt sneered, letting out an exasperated breath,

“Stop with the act. We’re the ones who are cornered. Go ahead, take the badge back and feel free to laugh at my foolishness.”

“What’s with that? You’re being overly dramatic for just a slight disadvantage.”

“You’re saying that after bringing this situation upon us? Ugh, damn it! I’ve been played!”

She raked her blonde hair in frustration, letting out a groan of annoyance as Felt made her feelings amply clear, revealing no hint of femininity.

Watching Felt’s behavior, fake Satella’s brows furrowed deeper.

Subaru, caught between two women exchanging oddly disjointed banter, clapped his hands to step in.

“Hey, hey, alright, let’s not complicate things further. Felt, just return the badge. And you, Satella… leave here quickly so it doesn’t get stolen again.”

“I don’t get why you’re being so nice to me, and it feels unsettling.”

“I’m just as confused as you are, and I don’t agree with it. Big brother, what are you up to?”

His plan to smooth things over had spectacularly failed.

Instead, he became the center of attention, drawing concentrated fire from both women.

Desperately seeking help from Old Man Rom in facing the overwhelming difficulty of explaining things, he saw him fold his arms, refusing any assistance.

“It’s not a mere magician we’re dealing with; it’s spirit magic, after all. I don’t just move lightly against that kind of thing.”

The emergence of a new term was also something he noted, but the intensity of the women’s gazes was more than he could bear.

Thinking desperately for a way out—he glanced at the door.

—And then saw a shadow stealthily slip behind the silver-haired girl.

“—Pack! Block her!!”

The feminine smile traversed the shadows of the room as a silvery shimmer lunged toward the girl’s white neck, twisting and intertwining.

In that fleeting moment, the girl’s head would have been severed and sent flying before Subaru’s startled eyes—that was the future that should have been.

—With a sharp sound.

That wasn’t the sound of steel slicing through bone; it reverberated like steel shattering glass within their eardrums.

The back of fake Satella’s head bowed slightly, where a faint blue magic circle appeared.

It intercepted the cleaving blade from the front, completely shielding her white neck from the lethal strike.

“Pack…!”

“That was cutting it close, huh? Just in the nick of time.”

Fake Satella leapt forward, turning back.

In her wake flicked her flowing silver hair, revealing at her shoulder a small creature with gray fur peeking out.

With prideful snorts, Pack glanced at Subaru with his black eyes and said,

“You must be quite surprised—it was a precarious timing, huh? Glad to help.”

“Glad it was you. Thanks!”

As he fumbled a thumbs-up gesture, it all felt weak and flimsy.

The appearance of the fake Satella before sunset served as a clear indication of her trusted backup being on the job.

Despite having blurted it out instinctively, she had surpassed expectations in keeping herself safe.

And the attacker, thwarted in their ambush, was none other than—

“—Spirits, huh? How wonderful. I’ve never killed a spirit before.”

Holding a kukri knife before her with a blissful expression was the familiar killer—Elsa.

As Subaru and fake Satella tensed at her sudden appearance, neither took action first.

“Hey, what the hell is going on?!”

Felt shouted, stepping forward and glaring at Elsa, raising a finger to point accusingly.

“You were supposed to buy back the badge! If you’re turning this into a bloodbath, that’s a different story altogether!”

“The job was to buy back stolen badges. If you’re bringing the owner here, it complicates things. So I decided to change the plan.”

Felt, her face flushed with rage, instinctively backed up under the murderous intensity in Elsa’s gaze.

With a maternal smile, Elsa looked down at Felt and said,

“Everyone present here will die. I’ll recover the badge over your remains.”

Maintaining a cruel demeanor, she tilted her head and continued,

“You couldn’t fulfill your task. It’s only right that you be cast aside.”

“——”

Felt’s face twisted in pain, but not due to fear—rather, a different emotion was evident.

What feelings stirred within her, Subaru couldn’t grasp.

Yet he felt that intense emotion spark something inside him.

“How dare you, don’t mess with me—!!”

Forgetting the disparity in their strengths, Subaru’s fury erupted.

Elsa looked startled at Subaru’s furious expression. Felt, Old Man Rom, and fake Satella reacted in kind. Yet the one most surprised was none other than Subaru himself.

He couldn’t pinpoint why he was so furious.

Without being able to understand this feeling, he let all his pent-up emotions pour out.

“Don’t you dare bully such a small child for your kicks! You sadistic bitch who loves intestines!! Were you lurking outside waiting for the perfect moment or something!? You get a kick out of making things go smoothly? It freaks me out; I don’t ever want to meet you again! Do you have any idea how painful it’s been for me? If I had been paid every time I got stabbed, I would be a billionaire by now! That was an exaggeration!”

“…What are you saying?”

“I’m running at MAX anger levels, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore! How’s everyone doing out there on this fine day? Please keep your channels tuned right here!”

Elsa looked taken aback by Subaru’s nonsensical rage as she let out an infrequent sigh.

While a slight sting of harm from her expression hit him, Subaru continued spitting out words with urgency.

“The delay ends now—do it, Pack!!”

“That was quite a performance, huh? —Time to deliver on your expectations.”

To the sound of stomping feet, Subaru’s command was met with a mirthful reply as Elsa’s eyes lifted.

Encircling her, sharp ice pillars pointed toward her—there were more than twenty of them.

“I should’ve introduced myself earlier, ma’am. I’m Pack. —Remember my name as you depart this world.”

Immediately after, the assault of ice pillars shook her all over.