――Lost in the sight of the girl trapped inside the crystal, Subaru found himself breathless, completely captivated.

　Before him lay a scene of terrifying beauty that shook his heart.

　Inside the transparent, faintly blue-tinted crystal, a girl was seated, her knees folded beneath her in a delicate posture.

　”Frozen” seemed an appropriate term, yet unlike ice that melts to be released, the crystal would remain eternal unless shattered.

　And to shatter this crystal would undoubtedly mean shattering the very body of the girl contained within.

“How did it come to this…?”

A soft exclamation, tinged with quiet outrage, slipped from Subaru’s lips.

He felt a calm yet undeniable anger stirring within him.

The girl trapped inside the crystal would never, in any circumstance, be freed. He couldn’t grasp the intentions of the person who did this, nor their connection to the girl. He just felt a deep, gnawing heartbreak.

“Isn’t that Ryuzu…?”

He stepped into the room. –Unlike his previous memories, there was no gaping hole in the floor; instead, the crystal was positioned right where the hole had once been.

The vertical crystal was supported by an iron base, which looked immaculate and well-maintained amidst the ruins surrounding it.

In front of the crystal stood several desks, which he recognized as the same ones that had previously been destroyed and scattered in the corners of the room.

Just like before, the dark room was filled with the soft, pale glow of moss growing from the walls, providing a certain degree of visibility.

Tools and what looked like medical instruments were strewn along the walls, and as Subaru searched for differences from his memories, he came to one conclusion.

“This place is going to be wrecked within the next six days, erasing whatever ‘something’ was taking place here.”

There were forces at play who needed this location kept under wraps.

In the days leading up to the “Great Rabbit’s” assault on the Sanctuary, someone intended to destroy and obliterate crucial sections of this facility, burying it in darkness.

This time, Subaru was fortunate enough to reach this location ahead of them.

“The most likely suspect is… Garfiel, of course.”

The very reason for Subaru’s current search came from a sense of uneasiness regarding Garfiel’s suspicious actions.

If Garfiel, who existed to protect the Sanctuary, was also harboring undeniable affection for Ryuzu, then it wouldn’t be surprising if he acted on that unknown fact.

After all, only someone with Garfiel’s strength could possibly manage the daunting task of destroying this facility, if that even was the plan.

The other issue remained—

“I have no clue what this facility is for.”

While Subaru was grateful it hadn’t yet been destroyed, his search inside the room turned up nothing significant. The crystal that contained the girl who looked just like Ryuzu was fixed in place, without anything particularly striking about it.

Peering to the back of the room, he spotted the exhaust duct he had previously crawled through. Following that path should lead him back to the waiting room.

“…I’m just now realizing the layout of this room is odd, isn’t it? Just this huge room and waiting room? That can’t be right.”

The size of the facility inferred from its exterior did not match the layout of the rooms inside.

Subaru traced a mental map of the facility’s structure and felt a vague sense of dissonance. It was as if there was a hidden space big enough to conceal an entire room.

Traversing the room, Subaru stood before the opening mechanism for the duct, carefully patting the wall. The touch of the moss-covered surface felt akin to the fur of a beast rather than grass.

The wall didn’t echo when struck, suggesting it served more than just as a light source. If there was a mysterious space, it would likely be beyond this wall.

“Considering the distance I crawled, there should be a room about half the size of this one. Unless it’s a rotating wall, it doesn’t seem likely I can access it from here…”

From then on, that possibility seemed to relate more to the waiting room.

Previously, Subaru had been far too stressed to thoroughly search each room. Given the cramped space of the waiting room, there was no way he had the capacity to look for clues of a hidden room.

Worrying about the girl in the crystal, he decided he must investigate the waiting room first—then he turned around.

“――――”

Just then, as Subaru spun around, his gaze met that of a figure standing inside the room.

“…Huh?”

“――――”

Their emotionless eyes locked, and Subaru let out an involuntary sound.

The figure staring back at him with round eyes was a girl dressed in oversized, flowing white cloth, her long, light red hair cascading down.

She resembled Ryuzu, but the aura she exuded felt entirely different from that of the woman he recognized. No, it was as if there was an absence of aura altogether.

It felt as though she stood there like air itself. In other words,

“Ah, Ryuzu’s…”

The word “clone” flickered briefly across Subaru’s mind, and he hesitated on how to refer to the girl before him. After all, “clone” was merely a term from his imagination; her true identity had yet to be disclosed, making it feel wrong to label her that way.

“That being said…”

He found himself at a loss for how else to address her.

As Subaru struggled to find words, the girl remained quietly still. Her expression was unchanged, and he even began to doubt whether she was breathing.

Caught between the hesitation to speak and the anticipation of a response from this doll-like figure, Subaru steeled himself and finally spoke.

“Hey… no, you? Can you understand my words?”

“――――”

“What’s your name? Why are you here? What even is this place?”

“――――”

“…’Sanctuary,’ Garfiel, Ryuzu. Do any of these terms ring a bell?”

“――――”

Silence followed each of his three questions.

He had hoped at least one of her expressions would shift in response, but just as before, the girl remained utterly still. It was as if her facial muscles had ceased to function entirely.

Subaru felt like he was pushing against a wall with no give.

While scratching his head in frustration, a sudden movement caught his eye as the girl stirred.

“…?”

He instinctively braced himself, but the girl’s movements were slow and deliberate.

She approached through the same door from which Subaru had entered, walking at a leisurely pace toward the center of the room—right before the crystal.

The girl trapped inside the crystal, as well as the one approaching, were identical.

In front of the girl lying in an endless sleep, the girl unbound by her crystal bent at the waist and reached towards the bottom of the base supporting the crystal.

“――――”

With a sound, part of the base was removed, and Subaru’s eyes widened. It appeared the bottom of the base served as a hinged door, where something was hidden away inside.

As the girl crouched, Subaru could not see what was inside, so he leaned in for a better look; however, in doing so—

“—Ugh!”

A sudden, overwhelming stench penetrated his nostrils, causing Subaru to recoil.

This acrid smell invaded his nasal passages, and he felt more pain than stimulus. His eyes watered as he gagged, and a wave of nausea surged through him.

The foul odor—he recognized this scent from before, as it had filled the air of the facility previously. It was akin to a chemical spill, hinting at some harmful substance.

He’d thought that it had emanated from below where this room had collapsed, but—

“In reality, it’s coming from inside that base… meaning from the environment surrounding that crystal.”

Subaru held a hand to his nose, concluding this while moving away, still tearful at the odor.

The noxious fumes lingered, even as the girl continued her work without showing the slightest change in demeanor. Ignoring the overpowering smell, he carefully peeked over to see what she was handling.

—In the girl’s hands were strange pieces adorned with esoteric patterns and several magical stones installed within them.

The magical stones, glowing faintly as they released their stored mana, were some that had completely lost their light, suggesting they had been depleted. The girl carefully removed those and replaced them with spare magical stones from within the base.

As he observed the intricate patterns, Subaru recalled that he had witnessed something similar during the loops inside this facility.

A magic circle—this was a classic trope of fantasy stories set in other worlds, but it was something that had been so rare in this world. That made it starkly memorable; he had often wondered what effects it held.

“Seeing how it connects to the magical stones… it gives the impression of some kind of circuit, perhaps reminiscent of machines. If we consider the magic circle as the mechanical section, then the magical stones are like batteries providing energy…”

Such comparisons felt strangely intuitive as he pictured this scenario.

It could be a type of magical science or perhaps even magical engineering, he mused.

In front of Subaru, who was caught up pondering that, the girl appeared to finish her task, taking out the used magical stone and closing the hinged door.

A few seconds passed, and then Subaru felt a stirring sensation on his skin.

—The air was vibrating small and subtly.

“This is… akin to when magic is used.”

A large-scale powerful magic—similar to the sensation experienced during his battles against the White Whale or when Julius invoked Neckt during the fight with Petelgeuse.

It was likely that there had been some interference with the mana in the air, causing his body to react sensitively to its movement.

In this case, there was no need to guess what the mana was responding to.

Before him, the faint glow of the crystal began intensifying rapidly.

Although it was a transparent blue, its glow darkened within the dim room, enhancing the clarity of the girl inside.

The magical circle hidden within the base manifested above the crystal, casting radiant blue-white light throughout the room.

“…A save point.”

Subaru’s exclamation slipped out before he could contain it, and who could blame him if a modern world inhabitant hearing it would not be scrutinizing him?

The crystal placed atop the magic circle radiated an azure light, brightly illuminating the room; it looked just like the save points he was familiar with from games.

Despite the visually striking display, the entire event took place in quietude, which only increased its sense of mystique, leaving Subaru breathless, unable to voice his thoughts.

It was just as he stood frozen before this mesmerizing scene that—

“――――”

The girl, indifferent to Subaru’s astonishment, walked past him, exiting the room. The magical stone she had discarded as a husk was unceremoniously tossed aside, tossed with a thriftless flair.

Noticing her tranquil retreat and quickening her pace, Subaru reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey, wait a minute… I… I’ve touched you.”

“――――”

Given her incredibly weak sense of life and presence, Subaru had half-expected his hand would pass straight through her, yet thankfully, his fingers firmly gripped her shoulder, successfully halting her.

For a moment, he recalled the explosive reaction from the witch of “Jealousy,” and unease flared within.

“――――”

The girl gazed back at Subaru with those calm eyes, and at that moment, the sensation of an explosion from her presence seemed nonexistent.

Subaru felt a wave of relief wash over him, returning his gaze steadily to her.

“I apologize for interrupting your work, but let’s continue with those questions. You should ignore me this time, alright? I’m in a bit of a rush myself.”

“――――”

“What were you doing here? Why did you make this crystal glow? Do you know anything about the girl inside?”

“――――”

This once again felt like pushing against a curtain without yield.

No matter how many times Subaru repeated his inquiries, the only returns were silence and her gaze. It felt less like refusal and more like an absence of any real options.

The impression of a “doll” he had formed of her seemed increasingly justified.

“At the very least, if you could respond with a yes or no, then we’d have something to work with…”

As things stood, that was an impossible feat.

Holding onto the girl, who seemed poised to simply walk away if he released her, Subaru turned his gaze back toward the crystal.

The brilliant light continued to radiate from the crystal, the girl inside still unchanged, yet there was one thing now made clear due to the brightness.

There was no breath, no heartbeat, and of course, no blood flowing.

—The girl trapped in the crystal had ceased all biological activity.

“…To say she’s in a suspended state is a bit too optimistic, I suppose.”

It wasn’t as simple as warming a frozen body back to life. After all, this girl was encapsulated in crystal.

To liberate her would be like a dream within a dream.

“Am I powerless once again?”

Crushed by an unbearable sense of helplessness, Subaru pressed his fingers against the surface of the crystal.

The cold touch relayed through his fingertips reminded him of the very fact that the girl was held hostage by this reality, causing him to feel both a sense of relief and anger, leaving him uncertain of how to process his emotions.

And just as those sentiments began to ruminate in his heart—

“—Eh?”

Suddenly, the coldness he was feeling transferred through his fingertips, igniting into heat that ran up his arm and coursed through his body.

“—O-oh, what?!”

What had felt like warmth at first instantly transformed into the searing heat of fire engulfing him.

It felt as if flame-like fingers were tracing the insides of his body, causing Subaru to writhe in agony, a pained cry escaping him.

The heat bore down, making it hard to breathe while his cries echoed throughout the room.

Unable to care about the dirt on the floor, Subaru collapsed, his limbs sprawled across the ground, visions flickering as he trembled.

“—Huh…?”

Suddenly, the prolonged torment that felt like it would never end came to a shuddering halt.

The raging heat rapidly diminished, releasing Subaru from his pain.

“…What on earth was that?”

Rising from the floor, he tested his arms and legs and murmured to himself.

That recent agony came out of nowhere, leaving him confused about everything that had occurred—the source, the progression, the conclusion—only leaving him with a lasting memory of doubt and pain.

“Nothing’s wrong. But if nothing is wrong, then what was the point?”

That pain had come right after he touched the crystal.

The source was likely some kind of magical apparatus centered around the crystal. Perhaps he had even accidentally touched the power unit, resulting in something akin to an electric shock.

Yet, as he contemplated this, Subaru remembered that in his pain, he had completely lost track of the girl who resembled Ryuzu.

“Darn it…”

“――――”

Panicking and trying to rise, Subaru was met with the unchanged sight of the girl, offering him relief from his earlier tension. Yet in the presence of that relief,

“――――”

He saw the girl respectfully kneel before him, bowing her head in submission.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Confounded by the girl kneeling before him, Subaru stared in disbelief.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this gesture—this posture—only served to convey her respect toward Subaru and express what appeared to be submission.

“What on earth are you doing so suddenly?”

Having witnessed such a complete reversal in attitude from someone who hadn’t shown him a shred of interest until now, doubt and caution outweighed surprise.

There was a deep divide between Subaru and the girl. They had exchanged no identity at all, so with things standing this way, how could he trust her intentions?

“――――”

Before the wary Subaru, the girl who had been kneeling stood back up.

She lifted her gaze slightly, directing it beyond Subaru’s head. Curious, he turned to see nothing at all.

It seemed that her action was merely an instinctive response to think aloud, staring into the void. Subaru returned his focus to her, only to find—

“Whoa!?”

Just before his eyes, the girl had closed the distance between them once more, and Subaru stumbled back in shock. However, as he stepped back, the girl’s hand reached out and seized his arm.

“…? You want me to follow you?”

“――――”

Wordlessly, the girl tugged at his sleeve, inviting him to come along.

Nodding in response, Subaru hesitated for a moment, pondering the implications.

Given her adamant silence, she might be unable to speak at all. Yet it seemed she understood the intent of Subaru’s question. Maybe it was fair to assume that she intended to engage with him in some form of negotiation.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, huh?”

“――――”

“That’s just me talking. —Alright then, lead the way. I’ll follow you.”

As Subaru agreed with a nod and demonstrated his willingness to follow, the girl started walking ahead. Following her lead, Subaru cast one last glance back at the crystal.

—Still, it shone with a steady blue-white light, the girl forever asleep within its confines.

With his sleeve still in her grasp, they exited the room, traversing the facility’s corridors into the waiting room. The girl continued leading Subaru outside.

“It’s not inside anymore, huh? Going outside is fine, but…”

Once they showed their faces near the Sanctuary, Subaru’s infiltration would surely come to light. Naturally, he could feign innocence at being caught, yet with his ties to Garfiel, such a move wasn’t in his best interests.

Wrestling with thoughts of how to handle it if the girl’s steps took her toward the Sanctuary—

“—What’s with that serious look on your face there, Subaru?”

“…Seriously, now?”

As they stepped outside, taking in the fresh air, a voice suddenly called to him.

Turning toward the source of that voice, Subaru relaxed his lips upon seeing the familiar figure. Whether it was relief or due to something else entirely, he couldn’t quite tell.

“There’s a lot we need to discuss, but first, we should change locations.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Honestly, there’s so much to catch up on.”

In agreement, Subaru shrugged his shoulders.

But what kind of impression would he make beside the girl who looked just like Ryuzu?

—What would be the perspective of the original Ryuzu, standing in the moonlight, looking back at Subaru standing beside his own double?