Spotting Emilia curled up with her knees hugged tight, Subaru felt an incongruous sense of relief.

One reason was that he had found Emilia, and the other was that she was right here with him.

Both the certainty that this was the only place and the desire for her to be here had been fulfilled, and he felt the heavy weight in his gut begin to lift.

“Still, you thought this through, huh, Emilia-tan?”

“……….”

“This place is definitely one where you can seclude yourself without being found by anyone. With the limited number of people who can enter, it’s mostly those who don’t even want to come here in the first place.”

At least three people could enter this place—Echidna’s Graveyard—besides Emilia.

One of them rejected the ‘Trial’ and loathed the graveyard; another, having seen a past that wasn’t his own, entrusted the fate of the ‘Sanctuary’ to others; and the last had angered the Witch during the ‘Trial’ and lost his qualification.

Others who were qualified strictly adhered to the rules imposed and did not enter the graveyard.

Indeed, this place was a hidden refuge where Emilia was the only one who could enter.

There was no response to Subaru’s honest words of praise from Emilia.

She remained small and silent, looking up at him.

“—Is it okay if I sit down next to you? It’s actually quite tough standing like this.”

“……….”

“Silence is considered acceptance in my hometown. Well then, excuse me.”

Under the watchful gaze, Subaru boldly declared this and sat down beside Emilia.

The natural two-punch distance between them was Subaru’s limit of manliness and courage. Closing that distance would take words and gestures to shrink their emotional gap first.

Right now, it was clear that there was more distance between them than that one fist.

“——”

“——”

A brief silence fell between them as they sat side by side.

Subaru patiently waited for Emilia to speak, while she gazed at his profile, repeatedly trembling her lips in hesitation,

“Subaru…”

“——”

“Why are you… here?”

“When you ask why, it’s hard to explain. I guess it’s because I’ve been thinking about you all along and managed to find the exact spot you were in.”

That was rather flattering.

At least within this ‘Sanctuary’, it meant he had thought about Emilia the most, and that he could guess her feelings better than anyone else.

Of course, if he truly understood Emilia’s feelings, they probably wouldn’t need to have a conversation like this in the graveyard.

Emilia widened her eyes at Subaru’s answer.

Then she shook her head as if the answer he presented was not the one she was looking for.

“No. That’s not it, Subaru. It’s not about why I’m here… it’s how you got… this should be a place where only those qualified can enter.”

“Aren’t you the one forgetting? I stepped in here on the first day to bring you out after you collapsed inside. While people like Roswaal probably get nearly blown apart just for entering, I just feel a constant floating sensation as I approach. I’m not at a level where I can’t handle it.”

“…Is that so?”

The disappointment of having misjudged the idea that no one could enter here and the gentle worry for Subaru, who still felt sick, lightened her expression with a delicate gaze.

As busy as she must have been sorting out her feelings inside, it was so tender of her to still show concern for others, so much so that it was both endearing and painful.

“Why… did you know I was here?”

Instead of leaving him in silence, speaking seemed to make her feel more at ease.

Perhaps sensing this, Emilia looked at Subaru, who had taken a deep breath, and asked a different question in a formal tone.

Mixed with doubt and resignation, her words carried complicated emotions.

The resignation felt careless, while the doubt had a ghostly undertone. Both were incredibly rare things to see from Emilia—or perhaps, it was something Subaru was witnessing for the very first time.

“…Subaru?”

“Oh, sorry sorry. The reason I thought you might be here is… well, it just means that I can’t not know about you, Emilia-tan.”

“Liar.”

It wasn’t meant to be teasing, but the lighthearted tone was swiftly cut off.

With her chin resting between her knees, Emilia tilted her head and looked at Subaru. The swirling emotions in her violet eyes were intensely chaotic enough to consume her.

As if trying to prevent her feelings from spilling over, Emilia averted her gaze from Subaru, pouting her lips out of his sight and murmured,

“Even if you say that, I won’t be deceived. —Even I don’t fully understand myself. There’s no way you understand me.”

“You might be surprised, but you can be pretty blind to your own feelings. Others can sometimes see your feet better than you do.”

It wasn’t an uttered experience, so to speak, but such things happen often.

Your own folly and insensitivity might often go unnoticed while you’re heated up. Sometimes, it takes prompting from someone else to realize just how foolish you’ve been.

Just as Subaru once had, when someone pointed it out, for the first time.

“Whether you’re here or not, I was half-believing and half-wishing.”

“Half and half…”

“I was running around the village, and it took a while to find you. More than where you went, I was focused on why you might have gone somewhere. Then, I thought this place seemed likely. I was incredibly relieved to find you.”

“…Just relieved?”

“Huh?”

Emilia asked as she opened her mouth, her lips softening as she felt relieved.

Subaru’s brow raised as he caught her quiet voice, and she stared into the depths of his eyes intently.

“You found me here, and that’s all it takes for you to feel relief? …Aren’t you… angry?”

“What’s with that, Emilia-tan? Are you afraid I’m going to yell at you?”

Subaru couldn’t help but chuckle at Emilia’s timid attitude.

Disappearing without a word about where she was heading, and then getting found out only to fear a scolding—it simply felt childlike.

Knowing her actual age and her mental age, he could somewhat agree with this story, but still, it was a behavior uncharacteristic of her until now.

However, Subaru didn’t dwell on the awkwardness especially and shook his head.

“I’m not angry. I was panicking, and honestly, I was in a huge rush, but I’m not angry. I feel it’s good to find you, and that’s the point.”

“…I see.”

The feelings Subaru had for the vanished Emilia were nothing that could have been anger.

If there had been any ire, it would have come from him missing the signs of Emilia acting out of desperation.

The anxiety that everything could collapse had been washed away since he found her now.

Thus, Emilia’s concern was just unnecessary worry. He had intended to communicate that.

“I’m not angry.”

He intended to convey this, but despite that, Emilia’s murmurs were not relief.

“—Emilia?”

“Subaru, you’re not angry, huh. —Even if you get angry, you… won’t.”

Her quiet, hoarse voice trembled.

When Subaru knitted his brow in suspicion, he realized too late.

Looking down and biting her lip, Emilia’s eyes widened.

Tears filled her eyes, and she seemed to be holding them back to avoid spilling.

“Why don’t you get angry?”

“Emilia—”

“I did something selfish, right? I must have bothered you. I just disappeared without a word and made you worry, didn’t I? I scared you thinking I might have run away… I’ve done all that, haven’t I? If I did things like that, you would want to get angry, right? Because you’re just like that!”

Interrupting Subaru’s call, Emilia rushed through her emotions.

Declaring the selfishness of her actions, she pressed Subaru.

Subaru finally realized he had chosen his words carelessly when faced with her fierce demeanor.

Emilia was not afraid of being scolded by Subaru.

Emilia was afraid of not being reprimanded for her actions.

Because that meant—

“Why can’t you get angry…? Not getting angry means… you’re not expecting anything from me? Seeing me fail and still being kind… doesn’t that mean you’re not disappointed in me? You’re thinking it will all fail, aren’t you…?”

“——”

It might just be that this was something Emilia had been anxiously thinking about all this time, something she couldn’t voice, a darkness lying at the bottom of her heart.

Challenging the ‘Trial’ repeatedly, and each time returning, having her heart crushed.

In that, she must have felt the disappointment from those who thought poorly of her, and in the midst of that, there were people like Subaru and Pack, who never blamed her.

While Emilia was saved by having people like Subaru and Pack, surely she had been waging a constant battle against her unreleased anxiety.

To feel disappointed is because one is expected to succeed.

To feel inadequate is because one is fed up with oneself.

Yet even when failing, to be comforted still brings temporary relief, sparking up a larger and deeper anxiety in one’s heart.

Subaru and Pack’s kindness was something Emilia had been terrified of.

“No, Emilia. I don’t think like that.”

With Subaru finally getting to the bottom of the waves of emotions in Emilia’s heart, he spoke out.

Right here and now, something terrible would happen if he didn’t hold Emilia tight. If he allowed her to keep rejecting him, he wouldn’t be able to catch her even if he reached out.

So, he instinctively processed his thoughts to determine what to say.

“The reason I can’t be angry with you isn’t that I think like that… it’s truly—”

“Then…! Why! Why didn’t you keep your promise…?”

“——!”

His sudden speech sealed off as Subaru’s expression tightened at the topic brought up.

The ‘promise’ that Emilia spoke of—was nothing but the agreement made between Subaru and her just the night before. And whether that promise had been properly fulfilled or not—

“I asked you to hold my hand until morning! You agreed, Subaru—and yet why did you let go? Why didn’t you keep your promise…?”

“——”

“You, Subaru… and Pack too, broke your promise and went off somewhere. You left me behind… You’re all liars. Subaru’s a liar. Pack’s a liar… a bunch of liars…!”

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Emilia vehemently accused them of breaking their promises.

Burying her face in her held-down tears, Emilia bumped her head against Subaru’s shoulder, with weak hands patting his chest. The force was nearly non-existent, yet it felt like she had struck through him deeply.

This was all the pain that Subaru had missed and overlooked that Emilia had endured.

It had all been cast upon her by the two of them—Subaru and Pack.

“I said promises are important… I’ve said it over and over before! For a Spirit User, for me, promises are important… so I wanted you to keep them… You told me you were sorry for not being able to keep it, but… still, you broke your promise again…”

“…Emilia.”

“Breaking promises is bad… Lies are bad… Promises must be kept… or else, otherwise… I… for Mother and Juice…”

While pressing her face against Subaru’s shoulder, all her emotions had no place to release. The tumultuous emotions and anguish surged, and her thoughts became a mess.

Her hesitating words turned into chaos, and soon Emilia broke into a childlike sob.

“Lies are bad… so very bad…”

The voice that spilled out shook with pain, and Subaru felt an aching sensation tearing at his chest.

The ‘Promise’—this word rang out between Subaru and Emilia, carrying profoundly different meanings each time. Sometimes underestimating it, Subaru had hurt Emilia, creating a rift between them.

After reuniting, they were meant to affirm what that promise meant, and they had tied it together as a bond.

Yet again, the ‘Promise’ did not carry its gentle resonance, but instead, it held a heavy weight that bound them tight.

More than anything, Emilia’s state as she uttered the word ‘Promise’ was all too different from usual. Something fundamental, something precious within her had been bound by that promise.

“——”

Burying her head between her knees, Emilia continued to sob.

With each second passing in front of her, Subaru’s heart was being carved away by guilt.

What should he say now? Should he apologize? Should he act like he understood? Should he desperately comfort her? How could he express how much he cared?

Ideas whirled in Subaru’s mind, and he couldn’t grasp any signs leading to the correct answer.

What should he say, what should he do, how should he do it, and how should he carry on—what’s the best way?

“——”

Thinking and thinking, Subaru closed his eyes within the swirling thoughts, and then—

He felt he had finally reached an answer.

“Emilia. —I love you.”

“——”

Those were profoundly inappropriate words to say in such a place.

“…Huh?”

Upon hearing Subaru’s words, Emilia gasped with shock, finally raising her face.

Her eyes that still glistened with tears opened wide, locking onto Subaru’s gaze. Seeing Subaru’s image wavering on the droplets—still, she firmly held her heart in place.

Because he no longer hesitated to express what he meant to say.

“Every night, I keep butting heads with the same ‘Trial’ again and again. What’s a ‘Trial’? Just some past events. Don’t get stuck on things that have already happened.”

“…Huh, huh?”

“Trying to take over and handle everything you’re supposed to do and saying you want to do it instead proves my point, but if the result’s the same and you keep losing—put yourself in the shoes of the one who’s forced to watch you fail so many times.”

“S-Subaru…”

“In the end, when your pet and guardian vanish, can you even stand or walk on your own? Crying your heart out and worrying everyone while throwing your responsibilities away and sulking in bed? How delightful, I can’t keep up with this any longer.”

Subaru’s disdainful remarks made Emilia’s eyes widen, absorbing the unbelievable. Her once-lustrous eyes, now filled with tears, lost that glimmer due to utter shock as her lips trembled helplessly, unable to form coherent words.

Undoubtedly, in this instance, Emilia was torn apart worse than ever.

Not once had Natsuki Subaru ever directed such malice and disdain toward her to this extent, ripping her asunder.

Her expression twisted in disbelief.

The pain of shedding tears, the anger that flared up, or the emptiness of being overwhelmed by resignation—none of those feelings could be assuaged by the harsh words she had received.

Emilia’s lips curled into a parched smile.

“That’s… right. Of course, Subaru would think that… it’s only natural to think of me that way…”

“——”

“I’m the one who deserves such terrible words after all… ever since I came to this ‘Sanctuary’… No, long before that… I’ve only been a bother… So I should expect…”

“That’s right. There hasn’t been a single good thing since coming to this ‘Sanctuary’. I’m not exactly innocent, but this is just tragic. There’s no way for me to come up with an excuse.”

Subaru positively affirmed Emilia’s self-denial.

At that, Emilia’s throat constricted, making her struggle to breathe. While swallowing something akin to sobs, she still flashed a painful smile.

“So I guess I… can expect to be abandoned by Pack and Subaru… it’s only—”

“Definitely. After pulling so much crap and still seeing no sign of improvement, it’s completely understandable to feel more like, ‘Whatever is fine’ than like wanting to help.”

Taking Subaru’s rejection into account, Emilia attempted to find her answer.

Subaru interrupted her ending part with a harsh evaluation of her.

“—But…”

Just as Emma was about to finish her sentence, Subaru cut off his words of denial.

When she raised her face, Subaru could see her emotions reflected in her eyes.

—The same feelings Subaru had once worn.

Thus—

“I love you. —Emilia.”

He wouldn’t let her slip away with those same words that once kept him from escape.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

With trembling long eyelashes, Emilia became enchanted by Subaru’s words.

The way she stiffened and even stopped thinking made Subaru slightly relax his cheeks.

It wasn’t relief, nor mockery—it was a sort of nostalgia.

Everything, including what Emilia had been seeking, felt so painfully nostalgic that it could provoke a shout.

“I love you. I love you so much, it’s unbearable.”

“W-What are you… saying all of a sudden…?”

“I love your beautiful silver hair, your shimmering jewel-like violet eyes, the voice that makes me feel dreamy, your slender arms and legs, the pale skin, and the height difference too, it’s simply ideal!”

“——”

“Even the parts where you’re a little ditzy—I love that about you. How you give it your all for anything is cute, I respect how intensely you can throw yourself into something for someone else, and I can’t help but feel anxious when I see you neglecting yourself. I want to experience all your expressions, all your emotions together by your side—it’s what I think all the time.”

“Not now… stop joking around!”

Like a cascade, Subaru let out all his thoughts for Emilia.

Shoving them aside, Emilia suddenly shouted in a fluster.

Shaking her shoulders with her brow furrowed, Emilia’s face exhibited a clear rage toward how Subaru was attempting to sweep away all of her previous struggles.

“Why do you say that suddenly! This isn’t what we were talking about! You were just saying I’m completely useless, and not enough, you were saying, weren’t you? You were saying you couldn’t keep watching me—or that I’m nothing…”

“Yeah, that’s true. Seeing all those useless parts of you can make anyone sigh with frustration, especially since I’m already short-tempered, I’d have long lost interest on my own.”

“Why?!”

Approving the failures of her outcomes while denying the most critical aspects, Subaru’s words sank in.

It felt as if she couldn’t comprehend it, wouldn’t accept it.

“The one being useless here is definitely me! It’s all about me, isn’t it?!”

“It’s you!”

The clash of irrational emotional arguments between them, like two children having a tantrum and hurling insults at each other became apparent.

The dim and cramped graveyard reverberated with their voices, echoing with a disarray that filled the silent space surrounding it since it was established. It held enough disturbance that it felt like it might awaken those who lay rested inside, as both began to breathe heavily in their fruitless quarrel.

“I just can’t believe anything you say anymore! You’re just a liar, Subaru! You broke your promise and casually showed up in front of me… You thought I wouldn’t notice! I really *was* watching! I was keeping an eye on whether you would keep your promises!”

“Stop being mischievous! Don’t play the victim, pretending to be weak and trying to test people—aren’t you even embarrassed?”

“Who are you to call me weak? You broke your promise first!”

“What I did and this matter are entirely different!”

When Subaru tried to brush off the issues, Emilia’s cheeks flushed angrily. Losing her wits, she found herself unable to form words.

Emilia gasped heavily multiple times, squeezing out the words.

“Why… why did you break your promise?”

“…I feel bad about breaking that promise. I truly wanted to stay with you until morning while holding your hand.”

“I’m not asking that. —Why did you break your promise?”

“…I can’t say.”

Clenching his teeth, Subaru answered Emilia’s question with agony.

Even at this moment, he attempted to evade the inquiry, frustrating her further, earning a long sigh.

“You won’t keep promises. You won’t tell me why you broke it. …So what am I supposed to do about it? You say you love me, but… just do it!”

“Emilia.”

“If you had kept that promise, if you had stayed with me until morning! I could have trusted you! I could have entrusted everything to you! But you broke that promise—so I can’t go on like this… you and Pack will leave me too…”

Crumpling her face, Emilia buried her fingers in her silver hair, turning her face down.

Her previous fury had transformed into something hotter and redirected; Emilia embraced herself tightly.

“After Pack disappeared, visions fill my head… Inside my head, unfamiliar landscapes and conversations I don’t remember flood in…”

“——”

“I thought I’d been carefully remembering until now, yet the memories that surface are nothing but unknown things… But these are definitely my memories… Every time something I should have known pops up that I lost sight of, I feel anxious…”

What Emilia described as her memory—was the true memories she had concealed from herself that Pack had pulled forth from her.

To lock away painful pasts, she had used Pack as a lid to seal those memories in. With the contract with Pack severed, those memories now overflowed, filling her with genuine recollections.

Yet that was so dramatic that it signified a personal transformation for her.

“I’ve finally realized I had relied on Pack and was escaping from various things… Pack must have left to teach me this. But I’m scared. I’m scared. Without Pack, it feels like real memories are overflowing… it feels like I might stop being myself.”

“——”

“When all these memories overflow… I think I’ll become a different person. Right now, I’m convinced that my memories that differ from my true beginnings are my foundation… but once I remember the true start… the me who has come this far will certainly disappear…”

Built upon false memories, Emilia’s resolve and determination had taken form.

If that were the case, when she would regain her true memories, and if the shape of her beginning changed, then what would happen to her current resolve and determination, and the path she walked thus far?

“—What matters isn’t how things begin or go, but how they end.”

“——”

A familiar voice echoed suddenly in his mind.

A distant voice that you ought to have been accustomed to, felt close yet belonged to someone he could no longer meet.

It was the very final words presented as homework by that person at their parting.

Ah, that’s right——I think so.

No matter how things began, regardless of the path taken, no one has the right to judge if it was wrong all the way to the bitter end.

“No matter what memories you recover, nothing will change. I love you. I’ll continue to love you.”

“—I can’t believe it. The fact that I love Subaru… that I can still say that… even if I disappear…”

“I can say it. No matter how things go, you won’t disappear. I love you.”

“…You’re a liar. You never let me believe that…”

“If so, then I’ll make you believe.”

Shaking with a trembling voice, Emilia tried to reject Subaru.

Words couldn’t reach her. Neither could he convince her with his demeanor. In that case, the emotions he wanted to convey had to be delivered through action.

So—

“S-Subaru…”

“If you don’t want this, then step back.”

A distance so close that breath would hardly separate them—no, a distance too close for breath alone to intervene.

Reaching for Emilia’s shoulder, Subaru leaned his face closer to hers. Watching him draw near, Emilia’s eyes floated with confusion, and her body went rigid.

A second passed.

If she pulled away, that would be the end of it.

“——”

But Emilia closed her eyes.

Subaru couldn’t tell if it was surrender or indecision.

“——n”

“——”

Their breaths intertwined as Emilia held her breath while Subaru winced from a sudden pain.

The small sound they both heard came from their teeth clashing due to the suddenness. That momentary, slight ache soon faded under overwhelming heat.

Soft lips. A kiss that only brushed against each other.

For Emilia, it was the first time; for Subaru, it was their second kiss.

Unlike the cold taste of ‘Death’ from the first time, this second kiss tasted of hot ‘Life.’

“——Ah”

Whether it was mutual or not, their lips separated.

Faces that had touched were now apart, and they forgot to breathe, simply gazing at each other.

With flushed cheeks and glimmering eyes, Emilia’s irises reflected the image of Subaru, both wearing an utterly melted expression.

Recovering slightly faster than Emilia, Subaru began to breathe again.

“I love you.”

“——”

“No matter how many bad sides I see, even if we bicker like this, I’ll still love you without change. It will never change no matter what happens—so I’ve always believed in you. Why? Because I.”

“…Because you love me…”

With the end of Subaru’s words, Emilia, in a daze, touched her lips with her fingers. She traced the soft lips that still carried the lingering warmth, and tears spilled.

The tears streaming down her white cheeks sparkled like droplets of the moon as they fell.

“The overwhelming memories flooding in are only natural. Feeling afraid that an unknown self might emerge is understandable. But that doesn’t mean that the path Emilia walked disappears, nor does it change the feelings she’s carried through it.”

“Why… can you say that…”

“What matters isn’t how things begin. It’s the end. —The woman I respect most in my world said that.”

Even though she was exceptionally dull in comprehending the world around her, that mother provided him such valuable wisdom.

Even if he didn’t fully grasp all of it, he wished to understand better.

He wanted someone standing right before him to traverse that understanding together.

Subaru, standing before the anxious Emilia, shrugged casually.

While kicking away the anxiety like it was nothing.

“Don’t worry, Emilia. No matter what you recall, I’ll stand by your side. If you remember everything you’ve forgotten, it’ll be fine. If you’re still afraid, let’s discover it together.”

“Discover… what?”

“What allows me to rush forward with my feelings for you, just as you’ll also find a way to go forward without worrying about your surroundings.”

When it’s for someone else, Emilia never hesitates to put herself forward.

The way she prioritizes others was noble and beautiful, and Subaru loved her dearly.

Yet those words—‘for someone’—were both terribly kind yet painfully sad.

The feelings cast toward an unseen ‘someone’ could never reach those cast toward a visible ‘someone.’

“I want to hope for the day those treasured feelings will be directed at me.”

“My… treasure, feelings…”

Emilia, lost in Subaru’s words, placed her hand on her chest and looked down.

Her fingers drifted to where the crystal which once served as Pack’s vessel used to rest—now shattered, it signified their bond.

Since the connection had broken, she could feel nothing there now, merely grazing the void. Yet Emilia clenched that hand tightly and asked,

“When I get all these memories back… will it be there? My treasured feelings…”

“Yeah. I think they’ll definitely be there. The reason you keep walking ahead.”

“——n”

With a hint of skepticism, her expression didn’t seem entirely convinced.

As Emilia subtly frowned, Subaru closed his eyes and peered at the ceiling.

It felt like the words he had expressed back then held greater strength.

More gentle, more severe, and more powerful—all those words had seemed so profound back then.

—Was he truly being of help to Emilia?

“——”

Asking in words felt too awkward.

As he exhaled and relaxed, the sense of discomfort he had forgotten began to destabilize his core. He instinctively placed a hand against the wall, barely managing to suppress a retch.

“Subaru?”

“I want to say it’s nothing… but there’s a lot happening. Right now, I’m really in a bad spot. For now, if we’re going to keep arguing or discussing, I’d rather do it outside.”

“You’re so… ready to pretend it’s nothing.”

At Subaru trying to appear strong despite looking pale, Emilia slightly smiled.

That smile was weak, showing evident effort to maintain her composure. However, even now, she still held no clear answers in her heart, and her uneasiness lingered.

Leaning against the wall, Subaru began walking toward the exit of the graveyard.

Emilia extended her hand in hesitation, sometimes reaching out and sometimes pulling back as she paced behind the staggering Subaru. That brief touch of their lips seemed to have had a huge impact on her.

Looking back, he realized how bold his actions were, heat creeping up his face.

Yet, all those feelings of nostalgia were left behind for now.

“——”

For Emilia to know that Subaru was her ally was the best thing he could do.

That meant fulfilling the role he had set for himself and protecting her and her feelings to the end.

So—

“I need to finish what I’m supposed to do.”

Stepping outside the graveyard.

Bright sunlight welcomed the two emerging from the shadows.

And then—

“—Hey, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Tch.”

Subaru raised a hand, and Garfiel stood there, dripping with blood and radiating hostility.