Wiping away her tears, Subaru regrouped with Emilia and now passed through a corridor that actually had an end, descending into the garden of the mansion that he was guided to.

By the way, it seemed that the twin maids had some work to do in the mansion, so they hastily disappeared along the way.

“But man, this place is huge. The mansion too, but this garden is more of a meadow.”

The garden of a wealthy mansion—a place often seen in manga and anime, where buffet parties are held. Gasping at the scenic beauty that was exactly like those scenes, Subaru immediately began to do some stretching exercises.

Watching Subaru get into the rhythm, Emilia, standing nearby, looked perplexed and asked,

“You’re making some weird movements, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Hasn’t the concept of warm-ups reached this world? If you don’t loosen up your muscles before moving around, you’ll end up with unexpected ligament injuries! Achilles tendon ruptures! And stuff!”

“Hmm, I haven’t seen that before. But yeah, moving suddenly without warming up usually leads to injuries.”

“So people in this world don’t do warm-ups, huh? Well then, it can’t be helped. Allow me to teach you the time-honored warm-up from my homeland!”

Slightly taken aback by Subaru’s confident aura, Emilia hesitantly replied, “O-okay. Just a little then.”

Subaru instructed her to line up next to him. With both of them standing side by side, facing away from the mansion and taking a deep breath facing the sun, he exclaimed,

“Radio Calisthenics Part Two—! Chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan♪”

“W-wait, what?!”

“Reach your hands forward and let’s get stretching—! Follow me!”

Encouraging the bewildered Emilia, Subaru began singing the nationally famous calisthenics in an a cappella style. Initially imitating him with an incredulous expression, Emilia gradually got into it, her expression turning serious as she focused on the movements. She followed him all the way to the final deep breath,

“And now, raise both hands high, Victory!”

“V-victory!”

“Good, that’s all! For a first-timer, you did great! I hereby grant Emilia-chan the title of ‘Radio Calisthenics Beginner.’ Keep it up from now on! Fight!”

Thus began Subaru’s life as the inheritor of Radio Calisthenics in another world. The first disciple, Emilia, gazed at Subaru with a somewhat bland expression as she sighed in response to his enthusiasm,

“Putting Subaru’s words aside, the movements were indeed proper. I can feel the mana flowing smoothly through my body.”

“Feel free to spread it. Just make sure to do it with the correct song and lyrics!”

Only with that music and voice do the exercises truly exist. That’s non-negotiable.

Overwhelmed by Subaru’s unusually serious attitude, Emilia nodded.

“So… chan-chan-charara-ra♪, right?”

“Wrong! Chan-chan-chan-chan-chan-chan♪!”

For a while, the two continued to argue over “chan-chan-charan,” ultimately settling the matter by Subaru writing the lyrics down on paper.

After coming to that conclusion, Subaru suddenly remembered the uncertain fact of whether this writing would convey anything to the other side. It was certain, after all, that he couldn’t read the writing of this world.

“I’ll check later. The only things I can write are a tiny bit of Japanese and… maybe some Gal letters.”

Surprisingly, after some earnest fun, he had learned Gal letters. It turned out to be a pretty tasty waste skill; he hadn’t had a single opportunity to use it.

“By the way, Subaru, you’re quite fit, huh?”

As Subaru was twisting his wrists and ankles, Emilia suddenly remarked.

Being stared at from head to toe, and despite having already seen him in a nearly naked state for treatment purposes, he blushed again when she scrutinized him anew.

The ultimate humiliation from just a few minutes ago resurfaced, and Subaru scratched his head awkwardly,

“Uh, well, a little. I’m a shut-in, so I have to work out a bit.”

“I don’t really understand what a shut-in means. But you seem to come from a pretty good family, right? Didn’t you learn martial arts or something?”

“No, I’m just a regular middle-class kid… who said I was from a prestigious family? Was my noble aura just spilling out?”

“You definitely give off a curious vibe.”

“Well put,” Subaru said, raising his hands and striking a pose.

Then, Emilia quickly grabbed Subaru’s raised hands. The unexpected touch from a girl froze Subaru’s throat, “A-ow!”

“Your fingers, and your skin and hair all look different. Such hands—a life lived differently from the common folk. The way your muscles are built doesn’t seem like they came from hard labor…”

As she playfully toyed with his palms, Subaru turned red but nodded in realization.

Being pointed out about his hair and skin, things that hadn’t come up in discussion before, made him acutely aware of his cluelessness.

Suddenly being talked about features that didn’t just mark him as a foreigner sent Subaru’s mind spinning. During this time, Emilia continued,

“Black hair, black eyes. It’s a common trait among southern immigrants, but that’s the case in Lugnica too. I didn’t see any, but didn’t you have attendants? That outfit too, I’ve never seen its material… How am I doing so far?”

Emilia wore a triumphant smile as Subaru fell silent.

Feeling a strange combination of allure fitting for her beautiful appearance, Subaru solemnly nodded and said,

“If asked whether that’s true or not, it’s completely untrue, but how do I say it without hurting your feelings?”

“If it’s different, just say it clearly! Otherwise, I’ll just embarrass myself!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I also happen to be spouting ignorance like crazy, so it’s all good. Instead, let’s both share in some embarrassment together!”

“I don’t have enough memories to be comfortable enough to share embarrassment with you. I’ll ask plainly, but what are you, Subaru?”

With her blunt question stripping away all shame and pretense, Subaru pondered, “Hmm.”

It would be easy to say, “I’m a freeloader summoned to another world, sorry,” but doing so in this kind of summoning story would put him on the path to being labeled as “that guy with a bad head.”

In a two-dimensional world full of convenient plot devices, even someone eccentric wouldn’t be thrown out. But seeing the earnestness in Emilia’s eyes, he felt that a clumsy answer would lead to disaster—like becoming an ice statue.

“Then it’s best to go with Delusional Pattern B.”

“You’re mumbling something, and it feels really rude. Are you not going to answer?”

“I totally will! Absolutely! But unfortunately, I don’t have that answer… because I’ve got amnesia and don’t remember anything about myself.”

“But you just introduced yourself as Natsuki Subaru.”

“Whoa! I just got caught slipping! No buildup, only criticism!”

“I see you’re not willing to answer seriously. Well, I won’t pry if you have your reasons.”

As Subaru held his head in dismay at his own shallowness, Emilia surprisingly let it go easily. She said, “Well then,” and pulled a green crystal from her pocket.

“Oh, is that…?”

“A spirit stone where a spirit resides. You knew about Pack, right?”

“That gray cat who snoozed at the crucial moment, right? I assume he doesn’t know what I’ve been up to since he was snoozing all along?”

In the battle against Elsa, the spirit’s temporary vessel had vanished.

While this was his first time seeing one in this world, he remembered catching a glance at it once before.

The green crystal suddenly began to glow as if responding to Subaru’s misdeeds.

“Well, you’re wrong. After the commotion settled, I heard the story from Ria. So I wasn’t just snoozing the whole time, Subaru.”

The light seeping from the crystal gathered together, gradually forming a small shape.

A head was born, then its body appeared, followed by four limbs covered in fur. In just a few seconds, a small bipedal cat stood before Emilia’s palm.

“Hey. Good morning, Subaru. Nice day, huh?”

“It’s been quite the wild ride from night to morning for me, though. The endless corridor, my bladder issue, and then ending up in a body that can’t marry Emilia-chan…”

“Don’t say it in a way that makes you sound bad.”

Chastised, Subaru responded with a vague, “Weee!” She closed her eyes in resignation and looked at Pack in her palm, saying,

“Good morning, Pack. Sorry for pushing you yesterday.”

“Good morning, Ria. But I think yesterday was my fault. I almost lost you. I can’t thank Subaru enough for that.”

Looking up at Subaru with his round little eyes and tilting his head, Pack said,

“I owe you a thank you, huh? If you have any wishes, just say it. I can do most things.”

“Then let me pet you anytime you want.”

With a bold request, Subaru gave his immediate answer.

It was probably surprising for both him and the now-wide-eyed Pack, as well as Emilia, who was listening.

With a slightly flustered attitude, Emilia replied,

“Hey, maybe you should think a bit longer about that? He may look small and weak, but Pack’s power is really impressive!”

“While it’s a bit concerning, it’s true. Believe it or not, I’m quite a powerful spirit. So it’s fine to be greedy!”

“Whoaaa, from a top-tier petting enthusiast like me, getting the right to pet whenever I want is worth more than a mountain of wealth! The petting privilege—that’s what lifts a person’s heart even higher and purifies even the most ragged souls with fluffiness!”

While saying that, he exercised his right and continued to pet Pack endlessly, rubbing his chin and finishing off with the ears.

“These ears are just out of this world! I’m seriously head over heels for your fluffiness!”

“Well, what’s amazing about Subaru is that he means it. I can sort of read his feelings, so I know.”

As Pack was being lovingly toyed with, he said cheerfully.

Emilia let out a clear, exasperated sigh at the sight of the two enjoying themselves together.

“Sigh, trying to understand Subaru is exhausting.”

“Don’t give up! In life, relationships are built on mutual understanding. But don’t expect to understand me so easily!”

“What’s that supposed to mean? It’s really irritating.”

Crossing her arms and turning her face away, she directed a side-eye at him. Emitting strong feelings of discomfort, she firmly decided to seal off future interactions.

Then she reclaimed Pack from Subaru’s fingertips, lightly waving her hand as she walked towards the edge of the garden, saying,

“Well then, I’m going to take care of the contract. Subaru, you can quietly do some weeding over there?”

“Alright! I’ll dig in! Wait, that’s not why I came all the way down to the garden?!”

While she laughed and said, “Just kidding, just kidding,” Subaru waved goodbye to the silver-haired girl and lightly leveled the ground before planting his limbs in the base.

Since he was done with warm-ups, it was time for his daily muscle training. Having already skipped a day yesterday, it made sense to take on two days’ worth.

A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats.

Those were the main workouts Subaru had maintained while being a shut-in at home. Occasionally, he would whimsically throw in some practice swings with a wooden sword, but generally, that was the routine.

He busted through push-ups, tortured his abs, and sweated through squats.

After a brief break, he did another round. Though the process took only about ten minutes, Subaru had the absurd commitment to keep doing it every day.

“Still a bit unsatisfying. If only I had a wooden sword or something…!”

“Here you go, our honored guest.”

“Use it, honored guest.”

Suddenly, the sisters appeared eagerly, handing a wooden sword to Subaru.

He reflexively received it with a “Thank you” in polite speech, watching in amazement as the two disappeared. Anyway, in his hand was the wooden sword he’d wished for.

It resembled a general two-handed sword, differing slightly from a wooden sword. Still, the basic handling remained the same.

He lightly swung it to confirm the weight felt just right.

“Thanks to the versatile maids. Well, it’s been a while, let’s swing this around.”

Getting into position, he swung, then readied again to swing.

Although Subaru had only practiced kendo during middle school, he had learned enough to obtain a rank. Since then, he had continued swinging endlessly, so his sharpness shouldn’t differ much from his active days.

“This is a fantasy world with swords and magic, so maybe it’ll prove useful.”

Sweat trickled down his forehead, sensing drips fall onto the grass as he immersed himself in the practice swings.

In his mind, he recalled the confrontation at the Thieves’ Repository from yesterday—exchanging dull blades with Reinhardt and Elsa.

Imagining himself barging in now with a real two-handed sword.

“Take this, Elsa! You won’t get away with your evil deeds… Oh no, I’ve been cut!”

He leaped in, exchanging a swing but ended up with his stomach slashed open.

That won’t do! He entered a second imaginative training only to get annihilated by Reinhardt’s slash.

In conclusion, no matter how hard he tried, an ordinary person can’t beat a cheat.

“Man, what a bummer that all my effort goes to waste… well.”

He rested the wooden sword on his shoulder, taking a brief pause. Breathing out, he gazed towards Emilia, wondering what she was up to.

Sitting crisscross on the green grass, she had her arms resting on the ground with Pack perched above them, exchanging words.

He figured her conversation partner must be Pack,

“Wait a second… Is that a glow around Emilia?”

Surrounding the silver-haired girl, albeit within reach, was a faint, shy, luminous aura wrapping around the space.

Colorful lights floated in and out, dancing like glowing fireflies.

It was a mystical and somewhat fantastic sight.

An image that would make anyone hesitate to touch it. A sanctuary only where supernatural beings and those permitted could dwell. Having seen this scene, Subaru felt,

“This is amazing! Could those floating lights be spirits?!”

“—Hya!”

Brashly intruding, he started talking to Emilia.

Her surprised voice spilled forth, and her eyes looked up at him, glistening with reflexive tears of shock.

Moreover, the delicate glow surrounding her started to agitate as well,

“Whoa, panic mode engaged!”

The countless lights swayed excitedly from side to side, attempting to slip behind Emilia to escape Subaru’s awareness.

It felt like a park filled with pigeons that had just flown away.

“Wow, Subaru must be something else. Normally, spirits take courage to touch, you know?”

“Is that a subtle way of saying ‘You’re lucky you can pet me’? I know! I’m totally head over heels for you, fluffy fluff!”

While he was still preoccupied petting Pack on Emilia’s frozen arms, he curiously tilted his head at her lack of words.

“What’s wrong? If you keep letting your guard down, your badge will get stolen again!”

“Stop poking at my sore spots! That’s not the problem, you startled me!”

Scooping up the floating tears with his fingers, Emilia scolded Subaru for his thoughtlessness.

The spirits swayed in agreement as if to back her up. Their surprisingly good-natured reaction made him ponder the spirits’ responses.

“Well, this is my first time seeing spirits, so I got a little carried away. They didn’t seem dangerous, though.”

“It was only safe because it was under control. If you did that with an inexperienced spirit magician, you could provoke a spirit riot… Boom, right there.”

Whispering a warning as if trying to intimidate him, Emilia faltered near the end, and the word “boom” came out. Subaru’s anticipation for seriousness fizzled out as he thought, “That’s exaggerated,” while looking at Pack.

“You mean to tell me that those delicate glowing lights can be dangerous?”

“Exactly. For instance, I could reduce you to dust at this very moment.”

“I’m really sorry if I offended you!”

He prostrated himself in apology.

Pack waved his tiny hands, laughing, while Emilia pouted slightly, dissatisfied with the uneven treatment.

“Why can’t you show me that sincerity instead… Hey, Pack?”

“Maybe it’s because of age?”

Playing with his whiskers, Pack replied lazily. Perhaps due to the oddly calm demeanor of the spirit, Emilia gave a sigh of resignation and let the matter drop.

 

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