――What does “Isekai” mean?

“――――”

At Echidna’s posed question, Subaru held his breath and fell silent.

During that time, all eyes in the room concentrated on Subaru. The emotions contained within those gazes varied, but one could often categorize them as a shared feeling of ‘doubt’.

Everyone viewed the term “Isekai” as something unknown.

This meant that before losing his memory, Natsuki Subaru had never once explained it to them.

“Isekai… now that I think about it, Subaru has mentioned something like that before.”

“I do recall it. Given his usual behavior, I didn’t pay it much mind, thinking it merely nonsense.”

“Forget about Emilia-chan, but Ram’s indifference towards me is astounding…”

In stark contrast to Emilia, who cutely pondered with a finger on her lips, Subaru wore a rather grim expression.

With Ram’s cold response, a brief pause allowed the initial surprise to ease.

Even Emilia and Ram, who had been with him until now, did not have a clue about Subaru’s ‘other world’.

What that signifies, he couldn’t say for certain, but—

“Was there some sort of restriction? When I was transported to this world, did some god or goddess make me swear not to speak about it? So what exactly is my mission that brought me here?”

He turned his head in confusion, but not even a letter of the mission he bore crossed his mind.

One could think that some unseen mechanism was at play behind Subaru’s summoning to this other world.

Currently, based on what Subaru knew, it was highly likely that this unseen force could be likened to a “god.”

That ‘god,’ whose memory eluded him, had sent Subaru to this other world with some kind of role in mind. This was merely a cliché of such isekai stories.

Thus, if the loss of memory posed an inconvenience for this “god,” he hoped to see some sort of support that might alleviate the situation. He wanted to believe that this “god” wasn’t merciless enough to cast him into a world full of fantasy without a safety net.

Or—

“——Perhaps, it would be best to check if mentioning it is truly forbidden.”

“Subaru?”

Moistening his dry lips with his tongue, Subaru contemplated his response to the situation.

Winking at Beatrice, who looked at him with unease, Subaru began addressing the question thrown his way: the mention of ‘Isekai.’

Even if, by some chance, this statement was forbidden by a ‘god,’ it seemed unreasonable to assume that touching on that taboo would lead to irrevocable penalties.

Surely, there wouldn’t be any cruel trick which would inflict unbearable pain simply for broaching a taboo.

With a slight unease and tension in his chest, Subaru took a deep breath.

And then—

“That ‘Isekai,’ it means ‘different’ ‘world’… so it refers to a world separate from the one we currently inhabit.”

“A different world, ‘Isekai’…”

“Exactly. So, that’s the thing about ‘Isekai’…”

After receiving Subaru’s explanation, Emilia repeated it as if trying to feel the sound in her mouth. That reaction wasn’t hers alone; everyone present echoed the same uncertainty about that term.

Their pronunciation of “Isekai” showed that the term itself was perceived as something entirely unknown.

Given this lack of understanding about the term “Isekai,” it seemed that the concept of different worlds was not common in this world.

At the same time, Subaru felt around his body, assessing,

“…Doesn’t seem like anything’s wrong, huh.”

By voicing it, he confirmed that nothing out of the ordinary was happening to him.

For now, within his grasp, there were no signs of abnormalities. There was no pain, no numbness. No uncanny voice that would say, “You’ve broken the rules,” or the surrounding faces transforming into cranes stating, “I told you not to.”

The anxiety he had worried about was handled with no issues.

“That’s quite unexpected…”

He had initially thought there was some particular reason why he had not spoken of the other world, but with this, he couldn’t think of anything particularly troubling.

As he pondered this letdown, Julius raised his hand.

“I understand the meaning of the term ‘Isekai.’ It could very well be your unique coinage, but I find the implication rather troubling. Why do you frequently reference this other world?”

“Huh? Ah, ahh, right, that’s true. Just explaining the term Isekai is pointless. Well, um, that means…”

“Means what?”

Under Julius’s probing, Subaru recognized his failure to articulate properly.

Acknowledging that, he cleared his throat and said,

“I’m from that Isekai. I wasn’t born and raised in this world; I slipped into it partway as an outsider. —So to me, this is the ‘Isekai.'”

—There, he clearly articulated his position and circumstance.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

—He was a human from another world, here he was. Just wanted to clarify, okay?

In simple terms, this was what Subaru had laid bare.

Given such a bold confession, it wasn’t hard to imagine the shock reverberating through those who had received it, especially Emilia and the others who had no possible concept of an “Isekai.”

It wasn’t strange to experience the sensation of having their previous commonsense overturned or the world flipped upside down.

After completing his confession, Subaru realized the potential for their confusion and berated his own thoughtlessness.

If Emilia or Beatrice fell into a whirlpool of chaos and lamentation because of it, Subaru would certainly bear responsibility as the cause.

How exactly would he comfort a beautiful girl in tears? He had no experience with that.

In just a few seconds of reflection, Subaru glanced at the faces of those who had heard his confession.

He figured they would all be pale and confused. However—

“…So, does that mean it’s beyond the great waterfall?”

“Huh? Great waterfall?”

As Emilia furrowed her brow and cautiously inquired, Subaru’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

‘Great waterfall’—he assumed it was some kind of large waterfall. But what relationship could a massive waterfall possibly have with another world?

“No, not at all. This is about a world completely different from this one, not a waterfall or anything…”

“So, it’s beyond the great waterfall. I wonder how they refer to it in Balus’ hometown… no, it might be the opposite from Balus’ perspective. From the great waterfall, this land is actually ‘Isekai.’ Now that makes the unusual behavior a bit more understandable.”

“Exactly. The reason I couldn’t dig up anything about Natsuki-kun’s background was probably because he’s from beyond the great waterfall.”

“Wait, wait! Are you serious? You’re just accepting that on faith?!”

Not just Emilia but even the seemingly astute Ram and Echidna accepted that conclusion without a second thought.

For Subaru, that blind trust in some mysterious waterfall was almost incomprehensible. The notion that another world lay past this waterfall was baffling.

“Subaru may not have any clue since he forgot a lot. But tales of a human coming from beyond the great waterfall have lingered since ages past.”

“The idea of the water’s edge at the world’s end… I don’t dislike the sound of that.”

“The great waterfall is said to be the boundary that only dragons can cross. No one knows what lies beyond it… Thus, if by any chance there were those who have crossed that boundary, there’s no evidence to deny their claims.”

Beatrice explained the audience’s acceptance of this premise.

Although it was hard for Subaru, unfamiliar with the world’s particulars, to fathom, considering the notion of this “great waterfall,” it sparked a train of thought—

“This place feels like a floating continent, and you can only get to another continent by riding a dragon, right?”

“Ha?”

“Why are you sighing like you’re utterly disappointed? That hurts my feelings.”

Subaru felt much disappointment radiating from Ram’s eyes as she regarded him.

However, the others were also sharing similar sentiments about his insight. In short, the floating continent theory was way off base.

“If I’m incorrect, I accept that… If this theory were correct, I would have hoped for a pleasant experience riding on a dragon’s back.”

“Well, if you keep talking like that, your cute Earth Dragon might get moody.”

“Ah, right! That black Earth Dragon is mine, isn’t it? I should ask for a ride later.”

“Me too! Me too! I’m getting moody! Master, you need to cherish me more and love me like I’m supposed to! Now that you’ve lost your memory, let’s restart our relationship—from scratch!”

“Shut up! And don’t get all clingy! Just because you aren’t involved doesn’t mean you can poke fun at my memory loss!”

Shaula piped up with unrelenting remarks as she joined in the conversation with Meily, who sat hugging her knees.

Although Shaula’s meddling comments tended to be merciless, they were oddly comforting for Subaru at this moment. Being overly concerned was still burdensome.

“————”

For a moment, Subaru glanced at the atmosphere around him.

He had the reputation of being someone who was ‘clueless about social cues’ in his original world, but depending on the occasion, those skills varied. No matter how low his aptitude, he would still notice whether the flavors and colors were strong.

Emilia and Beatrice went without saying, but even Ram, Julius, and Anastasia-Echidna showed signs of caring for Subaru.

Good or bad, the pre-memory-loss Subaru seemed to have handled everything just fine. He felt a tinge of envy and wondered what kind of magic he had used to accomplish that.

Even if he asked for that knowledge, he doubted he’d be able to put it into practice now.

“Anyhow, to summarize the current discussion… The edge of this world is the great waterfall, and occasionally, individuals from beyond that boundary arrive here. And I’m one of those people.”

“From hearing Subaru’s story, that seems to be the only conclusion, no?”

“Ummm.”

Subaru reflected while folding his arms and pondering deeply at Emilia’s concerned look.

To be precise, this understanding diverged quite a bit from what Subaru originally intended to convey. However, further explaining the differences between ‘Isekai’ and the great waterfall yielded little improvement in the situation.

“In short, the concept of ‘Isekai’ does not exist in this world.”

It remained uncertain whether the phrase “beyond the great waterfall” indicated that there was indeed a world where Subaru used to reside or a separate existence entirely.

It was also possible that things like ‘other continents’ lay beyond the waterfall, with record-keepers of explorers who went there remaining as “eccentric” tales.

From that point onward, grasping the exact essence of ‘Isekai’ was hopeless.

“By the way, before I lost my memory, did I mention anything about the other world?”

“When I think back, you did mention ‘Isekai’ from time to time… But this is the first time you’ve properly elaborated on it,” Emilia spoke.

“I’m in the same boat,” Beatrice added.

With both Emilia and Beatrice affirming through words, the others echoed similarly through their gestures.

Previously, Subaru hadn’t shared anything regarding ‘Isekai’ with them. Perhaps he had judged that talking about it wouldn’t foster any understanding, just as the Subaru of now might have.

Unless—

“—Could it be that I’d locked it up in my heart, not allowed to speak of it?”

“Subaru?”

“N-no, nothing at all. By the way, if there really are folks like myself who are so-called ‘Isekai people,’ would you happen to know any? Any kind of lost souls beyond the great waterfall, or drifters would also suffice.”

Maybe numerous drifters came from other worlds, leading to the creation of a sort of community where they gathered together.

However, in response to Subaru’s hopes, Julius gently shook his head.

“Regrettably, the existence of those drifters you speak of is exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, those who claim to hail from beyond the great waterfall are frequently exaggerating or suffer from vivid imaginations. Often fabricating unbelievable tales to capture attention or monetary gain.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense…”

It was a story impossible to verify, allowing for endless embellishments. If stories of dreams and dull plots could manifest freely, such things would undoubtedly become a breeding ground for wild fantasies.

Even if there truly were genuine isekai people like Subaru, their words and actions, along with the remnants they left behind, would likely be buried in a sea of falsehood.

“Honestly, I never tire of hearing about beyond the great waterfall. However, it seems that this does not relate to the current situation. It would be wise to focus on what we have learned regarding Natsuki’s knowledge and unknown origins.”

As a somewhat awkward silence hung in the air, Echidna stepped in to wrap up the discussion.

While it was indeed a topic that had originated from her questioning, Subaru held no objections.

—Moreover, the more they discussed matters from their original world, the more he would have to confront the issues he had abandoned and discarded, which weighed heavily on his heart.

He wanted to forget that as he focused on the current alarming situation.

“That’s about it for me. While I appreciate everyone’s concern and kindness, it feels like we aren’t getting anywhere just talking. So let’s…”

He was uncertain whether this was directly linked to the cause of his memory loss.

But what he truly wanted to ascertain was what had transpired in the location he was believed to have visited last—

“The library at ‘Taygeta.’ Let’s confirm what happened there.”

With Beatrice picking up the thread, Subaru nodded deeply in agreement.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

Now, on their way to the library known as ‘Taygeta.’

With anticipation and anxiety over what awaited them, Subaru found that the trip itself was fraught with struggles.

That was because—

“Um, Emilia-chan? Why are you holding my hand so tightly?”

“Huh? Because if I leave you alone, I worry about you. You need to stay within reach… So I thought it would be best to hold hands from the start.”

“I like the logic but, uh, it’s super embarrassing!”

As he raised the hand she was clinging to, Subaru realized how warm and tiny Emilia’s fingers were, creating a nervous sweat on his palms.

In response, Emilia raised an eyebrow, feigning annoyance.

“Stop saying things like that. You’re holding hands with Beatrice too, so it’s the same thing.”

“Holding hands with a little girl is totally different from holding hands with a beautiful girl! The gulf between the two is as wide as the moon and the ground beneath it!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t exactly understand what you’re saying.”

Flustered, Subaru cluttered together excuses, but apparently, Emilia was not going to be merciful given the outcome of his memory loss.

“Dismissing something your conversation partner has said is pretty unacceptable, but Beatrice is right. Subaru basically just has to stay put and accept protection from both Betty and Emilia.”

“That’s true, but if only it were like Beatrice in the middle, with me and Emilia on either side like a cute couple, wouldn’t that be fine? But this just feels embarrassing!”

“Subaru being ‘cool’ is pretty much synonymous with ‘not being cool at all.'”

“What kind of assessment is that?!”

Even Beatrice, holding Subaru’s other hand, provided brutal feedback.

Among the pair’s anxiety, small gestures of concern continued to draw Subaru’s attention.

Walking at the front of the group, Julius looked back often to check, while Echidna, following him, narrated what they could expect around the corners ahead.

Ram often shot sharp remarks, yet Subaru alone understood that she was struggling more than her appearance suggested. He thought about offering to talk with someone, but he couldn’t decide who would know what was going on with Ram.

At this point, only Meily and Shaula, who were at the end, exchanged lighthearted banter with Subaru, providing some welcome mental relief.

“Well, it doesn’t really contribute anything at all…”

“…Are you thinking something incredibly rude?” Shaula chimed in.

“Master’s head is always filled with strange things. It’s a waste of worry. If you were to peek inside, you’d find it covered in pink and honestly, it’s shocking. Pink brain, shameless academy!”

“Says the one who knows where such things come from.”

“It’s all based on what Master taught me! My knowledge comes entirely from Master!”

Just talking was giving Subaru a headache. Yet, somehow, that was comforting to him, revealing how much trouble he was in.

Anyway, through this banter, the group ascended the stairs and arrived at the third level known as “Taygeta.”

Although it had exhausted them far beyond what time or distance warranted—

“Here we are, ‘Taygeta’… Just as I had heard, it’s brimming with books.”

Shifting his gaze around the massive amount of books contained within Taygeta, Subaru sighed in awe.

Indeed, it was a greater sight than he had imagined.

While Subaru considered himself quite the reader (largely of light novels, comics, strategy guides, and the like), he had never before experienced being surrounded by such a vast amount of tomes. Certainly, when compared to something like the Library of Congress, that might be more impressive, but such victory only came from the difference in space.

Nevertheless, the absolute quantity of these books didn’t merely suggest their volume—

“I heard that these are ‘books of the deceased’… which means that for every book here, there’s one person who died… If humans have been recording over time, from Homo sapiens… that’s an unfathomable scale.”

Though Subaru had no idea of the world’s scale, if all records of the deceased were comprehensively included in books, it would be countless. Even as he sought the book he needed—attempting to find a name from a familiar dead person—he hardly believed he would ever succeed.

“In modern libraries, having a search function seems essential, right? But isn’t there none here?”

“Well, I don’t really know what a ‘search function’ is. However, there’s no librarian here like Betty. We’ll have to feel our way through it.”

“That’s basically like searching for a hundred-yen coin you dropped in the desert…”

Feeling totally defeated, Subaru reached for a nearby book.

Easily pulled from the shelf, the book felt completely ordinary with no real distinguishing features; it was incredibly simple in design. If there was a problem, it was—

“Oh no. I can’t read the title.”

Some twisted, wormlike scribbles were utterly indecipherable.

According to what Emilia and the others had said, the title of the book was the name of a ‘deceased.’ If there were ties to that deceased, it was said that the memories of their life could be revisited. But with the text being this unreadable, Subaru didn’t think he would be able to comprehend it. His current memory uncertainty also raised the question of whether those ties were even significant.

“Uh-oh, this might be tricky… wait—”

“Subaru!”

Startled by a sudden voice while he was panicking, Subaru turned quickly.

The next moment, the book was snatched right out of his hands by Emilia, who retreated several steps while clutching it to her chest.

“Um, Emilia-chan?”

“You can’t do careless things! Subaru, do you understand? You might have lost your memory here!”

“N-no, it’s not that serious…”

With Emilia’s changed expression and serious words, Subaru felt a reluctant smile creep onto his face.

However, it appeared he was the only one taking things lightly.

“She’s right. Subaru should refrain from acting on instinct.”

“I agree. You should exercise caution with any impulsive actions.”

“Uhh…”

As Beatrice and Julius chastised him in tandem, Subaru swallowed hard.

What welled up in his chest wasn’t resentment but a feeling of shame.

He recognized that perhaps he had acted a little carelessly.

“Pfft! Master’s being scolded! Looking all downcast! But I love such a pitiful and naughty master!”

“Shut up. Don’t belittle someone who’s genuinely trying to reflect on their mistakes.”

“Hey, hey. You can’t just cut apart the context like that. Honestly, Subaru, your actions have been a bit reckless, but we’ve learned something, too.”

Shaula burst into laughter, her hand covering her mouth to muffle her giggling at Subaru’s blunder. As Subaru opened his mouth to retort at her, Echidna stepped in to interrupt.

She gently soothed her scarf with her hand while saying,

“Natsuki-kun is unable to read the titles of the books. That’s right, isn’t it?”

“—? Ah, yeah, that’s correct.”

“What that tells us is that if he could lose memory, it indicates an impairment in reading ability—or perhaps recognition skills. Such references to another world are likely also due to this…”

“Unfortunately, Subaru only started learning to read and write after coming to Roswaal’s mansion.”

“————”

Echidna attempted to speak confidently, but Beatrice interrupted with her sharp remark. Regardless of her reaction, Beatrice crossed her short arms.

“Before coming to the mansion, Subaru couldn’t even write in magic letters. That’s something the elder sister who was his tutor also knows.”

“Yeah, Beatrice is right. Originally, Balus couldn’t really read or write words properly. Ram devoted quite a bit of effort towards his education… considering the current state, it seems that effort has gone to waste.”

“I’m sorry! I had no idea such a backstory existed!”

Flustered, Subaru raised his voice in apology as he breathed heavily. Amid the ongoing tension of their exchange, Echidna cleared her throat.

“Ah-em. It seems my suggestions were misaligned. Please feel free to forget my comments.”

“No, it wasn’t that off-base. At least, this confirms that Subaru’s memory loss stems from his time in Lugnica.”

“So it means that Balus is now just an utterly useless burden in this library.”

With Juliuss’s affirmation, Ram added her caustic commentary. It was futile for Subaru to respond at that point, and Julius nodded, stating,

“Regardless of how you phrase it, we can’t ask Subaru to relive what transpired last night in here. We should work together to find leads without him.”

“Yes, that seems wisest.”

“I have no objections. Emilia-sama and Beatrice-sama, do you agree with this?”

Ram rested her elbows on a table while asking, to which Beatrice nodded, saying, “I understand.”

Then Emilia turned her serious gaze onto Subaru, declaring,

“Subaru, just please wait quietly. I promise…we’ll find the memories you’ve lost. That’s something I…we’ll definitely do for you.”

“Ah, alright. I feel frustrated about being incapable, but I’ll trust Emilia-chan and wait patiently.”

“Will you truly stay quietly? Not act impulsively?”

“Haha, you really press me with those phrases! It’s fine! I’m not a five-year-old; I can wait calmly. I promise!”

“Then again, it makes it sound like you won’t stay quietly after all…”

“What does that even mean?!”

Subaru had intended to provide reassurance, only to earn further distrust in return.

He looked around, noting how Julius and Echidna seemed unfazed, while Beatrice and Ram shrugged as though they completely understood.

Regardless—

“Subaru, just quietly wait at the edge.”

Accepting Emilia’s sincere request, Subaru reluctantly took a position at the library’s edge.

He hugged his knees while idly watching as Emilia and the others split into groups for searching the library. The teams were comprised of Emilia, Beatrice, and Ram, along with Julius and Echidna.

While he still felt out of the loop, it seemed that Emilia and Echidna were functioning as leaders for this uneven team.

“They’re teaming up to ensure you don’t cause more trouble, huh? You really have a knack for dragging problems along with you, don’t you?”

“Well, the problem is that I don’t have my memories! Being unable to remember why it’s a problem is troubling!”

“You’re so hung up on pointless things.”

“That isn’t trivial! After all…”

Raising his voice in retort, Subaru abstained from meeting anyone’s gaze.

Next to him, leaning against the wall and waiting away from the bookshelf, was Meily, the braided girl.

She sent Subaru a sultry sideways glance that felt inappropriate for her age, tilting her head questioningly.

“I can’t help but wonder—are you not joining in on the search?”

“Yeah, I’m not joining. I’m not exactly a proper ally to you older folks.”

“Not a proper ally…?”

“As I said? I was a killer… I might have messed that up, so now I’m just an auxiliary in this whole mess. That’s all I can do here.”

“So you’re like on conditional release? …Still, you took quite a bold step deciding to include a killer on your adventure.”

“—Right. I really think so.”

Meily grinned and clasped her lips, laughing lightly.

With such a demeanor, Subaru sighed through his nose. Then he asked her,

“But what about you?”

“Huh? Me? I can’t read or write, so I’d be of no help. Just like Master, I’ll just stand back and let whatever’s in the book be, whatever that is!”

As Subaru stood with Meily in the conversation, Shaula, leaning against the wall on the other side, began to laugh openly.

Then she extended her arm, yanking Subaru’s left arm toward her warm and voluptuous figure.

A soft and warm feeling made him instinctively pull away.

“Whoa!”

“Aw, come on, Master, don’t be mean!”

“N-no, it’s not mean! You shouldn’t be acting so indecent! Stuff like that should be reserved for someone you like… I mean, even someone you like would pull away if you did that so suddenly. Your method is more harmful than useful.”

“Nuh-uh! Are we back on the topic of girlhood yet again? Master, you’re still the same!”

Pouting, Shaula voiced her complaints at Subaru’s stance. Still, looking at her tightly held expression made Subaru look down and sigh.

“Master?”

“Are you really…do you think I’ve been the same?”

With Shaula tilting her head, Subaru hesitated to ask.

That he had been referred to as ‘unchanging’ several times since waking up left him feeling both relieved and burdened.

—Whether it was a joy for them or a lament that he hadn’t changed.

“Uh, I pretty much don’t know what that means.”

Yet, detached from Subaru’s conflict, Shaula so easily shot that answer back.

Even Subaru, in disbelief, could only roll his eyes at such a response. Perhaps it had been a mistake to share any delicate troubles with her.

“You’re just…well, asking that I was a fool.”

“Master’s no fool! Even if you say that, it still makes me mad! Master’s amazing, and I want you to hold that head high!”

“I just don’t get your intentions.”

With a lighthearted expression, Shaula pointed at the deflated Subaru. Then, as he turned self-deprecating, she expressed disappointment. The common theme was that it was all regarding Subaru.

“It’s all about the communication you have with me. It’s our connection.”

As she grasped that confidence, Shaula laughed as she raised her chest proudly, placing her palms on her waist.

“Whether changing or not changing, you just being you is enough. It’s your freedom, and I will follow you!”

“—So what happens if you reach some strange conclusion as a result?”

“Well, if we do end up somewhere strange, I’ll force my way out for you! You might’ve forgotten, but that’s what binds us together.”

“———”

Repeatedly struck by straightforward words, Shaula’s sincerity caused Subaru to catch a breath.

Then he averted his face, not wanting to be seen.

“Hey, big brother?”

“—!?”

Turning his back to find Meily was there again made him awkwardly shift once more.

“What’s wrong with you, Master?”

Subaru floundered.

“Ugh, come on!”

In the end, he had nowhere to run or escape from, so he crouched down and glared at the floor. He curled up with his arms around his head, trying to hide his features from anyone.

He could feel the aura of Meily and Shaula looking over him.

They wouldn’t get it. —No, he didn’t want them to.

How could he possibly feel uplifted by words that were so empty and thoughtless, riddled with gaps?

It almost felt as if they showed him he didn’t have to feel whatever burdens he carried.

“And you’ve been acting weird, big brother.”

“The fact that Master is odd is nothing new. But that’s why I love you!”

He couldn’t muster a word in response to their exchange.

Just a flicker of feeling swelled in his chest as he felt a bit of pressure ease.

—It was just a few minutes prior that Subaru managed to shake off those impulses and stand back up as Emilia and the others returned, empty-handed.