I continued running frantically, and I lost track of how much time had passed.

Breathless, my knees weak, sweat streaming down my chin, my heart was a chaotic mess, yet I couldn’t stop running.

If I didn’t keep moving, I would be caught by some incomprehensible emotions chasing from behind. And if I got caught, everything would finally be over—such was the conviction driving Natsuki Subaru onward.

The scream of Ram, the furious shouts that labeled Subaru as the target of hatred, still echoed in my ears.

Ram, who remained rude, arrogant, and condescending.

She had expressed such raw emotion, loudly proclaiming her hatred.

Just thinking about it made my heart clench, bringing forth unspeakable sadness.

I had fled. I had run away.

I dashed out of the mansion, discarding all the noises behind me, leaving everything behind as I escaped.

There was no way back to that place anymore for Subaru.

Ram and Roswaal wouldn’t forgive a Subaru who ran away, and Emilia and Pack wouldn’t fully trust the Subaru who had fallen silent.

Even Beatrice, bound by contract, wouldn’t readily become a proactive ally, as she could not grasp the true intention behind Subaru’s actions.

If I could just spill everything out…

However, a dark fog blocked the way, interfering.

In a world where time seemed to pause, in a space where sound was isolated, the pain and fear squeezing my heart—before that, Subaru’s determination to flee was easily scattered.

As a result, unable to bear the pain and sorrow, Subaru could do nothing but run.

“There’s no way this is okay…! What’s wrong with me… I’m just…”

I understood nothing.

How did things turn out this way? What was I supposed to do?

What do I have to do for the world to forgive Subaru?

“Such fun… aah…”

Suddenly dragged into this other world, forced to live in an unfamiliar realm, a place that should’ve welcomed Subaru with its worries clawing at me.

Those days, that time, only about a week had passed since then, and now it felt unattainably distant.

Revisiting, returning, repeating; each time the world bared its fangs at Subaru.

The world that had once been so kind changed colors, the vibrant glow became dull, and everything looked tarnished.

—It’s no use anymore.

Suddenly, such a whisper flickered through my mind.

—There’s no need to try any harder than this.

As my own voice urged me to give up, a temptation so sweet, Subaru felt his thoughts ready to freeze in place.

If I acted on those words, I thought I could surely find relief.

After all, Subaru was naturally inclined to drift toward the easier side of things.

It wasn’t just me; anyone would lean toward that.

When faced with two choices, unable to abandon either, one would be forced to endure a bitter time of indecision.

In the midst of that struggle, if a third option were to suddenly appear…

Like an epiphany, like a divine gift, it would seem so alluring, and I would feel the urge to reach for it, who could blame me.

If I could neither resist nor escape, wouldn’t it be better to just throw it all away?

“Throw it away… you say…”

Blood drained rapidly from my head, and even my once-thumping heartbeat felt distant.

My limbs became heavy, the feet that had been hurriedly moving slowed, turning into a dragging walk.

Suddenly, my vision, which had gone dark, cleared as I realized I was surrounded by trees in a forest.

In my frantic run, I must have dashed out of the mansion, veered off the road, and gotten lost on a mountain path.

Surrounded by lush greenery, even the sky was veiled in shadow, I noted how this place resembled where I had met my end last time.

In that moment, a clear vision of the third option emerged.

“If I die…”

Would that save me from this situation?

“Yeah, that’s right. If I die, things will change.”

A weak, pitiful thought slipped from my lips as I found it strangely enticing, a grim smile creeping onto my face.

Already, I had lost my life three times.

The fourth death remained an uncharted experience for me, thus I was tormented by the groundless anxiety that if I were to face it, everything would come to an end.

But,

“If that’s how it ends, what’s so bad about it…?”

With every repetition, Subaru’s circumstances worsened.

Death by starvation, then being beaten to death afterward. Betrayed and killed by those I had trusted, and now, this time losing that very trust and everything else tied to that person.

This time, I had only retrieved my life; merely my life.

Thus, I continued to struggle, finding myself in a situation worse than when I was first summoned to this other world. What meaning could there possibly be in that?

No, even if there were meaning, why should it be Subaru who had to walk that path?

“If you want to do it, go ahead… What does it have to do with me?”

I bit my lip, expressing my hatred toward the one who pulled me into this situation.

My insides bubbled with dark emotions, curses filled my mind to its brim, fueling the already withered heart of Subaru with sinister flames.

—The option of “death,” it felt like the only viable idea for Subaru right now.

If it all ended in death, then that would be that.

But what if, hypothetically speaking, through death I could return to “Day Two”?

“Grab hold of Emilia-tan, cuddle with Pack, tease Beatrice, throw some banter with Roswaal, spend time with Ram and Rem…”

I could relive my first experience, enjoying myself once more.

Thinking back, the initial time was truly an ideal for Subaru. Though I couldn’t change the future of dying in weakness on the night of the fourth day, that death was devoid of pain and suffering, and above all, it promised serenity and peace.

If I could go back to those days, if it meant interacting with their smiles again, then death wouldn’t be something to be feared.

The current situation, this unbearable plight, held far greater terror for Subaru, and above all, the grief was hard to bear.

Gasping, Subaru rummaged through his pants pockets.

The thin sensation in my hand was the quill pen I hadn’t let go of even once over the past four days.

The sharp pen tip had pierced my hand countless times, staining it with fresh blood, and now the dark, dried blood was something I couldn’t wipe clean.

Gripping the quill in reverse, I aimed its tip at my throat.

It possessed enough sharpness to penetrate flesh, something I could attest to from experience.

If I swung it with force, surely my purpose would be fulfilled.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

My vision flickered, and my body felt like it was boiling due to the rushing blood.

Yet, my head felt devoid of blood; it was continually freezing, the motion of my brain spinning out of control.

Focusing on the tip of the pen, I felt it drawing near, trembling in anticipation.

The ragged breaths surpassing even a full sprint brought with them nausea; if I lost concentration for an instant, it felt like I would immediately vomit my stomach’s contents.

My knees shook, my legs buckled, and my arms felt paralyzed as if the nerves below the elbows no longer worked. Yet, my right hand still gripped the pen, shaking absurdly, humorously.

“Dammit…”

I clicked my tongue, shaking my head to disguise my emotions.

With my left hand, I grabbed my trembling right wrist to steady it. However, the moment my left hand made contact, the fear surged back, infecting my left arm. Both hands trembled in small fits, failing to fulfill their intended purpose.

“Stop… just stop!”

I raised my voice in frustration, but that voice too could not conceal the tremor.

Eventually, I dropped the quill I had been holding, and as I bent down to retrieve it, my knees buckled and crumpled to the ground.

With both hands pressed into the dirt, staring aghast at the ground up close, I suddenly felt hot tears spilling from my eyes, biting down on my lip in frustration.

A sharp pain and the metallic smell of blood filled my mouth, and as I tasted it, I sobbed.

“I can’t even… even do something this simple…”

—Am I lacking the courage to do it?

If I were to roll down that path, I think I would find relief.

While I harbored such thoughts, I couldn’t summon the resolve to let go completely.

I couldn’t yield to impulses, nor execute an easy, weak decision. My determination and resolve felt frail, and all I could do was crouch there, crying.

Even revealing such a disgraceful display wouldn’t change anything about the situation. Not only would things not improve, but even worsening seemed unlikely. The unchanging situation merely relayed to me its dismal status.

The pain, the suffering, the sadness, all forcing Subaru to make a decision—none of it extended kindness.

Even the choices I had yearned for, I lacked the resolve to follow through.

If I was going to choose an ending, it perhaps would’ve been better to let Ram kill me.

I had no direct ties to the cause of Rem’s death. Thus, even if Ram could kill Subaru, it would be a complete misinterpretation of revenge.

Ram, who had cried out from the anguish of having her half torn apart, who so loudly proclaimed her hatred.

If that burning urge could in the slightest be calmed, then it wouldn’t matter to Subaru to merely offer up this life that had decayed.

Pretending to care for others, yet at its core, merely a desperate attempt to distract myself from my indecision.

Ram, who was invoked in my thoughts, was insulted by such reasoning, yet Subaru did not even realize that he was avoiding facing his own shame.

That selfish emotional turmoil, perhaps it was a heavenly manipulation that couldn’t bear to watch such disgraceful conduct.

“—Huh?”

All of a sudden, the air around me shifted, and Subaru, still crouched, lifted his face.

The dirt beneath me, my tear-soaked vision remained unchanged. However, in the darkness where leaves and branches obscured the sunlight, something snagged at my nerves.

It was a warning emerging from my instincts.

As an alarm rang loudly, I propped myself up, kneeling while surveying my surroundings. I rubbed my eyes to clear my sight and held my breath, listening intently.

The sound of grass being trampled, followed by the dry rattling of branches.

Quick. Sharp. Something was rapidly closing in, keenly and swiftly.

Unconsciously, I wet my dry lips with my tongue, and quickly retrieved the quill that had fallen at my feet. Holding it in reverse, I pointed it forward, filled with an inexplicable anxiety.

—In that instant, it burst forth from the woods, parting the foliage before me.

“Y-you’re…”

Not the pursuers from the mansion—

Or so I had half-expectedly hoped.

But there it stood, poised and calm, betraying that weak aspiration.

By my knowledge, it was likely closest to a wolf.

Its body cloaked in black fur, four legs firmly planted in the dirt, lowering its body. A large mouth lined with sharp teeth dripped with drool, and amid the pitch-black face, two glowing red eyes shone vibrantly.

About a meter in length, likely weighing around thirty or forty kilograms.

In my original world, that’d be the size of a large dog, yet its overall sharp physique didn’t give off an impression of great strength.

However,

“Hey, hey…”

Before a presence before me, its eyes glinting with the thrill of the hunt, panting wildly, how could a human who only knew tame dogs fitted into society keep calm?

Under the clear hostility, cold sweat began to dampen my forehead.

Before the utterly motionless Subaru, it lowered its head and let out a huff.

It likely tracked me down by my scent. In my reckless run, my body had numerous scratches from branches, still oozing blood in several places. Not to mention that I had been sobbing like a fool; there was no shortage of signs pointing to my location.

A black dog, threatening me with its lowered head.

Suddenly, I spotted yellowish horns sprouting from the top of its head, confirming that this creature’s biology was vastly different from what I knew.

With this starved, horned savage closing in, I felt both fear and an inexplicable sense of relief wash over me.

Perhaps this beast would affirm Subaru’s decision without hesitation. It seemed that, cornered, Subaru found solace in the idea.

“I should just let Ram kill me… I was thinking that, and look what I found. I’m too fickle.”

Unable to muster a firm resolve, I remained swept away by the reality before me.

Just as it had been until now, I continued to float along, surrendering to the lazy circumstances.

I didn’t consider it wrong to make that choice. It would be futile to think so, and even if I did, nothing would change.

Stretching out my arms, Subaru indicated his defenselessness to the horned creature.

For a moment, it seemed not to understand the meaning behind my actions, trembling slightly as it lowered itself, a sight that struck me as mildly amusing.

“What are you scared of, facing someone already knocked down like this?”

A laugh slipped from my lips.

I was astonished to find I still had the spirit to laugh at all.

—It felt oddly liberating to be laughing.

The black beast before me—clearly seeing Subaru as prey—might very well be the celestial messenger granting Subaru’s wishes.

It would lead me to a sweet, gentle end, using those fangs, those claws, those horns.

Be it in death or a return to that languid happiness, I didn’t know which would be thrust upon me, but I could undoubtedly escape from this unbearable dead end.

For now, that was enough. That was all I needed. I desired no further luxury.

So, then, let it happen all at once—.

“Huh…?”

I had just been thinking such clarity, yet was interrupted by the sound of something hard colliding close by.

I kept my attention on the imminent danger surrounding me while trying to find the source of the noise, yet it was nowhere to be seen.

Then it struck me. Of course, it wouldn’t be visible.

The small, ringing sound came from the tremor in my teeth.

“—Huh?”

My lips quivered as I muttered, blood rushing to my fingers with pain, my heart pounding at a speed that felt it could explode at any moment.

I was bewildered as I realized the changes happening to my own body.

Why did it want to flee this place so desperately?

As if this was—

“It’s like….”

—As if I didn’t want to die.

Betrayed even by my own body, I found myself in a mess where I couldn’t even trust myself. And, while Subaru’s inner turmoil tossed about, the beast suddenly vanished from my sight, leaving behind an idiotic “Huh?”

Bewildered, I pursued the whereabouts of the dark shadow that had just been there. It was nowhere to be found.

Immediately after, my right thigh was under siege from the powerful jaws.

“G-gah…”

The fangs pierced through my flesh, reaching my nerves as the wound expanded with the sharpness of a knife.

Blood gushed forth, the world around me slowed. My gaze locked onto the root of the pain as the creature’s crimson eyes intermingled with Subaru’s own。

—Subaru’s scream declaring, “I’m alive!” echoed throughout the forest.