For just a few seconds, I hesitated whether to follow the direction of the voice or not.

What ultimately swayed me, even I, Natsuki Subaru, couldn’t say.

Perhaps it was the loneliness of being lost, or maybe it was my mischievous nature that couldn’t resist peeking at trouble when it showed up.

Or maybe it was because the silver-haired girl had witnessed a similar scene during the first time loop.

Grimacing at a bad feeling, I stepped forward and encountered the scene.

“You gotta be kidding me, woman! Should I blow that pretty face of yours sky-high, huh!?”

“Don’t be so noisy, you lowlife. Those lacking in manners have no right to cause a fuss.”

In response to the man who was spitting and unleashing anger like a demon, the voice was clear and carried a toxic undertone.

Peeking cautiously around the corner, I observed the situation with trepidation.

In front of me, in a narrow alley, a girl was surrounded by three men, blocking her escape.

I sighed at the cliche occurrence of thug behavior, but what caught my attention even more than that was the girl’s appearance that felt so mismatched with the atmosphere.

Her vibrant orange hair shone like it reflected the sun, elegantly styled with a barrette cascading down her back. The flamboyant crimson dress would shine at a ball or noble tea party, but it looked utterly out of place in this filthy, uneven alley.

The jewelry adorning her neck, ears, and fingers was clearly of the highest quality, making my pocket money seem like chump change.

Clothed in lavish ornaments, the girl naturally radiated a nobility that couldn’t be overshadowed.

With her challenging, slanted red eyes, her pale pink lips, and skin as white as virgin snow, her beauty was so extraordinary that even artists would drop their brushes at her sight, reaffirming how outlandish this world could be.

While the men raged with bare brutality around the girl, she calmly returned their gazes. There was no hint of bravado in her posture, yet it didn’t seem like there was any force within her slender frame to fend off their approach.

That said, even if she did have some hidden strength, I should be cautious about assuming anything about this unverified state of affairs.

Crossing her arms, she stood poised, raising her ample chest with a graceful nonchalance. The men misinterpreted her gesture as confidence, and their tension visibly escalated.

“—Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

I suddenly raised my hand and inserted myself right into that confrontation.

With the combined gazes of the four in the scene—three thugs and the girl—I raised my hand in a gesture of apology and said,

“It looks like there’s a bit of trouble here, but on my behalf, can you let this slide? You know, judging by appearances, this girl might just have a few screws loose in the head. You get it?”

In a dark part of the city where the safety was questionable, this girl basically screamed “please rob me” with her celebrity-style outfit. If that wasn’t a sign of someone who’s a bit off, what is?

Putting aside my desperate urge to pet beast-people, I cheerily said to the dumbfounded thugs, “Okay, that’s it for me!” and grabbed the girl’s hand from behind.

“Huh?”

“C’mon! Let’s get out of here before these guys cause us any more trouble. We promised to share some sweets together, ‘aah’ style, remember…”

As I changed the subject in my head to my imagined schedule with Emilia, I began to quickly pull the girl away from the scene.

“Don’t get too comfy—”

“—Huh?”

The arm I had taken was grabbed by another hand from above, twisting my body awkwardly. I leaned down, and my waist was pivoted as—

“Don’t lay a finger on me.”

Just as my wrist was let loose, I felt a palm touch the back of my head. With a sudden force, my face was slammed against the wall.

“Gagghh!? ”

“Well, this is what happens when you step outside. Men are just flocking to me for my looks. Honestly, I can’t be careless for even a second.”

The girl looked down at me, who was holding my face where I slammed into the wall, and spit out these words as if I were garbage. Half crying from the pain of my nose scraping against the stone wall, I looked up at her, feeling a surge of wrath.

“You’re kidding, right? That was a total cliché scenario where I was supposed to save a girl from thugs! You just had to break the template, huh!?”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I merely acted as I thought best.”

“Are you serious? You can’t just slam someone’s face into a wall during a first meeting! Talk about overstepping!”

The intent to save this girl clearly didn’t get communicated; instead, I was being treated like a perv with a fatal punishment from her. If I weren’t so resistant to nosebleeds, I might’ve had a real disaster on my hands.

While my face twisted in pain and humiliation, I suddenly noticed the thugs had fallen silent, their eyes on me. Having displayed such a shameful scene in front of them, I tried to regain my composure while leaning against the wall again.

“What’s up? Go ahead and laugh! It’s super embarrassing to jump in and help only to be rewarded with a faceplant! Come on! Release the laughter! Please!”

“I’m not laughing, man. That’s just low, honestly.”

The sympathetic remark from one thug made me wish instead that he’d laughed it off, and I sighed, rejecting my own feelings.

Taking a long breath to calm myself down, I decided to reset.

“Take two! Alright, you scoundrels! Now that I’m here, no more of your nonsense! If you want to pass through here, you’ll have to take me down first. Heh, I’m opening a bakery back in my hometown after this battle, after all. I’ve even promised to marry my childhood friend!”

I bolstered my own spirit with a vigorous declaration as I protected the girl behind me and kept an eye on the thugs’ movements. If we could have the element of surprise with a three-on-one, maybe we stood a chance—

“Wait, don’t I recognize you guys?”

I tilted my head, comparing the faces of the three men in front of me, and suddenly slapped my hands.

“Oh, right! You’re the ‘dunce trio’ from that first summoning day! Seriously? Is there really no one else to be a thug in this royal capital?”

The familiar trio, labeled ‘dunce trio’ simply for having tried to kill me once, now weighted my chest with slightly reviving tension.

“But more than that, this is hilarious. Do you all do this every day? Like every day? One day? Summer vacation?”

“What? Who just barged in and headbutted us with nonsense?”

“Hey, I really don’t want to deal with this guy. You go first.”

“I don’t want to, either. Can’t we just give him a nudge and let him scram?”

Whether they were guarding themselves or letting their tension slip, the thugs were exchanging glances and muttering low discussions.

The tension began to diffuse, and I could feel the atmosphere shifting as their demeanor changed, no longer just angry, but growing cold and sharp.

It was too certainly the familiar aura of murder circulation I’d experienced since arriving in this world.

Each of them slipped a hand into their pockets, and it was only a matter of time before they pulled out weapons that reeked of blood.

“… I guess I have no choice. I really didn’t want to resort to this.”

Realizing that conflict was unavoidable, I shook my head, cursing my own ineptitude.

Struggling to talk my way out of this, I’m on the edge of using my trump card once again—ah, I just wanted to make it through this time feeling on top of the world for once.

“Enough of this! You guys, this isn’t just some game anymore!”

I raised my palms to the three men, trying to rein in these now volatile thugs. The one who seemed the quickest to snap, the dunce named Chin, turned red and snapped back at me.

“Huh? You got it all wrong! We’re the top dogs here, and you’re the underling! Don’t mistake that!”

With bloodlust clear, Chin was about to whip out his knife.

Before he could even draw it, I stepped forward and shoved my face in front of him, shouting with as much authority as I could muster.

“You sure you wanna keep talking like that!?”

“Huh?”

“I know Reinhardt! That’s right! Me and Reinhardt? We’re best buds! If I call for him, he’ll swoop in like a hero!”

“—What!?”

At the name of Reinhardt, a look of shock spread across Chin’s face, stepping back a bit.

I activated Operation “Fox Using the Tiger’s Might”—and it worked; they were really afraid.

The mention of Reinhardt sent ripples of worry through the trio. They might’ve wanted to interject that it was a bluff, but unfortunately, they had actually witnessed Reinhardt helping me firsthand.

There was no way they could be unaware of that slightly unhinged swordsman’s prowess.

“What will it be? I could end this here with a shout.”

As I saw the effect of my words, I lifted my hands above my head and shook my hips, projecting confidence towards the men. Frankly, unless Reinhardt decided to play hero for me, if this turned into a fight, it was certain I’d end up on the wrong side of it.

The cold sweat pouring from my brow, they gritted their teeth in frustration.

“For now, I’ll let you off the hook.”

“But remember, we didn’t lose, so keep that in mind!”

“It’s not like we’re scared of Reinhardt or anything!”

The expected retort echoed with a hint of weakness as they spat, leaving the alley with their filthy curses.

Watching their backs disappear around the corner, I finally let out a breath I had been holding, folding my hands on my knees.

“Wow, that was rough. Totally panicked there. Looks like in the battle of lowlifes, my lowlife skills won out… It’s a small world!”

I cracked a joke to regain my composure and turned to the girl behind me.

Just like how I was putting on a front to the men, I realized she might have that same kind of prideful demeanor as a self-defense mechanism—

“What’s with that look, begging like a homeless person. I have nothing to give you.”

“No need to be so harsh. I could at least get a thank you for saving you?”

“Thank you?”

She tilted her head, looking curiously at me.

She closed her eyes for a moment like pondering something, then opened them with a soft “oh” as if someone finally understood.

“Ah, so you were chattering away to save me earlier. Hmm, I didn’t notice.”

“You can’t be serious! After everything that just happened, you didn’t realize it at all!?”

I rubbed the back of my head in exasperation, but she merely looked at me with an air of boredom and continued on without a word.

“Yare yare, I’ve wasted my time. You’ve committed a grievous sin in stealing my limited time.”

“So you’re not going to say thanks after all…”

Finding myself unconsciously recalling Rem, I sighed, thinking how different it was when I was just with that blue-haired girl, spending hours shopping in the royal capital, now feeling oddly nostalgic and wanting some comfort.

Realizing I might have sounded a bit whiny, the girl turned with a small “hmph” and glanced back at me.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t face any problem even without you around. It just happened that you did something to solve a situation that would’ve been solved eventually. To brag about it as if it were your merit is nothing short of comical.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying you could’ve handled it yourself, like ‘I’m super strong, I didn’t need help!?’”

“No, it’s something much simpler. —This world behaves according to my convenience. Therefore, I face no disadvantages. My salvation is on account of me, nothing to do with you. What you’ve done should be considered a disgraceful steal of my merit!”

She spoke as if it were a given, with the confidence of someone who stood proud and declared her absolute nature to the world.

Her statement was a vivid claim that everything unfolded in her favor, and that all phenomena were in essence her doing.

Witnessing her sun-like radiance filled me with the immediate realization.

—This is definitely some kind of trouble I shouldn’t get involved with.

“I see. My apologies for getting in your way.”

With someone like her, it’d be best to leave flattery aside and embrace positivity.

I gave a large nod without trying to provoke her, grabbing the bag full of Lingas I had leaning against the wall.

Thankfully, none had been harmed in the kerfuffle earlier, and the merchant’s generosity remained intact, giving me some relief.

“Alright, then. Let’s both strive to walk in brighter spots, okay?”

I raised my hand, turning to breeze past the girl with my back to her.

I simply wanted to create some space as not to irritate her any further, and once I reached the corner, I’d bolt away as fast as I could.

Just as I mapped out my escape plan while counting steps, I heard a low voice from behind me.

“—Wait.”

I halted for a moment, reprimanding myself for stopping.

If I’d ignored it and walked away, I could’ve escaped unscathed, but now that I had paused, no excuse would serve me.

So in a weak effort of rebellion, I turned my voice back without looking.

“W-What is it?”

Sounds somewhat humbled, but little did I know the mental superiority had already shifted.

Subaru, as the weakling, tried to keep his indignation intact by not looking back. The girl, being the stronger willed one, brushed off such petty frustrations effortlessly.

“What’s in that bag? Show me.”

Nonchalantly, she moved around to face me, gesturing for the bag she confined to her chest to be lowered.

I had no obligation to comply, but resisting could only prolong our exchange, so begrudgingly, I tilted the bag and revealed its contents.

Staring at the mound of ripe red fruits, her eyes blinked several times, bewildered.

“Can’t tell just by looking. What’s this fruit?”

“What do you mean? It’s Linga. You’ve never seen it before?”

Since it appeared on the breakfast table at Roswaal’s Mansion, I assumed it was a common fruit, but clearly that wasn’t the case. Or maybe the dining standards there were simply very high…

My musings coiled back to the copper coins’ earlier exchange, prompting genuine curiosity to fill my mind.

As I contemplated this perplexity, the girl exhibited an even more obvious reaction.

Leaning back, she glanced into the bag once again and then looked up at me, mocking.

“You’re lying. Don’t joke with me. Linga is a white fruit. Undoubtedly, it doesn’t look like this red fruit.”

“Well, the inside is white.”

I retorted, slightly exasperated at her insistence on the obvious. But to my surprise, her expression drained of color.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, I cautiously asked, “You’ve really never seen a Linga before it was peeled, have you?”

“Hmm, come to think of it, I only ever saw the ones on the dining table—. …I understand now. Hand it over.”

Thinking aloud, she extended a hand towards me, demanding I give her a Linga.

Her brazen attitude nearly rallied a protest from me, but just as I was about to voice my objections, I noticed the other hand she was hiding.

While her left hand reached out to me, her right hand dipped into her dress, and when she pulled it out, it was a short sword glinting in the dim light of the alley.

The hilt was adorned with jewels, evidently a luxurious item, and it sparkled sharply in the meager light; it was clear that it was sharp for more than mere aesthetic purposes.

I was having this rare experience of intervening to save a girl only to be threatened with a mugging by said girl—my head was spinning!

Declared by the girl once again, “Hand it over,” she told me in a concise tone.

“I’m going to cut it in half to check and see if your mouth merely lies.”

“Being threatened with a knife in a back alley really gives me the creeps…”

“Just hurry.”

Resistance proved futile as the Lingas were swiftly taken from me, cut in two by her adept knife skills.

As the cut fruit revealed its white interior, she caught a few droplets in her palm and licked it off.

“Tart… This flavor is definitely that of a Linga!”

“Are you satisfied now?”

The girl seemed pleased, and with a bright smile appearing on her face, I tried to act all polite and accommodating. Honestly, I’d be more than happy to let her have one and make my escape.

But the girl mercilessly dismissed my evident plea.

“Interesting. Hand me the rest of it. I want to see them all, cut one by one.”

“BA-ka-I-E!!”

Her tyrannical demand erupted my frustration, leading to an explosive reaction.

Flailing my arms, I lunged toward her, “Why the hell am I giving them all to you after just one!? No way! These Lingas are a sign of my bond with someone! It’s not just a fruit; it’s the fruit of our connection!!”

“Enough with the nonsense. Here’s how this will go:”

Ignoring my passionate rebuttal, she continued speaking, “How about a wager?”

“—A wager?”

“Yes, a simple wager. Let’s say, guessing the outcome of a coin flip. Each time means one Linga on the line. What do you say?”

Zoning out and laughing at her idea, I found the premise utterly absurd.

It seemed like she had an agenda, but fundamentally, the gamble didn’t appeal to me.

“What you’re saying makes no sense. First off, there’s no benefit to me! I could just run off now without losing any Lingas!”

“Of course, I’ll prepare some incentive for you! Let’s see…”

She touched her lips, pondering, then cast an alluring gaze my way, crossing her arms proudly.

“If you win, I’ll let you touch my chest. How about that?”

Her proposal to wager her own body sent me a deep sigh as I shook my head.

The recklessness of throwing oneself into games like that, not so exchangeable without consideration for future consequences—it’s the thrill-seeking nature of gamblers.

What’s more, this stunning girl in front of me probably thought that her allure would have every man wrapped around her finger. What a shame that line of thinking was.

Noticing my hesitation, she looked somewhat suspiciously at me.

Meeting her inquisitive gaze head-on, I made it crystal clear.

“You should take better care of yourself. You’re out of your mind… You think I’d fall for that charm?”

***

—And then,

“That makes it seven wins in a row for me. You have only three Lingas left, you know?”

“No way!? I’m about to be stripped bare!?”

There, in the alley, stood the abject form of Subaru, continuously losing in gamble after gamble.

 

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