A Random in Re:Zero

In the next instant, I returned to my body. There was no transition, not that I could remember.

"Blessed curse..."

I was lying in my bed at the inn, the ceiling occupying much of my view. Anxious to know how far I had regressed, I got up and looked out the window.

The sun was just rising, marking dawn. I sighed with relief. There should still be time to save Russell.

"It's weird to see you up so early." A female voice commented.

"Yes. I think I'll have a busy day."

With all the chaos of the last loop, I'd forgotten about Rem. I mean, not like that, for God's sake. As part of the Re:Zero fandom, I'd had enough of the repetitive "who's Rem" joke.

She sniffed something and frowned slightly.

"You reek of the witch's miasma."

"Really? Why am I not surprised?"

Either it was because I activated the RBD, or Satella took me for a walk in the garden of shadows without allowing me to retain any memory of it. Whatever the answer, it wasn't relevant now.

Rem cleared her throat, looking at me with a somewhat strange expression.

"By the way, you haven't spoken to me since yesterday. Did I do something to offend you?"

"Ah... Not really. I'm just too self-absorbed lately, that's all."

I walked past her, searching for my classic outfit, the one I came into this world in. Besides that, I wanted to bring the crossbow and daggers I took from Doppelganger.

It was necessary to resharpen the blades and buy new arrows for the crossbow, but it was cheaper to do that than to buy everything from scratch, and the quality was decent.

After changing and gathering my weapons, I headed toward the exit to the merchant guild. As I tried to leave, I ran into an unexpected obstacle.

Rem was standing in front of the door.

"What are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow, annoyed.

"I ask you the same thing." She replied calmly.

"I'm going for a walk. Could you move, please?"

"A walk with daggers, a crossbow, and without the uniform so you won't be recognized as an affiliate of House Mathers?" Rem raised her eyebrows skeptically. "I'm not moving until you tell me what you plan to do out there."

I gritted my teeth, trying to contain my anger so I wouldn't use it on Rem. I didn't need to involve her, I didn't want to put her in danger.

But I knew she wouldn't listen to anything I said if she was determined to stick her nose into the matter. The fact that she had followed me so closely yesterday was proof of her stubbornness and that she cared about me, since there was no need to intervene to save me.

Roswaal had told her to watch me, not protect me. Defending me from Rom and treating my wounds was entirely her decision.

Interestingly, in my version of the story, instead of Emilia, it was Rem who cared about me due to my troubled nature. But with her personality, she wouldn't hesitate to die for me if her feelings were strong enough.

There was no way I was going to let her sacrifice herself like she did for Subaru. Even if it hurt, I had to keep her away.

"I'm minding my own business." I explained coldly. "Don't butt into what doesn't concern you."

"It's a little late to pretend indifference. Yesterday you got nervous just dancing with me. Then, when I made fun of you a little, you stopped talking altogether."

Rem's reminder put an end to my mediocre edgy-boy act. I felt my face heat up.

"It was because I was embarrassed! Besides, that has nothing to do with this matter."

"It does. You told me you'd believe in me and support me. Why can't I do the same for you?"

My shoulders drooped at the question and the frustration in Rem's eyes. I had to stop and think of an argument to refute her statement.

"I'm worried something might happen to you trying to help me. I can't exclude you when it comes to the cult, but if I have the opportunity to do things alone, I prefer it that way."

"But you can't. You don't have the power. Without help, you would have died against the cultist, you would have died against the old man. You could die this time..."

"I know, it just happened to me."

The blue-haired maid glared at me. She was right; I couldn't afford to go off on my own to protect the others. Even if I managed to corner my enemy again, the odds were stacked against me.

"Fuck, it's okay. You can come with me."

"I would have done it even if you refused." Rem smiled mischievously.

"Tsk."

We left, careful not to alert Roswaal and Emilia. I led the way while trying to think of a strategy.

"What are we going to do, Leandro?"

"Saving the lives of Russell Fellow and Anastasia Hoshin."

"Huh?"

"A killer who can turn invisible is after them. We'll catch him before he can do any harm."

"How do you know?"

"I have my sources."

Rem lowered her head, her eyes shadowed, giving her a sinister look.

"... Do you have an Authority?"

Well, it wasn't confirmed that it was, but it made perfect sense and would explain the presence of the miasma. RBD had a high probability of being a witch gene...

"I'm not sure, but it's possible."

This time Rem stopped dead in her tracks.

"I don't understand."

"..."

"Why is she so interested in you?"

"I'd love to know."

It was a mystery I didn't think I could solve unless I personally investigated with Satella. But that would have to wait.

"I have the feeling you're not telling me everything."

"It's because I didn't tell you everything."

"Well, you should! If you're carrying such a heavy weight, ask for help! You're not alone!"

I smiled bitterly. If only it were that simple...

"I can't, Rem... I just can't do that."

"Why?"

"Shit, I don't have time for this conversation."

Swallowing, I walked over to her and held my arms out to the sides, as if mimicking the crucifixion.

"If you don't trust me, kill me."

"... What do you say?"

I knew she wouldn't leave, but she wouldn't let me go either. So my only option was to push her.

"We're in the middle of an important mission, Rem. There's no room for mistrust. If you have any doubts about me, end it now. If you do, I'll turn back and prevent you from accompanying me. That way I can save myself the time I'm wasting right now."

I thought that, as if it were so easy to die. In reality, I was very scared, and my stomach churned at the idea. Nevertheless, I managed to maintain my determined expression in front of Rem.

It was a logical decision, but it lacked tact or common sense. I didn't realize how insensitive I was being.

"I'll count to three, okay? Just try to make it quick and painless." I closed my eyes and tried to relax my body. "One, two... Th-"

SLAP!

"Rem?" I touched my cheek, feeling a burning sensation.

Rem's face finally reflected her emotions. She was indignant, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I would never do something like that to you! How could you say such a thing?! You sound as if you believe me capable of...!" She stopped as if remembering something. "Wait, do you think so? Were all those things you said to me when we fought the cultist just empty words?"

Her anguished rant made me realize that I had really gone too far, but I didn't want to think about it.

"No, they weren't empty words. I want to believe in you, just as you want to trust me. Even though you only do so because we had a few moments. But if that hadn't happened... Maybe you would have already destroyed my body with your Morning Star."

I wondered how Rem would react if she heard what I thought about her. Still, I was just letting myself get carried away by fear, imagining the worst possible scenario. The reality was different.

"I'm sorry. It's just that this whole damn killer thing is really getting on my nerves."

Rem didn't say anything. I guessed my actions hurt her a little. I hoped she understood this was difficult for both of us.

"Look, I'm sorry I can't tell you everything about myself. What I can tell you is that I'm not hiding anything bad. You and Emilia, even Betty and Ram, you all are important to me. Not that idiot Roswaal, fuck him."

"If that's true, I want you to prove it..."

"Of course."

I nodded quickly, prepared for whatever commitment she imposed on me. Then Rem moved even closer, almost pressing her body against mine. I felt trapped by her blue eyes.

"Make me your partner."

"... Ah?"

I nearly choked on my own saliva. The phrase had a somewhat suggestive connotation. Of course, that was just my disturbed mind overthinking things.

Rem began to speak passionately, which made me recall the time she declared her love to Subaru.

"Let me be there for you when things get tough. Whenever you know something bad is going to happen, just tell me, and I'll help you fix it. Even if you can't tell me everything, I'll do my best to make things work out."

The seriousness with which she made that proposal shocked me deeply. Could I even believe her? Did she mean it from the bottom of her heart? If it were true, I wouldn't be alone anymore. I'd have someone supporting me unconditionally, just like Subaru (except I had the option to prevent the event with Gluttony and save both Rem and Crusch).

I only had one question left: when did I do anything to win Rem over like this? She didn't seem to be in love with me, like the original protagonist had been. So what motivated her to make this decision?

Then it hit me. Everything I'd done to influence Rem's personality and prevent her from becoming the same self-deprecating, dependent, and self-sacrificing girl was now paying off. Rem had made her proposal with the idea that it would work for both of us.

I needed an ally, and she needed a purpose.

Smiling, I bowed reverentially as I had been taught.

"Rem, would you do me the honor of being my partner?"

Rem bowed the same way I did, reciprocating my gesture.

"Yes, I'd be happy to do so."

That's how I got my first concub- I mean companion.

"So, here's what we'll do." I told her my improvised plan.

***

Russell Fellow sat in his office, reading market and financial reports. The atmosphere was calm and quiet, even boring.

That was until someone knocked on his door.

"Come in." Russell said, but nothing happened. The door remained motionless.

Raising an eyebrow, the man stood up and went to answer the door himself. To his dismay, there was no one in the hallway.

"Was it my imagination?"

He closed the door again and went to sit down. This time, when he tried to return to his reading, he couldn't concentrate due to the inexplicable feeling of being watched.

Restless, Russell began to look around, but seeing nothing, he shook his head, staring at the ground with a stressed expression.

"I'm just paranoid..."

He murmured, letting out his breath in a sigh. But then, his eyes caught a change in the surface of the carpet in the center of the room. The material had sunk slightly, as if something had stepped on it.

With a swift motion, Russell pulled a throwing knife from his suit and threw it accurately.

CLANG!

The knife collided with something invisible and was knocked to the side. A laugh sounded from that direction.

"Nice try."

As the air warped into an iridescent effect, Russell twisted his features in distaste, staring at the figure that became visible in front of him.

"I thought it might be you, Gilbert. You can't seem to get over your grudges."

"That's how it is."

Gilbert's red eyes fixed on Russell's with hatred. Without wasting any time, the intruder pulled out a mysterious silver object and pointed it at the guild leader.

"What's that?" Russell asked, more curious than afraid.

"It's what will allow me to have my revenge and fulfill my dream, all in one play."

Russell frowned, confused by Gilbert's enigmatic response.

"Since you're about to die, I'll let you know. This artifact is a powerful weapon that can kill instantly; even knights don't stand a chance if they're hit with this. I know because I've killed several of them with it!"

"You did what!?"

"It doesn't matter. I already said what I wanted to say. Goodbye, Russel, you were a big pain, but now that I have this power in my hands, no one will be able to oppose—"

Gilbert's sentence was interrupted by the shattering of glass in the window behind him.

"What the...?"

An arrow had appeared in his left shoulder, piercing it from side to side. Blood quickly seeped from the wound, staining his body and the carpet.

Several meters away, from the rooftop of a nearby building, Leandro clicked his tongue and hurried to reload his crossbow.

"Shit, I should have aimed a little lower."