Chapter 49: Talking about the coming year with an oni while laughing is actually my dream.
[ [ "Oh~ya, oh~ya, but~you really are smar~aren't you. To actually use the gauze curtain meant to deceive as a mark~ah." Roswaal L. Mathers flew down from the sky.
"Lord Roswaal!" Ram supported Rem and walked over step by step.
"...Subaru! You're alive, you're still alive. Subaru, Subaru... Subaru..." Rem broke free from Ram's grasp and rushed forward to hug Subaru tightly. ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Oh, well, now. As expected of the Kingdom's chief court mage."
Anastasia admired the dazzling fireballs Roswaal effortlessly unleashed.
"Oh~ya. It's nothing, it's nothing~. Just a little trick."
Roswaal drew out his words as he accepted her praise.
"Um... while it's touching, doesn't this look a bit bad?"
Otto said worriedly.
Otto's worry was not unfounded, as the screen was slowly turning black.
Subaru was likely holding on by a thread, and after being tightly embraced by Rem, he would no longer be able to endure it.
"Because Rem was pleased at that time... so I couldn't help but lose my composure."
Rem's face turned slightly red.
"It's good that Barusu is alive."
Ram smiled.
—
[ [ "Rem, right now, my body, everywhere... Ah, my consciousness too... It's this mode again..." What followed seemed to confirm Otto's worry, as the screen completely turned black, and Subaru appeared to lose consciousness.
....
"...Are you awake?"
The screen lit up.
"To wake up with a maid by your side serving you, in a way, it really fulfills a man's long-cherished wish."
In front of the Subaru perspective, it was Rem looking at Subaru.
"...Thinking of Rem's mistake this time, this is not atonement at all." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Oh my, young people really are something, youth ah."
Felix, outside the screen, teased.
Rem and Subaru on the screen were holding each other's hands.
"At that time, Rem took the initiative to hold it, because I saw Subaru-kun was in a lot of pain."
The two Rems savored the feeling of that moment.
"Oh, so it's the same as back then."
Garfiel was likely referring to Subaru having a nightmare in the previous loop and someone holding his hand.
"However, it's a good thing he fainted instead of dying. Otherwise, it would have been too hard, my li'l bro must have thought the same thing back then."
Al spoke.
—
[ [ After Subaru simply asked Rem about what happened after he fainted, they started talking about Subaru's own physical condition.
"The events are finished, now let's talk about Subaru's physical condition."
"Oh, yes. Even setting aside the curse, this time was quite rough."
"I'm sorry, Subaru."
"Hey, hey, look up, Rem. There's nothing wrong with my body. Everything's healthy, healthy."
"That's not true. Although the obvious wounds have been healed, there are no after-effects that affect daily life. But scars have been left, and because of multiple treatments, Subaru's mana is on the verge of exhaustion."
"Oh, so that's why my body feels a bit tired, but that's not a big problem... Rem." Subaru looked at Rem. "You look very calm, Rem, but you're not calm or composed at all, are you?"
Rem lowered her head upon hearing this.
"Rem knows." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Natsuki-san hit the nail on the head. Also, Natsuki-san's acceptance is amazing."
Otto said this.
First of all, Rem, from her various performances on the screen, it can be seen that Rem is indeed very decisive and prone to emotional actions.
In the previous loops, it was amazing how hard Rem endured her dislike for Subaru.
Then there is Subaru, everything he has said so far is so calm, including when he learned that his body was injured.
—
[ [ "Rem is weak in ability, mediocre in talent, a laggard of the demon race. So no matter what I do, I am inferior to Sister-sama. If it were Sister-sama, there would be no such mistakes, Sister-sama would never make mistakes... Rem is an inferior substitute for Sister-sama, no matter how long it takes, I can't catch up to the real Sister-sama, I'm a..." As she spoke, her tears flowed down.
"..." Subaru was silent.
"Ah, I, I'm sorry. Rem said some inexplicable things. Please forget it." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"..."
Ram outside the screen fell silent.
Having lost her memories of Rem, she didn't know exactly what happened, but based on her broken horn experience, she could roughly guess what happened.
She was too outstanding when she was young, and Rem relied on Ram, but... perhaps due to some mistake of Rem, it led to Ram's broken horn, and since then, in order to atone, Rem had to become what she thought the perfect sister should be like.
However, it was impossible to catch up to someone who had been deified in her heart, and she believed that no matter how hard she tried, she could not catch up to her horned sister, so she became increasingly self-conscious.
—
[ [ "As you said, you really are stupid." Subaru said on the screen.
Facing the puzzled Rem, Subaru spoke again: "In my opinion, you have three stupid points. First, you're still saying that you could have saved me back then, but those things are in the past, aren't I alive and well?"
"This is just the result..."
"Second, although I'm really happy that you lost control for me, you also have to consider the time and occasion. More importantly, if you had discussed it with us, you would definitely have found a better way. Finally, the third point, do you know what it is, Rem?"
"Rem knows nothing, knows nothing. Rem always does not do enough, does not do well..."
"See, that's it. That's your third stupid point. Rem, you always praise Ram and belittle yourself. But if Ram were in Rem's position, I wonder how well she could handle it. Her stamina is not as good as Rem's, her cooking is terrible, she's lazy at work, and she's sharp-tongued... If I had to say an advantage, it's just being a bit thoughtful!" ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"I agree with Natsuki-san's second point. After all, regardless of whether it was Rem-san's responsibility, it was too reckless to go and annihilate such a large group of demon beasts alone."
Otto said.
"It's enough that Ram is cute."
Ram said this in response to Subaru's evaluation of her on the screen.
—
[ [ "No, it's not. The real Sister-sama is even more amazing... If she had her horn, she wouldn't be like this now..." Rem denied Subaru's set of arguments.
As expected, she had deified Ram... No, she had deified the horned Ram.
"But, I don't have that horn now, and I don't know the horned Ram. Perhaps only Rem would mind the horn issue? Comparing the other person's strengths with your own weaknesses will only make you depressed. If it weren't for you, I would definitely have been bitten to death by dogs by now. It was because you were there that I was saved. This is not just relying on my sister, but also your credit."
"...If it were the real Sister-sama, she would have done even..."
"Maybe. But the person who was there was you. It's a good thing Rem was there, thank you."
"...Rem is just a substitute for Sister-sama..."
"Don't define yourself so tragically. Since Ram doesn't have a horn, then Rem, you be her horn. The two of you work together seamlessly and are that so-called 'oni'. And ah, you keep saying substitute, but Rem is irreplaceable. Can you imagine what would happen if you weren't here?"
"But..." ] ]
.....
~Inside, the Theater~
"Boss really knows, Rem's dead Ram... that heartbreaking scream, it made this big guy's heart ache."
Garfiel scratched his head softly.
—
[ [ Subaru rubbed Rem's azure hair, "In my hometown, there's a saying that goes, 'If you talk about the coming year with an oni, the oni will laugh.' So ah... smile, Rem. Don't look so gloomy, smile quickly. Let's talk about the future with smiles. Let's talk positively from now on about the things that were wrong because of your previous information. In short, let's start by talking about tomorrow's matters."
"Tomorrow's... matters? But Rem is very weak, so I'll definitely rely on Subaru."
"It's okay. I'm also weak, stupid, have fierce eyes, and don't know how to read the atmosphere. But in these aspects, I'll expect the people around me to help me, and I'll rely on others to live. We'll just rely on each other and move forward—let's walk shoulder to shoulder, talking and laughing until tomorrow, talking about the future. Talking about the coming year with an oni while laughing is actually my dream."
"...It's truly like having an oni's help."
The girl was crying and laughing, the boy's hand was gently stroking her head, and his other hand was tightly held by the girl.
Finally, the screen froze on this scene, and then slowly darkened. ] ]