A Dream Gradually Detaching from Reality?
Subaru ate instant ramen bought from a convenience store while watching the streets of the royal capital.
"As expected, I still can't find Reinhild. Could that divine protection thing also be affecting me somehow?
No, what's more important right now is understanding my current situation. I've been to some places I've never visited in the real world. If I forced it, I could say my memory filled in the gaps, but my hand still feels that stinging sensation. And whether it's the hunger I just felt or the taste of this ramen right now, they're both way too real."
"But if this is reality, then what's going on? Am I trapped in the same day? No no no, this is the real world — there's no way time manipulation powers should exist.
But when I said my phone could slice time, Reinhild didn't seem all that surprised... Could it be she's really seen similar powers before?"
"Looks like I'll have to confirm it with her. Around this time, she should be there."
Speaking to himself, Subaru tossed the empty ramen container into a nearby trash can and stood up.
After confirming the direction, he began walking, and sure enough, he soon saw a silver-haired beauty—whom Reinhild had referred to as Lady Emilia—frantically trying to comfort a crying child.
"Need any help, Lady Emilia?"
"Eh? Who are you?"
"I'm just a passing traveler. You can call me Subaru Natsuki. But first, let's take care of this child's problem."
Since it was his second time, Subaru quickly used magic to gain the girl's trust.
"You're really good with this. Subaru, you're not one of those rumored creeps who kidnap kids, are you?"
"Eh? No way, not at all! So Reinhild thinks of me like that in the real world, huh? But taking that out of context would ruin my reputation! I'm what you'd call an unemployed drifter, but I can find this little girl's mother real quick, so don't worry."
"Reinhild? I see... So what was that you just did?"
After enthusiastically making a promise to explain it to Emilia later and confirming there was no such thing as time magic here, Subaru prepared to take the girl to where her mother might be.
However, Emilia followed behind him, clearly still suspicious.
"Thank you both so much."
The mother, now reunited with her daughter, was overjoyed and thanked the two, even though they modestly said it was nothing.
As they were leaving, the girl kept waving at them. Subaru waved back until she was out of sight, then turned to look at Emilia beside him. She seemed genuinely happy watching the mother and child walk away.
"I'm really sorry about earlier. Oh, by the way, Subaru—are you some kind of local expert? Do you know where thieves usually gather?"
"Did something important get stolen from you, Emilia? What does the thief look like?"
"Yeah, it was a very important emblem. The thief was a girl with blonde hair, red eyes, and the divine protection of the wind."
"Sorry, but I can help you look for her."
"You're really strange."
Covering her mouth with her hand, the girl tilted her head, giving him a look like she was observing some rare animal.
Her finger stayed pressed against her lips as she stared at Subaru, as if sizing him up.
"Just so you know, I can't give you any reward. I don't have a single coin on me."
"Don't worry. I'm a penniless bum too. And I don't need a reward. Ever since Reinhild helped me, I made it my goal to do one good deed a day."
"Then helping that little girl just now counts as your good deed for the day, right?"
"That logic is too flawless, so I reject it! No, think about it. That was something we did together, so it only counts as half a good deed, right? Besides, you can do multiple good deeds in a day, right? I want to finish this week's quota ahead of time!"
He was already far off from the original meaning of "a good deed a day," but Subaru still forced out a justification.
Emilia looked at him with a face of disbelief.
"Subaru, you... your personality is really such a disadvantage."
"Forget everyone else, you're the one person I don't want to hear that from!"
Subaru couldn't help shouting back. After all, the girl in front of him was such a goody-two-shoes that she would spend time helping a lost child even after having something important stolen.
"I don't sense any ill intent. Just accept his help, okay? The royal capital is huge. It's reckless to search without any clues."
Suddenly, a neutral voice came from within the girl's hair.
A small silver cat jumped out.
"But if he ends up getting dragged into this..."
"I find your stubbornness cute, but if that stubbornness makes you lose sight of your goal, then you're just being foolish. I don't want my daughter to be an idiot."
Though the cat defended Subaru, the girl still looked hesitant.
But then, the cat's expression turned serious and it said in a more earnest tone:
"Also, the sun is setting. After night falls, I won't be able to help you. If you run into thugs, it's better to have more people who can deal with weapons."
"Sounds like you're giving me a dangerous job here! What's that supposed to mean? Based on what you said, are you only available during the daytime?"
Closing the distance a little, Subaru asked the cat a question.
The cat flicked its whiskers with its front paw and replied:
"You could say I can't come out at night. Don't be fooled by my cute appearance—I'm a spirit. Just materializing consumes a huge amount of mana. So after sundown, I return to my lodging crystal to store energy for when the sun is out. Ideally, I can appear from 9 AM to 5 PM."
"A 9-to-5 work schedule? That's basically like a government job... Spirits have stricter employment rules than I expected. Wait, I thought only great spirits could talk like this with people. Are you a great spirit of this country!?"
"I'm a great spirit, yes, but not this country's great spirit."
"Ohh, the classic 'Four Heavenly Kings but there's actually five' setup!"
"I don't know what you mean by 'Four Heavenly Kings,' but there are way more than five great spirits. My little sister is one too."
Being able to casually talk about spirits was all thanks to Subaru's modern otaku background, heavily influenced by anime and games.
The country's eccentricity also helped him follow the conversation.
While Subaru and the cat chatted naturally, the girl beside them still seemed troubled.
But their exchange seemed to shift the balance in her heart, making her occasionally mutter things like "ahhh," "no no no," and "but…"
"I really can't give you any reward, okay?"
In the end, she said this—and accepted Subaru's offer.