The Vendor looked concerned.
Vendor: [Hey, are you alright?]
Subaru sank to a crouching position and took a deep breath, and then got back up.
Subaru: [Sorry about that. Natsuki Subaru is now back on track.]
The vendor looked perplexed as Subaru accepted the appas from him and walked away.
Subaru: (What was that just now? A dream? While I was standing up? No way. Not even I'm lazy enough to fall asleep while I'm standing up. Then was it a premonition?)
Subaru considered it.
Subaru: (Could it be I was given the ability to tell the future? But how?)
There was a part of her reasoning that didn't sit right with her, but she decided to delude herself into believing this because the alternative... was not something she wanted to accept. She sat down nearby.
Subaru: (With a power like this... I could probably make ots of money. Not to mention, I've got ideas from the modern world I can bring to this world. I should just forget about everything and live lavishly. But...)
Subaru remembered what happened to Luna.
Subaru: (He died because... I was stupid... I didn't scream or anything to warn him... and he got caught off guard... I just can't leave this alone!)
Subaru rushed through the city.
Subaru: (Where did I meet him? That alley!)
Subaru rushed there.
Subaru: (Wait, no. Isn't it better to just go to find Felt and stop the insignia from being stolen?)
She was about to turn around when the three same thugs blocked her route.
Subaru: [Not you three again.]
Suabru: (But now I know how to deal with them now.)
Small Thug: [Again? What the heck are ya talkin' about?]
Thin Thug: [You're real pretty. Give your stuff and you can stay that way.]
Subaru: [That's no way to talk to a girl!]
Subaru took out his mace, spraying it in both the Thin Thug's and the Big Thug's eyes.
They fell to the floor, screaming in pain as the Small Thug looked stunned.
Small Thug: [What the hell did you do to...]
Subaru kicked him, sending him flying.
Subaru: [I don't have time for any of you!]
Subaru rushed out of the alley, running into the crowd as he saw Luna walking, and she called out to him.
Subaru: [Luna!]
The crowd went silent as Luna's face showed pain and rage.
Subaru: (Wait, I'm not supposed to know his name yet... but why is he so angry?)
Luna: [How dare you call me by the name of the『Jealous Warlock』!]
Member Of Crowd: [That's right, girly. That's taking it too far.]
Subaru: (What? But he...)
"Luna": [I don't have time for this.]
"Luna": (I have to find them soon.)
Luna turned to leave when suddenly Felt rushed through the crowd, taking advantage of Subaru's outburst as she stole "Luna's" Insignia.
"Luna": [What the... did you... Did you plan this out with her?]
Subaru: [Hh? No way. I was trying to warn you, but...]
"Luna": [By referring to me as the『Jealous Warlock』?!]
Luna turned away, running in the direction Felt had gone as Subaru felt dread.
Subaru: (This is bad. This is really bad. Everything is getting ruined.)
Subaru then rushed towards the slums. Towards the loothouse.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Subaru arrived at the loothouse, but she hesitated to open the door.
Subaru: (What if she's lying in wait for that Old Man Rom or Felt to return? That killer...)
Subaru gulped.
Subaru: (Then if that's the case, if I'm not the person she's targeting, announcing my presence should be better than catching her off guard and spooking her.)
She remembered how, in the "premonition" she had bled out on the floor.
Subaru: (That wouldn't end well.)
Subaru banged on the door.
Subaru: [Is anyone there? Hello!!! Anyone there?]
The door opened as a huge old man stuck his head out to see what the fuss was about.
Rom: [Shut yer trap! You tryin' to bust down my door when you don't even know the signal or password?]
Subaru: [Please, I need to talk to you.]
Subaru had a desperate expression on her face.
Rom: [Um, sure. Come in.]
They sat down at the bar.
Rom: [So what's got your panties in a bunch?]
Subaru blushed in indignation.
Subaru: [My what?]
Rom: [What's up with ya bangin' on my oor like ya wanted ta break it down?]
Subaru: [You see... I think I have some kind of ability to see the future.]
Rom: [You crazy?]
Subaru: [I saw you dead in this very Loothouse.]
Rom: [You ain't kiddin'/ That look in yer eye's serious about it.]
Subaru: [Yes.]
Rom: [The hell coulda killed me though?]
Subaru: [It was a woman.]
Rom: [That's all ya got?]
Subaru: [Yeah, sorry.]
Rom: [This is all a bit too unbelievable, ya know?]
Subaru: [I know.]
Rom: [Then how bout this. Name the『Divine Protection』or ability yer usin' to see da future.]
Subaru: [What? I've only had one premonition. How would I...?]
Rom: [Then sorry, kid. I can't believe yer story. Still, I'll keep ma guard up just in case. Now scram.]
Subaru: [Please return the insignia that Felt stole. It belongs to someone who helped me out.]
Rom: [Fer one, I don't got it, so Felt probably hasn't come back with it yet. And I can't just return loot. Ya gotta buy it.]
Subaru put down her bags.
Subaru: [How much for these?]
Rom inspected the items.
Rom: [This ain't even worth a single Holy Coin. An insingia would cost at least 10 Holy Coins.]
Subaru took out her phone.
Subaru: (Sorry, old friend. This is goodbye.)
Rom: [What's that there?]
Subaru: [This here is a magical device that can capture a moment frozen in time.]
Rom: [Never seen one of those before.]
Subaru opened his flip phone and took a picture of Rom as he covered his eyes.
Rom: [You brat! Are ya tryin' ta kill me?! Don't go making light of an old man with dodgy tricks like that!]
Subaru: [Please wait.]
She showed him the picture.
Rom: [That's my face... what kinda magic is this?]
Subaru: [I told you. It's a magical device that can capture a moment frozen in time. With it, you can capture moments in time and store them in this device. You can also check the time using it and take notes.]
Subaru explained the functions, showing them to Rom.
Rom: [Never seen the like. Is that one of the "metia" I've been hearing about lately?]
Subaru: [Metia?]
Rom: [It's the name for a device that let people whose gates aren't open to use magic like real magic users. There's no doubt it'd fetch more than any insignia.]
Subaru pumped her fist.
Subaru: [Alright!]
Rom: [Now hold on. Yer gonna have ta wait for Felt before anythin' is final.]
Subaru calmed down.
Subaru: [You're right. You don't have it yet.]
Subaru: (After I return it to him, I'll have to apologise to him as well and ask him for his real name.)
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Subaru was waiting outside the loothouse when Felt walked up.
Felt: [Oh, it's you. You're the one who distracted that knight. Thanks for the help back there.]
Subaru: [I wasn't trying to help you!]
Felt laughed a little.
Felt: [Well, what are you doin' here?]
Subaru: [I came looking for you.]
Felt: [Why?]
Subaru: [I wanted to buy that Insignia back.]
Felt: [Eh? Well alright. Come inside and we'll talk about it.]
Subaru nodded as Felt walked up to the door and knocked.
Rom: [For a rat...]
Felt: [Poison.]
Rom: [For a White Whale...]
Felt: [A harpoon.]
Rom: [To the noble dragon lord, we are...]
Felt: [Shitbags.]
Rom opened the door.
Felt: [Sorry to keep you waiting, Old Man Rom. My target was a knight, so I couldn't take any chances, and it took a while to lose him, too.]
She walked inside as Subaru followed behind her, and they all sat down at the bar. Rom set down a cup of milk for Felt as she drank the milk.
Felt: [Hey, Old Man Rom, did you water down this milk? It's nasty.]
Rom: [Hey, I give you something outta the goodness of my heart, and ya call it gross?]
Rom patted her head, ruffling her hair.
Subaru: [You two are so close. It's really adorable, but can we please get to business?]
Felt: [Huh? I ain't adorable!]
Felt looked pissed but calmed down after a second.
Felt: [And yeah, sure. Let's get to business.]
Rom: [Can I see the insignia, Felt?]
Felt took it out, showing it to Rom.
Rom: [Yep, the kid's metia's worth more than this thing.]
Felt: [Really? How much more?]
Rom: [Well, this is worth 25 holy coins or maybe more.]
Felt: [25?!!]
Subaru: [Then we have a deal?]
Subaru reached for the insignia when Felt grabbed it, stashing it in her coat.
Felt: [Hold it. I was asked to nab it. I can't just hand it over without giving the other party a chance to buy it.]
Subaru: [Are you meeting them soon?]
Felt: [Yeah, right here. After all, if someone little like me tried to negotiate, then they might just steal it off me. Old Man Rom here is here to stop that from happening.]
There were knocks on the door in a pattern.
Rom: [Do they know the password?]
Felt: [Oh, I didn't mention it. That's probably for me. I'll go check.]
She left the bar to go to the door as Rom went to get a club.
Felt: [I was right. It was for me.]
A lady in a black revealing dress walked in.
Felt: [Over here. Care to sit down?]
???: [There seems to be several outsiders here.]
Felt: [Well, I'd be in trouble if you just took the Insignia and ran without paying. We weaklings have our own brand of smarts.]
??? walked forward.
???: [I know this older fellow, but who's the girl?]
Felt: [This girl's your rival. They're the other person negotiating with me.]
??? took a look at Subaru. For some reason, it unsettled Subaru. She offered her hand.
???: [My name is Elsa.]
Subaru involuntarily shivered at her voice for a second.
Subaru: [Subaru.]
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Elsa drank some milk.
Elsa: [I see. I understand the situation now.]
Felt: [So that means you two will be bidding against each other. I don't really care who gets the insignia, so I'll sell it to the highest bidder.]
Elsa: [I think I like that personality of yours.]
She put up a bag of coins.
Elsa: [20 holy coins.]
Subaru: [This metia. It's rare. It can capture moments in time for viewing at any time. Also, can tell the time, along with allowing you to take notes.]
She put the metia out for all to see as she took a picture of Elsa and showed it to her.
Rom: [I've appraised it to be worth at least 25 Holy Coins.]
Felt: [You don't have any money left over?]
Elsa: [I'm afraid not.]
Felt: [Then I'll have to go with this onee-san.]
Felt gestures to Subaru.
Elsa: [I see. How unfortunate.]
Subaru celebrated as everyone froze.
Subaru: [I mean... um... sorry, but it looks like I won this one.]
The lady shook her head.
Elsa: [It's fine. It's my fault for not bringing enough holy coins. I'll be taking my leave.]
She drank some milk and licked her lips.
Elsa: [By the way, what do you intend to do with that insignia?]
Subaru: [I'm going to find its owner and return it to them.]
Rom and Felt looked shocked. Elsa's face darkened with a smirk.
Elsa: [So you're with them, then.]
Felt tackled Subaru to the floor.
Felt: [Do you want to die?]
Elsa: [Oh, my. You dodged my attack.]
Elsa had attempted to slash Subaru's stomach open.
Subaru: [A knife. Where did you...]
Rom rushed at her, swinging his club as she dodged his attacks that broke through tables.
Elsa: [This is my first battle to the death with a giant!]
Rom: [Quiet, little girl! I'll grind you up and feed you to the rats!]
He swung at her again, missing and breaking the bar table. She kept dodging or blocking his attacks.
Subaru: [This is bad.]
Felt: [Don't worry. There's no way Old Man Rom will lose.]
Rom: [Take this!]
Rom swung his club, but his arm was cleanly severed as blood splattered around the two, and Felt looked shocked.
Felt: [Old Man Rom!!!]
Rom: [Damn it!]
Elsa: [I forgot to say...]
Rom: [I can at least take you with me!]
Rom rushed at her, only for Elsa to use a broken glass cup to stab Rom in the throat.
Elsa: [... Thank you for the milk.]
He fell back, dying in the same spot Subaru had first found his body.
Subaru: (This lady is the killer who killed me and Luna in the premonition! So she was after the Insignia?)
She shivered in fear, her feet stuck to the floor.
Elsa: [I'll return this.]
Elsa set down the broken glass cup stained with its owner's blood.
Felt: [You bitch... How dare you?]
Elsa: [Oh? It seems you have more courage than your friend there. But if you resist, you may very well get hurt.]
Felt: [Like you don't intend to kill me either way, you psychopath!]
Elsa took out her blade, expertly flipping it through the air before gripping it in her hand.
Elsa: [If you move around, my hands might slip. I'm quite rough at handling, you see.]
Felt turned to Subaru.
Felt: [Sorry you got caught up in all this.]
Felt then rushed forward at inhuman speed, slashing at Elsa, who dodged.
Elsa: [How wonderful. I can see you are loved by this world. I envy you.]
Elsa cut her straight down the middle, killing her instantly as Subaru stood there, shocked.
Subaru: (She was only a thief... she didn't deserve to die... and not like this. So cruelly.)
Elsa: [It looks like you've given up now. Ready to die?]
Subaru: (I'm so useless. Even with an OP ability like premonition, I screwed up like this.)
Subaru gritted her teeth.
Subaru: (I need to fight!)
Elsa: [Ah, you finally stood up. It's less fun since you took so long, but still, not bad.]
Subaru pulled out her mace, running forward, but her finger didn't press down on the button. Why? Because her hand had been severed. She screamed in pain as blood began pouring from the wound.
Subaru: [My hand! My hand! My hand! My hand!!!]
Elsa: [Whatever that is, I don't like it.]
Subaru then felt a heat on her stomach and realised it. She'd been opened up. Again. She fell to the floor.
Elsa: [Are you surprised? I opened up your belly when we passed by one another. This is the one thing I excel at.]
Elsa crouched down.
Elsa: [As I thought. Your entrails are as beautiful as the rest of you. That shape and colour. So... lovely.]
Subaru: (It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!)
Elsa: [Does it hurt? Are you suffering? In pain? Sad? Do you want to die?]
Subaru: (Die? Am I dead? Am I still alive? Whaen will I die? When will I die?)
Elsa: [Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly...]
Subaru: (I'm scared... I'm scared... Luna... help me...)
Elsa's smirk seemed to widen with each passing moment.
Elsa: [Yes, you're slowly losing body heat...]
Subaru: (I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!)
Elaa: [You're slowly growing cold...]
Subaru: (Oh... I'm dead.)
Darkness engulfed Natsuki Subaru's vision. And then? That same blur as before.
※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※
Light returned to her eyes as she saw the Appa Vendor in front of her.
Vendor: [What's wrong, kid? Take your free bag of Appas.]
The Vendor stopped.
Vendor: [Huh? You look like you've just seen a ghost. You okay?]
Subaru: [It wasn't a... premonition...]
Natsuki Subaru fell to her side unconscious. The Vendor rushed out of his seat in a panic.
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Part:
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