Ten minutes later, back in the real world.
"Had your fun? Was it fun!?"
Satou Kazuma stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Aqua, who was kneeling on the ground.
A giant lump was swelling on her head—a masterpiece courtesy of Kazuma.
"I... I was just doing it to... to figure out what's going on with this world and Subaru!"
Aqua tried to explain, but she was nervously poking her fingers together, her gaze fixed on the ground, her voice trailing off guiltily.
Kazuma sighed. Can this person really be called a goddess?
But he quickly stroked his chin. What just happened had given him a lot of important information.
Kazuma was now certain that the time rewinds were caused by Natsuki Subaru's "Return by Death" ability.
Although they were both transmigrators, Kazuma and Subaru seemed to be from different "transmigration systems." Subaru didn't have a goddess, but he had a BUG-like ability like Return by Death.
'That ability is amazing! You can just restart no matter what danger you run into! It's basically a game's save point! It seems way more useful than Aqua's resurrection!'
Kazuma thought, feeling a little envious.
If they ran into an unbeatable enemy, Subaru could just try again.
But Kazuma himself might just get stuck in a death loop.
Resurrect, get killed. Resurrect, get killed again.
Just thinking about that possibility sent a chill down his spine.
As for the other thing, it seemed Subaru couldn't tell anyone about his ability...
...or they would have their heart crushed by some unknown force, just like he did.
But, but!
Why isn't Aqua affected!?
Is it just because she's a goddess? Is her physiology different from a normal person's?
That's not fair! Not fair!
"It's getting late, I'm so hungry! Kazuma, what are we doing next!?"
Aqua looked up, begging.
Kazuma sighed and looked at Subaru. "Subaru, what are your plans?"
"Me? My plans?"
Subaru was still reeling from the shock of what just happened. "I'm planning to go back to Felt's place and give... no, that's not her name... give the stolen insignia back to her."
Subaru had also told Kazuma and Aqua what happened, and it was from them that he learned "Satella" was the name of the Witch of Envy.
"But... but why would she give me a fake name?" Subaru asked, confused.
"Isn't it obvious!? She hates you! People only use fake names when they meet someone they don't like!"
"Gah..."
Aqua's words pierced Subaru's heart like a blade. He collapsed to the ground, as if he'd taken a critical hit.
Aqua seized the opportunity to snatch the plastic bag from Subaru's hand, opened the corn-puffs that had been transported with him, and began stuffing her face. She then turned to Kazuma.
"Kazuma, I told you my real name! How about that!"
"You're the first person I've ever seen brag about that."
Kazuma looked at Aqua with disdain. He walked over to Subaru, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Don't listen to Aqua, she's... intellectually challenged. That girl probably used a fake name to hide her identity for a reason. Maybe she has a really high status or something."
In Kazuma's eyes, Subaru, as a fellow transmigrator, felt like a kindred spirit.
"That makes sense. That beautiful girl did have a very noble aura... and that insignia is special too!"
"That thing is probably worth a lot! We should demand a huge reward from her!"
A meaningful smile spread across Kazuma's face.
"A reward? I don't need one! That girl helped me, so I have to return the insignia to her!"
"Wait, wait. You're not getting anything out of it? You're just giving it back?"
"Yeah!"
Looking at Subaru's determined expression, Kazuma pursed his lips.
This guy... is he a hopeless romantic!?
Doing all this for a girl he's only met once or twice?
That's terrifying!
But Kazuma remembered that Subaru, like him, used to be a gaming shut-in. A tiny spark of resonance lit in his heart. He composed himself and patted Subaru's shoulder again.
"If we find the insignia ahead of time, should we just give it back to that girl?"
"No, we can't!"
Subaru immediately shook his head.
"We still have to go find Felt! We have to warn them they're in danger! If Elsa goes there... it'll be terrible!"
Even though he'd only met them twice, Subaru felt he couldn't just abandon Felt and Old Man Rom.
Even if he got the insignia first, Elsa would still go to the hideout to silence them.
Because... in the very first loop, Subaru had clearly seen Elsa's bloody massacre at their hideout.
"Hsss..."
Kazuma didn't know what to say.
To be honest, he really didn't want to get involved in that mess again.
Even if Aqua could keep reviving him, the feeling of dying wasn't pleasant—although seeing the goddess Eris was a small comfort.
Elsa was not someone they could handle right now.
...Unless he and Aqua could learn more skills.
Kazuma pulled out his Adventurer Card. After the previous loops, he had earned another skill point.
[Available Skill: Sense Enemy. (Thief-type). Allows user to sense the number of enemies and distinguish between humans and monsters.]
"Because I've just been stealing, the new unlocked skills are also Thief-type..."
Kazuma muttered to himself. He had no other choice, so he learned 'Sense Enemy.'
"Let's give it a try."
The moment Kazuma used the skill, an intense wave of hostility flooded his mind.
"You bastard! You dare try to steal from me!?"
-------
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