The excitement and ambition he'd felt right after being summoned to another world.
And now this crushing gloom.
Natsuki Subaru honestly didn't know how to describe the whirlwind of events that had happened in just a few short hours.
He'd gone from being a side character, to witnessing actual superpowers, failed to learn the name of the girl who'd stolen his heart, and somehow ended up saddled with an enormous debt.
If this wasn't darkness, then what was?
"Relax."
"If you want to become a hero and defeat the Demon King, how could you not run into a few setbacks?"
"Those hardships are what make you stronger, sharpen your resolve, and help you grow..."
Satoru Gojo had an arm slung over Subaru's shoulders, his expression as lazy and carefree as ever. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest by the so-called debt. Instead, he kept enthusiastically pouring out one bowl of motivational nonsense after another.
"So what you're saying is, the debt grows bigger and bigger with interest until I can never pay it off in my lifetime?"
Subaru shot Gojo a sideways look. From that angle, his sharp, triangular eyes looked especially cutting.
"Hey! What are you two whispering about back there?!"
"Pick up the pace already!"
Felt's voice rang out from ahead. The petite girl had her hands on her hips, glaring at them with a fierce look on her face.
"Yes, yes, we got it."
Gojo didn't seem bothered at all by Felt's harsh words. He casually swept a hand across his forehead in a mock salute.
After settling the matter of the debt, their destination was now clear.
They were heading toward the outermost edge of the royal capital.
Put simply, the slums.
The capital of Lugunica was laid out like a series of concentric circles. From the center outward, it went: royal palace, noble district, commercial district, residential district, and finally, the slums.
As for why they were going there, the reason was obvious.
Felt lived there.
Because of the debt, Felt wasn't about to let the two of them leave her sight for even a moment.
If they ran off, where was she supposed to find them?
The capital was enormous, and it was packed with people.
There was no way she could just sit around and hope fate would bring them together again.
So Felt insisted they follow her back.
That way, she wouldn't lose track of them.
Under Felt's lead, the three of them walked for a long time.
After about half an hour, they finally arrived at the slums where she lived.
At first, stepping into the slums didn't feel all that different. The surroundings weren't much worse than the neighboring residential district.
But the deeper they went, the harsher the environment became.
Low, crumbling shacks leaned against each other at awkward angles, packed together tightly. The ground beneath their feet was slick with mud.
In the lower areas, pitch-black sewage pooled and gave off a rotten stench.
In many places, human waste lay openly exposed.
For Gojo and Subaru, both of whom had come straight from a modern environment, this was truly their first time seeing anything like it.
There was no need to even mention Gojo. Given the standing of the Gojo family, he'd never had to worry about money in his life. He was practically the definition of a pampered noble.
Subaru's family was ordinary, but even so, modern living conditions were nothing like this.
"This place is really rough," Subaru said quietly, watching shadows flit between the broken houses.
"Sorry to anyone who has to live somewhere like this."
"But you'll be living here soon too."
Felt glanced back at them, her tone sharp.
Even though she'd minimized her losses as much as she could, that didn't mean her anger had vanished.
"I didn't mean it like that," Subaru hurriedly explained. "It's just my first time seeing a place like this."
"First time?"
Felt slowed to a stop and narrowed her eyes at the two of them.
"I thought something was off earlier. The way you dress and carry yourselves, neither of you looks like someone from the slums or even the residential district."
"You look more like pampered nobles."
"Not a trace of hard labor on you."
"You didn't run away from home or something, did you?"
"If I sent you back, maybe I'd get a hefty reward..."
"I knew it. My noble aura is impossible to hide."
Gojo brushed his hair back, clearly pleased with himself.
"If possible, please help us find this so-called home," Subaru added, rubbing his stomach. "At least somewhere with food and shelter."
He was already regretting not eating a few more cakes back at the pastry shop.
He was hungry now...
He was a teenage boy in the middle of growing up, with a naturally high metabolism.
On top of that, they'd been moving around nonstop. He was desperate for something to eat.
Sure, he still had a cup of instant noodles and a bag of snacks in his plastic bag.
But snacks didn't fill you up, and instant noodles needed hot water.
Felt studied the two of them carefully. One of them had a stomach audibly growling, while the other was still lost in self-admiration.
Neither of them looked like they were lying.
Felt clicked her tongue. Looks like that idea was a dead end too.
She led them weaving through the slums, turning again and again until they entered a narrow alley carpeted with moss.
After a long walk, the view finally opened up.
A murky drainage canal appeared in front of them.
A rickety wooden bridge spanned the water.
And on the other side of the bridge stood their destination.
A rundown warehouse patched together with sheets of metal.
Bathed in the light of the setting sun, even the decaying slums took on a strange, broken beauty.
"Come with me."
Felt headed straight for the warehouse. She knocked lightly on the door and waited.
Before long, heavy footsteps echoed from inside.
Judging by the sound alone, whoever was approaching was far larger than one might expect.
A deep voice rumbled from within.
Felt answered calmly.
After the exchange of code words, the door creaked open.
Inside the dim warehouse, the first thing that caught their eyes wasn't the interior, but an enormous figure.
The silhouette nearly filled the doorway, massive like a rusted iron statue.
A strange crimson tattoo marked his bald head, and two long white eyebrows hung down along his cheeks.
He wore nothing but a sleeveless open-front vest, as if someone had simply cut holes into a piece of cloth and thrown it over him.
"S-so big..."
Subaru tilted his head back, staring up at the giant of an old man, unable to stop himself from exclaiming.