Chapter 48 48: The Dent Pushed Out by the Fist

Emilia gently stroked Natsuki Subaru's black hair.

Her touch was careful and tender, as if she were handling something precious and fragile.

Natsuki Subaru stretched lazily, trading jokes with Emilia and Puck, while somewhere in the back of his mind a quiet wave of wonder washed over him.

Days this easy, this blissfully carefree — the version of himself from the future he remembered probably couldn't have even let himself dream of something like this.

Back then, he'd had to scramble and claw just to earn Ram and Rem's trust at the manor, fighting for every scrap of work he could get his hands on as a servant. Not a single idle moment from morning to night — nothing like this.

Now he was a guest, lounging around the manor eating and drinking as he pleased.

That grueling, work-yourself-to-death servant life had bid him a very fond farewell.

And as for Rem — who, at this point in the timeline, had been the most dangerous wildcard, the one he'd worried about most — her affection for him had already reached its absolute peak.

In another timeline entirely, the two of them had even been husband and wife.

Rem was going to be a threat to him? Hardly.

"Ha——"

Lost in his wandering thoughts, Natsuki Subaru couldn't hold back a yawn. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, drooping with drowsiness.

He was almost completely lulled to sleep by the warmth of Emilia's presence and the faint, rhythmic rumble of Puck's purring.

The sun was warm and golden.

The fresh scent of the grass mingled with the faint, pleasant fragrance that drifted from Emilia — together they wove an atmosphere of almost unbearable peace and comfort.

The tension he'd been carrying, wound tight for so long, slowly unraveled in the face of that perfect ease.

The heavy anxieties — about the anomalies, about the future — dissolved like morning mist burning off in sunlight, drifting far away until they were blurry and indistinct.

"This is… really nice…"

Half-dreaming, half-awake, the thought drifted through Natsuki Subaru's mind like a feather caught on a current.

Emilia's slender fingers moved without thinking, combing softly through the hair at his temple.

It sent a faint, pleasant tingle across his skin — and a deep, wordless sense of satisfaction that settled somewhere he couldn't quite name.

Puck was curled in the curve of his neck, a small, warm weight of fluff pressed snugly against his skin.

No suspicion. No distance. No pile of servant's duties waiting to crush him.

Just pure, simple happiness — so close it felt like he could reach out and hold it.

Wasn't this everything he'd always wanted? Maybe all his worrying had been unnecessary after all?

Maybe Emilia had simply become more open about expressing her dependence and affection than the version he remembered — more honest with herself.

After all, he had no way of knowing what Emilia had lived through in that other possible world.

Why was he so determined to correct this closeness, this warmth that had come to him so unexpectedly?

A string tied to a kite wasn't necessarily a chain or a cage. It could also be… the only thread that kept it from drifting away forever.

"Subaru? Are you asleep?"

Emilia's soft voice reached him as if from somewhere far away, carrying the faintest trace of a fond, indulgent smile.

Natsuki Subaru mumbled something unintelligible, eyelids too heavy to lift.

Almost on instinct, he shifted and nuzzled against Emilia's thigh, drawing from her a low, pleased little laugh.

Puck seemed to adjust his position as well, draping one small, soft paw over Subaru's shoulder and purring contentedly.

Emilia's stroking fingers stilled.

She gazed down at Natsuki Subaru, sleeping with his guard completely down, and leaned close to murmur softly in his ear.

"Good night, Subaru."

Not the most fitting thing to say under a bright morning sun, admittedly.

But Emilia thought of it as a rehearsal — a preview of something yet to come.

One day, she would be lying beside him in his bed at night, nestled close, and whisper those same words to him softly.

But for now — let her collect a little interest in advance.

Emilia leaned down fully, her neckline dipping to reveal a glimpse of her figure — though it was wasted on Natsuki Subaru, who remained sound asleep and oblivious to the sight.

"Mm."

With the pure, earnest sincerity of someone who had never once been kissed, Emilia pressed a soft kiss to Natsuki Subaru's forehead, leaving the faintest trace behind.

Of course, what she really wanted was to kiss him on the lips.

But she remembered what Puck had told her — that kissing someone on the lips was how babies were made.

She absolutely could not do something that important while Subaru was sleeping.

At the very least, it would have to be when they were both awake —

Slowly drawing closer while their feelings for each other blossomed between them, until that love crystallized into something real…

Emilia's cheeks flushed a deep rose red. She covered her face with both hands in flustered innocence — though it did nothing to hide her ears, which had gone just as red.

...

...

It was quite a while before Natsuki Subaru's consciousness finally drifted back up from the depths of sleep.

He yawned first, then opened his eyes.

The first thing that greeted him was a sky painted in shades of orange and red.

The sun was sinking heavily in the west, smearing the horizon into a magnificent blaze of cloud and fire.

The last light of evening spilled freely over everything, gilding the lawn and all that rested on it in a warm, shimmering gold.

Natsuki Subaru blinked, his dry eyes adjusting slowly as his blurry vision sharpened into focus.

A warm breeze carrying the particular coolness that comes with evening swept past, chasing away the last threads of sleep.

He instinctively stretched his limbs, which had gone a little numb.

But the moment his left hand lifted even slightly, his fingers brushed against something soft and yielding.

Natsuki Subaru's entire body went rigid as the realization hit — he was still lying on Emilia's lap.

He froze completely, left fist hovering in mid-air, caught between moving and not moving, utterly at a loss.

Then, from somewhere above him, he heard Emilia's soft, quiet laugh.

And then the sliver of sky he could still see was blocked out as Emilia leaned down toward him.

At the same moment, her movement caused his still-raised left fist to sink deeply into something impossibly soft, pressing a clear, unmistakable depression into it.

Natsuki Subaru's expression went blank for a moment.

Then he shot upright off Emilia's lap in a blind panic — the movement so violent he nearly sent himself tumbling.

He gasped for breath, chest heaving, cheeks and ears scorching hot in an instant.

"I — I'm sorry! Emilia-tan!"

"That was a complete accident, I swear!"

Natsuki Subaru stumbled through his apology.

The lingering softness against his fingertips and the image of that slight depression refused to leave his mind — burned there, vivid and inescapable.

Emilia rose slowly from her kneeling position, a warm, indulgent smile spreading across her face.

"It wasn't really an accident, though."

Then she lightly tapped her own lips with one finger, the gesture laden with implication.

"Mm… think of it as returning the favor."

"If it's Subaru, you're welcome to enjoy a little more of that next time, you know."

"I — I'm fine, thanks — maybe another time!"

Natsuki Subaru was no match for an Emilia who was this brazenly, openly bold about her feelings for him.

He grabbed the first excuse he could think of, ducked to the side, and made a beeline for the edge of the lawn at a brisk walk.

"Right — thank you for the hospitality, Emilia, in every possible sense of the word."

"But I just remembered I left my gym clothes out on the line and haven't brought them in yet — gotta go!"

Natsuki Subaru's steps were unsteady, his retreating figure radiating the unmistakable energy of a man desperately wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

Left behind, Emilia watched his flustered silhouette with a gentle smile, her fingertips absently smoothing the creases in her skirt.

"Honestly…"

She murmured to herself, eyes following the figure who had nearly tripped over a tuft of grass at his feet — but stubbornly caught himself and kept charging forward with his head down.

The curve of her lips deepened just a little, and she raised one hand to softly cradle her cheek.

"Still… a flustered, fleeing Subaru is awfully cute too."

____

👻🔥P- Walnut-chan🔥👻

🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats

Help us hit our targets:

🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all