Chapter 49 49: Subaru Is Just a Big Idiot Kashira!

Natsuki Subaru sprinted back to the manor, gasping for breath.

Only after he'd made it to the second-floor corridor and completely lost sight of Emilia did he finally let out a long exhale, slowing his pace to something resembling a dignified walk.

"Ah, damn — I actually had something I needed to tell Emilia-tan, and then I just bolted on her."

Subaru rubbed his chin, groaning internally.

It was actually the same thing he'd meant to bring up back at dinner — when he'd suggested they meet in the courtyard that evening. He'd wanted to ask Emilia-tan on a proper date: a walk through the village together, just the two of them, tomorrow.

This wasn't some spur-of-the-moment idea. And it wasn't about pacifying her, either.

It came from something real — a genuine wish, a genuine impulse from somewhere deep inside him.

In that future he carried in his memory —

On the fifth night after first arriving at the manor, he had made plans with Emilia to visit the village together the very next day. A real date. They were going to see the flower fields, wander through the village, play with the kids and the dogs…

He'd even gone ahead to scout the village a day early, using a supply run as his cover, just to make sure the date went off without a hitch.

And then, that same night, everything fell apart.

Meili's magical beast — the one disguised as a small dog, the creature called "Guiltilaw" — had bitten him and planted a curse inside his body.

That night, the curse activated. He died. Return by Death. The first loop at the manor had begun.

Even so, he hadn't given up.

In the second loop, while Emilia was supervising his reading lessons, he had asked her again — another invitation to go on that date the next day.

And then, that night, the curse struck again. This time Rem was the one who killed him, because from where she stood at the time, he was nothing but a suspicious outsider reeking of the Witch's miasma — practically a cultist.

Two promises made. Two times he hadn't survived to see the next morning.

So for Natsuki Subaru, that promise — a date with Emilia — carried a weight no one else could understand.

[A Tomorrow That Could Never Be Reached]

But this time was different. This time, he had a real chance.

Which meant he was going to see that promise through to the end, no matter what.

And of course, today of all days had to get this awkward, and now he'd completely forgotten to set a time with Emilia-tan for tonight.

Well… he'd find another chance to bring it up later.

Subaru let out a long sigh, steadied himself, and turned to head back to his room.

A few stray beams of evening light slanted through the windows lining the corridor, stretching his shadow long across the carpet.

He rounded the corner — and nearly jumped out of his skin.

A petite figure had appeared right in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

It was Betty — dressed in her usual elaborate frilled dress, twin drills of hair coiled at either side of her head, small arms crossed over her chest, leaning against the corridor window with an expression of supreme indifference.

"Oh, it's just Betty."

Once he'd confirmed who it was, Subaru pressed a hand to his chest and let out a relieved breath.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in your room?"

As he said it, Subaru leaned in instinctively and peered at her face up close.

"Yep, still making that grumpy face! Who upset you this time? Tell me and I'll go deal with them personally!"

Subaru pumped a righteous fist.

Betty, however, was completely unmoved. She simply fixed him with a cold, flat stare.

That silence seemed to carry an answer of its own.

It took Subaru a moment, but understanding slowly crept in.

Right… it wasn't like there were any strangers in the manor. If Betty was upset, it couldn't be Rem or Ram who'd caused it, could it?

Wait.

Wasn't he the only outsider here?

Subaru instantly felt the ground drop out from under him and had one single thought: escape.

He still vividly remembered his very first meeting with Betty — how his careless, overly familiar attitude had gotten his mana completely drained right out of him. He had absolutely zero desire to repeat that particular experience.

"Uh, wow, would you look at the time."

"I'm just gonna head back to my room!"

Subaru threw out the words and dropped into a runner's starting stance.

But after several running steps, something felt wrong.

He'd been going for a while now. Why had he barely moved at all?

He turned his head, slowly, one degree at a time.

And discovered —

Betty, who a moment ago had been staring right through him with perfect disinterest, was now bent forward, both small hands gripping his clothes with all her might, refusing to let go.

In that moment, she looked unbearably, impossibly cute — like she couldn't bear to see him leave, like she was pouring every ounce of herself into making him stay.

Even her normally cool, round little face was all scrunched up from the effort, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Betty? What's going on, all of a sudden?"

Subaru spun around immediately and crouched down, bringing himself to eye level with Betty, who had noticed him stop and was slowly opening her eyes again.

"It's all Subaru's fault! All Subaru's fault!"

The moment she saw the concern and worry plain on Subaru's face, Betty cracked — and shouted.

"Why do you just leave?! Stay and explain more to me! Keep talking!"

Betty's expression darkened, heavy with disappointment.

"Betty waited all morning for Subaru to come to the Forbidden Archive and find me, I suppose."

"But Subaru never came. So Betty waited in the corridor instead. For a long time."

She turned her head slightly to the side, trying to hide how hurt she was.

"Betty is used to waiting… only… only why won't you even give Betty a little more explanation? Is that so much to ask, I suppose?"

Natsuki Subaru froze completely.

He genuinely hadn't expected this.

That prickly, tsundere little loli — Betty — was being this openly, straightforwardly honest about how she felt.

It was only now that he truly noticed: she had been leaning against this particular window in the corridor the whole time.

Which meant… when she said she'd been waiting… had she been standing right here this entire time?

Filled with a dawning suspicion, Subaru looked past Betty, following the window she'd been leaning against, and peered down toward the courtyard below.

He wasn't sure why she'd chosen this exact spot. Was there something special about it?

And then he saw it —

The window looked directly out over the large lawn and garden pavilion in the courtyard below.

The exact same lawn where he and Emilia had spent the entire morning.

He could even see Emilia down there now, bustling about and tidying up.

Subaru's mouth fell open in slow, silent shock. So that meant…

Betty had been standing right here, watching him mess around and chat with Emilia and Puck all morning long.

Oh — and he'd also slept through half the afternoon. Had Betty been standing here watching him that whole time too?

"Mmmm~↗↘↗"

Subaru pressed his fist to his mouth, grinning from ear to ear, barely managing to contain the overwhelming urge swelling up inside him.

If anyone else had done this, he would've found it nothing short of terrifying.

But this was Betty.

He had every reason to guess that her tsundere, contrary nature had simply made her too embarrassed to come down and join them.

This was — this was way too adorable.

Subaru finally couldn't hold himself back anymore. He stepped forward, placed both hands around Betty's waist, and lifted her clean into the air.

"Betty, saikou!"

"Ih-ih↗ — yah↘"

Finding her field of vision suddenly soaring upward, completely unprepared as Subaru hoisted her off the ground, Betty let out a deeply undignified sound on reflex.

"Wha — what do you think you're doing all of a sudden?!"

Subaru was grinning ear to ear as he spun around in a slow circle, holding Betty aloft.

"You're so cute, Beako! Loli saikou!"

Betty's twin drill curls streamed behind her in the spin.

Her face was already burning crimson from sheer embarrassment — but the moment she heard Subaru say "Beako," something in her eyes flickered to life.

Then, just as quickly, she realized it had been nothing but a throwaway remark — that Subaru hadn't reacted to it at all, hadn't noticed a thing.

In a burst of shame and indignation, Betty began flailing her tiny fists, pounding at nothing but open air.

"Subaru is an idiot! An idiot! A great big moron — I suppose——"

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