Chapter 50 50: Choose me, Subaru!

"Huh? That's weird?"

Slowly, Natsuki Subaru — who'd been grinning from ear to ear and having the time of his life — began to wind down the spinning motion, Betty still held aloft in his arms.

Something was off. Ten out of ten — no, nine out of ten kinds of off.

A look of suspicion crept across Natsuki Subaru's face as he stared at Betty, utterly baffled by the sight of her throwing little punches at the air, pouting and sulking like a child throwing a tantrum.

Was this really the same Betty from his memories — the one who was coldly indifferent to everyone (but especially to him), who would silently drain a person's mana without a word of warning, or cheerfully blast them off a balcony with impact magic onto the lawn below?

Wait —!

Natsuki Subaru's eyes went wide as something suddenly clicked, his brain kicking into gear.

Could it be — had Betty also been reborn from some possible world, just like Rem and Emilia?

His expression went serious in an instant. He brought all movement to a halt and pulled Betty — still held in his arms — close, bringing her right up to his face.

Having been so abruptly stopped mid-spin, Betty wriggled her waist, and found, somewhat oddly, that she wasn't entirely comfortable with the sudden stillness.

"Wh — what do you think you're doing!"

"How dare you tease Betty like that — you'd better watch yourself, I suppose!"

But a moment later Betty caught herself and bared her teeth at Natsuki Subaru in a show of indignation.

"'Watch myself' — now why does that sound so familiar..."

Natsuki Subaru murmured under his breath, slowly bringing his face closer to Betty's.

Until the two of them were face to face, eye to eye.

Betty blinked. She didn't pull back from his approach at all — she simply looked puzzled as to why he was doing it.

"..."

Natsuki Subaru opened his eyes wide and stared straight into Betty's, as though he was trying to read something written in their depths.

"Mm..."

At first, Betty's gaze held only confusion.

But as the staring contest stretched on for a few more seconds, her mind went strangely, inexplicably blank — absorbed into Natsuki Subaru's orbit.

And then, before she knew it, she was staring back at him just as blankly, wide-eyed and unblinking.

The two of them held that gaze for quite a while, neither one willing to look away first.

"Come to think of it... that feeling of familiarity... don't tell me you're..."

It was Natsuki Subaru who finally broke the standoff.

He seemed to have stumbled onto something — his mouth fell open a little more with each word, his expression shifting into one of genuine shock.

"Don't tell me you're... my Beako?"

With that, Natsuki Subaru shut his eyes. Never in his life had he felt more certain of anything. A confident smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

And without even giving Betty a chance to react, he raised his left hand and held it up between them like a barrier.

"Hmhmhm... stop!"

His other hand came up to press dramatically against his own forehead, striking the pose of someone overflowing with smug, theatrical self-assurance.

"My Beako — I could never, ever mistake you for anyone else. So —!"

Natsuki Subaru snapped his fingers and turned to look at Betty over his shoulder in what he firmly believed was an incredibly cool, rakish glance.

"Should I say 'long time no see,' or 'nice to meet you'? ...Beako?"

Betty's pupils contracted sharply. Her whole body gave a sudden, violent shudder — as if his words had struck a secret buried at the very center of her heart.

Her lips trembled. Her voice came out barely above a whisper:

"...Stupid — stupid Subaru! You're the only one who would ever call Betty something so embarrassing!"

Tears welled up in Betty's eyes all at once. She turned her face away so Natsuki Subaru couldn't see — but the quiet sob that escaped her gave her away entirely.

Natsuki Subaru froze. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted, and a warmth long overdue broke through in his eyes.

He leaned in close to Betty's small face and spoke with a gentle smile.

"What's wrong, Beako — are those real tears?"

"Wasn't this supposed to be an emotional, fated reunion kind of moment?"

Betty sniffled and began hammering at Natsuki Subaru's shoulder with her small pink fists.

"Why... why did it take you so long to recognize me."

"I gave Subaru so many hints this morning, and Subaru just kept paying attention to everyone else!"

Natsuki Subaru bent down and gently wiped the tears from the corners of Betty's eyes, his voice softening.

"I'm sorry... Beako. It took me way too long to figure it out."

In that moment, Natsuki Subaru's heart was brimming with something that felt remarkably like joy.

Because the girl standing before him right now —

There was absolutely no doubt about it. This was the Betty from his future memories — the one he had forged a companion contract with only after enduring untold hardship and struggle.

[Choose me, Beatrice!]

That day, in the crumbling, flame-engulfed space of the Forbidden Archive, he had cried those words to her, and taken her hand.

The bond they had sealed in that moment had somehow pierced through time itself — becoming the thread that led them to this reunion, this recognition.

Betty threw herself into his arms, her small hands clutching the fabric of his shirt tight, as if terrified that if she let go he would vanish again.

Her voice trembled, muffled against his chest:

"Stupid Subaru... when Betty realized she'd been sent back to this point in time, Betty was so frightened she could barely stand it, I suppose."

"Everything reset — and yet you didn't have any of the precious memories we shared together."

"Betty was so afraid you'd forgotten me — and... forgotten the promise to become my [person]!"

Betty lifted her head. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but they blazed with an intensity that was almost startling — tears and stubborn fire all at once.

"But — even if Subaru didn't remember me this time, it would have been alright!"

"Betty had already made up her mind — to get to know Subaru all over again, to make Subaru remember everything about Betty from the very beginning!"

"Just like the reason I chose Subaru that day!"

"It was never about becoming the most important person in Subaru's heart — it was about making Subaru the most important person in mine!"

Betty cried the words out loud, pouring out every drop of worry and longing she had held in for so long.

"I had already made my resolve — so this time, let me be the one to say it —"

"Choose me, Subaru!"

Natsuki Subaru stared at her, speechless. Something named emotion filled his chest until there was no room left.

How could he not be moved — faced with Betty being so openly, recklessly honest in a way she almost never was?

And so he reached out and gently drew Betty into his arms.

"Thank you, Beako. And... I'm back."

"Don't worry. From now on, I'll hold your hand forever."

Betty gave a small shiver in his embrace, then wrapped her arms tightly around his back and held on with everything she had.

"Welcome back, Subaru."

She returned those words with quiet solemnity. Then Betty suddenly lifted her head and stared straight at Natsuki Subaru.

Her voice was trembling — but her eyes held a resolve that left no room for argument.

"Having said all that — there's still... the contract! As an important proof of everything, it still has to be signed, I suppose!"

"Haha, of course it does!"

"But before that — let me spoil you a little first —"

Natsuki Subaru laughed his signature laugh and scooped Betty up with both hands, spinning her once before using the momentum to let her settle into his lap.

Betty let out a startled yelp, and then, eyes half-lidded, leaned back against Natsuki Subaru with the look of someone entirely content — and achingly nostalgic.

"Good grief — this is spirit abuse, you terrible contractor!"

But she kept up her stubborn front all the same.

"Oh, you've got nerve — let me punish you then — pat, pat, pat."

Natsuki Subaru laughed and ran his hand over the top of Betty's head, the pale cream-colored strands silky smooth beneath his fingers.

Betty had absolutely no objection to this — quite the opposite, she loved every second of it.

But as a little unspoken game between the two of them, she still made a token show of fake resistance.

It was quite a while before the two of them finally wound down from their excitement.

Natsuki Subaru and Betty collapsed side by side on the floor, both breathing hard, stealing glances at each other.

And then, at exactly the same moment, they both burst out laughing.

____

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