Toyota noticed Ram handing out steamed sweet potatoes to nearby villagers as part of a relief effort. He was starving—he hadn't eaten for almost a day, and his stomach growled in protest. He considered using some points to buy food but hesitated. He had already wasted 500 points on a healing item and felt that the more he relied on the system, the more his growth would be stunted.
Before he could muster up the courage to ask for one, the last sweet potato was taken by an old lady.
Grabbing his hair in frustration, Toyota felt a wave of irritation and self-loathing wash over him.
"I just have to ignore the hunger and find Subaru," he told himself.
After searching for a while, he finally spotted Subaru in an unexpected place—talking to a little girl. His eyes widened in recognition.
"Wait… the Great Spirit Beatrice is already out of the library? That's way too early…" Toyota frowned. "Am I misremembering?"
Instead of hiding behind trees and looking like a creep, he approached openly. He'd had enough of sneaking around. As he got closer, he managed to overhear their conversation.
Subaru slowly looked up, his eyes dilated and shaking.
"Where's Rem?"
Beatrice remained silent for a few seconds.
"Beako," Subaru muttered, standing up and gripping the small girl's shoulders. "Beako, where's Rem?"
Beatrice's deadpan expression didn't waver. "What would you do in her position, I suppose?"
Before Subaru could respond, a voice called out from above.
"I can't ignore what you just said."
Toyota turned toward the sound, spotting a figure hiding atop a ledge—Ram. The pink-haired maid glanced at them before shifting her full attention to Beatrice, seemingly choosing to ignore Subaru.
"How did she beat me to Subaru?" Toyota wondered.
"Beatrice… Rem didn't go into the forest alone, did she?" Ram's voice trembled, her expression filled with fear.
Toyota's mind raced. "This scene is happening too early… In the original timeline, the final fight with the Ma Beasts happened at night, with Roswaal using his fire to save Subaru."
Then, realization struck him like a brick.
"I'm so stupid. That fight took time. The moment I remember was just the end of the battle. Telling Rem about it must have sped up the process. I'm screwing myself over—I'm my own greatest enemy, ruining my own plans by interfering with the characters."
Subaru, still in shock, muttered under his breath. "Why… why would Rem go to such lengths for me?"
Toyota, who had been approaching them, answered the frantic question. "I thought you'd be smarter, Subaru. It's because you saved her. Now she feels obligated to do the same."
There was another hidden reason Toyota couldn't say aloud. But Subaru, if he thought about it, would know.
Rem had been plotting to kill him.
But when she saw him exhausted from his work, sleeping peacefully on Emilia's lap, something shifted. A witch cultist wouldn't look so innocent while sleeping. That small moment made her question her actions.
Then, she realized how harsh and cold she had been—and when Subaru risked his life to save the village children, and then her, it broke her completely. The guilt overwhelmed her.
Now, the only way she believed she could repay Subaru… was by risking her own life.
What a foolish girl.
"Surely she wouldn't risk her life just because I saved her once."
Subaru turned to the voice absentmindedly. Then, realizing who had spoken, he froze.
"You—Stalker—I mean, Toyota?! What are you doing here?"
"Stalker? What do you mean?" Toyota tilted his head before realization hit him. "Oh… I guess from a third person's point of view, I would be a stalker."
Ram, ignoring the conversation, suddenly made a dash for the forest.
"Hey, hold on!" Subaru quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Let go of me, Barusu!" Ram snapped, her voice sharp with irritation. "I'm not calm enough to be kind right now."
"If you want to save Rem at all—and if you consider me an ally—listen to me!" Subaru pleaded. "Do you know where Rem is?"
Toyota cut in before she could answer. "Of course she knows. They have clairvoyance. They can track each other."
Ram turned to him with a look of pure disgust. "You really are a stalker." Her voice was laced with venom. "Stay away from me and my sister. I'll kill you."
Realizing his mistake, Toyota clamped a hand over his mouth. I really shouldn't be giving away what I know… but it's a habit.
"I'm not a stalker, I promise! I just got here yesterday!" He quickly scrambled for an excuse. "You two are twins, right? Don't all twins have clairvoyance?"
Ram and Beatrice both looked at him like he was the dumbest person they had ever met.
"That's… the logic you used to assume we had clairvoyance?" Ram asked, clearly unimpressed.
Subaru, on the other hand, seemed to consider it. He raised a hand, looking like he was about to object—then paused. His expression shifted to something more thoughtful.
"…Wait, isn't he right?"
"I have no more time for this foolish discussion," Beatrice said before turning into a ball of light and vanishing.
Subaru wasted no time. "Alright, how does your clairvoyance work? We need to save Rem quickly before she becomes dog food."
Ram, speaking in a fast-paced tone that made it clear she just wanted to get this over with, explained, "It's a power that allows me to see through the eyes of bugs and animals on my wavelength."
Toyota muttered, "So that's how it works… kinda like security cameras, all at different heights and angles." He recalled how Ram had known Rem was planning to ambush Subaru—and how she had even helped finish the job by slicing off his leg from a distance. No wonder she was so accurate…
"Well, if we can use it to get to Rem, then fine." Subaru let go of Ram's wrist and straightened up, his expression determined. "So… are you as strong as Rem?"
Toyota scoffed internally. At her full potential, she could probably wipe a city off the map. But in her current condition, with her horn gone… she's probably just below Garfiel's level.
"Yes, I am as strong as Rem," Ram replied flatly. "Why does that even matter?"
"It means I'm going into the forest with you," Subaru declared.
Toyota, as if playing the role of a Yes-Man, added, "Me too."
Ram gave them both an exasperated look. "You're going to follow me?" She said it as if the idea was utterly ridiculous.
Subaru suddenly grabbed Toyota's shoulders from behind. "Yep. We're bound to slow you down in a fight." He then grinned. "If you expect us to fight like Rem in her Oni form, you're gonna be disappointed."
"But you're twins, right?" Subaru asked. "If Rem is an Oni, then aren't you one too?"
"She's hornless," Toyota whispered into Subaru's ear.
Ram's gaze dropped slightly, a pained expression forming on her face. "…Unlike Rem, I'm hornless."
Forgetting how reckless his loose tongue could be, Toyota muttered, "See?" to Subaru.
Unfortunately, Ram overheard.
Her killing intent flared as she raised a fist. "I'll kill you."
"I'm sorry! It was just a mistake!" Toyota stammered, knowing full well those fists could punch through solid stone.
"No sir your birth was a mistake." She growled
Subaru, meanwhile, ignoreing the comedy skit playing out beside him, still focused on their plan.
Ram exhaled in irritation, shooting Toyota a glare before saying, "Ignoring this stalker—who I will kill later—the only thing I can use is wind magic. And a rather extreme version at that."
She waved her hand, and the entire ground trembled as razor-sharp winds slashed at it.
"You two idiots clearly have no strength. If you go into that forest, you'd better be prepared to die."
Subaru only smirked. "It's dumb to get into the habit of giving up just because you're scared to die. Life is precious. You only get one." His voice softened slightly. "I realized that when you guys gave up so much to save mine. So if you don't mind, I'm gonna struggle pathetically and make a comeback."
Ram and Toyota both stared at him as he continued.
"I bounced back from the terrible state I was in. I'm a greedy guy—I wanna see the continuation of the story with me in it."
Toyota knew this was something personal between the two of them. After Subaru had told Ram the story of the Red Ogre and the Blue Ogre, she had once asked him which one he would rather be friends with. Subaru had answered, both. Ram had called him greedy and lecherous for it.
While Toyota didn't remember every detail of the story, he knew this moment was an important one in Subaru's character growth.
With a wide grin, Subaru suddenly threw his fist toward the sky, striking his iconic pose—one hand raised with his index finger pointing up, the other clenched in a fist near his hip, his stance wide and confident.
"Bring it on, fate!"
However, as he spoke, something… glitched.
His mouth moved, but for a split second, no sound came out. Then, static replaced the first syllable before his voice suddenly distorted—
"€£¥~ctory."
Toyota blinked. What… was that?
It was as if reality itself had misfired, like some kind of translation error in the world's code.
But Subaru, unfazed, clenched his fists with determination.
Putting the weirdness aside, Toyota shook his head and pumped himself up. Whatever had just happened, it didn't matter.
Both he and Natsuki Subaru were ready to fight fate.
Neither of them were going to die.
About thirty minutes later…
Ram was looking at them as if they were mere bugs to be stepped on. "You gave a pretty heroic speech back there, but seeing you this close to becoming baggage? It's hard not to feel disappointed."
Subaru, the boy who had been tempting fate moments before, was now pale and breathing heavily, leaning on a shiny sword for support. Toyota was in slightly better condition, but he felt confident that he was in better shape than Subaru this time around.
Subaru could only chuckle. "Well, I'm still recovering, and I lost a lot of blood. My energy is spent." He then muttered, "Oh, also, I didn't hear Emilia say 'see you soon'…"
Ignoring that last comment, Toyota realized something—he actually felt proud about beating a previously bedridden man. After this was over and he got some food, he was definitely going to build up his stamina. Because, really, who in their right mind would brag about beating someone in this condition?
Subaru continued making excuses, his breaths heavy and labored.
Meanwhile, Ram ignored Subaru's condition entirely and glanced down at the object he was carrying. "Besides the missing 'see you soon,' it looks like you got something new from someone other than Emilia."
Subaru quickly unsheathed the sword and smirked at it. "Yeah, something really awesome."
Toyota, on the other hand, only felt one thing—loss.
Where was his cool fantasy sword?
(AN: I have started studying up on Re: Zero and I'm in the middle of arc 6 of the light novel so far it's absolute Peak.👌
I have an official release schedule Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Bonus chapters will be released on Saturday if my demands are met 🔫
Trade deal: give me 50 power stones, and I will give you a bonus chapter.)