[ "If you keep staring like that, I'll get embarrassed. I'm fairly confident in my looks, but not so much in my body. I'm quite different from Sekhmet or Minerva." Echidna pretended to be shy, reaching out to cover her chest.
"I'm not staring for that kind of reason. No, let's get back to the point…" Subaru covered his mouth, his entire body trembling:
"As long as I die, the world rewinds, letting the world start over. I am using 'Return by Death'."
…
Still, nothing happened.
"I heard it. And, I had already seen it before I heard it. I see, this is an extremely rare case…"
The next moment, Subaru suddenly broke down emotionally.
"I'VE BEEN RETURNING BY DEATH!! RETURN BY DEATH!! RETURN BY DEATH!!"
His intense emotions forced him to his feet. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Natsuki-san finally has someone he can confide in. Even if the other party is a dead person, even if she's a Witch."
Otto said.
"Sigh, I don't know what to say. In any case, let Natsuki have a good vent."
Anastasia sighed.
"This intense emotion… cannot be suppressed even by forced calm. Really… thank you for your hard work, Subaru."
Beatrice said softly.
—
[ "W-Wait a moment! C-Calm down. I understand how you feel…" Echidna lost her composure, her eyes widening as she showed a hint of panic.
"I've been returned by Death! I've died… countless times, countless times. And then restarted! I've been Return by Death…"
"I know, so, speak properly…"
"I… have been returned by Death! Restarted… countless times…" Subaru roared again and again, tears pouring out. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
Subaru-kun… thank you for your hard work.
Rem thought silently in her heart.
This was not just Rem's inner thought; everyone else present thought so too.
Faced with this scene, no one there could find any words to say.
A thousand words could only converge into five—
Thank you for your hard work.
—
[ "I… always…"
It was already difficult to utter a single complete sentence.
The confession turned into nothing but sobbing.
"I… I understand." Echidna stood up, reaching out to brush through Subaru's black hair, and then began to stroke it gently.
"I know what you have experienced up to now. Because I have seen it."
The sobbing Subaru was already speechless.
"But I was only ever watching. So, if possible, I hope you can tell me with your own mouth. What you have been thinking, what you have been feeling, how much you have bottled up inside—because, I am the 'Witch of Greed' who thirsts to know everything in this world, Echidna." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Ever since coming to this world, he has been bearing it all alone, unable to tell anyone. Sigh."
Again, just let it all out, Natsuki.
Anastasia said.
"Whoa, is she really that gentle?"
On the other side, Otto expressed surprise at Echidna's actions.
This exceeded Otto's perception of how a 'Witch' behaved.
Aren't Witches supposed to be cruel and violent? Like that, the Witch of Envy, who is always squeezing Natsuki-san's heart.
"Teacher…"
Roswaal showed an envious expression.
"In any case, as long as it can give Subaru some comfort, it should be a good thing."
On the other side, Yuriusu said.
"Even if it's all an act."
Wilhelm narrowed his eyes.
From the moment they met, the Witch of Greed felt highly theatrical.
No, rather, she was acting from the very beginning.
There were no genuine emotional fluctuations; she was merely pretending to act this way to achieve some purpose.
—
[ …
"How terrible. Ah, I might have caused a misunderstanding. I'm sorry. What I said just now wasn't my thoughts on your words, but rather an uncontrollable anger toward the figure who made you suffer so much."
On the screen, Subaru recounted his experiences of the loops word by word, while Echidna listened quietly.
"The figure who made me suffer…"
"The 'Witch of Envy'." Echidna uttered that woman's name.
Her tone could not hide her disgust. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Well, classic rhetoric, starting with expressing empathy."
Anastasia said.
"There's real emotion there."
Wilhelm was somewhat surprised.
Her previous actions and expressions of emotion were acts, but the Witch of Greed's disgust and hatred toward the Witch of Envy were genuine.
"Could it be…"
Emilia recalled when she passed the trial, Echidna had expressed hatred toward her.
Could it be because Echidna hates the Witch of Envy, and she happens to look exactly like the Witch of Envy…
"So is there some story between the Witch of Greed and the Witch of Envy?"
Otto was highly puzzled.
—
[ "You should know very well that the power to restart your 'death'… no, the power that forbids you from obtaining the peace of 'death', undoubtedly belongs to 'Envy', and has for a very long time."
"Up until now, various people have told me a lot about the Witches. Although I've never directly met that Witch, I can guess that the 'hands' that pop out from time to time are hers. I don't understand at all why she's so obsessed with me. Do you know the reason?"
"Well. You want to understand her psyche? Not just me, no one else could do it. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to."
Echidna averted her gaze, speaking sharply.
"You keep saying you want to know everything in the world, yet you hold a massive grudge specifically against the 'Witch of Envy'. No, she's the one who killed you, so it's probably natural for you to be this way…"
"I suppose you must also hold a considerable amount of hatred. I get very depressed whenever that person is mentioned. So, let's talk about something else. Ask whatever you want to ask." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"At least on hating that Witch of Envy, Boss and her have reached a consensus? Exactly, that's how it should be."
For making the boss suffer so miserably.
Garfiel said.
"It's time to ask some other questions. Compared to this, there are many more realistic problems, right? Like the heavy snow, the Great Rabbit, and so on."
Ram said.
During this Witch's Tea Party, Subaru hadn't asked any practical questions.
If it ended just like this, it would be too much of a waste.
So what was the question Subaru wanted to ask?
—
[ "Something else… ah…"
"For example… let me think. If there were a way to remove the Authority that forces you to suffer endlessly, namely removing the power to reset 'death', would you be interested?"
"Even if there were such a way, it would only cause trouble. I'm not interested. Although I'm angry, 'Return by Death' is indispensable. If I didn't have this ability, many outcomes couldn't be fought for, and many people couldn't be saved."
Without this power, let alone saving others, he would have been killed by Elsa back at the loot cellar.
"Without this power, there would be many people unable to save themselves, so I need it. I think my question is…" Subaru paused, then asked his question: "Echidna, do you think there is a limit to the number of times I can use 'Return by Death'?" ]
.....
( Translator-kun: And so Author-san, where are the rest of the characters? It's been ages since there were new people in the theater... )