Chapter Text
Man, what a bitch Athena is. She treated them like garbage, and wouldn’t give them a second to rest unless it was for her own benefit. Still, they could not complain right now: The viewing had started; thus marking the end of the “conversation” they were having.
“Bong?”
“…”
“…”
“…H-Hi?” Subaru didn’t really know what to reply.
‘Bong? Is that her way of greeting someone? And why “Bong”, of all things? Does she want to smoke some-’
“I think it would be better if I take care of the presentations.” Angela spoke, making him turn around. “Allow me to introduce you to each other.
BongBong. If I am not mistaken, you should already be aware of the situation you are currently in.”
“Her name is Bongbong?” Felt asked. “…That’s some weird name, if you ask me.”
“It might be a common one in that world, Felt-sama.” Reinhard said.
“If you are not, however, then here is a summary:
We are collecting the books of the City in search of the one book that will set us free. Your duty will be to receive the guests that arrive to the Library.”
‘What a great summary. Wasn’t she trapped inside a book this whole time? How could she know all that?’ The man though, before the Library Director pointed at his direction.
“He is right.” Julius asked. “Why did Angela say that she should already know what’s going on?”
“…Perhaps she used the Library’s power in some way.” Anastasia offered an explanation.
“Hm.”
“This is Subaru. He shall play the role of the Patron librarian of the General Works Floor during the receptions. You will have to follow his orders as well.”
‘Well, at least she put me in charge. That’s nice, I guess.’ He then decided to look at her, in order to actually present himself. “He-”
He was interrupted by a glare that did not hide the anger the other one was feeling. The woman -now identified as “Bongbong” (what an…interesting name)-, who was now on her feet, looked at him in the eyes with so much hatred, he thought she was going to jump on him and slash his throat with her fingers.
“W-Why does she look so angry with him? He didn’t do anything!” Petra exclaimed.
“…” While they did not say a word, many were wondering the exact same thing: why show such reaction towards someone you’ve just met?
However, she soon moved her eyes and started staring the pallid woman; who was seemingly unfazed by her attitude. After a few seconds, she started speaking.
“Bongbong.” She coldly stated.
‘…Huh?’
‘…Huh?’
“…”
“…”
“…Sigh…You should already know the reasons why we are-”
“BONGBONG!!!” The blue-haired girl did not allowed her to explain herself. “BONGBONG! BONG-BONGBONG!!!!
BONG-
BONG!!!!!!!!”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“She…”
“…”
“…She can only say her name?” Emilia asked, not really sure how to react to this information.
“…Siiiiiiiiiiigghhh.” Beatrice sighed, trying to get all this stress out of her body. “…Is this supposed to be Subaru’s back-up, in fact? Someone who can only say “Bongbong”, in fact? Is this a joke, IN FACT?!??!?”
“…Bongbong.” Angela started to speak, not showing any hint of emotions. “I do not care what you want; nor what you think of me. If you desire to be free from this place once and for all, then you will do as I tell you.”
“!!!”
“Oh? Or perhaps you would rather all of your previous efforts to be completely pointless; and want to simply stay here for all eternity?” The Library Director mockingly asked. “If that’s so, then simply sit there while I search for another agent that is willing to help me.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…tch!” Bongbong clicked her tongue. She knew she really didn’t have much of a choice.
“…Good.” Seeing that she would play along for now, the yellow-eyed woman turned around to talk to her personal assistant; who clearly did not understand a thing that was spoken.
“Subaru, this is Bongbong. She shall be your assistant from now on.”
“-Uh? Ah. Yeah. Figured as much.” He then started trying to come up with a way to ask the next question without sounding too rude. “Huuuh…Is she…like-”
“She does not possess any mental disability.” Angela already knew this would come sooner or later. “As you may have noticed before, she can make other noises other than “bong” or “Bongbong”. In fact, there is seemingly no reason as to why she only speaks like this. The only theory I have is that she chooses to behave this way.”
“Huh. So, this idiot has no brain damage?” Priscilla asked, without using any sort of filter.
“…Seemingly not, princess.” Al replied. “…She is just…crazy, I guess. Who the hell would want to only communicate by saying their name?”
That was a great question. One that, like many other, would not be answered any time soon.
“O-Oh…I see…” That was everything he could say.
“Now that you know each other, why don’t you talk for a little bit? I will get everything ready to send the next invitation; so let me know when you are done here.”
“E-Eh!? I don’t think that…is…possible…” The words started dying on his mouth as he saw how the pale lady was completely ignoring him. He then decided to look at his new colleague, who still had a somewhat angry look.
“…”
“…”
“…So… Bongbong, uh?” He tried to start the conversation.
“…”
“…”
“…Sigh…” The starry-eyed woman simply sighed, and then proceeded to walk past him; heading to Angela to let her know they were ready.
“…Sigh…” The man in a black suit decided to do exactly the same. ‘No one said this was gonna be easy.’
“Sigh… You can’t get a rest; now can you, Subaru-kyun?” Felix asked, somewhat worried for his well-being…but mostly just to tease him a little bit.
“Indeed.” Crusch agreed with her knight. “He now has to work with someone who, for some unknown reason, dislikes him…
…Huh. After saying it like that, this does remind me of “Arc 2”.”
!!!
That was not something The Cast wanted to remember. They all knew how that part of the viewing went.
“…Let’s just hope this doesn’t end the same way that Arc did.” Surprisingly, Rem was the one who said this.
“…Rem…” Ram knew how affected her sister was by everything they had witnessed that time. The reminder of her sins most likely affected her the most out of everyone else.
“…”
“…”
“…Ya mean…like…with her fallin’ in lo-” Garfiel was promptly interrupted by a hand placed on his mouth.
“Hahaha!!! What a funny joke, garf!” Otto stated. However, he was silently saying something completely different. ‘DO YOU WANNA START A FREAKING CIVIL WAR, YOU DUMBASS!?!?!?!?’…Was more or less what he wanted to ask.
Luckily, nobody took that statement too seriously: Just as some boy who didn’t fully understand what the maid was trying to say.
---Scene change---
The screen shows the same office as before; with Yun and an unknown person talking to each other inside it.
“Finn has failed as expected.” The Office Operator commented.
Everyone became quite after the scenery changed.
“So…back to spying on the guests?” Ricardo asked.
“…”
Yet, he received no answer.
Everyone was simply staring at the man in front of him.
Yun…
…Needless to say, he was not the most liked person they have met.
Not by a long shot.
“He wasn’t going to last too long, anyway. He was just mediocre. He should have gotten a decent modification surgery, or had enough talent to make up for his lack of experience.
But he didn’t have any of that. He was nothing more than an overconfident brat.”
“WOW! OKAY!” Felt shouted. “Not only did he sent him to his death, but now he is insulting him?!?!?!? This guy is an absolute asshole!!!!!!”
Even if she was the only one who voiced her thoughts, many shared the feeling.
How dare he say stuff like that?
Those that remained calm despite his sudden appearance noticed something curious about what he said.
‘‘Modification surgery’?’ Roswaal began thinking. ‘Athena did something like that on us, if I am not mistaken; plus Subaru thought Bongbong had ‘Eye replacements’.
Are there modifications that improved one’s ability to fight?’
If there were…this could prove problematic to the boy pretty soon, depending on how efficient these improvements were.
Eri (Yun’s Fixer): “Too bad, I kinda liked his affable and cutesy attitude.” The woman, who had white hair, brown skin and was wearing a green coat and skirt, was somewhat affected by Finn’s demise.
“Though I agree, he was bound to die sooner or later.” Not that much, though.
“Oh, look! Yet another bitch!” The blond candidate sarcastically remarked. “No wonders she works with Yun: they are one and the same!!!”
“Congratulations, by the way.” The blond man decided to change subject. “You must have more options now that you’re a Grade 8 Fixer.”
…
That information managed to quell any anger they had.
“…Grade 8?” Emilia asked, not liking what this meant. “…That’s… a better Grade than Grade 9, right?”
“…It is so, I’m afraid.” Wilhelm grimly replied. “It seems that Subaru-dono will have to face someone more experienced in combat this time.”
“…”
“I-I mean, we are not sure about that, right?” Rem tried to improve the half-elf’s mood a little bit. “We haven’t really seen an invitation yet, so we don’t know who the guest is this time.”
“…If we are watching this, then Angela, Subaru and possibly Bongbong are most likely doing so as well; which means at least one of them is the guest.” The green-haired candidate responded. “…Considering that the other option is the Grade 8 Fixer’s boss… I don’t think that is a better alternative.”
“…” Unfortunately for them, she made a valid point.
For now, they could do nothing but watch how things unfolded, and hope for the best.
“Yep! So you’d better be careful. If you don’t pay me well enough, I might move to another Office.” The Fixer playfully replied, before getting serious. “Heard that you’re barely covering you own taxes these days, let alone the monthly rent for this Office space, am I wrong?”
“…I believe the case I had Finn handle could make a breakthrough.” Yun answered, not enjoying having to admit that he is in a rough economic situation.
“You mean the Library and the invitation you talked about earlier. But you said the invitation appears randomly, no? How are you going to get another one?” Eri asked.
Hearing her question, the man in charge of the Office smiled before replying.
“I wouldn’t have called you if I didn’t have certainty.” He then grabbed something from his pocket, and showed it to his employee. The item in question was a black envelope. The black envelope. “I recently received another invitation.”
“Well, there is our confirmation.” Tivey decided to speak. “…What will he do now? Will he come along this time, or will he simply send another person like he did before?”
“…What is the point of making assumptions of something we are about to see by ourselves, boy?” The fiery princess asked.
“…Fair enough.”
“Hmm. Is that so?” After taking a look at it, the Grade 8 Fixer gave it back to her boss.
“The existence of our Office depends on this case.” He admitted. “The Library is sure to be profitable. I have a hunch. So we’re giving it everything we have.”
“AGAIN WITH GUT-FEELINGS?!??!?” The merchant candidate angrily shouted. “IS THIS GUY TRYING TO BE AS AWFUL AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE?!?!?!?!?”
“...” Again, all of them agreed with her.
Still…
“…“Giving it everything we have”…? What did he mean by that?” The finest knight began wondering out loud.
“…Now that I think about it,” The Sword Saint began speaking. “he mentioned how he wanted money to hire some men…Did he managed to get them?”
“…” No one really knew the answer to that question. However, they truly did not want that to be the case.
Based on what the military candidate said before, the fight was going to be hard enough already.
“Aight, let’s roll in some dough!” The white-haired girl excitedly said. She then went over to a nearby couch, and grabbed an object lying on it. It was a massive chainsaw, almost as big as she was, with the handle of a sword.
This tool was obviously meant to be used as a weapon; and its owner clearly held no intention to use it otherwise. “I just bought this lovely thing here from a workshop, too.”
She then proceeded to press a button on the handle, turning it on.
*vroom* *vroom* *vroom* *vroom*
“Uh? What’s th-” Emilia tried to ask something, but the sudden noise coming from the screen interrupted her.
As if to prove how powerful it truly was, she decided to press the trigger for a second.
*VVRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM*
…Hearing her new favorite toy roar with fury made her grin.
She was going to enjoy this.
“W-W-What!?!?!? The heck is that?!?!!?” Garfiel asked while covering his ears. He, along with everyone else with enhanced hearing, were extremely affected by the sudden and reeeeeeally loud noise.
“That’s a chainsaw.” Al almost immediately responded.
At some point, he and Beatrice started this game where they tried to start explaining otherworldly stuff they knew before the other one could. He was not sure why he was playing along, but… ‘Eh. Might as well win’.
“It’s normally used to cut down trees, but I guess it can be used as a weapon as well.”
“!!!” This knowledge made everyone both curious and scared about this thing.
“C-Cut down trees!? That sound dangerous!” Otto commented, not understanding how the man could be so calm.
“Relax, kid. Trees tend to be big pieces of wood and -most importantly- they do not move. Sure, one hit is the same as a thousand tiny blades cutting you little by little. But we already saw how agile this Subaru is. A chainsaw is too heavy for someone to go ‘round swinging it like a sword, so he’ll have no problem dodging it.”
Hearing how he compared this “chain-saw” to a thousand blades startled them, to say the least. However, if what he said was true, then this should be then big of a prob-
“She’s using it with one hand, though?!!?” The merchant boy then pointed at the screen, where an all-too cheery Eri could be seen raising her weapon to the ceiling, as if she had just pulled Excalibur out of a rock. “That thing looks light as a feather!!!”
Well… that was not good. Did Al have anything else to say?
“…”
“…”
“…Oh.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…Otto, right? You are a real mood-killer, you know that?”
“Why are you insulting me now!?!??!?!?”
---Scene cnange---
Back at the Library, Subaru and Angela start discussing about what they saw. Bongbong is there as well, but is not like she can really add much to the conversation. Thus, she’s just there, chilling.
“These guests seem quite determined.” The Library Director remarked. “We should prepare accordingly.”
“A whole Office coming at us, huh.” The black-suited man commented. “It may be a small and insignificant one, but it could prove to be a little tough for the Library right now. What if they make it all the way to your room?”
“The guests cannot act outside of the space we’ve prepared for them. It’s how this place works. After all, this space is created with limitless power.
Yet you somehow jumped right into my room, when you weren’t even invited…” She said this last part as if she was asking him for an explanation. One she knew he didn’t have. “Anyways, I’m capable of protecting myself, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Hmm. I see.” He replied.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…Guess I’ll go and get myself prepared, then.”
“Wait.” Angela stopped him.
“Hm? Yes?”
“I have taken the time to think about what you have said earlier, and reached the same conclusion: even with the help of a new librarian and the abnormalities; at some point, you will get overwhelmed by your adversaries.”
“Oh? And your solution is?”
“Do you remember when I asked you if you considered yourself stronger than our previous Guests?”
“Uh? Yeah, why?” Subaru asked.
“…” She did not speak for a second. Whenever it was because she wanted to give him a second to prepare himself for what he was about to hear; or just to increase the suspense, only she knows. “…One of the powers the Library has is to let us use the power of the ones who are now a book to our advantage.”
“…What?”
“…What?”
“Grab this and follow my instructions. The same goes for you.” Instead of explaining herself, Angela simply handed him and his new assistant librarian a piece of paper.
Upon looking at it, Subaru realized it was a page that belonged to the “Book of “Finn””; as it went by the title of “Finn’s Page”. This made him involuntarily frown.
He saw how the other blue-haired woman had a pretty similar reaction to his. Neither of them really knew what was going on, but they definitely were not happy that it involved using what was essentially the corpses of their previous guests.
“Close your eyes, and concentrate on it. Imagine it as if it was a part of your body. You should soon find its “light” this way. Once you do, make contact with it.”
“…Excuse me, ma’am, but…are you alr-” He stopped himself once he saw his master giving him a look that said ‘Close your eyes now, or you won’t have any eyes to close pretty soon.’
After receiving such a good counter-argument, he did as told, and tried to canalize all his focus on the object he was currently holding.
“…Is he really expecting something to happen?” Ram asked, not understanding what the point of this really was.
“I belieeeeeve, the most impooooooortant questioooon is: Will something happen?” The clown-looking guy replied.
…
…
…
…
…
…
..!
After being a second away from giving up, he soon felt like some sort of light was coming from the page. It was hard to describe, but it was as if he was in the middle of nowhere, and the light emanating from it was the only thing worth noticing. He, as if by instinct, tried to approach it…
‘!!!’
And as soon as he touched it, it started enveloping his body.
“A-AH!!”
Despite the fact that he was screaming, he felt no actual pain. Soon, the light dissipated, and he was once more in the Library, where Angela was giving his a smile full of pride (most likely at herself). From the corner of his eyes, he could also see Bongbong...or at least he was pretty sure it was her. She was wearing a completely different outfit now; this one being a some black pants and a poorly patched jacket.
He tried to take a look at himself-
-He was different.
Not just his clothes, which now consisted of a grey jacket and some dark grey pants: his body as a whole felt different. A short sword had also appeared in his hand.
…
…
…
…Unlike what they have just witnessed, the reaction everyone had was pretty predictable.
W
H
A
T
!
?
“H-H-H-HE-” Petra tried to describe what happened right in front of her; but the words would simply not come out.
“HE IS NOW DRESSED LIKE FINN!?!??!?” Luckily for her, Felt could do it. “WHY?!?!!? IS THIS ANGELA’S DOING?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL!!?!?!?!??”
That last question was the perfect summary for the events that took place right now…and since the viewing started, but that’s not the point.
“…Is this what she meant by “use the power of the ones who are now a book”?” Wilhelm asked, still surprised by how twisted the Library could get. Even if he still had the feeling that Angela was someone who was suffering, and that she wasn’t as bad as she seemingly was…
…This was far too much for him.
“Ha!” Priscilla laughed. “While mineself is admittedly impressed by this power, it is completely useless if the best it can do is put the boy in the body of another weakling!”
“…” The only response she got was a bunch of stares that said ‘not now’. This was not the right time to go around insulting everyone.
“…Tch. Fine.” Incredibly, the candidate that was known for her pride and arrogance complied with their silent petition. Perhaps the viewing did affect her more than she admitted.
“…” Many others chose to just remain completely silent. They knew this was to help their friend; and that Finn was already gone…
…Nevertheless, that didn’t change the fact that the boy was basically impersonating a dead person…
…This was not something they enjoyed seeing.
“You should now have the body and experience of a “Yun’s Office” Fixer.” The woman, sensing his confusion, explained. “Considering that you will be facing its operator, being capable of understanding them like this could prove to be a great advantage.”
“I…You…I…” No words could explain what was happening inside her assistant’s head.
“Consider this a gift for doing your job well enough.” She replied while smiling. “Though, before we continue, I must confirm that the synchronization went well: how are you two feeling?”
“…”
“…”
“…Sigh…My body feels alright I guess…slightly off, but I guess that’s to be expected from…this. If you are asking how I feel about using the corpse of a man I killed like this, however…” It was clear; he was not enjoying his gift.
“…Bong…” Bongbong told her that she was feeling the same way as him.
Those that did not thought about it like that before visibly flinched: as much as they wanted to deny his pessimistic way of seeing things, they could not.
“…The girl…” Ricardo spoke up. “…Those clothes… they’re from…”
“…The women we only know as “Fixer 2”.” Reinhard finished the sentence.
“…Sigh. So she is basically usin’ the stuff from someone that will not be remembered.
…This “Fixer” stuff sounds to me a lot like bein’ a mercenary.” The wolfman concluded that last part in a whisper, trying to make sure the kids did not hear him.
“I was not.” She coldly responded. “Now, in order to finish the link, just do the same as before; but instead of approaching the light, get away from it. Remember this once the battle is over.”
Afterwards, she began to walk away.
“W-Wait! Where are you going!?”
“I have Guests to greet, and soon you’ll have ones to receive. You should prepare yourself.” Without turning around, the lady answered his question.
“Wha…
…
…
…
…Sigh…Never mind, I guess.”
---Scene change---
At the Library entrance, Yun and Eri can be seen entering the place…along with two other armed visitors.
“So, he finally entered the Library himself...” Crusch said, still resentful for the things he had done. “…At least he is not tha-”
“He is a coward, commoner.” Priscilla interrupted her in order to correct her. “Just a really desperate one. Do you think he would have come here if he didn’t need the money?”
“…” Her silence was everything that needed to be said.
“There are four people in total!” Rem immediately noticed. “Is Subaru-kun supposed to fight them all!?”
“…He has the help of Bongbong now…Along with the abnormality’s one, I think…If he was able to fight three thugs before, he should be fine.” Ram reasoned.
“…” Her sister’s words managed to calm her down a little bit. However, now that she thought about it…
“…We don’t know how that…“creature” will help him, right?”
“…” That was an interesting question. Or, at least, the answer would be. Angela said they were not making them fight for them, and that they would empower the librarians. But…what did that mean?
…
There was only one way to find out.
“Greetings, dear guests.” Angela appeared from the same corridor as always, and immediately greeted her guests.
“You must be the owner of this place.” Yun concluded.
“She doesn’t even look that strong.” Eri added.
“Is she planning to attack Angela?” Frederica asked, already preparing herself to protect the little girl’s eyes in case that another “limbs removal” scene took place.
“Yeah! Give her a beating!!!” Mimi cheered.
“…Mimi, don’t you remember how powerful Angela is?” Her brother asked.
“…Uh…Well…Yeah…” The demi human child admitted. “…But, wouldn’t it be better if she fought her instead of Big Bro Boss?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
…
…
…
‘Yeah, Eri! You can do it! Beat the sh*t out of her!’
“Finn must have been here earlier; what happened to him?” The Office Operator didn’t bother to reply to his employee. Instead, he ignored her and asked a question.
“Now he cares!?!?!?” Felt asked, outraged by this guy’s attitude. “ITS TOO LATE FOR THAT!!!!! SHOULD’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE SENDING HIM HERE!!!!!!!!!”
“Ah, that one has become a book.” Angela bluntly answered.
“I see, so you turn into a book if you die here~” The female Fixer wasn’t visibly bothered by this fact.
“……” Yun, on the other hand, looked down on the floor; as if the knowledge of what happened to the rookie made him feel guilty.
“Acting all sentimental when you were the one who sent him here, knowing he’d fail?” The Library Director asked, while moving to the stairs that were right next to them.
…As cruel as it may seem, many had to agree with her. Yun deserved to feel like this: he is the reason Finn died, after all.
“Shut up. We all get exploited and abandoned at some point in our lives.” The blond man argued.
“…” For a second, Angela remained silent, looking nowhere. She then closed her eyes, turned around, and faced the two Fixers leading the group. “…May you find your book in this place.”
The Reception of Yun’s Office begins
“…This most definitely will be the final battle against the Yun’s Office.” Reinhard commented. “…Good luck, Subaru.”
---Scene change---
In the Keter floor, Subaru and Bongbong can be seen standing on the bridge; seemingly waiting for the guests to arrive. Both of them were currently using the pages of the guests they had previously equipped.
“…”
“…”
Neither of them said a word. They were simply standing there; completely unmoving.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…Well…What an uncomfortable situation.” Al stated what everyone was thinking.
At the end, Subaru decided he had enough.
“…Uhhh…Bongbong…listen…”
The starry-eyed woman simply moved her head to look at him, silently telling him to make it quick.
“…Sigh…I know we started things with the wrong feet, and that you are not quite a fan of me.”
“…”
“…I don’t really know what I did to make you hate me, but I truly hope you can someday forgive me, okay?”
“…”
“…Still, as it stands right now, we are about to fight an entire Office for our lives. Even if it is not a big one, things could get out of hand pretty quickly.”
“…”
“…So…Even if you don’t like me that much…”
“…”
“…How about we call a truce for now? I kinda need someone to have my back throughout the battle; and I think you could use someone who does the same for you.”
“…”
“…” Then, the man who was now dressed up as Finn offered his hand. “…What do you say, huh?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
For a moment, she said nothing. Instead, she simply looked at his hand, and then his eyes; as if she was judging him.
“…Sigh.” However, she then closed hers and let out a sigh.
“…Bongbong.” Seemingly accepting his offer, she shook his hand. This made the other person quite happy.
“Well, at least he won’t have to worry about tha’ for now.” Anastasia said.
“Indeed. Having an ally by his side, and not just someone who is fighting the same enemies as him, could be the difference between victory and defeat.” Julius added.
“Awesome! Than-”
???: “Hey!”
The appearance of a new voice startled them, making both librarians turn around and ready their weapons.
Fixer 1 (Yun’s Office): “We’re here to get some “books”. You the ordeal we have to face?”
Fixer 2 (Yun’s Office): “H-Hey! Calm down! I’m telling ya, we should wait ‘til the operator arrives.”
Everybody slightly tensed up after hearing an unknown voice. Nevertheless, the tension rapidly became confusion after reading the subtitles.
“…Fixer 1 and 2? Why do they have the same names –well, “names”- as the previous guests?”
“I am guessing that is a question for me.” Athena began speaking. Without waiting for a reply, she continued. “The ones that previously owned the titles of “Fixer 1” and “Fixer 2” have already perished; thus opening the position for the next ones to replace them.”
Needless to say, nobody liked that display of apathy from their host. However, what else were they expecting from her? To treat people as…well, people?
“…Yun’s not with you?” Subaru soon noticed.
“H-He said he would be arriving to aid us soon…” “Fixer 2” replied.
“Ha! Well, I’m not gonna wait for him! The sooner we are done with this, the sooner I get paid!”
‘…He must have ordered them to scout ahead, most likely to assert how truly dangerous we truly are…
…No. That’s not it. He most likely sent them here to either win the encounter, or at least weaken us so that he can finish us off. ’ The man now wearing a grey jacket concluded.
“…” Although no one said anything about that, it was clear this information did not improve the way they saw Yun.
Subaru couldn’t have explain it in a more clear way: they either come back with the books, or they make the next fight easier for him. It was a win-win scenario. If you ignore the lives he is risking with this plan, of course.
“…This man…” Crusch was the first one to talk. “…is truly the worst.”
“Good. We too want to finish this quickly.” He then turned his head to speak to his partner. “Bongbong, you ready?”
“Hm Hm!” The blue-haired girl nodded her head twice.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
The moment both guests took out their weapons (a spiked baseball bat and a steel baton), the first one clearly thirsting for some blood, while the other was scared to the core; the battle music started playing.
[Keter 1]
Both parties immediately began running towards each other.
Now, normally, the fight would go as anyone would’ve expected: there are 2 guests; 2 librarians; 2+2=4; etc.
In other words, it would just be two duels taking place at the same time.
However…
Damn was Bongbong fast.
The Yun’s Office Fixers barely had the time to take five steps before she was already on them.
Still…
The fact that she had left Subaru behind only meant one thing: she was now the primary target of both of her enemies.
“Wh- She’s going head on!?” Rem asked, knowing how dangerous this course of action could easily become.
“She must be really confident in her abilities if she can push forward like that.” Wilhelm commented. “…That, or she doesn’t trust Subaru-dono in the slightest.”
“Ah!” The bold man shouted as he swung his bat downwards.
*Whoosh*
Nevertheless, the woman managed to easily dodge it.
“Yo-!”
*PUM!*
“-AGK- AHH!!!”
He then received a hit to the face, which took a few teeth out of his mouth.
“A-Ah-!”
*PUM!*
“-Ough!!!”
The more timid Fixer tried to hit her from behind, raising his club to prepare the attack. But before he could even process what happened, the blue-haired girl turned around, and delivered a strong blow to the gut.
“Hm!”
*POW!*
“-Ghkkk!”
She then gave him an upwards strike, directly to the jaw, which managed to make him drop to the floor.
On the meantime, Subaru was right behind her, not sure if he should step in and help her, or simply stay out of her way, so that she can move as freely as she wants.
He did know one thing, however:
‘Wow…She sure knows what she’s doing.’
Just like their friend, everyone in The Theater was quite impressed by her.
“…She is pretty good at this.” Al admitted.
“…Hmph. I guess that fool should be happy that his ally is not just an overconfident idiot.” Priscilla complimented the assistant librarian -in her own way, of course-.
“YEAH!!! GIVE’EM HELL, BO-bo…Bongbong….” Garfiel started cheering for her. However, that last part came out just as a whisper.
…For some reason, he felt like screaming “Bongbong” at the top of his lungs…
…it would make others start questioning his gender.
“You can do it, Bongbong-chyan!!!” And the feminine knight was the living proof of that.
He made his decision once he saw “Fixer 1” standing up, and closing the distance between her and him.
“Take this!!!”
*CRUSH!*
Bongbong was already getting ready to block the attack when she saw her partner already stopping it with his sword.
“Heh! Told ya, I got your back!” The man told her, his full attention towards his adversary.
“Huh!? STAY OUT OF MY WAY!!!!” The other one shouted.
*Crack!*
*CRUSH!*
Another clash between wood and steel occurred, making the former break a little bit more.
“…I’ll take care of this one. Go get the other!” The patron librarian ordered his assistant.
“B-Bong!” Even if he did not see her, Bongbong nodded her head, and went over to “Fixer 2”, who was already back on his feet.
“AAGGH! YOU WANNA DIE TOO!?!!? FINE!” The ill-tempered guest said.
*Crack!*
*Whoosh*
*CRUSH!*
“…Hm? What’s the matter, big boy?” Subaru decided to taunt his enemy a little bit. “You mad she made you even uglier?”
“YOU!!!!”
Both sides started pressing harder, not wanting to give the other advantage on the clash that was currently taking place.
“…Not like it matters that much, though.” He continued, and then smiled at him. “You weren’t getting laid before. That scar won’t make a difference.”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” The more immature members of The Cast laughed their ass off with that joke.
“…Hmhmhm.” Even the finest knight had problems controlling his laugher.
“…Uhm…Frederica-sama…I don’t think I understood tha-”
“Don’t worry, Petra.” The blond maid interrupted her junior. “You don’t need to. It wasn’t even a good one, really. I don’t understand why SOME found it funny.”
Her shout managed to shut everyone up in an instant.
“…Hmph!” While her expression remained cool, she internally wanted to scold Subaru for using such language in front of a child. Sure, this whole “viewing” was definitely not “family friendly”, but that didn’t mean he should just throw insults like that!
He was the person her brother wanted to be like, for crying out loud! He should set an example to follow.
“AAAAGGGKKK!!!!!!!!”
*Crack!*
*Whoosh*
*CRUSH!!!!!!*
“Fixer 1”, blinded by rage, tried to land a deadly blow on his opponent’s head. However, Subaru managed to evade it on time, making the baseball bat hit the floor.
Because of the damage the weapon took each clash it made with the sword, the contact with the solid ground made it shatter to pieces in an instant.
“Nice!” Felt cheered. “You think Big Bro planned that out?”
“Knowing my friend, I cannot deny that possibility.” Reinhard replied, just as happy as she was.
“…Hu-?”
*Shluk!*
Before he realized it, the librarian had pierced his chest with his blade.
*Splitch!*
After pulling his sword out, Subaru simply moved out of the way to let him fall to the ground.
“…No…I don’t wanna die…I want to…live…”
…
…
…
The joy from seeing him winning disappeared after being reminded of how things had to end.
“…” However, no one said a thing about it this time. They knew couldn’t cry every time this happens.
They had to be strong…
…
…
…Still, it was hard to see this sort of things…
…
…
…They decided to silently mourn this guy’s death for a second. That is the least they could do.
He contemplated whenever he should finish him off for a second, but light started making hi-
“Agk!”
A sudden headache made him wince. It didn’t last long, but it was intense enough to make him scream a little bit.
The Cast went through a whole roller coaster of emotions in just a few minutes. First, they were enjoying seeing their friend winning the battle.
Then, they got sad that someone had to die and he had to be the one who killed him.
Now? Now they were worried for the wellbeing of the former knight, who suddenly started grabbing his head, as if he was in pain.
What happened!?
He tried to move around to look for the source of that pain, but he couldn’t. He was completely frozen in place, and so were his surroundings, which were slowly fading from his vision…
…Now that he thought about it, this really seemed familiar.
“W-What is happening!?!?” Emilia asked, visibly frightened. “Time paused!?!? This…This is…”
“It’s just like when he tried to reveal his secret!!!” Rem finished her sentence for her. She, too, was not having a good time seeing this.
From the absolute darkness, two spheres of lights started appearing. That was new. After some time, one of them started approaching him.
From it, he started getting emotions that he was pretty sure were not his own: despair, guilt, pain, agony and, above all, the belief that all of this suffering could end if only he was brave enough to make deep enough cuts on his w̶̼͒̽r̷͎̗̾̌ì̷͕̔s̴͎̐t̷̺̺̋ş̷̖̉͊.
Despite all of this, he couldn’t help but to be attracted by it; like a moth trying to find a source of light. Thus, when the light sphere started entering his body, he did not try to stop it. He simply accepted it with welcoming arms.
“Nononono!!!! GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!!” Beatrice shouted. She didn't have much experience with things that could pass through her contractor's body; but she did know: it never ended well for him.
Once it fully got inside, the world came back to normal. He could move his body once again, and he could see the things that had disappeared from his sight.
He started touching the place where the light entered him, but felt nothing unnatural. It truly was as if nothing had ever happened…
…Except, there was one major difference:
“Don’t call these people foolish. You’re the biggest coward.”
The voice he was all-too familiar with was back.
…
…
…
…
“…What the ever-loving f*ck!?!?!?” Al was the first one to react to this new information.
“…Bloodbath…” Instead of punishing him for using such vulgar language, like he always did, Priscilla simply whispered the thing’s name.
“W-What is it doing here!? And why is it inside Subaru’s head again?!!?” Tivey asked.
“sh*t! Don’t tell me he has to figh’ it again right now!!!” Ricardo was quick to conclude the reason behind its appearance.
“B-But what about Yun and that other girl!?” Mimi spoke up. “Will he have to defeat them too?!?!?”
No matter how they saw it, the situation had clearly gotten worse for the boy.
‘…Bloodbath?’ Subaru started wondering what was happening to him.
He then recalled a previous conversation he had with the Library Director. ‘…Angela said that abnormalities would empower librarians one way or another. Is this the way they do that?’
Not long after hearing his thoughts, everyone allowed themselves to relax a little bit.
“…Is tha’ it?” The merchant candidate asked. “Is that creature -the same one we saw earlier- supposed to help ‘im now?”
“…The only thing it’s doing right now is giving him a headache….Oh, and it insulted him, too.” The green-haired duch*ess sounded disappointed by this outcome. Was she really expecting the blood monster to help the man?
“Nngh…”
‘Dammit…My head feels heavy…’
“The depth of a cut depends on the moment’s mind and willpower.”
‘…I should probably ignore it…who knows what’ll happen if I start listening to its ramblings…
…Not like I wanted to, anyways. That sh*t sounds depressing.’
“…So…He’ll just pretend it’s not there at all?” Garfiel was not sure if that was a good idea.
“…I don’t think he has much of a choice now.” Otto replied.
No one can deny what he said.
“…Alright…” He whispered to himself, trying his best to not pay his new “not-so-imaginary friend” any mind, before turning his head to start looking for his actual teammate. “Hey Bongbong, you need any-”
He was quick to find her. She currently heavily breathing, using her bat as a staff to rest her body a little bit. Once she heard him, however, she got in a little more straight position. “…Bongbong?”
Her shoes and sleeves, much like her weapon, were covered in blood.
Below her, he could see for a second sparks of light, before they disappeared into nothingness; leaving only a book behind.
“…Seems like she is dooooone there, too.” Roswaal, being one of the few not that affected by the image of the cute, little girl bathed in red, concluded.
“…Guess not…” He concluded. “…You alright?”
“…Ahhh…” She breathed out one last time, while using her free hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, before replying. “…Bongbong…”
“…Yeah, I still don’t understand you. Should I take that as a “yes”?” He asked.
“…Hm.” She nodded her head and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Good. Because we are not done here yet. Get some rest while we wait for Yun and the other girl to come he-”
“That will not be necessary.”
!!!
!!!
The new voice surprised them both. Looking at the direction where it came from, they saw how the blond man and his subordinate where already here.
“And I have a name, ya know!?!?” Eri angrily asked.
…
…
…
‘…And here I was, hoping I could finally get a break.’
