Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World. Volume. 1.
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‘CHAPTER 2:- A STRUGGLE TOO LATE.’
‘Sub-Chapter 5.’
After having gotten through the first round of negotiations, Subaru spent the next while chatting with Old Man Rom. Given how interested Rom seemed to be in the mitia, Subaru mused to himself that gadgets were something men were fond of, no matter what world you were in.
“Whether it be your clothes or this, you’ve really got a lot of strange stuff on you, don’t you? I mean, these things here are delicious!”
“I know, right? Hey, wait! I thought you said a bite! Those are my corn chips! That’s the last food I had on me!”
“Oh don’t be so stingy. If you keep something as tasty as this all to yourself, you’re gonna fall straight to hell, I tell ya.”
“Oh and you won’t, for eating all them yourself?! Blaming others while you’re doing the same yourself is a really bad habit of you baby boomers… I said, stop eating those!”
Subaru thought he was just being kind by sharing some of his snacks, but after seeing them all get eaten like this, he sure did regret it. As he put his empty snack bags back in his convenience store bag, he was close to tears.
By the time they both heard a knock on the door, it was already quite close to sunset.
It was just as Subaru was starting to doze off, and when he looked up, he saw Rom move his giant body lightly toward the door.
After quietly putting one ear against it, Rom whispered.
“To the giant rats…?”
“We give poison.”
“To the great white whale…?”
“We lend a fishing hook.”
“To our most honorable great dragon…?”
“We say, ‘Burn in hell!’”
To each of Rom’s short questions came a curt answer. Along with the special knock, those had to be passwords. Satisfied with the answers, Rom unlocked the door.
“Sorry I took so long, Old Man Rom. I had someone really persistent on my tail, and it took me a long time to lose ’em.” With a friendly tone in her voice, a young girl slipped past Rom, bragging of her exploits.
The girl’s blond hair was semi-long, and her eyes were red like a rabbit’s. From the side of her mouth peeked a mischievous canine tooth. The clothes she was wearing looked easy to move in, but they were in tatters.
Subaru stood up without thinking, causing a clatter. The girl immediately looked his way and wiped the smile from her face.
“Who’s this? Hey, Rom. I told you I was going to bring something big, so I didn’t want anyone to be here, didn’t I?”
“I understand how you feel, but that uh…kiddo there has some business with you, Felt, and it’s not completely unrelated to that ‘big thing’ you said you were bringing in.”
Rom’s answer only made Felt more suspicious. By the way she was unconsciously drawing her hand close to her chest, it appeared that that’s where she was holding the badge. Felt continued to be on her guard as she looked at Subaru.
“What’s with that guy? You didn’t sell me out, did you, Rom?”
“Just how long do you think we’ve been working together? I’d never do anything like that. The only reason he’s here is because I think that he’s got an offer for you that ain’t too bad.” Rom winked at Subaru, “Right?”
While feeling disgusted at being winked at by an old man, Subaru cleared his throat to help dispel his nervousness and, ignoring Rom’s continued gaze, turned to face Felt.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. Why don’t you just sit down and have a glass of milk first?”
“Stop it with that stupid face of yours. I can tell you don’t know what you’re doing… Look, I don’t know what you’re scheming, but I’m not interested in anything you have to say, unless I’m sure it means more money for me. So go ahead and get straight to the point.”
Felt’s reaction was cold. Subaru’s shoulders fell at how bad his first impression went by, but…
“I begged this old man here to give me some time to talk to you, but…my business is actually with that jeweled badge you have hidden away in your pocket there.”
The girl raised her eyebrows along with the level of her caution. Subaru knew not only about her theft, but exactly what she stole. But Subaru raised both of his hands in front of her, trying to calm her down. “I’m not planning on doing anything. I’ve only come here to talk. That is, to negotiate.”
Subaru then, with his two hands still in the air, pointed down at a small table near the counter.
“Let’s aim for a result where both of us come out on top. In other words, a win-win situation.”
After a short pause, Felt nodded, and both sat down on either side of the small table.
Rom then poured two glasses of milk and set both in front of them.
“I’ll give you the place and this milk, but you’re on your own when it comes to negotiating.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve come here prepared to have everything taken from me. Just watch me as I lose it all,” said Subaru, punching his fist into his other hand as if he was bragging, about to enter a fight, though saying nothing to be proud of.
Rom snorted, but Felt, who had already begun to drink her milk, twisted her face.
“Hey, Rom. You haven’t watered this milk down, have you? It tastes terrible!”
“Why does everybody have to insult the drinks?! I’m showing you some kindness here…!” said Rom before taking his giant hand and rustling Felt’s hair.
Subaru thought it looked as though Rom was going to tear Felt’s head off, but it was clear from Rom’s face that he meant no harm and was just patting her head like any old man would his grandchild. Plus, Felt looked used to it.
“You two look closer than I thought you would be. I’m getting lonely over here all by myself.”
“Don’t say something wimpy like that when you’ve got a face that looks just as awful as this old man’s.”
“I’ve had my face insulted before, but really? As bad as this guy?! Come on!” yelled Subaru, shocked as he looked back up at Rom’s bald head and was stricken with horror.
While Subaru didn’t have the most handsome features and was often mistaken for some kind of thug, he didn’t think they were so bad as to be compared with this six-foot-tall giant of an old man.
“…You’re right. Sorry about that, I went too far,” replied Felt.
“Here’s where I’d want to say that, to make it up to me, I’d like you to call me ‘big brother’ in a cute voice for the rest of the discussion, but I’ll go ahead and forgive you for now. You’ve got to be careful so you don’t say anything too hurtful, or… Rom, what’s wrong?”
“I’m really beginning to think you two have teamed up together just to come in here and make me angry…” Rom was smiling, but a vein was popping out of his forehead. Subaru and Felt looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
Rom let out a deep sigh. “Just when I thought Felt had made a new acquaintance around her age, you turn out to be just as twisted as the others.”
“…Rom, please. I know you think you’re helping, but I’m going to ask you to stop saying such embarrassing things,” said Felt.
“Plus, ‘around her age’…? Although I suppose from your perspective everyone else looks like they’re in the same age group.”
Subaru took another look at Felt, but even taking into account the fact that she was probably thinner than she should have been, she looked about twelve or thirteen. If you wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and stretch your imagination, she might have been able to pass for fourteen years old.
It was enough of an age difference for Subaru to feel embarrassed if Felt were referred to as his acquaintance or friend.
But Subaru’s analysis aside, Felt and Rom’s argument continued on without him.
“What do you think is going to happen to you if you keep up this ‘lone wolf’ attitude of yours? Sooner or later, I’m going to get too old to be able to take care of you anymore. Do you really think you can make it on your own?”
“Just how many times have you told me this already? Isn’t it a mark of senility to say the same thing over and over again? But other than that, it’ll be a long time before you’re too old for anything, and before that happens I’ll…”
“…You’ll do what?” Subaru said, jumping in, as Felt’s sentence trailed off. Felt suddenly looked up, irritated.
Given that he seemed to have asked a question he shouldn’t have and was in danger of wrecking the mood, Subaru cleared his throat. They had gotten very sidetracked, and it was time to return to the main point.
“Anyway, let’s go ahead and start our negotiations. So, uh…Felt. You’ve got that badge, right?”
“…Yeah, I do.”
Subaru cut straight to the point, and in response, Felt answered honestly.
Reaching into her breast pocket, Felt took out something and set it silently on the table.
It was the badge that Subaru had been looking for. What first stood out to Subaru was a design on it that was in the shape of a dragon. The badge itself was about the size where it would fit easily in the palm of your hand. While Subaru couldn’t exactly tell what material it was made out of, the design of the winged dragon was intricate, and in the dragon’s open mouth was a red jewel that made it look very unique.
Subconsciously, Subaru was drawn to the sparkle of the jewel in the badge’s center.
“So…”
Felt’s voice caught Subaru’s attention and brought him back to where he was. She then slid the badge over to the edge of the table, as if to remind him that it still wasn’t his yet.
“Now it’s your turn to show me what you’ve got. As you can see, this is no ordinary badge, and I went through a lot of trouble to get it. If you can show me something that will match both the badge and my efforts, we can both be happy, right?”
“While I see you’re trying to test me with that evil-looking smile of yours, I’m sorry. I’ve only got one card to play. After all, you would have to look far and wide to find one as destitute as me!”
Subaru proudly threw out his chest, but Felt didn’t look all that happy.
The moment I say “poor,” everyone makes that face at me, don’t they? thought Subaru.
But Subaru’s feelings aside, he went ahead and played his only card.
Subaru slapped his cell phone on the table, and just as he thought, Felt looked confused. However, that reaction was just the kind he was looking for. Subaru started up the cell phone’s camera and…
“Take this! Nine-frames-per-second continuous shooting!”
“Wah! Wha—?! What are you—?! Hey, what’s with that noise, and why is it so bright?!”
A white light flashed and a mechanical-like shutter sound went off several times at a rapid pace. Felt seemed like she had something to say about Subaru’s terrible breach of manners, but before she could open her mouth, Subaru held the cell phone’s screen in front of her face.
Upon seeing her own self on the screen, she opened her eyes wide and said, “That’s…”
“That’s right! I made a copy of you! This mitia cuts out a slice of someone’s time and stores it away! I want to trade you this mitia for that badge you’ve got.”
Having played his best card right away, Subaru was able to push the negotiations in his favor.
It was an established negotiation tactic, and depending on the situation, could be used to force a conclusion to be made right away.
Of course, this also meant telling the person you’re negotiating with that you had no stronger cards to play, and Subaru had said that already in the first place, but it seemed to work.
“I see. That’s pretty amazing. Rom, how much do you think this mitia would go for?”
Felt looked at the screen and nodded a few times, but Subaru thought that her reaction was incredibly indifferent.
Her eyes didn’t light up and she didn’t even take the cell phone in her hands to look more closely. She wasn’t interested in the cell phone’s uses or its rarity, but only how much money she could turn it into.
“So this fascination with high-tech stuff is only limited to men in this world, too?! Somehow that makes me feel really sad and lonely!”
“Oh, shut up. What’s there to make a big deal about? If this so-called mitia can sell for more than this badge, then I couldn’t be happier. For that, I trust Rom to give me a proper appraisal.”
“Well, I can’t say exactly how much I think it would go for. To be honest, I don’t think the two objects can be compared. I think that badge could go for a lot of money…but not as much as this mitia. In other words, I think you have a lot to gain by making this trade, Felt. That’s what I think.”
“I see, I see. If that’s the case, then why not?”
Felt seemed pleased when the trade got Rom’s seal of approval.
While Felt’s reaction was a little bit different from what Subaru had expected, it appeared the trade was going to happen as planned, and Subaru couldn’t be any happier about that.
However, as soon as he reached across the table toward the badge, Felt interrupted him.
“Wait. Our cards have been played, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to sweeten the deal.”
“…I’m not sure how I feel about you saying that so plain and clear, but no matter what you say or do, I don’t have anything else. Like I said before, I am peerlessly and infinitely broke.”
“I’m not that cruel, and after all, Rom said so himself. Your mitia is worth more than this badge. However, I doubt that you don’t have any more cards to play.”
Felt stood up and looked down at Subaru. Her red eyes were lit up, and he could see that she was sizing him up. A cold sweat ran down Subaru’s back.
Subaru had already played the strongest card he could in their negotiations so far. However, Subaru still had a few other things on him that he thought might be valuable in this world. At the very worst, he thought he might be able to play a few more cards, but…
“I said not to worry, didn’t I? I don’t plan on trying to take any more from you. I’ll be happy enough if I know I can just turn this thing here into money.”
Felt lightly clapped her hands together and smiled, appearing pleased at the look of anxiety on Subaru’s face.
Subaru gulped upon seeing Felt’s reaction and, taking a few deep breaths, looked away in hopes that he could hide just how shaken he felt.
“So then, if that’s the case, what do you mean when you say you still want to ‘sweeten the deal’?”
“Hmm? Oh, that? It’s simple. It just means that you’re not the only person I’m negotiating with.”
Subaru looked confused, but Felt stuck out her pointer finger and explained.
“The reason I stole the badge in the first place is because someone asked me to…in exchange for ten blessed gold coins.”
“So you’ve already got a price settled with the person you stole it for?! Ten gold coins, huh… I don’t really understand how much that is, but…”
Subaru glanced at Rom, who took the hint and nodded back.
“If it were me, I might be able to sell this badge for four, at best five gold coins. There’s also the possibility that I would get talked down to three.”
“So that means that they’re already paying twice its worth?”
“Didn’t you hear her? She said blessed gold coins. They’re made of blessed gold, which is much rarer, so ten blessed gold coins is closer to twenty gold coins in worth.”
“So they’re paying four times as much?!”
“Why are you acting so surprised? With that mitia of yours, even in the worst case you could easily get twenty blessed gold coins. Besides, there are probably collectors out there who would pay even more. You can’t even compare the two.”
Subaru really didn’t understand the general cost of goods in this world, but he had thought that gold coins were the most valuable currency. The thought that his cell phone’s worth was measured in a currency even greater than that, and not just one or two but twenty coins, was enough to take him by surprise.
“If this mitia really does fetch a higher price, then I have no intention of honoring a prior agreement with someone else, and I don’t have a problem telling them that.”
“Then why are you saying you’ll ‘sweeten the deal’?!”
Felt’s mischievous grin twisted into an even more villainous smile. “If I tell them you’ve made such a ridiculous counteroffer, if they still want the badge, don’t you think they’ll try to offer me something more?”
“In other words… Is that what you’re saying? If the other side turns around and offers more than twenty blessed golden coins…then if you don’t show me all the rest of your cards, you won’t have a chance.”
Felt’s villainous smile had become so villainous it had reached a breaking point and become more like something refreshingly triumphant as she said those last words.
On the other hand, with this ominous turn of events, Subaru’s expression started to cloud over.
“So when are you planning on meeting with this person who commissioned you to steal the badge? I assume you’ll let me sit in on the negotiations, right?”
“Of course, if I put you at too much of a disadvantage, I might end up losing some of the money there is to be made. But don’t worry about the location, we’re meeting here,” Felt said, tapping the edge of the table with her finger, before leaning against the back of her chair and looking up at Rom.
“As long as Old Man Rom’s around, most people will forget about using violence as an option. Just the thought of having to fight this scary old man sends shivers down your spine, don’t you think?”
Felt looked to Subaru for agreement, and after one quick glance at Rom, Subaru nodded several times.
On the other hand, Rom didn’t seem too bothered about their having that kind of opinion of him.
“You really can’t do anything without me, can you, Felt? I worry about you. Would you like another glass of milk? I also have some other things that are a little sweeter.”
Rom had started to look like the grandfather who spoils his granddaughter like she was a cute kitten. Rom looked thrilled as he poured another glass of milk for Felt. Subaru looked at the two of them, and let out an exasperated sigh.
“Really, if you had already called that person here in the first place, were you planning on trying to negotiate the price with them even if I didn’t show up?”
“Of course I was! Just how much do you think I had to go through to steal this thing? What if poor little me had to meet with them all on my own and got talked down on the reward? Wouldn’t that be sad?”
“‘Poor little me,’ huh…”
Felt was small and thin and though from that outward appearance one might be tempted to describe her as such, given how strong and stubborn a personality she had Subaru had a problem thinking of her as helpless. Thinking back to when Felt had run away after having stolen the badge, she had left Subaru for dead as he was being assaulted by those thugs.
Remembering that episode left Subaru a bit angry, so he couldn’t help but bring it up.
“Speaking of which, don’t you remember me at all?”
“Huh? Did we meet somewhere before? I mean, unless it was some really sort of shocking encounter, I don’t think I’d remember you. I’m quite busy, and to be honest you look pretty plain. Only your hair and clothes stand out.” Felt cackled.
As far as he could tell from the way she said it, Subaru didn’t think that Felt was lying. There was also the fact that he had just had the plainness of his overall appearance insulted, so it was enough to put him into a minor state of shock.
It was starting to seem like there really was no such thing as common human decency in this world. Not if anyone could so easily forget passing by the scene of an attempted murder and robbery.
But then again, there were people like Satella, who had saved Subaru even though there was nothing in it for her, and this old man who, despite being a bit of a villain, you just couldn’t bring yourself to hate. Even in this different world it wasn’t as though everyone was the same. It wouldn’t be right just to judge everyone based on the actions of a few bad eggs.
“Anyway, that’s enough about your terrible memory, Felt. When is that other person supposed to be coming?”
“I’m not sure I like your attitude… But I said I’d finish the job by sunset, so we agreed to meet here after sunset… Since the sun’s already set they should be here any minute now—I think?”
That conversation might have triggered an event flag, because just then came a sharp knock on the door. All three people at the table looked at one another.
“Did you tell ’em about the special knock?”
“Ah… No, I didn’t. It’s probably for me, so I’ll go check.” Felt stuck her tongue out at Rom and she leapt from her chair and went over to the door. The way she acted, you’d think she owned the place.
“You really okay with letting her get away with that?” Subaru said as he turned to Rom.
“Well, it’s not like I just met her. We’ve known each other for a long time… I suppose I can let her depend on me every now and then.”
Subaru thought Rom actually looked very happy to be depended on, as the old man went into the back of the cellar and returned with a large club.
The club was about the length of a bamboo kendo sword, and it seemed to be made of wood. At the tip and sticking out in various places were sharp points, and it looked like a clean hit would easily leave a fatal wound.
The closest thing to compare it to would be a bat with nails in it, but even in this world it looks like clubs are pretty standard equipment…
Wielding a club like that seemed to suit the six-foot-tall, musclebound old man. Subaru thought that if his clothes were a bit more torn and he was wearing a loincloth it would be an even more perfect fit.
“Upon seeing your uncivilized figure in all its glory, even I can’t help myself but wince and smile at the same time.”
“You sure like to run your mouth, don’t you? Just who do you think you have to thank for getting this far? Woe is me,” Rom added, shaking his head.
Subaru looked back at Rom for a few moments.
“Well, to be honest, I’ve very thankful for your help. It’s not like everything’s over yet, but I’m almost there, and the only reason things have been going so well for me is because of your help, so…thanks.”
“…If you suddenly start being honest with me like that, I’m not going to know what to do,” said Rom in response to Subaru’s thanks, scratching at his bald head before letting out a deep sigh.
“You have more to thank yourself for in finding this place and making use of what you had on ya. I haven’t done anything deserving of your thanks.”
“You know that’s not true. After all, Rom, you knew that Felt was planning on discussing the price of what she stole here with someone, right? Then, as soon as you heard what I had to say, you had all the reason to just throw me out.”
“…”
“You’re the one who gave me a chance to even talk to Felt. Of course, it was my efforts—my efforts!—that took it from there!”
It was important so Subaru had to say it twice.
As Subaru proudly pointed his thumb at himself, Rom’s expression grew complicated and he was silent.
Thinking that Rom had finally grown tired of his antics, Subaru started to regret his eagerness to praise himself.
“I wouldn’t call the way I feel about it ‘thanks,’ but…if either of us is to thank the other, it should be me, rather than you,” muttered Rom, softly, just as Subaru’s feeling of regret was starting to show on his face.
The old man’s wrinkles deepened as he put on a smile.
“There’s the fact that you have a mitia and then there’s your clothes and the look about you… You come from a pretty well-off family, don’t you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that…”
“You don’t have to hide it. I bet that you can’t make public the fact that Felt stole that badge. If for nothing else, I’m very grateful of the fact that you’re trying to settle this in a peaceful way.”
It seemed that Rom had formed his own conclusions about Subaru’s mysterious background, and that inside his head, Subaru was something of a very thoughtful gentleman.
“Felt and I…we’ve been together about as long as she can remember, since when she was a little girl,” Rom said.
“I remember you saying something like that a little while ago…Have you two been here that whole time?” Subaru nodded his head in the direction of the surrounding slum area.
Rom nodded. “In a place like this, everyone’s just struggling to survive. In that kind of environment, the young ones tend to gangs from others like them, but…Felt really isn’t suited to that.”
“If the way she’s been acting is the way she acts to everyone, I’m not that surprised.”
Felt’s attitude so far seemed resolute and bold, but while that sounded good, there was no question that all of that resolution was geared toward her own ends. If you act like that, Subaru thought, anybody who wants a mutually beneficial relationship with you isn’t going to be too thrilled.
“But isn’t there also a problem in how she approaches you, Rom? I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I think that part of the reason her selfishness has gotten so bad is because you’re always there for her.”
“…I don’t have anything I can say to that. After all, it’s true that I tend to spoil her,” Rom said softly as he ran his hand over his bald head.
The way the old man looked when he said that made it clear to Subaru that Rom felt as though Felt was family to him. They probably weren’t related by blood, but at least from Rom’s side, there was a clear bond between them.
“Well, I hope it’s not a one-sided sort of thing,” Subaru muttered, without being clear on who the subject was.
But Rom must have heard, because he whispered, “I don’t mind, even if that’s the way it is. …Actually, it’d be best if it were that way.”
But just then it looked as though their time was up.
“What are you two doing, muttering to yourselves? It’s creepy, so cut it out,” said Felt, annoyed, as she returned. Behind Felt, who was doing a terrible job of putting on a fake smile, was one other person. “I was right, it was for me. We’re over here, would you care to take a seat?” Felt motioned, pushing Subaru aside, and turned back to the person behind her while attempting to be courteous.
When Subaru looked up, preparing himself to face the next person he was going to have to negotiate between, he was a little bit surprised.
Felt had invited in an incredibly beautiful woman.
She was very tall for a woman, about the same height as Subaru, and she looked as though she were in her early twenties. The beautiful woman had eyes that angled down toward their edges and she had a certain calmness about her. One thing that stood out about her in the darkness of the loot cellar was the almost sickly whiteness of her skin. She was wearing a black coat, but the front was open and you could see that her clothes underneath were also black and were tightly fit against her skin. While she was fairly thin, she definitely had curves where they should be, and a very nice body overall.
Like Subaru, the woman also had black hair, which seemed to be very rare in this world. Her hair was tied in a braid that reached all the way to her hips, the tip of which she was twirling around in her fingers.
In short, she was a bewitchingly beautiful older woman. For Subaru, who had no real experience being around women even in his own world, seeing a woman like this was so new to him that he could not help but feel extremely nervous.
Having already lost his cool, Subaru followed Felt’s directions and gave up his chair without any complaint. Felt took that seat, and Rom took the seat to the left of her. Subaru just stood to Felt’s right, unable to hide his nervousness.
With so many people awaiting her arrival, the woman didn’t seem upset, but she did look puzzled. “I get the feeling that there are a lot of unrelated people here.”
“I can’t just let myself be in a position to be talked down on price, you know? It’s the wisdom of the weak. Anyway, Subaru, go fetch us some drinks.”
Felt motioned to Subaru with her hand, like she was ordering a servant around, but Subaru couldn’t bring himself to talk back, and so went behind the counter and picked out some relatively clean glasses, filled them with milk, and came back to the table to set them down.
The woman said, “Thank you,” to Subaru before looking him up and down.
“I understand that old man being here, but who is this?”
The woman must have been able to tell by Subaru’s demeanor that he was not very used to the place. Rather than being wary of him, she had posed a simple question.
In response, Felt smiled her evil smile. “This guy here is your rival. He’s come to negotiate as well,” she declared, and her process of “sweetening the deal” began.
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Diamond. Diamond. Diamond.
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