Sorry for the late update, I had a high fever a few days ago and thank God I'm better now.
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Asking anyone else would likely be a waste of breath.
During these past few days, Gojo Satoru had not ceased his observations of the twin sisters, Ram and Rem. Although neither he nor Natsuki Subaru had possessed the Witch's scent during the first loop, things were different this time.
While he wasn't worried about Rem attempting to poison them, Gojo didn't want this lingering loathing to trigger events different from the first loop. It would be troublesome if a butterfly effect caused the development of the story to take a new turn.
Fortunately, though the sisters held some resentment toward him and Subaru because of the Witch Cult, they did not act upon it.
Soon, the day of Subaru and Emilia's date arrived. Even though Subaru had already experienced it once, he remained brimming with enthusiasm. His spirits weren't dampened by previous events; if anything, he was even more excited.
In his words: because he had gained a deeper understanding of Emilia in the "previous week," their interactions this time were even smoother, and their relationship progressed much faster.
"This time, I'll definitely give Emilia an even more perfect date!"
The night before, seeing Subaru so full of conviction, Gojo could only offer a few more reminders to ensure the guy didn't forget the main task at hand.
Watching Subaru return to his room with a light step, Gojo didn't forget his own business either. He remembered clearly that around this time in the previous loop, he had spotted Roswaal in the village. This time, he intended to head there early to see exactly what was going on.
Without a sound, Gojo left the mansion and arrived at the village in an instant.
Under the cover of night, Gojo flew to a large tree near the village. Using the lush foliage as concealment, he settled in to wait patiently. It was still early. Barring any accidents, he should be able to intercept Roswaal.
"Let's see what exactly you're up to."
Gojo didn't have to wait long. Before long, under the bright moonlight, he saw a figure flying through the distant sky. Who else could it be but Roswaal?
Seeing his target appear, Gojo didn't move immediately. Instead, he watched as the figure flew toward the outskirts of the village, eventually disappearing into the forest.
"Just passing through?"
Gojo followed silently from a distance, eventually locating Roswaal in a clearing within the woods. However, Roswaal wasn't alone. There was another figure present—one that Gojo found quite familiar.
Wasn't that the "Bowel Hunter," Elsa, whom he had encountered back in the Royal Capital?!
Seeing Elsa again, Gojo felt a hint of surprise. Based on their previous clash, surviving his attacks shouldn't have been an easy feat for her. He had assumed she was dead; he hadn't expected her to be alive and well.
'Looks like the bounty money is down the drain again.'
Gojo sighed inwardly, feeling a bit regretful. As for Roswaal meeting Elsa here, he wasn't particularly shocked. He had felt something was off about Roswaal for a while now. What kind of supporter would be so perfunctory about their candidate's safety, seemingly unafraid of any assassination attempts?
Seeing this, everything became clear. It wasn't that he wasn't afraid of other candidates' assassins—the assassin herself was on his payroll.
Still, looking at it another way, this was a good thing. He now had more leverage over Roswaal. If he wanted to squeeze more benefits out of him later, it would be much more convenient.
Of course, the prerequisite was breaking the current stalemate.
Using his Six Eyes, Gojo observed the two from afar. Due to the distance, he couldn't hear their conversation clearly. The meeting didn't last long; after about ten minutes, Roswaal departed. Elsa didn't linger either, her figure quickly vanishing into the woods.
Gojo didn't chase after Elsa to capture her. As he had told Subaru, the priority was figuring out the cause of the time loop. Everything else was secondary. If he wanted to investigate their transaction, he could do so anytime. For now, it was vital not to do anything extra that might trigger a butterfly effect.
Gojo returned to his room in the mansion without a sound and began to rest.
The next day.
A familiar scene unfolded. Subaru high-spiritedly took Emilia and Rem to the village. By noon, the group returned. As soon as Subaru was back, he excitedly reported that his performance on the date couldn't have been better. With his prior experience, Emilia's smiles were noticeably more frequent, and the trip was much more joyful.
"You didn't do anything extra, right?" Gojo asked again, despite having reminded him before.
"Nope, don't worry!" Subaru said, thumping his chest confidently.
Gojo looked at the bandage on Subaru's hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "My point was not to do things that might affect the outcome. I didn't tell you to get bitten by the dog in exactly the same way."
"Ah, you mean this?" Subaru rubbed his head awkwardly. "I wasn't planning on getting bitten, but that little dog was a bit too cunning. It nipped me when I wasn't looking. Next time I see it, I'm definitely wearing gloves and giving its head a good rub."
"You actually want there to be a 'next time'? This isn't some GalGame where you can constantly reload saves to collect CGs."
While Gojo wasn't particularly interested in games, he couldn't help but know about them given their popularity in the world he came from before crossing over.
"Heh. Hearing you put it that way, it actually sounds pretty interesting." Instead of backing down, Gojo's words made Subaru find the situation quite amusing.
"Tonight, don't go back to your room. Come to mine," Gojo said. "We'll watch each other—no sleeping. Let's see what's actually going on."
"Alright, I'll head over after a bath. You should hurry up and wash too."
Gojo rubbed his nose as he watched Subaru leave with a light step,忍不住 (couldn't help) muttering under his breath: "Honestly, two grown men shouldn't say things that could be so easily misunderstood."
"I heard everything. I didn't realize you two were so disgusting."
Felt popped out of nowhere, looking at Gojo with a face full of revulsion.
"I knew it," Gojo shook his head helplessly. "Would you believe me if I said this was all a misunderstanding?"
Felt shook her head like a rattle, clearly not believing a word of it. Looking at her, Gojo suddenly realized that the time loop might not be such a bad thing after all.
Time flew by, and night soon arrived. The two, having finished their washing, were now staring at each other in the room. Gojo was well-prepared; not only had he asked Rem to prepare plenty of sweets, but he had also borrowed a book from Beatrice to pass the time.
As for Subaru, he was bored out of his mind. He hadn't started learning the local script yet, so he couldn't read the books. He could only lie listlessly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Say, Satoru, I really can't sleep?"
Dating Emilia all day had drained a lot of his energy. Now that he was lying down, waves of drowsiness were hitting him.
"If you're really tired, take a short break. I'll wake you in a bit," Gojo said casually while flipping through his book. Letting Subaru rest for a moment was fine, as long as he didn't sleep through the night.
"Yeah... thanks. I'll just sleep for a bit," Subaru said, slowly closing his eyes. Before long, steady breathing echoed from the bed.
Gojo continued reading and eating his sweets. It was a book introducing the Oni tribe. Since learning about the twins being the last of their kind, he had developed quite an interest in them.
Minutes and seconds ticked by. Soon, Gojo prepared to wake Subaru.
"Subaru, time to get up."
Gojo went to the bedside and shook him. The deeply asleep Subaru gave no reaction. Thinking he was just a heavy sleeper, Gojo shook him harder, but still, there was nothing.
Frowning, Gojo pulled Subaru up from the bed and shook him repeatedly. Even a heavy sleeper would instinctively wake up or at least react under such circumstances. However, Subaru remained motionless, as if he were in a coma.
Gojo immediately sensed something was wrong. His ice-blue eyes behind the sunglasses sharpened instantly as he carefully scanned Subaru's condition.
With a glance, Gojo identified the problem. While Subaru had no Cursed Energy, he did have Mana, even if he couldn't use it properly. But right now, the Mana in his body was continuously draining away, as if being siphoned off by some bizarre force.
Having spent so much time with Beatrice, Gojo had learned quite a bit about magic. Mana was life force. Given Subaru's current state, if the Mana continued to drain, his death would be certain once it was depleted!
Gojo didn't hesitate. He grabbed the unconscious Subaru and charged out of the room. Regarding Mana depletion, his current level of magical knowledge offered no solution or countermeasure. Mana loss wasn't like physical damage; if it were a physical wound, he could use the Reversed Cursed Technique to restore it. But for Mana loss, he was powerless.
The only option was to find someone capable of solving it. In the mansion, those with the power to help were Roswaal and Beatrice. Puck might also be able to, but it was night, and Puck generally wouldn't manifest.
He didn't head for Beatrice first. He could find the Forbidden Library's door, but with so many doors in the mansion, he didn't have time to play "door-crossing" right now. Gojo hauled Subaru toward Roswaal's room without a second thought.
As he moved, many things he hadn't understood before finally became clear. Why did Subaru have the Witch's scent for no reason? It was because he, too, had experienced death. The reason Subaru said he didn't know was because this Mana depletion was impossible to detect while dreaming. One would simply die in their sleep from Mana exhaustion without ever knowing.
"Roswaal!"
Arriving at the door, Gojo shouted and kicked it open. However, the room was empty; Roswaal was nowhere to be found. Gojo turned and ran toward the study with Subaru in tow. Unfortunately, Roswaal wasn't there either.
The successive commotion quickly woke the others in the mansion. Ram and Rem were the first to run out, still in their pajamas. Unlike her usual gentle self, Rem was holding a menacing morning star. It was hard to imagine that the usually sweet girl would use such a brutal, terrifying weapon.
Seeing Gojo holding Subaru, their eyes were wary and defensive. Gojo cut to the chase, his tone urgent.
"Where's Roswaal? Subaru needs his help right now."
Ram looked at the Subaru in Gojo's arms. Sensing the rapidly fading life force, the wariness in her eyes diminished significantly.
"Lord Roswaal went out earlier. He is not currently in the mansion."
He's out?
Gojo turned and left immediately. Cursed Energy surged through his body as he became a blur, flying through the corridors at extreme speed. Time was of the essence. He had to find the door to the Forbidden Library immediately.
Gojo's figure darted through the mansion, door after door flashing past his eyes. If time weren't so tight, he felt a genuine urge to destroy every other door in the building just to leave one. The Forbidden Library door, which was usually easy to find, seemed to be playing hard to get.
Fortunately, Gojo was fast enough. After searching for a while, he finally located the correct door. He burst through it like a cannonball.
As soon as he entered, he heard Beatrice's shriek.
"Human! You've gone too far! Betty's tolerance is not for you to challenge—"
Before she could finish, Gojo arrived before her like a gale, his voice urgent.
"Save him!"
Beatrice froze instinctively. Looking at the fading life force of the Subaru in front of her, she subconsciously stepped forward.