Re:Zero - Reincarnated on a Co-op Route

Kaoru was still standing motionless, his eyes lost in some distant place. Emilia, visibly concerned, continued to shake his shoulder, trying to snap him out of his apparent trance.

"Let me help you, Lia~"

Puck said as he floated over to Kaoru with a relaxed smile.

"What are you going to do?"

Emilia asked, not taking her eyes off Kaoru.

"Watch how you snap an idiot out of a trance."

Without further warning, the little spirit closed his tiny fist and smashed it against Kaoru's forehead.

Bam

"AGH!"

Kaoru backed up a step, bringing his hand to his forehead. He looked at Puck with a face full of surprise and annoyance. "What was that for?"

"I just woke you up silly~"

Puck replied as he stuck out his tongue and floated back toward Emilia.

Emilia immediately grabbed Kaoru's hands, looking at him with concern.

"Are you okay? You froze for a moment."

Kaoru took a deep breath, trying to reassure himself, and forced a gentle smile as he replied.

"Oh... yeah, I'm fine. I don't know what happened, but I'm better now."

To ease the tension, he ran a hand over Emilia's head, stroking it gently.

"So I died... Rem killed me. Then that dark garden appeared, that woman... and killed me again. Now I'm here, back at the mansion. It feels like the morning of the first day. Subaru and I have gone back three days, again.

I need to talk to Subaru... this is bad. We can't waste time; we need a plan right away.

He pulled his notebook out of his back pocket, looking for some starting point to organize his thoughts. But as he opened it, something stopped him. There were things written down that he didn't remember writing down.

What the hell...?

He thought as he turned the pages quickly. He recognized his own handwriting and the Japanese language, but the entries were unfamiliar. There were notes on the Shamak spell, the elements Yin and Water, and details on the magical subfixes El, Ul, and Al. There was also an assessment of his magical talent: 4/10 in both magics and notations on mana control.

What caught his attention most, however, was one particular notation, accompanied by a childish drawing of an ugly-ass cat: "Puck is a jerk and a bad teacher."

"I will keep it in mind, future Kaoru"

"Is something wrong, Kaoru?"

Emilia asked, noticing how he flipped through the notebook rapidly.

Kaoru slammed the notebook shut and lifted his head quickly.

"Oh, uh... it's nothing. I was just going over some notes."

Before he could reflect further on what he had seen in the notebook, two familiar figures came out into the garden. Rem and Ram, with their usual calmness, bowed respectfully in front of Emilia and Kaoru.

"Kaoru-sama. Emilia-sama."

Rem said, in her usual polite tone.

"Please follow us to Subaru's room. He is unwell."

---

The group arrived at Subaru's room. Emilia was the first to enter, followed closely by Kaoru. Subaru was lying on the bed, his face pale and his breathing heavy. He seemed deep in thought, with a vacant look on his face that worried both of them.

"Subaru, are you okay?"

Emilia asked as she sat on the edge of the bed. Gingerly, she stroked his arm, trying to comfort him.

"Rem and Ram told me you screamed and were shaking..."

Subaru looked up slowly, his eyes tired but filled with something Emilia couldn't quite identify.

"Emilia... don't worry. I'm feeling better," he replied with a weak smile, though the slight blush on his face betrayed his embarrassment.

Kaoru approached from the other side of the bed. He took Subaru's hand firmly and squeezed it lightly.

"You really got me worried, dude."

He said with a small smile. But then, his expression became more serious, making it clear that they needed to talk privately later about their business. There were too many things to discuss, especially about the failed loop.

"Ram and Rem were really worried about you," Emilia added.

Hearing the maids' names, Subaru visibly tensed. His eyes widened a little more, and his face paled even more. Emilia noticed the reaction but decided not to press him.

"They were feeling unusually depressed," Emilia continued, trying to soften the conversation.

"They thought maybe they had offended you in some way. How about saying something to them the next time you see them?"

Subaru gritted his teeth before answering, his tone colder than usual.

"Offended, huh? No, they didn't do anything... there's nothing between me and those people."

Subaru's curt tone made Emilia frown slightly, but she decided not to insist. Kaoru, noticing how the conversation was becoming more tense, decided to withdraw; he couldn't talk with Emilia inside anyways.

"I think I'll leave them some privacy."

Kaoru said as he squeezed Subaru's shoulder reassuringly. He gave him one last smile before walking out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.

---

When Kaoru left, Subaru looked at Emilia, who was still sitting next to him. In the midst of all the chaos, She was his only point of stability.

"Emilia... Do you think... I'm a nuisance?"

Emilia looked at him in surprise. "How could I think you're a nuisance?" She quickly replied, raising a finger as if to emphasize her point.

"You saved my life, Subaru. What am I supposed to do if someone I owe a debt to just up and leaves? You'd really put me on the spot."

Subaru looked at her silently, her words hitting him harder than he would have expected.

Subaru looked at her silently, her words piercing his heart. "She trusts me...but she doesn't know the truth," he thought. There was something deeply heartbreaking in Emilia's sincerity.

"What if I tell her... what if I reveal to her the secret of the Return by Death?"

The thought filled him with doubt. It's the first time he will tell that to someone other than Kaoru. He doesn't know if she will believe him or not take him seriously, but if he told her, it would make things much easier from now on.

"Emilia... I have something to tell you..."