"--What's wrong, brother? You suddenly look spaced out."

"Huh--?"

A stern-looking middle-aged man spoke to him, causing him to inadvertently respond in a foolish manner.
In reaction to Subaru's response, the middle-aged man's already wrinkled brow furrowed even further,

"I said, what are you going to do? Are you going to buy the renga or not?"

"Huh--?"

"The renga! Don't you want to eat it? You came up to me and said so yourself, then suddenly your eyes went vacant, and I got scared. So, what are you going to do?"

A muscular man with a scarred face was holding a small, adorable red fruit in his hand.
Subaru compared the apple-like fruit that was being thrust towards him with the middle-aged man's face,

"Ah, actually, I'm completely broke."

"...What the heck, so you were just teasing me. In that case, scram! I'm running a business here. I don't have time to deal with window shoppers."

He gestured dismissively, shooing Subaru away, who obediently scurried off.
As he looked around, Subaru Natsuki muttered,

"Huh? Huh? --What is going on?"

His confusion and bewilderment left him barely able to voice his questions to no one in particular.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The main street was still bustling with people. Apart from the occasional lizard-drawn cart passing by, the street was filled with pedestrians.
It was still a time of day when the sun was high. The temperature wasn't exactly hot, but seeing the fur of a humanoid wolf—a werewolf, perhaps—walking by made Subaru think, "They must be quite hot."
It was a fleeting thought,

"But this isn't the time to be having thoughts like that! What the heck is going on!?"

Subaru clutched his head, twisted his waist, and struck a pose of utmost agony. His peculiar behavior drew curious glances from the people around him.
He knew those glances well. They were the same kind he had been receiving from everyone a few hours ago, no, exactly the same.

"Yes, a few hours ago... or at least, it should have been a few hours ago."

As he spoke, he looked around, and for the final touch, he gazed up at the sky, tilting his head in puzzlement.
The sun was high. At least in Subaru's understanding, it should have been sunset just a moment ago.

This sensation is not new to Subaru.
When he was pulled into another world—this world—he also experienced the reversal of day and night. Though the shock this time is not as great as initially, there is a distinct difference in the conditions now.

"The wound on my stomach... it's gone."

He muttered this as he rolled up the hem of his tracksuit to check his abdomen underneath.
The wound, which should have been caused by a large blade-like weapon and should have spilled his blood and guts, was nowhere to be seen. Naturally, there were no suture marks, nor any traces of blood on his clothes.
In fact, his beloved tracksuit didn’t even show any signs of dust or mud.
The convenience store bag in his hand was intact, and his cell phone and wallet were still in the pockets of his pants. In every sense, it was a perfect initial state.
――He felt like he was going crazy.

"Just the summoning to another world is more than I can handle, so what am I supposed to do in this state...?"

Given Satella's precedent in healing wounds, he could rationalize the absence of the wound.
However, the wound Subaru sustained in the thieves' den earlier was clearly fatal. It was such that the moment his consciousness faded, he was certain he felt the presence of death.
If such a severe wound could heal, it would imply that the magic of this world might even allow resurrection of the dead.

"The value of life is greatly diminished... No, before that, who?"

Conscious of the slight lapses in his memory, Subaru desperately tried to recall what happened just before he lost consciousness.
Yes, he was about to be killed after his stomach was slashed open. He thought he had heard a woman's voice.
He found a corpse in the thieves' den, and he himself was attacked by the person who seemed to have killed that individual. And in that life-threatening situation――.

"That's right, Satella!"

The silver-haired girl had worried about Subaru and had come into the thieves' den.
Recalling what he had done before and after, Subaru was now overwhelmed with regret.
She had clearly told him.
Not to try to handle things on his own, and if something happened, to call for her.

Those words held a meaning beyond just worrying about Subaru. They were also meant to inform Satella that they were in a dire situation.
Nevertheless, Subaru neglected even to give the instruction to raise her voice in that moment.
As a result, Subaru himself could not escape the assailant and ended up bringing Satella into that horrific scene.

In the darkness, while drowning in a pool created by his own blood, Subaru clearly saw the silver-haired girl being cut down by the assailant.
Falling into the sea of blood in the same way, she stopped moving before Subaru did.

"Weren’t you told to take care of Satella... by me?"

Just before vanishing, Subaru remembered the figure of Puck, who had said those words.
They were not light words at all. It was just that Subaru had not taken them seriously, and as the little cat had feared, such a situation awaited them both.
And despite Subaru being repeatedly warned, he let that opportunity slip through mere oversight.
That has led to the current situation.
Thrown out into the street without understanding why, unsure of the safety of familiar faces, and losing sight of his direction, Subaru was at his wit's end.

"Am I an idiot?... No, I am an idiot. Where do I have time to hang my head in despair? Anyway, I have to find Satella and Puck..."

Subaru shook his head to drive away the cruel thought that they both might be dead.
Even someone like himself, with no redeeming qualities, utterly useless and essentially just a waste generator, had survived.
If that's the case, he couldn’t believe that a kind-hearted, altruistic, magic-wielding girl with a straightforward yet stubborn nature and an elusive, quirky spirit had died.
No, he didn’t want them to be dead.

"Anyway, for now..."

――Let's head to the stolen goods warehouse, Subaru decided.

If that place is the destination of his consciousness, Subaru feels there must be a hint for his actions there.

As soon as he thought of it, he moved. Even in this situation, Subaru's quick decision-making shines. In his original world, it was mostly used for decisions like “I’m not going to school today,” but for the current Subaru, it holds great significance in terms of cutting through hesitation.

However, that determined decision of Subaru's—

"Hey, kid. Why don't you hang out with us for a bit?"

was hindered by three men blocking the alley.

"What's with that dumb look on your face?"

"He probably doesn't understand the situation. Why don't we enlighten him?"

Seeing Subaru's lack of reaction to their threats, the men twisted the corners of their lips in ridicule. Subaru watched their behavior as if witnessing a ridiculous play.

There were three men. Their appearance was far from well-groomed, and their faces were the very picture of rough upbringing and character, typical thug faces.

Their faces and skin bore scars, indicating they were accustomed to violence, exuding an obvious air of aggression. Subaru couldn't help but feel he had seen it all before. After all, they were—

"You guys... did you hit your heads somewhere without me knowing?"

the same ones who, just a few hours ago, had created the encounter with Satella and Puck.

While it's clear they have a mob-like role, in a three-dimensional world like this one, it's not feasible for them to be reused characters. If they were different people with similar faces—

"Three similar-looking guys doing highway robbery together? Seriously?"

Having three similar-looking people forming a party is hard to imagine. Therefore, they must be the same people Subaru remembers.

“Hit your heads... or is this quick payback already? Even in another world, some things don't change. At least you're not bringing more friends along, huh?”

In the real world, when you take someone down, the one who got knocked out comes back with comrades to take revenge. In the end, no matter how many you take down, more enemies will keep appearing, and you'll end up facing incomprehensibly strong foes, leading to game over in many cases.
Compared to such negative chain reactions, their mental strength, coming for you with their own power rather than relying on others, should be somewhat commendable.
In any case, it must be said that the idea of making Subaru the target of revenge in that situation is misguided.

"Well, I get why they'd want to target the weak, so I don't blame them. But, the timing is a bit off, I guess..."

"What the hell is he saying? He must be crazy."

Seeking a peaceful solution to the matter through discussion, Subaru was mocked by the men.
Even Subaru couldn't help but get annoyed at their attitude. Trying to resolve things peacefully was solely because of the urgent situation at hand; in reality, Subaru is quite a short-tempered person.
Still, he endured the slight insults, thinking about the gravity of the situation—

"Alright, buddy. Just leave all your belongings here, and we'll let you go."

"Yeah, yeah. All my belongings, right? Fine, whatever, just get it over with."

"And mimic a dog! Get on all fours and bark, begging for mercy!"

"Don't push your luck, damn it!"

Such an insolent comment made Subaru lose his temper in an instant.
The sudden outburst from Subaru caught the men off guard. In their state of shock, Subaru aimed at the second man positioned among them.
Previously, this man had fended off Subaru's fierce attack with a knife. Naturally, his impulsive tendency to draw the knife quickly remained unchanged. Therefore—

"You first! I hate people who don't value their lives! Die!!"

A full-force palm strike sends the man's jaw flying upward. Without hesitation, a left fist strikes his exposed torso, slamming him against the wall and knocking him out cold.

Reacting slowly to the sudden situation, the other man is quickly swept off his feet by Subaru. In the gap created, Subaru sets his sights on the last man and charges at him, body and all, aiming for his lower half.

Hoisting the man up with a body tackle, Subaru crashes into the wall with full force. As the man groans from the impact, Subaru finishes him off with a kick. Turning around, he sees that the man who had fallen is now getting back on his feet.

“Damn... you bastard.”

“Alright, one-on-one. Your knife and machete are already down. So, what's it gonna be?”

Faced with an adrenaline-fueled and confident Subaru, the man's expression changes, somewhat intimidated. In reality, this man had been knocked out earlier by Satella’s magic amidst the commotion.

Though Subaru hadn't confirmed what weapons the man might have, from his current reaction, Subaru judged he wasn't carrying anything lethal.

“If it's a one-on-one brawl, I'm not going to be bowing down easily.”

“Don't screw with me, you piece of shit. You think you can disrespect me, punk?!”

Provoked by Subaru’s outstretched hand, the man spits and falls right into his trap.

Subaru responds to the grappling man's attack with a straight punch. It hits the man's chest as intended, but the man uses his momentum to tackle Subaru, trying to push him against the wall. However,

"Utterly naive!"

Subaru grabs the man's shoulders and pries his hands off with superior strength.

Seeing the obvious disturbance on the man's face, Subaru twists his viciously grinning face and says,

“Don't underestimate me just because I'm a recluse. My daily, pointless practice with a wooden sword has given me a grip strength of over 70 kilograms. I can also manage a bench press of up to 80 kilograms.”

It was a cringeworthy memory of the time he crushed an apple at a family gathering, making the atmosphere awkward. Despite living as a recluse, he never stopped training his body. In a test of strength against someone of similar build, Subaru's basic physical strength ensured he wouldn't easily lose.

Feeling his wrists being crushed, the man screams, and as his grip loosens, Subaru’s knee strikes him. The punk, folded in half from the blow to his stomach, is quickly circled around by Subaru who says,

“Don't hold this against me. Always wanted to try this— a suplex on the ground!”

He wrapped his arm around their waist and, with the momentum of falling backward, flung them. It was a throw similar to a wrestling backdrop, but letting go midway made it a vicious technique. The man couldn't do anything as his head slammed into the wall, and he fell to the ground without moving a muscle.

Confirming the silence of the two men, Subaru headed to the first man he had taken down, the one with the knife. The knife man, who had relatively less damage, writhed in pain but attempted to quickly draw a knife from his pocket as Subaru approached. Since he tried to draw it, Subaru mercilessly kicked him in the face. Total knockout.

"Piece of cake! No evil ever prospers in this world!"

Natsuki Subaru struck a victory pose, celebrating his win on the spot. He was relieved to find that his daily training, which had no particular purpose, wasn't in vain. However,

"The situation hasn't changed at all. Anyway, I have to head to the stash of stolen goods even though I got interrupted."

After confirming that the three men were not dead, Subaru quickly left the alley. Although he was slightly unsettled by the surprised exclamations of "Oh" or something similar from the passersby who saw him emerge unscathed from the scene, he wanted to loudly demand that they report such a mugging-like situation. Of course, the shy Subaru could never actually do that, and he jogged away from the place.