Re:Zero: Wrath Route Yandere Emilia Watches the Projection

”Mama!”

With a joyful cry, the green-haired little girl threw herself into the arms of a woman who had opened them wide to receive her.

Emilia and Natsuki Subaru, who had been holding the girl’s hands just a moment before, exchanged a glance and smiled — both watching the reunion with warmth in their eyes.

After a brief exchange of words, the two said goodbye to the mother and, with an unspoken understanding, set off strolling down the streets they both remembered.

Along the way they helped whatever passersby they came across, and those they aided, grateful in return, shared whatever clues they knew about a certain golden-haired little girl.

The central fountain plaza. The scenic overlook by the stone bridge. The corners of narrow back alleys…

Just as expected, the two came up empty-handed — exactly as memory said they would — and yet neither showed even a trace of impatience.

Whether it was Emilia or Natsuki Subaru, both were utterly absorbed in this simple little ”date.”

The shared memories playing through their minds were vivid, undeniably real — but they couldn’t hold a candle to what was real and present, right here.

Every tiny shift of expression on the other’s face. Every warm breath exhaled into the air.

Even the flutter of a heartbeat when their fingertips brushed — all of it was the kind of precious memory worth carving deep into the soul.

At last, hand in hand and laughing as they went, the two climbed a tower that looked out over the entire city.

”Hey, Subaru!”

Emilia leaned against the railing and stretched forward, gaze sweeping out over the sea of rooftops spread across the distance.

Before today, as far as she could remember, she had never once had the chance to be alone with Natsuki Subaru.

Their first meeting was supposed to have been in the stolen-goods storehouse in the slums.

But she knew the truth — Subaru had already been quietly reaching out to help her before they ever met.

——If he hadn’t passed information to her through Reinhard, she might still be wandering lost somewhere in the city.

But why had Subaru helped her back then?

The two of them had never even met before!

The question had churned endlessly in Emilia’s heart at the time.

What made it all the more baffling was that Natsuki Subaru had saved her life — and the only reward he asked for was to know her name.

Really… what a pushover.

Emilia curved her lips into a quiet smile, and deep inside, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Though who was she to talk, really?

Subaru wasn’t a bad person — not at all!

Emilia had understood that from the very beginning.

But it made her sad. Because even someone as gentle as Subaru had never been treated gently by the world in return…

The nightmare had begun on the day Rem died — at least, in the memories she carried.

With no way to find the cause of Rem’s death, Ram had been consumed by grief and rage, and turned all the blame onto Subaru.

Chased from the mansion by Ram, Subaru had fled — and after that, the two of them had simply… vanished from each other’s lives.

The next time they met, Subaru had already become the ”Purge King” — a man who held power in his hands and commanded a vast network of influence.

A breeze stirred through Emilia’s silver-white hair as she gazed at the profile of the young man beside her — bright-eyed, full of life.

Those bold, spirited brows. That open expression. He looked nothing like the grim, closed-off Purge King she remembered.

”What’s the matter, Emilia-tan?”

Emilia lowered her gaze and quietly released Subaru’s hand, pressing her fingernails into her own palm.

After a moment’s hesitation, she finally said aloud the words she had been holding inside all along:

”You’ve probably noticed, haven’t you, Subaru? People on the street keep giving me strange looks.”

”There are even people we helped — people who, the moment they saw my face clearly, couldn’t take back their thanks fast enough.”

Emilia’s violet eyes met Subaru’s gaze with quiet resolve. She had made up her mind — she would come clean about who she was, the same way she had in a certain memory from another loop.

She had to tell him. Because one particular thought had never stopped haunting her:

Natsuki Subaru — why had he been so good to her?

Even when she was imprisoned by the ruthless, decisive Purge King, she could still feel it — the part of him that genuinely wanted to protect her.

But why?

Why would he be so kind to someone like her — a half-elf, despised by the world —

Even looked upon as the reincarnation of the Witch of Envy, Satella herself?

After spending today with Natsuki Subaru, a faint answer had begun to take shape somewhere inside her.

But before that answer, there was something she absolutely had to do — tell him everything about who she really was.

Emilia drew a slow, deep breath, and with steady eyes, she said to Natsuki Subaru:

”My name is Emilia.”

She took another breath.

”As a half-elf, I am a being that the world despises.”

”The great figures of the Sage Council see me as the reincarnation of the Witch of Envy who nearly destroyed the world. They call me a half-witch.”

”Is it really alright to be associated with someone like me? Is it even… worth it?”

A sharp, bitter ache spread through her chest. Emilia forced herself to say the last of it, barely holding on.

Terrified of seeing revulsion cross Subaru’s face, she shut her eyes on instinct and waited for the verdict.

But no matter how long she waited, the sound she’d braced herself for never came.

”Hahaha — Emilia?”

A burst of utterly unguarded, genuine laughter jolted Emilia’s eyes open.

She cracked one eye open — and found Natsuki Subaru looking at her with a warm, amused grin, as if he found her current reaction completely adorable.

”Y-yes! I’m here!”

Emilia snapped her gaze back to Natsuki Subaru, flustered.

She found him propping his chin in his hand, studying her carefully from side to side — and then he simply started talking, at his own pace.

”Hmm, Emilia really is incredibly cute, you know? I thought so the very first time I saw you.”

”C-cute? Me? No, that’s not…”

Emilia’s eyes darted away, filled with uncertainty. Growing up, aside from Puck, nearly everyone else had reacted to her appearance with disgust — and that had left her with a deep lack of confidence in how she looked.

And on top of that, Emilia still remembered the complicated look that had crossed Subaru’s face in the alley earlier today, when he’d witnessed her kill someone.

Natsuki Subaru kept his expression perfectly calm and simply pretended he hadn’t heard Emilia’s flustered denial.

Because Emilia didn’t know — the ”first time” he was referring to wasn’t today.

It was the day, one year ago, when memories had suddenly flooded into him.

That beautiful girl who had reached out to help him at his most helpless — Emilia.

And now Emilia needed his help. So he gathered his thoughts, and began to count off her good points one by one, each as he saw them.

”Emilia has beautiful eyes and lovely features — and I really like that about you.”

”Emilia takes the initiative to help strangers with their troubles — and I really, really like that kind heart of yours.”

”Emilia stepped up and took on those thugs herself, and saved a helpless version of me — and that gentle Emilia…”

”I love her most of all!”

With that last line, Natsuki Subaru turned toward the sprawling rooftops in the distance and shouted it out with everything he had — as if to prove beyond any doubt that every word was true.

”If everyone else says a hundred times that Emilia isn’t cute, then I’ll say a thousand times that she is!”

”If everyone else says a thousand times that Emilia isn’t cute, then I’ll say ten thousand times that Emilia — is the cutest of all!”

Natsuki Subaru looked straight into Emilia’s eyes and said it with a smile — then extended his hand toward her in an open invitation.

”If Emilia can’t even believe in herself, then try believing in me — the one who believes in you!”

On the rooftops of a nearby building in the distance, a flock of messenger pigeons suddenly burst into the air all at once, wings beating loudly as they scattered toward the sky.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant. The whole world fell away, leaving only the frantic pounding of Emilia’s heart.

The sun overhead drifted slowly westward, and the light it cast reached the top of the tower — painting the rooftop, which had been wrapped in shadow until now, in a warm, golden glow.

”Mm!”

Emilia suddenly burst out with a small, bright laugh — and with a hint of shyness, lifted her hand to cover her lips.

Her fingertips settled gently into Natsuki Subaru’s outstretched palm, like the sealing of some sacred vow.

”I trust you, Subaru. So from here on out, I’ll take better care of myself.”

”And besides… I’ve already found my ’answer.’”

Emilia gazed at Natsuki Subaru with luminous eyes — fixed on the tips of his ears, which had gone faintly red.

The feeling welling in her gaze was so rich, so full, it was nearly tangible — as if love itself were about to take solid form.

Yes. In this moment, it was perfectly clear to her — the reason why, across all those loops, Subaru had poured everything he had into saving her.

The reason was plain as day.

But without being placed in the same circumstances, she might never have understood it — not for a long, long time.

Accepting everything about the other person without conditions, while also being able to clearly see every light they carry inside them.

The only thing that could sustain all of that — was love.

At that realization, Emilia could no longer hold back what was rising inside her.

The hand clasped in Natsuki Subaru’s quietly tightened — just a gentle tug.

And before either of them could prepare, they stumbled together and fell into each other’s arms.

The girl’s soft, warm body fit perfectly against Natsuki Subaru’s chest, her hair tangling with his breath, as if she were trying to merge with him entirely.

Now we’re finally even, Subaru.

From here on out — even if the world itself comes to an end — I will answer your love, properly and with everything I have.

Emilia leaned close to Natsuki Subaru’s burning ear and breathed the words in a murmur only the two of them could hear:

”I… Aishiteru.”

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