The relay race was over.
Class C and Class B had taken the victory.
Nearly every student was celebrating. Subaru, however, had slipped away to a deserted corner of the campus.
Or rather — a corner that should have been deserted.
"Found your way back, have you?"
A familiar voice reached his ears.
Subaru turned to look.
Long white hair. Black eyes.
The face of the Witch of Greed, Echidna.
"You're... the Witch of Greed?"
His gaze settled on her face.
"Indeed. It has been a long time."
Echidna narrowed her eyes slightly, a meaningful smile playing at the corner of her lips.
"Long? It's only been a month — we met during summer vacation."
"That one doesn't count. I'm referring to far longer ago. Four hundred years, give or take."
Subaru's face was reflected in Echidna's eyes, and within her gaze, something complex seemed to stir.
"Four hundred years? What are you talking about?"
"Back then, your hair was white, and you went by the name Flugel."
Echidna shook her head gently and continued.
"I studied countless forms of magic and eventually developed a spell capable of crossing through time and space. However, the spell was imperfect — those who passed through it could lose their memories entirely, a complete reset. And you, in order to save someone, chose to cross through different timelines, searching through endless possibilities, attempting to save her."
"Me? Save someone?"
Subaru let out a cold laugh.
Those words bore no resemblance to anything he recognized in himself. Save someone?
All Subaru had ever done was take lives.
"That's right. Because of the memory reset, your experiences and personality varied wildly across different timelines. There was a you who became a Great Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult. A you who slaughtered endlessly in search of lost memories. A you who abandoned everything and chose to run."
She paused.
"And then there was a you — betrayed, doubted, stripped of all color."
For a fleeting instant, something like compassion flickered in Echidna's eyes.
"Then why did I end up here?"
"The spell was imperfect. It wasn't only my magic at work — it also drew upon... Satella's power, binding the worlds together. That was a mistake. But now, I have refined the formula. I can bring you back."
"If jumping through time is possible, then I can also return to the past."
"Correct. If you wish, I can send you back — back four hundred years, or back to the very beginning. Every wrong path has been eliminated one by one. What remains is the last road left standing."
Echidna smiled at him and extended her hand.
"I've been quite busy during this time, working to bring you back..."
"I do want to return. At the very least... I might be able to save Beako that way. I could try a different method."
"Then let's depart now."
"Not yet."
And yet, Subaru shook his head.
"This place may have been a mistake, but I think the me who exists right now... still needs to stay here a little longer."
"But—"
"Give me at least two more years."
Subaru's gaze drifted into the distance.
Somewhere out there, someone was walking toward him quickly.
"The me right now isn't ready yet. I'm still learning."
"...Understood."
Upon hearing his answer, Echidna's face did not show any surprise. Instead, a smile spread across her features — the smile of someone who had expected nothing less.
"Truly... even as just a fragment of a soul, it's enough to make one envious."
"What?"
"Never mind."
Echidna simply said, unhurried,
"After we part this time, I cannot say for certain when I'll be able to return. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Subaru nodded, without a shred of hesitation.
He didn't spare Echidna another glance. He simply turned and walked forward.
Echidna watched his retreating back, and the expression on her face grew complicated.
But before long, a smile returned to her lips.
And her form quietly vanished.
Bathed in sunlight, Subaru felt a faint warmth settle over him.
And within his eyes, something began to stir.
Color.
The thing that should have been lost — it was coming back, little by little, here and now.
Subaru wanted to change everything. But he also knew: what needed to change most was himself.
He was incomplete. He was not yet real.
But now, for the first time, he had the chance to fill that emptiness — piece by piece.
In this moment, it felt as though time had been wound back — back to four hundred years ago in another world, or perhaps back a few years in another world entirely.
"My name is Natsuki Subaru!"
____
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