In a daze.
Natsuki Subaru once again stood before Uncle Kadomon's fruit stall.
The overly brilliant sunlight swept through every corner of the royal capital's streets with waves of heat.
The familiar scent of fruit, the familiar temperature.
Even Uncle Kadomon's warm greeting was exactly the same.
But Subaru stood where he was and took a deep breath, feeling a state of mind completely different from his previous "returns."
There was no icy despair, no suffocating numbness.
What throbbed within his chest was an unprecedented sense of fulfillment, along with a hint of urgency.
"Subaru, what's wrong?"
"Rem."
Hearing the voice, Natsuki Subaru instinctively turned around.
He looked at the girl holding a basket of apples, dressed in a maid uniform and wearing short blue hair.
"Yes, I'm Rem. Subaru's Rem."
The girl smiled. Her azure eyes were filled with tender affection, though they could not hide a trace of concern.
To her surprise, Natsuki Subaru's gaze suddenly hardened with resolve. "Rem, come with me to the weapon shop first!"
Not long after.
Natsuki Subaru stood beside an empty fountain somewhere within the city, gripping a newly purchased longsword.
The cold touch of the blade strangely reassured him.
Then he fixed a burning gaze on Rem across from him. She had already taken up her meteor hammer, but her face was full of confusion.
"Rem, spar with me once!"
His voice carried an earnestness that allowed no refusal.
"I need to verify something. Something that might change everything!"
Before Rem could ask for details.
Natsuki Subaru had already assumed a somewhat unfamiliar yet exceptionally serious Swordsmanship stance.
He closed his eyes and tried his best to recall the basic Swordsmanship movements Aizen had taught at the Star Council.
Then he took a deep breath according to the breathing method Perona