Betty was the first to notice something was wrong.
[Betty: Ram?]
There was no response.
[Emilia: Ram, what's wrong?]
Ram heard her.
But she could not answer right away.
Natsuki Subaru's screams still lingered in her ears. Rem's movements as she wiped the blood from her face, those hate-filled eyes, and the white blade of wind that finally swept across his neck all replayed in her mind, over and over.
Rem had been there, and so had she.
What had she once said?
She had said she would never kill innocent people like Barusu in the Gluttony route.
But in that memory just now, had Barusu known what the Witch Cult was?
Had he known why he carried the Witch's stench?
Had he known why Rem hated him so much?
He had known nothing.
He had been caught, had his leg smashed, been healed, and been tortured further. In the end, he had not even managed to finish saying "I love you."
The Natsuki Subaru of that moment had been an innocent person they killed.
Ram's fingers slowly curled into fists, her nails almost digging into her palms.
She wanted to say Rem was not that kind of girl.
She wanted to say Rem had simply been too afraid, in too much pain, too desperate to protect the mansion and her sister.
But those words stuck in her mouth and would not come out.
Because she had just stood inside Natsuki Subaru's body.
She knew how much pain the person crushed beneath that "protection" had suffered.
[Ram: The reward is over.]
Betty frowned when she heard Ram speak.
[Betty: What did you see?]
Ram did not answer.
She raised her eyes to Natsuki Subaru, then quickly looked away again.
That glance left Natsuki Subaru a little bewildered. He did not know what Ram had just experienced, nor why she wore that expression.
There was none of her usual sarcasm in it, no disdain, not even anger.
All that remained was a kind of discomposure and remorse.
Ram lowered her head, her fingertips still trembling.
She finally understood just how casually she had thrust Rem's name in Barusu's face before.
She had said it was so convenient for him to forget Rem.
She had said Rem was so pitiful.
She had said he stood there as though nothing had happened.
But Natsuki Subaru had once been killed by Rem.
Tortured by her younger sister, smashed to pieces by her younger sister, and killed by her wind.
And afterward, he had still chosen to save Rem.
Even after everyone forgot Rem, he still remembered her.
Ram kept trembling, not only from the physical pain, but mentally as well.
She had no right to wound him with those words again.
[Ram: Nothing.]
Only after a long time did she add that.
Betty looked at those words without even a sneer.
[Betty: You're lying.]
Ram did not argue.
She merely lowered her eyes and let those words fall upon her.
This time, she was indeed lying. She could fool neither anyone else nor herself.
The light screen had not finished handing out rewards.
[Reward two: Natsuki Subaru's cognitive obstruction level increased.] [Current level: Intermediate.] [Cognitive Obstruction: Beginner: Passively resists malicious investigation, targeting, tracking, and persecution of Natsuki Subaru by outside parties.] [When outside parties attempt to approach the truth with the aim of "controlling, exploiting, coercing, or hunting down Natsuki Subaru," gaps will automatically appear in their cognition.] [Effects manifest as: forgetting key clues, overlooking unusual connections, and actively seeking reasonable explanations.] [Cognitive Obstruction: Intermediate: Can be activated at will.] [While active, makes the world acknowledge that "Natsuki Subaru should not be noticed."] [He can stand before an enemy's eyes. The enemy will see him, hear his voice, and even speak with him.] [But as long as Natsuki Subaru does not actively break the cognitive gap, the enemy cannot associate him with "danger," "target," "anomaly," or "someone who must be dealt with."] [They will overlook him, go around him, make way for him, find excuses for his presence, and finally forget why they did not stop him.] [Reward three: Observer's Passage Right.] [Holder: Natsuki Subaru.] [Effect: Natsuki Subaru can temporarily travel to any world line already observed by the light screen.] [Duration: Three minutes.] [Once the duration ends, Natsuki Subaru will automatically return to the current timeline.]
[Otto: Mr. Natsuki?]
[Felt: Hey, he didn't answer just now, did he?]
[Anastasia: Miss Ram answered correctly, yet Mr. Natsuki can still receive rewards.]
[Anastasia: It seems the light screen's reward rules weren't solely based on who answered from the very beginning.]
Betty's grip on the hem of Natsuki Subaru's clothes slowly tightened.
[Betty: What exactly does this light screen want Subaru to do, I suppose?]
Natsuki Subaru was stunned too.
"Me?"
He looked at the light screen.
"But I didn't answer anything just now."
Everyone continued reading the rewards displayed on the light screen.
This time, no one spoke in the discussion area right away.
Because the light screen had already explained the implications of this ability very clearly.
Natsuki Subaru could stand before an enemy's eyes.
The enemy would see him, hear him speak, and even brush past him.
But as long as there was even a little room in their cognition for an explanation, they would fill in that path for him themselves.
[Otto: This goes beyond concealing his presence, doesn't it...?]
[Otto: The enemy can even come up with their own reasons not to attack Mr. Natsuki.]
[Anastasia: They see him, but can't put him on the list of people they need to deal with.]
[Anastasia: That's more troublesome than simply being invisible.]
[Reinhard: A moment's hesitation in battle can change the outcome.]
[Reinhard: Used properly, this ability could rewrite the entire course of a battle.]
After Reinhard's words appeared, the discussion area fell quiet again.
With even the Sword Saint offering such an assessment, the others naturally understood the weight of this reward.
Felt could not help clicking her tongue.
[Felt: Isn't this ability way too unfair?]
[Felt: Even when people see him, he can make them think there's nothing wrong?]
Betty grew happy for Natsuki Subaru as well.
[Betty: Although this reward will help Subaru a great deal, it will also make it easier for him to face danger alone.]
Emilia tightened her hold on Natsuki Subaru's hand too.
"Subaru."
Rather than using the discussion area, she looked directly at him.
"You can't go somewhere dangerous alone just because you have this ability."
Natsuki Subaru opened his mouth, but in the end, swallowed the joke he had been about to make.
"I understand, Emilia, Betty. Thank you. I'll take good care of myself."