Thus, after Kurisu had literally emptied his guts into the infinite void of space to flush out the excess flowery sentiment from their previous discussion — one last hiccup, one last jet of rainbow that scattered into particles of light before even falling back toward the flat world below.
The two time travelers descended back through the layers of the atmosphere without the slightest resistance, finally returning to the solid ground of the world of Lugunica.
The frozen scenery of the capital reinstalled itself around them.
Subaru was back.
The pathetic and broken boy from the previous loop had given way to a metamorphosed man.
Upon touching the arable soil, he had absolutely recovered his entire being, all his dignity, all his rage to win — not just his determination, but something deeper, a stability that he had been missing since the beginning of this entire loop.
He was ready.
His gaze, once empty and extinguished, clouded with tears and madness, was now filled with a determination of steel, a pure and inextinguishable flame that burned deep within his dark pupils.
At this sight, Kurisu readjusted his immaculate white suit, a smirk stretching his lips.
Kurisu: « So... what are you going to do now, my dear student? »
Subaru looked down for a brief moment, thinking back to everything that still remained to be accomplished.
The atrocious memories of the past loops crossed his mind like flashes of blood and ice, but this time, they did not make him falter.
He clenched his fists, straightening his chin.
Subaru: « I have to face Petelgeuse to save Emilia. »
Kurisu: « Hmm hmm. »
Subaru: « But... To accomplish that without a hitch and secure the route, we should first destroy the White Whale that is blocking the passage. »
Kurisu: « Hmm hmm. »
Subaru planted his eyes directly into the amused gaze of the man in white, a glimmer of perfect geometric understanding of the overall situation.
Subaru: « And I know perfectly well that you won't help me with that. You aren't going to do the cleaning up for me. »
At this, the man in white burst into a frank and shrill laugh, a chuckle that echoed in the frozen alley.
Kurisu: « Kekeke! Well, look at that! How did you become so intelligent? And so?... »
Subaru: « I still have Rem at my side. I know that Otto will agree to help me if I offer him the right deal. And Emilia is still out there, alive, waiting for me. »
He really raised his head, his eyes shining with total resolution.
The weight of the world no longer scared him, because he was finally accepting to share it.
Subaru: « I still have everyone... and I know that with them, by combining our forces and stopping playing the tragic lone wolf, I will succeed! »
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Kurisu applauded slowly, softly, his eyes narrowed with sincere pride for this boy he was now openly calling his student.
Kurisu: « Well, well... I give you a grade of 8/10. Really not bad! Even if there are still some political and strategic subtleties missing from your picture, it's amply sufficient for now, dear student. »
The tone of Kurisu suddenly became mischievous again, his eyes shining with a playful gleam.
Kurisu: « And what is the logical next step of your brilliant plan? »
Subaru: « Well... The best thing would be to go see Crusch to get her military help. But without concrete support or pure information to negotiate, it will be extremely complicated. Maybe I should go through Anastasia first to... »
He began to ramble out loud, analyzing the variables, forming his plan step by step like a true strategist, counting the different steps on his fingers.
Subaru was really back, and his brain was running at full speed.
Kurisu watched him with a smile, but something held him back for another moment.
Although Subaru had become himself again, a slight doubt remained in the mind of the co-MC — a relapse, a crack in this new resolution.
The superior entity that he was had to place one last marker, an ultimate test to ensure that the lesson had been engraved in the boy's soul.
« Why not? Might as well set the rules of the game once and for all. » he said to himself.
Kurisu: « Subaru. »
Subaru: « Yes? »
The boy cut himself off in his reflection, immediately re-engaging in the conversation, surprised by the tone suddenly used.
But the words remained stuck in his throat.
Kurisu: « I would like to tell you one last thing. »
The voice of Kurisu had become strangely calm. Almost cold. An absolute, surgical coldness, that belonged to nothing living.
And his face changed.
It was no longer the usual predatory smile, nor even the meta-amused expression he wore when addressing the readers.
It was his real face, his true expression — the one he showed when he stopped all comedy. The one he displayed when he stopped acting, when he stopped having fun or trolling the script. His real expression:
An absolute and unfathomable void. An abyss so deep, so devoid of all humanity, that it made the ambient air vibrate.
Subaru froze instantly, he felt his own body trembling while looking at him, a drop of sweat beading on his forehead despite himself while his survival instinct screamed of death.
Kurisu: « If ever... you start taking your life like a game again... if ever you think again that sacrifice is an easy solution because you can reset... I will kill you in a loop. Again, and again, and again — Until your mind understands your mistakes. And believe me, I will make you suffer in a way that even the Witch of Envy cannot conceive. »
He said it with his most natural expression, in this absolute coldness. He said it with a terrifying neutrality, his monotone voice resonating directly in Subaru's soul.
The boy swallowed his bile instantly. He understood at that precise moment that Kurisu was more than serious. This man was purely and simply capable of it.
He had the power necessary to break the laws of this world, and if he wanted to, he could probably crush Satella herself to take absolute control of her save points.
He was capable of it.
Subaru: « Yes... I've learned the lesson. I will never waste my life again. »
Barely were these words pronounced than Kurisu tapped his shoulder joyfully, finding his ambiguous and eccentric smile again in a fraction of a second.
The deadly tension evaporated as if it had never existed.
Kurisu: « That's my student! Anyway, I'm the only one who has the right to play with your life as I want. Kekeke! »
He laughed, tapping his shoulder again.
Subaru swallowed painfully, feeling his stomach knot at this cosmic instability, not knowing too much if he should laugh or shiver.
Kurisu then snapped his fingers, restarting the flow of time for the rest of the universe.
Clap!
The world resumed its course.
Rem, who was in the middle of a sharp movement, came immediately straight back toward them, positioning herself instantly in front of Subaru to use her body as a shield, her flail ready to be deployed to protect her beloved from the man in white.
But Subaru gently placed a hand on the maid's shoulder, briefly explaining to her that Kurisu had just helped him get back on his feet.
Subaru: « Rem, please, lower your weapon. Everything is fine. You don't have to do that. »
The maid stopped dead, perplexed. Despite all the rage, the disgust, and the visceral distrust she felt toward this man in white who flouted the natural authority of the world, she plunged her gaze into Subaru's.
While observing him, her heart skipped a beat. He was better. He was no longer that empty and terrified shell from a few minutes ago. He was radiant, strong, ready to continue the fight.
Rem slowly tilted her head, putting away her magic weapon, before turning to Kurisu.
And she thanked him, deep in her heart, begrudgingly.
Rem: « ... Thank you. »
This word was pronounced begrudgingly, torn from her lips by pure gratitude for having saved her hero's spirit, but Kurisu was certainly not going to let such a beautiful opportunity pass.
Kurisu: « Ohhh! What do I hear? The little blue maid knows how to say "thank you"? Come on, say it again with a big smile and a little more conviction, I didn't quite hear! Kekeke! »
Kurisu took advantage immediately to tease her, openly mocking her hesitation.
Rem took the insult, gritting her teeth in silence. She knew she couldn't do anything against this monster of power.
Subaru: « All right, stop picking on her, Kurisu. Let's go. We have to walk to Crusch's estate to present my battle plan to them. »
Together, they began to walk in the direction of the Karsten estate, to present Subaru's plan to Crusch.
The small group began to advance in the streets of the capital.
They walked. Again, and again, and again.
The minutes ticked by, the cityscape repeated itself, and the atmosphere became hopelessly normal. Too normal.
They walked. Again. And again.
Kurisu: « Ahhh... but this is deathly boring! Walking? In a fanfiction? What's next? »
He sighed, exaggeratedly.
Kurisu: « Author-san is going to end up falling asleep on his keyboard. I have a much better idea. »
Subaru: « Huh? »
He turned around, Rem still at his side.
The boy turned around, flanked by Rem who remained on the alert.
Kurisu: « Come on, let's do this! Why bother respecting physics? »
Clap!
He snapped his fingers, and instantly, reality tore.
The stone ground of the capital disappeared instantly under their feet. In the blink of an eye, the group found themselves projected inside a monumental white room.
It was a perfect cube, with smooth and shiny walls, totally disconnected from space and time, floating outside of any known reference point.
Subaru: « Kurisu?! What the hell are you doing again?! Where are we, damn it? »
Kurisu: « Well, I was just tired of walking. Why should I move toward them? It's them who will come to me! »
Clap!
A new snap of his fingers echoed, breaking the barriers of space. In a flash of pure light, Crusch Karsten and Felix Argyle appeared ex nihilo.
The transition was so brutal that they materialized exactly in the position where they were a second earlier in their office.
Crusch, who was sitting while studying military reports, lost her balance since her chair had disappeared, and crashed heavily to the floor, the surface having changed under her without warning.
Felix, who was standing at her side, stumbled violently, missing falling backward.
Felix: « Crusch-sama! »
The healer cried out while rushing toward his lady to help her get back up.
Crusch: « Hugh... what is happening... Where are we? ... »
Getting back up with the dignity of a warlord, her amber gaze swept the white room before settling on the people present.
Subaru, who was showing a slightly embarrassed wave of the hand.
Rem, who seemed on edge, visibly on her guard.
And Kurisu, motionless, smiling with all his teeth.
Crusch went pale instantly upon recognizing the man in white who had humiliated the royal guard.
Crusch: « What... »
Felix: « You! Where are we?! What are you going to do to Crusch-sama?! »
Subaru: « No, wait, it's not what you think, we just want to — »
Subaru tried to calm things down and justify himself, but Kurisu stepped forward, cutting short any tedious diplomacy.
Kurisu: « Yo. Get over there and shut up for a moment. »
With a simple gesture of the hand, he teleported them by force a few meters away before Felix could continue.
In the process, out of pure annoyance at the demi-human's shouting, he magically sealed the cat's mouth.
Felix tried to scream, but no sound came out of his lips closed-up, his hands gripping his throat in panic.
« What is... my mouth! I can't emit a single sound anymore! What kind of curse is this?! »
Clap!
Another flash. Anastasia Hoshin and Julius Juukulius appeared in their turn.
Anastasia: « What is happening?... By all the saints? »
Asked the merchant, her fox fur sliding slightly on her shoulders as she lost her bearings.
Julius: « Careful, my lady! We have been moved! »
Exclaimed Julius, drawing his knight's sword in a fraction of a second, putting himself in a perfect combat guard to protect his mistress.
But noticing Crusch further away and Felix holding his mouth while trembling, the greatest of the knights stopped, totally confused.
Julius: « What is... Crusch-sama? Felix? »
His gaze then turned to the other side of the room.
Subaru addressed him with an ironic smile.
Subaru: « Hi... Julius. It's been a while, hasn't it? »
Next to him, Kurisu was grinning from ear to ear, hands on his hips.
Kurisu: « Come on, come on, move along, take a seat near them. Don't make a scene. »
Anastasia remained silent for a second, her clear eyes calculating the variables of the situation frantically.
Seeing that even Crusch seemed resigned and powerless in this white cube, she understood that a direct confrontation would be stupid.
In dire need of information, she could only accept the situation as it presented itself.
Anastasia: « Very well... »
She put her hands into her sleeves and walked calmly toward Crusch, trying to save face.
Anastasia: « What is happening here, Crusch? Do you have any idea what this man wants from us this time? »
Crusch: « I don't know any more than you, Anastasia... »
Julius, for his part, approached Felix.
Seeing that his comrade was incapable of parting his lips and was gesticulating in all directions, he let out a sigh of deep exasperation at this display of unilateral force.
Clap!
A final snap echoed. Priscilla Barielle, who was walking quietly in the hallways of her home while waving her fan, materialized in the middle of the white cube.
Right behind her, Aldebaran appeared in the middle of a walking movement and crashed miserably to the floor, his heavy armor echoing in the void.
Priscilla, as for her, did not even blink. Remaining perfectly dignified and upright on her heels — as always.
She closed her red fan with a sharp snap, observing the room with sovereign contempt.
She saw the candidates and their knights grouped on one side, this little clown— Subaru — and his master on the other.
Understanding the situation in a flash, she smiled with a smug air.
Priscilla: « Al, get up. We are going over there. Don't make a spectacle of yourself in front of this rabble. »
She walked toward the other candidates with total assurance.
Al, barely getting up, murmured:
Al: « Yes, princess... Ouch, my back... »
The one-armed warrior got back up as best he could, murmuring his complaint under his helmet.
While everyone was finally gathered in this cosmic non-place, Kurisu spread his arms, his face split by a theatrical smile.
Kurisu: « Good. Now that everyone is here... »
TAP!
He clapped his hands.
In a millisecond, the white room underwent a hallucinating metamorphosis. The monochrome walls stretched, loading themselves with gilded moldings, marble columns, and purple silk tapestries.
The cube became a luxurious, extremely rich reception hall, adorned with pure gold, embedded diamonds, and all kinds of precious metals — an expensive decor, the total value of which far exceeded the riches of the entire capital of Lugunica combined.
The candidates found themselves instantly seated at a sumptuous mahogany table. Facing them, on the other side of the table, two majestic armchairs were waiting for two well-known people.
The knights — Julius, Al, Felix — as well as Rem found themselves relegated to the back of the room.
Kurisu: « You don't interest me. But stay there, and listen. »
Before turning back, Kurisu cast a nonchalant look toward the feline healer and snapped his fingers one last time.
Felix: « Nyahh, nyahh! Pwah— ! »
He exhaled hard, suddenly able to speak again.
Kurisu: « There, you can talk again, cat. But watch out if you open your mouth again for nothing. »
Just with that — the spatial manipulation, the mass teleportation, the total biological control over Felix — this man had just proven to the assembly, once again, that he was still well above anything they could imagine.
He was not casting magic spells; he was purely and simply rewriting reality according to his own will.
Kurisu and Subaru stepped forward and sat comfortably in their respective armchairs.
A funeral silence fell instantly on the luxurious room.
No one dared to speak. The slightest rustle of fabric seemed too loud.
At the back of the room, the knights — Julius, Felix, Al — all remained like marble; bodies tense, paralyzed in front of this pure anomaly which seemed omniscient and omnipotent.
Julius gripped the hilt of his sword.
Al kept his hand near his scimitar.
Felix remained mute as a grave without opening his mouth.
But none of them dared to make a movement. No one wanted to risk a gesture that could be harmful to their respective lady.
Rem, strangely calm, just stared at Subaru, placing all her faith in him.
On the candidates' side, the tension was different, more muted. The atmosphere was more complex, like a silent psychological war raging beneath the facade of smiles.
Crusch Karsten, who had already received a visit from this man in her own office, was calm — with a sickly, almost spectral calm.
She wondered inwardly if she had made a mistake. Had she crossed the man in some way? Had she not taken care of Subaru as she should have?
Anastasia Hoshin, meanwhile, maintained her sweet and smiling business face. But despite this polite and perfectly composed expression, inside, her guts were tied in a knot by a nameless terror.
What could a monster that even the Sword Saint couldn't contain possibly want? A man who stopped time like one snaps their fingers, and who had just kidnapped them all without the slightest effort?
She settled for smiling, showing nothing, not yet knowing the cards laid out on the table.
Priscilla Barielle, for her part, was the most normal of all in her attitude, displaying an absolute, almost insulting serenity.
For her, if this strange man had brought her here — it meant that he needed her divine presence. That this world had decided it so.
So she would deign to listen to this man who seemed, strangely, to know her a little too well.
It was she who broke the silence.
Priscilla: « Ah! So why did you, strange and vulgar being, dare to bring the divine being that is I to this place? Speak. »
She kept her usual acerbic tone.
At this, Kurisu just smiled, reaching a nonchalant hand toward his neighbor.
Kurisu: « Ohh, well… This young man present here has great things to tell you. Listen to him well, and above all, listen to him intelligently. Kekeke. »
Subaru straightened up.
In front of him were the very people who had rejected him with contempt and disdain, leaving him to crawl in his own mire when he begged for their help in the previous loop.
Those who had not wanted to grant him the slightest help despite his obvious terror, and who were now entirely at his mercy, even if Kurisu himself refused to help him directly.
But Subaru was no longer the same man.
He sighed — a great sigh, not of despair this time, but of concentration — and began to speak, with a pragmatism he had never shown in any of the previous loops.
He told them everything he could without triggering the Witch's taboo.
He spoke to them about the White Whale, claiming that he knew with surgical precision the exact location and precise time of its appearance, thus offering a historic opportunity to set a deadly trap for it.
Crusch raised her eyes slightly, interested.
He then continued onto the threat of the Witch Cult, revealing that an imminent attack was targeting Mathers' lands, led by the Archbishop of Sin of Sloth, Petelgeuse Romanee-Conti.
A heavy silence greeted this information.
Finally, he pressed the political lever:
Subaru: « With your help, we could neutralize both threats in no time. And it would be a major contribution to the Royal Selection — which is not negligible for you three. »
He finished, his breath a little short, but his gaze steady.
When he finished his speech, silence returned, and each candidate began to weigh the pros and cons with her own logic.
Each of the three women thought differently about these words.
Anastasia immediately calculated the commercial implications:
Even if all this were true, and even if they reaped the credit for this hunt… If absolutely all camps participated in this operation together, the political advantage cancels out. It would only reset the counters between the candidates.
She gained nothing concrete from it.
« But can I even say it out loud, in this situation? »
Priscilla, for her part, remained deeply perplexed by the inconsistency of the situation.
This man in white could just crush the Cult and the Whale all by himself with a snap of his fingers, given what he demonstrated at the capital.
Why was he letting this low-level clown speak? Why was he content to observe in silence?
« Does he want to test his apprentice again? Or is there a more twisted design behind this entertainment? »
Crusch remained the most silent of the three, her gaze fixed.
She had already spent time preparing a hunt against the Whale — adding an Archbishop to the equation would indeed be perfect for the aftermath.
But how could she be certain that all of this was true?
« Are his words real? Even if it's Natsuki Subaru and this mysterious man who are stating it... how can I be absolutely certain without material evidence? »
Kurisu, reading their thoughts like open books, let out a provocative chuckle.
Kurisu: « Don't be so shy, ladies. I'm staying well-behaved in my corner, I won't do anything impulsive. Ask your questions however you like. »
He chuckled slightly.
Crusch could then not help but ask the most logical question, the one that burned on the lips of the entire assembly.
Crusch: « ...Where do you hold such precise and crucial information, if my question is not too indiscreet? »
« That is the most logical and vital question at this moment. »
Thought in unison the knights left in the background who were observing the scene from the back of the room, without having the right to intervene.
Although they were prestigious warriors, they had no right to speak here. They were but simple spectators despite their status as knights.
Kurisu smiled broadly.
Kurisu: « Ohhh... just that? Is that what's bugging you? »
The man in white leaned forward, his smile widening in an almost disturbing way as he swept his gaze across the table.
Kurisu: « It's very simple, Duchess Karsten. I know absolutely everything about this world. »
He said this simply, instantly silencing any desire to contest.
Kurisu: « For example, I know an enormous amount about a certain little spirit fox who hides in the shadows... »
Anastasia twitched violently, her eyes widening in surprise as her hand clenched on her dress.
Kurisu: « ... I also know a lot about a certain childhood love tragically disappeared within the royal family... »
Crusch swallowed painfully at this mention, her face losing its last colors at the evocation of Fourier.
Kurisu: « ... And I know just as much about certain hidden names and Empire lineages that one tries to stifle under a fan. »
Priscilla tightened her grip slightly on her red fan, her eyes narrowing with cold rage.
Kurisu: « Don't try to find out how I know. Just know that if I hold secrets as intimate and buried as these, it's certainly not the location of a big flying fish or a green-haired maniacal fool that will escape me. Another question? »
A glacial cold descended upon the entire room.
Subaru blinked, seeing the three candidates visibly troubled by these few words.
« Damn, does he really know all their darkest secrets like the back of his hand or what?! » he thought, surprised himself by the magnitude of what Kurisu had just insinuated.
However, Priscilla refused to let herself be intimidated.
Keeping her unwavering arrogance despite Kurisu's warnings, she brutally closed her fan, raising her voice.
Priscilla: « Then why do you, who seem so knowledgeable and so powerful, need our help for things you could handle yourself with your strange powers? Answer! »
At this, Kurisu let out a small amused laugh.
Kurisu: « Kekeke... First of all, my little dime-store baroness... lower your tone with me. »
Barely had he pronounced these words than he snapped his fingers.
Clap!
Before the horrified eyes of the attendees, Priscilla began to shrink. Literally.
Her clothes adapted to her new size as she shrank before their eyes, losing her adult forms to be nothing more than a little child barely six years old, lost in the middle of her immense royal armchair.
Priscilla: « What... What have you done to my divine body, wretch?! »
She exclaimed, her high-pitched child's voice betraying total indignation.
But before she could jump from the seat, invisible bonds of air tied her securely to the backrest, while her mouth was magically sealed, stifling her cries of anger.
Al: « P-Princess… »
Muttered Al from the back of the room. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't do anything to defend her, but under his helmet, a quite inappropriate thought crossed his reincarnated mind.
« Well, I'm absolutely not into that, far from it... but I have to admit that the miniature version of the princess is damn cute. It's a change from her usual temper tantrums. »
Not in that way, no. Just cute, as a child.
Kurisu: « I just want to let the kid have her moment of glory, you see? She needs to prove herself and grow. It's her development arc, not mine… »
He said it softly, but the group was only half-listening — all eyes were now fixed on miniature Priscilla, who was struggling furiously against her bonds.
Subaru, meanwhile, held his head with both hands, struggling against his own internal demons as his eyes fixed on the loli-Priscilla who was struggling like a fiend.
« Holy shit! Why is she so cute as a child?! » Subaru thought inwardly, a little too affected by the spectacle.
« It's illegal to have a design this perfect! Pull yourself together, Subaru, think of Emilia! »
Even Crusch and Anastasia showed a slight twitch, disarmed in the face of the visual absurdity of the scene.
Kurisu let out a theatrical sigh, then waved his hand to return Priscilla to her normal appearance, while maintaining her mouth closed to avoid another volley of high-pitched complaints.
The group stiffened immediately, understanding that the man in white was amusing himself with them like a cat with mice.
Kurisu: « Anyway… And so, anything else? »
Anastasia took a deep breath, asking the fateful question, the one that no one dared to formulate for fear of the consequences.
Anastasia: « And if… despite everything… We still refused to cooperate? »
At this precise moment, the whole place froze. Time seemed to stop again under the weight of this ultra-dangerous question.
Everyone in the room knew it: Anastasia had just stepped on the dragon's tail.
At the back of the room, Julius twitched violently. His hand clenched on the hilt of his sword with such force that his knuckles turned white.
Even if this was the man who had helped Subaru, who had opened his eyes… If he ever dared to lay a hand on his lady, he was ready to die to prevent it.
But Kurisu laughed, a brief burst.
Kurisu remained motionless for a moment, then burst into a thunderous laugh that echoed cruelly against the golden walls.
Kurisu: « Kekekekeke! Ahhh, sorry, but this is way too funny. You really think... You sincerely imagine having a choice? ... »
He laughed for another moment, then resumed a tone of icy seriousness that pushed the pressure to unbearable levels.
Kurisu: « But let's speculate a little. Imagine you refuse my generous offer. Well, it's very simple: I would be under the pure and simple obligation to execute you all right here. There! »
He exclaimed suddenly with a childish joy, displaying a big "V" sign of victory with his fingers, a radiant smile on his lips.
The entire room fell silent instantly.
The entire audience turned pale without exception. — Julius, Felix, Al, and even Rem. None of them could make the slightest movement, frozen in place, their throats knotted.
They all knew, in the depths of their flesh, that this man was perfectly capable of it and that no one in this world — not even Reinhard van Astrea and all his divine blessings — could prevent him from committing such carnage if he had the whim.
The candidates had expressions of pure frozen terror, heavy drops of sweat beading on their respective foreheads. Even Priscilla, to whom Kurisu had just returned the ability to speak, had walled herself in a cautious silence.
Reality had just struck them full force: they were not leaders negotiating a treaty; they were mortals forced to follow the words of an omnipotent entity under penalty of immediate death.
They had no choice — except to risk their own lives in the face of this man's whims. And everyone, from now on, understood it fully.
Subaru, feeling the situation sliding toward the abyss, swallowed painfully and cast an anxious look toward his mentor.
Subaru: « Kurisu... You... You're not serious, right? Tell me you're bluffing... »
He asked this, hesitating.
Kurisu kept his serious face, staring at Subaru, then slowly turned his gaze toward the terrified candidates, their faces livid.
A deathly silence lasted several seconds, stretching the tension to the breaking point.
Kurisu: « KEKEKEKEKE! »
He suddenly burst into hysterical laughter, slapping his thighs heartily.
Kurisu: « Kekeke! No but seriously, you should have seen your faces! It was absolutely hilarious! The screenshot is worth gold! »
He doubled over with laughter in his chair.
But since no one shared his hilarity and the room remained desperately petrified with terror, he let out a slight sigh of disappointment, waving his hand with a jaded air, a little disappointed by the effect.
Kurisu: « Ohhh, come on, relax, it was a joke! I would never kill that many main characters at once, come on. Well... not right away. Kekekeke. »
This last chuckle cast a new polar cold into the audience.
Subaru, exasperated and relieved at the same time, jumped from his seat yelling.
Subaru: « Damn it, Kurisu! Don't ever give me scares like that again! I almost had a heart attack, you moron! »
He exclaimed while giving him a hit on the shoulder — which obviously didn't touch him in the least.
Kurisu: « Yes, yes, sorry. Well… Let's resume more seriously. »
He found his normal tone again.
Kurisu: « Nothing will really happen to you if you refuse. You are totally free to leave here and return to your lives. It's just that... you won't gain anything. And you will miss out on the wonderful little gifts I had planned for each one of you. A great pity... »
At these words, Priscilla, who had recovered all her calm and usual haughtiness while fanning her face, asked the crucial question.
Priscilla: « And what kind of presents are you talking about, eccentric being? »
At this, Kurisu slowly rose from his armchair, a great mysterious smile on his lips.
Kurisu: « Oh, I'm delighted that you ask the question, my dear baroness. Let me show you this with the appropriate staging! »
He spread his arms, and the physical reality of the luxurious reception hall began to twist and mix chaotically.
Space stretched impossibly, the walls receding to infinity while the furniture reorganized itself in a surreal ballet.
In a fraction of a second, everyone found themselves seated in a row on red velvet chairs, facing an immense, richly decorated theater stage, plunged into semi-darkness.
Subaru: « But what the fuck, what is he manufacturing again?! We're in a cabaret now?! »
Exclaimed Subaru while looking around him.
Behind his back stood Rem, Al, Julius, and Félix, all seated on the same row.
To his left were Crusch and Priscilla.
Julius quickly swept the seats with his gaze, and his face clenched instantly upon noting a notable absence.
Julius: « Where — where is Lady Anastasia?! »
Exclaimed the knight, ready to leap over the seats. It was then that a powerful beam of white light switched on abruptly, piercing the darkness to illuminate the center of the theater stage.
And under this raw light — Anastasia stood, alone, looking at her hands and the scenery with total perplexity, absolutely not understanding why she had been isolated like that on the boards.
Suddenly, a thunderous voice amplified by a magical echo rose from the invisible speakers of the room.
Voice: « Hello everyone, dear spectators, candidates, and precious readers of this magnificent fiction! Welcome to the Kurisu Show! »
Felix: « What is this possessed voice, nyah?! Where is it coming from?! »
Felix shouted while protecting his ears. Al, meanwhile, let out a resigned chuckle under his metal helmet, raising his arms.
Al: « Oh, I have my little idea about the house's delusion... »
He muttered, a little to himself.
A second spotlight then switched on with a crash on the stage, right next to Anastasia.
Under the light appeared a man dressed in an ultra-flashy American television host suit, wearing an ultra-Bright smile and holding a golden microphone in his hand.
Kurisu was there, in the position of a professional showman.
Asked Crusch, her mind totally overwhelmed by Kurisu's multiversal cultural concepts.
Priscilla: « Hmph. We shall see what this madman intends to sing to us. Observe well, Al, the show of this omnipotent clown is beginning. »
She settled for reopening her fan with a small sharp snap, her eyes shining with amused curiosity in the face of this theatrical eccentricity.
An incredible and very embarrassing show for some was about to take place.