Chapter Text
"I AM LATE!"
In a humble residence in Japan, a young man with black hair and intimidating eyes hurried out of bed to go to school. He had woken up quite early, so he dozed lightly while keeping an eye on the time on his phone until it was comfortable to get up. But in the blink of an eye, the time literally jumped from 6:35 to 7:49 a.m.
This boy was Subaru Natsuki, and he was late for school.
"I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn’t listen." his mother said from the doorway of his room.
"Well, you didn’t try that hard!" he shouted while pulling on his pants. After that, he put on the rest of his uniform as his mother watched him with a laugh.
"Why are you in such a hurry, Subaru? You usually procrastinate until it can’t possibly get any later."
Subaru left his room and went straight to the refrigerator. He grabbed two plain slices of bread and filled them with mayonnaise. At the same time, a glass of orange juice became his improvised breakfast that morning. His father looked up from his newspaper to watch his young and desperate son devour the bread as if it were the last thing he would eat in months.
"Is it because of Emilia?"
His mother entered the dining room and looked at him curiously. Subaru waited for the food to go down his esophagus before answering.
"Of course it is! I promised her I’d start getting to school earlier. I’ve already exceeded the limit of tardies, and both the student council president and the teachers won’t stop bothering me. So she suggested I start arriving earlier, and I promised her I would."
His mother let out a soft laugh and couldn’t help looking at her husband.
"Wow, and not long ago we couldn’t even get him out of his room."
"If these are the sacrifices I must make to maintain my relationship with the greatest beauty in the academy, I’m willing to accept them." Subaru muttered, letting a dramatic tear fall.
"Dad, stop wasting time with my useless brother, or I’ll be late for school too, I suppose."
Beatrice, Subaru’s younger sister and the spoiled child of the Natsuki family, came out of the bathroom ready and on time, unlike her irresponsible older brother. Subaru laughed and approached to pat her on the head despite her feigned annoyance.
"Nii-chan, stop bothering Betty like that, I suppose."
Although her words were harsh, her blushing face betrayed how much she liked it.
"How cute my dear Beako is."
I’d love to keep admiring your cuteness longer, but your big brother has to run.
"Don’t forget to bring the milk when you come back!"
Naoko shouted, and Subaru gave her a thumbs-up before leaving. He walked quickly but calmly, and despite the routine and minor problems in his daily life, Natsuki Subaru was a boy who felt relatively happy with his life.
There was a time when he felt depressed about himself, with such low self-esteem that it led him to lock himself in his room like a prisoner serving a life sentence. However, when everything in his life looked gray, his family was the light that saved him from himself. His father, his mother, and his beloved little sister. He overcame his depression and returned to school, where things only continued to improve.
Although it was hard to readjust to the rhythm of the average student, he made new friends he could consider almost like brothers. From Otto, a loyal and funny guy whom he enjoyed teasing, to Garfiel, a first-year student who had somehow taken him as his idol. How could Subaru be someone to admire? An example of someone better than him? He would never understand what Garfiel saw in him, but his heart softened a lot having someone like that in his life.
Among the many friends he made, a pair of twins stood out: Ram and Rem. With Ram he had a strange love-hate relationship in which he only received insults from her, yet he liked her and found her pleasant—call him a masochist—, and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. But with Rem it was different. She treated him kindly, said nice things to him, and sometimes even gave him bentos for lunch. There was a time when he believed he had feelings for her, but all those feelings vanished the moment he met the one who was now his girlfriend.
Emilia. She was a transfer student from another school, and the moment he saw her enter the classroom, he fell in love with her violet eyes, her beautiful silver hair, and her captivating innocence. He loved her, and he will love her forever.
Over time, and though no one believed it, she became his girlfriend. What did Emilia see in him? He wasn’t handsome, he wasn’t smart, nor did he have money like the other boys at school. Even so, she chose him. That’s why he would do everything possible not to lose that beautiful relationship he had managed to obtain.
"SUBARU NATSUKI HAS ARRIVED!"
All the students in the classroom looked at him the moment he entered announcing his arrival. A second later, they all resumed their activities without giving importance to his presence.
"Wow, that was embarrassing."
Otto laughed from his seat at the spectacle his friend had just staged. In the seat next to him, a red-haired boy named Reinhard smiled kindly.
"Wow, Subaru, you really took the whole arriving early thing seriously. I’m glad.
"Of course, Red, promises to maidens must never be broken. You should take notes, Otto, maybe then you’d get a girlfriend." he mocked.
"Stop insisting! If I don’t have a girlfriend yet, it’s by choice."
"The girl’s choice, you mean."
Otto looked at him with a gloomy expression.
"Please stop treating me like that. Now Garfiel makes the same comments because of you.
They continued teasing each other until the teacher arrived. Reinhard, who had been one of the first to arrive, decided to ask something that had been bothering him.
"Hey, Subaru. Did something happen with Emilia?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" he hurriedly looked at his girlfriend’s desk and noticed it was empty. "And Emilia? She’s always one of the first to arrive."
"That’s why I was asking. It’s really strange."
Subaru took out his phone and sent her a message. However, she didn’t reply.
The teacher arrived and everyone continued the lesson as usual, but Subaru couldn’t concentrate at all. The minutes passed until someone knocked on the door and the teacher let Emilia in.
Subaru let out a sigh of relief. Call it paranoia, but he had truly been worried that something had happened to her.
Emilia always arrived early. She was naive but responsible, and the fact that she hadn’t warned anyone she’d be late or replied to his messages had worried him. Finally, he smiled.
Well, Emilia-tan is safe and sound. Maybe she overslept, though that’s still strange for her.
He thought as he looked at his girlfriend’s back while she took her seat in the front row.
For a moment, he noticed Emilia’s gaze from the front. She was staring at him intently. Slightly nervous, he just smiled and winked at her.
Emilia blushed and immediately looked forward again.
“Ah, she’s so cute when she’s embarrassed… Although her look was a bit strange. Maybe it’s true she didn’t sleep well?”
While Subaru drifted off in his thoughts without paying attention, the class ended and recess began. He approached Emilia, who was surrounded by her friends.
"Excuse me, ladies, I’ll be borrowing this beauty for a few minutes."
He took her hand and helped her up from her seat. Emilia only stared at him without saying a word.
"Wow, Natsuki-kun, I hope you’re not taking Emilia off to do naughty things." one of her classmates, Anastasia, commented.
"Barusu, pervert."
From a more distant desk, Ram said that with an afflicted Rem at her side.
"Rem has to keep enduring this pain in her heart. Please, sis, hold me." the blue-haired girl said dramatically upon seeing Subaru and Emilia together.
Subaru just laughed at his classmates' comments and walked out holding Emilia’s hand. He led her to the courtyard and they sat together on a bench right in front of the soccer field.
The boy took out a carton of café au lait and handed it to his girlfriend.
"Here. You have a strange look; maybe this will make you feel better.'
It took her a few seconds, but she took it hesitantly. She stared at the carton as if she didn’t know what to do with it.
"…Emilia-tan? You’re acting strange."
She flinched and looked at him anxiously.
"Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine." she finally spoke. Though she sounded somewhat cold, Subaru thought. "What should I do with this?"
"Huh? Well, open it. I bought it from a vending machine yesterday, but don’t worry, it doesn’t expire until next year."
She began fiddling with the carton, somewhat lost. Puzzled but always ready to help, Subaru took the carton and removed the cap.
"Now. Being sleepy has you a bit disoriented, huh? What time did you go to bed, Emilia-tan?"
"Too late."
The girl brought the carton to her lips and took a cautious sip of the café au lait. The next second she blushed and moaned in delight. She finished drinking all its contents in record time.
"Wow, you were really thirsty. You even looked like you’d never tried it before."
Subaru laughed and looked ahead. He recognized Garfiel playing; he scored a goal and shouted in the opponents’ faces, causing a small scuffle.
Everything shifted when Emilia took his head and placed it on her lap.
"And this gift from the gods? I didn’t even have to ask for it."
Subaru looked up at Emilia from her lap. Her face was incredibly beautiful; her delicate nose, her pink lips, her wonderful silver hair. Everything about her was perfect. Though he noticed something different.
"Did you change your hairstyle?"
She nodded.
"It looks good on you. I mean, it’s not like there’s any style that could possibly look bad on you. Although I notice this hairstyle covers your ears. Is it for any particular reason?"
"No, it’s nothing."
Ok, this is strange. Emilia is usually talkative, and today she’s particularly quiet. Maybe she had problems at home? Impossible. Fortuna and Geuse are always loving toward her. Maybe that Priscilla was bothering her again. If that’s the case, I’ll make sure she never bothers her again. But first, I have to lift my dear Emilia-tan’s spirits!
Subaru got up from her lap and looked at Emilia intently. He kissed her. He placed his hand on her neck and deepened the kiss, brushing her teeth with his tongue. He pulled away for just a second and whispered:
"Open your mouth."
And he kissed her again. She obeyed, and their tongues met. One of the things Subaru enjoyed most was kissing Emilia, feeling her lips and tongue, while the air from his nose brushed against hers was one of the pleasures he had discovered in dating. Though this kiss felt particularly strange; it was like those times during their first week together, when neither of them was sure how to kiss properly, and before their lips even touched they would clumsily bump their noses.
When they separated, he noticed Emilia was extremely red.
"Are you feeling better now?" he asked, caressing her cheek.
"…Yes."
"You’re acting a little strange," he said directly. "Did something happen? Can I help you?"
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but before she could say another word, she was on top of him again. Now she was the one kissing him intensely as he fell backward onto the bench with Emilia above him.
"Hey, hey, hey, I’m not exactly complaining about you being so active, but what’s the reason?" Subaru asked between laughs.
"You’re my beloved, it’s normal, right?" she said quickly, trying to kiss him again.
"No one says “beloved” anymore, Emilia-tan. But yes, we’re dating. Something an old hikikomori like me would never have believed he could achieve, especially with a girl as beautiful as my Emilia."
The bell signaling the end of recess rang, startling the girl.
"What’s that?!"
"Relax, it’s just the bell. We have to go back to class."
Emilia sighed in relief.
"WATCH OUT!"
A soccer ball was heading straight for Emilia’s face. The young man with intimidating eyes saw everything in slow motion, unable to do anything about it. However, the impact never came, Emilia caught the ball with one hand before it could hit her. All the boys stood there with their mouths open.
"Huh?
"AWESOME!"
Garfiel ran up excitedly and grabbed the ball, admiring Emilia’s feat.
"That was incredible! What amazing reflexes! Worthy of the captain’s girlfriend!"
Subaru was equally surprised and looked at her in fascination.
"He’s right. Have you always been able to do that? That just gives you even more points as the perfect girlfriend!"
Emilia only smiled faintly. Even though she had a bunch of boys praising her around her, her gaze was fixed solely on Subaru Natsuki. Her beloved. Her boyfriend.
The day ended, and the couple walked back home. The girl walked with her fingers intertwined with his, her cheeks flushed. At one point, she stopped in the middle of the path, and Subaru looked at her curiously.
"Is something wrong, Emilia-tan? We’re almost at the station."
"I… I wanted to talk to you about something, Subaru."
He smiled and gently held her hand.
"I’m listening."
Emilia blushed deeply. She looked like a literal tomato. She held Subaru’s hand with both of hers and said while looking into his eyes:
"It’s about… the baby you made me this afternoon!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"What…?"
"There were so many kisses. Does that mean we’ll have several? In that case, we’d have to think of many names, and we’d also have to ask for help raising them, don’t you think? Although if you want it to be just you and me, that’s fine too. We wouldn’t need anyone else. Just you and me. Together."
Her gaze was somewhat dark and obsessive. Subaru didn’t quite understand what was happening. Is she on her period?
"Emilia, babies don’t come from kisses…"
Emilia jolted, as if she had made a grave mistake. She suddenly let go of his hand.
"Oh, yes, you’re right. Forgive me, Subaru. You know I’m a bit of an dunderhead"
"No one says “dunderhead” these days."
Emilia laughed. The two continued on their way until they reached the station. For some reason, she seemed quite restless the whole time.
"We’re here. Have a good trip, Emilia."
She smiled at him and quickly said goodbye. She approached the ticket validator and stared at it for a few seconds as if she didn’t know what to do. Finally, she placed her card on the scanner and entered the train.
How strange.
But the worst part was:
"She didn’t give me my goodbye kiss…"
It was a strange day. But well, surely tomorrow everything will return to normal.
Emilia arrived home. She opened the doors to the large house where she lived, and immediately her gaze met that of her adoptive mother.
"You’re back, Emilia. How was your day?"
Emilia walked in without taking off her shoes, something her mother noticed instantly.
"Emilia, your shoes. Take them off."
"Oh, yes, sorry."
She obeyed immediately, nervous at having made another mistake.
"You’ve been acting strange lately, Emilia. Has Subaru been treating you badly?"
"NO!"
Fortuna was startled by her daughter’s outburst. Emilia sighed and, calmer now, replied:
"Don’t worry, Mother Fortuna. Subaru is always good to me. In fact, today we kissed many times." she commented, her cheeks slightly red but happy."
"Oh my. You’ve never told me those things in such detail before."
"Haven’t I?"
Her mother shook her head.
"But it’s alright. I’m glad you’re opening up to me more," she replied sincerely."I’ll have dinner ready in an hour. I’ll call you."
"Very well. I shall be in my chambers.'
Emilia went to her room, and her mother remained in the living room with a curious expression.
“Chambers? She’s always been old-fashioned, but lately she’s even more so,” Fortuna thought. Eventually, she shrugged and continued preparing dinner.
Emilia entered her room. It was quite large, decorated with multiple shelves, a desk with a chair, and in the center, right behind a large window overlooking the backyard, a double bed filled with stuffed animals.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
They were identical.
She was wearing the same uniform.
Then why did they say she was acting strange? How different were they really?
She approached a door in the corner of the room that led to a closet. She tried to open it, but couldn’t.
It was obvious.
She placed her hand on the door, which began to glow with an icy blue light. Finally, it opened, and she stepped inside, closing it behind her.
Darkness was all she could see. The closet was large, once filled with clothes, now hiding something else.
'You don’t know how happy I felt today when I saw him."
She murmured as she took light steps forward. Everything around her seemed to be frozen.
"Happy, smiling, so radiant… But above all: alive."
She pressed a switch, and the room lit up.
"Why have you been able to enjoy him all this time? While I was alone in that sanctuary, you lived happily here with Subaru. You lived happily here with Subaru. You could kiss him and hug him. Why you and not me? Why is your Subaru alive and mine isn’t?"
Her gaze was dark.
It wasn’t fair.
"You know? Today I kissed Subaru. It was wonderful. I was so happy. But I also realized I made a mistake, and I need you to fix it. After all, if they discover me, you’ll die. So tell me… where do babies come from?'
In front of her, inside a cage made of ice, gagged and with a look full of terror, was a girl identical to Emilia.
…Or was she the real Emilia?