V9 - CHAPTER 1 : THE GOSPEL KNOWN AS WARMTH

"—Hey, kid?"

"Ah?"

Subaru's mind was roused by the abrupt calling of his name along with the sensation of his shoulder being shaken.

The image of the world around him changed in an instant, almost like someone had switched camera angles in his brain. The sudden influx of information startled him, making Subaru feel dizzy as he blinked several times.

The next moment, the unfathomable shock known as comprehension coursed through his entire being.

"No way…"

Subaru put a hand to his forehead as he listened to the sound of his heartbeats pumping blood through his body.

Subaru had experienced a blank of several seconds interrupting his thoughts a number of times before. It was the result of "Death"—the time between the erasure and resurrection of Subaru Natsuki.

He'd died. He'd died. "Death" had greeted Subaru once more.

Moreover, Subaru had lost his life in battle against that wily bastard Sloth.

"…"

After overcoming many hardships, much suffering, in the end he'd still lost his life.

He'd defeated the White Whale and, after that, reorganized the expedition force, bringing it with him as he traveled to Earlham Village to fight the Witch Cult.

At the end of that anguish, all that joy, sadness, and anger, had all come to naught—

"—Nom."

"Ugyaaaaah—?!"

Subaru had been covering his face with his hands, cutting himself off from the world, when he was suddenly assaulted by unexpected sensations.

The feel of hot breath and his earlobe being pinned between two hard points sent the astonished Subaru tumbling to the ground. Wide-eyed from the exceptionally soft sensation, he noticed yellow eyes gazing down at him with a teasing look.

The owner of those eyes touched a finger to their lips coquettishly as a wry, beautiful smile appeared.

"The teasing was because you were staring into space, but what a wonderful reaction, meow. Ferri enjoyed it so much that this might become a habit…"

The sight of his flaxen kitty ears flicking as he continued speaking lightheartedly left Subaru listening with his mouth agape. Eventually he swallowed and called out her—or rather his—name.

"Is that you, Ferris?"

"Who else does it look like? Maybe you're not just daydreaming, but hallucinating, too? You could have swallowed some White Whale mist… Should I give you a proper examination?"

"…Nah, I'm all right. I just felt like asking. Right, what I was asking about…?"

As Ferris peered at him in concern, Subaru shook his head before taking a deep breath and examining the area. Ferris was seated directly beside him, and around Ferris, many others—no, properly speaking, they were in a circle with Subaru at the center.

Beneath his feet lay the grassland. It was clear from the dawn sky above that the sun had not risen yet. With everyone's gaze focused on him, Subaru sensed a ferocious bestial presence hovering to his left.

"…Were you the one who spoke to me first?"

"—? What are you talkin' about, bro? You had a crazy look in your eyes. Pull it together."

The dog face of Ricardo, the large-framed beast man, grimaced with a suspicious look. Subaru, realizing from the exchange that Ricardo had seen his face the instant he Returned by Death, scratched his cheek as he looked over everyone's face once more, nodding as he spoke again.

"That was seriously bad for my heart. I mean really, I thought I was back in front of the fruit store again."

Exhaling like a deflating balloon, Subaru let the tension out of his shoulders as his palm brushed the ground. The cold dirt, fresh grass, and raw earth under him meant he definitely wasn't in the capital.

This was the Liphas Highway, where they'd held a general briefing right after defeating the White Whale.

In other words…

"The save point…got updated, huh?"

It felt like he had narrowly avoided a terrible fate, but it wasn't something he could laugh at. Still, the silver lining brought him relief.