04x07 - Konbini o Deru to, Soko wa Fushigi no Sekai Deshita

[bunniefuu]

Julius, you need to stay here and
rest until your wounds have healed.

No matter what!

You heard her.

Of course.

I've already caused too much
trouble for you and Lady Emilia.

After all this, I could never
shamelessly disobey you now.

I will do as you say.

A simple "understood"
would have sufficed, man.

He's right!
You don't have to worry about us!

We're saying that you need to rest.

You can trouble us as much as you want.

You're one of us, after all.

Patrasche, look after Julius, would you?

If anything odd happens again, call us.

See? Even Patrasche is saying, "I
will not let you get away next time."

Strangely enough, it really does
sound like that's what she's saying.

She might've said it in a more feminine
tone, though, since she's a lady.

I will behave myself and
focus on my recovery.

It is a luxury to rest surrounded
by such lovely maidens, after all.

Feeling more like yourself again, I see.

Will Julius be all right, I suppose?

Don't worry about him.

Seems like he's past the worst of it.

I never thought he'd do such a thing,
even after what Gluttony did.

Well... yeah, I agree with you there...

but what he did was basically
like a man getting measles.

It could have ended in failure for all
of us because he acted on his own.

If that had happened,

I'm not sure the examiner on the second
floor would have let us leave unscathed.

Not even that sham sage there.

Who, me?

Calling me a sham sage is super harsh!

It's not like I ever even
claimed to be a sage!

The only name I have is "Shaula,"
the name Master gave me!

I only have eyes for Master!

You heard her. What devotion.

Look, the point is, his mistake
didn't turn out to be fatal!

Just take that as a win, okay?

Hmph. I simply don't want
anyone getting in my way.

Do you two just want
to do nothing but fight?

Even I can't deal with this.

You're right.

What we need to do right
now is talk things over.

We have to figure out a way to get

past the second exam
by the time Julius recovers.

The reason the examiner
acknowledged Lady Emilia

was because she got information out
of him while fulfilling his terms.

The conditions for passing
this exam are rather fickle.

Yeah. It's nasty in a totally different
way than the third floor exam.

What's the problem?

There's no need to rush.
Why not just take it slow?

We can't really go slow, though...

My master and his friends can
stay here as long as they want!

I waited hundreds of years for
you to come here, you know.

Yeah, but...

So you can take all the time you
need to pass the exams legit!

I'll be watching over you all the while.

No matter how many days,
years, or centuries it takes.

Just have some fun here
with me before you go!

Shaula...

This looks tasty!

Touch.

You must've felt pretty anxious while
I was laid up for a couple days, huh?

So you can relax and hang all over
me as much as you want today.

Don't be ridiculous!

I'm just collecting extra mana to make up
for the time you spent asleep, I suppose!

Sure, but then why

did you hold my hand while I was asleep
and you couldn't collect any mana?

That had nothing to do with mana.

That was just to keep Betty's
heart filled. It was unrelated.

Okay, Beako, don't worry about me!

Go ahead and fatten yourself up
on my mana!

I won't get fat just from absorbing
lots of mana, I suppose!

All right.

That's enough, you two. Let's eat now.

Ram and I prepared the meal today.

We'll have to take some to Julius later.

You know...

I did kind of expect as much,

but you have the worst table
manners I've ever seen.

Were you that hungry?

It's not that! This stuff
just tastes too good!

What do you usually eat?

Mabeasts and stuff.

You eat those giant worms?!

And stuff like bears and horses, too.

I never thought I was too
particular about food,

but I might become the half witch's
apprentice if the food tasted like this!

Apprentice? You mean mine?
To learn to cook?

I wanna get better at cooking

so I can win Master's heart through
his stomach and make him say,

"I'm not letting you sleep tonight."

Not shy at all about
your ambitions, are you?

Subaru, Betty will stay in the
carriage with Emilia and Ram.

Okay, got it.

Don't be up all night.

It'll hinder your growth so
you stay a shrimp forever...

Wait, you'd be adorable!

Okay, stay up all night, Beako!

No need to worry.

Betty won't get any bigger
than this, I suppose.

I will always be this cute.

So I can go to sleep early
without issue, I suppose.

Emilia-tan, take care of Beako, okay?

Sure. See you tomorrow.

And don't stay up too late yourself.

Subaru, it's you.

Hey. Did you eat?

Yes, I did.

Are you here to watch Miss Rem?

That was the plan, but...

Want to take over tonight?

No.

You were unconscious for two
days until this morning.

I'm sure she has longed for
night to come, as well.

Well, if you wanna let me
do it, I won't argue...

But are you sure?

The truth is that I would like to stay by
Lady Anastasia's side until she awakens.

But I'm unsure what I should
say first when she does awaken,

and that makes me hesitate.

Shouldn't it be, "I've been worried
about you. I'm glad you're awake"?

The question is what you
should say after that.

You think so freely.

I envy you for that.

Perhaps I will let you stay here tonight.

I will return to the carriage to rest.

I'm a bit tired after the events of today.

Julius! Actually, I think you should
wait for Lady Anastasia to wake up!

I'll wake you once I've
finished what I need to do!

Julius said Rem longed for
the night to come... but...

Oh, crap. I fell asleep.

Foxidna?

Why is there a bird inside the tower?

It vanished?

That can't be right.

A feather?

Is there something in the wall?

Foxidna.

Natsuki?

This is the perfect view for
a nighttime stroll, isn't it?

It sure is.

It's just a shame that beautiful
view is all black right now.

I still like it, though. It's
like the ocean at night.

And above all...

the air is so clear and cool, it
makes the stars really stand out.

Romantic, isn't it?

Well, it's true that the stars are pretty.

So what excuse do you have
for what's going on here?

Excuse?

For slipping out of your room
in the middle of the night,

taking a secret passage
nobody else knows about,

and playing with the birds
out here in the night air.

That's way too suspicious.

I think you might be exaggeratin'
about the secret passage.

I mean, you made it here, didn't ya?

That was... because the
bird kinda led me here.

Well, the same goes for me.

I was just takin' an aimless
stroll around the tower,

and I saw a bird flying.

I wondered what it was doin' and
followed it, and I ended up here.

Are these the same birds we saw flying
when we were trying to overcome sand time?

The ones whose eyes Ram borrowed
for her clairvoyance, yes.

They've been like this the whole time.

I've been so puzzled by it.

You and I are the only two
people here right now.

Why don't we speak frankly?

Not with the me who's pretending
to be Anastasia, but with me?

That's perfect. There's something
I wanted to ask you, too.

Ask me?

Subaru Natsuki, just who are you?

Who... am I?

After the celebration of your victory
over the White Whale and Sloth,

Ana investigated you.

But she couldn't figure
out your background.

She grumbled about only being able
to learn the bare minimum about you.

The farthest she got was right
before the royal selection began,

when you were involved in a bit of
an incident in the royal capital.

Just who are you?

Are you... afraid of me for real?

Well, that's very upsetting to hear.

What is your true connection to Shaula?

I only met her for the first
time after we came here.

I don't know her at all.

Was it just coincidence that you figured
out the third floor exam so quickly?

Yes.

And what about these birds?

No idea.

I'm a bit afraid to take your word for it.

I want to ask you, too: what's
going on with Lady Anastasia?

There's no change.

Ana is still sleeping
deep within this body.

I'm not being optimistic or anything...

but the knowledge that I'm chipping
away at her life weighs heavily on me.

So I need to return her body
to her as soon as possible.

In that state?

You really think she can be the next
ruler when she's in that condition?

Ana will never back down.

She'll never give up.

I know that to be the truth.

You think Lady Anastasia wants
her own country that badly?

Even if she has to let it go as
soon as she gets her hands on it?!

Ana has a reason why she
can't give up on the throne.

Because it's what she wants.

What... did you mean by that?

What did you mean by that?

I'm sorry, Julius.

But it's not as if I was tryin'
to leave ya in the dark.

I was just chattin' with Natsuki about
what's comin' after we get back home.

Forgive me?

You are not Lady Anastasia, are you?

I want you to explain it to me.

You cannot fool me or keep
secrets from me any longer.

Julius, hold up!

Subaru.

I want to hear from you, too.

I only want to know the truth.

What was the first thing you heard?

When Lady Anastasia's body was mentioned.

I'm an artificial spirit who's
been with Ana for many years.

My name is Echidna.

Ever since the battle against
the Witch Cult in Priestella,

Ana's consciousness has been
asleep deep within this body.

She isn't the one making
her body move right now.

I've been pretending to be
Ana all this time.

Why did you only share this
knowledge with Subaru?

He figured out that I was
only pretending to be Ana.

That's why I told him.

Even an outsider who barely knows
her was able to figure it out,

while the man who calls himself
her first knight could not?

Just hang on! Look, I only
figured it out because, well...

It was just a coincidence, okay?!

It is her first knight's job to
always turn such coincidences

into something definite.

What is a "first knight," anyway?

If that's what it means, who
needs a stupid title like—

Do not tell me to get rid of it.

I...

Right now, the thought of letting even
one thing slip away frightens me.

Back to the subject.

Echidna, what is your objective?

To return this body to Ana.

In other words, the current situation
is not what you hoped for...

and you have not found a way to
return Lady Anastasia to her body.

If my death would allow
Ana to live longer,

I would not mind that.

How can you go so far for Lady Anastasia?

I love Ana.

I've been by her side ever since
this little one was very young.

So I don't want to abandon her,
and I want her to be happy.

That's my reason.

I'm glad you made
such a rational decision.

I'm sure Ana is happy
you've done so, as well.

I want to be certain.

If you keep using Lady Anastasia's
od to continually manifest like this,

then the more you push yourself,
the more strain you put on her body.

Yes. You perceive that correctly.

Then why did you act so
recklessly on the second floor?

The strain that put on Lady Anastasia's
body could not have been trivial.

So why?

For that...

I apologize.

I accept that as a mistake on my part.

It was a decision made from
a strategic point of view.

A strategic decision?

At the time, I didn't yet know whether
that examiner was out for blood or not.

One wrong move, and we might have lost
you, one of our strongest assets.

I wanted to avoid that.

For Ana's sake, as well.

I understand. But in the future,
please refrain from acting rashly.

For the sake of Lady
Anastasia and no one else.

Understood.

Hang on! That was enough to convince you?!

I am convinced.

I apologize for getting you involved
in this strange misunderstanding.

But this problem remains strictly our own.

It is nothing you need
concern yourself over.

How I take things is up to me!

So you will accept things as you wish,

but you won't allow me to
accept my problems my way?

Just as you didn't tell me about
Lady Anastasia and Echidna?

Forgive me. I went too far.

But it is true.

There is no reason to
stay out here any longer.

Let us go inside.

We must tell Lady Emilia and the others
about Lady Anastasia's condition,

and about Echidna, tomorrow.

Very well.

I'll steel my resolve.

Julius!

Don't you have something
you want to say to me?

I do.

I know.

I know what you were thinking and
why you hid the truth from me.

You meant no harm.

You only did it
out of concern and sympathy.

If our positions were reversed,

perhaps I would have refrained
from telling you, as well.

But still...

I did not want you
or Lady Anastasia to think

that I am not worthy of being a knight.

Barusu.

Big Sister.
What're you doing at this hour?

Pervert.

Don't try to end the conversation
before it starts!

You didn't go upstairs alone, did you?

I did not. I only tried to.

I turned back partway.

What about you? What were you doing?

You look awfully dejected.

Did you fight with the
knight Julius or something?

Huh?!

Am I that easy to read?

That, and I am simply too intelligent.

Well?

Huh? Oh... It was nothing.

Well, it wasn't nothing, but...

I think I'll be able to tell you tomorrow.

You keep speaking in insinuations.

I'm heading back to the carriage.

Right... Goodnight, Big Sister.

I am not your big sister.

Stop calling me that.

Well, I can't just go
back to the green room.

So what to do now?

I guess I'll try to think
of a way to deal with Reid.

That's it! If this works...

Subaru! Hey!

Subaru! Are you all right?

Huh?!

Huh?

Oh, what a relief!

I was so worried about you!

Emilia, you need to be firmer or he
won't feel bad about what he's done.

That's right!
You heard Beatrice, didn't you?

She was panicking because
we couldn't find you,

and when we found you on the
ground, she nearly cried!

You don't need to tell him
everything, I suppose!

A silver-haired beauty and a
little girl with ringlets...

A giant lizard,
and a room made of plants...

Does this mean...

Subaru?

I've been summoned into another world?!

Walking Out of the Convenience Store
and Into a Wondrous World