"So basically, you've watched everything I went through like watching an anime, but you couldn't grasp the characters' exact emotional turning points.
Still, even so, you should understand the trouble I'm in now, right? Got any good advice?"
Subaru's response caused Echidna to freeze.
She stared blankly at him and then broke into a delighted smile.
"This is truly unexpected. I thought you'd be furious at me for prying into your memories.
I considered the possibility you might be so emotional that you'd reveal your Return by Death.
So this is growth… You've realized that anger and impulsiveness are useless, you've recognized your own weakness, and thus you're suppressing unnecessary emotions and choosing to use me instead."
Echidna spoke effortlessly of the taboo term that Subaru held sacred.
If not for how terrifying that phrase was to him, Subaru might not have even noticed.
He instinctively wanted to ask, but faced with an unknown future, his tongue refused to form the words.
—Why is it that others can say it so freely? Or perhaps, only witches can speak it aloud. And yet I still can't.
"Let's give it a try then."
Echidna said this casually to Subaru, who trembled in fear of the taboo and the unknown.
She must understand the dangers of this matter, and yet she still urged him to do it.
Subaru vaguely realized—this was her true nature.
The embodiment of the thirst for knowledge: the Witch of Greed, willing to risk even her life for the sake of unseen outcomes.
"No, you understand how rare the opportunity to be here is. What I want most right now is a way to break through my current predicament."
Though the witch was ready to offer her life, Subaru had no intention of dying just when he was about to find a clue to his dilemma.
"How cruel..."
Echidna looked at Subaru with teary, unsatisfied eyes.
Subaru, feeling that the Witch of Greed had lost all her authority in his eyes, sighed and looked at her unmoved.
"Actually, isn't the way to resolve this situation right in front of you?"
"In front of me? The solution to Emilia's psychological issues—is it related to Sloth?
Or is there some mysterious use for the Gospel Otto brought...? Or maybe it's my recent plan to draw Beatrice into the battle?"
Subaru began to recall what he might've overlooked in his countless loops.
"...Having a girl say something like that herself is kind of mean, don't you think?"
For the first time in their talk, the normally eloquent Echidna spoke vaguely.
Seeing Subaru's puzzled face, Echidna blushed slightly and coughed.
"Form a contract with me, Natsuki Subaru."
"A... contract?"
"Yes, a contract. A formal contract with the Witch of Greed. What do you say?"
Echidna looked seriously at Subaru, who responded thoughtfully.
"If I form a contract... what happens?"
"It's simple. From now on, if you come across any insurmountable obstacle, I'll worry about it with you. If someone wants a certain answer from you, I'll help you give them that answer. If you're crushed by your sins, I'll eliminate those sins for you."
Echidna spread her arms and wore a confident smile.
"I guarantee you'll overcome any predicament. I guarantee you'll achieve results that'll make everyone look at you in awe.
I guarantee you'll make Reinhild your wife.
I guarantee you'll reach the ending you've always dreamed of.
So how about it—shall we make such a contract?"
"...You're dead, so you shouldn't be able to interfere in the real world, right?"
"Though it's sudden to say this now, I believe I've already surpassed the realm of the dead.
If we form a contract, the Castle of Dreams will bind itself to you, and I'll remain by your side."
Echidna reached out her hand.
"I'm not trying to boast, but I'm very confident in my knowledge.
Most of the problems you'll encounter—I have countermeasures for them all.
No matter how absurd a situation you find yourself in, I'm confident I can resolve it.
And unlike those around you, you won't need to trouble yourself convincing me. Because I understand your Return by Death."
Seeing Echidna's serious expression, Subaru leaned back in his chair and looked up at the sky.
When cornered, when there are no answers, when facing hardship—
—To be able to talk openly with someone under the blue sky like this, and search for answers together.
"Even if I fail in the end, maybe that wouldn't be so bad."
"If that's how you feel..."
Echidna stood up from her chair. As if unconsciously, she clenched her fists and lowered her head, staring intently at Subaru.
"But I refuse."
Subaru suddenly pointed his finger at Echidna.
"You're too hasty. I've spent countless loops with that sly Otto guy, and I live in the age of big data—free things are often the most expensive. So what price would I need to pay?"
"No need to be nervous. Don't worry. The price I ask of you isn't that heavy. In fact, among all the contracts I've made, this one is the most fair."
"Isn't that what every salesperson says?"
"What you feel, what you think, what remains in your heart, the future you envision, the things you must do, the possibilities born from you, and the fruit of the 'unknown' that emerges from your existence—let me taste them all."
Echidna said this, blushing like a girl in love.
Just traveling the path with him, sharing in what Subaru has felt, known, and the results of his actions.
The embodiment of thirst for knowledge, the Witch branded with the sin of "Greed," asked only for this.
"You're not lying, are you?"
"Lying in the formation of a contract would be going too far. And for my own sake, I swear I will never go back on those words. Even if it costs me this life."
Echidna placed her hand on her chest, ending with a playful tone: "Though I'm already dead."
—No matter where, no matter with whom, Subaru had always been someone who couldn't get things done without help.
Leaning forward from the chair back, Subaru stood up.
Echidna still smiled as she extended her hand toward Subaru, as if waiting for the contract to be sealed.
If this was truly a way to be saved, then Subaru had no real complaints.
"Then how about you show me a way to resolve my current predicament first?"
"...Huh?"
Echidna had lost track of how many times Subaru had caught her off guard, but he paid no mind to her reaction and said seriously:
"After all, anime usually lets you watch the first episode for free before asking you to pay.
Honestly, my understanding of you is limited to legends and this single conversation.
Not to mention the legendary part, but the you I've spoken with now doesn't exactly give me the realistic confidence that you can actually help me solve my problems.
Price is important, but buying something I don't need is an even bigger problem."