A young man can be seen staring at a computer screen in a dark room. His eyes remain half-closed after a prolonged gaming session.
He notices the clock on his computer. "It's already dark," he says, finally deciding to take a break from his late-night activity.
He stands up from his chair, stretches his arms for a moment, and lets out a satisfied sigh.
The young man stays in deep thought for a while. Noticing that his snacks are all gone, he decides to do something about it.
"Maybe I'll go out for a bit," he said, heading to his closet to see what he could wear. As he rummaged through the clothes, his eyes landed on one particular outfit that made him chuckle just by looking at it.
It was a black synthetic jumpsuit with an orange stripe running down each arm and orange trim lining the high collar and zipper. A white panel covered the stomach area, standing out against the dark fabric. On the left chest, a black letter N was stamped, with an orange dot in the middle. The cuffs were elastic, giving it a snug, athletic fit.
There was nothing wrong with the jumpsuit itself—it was a fairly normal piece of clothing—but the context behind it was what made him laugh.
This was Natsuki Subaru's jumpsuit—the one from the anime where the main character dies multiple times in just the first arc. He had bought the suit for a cosplay back in the day, mostly because his name was Natsuki Subaru, and people already called him that anyway. So, he figured, he might as well own it—or so he had thought.
He took out the jumpsuit along with the leg piece, laid it on his bed, then turned on the light and snapped a photo. He posted the picture to his Twitter account—which had over 100 followers, mostly school friends—with the caption:
"Going out to the convenience store tonight, rate my fit."
Almost immediately, his friends—who had been playing games with him not five minutes ago—started flooding the comments:
"Bro is NOT going back in one piece."
"Boutta get gutted in a loot house for a trinket."
"RIP for bro."
"Bro is gonna have to fight an assassin for that half-elf puss."
"He is not gonna make it out alive, gang."
"W fit, you're gonna die though."
He chuckled again while reading the replies. This was exactly why he posted it—he knew they'd react like this.
Finally, he put on the jumpsuit and stepped outside his house, completely unaware of the things he was about to face in the near future.
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"Actually…?" The boy looked around—at the place, the scenery, the atmosphere. It was high noon now, even though it had been nighttime just seconds ago.
"Actually?!" he repeated, patting his thigh in search of his phone, hoping to prove this was all just a prank. He felt the device in his pocket, pulled it out, and powered it on. The signal icon still glowed at the top of the screen, just as strong as before.
"Phew… I thought I was actually isekai'd for a second," he muttered, letting out a breath of relief. If there was a phone signal here, then he was probably still in his own world—because there was no way there'd be internet service in another one.
He took a selfie, angling the camera to capture the scenery behind him. In the background, people were walking around—not just ordinary people, but demi-humans too. A wolf girl strolled by, followed by a lizard man, and more unusual beings passed as if it were perfectly normal.
He posted the selfie with the caption:
"Bro, where the f*ck am I?!"
Just like before, his friends flooded the comment section almost instantly:
"Naah bro is actually cooked."
"Where are you, gang?"
"No f*cking way this is real."
"Bro is cooked, fried, sautéed, with a side of fries."
"Nah bro fr. Where are you?"
This time, he didn't have time to laugh at his friends' comments. He quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket, deciding it was better to figure out where he was—or at the very least, gather some information.
"There's no way this is real… right?" he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning the unfamiliar streets around him.
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Subaru was now walking along a fairly busy street, still trying to process everything. Just a few minutes ago, he had witnessed what he could only describe as Compulsory Event #1—a kid nearly run over by a ground dragon, only to be dramatically saved at the last second by a passing knight.
Everything feels so real, he thought. Even the ground dragon looked like an actual animal… not horses in costume.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked up at the street—and immediately froze.
There, standing by a very familiar-looking Appa stand, was someone unmistakable.
No way, he thought, pulling out his phone again to take a quick picture.
"No way, is that Mr. Save-point-guy?" he posted.
The comments came flooding in within seconds:
"Naah bro is dead."
"How many times have you seen him?"
"Bro. FR. WHERE ARE YOU?"
"What language is that?"
"Bro there is no way."
He skimmed the comments with a half-smirk before slipping the phone back into his pocket.
Then, without hesitation, he walked up to confront Mr. Save-point-guy.
"Heya there, nii-chan. You want some Appa?" said Mr. Save-point-guy with a cheerful grin.
"Maybe… maybe later. But I really gotta ask, man—is this really Lugunica?" Subaru asked, cutting straight to the point. It could still be an elaborate prank, sure—but what kind of prank involved an entire city? It just didn't make any sense.
"What? Are you a tourist?" the man replied, raising a brow. "Of course this is Lugunica! Where else would it be? Certainly not that icy wasteland they call Gusteko—or that barbarian dump, Volachia."
Subaru stared at him, carefully analyzing every word, every expression.
No irregularities in his breathing.
His tone was natural, confident—like he was stating a universal truth.
There wasn't a single hint of deceit in his voice.
'Either this guy is telling the truth and I actually got isekai'd…' Subaru thought, 'or he's the most immaculate actor I've ever seen.'
But instead of trying to figure out whether it was real or not, Subaru did what any modern teen would do—he pulled out his phone and started recording.
He turned the camera toward himself and then pointed it at the Appa man.
"Can you tell me again where we are?" Subaru asked, glancing back at him.
The Appa man raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by the sudden request and the strange device pointed his way.
"This is Lugunica," he said, a bit slower this time. "Not Gusteko, not Volachia, not Kararagi, or anywhere else. Now, are you gonna buy my Appa or not?!"
Subaru kept recording. Because if this wasn't a prank… he wanted evidence.
"Alright, thanks man. Also—I have no money. See ya!" Subaru shouted before turning on his heels and dashing away from the stand, giggling like a kid caught stealing a cookie.
Behind him, the Appa man's voice echoed down the street.
"Oi! Don't waste my time if you're not buying anything, ya punk!"
Subaru didn't stop. He was too busy laughing to care, phone still in hand, recording everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subaru now stood in a quiet, unsuspecting alleyway—phone in hand—scrolling through the flood of notifications. He had just posted the video of his encounter with the Appa man and was now casually replying to every comment he received.
"Where are you?"
"I don't know."
"Is this real?"
"I don't know."
"Have you died?"
"Not yet, fortunately."
"Have you met Emilia or the other cast?"
"I met Mr. Save-point-guy, but other than him, no."
"What are you doing now?"
"Waiting for Compulsory Event #2."
He hit send on the last reply, leaned back against the wall, and took a deep breath.
Whatever this was—it was getting weirder by the minute.
And just on cue, Compulsory Event #2 arrived.
A group of thugs swaggered into the alley like they owned the place—exactly as expected. One was tall and muscular, another lanky with a crooked grin, and the last was a short, scrappy-looking guy with something to prove.
"Well, well—" the tall one started menacingly.
"GUAAARDS!!" Subaru screamed at the top of his lungs, cutting him off mid-sentence.
He wasn't about to play the hero. Not today.
He knew exactly how this route went, and there was no way he was fighting Elsa alone. Screw that.
If screaming for help would fast-forward him straight to Reinhard's scripted save, then that's exactly what he was gonna do.
All three thugs blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting their victim to call for the city watch before the mugging even started.
"HELP ME! OH GOD, THEY'RE GONNA KILL ME! HEEEELP!" Subaru screamed like a banshee, doing everything he could to draw as much attention as humanly possible.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?! We haven't even done anything yet!" shouted the muscular thug, visibly thrown off.
"And you think I'm gonna wait until you do?!HEEEELP!" Subaru shrieked again, doubling down without hesitation.
The thugs looked visibly shaken, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation—no one had ever reacted like this before.
"Shit… should we just stab him?" the small guy muttered to the lanky one.
"Are you crazy? What if a guard actually shows up?" the lanky guy shot back, glancing around nervously.
"Then we bounce! This isn't worth it," the muscular thug chimed in, equally spooked. "Just teach him a lesson and get out of here!"
But before they could make a move—
A certain red-haired young man stepped into the alley, his pristine white-and-blue knight uniform practically glowing under the midday sun, a legendary sword gleaming at his side.
The thugs froze.
Subaru didn't even look surprised.
'Scripted save achieved,' he thought, smugly.
"I came here after hearing a distress call," said the red-haired young man, his voice calm but commanding. "Is there a problem here?"
Subaru glanced back at the group of thugs, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"I don't know," he said with a raised brow. "Is there?"
The thugs all took a step back, their bravado instantly crumbling the moment they got a good look at who had arrived.
"Shit… that's the Sword Saint," the small thug whispered, pale-faced.
"I told you this wasn't worth it!" the muscular one shouted, already turning to run. "I'm outta here!"
"Wait! Wait for me!" the lanky guy cried as he scrambled after him.
And just like that—they were gone.
"Phew! Nice save, man. If it weren't for you, I would've been toast," Subaru said, grinning as he gave the red-haired knight a friendly pat on the back—like they were old friends.
Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint himself.
Subaru's favorite character from Re:Zero. A man burdened by the weight of the world, yet still managing to hold onto a heart full of justice.
The truth was—he didn't have to do any of this. Reinhard could have walked away. With his power, he could've lived peacefully anywhere in the world, free from duty and expectation. He could've chased happiness, freedom, even love.
But instead, he chose to stay.
He chose to serve as the kingdom's knight.
He let himself be bound by the Sage Council's chains—reduced to a living weapon, the Kingdom's loyal guard dog.
And even after all that, he remained righteous.
"You give me too much praise," Reinhard said humbly. "I'm sure they only ran because they were afraid to fight the two of us together."
"Maybe," Subaru replied with a shrug. "They are just common thugs, after all. But the truth is, without you, I wouldn't have been able to handle them. So… thanks for that." He gave Reinhard a sincere smile.
"In that case," Reinhard said with a warm nod, "you're welcome."
"Anyway!" Subaru suddenly interjected, shifting the mood. "I didn't call for guards just because of those thugs. See, I stumbled on some info—apparently a deadly assassin is hiring a local thief to steal a royal insignia. I figured that's kind of important, so I was gonna report it to the guards, but…"
He paused.
Reinhard raised an eyebrow. "And what's stopping you?"
"I don't know where the guard post is," Subaru replied instantly, deadpan.
The Sword Saint stood silently, processing the young man's words. Behind his calm expression, thousands of divine protections activated—working in tandem to assess whether this strange boy was lying, telling the truth, or simply insane.
What they found was… surprising.
The young man was telling the truth.
But not all of it.
"Then it seems fortune must have smiled upon me," Reinhard finally said. "Such a serious offense cannot be allowed to unfold."
"Indeed it can't, my friend," Subaru agreed, nodding seriously. "Though… I don't know exactly where the thief and assassin are planning to meet. I think it was some sort of loot house? You know, the kind of place where thieves sell off their haul."
He kept his tone vague, deliberately so. He couldn't just blurt out everything he knew. Not without blowing the whole "I totally belong here" act.
"I see. A loot house," Reinhard echoed, closing his eyes for a brief moment in thought.
Then, suddenly, he opened them—his expression calm, confident, and focused.
"Looks like the loot house is that way," he said, pointing decisively in a random direction.
"…How do you know that?" Subaru asked, blinking.
"I have a Divine Protection that guides me to my destination, even if I don't know where it is," Reinhard replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Subaru stared at him for a few seconds, expression blank.
He knew Reinhard's powers were broken—bullshit incarnate, really—but seeing it in action still hit different.
"…Okay then," Subaru muttered, already preparing himself mentally for the nonsense that was surely yet to come.
And suddenly—
Ring-ring-ring!
A sharp, unfamiliar sound echoed through the alley. Reinhard turned, alert, his eyes landing on Subaru as the young man fished a strange rectangular device out of his pocket.
"Oh shit," Subaru muttered, glancing at the screen before putting it to his ear.
"Hello?" he said into the device.
#Subaru! Where are you?!#
A loud voice bursts from the device's speaker, making Subaru flinch and yank it away from his ear for a second.
"Mom?! Oh great, we can still call each other from here!" he replied, both relieved and confused. "I don't know, Mom! I don't know where I am!"
Reinhard watched curiously, analyzing the exchange. It seemed to be some sort of communication media—one that allowed people to speak over distances.
Not exactly uncommon, but definitely expensive—devices like that were typically reserved for nobles or the wealthy.
#What do you mean you don't know?!# the voice crackled from the device. #I saw your tweet! Are you at some anime convention or something? Why is it so bright?#
'The voice… it sounds worried,' Reinhard noted, silently observing the strange object. It must be some kind of long-range communication metia.
"No, Mom! I don't know—I just blinked and now I'm here! It's way too real to be a prank, and everything's playing out exactly like the anime!"
Subaru suddenly perked up and turned to Reinhard. "Look! I even have the Sword Saint with me!"
Hearing his title, Reinhard's curiosity was piqued. Just who was this young man?
"Hold on, I'm switching to a video call," Subaru said as he tapped the device a few times.
And then—
A glowing image appeared on the screen. A camera feed.
"Look, Mom! Look! It's Reinhard!" Subaru beamed as he stepped closer to the red-haired knight, angling the screen so both of them were visible.
Reinhard had absolutely no idea what was happening—but people sometimes acted like this around him, so he simply smiled politely and gave a small wave to the glowing metia.
On the screen, a woman with brown hair and a strange, modern-looking dress stared back at them. Her eyes were shaped just like Subaru's—slightly slanted, full of concern.
#Is he a cosplayer? He looks spot on.# Subaru's mom asked, squinting at Reinhard.
"No, Mom! It's actually him! I actually got isekai'd! How do you explain that?" Subaru pointed his device toward the sky.
#The sun?#
"Yes! How is there a sun right now? This is like—what? 1 A.M. back home!" he said, gesturing wildly. "That's not normal!"
#Maybe you got kidnapped to another country?#
"And is that better?!"
#Yes! Because at least we could get to you with a plane! How are we supposed to bring you back if you're in another world?!# his mother cried out, her voice laced with panic. It was clear now—she wasn't being skeptical out of logic, but out of fear. Denial was all she had left.
#And how do you even have phone signals if you actually got isekai'd?!#
"That's the thing—I don't know!" Subaru snapped, equally frustrated. "None of this makes sense! But look, I am here. And if this is real—someone's going to die. We're heading to the loot house now to stop that."
He paused for a breath.
"I'll talk to you later, okay?"
On the screen, his mother's eyes widened in fear.
#The loot house?! Then you're going to fight—#
"Bye, Mom! See you later!" Subaru quickly cut her off before she could spiral any further, ending the call with a tap.
He sighed, lowering the phone. Everything is just so weird.
Subaru glanced back at the confused Sword Saint behind him. "Sorry about that. My mom's… a bit worried about my current situation."
"I understand," Reinhard replied gently. "Your family must be deeply concerned, given that you're now in a foreign world."
Subaru flinched slightly. "O-oh… right. You heard that."
"I apologize," Reinhard said sincerely, bowing his head slightly. "You were speaking quite loudly, so I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I hope you can forgive me."
"No, no, it's okay," Subaru replied with a small, tired chuckle. "We Natsukis can be a little loud sometimes."
He took a deep breath. "But yeah… I'm from another world. I don't know how I got here or how to get back. All I do know is that someone's going to die today, and I want to stop it."
Saying it out loud felt… relieving. Like unloading a weight he'd been carrying all day through confusion, panic, and disbelief.
"That's a noble thing to do," Reinhard said, his tone filled with quiet admiration. "Especially when you yourself are clearly troubled. Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
Subaru stared ahead for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
"I am… I will be… I don't know." He sighed. "Let's just get to the loot house for now."
Reinhard nodded and turned, beginning to lead the way—his pace steady, his presence reassuring.
Subaru followed, hoping that his fate will be different from his anime counterpart.
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