"A hit on that one spot… doesn't that seem impossible?"
Muster up all your courage and wisdom and do something.
"I actually do have an idea," Subaru muttered, eyes narrowing. "But it'll definitely make you mad."
Rem's sadistic, disturbing face stared coldly at both of them, her morning star's chain clenched tight in her hands.
"If it'll bring my sister back to her senses," Ram said firmly, "I won't get mad… even if it's by throwing me through fire."
"Really?" Subaru asked, already shifting Ram's position in his arms.
"Absolutely."
"Do you swear on Roswaal?"
"That is the most reckless name you could've chosen… but yes. I swear on my beloved master Roswaal."
"Alright cause its quite similar to what you said."
"Wait that was just a metaphor, I didn't mean it literally."
"Too late." Subaru took a deep breath and began stepping closer to the mind-broken Rem. She twitched as he approached, her hands tightening around the chain links.
Then he bolted.
"Heave-ho!"
Subaru ran full speed, gaining momentum—then launched Ram straight toward Rem.
The pink-haired maid soared through the air, passing above the startled dog beasts, airborne like a missile toward her sister.
For the first time, the crazed oni's expression shifted—some flicker of recognition sparking in her eyes. She dropped her weapon mid-swing and reached out.
She caught Ram mid-air, instinctively holding her tightly.
Subaru seized the moment, charging forward with his sword raised.
This is it… now's my chance!
He ran straight for Rem, heart pounding, vision locked on her glowing horn—his target.
But as he closed in—his eyes met hers.
Cold. Blue. Beautiful.
And terrifying.
His swing faltered.
His blade missed.
"I freaked out…" Subaru whispered, stumbling to the ground. "I didn't have the guts to take the last step. All those expensive kendo lessons… only for me to lose my nerve."
"I really am pathetic."
As Subaru's body hit the forest floor, a sudden burst of wind exploded beneath him. The force launched him back into the air—flying high over the mabeasts and even over Rem herself.
The little pup, now seated atop the backs of two panting dogs, looked up at the airborne Subaru.
Rem, holding Ram tightly in her arms, turned her gaze skyward.
Subaru twisted mid-air and looked back down at her, falling straight toward the ground—toward her.
Rem's expression sharpened. She raised a hand, preparing to fling her morning star directly into his flight path.
But then—
CRACK.
Another shockwave of wind burst through the earth. More explosions followed, cracking the forest floor.
Rem's expression hardened. She turned her focus to shielding her sister, hugging Ram tight and stomping the ground with so much force that the entire area caved inward, forming a crater beneath them.
"DAAAAAAMN!" Subaru shouted as he fell.
He glared ahead, eyes narrowed with renewed focus, and gripped his sword tightly with both hands.
If I let this chance go by… there won't be any others.
As he began free-falling toward the deranged maid, he yelled out, "Smile, Rem!"
He accelerated—his sword raised high above his head.
"Today I'm more demonically inspired than a real demon!"
Just before the sword could reach her glowing horn, he twisted his wrists, purposefully angling the blade.
CLANK.
With a resounding metallic crack, the flat of the sword smashed directly against Rem's horn.
And the new butler struck the raging oni maid.
***
Flashback.
Two identical, cute little girls stood before a great waterfall. Behind them were gathered villagers, the village chief among them.
The pink-haired oni child raised her hand and began chanting a spell.
Magical energy swirled—the water twisted into a cyclone and surged through the air, spreading over the village farms like divine irrigation.
The crowd stared in awe.
"She is a true prodigy..."
"Such power, and only with one horn…"
"If she had two horns…"
Rem, the little blue-haired girl, looked down sadly. She stood in her sister's shadow.
***
The two girls sat with their parents eating lunch.
"Very good, Ram," their father said proudly.
Rem looked at her food.
"You'll have to follow your sister's example and work hard," he added.
"Don't worry," their mother chimed in. "One day, Rem will show us her power."
Rem forced a smile. But deep inside, she felt pathetic—just a pale copy of her sister.
"You're right. She is Ram's sister, after all."
"We expect great things."
Rem stared at the ground. Ram looked at her little sister with quiet worry.
***
That night, Rem stood at the same spot her sister had cast her powerful spell—beneath the roaring waterfall.
The little girl summoned her horn. She chanted.
But the magic collapsed.
Her mana was too weak.
Water splashed across her face, and the torrent mocked her efforts.
***
"Don't worry."
Rem turned, startled.
Her sister was there.
"Sissy…?"
Ram smiled.
"Just be you, Rem. Don't worry about what everyone else says."
Rem said nothing.
***
The memories came in flashes:
—Rem struggling to write with a quill, while Ram speed-wrote perfectly.
—Ram raising a huge water sphere in the air as the villagers watched in awe.
—Ram walking proudly with their mother, Rem trailing silently behind.
—Ram slicing stacks of wood cleanly, while Rem failed to even dent hers.
Frustration. Envy. Determination.
***
Again, she stood at the waterfall, chanting.
Trying to mimic that whirlwind spell.
But the water didn't move.
"I can never match my sister in power…" she whispered, defeated.
***
Another day.
Ram and their mother were washing dishes. Rem walked in, determination etched into her face.
"Hey Mom."
Her mother turned, a little surprised. "What is it, Rem?"
"I'll make dinner tomorrow," she said with a smile.
Ram looked over. "What are you going to make for dinner?"
Rem tilted her head in thought. "Maybe a stir-fry—Barbaro rabbit meat, nuts from the trees… and steamed tatoes."
(*Author's Note: In Re:Zero, potatoes are called "tatoes," and apples are "appas.")
"I'll help you," Ram offered.
Rem shook her head. "No. I'll be fine by myself. Just watch me."
***
She was in the forest the next day, happily collecting nuts and placing them in her satchel.
"Now I just need a rabbit," she grinned.
Rain began to fall, the skies grumbling overhead.
She picked up her pace, using her arms to shield herself.
BOOM.
Thunder cracked. A lightning strike hit just ahead.
She gasped—dropped her satchel in a panic and ran.
***
When she returned—drenched, empty-handed—her father scolded her.
"Rem, don't go into the forest alone again. You don't have to worry your sister."
Rem's face remained fallen.
"Yes, Dad. I'm sorry…"
Ram quickly picked up a tatoe and began gnawing on it.
"Wait! Don't forget about this!" she said cheerfully.
"The steamed tatoes Rem made are really good!"
Seeing their dad begin to eat as well, Ram kept going.
"They have just the right amount of salt!"
"You're right," the father said, nodding in delight.
The mother giggled softly.
"I had no idea Rem could make something so delicious."
Rem's head remained bowed.
All of their words—praise, smiles, kindness—sounded like forced pity.
To her… it was all just consolation.
***
Rem was back in the forest again, alone, trying to pick up nuts from the dirt.
Dark trees surrounded her like towering shadows—the noir woods swallowing her up.
Then, a voice.
"That's enough, Rem."
She turned—surprised.
It was her mother, standing in the forest.
"I'm just happy both of you are all right," her mother said gently.
A second voice joined.
"Yes… we're just glad both of you are alright."
It was her father.
Rem's eyes began to well with tears. She smiled.
They were okay. They still loved her.
Then—
A new voice. Cold. Cruel. Dismissive.
"No. It would have been better… if only Ram had been safe."
Another voice echoed it mockingly.
"That's right. You said it."
Rem looked around, her breath trembling.
The forest had shifted.
The trees now loomed taller and darker. Shadows twisted unnaturally.
And surrounding her were villagers—cold, gray shapes with blank, judging faces.
"Yes… if only Rem had died," her parents suddenly said in unison.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"No—no, that's not—!"
Little Rem turned and ran, crying out—
—until she woke up.
A warm, glowing hand gently grasped her own.
Rem looked up—and her tears immediately stopped.
It was her sister.
Ram was smiling at her with warmth and comfort.
"You were having a scary dream, weren't you?"
"…Sissy…"
"It's all right. I'm with you now. You don't have to worry about anything."
Rem hugged Ram's arm tightly, warm tears falling freely now—but no longer from fear.
"I love you, Sissy…"
***
Later that night, Rem had been content, peacefully sleeping.
Until—
She woke to find her bed empty.
"…Sissy?"
She sat up quietly and got out of bed.
The floor was warm. The house was silent.
She walked to the door and slowly opened it—
Her eyes widened in terror.
Her entire village was on fire.
The houses. The trees. The roads.
Everything was burning.
Even the sky itself looked like it was being eaten alive by flame.
Rem could only stand there, frozen in shock, as she watched her entire village burn down. The heat licked at her skin, the air thick with ash and smoke—but she barely felt any of it.
She didn't even notice the hooded figures slowly surrounding her.
One of them, cloaked in black, raised his blade. He crept closer, ready to strike down the grief-stricken little girl—
SHHHHRRRRAAANG—
A multitude of massive, howling wind blades tore through the trees.
The man—and the figures around him—were shredded into splinters of blood and cloth, their bodies reduced to fragments.
"Sissy!"
Ram landed in front of her like a thunderclap, arms raised as she unleashed a dome of cutting wind all around them.
Every cloaked figure in the radius was diced in an instant. Even some of the strongest flames were snuffed out.
Ram turned toward her sister and smiled gently.
"Rem… I'm glad you're safe."
But then—
A cloaked figure appeared behind them, slipping through the chaos.
He struck.
A clean, precise slash.
Ram's glowing horn flew into the air, spinning once before crashing to the ground—bleeding, cracked, and severed.
The prodigy of the Oni clan…
Was now hornless.
Forever.
Time slowed for Rem.
She saw the blood from her sister's horn.
She saw the glimmer of it—something she'd always seen as unreachable. Powerful. Distant. A symbol of everything she wasn't.
And now—it was gone.
And yet…
She smiled.
A small, soft smile of relief.
"…It finally broke off."
Flashback end.
"Barusu, head to the right of the broken tree up ahead! You're too slow!"
"Don't ask any more of me, I'm running as fast as I can!" Subaru shouted, panting heavily.
Rem slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry—her head gently bumping against something warm. She realized she was being carried, cradled tightly against Subaru's chest as he dashed through the forest.
Ram trailed close behind them.
"Subaru… what…" Rem mumbled.
"You're awake, Rem!" Subaru said, still running but glancing down at her with relief.
Ram gave a small, exasperated smile. "Thank goodness, Rem. You really are a handful."
Suddenly, a dog beast burst out from the brush beside them.
"Fula!" Ram cast her spell instantly, slicing the beast's arms clean off with a gust of wind before continuing her sprint.
Subaru pushed through a dense bush, Rem still pressed against his chest, her head resting against him as her voice came out small and broken.
"Why…"
Subaru looked down at her.
"Why didn't you just leave me alone?" she whimpered. "You and Sister showing up… it makes it all pointless."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I should be the one to do it. No one else needs to get hurt anymore. Look at you—open wounds, claw marks… bruises. Ram's mana is practically depleted, and with her missing horn… her recovery, stamina, strength… they're all gone. And…"
She swallowed.
"Toyota's dead."
Subaru's eyes widened. "No. I… I told Toyota to escape. His arm was messed up, so I told him to leave it to me."
Rem shook her head, voice trembling.
"Even if I couldn't fully control my rampage state, I can still remember things. I saw it… in the corner of my eye… when I was trying to hit you. I saw him collapse."
Subaru paled, his breath hitching. "You're not joking with me… are you?"
She didn't answer. She only shook her head again, sadly.
There was a pause. Then Ram, quietly thinking aloud, asked, "Barusu… how did you survive after we jumped from the cliff?"
"You jumped late," she continued. "That kind of impact should have, at the very least, severely injured you."
"…Toyota caught me."
Subaru's face twisted with guilt. He reached up and grabbed his hair, yanking at it in frustration.
"He saved me. And I left him there."
A hollow silence followed.
"I… I need to reset." Subaru's voice cracked as he whispered the words.
But as the thought left his mouth, a familiar conversation echoed through his mind.
Are you really going to give up?
Of course not. We just need to keep running and not let ourselves get encircled.
There's the perfect protagonist.
He imagined that shit-eating grin in his head.
"Haaa… no. I won't give up," he said, steel returning to his voice.
Rem's voice lightly whispered, trying to console him.
"It's not your fault. You nearly died… and that guy knew this would happen. He said he'd meet me in the forest later… once I found out."
Ram, hearing her sister's words, started to question herself.
Is he a prophet, not a stalker…?
"It's too late," Subaru said. "We need to focus on our problems. Only then can we worry about others. Rem… what idiot said you need to do this all alone?"
"I needed to do this alone. To atone."
"Rem."
The maid slowly looked up at him with a broken look.
"Yes…" she softly answered.
"Super headbutt."
Subaru headbutted the girl, making her fall back in shock.
"For starters—are you dumb? No, you are dumb."
"Barusu, the cut on your forehead has reopened. It's bleeding again."
"Yeah, I know. I'm dumb too. But your sister is even dumber."
He turned to the shocked Rem, blood flowing into his eyes.
"Listen. Where I'm from, there's a saying: 'Three heads are better than one.' Or is it two heads? Whatever. The point is—three heads thinking together are harder to break than one arrow alone. It means you should probably rely on those around you instead of thinking about stuff alone."
Rem looked at him, bewildered.
"Subaru…" she said softly.
Rustle
Her eyes widened as the sound around them increased.
"Damn," Subaru muttered, looking at the oncoming horde of dogs.
"Ram! Which way is outside the barrier?"
"We have to run west at full speed."
"Which way is west?" Subaru's confused voice echoed.
"Left!"
"What's your plan, Barusu?"
"I could shove Rem toward you and tragically run toward the right."
"You'll draw the dogs' attention while I take Rem and run?" Ram asked flatly.
Subaru nodded. "Exactly."
Rem cut him off "There's no way you'll survive if you do that. I'll—"
Rem closed her eyes in guilt.
"I was joking!" Subaru shouted, flustered—taken aback by Rem's affection for him, which seemed drastically amplified.
"But don't worry," Subaru said with a grin, "I have a brilliant plan you don't know about… to round up all of the mabeasts."
"Subaru, why would you do all this?" Ram asked.
Subaru turned, lifting Rem carefully onto Ram's back. He took a step back and posed before them, smiling confidently.
"Rem you were my partner on my very first date in the village," he said, glancing at Rem.
He remembered his second loop at the mansion—how he spent most of it trying to retrace his steps and figure out how he died. That moment with Rem had stuck with him.
He gently patted her head, giving her a warm smile.
"I wouldn't be so heartless as to desert you."
He turned, sword in hand.
"All right. I'm going to go take care of this. You can count on me."
He ran off to face the dogs.
"I'll be praying for a safe reunion, Barusu," Ram whispered before taking off in the opposite direction, carrying Rem. "Barusu's risking his life to buy us time… Let's make the most of it."
(AN: I have senior skip day this week for my high school, so for a limited time, I will make longer and more chapters. As soon as we finish arc 2, Toyota is going to make large changes to the plot and not just follow the original storyline.
I've also set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 50 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)