Arc 9 Interlude: "Yell"

—For Petra Leyte, the ‘Witch of Melancholy,’ there had only ever been one ending she aimed for, one she needed to reach, and one she was destined to arrive at from the very beginning.

It began when Petra Leyte—back when she was just a village girl, before becoming the ‘Witch of Melancholy’—read that unthinkable thing known as Natsuki Subaru’s ‘Book of the Dead.’ It began when she learned that Natsuki Subaru had continued to fight, changing the fates of countless people at the cost of his own ‘death.’ It began when she came to cherish him through their ordinary days together, learning what made him laugh, what made him weep, and what brought him happiness or grief.

—All those various reasons were gathered, bundled, and wrapped together, and the path was set.

“I mean, Subaru wants to do something for Al-san too, doesn't he?”

Honestly, from Petra’s perspective, it was an absurd proposition. If she were to list everything Al had done on her fingers, all the fingers on her hands and feet wouldn't be enough; she’d have to mobilize the ‘Unseen Hand’ to fold the extra fingers she lacked. That was how many irreparable things Al had done. —And yet, she didn't believe Al was a villain to his core who did those things while mocking everything.

“I wonder if I’ve been poisoned by the influence of Subaru’s book, too…”

Though she said it herself, Petra was a realist, and the scope of what she could take on was narrow. Rather than narrow, it was more accurate to say she intentionally kept it that way. After all, she took pride in the fact that if she used her talents to their fullest, she had a vessel capable of holding quite a lot. She wasn't shy about that. But she didn't feel like using every corner of that capacity to try and cherish everything she could pack inside. And yet—

“Subaru is so greedy…”

But she loved that about him. —No, that’s wrong. She loved that about him too. And because she couldn't change that Natsuki Subaru, Petra Leyte would do it. It was a painful decision, one that felt like her flesh was being violently sliced, her heart ruthlessly torn apart.

—To make Natsuki Subaru ‘Return by Death’ and reset every single event.

From the moment she left the Pleiades Watchtower and decided to go along with ‘Imaginary Subaru,’ Petra Leyte had been charging toward that ending.

She had adamantly insisted on becoming the host of the ‘Melancholy’ Witch Factor, centralized the payment of the costs associated with using the Authority onto herself (with a few exceptions), played every card in her hand for negotiations without hesitation, and provided every scrap of information she could to determine the strategy for the ‘Aldebusters.’

“If the ‘Witch of Envy’ is rampaging because I read the book—then I can use that, too.”

From the moment the Sin Archbishop of ‘Gluttony,’ Roy Alphard, was taken out of the Prison Tower and she realized the effect of his Authority, a question had lingered within Petra. —If Petra’s ‘memories’ of reading the ‘Book of the Dead’ were stolen, how would the ‘Witch of Envy’ judge the situation? And she wondered if that was Al’s actual plan to drive away the ‘Witch of Envy,’ since he said he didn't intend to destroy the world. That was why, when the full force of the ‘Aldebusters’ defeated Roy Alphard, she made a promise while binding the barely-breathing Roy.

“If you want to eat me, I’ll make an opportunity for you.”

Of course, it was a promise she intended to break ruthlessly if she didn't have to keep it. Having been badly influenced by Natsuki Subaru, Petra was an outlaw who didn't give a damn about breaking a promise to someone she hated. Furthermore, she had managed to win over a reliable ally in case that moment ever came to pass.

“Rem-neesama is amazing.”

She thought so solemnly, setting aside her bias from being heavily influenced by Natsuki Subaru. Rem had realized Subaru’s ‘Return by Death’—initially thought to be ‘Time Leap’—on her own, even if the catalyst was Old Man Rom deciphering the true nature of Al’s Authority. Rem had realized by herself that Natsuki Subaru was a man who continued to fight by sacrificing his life. —While that made Petra happy, it also made her feel a twinge of frustration.

“But that’s why I can entrust this to Rem-neesama. …No, it has to be Rem-neesama.”

Petra Leyte had decided that no matter how many good things happened along the way, no matter how many precious feelings she gained that were hard to let go of, she would flip it all over and make it as if it never happened. And that meant that the fact that Rem had finally regained her ‘Name’ and ‘Memories,’ and that they had welcomed her back in the truest sense, would also vanish.

Petra, who intended to do this knowing full well what it meant, had a duty to involve Rem. As comrades who both knew they would disappear, as women who both believed from the bottom of their hearts that they didn't want the person they loved most to lose a single thing.

She could only entrust this to someone who believed this was the only way and was willing to throw everything away for the sake of love. She couldn't leave such a terrible task to someone who would desperately search for a better answer until the very, very last second. That was why Petra and Rem would be the ones to pull this off.

“Subaru and Emilia-neesama, you’re both exhausted, aren't you? I’m sorry. And yet, even I’m going to become a burden. I’m sorry. I wanted to keep saying the thank-yous that I could never say enough of, forever and ever…”

She wanted to say thank you—a thank you in the truest sense. As the Petra Leyte who knew everything from reading the ‘Book of the Dead,’ she wanted to cheer on the path of Emilia, who walked a road of thorns, and Natsuki Subaru, who chose to wear himself down to support her. That wish would not be granted. Petra Leyte would give it her all, but she would return to being a village girl who knew nothing. That was frustrating and sad, and she couldn't say ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ enough. Even so—

“…I wonder if I did everything I could.”

In this limited situation, hadn't she done the absolute most she could? Al surely had his own ‘All-Stars’ prepared to ensure he wouldn't lose, yet she had to go through trial and error to push back against that when she only had one shot—there was a limit to how unfair that was. But she did it. She pulled it off. She was a bit taken aback when Otto, who shouldn't have had his memories, joined the fray midway through, but all of it was the result of everyone’s participation.

“Hehe, this is pretty impressive, isn't it? Are you falling for me?”

『—. Yeah. I think I am.』

Tilting her head, she greeted him with the cutest face she could muster. At Petra’s adorable gesture and question, the Imaginary Subaru gave a bashful smile. Was this a delusion of Petra’s, making him say what she wanted to hear? Or was it a performance so realistic that the real one might actually say it?

“Well, since it’s before I disappear, I might as well take it in the most convenient way.”

She gently reached out, overlapping her hand with his untouchable one and intertwining their fingers. She should be allowed at least this much of a phantom perk. She had worked very hard, after all.

『By the way, can I ask one thing? I mean, it’s weird for me to ask in my position.』

“Hmm? What is it?”

『Before you received the Witch Factor from Clind-san, you paid a price for transport once… but you wouldn't tell me what it was. I was wondering what that was.』

“I didn't let you hear it then, so why don't you let it end without ever knowing?”

『That’s heartless.』

Even his pathetic face looked cute to her, and Petra let out a small giggle. But as expected, even an imaginary Subaru was still Subaru. He wouldn't pry into things Petra didn't want him to see or know, even if he was just a resident of her mind. Feeling relieved by that, Petra stuck out her tongue and said:

“It’s a se-cret!”

She made the Imaginary Subaru pull a sour face, but Petra wanted to keep it hidden. It was fine to have at least one maiden’s secret that even the Imaginary Subaru didn't know. Besides, this maiden’s secret involved a little bit of a girl’s cunning.

At that time, Petra had offered a certain possibility of hers to Clind as a price. That was—

“—The possibility of me becoming Subaru’s bride.”

Clind, who knew of Petra’s feelings, had been considerably shocked at the time. The way Clind—who apparently held a position burdened with the very heavy history of the Dragon People—looked at Petra as she devotedly offered her own possibility, and his deeply moved reaction, were unforgettable. That was precisely why she felt sorry. —Because Petra had gained a conviction through that price.

“If I can use that as a price, then I definitely have that possibility for the future.”

Considering the nature of the ‘Melancholy’ Witch Factor, it likely meant she had offered her influence on the world—specifically, ‘the various efforts Petra would make to obtain a future where she marries Subaru.’ However, such fine details didn't matter to Petra in that moment.

What mattered was believing in a future where Petra Leyte becomes Natsuki Subaru’s bride. And that had been proven by none other than a Witch Factor, which touched the very core of the world. Because she had that assurance, she decided to see this through and ran until the very end.

That’s why—

“Good luck, me. —Whether I can seize the chance depends on how hard I work!”

That was a yell—an encouragement—sent from the village girl who had become the ‘Witch of Melancholy’ and used the Witch Factor for her own happiness, to the future version of herself who would not become the ‘Witch of Melancholy.’

—It was a slightly heavy yell of love from a tough and shrewd girl of another world.