Re: Life In The Original World From Zero [A Re:Zero Fiction]

Chapter 22: Modern Day Life Lesson Twenty One

A/N: Ay I'm back for another update! Here's chapter 20!! Please enjoy!!

Everyone stood where they were, not uttering a single word nor making any movements. They just stood there as if they were petrified. A cold breeze continued to blow out from Subaru's door, making Hinata's clothes ripple slightly, and the night wind also kept blowing on them, causing the girls' hairs to swing left and right. And finally, after an eternity, at least to Subaru, the silence was broken.

"Konbanwa..." Hinata said tentatively, waving and laughing awkwardly. "Konbanwa... Natsuno-san..." Emilia replied in a rather awkward and stiff tone. "Well, if you would excuse us... we have an appointment to attend to..." She said, her voice trailing away, and, keeping their heads low, the girls left the apartment. Subaru was left alone staring at his friends, not really knowing how to respond to this situation. Silence fell again, and Subaru's eyes moved from his friends to his feet, his hand scratching his head.

"Okay before we get even more awkward can we get inside first?? It's freezing outside!" Aki said impatiently, and at this, everyone sighed in relief. "Aki I'm so glad you're my friend." Subaru said as tears streamed down his face. He stepped aside and let the three through the threshold and closed the door. "God why's it colder inside??" Haruka said, shivering. "Sorry we only just got back..." Subaru mumbled and hurried to turn on the heater. Soon, the temperature went back up and the three all took off their jackets and sat down on the sofa. Subaru brought them some tea from the kitchen and sat down as well. Now, all three were looking at Subaru with the same look on their faces.

"...Sorry guys I didn't mean to hide anything from you... it's just that... uh, this is... a very very long story..." Subaru sighed, and at the same time, screaming in panic on the inside. He'd always tried to hide the fact that he and the girls were living together, but he'd never thought that explaining their situation to his friends would be this awkward. Lying to outsiders was nothing, but lying to his best friends felt different. Now, he needed to explain to them the whole thing, from the altered version of the story he and the girls discussed before. "Go on, we're waiting, you harem king." Haruka said, her arms folded and her legs crossed. "It's not like that alright??" Subaru shouted, his hands scratching his head frantically. "Alright, here goes." He said and started explaining.

He started from when he ran away from home and left the country, which was half true. He then told them about basically everything, except that in this version Lugnica was changed into Finland and the magical parts in the story were omitted, as he and the girls discussed previously. He continued talking for about half an hour and finally came to an end. "...And that's about it." He finished, looking at his three friends. They didn't say a word for quite a while, and again, Hinata spoke up first. "So you're telling me that you somehow got to Finland, somehow got taken in by that Roswaal family and worked for them as a home servant of some sort there for a few months, and somehow returned here with the four girls??" He asked, his head tilted slightly.

"That's quite a good summary, yeah." Subaru said, nodding. Aki gave out a long whistle. "Okay, at least we learned how he became the harem king." Haruka said with a look between disgusted and amused on her face. "It's not like that!!" Subaru repeated, sighing in defeat. "Nothing... fishy happened under this roof, okay??" He said. "Heh, then I'd say you're a freaking coward." Haruka said, looking away and smirking. Subaru looked speechless while Hinata and Aki burst out laughing. "Just stop it will you??" Subaru finally lost in and shouted, rushing to the wall and banging his head against it.

"Ah cut it out you idiot." Aki got up and pulled him back to his seat. "We're not judging you or anything. It's fine. Don't worry." He said, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah, don't worry, Subaru. We'll keep the secret as well. We want the girls safe and happy too." Hinata said, thumping on Subaru's back. "Just try not to make yourself look too stupid in front of them at home. We don't know what you're like when you're not at school." Haruka added, still smirking. "And keep it down when you're getting yourself off in your room." Aki said, and Subaru spat out a mouthful of tea he was drinking and Hinata burst out laughing again.