Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World · Chat

The fluorescent lights of the convenience store hummed overhead, accompanied by the dull vibration of the drink cooler's compressor. Subaru Natsuki stepped out through the automatic doors clutching a plastic bag, the night wind slipping down the collar of his tracksuit. He glanced down at his phone—11:47 PM, tomorrow promised to be another boring day. Then, the streetlights went out. The asphalt beneath his feet turned into stone pavement. The air grew thick with the scents of rust, pungent spices, and the musky stench of animal hide. He found himself standing in the middle of a completely unfamiliar street flanked by peaked buildings of wood and stone. Above him hung two moons—one silver-white, the other pale violet. "Hey, you in the weird clothes—" Three demi-humans stepped out from an alleyway, closing in on him, their fangs gleaming with grease. "Hand over everything valuable you got." In the shadows of the slums, Emilia hurried along, a stray lock of silver hair escaping restlessly from beneath her hood. Puck poked his furry head out from her collar, whiskers twitching slightly: "The presence is very close, but someone else is approaching too." Her fingers tightened around the edge of her cloak. This was her first time facing the outside world alone since leaving the forest; every step felt like walking on thin ice. Felt crouched on the eaves, flipping a golden insignia in the palm of her hand. Moonlight rippled across the carved lion's mane as she narrowed her ruby-red eyes. "Old Man Rom will definitely offer a great price for this." She grinned, a glimpse of white fangs flashing. The roof tiles beneath her feet cracked with a faint crunch, and like a cat, she sprang into the air, vanishing into the darkness on the other side. Inside Old Man Rom's loot cellar, swords and jewelry of dubious origin were piled high. The old man ran his calloused fingers over the freshly acquired goods, his cloudy eyes reflecting the flicker of the oil lamp. A knock sounded at the door—three long, two short. His hand froze; the giant iron hammer propped against the counter felt unusually cold tonight. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a woman who had been wiping down a kukri blade suddenly stopped. Her bowels writhed gleefully inside her abdomen, like a nest of awakening serpents. "Ah..." She tilted her head back, revealing her pale neck beneath her short black hair. "The moonlight tonight really makes me want to disembowel something." The Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert, licked her lips and strode out into the night.