[ "I hope that the Emilia faction and the Crusch faction can form an alliance under the premise of equal terms. Therefore, I wish to negotiate with you."
Subaru said to Crusch. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"Hm? Straight to the point?"
Anastasia tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"I thought we'd at least get a scene of Rem-san negotiating with me."
"Subaru-dono looks much better,"
Crusch remarked, arms crossed, her gaze steady and approving.
"Nyaa~!"
Ferris chimed in, eyes sparkling as he glanced at Rem.
"Back then, Subaru's anxiety was practically radiating off him—but now? He's come so far! All thanks to Rem-chan, nyaa!"
"Ah, no, no…"
Rem shook her head quickly, cheeks faintly pink.
"It's not because of me. Subaru-kun is the one who pulled himself together through his own strength. The credit belongs to him—and his efforts alone."
—
[ In the scene, there were not only members of the Crusch faction but also the great merchant Russell Fellow.
"Transferring a portion of the mining rights for the demon ore in the Elior Forest—this is the main bargaining chip."
Crusch said calmly.
"Interesting. Those words cannot be ignored."
Russell showed great interest.
"However, the reason I called upon Russell-san is for the main topic I will address later."
"Oh? The main topic is it… I shall concede this much, Natsuki Subaru. I acknowledge that you are the representative of Margrave Mathers, and simultaneously acknowledge that you are an official envoy dispatched by Emilia. In this negotiation, the terms agreed upon between you and me will be equivalent to the terms agreed upon between Emilia and me." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"It is certainly much better than before. He's finally not just demanding things blindly."
Otto said.
"Furthermore, Crusch-sama even acknowledged that Subaru is barely a negotiator, Nya~. Subaru should be proud to have received Crusch-sama's recognition."
Ferris stroked his ears and spoke.
—
[ "I believe you must have heard, but I will confirm it again. Rem proposed the transfer of partial development rights during the negotiation, but we have not yet reached a consensus. You understand this point, correct?"
Crusch stared sternly at Subaru.
"Actually, you mean to say that this condition alone is not enough, right?"
"The mining rights in the Elior Forest represent a substantial practical gain for our side. But conversely, I feel there is no need to rush the surface progress of the Royal Selection at the moment. We have a three-year term, and rushing to change the status quo may very well sow the seeds of future disaster. Therefore, one step is still missing—a pretext that will allow our side to take that step."
Subaru looked extremely nervous, and he spoke:
"To facilitate the alliance, what my side can offer are the mining rights… and information."
"…Information? Tell me about it. I wonder if the information you speak of can move our side."
Subaru took a deep breath and said:
"…The location and time of the White Whale's appearance. That is the chip in my hand." ]
.....
—In Between—
〜█████ IF Line〜
..... .....
Eyelashes slightly trembled, and sapphire blue eyes opened.
"Wife…"
A muffled voice came through.
What is this sound…?
"Wife…?"
Rem remembered… having just left the place that Al-dono called the "cinema."
"Wife?"
"Rem?"
Two familiar voices came.
One was Helibel-sama, and the other was her beloved husband.
"Rem, what's wrong?"
Natsuki Subaru, dressed in a groom's suit, looked at Natsuki Rem with worry.
"Honestly, Ram said Barusu's wedding dress wouldn't fit."
Turning her head, she found Ram sitting in a guest chair, huffing in displeasure.
And Ram was holding a child…
Spica.
Ram looked older.
"But I carefully measured the size, Sister."
Natsuki Subaru said.
"What's wrong, Mama?"
Rigel, sitting to the right of Ram, asked.
And on the left was…
Zerestia.
Behind them was…
Emilia.
"Sister?! What in the world is… And Zerestia-sama is here too?!"
"I still have to attend a friend's wedding, you know."
Zerestia said.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong with my lovely wife? Shall I give Rem a recap? Although we're already together, I never gave Rem a proper wedding, so I planned to get married formally."
Subaru spoke.
What is going on?
Natsuki Rem was full of confusion.
"Is my dear wife still worried about Emilia? I, Natsuki Subaru, only love Rem. Emilia just came to give her blessings."
Subaru said.
"If the bride has come to her senses, we can proceed to the next step, yes? Now, Groom, you may kiss the bride."
Helibel finished speaking, then quietly murmured,
"Is this the right procedure?"
—
[ "The White Whale." Subaru announced the shocking words.
"Excuse me, but the premise is that the information must be trustworthy. How does Subaru-dono intend to prove this?" Russell said.
And Crusch expressed the same sentiment.
"It's this!"
Natsuki Subaru said, pulling out the magic device called a cell phone and slamming it onto the table. ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"That magic device again! Does that magic device really have so many functions, and is it that amazing?"
Felt, outside the screen, couldn't help but be surprised by the cell phone.
"He really doesn't mind slamming it down, huh."
Al said.
Is this the only thing we care about in our world? He's really not afraid of breaking it.
No, wait…
How does it still have power?
What brand of cell phone is that?
—
[ "Natsuki Subaru."
"Yes."
Crusch called Subaru, then spoke:
"What exactly is this thing?"
Everyone was baffled.
"It's perfectly normal for everyone not to know what this is. It is an artifact unearthed from my hometown, which is known as a 'magic device.' It can prove that what I am saying is true."
"In other words, you mean that the function of this 'magic device' is similar to an alarm stone—it notifies you whenever the White Whale approaches, correct?"
"That is one way to understand it."
"May I also interject on the topic of that 'magic device'?"
Anastasia appeared.
"…Was it Natsuki Subaru who came to find you?"
"To be precise, the person who came to find me was the girl accompanying Natsuki Suabru. Hearing that it was a major matter concerning the 'White Whale,' I couldn't just ignore it."
"…Is this what you mean? You want Anastasia Hoshin to compete with the Karsten House, and whichever party is willing to pay a higher price for the 'White Whale' information, you will ally with them. If so, then you will probably be disappointed. The Karsten House has no intention of participating…"
"Wait, wait, don't jump to conclusions! Both of you, calm down! I have no intention of doing that. I want to propose a plan based on this. Crusch-sama—the information I hold will certainly be of great help to your long-planned White Whale subjugation strategy." ]
.....
〜Inside, the Theater〜
"If he says that, he'll have to explain himself properly."
Otto, outside the screen, said.
Let's hope Natsuki-san can provide a self-consistent explanation.
Besides the reason of prior investigation, how else can he explain knowing about Crusch's intention to subjugate the White Whale?
—