Penthouse – Afternoon
"Oi, Denji, careful with that couch!" Yuji grunted, dragging one end while his partner flailed on the other side.
"I am being careful! This thing's heavier than 3 chainsaws," Denji complained, kicking the base.
Subaru, sweating, wheeled in a tall cabinet. "Guys, help me out with this shelf thing—wait—whoa—!"
With a loud thunk, Subaru tripped and crashed to the floor, knocking over a pile of boxes.
"Smooth," Yuji said, still wrestling with the couch. "You good?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just lost my balance." Subaru laughed sheepishly as he sat up, rubbing his head. "At least I didn't knock over the oversized refrigerator."
In the background, Kazuma, Lloyd, and Jinwoo were shouting directions while moving food crates into a structure that resembled a modern skyscraper-sized fridge.
"I said put the meat in the cold storage, not the freezer!" Kazuma barked.
"It is cold storage," Lloyd responded calmly, lowering a case of wagyu beef like it was an artifact.
"This is the freezer," Jinwoo corrected, stepping out from a frosty mist, shadow beasts helping him carry barrels of miso.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Kusuo was focused on something else.
He knelt near a sleek black briefcase labeled Kusuke's Emergency Kit #47. His gloved hand hovered over the surface. With a tap, his psychometry activated—a psychic link that let him relive the memories of objects.
Flashes of diagrams, mechanical blueprints, tax records (why were there tax records?), and Kusuke laughing maniacally over a spreadsheet flickered in Kusuo's mind.
He groaned.
Still nothing. Just tech paranoia and caffeine-induced scheming. No hints about the "catch" Kusuke warned him about.
He moved on to a strange cube labeled Definitely Not a Bomb.
"…This family," Kusuo muttered.
As he reached toward it, Subaru staggered nearby, tripping again—right into Kusuo's shoulder.
"Ah, idiot.'
A spark.
A surge.
Kusuo's eyes widened.
His mind was suddenly not in the penthouse anymore.
It was snowing.
---
[Re:Zero Canon Deaths – Psychometry Stream]
A knife in the gut. Blood freezing in the cold.
A pack of beasts mauling him alive.
His own head rolling down a staircase. A witch's laughter echoing in the void.
Over and over.
Dying, waking up, dying again.
Freezing. Burning. Torn apart. Betrayed. Crying in agony. Drowning. Choking on poison. Bleeding out in Emilia's arms. Gutted by Petelgeuse. Torn apart by Elsa. Alone. Forgotten. Screaming with madness.
Again. Again. Again.
A never-ending cycle. The memory reset, but the pain did not.
The emotions that came with each death lingered—despair, guilt, desperation.
Subaru's voice rang in his head:
"If I don't suffer, nothing changes... So I'll suffer until I fix everything!"
Kusuo felt his knees go weak.
---
Back in the penthouse, Kusuo jerked back, pale as a sheet, his body trembling.
He stumbled.
Yuji caught him. "Whoa—hey, Saiki, you alright?"
Denji stepped over with a worried scowl. "You look like me after eating six street dogs and a stray cigarette."
Kusuo's hand brushed their arms—
"WAIT! STOP."
And the visions didn't stop.
---
[Yuji Itadori – Psychometry Stream]
Junpei's body twitching, turned into a grotesque curse.
Nobara bleeding, her smile fading.
Shibuya—burning.
Nanami—cut down before his eyes.
Sukuna's laughter echoing through the carnage.
The fear. The helplessness. The rage.
Everyone he tried to protect—dying.
He's always too late.
Everyone he loves either gets hurt or dies. That's what being a jujutsu sorcerer means.
Yuji's voice echoed:
"I don't want to regret anything. I want to make sure no one dies because of me again!"
---
[Denji – Psychometry Stream]
A child in the dark. A rusted shack. Debts piling high.
Starved. Mutilated. Sold his organs.
A cigarette chewed for spare yen.
Chained by the yakuza. Bloodied, beaten.
Pochita—his only family.
A chainsaw. Death. Rebirth.
A girl named Power.
A girl named Makima.
Love. Loss. Betrayal. Control. Loneliness.
Power's death—her body, disappeared,soul fractured.
Aki..
A life defined by violence, grief, and longing.
Denji's voice, cracked and desperate:
"I just wanted... a normal life. Why is that so hard?"
---
Back in reality, Kusuo collapsed to one knee, hand over his mouth. His breath was shallow, trembling like a struck tuning fork.
Subaru rushed forward. "Saiki?! What happened?!"
Yuji crouched next to him. "Hey, talk to us."
Denji frowned, kneeling down. "You're sweating like crazy, dude. You see a ghost or something?"
They were close. Too close. Kusuo's senses were still unraveling, his mind overloaded by raw trauma and emotion.
He couldn't respond. He couldn't breathe.
So much pain. So much death. And they were all smiling just minutes ago. How?
He tried to speak, but nothing came out. His lips moved. No sound. Only silence.
Yuji's eyes narrowed. "What did you—"
Before he could finish, the door slid open with a hiss.
"Hey, Kusuo," Rudeus called, stepping in casually. "Do you have any Japanese textbooks? I'm trying to teach Sylphy, Roxy, and Eris how to speak properly, but I can only translate so much."
He paused, blinking at the tense scene before him. "Uh… did I interrupt something?"
Yuji and Subaru looked at each other.
Denji shrugged. "Nah. Just… weird moment. He'll be fine."
Saiki slowly stood up. He didn't answer Rudeus verbally.
He just pointed toward the hallway.
"Library's that way," Subaru offered, watching Saiki's expression.
"Thanks," Rudeus said, already headed down.
Just behind him, Shadow entered quietly, hands behind his back.
"I'll assist Alpha with her Japanese lessons," he said matter-of-factly, eyes focused. "It's essential she understands the language of this realm."
Next came Javier, clutching a thick notebook, peering around the penthouse with wide eyes.
"This world has refrigerators the size of fortresses…" he muttered in awe. "I must learn everything."
"Library's that way too," Yuji added.
More footsteps followed.
Kazuma entered with Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness in tow.
"I swear, if that freezer exploded again, I'm blaming Megumin," Kazuma muttered.
"You blame me for everything!" she whined.
"Because everything is your fault. You always try to explode something and everything."
Chrome ran in after them, a notebook and a wrench. "Senku said I could study the "electronics" if i figured out what ligma means! Anyone know?! Also—WHAT IS THIS LUXURY LAND??"
Megumin looked at the massive mountain. "Kazuma, can I blow that up? After Saiki reverted my body, my mana got refilled!"
"No."
"Yes."
"NO."
Just then, Ryusui waltzed in, dragging several shopping bags filled with oddly expensive snacks.
"Gentlemen! And lovely ladies! I present… the finest imported caviar-flavored instant noodles and gold-leaf energy drinks! Fit for a new empire!"
"Ryusui, no one asked for that!" Chrome shouted.
"I demand luxury in all things," Ryusui declared, striking a pose. "It's the least I can do after buying an entire mall."
"YOU WHAT?!" Kazuma screamed.
Kusuo didn't answer. He just nodded slightly, turning his face away to hide the faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.
Subaru, Yuji, and Denji exchanged glances.
They were still worried—but they respected silence.
For now.
Kusuo looked out toward the sunset. Quiet returned, muffled by the sound of boxes being moved and people arguing in the distance.
His powers were vast.
But there were still things he wasn't ready to see.
Too much.
Too human.
.....
Ryusui placed 2 coffee jellies, 1 made by François and 1 the best store bought. "I didn't really know which you would prefer. But I know you've been through a lot lately."
Saiki, with a subtle smile, he spoke. "Thank you.. Ryusui."
All of them. "That's the first time I heard Saiki speak, even though we always hear him."
Ryusui laughed. "You've done great! I am proud."
Saiki silently grew deep inside.
They can still smile.. Amazing.
Makima is scary.
---
End.
*****
A/N:
I will be uploading every other day or every 2 days. I'm trying to come up with how I can connect chapters random or not. Hope you understand thank you. <3