Good Deeds Are Rewarded
And thus, the trio searching for the Insigna was assembled. Subaru, brimming with energy, pointed at the sky and struck a pose.
"Then let me reintroduce myself! I'm Natsuki Subaru, not only I am clueless I'm also broke beyond compare! Nice to meet you!"
"Just from hearing that, I can tell you're at the end of your rope. Well, I'm Puck, nice to meet you—"
"As you know, I'm Emilia."
And so, the three of them suddenly became acquainted.
After a brief inquiry by Subaru, he learned how the girl had her Insigna stolen and that she had been lost for over an hour.
"Subaru?"
Seeing his expression change and fall into thought, the girl looked at him suspiciously.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her silver hair slide off her shoulder with the movement—but Subaru didn't pay any attention. He was racking his brain deep in thought.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about what you said earlier, about the gathering place for thieves. Normally speaking, this is a huge metropolis with a population of 300,000. There should be some pretty shady areas, like slums, right? After all, even thieves need to exchange stolen goods for money, and without connections, it's hard to get rid of them.
So the chances are pretty high, I'd say?"
"Why are you saying it like you're unsure?"
"Didn't I say I'm a traveler? The thing is, this city has Reinhild in it. With someone like her around, could a dark underworld really exist in this city?"
"Now that you mention it, that actually makes sense."
The two of them simultaneously thought of the red-haired girl.
Given her personality, it wouldn't be surprising if the city had no slums at all.
"In any case, wandering around aimlessly won't get us anywhere. Let's go back to the place where the Insigna was stolen. Maybe we can gather some more detailed information.
And since it's a main road, we might be able to ask about the slums too. Do you remember where you were when it was stolen?"
Subaru proposed a compromise. According to Emilia, the thief had boldly stolen her Insigna right in the middle of a bustling main street in broad daylight.
Though it was quite a daring crime, given how crowded the street was now, it was actually a sound judgment.
More people meant more chances and places to blend into the crowd.
"Hmm, I think it was around here…"
Led by Emilia, they crossed the street. Subaru felt firsthand how many races of people mingled on the main road—it was as chaotic as a maze in an alleyway, perhaps even more so, stripping away one's sense of distance and direction.
He began to feel like he had no idea where he was walking. Though this should be a place he had never been before, he couldn't shake the strange feeling of déjà vu—
"Wait, I've been here twice already."
Seeing the place Emilia was taking him, Subaru scratched his cheek and forced a smile.
The place where Emilia had her Insigna stolen—was the very corner of the main street where Subaru had been summoned.
'This is where I triggered that random encounter with punks A, B, and C… and where I met Reinhild.'
Recalling his victory about two hours ago, Subaru smiled.
At any rate, if this was the scene of the incident, that made things easier.
Luckily, there was someone they could question.
"So yeah, I can heroically declare this area is mine to handle. Mr. Fruit Shop Owner."
Turning around in front of the shop, Subaru pointed to a fruit store by the main road.
The display racks were lined with various colorful fruits, their luster enough to make one's throat dry. And as for the shopkeeper running the place…
"What the hell, I thought it was a customer, but it's just you again, you broke bastard."
The tough-looking fruit vendor glared at Subaru with a chilling gaze that made it hard to believe he made a living in sales.
"Don't be so cold, old man. You were nice to me the first time, weren't you?"
"That was when I thought you were a paying customer. If I'd known you were broke from the start, I would've kicked you out right away. Just like I'm doing now."
While Subaru acted overly familiar, the shopkeeper remained cold from beginning to end, waving his hands as if shooing away a bug. Subaru shrugged and said:
"Hey, hey, is that attitude really okay? Don't you notice I'm different from earlier?"
"The hell are you talking about?"
Seeing Subaru proudly flare his nostrils, the owner looked puzzled.
To make him see clearly, Subaru stepped aside and gestured toward Emilia, who was standing behind him.
"How about this? I brought company. Company! Even though you turned cold on me once you found out I was broke, now I've brought a VIP candidate with me! So how about it?"
"Um, Subaru… I appreciate your weird expectations, but I already told you—I don't have any money."
"Huh, wait, you really didn't offer a reward because you don't have any money? What kind of person walks around a big city without a single coin?!"
Looking at the two broke individuals, the shopkeeper sighed.
"So? Now that there are two broke brats here, what do you want to say, kid?"
"Actually, we're looking for something. Can we ask you a few questions?"
"Didn't I just say I don't have time for broke losers? Can't you understand human language?"
Bathed in his angry roar, Subaru's eardrums suffered great damage.
"S-So it's no good after all…"
Emilia hunched her shoulders, pulling on Subaru's sleeve while bowing deeply to the shopkeeper.
It was true—asking questions without even buying anything was a selfish act.
That said, the fact that they had no money hadn't changed.
In the current situation, they had no choice but to give up on gathering information—
"Oh my? Aren't you two the ones from earlier?"
Suddenly, someone interrupted them from the side.
Subaru and Emilia turned their heads to see a brown-haired woman whose hair swayed as she walked.
She was someone they both recognized, holding hands with a cheerful young girl looking up at them.
"Ma'am? What are you doing here? This place only has a narrow-minded, scary-looking owner."
"Hehe, this is my husband's store. I just dropped by."
"Your… husband?"
The unexpected answer left Subaru and Emilia looking at each other in surprise.
Slowly, they turned their heads toward the shop—a scar-faced man stood with arms crossed, legs apart.
"Old man, don't tell me you killed this lady's husband and took over the shop?!"
"What the hell kind of crap are you spouting with that suspicious face. I'm the legit owner of this store, and she's my wife!"
Turning back, they saw the woman giving a troubled smile.
Subaru was shocked.
A graceful beauty with a slender figure and gentle appearance—how did she end up marrying someone who looked like a criminal? Was something wrong here?
Maybe she was being threatened? Subaru glanced at her worriedly.
But the girl let go of her mother's hand and ran up to the startled Subaru—straight into the arms of the scar-faced man, who picked her up.
"Oh, have you been a good girl? You look full of energy… Anyway, do you know these two broke brats?"
"Dear, please don't use such rude language to describe them."
As the man spoke harshly, the woman frowned and chastised him for his crude words.
She then explained Subaru and Emilia's relationship with their daughter.
After hearing the whole story, the shopkeeper set his daughter down.
"I'm truly sorry. I said something rude to the people who helped my daughter. Please forgive me."
"No, it's fine. I mean, we really are broke."
"Exactly! Hey, you could show a little more remorse— Wait, why is your cute face turning scary?"
Emilia gave Subaru a sharp look, signaling him to shut up.
Then, the girl who had been set down by her father held something out to Emilia—a red flower-shaped ornament in her small hand.
Emilia gasped, looking back and forth between the girl and the flower, clearly flustered.
"Please take it. My daughter seems to want to thank you."
The woman gave the hesitant Emilia a gentle push.
Hearing that, Emilia lowered her head slightly, took the ornament from the girl, and pinned it to her white robe over her left chest.
Then she crouched down so the girl could see clearly and met her eyes.
"Thank you. I'm really happy."
Emilia's radiant smile left Subaru, who was watching from the side, completely mesmerized.
The girl also turned away shyly at the smile, while the shopkeeper gave a quiet cough.
"You're the one who helped my daughter. I want to thank you. Ask anything you like."
The scarred shopkeeper nodded firmly, giving the warmest smile he could muster as he said this.
Hearing that, Emilia looked at Subaru in surprise.
Then she flashed a smile completely different from before—as if proudly saying:
"See? Our earlier efforts paid off. Isn't this the best proof?"