Chapter 7: Search

They begin their search through various locations. Their First location was the fountain square where he and Subaru both appeared at.

"Subaru why are we here?" He asked.

"To look for the thief of course."

"Okay I know that, but why exactly here? I don't think anyone would think a thief who stole an important Item would be here walking in daylight in a crowded area."

"…W-well." Subaru tried to come up with an explanation but couldn't. As he just lowers his head embarrassed.

He saw this scene in the anime but still don't know why this place besides being familiar.

"U-um w-we might be able to find someone who knows her here if we ask around." Emilia suggested helping to had the reason for Subaru's choice of location.

Subaru looked at her, his SAVIOR with a face merely on the brink of a dramatic cry.

He just sighed.

"Okay, but if we are going to ask them about it we are going to need a proper description and possibly an imagine of her to get a somewhat helpful answer."

The two thought for a moment. Before Subaru saw some guy drawing in an area in the square. An imaginary light bulb light up on his head as he made his way to the artist.

He asked if he can borrow a pencil and paper to which the artist generously handed over a pad and pencil.

Subaru then begins to make a sketch of Felt. After a while he finished and showed his sketch of her.

The artist, Emilia's, Puck's and Kei's thoughts on the illustration was… amateur.

"Subaru that looks like a grade-schoolers doodle."

Subaru got offended by his critique.

"Hey I would like to see you do better."

Taking a pad and a pencil, he begins to sketch out Felt, and after a while he finishes and shows them his work.

Everyone looked surprise and amazed and Subaru's mouth drop a bit.

Because the sketch he showed was very well made and quite honestly artistic and detailed.

"Wow, that looks exactly like her." Puck commented amaze.

Subaru looked towards him with a hint of jealousy.

"How are you so good?"

Kei smirked at them especially Subaru. How he manage be so skilled and good at drawing was simply from the hobby of making fanarts.

"Just a hobby I practiced A lot."

With that done he pays the artist for letting them use his art supplies and continued with the search with the image of their thief.

They visited another location which him and Subaru were familiar which. He 'helpfully' reminded Subaru not to go blindly which he a glared at him then looked away and grumble.

Emilia looked confused. He was about to explain to Emilia but Subaru decided to cut in and immediately asked someone near them if they saw a thief in Kei's picture which earned a shake of the head.

They sighed and continued on their way with Subaru silently pleading him to not embarrass him anymore to which Kei assured.

"No promises."

They then went to an abandoned building to which Subaru thought a thief would hide in, which Kei agreed to.

Subaru was surprised at first but then got a boost of confidence with his agreement and immediately tried to hop over a boarded up entrance totally forgetting that there are people looking.

He and Emilia pulled him off the damn entrance before he rounds up more onlookers.

They then stood on the streets showing the pictures and tried to get any answer from bypassers, to no avail.

During another search Subaru seemed to have found their thief which turned out to be a different girl who was wearing somewhat similar clothing.

After that they decided to take a break at one of the highest area's in the capital of Lugunica. With Subaru sitting on some stairs feeling down and with Emilia and Kei on some balustrades.

"*Sigh* I can't believe I talked big, but isn't this place too huge to find one little thing in?" Subaru sighed.

"What did you expect from a capital?"

He quipped with a blank look to which Subaru just looked down feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I'm surprise you don't know that um… " She trailed reason being that Emilia has yet to actually no of their names.

"Hey, that rights. We don't know your names yet. We should all introduce ourselves." Puck suggested.

"Oh, yeah, your right. We should introduce ourselves." Subaru said as he got up and did a dynamic pose.

"My name is-"

"His name is Natsuki Subaru and mine is Michiaki Kei, in our culture our surname is first, so for now just refer to him as Natsuki and myself as Michiaki or Aki for short."

Before Subaru could do his dramatic introduction, Kei cut him off and introduce themselves as well as explain their regarding order of name.

Subaru snapped his head at him upset along with a hint of betrayal in his eyes. Kei merely shrugged.

Emilia and puck were silent for a moment before puck decided to introduce himself as well.

"I'm puck! Nice to meet you!"

After pucks introduction Kei looked towards Emilia.

"Your cat introduced himself already so why don't you as well?"

Emilia looked away for a moment before taking a breath.

"I'm… Satella."

Subaru was surprised while Puck was shocked, Kei on the other hand had a serious look.

"The witch of envy?"

Emilia was a bit surprised but looked down and a shadow casted on her face. Puck narrowed his eyes and Subaru looked confused.

"… Yes."

Silence enveloped. As Puck was too shocked to say anything while Subaru had a tint of pink on his cheek.

Kei… just sighed.

"If you don't want to tell us your real name then that's fine."

He already knows what it is anyway.

Emilia and Puck looked surprised.

"Wait, your not afraid?"

Kei raised an eyebrow. Why should he? Despite looking like her and quite possible she is her due to some sort of convoluted paradox alternate timeline bullshit (According to reddit) But he knows her personality well to be assured that she was not envy… Maybe.

"Why should I?"

"… Because… like you said…I am the witch of envy" Emilia answered but Kei can see that she was biting her lips a bit.

"Hey, am I the only one clueless here?" Subaru cut in confused about what was happening.

"Subaru have you not notice the looks of disdain and fear she has been receiving from people?"

"Wait, really?!"

Subaru was surprised. How could anyone look at her with hate?

Kei nodded.

"I asked some people about it, and they explained the reason."

"What was the reason?"

He closed his eyes for a moment before answering.

"Because she is an half-elf."

Subaru confusion increased and Emilia continued to look down and bite her lower lip.

"Is that it?"

"Subaru, Satella, the witch of envy was known to be an half-elf just like her."

Subaru's eyes widened as she looked at Emilia whose hands were bawled.

"But that's not fair! How can they hate someone because of their race!?"

Kei couldn't agree more… But.

"I agree with you on that Subaru I really do. But there is one more thing that reinforced that hate."

Subaru was taken aback. What could possibly reinforce such a thing as grouping together Emilia with this 'Witch of envy?'

"What reinforced it. Was that the appearance of said witch matches almost if not mirrors that of hers."

Subaru eyes widened further in shock. He then looks towards at the silver haired half-elf who was now trembling with puck having a scowl on his face.

"So, you knew, that I am the witch of envy."

He nodded.

"… Why." Emilia asked in a low tone.

"Why what?"

"If you knew I was witch then why didn't you warn your friend and avoid me and run far away from while cursing me?" She asked with a voice filled with pain.

The tone immediately informed Kei of how much she has experience such discrimination and unjustified hate from others.

Looking at the trembling silver haired girl brought pain to Subaru. She saved and even he can tell that she was a genuinely kind person, he can't understand why she had been treated this way.

"So… you shouldn't associate yourselves with me?" She said in a quite yet somber tone.

Subaru was about to tell her something encouraging, but Kei decided to interject.

"Nope."

That simple word made Emilia raise her head and looked at him in surprise.

"But… why?"

She couldn't understand why he would stay when he knows about her.

"Why? Because I don't believe those peoples words that much. I prefer to see the truth through their action, motive, and their reasons. I already said you didn't have to tell me your true name since I didn't believe that your name was really Satella in the first place."

Emilia was once again was surprised, and yet, she felt a warm feeling in her.

Kei walked up to Emilia and placed a hand on her head. Emilia was taken aback at the action.

"When you stopped your pursuit with the thief to help Subaru and when you confronted those thugs, you did not kill them or greatly injure them at all, instead you simply threw some blocks of ice at them which were enough to hurt them but not kill them and then scared them off with your cat. You showed mercy to them even if they threatened you."

A soft smile appeared on his face.

"If you were truly the Witch of Envy then you would have just erased them, and yet you spared them as well as helped Subaru by healing him instead of abandoning him. I can tell you're a kind and caring, albeit somewhat naïve person. And I would pretty much feel like trash if I were to just abandon you and be stuck with this moron."

"Hey! Was that really necessary!?"

Kei ignored him and continued.

"You're right I should not associate myself with the Witch of Envy, frankly I despise working with corrupt and vile people. That is why I didn't leave and helped you in part to the simp instead cause I you are not that type of person."

"Why do you keep bashing me!?"

Subaru was offended by the constant hurling of mean words towards him, but turned to Emilia with a smile.

"He's right, your no Witch, plus you helped me so it is only natural I return the favor!"

Emilia felt warm. Besides puck nobody said such words to her. All she received were either neutral and emotionless or harsh and painful.

The warm feeling they were giving her felt somewhat alien to her, but she didn't dislike it, on the contrary the feeling was nice.

She looked at them then smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They smiled back with Subaru's being brighter.

"… So how should we address you?" Kei asked.

"Emilia… my name is Emilia."

"Nice to meet you Emilia."

"Nice to meet you Emilia-tan!"

Was that -tan really necessary?

"Yes, Nice to meet you."

Emilia smiled along with puck and the rest of them.

With that round of introduction the ending with a soft and warm note, they continued on their search.

While they continue their search Kei had something else in mind.

'Now you hopefully make too much of a fool of yourself in the probable second loop Subaru.'

A/N here.

There is a question that have been asked of me and that is about my update schedule.

The answer is simple.

I am still an inexperienced writer and sometimes get quite lost in some ideas in the story I write.

And I am also writing some one-shots with some Ideas I had in mind.

And my update schedule.

A chapter in a day in the week.

I will be posting some of the one-shots I am writing soon.

Thanks for continuing to read.