Re: Life In The Original World From Zero [A Re:Zero Fiction]

Chapter 42: Modern Day Life Break Time Part Nine

A/N: Woow we have eight chapters now!!! That's amazing XDDD Enjoy~~

Jumping back in time, we go back to Subaru and Rem. The two had just left the small onsen they stopped by and strolled off into the park. Hand in hand again, the two walked past more onsen ponds, stepping along the stone paved trail, enjoying the view that could only be seen here. "Oh Rem, look at those onsen ponds." Subaru said when they arrived at two onsen ponds that looked very different from the other ones.

Rem looked over the direction where Subaru was pointing at and gasped. "The color of the onsens looks green!" She exclaimed. The green was not an ordinary green but an emerald green that seemed to be gleaming under the pleasant winter sunlight. They approached the emerald green ponds and stopped there, admiring the onsens with such a rare color. "Remember that I said only certain algae could survive in the onsen water? These two are the examples. The environment here is suitable for these moss balls, and they thrive in there due to the lack of natural enemies. So they grow into such large numbers and make the ponds look as if they are gleaming with an emerald green." Subaru said, and Rem nodded, intrigued by the peculiar view.

"These two are respectively called 'Zuisho no Ike (The Pond of Good Omen)' and 'Kohaku no Ike (The Pond of Amber)'. These names fit them quite well, don't you think?" Subaru said with a grin. "Hai, Subaru-kun! May we take some pictures here? Rem really likes the shade of green of the onsens." Rem said, and Subaru nodded. Fortunately, there was another pair of visitors walking past them, so Subaru just asked them to take the picture for them. After the picture was taken, Subaru and Rem, the latter beaming happily, set off again.

A while later, they arrived at a monument on which a carving of an oni could be seen. On the monument, there were words that said "Oni no Chagama-hi". "Oni no chagama?" Rem repeated as she read the words. "Yeah, people once called this place the teakettle of oni." Subaru answered, and Rem frowned slightly. "Why did people call this place this name? Rem doesn't quite get it." She said, tilting her head. "Well, like I told you before when we were talking about the Sainokawara superstition, people in the past thought the onsen here was very dangerous. Some thought about the fact that little to no creatures could survive in it and came up with the Sainokawara belief, while some thought about the way onsen poured out its sources, boiling, bubbling, and steaming, not to mention it being very acidic, and imagined this place as the place where onis boiled their tea." Subaru answered.

"Alright, Rem understands now. But why oni?" She asked again, and Subaru knew why she asked so. He smiled and told her the explanation that he already had in mind. "To tell you the truth, Japanese people in the past view oni as the symbol of toughness, violence, and sometimes even evilness. We used to use oni as a synonym of bad luck, because, you know, if you bump into one, you most likely would get eaten. So people in the past here saw boiling water flow out from the ground constantly and couldn't help but associate it with oni, because they just thought it was that dangerous." Subaru came to a pause, and Rem didn't interrupt him and let him continued his explanation.

"It is true that people naming the place that way showed fear for oni, but at the same time, many also view them with respect and admiration." Subaru said. "Respect and admiration?" Rem asked finally, and Subaru smiled again. "Yep, you heard me right. Even though oni could be terrifying and violent, they could almost be as powerful and almighty as the gods, that's why when a lot of people refer to the god, they call them kishin (demon god)." Subaru said. "People aren't afraid of oni?" Rem asked. "Of course they are! People are afraid of so many things, and oni might be in the top five if you ask me!" Subaru said, letting out a laugh.

"But at the same time, people love oni too! Most of the time, oni might be given a repelling and intimidating image, but they have emotions much closer to human. They like to fight, they like to drink, and they also value their friends, unlike gods, who are always so out of reach and unimaginable. Many have actually come to regard oni as their protectors. Oni comes from human, after all, that is probably why they are more like human and are liked more by human too." Subaru said. There was now a small smile on Rem's face as she listened to Subaru talk. "Rem, I told you before, though you couldn't possibly remember. I like oni much more than kami (god), you know. Kami like I said, is too out of our reach and we never know what they really are like, but oni, it is always possible to make friends with them and laugh with them. I've always had a dream about laughing with an oni and talk about things in the future." Subaru said, holding Rem's hand tighter.