Now's where the Dandadan-inspiration kicks in: Yokai? Ghosts? Aliens? They're all real on Earth, and Subaru had no idea.
Rein's situation is complicated: being in another dimension, he is "out of the eyes of the World" and therefore loses the vast majority of his DPs. However, he still has traces of his abilities, which is confusing. Knowledge and finite memory-based DPs leave their mark on a person permanently (Ex: Sword Saint), but activatable powers (Ex: Vegetation) and certain supplemental abilities (Ex: Arithmetic and any thought-accelerating DPs) are not available to him at the moment. Imagine that he is still considered a master of weaponry and athletic prowess, but within more of the confines of what would be possible for a human on Earth. Given that there is no mana as a Lugunican would comprehend it in the air, he also lacks access to the boosts of the Flow Method and his mana-draining ability isn't useful.
Subaru, however, still has the full power of RBD, and he has no idea he even has it. Rein has mentioned to him that even though there is no mana on Earth, he still has a hint of corrupted mana on him, something that confuses both of them but it's not like they can currently do anything about it.
But you know who else notices the miasma? The local supernatural entities. And like the mabeasts, they don't like it.
They target Subaru, and it's only through Rein's intervention that he makes it out alive the first time around.
Subaru is freaking out as not only is he stuck babysitting some magical knight, but now he also has to deal with this completely surreal and reality-shattering target on his back without tipping off his parents.
When he desired to be able to go on an adventure and "have his chance," this was NOT what he meant!
I would imagine quite a few of the entities explored in Dandadan make an experience, though I'm rather rusty on Japanese folklore and urban legends and have fallen behind in Dandadan, so I don't have too specific of details of which ones I would pick or do differently.
I do love the idea, however, of Kuchisake-Onna, Teke Teke, Kunekune, and Hachishakusama being strong contenders.
And to make matters even worse, the problems don't stay local for long.
Od Laguna has noticed that something has taken Reinhard away, and it's now bending itself to do anything to get him back. The connection between the dimensions starts to fray. This allows for a number of consequences in Japan: mabeasts start to show up and this also allows for the possibility for other characters to make an appearance.
I would imagine that the bending of the two dimensions close to each other has consequences in the Re:Zero world as well, but I still would want to sit and ponder exactly what would be most interesting.
At these little pockets where reality is more blurred, Reinhard suddenly gains his full array of Protections back. It's one of the things that tips them off that there might be a way to get him back home after all.
Subaru doesn't actually die for a while. They're both too on guard and Rein is too effective of a fighter, but I would imagine that as time goes on and the locale gets more stirred up and hostile, it starts to get overwhelming even for Reinhard.
There's a particular entity that shows up, and Rein is too slow. Subaru dies for the first time.
Subaru comes back next to Rein. Rein notices the swell in miasma, and the backlash of aggression that follows from the heightened miasma and already present tensions causes all hell to break lose on multiple fronts.
Subaru brings together a plan: survive long enough for Rein and him to get to one of the notable pockets of power Rein found earlier and hope that Rein will be strong enough to fight them off.
The entities are not going to make it easy for them though. Perhaps Subaru dies a few more times. Perhaps he has a few more mental breakdowns. Perhaps he says some things in his hysteria that he regrets as Rein looks on helplessly. Either way, it feels like there's so little hope to even just make it the short distance needed.
Eventually, though, they manage to make it close in one loop. Subaru gets tunnel vision, seeing them so close to their goal.
And before they make it, Subaru watches as Rein is cut down in front of him as he pushes him out of the way.
Subaru could run. The entity is more focused on Reinhard's body for some reason.
He can't bring himself to. He runs towards it.
He resets, and Reinhard is alive.
He's not given much time to relish in it, though, as they need to get back into executing their plan.
Whatever Subaru and Reinhard come up with is definitely going to depend on the nature of the beings after them, so I can't say how this loop ends up being the one, but one way or another, they make it.
And Subaru finally realizes that the things they are running from are in the same league as the guy he was starting to consider a friend.
It's such a one-sided massacre it's not even funny. Reinhard is calm. Reinhard is effortless in his power, and Subaru, still reeling from the stressful series of loops, doesn't quite know what to think.
When he calls Reinhard a monster, it hits him a lot harder this time, as Reinhard was starting to rather enjoy being around someone that wasn't aware of how powerful he was.
Rein is doubly confused when, immediately afterwards, Subaru draws him into a big hug, just happy that it's over and both of them are alive.
Now that the situation allows for them to talk, Rein presses him on what got Subaru acting so bizarre. He explains that he also sensed the miasma from him increase.
They're away from the reality scar when Subaru reveals it to him, and the taboo activates.
Reinhard crumples to the floor, dead.
There's no time to think. He doubts he could comprehend anything else anyway besides bring him back.
When the reset happens it's in the middle of the hug, Subaru lies. He says he's not sure why it happened and tries to get through the questions as quickly and aloofly as possible.
(But they're still at the pocket when this happens and Rein is touching him. DP of Empathy activates. He can feel the sheer number of negative emotions coming from Subaru, and he knows he's lying. But it's because of these feelings that Rein doesn't press further. He needs a plan on how to approach this.)
Subaru doesn't sleep that night. He caves and goes to check on Reinhard, who is also still awake. They stay awake, chatting about nothing in particular, trying in vain to chase the negative emotions from themselves and each other away.
They fall asleep leaning on each other that night with one of the last things they both remember being Subaru calling Reinhard his friend.
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