That night, you warily left the two maids to go to your room. The next time you saw them, it would only be a half a day before Elsa and that other girl came to attack the mansion.

With that said, you had experience fighting the two of them. It was mostly in your memories, but it still made you feel a little more confident knowing that you've gone against the enemy several times already. Oh yeah, and there's a Witch who just happens to be the smartest person in this world, and you have a contract with her.

(A/N: It's true. Echidna actually has the highest IQ out of all of the characters in Re:Zero.)

'That is quite flattering, but you still have apprehensions, do you not?'

'Of course I do. Those two have killed me a lot! They might not have done that in this loop, but I still remember it, so I can't help but be a little afraid of dying. My regeneration...'

'Shhh. Do not worry. We have a plan, so trust in your abilities and my decisions. You can do it.'

'Um... you say to trust in your decisions, but haven't you changed your plans quite a few times?'

'Tsk. When I gain more knowledge, I am able to create better strategies. This situation is not favorable at all, and I am adjusting the plan to the shifting conditions. It is not my fault that a fool decided to send two formidable assassins here, where resources and allies are limited.'

'But you gave him the Gospel, and that's what he's following...'

'I did no such thing.' Echidna paused, then corrected herself. 'To be more precise, I am not the same Echidna who gave the boy his Gospel.'

'What?! How does that work? Are you not the soul of Echidna?'

'I am. But I am the part of her soul that she split from herself in case she died before she could perfect soul transcription.'

'Can you dumb that down please? I'm having some technical difficulties up there.'

Echidna chuckled. 'Forgive me. In simpler terms, I am the soul of Echidna several years before she died. When she failed to take over another body, the other part of her soul left this world as all other souls do. So the body in her graveyard is her body, but this soul is Echidna in her younger years.'

'So, how do you know everything that she did after she split you from herself?'

'(Y/N), I am beginning to believe that you cannot think for yourself. But of course, I will help satisfy your greed! I know everything that happened to her because I was able to access the memories of those who founded the Sanctuary, as it is now called.'

'Oh. That makes sense.'

'Of course it does, it is the truth. Now, I do believe that I told you that I would inform you of the reason that the clown is so devoted to myself.'

'To be honest, I forgot about that, but go ahead. It'll take me another minute or two to get to my room. And I'm not lost this time, so don't crack a joke about that.'

'Very well. My other self, as I will call her from now on, helped young Roswaal, who was suffering because of his excess mana. From his perspective, she kissed him passionately, and he was fully devoted to her ever since. The end.'

'Wait, what? A passionate kiss?'

'Yes. She merely inserted her tongue into his mouth and drained the excess mana out  of his body, but the young boy could not understand that my other self had no interest in him whatsoever.'

'What do you expect to happen?! An attractive woman french-kisses a young boy! I wonder how he will react!'

'I do not see an issue. It is his fault for misunderstanding.'

You sighed mentally. 'And that's why I have to help you. And by the way, I have another anime for us to watch tonight. It's only thirteen episodes, so we can watch it pretty quick and still let me get enough rest for tomorrow.'

'I look forward to it.'

With perfect timing, you reached your room as soon as this exchange ended. You were already in your sleepwear, so all that was left was to lay on the bed.

Not even bothering to go under the covers, you plopped your head on the puffy pillows and grasped the pendant.

As soon as you appeared in Echidna's Tea Party, you asked, "Hey, Echidna. Are you ready for some light binging?!"

It was obvious that Echidna didn't know what this meant, since she tilted her head slightly to the left when you said it. "What does 'light-binging' mean? I do not recall any Yang spells that 'binge'."

You shook your head while you chuckled. "No, that's not what that means. Binging means watching a lot of TV at one time without taking a break."

Echidna made an 'oh' face. "And by TV, you are referring to anime, correct?"

It was surprising how many things Echidna didn't know, considering how she could see your memories. "Yeah. You watch anime on TV- wait a second. I usually watched it on my laptop... So it's not really TV, but it kinda is since anime is usually on TV too, and things that you watch on TV are..."

You trailed off, since that was going nowhere. "Yeah. When I say TV, just assume that I'm talking about anime. Until you know more about my world, just assume that. We might branch off from anime later, but don't worry about that yet."

Echidna absorbed all of this information as if she enjoyed listening to everything you said, no matter what it was. "Understood. Now, what anime are you planning on showing me tonight? I found Code Geass quite interesting, but it was lacking in the love aspect."

With a grin, you took your seat next to Echidna and gulped down her tea. "We're going to watch Angel Beats! It's very emotional, and even you might feel something in the last episode! It might not technically be romance, but like I said, I don't want to watch something that's too long, and this seemed like a perfect one for you!"

Echidna quickly went through your memories and found the ones where you were watching Angel Beats. She was intrigued by your claims, and was very curious as to what the ending would offer. 

You were then surrounded by a first person POV of yourself watching Angel Beats. The OP triggered mass nostalgia, and you knew that you were going to enjoy the next few hours. 

Angel Beats was one of very, very few anime that (almost) made you cry, so if it worked on you, Echidna should at least feel a little emotion. If not, things were going to be more difficult than you thought.

(A/N: I actually haven't watched that many romance anime, so if any of you have suggestions for Echidna, let me know. Thanks!)

A little over 5 hours later

The end credits for the final episode were finally playing, and you felt something surge in your chest. Seeing Otonashi lose Kanade was heartbreaking, and seeing everyone disappear in the credits hit you just like it did the first time.

Echidna, on the other hand, was busy thinking about something. "(Y/N), I believe that Otonashi was the programmer that was mentioned in the previous episode."

"What?"

"For one, he had amnesia, which was explained as the result of a head injury. But as he did not suffer a head injury, this makes no sense. Another piece of evidence that I have gathered is the fact that Kanade somehow had his heart but she was in the afterlife long before he seemed to appear there. In conclusion, I believe that Otonashi used to be the programmer and he somehow became a conscious being once more, but the result of this resulted in him losing his memories."

You just stared at Echidna. "Seriously?! Did the ending not make you feel anything? You're supposed to be wondering what this feeling in your chest is, not making a theory that actually makes sense!"

As if she had forgotten something, Echidna added, "I suppose that I felt a very slight hint of something as Otonashi was despairing. This medium is capable of endearing one to the cast of an anime, and I suppose that I found myself feeling pity for him."

The Witch's reply left you stunned. "...Is that it? Are you sure that the only thing you felt was pity?"

She considered her thoughts, and replied, "The message that this delivered was that love was the key to happiness, though the love portrayed was not necessarily romantic. Once again, this demonstrated love that was shown through care for others. In the end, I could not relate to Otonashi's feelings. He  threatened to betray the ideals that he had implanted upon all of the others, and he would deny Kanade the chance to accept them for herself and experience true happiness. If he loved her, would he not want her to pass on? Is that not what love entails? But,  with that said, I found myself wanting the two of them to stay together. So when Otonashi was crushed by Kanade's absence, I felt pity for him."

During the first half of Echidna's analysis, you were losing hope for her. But at the end, a smile crawled onto your face. "Echidna, I think that you were feeling something else too. You said that you wanted the two of them to stay together. That means that, somewhere inside of you, you were rooting them on, so you actually do have feelings! We just need you to pull off a Grinch and suddenly realize something that makes you understand the meaning of what you've been pondering for years."

Echidna quickly looked through your memories so that she could understand this reference. When she saw what the Grinch looked like, she playfully gasped. "How dare you compare me to such a being! I am nothing like that thing!"

"Whatever you say..." You sat there awkwardly, not knowing if you should go back to the physical world or not.

"(Y/N), would you like another lap pillow?" Echidna asked suggestively.

Your face heated up, and no words could come out of your mouth. On one hand, you really wanted that lap pillow. On the other hand... you were still a teenager who was going to get nervous around hot girls who wanted to give you a lap pillow.

Echidna sighed. "I suppose that it would be a better idea for you to return to your body. You should sleep in a physical bed for the remainder of the night, so you will be rested for a typical amount of time. In order for you to perform at your best tomorrow night, you cannot have rested in an abnormal environment for an extended period of time."

Echidna basically made your mind up for you, so you decided to clutch the pendant and leave her Tea Party, even though a lap pillow would have been nice. "I guess I'll talk to you once I wake up in the morning."

As you left, Echidna replied, "Good night, (Y/N). I'm always here if you need me."

Your body jerked awake when you exited the Tea Party, but your mind was definitely fatigued from watching all of Angel Beats without stopping. So falling back asleep wasn't a problem.

The problem was waking up.

It took Petra two minutes to wake you up by hitting your face with a pillow. Shaking you didn't work, so she tried the only other thing that she could think of. 

And when you woke up, you were snapped awake when the pillow hit your wide-open eyes. "Ah! My eyes! Stop! I'm awake! Ow!"

Petra dropped the pillow and stiffly did a curtsy, since she was trying to act like a proper maid. "Good morning, (Y/N). Since you slept in so late, your food is going to get cold!"

You shook your head slowly with a smile on your lips. "After hitting me in the face with a pillow, you're telling me that my food's cold?" You chuckled. "Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Petra fidgeted before telling you, "Frederica-sama told me to help you get to the kitchen. S-she said that you would get lost..."

Your eyelids twitched as she explained this. Even Frederica was getting in on teasing you for your terrible sense of direction in the mansion.

Through gritted teeth, you said, "Fine. Just let me get dressed first."

Petra nodded her head and scurried out of your room. 

Your clothes were folded on the desk next to the bed, so you quickly took your sleepwear off and put the 'adventurer' clothes on.

Within a minute, you joined Petra in the hallway, which was illuminated brightly by the rising sun.

"Lead the way, Petra!" Even though you weren't thrilled by the fact that you had to follow a twelve year old to the kitchen, you didn't let her know that.

'Don't be too prideful, (Y/N). Just accept the fact that your sense of direction is less than proficient.'

'Really, Echidna? I can't even tell if you were serious or not, but that hurt! I literally only have issues in this mansion. I'm fine everywhere else, so don't blame this on my sense of direction.'

'If you say so, (Y/N).'

But to be honest, you were able to reach the kitchen quicker than ever when you followed Petra. It's pretty sad, but food trumps pride for now, so you weren't going to complain to Frederica about this.

'Are you suggesting that Gluttony is more powerful than Pride?'

'No! I just want to eat, so stop trying to overcomplicate things!'

'I am doing no such thing! I am merely providing commentary so that this is not boring.'

'What do you mean by 'this'?'

'I mean your everyday actions, of course. If I weren't here to say things, you would be lonely and if anybody would be viewing your life from a... second-person point of view, they might find you boring.'

'That was oddly specific... But I guess that you really do make things less boring. With you always being with me, there's never a dull moment.'

'Of course! Dull does not describe me in any fashion! The day that you find me dull will be the day that you no longer retain any rational thought!"

"(Y/N), is there something wrong with the food? Have I perhaps upset you?" Frederica asked worriedly. Apparently, you had been staring at the slice of meat pie that she had made for the past minute while you were talking to Echidna.

You waved your hands around, trying to let Frederica know that nothing was wrong. "No! You're fine! I just got caught up in my thoughts and zoned out a little!" As soon as you said this, you took a fork and took a healthy bite out of the meat pie.

When you put the food into your mouth, your whole body froze. After a slight pause, you slowly chewed the food and put the fork down.

You swallowed the food, then turned to Frederica, who was standing next to you. "Frederica... THAT WAS AMAZING! I haven't eaten anything so good in so long!"

'What about my te-'

'SHHHH! I am experiencing something right now.'

Frederica was taken aback by your sudden outburst. "W-well, this was my mother's recipe, and it is the best dish that I make."

As soon as Frederica mentioned her mother, you snapped out of the food-induced euphoria that you were going through. In the anime, you saw that her mother was a really unlucky woman, and she died as soon as she left Frederica and Garfiel so that she could find their father.

"Oh..." Things suddenly went awkwardly quiet and you continued to eat, the sound of your fork being the only noise in the dining room.

'See? If you did not have me around, you would find yourself unable to talk to most people. Such is the fate of the-'

'Please don't remind me. Please...'

Time Skip

After breakfast, you escorted Petra to Beatrice's library. Once again, you were able to find it on the first try, and Beatrice didn't speak a word to you. 

To be honest, that cold indifference hurt a little bit, but it was expected. After you messed up, of course she would ignore you.

'But the best women do not continue to stay angry when a male makes a mistake. It is only natural that nobody can be perfect, so why should people expect for one another to always say and do the right things?'

'Echidna... I have never heard you say anything that I want to agree with more. But of course, girls like that don't exist in real life. Just in fiction.'

'Lucky for you, I am fictional, as it would turn out.'

'Wait, what?'

'Remember that I was in an anime that you have watched? Therefore, I am a fictional character, so I possess the traits that real women do not exhibit.'

'No, that's not what I- You know what, never mind. There's something that I want to check, and I can't keep myself distracted because I don't want to die tonight.'

'Ah, so you are going to check the supplementary gifts that the Crusch camp sent along with you? There is a five percent chance of any items of use being among those things. In the past loops, you have not checked them for this reason, but I suppose that useful items may be in there. Though I suspect that the majority of those things will be useless things of value, seeing as the Crusch camp is known for its more action-favoring approach to threats as well as their healer, there may be magic crystals for attacking or healing. This is all speculation, of course, so do not be too disappointed if there is no yield.'

'Yeah, I know. But if I can find anything at all that will help me and everybody else live, I'm going to use it. Sure, I can be doing something else right now, but looking back at my past loops, this might be the most helpful thing if I can find something.'

'Indeed...' Echidna stopped talking, and it seemed like she was thinking of something.

You silently walked around to the second storage room on the first floor, where Frederica had put all of the things that Crusch sent with you in celebration of the alliance.

Five percent. According to Echidna, that was the chance that something useful would actually be there.

Maybe she was like L, and five percent actually meant very likely.

But if that wasn't the case... there were less than five hours until Elsa and the mabeast girl came. Since you were able to get the traps up earlier than before, there wasn't as much work to do, but you still couldn't help but worry.

Elsa is the Bowel Hunter, and she survived a battle with Reinhard. According to Echidna, she was a curse doll, and she could regenerate just like you could. And along with her was the little blue-haired girl who could control mabeasts, and those monsters would rip you to shreds if you didn't kill them first.

But your regeneration was looking like it was getting weaker. It seems like Satella took it away, so now you were even more screwed.

'I would like to correct something.' Out of the blue, Echidna decided to reinitiate a conversation. '(Y/N), you thought that Satella took your regeneration away, but that is technically incorrect.'

'Wait, what?! Are you saying that my regeneration isn't going away because she took it? Was there a limit to the times I could use it? Dang it! I shouldn't have taken it for grante-'

'That is not what I meant. It was the Witch of Envy that is taking it away, not Satella.'

'... But aren't they the same person?'

'As much as I hate her, I will tell you the truth, as per our contract. Satella is not the evil being that common-day lore depicts her as. She simply held great amounts of power, and when she absorbed the Envy Witch Factor, which she was highly incompatible with, she developed a split personality. This split personality, the Witch of Envy, is the one who is taking away your regeneration.'

'So, why can't she just give it back? If one personality takes