Fate/Infinity Shuffle
Chapter 36 – Unexpected Visitor:
"UFF!" Lizzie dropped herself onto Mizuki's bed. The whole team returned to her place in order to celebrate the success of the concert. The aftermath of the situation was somewhat odd, taking into account Hakuno's situation. But that didn't cancel the get together.
"Are you okay, Miss Idol?" Isemi wondered.
"Yeah, yeah, just a little tired…"
"You spent the whole afternoon singing and dancing. I'm not surprised." Sayuri noted, as Mongami sat down on the only desk chair in the room.
Mizuki entered her room, holding a tray with multiple cups filled with green tea and a bowl of rice crackers.
"Here it is guys. I think this is the closest thing to a snack that I have."
The moment she placed down the tray, Sayuri and Isemi didn't hesitate to take a cup each and start drinking from them.
Shortly after, not even allowing Mizuki to sit down in front of the short table, the doorbell rung. Surprised by this, the girl rushed to the entrance of her house. She wasn't expecting any orders, nor were her parents returning anytime soon to the country, so it was a true mystery.
She opened the front door and was somewhat surprised. A boy with neat blond hair and emerald eyes. Strangely enough, he wore the same school uniform as her and Sayuri. While the clothes and skin were different, she had seen fis face before.
"Eh? You're… Edward?" The boy who bravely helped Hakuno for a momentduring the battle against Foreigner. "Why are you here?"
"Umm… Ranker told me I should join your team. I'm a Caster user, and you don't have one yet, from what he told me…" The boy was clearly shy, going back and forth between locking eyes with Mizuki and looking away. "W-Would that be alright? I'm new to the Game, so… I can't really prove I'm useful."
"…Sure."
"Eh?" Edward looked at the Leader of the Team with wide eyes. The girl had the simplest of smiles. "Just like that?!"
"Well, yeah."
"B-But… you don't even know me…"
"You were the only one who was able to help Hakuno before. That's more than enough for me."
The boy didn't know what to respond. It was probably something he hadn't realized before. His actions spoke louder than any victory. Even if it was only in two moments, and kept himself outside the battle on the logic that 'Ranker is probably a Solo Player kind of fighter, so if I joined in it would only distract him', he was still the only one that ran to Hakuno's side.
"I… guess."
"Hey, come in. I'll make you green tea. You can meet the rest of the team. They're all nice, and no one bites."
"You don't mind the intrusion?"
"Not at all. Come in." Mizuki stepped aside, allowing Edward to come in. The shy boy was somewhat reluctant to actually step into the house, but with the gathering of some courage, he managed to do so.
Mizuki closed the door behind and led him to her bedroom,where he was quickly greeted by the tired idol, the relaxed boy with white hair, the serene girl appreciating the tea, and the God Killer on the chair.
"Guys, this is Edward. He'll be our Caster from today onwards."
"N-N-Nice to meet you all!" He bowed, nervous. "Please take good care of me."
It didn't take long for the following day to come.
Mizuki, Sayuri, Isemi and Edward met halfway through to walk to school together. Mongami, of course, went to another school, and Lizzie didn't go at all, so two members were missing.
Edward got along with the other members easily enough, even if he mostly kept to himself due to the shyness. It turned out that he belonged to the same class as Isemi, a bit of a coincidence that never ceased to amaze them. While it is a given the school has a lot more Players, it's always a surprise to find out that that one person we somewhat know the name of and is in our Class but we never spoke to before turns out to be a Player.
The four spoke about random things until they arrived at the school gates. They stopped moving because of the same reason many stopped, but unlike them, continued moving on to the school.
Someone appeared to be 'camping' by the school's entrance.
A girl about their age. Long, brown, somewhat unkept hair, with quills and curls throughout. Her eyes were a bright yellow, similar to glittering gold. One could tell her body had some excess in fat, but it wasn't anything beyond belief, far from it. Slightly overweight compared to the average. Black rimmed glasses, a yellow t-shirt underneath a black, cotton jacket with large buttons, light blue jeans with a thick belt around the waist, and white sneakers. On her head was a small red bow on the side, clipped to her long hair. She appeared to have made some sort of fort with the bags she brought along. Sitting against the wall, she stared at her smartphone, watching the episode of an anime, while water heated in an electric tea kettle, hooked to a portable battery able to connect a common power plug, with a cup of dry ramen besides her.
Mizuki turned to her friends, sharing the same confused look they all did. Who was she? What was she doing? Why was she camping in front of the school?
With curiosity taking the better of her, Mizuki approached.
"Umm… Hello?" She called, but the only thing she received was a turn of the eyes to see who was talking with her, which then moved back down to observe the screen. She didn't seem happy in the least. Mizuki thought for a moment on how to call for someone's attention, especially if they appeared to not care at all. "…So, umm… who are you? Why are you camping here?"
"Doesn't matter." Wow, rude.
Mizuki let out a sigh. She knew when she wasn't welcome. But she took a glance at the screen for a moment.
"Oh, that's that recent anime… I actually got recommended to watch it. Is it good?"
It was unknown whether what sparkled were her glasses or the eyes, but she suddenly lit up her mood. "Oh, it's very good! Definitely the best one from last season. I'm a binger, so I'm only watching it now. Episode 7 out of 12. The director really knows how to balance the 2D and 3D animation, and the studio is perfect for this kind of series."
Mizuki was taken aback by the punch that was the 'otaku knowledge', even if only a small portion of it. Mizuki only consumed media, she was no expert when it came to the details behind it.
"Wow… you know your stuff, don't you?"
"Of course! That's the pride of a true otaku at stake!" The girl appeared to be fired up. She pressed pause on the phone and placed it aside the moment the water finished heating up. "You have to know about this sort of thing, so you can tell what will be good or not."
"Impressive." Mizuki admitted with honesty. The girl began to pour the hot water into the cup, ready to prepare the noodles.
"Admittedly, I still watch everything."
"Eh? But if you can tell which ones are going to be the best…"
"I defend that every anime series as at least ONE good thing about it, and that I should watch it from start to finish the moment I click on episode one. That's the true challenge of being an anime-loving NEET otaku."
"I-I see…" Mizuki was surprised how fast this girl had shifted from anti-social to extroverted simply because she showed interest in what she was watching. In order to keep this going, she decided to roll with the conversation. She was no expert when it came to anime, but also wasn't a stranger. She had seen her fair share of series and movies. "So… what exactly do you suggest."
"Well, for starters, depends on what you're looking for." The girl grabbed the cup, and with a pair of chopsticks, she swirled its contents, one step closer to start consuming them. "Mecha, romance, action, adventure, drama, horr-" she stopped before finishing the word. "Actually, if you want horror, stick to the manga." She suggested, with the noodles cooked and ready to be eaten. She took many of the strings with the chopsticks and ate them.
"Hm? Why?"
"It has the advantage of the 'page turn'."
"What's that?"
"You don't know what it is?!" She appeared to be flabbergasted. "It's a trick used by mangaka to induce true fear into the readers. The fact that you turn the page makes the situation scarier, because it's not only something you yourself are doing, but also because your eyes see the other side of the page all at once, and it takes you by surprise. It's not the same as a cheap jump-scare, it's an actual scare." The expert explained before eating another set of noodles. "The anime adaptation takes that away. And if the studio just so happens to not be the best at creative animation and just stick to copy-pasting the panels, it will even take away the unsettling atmosphere."
Mizuki simply blinked thrice. The person in front of her was a specialist, no doubt about it. A true Otaku that went beyond just 'liking' anime and watching it daily. But actually understand it too.
"Wow. You're… amazing."
"Eh?" The girl was taken aback. "W-Why?"
"I wouldn't be able to know that much about one thing in particular even if I wanted to."
"T-Thanks, I guess…" The girl shrugged back and continued eating what was probably her breakfast.
"I'm Mizuki. Nice to meet you." She extended a hand.
The girl stared at it for a moment, wondering if she should take it. She ended up deciding to do so, and reached for it. "I'm-"
"Hakuno!"
Before the hands could touch, everybody turned to the approaching Ranker. As of Edward's suggestion, Kirei obligated Hakuno to stay in the hospital for the night. Regardless of whether or not he was 'fine' and the Uninstall fail safe system protected him, he was still banged up, and should have a quick check and a night of rest away from the Player business at the hospital.
Reluctant, Hakuno had agreed. And for the fist time in what looked like forever, he made a morning walk to school.
Of course, it didn't take long for him to be surrounded by curious people, especially… girls. Part of him didn't want to be surrounded by all the female Players, but the other didn't dislike the attention at all.
"Are you sure you're in shape to walk?"
"That battle must've been tiring! I could make you some tea."
"I brought an extra lunchbox by mistake, please accept it."
"Hold this." The girl asked Mizuki. Even though surprised, Mizuki took the meal, and allowed the girl to stand up.
"How does one bring an extra lunchbox by mistake?!" The excuses were becoming weirder and weirder by the moment. "T-Thanks, but I'm fine, really. Besides, girls, I like the attention, but I already have a-!"
Something suddenly 'tackled' him. The girl with unkept hair sprinted faster than the speed of sound and hugged him upon impact. He stepped back from the sheer surprised and exhaled in pain. His body was slightly sore from the excess effort in the battle.
He looked down and his eyes widened. He recognized the girl right away. Suddenly, the hands that were on his back rose to the back of his head and pulled him down as she stretched her feet up in order to appear taller, and glared at all of the surrounding girls.
"KHHHHH!" She hissed like a cat at them, driving them away. "Mine! Mine! He's my boyfriend! Hands off!"
"B-Boyfriend…?" Many were taken aback. Especially because it just sounded odd for Hakuno, who never left the school,, to have a girlfriend.
"…Jinako." He called for her name, making the girl break her hostility and lower down, so they could stand properly. Her protective expression was replaced by a mix of emotions, while his was clear confusion. "Why… why are you here?"
"Why else, you idiot?!" She yelled at him with the strength within her lungs. "You scared me! You didn't listen to me! You…" She looked down to the floor, as her eyes began to water. "I came because of you, you idiot…"
"But I thought you didn't want to leave our bedroom."
"Of course I'm leaving my room for you!" She looked up at him again with the yell. The tears about to fall took him by surprise. "You're my boyfriend, of course I'd come…"
"But you live in the north of the country, how are you here so fast?!"
"I caught a last minute flight, what else?!"
"But… all that trouble just for…"
"Don't give me that." She calmed down her voice as her breathing became more erratic. "Just… just don't give me the whole 'why bother if I'm fine' argument…"
"Jinako…"Hakuno couldn't help but give a smile at the girl who was about to cry. He reached forward with his arms and placed them around her, pulling her in. Part of her face was against his shoulder, due to the difference in height, and she lightly snuggled into him. "Thanks."
"…You don't have to thank me. Idiot."
"It's the third time you call me that. You must be really angry at me."
"Yes. I am." Her voice said otherwise.
Many of the surrounding people couldn't help but say "Awww…"
Automatically, as a response, Jinako stretched her feet up again and hissed at the surrounding people, driving them away.
"Mine! He's mine, you hear me?!"
Hakuno chuckled awkwardly at the remark.
Mizuki was teary eyed at the event. "They're so lovey-dovey…"
"You guys make me puke." Startled by the voice, Jinako and Hakuno separated, and the girl turned around, finding a person she had seen once before in a certain stream… Matou Shinji. "So the guy that was beaten by a little girl is dating a pig with the face of a cat. Honestly wasn't expecting that!"
Some were about to intervene, but Jinako stepped forward, arms crossed and eyes dry.
"Oh? Someone is certainly brave enough to speak, taking into account how much of a failure he is."
"What was that, tub of lard?" Just because she's slightly overweight? Come on, Shinji.
"First off, unlike you, I've been called every insult in the book. You're going to have to use more than just one brain cell if you want to leave a dent on me. Secondly, what's this? You're insulting my boyfriend for losing to a little kid? This coming from the No Ranker that couldn't beat him even with illegal buffs."
"W-What did you just say…!?" Shinji's anger grew fast.
"I'm pretty sure you heard me, No Ranker. Hmph." Jinako adjusted her glasses. "Or is your brain still spilling out from when you were bombarded?"
"Why you…! Include!" The gauntlet with the claw appeared attached to his arm. He was going in to attack Jinako. Everybody wanted to stop him, but suffered the bystander effect, not moving assuming someone else would.
Luckily, that someone was Jinako. "Include."
Shinji suddenly felt a sharp pain on his shoulder. He looked at whatever was pricking him and found it to be the tip of strangely shaped spear, that looked more like an overly long golden wand than anything else. It was pricking his shoulder, and the wound, while shallow, drew a drop of blood.
Making use of his flinching from the wound, Jinako pulled back her weapon and then swung it like a bat, hitting the side of his head with the flat, sun-shaped part of the weapon, hard enough to knock him off his feet and roll over the floor, surprising everyone that observed except for Hakuno.
She struck the floor with the tip of her spear and placed a foot on one of the side spikes like a platform of sorts, as she looked down on Shinji and adjusted her glasses with a middle finger.
"Don't mess with Jinako Carigiri, North Ranker of the Game."
Everybody gasped at the revelation of Hakuno's girlfriend being none other than the one other Ranker in the Game.
Jinako Carigiri.
Well, she has finally appeared. Hakuno's girlfriend has made her debut. What do you guys think? Wait, I'm the one who answers questions!
Q: During the fight against Foreigner, Hakuno did an Overlap Install with a Berserker Card and Tamamo. What's the identity of that Card? You've been hinting Hakuno only had three Cards.
A: I'll be fair in this answer. Hakuno has three usable Cards, Saber, Archer, and Caster. The Berserker Card he possesses he actually does not know the identity of, since he found the Card in an already damaged state. Since Including andInstalling is impossible, it is not possible to determine its identity, not even through scanning.
Now, for those that are actually curious as to WHY I gave Hakuno this Card, well, here's the answer you might've not asked for, but here goes…
As many of you can tell, the reasoning behind Hakuno's three Cards is the selection of Servants the Protagonist of Fate/Extra can choose from. But what some might not know is that he actually has ONE more Servant in his selection… and no, I'm not talking about Gilgamesh. But it has to do with him. In Extra CCC, Gilgamesh is one of the selectable options. However, since the game is not translated yet, some might not know why exactly. The in-story reasoning is that Gilgamesh was in the Far Side of the Moon, unreachable to the regular Mooncell Holy Grail War, thus his absence in regular Extra. However, when the protagonist goes to the Far Side of Moon, their Servant follows them, to their rescue. …Except if you selected Gilgamesh as the Servant. Because in that case, Hakuno's Servant, all that time, was an unknown Berserker, who, upon losing sight of its Master, simply turned around and walked away, making it possible for Gilgamesh to make a contract with them.
So, yeah, hope you enjoyed this little insight in my reasoning for Card distribution.
Just as always, if you have questions or requests, be free to ask, preferably through PM.
Until next time!