Fate/Infinity Shuffle: Reshuffled
Chapter 11 – Four of a Kind:
The stream finished, but the chat box remained active for a little while longer. It allowed the spectators to comment between themselves. While mostly positive, there were a handful of cynical messages, wondering if Hakuno was keeping powerful Cards all to himself.
But on the school's rooftop…
"That was so cool!" Mizuki's eyes shined with glee. "He showed off Shinji who rules! And Shinji had more Cards than him and everything!"
"You don't need to squeal, I'm right here." Sayuri pointed out, with a slight chuckle. "What were you expecting? Hakuno is much more experienced. It takes more than just strong Cards."
Mizuki was a bit surprised. "How strong were Shinji's Cards?" She had a slight idea that the Rider he used was most likely stronger than Blackbeard, since the Noble Phantasm was a whole fleet of ships rather than just one.
"I'm not overly familiar with all of them. I don't know about the Saber he used. The Caster was a Greek Demigod that later became the God of Medicine, though I don't know much beyond that. The Lancer was a Female Chinese whose strength and loyalty earned her praise from the emperor, and even received four poems written by the emperor himself. The Berserker was Darius III, but the only thing I know about him is that he had an army with ten thousand soldiers. I don't think I need to explain you about Fuuma Koutarou. Arjuna is a very important, strong hero from India, but his Epic is so big that I never tried exploring it. And Francis Drake was a ship's captain that was a key figure for England to become a dominant superpower and who circumnavigated around the globe alive."
"Whoa…" Even with Limited information, Mizuki could tell that Shinji's Cards weren't pushovers. "That's amazing! Hakuno managed to beat him despite that… Well, he had Techniques and everything, so I should've guessed right away, really."
"…" Sayuri was confused. "Techniques? You mean when he yelled names?"
"Of course! What else would I be talking about?"
The blonde was confused. "But what does that have to do with anything?"
The question earned her flat eyes from Mizuki. "Sayuri, I'm disappointed in you."
"Eh? W-Why? What's with the names anyway?"
"If you don't know… you wouldn't understand." Mizuki turned to her phone again, going through the comments in the chat.
In the meantime, Sayuri was left at a loss. And this wasn't the first time it happened. Mongami did something similar during their fight. "W-What am I missing…?"
"Ahhh…" Hakuno exhaled while stretching his arms. He was making his way back to the school through the 'Other World'. A peaceful walk after a battle was quite enjoyable. "I wonder what I should to for the rest of the afternoon… Ah! I should deliver these first." He almost forgot the original owners of the Cards he retrieved would most likely be expecting them in a short time after Shinji's defeat. "Time to figure out where they all a-" Much to his surprise, as he reached for his phone, his pocket began to vibrate. He thought it was one of the Players whose Card had been taken, but upon looking at the caller ID, he was pleasantly surprised. He picked up the call. "Hello. Weird for you to be calling me on the phone."
'I'm not going to call you via the net. You just left a battle.'
"Fair enough. I'm taking you watched it?"
'I even commented on it.'
"Oh, really? I'm sorry I didn't notice. I couldn't really check my phone." He spoke in a much more casual tone. Even if his vocabulary didn't change much, his voice showed he was speaking with someone like a best friend of sorts. It didn't matter if they hadn't spoken in days, they would resume the conversation like it never stopped.
Then again, they spoke every single day for the most part.
'Come ooooooon! He was a D Ranker at best. Anyone at our level could tell that boy stood no chance against you.'
"Well. I wouldn't say no chance."
'Maybe. But you knew how to play with his personality. And you knew he wouldn't use Noble Phantasms unless you applied pressure.'
"I would be in a tough situation if he used the Archer's Noble Phantasm, but other than that, I think I was good no matter what."
'See? You can't trick me.'
He let out a chuckle. "Come on, I was being humble."
'Fine, fine, you Player Killer.'
"P-Please don't say that." Hakuno's voice turned awkward in less than a second.
'You really take the job seriously. But you seemed to have fun.'
"A little."
A slight giggle came out from the phone's speakers. 'You got to show off and everything.'
"H-Hey! I wasn't showing off." Hakuno explained, red tinging his face, looking embarrassed.
The voice teased him. 'Suuuuure. And I don't like you very much or anything, you i-i-i-idiot.'
Hakuno froze for a second. His mouth looked like a wiggly line that wouldn't stop shaking about. He then let out a sigh in a bit of a laugh. "Wanna see a movie tonight?"
'Anything in mind?'
"A couple options. Don't worry, you'll like them."
'I'm looking forward then. Buh-bye.'
"See you later." And with that, the phone call ended.
Hakuno couldn't stop his heart from beating fast.
After watching a battle like that, Mizuki felt motivated to participate in one herself. With the help of Sayuri and Mongami, she found a Bet Match online. After a quick exchange, it was set for that night, nearby a Music Store Downtown.
Underneath the pale moonlight, her opponent refused to reveal his Card's identity, but one thing was for sure.
"Fortissimo!"
He was definitely a Caster.
Mizuki, installed with her Assassin Card, was projected against a wall on the opposite side, hitting it with her back.
"Uff!" She fell to the floor, on her knees, as she recovered from the hit.
In the meantime, on the side lines, her teammates observed the match.
"Assassins aren't all that great against Casters." Mongami noted, crossing her arms. "Lack of Magic Resistance can be quite a pain. Well, not that I'd know. I'm an Archer through and through." She glanced at Sayuri with teasing eyes. "You on the other hand."
"H-Hey. There's no need to say that." Sayuri's Card Magic Resistance lied at Rank E. Admittedly, she wished it could be a little higher.
The two turned back to the battle.
Mizuki stood back up, knife in hand, trying to think of a solution.
The boy she was fighting, Ryuusei, didn't belong to her school, but the two were around the same age. His eyes were of a dark pink, and his hair was dark blue like the night sky.
He spoke rather politely. "Do you admit defeat?" Ryuusei wondered, charging another spell at the end of his baton, a conductor's stick. Whatever Heroic Spirit he used, it was probably associated with music. And dressed rather elaborately. It was like a church's stained glass came to life.
"No." She brushed off the dust off her body before dashing at high speed.
Ryuusei fired one spell after the other, as if conducting a symphony, the notes being small pellets of Mana. Mizuki activated her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and quickly slashed the spells, nullifying them completely. It was an opportunity to train cutting immaterial things. It took some time and a couple hard knockbacks to get a hang of it, but she eventually managed to do so, even if she wasn't the best at it.
Upon being close, Mizuki pulled the Berserker Card out of her pocket.
"Install!" Upon calling it, the girl with red eyes' clothes changed completely, and her knife turned into a large axe.
She swung her weapon to cleave Ryuusei in half, but the Caster was one step ahead. He held the baton between his hands, vertically. Multiple musical notes and a faint glow surrounded the object. The axe collided with the baton and was unable to cut through it. But it managed to push him away!
Ryuusei's feet dragged through the floor, never disconnecting. Once his body stopped moving, he held the conductor stick properly and fired another spell.
Mizuki swung her axe the other way around and destroyed the small pellet, but Ryuusei wasn't done. He started waving his arms as if conducting an orchestra, and Mana beams were fired in a seemingly erratic pattern.
"?!" The Berserker got overpowered, taking blast after blast. Without Magic Resistance as well, all of the attacks were taking full effect.
The number of wounds increased. It seemed like there was no way out.
That was until her eyes showed incredible rage. And for a long moment, her teeth looked like they had become as sharp as the fangs of a shark.
Much to Ryuuei's surprised, Mizuki suddenly grew many metres tall, with a single leg raised. The sole of the giant boot was aimed right at him.
"GEEEEEEEEETTTT CRUUUUUUSHED!"
Sayuri and Mongami both felt sorry when they saw the giant stomp crushing Ryuusei underneath it.
Once she Uninstalled, Mizuki placed a hand over her forehead. To say she was dizzy would be an understatement. "W-Whoa… That was… very strange."
"I should've given up the moment you turned into a Berserker." Ryuusei admitted with a light-hearted chuckle. "I believe I owe you a Card, correct?"
"Yes, yes." Mizuki confirmed, with a ringing head, as Sayuri approached. "J-Just please, no Assassin…"
Ryuusei found her dizziness somewhat cute and nodded. "I actually have a Rider I'm not all that compatible with. Maybe you'll get along with them." Ryuusei handed the prize to the semi-confused Mizuki.
"Th-Thank you…" She accepted the card. …After missing it twice.
"Berserker got the best of her." Mongami noticed, trying to keep her laughter in.
"Excuse her, she's not used to the Mad Enhancement." Sayuri bowed in apology.
"You don't need to worry about it. I bet the moment I Installed a Berserker Card, I wouldn't be able stand up straight for a week." He laughed, as the four Transported away, back to their original Dimension. "It was a pleasure. Until next time." He waved at the three girls before walking away with headphones on.
Sayuri and Mongami waved back, while Mizuki tried to remember how much was five times five.
"Well, we're gonna need to take her home."
"I can't believe our Leader needs to depend on us." Mongami's tone showed she was clearly joking.
It didn't long for the three to reach Mizuki's house. Thanks to Sayuri knowing the nooks and crannies, they easily managed to enter and toss their Team Leader onto her bed. She fell asleep in a snap.
"Phew." Mongami cleaned her forehead with her forearm. "Well, that could've gone better."
"I bet she didn't even feel it when she hit her head on the on the lamppost when you slammed her into it."
"Wha-?!" Mongami barked back. "You were the one who suddenly let her go!"
"You didn't need to swing her around though." Sayuri pointed out, as the two left the house.
"Well, next time, don't suddenly dive into the floor."
"It was a 500 Yen coin!"
"It's the dead of night, you didn't need to rush for it!"
Sayuri and Mongami clashed with narrow eyes, sparks colliding. They were broken when Sayuri raised her hand with said coin.
"Hm?"
"You want it?"
"W-Well… would be useful for tomorrow's lunch."
Sayuri extended her hand, handing the coin to a confused Mongami. "Here."
The girl with purple eyes was a little confused. "Pity?"
"Nah." Sayuri decided to clarify. "I don't need it. Or at least not as much as you seem to. So why not give it to who needs it most?"
Mongami narrowed her eyes and took the coin. "Sounds like charity to me."
"It's Five Hundred Yen, don't read too deep into it." Sayuri assured, placing her hands on the back of her head. "As you said, it will be handy for lunch."
"I guess." Mongami let out a sigh. "Thanks." She said, while saving the money in her wallet.
"Don't like to receive things from others?"
"Kinda stings for a while. But I'll get over it after a night of sleep."
"Speaking of which: where do you live?"
"My place is on the right on that fork. And yours?"
"Oh, we already walked past it."
"Huh?!" Mongami was confused. "Then why are you still walking alongside me?"
"What? I can't walk you home?"
"…I-I'm not into girls."
"Wha-?!" Sayuri blushed bright red. "Neither am I! I'm just being nice!"
Mongami couldn't help but let out a hardy laugh. "Got you good there, didn't I?!"
Sayuri's veins on her forehead bulged in anger. "Why you…!"
"Now we're even for the coin." Mongami said with a wide grin. "And thanks for accompanying me home."
With the appreciation made clear, Sayuri's frustration washed away. "You're welcome."
They continued walking down the path…
"…By the way, I was serious about not being into girls."
"M-Mongami!"
While she fell asleep fast and was unconscious to an extent, Mizuki's eyes suddenly opened in the middle of the night. And with that, the ability to sleep fluttered away, just out of reach.
Mizuki's red eyes stared at the ceiling until her patience gave out.
"…I'm going for a walk." She said to herself, more to force her out of the bed than anything else. It didn't feel comfortable enough for her to decide to sink into the mattress.
In just a few minutes, she was out of the house and taking a stroll through the empty streets, walking around rather aimlessly. She felt like she could go off the beaten path with little worries. If she got lost, she'd just need to use her phone to get back home.
Following a marked path away from the roads, while thinking about random things, Mizuki eventually came across someone. Which was rather odd. Midnight had come and gone quite some time ago. Supposedly, either everybody was at home, readying for the following day, or still at work during a night shift of some sort. It was a weekday, so, at the very least, most students would be at home, and this girl seemed to be around her age.
Unlike Sayuri and Mongami, this girl was slightly shorter, but not by much. Her eyes were of a brilliant light blue, and her hair was of a gentle red, with many razzberry pink highlights.
But what stood out the most was her outfit. A sweet Lolita style dress. It was the same in shape to the gothic Lolita dresses, but differed in the colours, swapping out the black for light pink while keeping the white. The dress was definitely of a high quality, to the point where one could confuse the girl with a pop idol.
"Hmm? AH!" Suddenly spotting Mizuki out of the corner of her eye startled her. Enough to throw her arms up during a little hop, tossing into the air a bunch of bills.
"Wha-!" Mizuki was confused about what had just happened, but she could tell that she was the cause of it. "I-I'm so sorry!"
"N-No need! I was the clumsy one." The redheaded girl started gathering the bills off the ground.
"Let me help." Mizuki offered her help. She felt responsible for what happened, it's what made the most sense. But as she collected the multiple pieces of paper, she grabbed something made from a different material. A material rather familiar, as she had been feeling it in her hands for quite a while now. She brought it close to her eyes. "A Lancer Card?"
"Eh?" The girl with bright eyes picked up on what Mizuki said. And figured out what that meant rather fast. "You're a Player too?"
"Yeah." Mizuki quickly put on a soft smile. She had something in common with this stranger. Maybe that meant they could speak for a while. A pleasant conversation was always better than being alone with depressing thoughts.
After gathering all the scattered bills, Mizuki handed her bundle to the unknown girl, who put them together, alongside her Card.
"Thanks for helping me. This is to pay this month's rent."
"Rent?" Mizuki was slightly surprised. A teenager paying rent? Did she live alone?
"Yeah. As a thank you…" The mystery girl put on a wide smile and struck a classic pop idol pose, popping one leg up, winking while passing a hand, with two fingers spread apart, allowing the opened eye to be seen. "I'll let you be my fan!"
"…Eh?" One could see question marks hovering above Mizuki's head. "Are you okay? Should we go to a hospital?"
She shifted to shock. "What?!" And then to anger, as she broke the pose and stomped on the floor, clearly infuriated. "No! How rude!" In a fit of rage, she pulled out her Card. "Include!" It turned into a spear, black with a large spike for a tip, with some rubies encrusted. It somehow invoked the image of a dragon in Mizuki's mind as she raised her hands in a panic.
"W-Whoa!"
"…!" The shorter girl had one cheek puffed, but then broke her expression by realizing what she had done. "A-Ah! Sorry, sorry! I shouldn't have done this…"
"It's fine, I suppose… I'm not hurt, after all. But that was quick of you to pull out a weapon like that."
"Hmph!" Ticked again, she stomped, hands on hips after retracting her weapon. "You don't trample on others' dreams, idiot!"
"I-I didn't mean to." Mizuki explained, even if she wasn't all that sure what the girl meant. "I'm sorry. It was just so sudden."
"It's okay. I'm in the wrong." At least she admitted her faults. "I don't usually draw my spear like that, but I had a stupid fight over the phone. It messed with my head a little."
Mizuki felt a little concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I am. Nothing a midnight stroll won't fix." Her wide eyes blinked twice. "Are you also here for a walk?"
"Yeah. It's a weird story involving Mad Enhancement…" Mizuki couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"Hm?" Head tilt.
"I just can't sleep and wanted to take a walk. I wasn't expecting to come across an idol though." Mizuki decided to play along with whatever was going on with this girl with eyes of blue.
"I see, I see! Well, if that's the case, since you're a loyal fan of mine, I'll accompany you for the rest of this stroll of yours. It's only natural for an idol to entertain her fans. Especially her very first one!"
Mizuki couldn't help but wonder when she agreed to all of this. But then again… it sounded fun. "Thank you. What's your name?"
The girl in the cute dress leapt back and spun before finishing in an idol pose once again. "Airyuu Lizzie, aspiring pop idol! Current number of official fans: one!" She composed herself and, with a smile, asked "What's your name? An idol should know the names, birthday and blood type of all her fans."
"That's way too much!" Mizuki complained, even if she couldn't help but laugh a bit in happiness to see someone so determined. "I'm Mizuki. Nice to meet you, Lizzie."
"On we go!"
The two proceeded to walk, following the path on the floor.
To help pass the time, Mizuki decided to start a conversation. Beginning with the most obvious of questions.
"You want to be an Idol?"
Lizzie nodded. "Yup! It's my dream."
"Isn't it a hard one though?"
"Very much so! That's why I'm starting right now."
"Eh? Really?"
"I still need a debut concert… and an agent… but I'll make it happen!"
The optimism and determination were overlaid. Mizuki glanced at the full eyes of the idol, glittering with the dream.
"That's… pretty amazing, you know?"
"Eh? Really?"
Mizuki placed a hand on the back of her head and lightly scratched it, somewhat embarrassed to admit it. "I don't even know what I want to do after finishing high school. For you to know right off the bat that you want to become an idol, and working so hard for it... I find that really amazing."
Lizzie felt happy for the compliment, but noticed the gloomy state of Mizuki. The girl of red eyes didn't like talking about the future in general, after all.
With a slightly more serious tone, putting off the performance, Lizzie continued. "But it's okay to take your time, you know? You don't need to know right away what you want for your future."
"Maybe… but what if it's too late?"
"It's never too late!" With a cheerful voice again, the aspiring idol assured. "Just because you walked forward, doesn't mean you can't take a couple steps back!"
Mizuki was taken aback. "R-Really?"
"Yup! You can always step back and take a different route."
The explanation with a giggle somehow managed to comfort Mizuki.
"Thank you… but, let's talk about something else, if you don't mind. You're a Player, right?"
With a nod, she answered "Yup. Been around for a few months. But I usually make bets for money."
"Money? Is that money you were carrying from matches?"
"Apparently, it's allowed. And I need to pay rent. I'm living alone in a tiny apartment."
"How tiny?"
"Only two rooms: the bathroom and everything else."
"Oh." Mizuki couldn't even imagine living in such a small place. "But why are you living alone?"
"Hmm… I don't want to talk about it. It's only fair, right?"
"I suppose…" Mizuki couldn't help but be concerned, but if Lizzie, who she just met, didn't want to, she wouldn't touch on the subject. "So… you're a Lancer?"
"Yeah. I only have one Card, but my tendency is Lancer anyway. I have a couple more tendencies, but I truly excess at Lancer."
"I'm yet to get a Lancer Card of my own."
"How many do you have? And what classes?"
"Two Assassin, one Berserker, and a brand-new Rider. I want to have at least one of each."
"That's really ambitious." Lizzie said in a giggled. "Do you aim to be an EX Ranker?"
"Sounds like fun trying to achieve it. I won't get sad if I can't, but at the same time, I really want to try my best in the Game."
Curiosity grew. "Do you have a team?"
"Yes, but we only have three members, counting myself. The other two are Saber and Archer."
Lizzie gave a couple hops forward and turned to Mizuki. "Would you like to have a Lancer?"
"E-Eh?" Mizuki was somewhat surprised by the question. She didn't have any reason to refuse, but she had to ask… "Wouldn't that interfere with your dream?"
"Not at all!" She gave a little twirl. "Idols and fame are intertwined. I can become an idol and become famous or turn famous and become an idol. And the Players could be my public. And while Solo Players can be really popular, I can't survive above D Rank without a team. So, it only makes sense for me to join."
"But… why all of a sudden? You barely know me."
"I have to do anything for my fans." Lizzie poked Mizuki's nose out of nowhere. "And you're my only fan so far. So, I'll have to help you, right?"
Mizuki was astonished, but in a good way. She liked her kindness and simplicity in Lizzie's thought process. Ironic, coming from someone that was almost skewered by said person a few minute ago.
"I guess… if you didn't ask me, I would ask you to join, most likely. Thanks, Lizzie."
"There's only one thing you have to do in return."
"What?"
Hands on hips, Lizzie demanded with pride. "You have to be on the front row of my debut concert! What else? My Number 1 Fan should do that."
This time, Mizuki had to question. "Number 1?"
"Well, not only are you the first, but, by default you're my best fan."
"The Team Leader is the fan of the Lancer of her team… That sounds so weird." Mizuki admitted, making the two girls laugh lightly.
The two continued talking about random things. Mizuki even found out Lizzie didn't go to school in order to practice her singing abilities, dancing, voice acting, autographs, and so on.
Close to the end of the stroll, Mizuki had an offer for the idol.
"You know, if you're in some sort of trouble regarding your apartment, you can camp at my house. My parents are out and there's enough space for you to join."
"Hmmm…" Lizzie thought for a moment. "W-Well, I guess it would be unfair for an idol to be living in a place worse than her fan's house. S-So… I'll keep that in mind!"
Mizuki let out a slight chuckle. "Doors are always open."
And Lizzie had to smile in return. "Thank you."