We meet again, people! And considering the date, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I almost didn't make it, but here's the last chapter of this year. You could say that the lastest reviews I recieved demanding for a new chapter motivated me step up a gear while translating the chapter
Anyway, as promised, this is the second and final interlude before the next arc. This time there is not so much comedy, and the chapter is full of serious dialogue. You know, a character development chapter, and that will lay the groundwork for future chapters. And well, for an interlude, in the end it ended up being quite long, something similar to my previous chapter of "Madness empire of blades".
By the way, the poll to choose the servants who appear in that story will still be open until I start working on the chapter. Although the results are pretty much settled, who knows.
Well, to finish up, this chapter contains several requests that I received in the reviews.
Oh, and I almost forgot. Our dream as F/GO players finally has come true. MURAMASA IS HERE! Now I just have to wait two years for him to arrive at the NA server...
Without further ado, let the chapter begin!
Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or Date a Live.
"His body is made out of swords."
"His blood is of iron, and his heart is of glass."
"Huh?" A certain idol blinked a couple of times as her mind tried to process the landscape she suddenly found herself in.
The flames spread as far as the eye could see. What seemed to be a typical village of an underdeveloped country, or rather, of the ancient time, was now nothing but ruins and rubble.
But that wasn't the worst thing, by far. Everywhere she looked, she saw corpses. Adults, children, of all ages, some burned by flames, others dismembered or with deep cuts.
But they all had one thing in common. Their faces were imprinted with the expression of fear and horror that they likely had in their last moments of life.
And for the cherry on the cake, she could hear everywhere the desperate screams of people asking for help.
If Izayoi Miku was told right now that she was seeing hell, she'd believe it.
The idol could feel how anxiety and fear began to invade her. She wanted to leave that terrifying place as soon as possible. Get home and hug her darling to get his comforting warmth.
However, there was something that took her out of her thoughts. Her peripheral view caught movement, and she by reflex turned quickly to look in that direction.
She expected to see a monster, perhaps a literal demon, but what she didn't expect was to see a child around the age of 6 walking through the rubble.
The boy walked straight towards her, looking at the ground and plugging his ears in an attempt to disconnect from the horrific landscape. He was wearing rags that were full of burns everywhere, and anyone could see that it was a miracle that he could keep walking.
Normally, Miku would have ignored him. The boy had one foot in the grave, she had no idea where they were, so she did not know if there was a hospital nearby to take him there, and the power of her angel could only relieve his pain in his last moments of life.
However, for some reason, she couldn't stop looking at the boy. There was something about him that looked familiar.
His messy auburn hair... his golden eyes... wait!
"Da-Darling!?"
It was impossible for this kid to be Itsuka Shidou. The age difference was too big. But... his face was too similar... and for some reason, something told her that he actually was Itsuka Shidou.
The confusion made her not know what to do, and she couldn't react in time when the boy stumbled into her legs.
But, to Miku's enormous surprise, she didn't notice anything. When she looked down, the boy couldn't be seen anywhere.
She turned quickly to look behind, and then saw the boy's back to her. Apparently, he had continued to walk in a straight line, even if it meant going through her?
"Wait!"
She caught up to the boy, something that didn't take much effort, and began walking beside him.
Itsuka Shidou? seemed completely absorbed. No matter how much she yelled at him or gestured to him, he kept stubbornly walking forward.
It was then that Miku tried to touch him, and her eyes widened as she saw her hand go through him without feeling any resistance. It was almost as if the boy was some kind of ultra-realistic hologram.
"What in the world is happening...?" The questions in Miku's head kept increasing, and she started to think that, maybe this was a dream. A dream too lucid, and really disturbing.
Finally, as expected, the boy collapsed without energy. He stood face-up, his eyes fixed on the full moon in the middle of the night sky. With his last strength, the boy raised his little hand towards the starry sky, as if he were trying to reach the moon.
Miku's breathing got stuck in her throat when she was able to see better the boy's face, specifically his eyes.
Those eyes... were completely devoid of life. It was as if something fundamental in the boy had broken... as if he was already dead inside.
Seeing that broken look on her darling's face, Miku felt like her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand.
"No... This can't be happening!" She desperately tried to grab the boy's little hand, but again, her hands just went through him.
"Someone please! Someone please help Darling!" She screamed in the middle of hell, but her screams just got lost within all the other chaotic sounds.
It was then, when it seemed that the boy was finally losing consciousness, and his hand was going to fall, that another hand grabbed it.
A man had approached them without the idol noticing. He had black hair, but when she tried to look at his face, she couldn't see it with clarity. It was as if she was seeing a blurred or pixelated image.
But, there was something she could see. And it was that on the man's face there was a smile. He seemed to be brimming with happiness, almost as if... who had been saved was him.
But that didn't matter to Miku. What mattered to her was that her darling had been saved. That eased her deeply, to the point that she felt her consciousness starting to vanish.
However, unfortunately, things didn't end there.
The moment she blinked, the scene changed completely. She was no longer in hell, but in an old-style city, which was also somewhat in ruins.
But, she didn't pay much attention to the new place in which she found herself in. After all, her eyes couldn't leave the "thing" in front of her.
To call it a monster would be to fall short. The best way to describe it would be an "unsightly monstrosity". Its body was shaped like a white wolf with a thick mane, but it was easily the size of a bus. Its blue eyes beared an unimaginable hatred and anger, and the fur of his tail waved like a flame of deep blue.
Miku's body was completely frozen when a sense of fear invaded it. It was a kind of fear she had never experienced. A primal instinct that told her that the moment that "thing" became aware of her presence, she would certainly die.
The closest thing to this feeling she had in her life was what she felt the few times she had been hit by her Darling's murderous intent. However, even she could say that, comparing that feeling to the one she was feeling right now, Shidou's killing intent was just a cheap imitation of the aura that gave off that thing.
Miku wanted to scream, run away, cry, but her body didn't respond to her comand. She could only stare at that "thing" for a few seconds that became eternal.
"Hey you, your... opponent, ugh... is still here..."
A low voice caught the attention of both Miku and the monstrosity. The voice belonged to a man who was just a few feet away.
By his characteristic combat suit, white hair and metallic grey eyes, Miku recognized him as that nameless hero who looked so much like Shidou, and whom she had once dreamed of.
However, Miku couldn't help but bring her hands to her mouth when she saw the condition he was in. The black armor and the red cloak were torn and broken on all sides. His body was full of pretty nasty wounds, and there was a huge hole in his abdomen. Of all the wounds, swords sprung out, trying to sew the wounds and plug the bleeding, but that was just delaying the inevitable.
It was a miracle the man was still alive, let alone still standing. It was only a matter of time before he ran out of energy and bled to death.
But, despite this, man's eyes showed nothing but unwavering determination. He continued to clung to the fragile thread from which his life hung at that time, to accomplish his goal.
But what could he do against that monster? It was obvious that he ended up in that state after trying to fight it. Besides, something deep inside Miku told her that no human, neither spirit, could even put up a fight against that beast.
It was then that she realized that the man was holding something in his hands. A golden sword.
Its appearance was similar to that sword Shidou used against Tohka alter? but it had no ornaments or inscriptions in weird tongues. Instead of a majestic aura, this sword conveyed a warm and comforting sensation. A feeling that everything was going to go well, which made her even forget about the monstrosity that was a few meters from her.
"ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRR!" The inhuman roar of the "thing" brought Miku back to her senses. That thing threw itself at the white-haired man at overwhelming speeds, with its disturbing claws ready to finish the foolish human that dared to stand in its way.
"Haaaaaaaah!" The nameless hero shouted a defiant cry at the beast as he swung the sword in his hands with the few energies he had left.
It was an almost lazy swing, which would be incapable of hurting anyone no matter how sharp the blade of his sword was. But that was enough for the weapon to fire a beam of golden light that completely enveloped the monstrosity.
Miku was certain that even the beam of light that divided the skies that night she was saved couldn't defeat that beast. But, this attack wasn't actually meant to harm the beast.
The warm light enveloped the beast, and purified the evil within it. The terrifying malevolent aura emanating from the monster gradually disappeared, until there was no longer any trace of evil left. Its body shrunk to the size of a poodle, and finelly, its figur disappeared in the light.
The idol could feel how the tension in her body began to disappear once the enormous pressure exerted by the beast's aura disappeared. In fact, her legs almost gave way. Everything had happened so fast that her brain was still processing it.
The sound of something falling on the floor was what made her finally react. She turned to see that the nameless hero had finally collapsed from his wounds and fatigue.
She approached to see him better, though she could not help but shiver at the close sight of those horrible wounds. The golden sword could not be seen anywhere, and the man's chest rose and fell with great difficulty.
It was obvious that he had few seconds to live.
But, once again, Miku's body froze at seeing the expression that the man had in his last moments.
"I did it... I saved them all..."
With his gaze lost in the night sky, on his lips was the purest and most beautiful smile Miku had ever seen. It was as if... a void, that part that died in that hell, had finally been filled.
"Thus, his life needs no meaning."
Even if his path led him to die completely alone, with no one to witness his achievement, he didn't care. For the first and last time in his life, he felt truly happy... After all, he had managed to achieve that ever distant dream that he spent his entire life pursuing.
"His body is made out of infinite swords."
"Ah..." Miku noticed tears begining to slide down her cheeks...
It was so unfair to see such an ending... Her darling, the best person she had ever known in her life, had sacrificed everything to secure the future of humanity, and all he got in return... was diying completely alone.
"No..."
Just thinking about it made her heart feel as if her heart was going to break. It was really unfair that he couldn't even enjoy that well-deserved happiness for more than a few seconds. And worst of all, of all the people he saved, only a handful would even remember his name.
"I can't-"
"-keep watching this!"
Miku got up from her bed, sending fliying the sheets she had been covering herself with.
This time, she quickly recognized the place as her own room. Though that was a relief, her heart was still racing, her body was invaded by the sensation of cold caused by all the sweat that covered it, and her mind was still full of confusion.
Between agitated breaths and turbulent emotions, she managed to deduce that what she had witnessed was a dream, or rather, a pretty disturbing nightmare.
It wasn't the first time she dreamed about that hero who nobody knows. However, this was the first time she dreamed something so lucid, and not about that hill of swords.
And until now, like the other spirits, she thought that this nameless hero was someone who just looked like Shidou, but, after this, she began to get the feeling that that wasn't the case. Though it didn't make much sense, something told her that those two were actually the same person.
However, she wasn't emotionally stable enough to think about it right now. She needed to see a certain person urgently. It was the only way she could calm her afflicted heart.
The idol quickly grabbed her smartphone from her bedside table, unlocked it and called the first contact on her favorite list that went by the name of "Darling" between hearts.
Discretion was not a concept that could be associated with Miku, no matter how hard Kotori tried to persuade her to hide her close relationship with Shidou from the public. The last thing they needed was to have all the press outside their house wanting to interview the possible "boyfriend" of the super idol Izayoi Miku.
The tone rang on the other side of the call for a few moments, until Shidou took the call.
"Yawn... Miku, why are you calling at this hour...?" The sleepy voice of her savior was heard through the phone.
For someone who got up every day to exercise, he sure didn't have a good awakening. But Miku paid that no attention and proceeded to frantically speak on the phone.
"Da-darling! I ne-need to see you... *sniff*, ri-right now!" She could barely speak between stuttering and sobbing, but her message was caught.
"Understood. Give me a minute." The tone of the voice on the other side of the call changed radically.
All the drowsiness had vanished in the blink of an eye, and now Shidou's voice sounded dead serious.
He didn't even ask why she wanted to see him. It was obvious that this was an emergency. Not only because Miku's powers might get out of control, but because he couldn't afford to leave her in that state.
"W-wait!" Miku, feeling that he was going to hang up and leave her alone again, shook even more. "D-don't hang up please! D-don't leave me!"
On the other side of the call there was a few seconds of silence, until finally Shidou agreed. "Fine."
The next thing Miku heard was the sound of a window that opened and closed again. From there, a sound as if Shidou's phone was in a very windy area invaded the call.
"Well Miku, I'll be there in a few moments. In the meantime, can you tell me what happened to you?"
"I... I had a... dream, *sniff*..."
"Yeah."
"There was a huge fire, a-and there was a kid who looked like you... Th-then that scary th-thing appeared,... and you defeated it, bu-but, *sniff*, you'd end up d-dying... It felt so real..."
Shidou was silent on the other side of the call. Miku wasn't the first to start thinking of him and the "nameless hero" as the same person. Kotori had already begun to do so shortly after the incident with DEM.
Not that he tried to dissuade them from thinking like that. However, it was still worrying.
Though they would still take a while to interpret the meaning of those dreams. At the moment, he could only let them form their own theories, and answer vaguely when asked.
Half-truths wouldn't work forever, but at least they would buy him time to prepare mentally for when it came the time to reveal who "Itsuka Shidou" truly was.
*Toc Toc*
"Kya!" Miku was startled when she heard bangs coming from the window. Looking in that direction, she saw a silhouette through the curtain that covered said window, and began to panic.
"Da-darling! There's someone perched at my window! I think it's a pervert! Hurry up, Darling!"
"Actually, that's me."
The call fell into a really ankward silence. Miku looked at her phone's screen to see the length of the call, and saw that they had only been talking for a minute.
He wasn't lying when he said he'd be here in a minute, but how?
"Darling... how did you get here so fast?"
"I came at full speed jumping from roof to roof. Now, can you let me in before someone sees me and calls the police to report a suspicious cosplaying weirdo spying on you?"
Miku couldn't suppress the giggle that escaped from her lips. Normally, in a situation like this, she would tease him a little to enjoy his reaction.
But, although hearing her voice on the phone alleviated her anxiety a little, she needed to see her darling. So she immediately drew the curtains and opened the window.
Itsuka Shidou entered the room, dressed in his trustworthy red and black combat suit. He barely had time to turn around and look at the idol before she hugged him and buried her face in his chest.
It was then that all the idol's emotions came to light, and she burst into tears. Shidou hugged her back, and started gently stroking her hair. The minutes passed in silence as Miku calmed down, as words were not necessary.
"Hey, Darling..." Finally, Miku separated her face from Shidou's chest, and her silver eyes met his golden eyes.
"Yes, Miku?"
"You'll always be by my side to listen to my songs, right?"
Shidou gave her a reasuring smile. "I promise it again. I will always be there to support you and help you, Miku."
A smile was drawn on the idol's pink lips. "I love you, Darling!"
With that, the cheerful and enthusiastic Miku of always resurfaced. The hug broke, and the golden-eyed teenager scratched his cheek, unsure of how to respond to the latter. To this day, he still found it hard to believe that she was the same person who a few weeks ago hated him with all her being.
"Well then, do you need me to stay here with you longer?"
Hearing that, for some reason, Miku's cheeks adopted a red tint. "Could you sleep here tonight?"
Shidou blinked a couple of times. The question was asked in a tone too shy for Miku.
"Uh... Yes, of course." After saying that, his combat suit faded into specks of light and was replaced by a simple pajamas of the same colors.
"I'll leave a message for Kotori so she won't panic when she wakes up and I'm not home... Do you have a guest room or do I have to sleep on the couch?"
"Uhu." Miku shook her head as she crawled into her bed, and left a place for someone else besides her. "I want to sleep next to you, Darling."
Shidou stood there stunned as he tried to process her proposal. When he did, his cheeks acquired a red tint.
"Why do you want to do that?" He didn't see any trouble staying over, since tomorrow was Saturday, but sleeping together in the same bed as a married couple?
"I don't think I can go back to sleep if I don't feel the comforting warmth of Darling."
He pondered about it for a few moments, while texting Kotori, and eventually resigned himself and got into bed with her.
The morning sun's rays filtered through Miku's bedroom window, directly hitting Shidou's face.
Anyone who could see his face right now would most likely freak out at seeing his reddened eyes and huge shiners, and would think he had some drug problems.
No wonder he was in that state after spending the rest of the night awake.
However, contrary to what you're probably thinking, that wasn't because some really beautiful idol was hugging him while sleeping, with her "assets" firmly pressed against his arm, and with her breath rubbing against his neck.
Hormones were only a problem for the first hour and a half. After counting more than thousands of blades from his reality marble as he stared at the ceiling, his body then began to succumb to exhaustion.
"RRRRRRRR... zzzzzzzzzzzz"
That's where the real problem came in. Albeit she was a top idol whose voice, even without using her spirit powers, was able to captivate people's hearts, Miku sure snored loud. And worst of all, despite their high volume, the sounds she made during her sleep were actually cute.
He thought to wake her up, but, seeing her peaceful face, he couldn't do it. He had stayed to sleep with her so that she could have a goog sleep in the first place.
Seeing that sleeping was a lost cause for him, the golden-eyed teenager thought he'd start the day.
He was in no condition to perform his morning workout routine, and would surely need a lot of caffeine if he didn't want to fall asleep. The only thing left then was to make breakfast. He hoped she wouldn't mind him making use of her fully equipped, ultra-modern kitchen.
However, when he tried to carefuly detach himself from Miku, she began to wake up.
"Yawn..." She let out a cute yawn, and opened her silver eyes to see a Shidou doing his best attempt at not looking like a zombie.
"Good morning, Darling~"
"Good morning, Miku... Did you get a good night's sleep?"
"Yes, thanks to you, Darling~" After saying that, she pressed her body against Shidou's and started kissing him on the neck.
Shidou, noticing that the temperature of his cheeks was beginning to rise too high, tried to put some distance.
"How about I go make breakfast?"
Unfortunately, that had no effect. "It's still very soon... Since it's just you and me, why don't we get a little intimate?"
The latter was said in such a sensual and seductive tone that it would melt any man's defenses. But Shidou stood firm.
"I don't know what you mean, but I don't think this the time for that..."
"On the contrary, this is the best time." There was no escape. Miku positioned herself above him, and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I mean this~ Chuu."
The idol sealed her lips with Shidou's in a passionate french kiss, and the two went into a trance. Shidou's consciousness began to fade every minute they were connected.
He was about to surrender to his primal instincts and hormones, when Miku's hand dangerously approached his "Excalibur". That got him out of the trance, and taking the little strength he had, he broke the kiss and pulled Miku away so he could get up.
That shocked the idol, who stared at him at a loss words, sitting on the other side of the bed.
Shidou looked away, knowing that this would possibly hurt her. But he wanted her not to do something she might regret later.
"Y-you should leave that sort of things for your special person and when you're more emotionally stable..."
Miku blinked a couple of times at that. It was then that she remembered somthing he said while they were both arguing before she opened her heart.
"I know, damn it! I know that girls like them deserve someone much better than someone like me! Someone who is not so alien to the concept of love and can reciprocate their feelings! But sealing their powers was the only way to save them without sacrificing lives!"
No wonder everyone who knew him called him dense. She couldn't be more obvious with her displays of affection for him, but he kept avoiding them.
He truly had an even worse psychological problem than hers. And seeing how little progress the other girls had made for over half a year, they were going to need more drastic methods to get him to open up.
Tohka and the others also needed to realize their own feelings and start being more assertive though. She'd have to have a talk with them. The only one who made active advances was Kotori, but the poor girl had a "handicap" because of her position as a younger sister.
But getting back on the ground, at this point, there was only one more thing she could do. To be completely direct, or in other words, a confession.
With her face bright red, but brimming with resolution, she approached her darling again. Before he could notice, the idol took his right hand and put it on her left chest.
"Huh!?" Shidou startled at the sudden sensation of softness in his hand, and his eyebrows hid behind his bangs as he saw what he was gropping.
"Mi-Miku, wh-what the hell are you doing!?"
"Can you feel it?" Miku ignored his reaction and proceeded to launch her attack to break through Shidou's thick density wall. "Can you feel my heart racing?
"What!?"
"My heart is racing because you, Darling. I don't know why you insist on thinking otherwise, but I know for sure. These feelings are real! Itsuka Shidou, I love you with all my heart! Every time I'm with you, my heart is racing, I feel butterflies in my stomach, and every time you kiss me I feel like I'm gonna melt! There's no room for doubt. You are the person I want to be with for the rest of my life! And I am sure... that Tohka and the others feel the same way!"
"..."
For the first time, Miku saw Itsuka Shidou, her savior, the person who apparently never had doubts, in a complete loss of words.
There was no way he could misinterpret this. No matter if any girl had confessed to him during his life, or how much dense he was, it was impossible that her feelings hadn't reached him.
Now then, Miku could only wait, with her heart beating even more fast and her cheeks so red that it looked like she was going to burn, to Shidou's response. An answer that apparently wasn't going to come any time soon.
Shidou himself knew he had to think thoroughly the answer he was going to give. Depending on his answer, everything could change, and the odds of screwing up were very high.
But, actually, the reason he wasn't answering was beacause he had no idea what to answer. In fact, Miku's words caused his mind to be filled with doubt and indecision.
Answering affirmatively was the choice that would make Miku happy, but, that would also imply saying that he loved her. Did he really love her? If not, then it would be worse than saying no. Not to mention how Tohka and the others would take it.
Besides, in the first place, did he even have the right to love someone? Someone with so much blood on his hands... So many sins...
But, he had no doubt that rejecting her would break her heart. Although Miku was beginning to trust other people more, she still relied heavily on Shidou, the only person she fully trusted.
Rejecting her would be like betraying her, and wrecking everything they'd been through to get to this point. It was no longer about her spirit powers getting out of control. He just didn't want to see her cry again.
Love affairs are really complicated...
*Ding dong*
The sound of the house doorbell completely disrupted the tense atmosphere.
Shidou, seizing this opportunity, took his hand away from Miku's "assets", got up and headed for the door.
"I'll go see who it is. You can get dressed in the meantime."
Running away was nothing more than delaying the problem, and the last thing he needed was to add another problem to the whole spirit thing, DEM, and his true identity. He knew it, but, in this situation, there was really nothing more to do.
So before he left the room and before Miku could say anything, he stopped and spoke to her without facing her.
"About my answer to your confession... could you give me time to think about it? I'm not even sure of my own feelings... so, I can't give you a definitive answer now..."
That truly surprised Miku. That was definitely a progress. As long as the situation wasn't completely hopeless, there was still hope that he would reciprocate her feelings one day.
That, and her little "harem route" project.
With a bright smile, she replied. "Of course! I will wait as long as it takes, Darling."
When Shidou went down to the hall and looked at the screen showing the camera image on the door, he came across a few familiar faces.
He expected Kotori to come to bring him a change of clothes so he could return to home, even though she being up at eight in the morning on a Saturday was a little weird. What he didn't expected was she being accompanied by all the other spirits, except for Miku obviously.
"Seriously Shidou." Kotori sighed as she gave her brother a change of clothes. "Coming here in pajamas, really? Changing would only have taken you another minute."
"Sorry for the inconvenience. Changing to my combat attire is instantaneous, and sleeping here wasn't in my plans until I saw how Miku was."
"How is she?"
"It took her a while to calm down, but she's already back to her normal self. By the way, why did you come with all the girls? I doubt you all came together just to bring me clothes."
"You guessed correctly. Let's just say we'd been wanting to have a meeting for a while, to discuse... certain subject, and I decided this was a good occasion."
Shidou looked up to see the other spirits once again. That explained why, unlike Kotori, it looked like they were going to fall asleep standing at any moment.
His gaze then returned to his younger sister, with a slight frown forming on his face.
"This matter you want to discuss, is it some kind of problem?"
At that time, despite being in her "commander mode", Kotori flinched for an instant. Noticing this, Kaguya answered the question instead.
"Kuku, you wouldn't understand, Shidou. The subject we are going to discuss today in our spirit assembly is a taboo that not even the gods dare to mention."
Seeing the blank stare Shidou sent to Kaguya, Yuzuru spoke. "Translation. What Kaguya means is that we want to have a... "girls talk"."
This time the golden-eyed teenager blinked a couple of times, looking even more clueless.
"What the ladies want to say is that they want to have a private talk between themselves, Shidou-kun." In the end it was Yoshinon who cleared up Shidou's confusion.
It was a mystery how Yoshino, even though she could barely keep her eyes open, could control the puppet with the same easyness as always.
"Oh, I see. If so, then I will leave you alone after I change. There is only one thing I want to know before I leave. Will you be home for lunch?"
"We don't know for sure. I'll text you when we're done."
About twenty minutes later, the spirits were all sitting around the table where a few weeks ago Miku and "Shiori" had had tea.
They all had cups of different kinds of coffee in front of them, and the table was full of snaks like cookies and cupcakes. It wasn't what Shidou would call a healthy breakfast, but they needed energy for the rest of the day, and this was the only way to convince Tohka to have breakfast that wasn't made by Shidou.
Kotori glanced at all of them to make sure they were all awake enough to start the talk, and then realized something strange.
Despit being all gathered in her home, Miku didn't seem very enthusiastic. She had been thoughtful throughout breakfast, not making any jokes or trying to hug and kiss any of them.
Kotori attributed it to the horrific dream she must have had for Shidou to decide to come jumping from roof to roof to comfort her. This reminded her that, though it wouldn't be sensible from them, they would have to ask the idol about her dream.
Perhaps they could get more information about that nameless hero and his connection with Shidou.
"Ahem." The Commander of Fraxinus cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I think it's time to start our meeting to discuss these strange dreams we all have from time to time, and that mysterious visual novel."
After getting a round of nods, she started. "All right. Let's start by summing up everything we know. We have all dreamed of the lonely hill of swords, the nameless hero that looks like an adult version of Shidou, and a massive fire in which a young version of Shidou was saved. Later, recently, I dreamt about him as the nameless hero talking to a dying woman who looked a lot like the servant Saber from the visual novel. Did anyone else has had that same dream?"
This time, the other girls shook their heads, and began to report their dreams one by one. Tohka was the first.
"What I dreamed was the adult Shidou exterminating an army of monsters with that sword that he and Mana use so much. What was it called in the novel...? Mero... Merowatch?"
"Merodach." Kotori corrected Tohka.
"That!"
"The foundation of the sacred right to elect the king, huh? I still find that hard to believe..."
Next was Yoshino, followed by the Yamai sisters.
"I dreamed of... Shidou-san fighting some kind of... werewolf? in a burning city... It was so scary..."
"Heh, I dreamt of Shidou defeating an evil sorcerer who rejected his humanity with a variant of his beautiful Triple-Linked Chrane Wings technique."
"Contribution. Yuzuru dreamt something like Kaguya, only this time his enemy was some kind of vampire, and the place was much more creepy."
"Hmmm..." Kotori hummed while processing all the information. "It seems that we are now beginning to dream of the memories of the nameless hero in a more... "graphic" way. And from what I see, we all agree that the connection between Shidou and the nameless hero is that they're actually the same person... but that still doesn't quite add up... besides, did anyone see how he died?"
Then Miku finally spoke. "Actually, the dream I had tonight... was exactly about that..."
That made everyone look at her.
"Well, that explains your emotional breakdown tonight... so could you tell us how it went?" Kotori asked the controversial question that everyone had in mind.
The idol took a broad breath, as her left hand rested on her chest, to make up her mind to talk about that traumatizing experience.
"He was facing a... thing, really terrifying and ugly... I had never felt so much fear in my life, so much that I was totally paralyzed and almost not being able to breath... That thing... it gave the feeling that... humanity would be lost just with its presence... Darling defeated it by bathing it in the light of a sword similar to the one he used against Tohka-san... but at the same time different. After that, he ended up dying from his horrible wounds, alone..."
A rather uncomfortable silence filled the room. Talking about how the person they loved died, although some of them hadn't realized it yet, wasn't a very joyful subject.
But, Miku continued to speak after a few breaths. "But what struck me most was the smile on his face during his last moments... It was so beautiful and genuine... that it made every time I saw Darling smile look like a lie."
That really surprised the girls. Something like this could only imply one thing. The hero who nobody knows somehow managed to achieve his ever distant dream.
That, and well, the prospect that all the times they'd seen Shidou smile weren't true was disheartening.
"Well, then, with all this, we have to come to a conclusion." Kotori did not take long to put herself back together and return to her professional attitude. "What are these dreams? Are they my brother's past? Are they a possible future?"
The less expressive of the two twins raised her hand to speak. "Proposal. Yuzuru thinks it might rather be a combination of both possibilities. Ther dreams about the "young Shidou" are memories of Shidou, while dreams about the "nameless hero" could be premonitory dreams."
"The first part might fit, but, the scenarios are, like, old? That least that's definitely not Japan."
"Also... the Shidou I saw in my dream... was the same age as the Shidou-san we know... and wasn't in Tenou City..."
Yuzuru nodded at the counter-arguments of Kotori and Yoshino. "Understood. So what about the second part of the theory?"
"Well, it's quite complicated despite being the most obvious choice. First of all, why would we all start dreaming about a possible future for Shidou? None of our angels gives us any clairvoyance-like power that we know of."
"Agree. That's true. However, the case is quite similar to that of the visual novel's servant Archer."
"The servant Archer?" Tohka asked tilting her head in confusion. "We're halfway through the second route and aside from the fact that he looks a lot like the adult Shidou and uses the same swords, we don't know his identity."
That earned a collective sigh. Even Miku, who was the last to catch up with the reading group, had already connected the dots to find out Archer's identity.
"Come on Tohka, it's obvious that that guy is a future version of Emiya Shirou. A version that for some reason became very cynical and now repudiates Shirou's ideals. Even the other characters at this point already know it."
Tohka's eyes widened at hearing that, as if she were a child told that Santa Claus doesn't exist.
"Bu-but, they are too different!"
"Then, how do you explain that there are two ruby pendants when there should only be one?"
That shattered any kind of defense Tohka could put.
"Of course, as far as ideology is concerned, the "nameless hero" and Archer are completely opposite poles. Even if there are parallels between them though. But, if those were visions of a possible future, why don't any of us show up in them?"
That completely refuted the theory. Well, the other option was to think that they were all dead, and so Shidou continued to pursue his ideal completely alone. So yeah... they went with the first option.
"So what if..." Kaguya, who had remained silent, thinking with an expression of complete concentration, spoke then. "What if what we are seeing aren't just memories of an uncertain past or premonitions of a sad future and full of hope at the same time, but echoes of an even old legacy."
Yuzuru, the only one who could understand what her sister said, raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Surprise. An even earlier legacy... What Kaguya means is... that we are seeing memories of a former life of Shidou."
Kotori was about to say something like "this isn't the time for crazy chunny theories," but stopped to reconsider. Actually, that theory could explain the inconsistencies in those dreams.
"Wait, that might make some sense after all... So, what you're suggesting is that, what we're seeing, much like the cycle of dreams in which Emiya Shirou witnessed the memories of her servant, King Arthur, are the memories of a previous life of my brother?"
"Kuku." Kaguya folded her arms and puffed her chest with pride. "Exactly! Tremble at the immeasurable wisdom of the Yamai!"
"But that would imply that Shidou is some kind of reincarnated servant, right? That would explain why we related those dreams to a nameless hero them from the beginning, but how is that supposed to work? Is it even possible?"
That made Kaguya froze like a deer at the headlights of a car. "Actually, I haven't thought that deeply..."
"Hah..." Kotori sighed. It seems that after all it was just another one of her chunny theories. "To sum it up, seeing that that is all we have, and we can neither prove it nor prove it wrong, we will leave it at that. Actually, all we can really do is ask Shidou."
That itself was the most obvious and logical option, which would make this meeting to speculate unnecessary, but...
"But, although we have never asked him directly, whenever we have tried to talk about the subject with him, he always gives vague answers and changes the subject quickly."
"Should we go and force the truth out of him? Perhaps it's time to use the Yamai's incredible capacity for persuasion."
"But that would feel bad..." Tohka spoke with a troubled expression. "If Shidou has not told us yet, he surely has his motives. It is impossible for him to have ill intentions." Next to her, Yoshino nodded vigorously to show her support.
"I also trust Darling." Miku spoke with her eyes closed, her right hand resting on her bust, and a soft smile on her lips. "If we want him to talk about this clearly ankward subject for him, then we need to get him to feel comfortable enough with us to talk about it. Just as we have opened up to him after he saved us, we have to get him to open up to us."
"So..." Tohka asked with some hesitation.
"What I mean is that we should just continue to be by Shidou's side and show him our affection."
Those words renewed the determination of the girls to break out of this impasse.
For some of them, the target hasn't changed, while others realized it at the time. It didn't matter if they wanted Shidou for themselves, they all had a common goal. Make Itsuka Shidou happy, just like he did and keep doing for them.
"Well, with that settled, it's time to move on to the next topic that we have mentioned a little before. I mean, the mysterious visual novel called "Fate/Stay Night" that my brother brought home. A game that for all intends and purposes does not exist, or at least there is no record of it, and the same goes for the company that created it. According to Shidou, he was given it by an "acquaintance", and he and Mana were somehow involved in its creation. When we asked Mana, she said practically the same thing."
Kotori paused briefly to see if all followed her. At their affirmative answer, she continued.
"For starters, does anyone, by any chance, have any idea who this "acquaintance" who gave the visual novel to my brother might be?"
They all shook their heads, except for Miku who raised her hand. "I may have something. The day Darling got the game was the same as the day our first encounter at the Tenguu Arena took place, right?"
Upon seeing Kotori's nod, Miku continued. "Well, that same day in the afternoon I saw Darling talking to an strange old man who disappeared shortly afterwards. Maybe he has something to do with this?"
Kotori's eyes gradually widened. How could she have forgotten that detail? It was true that when Shidou met Miku, she said something like "you're the jerk who was talking to the old pervert."
"Do you remember what his face looked like, or any characteristic trait of that old man?"
The idol made an expression of apology. "Not much, apart from the typical description of a foreigner old man. The only thing I remember clearly are his eyes. They were of a crimson red very similar to those of Mana-san, even the cat's pupil."
"That will be enough. I'll have Fraxinus crew look for someone who can fit that description. Now, moving on to the game itself, we know except for the three characters that we could say were "based" on Shidou and Mana, there is no other based on real people, leaving aside the servants that is. That brings us to the two main points I want to address. The weapons of said servants, which several of them we have seen being wielded by Shidou and Mana, and on the other hand, the character who shares many similarities with Mana."
The redhead paused and gave a sip to a cup of tea she had prepared to rehydrate her mouth.
"Well, we've already mentioned Merodach, and Shidou himself told me about his twin swords, Kanshou and Bakuya. Have you recognized any other weapons?"
"Well, obviously..." Kaguya, the chunny expert, spoke immediately. "...the golden sword he used against Tohka Alter was Excalibur, the sword of promised victory. The shield he used to stop our Raphael: El Kanaph is Rho Aias, and if I recall correctly, the sword he used in one of our fights while we were brainwashed was Durandal."
Her twin sister took over right after. "Doubt. But, Kotori, where are you going with this?"
"Simply put, even though we are supernatural beings, don't you think it's very surreal that Shidou is copying legendary weapons from the past? First of all, where did my brother see those weapons? What I'm getting at is, maybe that's not quite the way it is. Perhaps my brother is simply copying superpowered swords and naming them after legendary swords with similar qualities."
When the others stopped to think about it, it actually made sense. After all, it was very much like their angels, who received their names after a group of archangels belonging to the same Sephirot in the Kabbalah Tree of Life from Judeo-Christian mythology.
At that moment, Miku spoke again. "But, Kotori-san, I have seen Darling use Berserker's enormous stone sword more than once. That's a completely fictional nameless weapon, isn't it?"
"Maybe that weapon in the visual novel was based on the weapon Shidou uses."
At Kotori's response, Miku proceeded to express her point. "But, it is strange that Darling wielded it with the same ease as Berserker himself. Darling is strong, but I don't think even he can handle something that heavy."
It was then that the pieces fell into place in Kotori's mind. What Miku was talking about was a certain step in her brother's magic, namely the Tracing. When he reproduces a weapon, as he had explained to her in their spare time, for that copy to not be hollow, so the World don't recognizes it as a "ghost" that should not be there and crushes it, he replroduces all aspects of the weapon. That included, among other things, its structure, materials, forging process, and what was important to this issue, its growing experience.
What Miku meant was that to use Berserker's weapon, Shidou reproduced the experience of the weapon after being used by the black giant. The weapon was supposedly fictitious. A makeshift sword that the Einzberns made for Berserker to use and not go into battle with his bare hands.
If what Kotori theorized was true, then the weapon Shidou projected would be a simple stone slab in the form of a sword that would be difficult for even Tohka to handle. But, that weapon had experience after it had been used by someone, someone who at least had the same ridiculous strength as the black giant that appears in the visual novel.
That raised many contradictions and headaches, and of course, invalidated Kotori's theory. That would suggest that the events of the visual novel actually happened, or at least part of them are real.
"You're right..." The commander of Fraxinus, having reached another dead end, decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, let's move on to the next point. What it could be said to be the biggest mystery that this visual novel raises. That's the character called Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes."
This time they all understood what Kotori meant. The antagonist of the first two routes of the novel, which had many resemblances to Takamiya Mana.
In terms of appearance, those two just had the same hair and eyes. What they had in common most was their way of speaking, the way of treating others as inferior beings (though in Mana's case it is more directed toward enemies), and most importantly, their powers.
Gate of Babylon, the King's treasury. A noble phantasm the represents the aspect of Gilgamesh's legend which portrays him as a treasure collector. Inside, among many other things, it contains all the original models of the weapons that would later become noble phantasm in the hands of other heroes.
A power that fits perfectly with the definition Shidou gave her a few months ago. "What she did on the roof is the opposite of what I do. The swords I project are just copies, llusions created from a mental image. On the other hand, I can tell you with just a look that all the weapons that Mana fired were the real business."
Both Mana and the character in the novel also use their power in the same way, that is, fire all its contents, without thinking much about what is being thrown, until the enemy ceases to exist.
"The thing is, I find it weird that the character that was supposedly based on Mana is so different, unlike Shirou and Archer. Not to mention him being the villain and the natural enemy of the protagonist, something very different from Shidou and Mana's relationship. I get the feeling there's a lot more to it than meets the eye."
"Understanding. Yuzuru assumes that Kotori means that it doesn't add up that they "transformed" Mana into a historical figure for the game."
"But... if that's not the case... then Shidou-san's sister has the powers of a demigod... that supposedly existed more than 4,000 years ago?"
"Well, if she somehow usurped the power of the guy who destroyed Berserker without having to move an inch from his spot, then no wonder she played with us, the Yamai, and Yoshino in our weakened states. She even has those annoying anti-divine chains."
Kotori couldn't help but rub her forehead to ease her growing migraine. Contrary to what she expected, all the evidence they were gathering pointed to the fact that that visual novel was not just a bizarre video game that her brother somehow got his hands on. Part of that visual novel seemed to be based on real events, which gave rise to another pile of questions.
When she became a spirit and was recruited by Ratatoskr, she thought anything could surprise her anymore. How wrong she was. Everything around the Onii-chan she thought she knew very well after living with him for so many years, was surrounded by mysteries and surreal things.
"Hey, do you think Mana has that weird cylindrical sword? How they called it, Ea?"
Upon hearing Tohka's comment, the color left the faces of everyone else present. The prospect of her having the noble phantasm that could easily overpower Excalibur, the most powerful holy sword, was frightening.
"H-how can we stop her in that case? We don't have something like Avalon to block it..."
"Suggestion. We will have to see how he is defeated on this second route."
"Right! We still have to go defeat that evil sorceress and rescue Saber!"
Kotori glanced at the clock. It looked like they'll be able get home before lunch.
"Well, I guess we can call this meeting to a close. Does anyone have anything else they'd like to talk about while we're here?"
Miku immediately raised her hand, her face with an enthusiastic expression. "Girls, I think it's time to move on to another extremely important matter. As I said before, it's time to start showing our affection more directly to Darling!"
That made even Tohka stop eating to pay full attention to the idol, and Kotori sighed, again. She was beginning to regret not saying it was time to go home.
"Haaah..." A sigh came out of my mouth without realizing it.
Since I got home, I couldn't do much more than have breakfast and drink a couple cans of energy drink.
I had already gone shopping yesterday, so the fridge didn't need to be replenished, and the house didn't need a cleaning at the moment.
So, with nothing else to do, right now I was sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking at nothing in particular. For the first time, I started to feel lonely.
Well, maybe that statement wasn't well formulated. I mean, having spent my entire previous life living alone, just interacting with other people as strictly necessary, you could say that I'm quite used to loneliness.
However, after living these months with someone around me at all times, now that I was alone again, it felt... weird. Certainly ironic.
My thoughts then turned to the conversation I had with Miku just before I left her house.
"Love huh...?"
In my previous life, the few times I thought of that concept always seemed distant to me. But, in another ironic twist of fate, my current life seems to revolve around that concept.
Actually, not wanting to worry others about my unconventional lifestyle is only one part of the reason I decided not to interact with other people more than the estrictly necessary.
After the only person I came to consider close, that man who saved me from that hell, died a few years later, you could say I started to be afraid. Afraid that if I ever lost another person close to me again, I couldn't take it anymore, and I'd end up breaking up.
To put it simply, you can think of me as a mirror. A mirror that broke within the flames of that hell, and that afterwards, after being saved and finding a reason to move on, its pieces began to unite little by little. But, the death of the person who brought me out of hell made it almost break again.
From there, I avoided making deep bonds with other people so that would not happen again. The best example of this would be Nero Claudius.
I am sure that in the end, for her I was nothing but a weird stranger who came from nowhere, and fought away the dead apostle who caused the fire in Rome. We barely spoke a couple of times, and yet, watching her die in front of me without being able to do anything was really painful.
So, you can imagine what would have happened if we had been more than just acquaintances...
I'm really messed up, huh?
Someone like me stealing the hearts of such beautiful, great girls... sounds like a joke from a shitty comedy monologue they put on TV.
And now I had to think about how to answer to Miku's confession, and that's probably not the only one for a long time...
I'm just starting to admit that they're important people to me, and now I have to start debating whether those feelings are love ot not...
I miss those days when I helped people and disappeared from their lives without leaving any lasting impression. Things were much less complicated.
This whole love affair reminded me of the visual novel I recently finished reading.
The feelings I felt while reading the novel were varied, though what stood out most was the desire I felt at all times to find that bastard EMIYA and beat the crap out of him.
That, and certain scenes that happened from time to time. I don't know who wrote this novel, if it was Zelretch himself or if he had someone else do it, but whoever it was, they were too damn descriptive in the erotic scenes.
I really doubt the Kaleidoscope wrote something like "Shirou attacked Rin's unprotected anus," but that doesn't mean that seeing people I know and have fought by their side, having sex was really ankward. And the fact that Shirou and I look so much alike made it even more disturbing.
But the most disturbing by far was discovering what was actually the tantric ritual that Rin, Shirou and Arturia did in the iteration of the Holy Grail War in which I participated.
Now, the blushing face that Rin had while proposing the idea made a lot of sense. To think that I was in the next room during the whole act and when they finnished, I went into the room to clean up the mess...
How embarrasing...
That made me wonder if I too would be so "proficient" in bed if I'd followed Miku's game...
NO! I can't let the hormones get the better of me and start thinking about the idol's soft lips, and her body with perfect curves...
Anyway! The thing is that I was forced to censor those scenes before the girls saw them. Well, I did it mostly for little Yoshino. She is too young and pure to see that. And perhaps Tohka too, though to a lesser extent.
So instead of giving them the original CD when they installed a PC in the spirit apartment, I gave them a pen drive containing a copy of the game without the erotic scenes. Hearing them casually talk of magical energy transfusions was still disturbing, but it was a lesser evil compared to the catastrophe that was averted.
But what really struck me was the third route called Heaven's Feel. The route on which Emiya Shirou abandoned his ideals to be Sakura's ally. He risked condemning the rest of the people in the world, only to save the person he loved.
After finishing the route, I found myself thinking, what would I do in such a situation?
Such a thought had never crossed my mind, but that was because I never had a person so close to me. That has now changed. I have a little sister, and several people who are important to me.
If I had to choose between them and the rest of the world, who would I choose...? I would be able... to choose them... and condemn the rest of humanity... I would be able to abandon the ideal that I spent a lifetime following, and practically, the only reason I found to move foward and continue living...
After thinking about it, I realized that, that was impossible for me...
As the nameless hero King of Fakers, I am the embodiment of that ideal realized. If I was still the person who became that hero, maybe, and just maybe, I could make that decision.
However, that does not imply that I will give up, and abandon to one of the two sides so easely. I already did that enough in my previous life.
Of course, if I am presented with that choice, I will choose the third option. Save them all!
*Ding dong*
The sound of the doorbell suddenly took me out of my thoughts, and I almost jumped off the couch.
It's been a long time since anyone knocked on the door. Well, maybe what should be weird is that so many people have the key of that door and they just walk in, but that was more practical than having to go open the door every time a spirit came from the apartment next door.
After taking a look at my mobile phone, I saw that there was still an hour and a half to the time y usually make lunch, and Kotori hadn't sent me any message to let me know they were coming. Apart from the fact that they had several keys. It was impossible that they had all lost them or forgotten them.
The first thing I thought was that it would be one of those vendors who go from house to house trying to trick any unsuspecting person into buy their so-called "revolutionary household product".
In this second life, I've learned that you mustn't get caught up in those perfectly elaborate speeches to brainwash the people. Their powers of persuasion can be even more powerful than some hypnosis and charm spells.
However, the possibility of it being another person wasn't non-existent.
"I guess it won't hurt to take a look." Murmuring that for myself, I got up from the couch, which by this point had already conformed to my form, and headed to the hall.
When I opened the door, I met a really unexpected visitor.
"Origami?"
Indeed, the one I found standing on the other side of the door was a certain blue-eyed albino, with her usual stoic expression. She was wearing a black long-sleeved T-shirt, which exposed her shoulders, jeans, and black military boots.
"Hello, Shidou." She gave me a short greeting, and I returned it to her.
"It has been a while since we met, Origami... To what do I owe this visit?"
"I was discharged recently, so I came to check on you."
"Oh, is that so? How long have you been discharged? You could have given me a call, you know? If I remember correctly, you already had my phone number..."
"I was discharged about thirty minutes ago."
Upon hearing her answer, I noticed a drop of sweat sliding down my forehead. With that littl time, she must have headed here as soon as she got out of the hospital, without even stopping by her house.
"Well.. since you are here... want to come in? I'll prepare some tea."
She nodded without saying a word and followed me into the house. As I walked into the living room, I headed straight into the kitchen, while Origami stopped by the sofa in front of the TV.
As I pulled the tea set out of one of the cupboards, I observed from the corner of my eye that Origami was meticulously inspecting the room.
At this point, I'm not sure if that's a habit she'd been instilled into during her military training, or another of her strange fetishes.
"Umm... Shidou..." She began to ask with what might be considered a somewhat bewildered voice. "Why is the fridge door padlocked?"
"That..." My eyes wandered to the reinforced lock that prevented anyone but me, the only one who could project its key, from opening the fridge door.
"Well... let's just say there were circumstances..."
I was able to eat normal food again after suffering from that enormous indigestion just a couple of days ago . From that day I decided that, until I made sure that they could cook something moderately edible, no one else would cook in this house. The only exception would be Kotori, but she rarely does.
I'm not allowing another aberration like that to be born into this world.
The other minutes I spent preparing a green tea were silent, but there wasn't much tension albeit we were technically enemies. It's not like I considered my relationship with Origami that way anyway.
We sat on opposite sides of the kitchen's table, with a cup of steaming tea in front of us, and the kettle in the middle.
Origami had practically drunk the first cup of tea in one drink, so I had to serve her another.
After taking the first sip of my cup, as she was still as nontalkative as ever, I decided to start the conversation.
"So... is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Could you tell me about how the incident with the spirit that appeared at the Tenou Festival ended? I could only hear the "official" version since I was kicked of the AST."
I blinked a couple of times at that. Now that I remember, from what Mana told me, she did stole the "White Licorice" again to prevent those DEM wizard from blowing up the Tenguu Arena during the musical perfomances.
I guess she wouldn't get another second chance this time, even if her actions saved many lives, and Goldie was the one that anhilated those wizards. That likely at least prevented her from getting a more severe punnishment though.
"I sealed the powers of Izayoi Miku, the spirit you know as "Diva". Now, she continues her peaceful life of an idol/student."
Her stoic expression did not change in the least after hearing the news. I guess she was already expecting it.
"What about the attack on DEM's japanese branch?"
"Well, that certainly was me. Those DEM bastards had kidnapped Tohka, and with Kurumi's unexpected help, I went to rescue her. There were some... complications, but as you can see, everything ended well."
This time, a slight frown adorned her doll-like face. If that was because of the news that Tohka was safe and sound, or the mention of Kurumi, I wouldn't know what to tell.
What followed was a few seconds in a rather awkward silence, until she finally spoke again
"I have long wanted to ask you something, Shidou."
"Go ahead."
"Why did you take the side of the spirits?"
I closed my eyes and let out a slight sigh. I should have seen this coming from afar. It is weird that she hasn't asked me until now.
From her point of view, and well, from anyone's point of view, my actions must make no sense.
"Origami, I haven't taken any side. I just decided to help someone who needs it. If it were true that spirits are just machines of destruction, then I would be the first to go and kill them. However, they have human feelings, and do not cause destruction by their own choice. Don't you think they deserve at least one chance?"
"How about "Nightmare" then?"
It's true that that girl has killed many humans. However, I can tell you that deep down, though buried in a big mountain of blood and corpses, she still has some humanity."
"On what are you basing that?"
"Because she was afraid when I was about to kill her. Fear is what sets us apart from monsters, Origami. I know what a real monster is, and she's not one, no matter how much she puts up that front. At least not yet. She still has a chance to redeem herself. Besides, killing her isn't going to accomplish nothing."
Seeing how her frown deepened, I suppose my answer wasn't satisfactory to her.
"Then, let me change the question. Why do you go so far to help them?"
I breathed another sigh. It seemed this conversation will take a long time. "I have a dream, Origami. And that dream is to save them all. That's why I say I haven't taken any sides. Because doing so would mean abandoning the other side. And that includes helping you, too."
Origami's eyebrows trembled for a few moments with what I can guess was a surprise.
"Are you saying you're going to help me in my revenge?"
This time, it was me who frowned. "Though I am also looking for that being, and I don't appreciate that thing transforming my sister into a spirit, it is quite the opposite. I'm not gonna let you kill anyone."
"Why?" She said that one word in a really cold tone.
I breathed an even more deep sight. Looks like I'm gonna have to uncover a little bit of my past for this, even though it probably sounds very incoherent to her.
"Look, I'm not going to give you the cliché of "the first time you kill a person, it leaves you with a void that you can never get over." That depends a lot on the person's mental health and their predisposition to get traumatized, and we both know that you and I are not exactly the image of "good mental health". I don't remember the first person I killed myself, nor do I have regrets about it. In fact, I lost count of how many lives I have taken long ago."
From the way her mouth opened slightly and she almost dropped the cup on the floor, maybe I was too direct. Of course, she will realize that there is no trace of a lie in my words, which possibly baffles her further.
"But I can tell you one thing. Getting your hands dirty with blood isn't going to fill the void inside you, nor is it going to make you smile again. At worst, it will only make things worse. You will lose the ability to feel empathy, and you will end up being the one who becomes a monster."
At that time, Origami's expression was a mixture of anger and surprise. She bit her lower lip, unable to say a word as she faced the grim truth.
The reason why, when it comes to having to kill, I switch to my emotionless killing machine persona. A mask that I fear will one day stop being just that.
"Still..." The albino finally found the courage to speak. "I can't do it. I promised myself I would never smile again until I had exterminated all the spirits."
She was more likely saying that to herself than to me, in an attempt to strengthen her own resolve.
As I feared, a simple talk wasn't going to make her abandon the apparently only reason she still has to live. Reforming something like that takes a lot of time, or an accumulation of extreme situations in which you are forced to choose, as was the case with Emiya Shirou on the Heaven's Feel route.
"Origami, you really are not going to smile again no matter what?"
"Shidou, you really don't remember?" Her face for a few moments reflected that she felt betrayed, but she quickly put those emotions aside. "It doesn't matter. More importantly, why don't you accept my resolution!?"
"Well, my philosophy has always been "follow the path you chose to the end". However, the path you chose, killing for something like revenge, will leave you nothing but regrets. Like I said, I want to help you, Origami. And honestly, I think a smile would look really good on your face."
Origami's stoic expression broke for a moment, revealing a lot of conflicting emotions. And if he forced his eyes, he could discern a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.
I took the opportunity to finish drinking my cup of tea while waiting for her to put her thoughts in order.
"If so, then it is impossible for us to come to an agreement, Shidou."
That was a pity, though I can't say I didn't expected it. "Well, then, I just have one more thing to tell you, Origami. I don't plan to consider you an enemy, as long as you don't threaten the life of someone who's under my protection. If you do, then don't expect me to hold back."
That was just a warning, something I may or may not fulfill. That's why I refrained from switching to the personality I call "Mind of steel", nor I released murderous intent.
With the conversation over, and after finishing her fifth cup of tea, Origami rose from her chair.
However, instead of walking out of the room to leave the house, she walked up to position herself beside me.
Seeing my confused gaze, she spoke in a flat tone. "There is no one else but the two of us in this house right now, right?"
"Yes..."
"Where's your room?"
"Upstairs..." As I answered reluctantly, I felt many alarms going off in my head.
This didn't look well.
"Then let's do it." Despite her flat tone, I could feel the amount of determination in her voice.
The albino grabbed me suddenly and pulled me. The sudden action caused me to get out of the chair and stumble a little before regaining my balance.
Planting my feet firmly on the carpet, I decided to dare to ask. "Origami... What do you mean, "let's do it"?"
Her answer was to put a hand in the back pocket of her jeans, and she took out a circular object wrapped in plastic. It didn't take me long to figure out what that was, and I began to notice my eyes opening like plates.
"I want to sleep with you."
Thank goodness I already finnished my tea, because if that weren't so, I would have spit it on her face.
And I thought Miku was being very straightfoward this morning. But comparing her to Origami would be like comparing a sports car to that golden flying throne that Goldie has in his treasury.
"WHAT!?" There was no way I was going to let that happen. Doing that with Origami felt extremely bad for some reason.
Luckily, you could say I was saved by the bell. The sound of the door opening made Origami stop pulling me by my arm.
"Shidou, we're here!"
Kotori's voice was followed by the sounds of someone who seemed to be... sniffing?
"This smell... it can't be... That woman is here!"
That scream preceded the sound of the heavy steps that quickly arrived in the room we were in. Tohka entered the room with the elegance that Berserker had while fighting Gilgamesh, and jumped between me and Origami, forcing the albino to release my arm.
"Tobiichi Origami! How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from Shidou!?"
"Tsk." Origami simply looked away and clicked her tongue. The other girls soon arrived.
"Oh! What are you doing here, Origami? Did you also come to taste the heavenly delicacies that Shidou can cook?"
"Surprise. Yuzuru didn't expect to see the Origami-sensei here. Did you come to apply so you could borrow Shidou?"
Yoshino was the only one who did not approach, shyly hiding behind Kotori, who was looking at the albino with her eyes narrowed.
As the girls started talking to each other, I snuck into the kitchen and started preparing lunch. Seeing how things were going, although Miku seemed to have stayed home, he would have to prepare an extra dish for Origami.
For supposed sworn enemies, everyone seemed to get along more or less well. Or at least it didn't look like a battle was going to start any time. Of course, Tohka and Origami continue to have a relationship of rivals, and Kotori hasn't forgotten the incident at the amusement park yet.
But, things didn't get to the extreme of, for example, my relationship with Gilgamesh. The only reason we didn't try to kill each other is because of Mana.
Although you could say that we have come to some kind of mutual respec, I have no doubt that at any moment, swords can start flying all over the place.
As I was lighting the stoves, I found myself staring at the blue sky through the window.
I couldn't help but wonder, how long will these peaceful days last?
And that's it for now. Uff... the scene with the girls theorizing about the dreams and the novel was really hard to write. That made my respect for detective novels grow. Having to put myself in the shoes of the characters, and taking into account the limited information they have, make coherent theories and arguments. And well, the cliché of chunny of the group coming up with crazy theories that eventually ended up being correct couldn't miss.
As for the cycle of dreams, I have always stuck to as shown in the original series, that is, the master seeing events in a third-person perspective without getting involved. However, as many of you asked me to, here's Miku dreaming of the beginning and end of King of Fakers' life in a more involved way.
In addition, all the dreams the other girls talk about correspond to each of the chapters of my first story "King of Fakers: saving them all". Oh, and in case you didn't read that story and the clues I gave weren't enough, yeah, the "thing" that killed King of Fakers was the Primate Murder. The description of Beast IV I made is based on the Type-Moon Wiki, and the three and four star Fou cards of Fate/Grand Order. As we don't have a clear picture of the appearance of the Primate Murder currently, I may have to adjust the description in the future.
And well, you also could see the thoughts that King of Fakers has regarding the visual novel, and an expected chat with Origami. Her arc isn't that far, for which I have big plans, and I felt that she hadn't had enough screen time and development. Well, in the original story, with Shidou being a normal person, this talk is almost impossible. And if it did happen, which I honestly don't remember, the arguments of the original Shidou don't have half the weight behind them.
Reaching the end, I'd like to ask you, my audience, some questions. Aside from how I'd always like to hear your opinion, as you may have noticed, in this chapter there were scenes... how to put it... there was no sex, but almost. Do you think with this level I should put the story in M rate, or is it still in the margins of T rate? To this day I am still pondering whether to include in a future such scenes, or leave it to your imagination.
Another question would be, since we are at this time of the year, and well, this story overcame the barrier of 600 follows and 500 favs, to which I cannot put in words my gratitude, would you like me to work on some kind of special chapter? I already have in mind a beach chapter that would serve to interconnect my two parallel stories, or it could be Omakes with Date to Live games or something like swapping the original Shidou with this Shidou in certain scenes that would result in bizarre situations.
And finally, should I focus on finishing my other story "Madness empite of blades", which will certainly be shorter than this one, and then dedicate myself entirely to this story, or do you prefer the current format? To this day, I can do nothing but wonder at authors like Parcasious who manage multiple stories at the same time. I am already busy enough with just two, and that is not due to the lack of ideas for other stories.
Feel free to speak to me by PM. It is not like I receive many, so I will surely read it.
With all this said, I say goodbye for now. Hasta la vista!