Fate/Imaginary Vectors

Chapter 03 – The Finer Details for a Performers' Guild:

It had been two days since the Auditions occured. Kiryuu and Kozume had officially joined the Performers Guild of Fuyuki. The day after was to take care of paperwork and such, thus why they didn't go to the Guild right away. But once that was done and over with, the fifteen Performers that had succeeded in the auditions were summoned.

Kiryuu still felt rather nervous, but the pressure wasn't as heavy. By all intents and purposes, he had been chosen to be a Performer. So now the issue would be to do a good job. But at least he wouldn't be alone.

"Sorry for the delay!" Kozume emerged from the front door of her house with a bright smile.

Kiryuu put on an old man's voice. "It's been 84 years."

"H-Hey, I didn't take that long." Kozume pouted at Kiryuu's chuckle. "Ready to go?"

"Let's."

The two made their path to the Guild, side by side. "Think we'll do well?"

"We should. And besides, we're not gonna be hurled into the deep end without some guidance. I think." Kozume wasn't one hundred percent sure. "Or at least, hope. You never know how these things are."

"Hmm…" Kiryuu placed his hands behind his head. "I don't think it helps we pretty much went straight from high school to this."

"Oh? But shouldn't we start as young as possible?"

"Kinda, yeah, but maybe college would've prepared us a little more for the professional world."

"We got through the auditions, so at the very least, we're doing something right." Kozume pinched Kiryuu's cheek and pulled him lightly. "You need to relax a little."

"And you need to worry a little more sometimes." Kiryuu freed himself from the grip. "Did you learn nothing from postponing everything to the last minute?"

"I stopped doing that since high school."

"Last year…"

"H-Hey, you saw me practice and study on my own, didn't you?"

"I don't think it applies here."

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Hall. After a quick hello and show of ID to the guard, they were let in.

"Are we late?"

Kiryuu had that slight feeling of embarrassment that occurs when just about anyone is the last to arrive. The other thirteen Performers were already there, each one in their own little corner, doing something of their own. Ogami, for example, simply lay on his side, in the middle of the floor, yawning from time to time. Shirou, Rin, and Anna were their own little trio, of course. Funnily enough, Shou, the Berserker that made the motorcycle stunt, was doing push-ups, with Selene, the Rider from the ventriloquism act, sitting on his back.

"Worry not! We were all early. You two are on time." Julian assured, taking a bow at Kiryuu.

"That's reassuring. Thank you."

"It wouldn't even matter if you two arrived late. After all, it's natural to be tired after a night of lov-!"

Kiryuu interrupted the Saber with a panicked expression, his face having turned into a bright red tomato. "DON'T! TOO EARLY!" In more ways than one. Kozume would've done the same, but found his reaction too funny and just started giggling.

"112… 113… 114…" Shou kept counting the push-ups. "Yo, I'm not disturbing your reading, am I?"

"By no means." Selene assured. She was reading a volume of a novel while working as a weight for the exercising man.

"Cool. Yo, you two. I saw your Performances but didn't get to talk to yah. You two datin'?"

"Damn it Julian…" Kiryuu cursed.

"Yup!"

"Kozume, why?" Kiryuu cursed: part 2.

"Heh, cool to see a young couple, not gonna lie. 125… 126…"

Kozume turned to Anna and the others. "Are we waiting for something?"

"They asked us to wait here for Chloe." Anna explained, looking a little concerned. "I wonder what we're going to do exactly."

"She's probably going to give us a more thorough explanation of how to proceed as Performers." Rin pointed out. "We know the idea of Performances on the outside. The inside on the other hand…"

Shirou turned to the girl in red. "Did that happen when you started modelling?"

"Pretty much. But still a bit unnerving."

"Huh, so that's why you looked familiar." Daiyu pointed out, suddenly figuring out where she had seen Rin before. "I've seen you on a couple magazines before."

"Oh? Are you a fan?"

"Not necessarily. I'm more interested in the clothes." Daiyu pointed out, arms crossed.

Before anything else could be said, Chloe burst through the door. "Good morning!"

"T-There's no need to yell!" Kiryuu protested.

"Every morning should start with a bang! It's a good way to be fully awake." Chloe pointed out, wearing a grin that spelled mischief. Despite her age, she gave off the atmosphere of a prankster, someone who likes to play around and mess with people. The kid-like appearance probably helped in building that image.

Shou stood up after Selene got off his back. "I'm guessing you'll guide us through this."

"Right you are." Chloe placed her hands on her waist. "But for starters, I want to introduce to you two more members of the Guild."

"Wait," Daiyu raised an eyebrow. "Two more? But you said the fifteen of us were the ones that passed the audition."

"Yes. You lot passed the audition, but these two were directly invited to join in. No strings, no nothing."

"What!?" Dante wasn't happy with the information. "So we bust our asses to get approval and these two just waltz in?!"

"Yes. Mind you, we didn't make random picks or anything of the sort. We weren't even planning on going over the number 16, but this seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime."

Dante's eyes narrowed. "I'm still not all that convinced."

"Then let's meet them! First off is someone you might be familiar with." Chloe moved away from the door and let it open.

Shirou, Rin, and Anna put on smiles, while some others had their jaws drop.

"It's nice to meet all of you." A girl with violet eyes and long hair, wearing a red ribbon on the side of her head. Clothes-wise, she wore a black and white Lolita dress, a signature of hers. "My name is Matou Sakura."

"My my." Julian was the least stunned of the bunch but still surprised. "To think an internet sensation would join us."

"P-Please, don't treat me like a celebrity. As of today, we're colleagues, so..." her nervousness was genuine. Which was a bit of a rare sight.

Matou Sakura, under the handle 'Black Blossom', was an online celebrity. She had some sort of influence in just about every relevant social media or video posting platform. Vlogs, skits, product reviews, you name it, she had a finger in every pie. She wasn't the number one in each platform, but she was most likely the one with the most influence.

"As just another teammate, you say?" Julian stepped forward, clearing his way, much to Sakura's confusion. The moment they were close enough, he took her hands into his and looked her in the eyes. "Beauty that matches mine, what would you say of a candlelit dinner between the two of us? You're worthy of my time."

Sakura blinked twice and then giggled awkwardly, "S-Sorry, I don't think I'm interested."

"Hm, I see, I see. If it was not meant to be, it was not meant to be. However, if you ever change your mind, I will always say yes to an invitation of yours."

"I-I'll keep it in mind, thanks." Sakura made her best to not come across as rude, though it came off a little awkward.

"Fans of her work, don't explode yet. If you're gonna ask for autographs, do it later." Chloe requested. "We invited her not only due to influence but also because the contents of her Card can serve as a unique flavour to our shows."

Shirou was a little surprised. "So she was invited because of her Card?"

"Well, if you put it that way, it makes it sound like we don't care for the Performers themselves, which isn't true. Rather, let's say that it was her Card and the fact she is proficient at it. In addition, we did test her privately, and she has the aptitude to become a Performer just like all of you."

Dante crossed his arms. Despite being surprised by the presence of Sakura, he wasn't 100% on board. "I still feel like this isn't fair."

"And that's understandable. However, if we see an opportunity, we have to grab it, don't you think? Especially at the very start."

"I guess..."

Sakura stepped forward, getting close to Dante, much to his and everyone's surprise. And then, she took a bow, startling the man enough to make him jump back.

"I'm sorry for my circumstances being unfair to you. But I'll do my best as a Performer and as a part of this Guild. I look forward to working with you."

"A-Alright, alright, just please, stop bowing!" Flustered and red like a tomato, Dante yielded.

Shirou, Rin, and Anna couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Kiryuu and Kozume could tell that something was up by the way they were so relaxed compared to everyone else. And they weren't the only ones to notice. But as to not interrupt the order of events, they let Chloe continue.

"As for our second invitee, I'll need to ask you not to stare or react in a weird way. He's a little nervous."

"Huh? Okay?" Dante spoke for all the others in his questioning tone. Which was understandable. Some Performers could be a little nervous, such as with Anna, but why would they stare? Sakura had already stolen the spotlight, it would be hard to gawk at someone else.

Chloe left the room but didn't go far beyond. She was still nearby, whispering to someone out of their view. In just a few seconds, she walked back in, followed by someone.

Someone young.

"Everybody, this is the other invitee, Casper."

"H-Hey." A blond kid, thirteen eyes old. A boy with ruby red eyes, wearing baggy camo shorts and a white hoodie over a purple t-shirt.

Needless to say, he wasn't fond of having sixteen pairs of eyes staring at him.

"M-Miss Chloe?"

"Yes?"

Kageyama posited his question. "I'd like to know if having a young boy work is legal."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a criminal."

Ogami squatted and let out a sigh. "She's dodgin' the question. So, what's the escape plan, fellas?"

"Hey!" Chloe's vein popped. "I didn't kidnap him or anything of that sort. All forms of consent were signed and approved. And of course, Casper can tell me if he wants to leave whenever he feels like it and that will be it. He'll go back to school life without a problem."

Rin crossed her arms. "And why is he here to begin with? Sakura is understandable, but what does this kid have that's so special?"

"Hey, I'm not a kid. I'm a teenager." Casper corrected, pocketing his hands, narrowing his eyes at the Red Caster.

"No need to fight or be hostile. He has a special Card."

Kiryuu's eyes lit up. "Special? How special?" It was somewhat understandable where the curiosity came from. His Card was something out of the ordinary due to the Class Switch gimmick. And while every Heroic Spirit is unique in their own way, some just fit the 'special' category more cleanly. Curiosity was only natural. He'd like to see what other Special Cards were like. And maybe compare them to his.

Chloe smirked as Casper blushed a little. "It's very special, and only Casper is actually able to use it. At least from what we can tell. And his potential is incredible."

"That's pretty cool!" Catherine looked quite enthusiastic. "That means he can make really cool Performances, right?"

"Yup!"

"Wait." Daiyu raised her hand. "If that's the case, why didn't he join the police force or anything like that?"

"Well, that's beca-"

"Because I wanted to Perform." Casper interrupted Chloe, and looked rather serious. "I was asked which one I wanted to do. And I wanted Performances. That's all there is to it."

"Ohhh, the kid can look pretty scary if he wants to." Daiyu teased, giving a mischievous smirk.

"I'm not a kid!"

"Aaaaand it's broken."

"Now, now, there's no need to argue. Because with our introductions done with, it's about time I run you through what we'll be doing." Everyone's attention heightened. "I'll be your counsellor and guide. I know my way around and I'll teach and help you along the way to properly make this Guild one of the best in the country."

"So we're in your hands?" Ogami wondered.

"Yes. I have my eyes on you, by the way." Chloe would never forget such humiliation. "Anyway. The process overall is pretty simple." She moved to a whiteboard and took one of the pens to make a diagram on it. "Do all of you know about the two main kinds of shows?"

"Two main kinds?" Sakura was a bit confused.

"Performances and Competitions." Drake, from the far back, spoke. Everyone turned because, from the entire time he had been there, he had been completely silent.

"Precisely. Performances are shows, and Competitions are battles between two Performers with an added spice, if you will." Chloe explained, drawing on the board accordingly. "Most of you, if not all, may know this, but it's important to keep in mind that these two are more closely related than you might think."

Shou raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Competitions may look like regular fights at a first glance, but they are a bit more complicated than that. Just fighting in itself won't give you any points. These are battles judged by others in terms of appearance. So you have to use the best of your abilities to appeal to the audience in the same vein as in Performances." Chloe drew a small pentagon. "These are the keywords to have in mind for your career as Performers." After scribbling down a few words, Chloe stepped aside and allowed the group to see the answer.

Cool.

Beauty.

Cuteness.

Clever.

Tough.

And as a result, some head tilts came about.

Sakura, with an index finger, pressed on her cheek, looked towards the ceiling while thinking. "That sounds awfully familiar…"

"You don't need to think too hard about it!" Chloe was clearly dodging the subject. "Point is, you need to focus your efforts in both Performances and Competitions on these subjects. To put on a show, you need to excel in at least one of these categories."

"Oh?" Kozume grew curious. "Is that why you picked us?"

"In a way. Your Performances showed not only talent but belonged in one of these categories." Chloe pointed out. "If I had to organize you, well…" She quickly made a list. Some thought she moved far too fast. It was odd, to say the least.

Cool – Kozume, Catherine

Beauty – Anna, Marina, Daiyu, Rin

Cuteness – Selene

Clever – Ogami, Shirou, Drake, Julian

Tough – Shou, Dante, Kageyama

MIX – Kiryuu

"Hm?" Kiryuu was a little confused. "Why am I not included with the others?"

"Because of your gimmick. While your Performance was more than fine on its own, I'd be lying if I said your ability to change between seven Classes isn't a point of interest."

Kiryuu let out a sigh and showed visible disappointment. "I think I would've been better not knowing that."

"Don't stress over it. As I said, your Performance was more than decent too. And we invited Sakura and Casper partly because of their Cards as well, so you're not in the boat alone." Sakura and Casper didn't look exactly happy either. "Regardless, your gimmick allows you to switch between categories pretty easily. Better than others."

"Yeah, that's something I don't get." Dante narrowed his eyes at the board. "While I get that those Performances were of those types, that doesn't mean we have to dedicate ourselves to said type, right?"

"Of course not." Chloe waved a hand in front of her face. "You can shape your style however you wish. But some of you seem to have a preference. Isn't that right, Mister 'I shrug off exploding motorcycles'?"

"Heh." Shou quickly passed a finger underneath his nose. "Guess Tough is my specialty."

"It's probably the hardest style to appeal to a crowd, but you have quite a talent for it. Dante and Kageyama, while also putting on a tough style, appealed with some cleverness."

"You can't just break a rock and expect people to clap." Dante pointed out the obvious.

"Regardless, keeping these in mind will help you out in Performances and especially in Competitions. While they are fights, remember that you need to appeal to the audience. Choosing words carefully and working off your opponent. Just don't try to strike any exaggerated poses. That always backfires."

"Okay, that sounds like the basics." Casper pulled his hands from his pockets and placed them behind his head. "What else are we missing?"

"Money!" Catherine barked, perhaps a bit louder than intended. "How does money work around here?" Odd way of putting it…

"I'm quite interested in that matter too!" Marina added.

"Well, like any show business, money will come in the form of deals and sponsorships. I believe the model and the internet celebrity know a thing or two about that aspect. Of course, ticket sales are taken into account. While most of it will be taken to take care of fees and maintenance of the Guild, a small portion will be split amongst you."

Catherine's head perked up. She counted her fingers, raising them up and down. "…But we're 17."

"Yup."

"So if that small portion was 10000 yen, that's split into 17?! That's just a little over 500 for each of us!"

"Yup." Chloe's answered in the exact same way as before. "Thus why you need to put 110% effort into your work. Because the better you put on the show, the more money you earn."

Kiryuu placed a hand over his chin. "That should make sense."

"The Guild can pretty much become your home if you'd like to. Besides a working space, we also have bedrooms for you to spend the nights in and a common area for you to relax in. It's good to have this sort of thing in case you're brainstorming for days."

"This place seems to be pretty well equipped." Ogami stood back up more properly. His composure looked like that of someone that had just woken up. "Props and stuff too?"

"Of course. We have standard props in store. If you need to restock due to breaking them or need a special sort of prop, run it through me and I'll place the orders."

"Sounds about right. And that's it?"

"Well, those are the basics of it all, yes. As the Head of this Guild, I'll be informing you of upcoming events and shows. In the meantime, coming up with choreographies, ideas, and practicing such is your job. So no bailing, alright?"

The new Performers looked at each other. They all wondered if there was anything else they'd need to know. But there didn't seem to be any remaining doubts.

"I think we're good." Kiryuu pointed out, speaking for everybody.

"Great! This is your first day, so I'll let you do whatever you want. Explore the building, check out your rooms if you'd like to take one, etcetera. If you have any questions, I'll be in the office, finishing off some paperwork. Have fun!"

Before anyone else could say anything, the woman was gone, leaving through the door at amazing speed.

"Wow, these rooms look pretty nice." Kiryuu let out, looking into one of the bedrooms Chloe had mentioned.

Catherine, Drake, Selene, Kozume, and him had split from the main group to check out the rooms they could end up sleeping in for many nights in the future. There were twenty available in total, most likely a standard number for Guilds. They were simple-looking rooms, with enough furniture to not feel empty, but with more than enough space to personalize it however they wished. A bed with white covers, a desk with a shelf by its side, and a small closet.

"This one will be mine!" Catherine immediately leaped into one of them, landing on the bed. "Uwah! It's really soft!"

Kozume sat on the bed of the neighbouring empty room. "Wow, it really is." Her eyes showed the genuine surprise. Kiryuu followed her in. "Hey, Kiryuu, wanna share a room?"

"Eh? You think it's a good idea?"

"Why not?"

"There's only one bed. We'd have to grab one from another room, no?"

"Nope!" Kozume put on a wide grin.

"Huh? But wait, then ho-?!" Upon realizing it, his face turned bright red. "H-Hey, come on…"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"I'll totally do it!"

"Eh?!" Kozume and Kiryuu both jumped. A voice akin to his, which sounded like it had been spoken by him, echoed through the room, despite the fact that his lips hadn't moved. "H-How did you do that?!"

"I didn't!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." The two turned around, spotting Selene entering the room. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but Mister Kiryuu here was far too hesitant. I think he needed a bit of a push." She giggled a little bit.

"Damn ventriloquism…" Kiryuu spoke under his breath. "I appreciate your help, but I can speak for myself."

"Are you sure?"

"W-Well, it's a matter for later anyway." Kiryuu crossed his arms. Selene and Kozume giggled simultaneously. Then, he was tapped on the shoulder from behind. "Huh?" The three turned, spotting Drake. They almost flinched, as they hadn't heard him walk in.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you a question." His voice invoked an uncanny atmosphere. It was like he was surrounded by darkness, yet he carried no ill will within it.

"Sure? Go ahead."

"Your Card… What's its identity?"

"Huh? I don't mind telling you, but why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious. I don't think I've ever seen a Heroic Spirit able to swap Classes like yours does. Without Overlap, that is."

"Ah, that. Yeah, it's a weird quirk of it." Kiryuu scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed. "Tokugawa Ieyasu. He can swap between Classes and incorporate one of his Retainers at a time, one per Class."

"I see… That certainly explains it. Sorry if I came across as hostile. I saw your performance and was fascinated by your Card."

"Oh." Suddenly, it was as if the uncanny feel had disappeared. "No worries, man. Hey, wanna make a Performance together? I think we could work something out."

Drake's face was usually in a constant blank state. But for once, they saw his lips curl a little bit. "We're colleagues, so I don't have any objection to it."

"Cool! Yours is Vlad the Third, right? The stakes give it away."

"To be expected."

Selene turned to Kozume. "Your boyfriend is making friends already."

"H-Hey, don't say that as if he were replacing me or something!" Kozume puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

"Better get along than not, since we will be working together." Selene approached the bed and sat by Kozume's side. "My name is Selene. Nice to meet you."

Kozume's pout was replaced by a little bit of surprise, which was replaced just as quickly by a smile. "Kozume." And the two shook hands.

"Hey!" Catherine hopped into the room, much to everyone's surprise. "If you're all becoming friends, I want to be a part of that too! Name's Catherine!"

"N-Nice to meet you…" Kiryuu was taken aback by the loud Lancer.

Drake, on the other hand, was barely fazed. "You're a Lancer too, right?"

"Yup yup!"

He extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. Drake, Lancer Class Card User."

"Catherine here! Let's get along!" She shook his hand. With quite a lot of energy, in fact.

Shirou, Rin, Sakura, Anna, and Casper had moved to the common area. Basically, a small entertainment room for them to relax in. Part living room, part kitchen.

"It's really nice to see you again." Shirou admitted to Sakura, as Anna and Casper moved to the couch in front of the TV, curious about how comfortable it would be.

"It's nice to see you too, Shirou. School took up a lot of your time, didn't it?"

"Had to focus a lot in that final stretch, so I ended up pretty much not talking with anyone at all."

"The amount of times he ignored me is too many to count." Rin laughed, moving to the kitchen to explore the supplies.

"Y-You know he didn't mean to." Anna pointed out, as Casper tested the comfiness of the couch.

"This is more comfortable than it looks."

"It really is!" Anna could feel the softness of the pillows. "And the TV is pretty large."

Casper raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "It's not the biggest I've seen."

"It's bigger than Shirou's."

The redheaded boy let out a sigh. "You don't need to say something like that."

"Wow, this fridge is stocked up." Rin noticed that the shelves had quite a lot of food. Some of it was premade, but otherwise, one could make a few meals out of it. Or just a rather large meal for many. "You two are cooking for us one of these days, right?"

"Cooking?" Casper tilted his head.

"Ah, Shirou and Sakura are top-tier chefs!" Anna explained, a bit too enthusiastically.

"We wouldn't put it like that…" Shirou sighed again. "We've just been cooking for a long time."

"Anna, you're building us up too much."

"I'm telling you, Casper, if they wanted to, they could have their own cooking show!"

Casper glanced at the boy and girl who still stood by the entrance. "I'm a little curious…"

"You can't back out now, Shirou." Anna gave him a silly grin, much to his dismay.

"Putting me in the spotlight like that… I'm good with Performances, but you can't talk me up like that."

"You're building expectations." Sakura added.

"Don't worry, fellow Archer." Casper gave a silly grin and then put on a malicious face. "If it's not the best dish I've ever tasted, I'll just spit it out and feed it to the mongrels."

A vein popped on Shirou's forehead. "You little brat…!"

Sparks of rivalry suddenly appeared between the two. Sakura, Anna, and Sakura backed off, finding the situation… explosive.

Kageyama, Daiyu, Dante, Shou, and Marina had decided to check out the prop warehouse. And as one would expect…

"This place is huge!" Dante was taken aback.

"Of course it is. They need to store all the props somewhere." Daiyu walked further into the room, arms crossed.

Marina looked around with curious eyes. "This isn't all that different from a school's gym storage room, is it?"

Kageyama approached a group of segmented staircases, similar to the one used in Kozume's Performance. "There's quite a few of them here."

"Probably for the best." Shou pointed out, pulling out a rod from a basket of them. "Since we're prone to breaking stuff with the Cards, better have a lot of everything."

"Understandable."

"But speaking of many of everything." Shou put on a grin. "You all free tonight?"

Daiyu raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I have an invitation to make."

"Why are YOU TWO here?!" Chloe sat by her desk, signing off and taking care of the paperwork. But much to her confusion, a certain Assassin and a large Saber had followed her to the office.

"I'm curious, let me explore." Ogami pointed out, looking through some of the said papers.

"And I decided to follow this fella that went off on his own. While I'm not one to distrust, taking into account his Performance, I thought it was best to keep an eye on my colleague."

"I don't need a babysitter, you…!" Ogami was about to bark an insult, but refrained from doing so. "Don't mock people for their weight, don't mock people for their weight…"

"So you do have self-restraint." Chloe chuckled a little. "Then again, Julian here does occupy a bit of space."

"She said it, not me."

"I do not mind. It is a fact my stomach is significantly larger than yours. However, this is a necessity!"

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I have a special secret technique that requires a large stomach. I must eat a lot as a result."

"If it's just a belly tackle, I'll certainly be disappointed."

"Don't go around assuming things, Ogami."

"Oh?" Ogami grew curious. "What do your eyes see that ours don't?"

"Julian, despite your appearance, your arms and legs are quite fit, aren't they?"

"Huh?" Ogami was genuinely surprised. He glanced at the Saber.

"I may not appear like it, but I do exercise. Though pushups are impossible, lifting weights and squatting are perfectably doable."

"You're a weird guy." Ogami let out. Before anything else could be responded though, a knock came on the door.

"Ah, you guys were here." Shou excused himself in. "You two busy tonight? Cuz I have something to ask."

"Oh?"

His grin returned. "You guys like Chinese food?"

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