Fate/Imaginary Vectors
Chapter 04 – Let's get to know Each Other over Chinese Food:
Later that night, the members of the Guild started gathering at a certain location.
"What do you say we all eat out tonight? I know a great Chinese Restaurant!"
Shou gave out an invitation to everyone in the Guild for dinner. The only one to turn it down was Chloe due to work.
"Wow, this place looks pretty nice." Kozume let out. "And big." The entranceway itself was pretty large, a red gate-like decoration with golden dragons coiled around them.
"This looks more like an American Chinese restaurant." Kiryuu admitted, scratching his head a little bit. "You'd think it would look like the others we usually see."
"Maybe it's to be different from them." Kozume guessed, approaching the door while dragging Kiryuu by the hand. "Come on, we don't want to be the last to arrive yet again."
"But there's such a thing as arriving too early." Kiryuu pointed out, catching up so he would stop being dragged. "Then again, we are on time."
The two opened the door and walked inside. The restaurant was empty except for a large table, makeshift by joining multiple ones together.
"Yo." Shou raised a hand in greeting. Besides him and the couple, there were a few colleagues that had already arrived. Unsurprisingly, Julian was present, looking through the menu with collected but eager eyes. Daiyu and Kageyama were looking over something on Daiyu's phone. Catherine kept looking around, somewhat fascinated by the decoration.
"Hey." Kiryuu greeted back. "This place looks pretty empty. I almost thought it was closed."
"It's all booked."
"It is?" Kozume was taken aback. Kiryuu and her took seats next to Catherine.
"It would seem that this establishment belongs to our work colleague here." Julian pointed out, never deviating his eyes from the pictures of dishes printed on the menu.
"It belongs to my parents." Shou clarified. "They wanted to throw a party for me. You know, celebrate how I become a Performer. Figured it would be cool to invite everyone over. We haven't had all that great a chance to really know each other, and there's no better way to do that than over a meal, no?"
"I… can't disagree." Kiryuu admitted.
"It's a good way to kill two birds with one stone, ain't it?" Shou couldn't help but chuckle a little.
In the following minutes, the remaining missing workmates entered the restaurant, taking seats of their own after all the greetings.
"Aren't we too many? This can't be good for the bills." Kozume noticed.
"My folks insisted. We've made some extra money over the month. Besides, don't worry, it's on me. Order as much as you please."
"Oh, then I'll hav-"
"Except you, Julian! There is such a thing as a limit!"
They ordered a large assortment of dishes and side dishes, alongside some entrées, and began eating while conversing with one another once food arrived.
"Wow, this food is really good!" Marina's eyes showed sparks of joy. "We could make a business out of this…"
"It already is a business though." Dante pointed out, wondering if Marina's greed made her blind to reality. "What would you even do?"
"Genuine Delicious Chinese Food! Patent pending."
Daiyu narrowed her eyes. "Except this isn't Chinese food."
"Eh?" The Caster blinked twice. "I-It isn't?"
"Yeah, sorry to break it to yah." Shou grinned a bit awkwardly. "This is American Chinese Cuisine. It's not traditional Chinese, nor Chinese mixed with Japanese."
"It's just something that caught on." Daiyu pointed out, before taking a bite out of her food. "I'll give it to you that it does taste good, even if this is most likely going to destroy our insides."
"So little faith in the food prepared by my parents. Almost breaks my heart." Shou couldn't help but laugh. "But that aside, I'm curious."
"Hm?"
He turned to a more general direction, looking over most of his colleagues rather than focusing on just Daiyu. "So, guys, what do you want for the future?"
"Eh?" Anna tilted her head a little. "What do you mean?"
"What are you guys aiming for in general. Like why you want to be Performers, or what are you aiming for as Performers."
"That's a…" Kiryuu scratched the back of his head. "a bit of an embarrassing question, no? Puts us on the spot."
"Eh, good point. Then how about I go first?" Shou put on a grin, without any worries at all.
"Hm! Excellent idea. It is only fair." Julian pointed out, right before making yet another dumpling disappear. Selene glared at the man, as he had beaten her to the punch.
"Besides just liking Performances ever since I was a kid, I do need a job that pays a lot."
Kageyama grew curious. "How so?"
"Well, you see," Shou chuckled a little awkwardly. It was only then that he realized that it was embarrassing to speak of future objectives like that in front of so many people. But after a quick gather of courage, he spoke up. "I want to have a wife and a whole bunch of kids!"
"W-What?" Ogami almost choked on his drink. "Kids?"
"Yup! Like, at least ten!"
"Oh my god, poor future wife of yours…" Rin could only think of negative consequences. Shirou even let the piece of food between his chopsticks slip back into his plate.
"Okay, maybe not ten, but the idea is there."
"But… why?" Casper had to ask.
"Why? I just want a big family." Shou chuckled a little. "Neither of my parents has siblings, and I'm an only child. Can't blame them for that, so if I want a big family, I need to do that myself."
Sakura grew concerned. "But isn't Performer a risky job if you need that much money?"
"Nonsense!" Marina chimed in. "If you have enough talent and get recognized, you'll be swimming in cash and never worry about the rest of your entire life!" Her eyes had changed into Yen signs.
"I can safely guess that's your motivation then." Casper pointed out, not surprised by the revelation. Nor anyone, for that matter.
"You make me sound shallow." Marina pointed out, her eyes back to normal. "If I just wanted money, I would just seduce some rich guy. I like to earn through effort!"
"That's a pretty admirable. And a good way to put it." Shou admitted, crossing his arms. "Performer may be a high-risk high-reward sort of job, but it suits my taste. Besides, I always have this restaurant to run if anything goes wrong."
"You really thought this through, huh?" Kiryuu was impressed by Shou's foresight. "Hm?" He noticed that Daiyu just kept lightly glaring at Shou.
The following second, she took a hold of her drink and downed it all in one go, which everybody noticed. It was still the start of the meal, and she was the only one who ordered an alcoholic drink, even if not the only one within the drinking age. "Hey, can I get another Chinese beer?"
"S-Sure?" Shou was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Kageyama, who just shook his head from side to side, as if to say 'nothing is wrong', or something along those lines.
Daiyu let out a sigh and sounded discontent while speaking up. "Right. It's pretty simple: I don't know what the hell I want to do with my life. Taking a shot at Performer. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, tough freaking luck." The way she spoke and how her skin was turning slowly redder and redder…
"She's already drunk?" Shirou was surprised. He himself didn't drink besides tasting here and there whenever a friend presented a new drink, but he thought even he would be able to handle his liquor better.
"She's a lightweight, don't worry."
"I'm not a lightweight." Daiyu protested Kageyama's statement. "I drink more than you do, to begin with."
"That doesn't really matter in whether you're a lightweight or not." Her tall boyfriend pointed out.
"Hmph!" She crossed her arms and turned to the next beer. "Thank you." At least she was polite. And began downing it…
"Don't worry about her." Kageyama asserted. The way he spoke gave away that he was 'keeping an eye on her' to an extent, but speaking it would probably just create a bigger ruckus.
"Anyone else?"
Anna decided to speak up. "W-Well… I want to be the Top Performer!"
"Oh? That's quite a claim."
Anna had essentially said 'I want to be the best Performer in this entire World!'. A sought after title by anyone who wants to be a famous Performer. It wasn't dissimilar to the idea of becoming the best player in a given sport.
And poor Anna looked like she had just said the most embarrassing thing one could, a childish dream in a way.
Noticing this, Rin took a glance at Sakura and smirked. "Sakura and I aren't too different when it comes to that."
"Y-Yes." The girl with purple hair tried to overcome the shyness over the matter too. "Rin, Anna, and I became close friends as a result of it. We're all going to compete over the title of 'Top Performer'."
"What about Shirou then?" Kozume wondered.
"Eh? Me?"
"Yeah." Kiryuu continued. He had put the dots together in the same way Kozume did. "You're a tight group of friends, right? You guys knew each other and are all aiming to be Performers, but you're not included in their story."
"That's because… Hmm…" Shirou crossed his arms. "I only decided on becoming a Performer two years ago."
"Oh, really?" Casper leaned in, with a bit of a teasing smirk. "What changed your mind, mister?"
A vein popped on his forehead. "Originally, I wanted to be part of the Military. I've always wanted to help as many people as possible, and that sounded like the most logical choice. But… How to put it? Something made me change my mind. I'll keep that private if you don't mind."
"Of course. We're not forcing any info." Dante pointed out. "But since a certain someone did try to tease Shirou, I kinda got curious about Casper."
"Me?" Casper was a little confused. "I already explained. I like Performances, so I want to Perform. It's as simple as that. I'll prove myself to others and show my talent. And since you've poked, I guess it's your turn."
"Me? W-Well…" Dante narrowed his eyes, a red blush coming over his face. And it was more out of irritation than nervousness. "I'll become a samurai!"
"H-Huh?" Ogami almost choked again. "You guys will kill me at this rate...!"
"A samurai?"
"Yes, a samurai. And that's all I'll say." The red man crossed his arms.
Kozume decided to chime in. "I got so moved by a Performance when I was little that I decided I would become the best Performer ever. Or, at least, be just as good. So I'm aiming for 'Top Performer' too." She turned to the Lancer with pale skin. "What about you, Drake?"
"Me? Hmm..." The man with sunken eyes shut them for a second. "I… I just want to make friends."
"Wait, friends?"
"Yeah. I've never managed to be part of a group, and after much research, I figured joining the Guild would help me."
"That's a bit depressing…" Catherine was blatant. Maybe a bit too blatant. "Performances are fun and I want to have fun! Makes sense, right? Oh, but I also want to help out my parents. They've helped me out so much, I figured I should pay back at some point."
"It does." Ogami placed his hands behind his head. "Well, I'm more or less in the same boat. I like to fight and mess with people in a show. What better profession is there for me?"
The mood had changed slightly. The other Performers didn't feel as reserved anymore. Selene decided to follow up on it. "I want to become a great enough Performer so I can build a sanctuary for animals. Lots of animals are going extinct in the near future, and it looks like just volunteering isn't enough for me to contribute. I want to help. And since I've always liked Performances, I figured I could join the pleasant with the important."
"That's quite an honourable motivation." Julian pointed out, in his usual fashion. "As for myself, as you're all probably wondering about, I'm not all that different from our colleague Marina. A life of luxury! The glamour, the cheers, the fame! They all befit me perfectly! And as a result, I chase fortune and romance!" Julian pointed out, as Selene snatched some of the food he had hoarded on his plate. "Ah, a brave soul, I see."
"You can eat in place of all of us, just let me have this."
Ogami turned to the tall, bulky man. "And you, Kageyama? Backstory or not?"
"Hm. To be honest, until the audition day, I wasn't all that dedicated to Performances. I joined and tried my luck because I followed Daiyu in her path."
His girlfriend turned with a crooked glare. She had ordered yet another drink. "You talk like something's changed."
"That's because it has." Kageyama turned to her with a slight smile. "I exited before the public cheered because I didn't think it would matter to me if they did or not. I was mistaken. It's hard to describe, but it made me realize that perhaps I do want to be a Performer." Daiyu's expression became more inquisitive. "I have to thank you, Daiyu. I know what I want to do in my life thanks to you."
And the red on her skin became as strong as it ever could, with the widest of eyes. "D-Don't say that in front of the others!"
"But if we're sharing,"
"Sharing, shmazing, don't do that sort of thing! And you could've said that in private, it's been days!" The girl covered her face in sheer embarrassment. "Someone speak about anything else!"
As Kageyama chuckled, Kiryuu realized he was the only one left to answer the question. "Well…" He became the centre of attention. "As for me, I want to make people smile. And Performances are the best way to do that."
"Heh. Not a bad objective." Shou admitted, putting on a wider grin. "Well, time to dig in!"
"Hey, Julian, stop snatching everything!"
"My stomach requires more food than yours!"
As they decided to reach over for food, an unprecedented event took place.
"SQUEAK!" from the ceiling, a white blur descended. It landed right in the middle of the table.
There was a variety of reactions. Many put faces of either surprise or fear. Catherine had bright eyes of fascination. Drake was a little taken aback, admittedly.
"Is that…"
"No way…"
"A RAT!"
A white rat had fallen from the ceiling above. It was more akin to a mouse than a rat though. Bright red eyes and a pink tail. The most defining feature was…
"It's their king!" Casper was admittedly enthusiastic over the rat's appearance. A small golden crown rested on its head, and the crit wore a small cape on its back. "It's the King of Rats!"
The mouse looked around. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over it. The rodent turned around slowly and froze at the sight of Shou, who cracked his knuckles.
"Listen here, you little pest."
"Squeak!" The rodent jumped, scared by the crimson-haired man.
"This restaurant has been impeccably clean for generations. You're not gonna give a bad image just because you managed to slip in!"
The mouse fled from the table and Shou gave chase. Installed, the Berserker tried to strike down the third most beautiful mouse in the world with his terrifying spear, but to no effect!
"Take that!"
"Squeeeaaaak!" The spear's blade didn't touch the rat, but the swing hurled the little creature across the room. It hit and bounced off Julian's stomach, landing in the middle of the table. Stars surrounded its head in sheer dizziness. After a quick shake of the head, it got frightened again as the shadow approached. "Squeak!"
"Gotcha now!"
"Wait!" Catherine reached over and scooped the rat into her hands. "Don't hurt it!"
"No rats in the restaurant!"
"But he can be our mascot!" Catherine smiled at the confused rodent. "And he's clearly smarter than your ordinary mouse! Let's keep it!"
"W-Well…" Shou scratched the back of his head. "As long as he doesn't come back here, fine."
"Hooray!" Catherine cheered. King of Rats raised a hand, swearing to never approach the establishment again.
The meal was over before they even knew it. Most had already left the restaurant.
"Hey, man." Shou called Kageyama, who carried a nearly-asleep Daiyu on his back. "Is she okay?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Looks like she got irritated when I made that question. Did I strike a nerve? Cuz if so, I didn't mean to." Shou admitted, chuckling a bit awkwardly.
Kageyama smirked a little. "You don't need to worry. It's a demon of hers. And she won't blame you for it."
"Oh, crap." Shou scratched his cheek a little. "I'm sorry man. Anything I can do to make up for it?"
"It's okay, you don't have to worry about it. It's not really something you need to be concerned with. But I appreciate it."
Shou's smirk returned. "Got it. Make her happy again."
"I'll try." Kageyama snickered a little. "We're off."
"Have a safe trip!"
Meanwhile, Kiryuu and Kozume made their way back to the Guild. They had decided to try out the bedrooms and took a longer route from the others, in order to speak in private a little bit longer.
"It was fun getting to know the others, right?"
"It was! Shou had a really great idea. I'm glad we did this." Kozume put on her signature grin, which made Kiryuu blush a little.
"Hey, Kozume."
"Hm?"
"I-Is…" He messed with the strand of hair that fell over his eye, unlike the rest of it. "Is the suggestion of… you know… still up?"
"Eh?" Kozume blushed herself. "W-Well…" She looked away herself. Even though she had teased the idea, she got nervous. She wasn't really expecting him to accept the idea. A bit of an awkward mood surrounded the two, silence following through for a little while until…
Until Kozume took Kiryuu's hand. He almost jumped from the surprise.
"…Sure. Let's spend a night next to each other." Kozume put on her smile again, which made Kiryuu's nervousness fly away.
They kept on the path to the Guild.
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