Fate/Imaginary Vectors

Chapter 05 – Do you Remember when I First Made you Smile?:

Kiryuu was nervous.

If there was a way to describe him in only one word it would be nervous indeed.

It wasn't the first time Kozume and he would sleep next to each other per se. They had lay side by side and watched videos on their phone, ending up falling asleep by mistake. There's a bit of difference between doing something by accident and doing so with intent, wouldn't you say?

On top of that, they had started their relationship fairly recently. They were yet to have dated for a full month. Just sleeping side by side might not be an important leap for some, but for the two of them, it felt a bit nerve-wracking.

Kiryuu let out a little sigh while waiting for Kozume. She had gone to the bathroom to brush her teeth, among a few other things.

"Not even a month… Feels a little longer than that though."

He began to reminisce. They were both eighteen years old, but first met back when they were fifteen. On the first day of high school…

"Hello! My name is Kozume. Guess we're neighbours for now." The girl with red hair and a wide grin said to the boy with a blue strand of hair refusing to slick back with the rest.

"H-Hey…" Homeroom was yet to start, so there was time for the two to speak.

"Did you come to this high school with any friend of yours?"

"Nah. Everyone from middle school suddenly split and went off to different schools. Guess I was abandoned." Kiryuu chuckled a bit to himself, even if he didn't like the fact he didn't know anyone in this new school of his.

"I was wondering why you were just walking around alone before."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Almost everyone is already off in their own little groups of friends from Middle School. I've spotted you alone a couple of times now. Wondered what was up with that."

"Oh? Did you fall for my looks? Did I catch your eyes that easily?"

The girl giggled. "No way! You kept fighting your hair and I found that funny!" Her giggle evolved into laughter.

"H-Hey!"

"Have you tried hair gel?"

"Yes. And it doesn't work."

"Well, you don't have to fight it. It actually looks a little cool."

"But it's annoying." Kiryuu held the strand between two fingers. "And cutting it isn't much of a solution either."

"What about a hairband?"

"I'm not a girl though…"

"Hey, guys can use hairbands too. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Hmmm." His eyes narrowed. "I'll pass for now. If I get desperate, I'll ask you for one."

"Eh? Me?"

"Neighbours are supposed to help each other, aren't they?"

"No way! Get your own hairband!"

The two chuckled a little. Then, Kiryuu grew curious. "What about you? Alone as well?"

"Yeah. Got abandoned too. Wasn't exactly popular in middle school, to begin with."

"Then wanna stick together?"

Kozume smiled, as opposed to grinning. "Sure."

That was the first time he made her smile.

From that fated day on, the two became close friends.

"Hey, Kiryuu?" The two sat in front of each other on the rooftop to eat lunch together.

"Hm?"

"Do you have a Class Card?"

"Pfff!" He spat out to the side his pop soda drink. "W-Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

The smile of a fox was painted across her face. "I spotted it in your bag yesterday."

"H-Hey…" Kiryuu felt like he was in a police room, waiting to be interrogated, with a single light shining upon him in the otherwise dark space. "W-What does it matter anyway?"

"Heheh!" Kozume grinned and showed off a Card with the image of a knight holding a sword straight up.

"Y-You have one too?!"

"Yup!"

Class Cards were an iffy issue. They weren't rare, but they weren't something everyone possessed. Far from it. The two main ways to obtain a Card were to either find it out of sheer luck or be handed down from a family member. On top of that, people would have to go through an exam and procedure to determine if they are allowed to hold a Card in their possession to begin with. A license of sorts. It was similar to a driver's license. While everybody can have a car, it is still a death machine if used without care. Not to mention, there were always those people willing to steal a Card for themselves. So it wasn't common to say out loud 'I have a Class Card'.

"You know, you could've started there."

"Maybe. But it's funnier this way." She giggled. "So? Who is it?"

Kiryuu's amber eyes narrowed. "You know, you present yourself before asking for a name."

"Party pooper. Well, my Saber Card is of Suzuka Gozen."

"Oh? I think I've read about her once."

"But enough about me! I wasn't even able to see the Class of your Card."

"That's cause he doesn't have one."

"Huh?" Kozuume tilted her head. The interrogation marks appeared above her.

"My Card is of Tokugawa Ieyasu. You know, the Shogun?"

"I know, but why doesn't he have a Class?"

"It's a weird story. You know that weird theory that says Ieyasu dies young and was replaced by a shadow double?"

"I thought that was just a dumb theory."

"Apparently it's real."

"W-What?"

"So he doesn't have a Class of his own. Instead, he can switch between all seven, each representing one of his retainers."

"Wait, so you have a 7-in-1 Card?"

"A little bit." Kiryuu took a bit off his lunch. "I keep it a secret because of it."

"Wow. You must have been really lucky then!"

"Lucky?"

"Yeah! Either one of your parents gave you the Card, or you managed to find it. No matter how you look at it, it's luck!"

"Well…" Kiryuu scratched the back of his head. "Kozume, can you keep a secret?"

"Eh?" The sudden change in mood alerted her. She put on a more serious face. "Of course."

"How should I put it…? I… don't know how I got the Card."

"Huh? How so?"

"When I was a kid, I went to sleep one day, and the next morning, it was by my pillow. I asked my parents about it, but it hadn't been any of them. There was no sign of forced entry, so no one broke in and left it in."

"That's… odd." Kozume grew confused. "I thought the Cards fell from the sky. You didn't have an open window or anything?"

"Nope. Everything was shut. We don't have a chimney either. So…" Kiryuu drew his Card and stared at it. Unlike Kozume's, it had no image on its face. "I don't know where it came from."

"That's…" Kozume didn't know how to feel. It was a mystery for sure, and an odd one at that. "Did anything of the sort happen ever again?"

"That was the only weird episode of my life. Other than this Card spawning right next to me, my life is pretty darn ordinary."

"Hmmm…" Kozume scratched her cheek. "This is going to sound a little rude, but…"

"Hm?"

"Why did you keep it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think anybody would get freaked out if they found a Card right next to them the next morning. Like… doesn't that give you the creeps or anything like that?"

"I can see what you mean, but it felt a little unfair."

"How so?"

"Well, I went to Ieyasu's room. And… to say he is depressed is a bit of an understatement."

"E-Eh? Heroic Spirits can have depression?"

"It's more of an identity crisis. After all, he's split between 'Ieyasu', 'Shadow Double' and 'Retainers'. I felt sorry for the guy, so, you know. I kept the Card."

Kozume was a little stunned at first, but then put on a soft smile. Hm. He's sweeter than he looks. She then shifted back into her signature grin. "You're a big softy, huh?"

"H-Hey! You don't need to mock me for it."

"I'm not. I like that."

"Eh? EH?!" Kiryuu's face became bright red.

"Just kidding!" Kozume stuck out her tongue, making it clear she was messing with him.

"Oi! Don't play with serious matters like those!"

"What do I want to do for the future?" Kiryuu sat by the wall, installed. While no Class was active, his clothes were a plain, simple-looking, monochrome kimono. Meanwhile, he was watching Kozume practice sword juggling.

"Yeah. You know I want to become a Performer. What about you though?"

"Absolutely no clue." His hands were placed behind his head. "I just waste all my time reading mystery novels."

"Then why not write one?"

"I have no clue where to start. Besides, I don't think I have the imagination for that."

"Hmmm…" Lost in thought, juggling more out of muscle memory, Kozume suddenly asked "Why not be a Performer like me?"

His eyes narrowed. "Bah!"

"Bah?!" A vein popped on Kozume's forehead. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Performances are dumb." The following second, Kiryuu found himself trapped, two hurled katanas striking the spaces around his arms, pinning him by his clothes. "Wha! Kozume, what the hell?!"

"Listen here, you!" The girl was clearly angry. "Don't go around bad-mouthing Performances, you hear?"

"I'm free to like them or not, aren't I?"

"Yes, but if you go around saying stuff like that, you'll end up getting on the bad side of people."

"Why? It's like any other sport, I can like or dislike it."

"You don't understand." The Saber crossed her arms. "Performances are more than what they look. They use both the strength of characters from the history of our world and the creativity of artists to spread smiles across the people! That's why there was a boom of interest once they were introduced."

"…I still don't see why you're overreacting so much."

"Because I am!" Kozume definitely didn't look pleased. "Have you ever seen a Performance to begin with?"

"Not really. The idea sounds dumb to me."

"And would you like if I said your novels were dumb or stupid without reading them, wouldn't you be mad?"

"Not with swords."

"Don't be a smartass." Kozume pulled the swords out, freeing the boy.

"Look, I'm sorry." Kiryuu stood up, composing himself a little. "I didn't mean to offend you. But I was being honest."

"But you're jumping to conclusions a little bit." Kozume pointed out. "At least watch a Performance before you say something like that."

Kiryuu couldn't help but feel like Kozume was right and that he was being unreasonable. "…Fine, fine, you have a point." He let out a sigh of defeat. "But next time you attack me with swords, I'm calling your mom."

"That's a bit extreme…"

"You attacked me with swords!"

That night, Kozume couldn't help but hold the most victorious of grins once she read the text 'Okay, maybe Performances aren't that dumb'.

Kozume's toothy grin appeared upon reading the text. "Told you, dummy."

"Heheheh!" A Kozume in winter clothing did the best laughter she could to tease Kiryuu.

He barked the moment he rejoined her. "Shut up, you!"

"It's funny, what can I say?"

"I'm just helping kids out, why do you have to make me feel embarrassed like that? Seriously, known each other for over two years and you mock me every time I go help someone out."

"I'm not mocking that. I just find it easy to make you embarrassed by laughing this way, and it's funny seeing you like that."

"Why you…!"

"Besides, you like helping people, right? You shouldn't be embarrassed about that. Or what, you think it's embarrassing you like to see people happy and smiling?"

"Kozume, shut up!" Kiryuu covered his ears, blushing bright red.

"There it is again! Hm?" Kozume could tell this was more than Kiryuu would usually react like. "Are you okay?"

"Will you stop teasing me about it?!"

"Yup, something's definitely up. You're not poking back."

"…" A red Kiryuu looked away. "I figured out what I want to do after high school."

"Eh?"

"I want to be a Performer. Like you. And make people smile."

"…" Kozume's eyes widened a little. She smiled softly at first, and then grew it into a grin before leaping at the boy. "Kiryuu is all grown up!"

"H-Hey! Let me go!"

"He finally knows how he'll make people smile!"

"LEGGO!"

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The sound of the clock became… insensant. But not due to the sound itself.

Kiryuu had spent a good portion of the evening simply staring at the ceiling, with nothing besides his own thoughts stirring around within his brain keeping him from simply falling asleep.

In three weeks, he would audition for to the newly formed Guild of Fuyuki in an attempt to become a Performer, alongside Kozume. And yet, what he was nervous about wasn't that. Not that he was as fresh as a cucumber regarding that matter, but the priority was… somewhere else.

"…God damn it, it's like my head is about to explode…" He sat up on his bed and reached for his phone. "…I can do this. I need to do this."

Opening the text app, and he typed away.

Kiryuu: Hey, Kozume? Are you free right now?

Kozume: Yeah why?

Kiryuu: Alright, I'll be there in a minute.

Kozume: Wait what? You're coming here?

"Install." Swapping to the ninja Assassin, Kiryuu opened his window and lept out through the air.

He took fast, silent dashes over the rooftops of random houses, as expected of the Class, until reaching his destiny. With a landing and a Card Ejection, he turned to the front door of the house. Kozume opened it up with blinking, confused eyes.

"…Were you nearby or something?"

Kiryuu felt awkward all of a sudden. "I, uhh… used my Card to get here."

The girl with red eyes tilted her head. "Why though? Is this a last-minute kidnapping for dinner or something? It's a bit too late for that anyway, you know?"

"No, not that. But I want to talk with you in person. Mind if we walk for a bit?"

"Hm? Sure, just let me grab my coat real quick."

Soon enough, the two were out in the chilly night.

The two walked through the streets under the dark sky, side by side. And despite his request to 'talk', Kiryuu was rather silent, much to Kozume's confusion.

Maybe he's just trying to deal with his nervousness for the auditions? Probably something like that. She deduced.

Once they were in a more private area, nearby a children's park, Kiryuu suddenly took a few steps ahead and turned to Kozume, holding a rather serious face.

"K-Kiryuu, are you alright?" This was unusual for sure.

Deep breath. "…Kozume, I've been thinking about a lot of stuff as of late."

"Oh, you mean the Performance? Don't worry, your choreography will impress the public for sure!"

"No, not that. That's… not what I'm worried about."

"Eh?" That was surprising to her. "Then what is it?"

"…Y-You know how I…" The shyness became rather apparent due to his blush. "…how I want to make people smile, right?"

"Yeah. What about it?" Almost like a fox noticing the opportunity to make a prank, it a mischievous smile painted itself across her face. "Do you want me to tease you again?"

"Not now, please." His face turned even redder, and his tone of voice had definitely shifted. "I… I…"

"You…?"

"…Above all others, I want to make you smile."

"…Eh?" Kozume swore she heard something wrong.

Everything that had been tightening within his chest suddenly flooded. "I-I find your smile to be incredibly beautiful! And I want to make you smile as much as possible! Happy and cheerful! Will… Will you let me make you smile?"

"Kiryuu, I…" Kozume took a few steps, as if trying to give herself some space in order to figure out what was going on. She didn't understand what was going on at first. The term 'smile' was confusing her for a bit, but she, eventually, she connected the dots.

Upon realizing what he was asking, her eyes widened a little and she quickly turned around, bringing her hands to her face.

The sound of a sniffle made Kiryuu panic. "H-Hey, I-I'm sorry! Please, don't cry, I-"

"You're a real jerk, you know that?"

"I-I'm sorry, I had to say it, I didn't mean to-!"

"Do you know why you're a jerk?"

Too afraid to excuse himself anymore, Kiryuu grew meek. "Why?"

Kozume took another sniffle. "I can't stop smiling…"

"Eh?" Kiryuu's panic was put on hold.

She turned around, with tears streaming down her eyes, and a wide smile across her face. "Now it's stuck. And I look stupid like this."

Kiryuu's pressure was lifted all at once. His own lips curled up. "No, you don't. You look… beautiful."

Kozume suddenly stepped forward and gave a tight hug to the boy, her arms around his neck and shoulders. He was a bit stunned at first, but eventually, his own wrapped around her waist.

"…I… wasn't sure if you liked me."

"Heheh." The girl giggled. "I guess I have for a while now."

"Alright, I'm done." Kozume emerged from the bathroom wearing comfy pajamas. She made her way towards the small bed and quickly slid under the covers. "Ahh… Somehow, it feels like I've run all day long."

"Tell me about it." Kiryuu chuckled. "Our workmates can be an odd bunch."

"Julian?"

"Yeah, he's… unwavering, to say the least?"

"Ogami?"

"We should prepare a lawsuit, just to be sure."

"Drake?"

"He's cool. … Wait, are you going to do this with everyone?!"

The mischeavous fox struck again. "You were on a roll."

"Yeah, yeah. But honestly, I do like them. I just hope they're easy to work with."

"It probably will be. Though maybe it'll be hard at the start."

Kiryuu glanced over at his girlfriend. "Any particular reason why?"

"So far, we've only worked solo. So there will be some growing pains to overcome, don't you think?"

"True." Kiryuu's confidence didn't waver though. "And then, we'll spread smiles to the audience."

Kozume couldn't help but smirk. "Kiryuu…" Only for it to suddenly be broken by a simple question. "By the way, honey?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Why are you over the covers?"

"Hm?" Kiryuu played dumb. "I know not of what you speak."

"Come on, we're not little kids anymore, you can't bail on this!" Kozume was a little annoyed for sure.

"I-I can sleep over the covers, don't worry."

Kozume crossed her arms. "Kiryuu, we're sleeping next to each other, cuddle cutely, and that's final!" Never had such a cute statement been spoken in such a threatening manner.

"A-Alright."

Ruffle ruffle ruffle.

"Eyy!" Kozume hugged Kiryuu tightly underneath the covers, her head pressed against his chest.

"H-Hey, come on, calm down."

"No." She spoke with a purposefully cute tone of voice.

"If you say so…" Kiryuu's arms wrapped around her body as well.

"…Teehee!"

"W-What?"

"Your heartbeat."

"I'm nervous, alright?"

"It's not that. I like it."

"Eh?"

"I like the sound of it. It's… nice."

Kiryuu's arms pulled her a little closer.

"Good night, Kozume."

"Sleep well, Kiryuu!"

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