Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Highschool DxD, or any of its character's, and make no money of this.
One piece on the board has been eliminated
Many more still remain
For the next one I have to leave help behind
Vivid memories still remain of the event
It may not work, but it is necessary for the others to grow.
Chapter 17:
The city of Love
Within the privacy of a hotel room the crackling sound of the bed repeatedly echoed in tune with the moans and grunts of the two people on it.
For anyone watching it was quite apparent the couple wasn't a matching one. The woman was young, gorgeous, and looked to be in the prime of her life possessing a youthful figure. In contrast the man who was her partner, bald, fat, and appeared old enough to be her father.
At last with a strained grunt the man reached his limit and released an orgasm, his face morphing into a euphoric look of sheer pleasure from the sensation. When the shaking of his lower body finally stopped all power in him seemed to have drained out, thus he crashed down on the bed, fully wasted and gasping for air. He certainly was out of shape, but he still managed to enjoy himself. ''Wow… that was amazing.''
The woman on the other hand seemed far less gleeful about the sexual encounter she just had. Her rosy lips forming in a neutral line. ''Meh, it wasn't bad.''
The man couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. ''That's cold you know.''
That remark put a bemused smile on her lips as she got up from the bed. The moonlight shone over her from the balcony, illuminating her appearance. The man still didn't know how he managed to score with such a woman. She was in a totally different league from all the women he had ever previously been with. Almost like a work of art really; possessing pale skin that was beautiful like marble, long light brown hair reaching all the way to her thighs, a curvaceous figure that looked like a sculptor spent years to refine, and then there were those amazingly full large perky breasts.
In all honestly he only hit on her on a whim, just for the hell of it, not expecting her to respond to his advances at all. The fact that she did truly baffled him, but after the incredible sex he just had he didn't care about such small details like the why anymore.
Soft chuckles echoed in the room as the woman slowly started dressing herself. ''What can I say, I don't believe in telling lies.''
The old man wanted to laugh at that rather ridiculous statement but he decided to humor the woman. ''Not a bad policy.''
Her smiled only grew at his response, becoming somewhat smug as she put back on her frilly black panties. ''Oh, but it is… after all the truth is something that hurts people far more than lies ever do.''
This kind of discussion wasn't really what the man was used to, most girls he picked up were either airheads or drunkards, and so any sort of intellectual pillow talk was something new to him. ''Is that so?''
''Quite, the truth can be difficult to accept so people lie their way through life.'' Her voice was alluring but also cold, the man began feeling a cold sensation running down his spine as the woman approached him. ''You should know that very well after all.''
''What do you mean?'' he asked genuinely confused.
''Just because you took off your ring doesn't mean the tan line on your finger also disappeared.'' The woman remarked offhand, completely catching him off guard, he immediately checked his hand but then silently swore as his reaction just confirmed her statement. The amusement on the woman's face only grew as she watched the man's façade crumble before bringing out another reminder of the truth. ''Also keeping a picture of your wife in your wallet, it's like you want to be caught lying.''
She threw him the incriminating picture right in front of him, further shocking him as to when did she manage to snatch that away from his wallet.
A pit formed in the man's stomach, his sweat running cold as he understood what was going on and frankly couldn't stop himself from internally panicking. He couldn't risk any knowledge about what took place here leaving the room, he will not allow for any chance of his wife finding out. Not because he loved his wife but because he loved her financial assets, and losing her would ruin him. He would not let this stand, he would bury this problem before him. ''You will keep quiet about it.''
The woman could only giggle innocently at the man's half-baked threat. ''Oh, but that would lying, and I told you I don't believe in such a concept.''
''I struggled to marry that woman, you won't ruin my marriage!''
The eerie way the man was approaching her didn't seem to affect the woman before him in the slightest as she simply maintained her confident smirk. ''And if I don't comply?''
Everything turned red before the man as his eyes turned wild in rage, his thick arm shooting forward grabbing the woman by the neck, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall. ''You will listen to me!''
''I-I c-can't breathe!'' Air was unable to enter her lungs as the man's fingers tightened around her throat, her eyes trembling as she struggled to breathe.
The image before him put a smile on the man's face, the feelings of dominance and control rushed through him as he reveled in it. ''Maybe now you will learn your place bitch!''
''…'' the woman whispered something under her breath, her bangs spreading a shadow over her eyes.
''What was that?'' the man was feeling really good with himself, his sadistic arrogance visible on his face. ''I couldn't quite hear you.''
In a single moment the woman lifted her head and smiled at the man viscously, her eyes now glowing in the hue of ruby red. ''Just kidding!''
Not even allowed time to react, the woman freed herself from his grip. Blood instantly gushed everywhere as the man's severed arm fell down to the floor. It was only when he saw his severed arm that his brain registered the current situation that the man finally felt the pain. ''AHHHH! MY HAND!''
Such a pitiful thing the woman saw. Only seconds ago he was so full of himself, and now he was reduced to simply crying and wailing in pain. She continued to observe him as he desperately clutched his arm as if trying to stop the bleeding as blood continued to pour forth from the gaping wound.
''Men, always so impulsive. Don't act so shocked, the very moment you decided to cheat on your wife was the moment you had to accept the risks in doing so.'' The woman remarked coldly as she brought her finger to her lips and licked the blood on it, a clear look of disgust forming on her face. ''So bitter… smoking really ruins the taste.''
The man finally gave into fear and desperately started to crawl away. How didn't he notice it up until now, the bizarre features this woman had? Her eyes were glowing red, her fingernails were long and razor sharp, but most importantly was her teeth which were sharp like fangs. ''W-what kind of monster are you?!''
''Who me?'' she tilted her head innocently as she leaned over him, a bemused smile all too present on her face as she quickly slashed open the man's throat with her talon like nails. ''Just a vampire.''
The man's suffering was short and he struggled only for a minute or so before crashing down lifelessly in a puddle of his own blood. It was quick and relatively painless end, no point in seeing this man struggle anymore as he had nothing more to offer her.
The red eyed beauty didn't seem to take any joy or pride in what she just did; on the contrary she appeared completely bored and disappointed by it. ''Truly, another man that didn't defy my expectations… If only you would have been more honest you could have walked away unharmed, but alas, you were just another one of the many before you that were far too easy to understand.''
There was not much left to do here, once she cleaned up her mess she would be on her way.
She walked over and picked up her purse, which fortunately had no blood got on it. That would have really ruined her mood, it was her favorite one.
After a bit of searching inside it she picked up her phone and noticed the missed call. She honestly wasn't surprised she missed it, the man was gasping like a pig about to be slaughtered while they were having sex.
When she called back the person her mood seemed to brighten ever so slightly.
''This is Andreea.'' She smiled as she listened to her business partner's report, her smile growing as everything was on schedule. ''So the transport is done?''
As the report was finished the woman's attitude became even brighter.
''Perfect, I will arrive in Paris within a day or so, do be sure that everything is in place.'' Andreea chirped as she walked over the room casting one final glance on the dead man, the sight making her recall how repulsive his blood tasted and that she had to find something better. It was then that she remembered the lustful gazes she received from the man she was on the phone with whenever they met in person. Her tongue slowly caressed her sensual lips at this thought. ''Also, would you like to grab some dinner, I could use something of greater quality than what I'm having right now.''
''Uhhh…'' No matter how much I wanted to endure it I just couldn't. The very moment my feet were out of the plane I let out some of the most gut wrenching sighs in my life.
My reaction was noticed by one of the exiting passengers. ''First time traveling on a plane?''
A weak nod was all I could muster in confirmation as I replied. ''Yeah… I honestly didn't imagine it would feel like this.''
''You get used to it after a couple of flights.'' The older man laughed gently as he walked by. ''Enjoy your time in Paris.''
''I will try.'' I laughed tiredly.
When it comes to flying I did hear that it can be a bit rough at first but they might have omitted how tiring it could be when the flight takes such a long time to finish. I know that now since the flight took almost thirteen hours before I could finally feel ground beneath my feet again. It may not seem like much but being forced to sit in a chair for so many hours with nothing to do but sleep, watch movies, or listen to music becomes really annoying and tiring quickly.
Well I guess I can mark flying on a plane and going to a foreign country from my 'things I've never done before' list.
When I reached the luggage area I turned my phone back on and made my way to the airport's exit. Some people would probably take it slow and breathe in the foreign air but I had to get to my hotel and check in. Apparently the place Sona chose for me turned out to be a pretty exclusive one and if I'm late to check in even by just five minutes I would quickly lose my room as people were constantly fighting over openings at that hotel. At this point I was too scared to ask Sona what exactly was the price range of that place is.
I looked left and right until I spotted a free cab. I made my way to the car while tugging my luggage, I quickly got in and told my destination to the driver. As he headed to the hotel I looked through the window admiring the beautiful streets of Paris and new sights before me. The architecture was certainly different from what he had back home.
Somewhere around the middle of the drive I felt my phone vibrating and to my own surprise I was receiving a call by someone I wasn't expecting. ''[Shirou, what's up?]''
''Oh, hey Ayako.'' I greeted her back while still looking out the window. ''On the road with work I guess. What about you?''
''[At school where else, why do you think I'm calling you? I couldn't find you at school and your friends at the council said you're away. That aside, say I wanted to ask about that movie we talked about, when and where do you want to meet up tomorrow?]''
…
Huh… do you know that sensation you have when you screwed up majorly?
I was experiencing that feeling a hundred times over as I now realized that before the whole Zepar incident happened I promised Ayako that we will go see a movie together. It seems with all the recent bullshit that I've been through lately I completely forgot about it… shit.
In battle I can calm myself and quickly analyze the situation with a calculative mind and steel nerves. Yet in this situation I just panicked, my hands shaking, as cold bullets of sweat ran down my face.
The cab driver looked at me through the rearview mirror before giving me a solemn nod, his male spirit probably feeling my distress and immediately empathizing with me.
I closed my mouth and rehydrated my dried tongue, breathing in and out trying to find the right words to say. ''Ayako… about that… I need to tell you something.''
''[What is it?]''
I could only gulp as I steeled myself for what was next to come. ''Okay, but before I begin, please don't get mad.''
My discussion with Ayako certainly seemed… on edge. However I did manage to explain myself and apologize, to which she did seem to take it in fine. Still why is it I can't help but have the gut feeling that I will regret this screw up and pay for it in the future?
Man the whole Zepar incident, the discussions I had at the hospital, the revelation of my humanity I got from Ajuka Beelzebub, and just my life in general lately. It made me completely out of synch with everything else around me. So much so, that I completely forgot about my promise to Ayako. Not only that but I actually forgot to ask Ajuka-san an important question.
That being if he found the Archer class card inside me?
The diagram he showed me of my body did reveal that an unknown artifact of Fae origin and the broken evil pieces were inside me but there wasn't any trace of anything resembling my class card from what I could see. When I realized this I started brainstorming the current facts and tried finding some answers on my own.
For one thing both Sona and Sella told me there wasn't any card around me that night after the Install form had deactivated, plus I was able to use Include afterwards so the power of the card was still within me. If what Archer said is true and the evil pieces somehow gave life to the consciousness in the card, then perhaps that may have caused the card to get physically destroyed in the process while still retaining the powers and his consciousness within me. The idea was a bit of a stretch but the possibility was still there. That would also explain me being able to hear Archers voice while still using the card's abilities, so I'm pretty sure Ajuka-san didn't just pull a fast one on me and extract it while I was unconscious.
Ironically I only realized all this when I was already back home. It was one those moments when I just wanted to slap myself.
In addition, coming back home was also a nightmare. I was only gone for a day, but everyone immediately panicked as soon as I got back and started interrogating me about where I was. Iri was once again derailing everything with her crazy ideas, like asking me if I went to a girl's house last night since I looked so exhausted, which in complete domino effect caused the discussion to spiral out of control even further. Sella and Illya both glared at me becoming hell bent on knowing exactly what I did when I was gone while Liz fortunately was cool about it, I learned long ago that if I gave her enough sweets she was content to leave me alone. It was kind of her to say she was willing to help me if I needed it though. She seemed especially serious as she looked at me and stated that last part for whatever reason.
In the end I told them that I stayed over at a classmates house since we had to work on a project together and the reason I didn't call was that my phone broke, which wasn't a lie mind you since my phone did break during the confrontations I had at the Zepar base. Fortunately it was a good thing I had a spare at home, I got one just in case after the fight with Kurosaiga since I knew that sooner or later I'd probably break mine in a fight.
Iri and Sella caught on that I was making up a cover story since Illya was there and later I told them the truth of what really happened, but then immediately got an earful from the house's resident maid who went on a rampage after I finished talking. Iri on her end just sat back taking everything I said in stride and proceeded to relegate herself to watching the show of Sella dressing me down while eating popcorn with Liz. I guess she thought there was no reason for her to give me a lecture as well since Sella was doing such an exceptional job at it.
Afterwards, when I told them that I'm going to be traveling out of the country for a couple of days it brought forth a whole new string of complaints from Sella. As she continued her tirade with the minutes slowly turning into hours I thought I'd never hear the end of it.
Even though Sella was giving me one hell of a scolding on the subject, Iri on the other hand was completely okay with the whole situation since apparently and I quote 'Don't go out enough to have fun and I'm wasting the springtime of my youth' among other things. Liz only asked me to bring her some souvenirs.
Huh… I should also get Ayako something nice, perhaps it will cheer her up a little.
Wait…
A cold realization hit me… Ayako called me from her cellphone… and she was in Japan… while I was in France… and if I'm not mistaken calling internationally tends to cost you extra… like really cost you extra.
Fuck…
I need to get Ayako a damn good present if I want her to talk with me ever again.
It was a good thing that the hotel receptionist in front of me was busy with filing my check in papers, she was being spared the sight of seeing the pathetic face I was making.
When she was done she offered me my room key together with a bright smile. ''Enjoy your stay at our hotel Mister Sugiyama, and don't hesitate to call for room service as you have the all-inclusive package.''
''I will try.'' I smiled awkwardly as I recalled that Sona provided me fake travel papers and ID's, and for some reason chose the name Sugiyama Noriaki as my alias.
When I asked her why she chose that name she answered instantly.
''Because you sound like him.''
Or so she said… The name did sound familiar but I couldn't put my finger from where…
Oh well, no use fretting over small details.
The moment I reached my room I actually seemed to realize what kind of hotel I was staying at. The whole affair with Ayako made me lose focus a bit, ignoring my surroundings and not taking a single moment to look at the outside of the hotel, but now that I saw the room I knew for sure.
I sure as hell didn't belong to this kind of place.
Normally when I think of a hotel room I imagine one room with a bed, a TV, and a bath. This place was more of an apartment with a large living room possessing state of the art electrical appliances; a bathroom that was bigger than my room back home. Heck, the bed in the master room alone would have probably covered most of the space in my room.
It would probably cost a working class citizen a dozen well-paid checks from work to spend a single night at this place… and I will be spending three here.
Even though I know that Sona is loaded and my traveling and lounging expenses are probably pocket money for her I still can't help but feel uncomfortable about the whole thing. Add the fact that she gave me a credit card for personal use and told me that if I didn't use it she would make me do paper work for a whole month which only served to increase the pressure on me.
And knowing her she will keep her promise too.
Just as I was about to start unpacking my phone was ringing again and felt my blood run cold.
God, I know I'm an atheist and hang out with devils, but please don't let that be Ayako.
With trembling hands I slowly picked up the device and noticed it was a video call. When I saw the name on the screen I breathed out a sigh of relief as I touched it to answer. ''[Shi-chan! Did you arrive in Paris?]''
Seeing Tomoe and the others was a sight for sore eyes, though they sure were cramming tightly in one place to all appear on the camera. ''Hey guys. Yeah I just arrived and started unpacking at the hotel.''
''[Neat!]'' Momo snickered, pushing Ruruko lower so she could fit in the screen. It was rather amusing to see her doing that as it was forcing the twin tailed girl to rub against Saji's chest, though she didn't seem to dislike it much to Saji's ignorance.
Reya was next to speak up. ''[How was the flight?]''
''Fine I guess.'' I replied a bit awkwardly as we never did get to talk after I left the hospital room in the Sitri territory. Given that my wounds were healed and there didn't seem to be any complications I asked Sona if she could send me home since my family was probably worried. Apparently she also had a lot of stuff to get through given the whole Zepar incident so she pulled some strings and issued a special teleportation order for me. Apparently you can't just teleport in between the human world and the underworld as you wanted, only people with high authority are given the right to do so. Everyone else has to declare a reason for their trip, for while it is possible to still do it even without approval it is incredibly dangerous to do so and you can get into real trouble if you're caught.
That being said I didn't really get to know how the others were doing after everything was said and done. ''So how are things back home?''
Saji rubbed his head sheepishly. ''[Pretty chill I think. Nobody really noticed we disappeared since the whole abduction thing happened when classes were over. Plus it was Friday so even though we lost two days with the battles and recovering we were back just in time.]''
That was good to hear, we already had enough to deal with, no need for even more trouble. ''So no one knows what happened, that saves us some trouble.''
''[Yeah things are like usual, nothing new popped up.]'' Now it was Tsubasa that spoke, a Cheshire grin spreading on her face. ''[Except for your girlfriend going on a warpath.]''
That one caught me on guard. ''Girlfriend? What girlfriend?''
''[He's talking about Mitsuzuri-san.]'' Reya chuckled, covering her mouth with her sleeve.
I couldn't help but give a half lidded stare at the group. ''First off she isn't my girlfriend, second what do you mean by her going on a warpath?''
The blue haired rook shrugged awkwardly at this. ''[I'm not exactly clear about the specifics, but one of my classmates mentioned she had a phone call and from there on she was in a reeeeeally bad mood, not much later she caught the perverted trio trying to peek in the girls locker room again and from there she went completely ballistic on them.]''
''…What?'' I muttered in deadpan tone, my mind quickly connecting the dots in my head and I started sweating bullets.
Momo was next to add her own two cents. ''[ I was surprised as well, Mitsuzuri is usually a pretty calm gal but today she just really snapped. I almost felt bad for those pervs.]''
''[I wonder what could have pissed her off that much?]'' Ruruko trailed.
''[Probably some jackass.]'' Tomoe replied and it felt like an imaginary arrow had pierced me in the back.
''[I bet it was some good for nothing insensitive knuckle head that wronged her without even properly apologizing.]'' Momo gave her own description, another arrow felt it just pierced me.
''[Clearly its some stupid prick that needs a beating so they can understand a maiden's heart.]'' Tsubasa delivered the finishing blow, my legs gave out on me and I fell on the beds edge.
Note to self: Get Ayako a reeeeeally good present even if it kills me.
''[Are you ok Shirou?]'' Tsubaki-senpai asked clearly taken aback by my behavior, her glasses being one step away from falling off her face. ''[You look rather pale.]''
I somehow managed to suppress my frown and only sigh tiredly. ''Nothing… I'm probably just a little jet-lagged.''
My eyes trailed on the group sluggishly trying to get my head out of the gutter, to my luck something did get my attention. ''By the way, I'm noticing we're one person short in this meeting.''
''[Oh, Sona is off at the Occult research club to talk with Rias Gremory.]'' Tsubaki-senpai was first to answer, but I noticed a certain edge when she mentioned this.
''Something going on?''
She took a moment and kept silent, probably wondering if she should tell me or not, but eventually let out a small sigh and talked. ''[Sona didn't give me any details but she said something about fallen angels being involved.]''
They probably didn't see it, but my hands balled into fists when I heard this, paranoia making me feel uneasy. ''… Is there any risk of battle with them?''
Reya was the one that stepped forward to answer. ''[The possibility is there due to their bad blood with devils, but for the moment there doesn't seem to be any ill intent from them.]''
Well that was good to hear at the very least, but I still had my doubts, which was noticed by the groups Queen. ''[Devil territory as this may be Shirou, it doesn't automatically mean they are forbidden from visiting or passing through it. As long as they don't antagonize or cause us any trouble that needs to be dealt with, we must keep things as nonaggressive as we can.]''
I nodded but still offered some advice. ''Try to keep an eye out, last thing we want is to find our school getting attacked or something.''
Everyone present nodded but then stared at the clock on the back wall that began ringing.
''[Well it's good to see that your flight was safe, classes are starting very soon so we need to get going.]'' The Sitri Queen said with a small smile on her face. ''[Make sure to take care of yourself.]''
I returned her smile with my own. ''I will, you guys also take care.''
''[Bye, bye!]'' They all waved to me as the video call ended.
I stared at my phone's screen for a couple minutes before letting out a tired sigh and threw myself on the hotel bed, my gaze wondering aimlessly at the ceiling above me. Somehow the part with the fallen angels sat really badly with me, knowing that something may go down while I'm away.
While I am aware that I'm technically away on work it still rubs me the wrong way, knowing that I'm supposed to be enjoying myself when a situation that may need my help could arise while I'm gone.
In spite of the others reassuring me I couldn't write it off, yet there was not much that I could do about it this given my present circumstances. I guess I will just have to check in every couple of hours to see if something happened. Worst case scenario one of them can teleport here and bring me over there fast, we may get in trouble afterwards but it's better than people getting hurt or killed.
Now that I think about it this whole expedition is becoming more exhausting than relaxing. I couldn't help but sigh at my shit luck. ''So much for R&R…''
''I couldn't agree more, you really don't know how to manage yourself.''
Hearing the smug voice of the red clothed hero really made my mood go sour.
''Like you are any better Arch-'' I stopped midway as I realized something, his voice was different. It lacked that particular echo like sound, in fact it sounded like it came from my right side. Not wasting any second I bolted up from the bed only for my mouth to drop in shock at who I saw on the nearby chair. ''Archer?!''
''Please hold the applause, no need to get all worked up for little old me.'' the white haired man snickered as he sat on the chair cross legged.
My mind was running full throttle trying to figure out what was going on. ''But h-how? How did you materialize outside?''
''Look at the mirror dumbass.'' I ignored the insult and looked at the nearby mirror, to my surprise I could only see the chair's reflection in it. There was no trace of the tanned jerk reflected off it. ''I'm only an astral projection, I'm not actually physically here, merely a mental manifestation that only you can see.''
That did help me stop starring slack jawed at him but it didn't answer all my questions. ''Ok… then please explain how you are doing that?''
''Honestly I'm not sure myself. I was always sort of aware of what's going on around you but I never able to manifest myself like this before.'' He elaborated as he cupped his chin, assuming a thinking posture. ''The last battle probably made you draw more of my powers while also acclimating you to them. In a sense our connection grew stronger so now I can will myself to be seen by you like this.''
I took a moment and thought about it, certainly the Zepar incident put my body to the test making me break through my limits multiple times, pushing me to reach a new level when it came to my projecting. Perhaps that was the trigger that made it possible for Archer to appear like this. ''Huh… well at least now I can see you when we talk. You have no idea how weird it is to talk to a voice in your head.''
''You're telling that to said voice.'' The white haired man scoffed as he got up and walked around the room, until he settled looking out the window. ''Have to admit it's a nice change of pace though.''
Now that I think about this guy has been in stuck inside my head for a couple of months. Who knows how it must have felt to be tied down to one place unable to go anywhere or interact with anyone else besides me.
Perhaps I should try to treat Archer better…
''By the way real smooth with Ayako, I would be surprised if she will still talk with you after that.''
''I didn't do it on purpose you know! With all that happened to me in the past few days going together to the movies was the last thing that was on my mind!''
''You could have handled the situation more delicately. I feel real sorry for Ayako having to deal with such a jackass of a friend.'' He shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance, a smug look present on his face.
Ok, I officially retract my previous statement, this guy is a prick.
''Shut up already!'' I snapped as I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him, only for it to pass through him and hit a nearby vase. The aforementioned decoration piece got knocked over and shattered when it hit the floor.
Both of us sat in silence and stared at the broken vase, the smug look on Archer's face only intensified. I on the other hand could only silently swear. ''Dammit now I have to pay for that.''
''Why not use magecraft and repair it?''
I opened my mouth to snarl at him but stopped midway. ''… Why didn't I think of that?''
''Because you're still a novice that's why.''
How is it that despite other people throwing some of the most obscene insults at me I didn't even flinch and yet this guy makes me so frustrated with such tame remarks?
''I'm asking Sella to teach me how to hit incorporeal things first thing when I get home.'' I muttered under my breath, hoping that such magecraft exists.
''Knowing you it will be a form of magecraft that is either too complicated to perform or something you can't use by default.''
Dammit, I keep forgetting that this guy is in my head and can hear my thoughts. ''I already miss it when you were just a voice, that smug face of yours really bugs me.''
''Right back at you.'' He smirked as his body started disintegrating in small bits of light. ''I'll cut you some slack for now, so go do something before you start breaking the rest of the room.''
When the final fragment of light faded and silence filled the room I let out an exhausted sigh.
''That guy just loves to piss me off doesn't he?'' I muttered as I went over and picked up the shattered vase, then checking the time on the wall clock. ''Well it's still pretty early, might as well go get a bite to eat after I fix this.''
After the repairs to the vase were done and I unpacked my things I took a stroll through the neighborhood, walking slowly to admire the foreign sights. Somewhere along the line I reached a market area and was in awe at the regional produce. The fish area especially was impressive, as they had a lot of fish that you don't find in Japan.
My stroll was put to a stop when I walked by a small cafe, the smell from it almost pulling me in. Such a rich fragrance was teasing me, my stomach instantly starting to growl and complain in response.
I was looking for a place to eat so I might just go and try some of those famous French croissants I kept reading about in cook books. Curiously there was a 'help wanted' sign placed on the front entrance.
When I stepped inside my nose wasn't the only thing taken aback, the café's interior was something very pleasing to the eyes. Its design had a very rustic feel to it. The tables and chairs were made out of mahogany wood, small steel chandeliers were hanging above them, a tower of liquor barrels was placed in a nearby corner, and the most eye catching item was the large coat of arms placed right above the reception with a sword being right beneath it.
I didn't get to admire the rest of the room though as a girl suddenly bolted from the door behind the reception desk, displaying quite the bit of panic from how she was storming back and forth. ''Look you can't just leave me like this, rent is due and we can't afford to lose todays earnings. What do you mean figure it out!?''
Perhaps it was from being busy on the phone that she failed to notice me, standing with her back towards me the whole time. All I could manage to see regarding her appearance was that she wore a waitress attire which consisted of a dress shirt, a pair of dress pants and a black bistro apron tied around her waist. Her blonde hair was neatly tied into a large braid that reached all the way to her lower back.
''Hello? Hello?!'' the girl shouted on the phone, her legs giving up on her she crashed on her knees. I could almost see the cloud of depression forming around her head. ''God, what did I ever do to deserve this?''
I could just walk out and come back later, but doing so would leave a bad taste in my mouth. ''Umm, is now a bad time?''
She flinched when she heard me, realizing that someone was here the entire time. ''I'm sorry but we're having a bit of a crisis on hand.''
With a small hop and a spin on her heels she turned around to face me, her deep blue eyes looking curiously towards me.
When I caught sight of her face something in me felt like it clicked, my mouth opening without my control. ''Saber...''
''Saber?'' The girl simply tilted her head confused by my reaction.
In that moment I seemingly snapped back to my senses and took an involuntary step back, panic taking over me as I tried to find an excuse, my eyes catching glance of the weapon hanged right above the counter. ''I, I meant that sword over there, it's a saber isn't it?''
The girl seemed to buy it and shook her head with a bored expression. ''Nope, it's actually a rapier. Their somewhat similar in appearance but are different types of swords. Though I doubt you're any good with swords.''
Huh… even though I don't have much of personal pride, somehow that remark really stung me.
In any case what the hell was wrong with me?
This was just like that one time with Sona when I mentioned the name Sakura and yet I know no such person. Maybe she was right about being mentally exhausted and needing to unwind for a bit, I should try and keep my mind away from all the supernatural drama and focus on other stuff for a while.
With that in mind I focused on the girl in front of me and was curious to see just what her predicament was. ''I see… so, did something happened miss?''
At first she seemed like wasn't in the mood for sharing, but that changed when she let out an exhausted sigh.
''You know what, I'm so stressed right now I could use someone to complain to. The cafe has been due on rent for a while and we need to make the money today.'' She elaborated slowly as she hopped and sat on the counter. ''That normally wouldn't be the problem, but the situation right now is a bit messy. You see we have a high school and a university nearby, plus the train station, so we get super crowded at lunch time. Now the problem is that the guy responsible for making the croissants was caught in a car crash and is busy with declarations at the police station. He won't be able to arrive and finish the croissants on time.''
I nodded slowly and took a quick look at the display inside the counter. I did notice when I arrived that there were a lot of empty sections in it with only name tags and prices. I just thought it wasn't filled yet with pastries, but it appears there wasn't anything to fill them with to begin with. There were some side counters that had different varieties of cakes, pies and cookies but if I were to take this girls distress in consideration this shop must be known for its croissants. ''You can't do it without him?''
''Afraid not. You see, the café has been opened very recently so we are lacking personnel, and we have a lot of payments to cover besides rent so we really can't miss the rush hour earnings. The problem now is that I can't handle the cafe alone, by the time the first batch of croissants are done this place will be packed. I can't serve the customers and prepare the next batches by myself.''
That didn't sound too good; even if she wants to she can't be in two places at once. ''How about I help you out?''
There was a spark of hope igniting in the girl's eyes but it quickly vanished and got replaced by a half lidded stare. ''Look it's not that I don't want help but I can't just leave some stranger in charge of the front desk like that.''
Well that made sense, I mean I could be a thief for all she knew and if she did leave me in charge like that she was either a really trusting person or a complete fool. There wouldn't really be anything keeping someone from emptying the cash register and running away.
Fortunately for her my idea was a bit different from what she was expecting. ''Actually I was thinking of taking care of the croissants.''
This made her raise an eyebrow. ''Have you ever made any before?''
''No, but I'm a pretty decent cook and I might be able to handle it though.''
She took a moment, thinking things over but still didn't seem happy with the situation. ''That isn't much better… I could get in trouble for letting non personnel in the kitchen.''
That was a fair point, letting me in the kitchen could be just as bad as leaving me at the counter depending on the situation. However, that didn't make me any less inclined from trying to help her. ''Wasn't there a help wanted sign outside?''
''Yes, what of it?'' she asked clearly confused.
''How about we just say I came in for the job, and you made me work with you to test my skills?'' I elaborated carefully, I'm not sure how things work here in France with jobs like this but I don't think it's unheard of for a place to test out potential work force before officially hiring them. I mean you can have all the diplomas you want but if you can't really live up to them there's no real point.
''That actually sounds believable.'' She muttered as a mischievous smile spread on her face, her sapphire blue eyes burning with determination. ''I like it.''
She jumped from the counter and landed right in front of me, pointing her finger towards me. ''Here's how we will do it, I will show you step by step how we make our croissants and you copy me. Sounds good?''
''Alright by me.'' I smiled to her as she showed me to the kitchen.
It was certainly a novelty for me to learn how to make croissants the traditional French way. To my luck we didn't have to worry about the dough since they make it one day in advance in order for it to properly rest, so we were able to go right into the process of preparing the croissants.
We first rolled the dough into pastry sheets before we started cutting them up. My eyes almost popped out of my head when the girl brought the butter that needed to be fold in the pastry, for it was a slab the size of car wheel. I couldn't believe slabs of butter that size even existed.
Apparently from what the girl told me the French love rich foods so using margarine or other cheap forms of fat won't give you the same result using butter would.
In any case the dough was then put in a folding machine until reached the perfect thickness required. The pastry was then cut in triangular shapes and rolled into the croissants shape, which wasn't as easy as it sounded, I had to be extremely gentle when I rolled them, almost like caressing them. My first four attempts ended up pretty badly, it was only after my fifth one that I caught the proper hand movement.
When the rolls of pastry were finally in the oven I let out a tired sigh. Japanese and French goods certainly differ in the making process, it's been a while since I actually was challenged in cooking. Well cooking and baking tend to differ by default but the fact still remains, I usually don't step out of my comfort zone of Japanese cuisine besides the occasional German dishes I make so I guess I can still get caught off guard.
''Phew… that's one batch, with many more to come.''
The girl heard my comment and snickered to it. ''It's hard at first but you get used to it after a couple of days of rush hours. ''
I could only chuckle weakly, home cooking is far more easygoing, this was at a higher level and she told me that they make about four hundred croissants per day. I had a long way to go before I was done.
''Oh, right!'' The girl jumped away in shock, her eyes avoiding contact with mine as she rubbed her head sheepishly. ''This may come a little late, but I'm Laeticia, pleased to meet you.''
Oh…
Now that she said it we never did properly get acquainted. This was now awkward.
I might as well fix it as much as I can.
''It's nice to meet you Laeticia.'' I smiled gently at her. ''My name is Emiya Shirou.''
When she heard my name confusion spread on her face. ''Emiyashirou?''
It seemed my name was a bit difficult to pronounce, not that I blame her though, so I decided to repeat it. ''Emiya Shirou.''
''Emi Yashirou?''
Suddenly keeping my smile was becoming rather difficult. ''Emiya Shirou…''
''Emiyashi Rou?''
I began to wonder if this happens often to people when they visit foreign countries. ''Look, just call me Shirou.''
To my surprise things went well, I got the hang of how to properly make the croissants and managed to make quite the number of them by the time lunch hour arrived.
When Laeticia said that this placed was packed at that hour she wasn't kidding. Not even an hour had passed and every croissant I made was gone, I had to kick things into high gear in order to keep the flow of croissants going. They needed time to bake so I could only increase the number of croissants I could fold before baking them to raise the quantity, I even cheated and used reinforcement on my hands to endure the strain on them. Even if the movement wasn't something overly difficult to do, doing it over and over again without any break will just kill your hands especially if you're not used to it. Though it wasn't like I used reinforcement all the time, only when Laeticia wasn't around. Even if she wasn't magically aware if she saw me speeding through the kitchen like some kind of industrial machine it would definitely be bad and definitely raise some questions.
After what felt like hours of never ending struggle the rush hour finally passed and things started to calm down. I was finally able to take a breather.
I stepped outside into the hallway connecting the shop and the kitchen, taking a couple of paper towels as I looked over at Laeticia's end of things. Just as I wiped my face with some of the paper towels I spotted someone stepping behind the counter where Laeticia was managing.
''Laeticia I'm so sorry but I couldn't arrive faster, the aftermath of the crash was utter chaos and police wouldn't let me go until I wrote dozens of declarations and-''
The man went silent as he took a better look around the state of the café and the happy clients, obviously not expecting the current set of events.
''Oh, boss, just a second.'' Laeticia muttered as she counted a stack of money and placed it in the register. ''There, all set. Now, you were saying?''
''Everything is… alright?'' the apparent boss and chef of the café asked unsure of what was going on. ''How did you handle the rush hour by yourself?''
''I had a little help.'' Laeticia chuckled as she pointed out towards me, her boss catching sight of me and appeared to be puzzled. He gestured to the blond girl to follow him and they stepped through the back door.
They were gone for about five minutes before they finally returned. My guess is that he dragged Laeticia away so she can explain what was going on and wanted to avoid making any possible scene in front of the customers.
Laeticia's boss walked over to me and offered me a handshake. ''Hi there, I heard from Laeticia the gist of the story, so I take it that you're interested in a job?''
I smiled slightly as I returned his handshake playing along with the cover story that Laeticia and I came up with. ''I'm trying out my options if anything, I didn't decide if this place will be my final choice.''
My answer while he seemed to believe it, didn't appear to make him very happy. In fact he seemed rather disappointed by it. ''I see, well I do hope that you will consider working here, it's hard to get good help these days.''
''I'll consider it…'' I muttered awkwardly, now feeling a bit bad with having to trick the man like this.
That seemed to put the man to ease, a small smile spreading over his face as he faced towards his employee that stood at the door. ''Laeticia, take the rest of the day off, you deserve it, take your friend and show him around.''
''Really?! Yahoo!'' The girl exploded with energy and bolted away, only to rush back and face me. ''Wait for me outside, I'll change my clothes and be right there.''
Like that she bolted once again, so fast that I could swear she left a trail of dust behind her.
Since everything seemed okay at this point I went along with this and followed suit after I washed my hands and got my coat.
As I stood outside I couldn't help but wonder how all of this happened without any sort of back fire. Knowing my luck I wouldn't have been surprised if the ovens broke down or the power went off.
''I'm done!'' I heard Laeticia call out and when I turned around my jaw almost dropped. She did say she was changing clothes but I didn't think the difference between her work and casual appearance was so far apart from each other. The French girl now sported a white dress shirt covered with a purple jacket, matching thigh-highs, and a pair of very small shorts. The biggest difference however was the change in attitude, while she was a bit on the edge and stressed given the small crisis at her work place, all of that was now gone and in its place was this bright and lively girl. I was so captivated by her that I didn't notice her reaching me, a sly smile forming on her face as she saw my dazed state. ''Cat got your tongue?''
I let out a dry cough to get my head out of the gutter. ''N-No, just thought those clothes look good on you.''
''Well aren't you a charmer!'' she smiled brightly at me, her cheeks growing flushed. Before I could even ask if she was sick or anything she grabbed me by the hand and started dragging me along. ''Let's go, let's go!''
I pretty much followed the blonde girl wherever she took me and we haven't really talked all that much since we left. There were some moments where I wondered if I may have said anything rude to her that earned me the silent treatment.
In spite of this being one of my weakest points, I tried making some small talk. ''Your boss seemed like an understanding person.''
Laeticia only rolled her eyes when she heard this. ''Oh trust me he isn't as nice as he appears, he really chewed me out for taking care of things without asking him if it was ok.''
For some reason I felt like I just opened a whole new can of worms. ''He did give you the rest of the day off though.''
''Yeah right, more like he did so for me to help convince you to work for him. I know the guy, he isn't doing it out of kindness, but self-interest.''
''Is that so…?'' I muttered awkwardly.
''Ok let's change the subject.'' Laeticia did a spin on her heels and faced me. ''So Shirou, what brings you all the way to Paris?''
This question made me curious since I didn't recall telling her I was not from Paris, and I don't think that Asians are that rare here. ''What makes you feel like I'm not from here?''
''Please I can smell a tourist from a mile away.'' She laughed lightly. ''So what brings you here?''
Now what would be the best explanation for my trip here?
Man hunting?
… That had such a bad vibe to it, even if it was very accurate.
After a couple of moments of contemplating I decided for a more neutral answer. ''Business, I guess.''
The look on the French girls face grew ever more curious at this. ''You're a businessman?''
That one actually made me chuckle as I imagined myself as one. ''Not even close, it's just an odd request that kind of just happened. I'm not even out of high school yet let alone involved in any businesses.''
''High school?'' Her blue eyes widened ever so slightly. ''How old are you?''
''I'm seventeen.''
''Really?!'' Laeticia almost jumped backwards when she heard this. ''We're the same age, I wouldn't have thought that.''
''How so?''
''You seem far too mature for your age.''
''So I've been told…'' I muttered a bit bashfully, it had to be my clothes, formal clothes made any teen look older than they actually were.
''Your French is really good by the way, is it a language Japanese students learn?''
''No, more like I had a bit of luck and managed to learn it unintentionally.'' That remark made my eyes throb. Apparently among the features that evil pieces have, one of them is placing a type of translation spell on the person their used on. I always did wonder how Sona spoke Japanese so fluently even though she only moved there for about three years. Heck I didn't even question how Segrif Zepar and his peerage spoke so fluently.
In spite of the evil pieces failing to convert me into a devil, they were still able to place that spell on me. All this time I didn't even realize that I've been speaking devil language when talking with other natural born devils and if that wasn't enough of a shocker it works for ALL languages in the world, even old ones like Latin or Sanskrit. Downside though is that it's only in effect with oral communication, reading and writing are still things I have to learn the classic way.
It was a good thing that Ajuka Beelzebub texted me about this and not to worry about trying to learn French for my trip.
At the end of it I was still a bit creeped out how he texted me without me ever giving him my number.
''Even so, it's nice to speak freely.'' Laeticia remarked as we reached what seemed to be a market place. ''Well Shirou, I present you Marché Mouffetard, the oldest market in Paris.''
I couldn't help but whistle as I admired the location, it was certainly different from Japanese markets structure wise but it was also bursting with even more life than the ones back home. The local foods aside, the way the place was organized and structured was very different from what I was used to.
As we walked by many heads turned towards us, more specifically Laeticia, offering her warm smiles which she eagerly returned to the market place workers.
''Morning Laeticia!''
''Morning Miss Louise.''
''Laeticia, care for some fresh apples?''
''Maybe later Floretta, I'm just passing by.''
''Oh, Laeticia are you out shopping with your boyfriend?''
''Sorry to disappoint you mister Gerrard, but I'm just showing a friend around.''
''A shame, he seems like a catch.''
That last comment caused the braided girls face to flush red in embarrassment, and I wasn't fairing any better so I tried changing the subject. ''You seem to know many of the people here.''
My remark was enough to make her relax a bit. ''Pretty much, this place is where I do my grocery shopping so I know most the people working here.''
Before I could comment on this, one of the women working here walked up to Laeticia and grabbed her by the shoulder. ''Laeticia, thank God I ran into you, can you come here for a bit, it's about the orders for the café.''
The sudden mention of work related stuff made the French girl's mood go sour. ''Figures… I'll be back in a jiffy so just look around.''
''Sure.'' I nodded as she rushed to wherever the problem was.
In all honesty there wasn't anything else to do since she just stormed off like that so I walked around as she suggested.
Curiously though, a small boy cut off my path and stared at me with pleading eyes.
''Mister, would you be so kind to spare some change? I have three little brothers at home and we don't have anything to eat.''
I narrowed my eyes at his appearance, his clothes were so messy and worn out, his hair and teeth definitely had seen better days than this. His feet lacked any form of shoes, being very dirty from walking barefoot. The fingernails from his hands were cracked and had so much dirt under them, making it look like he dug holes barehanded.
Seeing a child the same age as Illya in such a sorry state really left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt an ache in my heart.
Poor kid.
I wanted to help him more but I really didn't get the chance to withdraw that much with the card Sona gave me so I just handed him whatever cash I had in my wallet. When I handed him the small stack of cash his eyes seemed to radiate with happiness, tackling me and giving me a strong embrace around my waist. ''Thank you so much mister!''
His sudden outburst of affection certainly took me by surprise. ''Wow, easy there.''
He let go and was about to walk away only to freeze when he saw the girl that crept behind him. Laeticia only stared with contempt at the boy. ''Ferentz, stop right there.''
''Crap, Laeticia!'' The change in attitude was instant, the boy immediately running away as if he had just saw Death itself.
To his lack of luck Laeticia was much taller and physically developed so she was able to quickly catch up and yank him up by his shirt. ''Oh no you don't!''
I only stared confused to why the sweet and gentle Laeticia suddenly picked up the boy in such a way and if that wasn't enough she started scolding him as well. ''Ouch not the ear! Not the ear!''
There was obviously something going on I wasn't aware of so I had to get some answers. ''Um, Laeticia what are you doing?''
''Teaching this little rascal some proper sense.'' She declared clearly annoyed as she started patting him all over his body with her free hand. ''Now where did you stash them?''
''Aha!'' a victorious shout was heard as Laeticia found what she was searching for and showing them in front of the boy's face. ''Care to explain?''
I blinked several times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. ''…Is that my wallet... and is that my phone?''
''Yep, this brat always operates around here and pick pockets travelers.'' Laeticia threw them towards me with super accurate precision, which was even more incredible since she threw them backwards. I almost didn't catch them from the sudden surprise of it all.
I quickly checked my wallet and it seemed that Laeticia also put back the money that I personally gave the kid. A sudden realization hitting me when I took in what she just said to me. ''Wait this happened before?''
''Daily, and you!'' she glared at the boy, a look that was something between annoyance and disappointment. ''I keep telling you that if you keep this up you will ruin your future!''
''Yeah right!'' the boy sneered as he spat in Laeticia's face, hitting her right between the eyes, the sudden disgusting action making her weaken her grip just enough for the boy to escape. The look the boy had was one that didn't belong to such a small child. ''Smell you later French bitch.''
I walked over to the girl and offered her a tissue, making no further comment about what the boy just did to her, but still wanting to know why he did it. ''What was that all about?''
Her face was struggling between staying composed and cringing as she tried to clean all traces of spit off her face. ''Gypsy immigrants, Paris is full of them and it often causes problems for the locals and tourists.''
A nod was all I could offer as I leaned against a nearby wall still trying to process how I almost got mugged in broad daylight, by a kid no less. ''You don't seem to like them.''
The girl sighed as a sad look took over her usual cheerful face. ''I have no particular dislike for their people as a whole, nor do I discriminate them, but I just can't stand the ones that are like that kids parents.''
My brow rose in curiosity at this. ''Care to explain?''
''In simpler terms their scum. They avoid an honest job like the plague out of sheer principle and instead go for nasty ways to make money like stealing, contraband or drug dealing. The thing that really pisses me off though is that they send their kids to beg in the streets instead of sending them to school, even though there's nothing keeping them from getting a job besides their egos or just being lazy.''
There was not much I could say about this, gypsy immigrants weren't that heard of in Japan, very rare from what I am aware. Though I have to admit it's already bad enough to do such things even if there was no other choice, but sending your own child to beg and steal themselves was just wrong on so many levels.
As I kept contemplating what I was told, Laeticia went on. ''How do you expect a child to grow up when their parents are teaching them that begging and stealing are nothing to be ashamed of? You saw that kids face when he was caught didn't you, what did his expression say to you?''
I took a moment and recalled the look that boy had when he was caught red handed, my hand balled into a fist as I realized what truly happened. ''He seemed annoyed… not by the act itself but because he was caught.''
The indignation flared on her face. ''Exactly, he wasn't ashamed for what he did, only that it didn't work out. It's that kind of upbringing that ruins kids and then later on they will teach their kids the same when they become parents.''
She was making a valid point, parents act as role models for their children as they grow up, learning what's right and wrong from observing them. So if they grow up with certain ideas despite not being considered right by normal social standards they may not even realize it. Now while this isn't set in stone it happens very often, but I just wish this didn't have to end with ruining a kid's future just because their parents weren't proper people."
''You sure talk like this always happens.'' I replied as I took in everything the French girl was saying.
''I've seen it plenty of times to know it's very common.'' Laeticia averted her eyes, gazing where the boy ran off to, clearly saddened by his choice. She was zoned out for about a minute lost in thought before she seemed to get back to her cheerful self. ''Would you look at me getting all fired up like this, I'm supposed to show you around not kill the mood with stuff like this!''
Before I could react she started dragging me once again, this time however I let her do as she pleased. I knew that the smile she was showing right now was a forced one to hide her sadness.
I think there was a saying that went 'time flies when you have fun'. Up until now I never realized how little credit I gave it.
It was around noon when Laeticia took me on a trip around Paris and now it was dark outside. Considering all the places she showed me I'm honestly not surprised.
We first stopped by the Place des Vosges, when the visit inside was done we passed by the majestic fountain within the palace courtyard and Laeticia splashed me in the face with the fountain water. While being a plaything was never my thing I laughed it off as it seemed to make her smile again.
Since we both didn't get to eat she took me to this really nice French pub. Laeticia knew the staff there and they got us our order really fast. Since the translation spell placed on me didn't work when it comes to reading a different language I had no idea what most of the stuff on the menu was, so I asked Laeticia to pick for us. We had a seafood soup called Bouillabaisse and Quiche Lorraine which I particularly enjoyed.
After we finished eating we stopped by a sweets store and bought a ton of Macarons, enjoying the multi colored treats on one of the benches on the hill housing the basilica of the Sacre-Coeur.
As the sightseeing progressed Laeticia brought out the big guns and took me to see the Notre Dame cathedral, then go for a stroll beneath the Arc de Triomphe and the cherry on top was seeing the sun set from atop the Eiffel Tower. The sight of the cities lights slowly turning on as the night began to fall was truly something to remember.
In spite of how much I was enjoying myself all good things must come to an end. Laeticia was walking me back to my hotel even though I told her she didn't have to bother, but the girl wouldn't take no for an answer. She did say it was in her place's direction but I'm pretty sure she was making it up.
In any case this was a very refreshing experience for me, and I'm glad Laeticia also had a good time as well. As we walked through the illuminated streets of Paris the blonde girl jumped in front of me and snickered. ''So, what do you think of Paris?''
''It's amazing, I didn't think there were so many incredible places to visit.'' I didn't really go traveling all that much during my life but going to a completely foreign country and witnessing so many different places was truly an incredible experience. To some extent I was beginning to understand my parents, even though they travel a lot from home they do get to see so many new and unique things which probably compensates somewhat for all the trouble they face along the way. ''With my luck I would've probably gotten lost and lose a lot of time.''
Her smile turned somewhat cheeky as she puffed up her cheeks. ''Well I don't know how your luck is but I think you're pretty lucky yours truly knows Paris like the backside of her pocket.''
I chuckled as I rubbed my head sheepishly. ''Yeah, thank you so much for taking the time to show me around.''
''Gosh, you're making me blush.'' Laeticia laughed as she did a spin on her heels, her smile growing even more brightly. ''I had a lot of fun as well, it's been a while since I went out like this.''
''How so?''
''Let's just say that I just changed jobs recently and my old one didn't give me much of any free time if at all. I'm still adjusting to this job and haven't really gotten the chance to have fun.''
The way she looked when she said that… something was off. For a very brief second her smile faltered, eyes avoiding contact as she spoke. There was clearly more to it than what she told me but I didn't press her.
The fact that she suddenly started behaving skittish also told me that the subject was a delicate one.
''Can't believe it's already this late, man I still wanted to hang out more but I have laundry to do...'' she panicked after checking her watch, her eyes focusing on me afterwards, uncertainty present in them. ''Say how long will you stay in Paris?''
''Three days.''
''That little…'' that information made her face sadden, but there was still a certain amount of hope present in her eyes. ''Say, I'm not sure if you have the time, but if it's not too much to ask how about we see each other again before you leave?''
I took a moment and thought about it.
As it stands I do have some time. Sona told me that Loup Garou will arrive in the city sometime in three days. This day has pretty much passed, leaving tomorrow open, but that's about it. By the time he does arrive I will probably spend all day searching for him, then deliver him Sona's message… and that's not counting the fact if he will even listen to it in the first place. All in all, I think I can still make some time for Laeticia. ''I think I can do that.''
''Really?! Awesome!'' the French girl almost jumped in excitement. ''Then drop by the café, I work there all week long so maybe we can hang out again after my shift is done.''
''Sounds good to me.''
''It's settled then! I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Oh right, I almost forgot, you did come to the café to eat but ended up working instead.'' She pulled her backpack up and started digging in it, pulling out a paper bag from it. ''It's not much and they might have gotten cold, but I hope you like them.''
When she handed it to me I was still unsure of what was inside, but the moment I smelt the lingering scent from the bag I realized there were croissants in it. ''You shouldn't have bothered.''
''Please, you helped make them so it's only natural you should get to eat some yourself.'' She said with a gentle smile.
I could only sigh in response but also chuckled at her a moment later. ''I can't say no to that smile.''
''Now that that's done, I will be on my way.'' Before I could even register she stepped forward and leaned in close. A soft and warm sensation spread across my cheek. ''Have a good night.''
My mind went blank for a second.
Then two.
Then three.
Without any control over my body I jumped backwards when my mind rebooted. My face feeling like it just went ablaze. ''W-W-What are you doing?!''
Laeticia on her part looked innocently confused, unware of what she just did. ''Giving you a kiss?''
The way she just casually said that felt wrong to me, as if she talked about giving me a pat on the back. ''H-How could you do something like that out of the blue?!''
''I don't see the problem, I always kiss friends goodbye.'' She still failed to see my point, it was only after a minute of me staring silently at her did her expression seem to change. ''Wait a second, you're Japanese so… ohhhh!''
When she finally seemed to understand what I was going on about she was surprised to say the least. She didn't seem to regret it, quite opposite, she started laughing about it. ''Sorry about that, I did hear that Asians are more serious when it comes to stuff like this but didn't think it was true. Here in France and other European countries it's pretty common to kiss people when saying your goodbyes or when you meet up with them.''
Huh… now that she mentions it I did see things like that in some of the soap operas Iri made me watch with her. You never really know how real that kind of stuff is until you see or experience it yourself. ''I did hear of something like that but I also didn't think it was actually true.''
''Cultural differences what can I say.'' Laeticia shrugged her shoulders but still obviously amused by the whole thing. ''Though I have to admit your face was super cute all flushed and embarrassed like that.''
Never did I want so badly to hide my face at this moment; something told me it was currently a matching set with my hair. ''L-Leave me alone…''
''Fine, fine, that's enough fun for a night.'' She laughed as she walked away, turning her head one last time to wave at me. ''Bye, bye! See you tomorrow.''
I sighed and cleared my head of any lingering embarrassment, giving the girl my own farewell. ''Goodnight.''
''Phew, that Laeticia sure was a lively girl.''
When I reached my room I crashed on top of my bed, delighting myself with the softness of the pillows. It was a strange sensation I was experiencing. With how I've been training my body the past couple months I had developed quite the amount of stamina and yet this day left me without any energy. While I didn't put my body through much physical activity perhaps hanging out with someone and having fun was something I quite frankly wasn't used to.
This was the first time I could remember just hanging out with someone and having an honestly good time.
It was… vexing in its own way.
Somehow… it also felt wrong as well.
''Huh?'' Before I could delve more into this, I felt something heat up in my pocket.
When I checked what was going on my eyes went wide in surprise. It was the magic parchment that Sona gave me for the mission. A palm sized piece of paper escribed with an intricate magic seal.
Finding Loup Garou would be hard if I just searched blindly so she procured me this thing. From what she told me it's meant to react if Loup Garou is anywhere near in the area, getting hotter and hotter the closer I was to him.
The thing that really confused me was the timing. Sona told me he would be arriving in three days, so this was happening way too early. This threw me for a loop as I contemplated what I should do.
As I kept thinking things through, I noticed a familiar person sitting on the chair in front of the window, looking skeptically at me.
''So what are you going to do?'' Archer wasn't his usual jerk self, he was serious about this.
I stood up from the bed and walked in front of him, shoving my arm into his head phasing through it. It was an odd sight to see but I had to get my coat and he was sitting on it.
After I got my coat I decided to answer his question. ''Well, Sona didn't mention anything about him arriving early, so I might as well just finish this job in advance.''
Truth be told I knew far too little of what's going on to take any risks. When Sona gave me a briefing about this whole mission, while she did give me a lot of important information about it, there were also many important factors that she was unable to find out. Things like why Loup Garou was coming to Paris in the first place or how long he planned to stay around.
For all I know he may have only some small errand to take care off and once it's done he will be off on his way. If I don't go and talk to him now I might just lose my only chance to do so thus wasting my time and Sona's money for nothing.
''No she didn't.'' Archer wryly smiled as he began turning into molts of light. ''Have fun stalking the guy.''
I grit my teeth at the obviously implication of his remark but let it go. ''Whatever, I have a job to do.''
My eyes kept throbbing violently as I stared at the place I ended up in after tracking him down.
The search itself actually went well to be honest. I used the paper charm as my compass for which direction I had to follow and it didn't take me too long before I actually caught sight of my target. It also helped that Sona showed me a picture of his appearance before I left so it was easy to spot him out from the crowds of people enjoying themselves in the downtown area.
Unfortunately the man in question noticed that someone was on his tail, and wasn't in any mood for whatever I may want from him. Before I even got the chance to call him out he bolted through the alleyways to make me lose track of him.
While the charm did help me keep a general grasp of his location, if he got too far away it wouldn't work anymore. With that in mind I rushed after him and was struggling to keep up with him.
At one point I reached some shady looking back alley area and I saw him walk into some underground establishment.
When I walked down the stairs some bald buff guy asked me for some ID. While I did realize he was a bouncer and what he was doing wasn't something unheard of, I was rushing so much that I didn't even think to why he was asking me for my ID.
It was only after he let me inside and I saw where I ended up in that the gears began spinning in my head and I just wanted to smack myself.
Of all the places I could have ended up in, how did it turn out to be a strip club?
This was my first time in a night club, no scratch that, it was first my time in a club period and I wasn't enjoying the atmosphere in it one bit. The music was so loud I couldn't hear my thoughts, the smell of cigars permeating in the air were choking me, the multicolored light show being performed in the dark dance floor was distracting, and the inability to move around properly from all the people being everywhere were giving me a headache.
If that wasn't bad enough there were several miniature podiums where stripper poles were installed and various scantily clad women were dancing lewdly while occasionally taking off some of their already minimal wardrobe when the money started raining in on the scene.
Never in my life did I struggle so much keep my eyes glued to the floor.
I'm not sure if Loup Garou did this on purpose to get rid of me but it was effective nonetheless. In such a small and crowded area with such poor lighting it was near impossible to spot him.
At this rate I was bound to lose track of him.
There had to be some way to find him again.
Looking around I spotted the bar where fortunately the lights were placed so I could see around it. I walked over to the bartender and called the man out. ''Excuse me, I'm looking for someone.''
The bartender eyed me from head to toe and I felt a shiver run down my back, feeling like he was trying to undress me with his eyes. While I didn't want to judge or go by stereotypes, the clothes and accessories he was sporting was making me believe he was pitching for the other team. ''Does that someone have a name or face?''
The flamboyant and pitched voice he had didn't make me feel any better either but there was no use in losing time over such small details. ''Tall, very buff, white hair and yellowish eyes, a bit older than me.''
''Sorry sugar but the only white haired men I saw tonight were mostly old timers with too much change in their pockets.'' The man explained as he cleaned one of the shot glasses. When he was done he pointed with his thumb to the end corner of the bar. ''Heck one of them left that poor gal there and now she's drowning her sorrows.''
This made me curious as I looked to where he pointed and was a bit taken aback. There was a silver haired girl there with her face flat on the bar top, with a multitude of empty bottles surrounding her.
Seeing this girl in such a sorry state didn't feel right with me. All alone with nothing but booze to get rid of whatever troubles she was dealing with.
I was half tempted to go and talk with her but I had to find Loup Garou before I completely lost track of him.
''Wahhhhh…'' Just as I was about walk away the pitiful sobbing coming from the girl made me stop in my tracks. I reached for the charm in my pocket and clicked my teeth as it was lukewarm.
However as important as this task was, I just couldn't walk away like this.
I did a spin on my heels and walked over to the girl at the bar, tapping her on the shoulder. ''Umm, miss are you okay?''
There was a visible twitch from her body when she took notice of me, instantly lifting her head and facing me. ''D-Do I luk okey?''
When I caught a clear sight of her face my mind froze for a moment, I felt like I was in awe at the ephemeral beauty before me. It was the first time I ever saw such beautiful aqua colored eyes, entrancing me with their color. I may have seen her silver hair from afar but now that I was up close I saw how alluring it truly was. While her clothes consisted of a simple business suit, it honestly did nothing to stop it from emphasizing her perfectly shaped body. There wasn't a single blemish on her pale flawless skin and her looks easily stood out from the masses. Age wise I think she was roughly around my own, if not perhaps a few years older than me.
The moment of awe was short lived though, as the smell of alcohol in her breath was like a smack over my face and woke me up from my trance. It took a lot of self-control from me not to cringe and grab my nose before finally answering her. ''No, you don't.''
Well… it wasn't like I wasn't expecting her not to be drunk given how many bottles she had emptied around her.
I can only pray she isn't anything like Iri when she drinks. The memory of an intoxicated Irisviel von Einzbern will haunt me for the rest of my life. Last time she got totally drunk Kiritsugu ended up missing his pants. Not only that but his shirt was shredded, one of the sleeves looked partially burnt, hickeys were plastered all over his chest, long gashes on his legs that required stitches, and eyes that looked haunted by unspeakable things. From then on it became an unwritten law of the Emiya household that Iri must never be allowed to get drunk ever again.
''Den wy ask?'' her drunken state was making her words come out in a rather slurped sounding manner, her facial expressions were also rather… odd to say the least.
I sighed as I took a seat next to her, at this point the mission had already failed for tonight. Might as well try to do at least one good thing out of this wild goose chase. ''Do you want to talk about it?''
The girl's eyes became waterfalls when she heard my offer. ''Yesssssss!''
''… And den dat wrinkled ass of a boss is like 'Gee lass, you ain't gonna get yourself a man with dat cheapskate attitude!' and I jast wanted to kick him in his shaggy balls for it.'' The girl raged as she chugged down another bottle.
I only stared silently at her as I took a sip out of my own glass. Just juice, after all I was still a minor even though my ID's for this mission may have said otherwise.
From what I was able to understand from her rants this girl apparently is working as an assistant to some old and very influential man that pretty much enjoys living his life and making hers difficult. Something along the lines of taking care of his messes while he goes out on erotic escapades.
Such was the case tonight.
Her boss was in Paris on business and decided to get some fun when he had some free time, and unlike the normal tourists that visit museums or local attractions, this guy decided to check out the city's red light district and came here for a small strip show.
From what I gather from the girl and the bartender, the man was getting annoyed at his assistant nagging him, complaining that what he does is improper for a man of his status and he was setting a bad example so in return he said something that really hurt her. This remark caused her to pretty much just chug down a drink out of sheer frustration and depression with things continuing to degenerate from there.
Now from what the bartender told me, the drink he served her had very little alcohol in it. So even if she drank a lot of it the chances of it making you dead drunk were almost nonexistent with some small exceptions.
This woman apparently was one of those exceptions. As it turned out she was a light weight among light weights when it came to holding your liquor and so it instantly went straight to her head.
If that wasn't sad enough what did her boss do when he saw that his assistant was drunk?
He left her by herself and went off to some other club.
In all honesty I don't really blame the girl that just kept drinking herself to excess since then. While not a solution or a good move at all, I could understand her plight on a certain level.
From how she kept complaining about all of the shit her boss puts her through I speculate that all of that stress just reached the breaking point and she just wanted something to get rid of it all. While drinking her problems away in a strip club wasn't really a good idea, I couldn't fully blame her if things were as bad as she said.
As her detailed roast of her boss went on she slammed her fist against the counter, the bottles on it rattled from the force almost falling down. ''So wat if I alwaiz hunt for dizcounts and buy cheep stuff, is it wong tring to save money?!''
This question was directed at me specifically, if how she grabbed my shirt and looked me directly in the eyes while she sobbed was any indication. ''Not really… I think it's amazing to be an economic person and not waste money when it isn't needed.''
I wasn't sure if my answer was a good or bad one since she started crying even more as she began hugging me like I was a long lost family member. ''Whaaaaa! You're zuch a niz guy!'' she wailed like a child. ''Vere were you ven the kids at school picked on me!''
There wasn't much I could really do or say, I just patted her on the back in soothing manner and allowed her to let go of all of the pent up emotions and stress she had.
As the girl in my arms kept sobbing I realized something crucial. When it hit me I wanted to smack myself. ''This might be a bit late but I never caught your name.''
The girl pulled back and stared at me with half lidded eyes, her expression having jumped from crying to a straight deadpan. ''Well duhhh, I never drew it at ye!''
Dealing with drunken people was really something I didn't enjoy doing. ''So, what is it?''
''Randgrid… No, vait, dat's some other bitch.'' She began muttering as she kept scratching her head.
My eyes began twitching as I saw this… was she really so drunk that she forgot her own name?
''Rossie Vice… nahhh dat's not it either… Rossa Vaisa… Rosie Swiss… oh fuck it, just call meh Rose.'' She snarked as she chugged another drink, staring at me with dazzled eyes when she was done. ''What about ye laddie?''
''Emiya Shirou…''
''Emiyaaaa Shirouuuuu?!'' Rose slurped my name in a very disturbing manner. ''Dat sure don sound French to meh.''
''… I'm Japanese.''
''Japanese!''
It was curious how suddenly sparkles lit up in her eyes when she heard that. Awe and admiration all radiating from her. It certainly made me feel awkward. ''I-is there a problem with me being Japanese?''
''Problem?! Dat's awesome!'' she cheered in approval. ''Ye have 100 yen stores in Japan right?!''
''Yeah, we do…''.
''I'm so jealous!'' she snapped as her fist kept slamming on the counter over and over again in a fit of drunken rage. ''Back home we ain't got good shit like dat!''
Never did I felt my head feel like it was getting crushed in a vice as Rose kept telling me how amazing 100 yen shops are while shaking me back and forth. As well as that it's her dream to visit many of them if she ever visits Japan one day.
I honestly didn't even have a clue what was going on anymore. How did this discussion shift from complaining about her boss to breaking down with facts and studies to why 100 yen shops are the most revolutionary concept ever made in history was beyond me.
A part of me was actually regretting that I only ordered juice and not something with more of a kick to it. I thought that my mind was used to nagging and already tempered by it from my everyday life with Sella but I was unware of the other threats out in this world, like the ongoing drunken rant I was currently experiencing now.
I needed some time alone to put some order in my mind and figure out what I will even do regarding Rose. ''Umm, I'll be right back.''
The moment I tried lifting myself from the chair Rose latched onto my arm as if it was lifeline, trying to hold me down while crying rivers of tears. ''Don't leave meeeeh!''
''I'm just going to the bathroom.'' I tried excusing myself, while I didn't like leaving her like this I had to get mind in order first.
''Take meh with ye!''
The fact that she said that was bad enough, the dead serious look she had only made things worse. ''Rose…''
''I won't peek!'' she further pursed only making the situation even more awkward.
A tired sigh escaped my lips as I tried to make her understand. ''Look, I will be gone just for a couple of minutes, when I'm done I will rush right back.''
''Promise?'' she asked with sobbing eyes.
''I promise.''
''Pinky promise?''
''Pinky promise.''
''Swear on yer manwood!''
How I didn't just face palm at that moment was beyond me. ''… I swear on my manhood.''
The silver haired girl pouted like a child but eventually gave in. ''…Fine, go before something busts in ya.''
I dashed to the bathroom and washed my face at one of the sinks. The situation certainly wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. As much as I wanted to go back and search for Loup Garou I just couldn't leave Rose like this.
Perhaps I could convince her to let me take her back to the hotel she's staying at. If I can get her there and make sure she falls asleep without any troubles I could then get back to work.
Right… that should work.
With a plan set in mind I rushed back to Rose, hoping that she wasn't sobbing anymore.
My eyes narrowed dangerously when I reached the bar counter, there were currently three guys circling around Rose. Normally I wouldn't be this affected by this, but the predatory look in their eyes was making me feel that they weren't there just to chat or have a drink together.
The one in the middle was giving Rose an easygoing smile, but it was clearly a fake as he tried to sweet talk her. ''Come on babe, we just want to have a fun time.''
''Nahhhh!'' Rose shouted in annoyance, eyes half lidded and bored. ''Ye guyz look all rapie and shit.''
Her reaction made the men click their teeth while they tried to maintain their friendly act and smiles. I didn't like where this was going so I stepped in. ''Sorry gentlemen, but I'm afraid the lady is with me.''
To say that my interference in the discussion wasn't well received would have been an understatement.
''Buzz off Jap!'' The apparent leader of the bunch snapped at me. ''We've been watching her all night and you just came over a while ago, we have dibs.''
My brow arched as I hear this little bit of information.
''All night huh?'' I remarked while still keeping my smile. ''So I take it you've been waiting until she was too drunk to cause any trouble?''
My deduction had more of an effect than I predicted, while the leader was still able to keep his demeanor, his cohorts on the other hand didn't have the same level of self-control and flinched nervously.
''Seems I was spot on.'' I went on as I stepped in front of Rose who was probably too drunk to understand what was going on. While I didn't want to start anything here the men were obviously in the mood for a fight no matter what I said or did. Unfortunately I was also in the middle of a club of all things, and couldn't use any magecraft on them… though now that I thought about it even if I were in a different location I still couldn't do much. I had been trying and failing at learning hypnosis from Sella so getting out of a messy situation like this the magus way wouldn't really work anyway.
As things stood I might as well at least change the focus of these guys attention on me and me alone so they don't try anything with Rose. My voice took on a wry tone as my smile turned into a full on sneer as I goaded them. ''Must be sad that you have to wait for a girl to be drunk enough to respond to your advances.''
The reaction was instant.
''Ok, guys lets break his face.'' The leader said visibly angry as his friends circled me. He threw a large swing at my face. It was far too large and poorly thrown for me to even block, I simply ducked and allowed the man's strike to pass by. Unfortunately for him because he used too much momentum in his swing he wasn't able to stop himself once he realized that I dodged, his fist came into contact with one of the bottles on the counter, smashing through it, and cutting himself in several places causing blood to gush from the cuts on his hand. ''SON OF A BITCH! WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR, GET HIM!'
The two lackeys woke up from their shocked stupor, starting to throw fists left and right in order to beat me up. Once again there wasn't any need for me to block any of them instead I just casually dodged them, hoping they would soon tire themselves out without any need for me to hurt them.
The one thing that I miscalculated however was that I was in a public place where there were dozens of people was crammed together. As I kept dodging one of my aggressors hit one of the many people dancing and a real problem soon began to spark.
Soon one by one the people around got involved in our squabble and they started fighting as well. With the low lights and loud music it was hard to tell who hit who in this place. The people began fighting among themselves, the dance floor turning into a general brawl area.
This only made me angry at myself with how badly I messed up and got more people involved in this mess. I dodged another punch while also glanced to the side to check on Rose at the counter hoping that at the very least she was ok. When I saw her I felt a sweat drop form on my brow, my eye twitching at what I saw. ''Wowwwww, guys are fightin' ova me! This is the best night eva! Woohoo!''
Well at least one of us was having fun…
The boss of the trio seemed like he didn't have enough and faced me once again. We were right next to one of the strip podiums and he looked beyond pissed. He pulled out a pocket knife and rushed at me, the clear intent to stab me screaming in his eyes.
I clicked my teeth in annoyance and prepared to disarm him, while quickly checking my surroundings making sure that no one will get caught up in the clash.
To my surprise and confusion the man suddenly fell down like a puppet that had its strings cut. I looked up at the podium and saw one of the strippers holding onto the neck of the bottle she just broke on my would be murderer's head.
The look on her face was mixture of annoyance and exhaustion. ''Damn pigs. They just never learn.''
She threw the remainder of the bottle aside and then shifted her focus towards me. I instantly averted my eyes and tried my best not to look directly at her considering her rather small, flashy, and rather see through clothes she wore for her dancing number. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights so I tried making a little bit of small talk as I dodged any random punches and kicks coming at me. ''Ummm, thanks for the help miss, uh…''
She narrowed her strong purple eyes and gave me a bemused smile. ''Penelope, and no problem kid, that sleaze bag had it coming for a while.''
''Won't you get in trouble for hitting a client?'' I remarked as I dodged a bottle thrown in my direction.
She clicked her teeth and threw her long purple hair to the side. ''Please, that guy has been harassing our girls for as long as I can remember. In fact he was on the bars ban list, plus he never tipped for the dances.''
Just as I was about to remark how wrong that sounded I felt someone jump on my back and wrap their legs around my waist. Luckily I didn't instantly react as it turned out to be a familiar silver haired girl. ''Heyyy, don' ya go flirtin' with other women with meh here!''
Similar to an annoyed mother she started pulling my cheeks and I couldn't help but be shocked how strong she was in spite of how delicate she looked. ''R-Roze ztop that!''
The interaction between Rose and I seemed to make Penelope simply stare in front of her for a moment, before eventually resulting with her chuckling at what she was witnessing smiling at us while speaking. ''The bartender called the police and they will be here any minute. I can tell you're a good guy so take that gal out of here, this place isn't good for her, she's far too innocent for this place. There's a back door over there.''
I took a second and considered what was going on, with how things were quickly escalating in here it was only a matter of time before everything went completely to hell and if I got involved with the police things will only become further complicated. The last thing I wanted was to call Sona telling her that I'm in a jail cell at a French police station. ''Thanks!''
I dashed through the crowd to the door the stripper pointed at, once I went through it, I ran up a staircase while trying to keep the struggling Rose from falling off my back. ''Heyyyy, I didn' get to kick any pricks in the dick!
''You can do that later!'' I almost snapped at her as we reached the surface and appeared in some back alley. Once we were out on the street I was able to breathe a bit in ease, hearing the police sirens blaring in the distance. It seemed I managed to get out in the nick of time.
''Well that happened…'' I muttered unsure of how things escalated like this.
Rose on the other hand seemed to perceive all that happened in a completely different manner. ''Dat was super fun!''
''Of course it was…'' I sighed as I slowly made my way to the main street and fortunately there weren't any people around so I didn't have to deal with any other possible misunderstandings. My legs stopped mid step as I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to even go. ''So Rose, where's your hotel?''
The girl on my back was silent for a few seconds before letting out a confused groan. ''Uhhh… so ye like go right, walk ten meters, den turn left, den walk five meters back, den jump a fence and… fuck it I can't remember.''
I would have face palmed at this but my hands were already busy holding onto Rose so she didn't slide off me. ''It's never easy is it?'' ''
''Nopeeee!'' she replied in a sing song voice.
Why do I even bother?
Not even a minute later I narrowed my eyes as I felt the girl on my back being a bit too familiar with me. ''Rose.''
''Yesssss?'' she responded while trying to pretend being innocent.
''Can you stop feeling my hands?''
''But dey're soooo strong.''
My left eye just throbbed in annoyance. ''I can't carry you like that…'''
''Yer no funnnn.'' She pouted like a small child.
I didn't get to take even a single step forward as the girl on my back seemed that she didn't really give up on what she was doing. ''Rose…''
''Yessss?''
''If I didn't like you feeling my arms do you think I would like you doing it to my belt area instead?''
''I gotta hold onta something!''
''… Fine, let's go back to the hands.''
''Yayyyyy!''
This night was just getting more and more exhausting. ''Ok, since I have no way to find out where your hotel is we will go to mine and you can stay at my room until you sober up.''
To my own confusion Rose started playing with my hair and swirling her finger on my cheek. ''Ohhhhh, ye don' lose time don'cha?''
''Are all drunk girls like this?''
''Trust me some are worse.'' Archer threw in his own two cents, but to my own surprise he was dead serious. ''The worst kind are the tiger women and the dreaded tsundere.''
''Unless you have any good advice for my current predicament either give it or leave me alone.''
''Hmmm, in this particular set of events I do have one good piece of advice. ''
''And that is?'' I honesty was in desperate need for any bit of help right now.
''Wear protection.''
''I hate you.''
As I kept walking and mentally bickering with Archer, Rose suddenly started convulsing.
''S-shirou…'' she muttered weakly, drops of sweat dropping from her face on my back. ''Something isn't right.''
''Rose what's wrong?!''
''I think I will… I will…'' She suddenly went stiff and silent before she let out a pained gargle. ''Bleaghh!''
…
There was a heavy silence around us that followed.
The only thing that could be heard was the sound of chunky liquids dripping from my neck to my back on the road.
In retrospect, perhaps I should have factored in that Rose might get sick from the stuff she drank but I wouldn't have ever imagined that it would only hit her now of all times. Perhaps it was from me rushing like a mad man with her on my back that really stirred things up in her.
As such my theory that I have a shit luck keeps being further confirmed.
At this point I was far too mentally exhausted to even get mad at the poor girl. ''…Feeling better?''
''Noooooo!''
''I'm starting to enjoy this vacation.''
''Fuck off Archer!''
''Well that blazer is ruined.'' I sighed as I placed the dirty piece of clothing in the tub, leaving it there so I could clean it a bit later.
By some miracle we managed to get back to my hotel room without any further incidents.
I was never a fan of drinking but after tonight I probably will swear off excessive drinking for as long as I live. While I'm not against the concept of drinking alcohol, if I could end up throwing up my guts on someone I'd rather not drink at all.
I knew Rose didn't mean it and she probably feels very sick at the moment so I will try not to bring it up until she sobers up.
Actually it may be best if I just never bring it up again period. Telling that I got puked on isn't something that I would like people knowing.
In any case I will have to clean my blazer once Rose is asleep. On second thought I will clean my blazer second, Rose's clothes also got dirty so it should come first. She was too drunk to even notice it, and if that wasn't enough she was even far too drunk to unbutton it.
My face felt like it was burning when I took it off for her. While it was obvious enough that she was rather gifted in the chest department even with the jacket on, once it was off she was even bigger than I initially thought, probably even bigger than Liz, and that was saying something.
Fortunately her dress shirt wasn't dirty and I didn't have to take that one off as well even though Rose seemed disappointed that I didn't try to for some reason.
When I walked out of the bathroom I saw Rose splattered all over the bed, while she was still rather pale she did appear to have calmed down to some extent. That was a good sign at the very least.
All that's left was for her to go to sleep. ''Rose you can take the bed and I will take the couch.''
''Heyyy, I don' wanna sleep alone!'' To say my idea didn't sit well with her was an understatement. She almost jumped off the bed, but she was still dizzy and fell back on it.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose in annoyance, but didn't falter in front of those beautiful eyes. ''Look, I will be on the couch in the other room. So Rose if you feel sick again or need anything at all just call me and I will be right there okay.''
''Fineeee ye big meanie!'' The silver haired girl pouted like a child as she buried her face in the pillow.
''Goodnight Rose.''
Not even a step out of the room and I heard her call out to me. ''Shirouuuu!''
''Yes?'' I tried smiling, but after this very long day my smile was quite strained.
''Can ye come her' a bit?''
I nodded and walked in front of the bed, hoping she wasn't sick again. ''What is it?''
''Comeee closerrrrrr.'' She gestured with her finger to do so.
''Whoa!'' Just when I was in her reach she grabbed onto my shirt and pulled me over her in the bed, wrapping her arms around my neck and locking her legs around mine so I had no chance to back away.
My mind just went blank for a moment trying to process what was going on with alarms started going all over in it as I saw the alluring expression present on her face.
''Ye know, I alwaz wanted to meet a nice and hamsome guy like ye.'' She pulled me in closer to her, our noses touching as our mouths were dangerously close to each other. ''And I ain't about to let ye escape!''
Omake: Back at Home
While it was late into the night in France where Shirou was currently facing his little crisis with Rose back at the hotel, meanwhile back home in Japan it was already morning.
As such in the Emiya house its residents where busy having their breakfast, all of them wondering about what their missing family member was doing all alone in France's most famous city.
Irisviel for one was enjoying her cup of coffee until she felt a sudden disturbance in the force, causing her eyes to snap open. ''My mama senses are tingling! Shirou must be facing a crisis involving a girl right now!''
This completely random and ridiculous remark caused a visible reaction from the other people presently enjoying their breakfast.
Illya choked on her food, Liz bit her tongue, and Sella cut her finger with the knife she was washing.
There was quite a bit of a nagging session when Shirou got back home just recently after being gone for two days. However it was fortunately short lived, when Shirou told Irisviel about his little mission in Paris she cut everything short and sent him to his room to prepare his luggage. Much to Sella's annoyance and throbbing eye as she was cut short from her intended lecture only getting to around half of what she wanted to say.
While it was not her place to judge her mistresses decisions more often than not she made choices that weren't befitting of a parent. ''Please don't joke like that, this is Shirou we are talking about.''
The smile on Irisviel spread all the way to her ears, reminiscent of a certain clown prince of crime. ''Exactly, this is Shirou we're talking about.''
Illya for one was slowly pushing her chair further and further away from her mother. ''Mama your smile is scaring me…''
The disturbing smile vanished and Irisviel chose to pout like a child instead. ''I can't help it, you have to keep in mind that he's in the City of Love. So just imagine Shirou meeting some nice local girl that would show him around the city and develop feelings for him, or perhaps goes and visit some local club where he meets a beautiful girl all alone in the utter grip of sorrow so Shirou starts comforting her which causes her to start falling for him.''
The ideas that Irisviel spouted certainly rubbed everyone else present the wrong way with Iylla visibly pouting and Leysritt even momentarily stopped eating. Sella however was obviously the most affected given how her brow was constantly twitching. ''Those are highly improbable scenarios madam.''
''Improbable, but not impossible.'' Irisviel sweetly chuckled.
This conversation was getting all more annoying for Sella so she chose to steer it to a more important topic. ''I'm still surprised you even let him go.''
''I think we can both agree that Shirou has been going through some rather stressful times recently, so this trip should be good for him.''
There was some truth in that Sella supposed, Shirou has been very engrossed in his training ever since he became involved with the supernatural. Between school, combat, physical training, magecraft lessons, and home chores the boy had little time to just take a moment and relax. She even caught him several times late in the night practicing projection, which made Sella fear that Shirou was neglecting his health with so little sleeping time.
While the timing and reasoning may not have been the best, Shirou did indeed need some time off from all of it. ''Even so… letting him go all alone might have been too much.''
''Shirou's a responsible young man, he can take care of himself. I have all the confidence in him.'' Irisviel puffed her chest out proudly.
Sella felt like she wanted a drink. ''Why do I even bother?''
''Jealous much?'' Liz remarked as she saw an opening to get under her sisters skin. While she wasn't a sadist, she did feel an unusual form satisfaction whenever she bugged and teased her sister.
''No, I'm not.'' Even if Sella denied it, the way her eye twitched didn't really support her claim.
''You sure seem like it.''
''Liz you're way too relaxed about this.''
''Nope, you're too stingy about it.''
''Alright then, how about this?'' Sella said as she was done with her sister's antics. She would hit her where she knew it would hurt Leysritt the most. ''Imagine that while you're here munching on the same foods you have been eating for years, Shirou is out there trying out all sorts of new delicious French delicacies.''
Liz took a second to process this.
The moment that image formed in her mind the words flew out of her mouth by themselves. ''Son of a bitch.''
Little did she know that words she uttered had aloud had just dug her own grave.
''Leysritt?'' Liz shivered as she heard Iri's sweet melodious voice. She called her by her full name, which was never a good sign. When she looked towards her she almost jumped back when she saw the eerie gleam in the eyes of the houses matriarch. ''Would you care to repeat that? I believe you are forgetting whose son Shirou is.''
The dots connected of what she had said and the subtle implication of her words. There was only one logical option left for the white haired maid.
Run like there was no tomorrow.
''Oh no you don't!'' The self-proclaimed God of the Emiya house would not let this sacrilege pass and she dashed right after her.
''I hope Onii-chan is at least having fun.'' Illya remarked stoically, trying to ignore what she just saw along with the cries of despair that was soon heard and followed by maniacal laughter afterwards.
''I can only hope he stays out of trouble.'' Sella added her own two cents, a sadistic satisfaction flowing through her as Liz was the one at the receiving end for a change.
It felt really gooooooood.
Author notes:
So another chapter is out and the new arc officially begins, sorry about the delay but it didn't really have much time to write since most of February I was busy with exams.
I probably need to prepare for a lot of flames in the reviews for making such a dick cliffhanger.
So this chapter was more of a breather than anything, introducing 2 of the 3 ladies I mentioned last time.
Everyone's favorite 100 yen shop enthusiast has made her debut early on compared to the canon and she's completely hammer. This should be a rough night with for Shirou, and not in a kinky way. Hope her drunk grammar wasn't too difficult to decipher.
I hope I can end this arc in 2 or 3 chapters so I can finally start the canon timeline which I think everyone wants me to do for a loooooooong time.
Disclaimer: I don't live in France nor did I ever visit it so if some of the stuff I wrote was wrong or inaccurate I apologize.
Devil may cry 5 has been out and I have to say I was quite satisfied with how it turned out. Especially story wise. I was quite surprised that V was Vergil. For some reason I imagined that V was Dantes son. Some kind of ironic plot point that the sons of the sons of Sparda being the ones to put an end to their fathers feud once and for all. In any case i liked how it ended, it gave a sort of conclusion for Dante and Vergil, while it wasn't outright making up, the way it was showcased felt very accurate in a sense given how they brothers are.
In fgo news I failed the shinjiku and the guda guda banners, but somehow by some kind of cosmic intervention I got a random Tamomo caster. I had to slap myself to double check that I wasn't delusional, yeah, rolled for a wrinkly old man and got myself a foxy waifu instead… am I the only one that finds irony in that? Mehh who cares I got Tamamo now :D
So CCC is right around the corner so it's time to mentally prepare myself for major salt.
In other fate news apparently prisma illya is getting a new installment called 'Prisma Phantasm'. Now I don't know the details but I speculate from the trailed that it will more of gag stories similar to the Carnival phantasm ones. If that is the case I'm all for it since prisma illya for all the underage fan service it gives, I still find it a good series. So if this series will be in that style I think it will be fine. (Though they should tone down the underage fan service and give side characters more screen time, I mean am I the only one who wants to see Irisviel pulling her shenanigans?)
What else… oh right. I realized I stopped answering reviews at the end of the chapters. I apologize for that and I will try to personally answer reviews when I have the time. I tend to avoid doing that since I tend go overboard with explanations.
Don't forget to review... no seriously review, I could use some constructive criticism.
