Chapter 3 : Cunning Partners

Week 1 Days Remaining : 4

Evening

"Master. You remember what we talked about yesterday evening, correct? Then I highly advise that you drain the campus of information every single day. Remember that when we enter the Arena, we will have to forfeit any further investigation for that day."

"Humans do not replicate their actions, so what you miss one day is gone forever. Make it a priority to investigate your environment and listen to others before anything else." Joker reminded his Master. This advice of his does come from experience, he does a lot of field work before they do any of their heist. And personally, it pays them really well.

Seeing the girl nodded her head in understanding. It put a smile on his face. "Great. Then let us initiate today's investigation." With that said, he returns to his spirit form, and has Hakuno lead the way as he follows through.

When they left the room and stood in the hallway. Something quickly intrigued their interest at the end of the hall. "Guess we're in luck. It seems our delicate little friend is engaged in some sort of dispute." Joker then glanced at his Master. "We might be able to learn something to our advantage. How about we head over there, shall we?"

Following his suggestion. Hakuno manages to track down Shinji. It looks like he's talking with someone right now.

"Have you been inside the Arena yet? Interesting place, isn't it? I thought it was amazing at first, but it's really primitive. It's like something you pulled from a story. I even saw a Master who managed to summon Armstrong." Shinji cracks a smirk on his face. "Sorry, I was just messing with you. I dig this theme or whatever else they have in mind. Overall the game's pretty well done."

"What's this? You actually manage to summon a decent Servant then. Asia's premier hacker, Shinji Matou?"

There was a condescending and prideful look on his face after hearing the title he's known for. "You know, I may have had to take crap from you in the past, but this time the winner is me! With her armada to back me up, I'm invincible. Nothing you can will be able to even touch me."

"Oho, you must be pretty confident to give out information about your Servant to an enemy, Matou." That elegant voice can only be Rin Tousaka's. Only she can crush Shinji's pride with a word. The man's face goes bright red as he suddenly realizes how big of a mistake he just made.

"Err...y-yeah. Yeah, that's right! One-sided fights bore me, so think of this as a gift! B-but is it really?! I might just be lying. You might want to forget what I said." Shinji tried to shove the topic off, however, his body language and shaking voice is failing him to achieve that goal.

"That is true. A single word would never expose a Servant's true name, after all. However, a class that controls an armada and is tied to a ship will thin out candidates' names." Rin then put a finger under her chin. "How will she attack? Bombardment, or frontal assault? It'll definitely be physical in nature."

"Gah…" Was the only word that escaped Shinji's mouth.

Rin's smile seeing the man's panicking face. "Well, I guess the only thing left for me to do is prepare for many great physical barriers." As she said that. Shinji's face goes from bright red to a terrifying shade of blue right before Hakuno's eyes.

This is exactly what Joker talked about yesterday. Once anyone learns something about an enemy Servant, they can begin to make plans to defeat them. If both sides are strong, but only one side plans, the results of the battle would be obvious. There is no doubt that Hakuno perfectly understands what it means by knowledge is power.

"Oh, one more thing. I wonder if the Invincible Armada might be relevant to anything. I mean, others will start making reference to that, right? Won't that piss off your Servant?"

"W-well...Whatever. Knowledge means nothing if you can't do anything with it. There's a good chance that you and I will never have to face each other." With that final pathetic attempt at a comeback. Shinji turns and starts walking away. And of course, he is heading in her direction. As she wasn't hiding, the man saw her right off.

"You…! You weren't there the entire time, were you? WERE YOU?" Sweat began forming on his forehead as the situation turned from bad to worse. "H-heh… Well, it's not like you can stop the Invincible Arm-! Err...I mean my Servant…" He then force to show his signature smirk at her.

"Whatever...my victory is all but assured. Catch you later. Oh, and try not to disappoint me."

With that he leaves in a hurry. Hakuno wondered if he's okay. It looked like he couldn't walk straight at all. "It seems that there are a great many Masters who don't understand the stakes involved." Rin let out a sigh before leaving without saying anything to her.

"Poor guy, that was a huge mistake on his part." Joker left his spirit form after confirming that it was safe. And the way he's wagging away. It reminds him of someone who bravely eats that Russian roulette takoyaki. "Still it's as the Ice queen said. He doesn't have a clue how important information is in this war."

"Though difficult, it is vital that we scour the Arena and the campus for valuable information. We won't let the mistake he did happen to us." Joker was about to turn to ether. But stop after almost forgetting something. "Oh, and keep up the great work." He sounded so impressed by her.

After a little bit of exploration inside the campus. The two went inside the Arena and trained for an hour. Hakuno feels that she's getting stronger every time they defeat an enemy with ease. Additionally, they also collected a pile of loot inside the chest found in the dungeon.

There was this blue crystal she didn't know what it was called. Different types of remedy. Miscellaneous items. And the most out of place of them all is the brown scarf that has a phoenix symbol printed in it. Since clothes are used to wear, naturally, Hakuno put it around her neck.

Its soft texture and warm sensation. She may have found a new favorite piece of cloth to wear. She looks cool with it right? Though she wonders if it would be weird for her to wear it outside the Arena. When asked about it, Joker gives out his compliment to her, saying that it only added to her natural beauty.

Of course, she got embarrassed by his praise. It was fluttering to hear but that won't save him from what he did yesterday! Regardless, there must be something more to this scarf, after all they found it inside a dungeon of all places.

Still she can sense that there is something special with this scarf. Perhaps she can ask Rin about it when she has time.

Week 1 Days Remaining : 3

Midday

Walking through campus, Hakuno can see various NPCs, who appear as busy students, among the Masters. Not only do the NPCs look slightly different, but their behavior seems a little off. Maybe it's their lack of a soul. To them, this battle is just a string of data variables.

Within a small group of gathered Masters, one person stands out like a sore thumb. "Oh, it's you. So you qualified for the actual tournament as well. I believe that I remarked that we would meet again." It's none other than Leo. The force of his presence overwhelms his seemingly innocent appearance.

Before, it felt like he was a wolf let loose in the chicken coop. Now, Hakuno feels out of place. And he isn't alone. Behind him stands a shadowy figure radiating the same aura of strength. The figure is clad in armor and armed with a sword. His aura marks him as a Servant!

"Oh, Gawain? Ah, how forgetful of me." Leo glanced behind him before returning his gaze to her. "Gawain. Introduce yourself."

"I am his servant, Gawain. I am pleased to meet you, and hope you will be a worthy foe." As the armored figure nods in greeting, an enigmatic smile forms on his lips. He is the exemplar of knighthood and, though a Servant, has the same bearing as his Master.

Sir Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round Table mentioned in the Legend of King Arthur. It's said his prowess rivaled King Arthur's and his Holy Sword was equal in power to Excalibur.

There is doubt that he is a Saber-class Servant. It won't be too hard to learn about him. Hakuno thought that maybe she will discover a weakness of his. Although it's strange, she knows that Leo is aware of how much information he gives to her.

And yet he seems unconcerned.

It's obvious that he chooses not to concern himself with such things as subtlety or tactics. For him, if something is destined to be revealed, then so be it. From his point of view, his victory is all assured; his superiority over others reinforced every day since he was born.

"I must take my leave now. I hope to see you again. Please fight with honor and pride." With a polite bow, Leo and his Servant turn and depart. Leaving her somewhat dumbfounded.

"Leo…!? I knew one of the Harways would be here, but the scion of the family himself." Hearing Rin's murmured comment. The murderous glare that she shot at Leo was almost palpable. "The power of the Holy Grail. I guess the plutocrats of Europe see a threat in SERAPH. But still, to risk him...Oh well, what was burrowed on Earth will be repaid in Heaven."

"Things just got more interesting, although my power as a magus is far superior to his!" Though Hakuno is getting the feeling that Leo has little concern for those like them. Without so much as saying hi, the now fire-up Rin Tohsaka almost seems to stomp away.

Perhaps she should spend some time looking into Gawain's background. Hakuno then makes an appointment to head to the library later.

Week 1 Days Remaining : 3

Evening

Before heading to the library. Hakuno looked for Rin first. She still has an inquiry about the scarf she found and she's the only Master she knows that will be kind enough to answer her. As she found her, the girl reminded her that she's not looking to be friends with her, but the girl let out a defeated sigh after seeing her saddened face.

Asking about the item she found in the Arena. Rin explained to her that the scarf is a formal wear. It contains code that a magus can use in battle, basically it's a kind of spell implanted in a dress, but it first needs an incantation from the magi to activate it.

It's the same as what Shinji uses against Joker. From what she remembers, Joker said that it was a Code Cast. Rin then told her that she only needs to read the code, similar to incantation of magic spells, then direct it in the place where she wants to use it.

Grateful for the girl's help. Hakuno offered her the premium roll cake she bought at the school's canteen. Much to Rin's embarrassment and pride, she denied the offer before leaving her alone.

Letting out a disappointed sigh. She then headed straight to the library.

Entering the room. The girl searched the shelves until she was greeted by Shinji Matou near the entrance. "Hey, look who the cat dragged in. I never expected to run into you. Oh, who am I kidding?! I'm just messing with you. The library is the best place to find info. I know all about you, so I expect you to go all out against me."

"But enough about me. It looks like you're having a hell of a time finding the book you want. Unfortunately for you, I've thoughtfully taken every book about my Servant and hid them! I thought you'd have more fun this way. I hid everything somewhere in the Arena."

"I wonder if a weaksauce Master like you will be able to find them. By the way, what does your Servant want in return for helping you? Money, right? I knew it! Do your best...while you still can!" Shinji let out a laugh on his own comment.

"Whelp, see you around and good luck. I hope you'll put up a little more of a fight the next time we meet in the Arena. You're starting to bore me!" With that, Shinji left the room. Leaving the girl stupefied.

"Put up a fight, huh?" Hakuno heard from Joker who's watching the premise in his spirit form. "The seventh...Hmph. There is no need to put the spotlight on us when the time is not right." He murmured. The girl quietly nodded her head in agreement.

Returning to the task on hand. Hakuno saw Leo who just finished reading a novel. When she approached him, the young man asked her if she already accepted that their previous school life was nothing but a convenient farce.

He then offered an explanation about what happened back there. The girl was eager to hear what it was since she's very curious about it. Leo started by asking what a reality marble is.

It's a thaumaturgical technique whereby one space is transformed into a completely different space. Some Servants are able to generate reality marble. But it takes a great deal of energy to sustain a reality marble, most only last for a few minutes. The school that housed prelims happened to be a reality marble generated by the Holy Grail. Beside the school as it appeared in the prelims, the current school, the Arena, and the Coliseum. All are individual reality marbles created by the incredible magic of the Holy Grail.

And to give her the idea of just how powerful the Holy Grail is. Even the most advanced supercomputer couldn't sustain one reality marble this length of time. All the participants in the Holy Grail War had their memories wiped out upon entering. Then, the Holy Grail's reality marble gave all the participants school personas to inhabit.

Masters had a time limit of four days to realize that they had been tricked into playing a role. Potential Masters had to pass that basic test to enter into the Holy Grail War. Leo then let out a chuckle and commented that Tohsaka seemed to shake off her yoke very quickly. He then also pointed out that Ms. Fujimura and Issei Ryuudo aren't Masters. They are NPCs with specific roles.

The Masters who did not break free of fantasy were dealt death. Though they met a tragic end, the Holy Grail War itself is a lengthy process of culling the weak. Finishing his explanation, he ended it with a piece of advice for her to take.

"Learn all you can. I assure you the information will benefit you greatly later on." He said before indulging himself back to the many books waiting for him to read.

Giving him thanks. Hakuno returned to her search on the shelf. After some time of navigating to many titles, she found the book she's looking for. About Sir Gawain. Though the girl felt bad using the boy's own advice against him.

One of the major knights mentioned in the Arthurian cycle and often thought to be King Arthur's nephew. Equal in skill to Lancelot, he served as an adviser to Arthur. He was at odds with Lancelot due to his slaying both of Gawain's brothers.

Due to his overwhelming nobility and youthful impetuousness, he placed his family above all else. It was Sir Gawain's hatred of Lancelot that eventually led to his and Arthur's eventual downfall. It was in the Battle of Camlann that Sir Gawain fell, slain by Sir Lancelot.

Learning a little bit about Leo's Servant. This may be a great reference if they even fought them.

As she left the library and was about to head to the Arena. Hakuno heard an electronic noise from her stash. Removing it, she saw a new message on her portable terminal. 'The second cipher key has been generated on the second floor.'

Now that the second key has been created. The pressure of the coming duel is getting into her. She needs to get it before the battle three days from now on.

As she was distracted from her thoughts. She didn't notice the man behind her. It was Father Kotomine calling her name, congratulating her for getting the first key, and then informing her about the chapel. Something about their service of strengthening Servants. That caught her interest and decided to make a detour before heading to the Arena.

Hakuno pushes open the heavy door to the chapel and goes inside, where it is dark and eerily silent. She is getting the strange feeling that this place is completely cut off from the rest of the world. There's no one in the pews. As she gets used to the dim light, a flash of colors hurts her eyes.

Those two women, they don't act like sisters. But something is very strange about them. She couldn't tell if they are Servants, Masters, or NPCs radiating with incredible aura.

"Hey there, welcome to the chapel. You're here to perform an Alteration of the Soul?" Greet by the one who has long ember red hair. She then introduces herself as Aoko Aozaki.

"Ah, you're that… What was it again? That's odd, I can't remember the last time I forgot something. Well it's not like the details matter. And the more test subjects the better, I always say." The one with short blue hair and smoking cigarettes commented before clearing her throat.

She introduces herself as Touko Aozaki.

"Welcome to the Eden of the East. I assume you are here for an Alteration of the Soul?"

"Alteration of the Soul?" Hakuno looks puzzled as Touko says that. Realizing she has no clue as to how to answer, she continues talking.

"You don't know what the Alteration of the Soul is, but you came here anyway? We have an amateur over here." Aoko commented with a smirk on her face.

"Alteration of the Soul? What is it, you ask? Hmm." Touko puffed out a cloud of smoke from her cigar. "Simply put, you link your soul to your Servant's. When a Master's power increases, we can strengthen the link. That's done by hacking into each soul and choosing what to improve."

Still a little confused on what it was. Joker appeared on her side and explained it a little more. So basically, Servants have parameter rules that they follow. It gives value to a Servant's stats like strength, magic, endurance, agility, and luck. The greater the value is on the assigned stats, the more effective it will become.

He also noted that it's important to visit this place before the Elimination battle.

"Well, it's like my sister said. My job is to perform Alterations made possible by various events."

Sisters? Hakuno couldn't not help but to wonder. Are these two really related? She was about to ask if they were really sisters, but a sudden wave of hatred from the two stopped her.

"You get the gist of it, right? If you want to do an Alteration of the Soul, let me know. As for that creature over there, she's totally useless, like 8-track tapes or the C:\ prompt." Aoko said with an insulting smirk on her face toward the woman beside her.

"And you're lower than dirt. Don't screw up or the Moon Cell will come down on you...again."

Aoko's face flushed after hearing that comment from Touko. "Gah! How many times do I have to tell you that the Master was at fault...that time!" For some reason, she doesn't sound so convincing at all. "They specifically told me to do quasi-legal Alterations, so I added a few...extra skills."

"Laugh now, but it wouldn't be funny to the one who lost because of your towering incompetence. Listen well, girl. If you value your life, do not put your trust in that -thing's- abilities. If I were you, I'd stick to regaining the spiritual statuses your Servant may have lost."

Deciding to give it a try, Hakuno and Joker walk toward the red haired woman, she then grabs her left hand where the mark of the command seal is carved and Joker's. "Calm your mind, relax your body, and tranquil your spirit. I will begin the alternation." Aoko murmured.

Hakuno felt something was surging on her hand, some sort of energy gathering on her command seal, it then started to flow like a river into Aoko's. The crimson-haired girl muttered under her breath, an incantation or sort, before it went into Joker's body.

"Power courses through me." Once finished, Joker said with excitement in his voice from the newfound strength he receives.

"Let us see the result." Aoko tapped her finger in the air. A piece of paper, similar to a receipt, materialises in thin air. "Well it's not impressive but it's much better than having E rank in all stats." She said after reading what is printed in it.

"E rank?" Hakuno was puzzled. Isn't that the lowest rank value?

"That is the default value for all the Servants in this war...I think." Well that was not persuasive coming from Joker. Still from what Aoko said, there seems to be improvement after the Alteration they did a moment ago.

"Your Servant Luck and Agility has the highest growth compared to the rest. From rank E they turned into D after this one alteration. His Strength and Endurance comes next, they have the same growth, but a bit lower compared to the aforementioned stats. Both are still in rank E but I'm positive it will change soon. And his Magic growth is the lowest."

"Wait if your parameters growth aren't the same. Wouldn't that ruin your 'Jack-of-all-trade' status?" Hakuno asks. Aren't they supposed to be balanced in all categories?

"That status didn't come from stats but from what I can bring on the table." The confidence in his voice returned, giving the young Master a sense of assurance from hearing it.

Though some ranks remain in E ranks, it's value however is much more than before. All in all, they are both satisfied from the power up they receive. Hopefully it's enough against Shinji's Servant.

"One more thing, we just don't do Alteration here, we also provide information regarding the topography of the battlefield that you will use on the seventh." Aoko said. "You'll only need to present the two cipher keys to me and then I will disclose that information to you."

"You mean that ruined city below?" So that's where she and Shinji will fight in a few days from now.

"Yes, they won't be just a plain-old map, so if you want to have more chances of winning, it's better to know how they work or you might regret it in the end." The redhead woman replied.

Well she still has one of the cipher keys in her possession so she won't be able to use that service until then. Hakuno then decided to linger around the chapel for a couple of moments. The red-headed sister is less than useless. Actually, it's more like Aoko Aozaki isn't really suited for this particular task. Even pseudo-magus like herself can see that.

For some reason, she thought all Servant-related things were the preserve of Touko Aozaki.

"What was that? Oh yes, I'm far more skilled at Alterations than Aoko. By a factor of ten or so."

"I hate having to take Touko's abuse every day. I'll try to control my rage...for now." The red haired woman grumbled on her seat. Even as she says that, Hakuno can see veins popping out on Aoko's clenched fists.

"But aren't you exaggerating a little? I mean...ten times?" Hakuno asks carefully. She's amazed that Aoko didn't immediately throttle Touko after her snide and offensive comment.

"Why are you so surprised? And I wasn't trying to be snide, merely honest. In this case, shutting up and accepting her place is beneath me is the only thing Aoko can do."

"Grrrr…" Aoko gnashes her teeth in rage. But if Touko is so talented, why isn't she doing the Alterations?

Hearing the question. Touko let out a sigh. "I have other things to attend to. Not to mention all of the stuff Kokutou dumped on me…Right now, I'm simply keeping an eye on my lowly sister so she doesn't accidentally kill someone. So just ignore me. If you need to perform Alteration of the Soul, ask the monkey over there."

With that Hakuno bid them farewell and headed to the exit. But there's something going on in the garden. When she checks and looks, she sees Shinji causing trouble again. It appears that Shinji is being thrown out of the chapel after angering that old man.

"A chapel is for quiet reflection. I do not know who your god is, but you should know that much."

"Sorry, my bad! I'm an atheist...swear to god!" Shinji replied without showing any manners or respect to the elderly.

"...Hmph. I have always believed that the Japanese were polite. I guess I was misled. Leave this place at once. The gates of heaven will remain closed to the unbeliever. It appears that in your haste to learn how to fight, you forgot to learn dignity and respect." The old man turned his back and returned to the chapel.

"I really hate old geezers like you, always talking down on me! When it comes to fighting, you can bet your ass I'll be teaching you a thing or two!" Shinji grunted and left the scene as well. Though she knows that Shinji can be this annoying, she didn't expect him to sink this low and disrespect the elderly and religion.

Letting out a sigh. There is more in her to-do list. Still she decided to rest for a moment inside their private room in classroom 2-B.

As they find a spot to relax, Joker stares solemnly at her. Her nervousness is due to the strength of his daunting gaze. Hakuno's questions about the Holy Grail War have only increased since that moment when she made a contract with Joker.

And the war aside, she still wants to know just who he is.

"Is something the matter? You can talk to me if there is something on your mind." The man kindly offered to her. Since he said that, now would be a good opportunity to ask him. Still, what should she ask him?

"What is your true name, Joker?" Hakuno decided to go straight to the point. Just what is his real name? The one he gave is just a pseudonym she assumes.

Joker couldn't hide his smile from amusement on his Master. "It seems not knowing my true name has been troubling you." He then put a finger under his chin. "Hmm...Be that as it may, what troubles me is that you do not worry over the battle to come as I do."

Though he's admonishing the girl, Joker exudes pleasure. He must be happy that she asks about his name. The man continued speaking.

"I guess there is no harm saying my name to you only." He then crossed his arms. "Since I swore an oath of fidelity, I will tell you. Listen well! My name is-" His voice halted for some reason.

One second…

Two, three, four, five…

The raven-haired man and her stare at each other. "Your name is?" Hakuno admits that she's dying to know.

"How about I tell you a story first?" Joker suddenly offered.

"What story?" Did he just leave her in a cliffhanger? Is he doing it intentionally?!

"It's a story close to my heart." He said with a soft smile to show on his face. "Every Heroic Spirit has their story and I am not an exception. However, this story I'm going to tell is about a friend of mine."

"Though I'm sure you wanted to know mine. But I assure you, you will be able to learn about myself if you listen." Joker then adjusted the mask on his face. "After all, this story made me who I am today."

His soft gaze as he said that made Hakuno curious about what it is. A story about his friend and she will learn something about him if she listens? "Very well." She replied after making herself comfortable on the chair she's using.

The story started about a young man walking on the street in the middle of the night. He was heading to his home, little did he know that one event would change his life forever. As he's about to pass the corner, he heard a voice of a woman screaming for help.

Curious on what caused the woman's distress, the young man followed the noise. Under the shade of the street light, he saw the woman arguing with a man. From what he can see in the distance, it seems the man is drunk and forcing the woman to go with him and do an indecent act.

Though the young man could just ignore what's happening before him, and went home since it's just blocks away. But his heart couldn't look away, knowing someone was in need of help, he could not avert his gaze from it.

Bracing himself, he comforted the drunk man, but despite that he was threatened by him and continued harassing the woman. In his attempt to stop him, he grabbed him by his shoulder, causing the drunk man to turn around, however, due to the alcohol on his body, he wasn't able to keep his balance and fall.

And unfortunately, the drunk man was hit by something in the head, resulting in a wound. The young man was in disbelief from what happened, he didn't mean to hurt the man, it was an accident. But the drunk man glared at him, shouted angrily at him, yelling that he will sue the young man.

"What happened then?" Hakuno asks.

"When the authorities arrive on the scene…" Joker pauses in reminisce of an awful memory. "They took the young man under their custody, then sentenced him as a juvenile."

"That's terrible!"

"It was…But there was nothing he could do. His heart believes strongly in justice and that belief betrays him." Joker then let out a sigh. "I imagine him on the verge of throwing that all away. After all that happened, how can someone keep holding on to those ideals?"

Hakuno looked at the floor crestfallen. If something similar happened to her, she wouldn't keep it either. To be betrayed by what you believe in, it must be one of the painful experiences one could face.

"But I'm glad he didn't. He still believes in the justice of doing what is right. And it's all because of the people who trusted him, people who helped him, people that showed him the light in his justice. If it weren't for that, I'm not going to be who I am today."

"Same thing could have happened to you." He said, making the girl wonder what he meant by it. "The two of you are alike. He was lost at first just like you. I can see the similarities between you both."

"Prisoners of fate…Yes, it suits perfectly." Joker then smiled at her after uttering those words.

"Prisoners of fate?" Hakuno repeated. Is that a title? A title that suits her and the friend he told her about?

"He was able to find freedom at the end of his journey. But what about you? What is waiting for you in the end?"

That is a good question. What is waiting for her in the end? If they are able to win this war, what life is waiting for her outside this place? Without any memories to recollect, she has no idea on what her life was before all of this. And if they didn't, what is waiting for her in death.

"Let's see, perhaps you can do something similar that helps him reach that answer." Joker then stood up and went to the teacher tables. He grabbed something underneath, and showed her a sword made of bamboo. It's a shinai, a sword used in a sport called kendo.

"He was able to reach the end with the help of people around him. Maybe you can find those people as well." He then gives the shinai to his Master. "Someone must be looking for this shinai. Could you find who it was and return it?"

Hakuno eyes stare at the sword on her hand. It was maintained properly, it's body is very clean, not even a single string standing out. However, something caught her attention, on its handle, there was a strap hanging on it, and just by the appearance of a tiger, she already knew who's shinai it belonged to.

"You must be wanting a reward for the trouble right?" Joker smiled before pondering for a second. "Do you want to hear more about him? How and what happened on his journey? I assure you, by the end of it, you'll know who I am."

That seems like a fair trade. She is very interested in hearing more about this young man and what made Joker think they're the same. "Are you going to tell me the name of your friend?" At the very least, she should know who it was, right?

"His name, huh?" The raven-haired Servant once again adjusted the mask on his face. A soft smile then creeps on his mouth as he reaches his decision. "Very well…His name is Ren Amamiya."

As they enter the second floor Arena. Joker is on high alert for some reason. "Hmph. I sense the aura of our enemy. They must be lurking somewhere nearby. It will be a catastrophe if they attack us from behind while we return to campus. We should face them head-on now."

"Although, I'm not sure if he let out that information by accident or not. But let us locate the book that he hid here before they suspect what we're up to." Joker told her before summoning his dagger in readiness.

The two venture through the new floor. They fought many new and much powerful attack programs roaming in the Arena. But Joker shows the result of the strengthening they did earlier. He's much faster than before, and his attacks are more powerful and lethal. Though she still hasn't seen him use any magic.

Perhaps he's keeping it in his sleeves for now. Regardless, they were able to clean up the floor until they stopped after noticing a suspicious hidden passageway. Joker suggests they check where it leads.

As they reach the end. There was a small area that had an item holder found in the middle. "This seems like a place where Shinji would favor a hiding place." Her servant commented.

"Master. I highly recommend you to open the box immediately." Touching the box. Hakuno grabbed what was inside. It was a faded book. This must be the thing that Shinji was so desperate to keep hidden appears to be some sort of diary written on sheaves of parchment.

It is so old that the ink has begun to fade, but she's able to read the name of a ship, the Golden Hind, the names of several islands, and the partial manifest of hijacked ships. This must be the ship's log of a pirate that sailed the high seas.

It must've been constructed with a fairly powerful program since Shinji was obviously unable to delete this folder and had to hide it here. "Without a doubt, this must be connected to that Servant in some way. Unfortunately, her true name isn't legible, but this book should prove a useful clue to her identity."

"Thanks to him, we were able to get a clue on where he hides it. Shinji should learn and understand the concept of restraining oneself." Joker didn't hide the smirk on his face. "What we talked about the other day really proves my point here doesn't it? Hopefully it stays until the seventh."

"Nevertheless, let's leave this place. I think we have done enough."

Agreeing to his suggestion. They were about to return to where they came from. But they unfortunately met with a furious Shinji Matou and his rogue-looking Servant somewhere in the dungeon hall.

"...Heh! You must be getting really desperate if you're searching for it in a place like this! Anyway, too bad for you. You came all this way just for me to take that book away from you." Shinji said with a nervous smile on his facade.

"I'm sorry to break it to you but finders keepers." Joker stepped forward knowing this fight cannot be avoided. "Don't you agree, Captain?" He said this time it's toward the female Servant.

"I would have you take it. But my Master here is pissing his pants in nervousness. So nothing personal, I will take that back." She then pointed her dual pistol at him. In just a second, the two servants broke into a fight, this time their battle is much more intense than before.

The female Servant was laughing wholeheartedly as she shows her enjoyment in their exchange of bullets against Joker. She even summoned a ship's battery to add bombardment on her attack. Forcing Joker to drop offense and focus on keeping them safe. But when it's time for her to reload, her enemy rushes in, though something is different compared to the last.

He's much faster and quick to react to her movement. Putting more challenges in their song and dance. "Heh! You've improved!" She compliments the young man as they clash. But she's still much faster and powerful compared to him. Her opponent knows it, which is why he's not giving her a breather to retaliate.

Slash. Thrust. Swing.

Joker felt the result of the alteration. He couldn't help but be impressed. If they do it more and rank up his parameters, he wonders what it will be like having a higher rank in agility? Would his body feel like feathers at that point?

But there is still a gap between him and the enemy Servant. They better train hard in the coming days if they ever hope to close it. "Hmm…?" In the corner of his eyes, Joker saw Shinji and the same light from before. He quickly gives a quick glimpse at Hakuno.

"Shinji do it now!" The female Servant ordered her Master.

"Shut up! Don't you dare give me orders, woman! I know what I'm doing!" Shinji replied while finishing the preparation of his code cast. "Don't you more-" He said, trying to lock on his target. "Hack…!" His hand shines for a moment then comes an explosion to where Joker is standing.

Seeing that it was a direct hit. The blue-haired Master cried out in joy. "Heh! Take that sucker!" He said. However, his Servant does not have the same joy he has. The dust of smoke from the explosion fades away, and Hakuno's Servant seemed stunned from his code cast.

But his Servant isn't doing anything. She could end their tournament run now. Yet she's just standing there with an expression of daze painted over her face. "Hey, what are you doing! Shoot him down!" Shinji ordered in agitation.

The female Servant slowly raised her gun and pointed it at Joker. At this range, there is no way she will miss, the barrel is basically just hovering on his head. "Why…? Just what are you up to now?" She asks in confusion in her firm voice.

He simply gives her a smirk. He does not even care that any taunting gesture may push her to pull the trigger. This Servant. His cockiness is not coming from arrogance unlike her Master. It's simply coming from his confidence. That's why she is feeling hesitant.

What if all of this is just part of their plan?

Soon the SERAPH security system caught up with their fight. Shinji stomps on the ground. "The heck you're so slow!" He shouted into his Servant before receiving a notice of their forced teleportation. They were so close in winning the first round! And his Servant messed it up! "Goddammit…!" Was his last words as they were kicked out of the Arena.

Hakuno immediately ran toward her Servant side to check his condition. "Joker, are you okay?" She asks in concern while preparing the remedy to fix the bruises he gets.

"It's okay. I'm not hurt at all." He reassured his Master. But that didn't stop the young woman from healing his wounds. Joker could only watch as she was focused on helping him.

Once that was done. Joker thanked her before giving the young Master his thoughts during their fight. "First of all, that item relating to our enemy's Servant is definitely a ship's log. Secondly, based on the ship's battery she just revealed. If her prowess with vehicles is so advanced, then it means that without a doubt she is from the Rider class." He said.

Hakuno can feel that the Servant's identity is just within their grasp. They just need a final push before its name is revealed to them. She couldn't thank her Servant enough for the help he provided since they met. "We are a team. It's only natural to help each other, right?" Joker replied with a genuine smile on his face.

"However, I think Rider may have noticed our plan. Though I doubt she fully understood what it was." Hakuno let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. "Still in case she did. Always be ready, alright?"

"Say, how about we grab the key and get ourselves out of here?" The Servant offer. "Unlike our enemy. We are going to have a smooth sailing from now on!" He then grabs her hand while letting a chuckle for her ears to hear.

"Don't let go, alright?"

Is this going to be occasionally now every time she helps him?! But then again, it does feel nice to be relied on. Perhaps it's not that bad? Although she still needs to think of a way to tease him back.

For now they need to focus on the Elimination round.

To kill or be killed.

She still could not wrap it inside her head. And what about Joker? Is he okay with this nonsense killing?

Classroom 2-B. Inside a very organised and clean room. Where there are no bottles of drinks and cups of noodles that can be seen anywhere on the floor. Shinji stormed through their room, still pissed off from what happened earlier. "Can you explain to me why you didn't shoot him back there?" He asks while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Rider kept her voice inside. It's not because she's terrified of Shinji. Or she was feeling guilty from the mistake she made. It's about something else entirely. Up to this time, she still cannot get it out of her mind. That devious Servant.

Just what the heck is their plan?

"Answer the goddamn question, woman!"

"Keep your voice down, Shinji. I can hear your foul voice clearly." She replied without hiding the irritation from her tone.

"Keep my voice down?! If only you used your brain we could have won against that garbage!" He could be celebrating his absolute victory against Hakuno if she only did what he said. Just thinking about her failure to follow such simple instructions is really getting on his nerves.

Clicking his tongue. Shinji gazes into the eye of his Servant. "You're not trying to backstab me, correct?" He asks.

Rider simply returns a defiant stare at her Master. "Why would I backstab you?" She answered in disgust to the stupidity of his question. "I am bound to the command seal on your hand. If you lose; we both die. How many times have I said that to you?"

"Hmph. Don't use heavy words like dying over losing in a game." There is no way they will die in this virtual world. It's just their way to add drama and stories in this game. If there is one thing that will kill him, it's the stupidity of the people around him. "Do not disobey my orders ever again. Or else I will force a command seal on you."

Rider could only let out a sigh. "Good grief. This is why I hate dealing with egocentric children." There are still two days left. She still has time to get herself ready against that Servant.

Whether or not he's an Archer or Assassin. The Phantom of Opera or James Moriaty. Or any of their base speculation on who he is. She has to do her job as a Servant. To clear the way for Shinji to claim the Grail.