Hey there!
Got some time now, so here's a new chapter. A bit shorter this time, but, y'know, pacing.
In other news, yes, Gawain was one of the four. Of the rest, two of them have been namedropped, and the last one hasn't been mentioned yet. It's the one I'm looking forward to writing the most, too. Still, you've gotten close, real close. Your guesses are going in the right direction.
You know the drill by now, I'll post the unedited version so you don't have to wait, then come back to it and edit when I have the time. Feel free to point out errors.
Now, onto the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own F/GO nor P5 nor any of its characters. Cover image obtained from reddit, will be taken down if original creator asks. It probably won't be very accurate to the story anyway...
Chapter 6 - Of cats and dreams and dreaming cats
"...And that's what happened." Concluded Ritsuka. "After that, I came back as soon as I could."
To be totally honest, it still felt weird to him to be delivering this kind of after-action report. During the Incineration, Chaldea usually monitored his vitals to maintain his existence, and during the Lostbelts all personnel traveled with him to the field on the Border. The last time he had to do something similar was probably when he was being interrogated by the Mage's Association over breaking protocols, in the interval after he'd defeated Goetia and things had seemingly calmed down before the Alien God came and undid all their work.
"Quite the harrowing experience." Mused Holmes. "And I'm afraid than rather than solving questions, it only helped raise more new ones instead. A troubling state of affairs, indeed."
"Indeed." Parroted Ritsuka. "We're done with the report, then? So about the missing Spirit Origins..."
"I'm afraid we're not finished yet. There is just one more topic we need to address. I am refering, of course, to the proverbial elephant in the room. Or the cat in the room, as it were."
"Oh. Yeah. Right." Ritsuka looked at his bed. Sitting there, the black cat he had rescued from the palace followed the proceedings without making a sound. The teen approached and raised a hand to scratch its chin, but it jumped back and hissed at him, so he desisted.
"I know you're worried about those Spirit Origins, Ritsuka-kun," chided Da Vinci's voice from behind him, "but it won't do to get distracted. The sooner we get all possible information, the earlier we can get to planning. Haste makes waste, as they say! Alright?"
Ritsuka closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to five. "Alright," he answered.
"Good. Now, you mentioned before that the creature you rescued in that place didn't look like the one currently sitting on your bed, correct?"
"Yeah, he -assuming it's a he- stood on two legs. Also, his head was very big compared to his body, and he wore a utility belt and some sort of yellow bandana or handkerchief. I didn't pay much attention, sorry."
"That is understandable, given the circumstances you were in." Hummed Holmes. "If you were at Chaldea, we would have the necessary equipment to perform a more detailed analysis, but for now observation will have to suffice."
"Wait, didn't you learn how to talk with animals?" recalled Rituska suddenly, turning to look at the detective who raised an eyebrow in response. "In Shinjuku, when you talked with Cavall II. Animal Whisper or something like that? Couldn't you use that here?"
Unseen behind him, the cat stiffened. He raised its head, and its eyes met the man's in the projection, freezing him in place.
"Unfortunately, it would seem that particular skill will be of no use here." Said the man, without breaking eye contact. "I was not able to understand that earlier hiss. That is one special cat, indeed."
"Shame." Said Ritsuka. "Nothing we can do about it now, then. So, about those Spirit Origins that have gone missing."
Da Vinci gave him a helpless smile.
"Right, right. So here's what went down..."
Spirit Origins. Chaldea. 3D holographic phone calls. An AI in a smartphone.
Morgana had no idea what kind of situation he'd gotten into.
He didn't think they were bad people, per se. They did help him out of a sticky situation, and probably saved his lived in the process.
He still cringed every time he thought about it. Stupid, rookie mistake. He had taken every precaution he could, and he was being extra cautious. It was, after all, the first time he decided to explore a Palace instead of sticking to Mementos as he had been doing until now.
And for a good while, it worked.
He was a shadow, unseen and unheard as he moved with impunity, jumping from corner to corner avoiding all eyes. He was the wind, flying across beams and chandeliers and gliding past balconies and parapets.
But then he'd gotten to the tower, and he had sensed it.
No, that didn't convey what had happened at all. It was better to describe it as if he had heard its calling, so insisting, so enticing, so mind-numbingly desirable that, before he knew it, he was sprinting the shortest route to it as fast as his feet could carry him.
Right onto an incoming patrol.
He cringed again, harder. He'd have to think of ways of avoiding repeating that disastrous performance. It'd be necessary, since he planned to go back to the castle again as soon as he had the chance. He had to take a look at whatever waited for him a the top of the tower.
It was the only clue he had found yet.
But back to the matter at hand. Blue eyes shined from under the sofa, regarding the sleeping teen.
His name was Ritsuka, but he hadn't managed to learn much more from him yet. He was a capable negotiator, he'd give him that, probably better than himself if he was being. Morgana didn't think it was possible to make that egotistic king do anything he did not want to, much less something as absurd as leaving alone that which annoyed him, which is why when the blonde knight in bulky armor entered the room asking for an audience he hadn't gotten his hopes up.
Which made his success all the more impressive. Just for that alone, Morgana had considered recruiting him into the Phantom Thieves. He'd be amazing at getting information out of Shadows, and he was sure he could get him to awaken to his Persona soon enough.
Then they'd left the Metaverse, and he'd been unceremoniously stuffed into a schoolbag and carried halfway across the city to a rundown café, where he was left out so he could witness his rescuer report everything though something suspiciously resembling a magic ritual.
He couldn't reveal himself. At the least, not until he had acquired more information to bargain with. There were too many unknowns, too many risks, to give himself away. As long as they considered him a regular cat (ugh) and stuck around, he'd have opportunities to eavesdrop and investigate, which would hopefully allow him to obtain a more complex picture.
Or he could bolt it the first chance he got. That was probably the safer thing to do.
Sighing -as much as an animal's physiognomy allowed for such a thing- Morgana silently walked from under the sofa and jumped into the bed. A ray of moonlight sneaked past the closed curtains, passed through some hanging ornament and cast criss-crossing shadows on the face of the teen who laid there. He observed for a few seconds, then cat-frowned.
For some reason, he had the feeling it was not a restful sleep. Ritsuka was not sweating, trashing about or any obvious signs of a nightmare, but his features were subtly tightened.
Morgana placed a tentative paw on his chest. He didn't stir.
"I owe you." He explained aloud, for his benefit, moving on top of him. "Don't think this had any other meaning." Suspicions or not, he had saved him. A restful sleep was the least he could do to pay him back.
The fact that he was now in the warmest spot in the room had nothing to do with it.
Morgana curled up and closed his eyes.
He was falling. A void darkness surrounded him, and he couldn't make a sound, couldn't see, couldn't move. Before he could panic, he heard a playful voice.
"Oya? How did you make it here, little one?"
It was a man's voice. He didn't know where it came from, but at least it stopped him from panicking.
"Ooh… Oooh! How interesting. What are you? You're not a fairy, but you're still resonating with… Is that how you gained access? But that would imply… No, but then again..."
The voice trailed off for a while, until it stopped.
"Ah well. You are clearly not malicious, so what's the harm in letting you in? It might even help our troubled master a tad bit, eh? Ohohoho. In you go! No need to thank me!"
And before Morgana had the chance to snap back, he felt himself accelerate to uncontrollable speeds, faster and faster, until…
He opened his eyes. Instinctively, he jumped back to the closest corner and took stock of his surroundings.
It took him a second to notice that he was in a traditional dojo, with wooden floor and walls. There were several weapons hanging from the walls: a golden axe, a black bow with red accents, a crimson sword, and an azure naginata. Presiding the room was a support where a traditional hunting bow rested next to a sheathed katana.
It took him another second to realize that he had reverted to his Metaverse self. His weapons were missing, but he still had his utility belt with a couple life stones.
Strangely enough, the familiarity of the situation calmed him down. He fell into routine.
First, secure an escape route.
There was only one visible exit in the room, a large sliding paper door. Making sure to keep his back to the wall, the Phantom Thief made his way over. Sliding doors were easier to open than regular doors for him, since he didn't have to jump. Slowly, he opened it a bit, ready to bolt if it made any sound.
He froze. It did not grate against the floor, but he heard something from outside. He waited a few seconds before daring to widen the gap another inch, just enough to make sense of the sound.
Odama bon-giri bon-giri,
Bon kara sakya oran-do
Bon ga hayo kurya,
Hayo modoru.
A woman's dulcet tones sneaked through the gap in the door. Morgana risked a peek outside, but there was a column in front and he couldn't see anything of note. Without any other choice, he slid the door open another couple centimeters.
Odama kanjin -kanjin,
Anhito-tacha yoka-shu
Yoka-hu yoka obi,
Yoka kimon'.
The gap was now big enough for Morgana to slip through. Using the wooden support as cover, he looked out.
The dojo opened to an interior courtyard in what seemed to be a traditional Japanese manor. A small pond laid in the middle of a number of trees, crossed by several flat stones that formed a path that connected all sides of the engawa. On one of the verandas laid Ritsuka man, sleeping.
Only, he wasn't alone. His head was cradled on the lap of a tall woman dressed in a purple body-suit, covered by a cloth with a heart-shaped design. She had long dark hair that cascaded down her back, neatly folded at the end in a cubic-shaped accessory. She was a picture of serenity with her eyes were closed as one of her hands ran tenderly through the dark locks of the young man.
Odama bon-giri bon-giri,
Bon kara sakya-
"Ara? It seems we have a guest."
"!"
Morgana cursed himself. A second mistake, so soon after promising himself he wouldn't blunder like that again? Disgraceful. He held his breath for ten, twenty, thirty seconds, but when the song did not resume, he gave up and stepped out of the shadows. The woman raised her eyes from the young man he had been looking at with affection, and blinked.
"My, what a cute guest-san. Who might you be?"
"Y-You… You are not worried?"
Her laugh was as melodious as the lullaby she had been singing.
"Fufufu. That mischievous mage-san might like to make trouble from time to time, but he knows better than play pranks when I'm trying to take care of my child. He is quite good at sensing the emotions of others. It is quite an annoying thing to go against, but it can also be useful at times."
Annoying mage-san? Probably the voice that "let him in". It did sound playful, he supposed.
"Besides, my child did tell me what happened today, you know. I'm not sure what is it you seek, but I do not think you're shameless enough to try to bring harm to a benefactor, right?"
For just a second, the gently smiling woman seemed murderously hostile, and the bipedal cat shook frantically his head from side to side, shaking.
"Of course not!" Clapped the terrifying woman, any horror disappearing like a morning mist under a cheery disposition. "Ah, I was worried for a second. My child is too kind for his own good. He would help anyone without hesitation, whether strangers or former enemies. That is a wonderful quality of his, but someone has to make sure he doesn't pick up any harmful insects that might repay a favor with malice. That's what mama is here for!"
It suddenly occurred to Morgana that the woman was the only person he'd seen in the manor, and so there was a good chance the weapons he had seen in the dojo were actually hers.
He shuddered, not knowing what to do, but he saw the woman pat the spot next to her and reluctantly made his way over, not daring to disobey.
"Cute guest-san, what might your name be?"
"...I'm Morgana."
There is a land known as Avalon, the realm of the fairies, where only the sinless may thread. In that eternal realm rose a tower, where a wizard of myth and legend made it his pastime to watch the world. His name was Merlin, known as one of the greatest sorcerers of all time, and bearer of the Station of the Crown as Grand Caster.
He was currently busy laughing himself to death.
Elsewhere, a certain queen of fairies felt the sudden urge to murder someone. Preferably a silver-haired, white-dressing, prank-loving, hero-creating, illusion-making, lie-spinning axolotl-looking bastard of a half-incubus; but under the circumstances anyone would do, really.
"My, that is a lovely name. I am Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu, but you may call me Raikou."
Morgana nodded, not sure what to say. Raikou continued stroking Ritsuka's head. The Phantom Thief noted that the tension he'd detected back in his room was gone, and was now sleeping soundly.
He looked up again.
"Er, if you don't mind me asking, where are we?"
"In a dream."
"...Huh?"
Raikou looked at him from the corner of her eyes, and daintily covered her mouth with one hand.
"Fufufu. This is my child's dream. The mage-san helped shape it like this, since it is the kind of environment I am most comfortable with, and you and I are both visitors that are intruding. I guess we're both guest-san's! Fufu."
"That would normally be impossible to accomplish, but my bond with my child is very strong. I think he calls it "maxed" or something similar? Honestly, it is hard to keep up with the young ones' trends. Kintoki was the same, Golden this, Golden that..."
A dream? A dream? That couldn't be it, right? Except… The Metaverse was created from people's subconscious. Perhaps this was something similar? Hadn't he fallen asleep on top of Ritsuka?
Questions for later.
"So we'll leave when he wakes up?"
"Of course." Replied amicably Raikou.
They fell into a relaxed silence. Morgana couldn't think of what to ask, and Raikou seemed content to brush Ritsuka's hair and watch him sleep. From afar, the soft, rhythmic thunks of a shishi-odoshi played counterpoint to the breeze between the leaves. Morgana found his eyes starting to close. He hadn't slept well in the castle, and today's excitement hadn't done him any favors either.
"You can trust my child."
Half-sleep, Morgana looked up, and froze. Raikou was looking down at him with a gentle expression. More importantly, though, were her eyes. They shone with understanding.
"I can see you have doubts about yourself, and about how other will see you. Shush." A finger in his lips stopped the automatic denial that was about to sprout. "It's okay. My child does not discriminate against anyone. No matter how odd, or how vile, or how troublesome, he will always extend a hand. Even to those… insects..." For a second, that terrifying pressure came back but it soon left and the gentleness returned "He treats everyone fairly and with compassion, so whatever ails you, know that you can ask for help."
Morgana watched, mute. Disbelief and hope warred within his chest. Could it be that easy? Just asking for help? Wouldn't it be better to help, so they became indebted to him, and then drag them into solving his mystery? From what they said, they were lacking info about the Metaverse. He could use that to bargain.
His thoughts stopped when soft but strong arms picked him up and he was crushed against Raikou's chest.
Which was ginormous. Seriously. What? How did that piece of cloth cover this?
"Ooh, you poor baby. You don't think my child will believe you?"
Morgana stiffened, confirming her suspicions. The woman allowed him to separate and looked him in the eye.
"Well then, perhaps this convince you. The truth is, I'm not completely human either."
"Wha…?!"
He gaped, but the woman closed one eye and put a finger to her lips.
"That's a secret, okay? Now. It's been a very long day for you, and I'm sure you're very tired. It's time to sleep."
"No way! What did you mean..."
"Shhhh..."
More forcefully this time, Raikou picked him up without apparent effort and laid him down on her lap, next to Ritsuka.
Odama bon-giri bon-giri,
Bon kara sakya oran-do
Bon ga hayo kurya,
Hayo modoru.
Against himself, Morgana's eyes closed, and his jumbled thoughts calmed down. Accompanied by the soft tune, he fell asleep. The last thing he felt was a gentle hand tenderly patting his head.
The fifth morning Ritsuka awoke in Tokyo, he did so with a weight in his chest. Looking down, blue met blue.
"Morning." He greeted.
"Morning." Were the first words he ever heard from a talking cat. Tamamo didn't count. Neither did Edison, dammit.
"Mind getting down? I need to get changed."
The cat silently acquiesced, watching the teen got down from his bed and start to go about his day.
"I had a feeling you were aware." Commented Ritsuka while he changed. "Too many things didn't make sense if you were not."
Morgana opted not to respond.
"So? What made you change your opinion?"
"What do you mean?"
"C'mon." The teen picked his shoes and went back to sit on the bed. "Yesterday didn't say a peep, but today you're cooperative. Did you think it over?"
"I met Raikou."
Ritsuka paused mid-lace. He looked at the cat.
"Really?"
"Really."
"But, I mean..." He pointed at his head.
The cat nodded.
"Huh." He said, and resumed tying his shoes.
"That's it?"
"Yeah." Answered the teen, rising. "If you got there, Merlin let you through. I trust him. Besides, Raikou-san seemed to treat you well."
"How do you know?" Asked the cat, jumping down from the bed to follow the boy as he walked to the stairs. "You were asleep."
"She's very clear-minded. Not what you'd expect when you think Berserker, that's for sure. And as I said." He shrugged. "I trust her."
"Hmm."
The boy paused at the top of the stairs.
"I'm going to go down to get breakfast. Wanna meet outside after I'm done?"
"Alright. Can you open the window then?"
"Oh, sorry. Sure."
Backtracking, the young man opened the window to let the cat out. It paused on the windowsill before leaving.
"Aren't you worried I'll escape?"
"Should I be?" Countered Ritsuka, raising an eyebrow. It did not rise quite as high as Holmes'. "You're not a prisoner. I didn't help you to keep you jailed."
"Why did you help me, then?"
He smiled at the cat.
"Why shouldn't I have? If I hadn't, someone would have died. That's a good enough reason, don't you think?"
Morgana looked outside. This was his chance to leave. There were no strings attached that he could detect, nothing to hold him back. If he wanted, he could take the leap and go right back to surfing Mementos and diving into Palaces to resolve the mystery that was hi own existence. But…
Morgana regarded the teen. He had risked his life to save a stranger, and demanded no compensation for it. He thought back to what Raikou had said, and finally he came to a conclusion. He still didn't know anything about the people he worked for, but at the very least, he could afford to trust this person.
"Alright. We'll talk later. See you."
"Sounds good. Ill you be alright, though?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, you didn't eat anything yesterday night, right? How many meals a day did cats require again?"
"I AM NOT A CAT!"
The outburst surprised both of them, but it was Ritsuka who recovered faster.
"Oh, alright. What are you, then?"
Morgana was left reeling again. It was a feeling that had started to become distressingly familiar in the last 24h hours, but he just couldn't deal with the whiplash. That was his worry? He confessed his greatest secret and that was the reaction he got?
Could you please not act so casual about things?!
"I-I'm actually a human! But I was cursed into this body. I don't have any memories about it, either."
The human ruffled his nose.
"A memory charm, huh. Those suck, seriously. I got one of those too for a while."
"Y-You too?"
"Yeap. One of those forests that made you forget who you are. It was awful, that feeling of knowing there's something or somebody important to you that you can't quite seem to grasp, like it keeps slipping."
"Yeah! That!"
"It's alright though, we'll figure it out. We'll look into it later, alright? Gotta go eat."
"Sure! See you later, Ritsuka!"
Morgana jumped to the streets feeling lighter than ever before. Finally! Was this what hope felt like?
"Hey!" Cried the boy from the window. "I didn't catch your name!"
"It's Morgana!" He answered and turned to go see if he could find fish remains behind the nearby supermarket, tail swishing happily.
He missed Ritsuka choking.
In Avalon, Merlin wiped a tear from his eye from laughing.
"Ah man, I don't think that one will get old."
Sojiro greeted him with a curious stare.
"Did I hear a cat in your room?"
"Yeah," answered Ritsuka as he sat down. "It got in this morning when I opened the window to air the room. Don't worry, I already chased him out."
"Oh."
"I mean, I know this is a café, and animals are probably a big no-no due to health concerns and stuff. Still, do you know any places where they sell cat food around here? I'll just leave some outside the window so it doesn't enter again.
"I suppose I can fix some meat that you could take."
Ritsuka looked up from the plate of curry he was digging into and stared at Sojiro, who coughed twice and retreated into the kitchen.
He decided to be merciful.
"...Alright, thanks. I'll take it if you have the time."
"No worries."
Morgana joined him soon after leaving Leblanc.
"Yo." He called, upholding a napkin on the ground. "A present from the boss."
"Oh! Great, they didn't have fish yet in the supermarket!"
The teen observed clinically how his new furry friend practically inhaled the food.
"So I guess the curse makes your diet the same as a cat, huh."
Morgana paused in embarrassment, and continued eating at a more dignified pace.
"Yeah, I guess." He mumbled.
When hi finished eating, he climbed into the teen's shoulder and licked his chops.
"So, what now?"
"Now," Smiled Ritsuka. "I go to class."
"Huh? What about me, then?"
"Well, you can stay around here and do whatever you want, or you can come with me until the school and roam that zone. Uh, I recommend not going into that castle again alone though, if you end up accompanying me."
Morgana considered it. Going back to explore was certainly an option, but he was still debilitated from his stay in the castle's dungeons, and it would be more productive to prioritize whatever Ritsuka and his mysterious allies could find out about his curse.
"I'll stay here, then." He said, jumping down again.
"Alright. I left the window open. Try not to touch anything though, some of that stuff is dangerous. Later!"
Turning around, he put his headphones on and took off at a good pace.
"So, Senpai. Do you think it'll try to make a mess in your room?"
"Doesn't matter, right? Since my room has protectors."
"Mou." She pouted. "If you'd kept the cameras like I suggested you, B.B. Channel could have provided the first ever live stream of Cat vs Doll in the history of the world!"
"And if I had kept the cameras, you would have that many more avenues to peep."
"Honestly! Senpai, you meanie! You make it sound like I am a pervert!"
"Who's the one who took pics of me sweating two days ago?"
"Alright, that does it!" Fumed the digital girl, raising his arms in outrage. "I did not want to do this, but recently it feels like my threat power has been going down!"
"Isn't that because you self-destruct when you get praised?"
"T-That has nothing to do with it! I will be taken seriously! Therefore, Senpai, I demand you install at least three cameras at different angles in your room tonight!"
"And why would I do that?" Asked Ritsuka, genuinely curious.
"Because if you don't," concluded the AI, a glint of triumph in her eyes, "I will tell the queen of fairies that your new feline friend is named after her."
Ritsuka paused, went to the side of the street and considered the implications. He soon came up with one question.
"Wouldn't she be happy that I named my pet after her?"
"Ooor maybe she'd be jealous that you'd give her name to someone else? You do know she does have a jealous streak, right, Se~n~pa~i~?"
Ritsuka did not point out the logical counter that he was not the one who named Morgana. They were talking about a Berserker, after all.
Instead, he uttered in monotone: "I missed you so much that I named my cat after you, so that every time at look at him I think of you."
There was a beat. Then another.
Then B.B. exploded.
"Aaaaaaaaagh! That's not fair! She'd totally fall for that! What the heck is with those gigolo lines, huuuh? Cheater! Immoral! Playboy! Stupid sexy Senpai! Go get stabbed and die, you unfaithful man-slut!"
He shrugged and resumed walking. Thank god for those lessons with Mata Hari.
Classes were largely uneventful. The afternoon, however, was not. There was one reason for that, and her name was Suzui Shiho.
"Oh... I'm in the way, aren't I? Sorry..."
Ritsuka examined the girl in front of him. He had run into her when he was about to leave, and she had been blocking access to the door while she checked her phone.
She looked, well, terrible. One of her eyes was swollen shut, she had a bit of a limp, and he could spy some bruises under her sleeves.
But the worst part was the way she carried herself. It was like she was tired of life in general, or like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders (and he'd know about that).
Defeated. That was the word. She moved like she was defeated. Even her smiles were tinged with resignation.
"No worries." He answered before the silence became awkward. "Excuse me for saying this but, you do not look like you are fine. Do you think you need to go to the infirmary?"
"Huh? Oh, no, it's fine… But thank you for asking."
The polite, respectful thing to do here was to acknowledge her, and politely not pry into her affairs.
Yeah, no.
"You're limping." He pointed out, clinically.
Her smile fell a little bit.
"It's just a bruise. It's no trouble."
"It kinda is."
"It's alright. I have practice after this."
"You'll have to skip it then."
"Huh?" Her eyes widened, as if the idea hadn't even occurred to her.
"What's going on here?!"
A blonde in a black jacket irrupted on the scene, glaring daggers at him. Some stares turned their way.
"You were taking too long to come, so I came to search for you. Is he bothering you?"
"N-No, Ann, it's alright..."
"Ah, Takamaki-san." Greeted Ritsuka cordially. "Is she a friend of yours?"
"What if she is?"
"Then maybe you'll have better luck than me persuading her to go to the infirmary."
"What?" She turned to the other girl, eyes ablaze. "Shiho, are you alright?"
"Yes, Ann. Don't worry, I'm fine, and-"
"She's not." Chirped Ritsuka from behind. The blond girl turned to look at him, then at her, her trust in her friend and her worry for her clearly at odds on her face.
"Look." Pointed out the boy, sighing. "Even if you disregard her eye, she's limping. Training now is only going to make it worse, and then you'll have to take even more days off afterward. It's not worth it. Just go get a check out."
The dark-haired girl seemed to hesitate, but Takamaki-san didn't give her the option to choose. She grabbed her hand and started to take her to the nurse's office.
He watched them leave, and his eyes narrowed. Takamaki-san was walking at a brisk pace, and the other girl, though she did her best not to show it was struggling to keep up.
Ritsuka realized what he'd had to do, raised his eyes to the sky and caught up to them in a couple steps.
"Here." She told them, taking her arm. "Hold onto me. Better not to force it until we get medical confirmation that it's safe, just in case."
So saying, she passed her arm around his neck and hefted her. Counting four.
At her other side, Takamaki-san did the same. Together, they marched out to the practice building and up the first floor. The nurse was not in, so they decided to take a seat in front until she came back.
They waited in silence for a few minutes, until Takamaki-san's phone rung. She excused herself and disappeared around the corner. A little while she came back with a disgruntled expression.
"Everything ok?"
"Yeah, nothing important. Shiho takes priority anyway."
The other girl flashed her a grateful smile.
After waiting a little more, the nurse came back and invited them to pass inside, where she checked Shiho's leg. As it turned out, the girl had been right: it was just a big bruise in the back of her knee. It hurt, but it wouldn't impede her if she was determined to ignore the pain, and it would fade in a couple of days. Still, she recommended rest for today, just to be safe.
"You should probably text your parents and ask them to come pick you up." Recommended Ritsuka when they left.
"Right. I'll do that. Ah, but, I don't have my things on me..."
"It's okay, I'll go. You haven't changed desks, right?" At her shake, Takamaki-san left in the direction of the main building. Shiho fired a couple messages on her phone.
And then it was time the waiting game once more. With the situation solved, though, the mood was more amicable than before.
Which reminded him.
"Right. I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka." He smiled at her and extended offered his hand. "With everything that went down, I forgot to introduce myself."
"I know." She said, shaking his hand. This time, her smile was a bit more genuine. "Ann told me about you. I'm Suzui Shiho, by the way."
"Suzui-san, then. It was getting a bit awkward calling you by your given name in my mind."
"Don't worry, I don't mind."
"That's good then. So Takamaki-san has talked to you about me?"
"Oh yes. You made quite an impression. She doesn't really know what to make of you."
"I can imagine. She's been a great help, though. The first couple days of class I didn't have my textbooks yet, so she lent me hers."
"That's my Ann." Her smile this time was fond, and a bit sad. "You've noticed her looks, right?" She rolled her eyes at his blank stare, and Ritsuka had to smile at that. Oh, the sass. "She got bothered by them a lot when she came to Japan. Even now people say whatever they want without getting to really know her. I guess she didn't want anyone to suffer the same."
"So I got the benefit of the doubt, huh. That was kind of her."
"Hmm. Seems she won the coin toss, too."
"The coin toss?"
"Whether you were a violent delinquent or a wronged innocent. You're kind, Fujimaru-san. Otherwise you wouldn't have been so insistent so much for a stranger's sake."
"Oh, stop it. You'll make me blush."
"Ha. The great delinquent feared far and wide, blushing because a few words from a limping maiden. That would make it to trending even faster than your record did."
"If nothing else, I admire your guts in unironically calling yourself a maiden with such confidence."
"Hmph! And don't you forget it. You should be grateful I did not go for damsel."
"Oh? Pray tell."
"Because that would then obligate you, as a gentleman, to wait on me until I recuperate. Obviously."
"So I am a gentleman now. Good to know."
"You aren't?"
"Depends. Would you like me to be?"
She blinked, nonplussed.
"Wow. That was good, I have to admit. You got game, Fujimaru-san."
He looked at her and shook his head.
"Too easy."
"Too easy, what?"
He answered her stare of challenge by puffing out his chest, looking up and pointing down with his finger.
"You are a hundred years too early to defeat me, little girl!"
She groaned, and he laughed.
This was nice. Finally, the High School life he had been waiting for!
They chatted a bit more about inane topics: the best drinks to be found in the school dispensing machines (apparently, there was a secret golden one hidden somewhere that cost 50% less); what teachers to watch out for (she had laughed at him when he asked what was the relation between basketball and chalk throwing); what subjects were her favorites (art, duh)…
"Come to think of it, you had practice, right? Are you in any sports club?"
"Yeah, the volleyball one. Been playing since middle school."
"Oh, right. Kamoshida's your coach, right? Wasn't he an Olympic medalist? He seemed really good at the rally the other day."
When she didn't answer, she stopped searching for Takamaki-san's return and turned to look at her.
It was wrong. Wrongwrongwrongwrongwrong.
All her previous cheer had seemed to vanish, only to be replaced with the same air of defeat she sported before, magnified a hundred times. Her eyes were dull, and her face was slack, like all strength had fled her.
He knew that expression. He had seen it before, somewhere, and it had marked him. It was terrible, and horrible, and it made him want to retch, and it was utterly wrong.
So why couldn't he remember where he'd seen it?
"Guys?"
Eventually, Takamaki-san returned with Suzui-san's things. On autopilot, he helped her up, and they made their way to the entrance, where her parents would pick her up. Takamaki-san was apparently a friend of the family and would wait with her, so there was no reason for him to stick around. He bade his goodbyes and returned home.
He honestly couldn't remember what dinner tasted like. Sakura-san, perhaps sensing his mood, didn't make much conversation, only limiting himself to the bare minimum acceptable courtesies. Ritsuka was grateful for that, as he wasn't sure he'd have been capable of keeping up. He brushed his teeth, changed into his pajamas, and went to sleep with the hope of finding the answer he was searching for in his dreams.
Done for now!
Q: Why does Morgana believe that cuddling will make Ritsuka sleep better, instead of worse as shown in the game?
A: "Because everyone knows that cats are the bests sources of stress relief. Nya." - Anyonymos Phantom Thief
No action on this one. Probably not on the next one either, but we'll see.
Also, RitsukaxShiho, anyone? I swear I didn't plan on it. Their dialogue just flowed so naturally, I wrote it all from start to finish and barely even had to touch it afterwards. I love their synergy.
I'll try to get a chapter for Christmas, but no promises.
See ya!
"Hello! Do you have a minute?"
"Greetings. Yes, I do have a minute. What do you require of me?"
"Ahaha, it's nothing much. Tonight is you and your consort's turn to share a dream with Master, right?"
"Correct. Master promised to give my Yu some tips about commanding Servants, so that we experience the chance to bond as Master and Servant as was her original plan. As she is demure, she does not show it, but she is quite looking forward to it."
"Oh. Do you think you could swap your turn with the ones after you?"
"I do not understand the reason for your request. My calculations do not show the need for such a change. However, I acknowledge that as a user of Clairvoyance you may possess information unavailable to me. Therefore, I request you give me the cause of your petition."
"If we do it like this, it may save Master a lot of grief."
"...Acknowledged. Inputting new information… Understood. I shall inform my Yu. Good day to you."
"Thanks! Bye!"