Hello Everyone.
Here we are with the next chapter.
As you have probably already realised, I have also changed the title of this fic... the main reason being because when discussing things on my discord server, we tend to abbreviate things and this ended up with the same abbreviation as Fate/Grand Order... so that got annoying at times.
And that is all for now.
XXX Chapter Start XXX
Makiri Zouken considered everything he had learnt about the current situation.
The Grail had been usurped by that Golden Archer of the previous Grail War.
Beyond that, the Servant had the gall to modify it to fulfil a purpose that it wasn't designed for, meaning his wish could not be granted.
He would have to find a way to deal with the servants currently summoned, their masters and the rogue servant that had taken over the Church.
The fact that the priest had died due to the servants actions was a benefit; however it didn't change the fact that he wasn't quite at the level where he could take on a servant like that.
If he had the ability to launch a surprise attack when its guard was down then that would be one thing; but he knew from experience that the servant was too perceptive to be caught off guard by such a trick.
Meaning his only real method of doing anything was by utilising a Lesser Grail to devour the servant… but that also had flaws, namely that it would require the Lesser Grail having enough power and will to consume the servant.
And given the True Name of the golden archer, he doubted they would be capable.
Meaning he would have to find a way to catch servants off guard and use their Spirit Origins as a basis to summon his own servants.
With enough of his own servants he should theoretically be capable of overwhelming Gilgamesh, though even then it was purely theoretical.
He was already aware of the Archer's power from the Fourth Grail War.
There was also the matter of which servant he should strike at first.
He would have to avoid killing the Rider his pawn had summoned; it could prove useful later after all but it would be difficult to take another one out without anyone noticing.
So he would have to find a weak servant that was vulnerable; after that he could start taking out more dangerous Servants with the replacement he summoned.
There was also the matter of finding a master who was vulnerable.
Out of all of the masters currently involved only two of them could be considered such.
His own Pawn and the adopted child of Emiya.
So going after Emiya first would probably be the wisest course of action.
With his mind made up, he went back to waiting.
He would have to wait for an appropriate moment to strike.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Gilgamesh took another sip of his wine as he sat in the Church.
It was strange to be here without Kotomine there to fulfil his needs.
But then again, Kotomine had died so that he could establish his Golden Order.
After all, he was the King and as much as he may have considered the current humanity to be a shadow of the one from Uruk it was his duty to rule over them.
And perhaps part of the reason they had fallen so far was because they didn't have him to lead them.
After all, without his guidance they would naturally make mistakes and lose what made them so great in the first place.
For that reason, it was his duty to return to his place as the King of Humanity and lead them into a new age.
And now there weren't even any gods meddling in the affairs of mortals to interfere with his rule.
But he also lacked the most important resource he had back in the day.
"… I need a retainer," he muttered to himself.
Siduri had been a truly impressive woman, capable of fulfilling his commands without delay or failure.
Admittedly she had been severely lacking in the terms of both magecraft and combative prowess but her ability as an aide more than made up for that.
However he had to wonder… was there anyone alive now who could match her in that area?
He doubted it but simply finding someone who could fulfil mundane tasks would be enough.
At least until his organisation had grown.
After all, while he may have been the king, there was a distinct lack of knowledge concerning his status in the modern world.
Meaning he would have to educate the ignorant before he could truly start spreading his rule once again.
And the first stage would be to find someone capable of passing on his instructions, keeping him comfortable and running the daily operations of his 'Golden Order'.
He would simply have to pay a visit to his current enforcers and get their suggestions.
They may not be organisers themselves but several of them had experience working in organisations with a solid structure, so they could potentially give useful information for him.
Naturally the final decision would be his but at least finding out where to start would be useful.
Standing from his seat he made his decision.
It was time to visit the Emiya residence.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Waver Velvet couldn't stop himself from grimacing as Rider browsed the shelves of the local tech store.
He really didn't have the finances to buy the man more games, especially not when the man wanted to get a console along with it.
But it was just so hard to say no to his king.
"I-I'm sorry sir, but that one is out of stock," the clerk said, clearly intimidated by the giant of a man.
"Is that so, then when will it be back in stock?" the red-head asked, his tone as friendly as normal.
"I-it should be arriving in a few days," the clerk said, obviously not sure how to handle Rider's genuinely cheerful nature.
"Waver, we're coming back until it's in stock," his king commanded and he felt a sigh escape his lips.
Reines was going to kill him for this.
"Okay," he just couldn't say no to the man that he had sworn his loyalty to.
"Thanks for your help," Rider said to the clerk who seemed to relax a little, "we'll be back to check on it."
"A-actually, if you want I could leave a message for someone to phone you when it's back in stock," Waver wasn't surprised that the clerk was currently trying to be helpful, after you got over Rider's intimidating presence it became easy to fall into the trap of trying to make him happy.
"Thank you," he decided to cut in, "I will leave you my phone number."
And with that, he wrote down Emiya's phone number and passed it to the clerk who blinked.
"Wait… who are you?" the man asked.
"My name is Waver Velvet. Me and Rider here came from abroad; we're currently staying with the adopted son of an acquaintance," he told the clerk who nodded hesitantly, "I'm guessing you know him?"
"Ah, yeah… he's helped me out a few times when I had some mechanical issues," the clerk admitted.
Waver simply smirked.
"I can easily see that," he admitted.
Emiya had proven himself to be a genuine and helpful individual so far, so to find out that he had apparently helped out people in the city wasn't much of a surprise.
"Yeah, Emiya-san is pretty helpful," the clerk admitted, "so you knew his adopted father?"
"Not particularly well," he admitted, "but I ended up in town with no housing and he offered to let us sleep there until we found more permanent lodgings."
"Well… I hope you find someplace to stay soon," the clerk said and he nodded.
"Come on Rider, let's go," he said to his king.
"Yeah, we'll be back soon!" the red-head said even as they left the store.
Waver for his part simply released a sigh of relief upon leaving the store.
Having to deal with Rider trying to buy things when he was already in massive debt with Reines was not something that he was happy about.
"You look pretty down," his king commented and he glanced at the man.
"It's nothing," he dismissed it.
There wasn't a reason to let his king know about his current circumstances.
"It obviously isn't, so as your king, I command you to tell me what's wrong," he froze.
Shit.
Releasing a sigh he did what he had to.
"… I'm in debt with the family of the man who acquired your catalyst for the fourth war," he said after checking to make sure no one was listening, "so having to buy you things is going to impact that."
He could see Rider frown at that.
"Well… as your king it is only natural that I take on some of that burden," the giant of a man declared.
"No!" he commanded, "this is my debt to burden, not yours."
The man simply nodded.
He spent all of his life taking after all, so to give would be hard for him.
But Waver knew that.
And that was why he wouldn't let his debt impact his king.
"Oh? That's awfully considerate of you Lord El-Melloi," a voice called from outside his field of view, prompting him to turn with a raised eyebrow.
Sure enough, there was the little Einzbern homunculus that was apparently the biological daughter of Emiya Kiritsugu, currently being escorted by the other two homunculi who looked to be older.
Of course, their apparent age was not an indicator of their actual age but they did at least look older.
"Einzbern-san, what are you doing here?" he asked the girl who offered a shrug.
"Well… since I was going to be spending a little more time at Onii-chan's I thought I would try out some video games," the red-eyed girl said with a smile.
Waver for his part simply blinked.
Perhaps… perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone here.
"Would you be willing to share with Rider?" he asked her, earning a shrug in the process.
"My family's mansion doesn't have electricity… so when I'm not at Onii-chan's it won't be getting used anyway," she answered and he offered her a smile.
"Can I take that as a yes?" he asked for confirmation.
"As long as he doesn't break it then of course," she answered with a smile of her own.
"Thank you little one," Rider said with a grin of his own, "how about a few games against each other?"
The smirk that appeared on the little girls face matched the fire that appeared in her eyes.
"Of course," she replied without a moment of hesitation, "just don't cry when I beat you."
"Hahaha!" Iskander sounded genuinely amused by that and Waver found himself smiling.
It seemed that at the very least, the Einzbern master was more than willing to act as competition for the man.
"So… do you want any recommendations Einzbern-san?" he asked the girl who offered him a smile.
"Just call me Illya," she said and he nodded.
"Okay, I guess I can do that," he acknowledged.
"As for recommendations… I guess it would be nice to know what everything is," she admitted.
He almost chuckled.
It was obvious that the girl would be sheltered; she was an Einzbern after all and they barely even interacted with the Mages Association, let alone anyone else.
But to see her so eager to cast off the isolation she probably endured all her life was a pleasant thing to see.
"Well… I guess we're going back in," he said.
He wondered how the clerk would feel about them returning so soon.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Gilgamesh couldn't stop himself from scoffing at the sight of the Emiya household.
It may have been big but it lacked any level of ostentatiousness that would have given it the right to call itself a manor.
Walking closer he raised an eyebrow.
The bounded field surrounding the property was not a surprise; however the sheer subtlety of it was curious.
He had barely noticed it when he passed.
It wasn't completely unnoticeable, however it was likely one of the most subtle bounded fields he had ever come across; if a normal magus wasn't specifically looking for it then they would probably have simply passed by it without even realising it was there.
He pushed those thoughts out of his head.
The bounded field didn't respond to him so its presence was irrelevant.
Moving towards the front door, he placed his hand on it and opened it.
The hallway was small and likely fit the description of 'homely'.
Eventually he reached a room with noise emanating from it and entered.
The room fell silent.
Looking at the current occupants, he noted that the red-headed woman who everyone seemed nervous of was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in hand, her eyebrow raised before dismissing his presence and returning to her drink.
For her to dismiss him so casually was offencive; however he could tell from the taint of her magical energy that she had touched Akasha, meaning her dismissal of him wasn't entirely born of arrogance but rather the simple fact that she was a genuine anomaly among humanity.
He would forgive her this transgression for now.
The other red-head, this one with much shorter hair, was far more focused on his presence than the True Magician.
It wasn't a surprise that she would pay him her full attention, he was the King and unlike her peer she was not someone whom had touched the Root of Existence.
Beyond either of them, there was also the long haired Rider who had been summoned with a blindfold, the blue haired Celtic Caster, the blonde girl in blue, the so called 'demon archer' and lastly…
"What are you doing here Archer?!"
He couldn't stop a grin from gracing his lips as the woman practically growled at him.
"I came here seeking recommendations," he would allow her the right to know the reason for his presence, "unfortunately you're opinion is unneeded for this matter so you shall have to wait your turn to speak any further."
"You want advice?" the True Magician asked, her eyebrow raised in obvious curiosity, "I would've thought the first hero would already know everything he needs to."
"Do not mock me True Magician," he declared, "the advice I need is concerning individuals I know nothing of."
That seemed to draw her attention more than anything else.
"Okay, so what do you want to know?" she asked, her attitude still casual.
"I am seeking someone worthy of acting as my right hand," he informed her, "what you would call a 'secretary'."
The woman blinked.
Once, twice.
"So you need someone to manage this organisation you're building?" she clarified.
"Indeed, a king does not do everything himself, the busy work is to be delegated to those with the skills to enact it," he explained without delay.
"A true leader knows how to delegate to the right people," Demon Archer declared with a chirpy grin.
"Indeed," he agreed.
While the servant may have spoken out of turn, there was a matter of overlooking certain characteristics that he wouldn't have in other circumstances.
After all, if these servants and masters were to act as his power-base then alienating them would be counterproductive to his goals.
The red-headed True Magician rubbed her cheek as she obviously thought over the matter.
"If I may your highness," he looked over to the blonde haired girl who had summoned Demon Archer, "I believe that Lord El-Melloi would be the most knowledgeable of individuals who could fill the role you are looking for."
"Lord El-Melloi?" he raised an eyebrow before remembering who she had called that before, "I assume you mean Waver Velvet?"
"Indeed," she responded without delay.
"And why would Islander's subject be knowledgeable of such individuals?" he was curious as to the exact reason she was suggesting asking that boy.
"Because he is a well known instructor at the Clock Tower, to the point that many seek out his tutelage," she explained and he nodded.
"And what of you? Do you know of anyone worthy of acting as my secretary?"
She blinked before shaking her head.
"I do not, my family tends to know mercenaries and the like more than academics," her response was unsurprising for him.
"There are a few people I can think of myself," the True Magician said and he gave her his attention, "but most of them aren't liable to leave their posts… and the last… I'd rather not get her involved if possible."
He narrowed his eyes.
"And why do you wish against getting this last one involved?"
"Because she's my sister," the woman stated, "and we fight… a lot."
He had to chuckle at that.
Familial bonds like that were something he could relate to.
Despite not having actually fought a family member, there was no way in Kur he would have gotten his father involved if he was still alive in this time.
"Very well, I shall accept that excuse," he declared, "however, should no better candidate be presented then you had better be prepared to bring her here."
He noticed a small grin tugging at the Magician's lips.
"Well… I can't guarantee she'll be in one piece," the woman responded.
"So long as she's intact enough to do her job, that is all that matters," clearly she wasn't against bringing her sister into the organisation, she just didn't want to have to deal with her regularly, "now, where has Waver Velvet gone?"
"Lord El-Melloi and his servant left the building earlier, neither mentioned where they were going," the young magus in blue said and he felt a hint of annoyance well up inside him.
"Very well, then I shall simply have to wait for him here," he informed the room.
"That will be unnecessary," Saber stated firmly, "you are not welcome here Archer, now leave."
"Saber-san, I doubt your master would appreciate you throwing a guest out for no reason," the blonde magus said.
"My master is a fool," Saber declared, "if he was not, then you would not be here at this moment."
The blonde magus snorted in derision.
"If you honestly believe that then you understand your master less than you realise," Gilgamesh found his eyebrow quirking at that.
The red-headed child of Saber's old master had struck him as a fool who could only imitate others.
Yet this girl claimed that the boy wasn't a fool?
"Oh, you claim that boy is not a fool, what do you have to base it on?" he asked the magus in blue.
The girl simply jerked in obvious surprise.
"A fool would not consider the possibility that they are wrong," the girl said, causing Saber to frown, "however, Emiya-san fully accepts that possibility but is choosing to act as he is because he believes that pushing everyone away would just make the latter outcome more likely."
Gilgamesh found himself letting out a small chuckle.
"So the boy wishes that the situation is true and working towards making it work," he summarised, "and by welcoming others into his home, he is showing trust in the hopes that it will promote reciprocation from the others I have recruited."
The girl nodded.
"It is still a foolish endeavour where magi are involved," Saber however was quickly dismissing the matter, "and I shall not welcome Archer into this house."
"Oi! I resent that!" the black haired servant in red called out causing Saber to look a her in derision.
"Very well… if you wish for me to leave this property," Gilgamesh would make the Saber class servant an offer, "then you are free to try and force me to leave."
He offered her a smirk as she grit her teeth.
"However, should you fail, then you shall accept your place as mine," her fists clenched, her eyes narrowed and her expression turned outright murderous.
"That won't be necessary," the red-headed Magician spoke up as she rose from her seat, "Emiya-san would not approve of such a thing happening here, so you two can sit down and wait patiently."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You would dare try to command me?" he asked her, earning a casual shrug off the woman.
"Look, I get that you're the Oldest known Hero, I get that you're supposed to be the king of humanity and I get that you're our boss," she responded, "but this is Emiya-san's house and it is polite to show respect to a person when you are in their home."
He had to scoff at that.
Everything in the world was his, so proclaiming the house to be that boy's was a mistake on her part.
But it wouldn't hurt to entertain the notion that he should be polite and follow the boy's will.
"I shall not remain near Archer any longer than is absolutely necessary," Saber declared and he let out a chuckle at her continued insistence to reject his claim to her.
"Then you can leave instead," the Magician responded, "there's nothing keeping you here if you can't stand the idea of being near him."
Saber grit her teeth.
The woman had a point.
Of course, it didn't matter if Saber remained or not, as much as he would enjoy her company, she wasn't important for his current objective.
Taking a cushion at the table, he opened up his vault and pulled out something very simple.
A bottle of wine.
He noticed Saber's eye twitch at that.
The last time she had seen him bring wine out of his vault had been at the 'banquet of kings' in the last war; the meeting where her mindset for ruling had been attacked by two other legendary kings.
So it wasn't a surprise she wouldn't be happy upon seeing it again.
Without another word, she rose from her seat and stormed out of the room.
In the end though, it didn't matter.
She would eventually come to realise that she was his.
Pulling out a goblet from his vault, he poured some of the wine into it and started to drink.
It would only be a matter of time before Waver Velvet returned and he could get to business.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
From her place in the middle of the dojo, Saber took deep breaths as she finished swinging a wooden sword with such force that it nearly broke from the speed.
Knowing that Archer was in the main building, waiting for one of the masters staying there to return was enough to make her chest burn with fury.
Remembering how he had humiliated her during the final stages of the Fourth Grail War, how he had prevented her from obtaining the Holy Grail and getting her wish granted before her former master had betrayed her… it was all too much.
She wanted to kill him but she knew that he was the more powerful servant.
Even if she managed to get close enough to cut him, he had enough treasures to block her attack and then end her.
Facing off against him one on one was simply going to get her beaten.
And he would force himself upon her despite her hatred for him.
She could not allow that.
Taking another swing of the wooden blade she felt it crack.
It wasn't surprising; it wasn't designed to be swung with the full strength of a servant after all and she had been moving as hard as she could to try and tire out the inferno of anger that was consuming her.
She would have to speak with her master about Archer; the king was dangerous and deranged after all.
But would her current master accept her warnings about the golden servant? He had rejected all of her warnings so far after all.
Staring at the floor she tried to think of a way to get rid of Archer.
But nothing would come to her mind.
A sneak attack from an assassin would fail due to the man's perception allowing him to find assassins despite their presence concealment.
But a direct attack would also fail, even Berserker who could use the noble phantasms shot by the Archer had been unable to catch the golden servant… and that wasn't even including the fact that Berserker was a better swordsman than herself.
She simply didn't know how to possibly defeat her old foe.
Maybe if she still had her sheathe it would be a different matter, the power boost and regeneration it would grant her would be enough to make a difference but even then it wasn't a guarantee.
Meaning she would simply have to play it by ear.
If she had allies then maybe they could overwhelm him…
But that would mean swallowing her pride and not only winning through numbers… but also relying on magi she couldn't trust.
Then again, if she could convince her master to turn on Archer and unite the other masters against him then it was possible they might be able to win.
But that would mean going back on her original advice about how to treat the other masters.
Taking several more deep breaths, she thought through her current course of action.
Who was more dangerous right now?
The other masters or Gilgamesh?
She couldn't stop herself from considering the golden king the greater of the threats.
Meaning she would have to hold her tongue and accept that her master was trying to build bridges between them.
She would have to do her best to avoid burning those bridges.
Then there was the matter of the nature of this summoning in the first place.
Waver Velvet had been right when he talked about how different the selection of masters and servants were this time around.
Perhaps it was possible that they might actually get along.
Her main experience with magi in the modern era had come from Kiritsugu and Archibald… but even then, the master of Lancer had died an ignoble death after bargaining for his and his fiance's lives… choosing them over winning the Grail War.
Was it possible that her perspective on magi had been clouded by Kiritsugu's monstrous actions?
So far the magi who had gathered displayed a surprising lack of hostility towards each other, but she had assumed it was simply an act so that the others would let their guards down.
But… but what if she was wrong?
What if the magi who had gathered were all genuinely getting along?
Was it possible that she was inadvertently sabotaging something that could actually prove beneficial to the world as a whole?
The worst part of that line of thinking was that if the information they'd been given was in fact true… then did that make killing Archer the wrong thing to do?
Despite her hatred of the Servant, he had collected the masters and apparently reprogrammed the Grail to function differently, so much so that it summoned servants in a body that couldn't dissipate or astralize, while simultaneously being easier on the magi to maintain.
In the end, there were so many things to consider now.
If only things had been simpler or she had Merlin there to suggest a course of action.
For as much as the man infuriated her, he was still a great mentor.
"Hehehe."
A chuckle came from the side of the room and she jerked to face it.
"What are you doing here Avenger?" she asked the man in a green suit, her eyes narrowed.
"You're quite the wreck aren't you," he said easily.
"I would watch my tongue if I was you," she informed him, earning a chuckle off the man.
"Oh? And why is that? Is it because of your hatred? Or maybe it's because of something deeper… a little bit of guilt perhaps?" the man said and she felt her heart starting to speed up.
"I have nothing to discuss with you," she informed him.
"Perhaps not, but I have something to warn you about," the man declared and she looked him in the eye, "you're not the only person here with issues, some of the others here are more dangerous than even you suspect."
Her body tensed at that.
"Such as?" it was obvious that the man knew at least something she didn't.
"Envy can be quite the dangerous sin, especially when it is combined with lust," and with that the man turned and started to leave the dojo.
"Wait!" she called out, "who are you talking about?"
He looked at her from over his shoulder, his expression blank before it erupted into a crazed grin.
"That is something for you to figure out yourself," and with that he left.
Clenching her fist, she grit her teeth once again as her frustration built even further.
Avenger had just set her back to square one.
Though, not quite.
Lust and Envy.
Someone in the house held those two feelings, likely about her master.
But which one specifically?
She shook her head.
She would simply have to watch to see who Avenger was referring to.
But for now, she would simply continue to try and calm down, simply knowing that Archer was so close was enough to anger her after all.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
"And so that's how a television works," Waver finished explaining to the young Einzbern homunculus as they finally reached the Emiya residence once again.
"Okay," she accepted and he found himself wondering just how young the girl actually was.
So far she had shown signs of an abusive upbringing, nothing unexpected for an Einzbern, but there were indications of her having a sharp intellect and at least some maturity.
"If you don't mind me asking," he started, "how old are you?"
She blinked.
"Why are you asking?" she was clearly suspicious.
"Because I get the impression that you're older than you look and since you're a Homunculus, there's no telling exactly how old you actually are from your body alone," he pointed out.
She offered him a smile in response.
"I'm only half homunculus… though my body was customised in such a way it wouldn't age past this state," the girl admitted.
He nodded in understanding.
"What types of customisations are we talking about here?" the exact nature of the customisations could result in varying side effects after all.
She looked down before releasing a sigh.
"The type that mean I only have a year left to live," he almost froze at that.
Only a year left to live.
That…
"I'm sorry," it was all he could say in response, even as a grimace spread across his face.
"It's fine, I've known for a long time," she said with her usual tone, "all I want is for my last year to be fun."
"Hence the video games," he concluded.
"Yep," she nodded, "movies, games, spending time with Onii-chan… I hope that all ends up being fun."
He nodded in acceptance.
Hopefully she could have a good final year; perhaps if he knew more about the body and soul then he could help her, but he was a better teacher than magus.
Dealing with puppet bodies wasn't something he had any experience with…
…
He slapped his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Illyasviel asked and he shook his head.
"I'll tell you after I confirm something," he told her, he didn't want to get her hopes up if it was simply going to fail after all.
She simply nodded in acceptance.
"Oh, also… don't tell Onii-chan about this, I don't want him treating me special just because I'm dying," she said and he nodded.
It wasn't his place to tell Emiya about something like that.
Opening the front door, he prepared himself to talk to a specific individual about the matter.
Then he opened the door to the living room and froze.
Sitting at the table, dressed in casual yet clearly expensive black clothes with a white shirt was Gilgamesh, his hair down from it's usual spiky mane.
And the golden king's eyes immediately landed on him.
"Ah, good, you finally returned," the Archer class servant declared, "I have been kept waiting."
Waver felt himself swallow nervously at that.
The idea of making Gilgamesh unhappy by keeping him waiting wasn't something he wanted to do.
"My apologies, but I did not know you were looking for me," he explained.
"I am aware," the ancient king pointed out, "now, I have been informed that you are more familiar with individuals with the skills necessary to take on the role of secretary."
He had to blink at that.
"Uh… I know quite a few individuals who could possibly fill that role, though whether they would choose to co-operate is another matter," he admitted.
"I am in need of someone to relay my instructions," the king stated without hesitation, "I do not expect much, however I am willing to hear suggestions for individuals to take the position."
Waver started to think before shaking his head.
"Do you need the list immediately?" he asked the king whose eyes narrowed, "because while I can think of a few off the top of my head… I could probably come up with a more comprehensive list if given time to think it over."
The golden king took a breath before exhaling.
"Very well, you have one day to come up with a list of individuals for my consideration," he felt relief at that, "do not keep me waiting this time."
He simply offered the king a bow before the man rose from his seat and made his way out of the house.
"Where's Saber?" he asked once he heard the door close.
"She left when she learnt that Gilgamesh was going to remain here to wait for you," Aozaki-san said and he nodded.
He was aware that Archer and Saber didn't get along.
"So, where's the television?" Illyasviel's voice cut in.
"It's right over here," Iskander was the first to respond as he moved towards the television with the bags containing the consoles and games, "Waver, can you set it up for us?"
He sighed in response.
"I have something to discuss with Aozaki-san first," he declared, causing the woman to turn her attention to him, "in private."
The room fell silent even as the most powerful human in the room rose from her seat.
"Okay, where do you want to talk?" she asked him.
"In my room will be fine," he doubted she would be intimidated entering his room, after all, he was nothing compared to her.
So she followed him as they moved through the hallway and entered the room that was currently housing him.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked once he closed the door, allowing the temporary bounded field he had set up to take effect and prevent anything they were saying from escaping the room.
"The Einzbern girl is dying," he stated bluntly, causing her to raise an eyebrow, "apparently modifications done by her family have left her with only a year to live…"
She stared at him, her eye twitching as her expression remained blank except for that.
"You want me to contact my sister and see if she can do anything about it don't you?"
"Yeah…" he confirmed.
"Why do you want to help her?" she asked and he deflated.
"She's clearly innocent, but she shows small signs of abuse… the idea of her only having a year to make up for the rest of her life doesn't feel right," he explained.
"Is that so…" she responded before releasing a sigh of her own, "fine, I'll contact Touko… but there's no guarantee she'll actually come."
"Thank you Aozaki-san," he said and she shrugged.
"Thank me after my sister fixes the girl," she responded.
"I'm thanking you for even accepting my request in the first place," he pointed out, "after all, there was no reason for you to do so."
"Hey, life, even artificial life, shouldn't be treated callously," she told him before offering a small smile, "honestly I think this is just another nail in the coffin for the trickery theory."
He looked at her before letting out a small chuckle.
She was right.
The fact that he was doing this because he felt it was the right thing to do supported Gilgamesh's declaration that he had selected masters who wished to help.
"Well, I guess I should go and set-up the game console now," he pointed out, earning a nod off the woman.
"Do you mind if I stay here while I call my sister?" Aozaki asked him and he nodded.
"It's fine, I don't have much of value in here anyway," he admitted; he had come without any preparation after all.
Meaning he was currently travelling light and didn't have any actual research materials with him.
So all she would really find would be his underwear and he doubted she cared about that.
"Thanks," and with that, she pulled out a mobile-phone and he left the room.
Now it was just a matter of setting up the game console and hoping Emiya didn't have anything against them in his house.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Okay… she could do this.
Entering her contacts, Aoko found a name she rarely ever called.
Aozaki Touko.
This was going to be hard.
Taking a deep breath she called.
Putting her phone to her ear she waited.
The phone rang several times, not a surprise but it was still difficult to listen to the phone ringing when the person who would answer would almost certainly be Touko.
"Hello, Aozaki Touko here, who is this?" when the voice came from the other end of the phone she readied herself for the oncoming conversation.
"Hello big sis, it's me," she said.
Almost immediately she heard a groan from the other end of the line.
"What do you want this time Aoko?" her sister asked with irritation clear in her voice and she found herself grimacing.
"Uh… long story short… the Fuyuki Holy Grail has been commandeered by a surviving servant who has recruited me and nine other magi to act as masters," she summarised, "one of those masters is an Einzbern… who has had modifications done to her body that mean she's going to die within the year."
"… so you want me to travel to Japan just to check out a homunculus that's nearing it's expiration date?" her sister asked.
"Hey, I'm just the middleman here, the person who asked was Lord El-Melloi," she said, trying to make it clear that it wasn't her decision to contact her.
"Lord El-Melloi asked you to contact me?"
"Yeah… I don't know what he has to give you in exchange but he asked me to ask you to do this," she said.
Silence fell on the other end of the line and she felt her nerves growing even more.
Eventually however the silence was broken.
"I guess I might be able to learn something from studying an Einzbern…" her sister finally said, "where exactly are you?"
"We're currently in Fuyuki City… the residence of one Emiya Shirou," she said.
"Emiya?"
"Yeah… adopted son of the Magus Killer, though apparently his old man is dead," she tried to assuage her sisters obvious concern.
"Very well, I will catch a plane over there soon," Touko responded and she felt a sense of relief.
"I'm surprised you're coming after hearing that," she admitted, "would've thought you'd think it's a trap or something."
"Aoko… I can tell when you're lying," her older sister said, "you can be rather transparent."
She winced at that statement.
"I… uh…"
"Just make sure you don't move location before I arrive," Touko declared.
And without a chance to say anything else, her sister hung up.
Well… at least there was a chance the little girl would get some help.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Illya couldn't stop herself from dwelling on the fact that she had actually told that man about her expiration date.
It wasn't like it really changed anything after all; she was going to die then whether she told him or not.
But simply getting that fact out to someone who didn't already know felt almost liberating.
As if a weight had been lifted off her chest.
It didn't change anything, she had already come to terms with it, but having to live with that knowledge and not being able to really say anything about it meant she hadn't been able to… she wasn't entirely sure… but there was a finality that came with telling someone unaware.
But at the same time, the mere fact that she had told someone made the knowledge of her impending death easier to bare.
"… and… that should be it," Lord El-Melloi declared after fiddling with a mess of wires and the television.
Then he pressed a button on the object and it lit up before he turned on the television and the screen lit up with the same logo that was on the console.
She had seen it just the previous night, but it hadn't really been a focus so she had done her best to ignore it.
But now… now it was the main attraction.
Her little brother wasn't there to take her attention and she was surrounded by individuals who all seemed shockingly at ease around each other.
There was absolutely no way they would be if this had been her family's house.
But then again, there is no way they'd have even been allowed in that house in the first place; her grandfather would tell them to freeze to death before letting them through the houses protections.
Shirou's house however was so much warmer.
Even the bounded field that she had managed to study was something that emphasised that warmth, doing little more than warning him of hostile intent when it entered the area.
There was absolutely nothing that actually defended the house.
But it also meant something different as well.
If anyone in the house wanted to harm the others, then Shirou would know.
She actually had to smile at that thought.
He was acting so friendly and helpful, yet so few people even noticed the nature of the bounded field and how it would inform him if there was someone who sought to do harm.
She shook that thought out of her head.
No one here was hostile and she had the chance to play a video game!
"Now… Illya, is this your first time playing a video game?" Lord El-Melloi asked and she nodded, "okay then, Rider, is it okay if I teach Illya how to play first?"
The giant red-head simply let out a barking laugh.
"Of course! Our little friend here bought it so she should be the first to use it," the legendary conquerer said with a gusto that felt infectious.
"Thank you Rider," the long haired master said before moving closer to her with the controller in hand.
She was soon being taught about button layouts, how pressing the buttons interacted with the game and more, he even told her that as she grew more accustomed to the control schemes she would be able to pay more attention to the game itself.
"Now, how about you start and try to get a feel for the game itself?" he said and she felt herself nodding.
She would simply have to memorise the locations of each button and get everything down!
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Luvia couldn't stop herself from watching in amusement.
To think that Lord El-Melloi would lower himself to teaching what was obviously a homunculus how to play a video game.
She had little to do with such things even if she was aware of what they were, she'd heard some of the younger generation magi talk about them on occasion after all.
But actually seeing someone playing such a thing was a new experience.
After watching the girl playing the game for quite some time, she found herself losing interest.
There was nothing there that interested her.
She would rather spend her time sparring if she wanted to do something even remotely similar to that.
Which left her with the question of where Shirou's Saber was.
She looked at Nobunaga and blinked.
Her Servant was currently looking through the different games that Lord El-Melloi had brought back with him.
"What are you doing Archer?" she asked.
"Some of these look fun," her servant responded before showing a case with a picture that said 'Shogun: Total War' on the front in clear English.
"Sorry Archer, but we can't play that now," Lord El-Melloi called out and Luvia found herself looking at him with a raised eyebrow, "it's a PC game, so we don't have anywhere to run it."
"And when can we get a PC?" Archer asked.
"… I was planning on getting one after getting a place of my own in Fuyuki," the substitute Lord said with a sigh, "I don't know if Emiya-san would be happy to have a computer cluttering up his house… the console is small enough that it shouldn't be an issue, but we'd need more than that if we're getting a computer."
Luvia nodded.
She doubted that Shirou would object to the presence of the object; probably more to the money spent on it in the first place.
Nobunaga was clearly unhappy at that.
Then she realised just why she would be so unhappy.
As a former Shogun the idea of playing a game about that period of time would probably be rather tempting for her.
"I am going to see how Saber is doing," she said, earning a nod off the professional teacher before moving to leave the room.
"Oh? Is the game boring you that much?" the Fraga's Caster asked and she scoffed.
"I see nothing there to interest me," she responded without issue, "and someone should let Saber know that Gilgamesh has left."
"If you're going that way anyway," Aozaki spoke up, "could you check on Hans, he's been cooped up in his room all day."
"It might also be an idea to check on Ciel, I haven't seen her either," the Fraga also suggested and she nodded.
It would give her things to do.
Moving through the door, she found her way towards the guest rooms and tried to remember who was in what room.
Knocking on a door, she heard a rustling before footsteps tapped from the other side.
The door opened slowly and she saw the extremely young boy who looked at her.
"May I help you?" his mismatched voice asked.
"Your master asked that I check up on you, given you haven't left this room all day," she informed him.
He looked at the clock before blinking.
"My apologies, I was simply lost in my work," the boy said before moving to a small table and sorting through many sheets of paper, "I sometimes get too drawn into my work and forget to stop for breaks."
"That shouldn't matter," she pointed out.
He shook his head.
"No, it matters."
She had to blink at that.
"Normally a servants body is maintained via the mana they receive from their masters, but these vessels are different and require rest and sustenance to continue to function properly," the caster explained, "it is likely due to how close to a real body they are."
She nodded.
It was only natural a caster would know more than her about such matters, even if that caster was simply an author.
"Well, if you require food, Illyasviel is here with her maids, they should be capable of making you something to eat," she informed him.
"Thank you for informing me miss Edelfelt," he said, "now, I believe I should get something to eat."
And with that, she moved out of the way and allowed him to pass her.
"Now… I have another couple of stops to make," she let him know, earning a nod.
"Then I shall see you later," he told her before closing his door and making his way towards the living room.
Next up, was for her to talk to the Executor.
Moving through the hallway, she reached the room she believed belonged to the church representative.
Knocking on the door, she waited.
Eventually it opened to reveal the blue haired girl looking haggard.
"What do you want?" the girl asked.
"To make sure you haven't accidentally died and started rotting in here," she informed the other girl, "you look like you've just gone a few rounds against an Apostle."
"Worse…" the girl responded, "paperwork."
She raised an eyebrow.
"The priest at the local church is dead, a Servant has appeared to form his own organisation that summons servants on mass and I was high-jacked to act as a master for that servant," the girl summarised, "that results in a lot of paperwork… and I have to live with the knowledge that my boyfriend has the Last True Ancestor trying to seduce him… and succeeding if his attitude towards her is anything to go by."
Luvia didn't know how to respond to that.
"Do you need anything?" she asked, hoping that would be enough, "the Einzbern master is here so her maids will probably be able to make you something if you need it delivered."
The girl blinked.
"That… would be great," the Executor accepted, "could you ask them for a bowl of curry?"
"Any specific type of curry?" she would need something a little more specific than that.
"No, just any curry is fine," the bespectacled girl answered.
"Then I shall pass that message onto them," she told the girl.
"Thank you Edelfelt-san."
"It is not a problem," she let the girl know.
"Then goodbye for now Edelfelt-san," and with that the girl closed the door.
Releasing a sigh, she started to make her way back to the living room.
She would deliver the message first.
She had something she wanted to do with Saber that might take a little while after all.
Entering the room, she quickly found one of the maids working in the kitchen while the other watched Illyasviel playing her video game.
"Excuse me," she spoke to the Homunculus, "but Ciel-san would like some curry delivered to her room."
"Mistress?" the maid responded, looking over to the little girl.
"Yeah, it's fine," the girl said dismissively, not removing her eyes from the screen.
"Very well," the maid turned her attention back to her, "does she hold any preference today?"
"No," she passed onto the maid who nodded before getting back to her work.
"So did you meet with Saber yet?" the Fraga asked and she shook her head.
"Not yet, I have something I wish to do with Saber that could take some time," she explained.
"Well, as long as Emiya-san wouldn't disapprove then I won't ask," the Irishwoman said.
Luvia inwardly agreed, she didn't think Shirou would be against what she had in mind but if it turned out he was against it then she would simply have to apologise.
Moving back out of the room, she made her way directly towards the dojo, readying herself for her current course of action.
Reaching the door, she opened it before blinking.
Saber was standing in the centre of the room, a broken practice sword in her hand.
Perhaps now was not the best time to try this.
"Why are you here Edelfelt-san," Saber spoke up and she simply steeled her resolve and spoke.
"I came to both inform you that Gilgamesh has left," she noticed the Saber class servant's body lose a lot of tension at that, "and to challenge you to a spar."
The chance to test her strength against a Servant was not something she could pass up.
The servant turned to face her, her face stone cold.
"You wish to challenge me? Do you understand what you are doing?"
It was obvious Saber didn't take her request as anything less than an insult.
"I do not expect to be capable of defeating you in any way," she admitted, "but I wish to know just how far above me a servant stands."
Hopefully making it clear she did not expect to be capable of winning would lessen Saber's distaste towards her.
Seeing Saber taking a deep breath, she wondering just what was going through the other blonde's mind.
"… very well, I shall entertain you this time," the servant of the sword declared, "however, you must first fix this sword."
The servant said as she held up the battered piece of wood.
"Of course," she agreed without hesitation, moving towards the servant and collecting all the pieces she could find.
Repairing it was a simple process, nothing a simple piece of advanced reinforcement couldn't accomplish.
Within minutes the wooden weapon was once again in near perfect condition.
"Here you go," she said as she handed the chunk of wood to the servant who took it graciously.
"Do you require a practise weapon of your own?" the legendary swords-woman asked.
She shook her head immediately.
"I was never trained to use weapons," she informed the girl, "my focus was always on my magecraft and unarmed combat."
Saber nodded in acknowledgement.
"I see, so attempting to use a weapon would simply make you less effective," the girl in the black suit said, "I would recommend you don't waste your strength on your magecraft, my Magical Resistance will render it useless."
Luvia nodded.
She had heard that a Saber class servant possessed a magic resistance so great that most magic was rendered completely useless against them.
Moving a few steps away from the servant, she removed her sleeves and loosened her dress; fighting Saber with restrictive clothing would simply be insulting to her.
"Are you ready?" the servant of the sword asked her as she finished up her stretches.
"Yes, let us begin," she accepted.
Almost instantly Saber made a charge towards her.
The servant… was too slow.
With minimal effort, she dodged to the side before dodging a follow up strike.
Within four strikes, she found herself understanding just what Saber was doing.
The servant had simply given her the courtesy of not blitzing her in an instant.
Now after nearly ten attacks, she was barely keeping up with Saber's attacks, pushing her body to it's limit as she reinforced it to the peak of it's ability.
And Saber was still growing faster with every swing.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Saber wasn't sure she should be doing this but she had already decided that burning bridges wasn't the best course of action now.
So she had accepted Edelfelt's request for a spar and was slowly but surely working up to her regular speed.
She was only at about half of her full speed and her foe was already struggling to keep up.
But she wanted to know just how much she was outperformed by her… so she wouldn't let up.
Feinting a strike she found a small smirk grace her lips as the Edelfelt girl reacted to it effectively; it was good to see she wouldn't fall for such an obvious trick.
Increasing her speed further, she performed a follow up against the girl too quickly for her to respond effectively, causing her to lose her footing and allowing another follow up strike to land cleanly on the side of her waist.
The noise the girl emitted upon taking the strike was enough to let her know it had hurt, but instead of falling over or anything even remotely similar, the Edelfelt girl threw a punch for her face.
Dodging it was simple.
Throwing her own punch back at the girl was just as simple.
She could feel the impact on the Edelfelt master cleanly, knocking the girl back and to the floor.
She probably hit the girl too hard, but with so many Magi in the house there would probably be someone capable of healing the girl if anything was damaged.
"So that's what it feels like to be punched by a servant."
She had to blink as the girl proceeded to get up, it was obvious she wasn't unfazed but the mere fact she was standing tall after that punch was a surprise.
"How much force did you put into that attack?" Edelfelt asked and she felt a small smile gracing her lips.
"Less than half of my strength," she informed the girl.
The nod she received in response made it obvious the girl expected that.
"I will ask you… stop taking it easy against me," the girl requested, a steel in her eyes that made it clear she was willing to deal with the repercussions of that request.
"… very well, from now on, I will cease holding back," and with that, she assumed her favoured stance and readied herself.
"Thank you Saber."
"You won't be be when this is over."
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Waver couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched the young girl getting to grips with the game she was now playing.
She was adapting quickly enough and he was certain she'd probably rival him in skill soon.
But that didn't change the fact that he felt uneasy.
Luvia had left the room quite some time ago.
It shouldn't have taken her that long to speak to Saber.
The truly worrying part was that Saber still wasn't accepting their presence… it made him wonder if she had killed Luvia while she was alone.
"Archer, do you still have your connection to your master?" he asked the raven haired girl.
"Yeah, why?" the red-eyed girl who was watching Illyasviel playing responded easily.
"She's been gone for too long," he pointed out.
It had been nearly an hour since the girl had left after all.
Hans had already gone back to his room after eating something, while one of the Einzbern maids had delivered Ciel's curry to her room.
And Luvia still hadn't returned.
"… perhaps we should check up on her?" he asked the rest of the room, who suddenly started to shift in response.
"That won't be necessary."
He jerked up upon hearing Saber's voice.
The sight that greeted him made him even more nervous.
"What happened to Luvia?" he asked as he watched the blonde servant carry the freelancer into the room unconscious.
"She requested a spar with me," the servant declared, "she… was shockingly tough for a human."
It was obvious that Saber held some mixed feelings about that.
"Do you mind if I look her over?" he asked before the servant moved to the side and allowed him access.
Running some simple diagnostics on Luvia, he saw a lot of bruising forming and a few cracks in her bones, including a fractured arm.
"She's in a rather bad condition," he stated, his voice firm, "you must have been hitting her very hard to do this much damage to her."
He noticed Saber wince at that.
"Wait… is my master going to be okay?" for once the Archer actually seemed to be concerned about the situation.
"She should be with a bit of healing," he said easily before turning his attention on the servant that inflicted the damage, "the real question is why she's in such a state in the first place."
Saber simply released a sigh.
"She wished to know how strong a servant was," she responded, "after I hit her she requested that I cease holding back."
Waver couldn't stop himself from staring at the servant in suspicion.
Given what Saber had shown so far, he doubted she would have been all that willing to spar with the girl.
But there were no life-threatening injuries either so the exact nature of the confrontation was beyond him.
"And why did you agree to spar with her?" he asked, perhaps there was something he could get from the king.
"… I realised that burning bridges could cause problems," she responded but he was certain she was withholding something.
"And why do you care?" he asked, "you've not been particularly subtle about it before."
"I had some time to think alone," she responded, "that is all I will say."
"Isn't it obvious?" Iskander spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him, "she doesn't like that Gilgamesh was here and is probably wanting to get you on her side so she can kill him."
He had to blink.
"Rider!" her response made it obvious that Rider had hit the nail on the head.
He couldn't stop himself from chuckling at that, earning a glare from the knight.
"Sorry," he apologised without any real sincerity, "it's just that I don't think your master will let that happen."
She grimaced at that.
Obviously she too understood that the Emiya boy wasn't going to be so easy to sway in that regard.
He could sympathise with her, the idea of someone treating him as property wasn't something he would be thrilled about… especially not if that person was doing that while simultaneously trying to force her to marry him.
It was definitely not a pleasant scenario to be trapped within.
"Still, Luvia should recover easily enough," he informed the servant who seemed to relax at that, "when she wakes up, she'll probably be better at fixing herself than I am, so she should be fine by the time your master comes home."
"Thank you Waver Velvet," the servant said before looking towards the television and raising an eyebrow, "what are they doing?"
"I'm playing a video game!" Illyasviel said without delay, "want to join me?"
"… no thank you," the servant of the sword answered after a short delay.
"Come on Saber, it's fun!" Iskander spoke up and the other king simply turned her face away.
"I have no interest in playing games," the blade-master stated bluntly.
"Then what will you do for fun?" Aozaki asked, earning a blank stare off the servant, "living without entertainment isn't a sustainable existence."
The servant simply shook her head.
"Perhaps if I ever feel the need to, I might do something," she stated, "until such a time, I intend on doing my best as my masters servant."
"Suit yourself," the red-head said before returning to her latest cup of coffee.
Waver found himself wondering how her conversation with her sister went, but talking about it in public probably wasn't the best course of action.
So he would simply wait until they were alone before asking.
Hopefully the news would be good.
XXX The Golden Order XXX
Shirou couldn't stop himself from stretching as the bell rang for lunch break.
The day had gone pretty much how he had expected it to.
He just hoped that his guests who hadn't woken up before he left for school would manage to get something to eat.
"Hey, Emiya!" he blinked as a voice called out.
Looking at the owner he found himself trying to remember who they were but his thought process was cut off before he could find the answer.
"I heard you had some girls waiting for you after school yesterday," the other boy asked and he blinked.
"Do you mean Luvia, Saber and Archer?" he asked.
Before he could even blink the other boy had already left.
"Uh… what?" he didn't understand what had just happened.
Watching the other boy returning to one of the cliques that had formed within the classroom, he noticed several of the boys giving him looks that gave him the impression they wanted to beat him to a pulp for some reason.
"Issei… what is with those guys?" he asked.
His friend looked at the group before speaking.
"They're looking at you the same way they look at Shinji… they probably think you're a womaniser stealing all the girls in the class for yourself," his friend answered and he had to blink.
"… what?" he really didn't understand how they would come to such a conclusion.
After all, just because he had gone to get some groceries with some girls didn't mean he was a womaniser.
Hell, he hadn't even been on a date with a girl before.
Plus he couldn't imagine being like Shinji and having girls literally clinging to him all the time.
That would just be uncomfortable and get in the way of his work.
But then again, Shinji was… not someone he saw eye to eye with.
He felt his fist clench as he remembered how close he had come to punching the other boy a few months back.
Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he collected his bento and prepared to leave the classroom.
"Issei, do you mind if I use the Council room for lunch?" he asked the other boy.
"Of course Emiya, you know you can use it whenever you want," the bespectacled boy responded without hesitation.
"Thanks," and with that he rose from his seat.
Moving towards the classroom door with Issei clearly following him, he opened it before freezing.
"Ah…"
"Uh… hello Tohsaka…" he said to the girl currently standing just outside the door, clearly looking uncertain.
She swallowed before answering.
"Hello Emiya-kun, are you free right now?" she asked and he nodded before he had even processed just what she was asking him, "good, then… would you like to spend lunch together?"
Wait… what?
"Emiya is just on his way to the student council room," Issei spoke up from behind him, "surely you don't want to disturb his lunch?"
He could feel Issei's hostility towards the girl.
"That's…" she started to speak but he decided to cut her off.
"It isn't anything private is it Tohsaka?" he asked, causing her to look to him.
"N-no, it isn't private…" she answered.
"So would you like to join us in the council room?" he asked her, wondering if he had just caused a disaster.
She looked at Issei before back to him and nodding.
"That would be appreciated," she said and he looked at Issei, immediately seeing the boy's eye twitching.
I was clear that this was not going to be an easy lunch.
But he would at least try and help the two see eye to eye on something.
"That won't be a problem will it Ryuudou-san?" she asked the president.
Issei immediately looked conflicted.
Obviously he didn't want to accept Tohsaka but at the same time he obviously didn't want to refuse him.
"Well, I'm going, are you two coming?" he said as he started to walk towards the Council room.
"Ah, y-yes," and with that, Tohsaka and Issei both started to follow him.
An awkward silence reigned as they walked through the corridors and continued after they had entered the Council room and taken seats at the table.
"So Tohsaka… why are you after Emiya?" Issei asked and Shirou found himself inwardly cringing.
It was obviously a case of getting to know another master better but it wasn't like either of them could say anything about that.
"Oh, me and Emiya-kun simply ran into each other a few night ago," she responded, "he's proven himself to be rather pleasant company so far."
Seeing the look on Issei's face made it clear the boy didn't believe her.
But as long as he didn't learn about magecraft then that was all that mattered.
"… very well," Issei obviously dropped the matter but Shirou could tell that his friend wouldn't really forget about it.
There was obviously some bad blood between the two… it was simply a matter of figuring out the root of the issue and resolving it.
But that would definitely not be easy.
"Why don't we just eat?" he asked, earning a nod from his old friend and the other magus.
The atmosphere was tense enough to cut with a knife but Shirou did his best to push past that and simply enjoy his bento.
It may have just been leftovers from breakfast but given how large breakfast had been, it was still a sizable portion.
"So Emiya-kun, are your guests still with you?" Tohsaka finally spoke up, casually ignoring Issei's presence in the process.
"Ah, yeah, I don't know when they'll find their own places to stay," he admitted, "but they're welcome to stay for as long as they need to."
"I'm sorry, guests?" Issei asked and he shrugged.
"I have some old acquaintances of my dad staying over for now," he admitted, earning a grimace from the other boy.
"Emiya, there are times that being helpful crosses the line into stupidity," the student council president said, "I believe this is likely one such time."
"Well Fuji-nee knows at least two of them," he responded, earning a few blinks from his friend, "so I'm happy to let them stay for now."
"I see…" the bespectacled boy said, "are these girls who were waiting for you yesterday part of this group?"
"Yeah, I don't know all their connections but I'm sure they're not con-artists," he most certainly was confident of that one.
"… well, I suppose you do live next to…" Issei suddenly quietened down, "so that's your plan Tohsaka."
Rin simply blinked before tilting her head.
"What are you talking about Ryuudou-san?" she said it with an innocent tone but there was something about her that just screamed that she was genuinely confused about the question.
"You know what I'm talking about," the other boy declared, "and I will tell you now, it will not work."
Shirou considered what Issei had been talking about before realising just what he was accusing her of.
"Issei… Tohsaka isn't trying to get an in with the Yakuza," he stated firmly.
"Of course not…" Tohsaka responded firmly before a slowly dawning look of realisation started to emerge on her face, "… wait… what do you mean Yakuza?!"
"Oh, my next door neighbours are Yakuza," he admitted, it wasn't like it would make much difference.
The way her jaw widened at that was actually rather amusing.
Clearly she hadn't actually known about the Fujimura's dealings.
Before anything else could be said, the bell rang and he found himself tidying up his lunch as he continued to watch Tohsaka stand there in clear shock.
"Well… I suppose that isn't her reason for approaching you Emiya," Issei said and he nodded.
"Yeah… still, can you please not be so aggressive towards her, she hasn't done anything to deserve it," he asked.
"Emiya… you clearly don't know her if you think that."
"And what is that supposed to mean Ryuudou?" oh, she had finally managed to come out of her stupor.
"It is obvious you are up to something," Issei said and Shirou felt himself deflate, "I will find out what it is one day."
"Come on, we'll be late for class if we keep this up," he decided to point out, earning grimaces from both.
"Fine… so Emiya-kun, are you fine with me visiting again later?" she said and he heard Issei start choking.
The way Tohsaka's smile never even flinched made it clear she had intended that response.
"Yeah… just… try to get along with Luvia," he asked, causing her eye to twitch.
"That… will be hard," she pointed out.
"I know… I'm just asking that you try," he felt he was being reasonable.
The look she gave him as she relented made it clear she thought so too.
"Fine… I will try to be amicable to Edelfelt," she acknowledged.
"Thank you Tohsaka," and with that he opened the door, now it was just a matter of getting through the rest of the school day.
God that was tiring.
XXX Chapter End XXX
And that is all for now.
Shadow Out.