The girl ran as fast as she could, sweat dripping down her forehead as she ducked just in the nick of time to avoid a hail of bullets from hitting her. Scrambling to her feet, she quickly dashed and hid behind a large pillar just as she saw Archer intercept Rider, preventing the servant from going after her.
Hakuno gave herself a moment to breathe, her overly tensed shoulders relaxing slightly as she glanced over at the two servants. Archer was doing great so far, not allowing Rider to further the distance between them as he managed to strike a blow at her abdomen. She had just healed him earlier so Archer should be able to last against her for a few more minutes before he needed healing again. At the rate they were going, they probably had a chance-
Hakuno's eyes widened as chains sprouted out of nowhere, promptly nailing Archer's feet to the ground. Looking over, she sees Shinji with an all-too familiar smug expression plastered onto his face, grinning madly as he gave a maniacal laugh. She should've known that Shinji would try and pull something like this again...!
Her attention goes back onto Rider as the servant manages to shoot Archer several times, the man clad in red now heavily wounded and dropping to one knee.The brown-haired female curses aloud as she took out her terminal. Did she have any Mystic codes to counter his-
An intense, sharp pain shoots through her shoulder as Hakuno drops her terminal in surprise, grasping her shoulder as she hisses in pain. Her eyes go wide in horror as blood began staining her blazer just as she saw Rider slowly and casually walk towards her direction through her peripheral vision. The girl quickly grabs onto her terminal with the best of her ability as she attempts to run away, but not before Shinji's uses his own hacking ability to chain her legs to the ground as well.
"Master!" she hears Archer's shout behind her, though the sound of his voice doesn't quite register into her ears. Panic begins to envelop her entire being as she hears Rider's footsteps getting louder. Her struggles against the chains were obviously in vain as Rider soon manages to shoot both of her legs, the girl collapsing onto the ground as her face contorted in pain.
"Phew, finally got you. Can't have you sneaking around and healing him all the time," Shinji smirks, watching Hakuno's helpless figure from where he was standing. Rider finally reaches the brown-haired female's body, bending down to pull her up by her hair as Hakuno gritted her teeth.
"I have to say...you sure are making this battle a lot more troublesome for me than I thought. I could've saved a lot more time dealing with you and your servant if you weren't scampering about like a scared little mouse." She hears the sound of footsteps and knows that Shinji was approaching her. Turning around to glare at him, Hakuno could only watch helplessly as Shinji smirked at her.
"Since you're obviously gonna lose, why not try begging me for mercy...hmm?" Hakuno feels yet another burning sensation as Shinji gave her a good kick in the abdomen. She lets out a cough, her body going slack as her vision began to blur from the loss of blood. "...? I can't hear you. Go on, cry out for mercy!" Blood spewed from her mouth as Shinji gave her yet another few hard blows in the abdomen.
At this point, Hakuno was beginning to feel dizzy...lightheaded even. She felt like her whole body was on fire, every inch of it hurting like she had literally been set aflame. The girl was too weak to even utter a single word, instead giving shallow breaths and occasional coughs. She couldn't even hear Archer's voice at this point.
"Stop wasting time with your chatter. What should we do with this girl? Her servant's still alive too," Rider cuts in, her voice sounding disinterested but annoyed. Shinji glares at her for interrupting him, but stops and grins. "Hmph, isn't it obvious? Finish her off. We can take our sweet time toying with her servant before he vanishes anyway," Shinji replies, taking a step back as he shoves his hands into his pockets. Despite feeling weak, the panic within Hakuno never left her. No, no this couldn't be. She couldn't die now, not here, not right now, not like this-
Hakuno feels a gun being pointed directed at her forehead, her eyes going wide in fear as Rider's finger begins pulling on the trigger. No...nononono, she couldn't die...! She didn't wanna die!
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"...ster. Master!"
Hakuno's tear-filled eyes shot open instantly, her breaths coming out ragged and uneven. Her chocolate irises darted back and forth frantically, scanning the area until they eventually settle onto her servant who was looking somewhat concerned. "Master...are you alright?"
Hakuno remains silent, unable to reply before her shaking hand which had been gripping onto the bedsheets tightly relaxing. "...A...Ar...cher...?" she manages to choke out, her quivering voice barely above a whisper. Her servant was right in front of her eyes, looking perfectly fine when just a few seconds ago she could've sworn that he was heavily wounded and covered in blood. But...that moment when she saw him being shot all over by Rider...that was...he was...
...about to die.
Hakuno opens her mouth, a few seconds passing by before she could regain the ability to speak. "You're...you're ok. You're perfectly...fine...," she stutters, her facial expression displaying a mixture of confusion and relief. Archer raises an eyebrow at her as if what she uttered made absolutely no sense. "Yeah...I am. Are you ok though?" Archer's question catches her off guard as she looks around, the battlefield that she was fighting on replaced with a classroom...and with Shinji and Rider nowhere to be seen.
It took a few more seconds before it finally registered that she was in her private room, her stiff body slowly but eventually going slack. So again...yet again...it was all just a stupid nightmare.
Dammit.
Archer gives a sigh as he grabs a nearby chair and sits down. "...You were stirring and groaning a lot in your sleep. Of course, I woke you up immediately when you looked like you were in pain. How are you feeling now?" he asks, casually crossing his arms over his chest.
Hakuno takes a moment to calm herself down before she eventually gets into a sitting position. Her heart was still hammering uncomfortably against her chest from the earlier shock that she had to resist the urge to curse aloud. The memories of her nightmare...the pain and blood and everything else still fresh in her mind that she wanted to remove but couldn't. She forces herself to respond when she notices Archer raising his eyebrows once again. "...I'm...fine now. Though..." She bites down on her lower lip, suddenly looking away from her servant.
"I had another bad dream earlier," was what she had intended to say, but for some reason couldn't do. Perhaps it was the fact that she was still recovering from the nightmare she had just woken up from...or was simply just ashamed to tell her servant that she had another bad dream about dying by Shinji and Rider's hands.
Either way, her mouth refused to openly admit the truth, and the girl soon finds herself staring at her hands, unable to say another word, her eyebrows creased together. Archer goes quiet at her answer, tapping his foot against the floor several times before he asks, "Did it involve Shinji and Rider again?"
The brown-haired female's shoulders tensed at the mention of Shinji after shooting Archer a brief look of surprise at the accuracy in his guess, and she could only give a nod in response. Well...she wasn't too shocked that Archer had figured it out on his own. After all, he did have that somewhat perceptive trait of his when it came to matters like this.
Besides, what else could she have been scared of and unwilling to say right after she had been jolted awake? While part of her was tempted to just shake her head and provide some excuse as to why she was squirming in her sleep, that she hadn't dreamt of her and Archer dying during the Elimination Battle in a brutally painful and somewhat gory fashion, she knew all too well that Archer would see through any lie that she may give.
...And from what she could tell over the past few days he had been by her side since their contract was established, he probably wouldn't be too happy with her denying the obvious truth and lying either.
Hakuno remained silent, mentally bracing herself for Archer to give some sort of lecture or snarky comment. "...I see." She blinks slowly, watching Archer cross his arms over his chest, a neutral expression worn over his features. ...Wait, that's it? She paused, waiting for Archer to provide some sort of follow up...only that it doesn't come. No snarky comment, no lecture, not even a click of the tongue...nothing.
...This was...different. He wasn't going to say something else apart from just an 'I see?' Not even demand for an explanation as to why she's still scared out of her wits, or tell her to stop chickening out? Honestly, his reply was rather curt that it threw her off guard for a minute. This was the same servant who knew how to agitate her with just a sarcastic remark, yet was now being uncharacteristically silent and rather expressionless.
She had expected Archer to berate her, and again...wouldn't be surprised at all if he did given his past behaviour, but it seems that he's also gotten used to it. That, or he's just trying not to take his anger out on her knowing that it would probably do more bad than good for the both of them. It was an odd tweak in the usual reaction...not that she was against it at the moment of course. After all, she wasn't too sure how she'd handle getting told off by her servant first thing in the morning.
...Let's just say that the outcome would certainly not be all that pretty if he had.
She places a hand to her face and lets out a long sigh, her fingers grazing absentmindedly over her eyes which she was certain were probably still a little red from the tears that managed to escape in her sleep. The dream she had felt all too real that it was beyond terrifying; it felt more like she had just gone through a twisted simulation. The brunette was beginning to think that she was going mad. Was it her mind warning her like some bad omen?
"Master, it almost seems like I'm asking an obvious question, but what are you so afraid of? Is it losing against Rider and Shinji?" Hakuno had to bite back another sigh that threatened to escape from her lips. Indeed, that was a question that had an obvious answer...but what else was Archer expecting her to say? That she was afraid of something else apart from extreme pain and death that was practically knocking on her door? 'Cause anything else she would've been scared of would definitely pale in comparison. "Well...yeah."
She inwardly grimaced; her voice came out much more tired and annoyed than she had intended it to be...not that she could really help it. Both she and Archer knew that this whole routine was beginning to wear her out both physically and mentally, and she had no other petty excuse or explanation to provide him with the way she was acting.
Each and every time she tried to deal with her fears and start to see things more positively, something bad would just appear out of nowhere to painfully remind her of how powerless and weak she actually was. It was exhausting, and made her feel like she was just going around in circles. It's not that she wasn't trying to improve herself either; she was...and that just made it all the more difficult. In this war, the weak are the first to fall, and she knows that...but...
She was getting tired, tired of having to deal with this ridiculous situation, tired that she had to deal with such a troublesome yet powerful opponent who kept toying with her, tired that she was still having nightmares that felt so real it was almost no different than experiencing death itself. At the moment, she really wasn't in the mood to think about anything whatsoever much less deal with any issues either.
"It's all in your head. You have to have more confidence in yourself. How do you intend to fight against Shinji when you're not confident that you stand a chance against them? Didn't Nagisa mention the same?" If Hakuno was being her usual self, she would've taken Archer's words...correction... nagging, as advice with a pinch of salt and properly pondered on about it. At her current state however, this only managed to add fuel to the fire, and before she knew it, the girl had replied Archer in a tone so bitter that you'd think that the poor female was having severe mood swings or something.
"I can't help it. Just a few days ago I was living a normal life." Hakuno's eyes widened at the words that tumbled out from her mouth as she gripped the bedsheets tightly. Yes...a normal life where everyone around her wasn't an enemy. A normal life where she didn't have to fear dying every single second. A normal life where killing people to survive was obviously insane.
Until just a few days ago, that was the life she was living.She was no hero that was accustomed to bloodshed after all. She was far from being anything like one anyway. It would be ridiculous for anyone much less herself to think that she could just get up, turn into a so-called 'new leaf' and deal with these whole set of circumstances overnight. No, before this whole situation...she was more like an extra...a powerless spectator that just watched from the sidelines, and was no forced into this whole war without a say in the matter.
In fact, this whole war and everyone in it was challenging the few set of beliefs and little self esteem she once had for herself, as if mocking her to make her go insane or in the very least, get some sort of reaction out of her. Well...they did succeed somewhat in that aspect given how frustrated she's been over the past few days. She used to believe that gravity makes things fall, water makes things wet, and something as absurd and far-fetched as magecraft surely couldn't exist outside the imaginations of one's mind. Now though, everything she once used to think were impossible were...more than possible.
Never in her wildest dreams did she anticipate ever getting herself into such a predicament. Sure, she definitely didn't want to die back during the preliminaries, but it wasn't like she wanted to get herself involved in this war by surviving either. In any case, it sure wasn't fair that she didn't have a choice apart from dying during the preliminaries or potentially dying later on.
But, she hadn't intended for her response to sound so cold...so harsh and...uncaring, like she had already given up. Sure, she was indeed frustrated over herself and the whole situation at hand but she was still fighting...at least, she was trying to and wanted to believe that she was. She glances over towards her servant, now feeling guilty over how she was phrased her words.
How childish of her; what good would it do to take her frustration out on her servant? It wasn't even his fault that she was feeling this cruddy anyway. And even she could tell that Archer himself was already doing his part in attempting to adapt to her noviceness as a master. She was only making the wound deeper than it already was. "Sorry...that was..I wasn't trying to..."
She feels a large hand on her head, ruffling her hair as she looks up at Archer hesitantly, the action causing visible confusion to once again appear on her face. Archer's expression remains neutral despite her small outburst, almost unreadable to which Hakuno didn't know whether she should feel scared or glad. The man lets out a quiet sigh, and retracts his hand back to his side a few seconds later. "...Archer?" she manages to croak out his name, unsure of what to say in such an awkward atmosphere.
"...Go get ready Master. We have another long day ahead of us, better make the most out of it." He retreats back to his throne of chairs, now staring out the window and not looking at her. He didn't look angry or mad at all that she had talked back, but something told her that he wasn't all that pleased with her earlier response either.
It was times like these that she felt uncomfortable not knowing what was going through Archer's head. Was he mad at her or not? She really didn't know...not with how he was acting. But she couldn't ask him when she knew that part of the reason was probably her fault. It wasn't like she wanted him to get angry at her, but the lack of reaction wasn't exactly welcoming either.
The room goes painfully silent that you could definitely almost hear a pin drop, with Hakuno rising from her bed minutes later to head to the bathroom and get ready, already having given up on trying to decipher her servant's thoughts. It was after she was done with a quick shower that she finally managed to calm down and clear her head.
Neither of the two spoke until she was out and dressed in her uniform, with Archer disappearing into astral form as she opened the door and headed out. There was only one day left into the preparation period, and she was going to do as much as she could before heading to the Arena.
The girl doesn't even manage to head to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite before classes start however, when she sees a familiar individual staring out of the window from the second floors hallway, stopping on the spot, her body tensing involuntarily. She doesn't even need to speak, for the individual notices her exit her room right away.
The seconds tick by before the individual decides to acknowledge her presence. Turning to properly face her, the intimidating yet polite person offers her a smile, one so innocent yet managing to make the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "Ah...good morning Kishinami-san. Haven't seen you since our conversation in the library the other day." She gulps, definitely not expecting to run into them first thing in the morning. "...Yeah, same for you too...Leo."
Her tone of voice sounds somewhat guarded and was nowhere near being genuinely friendly, but she had her reasons. As if not taking notice of it, or simply choosing to ignore it...the blond male continues smiling at her and takes a few steps closer. "How have you been? I trust that all preparations for your fight with Shinji Matou have been completed?"
Hakuno merely nods, noticing how tongue-tied she felt under his presence. Leo had a way of intimidating people by just being in close proximity, and she didn't like it one bit. When she noticed that Leo seemed to be expecting more than just a nod of the head as an answer however, she forces the words out of her mouth after a brief second of internal struggle to maintain her composure.
"...Ah, yeah. What about you?" Great, at least she was able to quickly divert the topic back to him. Though it wasn't exactly a good reply, it was a verbal reply nonetheless. At the moment, Hakuno wasn't all too comfortable to talk about herself in any way.
"Well...you could say that it's going rather smoothly." Hakuno could've almost sworn that she saw a faint gleam in Leo's eyes when he says this, sending a shiver down her spine. Why did she suddenly feel so...pressured and uncomfortable talking to Leo like this?
She seemed better at conversing with him just the other day in the library. Was it because the Elimination Battle was tomorrow that she suddenly feels the need to be extra wary and cautious around him? Was it the look he gave and the way he was talking that suddenly made her feel this unpleasant? Either way, she wasn't feeling cozy one bit right now. Part of her wanted to just walk away and ignore him, but it almost seemed like Leo's commanding presence was compelling her, stopping her, pinning her feet to the ground to prevent her from turning the other way. Was she feeling...afraid?
"Your opponent for this round is...Nagisa, right?" The question tumbles right out before she even has a chance to take it back. She herself wasn't sure why she decided to ask, but the question just came up anyway. She gives Leo a look of caution, her eyebrows creased in a slight frown. Leo pauses, as if trying to decipher the meaning behind Hakuno's question before he eventually responds.
"Why yes. If my memory serves me correctly, she is your friend...isn't she?" His tone of voice sounds rather chirpy and calm for someone who's conversing about his opponent. The question he asks sounds so innocent yet taunting at the same time, and once again Hakuno wasn't sure how to respond, suddenly feeling suffocated. His presence was beginning to feel threatening, like a hawk about to swoop down on its prey.
"...Leo...you're-" "Oh, I should be going now. Apologies for cutting the conversation short, but I believe that this is the end of our little chat. It was nice talking with you, Kishinami-san." He begins striding away, her Hakuno couldn't find the resolve nor strength to stop him either. "A word of advice however. While it is kind of you to look out for others, it would be in your favour to focus more on your own fight, Kishinami-san."
Leo turns to offer her another smile, one that could almost freeze the blood in her veins before he disappears. Hakuno remains silent, still standing in the same spot, but soon snaps out of her daze when she hears the ringing of her terminal signalling that classes were about to commence in a few minutes. It was only then that she had realized that she could breathe with more ease, although the dread in the pit of her stomach remained even as she tried to focus on Taiga's lectures.
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"You sure you're not tiring yourself out? You might end up passing out in the hallway at the current rate you're going." Hakuno pauses from the section she had been reading, placing her book on the table as she looks up to see Nagisa standing before her. She gives a small smile instead of a wide grin at her joke, finding that her lips could only manage that much. "Yeah well...a lot of things have been going through my mind lately, so I figured that keeping myself busy was the best way to push those thoughts away...at least for now."
Nagisa offers her a sympathetic smile as she gives her a few solid pats on the back. "With Shinji as your opponent, that's understandable. Heck, I'm pretty nervous myself with the opponent that I'm paired with." Hakuno's smile falters slightly. Leo...no doubt that he was a very powerful foe. She wants to wholeheartedly believe that Nagisa is strong enough to take him on...yet for some reason the feeling of dread that resides at the pit of her stomach won't disappear. Recalling the short conversation she had with Leo this morning was not helping whatsoever either.
As if sensing her worries, Nagisa gives her yet another solid pat on the back before she throws her arm casually over her shoulder. "Aww, don't look so worried! While I'm happy that you are, you already enough things to be worried over! Don't wanna see wrinkles popping up on your face now, do we?"
At that moment, Hakuno wanted nothing more than to laugh back in response as some form of reassurance to the girl next to her...as well as herself. However, with the Elimination Battle tomorrow, Hakuno found it increasingly difficult to even smile without it coming off as forced. Her worries had only seemed to pile up over the days, and this matter was no different. "I suppose that...you've gotten pretty used to this routine huh?"
"...And what makes you say that?" Her tone of voice still sounds upbeat and cheerful, but Hakuno could somewhat tell that Nagisa was worried. "Well...it's because...you seem...fine and not...worried about tomorrow's Elimination Battle. Kinda wish I had that kind of confidence." As much as a weird and kinda douche answer that was, Hakuno did have a point.
Here she was still struggling for several days to accept and come to terms with this horrid reality laid out before her, yet Nagisa doesn't even seem to breaking out in a sweat every time they chatted. One thing's for sure; she could use some of Nagisa's positivity and optimism in her life. "...I'm not confident at all. Like I said yesterday, it's better to be optimistic than negative, right? After all, a positive attitude tends to contribute to positive results as well."
Nagisa's carefree expression drops into a more serious one as she pulls away, taking a seat before placing her hand on Hakuno's shoulder. "...I'm not gonna give up Hakuno. I'm gonna fight till the very end, no matter how strong Leo and his servant are." Her voice is uncharacteristically low and serious, yet Hakuno couldn't even bring herself to chuckle at her words. "I'm gonna struggle till my last breath, even if Gawain may be more powerful than my own servant." At the mention of this, Hakuno's eyes go wide as she frowns and shakes her head. "That's not-"
"I know," Nagisa interrupts, causing Hakuno to bite down on her lower lip. "I...don't really wanna think of such possibilities either. But, one's gotta be prepared to face whatever outcome's waiting for them right?" Nagisa tries to grin, but it comes out as more of a sad smile. "...I'm afraid too Hakuno, just like you." Hakuno looks down at her feet, obviously uncomfortable at the mood the conversation has taken. Sure, she was worried and all but it didn't mean that she wanted the conversation to suddenly turn so grim and serious.
"I'm scared too y'know? Of dying." The last word causes Hakuno to flinch despite the many times she's heard it throughout the week. Even after enduring several days of hell, Hakuno still couldn't get used to hearing that word without feeling the tiniest bit upset one way or the other...especially after having those horrible nightmares. Nonetheless, this doesn't stop Nagisa from continuing what she has to say. "I'm scared...of just the possibility of dying here in this place, without being able to live out my time of youth fully, or not being able to see my family again."
Hakuno looks down at Nagisa's hands, and it's then that she notices her trembling fingers. Her eyes widen as she starts to panic, afraid that Nagisa might tear up right there and then. The last thing she needed was to make Nagisa upset right before the Elimination Battle. "Nagisa-" "I'm scared just like you. The fear that I'll probably never make it out of this place, the fear of dying at such a young age, the fear of people forgetting my existence if I do end up dying."
Nagisa lets out a sigh, a sigh that Hakuno notes also sounds tired and laced with doubt. She was familiar with this sigh, a sigh that escaped her own lips many times over the course of this preparation period. It was a sigh that she let out when she was feeling exhausted and too tired to deal with anything, and wanted to just run away from the world...and hide somewhere where she wouldn't be found. She couldn't do that though, not in the current situation she was in, not with all the consequences that came for if she were to completely give up.
"I'm scared...that I may never make it back to the world outside...or live to see another day for that matter," Nagisa confesses. Hakuno didn't know what to say. To think that the Nagisa that was so confident and constantly cheered her up could seem so...vulnerable. To think that someone shared the same doubts that she had been having these past few days, and seemed just as frightened because of them. And to think that it would be Nagisa of all people. Hakuno honestly didn't know how she was supposed to react.
"...But I'm still gonna fight." Nagisa looks back up at her, the conviction and determination in her eyes masking the earlier fear that Hakuno saw in them. "I'm gonna struggle with all my might, and you can bet that I won't go down without a good fight. I'm gonna fight to live...fight so I have a chance of living to see another day," she declares, her voice soft yet reverberating in the brown-haired female's ears. Those lines sounded so corny yet she couldn't even bear to laugh.
"I'm gonna fight to survive in this war, and I'm gonna come out alive. I wanna come out alive, so you better too." Hakuno blinks in bewilderment at Nagisa's words as Nagisa takes ahold of her hand firmly, not even a hint of hesitation in those words whatsoever. "You better struggle with all your might, struggle until you can't even feel your limbs, struggle until your very last breath to fight...because you have to come out alive as well. You have to survive...and live."
The last bit had Hakuno staring at her in both awe and confusion. Why would she say such things knowing that she too, was technically an enemy? Hakuno knew and was well-aware of this inescapable, unchangeable fact since the day they met, yet she still couldn't figure out why Nagisa would even bother talking to this much less motivate her.
Even if they two managed to make it to the second round and perhaps the rounds after that, there would definitely come a time where they may have to face each other...to fight each other till only one is left standing. As much as Hakuno disliked thinking of such possibilities, there was no escaping this harsh reality already laid out before them. The reality in store for them was beyond cruel, but it was the truth...a truth that cannot be altered no matter how much Hakuno had ignored it.
It was obvious that Nagisa was also aware of this. Yet despite knowing all this, why would she go through such lengths to hang out with her, to ask her if she was okay, to try and soothe her worries?
Why...would she want to go through so much trouble just for an enemy?
That one word that had been popping up in her mind escapes her mouth, and Hakuno doesn't even try to hide the puzzlement written clearly on her features. It didn't make sense this girl to be this...friendly with her. Maybe she had some ulterior motives by approaching her, and Hakuno honestly wouldn't blame her if she did. After all, she knew how vulnerable she seemed compared to the other masters like Leo and Rin. But for some reason, the brown-haired master didn't wanna doubt Nagisa's actions.
Call it her selfish naivety or irrationality, but a small part of Hakuno wanted to think that Nagisa's actions were sincere, that she meant everything she said and did. Nonetheless, the other large part of her was still unwilling to let her guard down. She needed to know the reason for the way Nagisa acted...and hoped that whatever answer she provided, it would be the truth at least.
Nagisa's smile widens just slightly at this, and her reply comes to Hakuno as a complete surprise. "Because you're a good friend." Despite steeling herself for her reply, Hakuno stares at her blankly, beyond stupefied to even open her mouth or respond, her mind still trying to process the words that tumbled out from Nagisa's mouth. ...What did she just say? Had she heard her right? No, it almost sounded like...
Nagisa finally lets out a chuckle as she repeats what she had said earlier as if Hakuno hadn't already heard and registered her words. "Because you're a good friend. You're a friend that I enjoyed hanging out with over the week. Because you've become my friend...that I find you...important to me? If that's the right word."
Finally regaining her composure, Hakuno frowns and barely manages to choke out a few words, clearly still baffled. No, she had to be kidding. This was beyond ridiculous...there was no way...because... "But...we're..." "...Enemies? I know. But I still chose to become friends with you, and I don't regret that decision." She squeezes Hakuno's hand as she says this. "...I don't regret befriending you. And I won't regret it in the future even if by some chance we both surivive and get paired against each other in any of the later rounds."
She releases her hand, now propping both her elbows on the table as she places her chin in her hands. "...When that happens, well...we'll just do our best. Which is why you have to survive Hakuno. You have to win against Shinji and his servant, and come out of this alive. You have to fight with all you've got and not regret a thing."
Standing up, she gives Hakuno another supportive pat on the shoulder and an unwavering smile before she heads out the door, exiting the library and leaving Hakuno silent and still stunned, left to ponder and process everything that she had just heard.
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Hakuno goes about her daily routine, managing rather well although feeling somewhat exhausted and occasionally zoning out, her thoughts going back to the talk she had with Nagisa earlier in the library. Part of her was berating herself for not being able to respond properly or say anything back to her...but the other part of her was still kinda confused and guilty that she dared to doubt Nagisa's words even after she had said it so confidently.
Friends...she didn't think that Nagisa would use that term to describe the...incredibly odd relationship they had managed to develop over the week. She didn't even think that she was considered 'worthy' to be her friend. After all, it wasn't like she was the one who actively talked to Nagisa or gave her advice; Nagisa was usually the one who initiated the conversations and went out of her way to cheer Hakuno up. To think that she would declare so confidently that the two of them were friends...and even repeatedly mention that she didn't regret befriending her nor would she regret it in the future. Somehow, that only managed to make Hakuno feel even more guilty.
Just what kind of redeeming quality or feature did Hakuno have to even be able to be called a good or important friend anyway? As far as she was concerned, Hakuno wasn't exactly the talkative, extroverted type that loved to chat or hang out with other people even during the preliminaries. While she wasn't a loner and had definitely chatted with and befriended a couple of her classmates back then, it also wasn't unusual for her to spend time by herself just chilling in the library reading a good book or take a quick nap on the rooftop after school. It was times like those that make her question what exactly made her a good or important 'friend' that people like Nagisa enjoy hanging out with.
Glancing towards her servant, she was somewhat surprised to note that he hadn't lectured or scolded her like he usually would after her chat with Nagisa. In fact, Archer had been uncharacteristically silent for most of the morning ever since he had told her to get ready. While he did give occasional grunts and had also asked her about the agenda for the day, he mostly kept quiet and steadily followed behind her in astral form even when she headed to the church for an Alteration of the Soul. It came to the point where Hakuno was wondering if Archer had even registered half the things she said to him.
Whether him laying off the insults and nagging that was a good thing or not...she didn't know. What she was certain of however, was that she preferred Archer's usual sarcastic attitude over the silent treatment...as weird as that sounded. Yes, she wasn't particularly fond of the way Archer liked to tease or insult her or scold her on the spot, but it was better than him ignoring her and acting as if the two of them were complete strangers. Then again, she probably only had herself to blame so...
She barely manages to reach the large open space of the first floor after exiting the commisary when something large crashes straight into her at full force. Disoriented, Hakuno staggers and takes a moment to adjust to the person standing before her before a sense of dreads wells within her. "F-Fujimura-sensei...?"
Almost as if sensing her urge to turn and walk away, Taiga Fujimura grabs onto her wrist firmly, with a grip so tight that Hakuno feared that she might even snap her whole arm off if she tried to escape. "Well if it ain't Kishinami-san, one of my favourite students! My, has it been a while since we last ran into each other in the hallway like this, ain't it? Good to see you in great condition!"
Great, if her day couldn't get more tiring and confusing than it already was, she just had to run into a foe possibly more formidable than Rider...and could almost be compared to the likes of Shinji if he wasn't already so annoying (although Shinji would probably take first spot as the ultimate scumbag of the century anyway. How the world would be a much better place if people like him didn't exist.). Ignoring the twinge of pain she felt in her wrist due to the amount of extreme force Taiga was applying onto it, she forces a grin on her face and nods slowly, resigning herself to her fate.
Indeed, there was definitely no escaping when cornered by Taiga Fujimura. Just what did she do to earn such misery? Ah yes, now she remembered; she agreed to do her two favours to prevent herself from possibly dying or suffering fatal injuries back then. And now she's stuck as Taiga's errand boy...or girl in this case. She had to pat herself on the shoulder for making such a decision. Good job Hakuno...good job.
"Y-Yes...good to see you too as well," she replies, laughing sheepishly. Her expression was clearly not mirroring her words, not that someone like Taiga would care anyway. Did it not occur to her that she was being...well...threatening and incredibly shameless at the same time?? What kinda teacher corners a normal student like this in front of other students and proceeds to terrorize them?! Aren't teachers supposed to approach their students in a more...calm and composed manner? Well, it seems that the simple concept certainly did not apply to Taiga Fujimura.
From a third person's view, it probably seemed like Taiga was threatening or even bullying her..., again, not that it would matter to the older woman. She was always known to be rather... 'brutal' with her students after all. Even now, she was already ignoring the questionable looks she was getting from the other students who passed by...as expected from her.
Yeah, Hakuno now understood why those taught under her would wanna harass her after they had been threatened in a similar, if not worse, manner. It made her wonder how this woman even manage to qualify and become a teacher in the first place. Taiga Fujimura could probably have "shameless" as her middle name and no one would think that it was unusual. And no, she was not overreacting or finding excuses to diss her. This teacher was anything but a role model.
...In fact, she was probably a textbook exemplar of someone you should strive to never become as you grow up. In that perspective, it could probably mean that Taiga was indirectly teaching society to become better individuals by using herself as a bad example. ...It's honestly funny and surprising how no one has called out on her or even...reported her or something for violating and abusing her rights as a teacher.There had to be a limit to how much physical and verbal torture a teacher could inflict onto a student.
"Well...cutting all the formalities short, I'm just gonna go straight to the point. I believe that I asked you to do me a tiny favour a little while back, right?" The look that Taiga gave her was anything but pleasant at the moment, bordering between being disturbing and terrifying. Yep, the principal was definitely high when he decided to hire this person to teach in this school.
If Hakuno was directing a horror movie, this...this teacher with her current expression right here...could probably be the murderer...or at the very least the murderer's accomplice. Scratch that, if looks could kill, she'd be dead right now. Dead...on the floor...in a heartbeat.
Hakuno couldn't help but internally gulp at the emphasis of the last word, but soon remembers what the teacher was talking about and swiftly nods. The last thing she wanted was to get on Taiga's bad side and possibly have her arm snapped off or her head slammed into the wall or something. It was even more scary because those scenarios she just thought up of could actually happen...kinda.
No, she was not overreacting. Have you seen Taiga Fujimura when she gets mad? Like...seriously mad? 'Cause let's just say, her strength is practically unmatched when she gets really violent. Oh no, you do not want to start getting on Taiga's bad side. Anything can happen to you if you choose to anger or piss her off.
...Unless that is, you hope and wish to suffer a quick but extremely painful death by her hands...which only an pure idiot or masochist would do.
Taking out her terminal, she searches her inventory for the item code, a large bright orange tangerine appearing in her free hand a moment later. Despite the fact that it had been kept in her inventory for quite some time, it oddly doesn't seem to have gone bad or rotten, and was still in its peak condition from when she first saw it in the Arena.
Eyeing the fruit as if it were gold, Taiga's eyes were practically shining as she yanks the tangerine away from Hakuno's fingers, also releasing her wrist in the process. "Ah, my tangerine! So you did remember, good good!" Smiling in satisfaction, Taiga gives Hakuno one of her signature slaps on the back, with the student suppressing the urge to wince upon her large hand making contact. ...Yup, that hand was definitely gonna leave a mark on her poor back.
"Thank you oh-so-very much Kishinami-san! I knew that I could count on you for this job! And as promised..." Fishing out what appears to be her own terminal from her pocket (that Hakuno had to remark...was covered in flashy stickers and had a bright orange cover with a jaguar on it), Taiga types something that Hakuno couldn't quite see too well. A moment later, the brown-haired female hears a ding on her own terminal, and responds by checking the screen to see that she had received an item.
"A...lamp?" she asks slowly, confusion apparent in her voice. "Yup! I did promise you that I would give you something to decorate your private room with after all. Consider this neat ornament as a reward for helping me out twice. Be sure not to lose it or anything!" With no more to be said, Taiga begins skipping away in the opposite direction, soon disappearing into the faculty room.
Hakuno raises an eyebrow, still somewhat dumbfounded as she looks back at her terminal. So she was gifted with a lamp. Not too sure if it would be useful to her in any way but...at least she got something out of doing those favours. She should probably remember to place it in their private room when they return from training in the Arena later.
"Why...if it ain't the amnesiac master herself. Kinda seems funny running into you quite a lot, Hakuno." Shoving her terminal back into her pocket, Hakuno turns and stares at the master standing before them, a confident and amused smile lacing the twin-tailed girl's features. "Ah...Rin." Now that she mentioned it, the two of them had been meeting a number of times this week that it was ridiculously odd. Talk about an uncanny coincidence.
It had taken Hakuno a good few seconds to realize that she had been staring blankly at Rin in silence. Snapping out of her thoughts, she awkwardly places her hand behind her neck. "Oh uh...hey?" Ok, that sounded plain awkward. Great communication skills you got there Hakuno. She waves a hand in front of her face as if to retract her earlier greeting. "I mean...what are you doing here?" Well that certainly wasn't any better.
The twin-tailed female raises both eyebrows, but soon relaxes as she offers a brief chuckle. "Nothing much. I was just on my way to the commissary. Gotta stock up on some items before the Elimination Battle tomorrow after all." ...How she and the other masters are able to accept the idea of killing each other so easily was beyond her.
Hakuno didn't even want to fathom what could be going through Rin's mind for her to be so confident and sure of herself. From the way she was speaking, it sounded like Rin certainly didn't have any doubts on winning the first round. Then again, she was already a super strong magus to begin with so...that was to be expected.
"...On another note, how're your preparations for your fight against Shinji? I've already mentioned this several times, but despite how idiotic and immature he seems, he's still a tough foe." Hakuno wasn't too sure what to say in reply. Sure, she did prepare a lot and train for hours with Archer in the Arena but...could she honestly say with confidence that she was ready for the Elimination Battle?
In fact, she still felt that was she sorely lacking and under prepared despite all the training and intel gathering she had done over the past few days. Perhaps it was due to her lack of self-esteem...which had been deteriorating ever since the first day of the week, but Hakuno couldn't find the ability to...believe in herself and her abilities like Rin. Not that she didn't want to of course...but it could get really difficult at times. That, and the stupid nightmares only contributed to dampening whatever confidence or self-belief she might've had. In any case, this huge issue she had was downright frustrating.
Almost as if sensing her thoughts, Rin gives out a sigh and walks closer towards her. Unexpectedly, she brings up a hand and lightly flicks her on the spot between her eyebrows where Hakuno soon realizes that she had been frowning. "There you go again...doubting yourself. Well, I'm positive that you have your own worries and troubles but...there's no point dwelling on them. They'll only bring you down, especially during the Elimination Battle tomorrow," Rin says, her tone of voice sounding indifferent yet scolding at the same time.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she shakes her head. "I know I'm probably not the best person to tell you this but...don't worry or put yourself down too much. You may not be that powerful or strong as a magus but hey, you're tougher than you look." Hakuno couldn't help but blink in bewilderment at Rin's words. Was Rin...the Rin Tohsaka, actually trying to console her while giving her advice?? Somehow, she found it hard to believe. Perhaps the accumulated stress over the past few days was making her hallucinate or something.
"...I hope you're not thinking of something weird or inappropriate," Rin suddenly interrupts, narrowing her eyes which prompts Hakuno to shake her head vigorously. Sighing once again, she places a hand to her head. "Don't get me wrong. We're undoubtedly still enemies, and me telling you all these things doesn't change that fact. However..." She looks away, almost seeming...dare she say...bashful? Embarassed at what she's about to say next? Hakuno wasn't too sure, given at how unpredictable Rin could be at times.
"...You're not all that worthless. You may be super weak, but that doesn't mean that you don't stand a fighting chance against Shinji and his servant. You've prepared and done that you can for the fight. So don't let that effort go to waste with your negativity," she utters quietly, her voice incredibly soft yet still loud enough for Hakuno to hear.
Hakuno must definitely be dreaming now. The stress must've gone to her head. There was no way that the Rin Tohsaka she knew and conversed with these past few days would seem so... blunt and caring? She never thought that such a moment would even happen back during the preliminaries!
...Honestly, the prospect of Rin acting anywhere near 'nice' almost seemed terrifying.
With her hands now on her hips, Rin jabs a finger repeatedly onto Hakuno's chest before she could even think of a proper reply, her face now red with what Hakuno assumed to be anger and embarassment. "Argh, what am I saying?! Anyway, don't get any funny ideas! Like I said, we're enemies! Whether you actually survive in this round or not is up to your own ability as a magus, not that I would care." At this point, Hakuno wasn't too sure if Rin was trying to cheer her up by giving some sort of...motivation(?) through the verbal abuse, or if she was just outright scolding her and telling her off. ...It was probably a combination of both, not that she would dare tell that to her face.
"All that I'm trying to say is...you shouldn't look so glum! Being all sad and mopey is only gonna affect your performance during the battle, and it's pissing me off! Try to be a little more optimistic and look at the good in the bad for once! At least try to prove to that seaweedhead that you can stand against him, damn it! I could care less if a novice like you dies early in the war, but you...just the sight of you giving up and not even bothering to try is downright pathetic that it's not even pitiful! It's making my blood boil with just how little you care about yourself! Don't you want to survive and live?!"
Yup, Rin was definitely going full blast on the lecturing this time...yet Hakuno couldn't feel it in her to get mad or depressed. In fact, it made her feel...relieved? Happy? (And no, Hakuno was definitely not a masochist) The girl couldn't exactly describe the emotions she was currently experiencing. What she did know however, was that she definitely felt better.
Taking a moment to calm down, Rin massages the temples of her forehead, probably regretting lashing out at her in the presence of other masters. "...Also, I get that your drive is hindered by the amnesia...but c'mon, you should have the drive to want to live at the very least, right?" She says this in a much softer, calmer tone, possibly to prevent others nearby from hearing. Hakuno replies with a nod of the head, still afraid that Rin could rip her head off or lash out at her again if she opened her mouth and said anything stupid. Hey, it could happen! People like her are often the scariest when pissed after all.
And no, she was not putting Rin in the same category as Taiga Fujimura. Indeed, Rin can be scary at times but at least she has her reasons for being pissed...and isn't all that sadistic or violent most of the time. The same can't be said for Taiga though. God knows what goes through Taiga Fujimura's head whenever she decides to actively abuse her students, be it physically or mentally. Taiga Fujimura would need a whole new category all to herself whenever she gets pissed or angry.
"...Then all you need to do is fight with that in mind. The will to live is probably the best flame of desire to fight. No one can blame you for being selfish by having that wish," she mutters. Taking a few steps back, Rin eyes Hakuno with a more serious expression this time. "...I won't repeat what I just said. And..." She hesitates for a slight moment, as if reluctant, but soon takes out her terminal. Typing something which again Hakuno couldn't see, she watches as something soon materializes into the palm of her hand.
In one swift motion, Rin grabs her hand and places the item in it. Hakuno eyes the item in utter confusion, her eyes coming into contact with 3 brightly coloured stones, each of them in a different colour. There shone in the light, and closely resembled an emerald, topaz and sapphire. Were they used as some sort of healing item or something...? "...These are...?"
Rin shrugs, a neutral expression now forming over her features. "Think of them as...a charm of some sort I suppose. Of course, what you do with it is none of my concern. You can keep it or even throw it out...I don't care." There was a brief pause as she looks at Hakuno with an indescribable yet piercing gaze, as if wanting to say something more, but decided against it. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Rin begins walking away, but not before turning with a final message.
"...Don't ever forget Hakuno, we're enemies. That, and don't expect me to wish you good luck or anything. It won't matter to me whether you or Shinji make it into the second round." The corners of her mouth twitch to form a smirk. "...Though, if anything, I am interested to see how the result will turn out. A pro hacker matched against a novice amateur. I hope you do put up a valiant struggle at the very least." Not another word comes out from those rosy lips of hers as she walks towards the staircase, disappearing into the commissary.
"...Hmph, still as cocky as ever. Leave it to Rin to act so arrogant and highly of herself. Still won't hold a flame to that opponent of yours though." Hakuno blinks in mild surprise, looking at her servant who suddenly chose to speak. He remains neutral, almost stone-faced. "...Pardon?" Had she heard him right? It seemed odd for Archer to be dissing Rin, though the tone of his voice suggested otherwise. It sounded...amused? She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Shaking his head, Archer offers a sigh and a look that says 'What? Can't expect me to stay silent forever now, do you?' "...Anyway, all jokes aside, tomorrow is the day of the Elimination Battle. Have you done everything you need to do? I shouldn't need to remind you, but once we head into battle tomorrow, it'll be too late for go-backs. It's not like the enemy Master is that big of a threat, but his servant is definitely on the powerful side. Her strength matches my own, so it'll be the one who falters first who loses."
Well, he was certainly quick to change the subject. Something tells her that the topic in question was something far more fishier than she would expect it to be. The tall man's master offers him a look of suspicion, but chooses not to pry. After all, knowing him, he'd probably ignore her again or stay tight-lipped even if she did ask anyway...and the last thing she needed was for him to give her the silent treatment.
"Hmm...I think I've done everything we needed to do. All that's left is to head to the Arena and get some training in before the Battle tomorrow." This response earns a satisfied nod from him. "...I see. Then let's not waste any more time with pointless chatter. Today being the last day of the preparation period is all the more reason to get as much training in as possible." Eyeing the expression on her face, Archer suppresses the urge to sigh once again.
"...Are the earlier conversations between Leo, Nagisa and Rin bothering you again?" Hakuno opens her mouth with the aim to protest, but closes it a second later in defeat. There was no hiding things when it came to her servant of all people; she was practically an open book in his eyes. That, and he had some sort of invisible ability to yank out the truth from her one way or the other than she almost found it extremely unfair. "...And what if it was?"
"Well, for starters, I already know that telling you not to worry about it won't help...given how energetically you responded this morning." Hakuno suddenly jerks her head up to look at him, clearly unamused. Oh, so he upsets and irritates her but chooses to use this action against her?! To think that she even felt guilty for her actions in the first place! The nerve of...
"But...that doesn't give you the excuse of cowering in fear or running away." Hakuno's glare falters, now staring at him in bewilderment. Placing a hand on his hip, Archer brings his free hand to her forehead and pokes it lightly. "Just because you're worried and feel afraid, doesn't mean that you should run away from these worries. You should tackle them straight on." Tackle them straight on huh? Granted, what Archer said made sense...but that was easier said than done. "...Even knowing that I don't have the power to face them head-on?"
"It's only because you undermine your potential." Hakuno looks up at him through her bangs, seeming unconvinced. "...Care to elaborate?" "... *Sigh* It amazes me how dense you can really be. There must surely be an end to how block-headed you can act." ...Was there any point to stand here silently and listen to this anymore? Really now, he chooses now of all times to insult her?? Leave it to Archer to give the most motivational and inspiring pep talks ever when you feel hopeless. Yep, she felt so much better now.
"Indeed, you're super weak and all but it's as what the girl and the ice queen mentioned." He bends over slightly so that both of them could see their faces properly, and that's when Hakuno takes notice of the serious gleam in his eyes. "You gotta start thinking more positively and look for the good in the bad, and continue to do so when no matter how much worse things become." He offers a flick to the forehead before he continues.
"You have to more persistent and not always get all moody when obstacles come around. Life is tough, but you gotta deal with it anyway. When someone pushes you down, you gotta get back up and stand firm. Only then can you even begin to try and conquer your fears. Or are you saying that you're fine with just giving up and continue grovelling at your opponent's feet when the Elimination Battle hasn't even began?" Ah, there he goes lecturing her again...yet Hakuno couldn't find any words to refute his statement.
He was right yet again. What good would it do for her to act all depressed and emotional right now? She was only worsening the issues by dwelling on them, not making them better. And to think that she had to be told that in her face by multiple people before some part of it got through her thick skull...how embarrassing. And just when she told herself she was gonna act like a more competent master for both her and Archer's sakes, yet here she was still causing worry for him.
Although it would probably take some more time to dissolve her worries, what was important was that she focused on the important matters now, and stop affecting everyone (including herself of course) with her pessimistic attitude. "You...have a point. I guess constantly moping around won't do either of us any good huh?" She says this all with a small smile on her face, and realizes that she is able to do so with more ease without the need to strain her lips.
Archer gives a nod of approval, satisfied with her answer. "Glad to know that you finally learnt something outta those conversations." Well yeah, she was just gonna ignore that comment for now. To think that despite being a rude and sarcastic servant, Archer somehow knew what words of advice she needed at times like these. The irony was almost enough to make her wanna laugh.
With a smirk growing on his lips, Archer takes a step back so there was some distance between the two. "Judging from that expression on your face, I guess staying silent had paid off. I take it that I can stop being quiet now?" Hakuno blinks, a blank expression on her features before her eyebrows soon begin scrunching together in disbelief, realization soon dawning on her. Wait...it can't be. Did he just-
"Hang on...you ignored me and didn't talk or properly reply to whatever I said for the whole morning on purpose?!" she practically shrieks, trying her best to keep her emotions and voice under control in the presence of other masters. If she could hit this man, she would. Now she understood why he chose to place some distance between them before he continued speaking!
Unfortunately, she didn't wanna do so in front of the eyes of other masters and possibly brand herself as the "second Shinji who abused their servant". C'mon, she was clearly the victim here no matter how you look at it! Oh, this man...this damn crafty man! She didn't wanna admit it...but he got her good. To think that he had been doing so just to tease and get back at her! To think that again, she bothered to feel guilty over acting so harsh towards him! And to think that she had fallen into one of his pranks again!
Ok, she was taking back what she said earlier about preferring this jerk's sarcasm and teasing over his silent attitude. More than anything, she wanted him to shut up and wipe that stupid self-satisfied smile off of his face in that moment! Archer's silence and that stone face of his was more than welcome now compared to that dang smug smirk on his lips! How she wished she could get back at him somehow!
She opens her mouth, and closes it again, finding that she had no witty retorts to offer in response. In the end, she settled for giving him a silent glare, her eyes clearly indicating 'Haha very funny. This isn't over!'. How infuriating!
Her eyes direct themselves back towards the stones she had been grasping in her hand, and it was then that she noticed that each one had some sort of weird symbol engraved onto it, almost like they were...runes? She wasn't too sure since Taiga hadn't explained much about them.
Although...she still wondered why Rin had given her such an item. She did say that it was a charm of some sorts but...did they have another use outside from just being a charm? Rin seemed somewhat hesitant to give it to her in the first place...and was even more reluctant to tell her what were the stones' functions...
...Well, no time to be thinking about that. There was no need to be wasting time guessing, at least for now. What she did need to prioritize...was training as much as she could before the day ended. Making her way to the Arena, Hakuno stuffs the stones in her pocket, halting with her eyes narrowing almost immediately upon noticing all the too familar individual that had been bugging her and causing nothing but trouble.
Ok, this surely had to be some sort of sick joke that the world was playing on her. Sure, she definitely already had her fair share of random encounters since this morning, and while some presences were welcome and others not-so-much, there could be nothing as bad as having a random encounter with Shinji Matou. There had to be a limit to the number of times she ran into this person this week, and yet here she was...standing a mere few feet away from her opponent once again. The fact that she just had to run into him at the Arena entrance the day after he had attempted to block her from entering it was sickening and could definitely make her mood incredibly foul if she wasn't already upset or irritated before she saw him. It surprised her that she hadn't even punched him yet over the past few days with how exasperating he was.
...Actually, how was it possible that someone else hadn't punched or at least slapped Shinji in the face at all in the past even during the preliminaries?? While she wasn't saying that she was a very tolerant and patient person, it was hard to believe that no one had done so just to shut his foul mouth up, 'cause that sounded like a great idea to her.
In fact, if she wasn't so conscious over what others thought of her or didn't need to worry over the consequences of getting into a fight with Shinji...she probably would've landed a good blow onto his face with her fists even before she knew she was going to be paired up with him for this round. She wasn't too sure how hard she could deal a punch...but she would at least guarantee that a good punch with her fist would either give Shinji a large bruise on his cheek or a bloody nose...or both if she was lucky. In any case, she wasn't gonna let Shinji come out of this fight unscathed.
Thankfully, he and his servant standing next to him have yet to notice the duo. Apparently, the two of them were too engaged in their own conversation to even notice them standing just a few feet away, openly eavesdropping. "Shinjiii. What did I say earlier? I won't work without reward," Rider says in a odd, whiny tone, a hand lazily placed on her hip. Shinji on the other hand, looks pissed, and stomps his foot on the ground childishly in reply. "What?! You want more money?! You greedy money-grubber!"
Rider chuckles, her arms crossing over her chest as she tilts her head and smirks. The insult seems to have an opposite effect rather than to irritate her. "Compliment accepted. I'm a pirate mercenary after all. The brighter my pile of gold the more gusto behind my gun." This statement immediately draws the attention of the brown-haired master as she looks over meaningfully at her servant, who replies with the silent nod of his head.
It seems that they have learned yet another new piece of information about Rider just from listening in on them...how convenient. Then again, it was probably due to how egoistic Shinji was to a point where he can't even keep his mouth closed when he needs to most of the time...not that she was complaining; any last minute information that they can draw out from Shinji and Rider, however small or tiny in detail, was more than welcome. It was almost as if the puzzle was nearly complete...that everything was coming into place. Just a few more pushes...a little more and Hakuno was certain that she would be able to find out about Rider's True Name and identity as a heroic spirit.
Throwing his hands up in the air, Shinji taps his foot impatiently against the floor. "Alright already! Geez, hold your horses, would you?!" He suddenly goes silent, his fingers make odd air gestures before he begins speaking again after a minute. "There. I hacked into the Arena and got it to generate more treasure...so there shouldn't be a problem now, right?!" he hisses. Hakuno frowns at what he said. Treasure? What was he...
"Ooh, why hello little girl. Fancy meeting you here." She doesn't even get to finish her thought, as Rider soon turns and sees her standing behind them, although she seems more relaxed than expected. Oops, she probably should've considered hiding earlier rather than just remain standing out in the open...not that she can now that they've been noticed anyway, though she highly doubted that Rider wouldn't have noticed them regardless.
Shinji on the other hand, wasn't too pleased. Upon turning and facing her, Shinji's pissed expression morphs into that of embarrassment, but quickly returns to plain rage seconds later. "H-Hakuno?! Why you little...you were eavesdropping on me?!"
Hakuno couldn't help but frown in response. At this point, she wasn't even surprised at the attention he was attracting to the both of them from the surrounding masters with his rather loud outburst, a pattern that had been frequently been occurring over the past few days. She wasn't liking it of course, but had gotten somewhat used to it nonetheless.
Shinji was still looking at her as if all the horrible things he had done to her over these past few days couldn't even compare to her just listening in on them, and that she had just committed a grave, unforgivable sin. Ye gods, was she terrified! Leave it to Shinji to make a big fuss and have the most over dramatic responses to literally anything in the entire world.
In fact, he was beginning to seem less and less like an actual human being in her eyes as time went on. This shameless brat could probably stub his own toe and still blame Hakuno or someone else for it. For all she knew, he was probably born and raised with a silver spoon...no...shovel, in his mouth given his over inflated ego and arrogance. Granted, she wasn't someone who liked pointing out or picking on others' flaws, but Shinji was...well...
She was going to be blunt, but Shinji Matou was someone with a irredeemably despicable attitude and personality that it wasn't even funny.
And gee, did he really expect her to run into them and not stop to hear what they were talking about? Call it an unfair move, but she would had to be blind, deaf and beyond stupid if she were to just turn around and walk in the opposite direction.
After all, she was a master fighting in the holy grail war, where finding information on your opponent was a crucial element in getting the upper hand. It wasn't as if she was a saint either or was gonna play the "goody two shoes" role and let the opportunity to get more information on them slip by. Maybe she would...if she was...y'know...drunk or high and out of her mind or something. But she wasn't...so...
In her defense though, she was fairly certain that a small handful of other masters hanging around the hallways had also heard the conversation given how loud and indiscreet Shinji and Rider were being. With that being said, it kinda seemed unreasonable that Shinji was now acting as if she had done something wrong instead. Honestly, hadn't Shinji learnt anything from what had happened over these past few days because of his big mouth? ...With the way he is...probably not.
Then again, she really wished she could turn away and just pretend that she hadn't heard anything right now.
"...W-Well, whatever. Now you know that some treasure was generated on the second floor of the Arena, but it doesn't matter." He places a hand on his head in some sort of weird superior manner, as if about to reveal something extraordinarily grand. "You see Hakuno, my servant gets stronger the more she gets paid! Well, if you want any, you better get there before me." He says all this in an overly smug tone, as if expecting Hakuno to gasp with utter horror written across her face, like those scenes you'd often see in mangas and anime or whatnot.
...That dramatic reaction doesn't happen though.
Hakuno sweatdrops, unsure of how to react. This new 'grand' revelation was...certainly something she couldn't predict, so it would make sense that she wouldn't exactly show much of a response when it's actually revealed to her. So his servant...apparently only fights seriously if he pays her?...Wouldn't that mean that she wasn't all that different from a hitman then? And to think that Hakuno initially assumed they were on good terms. She almost felt sorry for him...not.
It was then that Hakuno recalled what Shinji had casually blurted out in the library 2 days ago. "By the way, what does your servant want in return for helping you? Money right? I knew it! But anyway, do your best...while you still can! Hahahahaha!" Back then, she wondered why he had mentioned that, but now it started to make sense. Shinji probably thought that all servants were being 'paid for their services' or something.
On another note, she also wondered how much money Shinji had already spent on Rider. From what she could tell based from their earlier conversation, Rider must've probably been milking off of Shinji and constantly pestered him to pay her with every chance she had. The 'gold digger' vibes Rider had been emitting during the whole conversation suggested that the reward she demanded wasn't of a small measly amount either.
...Then again, since he was able to hack into the Arena and system's database, the issue of money probably wasn't a big one. Knowing Shinji, he'd probably be able to regularly hack into the system and generate enough cash or jewels to even put billionaires to shame...though it was odd how the system operators haven't even noticed him doing such things. In that case, his hacking skills were definitely a force to be reckoned with.
...Now, if only Shinji behaved more like a proper master, he'd probably be on par with people like Rin and Leo. It kinda seemed like a shame that such skills were inherited by...an individual like him. But those flaws of his and his overconfident attitude were one of the only things that managed to save her by a hair, so she was silently grateful for it nonetheless.
Going back to the topic at hand, he did mention that it was possible for her to obtain the treasure in the second floor of the Arena. Does that mean that they were hidden somewhere in there...? If so...where?
Rider scoffs her at master as if what he just said was one of the most ridiculous things she's ever heard. "Hmm...bold words Shinji. But can someone like you really snatch all the treasure first?" This question urges a death glare from Shinji, but Rider responds before he even has a chance to open his big mouth. "No, you can't! You're nothing but a hapless, twisted knave!" It almost seemed like that Rider wanted to purposely start an argument with Shinji.
That insult came out so effortlessly that Hakuno silently had to applaud; Rider must be talented when it came to insulting and belittling her own master. With Shinji in command...that was understandable; she would insult him too if she was in her position as his servant. With the way Shinji acted and treated her, it was obvious that Shinji deserved anything but praise or gratitude from his own servant...let alone from others. That...and Rider was probably getting some form of twisted entertainment in seeing Shinji's overexaggereted reactions to her insults.
At that point in time, Shinji looked like he was ready to grab Rider by the throat and strangle her if she wasn't his servant. "You...! Did you just call me a knave?!" Why yes Shinji...yes she did...and man was Hakuno ever glad that she did. He points a finger at her in a childish manner, waving it in her face angrily. Somehow, it reminded her of a little kid getting angry and throwing a tantrum in front of his older sibling or something. "You don't get to talk to me like that, you ungrateful bitch!"
With how pissed off he seemed, it was almost as if an ugly, chaotic fight was going to ensue between the servant and master instead, but thankfully didn't happen (though it would've been somewhat entertaining to watch if it did) as Shinji turns her attention back to her. "Ok Hakuno, meet you there. Even if you get there first, all the treasure will be mine anyway. Ahahahahaha!" With a laugh, Shinji and Rider quickly disappear into the Arena, and Hakuno gives herself a brief moment to let out a tired groan. She should've known that not a day would pass without this moron shoving some sort of extra burden or trouble on her that she'd have to deal with. She doesn't have time to waste on playing Shinji's stupid mind games...!
If the world was hoping to get her to combust in flames, they were certainly succeeding. Why...just why did the world seem to hate her so? 'Cause it seemed like it was getting a good laugh over all her problems. Ok, so maybe she wasn't all that polite to her classmates all the time during the preliminaries, but that was besides the point. She still chose her words carefully whenever she spoke to others most of the time, didn't get herself into any unnecessary trouble or fights, and even was well aware to not make herself stand out from the rest.
Yet why? What did she do to deserve to be paired against this...this self-centered bastard who felt the need to insult and belittle literally anyone within a two feet radius? It couldn't be that she was getting this treatment just because she didn't offer him the cookies she baked that one time after cooking class during the preliminaries despite the fact that he was constantly pestering her about them, right? They were burned for heaven's sake!
No...the better question to ask herself was why did she even bother to associate herself with this man...no, this man child during the preliminaries to begin with? She was racking her mind on any possible reasons for why she had decided to go through the pains of enduring his verbal abuse till it got to this point. She must've either been out of her mind or was extremely resilient to be able to tolerate his constant ambush of insults back then.
Then again, it wasn't like she was actually paying attention to half the things he was blabbering about at that time either. But now that he was her opponent, it was getting increasingly difficult to just ignore him for half a day even if she tried. It seemed like Shinji would just...pop out of nowhere when she least expected it just to annoy her like some Jack in the box.
After all, if there were three things Shinji was good at, it was hacking, making everyone around him super pissed off...and getting her to rethink some of her life choices. So maybe she had been internally complaining a whole lot about him and her situation this past week, but at least she wasn't publicly throwing tantrums 24/7 like Shinji. That, and given how he was acting towards her and all the weird stuff that had been thrown in her face against her will, she should at least be allowed that much.
Heck, she should've shoved the whole tray of burnt cookies down his throat and hoped that they would suffocate him back then. Yeah, that would've definitely put her out of her current misery and save her from going through all this trouble.
Dang it, you missed a grand opportunity even after it presented itself right in front you Hakuno!
"Money isn't everything. Goes to show that she's a deplorable servant. I'm willing to bet that the amount of money she's already demanded from him these past few days is enough to rival the amount kept in banks." Yeah, what Archer said didn't seem far from the truth, she wasn't gonna disagree with that. Glancing back at her servant, Hakuno nods before sighing, taking note that Archer seemed just as annoyed as she did. Seems that this was yet another matter the two were gonna have to face and clean up after huh? And just when she thought she could spend the last day of the preparation period training with no interruptions. With Shinji as her opponent, she probably shouldn't have anticipated that.
"In any case, we can't twiddle our thumbs while she gets stronger." Well yeah, they had to go after them and make sure that they get their hands on the treasure first before Shinji and Rider do, but what were they gonna do with the loot after they obtained it? "Hmm...we could always use that treasure to bolster our own funds. With that being said, I don't think it's a wise move to remain here. Let's go to the Arena right now, Master." Nodding, Hakuno brisk-walks to the door, turning the doorknob as the two made their way into the Arena, unsure of what crazy shenanigans would await them on the other side.