F/GO GO Chapter 3: Why does everyone want to murder Emiya Shirou?
Gudako only managed to get around an hour and a half of sleep before the Servant detector on her phone began blaring loudly, making her groan in annoyance as she checked the screen and turned it off.
"Mashu, does everyone want to murder Shirou or something?"
"I don't know, but it does seem like he's a magnet for trouble, Senpai." Mashu replied as she stretched and yawned.
Gudako looked at the phone screen as it showed the Servant signature getting closer and closer to the house. She sighed as she started biting down on a Bronze Apple for a quick boost in energy and threw her clothes on.
"Come on, Mashu. Jeez, three fights in one night..." she grumbled as Mashu transformed into her Servant form and dutifully followed her Master out of the room.
Gudako stepped out of the house alone while Mashu stayed behind the door. There was a small white-haired girl standing outside.
The girl stared at Gudako intently.
"Did onii-chan turn into a girl?"
Gudako just stared back.
"Um, did I say that out loud? Ahaha, ignore that. I'm Illyasviel von Einzbern, but you can call me Illya. Is this the residence of an Emiya Shirou?" the little girl asked.
"Yeah. Is it urgent? It's like one in the morning right now, come back tomorrow."
"No, I insist. I have some... very urgent business with him." Illya replied while eyeing the Command Seals on Gudako's hands.
"Well, he's sleeping right now, he's probably too exhausted to get up. He's had a long day."
"Oh, is that so? What a shame. Berserker, kill them."
"Shielder!"
Both Servants appeared at the same time. Berserker's axe-sword smashed against Mashu's shield and sent a huge shockwave that made both Masters cover their face.
"Oh, she can actually take a blow from my Heracles head on? That's not bad, I guess."
"Heh, the Shielder class is the best suited for defending against the might of a Berserker."
"An irregular class? Looks like the competition won't be a pushover, after all. But still, I need you out of the way so I can kill my onii-chan."
Gudako kept a careful eye on the battle in front of her. "What did he do to you, kidnap your family?"
"Yes! That's exactly what he did! He took my papa away from me!" Illya screamed back.
"Oh. Well, this is awkward. Can't you guys talk it out like civilized people?"
As if right on cue, Shirou came running outside.
"Woah, what's going on here?!"
"You!" Illya yelled at Shirou with pure malice. "Berserker, kill onii-chan!"
"Mashu, don't let him get past you!" Gudako shouted back.
"What?! Why does she want to kill me?!" Shirou shouted in shock.
"She said you stole her dad from her or something, I dunno!" Gudako grit her teeth as she watched Mashu weather the monstrous blows from Berserker. Fortunately, Mashu was very durable, and she was the best at stalling an enemy.
"What? I was adopted, I did no such thing!"
Gudako winced as Mashu staggered under a particularly heavy blow. "Use your Mana Defense!"
"Yes, Master!" Mashu deflected the next attack and managed to disarm Berserker.
"Retreat into the yard!" Gudako ordered as she pulled Shirou by the collar into the yard. Fighting out in the streets was no good.
"Berserker, get them!" Berserker quickly picked up his weapon as he chased them into the large yard in the Emiya estate.
"Shirou, you better summon something good, because Mashu can't win alone." Gudako pulled out a Saint Quartz and shoved it into Shirou's hands. "I saw a summoning circle in that shed of yours earlier, take this Quartz and put it in the circle and just pump all of your prana into it, don't even bother chanting. Go go go!"
He immediately did as he was told as he ran towards his shed. Gudako pulled out her Lancer card and tried to materialize Cu Chulainn, but failed.
"Damn, I'm not experienced enough to materialize both at the same time yet." she muttered.
"Keep him busy, help is on the way!" Gudako shouted as she saw a flash of light coming from the shed out of the corner of her eye.
"Saber, go help them fight off Berserker!" Shirou's voice rang out. Thanks to the handbook he read earlier, he had at least a vague idea of what to do.
"Yes, Master!"
A blonde Servant clad in blue leapt out with an invisible weapon and seamlessly entered the battle. Despite having never met each other before, they fell into a rhythm of sorts, instinctively switching in and out as Shielder focused on defending and Saber focused purely on attacking. Somehow, they covered each other perfectly.
Mashu simply followed her instincts as she would immediately step in front of the blue Saber to take one of Berserker's blows, and the Saber would automatically rush forward and strike back as soon as the shield moved out of the way. Every time Saber struck, she would immediately tag out with Shielder, who would quickly deflect the attack and tag out again. Through the coordinated use of Mana Burst and Mana Defense, they were able to keep pushing Berserker back.
Neither Servant questioned how they were able to work with such synergy as they systematically forced Berserker out of the Emiya estate and back out onto the streets.
"Grr... Berserker, we're leaving. I underestimated the both of you." Illya grit out, clearly bewildered and irritated by the impeccable teamwork between Shielder and Saber.
"Yes, please do. I'm so tired from fighting off three Servants tonight." Gudako yawned.
"Oh? Who were the other two that you fought?" Illya asked as Berserker picked her up and put her on his shoulder.
"Lancer and Archer. I wasn't even expecting to fight Archer, but that twintailed girl randomly got angry and attacked me."
"Twintailed girl...? Oh, you mean the Tohsaka heir! I saw her sobbing as I was heading here. I was planning on killing her, but when I saw her in such a pitiful state, I decided to just leave her alone. What did you do to her?"
"Eh, I just beat her up a bit and sent her packing. Now, why don't you go home already, I'm tired and I need to sleep."
"Hmph, fine. Don't think this is over. I'll be back for you, onii-chan! So stay alive until then!" Illya yelled as Berserker took her away.
Gudako checked her phone to see that she won a bunch of QP for driving off Berserker and gained a bunch of Master experience.
Hey, I think I can summon two Servants at once now!
Congratulations, Senpai! I look forward to seeing you do so.
"Master, are you alright?" Saber asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, but... Tohsaka is a magus?!"
"Yeah, she's one of the Masters in this War. She was asking about you, I think she was trying to break into your house but I kicked her out. We fought off her Archer and drove her off. Don't worry, I didn't hurt her too bad." Gudako spoke up.
"B-but she's the school idol and the top of her class, and she's a magus?!"
"Do you not know the magi in your city or something?"
"Well, I've always kept what little magecraft I know to myself. Dad always warned me to keep it hidden, so I've never used any in front of other people. You're the only other magus I know of so far, Fujimaru-san."
"Huh, really? Maybe I should call Professor Romani later, see if he knows about the major magus families in this era..."
"Hm, what was that?"
"Oh, it was nothing, I was just talking to myself."
While Gudako and Shirou were talking, Saber was sizing up Mashu.
"You are... Shielder, correct?"
"Yes, I am Mashu Kyrielight. It's a pleasure to meet you, Saber."
"Is it wise to give out your True Name like that?" Saber questioned.
"Ah, I can assure you, it won't be a problem at all." Mashu replied.
"Is that so?" Saber went quiet for a bit, before continuing to speak.
"I don't know why, but I get a nostalgic feeling when I look at you, Mashu. I can see that you have the heart of a knight, so I will respond in kind. My True Name is Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights. I pray that you will not break the trust I have placed in you by exposing my name to the enemies."
"Oh, no, I would never do that, my King."
Mashu froze.
"My King...? Eh? It felt like my body suddenly reacted on its own when I heard your name, but I don't really know why."
Artoria gave her a bit of a strange look. "Let's not concern ourselves about that for now. The way you fought earlier was splendid. I did not expect it to be so easy to fight by your side."
"Yes! I was only barely able to defend against all of Berserker's attacks before you were summoned. It became a lot easier when there's someone else doing the attacking for you. Thank you for saving us."
"I have a feeling that we'll get along just fine. By the way, are our Masters siblings? They both look very much alike."
"No, they're not related. At least, I don't think they are." Mashu replied. "Why don't we head inside?"
Everyone prepares to retire for the night. As Shirou heads towards his bedroom, Saber dutifully follows him.
"Eh, you're coming in too, Saber?" he asks.
"Of course. As your Servant, it is my duty to protect you, even as you sleep." Saber replies.
"B-but, sleeping in the same room together, is just-" Shirou stutters.
"I don't see the problem. After all, aren't those two sharing the same room?" Saber points towards Mashu and Gudako, who were heading towards the bathroom.
"But they're both girls, though."
"Just listen to her, Emiya." Gudako called out. "Didn't you read the handbook? Don't fight with your own Servant over trivial stuff. Besides, it's literally her job, so don't deny her that."
Emiya? Saber thought to herself. She decided to ask about it later.
"Ah, well if you put it that way, then-"
"Very good, Master." Saber pulled Shirou into his room and made him lay down on the futon. "Now, it's important for you to be fully rested so you can be in peak condition if a battle should occur. I shall sit right here and watch over you."
"Fine, fine. But can you not call me Master? If we're going to be partners, then call me Shirou."
"Very well, Shirou."
Shirou tried to sleep, but he could feel Saber's eyes boring into him as she sat right next to his futon.
"D-do you really have to stare at me like that?" Shirou asked.
"Of course, this is my job."
This was going to be a long night.
"Wow, what a nice bathroom, Mashu! We really lucked out by getting rayshifted into this guy's house."
"Yes, Senpai. This house has a very cozy feeling."
"Yeah, coziness isn't something that Chaldea has. Well, let's go shower, Mashu." Gudako said as she started removing her clothes.
"Ah, I don't really need to shower if I stay in my Servant form-"
"Nonsense! You might be a Demi-Servant, but you're still a girl and a human. Don't throw that part of you away, okay?"
"Y-yes, Senpai!" Mashu switched out of her Servant form and enthusiastically began removing her clothing. The two of them took a quick shower before throwing a shirt on and going to bed.
"Tomorrow's a Sunday, so I am going to sleep in!" Gudako loudly declared before burying herself under the sheets, making Mashu giggle.
As long as I'm by Senpai's side, everything will be alright... Mashu thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep.
Matou Sakura slowly pulled herself into a sitting position on her bed. She looked terrible, her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were all red and puffy.
After hearing the news of Shirou's death from Rin, she had spent most of the night sobbing and cried herself to sleep. When she finally got up, she looked totally dead inside as she slowly and mechanically went through her morning routine. She didn't bother eating breakfast, she simply stayed in her room and sat on her bed.
When it was almost noon, she stood up, changed her clothes, and left the house as she slowly walked towards the residence of her beloved Emiya-senpai. Even if he was gone, she still wanted to visit the cozy house one last time.
This didn't go unnoticed by one Matou Zouken, who simply let his granddaughter go ahead and leave.
Oh, did the boy die? If she's finally broken, then my plans will go much more smoothly...
"Senpai, you should get up. It's almost lunch time."
Gudako groaned as she pulled herself up and yawned. The sun was already up and shining through the windows.
"Alright, Mashu. I'm gonna go to the bathroom to freshen up, wanna come?"
"Y-yes, Senpai."
Mashu had taken the words of her Senpai to heart, so instead of just switching to Servant form to get her body cleaned up, she decided that she would brush her teeth and wash her face just like a normal person would do.
After the two girls got ready, they went out to the living room where they saw Saber sitting at the table and Shirou cooking in the kitchen.
"Ah, you two are up. Lunch will be ready soon!" Shirou called out.
"Thanks a lot, Emiya!" Gudako called back. Meanwhile, Saber was staring at Mashu.
"Shielder, what happened to you? I do not sense your presence as a Servant anymore."
"It's a long story, but I'll explain to you after lunch is ready, Saber." Mashu explained. Saber simply nodded and continued to sit at the table stoically.
"Oh, Mashu, we have to spin the ServantStop!" Gudako ran to the yard as Mashu quickly followed behind her.
She swiped at a spot in the air, and a small pile of QP and Embers fell out, along with a white disk-shaped object.
"Mashu, time to eat~"
"Y-yes, Senpai!"
Mashu took the Embers and bit down on one, only to be hit by a surge of pain as she felt like she bit down on a chunk of rock.
"O-ow, my teef hurt..." Mashu clutched her mouth in pain.
"O-oops, I think you have to change into your Servant form before you can eat those..."
Mashu quickly changed into her Servant form and she was able to eat all the Embers properly.
"Yes, that went better this time. I've leveled up, Senpai."
"Sweet! Hey, do you know what this thing is?" Gudako asked as she held up the weird disk.
"I'm not really sure, but it's clearly magical in nature." Mashu held the disk in her hands before she handed it back and released her Servant form. "Why don't you call the Professor?"
"Hey, that's a good idea." Gudako pulled out her phone and started dialing a long string of numbers and letters before the video chat went through.
"Yo, Professor!"
"Hi there, Gudako-chan! What's up?"
"Nothing much, we fought three Servants in one night, but we're okay."
"What?! Three?!"
"Hehe, yeah. We met this guy named Shirou and we're staying at his house, but it seems like all the other Masters wanna murder him or something. But we're okay, so don't worry about us. He's a pretty cool guy and he's letting us stay at his place. It's a nice house."
"That's good to hear. Anything else that I should know?"
"We fought against the Lancer Cu Chulainn, who was trying to murder Shirou. Mashu fought him to a standstill and I managed to catch him. Oh yeah, we also fought and won against this girl and her Archer. I think they were trying to break into the house but we drove them off. I ended up taking half of the girl's money and made a real killing, she must be from one of those rich magus families or something. And we got this too!" Gudako held up the Craft Essence, Gandr.
"Hey, that's a nice drop! You should use it on Cu Chulainn since he's a Quick Servant."
"Yeah, that sounds good! By the way, do you know what this thing is?" Gudako asked while holding up the white disk.
"Oh! That's a blank Saint Graph! You're really lucky, you know that? Just carry it on you and it'll feed off any ambient prana from the connection between you and your Servants. It'll eventually form into a Servant card once you keep it around for long enough, and then the resulting Servant is all yours."
"So I just keep it on me while walking around till it hatches like an egg?"
"Er, yes, you could put it that way."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Fujimaru-san, could you get the door please? Thanks!" Shirou's voice called out.
"Sure, no problem!" Gudako shouted back. "Sorry, Professor, looks like I gotta go."
"No problem, it was nice talking to you guys. Make sure you take care of yourselves, alright?"
"Of course! Bye, Professor!" Gudako and Mashu waved at Romani before the call disconnected.
"Well, let's go get the door." The two of them made their way to the front door before opening it.
They stared at a purple-haired girl who was looking rather disheveled.
"E-Emiya-senpai?" The girl whispered in a small voice.
"Emiya? Oh, you're here to see Shirou. Yeah, he's in the kitchen right now." Gudako replied.
"P-please, let me see him!" The girl had a look of desperation as she tried to enter but stumbled and nearly fell if Mashu didn't manage to catch her in time.
"Ah, I-I'm so sorry, I just, I was told that he was d-dead..." she replied while looking down on the ground.
"Dead? I'm sure the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. Come on, let's go in." Gudako and Mashu let the poor girl drape her arms over their shoulders as they led her in.
"So, what's your name?" Gudako asked.
"Ah, my name is Matou Sakura. May I ask what your names are?"
"I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka, and this is my reliable kouhai, Mashu Kyrielight, given name first. I'm Shirou's... long lost sister. Yeah, that's right, I'm his sister!"
"It's nice to meet you, Matou-san. May I ask what your relation to Emiya-san is?" Mashu asked politely.
"I'm Emiya-senpai's kouhai." Sakura replied. The two purple-haired girls smiled at each other. Truly, the bond between fellow kouhai was powerful.
"Heh, both of you are our reliable purple-haired kouhais. I'm sure we'll all get along well."
"Y-yes!" Sakura and Mashu replied at the same time, then they started laughing.
"Yo, Emiya! Your kouhai is here to see you!"
Shirou had just finished cooking and was plating all of the dishes. "Oh, Sakura, nice to see you-"
Sakura immediately ran and knocked Shirou to the ground in a tight hug as she started to cry.
"S-senpai, you're alright. I-I thought you were dead!"
Shirou looked bewildered before he quickly connected the dots. "Ah, no. I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry, Sakura, I haven't left you, alright?" Shirou tried to comfort the sobbing girl.
Meanwhile, Gudako quickly typed up a message on her phone and showed it to Shirou while he was hugging Sakura.
I...am...your sister now? he read the message detailing their cover story silently. Huh, I guess having a sibling is nice.