Fate/Imaginary Vectors
Hello there! TYPE-WRITER FTK here to present this brand-new project: Fate Imaginary Vectors. Brand new in a broad sense, that is, since this has been in my head for quite a long time. I just want to let you guys know that this project will be written while I also work on Infinity Shuffle Reshuffled AND work in college (I'm back at it again). So don't expect this to have the fastest upload schedule of all times, but I swear I'm working on this one. Unlike… certain Holy Grail War Projects… N-Never mind that! I hope you enjoy this first chapter and that you follow this story down the line! Also, there's an important Author's Note at the end as well that I'd like you to read once you get there. Other than that, without further ado…
Chapter 01 – The Curtain Rises and the Performance Begins:
The world changed when Class Cards began falling from the sky.
Generations prior, at the start of the 21st Century, multiple Cards fell from the night sky, and many people picked them up, taking them as their own.
Once the power of Heroic Spirits present within the Cards was understood, the Government took action.
"'The use of Class Cards in acts of War has been deemed a War Crime."
A natural declaration. If it were to be effective or not on the long run, it was a gamble to be taken. But thanks to the unified effort of many, the World remained safe.
After many years, as Cards became more and more commonplace, a new source of entertainment was born.
Class Card Performances and Competitions!
With the splendour and abilities granted by the Class Cards, artists and performers had a brand-new way to leave the wide public in awe. While they became common knowledge, not everyone got themselves a Card of their own. Therefore, performing the craft in question wasn't something just anyone could partake in. And as a result, shows kept their allure to the general public.
The Performances and Competitions, often abbreviated to just 'Performances', are put up by Guilds, not all that different to a Circus. While not every city had a guild of its own, there were enough of them throughout the country for competitions between two or more of them to take place with large audiences. On top of that, tall video displays on large buildings show Performers exhibiting their most recent spectacle, or Competitions where battles showing off their prowess while displaying beauty, toughness, cool-factor, cuteness, and intelligence took place.
And a special occasion was about to take place. A brand-new Performers Guild, in the City of Fuyuki was about to inaugurate. And to start off big, a big show for up-and-coming Performers, which doubled as auditions for them to join the Guild to begin with, was taking place.
And a certain young man could feel the nervousness in his body.
"Calm down, calm down, calm down…!" The repeating mantra came from an understandably nervous young man. An eighteen-year-old with amber eyes hidden behind shut eyelids, arms crossed, and deep-blue hair slicked back. Well, slicked back for the most part. Two strands refused to stay glued and fell over one of his eyes.
A vein popped on his forehead due to the pesky bangs. However, he ignored them with a sigh. He opened his eyes and checked his clothes again. It was his favourite set to wear, as it was what he felt the most comfortable in. A pair of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a blue, leather jacket. Even if not the most formal outfit within his wardrobe, clothes wouldn't matter for his performance, considering Installing a Class Card would swap his clothes into those of the corresponding Heroic Spirit.
"If you tap your foot any longer, it's going to fall off, Kiryuu." The statement was followed by a giggle.
"E-Eh?" He didn't even notice that his leg was shaking up and down that fast. "Oh, sorry."
"You don't need to apologize to me."
The remark came from the girl sitting beside him. Her hair was bright red, reaching down to her shoulders in large curls, some bangs falling over to the right side of her face. Her eyes were of a similar tinge, but leaning more onto orange than pure red. She wore a sleeveless, white shirt with a red tie around the collar. For the lower body, a maroon skirt and black stockings.
"That is, if you don't stop tapping your foot. It's nearly been thirty minutes already."
"I don't think I can help it." The boy admitted with a chuckle.
"Didn't you bring a novel or something?"
"I didn't have much space in my bag after packing everything for the performance."
The girl narrowed her eyes. "So you get to leave random novels all around my bedroom floor, end up not reading them, but the one time you need one, you don't bring them?"
Kiryuu's eyes narrowed down on her. "Hey, you're the one that doesn't let me read."
"What do you mean, I don't let you?"
"W-Well…" Suddenly, his face turned bright red. "Never mind."
The girl got a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks and it was her turn to narrow eyes at someone, but teasingly so. "Ohhhh? Embarrassed, are we now?"
"S-Shut up…" He turned away. "B-Besides, we're on a bus, let's not talk about that sort of thing, Kozume."
"Hmmmm. Alright. Even though you're the one that brought it up." After her answer, the boy eased up, uncrossing his arms. Her hands reached for his, causing a shiver to crawl up his spine. "But this is fine, right?"
"U-Umm…" He turned to her and suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. As such, he relaxed and grasped her hand. "Yeah. This is fine."
"For how much longer will you get this nervous about us?"
"We've only been dating for three weeks, it's still too new to me." He admitted, with a slight chuckle. "How come you don't get nervous?"
"Because I have confidence in my performance." She answered while leaning back on her seat.
Kiryuu was confused. "I meant about us."
"Hm?" With a turn of the head, she showed him a wide toothy grin. "Because I'm confident in us."
"E-Eh?" Kiryuu was a bit taken aback. "I hope that doesn't mean you think I'm not."
"Of course not. We're just different when it comes to that. And that's fine."
"I guess." Kiryuu scratched a cheek with his free hand. "It's almost our stop, Kozume. Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be!" She gave a nod and an eager smile.
Their hands let go of each other and the two got off the bus, alongside a few more faces.
After a short walk, they arrived at the Performer's Arena, a stadium-like structure where the Performances and Shows would take place. Including their Audition-like Performances that were going to take place that day.
They stood in awe at a distance, taken aback by the atmosphere the building invoked. A tall and large dome-like structure, with an open ceiling and a hexagonal shape, which was clearer when seen from above. Predominantly bluish white, with a deep blue ceiling covering the audience seats.
By the front entrance of the building and all around were a fairly large crowd of people, both Audience yet to enter, and Performers that were going to do their best to become a part of the Performers Guild of Fuyuki.
The two of them were definitely in awe.
"Wow…"
"Nervous now?"
"A little."
"You know where the Performers enter through?" Kiryuu wondered, looking around. "It shouldn't be the main entrance. That's for the audience, right?"
"It's probably off to the side? That's where the Staff usually goes through in this sort of events." Kozume pointed out. With that in mind, the two made their way to the side entrance of the building.
The number of people present decreased the more they approached it. Kozume wound up being right by the looks of it.
"Just how many people are here?" Kiryuu looked around and counted the people in the surroundings. When he reached number 30 though, something stood out for him.
Leaning against the wall was a blonde girl with emerald-green eyes, wearing a white, admittedly cute, dress. And the one that 'made' her do so was a large man, in an attempt to seduce her. His hand was pressed against the same wall, right next to her. With a confident smirk and golden eyes, the young man with dirty blond slicked back hair had unwavering confidence. The girl seemed more surprised than anything. And the thing that stood out the most…
"T-That's one hell of a gut…" Kiryuu let it slip.
"Hm? Gut? What are you-?!" Kozume spotted it too. "W-Whoa!"
The man's stomach was enormous. It stood out compared to the rest of his body. Perhaps a bit too much.
"A young lady of your beauty, with golden hair and the purity of a white lily…! I cannot resist the urge to invite you for a date. Once I am accepted as a Performer, I must celebrate. Will you be there by my side? Perhaps in a restaurant of your choice?" A deep voice, with a strong tone that attracted the attention of those whose ears caught it, no matter by how little.
"W-Well, u-umm…" The girl seemed a bit at a loss.
"Hmm… I'm not sure if I like this." Kiryuu pointed out, arms crossed. He had a bad feeling about the situation at hand. "She doesn't really look comfortable, does she?"
"Then go there and defend her." Kozume's suggestion was answered with a nod.
Kiryuu approached the two. "Excuse me?"
"Hm?" The two turned. The man was taller than him by quite a bit, so despite his appearance, Kiryuu couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. But that only lasted a second.
"I know it's not my place to speak, but I think you're intimidating her more than you should. Or even intend to."
He was surprised by the resulting reaction.
"Ah! Of course! How careless of me." The tall man withdrew his arm. "Apologies, oh golden beauty." He took a bow. Despite the event, his smirk never left. "It was not my intent to cause you concern. But if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate an answer."
"O-oh, right!" She cleared her throat. "I'll have to decline. Sorry." She took a bow herself.
"No need to apologize, fair lady." He straightened up and began walking away. "If it was not meant to be, then it shall not. I won't force what isn't destined to happen. Until another time, and best of luck for you."
The blonde was rather surprised by the events. "T-Thank you!"
"Well, I'll be damned." Kiryuu blinked twice. "I wasn't expecting him to be so polite."
"Excuse me."
"Hm?" He turned to the girl with green eyes.
"Thank you for helping me." A gentle, but a radiating smile came onto her face. "I can get nervous in situations like those, so I'm glad you offered help."
"Oh, you're welcome." Kiryuu replied, grinning. "Though I wasn't sure if I should've intervened or not for a second there."
"I understand."
"Oh, hair like the sun and eyes the glitter like precious stones!"
"What the-?!" Kiryuu and the blonde girl immediately turned their head. A wide-eyed Kozume was being flattered by the man with the big gut.
"A true beauty that emerges from the fires, no doubt. Once I become a Performer, I must celebrate. Would you care to join me? We'll go to a restaurant of your choice."
Kozume blinked twice but then let out an awkward giggle and put on a smile. "Sorry, you're not my type. And I'm dating someone. He's right over there, actually." She pointed at Kiryuu. The tall man turned, spotting a young, upcoming Performer glaring daggers at him.
"Ah, as fate brought us together, fate separates us. Ironic, really. But alas, my heart does not waver simply by being rejected twice. In fact, it is unwavering! Until we meet again, young beauties!"
And with that, he walked off again. Kozume couldn't help but laugh as she joined Kiryuu. "I thought you weren't the jealous type."
"And I'm not, but…! C-Come on, you know how it is!" With a red face, his arms crossed, making Kozume laugh even more.
"Well, you did end up playing yourself, at least a little bit. But I doubt he knew. Anyway," She turned to the girl that had been hit on by the same guy. "Hey there. I'm Kozume and this is Kiryuu. We're going to audition to become Performers. You too, I'm guessing?"
The young girl nodded. "Yes, I am. My name is Anna. It's a pleasure to meet you both." She bowed once more. "Hmm… Are you… Are you two dating?" Anna couldn't help but feel curious.
"Yup yup!" Kozume put on the widest grin and caught one of Kiryuu's arms. "Three full weeks so far!"
"Hm, hm." With a light blush, Anna nodded twice, eyeing the two. It was a little surprising.
"H-Hey, do we look weird or something?"
"Eh? A-Ah, no, no, no! Nothing like that!" Anna panicked for a moment. Her blush intensified due to the embarrassment. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable!" And she started bowing over and over again. Probably a bit too hard…
"W-Whoa, calm down!"
"We're not mad or anything, we swear." The couple tried to make sure she understood that.
"O-Okay. I'm sorry, it's just that…" She looked a bit embarrassed with herself. "I've never been in a relationship, so I felt curious…"
The couple blinked twice in perfect sync and looked at each other. They could tell that they were thinking the exact same thing.
"This girl is too pure…!"
"Hey, Anna."
"!" Anna suddenly turned her head, recognizing the voice. And after confirming her suspicions, a wider smile came over her face. "Shirou!" She walked over to the nearby boy, an eighteen-year-old with red-orange hair and amber eyes, in a black and white jersey zip jacket and jeans.
"Whoa, you're looking way too happy just for seeing me." He chuckled, giving a slight bow. "Waited too long?"
"Long enough to be hit on." Kiryuu commented almost without thinking.
"Hm?" Shirou glanced at the blue-haired boy with wondering eyes.
"N-Not by me!" He added, just to make sure there were no understandings.
"Hit on? Was it by that man with the large gut?"
Kozume couldn't help but let out a laugh. "He's already flirting with someone else?! Wow! Props! He is resilient, I'll give him that."
"At least he goes away if you ask him to." Anna pointed out, somewhat relieved. Last thing they needed would be a harasser.
"I see. I'm glad nothing happened to you."
Kiryuu placed his hands behind his head. "You two seem pretty close. Dating?" Only after asking did he realise that Anna had said that she had never been in a relationship. Oops.
"W-What?! No way!" Anna and Shirou had the exact same reaction, the boy becoming stiff and the girl shaking her hands in denial.
"We're just classmates. Brother-sister relationship at best." Shirou clarified. "I never would think of dating Anna."
"Y-You don't need to put it like that…" The girl remarked, even if she shared the same thought. "Makes it sound like I'm unlikeable or something."
"Close friends only, huh? That's surprising."
"Every time…" Shirou complained under his breath. "I'm Emiya Shirou. Here for the auditions."
"Name's Kiryuu and this is Kozume."
"Nice to meet you." The redhead girl bowed.
"Pleasure. I've never met many people that aim to be Performers, so this is definitely a new experience for me."
"I'm guessing only Anna here shared the same ambitions as you."
"Not just me." Anna pointed out.
"Hm?" Shirou was clearly confused.
"There are two more friends of ours who want to become Performers."
"Wait, there are?" Shirou was confused. Anna smiled at him. "Wait… no way."
"Yes way." Someone lightly pushed Shirou forward. The boy recovered his footing fast and quickly turned around.
"T-Tohsaka?"
"The one and only." A girl of his age, with black hair tied into twin tails and aqua coloured eyes. "Surprised?"
"Of course I am. What happened to the modelling career?"
"This is what it's called a 'cross-promotion'." She clarified. "I become a Performer to bring in important eyes to the business, and in turn, I advertise the agency."
Anna put on a confused look. "I thought you just wanted to become a Performer because you wanted to, Rin. You didn't mention any business in your email."
"A-Anna!" And from one moment to the other, the composed girl became flustered. "You're not supposed to say that!"
"S-Sorry!"
Shirou couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Hey! No laughing!"
Kiryuu and Kozume looked at each other, and once again, shared the same thought. "They're good friends."
"And these two are?"
"Oh, let them introduce inside. It's time to go in!" Anna noticed the would-be Performers entering the building itself.
"After them!" Kozume led the charge.
After everybody arrived, it totalled 45 Performer Candidates. They gathered at the main hall, either alone in their own little corners, or in small groups of friends that came or gathered together, such as with Kiryuu and Kozume with their newfound group of acquaintances.
They turned to a screen that lit up, showing the actual arena where the Performances were going to take place.
"Wow, the stadium is packed!" A random voice let out. And that was definitely true. Every seat was seemingly taken.
"Test, test. This is on, right? Ahem!" Speaking to a wireless microphone, standing at the very centre, stood what looked to be a very young-looking woman. Tanned skin, light pink hair, amber eyes. Red, thin sweater and tight jeans. "I'm Chloe von Einzbern, your host for today. Also, for those wondering, I'm twenty-four years old."
"Twenty-four?!" None of the 45 Performers believed such a claim. Some even had the courage to yell 'Liar!'.
"Yes, twenty-four." Despite the voices of doubt not reaching her ears, she knew she had to reaffirm it. "Moving on! I'll make a short presentation to make sure everybody is up to speed and can keep track of what's going on. This is the grand inauguration of the Performer's Guild of Fuyuki! And as such, we'll kill two birds with one stone. To put on a show for all of you while deciding who will join the guild, we've openly invited anyone who wants to attempt to join us! It seems we have 45 ambitious people ready to perform, but we'll only be accepting a total of 15 of them. Of course, only people with the proper certification and paperwork are allowed to participate to begin with."
This was a somewhat commonly known rule. If one intended to pursue a profession using a Class Card, they would be submitted to a few tests for approval follow such careers. In suspicious cases, the Class Cards would even be confiscated. After all, it wasn't particularly rare for criminals to use Class Cards, but that is why a police division was created to take care of that cases related to Class Cards.
"We have allowed for the Performers in question to use additional materials and props, who've asked for them in advance. Those that are set to be destroyed or had to be costume made cost an extra fee, but that's beside the point." Some could tell the extra money they used went directly to her pocket. "A singular Performance per candidate, with a time limit of 5 minutes. No more, and preferably not too much less! If they require a volunteer, I'll be said volunteer by default unless asked otherwise. As for the judges, they're made up of me, the head and founder of this guild, and two more!" She turned to a table, approaching it while continuing her explanation. "First, the Head of Security of the Class Card Police Division, Souichiro Kuzuki!" Sitting on one of the chairs was a tough-looking, strong-built man, wearing a suit and with a serious, almost dead-looking face. "Believe it or not, he has a soft spot for these."
"He looks like he's gonna kill whoever makes a bad Performance…" Another random voice amongst the Performers spoke up.
"As for the final judge, generous enough to offer her presence, the one and only Top Performer of Japan! The talented Ayaka Sajyou!"
"Good afternoon." The blonde, young woman, sporting glasses over her blue eyes took a slight bow with a smile. The crowd reacted rather accordingly: with a stronger round of applause.
"Ayaka is going to judge us?!" Kozume almost lost it. "Kiryuu, I don't know if I can take my idol being the one judging me!"
She was shaking him by the shoulders so much his eyes had become spirals. "K-Kozume, calm down, you'll do fine!"
"But-!"
"But nothing." Kiryuu's hands were quickly placed on her cheeks, making her flinch and stop as a result. He put on a reassuring smile, which did work a little on making her relax. And it was suddenly ruined when he pinched them and spread them apart. His smile turned into a silly grin. "I bet you'd only not be accepted if she saw you like this."
"Let me go!"
"Nope!"
"Then-!" Her hands flung to his cheeks and she started doing the same to him. Eye for an eye.
"H-Hey, let me go too!"
"Nope!"
The others in the crowd were too busy having their own reactions to the presence of Ayaka amongst the judges. Some became nervous, due to their admiration for her. Others were somewhat indifferent, since they had other popular Performers as their top pick. They recognized her talent but didn't feel as much pressure comparatively. And at least one person in the crowd…
"I should ask her to come for a dinner celebration with me."
Of course.
"With everything out of the way, let us begin! A sample for what the future of the Fuyuki Guild holds is about to take place!" Chloe's declaration was followed by cheer and applause. "We'll call the Performers one by one. Hold onto your seats and appreciate the show. Alright?" She winked at the crowd. Some people cheered a bit too hard…
The more Performers that went in and out of the stadium, the more pressure fell on the remaining one.
Kozume did her best to take deep breaths in order to calm her heart. Anna was just two steps away from fainting.
After tapping on Shirou's shoulder twice, Kiryuu spoke his question. "Is she okay?"
"She never did well with tests and exams. Which is surprising. She skipped a grade."
"She did? Wow."
The current audition ended. It was a simple marksmanship proof, which didn't impress Chloe and the other two judges. They didn't give thoughts to the participants, simply talk between themselves and then give an in and out.
"Another down, huh?"
"This one just used his Class Card's ability. No real imagination put into the Performance." Ayaka added, scratching one of the names off the list.
Kuzuki nodded in agreement. "Who's next?"
"It's…"
"Anna, wake up!"
"Someone get her a glass of water!"
Kozume was holding a fainting Anna, whose eyes had become spinning spirals. Shirou used a fan to refresh her, while Rin and Kiryuu tried to get the glass of water for her to drink.
"I-I'm fine, I'm fine…" Recovering her footing she took a deep breath. She turned to Shirou, who gave her a thumbs up.
"For good luck."
"Thank you." After a smile, she walked towards the corridor that led to the stadium. The heart pounds were incredibly strong. It almost felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest. But by placing a closed fist over it, she forced it to calm it down. "You can do this, Anna… Install." After a short, golden flash, now clad in a yellowish-white dress in pale silver armour, and holding the legendary Sword of Selection, she stepped forward. The crowd cheered, but only for a short while.
She bowed towards them and the judges.
"Ready?" Chloe asked into the mic. Anna replied with a nod. "Show us what you got."
She had asked beforehand for a large, circular pool of water. Not too shallow, nor too deep. The audience had a clear view of it.
Anna climbed up the steps and took a deep breath. The music she had asked for during booking started playing out of the speakers of the arena. It was a gentle melody, a piece played by piano and violin. She took a coin and dropped it into the water of the pool, showing there was nothing out of the ordinary with it.
It was a bit of a shocker for the audience when she stepped into the pool but didn't sink into it. Step after step, it just showed that she was capable of standing above water to the audience. Some sounds of amazement echoed all around, but it was short-lived. After all, she was 'just standing there' one could say.
Anna shut her eyes and put on a soft smile. Following the rhythm of the song, she began skating over the water as one would ski over ice. Approaching the border, she quickly took a sharp turn and spread out her sword-holding arm, submerging the very tip of the sword in the clear water. The Noble Phantasm's blade glowed bright gold and traced a line of the same colour over the water.
Anna skated around the pool, her feet moving in long but thin waves, gaining speed more and more as momentum built up. At one point, she skated with only the right foot to support her, leaving the left one slightly above the water. She kept tracing gold over the border of the pool, creating a shining outline, and once it created a full circle, she quickly turned over her feet while changing them, skating backwards with only her left foot.
One, two, and with a slight change of direction, Anna took a leap with her arms crossed over her chest, spinning thrice in mid-air before landing on the water on her right foot while stretching her left leg, sliding across the water while leaving a ripple behind.
The crowd cheered.
"Summertime Ice Skating, huh? I'll give her points for that idea."
"And she's not bad at all." Ayaka noted, eyes focused on Anna's figure as she danced in accordance to the song.
The Saber kept moving, arms and legs flowing in wide arches. Her sword kept drawing lines on the water, again and again, all while her eyes remained shut, trusting into other senses to follow along, only cracking them open from time to time, but nobody would notice it. She took leaps whenever the line of gold she drew had been completed and could move throughout the pool with no worries.
The song was coming to a close soon, and thus Anna finished her drawing right before spinning over her feet into a pirouette. As she kept spinning like a top, the judges and the audience could see clearly that the lines of gold she drew in the water took the shape of a lily.
"Ohhhhhh!" Amazement was let out by the crowd. That was Anna's cue. That meant the picture was seen by everybody. She slowly bent her right leg while stretching forward her left, coming closer and closer to the water while still spinning fast. With a quick movement, she dropped to her knees onto the water, braking her spin until she halted completely. Her arms, holding the hilt of the sword with both hands, had raised far above her head.
Anna's emerald eyes opened. "Caliburn!" The golden blade fired a beam of light towards the vast sky, disappearing in a blink of an eye. But then, multiple orbs of light appeared where it had travelled through and burst into a golden, flower-shaped explosion, similar to fireworks. Meanwhile, the lily she drew on the pool began to vanish, the golden coming off and hovering upwards, like golden fairy dust travelling over a field of flowers.
Anna stood up and, holding her skirt on each side, took a bow.
"!" A beautiful performance finishing with a beautiful light show. The applause resonated alongside roars of cheer.
Anna stood back up, breathing heavily, a result of the nervousness combined with the effort put into the show she presented. With a wide smile, pure like the white lilies, she took a bow and took a leave.
The three judges could all agree. "It's going to be hard to top that."
"Way to go, Anna."
"Thank you, Shirou." She smiled towards the group that had gathered before her. Only to then fall onto her knees.
"Y-You okay?" Kiryuu asked, worried. Taking into account the fainting from before, it could be serious.
"M-My legs won't stop shaking." Anna explained with an awkward smile. Shirou and the others let out a sigh of relief. Rin helped her stand back up, placing one of Anna's arms over her shoulders.
"Come on, let's sit you down."
"Thanks, Rin…"
The two walked away, leaving Kiryuu, Shirou, and Kozume to themselves.
"They look like good friends."
"They are." Shirou confirmed. "We met in high school, but after Rin was scouted, they couldn't see each other all that often anymore. No wonder Rin is being nicer than usual."
Kozume tilted her head. "Is she usually not nice?"
"She's…" Shirou placed a hand over his chin and wondered what adjective to use. "Hm. Probably whatever I say will cost me my life."
"I think I got the message." Kiryuu chuckled, picturing an incredibly furious Rin underneath the composed nature. Even though he had only met her some time ago, that image fit a tad too well.
A voice came from the indoor speakers…
Kozume's body straightened up. "I'm next!"
Kiryuu quickly turned to her and gave a smile. "You're not nervous, are you?"
Kozume swallowed dry air and let out a breath. Her lips curled up with confidence. "Like I'd ever be nervous." She took out a tall bottle of water from her bag. Shirou was confused for a moment and then almost gasped when Kozume downed the entire contents of the container, drinking as if she had spent God knows how long in the desert. She even made her way towards the stadium while drinking.
"W-What's with the water? Does she have some sort of medical condition?"
"No, no…" Kiryuu felt a shiver run up his spine. "It's to straighten her stomach."
"Huh?"
"You'll see." Kiryuu felt another shiver go up. "No matter how many times I see her rehearse it, it's still creepy…"
The bottle had been emptied in record time. A few deep breaths, slaps on the cheeks for bravery, and the necessary equipment was all in her bag. She stepped into the stadium and waved to the crowd before bowing before the judges. She had requested a three-step staircase to climb onto.
She drew two things from her bag. A Saber Class Card and a short sword.
"Ladies and gentlemen, a heads up! This is not for the squeamish." Kozume informed, piquing Chloe's curiosity. "Install!" A crimson and golden flash changed her clothes completely. Disconnected red sleeves, a top covering only her chest, leaving the upper thorax and torso exposed, and a skirt of three layers, all red and decorated with gold trimming and lines. Her feet had gone bare, her hair ornated with traditional pins, and a piece of cloth, a ribbon around her body, 'hovering' slightly above her, even if wrapped around her arms. She even gained a pair of cat ears!
She climbed atop the steps and two katanas appeared on either side of her, stabbed into the platform.
"Ahem!" She cleared her throat and raised her hand. "Heavenly Demon Rain!" Three circles of hovering katanas appeared all around and above Kozume, totalling around 250 blades. While it was quite the image to see, it couldn't be called a Performance. "And now…" The eyes turned back to the girl, who tilted her head back while lining up the short sword with her mouth. "And one, and two…!" the blade slid down her throat. Her arms struck a pose. The reaction was mixed, but not in a bad way. Sword swallowing gave an ominous feel, but it was impressive nonetheless.
Kiryuu and Shirou had shivers climb up their spines.
"So…"
"Straightening the stomach helps in assuring the sword doesn't touch it."
"I see…"
Kozume took the two katanas that rested by her side and balanced them over her hands. The circles of hovering katanas changed formation, creating a spiral that started in front of the platform and made its way upwards. Every single one of them pointed downwards.
Despite the sword in her mouth, Kozume could be seen smirking. She took a step forward, balancing herself on the hilt of the floating sword. Then another, and another. She kept on climbing the spiral staircase, with a sword in her throat and balancing two more in her hands. Due to the spiral pattern, the audience could take a closer look when she passed by them. She even shot a wink or two to those who were particularly amazed.
She reached the very top and took a deep breath. Balancing on a single foot, the sword moved towards the centre, above the audience and the stadium.
One, two, three!
Her body dropped. Kozume leaned back and let gravity do its job. The audience gasped from the suspense as the girl fell towards the ground below, the floating swords disappearing accordingly.
Suddenly, Kozume's body moved, a couple of spins and movements that the eyes of the audience couldn't catch in detail.
The girl landed on the floor on both her feet, knees bent, one of them close to touching the floor and everything. Her head hung low, making the crowd wonder if something had gone wrong. Even if one didn't know much about sword swallowing, one thing was for sure: you shouldn't bend your neck during it.
"…" Her head suddenly rose, with a wide grin plastered all over it. "Gotcha good, didn't I?" She stood up, holding onto the short sword alongside one of the katanas in her right hand.
The moment of realization was met with applause.
Ayaka blinked twice, a little surprised. "How…? Chloe, did you catch it?"
"She might have cat ears, but she's as sly as a fox."
"Oh? You saw what happened?"
"Yup! She's clever, but my eyes caught everything. While moving fast, she gripped onto the katanas and used them to pull the sword out of her mouth by the guard and then caught it while everybody was focused on her body." Chloe explained, circling Kozume's name on the list.
"I see!" Ayaka was impressed as well. "It was a little creepy at first though. Sword swallowing can make anyone squirm. Right, Mister Kuzuki?"
"Hm? Not at all."
"E-Eh? A-Alright…"
Kozume returned to the main hall and the moment Kiryuu approached her, her wide, toothy grin.
"So? How was it?"
"Like every rehearsal of yours, pretty amazing." Kiryuu confirmed with a nod. Shortly after, Shirou and Rin joined to give congratulations as well.
And the second afterwards, the speakers called for another Performer.
"Hm? My turn? Alright then." With a loud bite on an apple, a teenager that had been sitting against the wall stood up and threw the core of the fruit into the nearby rubbish bin. He had rather unkempt, black hair with blue highlights, and his eyes were piercing red. He gave off a relaxed atmosphere like he had just woken up and had no cares in the world. He drank coffee from a can gotten from a random Vending Machine he probably came across on the way to the Performer's Guild.
"That guy looks like a slacker."
"Yeah, no kidding." Random comments were being thrown around. But he didn't care about those that reached his ears.
"Yo." Installed, the boy greeted the judges. The clothes had been swapped for a hakama with muted colours, an orange scarf that stood out, and a rider coat over his shoulder. "Ogami here. Imma need a volunteer."
"That's my cue then." Chloe moved from the table towards the sword user. "So, what do you need me to do?"
"I would like it if you held this can."
"Okay?"
Chloe's hands grasped the empty coffee can. "And stay still too." He placed an apple atop her head, much to her dismay.
"You could be a little bit more polite, you know?"
"Sorry, sorry. Just had my morning coffee." He joked while taking a stance. Hand over the hilt of the katana, Ogami focused. Chloe was surprised to see his demeanour change. "Don't move."
Chloe froze up her body and swallowed dry air.
One, two!
Ogami's hand drew the sword. In a blur, the katana was already back in its sheath. The can had been split in two, the top half flying towards the sky above, while the apple was bisected down by the middle.
The crowd gave a reluctant round of applause. It was quite the feat, but not the most impressive act. The two judges shared the same opinion.
Chloe, on the other hand, had a completely different reaction: her face showed panic.
"Oh? Miss Judge, your eyes are pretty good." Ogami had the stupidest grin Chloe had ever seen in her life.
"Cover me right this instant!" Chloe's irises had shrunk from the sheer panic.
"Do I pass?"
"Is that a threat?!"
"It's a condition."
"Fine, you pass, just cover me!"
"Sure thing!" Ogami placed the jacket over her body. With the face as red as a tomato, Chloe wrapped herself in the jacket and walked towards the exit of the stadium. As she walked across the field, strips of cloth fell from her body onto the floor. Concealed only by the jacket the Performer lent to her, the eyes of the audience could tell that her clothes had been shredded.
Some didn't know if they should laugh. Others laughed at the top of their lungs.
"This isn't funny…"
"But your face is." Ogami chuckled a little. "I'll wait right here while you get yourself a change of clothes."
"You little mother…!" She stopped herself from swear.
The trip was somewhat embarrassing. It consisted of asking management for any set of clothes available and then a trip to the shower rooms resulted in an annoyed Chloe walking down the hallway, wearing a tracksuit, arms behind her head.
"I can't stand perverts of that calibre. But he was really good. While simple, he did make everyone believe his target was one thing when it was another. And he was really skilled… I guess I'll pass him. But only as a last resort." As she passed through a storage closet, she heard an odd sound. "E-Eh? What the…?" She reached for the doorknob and opened the door. "Excuse me, but what are you doing here? Are you lost?"
A red-eyed girl in a white kimono seemed confused and unaware of what was going on. "W-What? O-Oh, no, no, I just took a wrong turn, I'm sorry! I'm on my way out. I'm really sorry."
Odd words to use regarding a storage closet. The girl stepped out and Chloe shut the door. She started walking down the hall in the opposite direction to Chloe's.
Which was definitely odd. "The Performers are this way."
"Performers? I'm not a Performer, sorry!" And she ran away.
"Huh? I could swear she's… It was probably nothing." Chloe continued her way back to judge the Performers.
Next up was the man with the large gut that attempted to seduce Anna and Kozume before.
"Julian, correct?"
"Precisely!" Bearing a crown of leaves and with his body clad in golden armour, not to mention the yellow sword in hand, it was safe to assume he was Installed with his Saber Card. For his Performance, he asked for a large block of marble, more or less around his size. "May I?"
"Go ahead."
"Dear viewers!" His voice was truly booming. "I'd like to start by thanking you for your presence and patience! After so many Performances, some worse than others, I can only assume some of you have wondered if you should stay in your seats for the remaining duration! Therefore, for your patience, I bow before you, as you'll allow me to perform in front of many eyes."
The crowd rumbled with whispers and curiosity. The judges were rather impressed as well. This boy was able to call for the audience's attention rather easily.
"As for my Performance, I'll admit, it's not particularly impressive. But I'll put my entire soul in it. For your enjoyment, I shall sculpt in marble the most beautiful person present within this stadium!" The noises from the crowd increased, as expected.
"This is not just Charisma." Ayaka noticed. "He has… Incitement?"
Julian turned to the large block. "I've come!" His eyes focused on the white stone. "I saw!" He took a swing with the sword. "So it's natural that the next thing to do is to conquer you all!" Despite his size, he closed the distance between himself and the stone incredibly fast. "Crocea Mors!" The Saber swung his sword, leaving behind a trail of gold where the sword had passed. And again, and again, and again! A cloud of powdered stone rose from the carving, concealing Julian and the marble.
Once the sound of metal carving into stone ceased, the Saber spun over his foot fast, forcing the cloud to disperse away. The many curious eyes focused and…
"It came out quite well, wouldn't you say?"
The craftwork was rather superb. Despite his speed, Julian had sculpted quite the statue with no immediate flaws.
Well, except for one. The judges and the audience had a moment of dumbfounding stupor when the sculpture revealed itself to be of none other than Julian himself. But without the gut! His large belly of fat was nowhere to be seen. In fact, He looked rather muscular, and the face slimmed down to possess a stronger jawline. It even had small angelic wings on its back.
"Once again, I thank you for your time." Julian bowed before the audience and turned back to exit the arena.
"W-Wait up!"
"Hm?"
A member of the audience didn't seem particularly happy. "You said you were going to sculpt the most beautiful person in this stadium!"
"Is there anything wrong in considering myself the most beautiful?"
"B-But the statue looks nothing like you!"
"It doesn't?" With a face of surprise, Julian placed a hand over his chin and squinted at the statue. "If it looks like it is different from me," he turned towards the exit again. "just look at it from another angle."
After a few seconds of silence, the crowd suddenly cheered. While it was odd as to why they were cheering, they felt it was right to cheer for him regardless.
Next.
"Taiguu, right?"
"It's Daiyu." The woman corrected.
"Really? But the characters…"
"I'm Chinese."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Chloe apologized on the behalf of the other two judges.
"I'm used to it. You don't need to apologize." The girl's voice and face showed a rather neutral indifference towards the matter. One could wonder if she even wanted to be there to begin with, by the tone she spoke with. It wasn't necessarily rude but felt a little off.
Her hair was bright red, with blonde highlights throughout some of the locks of hair, like her hair was flowing flames. The eyes were like amber, a bright and powerful orange tone. Clothing-wise, she was already Installed. A black, open dress that revealed a lot of her skin, and the skirt ended in red, the border shaped like flower petals.
All she had requested was for a microphone with a stand and for a song to be played for her Performance. It was less than five minutes long, so there was no problem whatsoever.
She tested the microphone with a couple of taps. She gave the signal and the music began. With a voice coated in anguish and melancholy, she sang the beautiful lyrics, even if they didn't hold an actual meaning.
(BGM: NIER OST – Grandma)
Her eyes were shut, and her frame moved ever so slightly from side to side. Everyone was taken in by the melody and the sound of her voice. It took a while to notice, but a red liquid pooling around her feet as the song went on.
The blood began to move behind her and slowly, in the rhythm of the song, coiling upwards and taking the shape of a giant spider lily, taller than Daiyu herself. The moment the lyrics ended, when only an instrumental portion remained in the track, she opened her eyes, and the spider lily gently burst into multiple identical flowers, of a smaller size, that spread throughout the stadium. The moment they touched a person or floor, they'd crumble into red pieces.
Once the song went silent completely, Daiyu took a bow. The crowd responded accordingly: a round of applause.
Her neutral face looked just like when she first entered. But as the cheer went on, her lips couldn't help but curl up, even if just ever so slightly.
"Thank you for listening." She turned around and left the arena.
Ogami, the Assassin Performer that had shredded Chloe's clothes, was lying in the middle of the floor, on his side, hand supporting his head. He let out a yawn right before catching a glimpse of Daiyu approaching, passing by him. His eyes followed her body and were directed to her rear.
"Heh." Energized and motivated, he quickly stood back up and followed the girl. "Yo." He gave her a tap on the shoulder.
"Hm?" She turned around, still wearing a cold face.
"You busy afterwards or something? You have one hell of an ass. I wouldn't mind going out on a date with yah."
Her face flexed into anger. "Are you always this straightforward?"
"Works a good chunk of a time, believe it or not. Honesty takes you pretty far. So?"
Her eyebrows furrowed even further. "I have a boyfriend."
"Here we go." Ogami sighed, arms crossed, rolling eyes off to the side.
"What?"
"You're gonna get all mad because how dare I flirt with you despite having a boyfriend?"
"Am I not allowed to be angry or something?"
Ogami squinted. "Look at my face."
"I am."
"Really look at it carefully."
"What about it?"
"Do I look like I can read minds?"
"Don't you try to act smart with me." She raised a hand and flicked his forehead.
"Ow! Oi!"
"Shut up you."
And another roll of the eyes. "Let me guess: your squirm of a boyfriend is gonna be all mad at me and try to beat me up."
"Ahem." Ogami turned around, about to continue his rant with a set of mean eyes, but they immediately widened. Behind him was a tower of muscle. Maybe not as bulky as one would go on with said description, but that's how he looked to the Performer. He was a man with narrow eyes, seemingly shut at all times, and with a large mane of hair tied into a low-hanging ponytail. "I would appreciate to not be called a squirm without evidence."
"…" His eyes went from wide to narrow. "You're gonna beat me up for flirting with her, aren't you?"
"Admittedly, I do not blame you for doing so. After all, you only know so much from a person you just met."
"Ah. You're pretty reasonable." Ogami felt relieved.
"However, I'm pretty sure she'd be mad at me if I didn't do it."
"There it is!" Defeated yet again.
"It's your lucky day though."
Both Ogami and Daiyu were confused. "And why's that?"
The tall, young adult turned to the entranceway. "Because it's my turn."
Daiyu cracked a small smile. "Good luck, Kageyama."
Kageyama installed his Card once he confirmed all of the material he had asked for were present: a few cement blocks and, confusingly so, buckets of pain. Four, to be precise. Red, black, yellow, and green.
His form when installed left even the judges surprised. It was an unusual Card. While not unheard of, there were some Class Cards which, despite the Heroic Spirit within it being known, the resulting appearance was a little… out of the ordinary.
The lower body of a horse, and an additional pair of arms. And robotic-looking.
But they refrained from asking. It was neither here nor there. They just let the Berserker take his moment in the spotlight.
Kageyama dipped the four katanas he held into the paint, one of each colour. And then, almost without warning, he moved. Fast. He galloped across the field and moved his arms to wreck the blocks of cement. The katanas not only sliced through it but also broke through the blocks. Instead of simply splitting, a block would fall apart into debris.
It was quite a demonstration of speed and strength, but that wasn't particularly impressive if it was just that. Any Berserker could simply run around and destroy things.
However, Chloe couldn't help but squint. "I see…"
"Hm? What is it, Chloe?" Ayaka asked, without moving her eyes away from the Performer.
"Look at his right arms when he attacks with the left and vice versa."
Ayaka did accordingly so. She knew Chloe's eyes could see better than hers, so she refrained from asking why. And that's when she noticed that when Kageyama struck a block with the right arms, his left would move in a not-so-natural way. Sometimes they would even rotate, an advantage of the robotic nature. And the same applied to the opposite.
Once every block was struck down, Kageyama bowed towards the judges and the crowd. She turned around and walked back to the hallway. Upon getting out of the way, it was revealed that something had been written on the floor, centre stage. Away from the debris, each letter coloured with one of the four colours of the paint that was brought in, always alternating between them.
It was a Haiku.
'Nizi tachite
Tachimachi kimi no
Aru gotoshi'
Roughly translated as:
'The rainbow stands
As if you are here
In a moment.'
The feeling when the rainbow appears nearby, it resembles what the lover comes up. Written by Takahama Kyoshi.
Amidst the destruction was a carefully written Haiku that had been dismissed by said destruction. The fact each character was written in a different colour was even more impressive.
The crowd began to cheer right before Kageyama entered the hallway leading to the waiting room with every other Performer. While he looked stone-cold, like his romantic partner before, hearing the cheers for his performance filled his body with a sense of pride. His lips curled just a tiny bit before he returned to the hall.
"So this is how it feels…"
Chloe scribbled down a few notes on her pad. "How many Performers have we seen again?"
"Twenty-three." Kuzuki answered without any hesitation whatsoever.
"We should give the audience a little break, right?" Ayaka wondered, taking some notes herself.
"We need a break too, no?" Chloe grabbed the mic and appeared on all the screens, catching everyone's gaze. "Attention, attention! Ladies and gentlemen, we'll take a brief intermission. Go stretch your legs and take care of whatever you need to. But remember, we'll be back shortly." She finished it with a wink.