Special Chapter 2. Continuation from the events of Chapter 6, listed as Chapter 8 for convenience.
Spoiler Alert: This chapter occurs somewhere between the completion of Lostbelt 6 and before Lostbelt 7.
You have been warned.
Chapter 8 – In Which Hachiman Hikigaya Is Dragged Back To High School II
Mornings in the Tohsaka mansion often started a little late due to its current mistress being rather lethargic during this time of the day.
Today however she ended up rousing from bed even later than usual. There was nothing she could do about it as she just fought a life-or-death battle last night and her body was still feeling a little sore all over.
Even if she tried her hardest, there was no rushing things like prepping the bath or cooking rice for breakfast so it would be impossible to make it in time for school at this rate…
Was what she initially thought until her senses that were dulled from her drowsiness picked up a distinct sound coming from the living room. Hearing it made her dash down the stairs.
For today's weather forecast, expect a clear sky throughout the entirety of Chiba Prefecture…
The television, something she has not been using in this house for the longest time, was turned on. The quality of its display did not seem to have deteriorated as much even after it was neglected by this house's de facto owner, her. That was just a minor detail however as upon stepping on the first floor, Rin heard another sound. This time around, it came from the kitchen.
Sizzle. Sizzle. Sizzle.
The silhouette of a young man in an apron dexterously moving a frying pan around a fire was what waited for Rin when she got there. Following his movements, an appetizing aroma composed of soy sauce and various spices invaded her nostrils.
Before she was about to let out a comment or two, it was the exact same timing for that very person to turn off the stove and let the residual heat do the rest of the job.
Who else could it possibly be except for Hachiman Hikigaya, Humanity's Last Master?
"Oh, you're up?" sarcasm leaked from the guy behind the stove as he turned to face Rin. "You sure took your time, ojou-sama."
His lifeless eyes and his sardonic tone paired with the apron he was wearing was an uncanny combination and yet somehow, Rin felt like it all fits. Thus, became her first encounter with gap moe.
Because of the cynic's provocation, Rin didn't feel like saying anything positive back, no matter how tempting the fried rice smelled or how it looked fantastic while he was transferring it to a large bowl.
"What are you doing here?" Rin glared and crossed her arms while interrogating the intruder in front of her.
Being an accomplished Magus at such a young age, the pressure she applied wasn't one to be taken lightly with but as she is nowhere near the realm of Gods or Beasts, it might as well have been a light breeze to the young man who is called Humanity's Last Master. As such, Hachiman had more than enough composure to mess with the girl who was still sporting a bedhead.
"How cold," he adopted a somber expression that was oozing with fakeness. As someone who didn't like to go along with the crowd, this loner's acting skills was rather subpar but in practice, it actually makes things all the more irritating when you see that the actor is clearly bad at what he's doing. "Did you already forget the heart-racing experience we shared last night?"
"Huh?! Wh-Wh-What are you…!?"
All of Rin's anger instantly turned into embarrassment before going back to anger once again. She began impulsively gathering magic power to the tip of her index finger, it's intensity only getting increasingly concerning by the second.
Now while Hachiman is somewhat of a fan of a tsundere's violent outbursts, it was only really entertaining when it was being done to another person behind the screen. Getting hit is painful and pain is a big no-no for him furthermore, he'd like to avoid dying due to a kitchen accident if he could help it.
"We fought together side-by-side, didn't we?" while maintaining the same sloppy acting, Hachiman brought a hand to his chin then tilted his head in the next second. "How would you describe that aside from a heart-racing experience?"
"Kuh…! You…!"
Instead of launching her spell, Rin opted to shoot him with an intense glare but all that pressure was negated by how intensely she was blushing.
"Hmm?" Hachiman leaned a little closer to Rin while wearing a knowing smile. "Were you thinking of something else perhaps?"
That was her limit.
"AHHHHH! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" the Tohsaka heiress stomped her foot several times as she only got redder by the second. "You know it's nothing like that!"
In contrast to the fuming girl, the sarcastic contrarian remained as cool as a cucumber. While listening to his counterpart's outrage, he hanged the apron he was wearing back to the same spot he took it from.
"You look fully awake now."
While his unrelated remark still bothered Rin, it did at least put out some of her fury.
"Did you really have to rile me up so much just to wake me up?"
Rin pouted while complaining but Hachiman casually went ahead with his work and began setting the table.
"Who knows?" he shrugged and following that motion, his overall demeanor then shifted, becoming more serious. "Anyways, there's something important that I need to tell you so let's talk after having breakfast."
…
Whatever complaints Rin Tohsaka had for this unwelcome housemate of hers…
"Delicious!"
…It all went down the drain after she had what he made for breakfast.
"Seconds!"
She stretched her hand out until her bowl was within the cynic's reach.
"Listen here," Hachiman received Rin's bowl and scooped up a generous portion of his cooking. "Need I remind you that I'm the Master between us?" he shrugged in the next second, making the entire thing out to be no big deal. "Jokes aside, consider this as my lodging fee of sorts," he handed her bowl back once it was filled.
Today's breakfast was composed of fried rice, pickles, miso soup and coffee. It was a rather simple lineup but the fact that Rin didn't have to go through the trouble of making it all herself made what was already well-made food, taste even better. Because of this unexpected assist, she didn't even need to worry about being late anymore.
Aside from side dishes, Hachiman Hikigaya's repertoire is only composed of fried rice, curry and toast if you counted that as cooking. Truthfully, he could make a larger variety of dishes but his sensei in the kitchen banned him from doing so as none of them has reached the level where it can be eaten by others, at least according to his standard. The entire arrangement began when a red Archer ended up hearing about his Master's dream of becoming a househusband but that is a story for another time.
Once he noticed that Rin finally had her fill, Hachiman decided to open up today's discussion.
"There is something weird going on in the news," he began with a troubling statement right from the get-go.
Rin stopped drinking her coffee and set her cup down so she can better focus on listening.
"What do you mean?"
"Considering what happened last night, I was fully expecting for the headlines to be about what was left of Tokyo Disneyland from our battle and how their upper management were going to deal with it," Hachiman grabbed the remote and changed the channel to several news stations as he spoke. "But I haven't heard anything about it all morning," he then pulled his smartphone-sized portable terminal and brought up the browser. "Nothing about it on the internet too."
"Eh? How is that possible? Then again, it's still early in the morning so they probably haven't noticed it yet?" even Rin wasn't quite convinced with the words she said. "No, that doesn't make sense."
There was no way that someone didn't notice such a thing, especially not in this day and age where everyone is pretty much carrying a recording device in the form of mobile phones.
It might've been somewhat understandable if what was damaged last night were only the small stalls and such but the Ferris Wheel, something that can be seen even from far away, vanished without a trace because of that battle. That in itself should be more than enough to cause a commotion.
"I had more or less the same thought so I headed towards the site when I had my morning jog and I couldn't believe what was there."
Instead of telling her vocally, Hachiman thought that it was more effective to show Rin what he saw so he went to his terminal's gallery and let his partner scroll through the images he just took earlier.
"Are you sure these were taken from the same place?"
Hachiman nodded solemnly.
"I have no reason to lie to you about this. In any case, I plan on investigating this more a little later."
Rin Tohsaka's doubt was understandable. After all, not a single trace of last night's battle was present, like it never happened in the first place. Tokyo Disneyland was completely spotless.
That being said, it would appear that her reason for joining this talk differed from what Humanity's Last Master expected.
"I also have something to report on my end, Hikigaya-kun," magic power coalesced into Rin's hand and in the next second, a small object appeared out of thin air. She then set the said item on the side of the table close enough for Hachiman to see. "Do you have any idea what this is?"
One glance was all it took for Hachiman to understand what the identity of the item is.
No matter how you look at it and from which angle, it was none other than…
"A playing card? What kind of suit is this?" Hachiman grabbed the card and turned it around only to find out that the same design was plastered on both sides. It was an armored warrior, presumably a knight, taking point with his bow. Archer. That was the singular word that would pop out of anyone's head in one glance. Even though it was the first time he saw this card, something about it resonated with Hachiman, like he was supposed to be familiar with it in some manner. "No, more importantly," he put the card down. "Where'd you even get this from, Tohsaka-san?"
"I had it with me when I woke up this morning," Rin answered without pause before adopting a thinking posture in the next second. "I'm not sure of its origins but if I had to make a guess…"
"It's connected to your Servant powers?" Hachiman supplemented.
"Yes," she nodded before extending her hand out, implicitly asking for the card back. "It only appeared after I became Hikigaya-kun's Servant so it's the natural conclusion to make."
Just what Hachiman needed. An unknown factor on top of all the unknown factors he had on his plate already. Regardless, since this additional one was something that can be held on one hand, he could at least study it.
"If you don't mind, I'll hold on to this for now. I'll go over Chaldea's database to check if they have any information about it while you're at school."
The sudden suggestion made Rin's pupils shake.
"You're not going?" she tilted her head to the side making her untied hair sway to the same direction. "To school, I mean."
Hachiman looked at her like one would to someone who just spouted nonsense.
"I'm way too old for high school."
Rin shot back a similar look to her housemate.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Hikigaya-kun? We're literally the same age!"
"Not quite," Hachiman wagged her finger before saying a line he's already prepared beforehand if he was asked this exact question. "I've ventured to places where the flow of time is different so I wouldn't be too surprised if my real age is close to a middle-aged man."
"You must be joking…"
Despite saying so, Hachiman could tell from her expression that Rin was already half-convinced, nevertheless, he saw no need to prove his point further.
"Well, it's completely up to you whether you believe me or not."
Something about Hachiman's condescending tone pissed Rin off so she arbitrarily decided to go into troublesome girl mode.
"I'm not going to lend you my card then," she swiped said item while the cynic's guard was still down, surprising him.
"Listen here," Hachiman sighed. "You know I'm borrowing it from you because its integral to both of our survival, right?"
A completely logical point but towards such a thing…
"I don't care."
…Rin countered it using sheer unreasonableness, making the contrarian sigh once again.
"Do I really have to?"
Curious, Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but ask. Disregarding his previous argument about his actual age, he was an outsider to this world so it's not like his participation in its daily affairs would have any sort of effect in the grand scheme of things.
"An enrolled student like the two of us should go to school if we can help it."
"…"
To be hit back with logic when his own attempt at using the same tool was shot down earlier rendered Hachiman stupefied. He didn't expect this girl to be a stickler for rules like this but then again, it's just been a couple of hours since they met so what did he even know about her?
However, the same thing applied both ways.
This first son of the humble Hikigaya family will personally teach this Tohsaka heiress... That he was utter scum.
"I understand," Hachiman adopted a defeated (fake) expression and sighed for the third time this morning. "I'll also go to school today."
…
"And this is why youngsters don't stand a chance against adults."
Hachiman Hikigaya said to himself with a triumphant smile on his face.
Despite being somewhat coerced into attending school, Hachiman was nowhere near his classroom. His current location was his special lunch spot, the stairs close to the tennis courts. All they agreed on was how he will come to school; they didn't say anything about him actually being present in class. As a side note, the two weren't classmates because that black-haired honor student is in the elite class, yet another common factor she shared with the other black-haired honor student in his memory.
That being said, it's not as if he was just playing hooky. He was currently busy tinkering with the little trinket he borrowed this morning.
Rin Tohsaka's card.
After cross-referencing from Chaldea's database, Hachiman inferred that fundamentally, the card is no different from the Saint Graph Storage and the portable briefcase that Chaldea uses to resummon Servants. The key differences are of course the fact that the card is able to store the data of only one Heroic Spirit at a time and instead of being summoned as a familiar, the powers of the Heroic Spirit are applied to the caster's body instead.
There was probably more to it than that but Hachiman was not knowledgeable enough on the theory side to understand… He is however second-to-none when it comes to practical application.
Having no support from Chaldea, he brought it upon himself to conduct a few experiments on the card he borrowed this morning.
There was one thing he needed to confirm so urgently.
Though their time in this plane was over, that didn't mean Heroic Spirits are static beings. They were capable of getting stronger through a phenomenon called Saint Graph Ascension and that is exactly what Hachiman Hikigaya was trying to achieve at this very moment.
He noticed it during last night's fight but the attacks of his Servant lacked the usual punch that he was expecting. He initially chalked it up to Rin's body still not being used to her newfound powers but he changed his mind after he saw the card this morning, more specifically, its color.
Bronze.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was impossible to put the color bronze and a Divine Spirit like Ishtar in the same sentence. Gold seemed much more appropriate…
But what if that's exactly the case and the card just looked bronze now because it's the starting point.
If the Heroic Spirits in Chaldea required enhancements in order to reach their full potential, then perhaps the same thing can be done to these cards as well…
With that as his basis, Hachiman decided to take out one of the spoils-of-war from last night's battle.
A Roaring Flame of Wisdom. It was a substance that can be extracted from the Divine Arms of Dawn, hands, as Hachiman preferred to refer to them given their appearance.
Back in Chaldea, this is used alongside another material, catalysts called Quantum Pieces, QP for short, to strengthen the base parameters of a Servant.
Having done such a thing countless of times already, Hachiman has committed to his memory everything that he needed to replicate the strengthening ritual.
The evidence of such experience can be seen from the intricate setup he had on the ground.
The card was set on the middle of a large magic circle surrounded by several symbols that the loner had no idea what each meant yet fully remembered their detailed appearance. Luckily, understanding was not required for said magic circle to work.
The Roaring Flame was placed on one side of the circle and the QP on the other. The only thing that was missing now is…
"If I am not mistaken, the required magic power should be around this much…"
The magical circle slightly glowed in response to the Magus' input but it was only after it reached a certain threshold did a significant change occur.
"Oh, it's working!"
The materials along with the Master's magic power was absorbed into the card, thereby increasing its latent power. From start to finish, it went exactly how things happen in Chaldea except that the receiving end was a card instead of a Servant. Everything obeyed the law of equivalent exchange.
With his hypothesis proven to be true, Humanity's Last Master continued experimenting with the card, although it is said in that manner, what really occurred was just him feeding one material after another until it reached its breaking point.
The process itself didn't take too long but since the Magus had to fuel the entire process with his own magic power, breaks had to be taken in-between to allow for Hachiman to recover.
The fruits of his hard labor finally showed up just right before the lunch bell was expected to ring…
"It's a good thing that I followed my gut feeling," he wiped the sweat forming on his brow after commenting.
…Instead of bronze, a silver card now rested on the middle of the magic circle.
The Saint Graph Ascension Experiment was a success.
That was not all that Hachiman managed to figure out this morning.
It turns out that aside from the QP, only the materials he extracted from the monsters that he defeated in this world can be used to strengthen the card. This means that all the stuff that he's hoarded just in case he can use them for the newly summoned Servants were all useless in this scenario.
In other words, it was like he was starting over again.
This means that in order to advance Rin's card to the next stage, hunting monsters will have to be done regularly. There was no problem with such a thing as Hachiman was planning to do that in the first place. What might cause some issues however is the type of monster that they'll end up finding.
Not just any material can be used for Saint Graph Ascension. It doesn't matter how rare or how hard to obtain it is, if the material doesn't resonate with a Servant's Spirit Origin or in this case, the card, it will have no effect.
"Looks like tonight's going to be a busy night as well."
Unconcerned if his uniform would get dirty or not, Hachiman was now sitting on the ground while leaning back and letting both of his outstretched hands support his body.
He could've made the card a little bit stronger but refrained himself from doing so as he still has no idea how this power-up will affect the host's body. Since he lacked data on this aspect, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Even though he didn't get any new leads with how he is able to get out of this world or who/what he should be fighting here, being able to strengthen his fighting force was valuable in and of itself.
Now that he wasn't preoccupied with strengthening the card anymore, he was able to have more idle thoughts on his head such as how the breeze that carried the saltiness of the sea began picking up a little speed and how the sun wasn't too bright on the eye even though it was quickly approaching noon.
Just when he was thinking of treating himself to a can of Max Coffee as a reward for his hard work…
Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.
"?"
His ears picked up an odd sound, of something repeatedly hitting the ground, from somewhere nearby.
Hachiman quickly tidied things up and pocketed the card before heading out to check things himself. For better or for worse, he was not the kind of protagonist to move on and just say it must've been my imagination after noticing something clearly suspicious.
Bounce. Bounce.
The frequency of the sound seemed to have lessened but it was still more than enough information for Hachiman to have a grasp of its general location.
It should be… Here!
Given where he was, that kind of sound could only come from none other than the tennis courts but when he arrived onsite…
"There's nothing here?"
Since he had the extra time anyways, Hachiman took it upon himself to look around as some part of him just wouldn't relax unless he did so.
His quick search let him find exactly two items that were just scattered around the court, a lone tennis racket and a tennis ball.
Even though it was only natural for these two things to be present in this kind of place, there was one particular detail that made Hachiman not easily dismiss the entire thing as a coincidence.
"The racket's handle was still warm…"
Which meant that it was used very very recently.
Although his focus was diverted to something else, Hachiman found it difficult to imagine someone getting this close to him when his senses has been enhanced with all the training he went through. The very thought was enough to give him goosebumps. He could've died then and there if he was unlucky.
What he's found so far led him to believe in two possibilities. One, paranormal activity was involved and two, the other party was simply that skilled. Oh, how he wished for it to be the former as things would be so much easier if that was the case.
"I have a bad feeling about this…"
Only the sea breeze was there to listen to Hachiman's apprehension. The direction it blew changed once before reverting back in the next second. It was a sign that lunchtime has begun and the chances for students to come to the courts for some light recreation was high. At the same time, it was also Hachiman's cue to vacate the area.
…
After school hours.
Given that their fates are now intertwined with each other, in a different way than what this saying is originally supposed to mean, the Master-Servant pair rendezvoused to a place at Sobu where they can be left alone, the school rooftop.
"Any new findings, Hikigaya-kun?" Rin wasted no time and asked the all-important question right off the bat.
In all honesty, Hachiman still wasn't quite used to being called in that manner by this girl but he made sure not to make such a thing obvious from his expression.
"I've got nothing with regards to the identity of our enemies and whatnot," he shrugged before fishing something out of his uniform's inner pocket. "I did manage to discover something that might be of equal value though. Here."
Hachiman handed something back to Rin, the very same item that he was entrusted with this morning.
"The card?" it was only after she touched it did Rin properly notice the difference. "It's silver?!"
"Yeah. It turned into that color after I experimented with it," Hachiman lazily explained. "If my prediction is correct, your Servant form should feel much stronger."
"How did you do that?" lapis lazuli-like irises glimmering with interest stared at Hachiman but given his position, all he could do was shake his head.
"Unfortunately, my contract with Chaldea prevents me from sharing this kind of information with outsiders," he answered without pause. "Please understand."
"Tch! Acting too serious all of a sudden," the curious Magus could only click her tongue in frustration.
It would be normally difficult to salvage a girl's mood like this but just for today, Hachiman knew exactly what he needed to say to turn things in his favor.
"How about we go hunting later to see exactly how powerful you just got?"
…
Midnight.
They say that nobody is perfect…
Blast.
That no matter how flawless a person may seem…
Blast.
They will always have something they are bad at.
Blast.
But then you look at the person in front of you and see that they are…
Blast.
Good-looking and stylish…
Blast.
Capable enough to take care of themselves…
Blast.
Smart, kind in their own way, comes from a prestigious family…
Blast.
And on top of all that…
Blast.
Is an absolute natural at fighting.
Blast.
You start wondering just how is this world so unfair.
Blast.
It was like looking at an obviously overpowered character in a video game and wondering just how did this even get past the testing stage?
Gamers were sure to send their vitriol-laced complaints in the form of emails towards the developers of the game unless…
Blast. Blast. Blast.
…Said character was an ally or something they use themselves.
Hachiman Hikigaya harbored such thoughts to himself as he watched Rin, now transformed into Ishtar literally wreaking havoc.
Half an hour ago.
"Aren't you too warm on your outfit?" Rin asked while looking at Hachiman putting on his black gloves.
Since today's outing involved a hunt, Hachiman opted to go for one of his more combat-oriented Mystic Codes, the Arctic Region Chaldea Uniform which was composed of a black undershirt underneath a black jacket whose sleeves reached his shoulders and a pair of heavy gray pants.
"It's alright. I'm used to it," he waved off his partner's concerns before asking something her way. "Once again, excellent outfit choice," he casually made a thumbs-up gesture at the end of his remark.
Tonight, Rin put on a blue sleeveless blouse that was covered with beige hoodie that she hadn't zipped in completely yet. She complemented this with white shorts, long black socks and sneakers. It was the perfect combination of practicality and Rin's own unique flair.
"I didn't choose them specifically to impress you!"
Hachiman smiled calmly through her outburst. The conversation was giving him a sense of déjà vu, then again, because of this girl's similarities with a past acquaintance of his, that has always been the case.
"I already knew that without you telling me," he then decided to change the topic by averting Rin's attention towards the silver-colored item she's been holding for a while now. "I'm just asking for sure but you do know how to use that, right?"
"I instinctively do," she answered confidently before shaking her head in the next second. "No, it's more like the card itself is telling me how to use it. I just need to say a little keyword."
Keyword?
Chaldea's Master wasn't even given the opportunity to vocally express his doubt.
" #$%&€¥..."
Rin spoke a singular word out loud that for some reason, Hachiman was unable to hear or recognize via lip-reading.
While he was still stuck with such a thought, the card on Rin's hand glowed in response to what she said. It then flew a short distance away from her body before expanding itself until it became around the same height as her. The now enlarged silver card slowly moved back towards Rin who was standing still in surprise.
Once the card made contact with her body, she then, well… The long and short of it is… She transformed.
Her casual outfit turned into something that, if it wasn't for the several golden accessories and the stocking on her right leg, was essentially just underwear. Tantalizing view aside, a gigantic bow also manifested alongside Rin after she completed her transformation. With its appearance, no doubt can be placed on what class her Heroic Spirit belonged to.
Archer Class Servant. True Name: Ishtar.
For a small object like that card to turn a young Magus/high school student to the Goddess who presided over the planet Venus, it really gives you a glimpse of how absurd of an item it really was. At this point, it should be treated as some sort of artifact or a Mystic Code of the highest grade.
Rin Tohsaka's concerns however leaned towards a different direction.
She crossed her legs and used her hands in a vain attempt to try and cover all the skin that she was showing.
"And just where do you think you're looking at?!" she glared at Hachiman threateningly but all she got from her counterpart was a straight answer.
"Your bow."
It wasn't a lie. He was technically looking at her general direction where both her body and bow were in full view.
With his exposure to the opposite sex only increasing as the days go by, the current Hachiman Hikigaya has already moved on from the stage where he would be flustered from the mere sight of a girl's skin. However…
If he starts thinking about how the Ishtar he knew that acted so bold with this body and Rin, in stark contrast, is turning red as a tomato just from, well, existing, then it would be a lie if he said that he was completely unaffected. In fact, it was taking his all to maintain his stoic expression.
As expected, gap moe is almighty.
Needless to say, he kept that thought to himself. There was still work to be done tonight after all.
"Well then, feel free to go all out. I'll be providing you with support from behind."
Present time.
Rin reinforced herself with magic and launched a lamia into the air with a kick. A large floating bow was waiting for the snake monster once it was airborne.
Blast.
The bow launched several shots in close range to the lamia like it was a shotgun, instantly vanquishing it.
While that was happening…
"Too slow! Too slow! Too slow!"
Blast. Blast. Blast. Blast. Blast. Blast.
Magic arrows came raining down from all directions at the golems who moved very slowly. Rin, who looked like she was using two pistols with here index fingers, was circling around these sluggish foes while peppering them with projectiles.
She accurately targeted them on their joints which were much softer than any other part of their body. Once these were destroyed, the golems simply collapsed from their weight allowing Rin to have all the leeway in the world to launch a concentrated shot on their heads to finish them off.
As for the humanoid enemies like werewolves, werejaguars, amazoness, centaurs, soldiers and goblins, Rin abused the fact that she could fly and upon reaching a height where neither their melee or ranged weapons could reach her, she just open fired at them mercilessly.
"Take this! Take this!"
Blast. Blast. Blast. Blast. Blast.
To say that the entire thing was a stomp would be an understatement. It was getting to the point where Hachiman started wondering why he had to work so hard last night in trying to help her.
How this girl was able to quickly get a grasp of her abilities in such a short amount of time was completely beyond Hachiman. Was her synergy with the Divine Spirit Ishtar just that high or it's exactly because of Rin's prowess itself that she was chosen as a vessel? Regardless, all of this is simply good news for Humanity's Last Master. He was not one to look a gift horse at the mouth. The stronger Rin becomes, the better the odds are for Hachiman in the upcoming battles.
Looking at these numbers, I think we'll have no problems if I advance her to the next stage much earlier than anticipated.
He wasn't sure if Rin was the type to get carried away or not so just to be safe, Hachiman chose to say something else out loud.
"Any abnormalities you're currently feeling with your body?" he asked while checking the combat data he gathered with his terminal.
"None whatsoever. In fact, I never felt better!" Rin answered while pumping her fists. Her elation from her battle performance seemed to make her forget about her revealing outfit. "That upgrade you did was really amazing!"
Hachiman noted something on his terminal before responding.
"Do you think you can last a little longer?"
Rin opened and closed her hands multiple times then nodded.
"Yes, I'll be alright."
His Servant's confident tone brought a slight assurance to Hachiman's heart. Had she shown even the least sign of hesitation then he would call for a retreat posthaste.
"Understood but be sure not to overdo it," he warned with a stern tone. "We still haven't determined if you won't suffer from any sort of recoil after turning back to normal."
The advice spoken out of good intentions dampened a significant chunk of the ravenette's enthusiasm, making her frown.
"You're so serious all of a sudden," she grabbed her shoulders and shivered. "It's giving me the creeps."
"The latter part of your statement was completely unnecessary," the Master quipped instantly. "Besides, this kind of attitude is only to be expected as we're still in the middle of work."
The two had this kind of back-and-forth every so often as they hunted one monster pack after another.
After each battle, Rin's control of her powers only seemed to get better and better. She was developing her own kind of fighting style, very similar yet not quite the same as the Ishtar back in Chaldea.
Most of her mana is directed towards her mobility and senses so that she can find her enemies' weak points much easily. Once this is done, she adjusts her attack power to a level that is just enough to finish them off. Each time, she gets a kill on the same monster she also slightly adjusts her output to further minimize her consumption.
Simply put, it was a very humanlike way of fighting.
It should be noted that despite being the Master here, Hachiman has not yet offered a single word of advice in this regard as all he's been doing for the past few minutes is monitoring his Servant's status.
It's definitely commendable how Rin Tohsaka was able to come up with such an effective fighting style on her own.
In a vacuum, it is pretty much flawless, in fact you could even call it ideal.
But there was just one problem with it.
There is no variation.
It's fine if all you'll be doing is hunting monsters but it becomes a bad habit when you end up fighting against humans, or more specifically, Heroic Spirits whose instincts have been forged in battle.
If the basis of your next move is always efficiency, then it becomes easier for your opponent to read your next move the longer the battle goes on, making feints your downfall.
"Good work, Tohsaka-san."
"Thanks," she gave a thumbs-up while replying. "Are we done for tonight?"
"According to my terminal, there should be another horde nearby," Hachiman flipped his terminal around so that his Servant can see what it was displaying. "But since they aren't as active as the one you've just exterminated; we can save them for another day."
"It's kind of a waste though," Rin put a hand to her chin while expressing her opinion. "I mean we're already here anyways."
He didn't need to hear anything else after that. It was already clear after this short exchange that convincing this girl to stand down would take way too much effort so Hachiman thought it was better to let her do as she pleases…
"If that's how you feel then let's take them out," he then locked eyes with his partner. "But only if you follow my orders in this fight."
…At least, to a certain extent.
Hearing the additional condition made Rin frown and place both of her hands to her hips.
"Are you going to use yourself as bait again?"
Hachiman noticed the change in her air but feigned ignorance as he wasn't quite sure what triggered it in the first place.
"If I have to, I will," he locked eyes with his Servant to show his sincerity before leading the way towards their next hunting spot. "But I don't think it will come up in this situation though," he quickly added while his back was still facing Rin.
"…"
Because he was the one out front, Hachiman was unable to see the ravenette clenching both her fists in frustration though he did somewhat feel her boring a hole on the back of his head through her glare.
The location of the inactive group of monsters ended up being right in front of a large shopping mall in Chiba. It was a place similar to the amusement park in how it was a place that was saturated with different kinds of human emotions.
In mornings, you would expect a huge mob of people to be present here, each with their own unique agenda but all that can be seen at this moment are the visage of various grotesque monsters.
Growl. Roar. Snarl. Howl. Bark. Gnarl.
The place that the Master-Servant duo have been fighting all this time were around the outskirts of the city so right now, they're actually on top of a small hill overlooking the monsters.
"So how are we doing this," dissatisfaction was still present on Rin's voice as she asked. "Master?"
Despite noticing this, Hachiman didn't even think about pointing it out.
"I'm only giving you one order," he raised one of his index fingers to emphasize his intent before the same finger was pointed towards their targets. "Stay faithful to your class and take all of them down with one shot from here," he moved his forearm in a manner similar to how it would be if he shot with a handgun before turning back to his Servant. "No need to hold back."
Rin looked at her Master as if he was a bona fide lunatic.
"Wouldn't I be overdoing it if that's the case?"
"Maybe. But you have to do it to fix that little bad habit of yours," he pointed at Rin's forehead. "You focus too much in trying to minimize your magic power consumption when there are situations where what you need to save on is time instead. For now, don't think about it too much and just let it rip," he lowered his finger and continued speaking. "Besides, there's something else that I want to find out."
"The maximum amount of magic power I can unleash in a given timeframe; I presume."
The sharp Rin gave an excellent answer but not quite the one that her Master was looking for.
"That too. But also," he pointed behind him using his thumb. It was the aftermath of Rin's earlier fights. Because of how she was conserving her powers, the damage dealt to the surroundings were only limited to slightly charred trees, minor holes on the ground, the occasional bent street lamp and the like. It wasn't anything too crazy and that in itself was Hachiman's issue. "I wanna see if the evidence of today's battle will also be erased and just how well it will be cleaned up."
Finally convinced, Rin began channeling her mana to prepare a powerful attack.
"Very well, I'll try and follow your order."
The large bow appeared next to the Archer and all the magic power she's been gathering coalesced at its center. With the tuning she received this morning, the power of this arrow easily eclipsed the boosted attack she used against the Gazer last night.
"Eat this!"
Blast.
Rin nocked the arrow, but rather than an arrow, what she just fired was pretty much a bomb. It was a golden orb that was easily the size of one person. Because of its size, its speed was much slower compared to the small projectiles Rin has been using earlier so it wouldn't be too strange if it was spotted by some of the monsters along the way… Nevertheless, it was far too late for any of them to run away from it as what that attack lacked in speed, it made up for it with pure, unadulterated power.
Boom.
The arrow exploded and a huge dust cloud obstructed the pair's vision. Once it cleared, all that was left was a huge crater and the charred bodies of monsters who weren't vaporized instantly. Even from afar, it was easy to tell that there were no survivors. If they weren't taken down by the attack itself, the intensity of the explosion and the number of debris it scattered was powerful enough to do the job itself. Some even met their end when a different monster crashed towards them. A total annihilation.
Even though she was the one who launched the attack herself, Rin couldn't quite believe that she was housing this much power. She continued staring at the scene of destruction with wide eyes and an open mouth. As the only one used to this kind of display, it fell onto Hachiman's shoulders to dispel the silence.
"Good work, Tohsaka-san," he patted her shoulder once but because he still wasn't getting any response from her partner, he decided to say a few more additional words. "Let's check if we can salvage anything from those bodies before we call it a day."
The brand-new order from her Master finally snapped Rin out of her trance.
"Wait, now that you mention it!" the frugal high school student now currently using the powers of a Goddess panicked. "Isn't what I did such a big waste!?"
"Oh, that's fine. I don't need anything from these guys."
Hachiman waved one hand around to imply that it was no big deal. Even then, that wasn't quite enough to calm Rin down.
"What makes you so sure?"
"You'll just have to trust me on this one," he nonchalantly answered before stepping past her and moving ahead. "Now come on, let's go down."
"Roger," a dispirited cry came from the vessel of the Divine Spirit.
With Hachiman leading the way, the two descended from the hill they were positioned at and began checking the condition of the monsters. Upon working on his third corpse however, Hachiman noticed something that he couldn't just ignore.
"This doesn't look right."
"What is it?" Rin heard her counterpart's murmur and approached him.
"Here, here and here," Hachiman moved his body a little to give his partner a better view before pointing towards several parts of the monster cadaver. "These don't look like injuries caused by other monsters."
"That's true," she put her hand on one of the wounds, feeling the distinct texture of the monster's flesh that was charred by her attack. "I can't be the cause either."
The injuries they were examining were cuts that are only around half the width of an index finger yet run deep into a monster's flesh, perhaps as deep as the average length of a person's forearm.
If these were caused by talons or claws then the injury would have several small gashes on a small area whereas these narrow and deep gashes are arbitrarily scattered around the body. It's also for the same reason why it can't be caused by fangs. While a horn or a pair of tusks is capable of producing this kind of injury, it was hard to imagine a creature with a horn/tusk of such uniform shape. The only viable possibilities remaining would be from a beak or tail but Humanity's Last Master was already starting to consider an entirely different scenario which would end up being either the best or worst possible development, no in-betweens.
There's someone else here…
Regardless of which outcome it was, what he needed to do next was the same.
I need to make contact.
As he began to draft a plan on his head…
Crash.
The mall's front entrance as well as all its nearby windows were forcibly opened and from there…
Shriek. Shriek. Shriek.
A stampede of monsters came pouring out. Looking at their sheer number made it feel like you were watching a scene from an apocalyptic movie.
The two quickly hid themselves in a pile of the monster corpses to avoid both the debris and getting detected by the new enemies.
It didn't take long before the duo realized the true nature of what just occurred.
Although the beasts' sudden entrance made it look like they were trying to ravage the city, it became obvious from the way most of them were bleeding and crying out in agony that they were trying to run away from something instead. Nevertheless, just because they are injured, doesn't make any of these supernatural beasts less harmful. On the contrary, they might even be more dangerous precisely because they're at death's door.
They couldn't leave this situation alone but it would be too much of a waste not to gather information about what these monsters are running away from. There was simply no other choice but for Humanity's Last Master and his sole Servant to deal with both matters at the same time.
"Tohsaka-san, we need to split up," Hachiman began to urgently explain his plan. "You take care of the mob while I look around for the source of their fear. You should be able to rout all of them after a few minutes."
"I've suspected it for quite some time now but Hikigaya-kun," she crossed her arms and looked at her Master disappointingly. "Do you not feel even the slightest pang of conscience when you send a lone girl to deal with a swarm of monsters like this?"
"What does gender have to do with anything?" he looked at his partner as if she just grew a second head. "I'm just assigning the right people to do the right job. In fact, believe me when I say that I'd rather stay here but because I lacked the means of exterminating those things myself, then I have no other choice but to act as the scout instead."
"Wouldn't that make your job the more dangerous one then?" she argued back. "What these monsters are running away from should be several times stronger than all of them combined."
Monsters behave not too differently from animals. They also rely on their instincts. As such, if this number of monsters were so desperate to run away, then it can only mean exactly as Rin feared. It was an objectively correct assessment that there was no room for argument. The only way that Hachiman could think of to convince this girl otherwise…
"Oh, you're worried about me?"
…Is to tease her and make her lose composure.
The strategy worked like a charm. The capable Archer Servant was instantly reduced into a blushing and stuttering mess after a singular line.
"…O-O-Of course I will, you dimwit!" Rin vehemently cried out before pointing towards the red symbols inscribed at the back of Hachiman's right hand. "In case you've forgotten, our lives are connected!"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," he patted his partner's shoulder, something that was proven to work in calming her down just earlier. "I'm just going to take a peek."
Strangely enough, Rin did feel some kind of assurance from that little gesture… As well as a sinking feeling that she was just about to get bamboozled.
"Be sure not to do anything too dangerous while you're on your own!" she left those words behind her before flying towards the monster horde.
"I won't. I promise."
Soon enough, it was quickly proven that Hachiman Hikigaya was a big fat liar.
…
A one-sided massacre.
That was what Hachiman saw after going inside the mall where the monster stampede came from.
Gone were the signs that made you think of this place as a shopping mall. All the boutiques and restaurants you expect to see in this kind of establishment were either brutally wrecked by the monster avalanche or littered with the remains of the creatures who were not lucky enough to run away.
He was confident that there was no way that damage on this level, especially to such an important commercial site in Chiba, won't be reported in tomorrow's news.
Unfortunately, this path of carnage didn't stop here. It extended further and deeper into the center of mall and the number of dead bodies increased exponentially as Hachiman pushed through.
As tempting as it was to swipe some of those valuable monster materials at this very moment, he chose to prioritize the investigation for now. This was not one of those RPGs where you still had the leeway to do side quests even when the fate of the world is literally hanging in the balance.
The trail eventually led Humanity's Last Master to a similarly shattered entrance from the other side of the mall before ending up in supposedly one of the busiest places in this city during a weekend. The mall's outdoor parking lot.
Despite being called in that manner, occupying this piece of land were not vehicles of all kinds but countless carcasses.
Bloody. Grotesque. Gorey.
Neither of these words were enough to describe how gruesome the scene in front of Hachiman's eyes was.
However…
What shook him more than this sight was what he was currently hearing instead.
"Ugh! Gross! Like why does it have to be lodged so deep into them?"
Something about that complaining voice felt extremely familiar. His desire to listen to it more made Hachiman lose enough of his focus that he…
Squish.
"!"
…Ended up stepping on a pound of flesh that was removed from one of the monsters with his right foot.
Of course, given the fact that he was the only other thing alive in the area, that sound was not missed by the other party he was supposed to be hiding from.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Something fast went past the place where Hachiman's head was at one second ago, making his back run with cold sweat. He didn't need to know what exactly came flying towards him to understand its dangerous implications. If he moved even half a second too late during that interval, he could've died.
Scary, scary.
At this point, hiding was already pointless so Hachiman chose to come out while raising both of his hands in surrender.
The instant he saw the face of the one who just attempted to murder him, Hachiman's blood ran cold albeit for nothing more than a short instant.
As it turns out, this world he's currently stuck on did not only reference his birthplace but also some of the people he knew. It was something he somewhat expected yet still found surprising.
The person behind the massacre of monsters was a girl with long blonde hair that curled at the ends and green eyes that shimmered just like bright emeralds. She was wearing a pink blouse which emphasized her bosom and showed a part of her belly, a denim miniskirt, beige boots and a small silver necklace can be seen hanging from her exposed neck.
She was none other than the Fire Queen of Sobu.
The Queen Bee reigning at the very top of the school's implied caste system.
Yumiko Miura.
Or at the very least, someone who has the same face as her.
"What are you? A monster? No, a human?" his former classmate's green orbs narrowed as she glared at him. "Whichever it is, it doesn't change the fact that you look hella gross."
Well, this is refreshing.
By that, Hachiman Hikigaya was not thinking that he liked being insulted. He is not a masochist. This is important so it will be mentioned once again. He is not a masochist.
Rather than delight what he was actually hit by was nostalgia. Although there were a couple of others from his meager list of high school acquaintances that he'd rather be meeting again over this girl right here, that didn't mean he wasn't feeling a little emotional after seeing a familiar face in a long time.
Then again, this was not Hachiman Hikigaya's first day in the office. The true identity of the girl in front of him, which he will temporarily designate as Yumiko Miura in his head, was still up in the air. Is she a resident of this world or, as illogical as it may sound, did the Alien God decide to reincarnate another batch of humans now that there was only one Crypter standing in the way of Hachiman Hikigaya? The possibilities were endless but whichever option was true, his next move is of course…
"Yo, long time no see," he raised his hand slightly and instead of waving towards her, he ended up using it to awkwardly scratch his head. "Can that kind of greeting apply to us, I wonder?"
…To draw out as much information from her as possible.
"Huh? Like do I even know you? Are you a stalker? Is that like the new way of trying to pick-up girls?" her expression kept getting more severe by the second. "Your physique may be impressive but I still consider the face to be the most important."
"…"
From that short exchange, Hachiman was unable to tell if this woman was indeed the same classmate he knew or was someone else. In the first place, he could easily imagine that girl forgetting about his existence entirely. After all, for her, no one else mattered except for her Prince Charming.
While he was still stuck in this thought, Yumiko Miura's hostility towards him only grew.
"In any case," she flipped her hair back, revealing her well-manicured fingernails and the silver bracelet on her wrist in the process. "Just what do you think you're doing in someone else's hunting ground?"
Now we're talking…
The slightest bit of information slipped out of the blonde's lips. If this was her hunting ground, that would mean there are several other people like her. This then begs two questions. Who exactly those others are and are all of them her allies?
Despite how volatile of a situation he's in, Hachiman wanted to keep this conversation going no matter what, something he couldn't imagine himself thinking about back during his high school days.
"If I said that I just wandered off here by mistake, will you let me go?" he scratched his head clumsily while forcing out an awkward laugh to try and showcase that he was harmless but his act wasn't being bought by the girl in front of him at all.
"No," Yumiko answered curtly. "That is not the response of someone who really did wander here by mistake."
"I figured that was the case."
A surge of killing intent rushed towards Hachiman making him instinctively lower his center of gravity and adopt an impromptu fighting stance. In contrast, the girl who shared the same face as his high school classmate began clustering magic power to her left hand before eventually conjuring an item that Hachiman became well-acquainted with just this morning, its silver hue made him open his eyes in shock.
A card!? If that's exactly what I think it is then that means…
"That ugly expression," the blonde licked her rosy lips before adapting a sadistic smile. "Seems like you finally understand the gravity of your situation," in the next second, she then kissed her card before mouthing off a word that Hachiman was once again unable to hear or recognize via lip-reading just like how it was with Rin's case. " #$%&€¥!"
Responding to her will, the silver card flew forward and enlarged itself before moving back to envelop Yumiko's body.
After passing through the card, the flamboyant and trendy outfit that Yumiko was wearing which revealed a lot of skin changed into a full-plate armor that was gold from head to toe and was highlighted with royal blue engravings. Upon adopting this form, she also began to levitate from the ground in order to look down on the mortal that was in front of her.
It was impossible for Hachiman Hikigaya not to recognize that visage as that is the form is one of the most powerful Heroic Spirit reigning from Proper Human History.
The only one who could ever be called the King of Heroes.
The Wedge of Heaven that allowed humanity to walk a separate path from the Gods.
That Servant's name was…
"Gilgamesh."
"So you recognize this form, you creep," green eyes instead of the red that Hachiman was used to stared at him with contempt. "For that, I'll forgive you from your transgression of not kowtowing immediately in my presence. In fact, I'm willing to give you one last chance," queenly majesty oozed out of Yumiko Miura as she haughtily flipped her hair to the side, this time around, her hand was fitted with a golden gauntlet instead. "Get your card out."
"About that, I don't really have it on me right now," Hachiman managed to answer matter-of-factly even with all the pressure but just because he was acting calm, doesn't mean that his situation has changed for the better.
"Is that so?" Yumiko, no, Gilgamesh, raised her hand and multiple golden lights, enough to blanket the entire sky, suddenly manifested behind her. In fact, calling it a galaxy seemed far more fitting. "In that case…"
"…"
Unfortunately, what appeared weren't exactly stars.
This is the Gate of Babylon, the King of Heroes' most prized treasury. Each and every single one of those so-called stars was a weapon and not just any weapon at that, but the prototype of every Noble Phantasm known to man. As Mankind's Oldest Hero, all of these treasures were his and his alone.
"…Die."
Author's Note:
I'm back so soon? The reason for that is simple. Unlike the previous chapter, I am writing something I am much more familiar with so please don't get used to it.
I saw the response to Chapter 6 was pretty good so I decided to update this interlude of sorts alternately with the main counselling sessions instead of turning it into a special chapter. I guess I'll think of something else for that end. I'd really appreciate it if you gave me your own ideas for that as well.
Anyways, back to what happened in this chapter.
Finally, something that some of you guys have been anticipating. Servant appearances of other Oregairu characters... Sort of.
Okay, I know it isn't exactly what you wanted but hear me out.
The number of Servants in FGO is already enormous so adding more on top of that just didn't feel right. Also, I would feel a little awkward if I end up creating a Servant and FGO releases someone with the exact same name but with completely different references so why not meet at the middle and fuse the existing Servants with the Oregairu characters instead?
Thus, this interlude came to be born.
I really hope you'll enjoy this chaotic ride that I've prepared for you all.
This part of the fic will follow a more traditional and linear style. For those people who are familiar with me already from Platonic 1 and 2 then yes, this is one of those boring set-up chapters. The fun will have to wait until a little later.
As for the absolute cliffhanger of an ending, I sincerely apologize but it really couldn't be helped. While writing this chapter, this particular scene just happened to be the perfect sweet spot to cut it off just before I reached the 10k word mark (excluding this A/N). If I didn't, you guys will end up having to wait for a few more days and I'll be stuck editing yet another behemoth of a chapter and I'm pretty sure neither of us like that.
Do you think you can guess just which characters from the Oregairu cast will show up and which Servant they'll be fused with? I'll be eagerly reading your guesses on the reviews while chuckling to myself.
While I've already set up who I'll be writing in the next few chapters, by all means, please continue sharing which Servant/s you want to be featured next.
Now with that out of the way, time to get on to the reviews from the previous chapter.
Syqadelic: Does this answer your question, perhaps?
Achagoya0072: Ask and you shall receive, my friend. Also, thank you very much for your positive feedback.
blackneo10: Thank you for the praise. Hmm... I wonder if this spinoff counts as interaction with the original cast. What do you think? Hahaha.
IsekaiFanBoi: Not gonna lie, I honestly really like her and I think Hachiman and her can cover each other's bases really well but that's just me. The Siegfried X Kriemhild situation was the main reason why I wanted to make this fic so I'm really happy that I actually got to writing it. I've read Sigurd and Brynhildr's myth when I was young and even back then, I've always wanted to flip that tragic romance over. Good thing, I can do that kind of thing in this platform. I was on the fence if I wanted to write about Kiritsugu X Irisviel because I've featured them multiple times in this fic already but I just couldn't bring myself not to, you know? I mean wouldn't their names be the first on your list when you you hear the words Servant Couple? So I had to do it. I had to.
guiltyr2: In a way he did and in a way he didn't, but let's leave it at that. As for your question, I think if you think about it long enough, you'll get the answer you want.
Alewar Warinot: Thank you very much. I'm glad there were still people waiting for this to update even after I've been gone for a bit. It really motivates me to keep writing.
fgo fan: You're very welcome. It was indeed challenging for me in more ways than one so I'm really glad I managed to finish it.
bluecookie420: Thanks for the patronage. Well, this chapter focused more on Hachiman's supporting role for his Servants instead of being directly involved instead so I can understand that some might feel it was lacking despite its length. It's also the primary reason why I added in the last part. If you don't mind, can you please elaborate what you mean by the last part of your review? I'm not quite sure if I get it or not.
Ce soir la lune est magnifique: Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks.
Kalacakra108: I'm glad you liked it. It's even funnier when you know that Kriemhild's VA voices Kaguya from Kaguya-sama.
To everyone else who takes the time to read this fic, a huge thank you to all of you as well.
That's it for this chapter.
I hope we meet again in the next one or in another story of mine.
Reviews, follows and faves are all very much appreciated.
Until next time...
May everyone's good wishes and realities intersect.
Morii Hikikko