Continuation of Chiba Alternative.
Everything I've written here is a product of my own imagination and is not canon to FGO.
That being said, future events from FGO and the Fate franchise may still be referenced so please be warned.
Chapter 16 – The Great (Desperate) Escape
"Good day to you, Haruno-san," Hachiman Hikigaya then extended his right foot behind him while still being face-to-face with Haruno Yukinoshita. "Then, goodbye."
!
Before Humanity's Last Master could even turn his body, he felt a sharp metallic texture brush the back of his neck, making him reflexively stop moving.
Since Haruno was still on her seat, Hachiman had no idea who or what was behind him but he wasn't too keen on finding out right away.
"Ara you're gonna make this Onee-san sad if you leave her on her own all of a sudden," Haruno's amethyst-like irises gave off an ominous glow. "And you really don't want to see me sad because every time that happens," her usually perfect smile which made it difficult for even this jaded loner to accurately read her true intentions was now blatantly giving off killing intent. "I get a little~ bit bloodthirsty you see."
"Hahaha. Of course not. I was just acting shy," the cynic chuckled and walked back towards the direction of the sitting Haruno. "There's no way I would ever think of doing something like that."
"Please take a seat then. Even I would feel awkward talking to someone who remained standing while I make myself comfortable on my own."
"Alright."
Hachiman had no other choice for the time being but to heed this heiress' demands if he wanted to live.
"Now I know that what we're going to talk about is very important but before that, there is something I must point out first, Hikigaya-kun," Haruno snickered. "Your tastes are so apparent."
"Pardon?" all of Hachiman's wariness was replaced by confusion after hearing the cryptic statement of his counterpart.
"Do you really not understand what I'm trying to tell you?" Haruno crossed her arms and pouted as she asked.
While her gestures and expression were both as cute as she intended to portray herself, Hachiman's focus was on her unblinking eyes that were trying to capture each and every one of his actions.
As one would expect, you should never let your guard down in front of Haruno Yukinoshita, even during a casual conversation. If he wasn't careful, the one who'll be wrung out of information would be him instead of this devil.
Luckily, this woman's current interest was on Hachiman as a person and not his motives as Humanity's Last Master… For now, at least.
"…Nope, I don't have a clue."
No matter how he thought about it, Hachiman had no idea exactly what this Haruno wanted to say to him especially considering the fact that this is technically their first meeting so his only option was to answer her honestly.
Even though she somewhat expected this outcome, it still made Haruno sigh.
"I'm talking about how you're willing to just settle on any girl with long black hair, clear blue eyes and a relatively short fuse," the doting older sister put a hand on her temple and shook her head a few times. "Ahh~ I'm really~ disappointed with you, Hikigaya-kun."
Hachiman wasn't too surprised that this heiress knew about the girl he is working together. After all, she could have heard about it directly from Hayato's mouth. What is extremely dangerous however is whether or not they know about them living under the same roof as a single ambush could easily spell their doom. Nevertheless, Hachiman couldn't afford to let his present concerns be read by the woman sitting opposite of him so he had to entertain her well for now.
"Well, you're more than free to interpret my actions as you see fit but to be honest with you," Hachiman averted his gaze and began talking in a softer manner as if he was embarrassed. "I actually prefer an alluring Onee-san with short black hair…"
The earlier remarks would have turned him red in embarrassment back in the day but the current Hachiman Hikigaya was now used to women enough that he can tease them back.
"Wh-Wh-What?!" Haruno stuttered as she tried to suppress her blushing cheeks.
While she was still in such a flustered state, Hachiman flashed his own version of a mischievous smile that the woman in front of him always wore every time she one-ups him.
"…I wonder how you'll react if I said something like that," his smile turned into a full-brown grin after he saw one of Haruno's brows twitch. "Oh, what do we have here? I guess I found out by accident."
Haruno tried to smile off her irritation but to someone like Hachiman, he could easily tell how furious she really is no matter how much she tried to hide it with her flawless visage.
"Fufu you've grown into a rather cheeky young man, Hikigaya-kun," she put her elbow on top of the table and let her chin rest on her hand as she smirked mischievously. "Now I personally don't mind but I don't think Yukino-chan will appreciate this change of yours pretty much."
"That's fine," Humanity's Last Master shrugged like it was no big deal. "She's never really liked me in the first place."
Haruno blinked twice in surprise before leaning close to the loner so she can see exactly how he'll respond.
"Are you for real right now?"
Hachiman knew beforehand that he would get this kind of reaction so he took advantage of it to seize control of this conversation moving forward.
"Well, I think that should be enough of the pleasantries for now," his lifeless eyes made contact with the purple orbs of the devil in front of him. "Wouldn't you agree, Haruno-san?"
"Ara, why are you in such a hurry, Hikigaya-kun? Don't tell me…!" Haruno brought a hand to her mouth as she feigned her surprise. "You have a date with your new sweetheart later tonight!?"
"Hah, I didn't say that out of concern for my own circumstances but for you, Haruno-san," Hachiman ignored her playful inquiry and just got his own point across.
A part of him had his suspicions about what Haruno meant when she said the word date. Given the context, it could also mean hunting monsters and he would like nothing more than to be spared from another ambush by the look-alikes of his past acquaintances who are now wielding the power of Heroic Spirits for some reason.
"Oh, I wonder what you mean by that?" Haruno asked back in an impish tone but it was obvious to the cynic that she was getting peeved at being repeatedly read like an open book.
"Well, wouldn't it be troublesome for you if we delay things here for too long and you're caught by your allies talking to your enemy?" Hachiman shrugged nonchalantly while dropping an implied threat.
"And what gives you the impression that this talk of ours will take a while, Hikigaya-kun?" all the playfulness around this devilish woman was converted into bloodlust. "You do realize that I can just kill you, right?"
"And yet you didn't," the Monster of Logic snapped back curtly. "That must mean that it's more convenient for you to leave me alive."
"Is that a roundabout way of begging for your life?" a part of her killing intent reverted back to amusement.
"Pretty much, yeah," Hachiman shamelessly quipped back while joining his hands together underneath the table, feeling the slight amount of sweat on them even underneath his gloves.
"Hahaha. You really are an interesting fellow, Hikigaya-kun. No, perhaps I should address you as Humanity's Last Master?" all traces of her earlier viciousness vanished into thin air as if she didn't let it out in the first place. "But I guess I shouldn't have expected less out of someone who screwed over Yukino-chan's plans not even one day after getting here."
Of course that other Yukinoshita is in on this too…
"You're free to call me whatever you find to be more comfortable for you, Haruno-san," he then put his conjoined hands on the table and leaned slightly closer to his potential negotiation partner. "In any case, if we can have a peaceful talk, I'm more than willing to adjust, you know?"
"Ha! It's better for you to give up on that idea entirely," Haruno waved her hand around to emphasize how absurd of a statement came out of her junior's mouth. "You have no clue just how pissed off Yukino-chan is because of how you managed to set her plan back by several steps with just one move. Honestly, I'm really impressed."
"Now I'm really wondering what exactly it is that I interfered in," Hachiman sighed a little exaggeratedly. "But I guess you won't be willing to share such a crucial detail."
Hearing the obvious bait which was in the form of this pathetic acting perked Haruno's ears. By no means has she fallen for the trap but what grabbed her attention was how desperate Hachiman must be to resort to this kind of tactic. Now this is important so it will be repeated. Haruno Yukinoshita did not fall for Hachiman Hikigaya's bait. She was simply talking out loud and this guy happened to just be nearby and heard her.
"Hmm? Actually, I don't mind telling you something. You can treat it as a little freebie from your favorite Onee-san," Haruno's perfect smile, the same expression she had when she greeted this cynic initially, was plastered on her face once again. "Although it is a little distorted, a Holy Grail War is currently happening on this Chiba."
"What?!" Hachiman couldn't contain his shock after hearing such a familiar set of words.
I can't believe that the lie I came up with on the fly to compel Tohsaka-san to work with me actually ended up being the truth.
"Ara, was what I said so surprising?" the seductive Onee-san teased. "Don't tell me you didn't even know about this fact until just now?"
The Monster of Logic instinctively went back to his stoic countenance after hearing Haruno's probing remark.
"Let's just say that I've had my suspicions for a while now but ultimately found no proof to support my claims. Then again, it's not like I can take your words at face value either," Chaldea's Master smiled like a businessman giving a proposal to their potential partner that obviously benefited both sides. "If it's at all possible Haruno-san, are you willing to divulge whether you are a Servant or a Master?"
After a short while of silence, the request made by Hachiman Hikigaya was met by…
"Ahahahahahaha!"
…Haruno Yukinoshita's rare genuine laughter.
"Huh?" was all that came out of the contrarian's mouth from how perplexed he was of his counterpart's reaction.
"You sure say some funny things, Hikigaya-kun!" she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye due to all of that laughing.
"I can't quite identify what it is that you find so entertaining, Haruno-san," Hachiman forced himself to smile as he felt cold sweat trail down his spine.
Haruno then pulled out a Gold Card from her purse and poured her magic power on it before Humanity's Last Master could fully comprehend what was going on in front of his eyes.
"Well, this should be more than enough to serve as an answer to your question."
"That's?!"
Rather than her movements being extremely swift, her actions were just so natural and fluid that the alarm bells inside Hachiman Hikigaya's head didn't notice that anything was wrong until it was all too late.
Before the card enlarged, a group of Shadow Servants appeared out of nowhere in order to block Haruno's new figure away from Hachiman's line of sight.
"If you want to hear more information from me, how about we play a game together? I'm willing to answer all your questions if you win," Haruno's voice echoed clearly from all around Hachiman as multiple Shadow Servants manifested out of nowhere.
"And what game would that be if I am allowed to ask?" the magus asked boldly despite the frightening sight in front of him though he made sure to tense all his muscles enough to be ready to respond to any sudden movements from the other side.
"No can do," the devil responded coyly while wiggling her finger to emphasize that what she just heard was against the rules. "You have to say that you'll play first before I tell you any details."
Given the circumstances and the nature of his responsibilities, Humanity's Last Master really had only one choice in the matter.
"Fine. I'm in," the light of resolution filled Hachiman eyes that were akin to that of a dead fish. "So, what are we playing?"
"It's a pretty simple game really," Haruno pointed towards a pitch-black path right behind Chaldea's Master. "You just need to reach the other end of that alley without dying."
It may have just been a dimly lit narrow street to the naked eye but from Hachiman's perspective, all he could see was a bottomless pit that could swallow him whole.
"Wait a minute, I need some kind of proof first that guarantees that there really is an end to that alley and it doesn't lead to some kind of inescapable labyrinth."
Hearing the loner's reasonable demand made Haruno Yukinoshita smile like a manager who just finished reading her employee's petition to give them a raise.
"Ara, I didn't prepare something like that beforehand so you'll just have to take my word for it, Hikigaya-kun," the devilish woman then licked her lips. "Needless to say, I'll give you a head start as it won't be any fun otherwise."
…
Beep. Beep.
A girl whose purple hair was tied with a red ribbon exited the automatic doors of the supermarket while smiling happily. She possessed a figure that was much more mature for her age that if she wasn't wearing a high school uniform, she would have been mistaken as someone already going to university. Her eyes, despite their bright purple hue, were cold and apathetic. It felt like it wouldn't show a glimmer of emotion even if everything around her burned. More than likely, such a thing is a result of some kind of childhood trauma and it will only be alleviated once she opened up to the protagonist more.
Her name is Sakura Matou and for those in the know, it wouldn't take them long to conclude that she is prime heroine material.
"Phew. I managed to make it in time for the sale," Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief as she wiped the bead of sweat forming on her forehead.
The weight of the spoils of war she could feel on her left hand made her feel proud of her earlier achievement but at the same time, she also recalled the obstacles she had to overcome in order to obtain such a haul.
"Those housewives were so scary…"
Sakura however understood that hidden underneath those women's intensity was their genuine care and love for their families waiting for them in their respective homes.
"Ehehehe, will I be like that too one day?" no sooner after imagining the figure of a certain Senpai, Sakura's face overheated. "Oh goodness me! What am I even thinking about?!"
It is exactly because she is very fond of this other person that she would like for him to live in happiness even if that meant that he'll be together with someone else but just the very thought of that scenario made her wince in pain.
The ordinary happiness of an ordinary girl… Do I even deserve something like that?
Sakura's contrasting affection and jealousy ate her away from the inside and just as she was about to descend into a dangerous spiral of self-loathing…
"Hey! Get out of the way!"
…A gruff voice that was filled with desperation and fatigue snapped her out of her daze.
…
After school.
Click. Slide.
The doors to Sobu High's Service Club Clubroom were opened wide once they were unlocked and a girl with long black hair styled into pigtails frantically looked around the interior only to end up sighing in dismay.
"…He's not here either."
Rin Tohsaka muttered after taking a few seconds to catch her breath. She took one last glance inside before locking the room back and leaving.
Naturally, what or rather who she was looking for is none other than Hachiman Hikigaya.
Rin then checked out the rooftop, library and all other places around the campus where she felt that people who wanted to be alone would be staying.
As a side note, the reason why she has not saved Hachiman's number on her phone is because she naively thought that there would be no need to do such a thing given that they are currently living together and it's definitely not because she sucked at using electronic gadgets and the like.
What if he's…?
As Rin started thinking about the absolute worst-case scenario, she inadvertently clutched the Card, the symbol of their connection as Servant and Master, that she hid on one of her pockets.
The fact that it was still in one piece implied that Hachiman was more than likely fine but Rin couldn't contain her anxiety until she sees him with her own two eyes.
Just where could you be, you stupid Master?
"Tohsaka!"
An earnest voice then snapped her out of her reverie.
Turning around, she saw the visage of a young man with auburn hair and brown eyes instead of the black hair and eyes that she's been getting more used to seeing lately.
It was only then that she was reminded of the fact that someone volunteered to help her look for Hachiman.
Given the number of common acquaintances that troublesome loner and Rin have, who else could this helper possibly be aside from Shirou Emiya?
"Oh, Emiya-kun, you're here," Rin quickly glanced to his left and right before she spoke again. "And judging from the fact that you're on your own, I guess there was no luck on your side either."
"Sorry I wasn't of much help, Tohsaka," Shirou scratched the back of his head while speaking in an apologetic tone. "For some reason, when I tried asking my acquaintances about Hikitani, they all just looked at me as if I was speaking in a language they don't understand. Even after I explained to them exactly what he looked like, no one was still able to recognize him."
In contrast to her counterpart's perplexed look, the ravenette just nodded matter-of-factly.
"No surprises there. That Hikigaya-kun prefers to be alone after all."
Misunderstanding that Rin was disappointed, Shirou felt compelled to change the topic to try and lighten the atmosphere.
"I wanted to ask Sakura as well but I didn't see her around anymore," he then laughed awkwardly as he scratched his left cheek. "I guess she went home early today."
And of all things this blockhead could possibly talk about, he decided to mention the name of another woman but perhaps this audacity too is a trait reserved for guys branded with a protagonist tag.
In more ways than one, Rin's train of thought was much more disturbed now after that particular name was mentioned.
"Saku-… I mean, does Matou-san happen to know a lot of seniors?" Rin tried and failed to contain the tension on her voice but by the looks of it, Shirou did not seem to notice a thing though it would have been a different story if the other party was an onyx-haired loner.
"Putting the ones that are on the same club as her aside, I'm not really sure to be honest but it's worth a shot, don't you think?" Shirou's brown eyes then flashed with inspiration. "I realized just now but given your relationship with that guy, wouldn't you know best what kind of thing he's planning on doing that he is willing to skip school for it, Tohsaka?"
Rin Tohsaka became flustered again but for an entirely different reason as well as magnitude this time around since her cheeks, ears and even her neck were staring to turn red.
What's more embarrassing about this is how she couldn't outright refute Shirou's words because of his misunderstanding on the nature of the relationship between the black-haired duo.
"There are a lot of complicated reasons why the two of are partners right now," even though those words came out from her very own mouth, Rin still felt extremely embarrassed about them, enough to make her go even redder. "In any case, I don't know him well enough that I can tell what he's thinking and I'm sure he's the same in that regard."
Shirou nodded several times while listening to his acquaintance's grumbles before finally giving his two cents' worth on the subject matter. It should be noted that what he thought of when he heard the words complicated reasons was nowhere near what Rin had in mind but there was no way for the latter to know about such a thing.
"That should be normal, I think. I heard even married couples have the same issues sometimes."
If Rin wasn't already flustered earlier, she sure as heck was flustered now especially after she heard the word couple.
"The point is!" the tsundere put both of her hands to her hips as she released an outburst of emotions. "I don't know where he is and he didn't tell me anything so Hikigaya-kun could literally be anywhere right now!"
With such a fierce response, it could only mean that Rin intends to search for Hachiman in the entirety of Chiba until she is eventually successful. The idea itself made Shirou worry, unaware that the girl he was concerned about was actually much much more powerful than him and this is not even counting the fact that she had the powers of a Heroic Spirit at her disposal.
"Umm… Tohsaka," Shirou began to bring up his suggestion cautiously. "It's getting late so how about heading home for now? You never know maybe Hikitani is already waiting for you there."
That logical proposition managed to calm down Rin enough that she stopped thinking so impulsively anymore.
"Oh, that's true. I didn't even consider that possibility at all," the ravenette nodded to herself several times as she adjusted the plan she had on her head. "In that case, I guess I'll think about my next move after I confirmed if he's already there or not."
"Since we're heading the same way, I'll accompany you."
The hedonist's eyes bulged in surprise after hearing the young man's words before a playful smile was then plastered on her face.
"I see. So now that Saku-… Matou-san is not around, you're hitting on me instead," the red devil snickered. "I didn't take you to be such a playboy, Emiya-kun."
"That's not it! I just thought that I might as well go with you and see this through since you got me involved in this too!" Shirou laid both his hands out in panic as he proved his innocence.
"I know. I know," Rin sighed before softly whispering to herself. "Frustratingly so…"
Even though Shirou wasn't standing too far away from her…
"Hmm? Tohsaka, did you say something?"
…Because he is a protagonist, his hearing always becomes slightly worse during moments where a heroine tries to indirectly make an appeal to them.
"It's nothing, you idiot! Let's just go!" she huffed angrily before heading out of the school gates without even taking a second to look behind her.
"Hey, wait! Why are you acting so grumpy all of a sudden?"
Shirou Emiya could only chase after Rin Tohsaka's back frantically after he was subjected to her sudden mood swing.
…
Saber.
Archer.
Lancer.
Rider.
Caster.
Assassin.
Berserker.
These are the seven classes that are given to the Saint Graphs of the Servants who are summoned to this world. Each individual Heroic Spirit has a corresponding Master and these seven pairs fight each other to the death until only one of them remains.
This is the bloody ritual known as the Holy Grail War.
And yet, right behind of Hachiman Hikigaya's running figure was a Shadow Servant of each class, all with the intent of hunting him down.
"By any chance, is Haruno-san contracted with a Grand Servant or a Beast? No way such a thing is possible, right?" Hachiman muttered out loud before sneaking a peek behind him and then looking back to the front in the second. "No matter how you put it, this ability is way beyond what a Heroic Spirit should be capable of! I don't know anyone who could do something like this and I'm supposed to be Humanity's Last Master!"
Although Shadow Servants are much inferior to that of genuine Heroic Spirits, they are still at a level that an ordinary magus would have difficulty going toe-to-toe with.
If there is one thing he is thankful for though, it's the fact that this alleyway is far too narrow for the Shadow Servants to fully utilize their numbers advantage but that in itself is also causing him a different set of issues because…
Fling. Fling. Fling.
…The Archer only needed to aim at a much smaller area with its projectiles and it was taking every opportunity it can to sneak in a shot or two just to keep making its target feel anxious.
Getting purposely hit by one of the attacks to avoid the rest was not a viable option as who knows what kind of debilitating effects either of those shots carried so the only thing that the Monster of Logic can really do is evade them all completely.
"Well… Here goes nothing!"
Hachiman lowered his upper body to make himself as small of a target as humanly possible without compromising his running speed. He dodged the projectile by leaping from one side to another while using the forward momentum of his run to gain even more distance from his pursuers. It was a set of risky movements that would instantly put him in jeopardy if he ever slipped and as if things weren't difficult enough for Humanity's Last Master already…
Swipe.
"Yikes!"
…He also had to tilt his body in weird angles while in midair as the Assassin that is melding itself in the shadows was just waiting for him to be airborne before he struck.
Finally, just when you think that you've successfully weathered the storm…
Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm.
"No, you don't!"
…Multiple tentacles will start appearing from the walls to impede his advance courtesy of the nasty Caster who was freely levitating off the ground.
Hachiman had to slide on the ground or leap over all of them in order to get away from their reach but even after all that, he couldn't afford to relax at all as he might just end up giving the remaining four Shadow Servants an opportunity to make his life even more miserable.
The Saber and Lancer was actually ahead of the pack but because of the limitations of their trademark weapons, they still couldn't quite attack Hachiman, a fact that made the pessimist sigh in relief. He was already having trouble with three Shadow Servants harassing him, what more if another two were added on top of all that.
Both the Berserker's large build and the Rider's mount prevented them from going full speed on this narrow path but…
Roar.
Neigh.
Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.
…Judging from the violent sounds that he could hear from far back, those two seem to be pushing forward through the use of brute force and it was only a matter of time before they catch up.
Hachiman's current situation was like a treasure hunter who accidentally triggered a trap in some ancient ruins and a large boulder came rolling towards him.
Fling. Fling. Fling.
Swipe.
Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm.
Chaldea's Master had no idea how many times he had to dodge these attacks. All he knew is that they were dangerously close to hitting him directly after each rotation.
As he couldn't afford to even get scratched, Hachiman ended up exercising more caution, slowing him down in the process which in turn allowed the Saber and Lancer to get closer to the escaping magus.
Just when Hachiman leapt towards the only realistic path available for him because of the wriggling tentacles…
Throw.
…A single spear chased after his airborne figure.
He threw it!?
The cynic's eyes bulged in surprise but he didn't let panic cloud his judgment and his faith in his training.
The thrown lance was fast and long but it wasn't wide so, while extremely difficult to pull off consistently even with beastly reaction time, dodging it wasn't technically impossible.
While still in midair, Hachiman quickly tightened all the muscles in his body in such a manner that it would move as if it was one part. He then twisted to one side, bringing all of his weight along with him. Essentially, his movements made it seem like he was vaulting over a pole except that the jump came first and the crossbar came chasing after the athlete like a javelin.
Even after executing such an expert maneuver so easily, Hachiman didn't dare to let up just yet. If the Lancer had a long-ranged option all this time then who's to say that the Saber didn't possess the same means?
Flash.
Uwah! What a terrible personality!
And the disgusting follow-up attack came just as he expected.
Similar to how the Archer, Assassin and Caster trio only moved when their prey was most vulnerable after dodging, the Saber's attack, which is a wave of magic power launched from a swing of its sword, rushed towards the general direction it predicted that Hachiman would most likely land. That's right, most likely.
The Shadow Servants are not the only ones affected by the narrowness of this dark passage. Naturally, Hachiman is too but because he is alone, he has relatively more space to work with than his pursuers.
Dodging the surprise attack of the Lancer forced him to adjust the trajectory of his body to one side which meant he was now heading straight towards the wall.
Under any other circumstance this would have been a disaster but exactly because another attack was coming his way already, Hachiman could consider it an opportunity instead.
It is usually overlooked but before he is Humanity's Last Master and the disciple of Ireland's Teacher of Heroes, Hachiman Hikigaya is a magus. Now while his bloodline as well as overall talent is pretty much negligible and his magic power capacity leaves a lot to be desired especially without external support from Chaldea in the form of Mystic Codes or the Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System FATE, it cannot be denied that he is still someone who possesses the ability to manipulate magic power.
The moment his hands touched the wall, bluish-white light began to dwell on his palms.
"There!"
Boom.
A set amount of magic power was discharged from Hachiman's hands, instantly propelling his body to a different direction. While the likes of delicate Magecraft was far beyond Hachiman's repertoire, the act of releasing magic power was something even he could do skillfully after several months of practice.
The surprising evasive maneuver caused the Saber's attack to miss as, similar to the Lancer's spear, its sword wave was also not an attack with a wide coverage.
Although Hachiman wasn't hit at all, that didn't mean that the previous assault attempt just now didn't accomplish anything.
The Saber and Lancer may have only been able to attack once so far but as if to compensate for that, both the spear and sword wave drastically damaged the path ahead of Hachiman forcing him to be more careful of where his foot lands, indirectly slowing down his running pace.
Now just because he had two additional things to worry about doesn't mean his previous problems have gone away.
Fling. Fling. Fling.
Swipe.
Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm. Squirm.
Throw.
Flash.
The relentless harassment came onto Hachiman once again and with all the energy he had to expend in dodging this most recent barrage, it couldn't be helped that he was forced to slow down whether he liked it or not.
And soon enough…
Roar.
Neigh.
Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.
…Humanity's Last Master can now hear the movements of the remaining two Shadow Servants much more audibly.
Despite how despair-inducing this past sequence of events have gotten, there was at least one single positive development.
"I'm near the exit at last…" Chaldea's Master assumed so after he was forced to blink a few times when the light from the other end flashed on his eyes. "Which means that it's also about time…"
Naturally, Hachiman Hikigaya had no intention of always being one-sidedly attacked like this. He was simply biding his time for the perfect opportunity for revenge. He wouldn't be Humanity's Last Master if he couldn't smack these guys in the back at least once.
The Archer cannot attack simultaneously when the Assassin tries to strike in fear of friendly fire… The Caster has to levitate very close to the ground every time it casts its spell… The Saber and Lancer meanwhile have to remain stationary while they are aiming…
After several rotations, he finally figured out the perfect timing where all the Shadow Servants are most vulnerable. The only question remaining is whether he can execute it properly but given how he's managed to avoid everything so far, Hachiman was feeling quite confident of himself, as uncharacteristic of him as that may sound.
I am at an ideal distance, I've conserved enough of my stamina as well as magic power, the timing I've been waiting for is just about to come my way… Then again, before that happens, I need to…
Hachiman briefly looked behind him and instead of wallowing in despair after seeing the silhouette of all seven Shadow Servants together, he was grinning savagely.
Roar.
Neigh.
For the first time throughout this entire chase, Hachiman has visual of both the Rider and the Berserker.
As the Shadow Servants had no mechanism to figure out what is going on inside their target's head, they just proceeded to attack him as per usual, unaware that it was their turn to be the prey this time around.
Fling. Fling. Fling.
Swipe.
Now!
Just before the Assassin retreated back to his shadow and the tentacle assault of the Caster began, Hachiman suddenly turned in midair and oriented his body such that it faced the Shadow Servants instead.
When his feet landed on the ground, he lowered his body and pounced.
Offensive Martial Arts wasn't formally taught to Hachiman Hikigaya just yet however every single child who grew up on the era where televisions were actually used to watch broadcasts or shows instead of just being larger screens for their computers should know about the ultimate finishing move that predates all finishing moves: a flying kick imbued with the power of hope, dreams, friendship and sometimes even a dragon… Or whatever theme the current series is running with. [1]
"Eat this!"
After jumping, Hachiman put his two feet together and aimed right at the abdomen of the unsuspecting Assassin. Upon contact, he also made sure to unleash a generous burst of his own magic power to increase its impact.
Boom.
!
The Assassin was sent flying, hitting the Caster attempting to conjure tentacles, the Lancer posturing to throw its spear, the Saber gathering its magic power on its sword and the Archer that had nowhere else to go because of how narrow this dark street is, all at the same time.
This group of Shadow Servants collided with the large chunk of mass rushing behind them that is the Berserker which, after losing its balance because of this unexpected obstacle, fell on top of the other five.
Hachiman didn't dare to check his enemy's condition after his successful counterattack. He immediately turned back and ran after he regained his footing as even though he is currently experiencing the same high a bowler would after getting a strike…
Twitch.
…He couldn't bring himself to ignore the warning his ahoge made which has already saved him countless times in the past.
Neigh.
And as always, the Hikigaya ahoge was right on the money.
Before the Rider got mowed down by its fellow Shadow Servants, wings suddenly sprouted from its horse, allowing it to fly over all its downed allies.
"Tch! Of all things, it's mount just had to possess the capability of flight…!" Hachiman grumbled bitterly after clicking his tongue.
This development was by no means ideal for Humanity's Last Master but dealing with one Shadow Servant was still much more manageable than seven.
Now that it was on its own, the last Shadow Servant didn't bother with moving conservatively anymore and was just focused on the target in front of it.
Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.
The Rider wasn't able to get to full speed as it couldn't spread its wings that wide with the limited amount of space available on this street and it ended up grinding on the surface of the walls. Nevertheless, it was still getting dangerously close to Hachiman every second. The Shadow Servant mounted on top of the horse or pegasus rather, even began brandishing his sword, confident that it was only a matter of time for him to close the distance on his prey.
During this dangerous moment, a vivid shade of violet suddenly entered Hachiman's field of vision. In truth, the hue wasn't actually that radiant but because of how his eyes got so used to the alley's darkness and the silhouettes of the Shadow Servants chasing after him, it became as bright as a star in the night sky.
"Hey! Get out of the away!" the cynic screamed as loud as he could, his voice bouncing across the walls so he was sure that the person on the other side should have heard him however…
"Eh…?"
…They didn't heed his words. No, judging from how they froze on their tracks, it was more than likely that they panicked.
As much as Hachiman wanted to grumble about how much of a pain this situation is, he had to set his frustrations aside and take action first.
Can I still make it?
The fact that this was the first question that popped out of his head instead of is that a real person or not? meant that the more dominant persona at the moment is Humanity's Last Master not the Monster of Logic.
No, that's not quite right.
This is simply Hachiman Hikigaya, the same guy who willingly jumped in front of a car without regard for his own life in order to save a stranger's dog. He doesn't seem to have learned his lesson at all from that previous incident though as right now, he is planning to risk his own skin for the sake of someone else once again only this time around, he is actually taking his own survival into account.
Screw it! All or nothing!
Hachiman stopped abruptly and seeing this, the Rider poised to strike at that opening with a downward slash.
The Monster of Logic jumped to the side at the very last moment and…
Boom.
…Unleashed a burst of magic power to quickly make a run for it once more.
Even though he is just up against a Shadow Servant and not a Heroic Spirit, there was no way that it is going to fall for a trick similar to the surprise attack that he performed earlier again.
As such, Hachiman's aim this time around was to force his pursuer to stop going after him for even just a few seconds while he quickly regained his momentum.
After that, it's only a matter of getting to the exit that was well within his reach using the remaining resources at his disposal.
Neigh.
Of course, like every other enemy he's faced so far, the Rider wasn't planning on making it easy for Humanity's Last Master but the distance he gained from the maneuver that he performed at the last minute was sufficient enough for Hachiman to finally cross the other side of the street.
Upon doing so…
"Pardon me."
"Kyaa!"
Eh? So light!?
…He quickly hooked his arm around the panicked stranger's waist, lifted them off the ground and moved them a distance away from the dark alley's opening.
Unfortunately, if Hachiman Hikigaya was somehow bamboozled by Haruno Yukinoshita in their earlier agreement then this much will not be a sufficient measure for their safety so he cast a wary gaze back to the direction he just came from as he prepared himself for the worst…
What?! Everything is gone!
…But as it stands, the devilish heiress of the Yukinoshita family was true to her word and the Shadow Servants did indeed disappear when Humanity's Last Master was able to reach his destination… However, his seven pursuers were not the only things that vanished into thin air.
The projectiles that missed their mark, the traces of destruction on both the walls as well as the road and pretty much all the signs of the violent chase from earlier are not present anymore so aside from its eerie lack of lighting, the street that Hachiman just escaped from looked just like anyone's regular sketchy alley that no one in the neighborhood is stupid enough to walk into.
So I guess this means that I passed Haruno-san's test. Now I wonder how she's going to make contact with me again…
"Umm… Excuse me," a reserved voice from his right-hand side snapped Hachiman out of his thoughts. "Can you please let me down now?"
"Ah, sorry about that. I was still on high alert from my unfortunate encounter just now so it sort of slipped off my mind," Hachiman apologized before heeding the girl's request and gently letting her down with her back still facing him.
He then took a few steps back to give her some space. The last thing he needed after trying so hard to save her would be getting judged as a sexual harasser but luckily, something else stood out more than his improper act towards this lady.
"Are those bad people after you all gone now?"
Given where he just came from, it was only natural to make such an assumption so Hachiman decided to go along with her misunderstanding.
If even someone born from a long line of Magi couldn't believe a single word he said about Chaldea and him being Humanity's Last Master then he would most likely be treated as a lunatic by an ordinary girl unacquainted with magic power.
"It would seem so but now that I managed to get into an area with more people, I think they'll give up," Hachiman tried to make the most amiable expression he could. "More importantly, are you okay?"
"Umm… Yes, I'm fine…" the girl timidly answered before turning around and finally being face-to-face with the person she thought as her savior. "Sorry, I was spacing out there for some reason. I'm not usually like this."
"…"
How did I fail to notice until now?
Violet irises, long violet hair tied with a red ribbon and a slender overall build which curved on the right places. All these physical features were extremely familiar to him. The only real thing that was out of place would be the Sobu High uniform she is wearing which is ironic because had Hachiman not become Humanity's Last Master, then he'd have the exact opposite comment.
Now that this is the third time he's witnessing such an absurd spectacle, Hachiman was able to stop himself from saying anything unnecessary although for this case in particular, a big part of the reason is because he was far too perplexed to even say a single word.
She looks so similar to Parvati, Kama, Durga as well as BB. Wait! Is that why the Alteregos are called the Sakura Five?!
"Thank you very much for saving me just now," she bowed gracefully. "My name is Sakura Matou. If it isn't too much trouble, might I know your name?"
Hachiman shook his head and smiled plainly after hearing what Sakura just said.
"I think there is a misunderstanding here. I didn't save you or anything like that. I only moved you away because if I didn't, we would have bumped into each other and that would have put the two of us in greater danger," the loner corrected the meek girl with a neutral tone. "And now that we've established that you don't owe me anything, I don't think there's any need for you to know the name of someone insignificant like me."
Sakura didn't seem to listen at all to her savior's excuses and just leaned close to his chest while taking an inquisitive look at his overall profile as if she was on a daze.
"That uniform… You seem to be a Senpai that goes to Homurahara Academy."
Hearing this girl who also possessed purple hair say that one particular word in a strangely familiar manner made Humanity's Last Master flinch.
Having a fair amount of experience with this stubborn type of kouhai, Hachiman knew that he'll expend much less effort in humoring their whims until they get tired rather than pushing them away.
"I'm enrolled to Sobu actually. Some things just came up so I had to borrow this uniform for today," feeling that a follow-up question was heading his way, Hachiman promptly decided to change the topic. "In any case, why are you still out at this kind of hour?"
"Ah, I was out buying stuff for dinner actually and because there was a bargain for eggs, there were more people than usual so checking out took me a longer time than usual," Sakura wore an apologetic smile as she narrated what happened before she bumped into Hachiman.
Come to think of it…
Hachiman turned to the side and saw the groceries that Sakura just mentioned. His conscience was pricked after seeing that what this girl took so much effort to buy was now nothing more than a stain on the ground. The fact that all this was a result of his own actions only made his chest feel heavier.
"Let's go. I'll accompany you back to the supermarket," Hachiman went ahead of the timid girl before she could give him an answer.
"No! You don't have to go that far," Sakura reflexively grabbed the hem of his clothes before letting it go instantly after getting his attention. "Besides, there's no way we can make it back in time to take advantage of the discount anymore."
Hachiman staggered as his conscience was once again pricked for the second time in the span of five minutes.
"Don't worry about the price since I'll be paying," he waved his hand out to make his declaration sound like it was no big deal. "I happen to also have not bought anything for tonight's dinner yet so I might as well do it together with you."
Sakura gazed at Hachiman's back ahead of her. The deliberate manner in which he slowed his pace down so that she can catch up to him with easily made her giggle.
Despite how he looks on the outside, this Senpai is such a nice person…
Feeling that he would refuse to acknowledge this compliment, Sakura decided to keep that comment to herself.
…
At a certain public park in Chiba.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The violent sounds of metal weapons engaged in a fierce exchange rang out in this place meant for relaxation and leisure.
A close fight between two renowned warriors of equal skill… Is not what occurred here. It was just a one-sided stomp with Yui Yuigahama panting so heavily as she aggressively attacked while Hayato Hayama hasn't even broken a single sweat after parrying every single one of his enemy's moves.
"Ack…!" Yui exclaimed as she was forced to let go of her weapons not only due to the refined technique of her opponent but also because of her own fatigue.
"You did really well Yui however," Hayato pointed the tip of his sword in the middle of her chest, ready to reap her life if she ever made any suspicious movement. "This is the end."
Even in such a disadvantageous position, the fighting spirit in Yui's ruby-like irises still blazed brightly like a flame.
"Not yet…!"
The blond Saber spared a second to recognize his adversary's valor before he ended up sighing.
"Hah, I knew this would happen."
One second after the King of Knights said those words out loud…
"Guh…!"
…He instantly appeared behind Yui as if he just teleported.
"I think you'll keep going no matter how hurt you get so I have no other choice but to go this far. I'm sorry."
After giving that apology, Hayato hit Yui's back, making her lose consciousness and causing her Heroic Spirit form to be dispelled.
Thus became the anticlimactic conclusion to their fight. The reason this showdown lasted even this long is solely because of the blond gentleman's reluctance to hurt a lady. Had this been a duel to the death then it would all be over in one second.
As Hayato wondered what he should do with the defeated Yui who collapsed on his arms…
"Please let me take care of her."
…His ears picked up a familiar voice as another girl wearing the Homurahara Academy school uniform made her appearance.
She has brown bobbed hair and her red half-framed glasses which gives her the airs of an intellectual, concealed a pair of olive-green eyes. While she is a cute girl on her own right, the other two in their circle were much flashier than her that she oftentimes gets mistakenly thought of as just plain, though she herself doesn't seem to mind it at all.
It was none other than Hina Ebina.
Despite being approached by a mutual friend he shared with Yui, Hayato still pointed his sword towards the new interloper such that the tip was just a single millimeter off of her neck. His distrust is understandable after all, it is no secret that she was much closer to Yui than him.
"Can I even trust you, Hina?"
Towards the threat which was disguised as a casual question, Hina just shrugged.
"The fact that I didn't help Yui during your fight should make me trustworthy enough, no?"
Hayato raised one of his brows and rebutted.
"But it's not like you helped me either."
The bespectacled fujoshi raised both of her hands in the air to showcase that she had zero intentions to fight.
"Surely my mediocre skills would have just gotten in the way of the glorious King of Knights," Hina wore an unperturbed smile as she flattered her friend.
After taking a few seconds of consideration, Hayato finally lowered his sword.
"Very well, take her," he gently handed over Yui to Hina before glaring towards the direction that he saw Hachiman escape to earlier. "I still have a bastard to chase after."
"I don't think there is any need for that. Someone else is already on him," Hina shared the discouraging news she found out on her own without physically trying to restrain Hayato.
"Who?" the knight asked while casting a stern gaze to his counterpart.
Just from his voice and gestures, it was obvious that he still didn't fully trust Hina but she did not particularly care about that. Her responsibility was only up to the dissemination of information. Everything after that is now the sole responsibility of the listener/s.
"The one you can't handle," she decided to clarify further after clearing her throat. "The older of the two."
"That doesn't sound reassuring at all," the blond Saber wore the expression of someone who swallowed some bitter medicine.
"That's because it isn't and there was nothing I could do about it," the bespectacled fujoshi concurred while shrugging in resignation. "Once that guy entered her range, I couldn't get a visual on him anymore and when I tried to move closer, she pretty much threatened me through her minions to leave it all to her."
"I see. Regardless, I still intend to pursue so I'll leave Yui to you, Hina. Make sure she snaps out of whatever spell that bastard cast on her."
Hayato dropped those words before finally chasing after his original target. Each step he took left a small gust of wind on the ground, indicating just how much of his magic power he was dedicating for this task.
Under normal circumstances, Hina would have thought that he'll catch up to Hachiman in no time but with that person in the picture, she highly doubted his success.
"Spell, you say? I wonder if you're being in denial or you're just plain stupid, Hayato-kun," Hina Ebina sat on the ground before positioning Yui on her back so she can carry her easier. "And besides, if Yui's behavior is indeed caused by a spell then that would mean that myself as well as the others are subjected to the same thing."
In any case, Hayama Hayato was someone who can take care of himself so rather than worry about the likes of him, the bespectacled fujoshi directed her concern towards someone who needed it more.
"Hi… Na…?" Yui weakly spoke after barely recognizing the other person's profile from what she could see in her eyes that were about to close again any second now.
Hina smiled tenderly before gently brushing the pinkette's hair behind her, inducing her to relax.
"Yes, Yui. It's me. I'll cover for you for the time being so please just rest."
"So… Rry…" the pinkette squeezed out an apology before well and truly losing consciousness.
"It's fine. It's fine. I can understand why you acted in such a reckless manner. After all," a similar looking madness could be seen lurking in Hina Ebina's olive-green eyes. "I'd do the same if it was me on your shoes."
Meanwhile, back at Haruhara Academy.
"Yahallo, Yukino-chan!"
A client or rather, an intruder, dropped by the Service Club Clubroom while gleefully giving out such a greeting.
"Nee-san, it's you."
Yukino Yukinoshita didn't even spare a glance as she turned another page of the book she's reading.
"You're so cold, Yukino-chan! Can't you act a little nicer to your Onee-chan?" Haruno pouted as she made a protest before eventually going back to her usual frivolous demeanor. "Oh well, I still love you even though you're like this."
Haruno Yukinoshita moved to take a seat but before she could get even grab the chair, she felt her blood run cold, literally and figuratively.
"You seem to have Hikigaya-kun's scent on you, Nee-san," Yukino's gaze finally turned to her sister. "Care to explain yourself?"
"Ara, it must have stuck on me when he fought against my Shadow Servants," Haruno concealed her distress and answered in her usual playful tone. "It seems like your Onee-chan got a little careless, Yukino-chan."
"Hikigaya-kun got away? From you?" Yukino's lapis lazuli-like irises became clouded with doubt.
"I'm embarrassed to admit it but it's true," the big sister averted her gaze away from her younger sibling. "It would seem that even without a Servant, he's not the easy prey that we expected him to be."
"Still, you could have easily finished him off yourself, no?"
"Yukino-chan, you of all people should know why I couldn't do that. Majority of the strength of my Heroic Spirit comes from their Noble Phantasm which translates to me revealing my True Name to the enemy. I already took a big risk earlier by almost showing him my appearance when I used my Card, you know?"
The Ice Queen's blue eyes let out a mystical glow as she tried to discern what was the truth or lie from her sister's words. Even though she was slightly afraid, Haruno did not back down from such a stand-off, her pride as the older of the two wouldn't allow her to do such a thing.
Whether it's because she managed to figure out something or she just lost interest altogether, it was actually Yukino who decided to back off from the showdown first, an uncharacteristic move from a lady with the Yukinoshita blood running on her veins.
"I see. If that's all, thank you for coming all this way to give that information, Nee-san. And," the Ice Queen then brushed her long ebon hair to the side. "For your sake, I sincerely hope that everything you just told me is the entire truth."
After dropping that threat to her own flesh and blood sister, Yukino Yukinoshita continued reading her book from where she left off like nothing just happened.
The constricting aura being emanated from her sister made Haruno dash out of the clubroom and the entire school altogether. She had no particular destination in mind. She just wanted to get as far away from that place as physically possible.
Before she knew it, Haruno found herself on the bridge's sidewalk, basking under the view of the sky in the middle of its transition from twilight to night.
While this view pales in comparison to the sunrise or sunset, it was a breathtaking image nonetheless.
By no means would Haruno ever claim herself to be a faithful person but at that moment, she felt that some kind of higher being took pity on her when she was treated to such an auspicious sight after what went down with her sister. She then brought both of her hands to her chest and closed her eyes firmly.
Please someone… Save her…!
As Haruno Yukinoshita yearned for such an unlikely miracle to occur, she inadvertently recalled the appearance of a black-haired young man whose eyes made you feel like you were staring down an abyss.
…
When a guy decides to accompany a girl when its already dark out, he should see things through the end and escort her back to her home.
This was Hachiman Hikigaya's justification to himself after he left the supermarket with Sakuta Matou in tow. Furthermore, he also insisted on carrying everything they bought on his own.
"I can't believe that Senpai actually belongs in the same class as Senpai. I'm so sorry that I didn't know until now," Sakura bowed after apologizing.
"No, it's fine. I don't have much of a presence after all. More importantly, Matou-san," Hachiman motioned to his kouhai to stop bowing before he resolved himself to bring up something that bothered him from their most recent exchange. "Wouldn't you get confused if you both call us Senpai?"
That didn't mean that Hachiman was going to tell her his name though, he simply asked such a thing out of plain curiosity.
"Aren't the two completely different though? The Senpai I've known for the longest time is Senpai," she then pointed her index finger to Hachiman who is walking behind her. "While the Senpai I've only talked to today is Senpai."
A standard protagonist would not have noticed the subtle difference here but the sensitive Hachiman Hikigaya perfectly discerned the message this kouhai wanted to convey to him just from that vague explanation.
Oh so the former is said with longing while the other just contains the bare minimum level of respect… I'll note that for now.
He nodded to showcase his understanding.
"I see. Well, if you're comfortable with that kind of arrangement then feel free to ignore what I just said earlier, Matou-san."
After Hachiman said such a thing, the mood around Sakura became gloomier.
"Uh, Senpai. There is something I'm a little uncomfortable with," she admitted in a voice almost as soft as a whisper.
Ah, I think I know what this is all about…
She didn't even need to say anything more before the realist figured out what was bothering her.
"Sorry. You must find it unpleasant that someone like me has to accompany your walk back home, Matou-san," Hachiman said with genuine concern. "Rest assured; I'll leave you on your own once we're on a much safer area."
"That's not it! I really appreciate the fact that you'd go out of your way to do something like this for me!" Sakura frantically waved her hands as she tried to clarify the misunderstanding. "What I was about to tell you is an entirely different matter."
The loner would be lying if he said he wasn't happy to receive such kind words and if it wasn't for all his years working with a lot of girls in Chaldea, there was a high chance that he would be grinning creepily right now.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes. To tell you the truth, I…" she looked to her left and right warily but once they made eye contact again, Hachiman was able to detect a faint spark of courage in the abyss on Sakura's eyes that was nowhere near as deep as his own "…Don't really like being called by my family name."
One doesn't have to be a Monster of Logic in order to understand exactly what this kouhai wanted to express when she said such a statement.
Regrettably, even Magecraft cannot do anything about family problems. Actually, with matters such as succession of techniques and whatnot, it might only make things worse.
Hachiman Hikigaya held back the urge to sigh.
Saying that he can help her is just plain irresponsible because if the problem was that easy to solve then it would not have reached this point where Sakura had to confide to a stranger. It's exactly because its very complicated that she can't drag people she knows into it. At the same time, offering her some words of consolation literally doesn't do anything except give the speaker a sense of self-satisfaction.
Even as Humanity's Last Master, the only thing that Hachiman Hikigaya can do is to try and listen to her requests as best as he could given that they aren't too unreasonable.
"I see," Hachiman flashed a relaxed smile. He recalled that he would usually make this kind of face to reassure his little sister that he'll be with her when their parents planned to scold her. "In that case, how do you want me to call you moving forward?"
Appeasing Sakura is not the only reason why Hachiman is listening to her so intently. Since this girl shared the same face with a Servant/s from Chaldea, he had a feeling that he'll have a lot of interactions with her in the future so he thought there would be no disadvantages in establishing a friendly relationship with her as soon as now.
The purple-haired kouhai smiled faintly, appreciating his show of consideration. Hachiman noted that it was the first time throughout their entire conversation that her joy was also partially reflected on her dark irises.
"Calling me Sakura is completely fine, Senpai."
Hachiman blinked twice in surprise. Despite her meek demeanor, this girl was surprisingly bold.
"Are you sure it's okay to let a guy you just met call you by your first name so easily?" he asked just to be safe.
"It's fine, Senpai," Sakura replied immediately, expecting that a question of this nature was bound to come her way.
"Well, if you're really sure about this, then I don't see why I shouldn't heed your request," the Senpai then chuckled in amusement. "Hahaha. Strangely enough, this decisiveness of yours reminds me of someone else I know, Sakura-san."
"Fufufu. What a coincidence, Senpai," the kouhai covered her mouth while giggling. "I was just about to say the same thing about you."
After that serious exchange, the mood between the two then became much more pleasant and relaxed as Hachiman continued to escort Sakura back safely to her home.
Their topics revolving around random things such as their hobbies, people they look up to, their personal opinion on cats, etc.
Throughout their journey, Humanity's Last Master began to notice an interesting detail.
Hmm… I wonder why all the landmarks we've walked past by looks a little familiar despite this place not being the Chiba I grew up in…
The answer to the loner's suspicion manifested in the form of a pair of high school students who also happened to catch their figure at around the same timing he noticed them.
""Ah.""
The two boys absentmindedly said out loud while…
"Senpai…"
"Hikigaya-kun..."
…The two girls they were accompanying crossed both of their arms to their chest and looked at the guy ahead of them with smiles that didn't reach their eyes.
""…What are you doing with another girl?""
Despite barely getting away by the skin of his teeth earlier, Hachiman Hikigaya felt that this day's main event hasn't even begun yet.
Oregairu Characters and corresponding Heroic Spirits revealed so far:
1. Yumiko Miura – Gilgamesh
2. Hayato Hayama – Arthur Pendragon
3. Yui Yuigahama – ?
4. Yukino Yukinoshita – ?
5. Haruno Yukinoshita – ?
6. Hina Ebina – ?
Author's Note:
It seems like I can upload on my PC again. Yay!
On other news, a rather early update this time around so here's to hoping that I can keep it up.
Yet another character from Oregairu joins the cast.
I bet you didn't expect Ebina to a part of this at all. Okay, maybe you did but not to appear sooner than other arguably more key characters.
Now what kind of Heroic Spirit would resonate with this bespectacled fujoshi? I'm excited to know what you guys might think though I dropped literally zero clues in this chapter because that was not the focus.
At the same time, Sakura suddenly bumps into Hikigaya and now we have this shoujo-esque love quadrilateral or something between the original cast of Fate Stay Night and Humanity's Last Master. Now, was this development part of my original plan or not? Honestly, even I can't tell anymore.
Anyways, sorry for two consecutive set-up chapters in a row. I also didn't expect that this part of the story was going to take this long either but all this is to lay a foundation for the future events to come.
Rest assured, you guys will see Rin in action again on the next chapter of Chiba Alternative. At least, I think so.
Please be reminded that the next chapter will be formatted similar to a oneshot so those waiting for more counselling and Chiba Alternative will have to wait for a few more weeks.
As always, if you ever have any suggestions on which Servant/s you want to be featured next, feel free to write them on your review, I'll be sure to take that into consideration for the coming chapters.
Now with that out of the way, time to get on to the reviews from the previous chapter.
Lawoi: Thank you. Good to see that I still got it.
Yue Best Waifu: In general, I've always loved the characters from Fate and perhaps because there's so many of them, I feel like it's such a waste that we don't get to explore about them more deeply so I took it upon myself to do such a thing. I'm happy to hear that someone else shares my sentiments.
guiltyr2: Please take note that I don't intend to ship Enkidu and Nitocris anything. I just want the two to expand their circle and have more friends in general. Also, the two counselling chapters before this was about Kiara and Morgan so yes, I do write about the more recent Servants too sometimes. At the end of the day, it really just depends on whether I get inspired enough or not.
BelowZer0: If you're talking about the Oregairu cast then I'll probably do something like that in one of the future oneshot-like chapters.
IsekaiFanBoi: They are pretty much the same person after all so the entire chapter is really just about a kettle calling the pot black and vice versa. I've actually written a part of that omake from way back already and it's only just before that I finally finished it. You can expect the next omake to be about who is featured in the third chapter. I'll probably do it in this format moving forward.
VercingetorixRex: And yet, you're at the latest chapter. Thank you for the support.
The Disquieting One: I will probably wait for Traum before I write about Moriarty. It's not like I don't wanna do in-game plots, it's more like I can't simply because I don't have the time to play the game as actively anymore. Also, I pretty much have an idea about what I'll write about next most of the time already so while I am open to new ideas from you guys, it might take quite some time before I eventually add in especially when I have a long queue already.
Guest: Relax, dude. It's fine.
memoryofvirtual: The vote of confidence is very much appreciated. Note that the next chapter is oneshot-like too.
adv: I'm glad to see that I haven't disappointed you just yet.
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
References:
[1] – Rider Kick from Kamen Rider franchise.