Moon Cell Irregular
By psychored1911
Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/EXTRA or Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei
Chapter 14
[{PERSON_OF_INTEREST}_SURVEILLANCE_IN_PROGRESS]
[PERSON_OF_INTEREST:_{Airi_Isshiki}_IS_CURRENTLY_UNDER_SURVEILLANCE]
July 31, 2095.
Airi felt naked.
No, that wasn't the right word for it. She felt more vulnerable, rather than naked. Being naked was its own problem, but she'd certainly prefer that feeling over the sense of walking into a wolves' den with a chain of sausages strung along her neck.
She considered it a calculated risk, though, despite how idiotic her plan seemed at first. Sending her Servant out to track down those other Servants they detected earlier while she remained back at the banquet would've been considered suicidal in most circumstances, but she trusted that no sane Master would try to make a scene in such a public setting… hopefully.
This leads her to her other problem: the other Masters and Servants in the banquet hall. They were there, and there were a number of them, but she couldn't peg down an exact number. Considering that there were only 128 Master and Servant pairs during the Grail War, she doubted that there were many that were located on-premises. That would've been way too much of a coincidence. Though the fact that there was more than one Master in the banquet hall alone still put her on edge-
"-ri! Airi!"
Airi snapped out of her trance and whipped her head to the right, her eyes stopping at a head of blue hair and matching eyes staring back at her with a cat-like grin.
"Touko, where have you been?" Airi sighed, putting her worries to the side for the moment, "You just disappeared as soon as we arrived. Shiori and I had to haul your luggage-"
"Eh, don't worry about it; I'll pay you guys back later. But first, check this out." Touko quickly waved her off before bringing a black rectangular case with an aquamarine scorpion emblazoned at the center to eye level. "I just got myself a brand new CAD for, like, 20,000 yen! What a steal, right?"
Airi's jaw nearly went agape in disbelief. "20,000 yen?! For a brand new CAD?! What's the catch, your firstborn children or your kidneys?!"
It was an open secret that many vendors were selling refurbished CADs at a cheaper price than what was currently on the market, and even those would cost quite a pretty penny. But this wasn't one of those CADs; the case indicates that the CAD is brand new, and she guessed that the device inside was just as cutting edge.
So how in the flying fuck did she get one for only 20,000?!
Touko snorted, "Ha, ha. Very funny. But I'm serious. There's this new company on the block making bleeding edge CADs for dirt cheap! And these are just their first products! You should see all the other stuff they have for sale over there!"
"I'll be sure to check it out with you tomorrow." Airi giggled, "So, you want me to program it for you once we get some free time?"
"Duh. I ain't trusting my devices with anyone other than my main girl." Touko stuck her tongue out and gave Airi a high-five. "So, when's Old Man Kudou giving his speech?"
"Lord Kudou," Shiori corrected with a sigh as she approached the duo, "Please don't refer to the esteemed head of the Kudou family like that, and more importantly," The Kanou scion leaned in towards the Tsukushiin priestess-in-training with narrowed eyes, "don't leave us to haul your luggage up either."
Touko giggled, playfully knocking on her own head. "Sorry. Won't happen aga-"
*Pwooooooooooooooo~!*
The chatter that filled the banquet hall came to an abrupt halt as all eyes went to the stage, where a regal young man in a red Hawaiian shirt and a white fishing hat was blowing a cheap paper horn into the microphone.
The sheer contrast between a princely figure and his obnoxious tourist getup would've been jarring enough, but the individual himself, the lion that stood over the kingdom of sheep, made Airi's heart stop cold.
"Forgive me. I always wanted to do that," The young man giggled as he put the paper horn away, the lights rapidly dimming and a spotlight hovering above him, "But now that I have your attention, I do believe introductions are in order." He then took off his hat and gave his newfound audience a bow, "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Leonardo Bistario Harwey. I hold the honor of being both the primary sponsor as well as the opening speaker for tonight's ceremony."
Leonardo Bistario Harwey.
The Prince of the Harwey Conglomerate, and by extension, the Western European Plutocracy. But Airi knew one other thing that most others in the audience didn't know:
Leonardo Bistario Harwey was the champion of the Holy Grail War.
The Prince of the Harweys held the power of the Moon Cell within his hands, and with it, all the answers anyone could ever ask for.
"So, here stands the future of Japan's magician community." Leonardo- Lord Harwey mused as he crowned his head with the hat once again, "You have an uphill battle ahead of you. Public opinion of magicians is at an all-time low, the ugliest parts of your society are exposed to the public, and now all eyes are resting upon what you do next. The pressure upon you all must be unimaginable."
Ah yes, and now problem #3 rears its ugly head: the social pressures that she (and Masaki… and virtually every participant with any affiliations with the Hundred Families) were currently facing-
"Then again, I sincerely doubt that a single competition will restore all the goodwill that Japan's magician community managed to inflict upon itself."
-only for Lord Harwey to just as easily dismiss it with a wave of his hand.
"The hell do you mean by that?!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"How dare you look down on us!"
Some audience members were starting to raise their voices, with Shiori included among the growing number of students taking issue with Lord Harwey's casual dismissal of the NSC.
But Lord Harwey did not waver, as dissent steadily began growing against him. Instead, he just smirked, "Wow, is that really all it takes to set you off? And you wonder why the public's distrust in you is growing?"
The room went silent once more, and Lord Harwey's smirk grew. With the floor once again his, he continued. "Magic is power. But what good is power alone? To what ends does that power bring? Ask yourself that right now: What are the consequences of my power?"
Case in point, Lord Harwey drew a pistol-shaped CAD from his coat and then pointed it at his head, earning a few gasps from the crowd.
Lord Harwey cocked his head with a knowing smirk, "Now, why are you so alarmed by this? Or do you just immediately assume that just because I have a CAD I have something dangerous in here?" He then pulled the trigger, the familiar glow of psions, and… nothing happened, at least nothing that she could immediately notice.
"See that? Nothing harmful in here. But I'm willing to bet you and the average layman wouldn't have seen it that way. " Lord Harwey said jokingly, twirling the CAD in his finger before holstering it in a shoulder harness, "Come on, a show of hands, how many of you thought I was about to see a dead rich guy on stage?"
There was a bunch of grumbling amongst the crowd, but one by one, a majority of the participants begrudgingly raised their hands. Even Airi had to admit that the thought crossed her mind, if only for a split second, and raised her hand as her friends had.
"The way I see it, you have three major obstacles ahead of you if you want to regain the favor of the public." Lord Harwey explained, "I've already shown you the first two: the perception of magic, and the perception of magicians. Does anyone know the third one?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Silence. The prince had the undivided attention of all of his subjects. They did not answer back. Either they did not have the answer, or they knew, on some level, that whatever answer they had… it would pale in comparison to whatever words their prince had to say next.
"Empathy." Lord Harwey offered, finally, after allowing the others to ponder upon his words. "Those who lead must have sincere, genuine empathy towards those who must follow them. Those who lead do not see themselves as superior to their own followers. Those who lead cannot change the world if they do not understand the people within it. If those who lead are not sincere in their attempts to change the world, if they hold no compassion in their hearts and only want to put their flock under control, if they're only trying to heal the symptoms without even attempting to fix the core problem, then there will be no way for any of you to truly make any meaningful impact on humanity."
The room was still silent, the gravity of his declaration weighing upon them all in the instant his words left his mouth.
"However, that's not to say that all is lost. Quite the contrary, really." Lord Harwey continued with a warm smile, "It is the virtue of humanity to stand together in the face of adversity, to push one another forward in countless ways. Is this not the NSC's supposed intent? To push the future magicians of this country forward? The elites of this country will tell you that your role is to push magic society forward. I say that your role is to push all of society forward, that you have what it takes to lead this country towards a better future, into a better one that your parents have left for you. That is what you should strive to do: to make the world a better place."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The banquet hall went deathly silent, the air surrounding them all becoming a complex mixture of emotions that couldn't quite be out in words.
*clap, clap*
But then, one student began clapping-
*clap, clap, clap, clap*
Then another…
*clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap*
Then another… and another, and another, and another, and another.
It was almost too sudden. The thunderous applause from Lord Harwey's new supporters overwhelmed the guests. The energy swept up those who were on the fence about Lord Harwey from the critics, who were drowned out by the overwhelming approval that willowed through the air.
And who could blame them? Upon looking down, Airi noticed her hands clapping alongside everyone else's, and she couldn't even consciously recall when she got caught up in his charisma.
As the applause died down, Lord Harwey cleared his throat, "Oh, and before I hand off the mic to Retsu, I have one last message from security, a warning, if you will."
Lord Harwey's voice steeled, and his gaze became predatory as he declared, "No trouble shall be conducted by any and all participants. There shall be dire consequences for those who disregard this rule. Do I make myself clear?"
[CONFLICT_AVERTED]
[ALL_MASTERS_PRESENT_HAVE_BEEN_PACIFIED]
At that instant, Airi's blood ran cold. While it came off as a normal expectation for the vast majority of students in the banquet hall, it hit a little different for her:
Lord Harwey knew she was there, and he will kill her and her Servant the moment they step out of line.
She held her breath, and probably would've kept holding it until her face turned blue had Lord Harwey not cracked a smile and chuckled, "Well, that's enough out of me! Take it away, Retsu!"
He tossed the microphone to the side, and the microphone seemingly hovered in the air for a few seconds before the illusion faded, and another spotlight shone down, revealing Lord Kudou in all of his glory. "Hehe, thank you, Leonardo. Now…"
Airi paid little attention to Lord Kudou's speech, instead opting to sigh in relief as the Lion of the Harwey Conglomerate stepped off the stage, feeling his immense pressure dissipate from the air. Part of her wanted to step back and leave for a moment, but he doubted her father would appreciate the fact her daughter stepped out of the Kudou head's speech-
"What did I miss?"
Airi bit back a yelp as her Servant whispered in her ear in spirit form. Quickly excusing herself and surreptitiously shuffling over to the relatively vacant buffet tables, she poured herself a glass of punch, pressed the glass up to her lips, and whispered, "What have you got for me?"
"There are only two Master and Servant pairs outside of the banquet hall." Her Servant explained, "While I lost track of one of them, the other one appeared to be a guest. His Servant confronted me, and warned me that they will not do us any harm so long as we don't cause them any trouble."
"Fair enough," Airi muttered under her breath before taking a sip of her punch, "What about the other Master and Servant pair? How'd you lose them?"
"I'm not sure." Her Servant admitted, "Perhaps it's a Noble Phantasm or a skill, or maybe we're dealing with an Assassin-class Servant."
Airi shuddered at the thought, "Alright, keep an eye open, then. I'll try to keep an-"
"Someone's staring at you."
"Huh?" Airi paused in alarm, "Is it the other Masters?"
"No, they're keeping their distance. It's the one from earlier, the boy rooming with his sister."
Huh? That guy? With a slight turn, Airi noticed the elder Shiba sibling staring at her in the corner of her eye. He was subtle about it, but the moment her eyes met with her, he turned away, only to immediately turn back to her when he thought she wasn't looking. It wasn't a leering, lecherous stare. No, he was reading her, observing her, looking for some sort of weakness for him to exploit. He was like that ever since they both left the bathroom. He or his sister couldn't have been the other Masters, otherwise, she or her Servant would've picked up on it.
"Perhaps he is attracted to you." Her Servant suggested with a neutral monotone.
Airi shook her head, "No, he wants something, and I doubt it's my number…"
Guess that introducing herself to the Masters participating in the NSC would have to wait. Just their luck…
August 1, 2095, the following day.
The NSC proper was about to begin.
After Lord Kudou had given his speech to the masses, all participating students went into their separate tents to prepare for the first event, which happened to be the rookie women's modified speed shooting event.
But Airi didn't care about that right now… Okay, she did care a little; this was Shiori's big debut in front of the world, but that wasn't what worried her at the moment.
What worried her was Masaki's new crush and her new stalker, otherwise known as the Shiba siblings. While she was initially going to write the two off as a pair of promising rivals, after Tatsuya Shiba decided to bore a hole through her skull with his eyes, Airi changed gears and decided to dig a bit into the two. So, once the banquet ended last night, she spent a few hours looking into those two and… well…
"Shinkurou, we have a problem."
Shinkurou visibly bit back a groan as he set his tablet aside. "A Masaki problem or an NSC problem?"
"Masaki problem, but it might evolve into an NSC problem," Airi stated, waiting for Shinkurou let out that groan before continuing. "Look at this," She showed him her phone, and the photo of one Miyuki Shiba, "I was compiling some last-minute data on the First High girl that Masaki's simping for and her brother and… well… keep reading."
Shinkurou wordlessly stared at her, before scrolling through the phone. The further he scrolled, the more concerned he visibly became… "Shit… are you sure this is all legit?"
"On my family's honor." Airi sighed. So, the short version is that Miyuki Shiba, one of First High's competitors, and Masaki's current crush… her father's literally public enemy #1 right now.
As it turned out, after some digging (and a little bit of hacking on her part), it turns out that the father of the Shiba siblings happened to be Tatsurou Shiba, VP of FLT… and one of the many, many higher-ups accused of several unsavory (and outright illegal) business practices. Word on the street is that the accusations leveled against him, the other executives, and his wife (who happened to be a middle manager for FLT) were some next-level shit, the kind of shit that would make the Enron scandal from over a hundred years ago look like a handful of clerical errors.
And that was just what she found over the course of a few hours. For some reason, this data was buried pretty deep, and the records of the siblings were kept away from them. Almost like they were kept separate from their parents on purpose. And a practice like that is only ever seen in Hundred Family scions in exile.
Sufficed to say, the Shiba siblings have a lot of secrets under the surface. And under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have even given them much thought outside of them being potential rivals for the NSC. But now, she's spooked. She had enough to worry about with these potential Servants and Masters around him; another spy from these Masters, or the Hundred Families, or whoever is the last thing she needed right now.
"Well, this complicates things." Shinkurou sighed, "Either the apple fell really close to the tree, or they're a pair of white sheep that happened to have a scumbag as a sperm donor."
"Either way, if he starts dating her, they could bring a lot of heat on one another." Shinkurou massaged his temples, "Alright, let's run interference between the two. I'll get Masaki first,"
"And I'll rope in Shiori and Touko on the plan." Airi finished.
"Alright, go team!" Shinkurou and Airi high-fived, "Operation: Cock-Block is a go!"
"Yeah!"
[{PERSON_OF_INTEREST}_SURVEILLANCE_IN_PROGRESS]
[PERSON_OF_INTEREST:_{Tatsuya_Shiba}_IS_CURRENTLY_UNDER_SURVEILLANCE]
The rookie's first round was over.
The results were… honestly, they were a mixed bag.
Shizuku placed third in the round, Right behind Kanou from Third High and Reinomiya from Seventh. Good enough to make it past the qualifying round, and far better than they thought they'd get for this first event, but…
"Shizuku!"
"Are you alright?!"
That round nearly took it out of her. Shizuku was panting and weak in the knees once she came back to the tent, to the point that Honoka and Miyuki had to run over to support her.
Her newfound exhaustion was due to the new event structure. Once, Speed Shooting was just a straightforward 100-point match between two competitors. Now, it is… significantly more complicated.
The match is divided into three phases totaling 150 points, 25 points done while prone, 50 while kneeing, and then 75 while standing, in that order. They are only permitted that many shots for each position, and must change position once they reach that amount of shots. Another new change makes it so that all competitors are competing at the same time, albeit spaced out so that they won't get too affected by the accumulated psion noise. They're also only permitted to use psion bullets for it, and their competition CADs have been fitted with special psion-readers that will lock them out of their CADs for a precious few seconds if they try 'cheating'.
Seriously, they're going that far to prevent 'cheating'. Apparently, it's been found that the Hundred Families using their personal magic during the event gives them an unfair advantage. And it's not just Speed Shooting. All events in the NSC have been revamped with new rules that supposedly 'even the playing field for all participants'.
Needless to say, less than a week was far too little time for First High to prepare. He was able to adequately prepare Miyuki after some strenuous planning, but the same couldn't be said about the others. Hopefully, it won't get too bad, but he didn't like their chances. Fortunately for them, there was a consolatory round for the latter six schools in order for them to put some points on the board. Shizuku could take a bit of a breather in the meantime, but who knows if it's enough.
Tatsuya approached the smaller girl and asked her, "Shizuku, do you think you can hold out until the finals?"
"..." Shizuku was wordless, but she gave a weak thumbs up.
Honoka gulped, "Are you sure, Shizuku? That round seemed to take a lot out of you."
"...I'm alright." Shizuku insisted, slowly offering her CAD to Tatsuya, "It was just a bit more than I thought it would be. Maybe I should just pace myself a bit more in the finals."
Tatsuya nodded, taking her rifle CAD from her hands, and looking towards his sister, "Miyuki, you and Honoka make sure Shizuku's well-rested. I'll see if I can increase the psion efficiency for your device."
"Of course, Onii-sama."
"Thank you…"
While Honoka and Miyuki took Shizuku to take a breather, Tatsuya took the CAD to the maintenance machines provided by the NSC. While ideally maintenance would require Shizuku to be present, she needed the rest (however brief it would be), and some minute tuning towards efficiency wouldn't be too bad so long as it's within regulations.
After a few minutes of programming, Shizuku's competition rifle CAD was ready for the finals.
Picking up the CAD, he walked over to the bench where Honoka and Miyuki were hovering over Shizuku worriedly, with the former handing her a can of coffee.
"Shizuku, here." Tatsuya offered her the CAD, "Are you sure you're okay to participate in the finals? There's no shame in backing out now if you need it."
Shizuku nodded, gulping down the canned coffee and taking her CAD back. "I'm doing this… Win or lose, I'm going the distance."
"If you say so. Just pace yourself a bit better this time-"
*ring*
Tatsuya checked his phone. It was Kyouko's new cell. "Excuse me." He said as he hastily left the tent and answered. "Got anything for me, Kyouko?"
"Not much, I just saw your text this morning." Kyouko sighed, "What's your sudden interest in the Isshiki family?"
"Let's just say that the heir apparent is suddenly a person of interest." Tatsuya deflected, "Do you have anything or not?"
"There's nothing outside of the ordinary if that's what you're asking. The Isshiki family is an Assistant House with close ties to the Ichijou family."
"How about their heir apparent, Airi Isshiki?"
"Not much, aside from her being pushed into the role after her older brother dropped out of the line of succession a few years ago. She used to be a tourney-level fencer, but stopped cold-turkey in her third year of middle school. Nowadays she seems to be more into computers and VR gaming."
"Any connection to the Harwey Conglomerate?"
"No, not really. Her mom's French, but there's no real connection to the Harweys." Kyouko audibly paused, "Wait… you're not trying to draw a connection between the Isshikis and the Harweys just because her mom's white, right?"
"What- no, that's not it." Tatsuya facepalmed, groaning into his free hand before continuing. "There was a mark on her right hand, similar to ones that my friend and the Harwey Prince had. I've been trying to see if there was any connection between them."
"I dunno! Maybe she's in her rebellious phase." Kyouko suggested, "Have you even met Airi Isshiki? It's kinda creepy you're making me look into her out of nowhere."
"First off, no scion of the Hundred Families would willingly get tattoos on somewhere as conspicuous as their hands," Tatsuya argued. "Second, I swear I'm onto something. First Kishinami, then the Harwey Prince, then the next head of an assistant house. There's some sort of connection between them here, and I know it."
Kyouko sighed, "Tatsuya, you've seen what they've done to all my devices when I looked into them. The fact that I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere is a sign that they're going easy on us for a reason. I'd tell you to just drop it and let sleeping dogs lie, but I also know you well enough that you're not going to stop."
"I won't."
"Alright, in that case, I suggest you do things the old-fashioned way."
Tatsuya paused and stared at his phone in disbelief, "Are you …implying …that I should seduce the Isshiki heiress?"
"...snrk..."
Tatsuya could hear Kyouko poorly stifle a giggle-
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
-(though, it was more like laughing out loud for a solid minute at the thought of him flirting with a girl) before she continued. "I'm implying that you should just ask your friend about it and keep being your pushy self."
"I wouldn't want to be rude."
"You made me ruin my tech in a fruitless attempt to hack into a terrifying multitrillion-dollar conglomerate. The least you could do is make some new friends and ask them a few questions. Or, at the very least, persuade the friend you already have to give you answers about a tattoo he probably got in his edgelord days."
Tatsuya faintly remembered seeing that mark appear on Kishinami's hand during the entrance exam, "You really think that's the reason?"
"I believe middle schoolers do stupid things to look cool."
"Even heirs and scions?"
"They were middle schoolers once."
Tatsuya sighed, "Alright, I'll try things your way… Thanks, Kyouko."
"Don't mention it. Also, remember our main objective here."
"Right. I'll be in touch if I find anything." Tatsuya hung up.
Why did things always have to be so complicated…?
A few hours later, after the finals for the first event.
Once everything was said and done, Tatsuya picked up Miyuki and, after a few questions to other Third High Students in the area, found themselves outside of Airi's room.
"Onii-sama, are you sure we should do this?" Miyuki asked concernedly.
"Positive, Miyuki. It'll finally get us some more insight into what's happening." Tatsuya affirmed, "We can just introduce ourselves to them, establish a rapport, and once we're close enough to them, we can ask about those marks on their hands."
"Still, I think we should just continue working on Kishinami, first." Miyuki uncomfortably suggested, "We're already his friends, so-"
"Which is exactly why we're starting with Isshiki, to establish a rapport with her." Tatsuya insisted. "We have every opportunity to interact with Kishinami; we only have the duration of the NSC for Isshiki."
"...If you say so, Onii-sama." Miyuki continued, visibly steeling her resolve as she knocked on the door.
Once the trio got back from the event's post-conference, Airi began to break it down to her other two friends.
"Let me get this straight," Shiori cupped her chin and began to summarize what Airi just told her, "You want us to run interference between Masaki and this Shiba girl from First High he's simping for, the whole time we're here, because her old man's basically one of the biggest scumbags in Corporate Japan and a relationship would bring a lot of heat on both her and Masaki."
"Yeah, more or less," Airi said with a shrug.
It took Shiori a moment to process it, but eventually, she chuckled and said. "As far as congratulatory gifts go, this is one of the weirdest ones I've ever gotten, but I'll take it."
"Yeah, count me in too." Touko cheered, "I'm totally down with Operation: Masaki Stays a Virgin For The Rest of His Adult Life!"
Airi cleared her throat, "Actually Shinkurou and I were calling it Operation: Cock-Block, but we can debate the name once we-
*knock, knock*
"That's probably him right now," Airi said as she headed to the door and opened it. "Hey, Shinkurou, I thought the next team meeting was-"
It wasn't Shinkurou, as she originally thought. Instead, it was none other than the Shiba siblings, Miyuki and Tatsuya.
"Oh, it's you two." Airi said as she leaned against the doorway. "Uh, can I help you?"
"Ah, erm, greetings, Miss Isshiki." Miyuki bowed, "Onii-sama and I have been talking and we would like to invite you out to tea as thanks for helping us yesterday."
"Oh, that? You don't have to do that. Think nothing of it." Airi tried waving them off.
"I have to insist." Tatsuya stated sternly, "The NSC is incredibly important to my sister, so the fact that you saved her from getting kicked out means a lot to her."
As flattered as she was, Airi couldn't help but feel… off about those two. Tatsuya in particular seemed like he was scheming something… he was also giving off these weird sis-con vibes, but the scheming part drew her attention more. It was those eyes of his, those eyes were reading her as they did back at the banquet yesterday. There was more to this invitation than just genuine gratitude, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it-
"Turn them down, milady."
Airi whipped her head to the bathroom as another individual emerged from within, glaring back at Tatsuya and Miyuki with those wild, emerald eyes.
The woman was older than them, likely a young adult a few years ago below Kyouko's age. A cap covered her head, and an olive-drab jacket covered her form. She was beautiful, unnaturally so, but that predatory glare of hers could have killed him a thousand times over if looks could kill.
He had to bite back a gulp. He did not pick up on her presence until right this moment, and then… Her bizarre presence was just like that feeling she got from Laeticia, the Harwey butler Gawain, and Robin, that butler from yesterday.
No, he was not racist. He had no idea why he had been trying to justify that to himself recently, but he feared it was becoming a habit. Perhaps he should ask Kazama to get him some sensitivity training once he finishes clearing the Unit's good name.
The Kanou heiress, who was standing behind her, just pointed at the newcomer in disbelief. "...Were you in the bathroom this whole time?"
The angry young woman ignored her, and put herself between Airi and the Shiba siblings, "Milady, take my word for it, they're not to be trusted." The woman snarled, glaring daggers into them, mostly into the elder Shiba sibling.
A pit grew in Tatsuya's stomach. Did this woman know something they didn't know? Did she spy on him? If she did, how did he not notice her presence?
Miyuki uneasily clung to his arm. This woman was dangerous… that bizarre presence of hers was practically suffocating him now.
"Easy, girl." Airi put a hand on the newcomer's shoulders, "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing…"
"But-"
"I'll hear you out after I hear them out, alright?" Airi told her, "Just… give me a minute."
The woman glanced back at her for a split second before relenting, opting to lean against the nearby wall, her glare still leveled at the brother and sister.
With the woman defused, the Isshiki heiress let out a sigh, "Pardon her, she's a bit overprotective." She paused, "As for your offer, I have to agree with her that your offer came out of nowhere. If you wanted to thank me properly, I would've expected it yesterday."
"There was the banquet." Tatsuya countered, "And even if we were to wait until after it ended, it would've been late at night. After the first event was our best chance at reaching you."
"Can't argue with his logic there, girl." The Tsukushiin heiress standing behind her admitted with a shrug.
With a sigh, Airi relented, "Okay, fine. I was planning on going down to the festival grounds with my friends anyway. If you want to join us, then fine by me."
A bit later, at the festival grounds.
While a lot of the major vendors were closed for the evening, there were quite a few food trucks and other such vendors that stayed open up until the later hours of the evening, located in the central area of the festival grounds. As such, The Shiba siblings and the Third High trio made their way there to get a late-night snack.
While Shiori and Touko were off eating some corndogs over by some seats, Airi and her Servant were grabbing some snacks while Tatsuya was ordering some pizza for himself and for his sister.
Her Servant was glaring at them the whole time, somehow managing to look terrifying even while munching on some funnel cake.
"So, I doubt you called me out here just for a thank you and some food." Airi said, leaning against the food truck while the siblings waited for their order. "What's the real reason you asked me out here?"
"Let's just say that we wanted to establish some new connections with other schools while we're here." Tatsuya said offhandedly. "Friendships, rivalries, partnerships, that sort of thing."
A pit of unease formed in Airi's stomach, but she swallowed it down and continued, "So, why me and my friends? There were a lot of people in that banquet hall; you could've asked any one of them."
Tatsuya shrugged, "Well, we've already met when you saved us from what would have been an immediate expulsion from the NSC, so I figured it would be appropriate to establish a rapport with someone that has shown us goodwill first."
The logic was sound enough, but she could still feel the distrust radiating from her Servant. "Fair point, the NSC is a place where everlasting bonds can be made."
"Speaking of which," Miyuki spoke up, "What about you? What event are you participating in?"
Airi paused, instead opting to look down at her feet, "Well, to be honest…"
"Oh, hey guys. Didn't think to see you guys here."
Her Servant's general aura of annoyance suddenly spiked into alarm.
Tatsuya leaned over to get a better view of the newcomer, "Ah, Kishinami. I was actually about to call you over."
Airi whirled her head as someone approached her from behind. It was a nondescript boy with short brown hair, and dressed in a simple purple flannel shirt with a white t-shirt and jeans to complete the look. No CAD or any other catalyst was apparent on his person. He looked like someone you otherwise wouldn't look twice at when crossing the street, but those gloves on his hands, the way her own Servant reacted to him, and that flicker of panic in those warm brown eyes of his as his gaze snapped to her and her Servant.
There's no mistaking it. This boy was another Master of the Holy Grail War.
A/N: And done! Do you like what I did with Airi and the Third High Trio? I know I made a few changes to Airi's character, but I think it worked out pretty well. I also offered a glimpse of her Servant in this chapter as well, though I admit I haven't revealed much about them yet. What do you guys think? Do you like the changes I made to her character? What do you think will be her future relationship with Hakuno? I'd like to hear what you guys think of what happens next. Anyways, that's all for now. Please review!