Chapter 8
"Congratulations. You are now a Spiritual Doctor, Father Pucci."
Enrico Pucci accepted the praise with grace as he had finished the training that he had been taking for the last few months. Hearing from Dio that the plans for HEAVEN had slightly changed as there was an unforeseen obstacle had been a bit worrisome, but the fact that he could do this to help elated him.
"You should be proud; not everyone has been able to achieve this training so you, let alone at record time, Father Pucci."
Pucci smiled as he accepted the praise from his instructor. He was proud of himself for having finished his training in record time, and he was glad to hear that the plans for HEAVEN had not suffered too much change from this obstacle. He was even more elated to know that he could contribute to Dio's ambitious endeavor in this way.
"Thank you very much. It was my pleasure to learn how to heal spiritually. There is no doubt that I shall be able to be of great aid to the organization when the Holy Grail War commences."
As Pucci took his leave, the instructor finished collecting the documents to report to the Vatican. It was there when the man was told that he had done a great duty for the Church, and the Pope himself was left wondering about the news of the upcoming HGW.
That event was always 60 years, and the fact that the current Overseer of that territory in Fuyuki had been burdened not only as a combatant in the war, but also succeeding his father, Risei Kotomine, after being murdered by an opposing Master, was what brought the Pope to wonder if it was wise to let things be. Thus, when he found that Enrico Pucci had enlisted to become a Spiritual Doctor, the Pope had sent one of the best instructors they had.
A man with tea-colored hair with a face that looked chiseled from stone caught the Pope's attention. "Kirei Kotomine has done what he needed ten years ago. Although it is a testament to his father's piousness that GOD has given the man Magic Circuits, he is still a man, and would still need rest from what horrors the battlefield has shown him. With Father Pucci, Father Kotomine will not have to oversee the 5th HGW alone."
His acquaintance, a man in green with an impish appearance and shark's teeth, butted in. "Why do you care for him? He could easily be replaced should he fall, Acqua. His soul is already saved, so Kotomine will be accepted into the Kingdom."
"Kirei is still needed, Terra. Enrico Pucci does not have familiarity with the territory, so it is of importance that he remains for now."
The Pope found Acqua's reason well founded, but he needed their decision to be accepted within their group first. "This is what you recommend?"
The Pope considered the advice of the various members of God's Right Seat, as they had a point in regards to Pucci having little familiarity with the territory. Kirei was also still a crucial member of the organization and the Pope felt that it was important that he remain for now.
"I see... your reasoning is sound. Pucci will be of better help to Kirei with maintaining the territory, and Kirei is indeed crucial. I grant you permission to inform Pucci of his mission and send him to Fuyuki."
As the members of God's Right Seat were sated, Fiamma of the Right was spoken to by Terra of the Left.
"We will need to see what potential threats are currently in the territory. Kotomine has merely been sending reports that things are rather well, but we know how humans are."
It was unspoken of what he meant, because Terra believed that those not part of the Roman Catholic Church were unworthy of the presence of GOD, thus the reason why there are likely hidden threats that Kirei did not report of as he was lax on that.
Fiamma, one of the more arrogant members of God's Right Seat, was not fond of the fact that Terra was now questioning the reports sent by Kirei. After all, Terra considered anyone not part of the Roman Catholic Church as being unworthy of the presence of God, and that was a very dangerous and flawed mindset.
"Why do you think that there are hidden threats to the territory? It would be illogical for someone to challenge the Holy Grail War, especially when the Overseer, Kotomine, has been keeping the city peaceful for years."
The truth was that Vento of the Front had received some anonymous information that was interesting to them on this issue. While not really an organization aligned with the Roman Catholic Church, someone from the SpeedWagon Foundation send a message to them about a "mysterious man" that would pose a problem for them.
"It is by no means that I am challenging the Holy Grail War, which in truth is a disgrace that the heretical Magi call this device after the name of the object the Son of God (Jesus) had. What I am wanting to investigate is what sort of threats are likely there, since the 4th HGW had ended with a fire that destroyed 134 buildings, and 500 people in what was "a scene of fire and brimstone". So what do you think would happen if an unworthy person got their hands on that device, Fiamma?"
Fiamma, unfazed, spoke out his view on the matter. "It is true that it would be a catastrophe of biblical proportions if an unworthy candidate were to obtain the Holy Grail. The resulting damage and destruction would be unfathomable. However, it is a moot point, for no one but the worthy can obtain the Grail. Anyone who has participated in its summoning has done so with the full intent of obtaining it, and the Grail has never been obtained by an unworthy mage, so we have nothing to worry about."
But of course, Fiamma of the Right believed this, as he was the de facto leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
No unworthy mage could fully get their hands on that device, as in his perspective, they did not desire to bring to the world the salvation that it needed. With his views of humanity having darkness at their root, only the Son of God could likely take control of the thing, thus, even he ignored using the item for his plan at recreating GOD's Flood in Genesis, as his obsessing with saving the world was what had him look into every avenue possible to do so. He would not care to participate in the HGW, because he also understood that any threat of a "mysterious man" that could be a problem for them should not be ignored.
"Instead, I believe that we should have an investigation on the possible threat that Vento has been warned about from the message that was sent to her by someone at the SpeedWagon Foundation. This "Abraham Ruel" is rather interesting, and I believe that we are in luck as Kirei Kotomine has already begun an investigation of his own months prior. Considering the fact that Kotomine has been already investigating this matter months prior, it's very possible that he may have already found out the identity of this 'mysterious man'.
"But if he has, why hasn't he reported about it to the Pope? What could be the reason? Could Kirei be hiding something from the Vatican? The man is the legal guardian of the 6th head of the Tohsaka family, a Rin Tohsaka, and that is a Magus family."
Acqua cleared up Terra's mistrust. "The Tohsaka clan are hidden Christians, Terra. Not to mention that the former head, Tokiomi Tohsaka, was close to the late Risei Kotomine, and was the one who mentored his son Kirei Kotomine in magecraft so as to give him a proper chance at survival in the 4th HGW. Kirei would simply be wanting to give his late mentor his thanks by raising the daughter, Rin Tohsaka, into a proper follower of the teachings. Not having us be involved when the "Second Owner", which is apparently always the Head of the Tohsaka family, would just be his way of showing that he trusts Rin to be capable of maintaining the territory from threats."
"Hmm. That makes sense. Given this information, why Kotomine never reported about the mysterious man must mean he simply wants to take care of this matter privately since he knows that the threat would be of no consequence. But there still is a concern to be addressed."
The other two members allowed Terra to finish.
"Do we really trust Rin to be able to hold this territory? She is a child, despite her powerful magecraft. She has little real experience to handle all that she has been given from her father."
Fiamma gave his smug smirk. "Yes. That's the likeliest case, so it does hold merit that we still cannot let our guards down just yet. We will discuss this investigation Kirei has done on "Abraham Ruel" with the Pope after we have his information, and if possible, we will obtain permission to have a further investigation on him. After all, we must ensure that the Holy Grail War continues without any major issue, and any potential threat must be dealt with before it becomes something that could endanger us all."
The other members of God's Right Seat seemed to agree that Terra's accusation of Kirei being a traitor was baseless. They had been aware that the Tohsaka Clan had some connections to the Church and that Kirei Kotomine's intentions for raising the daughter was due to him respecting his late mentor's wishes. In the end, they decided that Terra's words may have some merit, even if they were unfounded.
Terra dropped his prosecution… for now. "I understand that it might simply be paranoia on my end, but considering the potential consequences of a threat to the Holy Grail War, we MUST take all necessary precautions. I shall send a formal request to the Pope to conduct further investigations into 'Abraham Ruel'. We cannot allow for the potential of disaster."
The members of God's Right Seat agreed with Terra regarding the necessity of further investigations into Abraham Ruel, but many of them were uncertain of their fellow member's paranoia about Kirei Kotomine. Despite this, they were still in agreement about the course of action.
The Pope, overhearing Terra's words, immediately agreed with the logic behind it, but kept some semblance of rationality. "The situation with the Tohsaka family does indeed hold merit, and it should also be wise that we keep Kirei Kotomine on a short leash, just to ensure that he does his duty as an Overseer. I will allow for further investigation on Abraham Ruel and grant you permission to do so if you wish to.
Afterwards, all of you should be on high diligence when it comes to defending the territory and ensuring the safety of its citizens. Do not forget that our ultimate goal is the success of the holy mission of the Roman Catholic Church."
Shirou was rather tired today as he hadn't expected to have three extra people in his house. He was also tired from the tremendous and demanding work Abraham's training was giving him, but at least Medea was making it bearable.
He was with Issei this morning as normal, whereas Abraham seemed to have gone ahead to the school, leaving a note for him that they would not be having their usual training as they had for the last few days.
Issei came up with a hint of concern on Shirou's health, but he guessed the same was going on with Abraham as well as he also looked tired. "Shirou. Shinji is bothering our friend again. He'll end up making a scene like he normally does. Should we intervene?"
Issei's words got Shirou out of his stupor, as he quickly realized that Shinji was being an annoying prick again. Shirou then sighed with a frown.
"I suppose we don't have much of a choice. If we don't intervene, the chances are pretty damn high that Abraham will end up hurting him, maybe to a great extent too. I don't want to take that chance; we better get involved now."
Shinji, with a condescending demeanor and wanting Abraham to bend to him, looked as if he had finally gotten the win. "...So you understand me, Ruel?"
"Hmm? I didn't pay attention, what was it you needed?"
Issei could sense how frustrated Abraham is right now, but he was keeping his cool. But from what he could tell, Shinji was provoking him again to get his attention. Unfortunately, it seems Abraham is still not interested in the topic, even after his last few attempts.
"What I wanted? You know very well what I wanted. You'll have to cancel your plans with that girl to spend time with me. She's too good for you, and you just need to face that fact."
He was confused and began to show a reaction when he said "She's too good for you" "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you are not worthy enough to be dating a girl that's out of your league, like Rin Tohsaka. I'm doing you a favor by bringing this to your attention. She's better off with someone like me, someone who has the status to be with her."
Abraham stayed quiet.
He did not react to Shinji's insult, and maintained himself as he was understanding what Shinji's comment meant.
He would break his reputation from this.
"What, no response? That's right, that just shows how much of an incel beta male you are. Can't even hold a conversation with a guy like me because you're so below my level."
Shinji continued with an air of condescension in his voice. "Besides, I'm just speaking the truth. How would someone like you even be able to score a chick like Rin Tohsaka? You're just going to fail her anyway."
Abraham began to laugh hysterically. "My god... You're a comedian... you almost had me there."
The noise caught the attention of the students walking through the hall around them.
"Shinji, had you only finished the joke where it was relatable, you wouldn't have made me feel sorry for you. You could have been on the level of a Seinfeld writer."
Shinji became increasingly angry at the fact that Abraham was laughing at his expense. Not only that, but he was acting as if he was telling a joke to him! This would be the thing that would trigger him, and he finally started to lose his temper.
"What the hell are you laughing at?!"
Calming down but still laughing, the foreigner cleared up the confusion. "The scene where George and Jerry speak about failing to date women and balance their work. They say that each of them are half a man, so in order for them to get a woman to like them, 'they'll work together to do a full man's job.' It's like you're telling me that you're double the average man, bro!"
Shinji was absolutely furious at Abraham's response, as the bastard had just roasted him! Worse yet, the people around them that were staring at them were beginning to also laugh along with Abraham. Shinji's ego was broken that very moment, and he was now enraged at his situation.
"You damn-"
Out of anger, Shinji threw the first punch right into Abraham's face.
It was simply caught but him, and his expression was back to normal.
Not the normal he had in school, but the aloof, emotionally controlled one he had while on his missions as an Assassin.
"I accept your invitation, Matou. Today, during the gym tests, 'we'll settle who is the better man.'"
Shinji was absolutely stunned at the fact that Abraham caught his punch so easily. He was expecting to at least cause some damage with that punch, but instead he found himself the one embarrassed. He then realized what Abraham just said to him, and was now more infuriated.
"'I accept your invitation'?! You know what, I accept it! Let's show these people that a beta male like you shouldn't be worthy of my crush's heart, you bastard!"
With that, Shinji dashed forward towards Abraham, clearly about to throw another punch. But as he did, Abraham just quickly dodged his punch with a quick reflex, before grabbing Shinji's arm. They were now in a classic martial arts grapple, though Shinji was clearly caught off-guard by Abraham's proficiency in fighting.
Abraham then spoke in low volume to Shinji. "If we fight, we won't be able to fully show off who's the physically superior man, Matou. Don't you want the girls to see how great you are during the physical exam?"
With that, Shinji slowly began to realize what Abraham was saying: if he continued to brawl like in a street fight, he would only be embarrassing himself once again. He would instead be displaying what a brute he is, which would be even more off-putting to Rin.
The bell rang and the students swiftly moved on to their respective rooms before they would be caught skipping class.
Issei was relieved and sighed now that the incident was avoided. "Come on, Shirou. We don't want to irritate Miss Taiga by being late for English class. We have a reading today from a 19th century American writer and poet."
Shirou slowly nodded, also relieved, but wondering what Abraham just did to get Shinji to calm down. His roommate was quite the expert in handling people, and he did so without involving the school staff.
Turning around and heading to class, he caught a glimpse of Tohsaka walking into the classroom. He was curious of what she thought of this scene, but he remained quiet, not wanting Shinji to relapse.
Rin had seen the whole incident between Shinji and Abraham, and she wondered what exactly happened between them. She was impressed by how calmly and swiftly Abraham resolved the problem, and she was now curious to see how the two would interact in their physical test, if the two would even acknowledge each other at all when participating in that. She then went into class, taking a nice quiet seat at the back corner near the windows.
"Hello everyone. Today I have planned for us to have a reading of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. We'll analyze it after it's finished."
The students acknowledged Taiga's plan, and spoke a bit to each other as some of them were curious about the nature of that work.
Rin, however, was a bit caught off guard as she recognized the author, but never really read the man's writings herself. She was curious what her partner in the engagement prank thought of this as he came from the same country as the man.
Abraham, however, dreaded what he was going to go through.
He did not want to go through a reminder of what happened to his Rin on that fateful day. A consequence he did not know he could have prevented, for he did not know it would happen, had he only decided to make a different choice.
Abraham's eyes began to hurt him as Taiga started to speak of Edgar Allan Poe, for that name reminded Abraham of a time when he didn't want to remember. His Rin, the first one, the one he truly loved, was once a fan of Poe's work as she could sympathize with the man... but Abraham didn't want to think of the past once again.
He quickly tried to focus on the task at hand, that is analyzing and dissecting what "The Raven" holds. As Rin was not too familiar with the book herself, she was curious to see what Abraham thought of it.
'Edgar Allan Poe... American poet who wrote mainly gothic style stories such as The Raven, which is one of his most iconic works. His stories are heavily influenced by his depression and childhood trauma, and often deal with the themes of death, despair, and insanity. He was also known for his melancholic and grim outlook on life in general, and for the many deaths of his female romantic interests in his stories.'
'Wait...'The light bulb in her head suddenly lit up.
Rin had suddenly realized something, though what she found was quite ironic about Edgar Allen Poe's work as she began to wonder if Abraham had the same type of outlook on life. Was he also someone who felt the same level of melancholy and depression as Poe himself? She then found it more curious that the female romantic interests in Poe's work often end up dead. She then wondered if there was a connection between Abraham's past and Edgar Allen Poe himself.
In fact, she recalled that the plot line of Abraham's stories were rather dark at times, despite having a fantasy sci-fi genre to it. It wasn't filled with romantic interests, per-say, but it did have one of the characters unable to forget and move on.
Taiga then finished, and asked the classroom if anyone had an opinion of what the message of the story was. She looked at the class and said they're open to give their opinions. Rin thought for a moment before she decided to speak.
"If I'm not mistaken... isn't this a story about grief and sorrow? Edgar Allan Poe lost several women close to him, like his mother and his fiancé. The protagonist in this story was someone who was grieving over the loss of a woman he loved and mourned over her death..."
Rin seemed to be onto the general message, and she thought to herself that perhaps Abraham had experiences like these.
Taiga nodded and smiled at Rin's response as she then turned to the other students.
"Anyone want to say their opinion on the meaning of the story?"
Issei was the first one to speak next. "Like Miss Tohsaka said, this story seems like its about grief and loss of a loved one. I've never heard of this guy before, but it seems like the reason he got so popular was because of the way he writes about the topic. He puts a lot of passion into his work, and he is able to make the reader feel sad along with the story's protagonist."
Shirou also decided to give his answer as well, as he slowly noticed Abraham twitching in his chair, showing that something is clearly off about him.
"I agree with Issei here in that this story is about grief and loss of a loved one. But I'd go way beyond that by saying this story tackles other complex topics like insanity, sorrow, and a lack of hope in the future. These topics, especially combined, make the story and its meaning very dark in comparison with most other stories, and it seems like a fitting tone for a book written by an author with a depressing and nihilistic outlook on life like Edgar Allen Poe."
"Are you guys crazy? It's just a story of some bird that keeps following a dude and saying a bunch of random crap! How can you even find meaning in that? There's really no point in analyzing that stuff if the message you get from it is just "Oh, yeah, it's a story about loss and stuff." Like, no one cares about Poe's life, it's just some dumb story! This is why we never had reading comprehension stuff for a while, the students don't really pay attention."
"Maybe you do have a point about the bird saying random crap to the main character, but I wouldn't dismiss the story as some piece of simple entertainment. Reading comprehension stuff is actually quite important, because without it we won't be able to understand some of the more nuanced topics being presented and how it relates to the overall theme of the story. Sure, not everything needs a complex meaning, but stories like Edgar Allen Poe's are meant to be dissected and analyzed with great care before getting a full comprehension. Understanding the meaning of a story is what truly makes us humans."
Taiga had begun to get irritated with Shinji, but calmed as Rin rebutted with a good reasoning as to why this sort of thing was taught in school.
"Okay. Well, I do believe those are all valid answers. I don't know if there is anyone who'd like to share."
Shirou had noticed Abraham's weird behavior and decided to get him involved as it might be a relief for him. "Well, my dear roommate has never read one of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, so I'd like him to give his opinion."
He turned to Abraham, as Abraham, still trying to stay composed, slowly gave a nod of approval, his breathing becoming more apparent as the class continued to wait for his answer.
'Oh... fuck you, man.'
Abraham begins explaining like a scholar entertaining an audience. "We have a man sitting in his chamber room, reminiscing his past, when a Raven enters and begins speaking the ominous word: Nevermore. Which rhymes with his loved one, and is repeated several times in this."
The story quickly spirals into this man going to the brink of insanity as, while he is unable to get rid of the talking bird, he decides to speak to it with some inquiries.
We find out that this man is trying to bury the sorrow for his lost loved one, a maiden named Lenore, although we are not aware of what happened, and all we know is that he is trying to relieve the pain, because we all know that the best way to get over a girl is to brood and get all My Chemical Romance about it.
Anyways. We understand that before the Raven entered, he was in a serene state, but his soul grows hesitantly of moving on, until he decides to confront the bird. The Raven is said to be perched on top of a bust of Pallas, and this is where we can understand Poe's symbolic message.
You see, the use of a Raven comes from two cultures, the Norse mythology as Odins's two companion ravens Hugin and Munin, which translates to Thought and Memory, as Odin was said to have given these birds the power of speech.
Then there is Pallas, which is another name for the Greek goddess Athena, known greatly as the Goddess of Wisdom.
He additionally adds to his poem the phrase 'Plutonian Shore' as is what we know Pluto is another name for the God Hades, and in the Greek Mythos, is the Ruler of the underworld.
Because people think of ravens and crows as beasts of death, and the Raven is on top of the bust, it's implying that this man is being reminded of death.
This Raven does not leave, thus making the message be that despite a person thinking they can logically remove all the dark fragments in their life and soul, they themselves have their emotions accompanied by their own ravens that will continue to haunt their thoughts and memories.
In other words, what we have is a story of depression that will not be forgotten, and like the complexity it has, the outlook in life is that one must be aware of their emotional burden, else they'll fall into nihilism and never see the light of hope, as the man was reminiscing at the start of better days, again."
There was a silence after Abraham had finished his answer, as the class seemed to be both impressed and saddened as to what Abraham had just said. The class began to wonder about his past, for it showed how much Abraham was like a genius scholar... but something about his sudden analysis on the story of "The Raven" and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Abraham's twitching and strange behavior suddenly clicked on the students, including Shirou, and they all begun making an educated guess of what the poor man went through in his past.
"Miss Taiga. May I be excused. I need to go to the bathroom."
He was hoping to get some time to relax, as his analysis would keep the students busy. It would serve as a way to get Shinji more infuriated with him, and allow for Abraham to set up the plan on killing Zouken soon. However, there was a problem: Around the Church Kirei was at, he felt a familiar energy.
A Servant's power.
He needed to keep himself and the others away from whatever was allied with Kirei until an opportunity showed.
'I wonder why Abraham is acting so weird lately... he's even more quiet and shy than usual... and why did he suddenly leave the class like that? It can't be a simple bathroom break, I don't think…', Rin thought something else must be going on.
Shirou looked at Abraham as he got up and left the class, and then he looked at Issei, seemingly to see if he had any idea as to why Abraham left like that.
"That guy... Something's weird with him, isn't it?"
Shirou turned to Issei for an answer as Issei simply shrugged.
Shinji laughed with condescension at seeing this development. "The guy's obviously nervous about our upcoming challenge. I bet you he's heading over to the gym to rig the equipment."
"Maybe but..." Shirou stopped himself from saying any further as Issei cut in.
"Nah, I don't think so. He's never actually cared about the physical exams, so he has no reason to do so now. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to rig this kind of thing to have an advantage."
Issei then began to count the achievements Abraham told him about when they spoke of martial arts, praising the guy like an action hero.
"He's literally the embodiment of peak male performance. It's like God crafted him to be the strongest and best one of us. I mean, just look at the things he's done. A master in martial arts, knowing how to cook, and knows about literature, history, and mythology from numerous eras... is there any flaw with this guy or something?"
Shirou sweat dropped.
He knew that one of the things that Abraham flawed in was his constant overthinking and paranoia whenever Shirou managed to get him to tell him why he did certain things that he did.
The three rules of safety that he gave when they were starting as roommates was an example of that tiring mindset.
'Yeah, that's true... he may be confident and seem like the perfect, flawless guy, but deep down, Abraham is still very uncertain of most things... and his constant paranoia of danger... is definitely a pretty big flaw of his…'
Shinji was angry and in denial. "Go ahead and keep singing his praises, Ryuudou. It'll be comforting once his girl leaves him and comes with me, a true man."
Both Shirou and Issei didn't know whether to feel sorry for the guy, or to laugh at the idea that Tohsaka was even going to give Shinji the time of day. She was clearly spending more time with Abraham than she ever did with anyone in the past, if she even dated them.
Shirou and Issei were both about to laugh at Shinji for thinking that he even stands any chance at all against Abraham, but they refrain themselves from doing so because of how serious Shinji's face is when he says those claims. They both know fully well that Tohsaka is with Abraham for a reason, not because of Shinji's desperate attempts at dating her. And if Shinji doesn't realize this soon, he's going to lose his mind once his ego is crushed.
'...Rin does spend a lot of time with Abraham these days... and it's obvious they got along well when they started talking to each other. Shinji's comment was really just a desperate attempt to make himself feel better about the fact that he's been ignored by Rin for a while now. I guess he's just jealous... I'm hoping those two get in a relationship at some point... it's going to be hard dealing with this guy if they don't.' Shirou thought.
'Yeah, Rin does seem very interested in Abraham. I can't exactly deny that she spends a lot of time with him and has been talking to him more than usual…' Issei tried to hide his smile as he realized something.
"Now I wonder if Shinji's gonna have a big reaction once he finds out about Tohsaka and Abraham becoming a couple…"
Overhearing this, Rin slightly smirked.
Her plan that Abraham had suggested they do was manifesting quite nicely. There was no doubt in her mind now that she got the main person who had been ruining her reputation this year to start behaving as a desperate hater.
It's going to be a thrill when Shinji is devastated in the show-off today.
While Rin was thinking of her plans of causing Shinji to react, Shinji was still at it, continuing to mock Abraham and his capabilities of becoming a good boyfriend.
"It'll be a cold day in hell before that "geek" would ever get her to love him back. I mean, just look at her. She's literally the most desired girl in this school and is basically a "goddess" for all guys. What would a guy like Abraham have that could attract her?"
Gym Class
Everyone had immediately got in position as the usual gym teacher was not present. Instead, two other members of the staff were handling the physical exam, and that included the strict Mr Kuzuki Souichirou. He was a no nonsense man, and wanted everyone to get the average passing score at the very least.
However, if he saw some students doing more than was necessary, he would stay and watch with some interest.
Currently, Kuzuki was seeing a group of students surrounding two boys that were competing.
Goonies of the blue haired boy would continue to hype up the boy. "You got this Shinji. You're at the average grip strength right now! Try to add more."
Shinji was sweating heavily, while his grip strength was slowly but surely getting closer to the average passing score, all as he stared at Abraham, who was merely keeping a blank expression on his face while gripping the bar as if he can easily exceed the current average.
Issei was impressed with the results that he was seeing. "Shirou, he's at 140 psi."
"W-Wow, that's some serious strength..." Of course, he knew that there was a reason for that. He just wondered if it was Abraham applying his Ki or not.
Shinji was angrily glaring at Abraham. "Come on, you little dork. Let's see how much pressure you have in your grip."
'The strongest psi a human has done is 340 psi. I can easily surpass this, even much stronger than a gorilla, but I'll bring too much attention to myself.' Abraham then changed his expression, making it seem as if he was putting the effort.
Issei was stunned. "3-300 psi!"
Everyone watching was impressed, but Mr Kuzuki was the only one that caught it as an attempt to keep himself incognito. He would continue watching Abraham's contest with Shinji as it was… interesting.
Seeping into his rage internally, Shinji kept his mind on the goal."Well, this might as well be the day I prove that I'm better than this worthless geek! And I'll have Rin be mine once and for all too! I'm just surprised he hasn't had a heart attack yet."
He began to slowly increase his grip on the bar, which started from 140 psi, and soon became 160 psi. The crowd started to chant Shinji's name, trying to get him to perform his best.
Shinji gritted his teeth as he continued to apply more strength in his grip, eventually now reaching 170 psi.
Mr Kuzuki with his montone, clinical voice, made the announcement of the recorded strength. "Mr Matou, 170 psi. Mr. Ruel... 300 psi. You are both above the average male grip strength, which is 76 psi. Now, we will move onwards to push ups."
Shinji was sweating bullets, both with the physical exam itself, and with the fact that he's failing to beat Abraham in anything he's doing. He then started to prepare himself as he was about to do his pushups.
"Try not to destroy him here, okay?" Shirou patted Abraham on the back, knowing that his roommate could go through this as it was part of his daily routine warmup.
"I don't find it necessary to be aggressive on him; rather, I should just keep a cool and collected mind through it all."
Shinji was still seething with rage that he's being beaten by some "geek". He was waiting in line for push ups to start.
He began to do his push-ups, each and every rep done with pure hatred. He was soon able to do ten, and then twenty, and then thirty... and so on, until the time was finally done; it seemed that he had actually managed to reach 100 reps, and with no sign of exhaustion. His anger and ego were still boiling over.
'Let's give him a little eye opener…'
Shirou and Issei continued watching, as Abraham moved from the normal position for push-ups, and began to do it on one arm, then changing to the other, counting a total of 200 altogether.
"W... What the hell is that? He's... he's using just one arm!" Shinji wanted to call him out on being a showoff, but he knew that it was merely him wanting to have done that himself. Why didn't he think of that first?
The crowd were now all looking at Abraham, all astonished that he could pull that off so effortlessly, and Shinji was beginning to get irritated by Abraham's impressive display of physical prowess, especially with how easily he pulled it off…
"Mr Matou, 100 push-ups. Mr Ruel... I'm going to have to only count half of those as the test requires both hands for proper examination."
Abraham simply nodded, not really caring as he was doing what he told Rin he would do when she asked him how he would handle Shinji when they spoke in her family estate.
He wondered if the Shinji was going to take the bait by now, and get Zouken behave as he anticipated the parasite to do.
Shinji was about to start arguing with the teachers, but then he remembered that it won't be in his best interest to do so as all it will do is to make himself look bad. Instead, he decided to shut up, while staring dagger-like glares at Abraham.
Mumbling to himself with an enraged voice, "Just.. What the hell does that guy have that I don't?! Why did Rin start hanging out with that dork.. what the hell does she see in him?!"
"Is Tohsaka even aware of what's going on right now?" Shirou asked Issei.
"I'm sure she's not aware of it, but you know her. She wouldn't care about drama or anything like that. So it's not like she'll suddenly stop being friends with him. And the fact that she's getting close to him probably pisses off Shinji the most, which is hilarious."
The two chuckle as they look back at the contest.
Mr Kuzuki then told the students taking the exam to begin their pull up test.
He knew by this point that most of the students weren't as prowess in this aspect, so he held back the two in their contest and had the less gifted students finish their tests first.
Ayako Mitsuzuri was laughing as she saw Shinji losing himself in the contest the boys were holding on the other side of the gym. "You sure chose a good boyfriend, Rin. It's too bad I didn't notice him before you did. That guy is not only a hunk, but also smart from what I heard."
Shinji was now even more infuriated by the compliments given to them by Ayako. He also has heard some rumors that some of the girls had started talking about how attractive Abraham looks. 'This can't be happening. How the hell is he suddenly gaining so much praise and compliments? He's a nerdy nobody! Nobody would even think of praising him that much if it wasn't for...!'
His eyes then went wide, as if he suddenly had come up with some kind of realization about something.
'He's using magecraft. The fucker is using magecraft. That's the only way he can be at this physical performance level. I'll have to tell grandfather about this when I get home. For now, I'll just push him to show as much of his capabilities with the last test. I'll end the pull-ups with dignity, but the foreigner will get his just desserts once Grandfather Zouken hears about this.'
Shinji then moved towards the pull-up bar, his anger and rage still seething within, his mind full of malice and hate... And he was ready to beat Abraham by doing the most amount of pull ups in the entire school.
"Ruel. Why don't we do this side by side? Make it obvious who fails first when we drop." Shinji proposed the challenge with controlled hate.
The request caught Shirou's attention, as well as the girls and Issei.
Abraham simply nodded, and had a look that was a cross between a playful challenge and an uncaring neutral stare at the same time. The crowd seemed intrigued, as they could see that they were both going to take this seriously. The girls and boys watched eagerly as the two began their contest.
Abraham got himself hanging on the bar, and waited. He understood what was going to happen as his opponent was now physically exhausted, so he was prepared for the inevitable.
Shinji, unaware of Abraham's pause throughout the current challenge, started by clenching his hands and gritting his teeth. At first, he was able to do 30, before it became just 20, before it finally became 15. The crowd then started to notice his decrease of performance, making the insults on his end even juicier than before. Especially when it only got worse and worse by the second.
Shinji was barely able to do ten now... but then he was only able to do five... and then, finally, only one. He was completely exhausted, while Abraham was completely fresh. The crowd began to laugh at the sight of Shinji's efforts to do pull ups being reduced to just one last rep.
His hands now sweaty and arms tired, lost grip of the bar and was going to fall on his back from up high.
Immediately he was caught by Abraham, holding himself by one hand as he did not want the kid injured for a stupidity that hormones were making him do.
Quietly, Abraham whispered with some concern for the angry teen. "Quite impressive, friendo. Keep at it, and you'll push your limitations further above what you showed me today."
Shinji simply stares, speechless, as he feels like his entire ego had just taken a big shot. He was too tired to even argue with Abraham, the only thing left in his head was anger and frustration... while he was unable to move as Abraham was holding him.
"Hmph. Whatever. Just…" *huff* "...put me down."
Abraham smirked as he slowly put Shinjo down back to the ground."There we go, we're all done. You certainly pushed yourself far beyond your limits, I must say. If I hadn't saved you, you would have gone to the infirmary with an injured back, wouldn't you?"
"Hmph."He tries really hard to keep his composure, but then his voice becomes quiet. "Yeah... I probably would've. Thanks."
Shinji then contemplated what he was going to do to save his reputation, as it didn't help that he made himself the fool by attempting to separate Abraham from Rin, or try to outmatch the guy in their contest.
Magecraft or not, he didn't like that he was defeated, so he still felt that his grandfather would be interested in the foreigner's genes.
Mr Kuzuki spoke up in a stern tone as he did not want the students showing off, even if he was impressed himself. "Mr Ruel, while hanging from the bar for over 5 minutes is impressive, this test is not of endurance via that method. Either finish up or let go please."
Abraham simply nods and pulls himself up to where he was when Shinji finished just one last rep, waiting patiently as his eyes closed once more with the same neutral, uncaring look.
"Hmph. I'm done. I could obviously do more. I just don't care enough to continue doing this."
After school ended, Shirou quickly spoke to Abraham before the guy would leave with Rin to their usual hangout.
Abraham had started to walk away, and Shirou had suddenly jogged up to him.
"Huh.. what's up?"
"Hey, uh... before you go with Rin, can I ask you a quick question?"
"Yeah, but could you do me a favor and follow these instructions?" He gave Shirou the recipe for the Birria he wanted Shirou to prepare. "Just marinate it. It'll take more than 18 hours in total and I'm sure that you can handle it, even if it's my father's instructions. Don't worry about cooking it; I'll do that."
Shirou was confused at first at what to say since he hadn't even gotten to his actual question yet, but then he nodded. "No problem, I'll do this for you. But... uh..." He took a quick glance at a clock and then back at Abraham. "Can I ask you my question really quickly?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"You might not like this, but-" He takes a breath and begins to speak. "Are you actually dating Tohsaka Rin?"
Abraham stared blankly.
Honestly, spending time with her felt like something that was healing his soul, like the missing part of him that he so desired to have back. To him, this girl was in need of his aid, and he only assisted her with the problem of getting back at the people that spread those rumors maliciously. Now he could use Shirou to jumpstart the next phase of the prank.
"Huh. I honestly don't know. What I do understand is that she and I are engaged, Shirou. It's from her past."
"..." His face became a mix of confusion and shock as he slowly realized what Abraham just said."Y-You're... 'engaged'..? ...With Rin?"
Abraham leaned closer so that no one else overhears. "This is supposed to be a secret. I don't know if she wants to go through with it, but I'm helping her out with this as her family has a contract that needs to be fulfilled... meaning that she and I don't have a choice in the matter. It's also why she was suspicious of me for the first two weeks, until she realized that I was the boy she was engaged to."
Shirou kept quiet and took in a deep breath. He couldn't really say anything back at all because he was still pretty shocked at what the guy had just told him. After the silence persisted for a few moments, he spoke once more, almost hesitantly:
"...You aren't joking... right?"
"Walk with me, bro."
They headed towards the empty classroom Abraham and Rin usually meet, only to see that the girl was speaking with Ayako Mitsuzuri over what occurred today. It felt a bit rude to walk in, so Shirou had quietly managed to get Abraham to hold off from interrupting their conversation.
The young man couldn't help but overhear them talking, as it gave more insight to what he was investigating. To avoid any awkwardness, he simply waited outside the door, only trying to eavesdrop. He didn't want to accidentally interrupt their conversation, especially considering its sensitive nature. And then... he heard something that definitely piqued his interest.
"It's not weird that you didn't have an engagement ring until recently, but the thing that gets me is that you have been dating this boy for quite a while. At least, that's what the student body says. So... are you two actually officially in a relationship?"
Rin grinned as Ayako asked that.
The plan was working, even if it meant using her mother's ring. She just had to make sure rumors of her and Abraham being engaged since they were children, over 10 years ago, spread around, then maybe those horrible rumors regarding her sexuality would die out completely, as most of the student body held onto it being true as she never dated a guy before.
She was being a "faithful" fiancée, afterall.
"Well, I guess that does explain a lot. But still, I'm surprised that there aren't any pictures of you two being together, given how much the entire student body was making a big deal out of you two 'being together for decades' and all that." She chuckled slightly.
Awkwardness catching up on her as she followed the carefully scripted scenario Abraham made for them. It seemed as if he was truly correct on how things would be. "My legal guardian... he's the type of guy that is traditional and sticks to the word. I wasn't able to see Abraham in the last decade, and it was surprising when I saw him here. I thought my mind was playing tricks... and honestly, I felt a little racist that I thought it was some other guy, rather than the boy I knew."
"...Huh, I see. So it was true that you two actually knew each other since you were kids? No wonder you two have gotten so close, given how much time you two had spent together. It's almost like fate had planned this out, and if that is true, you two would make quite a decent couple."
Ayako was quite curious, and she wanted to know more about their relationship.
"If you and Abraham are a couple, can I just ask one more question?"
At this point, Abraham had knocked on the door, then opened after a moment of letting the girls collect themselves.
"I see that you and Miss Mitsuzuri are holding a conversation about our past. I was also having a doubter confront me on that, Rin. Do you mind confirming to my roommate, Shirou Emiya, about this relationship?" He said this, giving a soft, friendly smile.
Rin knew that Abraham was giving her some time to collect herself, with access to the information she needed to understand to ensure that her answer wouldn't leave any holes, thus making their prank fail too soon.
Ayako was a little surprised by the arrival of Abraham but she decided to not say anything about this to Shirou out of respect for the current conversation.
"Oh, yeah. Abraham is my fiance, and our 'relationship' has been going on for a very long time. However, due to some... issues and other things, we haven't been able to be together... so... uh... yeah." She spoke in a bit of a nervous tone, not sure if this was a good enough explanation.
She continued with a bit more confidence. "This is also why I had rejected a lot of the guys in school. It's nice and all to be seen as desirable, but I don't want to be that kind of person, especially with how I'm already set to be with Abraham."
"It's also annoying how rejecting these people, and complementing other girl's fashion styles, apparently makes me bisexual. I'm just making sure to not betray my betrothed."
Rin seemed visibly pissed off about people questioning her sexuality. She was straight, and she was making sure to let everyone know about it so that they could all shut up about it before they went up to her again, asking, again and again, over and over: "Are you sure you're straight?"
"I can see that. But hey, with this whole, um... relationship, are there going to be any problems in the future? From what you said, your families have already arranged this, right?"
The two had prepared for this question. Rin was fulfilling her family's contract from decades prior, so her parents didn't have a say in this, and Abraham's family, well they had been in debt and would give the first son that would hold all the qualities that the Tohsaka clan desired. It would seem like eugenicists had made this, and it was plausible, as Rin's family were old. Additionally, Abraham's family had him meet the girl when they were younger, and wanted them to at least get to know each other if the Tohsaka head of the family pushed for the marriage to go through. The only reason Abraham and Rin were even bothering with this was because her legal guardian could make the decision to financially destroy his family, which Rin, being someone with human empathy, did not want to do to the boy's family.
Ayako got the gist of what their situation was, but she was still intrigued. Although she still didn't understand why the two were bothering to go with this since they only needed to do this to prevent financial ruin from their families. "Okay, that does answer a bit of my questions, but... can't both of your families call off this marriage? I mean... you two don't even love each other, so I don't see the point in this."
Abraham chuckled as his efforts were coming to fruition. "Miss Mitsuzuri, my father is a rather paranoid man. He's always anticipating the worst of people, and I don't blame him, as he had a bad relationship with his own father. Rin and I are engaged because her family has ownership of my family's debt from 4 generations prior, as it wasn't really like my ancestors were... the best educated.
"As such, when my great grandparents died, my father was informed of the debt, and I seemed to have filled the desired qualities the Tohsaka family wanted. He wouldn't have gone through with it, but it is difficult when you have such a horrible viewpoint with the elite. Especially since Rin's legal guardian has held control of that debt as the financial responsibility was given to him since her parents unfortunately left the mortal coil."
"...Huh, I see." This situation was slowly getting more and more complicated, even if it was still very interesting to Ayako. "But... I don't get why Rin is so intent on following her parent's wishes. I mean... she can just cancel this engagement and not care at all about what would happen to her legal guardian. Why risk it all for a stranger?"
Abraham, now looking to Rin, gave her the control of the conversation. "Are we strangers, Rin? I still remember you when you were 5. It wasn't a bad time that I remember, my friend."
"..." Her face had a mixture of emotions: some embarrassment, some sadness, and even some anger... but she knew that she had to put her feelings aside if she didn't want to be questioned later on regarding their relationship."N-No, we aren't strangers! And... a-and I remember you too!" She managed to let out a small smile before she continued. "We were friends, I liked hanging out with you back then…"
Rin was definitely going to ask him what the hell he was talking about.
If anything, today she saw Abraham through a roller-coaster of events. And that weird behavior he had during Miss Taiga's lesson...
He was hiding something from her, and she'd find out when she had the chance in private.
"I-I loved spending time with you when we were kids. We would always just hang out and have a great time..." She had a warm, genuine smile when she said this. "It's kind of a shame we grew apart... but... well... it's nice to see you again," she finished, her smile quickly turning into a bit of sadness.
In truth, the sadness came from her having a person that wasn't judgmental towards her, and stood by her side. It hurt when she reminded herself that Kirei had told her that she needed to spy on the guy.
Yet being with Abraham felt rather nice. No need to worry about her family obligations, as she didn't sense him having magic circuits when she checked on him that night in her estate.
It felt sort of awkward for Ayako and Shiro seeing the couple like this. They felt like they were interrupting something.
"Uhm... are you guys fine? Or did we walk in on something we weren't supposed to?"
"Yeah... I agree, Ayako. They were having such a nice moment, just a second ago. Are we distracting you two?"
Abraham, not looking but speaking to Shirou as a reminder, spoke in Spanish for emphasis. "La Birria"
Shirou, of course, didn't understand until he registered the words as "The birria" as he was asked to marinate it earlier. He quickly said with an embarrassed manner. 'I-I'll be going. Bye!' And he left the room quickly, leaving Ayako to wonder how her friend Rin was doing.
"Uhm... are you fine?"
Rin wanted to say "no", but instead said that she was going to have an outing with her "fiancé" today.
"Oh, nice! Going on a date with the fiancé, huh?" She couldn't help but let out a light chuckle over the word 'fiancé'. Rin could tell that despite their relationship seeming to be arranged, Ayako had no ill desires towards it.
"Anyways, I'll be going. Have a great time you two!" Ayako left the room to allow Rin and Abraham to have their moment alone together once more.
It was now them two.
Alone
And Rin had many questions to ask.
She wanted to know about his choice of words earlier. Why would he say something that could have been proven false if Sakura ever heard about it, even if they were legally not sisters anymore?
She stayed silent for a bit, gathering the courage to ask about this very sensitive subject. She finally spoke out loud. "Abraham, earlier... When you called me your friend, why did you say that? I'm your fiancé, isn't that what we're supposed to be?"
"Are we not both?", he replied in a friendly manner.
Rin understood his unspoken words to that sentence: 'even if the engagement is supposed to be a lie'.
Rin gave a slight smile as she finally understood his point.
"I mean, yes, friend is technically correct, but-"
She hesitated before continuing her sentence
"...You didn't have to call me your friend. It's not exactly wrong, but it just seems that that title... understates our relationship, doesn't it?"
She was also curious as to why he said he knew her since she was 5.
...It was like it was of significance for him to casually use that age.
Rin was now starting to think about why he would say that he knew her since she was five. She decided, this time, to ask him that right away.
"Hmmm... Abraham, um... you said that you knew me since I was five. Why were you so specific with that age, by the way? Is it important?"
He immediately gave her a scholar's response. "By the age of 5, a child understands simple concepts like time (today, tomorrow, yesterday), knows the seasons, recognises some words by sight and tries to sound out words. It would make sense for the families to hold off until the children involved would have an understanding of relationships, even if it seems too old-fashioned with the arranged marriage being too cruel."
She understood what he was getting at with all of this, but she wasn't fully satisfied with this reply. "...Okay, that's all well and good, but why did you have to say that you knew me since I was 5? You made it seem like it was some sort of significant fact…"
He sighed. "I needed it to seem believable to them. The more we have people supporting this history that we have, the less we have to deal with your haters having so much social power."
"Besides... when you come of age... you'll be in charge of your life as the head of the Tohsaka clan... and be able to call this off."
Rin listened, but felt a drop in her stomach as part of her, even a miniscule bit, didn't feel like doing that. Even if the entire reasoning for their engagement was made up and fake, she was feeling... safe and happy for once since she was younger. Before her family was broken apart since her father gave away Sakura.
All of this was fake. He helped her make this up so that she could get back at the people who made those hurtful rumors, and didn't ask for anything. What hurt even more was that she was given a way out, BY HIM!
...Even worse was how Kirei still required her to spy on this young man.Because he was possibly conducting reconnaissance for the 5th HGW that wasn't to come for another 5 decades.
Rin listened to everything he said. She felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders when she heard that he wasn't being malicious in any way.
At the thought the entire engagement was fake, though, a small smile appeared on her face. Yet this smile would later turn around in an instant.
"...Wait... so you're okay with pretending with all of this?" She showed Abraham the ring that she had used for their plan. "Aren't you afraid of how things will get out of hand if you keep denying your feelings?" She said this, but it was more about her own fears than about Abraham hiding his true self.
Abraham, twitched.
He was reminded about his Rin at this moment.
'What I ended up doing had harmed her, even though I reciprocated her feelings. Perhaps... I have a second chance to try differently... even if it's not her...'
"Are you... interested in actually having a relationship, my fair lady?"
She was caught off guard when Abraham asked her this unexpectedly. She had no plans in her life of pursuing a romantic relationship after all that had happened with her family and everything.
"Um... well..." She was suddenly filled with confusion; why was he asking her this when he said he wasn't going for it the last time they spoke seriously about it? She then managed to recollect herself and ask him back.
"...Are you...? Are you saying you're interested in having a relationship with me now...?"
Rin asked this last question. She was confused and curious, hoping for his response in order to see if she should or shouldn't be interested in a potential relationship with him.
He laughed in response. "What reasons do the boys usually give you? I'm certain they're all childish and narcissistic, and I know that this is partially the reason why you reject them. There is more to you that you keep secret. You should have more friends than what is seen, but you don't, Rin."
He then gave her a compassionate look. "I just don't like seeing a caring soul to be isolated and alone in this cruel world."
Rin was surprised by how quickly her personality was read through by him, as well as the fact that he was the first person to show genuine interest in her personality! Her past self would probably feel so ashamed to let people know about this side of her, but thanks to Abraham, she was able to become comfortable with letting the most important parts of her personality reveal themselves! This meant that she could be herself without any guilt! She was very grateful for that!
"I am willing to make this relationship a real one, if that is what you wish."
The words he said were sincere and serene, enough to make her smile again. Abraham was the first person to not care about anything regarding her family name and its history; in this moment right now, he cared for her as Rin and not as the Tohsaka family's heir.
All of this was enough for her to finally feel that it was time to say...
"Yes."
Emiya Residence, Same day
Polnareff and Midler were reviewing the plans that their mission leader had given them. He had it set up so that the parasite would be baited out of its lair, and head after him. Failing that, he would need to infiltrate the household, and kill it, but that would mean a two prong event needed to happen:
Sakura Matou had to be under surgery, and it had to be a stand user to do it as it was likely mages couldn't feel a Stand. As such, a fourth member of their group, Kakyoin, was set to do this as he was studying anatomy while stationed in Tokyo and attending his high school classes.
"The redhead came back. He's accompanied by a girl."
Midler's eyes widened. It was Sakura Matou.
"Oh damn! That girl is actually here? What's going on between her and Shirou?" He said that with a teasing tone, seemingly curious about why Sakura would be at Shirou's house. But then...
"Wait a second... is her condition so bad that she is now undergoing the surgery? I knew it was bad, but…"
Midler quickly hushes the frenchman. "Don't speak about that. And stop behaving like the type of perverted family member that is interested in knowing the younger generation's romantic interests. We're guests in his home."
Shirou smiled as he and Sakura began working in the kitchen "Alright. This is basically a prep chef's work today. We're marinating the meat for his recipe, then putting it aside. Then we can cook the dinner we planned as usual."
"Ah yes, pardon me." He then decides to do what Midler instructed and keep quiet about Sakura's current health status. But the mere thought of this being a romantic moment made him raise an eyebrow. He wanted to ask...
"Hm. Is this some sort of lovey-dovey date they have here?"
"Ignore him, Emiya. He's simply bored out of his mind as he hasn't been outside lately."
Midler had also kept quiet about how Polnareff had almost gotten himself stabbed by the mysterious woman that Abraham had provided medical attention to. She was named Medea, and it was strange how she did not want to speak with them, unless it was to do so on the topic of Abraham or Shirou.
Maybe she wanted to pay him back for this act of kindness?
"Bored? I am 'not' bored." Polnareff said with a pouty face, trying to deny the fact that he was exactly as Midler said. "Besides, Emiya over there isn't listening! He's too busy with preparing some food for his date, after all!"
Midler, in a low voice, threatened the Frenchman with High Priestess. "Polnareff, you need to calm down. You know that what you're doing right now is-"
She was cut off by... Sakura and Shirou laughing about something!
They spoke about the contest Abraham and Shinji had.
"SHHHH. I'm listening, Midler! I want to hear what they're talking about..."
This time, he was being serious about it. He was too curious to not be able to get every single word that they were saying.
"...So he told Shinji that it wouldn't do them any good if they fought. He convinced him to settle this through the physical exam as a contest of prowess. Shinji kept telling him that he would 'take away his girl', and kept saying that Abraham 'didn't deserve a girl obviously out of his league'. It was funny how Shinji kept seeing him as a geek, rather than what he actually is like. I mean, you've seen the dude: he's built like some sort of gladiator."
Polnareff quietly spoke to himself. "That's hilarious. I bet this Shinji must have been so mad that some 'nerd' looked like a Greek god!"
He laughed a bit after imagining the scene of an arrogant snob having his pride shattered. Then he realized a small bit of info in that statement Shirou shared. "Wait... his girl? So she 'is' his girlfriend?"
Midler's interest was piqued. It seemed that their leader might be getting too comfortable and could be losing his edge if he wasn't focused. She decided to learn a bit more about it.
Using the excuse that Abraham's brother would like to know, of course.
"Abraham has a girlfriend?"Midler casually asked.
Shirou was caught off-guard by this question, and this was reflected by the slight blush he had on his face when he answered.
"...I-I guess she is, yeah... but uh, isn't that just normal? What's so special about it?"
Midler, internally cursed herself as this could be a problem in the future should his relationship become a problem in keeping their mission secret. "It's simply to make sure that he's getting along here in Japan. His brother is concerned with him being away from home, after all."
"Oh, that makes sense!" He seemed to not realize there could be a hidden motive for the question. He then smiled and replied back at Midler, thinking that she was just being genuinely curious about things. "Well, yeah... she is his girlfriend! But..."
He paused, trying to figure out how to word his next sentence.
At this point, Sakura was perplexed about how it turned out that her elder sister Rin was dating. She found herself feeling horrible for wanting her sister to suffer as she did not have to live through what she had, but Sakura did her best to keep those dark thoughts at bay, and listened as Shirou continued.
"Well... it seems to me like Abraham genuinely cares about her. He's been kind to her the whole time and they seem to be a cute couple together..." He then said something in a much more playful tone. "...And I think it's pretty obvious that she cares for him, too."
When he said this, Sakura felt almost a sort of sting. While they were probably just acting, as she knew that her brother Shinji spread those rumors and Rin was likely fixing it with her own by this apparently complicated method, there was something about seeing their relationship that made her feel... jealous.
Polnareff wanted to congratulate Abraham for what he accomplished.
He was unaware that Midler was concerned, and that their target to save from the parasite's hold was upset.
But if there was one thing that could be said positively of the Frenchman, it was how he bumbled into making things better.
"Nice. Kinda like you and your friend here right now!"
Shirou smirked a bit once again as a playful smile appeared on his face, as well as the same red blush. Though his response was also playful, he was genuinely confused at the sudden compliment.
"Oh? Me? And her? Are you implying we seem like a cute couple or something?"
At the same time, the comment by Polnareff suddenly made Sakura have a realization; the reason she feels so angry at hearing about Abraham and Rin's relationship. They remind her of what she wanted.
"...Yeah... sort of!" Sakura added with a nervous tick.
She was still trying to hold back her jealousy, so she didn't realize Shirou was confused about the comment the Frenchman said about Shirou and Sakura's relationship.
Shirou's blush increased in intensity as you could see the gears in his head slowly turn. He wondered if it was just something she said casually or...
"...Really? You find us to look like we're cute together?" He still wondered as his curiosity turned into slight excitement.
Midler groaned at the predicament growing before her. "Honestly Polnareff, why must you interfere with the natural process of romance? These two are developing at their own pace. Now you've just added a chaotic variable to their minds."
"Oh, calm down, you. I was asking a simple question, and I get these romantic vibes from these two. Maybe I'm wrong, but this was just a question." He said as he pouted in annoyance. "Besides, I was complimenting them. Isn't that a good thing?"
Meanwhile, with Kakyoin
'I see. So that is why I needed to study anatomy. This is... concerning.'
Kakyoin had just learned the truth of his role. He would need to use his Hierophant Green to remove a parasite inside of a girl's heart. One that was capable of being automatically set to kill the girl should things happen to the owner.
This failsafe was something that he was told to remove, as Abraham had planned to do it for the girl's safety. If it was mentioned or even attempted while she was awake, the owner of this heart worm would somehow know that he is being hunted down.
Kakyoin sighed as he knew that this would take place this weekend.
He just didn't know whether he could handle the pressure of saving that girl's life.
Kakyoin had just found himself in a predicament like no other. The stakes were high, and if things went wrong, well... we know how deadly it could be. He had the pressure of it all, but at the same time, this could be a valuable step in the right direction if it all went well.
*sigh* "I have to be ready for what lies ahead of me..."
He then slowly entered into a state of meditation. He felt like the weight of the world on his shoulders was increasing.