A/N: Good day, Gents and Gals and alike. As you've probably realized, I've never updated in months. That's because I transferred to another course. Didn't really like being an English major so I transferred to Social Studies… pretty neat.
IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: Also, fair warning to people who expected a masterwork of a story entering here. This fic is something I only do for myself. Whatever your criticism is, if not constructive, will fall on deaf ears. I believe that I have warned you already in earlier chapters. If this fic sucks for you, I care not. (This fic goes by the "FUCK IT WE BALL!" philosophy) I posted it because I as a reader liked the little story I have created, people just happened to like it as well. That is all thank you.
P.S.: This is Part 2 of a 3-parter.
Also, reviews:
Farrelspiral: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you liked it.
Guest: Remember, no finesse.
SkyChaser17: Yes, that was a planned conflict, but I decided it was too serious for a fic of this tone.
ImNotAWeeb64101: Thank you for noticing, I put great care on characterizing the OCs. Also, the schedule got worse XD.
Temsen: 16 years with no actual action would get you rusty ig lmao.
Toa Solaric: Awkward, yes.
Bucio: And lastly, thanks. EMIYA is still very adamant on her learning magus stuff, he only trusted Tohsaka to talk about it cuz he trusts that she's mature enough to not drag the kid to her messes(A bad decision on his part.) But hey! New opportunities for magic banter.
And now, onto the scene
Mimi's mind was hazy. What was she doing again? She asked herself. 'That's right, I can't sleep so I roamed around the forest looking for signal.' She recalled.
But why were her hands so numb?
"Dad, I don't think I have to repeat myself but I'll do so anyway." In her delirious state she heard a familiar voice. "This is the worst idea you've ever come up with." A feisty, familiar voice.
"Trust me. If there were any alternatives, I would've used them already," An equally familiar voice followed suit, a gruffer, and more masculine voice this time. "Besides, killing her isn't exactly the best option either."
'WHAT!?' Mimi exclaimed mentally. Was she kidnapped!? That would probably explain why she can't remember what happened to her before this.
She heard a sigh, sounding like it came from the younger of the two voices. "Is it really that important that none of the mage stuff gets leaked?" the voice questioned, almost begging. "She's one of my best friends, Dad. Could you please just listen to me here?"
A jolt suddenly came into Mimi's mind. 'Mage stuff? Best friend?' Her mind became clearer and clearer, until finally— "Emi-chan!?"
Mimi's eyes snapped open as she realized something was off. She wasn't dreaming—she really had seen Rin and her dad doing something... unreal. And now, she was tied to a tree, staring at them like they were strangers.
The father-daughter duo's heads turned to her direction immediately.
"What the hell is going on?" she blurted, her voice shaky and confused.
Rin, looking super stressed, knelt down in front of her. "Oh…hi, Mimi," She spoke as gently as possible. "I know this looks bad, but I promise I would explain this as soon as possible—!"
She was suddenly cut off by her father. "Let us cut to the chase and get this over with. You've seen something that most people aren't supposed to know about, Muyumi Hayase." He spoke her full name, making the poor girl even more terrified than she already is.
Mimi's mind was racing. "Wait, wait. You mean the magic swords and all that?" She blinked, still processing. "That was real?! Like, magic is real?"
EMIYA stepped forward, his expression unreadable but his voice was calm. "Yes, it's real. And as much as I'd like to pretend this isn't happening, I need to figure out what to do with you next."
Mimi's eyes went wide. "Are you gonna, like, wipe my memory or something? Is that how this secret stuff works?"
Rin looked torn, clearly not wanting to mess up her friendship. "We could… well dad probably could" she admitted, "But I really don't want to. You're my best friend, Mimi. I never wanted you to find out like this." She said while untying her friend.
Mimi rubbed her wrists as she stood up, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is insane. Your dad makes magic swords, and I'm supposed to just go back to class like nothing happened?"
She gave them both a bewildered look, but her usual sass was creeping back. "You know no one's gonna believe me if I tell them, right? Not like I would, but still." She might have slight personality problems but she's not an asshole.
While the pressure in air lightened and the mood shifted back to a cheerier one. EMIYA still wore his stoic expression. Which unnerved even Rin.
"Um, dad? Is everything alright?" Rin asked, worried for her father.
After a few tense moments, EMIYA finally spoke, his voice low and deliberate. "Words are just words, Muyumi Hayase." He crossed his arms, his gaze sharp. "Revealing magecraft to a single person carries more consequences than you might imagine. If other mages find out that you know, so you won't just lose your memory. You may lose your life."
Mimi gulped. She'd seen Rin's dad angry before, but this was different—calculated, cold, like she was talking to a soldier rather than a father.
EMIYA continued, his tone unyielding. "So I need you to make a promise. I could force this, wipe your memory, but Rin insists on protecting your free will." He sounded almost cynical, as though he didn't care for such methods.
Mimi stood there, trying to wrap her head around everything she'd just heard. The weight of EMIYA's words hit hard.
This wasn't just some random secret hobby—it was life or death. Every instinct in her screamed to run, but something about the way Rin and her dad stood there, all serious and tense, made her stay put.
"A promise?" she repeated, her voice barely a whisper.
EMIYA's sharp eyes locked onto hers. "Yes. A promise that you will keep what you've seen to yourself. No one else can know. Not your friends, not your family—no one." His voice remained calm, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
Rin looked at Mimi with those big, pleading eyes. "Mimi, I know it's a lot to ask. But we're trying to protect you too. If word gets out, other mages might come after you." She hesitated and then added, "And some of them won't care that you're my friend or not—!"
"Fine."
"Eh?" Rin stopped when Mimi gave the short answer. Wasn't this too easy? She thought.
"Emi-chan, no, Rin." Mimi continued, with an uncharacteristic serious face plastered on her head, accompanied by a heavy sigh. "I said it before and I'll say it again." Despite that, her nervous eyes turned to the ever stoic EMIYA.
"I don't think anyone would ever believe me if I said it to them… Except of course if they're a secret wizard like you but I'll probably die at that point." Taking a deep breath, she reassured her friend. "So I promise, no strings attached, metaphorical picky swear, that I would never, ever divulge to anyone anything that I learned here!"
While the two shared a moment, EMIYA's gruff voice interrupted. "You say that, but I think your phone would beg to differ." His eyes narrowed. "If you really meant what you said, Muyumi Hayase, you would have already deleted the photo from your gallery."
Without as much as a squeak, Mimi immediately pulled out her phone, opened her gallery, deleted the picture—Yes, there were multiple but she doesn't have time to worry about that right now—all in under ten seconds.
Even EMIYA was slightly stunned.
"See? Hypothetical pinky swear." Mimi exclaimed. "Also, no backups—you really didn't give me time before you… wait a minute." The girl blinked twice, before cupping her chin and going silent for a moment. "How did you get me anyway?"
"Mh!" Poor Rin suddenly yelped, sensing that the awkward atmosphere has returned. Shyly, she answered, "Well… you see, dad…" She looked up to her father, whose expression never budged, before continuing—
An Hour Earlier
Rin was amazed. It was the first time her father showed her his magecraft. Well, Tohsaka's True Magic was apparently even more powerful—but screw that! Magical powers that break the very foundation of multiple established cosmological theories has nothing on this!
This thing came straight out of an anime.
Shaking her head, Rin suddenly realized that he father was not looking unto the cliff or her anymore. His eyes were locked to the bushes a few meter from them.
"…Dad—mhp?" She was interrupted.
"Shh!" EMIYA covered her mouth, the young woman could sense her father had suddenly changed his bearing. From the warmth of a father, to the coldness of a seasoned warrior.
His eyes were darting everywhere. Rin swallowed nervously as she saw her father's face change from calm to alert, his every movement becoming precise and calculated.
"Stay here," EMIYA whispered, his voice barely audible, yet commanding enough to make Rin freeze in place. He began to move silently toward the bushes, his posture low and ready. Rin's heart raced.
Peering through the branches, EMIYA caught sight of a faint glow. His eyes narrowed as he realized what it was—a phone screen.
"Mimi?" Rin whispered in shock, recognizing the silhouette of her best friend, hidden poorly behind the thick foliage. Her heart dropped into her stomach. "Wait! Dad—it's Mimi!"
EMIYA didn't respond immediately. He was already in motion, crossing the distance in a few swift strides. Before Mimi could react, he had her immobilized, knocked out in the grass. There wasn't much of a struggle really.
Retired as he is, EMIYA was still a trained killer with quite literally eons of experience…or experiences. While he might struggle with servants now and ridiculously powerful mages, a civilian is clearly easy prey for him.
Either way, he was glad that he could still use non-lethal options. Even after all these years he still wasn't as proficient as regular mages are in wiping out memories.
The archer looked at his back, what he saw did not surprise him in the slightest. It was his daughter, gasping.
"Dad!? Is she okay!?"
Back To the Present
"So… you just knocked me out like I was a random villain in a TV show?" Mimi looked up at EMIYA, who remained silent but glanced briefly at her with those cool, calculating eyes.
Rin winced, avoiding eye contact. "I-I didn't know what else to do! You know I'm not very athletic and dad just…reacted"
Mimi couldn't help but let out a small laugh, though it was strained. "Well, now I know how terrifying your dad is."
Mimi's strained laugh faded as the weight of the situation settled back in. The tension between the three of them lingered, even though the immediate danger seemed to have passed.
"So," She started, her voice still shaky, "What happens now? I'm guessing I don't just get to walk away from this, right?"
Rin bit her lip, glancing nervously at her father. EMIYA remained quiet, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.
"Things don't have to change," he said, his voice level but firm. "You can go back to your normal life. No one needs to know what happened here today—what you saw. But you need to understand that this isn't something you can take lightly."
Mimi crossed her arms, feeling a bit of defiance rise within her. "Yeah, you said that already. But what happens if, I dunno, someone finds out anyway? Like, what if I slip up and say something without meaning to?"
Rin stepped forward, her expression softening. "We'll do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. I trust you, Mimi. You've always been good at keeping secrets."
For the first time, EMIYA's lips curved into the faintest hint of a smile. It was small, barely there, but enough to break some of the tension. "For Rin's sake. I'll make sure you'll be just fine." he said, his tone much softer than before.
With that, he turned away, walking back toward the trees. Rin gave Mimi one last, lingering look before following after him. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? And… thanks for understanding," she said over her shoulder, disappearing into the shadows after her father.
Mimi stood there for a moment, still processing everything. Her body ached from being tied up, and her mind was spinning with a thousand questions.
But she knew one thing for sure: life wasn't going back to normal anytime soon.
Morning
The next day, the campers woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of the morning dew. Everything went back to normal, as if last night's event didn't even happen.
As she stepped out of her tent, Rin was already waiting by the campsite, giving her an awkward wave. Mimi couldn't help but notice how Rin avoided direct eye contact, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her jacket.
"Morning," Mimi said cautiously, trying to gauge Rin's mood.
"Morning," Rin echoed, her voice soft, almost apologetic. "About last night..."
Mimi held up her hand, cutting her off. "Look, Rin, I get it. I'll keep the secret, alright? I'm not exactly excited about mages coming after me." She glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. "But seriously, Emi-chan, we need to talk about how your dad literally ninja'd me out of the bushes."
Rin winced, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Yeah... about that... Dad can be a little intense sometimes."
Mimi just laughed, "Oh, don't worry about it! I think I found it a little hot when he pinned me down…but oh well. Let bygones be bygones. Besides, who wouldn't wanna be pinned down by a sweaty hot muscled-up man for once in a while…"
"…" Rin was at a loss for words… until she realized it was just Muyumi Hayase being Muyumi Hayase, "Mimi!" She yelled, in an almost chastising tone.
"Hah! Calm down, I was lightening up the mood, can't let early morning bad mood ruin that untapped beauty of yours!" Mimi sort of explained. "Or am I…"
Rin just sighed, only partly believing her friend, "Alright, Alright. Just follow me later, I think we're out of firewood."
Mimi frowned, "But I don't wanna!"
Rin cocked an evil grin. "Oh, I will make sure you do."
…
At the edge of the clearing, away from everyone. A figure clad in blue smirked with a toothy grin while watching the campers.
The figure spoke in a strange foreign accent, "So the bastard really did knock up someone. Wonder who the unlucky gal is."
The figure then disappeared with motes of light.
A/N: Really boring chapter, I know. But this is just the things I managed to squeeze out because of the mandatory weekly lesson planning that my professor conjured up. Anyway, I'll try to make room for more updates.
And lastly, Follow and Favourite, and Review if you can, your comments fuel The Bone of My Sword JK.
NEXT UPDATE WILL PROBABLY BE GOLDEN QUEEN IF I FEEL LIKE IT!