Chapter 9 : Request

The boy was alone. The

boy always cried.

He never shed tears, never let out a sound, just cried in his heart.

He was always on the side of the rejected.

That had never changed. But he felt that the content was changing little by little.

Little by little, malice began to mix with what had been merely alienated.

Each one was probably very small.

But just like the remains of a ship drifting in the sea gathering in one place due to the complex currents.

Countless malice gathered around the boy without anyone intending it.

Eventually, when he realized that no one's will was involved in how he was treated.

The boy also shed tears from within his heart.

"Good morning, Hachiman-sama."

"Good morning. You're early as usual."

The Master said this with eyes that were duller than usual, probably because he had just woken up.

It's only natural that I'm an early riser. Right now I'm sleeping normally because I need to pretend to be human, but Servants don't need sleep to begin with. I can switch between sleeping and waking freely.

The master came over to me, looked at my hands, and said.

"...You've improved a lot in just one day. Have you got the hang of it yet?"

"Yes. Komachi-sama's guidance was excellent."

Cooking is fun.

Although I can only make simple dishes that simply involve grilling, frying and seasoning, learning how to cook properly from someone else is a new experience for me.

The teacher's sister is cute, and I was happy to hear her comments on the food. Also, Komachi-san is cute.

"Breakfast will be ready soon, so please wait for a little while. By the way, Hachiman-sama, how did you like your lunch?"

"Oh, yeah. It was delicious."

"Really? That's great!"

The Master seemed confused as he replied to me as I smiled broadly.

To be honest, it was a surprise.

This man had just begun to think that it was natural for him to be able to see into the hearts of others.

I never imagined I would be so shaken by something so trivial, so purely out of whimsy.

Apparently, he has a godlike nose for malice, but is virtually immune to kindness and generosity.

I'll just go for that direction when teasing her. But if I show affection with the intention of teasing her, she'll probably notice. It's difficult.

"By the way, what about Komachi?"

The master tried to save face and asked about his sister who wasn't present.

"It seems you're still on vacation."

"Did you oversleep? It happens sometimes, though I have no right to say anything. I guess I'll just have to wake you up."

"It's not too late yet, so why not let him sleep a bit more?"

"If you leave them alone they'll complain about it too. Besides, you'll eat meals together, right?"

Hmm. I could wait until she wakes up on her own, but the food would taste better if it was freshly cooked. And the earlier she wakes up, the more we could talk.

"Then please."

"Okay."

The master gave a short reply and left the kitchen.

Meanwhile, I finish cooking. The miso soup was a little strong, but it was still good for a first time.

"Wow... Good morning Medea..."

Komachi-san appeared in disheveled pajamas and rubbing her eyes. Cute.

"Oh my. Good morning Komachi-sama. Please go wash your face."

"Ahhh..."

Komachi-san staggers to the bathroom with sleepy eyes. Cute.

"... Medea, stop looking at other people's sisters like a bird of prey."

"...What are you talking about?"

"No, there's no point in pretending not to understand. Your pupils are wide open."

"Can you please stop projecting your own desires onto me and degrading me? It's unpleasant."

"Unpleasant... Don't blame others. What boundaries are you planning to cross? Don't you think I'm a pervert who lusts after my sister?"

"Is that so?"

"No. My feelings for Komachi are much purer than that."

"Isn't that a typical stalker phrase...?"

This kind of interaction with the master had become commonplace.

Every day is fun.

There's the probing of Master's intentions, the playful exchanges with Komachi-san, the silly conversations with classmates, and the relaxing time spent in the service club.

All of these things are things I could never have had in my lifetime.

Should I just forget about the Holy Grail War and live my life as a normal human?

He liked his current situation enough that such an idea seemed appealing.

Although it was only one person, he had actually succeeded in deceiving the other Masters. Perhaps it was not impossible.

It was after school on the day I started to think that way.

The Service Club received a request.

Slap!

A dry sound echoes through the hallway.

One female student, her right hand still holding the wound that had hit her cheek, glared at the Master with tear-filled eyes.

"...the lowest!"

With that one simple remark, he turned around and ran off.

She met up with two girls who had been watching us from the other corner, and while whispering to each other "it's okay, sorry, what's up with that guy?" she gave the bartender one sharp glance before leaving.

"...Oh, that hurts. I guess I'll just report it and head home then."

The master spoke as if it was nothing, rubbing the cheek where he had been hit.

The link between them conveyed no sign of agitation whatsoever. He seemed to really not be feeling anything.

Those girls were supposed to have been having a falling out until just a moment ago.

I want to make up with my friend.

That was the request that was brought to the Service Club. Although I had received an explanation, this was my first club activity.

This is probably a fairly serious concern for young people of this age and era.

The Master had splendidly completed the request, but...

"Hickey!"

Yuigahama Yui, who had been acting separately from the direction the clients had disappeared from, came running towards them. Behind her was Yukinoshita Yukino.

"What do you mean?! What on earth did you do?!"

Yuigahama Yui approaches the master with an even more tense expression than when the client first came to the clubroom.

"Um, Yui-sama, please calm down. Hachiman-sama didn't mean any harm..."

"...That's not it, Medea. That's not what I meant..."

She squeezed the words out and then lowered her eyes sadly.

Although she is an emotional person, this is the first time she has shown such blaming behavior towards others.

Looking over, Yukinoshita Yukino was also giving the Master a stern look.

"...This kind of behavior is no longer acceptable. I thought you said that before?"

"...There's no other way. Right now, we can't let other people get involved as much as possible."

There is a risk that it could get them involved in the Holy Grail War. That's what he was trying to say. Although the probability is extremely low, it's certainly not impossible.

"I needed a quick solution, and this is what I came up with."

"...In that case, you should have at least explained it to us beforehand. So in the end, you didn't learn anything?"

"I had thought of the plan and was about to report it when all of a sudden the conditions came together. If I had missed this chance, the earliest it could be resolved would have been after school tomorrow. I was wrong to go ahead with it without asking for permission. I apologize."

"...Right, that's enough. I won't forgive you again."

Yukinoshita Yukino turns around and walks away, presumably heading back to the clubroom.

Although it appears to be a settlement, it is clear from his attitude that not enough has been said.

Who would have thought that this girl, who lives up to her name and possesses the pale coldness of snow, would be so revealing in her emotions?

"...I'm going to the bathroom. You can go ahead and get ready to go home."

The master left the place, giving off the impression that he was about to click his tongue as well.

"...Umm, what's wrong, everyone?"

He asked Yuigahama Yui, who continued to look down as if she had been left behind.

Honestly, I don't understand what it means.

There is a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

This time, the Master strengthened the fragile bond between the three men by becoming their common enemy.

Certainly, from a common ethical perspective, this is not a very commendable act, but it achieves its purpose.

It may be a temporary measure to buy time, but there are cases where you can recover on your own if you can buy enough time. This is one such case.

I think it's safe to say that the request was an almost perfect success. I don't understand why the master is being criticized.

Did they think it would damage the reputation of the Service Club? However, none of the three of them seemed like the type to care about something like that. It was a club that almost no one knew about, so it didn't have any reputation or anything.

"...You see, something like this has happened before."

She muttered in distress.

Apparently, he had resolved problems in a similar way many times before, by offering himself as an offering.

At first, I thought it was amazing. I admired his kindness, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others.

But gradually, I couldn't bear to watch. The more I cared about him, the more I couldn't bear to see him get hurt.

It's not a sacrifice, he insists, but it's painful to watch and hard to compare.

"...A little while ago, something really dangerous happened. We all seemed to be drifting apart, and I thought that this time it might really end. But we somehow managed to get through it, and we're still together now, but..."

He promised me then that he wouldn't do it again...

He muttered sadly.

"Maybe Hikki doesn't care about us as much as Yukinon and I do about him..."

As she mutters these things in an inaudible voice, I speak to her as gently as I can.

"...There's no need to worry, Yui-sama."

"……picture?"

"Hachiman-sama cares deeply about the two of you. This time, he was simply determined to resolve the issue quickly."

"...I guess so."

"Yes. So you can have confidence in yourself. You two are two of the few people Hachiman-sama trusts, after all."

"I guess so. Ehehe. Thanks, Media..."

Yuigahama Yui's face brightened and she turned towards me with her usual smile - then her face stiffened. Huh?

"What's the matter?"

"... Med... a... san?"

"--Hachiman-sama will be back soon. If you'll excuse me, I'll go get my bag. I'll bring Yui-sama's things too."

Leaving her frozen in place, I head to the clubroom.

That's strange. I thought the facial expression was perfect.

Maybe I was more shaken up than I thought. I need to sort things out before I meet Yukinoshita Yukino. Well, it's no problem for me.

Trying to control the dark emotions swirling inside my chest, I walked towards the clubroom.