Chapter 10 : Premonition

Please stop. Please stop.

"Hahaha! My luck is finally on my side!"

The husband opened the door violently and entered, and started drinking as usual.

However, today, unlike usual, he didn't complain about the food.

"The king of this country seems to like me. He wants me as his son-in-law. Finally, someone who can appreciate me has appeared!"

Please stop. Please stop.

"Well, the important thing is that my daughter is very cheeky... but if I can just bear it, I can get the whole country. I don't want to be extravagant."

The husband continued to talk in a good mood, but suddenly he fell silent.

This is it. It's a sign that he has come up with something bad again. It's a sign that he is about to say it.

"...Now that I think of it, you were strangely attached to that stupid bitch, weren't you?" He

said, distorting his face with a grin.

I have seen that ugly smile many times before, when he always shows it when he is trying to trap someone.

"I'm sure you could turn flames into threads. Make a dress out of the cloth woven from those threads. That annoying brat won't suspect a gift from you."

Please stop. Please stop.

I no longer have a will of my own. I'm merely a puppet that does what I'm told. But even

so, she called me her friend.

"With that woman gone, this country belongs to me alone. Once the ceremony is over, it's mine! If anyone complains, I'll just chop off your head. That will be my revenge. As expected of me, I'm so smart!"

Catan.

I open my eyes at the slightest noise.

I look at my watch and it's 2am.

Even though I woke up at this time, I don't feel sleepy at all. Instead, my body feels heavy. It seems I'm still tired.

...It's back.

I know what the problem is: the media.

It had been like this for a while since I summoned Medea. Although I had been sleeping fairly normally for the past few days.

On my way home today, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he had suddenly changed.

On the surface, he acted as usual, but my eyes couldn't be fooled. Well, I was confused that I couldn't see his true feelings until the last moment, but I was quite surprised when I could see them again after we separated for a moment.

I was thirsty so I headed to the kitchen.

I open the fridge and reach for a MAX Coffee, then realize I won't be able to sleep, so I change my mind and take out a Pocari Sweat instead.

…I wonder if I did something to him.

I ask myself but I can't find an answer.

Today at club activity, we received a request for the first time in a while.

That's all I can think of, but I have no idea how it worked to make me end up hated by the media. Well, I don't think it's exactly the same as hatred...

Well, unlike before, the negative feelings are directed solely at me, which is a relief. This means the chances of Yukinoshita or Yuigahama getting caught up in the consequences are low.

I returned to the second floor and put my hand on the doorknob of my room, but my eyes were somehow drawn to the room next door.

Until recently, this room was used as a storage room. After Medea started living as a human, it became her room.

I remember being amazed that Medea had finished cleaning up by herself in under 30 minutes when I offered to help her. I don't know where the things inside went, so I assume she must have done something with magic.

I open the door to the media room. Just like my room, there's no lock.

He steps in without any particular caution.

"...You forgot to close it."

Such words slip out.

The room was empty. Well, I knew it.

The media goes out into the city late at night, waiting for their families to sleep.

She must be gathering the magical power I lack. This has been Medea's daily routine ever since she was summoned.

They were entering and exiting through the window, but it was not completely closed, so a draft was blowing in.

I sighed and closed the door. If this continued the room would get very cold.

On the day I was summoned, I told the media not to do anything unnecessary.

This was out of fear of being noticed by other Masters and Servants, but not taking action also meant that they were unable to make any preparations.

On the other hand, if you act proactively like the media, you can make preparations, but the chances of being noticed by the enemy increase.

The important thing was where to draw the line, but I had no knowledge whatsoever to make that judgment.

So when I decided to go into hiding I gave orders to be thorough about it, but the media disobeyed.

That in itself is fine.

Should I not do anything at all to avoid being caught, or should I act underground so as not to be found?

It's impossible to say which is correct without knowing the results.

Basically, they had made the media use magic in various ways, and I was still gathering information, just without using magic.

If they really wanted to be thorough, they shouldn't have even done that. They have no right to blame the media.

I look around the room.

There is no desk or bed.

My dad said he would get them all, but Media declined because she wasn't planning on staying there for long.

Instead, there was a folding table and a futon, and some round stuffed toys, probably prizes from the crane game at the arcade the other day.

On the desk was a mug with a black cat printed on it, and my Vita-chan. I wondered where it had gone, but it must have been this guy who did it. Then there were a few Purikura stickers stuck all over it.

The media in the Purikura photo was laughing.

There were some with Yuigahama, others with Miura, Ebina, Hayama, and Tobe. There were also some with Yukinoshita. It was strange that Yukinoshita was the only one with a sulky look on her face.

If you just look at this, you can see that she is completely satisfied with her life. In fact, the media must have been happy with this lifestyle too.

Regarding the Holy Grail War, I had asked Yukinoshita for quite a few things, but I had hardly said anything to Yuigahama.

It's not a question of trust, but of the role and suitability.

In just under a year, both Yukinoshita and I have certainly changed. Even if it's hard to tell from the outside, even if I don't want to admit it, still.

And that is undoubtedly the influence of Yuigahama.

So, I was hoping for the same thing from Yuigahama this time. I thought maybe Yuigahama would be able to melt the witch's blackened heart.

That was supposed to have gone well.

My biggest concern wasn't the possibility of encountering an enemy Master, but the possibility of being killed by the media. However, thanks to Yuigahama, that concern has almost completely evaporated.

I can't understand people's kindness.

In other words, if I can't read someone's actions, it means they are acting in good faith.

So when I found myself unable to read the media's thoughts, I was confused but not worried.

I sigh again.

I don't know what the cause was, but it seems I've upset the media.

This doesn't mean we're back to square one.

The media's ill feelings are directed at me alone, but that doesn't mean that the bait won't reach anyone connected to me.

Also, it seemed like the media treated my family in a special way.

If it had only been with Komachi, I wouldn't have paid it any attention, thinking it was just YuruYuri, but I was quite open with my father and mother as well. There's no doubt that I was especially kind to Komachi.

This is just a guess, but it seems that Medea has a special longing for the idea of a "family." So, even if it was the influence of suggestion, I wonder if she was attached to someone who had treated her as a "family" from the start.

However, the media today seems to be closing its hearts even to Komachi. Looking at the overall picture, it may even be said that this is a negative thing, rather than a start from square one.

"...I think I've reached my limit."

The media pretends to be calm and collected, but they are quite passionate. If things continue as they are now, they will soon make a big mistake. When that happens, they will no longer be able to act as if they are normal.

Maybe I should prepare myself. Actually, I'm already prepared. All I need is determination.

I sigh again. It's time to go to bed.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was already past three o'clock. It seems I had been deep in thought for over an hour.

The media would be back within the next hour. I had better at least pretend to be asleep until then.

Feeling the sense of my ordinary days slipping away, I quietly closed the door.