Chapter 39
Shinji couldn't help but wrinkle his eyebrows. What was his Servant saying? Also, why was she dressed in a swimsuit, and holding a handgun with an inflatable sword? Was this a prank by his grandfather?
Turning to the old man, he almost yelped in surprise when he saw his grandfather's lower jaw detached and lying on the ground, his reaction to the Servant so great that the insects connecting his jaw and mouth stopped working in shock.
Sakura merely widened her eyes by a fraction, but showed no other signs of emotion.
Rider took in her surroundings, inspecting the area and seeing the grimy walls, the putrid smell, the teeming masses of insects infesting the area, their clicks echoing in the chamber.
"Unacceptable. I will put a stop to this infestation at once. Master, please leave the immediate area at once."
Her body became surrounded by golden light, the glow seemingly twisting around her body, conforming to her swimsuit and breaking it apart, turning to millions of golden specks that returned to her body after a moment, forming a different shape and adhering to her body. The light soon faded, revealing her in a swimsuit-like maid outfit. She now held mop in her right hand, the handgun sporting a scope as well as becoming a different model from before.
"Master, once again, please leave the area as soon as possible. I will commence cleaning shortly."
Finally, Shinji regained his sense as he noticed copious amounts of water swirling around the mop, spinning faster and faster as it reached a violent pace.
"O-Ojii-sama, what do I do?"
Zolgen sensed the growing mana pool coalescing around her form, and hurriedly yelled at him to stop her.
"Cut off the connection you have with her, quick!"
"H-How?"
"Use the book you fool! Feel the connection between you and her and cut the supply of mana!"
Focusing on the mystical energies locked in the mystic code, he grasped the thread that technically connected to Sakura, and severed it. Instantly, Zolgen felt a dip in the mana she was gathering.
Then it shot straight back up.
"Shinji! Didn't you cut the mana flow?"
"I did, I did! S-Stop, Rider stop!"
Despite the order, he didn't use his Command Seals, in fear of wasting them and losing an important advantage in the future.
The water had turned into a tornado that reached the ceiling of the basement, and it was still growing in size, with Rider in the eye of the storm. Her molten yellow eyes blazed with determination, the will to clean evident from her entire body.
"Tch, it's too late. None of my insects can get close to her, just leave the basement, NOW!"
Zolgen ordered them out, knowing stopping her would be futile at this point. Having both Shinji and Sakura die here would be pointless and unnecessary, and he would still live even if the basement was destroyed, albeit severely weakened.
Shinji ran up the stairs without a second glance, while Sakura hesitated, then calmly walked up as if nothing strange was happening. It almost seemed as if she wanted to be caught up in whatever Rider was doing.
"Kuh, to think that we summoned a Servant like this…"
He stared at Rider as her icy gaze pierced through him.
"You too, will be cleansed upon my oath as a maid."
Zolgen dissolved his body, evacuating as many insects as he could through the various tunnels, but it was on too short a notice to let more than a fifth in the basement escape.
"How impudent. Filthy creature, know that you cannot run. With this Mop of Selection, the holy sword grade almighty mop, the relentless magic bullet will race across the water to cleanse all impurities. I will take care of (train) my Master well, for I am the maid of summer! Sweep it away!"
"SSHAAAABOOM"
The massive volume of water surrounding her exploded outwards with the force of TNT, smashing the basement apart as water filled every nook and cranny, the force crushing the bugs and drowning those that couldn't adapt. Above, the manor shook and rumbled as Shinji hugged the book in fear, feeling the tremors even when he was several streets away, while Sakura just stated at the manor, the worm in her heart still clutching it tightly.
Unfortunately for Shinji, she still wasn't done. Equipped with Independent Action EX, she could cook, clean and serve all day without her Master's assistance. According to her, a maids service mentality should be free, spontaneous and uncoerced, to provide the best service possible. Hence, she was able to function without his mana support, and in the event both Shinji and Sakura died, she could still exist in the world for a few more weeks at most, if she conserved energy and started out with maxed out reserves.
Once the basement was flooded, she proceeded to smash a hole in the walls while underwater to drain the water, then proceeded to scrub the walls, floor and ceiling with her mop until everything was sterilized, the holy mop cleansing the stone better than any detergent could. The once grimy and dull surfaces now glowed slightly, immaculate and smooth.
Next, she proceeded to go upstairs and meticulously cleaned everything. Her Servant body enabled her to clean at insane speeds, going from one room to the next in under 20 minutes. The walls, the furniture, the appliances, the carpet, the lights, everything and anything was dusted, cleaned, dried and rearranged until the entire house was beyond sparkling clean, more of a monument to perfect housework at this point.
The insects still wriggling in the walls were flushed out with water fired from Secace, the holy blade adding a purifying element to the liquid, turning it into a makeshift insect repellent. A war on the infestations started, lasting the whole day as repeated explosions and banging could be heard by the neighbors, loud flushing noises and frequent insectile whirring and buzzing emanating from the house as well. The extermination lasted well into the night until the next morning, ending just before the two Matou's finally came home after staying at the Emiya residence for the night.
"Senpai?"
Despite her having the keys, she still knocked and called him.
"Yes? Sakura, is there something you need?"
Then he spotted her brother behind him.
"Oh hi Shinji."
"Yo."
Despite being estranged as of late, they could still maintain cordial communication between each other.
"Our house is undergoing some emergency renovations, so we'd like to stay here for the night."
"Ah, I see. Sure then, make yourselves at home."
The two siblings went back the next morning to see what had happened.
When Shinji opened the gate, he was greeted by the sight of a neatly trimmed garden, with all the flowers in order and the bushes no longer growing in chaos, while the vines coating all the walls were gone. In addition, there was a faint scent of mint as well. However, the sight of several holes in the ground and walls, in addition to the wet patches here and there, ruined the otherwise picture perfect scene.
"Rider?"
The servant materialized next to him, her mop and gun still in hand. Shinji shrank away from her when he saw the weapons of the maid.
"Master, I regretfully inform you that I have not been able to fully cleanse the house. The infestation of bugs remains severe, even with the constant war waged upon the uncleanliness, and I fear it may take some time before it can be completed."
Shinji wondered whether his grandfather would show up suddenly, but he seemed to have left for someplace else. He hadn't contacted them at all earlier. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. With his grandfather gone, he could do what he wanted, and he could prove his strength solely by himself!
"Also Master, you seem to have some unhealthy habits. From this day onwards, I will train you until your rehabilitation is complete, for that is my duty as your maid. I have taken the liberty of clearing out (eating) your stock of unhealthy food as well, while all your unnecessary goods have been destroyed. Prepare yourself Master, for you must be in top shape for the war we are about to enter."
Shinji glared at her until his eyes bulged, then he ran into the house to see what exactly was gone. Behind him, Sakura couldn't help but laugh slightly.
"As for you, your cooking and cleaning skills are passable. I will train you in the ways of the maid as well."
"Eh? Ah, no, that's not really necessary, please-"
"You have someone you want to please don't you? I assure you, the path of the maid will blow apart any obstacles in your path."
Her face went red as she realized Rider had seen her secret "stash" in her room.
"I-aahh-I-I d-don't kn-now what you-"
"Let us start training now. Your first task is to whip your brother into shape, as a maid has to watch over her Master's physical condition. Use him as a practice tool. Don't worry about damaging him, for I will (probably) surely be able to restore him back to life as the perfect maid."
"Nii-sama?"
"Yes, hands on practice provides the most progress. Now let me demonstrate first." She grabbed Sakura's hand and led her into the house, preparing to show her the maid techniques of training (torturing) the master.
Far away, in one of the dark alleyways dotted across the city, a pile of insects lumped together to form the decaying body of an old man.
"Kah, gehkoh!"
Coughing fit ensued, a psychological response ingrained into his body despite the lack of physiological need to do so. Pain coursed through his "body" after what Rider had done to him.
"How did we summon her?"
The thought ran through his mind. Not only was she strong, she also wore a swimsuit of all things, and wielded modern weaponry. Normally the rule was that the closer to the modern age a Servant was, the weaker they became. But she was clearly an exception to the rule. Who even was she?
In fact, Zolgen himself was partially at fault here. Earlier today, he had consumed a girl wearing a maid outfit, and while her body had disappeared, the cloth and frantic still survived, the remains of the uniform in the many insects he had spread out across the basement, serving as a catalyst.
In addition, the Grail had judged her personality to be most suitable for Shinji out of all the maid Servants, so she was summoned for him. Well, it was more like she was the most suitable to reform him, able control his habits and desires until he was compatible with her. That is to say, a Servant and Master (S&M) relationship.
Thus, the fifth Servant was summoned, leaving only two more slots available for the Holy Grail War.