Part 38: Update XXXV - A strange senpai

Update XXXV - A strange senpai

Music: School I


Okay, we're up against one of the strongest beings in the Nasuverse.



Have you been experimenting with thaumaturgy while in the Arena?

The Moon is an alien supercomputer using all the Masters in the Holy Grail War as glorified lab rats.



I really, really hope Rin has some good news.

Music: Duel of Fate


I tracked them down. Collecting the data gave me a headache, though. I wonder why...



...I see. I had imagined that you would suffer some poor condition, but I didn't think that would be all. The pendant I gave you does, in fact, absorb residual magic power. However...



Music: Stops




You heard right. Rin's plan was to try and kill Hakuno.

Sound: Heartbeats


—Wait, that can't be right. I accessed the distortions yesterday and I'm still alive. So what does this all mean? Is she trying to make some kind of sick joke at my expense?

Music: Fear


She had some suspicions after we saved Rani and completely ignored the Moon Cell's defense program, so this whole wild goose chase was to confirm it.

What in the hell—?! Did she just say what I think she said?!



I think you might be the same as that homunculus girl. Both of you are anomalies, at best. Are you really in the dark about how you arrived here?

If her suspicions were correct, she gets valuable info on a future enemy. If she was wrong, Hakuno gets killed with zero effort on Rin's part, saving her from having to deal with an increasingly threatening Master.

This kind of cold hearted scheming is pretty much Magus 101, and I'm honestly impressed that Rin, of all people, pulled it off.

I don't know, I just— It's like I can half-recall a dream that I can't remember ever having...

A dream? While in a virtual world? In theory, there's no difference between a spiritron dive and a dream! ...Like a dream within a dream. You are truly a mystery wrapped in an enigma.



Rin wasn't wrong, we really did learn a lot about ourselves!

Music: School III


On a more positive note, I finally do what the game has been wanting me to do all along.



And start raising Caster's Magic!



To show how much the game wants you to boost it, Caster only needs 3 SP to get her first rank up. She could have had D rank Magic from her very first level!





The entire reason I've been investing into Defense from the start is to try and deal with a Berserker's insane damage output. Now that we're facing one, I should be good with what I have now. From here on out, I'm investing all SP into Magic.

Music: School I




Music: School III


Alright, let's see if Rani's doing any better.



She isn't.

-Tool? Why would she say that? I hope she'll clarify what she said. In answer to my unspoken plea, Rani continues.



I live only to retrieve the Holy Grail for my professor. And now, I have failed, so I am a broken tool. I must disintegrate into dust—return to the cycle.

She speaks in a flat monotone, the light gone out of her eyes. She says that she's a tool, and without the Holy Grail War, she has nothing. Is nothing. I just want to know one thing. Did this professor of hers really raise a person solely for the task of retrieving the Holy Grail? That would mean that she has never experienced a will of her own.



My professor has done everything for me, from bringing me into the world to loving and teaching me. My professor wished for the Holy Grail, and I am a tool to grant my professor's wishes.

—Then, what would Rani wish for, if she had the Holy Grail? She's putting her life on the line for her professor, but what about what Rani wishes for? I'm kind of pissed off by what I'm hearing. I mean, if her professor told her to go jump off a bridge, she probably would.



Aaaaaaaaand Hakuno fucked up.

For the first time since the battle, Rani scolds me, her voice raising and her eyes narrowing.



See you tomorrow!

That was clearly a bit different from yesterday's rejection. If... If she would just open up to me, I feel like I could help her. I'll try coming back tomorrow. The Elimination Battle may be over, but I haven't truly saved her yet.

Music: School I


I buy the Music Box and swap it in for a bit more Master MP.



Servants have reasons to obey us Masters, too. It's disrespectful to a Servant if their Master isn't prepared. You know that?



Here's hoping Crazy A and Crazy B have stopped guarding the Trigger.

Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor




On my way up, I get this line from healing her.

'Something fried' is abuurage in the voiced line, a kitsune's favorite food in Japanese legends.



Luckily for us, Gatou and Arc only block the path for one day. There's no plot requirements needed to make them move.





We finally found the Trigger. I wonder if those two are... No, that'd be too perverted...right?



I notice something strange on my way out.

Music: Battle - Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea


We have a new enemy type!



Nephilim are pretty much Extra's minibosses. From now on, most floors will have one, but they only spawn on certain days to encourage you to explore even if there's no plot to deal with. (Which is why I didn't see it on the minimap yesterday, it wasn't there in the first place!)

They have annoyingly high HP and bare minimum info, which makes fighting them a pain.



But Extra is still Extra, so The List takes a lot of bite out of them.



If you don't have The List to back you up, then you have to deal with dying in four hits.



Three things that never change are war, taxes, and the monotony of Extra's combat.



At least we get a full heal for our troubles.

Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - First Floor


The red folder holds the next tier of Shockwave gear. The 2nd Strike works the same as the 1st Strike we got during Week 2, only it costs 15 Master MP per shot, and the stun lasts for two moves instead of one.



The exit portal is hidden behind this secret pathway.



With that, the floor is fully mapped out.





All that's left is Taiga's first request.



Music: School I


Music: Duel of Fate


A warm voice envelops my poor, frazzled soul in an embrace.



Ah hell, Leo's here with advice.

I have pondered why you give off a different vibe than the other Masters as well. ...Are you still worried about what she said?

Yeah. That's pretty much it.



I do not believe many people are ever self-aware. Can't you accept not knowing as part of your identity?

Make it part of my identity...? What in the world—

Good day, then.



Gawain stays behind for a moment.

Leo left before I could come up with a witty retort.



For whatever reason, the game still lists his name as ???, as if Leo is going to the trouble of lying about his Servant for a full seven weeks.



And then he leaves.

However, his Servant sends a look back my way. His eyes seem to be saying, "You've been given good advice. Don't waste it." Though his eyes convey chivalry, it's not without an air of pity and condescension.

Leo does give good advice, I'll give him that.

...In a 'I'm so far above you that your existential crisis takes literally no effort for me to solve,' kind of way, mind you. He'll still be first against the wall.



Music: School I


Since that is the only clue that I have to my identity, I should do what I can to try to understand it. Maybe if I compare myself with the Masters I've faced I'll learn something about myself.



Remember Shinji.



The role assigned to him during the preliminary round was class clown...and my friend. At the same time, my role was to be his friend and sidekick of sorts. ...But is that really the truth? Was I ever really Shinji's friend...? I can't- I can't remember anything else. It's as if my memory is all clouded over. As I try to push deeper into my mind, it's almost as if something is actively pushing me away. I...I can't remember anything more.

~

Remember Dan.



Since I don't remember anything from before I lost my memories, I think of him like my father. Even now, his back is a symbol, his words are a guidepost. There is no shame in regret or losing your way, but never forsake the path which you have chosen. ...He was right. Even though my memory is obscured and I have yet to find a purpose in fighting, those words still resonate within me. But no words can change the fact that while I may be ready to face the future, my past remains lost... Or maybe...I might not even...?

~

Remember Alice.



I wish I'd have talked with her more— I will regret not doing so for as long as I live. Regardless of my memory issues, I should've at least tried to get to know her better. "You're just like me." The little girl who projected a sense of strength despite her desperate loneliness. But it's too late to do anything now. She's gone, and her blood will forever be on my hands. Any clues I might have learned disappear like snowflakes melting in the palm of my hand. I guess I won't be able to figure anything out after all...

~~



Although, I have to applaud your earnest desire to rediscover your origins. So, no need to hurry, but— If you do find your answers, you'll tell me, won't you?

Something about how she said all that kind of irked me, but I can't doubt her sincerity. The fact is I want to know who I am. I want to know where I came from. I want to know what there is for me.



Even that one girl says that for herself, the only way to know one's self is to first understand others.

Caster may be onto something. Talking to others might give me some insight into my true self. For now, I should go to the nurse's office. I want to check in on Rani, and maybe pick up some info as well.



But before that, we hit the requirements for a new hidden chat!

I was worried about how things were going to turn out, but you won in the end! It's a victory borne of our love!

Eh? What am I talking about? That, you silly rabbit; that. Remember that anomalous program we stomped into corrupted data in the Arena? What were they called again...rare enemies? They're so delightful that we should continue to slaughter them!

'Rare enemies,' are Nephilim, and this chat triggers after killing your first one.



I don't miss real life, but I miss the little things, you know? It's only for a little bit longer. Masters are disappearing. I'll win and go home.



That's why we're all here, right? Our reasons differ, but we're all here for the same thing.



If you lose focus and get sloppy, then you can just kiss the Holy Grail goodbye.

Oh good, the library guy is alive!

These kids have got to stop playing with my heart.

~

Oh, hey, Hakuno. I think Kotomine has something up his sleeve, so watch out. I just know he's going to make yet another unreasonable request, and I'll have to assist him. *Mumble*



Leo will be in the library all week, but all he'll talk about is Moon Cell info.



Or SE.RA.PH for short.



To calm your nerves, try thinking about exactly what kind of person your opponent is.





Yes ma'am.

You're my hero. I mean it! So, I decided to try my hand at cooking and whipped up a feast! I thought I'd made the perfect dish, but the system labeled it as a bug and moved it somewhere. Rumor has it that my culinary tour de force is languishing in the Arena, awaiting deletion. If it isn't recovered today, it'll be sent to the dustbin of history! Please, you must hurry!



Time to go see Rani again.

Music: School III




Rani welcomes me with barbed words but they're spoken quietly, with a note of reservation.

I have nothing to say to someone who speaks poorly of my professor. ...Please leave.

Ignoring her words of dismissal, I speak over Rani. I need to talk to Rani more, if I want to draw out more of her feelings. Plus, it helps me relax to know what's on her mind.



For the first time this week, her eyes manage to clear up.

-It seems I am not a human being. I tell Rani about how Rin found out that I'm not a human being, and that I have no idea what I actually am. Rani listens attentively to what I have to say. Unlike me, Rani at least knows who she is. That's why it irritates me that her professor's words dictate her life. When she hears that, Rani replies in a gentle tone.



When I ask to hear a little more about her professor, Rani lights up and words pour out.



Because I was not created with much emotional depth, carrying out my professor's wishes is my all.



The same? What does Rani mean by that? She can't meet my gaze. After a long silence, Rani looks into my eyes and delivers a cruel truth.



I have no idea if the camera bugged out for this one shot, or if it intentionally goes behind one of the sheets in the room.

I'm too taken aback to respond. I don't have an actual body...?



You would have suffered damage if you had a body. I am no exception to that rule.



Only a body that doesn't exist cannot be damaged. Perhaps you are but a string of ones and zeroes, Hakuno?



Well that makes it even worse!

Music: Duel of Fate


It just means you're disconnected from it. I heard you had issues with the prelims. Perhaps the link to your body was cut off before the preliminaries. It's only natural for your memory to be hazy, as you are severed from your database—your body.

Okay, that's much better.

...Kinda bad when 'completely cut off from your body in a digital death match' is a step up, huh.

...I see. It's not that I don't have memories, it's that I can't retrieve them at the moment. If that's the case, I just need to repair the broken link...



And now we have the real reason behind saving someone between weeks: to have a partnership that doesn't end with one of us having to die.

Now, Nasu's stuff has always been built on ironclad rules and the hundreds of ways they get broken. The problem here is that every broken rule has an equally ironclad reason for why it works. Gilgamesh is impossible to beat in a straight fight? Shirou has a natural counter to the Gate of Babylon, and Gil's arrogance will keep him playing around long enough for Shirou to overwhelm him. Emiya gets summoned as a Servant, even though he's the opposite of famous and his legend hasn't even happened yet? The Throne of Heroes is explicitly outside of time, and he held on to Rin's pendant his entire life, letting it act as a catalyst. Not allowed to kill an enemy Master in the Moon Cell Holy Grail War? Just fill the place with poison and kill them indirectly, as the SE.RA.PH only bans direct assaults. So on and so forth.

The problem here is that everything about this breaks rules, but has no justification. Everyone is on the same schedule, except Rin and Rani getting assigned each other between weeks. Everyone gets a one week prep period to strengthen themselves and get info on their enemy, except Rin and Rani go off to kill each other just one day after they get matched. Losing your Servant instantly kills you, except Rani is still alive and well even after her Servant sacrificed himself.

The writers must have found themselves trapped by the central format of the game, where any partnership would inevitably end with, 'and then you kill them,' so they had to twist their own setting into a knot so the game wouldn't be just you and your Servant the whole way through.

Suffice to say, CCC will ditch the tournament setting entirely, and the plot is all the better for it.

Rani will help me re-link with my body? That's the best news I've heard all tournament! I impulsively grasp Rani's hand and thank her fervently.



I'll devote my time to finding the location of your body on Earth, Hakuno.

What a relief... Once I have my body back, I'll learn everything about myself—why I entered this fight, what my history is, what my life is like. Once I know those things, I will be able to fight with pride. Rani smiles softly, as if reading my thoughts.

We are the same, Hakuno. For I, too, have been on a quest this whole time. I just remembered.

Remembered what? Rani smiles at me. I think she gets enjoyment out of seeing me worked up like this. She's lost her earlier hesitancy.

I'm afraid I'm a bit worn out. And so... I apologize for my unsociable behavior earlier. May we talk again tomorrow?

She really didn't have to ask. I nod yes. Satisfied, Rani settles down to sleep, sighing, "It's a promise."



Next time: Another one falls for the Kishinami charms.