Part 132: Telephone murder Fuji

It seems she can sleep to stop consuming magical energy, but doing so doesn't replenish it.
So food will be her only source of energy. I'm in charge of cooking, so I can't be lazy about it.

"Servants take physical form using magical energy, right?
Thensince you can't restore magical energy, you'll get weaker every time you fight?"
I ask her after cleaning up our meal.


"It does not mean I cannot restore any magical energy.
Magical energy is constantly created within oneself. A Servant without any outside source can create magical energy using its own Magic Circuit."
"I see. Then there's no problem, right?"


"…Well, how shall I explain this? Hmm, let me use that faucet as an example.
Water is dripping out of the faucet right now, correct? Please consider that as my magical energy being created. And the cup receiving the drop is me.
In this state, I can accumulate magical energy slowly."

"Well, there will be more dripping water the more water the cup holds.
As long as the cup holds some water, the faucet will create more. But when the water runs out, when I use up my magical energy, the faucet shuts off."



That means elimination for the Servant.
Either to receive a fatal wound or to lose enough magical energy… Well, the latter rarely occurs."

"…But all you need is at least a drop of water in the cup, right? If there's a bit of water left in the cup, the faucet will create more water and fill the cup up."


"Yes. But the water in the cup is constantly consumed.
It is lost without me doing anything, and it will be lost at a faster pace during battles.
…To put it simply, a more powerful action requires more water. If I am to use my Noble Phantasm, I could empty out the whole cup even if it may be full."

…This is getting complicated now.
To sum it up, as I, her faucet, am not giving her magical energy, she can only restore magical energy at a slow pace. The rate being just that of dripping water.
Therefore, she should end battles as quickly as she can and sleep right after that to stop consuming any unnecessary magical energy.

This conversation makes me have to pee.

"Man. So the Noble Phantasm is a luxury we can't afford, huh?"


"Correct. But it does not mean I cannot use it.
I should be able to use it once if I reduce the power I put into it."

"What are you saying? I can't let you do that. You're not allowed to use your Noble Phantasm, okay? I don't know how I'll apologize to you if it causes you to die."
I place the tea in front of Saber.



She frowns and reaches for the tea.

Then.
The phone rings.

"…A phone call at this time on a Sunday…"
I have all too good an idea as to who it may be, but I'm scared by the consequences of ignoring the call.

"Hello, this is Emiya."

Music: Today's Meal

"Hi, this is Fujimura!"

"……"
I feel dizzy.
She is the strongest in one regard.
She simply discards all the chaotic events that happened since last night, and I feel like it's just a normal day.




It sure is strange.
I feel like Fuji-Nee's right in front of me, puffing with pride.

"I see. Then I guess this isn't the time to be chit-chatting. There are no robbers or fires here. You can rest assured and go back to your club."
I try to cut off our conversation.

"H-Hold on! I'm calling you, so it'll be terrible if you hang up without hearing me out!"
…I've been in trouble since last night, but it won't do any good to tell her that.
Well, I guess she's in a little trouble right now too.



Music: Stop

…Geez. What's up with that teacher?

Music: Gentle Everyday

"…Man, I guess it can't be helped. I hear beasts go wild when they get hungry…"
I put on the apron I just took off.
…Well, we have leftovers from lunch, and the omelet will be easy to make.

"I'm doneSaber, can you watch the house for a bit?
I'll only be gone for a while."
I carry Fuji-Nee's boxed lunch and go out into the hallway.



Saber follows me for some reason.

I put on my shoes.
When I look next to me…



Saber is there, putting her own shoes on.

"…Saber?"
I call out to her timidly.
…Well, I know what she's going to say, but I have to ask her.

"Um, well?"


"I shall accompany you if you are going outside. Servants protect their Masters. It is too dangerous to let you walk outside alone."

…I thought so.
Well, this is something I have to tell her eventually.
This is a good time, so I'll tell her now.

"Saber. Masters try to avoid getting attention, right? Then daytime should be a safe time. They won't attack me unless I go to an isolated place."


"I am aware of that fact. But there could be exceptions.
Since you are inexperienced, I should be by your side constantly."

"Wha"
Does she mean she'll be with me all the time!?

"Y-Y-Y-You idiot. I can't do that!
First of all, what will we do when I go to sleep!?"


"Are you testing me, Shirou? That is the time that requires the most attention. I shall be on standby, right next to you."
"Wha!"

I hide my blushing face and take a huge breath to calm myself down.
""
…Damn, how stupid of me.
I finally realize this important fact.
This is what it means to fight alongside her!



……!
Don't kid me! I'll go crazy before I even fight if you do that!

"I-I can't allow that! I'll prepare you a room, so you can sleep there!"


"……"
…Ugh.
I won't give in even if you look at me like that.


"Please stop this nonsense, Shirou. I have tolerated most of your contradictions, but I cannot compromise on this. Your plan is full of mistakes for a Master. I cannot obey you unless you explain your reasoning."

Saber looks up at me.
She's putting pressure on me, but I stare back at her.

"I-I don't have a reason! I'm telling you to just do so. It's safe during the daytime, so go ahead and rest!"



"YYou don't get it, huh!? You're a girl, so there's no way I can sleep in the same room as you…!"


Saber freezes.

"A-Anyway, I'm going to prepare you a room when I come home, so rest until then…!"
I run out the door.
Man, this is pathetic, but I'm running away. And I'm doing it in front of my opponent, too!



"Eeeeeeww, cooties!"

…Well, anyway.
Saber should understand since I told her so firmly.
I'll apologize for yelling at her after I come home.

Music: Surrounded by Smiling Faces

I go down the hill.
It takes about thirty minutes to get to school on foot. I don't have to hurry, but I'm walking quickly right now.
The reason being…



""
The girl walking silently behind me.

"……"
She'll follow me to school if I don't do anything.
I have to clearly tell her right here!

"Saber. I told you to wait at the house. You won't obey your Master?"
I stop and turn to her.



After glaring at me…


"Who knows. If a Servant is not following its Master's order, it must mean the Servant did not hear the Master."
She turns away from me.



"Go home now. Do I have to tell you that it's annoying to have you following me?"
I glare at the girl who is walking exactly five meters behind me.



I have no idea what she's so mad about, but I'm sure she's just obstinate.

"Fine, do what you want."
I ignore Saber and walk on.



It's a bit past one o'clock.
Fortunately, I don't see any students around.
It's Sunday, so I bet most people in the clubs are still resting after eating their lunch.
"…Well, that's good, but I still shouldn't go any further."
I sigh and give up.



…She looks even more angry, as I've been ignoring her this whole time.

"Saber."


"What is it? I believe you told me to do as I wish."
"…Hm. So you only hear things that are convenient for you, huh?"


"Of course. I am a Servant, so I cannot allow my Master to be in danger."

"Geez. All right, you win. I give up, so let's go to school together. You should understand that the school is a safe place if you go there.
And I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."



"Well, let's make up a story for you. You're a relative of my father, and you came here to visit and sightsee. Is that all right?"
I walk up the hill with Saber.


"OhYes. I do not mind if that is convenient for you."
"All right, that's what we'll go with. Yeah… you would've met them sooner or later, so it doesn't matter if I introduce them to you now."

That's right.
Saber is bound to meet Sakura and Fuji-Nee if she's staying at my place.

"Oh yeah. I forgot to ask you, but where did you get those clothes?"


"Rin gave these to me. She said I will need normal clothes since I cannot turn into spirit form."

""
That's unexpected.
I'm not surprised by Rin's kindness, but just that she'd have such feminine clothes.

"Then what about that armor? Is that back at the house?"


"No. That armor is formed from my magical energy. I can remove it at will. It will immediately protect me during battle."

"Hm. So you can take it out at will?"


"Yes. So you need not worry. I shall protect you even if an enemy attacks us here."

"Yeah, that's comforting."
Maybe because I've kept so quiet up until now, my honest opinion slips out.




Saber does not answer me and continues up the hill.

Music: Stop



"Saber. If anybody stops you, just shake your head. It'll be great if you can make an expression like you don't understand Japanese."
I turn to Saber.


""
"Saber? What's with that severe expression? Don't scare me like that."


"Huh…? Oh no, I was not looking at you, Shirou. I was just surprised at how strong the lingering magical energy is here."

"Lingering magical energy? Is that true?"
Saber says so, but I don't feel anything.
…Well, I can't feel any magical energy unless it's really strong.


"Yes. But it is not something to be surprised about. Rin is in the same grade as you, correct? This is a place where a great magus has gone for over a year. I am sure she has a workshop, so some magical energy will flow out no matter how well she may try to hide it."
It seems the magical energy Saber feels is from Tohsaka.

"Hmm. She's pretty stupid for getting her magical energy sensed even before you went inside. …Wait, is she in there right now!?"


"No, it does not seem she is in there. I should be able to feel the energy more strongly if she is. Nobody resembling a magus is currently on this property.
…There is a strange feeling, but there is no danger."

"I told you there's no danger here. All right, let's go in."

Music: Tender Scenery



A person that knows you well comes in handy at a time like this.
Mitsuzuri Ayako, the captain of the archery club, even figured out why I was here just by seeing me.

"I'm here to deliver her lunch as you guessed. Is Fuji-Nee here?"


"Yup. Man, you've saved us. We were worried because she was hungry and started getting edgy. The cafeteria's closed, so we were considering going somewhere to buy her food."

"Was it that serious? Wait, were you thinking of going to Toyoetsu by yourself?"


"Where else can I go? We're short on money already, so I can't be spending money on emergency food."

As expected from Mitsuzuri, the woman who hates to waste money.
By the way, Toyoetsu is the name of the supermarket in the shopping district.

Well, thank you for clearing that up for us, Shirou. Please put the fourth wall back when you're done.

In the archery club, anyone resting their arm and taking a break is sent on a grocery run as an exercise.
…It's a contradictory custom because even though it's an exercise to rest your arm, you have to carry back a lot of groceries.

"…That's some misfortune. Here's the lunch. It's a bit late, but go ahead and give it to Fuji-Nee."
I hold out the bag.


"Wow, a three-layered boxed lunch. It's been a while since I've seen this. You're good at doing small, intricate things."

Fits the stereotype, anyway.

I don't know what she's happy about, but she smiles.

…Oh yeah, she's good at mass-production.
Mitsuzuri is usually in charge of dinner during our training camp, and she surprises us every time.
The world of cooking is deep, considering how a curry with whole potatoes in it tasted good.

…Well, anyway.
Mitsuzuri only looks inside the bag and doesn't take it.

"Hey, just take the bag. Isn't it a problem in there with Fuji-Nee going wild?"


"Yeah. If you think so, you should go in there quickly and give the lunch to her.
First of all, you should know she'd get mad if I turned you away here. I don't want to be chewed out by Fujimura-Sensei, so go on in."
She points to the range using her chin.

"……"
She's right. It can get scary later on if I don't at least go see her.
I'm not here for archery practice, so I can go home as soon as I hand her the lunch.

I give up and head to the archery range.
"But Mitsuzuri, you should be checking if Fuji-Nee has her lunch or not since you've been here long enough. It's bad if the teacher starts looking at her students' lunches."


"Well, I was a bit tired this morning. I've been busy lately, so I don't have much time to spare. Well, it does no good to be complaining to you"

Music: Stop

Then, she suddenly comes up to me and whispers into my ear.

Music: Gentle Everyday



"…So, who is she? She's really beautiful. Do you know her?"
Her voice is tense as she asks.



All the more if she's coming into the archery range after me.


"So? Is that an acquaintance of yours?"
"It's kind of complicated, but let's just say she is. …And if you can go ahead and tell everyone not to make a fuss about her when we go in, I'll be indebted to you."


"……All right. I'm curious, but I like that condition. Don't take it back later, okay, Emiya?"
I open the door.
Saber silently follows after me and Mitsuzuri.



"Fujimura-Sensei! Misaki-san is saying she's going to die of stomach-ache! How old was that cracker!?"



"That's just her side hurting! I ate it and I'm doing fine, so just give her some kelp tea!"

"Taiga-Sensei! I'm going to practice, so can you move the stove? It's cold in the corner of the range!"


"All right. Since you have some guts, go run around the range three times in shorts. Go and beat that rotten character of yours into shape."

"Sensei! We have someone bleeding over here! Kitako-kun cut her cheek with the bow string!"


"Hmm, you don't have to go to the nurse's office for this small wound.
Just rub some of the aloe planted in the back on it."

"Ouch. Geez, why is this bow like this? I can't put the string on well if it's like this."


"Oh, there! Don't push on the top. You're still young, so get someone to help you if it's difficult. If you break it, your neck will be broken later on.
That is, I'm going to break your neck for breaking our precious bow."

"Sensei! We don't have any powder! My hand's slipping!"


"Oh, really? Can someone go to the storage room and get some of the stock?"

"Sensei, we're out of stock as well! I think it's because you forgot to order more the other day!"




"Oh, man. Then, the first years are to go to the baseball club and steal some rosin bags!"
"Man, she's nuts!"
They scream in unison.

"……"
Man.
This place doesn't change at all.

"Well."
I can't be watching this hellish scene forever.



Sakura puts down the bow in her hand and runs to me.


"Senpai! W-Why did you come here today? Um, could it be, um…"
"Yeah, I brought lunch for Fuji-Nee.
I'm sorry, but can you go get that crazy teacher over there?"





I don't know where her cheerfulness went, as she slumps her shoulders.

"That's it. Fuji-Nee's giving absurd orders because she's hungry, right? It might be too late, but let her eat this since I made it.
Oh, I'm sorry for coming home late last night. And thanks for making me dinner."


"…Yes. I'm glad that you say so, but…"


She looks behind me.



There stands a gold-haired girl unsuited to this range.


"…Um, Senpai?"
"Hm? Oh, was I too late? I made some for you as well, but was it unnecessary?"




"Oh, no, that's not true. I-I'm hungry as well! …Um, I gave half of my lunch to Sensei."

"Yeah, I thought so. I made your lunch so that you can eat it right away. It shouldn't take that long to eat it.
…Well, I don't think anyone's going to complain if that's the case."


"Y-You're right! I'll have some then. Um, will you be here all today?"

"Yeah. Since I'm here, I'll stay here until the club is over. I skipped making dinner yesterday, so I'll cook dinner today. Come and eat with us."



Sakura goes to get Fuji-Nee in a hurry.
When I look around, Mitsuzuri is explaining things to the students that are getting rowdy from seeing Saber.

Well.
I've accomplished my goal.

Music: Tender Scenery



"I'm full now. The sugar's flowing to my brain, so I'm finally up to par now."

The break room.
Fuji-Nee is munching on some sweet bean jelly as she drinks some tea.
The only thing audible in the quiet dojo is the sound of arrows. It must be because Fuji-Nee is calm now.


"Um, Sensei. I'm going to the range now, so excuse me."


"All righty. Oh, can you tell Mitsuzuri-san to come here? I need to talk to her."


"Okay. Please stay at your leisure, Senpai. If you can, it'd help me out if you would coach me."
Sakura bows and leaves.
But when she does so…


She looks uneasily at Saber, who is watching us quietly by the wall.


"So, what are you gonna do now? The club's over at five, so will you just watch until then?"