Part 97: Last boy meets girl

"Hey, how long are you going to sleep? I need you to wake up."

"?"
"Wake up already. It's past ten o'clock. Ilya's bugging me to get dinner ready, so wake up and go keep her company."
An angry voice.
That wakes me up completely.

"P-Past ten!?"
I get up quickly.


"Yup. Ten-seventeen to be exact. It's way past dinnertime."
Tohsaka looks flabbergasted.

"…Sorry, I fell asleep. I'll go right away, so wait for me in the living room."
"That's fine, but where's Saber?"
"…? Well, if she's not here, she must be in the dojo or the living room."



""
Tohsaka is serious.
That tells me what the situation is in an instant.
"She's not back…!?"





Saber isn't back.
…Come to think of it, that's only natural.
We argued so much.
She said she would fight by herself.
Soconsidering her personality, she really would go and fight by herself.

Saber could be anywhere.
It's possible that I won't find her, and that she's fighting Lancer right now.





…Is she looking at the long-gone sunset?
Her gaze into the distance seems to be watching a red horizon that has already disappeared.

""
That makes me realize.
She's strong, yet so weak.
Her gallant figure must be proof that she could live without anybody's help.
But she is also so weak that my hand might go through her if I reach out.
She can't do it alone, but she defends her pride until the end.

That's why…
It was the same for me, watching stars that cannot be reached.

…The girl stares at the distant set sun, as if she knows nothing else.
I can't leave her alone.
If I lost, it was a complete loss for me.
It made me swear to myself that I would never let her make such a face.

I walk on the bridge.
I'm making sounds, but Saber doesn't notice.
""
I walk towards her in silence and stand next to her.

"Saber. You'll freeze if you stay out here."
She jumps.
…She must finally have noticed me.



"What are you doing out so late?
Tohsaka was worried since you didn't come home."


"I see. I should apologize to her."

"…It's fine. But why were you here? …Well, it doesn't matter since it was easy for me to find you."


"…I was still here because I did not yet know where to go.
You told me to do as I wished. So I tried to do so.
But I could not think what I should do or where I want to go. So I was thinking all this time about where I should be going."

Ah, right. The sexism isn't complete until we show that women are also indecisive.

She speaks like a lost child.
She must feel guilty, as Saber keeps averting her gaze.
…We did have that big fight.
It's only natural for her to think I'm still mad.



I shall return to you once I defeat Lancer and obtain the Holy Grail, so until then"
Is she saying she'll wander around without a place to return to?

"What are you talking about? You're coming back to my house, right?
I've prepared your bed and your food."




"Shirou."
"Let's go home. Even a Servant will catch a cold if they stay out here this long. Let's hurry back and eat something warm."


"U-Um, but I…"

"And I won't apologize to you.
If you have any complaints, tell me now."
I say so rudely, looking away from Saber.



She looks like she wants to apologize, but I ignore her.


…That must have worked on her.
Saber doesn't say anything and follows while holding my hand.

Music: The End of Reminiscence



""
""
We keep walking.
Saber is walking slowly.

…She was standing on that bridge for more than five hours.
She must be freezing and be tired as well.
She falls forward sometimes as I pull her by the hand.

"Should I walk slower, Saber? You don't seem to be doing well."
I turn around to check on her.



It is just that… it is not because of Rin, but it really seems like a rendezvous if we are holding hands like this…"

"Eh?"
So.
Hearing that, I feel my face burn up in an instant.

"Y-Yeah. …Um, should I let go? Um, I mean, if you don't like it…"
















"No, this is fine. Your hand is warm and very comforting."

…Our conversation ends right there.
I walk on to hide my embarrassment.
Saber silently accompanies me.

How much further is it to the mansion?
I feel embarrassed by the warmth in my hand as I leave the park.
…Many things happened today.
But if it ends with this warmth, I can change religion and start to pray with that priest. But the instant I think so…

Music: Stop