Chapter 47 Rest in Peace, Richard
"Miss Altos?"
Ayaka reached out and waved her hand. "Miss Altos?"
Saber snapped back to reality and spoke to Ayaka:
"Do not worry. I was simply caught off guard by an unexpected topic in an unexpected place; my feelings are just a bit complicated."
Her expression had already returned to normal. Given her psychological preparation as a King, even listening to Richard's saccharine, non-stop eulogies from ten meters away and then enduring the "true damage" dealt by Shirou's commentary wouldn't cause a ripple in her expression—usually.
Saber cast a glance toward the other side of their "island," where Richard was enthusiastically pestering the young man with conversation. It looked like that particular debate about King Arthur wasn't going to stop even if Shirou wanted it to.
Saber didn't blame Shirou.
...Saying she didn't blame him meant she didn't blame him. If there was blame, it lay with Richard.
However, if this continued, nothing would progress. Saber couldn't act as Shirou's parent; if Shirou wanted to run off and fool around with that Saber, she couldn't stop him. It was better to speak a few words with Richard's Master, Ayaka, instead.
The end of this meeting was imminent; the time remaining for dialogue was scarce.
Ayaka lowered her eyes evasively. After a moment, she finally looked up, her gaze filled with envy:
"What should I do to become like him?"
Did "him" refer to Richard or Shirou?
Saber thought about it with a touch of her natural airheadedness. Eventually, she decided that from Ayaka's perspective, it likely referred to the Saber named Richard.
"It might be difficult to become like that Saber. He seems to possess a certain innate quality that you probably cannot learn."
Saber spoke.
However, Ayaka waved her hands. "No, while I don't understand that Saber either, that's not who I meant... I mentioned your companion subconsciously, I'm sorry!"
'Hmm?'
Saber's gaze sharpened slightly. But, thinking it over... Envying Shirou meant wanting to connect with Richard as smoothly as he did. Clarifying the subject, it was that Ayaka wanted to connect with Richard.
Then there was no problem.
Having cleared that up, Saber asked softly: "Why do you feel that way?"
In this environment that Saber hadn't realized had turned into a "girl talk" session, Ayaka's fine, gold-dyed hair hung low as she spoke embarrassedly:
"After all, he's an ordinary person just like me... right? Yet he got along with that Saber so instantly, and he could make that Saber show such a happy expression."
How did he develop that composed manner?
The secret to making an ordinary person no longer ordinary, the knack for handling abnormal situations without a single complaint just like that Saber—there must be a secret like that, right?
Although it stemmed from a strange sense of crisis... with such a "weird guy" as a comparison, would the "useless" Ayaka be abandoned by her Saber soon?
There must be stories out there that made everyone feel so distant from Ayaka. Ayaka was already tired of her own habit of clutching her head and curling up; how did they all just decide to become so different from her on their own?
To this, Miss Altos replied: "I understand your question."
"Then, does Miss Altos think—"
"As I thought, it must be a sense of responsibility."
Miss Altos said.
"The things one must complete by oneself, the things one must finish for the sake of individuals unrelated to oneself... though one could live perfectly well by avoiding them, it is the feeling of having to stand up for the things one values. Both Shirou and I probably understood this far too early... You, surely, have such things as well."
She spoke words Ayaka had never heard before, yet they seemed to brush against her heart.
Saber fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:
"Is your full name Ayaka Sajyou?"
"Ehh!?"
Could this beautiful girl actually perform divination? Ayaka was startled.
Saber didn't say much more, only asking: "If you were to obtain the Holy Grail, do you have a wish you would want to grant?"
"Ah, uh..." Ayaka scratched her hair. "To be honest, I don't remember my past clearly. And when I enter an elevator, I see an existence like a ghost from a horror story. It doesn't have to be the Holy Grail, but I really want to resolve those two things."
"I see."
Saber pulled out a piece of modern machinery.
"Let's exchange contact information first. This Holy Grail War is quite strange; this should also help with your safety. Other matters, we will explain to you slowly."
This piece of modern machinery was a smartphone.
It is worth mentioning that Saber did not have the "machine illiterate" attribute. Quite the opposite of a certain Lady in Red, Saber might not understand many modern technologies at first sight, but by the second or third time, she could use them normally. The contrast was stark, the comparison obvious.
Ayaka hurriedly fumbled for her phone, and then... she fell into deep thought as she looked at her almost blank contact list.
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When Shirou finally managed to interrupt the King Arthur fanatic's topic and return to the King Arthur herself, he was stunned. "Saber, you guys already exchanged contacts?"
Saber held her phone, facing Shirou flatly.
"Yes. While you were talking, I got it done."
Sensing the emphasis, cold sweat immediately poured down Shirou's back. He was out of options.
"I'll be taking him now," Saber formally notified the two.
This time it was Saber's turn to pull Shirou toward the corner of the alley. She looked exactly like a woman dragging a "no-show" back from a drinking buddy.
Once they reached a distance where the other Saber couldn't hear, Saber said immediately:
"Do you have any defense to offer, Shirou?"
A dangerous gaze swept over.
"Forced by circumstances, please be lenient."
Discussing someone right in front of them was indeed a bit disrespectful. Being lectured for this was something Shirou just had to accept.
"I can understand; it was not your fault. Rest easy, Shirou, you need not be so nervous. Regarding the matter of talking about me, I do not intend to pursue it too deeply."
To his surprise, Saber let her hands hang relaxedly, gentle and considerate, forgiving everything like an angel. Although it might have been an illusion, she seemed to be saying, I forgive you for fooling around with your bad influences, as she smiled calmly and said:
"However—unless it is an emergency, revealing my identity to him is strictly forbidden. Please maintain the status quo where that Saber never knows my true identity."
"Eh, why?"
"Shirou, after everything that happened between us and him, you're asking me why?"
Saber's gaze gradually sharpened with disbelief.
Thinking back on today's events—using a verbal offensive to make Saber admit their relationship out loud, discussing Saber's "cuteness" with Richard, discussing the "King of Knights" right in front of Saber... Shirou felt like he could understand now.
Finally, Shirou could only ask sheepishly: "We're leaving soon anyway, don't you think that Saber is a bit pitiable?"
"Not in the slightest."
Merciless.
Richard, rest in peace.
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