Chapter 48 End of the Idol Fan Meeting
"I get the feeling you've been staring at me more frequently; is it just my imagination, Shirou?"
Though it was a bit late to mention it, the way Richard addressed Shirou had long since changed to "Shirou." If calling those close to him by their given names was his habit, then Shirou must have been viewed as a friend before he even realized it.
Richard tilted his head to the left, and Shirou's eyes followed; Richard tilted his head to the right, and Shirou's eyes still followed. Richard seemed genuinely puzzled, hence his muttering.
"It's definitely your imagination."
Shirou gave a small smile.
Richard let out a skeptical "Oh," and nodded.
'Richard, I've done my best. If you still can't figure it out, it's not my problem anymore.'
Shirou sighed for this King Arthur super-fan, then checked the time. It was already 5:00 PM; it was time to head back. Shirou had told Rin he'd be "back in a bit," and the current time was already pushing it.
Shirou and Saber stood together, while Richard stood with Ayaka. Though the pairing was the same as when they started, the sun sinking further into the west perfectly captured the atmosphere of an impending departure.
The serious topics had been concluded. As for the lighter topics, there would likely be plenty of time to chat in the future.
Richard called out to Ayaka, "Let's go. Time to find the Heroic Spirit of the forest."
"We're not moving with them?"
"It's fine. We'll likely meet again in this Holy Grail War anyway. Rather, we can completely coordinate meeting spots through constant contact."
Richard shook his head, deducing the future situation of mutual support, and stated simply. He gave his strategic judgment as a King: "In the early stages of a Holy Grail War, it's best to expand the scope of one's allies. Furthermore, our further exploration of this war is also a way of helping them; the two aren't contradictory."
Then, he turned to Shirou and Saber:
"Meeting you both today was truly a stroke of luck. Not only have we become comrades-in-arms, but I've also witnessed a human who has reached the level of a Heroic Spirit, received a precious gift, and even gained a new understanding of the great King Arthur. To have so many experiences—as I said before, I cannot thank you enough."
He flashed a smile, looking even happier than usual.
"By the way, I just thought of something!"
Richard actively shared his latest thought with his newly made friend: "Since even someone like me has ascended to the Throne of Heroes, King Arthur is naturally on the Throne as well. Which is to say, in a Holy Grail War, I might even meet King Arthur in person—this is a strange twist of fate I hadn't even considered. I hope that one day I may finally meet him!"
There was one point in his words that Shirou agreed with.
Indeed, it was a strange twist of fate.
Because, while you weren't supposed to meet, you actually already have.
Knowing nothing, Ayaka looked at the whimsical Richard with dead eyes. Shirou, for his part, kept his mouth shut and looked up at the blue sky that wasn't whimsical at all...
To give Richard one last bit of small help, Shirou spoke up:
"Yeah. I wish that the person you're looking for, though far as the horizon, is actually right before your eyes."
Specifically, like, standing elegantly within ten meters.
Hiss!
The "back" of the youth took the full force of a complaining knife-hand strike from the girl whose appearance was a total deception.
It didn't hurt at all!
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As the sunset began to turn red, the two traveling companions stopped at the exit of the alley.
"From what I can see, there should be no one around."
Shirou glanced at the high ground and further asked Saber: "Saber, you also feel that there's no more surveillance nearby, right?"
After confirming for a dozen seconds, Saber agreed: "I feel nothing."
"Finally, we can go back."
Shirou let his body relax, and just by moving his wrists, a clicking sound came from his joints. Stepping forward, the two of them set foot on a normal street that finally showed signs of human life.
"Time moved more slowly than I imagined."
Saber spoke softly and wistfully, as if recalling everything that had happened today.
"I'm actually a bit tired."
Whether it was physical fatigue or mental exhaustion was hard to tell, but the gears that kept Shirou operating at full power were indeed slowing down.
Shirou glanced in the direction Ayaka and Richard were likely walking: "I thought Sigma was weird enough, but that pair is also so interesting..."
"Interesting... If Shirou thinks so, then perhaps..."
The biggest victim, Saber, wore an indescribable expression, but she didn't disagree, out of consideration for Shirou's feelings. Shirou was grateful for her profound kindness.
Setting that aside for a moment, Shirou asked humbly: "Saber, is this city going to be okay at this rate?"
"Generally speaking, the Mystery caused by magi is not used to influence the 'front' side. Shirou, living in the modern era where Mystery is thin, should understand this better than I do."
Saber answered smoothly, as if she knew what Shirou was going to say.
The luck of a magus cannot be viewed through a normal lens. Because of the various Mysteries of their craft, their very fortune is stirred into something resembling turbulent flow. Encountering the likes of Sigma and Richard was likely a manifestation of that.
However, encountering both Sigma and Richard in a single day—rather than it being an influence of Shirou's status as a third-rate magus...
As expected, it felt more like the land beneath their feet was inherently chaotic. This chaos felt like it would summon something. But listening to Saber's answer, Shirou felt somewhat relieved. At the very least, they wouldn't go so far as to accidentally summon a meteor shower or a tornado, right? These magi should uphold the principle of letting Shirou off and letting themselves off; they wouldn't blow themselves up and make everyone that miserable.
"Shirou, the name 'Ayaka'..."
Before that, Saber gave a rare, proactive reminder.
Shirou also knew what she was talking about, his eyes shifting slightly: "Is it possible it's a pseudonym?"
Saber shook her head. "That girl doesn't seem like someone with the presence of mind to design a pseudonym for herself."
'Are you praising her or insulting her?'
"Then maybe it's just someone with the same name?"
Shirou looked sideways at the shops along the street, speaking quietly.
Saber, like a King looking out at her subjects from afar, was filled with pure concern as she let out a long breath: "I hope so. And we can only hope so."
Because if it weren't, things would be terrible.
This was information that everyone knew, but no one wanted to mention. Because everyone knew it, there was no need to mention it; and because it was a bit "thinking about it is terrifying," no one wanted to mention it.
"Yeah."
The scenery of a mundane city stretched out ahead, filling Shirou's vision:
"—After all, the name of our original client back in Romania was Ayaka Sajyou."
Who, then, was the Ayaka beside the Saber?
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