Chapter 301: The Danger of a Berserk Match
After school, Shirou brought the two Heroic Spirit girls to the Service Club, intending to introduce Jeanne and Artoria to his other companions. From now on, they would all be partners protecting this world together.
Inside the classroom at that moment were only three girls: Yukinoshita Yukino, who was reading; Asuna, who was playing a game; and Yuigahama, who was smiling while tapping away at her phone. Mash seemed to be busy with work alongside Gudako back at Chaldea, so she had taken the day off from school.
"Everyone, I've brought them over. You've seen them at my house before—the Heroic Spirits Artoria and Jeanne. Please look after them from now on," Shirou said, introducing both sides.
"This is Yukinoshita Yukino, a second-year in the International Class and our resident brain trust and strategist. Her 100% synchronization Pseudo-Servant summons include the Greek heroine Atalanta and one of the three great tragic heroes of our nation, Ushiwakamaru. She usually stays here handling intelligence analysis," Shirou explained to the two Heroic Spirit girls beside him.
"I can be useful at critical moments, so it doesn't matter if my physical stamina is a bit low, right?" Yukinoshita argued defiantly.
"This is Yuigahama Yui, my classmate. Her 100% synchronization Heroic Spirits are the famous 'Ibaraki-douji' and Suzuka Gozen."
"Anyway... 'Anyway' what? Shirou, you just went silent for a moment, didn't you!? Is it really that hard for you to think of a single merit of mine?" Yuigahama stood up in protest.
"This is Yuuki Asuna. She is also a second-year student in the International Class. Her 100% synchronization Heroic Spirit is Minamoto no Raikou. She possess the qualities of a first-rate warrior herself and is a particularly trustworthy partner."
"Oh my, Shirou, if you praise me like that, I'll get embarrassed. Miss Artoria, Miss Jeanne—since we're friends, you can just call me Asuna. I look forward to working with you." The girl said with a smile.
"Just call us by our names. Our current status is that of students at this school; we are no different from anyone else," Artoria stated.
"Yes, it's more comfortable for me to be called that way too. Honestly, adding 'classmate' or '-san' to everything is quite a mouthful," Jeanne agreed, nodding at Artoria's words.
"Me too! I feel the same way! Then let's all just call each other by our names," Yuigahama added cheerfully.
"Very well, it's decided then. For now, please have a seat," Yukinoshita Yukino said, putting down her book and addressing the two Heroic Spirit girls.
"Here, please enjoy." Asuna had finished brewing tea and handed a cup to the boy.
"Thanks, Asuna." Shirou took the tea with both hands, offering his thanks.
"You're welcome, Shirou. If you really want to thank me, just come play games with me next time," Asuna said, giving Shirou a gentle smile.
"Right, I understand. As long as I have time, I'm at your beck and call." Shirou nodded, giving his promise.
"Then it's a promise." Her mood greatly improved, Asuna turned with a smile toward Artoria and Jeanne. Placing tea before them, she said, "Artoria, Jeanne, please help yourselves."
"Thanks," Jeanne said as she took the tea.
Next, Yukinoshita performed an analysis of their strategic direction for the future.
Shirou looked at the girl admiringly and sighed with emotion. "As expected, you're very reliable. Leaving things to Yukinoshita puts my mind at ease."
"What? Don't even think about pushing all the matters of this world onto me, Shirou," Yukinoshita warned, looking at the boy.
"I know, I know," Shirou replied with a dry laugh. As expected, she was as sharp as ever.
"Artoria-san, given your noble status as the King of Knights, I originally have no right to say anything, but please take this as a small suggestion and listen to my humble words," Yukinoshita Yukino said respectfully.
"No, as a commander, I was ultimately involved in cold-weapon warfare fifteen hundred years ago. I would like to hear the views of a modern intellectual," Artoria Alter replied. Though she leaned toward her cold and aloof side as a hegemon, she looked at the girl with an open mind to seek advice.
"Yes. I hope everyone can protect this world together without exposing yourselves. Since you have obtained physical bodies and intend to live here long-term, I believe it is necessary for you to abide by the rules of this world," Yukinoshita Yukino said, meeting the two girls' gazes. She had her own persistence and sense of justice.
Artoria nodded silently.
Yukinoshita continued:
"You are already aware of the recent 'Online Holy Grail War' incident. Chaldea has screened and processed those who performed unauthorized Pseudo-Summons. Those types who would cause harm to society have had their qualifications revoked, while others returned to their respective homes after promising to follow the rules.
Like us, they have entered into contracts with Chaldea to maintain the peace of this world and resolve incidents involving rampaging magical beasts from alternate spaces.
In the future, I hope you will also abide by the rules set by Chaldea and not reveal your strength casually in this world. After all, things like Heroic Spirits and magical beasts are still hidden from the public. If they were exposed, the world might fall into chaos and panic because of it. Of course, please exercise restraint outside of school as well."
"Yes, they know all that; they've already promised me," Shirou spoke up for the girls.
"Hmph. As long as it doesn't cause me inconvenience, I have no interest in oppressing others," Artoria agreed coldly.
"Well, I promised Shirou I wouldn't hurt the humans here randomly. Of course... it's a different story if the people here come looking for trouble," Jeanne shrugged nonchalantly.
Thus, after reaching a consensus, Yukinoshita and the others gladly accepted the girls into the Service Club, and everyone became good friends.
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As time passed, the girls gradually integrated into the class. However, both in and out of lessons, Jeanne and Artoria were constantly competing with each other. Consequently, Shirou had to follow behind them to handle various aftermaths.
Since birth, Artoria had constantly studied writing, calculation, military affairs, and swordsmanship; even in her dreams, Merlin taught her the art of kingship. After pulling out the Sword in the Stone, she continuously accumulated experience in statecraft through actual practice. From birth to death, King Arthur studied day after day for ten years, never slackening.
Such a girl could be called a "super-student" who was exceptionally good at learning and synthesizing information. She quickly mastered the new knowledge taught at school.
For Jeanne, the "village girl," it was extremely difficult. Although as a Servant, languages were universal, that didn't apply to grammar and sentence structure. Mathematics, in particular, was something she couldn't understand no matter how much effort she put in. What on earth was a function? What was a quadratic inequality?
Consequently, Jeanne was always competing with Artoria during Physical Education class. And while Artoria usually held the advantage against Jeanne, she was equally unwilling to lose, responding to every challenge with her full strength.
Whether by coincidence or because someone behind the scenes had made specific arrangements, Shirou's class and the International Class happened to have P.E. together.
In the void, one could almost sense the meaningful smile of that black-haired noblewoman, Da Vinci.
While Shirou was in soccer class, he looked over to the other side and could see the two girls shouting as they sprinted across the track, kicking up clouds of dust. They were pushing and shoving each other; even after crossing the finish line, they couldn't stop their momentum and kept charging forward.
It seemed they refused to stop until they had left the other behind.
The girl serving as the sports representative, responsible for the timer at the finish line, stood there slack-jawed, staring at her stopwatch with an expression of pure disbelief.
Shirou hastily used his Mystic Eyes to modify the stopwatch in the girl's hand. The data on it began to flicker and change constantly, as if it had no intention of stopping.
"I knew it—both of their times broke world records. It really is broken," the sports representative said with a bitter laugh.
"What's wrong?" her friends nearby asked.
"No, the timer is broken. It didn't record the speed just now," the representative said.
"Then what should we do? Have Artoria-san and Jeanne-san come back and race again?" one of the girls suggested.
They looked into the distance at the two who were running further and further away, kicking up billowing dust. Wherever they passed looked like a sandstorm. The aura inadvertently released by the blonde and silver-haired girls during their confrontation made those nearby tremble with fear, even from the periphery.
"You want to be the one to go tell them?" the representative asked her friend with a smile, playfully coaxing her.
The friend gave an equally sweet smile and waved her hands. "No, no way. With that 'End-of-the-Century Conqueror' atmosphere they have, how could I possibly have the courage to talk to them?"
"But honestly, those two are really fast. They might be the fastest in the whole grade," the girls laughed.
"True. Let's just record the highest possible speed for both," the representative's eyes lit up as she casually wrote two identical numbers on the record sheet. It was the safest choice.
"Yeah, yeah," the surrounding girls nodded in agreement.
In the distance, the boy finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had averted another crisis of exposure. Otherwise, even if they weren't treated as mutants or aliens and taken away by relevant departments to be dissected, being scouted by sports talent scouts would be a massive headache.
Because Mashiro had "special privileges" for her drawing hands, she had stayed far away from the dangerous track where Artoria and Jeanne were from the start. Instead, she was observing Shirou as he sweated during the soccer match, taking in every move he made.
Watching the boy worry himself to death, Mashiro softly cheered for him: "Shirou, do your best!"
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Then, during volleyball class indoors:
White afterimages constantly flashed through the air, making heavy thud-thud sounds as they hit the floor.
Aside from the blonde and silver-haired girls standing on opposite sides of the court, the other girls in red-and-white gym uniforms had all collapsed on the ground, pretending to be dead. They were crawling out of the court on all fours, like recruits crawling under barbed wire during basic training.
At that moment, the net in the middle was blown sideways by a gale. It turned out Artoria had served the ball. The spinning sphere whipped up a whirlwind inside the gymnasium, then suddenly vanished within the storm.
It was the legendary invisible "Magic Ball"!
Standing on the opposite side, Jeanne hurriedly brought her hands together in front of her face. The next moment, the volleyball appeared before her palms. Even though she caught it, it continued to spin violently like an unbridled horse.
Jeanne gritted her teeth and forced her grip shut to stabilize it. The white sphere was squeezed by the immense force, bulging one moment and denting the next, until finally—bang!—it exploded.
"Hey, you cold-blooded woman, you were aiming for my face just now, weren't you?" Jeanne tossed the ruined volleyball aside.
"Hoh? If you're afraid, why don't you just tuck your tail and withdraw now?" Artoria sneered.
"...Is that so!" Jeanne was so angry she became calm. She turned silently, walked to the corner to pick up a spare ball, then turned back with a savage grin. "Again! Hehehe, hahahaha!"
Her long silver hair fluttered in the air as she leaped high, then slammed her palm down. The volleyball flew out, aimed right at Artoria's face. Halfway there, it suddenly erupted into flames invisible to ordinary people.
The crimson fireball surged toward the blonde girl like a launched cannonball.
The burning flames kicked up a heatwave that blew the blonde girl's hair upward, and the surrounding air seemed to grow dry.
This was no longer in the realm of a volleyball match. In any case, no one in the first-year International Class would find this semester boring; every day was as thrilling as watching a blockbuster movie in a theater.
"Hmph!" Artoria clasped her hands together in a batting stance. Covering her fists in magical energy, she violently smashed the incoming fireball away.
The fireball, already moving fast, was knocked back at more than double its original speed toward the silver-haired girl.
"Do you think it will go as you planned!?" Jeanne raised her right hand high as if holding a flag. The magical flames forming in the void surged, and the fire atop the crimson ball exploded.
The volleyball, which was supposed to be sent flying back into Artoria's face, went berserk. it turned into multiple, irregularly drifting afterimages, emitting a high-pitched screeching sound from its rapid rotation.
The irregular afterimages roared as they dived downward at high speed, flying toward the group of girls watching dazed from the sidelines.
"Oh no!!" Jeanne cried out in panic.
But it all happened too fast. The volleyball afterimages were like fired steel slugs; humans had no way to dodge or guard against them, and their fragile bodies could not withstand the impact.
At the critical moment, a figure leaped in front of the girls.
Shirou, who had been keeping an eye on them the whole time, had charged over the moment he realized something was wrong. He arrived just in time, shielding the girls behind his back and protecting them.
"Eek!" The girls only now let out cries of alarm and hurriedly closed their eyes. After a moment, however, they felt no pain.
When they opened their eyes, what they saw was the boy's sturdy and slender back. Suddenly, they felt a sense of peace, though their hearts were still pounding wildly. They stared at the boy, completely mesmerized for a long moment.
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