First, with the elimination of the Assassin, excluding me, there are six Servants left.
Actually, more important than the Tokyo Holy Grail War... is this golden one.
"Why can't I meet him~"
"You are cursed."
Manaka keeps throwing a tantrum, wanting to see Arthur. The reality that clairvoyance is blocked when I wish for her not to use it...!
I'm really starting to fear my own power. Why give me such a cheat? Is it a divine message telling me to use an instant-death cheat or something?
"It's not that, it's thanks to your mother's skill? The vision-blocking skill she gave to stop clairvoyance users like Merlin."
"Is that so..."
Or not. I was at a loss for words at Bavanshee's fact.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Manaka subtly asked if I had any plans. Surprisingly, she seemed somewhat expectant. Sitting on Bavanshee's lap, I shook my head.
"Actually, I don't have any particular thoughts."
"... Huh? You're supposed to be good at drawing the big picture, and you don't have any?"
"That's when I feel like drawing it~ Our Manaka, were you curious about what I'm doing?"
"....."
Bang!!!
It happened in an instant. Manaka's hand flashed as something flew towards me, and the moment it touched me, a huge explosion occurred from Manaka.
Thud.... Plop!
And then Manaka staggered and fell forward. She looks fine on the outside, but...
"Hey, are you alive?"
No response. She seems like an ordinary corpse.
"Oh dear... Manaka, to think you'd end up like this. I'll remember the taste of the meals you made. At least let's bury you in the yard."
"... I really hate you..."
"Incredible... Without using a magical revival like 'Did I get her!?', you came back to life. As expected of Mana-god. She is a god!"
"Really... I want to sew your mouth shut..."
"But why did you collapse?"
"..."
Manaka doesn't speak. Did she really die? Or is it just too much to say?
"It must be due to the Master's protection? Probably, to be able to kill the Master, based on what we've seen so far, it would require at least Beast-level or higher."
"'At least' means... for Manaka, who isn't at that level yet, it's impossible."
"You're the Beast, Beast..."
"Beast isn't just one, Manaka."
By the way... why is my class Beast? Is it because my very existence is dangerous to humanity?
"Suddenly, but I am curious indeed."
Beast... I thought Saber would be impossible, but Beast, huh. Not Ruler or Caster or Berserker.
My curiosity is definitely growing. Why is that... Should I ask Shiki or Quetzalcoatl later?
Manaka slowly got up from her seat, glared at me, and then sat down. Then, as if her throat was dry, she summoned a water bottle and gulped it down.
"Really, the worst human, Beast."
"Am I truly human or a brain in a vat?"
"Certainly, living while listening to your nonsense, there would be no boring moments. I want to quickly escape this world by suicide."
"After dying like that, they say you become a Servant and get a job at Chaldea."
"...."
Most of them do. That's reality, Manaka. You still don't know the world.
"Enough with the joke-eating... Manaka, do you have anything you want to do?"
"Are you kicking me out?"
"It seems sincere, but I refuse that. Anyway... what should I say? Hobbies or something. For you, this world must be boring, but isn't there something fun? We have some cases like you on our side too?"
"...."
Manaka shows a bit of interest. First, I took her outside. This time, leaving Ayaka with Bavanshee, I wandered the streets with Barghest in tow.
"Manaka. If the world deems you evil and tries to kill you... what kind of thoughts do you think you would have?"
"Being hated... well. I don't think I'd have any particular thoughts."
"Well, they say we've been through a lot... You just don't know emotions, but seeing you realize love, it's not that you have no emotions. Even if you reach the Root, you don't lose emotions. Shiki and Gilgamesh are prime examples."
"Hmm... So, what's the point?"
Handing Manaka a freshly made taiyaki, I sat on a bench. Manaka, holding the taiyaki, looked down at me. She stared as if demanding a quick answer, and I took a bite of the taiyaki and continued.
"It's simple. They say you must not fall in love, but... it's not that your love itself is denied. It's just that, because it's too extreme, you become an enemy of the world. That love will never be understood or fulfilled. In the end, the one who gets hurt, abandoned, and defeated is you, Manaka."
"..."
"That future, you haven't seen it. But I know. Denied love, hated by everyone, dying lonely without anyone's mourning. Because of the evil deeds you committed, no one feels sorry for you. That is the end of Sajou Manaka. If you meet the King of Knights, he becomes a hero and you end as evil. Later, you revive ugly and fight to get Arthur, but eventually, Arthur's heart goes to Ayaka, and you truly die by Ayaka and Arthur."
"... That's, my future...?"
"If you don't believe it, you don't have to. I don't like being serious, but... it's not that I'm never serious. I get serious when I need to. Manaka..."
I stroked her head and spoke.
"I don't want you to meet such a miserable end. I don't want you, who hasn't committed any sin yet, to sin unnecessarily. I don't want that heart to be denied."
"Is that... for the world's sake, what you're saying to me?"
"Honestly, this world is just a part-time job to me. I'm not exactly evil, but I'm definitely not a good person. Justice or whatever, I'm not much interested in that. I don't want to be a hero, I don't want to be a savior. I'm just a commoner who wants to go with the flow, enjoy life. I save people when I feel like it, I lend a helping hand to some but not to others. In a way, you and I are similar."
"Similar...?"
At my words, Manaka's eyebrows twitched as she looked at me.
"You too, use your power according to your whims. Do what you want. If you have no desire, if you don't meet your prince, you give up everything and accept reality, living as you please. You have great power, but no greed, and you don't use it. Of course, that's been the case until now. You and I are similar. We have the power to control the world. But... we both have little desire for anything."
"Well. Beast, you and I seem completely different, though?"
"That's also true. From another perspective, we are opposites. Maybe even to the point of species disgust? Anyway... well, I kind of like you."
In a world where you don't meet Arthur, you walk the path of a NEET... perhaps the most suitable person for me.
Or not?
"Quite a useless conversation. Did you bring me out just to talk about that?"
"No? It's just incidental? I have a place to go."
"Where?"
"That is... karaoke!"
"... Just that?"
"Yes, just that. It's something you can do in ordinary daily life. I don't particularly like singing, but singing like this occasionally is nice, right?"
"Haa... I'll follow along for now."
"The Master's singing... Huh, to think I'd get such an opportunity."
Barghest showed a strange reaction, but... I didn't pay much mind and headed to the karaoke. It's all Japanese songs, though...
When Barghest touched the machine, an incredible variety of songs appeared.
"What's this..."
"It's a skill from Chaldea. Using this, all songs the Master can sing are added. It's a device developed by Da Vinci, that is, Gran Cavallo."
"Heh, kind of pointless."
"Right, Manaka. But it's a fun device, isn't it?"
"Not really."
She doesn't seem interested...
Feeling a bit disappointed, I felt the song. I chose a song, prepared, and picked up the microphone.
"What's the song title?"
"Seasonal Crime."
I sang after a long time. Maybe because I'm used to it... I felt nostalgic and could sing happily.
"──The beautiful day that bloomed in my life~ Like last night, long and dark~ Calling the dear season♪"
The song I sang after a long time felt very satisfying.
"How was it? My song."
"... Is this, singing?"
Clap clap clap clap...
Barghest nodded silently, applauding as if moved, and Manaka looked at me with a dazed expression. Then, her mouth curved into a crescent moon shape and she smiled.
"Hey, Beast? Can you sing more? Anything."
"Hmm? Umm... well, okay."
The two didn't seem to want to sing, so in the end, I sang again. But if Manaka likes it, that's fine, right? Am I that good at singing? Or is it like a clown feeling...
I sang "Rewrite the End of This Novel" as the next song. Manaka, who had been colorless and uninterested in the world before, showed a lively appearance. Surprisingly, she seems to enjoy listening to songs.