UUGH.
Waking up from her stupor, Yubel felt the slow, steady hum of physical recovery coursing through her host's body.
Yesterday's confidence had been a bit misplaced, she had to admit. Getting nearly gunned down by a mortal woman with a modified pistol was... a humiliating development.
"Well, the seeds have been planted."
"There's no need to rush."
She stood up and paced the room, a predator's grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. Her infiltration of the Black Faction was already set to bear fruit in the long run. Now, she just needed to handle the situation here.
If she recalled correctly, there were still a few useful "tools" in this faction she could exploit.
CLACK.
She pushed open the door to find a man leaning against the wall in the corridor. He looked as if he had been waiting specifically for her to emerge.
The Red Archer.
Reviewing the data she had gathered, Yubel maintained a neutral, composed expression. This man was another candidate for her parasitic manipulation... eventually.
Her abilities weren't "useless"; she had just encountered a few particularly stubborn anomalies earlier. Once she understood the patterns of this world's Heroes, she would be unstoppable.
"Something the matter?"
She asked the question in a cold, detached tone, mirroring the host's usual personality. Emiya only gave her a sideways glance.
"No."
"Nothing."
He looked her up and down, as if assessing something hidden beneath the surface. For a moment, he seemed about to say something, then simply shook his head.
"Your timing is perfect. Breakfast is..."
He gestured toward the main hall, his tone carrying a subtle, unidentifiable weight.
"Hmph. Then I won't be polite."
Ignoring the strange way Emiya was checking the clock on the wall, Yubel adopted what she assumed was a natural stride and walked past him.
As she entered the hall, she was greeted by the sight of the young Masters and several Servants who shared remarkably similar faces.
"Ah! You're finally awake! Do you have any idea how much you worried Sakura?!"
The first to speak was the twin-tailed girl, Rin Tohsaka, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"Sister, it's fine now. Archer is safe."
Sakura's relief was palpable, but as she looked at her Servant, something flickered deep within her eyes,a tiny, suppressed kernel of obsession.
'Hehe.'
Yubel watched her Master, a dark idea beginning to take shape.
"Everything else can wait. Sit down and eat."
Muramasa's voice cut through the potential bickering, his tone authoritative. Rin sighed and sat back down to continue her meal with Sakura.
Yubel sat down cross-legged at the table, picking up a hard-boiled egg and beginning to peel it with practiced indifference.
"How does it taste?"
"Hmm?"
"It's... fine."
Emiya had walked up behind her to ask the question. Yubel didn't think much of it and gave a generic answer. But the moment she took a bite, she felt a sudden jolt of confusion.
It had no taste. At all.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
A sense of unease began to creep into her mind. Possession of this body had been remarkably easy, but she had been unable to access any of his memories. Even his combat style was something she was forced to mimic based on observation.
"Five minutes are up..."
She heard the man behind her whisper those strange words.
"What is it, Archer? You've been weird all morning."
Rin looked at Emiya, who was once again checking the clock.
"Nothing. Just reflecting on life."
Emiya walked over to the back of the room and leaned against the wall. Muramasa paused with his chopsticks mid-air, casting a thoughtful glance toward the Black Archer (Yubel).
The others continued eating, seemingly oblivious to the tension.
"Thanks for the meal."
Setting her chopsticks down, Yubel's expression darkened as she stood up.
"Wait. Aren't you going to explain where you went yesterday?"
Miyuverse Shirou asked the question with a challenging tone.
"Ah... I went to the Black Faction's fortress."
"I fought their Servants and got injured. That's it."
The clinical, almost robotic explanation only heightened the sense of "wrongness" in the room.
Suddenly, Yubel's silhouette blurred. She drew her twin red-and-white pistols and pressed the muzzle of one against Sakura's head.
SHINNG! SHINNG! SHINNG!
In that same instant, three blades were at her throat,held by Emiya, Muramasa, and Miyuverse Shirou. The protagonist-Shirou had lunged forward, his hand vice-gripping the wrist of the hand holding the gun.
Rin and Ilya froze in shock, while Artoria instantly stepped in front of them, her hand on her own sword hilt.
The cozy breakfast scene had transformed into a lethal standoff in less than a heartbeat.
"When did you realize it?"
Yubel looked at Emiya, her tone genuinely confused. She was certain she hadn't made any obvious blunders. If one of them had noticed, she could understand, but all of them?
"From the very beginning," Emiya replied, his twin blades [Kanshou] and [Bakuya] pressing firmly into the back of her neck.
"?"
Yubel was genuinely at a loss.
"Your acting is amateurish."
"I don't know what you are, but if you're trying to pass as him... I'd give you a failing grade."
"That man... doesn't speak to me with such polite detachment."
Yubel's brow furrowed. Had she misinterpreted the relationship between these two? Were they more hostile than she thought?
"Archer... doesn't eat."
Sakura remained sitting, her hand resting calmly on her teacup. Even with a gun to her head, she showed no sign of panic. Her voice was quiet, almost melodic.
"I've only spent half a day with him, but I understand his character."
"No matter how spicy the food is, he consumes it without a single change in expression. He doesn't complain, and he doesn't enjoy it."
"He doesn't eat because he has no sense of taste."
The "invitation" to breakfast had been a test. Emiya would never have invited his counterpart to a meal, and the Black Archer would never have accepted unless he was a pretender who didn't know the protocol.
"And besides... that man has a habit of recording his thoughts in a notebook every few minutes."
"To miss such a glaring detail... you were far too careless."
Emiya stared down at Yubel, his eyes cold. Her bloodlust, her missing habits, her complete lack of the "Emiya" vibe... it had been like a beacon in the dark.
They had intended to lure her outside before disposing of her, but it seemed she had sensed their suspicion and decided to strike first.
Unfortunately for her, they were all prepared.
"Hehehe... HAHAHAHA!!"
"So that's how it is?"
Realizing her cover was blown, Yubel didn't cower. She let out a manic, triumphant laugh.
"What now? Do you want to gamble? Whose blades are faster... or my trigger finger?"
She ignored the three swords at her throat and the iron grip on her wrist, her gaze shifting to the side. She looked at Sakura with a sneer.
"If you die here, you'll never see the Hero you've been pining for."
"!"
Sakura's hand tightened on her teacup for a fraction of a second, her composure wavering for the briefest of moments before she suppressed it.
"You won't have the chance to pull that trigger."
Artoria's Shirou tightened his grip on her wrist, his eyes fixed on hers.
"Are you going to use your Command Spells? Feel free to try..." Yubel taunted, her voice dripping with malice.
"But if you use them all to save yourself, and you lose this Servant in the process... will you even count as a participant anymore?"
The threat hung in the air, cold and heavy. Sakura knew she couldn't act recklessly. Not until she knew exactly what had taken over her Archer's body.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]