A sling of bandages was still wrapped around my injured arm, though it had healed enough to regain its mobility, courtesy of [Avalon]'s continuous healing around the clock.
I stood next to our home's front door. My dusk-black coat a stark contrast against the white sling.
Artoria and Medea—mostly Medea—had requested to spend some time relaxing, reasoning that the constant fighting against other Servants was stressful and might even affect their combat capabilities.
I knew Medea had other motives in mind with her suggestion, yet... her words were logically sound.
So... I had agreed.
But apparently, both of them wanted to go out with me alone and were vehemently opposed to all three of us going out together.
Both had hence come to a compromise. Artoria would be the first to go out with me, then Medea.
Though Medea was glaring daggers at Artoria when they told me about it, while Artoria wore a small smile at the corner of her mouth.
"Rock always wins." —This was what Artoria muttered with a satisfied nod.
"How can scissors lose?" —This was what Medea muttered to herself, her eyes still fixed on Artoria with undisguised hostility.
I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of slightly hesitant footsteps.
Artoria emerged from her room. She wore an outfit identical to mine—a pitch-black coat, white shirt, black tie, and black pants.
Our outfits were indistinguishable—everything else was a study in contrast. Sanguine and emerald eyes, black and blonde hair.
The most immediately noticeable difference was how we wore that hair.
Mine was free, falling over my back and reaching my calves.
Hers was tied in a braided bun.
I looked into her slightly evasive gaze and held out my uninjured hand to her.
"Ready?"
She fidgeted for a moment and slowly placed her hand in my own.
"Yes, Master."
We walked out of our home.
Hand in hand.
...
..
.
Our first stop was Mount Miyama, the central shopping street of Fuyuki. A hub of restaurants and convenience stores, it was the go-to destination for most residents when it came to food.
Since the King of Knights liked food so much, I brought her straight here so she could taste different cuisines.
Things went as I had predicted they would.
She tasted pasta from a restaurant first, nearly snapping the fork in half.
Artoria looked at me after taking that bite.
"Master... this pasta is acceptable, though compared to yours, it feels like an insult to even compare them." She still finished the pasta nonetheless, citing that wasting food was a grave sin.
"I suggest you try something I haven't cooked for you, or you'll become disappointed quickly." I gave her my suggestion, the main objective of relaxing still clear in my mind.
Artoria accepted with a small nod.
From there... we became a whirlwind of motion. I followed Artoria from one place to another, watching her taste dish after dish.
Her actions and eating capacity had gathered a crowd of curious onlookers around us.
"Master. I'm a little uncomfortable with all the attention. Can you accompany me?" Artoria spoke with a noodle at the corner of her mouth, her face red and eyes darting around.
I looked at the gathered people around us, then at her slightly pleading gaze. With a silent exhale, I wordlessly sat beside her, ordering the same number of servings as her.
Both of us went toe to toe from then on, eating an amount of food no human had any business ingesting without bursting.
She could convert all that food into mana. I had [Ultimate Gourmand] to digest that much.
Hence... a new myth was born that day.
About two hungry ghosts in black coats who roamed the world to devour an impossible amount of food.
...
..
.
Next up on our schedule was an arcade.
"Master? What are these?" Artoria asked while slightly tilting her head, peering through the glass of a claw machine filled with stuffed animals.
"It's a claw machine. You insert a coin where it's indicated, then use the joystick near your hand to control the claw. Try to drag a stuffed toy up and drop it into the opening nearby to win it." I explained in plain terms and watched as her eyes shone while looking at the stuffed animals within.
"Master, can I give it a try?" She asked after a moment, her finger micro-twitching toward the joystick.
"Why ask me? Do as you like." I spoke while pulling some leftover coins from my pocket and handing them to her.
She took the coins from my hand and started trying to get a stuffed animal on her own.
Meanwhile... I found a bench nearby to sit and watched her trying and failing, her face sometimes flashing with a hint of happiness when she was about to succeed, and sometimes going flat when she failed just at the last moment.
Emotions, huh?
I wonder...
The change was as jarring as it was sudden. One moment I was looking at Artoria. The next, her blonde ahoge turned brown, her hair turned spiky. Her coat dissolved into a white shirt, her tie turned deep green. It was not Artoria at all.
It was a man.
With grass-green eyes.
A wide smile radiating joy spread across his face while he played the same claw game.
Who was he?
I did not blink, yet everything dissolved from my awareness anyway.
Artoria was back where she was before the change, continuing to try to get a stuffed animal.
A faint pressure lingered at the base of my skull—the ghost of an impression that shouldn't exist.
My mind went into overdrive.
A magus trying to use magecraft on me? Improbable.
A Noble Phantasm of a Heroic Spirit? Possible, but highly unlikely.
An unknown side effect of the surgery? Again possible, but with a slim chance.
If not those... then it might be related to my—
"Master. Can you help with this?" A tiny fraction of my mental faculty split off, bringing my focus back to her.
Artoria was pointing at the claw machine with a small pout.
I got up from the bench, letting my other thoughts continue their line of reasoning as I walked forward.
"This is how it's done..." My whisper landed in her ear as I came to stand behind her, my frame covering her smaller one, my hand coming to rest over hers on the joystick.
Artoria froze for a moment, looking left and right in a fluster.
"Look ahead."
I let my chin rest on the crown of her head, forcing her gaze forward.
A coin was inserted into the machine, and the joystick came to life.
[Ultimate Gamer] emerged silently.
My hand over hers on the joystick moved with the grace of someone who had never lost. Its claw didn't drift or waver—it traced a clean diagonal line, as if the machine wanted to give up its prize.
Artoria watched with a curious expression as the claw closed around a stuffed animal and pulled it up.
I rolled the joystick with her hand beneath mine. The claw moved over to a small opening, and dropped it in a moment later.
Artoria let out a silent cheer.
Soon... a stuffed lion was cradled in her arms.
"Thank you, Master."
A pure, genuine smile flashed across her face.
It was the most radiant smile she had worn since her summoning.
...
..
.
***
[200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[5 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
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Hajime Hinata physical description - Hajime has short, spiky brown hair with a prominent ahoge and sharp green eyes. He wears a simple white button-up shirt with his school emblem, a dark green tie with a unique pattern, dark blue jeans, and red-and-white sneakers.
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New talents mentioned in this chapter -
[Ultimate Gourmand]: An OC talent I created. He is unmatched in eating a large amounts of food.
[Ultimate Gamer]: Chiaki Nanami's Talent. Izuru is able to play games flawlessly as he has this talent, he will definitely win a game no matter how impossible it is. He is also extraordinary at making strategies in a game.
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[Authors Thoughts]
Friends, am I getting better at writing slice of life and romance chapters?
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Fun Fact: There actually exists a place in the original Fuyuki with the name Mount Miyama, which is indeed a shopping and food district.
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This is the last slice of life chapter. The war continues from here on out.