Can I ask for like 200 PS for an extra chapter? Or, am I being presumptuous?
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Somehow, my body had grown used to the strange morning routine Shuwen unilaterally imposed on me the moment I accepted his mentorship. After cleaning up and a quick shower, I found myself jogging through the Shinto District in a gray tracksuit.
The Sun was yet to rise, but the light of dawn was slowly but surely coming in. The long shadows cast by the abnormally tall skyscrapers serving as hotels and office buildings throughout the district seemed to twist and turn strangely just out of eyeshot, and the mist from the day before was yet to retreat, still creeping along the ground.
I found myself wondering if a tall muscled man wielding a massive knife with a metal pyramid for a head would be waiting around one of the corners. Either him, or some faceless nurses in tiny uniforms.
Depending on the situation, I'd have to explain a very strange boner to my mentor.
Sadly, it was not a scantily-clad nurse that awaited me when I turned the final corner. No, it was a spandex-clad Irishman with blood-red eyes and spiky blue hair. He was sitting on the sidewalk, spear resting against a shoulder.
"Yo, lad."
I nodded in greeting. "Thank you, for yesterday."
"Nah, I love a good scuffle." He waved his hand in dismissal, "'sides, I owe ya one, got too into it with that big bastard and almost got my master injured."
He'd owe me a lot more if he knew what would happen if I didn't convince Bazett to not approach Kirei alone... but I kept that too myself. It wasn't like I expected something back for helping her.
I opened my mouth to answer, then suddenly recalled Shuwen's words about putting up a bravado.
Instead of measuring my words for the person, I wanted to be someone who could fearlessly speak their mind. The first step to that was truly just... forcing it.
"She's hot."
...
The Lancer-class servant's eyes widened faintly, and his mouth parted wordlessly. He did not let me wonder if he was upset.
"Haha! True enough! I like a lad that knows what he wants." Cu Chulainn laughed aloud and slapped his hand against his knee. "Bit of advice though, say it with your chest next time. Dunno if deciding to go through makes you braver but eh... never was too good with that sorta stuff."
I scratched my stomach thoughtlessly.
"So, whatcha up to?"
"Morning run." I said, tugging at my jersey.
Thankfully, even sleepy, I'd had the sense to dress up for the weather. Though there was no real wind, when running, the wintery air still bit my skin, dragging across my cheeks.
"You sure you don't need to be careful..." I shrugged at the road, "Secrecy and all that."
Cu let out a loud groan. "It's fine. No one gives a shit."
True enough.
"Besides, I've been listening to my master yap on and on all night."
Curious, I raised a brow.
"She didn't get a wink of sleep, and she didn't let me relax either. Embarrassed and worried about... eh, nevermind. I've had enough of the 'what will he think?' for a whole lifetime."
For a moment, I wondered if all that was about me. My rizz was nonexistent. My confidence was in the dumps. All I had was... well, whatever that was keeping me going through everything.
Still, who else could those words be for?
Feeling the heat rush to my cheeks, I shook my head.
Cu laughed again.
"Where's that old man of yours?"
"I'm right here."
Shuwen stepped out of my shadows. He raised a hand to push back his glasses and stared down at the Irish hero. "Would you be interested in some tea?"
"Eh, what the hell, why not?"
The two servants disappeared into the wind. I couldn't track Cu, but our connection told me that Shuwen was still nearby. They'd probably gone for breakfast together. While my understanding of the exact logistics of such a plan was dubious at best, the two men definitely had more experience with fitting in than I possibly could.
Shrugging, I retreated to my room for another shower and a calm session of pondering on my bed, in the lotus position like a proper cultivation junior.
This time, I did not reach out for the Shikigami at my beck and call, but instead the shadows themselves.
The Ten Shadows Technique could manipulate the shadows in a variety of ways, for storage of items living or non-living, and even as a mode of travel limited only to my own capability.
What else could they do?
The short answer was... nothing.
That was the extent of it.
But, each of the Ten Shikigami were not like their original counterparts either, so I couldn't help but think that my ancestor had tampered with that too. There was also a possibility that Bumgumi had just never explored the technique. After all, even a little girl was able to figure out how to reverse the summoning to take on the traits of the Shikigami.
...Woah.
'Even a girl'.
Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
I found the feeling of sinking into my shadow, then tried to imitate an opposing flow. The same way as I'd reversed the path for the summoning of the individual Shikigami to manifest the traits of the Divine Wolves.
Holding that, I pressed against the shadow in front of me.
It became as hard to push as it was easy to submerge.
The effect lasted barely a second before my arm was swallowed by inky blackness.
But...
"It worked."
Was it really supposed to be that easy?
Admittedly, I was a lot more receptive to the supernatural after literally transmigrating but still...
By breakfast, I was able to harden my shadows as easily as I was able to sink into them. Next came the thought of giving them particular shape... which also turned out to be as easy as visualising it.
The shadows were my domain, after all.
Hm... this had a lot of potential, maybe as much as the Shikigami themselves.
I would experiment later, after breakfast.
This time, I went with something new.
Croissants and English tea.
Much to my fortune, there were a couple of Frenchmen in suits huddled up near the buffet. A couple days ago, I would not have entertained the impulsive thought that came rushing forth at the sight...
With a faint smile, I made sure to walk with the plate held low enough for them to see me go away with it after deliberately, slowly, pouring a big spoonful of baked beans on the croissant.
They were giving me looks of disgust, and continued watching with clenched fists as I sat down across from Bazett.
I even made a show of slowly taking a bite.
The taste was so horrendous I felt like barfing, but one of the frenchmen shot to his feet with grit teeth. The others pulled him down though, but all of them still gave me ugly stares.
"That's what I thought."
"Hm? Sorry, what was that?" Bazett looked up strangely.
"The hell happened to you?"
The older woman lowered her gaze with tinted pale cheeks. There were slight bags under her eyes, and a sort of jitter to her entire body.
"N...Nothing. Nevermind! What are we doing today?"
We?
Hm, if we were to attack Rin, a combined assault by both Assassin and Lancer would end in victory, but there was Caster to think about. That witch couldn't possibly ignore the advantage... Then, there was Illyasviel to consider. There was no knowing when that mad, murderous child was going to pop up.
Of all the remaining servants, Berserker definitely had to be dealt with first.
"What are your thoughts on killing the Einzbern master?" I asked calmly.
Bazett stared at me a moment, then pushed aside her embarrassment to adopt a calm and considerate look. I knew damn well that a passing comment would destroy that business-like exterior but, we did need to do something.
"In the Fourth Holy Grail War, there was a master running rampant. Caster's. They killed and attacked indiscriminately. The decision was to neutralise both of them completely. The Einzbern master meets that criteria."
"Because of the destroyed block?"
"And the attempt on our lives. There is certainly precedent."
That was... definitely worth pondering.
After all, I felt no pity at all for someone who attempted to take my life just because she felt like it in her whimsy... no matter the background. But, now that I thought about Illyasviel, another issue came to mind.
That was, King Gilgamesh.
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