Fate Chapter 9: A visitor

The dining room was filled with a heavy, almost visible tension. Sakura glared at Medea as if she met her archenemy while elegantly eating the ramen. She seemed more cute than threatening to me.

“Caster, you can eat too, you know,” I said.

“Okay,” Caster said awkwardly and picked the chopsticks. As a Servant, the Holy Grail armed her with the general knowledge of this era, including the etiquette of using chopsticks, etc.

She put the noodles in her mouth and froze for a moment. Her eyes slowly widened as the spices melted in her mouth.

“Good,” she sighed.

I nodded and focused on savoring my food.

The tense dinner finished soon. Sakura took the dishes to the kitchen and returned just as quickly.

“Senpai, now answer. What is a servant doing with you?”

I showed her the command spell mark burned on the back of my hand. “She is my Servant, so she naturally should be with me.”

Sakura’s lips trembled. She barely maintained a calm expression. “Why? Did she threaten you? Did she manipulate you? She bewitched you?”

Medea’s lips twitched a little. I couldn’t hold back the chuckle. Even she could be influenced by words.

Sakura’s eyes turned vacant. “Senpai…”

“I asked her myself.”

“Why? For what rea—” her eyes snapped wide. “You… you want to bring her back?”

Am I that easy to read?

“That will be my wish.”

“Senpai, don’t do that. It’s dangerous. It’s far too dangerous, please,” she pleaded in trembling. “The other masters... they won’t spare a chance to eliminate you.”

“You worrywart.” I took her hand and squeezed, giving an assuring smile. “It’s fine. I can handle them. I have the strongest Servant on my side.”

While her stats lacked, her Noble Phantasm was a cheat in this war. The ability to steal another Servant made her the strongest for me.

[Sakura Matou is added to the 'Potential Partners' list.]

Well…

Sakura turned to face Medea. The sorcerer dodged Sakura’s sharp glare.

“I am not the strongest,” she whispered, pushing back her chair and getting up. “Master, meet me after finishing your lover’s quarrel.”

“L-Lover,” Sakura uttered and freed her hand from me. “You got it all wrong. Senpai is…”

“Really? Then I apologize,” Medea said blankly and walked out.

“Sakura, calm down,” I said. “You're getting worked up for nothing.”

“I understand, Senpai... I understand. But I don’t know what to do.”

“Just don’t act like this. You of all people should know how cowardly I am. I won’t take any fights I can’t win.”

“Senpai isn’t a coward. I have seen how hard you push yourself every day inside the dojo. A person like you can’t be a coward,” she said, sounding a bit more cheery. “My Nii-san on the other hand…”

I grinned. “That guy is the picture-perfect definition of a coward.”

Sakura nodded in agreement and gazed down at her left hand. Three command spells flickered on her hand. Though Shinji ordered Rider around, Sakura was the true master of the Rider Servant named ‘Medusa.’

What was she thinking of doing now?

‘Show her status.’

Sakura Matou: A descendant of the Tohsaka Family and inheritor of the Matou family.

-Current status — Worried, and lost over whether she should take back Rider from her brother to help you.

-Relationship Status — 93/100

-Species — Human

-Age — Uncountable

-Gender — Female

-Height, Weight — 158cm/47kg

-Alignment — Neutral Good

-Parameters

Strength: 1 (F)

Endurance: 2 (F)

Agility: 2 (F)

Magical energy: 20 (D)

Luck: 8 (E)

-Authorities

None

-Noble Phantasm

None

-Skills

Sorcery Trait: Conversion [A]

Info: This trait increases the effectiveness of storing magical energy in objects.

Note: This trait is currently sealed.

Sorcery Element: Hollow [B]

Info: This element increases the effectiveness of spells capable of harming spiritual beings.

Note: This element is currently sealed.

Sorcery Element: Water [E]

Info: One of the five natural elements, gives easier access to Water Magecraft spells.

Cooking [D]

Info: A natural talent to quickly learn different culinary skills and techniques.

Her sealed Trait and Element must have been her original before Zouken used his worm magecraft on her, changing her fundamental elemental affinity to that of the Matou family’s magecraft—Water. She still wanted to help me with Rider… Medusa could be a very big help in winning. Sakura will have to take control of Rider from the scumbag Shinji. As if that bastard will give up so easily.

That aside, the 93 points in the relationship status struck me with a realization.

I fucked up a bit...

How am I supposed to respond to her? Harems are fun and all, but they hardly worked in real life, especially with a possessive girl like Sakura. She might just stab me and be done with it… No use thinking about it now. I’d decide it after reuniting with Mom as she was the only woman I genuinely loved.

“Senpai, I trust you,” Sakura said, giving a soft smile. “Please win and bring Kaede Oba-san back.”

“I will. Is Shinji acting good?”

“Nii-san is running around with his Servant… he doesn't have time to care about me.”

“Isn’t that fine though? I don’t really care what he does out there as long as you’re unhurt.”

“Senpai…” she muttered and looked at me with glazed eyes. “Can I stay here tonight… nevermind me. I have to show my face at home… or he will hurt Senpai.”

I narrowed my eyes at her murmurs. She gotta be talking about Zouken.

“You can crash in my room. I’ll be up for some time to learn some things from Caster.”

“I can’t…” she shook her head. “I just remembered something important.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want.”

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“Let me help.”

I never tried it before, it can’t be too hard, right? I just refuse to be a bastard who exploits people’s goodwill. Not anymore. That lifestyle only led to self-destruction.

Sakura rose from the seat, and I followed her. She tried to deny my help but I was adamant.

Well, washing is harder than I thought. I rubbed it too hard and the delicate dish snapped in half. Sakura stared at me wide-eyed before her cheeks flushed.

“Senpai is strong…” she whispered.

Why are you blushing at that?!

“You have to be gentle. Watch me.”

She showed me how to clean dishes, telling me what I did wrong. I was a bit mesmerized by her mature demeanor. It was enough to raise the question: Does she have a split personality disorder?