Fate Chapter 4: The whisper intensifies

Bzzzt. My phone vibrated to get my attention. I picked it up to find notification of dozen emails.

11:56 - Senpai, I heard what happened to your mother. Please, hang in there until I'm free.

13:00 - Senpai, are you there?

13:50 - Haruki-senpai, please reply.

15:49 - Senpai?

…

I rubbed my forehead in worry. Where did I go wrong with Sakura? I only saved her when the children were bullying her for her 'foreign violet' hair in the park. I didn't realize she was Sakura until she introduced herself.

I didn't want anything to do with her. Contrary to my wishes, she transferred to my school and started observing me from a distance, trailing me around the school. She had to be stopped before the anime laws turned her full yandere. So, with the intent to put an end to everything, I approached my stalker.

Well, the meeting went quite wrong when she revealed the unpleasant things Zouken and Shinji's father did to her. Though I prided myself for knowing the twisted side of people, seeing a little girl getting that brutal treatment still chilled my spine.

In selfish pity, I ended up becoming her only friend. As much as I wished to help her, I could do nothing other than beating Shinji up. It was enough to stop him from violating Sakura though. He will be my first target in this war. After all, he is a fake master of Rider with Sakura being the true one.

I still hope this isn’t Heaven’s Feel route. The darkest story where Sakura was made the Lesser Grail, the tool to summon the Greater Grail. Yandere Sakura became unstoppable, slaughtering Servants left and right. I shuddered at the thought of a yandere chasing me with a knife. My first goal was to prevent that from happening. About goals... I hadn’t checked the ‘Tasks’ function of this System.

“Tasks.”

[Tasks]

-Task Creator: Create a new task.

-Active tasks: Lists active tasks.

Touching the ‘Active tasks’ brought nothing. I hadn’t exactly created any task. I tried the ‘Task Creator.’ It brought up another window, asking for the ‘Task.’

“Resurrect my mom through the Grail.”

Calculating rewards based on difficulty… Assessment complete.

Task #1: Resurrect my mom through the Grail.

Difficulty: A-Rank

Rewards: 3x Premium-Grade Gacha Coupons

Three premium gacha coupons brought me back to my first experience with gacha games. They certainly made me an addict, well, for a week or so only.

‘Why Gacha though? Can’t you just reward me directly?’

The concept of Gacha was fishy as fuck.

Answer: I cannot do anything else as a goddess of luck… sorry, if a weak goddess like me disappointed you.

‘Weak? I never said that… you gave me the hope to bring back my mom. I was ready to sell my soul for it. How could you disappoint me?’

Answer: Thanks for your understanding.

This goddess… she might be a good person deep down.

Bzzzt. My phone pleaded for my attention. It could be another message from Sakura. I dialed her number. She instantly picked up the call.

“I'm sorry, Senpai,” she apologized before I said anything. “I couldn't come to Okaa-san's funeral.”

“Don't mind that. I’m fine here. No need to worry about me.”

“Senpai, I’m coming over.”

Should I tell her about my participation in this war? She’ll come to know even if I don’t. She might go bonkers if I didn’t tell her.

"Okay. Come at dinner time.”

“Take care, Senpai,” she said and hung up the call.

I went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. As I put the glass to my lips, a blow of cold wind caressed my neck.

“Haruki…” The same whisper echoed.

Who the fuck is it? I turned around to find no one. Was it just my imagination again or some ghost is haunting me? It can’t be Mom. I refuse to believe the thought of my innocent mother haunting me. I moved out of the kitchen and the lights in the narrow corridor flickered as if some paranormal activity was about to happen.

Cold sweat covered my forehead.

I don’t wanna get killed by some random ghost. Not after I found some hope to revive Mom! I rushed upstairs to my room and shut the sliding door. This is the safest place against ghosts. Heroic Spirits are way superior to some ghosts.

The cold air coming from the window cooled my sweat. I sat before Medea and sighed. That was scary.

Medea still slept soundly. How does she look? I couldn’t resist the curiosity. I mean who wouldn’t be curious to see a waifu in real life. As I slowly pulled her hood soaked in blood, a pale face with long, sharp ears appeared. Despite the bloodstains on her cheeks, she looked as beautiful as a woman could get.

I shook my head. Jason was such an idiot for abandoning her.

Her beauty aside, I still need to do something about her. As much as I sympathized with her tragic past, I had no intentions to be played to death by her, which she would do without a doubt if I formed a contract with her.

The broken assassin who conquered her heart in the canon was a different man. A serial killer with almost zero emotions. I can't be that guy, neither do I plan to be. If only I had my brother’s skills to woo women, this war would be a piece of cake. That guy would just go and seduce all the female servants and masters to his side. Winning the war would be a piece of cake for him.

“Uh.” Medea’s face suddenly morphed as she squirmed.

Was she having a nightmare?