Chapter 31: Day 8 ②

The matter of my true identity has been resolved for the moment, but there are still several things I need to discuss with Lia. That’s why we are both sitting face-to-face in seiza (formal Japanese kneeling) in the middle of the dōjō, but it's mid-winter, especially late at night in February, so it’s quite cold even if it’s not the absolute peak of winter. I'd prefer to talk in the living room or my room—not Shirou's room, but my room as Alto—but that’s not possible.

Still, compared to before, we’re no longer cautiously probing each other’s intentions, which has significantly lightened my mood.

"Well then, there are a few points I'd like to ask. First, regarding Alto. Shirou aside, even Rin doesn't know your truth, correct?"

"Yes."

Indeed, I haven't told even Rin, my Master, about myself.

—Why is Shirou "aside," though? That niggles at me a little, but as it's not the central issue, I'll push it to the back of my mind.

"What do you intend to do concerning Rin and Shirou?"

"I... plan to keep silent."

"I see..."

Saying only that, Lia stared at me, then closed her eyes. For several seconds, neither Lia nor I spoke.

This kind of silence is quite taxing. Thoughts like, What will I do if she says I absolutely must tell Rin and Shirou the truth? keep running endlessly through my head.

"Understood."

"Eh?"

Lia opened her eyes, stared directly at me, and spoke further.

"I will conduct myself accordingly. I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don't wish to."

"...Thank you, Lia. That helps."

At Lia's words, I involuntarily bowed my head.

Despite whatever reasons I had, the fact remains that I deceived her. Truly, I owe Lia so much.

"Speaking of which, what happened to your manner of speaking? Earlier, it was exactly like Shirou, but now it's closer to mine. It didn't seem like an act. No, there was absolutely no inconsistency. ...Could it be the influence of my body?"

I raised my head sharply at her words, but seeing Lia's face made my chest tighten, and the words wouldn't come out immediately.

It is I who is binding Saber. I am the one who truly needs to apologize to her. Please, I don't want Lia—Saber—to make that face.

Lia had looked down, her face clouded with an expression of apology.

"...No. This is due to Rin's Command Spell. She reasoned that a speaking style matching my appearance would prevent anyone from suspecting my True Name. Until then, my speech was like the earlier one—like Shirou's."

Calling the person I point to 'Shirou' makes me unreasonably anxious, wondering if I am not Emiya Shirou now.

I can't even be confident in who I am... No, more importantly than that.

"When I feel strongly emotional or my spirits are high, I seem to revert to my original way of speaking."

I desperately explained to Lia. At the very least, there is no need for Lia to feel troubled by this.

"I see," Lia sighed lightly, then looked up. Judging by her expression, she seemed convinced, and I finally felt relieved.

Knowing Lia, she might be regretting that Saber, even if in another world, couldn't protect her Master.

"Ah, I understand now. That's why Rin was questioning you about what you were going to do about the Command Spell."

Lia nodded exaggeratedly, saying, "I get it." I tried to return a smile, but it was probably just a wry one.

Yes. That indeed happened. Although I perceived it more as her taking her frustration out on me rather than questioning me.

...The thought just occurred to me. Why did I interpret the order, "Change your manner of speaking," as adopting Saber's speech pattern?

When I think of a girl's speech pattern, I imagine something like, "~desu wa"—though few girls actually speak that way—but Saber's is what came to mind.

—Thinking about it, Rin, when she wears her "model student" facade, does speak in a similar way... I seem to recall her saying something like, "Good day, Emiya-kun."

I shook my head, forcibly dismissing the thought. The gap between that and the actual Rin is too great; it's unsettling. But since this tone sometimes appears even when she's furious, it might not be entirely wrong.

To return to the topic, I have a vague idea why my speech pattern became this way. I have no evidence, but it's likely because Saber is the first girl who comes to mind when I think of "girl."

I, who originally had few relationships with the opposite sex, have only genuinely interacted with Saber as a woman. ...What am I thinking about at a time like this?

I suddenly looked up and noticed Lia looking at me curiously.

"W-what is it?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Though, if I must say, I was observing Alto."

"O-observing... me?"

"Yes. You made a difficult face, then sighed, shook your head, and now your face is red. Those were very interesting actions."

Wow, it seems everything was apparent, not just my face, but my actions too. Perhaps this is why Tohsaka said I can't keep a secret. I didn't notice it at all myself. Since this seems like it might cause various problems in my life, I'll need to think of countermeasures. Yes.

"W-well, setting that aside... Is there anything else you need to ask?"

"Then, information on the other Servants and Masters. It feels like cheating to peek at the answers, but we can't afford to worry about that now."

"Right. Well, then—"

I proceeded to convey all the information I knew about the Masters and Servants.

Yes, this is the serious atmosphere I wanted. —Though I can’t help but feel that I was the one who derailed the conversation.

"—That is all I know. I didn't know Caster's Master last time, but it was revealed during the school incident yesterday. The Masters of Assassin and Lancer remain unknown."

I told her everything from the Master's location to the Servant's True Name and the characteristics of their Noble Phantasms. Although I don't know everything.

Ideally, I would like to be able to Project their Noble Phantasms, but since Rin might have noticed when I Projected Caliburn, any further Prana consumption is difficult.

Besides, I can somehow Project Rule Breaker and Gae Bolg, but the Noble Phantasms of the other Servants aren't things I can Project.

"...I see."

"What do you think? If you have any questions, I'll answer what I can."

Lia averted her gaze and pondered.

"....No, for now, knowing this much should be enough for battle. Let us confirm the rest with our own eyes."

"Yes, I suppose so. Shirou might wake up soon, so perhaps we should conclude our discussion."

I squinted at the round clock on the dōjō wall, which showed the time was a little past 4:30 AM.

Since I sometimes woke up around 5:30 AM on early days, this might indeed be a precarious time.

"Then, tell me the detailed story another time."

"Yes. I certainly want Lia to hear it too."

Saying that, I stood up and started walking toward the dōjō entrance.

"However... with that manner of speaking, it truly feels like I'm looking at myself. I can't think of you as Shirou at all. Though the stubbornness in the matter of saving or not saving just now was exactly Shirou, even with my speech pattern."

"Heh, yes, it seems so. For some reason, my appetite has increased too. I never expected I'd resemble you this much."

"H-how rude! Consuming meals is an important matter, you know!?"

"I know. I've literally experienced it since acquiring this body."

"That makes it sound like my body is gluttonous!"

"That wasn't my intention..."

Talking like this, we walked towards our respective rooms. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I laughed from the heart.

I woke up to noises from the next room. Not loud noises, but the bell of an alarm clock and the sound of a drawer opening. Rin must be awake; the clock shows 6:00 AM.

I rubbed my eyes lightly, stood up, and stretched. Despite sleeping for only an hour, I didn't feel the fatigue typical of sleep deprivation. It seems Servants truly don't need sleep. This is likely due to the sufficient supply of Prana from Rin.

I changed clothes while trying my best not to look at my body, tied up my hair, and headed to the washroom. Checking the time before leaving the room, forty minutes had passed. Even though I’m getting used to it, it seems braiding Saber's hairstyle quickly still takes time.

"Good morning, Alto."

"Good morning, Rin."

On the way, Rin was already sitting composedly in the living room. Shinji was sitting awkwardly agura-style (cross-legged) at the edge of the table.

"Good morning, Shinji."

"...Yeah."

Shinji glanced at me, rested his chin on his hand as support, and looked away. Well, I didn't expect a greeting, so I should be happy he even replied.

Shinji has certainly had a run of bad luck. He probably didn't expect his life to be targeted after his Servant suddenly disappeared and he was dismissed as a Master.

But Shinji, who should have died, is alive. That alone gives meaning to my presence here.

At least until the end—until this Holy Grail War is over, I intend to fulfill that responsibility. Because Shinji must face the consequences of his actions this time.

In any case, Rin truly doesn't get along with Shinji, treating him as if he isn't there.

Shinji is probably trying to ignore it, but judging from the atmosphere Rin is creating, he still seems uncomfortable.

Well, I suppose that’s understandable when you’re forced to stay in the headquarters of your enemy from yesterday.

I crossed the living room after a brief greeting and saw Shirou in the back of the kitchen. The smell of miso soup suggests breakfast is mostly ready.

I continued walking without stopping to finish my preparations, and in the washroom, Lia was wiping her face with a towel. My eyes naturally fell on Lia's hair.

Hmm. What is it? It really looks different from how I tie it. It's hard to describe, but it's smarter, or maybe neater. How does Lia do it? Perhaps I should ask her to teach me how to tie my hair sometime.

"Good morning, Alto."

"Lia, good morning."

Noticing me, Lia smiled quietly while greeting me. I smiled back at her greeting.

It seems like a casual morning greeting, but it's completely different. Far from being on bad terms, we were perhaps too friendly for two Servants, yet I felt Lia's eyes on me were somewhat suspicious before.

I, too, was trying not to be discovered, so we were likely keeping a boundary between us. At least, we never laughed naturally like this.

Indeed, thinking back now, everything about me from Lia's perspective was suspicious. Arthur, who shouldn't have been dead, was a being whose existence wasn't swayed by differences in legend, yet there was me—a variant.

It's not entirely impossible to consider that Arthur became a Heroic Spirit after fulfilling her wish, but even I think the change is too great. In fact, it's surprising that Lia hadn't taken action against me until now.

Well, looking at it positively, better results are likely to come from working with Lia than from trying alone. When I consider that, my failure might not have been so bad after all—

—Above all, I gained Lia's trust.

"It seems breakfast preparations are almost finished."

"Then I will head there first."

"Understood. I shall join you shortly."

Saying that, Lia walked toward the living room with visible haste. I smiled as I saw her off, twisted the plastic faucet to wash my face with cold water, wiped my face with the hanging towel, and headed to the living room where everyone was gathered.

"Good morning, Alto. You're the last one today, unusually."

As I took my seat at the table, Shirou, wearing an apron and carrying miso soup on a tray, emerged from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Shirou. Yes, I suppose I overslept a little."

"Hmm, no. I don't think so. It's just that the usual Alto was early, so it feels a little fresh."

Shirou took his seat.

Speaking of which, it seems Kirei managed the situation at the school well, and it hasn't become a major incident. I wonder what means he used to keep things under wraps despite such a scale of damage.

Most students were transported directly from the school to the hospital and are currently hospitalized. Students with mild exhaustion, like Mitsuzuri, suffered temporary paralysis, while those with severe symptoms were apparently one step away from permanent organ damage.

The situation is certainly not something to be optimistic about, but thankfully, no lives were lost. In the end, the result was the same as last time.

Kirei said he managed to fix the holes in the walls and so on, but since the school couldn't function without the students, it's temporarily closed starting today. Fujinee is also resting at home, so she won't be coming for breakfast for a while.

So, the people in this living room are Shirou, Rin, Shinji, Lia, and me.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let's eat while it's warm."

Following Shirou's words, everyone murmured "Itadakimasu" and the meal began. The clatter of tableware echoed.

Hmm, Shirou's cooking definitely suits my palate better than my own. I wonder why? Shirou and Rin say my cooking is better, but I don't feel the same sense of satisfaction with what I make.

I was vaguely eating the simmered vegetables when I suddenly noticed they were gone. It seems I ate them all by myself.

“Alto! It’s nothing but simmered dishes… How underhanded!”

“My apologies, it just happened unconsciously… But did you really think I wouldn’t notice that you, Lia, have been reaching only for the large shared dishes this whole time?”

Even when my consciousness was immersed in thought, I seemed to have accurately observed the dining table. Damn it, keen insight into mealtimes was not a trait I wanted.

"Hey, Tohsaka."

"What is it?"

Tohsaka hasn't been talking much since she brought Shinji home yesterday, but at least she replies. The cause is probably Shinji after all.

"Don't those two seem even friendlier than before?"

'Those two' are, of course, Lia and Alto. I felt they were friendly before, but it seems they've gotten even closer.

"...Indeed, now that you mention it, they are less reserved with each other. I wonder if something happened."

Tohsaka only said that, then sipped her miso soup. But she kept watching the two of them.

"Ah, Shinji, you should eat without holding back too."

I called out to Shinji, who was staring blankly at the surroundings. Upon closer inspection, he hadn't touched his meal much.

"Hey, is it always like this with you guys?"

"Hmm, it's somewhat quieter today because there are fewer people, but mostly like this, I think."

I kept it vague by saying it was quieter because there were fewer people, but the reason is obvious: Fujinee, the source of the commotion, isn't here.

I don't know what Shinji is trying to ask, but I want to avoid exposing my big sister figure's embarrassing habits.

"...Hmph."

Shinji gave a small acknowledgment and resumed eating. As I followed suit and put the miso soup to my lips, Tohsaka suddenly turned to me as if she had just remembered something.

"Ah. More importantly, Shirou. Shouldn't you change soon? It's none of my business if it's your hobby, but you're still wearing your apron."

...Tohsaka, if you noticed, why didn't you tell me sooner?