Beta read by Shigiya, GameCrusher55 and Paragon of Awesomeness.
Oh boy, long chapter. 18k words. So of course, split the chapter in two parts cause of word count limit. 31 and 31.5.
Added an image of what Rider looks like in the paragraph comments.
Also... LEMON WARNING!
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-Kuoh Academy-
The past few days had been nothing short of chaotic. From dealing with two exorcists sent by the Church to reclaim stolen sacred relics — ones that had ended up in the hands of a warmongering Cadre — to the sudden discovery of two new Servants, one of whom possessed unknown loyalties. Things had truly escalated quickly.
And the Servant in question was no ordinary one.
Unlike Artoria, who was a noble and prideful king, bound by honor and chivalry, Mordred was another creature entirely — a walking disaster whose actions were dictated more by mood than principle. Even Rider had struggled to hold her back, and given her legend, predicting her next action would be anything but easy.
Then there was the matter of one of the Satans' siblings — one who from the look of things, was responsible for leaking information regarding the ritual to summon Servants. Diodora's whereabouts were still unknown, and if Archer's fears were correct, he had even summoned a Servant of his own — a Berserker no less. Whether that Servant had killed him or was following his commands remained a mystery.
And to make things even more complicated, apparently the vampires had summoned a Servant of the Spear.
Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Assassin, and very possibly Berserker… That left Caster as the only Servant who might not have been summoned yet.
So far as he knew, at least.
Regardless, it was all taking a toll on everyone.
Even Rider had commented on how her Master had grown more paranoid, actively seeking out her sister for potential leads on Diodora's location. Tsubaki had come to him, requesting more training sessions to improve both her and Tsubasa's abilities as they were the heaviest hitters in Sona's peerage. Yuuto had returned to his usual self — at least on the surface — but it was clear that something still lingered beneath. He often drifted into thought, training alone when no one was looking. He had even approached Archer several times, asking to spar, seeking a clear answer to the question gnawing at him: How long would it take before he could at least give a Servant some trouble?
Archer had taken note of it all.
Of course, he had reported his observations to Rias, but even diligence it seemed had its downsides when so much came at once. To say the least, neither Rias nor anyone in her peerage was in the best of conditions. Stress was piling up for everyone, and continuing down this path wouldn't lead to anything good — it would only push them toward burnout.
So when she turned to him for advice, he told her to do the one thing he had never allowed himself most times: to take a vacation.
"It's not wrong to take leisure time to regain your bearings — to step away from war and simply allow yourselves the opportunity to breathe. You are not machines, nor are you immortal in mind. Even Devils can't stay awake night after night, trying to solve problems that are more complex than they seem. If you don't stop and take care of yourselves, you'll only make things worse in the long run."
He was fully aware of the irony that this advice came from him of all people.
Even in death, he hadn't exactly been one to follow his own advice. But that was precisely why he was giving it now — because they weren't him. And he didn't want them to ever be.
At the end of the day, no amount of magic or supernatural recovery could replace the need for a simple moment of rest and relaxation unless the person was somehow provided with an infinite amount of energy, or they found themselves chained to a situation unable to stop from working regardless of what they felt.
"Something on your mind?"
"Hm?"
The Servant of the Bow was snapped back to reality after hearing a soothing voice from nearby. Opening his eyes to see his empty classroom where next to his desk Rider sat nearby, head resting against the table while she looked at him sideways with a curious stare.
"You've been here for a while, did you need something?" he asked, having noticed her arrival from the moment his last student left class and her arriving not a minute later to silently take a seat next to him. In fact, this started to become a regular thing between them.
"Do I need to have a reason to come here to see you?"
"I suppose not. Did you run out of books to read?"
She languidly stretched out her arms while still draped over the table, the simple action causing her generous chest to squish firmly against its surface. Even with a thick sweater, her figure continued to turn heads regardless of the setting, and he felt she wasn't even doing so intentionally.
"Not really, I just got bored and wanted to see you."
"And I have become your source of entertainment?" He quirked an eyebrow.
A playful smirk tugged at her lips. "Yes."
No hesitation whatsoever, straightforward, and he didn't quite know how to feel about it. It felt like she was trying to tease him, but her expression made it look like those words were genuine.
"You should use this free time that you have in helping Sona get ready for the outing tomorrow. She would welcome the help of her Servant." Archer said, subtly trying to tell her to leave him alone.
"She can manage. Her entire peerage is more than happy to be there for her, and Tsubaki and Tsubasa are quite capable."
He supposed she was right about that; the whole student council would do all they could to help out their King with the preparations. Not everyone felt entirely comfortable with the notion of taking a day off, but none argued that it was needed. Even Rider agreed with him.
But before the trip began, he needed to go on a small visit to the grocery store once he was done here to stock up on some supplies that would be useful for the outing at the beach.
"Archer."
"Yes?"
"Do you suppose that Saber is wandering the town as we speak? Or maybe Assassin and possibly other Servants as well?"
"Of course it's all possible. Even just counting the two Servants we know of, I doubt this is the last we've seen of them, and Saber did give me the impression that she will be a major nuisance to us in the future, one way or another. And yet I find myself more concerned over more Servants showing up that we don't know about."
And if Lancer were to somehow show up as well… Having so many Servants gathered in one town could not possibly have a good outcome.
'Isn't that the truth. I only have to think of Fuyuki.'
"Are you worried?" he wondered.
"No, just making sure you won't go after them or search for trouble," she replied.
Upon hearing that, he turned his attention to the woman with a slight frown on his face. "I am not the Emiya Shirou that you are familiar with. Unlike that foolish boy, I know when to not to go around sticking my nose into things."
Her eyes stared back at him for a good while, until she chuckled and got up from her seat. "I know, just promise me something. Next time I am in any genuine danger, or facing an opponent beyond our ability… do not try to save me. Provided you can bring yourself to abandon me of course."
And then she kissed him on the cheek before walking out, not giving him a single opportunity to answer.
"…"
(An hour later)
"Thank you for your purchase! Please come again!" grabbing onto the bag filled with various items, from sunscreens, snacks and a few ingredients for tonight's dinner, Archer walked out of the store as the cashier waved him goodbye.
His brief conversation with Rider remained stuck in his head for a good while, as did the manner in which she decided to end it. The woman had made her stance about her objective after regaining her memories quite clear, and he supposed this was another way for her to make sure he wouldn't be doing something that only Emiya Shirou would do.
An unfounded worry to him, since it was dependent on a scenario that he was all but certain would never arise…at least he hoped so. Until then, there was not much he could do to change her mind other than go about his day as usual and show her how he changed based on his own actions and choices.
In any case, it was best to focus on the present. So while keeping his eyes on the road, he took a different path today and decided to check upon a couple of notable individuals. He walked for a good ten minutes until he found himself standing in a familiar location he hadn't been to for a long time
He was greeted by a dilapidated and burnt brick wall taken over by vegetation, overgrown grass, leaves piling up into a small hill, and pieces of wooden boards littering the place. The metal gates had fallen off their hinges with rust all over, leaving the entire area open to any passerby… not that anyone would want to come here aside from the occasional thrill-seeking teenager given the creepy atmosphere.
Except for these two. Their voices became more clearer as he got closer.
"Don't…use… well…? Can't we just do it ourselves? A few patches here and there and the building is good as new!" Irina suggested, standing in front of the dilapidated church along with the blue haired exorcist.
The pair no longer wore those combat outfits that clung to their admittedly shapely figures, but instead what appeared to be regular civilian clothes. He almost failed to recognize them with Irina wearing surprisingly girlish clothes consisting of a white skirt and a long-sleeved pink shirt.
Xenovia on the other hand wore a white blouse with a lace-up neckline, paired with fitted black pants and sturdy boots. A black waist corset accentuated her figure, while a brown belt added a utilitarian touch. Resting on her shoulder was a wooden staff, a clear sign that, despite the change in attire, she was still very much a warrior.
A bit old fashioned, but it wasn't a bad look by any means.
"We can't," Xenovia forced herself to say, pure dissatisfaction oozing from her tone. "We… we need to have permission from the Devils."
"Permission?" Irina blinked before frowning. "Since when do we ever need permission to restore a house of God? Let alone from Devils?"
"Believe me, I am just as frustrated as you," Xenovia muttered. "But like it or not, this is their land, and we've caused enough trouble already. Besides, restoring this church is the decision of those at headquarters, not mere exorcists like us. In the meantime, I was able to get in touch with Mother Griselda, and she sent us a bit of funding so we can at least get by," she explained while showing a check to her partner.
"Wait, is it possible to send a check by mail internationally?"
Archer, who had been listening by the entrance, wondered why they couldn't just send the cash through a money transfer agency.
"She asked another church from Kyushu to send it."
"Ah, oh my." Stars shone within Irina's eyes the moment she read the amount written on the piece of paper. "W-Wow… Xenovia, is this real? Has the Lord truly not abandoned us? So many zeros… Just imagine how many stolen saint related artifacts we could bu—Ah! My ear! Y-you're gonna yank it off!"
The blue haired exorcist fumed with a deadly glint flashing across her gaze. "Mother Griselda didn't give me this money just for you to waste it on more fake paintings, you complete airhead! Besides, this check is in yen, not euros, in case you forgot."
"Uuuuh! I'm sorry! Please stop pulling it…"
"Hah… even if I wanted to buy some real artifacts. We can't afford to do so, this country of heathens not only has no love for the Lord, but their rent prices are plain robbery." She lamented, her back dropping slightly as if an enormous weight fell upon it.
"…How much?" the normally chipper girl dared to ask.
"The most reasonable price I could find for a hotel was still almost twenty thousand yen per night," Xenovia answered. "If we want to make this work while we look for Valper and his Servant, we'll need to book for at least three weeks or a month. Finding a place to live here is a nightmare."
"W-what!? How come it's that much!? We'll barely be able to last a full week at that kind of price, let alone thirty days! This doesn't even account for food and stuff… It's the same price as a good painting."
Her sentence was followed by a swift chop to her head.
"Stop thinking about paintings, you fool!" A curse nearly escaped Xenovia's lips, but she managed to hold it back and took a deep breath. "I suppose we'll need to find a solution ourselves. Headquarters is apparently too overwhelmed at the moment, and they won't be sending another check for a while."
"Wait… so then where will we be staying after we run out of money?"
"…"
It was clear that Xenovia had no answer to give. Archer supposed they would end up on the street begging for 'donations' at worst. But even with how prideful Xenovia was, she wouldn't resort to anything like that in favor of accepting a handout from Devils or admitting defeat and heading back to the Vatican… probably.
In any event, he saw these two having far more success as a comedy duo than anything else. If they were truly the best the Church could send out here, then they were in a much worse position than either the Fallen or the Devils.
He had to force himself to remember that one of them was in fact the legitimate wielder of Durandal. So, feeling more pity than he should have, Archer approached the girls and made his presence known.
"You two seem busy."
"Wah!" Irina was especially startled by his arrival, dropping the check on the ground where it landed on a small puddle of dirty rainwater. "AAAH!"
She swiftly moved and picked up the paper fast enough that he wasn't sure she'd have been able to do so any quicker even if she were holding Excalibur Rapidly. A third of the paper was already soaked unfortunately, and it was spreading; he doubted any bank would accept it now.
If looks could kill, then the twin-tailed would have died a dozen times by the glare she got from Xenovia. Chuckling awkwardly and behaving like that small incident didn't just happen.
"A… Archer." Xenovia greeted him, barely able to hide the bubbling anger within her aimed at her partner. "What are you doing here?"
He showed them the bag in his hand, "Was just roaming around town to do some last minute grocery shopping, and came over to check on you two. From the sounds of it, things don't seem to be going that well with your plans to stay in Kuoh."
"We're perfectly fine."
He raised an eyebrow, staring at the still wet check where even the ink already started to get blurry, with Irina's attempts to blow it dry proving useless.
"At this rate, you'll be sleeping in cardboard boxes by tomorrow instead of next week," he remarked dryly, watching Irina's attempts to salvage the check. "That money would've barely covered one of you, let alone both. What's your brilliant plan — splitting an instant noodle cup for dinner every night while you hunt down Valper? Assuming he's even still alive of course."
Both girls grimaced at that image. He was not even exaggerating.
"W-We can ask for help from the local good Samaritans. No matter the place, there are always those that love God willing to help their brothers and sisters."
"Hmph, well it's not my place to meddle. Though didn't Rias offer to give you two free lodging?"
He recalled the heiress offering that when these two were rescued and brought back. Just as they were about to leave, she offered to let them stay at a luxurious condo owned by her family.
"We decided to decline the offer," answered Xenovia with a determined face. "We are proud members of the church, and even though I am very grateful to you for saving us, we cannot rely on the generosity of the Devils' and further disappoint the Lord. We are exorcists, not leeches."
"She said the offer was one of goodwill, and came with no strings attached if I remember correctly," he continued dryly, making both women's resolve falter for a moment.
"My point still stands."
Alright, since that was not going to work, best to take a different approach. "What about living at Issei's house? He and Irina are childhood friends after all. I may not have met his parents, but I've heard plenty of positive things about them from Asia from when she visited one time."
Then again, he doubted that the former nun was capable of saying anything negative about anyone even if she tried.
"I don't want to impose on Mr and Mrs Hyoudou…" Irina answered, poking both fingers together awkwardly. "And I kind of already told them to not worry about us and that we have everything handled."
"Also that would still count as receiving a favor from a Devil," Xenovia added.
"You're just being unreasonably stubborn." Talking to these girls and their living arrangement kept getting more irksome, Archer was half the mind to just walk away. "Hah, look, we've taken the effort to help you two as long as you're in Kuoh. We don't want any trouble with the church, and if you're offering to aid us in stopping Assassin and possibly even Saber if she does return to cause trouble, then all the more reason to make sure you at least have a roof over your heads and food in your stomachs. The least you can do is not die of starvation or cold while living in this city. It would only cause more misunderstandings with your faction. In fact, when was the last time you two ate a proper meal?"
As soon as he finished saying that, both of their stomachs growled at the same time. Loud enough to be mistaken for a growling animal.
"Look, let's cut to the chase. You're both acting like stubborn kids trying to save face, and it's not a good look — especially for someone wielding Durandal. Let's hear the truth, not some half-baked pride parade." Leaning on the legendary sword's reputation to crack her resolve seemed like a solid move.
Unsurprisingly, it worked.
Xenovia with an enormous blush on her face, forced the words out.
"…Since we last met."
Since the last time they met? It had been three full days since then. How were these two still so energetic?
Irina saw fit to pump up her fists together to add emphasis to her next words. "But we did manage to get some free bread yesterday! A bakery was about to throw them out since they were more than a day old, but we convinced him to do the charitable thing. Oh, and we found a spring for fresh water around the place where we were captured, so we've basically got unlimited free water!"
Archer was speechless. The image that explanation from Irina had conjured in his head just looked so pitifully sad that he came to the indisputable conclusion that there was truly no saving these two fools if they were left to their own devices.
"Fine, I'll be leaving," he declared, turning away.
"Wait!"
Only to be pulled back when one of the girls grabbed onto the fabric of his sleeve. He slowly turned around to find Xenovia looking at him with a very ugly face, there being an internal struggle raging within her mind given how often her expression kept changing.
"Um… you see… since we plan to one day rebuild the church here… eh… we can technically already give out services as nuns? Yes! There is no rule saying otherwise. So… our donation box is open."
On cue, Irina already had a small donation box held between her hands that she got from… somewhere.
"…"
Just when he thought this pitiful bunch couldn't go any lower, they once again proved him wrong. This was both extremely saddening and impressive, in a twisted sort of way.
"Xenovia is right! Since you're maybe, possibly, sorta kinda a saint—"
"Not a saint."
"—then we can receive your aid without it counting as putting ourselves in debt to Devils."
Archer rolled his eyes, it was already getting late with the sun setting at any minute. He still needed to prepare dinner, clean up the house, manage the garden and make sure Rias wouldn't procrastinate on packing her bag for tomorrow so that spending any more time here was not ideal.
Also he feared these two would find a way to go even lower.
He took a good look at them.
The desperation in Xenovia and Irinas faces coupled with their puppy dog eyes broke him.
'Enough is enough.'
He just came up with a simple conclusion and grabbed onto Xenovia's hand that was holding his sleeve before pulling her along.
"W-Wait, what are you going to do to me?"
He looked back at her and Irina who hurriedly followed along. "I'm making sure my Master won't have to deal with two famished exorcists."
"B-but…"
"You said it yourself, I'm no Devil so it shouldn't be a problem. Just come along quickly, we'll make a trip to the market, it should still be open right now. What I bought now won't be enough for you two, I'm afraid."
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(Later)
"Archer…" back inside Rias' house, the redheaded woman stood in front of her room's window overlooking the yard below, face nearly pressed against the cold surface as she peered downwards with a dry gaze. "Why are the two exorcists from last time setting up camp in MY backyard and eating MY food?"
Her Servant continued methodically folding clothes in the back of the room, placing each item neatly into the small suitcase. Without missing a beat, he replied with his usual dry humor, "Consider them strays that followed me home, Master. They're already house-trained."
"What?"
"They'll die if left unattended outside, or be sold off. Besides, it's only temporary."
"Why not just give them a room? There are plenty."
"I already suggested that, but since you or Sona would be the owners of any such rooms, they evidently consider it as succumbing to the temptations of Devils. You are of course free to try and convince them yourself."
Rias didn't know what to say, glancing back and forth between both parties. What the hell happened in that small period of time he went grocery shopping!?
{Break}
(The next day)
-Gremory Private Island Retreat-
"Whoa! It's the sea!"
Somewhere down the line, that conversation of needing to take time to relax and unwind had led to this — a beach trip on a private island, owned by the Gremory family. A quaint place, far from Kuoh and away from the loud atmosphere of a city. There was a small village nearby though, with various small stores actually run by Devils living peacefully in the human world.
A rarity for most Devils according to Akeno, but the Gremory family was well known to hold great amounts of love for their servants and allies. Willing to treat them far better than most Pillar houses, a piece of information he remembered Rias bringing up briefly the first time they met one another.
He never took that part seriously back then, but circumstances had changed.
Among the people who rushed to the water, Issei was the one who showed the most overt joy right from the start, his eyes lighting up at the endless sparkling blue stretching out before them.
Looking no different to an innocent child. Archer could tell that out of everyone, he was the one who needed this break the most.
If he had to guess, it was related to his recent encounter with the White Dragon Emperor. The sheer difference in power between them must have opened Issei's eyes, made him realize how far he still had to go. Or perhaps it was something else — a drive to protect, to become stronger for the sake of everyone in Rias' peerage who he'd gotten close to.
'At least, I hope that's his driving force.' It could very well just be more of his perverted desires for all he knew.
Then again, for all his antics involving large breasts, Issei had a surprisingly pure heart when things truly mattered. He genuinely cared about every one of his comrades. Even if that care often manifested as petty insults directed at Yuuto and himself for supposedly being too good-looking.
But of course, nothing ever stayed peaceful for long.
"Wait! Don't go running into the water so suddenly, Issei-kun! We just ate, so you'll get cramps! At least join the rest of us for some stretching first."
Yuuto's hand shot out, grabbing Issei's wrist just before he could run off into the waves. Unfortunately, the sudden stop had unintended consequences.
Issei lost his balance, stumbling backward, only to fall directly against Yuuto's chest.
For a single, fleeting moment, the scene could have been ripped straight from a shoujo romance novel.
Even Asia blushed.
Then…
"YOU! What the hell are you doing, Kiba!?" Issei flailed, leaping away as if burned. "Get the hell away from me! I don't swing that way! Ew! Ew! I swear I will kick your ass if you come any closer!"
Yuuto, ever the gentleman, chuckled as he raised his hands in surrender. "It was just an accident. No need to get so worked up, Issei-kun."
"Liar! I'm not falling for that pretty-boy charm of yours!"
"Oh? So you do think I'm pretty?" Yuuto smirked. "I should save that one on my phone."
"AAAAAAH! Stop talking like that! You're making it sound so messed up!" Issei barked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
The blond Knight laughed, waving his hand to calm his friend down, the latter just a second away from bringing out his Sacred Gear. "Relax, I'm just messing with you, Issei. But I was serious about stretching. If you get a cramp while swimming too far out, you could drown."
He dusted the sand off his uniform, giving the brunet a pointed look. "Speaking of which… you are still wearing your school uniform. You might want to change before ruining your clothes, they are expensive to replace and a hassle to clean normally, much less when you get stuff like sea salt or sand in them."
He was starting to sound more and more like a mother these days. Perhaps it was a lingering effect from calming down after the Holy Sword incident.
From a short distance away, Akeno chuckled behind her hand, her violet eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Those two look so adorable together."
Her teasing tone made Issei sputter in protest, but Akeno ignored him, still smiling. "I'm happy to see Yuuto-kun finally getting himself a best friend."
Archer glanced between them — two wildly opposing personalities, yet… perhaps she had a point. He had certainly seen stranger things happen.
His gaze drifted across the beach.
"Sona and her group haven't arrived yet, I see."
The private stretch of sand was pristine — palm trees swaying gently, several lounge chairs already having been arranged beneath white parasols. The preparations had been flawless. And yet, for someone as punctual as Sona, her absence was odd.
"They'll be here soon," Rias assured, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Sona's been overseeing the school's reconstruction. She's also been helping our people come up with a convincing explanation for why an iconic mountain in town was suddenly cleaved in two."
"…Just say it was a gas pipe explosion," Archer muttered.
"Eh!?"
"Ignore that. Just talking to myself." Archer smirked wryly, recalling the oftentimes absurd cover-ups he had seen across various Holy Grail Wars.
Rias gave him a suspicious look, but ultimately let it go in favor of enjoying a day at the beach.
As for Archer, he shifted his attention to the young woman next to him who couldn't seem to stop smiling. "You appear to be in quite a good mood today."
"Of course I am!" Akeno beamed. "I can't even remember the last time Rias and I went to the beach. It must have been over a decade ago! This was definitely a better idea than taking a break at the school pool… especially since we'd have to clean it first."
To that Archer just said, "I already cleaned it."
Akeno blinked. "You what?"
The Servant shrugged. "One of the teachers was complaining about how filthy the school pool was. Wouldn't stop going on about how, 'Kuoh Academy should be able to afford proper maintenance.' He seemed just about angry enough to do it himself, so I volunteered. It only took an hour."
A long pause.
When he turned, he found Akeno, Rias, Koneko, Asia, and even Kiyome staring at him.
Rias sighed. "You take your role as a teacher way too seriously, Archer. I'm half-tempted to promote you to principal. I can tell you now that even Sona would agree you're far better suited to the position than the man we currently have filling the seat."
Before he could respond, the ground in front of them lit up — a bright blue glow spiraling into an intricate magic circle.
"Speak of the devil."
With a flash, several figures materialized before them. And from the circle emerged several individuals. Sona vested in her school uniform of all things, Archer had genuinely never seen her wear anything else, and he was starting to wonder if her wardrobe was just filled with rows upon rows of identical Kuoh Academy uniforms, the closest thing to variety being the seasonal versions for winter and summer, and gym clothes.
Then again, it somehow made sense with this girl. The same applied for everyone else in her group aside from Saji who already had a pair of purple swimsuit shorts on and an open white hoodie. A giant grin was plastered on his face as he held several parasols, towels, and other assorted beach equipment for the group.
Rias smirked. "You're late, Sona. We were starting to wonder if you had actually dipped on us at the last second."
Sona adjusted her glasses. "Don't speak nonsense, Rias. Unlike you, I had to manage several matters concerning the school as well as the town's restoration." She then turned her attention back to her peerage. "Alright, since this is a day of rest and relaxation, make sure to take full advantage of it and enjoy yourselves as much as you can. For after today, we will all be having full training sessions with Rider on a daily basis."
"What!?" Immediately their faces, which had been filled with excitement for the day ahead, all became dejected on the spot after what she said. All of them looked at her with disbelief, outright desperation even, that the woman was joking.
"This is not up for discussion, now go get changed." Clapping her hands, the bespectacled Devil and her Queen went into the changing room with the others still outside looking at one another in disbelief.
Rias, who wanted to initially poke fun at her rival, had gone silent, taking a look at her own Heroic Spirit who was now looking at the other peerage with pity in his eyes. "Is she that bad or something? There is no way that Rider can be as bad as you were… Right?"
"Don't let her silent demeanor fool you, Master. She can be extremely ruthless and strict if she wants to, not to mention her methods might be even more brutal than mine."
Rias and everyone else on their side shuddered at hearing that, at first unable to believe the Servant that there existed someone else more harsher than him during those deadly training sessions. But for him to say such things about Rider? It felt very ominous.
"A-Anyways, best we get changed first if we're going to enjoy a beach day, the day isn't getting younger."
Everyone agreed with Rias' words. The beach, even if mostly untouched, had a few small buildings which mostly consisted of a changing room, showers and a small cabin for storage. All of it properly maintained from what Archer found when entering the room or most likely built very recently.
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"Hehehe, this is what I will call the highlight of my vacation! Spending a day surrounded by gorgeous, sexy girls with amazing boobs, dressed in bikinis! Yosh! I will do my best to show off a bit during those challenges they talked about and win the ultimate prize!" Issei exclaimed out loud with a big grin on his face.
"Prize?" Yuuto on the other hand looked at the boy with confusion. "I don't remember there ever being any prizes mentioned for today."
Issei shook his head, "I'm obviously talking about the volleyball game we had planned today! Can't you see what I mean, Kiba? I'll get to have a front row seat and watch the girls' boobs bounce around in their sexy swimsuits every time they jump! What better prize is there for a man? Also, if we do good, I'll be able to impress the girls in Sona's peerage! Heck, I'll get to see Rider in action!"
"Well said, Hyoudou!" Saji walked in, with a similar grin on his face. "Today we feast with our eyes and make unforgettable memories! Though all of you stay the hell away from Kaichou!"
Even though he said that out loud for everyone to heed his warning, his gaze was entirely focused on Archer.
Yuuto smiled warmly. "Hahahah! You two are something else. I can see why you'd be interested." Then a thought flashed through his mind, and his smile faltered. "But… wait, wouldn't that mean we'll have to try to defend ourselves against Rider whenever she spikes the ball?"
He glanced at Archer, who let out a dry laugh. "Don't overthink it. Sure, Servants are strong and fast — especially Rider — but she's not going to go all out and risk hurting anyone unless Sona explicitly tells her to. It's just a game."
If anything, that only made Yuuto look more horrified. His face paled as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Um… you've never actually seen Rias and Sona in a 'friendly' sports competition, have you?" Yuuto muttered, his voice tinged with dread.
Archer raised an eyebrow.
"Other than seeing them compete with one another at chess, not really. I'm sure it'll be fine." The Servant wondered why the boy was behaving as such. While he knew Rias and Sona tended to be very competitive with one another, he doubted they would go that far.
"I really hope you're right, Archer."
Putting aside Yuuto's worry, he just focused on getting changed and enjoying the day alongside everyone else. Given he could just Project clothes for himself, it came at a surprise when Rias — before teleporting them here — gave him a small wrapped gift that evidently contained a swimsuit she chose. An inconspicuous wrapped package making it impossible to look inside. Opening it up he got to see what his Master bought for him, and was a bit taken aback.
"Really?" In his hands was a black and white speedo with some red accents on the outline. Looking at it for a bit longer and feeling its material, Archer concluded it felt good to the touch at the very least and was made from fine quality.
It was designed to show off as much skin as possible while hiding the necessary parts.
Well, it was the will of his Master.
"I suppose I can try it out."
Since for most of the day he'd planned to swim around for a bit and watch over both peerages, this would work just as well as any other swimsuit.
The colors and design bore a striking resemblance to Kanshou and Bakuya, which he suspected was no accident. Rias probably thought it'd be the perfect way to nudge him into wearing it. Smart move, really — he couldn't deny it worked. With a shrug, he changed into the speedo, tossing the goggles and swim cap on for good measure. If he was going to humor her, he might as well commit.
Finally ready, he walked outside around the same time as the others.
"Oh, you have excellent taste, Archer." The first one to compliment him turned out to be the Gremory Knight who wore something similar to him, his speedo being completely black instead.
"Surprised you chose something similar."
"It's easier to swim with."
Archer nodded at that explanation, "I suppose that makes sen—"
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
A disgruntled pair of shouts interrupted his phrase, even making Yuuto flinch at the sheer volume. Both traced the source and found Issei and Saji having finished changing into what appeared to be simple swim trunks, and were now glaring at both of them together.
"Why are you two wearing those things!?" Saji exclaimed, pointing at both of their speedos with pure disgust showing on his face. "Damn it, these two are planning on getting everyone's attention! What should we do, Hyoudou?"
Recovering from the initial shock, Issei grabbed onto his friend's shoulders and shook him, using a loud tone to answer.
"We won't give up!"
"Yeah!"
Both boys having gotten reinvigorated bumped their fists and ran outside. Leaving both Archer and Yuuto to just stand after witnessing the scene. The former shrugged, deciding to just walk outside as well and treat that response as if it never happened.
The Knight next to him had a similar thought. That was until they barely left the building and saw both Saji and Issei frozen in place.
"What's up with those tw— ah," Yuuto failed to finish his words, staring at the area these two were looking at, before gaining a smaller reaction, if by a smaller degree. A faint blush formed on his cheeks as his sentence was cut off mid-wordt.
It did not take long for Archer to understand why, for he turned to find Rider standing under a palm tree patiently waiting. The Heroic Spirit having already changed into her swimsuit, wearing a stylish and elegant black bikini with pink accents, giving it a refined yet playful look with a small pink ribbon at the center. The bottom was a matching black bikini with pink trim and similar gold accents on the sides.
The most eye-catching part of her outfit was probably the wide-brimmed straw sun hat adorned with a large blue bow.

And she was still wearing the glasses he gave her.
"Speechless?" Rider approached, giving him a better look of her body.
"I am a bit surprised. It looks good."
"Mhm Thank you, I did keep some of my hair in place with a couple scrunchies, Sona bought it for me." She took a good long look at his body, taking in the sight of all of his muscles, pecks, and abs down to the way the speedo conformed perfectly to his body.
"An interesting choice of swimwear." "
He was starting to second guess putting on the swimsuit, given the way Rider was staring at him. Though he shrugged and remembered the fact that she often seemed to look for an excuse to tease him, and she wasn't the only one either. "I feel comfortable and nimble like this. I may decide to stay with this swimsuit design if we do something like this again."
"Fair," she accepted the answer, touching her hat and adjusting it a bit. "I got this little number when a few members of the peerage and I went shopping, it was a nice experience. The hat was a gift from Momo, they all went a bit overboard with finding things for me to try on, like these bracelets. Though you don't need to wear much of anything to pull off a fine look yourself, I see."
"Well I suppose I can consider that a form of validation, though I had my reservations at first."
"Nothing to say about mine?"
"Argh!" came two masculine cries of awe and jealousy from the side.
Striking a subtle pose, Rider showcased both her curvy body and the way the material clung tightly to her skin, causing a certain duo of male Pawns to feel the majority of their blood rush to their lower heads.
"Careful, the boys are already overstimulated. You might accidentally kill them," he joked. He then took a moment to silently appreciate her beauty, struggling to find a good way to compliment Rider without sounding too weird. "You certainly do look good in that. The color compliments your hair and… and I guess it makes you feel very different from your regular self. It's refreshing."
Her eyes widened before she started chuckling.
Archer raised an eyebrow at that reaction.
"What's so funny?"
Going over his prior words, there did not seem to be anything weird he mentioned. They were his genuine thoughts on the swimsuit.
"I remember one time I went shopping with Sakura. She was interested in getting a new swimsuit but just decided to get the one similar to the school swimsuit. She was being too shy I suppose. So I secretly went out with Shirou next time, to choose one for her as a surprise. And that version of you ended up finding one set in particular that I thought looked very interesting. So I put it on, and you know what he said?"
Her face drew closer, giving him a clear view of her pink, enchanting eyes.
Even when he knew he would regret the answer, Archer still asked, "…What?"
"The same thing as you did now. Your eyes wandered the same way, you two hesitated at the same instance as well." Nothing but a single inch separated their faces, her lips nearly brushing against his cheeks and she whispered into his ears. "It makes me wonder just how similar you might react now if I went further."
"Rider…"
Backing away, that smirk remained for a brief moment before she put that innocent look when looking the other Devils around. "Oh my, I forgot about our audience here." Neither of the boys said anything, instead watching her grab his hand and pull him along. "Now come on, the others are waiting for us. Best to not be too late."
As they left, they finally returned to their senses and both Pawns started to bang their heads against the nearby trees.
"Damn that bastard!"
"Hyoudou… no, Kiba, you wouldn't happen to have a spare speedo, would you?"
"Don't fall to the other side, Saji!"
…
It did not take long for them to rejoin the main group who were waiting for their arrival. He immediately found Rias, wearing a similar style bikini to Rider but instead a white coloured version. The heiress stood at the center of the group, her arms crossed beneath her generous bust while her sharp gaze flickered between Archer and Rider as they approached, narrowing slightly at their interlocked arms.
"We're back, Master," Archer greeted, his tone calm. He noticed several of the girls looking at what he was wearing with various degrees of surprise and appreciation, and Tsubasa of all people giving him a thumbs up with a dopey smile.
She along with Tsubaki and all of Sona's peerage for that matter wore more modest swimsuits, the kind one would expect to be provided by the academy.
Akeno had a red bikini with various gem-like shapes on the surface of the fabric. It was very tightly fitted, making it seem like even the slightest movement could have the strings snap.
Asia and Koneko followed Sona's style in wearing a modest, one-piece swimsuit.
As for Gasper… well the boy had a frilly woman's swimsuit, looking completely happy while conversing with Asia.
"Aren't you two a bit too close to my Servant, Rider?" Rias asked, her voice laced with something between irritation and curiosity.
The purple haired Heroic Spirit glanced at her with mild surprise before tilting her head, offering a small smile. "You think so? I didn't notice," she said lightly.
Of course, that only served to make Rias' eyes twitch. Clearly she was not buying a single one of her words.
"You're locking arms together."
At that, Rider looked down at their arms as if only just realizing it. She let out a small hum of amusement.
"How surprising. Things like this can happen without me knowing," she mused, her smile never wavering. "But I suppose I should be going off to see my Master."
Rias huffed but decided not to press the issue. Instead, she took a deep breath and shifted the conversation.
"How did you find your gift?" she asked Archer, her tone softening. The heiress was unable to stop herself from throwing a few subtle glances at his swimwear as well as… other places that brought a blush to her cheeks.
"It's a good gift, Master. You didn't have to get it for me, though. I could have Projected it to save you the effort."
Rias shook her head firmly, "Nope. It feels more special if you actually have the real thing." She hesitated for a moment, shifting slightly where she stood, her fingers gripping her wrist. "And… and well… what about… me?"
Her voice trailed off and he almost did not hear it. Though after living with her for quite a while now, even if she had not mentioned anything he would have known what she wanted to hear.
"You look stunning, Master."
A faint pink hue dusted Rias' cheeks, but she quickly masked it with an air of composure.
"Better than Rider?" she asked, her voice laced with challenge.
Archer blinked before a slow smirk tugged at his lips.
"Do I hear jealousy in your voice?" Rias stiffened, her face darkening. This worsened when he started to shake his head, crossing his arms. "What a hard decision to make, I'm afraid my answer might not please you."
"You—!"
"Hahaha." He let the moment breathe before continuing, his tone sincere. "Truthfully, Rider is a beautiful woman, but so are you. Everyone has a different sort of beauty — it's unique to each person. You shouldn't compare yourself to her, just like she isn't comparing herself to you."
Rias looked at him, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"That kind of answer is not fair…" she muttered, crossing her arms as she turned slightly away, the sunlight catching the faintest of smiles tugging at her lips.
Archer tilted his head slightly.
"Hm?"
She didn't say anything, for in the next moment, everyone's attention was pulled away by an authoritative voice sounding across the beach.
"Alright everyone! We will now be starting the volleyball match. The groups have already been decided, so it will be Team Gremory versus Team Sitri. The rules are the same as any beach volleyball game; make sure the ball doesn't hit the ground or go out of bounds." Sona jumped on top of a large boulder and clapped her hands. "But before we begin, I have a suggestion to make this a bit more interesting. Let's make a bet first, what do you say, Rias?"
"A bet?"
The redhead frowned, feeling something very amiss with the situation, yet she let the bespectacled Devil continue.
"Indeed, if your team wins, then I will personally admit that you are better than me and fulfill one of your requests." An enticing prize for certain to offer her rival. Members on both sides watched in disbelief at Sona making such a proposal. "What do you think?"
"Sounds too good to be true. What are you planning, Sona?" Obviously, Rias who had known her friend since their childhood, did not once even so much as give any consideration to the matter. Knowing full well that there was something she was missing or being purposefully hidden from her.
"Nothing, just a minor prize in case I am the one who ends up winning." Sona then pointed her finger at Rias' Servant with a small challenging look on her face. "If I win, then all you have to do is allow Archer to come by the Student council room regularly to play a game of chess with me. That is all."
An uproar rose in the next moment with the most vocal one out of all people was none other than the current user of one of the Vritra Sacred Gears.
"K-Kaichou!? I can't accept this! I won't let—"
"Be quiet, Saji!" Sona doubled down, not willing to let anyone stand in her way, "So, what do you say?"
'She is planning something, Sona is never this confident unless she is guaranteed of her victory.' Rias said, speaking to him through their connection.
'Most definitely, so what will you choose, Master? You can always back out of it. That said, the reward she's demanding is pretty simple, and I could do it even without the bet if you allowed it.'
'You know I can't do that, that would only make me look afraid of her. And like hell I'm going to just let anyone butt in on my personal time with you without making them earn it.'
'Fair enough. If you are confident in winning then I don't see any issues here. Also, it's just me playing a few games of chess, even if you lose. It's not that big of a deal.'
At the end of the day, if it was just having him play a game of chess then he didn't mind it. Though his Master did not seem to share that opinion.
'It absolutely is!'
Shaking her head, the redhead took a step forward and looked at her friend with a heavy frown.
"Humph, then so be it, Sona. I will accept your bet but don't come crying to me or start whining about unfairness after I wipe the floor with you. And don't even try to accuse me of cheating."
Sona smirked as soon as she got that response. "Come now, Rias. We have known each other for years, have I ever behaved in such a way? I have always been upfront and kept my promises regardless of how much they negatively affect me. So you can rest assured, I will not go back on my word."
"Alright then, let's begin." With a determined face, she gathered her group and gave each of them a different role for the match. "Gasper, You will count and announce the scores. Are you alright with that?"
Archer agreed with that plan, the dhampir was not exactly going to be much of a help during an actual sports match. Archer doubted he would even be able to make a single pass, let alone block a shoot.
"Yes! You can count on me, Buchou!" he nodded eagerly.
Rias then turned her attention to the rest of the group and even a few members of Sona's Peerage who decided to not participate in the match itself. "Momo and Asia here will be charged with healing anyone that might get hurt."
Her rival did not have anything to say against that and continued to instead address the players of her own team. "Ruruko, you'll act as a substitute if anyone from our team can't continue. And Reya, I want you to be the referee."
Rias turned her attention to her second Pawn. "Are you willing to act as a substitute, Kiyome?"
"Don't worry, Buchou, I got your back~!"
With that said, everyone finished making their preparations with each group already standing on their side of the field. Archer stood in the front with Rias. Akeno and Kiba occupied the center, leaving Koneko and Issei at the back.
A solid team in his opinion, but that did not stop his Master from being worried. 'Archer, while I'm sure that we can win this, I still worry about Sona's Servant. Rider's parameters are higher than yours overall, and she's much faster.'
'Then we will just need to have better team coordination and approach. Also, I'll focus on countering anything Rider does, you and the others worry about Sona and her peerage. Sound good?' She gave him a nod, which was better than anything.
"Start!"
So, as Reya announced the start of the match, Tsubaki, who had the ball, performed a picture-perfect serve and sent it hurtling right down the middle.
A good shot, but one he managed to defend rather easily. The ball bounced against his arms and went above Rias.
"Master!"
"I got it!"
Receiving his signal, Rias expertly jumped above and performed a textbook smash, aiming to hit the ball closer to the edge of the borders.
Though unfortunately for her, Sona's Pawn dived to save it, and was successful.
"Nice save, Saji!" called out Tsubasa.
The young man practically glowed under his teammate's praise.
"Hehehe, as if I'll lose so easily. We're definitely going to wi—oof!" The ball came back, this time much harder and striking the man right in the face. Holding enough force to send him hurtling back a couple of feet, a prominent red mark now covered his entire face which was swelling. "OW! Oi! What the hell?"
Koneko, who had been the one who threw it back, showed no remorse whatsoever. "Too loud."
"Watch out!" Unfortunately, she was not the only one with that thought, as Tsubaki used the brief distraction to do the same thing as Koneko and also aimed the ball at her this time.
The Rook was taken by surprise, not having enough time to react, she closed her eyes but got saved at the last minute by Yuuto who took the brunt of the impact with his forearms. "Hn!"
"Yuuto-senpai!" gasped the Rook.
Tsubaki grew horrified at what she just tried to do and her stoic mask showed cracks. "A-Ah! Yuuto-kun? Are you okay? I didn't mean to hit so hard!"
Much to her relief, the boy showed no anger whatsoever and happily accepted her apology. "Heh, it's alright, you should be more concerned with your side instead."
During that exchange, others kept track of the ball Yuuto had sent upwards. Rias leaped high above the net, her hand glowing a fierce red as she delivered a devastating spike, sending the ball hurtling straight toward Saji on the opposing side.
Bam!
Even though he tried to defend, the force behind that attack overwhelmed the boy quickly.
"Score! One point for Gremory!" Reya declared.
"Nicely done, Buchou!" Akeno cheered, along with everyone on their side praising their King. Though the atmosphere on the other side was completely different.
"W-What the hell was that!?" Saji exclaimed, clearly angered at what just happened while being carried off of the field by Momo while Ruruko took his place. "That's cheating! She used her magic! Aaaaah! I can't feel my legs!"
Though before anyone could say anything else, Archer spoke after Saji finished accusing Rias. "It seems you have the wrong idea here, Saji. No matter what kind of contest it is, you'd be dissing your opponent if you pulled your punches. Isn't that why you also have a Servant by your side? What a shame to not use your strongest player to her full potential."
Rider, who had mostly been playing defensively and passing the ball to others, narrowed her eyes, staring back at Archer who returned her look with a slight challenging smirk on his face.
Was he taunting her?
Absolutely.
"If that's how you want to play then." She grabbed the ball from the ground, easily snuffing out any remnants of Rias' power. "I hope you're ready."
"—!"
Rider's figure turned into a blur, his eyes barely able to catch her shadow on the other side of the net. Tracing the trajectory of the spike, he moved before she could and was already in position when a thunderous sound spread across the beach.
"Hugh!" The ball itself had turned into a missile, pushing him back a few feet but overall manageable. "It's yours, Akeno!" he said while tossing it into the air for her.
"Leave it to me!" Following a similar example to her King, sparks of lightning surrounded her hand as she struck the ball. "Hah!"
Her spike proved to be a veritable and literal lightning strike.
"Wah!" This time it was Meguri who almost followed the same fate as Saji, though she managed to dodge at the last second. "Cough! Cough! I-I nearly died…"
Sona was waiting where Meguri had just been, and sent it flying up with her water-covered fist, which quickly spread into a mist that concealed its position from everyone until Rider — who regularly fought blindfolded — spiked it back down.
"Another score! One point for Sitri!" announced Reya.
"Both sides are tied!" Gasper shouted, getting more and more energetic as the match went on. Though Asia and Momo in the background were getting increasingly worried instead, as Issei was also quickly rendered unable to continue playing.
"Damn it, we're already down a player. Kiyome, come quick!" Rias shouted, looking over to the side where the blonde beast tamer had gone completely pale with clear fear in her eyes.
"Um… while I do like sports in general, I would rather not risk my life on a game of volleyball, Buchou. So that's a pass for me. I can send my Undine in my stead."
She didn't even wait for Rias' answer to summon her familiar, the muscular figure that resembled a body builder wearing a wig and a dress instantly caused Issei and Saji to crumble on the spot out of sheer aversion.
Archer could not blame them, for this Undine just looked like a crossdressing Berserker.
"▂▃▃▅▅ーーー!!"
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on the person, Rider acted quickly and shot another spike the moment the familiar stepped into the ring and the game resumed, the ball hitting its skull and sending it flying.
"Undine! Nooo!"
"Ah… sorry, I mistook him for someone else." Even Rider seemed to have gotten the same impression as he did, though she didn't waste any time in attacking it.
"My beautiful Undine is a girl!" the chestnut-haired girl yelled back as she ran to check on her familiar.
"Another point for the Sitri side! Two to one!" Gasper announced loudly, twirling in his spot like a cheerleader, perhaps getting a bit too into the act.
Archer ignored the sight, grabbing the ball and letting his own Magical Energy coat it. A blue glow enveloped the volleyball while his eyes scanned every opening and inch of the opposing team's side.
Then, he found it.
"Humph, take this!"
With a simple toss to the air, he winded up his arm and jumped at the perfect time to strike it with his palm. Instantly, the gentle blue wisps of energy shifted into an angry crimson color, turning the ball into a beam of power surpassing anything that had been thrown so far, going past everyone and hitting the center.
The impact was no different from an explosion, sending a large mountain of sand and several Devils flying off the field.
"Wah!" This time Tsubasa was not spared even with her Rook endurance. Being the closest to the impact, she got pushed away and buried under the sand.
"Two points each for Sitri and Gremory now!"
Rider went on the offensive again, using a similar spike as last time, though she failed to land a point as Yuuto chose to act as a cushion and take the brunt of the attack with Koneko supporting him from the back. While they were sent flying, the ball flew right above Archer's head and he took the opportunity.
Another sound akin to the boom of an artillery round being fired spread the moment he hit the ball into the opposing court, the shockwave clearing all the dust with it aimed at a spot between Sona and her Queen.
"We got this, Rider!" Sona shouted. "Tsubaki!"
"Mirror Alice!"
Tsubaki's Sacred Gear took shape, a giant mirror forming in the air that stood right in front of the ball's trajectory. Yet as she braced for impact, it never happened.
Much to their horror, the ball's path changed midair and arced at the last second, hitting the ground right beneath Tsubaki's feet and creating an explosion of sand that sent her flying.
"It swerved in the air on its own!?"
Sona couldn't believe her eyes. She could accept him using such a technique with his arrows, but this was a volleyball! Hastily she ran towards Tsubaki who was lying on the ground, defeated and coughing up a mouthful of sand, while Gasper counted the Gremory team's third point.
"Hn! I-I'm… sorry… K-Kaichou… I failed you…"
"You did amazingly, Tsubaki. I swear I'll avenge you, my loyal Queen." While she grieved and swore revenge, Rider approached the net and stared Archer right in the eye.
"You're quite good at this."
The Servant of the Bow adjusted his hair and smirked, "I am an Archer after all. It will take more than just speed and power to win against me."
To Rider, that sounded like a challenge.
"We'll see."
.
.
.
After that, the match just kept becoming more and more chaotic with both Servants starting to not hold back as much anymore.
"Four points for Gremory!"
Rider started using her agility to strike the ball using her feet more times than not, making each spike more dangerous than the last. Using her own purple-colored Magical Energy to coat the ball only added to that.
"Six points, Sitri!"
Despite having greater strength, her aim still could not compare to his, and this along with the help of his EX-ranked Mind's Eye made it easier for him to even out the field between them.
"U-Um… eight points for Gremory? I-I lost count!"
The ball was being launched at supersonic speeds with each spike at this point, and would frequently be destroyed as a result. That did not stop Archer from just Projecting a new one each time, which kept the game going. Though anyone else on the field aside from the two Servants was long out of the match by now.
"We can't even properly see what's going on, and both our Kings are unconscious." Akeno commented dryly from the safety of the sidelines, with everyone around her agreeing with the voluptuous young woman. "I've never seen Archer so focused with my own eyes. He's actually keeping up with Rider's speed."
"What the hell is with their shots!? Those are equivalent to artillery cannons!" Issei complained, getting healed by Asia due to nearly losing his arm from one of Rider's spikes. Not even the Boosted Gear doubling his power managed to keep him in the game for very long.
"They are Servants, so it makes sense." Koneko commented, sharing a few snacks with Kiyome who still kept mourning over her familiar getting almost decapitated.
"…"
Back on what little remained of the volleyball court, the two Servants finally calmed down a bit after the metal poles holding the net got folded like paper by one of the shots.
"I think we went a bit too far," mentioned Rider, taking a look at their surroundings.
"Seems like it." Archer agreed, though he still Projected yet another ball. "But I have no intention of losing."
A smile bloomed on her face, taking position and she answered back confidently. "Me too."
"How about one final round to settle this."
Pouring all of his energy and strength into this spike, the ball was soon glowing brightly, almost like a Broken Phantasm, ready to burst at any moment. "Ha!" Another shot sounding no different from a cannon being fired left his hand the moment he struck the ball, this one intercepted by his opponent before it could touch the ground.
Yet it still kept going, pushing her arms back… and then detonating. The shockwave forced everyone to back away, some fainting on the spot out of pure fear alone.
"Aaaaah!"
"The net collapsed?"
"I'm surprised it took this long. The whole court has long been destroyed."
"Oh… So who won?" Meguri asked after they all recovered somewhat.
At that, Tsubasa answered with a tired yet satisfied tone."I don't know, and I frankly don't care. We're still alive, that's all that matters."
"N-N-Never play a game against a Servant… S-Scary!"
"I think Saji is traumatized." Tsubaki whispered to her peerage's Rook.
"Looks like it."
{Break}
After the disastrous volleyball match, both Archer and Rider were banned from participating in such events ever again by both of their Masters once they woke up.
No winners were announced, and both Kings decided to work out another agreement for their desired prizes. Right now though, they just wished to forget about what happened and focus on relaxing instead. Everyone agreed and all of them either went for a swim or hung out near the shore to either sunbathe or play in the sand.
Meanwhile, Archer went ahead and found a secluded spot near the rocks at the beach, taking a moment to experience the soft sounds of nature and tranquility this place offered.
"Mind some company?"
Rider peeked from the corner to make her request, something he found no problem with, and shrugged.
"You're welcome to join me if you wish."
She did exactly that, smoothly walking up to him and taking a seat. Both remained quiet for a good while, and did nothing but observe the sea.
"It was fun, the match," she said with a soft smile.
"That it was, though maybe next time we should hold back a bit. I'd rather not clean up that kind of mess again."
"Fufufufu~ you're the one who started it by enabling your Master." She had a point, it was initially more of an attempt to shield Rias from getting disqualified for using magic and to taunt Sona at the same time, but things certainly ended up getting a bit out of hand. "The others will be occupied getting patched up. I'm looking forward to what you'll be cooking for us. A good meal with everyone tends to go a long way in wiping away resentment."
"I'm planning to do a barbeque. I already brought the ingredients which are in a large cooler. The meat has been marinated for almost two days, there should be enough for everyone."
"Can't wait to try." Her head was now leaning against his shoulders, her fragrance reaching his nose, and he felt the soft sensation of the woman's hair on his skin. "When I watch the sea from here, it reminds me of my times on the Shapeless Isle with my sisters. Both of them would have loved meeting the others."
"You have been thinking about them lately?"
"My Master experienced a dream cycle recently. She saw the earlier parts of my life and so did I. That dream stayed in my mind for longer than I thought."
It was bound to happen. Since Rias already experienced a few, it was only a matter of time before Sona got to see one herself. They were hardly a good experience, more of a nightmare in most cases. Few Heroic Spirits were known to have lived anything close to happy lives.
He figured sooner or later, Sona and Rias would witness sights that no one in this day and age should.
"Sometimes I question if this world's rules are so different from our own, and whatever system is in place for us Servants. If not, will it possibly allow me to see them again?"
To that, he didn't have an answer.
"Who knows. Too many uncertainties. It probably depends whether or not they can be summoned as either a Caster or Berserker."
"…"
"…"
"Have you ever considered the idea of it being possible to summon two or more Servants of the same class?"
That caught him off guard at first. And truthfully speaking, he had not. Though he knew it was not impossible for there to not be multiple Servants of the same class to be summoned even under the Fuyuki system, what with the failsafe that was the Great Holy Grail War. In the end, It all depended on the system put in place.
"Having two Archers and two Assassins around sounds like an objectively terrible idea." Those two sisters were far more dangerous and troublesome to deal with than Medea herself. One was bad enough, but both of them together would be nothing short of a nightmare.
Rider stared at him for several seconds, as if thinking of something.
"Have you met them?" She asked curiously, making him go through his memories from prior Grail Wars and even his deployments as a Counter Guardian.
"There were times that different Servants from the usual roster were summoned during the Fifth Grail War in Fuyuki. From my experience, Rin always messed up the time of her summoning, but she always had the catalyst with her required for me to be the one she summoned — funny how this part of her remained so consistent across many timelines. On rare occasions I would be summoned by Sakura instead… Those were the most chaotic ones. There were times where instead of Hassan of the Cursed Arm or Sasaki Kojirou, another Servant was summoned for the Assassin class — one that enjoyed treating others as toys. A mere smile from her was able to make most men bend the knee and swear eternal loyalty, even other Heroic Spirits and Masters were not spared."
Rider smiled, humming with amusement. "Hn, yes, that certainly sounds like Stheno."
"Sorry, I wouldn't be able to share much even if I wanted to. I hardly recall any details of all these many instances, let alone such specific ones."
"It's alright, I'm just happy you got to see either of them once."
Witn the sky getting darker, he figured it was time for him to get started with the barbeque. A good way to apologize for going a bit too far with the game and make it up with everyone. Also, Koneko would try to hunt him down if he was even a minute late with dinner.
"Well, I should get things prepared for the barbeque, it's almost time." As he was about to leave, he turned to see Rider looking back at the rocks and followed her gaze. Though he saw nothing but rocks and a few crustaceans. "Something the matter?"
"…Nothing. Probably just a bird."
Why would a bird make her react like that? Feeling a bit suspicious, he tried to go over the spot she'd been staring at to check what was there. But he soon found himself very distracted, as Rider's figure appeared before him and filled his vision.
"Wha—mmf!"
It happened too suddenly, her hands grabbing onto his face and pulling him towards her. Their lips pressing against one another where he tongue wasted no time in prying his mouth open and exploring to her heart's content. Her thighs slid up, brushing against his while her chest firmly pressed into him.
Her fingers combed through his hair, exploring every part of him with so much passion that Archer started to have a hard time controlling himself from pulling her closer.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she broke the kiss and backed away while he used the rock as a support. Archer took deep breaths, still able to taste Rider, and gave her an incredulous stare.
"Hah… hah… what was that for?"
"I just wanted to do it." Her answer was astonishingly brief, but he couldn't say anything back before she turned tail and began walking away, saying a few parting words. "Don't take too long, I'll be back to check on you."
She was going to be the death of him in this life.
.
.
.
That kiss admittedly caught him off guard, more so than he would have liked. His walk to the storage area seemed casual, but within his mind chaos was raging, his heart beating faster than usual and several questions swimming inside him.
'Hah, maybe some cooking can help me calm down and sort this all out.'
He just could not get a grasp on her no matter how hard he tried. She was harder to predict than the Knight of Treachery herself, a wildcard to say the least.
As he reached the storage room and stepped inside, he soon found the many boxes and coolers filled with chilled drinks and a variety of meats. Easily enough to feed all the present Devils.
Archer's fingers brushed over the contents of the box, completely focused and meticulously checked each item. He grabbed one of the water bottles and took a swing of it, chugging it down, still feeling a bit tired from the volleyball match.
The distant sound of the waves crashing against the nearby shore was the only sound — until he heard it. Footsteps, soft but deliberate, crunching against the grains of sand, growing louder with each step.
He turned around to find the familiar figure of a certain ravenette standing at the entrance. "Hm? Oh, it's you, Akeno," he said, turning his attention back to the food. "Perfect timing. Mind giving me a hand with these boxes? There's quite a few of them and I'd prefer they be handled carefully — tonight's dinner is in there, after all. Oh, and I made sure to remember your tea leaves. They're in that bag over there. Careful with it, though. Wouldn't want to spill your favorite blend."
She stayed quiet for a few seconds, eyes hidden behind her hair. "You've been getting along quite nicely with Rider, Archer." whispered the woman ever so silently, yet in the enclosed space, he heard it perfectly.
"I suppose you can say that." She was not wrong, while they did have a rocky start and he had his reservations with matters concerning her memories coming back, things had turned out better than he anticipated. "She is easy to talk to despite her quiet nature, and she's a rational person. You should try to get to know her as well, having another Heroic Spirit as a friend can easily be very beneficial — she's trustworthy."
"Does that mean you also think of us… of me, as your friend, Emiya?"
"I suppose you can see us as that, I don't mind it. Ally is a good way to summarize it as well I suppose, or even teacher and student."
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(Continued in chapter 31.5... word count limit)
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.