Chapter 11: Elevated Stakes
Miyu was surprised to find the orientation ceremony wasn't as overwhelming as she feared. True, it had just as many people as the mall did, so she could still feel the pulse of everyone's inane desires. However, despite some stray thoughts, she could feel that everyone had the same base desire. From the students to the teachers, and even the administration had the same wish.
Please let this end already.
Before long, that wish was granted, and Miyu was whisked away to her homeroom class. Since she was turning fifteen later this year, she was in the last year of Somei's junior high school program. One more year before she had to decide if she wanted to go for a medical course, a humanities course, or a STEM track in high school.
However, she was introduced to each of the teachers for her classes this year... Miyu couldn't help but be underwhelmed by what her courses were covering in the semester. General Sciences, English Fundamentals, Basic Algebra? She could already do Trigonometry and Calculus. At least Social Civics should be interesting, along with Quirk Expressions.
But even her mood for those two classes were dampened by her fellows here. The teachers seemed somewhat eager to teach, but her class was already bored or distracted. Many of them wanted to go hang out at an arcade. Some were hungry and needed to eat. A few of the girls wanted to gossip about the break. A young boy desperately needed a nap.
I want...
I need...
I want...
I need...
Before Miyu knew it, it was lunch time. The students dispersed, either to the cafeteria to get fresh food or to their lockers for any bentos they had prepared ahead of time. She was in the latter category, so she headed off to grab her food.
The halls were noisy and packed, so Miyu simply grit her teeth, grabbed her bento, then headed back to the classroom. She'll figure out somewhere to hide for lunch later. Her older brother had taught her the theory on how to scope out a location for different uses and purposes. It would be good practice to actually execute that skill, even just for a hiding spot during lunch.
Right as she returned to her desk, Miyu realized that the student in front of her hadn't moved. According to the attendance call, her name was Mikumo Akatani. She had a slightly softer face, with freckles and light blue hair, that was fluffy like clouds. Her posture was hunched over, holding almost completely still. In that moment, Miyu felt one distinct notion from Miss Akatani.
I just... want this year to be better.
Miyu blinked. The wish from Miss Akatani was small, so very small. It was almost drowned out from the noise, physical and metaphysical, that filled the classroom. Yet, Miyu could feel the simple earnestness from it. Perhaps, this was an opportunity to actually make one of those friends that her brother wanted for her.
Miyu reached out, trying to tap on Miss Akatani's shoulder. Just before she did, however, another classmate stepped right beside Miyu, casting her shadow over the younger Emiya sibling.
She turned to look at the newcomer, who spoke with an elegant voice that didn't attempt to hide the teeth within it, "I see that you are a new student here, aren't you?" she flicked a strand of black hair over her shoulder, her red eyes glowing with interest, "My name is Reiroukan. Misaya Reiroukan. You are... Miss Emiya, correct?"
Giving a slow nod, Miyu sorted through the wishes that emanated from Miss Reiroukan. This girl wasn't looking for a friend, but for what could be useful about Miyu. That put a bad taste in the former Child of God, but she swallowed that down, "Yes, I am. What business do you have with me?"
She had chosen a quick, polite path, trying to end this conversation quickly. That wish would go unfilled, however, as other students crowded around Miss Reiroukan and Miyu. Most were girls, but there were a few boys, checking out either herself or the red eyed girl. This other girl seemed to be an idol of sorts to her classmates. How troublesome.
"Oh, can't two girls chat and get to know each other?" Miss Reiroukan replied with a smirk, "I'm just curious about you. Like, where you come from, what caused you to attend here..." the red eyes flicked to Miss Akatani for a moment, "What Quirk do you have?"
...That was an odd reaction. What was even odder still was the blue hair girl's reaction. She gasped, but then caught her breath, before getting up and walking out the classroom. Miyu watched her go, wondering what that was all about. All she could tell, however, was that Miss Akatani wished that Quirks weren't mentioned, and that she wanted to become invisible.
So do I, Miss Akatani. So do I.
"Don't mind Yamikumo, Miss Emiya, she's fine," Miss Reiroukan replied, far too dismissively. Miyu wanted to argue the point, but the crowd of students all seemed to agree with that point. The pressure was on Miyu to talk about herself, which was the one thing she didn't want to do the most.
Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Miyu took a deep breath, and gave her response, "Well, I am Miyu Emiya, as you all heard from the attendance call," she started off, trying to keep her voice leveled, "I moved here from Alimango Island with my brother. We are now staying with some friends of the family."
That was the official story that she had worked out with Shirou and the Pendragons. There were discussions if Miyu should be open about who she was actually staying with, but she had decided to stick with the simplest explanation. This whole school experience was an attempt to help her be normal. Exposing that she was living with such a high profile family would go against that point.
"Alimango Island, huh? Sounds tropical." Miss Reiroukan mused, "Do you like the beach, then?"
Miyu gave a simple nod, glad for the question where she could be the most honest, "Yes, I do. The first thing my brother and I did after moving here was finding a beach to visit." She yearned to go back, even though everyone wouldn't have time until the weekend.
"Hmm, perhaps I'll have to join you two sometime. The only beach around here is Takoba, and it's known for being a dumping ground," Miss Reiroukan remarked, checking her nails. The idea of the school idol going to the beach sent most of the boys and a few of the girls into weird daydreams. Miyu internally gagged.
Instead, she focused on the statement the red eyed girl had said, "Actually, Takoba has been cleaned up a fair amount recently. That's the beach where my brother and I go to, and it..."
Miyu was cut off by the more popular girl, "Oh please, honey, do you really think it will stay that way? I've been living here my whole life. Some do-gooders will try to clean it up for a bit. It'll stay nice, but then the waves bring up more and more trash, which encourages people to continue littering."
Miss Reiroukan waved her hand dismissively, back and forth like the waves, "The do-gooders may try to stick it out for a while, but they always end up giving up. I don't know who is currently on that foolhardy mission, but I give it till summer before they give up."
...Midoriya isn't going to give up that beach. My brother isn't going to give up that beach. Arturia and I won't give up that beach. Those were the words that Miyu wanted to shout out, but she bit her tongue. Everyone around her seemingly agreed with Miss Reiroukan, so her older brother and their friends would just have to prove them wrong.
"But enough about Takoba. That's such a depressing topic," Miss Reiroukan mused, leaning in, "I'm more interested in you. What can you do, Miss Emiya?"
The group of students crowded closer, making it hard for Miyu to breathe. She tried to hold her ground, even as she swallowed air, "I... like to study, and learn. I like to cook with my older brother. I'm even learning to spar with..."
"That's nice, dear, but I'm talking about what's unique to you," Miss Reiroukan interrupted, "What we want to know is... what is your Quirk? What makes you stand out?"
I would love to be able to answer that myself. Miyu kept that thought inside, however, as she prepared to recite yet another cover story, "Oh, I see. Well, my Quirk is Memory Projection. I can replicate any objects that I see and remember."
The surrounding crowd of students got excited, which turned into a bad thing really quickly as everyone started wanting stuff. Whether they vocally started asking for something or merely just thought it, those desires flew into Miyu, sharpening her headache from a dull hum into a painful spike through her head.
Miyu tried to keep from flinching, as Miss Reiroukan held up her hand, silencing the crowd. "Now, now, let's not get too hasty," she lectured, before she turned to the side, "Tsunokuma, don't you have that pretty ring? Can we see it?"
The brunette student in question, Hakuno Tsunokuma, raised an eyebrow, but pulled her necklace off, which held the ring. She passed to Miss Reiroukan, who passed to Miyu, "Can we see this Quirk of yours in action? It sounds amazing."
Miyu stared at the ring, before looking back up at the school idol, "Um... we aren't supposed to use Quirks in class, right? Besides, I still need to eat my lunch."
"Oh, come on, don't be such a straight lace," chuckled Miss Reiroukan, with a smile that was supposed to be pleasant, but bared far too many teeth, "The homeroom teacher won't be here for another ten minutes. But if it'll take too long, we can just wait to see your Quirk after class."
Yeah, and spend the whole rest of the day with everyone eager for what I can make them. No thanks. Miyu sighed, before taking a deep breath, "No, let's just do this now." She held up the ring in her left hand, looking at it, before taking a deep breath... and mentally drank the black sludge.
Her magic circuits fired up immediately, as she used Structural Analysis to identify the key pieces of the ring and necklace that she couldn't see. Then she Projected a second copy, dazzling her classmates as they saw it dangle from her right hand. To the untrained eye, she had duplicated the ring perfectly.
But she knew her brother could tell the differences, as she still struggled with replicating the history of the item. Without that, this ring would only exist as long as she thought about it. Quickly, she passed the original and the fake copy to Miss Tsunokuma, "Here you go."
Miss Tsunokuma rubbed the two rings between her fingers, faint bewilderment on her face, "...Wow, they really are identical. That's incredible... Wait..." she trailed off, sensing something was wrong.
The second the brunette student confirmed that the rings were identical, the group exploded into flurry, immediately discussing what else Miyu could duplicate. The latest clothes, gadgets, food, homework assignments, the wishes and desires burst through like a surging river through a small beaver's dam.
I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want. I want.
Miyu grasped her forehead, hissing in pain. That distracted her, and the projected copy faded away. The crowd saw the motes of light, and thankfully calmed down for the moment. That calm was due to the confusion, however, as Miss Reiroukan snapped her head to Miyu, "Wait, what happened? Where did the ring go?"
Wincing, Miyu spoke carefully, "My Projections... aren't permanent. They can only last as long as I am holding the image in my head," she shrugged, even as the waves of disappointment rolled over her, "If you want something more permanent... Talk to my brother."
"Hmm... Interesting, but far less useful," Miss Reiroukan turned away, "Well then, enjoy your lunch, Miss Emiya." With that, the idol stepped away, and the crowd of students dispersed. Miss Tsunokuma hung around for a moment, seemingly wanting to reach out, before she moved away as well.
Miyu was honestly grateful for that. Being the center of attention like that was a complete nightmare. She shut off her magic circuits, releasing a soft sigh as she felt the relief. Wishes and desires were still flowing into her, but it almost seemed quaint compared to before.
Miyu looked down at the lunch she had prepared with her brother. She remembered the warmth she had felt that very morning, cooking with Shirou and watching the Pendragons banter. She had enjoyed that. She had craved that.
She hadn't enjoyed all of this overwhelming attention from the kids that were her age. Kids who were nothing like her. Miyu knew what it had taken for her to get here. She knew she should be grateful; her brother had fought a Holy Grail War to give her something that resembled a regular life. Now she finally had it, she was finally there.
But... Even so...
Is this really the kind of life that my brother wanted for me?
Shirou immediately threw Kanshou, the black blade spinning through the air right at Angelica's head. She didn't even flinch as she snapped her fingers, Displacing the blade off to the side. She did start winding her arm back, about to throw the box of tools at her foe.
He was ready for that, preparing a volley of swords to fire. Both launched at the same time, as Shirou passed Rule Breaker from his right hand to his left, Projecting Bakuya to fill his right hand. The Faker launched himself at Angelica, ready to strike her down.
Predictably, the Ainsworth used Displacement again, this time stomping her feet as she did. The blades were reversed in mid air, but kept their inertia, launching right at Shirou. By his command, they vanished before they caused any troubles. Shirou kept moving, slashing through the tool box with Bakuya, ready to leap forward...
Angelica snapped her fingers again, and suddenly he was much further back, right where the dishwasher had been. Indeed, Angelica was using the dishwasher as a shield. Tools began flying through the air, flanking Shirou from either side. He parried them off with Bakuya, not willing to lose one of his few Noble Phantasm Projections on remaking Rule Breaker.
Right as the hammer came from the left side, Angelica replaced it with the dishwasher, sending the hunk of metal flying. Shirou threw his white sword at Angelica, before trying to catch the broken appliance. He mostly succeeded, using Reinforcement to brace his shoulder from the impact.
Angelica clapped her hands, and Bakuya's flight was interrupted by her Displacement. Now it flew right back at him, whistling through the air. Smirking, Shirou Projected two more of the married swords, shooting them over his shoulder. The magnetism the swords shared pulled the errant Bakuya along, joining the first Kanshou in a four way pincer attack on Angelica's position.
Her reaction was as he predicted. Angelica's Displacement field activated, transporting each of the married swords away from her, as if they had phased right through her. The copied swords flew away from her, before being drawn back to converge on her location.
Angelica dealt with this strike more effectively, displacing one of the Bakuya's back at Shirou. He just caught it, bringing Rule Breaker to bare. He knew where her bounded field was now. More importantly, Angelica's panting had increased upon the repeated Displacements. Just like how his Quirk gave his Projection Magecraft a physical output, so did her Quirk with Displacement.
And just like how Arsenal Projection struggled with any Noble Phantasms not within his own Reality Marble, Angelica was feeling the weight of Displacing genuine Noble Phantasms in this fight.
Shirou would take her down. Right here. Right now.
He leapt forward, and as he arrived at her bounded field, he shattered it with Rule Breaker. "Trace... OVEREDGE!" Shirou roared, thrusting the white sword out, the blade's extension shaped like a feathered wing. It almost reached Angelica's throat...
Before Shirou knew it, the blonde Ainsworth parried it with an Azoth Sword she called to her hand. Bakuya's strike went wide, and Shirou's momentum made it so he couldn't stop so easily. Angelica flipped the Azoth Sword into a reverse grip, ready to stab him in the chest.
That's fine, Shirou's Reinforcement would handle the blow. He could still get her with Rule Breaker. Then he would patch himself up, and move on to the next threat.
He flipped Rule Breaker forward. She stepped forward, striking forward with her Azoth Sword. Both Emiya and Ainsworth roared, ready to drive their daggers into each other...
Only for golden chains to wrap around their wrists, yanking the both of them back. Swords fired from portals of a matching hue, shattering the copies of Bakuya and Kanshou that were still flying through the air. Shirou and Angelica found themselves dangling in the air, held up by the portals that the chains emerged from. Shirou struggled against the chains, but Angelica just dangled there, fuming.
"Thirty seconds. Thirty. Seconds," drawled Gila Toyotomi's voice, as she stepped through another, larger portal, "I was late by thirty seconds, simply chatting with Miss Ashido, and the two of you already tried to kill each other..." she shook her golden mane in wry amusement, "Talk about bad blood."
Shirou twisted Rule Breaker around, trying to get the chain with the Noble Phantasm. However, even when he managed to get the chains, nothing happened. Well, that should have been expected. Medea's dagger didn't have enough mystery to counter these chains. How troublesome.
Angelica didn't even try to break free, as she simply dangled from the chain, glaring at the redhead, "He started it," she growled out, showing far more emotion than Shirou expected, "He threw his Noble Phantasms at me."
"Oh please, as if you two didn't set this trap," Shirou sneered back, readying up Hrunting for Projection. He would make it, disregarding the costs, if he needed to, "I was just meeting the challenge you threw down head on."
Toyotomi rolled her head to level an unamused glare, "Yes, that's why I invited our classmates to the cafe. So they could have a front row seat to the two of you settling your grudge match back here," she scoffed, flicking her hand. The chains released their captives and retracted back into the portals with a quick zip. Shirou and Angelica fell to the ground, both landing warily on their feet.
He rubbed his wrist, caught off-guard by being freed so easily. His grip on Rule Breaker didn't lessen for a single moment, however. The Ainsworth stalked over to stand behind Toyotomi at attention.
The blonde with the red eyes just smirked back at the Faker, "Yes, I set up privacy bounded fields here, but they aren't meant to trap you. They are here to ensure we can have a proper chat, without anyone interrupting us. Even if they still have Quirk Liner resistance, I've accounted for that," she flicked her hair back, a smug look on her face, "I'm not being devious here, Mister Emiya. I am simply being careful. Who do you think I am?"
That was the question, wasn't it? With the Quirk she had. With the swords she wielded to block Midoriya's shockwave. With the chains she just used, as well as the bounded fields she claimed could keep away Quirk Liners... There was only one explanation for just who Gila Toyotomi really was.
"You are Gilgamesh, King of Heroes," Shirou declared, straightening his back, "Who fought Enkidu for three days and three nights in the markets of Uruk. Why should I put it past you to hold a fight between Angelica and myself here, at this cafe?"
The feral grin on Toyotomi's face matched the memories of the King of Heroes that EMIYA possessed. Her next words carried the arrogant tone to match, "Good answer, mongrel. But you are not exactly Enkidu, are you?" she scoffed out, "So I wouldn't bother wasting my resources to set up such a bash with you, Faker. At least, not here in the middle of the city. The clean up wouldn't be worth it. If I really intended to let you and Angelica throw down, I have some private lands for such an occasion."
Shirou leaned his head forward, glaring at the red-eyed blonde. She took it in stride, manifesting tea cups in front of Angelica, Shirou, and herself, "No, the point of this meeting is not to fight, but to work out an alliance. Despite the bad blood between our factions, we both share similar goals here in this world," Toyotomi punctuated her statement by taking a sip.
"Similar goals? My goal is to protect Miyu," Shirou snarled, pushing away his tea cup, "Why would I believe that the Ainsworths would also want to protect her after what they have done before?"
Toyotomi shook her head, "You seem to be misunderstanding my adopted sister's place here," she sipped at her tea cup, before she gestured to the twin-tailed blonde with her left hand, "Angelica here has fallen in with my own faction when she arrived here, as the Ainsworths are completely irrelevant now."
The red-eyed blonde brought her hand to her chest, "As for myself, I want to ensure both Miyu Sakatsuki's well-being as well as Arturia Pendragon's. Are we not in alignment there?"
Arturia? So she is involved, even if she doesn't know it. Shirou took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure, "It really depends on what you mean by well-being, King of Heroes. What do you want with Miyu and Arturia?"
"I do not want them to fall into any particular villainous group's hands," Toyotomi simply stated, setting her tea cup back into a golden portal, "And I want to ensure that they can live fulfilling lives. As for why I would trust you in ensuring this, well..." she chuckled, as a chill went down Shirou's spine, "One of the reasons is that I do owe you a favor. You did return my treasury after all."
With that, everything clicked into place. It made so much sense, yet the implications were still terrifying. Shirou felt his breathing stop, as if he was punched in the stomach, "So, that's how it is, then. I was wondering how I was standing in the presence of the King of Heroes in this world. I thought, perhaps, that your Quirk somehow made you an analog of his..." he shook his head, letting loose a low chuckle, "No, that's not it at all."
Shirou snapped his glare to Gila Toyotomi, ignoring Angelica completely, "The three of you are the Class Cards Incarnated."
Ayako Mitsuzuri sipped her chamomile tea, still sitting at the table in Might's Cafe. The sweet flavor helped to ground her as she sat apart from the class, scrolling through villain headlines on her phone. She had moved over to the corner armchair a little bit after Miss Toyotomi had excused herself from the luncheon. The golden diva left to "deal with some business", whatever that meant.
She wasn't sure what that meant, but some gut feeling told her it had to do with Emiya. One of her snakes had been materialized, watching the discussion between her classmates and the waitress. Something had happened between the golden diva and the redhead archer, before Emiya had walked out of the room. She just couldn't put her finger on what.
That was a future puzzle to solve. The more immediate problem was that without their golden idol, Mineta and Kaminari had turned their attention to the other classmates on the table. Namely Ashido and Kirishima, but Tsu was still hanging out at the table. Ayako had excused herself to the armchair once Kaminari started to ramble on about his entrance exam.
"So, there we were, chased by that Executor, its eyes locked onto me," the blond electric boy emphasized his story with hand gestures, waving his hand as he tried to impress the girls at this table, "When a pack of Imperials came bursting through the wall! Miss Uraraka and I fought them off valiantly, but a Venator shot a missile at us!"
Ashido seemed interested, her eyebrows raised as she listened to the story. Kirishima also cheered on Kaminari, telling him what actions were "manly" or what not. Meanwhile, Tsu was nodding along, trying to be polite. Mineta was less polite, but he seemed to be looking for angles to poke holes in Kaminari's story to score points with Mina. Thus, he was quiet for now, something Ayako wished from the electric boy in question.
"I tried to deflect it, but the blast sent us flying apart. By the time I came to, the test was over, and I couldn't find Uraraka after that. Such a shame, thankfully she did really well in the exam. She got twelfth place," Kaminari finished remarks with the tone as if he had anything to do with that ranking.
"And what ranking did you get, Mister Kaminari?" Mineta asked, taking a sip. The electric boy sputtered, completely caught off guard by the question, "Well, we're waiting. I happened to get eighth place."
Kaminari narrowed his eyes, then shrugged, "Okay, so I just got nineteenth, but I'm sure it's because my brain was still loopy from overclocking it. Once I have that under control, you better believe I'll be a top ten hero one day."
"Mmmhmm, we'll see about that," Ashido chuckled, sipping on her caramel latte. She then turned over to Ayako, who pointedly went back to her newsfeed. She didn't want to miss any headlines that could help her. However, the pink socialite was far from deterred, "Come on, Mitsuzuri! Stop checking your Instagram stats and come back to the table!"
Ayako frowned, even as she shuttered her phone and stood up, "I wasn't checking my Instagram stats," she replied, tilting her head as she stepped over to be beside Tsu, "Why would you go there?"
"Duh, cuz you are tall and hot?" Mina waved her hand, "I mean, come on, you got legs for days, gorgeous hair, and those sweet shades. If you really don't have some socials, you should fix that. You could compete with Uwabami in no time."
Biting back her tongue, Ayako shook her head, "No thanks... Uwabami is a great heroine, but I would rather have less pictures of me taken, not more." Better Uwabami than Ayako to be the model. Uwabami may be green, but she was still slightly too similar to...
"Wait, really? But you seem so photogenic!" Ashido turned to the boys at the table, "Aren't I right?" Kaminari nodded enthusiastically, while Kirishima flashed a thumbs up. Ayako was tempted to roll her eyes, but refrained. It was rude, even if she didn't agree with the idea that she was photogenic.
Mineta, thankfully, remembered to behave, simply shrugging, "We all have eyes, Miss Ashido, but the key to beauty is confidence. I know Miss Mitsuzuri well, and she prefers to be a bit more... practical, in how she operates. I suspect she'll enjoy the shadows more as an underground heroine," the seaweed slick gave Ashido a wink, "While the spotlight naturally finds the sapphire worth showcasing."
Ashido jokingly put a hand to her chest, "Well, aren't you quite the charmer?" the table chuckled, but even though Mineta clearly thought he scored some goodwill... Ayako exchanged a glance with Tsu. The pink girl had picked up on Mineta's tricks.
If they were right, Ashido was probably the kind of girl to know how to string the womanizer along before shutting him down. Ayako didn't quite get why some girls got their fun that way, but it was their choice. Maybe it was because of the faces Mineta made when he lost his chance. Those tended to be funny.
"Yeah, Ashido's going to be a great hero one day, I can bet on that," Kirishima chimed in, before turning to Ayako. The dyed redhead flicked a thumbs up to the girl with shades, "But you got a pretty flashy Quirk! Your hair being able to shift shapes like that is going to get you a lot of fans, I just know it!"
God I hope not. Instead of outright denying it, Ayako just shrugged, creating a small version of her chained spike to spin on her finger, "It's... a useful Quirk, I'll give you that. But Mineta isn't wrong, I do prefer the shadows. I'm actually glad that Mister Aizawa is our teacher, he's a well-respected underground hero. Hopefully he'll be willing to take me during a work study or two in the future."
Kaminari finished his sip on his strawberry refresher, raising an eyebrow, "You are so confusing, Mitsuzuri. You have a rocking style, what with your violet hair and those sweet shades, but you just want to be a sneaky heroine? At least tell me you want to be some sort of kunoichi."
Ayako shrugged, just as Tsu chimed in again, "Mitsuzuri's sunglasses, as stylish as they are, aren't for looks. They're FL-41, a type of prescription sunglasses meant to help with migraines and photophobia." Kaminari tilted his head in curiosity, while Mina put a finger to her face.
"Oh, wow, that's neat. I didn't know they made sunglasses like that. Though, I guess that kind of restricts your fashion choices, huh?" she waved a hand about casually, "Since you have to match those shades. Can't you get them in black or some other shade?"
If these were actually FL-41 sunglasses, then sure. Ayako kept that thought inside, however, and gave the acceptable story, "Probably, but I'm more than fine with these ones. They feel comfortable and I like how they look. My hair can also hold onto them, so they can't fly off my face."
Mina nodded, and the conversation continued on, floating along between topics as high school discussions tended to go. Ayako stood apart, chiming in here and there, but her heart wasn't in the discussion. She was ready to leave to go home, scrolling more headlines before opening a good book.
Maybe she'll get so engrossed into a novel that her siblings will stop haunting her dreams. Especially Minori's cold corpse, or the terrifying form of her sister.
Shirou narrowed his eyes as Toyotomi chuckled at his accusation. "Reincarnated," the golden diva corrected, placing a hand on her hip and striking a provocative pose, "If I was a proper Incarnation, I wouldn't be a woman now, would I?"
She chuckled as she straightened back up, while Shirou tried to keep a straight face. She was... far too smug about her new body. The ex-Ally of Justice summoned his discipline. This isn't the time for hormones to go crazy...
Instead, it was time for information gathering, "That's a good point. So then, what happened?" Shirou asked, leaning his head to the side. Toyotomi, or Gilgamesh, or whatever she was, seemed very eager to discuss this topic. It would be a wise course of action to keep them talking, until the son of Kiritsugu had a more complete picture, "Was this some ploy by the Ainsworths?"
The golden diva shook her head, "Not quite. The Class Cards do have a function to manifest the Heroic Spirits as Shadow Servants, should they be needed." Her words flashed more of EMIYA's memories through Shirou's mind, but he ignored them to continue to listen, "But it wasn't the Ainsworths who caused the current situation."
Toyotomi pointed a finger imperiously right at Shirou, causing him to flinch in surprise, before gesturing back at herself with her thumb, "It was actually you and I that caused this situation."
Shirou blinked, trying to understand what role he played in all of this. Toyotomi sighed, "When you defeated Angelica at the end of the Holy Grail War, you were able to claim my Class Card," she placed her hands on her hips, popping them out to one side. Then her voice slipped into the tone of a teacher, "So what happened after that point?"
It took a second to recall everything, since it happened in such a rush all of those months ago, "...I took the Class Card... and threw it into the Holy Grail, so that Angelica couldn't use it," his amber eyes flashed to the apparent ex-Ainsworth, but she simply moved to lean against the wall, glaring at him, so he ignored her and continued, "As well as to provide power for my wish for Miyu's safety. After that point, she and I talked before... golden chains... dragged us into the Holy Grail," Shirou sighed, shaking his head, "I should have realized it then."
With a flourish of her hands, Toyotomi opened a few portals, sending the golden chains through them to demonstrate, "With my Class Card within that well of power, my original self was able to temporarily manifest as his child self but for a minute."
She pointed two fingers to her eyes, then gestured outwards, "In that time, he used his clairvoyant Noble Phantasm, Sha Naqba Imuru. He was the one who picked this world to arrive at, as well as when everyone would arrive."
When? To answer his unspoken question, Angelica finally grunted out an answer, "I arrived here four years ago, before being found by Gila. You and Miss Sakatsuki arrived this past January. We should have arrived together in Mount Enzo," she spoke with a slight edge, a dagger waiting to be drawn, "Alongside the Class Cards, which would manifest Mirror Worlds to draw in mana."
Toyotomi flicked her golden hair, "Instead, my past self ensured that my fellow Heroic Spirits would join the cycle of rebirth here, free from the restraints of the Class Cards. That is why I am here now, as well as Arturia Pendragon, the reincarnation of the Saber, Artoria Pendragon."
Within Shirou's mind, he could visualize both the King of Knights, as his future self remembered, as well as the young heroine that he knew. Everything lined up, to be sure... But Shirou hated how the bright green eyes of Arturia became the weary but proud gaze of her past life.
The reincarnated Gilgamesh leaned forward, interrupting Shirou's thoughts, "Now, you said earlier the three of us. I doubt you are counting yourself, even though you are being possessed by that Counter-Guardian. Tell me, who else do you suspect?"
Shirou snorted, "Tell me why you want to know. Shouldn't Sha Naqba Imuru have already informed you?" Toyotomi pouted, folding her arms, causing the redhead to blink, "Wait... you do have it, don't you?"
There was a solid moment of silence, each side staring each other down. However, it was Angelica who broke the stalemate, by looking at the red eye blonde with a raised eyebrow.
Toyotomi threw her head to the side, crossing her arms, "No, I don't. My past self's plans required some sacrifices, so I only have bits and fragments, not the full vision that he saw," she turned her head back to Shirou, "You want to know why I want this alliance? You can help me find the other Reincarnations. Tracking them down is hard, even for Angelica and myself. Having another set of eyes, even from a Faker like you, will be helpful."
The picture was starting to become clearer, "I see, in exchange for ensuring Miyu's protection, I help you hunt the other reincarnations?" Shirou gritted his teeth, then feigned nonchalance with a shrug, "...I can make that trade, as long as a Geas contract is signed to ensure everyone behaves."
Toyotomi and Angelica stared at him, before looking down at his hand. Which was still holding Rule Breaker. Shirou grimaced, "Ah... Right. I guess a Geas contract is useless for us," he replied, putting Rule Breaker back into his waist. Just in case.
Toytomi simply countered by opening more portals displaying more of her treasures, "You aren't the only one who can sever magical contracts either, Faker," the golden diva dryly replied, "So let's just try to ensure that our word will suffice, agreed?" she closed the portals, then flexed her hand in a grabbing motion, "Now, the name of the third Reincarnation you suspect."
Shirou sighed, replying with a grimace, "...Ayako Mitsuzuri. She's... weird. She feels like an analog of a classmate that EMIYA knew, but..." he felt like he was selling her out, but he needed to ensure Miyu's protection.
Besides, if Gila wanted Arturia's safety, perhaps that extended to Mitsuzuri as well, "She fights just like the Rider Class Card, with her hair that can turn into snakes or chained spikes. She always wears some sort of tinted glasses, and her body language is a match to how the Rider Card User fought in the Holy Grail War. She has to be Medusa's Reincarnation," Shirou finished his report in a dry tone, the way Kiritsugu had trained him to do.
Instead of a pleased look, Toyotomi looked confused, tilting her hair, "Mitsuzuri's... Rider? Are you sure?" the golden diva started to twirl her hair in thought, eyes narrowed, "...And here I thought you were going to tell me Midoriya is Berserker. He certainly has the strength of Heracles."
Fumikage Tokoyami glanced over at Izuku Midoriya, as they both followed Arturia through the kitchen of the cafe. The plain boy with green hair simply returned the gaze with a nervous smile, before turning back to where they were walking. Fumikage turned to his spectral companion, who appeared in her chibi form on his shoulder, shrugging. Neither Dark Shadow nor Midoriya were sure about this.
As Fumikage continued to mull about the situation, it appeared that Izuku decided it fell to him to try talking down their fierce friend, "Hey, Arturia? I don't think we need to be bothering the staff here just to look for Emiya. I'm sure he's fine."
Arturia didn't stop moving, her gaze forward as she swept each area she could see. "Even so... It's been too long. Shirou should have been done by now. So let's just give him a quick hand so we can go." She moved on, causing Fumikage and Midoriya to glance back at each other and sigh.
A few minutes ago, Arturia had decided that their friend had taken too long to fix the dishwasher, and declared she was going to go look for them. Uraraka had tried to argue the point, saying that fixing appliances could take awhile. The blonde lioness had just retorted that Shirou was quick about these sorts of things, and probably just needed a helping hand. Then she asked the table to see if anyone was willing to go with her.
Uraraka had thought about it, but realized that she should go back and finish setting up her new apartment. Jiro also remembered that she had some instruments to tune, so she had left. Midoriya was halfway into some excuse, but suddenly changed his mind, being willing to go with Arturia.
Dark Shadow had randomly recalled that they had some reading to do, but Fumikage felt weird about how she suddenly remembered the reading. So they decided to follow Arturia and Midoriya as well.
Hence, why they were back here, where customers really shouldn't be. Servers and cooks gave the U.A. students carefully guarded looks as they went about their business. No one stopped them, however, until they stumbled across the dishwashing area. There they found three carts overflowing with dishes, right where the dishwasher should have been. Instead, Miss Higashiyama, their server from before, was furiously scrubbing away some dishes, before taking them to the next sink to be sanitized. Then she set them into a cart meant for the clean dishes, before starting the cycle again.
"Four more hours, four more hours, four more hours..." the waitress muttered, repeating her mantra, "Four more hours before I can veg out with my pint of moose tracks and the Hallmark Channel and..." the waitress suddenly jerked her head around, looking at the U.A. students. Her eyes were wide, "...What are you three doing here?"
"Hey, there's four of us here!" Dark Shadow called out, but Fumikage silenced her. It didn't matter their numbers, but rather why they were back here to begin with.
Arturia stepped forward, speaking with as much authority as she could muster, "Excuse me, Miss Higashiyama, but I would like to know if..."
The waitress cut her off before she spoke further, "Um, I'm sorry, but you can see that I'm really busy, right?" she gestured to the piles of dishes with her brush, before going back to work, "So unless there's some sort of emergency, I'm going to have to ask the four of you," Miss Higashiyama nodded to the spectral being on Tokoyami's shoulder, "To go back to your tables."
Arturia's spine bristled, not appreciating being turned away like that. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath, before speaking again, "As I was saying, we just wanted to check on our friend, Shirou Emiya. He's the one helping you fix the dishwasher."
Miss Higashiyama continued her work, scrubbing away at the dishes, "Which I really need done. The afternoon rush is about to pick up, and if these dishes don't get done, it'll spiral through the dinner rush as well..." she cycled through another load of dishes, before starting to set them on the drying rack, "At the same time, I still have a lot of orders to get to their tables. So I would appreciate it if you just left us to do our work..." Miss Higashiyama trailed off, a clear edge to her voice.
Fumikage saw that Midoriya flinched at the tone. Meanwhile, Arturia took a step forward, growling out her retort, "That's just it, Shirou is very quick with his work. You should have your dishwasher right now. So let us know where to find him, and we can..."
The waitress slammed her fist against the edge of the sink, still holding the utensil she was washing, "What can you all do? Be a spare set of hands? My manager is already out there, she brought him tools and everything. So you all don't need to be a distraction for him."
Miss Higashiyama was oddly confident in Emiya's abilities, Fumikage noted, but that wasn't the pressing issue. The utensil the waitress was holding was a kitchen knife, but she didn't seem to be intentionally threatening them...
But both he and Dark Shadow could see that Arturia's frustration was getting the better of her. Arturia seemed to be convinced that Emiya was in some sort of danger, and perhaps she had a point. The redheaded archer had been unusually alert at the table, but there was no signs of a struggle for now...
Regardless, should Arturia continue to push on this topic... Fumikage feared that this waitress would bear the teeth of a cornered creature.
But how can we calm this situation down peacefully...
"Let us do the dishes," Midoriya suddenly spoke, speaking up for the first time. Arturia snapped to him with a puzzled glare. Meanwhile, Miss Higashiyama's confused face carried a more hopeful tint, as though she was hoping she wasn't about to wake up from a dream.
"We can work on the dishes for you, while you handle your serving duties," Midoriya glanced at both Fumikage, who nodded along with Dark Shadow, as well as Arturia. The blond lioness clenched her teeth, but didn't say anything, so Midoriya continued, "If you could spare two minutes in all of that, you can check on our friend. Agreed?"
Not exactly ideal, but this was a worthy solution. Miss Higashiyama tilted her head, eyeing the plain green boy, "...Alright, let me see your dishwashing skills." She stepped back, and Midoriya immediately went for the first sink, starting to scrub the leftover food and stains off of the plates.
Fumikage stepped up immediately, going to the sanitation sink. Dark Shadow reached into Midoriya's tub to pull out the cleaned dishes, and brought them to her corporeal partner to start sanitizing.
Arturia took a deep breath, then stepped to Fumikage's other side. The raven-esque duo started to pass her the sanitized dishes, which she then dried off with both a rag as well as running her hand just off the top of it, providing the dishes with a jet blast finish.
Miss Higashiyama blinked as she saw how efficiently everyone was cleaning the dishes. "Oh, okay, you all do have this covered..." she took a deep breath, clearly wanting to rest even for a moment. Fumikage couldn't begrudge her for the small instant of relief.
Alas, Arturia's eyes kept flicking to the door, and the waitress knew she had work to do, "Alright, I'll go take care of the orders and check on your friend," Miss Higashiyama turned to walk out, but stopped to turn back, "Um, thank you for helping me out here. It's against the rules, but... I appreciate it." Then she left.
It was silent for a few minutes, as they all worked, before Arturia grunted her thoughts out, "This is ridiculous. Shirou could be in danger right now and we would have no clue."
Midoriya shook his head, "I don't think so. I've seen Emiya's instincts in action, he's incredibly sharp," The blonde lioness leaned back to look at the plain green boy, who kept his attention on the dishes in front of him, "At Takoba beach, when those thugs attacked, Emiya parried the first attack, before his sister and I even knew what was about to happen. He was dead tired and exhausted then, and still was... so strong."
Midoriya paused his dishwashing, just for a moment, to make his next point, "Even if he was in actual danger, I think we would know."
"Yeah, the cafe would have exploded by now," Dark Shadow chimed in from above Fumikage's head, still ferrying the dishes between stations, "So, whatever had Emiya on edge, it was either just in his head or he already took care of it without any trouble. No way he's been caught off guard here."
Arturia let out a sigh, that slowly became a growl, "Yeah... I understand logically what you mean... but my instincts are still screaming he needs help. Maybe not physically, but... Something was bothering him, I know it. But I... have no clue where to go from here."
The dishwashing continued in silence for a few more minutes, as everyone mulled over that question. Fumikage wished he knew what words to say, but neither he nor Dark Shadow could draw up what needed to be said. They knew how to cheer each other up, but having friends like these was proving to be a novel experience.
Thankfully, Midoriya finally found his voice, "Just... be his friend, Arturia. You've spent the last few months with him, right? You probably know better than anyone that he'll talk when he's ready to," he paused in his words, focusing on scrubbing a particularly stubborn bit of food off a dish, "He might try to pretend everything is alright, since he doesn't want anyone to worry. So, he probably won't want to talk, but..."
"Have him vent it out in another way," Fumikage chimed in, surprising Arturia and Midoriya, but the plain green boy nodded his head enthusiastically. The raven-like boy continued, "Emiya may not be ready to talk, but even sparring with him, or anything else that relaxes him, can be of some benefit. Just, if you can, help him not feel alone."
The blonde lioness took a deep breath, startling both other boys as well as Dark Shadow when they felt her Quirk flare up. However, she didn't do anything with the power, simply releasing it back to dry off the dishes, "...Yeah, I guess that's all I can do for now."
Nothing else was spoken above the clinks and dings of the chore before them. But as they did so, Fumikage felt his respect rising for these two loyal friends. Arturia with her instinctual passion to address the danger. Izuku with his more calming influence over his eagerness to help. Fumikage was starting to see why Emiya held these two in such high regard.
There was a long silence, as Shirou paused to comprehend what Toyotomi had just said, "...What? No, Midoriya isn't Berserker. I know his Quirk is... weird... but it has a different presence. He doesn't feel like Berserker."
The Mad Dog Class Card had felt like a thunderstorm over an avalanche. Midoriya had that thunderstorm part, but it felt... Calmer. Like resting under the cover of trees as the storm passed by.
The redheaded magus glanced to the side, "...I have my suspicions on what his deal is, but it isn't connected to the Holy Grail War. I'm fairly confident in that," he shook his head, setting aside the mystery of Izuku's Quirk for now, "Why are you so sure Mitsuzuri isn't Rider?"
"I'm not denying the possibility, merely that I don't see it at this point," Toyotomi retorted, putting her hands on her hips again, "Yes, Mitsuzuri might fight and operate in the same ways as the Rider from your war. That doesn't automatically mean she is Medusa, anymore than you are not Enkidu. Even though your abilities do resemble my original friend."
...That was an odd non sequitur. "...You sound like you're expecting to run into Enkidu," Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Does the reason for that explain why you don't think Mitsuzuri is Rider?"
Toyotomi huffed out in exasperation, "When we were reincarnated, the World was sure to make our lives as similar as it could to our original lives as possible," she opened a portal, displaying Saber Shine's hero profile on a tablet screen, "It's never a hundred percent accurate, nor are these doppelgangers also reincarnations. Saber Shine merely resembles the Knight of the Sun, and serves as Arturia's father instead of Uther."
The display vanished as Toyotomi continued, "Mitsuzuri may very well just be an analog for Stheno or Eurayle, and the actual reincarnation of Medusa is close by."
With a slow nod, Shirou chewed on those words as the tablet vanished, "...I see. Then how would we know that Arturia really is King Arthur? For all we know, the King of Knights may be back in England, and Arturia is also just an analog."