To Love a Sword Chapter 11: Meeting Final (Patreon)

Not beta read yet.

Still gonna revise the whole chapter, some parts need reworking. Didn't want to delay it for another few days so here is the first version. Already this one has nearly 8k words -_-

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-Sainan-


Emiya was no stranger to fighting opponents way above his level. Monsters that could stand against entire armies for days and still manage to act as an immovable wall of power and might. For even after death the fear instilled inside the hearts of the thousands stopped them from going past a corpse. 


God-like beings who could trample mountains and hold the heavens within the palm of their hands. Some who held speed beyond that of any man-made vehicle, ancient treasures of mass destruction, and Noble Phantasms capable of removing an entire city from the face of the world. 


He fought such people countless times in the past, never coming close to what they were capable of doing. By no means was the entity known as Emiya able to be considered weak, but the Throne of Heroes held too many monsters for him to stand out at all.


Yet despite that, he still managed to keep up with many of such Servants in the past, through the combination of his near-endless well of experience as a Counter Guardian which allowed him to predict certain actions and avoid or counter them in time. His magecraft which allowed him to adapt to practically any enemies and bring out weapons suited to their specific weaknesses and finally his willingness to fight dirty. 


Clang!


Steel met steel, sparks flew as he used the flat side of Bakuya to deflect Zastin's sword, yet the strength behind it was enough to force his entire body off the ground and sent him hurtling out of the spaceship. 


"Shirou!" From the corner of his eyes, he saw Lala's face filled with dread, panic filled her being as she took out a flip phone and was about to use it before both Maul and Smutts grabbed her hands and stopped the Princess from interfering. 


"Lala, I told you to not interfere." Her father's stern voice came from a floating orb projecting a holographic image of the Emperor watching the fight with a laid-back attitude. "You brought this upon yourself, now bear the consequences of your actions by choosing this human as your protector. Let's see if he's truly worthy and holds the capabilities to back up his words." 


Lala's face turned red from anger and frustration, she tried to break free but failed. Emiya couldn't pay attention to what she said afterward as her attention returned to Zastin charging at him with greater speed than what his subordinates had shown before. 


"Haa!" The greatsword descended upon him. 


With a calm face, he analyzed the attack, with his current body the skills accumulated as Heroic Spirit EMIYA remained intact but the body of his teenage years could not contest against a superhuman alien who could pick up and throw an entire truck-like Maul — no, stronger than the latter. Sure reinforcement shortened that gap but it was not enough to equal Zastin by any means. And unlike the alien who wasn't using a form of magic to strengthen himself… Emiya was dealing with limited Magical Energy reserves and stamina.


Wielding a sword that surpassed the tensile strength of steel, using bones from a beast, not of this planet and further improved with alien technology — he couldn't risk a full-on collision. 


Magical Energy poured inside his legs as he dodged the sword at the last second, the blade cutting through a tree like it was butter before colliding against the earth and creating a mini crater. 


'He's strong, strength wise he equals the slightly below average Servants but his speed is quite lacking. Maybe it's the armor holding him back, but even if he doubles in speed it still won't make him as fast as a Servant. I can bring out Durandal to end this fight right now. No, it's unnecessary and will show off too much, and I can achieve victory without it.'


"Trying to kill a child, how warrior-like of you, Zastin." He said, having his eyes scout the surroundings trying to find an exit or environment he could use to his advantage. "Not to mention how you ate in my house this morning. Quite a backstabbing gesture, don't you think so?"


Those words made the man flinch, his steps faltering but he refined his composure soon after. "Forgive me, Emiya, even if you've fed me and taken care of the Princess for one night, I must still follow my Emperor's orders." 


"What a nice and obedient attack dog, I expected too much from you." Unamused by his taunt, the armored man rushed at Emiya.


The pressure increased tenfold — his opponent's sword was fast; it would have been nearly impossible for an untrained person to track with just the naked eye, to use the old saying, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.


His right hand reached into the empty space between them, grasping the hilt of Kanshou as the black blade materialized in his grasp.


Clang!


The sound of metal rang out as Zastin's sword made contact with the dark married sword, Emiya held the weapon at an angle to force the opponent's sword to slide right off.


Zastin didn't stop there, unleashing a barrage of attacks as he continued to press his advantage against Emiya. A continuous stream of blows forced the latter to evade left and right, keeping his distance while using his weapon's short length to maneuver around the terrain and counter at the smallest possible hole in Zastin's defense


"I'm impressed, Emiya. You're far more competent than I thought."


The armored man tried to cut down Emiya with a vertical swing, which created a small opening to his waist that the redhead capitalized to deliver a full-powered kick — temporarily disrupting Zastin and allowing him to jump back and create some breathing room.


"A true warrior can change tactics at any given moment, even when in the middle of a battle." Gid said while watching the battle with a large grin on his face, the orb moving closer to Lala, "Now then, let's see if you can do that."


"..."


Emiya now gazed at Zastin with squinted eyes, studying his posture and form so far. Holding a refined knowledge of swordsmanship and a ruthless mindset that made him aim for his vital parts from the get-go, Emiya contemplated whether to use the same fighting style as he did with Lancer. A more riskier approach, able to end his life with the slightest mistake. Perhaps keep his defense tight while using his opponent's own nature against him.


'Or maybe I can increase the distance between us and rely on my bow like those two? Mmm, that is not ideal given the length I went just against those two and it might injure Lala who's nearby. Another possibility is to go full in and alternate between weapons and give him no breathing room. He'll most likely rush at me again, with a preference for strong overhead attacks that require large movements while not preferring to use his body to attack. Pride. Too prideful, possibly easy to trick. I can try to taunt him further and force him to create more flaws in his moves but if my body falters then I'm done.' Thinking ten steps ahead and going through numerous tactics and plans, Emiya waited for his opponent to make the first move once again. 'First I need to check something.'


Kanshou was thrown, the blade spun right for his head, an attack that was easily dodged — an expected outcome. While Bakuya was lowered to the side, leaving his front exposed.


"Hm?" Zastin raised his eyebrows when he saw the boy's stance. "Too many openings, you're still too young!" His boots pushed against the ground with a loud crack as the earth gave in. Preparing to strike right at the opening and going for another overhead slash.


'So he can get fooled after all,' quickly, he reverted his stance and covered all of his openings which surprised Zastin who soon yelped in surprise when what met him was a spear thrust that came out of nowhere within Emiya's grasp. The wind whistled by his ear, it nearly pierced his eyes, bringing up his greatsword, and the impact was parried just in time. 


"A trap!" He realized that the opening was nothing but bait, but unfortunately for him, the real attack came from behind. "Gah!" Kanshou returned and struck his head full force. 


"Your head must be made of metal." Even if he wasn't expecting the attack to be able to kill Zastin, to begin with, Emiya was still surprised that the only outcome of the impact was a simple cut that made him bleed and nothing else. 


Pain flooded Zastin's mind, the attack having hit his head strong enough to confuse the man. He fell to his knees, glaring at Emiya who glared back. "A… sneak attack," he muttered through gritted teeth, "Such a cowardly tactic, that is not how a warrior should fight. Where is your pride?"


"Pride?" A chuckle escaped his mouth, displeasing Zastin from how he said it mockingly. "A fascinating concept, in my opinion, would being devoid of it mark someone as inferior?"


"Then you bring dishonor to your name!" 


Emiya sneered, "Don't make me laugh! Dishonor can be washed away with success! As for your pride, you had the best feed it to the dogs." 


He remembered saying such words to a certain Lancer in the past, and they remained true. Pride, arrogance, and honor had no place on a battlefield, where one should be willing to use almost any means necessary to win and survive. They acted more as a disadvantage than a disability even in some extreme cases. 


"Kuh!" Tightening his hands around his greatsword, Zastin charged light a white streak of light while his opponent came at him like a crimson tide.


"Hohohoho, what interesting words, these earthlings keep getting more interesting!" Gid's voice spoke from the screen above the orb, watching the fight as if to entertain himself from boredom rather than it having anything to do with his daughter's case. A giant grin that would not go down, he continued to watch the fight leisurely. 


"I'll tell Mama!" Lala shouted from the sidelines, angered at her father's decision and even regretting not stopping Shirou from coming here. She should have known her father would start a fight one way or another. "If something happens to him then I'll leave Deviluke forever and never return! I'll never forgive you!" 


He barely paid any attention to her, his eyes focused on the Twirling gusts of wind, spear in hand the kid launched through the ground like a red bullet. Using a different fighting style he collided with the white streak, moving at greater speed and accuracy than before. The greatsword sword was swung, an attack to deflect the thrust. Zastin parried the thrust of the high-speed lance with great difficulty. It wasn't that the boy surpassed him strength-wise or even with speed — quite the opposite in fact — he was slower and weaker. But Gid could see through the mirage, the truth was plain to see. 


Emiya Shirou held greater skill and fought with more experience which forced his champion to remain on the defensive. 


"…!”


Zastin tried to stop the onslaught.


His enemy did not permit the attempt. Not even let him get within two meters, the range of the spear. For a long weapon, distance was always preferred. As he had a weapon almost two meters long, he only needed to attack when the enemy came into his range.


But weirdly enough.


Emiya then chose to close the distance himself and didn't even allow Zastin to move forward. If his previous style was comparable to a calm swordsman focused on defense, then this one was more of a battle-crazed killer out to murder his opponent with every single thrust. 


"What!?" The bodyguard was once again shouted in surprise when the previous discarded black sword which hit him in the back rematerialized within his hands which he used to deliver a powerful strike to his armor. 


Crack!


Zastin's eyes widened, a chip in his armor was a feat far more impressive than just keeping up with him so far. Even having a gun wouldn't cause a dent yet this weapon managed to damage it… no matter how small, it was still unbelievable.


"What is that sword even made from?" He couldn't help but ask whilst in the middle of trying to keep his ground.


"None of your business." 


As the white-haired man continued to struggle, Gid called out to him. 


"Zastin, enough holding back and kill him seriously. That's an order."


Lala grew pale after hearing that, "What!? No! Shirou! L-Let go of me, you idiots!" 


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"... That's an order."


He knew this was about to come, Emiya wasn't so blind to the situation to not notice something was off with how Zastin fought. Sure there was that slight killing intent with each strike, but it was far too controlled and tamed. 


For someone who Lala mentioned to being so feared, he certainly didn't show it. True, his speed and strength were perhaps superior to his subordinates but he didn't show it. Emiya knew Zastin was much more capable from the exchange so far, and after Gid spoke just now — made his mind focus on nothing but his opponent.


The air around his opponent changed, far more focused and trained. Killing intent washed off his sword like an avalanche that put a smirk on his face.


"Finally showing your fangs, dog?" 


Unlike before, Zastin did not give him a reply and was already upon him with his sword raised. 


Mind's Eye never failed him, not against Servants or even an alien. With calm eyes he brought the spear in front of his body with his foot pushing against it, the shaft took the brunt of the attack and cracked right before his eyes. 


'Ah, he might break Kanshou and Bakuya with a few dozen hits with his current slashes. Tracing that greatsword of his will be too cumbersome to use given its size and will reveal more than I'm comfortable with about the abilities of my magecraft.' 


Honestly, Emiya wasn't giving his all this entire time as well. Keeping his head steady and a calm outlook, he studied mostly Zastin's fighting style and weapon, wanting to see and read these Devilukeans and so far, they weren't much different than humans — aside from the tail and stronger bodies. Zastin didn't even use any form of magic this entire time which just made him wonder if this species was capable of using Mana, to begin with. 


'I need to end this, I can't risk my body reaching its limit with those two still around.' Both Maul and Smutts could intervene if ordered and if this happened while wasting too much energy on Zastin then he would lose. 'This body still needs to grow and train to reach its full potential, just like in my last life.'


"Hn!"


The spear broke, and the force pushed his body into the air. Unlike last time, he had full control now. With a graceful twist, he faced Zastin while being in the air and holding his bow. Tracing multiple reinforced arrows and firing them all at once. 


With a loud bang, they hit their target and detonated right on his face and around him to temporarily create a wall of dust, debris, and smoke.


"Argh! My face!"


Despite landing successfully after using his bow, the redhead brought back his favorite dao swords — before bringing his arms in a cross position followed by throwing them all together at Zastin. If their regular form of defeating such an enemy required a lot of moves, then he would reinforce the weapons beyond their limits.


"Crane wings. Spirit and technique, without opening, flawless and firm."


Zastin used his greatsword to create a small gale of wind that dispersed the smoke, then saw the flying married blades and brought his greatsword up as a shield just in time to protect his face and have the swords fly right past him, "This won't work on me!" The man said, keeping his gaze on him the entire time.


'He never figured out about the swords' ability of attraction.' Emiya noted, before running head first towards his enemy who grew baffled at this move. 


"Spirit and technique. Strength, reaching the mountain, pierce the mountain."


His moves were swift and timely, deflecting Zastin's sword like before and hacking at his armor as much as possible. "You're wasting your time!" In a fit of rage, Zastin poured as much strength into his strike and slashed at Emiya's sword, which broke right before his eyes. 


"Heh, now you are defenseless—oof!" Once again the man was hit in the back of his legs with the previous thrown pair, forcing him down to his knees this time. 


But Emiya wasn't done. Each blade was lethal and served a single purpose, to prohibit escape or defense of any kind. An exquisite technique which he developed after learning the true meaning behind Kanshou and Bakuya.


"Spirit and technique. Sword, crossing the Yellow River, split the water."


A third pair appeared in his hands, these ones having far more Magical Energy infused into them. The metal cracked, but didn't explode. Morphing into another creation, reinforcing their ability to cut through any obstacle, giving them a new form and new purpose. The married blades lengthened into longswords, shards of metal gathering around the hilt and running along the back of the blade as they glowed from his Magical Energy saturating every inch of the surface. 


Humming with power as if alive, their magnificence blinding anything he had shown before.


For even Gid became intrigued by their existence and form, the craftsmanship no longer was considered as sleek and sophisticated — this raw unrefined form suited his taste for more than anything in the past. "Very interesting!" 


This human was becoming more and more interesting with each passing second. The grin on his face turned more savage as he could no longer deny how amusing this human was. His daughter hadn't disappointed him at all with this new piece.


"Woah…!" Lala having forgotten her previous fear was now fully engrossed in their beauty and craftsmanship. She wanted to get her hands on them, the more she watched Shirou's magic the more engrossed the princess became over them. She noticed the chant he used and memorized each and every line and movement. His body moved seamlessly, a mesmerizing dance between man and sword which Zastin couldn't keep up with no matter how powerful he was. "Peke, he's so amazing!" She gushed out loud. 


"Uhhh, he's amazing perhaps… but the man is still a bit dangerous, Lala-sama…" Peke still held some reservations but was still forced to admit that this human was quite a capable fighter. It was only his attitude that needed tweaking. "I hope you haven't forgotten how he was willing to hurt you and even took you as a hostage." 


"Oh, that? Don't worry about it! I liked it!" 


"..."


Peke was wrong, this human was a dangerous being who was corrupting its creator!


"Name. Fame, ending in a different heaven, reaching the imperial villa." 


He watched as Zastin's eyes widened at the sight, perhaps never expecting his magic was capable of such a thing. 


"Two rivals / Two great men, We, sharing a life, cannot embrace heavens together."


Unfortunately for him, there was no way he could escape and Emiya had nothing to say aside from staring back with a cold stare. 


"Triple-Linked Crane Wings!"


The blades stuck Zastin in an x-shaped pattern. The white bone armor offered little to no resistance, breaking apart from the Noble Phantasms and leaving the white-haired man vulnerable. 


"Urgh!" 


Blood splashed in the air, and finally, Zastin fell to the ground — defeated. 


"Haa," Emiya took a deep breath, now turning his attention to Maul, Smutts, and Gid. The two subordinates had stopped holding onto Lala and went to check on their captain.


Then came the sound of hands clapping.


"Wonderful! Amusing!" The emperor exclaimed with jubilance. "You fought with great skill and brutality, yes, they were right about you. Hahahaha! Makes me want to come to Earth and face you myself." 


A chill crawled up everyone's spine when they heard those words. 


"Now what?" Emiya asked, wondering if the emperor would send those two against him. "I've beaten your champion, I believe that should be enough proof of my capabilities." 


"...So you did, but I must ask you, are you really human?" 


"..."


"Unlike these fools, I'm acutely aware of the capabilities of your race in regard to the different species in all of the galaxy. Intellect-wise, humans are still far behind, your population doesn't possess any abilities to wield magic naturally. No transformation, no hidden genetic quirks, no history of reproducing with any superior races or even a Devilukean. Yet here you are, capable of using magic with the experience someone your age shouldn't have. What are you hiding from me, human?" 


Rather than give him an answer, the redhead looked at Zastin. The man hadn't died or anything like that, his strike merely inflicted surface-level injuries to his muscles without damaging his internal organs. He feared that by killing Zastin, a bigger problem would present itself in the future. 


"Look, I'm not lying, I am human. My parents are human like any other person in Sainan, I grew up here my entire life and I'm you knew that. Now instead of wasting any more time, let's get to the bottom of the current situation. I'm asking you to postpone Lala's current case of trying to force a suitor on her and give her time. I'm sure she'll happily come back to her planet with such an arrangement in the near future and you won't have to worry about her running away again." He wanted to have this matter resolved as soon as possible and return to his everyday regular life. "Of course, all of this will only be possible if you don't threaten my planet to be destroyed so easily. If you still want to go forth with this plan then I'm goi—"


"There's no need for that." Gid interrupted him. "I've already made my decision and Lala will no longer have to worry about me forcing another suitor over her."


That was… easier than he expected.


"Eh, r-really?" Lala was surprised by her father's words, he wasn't the type to agree to anything or with anyone so easily unless it was Mama. "You promise!?"


Emiya on the other hand didn't like that demonic grin of his, as if he was plotting something behind the scenes or was about to fool him with a possible lie. A cunning ruler never agreed to such a deal without gaining something in return.


"Why of course, why would I search for another suitor when I already have the ideal one in front of me?" 


"..."


"..."


Everything went quiet, even Smutts and Maul had their jaws drop, smoke came out of Peke's head and Emiya's angered voice resounded through the woods. 


"Are you crazy, old man!?" 


Gid laughed maliciously, amused by his reaction, his laughter followed quickly by Lala's excited cheer. 


"Yay! That works since Shirou also proposed to me yesterday!" 


Now he looked at Lala with disbelief, "When did I propose to you!?" 


She gave him a bashful stare, "Well you grabbed my breast while pinning me against a wall with a sword against my neck. Oh, and then grabbed my tail! I think that's a proposal in Deviluke, right Peke?" 


"Uhh… Lala-sama, I think that was just a lie Momo-sama fed you as a joke last year. I don't recall there being such a law…" Given its memory bank held the entire archive of planet Deviluke's law and history, Peke was certain that there wasn't such a rule or tradition in their species' culture. 


Gid's laughter grew louder. "He did that!? I like it! I'm establishing this way of proposing in Deviluke's culture."


And now it became official all of a sudden.


"I refuse," Emiya was having none of it. "Not to mention how idiotic all of this is, I only met Lala for such a short amount of time that we have nothing to base this relationship on!" 


The emperor shrugged, "Meh, Lala will most likely stay on Earth for now, you can build that relationship or whatever in the meantime." 


Emiya was starting to suffer a headache greater than anything he experienced so far.


"I'm saying no, I decline becoming her fiance or suitor, I don't have time or desire to meddle with such pointless things!" 


"Too bad for you, I don't care what you think, human. What are you going to do? Kill my daughter? Then your planet is as good as destroyed. Keep her hostage? Good, I expect nothing less. Abandon her in the middle of the road? She can manage, my daughter is no slouch."


He was speechless, what kind of demented father was this!? 


"Also, I already declared you as her number one most likely to be chosen fiance candidate to the galaxy's high ranks, don't die so easily by a few challengers who would want to take your place instead. Oh, and don't even think about just handing the win over or giving up, cause if you lose either way, then your planet will get blown up as well. Oi, Zastin, get up!" The previously thought of an unconscious man jumped straight up as if nothing happened.


"At your comman— ouch!" He tried to bow but only further aggravated his wounds, making more blood flow down his body. 


"For now, Lala will remain with this human, I've taken a liking to him and his ways. Your duty is just to protect Lala in case he fails or dies because he couldn't guard his position as my daughter's soon-to-be husband against other potential suitors." 


"Yes!"


The man didn't even question the decision and even looked quite happy with it.


Staggering on his way to the ship, he tripped on a piece of fallen branch and fell headfirst inside a pond near the area. Morphing the moment into a horrific murder scene with the water turning red. 


"Grllrlrlrlr, h-help! T-the armor is too heavy!" 


"Captain!" 


Both his subordinates jumped in the water to save him but none emerged as the bubbles disappeared.


"..."


Was this truly the deadly warrior he taught a few minutes ago? 


"You know, I'll throw you a bone, human. Take it as a sign of respect and reward for your victory against Zastin. A year, if in a year's time you managed to stay alive as Lala's number one fiancé candidate, then I'll grant your one wish. It could be anything within reason, from the vast riches my empire holds, planets, thousands of wives or even being set free from your current arrangement — I'll grant you anything." 


"..."


"Hehehe, you should be proud. No one so far has ever—" Bang!


The orb was destroyed by an arrow shot by Emiya, having had enough of Gid's voice and cursing the man thousands of times in his mind. 


"...Why couldn't it have been Rito in the bathtub instead?" He murmured silently, wanting to just go back to his house and forget about everything that happened today. Two nights in a row… his life had truly lost any sense of peace and quiet he enjoyed so far. Still, what the emperor proposed of him keeping his position as Lala's fiance, any wish of his would be granted. 


"Hn, a trial where I get my wish granted in the end… How nostalgic. Fate sure has twisted ways to toy with my life as it pleases." Emiya didn't know whether he should laugh or cry, it seemed like he could never escape the past no matter what reality he ended up in. It would catch up to him one way or another in disguise. "No matter, I can last a year." He hoped some of Lala's suitors wouldn't have Servant-level capabilities, or else he would lose and Earth would be destroyed.


"Hm?" 


He wiped his head around, looking at the foliage in the distance. 


"Was there… something over there." 


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"T-T-That was c-c-close! That monster nearly spotted me!" A small quaking male voice spoke within the shadows. 


A few meters ahead, across the pond, and hidden behind a tree was a reptilian creature. His skin, dark blue with round, yellow eyes that were covered in a black mask-like outline while also having big pointy ears that have two endpoints. It would have been an intimidating appearance if it weren't for his size which wasn't any bigger than a plush toy.


If Lala were to see him she would realize his identity. A Balkean, a native creature to the planet Balke known for their shape-shifting ability and tentacle manipulation. 


But more importantly, she would have recognised him as one of her many fiance candidates.


"What kind of freak did she find!?" He said, feeling cold sweat streaming down his scaly body.


When the news of Lala's arrival on Earth was announced in the galaxy, Ghi Bree was the first to arrive and had himself blend in with the human population. Thanks to his ability to transform, he took the form of a handsome tennis club teacher and was going to start working there the next morning. 


He saw the Princess by chance as she was falling from the sky with some human male without clothes and decided to trail them after class ended. 


'That must be one of her candidates, if I find someone who's close to him and kidnap that person, I can force him to leave Lala!' That was his initial thought, he even gathered that the boy's name was Emiya Yuuki Shirou, a first-year student who got along with a lot of female students. 


"How envious!" One of the girls was the sexy school nurse and the girl, Risa, who he met that same day. "Hehehehe, if I capture Risa and molest her in front of his eyes while taking my strongest form — he'll shit himself and run away!" 


There was no way he was going to capture his brother with his tentacles, they were only reserved for beautiful girls.


There were even rumors that this boy had a sister, so he wondered if taking her was a better option and decided to follow so that he could pinpoint his house and take his sister in the middle of the night. 


But soon, all those thoughts were washed down the drain when instead of going back home with Lala he followed the Emperor's champion, Zastin. Ghi Bree was immensely afraid of that guy, one slash of his sword would end his life within a split second! Known by many as the grim reaper for his deadly prowess in battlefields.


Then a nightmarish scene happened before his eyes, for some reason they started a duel with blades drawn. Trees were destroyed, large gale of wind hit his face and nearly made the alien shit himself from the brutality he witnessed.


"H-He beat Zastin!?" 


Inconceivable, a monster, he couldn't be a human! And worst, those bone chilling silver eyes nearly spotted him from the other side. Ghi Bree nearly fainted on the spot but managed to hide just in time and changed into his true plush sized form and hid into a dark hole, his body shaking like a leaf. 


"If he saw me take his sister then…" he refused to think about it. "I-I should leave Earth as soon as possible. But wait! I can't just leave that school with so many hidden gems at the place!" That school was a treasure trove of the most beautiful girls he'd seen in his life, bringing him many fantasies of taking them all as his concubines after marrying Lala and spreading his seeds everywhere across the planet! He could literally change into the perfect man of their dreams if he so desired, all he needed to do was to stay the fuck away from that man!


Grab!


"—!" 


Ghi Bree's body froze when felt someone grab onto his tail. His body turned white from fear, slowly turning his head he saw his tentacle tail inside the water — something was pulling it.


Splash!


"Puah! Gggrrlrlelll h-help!" From the pond emerged the giant form of Zastin covered in blood and algae, with bloodshot eyes that stared right into his soul. A scene so terrifying that it caused the Balkean's heart to stop. 


"HHHHYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! I'M GOING TO DIE!!!!!!"


"W-Wait! Don't leave us! COMMEEEE BAACCK!!!"


"LET GO OF MY TAIL, YOU GRIM REAPER!"


"Never!!!"


{Break}


-Tenjōin Estate-


"You lost to Emiya?"


"Yes… he barely even tried." 


If Tenjōin Saki were to mention a prominent trait about her childhood friend and bodyguard Rin, it would be her prodigal talent in the way of the sword and any martial art in general. She had seen her losing to the redhead boy in the past, but this was a surprise of great magnitude to hear about how the gap between seemed to have become greater instead of shortening as Rin hoped. 


"I heard that the male population suddenly attacked him out of nowhere, did he get hurt?" 


Rin shook her head, "I didn't see any injuries on his body back then, he was absolutely fine aside from being covered in sweat from going against so many people."


"Humph, as expected from my future boyfriend, no mere student can beat him without regretting it heavily." She felt proud to see that not even a hundred boys could match up against her savior. It made her heart giddy and beat like crazy just imagining the elegance he must have showcased when dealing with those hooligans. 


"Uhh, I heard they attacked him because he was giving his girlfriend a tour of the school and the boys didn't like that. There's already word spreading about how she's likely to become the most pretty woman in Sainan High and get the title of the most beautiful Queen in the school." Fujisaki Aya added, having done her research beforehand, she knew her mistress would get interested with matters concerning that person. 


"..."


"It's that pink haired bitch from before!" Saki exclaimed with anger, remembering the girl from this morning walking alongside her man as if they were a couple. Just remembering that sleazy smile of hers as she tried to get close to Emiya made her mood turn sour. "I can never forgive her, I'll get back at her somehow!" 


All of the plans she had prepared with Emiya, the invitation and everything else must have been ruined because of her! She didn't know how but Saki's gut kept telling her that there was something fishy going on behind the scene.


"Time isn't by my side anymore." She bit her nail, contemplating her next move and wondering if she should play bold. "I need to get over my shyness, this isn't like me! I'm supposed to be fearless and perfect! Yes, there is nothing impossible for the TRUE queen of Sainan High, hohohoho!" 


"Indeed, Saki-sama, nothing can stop you if you put in the effort. That Lala pales in comparison to your magnificence." Rin encouraged her master/friend, she knew the blonde had all the requirements to successfully woo Emiya with minimal effort. 


"You can do it!" Aya agreed with Rin's words. "That Emiya doesn't know what he's missing on, and I made a list of locations he's at every hour."


Her confidence grew with their encouragement, Saki wasn't able to talk to Emiya given how she fumbled with her first attempt as approaching and that Lala girl ruining her plans. But now, with this new threat who came out of nowhere, she had no choice but to become bolder and directly approach him regardless of her own hesitation.


{Break}


-Yuuki residence-


Emiya was not happy, more than that, he was understandably frustrated over his current situation. First came the issue of whether to reveal the truth to his siblings, to involve them into a mess that didn't concern them. He just couldn't see himself willingly dragging them into his personal problems. 


Unfortunately, he wasn't a fool to believe that some of the suitors wouldn't target his siblings in the future. He had experience and seen many tragedies in the past, and in many cases the closest family members always got involved one way or another. And if kept in the dark for long, the damage could endanger their lives. 


Not wanting to delve into these thoughts for long, Emiya returned to his house with Lala in tow and told her to take his parent's room to sleep in while he returned to his own shared room. 


Rito had already fallen asleep along with Mikan. He took off his shirt and got on his bed, watching the moon outside while slowly falling asleep.


That was what he remembered from last night, now that he slowly woke up from his slumber — Emiya felt an odd sensation.


"WAAAHHHH! L-Lala-san!? Nii-san!?" 


A scream disturbed his sleep, pulling him back to reality where he slowly opened his eyes. That was Rito screaming, why was he so loud this morning? The boundary field didn't signal him of an intruder and his senses didn't pick up any danger near him. Perhaps Lala came inside the room and surprised the boy, Rito was very awkward around girls to a supernatural degree that it made him worry about his brother's future. He would never get a sister-in-law even after a few decades with Rito's attitude and clumsiness. 


He heard the boy run out of the room and rush downstairs.


But as he tried to move, something blocked him. A warm feeling encompassing his entire body, it felt very comfortable.


"Hm?" Now fully awake, he quickly snapped his neck to find what was holding him and stopped breathing when he found Lala sleeping next to him. 


She wasn't wearing any clothes given Peke was sleeping behind her. Her chest pressed against his equally bare, showing Emiya the source of the warmth he was feeling this entire time. The girl's smooth legs intertwined with his, her thigh going up enough to nearly touch his crotch. 


"That damned tail," noticing another weird sight was her tail wrapped around his wrist and bringing it a bit too close to her intimate area. Her right arm was resting on his chest as well, making her entire body glued to his. A floral scent reached his nose along her hot breath on his neck.


He was wary of causing the same reaction like last time by pulling his hand along with the tail. Everyone in the neighborhood might start having wild imaginations.


Nevertheless, Emiya didn't panic, sure he was caught by surprise with her presence and how she managed to get this close without him noticing anything was a miracle in itself. Also, he was too old to react like an innocent teenage boy with such cases, and he had already seen her naked twice before. The boy grabbed her shoulder and gently shook the girl awake. 


"Mmm? Morning already?" She awoke slowly, rubbing her eyes before stretching — giving Emiya a full view of her assets. "Good morning, Shirou, did you sleep well?" The pink haired girl gave him the brightest smile he'd seen so far. 


"Why are you here? Naked I might add." He asked, not moving from his position and let Lala rest her head next to his pillow.


"Well, I was feeling cold last night and didn't feel comfortable sleeping alone. Plus you looked very unhappy last night, so I wanted to hug you, just like what mama did with me whenever I was sad."


Well it didn't quite work, but if he were to be honest, the warmth was very comforting. So she was successful in some sense.


Even though she was happy with Gid's decision back then, Emiya failed to see how Lala could become so comfortable with a stranger. They weren't close or knew each other for long enough to be considered as anything else than strangers who helped each other out. 


So instead of wondering, he asked her, "Lala, I don't approve of this."


Her smile faltered.


"You… you don't like me, Shirou?" She whispered quietly, making him raise an eyebrow at the simplicity of the question. The answer should have been obvious.


"Exactly, I don't love you that way, Lala." Her head lowered, feeling slightly hurt by his words. Was it cruel of him to say it so bluntly? Perhaps to some but not him, stretching out this topic and avoiding the main problem would be pointless and disastrous if left on its own. "We met a few days ago, putting aside how weird the circumstances of our first meeting was, there is no way I would propose to a random stranger who teleported into my bathroom." 


It felt unusual talking about such topics while they continued to lie in bed fully naked. 


"But… you said you would continue protecting me and keeping your position as my prime fiance candidate…" 


True, he did affirm to the Princess about his goals for the following year. It was possible for many challenges to come his way after last night's event, knowing he couldn't run away from them Emiya knew the only possibility was to face them head on when fully prepared. 


"Because I had no choice, Lala. It was either this or have my planet get plunged into total chaos and possibly destroyed. You were there when your father mentioned this, so it shouldn't come as a surprise for you. The reason I'm continuing to do this is because by the end of it all, I'll get a wish granted by your father. Asking him for freedom and leaving my planet alone will be my priority and in the meantime, you can find a perfect suitor to your taste." A year was more than enough for Lala to carefully choose her future partner that interested her the most. Not every suitor would be out for her wealth and status, there should have been at least one or two who genuinely cared for her wellbeing and happiness. 


"But… I already found the person that I don't mind being married to." She grabbed onto his arm, holding him tightly with her breast squishing against his limb. "And it's you!" 


He sighed, "Come on now, Lala, be serious for once. You don't like me, it's impossible given we just met. You're probably thankful that I saved you from getting captured and are confusing these feelings for love. That is understandable, not many go through such things and it can get confusing." Patiently, Emiya gave the girl a long explanation of what she may have been feeling the entire time. How she must have confused her feelings for something else when in reality there was no love between them to begin with. 


"You're wrong!" Lala denied him, bringing her face close to his; she spoke confidentially. "It's true that I was amazed and admired Shirou's action when saving me in the beginning. But you've also been so nice to me the entire time, I liked spending my time with you at school and want to experience more of it — you cared more about me as an individual. I had fun like never before, felt joy and laughed so much after a long time, and all of this while with you. Maybe you don't love me yet, I understand. Then it's my goal to show you how wrong you are and then make you fall in love with me! Shirou is a nice person and that's all that matters to me!" 


Emiya was speechless, this girl's reasoning was childish, her crush on him made no sense whatsoever. 


"Listen Lala, this is not—"


"Nope! I'm not listening, I like Shirou so I'll do my best to make you like me back in one year. So that you won't mind marrying me anymore!" The hold her tail had on his wrist tightened, her chest was so close to him that he could feel her heartbeat quickening. 


"But—"


"Muuuu, stop being so stubborn, Shirou! Or else I'll kiss you to prove my point!" 


"..."


That was the first time in his long life did Emiya ever face such an out of the water threat that it made him unable to counter. 


He could see it on her face, the girl was determined with her decision and wasn't willing to listen to reason whatsoever. 


In the end, he dropped the matter, hoping that Lala would cool down and bring it up another day. For now, he needed to think about the future problems and more importantly — how to explain the situation to his siblings. 


"Haa… what a troublesome hostage I've brought in my house, speaking such nonsensical gibberish that makes no sense." He said with a sarcastic tone, making Lala chuckle as she snuggled closer to her body which he didn't fight back against. 


"Hehehehe! It's your fault for being so awesome, Shirou. You were so cool yesterday when facing daddy just for my well being. I knew you cared about my well being from the beginning! And the fight with those swords, I want to see more of those weapons! Can I!? Please!" 


'There she goes being an energetic goofball, humph, nothing I can do about it.'


"I'm afraid what kind of experiment you'll conduct with Kanshou and Bakuya if I left you alone with them. I'll just pass you some regular weapons."


"Yay, that's a win! Now let's go back to sleep, Shirou, you're warm and I like it."


"Don't forget we need to go to school, you can't miss your second day just for wanting to sleep in and I have matters to attend to there." 


Emiya realized that he should get out of bed soon, he still had some things to prepare before going to school. 


"Oi, what's going on here?" An annoyed voice came from the door, looking behind, he found Mikan standing in front of his room with an emotionless face while gazing at them with her arms crossed. "Care to explain yourself, Shirou?" 


"... Honestly, I have nothing to say in my defense."