Please Play Fatego With Me

"Don't be shy! You were worried about me (Yuihama) earlier, and your performance scored pretty high." The girl grabbed the youth's arm and pulled him along as she spoke.

"Come to think of it, you're my type too. Anyway, let's go on a date first! Ah! Mash, you can head back on your own." The fox-eared girl, true to her princess-like nature, casually waved at Mash as if dismissing a servant on a whim.

"Wait, I can walk on my own." Shirou was dragged straight ahead by the girl's Saber-class strength, unable to stop even if he wanted to.

Mash, who had been quietly standing nearby, blushing as she secretly studied how adults interacted, only now realized she was about to be left behind.

"Ah! Senpai...?" Mash stood frozen in place, looking bewildered and at a loss. She watched helplessly as Shirou was pulled away, feeling as pitiful as a dog left at home while its owner went on a honeymoon.

"Mash, you can't follow." The fox-eared girl turned back with a warm, friendly smile.

Mash, who had been about to sneak after them, had just taken a step when she was pinned by that gaze, quickly pulling her foot back in fright.

'Gudako-senpai, the senpais in this world are terrifying! Don't junior students have any rights around here?'

Chapter 25: Heroic Spirits and the Service Club

The fox-eared girl held the youth's hand as they walked down the street, arriving at a bustling commercial plaza. Because they were in an invisible alternate space, a passerby on the road ahead accidentally passed right through them, which felt rather eerie.

"Unpleasant arguments, fights—you're bound to run into some of those when you want to fall in love. Let's set ex-boyfriends aside for now. Shirou! For now, you're my temporary boyfriend, so let's have a proper date rehearsal! Next time, I want to go on a date with a Master I've maxed out bond with." The fox-eared girl said with a smile.

"That's fine, but what can we really do in this state?" Shirou asked. Even if they went shopping, they'd just be watching, which wasn't much fun, was it? And being with him, if she'd picked someone more amusing, they could at least chat about interesting topics to cheer her up.

"Ah... even though we can't touch things from the original world, we can still watch a movie for free... By scanning with Magic Eye, I could probably project 3D glasses too."

"No way. Sneaking into someone's house together for a thrill is one thing, but for a movie, the atmosphere comes from queuing for tickets together and sharing the same bucket of popcorn." Suzuka Gozen said.

"No, sneaking into someone's house isn't okay." Shirou vetoed.

"Actually, we can still enjoy the outside world's life if we want, as long as we don't interfere with this world's rules. I'm pretty good at this kind of Transformation Jutsu. Since we helped the humans of this world deal with monsters, taking a little tribute should be fine, right?" Suzuka Gozen said with a sly smile.

The youth and girl were currently in an alternate space on the periphery of the world. Though what they saw looked identical to the real world, there was actually a protective barrier between them.

The monsters had been trying to break through this barrier to get into the inner world and do something.

Heroic Spirits summoned through possession could also move within the barrier's space, while people outside couldn't see them.

With the right techniques, using their possessed physical bodies, they could manifest and touch real objects, as long as they were careful not to be discovered.

"Ah! That! I saw it in this kid's memory—she ate one! I want to try it too! Shirou, let's go!" The fox-eared girl pulled the youth and ran across the road.

Ahead, four young girls were standing by a crepe stand, holding freshly bought crepes and chatting.

Among them, the girl with long yellow hair and a red bow was the most excited, waving an uneaten crepe in the air.

"An opening!" Suzuka Gozen instantly activated her Transformation Jutsu, entered the real world in a transparent state, snatched the crepe with her mouth, swallowed it, and snickered as she returned to spirit form.

"So sweet~! So this is the crepe modern JK like. I feel like my feminine charm just went up a notch." The fox-eared girl savored the crepe, praising it with a grin.

"Sigh..." Shirou finally understood why this heavenly princess had been called a thief in her past life. In modern terms, she was a thief JK now—a bit of a dangerous existence.

"So I'm saying, even though Illya's magical girl is great, Helena-chan is super cute too, and Rhyme has that awesome vibe. The magical girls in FGO are really something. Every girl in there has cuteness that rivals Miraculous." The yellow-haired girl said excitedly, bringing the crepe to her mouth only to bite air. Looking down, she found only the wrapper left in her hand.

"Huh? Where's my crepe?" The yellow-haired girl, Kyoko Sunao, exclaimed in shock.

"Didn't you eat it yourself?" The black-haired girl beside her remarked.

"No way, there's no sweet taste in my mouth at all. Akari-chan! The culprit must be you!" Kyoko Sunao pointed a finger at the red-haired girl nearby.

"I didn't do it, Kyoko-chan! Why are you blaming Akarin?" The red-haired girl, Akari Akaza, asked indignantly.

The yellow-haired girl pushed up imaginary glasses and made a brilliant deduction: "In this world, besides you, who else has mastered Presence Concealment without being taught, able to appear behind me silently? Don't tell me an Assassin-class Servant from FGO jumped out of my phone?"

"Akarin doesn't have such an exaggerated skill!" Akari Akaza retorted angrily.

"Well then, I'll help myself to your crepe. Munch!" Kyoko Sunao suddenly opened wide and bit off most of Akari's crepe.

"Akarin's strawberry crepe! How could you!" The girl stared at her crepe, which she'd only taken a small bite of, now reduced to less than a quarter, and cried out in heartbreak. Her body gradually turned transparent from the shock.

Shirou silently noted the red-haired girl's bun-shaped hair, which looked like it could shoot off, and thought to himself: 'Sorry, girl... If I run into you again, I'll treat you to another one.'

'Huh? Where'd the girl go?'

After that, the heavenly princess continued acting on her whims, dragging the girl all over the place.

Shirou had been worried about the consequences of appearing in this world, since it seemed to reject mystical existences. If they caused a commotion here, the countermeasures meant for invading monsters might end up being used on the Heroic Spirits themselves.

But from what he could see now, since they possessed physical bodies from this world and their souls were fused with Heroic Spirits, they were at least two-thirds human and one-third Heroic Spirit.

After all, he had used magic through his Magic Eye in this world before, and nothing had happened then. As long as they didn't cause any destruction, it seemed they wouldn't be rejected.

After Suzuka Gozen had tasted the sweet treats JK liked, Shirou was dragged by the girl to an arcade. The girl swiped a few game tokens and started playing. The staff member nearby, seeing the game running with no one there, rubbed his eyes as if witnessing a paranormal phenomenon. The youth and girl quickly left, leaving the bewildered staff member thinking the machine was broken.

When they arrived at a cold drink shop, Suzuka Gozen tried the same trick again, but Shirou pulled her away.

The girl then wanted to check out a clothing store JK would visit.

"Shirou, let's look at this shop too. So many pretty clothes!" The fox-eared girl grabbed the youth and tried to go inside.

"Hey! Suzuka, this is an underwear shop!" Shirou stopped and called out to her.

"It's fine, no one can see us anyway. Ooh! So these are the legendary Victory Panties!" Suzuka Gozen shook off his hand, ran straight into the shop, and marveled at the brightly colored lace-trimmed garments on the racks.

"No, in a way, not being seen is even worse." The youth remarked, staring at the flashy, colorful display inside, unsure whether he should go in or not.

Just then, a voice came from the Heroic Spirit inside his heart.

Teacher Qiao reminded him, "Shirou, as a man, I think a bit of youthful romance is a fine thing. I once received a BMW as a gift from a Witch myself, but vulgar behavior is a no-go."

"I won't do anything vulgar," Shirou retorted. Still, standing in front of a lingerie shop in a transparent state was a bit too stimulating for a hormone-fueled male high school student's body.

Teacher Qiao nodded approvingly. "Good, good. A man's charm lies in his strong body and steadfast spirit, which can serve women well. During the day, let the girl you fancy feel at ease and happy, and at night, things will naturally flow when both are lost in passion."

"Teacher George, you really know a lot," Shirou said, taking the lesson to heart.

Since going inside would feel awkward, Shirou simply stood outside the door, chatting with Teacher Qiao in his mind. As a famous hero, Teacher Qiao had a wealth of life experience.

Shirou took the chance to ask his teacher how he had once won the favor of a Witch, and how he had ridden the warhorse she gave him to rescue a Princess from a dragon's clutches.

ps2: [I'm starting to suspect there's some secret society or evil force behind Book Client, scheming to make authors crossdress.]

Chapter 26: Youth and Maiden, First Meeting

Through this conversation with the Heroic Spirit, Shirou gained a deeper understanding of the summoning system, and he felt that his compatibility with Teacher Qiao had increased a bit.

"Hey!" Suddenly, the girl appeared and slapped him on the back. "Really, what were you grinning about all alone in front of the lingerie shop? Let's go, next store!"

"Huh? Already done?" Shirou asked in surprise, having assumed girls couldn't pick out clothes in under half an hour.

"Well, I've studied it. If I need something, I can just make it with Transformation Jutsu. What? Did you want to see?" The fox-eared girl blinked her golden eyes, looking at him with a teasing expression.

She walked backward, facing him, hands behind her back, flashing a playful, meaningful smile.

"No can do, Shirou-kun. My secret weapon lingerie is only for my boyfriend to see. Unless you want to be my boyfriend?"

"Is that so? What a shame! Let's head to the next store." Shirou stepped forward to lead the way casually.

"Tch..." The fox-eared girl pouted and quickly caught up.

The youth and maiden walked one ahead, one behind, continuing their aimless stroll through the streets.

"Ah! That! I want to take that!" The fox-eared girl suddenly pointed at a pink, cabin-like machine.

Shirou frowned at what she pointed at. "A photo booth?"

The pink machine, decorated with various stickers, had a sign prohibiting men from entering alone—translated roughly as "Singles and Dogs Not Allowed."

This so-called photo booth was practically a forbidden zone for single people, like the blatant discrimination of the "No Chinese or Dogs" sign at the Bund Park in the French Concession.

It was also because there had been multiple incidents of suspicious men installing pinhole cameras in photo booths and ceiling panels for voyeurism. So, the rules clearly stated that men could only enter with a female companion.

"Stop spacing out, let's go!" The fox-eared girl dragged him inside.

It was Shirou's first time inside a photo booth, and he looked around, finding it all very novel.

"Shirou, look at the screen! Strike this pose too! We're about to take it!" Yuihama shook his arm, urging him.

"Oh... oh." Shirou snapped back to reality, faced the screen, and mimicked the girl's pose, forming half a heart.

It was a bit embarrassing. And did they really need to stand this close for a photo?

The big screen flashed, and the picture appeared: the sweetly smiling girl hugging the youth, their hands forming a heart together, with pink love hearts bouncing inside.

The moment they saw the photo, the Heroic Spirits inside both Shirou and Yuihama were satisfied.

Shirou's armor faded, and the girl seemed to return to her own body, back in control.

Seeing her recovered, Shirou explained the situation of the world and made a promise.

"Yuihama, I'm sorry for dragging you into something like this. If you don't want to, I won't force you to face those monsters again."

"No, I'm really glad I could help. In fact, it has to be this way. This is what you and Yukino were talking about before, right?" Yuihama shook her head.

"Yeah. I wasn't trying to hide it from you, I just didn't know how to explain it better," Shirou said.

"I know. You didn't want me to get hurt, right! But Shirou, I'm really happy you can summon me to help! That means the three of us are still partners together.

I saw you two talking about things I couldn't understand before. I was worried that I'd be left out all alone..." Yuihama squinted, revealing a relieved, heartfelt smile.

"Yuihama..." Shirou looked at her, understanding that, more than the danger of facing monsters or the wonder of Heroic Spirits, what mattered to her was the bond between the three of them.

"Shirou, do you remember? The day we first met, on the first day of school?" Yuihama asked softly.

"When we were going into class by homeroom?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

"No! When we almost got into a car accident! Back then, you stopped the car, didn't you? With magic?" Yuihama had always thought it was a miracle—the car suddenly malfunctioning and stopping. But now, with knowledge of Heroic Spirits, she finally understood the truth.

"Ah! That time when the puppy almost got hit by a car," Shirou recalled. Back then, he had used his Magic Eye to calculate a safe way to lock the car's brake calipers to the tires. If he hadn't, that dachshund might have been in real trouble.

The girl first saw Shirou on the morning of her first day of high school.

She was out walking her family's dog, a bit rushed for time, so she was jogging. As she passed a traffic light, her grip slipped, and Sabre dashed out.

Just then, a black luxury sedan came driving by, and it looked like it was about to hit the dog.

A screech of brakes rang out through the street. The black car miraculously stopped just before hitting the puppy. No one was hurt.

The car's emblem was a silver goddess leaning forward as if flying—it looked expensive.

She expected the driver to get out and scold her harshly, but then the youth appeared.

"Need help? I work part-time at an auto repair shop. If it's not a big problem, I can fix it right away," the youth said confidently.

"Really? I'm in a hurry to get to school. If you can fix it, that would be a huge help," the flustered driver said, grateful for the youth's calm and reliable demeanor.

"Then let her go back for now. The puppy suddenly ran out—it's not entirely her fault," the youth suggested.

"Ah, of course. You, please be more careful in the future—whether it's a person or a dog, if an accident happens, that would be bad." The driver lectured her.

"Yes, I'm really sorry!" She apologized and was let off.

It was precisely because of the Youth's appearance, helping her out of the situation, that she escaped being scolded.

Now she understood—even Sabre had been saved by the Youth. It was like a fated encounter, a Prince rescuing a Princess.

These little details, the Youth had surely forgotten them by now, after all, he was the kind of Goody-two-shoes who would absolutely step up to help whenever he saw someone in trouble.

But the girl clearly remembered that back then, the Youth spoke calmly and composedly with the adults, then skillfully fixed the car. He was really cool.

Later, she wanted to change her habit of always agreeing with others without a mind of her own. Using baking cookies as an opportunity, on the recommendation of Shizuka Hiratsuka-sensei, she came to the Service Club, met the Youth and Yukino, and the three became good friends.

At first, she only saw the Youth as a good friend, but somewhere along the line, she fell for him, and everything became different.

In truth, long ago, Suzuka Gozen had already returned control of her body to her. About this, Yuihama Yui would never speak of it.

'Going on a date with the person you like'—this was the wish of the Heroic Spirit possessing the girl, and also the girl's own wish.

Countless times in her daydreams, Yuihama Yui had imagined scenes of going shopping and playing together with the Youth, just the two of them.

But if she did that, it always felt a little unfair, like sneaking ahead, and it would hurt the important people around her.

But now, if it was limited to just today, it should be okay.

This was originally the Heroic Spirit's request, so then, it should be fine.

If she could, the girl would also want to hold hands with the Youth while shopping, then have dinner together at a trendy restaurant—but that was impossible this time.

Still... this was fine for now. Someday, for sure, she would say those words. Until then, let's all enjoy high school life happily together.

"I can't figure out such complicated things either, but no matter what happens, the three of us shouldn't keep secrets from each other..." Yuihama lowered her brows and fell silent for a moment. When the girl lifted her head, she reached out and patted her own cheeks, revealing her usual cute, playful smile.