Starving Bazett

"Grrr~"

Bazett had gone three meals without eating. For a mage with her extraordinary physique, she normally ate more than most people; otherwise, it was difficult to sustain the drain on her stamina.

But even a hero could be stumped by a penny.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Mo Shuying appeared, slightly suppressing his aura so Bazett would notice him without exposing his true strength.

"Uh, sorry. I'm just... a little dizzy."

When Bazett saw Mo Shuying, she assumed he was going to complain about her occupying public resources and lying on a park bench, so she hurriedly sat up.

Bazett had never seen Mo Shuying before. When she had gone to Luvia's house previously, Mo Shuying had concealed himself.

Moreover, Mo Shuying was still maintaining part of his aura-concealing effect, so in Bazett's eyes, he was just an ordinary person.

Seeing Bazett in that state, Mo Shuying turned and headed out of the park, saying only one thing.

"Wait for me."

"???"

Mo Shuying left the park. There was a snack cart right outside, and he went over to buy several things: a serving of takoyaki, two croquettes, a crepe, and two bottles of red bean soup drink.

Mo Shuying had money. While in the alternate dimension, he had passed by a bank. He had not intended to take anything, but the bank vault had been blown up at the time, so he had casually picked up some intact banknotes and gold bars.

There might have been duplicate serial numbers, but they were still genuine currency and could be used.

"Here."

When he returned to the park, he found that Bazett had collapsed again. The girl really was starving.

Sniff, sniff~ So fragrant! This is...

"Grrr~"

The moment she smelled the food, Bazett sat upright. Her nose twitched, her stomach growled, and her eyes lit up as she stared at the food in Mo Shuying's hands.

Mo Shuying handed the food over, keeping only one croquette and one drink for himself. He sat down beside her and began eating as well.

"Mmm~ Delicious! I feel like I've come back to life!"

Bazett wolfed down the croquette in a few bites, then started popping takoyaki into her mouth one after another. Unafraid of the heat, she quickly finished both servings, and her whole body seemed to perk up.

"Thank you! I'll never forget this meal for as long as I live. I'll definitely repay you once I have money again. Sir, could I have your contact information?"

Licking her lips, Bazett looked at Mo Shuying and spoke earnestly.

Mo Shuying glanced at her and did not continue that topic.

"Judging by how you're dressed, you don't look poor. How did you end up starving like this?"

As the leading figure of the Mage's Association's premier combat unit, Bazett might not have been a billionaire, but she certainly was not poor. So why...

"This morning, when I wanted to get something to eat, I found that none of my cards would work. And I wasn't carrying any cash."

Bazett took a bite of the crepe, clearly furious. She had actually guessed that it was Luvia's doing, but she could not understand how Luvia had managed it when all contact with the outside world had been cut off.

"With your strength, you shouldn't be going hungry even without money."

Mo Shuying asked again. This time, Bazett gave him a look.

"What do you mean by that? You know how strong I am? Or rather, do you know who I am?"

Bazett was certain this was the first time she had met Mo Shuying. They did not know each other.

"Of course. The Mage's Association's super soldier, one of the Masters in this Holy Grail War. Oh, right, where's your Servant?"

The instant Mo Shuying said that, Bazett sprang away, facing him with a wary expression.

"Are you a Master too?"

Bazett guessed that Mo Shuying was also a Master, but he shook his head.

"No."

"..."

Bazett relaxed slightly.

"But I'm on Tohsaka Rin's side."

"!!!"

The wariness that had just faded immediately returned!

"Did Luvia and Tohsaka Rin send you to deal with me?"

Bazett was already prepared to fight. She could throw a few punches at Mo Shuying at any moment.

But Mo Shuying shook his head. After taking a sip of the hot red bean soup, he said, "I was just wandering around and happened to find you. Don't be so nervous. I don't mean you any harm. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bought you food, would I?"

Mo Shuying knew Bazett was not a bad person. She could even be called a bit of a simpleton. Though she was somewhat stubborn, she could still tell right from wrong when it truly mattered.

"Hmph, who knows whether you have ulterior motives? Don't think a little food is enough to buy me off!"

Bazett waved her hands and spoke with righteous conviction.

Mo Shuying paused for a few seconds, then raised a hand. A stack of ten-thousand-yen bills appeared in it.

"Come on, sit down and let's have a proper talk. These are all yours."

"(;)"

Bazett's eyes could not move away from the bills swaying up and down, but who was she?! How could she possibly be swayed by such a little money?!

"Not enough? Then have these too."

Another stack of ten-thousand-yen bills appeared. Bazett's body stiffened, then she walked over jerkily like a robot, took the money, returned to her previous seat, and picked up the unfinished red bean soup to drink.

"That's more like it. There's no need for us to be enemies. You came for the Class Cards, but I can tell you that Luvia and the others really don't have a single one. You don't need to trouble them anymore."

Mo Shuying found it amusing inwardly. Luvia and the others indeed had none, because they were all on him.

"They really don't?"

"They really don't."

"Tch. Then where did all those Class Cards go? I investigated when I arrived. There were originally seven separate spaces, and they had already dealt with five of them by then. They should have had at least five cards in their hands."

Bazett was only half-convinced by Mo Shuying's words. She had her own deductions.

"Oh, they did have that many, but they couldn't hold on to them. Someone else snatched them away."

Mo Shuying said.

"What? Who did it?"

Bazett asked with a frown. She knew Luvia and Tohsaka Rin's strength. With the addition of two Magical Girls, anyone capable of taking the Class Cards from them could not have been weak.

"That... I don't know either."

Mo Shuying turned his head and lied through his teeth.

"Damn it! Don't let me catch that person, or I'll definitely beat him up badly!"

Bazett said, filled with fury. It was because of that mysterious person that she had ended up in such a miserable state. She would remember this grudge.

Mo Shuying smiled at Bazett's words, then stood up.

"Alright, I still have things to do. I'll be going now."

With that, Mo Shuying got to his feet and gradually walked away under Bazett's strange gaze, until he vanished from sight.

"What a strange person."

Bazett muttered softly. As soon as her words fell—

"Master! Haha, I'm back! This is the staff meal I got from my part-time job just now! You haven't eaten yet, right? Hurry up and eat!"

Caster Cú Chulainn appeared as points of light gathered together, beaming happily and holding a lunchbox in his hand.

But when he saw the snack bags beside Bazett and the thick stack of bills in her hands, it was like a bolt from the blue!

"Master! Did you go rob someone?"

Bazett: "."