Guests

If nothing unexpected happened, this banquet would be the only one...

Suddenly, a dazzling pair of headlights shone in the distance, and then—

A streamlined, silver-white "beast" drove onto the bridge, rapidly approaching its center. The roar of the six-cylinder engine driving the "beast" even drew Rider's attention.

Screech—

The tires skidded across the asphalt under the emergency braking, sending up a cloud of white smoke and making an ear-piercing scraping noise.

Once the car had stopped, two figures got out: Saber and Irisviel.

"Rider, you..."

Standing in front of Irisviel, Saber wore her armor and took a battle-ready stance. She watched Rider, who was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, warily. She still hadn't figured out what was going on.

"Hey, King of Knights, aren't you going to change into something modern tonight? Don't keep wearing that stuffy armor."

Rider waved a hand. Before Saber could finish speaking, he cut her off:

"Tonight, there's only one thing we're here to do—"

He patted the wooden barrel beside him and declared, "Drink!"

"..."

Looking at Rider's grinning face, Saber couldn't bring herself to feel angry. After a moment of silence, magical energy burst from her body, stirring the air into swirling gusts that enveloped her.

When the gusts dispersed, she was wearing a black suit again.

"Hahaha, that's more like it!"

Rider burst out laughing when Saber dismissed her armor.

Seeing that the situation seemed to have reached a truce, Irisviel quietly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out from behind Saber, looking at Rider with curiosity.

That overwhelming presence from before had given Irisviel quite a fright.

"Oh?"

Irisviel suddenly spotted the two people standing beside Rider, and her eyes lit up.

"Caster, and Caster's Master! It's been a long time!"

Seeing Irisviel wave at Wang Xiaoming, Rider couldn't help looking surprised.

"Oh, you know each other?"

"We've met once or twice."

Wang Xiaoming scratched his head as he replied.

"That's quite something."

Rider's praise left Wang Xiaoming a little confused.

"This is a Magecraft barrier, right?"

Irisviel looked around the deserted Fuyuki Bridge and suddenly asked.

She'd crossed this bridge before, but it had always been crowded with traffic. She'd never seen it so empty.

"Yeah, my little Master did it. I have to say, it's really convenient!"

Rider sounded rather proud.

"This is a great place for a joyride."

Irisviel looked excitedly at the bridge, now empty of both pedestrians and vehicles.

"By 'car,' do you mean that silver-white 'beast' you were driving earlier?" Rider seemed interested in the Mercedes Irisviel had driven.

"It's pretty fast."

"Right? It's my favorite toy!"

A flash of excitement crossed Irisviel's eyes at finding someone who shared her interest.

The two "joyriding enthusiasts" had drawn Wang Xiaoming's attention away from the Magecraft barrier Irisviel had mentioned. He glanced unconsciously at Medea beside him. Back at the Hyatt Hotel, before it had been reduced to ruins, Medea had used Magecraft to alter who had control of the barrier Kayneth possessed. Wang Xiaoming felt he'd never forget that astounding scene.

Perhaps it was the understanding between Master and Servant, or perhaps they'd both thought of the same thing. Medea turned her head slightly, and their eyes met—

They smiled at each other.

"Hmm, is nobody else coming?"

After chatting with Irisviel, Rider saw that no one else had appeared on the bridge. He sighed and said, disappointed, "I was hoping Lancer and Archer would show up too..."

"—That's enough joking around, mongrel."

As if answering Rider, a dazzling golden light appeared before them.

This space is reserved; there isn't enough room below for the word count, lol.

Time for a book recommendation~

Please, Producer!

A rare Idolmaster fanfic. Treasure it while you can~

Synopsis: Every girl has a dream in her heart. She longs to become the Cinderella of a fairy tale, standing center stage in the glow of magic.

But magic always fades eventually.

When the clock strikes midnight, will the magic cast upon Cinderella last?

So...

"Please, Producer, help me become the greatest idol!"

P.S. Um...

At my request, my editor agreed to delay my debut by a week. (Don't hit me!)

That means I'll be debuting next week.

The reason is pretty simple: I need to revise my outline.

I owe it to myself and my readers.

I don't want the story to fall apart halfway through and end up abandoned, lol.

It just so happens to be the New Year's holiday, so I'll use the time at home to get the outline sorted out~

That's all—

"—That's enough joking around, mongrel."

As the haughty voice rang out, golden points of light suddenly flickered along the railing of Fuyuki Bridge. Then a defiant figure appeared: a blond man in golden armor, standing on the railing with his arms crossed as he looked down at them.

"Archer..."

At the sight of the golden figure, everyone present except Rider instinctively stiffened.

"Hahaha! Goldie, I knew you wouldn't miss this!"

Rider was the only one unaffected. He burst out laughing, breaking the tension that had begun to settle over the group.

"Tch—"

Archer gave a cold snort and stared arrogantly at them all with his vermilion eyes. "Everything beneath this sky is my garden. You dare hold a banquet in my garden without inviting me first? Are you all so eager to die, mongrels—"

"All right, Goldie—"

Hearing Archer's outrageous words, Rider waved a hand and laughed heartily. He pointed to the barrel in front of him and said to Archer, "Now that you're here, you're a guest! Why not take a seat and enjoy a drink?"

"Hmph!"

Archer looked disdainful, but accepted Rider's invitation. He lightly leapt down from the bridge railing and strode toward them, the clanging of his golden armor ringing out as everyone watched.

"Come on, take a seat!"

As Archer approached, Rider tucked the barrel under his arm with a grin. He hardly seemed like a king at all; he looked more like the proprietor of an izakaya.

Rider casually chose a flat, open spot and sat right down on the ground. The others followed suit.

The four Servants sat facing one another. Rider and Saber sat opposite each other, poised in a relaxed standoff. Irisviel and Waver sat behind their respective Servants. That meant—

"Mongrel, who gave you the courage to look your king in the eye?"

Archer frowned and asked coldly when he saw Wang Xiaoming sitting directly opposite him, with Medea seated behind him.

Wang Xiaoming glanced helplessly over his left shoulder at Medea, then looked up at Archer's eyes, which seemed to be smoldering with rage. His mind raced as he tried to come up with an explanation.

"Archer, Caster's Master is much stronger than those cowards hiding in the shadows! He has every right to sit here."

Though Rider was surprised by Caster's choice, he immediately stepped in to help. Saber, seated opposite Rider, also nodded in agreement.

"Besides..."

Rider smashed the lid off the nearby barrel with his fist, and the rich aroma of red wine immediately filled the air.

"This wine was supplied by Caster's Master. It's probably the finest you can get."

As he spoke, Rider produced a bamboo ladle from somewhere and was about to dip it into the barrel.

"Rider, wait."

Just as the ladle was about to touch the wine, Wang Xiaoming stopped him.

"Use these instead..."

With all the Servants watching him, Wang Xiaoming took out a bag from behind his back. Inside were glass goblets made especially for tasting red wine.

Wang Xiaoming had been struck by the scene in the original story where the kings shared a single ladle at their banquet. He didn't really mind, but if Medea had to use it...

Sorry, men could be petty sometimes—

So Wang Xiaoming had picked up a few wineglasses at a convenience store along the way, just in case this happened.

"Oh, these foreign drinking vessels aren't all that convenient to use. These will make things much easier."

Rider's eyes lit up when he saw the goblets. He put the bamboo ladle back to its original use, and seemed happy enough to serve the wine himself.

He poured one goblet after another and passed them around to everyone, including Waver and Irisviel.

Archer raised an eyebrow at the goblet filled with red wine. Whether the gesture had appealed to him, or he was influenced by Rider and Saber's attitude toward Wang Xiaoming, he didn't bring up the earlier matter again.

"Hahahaha! Now that's good wine!"

Rider was a man who belonged with a drink in his hand. After draining his goblet of red wine, his spirits rose even higher.

The others raised their glasses as well, though each drank in their own way. Saber and Archer, who were both kings, also drained their goblets in one go. But no matter how boldly they drank, neither left an uncouth impression. Perhaps that was the bearing of kings.

Medea and Irisviel merely touched their lips to the rims of their glasses and sipped. They displayed the elegance of mature women to perfection.

Wang Xiaoming smiled and swirled the clear liquid in his glass. He remembered the wine-drinking etiquette he'd once learned by chance. Though he didn't like the taste of red wine, he could manage well enough.

As for Waver—

He'd been wavering, but when he saw everyone around him had emptied their glasses, he looked down at the ripples in his drink, stirred up by his trembling hands. He steeled himself, shut his eyes, gritted his teeth, and gulped it down.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

But he seemed to have drunk too quickly and couldn't stop coughing.

Everyone couldn't help smiling at Waver's embarrassment. Even the haughty Archer laughed and teased him:

"Commoner, did you put on that little show just to amuse your king?"