Dating Caster

If there were no surprises, this banquet would only have...

Suddenly, blinding headlights flared from the distance, and immediately after—

A silver-white, streamlined "beast" drove onto the bridge, rapidly approaching the center. The roar emitted by the six-cylinder engine driving the "beast" even made Rider glance over in surprise.

Screech—

The tires, under emergency braking, skidded across the asphalt, emitting a plume of white smoke and a teeth-grinding friction sound.

After the car came to a stop, two figures stepped out: Saber and Irisviel.

"Rider, you..."

Blocking Irisviel with her body, Saber, clad in armor and in a combat-ready state, watched Rider—who was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt—with vigilance. She still had not grasped the current situation.

"Hey, King of Knights, aren't you going to change into some modern attire tonight? Stop wearing that stiff armor all the time."

Rider waved his hand, cutting Saber off before she could finish her sentence:

"There is only one purpose for tonight—"

Patting the wooden wine barrel beside him, Rider said loudly: "And that is to drink!"

"..."

Looking at Rider's grinning face, Saber found she couldn't muster any anger. After a moment of silence, mana erupted from Saber's body, whipping up a whirlwind of air currents that enveloped her.

When the currents dissipated, a black suit had reappeared on Saber.

"Haha, that's more like it!"

Seeing Saber remove her armor, Rider laughed heartily.

Seeing that the situation on the field seemed to have entered a state of truce, Irisviel, who had quietly breathed a sigh of relief, stepped out from behind Saber and curiously sized up Rider.

One had to know that the aura from before, which seemed to overwhelm everything, had given Irisviel quite a fright.

"Eh?"

Irisviel suddenly caught sight of the two people standing beside Rider, and her eyes lit up.

"Caster and Caster's Master, long time no see!"

Seeing Irisviel wave at Wang Xiaoming, Rider couldn't help but be a bit surprised.

"Oh, you know each other?"

"You could say we've met once."

Wang Xiaoming replied, scratching his head.

"That really is remarkable."

Rider's praise left Wang Xiaoming feeling a bit confused.

"This should be a bounded field, right?"

Irisviel looked around the empty Fuyuki Bridge and suddenly asked.

Irisviel had crossed this bridge before, but she had never seen this empty scene on a bridge that was usually bustling with traffic.

"Indeed, it is the work of my little Master. I have to say, it's truly convenient!"

Rider's tone sounded quite proud.

"This really is a great place for street racing," Irisviel said, looking at the bridge, which was now devoid of other pedestrians and vehicles, with great interest.

"By 'car,' do you mean that silver-white 'beast' you were driving earlier?" Rider seemed to have taken an interest in the Mercedes that Irisviel had been driving.

"The speed was quite impressive."

"Right? Right? That's my favorite toy!"

A spark of excitement flashed in Irisviel's eyes at meeting a fellow enthusiast.

Ignoring the two "racing enthusiasts," Wang Xiaoming subconsciously glanced at Medea beside him, thinking of the bounded field Irisviel had mentioned... Back in the Hyatt Hotel before it became a ruin, Medea had directly used magic to usurp the usage rights of the bounded field held by Kayneth. Wang Xiaoming felt he would never forget that soul-stirring scene for the rest of his life.

Whether it was the rapport between Master and Servant or the fact that they were thinking of the same thing, Medea turned her head slightly, and their gazes met—

They smiled at each other.

"Hmm, could it be that no one else is coming?"

After a brief exchange with Irisviel, seeing that no other figures had appeared on the bridge by now, Rider couldn't help but sigh, disappointed:

"I had originally hoped that Lancer and Archer would also show up..."

"—The joke ends here, mongrel."

As if in response to Rider, a dazzling golden light appeared before everyone.

Just taking up some space, the space below isn't enough to meet the word count requirements, haha.

Chapter recommendation time~

Please, Mr. Producer

A rare idol master fanfic, cherish it while it lasts~

Synopsis: In the heart of every girl lies a dream, a longing to become the Cinderella of a fairy tale, standing in the center of the stage under the glow of magical radiance.

However, magic always has a day when it fades.

When the clock strikes twelve at midnight, can the magic cast upon Cinderella still endure?

Therefore...

"Please, Mr. Producer, help me become the best idol!"

PS: About that...

Due to my own request, the editor agreed to let me delay the official launch by a week (don't hit me!)

In other words, it will launch next week.

Actually, the reason is quite simple: I need to re-outline the plot.

I want to be responsible to myself and to the readers.

I don't want to write myself into a corner halfway through and end up just abandoning the story, haha.

It just so happens to coincide with the New Year's holiday, so I'll take the time at home to hammer out the outline~

That is all--

Chapter 52. Guests

"--Let's end the jokes here, mongrel."

As the arrogant voice rang out, golden sparks of light suddenly ignited on the railing of the Fuyuki Bridge. Immediately after, a figure with golden hair and golden armor appeared, standing on the railing with arms crossed, looking down at the crowd with a haughty posture.

"Archer..."

Upon seeing this golden figure, everyone present, except for Rider, felt their bodies stiffen instinctively.

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

Rider, the only one unaffected, laughed heartily, breaking the increasingly rigid atmosphere on the scene.

"Tch--"

Archer let out a cold snort, his crimson eyes gazing proudly at the group as he spoke in a chilling tone: "Everything under this sky is the garden of this King. To hold a banquet in my garden without inviting me beforehand—are you all so eager to die, mongrels--"

"Alright, alright, Goldie--"

Listening to Archer's incredibly arrogant words, Rider waved his large hand and laughed heroically, pointing at the wine barrel in front of him.

"Since you're here, you're a guest! Why not take a seat and have a drink first?"

"Hmph!"

Archer, looking disdainful, jumped down from the bridge railing after hearing Rider's invitation. Under the gaze of everyone, he walked over slowly, the clanking of his golden armor against the ground echoing clearly.

"Come, come, take a seat!"

Seeing Archer approach, Rider laughed and tucked the wine barrel under his arm. At this moment, there was no trace of "King's aura" about him; he looked more like the owner of an izakaya.

Choosing a flat and open spot at random, Rider sat down on the ground in a straightforward manner, and the others followed suit.

The four Servants sat in four directions. Rider and Saber sat facing each other, confronting one another in a relaxed manner. Irisviel and Waver sat behind their respective Servants, which meant--

"Mongrel, who gave you the courage to look directly at this King?"

Seeing Wang Xiaoming sitting directly opposite him, along with Medea sitting behind him, Archer frowned and asked coldly.

Wang Xiaoming glanced helplessly at Medea behind his left, then looked up at Archer's eyes, which seemed to be brewing with rage, his brain spinning rapidly as he tried to come up with an excuse.

"Archer, Caster's Master is much stronger than those other cowards hiding in the shadows! It is only natural for him to take this seat."

Although surprised by Caster's choice, Rider was the first to speak up in support. Saber, sitting opposite Rider, also nodded to show her agreement with Rider's statement.

"Besides..."

Rider used his fist to smash the lid of the wine barrel beside him, and the rich aroma of red wine immediately permeated the surrounding air.

"This barrel of red wine was provided by Caster's Master; it can be said to be the best stuff on the market."

As he spoke, Rider produced a bamboo ladle from who knows where and was about to reach into the barrel to serve the wine.

"Rider, wait a moment."

The instant the ladle was about to touch the red wine, Rider was stopped by Wang Xiaoming.

"Use these instead..."

Under the gaze of the various Servants, Wang Xiaoming took a bag from behind him, which contained glass wine glasses specifically for tasting red wine.

Wang Xiaoming had a deep impression of the King's Banquet from the [original work], where everyone drank from the same ladle. Although he didn't mind it much himself, if it were Medea...

Sorry, men can be so petty sometimes—

That was why Wang Xiaoming had casually picked up a few wine glasses at a convenience store he passed by, all to prevent this exact scene from happening.

"Oh, these foreign drinking vessels are truly inconvenient to use, but having these makes things much easier."

Rider's eyes lit up when he saw the wine glasses, and the bamboo ladle in his hand returned to its original purpose; he didn't seem to mind the task of serving the wine himself.

He poured glass after glass of red wine with great satisfaction and distributed them to everyone, with even Waver and Irisviel receiving a glass.

Looking at the wine glass filled with the crimson liquid, Archer raised an eyebrow slightly. Whether this gesture had struck a chord with him, or if it was simply because of the attitude Rider and Saber had shown toward Wang Xiaoming earlier, Archer did not bring up the previous matter again.

"Hahahaha! Good wine!"

Rider was a man who naturally suited wine, and after draining his glass, his spirits grew even higher.

Seeing this, the others raised their own glasses, though their methods differed. Saber and Archer, both being kings themselves, also downed their red wine in one gulp, yet no matter how bold their actions were, they never left an impression of crudeness. Perhaps this was what they called the demeanor of a king.

Medea and Irisviel both gently pressed their lips to the rims of their glasses, sipping the contents in small, delicate mouthfuls, perfectly embodying the elegant grace of mature women.

Wang Xiaoming smiled and swirled the clear liquid in his glass, recalling the red wine etiquette he had learned by chance. Although he didn't care for the taste of red wine, it was enough to handle the current situation.

As for Waver—

Indecisive and wavering, he saw that everyone around him had already emptied their glasses. He looked down at the liquid in his own, which was rippling from his trembling hand, steeled his heart, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and downed the wine in big, gulping swallows.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

However, perhaps because he had drunk it too quickly, Waver was sent into a fit of coughing.

Watching Waver make a fool of himself, everyone couldn't help but smile, and even someone as arrogant as Archer couldn't help but laugh and scold:

"Commoner, are you putting on a show specifically to amuse me?"