Little Jack's Critical Hits / Fake Alcohol Hurts People

Everyone's praise made Illya and Little Jeanne very happy. Being recognized gave them a great sense of accomplishment, and smiles appeared on both their faces.

Seeing this, Yuxian said to them, "Stand still, you two. I'll take a picture for you as a memento."

He had Illya and Little Jeanne stand beside the sandcastle, then slowly backed away and framed both of them and the castle in his camera.

Click! Click!

The beautiful scene was captured in that instant.

"We want some too! We want some too!" Seeing this, Jack, Gretel, and the others eagerly wanted Yuxian to take pictures for them as well.

Naturally, Yuxian did not refuse. He had them pose together for photos, some alone and some in groups.

One, two, three... Yuxian had no idea how many pictures he took. In the end, he simply called everyone over and asked a nearby tourist to take a family portrait of them all together.

Kobayashi, Tohru, Kanna, Elma, and the others joined them as well. Everyone stood together in different poses, capturing this scene of laughter and joy.

PS: This strengthening quest for Rider Artoria...

I see you're targeting my Artoria!

Chapter 17: Little Jack's Critical Hits

Under the blazing summer sun, even with waves of sea breeze blowing across the beach, the heat remained unbearable.

They spotted a beach house selling shaved ice in the distance. This time, before the children could even ask, Yuxian himself could not resist wanting to try some.

He led everyone over to line up. The beach house was doing quite good business, and the line at the entrance looked rather long. Fortunately, the uncle inside worked quickly, so Yuxian and the others did not have to wait too long.

A mouthful of icy shaved ice mixed with sweet fruit syrup sent a refreshing chill straight to Yuxian's head, making him shiver.

The group lined up in a row and ate shaved ice together, making for quite an impressive sight. After playing for so long, everyone was a little tired anyway, so they rested as they ate, happy and content.

While everyone was eating, Little Jeanne quietly approached Yuxian and softly said beside him, "Master, shall we go swimming in the sea later...?"

"Swimming? Go ahead!" Yuxian blinked, not knowing why Little Jeanne had come to ask his permission. They had come to the beach, so of course they had to swim. Otherwise, there would be no point in coming.

"But..." Little Jeanne hesitated. She had never swum in the sea before, so she could not help feeling a little afraid. She did not dare go into the ocean alone, which was why she had come to speak to Yuxian, hoping he could accompany her.

But she did not know how to say it. She could not exactly say that she was scared to swim alone in the sea and needed her Master to accompany her. That would be far too embarrassing.

Little Jeanne's hesitant expression puzzled Yuxian. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Do you need me to go with you?"

"Mhm, mhm!" Little Jeanne nodded rapidly like a woodpecker, a happy smile appearing on her face. She was delighted that Yuxian had understood what she meant.

"Then let's all go together." Yuxian simply called everyone over. "How can we come to the beach without going swimming?"

Everyone agreed with the suggestion. Once they finished eating, they would go swimming in the sea.

Yuxian knew how to swim, but this was his first time swimming in the ocean, so he was not much better than Little Jeanne.

Still, he was not worried about safety. None of the people here would let him come to harm. In fact, Little Jeanne would not be in any danger either; she was simply a little scared.

When the summer seawater touched his body, a cool sensation spread across his skin. It felt wonderful.

The moment Kanna and Tohru entered the water, they went all out, darting through it as swiftly as swordfish.

The little ones did not join in the commotion. They played around Yuxian and did not stray far from him.

Perhaps because it was her first time in the sea, even Jack seemed unusually well-behaved. She just kept diving down, floating up, diving down, and floating up, having the time of her life.

Illya looked perfectly natural, without any problems. Little Jeanne, however, was different. She looked stiff and awkward, and her paddling movements in the water were rather comical.

Yuxian could not help laughing out loud.

Hearing his laughter, Little Jeanne stood up and glared at him, her cheeks puffed out in displeasure at his mockery.

Yuxian swam over to her and said, "Relax. Don't be so nervous. I'll watch over you from beside you."

With Yuxian's encouragement, Little Jeanne really did relax considerably. Her movements were no longer as stiff as before. She slowly paddled through the water, quickly adapted to the rhythm, and began to move with ease.

"Ah! Master, save me!"

Just as Yuxian was teaching Little Jeanne, a scream came from behind him.

Yuxian immediately turned around and saw Gretel sinking toward the bottom in bubbling spirals, as though she had no buoyancy at all.

Her limbs flailed wildly as she struggled without pause, but it did no good. Anyone who could swim knew that the more one struggled at a time like this, the faster one sank.

Yuxian immediately rushed over and held her.

When Gretel saw Yuxian arrive, it was as if she had found a lifeline. She clung to him with all her strength, nearly dragging Yuxian underwater too.

Fortunately, Yuxian soothed her in time and brought her to the shallows, allowing her to recover.

"Alice, are you okay?" Yuxian hurriedly asked, afraid that something had happened to Gretel. That had not looked like an act.

Yuxian had never expected Gretel to be unable to swim. She had not mentioned it beforehand, so he had always assumed everyone could swim. Even Jack moved freely through the water.

"Huff... huff..." Gretel gasped heavily. She had been badly frightened and had not yet fully recovered.

Seeing Gretel like this, everyone gathered around and asked about her with concern.

"Alice, why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim? I could have prepared a swim ring for you."

"Master, you big idiot!" Having finally recovered, Gretel cried out, "Have you ever seen a book swim?"

Hearing that, Yuxian understood. Gretel's true form was a fairy-tale book, so it made sense that she could not swim.

Still, there was one thing he did not understand. Gretel was currently in her transformed Alice form. Could Alice not swim either?

When Gretel heard Yuxian's question, she said with a wronged expression, "I thought so too, but once I got into the water, I don't know why, but I just started sinking without realizing it..."

That was why Gretel had not told Yuxian in advance. In truth, she had not known she could not swim either. Unless she used magical power to float herself on the surface, she would uncontrollably sink the moment she entered the water.

"Ah—I know!" Jack had been standing to the side with her head tilted, saying nothing. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and cried out loudly.

"Alice is what Mom called a landlubber!"

Critical hit!

As expected of Jack the Ripper. Her critical-hit ability was terrifying—one strike, one critical hit!

"Jack! We're no longer friends! You've lost me!"

Jack's words deeply wounded Gretel. She had already been extremely upset, and Jack's remark drove her nearly mad. She felt utterly miserable.

Faced with the agitated Gretel, Yuxian could only comfort her softly. This was not the time to kick her while she was down with jokes.

Jack had not meant it, but he could not show any delight at her misfortune. That would truly hurt Gretel.

"Alice, do you want to borrow Tarasque?" Martha stepped forward to persuade her as well.

"No! I have Jabberwocky! I don't want your ugly, hideous dragon!" Gretel refused without even thinking. Still angry, her tone was not very pleasant.

Martha did not mind. As a Saintess, she would not lower herself to the level of a child. Besides, Tarasque really was rather ugly.

Tarasque: Boss...

After Gretel's little incident, no one was in the mood to keep playing. It was getting late anyway, so everyone packed up and prepared to return to the guesthouse.

Thus passed the first day of their beach vacation...

Chapter 18: Fake Alcohol Hurts People

It was already late when they returned to the guesthouse. The sun was setting, and beneath the crimson glow of the evening clouds, their shadows stretched long behind them.

The seaside environment was entirely different from the city. There was far less pollution here, and the sky seemed exceptionally clear, making everyone feel at ease.

Yuxian felt that coming to the beach for a vacation had truly been an excellent choice. He had not felt this relaxed in a long time.

Dinner that evening was prepared by the guesthouse owner. It was a service included in the price, and compared with their usual meals, the food offered by this guesthouse had much more local flavor.

Everyone ate happily. To be able to run a guesthouse, the owner was evidently quite skilled at cooking.

Though it could not compare to Emiya's standards, it was much better than ordinary home cooking. Combined with a few local specialties, it even satisfied these little ones whose tastes had been spoiled by Emiya, which was no easy feat.

Kobayashi started drinking beer again. In a summer like this, a mug of ice-cold beer really was a fine pleasure, refreshing both body and mind.

Yuxian had not originally planned to drink. Since taking care of the little ones, he had not had alcohol in a long time.

He knew his own tolerance all too well. Moreover, the fact that he had transmigrated because he got drunk had made him somewhat resistant to drinking.

But Martha placed a large mug of ice-cold beer in front of Yuxian and kept provoking him with her eyes, until he could no longer stand it.

He picked up the mug, brought it to his lips, tilted his head back, and gulped down nearly half of it.

He let out a long sigh. He had to admit, the feeling was quite wonderful. Setting down the mug, Yuxian asked, "Can a Saintess drink alcohol?"

"Why not?" Martha replied as she drank her chilled draft beer.

Unlike Kobayashi and Yuxian, who drank boldly, Martha savored hers in small sips. She drank elegantly, not at all like someone drinking beer.

After downing a large mug of draft beer, Yuxian felt a little dizzy. Given his tolerance, he had probably reached his limit.

Watching Martha sip her beer, he said somewhat unhappily, "What's the point of drinking beer in tiny little sips? Beer should be drunk in big gulps to feel good!"

Kobayashi, on the other side, had entered the mood as well. Slapping the table, she shouted, "Right! Right! Big gulps are the best!"

"Is that so?" Martha picked up her mug and gulped it down in one go, draining every drop.

She slammed the mug onto the table and looked provocatively at Yuxian. Clearly, her alcohol tolerance far surpassed his.

Yuxian said to Martha in dissatisfaction, "Hey! You were putting on an act earlier, weren't you? You can obviously drink that much."

After drinking, Yuxian became much more talkative. He filled both his and Martha's mugs, clinked glasses with her, and said, "If we're drinking, then let's drink properly!"

After several rounds, they began to get into the swing of things.

Yuxian had completely lost control of himself. He asked Martha, "Since a Saintess can drink, can she get married too?"

Hearing this, Martha glanced at Yuxian. Seeing that he was completely drunk and beginning to spout nonsense, she raised an eyebrow and replied, "Hmm... I hadn't planned on getting married, but if it's Master... then I don't mind."

Huh? What did she mean, she did not mind if it was Master?

The little ones were busy playing on their own and paid no attention to their conversation, but Mash had been watching Yuxian the entire time. Hearing Martha's words, she immediately became anxious and wanted to speak.

Martha stopped her with a glance, signaling her not to worry, that she knew what she was doing. Only then did Mash swallow her words.

Yuxian froze for a moment at Martha's answer, but a rush of alcohol went to his head. He instinctively waved his hand and said, "No, no! I can't beat you. You'd definitely beat me up every day."

Martha's face darkened. If Yuxian had not already been drunk, and if he had not been her Master, she would definitely have let him have a taste of Iron Fist Judgment. The last person who dared slander her like that had been beaten so badly he could not recognize his own mother.

Mash covered her mouth and secretly laughed. Hearing Yuxian's answer put her at ease.

Martha suppressed the urge to hit Yuxian and continued asking, "Then, Master, who do you think is the best in Chaldea?"

Yuxian let out a drunken burp, swaying unsteadily. He pulled Jack beside him into an embrace and proudly declared, "Of course Jack is the best!"

Jack had been talking with Gretel when Yuxian interrupted her. She did not know what was happening, but upon hearing Yuxian's words, she immediately said, "Mhm! Mommy is the best!"

Gretel was extremely unhappy that Yuxian had interrupted them. She glared at him, expressing her displeasure at having their private conversation cut off.

Seeing this, Yuxian pulled Gretel into his embrace too. "Alice is the best too!"

"Master, you stink! Let us go already!" Unlike Jack, Gretel did not indulge Yuxian. She leaned her whole body backward, trying to get away from Yuxian's alcohol-laden breath.

Yuxian let the two little ones go, then turned to Mash on his other side. He draped an arm over Mash's shoulder and leaned against her. "Mash is the best too!"

Yuxian was completely drunk. He was practically sprawled all over Mash. If Mash let go of him, he would probably collapse directly onto the floor.

Mash reached out to support Yuxian, afraid he would fall. Yuxian was drunk beyond measure and spouting nonsense, but Mash was still very happy to hear his words.

After getting drunk, people inevitably became more talkative. Yuxian did not stop, continuing to mutter:

"Jeanne-chan is the best!"

"Illya is the best!"

"Boss is the best!"

"Abby-chan is the best!"

"The purple-haired old... beauty is the best!"

In Yuxian's eyes, they were all the best. Martha felt that she had asked a stupid question. She shook her head, a charming smile appearing on her face.