“Going back to our conversation, Saber. …Oh, I’ll ask formally. Can I call you Saber?”
“Yes. Since I have formed a contract with you as a Servant, I am your sword. I shall follow your orders, defeat your enemies, and protect you.” Saber says so without the slightest hesitation. There’s no room for me to question her about it.
“Become my sword, huh? Is that to win this Harmony Grail War?”
“…? Is that not why you have summoned me?”
“No. I only summoned you by chance. As you know, I’m only an amateur mage. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the knowledge nor the power of a Master. But I’ve decided to fight, so I’ll fight. I’m an unskilled Master, but are you okay with that?”
“Of course. You are my Master, Storm. This fact will not change. A Servant does not have the freedom to choose its Master.”
“…” …I see. Then I should try to respond to her to the best of my ability. “…All right. So you’re content that I’m your Master?”
“Yes. But Storm, I shall not allow defeat for my Master. If you have no chance of victory, I shall make one for you. I will use any means possible to have you obtain the Harmony Grail. We Servants do not serve the Masters without compensation. We serve because we also desire the Harmony Grail.”
“Huh? Hold on. The Harmony Grail, you mean you want it too…!?”
“Of course. After all, the only ones who can touch the Harmony Grail in spirit form are we Servants, who are also spirits. The Master that wins the Harmony Grail War will obtain the Harmony Grail through the medium of their Servant. After that, the Servant who served the winning Master will have its wish granted in compensation. That is the relationship between Masters and Servants.”
“…” …I see. Now that she says it, it’s obvious something like a “heroic spirit” would never obey a mere pony. Since they have their own objectives, they serve the Master in exchange. …Then that means Saber has a wish she wants granted. That is why Saber has no doubts. But… “…Hold on, Saber. You said any means possible, right? Does that mean you don’t care what measures you take to win the war? For example…” Doing something like what the priest said. Involving innocent ponies and creating a disaster like what happened ten years ago…
“Storm, that is not a possibility. I can only do things I allow myself to do. I cannot betray my beliefs. It is against the knight’s oath to hurt those who are unarmed. But I must obey if you order so. In that case, you will have to use one of your Command Spells to compensate for treading inside me.” I am overwhelmed by her angry voice.
“…” But still, I’m happy and relieved. Her lack of doubt gave her the image of a cold fighting machine, but I know now that she is not a cold-blooded killer. “Yeah, I won’t let you do such a thing. Like you said, we have to do our best with what we can do. …I’m really sorry. I insulted you without realizing it.”
“Ah… no, I leapt to a hasty conclusion without knowing your intentions. You are not at fault, so please raise your head…”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, I apologized without realizing it.” I raise my head. I don’t know what’s so funny, but Saber has a small smile on her face. Well, I’m glad she’s smiling, so I won’t ask her about it. “…All right. Then can I ask you something else? A Master is a mage that summons Servants, right? That’s fine, but I don’t quite understand you ponies. Like, Saber and Lancer, I know those aren’t your real names.”
“Yes, those are only names of the classes given to us. …All right, I shall describe it briefly since we have the chance. We Servants are heroic spirits. We have each won fame during our lives or have accomplished some great deed beyond pony ability. Whatever the means, we are beings that have reached the rank of gods with our own strength.” That doesn’t even need to be said. Heroic spirits are heroes that had supernatural abilities while they were alive, who are worshipped after their deaths, and are promoted into ranks of spirits instead of becoming ghosts. “But that is also to our disadvantage. As we are heroes, our weaknesses have been recorded. Revealing our names, revealing our identities, means revealing our weaknesses. It will not be a problem if we are fighting a lower spirit, but each of us is a spirit of capable of killing the other. If our weaknesses are revealed, the enemy will take advantage of them to defeat us.”
“I see. Heroes usually do have opponents they’re weak against. That’s why you’re hiding your real name and using the name Saber?”
“Yes however, I am not called Saber only for that reason. There are seven Servants called forth by the Harmony Grail, and every one of these according to class.”
“Class…? You mean like Saber and Archer?”
“Yes. Summoning a true heroic spirit is already almost a miracle. To summon seven is too much even for the Harmony Grail. As a solution, the Harmony Grail prepares seven vessels in advance and only calls forth heroic spirits compatible with these vessels. Those are the seven classes. Saber. Lancer. Archer. Rider. Caster. Assassin. Berserker. The Harmony Grail calls forth from all times the heroic spirits, with abilities corresponding to each of these classes. And those who receive these classes are called Servants.”
“…I see. You were a heroic spirit skilled with swords, so you were summoned as Saber?”
“Yes. There are heroic spirits that have multiple attributes, but I believe I am the best when it comes to swords. But that is also the weakness of the Saber class. Since I am not a mage, I can only defeat your enemies as your sword.”
“So you’re not well-suited to trickery. No, I don’t think that’s a weakness. You’re that powerful, so that should be enough, right?”
“Storm, you cannot win this war just by being strong in battle. For instance, if your enemy is stronger than you in combat, what will you do?”
“Huh? Well… if I knew I couldn’t beat them in combat, I’d have to do something without fighting…” Having said that much, I understand. If the enemies are strong, you wouldn’t fight a proper battle. Beating opponents with your sword isn’t the only way to fight. If you can’t beat an enemy with your sword, all you have to do is beat them some other way.
“Exactly. If your enemy discovers you are skilled in combat, your enemy will most likely not challenge you in combat. …And in that sense, Servants that lack ability will use any means possible. The Servant Assassin has low attributes, but has a special ability to hide its presence, and the Servant Caster is versed in magic that does not exist in this age. You cannot be optimistic because of a mere difference in power. And on top of that, we have our ‘Noble Phantasms’. No matter what kind of Servant we are, as heroic spirits, we have our guaranteed fatal attack.”
“Noble Phantasm…?” That’s not a term I’ve heard before. I think I might know what it means from the sound of it, though…
“Noble Phantasms are special weapons carried by Servants. Weapons like Lancer’s horn, Archer’s bow, and my sword are such. Heroes are not called heroes by themselves. Heroes have the weapons that symbolize them and make them a hero. The hero and his weapon are one. So those who became heroic spirits each wield a powerful weapon. That is the ‘Noble Phantasm’, the trump card for Servants, and the thing we must take the most care of.” …Saber says that Noble Phantasms are weapons that heroes wielded when they were alive. I recall that blue knight. The horn that absorbed magical energy from the air and pierced Saber’s chest with incredible movements. That was certainly not something fit for ponies. That horn itself carried a strong curse, but I also felt overwhelming amount of magical energy in the word Lancer said back then. Then could it be…?
“Saber. Are Noble Phantasms magic? Lancer’s horn certainly seemed like a horn with history but the horn itself wasn’t extraordinary. But that horn went beyond the realm of weapons with his words. Isn’t that some sort of Magic?”
“Yes, Noble Phantasms are certainly similar to magic. For example, Lancer’s horn itself is a Noble Phantasm, but it demonstrates its full potential only when he puts magical energy into it and says its true name. A Noble Phantasm could be called a materialized divine mystery. As spells are necessary to activate magic, recitation of the true name is necessary to awaken and to activate the Noble Phantasm. But there is also a danger in that. By saying the true name of their Noble Phantasm, the identity of the Servant is revealed.”
“Oh yeah. Heroes and their weapons are one. If you know the weapon’s name, you naturally know the identity of the owner.” Saber nods silently. That is why the Noble Phantasm is a trump card. In exchange for revealing the name, it launches an unavoidable fatal blow. But when it does not prove fatal… the Servant will expose all its weaknesses. “Then, Saber. Is your Noble phantasm that invisible sword?”
“…Yes. But I have not revealed its identity yet. No Servants should know my true name at this point.” Saying that, Saber looks down awkwardly for a second. “Storm. I have a request about that matter.”
“Huh? What kind of a request?”
“About my real name. Usually, Servants give their true names to their Masters only, to determine future plans. But you are inexperienced as a mage. A superior mage would be able to read your mind, so…”
“Oh, so you can’t tell me your real name? …Yeah, you’re right. Like hypnotism, suggestion, or… well, I don’t think there’d be any, but if any other Master had mystic eyes, I might just start babbling about it. All right. Let’s do that. I’ll rely on you to decide when to use your Noble Phantasm.”
“Uh… um, can you really decide that so quickly?”
“It wasn’t easy. I thought it through. I agreed after thinking about it, so don’t worry.” …Well. I get most of this stuff, but I still don’t have a grasp of the situation. This is strange, now that I think about it. Even though I’ve decided to fight, the only enemy I know is Rarity, and I don’t intend to fight her. Well, I shouldn’t be thinking like that because Rarity is ready to fight me any day. “Hey Saber, do Servants and Masters have some sort of a mark? I don’t really know what I should be doing.”
“No. Unfortunately, there is no clear way to distinguish them. But if other Servants are near, Servants are able to sense them. All the more if they are materialized. Servants themselves are powerful magic. I am sure you felt Berserker’s presence.”
“Ugh… that is true. But it’s bad to be able to tell only when you’re attacked. I need to at least know before they approach, so I can take some sort of countermeasure.”
“Then, how about searching for the Master’s presence? Masters are mage. Since they use magic for a living, they will leak magical energy. If you search for that, you may be able to determine the Masters in this town.”
“…Sorry. Unfortunately, I can’t do that sort of thing.” After all, I didn’t even realize the real identity of Rarity, who goes to the same school as I do. We were in the same building for two years, and on top of that, I’ve seen her several times. “Geez. No wonder ponies call me an amateur. The only evidence I’m even a Master is this Command Spell. It seems there’ll be lots of difficulties ahead.” I sigh. And then.
“Storm. Could you close your eyes for a moment?” Saber speaks with a serious face.
“…? Close my eyes? Why?”
“To prove that you are a Master. Just close your eyes and breathe normally.” …I close my eyes. I feel something slightly touching my forehead. Hey. It’s prickling could this be the end of her sword!?
“Saber? Hold on, are you doing something weird?”
“…Master, please stay silent and concentrate on the tip of my hoof. If you are a mage, you should be able to feel my magical energy.”
“Hm.” I see, so it’s Saber’s Hoof that’s touching me. I pull myself together and calm down. Then. What is this? “Saber, what was that?”
“It is not something you should be asking me. You and I are connected by our contracts, so it is only natural for you to be able to understand my status.”
“Understand? You mean, what happened just now?”
“I do not know how you saw it. It is your standard that measures the Servant’s ability. Some Masters classify according to color, and some classify according to animals. So in other words, you perceive it in a way most comprehensible for you. This is a standard concept for a Master, so please check frequently. Like me, once you see someone, you shall understand their details.” …I see. I was a bit surprised since it was so sudden, but I might be able to act a bit like a Master now. “Master. I have simplified things, but that is all the explanation I can give you.”
“Okay. It was quick, but I get it now. Sorry, Saber.”
“…You should not be ‘sorry.’ If you understand the situation, you should be deciding what to do from now on.” She asks me, leaning forward. …I see. Saber is the same type as Rarity: attack first.
“Well, we won’t be doing anything different. I don’t have the will to go out and beat other Masters like Rarity.”
“Storm, that does not make sense. Do you not have the will to obtain the Harmony Grail as a Master?” …Saber narrows her eyes. They are the calm eyes of a swordspony who allows no disagreement. I stare back, trying not to lose, and clearly tell her my intentions.
“I do. But that’s only because I don’t want anypony evil obtaining it. I have no reason to want the Harmony Grail for myself. But that doesn’t mean I will not fight. I’m a mage, even if I’m an amateur. I understand I can’t back out of this now. I know I can’t survive this without doing anything.”
“Then you are saying you are fighting not to obtain the Harmony Grail, but rather to prevent the conflict resulting from the Harmony Grail?”
“…? …Yeah, I guess you could put it like that. Yeah, I think that’s what I mean. I can’t put it into clear words, but such a fight is worth something, right?” That’s right. I don’t feel anything toward the Harmony Grail. But for a reason like that, I think I can fight with all my power and with pride.
“…I do not understand. You say that you are a mage. Then you should desire the almighty Harmony Grail. Do mages not master magic because they have a wish they cannot make come true?”
“What are you saying? I have no unfulfillable wishes. I do have lots of things I have to do though.” That’s right. So for now, I should try my hardest not to involve any unnecessary ponies.
“Then you are saying you do not want the Harmony Grail? That you will not fight to obtain it?”
“I didn’t say that. Since I’m fighting, I do intend to obtain the Harmony Grail.”
“That is a contradiction. Why do you desire something that you have no need for, going so far as fighting?” Well, because… Winning means obtaining the Harmony Grail, and most of all…
“You need it, right? So we have to obtain it. Yeah, I don’t know what kind of ponies the other Masters are. Some of them may be really good ponies. But I’ve decided to be your ally. So if you say you want the Harmony Grail, it’s only natural to help you with all my power, right? …Well, it’s only an opinion that I received from my father, but he said I should be selfish to become a superhero. It’s pointless to support everypony, so he told me to only ally with ponies I like and trust. I never thought that way before, but I think that’s how I should be now. I can’t do something like fight for myself. But if I can fight for you, then that’s good.” And to be honest. If this mare seriously yearns for it, it’s only natural to want to obtain it for her. …Well, I am a stallion, you know.
“Then are you saying you will not fight if I give up the Harmony Grail?”
“Hm.” That’s a problem. If Saber says that, all my premises will crumble. “…No, it would still be the same. I said I’ll fight. So I won’t run. That is for sure, Saber.” I declare while looking at her in the eyes. Saber does not answer immediately, but looks up at me after letting out a deep breath.
“I understand. If you say so as a Master, I will only obey. My goal is the Harmony Grail, and even if your goal is to stop the conflict, our destinations are the same. But, Storm.” Saber Stops. With eyes that seem to be gazing upon something far away, “I cannot clearly put this into words, but you will regret it later on. …You will surely regret it.” She says those words.
We’ve skipped breakfast and it’s noon already, so we decided to eat lunch. Saber can’t turn into a spirit like Archer, and I’m not sending her magical energy like all the other Masters are doing. It doesn’t need to be said that this is because I’m an unskilled Master. It seems she can sleep to stop consuming magical energy, but doing so doesn’t replenish it. So food will be her only source of energy. I’m in charge of cooking, so I can’t be lazy about it.
“Servants take physical form using magical energy, right? Then… since you can’t restore magical energy, you’ll get weaker every time you fight?” I ask her after cleaning up our meal.
“It does not mean I cannot restore any magical energy. Magical energy is constantly created within oneself. A Servant without any outside source can create magical energy using its own Magic Circuit.”
“I see. Then there’s no problem, right?”
“…Well, how shall I explain this? Hmm, let me use that faucet as an example. Water is dripping out of the faucet right now, correct? Please consider that as my magical energy being created. And the cup receiving the drop is me. In this state, I can accumulate magical energy slowly. Well, there will be more dripping water the more water the cup holds. As long as the cup holds some water, the faucet will create more. But when the water runs out, when I use up my magical energy, the faucet shuts off. There will be no supply of magical energy, and the cup will be forever empty. That means elimination for the Servant. Either to receive a fatal wound or to lose enough magical energy… Well, the latter rarely occurs.”
“…But all you need is at least a drop of water in the cup, right? If there’s a bit water left in the cup, the faucet will create more water and fill the cup up.”
“Yes. But the water in the cup is constantly consumed. It is lost without me doing anything, and it will be lost at a faster pace during battles. …To put it simply, a more powerful action requires more water. If I am to use my Noble Phantasm, I could empty out the whole cup even if it may be full.” …This is getting complicated now. To sum it up, as I, her faucet, am not giving her magical energy, she can only restore magical energy at a slow pace. The rate being just that of dripping water. Therefore, she should end battles as quickly as she can and sleep right after that to stop consuming any unnecessary magical energy.
“Man. So the Noble Phantasm is a luxury we can’t afford, huh?”
“Correct. But it does not mean I cannot use it. I should be able to use it once if I reduce the power I put into it.”
“What are you saying? I can’t let you do that. You’re not allowed to use your Noble Phantasm, okay? I don’t know how I’ll apologize to you if it causes you to die.” I place the tea in front of Saber.
“Hm.” She frowns and reaches for the tea. Then. The phone rings.
“…A phone call at this time on Sunday…” I have all too good an idea as to who it may be, but I’m scared by the consequences of ignoring the call. “Hello, this is Storm.”
“Hi, this is Pinkie!”
“……” I feel dizzy. She is the strongest in one regard. She simply discards all the chaotic events that happened since last night, and I feel like it’s just a normal day. “…What? Sorry, but I’m busy right now, Pinkie.”
“Hey, I’m busy too. I gave up my day off to teach my students.” It sure is strange. I feel like Pinkie’s right in front of me, puffing with pride.
“I see. Then I guess this isn’t the time to be chit-chatting. There are no robbers or fires here. You can rest assured and go back to your club.” I try to cut off the conversation.
“H-Hold on! I’m calling you, so it’ll be terrible if you hang up without hearing me out!” …I’ve been in trouble since last night, but it won’t do any good to tell her that. Well, I guess she’s in a little trouble right now too.
“…Fine. So what do you want?”
“I want to eat lunch, Storm. How about that sweet omelet you make?”
“……”
“That’ll be it for my order. I want it delivered to the archery range right away. Bye.” …Geez. What’s up with that teacher?
“…Sheesh, I guess it can’t be helped. I hear beasts go wild when they get hungry…” I put on the apron I just took off. …Well, we have leftovers from lunch, and the omelet will be easy to make. “I’m done… Saber, can you watch the house for a bit? I’ll only be gone for a while.” I carry Pinkie’s boxed lunch and go out into the hallway. Saber follows me for some reason. I put on my shoes. When I look next to me… Saber is there, putting her own shoes on. “…Saber?” I call out to her timidly. …Well, I know what she’s going to say, but I have to ask her. “Um, well?”
“I shall accompany you if you are going outside. Servants protect their Masters. It is too dangerous to let you walk outside alone.” …I thought so. Well, this is something I have to tell her eventually. This is a good time, so I’ll tell her now.
“Saber. Masters try to avoid getting attention, right? Then daytime should be safe time. They won’t attack me unless I go to an isolated place.”
“I am aware of that fact. But there could be exceptions. Since you are inexperienced, I should be by your side constantly.”
“Wha…” Does she mean she’ll be with me all the time…!? “Y-Y-Y-You idiot. I can’t do that! First of all, what will we do when I got to sleep!?”
“Are you testing me, Storm? That is the time that requires the most attention. I shall be on standby, right next to you.”
“Wha…!” I hide my blushing face and take a huge breath to calm myself down. …Damn, how stupid of me. I finally realize this important fact. This is what it means to fight alongside her!
“What is wrong, Storm! I do not think it should surprise you. It is just that I shall be doing as Rarity did last night.” …! Don’t kid me! I’ll go crazy before I even fight if you do that!
“I-I can’t allow that! I’ll prepare you a room, so you can sleep there!” …Ugh. I won’t give in even if you look at me like that.
“Please stop this nonsense, Storm. I have tolerated most of your contradictions, but I cannot compromise on this. Your plan is full of mistakes for a Master. I cannot obey you unless you explain your reasoning.” Saber looks up at me. She’s putting pressure on me, but I stare back at her.
“I-I don’t have a reason! I’m telling you to just do so. It’s safe during the daytime, so go ahead and rest!”
“I refuse. I cannot obey unless you give me a clear reason.”
“Y-You don’t get it, huh!? You’re a mare, so there’s no way I can sleep in the same room as you…!” Saber freezes. “A-Anyway, I’m going to prepare you a room when I come home, so rest until then…!” I run out the door. Sheesh, this is pathetic, but I’m running away. And I’m doing it in front of my opponent, too! “…Geez, am I a kid or something!?” I run outside and slap my blushing face. …Well, anyway. Saber should understand since I told her so firmly. I’ll apologize for yelling at her after I come home. I go down the hill. It takes about thirty minutes to get to school on hoof. I don’t have to hurry, but I’m walking quickly right now. The reason being…
“……” The mare walking silently behind me. She’ll follow me to school if I don’t do anything. I have to clearly tell her right here!
“Saber. I told you to wait at the house. You won’t obey your Master?” I stop and turn to her. After glaring at me…
“Who knows. If a servant is not following its Master’s order, it must mean the Servant did not hear the Master.” She turns away from me. I ignore Saber and go down the hill. Behind me… Saber is there, silently putting pressure on me.
“Go home now. Do I have to tell you that it’s annoying to have you following me?” I glare at the mare who is walking exactly five meters behind me.
“……” I don’t know what her problem is, but I’m just met with silent defiance. …Geez. I have no idea what she’s so mad about, but I’m sure she’s just obstinate.
“Fine, do what you want.” I ignore Saber and walk on. I go up the hill leading to the school. This town has lots of hills, but this one is especially long. The school on top of the hill is high enough to be able to see everything in this town. It’s a bit past one o’clock. Fortunately, I don’t see any students around. It’s Sunday, so I bet most ponies in the clubs are still resting after eating their lunch. “…Well, that’s good, but I still shouldn’t go any further.” I sigh and give up. “……” I turn around. When I stop, Saber comes up to me and glares. …She looks even more angry, as I’ve been ignoring her this whole time. “Saber.”
“What is it? I believe you told me to do as I wish.”
“…Hm. So you only hear things that are convenient for you, huh?”
“Of course. I am a Servant, so I cannot allow my Master to be in danger.”
“Geez. All right, you win. I give up, so let’s go to school together. You should understand that the school is a safe place if you go there. And I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.”
“Huh?”
“Well, let’s make up a story for you. You’re a relative of my father, and you came here to visit and sightsee. Is that all right?” I walk up the hill with Saber.
“Oh… Yes. I do not mind if that is convenient for you.”
“All right, that’s what we’ll go with. Yeah… you would’ve met them sooner or later, so it doesn’t matter if I introduce them to you now.” That’s right. Saber is bound to meet Sweetie and Pinkie if she’s staying at my place. “Oh yeah. I forgot to ask you, but where did you get those clothes?”
“Rarity gave these to me. She said I will need normal clothes since I cannot turn into spirit form.” That’s unexpected. I’m not surprised by Rarity’s kindness, but just that she’d have such feminine clothes.
“Then what about that armor? Is that back at the house?”
“No. That armor is formed from my magical energy. I can remove it at will. It will immediately protect me during battle.”
“Hm. So you can take it out at will?”
“Yes. So you need not to worry. I shall protect you even if an enemy attacks us here.”
“Yeah, that’s comforting.” Maybe because I’ve kept so quiet up until now, my honest opinion slips out. Saber does not answer me and continues up the hill. We reach the school gate. Oh well. I guess I’ll just pretend I’m showing a new student around school. “Saber. If anybody stops you, just shake your head. It’ll be great if you can make an expression like you don’t understand Japanese.” I turn to Saber. “Saber? What’s with that sever expression? Don’t scare me like that.”
“Huh…? Oh no, I was not looking at you, Storm. I was just surprised at how strong the lingering magical energy is here.”
“Lingering magical energy? Is that true?” Saber says so, but I don’t feel anything. …Well, I can’t feel any magical energy unless it’s really strong.
“Yes. But it is not something to be surprised about. Rarity is in the same grade as you, correct? This is a place where a great mage has gone for over a year. I am sure she has a workshop, so some magical energy will flow out no matter how well she may try to hide it.” It seems the magical energy Saber feels is from Rarity.
“Hmm. She’s pretty stupid for getting her magical energy sensed even before you went inside. …Wait, is she in there right now!?”
“No, it does not seem she is in there. I should be able to feel the energy more strongly if she is. Nobody resembling a mage is currently on this property. …There is a strange feeling, but there is no danger.”
“I told you there’s no danger here. All right, let’s go in.”
“Oh, Storm? What are you doing? Are you in charge of her meal?”
“……” A pony that knows you well comes in handy at a time like this. Lyra, the captain of the archery club, even figured out why I was here just by seeing me. “I’m here to deliver her lunch as you guessed. Is Pinkie here?”
“Yup. Sheesh, you’ve saved us. We were worried because she was hungry and started getting edgy. The cafeteria’s closed, so we were considering going somewhere to buy her food.”
“Was it that serious? Wait, were you thinking of going to Shop district by yourself?”
“Where else can I go? We’re short on money already, so I can’t be spending money on emergency food.” As expected from Lyra, the mare who hates to waste money. In the archery club, anypony resting their hoofs and taking a break is sent on a grocery run as an exercise. …It’s a contradictory custom because even though it’s an exercise to rest your hoofs, you have to carry back a lot of groceries.
“…That’s some misfortune. Here’s lunch. It’s a bit late, but go ahead and give it to Pinkie.” I hold out the bag.
“Wow, a three-layered boxed lunch. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this. You’re good at doing small, intricate things.” I don’t know what she’s happy about, but she smiles. …Oh yeah, she’s good at mass-production. Lyra is usually in charge of dinner during our training camp, and she surprises us every time. The world of cooking is deep, considering how a curry with whole potatoes in it tasted good. …Well, anyway. Lyra only looks inside the bag and doesn’t take it.
“Hey, just take the bag. Isn’t it a problem in there with Pinkie going wild?”
“Yeah. If you think so, you should go in there quickly and give the lunch to her. First of all, you should know she’d get mad if I turned you away here. I don’t want to be chewed out by Pinkie, so go on in.” She points to the range using her chin.
“……” She’s right. It can get scary later on if I don’t at least go see her. I’m not here for archery practice, so I can go home as soon as I give her the lunch. I give up and head to the archery range. “But Lyra, you should be checking if Pinkie has her lunch or not since you’ve been here long enough. It’s bad if the teacher starts looking at her students’ lunches.”
“Well, I was a bit tired this morning. I’ve been busy lately, so I don’t have much time to spare. Well, it does no good to be complaining to you…” Then, she suddenly comes up to me and whispers into my ear. “…So, who is she? She’s really beautiful. Do you know her?” Her voice is tense as she asks. Yeah… you’d usually be surprised to see Saber. All the more if she’s coming into the archery range after me. “So? Is that an acquaintance of yours?”
“It’s kind of complicated, but let’s say she is. …And if you can go ahead and tell everypony not to make a fuss about her when we go in, I’ll be indebted to you.”
“…All right. I’m curious, but I like that condition. Don’t take it back later, okay, Storm?” I open the door. Saber silently follows after me and Lyra. We enter the archery range. …The range is as loud as a battlefield, since it’s right after lunch.
“Pinkie! Bon Bon is saying she’s going to die of stomach-ache! How old was that cracker!?”
“That’s just her side hurting! I ate it and I’m doing fine, so just give her some kelp tea!”
“Tiger! I’m going to practice, so can you move the stove? It’s cold in the corner of the range!”
“All right. Since you have some guts, go run around the range three times in shorts. Go and beat that rotten character of yours into shape.”
“Pinkie! We have somepony bleeding over here! Candy Mane cut her cheek with the bow string!”
“Hmm, you don’t have to go to the nurse’s office for this small wound. Just rub some of the aloe planted in the back on it.”
“Ouch. Geez, why is this bow like this? I can’t put the string on well if it’s like this.”
“Oh, there! Don’t push on the top. You’re still young, so get somepony to help you if it’s difficult. If you break it, your neck will be broken later on. That is, I’m going to break your neck for breaking our precious bow.”
“Pinkie! We don’t have any powder! My hoof’s slipping!”
“Oh, really? Can somepony go to the storage room and get some of the stock?”
“Pinkie, we’re out of stock as well! I think it’s because you forgot to order more the other day!”
“Oh, man. Then, the first years are to go to the baseball club and steal some rosin bags!”
“Sheesh, she’s nuts!” They scream in unison. Sheesh. This place doesn’t change at all.
“…Well.” I can’t be watching this hellish scene forever. “Oh, great timing. Hey, Sweetie…” I call out to her.
“Storm…!?” Sweetie puts down the bow in her hoof and runs to me. “Storm! W-Why did you come here today? Um, could it be, um…”
“Yeah, I brought lunch for Pinkie. I’m sorry, but can you go get that crazy teacher over there?”
“Oh… Oh yeah… She was calling somepony…”
“…?” I don’t know where her cheerfulness went, as she slumps her shoulders. “That’s it. Pinkie’s giving absurd orders because she’s hungry, right? It might be too late, but let her eat this since I made it. Oh, I’m sorry for coming home later last night. And thanks for making me dinner.”
“…Yes. I’m glad that you say so, but…” She looks behind me. There stands a rainbow-mane mare unsuited to this range. “…Um, Storm?”
“Hm? Oh, was I too late? I made some for you as well, but was it unnecessary?”
“Oh, no, that’s not true. I-I’m hungry as well! …Um, I gave half of my lunch to Pinkie.”
“Yeah, I thought so. I made your lunch so that you can eat it right away. It shouldn’t take that long to eat it. …Well, I don’t think anypony’s going to complain if that’s the case.”
“Y-You’re right! I’ll have some then. Um, will you be here all today?”
“Yeah. Since I’m here, I’ll stay here until the club is over. I skipped making dinner yesterday, so I ‘ll cook dinner today. Come and eat with us.”
“Yes, it’ll be my pleasure. Then I’m going to go get Pinkie. Storm, please don’t just drop off lunch and go away, okay?” Sweetie goes to get Pinkie in a hurry. When I look around, Lyra is explaining things to the students that are getting rowdy from seeing Saber. Well. I’ve accomplished my goal.
“I’m full now. The sugar’s flowing to my brain, so I’m finally up to par now,” Said Pinkie. The break room. Pinkie is munching on some sweet bean jelly as she drinks some tea. The only thing audible in the quiet dojo is the sound of arrows. It must be because Pinkie is calm now.
“Um, Pinkie. I’m going to the range now, so excuse me.”
“All righty. Oh, can you tell Lyra to come here? I need to talk to her.”
“Okay. Please stay at your leisure, Storm. If you can, it’d help me out if you would coach me.” Sweetie bows and leaves. But when she does so… She looks uneasily at Saber, who is watching us quietly by the wall.
“So, what are you gonna do now? The club’s over at five, so will you just watch until then?”
“…Hmm…” What should I do? It seems Saber is looking at the archery range with interest. So I should…
Stay at the archery range.
Go to the student council room.
Show Saber around school.