Chapter 12 A Tiny Souvenir
That was nothing short of an outrageous claim. Saber's mouth was actually uttering things other than the facts; even Shirou could only lament.
His speech was merely a bit sharp—it was absolutely not poisonous! Clearly, that Red Devil-type person is the only one with the genuine brand!
The King of Outrageous Claims held the microphone, lowering her emerald eyes and continuing with a bitter smile: "...For instance, at times like this, he is truly quite excessive."
'No, the excessive one is you, Saber.'
If they knew "partner" referred to him, the sympathetic looks the crowd cast upon the girl would transform into a scorching hell for the man.
Sparse applause echoed from the crowd, encouraging Saber to continue.
Shirou took a phantom step back, doubting whether he could withstand the coming combo from the center of the crowd. However, hearing the girl's subsequent words, he couldn't help but look back with a helpless, worried gaze.
"But he is very good at cooking; he makes many delicious things for me, and in the end, he buys me whatever I want to eat. I am, at the very least, aware that I am the recipient of much care."
Though it sounded reckless, it was unexpectedly persuasive. A unique atmosphere of anticipation began to radiate from the surroundings. Shirou sighed, pulled himself together, and waited with a "let's see what else you have to say" look in his eyes.
After that, Shirou went silent.
"That man is quite reliable. Though he has a bit of a mischievous streak, as a metaphor, his entire being is like a block of red-hot iron. Burning with a hard, dazzling light."
Metaphors so ornate they were almost unfamiliar—the kind that shouldn't actually appear in a speech contest. Yet, coming from Saber's mouth, they were statements that left people bewildered while simultaneously stripping them of the will to resist.
This level was a bit too much, but no one present noticed.
Before they could perceive the "excess," the meaning of the words and the emotions they carried had already blended into the listeners' hearts as if they had always belonged there.
The prosperous world of this era was reflected in Saber's quiet eyes.
"Though that man's way of speaking is forceful, deep in his bones, he is actually not very good at dealing with people. I believe he still needs much tempering in this regard.
Whenever a situation requires serious treatment, that man never fails to choose the correct course of action. I believe this is what is most rare.
He is trustworthy. Because he has always been an existence one can rely on, I can entrust my back to him without hesitation.
We both have a talent for a certain sport. Previously, I was always the one guiding him. However, recently, he has begun to draw closer and closer to me. Hearing him say he wants to catch up to me—and that he works so hard because he wants to catch up—actually makes me quite happy."
If it were Shirou on stage, he would have certainly choked up.
How could Saber say such words without any embarrassment?
His cheeks were burning; he was at a loss. Dominated by the beauty of Saber's talking and smiling, his heart beat violently as if wanting to escape.
It was as if she were standing at the center of the world's dominion—Saber broadcasted her thoughts to the audience without a single stumble.
"...Actually, I cannot yet say he is my partner. However, we are certainly 'traveling companions.' Since we have decided to advance along the same path, even if we might return to different worlds due to an accident, we would look toward each other across the stars—it is simply that kind of relationship."
The audience listened to her words in silence.
The content was overly broad and obscure, yet it was accompanied by an incredible sense of reality.
What was this girl referring to? There was no way to fully understand.
However, the emotion flowing like a quiet spring alone caused everyone present to fall into a hush.
"So, whether it was the past or the present, it is the same now as we begin to clash with an even harsher fate. I will stay with you until the very end we can reach."
The girl, who was both a knight and a maiden, spoke thus and bowed lightly:
"Thank you very much, Shirou."
She named him directly. As the words fell, Saber's aura wavered. As if suddenly remembering she was still on stage, she walked down.
As she descended, the crowd—finally reacting—erupted into thunderous applause.
Shirou couldn't clap. All he could do was resolutely hide his reddened face.
Both the speech and the competition ended in that lingering afterglow.
"Why!?"
Saber gave the impression of collapsing in disappointment, letting out a soul-searching question of disbelief.
"It was a one-in-fifty chance to begin with. It would be stranger if you had won."
In the end, Saber failed to win the speech contest.
Though she successfully made the top three, she was only one step away from victory. Unfortunately, there was little difference between not winning and having no prize at all.
The lion plushie was taken by the little girl who won; Saber stood there with her hand reaching out blankly, looking as if her pet had just walked off with someone else.
"No, that was truly a heart-stirring speech. I think the reason you didn't win was just that many parts were too vague in their references."
"It was... linguistics?"
Saber trembled as if discovering that the pot wasn't simmering meat broth, but cabbage and potato stew.
However, when Saber looked over, Shirou slightly averted his gaze, refusing to let his eyes focus on her.
"Ugh. Shirou, it's time you looked at me."
"Sorry, give me a minute or two... How could you say those things, Saber?"
"I didn't originally intend to say so much. I just felt a bit entranced for a moment."
Saber's expression was also somewhat unnatural. Shirou tactfully avoided mentioning it and silently collected the 80% off amusement park vouchers awarded to the top three on Saber's behalf.
It would be hard to find time to play during the Holy Grail War; it would be nice if the war could end smoothly.
"I am sorry, Shirou, for failing to successfully retrieve our lion plushie."
Saber seemed to still be dwelling on it.
Shirou didn't understand the importance of a lion plushie, but he didn't want to see Saber regretful either.
So, Shirou said to her: "Saber, come over here for a bit."
"Eh, Shirou?"
Saber was pulled along without understanding why, yet she followed submissively.
Leading the girl through the crowd, Shirou began to run.
He headed full-speed toward the southwest, stopping only at a shooting gallery near the gate. Saber, a question mark floating over her tilted head, looked at Shirou and then at the storefront.
"Owner, is the grand prize still there? What are the conditions?"
"Hit nineteen out of twenty balloons. It's still here; if it weren't, I wouldn't be able to sleep."
The owner, sitting lazily on a lounge chair, answered nonchalantly.
Shirou placed bills on the shooting table and picked up the imitation toy gun—the kind used because the amusement park was half-filled with children.
The first shot.
The bullet veered off course, hitting an empty target slot.
The owner taunted with mocking pride: "If you're after the grand prize, I suggest you forget it. I'll tell you the truth, I've had this stall for over a year and I've never seen anyone get it. The actual value of the first prize is the same as the grand prize; you're better off aiming for the first prize..."
Click.
Without waiting for the owner to finish, the second shot rang out. The blue bullseye balloon popped instantly. Shirou shook the body of the gun in his hand, complaining: "Owner, this deflection angle is a bit much, don't you think?"
Click.
A cyan balloon followed immediately after. Shirou frowned as he looked at this junk gun that didn't even have a proper cocking mechanism.
Then, holding it with one hand, he fired six shots in succession within two seconds.
The movements couldn't even be called a shooting stance; they were completely disorganized, changing randomly each time. The up-and-down swing of his arm was so large it was hard to imagine the bullets could even land on the bullseye.
Click-click-click-click-click-click-click.
The owner immediately stood up from his lounge chair, staring without blinking.
With every shot, a balloon burst.
Click-click-click-click-click—
Gradually, even the clicking sound of the gun resetting was swallowed up, producing a sound like a malfunction as bullets sprayed. Even the kinetic energy decay from the power unit failing to fully reset was taken into account; the chaotic swarm of bullets precisely, yet eerily, blew apart the targets.
The final shot.
Shirou relaxed his grip on the gun, finally placing his other hand beneath the frame to support it, aligning his vision with the barrel.
Click. After the nineteenth bullseye balloon vanished, the sound of the mechanical action officially faded away.
"Ridiculous," the owner's face froze. "I admit defeat."
He probably really won't be able to sleep tonight.
Shirou understood his confusion and placed the gun casually on the side of the table.
In truth, Shirou's win wasn't exactly glorious; the reason he adapted so quickly was simply because using a bow and arrow is far more complex than simple shooting. The learning ability of a person described as "understanding one thing and following through with the rest" is unexpectedly strong.
The boss brought over the prizes from the other side of the table, and Shirou picked one from among them.
Then, he turned around and extended his hand to the still-dazed Saber: "Saber, this is for you."
Saber hurriedly supported the object in her hands. Once she realized what it was, her gaze became tightly glued to it.
"This is?"
In her hands was a slightly childish mechanical toy, also a lion model. However, it was a fairly old style, and its flamboyance couldn't compare at all to the gold-trimmed lion plushie from before. Considering its age and lack of practical use, Shirou even suspected it had been mixed in from some second-hand market.
The moment he gave it, Shirou couldn't help but worry if such a thing even counted as a good gift.
"Saber seemed interested in lion-related merchandise. I don't quite get it, but I just hoped Saber's heartache could be healed. So, allow me to 'present the Buddha with borrowed flowers' this once?"
Saber froze entirely, her eyes blinking. If one had to say, a borrowed cat wouldn't be as well-behaved as she was.
"Saber, what's wrong? You don't like it?"
"No, absolutely not... I might even like it more than that luxury lion plushie."
"Then I'm relieved."
The red-haired young man then truly showed a look of relief.
Shirou was the kind of person who caused worry in exactly those sorts of ways.
Saber silently hugged the lion toy tightly to her chest, until there was zero distance between it and her heart.
Just then, the crowd brushed past. Saber did not relax her stance, allowing herself to be pushed in his direction.
Saber stood straight and honest, without a single stray thought, holding her head high. Instead, it was the people in the crowd who bumped into her that staggered.
"Shall we go?"
Saber nodded in agreement and continued forward, her footsteps without hesitation.
She simply adopted a posture of tightly guarding the item in her arms, moving at a pace that was, compared to before, arguably quite sluggish.
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