Chapter 57 Yeah, Why Is That?
First, let's be clear: Rider's Master is Sakura, and even now, the link between them remains. Her Master isn't Shirou, is it?
Even if protection were required, Rider should be protecting Sakura. There are many ways to exercise power, and Rider has no obligation to exercise hers just to accommodate Shirou. Yet, she still felt self-reproach for not being able to use her power for Shirou's sake, even hoping for his forgiveness.
From this perspective... Shirou felt a real sense of how important he had become in Rider's heart.
Without delay, Shirou immediately gave Rider a clear answer:
"Rider, stay just as you are—after all, if anyone can protect Sakura most thoroughly, it's definitely you. Having you there is certainly reassuring."
Shirou once again handed Rider the wooden skewer with the apple. After a long silence, Rider accepted it, but she didn't eat it; she just held it in her hand, mindlessly playing with it.
"It's good that Rider can feel this way."
Shirou continued: "But rather than swearing I'll protect myself, it's more accurate to say that protecting myself was my duty from the very beginning... Rider, you must have developed this way of thinking—pushing yourself a bit too hard—because you've always been protecting people important to you, right?"
There is no reason to make someone else responsible for this, and normally, one shouldn't shift the responsibility onto others.
If one ends up facing an unbeatable opponent because they couldn't stand by and watch, it is, in the end, because Shirou's skills were lacking. Logically, there was no reason for Rider to turn around and blame herself for Shirou's recklessness.
Shirou felt that perhaps she had simply protected too many people, from her two sisters on the isolated island to Sakura, and now it even extended to Shirou.
—Is it only my way of thinking that is pushing it? Not necessarily, right?
Rider looked as if she had words to say but they were stuck in her throat. In the end, she merely swallowed the apple from the wooden skewer mechanically.
The sweetness slowly spread through her mouth.
Shirou was so relaxed partly because his heart had suddenly found a lot of peace. On one hand, Rider's concern had indeed reached him; on the other, Rider had already solved a major problem for him.
Sakura's presence in this Holy Grail War was starting to give Shirou an ominous premonition. It was like oil and fire—they shouldn't be brought together.
Shirou was just fretting over it when Rider walked in. And the resolve she spoke of was precisely about protecting Sakura.
Wasn't that perfect timing?
Opportunity knocks but once; Shirou took another solemn step forward: "In any case, I'm leaving Sakura to you, Rider! Please stay by her side and stop danger from finding her."
Because of his earnestness, even the superhuman Servant instinctively took half a step back.
Leaving Sakura to Rider's care. Of course, this didn't mean she lacked the ability to act independently, but Shirou simply couldn't put his mind at ease. If it were Rider, she would surely be able to guarantee, to the greatest extent possible, that Sakura wouldn't do anything foolish while still respecting her wishes.
"Furthermore, I remember Rin and Illya are with Sakura most of the time, right? In that case, can Rider look out for their safety as well?"
"...That is certainly no problem."
Rider nodded, her momentum growing weaker and weaker. Finally, Shirou remembered the event weighing on his heart:
"Tomorrow, I also want to ask Rider for a favor. Sakura might propose a plan tomorrow, and I want Rider to observe it with me. If her idea is unreliable, I hope Rider and I can talk her out of it—is that okay?"
He took another step forward.
Rider's presence wavered unsteadily like that of an ordinary woman; the moment the sign appeared, she forcibly brought it under control. It was as if her spirit had been completely suppressed, and beads of cold sweat appeared on the side of her face. After a long silence, she finally gave a drawn-out agreement:
"Fine."
Shirou smiled. "Thanks. Let's work hard together, Rider?"
The smile was etched into his golden magic eyes.
Rider was speechless. After a long while, the woman with the long purple hair spoke with an indecipherable emotion: "Your style... might actually be quite terrible."
Terrible? But Shirou speaking the truth shouldn't be wrong. If he developed a habit of lying, that would be even worse.
She closed her eyes, looking as if she wanted to say something more. It was as if by doing so, she could print out a photograph of the moment.
In the room that belonged only to the two of them for this brief time, no one spoke just for the sake of chatting. Even so, Rider seemed to enjoy the current environment. She slightly furrowed her brows in a troubled manner, yet she didn't notice the smile playing at the corners of her lips.
The ends of her hair, bound by a hairband, hung not far from the floor, swaying like slender snakes.
"Rider-sensei, do you offer counseling services?" Shirou said seriously.
"Counseling... If it's regarding Sakura, I have the confidence to provide a complete answer. If you want to ask about other knowledge or experience within my scope, I could teach you, Shirou. However, those are old things; I'm afraid they won't be of help to you."
While recalling the imagery he had originally wanted to forget, Shirou said: "Then let's go with a mental health question. Sakura has been acting a bit exaggeratedly strange lately during the rituals. As the other party involved in the exchange of fluids, I'm not nearly as exaggerated as Sakura. She hasn't developed some strange hobby, has she? Like a blood-sucking urge or something?"
Every profession has its specialty.
Rider was an expert in the field of blood-sucking. However, for a long time, there had been no record of her attacking uninvolved people, so this penchant was completely controllable and harmless to the surroundings. Probably.
Though he didn't know how she suppressed it, as expected of Rider, she was very reliable.
After hearing what Shirou said, Rider gave him a "don't you get it" look that was hard to describe... truly hard to describe, it even seemed to carry a few pricks of pity.
".............................. I don't think that is a blood-sucking urge or an urge to be fed upon."
The bewitching voice spoke.
It wasn't?
Exactly what kind of desire it was was very important, but intuition told Shirou not to pry into this casually.
"In recent years, people have a distinction between eating out or making their own bento—that is, the topic of choosing between a restaurant's grand dish or a meal made by a loved one. If we speak of the taste of blood, I am surprisingly of the 'home-made bento' faction. In short, my point is that this inclination does not stem from pure blood-lust, but rather from other desires. The same applies to Sakura... Ah, forget it. Someday, that desire will also be fulfilled."
Rider spoke long and calmly, flashing a steady smile.
Her snake-like eyes remained open as if describing some established fact, and then they flickered enchantingly.
Facing that dangerous light, Shirou gave up on further questioning. After all, he only needed to understand in his heart that this problem would be solved before long.
But Rider seemed to know a lot about it.
Why is that?
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