[X] Confront them on stage during the concert.
It's an aggressive move, but you doubt that they're prepared for it. Of course, with that much attention on you, neither side can afford to do anything that could leak the existence of magecraft. You can, however, prove your dominance over them by stealing away the admiration of their audience.
[X] Force your way backstage and confront them before the show.
We felt the magic once we crossed the threshold. That means that however entranced our students are now, they likely chose to go to the concert of their own free will. We aren't going to reward them for dismissing our lessons by letting them gaze upon us anyway.
That and I personally want to see a tense standoff rather than an out and out fight or us getting on stage.
As reprehensible as it is to lure students away from school and by extension their chance to marvel at the genius you impart to them, the deed was already done for the day.
"That isn't how things work. It's not that you have any shortcomings that disqualify you specifically. Other people simply aren't good enough to stand even remotely as my equal and to give you any hope otherwise by calling you my friend would be dishonest. It's as simple as that. There's no need to think deeper into it." You have no reason to consider such irrelevancies as Amna's expected lifespan.
"Hm. You're of course not obligated to like me, but I still don't accept the premise that you're my better in any significant way. If there is nothing else objecting to our friendship, I can't help myself but suspect that we are indeed friends and you're simply too proud to admit it."
As someone who borrows her ideas about relationship mostly from the books she reads, Kari, you might recall a common detail in the stories about friendship, and how it cares for little. Not even equality in necessary.
It does however rely on a mutual recognition of the fact, so I wonder why Anna insists on this being the case. I suppose Kari's logic is not entirely honest (it does not address the objection), and with Amna's social graces non-existent she is unusually blunt, rejecting superficial reasoning.
Or maybe she just wants a friend that bad.
We know she approached at least one other Master with her non-aggression offer, so how come she hadn't introduced herself to the rest in our group? Does she consider them in our sphere of influence entirely?
Any scar left will mark you as mine and if I carve myself deep enough into your being, the pain will linger long enough to remind you of me whenever your mind strays. Then, when your focus on me is pure, killing you means you'll never be able to think of anyone, or anything besides me and as such you'll be mine forever.
But does it not strike you as being unfaithful? They will remain forever yours, but you will abandon them and move on from their corpse to your next crush. Tsk-tsk, Ida, such a flighty playgirl, breaking hearts left and right... along with everything else.
Sorry, Ida, I don't see this relationship working out long-term unless you settle down and change your attitude!
You suppose you can't blame them too much for doing their job, but it's gravely aggravating to think somebody would expect you to pay for the honor of being allowed to perform in front of you.
"Anything else would be an absurd coincidence. Talking about suspicious turns of events, while I didn't look too closely into their history, one of my students did speak about Monochrome Rainbow as a very recently formed duo."
"What do you suspect?" Amna asks.
"Frankly, I do not want to think about it." You sigh. "The mere notion that somebody might be parading a heroic spirit on stage for the entertainment of the common people makes my stomach churn with disgust, but there's no point in false hope. No proper magus would dare to bring their mysteries this close to the spotlights. There's no reason any other codes of conduct apply. I can only hope we're dealing with an ignorant girl that doesn't know any better rather than a madwoman that would risk bringing down the hammer of the Clocktower on herself for fleeting fame."
Wait, you think they are like us? A Master/Servant duo? That would require the magus in the pair to be an established idol, which would be rather weird, if not impossible. That'd likely mean the girl isn't a proper magus, and that the Clocktower didn't care about her one way or the other and isn't about to start now.
The other option is that the mage is the newcomer who joined the idol scene... for some reason? Mana generation? What is the purpose of the auditory hypnosis? Not sure what their relationship with the first singer would be then.
I suppose it's time we found out.
[x] Confront them on stage during the concert.
Our appearance already gives us an edge when it comes to acting. Einzberns are very striking. Add to this that we have a sister who is our spitting image, and the fetish factor I mean, marketable potential is through the roof.
And the battle for public attention at someone else's concert is the only meaningful competition available here. A tall order to be sure, but Kari is very good at stealing the spotlight.
I don't know where Amna fits into this, but I suppose if Ida dedicates their joint performance to her it would already be above average as far as a date goes. She acquiesced to the concert because she wanted to do something memorable with Amna, and now she'll be watching her.
Unaware of your efforts, Amna simply addresses your sister. "Something occurred to me on our way here. If you want to monopolize me, why are we going to watch somebody else's concert?"
"Well, you like music, right?" Ida said hesitantly. "There might be other things I'd rather do with you, but for our first date I can settle for having you remember me by how considerate and affectionate I am. Ah, but I would also appreciate it if you thought of me whenever you listen to Monochrome Rainbow in the future."
How can we not, after hearing our sister's heart's desire?
P.S. Besides, I wonder how the students would take to the news that their teacher is an idol. At least the truants may flock back to school... which serves us just fine.
And for christmas, I was given a tie-breaker vote, which is much appreciated, and with that I'm calling the vote in favour of the on stage confrontation.
We know she approached at least one other Master with her non-aggression offer, so how come she hadn't introduced herself to the rest in our group? Does she consider them in our sphere of influence entirely?
But does it not strike you as being unfaithful? They will remain forever yours, but you will abandon them and move on from their corpse to your next crush. Tsk-tsk, Ida, such a flighty playgirl, breaking hearts left and right... along with everything else.
Sorry, Ida, I don't see this relationship working out long-term unless you settle down and change your attitude!
Love is a first come, first serve buffet. If they don't have it in them to kill Ida, they don't deserve to monopolize her. At least that's more or less what she would say.
"They have already prepared a stage. We might as well use it to lend the proper gravitas to our confrontation," you declare.
"Didn't you just criticize them for potentially drawing attention to their magecraft?" Amna asks.
"Yes, and? I intend to put myself on a pedestal, not my magecraft. There's no need for you to compare me to such imbeciles. We might not be able to speak freely with them, but we can use their own spotlights to blindside them and make sure they know exactly where they stand once they step down from their stage."
"I see. Making such a bold entrance is very much like you. Do you have anything in mind for me to do?"
"Not yet," you answer. "For now we blend in with the crowd until their performance has started in earnest. We can't have them get spooked by our presence before they step into the open. If I haven't thought of anything for you to do by then you're free to watch my sister's idol debut as part of your date."
"I get to share a stage with you, Elder Sister?" Ida asks. Unable to contain her excitement at such an honor, she starts bouncing in place.
"I see no reason why you shouldn't. You're doubtlessly more deserving of being admired by the masses than some run of the mill idol." It also strikes you as unwise to step away from the Servant protecting you in enemy territory—no matter how much the public attention might restrict their actions—but with how happily Ida's already prancing around you don't feel the need to point your more practical motivations out to her.
"I can't wait until we get to the stage then," Ida says and rushes forward only to stop in her tracks shortly afterwards, as she notices that you aren't matching her pace. "Ah, I'm sorry, my excitement got the better of me. I'll do my best to blend in now."
Amna silently grabs your sister's hand to make sure she follows obediently without rushing off again and your group heads into the concert hall proper.
Once you arrive, joining the crowd without drawing attention is frustratingly easy. You should be commanding attention with your very presence, but your group is only spared a few glances as an oddity within a horde of ethnically homogeneous Japanese, before the curious onlookers return their attention to the still empty stage. By a quick estimate, the audience ought to count in the hundreds. A number that would begrudgingly earn the idols some respect from you, if not for the fact that clearly none of them have good taste.
You'll show them what they get for ignoring you soon enough. Their pleas for your autograph shall fall of deaf ears until they show proper penance.
The stage strikes you as oversized for a single pair of performers, even accounting for them moving around on it, but then the stage wasn't custom built for them. At least that would give you slightly more space to spread your wings once you took it over.
Given how much Amna hurried you here, you still have some time before the opening act commences. In the meantime, you consider the details of your stage takeover, while Ida and Amna chat amongst each other.
Your thoughts are interrupted by the hall's lighting dimming and a set of spotlights drawing your attention to the back of the stage.
On the right side, a white spotlight highlights a young woman with long raven hair and fair skin that enters the stage with an energetic wave. She's wearing a shoulderless dress with a skirt that flares out in the back, allowing it to almost reach the ground without covering most of her legs, alongside a pair of gloves and high boots. All of it black, save for a handful of silver accents.
Simultaneously on the left on the stage, her partner jumps out from behind the curtain. She's circled by a series of differently colored lights that match her bright costume. It's a near exact copy of the first idol's dress, except that it was dyed in all the colors of the rainbow. You just barely have time to register her blonde hair, before you're distracted by something painfully more striking.
Class: Unknown
Master: Unconfirmed
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: B+
Mana: A
Luck: B
Skills:
Territory Creation: B
Creates an area that is advantageous to oneself as a magus. At this rank it enables the creation of a Workshop that boosts the users ability to gather mana and their general magical ability, but does not allow for any feats that would be otherwise impossible.
Item Creation D
Allows the creation of tools that carry magical energy, assuming one has the necessary material.
Siren Song A
A form of fascination magecraft born through the user's beautiful voice. Anybody under the effect of this skill will have their attraction towards the user amplified and become highly susceptible towards them. It's possible to temporarily resist the effects of this skill through a constant application of either magical resistance, or willpower.
Charisma B
A composite Skill consisting of a person's charm as well as their natural skills as a leader. While this Servant's inherent charisma is more suitable to spreading their influence over a city, the synergy with their Master has given them the means to become a sensation capable of sweeping a nation.
You don't think that every single spotlight in this hall being directly shined at your face at once could fill you with the same searing desire to rip out your own eyeballs that having to witness such a frivolous use of a ghost liner—the pinnacle of all familiars—makes you feel right now.
Mindless of your suffering, the pair of idols run up to each other and clasps their hands together on the center of the stage. Regrettably, they do not have the impact that two real stars colliding with each other would have and instead turn towards their audience with mere human brightness.
"Welcome Fuyuki! It's a pleasure to perform for you once again!" The black haired one, Yumiko if your memory serves, addresses the crowd. "I think I can even make out a good number of familiar faces. Thank you so much for your continued support and a cheer for my fans. Yay!"
While she only gives a cutesy little shout, her fans roar back at her with various exclamations of support. Any more of this and you'd be deaf before the music even starts.
"It still amazes me how much your fans love you," the Servant says after the crowd calms down.
"Don't be like that, Cassy. They're here for you as well. Isn't that right, guys? Let her hear it!"
Once more your ears are assaulted by the screeching noise of unearned adoration. To think you would long for them to start singing, but at least their voices are pleasant to the ears.
"Oh gosh. I don't think I'll ever get used to getting this much praise," says Cassy. Caster? "I can only think of one way to put my gratitude into words."
"Then let's get to it. I can barely wait to hear you myself." Yumiko sharply snaps her fingers and the light in the hall dims, leaving only their stage illuminated.
The music sets in without delay. It's a bright and fast tune that sounds utterly artificial in comparison to the illusionary melody that lured the audience here. Nobody in your home ever played any music this… modern, so it takes your ears a moment to get used to the rhythm.
While it's not unpleasant to listen to, you hardly feel like you've been missing out in the past. Although you suppose you should withhold until you've heard the piece in full. If nothing else, the introduction successfully transferred its energy to the crowd, which has replaced its earlier cacophonous cheering with a more subdued wave of admiration washing over it.
Quite literally so, as a large part of the crowd pulls out some kind of lightsticks to wave around alongside their music. The result is one synchronized motion that sacrifices their individuality to display their devotion as one unified front.
You like the attitude, even if the whole lot of them are misguided on who they should idolize.
Then the idols start singing and you all but forget about the crowd. The effect of Siren Song should be easy enough for you to resist, but their voices were nonetheless stunning. Clear, beautiful and pitch perfect. You briefly consider if the voices are pre-recorded like their music, but that theory is discarded once you sense Cassy's voice reaching out to her audience.
She uses their excitement and devotion to connect to their souls, like the spiritual equivalent of a bloodsucker sinking their fangs into a willingly bared neck. She only siphons trace amounts of their life-energy, a faint sliver of themselves that likely none of them will even notice is missing. Individually, it would hardly be worth the theft, even if a Servant can digest it to sustain themselves. Meanwhile, adding up the magical energy from the entire audience day after day should be enough to allow a Servant to function even without having to rely on their Master.
It also paints a much bleaker picture for the vitality of repeat visitors.
As if you needed any more reasons as to why they should thank you for putting a stop to these concerts. Of course, it's not like one song more or less is going to make much of a difference, so you decide to wait until a better opportunity to act.
For as blessed as their singing voices are, their lyrics fail to touch you in any meaningful way. Best as you can tell, their song is inspired by their newly formed friendship—or at least whatever sanitized version is being presented to the public—as it extols reaching out to new people to expand your horizons. Much like with the music underlining their lyrics, you don't exactly have a problem with them, but it also fails to convey much beyond a vapid feel-good vibe.
What a waste of good talent.
You were already going to grind her Servant down into grail fuel, but perhaps it would be worth the effort to retrain Yumiko into singing your praises.
You glance over to Amna. She's staring at the two idols in deep concentration, like their very existence poses an existential riddle to her. You half-expect her to turn to you and ask for an explanation of whatever is mystifying her, but for now she seems intent on figuring out the answer for herself. Of course, the middle of a noisy concert wouldn't be the best time to educate her regardless.
Next to her, Idasviel was immersing herself in the performance and waving along with the other audience members. Luckily, she remains concentrated enough to avoid compensating for her lack of glow stick with her flames. To anyone that can't decipher the murderous hunger in her smile, she'd look just like any other of their devoted admirers. You meanwhile know that she's more than ready to execute them with your go ahead.
She'll have to wait a little while longer, even as their first song ends and you decide to act. Leaving Amna and Rider behind, to enjoy the show and keep his Master safe respectively, you have Ida barrel through the crowd to push open a path to the stage for you.
Somewhat surprisingly, your sister manages to put enough joy and affection in the act of pushing someone aside—or perhaps more accurately that doing so inevitably draws their attention from the stage and to her instead—that some parts of the crowd don't even seem to mind. Regrettably, not all of them find it in themselves to appreciate her and by time you reach the stage a sense of unrest has spread through the hall.
However, they're unable to make a difference, so you pay them no mind as Ida carefully lifts you up the stage.
The idols appear properly unnerved by your sudden incursion of their territory and are furiously whispering amongst each other with Cassy throwing more than one nervous glance towards Ida. People really should learn to worry more about you than your Servant.
You have no intention of giving them the time to adjust to the situation, so you confidently step forward. "Rejoice! For this fleeting moment you find yourself standing on the same stage as the immaculate Karisviel von Einzbern."
"Oh my gosh! Guys, why did you keep a pair of talents like this hidden from me?" Yumiko merrily chides her fans, with her previous nervousness forced down in the blink of an eye.
"I did take offense to how much they seemed to ignore me," you say. You weren't about to rant about something this petty, but you might as well allow Yumiko the opportunity to do penance for her most grievous offense.
"We'll have to remedy that now that you're up here. I didn't think I'd get to meet somebody meant to stand in the limelight this soon after Cassy came into my life. And you even come with a matching partner. Can I get her name as well? I bet it's adorable just looking at her."
"I'm Idasviel von Einzbern," your sister says with a voice just as bright as the blush covering her face. "There's nothing all that special about me. I was just lucky enough to be my elder sister's younger sister."
"Aw, don't go putting yourself down like that. You're seriously cute. Isn't that right, Cassy?"
"Absolutely," the Servant smoothly responds upon being prompted. "Honestly, if she was any more of a sweetheart, I couldn't resist gobbling her up right on the spot."
"Thank you. I… would like to take a bite out of you as well." Ida fidgets for a moment in embarrassment and then seems to settle on distracting herself by biting down on her fingers.
"Ah, but we can't just keep you all to ourselves either. Is there anything you want to say to the fans before we really get into our conversation? Please don't be too harsh to them though. I promise they didn't mean to ignore you." Along with her offer, Yumiko holds out a microphone for you to take.
[X] Demand adoration.
As a sign of goodwill, you'll give the crows a chance to right their wrong. You might even praise them, if they manage to garner sufficient approval from you.
[X] Scold your students for not coming to school.
You still have your duties as a teacher and you intend to fulfill them given the opportunity. It might not be relevant to most of the crowd, but it's them that ought to vie for your attention. You owe them nothing.
[X] You have nothing to say to them for now.
Her niceties aren't enough to distract you from what you came here to do. You won't let her distract you until both idols are put in their place.
Amna silently grabs your sister's hand to make sure she follows obediently without rushing off again and your group heads into the concert hall proper.
Best as you can tell, their song is inspired by their newly formed friendship—or at least whatever sanitized version is being presented to the public—as it extols reaching out to new people to expand your horizons.
"We'll have to remedy that now that you're up here. I didn't think I'd get to meet somebody meant to stand in the limelight this soon after Cassy came into my life. And you even come with a matching partner. Can I get her name as well? I bet it's adorable just looking at her."
I don't know what is scarier, her immediate adaptability to the situation, or that hours of concerts and public performance makes her only almost as smooth as Naoki.
So it looks like we are choosing what kind of information to volunteer, among other things.
[x] Scold your students for not coming to school.
Half our goal in coming here is to reclaim our students; we do not care too much about other people. Since prolonged exposure endangers others, and kids likely have less in the way of life essence than adults, it might be a hazard. This way, if we give them a good showing, they will definitely come back to classes, if only to look for us.
It will likely point to the school as a convergence point of our budding Magus group, but by some anime coincidence half the participants already attend there anyway.
I can switch to no introductions, but I feel like this is consistent with Kari going on some weird tangents, and for once it is not completely about adoration and worship.
[X] Scold your students for not coming to school.
You still have your duties as a teacher and you intend to fulfill them given the opportunity. It might not be relevant to most of the crowd, but it's them that ought to vie for your attention. You owe them nothing.
As amusing as the Idol Kari AU is, we are aiming for for the Great Teacher Kari route, so we need to min-max points for that!
Yumiko might only be handing you a microphone instead of a knife, but you have no qualms about stabbing her in the back with it.
"I can think of something I want to say, yes," you tell her as you take the microphone. You turn around and stare down the audience before delivering your judgment upon them. Yumiko's words seem to have done a good job in calming their sense of unrest. It wasn't enough to unite them in excitedly cheering for you, but at least some of them have found the decency within themselves to anticipate your words instead of merely being confused.
A quick attempt to scan the crowd for your missing students turns out fruitless. None of them are audacious enough to be wearing their school uniform and their constant absence means you know none of them by sight. You're not about to waste your time on attempting to fish them out on such silly things as their general age group, so you simply plunge your words into their ears.
"I have recently started to act as a teacher at Homurahara Academy and it has come to my attention that some of its students are skipping to attend this concert." A pale imitation of your voice once again stirs up the hapless people in front of you. You'd be a lot more forgiving of the unrest they're causing, if it was for understandable reasons like an inability to grasp how anyone might willingly miss one of your lessons, but at this point you know better than to expect such virtue from these people.
"Of course, none of you knew about my addition to the teaching staff in advance," you contine. "As such, I am willing to count you missing out on my classroom as punishment unto itself without further disciplinary measures. However, that does not change the simple fact that you neglected your duties by-"
"You're being too harsh to them after all, Miss Teacher," Yumiko says, while leaning over your shoulder to speak through the microphone you're holding. It's hardly a surprise that the root of this evil is trying to interrupt you, but you take issue with the shameless audacity she displays in an attempt to continue appearing friendly.
"I am being as strict with them as they deserve, or do you care so little about their future that you think listening to your live-performance is more important than their education?"
"Not exactly, but we all have to enjoy life while we still can, right?" Undeterred by your confrontational reply, she shifts until she has effectively draped herself over your shoulder. You find yourself forced to shift your stance to accommodate for the additional weight she's putting on you.
"I promise that I'll let them go back to their ordinary lives soon enough, but we're all here already, so I'd much rather just be friends and enjoy ourselves." Yumiko goes so far as to brush her cheek against yours, bringing the two of you close enough together that her warm breath tickles your skin.
Right now, she reminds you of a cat. A sadistic predator that uses their cute appearance to manipulate the people around them into doing their bidding.
Noting your distaste, Idasviel yanks the idol off you. The woman goes stiff in your sister's arms, likely reminded of the fact that behind your servant's blushing smile hides enough strength to snap her in half like a bloody twig the moment your patience runs out.
"I'm terribly sorry for the trouble we've been causing for everybody." Cassy speaks with her head bowed towards you and the audience. You remain skeptical of her sincerity, but begging for your forgiveness is a much more promising start than her partner's attempt to charm you. "It's just that… some of us won't have another chance to stand on this stage again, so we wanted to make the best out of the time we have."
"So you've already accepted your death?" you ask her. She'd be right to, of course. If nobody else is going to kill her, you'll do it yourself. Not that you're about to let a spirit guilt you for returning them to their natural state. That she won't have to live with them doesn't change the fact that there are consequences to her actions.
The audience, meanwhile, lacks your perspective on the conversation. As a result, various screams of concern for Cassy are directed at the stage. You'll have to concede that at least they're loyal admirers.
"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't intend to talk about this on stage." Cassy's voice is quiet enough that, even standing directly in front of her, you'd have trouble hearing her without the microphone she's whispering into. In response, the crowd falls still as a grave to make sure they can hear her every word.
The somber atmosphere would be much easier for you to respect, if you hadn't just witnessed her nibbling on the souls that are now weeping for her.
"It's just that… Yumiko was kind enough to recognize somebody as wretched as me and.. my doctor didn't think it was a good idea, but I wanted to do something with my life and I'm truly thankful for each and everyone of you. I… I-"
Yumiko pulls her partner's head against her chest and takes a moment to performatively stroke her hair. Then she takes the microphone from her hands and addresses the crowd. "I know that must have just been a lot for you all to take in, but I'm afraid that Cassy needs some time to collect herself. If you're kind enough to give us some of your patience, we'll be right back for you."
Without further Ado, she guides Cassy backstage. You only wait long enough to signal Amna to find her own way backstage before following the two idols. You're not entirely out of the public's eye yet, but you imagine that some nondescript illness will make it much easier for the church to cover up her inevitable undoing.
There are some concerned backstage employees that try to check up on the idols, but Yumiko gently pushes past them. You meanwhile glare at them, while slightly activating your mystic eyes to paralyze them in place just long enough to make sure they don't inconvenience you. With nobody remaining to stop you, the pair leads you to their dressing room. It's not a very ostentatious chamber to retreat to, holding little more than a pair of dressing tables, a clothing rack for their costumes and a coffee table, but it'll do for now. The four of you settle down around the coffee table, which is covered in fashion magazines and a handful of sweets. You and Idasviel on one side and them on the other, with Yumiko still coddling the Servant.
"How long do you plan to keep that sobbing act up?" You ask Cassy.
"Ease off her. It's only natural she doesn't want to be killed," Yumiko snaps at you.
"Ho?" You meet the angry glare directed at you. The impotent feelings raging inside of her is enough for her to shortly stand her ground and not look away. Then it slowly starts to sink in that she is prey before a predator and a nervous quiver runs through her posture and the fire in her eyes mixes with a manic fear that you might pounce on her the moment she gives in to her weakness. You don't share your sister's sadistic love, but even you have to admit to a tinge of satisfaction upon seeing such a feisty mouse remember her place.
"It's alright. I can face them myself," the Servant says and finally stops hiding behind her friend. She straightens her posture and looks at you with a sliver more confidence than Yumiko has remaining.
"I realize it was inevitable that the Holy Grail War would catch up with us, but would it have been too much to ask for you to wait until after our concert to avoid making a scene?"
"Yes, I'm sure you hate having your meal time interrupted," you reply unmoved. "You can hardly complain after using your audience as an unwitting energy source for said war."
"That's-"
The idol's objection is interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Judging by the fact that you can sense another Servant just outside of it, you take it that Amna has found her way to you.
"You may enter," you tell her.
With your permission your fellow homunculus quietly enters the room. She gives you and Ida a quick nod as she walks up to the table you're gathered around and then addresses the two idols. "Greetings. My name is Amna. I don't mind standing, but do you have another chair for me?"
The simplicity of her question seems to take them by surprise and Yumiko has to take a moment to process it before answering. "No, I'm afraid this room isn't really set up to receive visitors. We already had to pull over the chairs from the dressing tables to fit the four of us."
"You can sit on my lap instead," your sister jumps to offer and invitingly spreads her arms towards her date.
After a brief moment of consideration, she accepts the offer and lowers herself onto your sister. Overjoyed, Ida clamps her arms shut around her waist and pulls her in close to allow her to better snuggle up against Amna, who fails to react to the physical closeness in any discernible way. Instead she turns her attention to you. "Kari, I didn't know you worked as a teacher."
"I do. It's a new passion I've recently discovered for myself. Unsurprisingly, I'm quite the natural at it. The youths of Fuyuki are truly blessed."
"It does suit you rather well, thanks to letting you indulge in your more caring nature and establishing relationships with others while allowing you to remain in a position of authority." She nods to herself with a small, but unmistakingly satisfied smile.
"I suppose you aren't too far off. Although you forgot to call attention to my boundless wisdom. Still, I am a generous goddess. If you've come to understand that much, I'll happily accept your worship."
"I decline. I'm perfectly satisfied just having learned something new about my friend."
"But I can guarantee you that there's nothing more fulfilling than devoting yourself to her," your sister mumbles with her face half-buried in Amna's shoulder.
"Excuse me," Cassy dares to interrupt your chat. "You're allies, right?"
"We're dating!" Ida says.
"We're on a date," corrects Amna. "Although our plans got severely derailed by discovering that you're also participants in the Grail War."
"Wait. You originally just wanted to see our concert?"
"Yes."
"Thank you! I hope you enjoyed yourself despite the unfortunate circumstances." Cassy quickly slips back into her cheerful demeanor.
"Would you stop fishing for compliments?" You interrupt before either of your companions can answer. "What you should be concerned about is what's going to happen to you now that we have discovered you. Your Master is one thing, but you're a Servant. Sentimental nonsense like sparing you isn't an option."
"Right. I understand." With that, she's back to acting somber. At this rate, she's going to give you whiplash. "Honestly, I know that I'm not powerful enough a Servant to have any chance of winning a war where I have to contest with real heroes. The most I can ask is for you to spare me until you've run out of other enemies and in return promise that I won't put up a struggle once my time has come."
You don't attempt to restrain the derisive chuckle that the situation tickles out of you. "What do you think, Amna? I'll say that this offer has a very different flaw from the one that you made me."
"Right. If she'll let us kill her, then there's no risk of her stealing victory away from either of us after we tired ourselves out… Is it that she didn't mention suspending her concerts? We would be complicit in her stealing the audience's life force, should we knowingly let her continue."
"That's a valid concern, but no. That is not the problem I see at the heart of their offer."
It takes Amna longer to come up with a second answer. Once her silence stretches on for more than a couple of seconds, Yumiko tries to speak up, but you shush her. You want your fellow homunculus to think this through herself.
"Regrettably, I think I might require a hint."
Regrettable indeed. At least she wasn't simply asking to be given the answer.
"The problem is with the if, Master," Rider finally decides to speak up. He materializes behind the two idols, where he easily looms over them with his massive frame. He gently puts a hand on one of their shoulders each and as friendly as the gesture might seem it's enough for both of them to go rigid with fear.
Ida coos at their reaction.
"So you think they'll attempt to backstab us regardless of our agreement," Amna says.
"I think they might not hold up their end of the agreement and there's no way for us to be certain," you say. "I'm sure they want something from this war and even a weakling can aspire to backstab one, or two enemies that have lowered their guard."
"Oh, come on now!" Yumiko objects. In her anger she leans towards you and inevitably pulls her shoulder out of Rider's grasp. He seems to take this as his que to let go of Cassy as well and position himself behind Amna and your sister instead, while Yumiko keeps attempting to bargain with you.
"You're magic, right? Can't you set up some kind of magically compelling contract to assure we don't betray you?"
"Easily, if it was only a matter of binding you," you answer. "The problem is that Caster of yours. There's no way of knowing how she might be able to break whatever chains we put on you if given enough time."
"I understand that we haven't been off to the best start, but there has to be something I can do to make you trust us," Cassy pleads with you.
"There's one compromise I'm willing to make." You flash them a wide smile. "I'd be more than happy to take you into my custody under the condition that you cancel your contract with your current Master and become my Servant instead. Don't worry, I have no need for you to be victorious, so I'll be perfectly content to hide you away in my castle where I can keep an eye on you. I assure you that it'll be quite the comfortable stay and much more secure than your current setup where anybody can just wander into one of your concerts."
"Objection," Amna says. "As a fellow Master I can't stand by as you sink your claws into another Servant."
You sigh. Looking at it from the twisted perspective of somebody that endeavors to beat you, it's a reasonable precaution. There should easily be a way for you to put a Caster to use, even without risking their safety in direct battle and it'd be foolish to assume you'd waste such an advantage simply because you don't strictly need it.
"That's fair enough. Fighting you over them wouldn't be worth it. What solution do you propose instead?"
"It depends. I think there's something we should clarify first. Cassy, exactly who are you?"
"If you want me to spell it out, I am the Caster class Servant contracted to Yumiko as well as her partner idol. The name I've taken, unimaginative as it might be, is Cassy," she says almost brimming with confidence. Then she fails to say anything more that would be of actual interest.
"I was inquiring about your true name to better access what you're capable of," explains Amna in a confused attempt to prod Caster into continuing her introduction.
"About that, I do consider Cassy to be my true name. I am not a Heroic Spirit. None of us Servants truly are. We're effectively clumps of aether molded after a specific template without being given a chance to self-determine and I reject that. That's a big part of why I joined Yumiko on the stage. I won't ever go down into the history books, or ascend into the Throne of Heroes as myself rather than being reduced to a mere record that doesn't even qualify as a memory, but if even a handful of people can remember me as Cassy, I'll be satisfied."
"Don't worry, Cassy. There's no way that I'll ever forget you." Yumiko pulls her Servant into another hug that she readily leans into. Both of them share a sickeningly heartfelt smile.
"Me too!" Ida yells and leans over Amna's shoulder. "Servants are transient beings and you deserve to be remembered as you are. I know just how valuable your life is, so as long as you don't let anybody else kill you, I'll- Aaargh!"
The pained moan that interrupted your sister's monologue was caused by Amna breaking one of her fingers. As far as injuries go, it's negligible, so you watch on as Amna calmly pushes Ida off her shoulder and back against their seat. You're mildly impressed by the composure with which she stares right into Ida's eyes and the unfiltered bloodlust that shines through them.
Rider reaches out to restrain Ida, but his Master swats his hands away.
"We're on a date, right?" Amna asks.
"Yes-" Ida's head is thrown to the side as Amna forcefully slaps her. Then Amna grabs her jaw and pulls her back until they're eye to eye again.
"Then I think you should be less enthusiastic about other women right now." Amna falls quiet just long enough to give Ida an opportunity to nod. "Good. Now hush, Kari has been looking like she wanted to say something for a while."
With that she turns back around to face the group properly and for the first time notices the shocked expression of the two idols. "I apologize if my behavior just now was inappropriate, but I assure you that I only carried myself in such a manner because she likes it."
Her claim is supported by an enthusiastic nod from Ida.
"I'm happy to see that you're learning to get along with my sister, but I'd rather not have you use me as a means of manipulating her," you say.
"I am sorry. However, I did get the impression that you wanted to say something."
"Perhaps so, but I can speak for myself." After how enthusiastically your sister supported Caster's claim of self-determination, you no longer feel like making a snide remark about how monstrous Caster must have been in life to reject herself this strongly. You suppose, how much of a person Caster is is none of your business, as long as she doesn't try to evoke pity from you.
"Cassy" you continue, "even if you don't want to tell us who you inherit your abilities from, you must be able to do something useful besides luring people away with your music and wearing colorful clothing. Makes us an offer that's worth keeping you around."
"I do have a unique ability that can support other Servants," Caster says. "I can make specialized formal wear that allows Servants to unlock abilities that they normally would only be able to access in another class."
"Oh? That does sound like we could get good use out of you," you say. What you leave unsaid is that this ability also means that Caster is more likely to have some kind of hidden weapon suited to open combat than is usual for her class. "That being said, I can't help but wonder how much information about our capabilities you want for your work."
"It depends. If you're lacking something straightforward, like a magical weapon, I should be able to cobble something together without too much information. For a more conceptual ability, I would need a more specific brief to work from."
"And how quickly can you produce results?"
"It shouldn't take too long? A day, or maybe two given that I have to prepare something for both of you."
That would be too late to be used in tonight's hunt for Avenger.
"There is one more thing," says Caster. "The items I create would lose their effect, if I were to die. I do think it would be in our shared best interest for you to protect Yumiko and me going forward."
"Cheeky, but I give you points for being upfront," you say. "This is more tangential, but I do have one more question. Yumiko, how did you get involved in the Holy Grail War?" After Naoki it's no longer a surprise to find lacking candidates being chosen as Masters, but even he needed somebody to guide him into summoning Lancer.
"Ah, well, it doesn't really fit my image, but if you want to know," Yumiko says and starts rummaging through her pile of magazines. She produces something titled Occult Detective Magazine. "I have somewhat of a fascination with the occult, so I dabbled into some rituals and one of them ended up working in a very unexpected manner. Honestly, speaking to real wizards is amazing to me. I know that we must have made a bad first impression, but I meant it when I said that I'd much rather be friends."
"Karisviel doesn't like to admit to having friends," says Amna. "However, she's very likely to indulge you, if you keep gushing about how amazing she is."
"I can do that. Getting stared down by her was intimidating, but that just means she has the strength to back up her cool beauty persona, right?"
"You'd be hard pressed to find any magus more powerful than me," you say, unimpressed by the blatant attempt to pander to you. "In contrast, I can't imagine you even knowing the basics of magecraft."
"You're right. Cassy thinks that there must have been a mage somewhere in my heritage, but I know effectively nothing about how real magic works. I also can't really maintain Cassy on my own, which is why we had to resort to siphoning off energy from our audience."
"I don't think you have to feel too bad about that. I think it's rather romantic," Ida says. "Ideally you should be able to let them know, of course, but with how much the audience seems to love you, I don't think any of them would mind."
"However that may be," you say, "we're currently building an alliance to dispose of a rather troublesome participant of the war that has the potential to turn this into an unavoidable tragedy. Would you be willing to participate in the fight against them?"
The two idols share a worried look, before Yumiko answers you, "We would rather not join in direct battle."
"I imagined that would be your answer," you say. "That should be all then. Let's see what this cool beauty decides to do with you, shall we?"
[X] Attempt to kill Caster.
You don't trust them enough for an alliance and want them out of the fight as quickly as possible. You do have to conserve your strength for tonight's assault on Avenger and have to avoid attracting the public's attention, so you might have to retreat before bringing the fight to a proper conclusion. Regardless, giving Amna a taste of proper combat before tonight can't hurt.
[X] Take the deal.
The enhancements she's offering to Ida's capabilities are enticing. Accessing the Caster class should help speed up her mastership of rune magic. You do have some concerns about relying on a non permanent enhancement that depends on a potential enemy to function, but you're sure you'll manage to work things out.
[X] Leave them alone for now.
You don't trust them enough for an alliance, but also don't want to risk something going wrong after blindly rushing into combat with them. As long as they stop luring away your students, they're a low enough priority that you can come back for them under more favorable conditions. It might give them more time to prepare, but the same goes for you.
[X] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
[X] Leave them alone for now.
You don't trust them enough for an alliance, but also don't want to risk something going wrong after blindly rushing into combat with them. As long as they stop luring away your students, they're a low enough priority that you can come back for them under more favorable conditions. It might give them more time to prepare, but the same goes for you.
I kinda feel bad for them, especially since we interrupted their concert without one-upping them on stage. What a waste of an opportunity!
But then I think their act is intended to make us feel bad. I am not sure of the sincerity of their claim about self-identification; sure it is inspiring but it'd feel more genuine if it didn't come from a couple of performers.
I don't have the heart to attempt to kill them -- certainly not in broad daylight in front of their fans -- and it is guaranteed to not reach the attempted conclusion, downgrading the whole affair to a live combat exercise. A bit lackluster for making two enemies who act as force multipliers on the spot.
A coerced alliance does not look too attractive either; they aren't going to wait for their turn to die, so it will inevitably become a "betrayal", except they never had a reason to be loyal in the first place. As they aren't stupid, we can expect this to come up when we least expect it, and our enhancements to fail us at a critical moment. The strongest opponent is a natural backstabbing target in a penultimate battle.
Then... just leave them be? It still pushes them towards our enemies, if only because our enemies are weaker and thus an easier target should we be taken out... but by the same token they wouldn't want to make overt moves and cause a strong rival to take note of them.
It is good that Amna is a fast learner. It is somewhat less good that Amna is learning the wrong things.
Still, quite a force of personality she has, to defy us so openly. No subtlety whatsoever. Gotta admire that.
[x] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
-[x] Did they make contact with any of the other Masters? Have they contacted the Overseer?
-[x] What would be the price of commissioning one of their enhancements outside of a proposed alliance?
I am curious about different class abilities, enough so that I might bite into an "alliance"... but I'd rather not if there is a way to receive the boon as part of an exchange of favors.
I wonder if we could... stretch the truth a little, and namedrop them to the Overseer. Say, that having heard about the dangerous foe they agreed to boost our capabilities, while omitting they weren't on time. Would it be enough to earn them a reward from the Church?
Having Idasviel act as her first exposure to romance possibly wasn't the most healthy influence for Amna's development. Although, there's little risk of her starting to casually break the finger of anybody else. Probably.
I wonder if we could... stretch the truth a little, and namedrop them to the Overseer. Say, that having heard about the dangerous foe they agreed to boost our capabilities, while omitting they weren't on time. Would it be enough to earn them a reward from the Church?
No. I'm going to go into more detail in the next update, but basically their concerts are already close enough to breaking the secrecy rule that attempting to get them any kind of reward will be an uphill battle.
I really enjoyed this update. I have to admit, I was expecting Yumiko and Caster to be rather more sinister than they've turned out to be (assuming that they aren't faking it, of course). I also have to second Nevill on Amna's characterisation and learning; she makes a nice foil and contrast to Kari and Ida, and seeing how she's developed is interesting.
(honestly, I need to take some time at some point to just gush over this, because the writing is fantastic, but I am bad at analysing on the spot)
As for votes...
[x] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
-[x] Did they make contact with any of the other Masters? Have they contacted the Overseer?
I mean, there is a genuine chance that Yumiko might not know the Church and the Overseer is even a thing, so this seems like a fair thing to ask. Also, and this might not be entirely relevant, but:
[x] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
-[x] Why aren't they in school?
I don't think we've had anything to indicate what age Yumiko and Caster are or appear to be? So, this is based upon the assumption that Yumiko seems to be the "high school idol" archetype, in which case I demand to know why she isn't attending our classes, not to mention luring our students away.
(If Yumiko is clearly not a high-schooler in-universe, ignore this question Just figured I'd gamble on anime trope being true.)
[X] Leave them alone for now.
You don't trust them enough for an alliance, but also don't want to risk something going wrong after blindly rushing into combat with them. As long as they stop luring away your students, they're a low enough priority that you can come back for them under more favorable conditions. It might give them more time to prepare, but the same goes for you.
... but also...
[x] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
-[x] Offer to train Yumiko in magecraft after the war.
Yumiko say's that she's interested in the occult, and that she's excited to be talking to real wizards, so I mostly want to dangle this out as bait. If she's genuine in not wanting to be a problem for us, the vague promise of 'Once this war is done, you can bask in my greatness as I teach you magecraft' might incentivise her not to cause trouble (or to maybe even genuinely help us of her own accord). If she's lying, then this doesn't cost us anything, and either way, we might get a little bit of an idea as to how genuine or trustworthy Yumiko is.
Actual sincerity of the offer is entirely irrelevant, since we're probably gonna murder her anyway
I have to admit, I was expecting Yumiko and Caster to be rather more sinister than they've turned out to be (assuming that they aren't faking it, of course).
...why? All we knew about them was that they were giving concerts, day in and day out. It's not like people went missing en masse.
But I do not buy into their motives. The Grail picks people with desires. Cassy is obfuscating her identity behind "self-determination", and I suspect Yumiko obfuscates her goals behind false humility. Even if her ascension to a Master was accidental, the Grail wouldn't go to someone who'd lay down and die without fighting for it.
I think I do approve of trying to establish a Master/Student connection. I could go as far as giving her a primer for the war itself, since it ties neatly into a trade of favors I have in mind, and Kari loves hearing herself talk. We don't have any standing agreements with Naoki, do we?
Then again, Cassy is a Caster, so perhaps Yumiko isn't that starved for knowledge.
I also have to second Nevill on Amna's characterisation and learning; she makes a nice foil and contrast to Kari and Ida, and seeing how she's developed is interesting.
Contrast to Kari and Ida, perhaps not. The duo are... colorful enough to create a contrast with everyone they meet, and Amna is hardly an exception there.
She mostly contrasts with other people Kari drew into her orbit, by claiming herself Kari's equal in a way Kari doesn't refute. It's quite different with everyone else. Naoki is deferential; Ayano is confrontational; most mages just know better than to tell "no" to an Einzbern, let alone one who has the likes of Ida circling her. Maybe it's because Amna lacks social graces or experience to be subtle about her meaning, but she is blunt in a way no other character can afford to be. Kari doesn't feel like correcting her, or taking offense, and that does raise a question why. If Naoki tried to go for "tells it like it is" appeal (he wouldn't), Ida would probably break his fingers because that's not how he established himself, and trying to act as if there is no distinction between himself and Kari would feel as if he's dragging her down to his level -- in other words, an insult. Ayano recognizes the gap in their status but refuses to acknowledge it out of stubbornness and spite, which annoys Kari as a childish tantrum. Amna, on the other hand, doesn't feel inferior in any way -- and unlike Ayano, she'd even give the thought a fair shake before rejecting it -- which probably plays a part in Kari's fascination with her new not!friend.
Amna flat out denied Kari an advantage based on a concept of fair play, and Kari agreed with her. She even went as far as to consider things from another's perspective. This is not something Kari does often, or we wouldn't have her narcissistic antics every other update.
Perhaps Kari feels a certain kinship with the homunculus that she wouldn't admit.
"Karisviel doesn't like to admit to having friends," says Amna. "However, she's very likely to indulge you, if you keep gushing about how amazing she is."
I think I assumed it was, at best, a Shinji/Rider situation, or at worst, a Ryuunoske/Caster situation. Past works in the franchise don't generally paint 'master does something involving mana and civillians' in positive terms, so I assumed that was still the case here.
And, I mean, it might still be. For all we know, these two have been pumping their lyrics which subliminal magic stuff, or their merch are magical artifacts which Do A Thing to help them out later, or something. I am paranoid enough that I am willing to cast suspicion at anything and everything, because sooner or later, I have to be right. But most of my suspicion was primarily based on past Masters (Pasters?)
Maybe contrast is the wrong word, but this was the relationship I meant; she's very different from the other homunculii in the war, and I think it's interesting to compare the three of them. At the moment, that's primarily in their personality, but I need to go back and re-read Amna's backstory. I'm sure there are parrallels and comparisions to be drawn between the three homunculi, I just... am not the brightest and would probably need ot spend, like, a wee trying to come up with it
[X] Leave them alone for now.
You don't trust them enough for an alliance, but also don't want to risk something going wrong after blindly rushing into combat with them. As long as they stop luring away your students, they're a low enough priority that you can come back for them under more favorable conditions. It might give them more time to prepare, but the same goes for you.
[x] (Optional) Write in desired conversation topics.
-[x] Did they make contact with any of the other Masters? Have they contacted the Overseer?
-[x] What would be the price of commissioning one of their enhancements outside of a proposed alliance?
-[x] Why aren't they in school?
-[x] Offer to train Yumiko in magecraft after the war.
The two idols await your decision with grave anticipation. Whether you become their enemy, or ally will greatly shift the course of their lives for these all important days to follow in the wake of the Holy Grail War. In contrast, you can afford not to care.
"On second thought, I'll deal with you later," you say.
The two of them stare at you blankly with their emotions thrown into a free fall tumble by the sheer anti-climax. Some unspoken response dies silently in their open mouth, as it's strangled to death by the concern that a bad choice of word might tip you over into wanting their blood after all.
"I and Amna have more important concerns than dealing with you for today and I don't trust you enough for a long standing arrangement," you mercifully elaborate.
"Well, we'd at least be happy to meet up again under more amicable circumstances," Yumiko says.
"We'll be happy to take you up on that," Amna says, sounding quite content to delay the fight for now.
"I imagine they'll be quite desperate to please, if given the chance," you tell her. Then you shift back to addressing the idols, "Talking about ways you can redeem yourselves, is there any price for which you're willing to sell those augmentations of yours besides an alliance?"
"I can hardly think of a deal that's better for you," answers Caster. "If you don't want them to stop working, you effectively have to keep me safe."
"You shouldn't try to tell my elder sister what's best for her." For the first time since having been disciplined by her, Idasviel takes her eyes off Amna to glare at Caster. "She knows better than you. Always."
"That's quite right. As I said before, I don't need any more advantages, but I am in possession of more than enough wealth to afford whatever luxury I desire, even if it turns out to be quite short lived."
Caster trembles in frustration, but manages to hold on to enough good sense to bite down a snappy remark. Meanwhile, a more composed Yumiko genuinely considers an alternative offer.
"I would like to learn how to perform actual magic myself. You can teach me, right?" she eventually asks with her voice weighted down by hesitation and the faintest hint of guilt for making a request that would only benefit herself at Caster's expense.
Well, that does work for you.
"Not if I were to insist on proper terminology, but in layman's terms, yes. I can teach you how to 'do magic'," you say. "However, the path of magecraft is a thorny one and proper tutelage will stretch until long after the Holy Grail War has ended. Do you have the dedication to hang on for that long?"
"I think I do, yes."
"I see. In that case we might both consider the arrangement." If you were to be honest, you don't think anything the two of them have to offer is worth much of your time, even at the prospect of eternity. Regardless, giving Yumiko an incentive to be loyal towards you in the long term might lower the odds of her attempting to backstab you, so you might as well entertain the idea for now.
Of course, none of that gives Caster any reason to obediently walk to her death, but that's what command spells were invented for. Driving a wedge between the pair could give you the means to terminate her with one order from Yumiko. First though, you'll have to assess how attached the idol has truly grown to her Servant and if winning her over is worth the effort when compared to squishing them like bugs on the roadside.
You'll worry about it in earnest in due time. As you've already said, you have other matters to deal with first.
"On a related note, you've not made any previous contact with other participants of the Holy Grail War, have you?" you ask.
"No, we've been laying low until now, so you don't have to worry about being dragged into any preexisting drama," Yumiko says. "Although, you never know, one of the other Masters might end up being our fan and just couldn't manage to attend one of our shows because of all the stress they're under right now."
You can't quite tell if she's genuinely that conceited, or if she considers that vain hope a legitimate point in her favor.
"Have you visited the church?" you ask.
"Cassy had a bad feeling about the place, so we stayed away from it as well," she answers. "Was that a mistake?"
"An agent of the church serves to oversee the Holy Grail War," Amna explains. "You're not the only participants that have failed to register for one reason or another and at this point she is unhappy about the situation."
"Indeed." You reclaim control of the conversation. You're already familiar enough with Amna to know that she's about to mention the bounty placed on rogue Masters, now that the topic has shifted to Kotomine. If you're to give up on the option to sell the idols out, you want to make sure that your generosity is given the focus it deserves. It won't do for Amna to steal the display of benevolence from you.
"It is arguable how much authority she truly commands, but her position comes with a hoard of Command Seals that can be used to entice the other Masters into acting on her behalf by appealing to their worldly desires. Quite uncouth for a woman of the cloth, don't you agree? It's easy to see why Cassy might have gotten a 'bad feeling' about her."
Yumiko blinks at you a couple of times. A different emotion washes over her face each time she closes her eyes. Ultimately she appears to settle on smiling at you with cautious gratitude. "Thank you for letting me know. Is there any chance we can still get into her good graces?"
"That might be pushing your luck. However, if you contact her yourself, she should at least be satisfied enough to not punish you for your mistake. That is unless she finds out about you continuing your concerts. Secrecy is valued highly amongst our circles. Much higher than an individual's life." For once, you don't intend to be harsh on her, even if she could have been more fervent with her gratitude.
"It really is a choice between getting hunted down and fading away, isn't it?" Caster sinks back in her seat and covers her eyes with a hand, as if it was a blanket that could hide her from reality.
"With such a hand for theatrics, you truly do belong on a stage," you say.
Caster parts her veil of martyrdom to glare at you through her fingers. An impotent gesture, as you refuse to sympathize with her self inflicted misery. If she didn't want to suffer, she should have stayed dead. What kind of monster would even choose to live, only to tempt others into mourning?
"Be grateful you got away with any of your concerts," you say. "I'm under the impression that you've been giving these concerts for a while before you arrived in Fuyuki and today you have already started creating the narrative for your tragic curtain call. Judging by how enraptured your audience was today, I imagine that should be enough to create yourself at least somewhat of a legacy."
"She'll be remembered as one of the best," Yumkiko states confidently. "In that regard, Karisviel has a point that you can rest assured, Cassy. That being said, I like the idea of canceling our remaining concerts here in Fuyuki as little as I do the idea of going mute entirely, but I think it'd be worth it, if it means we can keep you alive for a little while longer."
In light of her Master's positivity, Caster's dedication to moaning about how unjust the world is to her begins to begrudgingly melt away. "You're right. I just want to make what little time I was able to borrow count."
Yumiko wordlessly pulls her needy Servant into another hug. She runs a calming hand through Cassy's hair, while wearing a gentle smile that threatens to strangle your heart.
"You should be taking more care of yourself as well," you tell her.
"What do you mean?" Yumiko asks.
"You are the one that has at least a chance to survive this war. You should take care that your life isn't in shambles afterwards, no matter how much you want to grant her wish."
"Thank you for being concerned about me, but-"
"This has nothing to do with you in particular," you cut her off before she had a chance to finish the thought. "I already told you that I'm a teacher and I take issue with your concerts keeping students from their duty. That doesn't change just because you're affecting yourself."
"Ah, well, I did get permission from my school to temporarily skip classes," Yumiko says in an attempt to excuse her truancy. "I did always have good grades, so my teachers trusted me to not fall behind so long as I did some studying on my own. Which I have been doing very diligently."
"Nonsense!" you scoff. "We wouldn't need teachers, if students could just learn on their own."
"I mean, it's only for the length of…" Yumiko's feeble excuses die in her throat, as a revelation seems to grace her. "Say, if you're a teacher, do you also hold any lessons unrelated to magic?"
"Naturally. In fact, I have taken up a position here at Homurahara Academy. A truth you could have long discovered for yourself, if you had properly attended school." Still, you give an appreciative hum at where the conversation is going. Ideally she should pursue her education for its own sake, but if seeking your wisdom is what brings her back on the proper path, there may be hope for her yet.
"In that case, maybe I should stop by school, if our concerts are suspended anyway. What do you think, Cassy? Some more friends to remember you can't hurt."
"I'm not sure how close we could grow to others in such a short time, but I'll at least consider it." Her Servant's answer is devoid of enthusiasm.
"You should accompany your Master, if you know what's best for you. Regardless, I'll send word in time for my next lessons. Don't worry about any formalities. They are easily taken care of."
"Great! I can't wait to see how you teach. We're staying at a hotel not too far from the concert hall. Actually, just let me write down the address and my number." Yumiko picks up a pen and a piece of paper from the table. She hands you the note after quickly scribbling a couple of things down. You'll grant that even with how hastily written it is, her handwriting remains clean and refined. Although, no matter how legible her writing is, you can't quite place the longer string of numbers accompanying the address and room number.
You decide to put the note away without making a big deal out of it. If it was important information, you'd understand what it means. That's how the world works. It's only after you fold it up and store it away in your pocket that you manage to vaguely collect the string of numbers to the concept of a telephone. Meaning you were right, it's useless information. You'll just send a familiar regardless.
"If that's all, we should take our leave," you say. No one objects, so you say a round of short goodbyes—with the exception of your sister, who tells the concerned idol pair how badly she wants to see them again when she isn't on a date and appears mildly disappointed when Amna doesn't slap her back into paying attention this time—and part ways.
As you navigate your way outside the backstage area, Amna asks you a question. "Kari, do you think I should be sad when somebody is dying?"
"Why? Did Caster manage to pull at your heartstrings?" You do not keep your distaste from your voice.
"No. It's the opposite. I can sympathize with her plight on an intellectual level, but I can't bring myself to care."
"Good. A stranger has no right to demand your grief. You should reserve that for the death of those you actually care about."
"I see." The faint signs of confusion on Amna's face faint, only to quickly be replaced by the onset of another question. However, this time she doesn't vocalize it.
"Have you now decided to think your questions through yourself?" you ask approvingly.
"Partially. I admit that I mostly don't trust you to give me an honest answer."
You brush off her answer with a heavy sigh. Whatever she's thinking can hardly be worth the effort of trying to crack her stubborn skull. "Just promise me that you'll consult me before coming to any far fetched conclusions that involve me."
"That is a fair request. I promise to do so. However, that's enough about me for now, or the idols for that matter. I still have a debt to repay and after how sidetracked we have gotten during the concert I do not feel like I have delivered on a very satisfying experience."
"You don't have to worry about that at all." Idasviel gently cups Amna's face between her hands and locks eyes with her. "I love you and just having you near me is enough to enrich my day. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of you in my lap… Ah, I'm sorry. What I was trying to say is that you're a wonderful person and you don't ever have to feel inadequate for my sake. Of course, I'm always going to be happy about spending even more time with you, so I'll happily accept your offer to continue our date. What do you say, Elder Sister?"
[X] Continue the date. It helps your sister's morale and for all her oddities, you could easily do worse for company than Amna.
-[X] You're already in town, so you might as well take a stroll. It should give you a chance to finally familiarize yourself with the shinto area of Fuyuki and maybe make some purchases that strike your fancy.
-[X] This entire situation has made you feel more than a bit peckish. It's Amna's turn to invite you to dinner at her place and you might as well get to know that mother of hers.
-[X] Write-in
[X] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
-[X] Return home to your castle and recharge some energy before the Avenger extermination operation later today.
-[X] Visit the Ryuudou Temple. This is likely your last opportunity to air any grievances between you and Akihiko and Abe no Seimei, before you have to rely on each other in battle.
-[X] Write-in
That is the point of the alternative arrangement, Cassie. We care to receive an enhancement with a lifetime warranty, specifically your lifetime. Your safety remains your own concern; if you want to include us bailing you out of trouble, why, that'd be a separate deal.
...I feel a bit like a jerk for putting it this way, but I have an aversion for indefinite auto-prolonging contracts.
Wait, so Yumiko does go to our school? And she is in our class? Or is it that she can go to whatever school and class she likes? Truly, the anime is strong with the franchise.
If Yumiko can read the room right, the fastest way to safety for her and her Servant would be attaching themselves to our group of students receiving personal tutoring. We are going to keep them alive just so we could have people hang on our every word.
Now that I think about it, they'll probably go to Ayano's corner which still allows them to maintain a non-aggression pact while building a coalition for when our alliance dissolves. If I knew it'd end like that, I'd be more amenable to an outright alliance, but we'll see.
...while many would feel that way, not many would admit it openly for the sake of appearances. You have to give a point to Amna for honesty there.
I probably want to end the date (I got most of what I wanted from it) and get the strory back on the rails, but the two options on offer do not appeal to me in the slightest.
Are there any war-related concerns we'd like to address before the hunt for Avenger tonight? Besides the Tohsaka brothers, that is.
Wait, so she does go to our school? And she is in our class? Or is it that she can go to whatever school and class she likes? Truly, the anime is strong with the franchise.
There's a couple of things you might want to take care of despite it not being relevant to the encounter with Avenger, mostly researching Saber to figure out what his other swords and their abilities might be.
As far as your other options go, you should be able to track down Ayano, or Naoki and Mara, if you want to bug them after school for some team building exercises, even if there's nothing strictly pressing you have to settle with them before tonight.
I forgot, did we give any magic lessons/consultations to Naoki/Mara? I recall Mara suggesting we leave Naoki to her care, but seeing how we are considering to trade magical tutoring for buffs... no reason we can't make it a group activity.
I forgot, did we give any magic lessons/consultations to Naoki/Mara? I recall Mara suggesting we leave Naoki to her care, but seeing how we are considering to trade magical tutoring for buffs... no reason we can't make it a group activity.
Hmph. Well, the only two people I as a reader care to see to the end of the war are Ayano and Amna. And the former would be a hard sell for Kari.
Annabella is a cool character, but she's on the wrong side of the fence. Naoki is... a bit too sly for my liking, though it is excusable given his position as an ordinary person thrust into affair of Magi and Heroes.
Ironically, two of my favorite characters hold the title precisely because of their resistance to Kari imposing her superiority on them. They have potential to form an independent axis of power, since anyone who doesn't want to surrender to Kari once she is done with her enemies should naturally start fluctuating to another banner.
Should we try to pre-empt this somehow? Perhaps there is merit in continuing to tie ourselves with Amna further.
How adept is Amna as a mage? Does she have an interest in joining the Kari teaching club in some capacity? We should be introducing her to our students tonight. I wonder if she makes the same proposal to them.
I think I have to echo this. I dn't know if I mentioned it or not, but just in case I didn't?
Serious kudo to @Edgedancer because I love the cast of characters in this story. Ayano and Amna are stand outs, but honestly, there isn't really any character who I dislike; the closest would probably be Oliver or the Twinsaka's, but that's mostly because they refuse to acknowledge our greatness have been off-screen for most of the story. I definitely agree with Naoki being rather sly, but I do think that makes him different (in an interesting way) from Shirou, so I think it works.
As for this... we don't want to go home with Amna on the first date. That's much too forward! The proper response would probably be to visit the Ryudou temple and straighten things out with the Tohsaka Twins... but aside from not really wanting to confront them on their home turf, meeting up with them right before the hunt and having the 'are they trustworthy' stuff is more dramatic and "anime". And I am all about the drama and anime.
(Also I suppose we probably should do some Holy Grail Warring, so proceeding to night time probably makes more narrative sense)
[X] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
...hm. As for the second half of this... it's been a while, so, @Edgedancer quick refresh: does Assassin know we're going on this Avenger hunt, and have they agreed to come with us? If not, I wonder if it's too late to leave a message at the church for them to tag along from the shadows and shank to Twinshaka's when they arne't looking
I think I have to echo this. I dn't know if I mentioned it or not, but just in case I didn't?
Serious kudo to @Edgedancer because I love the cast of characters in this story. Ayano and Amna are stand outs, but honestly, there isn't really any character who I dislike; the closest would probably be Oliver or the Twinsaka's, but that's mostly because they refuse to acknowledge our greatness have been off-screen for most of the story. I definitely agree with Naoki being rather sly, but I do think that makes him different (in an interesting way) from Shirou, so I think it works.
As for this... we don't want to go home with Amna on the first date. That's much too forward! The proper response would probably be to visit the Ryudou temple and straighten things out with the Tohsaka Twins... but aside from not really wanting to confront them on their home turf, meeting up with them right before the hunt and having the 'are they trustworthy' stuff is more dramatic and "anime". And I am all about the drama and anime.
(Also I suppose we probably should do some Holy Grail Warring, so proceeding to night time probably makes more narrative sense)
[X] End the date. You don't see much point in continuing this affair, if Ida is already satisfied and there's something else you'd like to do today.
...hm. As for the second half of this... it's been a while, so, @Edgedancer quick refresh: does Assassin know we're going on this Avenger hunt, and have they agreed to come with us? If not, I wonder if it's too late to leave a message at the church for them to tag along from the shadows and shank to Twinshaka's when they arne't looking
Aw shucks. Thanks you, the praise means a lot to me.
As for Assassin, it's safe to assume they know about Avenger, given that they regularly check the church for information, but you have not made any direct agreement with them. Normally, your indirect mode of communication would mean there isn't enough time to set up a proper meeting, but that's a minor enough point that I can handwave it, in case you really want to get that conversation in.
Otherwise, if there's really nothing else you guys want done, we could just skip ahead to the Avenger hunt.
Just figured I'd gamble on anime trope being true.)