NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Omake Fgo
"Shirou-chan! Shirou-chan! Time to wake up! It's already morning~~"
As loud as the alarm beside her head was, it had nothing on the insistent voice of Ruby, the floating stick hovering over her. Between the two, there was no hope for Shirou to ignore the morning call and drift back to sleep.
With a groan, she cracked her eyes open, slowly pushing herself up to lean against the wall as she rubbed at the lingering drowsiness.
"W-what time is it...?" she mumbled, stifling a soft yawn as her gaze landed on Ruby.
"It's already past 9, Shirou-chan! A magical girl shouldn't be lazy—this is no good, no good at all!"
"P-Past 9?!"
If her eyes hadn't been wide open before, they certainly were now, her expression shifting from sleepy to shocked in an instant.
"That's... weird. I've never overslept before, not even when I stayed up until dawn... Did something happen to my internal clock?"
Shirou stretched her arms overhead, a soft groan escaping her as she awakened her muscles. The satisfying pull helped shake off the last remnants of sleep.
"I feel... oddly refreshed, when was the last time I felt like this?"
Trailing off in thought, Shirou swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his feet meeting the cool floor with a faint thud.
"You really love talking to yourself, don't you?"
The magical stick—Ruby—hovered into Shirou's peripheral vision, her teasing nature on full display as she indulged in her usual antics.
Shirou waved a dismissive hand, brushing off the comment. "It's just a bad habit, okay?"
Before she came to an abrupt stop, standing upright with her hands on her hips in an exaggerated stance. "Anyway, a deal is a deal. Do it!"
"Ah~~ I feel like you tricked me, you know~"
As Ruby's words slipped from her invisible mouth, a radiant light enveloped Shirou from neck to toe.
In the blink of an eye, Shirou's sleepwear transformed into a familiar blue and white long-sleeved baseball jersey T-shirt and slim straight jeans, perfectly tailored to her size.
Despite being designed for a typical teenage outfit, the clothes felt oddly fitting, yet at the same time, slightly out of place on her.
"Here we are, just so you can't say I, the great Ruby, didn't keep my part of the deal."
Ruby's words went unnoticed as Shirou spun around, inspecting her new clothes with a satisfied smile.
"Ah~ Finally, I can feel some of my dignity returning."
After Shirou's battle with Lancer the previous night, there hadn't been much left for her to do besides trying to get some rest.
During that time, however, she had struck a deal with Ruby—one that would allow her to coexist peacefully within the organization.
The terms were straightforward: for one week, Shirou would decide what to wear, and the next, Ruby would take charge.
To Shirou, it seemed like a win-win.
There was, however, one extra condition—Ruby got to choose her sleepwear. This small detail led to Shirou begrudgingly spending the night in an undeniably cute set of pajamas adorned with playful cat and rabbit prints.
No one would see her in them while she slept, so it wasn't a big deal. The real concern was what Ruby might have in store when her turn to pick Shirou's daytime outfits rolled around again.
"So, what are your plans? It's not too late to grab some breakfast from the cafeteria if you head over now,"
"Hmm... I think I'll pass,"
"Huh? Why?"
Shirou raised a finger, a knowing look on her face. "Remember the guy with white hair who attacked me yesterday?"
"Oh, you mean the funny guy? What about him?"
"Knowing him, I'd bet my life he's already taken over the entire cafeteria. I need to avoid him for now."
Taking an exhausted sigh, Shirou lowered her finger and continued, "Besides, I need to figure out who else is here. I have this nagging feeling there are going to be a lot of familiar faces, and I'd rather plan how to deal with them first."
Ruby tilted her head thoughtfully. "Oh, mmm. So, does that mean you're planning to spend the entire day holed up in this room? That sounds horrible."
Shirou didn't answer immediately, letting the thought linger as she gave the idea some serious consideration.
"...I guess I'll check out the place, get a better feel for my surroundings...And then I'll take some time to train... Lancer was right, after all."
"Oho~! And then we can practice some of our magical girl moves!" Ruby exclaimed, her excitement bubbling over as she practically bounced in place. "There are so many I've been dying to teach you!"
"Ahh! Crap! This is going to be a painfully long day..." Shirou groaned, already feeling drained at the thought.
All she could do was slump her shoulders in resignation, bracing herself for the energetic whirlwind that was Ruby.
"Let's not wait any further! Let's go alre—"
Ruby's excited cry was cut short, her words halting abruptly. Both of them seemed to pick up on something—a soft knock at the door.
"...?"
"Who could that be this early?" Shirou muttered as she made her way to the door. She opened it cautiously, only to find a familiar face standing on the other side.
"Master?"
"Oh, if it isn't the big boss of the place. Are you here to collect the rent?"
"H-Haha, that's a good one, Ruby..." Ritsuka chuckled, though Shirou immediately caught the forced tone behind his laugh.
"Heehee, see! He gets it. I told you, Shirou—you just don't understand my humor,"
Shirou rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore Ruby's antics as she turned her attention back to Ritsuka. "Anyway, Master, did you need something from me? And...what's with the big bag on your back?"
"Oh, this?"
Ritsuka exhaled, still catching his breath as he carefully lowered the bag to the ground. "Well, I noticed you didn't grab breakfast at the cafeteria, so I thought..."
He opened the bag, rummaging through it before pulling out a neatly packed container brimming with an assortment of breakfast items.
"Here," he said, holding it out to her with a small smile.
Shirou's eyes widened in surprise. "Master... you didn't have to go through all that trouble."
"It's no trouble at all. This is just part of my job,"
"Your job?" Shirou's brow furrowed in confusion as she reluctantly accepted the container from him.
Ritsuka adjusted the straps on his bag and hoisted it back onto his shoulders.
"It's not uncommon to summon a Servant who isn't particularly social, so avoiding crowded places like the cafeteria is kind of expected,"
Taking a deep breath, he shifted the weight of his heavy bag before continuing. "I know Servants aren't living beings in the same sense they used to be. Sure, mana is enough to sustain them, but they can still enjoy things like food just as humans do. That's why I make sure the option's always there for them."
Shirou glanced at the container in her hands, then back at her Master.
"Also..." He scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed by whatever he was about to say.
"I have to make sure to build a strong bond with each of them because, sooner or later, I'll have to fight side by side with all of you for the sake of humanity—oh, don't misunderstand!"
He suddenly shook both his hands, his eyes wide with sincerity. "It's not like I'm being forced to do it. It's really an honor for someone like me to meet all these legendary figures."
Shirou, however, let the silence linger for a moment, her eyes widening slightly before she closed them briefly, as if understanding something unspoken. When she opened them again, she nodded with a soft smile.
"Don't worry, Master, I get what you mean. Thanks for the food. It really means a lot."
Ritsuka returned the smile warmly. "You're welcome. Enjoy your breakfast, and see you around."
Exchanging a wave of goodbye, Shirou watched him until he disappeared around the corner, Ruby suddenly floated closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Even though he stole your pants, he's still a good person," Ruby chimed in.
"Did you really have to see it like that?"
"And he's a funny guy," Ruby added with a teasing grin.
"..."
Shirou sighed, rubbing her temples as Ruby twirled around in the air. "You really have a talent for making things awkward, you know that?"
"I call it my gift,"
With an exaggerated groan, Shirou turned and headed back into the room, Ruby following close behind. The door clicked shut behind them.
Unaware of the figure watching intently from the shadows at the corner of the hallway.
"UmU! That indeed looks interesting..."
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(A/N): Yay, we're so back!
First, so I don't waste your time, I really hope you take a moment to read this note—it's important for the future of my writing and how I'll share my stories with you.
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