Chapter 45: Why Is It You Again!
[The situation becomes more and more difficult to control…]
[The two of them argue endlessly over the position of instructor, from Class issues to Riding Rank, neither willing to yield an inch.]
[Whether it is Artoria or Medusa, both of their personalities are extremely stubborn; once they have made up their minds about something, it is very difficult to change their decision.]
[Therefore, no matter how you advise or mediate, it is nothing more than a drop in the bucket.]
[In the end, the two of them decide…]
"Hu—"
Two tall white horses stopped in front of the gym entrance.
One was Dun Stallion, Artoria's beloved warhorse; the other was Medusa's Pegasus.
The two beautiful, sexy women sat astride their mounts, their gazes firm and sharp, gloved hands tightly gripping the reins.
They would decide the victor through Riding!
The method to determine victory was very simple: ride their mounts around the entirety of Academy City for ten laps; whoever finished first would be the winner.
"You can still admit defeat now,"
Medusa said calmly. "Lancer, I won't hold back."
"Too naive,"
Artoria, on horseback, merely snorted coldly.
"Rider, your Riding is A+, so in theory your explosive power is stronger than mine. But on a long course like this, your Riding technique may not necessarily surpass mine. Most importantly, there is the gap in Spirit Origin between us!"
That's right—judging purely by raw strength, Artoria was still a tier stronger, and the amount of mana burst she could use to push her speed was also far superior.
After all, the Lion King had once served as the Final Boss of a Singularity and was the leader of the Knights of the Round Table; this level of power was only natural for her.
At first glance, this seemed like Rider Medusa's home ground, but looking at it overall, her probability of victory was not actually that high.
"Do your best, you two."
Eikou said this from behind.
Seeing that things had already come to this point, he gave up on trying to persuade them.
This was fine too—let a Riding match make both of them accept the result wholeheartedly.
"…Medusa will most likely lose this match, but that's fine. Later, I'll let her borrow my motorcycle to try riding it."
He himself still had a motorcycle parked over at Chaldea Academy; it was an expensive and very eye-catching model. Medusa would definitely like it.
Artoria could teach him Riding, and Rider would get a Riding vehicle she loved.
That way, both of his Servants would get what they wanted—a perfect ending for everyone.
[You sigh that you truly are a Master very good at "evenly distributing love," successfully avoiding this dispute, truly born to become a Harem King.]
[At your command, the race begins.]
[Artoria rides her steed and shoots forward, almost disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.]
[Just as you are still marveling at how powerful Artoria's Riding is, Medusa remains standing in place, not moving at all…]
"?"
Eikou looked at the Rider before him with a puzzled expression.
Could it be like those racing anime protagonists, saying something like [I'll give you ten seconds at the starting line]? Was she that confident in her technique?
"Hm hm…"
Watching Artoria already race off toward the horizon, Medusa suddenly smiled as if everything were already in keikaku.
Then, she brightly turned her head to look toward Eikou.
It was hard to imagine Medusa showing such a happy expression.
"Medusa, you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the other party suddenly jumped down from her horse.
Immediately after, her Pegasus also turned into mana and disappeared.
"Master, come with me!"
Next, Medusa abruptly grabbed the still-dazed Eikou. Without waiting even a second, she dragged him straight into the gym's locker room, then turned around and firmly locked the door.
"Huh???"
Being pulled to a place like this by a full-figured big sister, Eikou froze for a moment.
The locker room was strangely quiet, leaving only the sound of Medusa's footsteps as she slowly approached.
The light footsteps were like a snake slithering, yet they made Eikou feel a terrifying, heavy pressure.
He nervously swallowed, being forced step by step into the corner of the room.
"Master, now there are only the two of us left…"
Medusa's purple snake-like eyes, full of eerie allure, overflowed with infatuated affection.
So this was her true objective? From the very beginning, she had never intended to win this match! Could it be that she also planned to follow the path of Fairy Knight Lancelot?!
Amazing! We even conveniently have a King Arthur right there to Play together!
This sneaky snake temptress never intended to fight in the first place—she merely used the pretense of a competition to lure Artoria away, then seized the opportunity to monopolize Master all for herself.
Impressive indeed. I really was still too naive! While I was still thinking about how not to favor either side, the other party had already planned to devour me completely!
"What if someone comes…"
Eikou said softly, his face red.
At this point, he no longer wanted to say anything more about this kind of behavior. All of them were Servants who liked him; he would not refuse their desires, especially Medusa—a Servant of the absolute-loyalty type, who always devoted all her feelings to him.
It was just that, if possible, Eikou still hoped the atmosphere could be a bit purer and more romantic, a bit more formal, rather than always turning into these sneaky scenes full of guilt like this!
"It's fine, we'll just do it like last time."
"Like last time… you mean that time in the Singularity…?"
Before Eikou could fully understand the meaning in her words, Medusa had already lowered herself…
"Medusa, you're going to… mn~!"
Eikou hurriedly covered his own mouth, his back pressed against the locker, not wanting to let out any strange sounds.
And right on the other side of this locker, separated by just a single wall, was Barghest, who had just finished changing into her training clothes.
"..."
Barghest heard the sounds of the two of them, and her beautiful face immediately flushed red.
Wh–why is it you again… why is it you again, Mochizuki Eikou?!
She began to seriously suspect whether Eikou was deliberately choosing exactly the places where she often appeared, then bringing one woman after another there, repeatedly staging scenes like this just for her to hear.
Could it be that she herself had also become a part of Eikou's "play"?!
The most fatal thing was that it seemed she had already missed the most appropriate timing to leave!
[With Medusa's assistance, your [My Love is Eternal B] has been reduced in rank to [My Love is Eternal C]]
[Congratulations.]
[You constantly feel as if there might be someone nearby; perhaps it is just your own guilty conscience…]
[After that, Artoria successfully won the race as expected, and Medusa also left the gym in an extremely satisfied mood. Although not in the way you had imagined, in the end it still reached an ending where everyone was happy.]
[Under Artoria's guidance, you feel that your theoretical Driving has improved to a certain extent.]
[With just a few more training sessions, perhaps you will pass the motorcycle driver's license exam.]
[The sun gradually sets; you have spent a rather unforgettable day in Chaldea Gym…]
[Believing that with just a little more time, the disciplinary decision against you will be lifted.]
[And at this very moment, you are suddenly summoned to Chaldea Principal's Office.]
[The first thing Principal Da Vinci says is…]
"Eikou, are you willing to transfer to the Middle East Class and take Uruk as your representative?"
…