01 - A Partner of Justice?
"Shirou-senpai! Do you want to become a champion of justice?"
"Huh?"
They were in the Kyudo (archery) clubroom.
In the corner stood a rack with rows of wooden and carbon bows. Beside it, arrow quivers were stacked. In the entryway cabinet were two pairs of shoes, one large, one small.
A pink-haired girl in a black-and-white archery uniform leaned forward, looking intently at the boy who was bowing his head, fiddling with archery equipment.
She asked that question seriously.
The boy, also in archery attire, was slightly startled by her question.
He looked up at the pink-haired girl watching him so earnestly, wondering why this girl knew about his past-life dream.
The girl wore red-framed glasses. Her long bangs covered her right eye. Her purple eyes shone with a pure, childlike clarity—sometimes she seemed like an innocent child ignorant of the world.
And yet, she had a great figure. Even though she was just a first-year, her form-fitting Kyudo outfit was bulging with two marshmallow-like mounds.
She was basically the embodiment of an angel's face and a devil's figure.
To her question, the boy thought for a moment, then replied with a smile: "Mash, the combination of the archery uniform and glasses really suits you."
"Ah... u-uh, thank you..." The pink-haired girl froze for a moment at his words, then bashfully lowered her head.
Unable to hide her joy, her smile curled at the corners of her lips as she held her face in her hands and softly murmured.
In her innocent mind flashed an image of Gudako, who was now far away. 'Senpai… what should I do? If you don't come soon, I... I'm going to...'
'So easy to fool, this kouhai.' The boy chuckled inwardly, smiling lightly as he picked up his bow again. His arms leveled out evenly—in this moment, his bow hand and the arrow formed a perfectly straight horizontal line—and he let the arrow fly.
This wooden bow had been handmade by the boy himself.
Every part had been finely polished many times.
The bow and the boy were one in body and mind—completely synchronized. Every movement, every breath, was in perfect harmony. Like a precision machine, he loosed the arrow with a crisp swish—dead center into the bullseye.
His form while shooting was never boring to watch—it was practically an art performance. The pink-haired girl couldn't help but become mesmerized by the sight.
Archery is like the cultivation of a gentleman; if you miss the target, seek the cause within yourself.
That means archery reflects a gentleman's self-discipline—if you miss the mark, the fault lies within you.
Through training over two lifetimes, the boy had already reached a master's level.
He had elevated his archery skills into an art.
His technique was nearly flawless. As long as he focused and took proper form, there was no reason to miss. Before the arrow was released, its hit was already assured.
"Wait! That's not what I meant, Shirou-Senpai! I'm being serious!" Mash finally realized she had been sidestepped and protested with great dissatisfaction.
"Anyway, you just want to get me to play a game with you, right?" The boy waved his hand and pointed straight at the two mounds on Mash's chest—the crowd-gathering marshmallows—hitting the nail on the head.
He had already noticed the faint outline of a phone tucked beneath her chest.
Your intentions are already laid bare, you big-busted, shallow mobile game addict!
"Shirou-Senpai! This game is different! Playing FGO is justice!
There are no bad people who play FGO!
Everyone who plays FGO is my senpai!
All the players work hard every day to save the world and preserve humanity. Senpai, come be a champion of justice with us!" Mash said all this while reaching into her uniform and pulling out the phone from her chest, waving it energetically to make her point.
Hikigaya Shirou looked helplessly at this hopeless kouhai.
She looked like a quiet, obedient, and beautiful girl—but inside, she had a lively side that gave her a kind of gap moe.
She was full of curiosity and had an adorable puppy-like energy.
She was capable and well-behaved most of the time.
The only problem was that she was a hardcore FGO mobile game player.
Not only did she grind daily, but she also passionately evangelized to everyone around her. If you didn't agree to play with her, she'd nag endlessly.
She even joined the archery club just to get closer to him. That was a bit much to tolerate.
Mash had transferred to this school six months ago.
Judging by her name, she was clearly from the EU, but she was fluent in both Japanese and the local dialect—communication was never an issue.
However, she seemed unaware of many common-sense things.
Ever since she joined the archery club, she had been pushing this mobile game with all her might every single day.
Just as the boy was about to firmly reject her, the sound of a door opening came from outside. A tall and beautiful woman with long black hair entered.
"Hello, Hiratsuka-sensei." Mash greeted her obediently.
She was the advisor of the archery club. Wearing a white lab coat over a shirt-and-tie vest, she greeted the boy and girl with a cheerful voice: "Hey! Shirou! Mash! It's about time to head home."
"But it's only five o'clock." Shirou asked, puzzled.
"This is an order from the principal delivered during the earlier meeting.
I've already informed the other club members. Haven't you seen the news lately?
Lots of accidents happening—like buses suddenly flipping over, or houses exploding from gas leaks when people go out.
Got it! Pack your stuff and go home obediently!" Her tone shifted abruptly from suggestion to command.
"Alright." The boy frowned slightly at the mention of accidents and nodded.
As he jumped down from the platform to retrieve his arrows from the target, Miss Hiratsuka pulled out her phone and walked over to Mash, who had originally introduced her to the game. She began complaining:
"Mash, look at this damn fga gacha. This limited banner is pure poison! They must've lowered the rates.
I already burned through this month's salary, and Shishou still hasn't dropped!"
Hearing that, Mash showed a sacred and untouchable smile and replied:
"Sensei, one of the game's strengths lies in the bond between Master and Servant.
When a Master chooses a Servant, each Servant is also choosing their Master. If you share a connection or something in common, the meeting is bound to happen eventually. Perhaps the timing just hasn't come yet."
"That's so weird, though! Look—I mean, I am a teacher, and so is Shishou. We're both passionate and—well, both older and still single. Don't tell me... it's because Shishou is popular and I'm..." Hiratsuka suddenly began to spiral into self-pity.
"No way! Sensei, you're super popular!
Look—you've already got Assassin-class Shishou, so Lancer-class Shishou is bound to come too! Just hang in there—it might be just one step away!
But since it's a limited banner, if you miss it, it'll be a long wait… Maybe you can pre-withdraw a little from your savings?"
"R-Really? Ahaha… Then I guess I'll try a few more rolls tonight. See you later!" Hiratsuka giggled shyly and walked out.
"Okay! See you tomorrow, Sensei!" Mash answered sweetly with a smile.
"Mash... what's with that sinister merchant smile of yours? Are all pink-haired girls secretly black-hearted?" The boy grumbled inwardly. This is why he didn't want to play this kind of scam game—it felt like there was some conspiracy lurking behind it.