TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
About forty-five minutes after hearing that Tatsuo finished off Zouken, Elicia, with several plastic bags in her hands, was standing outside of the Grand Hyatt Hotel waiting for Tatsuo to return. While doing so, she was looking up at a certain set of windows on the third highest floor of the hotel.
'They're definitely in there, aren't they?' Elicia asked herself. 'I hope they can keep in it their pants while we're in the hotel if they somehow notice us. I really don't wanna destroy this hotel in a fight between Tatsuo and lancer.'
["It might be fun to watch, though."] Scylla said. ["I mean, Tatsuo has sparred with aversion of Cú Chulainn when he went to James' world, right? Plus, you'll get to see property damage that's not caused by the members of the guild, right?"]
'Although that's true, I'd still rather not see that happen.' Elicia replied internally. ''There are a lot of unrelated people in there. And I really don't like the idea of civilians dying on my watch.'
["That's a good point."] Scylla agreed. ["There is probably gonna be enough of that without us doing anything during this Holy Grail War. No need to add to the body count."]
'Exactly.' Elicia replied.
Like that, Elicia continued to chat with Scylla. However, their conversation did not last much longer, as it was interrupted when Elicia felt Tatsuo arrive. However, because he was in his astral form, he was nowhere to be seen. But the young woman wearing a bed sheet draped over her shoulders who arrived with Tatsuo's presence was completely visible.
Meanwhile, the young woman, Matou Sakura, whom Tatsuo woke up after returning to the Matou Residence, looked at Elicia warily while walking down the street.
"That's my Master." Tatsuo said quietly to Sakura. "You don't have to worry about her. She's a good person. Not like the other Magi you've ever met before."
Although the wariness in Sakura's expression did not disappear, she nodded in response to Tatsuo's words while continuing to approach Elicia.
Elicia, on the other hand, was watching Sakura as she approached. And from what she could tell, there was a magic signature different from the Od circulating through Sakura's magic circuits nestled on her right hand.
'So, the [Command Spells] have already manifested on her hand, huh?' Elicia thought to herself while continuing to observe Sakura. 'Well, I guess she'll be a part of this Grail War whether she likes it or not.'
["That seems to be the case."] Scylla replied. ["Either way, with her in charge of her Servant, at least they won't have to use that spell to draw mana from unsuspecting people to keep it manifested."]
'That's true.' Elicia replied with a nod.
"Hello, you're Matou Sakura, right?" Elicia asked in fluent Japanese, the [Chat] translating her words perfectly. "Assassin told me about you. And although we'll eventually become competitors in this Grail War, I really mean you no harm. So, why don't we head up to our suite so I can get you some clothes?"
Hesitating for a moment, Sakura eventually nodded her head.
"Thank you." Sakura said softly. "I'll be in your care for a while, then."
"Oh, right!" Elicia exclaimed as if she had just remembered something, causing Sakura to flinch minutely. "I'm Elicia Marcus Taylor. But you can just call me Elicia, or even Lici-Chan if you prefer."
Taken aback by how friendly Elicia was, as every other Magus she had ever met was much more dark and brooding, Sakura did not respond immediately. However, after sensing no falsehood in Elicia's words, she once again nodded her head.
"It's nice to meet you, Taylor-San." Sakura said, her tone still as soft as before.
Hearing Sakura's term of address, Elicia pouted. Ever since she joined the [Dimensional Chat], she had been trying to get Violet and Akatsuki to call her Lici-Chan, with no success. She was hoping that she could get Sakura to do so after meeting her, but it looked like that would be a tall order, as well.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, still in his astral form, could only laugh to himself. He knew exactly why Elicia was pouting, and he thought it would be a good story to tell once they got back to their own worlds. He could imagine Alfonzo having a great time teasing Elicia about it later.
After Elicia shrugged off her disappointment, she led Sakura into the hotel with Tatsuo following them. They then, without complications, entered the elevator and made their way up to their suite on the top floor.
Meanwhile, in the suite on the third highest floor, Lancer, or rather Cú Chulainn, who had sensed Sakura's strong Od, was looking out the window with a contemplative expression on his face.
"Interesting." Lancer said with a grin on his face. "It looks like there's another Master staying here."
"What did you say, Lancer?" Bazett, who was taking a short break from setting up her workshop, asked as she approached Lancer from behind.
"Oh, it's nothing." Lancer replied as he turned away from the window. "I just saw another Master, maybe two, walk into the hotel."
"What?" Bazett asked, sounding a bit surprised. "Are they coming for us?"
"Probably not." Lancer replied while waving dismissively. "At least not yet, anyway. It's not time for that. But they're probably the reason for that strange feeling we've been having about the top floor of the hotel."
"So, you think it's one of their workshops, huh?" Bazett asked after getting her shock under control. "But to think there are two of them staying here."
"I said maybe two." Lancer corrected. "I could only sense [Command Spells] on one of them."
"Then what makes you think there are two of them?" Bazett asked curiously.
"Because I couldn't' sense anything at all from the second one." Lancer answered with a shrug. "Hell, if I weren't looking down at her from up here, I wouldn't have even noticed she was there.'
"That's a bit concerning." Bazett said, adopting a contemplative expression. "Perhaps we should find another place to stay. I'd rather not get the innocent bystanders staying in this hotel involved in the Holy Grail War."
"Eh, we can cross that bridge when we come to it." Lancer said flippantly. "For now, don't think about finding another place to stay. You're already a good way through putting together your workshop, right? It would be a real waste to have to break it down and start all over again after, who knows how long it will take, finding new lodgings."
"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Bazett replied after a moment of contemplation. "I just hope they're the honorable type…"
"That's all we can do at this point." Lancer said. "Either way, I'm sure they won't attack until the Grail War officially starts. So, we have some time to prepare."
"You're right." Bazett replied with a nod. She then spun on her heals and walked back the way she came. "Then, I'll get back to work. We don't know how long before the last Master is chosen."
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Elicia, and Sakura arrived in the suite on the top floor. When they did, Tatsuo shifted back into his physical form before he and Elicia addressed Sakura.
"I know you have questions, Sakura." Elicia said with a cheerful smile. "But I'm sure you'd rather get freshened up before we delve into along conversation, right? So, why don't you use the bathroom in one of the rooms to take a long, hot shower. There will be some clean clothes and a hot meal waiting for you when you get out, okay?"
As she spoke, Elicia raised the plastic bags in her hands to show that she was serious. She then took one of the bags and handed it to Sakura.
Still wary of the Magus in front of her, Sakura hesitated to accept the bag. When she did, however, she looked inside to see what appeared to be new clothing. One thing surprised her, though. From what she could tell, there were no price tags on any of the clothes inside. On top of that, she could feel a faint bitt of Magecraft lingering on the clothing, which made her even more wary.
"I know what you're thinking, but you don't need to worry." Tatsuo said gently after giving Elicia a weird look. "From what I've been able to see, she really likes to make clothes. Even more, she likes to see people wearing the clothing she makes for them. So, I don't think she would do anything to them."
"That's right.' Elicia said energetically as she placed her fists on her hips and puffed out her chest in pride. "Back home, I even own a clothing business. That's how I fund my magical research. And I've never had a complaint about my craft, you know."
Still a bit skeptical about trusting these strangers, Sakura repeatedly shifted her gaze between Tatsuo, Elicia, and the bag in her hands. She eventually nodded her head in understanding when she remembered that Tatsuo had saved her from a living hell under Elicia's orders.
"Good." Elicia said with an emphatic nod. She then reached out her hands to hand the other bags she was holding to Tatsuo. "Well then, Assassin, why don't you get dinner started. Meanwhile, I'll show Sakura to the bathroom."
"I should have never said anything about knowing how to cook." Tatsuo muttered as he took the bags.
Tatsuo then turned around to head to the kitchenette in the suite, grumbling all the while.
Although it was called a kitchenette, the area was fully furnished, containing an oven, a stove, a sink, and a bit of counterspace. There was even a fairly large Air Fryer on one of the counters. Though, it was a bit cramped.
Meanwhile, Elicia ushered Sakura to one of the suite's rooms. Then, once Sakura was inside, she left to make some better clothing for the young woman.
"Take your time." Elicia said as she left the room. She then looked back over her shoulder and smiled at Sakura reassuringly. "You're safe here. You won't have to worry about the Matous doing anything to you ever again."
As she spoke, a glimmer of anger flashed past Elicia's eyes, though she never lost her smile. Then, she closed the door behind her as she left.
Sakura, on the other hand, watched Elicia as she left. Then, after staring at the closed door for a moment, she exhaled a long sigh before removing the sheet that had been wrapped around her since she woke up.
With the sheet now gone, Sakura looked down at her body, which was still injured and covered in tattered clothing, whip marks, bruises, and other signs of the abuse she had been enduring for years.
"Is it really over?" Sakura asked herself in a disbelieving tone. She then placed her right hand on her lower abdomen as she continued. "It definitely is. I barely have any Od left. Yet, I'm not feeling that unbearable heat…"
As she spoke to herself, Sakura's eyes, which had regained some of their light after Tatsuo explained what happened to the Matou Family, began to dim once again. Just thinking about the unspeakable things she was forced to endure at the hands of her adopted grandfather, Zouken, and her adopted brother, Shinji, the blue-haired young man that Tatsuo had castrated, made her almost lose hope again. A moment later, however, she shook her head, ridding herself of the negative thoughts that came along with the memories.
"No, it's really over." Sakura murmured to herself as tears started to drip from her eyes. "I'll never have to go through that ever again. But what about… her? What will she think when she finds out exactly what happened to me? Will she accept me?"
Mentioning her, the image of a slender young woman, about a year older than her, with long, wavy black hair in a two-side up hairstyle, tied with black ribbons, and aqua-colored eyes wearing a long-sleeved red top, a short black skirt, and black stockings appeared in Sakura's mind. Yet, despite being able to make out all the young woman's beautiful facial features, she could not make out her expression, unable to tell if she was wearing a loving smile or a disdainful sneer.
Deciding there was no point in trying to think about that for now, Sakura gingerly pulled off the scraps of the clothes she was wearing. Then, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo had started going through the ingredients Elicia brought back. Noticing that there was enough to make Katsudon for three. She even bought oil for Tatsuo to fry the pork cutlets.
"Well, I guess hanging around someone like Alfonzo for so long would make her know what was needed to cook certain things." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he started prepping the ingredients. "Still, did they have food like Katsudon in the Fairy Tail world?"
Shaking away the unnecessary thoughts, Tatsuo continued to work while Elicia and Sakura did their own things in their rooms. And during the cooking process, Tatsuo received a [Notification] that made him smile brightly.
{[Notifications]
[Skill], [Cooking], has increased in rank from B to B+}
By the time Tatsuo was ready to serve the food, Sakura was done with her shower and dressed in the simple shirt and pair of pants Elicia made for her. Meanwhile, Elicia, smelling the food, had already come out of her bedroom and was sitting at the table with an excited, anticipatory smile on her face.
"Good timing." Tatsuo said as he carried a tray with three bowls on it as he noticed Sakura approaching the table. "I hope you're ready to eat. After that, we can take care of those injuries and have our talk about what's coming next."
"Okay." Sakura replied quietly as she took a seat at the table.
With that, Tatsuo placed a bowl and cutlery in front of the two young ladies before placing one in front of the empty seat he intended to sit in.
"Well, dig in before it gets cold." Tatsuo said with a smile, excited to see what Elicia and Sakura thought of his improved [Cooking Skill].
Wasting no time, Elicia picked up her fork and dug into the bowl. Meanwhile, Sakura nodded thankfully in Tatsuo's direction, lowered her head, said, "Itadakimasu," And picked up her chopsticks before she started eating, as well.
"Mmm~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
"Ahn~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"
Shortly after the two ladies started eating, they both moaned in ecstasy with their cheeks flushed and their thighs rubbing together.
"Nice, I can cause food-gasms now, too." Tatsuo muttered quietly as he crossed his legs under the table. "I bet I'm even better than Emiya Shirou, who might be the best cook in this universe."