Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife.
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-Sainan-
The Plantas species, from what he had learned through Momo's general knowledge, exhibited an array of strange and uncommon traits. They hailed from a planet teeming with flora that defied normal classification, being creatures that were classified as plants yet moved and hunted like animals. Omnivorous, predatory, and diverse beyond ordinary logic.
He had found himself intrigued by them from when he first learned of them. The more he understood Celine's species, the better equipped he would be to raise and care for her properly. She was far from a simple houseplant, after all. There were moments when he caught himself researching long into the night, not out of paranoia, but curiosity.
Then the incident happened when the plant started to wilt and then transform into a little girl.
"Strange. I've never seen a Plantas take a human form like this. She's like a variant. Or a mutated one," Momo had once said with a furrowed brow, inspecting the girl with careful eyes.
Those were the words that stuck with him ever since. It was indeed unusual for a member of such a species to take the shape of a literal child. A body so human in form that, at a glance, one might mistake her for an ordinary human child. If not for the subtle alien markers, namely the strange flower blooming from the top of her head and the curious shape of her hands and feet.
At the time, those abnormalities didn't alarm him. They barely even registered. The only thing he cared about was whether or not she was alright.
"She doesn't seem to be sick anymore, and I doubt this form poses any real danger. I suppose it's a kind of evolution?" he had said, more to himself than anyone else.
That was all he needed. As long as she was healthy and happy, nothing else mattered. Her control over vines and flora hadn't vanished entirely, but she used them far less now. Instead, she was happy to spend her time waddling along the halls or hanging from the ceiling. However, this new form came with an unexpected feature. The flower. Or more specifically, it's pollen, and the effects it could have on people.
A peculiar bloom that grew out of the crown of her head. According to Nana and Momo, it wasn't just decorative. One day, when Celine had slipped out of the house with one of his training weapons clutched in her arms, the twin princesses had tried to intercept her. That was when they learned of the pollen's curious effect.
It had the ability to induce some kind of chemical reaction, possibly pheromonal in nature, that drastically altered a person's mental state. The most memorable reaction came from what Nana mentioned happened when they were chasing Celine across the city. The moment he heard that, Emiya made a silent vow to keep anything resembling alcohol far away from the girl.
Now… that memory hit him like a freight train, leaving him rooted to the spot, his eyes wide and his brain scrambling to process what the hell was happening.
Because before him stood a woman. A grown woman whose face bore uncanny similarities to his own brother, and on her head — swaying softly from her breathing— was a flower nearly identical to Celine's.
He stared, horrified.
Not just at the resemblance, but at the unmistakable truth blooming at the top of her head.
"N-Nii-san…?"
Any shred of doubt or hopeful denial evaporated the moment the girl, no, his brother, called out to him.
"…Rito?"
The name left his mouth in disbelief. Too much was happening, not just in his mind but in front of him. He hadn't even processed Haruna's presence properly, silently praying she wasn't infected as well. His thoughts were still scrambling when he noticed Rito — her? — taking several frantic steps forward.
'That flower! Same description as Nana gave before!'
A sudden chill crept down his spine.
"Get a hold of yourself, Rito!" he shouted, stepping back instinctively, just in time to avoid the arms that lunged for him. It wasn't an attack, not exactly, more like a desperate embrace, yet it chilled him all the same. The other girls looked at the scene slack-jawed, especially Haruna, who stood there frozen in disbelief. "A little help here!?"
"I-I don't know what to do!" she said hastily, "What is with Y-Yuuki-kun? Why is he a girl? Why is… she? He? Um…"
"Just hold him down!"
This was not the time to worry about such things. He gave a pleading look that she saw, and thankfully, Haruna rushed ahead to do as he said.
"Ah!"
Seconds later, Haruna was sitting on the transformed Rito's waist and pinning the girl's arms against the ground.
"What…am I doing?" the girl muttered, her breath ragged. She didn't even seem to notice Haruna perched on top of her, wrestling her down with less effort than it would've taken against her original form. For a split second, her eyes cleared, a glimmer of recognition cutting through the confusion. But it was gone as quickly as it came. "S-Sairenji? Is that you?"
Immediately, his face turned crimson while Haruna, feeling extremely awkward at pinning someone down like this.
"S-Sorry about this, Yuuki-kun! Come back to your senses—ah! Don't move!" Both of their frantic movements somehow made Rito's hands slip from Haruna's hold, trying to leave but only ending up making their way onto Haruna's chest and accidentally pulling the fabric away and exposing the blue-haired girl's bra.
Even those are barely hanging on and about to reveal everything.
Emiya, who watched the brief struggle, immediately knew what would follow: the blushing face of Haruna, looking like she was about to cry. He went forward, "Wait, a punch to the head in such a state might be dangerous—?!"
From the beginning, he had mostly gotten used to Rito being the one on the receiving end of her punches after all those incidents at school. What he never imagined was for her to one day use that same punch against him out of the blue—especially when his attention was mostly on Rito and not on Haruna to avoid further embarrassing the girl.
"Don't look!"
Before he knew it, her fist was just a hairbreadth away from his face and filling his vision. Recalling how this blow managed to send a teenage boy flying across a hallway with ease, Emiya instinctively used Reinforcement.
And it hit with a loud thud.
"Ugh!" He staggered backward, with shock in his eyes, while looking at Haruna, who looked back with widened eyes. Perhaps not prepared to see him actually take her hit, face first, and merely backpedal a few steps. 'How the hell does a person her size even punch with such force!? And how did Rito never lose any teeth from this?'
So many questions yet little time to actually contemplate them.
"Momo!" he snapped, turning toward the youngest Devilukean princess this time. She flinched at the sound of his voice, meeting his gaze with a look of genuine concern. "How long do the effects last?"
"I don't know!" she answered quickly, looking rattled. "Maybe a few hours like yours, I think?"
"A few hours? That's way too long!"
"N-Nii-…s-san, I feel weird." Rito's voice came again, her body trembling as she tried to stand, eyes wide and flickering with a disorienting mix of confusion, fear, and something that twisted Emiya's stomach into knots.
His blood ran cold. No Servant or monster had ever made him feel the same creeping dread.
"Shoot him with the gun again!" he barked.
"Already on it!" Nana moved first, grabbing the gadget, she aimed it at Rito and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
"I think it needs time to charge!" she said, frustration flaring in her voice.
Of course it did. Damn Lala and her nonsense inventions. After this, he swore he would flip her room upside down and destroy every single one of her contraptions if it meant this would never happen again.
"Ah! Yuuki-kun!" Haruna's panicked voice reached his ears, the former no longer worried about her breasts being practically fully exposed and instead staring at the person who had slipped away from her previous hold and was making a straight beeline at him with hazy eyes like a possessed zombie. During the previous scuffle, the shirt, having been half torn off and given that Rito had been a male when he transformed, and obviously he'd had no need for a bra…
"Damn it, Rito!"
His patience snapped.
No longer caring who might be watching, whether it be his brother or Haruna herself, or even someone from the street, it didn't matter. The man raised his hand, and with a flash of magical energy, several blunt steel pipes were manifested from thin air, shooting downwards before crashing down like iron pillars, forming a cage around the girl in the blink of an eye.
"W-What, magic!?"
He ignored Haruna's reaction—while she'd known about the existence of aliens, he could understand that seeing magecraft would be its own kind of surprise. As for the reason he was using it, it wasn't elegant, but still quite effective. Inside the cage, Rito stumbled back in surprise, gripping the bars instinctively.
"Nii-san?"
"Just… don't move," he said, taking a few moments to breathe and try to organise his thoughts. Reaching a hand inside and touching her hair, a silly giggle came from that action, which made Emiya's lips twitch upwards. "Everything is going to be okay, Rito. Whatever you're feeling is just temporary, don't think too much about it."
With a slight pulse of faint energy, the person in front of him fell unconscious, and so did the flower.
{Break}
(An hour later)
Everything felt off.
The air itself felt oddly thick, and a dull throbbing pulse was behind his eyes. With a groan and a hand pressed against his forehead, Rito slowly opened his eyes to the familiar sight of his bedroom ceiling.
"Eh? I'm in… my bed?" Rito mumbled aloud, confusion settling in. The sunlight softly illuminated the place, with the clock on the wall indicating that noon was only a few minutes away. For a moment, he wondered if everything he'd remembered had only been a strange, nightmarish, ridiculous, fevered dream.
"What happened?" he asked himself, voice hoarse.
Bits and pieces began returning. He had been playing a game with Celine, who actually turned out to be quite the fast learner. Emiya had stepped out, saying he was going to meet a friend and might not return until later. Then… What then? Oh right, someone rang the doorbell, and to his surprise, that someone had been…
"Sairenji!" he gasped, sitting up as if lightning had struck. Panic rushed through him like a cold tide. Had he fainted? Had he left her standing at the door like an idiot? If that had truly happened and he missed his chance with her, there would be no forgiving himself.
"I have to go see if she's still…" He froze upon jumping off the bed.
Something felt… lighter than usual. Not just the movements, but his entire body altogether. His voice, too — it rang slightly higher, less coarse, with a soft, melodic lilt he didn't recognise. His half-asleep brain dismissed it quickly as just him imagining things again. Spotting a shirt lying next to him that he had left there last night, he went up and grabbed it, pulling it over his head in a rush.
Then something soft and… big blocked the fabric from sliding down.
"Hm?" he blinked, tugging again, only to fail again as something pulled his chest downwards… his vision drew below.
What greeted him nearly caused his brain to short-circuit.
Two large, round mounds were attached to his chest. At least as big as Momo's, far too real to be fake—pliable, warm, and heavy with the fabric pressing against them and making them stand out even more. His jaw dropped as his pupils dilated in pure shock.
"B-b-breasts!?" he screamed, the word escaping in a shrill, unmistakably feminine tone.
From outside, a familiar voice called in a casual tone, completely unaffected by his existential crisis.
"Ah, Rito woke up."
A pause. Silence. Then despair.
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Going downstairs, he learned everything along with the missing memories coming back.
He was in a woman's body. No, his body had now changed into a girl!
Clothed in one of Lala's oversized shirts, his usual clothes utterly useless now that they clung awkwardly to curves he didn't have before. His chest was suffocated, the cloth pressing uncomfortably against his new anatomy. He had tried putting on pants earlier, but his wide hips and perky, round backside got in the way, thwarting any progress and increasing his horror.
With his arms limp at his sides, Rito finally understood, truly understood, the despair his brother had spoken of when he was in the same situation.
"Oh my, you're actually a bit smaller in the chest than Shirou back then," Mikan said, sitting down next to him with a smirk, examining his now-feminine form. She leaned in, poking at his chest with a curious finger, which elicited an involuntary, almost sensual sound from him.
"Ah~! No, wait! Mikan!?" he choked, face flushing crimson.
"Please don't say things like that."
Two voices overlapped in exasperated harmony, his own and Emiya's. The latter stood with his back against a wall, a hand dragged down his face as if bearing the weight of a headache.
Rito didn't dare look at him. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor, eyes wide and unblinking, body trying to shrink away from existence.
"Don't tell me… he's got even bigger boobs than me, too?" Momo spoke with an equally fascinated and envious tone.
The silence between them grew heavy, the alien princesses who had grown accustomed to bizarre occurrences only grew more intrigued with Momo wasting no time making several comparisons between her own body and Rito's.
"Your face is so delicate now," Momo continued, leaning in to study him with Nana finding herself doing the same with a far more jealous look. "And your hair — it's even softer than before. Honestly, what's with men in this household having better genetics, as girls, than we princesses do?"
No one had an answer to that. Even Nana just humphed with not-so-discrete jealousy brewing in her eyes as she stared at Rito's chest and then cursed under her breath.
Momo's eyes flicked toward Mikan. "At least you've got nothing to worry about when it comes to growing up."
"I won't lie," Mikan replied, arms crossed with a nod, "I do feel a bit relieved. He looks exactly like Mom, so it's very likely that I'll also inherit some traits as I grow older."
A pause.
"But then again, I could also end up like Nana. After all, the three of you are Lady Sephie's daughters, but that still didn't give you two…"
"Hey! That was unnecessary!" Nana shouted from across the room, her voice cutting through the awkward tension.
"Sorry," the brunette said with a small shrug. "I said it without thinking."
He could endure the teasing, the awkward glances, even the casual jokes that bounced around the room like it was just another day in the Yuuki household. But there was one gaze, one person, whose presence alone brought him the most shame. The one person he desperately wished wouldn't see him like this.
"Woah… you look so beautiful, Yuuki-kun!" Haruna's voice struck like a bolt to his pride.
Rito flinched. Of all people, why did it have to be her? She hadn't left yet. Worried about what had happened earlier, she had lingered just in case for an entire hour while helping his brother clean up the place. A gesture that would have normally filled him with joy now only deepened his misery.
"Please don't look at me like that, Sairenji… this doesn't exactly make me happy," he muttered, voice cracking as tears streamed down his cheeks. His face turned away, unable to meet her eyes.
Haruna laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. "Haha… sorry, I was just really taken aback. I didn't get a good look at you earlier on."
She tried to comfort him, though it only twisted the knife in his heart further. "Don't look so down. It's only temporary, right? You'll change back soon?"
"At least that's what Lala said," Emiya chimed in with an audible sigh, lounging tiredly against the wall. "Good thing we don't have school until tomorrow. Explaining this would've been a nightmare. Especially if it meant dealing with the idiotic male students who might lose control of their senses again at the sight of a new girl."
There was a clear presence of annoyance in his tone. Indeed, his brother was not fond of the Anti-Emiya Alliance ever since Lala became a student, where he fought them all off and sent over half of them to the school nurse's office.
The redhead glanced sideways at Mikan, his voice gaining a touch of dry warning. "Also, Mikan, don't tease your brother. He'll really faint again from the shame."
Rito could only nod, defeated. Despite the strange lightness in his limbs and the odd sense of increased agility, he already missed his old self. The weight of embarrassment pressed down harder than any physical discomfort.
"That's good and all," Mikan said suddenly, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the room, "but Shirou… why are you standing so far away from us?"
The room fell silent. Everyone's eyes slowly shifted to the eldest sibling, who was practically glued to the far wall. The window next to him was wide open, as if he'd been calculating the best moment to make a break for it.
Rito followed their gaze and felt his stomach sink. He looked even more miserable now.
"Nii-san… are you afraid of me?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm just not willing to take the chances," Emiya replied, and the worst part was that he didn't even try to hide it. "After all, we nearly had an incident with your clumsiness when this happened to me, and I'm not eager to find out if your bad luck with the opposite gender has switched to match your current body."
This day just couldn't get any worse.
"While I agree with Emiya has every right to be worried, I think you two are forgetting another very real possibility that has nothing to do with Rito here," Momo added with a mischievous grin. "I mean, even if Rito still gets clumsy around girls and ends up touching places he shouldn't, just like with how Nana has been on the receiving end more times that I care to count, now that he's a girl… and Emiya is still, well… Emiya."
For a brief moment, everyone blinked, confused. The implication didn't register at first until Mikan's eyes widened in horror. "You can't be serious… " she whispered.
"Rito? That's impossible!" Haruna gasped, backing away slightly. Also, having understood what the pink-haired girl was trying to say.
The youngest child of the Devilukean royal family simply shook her head. "I used to think the same thing about my mother… but I'm pretty sure you all remember what happened when she met him. You simply can't keep him around women and expect nothing will happen!"
As soon as she said it, realisation hit like a slap and Rito's face drained of all colour.
"Y-You're joking! Th-That would never happen!" He protested, desperation in his voice. "I-I'm still a man!"
"But let's be real, Rito—right now, you're not exactly rocking the whole 'man' thing. I mean, look at you. That chest? Those hips? You're basically a walking advertisement for femininity. And if you're still in denial, I'm more than happy to do a quick inspection to settle the debate," Momo said, her tone dripping with mischief as she flashed a teasing grin. "But hey, who knows? Maybe you'll find yourself getting all flustered just looking at him. Wouldn't that be something?"
She was obviously joking, her tone light and teasing — but to Rito, those words just could not sound any more horrifying. Not when he remembered the several girls who hung around his brother, with many of them clearly harbouring feelings for him… all of them being the very same people Emiya would just casually hang around with at school. His eyes then fell to Haruna, and he recalled why she was even here in the first place.
This time, panic took hold of the former boy who leapt off the couch and backed away, flustered and wild-eyed.
"Don't come near me, Nii-san! It's for our own good! I don't want to fall in love with you!"
"You idiot!" Emiya shouted, exasperated by this whole situation already. "Stop believing everything that comes out of Momo's mouth! Nothing like that will happen! I'm still me! And you're still you! It's just your body that's changed!"
"Oh yeah? Then why won't you get any closer to me? You don't even believe your own words!" He demanded an answer.
"Like I said before, I'm just being cautious over your bad luck with the opposite gender. That most likely hasn't changed, no matter the gender."
The back and forth between the two brothers had been dragging on for a while, until Haruna stepped in, her voice cutting through the room with gentle firmness.
"I can tell that Yuuki-kun is quite nervous, so let's all calm down for a bit."
It was a reasonable suggestion, one meant to restore peace. But fate, as always, had other plans. Almost on cue, the door slammed open with a burst of urgency, and in rushed Zastin, breathless and clearly distressed.
"Emiya! Lala-sama! I have important ne—"
The urgency in his voice faded quickly as he stepped into the odd atmosphere, his gaze sweeping across the room. It landed on Rito. His brows furrowed at first, confusion etched across his face. But then, understanding slowly crept in, and he nodded gravely.
"Ah. I will not judge."
That was it. The final blow to the boy's already fragile composure. Rito collapsed to his knees with all the life drained from his eyes, his arms limp at his sides like a puppet with cut strings, eyes empty of all life and hope.
"Just end me right now."
Whether it was Rito's theatrical display or actual concern, Emiya let out a heavy sigh and pressed his fingers to his temples as if wishing himself to wake up from this nightmare, only to open his eyes and see he was, in fact, awake. He stepped forward and knelt in front of the boy, his expression softer now.
"Alright, this is getting ridiculous. I won't lie, I might have overdone it a bit." He smiled faintly, offering something almost apologetic. "I know how your head is a mess right now, but you don't need to worry. This will pass, and before long, it'll just be another weird chapter in your life. Trust me."
Emiya leaned in slightly, voice steady and comforting. "It's not going to be as bad as what I went through, as long as you don't bump into the boys from school, if, for whatever reason, you need to go outside for a bit. Even if you do, I'll be there. You've got me to help you, remember?"
The more he spoke, the more Rito's tense shoulders began to relax. Maybe he was overthinking things on his side as well. Sure, the transformation gun had temporarily flipped his entire world upside down, but it was temporary and mostly a physical change. If anything, his brother had kept it together better than he did back when the latter was also turned into one. On top of that, he hadn't tumbled into anyone, which said a lot. Even in such absurd circumstances, he hadn't lost control.
"Right," he muttered, shaking his head slowly. "I really was overthinking it. This isn't permanent, and the effect's going to wear off soon anyway. I'll just wait it out, play video games like usual until Lala's done fixing it."
He gave a small, grateful smile and pushed himself off the ground, newfound resolve straightening his spine. But as soon as he tried to take a step, his unfamiliar limbs betrayed him. His ankle twisted slightly, and his body wobbled off balance, leaning dangerously toward Mikan.
"Ah!"
The yelp left his mouth in surprise, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. Panic swept through him like a cold wind, a wave of helplessness all too familiar from his normal self returning as he flailed. Mikan turned toward him, eyes wide, but before either of them could react further, a figure moved between them.
A strong hand caught his wrist, and another secured his waist, halting his fall in the blink of an eye.
"Whoa there," Emiya said with a breath of relief, his arms steady around Rito as if they'd done this a thousand times before. "Really, you should really be more careful in your current form… you'll be more prone to slipping in an unfamiliar body — it took some time for me to get used to these changes as well. I guess your supernaturally bad clumsiness hasn't gone anywhere. Are you okay?"
Rito didn't answer. Words failed him entirely.
Because now, in that split-second moment, he realised just how he was being held. Like a damsel from an old ballroom tale, swept into a protective stance with Emiya's firm grip steadying him. His breath caught as he found himself staring directly into those calm grey eyes, watching him carefully for signs of injury.
His mouth hung open, and his mind went utterly blank.
"…"
"…"
Both of them remained frozen in place, Emiya's brow slowly furrowing as he began to register how awkward his posture might have appeared. His hand was still braced around Rito's waist, the other grasping his wrist, and now that the moment had passed, he felt the urge to let go and step back, even if it meant Rito falling.
As for Rito, any sense of relief or comfort that had briefly bloomed inside him was gone, snatched away and replaced by a creeping dread.
"Wow, you really are a natural playboy, Emiya." Of course, Momo had to add that small part at the end. "I'm getting even more jealous of Rito."
"Waaaaah!" Said person's eyes widened, his face flushed, and with a frantic shove, he pushed himself away from Emiya, scrambling backwards on all fours like a cornered animal before hurrying toward the living room with the speed of a startled cat.
"Lala! When will the device be ready!? I don't feel safe as a girl around Nii-san anymore!" he cried out, the panic in his voice as clear as day.
"Not yet!" Lala answered from deeper in the room, her voice as carefree as ever. "Just a couple of hours left and I'll be done polishing! Oh—wait, why is Zastin here?"
She tilted her head, puzzled at the sight of the white-haired man standing awkwardly near the couch, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and concern. Zastin, clearly grateful for her attention, let out a quiet breath before straightening up and offering a bow.
"Princess, we've received urgent news. There is a spaceship currently approaching Earth's orbit. Upon establishing communication, we confirmed the pilot's identity. He is here for you."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Another candidate?"
That single word immediately caught Rito and Emiya's attention, though each responded differently. The former merely froze, lips parted slightly in disbelief, while Emiya narrowed his eyes and turned to Zastin, clearly waiting for him to elaborate.
"I swear I'm not making this up!" Zastin exclaimed, sensing their skepticism. "And it's not what you think. The individual in question is Prince Carter of Planet Baroz. He actually contacted us first a few days ago, long before his ship entered Earth's range. He formally requested permission to land."
"Then go handle it," Emiya said, his tone clipped. "As you can see, we're not exactly in a convenient situation right now. Also, the girls still need to get ready for school tomorrow."
Zastin didn't budge. His discomfort only grew as he shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. He asked specifically to meet you, groom-to-be."
"Me?" Emiya blinked, taken aback. Now, confusion started to mix with suspicion. He had dealt with alien princes before, and safe to say their meeting did not go pleasantly; those encounters had led to headaches, skirmishes, or attempted assassinations. He had no reason to believe this would be any different.
"He even offered to speak to you directly through communication devices," Zastin explained. "At the very least, a few words would help avoid unnecessary tension. Ignoring someone of his status would likely bring more trouble than it's worth."
He remained silent for a moment, weighing the words. As much as he would have preferred to toss the whole matter aside, recent events had taught him well the consequences of neglecting alien diplomacy. Leaving this unchecked was like tossing a cigarette butt into a patch of dry grass.
"If it's just a talk over a video call, then fine. Let's get it over with quickly."
Zastin nodded, visibly relieved, and retrieved a flat device resembling a tablet, almost identical to the one he had used when they had first made contact with Gid. The screen flickered to life, light dancing across his features, before finally revealing a well-dressed man with short brown hair, neat features, and slightly pointed ears. He bore a courteous smile, not the arrogant sort Lacospo had carried, but one that appeared genuine, if cautious.
"Ah. I see you've agreed to speak with me, Sir Emiya," the stranger greeted, his tone even and formal. "If Sir Zastin has not done so already, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Prince Carter, heir to the throne of Planet Baroz. My people have long been close allies to Planet Deviluke. You must be wondering why I've come to seek you out."
The prince's eyes gleamed with subtle interest, but not hostility, his expression calm and collected. This was not the sort of encounter he had grown used to, and that alone made it all the more suspicious.
"Prince Carter? Don't tell me you're also after my hand," Lala said. "Let me make this perfectly clear. I have no intention of being engaged to anyone, and I've already accepted Shirou as my future husband. If you so much as try to harm him or a single member of his family like Lacospo did, I'll send you through a black hole before Shirou can even aim one of his super cool exploding swords at you!"
It wasn't often that the pink-haired princess took the initiative to speak with such fire, and the sudden outburst caught everyone by surprise. But unfortunately, the flushed cheeks and furrowed brows that should have conveyed a threatening look merely came off more like a disgruntled puppy. Even so, the message was clear.
Prince Carter blinked once, then let out a deep, amused chuckle that echoed through the speaker system. "Hahaha, you haven't changed a bit since the last time I saw you at a banquet for your twelfth birthday, Princess Lala. And it is truly a delight to see you again. You as well, Princess Momo and Princess Nana. You've both grown into stunning young women."
His tone remained warm, familiar, and just formal enough to maintain the dignity expected of a diplomatic envoy.
"But rest assured, I am no rival in the war for your hand, Princess Lala. I am a loyal ally of Planet Deviluke, and it would be against my interest to create tension, let alone pursue anything that would place me at odds with any of you. In truth, I am soon to be engaged myself, and I am quite content with the arrangement."
That admission came as a relief, especially to Emiya. He didn't relish the thought of yet another foreign suitor gunning for Lala's hand or threatening those he cared about. Still, relief did not equal trust.
Words on a screen could be polished, rehearsed, and completely fake. A good smile could sell any lie. Emiya kept his arms crossed, listening with a skeptical tilt of his head.
"If you're truly not after her hand," he began, "then why come to Earth at all? Why approach us directly? You must be aware of the situation right now. Your arrival could easily be taken the wrong way."
Carter didn't look insulted by the question. If anything, he seemed entertained.
"You're quite renowned among many circles of interest, Sir Emiya. Tales of your exploits have spread across the galaxy—through spies, through the news, even from the Emperor himself. From what I've heard, it seems evident who is destined to rise as the next emperor."
Of course, Gid was making a spectacle out of this; it sounded just like him. The former Counter Guardian sighed softly, almost out of habit at this point. He had heard that last part more times than he could count, and the weariness showed in his eyes.
"That's a lot of assumptions when I never agreed to anything," he said flatly. His tone carried no heat, only exhaustion. This wasn't the first time someone had laid that crown at his feet.
"Be that as it may," Carter continued, undeterred, "I believe it is my responsibility to ensure a stable and amicable future between our peoples. And what better way to do that than to form friendships with those who may one day lead the empire?"
Carter leaned back slightly in his chair, a hand resting over his chest with theatrical ease.
"That is why I have organized a diplomatic event. A small one, but meaningful. A hunt, if you will, on Earth. A hidden region of dense, untamed forests, where the legendary Ginga Kong is said to reside."
"Ginga… Kong? Ginga as in galaxy?" Emiya repeated, eyes staring in disbelief at the man on the screen as if he half-expected it to be some elaborate prank. He had to make sure he heard it right. In a world where alien royalty lived under the same roof as him, and bizarre inventions could rewrite a person's gender with a trigger pull or mess with space-time with the push of a button, reality had grown stranger than any of his past Grail Wars. Even after nearly two decades in this madhouse of a town, surprises still crept in like uninvited guests. And they only seemed to be getting more frequent.
"While I appreciate the offer and it's a relief to know you're not trying to become Lala's next fiancé and even seek to establish good relations between us, I'm afraid this isn't exactly the best time," he said evenly, already sensing chaos trailing just behind the man's proposal.
"Wait!" Lala suddenly cried out, latching onto Emiya's neck and tugging him toward her face with little regard for personal space. "I just remembered. Prince Carter's clan is known to grow a certain type of plant. It has a chemical that cancels out the primary ingredient I used in the transformation gun. Just eating that fruit should reverse the effect completely."
"Really?" Rito said, his feminine voice rising in sudden hope as he visibly perked up at the idea.
"Yes, that is true," answered the man on the screen. "Do you perhaps desire this herb? I actually planned to give one to you during the wedding ceremony. But given our current lack of supplies, it's hard to part with it so easily. But… I can give it as a gift to the winner of this hunting contest, or if you can present me with the hide of Ginga Kong."
"Is it necessary?" Emiya asked Lala after hearing the prince's proposition, considerably less enthused.
"Not really," Lala admitted with a shrug. "The effects should reverse on their own eventually, or when the gun's core recharges. But that might take another day."
"You said you were working on something more efficient so this wouldn't happen again. Like the mess from last time with me," Emiya said, voice laced with tired exasperation. "I remember you chasing him around the house recently."
"I did it as a joke!" Lala snapped, puffing out her cheeks. "But I also built a reversal gun that would immediately bring you back to your original form. But I calibrated it specifically for your body. I don't know what it would do to Rito! You told me to stop using others for random tests, remember? So I didn't try it on him."
Why did her inventions always have to be so brilliantly specific and wildly inconvenient? Emiya sighed.
"How long will it take for him to change back? A few hours like it did with me?" he asked, hoping for at least a rough estimate.
"I don't know," Lala replied after thinking about it for a second. "You changed back far earlier than I predicted. Honestly, I don't even know how that was possible. Maybe your magic interfered with the process and shortened the effect somehow? But with Rito, I can't be sure."
As she spoke, Emiya's eyes drifted toward Rito, who remained uncharacteristically silent. Something about the boy's expression didn't sit right. He was too calm, too accepting. A strange look crossed his eyes along with a slight suspicion.
"You don't seem surprised about my magic."
"Ah," Rito froze, then broke into a shaky laugh. "Hahaha… were you trying to keep that a secret from me? I might've… um… maybe read some of Dad's recent works?"
"What?" Emiya asked sharply, the sudden spike of suspicion obvious in his voice. Was their father involved in this, too?
"It wasn't what you're thinking! It was Zastin's fault!" he said quickly, throwing the bodyguard under the bus with no hesitation. "Um, you see, a while ago I was helping dad with his deadline again. Then I saw how much Zastin's latest scenes he drew for Dad had improved, so I asked him about it. Well… he was drunk at that time, so you can guess he said a lot of things. Things about how he used some of your powers as inspiration for fighting scenes involving bows and magic swords that can become exploding arrows in the manga! It became an instant hit!"
Emiya's gaze shifted to the man in question, who hastily lifted the tablet in his hands in a poor attempt to shield himself, practically trying to become one with the background.
"You're not going to ask me anything about it?" he asked, watching Rito's reaction closely.
"I already accepted it," Rito answered with a small smile. "If it was important, I know you would've told me yourself."
That answer gave Emiya pause. At that moment, he had to admit, his younger brother had a point—Rito, in this awkward body and situation, bore a striking resemblance to their mother. He didn't even mean that in terms of their appearances; it was the maturity behind those words that struck him. Despite all the foolishness Rito was known for, there were moments like these that reminded Emiya how grounded his brother could be.
"Alright," he said, shifting the conversation back. "Let's return to the real issue. This fruit. Do you truly want it? Is it worth the trouble, just to save a few hours?"
"Please don't take this the wrong way, but… part of me is starting to understand why women are so drawn to you, Nii-san," Rito muttered while averting his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. "And that's terrifying to me."
The moment the words left his mouth, Emiya turned toward him in silence, his expression exasperated, eyes flickering between disbelief and resignation. His younger brother, now stuck in a girl's body, had just added another log to the fire of absurdity.
"I'm afraid of what a few more hours in this body might do to me," Rito continued, his voice tinged with unease. "And more importantly, I just… don't feel right being complimented by Haruna like this. It makes me feel less of a man."
In the end, the decision rested on Rito's shoulders. He knew better than to press him further. After a pause, Emiya turned his gaze toward the prince still present on the screen, expression steady and voice calm.
"Fine. We'll agree to this little hunt," Emiya said, "but on a few conditions."
{Break}
(A few minutes later)
The former Servant of the Bow had seen his fair share of alien spacecraft ever since Lala first crash-landed into their lives, but even so, this one was in a category all its own. Floating amidst the stars, Prince Carter's ship resembled something out of a fantasy storybook: a full-blown castle, suspended in space, complete with turrets and elegant curves carved into dark silver plating. It had the air of an art piece rather than a vehicle.
Still, Emiya wasn't in the mood to admire it. He sat in one of the quiet corners of the Devilukean ship, arms folded as he waited. The others were still getting changed to comply with the absurd rules of this so-called hunt—rules which forbade all modern technology and apparel. That meant not just weapons, but even clothing had to resemble something out of a prehistoric documentary on literal cavemen.
He glanced down at the rough leather wrappings they had given him. He'd refused the crude loincloth offered and instead had taken the longest piece of fabric he could find, folding and tying it around himself in a manner reminiscent of Roman garb. The others had followed suit, layering the primitive cloth over their bodies, akin to functional swimsuits.
"I'm ready," a voice announced at his side.
Yami stood beside him, no longer in her usual black leather combat gear. Instead, she now wore a leopard-print one-piece outfit that barely offered anything resembling armor, with simple leather vambraces on her wrists while her legs were completely bare, lacking even footwear. She looked more like a jungle warrior from an off-world comic strip than a deadly assassin, though her expression remained unbothered.
"How do I look?" she asked.
"Fine, I guess. Definitely better than what that other guy's wearing," he said, nodding toward Prince Carter, who was prancing around in nothing but a loincloth, all pride and pomp. Zastin wasn't any better, wearing what could best be described as a leopard-print Speedo and already stretching like he was about to run a track meet.
As for Rito, he hadn't emerged from the changing room yet, which was telling in itself. No doubt he was struggling to deal with his new body in private. Thankfully, Mikan had gone in after him, probably to make sure he didn't pass out from embarrassment. Emiya just hoped she wasn't teasing him too much.
"By the way, did Ryouko call you recently?" he asked Yami.
She nodded silently, confirming his suspicion. He exhaled deeply and leaned back against the cold wall of the ship.
"She's back," he said. "The one who raised you."
"I know," Yami replied.
"Did you try to talk to her?"
A shake of the head was her only answer. Emiya figured as much. After what had happened the last time they spoke, it wasn't surprising that there was still tension between them.
"Did you talk to her?" Yami asked in return.
"I did."
"And? What did you talk about?"
"We did not talk that long with one another, but I did give her a warning. That she should mind her own business and not try to take you away if you don't want to go." The words came out plain and direct, catching Yami completely off guard. Her head snapped in his direction, golden eyes widening slightly in disbelief as if suspecting she'd misheard him.
She blinked once, then asked, "Why?"
"Because you already have a home here," he replied, his voice serious. "I still have to hold on to my promise of helping you find a reason to exist outside of being just an assassin."
He stood with arms crossed, his tone not unkind but firm in its conviction as he faced Yami. "I can't speak much about your life before you came here. I won't pretend to empathise with every bit, and I certainly can't claim to understand the relationship between you and the person who created you. I don't have the right to force your choices. But I do believe it's better for you to stay here than to go back out there, where the only thing waiting might be another avoidable accident. Mikan already likes you, and school's starting soon. You should focus on the small stuff first."
"I thought you didn't like having troublesome people around," Yami said quietly.
"That's the truth," he admitted without hesitation. "But there are different kinds of troublesome people. There are the ones I'd do anything to avoid, the ones I couldn't care less about, and then there's the rare few I've learned to tolerate. Maybe even accept."
His eyes softened, and he tilted his head ever so slightly.
"You're more at peace here, aren't you, Yami?"
She didn't speak. Just gave a small, slow nod.
"I don't know what the one who made you is planning. I can only guess. But I'm sure she'll approach you eventually."
"Then what should I do?" she asked, voice smaller now, like a child searching for a clear path. She looked up at him for guidance, only to yelp when he tapped his fingers gently against her forehead.
"Ah!"
"Don't ask me that question," he said, almost playfully, but with a grounding seriousness underneath. "No matter what, the choice is yours. If you truly want to go back to her, then that's your decision to make. All I'm telling you is, don't let anyone else dictate your path. Not even me."
"I'm… still not sure what I want yet."
"Then it's a good thing you've got time to figure that out. While I'm here, nothing and no one will force your hand."
Yami stared at him for a few moments. Her expression softened, and a small, fragile smile formed on her lips.
"Then does that mean you see me as—"
"Emiya!"
The sentence broke off as another voice cut in. A girl approached them quickly, clad in a long brown cloth that hung awkwardly over her figure, clearly borrowed and ill-fitting. She looked both determined and uncomfortable, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she stepped closer.
"Regretting your decision to come along, Haruna?" he asked, one brow raised.
Haruna puffed out her cheeks and shook her head. "Never. I gave my word to your brother, and I'm going to keep it. I said I'd help him get better, and I will. But really, I should be the one asking the questions here!"
She planted her fists on her hips.
"You can use magic? Since when?"
He blinked. "You're bringing this up now?"
"You kept it a secret from all of us! Even your siblings only just found out recently, from what I heard!"
A sigh escaped his lips as he then rubbed the back of his neck. "Truth is, it's not something I ever wanted anyone to know. Back then, there wasn't any point in revealing it. We weren't dealing with aliens and space-faring warlords, and I didn't want to stir up trouble or draw attention at school."
"But you still found yourself in plenty of trouble anyway," Haruna replied with an unusual cheeky grin, giggling behind her hand.
"You're not wrong," he admitted, shrugging. "Which is why I've stopped caring. If someone finds out now, then so be it… even Rin and Ryou—um, Mikado is aware of it."
Haruna gave a small nod, the smile still playing on her lips, before it changed as she addressed another point of his prior words. "I believe you see many things far too pessimistically. Nobody would have been scared of you, nor would they have tried to make things difficult. Quite the opposite, in fact. All those so-called 'Anti-Emiya Alliance' boys probably would've stayed clear if they knew you could summon metal pipes out of thin air!" Haruna huffed, arms crossed and expression firm.
He let out a quiet chuckle. "Haha… I suppose seeing a person summon pipes from nowhere would be a bit terrifying, wouldn't it?"
Since she hadn't yet witnessed his swords, part of him was tempted to keep that secret just a bit longer, if only to see her reaction when she finally did. There was a mischievous satisfaction in that kind of reveal. After all, just because you could show something didn't always mean you should.
"Does that mean you're an alien as well?" she asked, tilting her head with visible curiosity.
"I'm human," he replied dryly, meeting her gaze without hesitation. "And if you're wondering whether there are others like me, I'm not really sure. I've yet to meet a full-blooded human capable of wielding magic like this, other than myself. As for how I learned it… Well, it just came naturally. Self-taught."
"…Then, want to find out with me?" Haruna's voice dropped to a softer pitch, the glimmer of expectation in her eyes growing brighter as she stepped closer. Their faces were no more than a foot apart now. "You could test if I can use magic too. Maybe I could help out with the alien threats like the others."
He glanced at her thoughtfully, not out of doubt in her character but in the very low probability of her having magical circuits at all. Still, what struck him more was her willingness, not her capability.
"You're willing to throw yourself into danger when you already live a perfectly normal life? Why disrupt that?"
There was a short silence. Then, quietly, she answered, "Because I feel left out. I see you, your brother, Lala, and the others always grouped together. I even heard Momo tell stories about the kinds of things you've all been through. I was never part of any of that. I just… want to belong too."
So that was it. He couldn't really fault her. Her reason wasn't some lofty ideal or noble calling, but it was human, and in its own way, it made perfect sense. Yet it still remained foolish to let go of peace just because she felt left out.
"That's not possible," Yami interjected abruptly with a small frown creasing her lips. "The position of apprentice is already taken." She pointed toward herself with something like pride in her posture, almost like a child bragging about a hard-won prize.
She didn't expect Haruna to respond with cheerful resilience.
"That's even better. There's no rule that says someone can't have two apprentices. And besides, I can just treat you as my senpai."
"Senpai?" The blonde repeated, one brow arching. At the same time, Emiya looked toward Yami, who did not appear opposed to the idea—more surprised than anything. "I guess it's not that bad."
"You're awfully quick to go along with this, aren't you?"
"No comment."
The two girls continued chatting with energy that seemed to spark off the conversation, asking him everything they could about his magecraft. Haruna, in particular, was full of questions, convinced that he only knew how to summon metal pipes. So, out of sheer amusement, he decided to demonstrate his variety. With a flick of his hand, he projected not just steel but PVC, copper, and even transparent pipes, each varying in size and shape. Her fascination only grew.
Rather than finding it odd or anticlimactic, she seemed more excited with every conjured piece. Emiya wasn't entirely sure whether to be amused or sympathetic at how eager she was to be involved.
Still, her heart was in the right place. His brother had decent taste in women, at least. Now, if only the fool would stop dragging his feet and just confess to her already.
Speaking of Rito…
"Come on now, it's not that bad! No one's going to laugh at you!" Mikan's voice suddenly echoed from the hallway as she emerged from the changing room, pulling someone reluctantly along behind her.
"How can you say that while I'm wearing this? This is ridiculous! We could have just asked Nii-san to make us some clothes!" the girl complained, clearly mortified.
"Did you forget? Prince Carter made it perfectly clear that you're only allowed to use the items provided to us, remember?" Mikan's voice snapped across the ship's waiting room, hands on her hips, and her tone sharp as a whip. "If you go against his instructions, we'll be disqualified. And good luck spending another half a day around Shirou. You know as well as I do what might await you, don't come crying to me if your heart starts skipping a beat or two."
Emiya's eyes twitched, helplessness slipping through the cracks of his otherwise calm expression. It almost felt like they were treating him as if he were a walking curse, a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. His gaze drifted toward the source of the voice just in time to see Mikan marching over, clad in the same primitive attire Haruna had been forced into putting on. Trailing behind her was Rito, who looked like he'd drawn the short straw when it came to the women's outfit selection.
Even he had to avert his eyes out of secondhand embarrassment. "Of course it's the leopard-print two-piece," he muttered.
"Don't look!" Rito whined, clutching his arms around his chest and glaring daggers at the ground. "It was the only thing left!"
"More like the only thing left that could actually fit him," Mikan added, her smirk widening as she gave Rito a playful jab in the ribs. "That's why I told you to be the first one to change. But nooo, you chickened out and waited till the end."
"Because the other girls were changing too!" Rito snapped with a pitiful whimper, his cheeks flushed. "Don't look at me, Nii-san!"
Did he really have to hide behind a pillar like that? It wasn't as though Emiya would do anything to him. Still, this entire situation felt more absurd by the second.
"Coming here was your choice, Rito," Emiya said, folding his arms. "I told you, you could have waited a few hours, or let Lala whip something up to turn you back."
"I'd rather take my chances getting the herb first," Rito muttered, glaring toward the underbrush. "I don't want to go through the same thing the other girls experience when they're around you."
"…"
Before Emiya could even formulate a response to that, Prince Carter's voice boomed across the room.
"We are here!" he called out cheerfully, stepping forward to meet the group with Zastin in tow. In one hand, he held what looked like a boomerang crudely carved from driftwood, and in the other, a sharpened stick that resembled a sword, though only barely. Both wore their own version of primitive attire, fully leaning into the prehistoric theme.
"The hunting reserve we're heading to is a carefully preserved territory," Prince Carter announced, his voice chipper and informative, like a tour guide giving a presentation. "It's managed by my clan, more specifically, researchers within the family interested in prehistoric Earth life instead of hunting. To avoid any problems with alien poachers or curious human eyes, they cloaked it with highly advanced technology. The reserve is located within the Guyana heights, hidden underground with technology to simulate a sun to ensure the environment is in good condition."
That highly advanced technology part felt like a stretch, especially when the flying castle ship just ended up flying through a waterfall where a long-hidden passageway showed itself, leading them to a large open clearing of what was practically a different world.
The prince pointed to the perimeter with pride, clearly unaware of how much information he was unloading at once.
"But fret not. You won't be dealing with any creatures not native to this planet. That gives all of you a home-field advantage, which I'm generously choosing to ignore."
"Prehistoric life?" Emiya raised an eyebrow, instantly on alert. While the far reaches of space were known to harbor threats capable of wiping out cities, Earth had its own collection of nightmarish creatures, many of which had roamed freely long before humans had ever picked up a stick or carved a wheel. But the prehistoric timeline spanned millions of years. He wasn't sure which era the prince was referring to: Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Eocene, Miocene? Each brought its own flavor of dangerous, carnivorous creatures.
"The rules are simple," he continued. "Whoever hunts down the fiercest monster, or the highest number of comparable predators, will be crowned the greatest hunter in the universe!"
Simple enough, at least in theory. But Emiya couldn't help but wonder about the ethics of it all, so casually hunting what he assumed were long-extinct species recreated by alien science. But if they could just fabricate life, then perhaps there was little moral weight to assign to it. Even if they were to hunt something here to extinction, they'd probably be able to grow new specimens.
At the end of the day, he was only doing this for Rito, and that alone was enough to make him willing to put up with this.
"Now, the doors will open in a few seconds. Everyone for themselves!" the prince's voice rang out with savage excitement. But rather than a few seconds, the man slammed his hand on the control panel almost immediately, and a hatch snapped open right underneath them with a sharp hiss, releasing a violent gust of air that sucked them all out like rag dolls.
The entire group was sent into a sudden freefall, shouting in alarm as they were hurled into the open sky. Some laughed out of sheer adrenaline. Others screamed. Emiya gritted his teeth as the wind tore at his clothes and hair.
"We're setting off mid-air!? You could have just landed somewhere!" he shouted, utterly exasperated as the landscape below stretched far too far away for comfort. They were plummeting from several thousand metres in the air with no visible parachutes in sight. Was this lunatic actually trying to kill them?
"Hahaha! No modern technology is allowed to land anywhere near the reserve so long as we hunt!" Prince Carter's voice echoed through the wind. "So, in keeping with my people's traditions, this is the only way! Good luck, soon-to-be Emperor! Hiyaa!" Carter's voice trailed off, the Barozan prince somehow managing to glide gracefully across the sky while holding only a carved boomerang.
That should not have been physically possible.
"Are we going to die!?" Rito screamed, clinging to Emiya's torso in blind panic. Haruna wasn't any calmer, latching onto Emiya's other side as if her life depended on it… which, to be fair, it did. The boy had apparently forgotten about his earlier protests or his own transformed state. Emiya tried not to focus on how tightly he was being held.
"Yami!" he barked.
"On it," the blonde responded without a hint of panic. With her usual blank expression, wings unfurled from her back, the sharp white feathers slicing through the air with elegance and power. She dashed through the gusting wind and snatched Mikan from midair, hauling her to safety with startling precision.
"Keep an eye on Lala and her sisters, too!" Emiya shouted after her.
Given how dangerous Lala could be when she was excited—strong enough to break bones at least—he wasn't concerned about her survival, but rather the destruction she might leave behind if left unsupervised. Still, with their D-Dials gone and Peke unavailable, none of the Devilukean sisters could fly. Yami, anticipating this, expanded her wings again, their span growing wide enough to cast shadows over the others. Her hair lashed out like living tendrils, grabbing hold of all three sisters and gently slowing their descent.
"Well, the rules never said anything about not using magic," Emiya said, barely audible over the roar of the wind. "Yami's powers count as natural abilities anyway, just like the Devilukeans' superhuman strength and endurance."
This time, he had enough time to prepare. Unlike when he fell from the sky with Lala the first time, or when he crash-landed during Mikado's rescue, he activated his magecraft. He projected three heavy-looking packs midair, fashioned from reinforced cloth and secured with thick clasps.
"Just stay calm and let me strap this on you," he instructed. "And don't hold onto me so tightly."
"I can't let go!" Haruna whimpered.
"It's too scary!" Rito echoed.
Rolling his eyes, ignoring the soft mounds squishing against his sides, Emiya gave up on the extra two bags and secured only his own. He yanked a cord, and a large parachute burst out from the pack, snapping open with a violent tug that jerked his body upward. Their descent immediately slowed, the wind howling around them as the jungle canopy came into view below.
"A parachute? Where did that come from?" Haruna asked breathlessly, blinking at the fabric above them.
"Don't ask," Emiya muttered, his voice dry. "I just found it. And now that we're not falling to our deaths, perhaps you two can let go of me now?"
Both Rito and Haruna blinked at him, then noticed just how tightly they had been squeezing his ribs. Their arms relaxed at once, and they muttered out apologies, still clinging nervously to the nearest strap.
The landing was rough but manageable. The trio hit the underbrush with a firm thump, sliding along the ground until they came to a full stop. Dirt and leaves clung to their clothes and skin, but they were alive. Each one released a deep breath of relief as they relished in the sensation of firm ground under their feet.
"Alright. That's one disaster out of the way," Emiya said as he straightened up, dismissing the bag and gazing at the land in front of him. "He was not kidding about prehistoric creatures."
In the distance, drinking water from a pond were several Brachiosaurus and even other animals that were not from the era of the dinosaurs nor in the appropriate climate; like the small herd of mammoths peacefully gathered close to the herd of sauropods.
"Woah… It's similar to that movie we saw last month." Rito commented.
"Then, hope we don't cross paths with a carnivore." To that, the brunette could only nod hastily. "The others shouldn't have landed too far away. We've got some capable combatants in our group; so long as one of us wins this hunting contest, Carter will hand over the herb to counteract Rito's transformation without issue. Whatever you do, though, don't go wandering blindly. We still have no idea what kind of creatures live here."
Both nodded, still too shaken to argue.
.
.
.
Unbeknownst to them, hidden in the dense foliage, several pairs of eyes watched in silence.
Women cloaked in animal hides, their dark skin painted with tribal markings and necklaces made of bone and teeth, crouched in the shadows. Despite the low light, one could see the outlines of their curves and toned bodies with visible muscles. Not one moved, but all of them stared intently at the newly arrived strangers, their expressions unreadable.
"Go back and inform the chieftess," one of the women ordered. She gripped a wooden spear tightly in her hand as she stared at the strangers. "New offerings for Ginga Kong have arrived."
------------------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.