"So comfortable~" Atalanta, being stroked by Ian on the head, looked extremely pleased. Her tail unconsciously peeked out. If anyone were to pass by at this moment, they would probably be startled by Atalanta's true appearance.
Ian's fingers gently traced Atalanta's forehead, and he spoke with a somewhat helpless tone. "Your tail is out."
"It's okay~" Atalanta uncharacteristically showed a pampered side. That was the essence of a cat, only revealed when she felt absolutely safe with Ian. Normally, she was described as "aloof" even by her Master, Tohsaka Rin.
"Everyone's at the opening ceremony outside. No one will notice Master and me~"
"..." Ian heard this and for a moment couldn't refute it. Indeed, since morning, no students had come here. But it wasn't surprising when you thought about it. If any student dared to skip the first day's opening ceremony, they would almost certainly be made an example of.
So—just as Atalanta said, let's relax a bit. Thinking this, Ian's fingers slid down from Atalanta's forehead to her chin, gently stroking it. It was a smooth and delicate sensation, like caressing a beautiful jade.
The little cat-girl loved this. As the man played with her chin, she narrowed her eyes, letting out soft purring sounds, looking quite content. "Mmm... mgh... Meow~"
"..." Watching this scene, Ian suddenly smiled.
Atalanta opened her eyes, her face flushed with embarrassment. "W-what's wrong...?"
"Nothing," Ian said, looking at Atalanta, who was lying on his lap and nearly completely transforming into a cat. "I just didn't expect you to be so adorable."
"Eh?" Atalanta tilted her head back, looking up at the man. "Really? Master... thinks I'm adorable like this?"
"Mm," Ian nodded. "However—there's something I want to ask you." The man's thumb gently rubbed the cat-girl's cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin. "Why... do you insist on recognizing me as your Master?"
"..." Atalanta's previously joyful expression instantly froze, then turned into extreme panic. "Master, do you dislike me doing this? Do you... not want to see me?"
"That's not what I mean." Ian's hand moved to Atalanta's cat ears, then gently stroked her beautiful cat fur. "Such fervent feelings as yours should be met with a better response. But I can't do that—at least not right now."
"..." "Actually, like this is already very good," Atalanta reached out and clutched Ian's clothes. "After all, Master has already done so much for me before... a response was completed back then." Saying this, the little cat-girl buried her head a little further into Ian, finally touching her favorite treasure. "Besides, Master isn't completely unresponsive. You clearly praised me well when we were doing 'that' in the bathroom, didn't you?"
"Uh... don't you find doing that kind of thing embarrassing?"
"No~" Atalanta's eyes gained a hint of physiological pleasure. "That sensation... it's amazing!"
"..." Realizing that Atalanta was completely dependent on him, Ian found it difficult to say anything more. He pressed his hand on the cat-girl's head, letting her entertain herself in her preferred way.
"By the way—Atalanta, if you win the Holy Grail War, what wish will you make?"
"A wish?" The cat-girl blinked. "I haven't thought about that."
"Haven't thought about it?" Ian was a little surprised.
"Mm," Atalanta nodded very honestly. "When I answered Rin's summons... I felt like I just had to come. And then I met Master. A wish or anything... I haven't really considered it—what about you, Master? What's your wish?"
"..." Ian was silent for a moment, then replied. "Probably, I hope my Master's wish can be granted without any cost."
"Eh, Master doesn't have his own wish?"
"No... at least not right now," the man didn't hide his state.
"Then I have a wish now!" Atalanta took Ian's hand. "My wish—is for Master to find his own wish!"
"..." Ian chuckled. "But you haven't actually made any wish at all, have you?"
"I have too!" Atalanta rubbed her cheek against her favorite treasure. "This is clearly a super important wish!"
"..." Ian knew he couldn't change the little cat-girl's mind. "Alright. Then... thank you."
"Um, Master," Atalanta's face flushed slightly. "If it's a thank you, can we do it in a different way?"
"Hmm? What way do you want?"
"It's just—" Atalanta's body drew up a little. "Master had a farewell kiss with your Master today, didn't you? I... want to try it too."
"But I don't feel that way right now," Ian replied.
"It's okay, even without it!" Atalanta rolled over and looked up at the man. "I... just want to try that feeling."
"..." "I understand." Ian lowered his head and gently kissed Atalanta on the lips. He felt no strong emotional fluctuations; it was merely to grant her a wish. "Is that... okay?"
"Yes!" Atalanta's face grew redder—she now really wanted to tell him that she felt it all over. And if kissing was allowed... then would more intense things also be permitted?
Just as the little cat-girl was about to speak, a figure appeared at the dojo entrance.
"Phew... finally here."
Hearing the unexpected voice, Ian and Atalanta both looked over. The little cat-girl was a bit bewildered, but the man recognized the newcomer.
"Rider? What are you doing here?"
[You never expected Rider to appear here.]
[You know she is Vivian's Servant.]
[Logically, she shouldn't be here at this time.]
[But you also notice that she seems to have no desire to fight whatsoever.]
[On the contrary—]
[She exudes a feeling of needing help.]
Completely different from what he had seen that night. The Rider before him was neither riding that incredibly majestic white warhorse nor holding the powerful sword she had used in battle. Instead, she was dressed in a simple blue school uniform. But it had to be said, even in a school uniform, the girl's youthful aura wasn't diminished in the slightest. No, in fact, this school uniform was the perfect complement; it was entirely believable that she was a student. All in all, Rider, at this moment, showed no signs of initiating a duel.
However, Atalanta didn't know this. As an Archer, her reactions were far sharper than those of typical Servants. Even while playing with her Master, this would never change. The moment the little cat-girl heard "Rider," her ears twitched. She quickly got up, then executed several backflips, instantly creating distance from Rider.
"Tauropolos!" Atalanta shouted, and a black and gold bow appeared in her hands. The bowstring was fully drawn. A powerful arrow was charged in an extremely short time and shot towards Rider. Atalanta would show no mercy to anyone other than her Master!
However—facing the arrow shooting towards her, the girl who had come to visit alone acted before the man could react. It was an unimaginable "Instinct." The girl tilted her head slightly, directly dodging Atalanta's arrow. She sighed and said:
"Um—Archer... can we perhaps call a truce for a while? I didn't come here to duel today."
"..." Atalanta didn't respond to Rider but continued to grip her Tauropolos tightly. This dojo was indeed not suitable for a battle. However—if it came down to fighting, Atalanta would certainly not hesitate to use her Noble Phantasm, Phoebus Catastrophe. It would just be a fight to the death! As a huntress, she already had that resolve!
However—the little cat-girl didn't immediately attack. Her gaze fell upon Ian at his side. When her Master Tohsaka Rin wasn't present, the commands given by this man were her course of action!
"..."
[You realize your actions will determine whether Archer Atalanta and Rider will engage in a battle.]
[Frankly, if approached from the most utilitarian perspective, you should immediately attack Rider.]
[After all, Atalanta, who constantly calls you Master, will certainly fight alongside you.]
[The Archer and Saber combination would naturally not lose to a lone Rider.]
[However—]
[You look at the Rider before you, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.]
You've seen her. You've definitely seen her somewhere. Looking at the girl before him, Ian's eyes gradually became clouded. Past memory fragments flickered repeatedly in his mind—a chain reaction from the excessive prana replenishment not long ago.
The Holy Lake, the Holy Sword, the White Dragon. Many fragmented images converged in the man's mind, finally forming a name.
"Artoria?"
These words, more potent than an arrow, shot directly towards the girl standing at the dojo entrance. Those deep forest green eyes gently bloomed at this moment, filled with the deep affection in the girl's heart.
"Mr. Ian!" Artoria, whose name had been called, ran towards Ian. At this moment, she seemed to have returned to thousands of years ago, to the days spent by his side.
"I missed you so much... I really missed you. It's... so good to see you." The girl's cheek rubbed against his embrace, as if conveying all the grievances she had felt since they parted forever. And though the man's eyes held some hesitation, he still pulled her into his embrace. Such a sad girl surely needed someone to comfort her, didn't she?
"..." Although somewhat displeased that her Master had embraced Rider, Atalanta felt she could strangely understand her. Was she... looking for him too?
About fifteen minutes later. Artoria, finally calmed down, learned a somewhat cruel truth.
"Mr. Ian. You... don't remember the past?"
"Mm," Ian nodded.
"Then how did you call out my name?" Artoria was a little confused.
"If you're asking that—" Ian looked at the small, lovely girl before him, feeling much better. "I don't know how to explain it either. But the moment I saw you, that name came to mind. Perhaps—you are a very important existence to me?"
"This..." Artoria turned her face away, a little shy. "Me too... Mr. Ian is a very important person to me too! The most important kind!"
Artoria's decisiveness made the little cat-girl a bit flustered. Her voice softened a bit. "But then—this Holy Grail War is going to be very strange, isn't it?"
"Strange?" Artoria was a little confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well..." Atalanta looked at Ian. "Does... everyone know him?"
"..."
"..."
Atalanta's single question left both Ian and Artoria silent. This was not an unrealistic fantasy. At least so far, both Archer and Rider genuinely knew Ian. If Lancer was included, this circle would expand even further. Realizing this might be a very problematic logical issue, Ian decided to temporarily end the topic.
"So—Artoria, you came here for something else, didn't you?"
"..." Returning to her original purpose, Artoria looked at the man before her, the emotion in her eyes becoming quite complex. Her lips trembled slightly, and finally, she spoke words that sounded like a plea.
"Um—Mr. Ian, if it's possible. Could you please... could you please come with me to see my sister?"