Chapter 49: More Than One Heart
"You two…"
Baobhan Sith held the dripping wet high heels in her arms.
She looked at the two people grappling on the bed and couldn't help feeling utterly shocked.
The two of them on the bed, clothes disheveled, with Barghest straddling Eikou in an extremely compromising position — this scene would make anyone who saw it misunderstand.
Or rather, maybe it wasn't even a misunderstanding at all.
"..."
But Baobhan Sith quickly regained her composure, putting on her usual arrogant and nonchalant mischievous look, covering her mouth with a mocking laugh: "Looks like I came at the wrong time. I'll give you two five more minutes, hurry and finish satisfying your physical needs."
"It's not like that…"
Before Barghest could explain, Eikou was already fuming.
"Who the hell do you think I am, what can I do in five minutes, at least give me thirty!"
"Eikou-san?!" Barghest stared at him with an utterly shocked expression.
Baobhan Sith only gave a small laugh and shook her head, her face showing an expression of "adorable but deserves a beating" that made it clear such a look truly existed in this world.
This little devil really made people mad!
Eikou was about to spit out a few curses, but he couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed back onto the bed. He only felt the heat on his forehead rising higher and higher, while his body felt even colder, and the strength in his limbs seemed completely drained away.
"Fever, huh?" Baobhan Sith asked.
"Did you think my face is this red because we just finished or something?"
"Wow, just this and you're already burning up like that, what a weakling who can't even stand a breeze." Baobhan Sith smirked and said, "If you beg me, maybe I'll take pity and lend you a hand."
"Speaking of which, what happened to you…?"
Eikou lifted his eyelids, as if thinking about something while observing her current appearance.
"You got in trouble and got lost too?"
Baobhan Sith looked somewhat like him, completely soaked, her wet crimson hair hanging down her back, yet she didn't look the least bit miserable — on the contrary, she looked composed and graceful like a princess fresh out of a bath. She stepped in barefoot, holding her high heels in her arms so they wouldn't get muddied in the forest.
"Obviously. Mostly because of some bastard named Mochizuki dragging me into the water."
Baobhan Sith shot him a resentful glance.
"If it weren't out of respect for my Mother, I would've dealt with you on the spot!"
She stepped closer, carefully examining Eikou's current condition, noticing the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his face flushed red from high fever.
"If you beg me, I can lend you a hand."
Baobhan Sith flashed a mischievous smile and said to him.
"Don't repeat the same thing again, I heard you the first time — I just don't want to agree. My instincts tell me that if I let you help, you'll definitely demand repayment later. I'd rather keep burning up."
"Tch."
Baobhan Sith clicked her tongue softly, clearly her intentions had been seen through.
But she still placed her hand on his forehead.
Baobhan Sith's hand was cold, making him feel as if an ice pack had been placed on his head.
[Baobhan Sith has activated the skill "Protection of the Lake E"]
[You feel a refreshing coolness, like the pure water of a lake washing over your body. Though the fever hasn't subsided, your whole body feels much more comfortable, and strength slowly returns to your limbs.]
[Baobhan Sith has activated the skill "Territory Creation A"]
[You feel the temperature in the room rise instantly, becoming warm and pleasant.]
"It suddenly got so warm…" Barghest said in slight surprise.
"You…"
Eikou widened his eyes in astonishment.
Baobhan Sith lowered her head, and the two locked eyes, their faces only inches apart.
"Remember this well, you owe me a favor."
"Alright, since you said so."
At this point, if he still tried to argue, that would really be tactless.
"…Come to think of it, isn't 'Protection of the Lake' your mother's exclusive skill? How can you use it too?"
Eikou couldn't help asking.
"When I was little, I had a fever too, and it was a really high fever that wouldn't go down. At that time, Mother stayed by my side all night, using that skill to ease my pain. After that, I learned it."
"She really cares about you a lot."
"Really?" Baobhan Sith seemed unconvinced, "I actually think she cares about you even more than me… Just thinking about it pisses me off. Why does Mother like you more? In what way am I inferior to you?"
"Mm-hmm."
Right now, Eikou wasn't so sure himself.
"Honestly, I don't even understand what you're competing with me for. No matter how much Morgan-san likes me, I could never replace your position. Why do you keep worrying like this? Afraid I'll move into your house and steal your inheritance?"
Hmm, even though he said it as a joke, that actually seemed possible, didn't it?
Thinking broadly, the head of the Morgan family and the eldest son of the Gawain family both counted as being on his side now.
Funny how he'd never thought of this before.
Baobhan Sith pinched his cheek.
"Idiot, I never once thought a weakling like you could replace me. I just wanted to learn a little more about Mother's tastes from you." Baobhan Sith said proudly, "As for the inheritance, that goes without saying — it's definitely mine! Becoming Mother's successor has always been my dream!"
"Yeah yeah yeah, truly magnificent. Such an amazing dream."
Eikou deliberately spoke in an overly perfunctory tone.
Baobhan Sith couldn't help but pinch his cheek again.
"That annoying tone of yours… Then why don't you tell me what your dream is, saving the world or something?"
"Don't ask, it's embarrassing."
"It's probably something silly and unrealistic anyway, like building a harem or whatever."
"Alright, alright, if that'll make you shut up, then I'll tell you…"
Eikou swallowed hard, then spoke in a somewhat serious tone:
"I want to achieve financial freedom, and then open a board game shop, or maybe a video game store."
"What?"
"I'm talking about my dream."
"That's it?" Baobhan Sith couldn't believe it, "That's way too small."
"You call that small, Ojou-sama? Do you even know how hard financial freedom is, and how troublesome opening a store can be?"
Eikou said earnestly,
"My dream is to own a shop where I can play games anytime I want, crack open new card packs with customers on the game tables, or lie back on the couch together playing the latest console games. And on weekend nights, I want to invite friends to sleep over at the shop, playing party games all night long, and we'll slowly grow old together in joy and laughter."
"Ever since I came to this school and got to know all these Servants, that's been my biggest dream."
He coughed a few times from weakness, let out a long sigh, his face showing sorrow as if his time was running out.
Like a patient who might not make it through the night.
"Too bad… my body probably won't hold out until then."
"Don't give up! Eikou-san!"
Seeing him so weak, Barghest panicked completely, her heterochromatic eyes filled with worry.
"..."
Eikou thought to himself that he only wanted to scare Baobhan Sith a little, so why did Barghest fall for it instead?
But the pained expression on his face wasn't fake either.
"Cough cough..."
Feeling uncomfortable, he turned his head toward the window, through which he could see the forest outside the wooden cabin.
He saw a gorilla (Gawain) clinging to a large tree, sticking his head out to observe the situation inside.
At the base of the tree, the voices of a chicken (Tristan) and a goldfish (Finn) could be heard.
"Sir Gawain, do you see anything? Could it really be like what we think inside?"
"This is outrageous! To think there'd be an improper relationship between a boy and girl in our school!" Finn-sensei said indignantly, "Let me find a tree too so I can get a front-row seat to criticize their behavior!"
At that moment, Eikou's eyes met those of the gorilla clinging to the tree.
"..."
A moment later, he calmly pointed at the gorilla on the tree and said:
"When that last yellow gorilla hanging on that tree falls to the ground, that'll probably be when my life ends..."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!"
[While you were burning with a relentless fever, you encountered the temporary rescue team led by Gawain.]
[You were successfully rescued and brought back to the camping site.]
[Although Gawain and the others desperately tried to explain, "We weren't trying to peek, we just wanted to check if anything inappropriate for children was happening inside so we wouldn't disturb you," the three of them still got punched by the girls.]
[You were carried back to a tent at the campsite.]
[Homeroom Teacher Finn specially prepared a separate tent for you, served hot food, fever medicine, and a bed with blankets so you could rest alone in peace.]
[At night, you felt your whole body burning, sweat pouring endlessly, like waves of heat crashing inside you, so hot your mind was spinning.]
[You were irritated, your consciousness hazy, thinking why on earth did this camping trip turn out like this, why did you have to be lying in a tent with a fever? You should've been playing board games all night with Gawain and the others, but now you could only lie here and recover.]
[But later in the middle of the night, in your feverish delirium, you felt a group of people enter your tent.]
[Someone wiped the sweat from your forehead, helped you change the ice packs, you received the protection of "Harp of Healing C." These kind gestures made you feel a bit better, and after you improved, they left.]
[A while later, someone else sneaked into your tent, but left just as quickly.]
[You received the protection of "Protection of the Lake E."]
[You have passed an Endurance check at an Easy difficulty.]
A die drops.
[Check successful.]
[Your body has improved significantly, the sweat discharged through metabolism has also carried away the toxins.]
[In your daze, you finally fell into a peaceful sleep.]
Time began to flow.
Moving to the second day, almost noon.
[When you opened your eyes again, the world outside the tent was a brilliant, clear blue sky.]
[Although you didn't feel very strong, your body no longer felt as heavy as before — essentially, you had recovered.]
[You glanced at your watch and realized you had slept for a very long time, almost missing the entire free time of the second day of the outdoor class; soon it would be time to return to school.]
[You pulled open the tent flap and caught the fragrant smell of roasting meat — the tempting dish Barghest was grilling on the rack not far away.]
[Gawain and Tristan were sitting on the grass in front of the tent playing cards, while Baobhan Sith was also sitting right outside your tent, somehow having found a lounge chair, playing pack opening with the Round Table Knights.]
"This pack definitely has a Round Table Knights-themed shiny card, please let me pull the swimsuit version of Our King!"
Tristan eagerly tore open a brand-new pack, flipping through to find the shiny Artoria Swimsuit card inside.
In the end, he only saw a shiny card of Mordred.
"Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!"
Gawain beside him couldn't help but laugh, while Baobhan Sith laughed loudly without restraint.
"What are you guys doing..."
Eikou stepped out of the tent.
As soon as he came out, Gawain immediately waved him over.
"Sir Eikou, you're finally awake. Want to join? It's really fun."
"No thanks, watching the pitiful state of a certain someone named Tristan the Sorrow is entertaining enough for me."
Eikou yawned.
Baobhan Sith glanced at him with an arrogant look.
"I thought the frail body of a lowly human wouldn't make it through the night… But you survived, just like an immortal cockroach."
"It's just a fever, how weak do you think the human body is..."
Eikou shot her a glare.
Then he turned his head to look at the lush, rippling green fields of the outskirts.
What a pity, by noon they'd have to leave this place.
There were still so many things he hadn't done, but time waits for no one, and soon it would be time to go.
He felt a tinge of regret.
"…What a shame. A rare outdoor class, yet I spent most of the time either catching a cold or burning with a fever, barely got to do anything fun with you guys."
"It's alright,"
Gawain smiled and said,
"There will be plenty of chances later. Even if the school doesn't organize another camping trip, we can go ourselves during summer or winter break!"
"Umu, that's true."
He suddenly recalled last night, all the protective skills bestowed upon him. With so many buffs from everyone, it would've been strange if he hadn't recovered.
Mochizuki Eikou couldn't help but smile.
"Anyway, last night was really lively… I don't even know how to thank you all."
"Money will do." Gawain said with a broad grin.
"Or a shiny card of Our King." Tristan said.
He ignored their demands, quietly put on his headphones, pretending not to hear, letting his mind sink into the music.
「Like a song of spring」
「Resonating bright and clear」
「Echoing in my ears」
「Emotions welling up inside me」
「The growing desire to feel just a little more」
「Two hearts beating in unison」
「This feeling of joy」
「Resting in my small heart」
...
[10:30 AM, you board the tour bus leaving the outskirts, heading toward Chaldea Academy.]
[You gaze at the scenery flashing past the bus window while silently counting the upcoming events.]
[The end of April marks the monthly exams — the first school ranking battle, and also the day of your date with Morgan.]
[After that comes May, the arrival of summer, cherry blossoms falling, and this year's spring outdoor class will become an eternal memory.]
[But no matter how the seasons change, it seems you'll still remember today clearly.]
[Your "Charisma B" has leveled up to "Dreamlike Charisma B".]
[You and your companions have gone through an outdoor class filled with regrets yet unforgettable, and that memory will become your strength.]
...