The Price of Spirit Possession
Ushiwakamaru is like a cat—sometimes unpredictable and hard to grasp, fond of leaping around rooftops.
Just like a cat suddenly presenting a dead bird or mouse to someone it likes, she might bring the head of an enemy to someone she favors.
And Yukinoshita Yukino just happens to love cats.
Upon realizing that, at heart, the other party is just an adorable little girl, she couldn't help but find her endearing—whether it was due to her pitiable fate or a sense of kinship with her slightly airheaded nature.
Before she knew it, Yukino had fed Ushiwakamaru Holy Grails to full ascension, reaching level 90.
That alone shows how much she liked the Servant. But liking her didn't mean she ever wanted to wear such an embarrassing outfit. Thinking back on her previously unselfconscious focus in battle…
Jumping, riding horses, even flipping 360 degrees in the air...
At that moment, Yukino's expression remained cool and indifferent, but inwardly she was on the verge of a breakdown.
With her high pride, she always held herself to the strictest standards and had never lost her composure like this. And yet, it just had to be in front of that person...
"Since Yukinoshita's so embarrassed, Mash, why don't you hurry up and change her back?" Shirou said to Mash.
"Senpai Shirou, generally speaking, spirit possession by Servants summoned through the FGO system comes with conditions.
As the price for borrowing their power, the host must fulfill a wish for the Servant.
Only then will the Servant leave the body. But please don't worry, Yukinoshita-senpai.
Right now, we're actually in a different dimension, so ordinary people can't see us in our spirit-possessed states," Mash explained.
"Really? …Can they really not see us?" Yukino asked in a trembling voice, clutching Mash's sleeve.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Her face was flushed red from embarrassment and excitement.
The soft lines of her face, paired with the outfit, gave off a delicate allure—a beauty that seemed both bashful and captivating. Dressed like a samurai girl, there was an indescribable enchantment to her appearance.
"...!" Both Mash and Shirou felt a sudden pang in their hearts. It was like being hit with a charm spell.
'Who would've thought the usually icy Yukinoshita could make a face like this... This kind of destructive power is practically a Noble Phantasm.' Shirou thought.
'I think I can understand now why Senpai Shirou summoned Yukinoshita-senpai. So cute, so beautiful… even I feel my heart racing. Gudako-senpai, what should I do?' Mash thought, holding her blushing cheeks.
Just then, footsteps could be heard from outside. Someone happened to be passing by and was startled by the destroyed wall.
"Wah!? Was there an earthquake here?" the passerby cried out in shock—but didn't look in Shirou and Yukino's direction.
"..." Already back to being Mash, she quickly ran inside and hid in a spot out of sight.
"Yukinoshita, see? They really can't see us," Shirou waved toward the passerby.
The passerby's gaze remained fixed on the ruined schoolyard wall. He didn't notice anyone in bizarre clothing waving at him at all.
"Phew… Anyway, let's go somewhere less conspicuous first." Yukino finally calmed down a little.
She stood up, tugged at Shirou's sleeve, and walked with him toward the small woods inside the campus.
Mash quickly followed. When they arrived between the trees, Yukino stopped, turned to the pink-haired girl, and said:
"Then, Mash, please explain everything properly! Because of the circumstances, I won't pursue the matter of you summoning me here without permission. But since I've been dragged into this, I have the right to ask everything clearly. Don't you agree?"
"I understand, Senpai," Mash obediently replied.
Shirou helped smooth things over, saying, "Mash did it to protect everyone, after all. We can't just ignore those kinds of monsters. Don't be mad, Yukinoshita—let's sit down and talk things through."
"If you don't know the whole story, shut up! You're the type of annoyingly nice guy who, even knowing there's danger, would throw himself in anyway, right? And this time!
It's you who dragged me into this, you know! Are you even aware of that, Shirou-kun?" Yukino seemed even more upset now and gave the boy an icily chilling smile.
"Yes… I'm sorry." The boy had nothing to say in return and bowed his head in apology.
Didn't she just say she wouldn't pursue it? She's kind of scary… What happened to the cute, bashful girl from before?
If he had known in advance that the "friend support" would be Yukinoshita, he definitely would've picked someone else. He didn't expect the summoning to bring not just the Servant, but the person themselves too.
But then again, if what came out of the phone was a burly man dressed as Ushiwakamaru... Shirou grimaced and held his face in pain at the thought.
With reverence, the boy thought, 'Though I'm really sorry, Yukinoshita-sama, I'll be in your care from now on. Let's just treat this as a continuation of our Service Club activities.'
Seeing Hachiman bowing and apologizing, Yukino finally let go of some of her anger.
She understood the seriousness of the situation and knew she couldn't just stand by and do nothing. But before that, there was one life-or-death matter she needed clarified.
"First question—Mash, after I fulfill the Servant's wish, what will happen to me? Will I stay here? Or return to where I was before?"
"Since Yukinoshita-senpai was summoned as a friend support, you'll be returned to your original location," Mash explained.
"I see, that's a relief." With Mash's assurance, Yukino let out a breath and finally relaxed her tense face.
"Now then, Yukinoshita-senpai, please fulfill the Servant's wish first. We'll talk more after that. If you take too long to respond to the Servant's wish, there could be consequences.
If the Servant has a bad personality, the results can be scary. Like Kiyohime..." Mash trembled just imagining it.
"Ah… That really is how it works, huh. The consequences sound terrifying." Shirou communicated briefly with the spirit of Saint George within him. Thankfully, the wish was simple to fulfill.
As expected, even if they're from a mobile game, Servants are still terrifying beings.
"Yukinoshita, quickly tell us what the Servant's wish is," Shirou urged, but she looked hesitant and bashful.
"I want…" Noticing Shirou looking at her, Yukino quickly lowered her head and mumbled. The outfit was embarrassing, but the wish was even more so.
"What? Too quiet, I didn't catch that. Yukinoshita, if you don't say it clearly, I won't know how to help you," Shirou asked, puzzled.
"Ugh! I want someone like an older brother to gently pat my head and praise me!" Yukino shouted, her face red with shame and clearly having given up on maintaining her dignity.
"Ah… Oh." Shirou was momentarily stunned by her words.
He didn't expect the ice-cold beauty Yukinoshita to make such a face, let alone have such a cute request…
His mind started to wander—what would it be like to have a younger sister like Yukinoshita? What if she weren't a sister? That thought embarrassed him too.
"Shirou! Are you going to do it or not?!" Yukino glared angrily at the boy who was getting embarrassed on his own—she was the one who should be embarrassed!
"Yeah! Leave it to me! When it comes to head pats, I'm pretty good at it." Shirou quickly nodded in agreement—after all, he had a clingy little sister at home who loved being spoiled.
The boy reached out and placed his hand on the girl's head. Feeling the silky texture of her hair, he gently stroked it back and forth, speaking softly: "There, there. Good girl. You did a great job. Thanks to you, we were able to protect the school."
"Uuuh… So embarrassing…" Feeling the warmth on her head, Yukino's already flushed face turned so red it looked like her ears were about to burn. At that moment, white light began to shine from her body—seemed like the Servant was satisfied.
"Forget everything that happened today!" the girl shouted threateningly as she began to glow.
"Well, once you're back, make sure to stay in touch. See you later, Yukineko the Pan-fan~!" the boy replied with a mischievous grin.
The light around Yukino grew even brighter, eventually turning into particles and scattering into the air, leaving only her school jacket behind on the ground.
The boy walked up and picked it up. He could still feel the lingering warmth and scent left by the girl who had tightly clutched it.
A moment later, his phone chimed with a message.
He opened it—it was a private chat.
"Stay right where you are! I'm coming over now! And… forget everything that just happened!"
"You say to forget, but those shocking scenes just keep replaying in my head," the boy muttered helplessly.
Every movement of the girl earlier—her fair skin, her slender, smooth back—all replayed vividly in his mind. Sometimes, having sharp eyesight really isn't a good thing...
After a brief hesitation, the boy typed and sent back three words.