Chapter 202: Woman, Woman, Man
It was past nine in the morning. A pair of small birds, having found their breakfast, flew over a dense forest and a green suburban area where a large factory with tall chimneys stood. This factory primarily manufactured light industrial goods, canned foods, tennis balls, shuttlecocks, and various small miscellaneous items.
This was an open area in a large, though not very famous, company's factory complex. In front of a huge warehouse door, the ground was marked with yellow and white paint lines, and nearby were large trucks used for shipping the factory's output.
However, only a few staff members were passing through. The other employees were sitting inside the warehouse, chatting and laughing, including a few fierce-looking, tattooed foremen.
Of course, the fiercest person here was the silver-haired girl sitting alone on a chair outside. She had already proven her capability, so everyone else hid in the warehouse, not daring to come within half a step of her.
The girl, who initially wanted to pass the time by fighting, could only fidget with her phone out of boredom.
Early this morning, after Shirou and the others left, Jeanne also left the Paris Branch School alone. Following the instructions of Da Vinci at Chaldea, she came here to a collaborating business partner to travel to Chiba, Japan, using a different method.
Originally, according to the plan, she should be on a plane heading to Tokyo, just like Shirou and the others. However, due to a malfunction in the cargo plane, which was currently undergoing urgent repairs, she had to wait for the next flight in the afternoon.
"This is taking too long!" Jeanne complained to Da Vinci, who was in the Chaldea command room, visible on her phone screen.
"Now, now, someone will pick you up when you get there," Da Vinci reassured her.
"Why do I have to be transported here with a pile of cargo? Why couldn't I just be with Shirou! It's such a hassle~!" Jeanne said irritably, kicking small stones on the grass as her impatience grew.
Da Vinci spread her hands and said, "There's nothing we can do. You're undocumented, and now that you have a physical body, you can't spiritualize anymore. Trying to immediately get you a legitimate identity here in France would just take even longer. So, we abandoned that inefficient method and figured out a way to sneak you in with the cargo and ship you to Tokyo.
Once you arrive in Japan, the paperwork will be much easier. For Chiba, all the procedures for you to enroll as an exchange student at Shirou's school have been taken care of. You should arrive tomorrow morning. So, stop complaining. It's only one night later than Shirou. If all goes well, you can have lunch with Shirou by noon."
"Is that so... lunch, huh..." Jeanne hesitated upon hearing Da Vinci's words, then accepted. "Hmph, this has nothing to do with Shirou, why bring him up? Fine, I get it. If I have to wait here, I'll wait here."
"Good, I'm glad you understand. I'll go back to handling my work here, and I'll contact you when things are ready," Da Vinci said with a smile, cutting off communication after the girl nodded.
"I know," Jeanne mumbled. Having vented her complaints, her irritation subsided a bit. She picked up her phone to provoke the Cold-Blooded King and relieve her boredom.
[Cold-Blooded King, what are you doing? Come out and talk!]Jeanne typed and sent the message.
A reply came quickly.
[What's wrong? Are you that idle, Impulsive Girl?]
Jeanne saw Artoria's reply and smugly typed back.[Hehe, Cold-Blooded King, you'd never guess, I'm just waiting for a plane right now.]
[A plane? That means today is also the day Shirou returns home. So you're planning to follow him around like a shadow, are you?]
"Shadow! Well... I'll forgive you this time." Jeanne was about to retort, but then changed her mind and wasn't angry anymore.
After all, she would arrive in Japan tomorrow and get to spend every day with Shirou. Meanwhile, the Cold-Blooded King, stuck in Britain, would only be able to watch her be with Shirou through her phone. Jeanne thought to herself with dark glee, 'I win this time!'
[Hmph, you can wait on that island nation for the video I'll send you, and watch me and Shirou together and be jealous!]Jeanne gave a victorious, villainous smile and rapidly tapped the message out.
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"Oh ho~ You want me to be jealous?" Artoria looked at the phone screen and sneered.
The girl was currently standing in a place with a constant flow of people with various skin tones and clothes dragging suitcases. English announcements occasionally sounded over the speaker, and the intermittent noise of large turbine engines, fading in and out, echoed overhead.
Artoria had changed into a black lace dress, and her light blonde hair was tied into a low, vertical ponytail with a hair tie.
"Listen up, everyone. We'll be boarding the plane soon. Don't make noise inside, and sit in your assigned seats. If any students need to use the restroom now, go with a buddy," the male and female teachers in front said, giving final instructions, and then led the students to line up and enter the departure hall.
"Yes!" the students responded.
She put away her phone and instructed the girl who was spacing out behind her. "We're going now, Mashiro."
"Mhm, ok," the long-haired blonde girl in the large round hat obediently followed behind Artoria.
"Liyah, will there be Baumkuchen there?" Mashiro asked.
In Shiina Mashiro's original world view, there were two kinds of Baumkuchen: good ones and very good ones. But after meeting the man named Shirou, her perspective changed.
Baumkuchen was truly divided into two types: ordinary Baumkuchen and the Baumkuchen Shirou made. She was going to Japan for that very taste...
No, actually, it was to study manga. She would be an exchange student for two years, enrolling in the Chiba International Branch School.
"Yes, we'll have Shirou make you one every day," Artoria promised.
"Rita, I love you the most," Mashiro confessed.
"Mashiro, I love you too. Alright, sit down, the plane is about to start," Artoria replied.
"Mhm, I know," Mashiro sat down obediently.
And in this world, there was no better maid than Artoria. She was practically like a gentle and reliable father.
The blonde girl's golden eyes, usually cold and dignified, showed tenderness when looking at the oblivious girl.
Just then, Teacher Sawako, after checking on the students, sat down in the seat next to them and said, "Maid-Chief, Mashiro-san, the plane is about to take off. Welcome to Japan, and please take care of us going forward."
"Yes, please be kind to us. Please also look after Mashiro, sensei," Artoria replied.
"Haha, it's an honor for our school to have Mashiro-san join us," Sawako said with a smile. She was a top painting genius, one of the best in the world for decades, a prodigy who had participated in various competitions since childhood and won numerous international awards. And she claimed she wanted to come to the Chiba Branch School as an exchange student because she loved Japanese culture.
Although Principal Armstrong tried to dissuade her many times, Mashiro was determined. With the added influence of Artoria's prestige, her exchange student status was finalized. She was now boarding the plane to Tokyo with the people from the Chiba Branch School, under the guise of being affiliated with the Bristol Branch School but studying at the Chiba Branch School.
This was surely the moment for her and her fiancé, the team leader, to get promoted and receive a raise, followed by the principal patting them on the shoulder and saying, "You'll be the next principals!"
Sawako thought to herself, 'Could my personality be so appealing that I'm extremely popular with foreign girls?'
"Even though I don't know what she's thinking, she's definitely thinking wrong," the members of the Light Music Club, sitting nearby, calmly muttered to each other, having noticed Sawako's expression.
"Mhm," the girls all nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of which, Maid-Chief, have you arranged accommodation in Chiba for you and Mashiro-san? If not, I can immediately notify the school to arrange something," Sawako said to the two.
"That won't be necessary. The accommodation has been arranged," Artoria replied.
"Is that so? That's good then," Sawako said, forcing a dry laugh.
Through Da Vinci, they had already used a large sum of money to buy the house next door to the Hikigaya family and had started renovations.
So, Artoria planned to stay temporarily at Shirou's house with Mashiro. In fact, that was her plan from the beginning.
Especially after that impulsive girl challenged her earlier, Artoria was even more determined to make her feel the sting of watching her be with Shirou.
"Hmph," Artoria sneered.
The blonde twin-tailed girl sitting next to Mashiro shrank her neck and cried out in her mind, trembling, "The Maid-Chief is smiling! So scary! Why did I think I would finally be free after three weeks?"
"Why? Why is she still here, too! Ah... if my hidden treasures are discovered, it won't be solved by just being a maid and cleaning the dorm... Maybe I should just die here. At least it would be easier." Just imagining it, Eriri felt chills running through her body and soul.
Artoria sneered, Eiri trembled, and Mashiro was spacing out. The row of seats fell silent again; no one spoke a word.
"We are more than welcome to have Mashiro-san at our school, but I didn't expect the Maid-Chief to come along too?" Sawako, unable to bear the atmosphere, couldn't help but speak again, trying to build rapport with the Maid-Chief with a smile.
"Mhm, my promise to you was to look after Mashiro," Artoria replied.
"I-Is that so?" Sawako thought awkwardly, 'What should I do? I have absolutely no idea how to keep a conversation going with the Maid-Chief.'
"But Maid-Chief, you must be interested in certain aspects of Japan, right?" Sawako asked with a smile.
"Mhm, I don't dislike Japan. For instance, their hamburgers and fried chicken!" Artoria replied coldly.
'Why hamburgers and fried chicken?! Are you that fond of that white-bearded old man and the Ronald McDonald clown?! And why can you say something like that while maintaining such a cold demeanor?!'
'How am I supposed to follow up on that answer! Apologize to the Japanese people! While it's a country where the anime industry is booming and physical industries are struggling every year, where anime movie box office receipts surpass live-action films, and where young people don't buy cars or houses but do buy figurines! The merits of Japan are definitely not limited to just hamburgers and fried chicken!'
Sawako held her head, repeatedly complaining internally, but dared not utter a word to the Maid-Chief. In a sense, the conversation still could not flow naturally.
Unable to find a topic with the Maid-Chief, Sawako had to shift her focus and greeted Mashiro, who was sitting in the middle, with a smile.
"Please take care of me from now on, Mashiro-san. If you have any problems at school, please don't hesitate to come and talk to me."
"Please take care of me, sensei," Mashiro, who had been well-taught, nodded slightly. Then she looked at Eriri next to her and said with minimal emotional fluctuation, "Please take care of me, shishou (master)."
"Mashiro! Honestly! You child! I told you not to call me 'master' outside, and absolutely don't mention the manga drawing!" Eriri complained quietly to Mashiro.
" Eriri?" Mashiro tilted her small head.
"That's enough! It's not like we'll be in the same class anyway. It's just a situation where every member's status in the school's art club will decrease by one," Eriri said, covering her face with complicated feelings.
"Sawamura-san..."
"Sawako-sensei..."
The two, sharing the same plight, exchanged glances, both feeling a mutual expression of care and understanding. Their hearts suddenly warmed up.
Yes, even though there were many things in the world that they didn't understand, and many things they had to endure, as long as they didn't give up searching, they could still find one or two friends in life who could understand each other.
At this moment, they had to shake hands. Yes! This feeling, this emotion, could no longer be expressed in any other way but a handshake.
Sawako and Eriri looked at each other with deep emotion, at the rare understanding soul in this cruel reality, and simultaneously extended their hands toward each other.
"Sawako, I'm back," said the male teacher, Taki-sensei, who had gone around to check on the boys, as he returned and sat down in the seat next to Sawako.
"Ah! Darling, welcome back. Let me tell you..." Sawako instantly turned around, leaned in, and began to whisper confidentially to her fiancé in a saccharine voice.
"Eh..." Eriri, left hanging, froze there. Her hand, extended halfway, remained stiff in the air for a long time...
After a long while, the girl let out a self-mocking laugh. "Hmph... Women..."
In a situation with two women and one man, how could there still be friendship? It was either lesbian romance, behind-the-scenes manipulation, or the man happened to have a handsome brother, sister, or boyfriend.
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