To Love a Sword Chapter 51: Heartbreak Part 2 (Patreon)

Partially beta read by Paragon of Awesomeness

Aight chapter is here, took a while since I was also working on the Lemon for chapter 50. To avoid the issues chapter 88 of An Archer's Promise had, I'll add the lemon part as a Google docs. With more images from Jmspikey!

Next update is A Fake Familiar Reborn

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-Sainan-

“Hah… hah… hah…”

What a mess. 

That was the first thought that crossed the Memorze princess’ mind as she sprinted across the field, barely managing to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She did not stop until the sounds of the others had faded behind her and the trees of the forest surrounded her. Ren's voice followed through their mental connection, unable to understand why she had suddenly abandoned the group.

‘Run! What's going on? Why are you running? We were having a great time back there!’

No answer came at first. Her feet carried her deeper into the forest until a protruding branch caught her foot. Run stumbled and went down face-first, landing hard against the ground. She pushed herself back up, brushing dirt from her clothes as Ren tried again.

‘Just what happened?’

"It was supposed to be my time to show off. I was supposed to get to spend more time with him, but once again, someone else stole the limelight from me." The frustration in her voice broke through, even though she still fought to keep herself from crying.

‘You're being too dramatic. What did you expect, bringing someone like Kyoko around? She's a superstar, for crying out loud!’

A small chuckle escaped her. It almost felt funny hearing Ren of all people make a sensible argument. Usually, she was the one giving him lectures whenever his emotions got the better of him. 

"Do you… think I'm good enough?"

‘Of course you're good enough.’

"It doesn't feel like it."

The answer left her quiet for a moment before she continued walking. Trees gradually gave way to the sound of flowing water, and soon she found herself standing beside a river, staring down at the current. Ren's next words came through with considerably more thought behind them.

"Maybe that's because you're trying to get the wrong kind of attention. Aniki would probably be more than happy to spend time with you if you stopped trying to make him fall in love with you at first sight with some ridiculous plan."

Run's eyes narrowed at her brother's strangely mature response. "Has becoming a man really changed you? If that's the case, does that mean you've finally decided to stop pursuing Lala because she's in love with Emiya?"

‘Of course not! I'm almost there! Soon I'll become a true man like Emiya, and then we'll have a proper one-on-one competition to decide which of us deserves Lala!’

Pa!

Her hand went to her forehead. For one brief, foolish moment, she had actually believed he might have changed. Apparently, becoming a man had done absolutely nothing to improve his common sense. "Never mind, it’s my fault asking you that question. They must really think I'm a crybaby now, running off like that. How am I even supposed to explain this when I go back?"

‘You could just tell them you had to use the bathroom and couldn't wait.’

Run's entire face turned red. "That's embarrassing!" She exclaimed; if that were to happen, then best to not show her face again! But then again, it sure did beat just not returning and making others think that she left them.

‘Why am I being so impulsive?’ 

Had the frustration from her prior failed attempts gotten too overbearing? That… perhaps? This was the only explanation she came up with that made sense. 

“Hah… hah… hah…” 

Her harsh breathing continued, the air around her starting to feel much warmer to her skin. Sweat covered the young girl's skin, and a subtle ache began to build — followed by a mild headache. “Was my stamina always this bad? I didn't even run that far away.” 

‘Humph, you barely exercise, Run. The heaviest object you've picked up is a cup of tea.’ 

“Oh shut it, we share the same body; you exercising should be enough. Also, who do you think is keeping our skin this supple and devoid of any blemish!? You wouldn't be seen as a pretty boy if I wasn't doing skincare daily!” 

‘I-I do take care of myself!’ Ren tried to argue back, though it sounded pretty weak, and she knew her brother knew the truth himself but was just being far too complicated for no reason. ‘A-Anyways, just go back to the group. It's not normal that you're already sweating so much. Must be something you drank before.’

She doubted it, having only taken water this morning and munched on the same snacks she always had. 

"What are you thinking about?"

“Wah!”

An unfamiliar voice came from directly behind her. Having not sensed anyone nearby, Run reacted out of pure instinct and spun around, losing her balance in the process. “Ah!” One foot slipped across the slippery rock, toward the river, sending her body forward, but a hand caught hers before she could fall. Her face ended up dangerously close to the surface before the red-haired girl holding her arm pulled her back to safety.

“Whoa!” 

With a single pull, she was saved, with her hand getting grabbed at the last second, and both knees buckled under the high emotions of the moment. A sense of relief washed over her the moment she felt the ground underneath.

"Careful. It's dangerous around here."

Eh?

The moment her eyes landed on this savior, several thoughts came forth.

Something about the face looked familiar. Redhead, hair tied in a long braided ponytail and stretched almost all the way to the ground, and a pair of dark blue eyes staring right back at her. Run straightened herself and studied the woman for several seconds before recognition surfaced at last. "You're that girl from school! I remember seeing you hanging around Emiya, but then you suddenly disappeared for some reason."

Mea burst into laughter. "Is that it? Don't you remember me from somewhere else? Ah, I suppose getting controlled also messes with your memories."

The last part came quietly enough that Run only caught fragments. "What did you say?"

"Nothing." Mea waved the question away, her expression shifting into an exaggeratedly wounded look. "I'm just sad that you forgot me."

That triggered another memory. Run's eyes widened as the image of a certain ghost girl from the clinic came back to her, and she snapped her fingers before pointing directly at the redhead. "You're that girl from before! I met you at the clinic!"

"Ping pong! You got it!"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't forget you on purpose. My mind hasn't exactly been in the best condition lately; I'm usually not someone who forgets people."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm used to being forgotten."

That response somehow made Run feel even worse. She looked at Mea with concern before glancing around at the surrounding trees. "What are you doing here? Did you come to enjoy the sakura blossoms too?" The question carried genuine confusion because this area had been reserved for their group under the excuse of a film shoot.

"Oh, I just snuck in. Nobody's going to find me, so it doesn't really matter."

"Then why haven't you been coming to school? We could hang out more often. You, me, and Shizu could spend some time together."

"It's complicated." Mea scratched the side of her head, looking slightly uncomfortable with the subject. "I messed up a little and got into an argument with someone. Maybe I'll come back someday, but I don't think I'd exactly be welcome here anymore."

"You're joking, right? Of course you'd be welcome! Even if nobody else welcomed you back, I would. My brother would too."

‘I never agreed to that!’

The protest came through their mental connection so quickly that Run instinctively brought a hand to her mouth. "Shut up!"

Mea stared at her, clearly confused by the sudden outburst. Run quickly turned her attention back to the redhead, refusing to let the awkward interruption derail the conversation. "Whoever you got into an argument with, I can help you out!”

Mea's face lit up at once, and she wrapped both arms tightly around Run. "Really!? Wow, you're so nice!"

The praise brought a little pride to the shapeshifter, who lifted her chin and raised her nose with a smug little smile. "Don't underestimate my ability to smooth things out. With my charms and beauty, I can smooth out anything between anyone!"

As expected, Ren's voice came from somewhere inside her thoughts.

‘As if.’

Run's smile twitched. She made a mental note to punish him severely once they returned home. That smug little attitude of his had become far too annoying lately, and she certainly wasn't going to let this one slide.

A faint change in Mea's expression soon caught her attention. The girl's eyes briefly lost their brightness before she looked away, her earlier enthusiasm fading. Run tilted her head, studying her. "What's the matter? You don't believe me?"

"It's not that simple." Mea glanced back toward her. "Besides, you looked pretty down yourself. How can you help me when you're dealing with something like that?"

Embarrassment crept across Run's face, prompting her to shake her head quickly. "Oh, that was just a moment of weakness. I never stay down for long."

"What were you even sad about?"

"It's nothing big." Her smile became a little more strained. "I was trying to get someone's attention, but with so many people around him constantly demanding it, I don't think he'll ever look at me that way. Lately, I've started wondering if I'm wasting all this effort for nothing."

"Oh, that's quite sad." Mea's expression softened, though only for a moment before confidence returned to her features. "Still, I know that can't be the case. You’re beautiful, and you seem pretty intelligent too."

A chuckle escaped her. "Thank you. But there are plenty of people around him who are just as beautiful and just as intelligent, if not more so. There's nothing particularly special about me that would make me stand out in a crowd like that one."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Mea tilted her head. "But if that's the case, then just get rid of the competition. If there is no one to compete against, then you'll naturally win!"

Both siblings froze.

The wording could have meant something far different than whatever the girl intended, and for a moment she wondered if she had simply misunderstood. Surely… surely she couldn't be suggesting something like that, right? 

"Um, n-no, I couldn't do that — uh… I'm not even sure how I would even distract them. All of those girls are good people, and I wouldn't want to ruin friendships just because of my own feelings."

“Distract? Ah, I see.” Mea sighed, apparently realizing how her words had been interpreted. "If you want to take it that way, then so be it. I meant something else."

“…”

Another shiver ran through Run as Ren's voice suddenly sounded inside her head, his tone far more serious than before.

‘There's something wrong about this girl. She looks familiar. Not like someone we met with Shizu, either. I feel like we've seen her very recently.’

Run subtly shook her head, trying to dismiss the uneasy feeling while keeping her attention on the girl in front of her. "If you don't mind me asking, w-what kind of trouble did you have with this person?"

"Well…" Mea's expression turned strangely casual considering what she was about to reveal. "It's really a long story; it may look like I tried to kill him at times. I even let his family nearly get hurt. I'm afraid that when we meet again, he'll definitely try to kill me for real as soon as he sees me."

Run's expression tightened.

"And I don't want to have to kill him. Granted, it would be hard to do so. Emiya is too nice a person to kill. But he'll definitely try to kill me, and I don't want to die. Can you please help me get on his good side? Is this what they meant it would feel like when a sibling messes up?" 

That answer changed everything. 

Her instincts urged her to become cautious, because nothing about the girl standing before her felt like a normal human anymore. Ren seemed to reach the same conclusion.

"...Who are you?"

If it weren't for her growing migraine and dizziness, her next actions would have been to just get the hell away from here. Furthermore, that damned brother of hers wanted her to switch bodies at that moment. Then again, unlike herself, he could run faster if things turned ugly and would have a better chance of fighting back.

Before Run could act, however, Mea tilted her head.

"Are you talking to the person inside your head?"

“—!?”

Every muscle in her body locked up in terror. 

There was only one reason someone could know that, and the likelihood of her being a normal human went down the drain.

Mea leaned closer, studying her face before slowly walking around her. The scrutiny made Run increasingly uncomfortable, yet she couldn't bring herself to move. Something about the girl's presence kept her rooted in place.

"How does the Memorze body-sharing trait work, exactly? I've always been curious about your ability to change from one person into another. It's different from simple body morphing, isn't it?"

Her throat tightened, the air around her beginning to feel cold. Was that a threat? 

The way the redhead looked at her when saying that looked so innocent that it felt like she genuinely was curious.

"If I cut you into two, would I find your brother inside? That seems a bit disgusting."

Mea's hand transformed before her eyes, the fingers extending into a blade that ran across her forearm, one large enough that Run's pale complexion reflected off of its shiny surface.

‘Get away from her, you idiot!’ Panic took hold. Run's face drained of color as sweat began forming across her forehead. Ren's voice rang through her mind. ‘Switch with me!’

She couldn't.

Her body refused to respond. The blade rose, and for a terrifying instant, Run could only stare at it. Just before it came down, however, the attack suddenly changed direction.

Clang!

The blade swept sideways, knocking away a sword flying toward her. The weapon spun off through the air as Mea jumped back, while a familiar auburn-haired figure landed between them.

"Emiya!"

Relief flooded through Run the moment she recognized him. The man turned his head toward her. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes."

His attention returned to the girl standing ahead of him. Mea crossed her arms, looking more annoyed than surprised.

"You finally came out. I find it rude to eavesdrop on us like that. I expected better from you, Onii-chan~!"

“Again with that nonsense when you know the truth.” 

“Hehehe, I can't help myself. Who wouldn’t want a big brother like you?”

Run's mind began piecing everything together. The strange familiarity she'd sensed earlier suddenly made far more sense.

"Is that Yami?"

"She's Yami's sister. Mea.”

Run watched the red-haired girl in front of her, trying to make sense of the familiarity that had been bothering her since the moment she noticed her. The longer she studied her, the harder it became to make sense of it all. At least there were some similarities; the hair transformation matched, certainly, but that alone meant little, just like Yami's. The realization hit her all at once, and her eyes widened slightly as the pieces connected.

This was a tricky situation.

"Are you here to cause trouble?" Emiya asked flatly, his attention fixed entirely on the person ahead. There were plenty of scenarios that went through his mind from the earlier interaction between these two, yet he never imagined Mea would attempt to attack Run of all people. 

Then again, it turned out to be a ruse to draw him out. A bold one; he had to give her that, but it did not win any points in his mind. On the other side, Mea shook her head, a small, almost playful smile forming on her lips. 

"No, I came to see you. Whether there's trouble depends entirely on you."

"Those words don't exactly inspire confidence. Or trust."

"Why do you doubt me so much?" A slight pout entered her voice as she tilted her head. "Let me tell you right now, in case you’re misunderstanding something, I wasn't sent here by Master. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Your actions speak louder than your words, and they haven't exactly painted you as an ally." His gaze remained fixed on her, leaving little room for misunderstanding. "I don't need you to tell me a direct lie before deciding not to trust you." His attention shifted toward Run. "Go back to the others. I'll handle this."

"No way!" Much to his dismay, she protested and stepped forward immediately, refusing to back down. "If this Mea is dangerous, then I should help!"

As he was trying to ponder what to do next, Ren just encouraged that behavior.

'Good choice, sis!' His voice suddenly rang through her mind with far more enthusiasm than the situation deserved. 'Now switch with me! I can fight beside him! I can show Aniki everything I've learned and how much I've improved!'

“Shut up and stay quiet! I will handle this.” Run kept her voice firm. “You're not the only one who can fight, you know?”

'You don't even know how to fight!'

“I know the basic training given by the imperial teacher.”

'You always skipped those lessons!'

…

The former Servant of the Bow watched as the mental exchange continued between both siblings. While he could not hear what Ren was saying, he had a good idea from hearing his sister’s replies. Mea also observed the situation with open curiosity, clearly noticing something unusual about the girl's behavior. Rather than question it, the redhead raised both hands, and the blade morphed into strands around her body, dissolving back into their normal, soft appearance. "See? I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Then what are you really doing here?" His guard remained exactly where it had been, his expression giving her no indication that the display had convinced him.

A sigh escaped her as she lowered her arms. "I actually disobeyed my master. I came here on my own, against her will."

"Why?" 

For a moment, Mea tilted her head and looked away, as though genuinely trying to find an answer rather than simply choosing one. "I don't know. I'm not sure myself." Her gaze eventually returned to Emiya, and the playful expression from earlier had faded. "I guess I was curious to know… Do you hate me? For not helping you that day against Azenda?"

"No, I don't hate you." He answered honestly, for there was no hatred in him towards this girl, although it carried none of the reassurance she might have hoped for. "It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed, though. But you made your choice that day."

Whatever playful attitude she had maintained until then disappeared, replaced by genuine sadness. "I… didn't really have a choice."

So she said, but that answer was not good enough. He understood that Nemesis had a good hold on Mea in some way. The latter depended on her, and they had this strange master/student/family dynamic going on as far as he could tell. Whether or not Nemesis also saw Mea in that light remained another matter entirely. 

"That doesn't seem to be the case now. Just a moment ago, you had the choice to come here and see me, apparently against your master's wishes. So what changed?"

She flinched as the contradiction caught up with her. Her foot nudged a loose rock across the ground, sending it skittering away while she tried to hide the frustration building beneath her expression. "I had a… an argument with her. Things are going to get very messy very soon. You know that, right?"

Of course they were; Azenda could not have been her end goal, merely a distraction. With Yami having transformed, he figured it would have emboldened that woman to act even more boldly rather than convincing her to back off. 

The girl behind him became more disturbed. "Ar-Are Nemesis and you sending more assassins after him?"

“I didn't call any assassins." Mea shook her head. "Master only gave Azenda the location of Yami Onee-sama. But there are still hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who could come after you, especially with the bounty on his head."

"Emiya has a bounty?!" The revelation left Run staring at him in disbelief. “Did you know this?” 

“I already suspected it. It's to be given when you think about it. I'm known across the galaxy as the top candidate to marry the eldest daughter of Emperor Gid Lucione Deviluke. Why wouldn't I have a bounty? In fact, I would have been quite stunned if no one put a price on my head, not to mention I killed Lacospo; so some people have even more reason to put a hit on me."

“Our parents! Did they know about this?” Run exclaimed and immediately turned toward Ren inside herself. “Why weren't we ever informed? Can we do something about it?”

'Maybe? We haven't really kept in contact with Mom and Dad. They also don't know that we are friends with Aniki.' His confidence faltered. 'We uh… we could offer him protection while he's on our planet and have the galaxy family recognize him as a guest of Memorzean royalty. But it's not like he's a criminal. The bounty probably comes from the underworld network. No matter how many planets offer him sanctuary, that won't stop assassins from coming after him if they think they can collect the money.'

As their worry began to grow, even Emiya took notice. "Don't worry about it." His voice managed to pull the young girl through the rising panic in her thoughts. "It's pointless and unnecessary."

Run was at a loss, most likely wondering how he could dismiss something that sounded so serious. "But..."

"I've been doing rather well so far, haven't I?" A confident smirk appeared on his face, as though the existence of a bounty hardly deserved concern. “Besides, I doubt the bounty is anything recent; it must have been around for quite a while, and things haven't really changed that much. I reckon even you, as a princess, have a bounty put on you by some shady people.”

He figured alien monarchy wouldn’t be all that different from those found on Earth. Royalty being targets of kidnapping or assassinations would not exactly be a novel concept given everything he’d learned from Lala and Momo.

"You could at least thank me for giving you this information." Mea folded her arms, annoyed by his lack of appreciation. 

"It's not exactly anything that I wasn’t already well aware of. I still don't know what Nemesis has planned, and for all I know, this could be another one of her tricks to distract me."

"Argh! You're so frustrating!" Mea stomped her foot, both hands clenching into fists as a pair of white feathered wings similar to that of Yami spread from her back. "Never mind! It was a mistake coming here!"

With that, she turned toward the sky and prepared to launch herself into the air. 

However, he could not let that happen. Before she could take off, a flash of silver shot past her. An arrow struck the trunk of a large tree directly in front of her, the projectile sinking into the bark with enough force to pin her sleeve against it. The sudden movement brought her flight to an abrupt halt, leaving her staring at the arrow before slowly turning her head back toward him.

"You want to fight me?" She asked curiously.

"No." With his bow dispersing into motes of light, he traced Kanshou in his left hand and gave her a small smile. "I'm just preventing you from leaving. I still don't want to fight you.”

The answer caught both Run and Mea off guard. Even the latter frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Because, as I said earlier, I don't really trust you that much. I'd be a fool to let someone who could potentially hurt my family or drag them into trouble simply walk away. But when it comes to you, I won't use force. I'll give you the option to surrender."

Run immediately moved to his side, lowering her voice. "Are you sure about this?"

A nod followed before his attention returned to her. "You should be running far away from here and going back to the group." Before she could respond, another thought clearly crossed his mind. "Let me guess. Ren is begging you to join the fight or switch with him?"

“...Yes.” Looking away bashfully, the girl answered without even attempting to lie her way out. “He can be annoying at times. But you can still trust our abilities. I know I haven't shown much, but Ren is no slouch!” 

'How did he know?' Ren's voice rang through her mind, sounding almost as stunned as she felt. 'Can Aniki read minds?'

"It's not that I don't trust your ability." His expression softened slightly as he looked down at her. "I just don't want to take unnecessary risks. I don't want anything happening to either of you. I need you to inform the others and get them away from here in case things get messy." A hand settled on her shoulder, followed by a gentle squeeze. "Can I trust you with this?"

That proved to be enough. "Yes, of course!"

With that said, she turned around and left the area. 

Mea watched the entire exchange without interrupting. Once the conversation ended, her attention returned to him. 

Under different circumstances, perhaps he might have allowed her to leave. After what happened with Azenda, however, taking that kind of risk felt nonsensical. Even so, Mea didn't strike him as genuinely evil, nor did she appear to have come here intending to hurt him or anyone else. The problem lay with her relationship with Nemesis; if he could deprive the latter of using Mea, then it was worth the effort. Her actions weren't always entirely her own, and in that sense, Nemesis still held a degree of control over her. Even if she truly had gone against her master's wishes this time, there remained no guarantee that she would do the same again. This could simply be a single moment of defiance, nothing more than a fleeting decision that might never happen again.

Without intervention, at least.

The longer Emiya considered it, the more obvious Mea's annoyance became. "You can't keep me here." 

"Who's to say I can't?" His expression barely changed. "As long as you don't teleport away, I'm quite confident in my skills. And I doubt you have that ability. As far as I can tell, only Nemesis and Yami's Darkness form have shown such capabilities."

Determination became engraved on her face. "I won't surrender."

Just as he had predicted. He shook his head, and the air around him shimmered as dozens of blades materialized in midair. Every one of them pointed toward the girl before shooting forward at his command.

Whoosh!

She reacted immediately, beating her wings and launching herself upward while twisting through the incoming projectiles. 

‘She’s quite agile.’ 

Despite the short distance between them and the speed of his swords, her body weaved between the flying weapons with quick turns, allowing the blades to pass harmlessly around her as she climbed higher. Once she reached a safe distance, her hair began to transform and turn into several blades.

"Do you really want to fight against me?"

"It all depends on you."  

With another mental command, several weapons from within his Reality Marble materialized around him. ‘Best if I avoid using my bow; she'll just close the distance, and I'm not trying to kill her. If her hair is similar to Yami's in terms of durability, regular constructs won't cut through it instantly. I'll have to corner her first and pin her down, or tire her out first. Yeah, let's go with that.” 

The second volley flew ahead, this time firing in a wider area rather than fully focusing on his target’s current location. This cut her off from whatever path she tried to take and forced her to keep moving around as much as possible. 

Rather than evade, Mea swung her arms across her body. Both hands and her braided ponytail transformed into metallic blades just before the swords reached her, knocking the projectiles aside with a bright clang. "I may not be as strong as Master or have the same abilities as she does, but I'm in no way weak!"

Clang!

More projectiles followed. Once again, the transformed blade met them head-on, each impact producing another metallic sound as the projectiles were deflected away. The barrage forced her to keep moving, yet the girl refused to simply remain in place and defend herself. Turning her body, she began flying away while increasing the distance between them. 

“—!”

Only for several greatswords as big as an adult human to materialize above her head. All of them were then sent plunging down with enough speed to create a miniature crater upon crashing into the ground. 

Bang!

While she did manage to evade most of them, he took the opportunity to aim for her wings and succeeded by piercing the left one. Leaving a large hole in the middle, momentarily rendering her unstable in the air until she repaired the damage. 

‘High-speed regeneration too, huh. Not surprising, but hers is even faster than Yami's. But combat-wise she falls a bit short, though I can't judge since she is taking a defensive approach.’ 

Mea glanced down, showing no signs of pain from the earlier wound. "Were you aiming to kill me rather than capture me?"

No answer came. He simply summoned more weapons again, another group of swords forming before he shot them toward her.

This time, Mea didn't bother evading, not because she chose to face them head on like he expected. But rather due to something else shooting upwards from the ground and wrapping around her ankle. Looking down, a thick green vine twisted around her ankle and tightened with every attempt to pull away. Tracing down the line, both gazed at a light green-haired child waddling into the scene.

“Mau!” 

She waved at him with a giant smile on her face.

"Celine?"

As he wondered how the girl even managed to find him, the vines suddenly yanked downward.

Mea fought against the vines, beating her wings with enough force to lift herself slightly, but the restraints refused to give, and her own blades were too busy deflecting Emiya’s projectiles to sever them. 

“Mau!” Celine merely moved her arm downward in a pulling motion, and the vines responded immediately, dragging their captive back toward the ground. Mea crashed into the earth with considerable force, sending dirt and leaves scattering around her as her body rolled from the impact.

Emiya moved closer while Mea struggled to recover from the sudden fall. At the edge of the clearing, Celine looked toward him with a wide smile and enthusiastically waved both hands before running straight over. 

"What are you doing here?"

The little girl reached him moments later, laughing as she pressed herself against his side and rubbed her head against him affectionately.

“Hehehe, Mau!” 

“You got bored?” 

“Mau!” She nodded.

For some reason, he found it hard to believe her. Especially with Kyouko being one of the guests, but then again, why would Celine of all people lie? “Hm?” 

“Mau!” She pulled his collar with her tiny hand while the other kept pointing towards another direction. Her expression looked more worried than anything else. 

“Is something over there?” 

She nodded.

Not willing to dismiss this, he followed the path. And not long after, he realized why she was this worried. Not far off, he found a figure lying on the ground, eyes half closed as she gasped for air. “Run!” 

Damn it, had she gotten attacked? 

“—!” 

A chill crept up his spine; with Kanshou in hand, he turned around just in time to cut through a boulder sent flying towards him. Both halves hurtled past him without harming anyone. 

“Huh? A distraction…” 

In the distance, he looked toward the spot where Mea had crashed due to Celine's intervention, but her silhouette had already disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than a fading dot in the air. 

A choked gasp from behind him drew his attention back just as quickly. "Run!" The worry in his voice replaced every thought of the fleeing girl as he rushed toward the person beside him. Having dropped onto her hands and knees, her entire body trembling violently as short, ragged breaths escaped her. “Hey, Run, did you get hurt? What happened? Run!” 

No response came when he called her name, and the deep flush across her face, combined with the thin sheen of sweat covering her skin, made it obvious that something had gone terribly wrong.

“No injuries…” Checking every part of her body, no trace of blood or any kind of wound could be spotted. “Are you sick?” 

Kneeling beside her, he reached toward her shoulder to help her up, only to jerk his hand away the instant his fingers touched her skin. 

“Damn it.” 

She felt dangerously hot, far beyond anything he could associate with an ordinary fever. Whatever had happened earlier, the chase and the confrontation with Mea was now insignificant. Scooping the girl into his arms, he felt her limp body against his chest, alarmingly warm as he turned toward the direction of the others. 

“Em… iya… I feel…” 

“Don't talk, I got you. Save your energy.” 

Before he could take another step, Celine hopped onto his back and wrapped her small arms around his neck. The little girl scrambled over his shoulder and reached toward Run's forehead as she then frowned deeply.

"Do you know what's going on with her?" he asked, hoping the small girl might understand something he didn't.

“Mau…” A disappointed shake of the head answered him.

"It's okay, don't look so sad now. There’s really only one person who would know." With that conclusion, he took off at a sprint. 

This couldn't simply be an ordinary fever. Run might look human in both shape and appearance, but she remained an alien, and treating an unexplained condition as though it followed human biology could easily make things worse.

The group at the picnic spot had remained in high spirits until he returned. 

“Shirou? Where did you—what happened to Run!?” Mikan reacted first, her alarmed reaction making the prior cheerful atmosphere disappear. 

“I'm not sure myself what's going on, but Run is clearly sick. I'm taking her to see Ryouko." There was no time for an explanation, not when her condition continued deteriorating. “I'll explain everything later; for now, it would be best if you end the picnic here.” 

Lala hurried over, checking on her fellow alien princess and having a similar reaction to him as she touched her forehead. “Strange, I have never seen her in such a state.”

"Any idea on what this could be?”

"Sorry… I don’t have the slightest clue."

Emiya turned toward his siblings. "I won't be able to spend much time with you all, but I'll keep you informed." No further discussion followed as he turned and rushed away again. Magical energy poured into his legs; reinforcement pushed his speed higher while he cut through the trees and took whatever shortcuts he could find. His surroundings became little more than a blur as he raced toward the clinic.

.

.

.

The clinic came into view in a matter of moments. Emiya pounded on the door, and it swung open to reveal Oshizu. "Wah!” She screamed with fright, though instantly regained control as he gave her a dry stare. Ah, sorry… force of habit. What are you..." Her eyes dropped toward the girl in his arms. "Oh no, what happened?"

"She collapsed, and her temperature keeps rising. Is Ryouko here?" Emiya moved past her and into the clinic without wasting another second.

“Ah, y-yes, she's here. I'll call her. Mikado-sensei! W-We have an emergency!” Oshizu screamed, floating alongside him as they brought Run inside. 

“Ugh, can you keep it down? My head is killing me.” 

A door opened farther down the hall moments later, revealing the doctor herself, dressed in a silk nightgown; her hair was disheveled, and she had a sleeping mask pushed up onto her forehead. Dark bags hung beneath her eyes, and the sluggish movements of someone unwillingly dragged from deep sleep remained obvious until her gaze landed on Run. “Oh,” every trace of exhaustion disappeared. "Bring her here. Now. I have an overnight patient currently being treated below, and the clinic's beds are also occupied, so just put her on my bed "

“Got it.” 

The room looked nothing like the rest of the clinic. Messy would be one way to describe it, as well as pungent from the stench of dozens of different perfume bottles. 

“Is it really okay to have Run in here?” he mumbled while carefully placing Run onto an examination bed as Mikado moved to grab her tablet, fingers moving rapidly across the interface. Scanners activated one after another, bathing the unconscious girl in soft blue light while streams of information flashed across the device’s screen. 

As this was happening, he remained near the entrance with his arms crossed, watching in silence. ‘Could this have been Mea’s doing?’ As soon as that idea emerged, he dismissed the possibility once again. Not to mention, the redhead had no reason to target Run specifically after she’d successfully drawn him to her. 

After several minutes of watching the readings, he finally broke the quiet. "What could have happened?"

"I'm not finding anything unusual." The brunette answered, keeping her attention on the screen. "Her temperature keeps climbing, but it doesn't appear to be a fever. I can't find any foreign bacteria, fungi, virus, or disease either." A frustrated sigh escaped her as she scratched her head. "Tch. I'm not exactly in the best state of mind for this right now. My mind is struggling to even form a simple thought right now after pulling an all-nighter treating so many people." Her eyes shifted toward Run, who had begun whimpering softly. "Still, she doesn't seem to be in immediate danger from an external pathogen."

"Hard not to be concerned when her temperature is literally continuing to rise, and she looks like she's suffering."

"One moment." Ryouko raised a hand before walking over to a nearby bookshelf. She pulled down a thick medical text and began flipping through the pages, scanning one section after another until she finally found what she needed. Relief crossed her expression as the book closed in her hands. "Oh my… I see. Say, Emiya, how old is the girl again?"

How old? A strange question to ask, but he did not dismiss it.

"I'm not sure. Around my age or Lala's, maybe the better part of a year younger." He thought about it before adding, "The school could have put both brother and sister into pretty much any class despite their age. That perverted principal can be convinced to do anything if it’s a pretty face asking him, so I can't give you a definitive answer."

"I see." A knowing expression settled across Mikado's face. "Well, don't you worry. What Run — and Ren as well — are going through is completely normal for people of their species. Usually it should have lasted more than a minute; that part confuses me a bit. Did anything happen before you came here?"

“We had an encounter with Mea. I fought her briefly, and Run was nearby. She began to show symptoms around that time and fainted right after I told her to run away to the others.”

She listened attentively, taking several notes that he could not see. 

“Alright, I got the full picture. It must have been a fear of her own life being in danger that caused the delay. Or just moments of extreme emotions for both managed to stall for time, but that inadvertently made the fever-like symptoms far worse than they should have been.”

“What?” 

Emiya barely had time to process the statement. How could something that left Run burning with such a high temperature possibly count as normal? Before he could question her, a soft light began emanating from the unconscious girl. It started faintly, almost like a glow beneath her skin, before steadily growing brighter.

“Ryouko?”

“Ah, so it has begun. Don't worry, it's a good sign.” Mikado studied the phenomenon with a knowing smirk. "It's about time. Look after her, will you? I'll be back in a minute. I just need to step outside for a minute to grab a few tools." With that, she turned and left the laboratory, leaving him alone with the two girls.

Approaching the examination bed cautiously, Emiya watched as the light surrounding Run intensified. Soft white gradually turned into brilliant gold, forcing him to raise an arm to shield his eyes. 

“Hn!”

Through the gaps between his fingers, he could see Run's glowing silhouette begin to change. “Huh?” Her single form seemed to pull apart, dividing into two distinct figures as the light continued to flare around them. His eyes widened when the second figure solidified beside the original body, shorter hair and a more muscular build becoming visible as the transformation settled.

Then the face became recognizable.

The blinding glow faded, leaving the room exactly as it had been moments earlier, except for the two individuals lying side by side on the examination bed.

"Ren?" The name escaped Emiya before he could stop himself.

One of the figures stirred first. Ren's eyes slowly opened, and he pushed himself upright while taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. His gaze eventually landed on Emiya, and a huge grin spread across his face. "Aniki! You're safe! I wanted to help against Mea, but Run wouldn't let me switch!"

"Ren." Emiya raised a hand, still trying to process what he had witnessed. "Hey, what is going on? Did you just... split?" The word sounded absurd even as he repeated it. His gaze dropped toward the girl still lying unconscious on the bed, and his expression changed again. This hadn't been a switch. Ren now possessed a separate body, entirely independent from Run.

"Oh… hold on, i-it… it really happened!?" Ren stared down at his hands with disbelief, voice caught between awe and excitement. “What am I wearing!?” That joy only lasted for a mere second, the moment he noticed the black, villainous latex uniform covering his body. The same outfit Run had worn during her concert, and the realization sent a deep blush spreading across his face. 

Embarrassment quickly turned into outright mortification. "NO! This is not what it looks like!" He screamed before bolting past Emiya and out of the room, leaving him alone with Run still unconscious on the examination bed.

"What the hell?" Everything just kept happening so fast that he was having a hard time keeping up!

“Mmmn…” A soft groan drew his attention. Run's eyelids fluttered as she slowly returned to consciousness, her vision taking several seconds to settle on the figure standing over her. "Emiya?" The name came out weakly as she rubbed her eyes, still caught between sleep and awareness. "Oh, it's one of those dreams again. Please be gentle with me."

This girl…

The response earned nothing more than an irritated roll of his eyes and a flick to her forehead.

"Ouch!"

At least she was fine now to be saying such things.

"Get a hold of yourself. Unfortunately, this is reality."

That cut through the haze clouding her thoughts. Run blinked several times before pushing herself upright, looking around the unfamiliar room. "What are you doing in my room?"

"It's not your room. This is Ryouko’s room. You fell unconscious at the park, so I brought you here."

"Unconscious?" The word dragged her memories back into focus. Events from earlier came rushing through her mind, and she shot upright with a sudden burst of concern. "Oh no! Where is Mea?"

"Calm down. She escaped, but that's not important right now. More importantly, how are you feeling?" He reached over and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. A faint blush appeared across her cheeks from the contact, though his attention remained focused on her condition. After checking her for a moment, he relaxed slightly. "Your fever seems to have disappeared. Thankfully, you're handling this a lot better than Ren did."

"Ren?" Confusion returned to Run's face.

"You may find this hard to believe, but your body suddenly started glowing, and then you split into two separate people. One of them turned out to be your brother. What exactly is going on?"

“My body… separated… two people… ah,” She processed that for several seconds before a huge grin suddenly spread across her face. “Yes!” The girl threw herself off the bed and practically bounced on her feet. "It's finally happened! Now, I don't need to share my time with him anymore! I can do whatever I want!"

"Don't jump around."

Before she could protest, Emiya projected a large, dark cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. The covering made Run blink in surprise before she looked down and realized exactly why he had given it to her.

"Ren has the clothes on for some reason. Unfortunately, you didn't duplicate those."

“Hehehe… I forgot about that part.” A small laugh escaped her as she pulled the cloak tighter around her body. "Thank you." The smile remained as she looked down at herself, almost unable to believe what had happened. "I've actually reached adulthood."

"What?"

"At a certain age, people of my species don't remain together with their other half and continue sharing one body. Eventually, we split and gain bodies of our own. What I just went through, what we both went through, is basically that."

He had a feeling that either Lala or Run herself might have mentioned it to him in the past. 

"Interesting." Emiya rubbed his chin, considering the explanation. "So it's something similar to mitosis?"

"Kind of?" Run tilted her head, clearly unsure how else to describe it. "But it's not like I'm simply dividing myself and creating another copy. We're both different. Different in every way, shape, and form. We've become our own individual people."

The explanation only created more questions than answers. "Then how does it actually work? How does the second body even get created?" From a mage's perspective, the entire process sounded absurd. What he had witnessed looked almost like a form of the Third Magic combined with the creation of an entirely organic body from nothing. Yet Run hadn't become thinner or smaller after the process of creating another body, and Ren had emerged looking completely normal as well. "Is it some kind of magic?"

"Uh… I guess you can call it magic if you want? I'm not sure myself. I never paid much attention during biology class, and I doubt Ren remembers much either." Run shrugged beneath the cloak. "If you really want to know how it works, you should ask my parents."

Ryouko most definitely knew the details of such a phenomenon. Still, he stared at her for a moment before giving up on trying to make sense of it. Apparently, Lala’s people weren't the only absurd existence among these aliens. "Forget it. I'll just treat it as a normal thing, like every other absurd thing that's happened in my life."

"All right." A small giggle escaped her.

"It's still best for you to stay here for a while." Now knowing she was fine, relief flooded his being, and he gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Let Ryouko examine you properly and make sure there aren't any side effects. Once she's certain you're fine, you can leave. I'll let the others know what happened, and if you need anything, call me."

With that, he turned toward the door, already intending to contact everyone by phone. He had barely taken a step when Run suddenly called after him.

"Wait!"

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder, curious about what had changed her mind.

The princess looked flustered at first, uncertainty crossing her expression before determination slowly replaced it. "It's not every day that I get an opportunity where it's just the two of us. So... I want to talk to you about something important."

"Yes?"

She drew in a breath, gathering enough courage to ask what had clearly been bothering her. "Your engagement to Lala... that's not something you chose, right? It was practically forced upon you, and you have no choice but to follow through with it because if you don't, Gid Lucione will cause trouble for you?”

Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. This certainly wasn't the topic he had expected her to bring up. After considering her words for a moment, he gave a slight nod. "You can see it that way." He didn't add that he wasn't doing this solely because he had been forced into it. Part of his reason came from his promise to keep Lala from being married off to some random, power-hungry suitor, and he had no intention of abandoning that responsibility simply because another solution had appeared out of the blue.

The light green-haired girl took a deep breath, her hands tightening around the cloak. "I have a solution for your problem. One that won't have any bad side effects, your family will be completely safe, and you won't have to worry about Gid hunting you down."

That caught his full attention. "Oh? Really?" The skepticism in his voice made it clear that he didn't buy the offer so easily. It sounded far too convenient, and anything that solved this many problems at once deserved more scrutiny rather than immediate acceptance.

Seeing the doubt on his face, Run seemed to understand exactly what he was thinking. "You don't believe me. I understand that, but it's true!" She pointed toward herself, her expression becoming more serious. "I am also a princess of Planet Memorze; we can technically be seen as a smaller empire, which rules over several planets. It's true that we're much smaller than the Devilukeans and, in a way, their vassals, but we're still allies on paper."

Definitely more grandiose than the image he had in mind. Ruling over a single planet already sounded powerful enough, let alone several. Yet this still was considered quite weak with how she was describing it. "Where are you going with this, exactly?" He asked while crossing his arms, waiting for her to get to the point.

Another breath escaped her as she gathered herself. Her expression hardened with determination before she looked directly into his eyes. "I-I want you to ma—no, I mean to get engaged with me! To become my fiancé instead!"

“Huh?” 

The declaration… he was not prepared for it at all. For a moment, he simply stared at her, unable to process how quickly the conversation had escalated from discussing his problems with Gid to another marriage proposal.

Run instantly pressed forward before he could recover. "If that happens, Gid Lucione won't seek any trouble for you. In a way, you'd still be his ally, just married to a member of another allied species — so still under his rule as far as anyone is concerned. You could also move your family to my planet. They'd be treated no differently from royalty and integrated into the royal family. While Gid is quite eccentric, he's not some mindless tyrant who will simply attack his allies. He's only like that with his enemies. My family has been allied with him for thousands of years. That's not something he can simply destroy because his daughter's fiancé married someone else."

A good point, but one aspect still bothered him. "What about Lala? How does she benefit from this?"

"Once something like this happens, there's no way Gid would continue pushing the matter of the fiancé candidate. He'd have to put it on hold," She explained hastily. "I understand that it's only a temporary solution. It would buy her a lot of time until she reaches a point where she can oppose her father and make her own decisions. My people would support her completely, too. She'd have more influence and more room to push back against whatever decision her father tries to make."

"That last part sounds more like guesswork and a promise than a guaranteed outcome," he pointed out. 

"It may be, but it still works in your favor." She stepped closer, her determination refusing to fade. "I understand, Lala. She's a good person with a pure heart, but her actions have dragged you and many others into a lot of trouble. I also understand that you're a good person and want to look out for her, but you can't keep doing that forever. Lala at least owes you this much: the chance to make your own decision."

She definitely had a way with words, but there were just many flaws with her solutions.

Still, he did not rebuke her from the get-go. The man scratched the back of his head, trying to make sense of the proposal. "And how is this situation any different from what I have with Lala? I'm just changing my fiancée for another alien princess. You may have a good solution for keeping my family safe, but when it comes to choice, that still sounds like a false illusion."

“...”

Seeing her hesitation, he continued with a more somber tone. "What's really going on here? Why are you willing to go this far for me?"

Run's gaze dropped toward the floor. Her hands tightened around the cloak before the answer finally came in a quiet voice. "Because… I love you."

.

.

.

That was… unexpected. 

The words left him standing there without an immediate response. Nothing about the confession had entered his prior guess, and certainly not after everything they had been discussing.

“I've had feelings for you for quite a while, but I never got the chance to express them because something always kept getting in our way," Run continued, her voice softening considerably. All of that prior strength and enthusiasm was completely gone and replaced by shyness that did not mesh well with the personality he knew. "I kept trying to find ways to make you happy without inconveniencing you. The date we had last time didn't work out because of the interruption, and every time after that, someone else ended up getting between us."

"You love me?" Emiya repeated, still trying to reconcile the confession with everything that had happened between them. Or rather the lack of it. "Why?"

A small, sad smile touched her lips. "Because you're a kind person." She raised her eyes to meet his. "I'll admit that, in the beginning, I mostly approached you because I wanted to get one over on Lala. I won't deny that. But slowly, I started seeing you as more than just Lala's fiancé. I observed you from afar and realized there was more to you than some powerful and strange human who could use magic for some reason. I saw you go out of your way and risk your life to help others, even while constantly calling them troublesome and annoying. I saw someone who cared about his siblings, someone who wasn't ruled by a corrupted heart."

She drew another breath before continuing. "You're also someone who improved my brother's personality. My brother is kind too, but he'd become a little arrogant before we arrived on Earth because of his pursuit of Lala. You didn't just put him in his place. You made him a better person. I'm grateful to you for that as well."

Her fingers nervously played with the edge of the cloak while she waited for his response. The determination she'd shown moments earlier had given way to uncertainty, leaving her watching him with a mixture of hope and anxiety.

“I will be honest, this is a lot to unpack.” Emiya let out a deep sigh. "I admit that I didn't see this coming." His voice remained dry as he continued. 

Part of him wanted to avoid saying this, but he also faced the understanding that a firm stance needed to be taken in order to avoid a bigger mess.

"And unfortunately, I'm going to decline the offer."

Run's expression fell, surprise replacing the confidence she'd carried throughout the conversation. Her hands tightened, and he could see some shaking.

As he feared, this would not end well.

"...Why?”

"It's not that your ideas are bad." Best to start from there; he owed her that much. "It's just that there are too many holes in your plan, and much of it sounds far too optimistic to be realistic. I'm happy, and honestly glad, that you planned this far ahead, but it isn't going to help me as much as you believe it will." He let the explanation settle before continuing. "I may not know the intricate workings of political matters between alien kingdoms, but I'm not blind enough to lack a basic understanding of how these things work."

“...”

His gaze settled directly on Run. "There's one thing I think is most important for you to hear. I don't love you."

“Ah…”

The words hit Run with the force of a physical blow. Whatever hope had brightened her eyes disappeared almost instantly, replaced by moisture that gathered along her lashes. Her fingers tightened around the cloak he had given her until her knuckles turned white. 

‘Hah,’ he felt a pang of guilt at the sight. Hurting her had never been his intention, but giving her false hope would only make things worse.

"Listen," he continued, softening his tone. "What we have between us can, at best, be described as friendship. Maybe even acquaintances at worst, but I don't see it that way. I know you're a good person, and you're not someone who would lie just to get what you want. If you make those promises, I believe you'd genuinely try to keep them. But I still have to decline. I don't see you that way. Going along with this plan would be unfair, not only to Lala and me, but to everyone else involved. More importantly, it would be unfair to you. Being married or engaged to someone who doesn't love you isn't something you should accept." He hesitated briefly before adding, "Honestly, I think your feelings toward me are closer to a crush than genuine love."

Run's voice barely carried across the room. "Does that mean... you love Lala?"

Emiya scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable with the question. "I won't deny that we've been getting closer. I can't describe our relationship with the same words I used in the past. Lala has become a rather constant and important presence in my life. Maybe... there is something there." He shook his head, as though trying to organize his own thoughts, while the girl across from him offered no response. "I'm sorry. You can find someone hundreds of times better than me. You're a princess, after all. There are people who could offer you far more than a regular human who can do a few magic tricks."

“...”

She gave him no answer.

With that, he turned toward the door and left. Run remained inside, quiet and motionless, while the door closed behind him. A headache had already begun forming as he stepped outside, complicated emotions churning through his mind while he wondered how things had managed to become this troublesome. Even so, one thing remained clear. Declining her offer had been the right decision. He couldn't simply accept something so important because it happened to solve several of his problems.

Ryouko stood outside waiting for him, now fully dressed and looking like her usual self. Her makeup had been done, her hair neatly combed, and none of the drowsiness from earlier remained. Emiya walked farther outside the house with her following behind before settling against the wooden railing of the porch.

"You heard anything?"

"The walls in my room are pretty thin.”

A nod followed. "Do you believe I handled it properly or made the right decision?"

“What's the point of asking when you already know the answer?” The nurse gave a slight shake of her head. "Besides, that's not my choice to make. I have no right to make a decision for you."

He nodded again, his gaze returning toward the house. "Should I stay behind to make sure Run is alright?"

The answer came in the form of a gentle karate chop to the back of his head.

“Ouch!”

"If you remained here, it would be the worst thing for Run, idiot."

“Heh, I think this is the second time you called me that.” Rubbing the spot she had struck, Emiya winced but did not deny her words. "I suppose you're right."

"Go back and tell the others she's fine. Try to find Ren and figure out where he ran off to. I'll have to check on him too. As for Run, leave her here. What she needs most right now is someone she can lean on after getting her heart crushed."

"You didn't have to put it like that," Emiya muttered, still rubbing the back of his head.

"But it's the truth."

He pushed away from the railing and began walking, lifting a hand in farewell. "I'll leave Run in your capable hands. Look after her."

"Of course. It's my job. I'm not a psychiatrist, though, so the result may not be perfect."

“I trust you.” Yet, before he could get far, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. One of the windows had its curtains slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of white hair behind them watching him.

Emiya hesitated for a moment but decided against trying to get her attention or waving back. He had already done enough damage to the girl for one day.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, he continued down the path. A deep sigh escaped him as he muttered to himself, "She'll get over it." His gaze lifted toward the setting sun, his expression still troubled by everything that had happened. 

"I really can't have a relaxing day even once, huh?”

I'll also post the link here for the lemon in chapter 50 for convenience.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eviine5ILyhqk9TrsYuJaVW9CPSBK3FWRSUSkf3bJlc/edit?usp=drivesdk