Mo-chan: Special Relaxation? / Mashu's Straightforward Attack / Action Again

"Eeeeh?!" Mashu completely didn't expect Mordred to appear in front of her at this moment.

She was so startled that she staggered backward a few steps and fell directly to the ground.

Fortunately, after experiencing Singularity F, Mashu was no longer the timid girl who would freeze up completely when startled.

She got up, patted the dust off her body.

"What's wrong, Mordred?" Mashu asked, her voice a little unsteady.

"Mashu!" Mordred said, very angry. "I didn't expect that even at a time like this, you'd still be playing dumb!" she exclaimed, her green eyes flashing with annoyance.

"I was wrong about you! You bad woman!" she accused, pointing a finger at Mashu.

This was the first time she had been directly called a bad woman, and Mashu didn't quite understand what was happening.

"Mordred, why am I a bad woman?" Mashu asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"Aaaah! Don't play innocent anymore!" Mordred placed one hand on her hip, looking very imposing.

Her other hand pointed into the distance.

"A little further ahead, at the top of those stairs, you were kneeling in front of my Father... Master, weren't you?!" she demanded, her voice rising.

"What exactly were you doing there?!" she inquired, her gaze sharp.

"Eh—?!" Even if she was a bit slow on the uptake, Mashu understood what was going on now—Mordred had witnessed the entire conversation she had just had with Ian!

The pink-haired girl's cheeks immediately turned red with embarrassment.

"Well, um..." she stammered, her gaze shifting nervously.

"Could we go somewhere else and then talk about this kind of thing?!" she suggested, her voice barely above a whisper.

"If anyone outside hears us, Senpai's reputation will be damaged!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry.

"..."

Although very angry, Mordred didn't forget her identity because of this anger.

Ian was her Master, and also her father.

She should indeed protect his reputation.

"Then, where should we talk?" Mordred asked, her arms crossed.

"Please come to my room!" Mashu offered, her voice polite.

"Fine," Mordred agreed immediately. "I want to see what kind of things you can say when we change locations!" she declared, her tone challenging.

Following Mashu's lead, Mordred went with her to the designated room.

They saw a sign with the number 001 hanging on the door, and at first glance, it didn't look much different from Ian's room.

However, Mordred was taken aback when she actually went inside.

This wasn't because she felt scared inside, having come to the other person's "home turf."

It was because...

The room where Mashu lived was too "clean."

White walls, a white floor, a white ceiling.

In this white expanse, there was also a snow-white bed, with snow-white blankets and snow-white pillows.

Although she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, Mordred felt uncomfortable all over, as if she were in prison.

"Um..." Seeing Mordred's furrowed brow, Mashu asked with some concern.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, her voice soft.

"Is there something wrong with my room?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"..."

Was she asking even though she knew the answer?!

Mordred suddenly snapped out of it.

"No, nothing at all!" she declared, her voice a little too loud.

"Your room is very normal, there's absolutely no problem," she insisted, her gaze sharp.

"Alright," Mordred plopped down onto Mashu's bed, then glared at the other girl and spoke.

"I came to your room as you asked, and now you should tell me what you were doing with my Master just now, right?" she demanded, her arms crossed.

"..."

Mashu's expression remained incredibly shy.

However, at this moment, she seemed to have a bit more firmness than before.

The pink-haired girl sat down beside Mordred and said sincerely and cautiously:

"Mordred."

"What I was doing just now... was helping Senpai relax," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Mashu revealed everything, her embarrassment making her restless, and her fingers couldn't stop fidgeting with her blanket.

But Mordred looked at her with a puzzled gaze at this moment.

"What kind of relaxation is that?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Eh?!" Mashu was taken aback.

She completely didn't expect Mordred, who looked to be around her age, to not understand at all what she meant by relaxation.

The pink-haired girl suddenly didn't know what to do.

"Well... um..." Mashu stammered, her cheeks flushing.

Mashu's hesitant state made Mordred even more suspicious.

"Mashu, are you trying to fool me with something I don't even know about?" she asked, her gaze sharp.

"Not at all!" Mashu quickly shook her head in denial.

"Then explain it to me clearly!" Mordred demanded, her voice filled with impatience.

"..."

Mashu never dreamed that one day she would have to explain that kind of relaxation to another girl.

She was incredibly embarrassed, but she couldn't directly refuse to explain.

"Well, say something!" Mordred said, becoming a little agitated.

"Whatever it is, it is, didn't we agree that once we got to your room, you'd tell me everything?" she insisted, her eyes narrowed.

"..."

"Then—" Mashu's throat moved slightly.

"This is how it is," she began, her voice barely audible.

Over the next few minutes, Mashu explained to Mordred what special relaxation was, using her own somewhat incomplete memory (referring to what Ian usually taught).

The latter's expression changed from anger to confusion, and finally to complete shock.

"This... this!" Mordred's entire face turned red.

"What is all this?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"My Master actually made you do such indecent things!" she accused, her voice filled with indignation.

"If that's the case, haven't you become an object for him to manipulate at will?!" Even though it was her own father, Mordred couldn't help but criticize him after learning about his terrible deeds.

The beautiful image she had built up bit by bit had now shattered into pieces.

Mashu realized something and quickly began to explain.

"Mordred, it wasn't Senpai who asked me to do that!" she said, her voice filled with urgency.

"Even at a time like this, you're still protecting him!" Mordred retorted, her arms crossed.

"I'm not protecting him," Mashu lowered her head and blushed deeply as she swiped on her phone screen—she was looking for her chat history with Ian.

"Look, I was the one who proactively chatted with Senpai," she said, showing Mordred her phone.

"..."

When Mashu mentioned this, Mordred's gaze followed hers to her phone.

Having spent some time with Fujimaru Ritsuka, the tomboy knew what a chat history was.

She clearly saw the words that Mashu had proactively sent.

Mordred was now a little confused.

"So... Mashu, you were the one who proactively asked to be manipulated by him at will?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Eh? Well..." Mashu was a bit taken aback by this sudden question.

Her brain started to short-circuit.

"You could say that, but it's not entirely like that," she stammered, her cheeks flushing.

"I really like doing that kind of thing with Senpai... no, I don't like doing it... no, that's not right either, it's not that I don't like it!" she exclaimed, her words tumbling out.

"Anyway, Senpai didn't proactively ask me to become that kind of thing, I was the one who wanted to do it," she concluded, her face bright red.

"..."

Mordred's expression looked somewhat complicated.

She felt that Mashu, who was explaining what special relaxation was with such seriousness, didn't seem like someone who would lie;

But on the other hand, she still felt like something was a little off.

After thinking it over again and again, Mordred spoke:

"Are you really willing to do this kind of thing?" she asked, her gaze serious.

"Yeah," Mashu nodded. "Because Senpai is very important to me," she explained, her voice soft but firm.

The pink-haired girl looked up at the snow-white wall, and a series of images flashed before her eyes.

"Senpai was the first person to hold my hand proactively," she recalled, a gentle smile on her lips.

"Even though everyone else would avoid me back then, he still held my hand," she continued, her voice filled with warmth.

"Senpai was also the first person willing to drink from the same cup and sit at the same table with me," she added, her gaze distant.

"He would also tell me that there was no need to care about other people's opinions, and that it was fine to just enjoy things like this," she said softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"I..." Mashu's voice became a little lower.

"Actually, I also know that sleeping with Senpai is a very bad thing," she admitted, her gaze downcast.

"But... every time I'm touched by Senpai's hand, and I feel the warmth coming from his palm, it makes me feel like I'm needed," she confessed, her voice barely audible.

"That kind of feeling of being acknowledged is something that no one other than Senpai can give me," she concluded, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and longing.

Speaking of this, Mashu realized that she seemed to have said a bit too much.

She quickly apologized to Mordred beside her.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally said so many strange things!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"..."

Mordred shook her head.

"No, that's not strange at all," she said softly, her gaze thoughtful.

"If it's about the feeling of being acknowledged... I can understand that emotion very well," she admitted, her voice gentle.

Because she had similar experiences.

The lakeside days when Artoria loved her like her own flesh and blood;

The moment when her mother, Morgan, bestowed upon her the resplendent and brilliant sword of kingship, Clarent;

And the instant she was summoned by her own father.

Mordred couldn't even imagine what she would be like if she lost this recognition from them.

She would definitely be living a miserable life, wouldn't she?

Hearing Mordred's words, Mashu lowered her head.

"Th-thank you for understanding!" she said softly, her voice filled with gratitude.

"..."

Looking at the other girl's appearance, Mordred felt a bit lost for a moment.

She had originally thought that the situation would be a terrible drama of her father betraying her mother for his own selfish desires.

But in reality, it was him agreeing to all of this in order to allow Mashu to obtain the "feeling of being needed" and "feeling of being acknowledged" that she relied on to survive.

She couldn't criticize it too much.

Because she deeply understood their importance.

He was still the great and righteous father in her heart.

Everything he had done was indeed an affair, but it was also understandable.

What should she do?

Just as Mordred was at a loss, Mashu suddenly spoke again:

"Oh, right!"

"Senpai also taught me this!" she exclaimed, a bright smile on her face.

"Taught you this?" Mordred asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yeah!" Mashu reached out her hand in front of her, then spoke as if praying:

"Please, descend upon me once more!"

As the pink-haired girl spoke these words, which sounded like a magical girl transformation, a thick layer of armor appeared on her body.

A huge round shield appeared in her hand in response, looking sturdy and heavy.

"Mordred, look!" Mashu said with a smile, holding up her shield.

"..."

Mordred paused for a moment before finally reacting.

"Mashu, is that your Noble Phantasm?!" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

The tomboy hadn't not seen Mashu holding it before, she had simply thought it was some kind of Chaldea-made special defense equipment.

"Yes," Mashu nodded.

"When I was in Singularity F... I worked hard with Ritsuka and successfully deployed this Noble Phantasm," she explained, her voice filled with pride.

"Thinking back on it now, it was probably because of the desire to protect Senpai that I succeeded!" she concluded, her gaze determined.

"..."

Mordred frowned slightly.

"That's a good thing," she admitted, her gaze thoughtful.

"But what are you taking it out for now? Are you trying to beat me up?" she asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"No, no, no!" Mashu quickly denied that idea.

"I just want to prove one thing to you," she said, her voice earnest.

"Prove one thing?" Mordred repeated, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah!" Mashu nodded firmly.

"I want to prove to you... that I can grow by staying by Senpai's side, he is very important to me," she declared, her eyes filled with determination.

"So—" The pink-haired girl looked at Mordred, her eyes filled with sincerity.

"Could you give me a chance to date your Master?!" she asked, her voice filled with hope.

"..."

Mordred knew that Mashu was very timid.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily scared and fallen to the ground just now from a slightly louder noise.

But—

When it came to her feelings for her father, she was so brave.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, Mordred finally gave her answer:

"I don't want to give it to you," she said, her voice flat.

Mashu's heart sank to the bottom.

"But—"

"I guess I'll let you try after all," Mordred conceded, her gaze softening slightly.

"Eh?!" Mashu looked up, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Don't look at me with that grateful expression," Mordred turned her face away. "I just don't want my Master to be sad," she mumbled, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"And don't say I didn't warn you," she added, her gaze sharp.

"If you plan to date my Master—"

"One day in the future, someone very powerful will come to take care of you!" she declared, her voice filled with warning.

"This..." Mashu hesitated for a moment, then gripped her shield again, saying with utmost seriousness.

"As long as I can stay by Senpai's side, I'm not afraid of anything!" she declared, her eyes filled with determination.

Mordred sighed—she had compromised.

After all, thinking carefully, her father did seem quite lonely all by himself.

What's more... wasn't this already beyond the issue of a secret relationship?

"I hope you'll keep your word then, Mashu," Mordred said, her gaze softening.

"By the way—" The tomboy's gaze fell on Mashu's shield.

"Speaking of which, this shield looks a bit familiar, doesn't it? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before," she said, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Is that so... I actually don't even know its name yet," Mashu admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Eh?! You don't know?!" Mordred exclaimed in surprise.

A crisis passed just like that thanks to Mashu's honesty.

Mordred tacitly approved of her relationship with her father—although she would occasionally wonder if this counted as finding herself a stepmother.

Oh well!

No need to think about it so much!

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of departure.

According to the plan, Chaldea would send a four-person team to one of the seven Singularities discovered after re-scanning the Earth.

They were:

Fujimaru Ritsuka and her Servant, Mashu Kyrielight;

Ian Pendragon and his Servant, Mordred.

There was no lively farewell, only silent gazes.

This was a journey with an uncertain future, and no one could say for sure if they would return.

In the silence, the four entered the repaired Spiritron Transfer Pod.

This was a heroic action to retrieve the Holy Grail, correct the Singularities, and thus repair the Pan-Human History.

However—

Just as he completely entered the pod, Ian heard a familiar but long-absent voice in his ear.

[Simulated state cooling down—cooling complete.]

[Environmental components being confirmed—confirmation complete.]

[This simulation is a simulation of the Pan history, please be careful, user.]

[Destination confirmed.]

[Domremy, Lorraine, France.]

(End of Volume 5)