FSN UBW Epilogue 01 (Good End) (EN)
―――The morning is near.
Although only half-conscious, I sense that the night has ended.
The only thing remaining is the pleasant listlessness.
My hands are so tired that they can't hold another sword, and there's no magical energy remaining in my body.
In a word, Emiya Shirou has burned out.
"――――――――Oh."
But it's not a regretful end.
I have a feeling of accomplishment, as I have done everything I can.
I'm only burned out for now.
My body is rested, and it's getting ready to welcome another morning.
"――――――――"
My mind starts to clear up.
I should wake up in a moment.
But right before that.
I recall him.
His fluttering cloak is no more.
The man left, along with his ever-burning sky.
He did not turn back, nor did he feel the need to explain himself.
He left me his own figure that did not regret what he did.
I look at his path.
One end.
I reach out to the man that went after the same ideal.
As I have beat him, I will not run away.
I grasp the air in my empty hand so as to tell him that I will eventually reach him―――
"Hm―――― ...Hm."
I wake up to the morning sunlight.
My body feels heavy and it's covered in wounds.
"...Huh? This is my room."
I look around the room absent-mindedly and look at the clock.
It's ten o'clock in the morning, and today is February 16th.
"Whoa. It's been a whole day."
I'm surprised, but my mind is calm.
――――After the fight at the Ryuudou Temple...
I must have been carried here after I passed out, and then slept for a whole day.
"...But it's too quiet. Tohsaka... must have went home already.
Saber, are you awa――――"
I stop before I finish.
"――――――――"
There's no way she's awake.
First of all, she wouldn't be here.
The Holy Grail doesn't exist anymore.
The thing that can keep Servants in this world is now gone.
Therefore―――the golden-haired girl does not exist in this world anymore.
"Oh――――right."
I cover my face with my hands and look up at the ceiling.
The room is dead silent.
The winter morning is cold, and the air tightens my lungs.
...The time seemed both long and short.
I recall what happened in the last two weeks.
'――――We shall talk afterwards.'
That was the last I saw of her.
...She turned her back.
We knew that we would not meet again,
touch each other again,
or return with the three of us.
But we did not exchange words of parting.
"Hm...... I'm hungry."
I get up.
My body hurts as I move, telling me the fight wasn't just a dream.
"Man, it's cold."
The hallway is freezing.
I quickly make my way to the living room.
"――――Well."
I put my apron on after getting to the kitchen.
I put the pan over the fire, cut two pieces of bread, and take out some eggs.
"All righty."
I toast the bread as I crack open the eggs.
I hear the good sound of popping oil as I take out some plates, and I make myself two sunny-side-up eggs.
"Perfect."
I put the eggs onto a plate and put the toast into the basket.
I turn back to the living room and...
"――――Oh."
The fact that there's no one there hits me.
"――――――――"
I take a long breath.
The girl that waited for breakfast every morning isn't here anymore.
The fact finally hits me.
...The battle has ended.
The battle for the Holy Grail has ended.
How stupid of me to realize that by seeing a morning without her.
"――――――I made too much."
I put the frying pan down.
My appetite is gone, even though I was hungry.
I take my apron off and go past the living room.
It's nice outside.
I leave my breakfast on the table and go to check out the dojo.
I enter the empty dojo.
The faint sunlight gleams off the wooden floor.
There...
A person I cannot mistake for anyone else is sitting there Japanese-style.
"Huh――――?"
I'm speechless.
Did I warp back in time or something...!?
"――――Shirou? Are you awake?"
"It seems you are fine.
I knew you would wake up soon since your wounds were small."
"Shirou? What is wrong? Your mouth is open.
Do you have a wound that is not apparent?"
"Eh――――oh, no, but..."
My confusion is great, and it's taking a long time for me to recover.
"S-Saber."
"Yes? What is it, Shirou?"
"Um... You're Saber, right?"
"I am Saber. Or do I look like Archer or Lancer to you?"
"――――Of course not. You don't look like anyone else at all."
I shake my head.
"Exactly. You are covered with wounds, but you are Shirou like always."
"――――――――"
That finally calms me down.
Well, it's more like my mind shorted out.
"Saber. You're really Saber?"
"That is what I am telling you. ...Hm. Is there something wrong with your eyes?"
"...!"
Saber reaches out for me.
She feels my eyelids, and it seems she really does have form.
Her white fingers gently touch my eyelids and let go.
"――――――――"
There's no doubt about it.
Saber is Saber.
She's still here even though the Holy Grail is gone.
"――――――――"
I sigh.
I let out the air in my chest, and...
"―――Good morning, Saber. I'm glad to be able to see you again."
I tell her the first thing that pops into my head.
"Good morning, Shirou. I am glad as well to be able to greet you again."
She smiles.
She shows no worry that she might disappear anytime soon.
"Yeah. But how can you remain in this world? Um, the Holy Grail doesn't exist anymore, right?
Then――――"
I stop before I tell her that Servants can't exist in this world without the Holy Grail.
"Saber...?"
"Shirou. Please ask Rin about this matter. She is waiting for you to realize that she is there."
"Huh?"
Hearing this, I turn around.
"Oh."
"What a blunt response. You're all kind to Saber, but a mere 'oh' is what I get?"
"―――You're here, Tohsaka?"
"I am! I was waiting around here since you didn't wake up after that!"
She glares at me.
"Huh―――――you were staying at my house!?"
"Yeah. I had to treat your wounds, and I have to convince Fujimura-Sensei and Sakura. I can't leave you and go home by myself."
"Oh―――you're right. ...I'm sorry, Tohsaka. I caused you trouble again."
"...Don't worry about thanking me. It wasn't that much trouble. And besides, you're the biggest contributor to our victory. Take it as your reward. We'll let it slide for today."
She says so while she looks away.
Tohsaka acts so much like herself that it relieves me.
Just as Saber and I are safe, Tohsaka also survived the battle.
"―――I see. Thanks for everything, Tohsaka.
A lot's happened, but we made it back."
I put my hand out to show my thanks.
"Well, you're right. Nobody died, so it's a complete victory for us. I guess the word 'congratulations' fits this moment."
She shakes my hand with a smile.
"......"
It's troubling because her hand is soft and reminds me of that night.
I blush, but we feel each other's existence in our hands.
"――――So, what did you do to Saber?"
"...? I didn't do anything to Saber. Our contract still exists, so she's still my familiar. Saber's the strongest familiar, so there's no way I'd let her go, right?"
Tohsaka replies as if it's natural.
But it's not that simple.
"Hey now. Saber became a Servant in exchange for the Holy Grail. She should be set free since her reward's gone now."
"I see. Did you hear that, Saber? Shirou is saying you should go back."
"Hm!"
"Wha――――n-no...! That's not true!
What I'm trying to say is that there's no meaning in keeping you as a familiar―――"
"There is. Saber cannot stay in this world unless she has a contract with a magus, since the Holy Grail doesn't exist anymore. Having her become my familiar is the best way, right?"
"First of all, I'm giving Saber most of my magical energy, so she should work to compensate for that. The fundamental rule of magecraft is equivalent exchange.
Or what? Are you not happy that Saber stayed?"
"O-Of course I'm happy...!
But isn't it wrong that she's still a Servant?
And―――can you even keep her in this world without a Holy Grail?"
...Right, that's the biggest problem.
It's beyond human capabilities to make a heroic spirit into a familiar.
Even if Tohsaka is a superior magus, it should be impossible for her to keep Saber in this world.
...So there's only one way.
A familiar that cannot live off of the contractor's magical energy needs to replenish her powers from elsewhere.
Like taking souls from the people in town, just like what Rider did――――
"Hey now. I don't know what you're thinking with that gloomy face, but hear me through.
Look, it certainly is hard for me to maintain Saber by myself. But we have one more magus here. We should be able to maintain Saber with the two of us."
"What...!? You mean me!?"
"Of course. Who else is here?"
"Well―――I'm glad you're counting on me, but that's troubling. I don't know anything about contracts, and I can't do anything so skillful."
"Oh, I already took that into consideration.
I'll supply Saber with magical energy, so all you need to do is help me. I won't be as bad as Saber, but I'll be at an inconvenience as well."
I don't know what she's angry about, but Tohsaka explains while looking away.
Let's put that aside for now.
"...? What do you mean by 'help'?"
I address the biggest question I have.
"W-Well, a lot of things. It's not something I should mention, right?"
"Huh? Sorry, you lost me. Don't be lazy and explain it to me properly."
"It's just stuff, okay!? Come on, you know what I mean, you idiot!!!!"
"――――――――"
D-Damn, my ears are ringing... What's up with Tohsaka, yelling like that all of a sudden?
"...Humph. Anyways, it's just that I can keep Saber in this world by keeping her as my familiar.
You want Saber to stay, right?
Then this is all good."
"Hm."
Well, it is good if Saber can stay.
But that's only the case if Saber consents.
It's wrong to keep her in this world if Saber doesn't want to stay here.
"Shirou. Do you have something against me staying here?"
Saber must have sensed my concern.
"――――――――"
...I have no objections.
I don't want to object, but this is something I have to ask.
"Saber. There is no Holy Grail in this town. Your wish won't come true even if you stay here.
...Is that fine for you...?"
"Yes. I am staying in this world out of my own will.
...I would like to watch over you until the very end.
He said that my way is wrong. ...I would like for you to tell me the answer to that someday."
Her voice is gentle, yet it contains a strong will.
It's just like that night.
It is the pure voice that told me of our contract on our first night together.
"――――Saber."
"Yes. I know I will be a nuisance, but please forgive me.
As compensation, I shall be of help to you."
I stare back at her.
...I don't know if I'll be able to meet her expectations.
But I'm sure I won't stray from my path if she watches over me――――
"All right, all right!
It's fine if you two stare at each other, but the conversation's not going anywhere like that!"
"T-Tohsaka...!? W-Why the loud voice? You scared me."
"...Humph. It's because you two are flirting.
Listen up. Let's get back on topic, okay?
Saber has a contract with me, and Shirou is to support me. It's an ex-post-facto approval, but are you two all right with that?"
"...Yeah. I have no objection if Saber's fine with that.
But what do you mean by support? I don't get what I should do, so I'm a bit reluctant to agree."
I ask Saber for consent.
"Yes. It should be difficult for Shirou to make a promise he does not know about.
Rin, what do you mean by having Shirou help you?"
Saber asks her, and Tohsaka retreats.
Good, good.
Even Tohsaka should give up if a third party gives an unbiased opinion.
"See. Saber's saying so too, so give me a clear explanation."
This has to be my chance.
But.
"Sheesh, just be quiet!
Saber is mine, and you're mine too, so don't argue back to me!
Familiars should listen to their master without talking back!!!!"
Tohsaka has apparently established a dictatorship.
"...Hey, hold on. I'm not yours, Tohsaka."
"What!? You made a contract with me!
You've been like my familiar from the moment you took my magical energy, so I'm allowed to be this selfish...!"
"Ah――――um."
She's pressuring me. I recall what happened that night and freeze up.
...And I can tell that...
'Crap, I'm saying a ridiculous thing!'
...Tohsaka clearly regrets saying that, and I kind of feel sorry for her.
"―――Well, I did manage to survive because of your magical energy, and it's true that we made a contract, so I guess that's one way to put it..."
"Heh. It is true!
So that's all. Our cooperation is still intact.
"...Furthermore, I don't want an amateur for a partner, so I'm going to have you become a proper magus.
I'm going to teach you magecraft and Saber's going to be teaching you how to fight. We're going to be hard on you, so prepare yourself."
"――――――――"
I'm surprised at the sudden proposal.
It's really great, but that, um, means...
"Tohsaka. You're going to become my teacher...?"
"It can't be helped, right? There's no other suitable person.
A-And you're mine, so I can't let anyone else take care of you."
"Wha――――――――"
――――That's unfair.
It's really embarrassing if she says something like that with a red face.
"――――――――"
"――――――――"
We're both blushing, and we keep standing there not knowing what to say.
"――――――――"
"――――――――"
...I need more training.
I can't speak because I'm so conscious of her.
And right before Tohsaka goes on a rampage due to too much pressure...
"Rin. This case is settled, so let us go eat breakfast."
Saber offers timely help.
"Y-You're right. I'm getting hungry too. You haven't eaten breakfast yet, right, Shirou?"
Tohsaka is acting awkward.
"N-No. I did cook breakfast right after I woke up, but I came here before I ate it."
I answer awkwardly as well.
"What? Then you already made breakfast?"
"Yeah. There's two servings of toast."
"Really? Wow, you sure are thoughtful.
Let's hurry. Let's go to the living room, Saber."
"Oh."
Where did the previous awkwardness go? Tohsaka pulls Saber with her and leaves the dojo.
I watch them go in blank amazement.
"Hey, what are you standing there for, Shirou!?
We can't start eating until we're all there!"
She calls back to me while pulling Saber forward with her.
Tohsaka is waving to me from the yard.
"...Man. She really doesn't wait around."
She's been taking the initiative so many times, and I'm sure that's the way it's going to be in the future.
This is just an everyday thing if I am to be with her.
You cannot be with Tohsaka unless you're really prepared.
But, to put it her way, it can't be helped.
She was able to make it this far because she's like that, and that's exactly the girl I fell in love with.
"Come on, hurry up! We're going to start eating without you!"
Even though she says this, she's standing there and waiting for me.
She's always complaining and cold-hearted, but she's really good-natured deep down.
"Yeah, I'm coming―――! Hold on!"
I leave the dojo and follow them.
―――Tohsaka's there and Saber's there.
Tohsaka's not someone to stay put and Saber has a competitive spirit, so I'm sure they will go everywhere.
I'm sure these frantic days will continue as long as we're together.
There was a determined future, and there is a future I'm walking towards.
Even if I am to someday reach the place he stood...
I'm sure a different future awaits if brilliant days like this lie ahead of me.
The sun has risen already.
Even if I'm not able to change it by myself, I'm sure the two of us can change it a bit.
―――We have just started walking down my path.
I'll do my best and walk on, alongside that reliable partner of mine―――