To love a sword

Chapter 34: A Strange Girl

Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and FabledLife

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-Tenjōin Private island-

(A few hours later)

Things at the beach ended more peacefully than Emiya had imagined after the trial. He did not know what conversation occurred between mother and daughter, but for some reason, he could see that Momo was looking at him far more frequently than before. As for Sephie, she continued to enjoy herself around the bonfire, dancing, eating, and swimming, all while still wearing the veil she put back on her face after returning. One that apparently was designed to remain on her face no matter what. 

He wondered why she did not have it on from the beginning.

"Are you sure you want to keep that thing, Yami?"  

As for his sister and Yami’s group, it seemed the latter had been reading too much of that detective manga, Detective Calvin, lately. She had taken it upon herself to conduct her own investigation during the test, trying to find the main path while wielding a magnifying glass, a monocle, and a detective’s hat. 

All of which he had projected for her upon request. 

The sight was admittedly adorable, but as long as she was having fun, he saw no harm in indulging her whims. Unfortunately, the girl was not particularly skilled in such matters and ended up getting lost, only emerging an hour after he, Rin, Momo, Sephie, and the others had returned. 

Which, unfortunately, put them in last.

His attention was brought to Saki, who got on a wooden stage with several lights focused on her. "All right, guys! The winner of this bravery challenge has been decided! Please come up to the stage; Emiya and Sephie!"  

At the end of the event, the prize-giving ceremony commenced, with him and Sephie standing as the first-place winners. In second place is none other than Rito and Rin. 

As for the third place, surprisingly, it turned out to be Saruyama, who got paired with another boy from class. The latter did not look happy in the least. The moment he stepped forward, he noticed Saki applying lip gloss while Rin and Ayako worked on her makeup. He could also see a few secret—or perhaps not-so-secret—whispers being exchanged.  

"Oh my, another one!" The empress of Deviluke whispered with amusement as she took in the scene before giving him a knowing look. "You truly are a sinful man."  

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded dryly, only to be met with an amused grin from the woman.  

"And that's exactly the issue. Sometimes, not doing anything is the problem. Or perhaps, in your case, it only entices others to act more boldly to catch their prey. But let’s put that aside, I can’t wait to see what kind of award I get! I’ll hang it in the main throne room!"  

A bit of an exaggeration, but somehow it made perfect sense for her to do something like that. Looking down at the gathered students, he noticed several boys glaring daggers at him, whispers spreading rapidly through the crowd. Some were questioning Sephie's identity, while others theorized, despite clear explanations—that she was actually Lala’s sister rather than her mother.  

"On a side note," he muttered, "if you see a group of boys suddenly holding up a banner that says 'Anti-Emiya Alliance,' just be sure to keep your distance. They'll most likely go violent and try to attack me."

Sephie looked at him and back at the crowd, humming until she snapped her fingers. “Oh, the same group that you fought as a woman? I see now that you even have to deal with usurpers. As expected from a soon-to-be emperor, it's best to get used to such things on a daily basis. Just last week, I had to deal with a former general who tried to organize a mutiny. Good thing I caught him early on and execu—uh, imprisoned him.”