The Thirsty Girl's Guide To Summoning (Fate/Isekai)

Chapter 23

Ren found Cú in the kitchen again, sharpening some kitchen knives while seated on the table. He glanced up as she appeared in the doorway and frowned. "Problems?"

Making a face, Ren shrugged. "What do you think of Jekyll at this point?"

A look of understanding crossed Cú's face. "I think he has his uses, but I can't speak to his compatibility with you. If it's bad, he may be a lot more trouble than he's worth."

"I don't know," said Ren slowly. "It's early, yet. But he doesn't want to be alone with me right now without a chaperone or Seals." She glanced down at her hand with the fragmented Command Seals. They hadn't changed since she used the last one that morning. That morning? It seemed like days ago.

"I really hope these do come back like Ritsu said. Neither of the two I used yesterday have changed yet." She couldn't help giving Cú an anxious look.

He laughed out loud and then said, grinning at her, "You really are a strange girl. That look... I can't quite believe it's coming from the same person who insisted on walking unarmed into the lion's den. Yes, my little Master, they'll come back."

"How can you tell?" Ren demanded, eager for whatever reassurance he could provide.

He put down his knife and whetstone, hopped off the table and walked over to her. Taking her hand in his and holding it against his warm chest, he said, "Because you're my Master. It isn't quite the same as at home, but I still feel it."

Ren stared at his large hands covering hers uneasily, and remembered her thought, right after she and Merlin had crashed through the forest canopy, that she was the bad kind of lucky. She tugged a little at his hand and he released her instantly. "Anybody you summon will crave your touch, and wish to touch you themselves, my lady. Even the brush of your hand through our hair reaffirms our connection."

"Ah," said Ren, pieces falling into place. "And with Jekyll, I summoned somebody who can't stand the thought of touching me." She pursed her lips. "Maybe he'd prefer I send him back. Not that I know how to do that--I'm pretty sure it's not like releasing a fish back into a river, Cú—but Ritsu might."

Cú shrugged. "There's always the old fashioned way." His red spear appeared in his outstretched hand.

With a sigh, Ren said, "If it comes to that. Meanwhile, the portal must be fixed so it stops summoning Servants with big warning labels all over them!" She finished less calmly than she intended, caught her breath and added, "So I need you to come chaperone Jekyll and I, or else he'll spend all his time worrying about Hyde f—" she bit her tongue on what she'd been about to say and then, her cheeks hot, said carefully, "about Hyde being inappropriate. And maybe you could explain to him that, uh, just explain to him what you just told me."

Once again, Cú laughed at her, and then held Gáe Bolg out of reach when she snatched at it furiously. "He knows, my lady. I'm sorry, I'm sorry for laughing, it's just your expressions—"

He chortled again before getting himself under control. "I don't think Jekyll ever had a warrior's training, or experienced the intense bonds of brotherhood formed in battle. And that era he's from... Jack's from the same time, isn't she? An era where they hid all their passions in the dark?" He gave Ren a keenly penetrating look. "Are you sure it's the portal at fault for those two?"

Ren wasn't, but she also wasn't about to directly admit that. "Yes! I mean, look, the portal's broken and leaking, it has to be fixed, right? If you don't like my plans now, you're going to hate them if I have to also deal with a new Servant every day."

"Maybe the little miss could summon instead?" Cú suggested. "I know there's a battle with her summons, but I think we could help out with that."

After thinking that over for a long moment, Ren said, "I'll think about that more if we can't fix it. Now, please come on. It might as well be you, because I bet you tomorrow's cooking duty that Merlin'll make you do the final magics anyhow."