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

Chapter 39

As they traipsed across the campus one more time, Merlin stubbornly maintained his clasp on Ren's hand. She didn't hate it, but just so it wouldn't go to his head she made a couple of token efforts to free herself anyhow. He breezily ignored them, only glancing over her head to where Hyde scowled at him.

Ren noticed the tension between them, but it didn't seem any different to her than the tension between Cú and Hyde, and only mildly different than the tension between Astolfo and Hyde. Berserkers were supposed to be a challenge to manage and she accepted Hyde's possessiveness as the price of his strength. As long as he wanted to please her, she could handle him.

"It's such a nice evening, in such a pleasant environment," Merlin announced. "We ought to enjoy it. Who knows when we'll have such a chance again, back in that crumbling Summoner's Castle?"

"We're not staying," said Ren, bristling. Then she sagged. "Unless we break Ritsu free of her delusion and she wants to stay. I don't know what to do then."

Hyde shrugged, his hands in his pockets. "Don't give her the choice. You want to go back, so she goes back. She's small. Any of us can carry her."

"This isn't a healthy world for little Miss Ritsu to stay in," said Merlin decisively.

"Yeah, but neither is her own," said Ren darkly. She looked around and spotted a bench along the quad. The open space had emptied of most of its occupants as dinnertime approached, and a light wind stirred piles of red and golden leaves. "Let's actually sit down for a minute and get this hammered out so we have a plan when we see her."

Merlin beamed at her. "I did say we ought to enjoy the evening." He towed her to the bench, seated himself and held out his arms to her. She ignored the invitation and sat at the other end of the bench, leaving space for a third between them. But Hyde crouched at her feet where she could put her hand in his hair again, while Astolfo flopped on the ground. The Rider put his arms under his head and one leg up in the air, leaving anybody inclined to be curious with no question as to what he wore under his armored tunic.

Instead of looking, Ren gathered her thoughts. "The other Master told me Ritsu's world is shredding apart—"

"Yes," said Merlin calmly. "Looking at the overall structure of worlds isn't my niche, but since coming here, I've applied the technique."

"And you think we should take her back to that?" Ren asked, daring to hope he had a good reason, an answer to the indecision gnawing at her.

"I'm not going to make that decision for you, Master." Merlin's voice was bland. "But here in the world of the Raven Tower she would be much less than she could be in her own world of Summoner's Castles. And there are mysteries there we have yet to solve."

"She's lucky," argued Ren. "What if being taken by this world is her luck saving her from an unavoidable doom?"

"You think her luck means nothing bad ever happens to her?" asked Hyde darkly.

Astolfo said idly, "I'm lucky," and lifted his other leg out of the way just as Hyde kicked at him. "But trying to predict luck is kind of a waste of time. You just have to live your life and trust that it'll all work out in the end as long as you try your best!" He cast his gaze over Ren's shoulder and added, "Hi, Flat!"

Ren glanced back to see the blonde young man who'd been troubling Jack strolling behind the bench, his arms clasped behind his head in an exaggerated display of innocence. "Oh, hi there, interesting strangers from another world."

In an amused voice, Merlin said, "You might as well join us, young man. I can tell you have something you want to say."

In a flash, Flat had insinuated himself on the bench between Ren and Merlin, his face aglow. "Thank you, interesting strangers! I thought your conversation about luck was very interesting!"