Chapter 261:
"It somehow doesn't feel real..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her stomach, feeling the satisfaction of being full and well-hydrated, and muttered softly.
"What doesn't feel real?" Xia Yu, wearing an apron, walked over to her side upon hearing this, reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, and bent down slightly to ask, "What's wrong, is my cooking so good that it made you dizzy?"
"Uh, yes, yes, yes, that's exactly it." The moment she heard her voice, Fujimaru Ritsuka almost jumped up on the spot, then immediately put on a smiling face and said to her, "This is just too delicious. Big Sister Kiana's culinary skills are as good as ever."
"Oh, is that so," Xia Yu gave her a meaningful look. "I thought you were talking about something else."
"Ha, haha, how could that be," Fujimaru Ritsuka barely maintained the smile on her face.
What didn't feel real? Of course it wasn't because of this meal!
Rather, she just felt that it was too unreal for Big Sister Kiana to just watch them try to recruit Ishtar without doing anything at all.
Not only did she do nothing, but she also very generously brought them back to the temple for lunch...
Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but feel that a huge landmine had already been planted. She quietly looked up at Ishtar, who was holding a steak and gorging herself on the side.
So the problem could only lie with her, right?
But Ishtar's wavering in the face of the gems wasn't fake. Just how did Big Sister Kiana manage to pull her to her side under the temptation of a full twenty-five percent of all humanity's ore-based treasures?
Or did we underestimate the feelings between them?
"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ishtar noticed her gaze, gave up her 'struggle' with the steak in her hands, and looked up at her.
"Ah, it's nothing, I was just marveling at the fact that Goddess Ishtar actually gets to eat such delicious food every day," Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately replied upon hearing this.
Hearing this, Merlin immediately chimed in, "That's right, if I could have this kind of treatment, I'd be willing to be locked up in Avalon for the rest of my life!"
"Hmph, in your dreams," Ishtar reached out to grab Xia Yu, looking very smug. "This is my attendant, not some excellent subordinate that just anyone can have!"
"Eww~~~" As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Yu directly slapped her hand away. "Grease! Grease! Grease! Your hands are covered in grease!"
She looked at her sleeve. This was clothes tailored from fabric she had painstakingly bought in Uruk. With that single claw from Ishtar, a large greasy handprint was already stamped onto the sleeve.
"This is my new outfit!"
"Ah, this, well..." Ishtar also froze looking at the handprint. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
"If you did it on purpose, we'd already be dueling." Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her in exasperation, then waved a hand over her sleeve.
"Tergeo."
In just an instant, the sleeve was thoroughly cleaned. Ah, Tergeo, the miracle for lazy dogs, how would I live without you.
Although Xia Yu liked cooking, she hated washing dishes. If she didn't have this skill, she would basically only be willing to mooch off others for meals.
Seeing this sorcery, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a glance.
Sure enough, this is Miss Firefly!
On the other side, watching their eye contact, Merlin was even more certain that these two little ones were hiding something from them.
Beside them, Ana was eating her cake in small bites, looking completely aloof from worldly affairs.
Ever since she heard that one of the Three Goddesses was Gorgon that day, she had already understood her mission. She was destined to take her down with her in a one-for-one exchange.
Therefore... sigh, she should just eat as much as she could while she could. Who knew how long it would be before she could eat like this again.
On the other side, after Xia Yu cleaned her sleeve, she reached out and pinched Ishtar's face. "Next time you put your grease-covered claws on me, don't expect me to cook for you ever again."
"I was wrong!" Faced with the threat of going hungry in the future, Ishtar groveled very quickly. "Please don't abandon my stomach, it and I are completely inseparable from you now!"
"Onegai, as long as you're willing to cook for me for the rest of my life, I'll do anything!"
"Then remember my advice!" Xia Yu rolled her eyes at her, then looked up at the others.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash immediately began to sit properly. To the side, Merlin quietly hid his grease-stained sleeve. He couldn't help it; this delicious food was simply too good. Having stayed in Avalon for so many years, his mouth had practically gone numb from blandness, so he spared no effort in fighting for food with Ritsuka and the others next to him.
Only Ana sat obediently in her seat, still enjoying her little cake.
"Sigh, look at yourselves," Xia Yu began to point fingers at the entire table of people. "Ishtar, you're a goddess! Look at how you're eating... gnawing on a pork hock with both hands. Aren't you afraid that Siduri and the other priestesses' faith will be shattered if they see this?"
Ishtar shrank her head back.
"And Ritsuka, you're the Savior! Could you be a little more reserved? Is the food at Chaldea really that bad?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered her head sheepishly.
"Mash, you... oh, you're fine," the underclassman was still very well-behaved and super docile. Xia Yu patted her shoulder in gratification, "Keep it up."
"Okay, Big Sister Kiana!" Mash returned a sweet smile.
"And you, Merlin," Xia Yu turned to look at Merlin. "Stop hiding it. I just don't understand, how could a legendary magus like you act as if you've never eaten anything good... Uh, right, you're from Britain. Never mind, I don't blame you."
Saying this, Xia Yu looked at the last person at the dinner table.
Ana subconsciously reached out, wanting to pull down her hood, but Xia Yu's hand was faster.
She reached out directly to stroke the top of Ana's head, saying with a gratified expression, "Look at Ana, look at her!"
"This is how a lady should act," she said, her hand continuously petting her head. "She hasn't gotten a single stain on her up to now, why don't you all learn from her?"
Sure enough, she was just taking the opportunity to pet the loli, right?
Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't feel educated in the slightest; instead, she stared fixedly at Xia Yu's right hand, which kept petting Ana's head.
Damn it! So jealous!
Although she had spent so much time with Ana, their relationship hadn't progressed to the point where she could pet the loli!
And then there was Illya back then. Fujimaru Ritsuka had long been envious that Big Sister Firefly could pet her casually...
So jealous!
Meanwhile, Ana, who was being petted, had no awareness of being offended at all. Listening to Xia Yu's praise, she lowered her head a little shyly.
After all, everyone at the table except for her and Mash had been scolded. Although Merlin wasn't exactly scolded, that look of pity made it feel like he was being thoroughly despised.
Finally, finally!
Xia Yu reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Sigh, it was mainly because Ana's past experiences made her very resistant to this kind of physical contact; otherwise, Xia Yu would have petted the loli a long time ago.
"Here, these two little cakes are your reward," Xia Yu took out two small cakes and placed them in front of Mash and Ana.
"By the way, what you guys were talking about before... oh, recruiting Ishtar, right? How did that go?"
"We're pretty much done talking," Ishtar, who was beside them, glanced at Xia Yu and spoke up. "Fujimaru Ritsuka, even though it's a temporary contract, from now on I am also your Servant, Ishtar."
A faint smile touched the corners of her mouth. "I'll be in your care from now on."
"Goddess Ishtar, let me confirm the basic situation," right at this moment, Dr. Roman, whose mouth was watering with craving back at Chaldea, spoke up. "Let's reconfirm the consensus between us."
"You may," Ishtar elegantly reached out to grab the half-eaten pork hock, only to be glared back by Xia Yu. She obediently took the knife and fork the latter handed over, and while cutting the meat, she said absentmindedly, "I permit you to ask."
"You are a Pseudo-Servant summoned using a human body as a foundation," the Doctor's expression was serious. "Is that correct?"
"Yes, normally it would be impossible for a divine spirit like me to become a Servant," Ishtar answered while nibbling on the pork hock skin. "It can only be established as a Pseudo-Servant."
Hearing this, the Doctor continued to ask, "Then what is the current state of the original owner of the body you've possessed? As the representative of Chaldea—no, as a doctor, please answer this humanitarian question of mine."
Beside him, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash also pricked up their ears. Regardless of everything, Tohsaka Rin had once fought side by side with them.
Eh? If you put it that way... Is this why Big Sister Kiana has been clinging to Ishtar?
It's possible.
"Mash is a Demi-Servant, right?" Hearing this, Ishtar lifted her eyes to glance at Mash and said flatly, "You people created her like this, and you still have the nerve to talk about humanitarianism?"
"My faults and your issue are two entirely different matters." The Doctor didn't explain that by the time he found out, Mash had already been created, nor did he defend how much he had sacrificed for Mash.
Instead, he continued to ask, "I am separating the situations and posing a question to Goddess Ishtar."
"Oh? Good answer," this surprisingly made Ishtar show some approval. "I've changed my opinion of you slightly."
"Since my opinion has changed a bit, I'll answer you."
Ishtar wanted to reach out and clutch her chest, but after seeing her grease-covered hand, she gave up. "If you're asking whether I killed the owner of this body, my answer is NO."
"But if you're asking whether her consciousness will surface, the answer is also NO."
"She and I fused with each other. Right now, I account for about seventy percent, and she accounts for thirty percent. Well, although the dominant personality is me, there's no hierarchy between us. Regardless, I am me."
Hearing this, Mash's eyes lit up slightly, as if she had found an answer in this response.
Xia Yu, on the other hand, curled her lips.
You seventy, her thirty?
I don't think so.
What was the real Ishtar like... how should I put it, just think in the direction of the most selfish and vicious. If you were truly a good woman, back then Gilgamesh wouldn't have reacted as if he'd stepped in shit the moment he saw you proposing to him.
How to say it, if the one who appeared in front of Xia Yu and said she was going to kidnap her was the real Ishtar, Xia Yu would have definitely fought her. How could she obediently go with her?
The two of them had the kind of personalities that truly clashed entirely.
As for this one in front of her... Xia Yu felt that the supposed seventy percent was all in the status of a goddess, self-awareness, and martial prowess, while in terms of personality, it was basically Tohsaka Rin taking the upper hand.
"So that's roughly it," Ishtar was still explaining. "This human wasn't replaced by Ishtar; rather, one day, she suddenly became Ishtar."
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka asked in astonishment, "Is that even possible?"
"Of course," Ishtar spoke with assurance. "It's like dual personalities merging into one. Either way, this girl's personality isn't asleep. Just now when we saw those gems, she was the one who wavered the most!"
"Anyway, I am me. Is this answer acceptable?"
Hearing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka murmured, "If that's the case, then it's only natural that you, Miss Ishtar, like clinging to Big Sister Kiana so much..."
Back in Fuyuki City, they had constantly heard Miss Tohsaka Rin complaining about why Miss Firefly wasn't her Servant...
"It's acceptable, of course," the Doctor nodded as he heard this.
Jokes aside, who was he? King Solomon! How could he not know the characteristics of this type of summoning?
Why did he specifically ask it out loud? For Mash, of course. His verbal explanations could never compare to the firsthand account of someone with a similar experience. The Doctor had truly racked his brains over Mash's psychological issues.
"Alright, phew, I'm full, I'm full," Ishtar stretched her waist, looked at the completely devoured pork hock in front of her and the dishes wiped clean off the table, and then held out her hands to Xia Yu.
The latter helplessly swiped a "Tergeo" over them.
Seeing this, Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes lit up, and she immediately reached out her hands too.
Xia Yu gave her a speechless look. It's not like your hands are covered in grease...
But she brazenly leaned over anyway, so Xia Yu had no choice but to follow up with another "Tergeo."
And then... Xia Yu looked at the three pairs of hands neatly presented in front of her and sighed.
Although Mash was a good kid, she could be a bit mischievous sometimes. But being a little mischievous was a good thing; she was just a young girl, after all.
As for Merlin, with his unreliable personality, doing anything wouldn't be surprising.
The main thing was Ana, who had actually taken the initiative.
Xia Yu swiped them clean one by one, then cast another one at the table, saving even the trouble of washing dishes.
Tergeo, you are my god!
While putting away the various tableware, Xia Yu looked up at Ishtar.
"Since you signed a contract with them, are you going to move back to stay in Uruk?"
"Hm? Why ask that?" Ishtar gave the few people from Chaldea a sidelong glance. "Isn't that a matter of course? I am the patron goddess of Uruk. It's time for this city, which has been away from the gods for decades, to return to the embrace of Goddess Ishtar!"
"Oh, what about me then?" Xia Yu looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka with a smile, but spoke to Ishtar. "Am I going back with you, or staying behind to guard this empty temple?"
"Together, of course!" Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't hesitate at all.
"Oh, is that so," Xia Yu said with a faint smile. "I thought you wouldn't welcome me."
"How could that be," Merlin took over the conversation. "It's wonderful that you are willing to return to Uruk."
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