Chapter 254: The Ball Bouncing by the Seaside
Winter has only just passed. Even on the southern island of Okinawa, the current temperature is comparable to early autumn in Chiba. While not as bone-chilling as winter swimming, there is still a touch of coldness in the sea breeze when one's body is out of the water.
Even with the high salt content and relatively warm water temperature, it isn't quite the ideal time to go into the sea.
However, for Chiba natives who have been wearing shorts since kindergarten and still wear skirts on snowy days, this was nothing.
On the beach, a blue-and-white ball flipped through the air. Struck by a young girl's palm, it bounced upward.
"Heigh-ho!" Yuigahama leaped high. She was currently wearing a pink swimsuit that swayed with her cheerful jump.
"Again!" Asuna had tied her hair into a braid and brought it over her shoulder. With her excellent athletic nerves, she was always able to cleanly and decisively strike the volleyball back.
Yukinoshita Yukino, who was sitting to the side quietly reading a book, buried her head even deeper. She really wanted to leave this "place of right and wrong," but since she had been dragged here, she could only sit and read a historical novel about the Warring States period.
She had previously had a strange dream about the Warring States, but it ended halfway through. In the dream, there was a girl who looked like her middle-school self and a matured Shirou, which was very bothering. Fortunately, they would be heading back in another day. When that time came, she could find that man and ask him for clarity immediately.
On the beach, which glowed golden under the sunlight, a long checkered mat was spread out. A girl with a voluptuous figure in a bikini was lying submissively on it. She allowed the person behind her to untie the ribbons of her bow, letting them fall onto the mat to reveal her entire snow-white, smooth back.
The girl with the ponytail squeezed out some sunscreen. The liquid in her palms became sticky and slippery. Enjoying the soft, warm touch—comparable to marshmallows—she applied the oil to the back of the pink-haired "meganekko" (bespectacled girl) lying on the ground.
"Senpai? Is something wrong?" Mashu propped herself up slightly and raised her head, asking in confusion.
Gudako looked toward the large tree with doubt. She had definitely felt a gaze just now, but looking over now, she found nothing.
"It's nothing. Also, Mashu..." Gudako said with a serious face.
"What is it, Gudako-senpai?" Mashu asked alertly.
"The posture you're in while raising your head is very 'lewd.' Stay like that for a bit," Gudako said with a blush and an indescribable smile.
Mashu lowered her head shyly and complained: "Oh, stop it, Gudako-senpai. Hurry up and finish applying it. Then it's my turn to ride... no... to help you apply sunscreen, Senpai."
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Behind the distant large tree, the man who had performed the Pseudo-Servant summoning of a Hassan slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
Though he didn't understand why, that orange-haired girl with the ponytail gave him an unfathomable, terrifying feeling—like a weak animal encountering a natural predator it could never defeat.
For a split second, he felt as if he had almost locked eyes with some terrifying existence—like a gargantuan entity hidden in the dark of night, a giant holding his life in its hands. He couldn't muster even a shred of defiance; he could only pray the other party would let him go.
The girls playing in Okinawa were currently completely unaware that they were being targeted.
However, because the scout had been frightened once, his courage as a host—which wasn't large to begin with—failed him. He no longer dared to approach the hotel where the girls were staying.
'I guess I'll just stay outside and keep watch. It can't be helped; if I follow them in, I might get caught and killed' he thought.
He was an unremarkable, invisible person. He didn't even have the "value" to be bullied; he was just an extra member of the class. Even after being in the same class for over two years, his classmates couldn't call out his name.
He never expected that someone like him would obtain the power of a Servant. Originally, he was just killing time playing the popular FGO game. Because he lacked presence, none of his requests to add powerful players as friends ever went through.
The only friends he managed to add were people who had high levels but didn't put Servants in their support slots, and their names were all similar—just gibberish plus a string of numbers. He could only play it like a single-player game.
After obtaining the ability of concealment, he was approached by a "host" and invited to join their organization under the guise of a part-time job.
The leader inside was a very beautiful "Onee-san". She didn't ignore him; she even helped him lose his virginity. She pointed out his strengths, telling him he had talents that others couldn't compare to; she taught him how to become a charismatic man and helped him regain his confidence.
Now, he applied hair wax every day, wore clothes the Queen had personally designed and coordinated for him, and had learned how to use makeup. His entire demeanor had changed. People around him began to notice him, and classmates started talking to him.
One could say the Queen was the benefactor who changed his life, so he decided to stay and do his best for her as a way of repaying the debt.
Already possessing very low presence, he was skilled at hiding his aura. After obtaining the power of a certain generation of Hassan (Assassin), even though his synchronization was only 50% and he couldn't exert his full strength, no one in the organization could surpass him in the art of hiding.
As long as he intended to hide, even if he walked past someone face-to-face, he wouldn't be noticed—provided he didn't touch them and kept his emotions stable.
However, this ability had limits. If he tried to use it purely to satisfy private desires—like sneaking into women's restrooms or changing rooms to peek—those actions were strictly forbidden.
As the Elders who protected the People of the Mountain, the Hassans fought against invaders to protect their holy land. As assassins, they used every means necessary—assassination, seduction, poisoning—to kill the high-ranking officials of the invaders.
But in essence, they were not heartless villains, so they naturally wouldn't allow the Pseudo-Servant host to do things that would bring shame to the name of Hassan.
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Back in the conference room, the conversation continued.
"They are people from Chaldea; we really can't just leave them be. There are five of them, which makes them powerful enemies capable of threatening all of us," someone said worriedly.
"It doesn't matter. Just drag them all into it. As competitors, it's the same for everyone," the mustached gentleman, acting as the strategist, said with a smile.
The elegant man, who originally looked like an old butler from a noble lady's house in an anime, now—for some reason—wore the same smile, yet it looked like that of an evil villain.
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