IBHJ Chapter 869

Altera had actually longed to be friends with Artoria, not enemies. But due to her own issues, every time she saw Artoria, she would lash out and attack her - like a child acting out to get the attention of someone they care about.

It made sense now why she had manifested alongside Karna, Arjuna, and others to help Artoria during the Fuyuki invasion.

"Oh, right." Altera pulled two Switch consoles from Ayaka's bag, sliding one towards him. Hiding half her face behind the screen, she murmured, "Let's play games, Artoria."

"Games?" He picked up the Switch, fiddling with it until it powered on.

It was strange. Chaldea's tech was advanced, but there wasn't a game development team. Yet, online games kept appearing out of nowhere, on an unknown network.

Chaldea's intranet was for internal use only. Marisbury would probably lose it if it was used for gaming. Some Master must have secretly turned into a telecommunications provider.

The game Altera chose was "Moon-Gazing Beauty," a popular choice in Chaldea. Even Morrigan, Hinako, Gilgamesh, and Iskandar were said to play.

Shirou didn't own a Switch, so he'd never played. But Altera seemed excited, and this could ease the tension between her and Artoria. So, he agreed.

Seeing him accept, Altera visibly relaxed. Ayaka had suggested this, even coaching her on the game and lending her an account.

The game was already installed. As soon as Shirou turned on the console, he entered the world of "Moon-Gazing Beauty."

Since Artoria and Altera were supposed to be playing, Shirou created a female character and randomly entered a name. But he paused when choosing a race. The game offered five: human, vampire, fairy, succubus, and beastkin.

"I suggest vampire, Artoria," Altera said. "They're strong attackers and can heal themselves. Good for beginners."

"Mmhm." He selected vampire, smiling at her. "You seem to know this game well, Altera."

She blushed. Of course, she didn't. Ayaka had trained her, and she'd read a guide on the forums by Chaldea's famous NEET, Morrigan.

"Oh, and be careful. This game is different. Dying doesn't just reduce experience and levels, it permanently lowers your stats. So be careful. And definitely don't accept the hell-mode beginner quest chain," she said seriously.

"Why not?" he asked, curious.

"Because the last part of the hell-mode quest makes you answer questions from the Gatekeeper of the Andes Mountains. It's super hard – no one's ever passed. With the normal quest, you just bring her some food."

"Makes sense," he nodded.

Soon, with her guidance, he finished the beginner tasks and grabbed some pastries to take to the Gatekeeper.

Entering the Gatekeeper's area, he saw two NPCs. One was the Gatekeeper, the other a blonde girl locked in a cage, crying her eyes out.

"Huh?" Altera looked confused. "This...this isn't what the guide said."

"What's different?" he asked, controlling his character to hand the pastries over as he glanced up at Altera with a puzzled look.

"The pictures in the guide didn't have this NPC," she pointed at the crying blonde girl in the cage.

"Probably just an update," he chuckled.

"Mmhm..." she nodded along, pretending to understand. Ayaka had taught her that trick.

He turned his attention to the sobbing little blonde girl on the screen. For some reason, he felt sorry for her.

He moved his character closer, the camera zooming in to reveal her tear-streaked face. As he looked at her, a thought crossed his mind: Could this be some kind of hidden quest?

...

"That's right, keep it up Altera!" Ayaka cheered from her hiding spot in the bushes.

She really wanted Altera and Artoria to be friends. Altera was so lonely. A friend might bring a genuine smile to her face.

Of course, that wasn't the main reason. If they became friends, Ayaka wouldn't have to be broke and eat dirt anymore.

"Ayaka, your voice is too loud! You'll be found out!"

A gentle voice came from beside her. Ayaka turned to see a girl with long black hair standing there, giving her a gentle reminder.

The girl had beautiful dark golden eyes and wore a white blouse and black dress, the pleated skirt revealing her slender legs in black stockings. She smiled, a pure and radiant smile like a blooming lotus.

"Got it, Kiara," she nodded, quickly covering her mouth.

This girl was none other than Ayaka's fellow Master, her roommate and best friend – Kiara Sessyoin.

"Thank you for helping with Altera, Kiara."

Altera's issues had definitely caused trouble for Kiara.

"It's no problem, we're friends, right?" Kiara smiled.

Then, turning to look at Altera, she added, "Besides, I'd be happy to see that lonely look gone from her face."

The two continued their secret observation. But they weren't the only ones watching Shirou and Altera. Artoria was too. However, she had run into a slight problem. The bush she was hiding in was already occupied!

Artoria stared in disbelief at Kiritsugu, who was squatting in the bushes, smoking and sighing with a troubled expression.

"You...what are you doing here?"

Had she been found out?

Kiritsugu glanced at her. "Ah, Fujimaru Shirou."

He called her Shirou...so he hadn't noticed. Artoria's heart eased, but she remained wary as she eyed him.

"Why am I here? Heh..." Kiritsugu gave a hollow laugh, then gritted his teeth as he glared at Shirou. "I should be asking what your King of Knights has been teaching Iri!"

Artoria looked utterly confused.

Thinking of the torment he'd endured these past few days, Kiritsugu's heart broke, and tears streamed down his face.

Being forced to eat his wife's "loving" cooking in the name of love was one thing, but the worst part was the restriction of his personal freedom, the inability to visit Kirei.

This was pure torture!

Without mapo tofu, how could he find inspiration?

Unforgivable!

He had to get revenge!

Kiritsugu glared fiercely at Shirou, then turned to Artoria with a deadly serious expression. "Fujimaru Shirou, you like Saber, don't you?"

"Huh? L-Like? N-No way." She waved her hands frantically. Her King liked Skadi, not her.

"Why are you being shy? I don't remember you being this naive. You can't fool someone like me who's been there." Kiritsugu said.

"This..." she was troubled.

"I can tell Saber has feelings for you too, but with your hesitation, you'll never get anywhere. You need to learn some techniques!" Kiritsugu said seriously.

"Techniques?" She blinked, looking at him with confusion.

"That's right. Your relationship just needs one push – the wall slam!" Kiritsugu said sternly.

"Wall slam?"

Kiritsugu nodded. "Watch closely, this is the wall slam. Pay attention to my posture."

He stood up and placed one hand against a nearby tree trunk. "Notice my posture. See my angle, you need to be close with your body completely enveloping the woman, close enough to hear each other's breaths. Got that?"

"G-Got it..." she nodded dazedly.

"Good. Iri will be looking for me soon, I need to run. You work hard now."

With that, Kiritsugu ran off.

As he ran, he turned to glare at Shirou's back.

Damn Saber, never thought you'd be this kind of person! You're still holding a grudge from the Fourth Holy Grail War, trying to undermine me through Irisviel!

Don't blame me for pushing you two together then!

Thinking this, Kiritsugu ran off, leaving the dazed Artoria behind.

"My king...likes me?"

...

Looking at the crying blonde girl on the screen, Shirou was impressed by the detailed graphics. He turned to Altera. "Does this game have hidden quests?"

"I-I think so? Morrigan's guide said the hell-mode beginner quest might have a huge reward, but no one's passed the Gatekeeper's questions yet." She was unsure, not being a gamer herself.

"I see." He nodded. So it was a very open-world game?

He touched the iron cage with his character. With a "clang," it broke apart, falling to the ground in pieces.

The blonde girl, startled, scurried out like a hamster.

The pastry-eating Gatekeeper choked and coughed, patting her chest

Shirou was amused by the game's quirky details, but then the Gatekeeper recaptured the girl. She turned to his character, growling, "Damn, you took advantage of me to exploit a bug! Get in here!"

Just as he thought it was bold for the NPC to mention bugs, two hands burst from the screen, grabbing him and Altera by the collars and pulling them in.

"My king!"

"Altera!"

Artoria and Ayaka, hiding in the bushes, rushed forward. But Altera and Shirou were gone, leaving only a Switch behind.