Your Design Is Ugly As F**ck

[A/N : I apologize... I've set the wrong upload timer to the wrong date.]

A day later.

As Reaper secured the lock behind her, she caught sight of Saber emerging from his room. He stretched his arms skyward, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hands.

"Yawn...."

"Contract—"

Before Reaper could finish her greeting, a woman with ample curves emerged from Saber's room, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

Upon closer inspection, the woman was strikingly beautiful, her tall frame adorned in unique attire that caught the eye. Her amber-colored eyes and ashy brown hair cascading in waves added to her allure.

"Mmm! Mmm!"

Saber tensed slightly at the unexpected embrace, his gaze briefly meeting hers before he let out a resigned sigh, the furrow between his brows deepening as he muttered something under his breath, their words shrouded in secrecy.

Who is she...?

Reaper's confusion spurred her forward, and she approached the pair. They turned their attention towards her as she drew nearer.

"Who is she supposed to be?"

Otuko and Reaper locked eyes for a fleeting moment, a silent exchange passing between them.

Then, with a sudden bright smile, Otuko spoke up.

"I'm his girlfriend~"

Saber and Reaper were left speechless by the unexpected revelation, but Otuko wasn't done yet. She looped her arm through Saber's and leaned against him affectionately.

"Right, darling~?"

"..."

***

"My name is Yuki Manabe."

Otuko extended her hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Miss Reaper," she said, her tone gentle.

Reaper hesitated for a moment before accepting the handshake, mustering a forced smile.

"Yuki Manabe... That's an interesting name. Are you from another country?"

"Yes, I am. My home kingdom is in the Northeast," Otuko replied casually.

"Are you from the Kingdom of Avalon?"

"...The Kingdom of Avalon is currently suffering the waves, isn't it?" Otuko smiled weakly.

Reaper decided not to press further, sensing that delving into sensitive topics with a stranger might come across as intrusive.

"I see. You must have been among the evacuees during the Waves," Reaper remarked, shifting the conversation.

Otuko remained silent, and Reaper chose not to probe any further, opting instead to maintain a polite distance and avoid any potential discomfort.

With a sigh, Reaper redirected her focus to Saber, her curiosity piqued by his disheveled appearance.

"What happened to you?" she inquired, noting his rumpled attire, tousled hair, and dark circles under his eyes.

"...please don't ask," Saber responded in a hushed tone, his discomfort evident.

Otuko glanced at him and licked her lips, a subtle gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Reaper.

Could they have...?

Before Reaper could finish her thought, Otuko interjected, pulling Saber closer with a playful smile. She planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to grit his teeth in annoyance.

"You see, this beautiful onee-san was drunk last night after a sudden breakup," Otuko exclaimed, her tone dramatic as she wiped fake tears from the corner of her eyes. Her expression quickly shifted to a mischievous grin.

"It was then, this prince charming over here came to my rescue. He comforted me and we ended up drinking until we were both intoxicated! One thing led to another, and well... we ended up spending the night together!"

"You! Contractor, how could you take advantage of a woman!? You piece of human garbage shit!" Reaper's voice rose with indignation as she lunged forward, grabbing Saber by the collar.

"I didn't!" Saber protested, his eyes darting between Otuko and Reaper.

She's the one who took advantage of me!

Although he wanted to say this out loud, he knew that there was no way someone would believe what he says.

In the eyes of society, it's always the men's fault when it comes to this.

Reaper shot Otuko a scrutinizing look, sensing that her smile held more than a hint of mischief. She pressed Saber against the wall, her grip on his collar tightening.

"What the hell? Are you still upset about what happened last night?" Saber demanded, turning to Otuko.

"So you're really admitting it!" Reaper's accusation hung heavy in the air.

"Wait! No!" Saber's protests fell on deaf ears as Reaper's frustration reached its peak.

...

..

.

Moments later.

"Buweeee!"

As Otuko doubled over, retching onto the ground, Saber gently patted her back in a futile attempt to offer some comfort.

"Saying all of that... Ugh, I can't—" Her sentence was cut short by another wave of nausea.

Annoyance crept into Saber's voice. "Isn't that your fault? You almost got me killed, you son of a bitch!"

"Hehehe... It was worth it though," Otuko replied with a dirty grin, seemingly unfazed by Saber's irritation.

Frustration bubbling up, Saber smacked her back with more force than necessary, causing her to nearly tumble face-first into her own vomit.

"You bastard!"

Otuko wiped her mouth with a clean cloth before spitting onto the ground, her expression a mix of defiance and amusement.

As she wiped her mouth, Saber's thoughts drifted back to Reaper's earlier question.

'Are you from the Kingdom of Avalon?'

With a heavy sigh, he glanced briefly at Otuko before speaking. "Still, I'm grateful that you managed to avoid a disaster."

He paused, reflecting on their conversation.

"I mean, you did mention everyone's primary abilities... I remember it all too well," Otuko responded casually, while she was stretching her back. Her thoughts drifting to the information Saber had shared about the group.

Reaper mainly uses two abilities: [Steel Vanguard] and [Truth Detection].

[Steel Vanguard] allows her to increase her defense, vitality and attack power for 30% in five minutes.

As for [Truth Detection], it enable her to discern truth from lies.

"Thankfully, her ability is focused on truth detection. It can be countered by mixing lies and truths," Otuko mused, recalling how she had deflected Reaper's earlier inquiry.

Earlier, by responding 'The Kingdom of Avalon is currently suffering the waves, isn't it?', Otuko managed to avoid the question and redirect it to another topic.

Turning to the others, Solis possessed the [Influence] ability, allowing her to sway others to her favor and boost her likability.

Odium, on the other hand, had [Hawk Eye], which granted her enhanced vision akin to a hawk, and [Blend In], enabling her to lower her presence and blend into her surroundings.

[A/N : Hawks can see 8x better than humans. They roughly have 20/2 or 20/4 vision. In fact, "Red-tailed Hawks" can spy a mouse on the ground from 100 feet in the air.

They can see colors, like most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range. This means that the hawks caen perceive colors that humans cannot see...]

With her already subtle presence, whenever she activated her [Blend In] ability, Odium became nearly invisible. There was a time when Saber was almost startled out of his skin when she suddenly appeared behind him.

On the other hand, Occiditis possessed a unique ability called [Shadow Step], focused on movement, along with [Three Second].

[Three Second] was particularly intriguing. It allowed her to rewind three seconds into the past or leap three seconds into the future. It was undeniably powerful, but its drawbacks included a substantial mana cost with each use. Furthermore, the novel hinted at the potential for her ability to evolve further.

"Otuko..." Saber called out to her.

Responding with a childish pout, Otuko crossed her arms. "Call me Yuki," she insisted, a playful glint in her eyes that irked Saber, though he held back from voicing his irritation.

"Yuki... What do you think the others will be thinking after you suddenly disappeared?" Saber inquired, genuinely curious.

"It's fine. I already informed the tall girl that I'll be out on a mission," Otuko replied, flashing a peace sign with two raised fingers.

"...And she believed that?"

"Of course!" Otuko asserted confidently.

"...I highly doubt that. But I suppose Occiditis isn't the type to pry into others' privacy," Saber conceded with a heavy sigh.

As they walked, Otuko noticed a mark on Saber's nape, her lips curving into a knowing smile. "How's your neck?"

"Ahh... And just like that, this has gone from a serious discussion to a joke... You nearly bit through my skin! I was already being considerate back then, you know?" Saber retorted, his irritation evident in his tone.

After a brief moment of silence, Saber broke the quiet with a question.

"Yuki..."

Yuki turned her head slightly, giving him a sideways glance. "What now?" she asked, feigning annoyance.

"Can I ask you something?" Saber inquired.

Humming softly, Yuki replied, "Sure, what is it?"

"Do you have a boyfriend in your other world?"

As soon as he said this, Yuki stopped walking.

Yuki stopped in her tracks, a hint of hesitation creeping into her voice as she responded, "...No."

Sensing her uncertainty, Saber halted and turned to face her.

"Why the hesitation?"

"Well... There was this guy I liked... We met when we were kids, and I fell for him because he was always there for me," Yuki admitted, scratching her cheek bashfully.

"He confessed to me many times, but I kept rejecting him like an idiot," she continued with a self-deprecating chuckle. But her tone shifted as she delved deeper into her past.

"By the time we reached second year at the academy, he stopped confessing... and eventually, he fell for someone else."

Yuki forced a smile, turning back to Saber. "Why do you ask?" she deflected, trying to lighten the mood.

Saber paused before responding gently, "What was he like?"

"...He's just like you—"

No, shit!

Saber's spine tingled at the unexpected comparison.

"—There are 7 trillion nerves in a human body, but you two are the only people who tick every single one of them," Yuki concluded, her words carrying a weight of sincerity.

Oh, that's good...

Saber chuckled, a mixture of relief and amusement washing over him. "Thanks for the compliment."

"Ugh, forget it..." Otuko muttered, rolling her eyes playfully.

After a moment of silence, Yuki and Saber locked eyes, both unsure of what to say next. Yuki broke the tension with a nervous laugh.

Saber remained silent until he finally spoke up, his voice calm yet curious. "If you don't mind me asking, what's his name?"

Yuki's smile faltered slightly before she answered, her voice tinged with nostalgia.

"...Vallen Sephtis."

"Vallen Sephtis..." Saber repeated, the name unfamiliar to him. He made a mental note to remember it for later.

As they walked, Yuki suddenly pointed at Saber, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Alright, it's my turn to ask you some questions!"

Saber raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Go ahead."

"Saber, I'm curious..." Yuki rested her chin on her hand, looking at him intently.

"Curious about what?" Saber asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"I'm still curious about how you can use every element of magic," Yuki admitted.

Saber sighed softly, contemplating his answer. "Like I said, I don't actually use proper magic since I've never learned the proper way to use it. I only use their properties."

Yuki furrowed her brow, trying to understand. "But if that's the case, how do you—"

"I've never learned any traditional magic techniques in this world. Even back in my world, magic never existed," Saber interrupted, his tone matter-of-fact. "I just observe and mimic what magic is in the novel. It's like acting—once I understand how something works, the rest comes naturally."

Yuki's confusion deepened. "That doesn't answer my question at all."

Saber flashed her a cryptic smile as he continued walking past her, hands in his pockets.

"I'll leave that up to you."

***

In the bustling city plaza, a crowd gathered around a sword lodged in a stone, each person attempting to pull it free to no avail.

"It won't budge," a disappointed man grumbled, his muscles bulging with effort.

"Do you think anyone will manage to get it out?" someone else wondered aloud, the uncertainty palpable in the air.

Meanwhile, Reaper and Solis watched the scene unfold from a nearby café, sipping on their drinks.

Solis took a thoughtful sip of her coffee, her eyes fixed on Saber as he made his way confidently toward the sword.

Reaper's eyes widened with realization. "I get it now... Saber wants to pull out the Holy Sword!"

Solis nodded in agreement, her gaze following Saber's determined stride.

"Hero, huh?" she mused quietly.

As Saber approached the sword, ignoring the disgruntled murmurs of the crowd, Solis and Reaper exchanged a determined glance.

"Let's go," Solis said, rising from her seat with purpose. Reaper nodded in agreement, and they followed Saber, trailing behind a certain woman who seemed to be accompanying him.

...

..

.

""Hey, look! That man's moving the sword!"

A ripple of excitement surged through the crowd as Saber slowly extracted the sword from the stone. With each deliberate tug, a radiant light emanated from the blade, dazzling onlookers.

"It's blinding!"

Amid the commotion, a woman's voice pierced through the crowd's astonishment.

As Saber finally succeeded in freeing the sword, he hoisted it triumphantly into the air. The surrounding cheers swelled in a crescendo of awe and admiration.

"He really is a hero," Reaper mused silently, her eyes fixed on Saber's resolute figure before her. Beside her, Solis remained quiet as she stared at him impassively.

Lost in his own thoughts, Saber remained oblivious to the clamor around him, his focus solely on the gleaming sword in his grasp.

Soon, he began to recall some of the information from his memories related about the novel.

In the novel, Junior went back to this city in order to pick a sword that was meant for him. It was stuck in the stone for hundreds of years.

However... Instead of being able to pull it out since he was a hero, the sword denied him again for the second time. The first was when he, along with his first comrades that betrayed him, visited this place. The second was when it was around the 30th Wave of The Calamity.

This became public since the sword itself made a huge screen above the plaza to show everyone how it embarrassed him.

That sword... If the sword let him become it's owner, Junior wouldn't have to sacrifice his left arm and his third companions would have survived till the end.

It's because of this sword...

He became labeled as the Hero of Failure.

His beloved companions were sacrificed.

He lost his left arm.

His gaze landed on his reflection from the blade. Saber saw his expressionless face as he increased the strength of his grip on its handle.

«Be grateful, human! For I'm letting you touch me this time and borrow my powers.»

Suddenly, an arrogant voice entered his head.

Holding the sword forward, Saber sighed deeply as certain sentence wandered inside his head.

This sword... Is really pissing me off.

Suddenly, he took his black sword out of it's scabbard. Lifting it up in the air, he slashed it down in attempt to break the Holy Sword.

"What are you doing, Contractor!!?" Reaper raised her voice out of surprise and confusion.

«What are you doing, you bastard?!!»

What I'm doing...? I'm doing what Junior should have done long time ago.

'If you can't use it, then no one can.'

«I'm letting you use my power!!»

"Do you think I care?"

Klang—!

"Grateful, you say?"

Klang—!

"Out of the Holy Swords out there that other heroes uses, you are far the weakest, yet the most arrogant and annoying one."

Klang—!

"What's more..."

Klang—!

CRRRACK!

"Your design is ugly as fuck."

With that said, the sword shattered to pieces after his last strike.

CLATTER!