FGO Academy: The Holy Grail Is Buried in the Schoolyard
The Holy Grail—buried in the schoolyard. The girl—a transfer student who's been searching for him. The pattern on his hand—a Command Spell he can't erase.
Fujimaru Tatsuka was just an ordinary high schooler who wanted to go home and forget his weeding duties. But when his trowel strikes something solid in a forgotten corner of St. Regalia Academy's back garden, he unearths a golden cup—and a fate he never asked for. Now his right hand bears a strange glowing mark, his desk mysteriously tidies i
FGO Academy: The Holy Grail Is Buried in the Schoolyard - The Golden Chalice and a Mysterious Day
"Ugh, it's a jungle again..."
Fujimaru Tatsuka sighed in the school's back garden after class. A friend in the gardening club had asked him to help pull weeds. The spring sunlight was soft, the breeze pleasant—but one look at the sea of green sprawling in front of him, and honestly, he wanted to go home.
Scratching his curly black hair, he crouched down. He rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and drove the trowel into the dirt.
"...All right. Let's do this."
He swept his bright brown eyes across the weeds. Moving his lean frame, he set to work pulling them in silence, careful not to get dirt on his navy blazer.
He'd been at it a while when he reached the corner of the wooded grove—a place no one usually went near, thick with overgrown trees.
"Was this always such a mess back here?"
Tatsuka tilted his head. The air felt oddly chilly. A prickling unease ran over him, nothing like the warmth of a spring day.
Must be my imagination, he thought, and swung the trowel down.
Clang.
A hard sound rang out.
"Huh?"
The tip of the trowel had struck something solid. A rock, maybe? No—the sound was different. Clear, like metal.
Carefully, Tatsuka dug away the surrounding soil. It took about five minutes before the thing finally showed its face.
"...What is this?"
What emerged from the earth was a cup shining gold. It was small enough to cup in both hands, its surface densely engraved with patterns he'd never seen before.
It gleamed as if it had just been made.
"Someone's lost property...? Though it was buried, so..."
Tatsuka cocked his head. He reached out and gently touched the cup.
And in that instant—
"Ow, hot—!"
A searing pain shot across the back of his right hand. He yanked it back on reflex. A golden pattern was rising to the surface of his skin—the same intricate design engraved on the cup.
"W-what the hell is this!? It won't go away!"
Tatsuka rubbed at his hand in a panic. The pattern didn't budge. It was dyed into his skin as if it had always been there.
The air around him shimmered faintly gold. Tiny motes of light drifted between the trees.
"......"
Tatsuka was speechless.
Seconds later, the light faded away. What remained was the quiet grove, the golden cup in his hands—and the pattern on the back of his right hand.
"...What was that just now?"
Tatsuka sank down, his legs giving out. His heart was pounding.
After sitting dazed for a while, he stared at the cup.
"...For now, I guess I'll take it home. I should turn this in at the police box, right?"
Muttering that, he tucked the cup into his backpack.
Once he got home, Tatsuka looked the cup over again.
Under the room's light, it shone all the more golden. It had to be old, yet there wasn't a speck of grime on it.
"Is this real gold...? No, gold isn't this light, is it?"
Tatsuka tilted his head.
The pattern on the back of his right hand still hadn't faded. The pain was gone, but it felt faintly warm—like someone was holding his hand.
"...Creepy."
Tatsuka put on gloves, just to hide the pattern.
Tomorrow, he'd take it to the police box. Deciding that, he crawled under the covers.
The next morning.
Tatsuka breathed in the morning air of Hoshigaoka City. It was a quiet residential town forty-five minutes from Tokyo by train, population a hundred eighty thousand. Nothing special about it—just an ordinary city.
But Tatsuka loved this town.
Climbing Wish Hill, he found himself thinking.
(Now that I think about it, there's a rumor this hill grants wishes if you say them aloud.)
Tatsuka stopped midway up the slope.
Hoshigaoka City had a few odd spots. Wish Hill was one of them. If you spoke a wish here, they said a faint vision could appear.
"...Well, it's just superstition."
Tatsuka laughed and walked on.
St. Regalia Academy.
A private high school with about twelve hundred students, built atop a plateau in the heart of Hoshigaoka City. The white school building stood out against the blue sky—quite a picture.
Tatsuka passed through the gate and headed for the entrance hall.
When he stopped by the school store, it was oddly noisy.
"Hey, look! Today's bread is all curry buns, melon buns, and croquette buns!"
"Seriously? What about the usual red bean buns?"
"None! Not a single one!"
Tatsuka tilted his head.
(Curry buns, melon buns, croquette buns... all my favorites.)
Just my imagination, he muttered inwardly.
When he got to the classroom, it was even stranger.
"Tatsuka! Your desk is crazy clean!"
One of his friends pointed at his desk, eyes wide.
Inside Tatsuka's desk, textbooks, notebooks, and stationery were all perfectly organized. Normally it was a total mess.
"Uh, did I clean it yesterday...?"
Tatsuka searched his memory. Yesterday he'd pulled weeds and gone straight to bed. He'd had no time to tidy anything.
"Well, whatever, right? Lucky you."
"Yeah, yeah. You're on a roll today."
His friends were laughing.
"...Yeah, must be my imagination."
Tatsuka laughed it off too.
But the pattern on the back of his right hand was still warm.
During first period, Tatsuka gazed absently out the window.
(Speaking of which, this school has some weird rumors.)
St. Regalia Academy was a slightly unusual school, with a founding philosophy of "turning wishes into learning." The chairman was an old man named Mikage Soichiro, apparently a former executive of the Star-Reading Agency.
The Star-Reading Agency.
On the books, it was a division of the "Cultural Properties Protection Department" under the Ministry of Education. But rumor had it the reality was an organization that managed holy relics.
"What even is a holy relic, anyway?"
Tatsuka murmured under his breath.
Holy relics—wishes of humanity given form. The seven "Great Holy Relics" scattered across the world were especially powerful, and one of them was said to be called the "Holy Grail."
"The Holy Grail grants wishes, right...?"
Tatsuka remembered yesterday's golden cup.
(No way.)
He shook his head.
When class ended, Tatsuka bought bread at the school store. A curry bun, of course.
"Man, the bread here really is good."
Tatsuka walked the hallway, cheeks stuffed.
The store's bread was made by a local shop called Bakery Milk. A hundred twenty yen for this flavor was a steal.
After school.
Tatsuka had come to yesterday's back garden.
He was curious. Maybe he'd see that golden light again.
The corner of the grove. The spot where he'd dug up the cup.
"...It's glowing."
Tatsuka's eyes went wide.
Part of the ground glowed a pale gold. The air seemed to waver, soft and unsteady.
He drew closer.
The light pulsed slowly, as if breathing.
"It's like it's calling someone..."
Tatsuka murmured.
One more step.
The light winked out.
Beyond it lay only an ordinary grove.
"......"
Tatsuka stood rooted to the spot for a while.
A restless feeling stirred in his chest.
Something was about to begin. He had that premonition.
"...Guess I'll head home."
Tatsuka turned his back.
That night.
Tatsuka had a dream.
Golden mist hung thick over everything.
The ground beneath him, the sky, all of it was dyed gold.
And within it was a broad back.
Someone was walking ahead of him.
He couldn't see the face. But the back was so large, so warm.
"...Who are you?"
Tatsuka called out.
The figure didn't turn around.
But a voice reached him.
"I'll come for you. Without fail."
A low, gentle voice.
A voice he felt he'd heard somewhere before—a nostalgic voice.
"I'll wait."
Tatsuka reached out.
He couldn't reach.
The back receded, farther and farther.
"Wait!"
Tatsuka broke into a run.
But he couldn't catch up.
The golden mist swallowed the figure whole.
"It's a promise, after all."
The voice grew distant.
"Wait...!"
Tatsuka woke.
His heart was hammering.
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"...A dream, huh."
Tatsuka let out a breath.
He looked at his pillow.
"Eh...?"
A single golden feather lay there.
It was soft and fluffy, like a real bird's feather. But it shone gold.
"What is this..."
Tatsuka picked up the feather.
It was warm.
Faintly warm, like the lingering trace of the dream.
"......"
Tatsuka slipped the feather into his pocket.
He couldn't bring himself to throw it away.
The next morning.
Tatsuka passed through the school gate.
"...Hm?"
Beside the gate stood a girl he didn't recognize.
A pale sakura-pink short bob, with a small braid on one side. Large, violet-tinged eyes stared straight at Tatsuka.
She was about five foot two—small and slender. Her uniform was St. Regalia Academy's, same as his.
But he'd never seen her face before.
"...Um, are you Fujimaru Tatsuka?"
She asked hesitantly. Her voice was clear as a ringing bell.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. That's me..."
Tatsuka answered, bewildered.
She smiled in relief.
"Thank goodness. I've finally found you."
"Huh? Finally...?"
"Yes. My name is Mash Kyrielight. As of today, I've transferred to this school."
Mash introduced herself politely.
"A transfer student...?"
Tatsuka tilted his head.
Transferring at this time of year was unusual.
"Um, so why me...?"
When Tatsuka asked, Mash looked up at him with a serious gaze.
"Fujimaru Tatsuka. I came here to protect you."
"...Huh?"
Tatsuka gaped.
"Uh... protect me?"
"Yes."
Mash nodded firmly.
"I sensed the power of the Holy Grail and came. If I'm not by your side, I can't be myself."
"The Holy Grail...?"
Tatsuka's heart gave a jump.
Yesterday's golden cup.
"Um, Fujimaru Tatsuka. Have you picked up anything strange recently?"
Mash's violet eyes fixed on him.
"Something strange... you mean..."
Tatsuka faltered.
"A golden cup."
Mash said it plainly.
"...!"
Tatsuka caught his breath.
How does she know?
"So it really was with you."
Mash smiled happily.
"That is a holy relic called the Holy Grail. It has the power to make its owner's wishes real—a very dangerous thing."
"Make wishes... real?"
Tatsuka echoed.
"Yes. Your wishes are reflected in reality. Haven't strange things been happening around you since yesterday?"
Tatsuka thought back to yesterday.
The school store's bread all being his favorites. His desk tidied without him touching it.
"...That was my wish?"
Tatsuka was stunned.
"Most likely. The Holy Grail is picking up your unconscious wishes."
Mash explained, her expression serious.
"But the Grail's power can't be controlled by its owner alone. There's a danger it could run wild, dragging in the wishes of everyone around you."
"Run wild..."
"That's why I'll protect you. No matter what happens."
Mash gently took Tatsuka's hand.
A small, warm hand.
"Uh, hey—!"
Tatsuka panicked.
He wasn't used to having a girl hold his hand.
"...Ah, s-sorry! I just—!"
Mash went bright red and let go.
"No, it's fine... But protect me—what does that actually mean...?"
When Tatsuka asked, Mash answered with a serious face.
"I'll be by your side. Always."
"Always...?"
"Yes. Going to school, in class, during breaks, after school. By your side as much as I can be."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's a bit much..."
Tatsuka waved his hands frantically.
"Is it a bother?"
Mash drooped.
She looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes, all watery.
"B-bother isn't the word... It's more like, embarrassing..."
Tatsuka scratched his head.
"...Understood. Then I'll keep a little distance."
Mash reluctantly took a step back.
"No, distance isn't really the issue here..."
Tatsuka sighed.
"...Anyway, let's get to the classroom. We'll be late."
"Yes."
Mash nodded happily.
When Tatsuka started walking, Mash quietly followed.
Like a shadow.
"...Hey, Mash."
"Just Mash is fine."
"Okay, Mash. Listen—could you tell me more about the Holy Grail?"
Tatsuka asked as they walked.
"Yes. Where should I begin?"
"Um... why did the Grail end up with me?"
"That... I don't know. But they say the Grail chooses its owner."
"It chooses its owner?"
"Yes. The Grail appears before those with a strong wish. Do you have some strong wish, Fujimaru Tatsuka?"
Tatsuka thought about it.
A strong wish.
"...Wanting to live an ordinary high school life—does that count?"
Tatsuka gave a wry smile.
"That's a fine wish too."
Mash nodded seriously.
"But there may be some other reason the Grail chose you."
"Another reason..."
Tats
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