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 - A Vow to Protect and the Golden Flowerbed ~Mash's Breakfast Grand Strategy~
Morning light seeped in thin through the gap in the curtains.
Fujimaru Tatsuka, dozing under the covers, gently touched the back of his right hand. Beneath the glove, the pattern was faintly warm again this morning. It had been five days now since he'd picked up the Holy Grail. Strange things kept happening—the school store's bread selection had become nothing but his favorites, the cafeteria menu changed on its own.
"...I hope nothing happens today."
Tatsuka muttered softly and sat up.
That was when it happened.
Ding-dong.
A drawn-out chime echoed through the house.
"...Who the hell rings a doorbell at seven-thirty in the morning?"
Tatsuka descended the stairs with a sleep-fogged head. He opened the front door.
Standing there was a girl, her short bob of pale sakura-pink hair swaying softly. Large, violet-tinged eyes looked straight up at him. A small frame in a white blouse and navy skirt. In her hands, she clutched a small paper bag as if it were precious.
"Good morning, Tatsuka-san."
Mash Kyrielight. A Heroic Spirit girl who had transferred schools, drawn by the power of the Holy Grail.
"...Mash? Why are you here? And how do you even know where I live?"
"To protect you, Tatsuka-san, I need to know where your home is."
Mash said it with a perfectly serious face, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's not the point! Do you even know the words 'personal information'?"
"Personal information... is it? But I want to know more about you, Tatsuka-san."
Mash lowered her gaze a little, her cheeks flushing.
"...Sigh. So, what do you want?"
When Tatsuka asked, Mash lifted her head. Her expression had changed completely from a moment ago—dead serious now.
"Tatsuka-san, please let me make you breakfast."
"...Huh?"
"Breakfast. I've been practicing making tamagoyaki for today."
Mash hugged the paper bag tight.
"Wait a second. Why does it come to that?! Why are you making my breakfast?!"
"Your day begins with breakfast, Tatsuka-san. So making sure you eat a proper breakfast connects directly to protecting you."
"That logic is way too forced!"
Just as Tatsuka fired back—
"Oh my, Tatsuka. What are you doing with a girl this early in the morning?"
His mother's voice came from behind.
"Gah—Mom! This isn't—it's not what it looks like!"
Tatsuka spun around in a panic. His mother was staring at Mash, utterly fascinated.
"Well, well, what a cute young lady. A friend of Tatsuka's?"
"How do you do. My name is Mash Kyrielight. I'm in the same class as Tatsuka-san, and he's always looking after me."
Mash bowed politely.
"Oh, how courteous. So, what brings you here today?"
"I came to ask if I might make breakfast for Tatsuka-san."
Mash fixed her mother with a serious gaze.
"Oh! Breakfast for Tatsuka!? What a good girl!"
Her mother's face lit up.
"H-hey, Mom! Don't just go along with this!"
"What are you saying? She's offering to cook for you, so accept graciously. Come, come, Mash-san, do come in."
"Thank you very much. Pardon my intrusion."
Mash smiled happily and stepped inside.
"...Why does it always turn out like this!?"
Tatsuka clutched his head.
Standing in the kitchen, Mash opened the refrigerator with practiced ease and took out eggs. From the paper bag she'd brought, she produced a sakura-pink apron and put it on.
"I'll be borrowing your kitchen."
"Oh my, you even brought an apron. How admirable."
His mother stood at the kitchen doorway, beaming as she watched Mash.
"Mom, why are you so happy about this?"
"Because a cute girl making food for my Tatsuka—it's like a dream come true for a mother."
"You're way too much of a dreamer."
Tatsuka sighed.
Mash cracked eggs into a bowl and began mixing them carefully with chopsticks. Her movements were somehow precarious.
"...Mash, are you sure about this? You're not using a knife or anything?"
"I'm fine. It's only tamagoyaki, so no knife needed."
Mash added sugar and salt to the egg mixture, mixing with a serious expression.
"How many times did you practice?"
"...Thirty times."
"Thirty times!?"
Tatsuka couldn't help raising his voice.
"Yes. But I still haven't gotten it to a result I'm satisfied with. I need to practice more so you'll tell me it's delicious, Tatsuka-san."
Mash oiled the frying pan and poured in the egg mixture. With a sizzle, a sweet aroma spread through the kitchen.
"...You don't have to go that far."
Tatsuka looked at Mash's profile.
An utterly serious expression. Her violet-tinged eyes were fixed only on the tamagoyaki in the pan. Her small hands gripping the frying pan looked somehow precarious—and yet he couldn't look away.
(She's really serious about this, huh.)
Tatsuka murmured inwardly.
"...It's done."
Mash plated the tamagoyaki. A beautiful golden-yellow roll with the faintest touch of browning.
"Oh, nice work."
"Really!? Thank goodness..."
Mash smiled with relief.
"Come now, you two, bring it to the table."
On the table were Mash's tamagoyaki, along with miso soup and rice his mother had prepared.
"Thank you for the meal."
Tatsuka took a bite of the tamagoyaki.
"...It's good."
The honest reaction slipped out. Not too sweet, not too salty—just the right seasoning. The fluffy texture of the egg spread through his mouth.
"Really!? Thank goodness...! I'm so happy you said it's delicious, Tatsuka-san."
Mash's face broke into a radiant smile. In the morning light, it looked like a flower blooming.
Tatsuka's breath caught for a moment.
(...Huh. She smiles like this?)
A ticklish sensation stirred deep in his chest.
"...You eat too. You made it, after all."
Tatsuka said it as if to hide his embarrassment.
"Yes! Thank you for the meal."
Mash brought her own tamagoyaki to her mouth.
"...Ah, it's a little sweet, isn't it."
"You think? I thought it was just right."
"If you say so, then I'm glad. But next time I'll make it even better."
Mash said it with a serious face.
"You're planning to make it again?"
"Of course. I'll make breakfast every day."
"Every day!?"
"Yes. I'll protect your mornings, Tatsuka-san."
Mash smiled brightly.
"...Listen here."
Tatsuka tried to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
"Oh my, you'll come every day? You're more than welcome, Mash-san."
"Mom, stay out of this!"
It was a noisy breakfast table.
On the way to school. The morning air of Hoshigaoka City was still a little chilly.
Mash walked beside Tatsuka. No—to be precise, she walked half a step behind him, sticking close.
"...Mash, aren't you a little close?"
"Am I? I believe this is the distance needed to protect you, Tatsuka-san."
Mash said it with a serious face.
"No, protect me from what? Are enemies going to show up on the way to school?"
"Someone targeting the Grail's power could appear at any moment. We can't let our guard down."
Mash's voice was earnest.
"...Right."
Tatsuka sighed.
Just then, a voice called from behind.
"Oh, Fujimaru-kun. Good morning!"
He turned to see a girl from his class jogging toward him.
"Oh, morning."
Just as Tatsuka raised his hand to wave—
Mash slipped smoothly in front of him.
"I am currently protecting Tatsuka-san. Would you please not speak to him?"
Mash's voice was quiet. But her eyes were dead serious.
"...Huh?"
The girl stopped, bewildered.
"H-hey, Mash! What are you saying! She's a classmate!"
"Classmate or not, I will be on guard against anyone who approaches you, Tatsuka-san."
Mash stared at the girl with a serious expression.
"...S-sorry! See you later!"
The girl ran off as if fleeing.
"Hey, Mash. That was too much. She was just saying hello."
"...But that person approached you with a smile, Tatsuka-san. She might be plotting something."
"She's not plotting anything! She's just a classmate!"
Tatsuka clutched his head.
"You're too kind, Tatsuka-san. You treat everyone equally, so people get the wrong idea."
Mash pouted slightly.
"Wrong idea about what?"
"...I don't know. But I'll be careful of anyone who gets close to you."
Mash gently placed her hand on Tatsuka's arm.
"...Mash?"
"Protecting you is my role, Tatsuka-san."
Mash looked up at him. Her violet-tinged eyes reflected him directly.
"...You're way too serious."
Tatsuka smiled wryly.
"But thanks. You're worried about me, aren't you."
When Tatsuka said that, Mash's face lit up.
"Yes. If it makes you smile, Tatsuka-san, I'll do anything."
At those words, Tatsuka's heart suddenly leaped.
Thump.
(...Huh? What was that just now?)
Tatsuka pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was beating faster than usual.
(Am I reacting to Mash's words...?)
Tatsuka stared at Mash's face.
Mash noticed his gaze and tilted her head.
"Is something wrong, Tatsuka-san?"
"...No, it's nothing. Let's go."
Tatsuka hurriedly faced forward.
(It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just worried about Mash as a classmate, that's all.)
Tatsuka told himself that.
But the pounding in his chest didn't settle for a while.
Lunch break.
Tatsuka and Mash were spreading out their bento on a bench in the courtyard.
"Tatsuka-san, would you like some tamagoyaki?"
Mash tried to move some tamagoyaki from her bento box to his.
"Eh, it's fine. That's your portion."
"I want you to eat it, Tatsuka-san. I want to research the taste of breakfast more."
"Research... are you a chef or something?"
Tatsuka smiled wryly and accepted Mash's tamagoyaki.
"...Yeah, it's good. A little stronger flavor than this morning's?"
"Yes. I thought a stronger flavor at lunch would stimulate the appetite more than in the morning."
Mash said it proudly.
"Huh, impressive. You really think it through."
"It's for your sake, Tatsuka-san."
Mash smiled happily.
That was when it happened.
"...Huh?"
Tatsuka glanced at the flowerbed in the courtyard.
Every flower in the flowerbed had turned gold.
"What the hell is that. The flowers are all shiny gold."
Tatsuka stood and approached the flowerbed.
"...Tatsuka-san, wait!"
Mash hurried after him.
Every flower in the flowerbed glittered a brilliant gold. Touching them gave off a sweet scent.
"...A sweet smell. What is this?"
Tatsuka touched a golden flower.
"Tatsuka-san! Please don't touch it!"
Mash pulled his hand back.
"Eh, what? Is it dangerous?"
"...The Grail's wish-manifestation has begun. It's small, but it's definitely happening."
Mash's face had clouded over.
"Wish-manifestation... you mean like what happened in the cafeteria kitchen before?"
"Yes. It's the phenomenon where the Grail reflects its owner's wishes into reality."
Mash stared at the golden flowerbed.
"But I never wished for the flowerbed to turn gold."
"...The Grail grants even unconscious wishes. That's what makes it dangerous."
Still holding Tatsuka's hand, Mash spoke with a serious expression.
"Unconscious wishes... So you're saying somewhere deep down, I wanted the flowerbed to turn gold?"
"...Yes. The Grail grants the wishes buried deep in its owner's heart without permission. Even if you didn't realize it, Tatsuka-san, some wish of yours may have been reflected in this flowerbed."
"...That's way too scary."
Tatsuka stared at the golden flowers.
Beautiful, and yet somehow eerie.
"...It's all right. I will protect you, Tatsuka-san. Without fail."
Mash squeezed his hand tight.
"Mash..."
"I'll stay by your side so the Grail's power doesn't run wild. I won't leave you alone, Tatsuka-san."
Mash's voice wasn't trembling.
Feeling the warmth of Mash's hand, Tatsuka thought:
(...Maybe the Grail really is dangerous after all.)
For the first time, Tatsuka truly felt the danger of the Holy Grail.
And then, right after that.
The fountain in the center of the courtyard suddenly began to glow gold.
"...Wha!?"
Tatsuka couldn't believe his eyes.
The fountain's water was shooting high into the sky, radiating golden light.
"...My wish is leaking out."
Mash murmured, her face bright red.
"Wait, Mash's
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