I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

In the shopping district of Tenguu City, Shidou Itsuka had gone on several dates before. The area was packed with amusements and attractions, making it an ideal place for a date.

If Melusine's memory served correctly, this was also where Shidou had once gone on a three-way date with three beautiful girls—Yatogami Tohka, Tobiichi Origami, and Tokisaki Kurumi.

Hmm... it must've been tough for him. Trying to create a world where everyone is happy really is just a hopeless dream, huh?

She recalled that even neighboring harem protagonists like Emiya Shirou and Tohno Shiki had tried something similar, only to fail spectacularly—especially since one of their heroines was the True Ancestor, Arcueid...

Ah, the Type-Moon world is still full of chaos today...

After wandering through several locations, Melusine and Shidou arrived at an aquarium.

Hmm... come to think of it, even though I've been to other worlds, I don't think I've ever actually been to an aquarium before...

Fish swam in all directions, even above them, making it feel as though they were walking through an underwater tunnel.

Looking up at the creatures gliding overhead, Melusine realized she couldn't name a single one.

If it were something like a gemstone worm mother, maybe I'd recognize a few...

"Say, I've always wondered..." Melusine asked, tilting her head slightly, "Why do so many people like to visit aquariums when they go on dates?"

"Uh…"

Shidou scratched his head awkwardly. "Maybe it's because they like the fish? Watching them swim around is kind of cute, I guess?"

"...That's hard for me to understand."

Melusine frowned slightly. "To me, every living creature in this world, apart from Master, falls into two categories—strong or weak. It's been that way since the planet's birth."

"But since I am the strongest lifeform on this planet, I view all other creatures equally. ""Compared to me, all lifeforms here are simply... 'the weak.'"

Harsh words, and to a normal person, they might have sounded utterly insane. But Melusine delivered them in an almost dispassionate tone—as if it were simply a fact of life.

It was precisely because of this mindset that Baghest had always viewed Melusine with hostility. Yet Melusine, much like Giyuu Tomioka, never understood why she was disliked. In fact, she genuinely wanted to get along better with Baghest.

With that statement, Melusine effectively cut off any avenue for Shidou to continue the conversation.

At least, Shidou found himself completely at a loss for words, left only with an awkward silence.

The two of them continued walking through the tunnel.

Throughout the aquarium—and earlier at several other attractions—Melusine's expression barely changed. None of it seemed to truly catch her interest.

"Um, Lancelot... do you... not really enjoy hanging out with me today?"

Melusine turned to look at him, and Shidou awkwardly scratched his head, forcing a smile.

"Ah… sorry, that was a dumb question. You're only here because of the deal we made, after all." "Of course you wouldn't be having fun..."

"I don't know why you would think that... but actually, I do care about this outing."

Melusine turned her gaze back to the aquatic life swimming behind the glass. "In truth... I've always wanted to give Master the best date in the world. But I never knew what kind of date would make Master happy... I don't even fully understand what a 'date' is supposed to be."

"So this time... I'm treating it as a learning opportunity. I want to understand how humans experience this thing called a 'date.' I want to know why lovers find it so important."

"…Isn't that overthinking it?"

Shidou looked at her, puzzled. "Isn't the best date simply one where both people have fun together?"

"I would certainly be happy... No matter where we are, no matter whether it's a date or not, as long as I'm with Master, my heart will be overflowing with joy and contentment."

Melusine lowered her lashes slightly. "But... I don't know if Master would feel the same. I want to share the joy in my heart with Master. I want to make Master happy, too."

"Hearing that... it's clear just how much you care about Master."

"Of course. If I had to choose between this entire planet and Master, I would choose Master without hesitation. If anything were to happen to Master, I would burn this planet to ashes... and then destroy myself."

"..."

That's... heavy.

At the same time, a profound sense of defeat welled up inside Shidou.

Kotori said I should try to replace Master as the most important person in Lancelot's heart... but is that even remotely possible?

The hope seemed vanishingly slim.

As they emerged from the tunnel, they noticed a dolphin show nearby and decided to check it out.

Though there were interactive elements with the audience, for some reason, the dolphins seemed unwilling to approach them.

"These dolphins are quite intelligent creatures... They can sense the aura of a dragon from me, so they're too frightened to come near."

Hearing that, Shidou recalled—Melusine often called herself a "dragon spirit" or simply "dragon."

Dragon spirit…? Could it be similar to how Tohka is called the "Spirit of the Sword," or how Kurumi is the "Spirit of Time"?

He pondered.

Tohka's angel is a giant sword; Kurumi's abilities are time-related… So maybe Lancelot's powers—or her angel—are connected to dragons?

After leaving the aquarium, the two of them stopped in front of a bookstore.

"Shidou, may I take a look inside that bookstore?"

"Of course! Do you have something you want to find?"

It was rare for Melusine to openly express a desire for something, so Shidou was eager to agree.

"I still have many doubts about the concept of 'dating'... Perhaps I can learn more from those things called 'manga' or 'novels.'"

"Yeah... that makes sense."

After thinking for a moment, Shidou Itsuka said,

"Then... would you like me to lend you some of the galgames I have at home?"

"Hmm... That might indeed be a good way to understand it."

The main reason Melusine bothered to ask for Shidou's opinion was because... well, she didn't have much money.

Anyway, no matter how hard she tried to bleed Ratatoskr dry, it wouldn't put much of a dent in their finances.

Hmm... If I went ahead and shot down Fraxinus, even Ratatoskr would probably cry from the heartache, huh?

Come to think of it... hadn't it been a few hundred years since she last bought any novels or manga?

To her past self—the one who had once been a hardcore shut-in otaku—this whole situation was absurd beyond belief.

Living for centuries and not reading any novels or manga—both sounded equally ridiculous.

Later, after buying two crepes, Shidou and Melusine sat by the fountain and ate together.

Because Melusine only ever showed visible emotion when speaking about her "Master," Shidou couldn't help but grow more curious about this unseen figure.

"Say... since you care about your Master so much, why aren't you staying by her side? You must really want to be with her, right?"

"Of course. If it were possible, I'd want to watch over Master 24 hours a day. Even being unable to see her for one second would make me want to blow up the Earth."

"...Don't destroy Earth over something so small. Mother Earth would seriously start crying."

As expected, there was always someone willing to blow up the planet over the pettiest reasons...

Let's have a moment of silence for poor Earth—three seconds.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't actually do it. If I destroyed the Earth, it would trouble Master."

"Yeah, yeah, it would definitely trouble your Master."

Shidou quickly played along, determined to keep Melusine calm.

He really couldn't let her go nuclear over something like this.

Still, a question gnawed at him.

If Melusine cared so much, why wasn't she with her Master right now?

"So, where is your Master?"

"You want to know where..."

Under Shidou's gaze, Melusine lightly patted her chest.

"Right here."

"...Huh?"

Blank confusion flooded Shidou's face.

Taking another bite of her crepe and savoring the sweetness spreading through her mouth, Melusine said calmly,

"...I don't mind telling you, but... let's be honest with each other. It can't always be just me answering your questions while you keep hiding things from me, right?"

Shidou found he couldn't argue with that.

Throughout their time together, although Melusine hadn't answered every question, she had responded to most of them.

Even if some answers only raised more questions...

It really wasn't fair for the questioning to be so one-sided.

"...Okay then, is there something you want to know, Lancelot?"

Without hesitation, Melusine polished off her crepe and fixed her molten gold eyes squarely on Shidou.

"In that case, please tell me—why are you all so obsessed with making me go on a date?"

Shidou's eyes widened slightly.

Melusine continued calmly,

"I can tell you aren't pursuing me out of love. You have some other goal. I want you to tell me your true purpose... and don't lie."

"I may not fully understand human emotions, but I can tell truth from falsehood—especially in a face-to-face conversation like this."

Under the gentle but undeniable pressure of her words, Shidou faltered.

"But... although I don't know exactly what your goal is, it's probably related to sealing spiritual powers, right?"

"After all, when I visited your house, I noticed Tohka and the others... they're all Spirits, right?

"And it looked like you had already sealed their powers."

"Is that connected to your goal?"

Melusine knew far more than she was letting on, but she didn't intend to reveal that she already understood the entire "plot."

Knowing too much would raise red flags, just like showing signs of being able to harm Shidou would.

Melusine wasn't considered a "dangerous" Spirit precisely because she had consistently helped others, showed remarkable goodwill toward humanity, and had developed a level of trust—almost close to friendship—toward Shidou.

No one quite understood why Melusine held such affection for him, but it was undeniably a good thing.

Having such a powerful Spirit nearby offered Shidou a measure of protection.

Still, the authorities aboard Fraxinus never dropped their guard entirely.

They always maintained a certain level of caution regarding Melusine.

And now—

Shidou realized with alarm that Melusine had nearly guessed the truth.

He wasn't sure whether he should come clean.

Fraxinus couldn't advise him now—Kotori had already told him, "If something happens, the choice is yours to make."

It was up to him.

Hmm...

"Alright! I'll be honest!"

Maybe it was trust in Melusine.

Maybe it was because she had always been so straightforward with him.

Maybe it was because she was already so close to the truth.

Or maybe it was guilt...

Whatever the reason, Shidou decided to confess.

"To put it simply, our goal is to seal the Spirits' powers—so that Spirits can live freely as ordinary people in this world, without worrying that their abilities might harm others."

Even though Melusine already knew all this, she put on a show of hearing it for the first time.

"And sealing a Spirit's power... requires that Spirit's affection for you to reach a certain threshold, right?"

"Yes. Lancelot, you understand, right?"

Meeting her eyes head-on, Shidou said earnestly,

"If you could become an ordinary girl, you wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone anymore."

"You saw Tohka and the others, right? You'd be able to live together with them."

"And we'll protect you."

"I see... So that's your purpose..."

Melusine slowly lowered her gaze.

Her voice, usually bright as a warbler's song, now dropped low, heavy with some unspoken emotion.

"Lancelot…"

Sensing a sudden change in the atmosphere, Shidou tensed involuntarily.

"And so, Shidou..."

Melusine lifted her golden eyes again.

They burned like twin suns—fierce, majestic, divine.

"You… are trying to kill me?"

The words exploded in Shidou's mind like thunder.

His breath caught. His mind blanked.

It wasn't just the primal fear pressing down from some ancient memory of dragons.

It was the sheer gravity of what she had said.

His teeth chattered. His limbs went cold.

"N-no...! I didn't mean it like that…!"

That overwhelming pressure had come suddenly—and just as suddenly, it dissipated.

As Melusine closed her eyes, the suffocating weight that had been crushing Shidou vanished.

"I know you don't intend to kill me," she said quietly, eyelids lowered.

"Maybe you even believe that sealing my powers would be doing me a kindness."

Her voice grew complicated, full of layered emotions.

"But what you intend to do... is no different from killing me."