[ He'd argue that they didn't "agree", they'd "forced terms on us" is more like what actually happened. Another wave of Pumpkin Nobbus is dealt with, giving them a brief reprieve while the next wave can still be heard approaching in the distance.
The only reason it's taking so long to climb this abomination is because of how each layer is locked behind collecting a large amount of a certain material that only certain Nobbus drop... which means that at one point, they even had to drop down a level just because the material they needed dropped more frequently down there.
Simply put, this is grinding hell, and Ai is going to have to think fast because keeping him from throwing at least one of them off the tower is going to require him being physically restrained. ]
I'm tempted to let her. My sunk-cost-fallacy is reaching it's limit, you know.
She's already gone this far, hasn't she? Do you really think she'd actually leave us alone even if we refused to play along?
[ Ai's still not that good at picking up on anyone else's feelings - Oberon really is the one and only exception - but she knows idols. More importantly, she knows spiteful idols. Eli wants to feel like she's won on her own terms which is why she's set up a competition so weighted in her favour. Beating her at her own game is the only way to convince her she's really lost. If they drop out and retreat, it'll just embolden her.
With a sigh, she makes her way over to him, one hand clasped in the other. ]
We just need to get through this and everything can go back to normal. Do you need, um... healing? Or anything like that? How do I do this again...
[ Unfortunately, he can see what she means. If they drop out, who knows how long this mess will go on... especially with her singing like that. ]
...You're right, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about that.
[ Feelings... alas, Oberon might love her more than anything, but he's just about the last person who could ever help her in that regard. Even if it's something she sorely needs to learn. ]
...Just channel your magical energy like usual. The mystic code will do the rest.
[ As far as mystic codes go, clothes make for maximum convenience... it's why Ritsuka could use them, after all. ]
[ With an utterly mirthless smile: ] I don't know if doing it like usual will actually work out for us right now.
[ It's certainly not very idol-like, is it? But she gets what he means. Maybe it's the thought of being idol-like that has Ai take his hand in both of hers in perfect handshake session procedure to channel her mana into him. It takes a false start or two - Ai's no real mage, after all - before the connection between them opens and the mystic code channels it into clean, crisp healing magic. ]
... I'm glad I can do it like this, though. It makes me feel like I'm actually helping. ... not that I get why I had to be dressed up for it...
[ For what it's worth... she is extremely cute in that costume. It's only a matter of time before he gets handsy while she's in it, isn't it? He takes her hand, gripping it and feeling his injuries heal as a result. For all the questions Ai might have about why she has to be dressed up, it's very effective.
...With that said, as someone much closer to her than a fan, it feels wrong to just hold her hand like this... like the most bare minimum of physical affections. Unfortunately, he can hear the chorus of "Nobbu!!" in the distance, so he can't afford to rectify it with something especially intimate...
But he has his ways. ]
...Ai.
[ He suddenly grips both of his hands with hers, lifts them up, and kisses her hand. ]
...There. That's better suited to us, isn't it?
[ So he says before turning around with a flourish of his cloak and the brandishing of his scythe. Now he feels physically and mentally rejuvenated. ]
I didn't say it was bad. Just not really the sort of thing a Master should wear, you know? But it's perfect for an idol.
[ Even here, that's always what she's going to be. The thought settles gloomily in her head at first and seems as though it might take root - but then Oberon's lips press to her hand and Ai's face snaps up to watch him do it. Her expression wavers in a way that's hard to read... then breaks into a smile.
Right. Not just an idol. ]
Mm. Much better suited. But don't get yourself all scratched up just to have an excuse to come back for more of it. Handshake tickets are pricey enough as it is. I don't know if you've got enough to swap for that.
[ Not that it stopped him kissing her hand already... ]
[ He'll kiss your hand however many times he wants... and fof free too, thank you very much. He's a bit of a villain, like that. ]
You just stay back and keep up the support. I'm still pissed, so I'll be making these these things lives a living hell...!!
[ A number of Mini Nobbus come to a halt hearing that, clearly sweating a bit, but their fates are sealed... for they need the material that they drop, and Oberon ran out of mercy a long time ago.
Honestly, with how brutal Oberon is when he fights, it almost makes one feel bad for them...
We've been here way too long for to start drawing it out even more. How much is even long enough to make them a living hell...? It'll be better if you finish it quick.
[ Never mind. The Nobbus are doomed.
Another few false starts of magic, then a spark of mana; definitely not as efficient as their usual method but when Ai calls out to him - ]
I'm watching, so you have to do your best, okay?
[ - it comes rushing through all the same, the sort of energy boost one might associate with some kind of attack buff. you know, hypothetically. ]
[ ...Has he rubbed off on her? Ah well, she has a point, so he won't be questioning it. ]
Good... point...!
[ The boost comes just in time for a swing of Oberon's scythe, mowing down a number of them all at once. Whatever it is, it clearly works... hell, this might even be good practice for her. Not that she has any chance as a mage, but improving the flow of her mana isn't a bad thing.
It really is a spectacle, though, watching a Servant fight. Isn't it? Exactly how many weapons can one make out of bugs...? ]
[ A little part of her feels kind of bad... not bad enough to actually stop with all this, given both that they still need to progress and that they've spent so much of their time being terrorized by Nobbus no matter what's going on in this place... does it make her cruel if she thinks this is a little bit cathartic? ]
Just like that! You just have to keep it up!
[ ... Usually, there'd be a bit of a cooldown after a spark of mana like that, but so long as she's cheering for him it's still going...? Is the mystic code a bit off, or is it Ai herself? ]
[ This would be the first time Oberon could ever say he's heard of a mage being better at magic... via typical idol gestures. It has to be psychological... surely she doesn't have an elemental affinity and/or origin of "Idol", right?
Whatever it is, it's working... the Mini Nobbus start going down faster, resulting in the swift downing of the next wave of Mini Nobbus. ]
Hah... huh, is it just me, or are you getting the hang of that thing?
[ It's a little flippant but it seems sincere enough. She's still working out what it even feels like to use magic in the first place, let alone how it's supposed to feel or what it might be like to actually get the hang of it. But it does feel... easier, this time around. ]
Maybe it's because I'm not trying to force it as much? After all, this is way more natural for me.
[ Before, when they had only recently met, that damn wink of hers wouldn't have been effective in the slightest. Now? Now it... it makes him feel something, that's for sure.
[ That's?? Somehow even worse?? It's so sickeningly sweet, of course it bothers him... but what really bothers him is how it's actually working. ]
It better be a good damn reward...!
[ Said as he kicks his soccer ball pillbug with even more force, annihilating even more Mini Nobbus as a result. That heart symbol seems to have worked wonders... ]
Of course it will! ★ You don't think I became an idol without learning how to do a little fanservice, do you?
[ Of all the ways for magecraft to work out for her... technically, it should be the fans who are doing the cheering instead of the idol herself, but she's always been the type of idol who wants to support everyone, right? Maybe this is just a reflection of that. At least it actually is working! So she won't look a gift horse in the mouth. ]
[ God, what the hell does "fanservice" mean in that context!? He's dying to know, but he's a bit too busy deflecting gunfire from the Mini Nobbu's rifles to ask.
Which, at the very least, is finally coming to an end as the final squad of Mini Nobbus arrive... and with the buffs Ai is currently providing him, it's remarkable how quickly they fall, sliced apart by a combination of sharp projectile insects and a large sweep of his scythe. He was even faster than usual... so the method aside, the results speak for themselves. ]
Hah... hah... there. That should be the last of them for now.
[ For all he complains about... well, doing literally anything, Oberon's a pretty efficient Servant when he puts his mind to it, huh? Or at least, when he's properly motivated. Food for thought for later, she supposes.
Once it's safe to approach, Ai comes over to him with another of those picture perfect beaming smiles - the kind that are a little too bright to look right at. ]
Wow, you cleaned them all up so quick! Heehee, even you can fight like that when you feel like it, it turns out... so I guess I do owe you a reward.
[ Still smiling like that, Ai reaches up with her hand and. . .
. . . pats him on the head. ]
You did a good job. Hmm, is it a little too much to call you a 'good boy'...?
[ It's... a little silly, the way she has to reach all the way up just to reach the top of his head, but more than that... ]
O-Oi, just what do you think I am? A dog?
[ He's not leaning down to make this any easier, but his frown is very clearly a pout. What kind of reward is this!? He expected something more, damn it!
[ Dryly, a little more like Hoshino Ai than Ai of B-Komachi: ] An attack dog, maybe. Come on, lean down a little more. I can barely reach up like this.
[ She's still patting his head as requested, though - and when her voice eases back into the breezy, cheery tone she'd been using a moment before, it softens and sweetens as well. ]
You must be getting super tired of fighting like this... I know, I get it. But you're still doing your best.
[ Pat, pat, pat. ]
Seeing you work this hard for me makes me suuuuuper happy.
[ He continues to pout, but he begrudgingly does as she asks... leaning down so that she can actually reach the top of his head. This is ridiculous, he thinks... ]
...So happy that you decided to pat my head? You really are a mother, huh?
Hey, now. Lots of people like the idea of getting headpats from idols. It's nothing to do with being a mom. ... not that I'm allowed to actually do it, obviously. Handshake sessions are basically as far as we're allowed to go.
[ Her hand stills, still resting on top of his head. ]
So I guess that makes this extra exclusive. I can't give this kind of fanservice to anybody but you.
[ she's buttering him up a little for sure but when she looks at him like that while saying it....... it's so powerful ]
[ Her smile twitches just a bit. It's still sweet, still the infuriatingly pure smile of an idol but all of a sudden, there's something almost catlike to it. ]
Did I ever say it would be? But I can't give you a reward that special right here.
[ She lowers her hand and puts a finger to her lips, eyes dancing with mischief. ]
Something like that would need to be a private, one-on-one fan meet, don't you think?
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no subject
[ He'd argue that they didn't "agree", they'd "forced terms on us" is more like what actually happened. Another wave of Pumpkin Nobbus is dealt with, giving them a brief reprieve while the next wave can still be heard approaching in the distance.
The only reason it's taking so long to climb this abomination is because of how each layer is locked behind collecting a large amount of a certain material that only certain Nobbus drop... which means that at one point, they even had to drop down a level just because the material they needed dropped more frequently down there.
Simply put, this is grinding hell, and Ai is going to have to think fast because keeping him from throwing at least one of them off the tower is going to require him being physically restrained. ]
I'm tempted to let her. My sunk-cost-fallacy is reaching it's limit, you know.
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[ Ai's still not that good at picking up on anyone else's feelings - Oberon really is the one and only exception - but she knows idols. More importantly, she knows spiteful idols. Eli wants to feel like she's won on her own terms which is why she's set up a competition so weighted in her favour. Beating her at her own game is the only way to convince her she's really lost. If they drop out and retreat, it'll just embolden her.
With a sigh, she makes her way over to him, one hand clasped in the other. ]
We just need to get through this and everything can go back to normal. Do you need, um... healing? Or anything like that? How do I do this again...
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...You're right, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about that.
[ Feelings... alas, Oberon might love her more than anything, but he's just about the last person who could ever help her in that regard. Even if it's something she sorely needs to learn. ]
...Just channel your magical energy like usual. The mystic code will do the rest.
[ As far as mystic codes go, clothes make for maximum convenience... it's why Ritsuka could use them, after all. ]
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[ It's certainly not very idol-like, is it? But she gets what he means. Maybe it's the thought of being idol-like that has Ai take his hand in both of hers in perfect handshake session procedure to channel her mana into him. It takes a false start or two - Ai's no real mage, after all - before the connection between them opens and the mystic code channels it into clean, crisp healing magic. ]
... I'm glad I can do it like this, though. It makes me feel like I'm actually helping. ... not that I get why I had to be dressed up for it...
no subject
[ For what it's worth... she is extremely cute in that costume.
It's only a matter of time before he gets handsy while she's in it, isn't it?He takes her hand, gripping it and feeling his injuries heal as a result. For all the questions Ai might have about why she has to be dressed up, it's very effective....With that said, as someone much closer to her than a fan, it feels wrong to just hold her hand like this... like the most bare minimum of physical affections. Unfortunately, he can hear the chorus of "Nobbu!!" in the distance, so he can't afford to rectify it with something especially intimate...
But he has his ways. ]
...Ai.
[ He suddenly grips both of his hands with hers, lifts them up, and kisses her hand. ]
...There. That's better suited to us, isn't it?
[ So he says before turning around with a flourish of his cloak and the brandishing of his scythe. Now he feels physically and mentally rejuvenated. ]
no subject
i'm impressed it's taken this long as it is]I didn't say it was bad. Just not really the sort of thing a Master should wear, you know? But it's perfect for an idol.
[ Even here, that's always what she's going to be. The thought settles gloomily in her head at first and seems as though it might take root - but then Oberon's lips press to her hand and Ai's face snaps up to watch him do it. Her expression wavers in a way that's hard to read... then breaks into a smile.
Right. Not just an idol. ]
Mm. Much better suited. But don't get yourself all scratched up just to have an excuse to come back for more of it. Handshake tickets are pricey enough as it is. I don't know if you've got enough to swap for that.
[ Not that it stopped him kissing her hand already... ]
no subject
[ He'll kiss your hand however many times he wants... and fof free too, thank you very much. He's a bit of a villain, like that. ]
You just stay back and keep up the support. I'm still pissed, so I'll be making these these things lives a living hell...!!
[ A number of Mini Nobbus come to a halt hearing that, clearly sweating a bit, but their fates are sealed... for they need the material that they drop, and Oberon ran out of mercy a long time ago.
Honestly, with how brutal Oberon is when he fights, it almost makes one feel bad for them...
no subject
[ The Nobbus look hopeful...! ]
We've been here way too long for to start drawing it out even more. How much is even long enough to make them a living hell...? It'll be better if you finish it quick.
[ Never mind. The Nobbus are doomed.
Another few false starts of magic, then a spark of mana; definitely not as efficient as their usual method but when Ai calls out to him - ]
I'm watching, so you have to do your best, okay?
[ - it comes rushing through all the same, the sort of energy boost one might associate with some kind of attack buff. you know, hypothetically. ]
no subject
Good... point...!
[ The boost comes just in time for a swing of Oberon's scythe, mowing down a number of them all at once. Whatever it is, it clearly works... hell, this might even be good practice for her. Not that she has any chance as a mage, but improving the flow of her mana isn't a bad thing.
It really is a spectacle, though, watching a Servant fight. Isn't it? Exactly how many weapons can one make out of bugs...? ]
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Just like that! You just have to keep it up!
[ ... Usually, there'd be a bit of a cooldown after a spark of mana like that, but so long as she's cheering for him it's still going...? Is the mystic code a bit off, or is it Ai herself? ]
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Whatever it is, it's working... the Mini Nobbus start going down faster, resulting in the swift downing of the next wave of Mini Nobbus. ]
Hah... huh, is it just me, or are you getting the hang of that thing?
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[ It's a little flippant but it seems sincere enough. She's still working out what it even feels like to use magic in the first place, let alone how it's supposed to feel or what it might be like to actually get the hang of it. But it does feel... easier, this time around. ]
Maybe it's because I'm not trying to force it as much? After all, this is way more natural for me.
[ She winks at him........... ]
no subject
[ Before, when they had only recently met, that damn wink of hers wouldn't have been effective in the slightest. Now? Now it... it makes him feel something, that's for sure.
...Is this the charmed condition!? ]
D-Don't do that to me now!
[ ...No, no he's just embarrassed. ]
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H-hold on, was that really a little too much? Sorry!
[ He got embarrassed... cute. Maybe now isn't the time but how is she supposed to resist when he's got an expression like that?
With a smile that makes it abundantly clear that she's not even a little bit sorry, she makes a heart with her hands and beams at him relentlessly. ]
Keep doing your best for me and you can have a reward, okay?
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[ That's?? Somehow even worse?? It's so sickeningly sweet, of course it bothers him... but what really bothers him is how it's actually working. ]
It better be a good damn reward...!
[ Said as he kicks his
soccer ballpillbug with even more force, annihilating even more Mini Nobbus as a result. That heart symbol seems to have worked wonders... ]no subject
[ Of all the ways for magecraft to work out for her... technically, it should be the fans who are doing the cheering instead of the idol herself, but she's always been the type of idol who wants to support everyone, right? Maybe this is just a reflection of that. At least it actually is working! So she won't look a gift horse in the mouth. ]
There's just a couple more, you can do it!
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Which, at the very least, is finally coming to an end as the final squad of Mini Nobbus arrive... and with the buffs Ai is currently providing him, it's remarkable how quickly they fall, sliced apart by a combination of sharp projectile insects and a large sweep of his scythe. He was even faster than usual... so the method aside, the results speak for themselves. ]
Hah... hah... there. That should be the last of them for now.
[ ...So what the hell is fanservice?? ]
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Once it's safe to approach, Ai comes over to him with another of those picture perfect beaming smiles - the kind that are a little too bright to look right at. ]
Wow, you cleaned them all up so quick! Heehee, even you can fight like that when you feel like it, it turns out... so I guess I do owe you a reward.
[ Still smiling like that, Ai reaches up with her hand and. . .
. . . pats him on the head. ]
You did a good job. Hmm, is it a little too much to call you a 'good boy'...?
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[ It's... a little silly, the way she has to reach all the way up just to reach the top of his head, but more than that... ]
O-Oi, just what do you think I am? A dog?
[ He's not leaning down to make this any easier, but his frown is very clearly a pout. What kind of reward is this!? He expected something more, damn it!
...That doesn't mean stop. ]
no subject
[ She's still patting his head as requested, though - and when her voice eases back into the breezy, cheery tone she'd been using a moment before, it softens and sweetens as well. ]
You must be getting super tired of fighting like this... I know, I get it. But you're still doing your best.
[ Pat, pat, pat. ]
Seeing you work this hard for me makes me suuuuuper happy.
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[ He continues to pout, but he begrudgingly does as she asks... leaning down so that she can actually reach the top of his head. This is ridiculous, he thinks... ]
...So happy that you decided to pat my head? You really are a mother, huh?
[
Maybe he should start calling her a milf...]no subject
[ Her hand stills, still resting on top of his head. ]
So I guess that makes this extra exclusive. I can't give this kind of fanservice to anybody but you.
[ she's buttering him up a little for sure but when she looks at him like that while saying it....... it's so powerful ]
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[ God, how the hell is he supposed to resist her? His cheeks are flushed, and she's so close there's no hiding it. ]
...Well, I suppose that makes this a good reward, but...
[ He can only counterattack... ]
It better not be the only reward I'm getting today.
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Did I ever say it would be? But I can't give you a reward that special right here.
[ She lowers her hand and puts a finger to her lips, eyes dancing with mischief. ]
Something like that would need to be a private, one-on-one fan meet, don't you think?
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Good... I suppose I'll have to work especially hard for you, then.
[ Oh, Eli-chan... you don't stand a chance... Ai even has a scandalous relationship to go with all of her "Idol-power"... ]
Although... it might catch our opponent off-guard, now wouldn't it?
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