Entry 5: A chat with Shinji and Leo

[I wander the second floor of the school a bit before going into the classroom – not much going on, but I think Hakuno is a member of the school newspaper club, based on some NPC dialogue.]

I enter the class 2A classroom. A number of things have happened to me, but it looks like homeroom still hasn’t started. I sit down at my desk and I’m starting to calm down when my friend Shinji Matou starts talking to me.

[It’s worth noting that Fate/Extra’s Shinji Matou is not the same person as Fate/stay night’s Shinji Matou.]

Shinji :: Yo Kishinami. What’s with you this morning, barely making it in on time. I mean, your responsibility is your only redeeming quality. Oh, maybe you got caught up in Piece Journal? You should really stop that, that’s not a place for normals like you, it’s for the chosen players  — yeah, it’s a place where only a handful of gaming champions can speak and get followers! Get it? It’s a place reserved for me, the world’s second ranked champion, current battle score of 78 million – it’s my castle!

Shinji Matou. Just as seen here, he’s a blend of excessive self-consciousness, elitism, and a need to always be the center of attention. For some reason I’ve been stuck with him as a friend and getting ranted at like this for a long time. Shinji’s got a problematic personality, but he’s also got enough gaming and academic talent to live up to his boasting. “If only he were better at reading other people, he could really be the class idol…” That’s what the girls at school say, anyway.

Also, the “Piece Journal” Shinji mentioned is a large European blogging system, usually called PJ. It’s not a place for posting and sharing regular news, but something more “deep,” a den of various self-declared experts.

Leo :: My. Incomparable online as ever, aren’t you Shinji. —- Heh.

Shinji :: Hey, what’s with that laugh. Is there something you wanna tell me, Leo? If you’ve got complaints you can tell them to my score.

Leo :: No, it was just because I’d seen someone earlier just as incomparable in the real world. The stratification of society really is cruel, isn’t it…I may have to alter my evaluations.

…Leo is smiling at me innocently. He’s got to be talking about what happened on the stairs earlier. Leo B. Harway. A boy who just recently transferred into this school. He’s a child prodigy who’s skipped at least one grade, and the scion of a famous family of plutocrats. At first I was intimidated by the difference in our breeding and abilities, but we seem to have reached a point where we can chat casually like this.

If I remember correctly…I think there was some big incident that lead to Leo and the rest of us coming to understand one another, but…Well, if I can’t remember it, it must not have been such a big incident after all.

Leo :: By the way, Shinji. Are the same rumors still going around on PJ? The “Holy Grail War,” or something?

Shinji :: Yeah, they are. “Mages, come and compete. The Holy Grail will grant the whatever wish the final winner should desire — ” Everyone’s talked it to death by now. We don’t know who the organizers are, or how to enter in the first place. Super shady, right? Even the managers aren’t talking about it, who knows what it’s about.

Holy Grail War —-? I wonder…I think I’ve heard that somewhere —

Leo :: But it’s intriguing, isn’t it. The power to grant any wish, is it…Let’s say, if it were you, Kishinami, what would you wish for?

A wish? I can’t really think of an answer to that on the spot. There are plenty of things I want, but they’re all things I could get by myself if I worked hard enough. I feel like when you say “any wish,” that also carries the meaning “something you’ll never be able to obtain on your own.” I’m not sure I’m capable of coming up with such a grand wish.

Leo :: Is that so? I suppose that’s like you.

Shinji :: And what about you Leo? You have some kind of wish to surprise us with?

Leo :: Of course. That’s why I transferred to Tsukumihara and —- hm? …That’s odd. I transferred because of my father’s cirsumstances…didn’t I?

[Seems like Hakuno isn’t the only one suffering from Grail War-related amnesia here.]

That’s right, I tell him. Leo and his older brother have come to study here at Tsukumihara for just a semester. I don’t remember where I heard that, but I clearly recall that fact.

Leo :: Right. I must have misremembered. Oh, I should try asking my brother Julius that question next. I imagine he’ll have an interesting answer.

Shinji :: …hey. Why did we start talking about your depressing-ass brother? If you’re gonna go around asking everyone what they’d wish for, shouldn’t the next one you ask be me!?

Julius is the name of Leo’s older brother. Julius takes Leo to and from school, like a butler. The sight of that Rolls-Royce driving up to the main gates is the envy of the whole school.

[Also one of the more…persistent opponents in Fate/Extra, and master of Li Shuwen, the best Assassin.]

Shinji :: Er. Hey, are you guys listening? You know I’m the All-Asia gaming champion, right? Shouldn’t you be treating me like it?

> Yes, yes, what’s your wish?
[>] Come back when you’re ranked first world wide.

Shinji :: Oww... You say some hurtful stuff, Kishinami... Europe's game champion - number one in total score... True. I've resigned myself to the number two spot. But just you watch! I'll beat them in the next campaign! There’s nothing special about that guy. All they’ve got is their huge amount of play time, just some cheating invalid, so to speak. When it comes to real finesse, powers of deduction, and inspiration, I’ve got them totally beaten. You watch me, Kishinami, Leo. In a week I’ll have unseated this "Jinako" and be publicly acknowledged as the number one player.

Leo :: True, the next campaign will be on your home turf, Shinji. Best of luck. I’ll give you my personal congratulations when you ascend to number one.

Shinji :: Really!? You hear that Kishinami, next week will be a Shinji Overhaul party at Leo’s mansion! It’ll be great!

I'm gonna pick some alternate dialogue options this time. Original translation at https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/entry-5-a-chat-with-shinji-and-leo/. Please support the original translator.