Entry 35: That’s not a real secret

Rin :: Argh, that was so stupid. And Kishinami of all people saw that disgraceful…!

It’s…Rin? She’s looking at the sunset, agonizing over something. I cautiously take another step forward, and Rin notices our presence and turns around.

Rin :: Kishinami!? W-why are you here…When did you break in! There’s been absolutely no negligence or openings left on this side, after all. I’m going to kick you out of the Labyrinth right now —!

Sakura :: ! Be careful Miss Kishinami! She’s calling out her Servan…huh?

[What Rin calls out is in fact one of the standard enemy programs.]

Rin :: W, what! Why are you just standing there looking let down…I’m the queen of the moon. I don’t need to fight insects like you directly! So, you see, it’s…there’s no way I’m going easy on you, okay!!

 

[She vanishes.]

Caster :: Ah, she ran away. But this enemy looks like kind of a pain! Master, please be careful!

[We fight it. Caster ruins her warning by complaining about having to fight something so weak in her battle opening line. I did oneshot it with my overleveled-ness though, so probably justified.]

Leo :: Good work. It seems you’ve gotten quite used to battle. That behavior of Miss Tohsaka’s — I think we’ve already got her secret.

Julius :: Still, though…isn’t that far too easy to figure out? It’s so conspicuous you can hardly call it a secret.

Leo :: Maybe secrets are actually more that sort of thing than you’d think? I mean, it’s true that we don’t have conclusive evidence. Sakura, where is Miss Tohsaka’s signal coming from now?

Sakura :: Miss Rin’s signal ceases in the vicinity of the shield. From that point on, she became impossible to track.

Leo :: Then for now let’s go back to the shield and aim for a reunion with Miss Tohsaka. Maybe we’ll be able to expose another of her secrets. It’s possible Miss Tohsaka has might up with Lancer without us noticing. Hopefully we can catch up with her before that happens…

[So we head off that way. As we near the destination, Caster exasperatedly tells me to get ready to face 'that horned woman'.]

Unknown speaker :: Kyaaaaa—!

!? That scream came from the end of the path!

Unnamed girl :: No, nooo! Please, help! I can’t run anymore! Don’t stab me with that…!

Lancer :: Anymore? Anymore, is it? Only humans get second chances. You know what, pathetic little rabbit? I’ll teach you some words I really hate, just for you. Jailbreaks, mutiny, and backtalk. All a rabbit should do is sit there like cute little bunny, you know!

Unnamed girl :: I…noo, stop! I’ll disappear, I’ll really disappear this time…!

Lancer :: What’s that? Oh, there’s no way I’ll let you go out so half-heartedly. I don’t let my sacrifices go so easily. You’re livestock. Your fate is to be tormented in my blood-tax hell until I get bored of you. Now, if we’re understood, you’ll get right back in your pen.

…with a high-pitched laugh, the screaming stops. The scent of fresh blood, at odds with this virtual reality. We rush toward the source of the sounds, and I see that red Lancer before us. I don’t see the owner of those screams. Did Lancer transfer her somewhere else…?

Leo :: Oh? Lancer, riding alone? Where’s Miss Tohsaka?

Sakura :: No sign of a Master! This is your chance, Miss Kishinami!

 

Lancer :: What could this be? I came out to catch an escapee, and I find unexpected guests? I’m so lucky, so cool!

Caster :: This is terrible luck on our side. We managed to get one out of Rin, and she seemed like she was about to lose another - of her marbles, that is.

I endorse Caster’s position. I expected Rin’s team to be looking for ideal circumstances for our next in encounter as well, but this is kind of anti-climactic.

Lancer :: What? You over there, refrain from whispering. You’re so rude. Where do you think you are?

Lancer points at us. It seems like she was asking me, not Caster.

Lancer :: …come on. You, the plain one, why are you staying quiet. I’m asking you a question. Answer me! …I said, answer me. Don’t ignore me! What is it, you have some problem with me!? Argh, the pet’s poor behavior is the master’s responsibility, you know!? Answer me already! You, completely harmless-looking squirrel Master! Where, what kind of place do you think this castle is!?

> This is the arena…the Sakura Labyrinth.
[>] The scene of a murder…?
> You told me to refrain from whispering, so…

Lancer ::Haah? Are you dumber than a squirrel? I'm the only human here. How could there be a murder? What I just ripped into shreds was a cute little rabbit. It's unbelievable for something that only exists to be eaten to run from me. So I punished it.

 ...What should I do here? This is a type of Servant I've never seen before. I'm not sure whether we should be trying to fight or standing back. This mission was to observe Tohsaka Rin. There's no point trying to fight when she's not here. But--

Lancer :: Enough of this. Rin told me not to kill “Hakunon” without her permission, but this is getting annoying. And what’s that “Hakunon” supposed to mean anyway? What language is it? Is it the name of a food? A place? A magic word? A pet name? Argh, Rin, if you’re going to use words I can’t understand, you’re not allowed to be my attendant anymore! I feel sick, so I’m going to cut you two into eight pieces!

What a hot-tempered person…! This Servant gets angry whether you speak to her or not, she’s basically a time bomb…!

Caster :: Master, stay strong! If we lose on the battlefield of words, we can't even begin the real fight! If it smells, cover it. If it causes pain, set it alight. Things should be decided in that manner - simply!

Lancer :: Oh, well said, you’re not my type, but you’ve peaked my interest, low-grade Servant! I’m play with you gently, then kill you. Come on, I’ll retire you in a second, third-rate!

[We fight for a round! It's funny, I actually have more HP than her this time around.]

Lancer :: Ahahahaha! Oh my god, you’re so weak! Is the Caster class really that lame!?

Caster :: Wha- this is Idiot Power on a never-before-seen scale! And- damn it, that spear's blunt! Even I'm surprised!

Lancer’s attack power surpasses ours. And she’s this powerful with her Master absent. If Rin were here, we wouldn’t even be able to survive…!

Lancer :: Ahh, I can’t stop…such a lovely face you’re looking up at me with, human. It seems you’ve come to have more respect for my noble lineage.

 

Caster :: ...What? Noble? Where? Wait - you? Dejima?

[Dejima seems to be a *tiny* trading port in Nagasaki.]

Lancer :: Yes, precisely! You’re a third-rate in battle, but you’re so on cue with your responses, you’re first-rate as an audience. 

Lancer:: Are you curious? 

Lancer :: You’re curious, aren’t you?

Lancer :: You want to know, right!? Good call! Very well, if you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you! I am a high-class Dragon-child! Super-sonic, gifted with beauty and intelligence, my spirit and my favorite tea are both first brew — the roaring thunder descending from Jánoshegy, singing songs of fresh blood! I am Hungary’s famous E—

[She says "Nice call" in English.]

Rin :: Stupid stupid stupid, stop right there Lancer! What are you thinking, revealing your true name!? You know how angry I’ll be if you do that!?

…Rin! With this our opponents’ battle power has gotten even higher. Currently Caster and I can’t even oppose Lancer alone, if her Master Rin is with her, forget winning, I’d despair even of getting away…!

Lancer :: …so, I can’t, my true name is secret information, right. When I made a contract with my manager, I was told not to give my own name.

Rin :: Not just your true, all of your abilities are secrets! You didn’t go an blab anything else important, did you!?

Lancer :: Huh, other things? Um….....................yep. I didn’t blab anything at all, no ma’am. It was perfect. Perfect silence! It was at the point where I didn’t even talk to them at all.

["Perfect silence" was also in English.]

Caster :: "Daughter of dragons." Annnnd, a slippery reptile tail. Mmmmm, I suppose there are some lizard women that come into the world as apparitions and spirits and such.

[Lancer and Caster really are similar - they both use a ton of English. Among other more noticeable similarities.]

Rin :: You went and revealed something didn’t you!

Lancer :: You’re wrong, it’s not my fault. It’s just that squirrely Master’s leading questions approach master-level.

Rin :: There’s no way Hakunon….Kishinami has the kind of ability! She’s a good person to the core and her idiocy is bottomless!

Lancer :: Oh my. Well then, I don’t see the problem. If she’s that dumb, we don’t need to be afraid of her knowing one or two secrets, do we? And anyway, look at them, Rin. They’re not strong at all, are they? I just danced with them a little, and they’re in that state. Couldn’t I just kill them here? I’d like more sacrifices, but disobedient lambs are just in the way. We get rid of everyone who tries to leave the far side of moon. That’s our rule, isn’t it Rin?

Rin :: ——.

The agitated atmosphere completely changes. Rin Tohsaka wordlessly accepts Lancer’s suggestion —

Lancer :: Come on. Your orders, my queen. First we crush the Servant and put him in the torture chamber. Then we pluck off the Master’s limbs and leave them at the entrance to the Labyrinth. And then, when the other survivors in the school building come to save her, we can catch and kill them all one by one! Oh, how lovely! My headache goes away just imagining it! This is, what do they call it, neglect play, isn’t it!

So that’s what that Servant is thinking of…! Daring to leave her defeated opponents alive, as bait to lure in the next victim —

Rin ::  — That’s true. You could do that. This girl is the type who’ll turn the tables on you eventually if you just let her go. And I wouldn’t mind making her kneel at my feet like the other Masters we’ve caught.

Rin, that’s…! …I can’t believe it. I don’t know what happened to make her become a queen. But still, even though she’s my enemy now, I believed that her true character hadn’t changed, and yet —!

Lancer :: Leave it to me! Now then, starting from your weak little Servant, I’ll make some mince pie with this spear —

Rin :: But that would be boring. It’s not worth fighting an opponent this drastically down-leveled. A Tohsaka is always noble and elegant. It went out of use long ago, but it’s a family precept. Go home, Lancer. There’s no need to fight small fry like this.

Lancer :: Seriously? …well, I guess it is your castle. If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll go have a look.

Lancer leaves immediately following Rin’s order. Most like she transferred to their headquarters. …and there’s no mistaking it, Rin just indirectly saved us. Somehow, that speculation freed me from the corner I was trapped in.

Rin :: Hm, hmph. What’re you looking at me like that for. What? I just said I’m not interested in bullying the weak. It’s not like I was concerned for you or anything. If you haven’t learned your lesson and creep in here again, then I really will exploit you for all you’re worth.

So Rin declares coldly, turning her face from me. As she does so, a strong electric current runs through my left hand. My left hand lefts on its own, as if drawn to Rin’s heart —

Rin :: W-what is it, why do you look so sad all of a sudden. S-so, stop it! I told you I’m the queen, didn’t I!? So, call me queen! Understand? This is just the nature pity of a queen! It would be boring to just finish you off, so I’ve made an exception and overlooked this! Don’t you DARE misunderstand! I don’t think anything of you!

Caster :: Uwaaah, there it is.... As expected of Rin...

Leo :: This is —

Julius :: …there it is.

[Flower petal burst, like when Kiara kissed Hakuno before.]

Gawain :: ?? What is it? Wasn’t it just a normal declaration based on a chivalrous spirit?

My left hand throbs. The program Kiara transferred to me is rumbling. My eyes can see something taking root in the blood vessels in the center of Rin’s chest. Ahh — then, this is,

Rin :: Eh? What’s going on? I’m the one letting you go, why are you looking at me like you’re pitying me?

[Then the center of her chest totally starts shining.]

Rin :: O, ow!? Wha, what is this!? Suddenly, my chest, hurts —

+

Sakura :: SG, identified! That is the “secret” that will bring down Miss Rin’s shield!

[So a glowing pink orb burst out of Rin’s chest.]

That’s right…! The moment I reach that conclusion,both of my feet kick off the ground. I shoot throw the air like an arrow. As if my body doesn’t belong to me.

[Now please imagine Hakuno leaping into the air, and driving her hand into Rin’s chest in a burst of light and flower petals. It's majestic.]

Right, I haven’t been fired at Rin, rather, drawn toward her. As if following some innate understanding, my left hand merges into Rin’s defenseless chest —

[The screen goes white, declares “Secret Garden 1,” and Hakuno falls past Rin, and crushes the pink orb in her hand.]

An instant.

The preference concealed inside Rin’s chest runs through my mind like a flash of light.

[And the shield shatters like glass.]

Rin :: Ugh…w-what, that —

Rin’s body is vanishing. No way…did I just do lethal damage to her with that contact!? But she doesn’t seem to have any wounds or bleeding —

Rin :: Kk…I can’t, maintain this offshoot…the ego should be invincible, yet you have a secret measure to eliminate it…I should have expected it…I underestimated you, Kishinami. You really are the greatest obstacle in my path to becoming queen…!

Er…no, um. I’d prefer not to be looked at with such open resentment. And I’d like you to not overestimate me.

Rin :: But, the fight is still to come! This me is no more than one quarter. This much doesn’t even hurt.

No more than one quarter…? What the heck is Rin talking about…!?

Sakura :: A quarter…? ! Could it be that the signs of life I’ve been picking up since we entered the Labyrinth are — It is! Those signs of life originate from the Labyrinth itself, but they ID as Miss Rin! If we count back from their numerical values, that Rin is one piece of consciousness emitted from her main body! She is a quarter of the Labyrinth, capacity-wise!

Leo :: Miss Tohsaka’s life signal, from the Labyrinth…? No, isn’t it possible that spirits were originally discharged, and then began to live independently?

Rin :: Heh, it would be impossible for the likes of you, but I know the secrets of the Moon Cell, so I can do it. Anyway. I don’t really know how I lost to you, but I’ll take the loss for now. But, I’ll tell you this much before I go. I’m going to disappear here for my own reasons! It’s absolutely not because of you!

[So she vanishes in a burst of tsundere.]

Sakura :: …umm. Anyway, the signal from the present version of Miss Rin has more or less vanished. The life signs from the Labyrinth are the same as ever, so I don’t think her life has been seriously endangered. Also, the data obtained by Miss Kishinami confirms Miss Rin’s hidden feelings. SG01, that’s the name of this preference, is…

Leo :: Wait. Let’s keep it with only Hakuno knowing that. For the sake of Miss Tohsaka’s honor. Well, we know what this one is even if you don’t tell us. It was so utterly according to template, I’d like to put it in a textbook.

Julius :: …extremely so. To even make the listeners flush…It was on the level of some traditional performance art.

Gawain :: To my regret…I can’t seem to understand your modern culture even slightly.

Leo :: That’s just fine Gawain. Anyway, Sakura. What does “SG” stand for?

Sakura :: It’s short for Secret Garden. That’s the name that has been registered in the Moon Cell’s libraries, but from now on I’ll shorten it to SG. Also, I’ve detected a comparatively stable structure just past the shield. I should be able to establish a short cut from the cherry tree to there allowing direct movement to that point.

Leo :: Very good. That should make further exploration easier. Hakuno, head for the area past the shield. After that, return to base. As we’re deciding on our policy going forward, relax for a while, and when you’re rested, let’s convene in the student council room.

Original translation here: https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/entry-35-thats-not-a-real-secret/. Please support the original translator.