My Heart Shall Never Forget That Rising Sun

Okay, that's all for today's simulator training. Great work, everyone!

And to you, Lady Mash.

That goes for all of you as well. You all worked very hard today.

Hehe. So we did good?

Oh yes, very good. I could see how hard you were working right from beginning to end.

Well of course. My mentor always said that a job done right is its own reward!

Anyway, now that we're done here, it's time for snacks, right? Then let's go to the cafeteria!

Good idea. But aren't you forgetting something?

What is it that Lady Nightingale always tells you to do after getting back from a simulation or Rayshift?

Huh?

Um...

Wash your hands with soap and water. Go on, let me hear you say it!

Wash our hands! With soap and water!

Oh yes, washing your hands is very important!

Uncle Emiya and Boudica would be very cross with us if we picked up a doughnut with dirty hands.

Yes, I'm sure they would. So make sure you wash properly, and don't forget to scrub under your fingernails, okay?

'Kaaay.

Very good. All right then, off to the washroom. No dawdling.

'Kaaay!

I'm impressed, Tomoe. There aren't many Heroic Spirits who are so good with children, not even in Chaldea.

Do you have some sort of trick or technique?

Oh no, it's nothing special. I'm just used to dealing with children.

Besides, the little ones here are so well-behaved that it's really no trouble at all.

Even when they were playing around in the simulator, they never failed to respond to Master's commands.

I hope you'll tell them what a wonderful job they did, Master.

Oh, no, I didn't mean me. I meant

Oh, right. You did say "first," didn't you? Thank you, Master. That's very kind of you.

？！

Okay, I'm going to sort through all this training data and go report it to Da Vinci.

Please feel free to take the rest of the day off, Senpai.

You've been training nonstop since the morning, and it's just as important to rest as it is to work hard.

You could go relax in your room, or play something in the rec room... Whatever you'd like to do to relax.

Thank you, Senpai.

Are you sure? I won't be done until the evening...

Oh! I didn't realize you were inviting me to dinner at first. Sounds good!

？！

All right then, see you later!

... ...

...Hmm.

...Hmm, hmm!

Now I get it!

Master, Master. I hope I'm not being rude, but I couldn't help but notice how well you and Lady Mash get along.

I think it's just wonderful. It warms my heart to see it.

So, um...on a related note, Master...

I realize it is very improper of me to ask this of someone so young...

...but, um, I couldn't help but wonder how many you left behind in your hometown?

？！

W-well...um...

I speak of...s-suitors.

Oh, but of course, I know very little of modern customs, so I won't be so crass as to ask if you are yet wed!

At any rate, what is your answer? Naturally, you are still young, so I know there is every possibility that you have not yet had such experiences.

But I have also heard from Lord Zhuge Liang that it is not uncommon for today's young people to engage in courtships at an early age, so I thought that you might be one of them.

S-s-so how about it? Is there anyone, um, special you left behind in your hometown?

O-or are you still pure and unsullied?

？！

O-oh, w-well, I-I just meant, um...

I-I certainly have no intention of prying, but after seeing Lady Mash serve you so devotedly, well...

...I simply couldn't help but wonder how it is she thinks of you.

After all, Master, while you are essentially a general leading the charge in the battle for humanity, you were by no means born and raised in Chaldea.

As such, I figured it was well within the realm of possibility that you might have family, friends, or suitors back in your homeland.

Oh, right. Nowadays, I believe they are called, um, "lovers"?

Y-yes, that's right. I believe that is what they are called nowadays...

？！

？！

Oh!

You're so skilled at commanding so many different Heroic Spirits that I was sure you must have a suitor or three waiting for you back home...

But I suppose you really are too young for this sort of discussion after all!

Oh gosh, oh gosh! I-I-I'm so terribly sorry, Master!

I should have known you would be more conscientious than that! Please forgive me for ever thinking otherwise!

... ...

...U-um, could I ask you one last thing just to make perfectly sure, Master?

You, um, wouldn't happen to have any children back home, would you?

？！

Right. Of course...

It's just that, you get along with the childlike Heroic Spirits so well that I thought you might have had prior experience raising one... And since you are a general from modern times, I didn't think it was outside the realm of possibility.

But I see now that I was being very foolish. I hope you can forgive me...

... ...

...Y-yes, that's right.

...Yes, that's true.

I've already learned a great deal from my discussions with Lord Tajima and Lady Marie.

We may all be from different times and places, but thanks to them...

...I know now that there are fleeting, precious things in this world that remain the same in any age.

Which is exactly why I...

？！

I wanted to talk to someone who is raising a child right now. Not that I expect I could be of any help to them...

I just...wanted to ask them something.

Even a single question would have been enough...

But no, I could never make such a selfish demand. Especially given the circumstances we are all facing at the moment.

All right, Master, I will see you tomorrow. Please feel free to call on me if you wish to do any more training or tactical planning!

As always, I, Tomoe Gozen, will be there to aid you.

？！

O-oh?

？！

.........All right.

Please watch your step, Master.

We may only be in the simulator, but it is still all too easy to lose one's footing in the forest at night.

Although the injuries we suffer here may go away once we return to reality, a Heroic Spirit still could never bear it if they were to let their Master come to harm.

Here, this way.

Will this area suffice?

Thank you, Master. You are too kind to come all this way just to listen to me talk about myself.

？！

...Very true.

... ...

Let's see, how much did I tell you about my family before...

Well, I am Lord Yoshinaka's

...I am the daughter of Nakahara-no-Kanetoh, foster-father of Kiso Yoshinaka. As such, I knew Lord Yoshinaka from youth.

I remember he and I got along far better than I ever did with my brothers, Kanemitsu and Kanehira.

Well, I suppose I should say half brothers, as we had different mothers.

Now that I think of it, my mother's blood in my veins is most likely where my oni power comes from.

Though I've also heard that some modern-day legends claim I was born when my mother was impregnated by the power of the dragon god residing in the Tomoe River's deep waters .

Whichever it was, perhaps that is the reason why I never spent much time with my brothers.

Instead, I spent most of my time in the Kiso Valley with Lord KomaoumaruLord Yoshinaka that is.

？！

Yes, we were.

Even when I became more onilike, and these monstrous horns started to poke out of my forehead...

...Lord Yoshinaka was the only one who never batted an eye at it. All he did was tell me:

"Now I see. So that is where your Monstrous Strength comes from. Then there is no need to hang your head in shame."

"You should be proud. With strength like that, you are more than worthy of being my right-hand woman."

...Right before he tipped his head back and gave a delightful, boisterous laugh.

Now, let's see... This next story takes place after I had become one of Lord Yoshinaka's wives.

There was a woman I talked to shortly before the Battle of Kurikara...

(Sigh) Oh, Lady Tomoe. How can you be both so strong and so weak?

... ...

Am I...truly helping Lord Yoshinaka?

As an archer, I cannot hold a candle to my brothers, the Kiso Elite Four. As a woman, you and Lady Fuyuhime are far more beautiful than I could ever hope to be...

And as his wife, I have not yet even been able to provide him with a child...

On top of all that, these protruding horns serve as a constant reminder of my inhuman nature...

... ...

So I cannot help but wonder if I will ever be able to accompany Lord Yoshinaka to the destination he seeks...

Come now, our dear Tomoe, you should know better than that. Don't let those horns stop you from holding your head high.

Both Lady Fuyuhime and I have every confidence in you. And need I remind you that I too have known you since we were both children, just as Lord Yoshinaka has?

We are all Lord Yoshinaka's wives. Ordinarily, that would likely mean we would be competing amongst ourselves for his favor.

And truth be told, Lady Fuyuhime and I dislike each other a great deal as a result of that.

But you, Tomoe...our dear Tomoe... You are different.

You are the only one of us who can fight. The only one who can stand by Lord Yoshinaka's side even on the battlefield.

While the rest of us can do little more than pray for his safe return, you have the power to actually protect him.

And what could be more fortunate than that?

So we are all counting on you to help Lord Yoshinaka in ways that we simply cannot.

No ordinary wife or concubine can be of help out on the field of battle, but you can be by Lord Yoshinaka's side wherever he goes.

As for your oni horns, so what!? Once you put on a matching headband, no other soldier will so much as look twice!

Lady Yamabuki...!

I... I had no idea you felt that way about me...

...All right. I've made up my mind.

I swear to you here and now that I will fight by Lord Yoshinaka's side on behalf of every woman who loves him!

And should the worst come to pass, and he meets his end on the battlefield, I am prepared to be with him in his final moments on all of your behalfs as well!

...Tomoe.

Yes!?

Don't you know better than to think about losing a battle before it's even begun!?

Oh, r-right! I'm sorry!

...We ended up winning the Battle of Kurikara by an overwhelming degree.

Lord Yoshinaka fought magnificently against the Taira clan's massive army, and led us right into the city of Kyoto.

... ...

But unfortunately, things do not always go as planned. Once Lord Yoshinaka had finally gained the position of Seii-Taishogun...

...he lost his life soon after when Minamoto-no-Yoritomo ordered Minamoto-no-Noriyori and Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune to kill him.

And, I... I...

No... I wasn't.

...I was unable to be there for him in his final moments.

？！

I failed to keep the promise I had made to Lady Yamabuki.

Before his death...Lord Yoshinaka told me to live. To carry on no matter what.

I only learned that there was a deeper meaning to his words later, when I discovered I was pregnant with his child.

？！

Yes. That was Yoshihide.

Though I pretended I had had him with Lord Wada Yoshimori, I never had any doubt that he was actually Lord Yoshinaka's son.

...Shortly after Yoshihide was born, I decided to raise him as a normal woman. And I did.

By then, my oni horns had vanished from my forehead, and there was no sign left that I was anything other than human.

Once Yoshihide was all grown up, I prayed for Lord Yoshinaka's soul to rest in peace and lived out the rest of my life as a normal human.

Obviously, I had no idea about this until I became a Heroic Spirit, but I am told that even my corpse appeared to be perfectly ordinary.

... ...

You know, I always thought that I had lived my life by suppressing my oni urges, but now, I am not so sure.

If I had been there for Lord Yoshinaka's final moments...

...my grief and rage may well have ended up turning me into a true oni, one more apt to devour my son than raise him.

And if that's true...that would mean Lord Yoshinaka saved me in more ways than one.

Wait. What am I doing!?

O-oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Master. I didn't mean to go on and on about Lord Yoshinaka like that!

How strange... I had every intention of telling you about my familyespecially Yoshihide!

How strange... Where did I go wrong?

D-does this mean I can't even mention Lord Yoshinaka without getting completely sidetracked!?

U-um, perhaps I should start over at the beginning...

But no, wait. Even back then, I was still good friends with Lord Komaoumaru, so

A-are you sure?

I...

Yes! Yes, of course I do!

？！

Ahh, Master. Lord Fujimaru. I wish Lord Yoshinaka and Yoshihide had had a chance to meet you.

If they had...I am certain you would all become as close as family yourselves.

After all

What's going on?

Hey guys! Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I've got some bad news!

The idiot who was supposed to be monitoring the simulator decided to run a virus scan even though you guys were in there, and now it thinks you're malware that needs to be deleted!

And it's decided to do that by sending some exceptionally powerful monsters your way. They're sort of functioning as antivirus software.

We'll try to shut them down as soon as we can, but I'm afraid you'll have to hold out on your own in the meantime!

Hey guys! Sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid I've got some bad news!

The idiot who was supposed to be monitoring the simulator decided to run a virus scan even though you guys were in there, and now it thinks you're malware that needs to be deleted!

And it's decided to do that by sending some exceptionally powerful monsters your way. They're sort of functioning as antivirus software.

We'll try to shut them down as soon as we can, but I'm afraid you'll have to hold out on your own in the meantime!

Oh gosh, oh gosh. I guess there really is no such thing as a perfect system...

Right you are, Master.

？！

Very well then. However long it takes to resolve this situation, be it half a day or a full twenty-four hours...

...I, Tomoe Gozen, shall see that no harm befalls my Master whatsoever!

Have at you, foul beasts!

There!

... ...

...I don't see any more enemies. There certainly were a lot of them, but it would seem that was the last of them.

？！

...I do not deserve your kind words, Master. You would never have been in danger if I hadn't asked you to come here.

For that, I am terribly sorry. Still, now that all is said and done...

I think...I do feel a little better!

Thank you so much for listening to me, my new Master.

I... Strictly speaking, I am not actually Tomoe Gozen. I am simply a shadow of her cast by humanity.

Even this body you see here now is from the time when she spent her days on the battlefield.

While I do still have precious memories of the life she lived, my duty now is to keep you safe.

There is nothing more important to me now than ensuring you are able to live out your days in health and peace!

As such, I doubt there is anything to be gained from looking back at my past like this, so...please, just forget this whole thing ever happened.

From here on, I promise I will do my very best to never subject you to this shameful side of me again!

...Thank you, Master.

Oh, yes. Well, um, after all...

... ...

...After all, you also fight for something bigger than yourself.

And in that sense...I see a great many similarities between you and Lord Yoshinaka.

I truly believe you have the same inner spark as he did. One that shines with the same light and promise as the rays of the morning sun.

？！

Absolutely!

Not at all, Master! I assure you, I meant every word!

？！

There you are!

Thank goodness you two are all right! We finally managed to shut down the virus scan!

Thank you, Lady Mash!

Not to worry, Lord Fujimaru is safe and sound!

Wait right there! I shall bring him back in no time at all!