Third Casino "Passion Flower of Love and Hate"

I'll let the little people work on saving up QP. I have a date with the hotel spa.

Honestly, what were they thinking, forbidding a phantom thief from stealing anything...

Well, I suppose that's all right. I don't have any business at Suiten Palace anyway.

My Mistress sense is telling me there is nothing of particular value hidden there.

The only things I'll find there are applause and empty Guh!?

I can't believe you didn't notice me sneaking up on you. I guess that sense of yours only works on gemstones.

It's hard to believe you were originally an Assassin.

You should have stuck with something more appropriate for your age instead of changing to a swimsuitI mean, a Rider.

Go go go! Flank and cut him off!He should've known better than to go off on his own!

Ahh, there's still nothing like a good battle royale!

I'm sorry for running off on you, Ma-chan, but I still need to cut loose every now and then!

Besides, Suiten Palace's the top-ranked casino that Lambda runs, right?

She does a good job covering it up, but I can still practically see the ominous aura emanating from there...

I usually love dark and gloomy stuff, but that place even creeps me out. Blackbeard said it scared him too, now that I think of it...

So I'm just gonna let Carmilla and Nero handle it while I kick back and blow off some serious steam!

Hey, watch your six! You're way too much of a noob to be in the same battlefield as me, baby!

That's funny, I was going to say the same thing to you. All that flab must be slowing you down.

WTF!? I'll have you know I've been doing plenty of boxing fitness to get ready for summ Gah!

You certainly like to talk a lot. Don't you know you're supposed to be quiet when sneaking up on someone?

It's hard to believe you were originally an Assassin.

And frankly, I don't think you're slim enough to be a good Archer, either...

...

...

......

......

Um... Is there a reason you've been following me around?

...(Sigh) This is exactly what I don't like about you Assassins. You're too...observant.

Why did you have to notice me following you? Why couldn't you have just let me sucker punch you like the others did?

I mean, this is the third time. You should know better than to break the pattern now...

(...Yikes, I didn't notice what she was wearing until now. I wonder if that sort of outfit is common in Las Vegas. I don't know if I can look directly at her...)

(No, no, come on, Kotarou! You know Kintoki wouldn't hesitate to look at her if he was here! There's no reason you can't do the same!)

Um, I'm sorry, I'm kind of in a hurry, so could you make this quick? Oh, if you're looking for the rideshare pickup, it's

No, that's okay. I don't want to wait any more myself, so I'm just gonna punch you now and be done with it. After all, I have the clear advantage against Assassins☆

Yikes, they're huge! (Talking about her fists)

That's three of them, finally... I know there're still some others left, but eh, this is good enough.

Any Servant who is an enemy of Suiten Palace is an enemy of mine! None shall escape on my watch!

On my honor as an Alter Ego, I'm going to wad them all up and toss them in the trash!

Oh man, I'm exhausted!

I mean, it's great that I can train and earn QP at the same time, but all this gamblin' from mornin' ta night is takin' a real toll on my back!

Fou, fooou.

I guess we'll be taking our lunch break here then. Shall we order room service today?

Hell yeah! That sounds great! Man, I tell ya, I didn't know what good service was until I came ta this hotel.

I mean, lyin' on the sofa while someone else brings ya lunch? I feel like a million yen!

？！

You can't blame her. We are still in a desert, even if it is surrounded by an ocean.

The sun is blisteringly hot during the day, and even at night, the sweltering heat saps you of your strength.

Even I can't help but let down my guard every time we get back to the hotel and its air-conditioning. Though I'm ashamed to say I've been overworking the poor a/c.

Umu. In the old days, there was no way for people to survive in a desert.

The real Las Vegas could never exist were it not for the power of civilization.

People built generators, shored up dams, laid down railroad tracks... Oh, right, there was just one track.

Most people who come to Las Vegas do so via airplane, so there is an airport right next to the city.

Or rather, that airport exists solely to support Vegas, which is really quite small as far as cities go.

And to think, none of this would exist were it not for the city's core industry of gambling.

I admit, Las Vegas does have Rome beat when it comes to sheer prosperity, consumerism, and decadence!

But I still win when it comes to scale, since Vegas has nothing to compete with my Colosseum!

Although, I suppose an open-air stadium like that would be a poor fit for a sweltering desert.

You agree, do you not, Carmilla? You are even less fond of direct sunlight than... Hm?

Mash, do you know where Carmilla is? Come to think of it, I do not see Evil-wind Kotarou or Batty anywhere either.

Oh, now that you mention it, I haven't seen them around... Maybe they're asleep in their rooms?

I'll go ask them if they want to join us for lunch.

Everyone, come quick!

I tried knocking on Carmilla, Osakabehime, and Kotarou's doors, but none of them answered.

And when I went inside to check on them, I found this!

Oh, sorry. My mistake.

That was a message from Mistress C asking to be woken up at nightfall. This is the note I found.

Okay, we're here! Searching for anyone that looks suspicious!

Over there, Mash! I'd recognize that bulk anywhere!

Y-yes, she's definitely very distinctive! As for the Servants she captured, it looks like they're all lying down on top of one another at her feet...

Umu, they are stacked like a triple decker burger! But that is not the real problem!

Nnn, nnnnnn! (Bound and gagged)

(Inhale...) (Exhale...)

Okay, I'm ready!

First up, Passionlip! Let's see if I can split three watermelons at once!

Let's do this!

？！

It's no use calling out to her, Master! We'll just have to stop her by force!

Eeeeee...!

Gotcha! This fight is over!

Even your giant metal fingers were no match for me and my four swords!

It's true... Your little pinpricks were so annoying I just couldn't take it anymore...

But that's not enough to hold back my overflowing passion! Take thiiis!

!

...Huh? Why aren't your headsI mean, watermelons split?

What, you thought we were just gonna lie there and take it!? We dodged at the last moment!

Thank you, everyone. You kept her occupied long enough for me to free us from our restraints.

Indeed... Though I could have done without ever learning what it is like to be in an iron maiden myself.

Well, it's summer! I can't let Melt show me up!

？！

Man, I can't believe this chick was seriously tryin' ta put 'em outta commission.

Yeah, I read your threatenin' letter. Suiten Palace send ya to kill us?

Lambda tryin' to sweep us under the rug before our official match 'cause she knows how dangerous we are?

... (Contemptuous pity)

What's with the look!? Why arent'cha sayin' anythin'!?

Oh, I just couldn't help feeling sorry for you...

Why would Melt send someone to kill you? There's no possible way you guys could ever beat her.

I want to take down Suiten Palace too, but seeing you guys rush in to challenge her without a plan, I just... (Sniff)

Wha...!? What's with the waterworks!?

Y-you take over, Master! I can't deal with chicks like her!

That is Passionlip, one of BB's Alter Egos. I have my own history with her.

She is a very dangerous Servant, but I guarantee she is not a bad person at heart.

Hi, Fujimaru! Your swimsuit really, um, suits you!

？！

Hey, she just tried to kill us, remember!? This isn't time to play nice!

...

There, did you see that!? You could totally tell she was thinking "Yeah, I did. What about it?"!

Easy there, Osakabehime.

Trust me, you'll never get anywhere raging against psyI mean, oblivious girls like her.

You need to stay collected and attack smarter, not harder.

Ooh, makes sense! I can tell you've had a looot of practice dealing with Elly.

Never mind her.

Um, Passionlip, can you clear something up for me?

If you're trying to take down Suiten Palace too, why did you kidnap Carmilla, Osakabehime, and Kotarou?

Um... Hmm... How can I put this... Well, they say the enemy of my enemy is my enemy, right?

So I guess I just wanted to see if their combat skills were the real deal or not...

Usually, yes. But in this case, I'm inclined to take her at her word. Once an enemy, always an enemy.

As far as I'm concerned, the enemy of my enemy is just another unnecessary complication.

I know! You wouldn't be our Fujimaru otherwise!

...But, um, I'm not sure doing what's right is going to get you very far here.

Melt isn't going to stop being cruel just because you're doing things for the right reasons, after all.

？！

Oh, enough of this! If we wait around for Lip to get to the point, we will be here all day!

Passionlip, as the Alter Ego born of one girl's love and hatred...

...do you not have your own connection to the Alter Ego of Suiten Palace?

If I am not mistaken, I believe you and her are sisters, and that you once worked together as a team.

So why did you try to eliminate us even as you aspire to crush your sister's Suiten Palace?

Do you not think it a poor strategy for us to spend our time fighting each other?

I can't tell you why. I mean...

It's super childish, okay? I just can't stand that Melt's the only Alter Ego standing out.

？！

Hmm, yes. I understand how you feel.

Back when the fox-girl Caster got a swimsuit before I did, I wanted to wipe all Lancers from the face of the Earth.

But that still does not explain why you attacked our allies. Tell us, what is your real reason?

If you do not, and we end up on a crash course due to a failure to communicate, you will come to look back on this summer with regret.

Ulp... Well, I definitely don't want to be blamed for things when you're the ones making a mistake...

...Okay, I'll tell you.

MeltI mean, Lambdaryllis can convert weaklings into EXP and use them to make herself stronger.

So if a bunch of weaklings storm Suiten Palace, it'll only make her even more difficult for someone else to defeat.

Now I see. So sending in anything less than our strongest warriors would only end up aiding her.

Right. So since Melt got carried away and changed into a Lancer...

...I wanted to make sure a group of Sabers utterly destroy her.

Even though you're sisters?

Don't be ridiculous. What do you think being sisters entails?

(Whatever happened to the idea of one big happy family!?)

A-all right, at least I get where you're comin' from now.

Basically, we just gotta bring a Saber to a Lancer fight, right? Then ya got nothin' to worry about.

Well how 'bout that. I'm a Saber, which makes me a perfect match for her.

(Although... I still wonder what she meant by that part...)

Anyway, don't worry 'bout takin' down Suiten Palace. Just sit this one out and let us take care of everythin'.

Huh? Why would I sit this one out?

This is the part where I join the team too. Right, Fujimaru?

Hmm. What do you say, Master?

？！

Yay! I promise I'll do my best to help!

I can cubeify anything given enough time, so if worse comes to worst, I can always just compact the whole casino!

Uh, Ma-chan? I don't think grouping up with a monster is gonna make her any less dangerous...