By the time Uta had showered, changed into some cute pajamas, and stepped out, Arton had just finished cleaning up.
Seeing him tidy up her room, Uta's mouth curved into a sweet little smile. In her joy, she pulled Arton onto the bed, and they started chatting—about childhood, the present, and what might happen when they eventually ran into the Red-Haired Pirates. But exhaustion soon set in, and before long, Uta fell soundly asleep.
Arton watched her doze off, eventually sprawling out in the shape of an X on the bed. He smiled softly and opened his Sailing Diary System, then began snapping photos without stopping.
[Photo: Uta Sleeping (Angle 1)]
[Photo: Uta Sleeping (Angle 2)]
[Photo: Uta Sleeping (Angle 100)]
Within a short span, a hundred pictures in a row of Uta in the same setting—just from different angles—were uploaded into Arton's diary, immediately drawing attention from all the Diary Copy holders. They were puzzled why Arton was suddenly taking so many pictures of Uta, from every possible angle, all at once.
Only Kaya had an inkling of his motive. She knew, better than anyone, that Arton's desire to photograph Uta arose from how they'd just grown closer.
Meanwhile, Carina and Nami, who'd been quarreling out on the deck of the Sylvan, paused upon seeing the diary updates and headed belowdecks. They didn't go to Uta's room, however; instead, they found Kaya—already changed into fresh clothes—to question her. But Kaya simply kept silent.
It wasn't that Kaya didn't want to answer Carina and Nami's questions—she simply had no idea how to respond.
"Kaya, do you really not know why Arton is suddenly taking so many pictures of Uta?" Nami sat beside Kaya, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Yeah, Kaya. You came down to the cabin pretty early, right? You can't have missed everything." Carina, seated across from Kaya, urged her on. "Go on—spill! We won't tell anybody else."
Kaya opened her mouth, and once more, the scene she'd witnessed between Arton and Uta flashed through her mind. She also recalled the fact that she had needed a change of clothes afterward.
"Well, um, I have some herbs to sort out, so…I'll be going."
With that, Kaya's body vanished in a puff of smoke.
"A clone technique? No, that was the Body Flicker Technique!" Nami exclaimed.
"Something's definitely off," Carina said with a frown. "I get the feeling Kaya saw something she absolutely wasn't supposed to."
"Wait a second, could it be that Uta really did it with Arton?" Nami's eyes darted around in thought.
"Though come to think of it, Kaya also changed her clothes. Could she have…? Has she been up close and intimate with Arton too?" Carina rested her chin in one hand, her expression growing more and more astonished as she talked herself through it.
"No way. Kaya doesn't strike me as someone that bold. But something's definitely strange about all this," Nami mused.
Carina and Nami exchanged a glance. At that moment, both women decided they were going to grill Uta for details the next chance they got.
…
[I have to admit, today's a day worth remembering. Not only did I evolve Shirou Emiya's template to the Alter form, but I also got to know Uta better. She's way cuter than I ever imagined. I'll just have to keep recording more and more of this adorable girl!]
Pudding: "Cute, huh? Arton once said I'm cute, too. If I make it to his side, will he also take that many pictures of me?"
Hina: "Has Arton switched preferences? I thought he was more into older, mature women. Hina is…confused!"
Cinnamon: "Shouldn't Arton prefer women with… bigger assets and longer legs? Like Smoothie, for instance. Uta's nice and all, but it's odd for Arton to suddenly go all-out over her."
Black Maria: "Something's definitely up. Taking that many pictures all at once and saying those things? There must be something more between Arton and Uta."
Smoothie: "Could it be…they've already done that?"
Doll: "A hundred photos translates to five hundred points…that's quite a gain."
Kujaku: "Which means Uta—who has the Elizabeth Template and the Sing-Sing Fruit—will be leveling up like crazy, right?"
Gion: "This is getting more and more troublesome!"
Viola: "It sounds like Arton and Uta have reached a new stage in their relationship."
Kozuki Hiyori: "So if you become Arton's woman, even if he doesn't record a video of any intimate activity, he might still make a ton of photo entries afterward?"
Baccarat: "Perhaps Arton's new relationship with Uta means he'll record her even more from here on out. So offering one's body is the fastest way to gain power, is that it? Heh, just giving my body away… If it secures me a life of luxury, I don't mind at all. With Arton's backing, I'm sure I can have anything. Leaving Tesoro and heading out to find Arton was the right choice. The sooner I get there—before too many other women gather around him—the better my odds of securing a big place in his heart. I have to find Arton as quickly as possible. Cocoyasi Village might be out of reach by now… I'll try my luck at Reverse Mountain."