Chapter 314

"Welcome, Takao Shimoda." Wodime waved his arms in a grandiose manner as he pushed the door open. It was a rather….mundane action in nature, but I suppose he wanted to add a little flair to our first meeting.

I walked forward at his beckoning and was greeted by several people in the room. There were some familiar faces though most were unfamiliar faces that greeted me as I walked in.

"Introduction then. Shall we start with the ones you've met thus far?" Wodime asked, a little rhetorically as he continued on. "Hinako Akuta" He gestured towards the Elemental who quietly stood a little off to the side of the group, a small book in her hand which her eyes peeked over it.

I gave her a good natured smile and I believed I saw the hints of one reciprocated, the book blocked most of face so it was hard to tell. At the very least, she seemed a lot less hostile than previously. I would even almost call it friendly by the shift in her posture.

"Next we have Kadoc Zemlupus." He gestured towards the young man I had met in Olga's office previously. He shrunk a little under the attention, but held up a hand in a small motion of acknowledgement.

I returned the greeting, trying to appear approachable as the guy seemed really withdrawn.

"Next we have Ophelia Phamrsolone." Wodime moved on to a young woman standing a little closer to Hinako compared to the others.

"It's a pleasure." I smiled towards her as well.

She had long brown hair with a slender and attractive figure. But the most notable thing about her was the large eye patch that covered her right eye. "Hello." She said curtly.

"Am I next?" Someone else stepped up. He was very…flamboyant. One side of his head was mostly shaved with purple highlights on what remained, while the rest was pink and slicked back. He wore some very tight and form fitting clothing that bordered on skimpy. I didn't want to stereotype, but I was making a couple assumptions. "Scandinavia Peperoncino." He held his hand out rather demurely.

And I was fairly sure that name was completely and utterly fake. But on the other hand, Magi have some really fucking weird naming conventions. Hell, I barely batted an eye at Remnant's cultural insistence on naming their children based on colors in comparison.

I took it, not changing my expression. "Takao Shimoda, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Aren't you charming." He smiled. "I heard you fought Beryl."

"Things turned out that way." I shrugged.

"Can't say most of us get along with him too much, but He was a member of our team." His care free attitude sort of shifted slightly as he eyed me for a moment before shifting again. "Oh well, he probably had it coming. I just hope we can all get along in the future for the sake of the mission." He smiled cheerfully again.

"I have no problems focusing on the mission." I kept my reply vague, but also extended a hand halfway. If Beryl caused more problems in the future, I wouldn't sit back and take it, but I wouldn't go looking for trouble.

He smiled again, but didn't speak anymore.

Wodime nodded in approval before turning to the last one present. "Finally, Daybit Sem Void."

A young man with blonde hair and light purple eyes. He was wearing black cargo pants, a black dress shirt with a tie and a light striped vest over it with a black leather longcoat to complete the ensemble.

Honestly, he was the most normal appearing one of the group.

But why did something about him make me feel uneasy? Not hostile like I was with Lev, just a faint feeling that made me unnerved around him.

"You're very bright." The normal looking man tilted his head and commented without changing his expression.

"...thank you?" I offered in return, confused by what exactly he meant by that.

"We do have one more member, technically. But due to certain circumstances, her participation is…..uncertain for now." Wodime chimed back in. "However, I believe you've already met Mash Kyrielight?"

"The adorable lilac-haired girl? Yeah, I met her already." I confirmed

"Wonderful, then you are acquainted with every member of the team. While the time before deployment makes team training difficult at this point, I do hope that what little time we spend together helps us build a rapport in the unfortunate case that you are required to Rayshift with us." Wodime the ever polite Magus explained.

"Is that why you called us together, Kirschtaria?" Peperoncino asked. "Some good old team bonding."

"It was my hope." The A-Team leader acknowledged. "Shall we convene to the Simulation room and have a few practice matches? I will have this be a small test for our newest potential member."

Oh? Sounded interesting.

[***]

It was nice that Wodime was trying to include me. Honestly, I was starting to feel rather fond of Chaldea as a whole at this point. Sure, there were the negatives that I wouldn't gloss over, like the stuck up Magi that skulked the halls, or Beryl even. Hell, ignoring that little creature that I've gone out of my way to avoid, and even Lev, I was enjoying my time here.

I inspected my servant, giving him a thorough look over.

Assassin wasn't my preferred summon, but I could make do.

Again, as I looked around the area, I was enthralled with the sheer competency of what the Chaldean technology had achieved. I really wanted one of these rooms for myself, and I was seriously considering about how to get the blueprints.

I wonder if Gramps could get them for me? Maybe I could get them myself once my job here was done.

Then again, Olga may not be happy if I skipped out before my 'contract' was up. And the thought of making her upset really made me feel bad. With everything she's dealing with, she didn't need more thrown on her plate.

Hopefully everything will be settled neatly by then so it won't be a big deal.

Well, regardless, it wasn't the time to focus on that kind of thing.

As Wodime said it was a test, he didn't really give me any instructions, only that the objective was to retrieve the Holy Grail. The simulation being one that was based off the Singularity that was approaching, something that happened during the Grail War that took place in Fuyuki.

I suppose I should meet up with my teammates.

There was that Clairvoyance spell I picked up in Skyrim, but I didn't really want to overly reveal that branch of Magecraft If I didn't have to.

"Are those Dragon Tooth warriors?" I was snapped out of my thoughts as I saw a horde of Skeleton-like creatures running down the destroyed street.

Huh, how nostalgic.

Makes sense they would be added to the simulation, they were a rather popular tool from the Age of Gods that somehow made its way around the world. I know Medea can use them fairly easily, and Semiramis produced them without effort in her Hanging Gardens. Not that strange that Chaldea has records of them from the use of other Servants

"Take them out." I ordered my Assassin as it seeped into the shadows.

I barely paid them any more mind as he reappeared, taking out a handful before they could even react. But at that point, the dozen or so mindless creatures were thoroughly eliminated by the speed of my Servant.

"Assassin, scale the tallest building nearby and find any other people in the vicinity." I gave another order as my Assassin disappeared.

No doubt I was being evaluated on how I perform.

Should I just make a bee-line for the Grail and take it that way? I feel like that would go against the spirit of the simulation if I did so. Kirschtaria did say it was a team exercise.

I felt a tug in the 'link' I shared with the fake Assassin. They weren't really intelligent, to the point where they didn't think, thus we didn't have the same Mental Link like I did with Raikou. However, it could still facilitate some sort of connecteion, as Assassin directed me somewhere based on my desire.

I suppose he found someone.

I waved for him to come down and activate his Presence Concealment as I started moving in the direction he pointed.

It didn't take me very long to find out what he pointed out and I couldn't help but grin as I noticed who was up again.

A Servant riding a horse was impaling several Dragon Tooth warriors with a certain Elemental standing to the side with her arms crossed.

"Of course It's me you found first." She rolled her eyes upon noticing me. Funny how she's still so standoffish, but it felt a lot less hostile than before. "Well, guess we're teaming up then."

"Good, I was supposed to find someone. Didn't know if I should just go straight for the Grail or not."

She shrugged. "We were told to not move towards it ourselves for about twenty minutes and give you a chance first. If you ran into any of us, then we were okay to go ahead."

"How kind." I snorted. "I can't tell if I'm being looked down on or not."

"Feel free to show everyone your real power." She rolled her eyes again. "So far, you've just shown that you're adept at handling curses with some experience in combat. It obviously makes you more valuable in their eyes, but it's a far cry from the training everyone else had done. We did a lot of simulations and training exercises as a group and individually a lot before you arrived. The only reason we still aren't is because Wodime wants us rested and prepared mentally for the Singularity since it's close."

That's true, I suppose from their perspective, I was just a good seed, not fully bloomed as their own established team was. I did counter Beryl pretty damn hard with his reliance on curses, which was both beneficial and detrimental to me. Good that I didn't make people question me beyond what someone in my position should be questioned on. Bad in that I wasn't propped up beyond what I already had been.

Oh well, I think it all turned out good enough in the end.

"Fair enough." I acknowledged her reasoning. "Speaking of Beryl, he tried to reverse my Karma with a curse."

It was her turn to let out a snort, though it was mostly in amusement. "No wonder he's been stuck in bed for so long. That idiot basically cursed himself due to the backlash."

She would obviously find the humor in it considering she had an inkling of where I stood on the metaphysical scale. Beryl trying to curse me in that way was like trying to ram into a mountain on a motorcycle thinking it was a little sand castle.

"So, how do you wanna do this?" I stretched my arms, summoning my Servant. "Are we competing against the other Masters, or is it just 'do the best you can, and we'll clean things up if you can't finish'."

"There were a few bets on how well you would do…." She admitted.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "Consider my competitive spirit ignited."

"Joy." She said dryly. "Let's just get this over with. We were told to let you have a chance to navigate things if you caught up with one of us, so….." She waved her hands flippantly. "Call the shots, I guess."

"Rider Servant, hmm?" I looked at her Servant. "Got any idea where the Grail is?"

She raised her dainty hand, pointing towards the center of the city. "Obviously that way, it's where the Dragon Tooth Warriors have been originating from."

"That's a fair assumption. And thankfully, we have a horse."

"My Servant has a horse."

"Don't be like that, we're a team. It's our horse." I smiled.

"How do you expect all three of us to fit on it?" She crossed her arms.

"The Horse is a separate entity from your servant, just have him run along next to it and we can ride it together." I offered.

"I am not sharing a horse with you."

"Then run by yourself. I'm sure that won't throw up any questions as to how you're keeping up with a Servant's horse." I chuckled.

"Do you even know how to ride a horse? Because there's no way I'm letting you get on behind me. I know as soon as we go, I'm going to feel something poking my butt."

"I know how to ride a horse."…..kinda. "I've done so before." On the Date with Artoria, where she technically did the riding, I just enjoyed the closeness.

"Ugh, fine." She threw her hands up. "Let's just get this over with." She ordered her Rider Servant down as I admired the fake beast.

I gave it a gentle pat as it let out a snort of air. I hopped up, swinging my leg over the side. "Well, let's go." I held my hand out which she took pulling her up behind me. "By the way, I better not feel any wandering hands." I shot her another grin.

"L-like I would do something like that." She scowled deeply, a little huff accompanying it.

"Oh, and just a heads up, I've never actually maneuvered a horse before." I grabbed the reins.

"What!? You just said you knew how to ride a horse and you've done so before!"

"I said I know how to. And my riding experiences is basically holding onto my girlfriend as she goes at it." Which remembering really brought a warm feeling to my chest, despite the situation I found myself in.

"You idiot –"

"Hyah!" I kicked its sides, making the Horse let out an abrupt neigh, and it took off like a rocket, making Hinako grab onto me out of instinct, an abrupt noise of confusion coming out of her mouth.

Almost immediately, it was not like I was expecting. The Horse seemed to want to jerk every which way as it started running down the street.

"Stop gripping the reins so tight" She hissed, adjusting herself. "Sit up straighter and only lightly tug where you want it to go."

I didn't argue, following her instructions. The Horse seemed to settle down a little, it was still a bit rough, but more manageable as it hurtled down the street. "Thanks."

"…don't mention it." She grumbled, relaxing herself. "How do you want to handle the Dragon Tooth Warriors up ahead."

I let out a whistle. "That's got to be over a hundred. Enough to even keep a Servant occupied for a few minutes. What's your Rider's Noble Phantasm?"

"His mount turns into a whirlwind as its speed increases several folds. It's an Anti-Army designated Noble Phantasm." She briefly explained.

"….does he need to be on it for it to work?"

I could see her open her mouth to respond out of the corner of my eyes only for it to abruptly snap shut as she genuinely considered my question. "…..Rider, activate your Noble Phantasm."

"Holy shit." I grabbed onto the reins tightly, despite her earlier advice as a large amount of Magical Energy swirled around us, enveloping the Horse in a literal whirlwind similar to the Shout that I'm able to use. Though, these winds were sharper, like blades as they converged around us and the Horse's shot upward by several factors, completely plowing through the skeleton monsters that flooded the street. It only stopped once we passed several blocks, completely clearing everything that was in our wake, be it monster, destroyed rubble, or even the wreckage of cars that littered the ground. "That was genuinely amazing."

"I guess it was interesting." She agreed, and I'm pretty sure there were more hints of a smile she was trying to hide. "I think we should be the first, but the others wont be far behind."

"So, let's end this as soon as possible. Are there any other simulated Phantasmals or is it just Dragon Tooth Warriors? And I'm assuming that the last enemy is going to be a Servant or multiple guarding the Grail?

"This is a Simulation on the lower end of difficulty. It's unlikely to be anything substantial, like Wyverns or other Phantasmal species, and you're probably right on the Servant. Do you have a plan or would you like 'advice'?"

"I do have a plan, but what advice would you give out of curiosity?"

"Don't fuck up."

"Good advice." I replied, not missing a beat.

"Thank you, it's something I came up with just for you. Simple and easy for even someone like you to understand."

"Alright, I think my plan is better though." I took out a stack of Talismans as I tried my best to slow down our mount.

"No." She quickly denied me. "I can read Kanji, that is not a good plan!"

"I think it's a wonderful plan." I waited a moment for my Assassin to properly catch up as I began sticking the Talismans to his body.

"Those are going to explode! How is that a good plan?!"

"Big Boom, get Grail" I also added in some hand gestures to help accentuate my point.

She pursed her lips, slapping at my hands. "I'm serious!"

"I am too." I countered. "Point out one problem that can't be solved by a big enough explosion." I gave her a moment as she seemed to be unable to formulate a response. "See, can't do it, can you?"

"Many problems! I'm having trouble because the sheer idiocy of what you said made my brain almost collapse." She scoffed, throwing her hands up. "Whatever, do what you want. That Servant is coming this way as we speak. It probably has the Grail on it."

I finished putting all the Talismans on his body, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Question."

"What?"

"So….the Assassin is most likely modeled after one of the Hassan-I-Sabbah, right?"

"….yes?"

"…..Is it offensive, what I'm doing?"

She opened her mouth and closed it again. "Oh my God."

"Because of his nationality...and the, you know – " I made an exploding gesture with my hands.

"I can't believe this is where my life has led me." Her hand covered her face.

"Alright, moving on!" I clapped my hands. "Assassin, take to the shadows." I commanded as it disappeared, the enemy Servant accelerating towards us at an insane speed.

Must be some pretty high parameters it was operating under.

However, it's physical ability was mostly irrelevant right now. It lacked the true intelligence that a real Servant had. I briefly wondered if the higher level simulations would accurately portray that?

I should ask later.

"Assassin, grapple him!" I shouted as the Servant got closer and I could see a hulking form covered in armor with a lance in hand.

My Assassin appeared from behind, latching onto its back, taking the enemy Servant by surprise as I went to end it. Command Seals were a very beautiful piece of Magecraft. They could overturn time and space, so doing this was very simple in comparison. "Assassin, by the power of my Command Seals, ignite your Magical Energy and explode yourself!"

All my command Seals flashed as a massive explosion erupted at the focal point.

And I really mean massive, it shook the ground and shattered all the glass in the vicinity. The enemy Servant was probably ten blocks down, yet I could feel the heat from the explosion at the point we were standing.

After the dust finally settled, it was obvious that there was no body left in the gigantic crater that had mysteriously appeared.

"I can't believe that worked." She looked at the spot, dumbfounded.

"Oh ye of little faith." I mocked pain as I clutched my heart. "Did you think I was just messing around?"

"Yes." She said bluntly.

"It was calculated, actually."

"How was that calculated, you just decided to suicide your Servant by turning him into a bomb!"

"A Lancer Class Servant doesn't have the best Magical Resistance. And I commanded my Assassin to grapple him, making it so he couldn't put any effort into actually defending himself in a physical way, nor activate any Noble Phantasm in panic. On the off chance that turning him into a bomb with the backing of three Command Seals didn't finish off the enemy Servant – which I might add is below what a genuine one would be – your Servant would have been more than capable."

Yup, these Fake Servants, while good for training, they're several levels below what a Good Servant would be on the battlefield.

Not to mention I used Three Command Seals for that maneuver in addition to the stack of Talismans I added. "I am taking my role seriously. I wouldn't jeopardize the actual purpose just to get a rise out of you. It's just a bonus."

"I don't know what's worse, if you really did plan things out or if it was just a fluke of luck." She sighed, walking up next to me as we both inspected the crater. "A clean kill...relatively speaking. And there's the Grail." She pointed at a little gold sheen half covered in dirt.

I slid down into the crater, picking up the Grail. Nearly immediately, the Simulation ended and the room started to collapse back to what it was previously.

"I admit, it was a rather unorthodox method, but I can't argue with the results." Wodime's voice reached us as he walked out of the observation rooms. He opted to watch rather than participate. "Begin able to operate with a flexible mind is very important for this job. However, I do hope you know that such action would not be as operable in the genuine deployment."

"Of course, I would have much more respect for my Servant than that." I admitted with full honesty.

I basically just abused the fact that it was a simulation.

He nodded in approval. "Well done. It was close to the record established and you did so without any meaningful delays or hazards involved. Let's take a small break, perhaps retire to the cafeteria for an early lunch before we begin a more difficult simulation."

The others just nodded along or grunted in agreement before filing out of the room. I didn't really think I would have much of a chance tobuild any bonds with them before the time of deployment – if Beryl wasn't out of bed and fully ready in the next few days.

I shot one last grin towards Hinako.

She rolled her eyes again, but there was the small twitch at the corner of her lips. "It wasn't that bad of an effort, I suppose."

[***]

"You wanted to see me, Director?" I walked into her office at her beckoning and noticed that Caster was here as well. "Da Vinci," I greeted the Servant."

"If it isn't our B-Team leader, I'm surprised you could find the Director's office. It must be difficult to navigate through Chaldea without proper eyesight." She smiled brightly as if she didn't take a jab at me. "Hello, Takao-Kun."

"I'm surprise you could get clothed properly. With how swollen your head is, how could you ever fit a shirt over it?" I shot right back.

"You two…." Director groaned. "Is it always going to be like this when you two meet!?"

"Probably."

"Until he admits the truth."

"Ugh, forget I asked." The Director scowled. "Let's just get this over with."

"Wonderful, I can finally show off my work!" Da Vinci happily exclaimed, picking up a box and setting it on the Director's desk.

The Director opened it up, inspecting the contents. "Good, the Mystic Codes appear adequately done.."

"Just Adequate!?" Da Vinci exclaimed. "Director, Can't you see how much effort I put into their designs?" Da Vinci walked forward between Olga and myself and she bent over. As in, she visibly moved her butt in a way that her skirt would ride up enough that I got a complete look.

She and the Director were talking about something, presumably, Da Vinci was gloating and stroking her own ego. But honestly, my attention was taken completely by the well-shaped ass covered in blue panties that she was basically shoving in my face.

"What do you think, Shimoda?"

"Huh, what?" I blinked in realization as they were both staring at me, just in time for Da Vinci to fix her skirt so the Director didn't notice.

"The Director was asking what you thought about my work. Don't you think it's perfect." She looked very smug as she said that.

"….it's decent." I managed to eek out.

"Only Decent?" Da Vinci still had a coy smile about her. "With how much you were staring, I think it's far beyond that."

"No Comment." Her smug smile was frustrating.

"Would you two just stop." Director huffed. "Uniforms, good or not!?"

"They're good, thank you, Director." I quickly answered at her growing frustration. "….And thank you, Da Vinci."

"Oh it's no problem. I do so love to show off my amazing works." She flipped her hair back haughtily. "It's a shame really. If you had been more enthralled¸ I may have been more content to really show off how good my craftsmanship really is." She walked up, lightly running a hand down my tie.

Well played, Da Vinci, but not quite good enough.

I took a deep breath. "I stand by my previous words."

I admit, I was very, very tempted by her words even if it came off as more teasing than actual flirtation. She seems more like the kind of person who would be much more direct if she really wanted to get that kind of acquainted. No, she was just doing this to get a rise out of me and 'win' our little game.

She looked at me with a pout before giggling to herself. "I'll get you to admit it eventually."

"You're dismissed, Caster. Continue with your maintenance to make sure all systems are running properly before we begin the Rayshift in the coming days."

Da Vinci quickly corrected herself from the 'flirtatious' feeling she was giving off. "I'll get right on it, Director." She said, quickly walking out the door back to whatever her responsibilities were.

The Director let out a sigh as she slumped into her seat. "The Uniforms were done several days ago, but you held off on them until now, why?"

"My Team was already preoccupied with their own things. I didn't want to add another layer of complications on top of them already progressing through their Reinforcement training. They've run a few Simulations at this point, so I think it's fine to start taking the kid gloves off – slowly, mind you."

"You have done well in leading this team, so I will not question your decision. I hope that they will wear their Mystic Code or the Mundane version of their uniform starting today." Olga ordered.

"Sure, but can I ask why? So far, the dress code has been a little lax." Especially with what some people generally wore.

"The time for Rayshifting is approaching. We only have two more days before A-Team will be deployed and along with that we have some important guests visiting to oversee the progress we've made."

"Ah, say no more. We need to be presentable for the inevitable criticisms that they will start spewing from their mouths the moment they arrive." I could understand completely. "I know the type, and I'll make sure my team is informed beforehand."

"Thank you, Shimoda." The Director replied with a genuine smile. "Along with the Singularity, we are also receiving the next batch of Recruits for your team. Not all of them will be arriving at the same time, but the majority will be here the same day. You will have to settle them as well. I'll be handing over the responsibility completely to you."

I rubbed my chin, thinking about the work that would require. "I think I can knock out any kind of orientation in the afternoon and have time to be present during the Rayshift and mission briefing. It would give time for the newest members to settle in." Hell, I bet the vast majority of them are new to Magic like my current team. It would give them a little more time to acclimate to the situation they found themselves in. "I assume that Beryl will be good to go?"

Frankly, I think It would be better if I watched from the outside. I still haven't made any headway on the actual reason I was here. I was fairly sure my clues would come about through the Singularity, either it would get resolved or something else would happen. Regardless, I would take a wait and see approach for now.

Speaking of, I haven't seen Lev for several days at this point. No idea what he's doing, and I didn't want to go around asking lest that draws me unwanted attention.

"Fortunately –" It sounded like Olga forced herself to say that. "— Beryl has fully recovered and will be present at the Rayshift. Though your presence would be welcome as the unofficial substitute in case of emergency."

"I would be thrilled to be present, Director." I assured her. "Despite the grim nature of this whole thing, it's also a very exciting experience and I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I'm glad to hear that." She smiled lightly. "I may be busy during the first few days once A-Team Rayshifts, so I expect you to operate well without my input for B-Team. It may seem redundant that we're still gathering Master Candidates this late, but our supporters were insistent on having a back up plan in the absolute worst case."

"I understand, don't worry. Even If I don't think, nor hope, that my Team will deploy, I'll still be doing my best to train them up." I replied.

Technically, they could have Rayshifted to the singularity as soon as it was discovered and any point up until this time. However, this was going to be the most optimal period for the Rayshift to occur in addition to also being early enough to have a fall back plan in the name of B-Team.

Basically, it's like how the Earth rotates around the Sun. There is a point where the Earth was closest to the other celestial bodies, thus making it the best time to launch probes or rockets to the other planets. Could you still launch a probe to Mars at any other time of the year? Yes, but it takes more effort, fuel, time and things aren't guaranteed to succeed.

It's a similar concept here. They're trying to maximize the chances for a successful Rayshift, even by a few measly percentantile.

"What about Servant summoning? Are you going to conduct that before or after the Rayshift?"

"After." The Director noted. "It requires abundant resources and power to operate the FATE System. We can't afford to waste either in the case of failure, so to minimize the chances of that, we're going to go with a summoning within the Singularity. Inside, the influence of the Counter Force should be lowered in a way that prevents the summoning from occurring. In addition to it being the site of a presumed active Holy Grail War, there should be no problem once inside."

That and the Counter Force would probably step out of the way or even lend a hand to facilitate the summoning. I mean, if they waited longer to deploy, the Counter Force would probably remove the probability completely and allow the summoning in their entirety. However, it's still a little ways off form what could be considered the 'deadline' before the Singularity impacts the Greater History, which is when catastrophe strikes.

Which is honestly the whole point of B-Team. When , or rather if, it gets to that point, we're just summoning servants and throwing them at the problem en masse.

"I'll go and start making preparations for my team growing several times in size."

"Good, and Shimoda." Olga stopped me before I could get up. "…..you continue to do very well. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Director." I smiled, earning one back in return.

This Director was much better than the one I first met when I came here.

[***]

"Hey, how do I look?" I did a little twirl.

The Big Day, I finally had to put this uniform on, and it wasn't that bad, admittedly.

"….did you really come here to ask me that?" Hinako looked at me, dumbfounded as she peeked up over a book she was reading.

Thankfully, the Library was deserted at this point, so I didn't have to hold myself back.

I shrugged. "Is it weird I want my friend's opinion?"

I would be presenting myself in front of the new members of my Team later today. I wanted to look the best that I could. They've been trickling in for the past couple hours now, I wanted to give them some time to decompress before I started ordering them about.

But honestly, I was more excited to see the Rayshifting and the Singularity start. It's unlikely that the singularity would be resolved in a single day, so I wasn't really anxious to sit there every moment and watch them go about it.

"Since when are we friends?" She scoffed.

"Since I decided we were a few seconds ago."

"And you decided that without my consent."

"Yup."

She scoffed again with an eye roll, but didn't argue. Probably because she realized it was pointless and I already decided it happened. "What do you want?"

"Well, I would love it if you told me I looked good. How this uniform accentuates my figure, maybe if it matches my eyes? The bright white definitely makes my hair color pop." Honestly, white wasn't really my color, but the uniform here kind of grew on me after walking around for a little while.

"You're vainer than that Caster Servant. Why did you really come here?"

"Just wanted to check up on you." I stopped playing around. "It's only a few hours until you're going to deploy, aren't you excited?"

"Of course, I can finally be with my husband again." She said plainly.

"What are you plans for afterwards?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, after the Singularity is resolved. In a perfect world, nothing goes wrong, you return with your Servant in tow. At this point, it's probably going to be obvious that you and your Servant are acquainted, and questions are going to be asked. So…..what's your plan?"

"The same thing I've done all my life. We'll disappear from human society and live a peaceful life."

"Not to sound mean, but do you really think it'll be that easy? Before, you could probably operate under the radar because very few people knew of your existence. But once the entirety of Chaldea staff and those other Magi who are hovering nearby learn about you, do you think they'll just let you quietly disappear."

"If they don't want to be on the receiving end of a Servant."

"Come on, you know it's not that simple."

"What are you getting at?" She crossed her arms.

"Would you like somewhere to go away from the majority of humanity?"

"….what do you mean? The Reverse Side? I don't have any plans of crossing over there."

"No." I shook my head. "But what about a…..realm full of 99% Youkai, living peacefully. I know the leader, and she would warmly welcome you if you wanted to live a nice and quiet life with your husband."

She blinked, staring at me for a moment. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

"Why are you...helping me? Being nice to me? I've done nothing but try and keep distant, yet you keep…." She held her hands up, letting out a frustrated sound. "You just keep ignoring that and being nice to me, in your weird way. Why?"

"Maybe I can sympathize with your situation."

"You said you were barely over twenty years old; how could you possibly sympathize with me?"

"Scáthach."

"What?" She blinked.

"You asked me how I could sympathize, it's because I've been through the same thing. I was trained by and fell in love with the Immortal Witch of Dun Scaith – Scáthach. She was bound to the Realm of Shadows, so she couldn't leave. She had a single desire, to die a warrior's death. I couldn't bear to be apart from her afterwards, so I sought out a Grail War and used it to bring her back to me. So yes, I can sympathize with your plight."

Maybe it's why I was being so considerate. I could put myself in her situation and completely understand the turbulent emotions.

"You...are a really strange man." She said quietly before letting out a sigh. "Do you really –"

I don't know why, my body acted mostly on instinct as I felt a tingling up the back of my neck. I reached out, grabbing hold of her and pulled her into my arms. A normal action that would have her utterly furious with me and one I wouldn't have overstepped in doing, however, an explosion ripped through the ground right below us and my vision was filled with flame.

[***]

Yes, I did some time skips because people were wanting the main part to start. I pretty much touched on everything I wanted, so I didn't have a problem with the 'plot' getting started.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone