Tokyo Singularity (XI): Jack the Ripper? ...

What does this mean?

How did she know she was going to seek refuge? Zenji Naoya looked around in confusion. Meanwhile, Zenji Sen, who had been observing the situation from behind, pressed his hand to his head, looking utterly humiliated.

It was just a matter of asking a girl who wasn't presentable to apologize, yet it escalated into such an unsavory scene. Not only did it cause the head of the family's son to lose face, but it also exposed the Zen family's collective refuge out of fear, making them the target of blatant ridicule.

He's utterly useless!

Gojo Satoru pressed his hand to his forehead, suppressing a laugh: "...Pfft! I didn't expect Ritsuka to be so good at hitting people where it hurts."

Unable to suppress the smile, he burst into laughter. Grabbing Ritsuka with one hand and Xia Youjie with the other, he uttered a concise and clear sentence: "Did you hear that? You're too weak to stay, so get out of the way."

...Damn it, so that woman was mocking him just now? Zenji Naoya finally realized. He was so angry that he trembled and couldn't say another word, almost fainting from shock.

The people behind him finally dared to cover the mouth of the troublemaking young master and drag him back, preventing him from making any outrageous remarks and provoking people he shouldn't have.

Silence is Cambridge today.

Amidst the almost tangible resentment emanating from Gojo Satoru, the belated messenger finally brought good news. The Zenin family was leaving the mansion, and Ritsuka and the others were led to find the head of the Zenin family.

Before entering the mansion, Fujimaru Ritsuka escorted Zenin Maki back to her mother and sister, then knelt down and asked, "If you could, would you like to leave here?"

"I do."

"Hmm, so decisive. Maybe life will be even harder then?"

Zenin Maki nodded without hesitation. She stared intently at Ritsuka's figure, as if gazing upon hope. She wanted to live like that too, to retaliate with scathing mockery when Zenin Naoya insulted her!

"My life will never be worse than it was before, starting today."

—

"Old man, how does it feel to watch the show from inside the house?" Gojo Satoru swaggered open the door to the Zenin family's conference room as if he were in his own home.

"You've left us out here for so long, I was starting to think you were close to death."

“…Enlightenment!” Compared to the outspoken Divine Child, Xia Youjie, who was more worldly-wise, still had a basic respect for the head of the Zen Temple.

However, he could understand Wu's feelings. Anyone who watched the Zen temple cause trouble outside and was forced to stand in the sun for a while would feel a resentment even more tangible than Sadako's.

Perhaps only someone as emotionally stable as Ritsuka could still manage a polite smile?

Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her nose, closed the door behind her, and observed her surroundings.

Low, long tables were placed on both sides of the meeting room, with cushions laid on the wooden floor. The head of the Zen monastery, the Zen monastery's chieftain, sat in the center, watching the guests arrive.

Wearing a dark yukata with a pure black belt, he took two gulps of sake from the reddish-brown gourd in his hand and looked him over, saying, "Young man from the Gojo family, you have to allow an old man who is threatened with death to make some arrangements for his funeral."

He swirled the wine jug and gazed out the window, where he could see nothing at all. "I apologize to you and this young lady for what just happened."

Compared to the spoiled Zenin Naoya, Zenin Naohito appears more open-minded and rational, and is also more aware that anyone who can be brought into such a dangerous mission by the Six-Eyed One must be extraordinary, no matter how ordinary they may seem.

So he didn't put on any airs of a head of the family and naturally apologized to her on behalf of the child, while also becoming more curious about her identity or abilities.

“However, I remember that the General Headquarters only assigned you and the Spirit Master,” Zenin Naoki said. “Would you be interested in introducing the person who suddenly appeared?”

"It's Ritsuka-chan! The helper that Jet and I found!" Gojo Satoru proudly pushed Fujimaru Ritsuka to the front of the stage. "She'll be the one negotiating with you from now on! Hurry up and resolve this, I still need to go buy some desserts."

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...?"

How did things suddenly turn out like this? Wasn't she here to freeload on missions and find clues to solve the singularities? Suddenly she's become the main force in solving the missions?

She looked at Gojo Satoru with a "Go for it, you can do it" expression, while Natsumi Yoshimi had been daydreaming since halfway there... Ah, well, at this point, she had no choice but to go for it!

"Hello, Mr. Zen Temple."

Fujimaru Ritsuka said earnestly, "This document shows that there is only one survivor in this case, and the clues to solving the problem are all on you. Could you explain in detail how you encountered the murderer and how you escaped?"

"Starting straight ahead, without revealing any of his identity or abilities?" A thoughtful look flashed in Zenji Naohito's eyes. He seemed used to the Six-Eyed One's unpredictable actions, and began to recount his miraculous escape to the pushed-out Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Zenji Jikui encountered the murderer after completing a first-level mission. He was walking down the street when a hazy white mist gradually spread out, suddenly enveloping him like a curtain. It was as if he had been suddenly cut off from reality.

Then he was attacked at great speed; if it weren't for his spell which could slow down moving objects in his line of sight and track their movements, he would have escaped unscathed. He also managed to get away with it thanks to a substitute artifact left by his ancestors.

He might end up like his colleagues before him, with his heart ripped out.

"...That's it? They didn't say anything at all!" Gojo Satoru was utterly astonished, feeling like he'd only heard the beginning before the story abruptly ended. "Grandpa, you're supposed to be a first-level sorcerer, second only to me in speed! Didn't you find anything useful?"

"For example, clues such as the appearance of the thing that attacked you and the method of attack," Xia Youjie added. "With these things, we can better deal with today's mission."

Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had asked the question, seemed thoughtful. White mist, speed—it sounded strangely familiar, like—

“Unfortunately, I have forgotten everything,” said the Zen master Jitsujin.

“—Jack the Ripper,” Fujimaru Ritsuka murmured.

All eyes suddenly turned to Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was speaking.

"...Wow, you actually guessed it from something that's barely a clue!" Gojo Satoru exclaimed in shock as he flashed closer to Ritsuka, the extremely close distance almost causing Jeanne Alter, now in spirit form, to raise her sword.

"I knew I didn't bring this guy for nothing!" he said. "Who is this guy? Is he strong? Can he beat me?"

“Jack the Ripper? That name sounds familiar.” Xia Youjie pondered for a moment, rummaging through his dusty middle school memories, then suddenly looked up: “Jack… wait, the British serial killer, the infamous Jack the Ripper?!”

Da Vinci is one thing, but even Jack the Ripper can become a Heroic Spirit? Xia Youjie was speechless, thinking that he wouldn't be surprised if Fujimaru Ritsuka called out a certain god next time.

"Hmm, it's her." Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded, then thought for a moment before answering Gojo Satoru's question: "In terms of strength, she's not weak."

Xia Youjie was stunned for a moment: "She...is a woman?"

"To be precise, Jack the Ripper, as an assassin, is an amalgamation of babies who were not allowed to be born, so she is not only a woman, but also a child in the image."

Everyone: "..."

Not just women, but children too?! That's a bit hard to do.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was still earnestly explaining, "I'm not sure if she's the culprit this time, but the white fog and information erasure are indeed Jack the Ripper's specialties."

She said this aloud, but she was already assuming the culprit was Jack. If he really was a Servant, then the Singularity should have a magician capable of summoning or the Holy Grail. But this world only has sorcerers, greatly increasing the possibility of the Holy Grail existing.

—So what about the very first Imaginary Tree seed?

Completely out of sync with the others, Zenji Naoto couldn't help but interrupt the three of them, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, what Jack? How did you remember what this guy looks like?"

"Also, I haven't heard of any new students at Moth." He paused, stroking his upturned mustache, his sharp gaze fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka: "You suddenly appeared at this particular time..."

"Old man, watch your words."

Gojo Satoru lifted one of his small round sunglasses, revealing a bright blue eye. "I vouch for the person I brought."

“I know the timing of my appearance is suspicious,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a smile, accepting the Zenin family head’s questioning. She had experienced too much doubt and suspicion, and knew how to maximize trust.

"The time for the announcement is almost here." With a sincere expression, Fujimaru Ritsuka said, "I believe actions speak louder than words. No one else will die at the hands of a murderer."

Zen monk Jikki: "..."

Seeing the exceptionally sincere look in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, he remained silent for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment, "Then I will wait and see."

—

The wind is picking up.

The trees planted in the front yard of the Zen temple rustled in the wind. But the wind did not stop there; it continued to blow towards the three people standing under the porch, messing up the hair of two of them.

Fujimaru Ritsuka squinted, brushed aside the orange-red short hair covering her face, and turned to ask in a helpless voice, "How much longer until the announcement?"

She had already spent a few minutes giving a brief explanation of Jack the Ripper's abilities and two Noble Phantasms. Now, the first Noble Phantasm wasn't suitable for nighttime, and both of them said they could handle the second Noble Phantasm's sulfuric acid fog. Xia Youjie even offered to lend her a cursed spirit to shield her from the poisonous fog.

"Five or six minutes?" Gojo Satoru answered, glancing at his watch. His voice was steady and calm, showcasing his shamelessness to the fullest. "The old man from the Zen temple should have retreated to a safe place by now, leaving only a puppet that mimics his incantation power."

"Honestly, you just said a few words, and the stubborn old man who insisted on staying left on his own... Anyone can compromise with your smile, is it really not some kind of curse?"

“As long as you’re sincere, the other side will feel it. Assassin’s specialty is assassination; it’s too dangerous for him to stay,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said. “Besides, isn’t sorcery innate?”

“Yes,” Xia Youjie replied, “I’ve been able to see cursed spirits since I was a child, and Wu was assassinated when he was young because of his six eyes.”

“But before I entered Chaldea, I was a completely ordinary person.” Fujimaru Ritsuka touched the tip of her nose and recalled, “I had no special abilities, attended an ordinary junior high school, and my greatest achievement was winning the women’s volleyball championship!”

Gojo Satoru: "Huh?"

A note from the author:

----------------------