Mihana Singularity (VI): Dead Men and the Holy Grail War...
The next morning, Fujimaru Ritsuka woke up early as usual, following her biological clock.
She drew back the curtains; dawn was breaking. She stared blankly out the window for a while. It was still a little strange, a morning without Servants or Chaldea communications.
A soft knock came at the door. Ritsuka was startled. When she opened the door, a child dressed as an adult was looking up at her.
Good morning, you're awake too, little detective.
Good morning, assistant! Did you sleep well last night?
Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't help but chuckle at the faint dark circles under Conan's eyes, and touched his spiky hair. "Not bad, you..."
Hurried footsteps came from the stairs, and shiny black leather shoes stopped just in front of the bewildered and clueless detective and his assistant.
"Something's happened." Amuro Tooru pursed his lips and stared intently at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Hagiwara Kenji and Date Wataru have been murdered."
"..."
"...Eh!!!"
When Amuro Tooru and the other two arrived at the scene of Hagiwara Kenji's murder, there were already people around who had arrived beforehand.
Morofushi Kagemitsu knelt silently beside Hagiwara Kenji's body, his head bowed. Miyano Shiho stood blankly a step away from them, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
Meanwhile, a man with long, jet-black hair silently stood guard behind the girl. Noticing the piercing gaze, he looked up, his dark green eyes cold and sharp, staring directly at Fujimaru Ritsuka like a predator locking onto its prey.
Subaru Okiya - Butler
"...Why me?" Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head, completely bewildered by the gaze.
It wasn't that she was afraid of that gaze; it wasn't at all intimidating to her. She was simply wondering why it had to be her—it didn't make sense.
On the left is a private doctor who may be hiding his identity, and on the right is a detective whose character is based on Sherlock Holmes. Why does the butler only look at her with this kind of gaze?
Could there be a hidden plot? Fujimaru Ritsuka thought to herself, unaware of the fleeting look of hatred that flashed in Amuro Tooru's eyes when he faced Okiya Subaru.
Others might not know, but as Bourbon, I know this person so well I could picture him with my eyes closed: Ray, the organization's sniper.
It's precisely because of this appearance and this identity that he has this problem!
Conan looked at Subaru Okiya's true face and was completely certain that he, like Ai Haibara, had lost his original memories. In fact, it was as if the two of them had returned to their time in the organization.
However, his expression was really creepy. Ritsuka didn't react at all. Was she scared out of her wits? Just as Conan was about to save his temporary partner, another tall figure with a cold aura subtly blocked the unfriendly gaze.
"Matsuda... Inspector!" Conan's voice gradually turned terrified, "You...you're in front of me!"
Ahead? Matsuda Jinpei wondered. Wasn't the victim's body right in front of him? He turned his head, but by the time he realized what was happening ahead, Conan didn't need to remind him anymore.
【BB~Channel~!】
The melodious music tinkled softly, carrying a gentle yet playful tone. With a crackling sound, like an electric current flowing through the air, cherry blossom effects suddenly appeared in mid-air.
Then, the projection of a girl with purple eyes appeared before everyone. She wore a white shirt, a miniskirt, knee-high boots, and a black stand-up collar cloak that added a touch of playfulness to her look.
She curled her lips into a pleased smile, "Hehehe, everyone has finally reached the main storyline! BB has been getting impatient waiting!"
Everyone: "..."
Amuro Tooru tried to calm himself down and asked warily, "Who are you?"
"Oh ho~, then let me introduce myself." BB was very happy to see the ignorant humans hiding their wary and fearful expressions, and couldn't help but laugh even more sincerely.
"I am BB, the super AI of the Moon World, who provides commentary and assistance for everyone's enjoyable gaming life."
"AI?!" Conan gasped. Was this the AI he imagined? It looked almost identical to a real person! Had the organization's technology advanced to such a sci-fi level?!
He suddenly looked at Amuro Tooru, hoping to get some answers or clues from him. But Amuro Tooru also had a shocked and speechless expression, and he even began to wonder if this was a terrifying nightmare.
Compared to those who have at least read science fiction novels in reality, those ancient people whose memories are still stuck in the late 19th century look at BB as if they are watching God descend.
No one spoke first, whether sincerely or not; none of them intended to be the first to speak in the presence of something akin to God.
BB, completely ignoring the expressions and gazes of everyone else present, stared straight at Fujimaru Ritsuka, saying, "Nice to meet you from now on, senpai."
Under the gazes of admiration or disbelief of the crowd, Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward and asked with practiced ease, "So, what do we need to do next to beat the game?"
See? Her guess yesterday was right. BB won't let them stay stuck in a boring place for too long. But why did she have a chill run down her spine, a bad premonition that she was about to be targeted?!
"Oh my, BB thought you guys were all silent and weren't planning to continue the game~☆, but I didn't expect some of you to still be playing seriously."
BB wore an expression of great interest. Whenever Fujimaru Ritsuka saw that expression, she would instinctively feel a chill in her heart; someone else was about to be pranked.
"But it's obviously a boring deduction game, so all we need to do is find the murderer! Here's a hint: the murderer is among the seven of you."
Wow, it's that simple? Is there really no inside story?
Is this still BB's real person? Or was she switched by some kind-hearted Servant? But before Ritsuka could show a relieved expression, BB suddenly changed the subject.
"That being said, I'm the final boss's junior! How could I possibly have the chance to play with humans I hate? Playing by the rules is too boring. I want to see more of your pained expressions!"
Conan: "..."
Wait a minute, isn't this AI a bit off? It hates humans and calls itself the final boss? What kind of AI is programmed like that? Wouldn't it destroy humanity?
That organization is absolutely insane!
He rubbed his wrists, his gaze falling on the purple-haired girl with a sweet but eerie smile, and he was genuinely worried that they might not be able to complete the game.
The familiar feeling is back. Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed and facepalmed. Seriously, how did the professor and BB team up to cause trouble? It's more than the sum of its parts!
"Say it, the important part!" Fujimaru Ritsuka emphasized.
Amuro Tooru keenly sensed the unusual nature of Fujimaru Ritsuka and the AI before her. While everyone else felt that saying more would only make things worse, she was the only one who genuinely saw the AI as an entity that could advance the game.
Is it because she's genuinely lacking common sense, or is she colluding with this AI to infiltrate their lives?
No, they all have AI, and they've used all of his friends' faces on NPCs. He's been exposed almost completely. Is it really necessary to let a little girl whose expressions are written all over her face be an undercover agent?
Amuro Tooru couldn't understand it, but since the purple-haired girl was about to explain the rules, he could only temporarily abandon that part of his thinking and focus on the rules.
BB seemed unable to refuse Ritsuka's request, and with a look of schadenfreude, he recited the rules for clearing the game word by word.
There are two ways to complete this game: First, find the murderer, and the murderer either confesses to the crime or is dead; second, the last person alive is the winner.
Silence, silence is Cambridge tonight.
"How many murderers are there?" Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke first, keenly aware of the preferred method of clearing the level in the rules.
“Even seniors can’t give away spoilers,” BB tilted her head, “that wouldn’t be fun~.”
Okay, okay, she understands now, there's definitely more than one person.
Of the seven people present, the detective and his assistant are naturally on the same side, while the police are questionable. Although one of the police officers has also died, she tends to believe Matsuda Jinpei.
The most likely culprit is one of the characters connected to the victim in the game's setting: the second young lady, Shiho Miyano; the butler, Subaru Okiya; the doctor, Tooru Amuro; and the college student, Kagemitsu Morofushi.
Of course, given BB's tendency to stir up trouble, all four suspects might be accomplices.
Conan also considered this possibility. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the simplest way to pass the level is to kill everyone else! This AI wants them to kill each other!
On the surface, Conan chose to ask a different question in an attempt to extract more information: "This is unfair. The winner is almost obvious. There is a power gap between children and young people, and trained fighters have an absolute advantage over ordinary people!"
"Hey~, the great BB mom has of course considered this, and has found a helper for each of you~!"
An extremely tongue-twisting incantation appeared on the electronic screen.
Amuro Tooru frowned. What was this "Seven Days Entangled in the Three Great Words of Power" and "Guardian of the Scales"? A cult?
"Simply put," BB said, conjuring up a virtual whiteboard on which a person standing on a summoning circle was automatically drawn.
"By using this incantation, along with the summoning circle under the carpet in each guest room, you can summon various famous figures from history and the future. As for their strength, that depends on your luck!"
"Oh, by the way, you'll have to figure out how to use those characters yourself. Also, some historical figures will have transformations, swimsuits, fusions, and a whole host of other fun things to do!"
Conan: "..."
Is this really a holographic game? Was the reason those artifacts were displayed at the banquet for this purpose?
Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately realized something the moment she finished listening.
Seven people, a summoning circle, Servants... Ha, isn't this the Holy Grail War?! What a hardcore mystery game!
Ritsuka was numb. But putting everything else aside, she was quite confident if it were the Holy Grail War. She was determined to persevere for the Holy Grail after clearing the game!
"What if we don't cooperate?" Amuro Tooru suddenly asked. "We were dragged into this game, and they expect us to risk our lives with nothing to our name?"
"Eh~, do you want a reward?" BB suddenly laughed. Amuro Tooru's words hit the bullseye, allowing her to naturally mention the reward.
"Of course, I'm not treating you all for free. The grand prize in the prize pool is the Holy Grail. The person who clears the game at the end will receive the Holy Grail, which is also known as the All-Powerful Wish Machine."
"Whether it's resurrecting the dead, reversing time, wiping out an organization you don't like, or just wanting to take them back to be ashes, it's all possible... Who here could refuse it?"
"Oh, by the way, one more thing, everyone here is a real person's soul."
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