Tokyo Singularity (12) Summer Oil Mom
Gojo Satoru's glasses suddenly slipped off his nose. "Really? How long did you work at Chaldea to build up such a significant bond?"
"Hmm... the destruction of two worlds?" Fujimaru Ritsuka recalled.
Gojo Satoru: "?"
His mind went blank after hearing those words. Could the destruction of the world be uttered in such a casual tone?
Having witnessed Chaldea firsthand, Shayuk seemed to accept it well, or perhaps he simply gave up entirely. It didn't matter; so what if the world was destroyed? Even their world might be destroyed.
Compared to his close friend, he was more concerned with the other information in Ritsuka's words. A fleeting, ambiguous emotion crossed his eyes as he murmured, "An ordinary person?"
He subconsciously raised his hand, as if wanting to press down hard on Fujimaru Ritsuka's shoulder. But when he saw her clear, golden eyes, he couldn't help but freeze and remain silent for a second.
Without getting any closer, Xia Youjie lowered his eyes, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and asked in a low voice, "Why did you join Chaldea?"
Despite being asked this question, Fujimaru Ritsuka felt that Natsumi already had the answer he wanted. Especially after seeing Gojo Satoru suddenly turn his head away disdainfully after hearing the question, as if he knew what Natsumi meant.
Ah, it's the riddle teller again.
She scratched her head blankly, then instinctively chose to answer truthfully: "There's no reason. I was brought directly to Chaldea as a substitute after a blood test showed 100% adaptability to spirit transfer."
Xia Youjie's train of thought suddenly broke down: "...?"
Gojo Satoru paused, his soul seemingly asking, "Is this kidnapping??"
“…It’s a kidnapping.” Xia Youjie slowly repeated as his brain began to function again, feeling like all his previous thoughts had been wasted. “So this is how Chaldea is set up. I’ve learned something new.”
"No, no, no!" Fujimaru Ritsuka quickly waved her hands, this misunderstanding was too big, "Don't have such strange misunderstandings, everyone in Chaldea is a good person!"
"I know." Seeing the usually composed Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly become lively and anxious, Xia Youjie smiled. "Anyone you'd protect like this can't be a bad person. But in Chaldea, even substitutes have to do chores?"
Another gust of hot, sticky wind brushed against Fujimaru Ritsuka's hair, stirring up those damp and melancholic stories in her mind.
She suddenly realized that she could clearly recall every detail of the original Chaldea room, every staff member who greeted her, and every ordinary yet warm moment with her Servants during a break from their busy schedules.
"...I was the only one left at the time," Fujimaru Ritsuka said lightly, the howling wind forcing her to blink. "Haha, was it a case of being forced into it?"
"It was a wonderful and unforgettable trip."
Xia Youjie was stunned; he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that question. But..."
Why are you so sad, yet you're still smiling?
Gojo Satoru suddenly pushed his sunglasses up and took a step forward. "I really want to hear about Ritsuka's experiences, but something inconsiderate has come to bother me."
"Watch out, the enemy is coming."
On the road that stretched as far as the eye could see, the rustling sound of heels scraping against the ground grew clearer, a tattered dark coat was being blown about by the wind, and a thin, white-haired child was walking step by step toward the front yard.
"It really is Jack the Ripper." Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately snapped out of her thoughts and went into battle alert. She lowered her voice: "Be careful."
But honestly, Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't quite understand why Jack the Ripper, who was skilled in night combat, would send out invitations to kill men during the day. Either Jack thought he had the upper hand, or her Master had something wrong with his head.
All three were on high alert, their expressions varying as they watched the rumored serial killer slowly approach them, revealing a delicate, petite face and lake-green eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.
Surprisingly, Jack the Ripper had no intention of killing her. She simply stood in front of Xia Youjie and spoke to her in an unusually intimate manner:
"Mother!"
Xia Youjie: "...?"
Gojo Satoru: "...!"
"Wow, Jie! When did you have a child, and even had a painless sex change?!" Gojo Satoru turned to look at Xia Youjie's stomach in shock, his voice filled with barely suppressed laughter, "You mean you... mmm!"
Xia Youjie raised a ferocious smile and grabbed Gojo Satoru by the neck. "Satoru, you should think before you speak."
Fujimaru Ritsuka also looked at Natsumi Yuuki. Not on his abdomen, but on the back of his hand. His blank hand didn't have what she expected.
Having encountered Jack the Ripper several times, and even now having a Chaldea Master in Chaldea, she naturally understands perfectly what Jack meant by calling her "Mom."
My mother is Jack the Ripper's Master.
Based on this single name, Ritsuka astutely discerned two clues. Jack the Ripper had a Master, and Jack's Master was related to Natsume.
First, there are only two possibilities for a Master: either a Servant summoned by a Magus or a Servant summoned by the Holy Grail, and then a resummoning. She leans towards the second possibility: there are at least two Servants in this world who shouldn't exist.
As for her relationship with Xia Youjie? A whole host of images of Jeanne d'Arc and Artoria flashed through Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind instantly. They were, after all, relatives or…
I'm hitting myself?
Just as she was brainstorming, something Xia Youjie said caused Jack the Ripper to pause suddenly and whisper, "It seems we've mistaken someone else for someone else. This isn't Mom."
Fujimaru Ritsuka snapped back to reality in an instant.
“Hoo hoo, then they’re just troublemakers blocking the way, they need to be dismantled,” Jack said.
"Hey, Jay, look at her lip movements, she's not speaking Japanese at all, is she?" Gojo Satoru stroked his chin and said inappropriately, "It's amazing, it clearly sounds like Japanese to us."
No way, you're still paying attention to this at a time like this?!
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly grabbed Natsuyuki by the collar and shoved him backward, shouting, "Alter, sir!"
With a clang, the black longsword met the sharp short blade. Jack the Ripper, realizing his attack had missed, took two steps back and disappeared from sight.
A second ago, Xia Youjie was led astray by Gojo Satoru, subconsciously focusing on Jack the Ripper's lip movements, completely unaware of any murderous intent. He pursed his lips and said, "Thank you. Did she escape?"
"No. This battle has only just begun."
Fog rises.
Thick white fog gradually spread, making the huge old house seem to have been moved to 18th-century England, a time of chaos and opportunity.
In the blink of an eye, Xia Youjie could no longer see his companions clearly; only their vague outlines proved that they were still there.
The white mist suddenly rippled, and an unusual energy was rapidly rushing towards Xia Youjie. He calmly summoned two spirit curses, one to block the dagger's attack, and the other to pursue.
Suddenly, Xia Youjie's heart began to pound inexplicably. It beat faster and faster until it seemed to break through a certain threshold, and black patches of color began to flash before his eyes.
Thump—
Gasping for breath, Xia Youjie felt as if an ember was burning in his throat. He knelt on the ground, his left hand, veins bulging, gripping his collar tightly. Why did this suddenly happen...!
"The Rain of Isis!"
Suddenly, a sound like a clear spring rang out. Xia Youjie's blurred vision cleared instantly, and the persistent pain in his body lessened considerably.
It's her.
Seeing the bright orange-red hair still shining through the fog, Xia Youjie felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who rushed over upon hearing the panting, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Natsumi Yuuki's recovered expression. "You were attacked?"
"No, I think I blocked them all."
Could it be fog...? But she didn't see Xia Youjie's unusual reaction when the fog appeared, so she thought he could withstand Jack's Noble Phantasm.
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly realized something was wrong, flipped her wrist, and tried to contact Chaldea with her bracelet.
There was no response.
As expected, just like in the London Singularity, Jack the Ripper simply mixed the sulfuric acid mist generated by her second Noble Phantasm—Dark Fog City—into another cloud of high-intensity magical white mist!
Ordinary people cannot survive in such dense fog, so it seems that even sorcerers will experience an adverse reaction.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have underestimated the toxicity of the fog based on my own feelings.” Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately changed tactics: “Mr. Natsuyu, please guard the gate of the Zenin family and don’t let her have a chance to leave here.”
Xia Youjie understood her tactful words, which were also considerate of his feelings. In less than a minute, he had already felt the poisonous fog harming his body; if he stayed any longer, he would definitely become a burden.
But for the remaining two, it doesn't matter whether Satoru has any bottom line or not, but Ritsuka is a support... He can't just leave the weak behind and go.
"Then what will you do?"
As the person who knows Jack the Ripper best, Fujimaru Ritsuka has no way of leaving this place to seek refuge.
Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's okay, I have poison resistance."
—
Stepping out of the Zen temple's gate felt like crossing the boundary between two worlds; the sky instantly cleared. Breathing in the fresh, throat-friendly air, Xia Youjie's heartbeat calmed, and he finally regained his ability to think.
What did Ritsuka just say? Does she have poison resistance?
He belatedly realized that the poisonous fog that had almost made him suffer so much that he could hardly breathe was just like ordinary air to Fujimaru Ritsuka.
...Could this really be something an ordinary person, someone he has long regarded as weak, could accomplish? Or does Chaldea have some special method to enhance physical abilities?
If that's the case, would Chaldea have a way to solve the problem of ordinary people's negative emotions generating cursed spirits?
Xia Youjie couldn't think any further. He suddenly felt a spying gaze fixed on him. Raising his hand, the cursed spirits guarding his side simultaneously launched a surprise attack from the upper left corner.
"Hmph, you're really perceptive."
Three level-one cursed spirits simultaneously attacked the figure backlit from different directions, but the person didn't move an inch; the hem of their cassock was fluttering in the wind. The next second, the cursed spirits vanished silently into the air, leaving no trace.
Since Xia Youjie was promoted to Special Grade, he has rarely lost so many Level 1 Cursed Spirits at once. The newcomer is a formidable enemy, but that voice...?
A deep, magnetic voice rang out again.
"Nice to meet you, hello me."
--What's the meaning?
Xia Youjie raised his eyes in a daze.
A note from the author:
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