Rice Flower Singularity (13) Wishing you good fortune in battle...
But this time, fate did not intend to favor Fujimaru Ritsuka.
After countless attempts, she felt as if she had touched something that had never existed before, and a piercing pain instantly spread from her heart to her entire body.
Ritsuka felt a sweet, metallic taste rising in her throat, her fingers involuntarily curling up, and then everything went black, the scene becoming blurry and indistinct.
"...What is that?"
The sandstorm stopped, and Conan's trembling voice brought Fujimaru Ritsuka back to her senses.
She bit her tongue to force herself to wake up, and found herself still safely in Musashi's arms, seemingly unnoticed by anyone during the sandstorm.
"Great," she thought with relief. But her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the gun that flew back into the smoke-gauge's hand. Without the sandstorm obstructing her view, Fujimaru Ritsuka easily saw the bloodstains on the hand axe attached to the pistol.
A thin line of blood slid down the axe tip and into the soil, spreading out in a brownish-red hue.
"Assistant sister!" Conan's tense voice rang in her ears after the sound of footsteps scraping the ground, "The blood on the axe... Police Officer Matsuda and the others!!"
“Musashi hasn’t disappeared, which at least means that Inspector Matsuda is still alive.” Fujimaru Ritsuka patted Miyamoto Musashi’s hand, stood up, and pressed Conan’s shoulders. “Calm down.”
It seemed that Fujimaru Ritsuka's words really had a calming effect; the feeling of being suspended in mid-air with one foot on the cliff disappeared. Conan closed his eyes and then opened them again, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already come to trust Fujimaru Ritsuka so much, this mysterious orange-haired girl who had appeared and was involved with many people in the game.
Now is not the time to think about this! His brain started working normally, trying to come up with a way to break the deadlock he was in.
However, the voice of the smoke mirror came unexpectedly, "Hey, it doesn't seem to be working. Is the professor's method not working?"
“…Huh?” Ereshkigal asked skeptically, raising her spear as if she would stab him to death if Smoke Mirror said it was all for nothing.
"That shouldn't be the case. Could it be that he didn't see his comrade dying clearly enough, and the shock wasn't enough?" Smoke Mirror pondered, casually twirling his gun before raising it again. "Then let's make it even more exciting!"
Smoke Mirror is getting serious! Fujimaru Ritsuka's vigilance immediately spiked. Who will he target this time?!
Just then, Tristan stepped forward and said calmly, "Miyamoto Musashi, take Ritsuka and your Master and leave. I'll hold them off here."
Conan's mind went blank for a moment, as if he were seeing his Servant for the first time. "You're alone?"
Impossible, unstoppable. Even the great Knight of the Round Table, the lamenting Tristan, had little chance of winning against a servant of god-like status.
But maybe… Conan hesitated for a moment, then looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, who seemed to have a lot of contact with Servants. Maybe she had a way?
With her eyelids lowered, Fujimaru Ritsuka did not offer the hopeful person affirmation as usual. She simply clenched her fists tighter and tighter.
Suddenly, Tristan's voice rang out: "There's something wrong with your abilities, isn't there?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked up abruptly, surprised, and asked, "You saw it?!"
“Yes, but please don’t take all the blame upon yourself,” Tristan chuckled. He stood upright, blocking the view of the two gods as a human.
"Don't give up, I always believe you will bring us victory."
"...Why?" Fujimaru Ritsuka tilted her head, staring blankly and bewildered at Tristan's back.
"Because of your gaze."
It's a gaze that refuses to yield, refuses to admit defeat, and stubbornly pushes everything forward. Yes, so I want to lighten her heavy burden and lend a hand when she's in pain.
They would risk their lives for it.
I hope I can buy you enough time, and I hope your future will be happy.
Feeling the intense gaze of another person, Tristan said again, "Master, as a detective, you should know the best choice now. If you want to get the truth, you should get used to sacrifice."
"...No, how could I possibly get used to this!"
“Let’s go.” Fujimaru Ritsuka closed her eyes briefly, speaking calmly and resolutely.
She almost imprisoned Conan, took Miyamoto Musashi's outstretched hand, and rushed into the forest without looking back. "Conan, use all three Command Seals to enhance Archer."
"Knight! May your martial prowess be everlasting!" Miyamoto Musashi shouted. "We're waiting for you to catch up!"
But everyone present knew that this was just a beautiful, man-made dream, as fragile as a bubble that could burst at any moment.
It was her fault. The wind brushed against Fujimaru Ritsuka's cheek as she ran, calmly reflecting on her actions. As a Master, she hadn't prepared for the enemy Servant's attack, nor had she thought of a way to restore her Spirit Origin Summoning…
But now is not the time to get emotional. What's past is past, but fortunately, they still have a future.
Following the direction from which the hand axe was thrown by the smoke mirror, Fujimaru Ritsuka and his group successfully reunited with Leonardo da Vinci and his companions.
Leonardo da Vinci appeared to have only suffered minor injuries and could move around on his own, but Matsuda Jinpei, standing nearby, was not so lucky. The shocking gash on his calf and his deathly pale, dehydrated face clearly indicated the severity of his injury.
Conan cautiously checked Matsuda Jinpei's breathing; it was weak, but he was still alive! Little Da Vinci had already taken basic emergency measures before they arrived.
Meanwhile, after hearing their story, Da Vinci made a decision instantly: she would lead people to mark the area and hide, while Ritsuka should go to the manor immediately if they wanted to find the truth behind the murder.
We cannot waste the time that Tristan bought us.
"Detective, do you still want to pursue the truth?" Leonardo da Vinci asked again.
"……I think!"
A few minutes later, the stone hit the glass window with a crisp clang.
Amuro Tooru suddenly looked up. Outside the window, on a green tree, three figures were perched on a branch. The youngest, a black-haired child, waved vigorously at him.
Conan?!
Amuro Tooru immediately got up, slowly opened the door, looked around the corridor to the left and right to make sure it was safe, and then quickly walked to the window, lifted the window, and signaled the others to come in quickly.
Fortunately, his location was on a corner, some distance from the main house, making it a good hiding spot.
Perched on a tree branch, Conan looked at the open window and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mr. Amuro hadn't been tempted by the game's reward.
"Assistant, shall we go in together?" he asked. Even if he could confirm that Amuro Tooru had no intention of harming them, entering a confined space was far more dangerous than staying outside.
Officer Matsuda is already seriously injured; if they're not careful again, they might all be wiped out. And remember, there's a mindless Berserker in the manor.
“Let’s go.” Fujimaru Ritsuka didn’t hesitate. A Servant’s eyesight is far superior to that of a normal person, so hiding in a tree isn’t safe either.
Miyamoto Musashi nodded, then easily carried the two men through the window, standing steadily in front of Amuro Tooru.
"As expected, you split up," Amuro Tooru said knowingly, looking at the two men and their servant. He moved his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Where's Matsuda?"
“…I’m sorry.” Conan lowered his head. “Inspector Matsuda was supposed to come to you, but he’s temporarily incapacitated, so we had to come instead.”
Toru Amuro: "..."
"Who's dragging along the Servants sent from here?" he asked.
“I believe the detective’s follower can buy some time, but let’s keep this brief,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said seriously.
“I understand.” Amuro Tooru nodded, pulling out case-related materials he had prepared beforehand from his desk drawer. These included his biography, his hidden identity, and his various entanglements with several other people.
Conan took the information and looked at Amuro Tooru, whose expression remained unchanged. He no longer had time to ask questions based on the information, so he could only ask the most important one.
"I only have two questions." The black-haired detective gripped the documents, his eyes sharp. "First, Doctor, do you have any suspects regarding the murderer?"
"Myself and the housekeeper."
"reason?"
"...a crime of passion."
Conan's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Ritsuka, signaling her to move on to the next question. Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. "Do you know who Caster's Master is?"
Amuro Tooru paused, his expression shifting slightly as he recalled the Servant classes of the others, but he quickly composed himself and asked, "Why are you asking this?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked and readily said, "It's best to get close."
Assassin would surely bring all his capable Servants with him for the trial, but only he and Lancer appeared. Berserker stayed behind at the manor, so the remaining Caster, who hasn't shown up yet, is probably not good at attacking.
The next second, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to sense the man in front of him breathe a sigh of relief. He brushed away the stray hairs that had fallen down and said, "It's Morofushi Kagemitsu. His information is in the files."
After a moment's thought, he said to Conan, "Your next target should be Sherry. Her Servant is Berserker. Powerful but lacking in rationality."
“But the butler, that’s Lei.” Amuro Tooru’s face darkened, and Conan watched with bated breath as he nearly crushed the wooden table. “Although I’m very reluctant to admit it, his Servant is an Assassin. Don’t mess with him easily, and it’s best to run away as soon as you see him.”
Conan: "..."
I can totally relate. I never imagined that the Servant who cheated like that was actually Mr. Akai's!
"Ritsuka, it's time to go. It'll be too late if we wait any longer," Miyamoto Musashi reminded her, standing by the window and gazing out. The two gods had probably already headed back.
"I understand." Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at Conan, and seeing that he had nothing more to say, she picked him up in her arms. "Doctor, please be careful. Ereshkigal is a very good Servant; you can trust her."
After speaking, Miyamoto Musashi bent down slightly, and Ritsuka felt a warm touch on her neck, his slightly warm breath sweeping across her face.
The next second, Ritsuka soared into the air, and Princess Miyamoto Musashi, holding her, jumped onto the window, their cheerful voices soaring over the obstacles into the sky.
"Alright! We should go now!"
A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over her. Ritsuka turned her head and saw her orange hair flying in the air, surrounded by the whistling wind and a sense of freedom.
For the first time in a long time, her mind went blank for a moment, with no other thoughts except for the sky and clouds in front of her.
"Haha, how's it going, Ritsuka! Feeling better now? Do you need me to speed things up a bit more?"
"No, no, no! This is enough... Thank you, Musashi!"
As Conan listened to the girls' conversation, he looked up at the boundless scenery and his mood improved. After all, they were all moving towards the truth!
A bleak autumn wind blew, and Conan, struggling to keep his eyes half-open, gripped the documents Amuro Tooru had given him tightly, his gaze unconsciously drifting to the handwritten text on them.
"Huh? The doctor is in love with his younger sister, the eldest daughter of the Miyano family?! But the eldest daughter seems to be in love with the butler...?!"
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