Tokyo Singularity (16) Just a Bitter Summer...
"Hmm? Is this some kind of pathetic bribe?" Jeanne Alter canceled her spirit form and leaned closer to examine it. She complained, but her hands didn't slow down at all as she snatched the ice cream.
“It’s ice cream. I remember Alter really wanted to eat modern ice cream, right?” Fujimaru Ritsuka paused, deliberately hesitating, and said, “If you don’t want it…”
Before she could finish speaking, Jeanne Alter quickly interrupted Fujimaru Ritsuka, her voice rapid and loud: "The stuff is already in my hands, how I handle it is my business! It's just ice cream, I—ice cream?"
Jeanne Alter suddenly realized something was wrong and slowly turned to look at Ritsuka: "How did you know I was paying attention to ice cream?"
"Ahem, just a little accident. A few times when I went to Alter's room, I saw that the books you flipped through all had pictures of ice cream."
Jeanne Alter's expression gradually became blank, dried up, and petrified. This expression was so amusing that Fujimaru Ritsuka was about to tease her a bit more when she suddenly felt a sticky sensation on her hand. She looked down and saw that the ice cream had already started to melt in less than a minute.
Meanwhile, in the dessert shop across the street, through the glass window, Gojo Satoru was already sitting by the window waving to them.
"Let's go, let's get inside quickly!" To save the ice cream, Fujimaru Ritsuka instantly grabbed the dazed Jeanne Alter and crossed the road straight to the dessert shop.
As Jeanne d'Arc Alter, who was being willingly dragged along, passed by a glass window, she suddenly saw herself without her armor and Fujimaru Ritsuka with a bright smile, holding ice cream and arm in arm, just like an ordinary modern girl enjoying life after school.
Was this her daily life as an ordinary person in the past?
As the air conditioning in the dessert shop kept the summer heat at bay, seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's relaxed and enjoying expression, Jeanne d'Arc Alter stubbornly answered herself.
No.
Not just the past, this should also be her future, a future that should not be abandoned.
From the moment he entered the store, Gojo Satoru's intensely noticeable gaze was fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka as he walked to the table. Even though the table was already overflowing with desserts, he still looked resentfully at the ice cream in Ritsuka's hand.
"Ritsuka-chan, look at me, I remembered to save some dessert for you guys... But you, you took everyone to eat it all by yourself!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked and magically produced a shopping bag from behind her back, containing two different flavors of ice cream. "I didn't know what flavors you guys liked, so I bought the two I thought were pretty good."
"...Cool! How did you do that!"
"These are little tricks that I learned from some teachers."
"Hey, that teacher is more interesting than Uncle Moth. All Uncle Moth does is give us self-criticisms to write."
Xia Youjie stood by helplessly, thinking to himself, "What have I done? Teacher Moth is making me write so many self-criticisms every day, he must be exhausted too."
But he subconsciously ignored the fact that he was also an accomplice.
The air conditioning in the dessert shop, blowing cool air and the sweet aroma, dispelled the heat and fatigue from the group. Gojo Satoru put down his spoon with satisfaction and slumped back in his chair. "Hmm, finally alive again."
He turned his head: "Jay, you should tell me what happened to you."
Fujimaru Ritsuka finished her last bite of ice cream, took out her soundproof rune from her pocket, activated it with magic, and sat up straight. But she also emphasized, "Mr. Natsuyu, if you need more time to organize your thoughts, we can talk again tomorrow."
"No need." Xia Youjie said firmly, then asked with curiosity, "Why do you say that?"
"Because of your complexion." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked intently at Natsumi Yuuki, her golden eyes full of concern. "You seem to have been through a lot and aren't doing well."
"...It's nothing, just the heat of summer."
"Summer heat?" Jeanne Alter squeezed next to Fujimaru Ritsuka and took a big bite of ice cream. "Is summer so hot it's bitter? That's a good analogy."
Xia Youjie couldn't help but laugh after hearing this explanation, but his complex emotions deflated before they could even rise. "I'm fine, I'm just too shocked to see a future that far exceeds my expectations."
"That's good!" Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled at him. "Please go ahead."
Looking into Ritsuka's focused and caring gaze, Xia Youjie was momentarily lost in thought, suddenly feeling a strange sense of trust. He seemed to feel that whatever he said in front of her would be accepted and understood.
Thus, for the first time, he candidly recounted everything that had just happened, including his necessary mental processes to supplement his future behavioral logic.
It took Xia Youjie less than ten minutes to recount the not-so-long encounter, but it felt like he had lived a lifetime.
After recounting how his future self left, he paused, then suddenly grabbed a glass of ice water and downed it in one gulp. Before anyone could speak, he asked, "After hearing everything, Ritsuka, I want to ask you a question."
Xia Youjie gripped the glass tightly, his knuckles turning white, the coolness seeping into his palm through the glass. "Do you think my future self did something wrong?"
He didn't know why he wanted to ask Fujimaru Ritsuka such an obvious question. Perhaps it was her answer that night, or perhaps it was just that he couldn't help but blurt it out when he looked into her gentle golden eyes.
I'm sure I'll get scolded.
After all, it's an action that even he himself can't understand, so it's bound to be severely criticized, right?
But words spoken cannot be taken back. Xia Youjie sat upright on the wooden chair in the dessert shop, like a sinner awaiting sentencing.
Inside the dessert shop, it seemed as if only the sound of the air conditioner running could be heard, and an unsettling silence spread among the four people.
Joan of Arc yawned and ate her ice cream listlessly, completely uninterested in the little story about teenagers going astray.
Gojo Satoru was the one who found it the most unacceptable. He shifted his posture, his gaze as cold as if frozen in ice water. He subconsciously concluded that the future Xia Youjie must have gone mad, that something had gone wrong with his mind, to have gone down this wrong path.
He was the one who spoke of lofty ideals and claimed to be saving the weak, but in the end, he was the one who killed ordinary people and defected.
Ha, what kind of logic is that?
But Gojo Satoru didn't speak either, or rather, he simply didn't know what to say. All eyes were on Fujimaru Ritsuka.
As the sun gradually set outside the window, the crimson afterglow filtered through the glass and fell on half of Fujimaru Ritsuka's face, making her orange-red hair look like a blazing flame.
“Having hatred is a person’s legitimate right.” She said seriously, “For him, choosing destruction after experiencing despair is what he thinks is right, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with this behavior.”
Xia Youjie's pupils contracted slightly, and he unconsciously loosened his grip on the glass. The bottom of the glass collided with the wooden tabletop, the dull thud breaking the silence.
“However, I will also make my own choice.” Fujimaru Ritsuka raised her head, the sunset glow reflecting in her eyes, dazzling and radiant. “Stop him, save humanity.”
"Because this is what I believe is right."
The firm yet gentle words, like a river beginning to flow in early spring, melted away the stiff atmosphere. Xia Youjie's blank expression gradually softened, and he let out a long sigh.
"She's really too dazzling," Xia Youjie thought, gazing at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "I wish I could be like her."
"Also, don't project yourself onto him too much. Being a Servant is just one aspect of a Heroic Spirit's life; Avenger will emphasize the concept of revenge more," Fujimaru Ritsuka added playfully with a wink.
“Your life doesn’t need to be defined by the Avengers. Just walk your own path; the future is long.” She turned to Gojo Satoru. “Right, Mr. Gojo?”
Gojo Satoru then seemed to realize something and subconsciously corrected him, "Don't use honorifics, aren't we familiar enough already?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka: "..." What a strange focus of attention.
She rubbed her forehead. "Yes, yes, Wutiao. I think Xiayou is waiting for you to say something."
Gojo Satoru moved his lips in silence, finally managing to utter half a sentence, "Jay, I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful, just like JK. No wonder Jack the Ripper called you 'Mom'!"
Xia Youjie's self-loathing, doubt, and pain were all interrupted by Gojo Satoru's brief mention of "Mom." His mind was filled with the image of his mother, and a surge of color instantly returned to his pale face as he smiled and placed his arm around Gojo Satoru's shoulder.
"Wu, shall we arrange a fight when we get back?"
"Okay." Gojo Satoru patted Natsuyu Jie tentatively like a cat, and when he saw that Natsuyu Jie didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief and, as usual, gave him a big, uninhibited hug. "I'll play along to the end!"
The psychological problems of the teenage boy have been temporarily resolved, and normal conversations can now proceed to discussing serious matters.
Fujimaru Ritsuka tapped the table and analyzed, "The summoner of Jack the Ripper is Xia Youjie, whose class is Avenger. The golden cup he mentioned should also be the Holy Grail that caused this singularity."
The Holy Grail that suddenly appeared in this world summoned the Avengers, and the Avengers, in turn, summoned the Assassin to fulfill their own desires.
"That saves me a lot of trouble. I was planning to go find Jack's Master next. He's delivered himself to my doorstep."
"Then as long as we find and resolve the future version of Ja, the singularity will disappear, right?" Gojo Satoru asked.
"That's how it should be." But Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't finish her sentence; the mastermind behind it all hadn't appeared yet. Also, the seed of the Imaginary Tree was a big problem; apart from encountering it on the day they arrived, there had been no further clues about it.
Hopefully, Oberon, this master of intelligence gathering, can bring some good news.
“Alright, he’s called the cult leader, right? I’ll have the Gojo family keep an eye on all the churches, especially in remote areas.” Gojo Satoru said, “Once I find him, I’m definitely going to give him a good interrogation…!”
“Chaldea will also do its utmost,” Fujimaru Ritsuka promised. She looked at Natsume Yuuki; in fact, after hearing his story, she was also very interested in something else.
“Xia You, can you describe the man who last appeared next to Avenger in more detail? Appearance, language, actions, anything.”
Xia Youjie pondered for a moment: "Hmm, you think there's something wrong with him?"
Because he had devoted most of his energy to fighting his future self, his memories of other things were too vague. Whenever he recalled that period, a dark purple eye would always linger in his mind.
After a long pause, Xia Youjie finally spoke haltingly: "That man was probably his subordinate. He looked very ordinary, nothing memorable. However, he might be quite important, as he even spoke to my future self in a commanding tone."
A sense of command? Given Xia Youjie's personality and Avenger rank, would he accept a subordinate speaking to him in such a tone? And his appearance—
"Wait a minute," Fujimaru Ritsuka asked sharply, "Is it that his appearance is unremarkable, or is it that you just can't remember it?"
A note from the author:
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