Tokyo Singularity (27) Departure, Homecoming...
Xia Youjie looked up and couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. This was truly cheating; where did this Servant come from? He hadn't even noticed.
Perhaps he was drunk, or perhaps it was a side effect of forcibly activating his Noble Phantasm. The Avenger's vision blurred, and the Holy Grail appeared uncontrollably in mid-air.
He vaguely saw a girl in a purple kimono deftly remove the Holy Grail, then turn around and support the suddenly staggering Savior. Her blurred face could not hide the heartfelt heartache she felt.
A few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes later, several more footsteps approached, and the damned traitor's offbeat voice reached his ears, carrying a hint of stickiness he had never shown before.
Haha, so that's how they get along?
That heartless monster actually...
Just before the Avenger's consciousness was about to dissipate, a clear and nostalgic footstep approached him amidst the chaotic noise.
This was the first and second time that Gojo Satoru had witnessed his death.
"What, are you here to laugh at me, a loser?" the Avenger murmured, trying to sound brave, but his voice was so soft that Gojo Satoru had to crouch down to hear him.
Gojo Satoru remained silent, exchanging a speechless glance with the Avenger. The Avenger looked at the youthful yet arrogant Gojo Satoru and suddenly smiled, "Nothing to say? That's true, I'm not the real Natsume either... But be thankful, your future will be much better than I remember."
No untimely deaths of junior colleagues, no estranged friends, no supervisory department harboring a millennium-old conspiracy...
His future is sure to be bright and glorious.
Finally, the Avenger offered his blessing.
As the golden light almost completely dissipated, Gojo Satoru whispered, "Goodbye, my friend whom I have never met."
A pale blue halo appeared in the sky.
Daylight broke.
—
Fujimaru Ritsuka woke up again in the temporary dormitory. She raised her arm to her face, blocking the bright light coming in through the window.
After last night's battle, Ritsuka, exhausted, only dared to breathe a sigh of relief after returning to the high school, revealing that her hands and feet were trembling. She then went to bed and slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky before regaining consciousness.
"Ritsuka, good morning!" Little Da Vinci greeted her brightly and cheerfully. "The spirit transfer has been successfully tested, and you can return from the singularity anytime."
She instantly snapped out of it. "Wait for me. I'd like to say goodbye before I leave this time!"
The energetic girl quickly finished washing up, opened the dormitory door, and was shocked to see Servants standing on both sides of the entrance like welcoming guests.
"Oh, good morning! Fairy King Oberon makes his reluctant entrance!" Oberon said, pretending to be cheerful. He noticed Ritsuka's confused gaze and tilted his head. "I'm also puzzled by the current situation. I don't know how we ended up all together."
Is this because everyone is waiting for her to get up? Fujimaru Ritsuka wondered, when suddenly a magnified, alluring face appeared in her field of vision.
"Ugh... Hehehe!" Ashiya Dōman made a strange sound, deliberately squeezing in front of Ritsuka to block the other Servants. "Good morning, Master, you're really something else just waking up... Ugh—don't pull my hair!!"
Shuten-dōji grabbed Ashiya Dōman by the hair and dragged him back, conjuring a sword in her hand and pressing it against his neck. "Hehe, I think you shouldn't get too close to the boss, you monster."
Good morning, boss.
She gazed at the revitalized Ritsuka and genuinely smiled faintly. She had only agreed to the call of her inexperienced boss for fun, but unexpectedly witnessed a brilliant soul embarking on a path of immense pain and despair.
Who could have imagined that she would persevere until now?
When Ritsuka fell into her arms yesterday, Shuten-dōji's heart skipped a beat. Only then did she realize that she did not want her Master to leave silently with the lively person beside her.
"Good morning, everyone!" Fujimaru Ritsuka greeted them with a smile, then turned to Jeanne Alter, who looked annoyed but remained silent, "Good morning, Alter too!"
"...Hmph, good morning." Jeanne Alter spoke awkwardly, as if she couldn't stand the atmosphere any longer. She strode out abruptly. "Those guys are all at the school gate now. If you want to say goodbye, hurry up and go!"
"Alright everyone, let's go!"
When Fujimaru Ritsuka arrived at the entrance of the high school, all the friends she had made in the past few days were standing or squatting around the two teenage girls, chattering away.
Among them, Shoko Ieiri, who was holding a cigarette but not smoking it, was the first to see her, raising an eyebrow and smiling, "Fujimaru, over here!"
“You are…” Fujimaru Ritsuka walked over quickly. Ieiri Shoko ruffled her hair and gestured towards the girl. Ritsuka looked over in confusion, “Ah, it’s you, the Zenin family’s child!”
Their eyes met in the air for a few seconds. Fujimaru Ritsuka walked to Zenin Maki's side, half-squatted down and gave her a warm smile, her eyes bright and mischievous. "It's so nice to see you again."
Zenji Maki suddenly felt a little flustered. She subconsciously twisted her body and accidentally pressed down on Ritsuka's orange-red hair, which was as bright as the first rays of dawn and shone like a burning flame when viewed in the light.
It was the first time she had ever seen such a bright hair color, shining just like Fujimaru Ritsuka herself. Zenin Maki held her breath, "...Thank goodness, you still remember me."
"Hey, hey, that wasn't how you were treating me just now, was it? That's too much!!" Gojo Satoru jumped out and shattered the idyllic scene, clutching his chest and exclaiming dramatically.
"Satoru, at least reflect on yourself!" Xia Youjie wearily pulled the wild white cat back. Ieiri Shoko raised an eyebrow and pressed down on Gojo Satoru's shoulder, "If you hadn't been so curious and pulled that little girl's hair first, would she have ignored you?"
"Is it my problem? Hmm... it seems like it really is my problem!"
Xia Youjie: Pain Mask.jpg
Zenin Maki ignored the adults huddled together, unable to get a word in edgewise. She pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully tugged at Ritsuka's sleeve. "Thank you so much for your help. How can I repay you?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka pretended not to notice Zenin Maki's little tricks, letting the child tug at her clothes. She rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, "Hmm, become the person you want to be."
"...That's it?" Zenin Maki stood there stunned, her tone incredulous. A rare childlike bewilderment flickered in her precocious eyes.
“Yes,” Ritsuka gave her a gentle smile, “that’s enough.”
The sunlight poured down without reservation, and even the tiny dust particles in the air seemed to float like points of light. Fujimaru Ritsuka lowered her head and touched Zenin Maki's rough hair.
Zenji Maki felt a warm temperature coming from above her head. The smiling girl in front of her was like a compassionate statue illuminated by lamplight, silently radiating peace.
This was the first time she had received such selfless and even blessing-filled kindness from an outsider.
"Thank you, thank you so much... I will." Zenin Maki repeated forcefully, as if making a promise to Fujimaru Ritsuka, and also as if emphasizing to herself, "I will definitely become the person I want to be."
The group from the vocational college watched everything unfold with smiles and satisfaction. They were so engrossed that they didn't even notice when someone approached them.
"I forgot to congratulate you." Ashiya Doman suddenly leaned close to Natsume, startling Gojo Satoru into throwing a slash at him. But he simply waved his hand, and the slash vanished before his eyes.
Seeing this, Gojo Satoru nervously shielded Ieiri Shoko behind him, and retorted sharply, "What are you doing here, you villain who's all malice?!"
"Ugh... Of course, it's because I'm the Master's Servant. But even if I wanted to leave alone, the three Servants behind me wouldn't let me pass."
As Ashiya Doman spoke, Gojo Satoru's gaze slid into the distance, where three Servants, each with a different expression but none of whom seemed to have a good impression of the monster before them, smiled at him.
Gojo Satoru shuddered, feeling that the smile was far more terrifying than a moth going berserk. "So what did you come here to say?"
Ashiya Doman laughed without restraint, then suddenly suppressed his laughter in the shadows and casually said, "Well, I think Mr. Weird Bangs over here would understand better—this world won't be cut off, in other words, it won't be destroyed."
Xia Youjie: "..."
His gaze met those indifferent yet malicious eyes. "Why... what did you do?!"
"Well, actually, I didn't do anything. It was just an experiment, a small experiment related to the Master. But the results were unexpectedly fruitful." Ashiya Doman said nonchalantly, only showing some emotion when he mentioned Ritsuka. "Actually, you guys are the ones who made a killing."
Gojo Satoru suddenly interrupted, "Are you bringing this up now because Ritsuka is leaving?"
"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, you just realized? There's no way she could stay here. Now's a chance to say goodbye."
As if echoing Ashiya Doman's words, Chaldea's communication system rang, and a projection of Little Da Vinci landed next to Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Ritsuka, it's almost time to say goodbye."
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, gently pulling Zenin Maki's hand down. The assistant director led the two sisters into the high school first. Then she looked around at her friends she'd only known for a few days. But before she could speak, Haibara Yu's face appeared before her.
“We’re leaving now. You, and Mr. Oberon and the others…” Haibara Yu hugged Fujimaru Ritsuka, patted her shoulder hard, and tried to speak in a lighthearted tone with a trembling voice.
"You must be happy!"
"Have a safe journey." Nanami Kento nodded to the girl, all his restrained emotions contained in those few words.
Ieiri Shoko held a cigarette between two fingers, but instead of lighting it, she rubbed it between her fingertips. After Ritsuka finished saying goodbye to her juniors, she smiled playfully at the orange-haired girl, "Have a good time from now on, you'll always be a part of the high school."
Then, Ieiri Shoko put down her cigarette and pushed the two hesitant DKs in front of Ritsuka, one in each hand, saying, "What are you two talking about? You'll only regret it for the rest of your lives after today."
What should he say—"Are you leaving?"—isn't that obvious? Gojo Satoru scratched his head. The young master, who had almost no experience in saying goodbye, couldn't think of anything to say for a moment and could only turn to Natsuyu Jie for help.
"Can't I stay?" The thought had barely crossed Xia Youjie's mind when he quickly suppressed it. He thought it was impossible; it would only cause trouble.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "...Will we still have a chance to meet?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka paused for a moment, then flashed her signature dazzling smile.
"Well, let's wait and hope!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a familiar wave slowly enveloped her, and the last image that remained in her eyes was everyone smiling and saying goodbye. The next second, the spirit transfer ended, and Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped back onto the floor of Chaldea.
Little Da Vinci said with relief, "You've worked hard! Mashu is waiting for you in the infirmary. Go get a check-up and then get some rest. Oh, by the way, Emiya and the others have prepared some special snacks for you in the kitchen."
"Mother Emiya! I understand!"
Ashiya Dōman was handed over to Sei Shōnagon, who had rushed over. Amidst his painful struggles, the Chaldea Master waved cheerfully toward the command room, her hair fluttering slightly, and headed straight for the kitchen without looking back.
As she happily foraged for food in the kitchen, Oberon walked out of the command room with his hands behind his back, and after only a few steps, he bumped into someone he expected in the corridor. The person was standing at the corner, clearly waiting for someone.
"So, you've taken care of things over there?" Oberon asked, looking at the man who seemed to have the leisure to return.
"Hmm, something unexpected happened, or rather, a scare is better?" The middle-aged servant said, sounding troubled, but his smile revealed his excitement.
"However, it won't affect the plan. Besides, once this experiment is successful, many people who were just observing will definitely join, so even if there are some minor mishaps, it won't matter."
"The explosion at Chaldea?"
"Hahahaha, that's obviously that Onmyoji's backup plan. What does that have to do with us, does it?"
"Wow, that would be perfect, Moriarty."
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