"...Where am I?"
Ritsuka, now without the oxygen mask, looked around with hazy eyes. A white ceiling, the beeping of machines, and the empty bed beside hers.
Her last memory was the terrible explosion in Chaldea's control room.
There had been a deafening blast, the floor collapsing beneath her, and flames filling her vision. It felt like someone had shoved her out of the way, but her mind was so clouded she could not remember clearly.
"Is everyone... okay?"
Her voice came out dry and cracked. Ritsuka slowly swung her legs off the bed.
When her feet touched the floor, a faint wave of dizziness hit her, but her body itself was surprisingly fine.
She opened the infirmary door and stepped into the hallway.
The corridor was lit only by pale emergency lights, wrapped in a dreadful silence so complete that not even an ant seemed to pass through it.
For a girl full of emotion who loved the warmth of other people, the empty stillness of this massive facility, as if she had been left here all alone, was deeply frightening.
Surely... I'm not the only one who survived, right? Where did everyone go...?
The trauma of the explosion began to crawl back up on her, and tears nearly burst from her eyes. Hugging her own trembling arms as she walked down the hall, she suddenly heard it.
Grrrrowl
Breaking straight through the fear and anxiety weighing on her, her starving stomach sent out a fierce signal that it wanted to live.
At the loud growl, noisy enough to ruin the mood entirely, Ritsuka blushed and clutched her stomach.
Worry was worry, and hunger was hunger. Thanks to her naturally bright and positive disposition, she quickly wiped away her tears and sniffed the air.
Thankfully, not far away, a rich, warm smell of butter and sizzling meat drifted through the cold scent of metal.
The source of the smell was the cafeteria.
Ritsuka cautiously peeked her head through the crack in the cafeteria door.
Chaldea's wide, empty dining hall.
In the kitchen area farther inside, a boy was skillfully working a frying pan as he cooked.
It was Yaiba's cooking, honed from living alone after leaving the orphanage.
And seated at the table in front of him was a very strange group.
A horned woman idly swinging her bare feet, a girl in a splendid crimson dress, and a long-sword samurai quietly sipping tea.
At the head of the table sat Olga Marie, waiting for the food with an air about her that felt oddly changed.
Those people are...? The director made it too. Thank goodness...
Relief washed over her, and at the same time, Ritsuka's gaze naturally shifted to the boy in the kitchen—Yaiba.
"...Ugh."
The instant she took in his back, Ritsuka reflexively covered her mouth.
Every hair on her body stood on end, and a horrible chill crawled over her skin like insects.
A visceral revulsion twisted her stomach and brought nausea rising up.
Her reason told her this was the first time she had ever seen him, but something inside her was blaring a violent warning, branding that boy as absolute evil and filthy refuse.
W-what is this? Why does that person feel so awful? Just looking at him gives me goosebumps...
Breaking into a cold sweat, Ritsuka gripped the doorframe tightly. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to run away at once.
But Ritsuka was sensitive, and deeply empathetic toward the feelings of others. Her eyes began to observe the reality beyond that instinctive disgust.
The boy was giving off a repulsive aura, but the sight of his back as he held the frying pan was strangely peaceful.
With an indifferent expression, he refilled the Servants' empty cups, set a napkin in front of Olga Marie, and gently served everyone their meal.
...This is weird. My instincts are screaming that he's dangerous... but the way he looks cooking for everyone somehow feels warm. And those unusual people seem to really, really like him...
Ritsuka decided to trust her own intuition. Pushed on by the growling hunger in her stomach, she carefully stepped into the cafeteria.
"Um, hi there!"
At her awkward but cheerful greeting, the atmosphere at the table froze in an instant.
When I turned around, my eyes met Ritsuka's at the kitchen entrance. Shuten-Douji and Baobhan Sith both glared at her as murderous intent burst from them at once, while Kojiro tilted his head.
In the middle of that suffocating bloodlust, Olga Marie hurriedly rose from her seat and raised a hand to stop the Servants.
"Stop. She's not an enemy."
Olga Marie approached the tense Ritsuka and asked, in a voice much gentler than usual,
"You're awake. How do you feel? Are you all right?"
"Yes, Director! I don't think I'm hurt anywhere, thankfully. But wow, Director, your whole vibe has changed a lot. You really surprised me."
At Ritsuka's friendly, easygoing question, Olga Marie cleared her throat and scratched her cheek.
"Ahem. Well... a lot happened. It's a long story, so let's skip that for now."
Changing the subject, Olga Marie turned her gaze toward me. Ritsuka's eyes followed hers and landed on me as well.
The moment our eyes met, I saw her shoulders tremble slightly. She was definitely feeling that same intense disgust.
Olga Marie spoke again, hurriedly, but with an undertone that sounded like she was testing Ritsuka.
"Fujimaru. What does he... feel like to you? His name is Togabito Yaiba. He's a Master of Chaldea, just like you. Does he make you feel sick, or... something like that?"
At Olga Marie's question, I lowered my gaze without expression.
I already knew what kind of answer would come back. The same lines I had heard all my life would spill from that shining protagonist's mouth too.
But—
"...To be honest, he feels really strange."
Ritsuka clenched her fists, then looked me straight in the eyes as she spoke.
"Instinctively, he's really creepy, and I keep getting goosebumps... it definitely feels ominous, that's true. But..."
Ritsuka broke into a bright, clear smile without a trace of gloom.
"I was secretly watching from outside earlier, and you're really good at cooking... and seeing how you take care of everyone, I don't think you're a bad person. Looking at your eyes... yeah, I'm sure you're a good person!"
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the cafeteria.
My pupils widened slightly. Even Shuten-Douji and Baobhan Sith stared at Ritsuka blankly, while Olga Marie let out a relieved sigh and smiled faintly.
A girl who had smothered the overwhelming disgust of instinct with her own honest heart and reason.
Ritsuka strode right up to me, then suddenly held out her hand toward my stiffened self.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka. Just call me Ritsuka. Let's get along!"
I looked back and forth between Ritsuka's small outstretched hand and her spotless, transparent smile.
A good person, offering me a handshake so casually, and even speaking to me with easy familiarity. After a brief hesitation, I slowly reached out and took her hand.
"...Togabito Yaiba."
The moment my cool body temperature touched her, Ritsuka's shoulders jolted and shivered.
But she did not let go of my hand. Instead, she rubbed her other arm and opened her eyes wide.
"Whoa... I just got goosebumps all over! That's amazing. Touching you makes me feel this sudden electric wave of bad vibes, but your hand is also really gentle and warm!"
"...What kind of compliment is that, calling someone ominous while praising them at the same time?"
When I let out a short laugh and released her hand, Ritsuka grinned, dragged over an empty chair, and plopped down right beside me.
"Anyway, let's do our best together as fellow Masters from now on! Oh, how old are you? I'm seventeen."
"...Nineteen."
"Aha! So you're older than me? Then what should I call you? Yaiba, or maybe big brother?"
Thrown off a little by Ritsuka's overwhelming friendliness, I shook my head.
"...Just call me senior. What's with big brother?"
"Got it, Yaiba senior! By the way... um, that smells way too good, so... could I have some food too? I'm starving..."
Pointing at my empty frying pan with pitiful eyes and a pleading tone, Ritsuka made her request. I let out a sigh like I could not believe her and stood up.
"Wait there. I'll fry some up for you right away."
"Yay, thank you! You're the best, Yaiba senior!"
While Ritsuka cheered brightly and clapped, I turned the gas back on.
A strange glint entered Shuten-Douji's eyes as she watched my back.
"...What a peculiar girl. Even after taking my husband's aura head-on, she's still sitting there grinning like that. People really are impossible to understand."
Baobhan Sith had not completely dropped her guard either, but seeing that Ritsuka was not openly showing disgust, she only pouted and said nothing harsh.
Olga Marie silently sipped her tea, a faint smile resting on the edge of her slightly trembling lips.
My gray world, frozen solid in unbearable disgust and loneliness.
This was the moment a girl who faced me without prejudice stepped into it with cheerful ease.
Just then, the status window rang out.
[Side Quest: Build a friendly relationship with the protagonist, Fujimaru Ritsuka. You have completed a hidden side mission. Reward granted. Guaranteed Summon Ticket for an evil-aligned Servant below 3-star x1.]
A side mission? I see. So unless it's part of the Main Quest, it doesn't tell me separately?
Or was that the only one? Well, getting a reward is good either way. Though below 3-star...
Still, whatever.
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