Please Play Fatego With Me

"I'd like to say that, but there are still things I can't quite put into words. Sorry, I guess I said something weird, huh? Hehe."

"Looks like I have to head back. See you tomorrow, and don't forget to bring the photos." Yuihama waved at the Youth in the fluorescent glow.

"Mm, see you tomorrow." Shirou nodded in agreement.

The light flickering around the girl grew brighter, and a white magic circle appeared around her, enveloping her in radiance.

Watching the girl vanish into the white light, the Youth reached out and picked up the two sets of photo booth strips. Besides the group shot, there were several smaller, odd pictures. The girl's edits were way too exaggerated—pink blush aside, her eyes were blown up to the size of ping-pong balls, while his skin under the beautifying filter had turned a vampire-pale white.

"Yeah... that's definitely weird." Shirou chuckled in mockery, tucking the two strips into his pocket.

"Ah!" At that moment, a serious problem struck him. Now that he was alone inside the female-restricted zone, how the hell was he supposed to get out?

Chapter 27: Girl, Girl, Girl

The next day, as soon as lunch break hit, Shirou went straight to the Service Club with Yuihama. Yukino was already waiting there.

"Yahallo~! Yuki." Yuihama waved at the girl.

"Good afternoon." Yukino set down her book, nodded, then stood up to brew tea for the two of them.

Yukino handed the freshly poured hot tea to the Youth.

"Thanks." Shirou accepted the cup with both hands.

"Now then, explain. What exactly happened yesterday?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked with a smile.

"What happened?" The Youth, under her gaze, looked puzzled.

A lot had happened yesterday. Was it about the fight with the Soul Eater?

Or was it about last night, when Komachi wasn't studying properly and was sneaking a peek at her phone, so he walked over to confiscate it—only to find chat logs full of stuff like, "Brother is the best, Komachi is definitely going to get into International High School so she can go to school with him every day."

Because he'd seen that, Komachi was so embarrassed that they were now in a Cold War she'd dubbed, "Brother, you're banned from my room!"

Ah! Could it be about him getting trapped in the photo booth yesterday? Had it already been exposed? He'd reinforced his leg muscles with maximum magical energy and bolted out with a speed surpassing Olympic sprinters, head down!

"I don't know how much you're hiding from me, and I don't really care. But what I'm asking now is—why didn't you summon me, and instead dragged Yuihama into it?" Yukino looked down at the Youth coldly.

"Oh, that. I tried, you know. But in the Saber slot, I couldn't find your Servant at all." Shirou broke into a sweat as he explained.

"So you're saying that yesterday, you did try to summon me, but I didn't appear on the support list?" Yukino frowned.

"Yeah. And this time's monster was really tough—it was like it had infinite dodges, terrifyingly fast. If it had gotten out and started rampaging, it would've been a disaster. I had no choice but to summon Yuihama." Shirou explained.

Hearing her name, Yuihama grinned and leaned in. "Right! Right! And then I totally showed off! My Suzuka Gozen-chan was super cool! It was nothing like the mobile game—it was like a 3D movie! Yuki-chan, I really wish you could've seen it."

"Yuihama, calm down. You actually ran into something like that, and you're this cheerful?" Yukino gestured for the doughnut-haired girl to sit down.

"Because you and Shirou are here! With the three of us together, no matter where I am, I feel safe." Yuihama said sweetly, still waving her hands even after sitting down. "Yuki, listen—when I raised my hand, hundreds of golden swords were flying through the air! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, they came crashing down."

"No, Yuihama, with your storytelling skills, I probably can't picture it." Yukino chuckled lightly.

"Eh? That's not fair! I wish I'd recorded it back then." Yuihama grumbled.

"Yuihama, even if you're proud of it, don't go telling just anyone about this." Yukino warned.

"Yeah, Yuihama. When you're chatting with the others in class, make sure you don't let it slip. Otherwise, they'll just laugh at you like you're an idiot." Shirou added.

He felt like if there were a red Magic Wand and a white alien creature around, this kid would be easily fooled.

"Of course I know that! What do you two take me for? I'm not a kid!" Yuihama shot back, annoyed.

"About the summoning issue, I actually found some new discoveries while gathering information." Yukino pulled out a notebook and flipped it open to her notes.

"According to data from a friend of mine, our current state of possession-summoning is similar to the Pseudo-Servants that appeared in the game, but the fact that we can freely unsummon is different.

Still, it's broadly comparable. The key factor seems to be compatibility. For a Servant to possess a human, they need to find someone very similar to them—in build, age, personality, and even capacity. So the reason I didn't appear in the Saber support list might be because I don't have a Saber-class Servant that matches my compatibility."

Yukino Yukinoshita was explaining the results of her research from last night, but the classroom fell into an awkward silence.

"..."

"..."

"What's wrong?" Yukino noticed the two hadn't responded for a while, looked up at the stunned Shirou and Yuihama, and furrowed her brow.

"Why did you two suddenly go quiet? And can you explain that look on your faces—'Unbelievable, you actually have friends?' What's that supposed to be? Is it a provocation? It is a provocation, isn't it!" Yukino asked with a cold smile.

"No... Ahaha! I never thought Yuki-chan actually had other friends." Yuihama laughed nervously, trying to beg off.

"Hey, Yuihama, that's going too far. Everyone has friends outside of school." Shirou scolded her, then turned to the black-haired girl to confirm, "No offense meant. Just want to be sure. That friend of yours—it's not an 'air friend' like an 'air guitar,' is it?"

Yukino's face flushed red with anger. "It's an online friend! A friend from a game group—what's wrong with that?"

"Oh! So that's it! Haha." Yuihama finally understood, letting out a long sigh of relief and laughing heartily.

"Yukino, the internet is a complicated place. You shouldn't take friends there too seriously. You never know if they're male or female, or even human." Shirou advised. His little sister might not be great at studying, but her emotional intelligence was high—maybe this girl needed to be more careful in that regard.

"Heh, you two really want to fight, don't you?" Yukino flashed a frosty smile at the Youth and the girl.

Just then, the door was knocked on, and a pink-haired girl appeared.

"Good afternoon, Yukino-senpai! Yuihama-senpai! And... Shirou-senpai." Mash, peeking in from outside the Service Club door, greeted them politely, though her gaze at the Youth carried a hint of reproach.

"Oh! Mash-chan, come in, come in." Yuihama, seeing her pink-haired kouhai, happily jumped up from her seat and ran over to pull the girl into the room.

"..." Mash carefully observed Yuihama-senpai's warm, enthusiastic smile. The terrifying female who had abandoned her yesterday and forbidden her from following felt like a complete illusion.

Which side is the fake? Which side is the real? Mash had completely lost track.

"I've lived over a decade since birth on a snowy mountain with nothing, a simple, honest village girl fresh to the world. Could you city folks please not play so many tricks? Wouldn't a little sincerity be better?"

"Mash, sit down first." Yukino spoke up, standing to brew tea for the girl.

"Excuse me." Mash obediently agreed and found a seat.

"Mash, please start explaining the situation here. After all, there's still a lot Yuihama doesn't know." Shirou said.

"I understand. Then I'll begin by explaining the circumstances to Yuihama-senpai."

Mash nodded, adjusted her posture to sit properly, and faced Yuihama, who was smiling at her. She repeated everything Da Vinci had told Shirou and Yukino a few days ago.

Chapter 28: The Maiden Eggplant Maiden

The girl was a test-tube baby cultivated by the Chaldea organization, prioritizing Magecraft aptitude at the cost of her physical lifespan.

She lived in an isolation ward for fourteen years. The time she actually spent outside Chaldea, interacting with the outside world, was only two years—and those were consumed by battles to save human order. Though she had always studied and read, her heart remained childlike and pure.

Because of the forced fusion experiment with a Heroic Spirit, the girl's already short lifespan deteriorated; she could live at most to eighteen.

Then, on the verge of death during the explosion, she was saved by the Heroic Spirit within her and survived as a Sub-Servant. But the fusion with the Heroic Spirit couldn't stop the decay of her cells.

The girl was destined to die—or rather, her birth was from the very beginning meant to sacrifice herself at some critical moment.

In the Temple of Time, the girl raised her shield and stood alone at the front, blocking Goetia's Noble Phantasm for the senpai she admired...

After hearing Mash's account, Yuihama was stunned for a moment, then asked softly, "So the story in this game—Mash experienced all of it herself?"

"Yes, about ninety percent is real. Also, the shop manager was prettied up a bit." Mash said honestly.

"Wuwu... Mash, good girl, such a good girl..." Yuihama suddenly stood up, pulled Mash into a tight hug, and stroked her kouhai's head, tears streaming down her own face.

"Yuihama-senpai?" Mash, suddenly embraced, said in a daze.

"Hey, hey, Yuihama, why are you hugging the junior and crying? You're supposed to be the senpai here." Shirou said helplessly. Not that he couldn't understand her feelings—maybe this was just how the dumpling-haired girl showed her gentleness.

"Because... because, thinking about all the things Mash-chan went through, trembling as she raised her shield to face the monsters, knowing she would die but still standing in front... She's such a fragile girl, she just wanted to live like an ordinary person but couldn't..." Yuihama held Mash, stroking her head as tears kept falling.

The dumpling-haired girl spoke incoherently, as if trying with all her might to share some of the girl's pain.

"Mash-chan, from today on, think of me as your Elder Sister! I'll do everything I can to help you, so don't worry about anything." Yuihama hugged the pink-haired girl tightly and said seriously.

"Yuihama-senpai... I'm actually very happy with my life now." Mash, held in the girl's arms, reached out and hugged this gentle sister back. Feeling warmth in her heart, she smiled and said softly.

The two girls embraced like that, not letting go for a long time.

"Mash! Shirou! Yukino!" Yuihama suddenly shouted loudly.

"Yes (Yes)!?" The three of them jumped in surprise and answered.

Yuihama shed her usual playfulness. Though tears still glistened in her eyes, her gaze was utterly serious as she said, word by word, "Absolutely! Absolutely! We have to help Mash save Chaldea! And then let her reunite with Gudako-chan and the rest of the Chaldea family!"

Hearing Yuihama's words, Shirou paused. Yeah, he thought, she's always been that kind of gentle person.

Shirou chuckled lightly, then replied firmly.

"Of course!"

Yukino brushed her hair back and said calmly and sincerely.

"Mm... since I agreed to help, not getting the best possible result wouldn't suit my style."

"Thank you! I knew you were the best! Yukino~!" Yuihama happily pounced on her, rubbing against the black-haired girl's face.

"Don't cling to me like that. Aren't you hot?" Yukino said, a little embarrassed.

"Thank you! I love all you senpais the most!" Mash gathered her courage and spread her arms to pounce too.

"Honestly! I said it's too hot!" Yukino acted like she was shooing away an affectionate kitten.

The three girls huddled together intimately, rubbing cheeks like real sisters.

Seeing the three girls getting along so well, Shirou smiled with relief.

It felt like nothing could be better—even if the yuri factor was a bit high, and with three of them at that.

"Senpai..." Mash held her flushed face, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

Besides Gudako-senpai, this was the first time she'd hugged girls her age so intimately. And two beauties at that, one on each side—it was a little exciting.

"Ahem. Shirou-senpai, there's actually one more thing I need to tell you." Mash coughed twice, straightened up, and looked seriously at the Youth. "About your eye yesterday, I think it's necessary to have Da Vinci check it."

"Ah, that. You don't really need to worry about it. See, it's already fully recovered." Shirou said.

"Yeah, Shirou, it's better to get it checked."

Yukino also looked over with concern. She didn't say anything, but her eyes said it all.

"Alright then, I'll leave it to you, Mash." Shirou had no choice but to agree.

"Yes, Senpai. I'll connect you to Da Vinci now." Mash said as she operated her phone.

A noblewoman in gorgeous attire, somewhat resembling the Mona Lisa, appeared in a holographic projection.

"Hello there. Oh my, you've gained another companion. As expected of you, Shirou. Even among the Heroic Spirits I know, your ability to gather allies is outstanding."

"Uwah, this person feels kind of annoying." Yuihama glanced at her, then turned to whisper in the black-haired girl's ear.

"Same here." Yukino nodded.

"Da Vinci, please check Senpai's eyes. His Mystic Eyes were overused in the last battle, and I'm worried there might be aftereffects."

"Mystic Eyes, huh? Can you activate them now? Just look this way, and I'll have someone use tools to measure and analyze the data." Da Vinci said.

"I understand. These are my Mystic Eyes, and based on their traits, I call them the 'Mystic Eyes of Analysis'." Shirou nodded, opening his amber-gem-colored Mystic Eyes.

Whenever he used his Mystic Eyes, he would unavoidably receive an excess of information, placing a certain burden on both his brain and vision.

If he used them on machinery or furniture, it wasn't much of a problem.

But when the target of analysis was a Phantasmal Beast, the strain on his eyes increased. Last time, analyzing the mutated Chimera consumed a massive amount of magical energy, and when he projected a Noble Phantasm, it also triggered that phenomenon of crossing through time and space.

The Youth opened his amber-gem-colored Mystic Eyes. As he fixed his gaze on the holographic projection, the structure and principles of Chaldea's machines within his line of sight automatically began to analyze themselves, transforming into knowledge that surged into his mind.

The tool used to observe this world—the Near Future Observation Lens - Sheba...

The blue sphere connected to Sheba—the simulated Earth environment model, Chaldeas...

The Imaginary Number Observation Device, PaperMoon...

On the other side, Da Vinci, using Chaldea's technology, was conducting tests on Shirou, quickly arriving at a result.

"Analysis? This is observing the past of another world and being able to parse out the structural data—it's practically 'reproduction,' isn't it? Is this kind of cheating ability really something that can appear in a human?" Da Vinci stared at the data, and even the Universal Genius was stunned for a moment, clicking her tongue and muttering softly.

"Da Vinci, what's wrong? Is there a problem with Shirou-senpai's eyes?" Mash clenched her clothes with both hands, looking over nervously and asking.

"Don't worry, Mash. There's no problem. The condition is good; the observed data is, if anything, too far beyond common sense. I think during battle, as long as you don't try to project a 'complete' Divine Construct, it should be fine. Shirou, from now on, try to control your Mystic Eyes and lower the degree of analysis. Even if it means downgrading the Noble Phantasm, you should still be able to project it, right?" Da Vinci looked at the data and offered her advice.

"Mm, I understand. Thanks, Da Vinci." Shirou nodded.

"Oh, right! I actually just finished this today. Take a look—I'll install it for you two later too." Da Vinci clapped her hands and pulled out something resembling a tablet from the table.

"Hello, everyone~!" The screen lit up, and a tiny figure ran out from inside, waving a hand in their direction. Looking closely, it was a miniaturized version of Da Vinci, seemingly much younger too, about the age of a lower-grade elementary school student.