Miniature Da Vinci / Possession Summoning Conditions

"What is this?" Mash asked.

"This is an electronic combat assistant Servant made by connecting part of my memories and spirit body to Chaldea's database. It basically has the same functions as Mash's phone: it can open a map to detect spatial monsters appearing nearby, and it can also contact me."

"I named her Da Vinci Lily 2.0. What do you think? Cute, right? She also offers customizable outfits, like Cat Ear Maid Outfit, Futon Outfit, Mejed Divine Outfit, and so on." Da Vinci spoke with complete confidence in her creation.

Miniature Da Vinci

On the screen was a little girl with long, wavy black hair. She wore a brightly colored Renaissance-style outfit, with a pleated collar tied with a blue ribbon, a red skirt, and long blue gloves. She looked seventy or eighty percent like the adult Da Vinci, but far more childish. Inside the phone, she could switch between a miniature childlike form and a two-headed chibi form.

At that moment, the little girl opened her round eyes wide and looked over through the screen.

"Compared to Da Vinci, I'd rather have a two-headed Gudako-senpai." Mash examined the miniature Da Vinci.

Yuihama leaned over and said, "Mm, she really does look better than the original."

Yukino nodded as well. "With cat ears, she looks like the kind I'd be willing to take home and raise."

Because she looked so lifelike, Yuihama tried greeting the little person.

"Yahallo~! Little Da-chan?"

"Yahallo~!" The miniature Da Vinci Lily inside the screen waved at Yuihama as she greeted her.

"Waaaah! She talked!" Yuihama cried out and hugged the black-haired girl.

"I told you, she's a game assistant, a miniature electronic Servant. Of course she has considerable intelligence. Little Da Meow, can you meow?" Yukino asked with a smile.

"Like this, meow? Meow~!" The two-headed Da Vinci Lily had changed into a Cat Ear Maid Outfit.

"So cute!" Yuihama exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Yes, meow... meow~!" Yukino was completely captivated by the little person.

"Uwah... two girls have already been captured over here." Shirou truly could not agree with this. Especially when I think about how the soul acting cute in there is actually the white-bearded old man from that famous story about drawing eggs. That's terrifying.

"Ahem. At least the effect is outstanding! And this cute appearance can also lower people's guard. That should make recruiting new members go more smoothly." Da Vinci smiled meaningfully.

"Wait! Are you saying you want to install this for everyone who plays the game?" Shirou asked.

"That's right, but it will only activate for people with the appropriate qualities. I intend to use this as a safeguard. Think about it: if someone gets caught up in danger, Xiao Da can sense it, fly over, and assist them with combat through Possession Summoning.

"Of course, if it's obvious someone has no desire to fight, I'll only remind them to run before they wet themselves." Da Vinci explained with a smile.

"Well, in that case, it's a pretty good idea." Shirou nodded after hearing that.

"Then I'll update yours right now!" Da Vinci said as she began operating the machine.

Da Vinci Lily 2.0 inside the tablet passed through Chaldea's data channel and entered the FGO server terminal connected to the Holy Grail. She could access the backend of every phone with FGO installed. As the Fate series continued to spread, the areas involved would become even broader.

Shirou's phone chimed.

"Huh? It updated just like that?" Shirou asked.

"Hello, Shirou!" Little Da Meow, dressed in a Cat Ear Maid Outfit, appeared on the Youth's phone screen. She made the cat-paw pose she had just learned from her fellow Yuki-nyan and cutely said hello.

"Neither my data usage nor my storage seems to have changed at all! Could Da Vinci actually be ridiculously amazing?" Yuihama said in surprise.

"It really is incredible. I assumed an artificial intelligence like this would take up a lot of storage. It seems the other world doesn't just surpass this world in magecraft—its technology does too?" Yukino thought thoughtfully.

"Da Vinci is an all-purpose genius, after all." Mash praised her without hesitation.

"Ahem, I certainly wouldn't object to a little more admiration." Da Vinci nodded and smiled smugly.

"Why not just develop an app? Let every player experience the charm of my masterpiece: 'FGO VR Da Vinci Lily 2.0.' Then they'll surely say things like, 'Such a cute Da Vinci can't possibly be a greedy merchant! I'll farm all my Magic Crystals every day, report to the shop on time, and buy everything out!'"

"As expected of Da Vinci!" The youths exclaimed in unison.

"..." Mash felt that the thing her seniors admired seemed to be somewhat wrong. Besides, if it was VR, she should have been the protagonist!

"But wouldn't this be like having hackers monitoring everyone's phones?" Shirou frowned, turning his gaze toward the black-haired girl who was still meowing at the screen. "Hey, don't play with your phone while you're in the bath."

"What? None of your business!" Yukino froze, then realized what he meant and glared at the Youth with a red face.

Little Da Meow angrily retorted, "That's so mean, Shirou! Unlike the original, I'm a completely and utterly female! I just have the original's memories from before! I'll protect my Master's privacy!"

"I don't doubt that, but the data you collect will still be known by Da Vinci, won't it?" Shirou countered.

"Though I love all beautiful things, I myself am the most perfect of all!" Da Vinci confidently puffed out her chest and displayed her perfect figure. She said nothing, but the meaning was obvious.

Shirou looked at Da Vinci, then at Yukino, and realized he had said something extremely rude.

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologize!" Yukino Yukinoshita felt the malice of the world at that moment. Recently, the females around her all seemed to have developed far too well.

Da Vinci was a hentai, so she could be ignored. Yuihama was one thing, but why had even a mere junior developed so well?

Yukino held her phone and stared at Little Da Meow inside it. Only looking at her could give Yukino a little comfort.

"Meow meow meow??" Little Da Meow sensed the girl's gaze and tilted her head in confusion.

At that moment, on the school rooftop, there was a beautiful girl with flowing flaxen hair. Her eyes and brows were gentle, her movements elegant. She possessed the unique bearing that only a refined young lady deliberately raised from childhood could have.

After eating lunch alone on a chair, the girl pressed her hands together, packed away her bento, and then skillfully pulled out her phone.

When she opened her chat app, she found a new private message.

"Group owner, thank you for the information you provided earlier. I'll definitely repay this favor."

The girl saw that it was from Mr. Aipan's Snow Cat, a friend from her game group. Though they had never met, she had always felt that this person was probably a cute girl who liked cats. Yet her manner of speaking was more like social etiquette. She had a maturity unlike girls their age, despite having such a cute name.

The girl smiled softly at the message, her fingers tapping the screen nimbly as she quickly typed a reply.

"You're welcome. It's rare to find someone willing to discuss the game with me, so I'm happy too."

"By the way, Group Owner, have you noticed that FGO feels different now?"

"Different?" The flaxen-haired girl looked at her phone and opened FGO in confusion. It did not seem to have changed. Was this about some character's battle model being improved?

The girl entered the game. Her character name was Asuna, and her level was 140. The only reason she was level 140 was because the game's current level cap was 140. Otherwise, as a veteran player, her limit would have been far beyond that.

She opened her Servant roster. Rows upon rows of glittering gold filled the screen, with the first two rows all being fully upgraded five-star Servants. It was almost blinding. If Mash saw it, she would immediately kneel down and cling to her thigh.

Although the girl had always maintained an image in class of being an excellent student—intelligent and gentle—she was actually quite the gaming fanatic.

She preferred large-scale games, pursuing the thrill of walking the line between life and death. Massive punishing single-player games where one careless hit from a boss could empty her health bar were probably more suited to her.

As for mobile games, only FGO had kept her playing. It always felt as if it possessed some addictive charm that drew her in, until she accidentally spent enough money on microtransactions to buy several other games.

Fortunately, her luck had been fairly good. She had now collected all the game characters, completed all the Noble Phantasm upgrades and story quests, and become a casual player who merely did daily missions for fragments and green cubes. Then, after going home, she could play other games.

Sometimes, she wished there were more exciting games—like climbing a hundred-story tower from the bottom all the way upward, charging in with a sword to fight a floor boss seven or eight meters tall without any means of ranged attack.

But reality was always disappointing. VR games were expensive and incomplete, while live-action games lacked fantasy elements. Games where one dove into virtual reality through sleep existed only in anime and Light Novels.

The girl finished her daily missions, checked the time, and saw that class was about to begin. She stood up and returned to the classroom.

Unbeknownst to the girl, within Chaldea's connected spatial passage, a glowing little black-haired person quietly slipped through the FGO system's channel into her phone's backend.

Conditions for Possession Summoning

Meanwhile, back at the Service Club.

"What did she say?" Shirou, Yuihama, and Mash all looked toward Yukino.

"No, she said she didn't notice anything unusual." Yukino shook her head.

Since Little Da Meow had already connected to the server terminal, she could enter anyone's phone at any time. Just as Da Vinci had said, Chaldea would open the Spirit Support system to qualified Masters and bring them in as companions to protect the world.

Yukino recalled the game-group owner who had given her detailed information about the game's monsters. That person was easy to get along with, knew a lot of things, and was so skilled at the game. She should have been someone Da Vinci would choose.

So while sending a message of thanks, Yukino casually probed her to see whether she might become a companion. But judging from the other girl's indifferent response, she was not one yet, at least not for now.

"What a shame. She's a veteran player, right? If we could persuade her to join, we might improve our combat power, tactics, and strategy across the board." Mash said regretfully.

"Is that so? Is that so? Then it looks like the four of us will have to keep working hard together for now." Yuihama smiled unconcernedly.

"You look pretty happy about that." Shirou teased the girl with the bun hairstyle.

"I mean, it would be nice if the Service Club were livelier, but Mash only just joined us. There's no need to rush. Wouldn't it be nice to relax and slowly figure things out together?" Yuihama explained with a smile.

"That's true. Lunch break is almost over, so everyone should return to class first. We'll meet here again this afternoon." Yukino stood up as she spoke and began putting away the tea set.

"I'll do it. You go back to class first." Shirou took the tea set from the girl.

"Honestly! We'll wait for you, so let's go together!" Yuihama said to the Youth in dissatisfaction.

Yukino also stood there with no intention of leaving, while Mash nodded repeatedly.

"All right." Shirou carried the tea set to the sink, rinsed it clean, arranged it to dry, and then returned to class with the girls.

"Then see you this afternoon, Senpai."

"Mm, see you this afternoon."

Mash was in the first-year international class. When they reached the stairs, she waved to her seniors and headed downstairs.

Yukino was in the second-year international class. After walking a few more steps, she also separated from Shirou and Yuihama.

Thus, only the Youth and the girl remained, silently walking down the corridor.

"Shirou!" The girl suddenly stopped and called out to the Youth walking ahead.

"What?" Shirou turned around.

"Don't say lonely things like telling me to go on ahead anymore. I'll wait for you, okay? Absolutely!" Yuihama said, then ran back to the classroom first.

"Yahallo~!" Yuihama pushed open the door, returned to her little circle, and began chatting with her Friends.

The group of four boys was also noisily laughing and talking as usual.

The Youth blanked for a moment before entering the classroom as well. The silver-haired delinquent girl Saki looked over, and the little angel Saika also waved at him.

Shirou nodded to them and returned directly to his seat. The classroom was peaceful again today.

After school that afternoon, Shirou first stopped by the Kyudo Club, then returned to the school building and arrived at the Service Club.

By then, the girls were already chatting inside. Shirou did not interrupt them. He entered the classroom, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Yukino was reading through the information Da Vinci had sent to her phone after the FGO system update.

"It seems not everyone can meet the conditions for Possession Summoning. Both sides must gain mutual recognition. The more unique and legendary a Servant is, the harder it is to find someone they can possess. Kind and upright Servants will not choose hosts with evil hearts, while Servants who yearn for freedom and act as they please will also look down on rule-abiding, honest people."

Yukino spoke as she asked everyone, "For example, Saint Joan of Arc. What kind of child do you think could summon her through possession?"

"A seventeen-year-old high school girl?" Shirou said.

"A village girl?" Mash tilted her head in confusion.

"French people? A girl in a military uniform? That's hard!" Yuihama imagined it and scratched her head with a sigh.

"Yes. For a famous and special Servant like Saint Joan of Arc, it may be difficult to find even one suitable person among the more than seven billion people in the world."

"As a Saintess and national hero, the host must meet strict requirements in faith, bloodline, spirit, gender, physique, personality, and Spirit Core. There are also softer requirements involving temperament, convictions, wishes, and the like. To improve compatibility, there must be similarities, shared traits, and mutual understanding."

"I see." Shirou nodded thoughtfully. Physique... that really was true.

"Mm, it's good that you understand." Seeing how quickly the Youth understood, Yukino nodded approvingly.

Ushiwakamaru and Yukino both had powerful older sisters. One was Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of Japan's shogunate system. The other was Haruno Yukinoshita, someone so polished that no one could find fault with her.

Both carried complicated feelings: wanting their older sisters' recognition while not wanting to become like them. Yukino Yukinoshita sincerely sympathized with and liked Ushiwakamaru, and the Servant Ushiwakamaru had sensed those feelings and responded to the girl.

Yuihama Yui had actually been a plain, unremarkable child in middle school. After entering high school, she dyed her hair and began wearing makeup, wanting to become someone whose motto was, "Life is short, fall in love, girls!"

Because of her tragic love in her previous life, Suzuka Gozen longed for an absolutely wonderful romance. So she became a fox JK and waited for the call of the person destined for her.

Shirou possessed a powerful conviction to protect this world, his family, and his Friends. Saint George was a Great Hero famous for protection, having defeated the poison dragon that wreaked havoc everywhere and protected many nations.

"Once the body meets the conditions for possession, the next thing to watch is compatibility. To meet the requirements for Possession Summoning, it must reach at least fifty percent. The higher the compatibility, the more of the Servant's power can be brought out. Ways to improve compatibility include passion for the Servant, raising and strengthening the Servant, fulfilling the Servant's wishes, and forming deeper bonds with the Servant."

Similar bodies, similar spirits, similar circumstances. Beyond that, the most important thing was mutual recognition with the Servant. The summoner recognized the Servant's beliefs, while the Servant recognized the summoner's ideals.

Servants were the sublimation of humanity's heroes. There were countless powerful, handsome, and beautiful Servants. Naturally, many people liked the especially famous and outstanding ones, but preferences would always differ. Someone who liked Chevalier d'Eon might also like Young Gil, Young Emperor, but not necessarily King of Heroes. Someone who liked the Conqueror King would definitely like Afu.

There would always be people who held feelings unlike those of ordinary people toward certain Servants, finding resonance or being moved by a particular Servant. That would be the opportunity to encounter a Servant, as well as the bond connecting the two.

For example, the Servant Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who held lofty ideals and carried them through to the end. Though no one recognized him and no one understood him, he still persisted tirelessly.

For example, the Great Hero Arash, who loved peace, was kind and upright, sacrificed himself for others, and even when faced with countless choices, would still resolutely draw his bow and fire Stella.

For example, Nitocris, strong and cute. To avenge her brothers, she drowned her enemies with the waters of the Underworld River, yet could not avoid retaliation. To preserve the Pharaoh's dignity, she threw herself into a dark room and left the human world.

FGO players were spread across the world and worked in all kinds of fields. Perhaps in the Hall of Heroes, there was a Servant who shared your spirit most closely, waiting to be summoned.