On the Chaldea side in another world, they were facing increasingly fierce attacks from monsters. Each time, the Servants left behind at Chaldea drove them back, but after a while, they returned—and in even greater numbers, posing an even larger threat.
"Honestly! Will this ever end?!" Da Vinci shouted in frustration.
"Director! We've detected a reaction from that unknown source of magical energy! It has been confirmed to be the Holy Grail!"
There stood a male Servant dressed entirely in black. The black beast-taming reins in his hand, strengthened by the Holy Grail, could summon hundreds or thousands of Demonic Beasts and control their minds, turning them into mindless weapons of destruction that ceaselessly attacked both worlds.
The Black man was abnormal as well. His dark skin was covered in black mud that resembled filth. His expression was usually dull, and hatred was the only emotion visible in his eyes. Whenever his emotions stirred, black mud surged through his flesh like wriggling earthworms, making him look as though he had crawled out of a swamp.
"Whether it is Chaldea or that world, both must be destroyed. Both must be avenged—for mother, for dignity."
At seven in the morning, the Hachiman family left home on schedule. Those going to work went to work, and those going to school went to school. After seeing Komachi near her school, Shirou returned to the side street and headed toward the International High School he attended.
After a week, the wall at the school entrance that had been damaged was finally repaired. Just then, footsteps came running up from behind him.
"Good morning, Shirou-senpai." Mash hurried forward with light steps.
"Oh, good morning, Mash." Shirou smiled as he greeted the pink-haired girl. She seemed to genuinely enjoy going to school, happily taking both academic classes and physical activities.
"Will you be practicing at the Kyudo Club this morning too?" Mash asked.
"Mm. I'm receiving the school scholarship and serving as captain, after all. It would be hard to justify it if I didn't practice properly." Shirou agreed with a light laugh.
"I understand. I'll come over after I change too," Mash said.
"Mm." Shirou nodded.
The Kyudo Club had changing rooms as well, but they were generally used by the boys. The girls would change into their kyudo uniforms in the women's changing room outside before coming over.
"Senpai! Shirou-senpai~!" Another underclassman came running over. She had a pretty face and a cute voice that always carried an intentionally coquettish tone. Her light tea-colored hair curled slightly, falling just past her neck. She was Iroha Isshiki, the first-year student council president.
"Hey, isn't that Isshiki? It's rare to see you at school this early," Shirou greeted her.
"Now isn't the time for 'hey,' Senpai! Listen to me... ah!" Iroha stopped when she noticed Mash.
"..." Mash silently looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared. She felt like she understood why Fou reacted that way whenever he saw little boars and puppies.
"Forget it! Senpai, come with me first, then I'll tell you!" The girl grabbed Shirou's hand and pulled him toward the school building.
"Why are you dragging me away? It's not like Mash being there meant you couldn't say it," Shirou asked as she dragged him along.
"But if that girl is here, doesn't that make my underclassman value redundant?!" Iroha finally stopped behind the school building and declared righteously.
"You know, you'd be fine even without acting like an underclassman," Shirou told her. In any case, he had never felt particularly respected by her.
"Eh? What? Are you saying, 'I don't see you as an underclassman—I want you as my girlfriend'? You're confessing so suddenly in a place like this? Sorry! That's way too lacking in common sense! I can't accept it! At least find somewhere with a candlelit dinner and try again!"
"Why did I get rejected three times in a row when I didn't even say anything? Seriously, what do you think about all day? Aren't you the student council president?" Shirou retorted at the overly imaginative girl.
"Oh, stop it~! You were the one who encouraged me to run for student council president in the first place, Senpai! Don't tell me you're trying to back out now?" Iroha patted Shirou's shoulder and asked with a sweet laugh.
This girl could wear such a sweet, adorable smile while speaking in such terrifying tones. It was practically miraculous, like ventriloquism.
"Well, that did happen," Shirou admitted, unable to argue.
She was the type who wanted everyone to like her, so she catered to others and played whatever role would please them, communicating in ways they liked. In front of boys, she acted sweet and obedient, which made her very popular. But plenty of girls thought she was putting on an act, so she was disliked and unwelcome among them.
As a result, the girls in her class targeted her and jointly nominated her for the student council president election.
Back then, the previous student council president had brought Iroha to the Service Club. She said she wanted to lose the student council president election without making herself look bad.
This International High School was a prestigious school focused on advancing to higher education. The students were either outstanding students aiming for scholarships, athletic or artistic elites qualified to appear in national competitions, future politician candidates from influential families, or, at the very least, children from wealthy families.
So almost no one was interested in the exhausting, thankless position of student council president, which held little actual authority. Naturally, no one came forward to compete with her.
However, Shirou had noticed that the girl did not truly seem unwilling to become student council president. Rather, with her little-devil personality, she would be more than happy if she got the chance to slap the faces of those girls who disliked her.
"Then why not just become student council president? If you need help, you can come to me," Shirou had said at the time.
"Eh? Senpai? If you put it that way, then I'll do it," Iroha had replied after hesitating for a moment.
"But~ Senpai, you have to take responsibility properly." The girl blinked her watery eyes at him and spoke in a soft, seductive voice.
And so, the Youth was now being called upon.
"Senpai~~ You absolutely have to help me, or it'll be super bad. Sob, sob..." Iroha clung to Shirou's sleeve in a sweet voice, using her other hand to wipe at her eyes as if brushing away tears.
No, no. At this point, it was too late for her to act cute and try to awaken a boy's protective instincts. But wasn't crying totally unfair? What if someone misunderstood?
"...Tell me. What happened?" Shirou asked helplessly.
"You agreed to help? That's great!" Iroha immediately broke into a dazzling, delighted smile, as if the person crying a moment ago had been someone else entirely.
"Fine, what exactly is so super bad?" Shirou asked.
"Mm-hm, actually, the student council received a super troublesome job." Iroha lowered her head. Remembering just how troublesome it was seemed to drain all the energy out of her.
"A troublesome job? What kind?" Shirou asked, looking at the suddenly gloomy girl. It really did sound super troublesome if she had come to him for help.
"Christmas is coming up, right? We have to work with a nearby high school to hold a Christmas event for local residents, aimed at old people and children," Iroha explained slowly.
"A joint event? That does sound troublesome. Whose idea was this?" Shirou asked in confusion.
"Senpai~ How could I possibly come up with such a troublesome plan?" Iroha winked playfully, smiling as though he obviously knew the answer and was being mean by asking.
"The other side made the request, and you agreed right away?" Based on her personality, Shirou tried to summarize the truth of the situation.
"As expected of Senpai! You're so smart~!" The girl clapped and praised him.
"Is that so? Then I'm heading back to my club. Good luck." Shirou turned and started walking toward the Kyudo Club.
"Wahhh, don't go, Senpai~! I can't handle this! And everyone's busy at Christmas, right? People with friends are going out to have fun, and people without friends need to grind the Christmas event in FGO! If you don't come help, I won't be able to max out Attila-chan riding her sheep!" Iroha cried as she grabbed the back of Shirou's clothes and stubbornly tugged him back.
Hearing that, Shirou finally stopped walking. It seemed this girl's overlap with Mash went beyond simply having underclassman traits.
"That really would be bad," Shirou nodded.
"You've started playing FGO, so you understand, right, Senpai! The King goes baa baa baa~! Her cuteness is off the charts! No matter how much pressure I'm under, I feel completely healed just looking at her. If I don't listen to it for a day, I feel like I won't survive, baahehe~!" As Iroha spoke, she pulled out her phone and opened the preview video for the event that was about to begin.
"You're seriously ill already," Shirou said helplessly as he watched the girl, who looked as though she had been poisoned.
"Ahh, Christmas King is so cute, I'm being healed, baa baa~. In that case, when the time comes, I'll help you max her out even if I have to stay up all night." The girl rubbed her cheek against Attila's image on the phone screen and made up her mind.
"I understand. Anyway, come to the Service Club at noon and we'll discuss it." Seeing her like this, Shirou could only agree. The monsters in the other space had mostly been cleared out now, so he might as well help her.
"Really?! Thank you, Senpai~! I'll head back to class first, bye!" Iroha said excitedly.
After parting with the girl, Shirou ran to the Kyudo Club. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw the pink-haired girl already dressed in her kyudo uniform, waiting for him at the entrance.
"Welcome back, Shirou-senpai." Mash greeted him with a soft smile.
"Sorry for making you wait here by yourself, Mash," Shirou said.
"No, I'm the one who wants to learn archery from you, Senpai. Please come in quickly so we can start practicing!" Mash shook her head.
"Mm." Shirou agreed, changed into his kyudo uniform, and practiced with her as quickly as possible. Afterward, the two headed to the school building for class.
Until noon.
"Excuse me." A small head poked through the door from outside.
"Come in and sit down, Iroha-chan." Yuihama greeted the girl with a smile.
"Thank you, Senpai Yuigahama." Iroha walked in, then curiously looked at Asuna and Mash sitting nearby. "Hello, everyone. By the way, when did the Service Club get so many people?"
"Well, a few things happened, haha." Yuihama smiled, unsure how to explain it.
"Then Isshiki, why have you come here this time?" Yukino set down her book and asked the girl.
"Actually, our school's student council has to co-host a Christmas event for old people and children with a neighboring school. But their student council members are all upperclassmen, and I'm only a first-year student, so they look down on me and assigned me all kinds of errands. Meanwhile, the important preparations haven't progressed at all," Iroha explained.
"If you didn't like it, why didn't you refuse from the beginning?" Yukino said, unable to understand.
"Well, Yukino, sometimes there are things you can't easily refuse," Yuihama said.
"Mm... I have plans during Christmas too, but Teacher Hiratsuka insisted that we participate." Iroha's shoulders drooped as she muttered weakly. This was troubling her so much that she had even forgotten to maintain her cute image.
"Ah, then that makes sense," Yukino and Yuihama said in realization.
"Yes, if it's Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka, there's no way to turn her down."
When it came to the iron-fisted Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka, she was a terrifying existence who would keep sending messages and calling students if she did not receive a response. If the calls did not go through, she would even use every social connection she had to obtain the phone number of a student's middle-school younger sister and contact them that way.
"That's true." Shirou nodded as well. Setting aside the fact that the girl would rather grind the event than handle student council work, being assigned a task by Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka was indeed worthy of sympathy.
"The event keeps expanding, and now even elementary school students have been dragged into it. But we can't unite everyone at all, so I'm really troubled. You seniors are the only ones I can rely on now~ So please!" Iroha pressed her hands together and bowed her head in request.
"All right, that's enough for now. Isshiki, go back first. Let us discuss the details." Shirou stood up and pushed the girl outside.
"Eh? Senpai, you still haven't given me an answer," Iroha said as she was pushed out the door.
"Fine, we'll talk about that outside," Shirou said.
"Shirou-senpai, remember that you already promised to help me." Pushed outside, Iroha puffed out her cheeks and pouted at him in dissatisfaction.
"This isn't something I can decide alone. Anyway, we'll let you know after we come to a conclusion. Give me your account." Shirou took out his phone.
"Oh..." Iroha had no choice but to obediently take out her phone too.
Then her expression changed, and she quickly backed away two steps. She looked at Shirou warily. "Senpai... do you have feelings for me after all? Sorry! Asking for my contact information is such an old-fashioned move, your intentions are completely exposed. Please try again next time!"
"Hey, this is the second time today you've forcibly rejected me, right? Forget it... I'll come find you after school this afternoon." Shirou could not defeat this little devil and helplessly compromised.
"Mm, I'll be counting on you, Senpai!" Iroha stuck out her tongue, pressed her hands together, and ran off.
Just then, the phone in his hand vibrated. When he opened it, he found a message.
"Because I already had it! (Sticks out tongue)" —Sakura Sheep
"This really is..." Shirou had not expected Iroha Isshiki to be in the game group too. More importantly, how did she know this account was his?
Shirou looked in the direction the girl had run with some confusion, but she was already nowhere to be seen.
"What do you all think?" Shirou asked the Service Club members for their opinions.
Yuihama habitually smoothed her bun as she thought for a moment. "Then let's help her? Otherwise, isn't she kind of pitiful?"
"Although this is Service Club work, Shirou, you should know that we have something very important to do right now, don't you?" Yukino asked.
"But I think we can handle both things at once," Shirou argued.
"Yukino, let's all work together and solve both problems!" Yuihama said with a smile.
"Well, club activities are important too. And the monsters in the other space have basically been wiped out. Even if more monsters appear, Mash and I can head over first. If we can't handle them, then we'll summon you," Asuna said.
With Mash acting as a guard, Berserker class Minamoto no Yorimitsu could handle almost any situation.
"Yes, I'll work hard to support Asuna-senpai. You seniors should work hard on the club's task too." Mash clenched her fist to cheer on her seniors, declaring that she would do her best whether in battle or when Servant Minamoto no Yorimitsu held her afterward and patted her head.
"And me!" Xiao Da said from the phone screen.
"Is that so? Then I'll be counting on you. I'll settle things here as quickly as possible," Shirou promised.
"Thank you. Besides, if we don't help, Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka will definitely come ask us why once she finds out," Yuihama said with a wry smile.
"I know. In that case, let's resolve it as soon as possible." Yukino nodded in agreement. Whether it was the monsters or the Service Club's work, both had to be dealt with.
After that, Shirou contacted Iroha through a messaging app on his phone and quickly received a reply. The meeting place was the civic hall near the station.
It was also the venue for this event. The civic hall, which was similar to an activity center for old people, normally hosted various community events for them. This time, however, the event included all old people and children, so it was simply larger in scope.
A room had been set aside specifically for the student councils to use as a meeting room, where the student councils from both sides could gather and discuss matters. However, the recent meetings had practically made no progress at all.
As a newly appointed first-year student council president, Iroha Isshiki had no experience. Combined with her personality, she could only keep going along with the other side's suggestions.
Since the other school had proposed the plan, the International High School student council, as the invited party, was naturally placed in a more passive position. As a result, they had been assigned a pile of trivial tasks.
Having truly run out of options, she had come to Shirou and the Service Club for help.
After asking around a little, the Youths arrived at the meeting room. Several rectangular tables had been arranged into one large rectangle, allowing the two student councils to sit across from each other and discuss matters.
On the far side sat the boys from the nearby commercial high school. Looking toward the side near the door, Shirou indeed spotted someone wearing the International High School uniform who looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he recalled that she was the student council vice president.
Before you continue