"Shirou, you finally made it! Hurry up and think of something!" Xiao Da said angrily.
"Hey! Komachi, aren't you cold dressed like that?" The Youth spotted his younger sister, with two horns and wearing something as revealing as a bikini. He frowned, holding back a lecture, but still asked sternly.
"Master—no, with this body, calling you Brother feels more natural. Aren't you dressed pretty lightly too, Brother? My, what finely toned muscles." Shuten-doji, controlling Komachi's body, pressed herself against the Youth. Her fingers traced the lines of his hips, her eyes hazy with fascination. A strong, handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes was wonderful, but this one was quite good too.
"Not at all. How should I put it? Before becoming an Anti-Heroic Spirit, I was more of an oni, so I have no need for exams or common sense. Brother, would you like a drink?" Shuten-doji asked with a smile through Komachi's body.
His younger sister had still been clamoring to bathe with her brother three years ago. Her figure was still somewhat disappointing for a middle schooler, but with an oni possessing her now, she gave off an entirely different kind of seductive allure.
"Even if you've become far too open because of the Servant possession, Komachi will definitely regret this later!" Shirou took off his cloak and draped it over Komachi.
"My, how considerate. Though my body does not need such troublesome things at all." The Servant inside Komachi spoke up.
"Listen to me! Otherwise, I'll force you back to the Hall of Heroes!" Shirou said sharply.
"I do not dislike being sternly looked after by a man like this. If you drink with me, I would not mind doing as Brother wishes." Shuten-doji smiled, swung her gourd, and licked her lips.
"Roooar!" The giant dragon roared, and the wind pressure from its sound waves swept toward the Youth and the girl.
"What a criminal little lizard. If you want me to retreat, then unless you are an Eastern dragon god, you should grow another eight heads before coming back to make noise."
Shuten-doji frowned and summoned a long sword with a purple gourd-shaped hilt, pointing it at the blue dragon.
"I finally found someone in the mood for flirting, and you are being so noisy. I'll pull out your bones and drink dragon marrow with my wine."
Shuten-doji held her sword in one hand and her wine gourd in the other. A rich, fragrant mist of fruit wine drifted from its mouth toward the dragon. The frenzied dragon immediately lost its will to fight and quieted down, while the luster of its scales seemed to have been corroded away by the wine mist.
While weakening the dragon, she also enhanced herself. In life, she had been the oni king of a demon realm. After becoming a Servant, she possessed a composite enhancement ability combining Demonic Nature, Monstrous Strength, Charisma, Mana Burst, and numerous other buffs.
Finally, she unleashed her Noble Phantasm: Thousand Flowers and Crimson Poison of the Gods.
Shuten-doji poured her wine onto the ground. At her command, it turned into a pool of purple liquor flowing beneath the dragon's body, instantly dyeing it violet. By the time the dragon recovered from its charmed state, its entire body had taken on the color of poison. Its hard scales had corroded, and its skin wrinkled as if it were about to peel away.
Shuten raised her long sword, leaped high, and thrust downward.
Without Shirou doing anything at all, Shuten-doji alone dug out the dragon's Dragon's Ire and pierced its heart. Yet after dealing with the dragon, she showed no sign of wanting to return.
"Brother Shirou, since you are my brother, take me somewhere to have some fun." Barefoot, Shuten-doji jumped onto the wall of a house along the street. Completely unconcerned about exposing herself, she walked along it with a catlike stride, examining the strange buildings around her.
"I like gorgeous, beautiful things."
Even among Servants, there were all kinds of troublesome beings. The Servant before him was not even human, but an oni. Only her famous legend had made her known to the world.
But Shuten-doji's essence was that of an oni: a nonhuman, a monster, an aberration not bound by human morality.
"No. No matter how I look at it, I do not have time to waste with you for long. So tell me, what is your wish?" Shirou said bluntly.
"My wish? Hmm, how about you, Master, drink a cup of crossed-arm wine with me? But this is Divine Wine. It benefits gods, yet remains highly poisonous to mortals and demons. Do you dare drink it with me?"
"If drinking this means you will obediently go back," Shirou said decisively. He projected a large wine bowl like Shuten's and held it out toward the horned oni girl. Even if she was an oni, she was still his younger sister. There was no reason for an older brother to fear his sister.
Shirou's Magic Eye was operating as he watched Shuten-doji fill his bowl to the brim from the wine gourd she had used to poison the dragon.
For this oni woman, who had been beheaded after drinking poisoned wine in life, had claimed that wine gourd as her Noble Phantasm after death. With a single thought, the instant Shirou's lips touched the wine in the bowl, she could turn its fine brew into deadly poison.
Shuten felt no displeasure at Shirou's caution. Rather, if he had been some foolish little darling with no sense of self-preservation, she might have gotten a sudden urge to pull out his skull and use it as a wine cup.
For Shuten-doji, anything was fine. She had invited him to drink, and he had accepted. Was that not enough to make her happy? Getting drunk together, killing each other, touching skin, deceiving each other—did that not have its own unique flavor?
Shirou extended the hand holding his wine bowl toward the girl. Shuten-doji gave a seductive smile and extended her own smooth, jade-white hand. Their arms crossed, her fingers clasping around the Youth's sturdy wrist. Together, they lowered their heads, their lips touching the rim of the bowl.
The human Youth and the oni girl drew close, staring into each other's eyes and seeing themselves reflected there.
Shirou opened his mouth and drained the bowl. The fruit wine turned scorching hot the moment it entered his mouth, becoming a burning current that rushed down his throat and into his stomach. It felt as though a blade had lightly scraped across his tongue. After the first wave of spiciness passed, he felt a warm fragrance escaping with his breath through his nostrils.
Shirou's Magic Eye had already confirmed that there was no poison. Yet the instant it entered his mouth, it became unbelievably spicy, like a prankishly fiery drink. Although he had thoroughly prepared himself, the stimulation still brought tears to his eyes. Shirou endured the intense heat, drained the wine, and wiped away his tears, barely managing not to embarrass himself.
Still maintaining the crossed-arm posture with Shuten-doji, Shirou turned his bowl upside down. Not a single drop of wine fell from it.
"Wonderful! How wonderful! Looking at you closely, brother, you are a rare handsome man whose looks match his character. I've started to like you, Master. Next time, please come drink properly with me again." Her wish fulfilled, Shuten-doji's eyes glimmered seductively, and her lips curled into a graceful smile.
"Komachi is not eighteen yet. Minors cannot drink," Shirou refused. By the standard of twenty, he was breaking the rules too, but counting his previous life's age, it did not matter.
"Is that so? But once I set my eyes on something, I will not let go easily. Please look forward to it." Shuten smiled, turned into fluorescent light, and returned to Chaldea.
The recovered Komachi seemed very satisfied with Shirou's performance.
"Brother! You were super cool just now! You actually flew over to save Komachi and everything." Komachi praised him happily, but then changed her tone and stared at Shirou. "But it was way too much for you to hide this from Komachi and fight monsters like that again!"
"You are taking entrance exams this year. Even if you have the aptitude, there is no way I could drag you into this," Shirou said as if it were obvious.
"Ugh... even so." Komachi puffed out her cheeks gloomily. Her brother was right, but she still could not accept it.
"All right, leave these matters to me. Focus on your exams first and get into International High. No matter which side it concerns, I will not hide anything from you again." Shirou reached out, patted his younger sister's head, and spoke gently.
"If that is how it is... then since you did really well just now, Komachi will let it go." Komachi turned her face away as he patted her head. Remembering the way they had drunk crossed-arm wine earlier, she felt her face heating up as if she had a fever.
"Mm-hm, thank you for your great generosity, Lady Komachi." Shirou said with a light laugh.
"Then, Hikigaya Komachi is off to school!" Komachi said, saluting dramatically.
"Mm, good luck." Shirou encouraged his younger sister and waved.
"Oh, right! Brother, you look super handsome with red hair! Just keep it like this. Lately, you had been looking more and more like some frivolous male host who was about to get stabbed by a cleaver. You look steadier like this—reliable and handsome. It feels much safer." With that, Komachi ran toward the school.
"Really?" Shirou froze. Because he had often summoned and possessed Merlin for battles recently, he seemed to have naturally started talking to girls both inside and outside his class, then naturally becoming close to them. His FGO friend list was almost full too. Aside from Saika and online friends from his gaming group, it seemed to be nothing but girls...
Thinking about Merlin's eventual fate, Shirou suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Just as Shirou was about to call his younger sister back and ask what she meant, the special nature of this summoning caused him to return automatically once the battle ended. Before the Youth could say anything, he turned into fluorescent light and returned to the Kyudo Club, where he had been before.
It was morning, and Mash was the only one in the Kyudo Club.
"Welcome back, Shirou-senpai." Mash welcomed the Youth with a smile.
"I'm back, Mash." Shirou said to Mash and Xiao Da, "We need to move quickly this time. We absolutely have to find that corrupted Servant!"
He did not show it, but he was truly angry this time. If that Servant, Perseus, wanted to target him alone, then he could bring it on. But now he had not only controlled monsters to attack this world, he had also targeted Shirou's family. Not even a thug with the slightest sense of honor would do something like that.
That thing was no longer a Servant. It was a monster with nothing left but hatred. Then I'll cut it down! He now possessed the strength to face that Servant.
Earlier, Xiao Da had operated the system without permission, allowing Shirou to possess Merlin and be sent to Chaldea in spiritual form.
The environment here was just like the scene Shirou had examined through his Magic Eye before. High-tech machinery was arranged everywhere.
Da Vinci led a group of Chaldea staff members to welcome Shirou. Whether staff or other Servants, everyone seemed unusually enthusiastic about his arrival.
For an organization as large as Chaldea, the number of staff and Servants he saw was surprisingly small. He did not see Saber here either, only a few familiar faces. On the contrary, it was probably Shirou himself, now with black hair, who had changed the most.
However, because the medium used for summoning was different, perhaps these Servants did not recognize him either.
At that moment, a tall woman with long purplish-pink hair standing across from him gave him a slight nod.
"He really does look a lot like Emiya," staff member B commented as he assessed Shirou.
"I have heard much about you, Youth from another world. You have great talent. How about helping cook a meal here today?" Red Saber walked over, warmly grasped his hand, and many staff members and Servants behind him looked over expectantly.
There were actually quite a few Servants skilled at cooking, but only after losing something did people realize how good it had been to have it. Domesticity EX, which silently handled every aspect of food, clothing, housing, and daily life, was truly Chaldea's most indispensable presence!
"Haah..." Shirou stared speechlessly at this fat man. So this was what all that enthusiasm had been about.
Shirou felt that after graduation, he would not need to worry about finding work. If he did not want to become a kyudo master or study forging at a weapon shop, he could consider becoming a chef here.
It was not merely that they could no longer eat varied Chinese, Japanese, and Western cuisine in the cafeteria every day.
After Emiya disappeared, every human and Servant in Chaldea clearly felt the difference in their lives. When they woke up in the middle of the night unable to sleep and felt hungry, no handsome guy would appear to make them a midnight snack.
The glass mirrors no longer gleamed. Dust had somehow appeared on bookshelves and tabletops. Trash tossed on the floor in the morning did not disappear after a day of work. Clothes thrown onto beds and sofas no longer washed, dried, and folded themselves.
Someone even went to Da Vinci and asked whether the automatic cleaning familiars had broken down. The toilet paper and hand soap in the bathroom had run out a week ago and still had not been replaced.
There were never any convenient things like that in the first place! Da Vinci had roared at the time.
Without realizing it, the entire Chaldea staff had been turned into people incapable of taking care of themselves by one man.
The staff members who had originally thought, It is fine even if we cannot contact the outside world, as long as everyone in Chaldea is happy, now often missed the flavors of food made by their family, friends, and mothers back home.
So when everyone heard that a Youth who resembled Emiya in every way was coming to Chaldea, nearly all of them, aside from a few Servants, came running over. They stared eagerly at him, hoping to eat a meal he cooked. Of course, it would be even better if he simply never left.
"All right, all right. We can talk about cooking after we finish the important business. Those Servants skilled in Item Creation and willing to help, please come over. Shirou, come with me." Da Vinci clapped her hands and gave her instructions, then led the Youth to her workshop.
"Since we cannot have you possess Emiya, let us discuss customizing a combat Spirit Origin for you instead," Da Vinci said.
"Huh? Can Servants be made?" Shirou asked in surprise.
"Well, normally, of course not. But there have been cases like this before. If all you want is a Spirit Origin that can freely deploy an Inherent Domain, we can make one. With this!" As Da Vinci spoke, a vortex appeared between her collarbone and abdomen. She reached into it and pulled out a glittering golden cup.
This had originally been a Holy Grail she had secretly sealed away. But when it was time to use it, she had to take it out. Da Vinci would not hesitate over that.
"Wait! Didn't you say before that you had already used all the Holy Grails to connect the passage to the other world?" Shirou interrupted.
Da Vinci rolled her eyes, then smiled. "...Ahaha, think about it. There were more than ten Holy Grails, after all. I thought the energy supply was sufficient, so I kept one for emergencies. A genius always prepares in advance for future variables. See? It came in handy now."
"...Is that really true?" Shirou looked at Da Vinci skeptically. Had she not kept it for personal use?
"Boys who keep pestering people are not popular," Da Vinci said with a smile.
"But is it really all right to use this universal wish-granting device just to make me stronger?" Shirou asked hesitantly. Receiving a Holy Grail so easily made it all feel strangely unreal.
"It's fine, it's fine. You can return one later. There are more than ten of them anyway. Whether you use one or another Servant uses one makes no difference, and there is no better use for it," Da Vinci said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Thank you." Shirou carefully accepted the Holy Grail.
"Do not be so careful with it. In the end, this is not the sort of thing from legends where collecting seven lets you grant a wish. It is merely a huge Magic Crystal. How you use it specifically depends on finding a suitable method yourself," Da Vinci said.
Shirou thought for a moment and nodded. "So even if Mash wished to the Holy Grail to become an Emperor of Luck with a maxed-out Servant, it would only give her an unlimited supply of Saint Quartz and let her keep rolling for half a year to fulfill that wish, right?"
"Yes, yes, that is exactly it! A guaranteed Servant in every ten-roll is impossible. What connects a Servant and a Master is not money, but fate." Da Vinci nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.
"Exactly so! This is a giant battery! But if it were me, I could even use it to cut a piece of land out of the timeline. Youth, what you need is knowledge! And direct current is justice!" A tall, imposing Lion Head man roared.
"No! What matters is determining the method of carrying out your wish, as well as unwavering faith! Youth, if your faith is strong enough, you can even summon dead saints. Now! Let me explain the requirements for joining the Jeanne Fan Club, and then let us work together to summon all the Jeannes back!" A gloomy man with bulging eyeballs said with a strange laugh.
"Huh? Jeanne? You mean Saint Joan of Arc?" Shirou asked in confusion. He felt that this man had the aura of a fanatic.
"Jeanne is Jeanne! Pure Jeanne! Holy Jeanne! Jeanne who burned France to ashes! There is the flag girl in white military uniform, the dragon girl in black attire, and even the loli version in a Christmas outfit! Join now, and not only will you receive magazines documenting Jeanne's daily life in full detail, you will also get this super-rare photo of JK Uniform Jeanne d'Arc!"
Image: "Jeanne Fan Club", location: "Images/161049-50343.jpg"
After flipping open a magazine to show the Youth the different forms of Jeanne, the eyeball man took out another photo of a young girl and tempted him with it.
"Huh? Aren't some of the things you said contradictory?" Shirou silently stepped back twice, putting distance between himself and the man. Merely listening to him made Shirou feel as though his mind had been contaminated somehow. For that brief instant, he had actually entertained dangerous thoughts like, Black Jeanne is amazing! Trading a Holy Grail for one sounds pretty good.
"Gilles de Rais! Stop misleading the new young man. I think you just need to train according to what you have in mind, then grow stronger. Training ultimately depends on yourself. At the end of the day, the Holy Grail is merely something that accelerates the process." A deep-blue-haired man in a tight blue outfit approached, carrying an oak staff.
Shirou looked at the newcomer in surprise. "Cú Chulainn? Shouldn't you be a Lancer?"
Caster Cú Chulainn said, "Have we met somewhere before? I do think a spear suits my hand better, but I'm a druid right now."
"No, I think you are much easier to get along with like this," Shirou said.
"Is that so? Hahaha, then let's hear what you have in mind first, young man," Cú Chulainn said with a smile.
Shirou nodded and began explaining the fighting style he wanted.
"I actually want to materialize my already completed Inner World again and fight through my Inherent Domain." In his previous life, his origin had been swords, and by chance his element had also become swords. That was why he had formed the Inherent Domain known as Unlimited Blade Works.
But after being reborn into a world without any mystery, his new body naturally did not possess an element called "swords."
"An Inherent Domain? You said an Inherent Domain! You possess an Inherent Domain like that great one? If that great one has enough mana, he can even summon the entire land of Egypt..." A brown-skinned girl said in surprise.
"No, my ability is not anything that exaggerated." Shirou smiled, then turned to look at the girl. She had beautiful hair woven from blue and gold, an unbelievable combination that somehow suited her perfectly. She wore golden ornaments and stood with graceful poise.
"You insolent fool! Do not interrupt when I'm speaking! Mortal, do you understand that you are speaking to the great Pharaoh Nitocris? Lower your head! Show more respect!" The girl struck the ground with her golden staff and shouted, pretending to be fierce.
"Uh... sorry." Although this Servant looked more like a girl next door sulking than anyone frightening, Shirou still chose to apologize obediently.
"Mm, it is good that you know your mistake. Since you are a guest, I shall specially permit you to behold the appearance of the great Pharaoh. Raise your head and speak." Nitocris was very satisfied with her overwhelming dignity, and her gaze toward the Youth softened. "Then let me tell you of the glorious exploits of the Pharaoh among Pharaohs, Ozymandias!"
Just as Nitocris was about to go on and on, Da Vinci stepped forward and interrupted her.
"All right, all right. Save the history lessons for later. Everyone, let's discuss our approach to the modifications first."
Before you continue