Mash leaned against a rock wall in the wasteland, her lips slightly chapped, her eyes dazed and vacant as she stared ahead.
"Mash. Have some water." Worried about Mash's condition, Fujimaru Ritsuka handed her a canteen.
"Huh? Senpai, where did this water come from?" Mash blankly accepted the canteen Fujimaru Ritsuka offered her, looking puzzled.
Chaldea's original canteen had been a gift from Ozymandias, but it had been lost in an earlier battle.
"The leader of a refugee group tried to rob us earlier. After Leonardo da Vinci taught him a lesson, he handed over some supplies and ran off. This canteen was among the things they left behind," Fujimaru Ritsuka explained with a smile. "Don't worry, Leonardo da Vinci already checked it. There's no poison in it, so it's safe to drink."
"Ah, thank you." Mash nodded and took two sips, finally moistening her cracked lips before asking, "Have Mr. Anno and the others not returned yet?"
".We've already detected the magical signatures of their return, so you can relax." Roman's transmission came through, his tone carrying a hint of relief as well. Though this attempt to enter the Holy City had failed, they had gathered enough intelligence. A timely retreat was a good choice, and unlike the North American Singularity, they had not suffered any loss of combat strength.
"That's good." Mash smiled gently and unconsciously stroked Fou in her arms.
"Fou—" Fou rubbed against Mash's hand. Seeing the sorrow beneath her happiness, he stretched out his tongue and licked her face.
"What are you crying about, Mash?" Fujimaru Ritsuka sat down beside Mash, took one of her hands, and held it between both of his, looking at her with concern.
Earlier, while he had been pulling Mash away from the Holy City's walls, he had seen her