When Selesia and the others returned to base, the first thing they saw was Kanoya Rui sprawled on the sofa, reading manga. Rui, too, noticed their arrival.
"Ah! You're back? How'd the experiment go? Did it work?"
"Yes, we succeeded."
Meteora gave a faint smile. "The next step is making that state last longer. At least until it can be controlled as freely as Alicetaria-dono's."
Though Selesia's transformation had only lasted briefly, it proved their direction was correct. That alone was a huge breakthrough.
For any researcher, the worst fear was not failure or lack of effort—it was being on the wrong path. To labor endlessly, only to gain nothing, or even regress—that was the true despair.
"…You mean to tell me you were just sitting here reading manga the whole time?"
Arms crossed, Selesia looked down at Rui, who was still lounging on the sofa. "While we were fighting monsters."
"Don't make it sound like it's all my fault. Kikuchihara-san said so herself—if I sortie with the [Gigas Machina], I'll cause a panic."
Rui sat up slowly, though he didn't put down his manga. His eyes flicked toward Selesia, holding a trace of sulk. "Every time I sortie, I just hover in the sky. It's boring as hell, okay? …And besides, FGO is seriously good."
"I want to fight cool battles too! Not relying on my mech, but swinging a sword, throwing fireballs or lightning… but my Creator didn't give me that. …Wait!"
Still pouting, chin propped on the sofa back, Rui suddenly lifted his head. His eyes lit with excitement.
"If altering settings works, then… can I finally use magic too?"
Finally! Could he become a dashing magus, casting fireballs like Cú Chulainn, beams like Paracelsus, wielding staffs like Gilgamesh—and most importantly, enter scenes with Merlin-level special effects?
When Merlin reappeared in Babylonia's Underworld, Rui had been blown away. The tide of chaos everyone had despaired before bloomed into a sea of flowers at his entrance. Then Merlin drew a sword and went toe-to-toe with Lahmu.
If Rui could learn magecraft, he wanted to be that kind of close-range spellcaster. Summoning flower fields on demand—perfect for picking up girls!
"…I don't want to crush your dreams, but in my opinion, it's unlikely."
Meteora's voice was cold. "Our power as Created stems from recognition. Rui, your world is pure science and mecha. If you suddenly sprout magic, audiences likely won't accept it. Worst case—it could collapse your work's recognition, and you'd be expelled from this world. Your story forcibly cut short. In other words, 'canceled.' An abandoned ending."
"…"
Fantasy shattered by cruel reality, Rui's face drooped like seaweed gone limp.
Crushed, he claimed his heart was broken. At times like this, a "mature man" would probably smoke a cigarette. But Rui was far from mature—so his choice was to bury his nose back in manga.
This time he was reading an FGO side story—set after the first arc, Incineration of Humanity, and before the second, Lostbelt. Four specials. "Subterranean World" he hadn't liked much. "Shimousa" felt average. "Agartha" was his favorite of the three. Now he was reading the last—"Salem."
"So this is the manga you're so obsessed with? Drawn by Van Gogh-san and Yuna-san?"
Selesia came over, eyeing the manga volumes piled on the floor beside the sofa.
"I heard you've hardly gone shopping lately. Is this manga really so interesting that it keeps even a mecha fanatic housebound?"
"Oh? Ohhh? Selesia, you're curious too?"
As if spotting a fellow fan, Rui's eyes shone. He looked up eagerly. "Wanna read together? I'm basically an FGO encyclopedia now. If you don't get something, you can ask me."
"…Curious? Barely."
Selesia's delicate face curved with a mischievous smile. "After all, wasn't it just the other day I heard someone shouting, 'Devils! Liars! You said no more knives! Give me back my Doctor, Bedivere, and Siduri!'"
"…"
"And if I recall, Meteora was there too."
Rui instantly lost the will to read. He just wanted to dig a hole, crawl in, and bid farewell to this world.
At that moment, Meteora approached. She picked up a volume from the floor, gazed at the cover illustration—pretty enough to be a phone wallpaper—then flipped the first page.
Unlike Selesia, Meteora was curious. Even eager. She wanted to create a story herself, like Matsubara and the others.
The more time she spent with them, the more the desire grew. To birth a complete world from her own pen, to see it thrive—that thought filled her with pride.
But such things would have to wait. Until the threats to this world were ended, until they had secured a future. Then she could seek advice from Matsubara, learn.
With a soft snap, Meteora closed the book.
"If we fail, then what right do we have to dream of tomorrow?"
...
Winter's overcast sky was bitter cold.
Sunlight couldn't pierce the clouds. Only the icy winds roamed the land—merciless, indifferent, scouring the earth regardless of what fragile lives could endure.
Humanity had long since shed fur in evolution, now bundling itself in coats as substitute.
Ordinary folk, though, preferred staying indoors with heaters—or in Japan's case, sliding under a kotatsu, snug as turtles in their shells.
Rui had ventured out. Bundled in a navy down coat and winter hat, fully geared.
He used to visit shopping malls often. Back then he was younger, hadn't fallen into the FGO pit, hadn't felt the world's cruel hammer. How easily he'd been duped. Now he regretted it bitterly.
Once he started FGO, he was hooked. With winter biting, too—life under the kotatsu, manga in hand, snacks within reach—who could resist?
But now, he said firmly:
"FGO does not bring happiness, dammit!!"
After a quick meal in the food court, Rui charged straight for the mecha model store.
Soon he emerged, bags in both hands, face flushed.
"Another haul! Swiping without caring about the balance—this is bliss!"
Excitement from shopping sprees wasn't just for girls.
And—surprise—
"Didn't think FGO even had mecha models!"
Grinning, Rui pulled out a box. On it, a silver-white mecha.
"Odysseus… Never heard of him. Must be a Servant from later chapters? I only just finished Salem… wonder how far off he is."
He squinted at the silver mecha art, brows knitting.
"…Why does this look cooler than my [Gigas Machina]? And wait—Odysseus is a mythic hero, right? Why's he piloting an advanced mecha?!"
Besides Odysseus' Trojan Horse, Rui had also bought another FGO character figure—another mecha-style Servant, though more robot than piloted machine. Its true name: Minamoto no Tametomo.
It looked cool, so Rui grabbed it too. Straight into his collection.
Selesia's words earlier had shaken him—but he also realized he'd grown unstable from binging manga nonstop. So he set the books down, went out, and let off steam.
He'd even thought of revenge. To blame it all on the source—for Doctor, Bedivere, Siduri. If these stories could step into reality, then surely they were real too. Their Creator must be the murderer.
But when he'd raised the thought—then looked at timid, fragile, pitiful Van Gogh—his anger had deflated like a popped balloon. He couldn't utter a word of wrath.
Living with her long enough, Rui and Meteora understood her personality—deeply insecure, with self-destructive edges.
That explained the darkness of her stories. Just like fans who read Madoka Magica or JoJo's Bizarre Adventure wondered if the authors were mentally unwell.
Faced with her, Rui couldn't even muster anger. All he could do was pinch her cheeks—call that revenge.
Now most of his resentment was aimed at Yuna. She had been the one to pull him into this. Even if she only managed details and uploads, not story—she'd been the one.
But he wasn't about to grab a girl by the collar and lash out. Instead, he channeled the frustration into shopping. And it worked—his mood had lifted.
With Odysseus and Tametomo in hand, his FGO hype reignited. He couldn't wait to see them shine in the story.
Surely they'd be allies, right? Righteous, dependable, aiding Chaldea's protagonist from start to finish.
And surely—after the knives of Siduri and the Doctor—there'd be no more tragedies.
Having endured Babylonia and Solomon, Rui felt he had grown. He wouldn't be cut down again so easily.
Yes! This trial, this test of maturity—I've passed it!
I, Kanoya Rui, am the strongest!!
Outside the mall, the wind howled like knives. Rui stood, arms full of bags, ready to hail a taxi.
Expensive, yes. But it wasn't his money anyway.
As he waited at the curb, something flickered in the corner of his eye. A figure.
He froze, frowning.
"…Yuna?"
Why was Shimazaki Yuna here?
For a moment, he wondered if he was mistaken—just someone who looked alike.
But curiosity stirred. After a moment of hesitation, Rui followed.
He hadn't caught up when he saw Yuna slip into a narrow, dark alley.
Rui halted at the mouth. Wind howled through the alley, carrying a stench that stung the nose—like demons roaring from within. His heart gave an uneasy jolt.
"Why would Yuna… come to a place like this…?"
Anxiety. Doubt. Unease. They sprouted in his chest, growing stronger.
Before him lay three choices.
Look away?
Tell the others?
Or—follow her?
---
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