[So, never associate an anime character with their voice actor~]
In the room assigned to Ritsuka.
After opening the door with her ID card and entering with Ritsuka, Naoki's ears caught a sentence that made his DNA react.
On the bed, seeing two people enter, Roman's face—holding a plate of strawberry cake—became slightly stiff.
"Uh… that is…"
"Again, slacking off here, Doctor?"
After Ritsuka let out a curious "Hmm." Naoki said resignedly to Roman, "Be careful, or Olga will find out and scold you."
"It's fine. Besides, you'll take the blame anyway." Roman replied casually. "By the way, why are you here? The first particle transfer is about to begin. Shouldn't you, as head of operations, be there to supervise?"
"There's still time before it officially starts. Until then, I'm showing this newcomer around the place."
As he spoke, Naoki stepped aside to gesture toward Ritsuka. "Let me introduce her—this is Fujimaru Ritsuka, the other Master who just arrived today."
Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Hearing Naoki's introduction, Roman immediately understood. "Oh, so you're Fujimaru… Nice to meet you. I'm Chaldea's head of the medical department, Romani Archaman. Most people just call me Dr. Roman."
"Hmm… nice to meet you, I'm Fujimaru—eh? Head of department?!"
After a brief pause, Ritsuka, realizing her mistake, quickly straightened her posture, trying to appear serious.
Roman immediately waved his hand. "No need to be so formal with me, Ritsuka. It makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Just talk normally. I'm not important—just a doctor."
"Yeah, he's just a foolish doctor obsessed with a virtual idol and uncomfortable unless he's being scolded. You really don't need to respect him."
"Hey!"
Hearing Naoki's assessment, Roman immediately grew annoyed. "I'm not obsessed with a virtual idol! And I'm not an M! I just leave comments for Magical Merry and interact with her politely!"
"That's exactly it."
"It's the same thing!"
Magical Merry—a highly popular virtual idol on the internet right now, where Merry provided the virtual appearance and Merlin operated behind the scenes. Together, they ran the project.
Although Roman had known the secret from the beginning and understood that the voice of the woman on screen was actually Merlin himself, he initially thought, [I don't have anything better to do, so I might as well chat with her.] But somehow, without realizing it, he had become a devoted DD (die-hard supporter) of Magical Merry.
Honestly, Naoki's feelings were complicated. The shell of Magical Merry was his wife, Merry. Seeing her being adored like this made him feel slightly awkward. But when he remembered that inside was an adult man, the awkwardness intensified.
It was like one day, your roommate suddenly said, "Actually, that virtual idol you support? That's me."
Watching the friendly interaction between the two, Ritsuka raised her hand in confusion, wanting to ask: "Uhm… Natsukawa-Senpai said this is my room… why is Doctor Roman here?"
"He just came here to slack off. Besides, after this, he probably won't have time for it, so he's taking the chance to relax now—oh, by the way, Roman. Since you're free, why don't you explain Chaldea's situation to Fujimaru, especially the particle transfer part?"
"Why don't you explain it?"
"Don't you understand it better than I do?"
(But you're the head of operations!)
Looking at his old friend with resignation, Roman sighed and turned to Ritsuka. "Alright, I'll explain… Fujimaru, as Natsukawa mentioned, I'll start with particle transfer. For your future life here, this is very important knowledge. Make sure to remember it."
"Yes… I understand!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Roman's short lecture on Chaldea's general knowledge for Ritsuka lasted about half an hour.
From Chaldea's key facilities like CHALDEAS, to Chaldea's purpose, particle transfer, and Heroic Spirit summoning… He explained all the future-useful knowledge in great detail to Ritsuka, using language understandable even to an ordinary person.
After listening to Roman's explanation, Ritsuka couldn't help but be impressed. "That's amazing! I'll be able to time travel to the past and save the world with heroes from history… Will I really be doing that later?"
"If nothing goes wrong, yes. By the way, sorry to dampen your excitement while you're happy, but the truth is, repairing the Human Order isn't fun. The journey is full of danger. I hope you, Fujimaru, remember this well. As a doctor, I don't want to see you get hurt."
"I understand…"
"—Still, actually, as long as this guy is here and Fujimaru doesn't run off alone, there basically won't be any problems. Especially with Akuta around."
Roman glanced at Naoki, sitting in a chair. "As head of operations, you should protect your subordinates, Natsukawa."
"With Hinako-Senpai here, 99% of problems won't be problems. The remaining 1% I'll always be ready to handle. Plus, with my support team at home, Doctor, you can rest easy."
Naoki said with a smile.
Akuta? Akuta Hinako?
"Who is she? This person named Akuta Hinako." Ritsuka asked. "Is she also a subordinate of Natsukawa-Senpai, like me?"
"More or less. Earlier in the control room, you must've seen a girl with twin tails and glasses. That's Akuta Hinako, your senior. Both of you are Chaldea's only Masters. Remember to get along well in the future."
After Naoki said that, Ritsuka finally recalled seeing someone like that.
At that moment—
*TUT-TUT!*
Accompanied by a ringing sound, the communication bracelet on Naoki's wrist suddenly displayed Professor Lev's image. "I've finished the final adjustments. Natsukawa, you and the newcomer can come now."
"Got it, okay. I'll be right there. By the way, should I bring the doctor? I'm currently in the medical room."
Naoki directed the camera toward Roman.
Lev nodded. "That'd be better. There might be physical discomfort during the first particle transfer. With Roman there, it won't be an issue. Hurry up. We also need to change the newcomer's combat outfit."
"Understood."
After ending the call, Naoki and Roman exchanged glances. Then Roman asked, "This time, are you sure nothing will happen to anyone, Natsukawa?"
"Yes, nothing will happen to anyone. Trust me, Doctor. By the way, about Lev… are you sure you don't want to surprise him?"
"Forget it. No need. Besides, you confiscated my ring and put it somewhere—I don't even know where. Even if I told him, Lev wouldn't believe me."
Recalling Naoki's robber-like actions from a while ago, Roman felt utterly resigned. Although the other party did it for his own good to prevent him from exploding, did he really have to snatch his ring?!
Standing up from the bed, Naoki waved to Ritsuka. "Let's go, Fujimaru. It's time for the control room—oh, keep this safe."
"Eh? This… a charm?"
Looking at the charm placed in her hand, Ritsuka frowned slightly in confusion. "Why did Senpai suddenly give me this?"
"Consider it a welcome gift to Chaldea. Make sure to carry it wherever you go. I made it myself. Guaranteed to be effective."