There was a slight itch on her cheek.
Like being licked by a small animal, Ritsuka could feel a faint, wet tickle on her cheek.
She opened her eyes, still dazed. The first thing she saw upon opening them was a gray, overcast sky.
"Where… is this…"
"Fou~~~ Fou~~~"
Several sounds reached her ears. Ritsuka turned her head and saw a small, pure white animal—resembling a squirrel—sitting beside her head, repeatedly licking her cheek with its tongue.
Why was there an animal here?
Getting up from the ground and hugging the creature, Ritsuka looked around.
Buildings destroyed as if after an air raid, streets scorched, vehicles scattered everywhere, fallen and severed power poles… No matter where she looked, Ritsuka could only see scenes like this.
Like a city that had just been attacked from the air.
"Where… is this…? And why am I here?"
Ritsuka held her head, trying to recall what had happened earlier—she remembered just saying goodbye to Department Head Natsukawa, putting on the tight special suit she now wore, and lying down inside a tube, which seemed to be the vehicle for particle transfer.
Then?
What happened after that?
She remembered, after lying down, not long after, a loud explosion sounded, and then she…
"An explosion… Right! It was an explosion!"
Her final conversation with Naoki came back to mind. She remembered Naoki saying that someone named Professor Lev would cause a massive explosion at Chaldea.
"Could this be Chaldea after the explosion…? No, that's impossible, right?"
After all, there was no way an indoor room could transform into an entire city, especially one this vast.
But if this wasn't Chaldea, then where was this?
"Fouu—!"
Suddenly, the pure white small animal Ritsuka was hugging cried out. Its tiny front paw stretched forward.
(Is there something over there?)
Thinking that, Ritsuka looked in the direction it was pointing. And when she did, what entered her view wasn't another living person besides herself, or anything potentially useful.
Frankly, it was a falling star.
And as it drew closer, the falling star suddenly shattered into countless specks of light, transforming into a dense rain of light that poured down toward Ritsuka!
(I'm going to die!)
That was Ritsuka's only thought at that moment. But before she could even crouch down to protect her head, from the other side of the street, a figure suddenly emerged from the rubble, rushing in front of Ritsuka at incredible speed. Their right hand reached out toward the torrent of arrows—
*SWOOSH!*
Bright light flashed from their hand. In an instant, a large circular shield bearing a cross suddenly materialized out of thin air in their right hand!
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
The heavy rain poured all its force onto the shield's surface. The impacts, terrifying just to see and hear, continuously struck, creating craters in the surrounding ground and visibly reducing the thickness of the road.
But remarkably, despite the arrows' immense force, the shield appeared completely unaffected. It stood firm in front of Ritsuka.
Waiting with her eyes closed for several seconds, Ritsuka felt no pain, no sensation of her body being pierced. She opened her eyes in confusion.
"Mash?"
Looking at the figure holding the large shield and standing with their back to her, Ritsuka asked in disbelief. From their appearance, this person should be Mash—but why was she wearing armor like that?
Noticing Ritsuka's movement behind her, Mash glanced slightly back and spoke in a tone unfamiliar to Ritsuka: "Don't talk to me. Stay hidden behind me. At this distance, it's not easy to deal with Archer."
"Y-yes… okay."
(Not Mash? It feels like… someone else?)
As Ritsuka felt confused, the relentless rain of arrows finally ceased.
Without lowering the shield, Mash kept it raised in front. After confirming something, she finally moved the shield aside and turned to look at Ritsuka behind her: "Are you alright? Fujimaru."
"Eh… yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Mash… I think?"
"If you're referring to the name of the girl whose body I'm currently using, yes, it is Mash. Unfortunately, she can't come out right now." Mash said. "I am the Servant residing within her body, Class Shielder. Pleased to meet you."
"Y-yes, pleased to meet you… Miss Shielder?"
Looking at Ritsuka's outstretched hand, Mash paused for a moment, then sighed. "Although I'm using a woman's body, I myself am male. Please keep that in mind in the future—and now is not the time for us to greet each other casually. This place isn't safe; it's too open. We're vulnerable to attack again. Follow me."
Shielder immediately ran toward a nearby intersection. Seeing this, Ritsuka hurriedly chased after.
"Wait! I want to ask! What's happening now!? Where is this!?"
After sprinting with all her strength to catch up with Shielder, Ritsuka shouted. Her heart and mind were now in chaos; she had no idea about the current situation.
Shielder didn't turn back, only answering while continuing to run: "Someone will explain the specifics later. I don't need to explain now. Right now, my priority is getting you to meet the others."
"Meet? Meet who?"
"With—"
Shielder's words were cut short. Because before she could finish, a powerful explosion suddenly erupted around the corner ahead. The shockwave and sand from the blast sent several cars on the street flying. Immediately after, a voice spoke—
"This feeling… still alive, Fujimaru."
Emerging from the smoke and dust, Hinako—wearing the same special Chaldea combat uniform as Ritsuka—appeared before the two of them.
Glancing at Mash, now clad in armor, Hinako frowned, then showed a look of realization: "Oh, so you're the one protecting her?"
"Yes, that's my contract with my King. Since I've met you, this contract ends here. Farewell."
After saying that, Shielder closed her eyes. The armor she wore quickly transformed into countless specks of light and vanished. In its place, Mash now wore the Chaldea uniform, and her body suddenly went limp and collapsed.
Ritsuka quickly caught Mash, supporting her on her shoulder: "Eh? Mr. Shielder? What's wrong with you?"
"Don't call him anymore—he's gone." Hinako walked over, took Mash from Ritsuka's arms, and slung her over one shoulder. "Let's find a place to rest first, newcomer. Then we'll discuss the situation. That building over there looks decent inside. Let's go—"
"Aaaarrrggghhhh! Help—!"
At that moment, a loud cry for help rang out from not far away.
Ritsuka thought, "That voice… it's the director!"
Hinako's face instantly showed a strong expression of disgust and resignation.
"Tch, there's still one more… Hey, newcomer, follow me. We'll save her."
"O-okay… Eh? Senpai, wait for me! Don't run so fast!"