"The... the King of the Moon?"
Humans have been bound to Earth by gravity, unable to break through the atmosphere even today. Settling on the moon remains a far-fetched dream.
Mash never imagined she would hear such a title from Jiang You. But considering his widely acknowledged advanced Clairvoyance and the genuine shock on his face, she immediately believed his words.
"Hmm... judging by her uniform and reaction, she must still be at the very beginning of her story," Jiang You observed, glancing at Hakuno's uniform and her bewildered reaction.
"Even so, that's incredible! To be crowned King of an entire moon... I can't even imagine how powerful she must be!"
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you... Hakuno... or rather, Hakuno Kishinami. Her circumstances are quite similar to your Senpai's. Most of her strength comes from the Heroic Spirits gathered around her. Right now, she's probably just an ordinary high school student."
Judging by Hakuno's situation, she might not even be aware of Heroic Spirits' existence, meaning she likely hasn't encountered any servants. Gudako really picked the perfect moment.
Theoretically, Hakuno and Nero should have excellent compatibility. However, Hakuno's very first words instantly erased Nero's pre-existing affection for her. After all, to Nero, Hakuno was now a "colleague," not a "Praetor," and Nero had no tolerance for her current status. "I am the great Roman Emperor! Since we are both servants, let our weapons do the talking! I shall defeat you with glorious splendor, and you shall apologize properly to me!"
Hakuno thought this cosplayer had quite a fiery temper, and that burning longsword looked suspiciously real. Sensing danger, she instinctively glanced toward the nearby exit, ready to bolt at any moment.
Gudako immediately stepped in to mediate. After experiencing so many Singularities, she understood that Heroic Spirits often had peculiar temperaments, and occasional clashes were inevitable. It was times like these when her role as Master was crucial. "Your Majesty Nero, please calm down. She doesn't seem to fully understand the current situation. Besides, if you wish to battle, we have simulation programs here where you can unleash your full power without restraint, right?"
"Since the Praetor has spoken, I shall restrain myself... for now," Nero replied, still visibly reluctant. "But I will see what kind of servant she is!"
Because Chaldea's Summoning Circle essentially acted as the conduit through which Heroic Spirits connected with Chaldea, Hakuno's Parameters appeared on Romani's display.
"MoonCancer? First we get a Foreigner—the first of their kind—and now an undocumented Class? It seems our understanding of Heroic Spirits remains woefully incomplete."
"We can at least speculate about what 'Foreigner' might represent," Gudako added, "but this 'MoonCancer' Class offers no clues whatsoever."
Da Vinci gazed at Hakuno's Parameters, feeling quite troubled.
"Aside from her Luck being B, all her other stats are E—that's truly rare. Just looking at these numbers, it's hard to imagine any combat capability. And her Noble Phantasms aren't even listed. Does she not possess any... or are they merely concealed?"
"..."
Romani scanned Hakuno's body and unexpectedly discovered something intriguing. "Actually, there is something special about her. Her magical power composition... it's remarkably similar to Jiang You's!"
"Similar to Jiang You's?"
Da Vinci glanced at the data report Romani had pulled up, and indeed, there were similarities. "Hmm, her magical power is heavily digitized too. And judging by her modern attire, it's possible she's a future servant. Perhaps all future servants share this characteristic?"
"Jiang You even called her 'King of the Moon' earlier, so they must know each other. Given her Class, there might be some connection..."
With so little information, Romani couldn't draw any definitive conclusions. Jiang You remained tight-lipped about his own identity, leaving them to speculate based on the available clues.
"Why don't we just ask Hakuno directly? We should also throw a welcome party. Chaldea has gained new combat power, which is a good thing no matter how you look at it."
Jiang You had originally planned to leave. He still needed to finish his daily tasks in the Prisma Illya world and report for duty there. But seeing Hakuno stopped him in his tracks. This was clearly the source material for a new script! He just wondered if Hakuno, summoned here like this, would be able to return to her original world.
"Actually, there's no need for all that trouble," Hakuno replied. "I can't stay here for long anyway. I have to get back to my convenience store job."
When Chaldea announced they would be hosting a welcome party for Hakuno and Nero, Nero exclaimed, "My welcome party must be suitably magnificent!" and rushed off to the venue to begin making preparations on her own. Hakuno, however, shook her head in refusal.
In the Mooncell, Hakuno's background was only vaguely defined beyond her role as a student. But after a certain individual appeared, the entire SE.RA.PH was transformed into a fully realized world. This expanded Hakuno's backstory within the virtual realm. As a "typical" high school student living alone, it was perfectly normal for her to work part-time during vacations to support herself.
"Working? Does the Throne of Heroes even need workers?" Gudako asked, displaying a startling lack of common sense.
"The Throne of Heroes isn't a real place," Romani explained patiently. "It's a collective term for the region where Heroic Spirits' souls and information are stored." He offered Gudako a simplified explanation to help her understand quickly. "So, working there is impossible. Which means Miss Kishinami... she must have been summoned here as a living person. That would explain why she lacks a Noble Phantasm and has such low Parameters."
"A Summoning Circle can summon living people?!" Gudako exclaimed, as if a whole new world had just opened up to her.
"Theoretically, it shouldn't be possible..." Romani hedged, careful not to sound too definitive, though he refrained from mentioning that a certain King of Knights had also been summoned as a living person.
"But there are exceptions to every rule. Just look at her—she's standing right in front of you, alive and well!"
As he spoke, Romani glanced at Jiang You. If Hakuno Kishinami had been summoned as a living person, then Jiang You, whose magical power signature was strikingly similar, might also be a servant summoned in his living form. Though, regardless of the truth, it wouldn't change the ultimate outcome.
"So, you're saying I was summoned as a Heroic Spirit?"
As expected of Hakuno, she quickly grasped the setting of this world.
"So this isn't my original world after all... Then what about my wages? Do I get paid for working for you?"
"Huh?"
Gudako had never encountered this situation before. Usually, the Heroic Spirits who appeared by her side were fighting to save the world, or they had long since transcended such trivial concerns as wealth.
"You can't expect me to work for free, right? Do Heroic Spirits just work for free? Or is Chaldea some kind of exploitative organization?" Hakuno asked with an unperturbed expression.